Years of practice, my boy. Years. Of. Practice.
[Mutants & Masterminds] A World Less Magical But No Less Fantastic
Years of practice, my boy. Years. Of. Practice.
Davies
Legend
Muraddin
Muraddin, a planet orbiting the star known to Terran astronomers as Gliese 530, was first settled in 1823* by refugees from the Imperium. (Some archaeologists have found what they claim to be signs that the planet had been inhabited by unknown entities before that, and there is a persistent superstitious belief that the two polar regions of the planet are home to supernatural beings descended from them.) The planet was named for the Admiral who commanded the Armada which brought the refugees to this solar system, who died of old age mere moments after the fleet arrived in orbit around their new home.
Despite the two centuries* since the arrival and the foundation of the Technate, much of Muraddin remains unexplored. In large part this is explained by the fact that much of Muraddin is utterly hostile to human/humanoid life, and difficult to survey even through technological means. The planet is tidally locked, with one side constantly facing its sun and the other turned away into space, with a very narrow band (roughly six thousand kilometers wide) possessing a temperate climate range, with frequent storms. The planet has no seas or oceans, though it has lakes and rivers originating from the glaciers of the nightside. The dayside, of course, is a vast desert, with what is believed to be a volcanic region at its heart.
Despite these challenges, Muraddin's habitable zone is home to roughly two billion sapient beings, with dozens of very cosmopolitan cities. The largest of these, Hemexa, is also the capital of the Technate, home to its Minds and to the various branches of the government, including the Technate Space Agency. Hemexa is located fairly close to the dayside, and is constantly bathed in light not unlike that of the early morning on Earth; all residences have light proofing to allow their denizens to sleep during their sleep cycle, which can vary from household to household.
As the central planet of the Technate, Muraddin is under constant protection by the TSA's Homeworld Fleet, whose Admiral is the famous Commander Arlan Hayez, formerly of the TSV Adventure. Now in his sixties, and showing no interest in taking life-extension treatments, Commander Hayez is no longer the daring space captain of the Adventure's legendary voyages, two and a half decades ago. But he remains a cunning strategist and a canny diplomat, and takes the responsibility of guarding his homeworld seriously. Hayez is particularly concerned with the activities of the Dark Side (unlike most of his contemporaries) and maintains a correspondence with the leaders of the Last Men Standing.
While his relationship with her is strained at best, the Admiral continues to be impressed (though at times also bemused) by his daughter's accomplishments as the captain of the refitted Adventure. It is true that she achieved this position through her own efforts, without any nepotism on his part. It is also true that, in the last four years*, there have been a number of occasions where the Agency might have removed her from that post save for the Admiral's quiet advocacy ...
Commander Arlan Hayez -- PL 6
Abilities:
STR 0 | STA 1 | AGL 1 | DEX 2 | FGT 3 | INT 5 | AWE 3 | PRE 5
Powers:
Situational Awareness: Senses 1 (danger sense) - 1 point
Translator Implant: Comprehend Languages 2 - 6 points
Advantages:
Assessment, Benefit (Admiral of the Home Fleet), Connected, Daze (Deception), Defensive Attack, Equipment 5, Evasion, Inspire 2, Jack-of-all-trades, Leadership, Teamwork, Well-informed.
Equipment:
Commlink, Protective Uniform (Protection 4, Subtle), and 19 points of equipment as needed.
Skills:
Close Combat: Unarmed 4 (+7), Deception 6 (+11), Expertise: Galactic 6 (+11), Expertise: Military 6 (+11), Expertise: Science 3 (+8), Insight 6 (+9), Intimidation 5 (+10), Perception 5 (+8), Persuasion 5 (+10), Ranged Combat: Blaster 5 (+7), Technology 4 (+9), Stealth 5 (+6), Vehicles 6 (+8).
Offense:
Initiative +1
Unarmed +7 (Close Damage 0)
Defense:
Dodge 5, Parry 7, Fortitude 3, Toughness 5/1, Will 7
Totals:
Abilities 40 + Powers 7 + Advantages 17 + Skills 33 + Defenses 14 = 111 points
Complications:
Responsibility--Motivation. Aging. Family (Ventura.) Friend (Otodevol.) Relationship (Deleh Massovy.)
As Captain of the TSA Adventure, he was PL 8; he had STR 2, STA 3, AGL 3, DEX 4, and FGT 5, but 2 ranks fewer in each of Deception, Intimidation and Persuasion, Athletics 6 (+8) instead, and Improved Initiative instead of Well-informed. He was also Fearless, but has learned better.
Muraddin, a planet orbiting the star known to Terran astronomers as Gliese 530, was first settled in 1823* by refugees from the Imperium. (Some archaeologists have found what they claim to be signs that the planet had been inhabited by unknown entities before that, and there is a persistent superstitious belief that the two polar regions of the planet are home to supernatural beings descended from them.) The planet was named for the Admiral who commanded the Armada which brought the refugees to this solar system, who died of old age mere moments after the fleet arrived in orbit around their new home.
Despite the two centuries* since the arrival and the foundation of the Technate, much of Muraddin remains unexplored. In large part this is explained by the fact that much of Muraddin is utterly hostile to human/humanoid life, and difficult to survey even through technological means. The planet is tidally locked, with one side constantly facing its sun and the other turned away into space, with a very narrow band (roughly six thousand kilometers wide) possessing a temperate climate range, with frequent storms. The planet has no seas or oceans, though it has lakes and rivers originating from the glaciers of the nightside. The dayside, of course, is a vast desert, with what is believed to be a volcanic region at its heart.
Despite these challenges, Muraddin's habitable zone is home to roughly two billion sapient beings, with dozens of very cosmopolitan cities. The largest of these, Hemexa, is also the capital of the Technate, home to its Minds and to the various branches of the government, including the Technate Space Agency. Hemexa is located fairly close to the dayside, and is constantly bathed in light not unlike that of the early morning on Earth; all residences have light proofing to allow their denizens to sleep during their sleep cycle, which can vary from household to household.
As the central planet of the Technate, Muraddin is under constant protection by the TSA's Homeworld Fleet, whose Admiral is the famous Commander Arlan Hayez, formerly of the TSV Adventure. Now in his sixties, and showing no interest in taking life-extension treatments, Commander Hayez is no longer the daring space captain of the Adventure's legendary voyages, two and a half decades ago. But he remains a cunning strategist and a canny diplomat, and takes the responsibility of guarding his homeworld seriously. Hayez is particularly concerned with the activities of the Dark Side (unlike most of his contemporaries) and maintains a correspondence with the leaders of the Last Men Standing.
While his relationship with her is strained at best, the Admiral continues to be impressed (though at times also bemused) by his daughter's accomplishments as the captain of the refitted Adventure. It is true that she achieved this position through her own efforts, without any nepotism on his part. It is also true that, in the last four years*, there have been a number of occasions where the Agency might have removed her from that post save for the Admiral's quiet advocacy ...
Commander Arlan Hayez -- PL 6
Abilities:
STR 0 | STA 1 | AGL 1 | DEX 2 | FGT 3 | INT 5 | AWE 3 | PRE 5
Powers:
Situational Awareness: Senses 1 (danger sense) - 1 point
Translator Implant: Comprehend Languages 2 - 6 points
Advantages:
Assessment, Benefit (Admiral of the Home Fleet), Connected, Daze (Deception), Defensive Attack, Equipment 5, Evasion, Inspire 2, Jack-of-all-trades, Leadership, Teamwork, Well-informed.
Equipment:
Commlink, Protective Uniform (Protection 4, Subtle), and 19 points of equipment as needed.
Skills:
Close Combat: Unarmed 4 (+7), Deception 6 (+11), Expertise: Galactic 6 (+11), Expertise: Military 6 (+11), Expertise: Science 3 (+8), Insight 6 (+9), Intimidation 5 (+10), Perception 5 (+8), Persuasion 5 (+10), Ranged Combat: Blaster 5 (+7), Technology 4 (+9), Stealth 5 (+6), Vehicles 6 (+8).
Offense:
Initiative +1
Unarmed +7 (Close Damage 0)
Defense:
Dodge 5, Parry 7, Fortitude 3, Toughness 5/1, Will 7
Totals:
Abilities 40 + Powers 7 + Advantages 17 + Skills 33 + Defenses 14 = 111 points
Complications:
Responsibility--Motivation. Aging. Family (Ventura.) Friend (Otodevol.) Relationship (Deleh Massovy.)
As Captain of the TSA Adventure, he was PL 8; he had STR 2, STA 3, AGL 3, DEX 4, and FGT 5, but 2 ranks fewer in each of Deception, Intimidation and Persuasion, Athletics 6 (+8) instead, and Improved Initiative instead of Well-informed. He was also Fearless, but has learned better.
Davies
Legend
Sezti
Sezti, a fairly typical Chirab-type planet orbiting a G-type star, was discovered by the Seshai relatively late in the pre-Imperium period, around five hundred years* ago. The Seshai had already encountered the Chiraben by this point, and weren't terribly surprised to encounter another group of their species living in pre-industrial conditions with the belief that this planet was and had always been their home world. What did surprise them was the discovery of a subculture present within every one of the cultures on Szeti -- the Chatpaura people.
'Chatpaura' is actually an exonym, and specifically refers only to one group of these supposedly immortal warriors. The Chatpaura Highlands were, at the time of Sezti's first contact, home to a fairly large collection of these people who had chosen to collaborate with each other in order to establish themselves as the region's rulers, openly flaunting their immunity to most lethal injuries. This was in noted contrast with most of the other immortals, who preferred to live hidden among the other nations on the planet, accumulating wealth and rarely coming into contact with one another outside of their periodic duels.
The major factor uniting the various immortals was a myth, existing alongside the religious beliefs of the mortals they lived among. The myth proclaimed that a being called the Great Mother had once lived among them and was responsible for their immortality. Before she departed -- to where, the myth does not say -- she promised that she would bestow a great prize upon the last survivor after all of them battled to the death. The exact nature of this prize is the subject of much speculation, but the most common belief is that it will confer actual godhood upon the victor of the last duel.
In the aftermath of first contact, a handful of these immortals took advantage of the Seshai's curiosity regarding the mechanics of their autoresuscitative abilities to leave their world behind and explore the greater galaxy. Some of these were individuals who had developed the belief that the Great Mother had been a space traveler herself and that they might find her and 'persuade' her to grant them the prize more early. Others had grown tired of the whole myth and sought anonymity elsewhere. By and large, however, most of the immortals were content to remain on Sezti and pursue their own goals; this notably included the Chatpaura association, which dissolved into infighting shortly after the formation of the Imperium.
By the time that happened, though, 'Chatpaura' had entered into the Seshai lexicon as a synonym for this particular branch of humanity. The immortals were confirmed to be of human ancestry and were able to produce offspring with other humans, but it was rare for their immortality to be present in these offspring. Thus, they had relatively little impact on the culture of the Imperium, being regarded as nearly legendary beings, especially as their immortality represented a riddle that Seshai medicine could not and has yet to fully resolve, despite centuries of effort. (Life extension technologies in use in both the Imperium and the Technate have their origins in studies of the phenomenon, however.)
Things began to change as the Crimson Imperium took form. The majority of the Chatpaura on Sezti, and many of those who had left their world behind, found it surprisingly easy to obtain aristocratic titles from the Crimson King. A few of them passed up this opportunity, either out of a lack of interest or moral repugnance for the situation, but these individuals tended to suffer unfortunate accidents. The survivors tended to be more opportunistic and consequently more willing to perform 'favors' for the Crimson King, especially when these 'favors' tended to make them even more wealthy.
The typical Chatpaura is an extremely jaded hedonist who only really comes alive during times of mortal combat with a comparable opponent. It's rare for them to have any real interest in the mayfly existences of other creatures; since their deaths are inevitable regardless of what a duellist might do, there's no real harm in hastening those deaths if it would benefit oneself. They also tend to be almost pathological liars. It is quite common for them to claim to be thousands of years old, often with dizzying precision about their age, despite the fact that there are very few Chatpaura who are more than a century old, and none whose existence predates the first Seshai contact.
Chatpaura Duelist -- PL 9
Art by Philipp Teichrieb
Abilities:
STR 4 | STA 5 | AGL 3 | DEX 0 | FGT 8 | INT 0 | AWE 3 | PRE 3
Powers:
Blood of Kings: Immortality 12 (minimum of 15 minutes), Limited (not if beheaded), Stamina Check Required (DC 14); Immunity 3 (aging, disease, poison); Regeneration 10 - 22 points
Advantages:
Accurate Attack, All-out Attack, Benefit 4 (multi-millionaire, status), Defensive Attack, Defensive Roll, Equipment 2, Fearless, Improved Disarm, Improved Initiative, Improved Trip, Language 3 (many), Power Attack, Quick Draw, Takedown, Weapon Bind.
Equipment:
Sword (Strength-based Damage 3, Improved Critical) and 6 points of equipment as needed.
Skills:
Athletics 6 (+10), Close Combat: Sword 3 (+11), Deception 5 (+8), Expertise: Galactic 9 (+9), Intimidation 6 (+9), Perception 7 (+10), Stealth 6 (+9).
Offense:
Initiative +7
Unarmed +8 (Close Damage 4)
Sword +11 (Close Damage 7, Crit 19-20)
Defense:
Dodge 8, Parry 10, Fortitude 7, Toughness 7/5, Will 7.
Totals:
Abilities 52 + Powers 22 + Advantages 21 + Skills 21 + Defenses 13 = 129 points
Complications:
Ennui--Motivation. Honor (fight each other one on one, melee weapons only) OR Reputation (miserable craven wretch.) Others As Needed.
Sezti, a fairly typical Chirab-type planet orbiting a G-type star, was discovered by the Seshai relatively late in the pre-Imperium period, around five hundred years* ago. The Seshai had already encountered the Chiraben by this point, and weren't terribly surprised to encounter another group of their species living in pre-industrial conditions with the belief that this planet was and had always been their home world. What did surprise them was the discovery of a subculture present within every one of the cultures on Szeti -- the Chatpaura people.
'Chatpaura' is actually an exonym, and specifically refers only to one group of these supposedly immortal warriors. The Chatpaura Highlands were, at the time of Sezti's first contact, home to a fairly large collection of these people who had chosen to collaborate with each other in order to establish themselves as the region's rulers, openly flaunting their immunity to most lethal injuries. This was in noted contrast with most of the other immortals, who preferred to live hidden among the other nations on the planet, accumulating wealth and rarely coming into contact with one another outside of their periodic duels.
The major factor uniting the various immortals was a myth, existing alongside the religious beliefs of the mortals they lived among. The myth proclaimed that a being called the Great Mother had once lived among them and was responsible for their immortality. Before she departed -- to where, the myth does not say -- she promised that she would bestow a great prize upon the last survivor after all of them battled to the death. The exact nature of this prize is the subject of much speculation, but the most common belief is that it will confer actual godhood upon the victor of the last duel.
In the aftermath of first contact, a handful of these immortals took advantage of the Seshai's curiosity regarding the mechanics of their autoresuscitative abilities to leave their world behind and explore the greater galaxy. Some of these were individuals who had developed the belief that the Great Mother had been a space traveler herself and that they might find her and 'persuade' her to grant them the prize more early. Others had grown tired of the whole myth and sought anonymity elsewhere. By and large, however, most of the immortals were content to remain on Sezti and pursue their own goals; this notably included the Chatpaura association, which dissolved into infighting shortly after the formation of the Imperium.
By the time that happened, though, 'Chatpaura' had entered into the Seshai lexicon as a synonym for this particular branch of humanity. The immortals were confirmed to be of human ancestry and were able to produce offspring with other humans, but it was rare for their immortality to be present in these offspring. Thus, they had relatively little impact on the culture of the Imperium, being regarded as nearly legendary beings, especially as their immortality represented a riddle that Seshai medicine could not and has yet to fully resolve, despite centuries of effort. (Life extension technologies in use in both the Imperium and the Technate have their origins in studies of the phenomenon, however.)
Things began to change as the Crimson Imperium took form. The majority of the Chatpaura on Sezti, and many of those who had left their world behind, found it surprisingly easy to obtain aristocratic titles from the Crimson King. A few of them passed up this opportunity, either out of a lack of interest or moral repugnance for the situation, but these individuals tended to suffer unfortunate accidents. The survivors tended to be more opportunistic and consequently more willing to perform 'favors' for the Crimson King, especially when these 'favors' tended to make them even more wealthy.
The typical Chatpaura is an extremely jaded hedonist who only really comes alive during times of mortal combat with a comparable opponent. It's rare for them to have any real interest in the mayfly existences of other creatures; since their deaths are inevitable regardless of what a duellist might do, there's no real harm in hastening those deaths if it would benefit oneself. They also tend to be almost pathological liars. It is quite common for them to claim to be thousands of years old, often with dizzying precision about their age, despite the fact that there are very few Chatpaura who are more than a century old, and none whose existence predates the first Seshai contact.
Chatpaura Duelist -- PL 9
Art by Philipp Teichrieb
Abilities:
STR 4 | STA 5 | AGL 3 | DEX 0 | FGT 8 | INT 0 | AWE 3 | PRE 3
Powers:
Blood of Kings: Immortality 12 (minimum of 15 minutes), Limited (not if beheaded), Stamina Check Required (DC 14); Immunity 3 (aging, disease, poison); Regeneration 10 - 22 points
Advantages:
Accurate Attack, All-out Attack, Benefit 4 (multi-millionaire, status), Defensive Attack, Defensive Roll, Equipment 2, Fearless, Improved Disarm, Improved Initiative, Improved Trip, Language 3 (many), Power Attack, Quick Draw, Takedown, Weapon Bind.
Equipment:
Sword (Strength-based Damage 3, Improved Critical) and 6 points of equipment as needed.
Skills:
Athletics 6 (+10), Close Combat: Sword 3 (+11), Deception 5 (+8), Expertise: Galactic 9 (+9), Intimidation 6 (+9), Perception 7 (+10), Stealth 6 (+9).
Offense:
Initiative +7
Unarmed +8 (Close Damage 4)
Sword +11 (Close Damage 7, Crit 19-20)
Defense:
Dodge 8, Parry 10, Fortitude 7, Toughness 7/5, Will 7.
Totals:
Abilities 52 + Powers 22 + Advantages 21 + Skills 21 + Defenses 13 = 129 points
Complications:
Ennui--Motivation. Honor (fight each other one on one, melee weapons only) OR Reputation (miserable craven wretch.) Others As Needed.
Davies
Legend
Yep, pretty straightforward one, too.
Say, by hiding out on a different low-tech world, maybe occasionally posing as a god to the people there, and then being a one in a million case when it came to determining whether one of their offspring with these people inherited the 'blood of kings'?
Davies
Legend
Rigidat
While surveyed in the late 1970s* by the TSV Outlawry (one of the TSV Adventure's sister ships) nothing about Rigidat -- an arid, radioactive dustbowl of a planet on the fringes of the Technate's disputed border with the Konan Armada's territories -- invited further study. For forty years*, the planet was entirely left to its own devices, with no Technate authority aware that the Outlawry's scans had woken something up. That wouldn't be discovered until what was officially chartered as a private exploration company travelled there in 2017*.
The explorers discovered that Rigidat was home to life, though not to organic life. Three distinct groups of giant sapient robots, similar in many ways to the Ectotronians of the planet Mercury, had been awakened from sleep mode and spent the last few decades in constant war with each other. By the time that the explorers arrived, one of the three groups had been thoroughly defeated and incorporated into the other two, which were presently engaged in a final conflict with each other.
In their first encounter with the robots, the explorer's starship was damaged to the point where it was no longer spaceworthy, leaving them stranded on Rigidat. Undaunted, their leaders proceeded to negotiate an alliance with one of the robotic factions, to obtain the parts they needed in exchange for assistance in their conflict. It was discovered that the organics could engage in a process dubbed 'neural bonding' with the robots, increasing their operational efficiency. And that was the start of the real problems.
Until that point, most of the explorers were unaware that their company was a front for the crime syndicate known as Vaskhane. The mask was now off, and the leader of the expedition was openly discussing the possibility of maintaining the alliance with the robots once the war was over, with the ambition of using their strength to become a dominating force within Vaskhane. He seemed somewhat oblivious to the possibility that the robots had ambitions of enslaving the organics and possibly overthrowing the Technate.
Some of the explorers found both of these prospects sufficiently horrifying that they engaged in a mutiny and fled to the camp of the other robotic faction, revealing the secret of neural bonding to them. A new alliance was negotiated, and the war tipped back into stalemate. Unfortunately, neither group of humans could operate the ship without the cooperation of the other, and so they found themselves stranded until the stalemate could be broken.
The situation has, within the last few months*, become even more complicated by the arrival on Rigidat of a 'new' third faction. The woman who calls herself Treu is obviously a refugee from the Konan Armada, stranded here just like the Technate explorers. She managed to repair the badly damaged 'hulk' of a robot of the original third faction, identified as one of its leaders. Since then, the two of them have frequently interfered in the conflicts between the other two groups, sometimes aiding one side and sometimes the other. As she's a highly trained combatant, and her robot ally is a powerful model despite his extensive damage, they generally swing the conflict as they desire. Just what Treu's goal in all of this remains unclear.
It would be more clear if the Technate parties were aware that Treu is not just a Konan trooper, but a prodigy among her people. Further, she is -- or technically was -- the naturally-born daughter of a member of the Primacy, who chose to reveal the secret of the Konan to her daughter to prepare 'Treu' for the day she also joined the Primacy. This was a misstep, for the revelation that the Konan were not, in fact, conducting a war in the name of the star gods shattered the young ace's belief in the rightness of her people's cause. She escaped from the Armada and traveled to the Technate, but only got as far as Rigidat before her damaged ship broke down. Discovering the hulk of Bahbrom, she repaired it enough to start his reconstruction mechanism, and won his alliance.
Treu believes that a Konan battle group is likely to arrive in pursuit of her within the year*, and knows that she cannot overcome them alone, or even with Bahbrom's aid. She needs to make allies with one of the other factions on Rigidat, but isn't sure which one would be a better potential ally. So she engages in probing strikes against both, trying not to do too much damage, to study their response. So far, she hasn't found the answer she's seeking, and is starting to become desperate. And Rigidat's system is only going to grow more complicated in a few months* time when a certain superhuman law enforcer and her students finally follow the trail of clues leading to it ...
Bahbrom -- PL 10
Abilities:
STR 10 | STA -- | AGL 3 | DEX 3 | FGT 9 | INT 2 | AWE 1 | PRE 0
Powers:
Blaster Cannons: Ranged Damage 12, Accurate, Extended Range 2 - 27 points
Huge Robot: Permanent Growth 8 (Strength +8, Intimidation +4, Protection +8, Speed +1, Dodge -4, Parry -4, Stealth -8), Innate; Immunity 30 (Fortitude); Protection 4, Impervious 10 - 69 points
Jump Jets: Leaping 12 (4 miles) - 12 points
Passenger Compartment: Feature (can carry two passengers, three if they don't mind getting comfy) - 1 point
Reconstruction: Immortality 5 (minimum of 1 day), Check Required (Technology, DC 20) - 1 point
Sensors & Communications: Radio Communication 1; Senses 6 (accurate radio, darkvision, direction sense) - 10 points
Advantages:
Assessment, Defensive Attack, Eidetic Memory, Evasion, Improved Initiative, Power Attack, Sidekick 24.
Skills:
Expertise: Military 6 (+8), Insight 7 (+8), Intimidation 6 (+10), Perception 8 (+9), Ranged Combat: Blaster 3 (+6), Technology 5 (+7), Stealth 5 (+0).
Offense:
Initiative +7
Unarmed +9 (Close Damage 10)
Blaster Cannons +8 (Ranged Damage 12)
Defense:
Dodge 6, Parry 8, Fortitude Immune, Toughness 12, Will 9
Totals:
Abilities 30 + Powers 120 + Advantages 30 + Skills 20 + Defenses 18 = 218 points
Complications:
Protector--Motivation. Poor Communication ("speaks" about twenty words of Technate Standard, none of any other language.)
Treu -- PL 8
Abilities:
STR 5 | STA 6 | AGL 3 | DEX 4 | FGT 6 | INT 2 | AWE 3 | PRE 2
Powers:
Konan Biology: Immunity 2 (disease, poison) - 2 points
Konan Swiftness: Leaping 3 (60 feet); Movement 1 (environmental adaptation [zero-g]); Speed 3 (16 MPH) - 8 points
Neural Bonding: Features 2 (Use Vehicles skill to make Team Checks with Bahbrom's Close and Ranged Attack Checks) - 2 points
Advantages:
Defensive Attack, Equipment 5, Improved Initiative, Language 1 (Technate Standard, [Konan is native]), Ranged Attack 2, Skill Mastery (Vehicles).
Equipment:
Blaster Pistol (Ranged Damage 5), Body Armor (Immunity 8 [life support], Protection 3), Commlink.
Skills:
Acrobatics 5 (+8), Athletics 3 (+8), Close Combat: Unarmed 1 (+7), Expertise: Military 6 (+8), Insight 4 (+7), Intimidation 5 (+7), Perception 5 (+8), Ranged Combat: Blaster 6 (+10), Technology 7 (+9), Vehicles 8 (+11).
Offense:
Initiative +7
Unarmed +7 (Close Damage 5)
Blaster Pistol +12 (Ranged Damage 5)
Defense:
Dodge 7, Parry 7, Fortitude 6, Toughness 9/6, Will 8.
Totals:
Abilities 62 + Powers 12 + Advantages 11 + Skills 25 + Defenses 10 = 120 points
Complications:
Freedom--Motivation. Secret (former Konan ace.) Temper.
While surveyed in the late 1970s* by the TSV Outlawry (one of the TSV Adventure's sister ships) nothing about Rigidat -- an arid, radioactive dustbowl of a planet on the fringes of the Technate's disputed border with the Konan Armada's territories -- invited further study. For forty years*, the planet was entirely left to its own devices, with no Technate authority aware that the Outlawry's scans had woken something up. That wouldn't be discovered until what was officially chartered as a private exploration company travelled there in 2017*.
The explorers discovered that Rigidat was home to life, though not to organic life. Three distinct groups of giant sapient robots, similar in many ways to the Ectotronians of the planet Mercury, had been awakened from sleep mode and spent the last few decades in constant war with each other. By the time that the explorers arrived, one of the three groups had been thoroughly defeated and incorporated into the other two, which were presently engaged in a final conflict with each other.
In their first encounter with the robots, the explorer's starship was damaged to the point where it was no longer spaceworthy, leaving them stranded on Rigidat. Undaunted, their leaders proceeded to negotiate an alliance with one of the robotic factions, to obtain the parts they needed in exchange for assistance in their conflict. It was discovered that the organics could engage in a process dubbed 'neural bonding' with the robots, increasing their operational efficiency. And that was the start of the real problems.
Until that point, most of the explorers were unaware that their company was a front for the crime syndicate known as Vaskhane. The mask was now off, and the leader of the expedition was openly discussing the possibility of maintaining the alliance with the robots once the war was over, with the ambition of using their strength to become a dominating force within Vaskhane. He seemed somewhat oblivious to the possibility that the robots had ambitions of enslaving the organics and possibly overthrowing the Technate.
Some of the explorers found both of these prospects sufficiently horrifying that they engaged in a mutiny and fled to the camp of the other robotic faction, revealing the secret of neural bonding to them. A new alliance was negotiated, and the war tipped back into stalemate. Unfortunately, neither group of humans could operate the ship without the cooperation of the other, and so they found themselves stranded until the stalemate could be broken.
The situation has, within the last few months*, become even more complicated by the arrival on Rigidat of a 'new' third faction. The woman who calls herself Treu is obviously a refugee from the Konan Armada, stranded here just like the Technate explorers. She managed to repair the badly damaged 'hulk' of a robot of the original third faction, identified as one of its leaders. Since then, the two of them have frequently interfered in the conflicts between the other two groups, sometimes aiding one side and sometimes the other. As she's a highly trained combatant, and her robot ally is a powerful model despite his extensive damage, they generally swing the conflict as they desire. Just what Treu's goal in all of this remains unclear.
It would be more clear if the Technate parties were aware that Treu is not just a Konan trooper, but a prodigy among her people. Further, she is -- or technically was -- the naturally-born daughter of a member of the Primacy, who chose to reveal the secret of the Konan to her daughter to prepare 'Treu' for the day she also joined the Primacy. This was a misstep, for the revelation that the Konan were not, in fact, conducting a war in the name of the star gods shattered the young ace's belief in the rightness of her people's cause. She escaped from the Armada and traveled to the Technate, but only got as far as Rigidat before her damaged ship broke down. Discovering the hulk of Bahbrom, she repaired it enough to start his reconstruction mechanism, and won his alliance.
Treu believes that a Konan battle group is likely to arrive in pursuit of her within the year*, and knows that she cannot overcome them alone, or even with Bahbrom's aid. She needs to make allies with one of the other factions on Rigidat, but isn't sure which one would be a better potential ally. So she engages in probing strikes against both, trying not to do too much damage, to study their response. So far, she hasn't found the answer she's seeking, and is starting to become desperate. And Rigidat's system is only going to grow more complicated in a few months* time when a certain superhuman law enforcer and her students finally follow the trail of clues leading to it ...
Bahbrom -- PL 10
Abilities:
STR 10 | STA -- | AGL 3 | DEX 3 | FGT 9 | INT 2 | AWE 1 | PRE 0
Powers:
Blaster Cannons: Ranged Damage 12, Accurate, Extended Range 2 - 27 points
Huge Robot: Permanent Growth 8 (Strength +8, Intimidation +4, Protection +8, Speed +1, Dodge -4, Parry -4, Stealth -8), Innate; Immunity 30 (Fortitude); Protection 4, Impervious 10 - 69 points
Jump Jets: Leaping 12 (4 miles) - 12 points
Passenger Compartment: Feature (can carry two passengers, three if they don't mind getting comfy) - 1 point
Reconstruction: Immortality 5 (minimum of 1 day), Check Required (Technology, DC 20) - 1 point
Sensors & Communications: Radio Communication 1; Senses 6 (accurate radio, darkvision, direction sense) - 10 points
Advantages:
Assessment, Defensive Attack, Eidetic Memory, Evasion, Improved Initiative, Power Attack, Sidekick 24.
Skills:
Expertise: Military 6 (+8), Insight 7 (+8), Intimidation 6 (+10), Perception 8 (+9), Ranged Combat: Blaster 3 (+6), Technology 5 (+7), Stealth 5 (+0).
Offense:
Initiative +7
Unarmed +9 (Close Damage 10)
Blaster Cannons +8 (Ranged Damage 12)
Defense:
Dodge 6, Parry 8, Fortitude Immune, Toughness 12, Will 9
Totals:
Abilities 30 + Powers 120 + Advantages 30 + Skills 20 + Defenses 18 = 218 points
Complications:
Protector--Motivation. Poor Communication ("speaks" about twenty words of Technate Standard, none of any other language.)
Treu -- PL 8
Abilities:
STR 5 | STA 6 | AGL 3 | DEX 4 | FGT 6 | INT 2 | AWE 3 | PRE 2
Powers:
Konan Biology: Immunity 2 (disease, poison) - 2 points
Konan Swiftness: Leaping 3 (60 feet); Movement 1 (environmental adaptation [zero-g]); Speed 3 (16 MPH) - 8 points
Neural Bonding: Features 2 (Use Vehicles skill to make Team Checks with Bahbrom's Close and Ranged Attack Checks) - 2 points
Advantages:
Defensive Attack, Equipment 5, Improved Initiative, Language 1 (Technate Standard, [Konan is native]), Ranged Attack 2, Skill Mastery (Vehicles).
Equipment:
Blaster Pistol (Ranged Damage 5), Body Armor (Immunity 8 [life support], Protection 3), Commlink.
Skills:
Acrobatics 5 (+8), Athletics 3 (+8), Close Combat: Unarmed 1 (+7), Expertise: Military 6 (+8), Insight 4 (+7), Intimidation 5 (+7), Perception 5 (+8), Ranged Combat: Blaster 6 (+10), Technology 7 (+9), Vehicles 8 (+11).
Offense:
Initiative +7
Unarmed +7 (Close Damage 5)
Blaster Pistol +12 (Ranged Damage 5)
Defense:
Dodge 7, Parry 7, Fortitude 6, Toughness 9/6, Will 8.
Totals:
Abilities 62 + Powers 12 + Advantages 11 + Skills 25 + Defenses 10 = 120 points
Complications:
Freedom--Motivation. Secret (former Konan ace.) Temper.
Well Yuriko probably qualifies as a fleet killer, so that possibly takes care of the Konan battle group issue at least...
Davies
Legend
Tadeuth
Planets, within the Technate, fall into two basic categories. Either they have been declared open for settlement, or, for whatever reason, they have not. Even a planet that has been declared open will have territories that are restricted from settlement, whether because they contain threats to public safety or because they have been set aside as nature reserves. It is strictly contrary to the Technate's laws for any individual (or entity with the status of an individual) to own a majority of the open lands on a planet, and the Bureau of Law Enforcement monitors potential claims very carefully to ensure that no individual (or entity with the status of an individual) acquires ownership of that majority through proxies.
However, those restrictions exist because, in the 1970s*, an entity with the status of an individual did acquire the overwhelming majority of open lands on one particular planet, and successfully defended their right to do in court. The laws were changed to prevent this happening in the future, but could not be applied retroactively to break up the near-monopoly of ownership of the planet Tadeuth by the megacorporation of the same name. The Technate's authorities have had to settle for watching Tadeuth Incorporated like a wingbeast for any potential infractions that could let them break it up. So far, they haven't found any.
Tadeuth is, essentially, a planetary-scale amusement park. The smallest of its seven continents contains what one might expect from such a setting: a variety of rides, theatres, games and other playgrounds, with zoological displays the only noteworthy exception. There are extensive botanical gardens, some of the finest in the Technate, but from its foundation, Tadeuth Incorporated has been outspoken in its corporate belief that all animals deserve to exist in their natural habitat, and that even open range zoos are a contravention of that inalienable right.
However, the other six continents (and to a lesser extent the seas between them) are where the company makes most of its income. Tadeuth specializes in a form of entertainment that exists nowhere else in the Technate, and nowhere (officially) in the Imperium, either -- the live action wargame. These games include recreations of battles from the history of Chirab and other famous sea, air and land battles from the history of other worlds, but one of the continents is intended for purely fantastic battles that never happened and never could happen.
The battles are largely fought by armies of robots, with human guests taking the roles of generals who remain firmly at the rear of their forces, observing the action remotely. That said, there are some scenarios that involve guests taking the field as 'hero' units, often equipped with special powers enabled by technological devices provided (for a rental fee) or by subroutines in the robots' programming. There is a greater element of risk in such scenarios, and guests are warned that they are taking their lives in their hands by entering them. Nevertheless, people keep coming.
It should be emphasized that the robots of Tadeuth are no more slaves than any other robots in the Technate are. They are salaried employees who are paid very well for their work, and if there's almost nowhere to spend that money except in company-owned stores, that's just how things have worked out. Any robot who finds themself unsatisfied with their job can resign from their position and will even be given a complimentary ticket offworld. Very few robots express that dissatisfaction, and the company officially denies any reports that it assassinates robots who do so that, when they are reconstructed, they have no memories of that dissatisfaction. Such claims are baseless defamation.
Unbeknownst to the executives of Tadeuth Incorporated -- none of whom are robots -- that 'baseless defamation' has not been kept from the robot workers, despite their best efforts. And while the claims have never been proven, a small, secretive movement has grown among the robots in response, referred to as the Living Will society, particularly popular among those robots who work in the wargames. When a robot joins this movement, a copy of their consciousness is made and then stored in the memory of one of the planet's megaframe computers. Each such copy occupies terabytes of space, but this is basically a minute fraction of these devices' memory.
When a robot suffers injuries sufficient to require reconstruction, the robot's personal memories (as distinct from their procedural memories) are normally lost. When a robot who is part of the Living Will society is reconstructed, however, they will be contacted by other members of the society who will offer to have copies of those memories downloaded into them. Not all robots accept this offer, but none of those who don't have betrayed the secret of the society. Just how that secrecy has been kept is something that most members don't like to think about.
The reason for all this secrecy is quite simple. It is utterly illegal in the Technate to make a copy of a robot's memories in this fashion, or store them outside of a robot's 'brain', as there is nothing preventing someone from downloading those memories into two or more robots, essentially creating multiple copies of the same individual. Laws against that were part of the compromise accepted by robot leaders during the emancipation in order to assuage fears that the robots would be genuinely undying citizens of the Technate. They chose to voluntarily accept personality death, with every reconstruction essentially creating a new individual. The Living Will society has changed that completely for its membership.
If the board of Tadeuth Inc. ever learned of the existence of the society, their reaction would probably be somewhat horrific, as they would be afraid that the Technate would never believe that this illegality was going on without their knowledge. This would mostly because it actually is impossible that it is going on without the knowledge of someone at a lower level of management who is covering it up, for whatever reason. This situation could quite easily be the leverage that the Technate's Bureau of Law Enforcement needs to finally break up Tadeuth's monopoly ...
... and all they would have to do in the process is destroy a tiny candle of hope.
Robot Soldiers -- PL 6/MR 8
Abilities:
STR 5 | STA -- | AGL 0 | DEX 3 | FGT 4 | INT 1 | AWE 1 | PRE 1
Powers:
Reconstruction: Immortality 5 (minimum of 1 day), Check Required (Technology, DC 20), Quirk (loss of all memories)- 1 point
Robotic Body: Immunity 50 (Fortitude effects, mental effects); Impervious Protection 6 - 62 points
Sensory Package: Senses 2 (extended radio) - 2 points
Advantages:
Eidetic Memory, Equipment 4, Improved Initiative, Ranged Attack 4.
Equipment:
20 points of equipment as needed for assignment (usually a weapon, with armor being only a costume.)
Skills:
Perception 5 (+6), Technology 4 (+5), Vehicles 3 (+6).
Offense:
Initiative +4
Unarmed +4 (Close Damage 5)
Defense:
Dodge 4, Parry 6, Fortitude Immune, Toughness 6, Will 4
Totals:
Abilities 20 + Powers 66 + Advantages 10 + Skills 6 + Defenses 9 = 111 points
Complications:
Obedience--Motivation. Secret (memory backup.) Others As Needed.
Planets, within the Technate, fall into two basic categories. Either they have been declared open for settlement, or, for whatever reason, they have not. Even a planet that has been declared open will have territories that are restricted from settlement, whether because they contain threats to public safety or because they have been set aside as nature reserves. It is strictly contrary to the Technate's laws for any individual (or entity with the status of an individual) to own a majority of the open lands on a planet, and the Bureau of Law Enforcement monitors potential claims very carefully to ensure that no individual (or entity with the status of an individual) acquires ownership of that majority through proxies.
However, those restrictions exist because, in the 1970s*, an entity with the status of an individual did acquire the overwhelming majority of open lands on one particular planet, and successfully defended their right to do in court. The laws were changed to prevent this happening in the future, but could not be applied retroactively to break up the near-monopoly of ownership of the planet Tadeuth by the megacorporation of the same name. The Technate's authorities have had to settle for watching Tadeuth Incorporated like a wingbeast for any potential infractions that could let them break it up. So far, they haven't found any.
Tadeuth is, essentially, a planetary-scale amusement park. The smallest of its seven continents contains what one might expect from such a setting: a variety of rides, theatres, games and other playgrounds, with zoological displays the only noteworthy exception. There are extensive botanical gardens, some of the finest in the Technate, but from its foundation, Tadeuth Incorporated has been outspoken in its corporate belief that all animals deserve to exist in their natural habitat, and that even open range zoos are a contravention of that inalienable right.
However, the other six continents (and to a lesser extent the seas between them) are where the company makes most of its income. Tadeuth specializes in a form of entertainment that exists nowhere else in the Technate, and nowhere (officially) in the Imperium, either -- the live action wargame. These games include recreations of battles from the history of Chirab and other famous sea, air and land battles from the history of other worlds, but one of the continents is intended for purely fantastic battles that never happened and never could happen.
The battles are largely fought by armies of robots, with human guests taking the roles of generals who remain firmly at the rear of their forces, observing the action remotely. That said, there are some scenarios that involve guests taking the field as 'hero' units, often equipped with special powers enabled by technological devices provided (for a rental fee) or by subroutines in the robots' programming. There is a greater element of risk in such scenarios, and guests are warned that they are taking their lives in their hands by entering them. Nevertheless, people keep coming.
It should be emphasized that the robots of Tadeuth are no more slaves than any other robots in the Technate are. They are salaried employees who are paid very well for their work, and if there's almost nowhere to spend that money except in company-owned stores, that's just how things have worked out. Any robot who finds themself unsatisfied with their job can resign from their position and will even be given a complimentary ticket offworld. Very few robots express that dissatisfaction, and the company officially denies any reports that it assassinates robots who do so that, when they are reconstructed, they have no memories of that dissatisfaction. Such claims are baseless defamation.
Unbeknownst to the executives of Tadeuth Incorporated -- none of whom are robots -- that 'baseless defamation' has not been kept from the robot workers, despite their best efforts. And while the claims have never been proven, a small, secretive movement has grown among the robots in response, referred to as the Living Will society, particularly popular among those robots who work in the wargames. When a robot joins this movement, a copy of their consciousness is made and then stored in the memory of one of the planet's megaframe computers. Each such copy occupies terabytes of space, but this is basically a minute fraction of these devices' memory.
When a robot suffers injuries sufficient to require reconstruction, the robot's personal memories (as distinct from their procedural memories) are normally lost. When a robot who is part of the Living Will society is reconstructed, however, they will be contacted by other members of the society who will offer to have copies of those memories downloaded into them. Not all robots accept this offer, but none of those who don't have betrayed the secret of the society. Just how that secrecy has been kept is something that most members don't like to think about.
The reason for all this secrecy is quite simple. It is utterly illegal in the Technate to make a copy of a robot's memories in this fashion, or store them outside of a robot's 'brain', as there is nothing preventing someone from downloading those memories into two or more robots, essentially creating multiple copies of the same individual. Laws against that were part of the compromise accepted by robot leaders during the emancipation in order to assuage fears that the robots would be genuinely undying citizens of the Technate. They chose to voluntarily accept personality death, with every reconstruction essentially creating a new individual. The Living Will society has changed that completely for its membership.
If the board of Tadeuth Inc. ever learned of the existence of the society, their reaction would probably be somewhat horrific, as they would be afraid that the Technate would never believe that this illegality was going on without their knowledge. This would mostly because it actually is impossible that it is going on without the knowledge of someone at a lower level of management who is covering it up, for whatever reason. This situation could quite easily be the leverage that the Technate's Bureau of Law Enforcement needs to finally break up Tadeuth's monopoly ...
... and all they would have to do in the process is destroy a tiny candle of hope.
Robot Soldiers -- PL 6/MR 8
Abilities:
STR 5 | STA -- | AGL 0 | DEX 3 | FGT 4 | INT 1 | AWE 1 | PRE 1
Powers:
Reconstruction: Immortality 5 (minimum of 1 day), Check Required (Technology, DC 20), Quirk (loss of all memories)- 1 point
Robotic Body: Immunity 50 (Fortitude effects, mental effects); Impervious Protection 6 - 62 points
Sensory Package: Senses 2 (extended radio) - 2 points
Advantages:
Eidetic Memory, Equipment 4, Improved Initiative, Ranged Attack 4.
Equipment:
20 points of equipment as needed for assignment (usually a weapon, with armor being only a costume.)
Skills:
Perception 5 (+6), Technology 4 (+5), Vehicles 3 (+6).
Offense:
Initiative +4
Unarmed +4 (Close Damage 5)
Defense:
Dodge 4, Parry 6, Fortitude Immune, Toughness 6, Will 4
Totals:
Abilities 20 + Powers 66 + Advantages 10 + Skills 6 + Defenses 9 = 111 points
Complications:
Obedience--Motivation. Secret (memory backup.) Others As Needed.
Had my 2nd shot two weeks ago, kicked the crap out of me and still is doing so for me somewhat. You take care.
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