Modern and Sci-Fi Utility Thread (old)

[TG Barighm]

Here are some concepts I'm playing with:

-No classes. Instead, you will begin with the standard 3 Traits, plus some sort of bonus ability to reflect your training.
Other characters will be different. They will have the three Traits, but their extra will be a Hero trait that will help distinguish them.

-To help establish the "sci-fi'ness" of the setting, all Traits can be purchased as tech with regular money. Of course, having that much tech on your person will have consequences, such as having all of your abilities wiped out by a single EMP.

-And on that note, instead of a straight "EMP wipes out electronics" thing, EMP will instead just deal damage to machines.

-Instead of having all sorts of different types of guns, I'm thinking of introducing "built-in mods". As you know, damage is fairly universal in the 33 rules, so I can't just adjust damage ratings. So, the difference between one model of gun and another will be that certain mods. will already be in place. One gun may already have an extended magazine and that's how that model is different from another. In this case, the mod. will stack with a mod. of the same type, such as "double scoping". It will be much easier to keep track of this way while still adding significant differences between one type of gun to the next.

-Although I don't like keeping track of many different types of grenades, it's pretty easy to limit the amount that appears in a game. Especially because of the following.

-Tool Belts won't just be cosmetic in this game. They will be more heavily enforced with a very specific amount of slots available to each kind. Some will have extra slots for free ammo, some will allow you to treat very large weapons as small items, and others will just have a lot of slots. Choose the right kind of belt (or harness) for you!

-Power Sources are also important because they power your shields (if you have them) and many pieces of your tech and weapons. I could just go with a battery system, but it will already be a pain to keep track of ammo. Adding batteries on top of that just sounds like a headache, plus it wouldn't be much of a sci-fi game if I didn't attempt to circumvent a very modern technological concept with a fantastical one, eh?

-As much as I liked how the Mass Effect stuff turned out, all those abilities and skill branches really weren't designed for a pen & paper setting, plus ME was never very well balanced; however, I did like some of the little abilities I came up with, namely Adrenaline Rush's "move up or over ANYTHING" within your movement frame. It was such a cool action movie hero thing to do, and I do need a little something to differentiate this game over just more tech.

[TG Barighm]

ALIEN RACES:


The Roak: A stoned-skinned race of highly militaristic creatures. They are generally seen as the galaxy's villains, but they are best known for a curious order of warrior monks that like to appear without warning and help local citizens. Most are executed, and yet they keep coming. They refer to these executions as "just retribution".

The Shivastra: A tentacled race that likes to keep to themselves. They don robotic suits that makes them look like short humanoids with long, tentacled hair and four arms. They are oddly private and do not seem to understand the concept of trade and currency. They are allowed free passage through most spacesports as a result. Most think of them as arrogant, but the few exhiles who appear act anything but. They are fiercely protective of their homeworld's location.

The Turom: A race of sentient robots, but unlike most evil AI stories, the Turom read the stories and chose instead to avoid a robotic cataclysm. They instead surrendered their race to their creators, the Roak, in return for a margin of freedom as second-class citizens. In return, they traded the knowledge of a planet rich with resources that only the Turom could mine. They are treaty bound to never start a war or take part in one against the Roak; however, they are free to mingle with other races. Humanity is particularly welcoming of their low-cost services.

[TG Barighm]

Setting notes:

Space Caravans: the notion of a single ship carrying sensitive cargo was obliterated by the vast number and variety of space pirates plaguing the galaxy. Nearly all trading companies, merchants, and cargo operations operate in "caravans". They frequently employ escort services as well and hire all manner of fighters and mercenaries to protect them. Although smaller, faster ships are capable of traveling the galaxy undetected, even they are a target and frequently appreciate such escort servics. It's extremely rare to find any serious enterprising spacer alone and unguarded, and if you do, chances are they're bait or packing a serious whallop. "Pirate baiting" is actually a very common and heavily practiced gambit. The Black Phantom, a military suicide drone fighter, is by far and away the most successful baiting ship in the galaxy.

Local Currency: the galaxy does not enjoy a collective currency. The Shivastra do not recognize any form of trading, and the Roak do not trade outside their circles. Something known as the Galactic Standard Credit was implemented by the Sol governments, but few corporations abide by it. Instead, in their usual attempt to capitalize in a void, most corporations utilize their own corporate currency in their systems. It's impossible to do business on these planets otherwise and they won't allow access until visitors open a corporate account. Heavily taxed exchanges always ensue, a tax that continues on any further purchases made on the planet, which provides the corporations with a lucrative source of alternative revenue. Although highly restrictive, these funds tend to give one access to the very best services on the planet. Corporations will reward their most loyal and hardworking inhabitants.
The Sol government has attempted to discourage these practices with law and even military action, but it's difficult to penalize a company capable of discovering asteroids with monetary values in excess of an entire planet's GDP, and military action proved unfeasible given the sheer amount of corporations out there, a few of which have become extremely dangerous.
Helping the corporations' efforts is the existence of the Valuable Commodities Monetary Bond, commonly known as the "vic", but passionately referred to as the "Fuck You Coin", or the "FUC", by Sol pirates. Thankfully, that term never caught on outside raunchy dives. A VIC Bond is issued by an organization of pirates, mercenaries, Shivastra explorers, Roak exhiles, and other rogue-ish types interested only in the raw value of specific commodities like gold and silver, just to name a scant few. As these commodities are always valuable, no matter the planet or race, this collection of rogues formed to create a trading platform where any spacer, with the right goods, can sell their commodities for a type of "credit". This service proved so immensely popular they were forced to form a proper bank, and the VIC Bond was created. Everyone, from governments to corporations to the average Joe spacer, accepts VIC Bonds, thus turning the currency into the de facto standard currency of the galaxy. The Bank of the VCMB has also become a very respectable and busy spacefaring hub in its own right and is by far the wealthiest independent power in the galaxy.

Shivastra Pirates: Shivastra place all value in self worth and not wealth. As such, they have evolved beyond a need for wealth and power. This is why they don't recognize or even understand the concept of trade. Such things have dissipated from their society a very long time ago and is treated as a bizarre and ancient concept; however, whereas poorly performing Shivastra simply whither and die, greedy Shivastra that develop a sense of "more" as the definition for their self worth are shunned and despised by society. These Shivastra have only one means to escape the rigors of such a society: get a ship and take to the skies where such concepts are common and welcome.

Government Goals in Space: How does a government spread their influence and authority through something so grand and infinite as space? Such a move is extremely risky especially since it's very easy to spread oneself too thin and be exposed to space pirates and Roak raiding forces. Originally the goal was to spread such authority through "corporate power sharing programs" where the corporations served as a "natural" extention of the Sol government's authority. That program proved to be a disaster because nearly every corporation abused this power, demanded payment for their services, and ultimately was uncooperative. Even more damning was the betrayals where some corporations successfully convinced government operations to integrate with the corporation. Treason, for sure, but such events often coincided with "conflict of interest restitution payments" (ie. bribes) which divided many bureaucrats and left them squabbling for years allowing the corporations to escape unharmed. As a result, the Sol government has been forced to adopt a program of slow and deliberate expansion through the galaxy, turning all potential worlds and settlements into "mini Earths", all governed and treated just like Earth in every respect. Naturally, this is unfeasible, yet the governments do it anyway, using the slow growth and difficulty of expansion as an excuse for the astronomical costs and losses incurred by the policy; however, much can be said for proper first class treatment of all settlers throughout the galaxy (unsurprisingly, the corporate planets routinely treat their employees as slaves), so many begrudgingly accept the program.
This policy has also resulted in frequent clashes with the corporations. When a Sol government program settles on a planet within a corporate system, it is always for the eventual goal of liberating and eventually incorporating the system into the Sol galactic body. The Sol settlement often tries to negotiate some kind of peaceful alliance, and this works for the more loyal and less ambitious corporations, but larger corporations always see the threat for what it us and frequently react violently. Yet another reason for the slow growth of the Sol governmental body.
And this is to say nothing of what happened when Sol forces first encountered the Roak.

Android Laws: Public distribution of pleasure droids is illegal. This is not the result of societal or moralistic concerns, but maintenance and abuse. Aside from the endless lawsuits clotting the courts as a result from infections and injuries sustained from poor cleaning and repair practices, the free and easy distribution of highly convincing humanoid robots also emboldened and empowered individuals skilled at using said robots to commit crimes. Criminal activity skyrocketed as a result as anyone could hire a "skullcracker" to send a robot to do the dirty work, and it was nearly impossible to trace the source. Androids also excelled at assassinations. But most threatening of all, pleasure droids were easily equipped with recording devices and were often effectively deployed to lure secrets out of politicians. In an incident known as "The Great Solar Blackmail", major politicians from every planet in the Sol system were blackmailed in a single, collective incident that forced a quarter of the system's leadership to give up valuable resources or step down and create an enormous hole in the government. Ultimately, the blackmailers received most of their payments, and many of the politicians were protected to maintain a semblance of order until new leadership could be found. This led to a period of instability which was partially responsible for the corporate invasion of space and the creation of the pleasure droid laws. Nowadays, only government controlled brothels are allowed to use such androids, and every other kind of robot must have some mark or aesthetic that clearly identifies it as an android. Not that this has completely stopped the existence of such robots. Older models are still in demand and are routinely refurbished. There are organizations dedicated to finding and destroying unregistered androids and will pay handsomely for any older models discovered. The same is true for those who wish to refurbish those droids for their own ends.

[TG Barighm]

There is only one more encounter and a short sequence left in Jin's campaign, so I figure it's time get this ball rolling.


Let's start be re-confirming what your starting Traits for your PC will be.

[acathala]

What did you have for Miamar? Did I reply to thread?

[TG Barighm]

You decided on Windfall and Adv. Windfall to make your character start out rich. You also wanted Billionaire, but I decided that's not a good idea. You also wanted to go the engineering route, although you didn't say specifically if you were looking at robotics, computers, or just a general handyman sort of deal.

If your starting Traits end up revolving entirely around money, then your real task will be in buying stuff, heh.

[acathala]

I was also sure I started off with a background.
The other DT was IT Technician.

[TG Barighm]

I have to work it out, but you're essentially a millionaire and that includes owning a car, a house, and some nice luxury goods (or the sci-fi equivalent). Just list out what you plan to buy and I'll say what you can't.

I haven't created a list of sci-fi items yet, it's potentially ENORMOUS, but you can use other sources of media as a guide if you wish.

[TG Barighm]

I've decided that the unique aspects of the universe, in that not all currencies are created equal, especially on corporate owned planets that use their own currency, and the rise in raw value dictated by physical goods and not currency, requires that I don't view your PC's "windfall" as a standard money transaction. There are many ways to get wealthy, and in the case of Miamar's planet, I decided "wealth by loot" is the best way to explain his family's sudden fortunes. Long story short, they had the resources to search and claim the researcher's old equipment, so they got to keep it.

In other words, I'll be assigning you starting equipment, or at least a list of things you can choose from. I already have a ship in mind, so let's get to weapons. Miamar doesn't seem to have any real training with weapons, so I imagine this list will be short, but he can have better weapons if that's what you wish.

He will also receive 100k VICs, which is the currency used by most deep space travelers. I didn't think something like an unofficial research project would use standard money. Made more sense for him to have the rogue based VICs.



Let's start with COMMON weapons. A research station likely would be equipped with weapons that subdue rather than kill:

POP GUN: 1 handed. Can literally fire anything and is only accurate at close range. 1 HP. Doesn't pierce like other ballistics.
TRANQ. PISTOL: Fires ultra compacted tranq rounds, so no need for bulky darts. Deals 1-2HP non-lethal damage. 30 ft.
TRANQ. SMG: Like the pistol, but designed for crowds. Deals 1-2HP non-lethal damage. 30ft. Fully automatic. Burns through ammo.
TRANQ. RIFLE: Fires larger dosage rounds for bigger targets at safer ranges. Deals 2-3HP non-lethal damage. 60 ft

TRANQ. GRENADE: Splashes a form of tranq that can be absorbed by the skin. It's enough to slow a target. Deals 1HP NL damage in 10 ft.
TRANQ GAS GRENADES: A far more powerful knockout gas. Deals 2HP damage in 20 ft. radius.

TRANQ. CLUB: Adds some tranq power to the club granting 1 HP NL damage with its regular damage, but must be refilled.
SHOCK CLUB: Has two modes-deals 2NL damage and stuns targets, or deals 2 HP lethal shock damage. Sometimes you gotta make an example. Uses batteries.

TRANQ. AMMO: The rifles use a larger dosage, but the same bullets can be used to refuel the club.


You can have as many of these as you want, but of course this eats up space.


UNCOMMON weapons. There were very few of these on the planet, so it's unlikely Miamar got to claim many without raising a few eyebrows. These would be considered very costly on his planet.

Reekar PL-2: Pistol. Made for assurance rather than performance, it's nonetheless very reliable. 1 HP damage. 30 ft. 5 mag.
Kilrael AR-99: Very popular and versatile combat rifle. 1-1-1HP burst or 1-2 HP semi. 60 ft. range. 25 mag. Dura+ Mod.
Aleal SM-33: Kilrael's equally popular SMG line, it preserves accuracy even in full auto. 1-1-1-1HP automatic. 30 ft. range. 40 mag. Acc/Mag+ Mod.

*Note shooting in full auto normally imparts negative factors, although some brands of items come with prebuilt mods.

Kilsteel EALLOY Blade: Designed for cutting through armour, it also works for cutting through swathes of flesh unimpeded. 1-2HP. Pierce Mod.

[TG Barighm]

I decided to stop screwing around with the mutant cat thing and just implemented a cat-like alien race. They will be a smaller, exploratory culture that doesn't have much sway in the universe, much in the same way humanity does. They are generally more defensive of their planets and usually only explore because they can't stand to live with the wealthier families.

None of Miamar's origins really matter all that much in the grand scheme of things, so I decided there was no point in limiting his creation so heavily.

[acathala]

We still are. I wanted to let Jon's campaign end before turning my attention to this.
So a remote hacking device?

[TG Barighm]

Sure! But what quality?

Wrist mounted? Hand-held? Cybernetic implant?

And what quality? Every day common locks? Military grade? Or no pre-installed software at all and it's just a tool you use?

Obviously the higher the grade, the more expensive. Something that busts through common locks isn't going to cost very much.



I'm also rejigging this thread a bit. A lot of what's here is just concepts I was playing with. I'm changing much of the first posts to consist of more meaningful information, so be sure to check them out later.

[acathala]

Military grade cybernetic implant.

[TG Barighm]

Alrighty! Where will it be installed? First cybernetic won't cause any health issues.

Btw, military grade = pricy. Super low supply. Extreme demand.

You know what? After a lot of thought, I think such an item, especially one that can be concealed within the body, would be worth at least $2 million, and that's more than double your starting pool ($1 million, after equalized deflation).

[acathala]

How much for the handheld or wrist mounted options then?

[TG Barighm]

That would definitely knock the price down a fair ways, like to the 1 million mark, but still military grade.


I've decided to "restart" this thread because it's been a long time since we created your character in the first place, so there's a lot of things I don't remember.