Tolomin kneeled in his dimly-lit quarters, sighing softly as he closed his eyes. He gently opened his storage compartment, taking out the weapon concealed within. It was a rare commodity: A blade of gleaming steel, adorned with the runic script of the Surian mother tongue. He took it into one hand, swinging it gently, estimating again the weight of the weapon. He noted how the mass of the weapon seemed to behave strangely when he made a perfectly horizontal strike, and he sighed again, returning the sword to its former resting place. He gently picked up his datapad and headed down into the corridor.
Immediately, he was besieged by a member of the crew. Dressed in the cerulean uniform of a command officer, he seemed eager to help. Tolomin looked to the pips on the officer's collar, noticing that he was an ensign. A rookie. "Pardon me, Ambassador, is there something I can help you with?" Tolomin merely waved the man away, stepping into the lift. He looked next to him, noticing a beautiful young woman with pointed ears-- identical to his own. Her hair was neatly braided, and her delicate appearance was quite deceiving; her delicate hands tightly gripped a regulation plasma rifle. She looked up to him, and spoke a melodic dialect of Surian.
"Do you honestly think the Ororeths are going to honor the Treatise?"
Tolomin shook his head, smiling softly. "I sincerely doubt it. But the Rovigans are quite adamant about at least attempting a peace agreement. After all, it is their system that is in immediate peril." The lift stopped, and Tolomin departed the craft, saying no more as his gentle smile faded. His stride was quick and purposeful as he entered the Engineering room.
He ignored the surprised looks of the engineers and walked past an officer attempting to gain his attention, probably for some recommendation or another. He stood for a few moments in front of the plasma coils, and pointed to a device. An engineer nodded. "That's the spatial inverter. Keeps the gravity wells from malfunctioning. Unfortunately, we've been having problems with its power source lately, and we don't have a strong enough jolt to jumpstart it." Tolomin gave the man an understanding look, and flexed a hand. He recited a brief mathematical formula to himself, and reached into a small travel pouch that was firmly attached to his belt. He pulled a small crystal from it, no more than an inch in diameter, and a small bit of specially treated fur. As the engineer looked on, Tolomin waved his hand in a complex, exact manner, and the fur and crystal glowed brightly. In a brief instant, Tolomin summoned forth an arc of lightning into the machine, and the unmistakable whirr of the spatial inverter echoed within the room. Tolomin noted to himself that the fur he had used, that of the Sarathian hare, was easily the most potent conductor of electricity he had managed to acquire. Indeed, his aptitude for energy manipulation-- and the innate amounts of it that all beings unconsciously store-- were his specialty. So enamored with the majest of his work was Tolomin that it was a good deal of time before he noticed the slack jawed expressions of the engineers. One of the officers approached him. "What... exactly was that, Ambassador?"
He resisted the urge to burst forth in laughter at the officer. Perhaps the colonial authority of this sector had not yet introduced Surian practices to the human settlers? He sighed, and explained it as he had to the first humans he had met: "Magic."
could you put this up in the crossroads as well? It just seems to make sense. i also look forward to seing some material from this future setting. Terribly sorry, but it had completely slipped my mind. If you want a question for criticism, what did the ambassador do, if it was not magic?
This is a revival of my old thread entitled "D&D and d20 Future setting".
Some of the class changes:
-Good-aligned clerics instead draw their power from stars, becoming solar adepts. Cleric spell lists are modified to keep with the solar theme, sticking primarily with fire, light, and positive energy spells. This is the primarily "fusion" based class.
-Evil-aligned clerics draw their power from "anti-magic", or, more accurately, "anti-matter magic." Spell lists are revised to signify entropy and destruction.
-Wizards and sorcerers are an intriguing case. Drawing their power from internal fission, they turn themselves into living conduits for energy transfer. The new class names are scholar and savant, respectively, and represent two distinct seperations: The scholar studies meticulously datapads and even analogue sources for methods to convert matter and energy, whereas savants are rumored to be the by-product of natural genetic mutation, though rumors abound of genetic experiments in dark, forgotten laboratories-- even at the hands of the legendary myrath (see below).
Creature types:
-Myrath: The legendary myrath are perhaps the most miraculous and spectacular of the various beings of the galaxy. The myrath are essentially dragons, their hearts themselves burning from within, acting as a radioactive battery.
-Outsiders: A term referring to the majority of extra-galatic forces. For instance, the Baatezu system (a series of nine planets rumored to orbit a red giant sun) contains various races and lifeforms that only the most knowledgable races know much about.
-Aberrations: Perhaps the easiestÃ, creatures to incorporate, aberrations are already alien in anatomy, origins, thought, and process. Flayers and beholders are just begging to be put into a futuristic game as denizens of uninhabitable planets, far reaches of the galaxy, or even as vacuum-dwelling creatures. After all, with a bizzare anatomy and a fly speed, whose to say beholders can't simply dwell within asteroid belts, preying on passing cargo ships?
Current Races:
Humans
Surians
Ororeths
Rovigans
Torgrians
Surians
A race of enigmatic beings capable of living hundreds of Terran cycles known as the Surians have long made their home in the Surian System surrounding a Class F (green) star. After humanity achieved jump gate travel capabilities, the Surians came to the Sol System and shared with the humans the capabilities of a truly cohesive civilization. Within a matter of one hundred yearsâ,¬'a blink of an eye for a Surianâ,¬'the petty race of humanity had been transformed into one of the most powerful and motivated forces in the sector, in no small part to the efforts of the Surians. The Surian System is a primary technological center of the Planetary Alliance.
A Surian stands slightly shorter than a human at approximately 5 feet 2 inches to 5 feet 8 inches tall with fairly large pointed ears. Hair color for Surians is usually dark, either black or brown, and most Surians keep their hair well-groomed. Surians never have facial hair. Surians usually dress in simple but comfortable clothing, although regents and wealthy individuals have been known to display extravagance.
Racial traits:
â,¬Â¢ +2 Intelligence, â,¬'2 Strength. Surians have long developed their education system and mental prowess, though they suffer from their hereditary withdrawn and cloistered nature during physical activity.
â,¬Â¢ Medium: As Medium creatures, Surians have no special bonuses or penalties due to their size.
â,¬Â¢ Surian base land speed is 30 feet.
â,¬Â¢ +2 bonus to Diplomacy checks. Surians have fine-tuned the art of words.
â,¬Â¢ Low-Light Vision: A Surian can see twice as far as a human in starlight, moonlight, flashlight, and similar conditions of poor illumination. She retains the ability to distinguish color and detail under these conditions.
â,¬Â¢ Weapon Proficiency: Surians receive the Personal Firearm Proficiency feat for all pistols, and the Archaic Weapon Proficiency for rapiers and longswords as bonus feats. Every Surian is trained in the basics of weapon handling from a young age.
â,¬Â¢ Automatic Languages: Trade and Surian. Bonus Languages: Any. Although translation devices are employed by the Interplanetary Alliance, Surian culture has long endorsed a diverse education in linguistics. Also, Speak Langauge is always considered a class skill for a Surian.
â,¬Â¢ Favored Class: Fission scholar. A multiclass Surianâ,¬,,¢s fission scholar class does not count when determining whether she takes an experience point penalty for multiclassing.
Rovigan System Inhabitants
The Rovigan System is a series of twelve planets and over two hundred moons, as well as the most massive asteroid field in its quadrant. The system gets its name from its most numerous inhabitants, described below.
The Rovigan System is blessed with an abundance of natural resources, and quickly after the inhabitants of Rovigan Prime achieved space exploration capability, they discovered the durable, yet flexible, alloys found in many of the asteroids that surrounded the planet. These alloys acted as a catalyst for the Rovigans, and within a matter of a few generations they had already developed jump gate technology. Around this time, they were contacted by the still-fledgling Surians, who offered to share scientific data in exchange for access to the resources of the Rovigan Asteroid Belt. The Rovigans agreed, though they could not comprehend the sheer capacity of the Surians for mining. Quickly stripping entire regions of useful alloys, the Surians were both ruthlessly efficient and unerringly callous to pleas from Rovigan mining corporations to cease the waste of natural resources. It wasn't until Rovigan Prime developed an arsenal of heavy-artillery spacecraft that the Surians deemed it in their best interest to leave. Now armed with a powerful fleet capable of transporting large amounts of their population (and stripped of their most prolific resources and industry), the denizens of Rovigan Prime expanded outwards, looking to colonize the remainder of their star system. What they did not realize, however, is that they were not the only sentient race within the system.
After several colonies had already been established, the Rovigans discovered a sentient post-industrial population on the moon Torgria of a gas giant within the system. The Rovigan Colonial Authority, the de facto ruling council since the migrations had begun, ruled that Torgria's population would receive no contact from the Rovigan military or scientists until they achieved (at the least) space-travel capacity. Keeping Torgria's population completely isolated from interplanetary forces would soon prove to be difficult, however, as the Ororeths discovered the system and began a series of assaults upon the system. Not wishing for Torgria to become a pawn in the struggle, a large portion of the fleet was allocated to its defense. Battle with the Ororeths would prove to be a generational occurrence; every few decades, the Ororeths would muster a force to assault the Rovigan system, and every few decades the Rovigans would turn back the fleet, winning a narrow victory.
The Rovigans settled the majority of their system by the time the Interplanetary Alliance was conceived. Although they wanted little to do with the Surians, they realized the potential that the Sol System's inhabitants held and the potency of such an alliance. Hoping for military reinforcements against the perpetual Ororeth attacks and for an increased market for their reestablished mining trade, the Rovigans became a founding member of what would become arguably the most prominent presence in interplanetary politics. It was a few generations later that Torgria siphoned powerful solar energy through the art of fusion to develop spacecraft, immediately putting themselves into contact with various Alliance forces-- and it was quite a surprise, especially to the Rovigans, how openly hostile the Torgrians were to both their neighbors and the political entity that supported them. Proclaiming that the waste from the Rovigans' fleets had caused irreparable damage to the planet, and that the gravitational pull from the massive warships had disrupted the tidal cycles of the relatively agrarian planet, the Torgrians demanded compensation. The Rovigans, however, were in no position to offer anything of value to the Torgrians. Making their case in an Alliance court, the Torgrians successfully petitioned for joint ownership in the Rovigan Mining Operators, an organization that provided the finest alloys to a good amount of the sector. Begrudgingly, the Rovigans accepted the Torgrians as equals in the business, forced through court orders to acknowledge their ungrateful neighbors' demands. It wasn't until a massive Ororeth invasion that the Torgrians petitioned for membership in the Interplanetary Alliance, and after performing startlingly well as an authorized territory, it has become the most recent (and most controversial) member of the Alliance.
---------------------
Rovigans are short, stocky individuals with skin tones ranging from emerald green to a deep aquamarine. Hermaphroditic in nature, most individuals are known to traditionally have long, braided beards and short hair. Common shades of hair range from a dark black to a light blue. Rovigans' eyes are pupiless, and seem to sheen with the silver of the very alloys they mine. Rovigans typically dress in durable work clothing, if they are not wearing uniforms or armor.
â,¬Â¢ +2 Constitution, â,¬'2 Charisma.
â,¬Â¢ Medium: As Medium creatures, Rovigans have no special bonuses or penalties due to their size.
â,¬Â¢ Rovigan base land speed is 20 feet. However, Rovigans can move at this speed even when wearing medium or heavy armor or when carrying a medium or heavy load (unlike other creatures, whose speed is reduced in such situations).
â,¬Â¢ Darkvision: Rovigans can see in the dark up to 60 feet. Darkvision is black and white only, but it is otherwise like normal sight, and Rovigans can function just fine with no light at all.
â,¬Â¢ Alloy Sense: This ability grants a Rovigan a +2 racial bonus on Search checks to notice unusual metalwork, such as sliding walls, metallic traps, new construction (even when built to match the old), unsafe metallic surfaces, strange metal combinations, and the like. Something that isnâ,¬,,¢t metal but that is disguised as metal also counts as unusual metalwork. A Rovigan who merely comes within 10 feet of unusual metalwork can make a Search check as if he were actively searching, and a Rovigan can use the Search skill to find metalwork traps as a rogue can. A Rovigan can also intuit depth, sensing his approximate depth within primarily metallic asteroids as naturally as a human can sense which way is up.
â,¬Â¢ Rovigans are proficient with plasma rifles and plasma pistols.
â,¬Â¢ Stability: A Rovigan gains a +4 bonus on ability checks made to resist being bull rushed or tripped when standing on the ground (but not when climbing, flying, riding, or otherwise not mounted firmly by gravity).
â,¬Â¢ +2 racial bonus on saving throws against poison.
â,¬Â¢ +2 racial bonus on saving throws against spells and spell-like effects.
â,¬Â¢ +1 racial bonus on attack rolls against Ororeths.
â,¬Â¢ +4 dodge bonus to Armor Class against monsters of the giant type. Any time a creature loses its Dexterity bonus (if any) to Armor Class, such as when itâ,¬,,¢s caught flat-footed, it loses its dodge bonus, too.
â,¬Â¢ +2 racial bonus on Appraise checks that are related to stone or metal items.
â,¬Â¢ +2 racial bonus on Craft checks that are related to stone or metal.
â,¬Â¢ Automatic Languages: Trade and Rovigan. Bonus Languages: Ororeth, Torgrian, Surian (will be expanded)
â,¬Â¢ Favored Class: Soldier. A multiclass Roviganâ,¬,,¢s soldier class does not count when determining whether he takes an experience point penalty for multiclassing
---------------
Torgrians stand even shorter than Rovigans, their impeded height rumored to be caused by the various complications of centuries of Rovigan spacecraft orbiting the planet. However, the unusual factor also seems to have benefited the Torgrians as well, as they have naturally developed the ability to manipulate light and sound. They have extended this capacity quite a bit, and are poised to become the most potent fusion adepts in the galaxy. Sporting finely trimmed beards and moustaches, as well as jet black skin and glossy white hair, Torgrians are known for their eccentric behavior and outspoken demeanor. Priding themselves both on their newfound rights within the Alliance and their proud defiance of tradition, Torgrians are both naturally curious and extraordinarily resilient. No two Torgrians dress alike, though many wear clothing opposite what is typically expected (presumably to draw attention to themselves.)
â,¬Â¢ +2 Wisdom, â,¬'2 Strength.
â,¬Â¢ Small: As a Small creature, a Torgrian gains a +1 size bonus to Armor Class, a +1 size bonus on attack rolls, and a +4 size bonus on Hide checks, but he uses smaller weapons than humans use, and his lifting and carrying limits are three-quarters of those of a Medium character.
â,¬Â¢ Torgrian base land speed is 20 feet.
â,¬Â¢ Low-Light Vision: A Torgrian can see twice as far as a human in starlight, moonlight, flashlight, and similar conditions of poor illumination. He retains the ability to distinguish color and detail under these conditions.
â,¬Â¢ Torgrians are automatically proficient with grenades, and gain a +1 racial bonus on attack rolls made with splash weapons.
â,¬Â¢ +2 racial bonus on saving throws against fear effects.
â,¬Â¢ +1 racial bonus on attack rolls against Ororeths.
â,¬Â¢ +4 dodge bonus to Armor Class against monsters of the giant type. Any time a creature loses its Dexterity bonus (if any) to Armor Class, such as when itâ,¬,,¢s caught flat-footed, it loses its dodge bonus, too.
â,¬Â¢ +2 racial bonus on Bluff checks.
â,¬Â¢ +2 racial bonus on Craft (metallurgy) checks.
â,¬Â¢ Automatic Languages: Trade and Torgrian. Bonus Languages: Surian, Rovigan (will be added to later)
â,¬Â¢In addition, a Torgrian can speak with an animal native to Torgria. This ability is innate to Torgrians. See the speak with animals spell description.
â,¬Â¢ Spell-Like Abilities: 1/dayâ,¬'speak with animals (Torgrian animal only, duration 1 minute). A Torgrian with a Charisma score of at least 10 also has the following spell-like abilities: 1/dayâ,¬'dancing lights, ghost sound, prestidigitation. Caster level 1st; save DC 10 + Torgrianâ,¬,,¢s Cha modifier + spell level.
â,¬Â¢ Favored Class: Fusion Adept. A multiclass Torgrianâ,¬,,¢s fusion adept class does not count when determining whether he takes an experience point penalty.
-------
Ororeths
Perhaps one of the most prominent threats to the Interplanetary Alliance, the Ororeths originally hail from the Tr'aag System, based around a Class G (yellow) star. The warlike mentality and the impressive military arrays of the Ororeths are a result of the continued contact of various interloping and oppressive races. Born of slave stock to the original inhabitants of the Tr'aag, giant humanoids of extraordinary might known as the Tobrior, the Ororeths eventually managed to seize control of their cruel and intentionally homicidal masters after centuries of grueling war and strife. They replicated the technology of their former wardens, though they admittedly possessed neither the ingenuity nor social cohesiveness to progress during periods of domestic calm. Soon, the Ororeths turned against themselves, throwing the entire system into disarray. Only when the powerful and charismatic General Akaash seized control of the majority of the assets in the system did the conflict seem to experience a lull, and Akaash used the opportunity to gain the support of the Ororeth populace. He set forth the Sregath of Akaash, a bold and daring plan for military expansion and system-wide union. Under his plan, Tr'aag quickly began amassing a powerful fleet and army, preparing to mount against neighboring systems. Believing the Rovigans to be an easy target, and rejecting proposals to join the budding Interplanetary Alliance, the Ororeths initiated a series of military attacks that continue to this day.
This history of war and conflict has molded the otherwise primitive Ororeths into a fearsome and respected race across the galaxy. Politically, Ororeths are beginning to realize the influence their attacks have in Interplanetary Alliance politics, and have began to subtly manipulate their attacks to force deployments and heighten tensions between the Rovigans and their allies. If the Ororeths can sever the connection between the mineral-rich Rovigan System and the Alliance, they will do so by any means necessary. However, the vast majority of Ororeth military forces remain part of individually-employed mercenary corps, and uniting them in such a fashion has become increasingly difficult with various companies finding piracy, forceful colonization of pre-industrial societies, and criminal activities within established systems to be much more profitable (and less hazardous than confronting the Alliance).
Ororeths are tall, muscular humanoids who stand nearly a head taller than the average human. They frequently have coarse, unkempt black or brown hair, and are known for their lack of hygiene and irritable demeanor. Their skin ranges from a dark gray to a light brown. They have eyes that vary from deep red to a brilliant green. Prominent fangs (useless, however, in combat) and a tendency towards violence are among the most commonly known attributes of Ororeths. Powered armor and military uniforms are the most commonly seen attire of Ororeths, though in private, they wear loose-fitting and rather mundane clothing.
Quote from: Natural 20could you put this up in the crossroads as well? It just seems to make sense. i also look forward to seing some material from this future setting. Terribly sorry, but it had completely slipped my mind. If you want a question for criticism, what did the ambassador do, if it was not magic?
I might put this up in Crossroads if I decide to continue Tolomin's tale. For now, I'll leave it as an introduction.
And I should have more material, though for the next few weeks, I might be inactive due to a huge project I've got.
And Ambassador Tolomin is a Fission Adept, so he did do what humans refer to as "magic": Surians consider it an exact science.
Ok, that's cool, just trying to help you and satisfy my curiosity.
Looking good so far.
I am glad to see more of the races statted out.
Very nice setting, but I am curious about how magic fits into the grand scheme of things. Right now, it almost seems that it has been tacked on as an afterthought in a setting where technology could easily accomplish anything that magic does, and then some.
Actually, the magic was the original concept that the rest of the setting spawned from. I was having a conversation with the Missing in Action Luminous Crayon, and he helped spur forward some of my ideas.
Magic is something that many of the races are still trying to figure out. What they have done is develop a few practices and scientific analogies for how they believe them to work: Surian culture is the only magic-heavy one to exist as of yet.
So am I correct in assuming that magic is something newly discovered, and is still being tested and explored?
Also, just for curiosity's sake, what kinds of inspirations are you drawing from? I see a bit of Star Trek (maybe I'm imagining that, but the Surians remind me of Vulcans, and some other aspects remind me of ST:tNG), and possibly Firefly, but then again, those are the only SciFi shows I've ever truely watched, so I may just be seeing things that aren't there. Anyhoo, good show so far, I look to see more.
Quote from: IshmaylSo am I correct in assuming that magic is something newly discovered, and is still being tested and explored?
Also, just for curiosity's sake, what kinds of inspirations are you drawing from? I see a bit of Star Trek (maybe I'm imagining that, but the Surians remind me of Vulcans, and some other aspects remind me of ST:tNG), and possibly Firefly, but then again, those are the only SciFi shows I've ever truely watched, so I may just be seeing things that aren't there. Anyhoo, good show so far, I look to see more.
You actually hit the nail on the head, mate.
Surians are a bit similar to Vulcans, and their drow-ish counterparts are going to resemble Romulans a tad. I've found that Star Trek itself has a lot of good analogues for D&D's races, and I draw a bit of inspiration from it. The same goes for Firefly.
As I said to Xeviat on the old thread: "It's hard to give orcs guns and ships without having them turn into Klingons."
And magic is a long and ancient tradition in a few cultures, namely (at this point) the Surians. It has been recently introduced to the majority of the galaxy by the dominant presence of the Surians and the Interplanetary Alliance.
-Elven Doritos
Grell Eater
this looks wicked. Great work ElDo.
Just wondering about the non-magic related parts of the setting's tech level. I'm assuming that there are all the standard space ships and lasers and whatnot, but i might be wrong. Either way, are the ships powered by "magic" or just by the more conventional forms (Maybe only some new experimental ships are "magic powered". probably designed by the Surians i would think).
Are you going to have a well-difined break between magic and older technology, or are they going to blur together? (blurring would make more sense, but would be harder to implement, game mechanics-wise)
Damn, you beat me to the future+magic setting, though mine is different enough that I'll still post it eventually. Everything looks cool so far: I'll give more feedback when i have more time to read over everything. :)
Hey, I think I'm going to retool some of this setting. I don't know if I'm going to keep a) the magic aspect (yes, I know it is a vital part of the setting, I simply don't know if I can keep it) and b) the races might be retooled to be more in lined with d20 Future. Also, I might introduce more crunch and definitely more cultures, fluff, etc.
Thoughts?
Is magic incompatible with d20 Future?
Quote from: CYMROIs magic incompatible with d20 Future?
It's not that it's incompatible mechanically, it's that I feel it is incompatible with the feel of the setting.
My main goal is to take the concepts and archetypes from typical fantasy and rework them so that they work in d20 Future, and I think that magic-related classes would be better served with a technological equivalent rather than the hazy "definition" of magic that I had given previously.
As a note-- psionics are a definite replacement possibility.
Just a thoguht on you're magic replacement. Perhaps magic has been rediscovered/used as a viable source of technology. Have you read Urban Arcana? Magic still exists, coexistent with technology. It's just anpther thing in the universe. just like technology, electricity, physics, and magic.
Do you get what I mean?
I own Urban Arcana, and I understand the notion of "magic in a modern/future" setting-- I'm currently running one. I just don't think that THIS setting is benefitted by the presence of magic.
Well, if you don't think it helps, take it out. I really had liked how it had been done originally, but it is your setting.
Quote from: Are you there, God? It's me, ElDoI own Urban Arcana, and I understand the notion of "magic in a modern/future" setting-- I'm currently running one. I just don't think that THIS setting is benefitted by the presence of magic.
Well, at least you have Psionics. And anything jazzy in the magic realm can be retooled for psionics.
And it's not to say that creatures won't have supernatural powers. I've got variants of the traditional D&D outsiders-- Outsiders, in this since, will refer to creatures from outside our galaxy, many of whom have immense personal powers. And I just think that psionics fits better than magic.
QuoteOutsiders, in this since, will refer to creatures from outside our galaxy, many of whom have immense personal powers
No planar stuff then?
Probably not. The plan was to set the traditional role of the planes as other systems and extra-galactic forces.
Okay, it's taken me a while to get here, but the read is worth it. This is such a neat juxtaposition of ideas: the scene of a starship fighting off beholders as it pushes through an asteroid belt is pretty damn cool, and you can't get that anywhere else.
I for one am a fan of the magic/future-tech mix here, although I may be a little biased because it's the first thing we talked about, all those months ago. I like the unique sort of feel that it gets; maybe on some level, the fact that it doesn't feel strictly genre appropriate is what appeals to me-- it feels new. I can't help worrying that without that new element, this might become very Star Treky, which may or may not be what you want. Frankly, psionics in sci-fi have been done to death.
What I'd really like to hear about is the sorts of conflict and adventures that this setting is designed for. I can tell from what you've written that diplomacy (and double-crossing) is a big one, and so is frontier exploration (and contact with weird and wondrous denizens thereof.) Is there a place here for full-scale factional warfare, for the Han Solos and Malcolm Reynolds of the galaxy to pursue their illegal business, for scientist-philosophers to unravel the meaning of existence at the heart of the atom? What about space survival, with the crew of the wrecked space station desperately trying to scrape together enough life support to manage a crash landing? There are so many genres that you touch upon with this setting, ElDo; there are tons of elements present in this at your disposal. Which directions are you taking it? Inquiring minds want to know.
Quote from: Luminous CrayonOkay, it's taken me a while to get here, but the read is worth it. This is such a neat juxtaposition of ideas: the scene of a starship fighting off beholders as it pushes through an asteroid belt is pretty damn cool, and you can't get that anywhere else.
I for one am a fan of the magic/future-tech mix here, although I may be a little biased because it's the first thing we talked about, all those months ago. I like the unique sort of feel that it gets; maybe on some level, the fact that it doesn't feel strictly genre appropriate is what appeals to me-- it feels new. I can't help worrying that without that new element, this might become very Star Treky, which may or may not be what you want. Frankly, psionics in sci-fi have been done to death.
What I'd really like to hear about is the sorts of conflict and adventures that this setting is designed for. I can tell from what you've written that diplomacy (and double-crossing) is a big one, and so is frontier exploration (and contact with weird and wondrous denizens thereof.) Is there a place here for full-scale factional warfare, for the Han Solos and Malcolm Reynolds of the galaxy to pursue their illegal business, for scientist-philosophers to unravel the meaning of existence at the heart of the atom? What about space survival, with the crew of the wrecked space station desperately trying to scrape together enough life support to manage a crash landing? There are so many genres that you touch upon with this setting, ElDo; there are tons of elements present in this at your disposal. Which directions are you taking it? Inquiring minds want to know.
You bring up some interesting points, and I concede that magic probably
should be in the setting-- I just may rework the explanation of it.
As for the types of adventures that are possible, after I complete the descriptions of the "Vorian Collective", a series of about five races of galactic importance whose histories are intertwined, I might do up a good number of plot hooks and adventure ideas based off of the material present.
For those of you who are using d20 Future (or who have access to the SRD): Most cultures, particularly the Alliance and their most prominent enemies, are around PL 7 or 8. The Alliance is PL 8.
~Elven Doritos
I'll be looking forward to hearing future developments, then.
I'd be happy to help you hash things out with regards to treatment of the magic system or other setting aspects. If you like, we'll set up a time to meet on AIM and bounce ideas back and forth.
Just so you guys know-- huge writeups and races on their way. That's today's project. ;)
And the official word is that magic IS in the setting.
~Elven Doritos
(Busy typing)
The Vorian SystemThe Vorian System has long been a frontier upon which various interstellar empires have risen and fallen. The earliest recorded sentient life within the Vorian System is upon the planet of Numara, a mixed-terrain planet where land-based sentient mammalian life arose. When a Baator System scout ship discovered that Numara had significant deposits of a rare mineral called arconium. The mineral possessed the ability to absorb different types of energy, most notably the latent magical energy that is woven throughout the universe. As such, the mineral (and therefore the planet) became a very attractive prospect for the denizens of the Baator System, and within a matter of years, the Vorian System was part of the ever-expanding interstellar empire that the Baatezu possessed.
The tyrannical Baatezu enslaved the native population of Numara to work the arconium mines, and word quickly spread of the cruel mistreatment inflicted upon the natives. Although the knowledge was widespread, for several eons, no faction would oppose the interstellar empire, primarily because of internal problems or a failed sense of appeasement.
The platform of non-involvement by the budding galactic community caused a significant rift to form between two distinct factions of the Surian race- having recently achieved interstellar travel, some felt that liberating the people of Numara would be an important early victory to show that the Surians were a power worth reckoning with. However, the majority of Surians felt the Baatezu invasion and their incursion with the people of Numara was an isolated event of imperialism and that it was not their place to interfere.
This rift eventually led to the mobilization of a particular group of Surians, under the leadership of the legendary Voras, spearheaded an assault against the relatively small Baatezu occupational forces of the Numara System. A full-scale war began to rage soon between the Baatezu and the forces of Voras, although the original intentions of both side began to disintegrate as the people of Numara were virtually eradicated in the crossfire. As the war winded down, it was clear who the victors were-- the Baatezu, with strange powers, superior weaponry, and steady reinforcements quickly overwhelmed the under-supplied and disparate Surians. Voras and his people were enslaved to replace the extinct natives of the planet.
After several millennia of subjugation to the Baatezu, the descendants of these slaves had forged a new racial identity. With genetic tampering from their domineering overlords, the effects of the magically-charged arconium, and the natural adaptation that comes with spending thousands of years in a rugged, underground terrain, they were no longer Surians. They had developed preternatural powers, keen sight even in the absence of light, and an ingrained sense of racial hatred for their oppressors, their kin who abandoned them, and even their own progenitors, taking no pride in their heritage or the culture forced upon them.
But the Baatezu overlords were steadily receiving fewer and fewer forces to help govern their colony on Numara. Soon, nearly all the Baatezu forces were recalled to aid in the Baator System's so-called "Blood War" with the nefarious Tanaari factions. The remaining provisional forces were ill-prepared, and in a massive cooperative effort, the Surian-descended slaves of Numara rose against their masters and expelled them from the colony. With keen minds and an intense sense of individualism, the race named itself after Voras, calling themselves Vorians. Likewise, they called the star system surrounding them the Vorian System, honoring the ill-intentioned but now-mythic Voras.
The Vorians, using old Surian schematics from the days of Voras as well as technology scavenged from the remaining Baatezu facilities, worked almost single-mindedly to establish a defensible foothold within the Vorian System. Eventually colonizing the even the most remote of moons in the system, the interplanetary Vorian government began to take shape: in the form of highly disparate factions of self-proclaimed "nobility", each vying for supremacy of the overarching government. The lack of a real vision for the Vorian people and the in-fighting that arose from the noble caste ripped the newly-united Vorian System apart. During this time, weaponry, magic, battleships, medicine, and even mobile mechanized war suits (known to Vorians as "pah-rho-trahn" in the Vorian runic language).
This cycle of systematic insurrection and a ascension of a single dominant faction would continue for several hundred years. A pivotal change in Vorian politics came with the discovery by the Vorian pioneer, Alinor Dahrenas, discovered sentient non-industrialized life in the nearby Renezaad System. In a cruel twist of fate, the Vorians took the unindustrialized and overwhelmed natives, a species of feline humanoids who called themselves the Yomaru (singular: Yomarii), and transformed them into a slave labor force to mind both the remaining arconium strip mines in the Vorian System and the newfound resources of the Renezaad System. The Vorians continued to expand their reinvigorated Vorian Interstellar Empire and, under the rule of House Voras (who claimed to be descended from Voras himself), it prospered considerably. At its peak, the Vorians had conquered five uninhabited star systems and three inhabited ones, excluding the Vorian System.
Since the formation of the Interplanetary Alliance, however, things have not boded so well for the Vorian Interstellar Empire. A series of wars with the Alliance due to territory disputes has led to the breakdown of several of the Empire's outermost colonies, and a massive uprising within the Yomaru labor camps led to the collapse of much of the Vorian Empire's former holdings has brought the Vorian people to their lowest point militarily and economically since the end of the colonization within the Vorian System.
But if there is anything that can be surmised from the history of the Vorian people, it is that if given a tangible, single obstacle to overcome, they are more dangerous than ever.
----
A Vorian looks vaguely like a Surian with long, pointed ears and slim frames. After that, however, the similarities tend to end. With skin tones ranging from dark blue to deep violet, Vorians are entirely hairless. Their eyes are shimmering pools ranging from scarlet to amber, while they possess varying numbers of digits on each hand, from a mere three to, typically, seven. Normally, a Vorian's digits are the same on each of his extremities, though this is not always the case.
Noble-born Vorians wear long, flowing robes of dark colors. Soldier and worker castes wear garments appropriate to their professions.
+2 Dexterity, +2 Intelligence, +2 Charisma, -2 Constitution.
Darkvision out to 120 feet.
Spell resistance equal to 11 + class levels.
+2 racial bonus on Will saves against spells and spell-like abilities.
Spell-Like Abilities: Vorians can use the following spell-like abilities once per day:
detect magic, darkness, detect poison. Caster level equals the Vorian's class levels.[/list]
Weapon Proficiency: A Vorian is automatically proficient with all pistols.
Automatic Languages: Common, Elven, Undercommon. Bonus Languages: Abyssal, Myrath, Rovigan, Nilbog.
Light Blindness: Abrupt exposure to bright light (such as sunlight or a
daylight spell) blinds Vorians for 1 round. On subsequent rounds, they are dazzled as long as they remain in the affected area.[/list]
So, space drow, eh? Might want to change the wording in the Light Blindness ability; it actually says drow.
I like their history. It sets up the race quite well, and it gives us a little more on the Blood War thing, which seems almost as if it were specifically designed to be adapted for space. I do feel bad about the Numarans, though. Poor little guys.
The variable number of fingers is a really nice detail. Makes me wonder what that arconium does to a person, anyway. (Come to that, what does it do? What is it used for, and why is it so valuable?}
I keep reading "pah-rho-trahn" in case it means something obvious when you say it out loud, but I'm at a loss.
Quote from: Luminous CrayonSo, space drow, eh? Might want to change the wording in the Light Blindness ability; it actually says drow.
I like their history. It sets up the race quite well, and it gives us a little more on the Blood War thing, which seems almost as if it were specifically designed to be adapted for space. I do feel bad about the Numarans, though. Poor little guys.
Yeah, the Blood War works amazingly well on the galactic model. I was surprised by the visual imagery I got from it.
And those poor Numaran buggers have the distinction of being the first extinct sentient race revealed thus far! That's... well, still not a good legacy.
QuoteThe variable number of fingers is a really nice detail. Makes me wonder what that arconium does to a person, anyway. (Come to that, what does it do? What is it used for, and why is it so valuable?}
I keep reading "pah-rho-trahn" in case it means something obvious when you say it out loud, but I'm at a loss.[/quote]
Pah-rho-trahn. That's what it means. ;)
~Elven Doritos
QuoteI'm hammering out the details. But to be vague, arconium absorbs magic energy and can, if properly attuned, be used to redirect it.
a la[/i] mithral, adamantium, and those things. I assume arconium armor might bestow spell resistance due to magic absorbing properties, but I'm at a loss as to what arconium weapons might do.
Question: If the Vorians developed such an ingrained hatred for both Surian kin and their own predecessors so early on in their enslavement, why did they elevate Voras himself to mythic status and name themselves after him in the first place? Were they perhaps being ironic and self-pitying by naming themselves for someone they hated?
The whole Vorian existence is ironic. They exist only because of an attempt at charity toward the Numarans, which not only failed to help them but indirectly rendered them entirely extinct. I guess no good deed goes unpunished.
Quote from: Luminous CrayonQuoteI'm hammering out the details. But to be vague, arconium absorbs magic energy and can, if properly attuned, be used to redirect it.
Arconium, unrefined, certainly has mutagenic effects and is, alongside the Baatezu genetic engineering and natural evolution, was responsible for some of the larger quirks in there anatomy, yes.
QuoteI wonder if arconium is meant to be used as a special weapon/armor material a la mithral, adamantium, and those things. I assume arconium armor might bestow spell resistance due to magic absorbing properties, but I'm at a loss as to what arconium weapons might do.
spell storing[/i] weapon?
QuoteQuestion: If the Vorians developed such an ingrained hatred for both Surian kin and their own predecessors so early on in their enslavement, why did they elevate Voras himself to mythic status and name themselves after him in the first place? Were they perhaps being ironic and self-pitying by naming themselves for someone they hated?
The whole Vorian existence is ironic. They exist only because of an attempt at charity toward the Numarans, which not only failed to help them but indirectly rendered them entirely extinct. I guess no good deed goes unpunished.
Exactly. It's a vicious cycle, and the name of the Vorians is, as you stated, another layer atop that irony.
Hope I came up with some satisfactory answers!
~Elven Doritos
I think my favorite part is the Blood War, and your take on it. I would like to know more about it, and how it influences humanoid civilization. (I often thought of putting fiends in a future setting in a similar manner. Have you seen Event Horizon? It might give you some ideas.)
Vorians look damn spiffy!
:cool:
Brilliant racial history.
I look forward to seeing an indepth on arconium!
ElDo, definately do not scrap magic. I believe I've discussed with you the subtle difference between Fantasy and Science Fiction; if you want this setting to feel more like traditional Science Fiction, then the theme of the setting should be focused on how all of these new things (new races, new energy, new technology, new enemies) are changing humanity, and how society is dealing with it. These things would be assumed in a Fantasy setting, because a fantasy setting's theme is focused primarily upon the struggles of its heroes.
By those definitions, though, Star Wars is entirely Fantasy and Star Trek is somewhere in between. But there is a reason the two genres are so closely tied.
Keep the race info coming; the setting seems to write itself once you have racial descriptions.
QuoteKeep the race info coming; the setting seems to write itself once you have racial descriptions.
More and more, I am convinced that this is a pretty near universal law of setting writing.
Admiral Janssen sat on the edge of his seat as he stared blankly at a flickering hologram depicting a raging battle between two massive fleets of starships. His scuffed boots clicked against his desk as he absentmindedly tapped his foot repeatedly even as nearly three hundred tiny images darted back and forth across his office, locked in a heated battle.
The engagement was one of many that had been fought over the past few months. The Vorians had expanded into Alliance territory in an attempt to seize large arconium deposits and had brought a fleet of warships along with them. The war had spread rapidly and now seemed to engulf nearly every planet on the frontier with borders that were redrawn as quickly as orders were given to redeploy ships. To make matters worse, several Ororeth clans had exploited the raging conflict and piracy, raids, and resource-draining incursions were on the rise.
But none of this seemed to matter to the preoccupied Admiral at the moment. More important to the aging officer was that in this particular battle his son, recently commissioned as an officer of the Interplanetary Alliance Space Corps, was at the helm of the IAS Valencia, a small attack ship that was at the forefront of the fleet. Admiral Janssen had gone to every effort to ensure that the Valencia was properly armed and armored before deployment, but fears about how the battle was going and the fast-paced combat prevented him from gaining a very accurate fix on the progress of the Valencia.
After waging a costly counter-offensive, though, the Alliance fleet began to regroup in a nearby asteroid belt, securing a defensive position even as the Vorian fleet began to reorganize elsewhere in the system. Issuing a quiet sigh, he reached towards a wall-mounted screen and tapped it gently. His voice was hushed as he commanded, â,¬Å"Captain Donell, IAS Crimson.â,¬Â After a short pause, the visage of a calm, gray-haired man appeared on the screen.
â,¬Å"Admiral Janssen,â,¬Â the gray-haired man began, â,¬Å"We believe another offensive across the left wing of the Vorian fleet will secure an Alliance victory.â,¬Â
After a long pause, the absent-minded admiral nodded. â,¬Å"Good, good... What of the Valencia?â,¬Â
The captain paused. â,¬Å"Sir?â,¬Â
Janssen looked to him, his icy blue eyes locked on the captainâ,¬,,¢s. â,¬Å"The Valencia. Did she survive the primary assault?â,¬Â
Captain Donell looked to his superior officer inquisitively before checking a console. â,¬Å"The Valencia is....â,¬Â
Suddenly, the transmission became garbled, Donellâ,¬,,¢s words made nearly incomprehensible. â,¬Å"Wha--? fzzzt I.... Oh, God.... Itâ,¬,,¢s....â,¬Â
Janssen whirled around, watching with horror as, one by one, each of the holographic representations blinked out of existence in a spectacular explosion of light. The admiral stared in complete confusion; there were no Vorian or Ororeth ships in the holographic transmission and no other visible threat to the fleet! The ships began to break formation even as Janssen thought he saw, silhouetted in the bursts of light, a strange-looking shape--- not a cloaked ship, it looked as though it had wings, horns, and a bizarrely reptilian body. And then, suddenly, the holographic transmission ceased.
Admiral Janssen, still staring at the spot, pressed firmly against the screen. â,¬Å"Prime Minister Dulvan Mergranusâ,¬,,¢ office, Emergency Code 511X-Janssen.â,¬Â As he waited for the transmission to patch through, he softly murmured, â,¬Å"The Vorians might just be the least of our problems.â,¬Â
i havent read all the way through yet, but i do have one question.
the term 'savant' generally means that theres an abnormally large innate mental capacity for something. where one pianist may have to take lessons under many teachers, and study musical theory, the other can just sit and hit a few keys to get the proper idea. my question is, if the savant class is rumored to be the next evolutionary step, then did it establish its name from an earlier belief?
[spoiler=Information]The Myrath are effectively the Stars Above equivalent of the true dragons. Lesser dragons are also termed "Myrath" by those who don't know the difference, but the interspecial collective is intended to represent only chromatic and metallic dragons.
The "younger" Myrath mentioned in this post are represented by Wyrmlings to Adults. All older categories are biologically driven to the Great Sleep.[/spoiler]
There are few species that can survive the empty darkness of space, a vacuum bereft of atmopshere and constantly bombarded by radiation, cosmic energy, and even the occasional magical phenomenon. The rawest elements can be found in space, whether it is the metallic asteroids that surround many systems or the superheated gasses of stars. Those that can survive such hostile conditions are extremely resilient organisms, fueled by pure energy and able to survive in almost any environment indefinitely.
Thus is true of the Myrath.
The Myrath, known throughout almost every culture in the galaxy, are not so much a single race but a collective of various species. Spoken of in whispers even by space captains and hardened pirates, the Myrath are the stuff of legend: powerful, sleek reptillian beasts who wield untold power, both arcane and energy-based. Those who encounter them claim they are more brilliant than a thousand Surian scientists, stronger than a million Ororeths, and posess hides thicker than the hulls of most battle cruisers. The Myrath have been blamed for everything from fleets disappearing to stars going supernova unexpectedly, as well as countless other impossible feats.
All of these claims have some truth to them, though not to the degree that most people are aware. As a whole, the Myrath are not significantly more dangerous or threatening than many other species, and many of the species of Myrath are neither hostile nor interested in humanoid affairs. Most Myrath species are content to live in isolated regions, and will typically avoid any approaching ship. The few Myrath that have been captured and dissected have bolstered scientific claims that there is no inherent danger in the normally reclusive and shy beings.
The specimens that science has encountered do not represent the entirety of the Myrath, however. In the final few stages of Myrath life, normally not obtained by most due to a high mortality rate during the previous stages, the otherwise undeveloped energy-based and arcane powers begin to blossom. Not only does this metamorphsis transform the otherwise docile creatures into powerful beings as big as small starships, but it causes them to go into a state of hibernation; at this stage in life, most species of Myrath become little more than living batteries, constantly absorbing and discharging the energy around it. If disturbed, a final-stage Myrath is often violent and extremely intelligent, using every tactic and advantage at its disposal.
It is speculated by the few scholars who believe in this higher form of Myrath existence that in ages past, this state of natural hibernation was not part of the Myrath life cycle. Terming the current Myrath behavior the "Great Sleep", these scholars propose that the Myrath were once an active race that interfered with various worlds; on Earth, the example of the omnipresent dragon mythos of most ancient cultures has been used to justify this.
If these greater Myrath have truly been forced into a "Great Sleep", how many millenia have passed since this biological shutdown began? What could have possibly triggered this response? Was there a natural evolution to this stage of life, or is there some magical curse that has been placed by some unknown enemy of the Myrath?
The answers to these questions are, as of yet, unknown to the people of the galaxy, and even to the Myrath themselves. As exploration into many unexplored regions continues, however, more of the elder Myrath are awakening from the Great Sleep.
Should they rally their bretheren and their heirs, whatever force responsible for their current state would be wise not to make their presence known, lest they face the wrath of the great dragon gods.
All I write is my opinion.
Orcs are vicious a vicious military race. Drow are "not nice" (read "evil"). I just felt like getting that ever-present grievence out of the way.
So with your "fission/fusion, energy manipulation" concept are you trying to explain magic using current scientific principles? I think your gnomes (or are they halflings?) have some pluses over your dwarves in being more of a unique build, but I do like how your dwarves aren't isolationist.
Quote from: SilvercatMoonpawAll I write is my opinion.
Orcs are vicious a vicious military race. Drow are "not nice" (read "evil"). I just felt like getting that ever-present grievence out of the way.[/quote]So with your "fission/fusion, energy manipulation" concept are you trying to explain magic using current scientific principles?[/quote]I think your gnomes (or are they halflings?) have some pluses over your dwarves in being more of a unique build, but I do like how your dwarves aren't isolationist.[/quote]
They're the gnome-equivalent. I'm glad you like the Rovigans.
Thanks for the feedback!
~ElDo