The Campaign Builder's Guild

[size=36]Universe[/size]

A new Roleplaying Game

Eons ago, the sleeper ship Impervious left Earth with surplus prisoners on a twenty-four megalightyear to colonize the Black Eye Galaxy. When the ship arrived, its warp core was horribly damaged, the communications array wasn't responding and most of the ship's systems were malfunctioning. The Impervious has been considered loss ever since.

After killing the guards, the Impervious was forced to land on the nearest habitable planet. Naming it their new homeworld Terra, the Empire of Man was born. Lead by a visionary leader named Vanic, they began the enslaving of nearby indigenous aliens, taking precious resources by force, the humans shocked at what they found.


The Voth were skilled mages who hoped to reach out to the newcomers and succeed with diplomacy. The Voth taught the art of magic with the men and women of the Empire and helped them to fuse the Voth's magic with the human's technology. It wasn't long until the Empire of Man had found an ally with a desire for power as strong as their own.

Universe is a unique setting that combines the mystical arts with new technology, it is a new game that is very different from d20, but you may notice some similarities, remember that this is a work in progress and feel free to make comments. Universe includes some of the following!

'¢   New Career systems: players choose a specific career to serve them for the next five levels, campaigns are broken up into four levels (Heroic, Superheroic, Legendary, and Epic). Players can have their character grow through each of these game levels, or they can choose to create completely new characters.

'¢   New Magic System: Universe combines technology with magic creating a unique galaxy filled with new and unique magitech. Every career gets Spirit points and a list of spells/powers to use (even characters that would not have magic in other games).

'¢   Magical Starships: Travel at Warp Speed through the galaxy using magic powered stardrives. There will be rules that allow the players to control a small one-man fighter or a battle cruiser with a full crew.

'¢   Magic Weapons and Items: A staple of any fantasy setting, defend the Empire with your +2 flaming chain-axe or your +3 Molten Bullet Assault Rifle.

'¢   New Aliens to Kill: You are a tool of the Human Empire, and you will kill every tainted xeno you can find, and there are planets full of creatures that must submit to your will or perish.

The Empire of Man

[note]Vanic, the Patriarch
Greater Deity
Symbol: A fist gripping a planet, or a fist gripping a skull, or a fist gripping a sword, or a similar symbol of superiority.
Portfolio: Mankind, Faster than Light Travel, Expansion, Conquest, and Domination.
Alignment: Neutral
Worshippers: Engineers, Shipmages, Explorers, Soldiers, Everyone.
Cleric Alignments: Any
Favored Weapon: Warhammer and the Plasma Pistol

Little is known about Vanic in his early days before boarding the Impervious. Most scholars believe he was a political prisoner, some believe he was a powerful crime boss on Earth. Regardless of his origins, when Vanic awoke from his 40 year sleep he took advantage of the situation and led a prisoner revolt, allowing Mankind to shed their shackles.

To some, Vanic is a name to fear (especially those who are deemed enemies of the Empire) while to others he is a mighty ally. Some of his greatest servants are the Soldiers of the Empire, as well as the many Knightly orders dedicated to Vanic. Every ship capable of faster than light speeds has a priest to Vanic on board. It is through the magic of the God of Conquest that Warp Speeds are even capable.

Aspects:
Vanic is a multi-faceted deity, whose worship centers around three important aspects of Imperial life, Combat, Conquest, and The Empire. Each is represented by a powerful aspect that can appear at any moment.

 Combat is a powerful dreadnought that seems to barely resemble a man. He often carries an entire arsenal of weaponry on his person and enjoys killing and defeating foe after foe. He spends his time in the farthest reaches of space searching out those who he perceives as enemies of Vanic until he is summoned.

Conquest is a handsome man who resembles a idealistic version of Vanic. He is quick and charming, but a fierce combatant with a large ego. Conquest despises aliens of all types and will often destroy them on a whim (even when they ask for his aid). Conquest can often be found drifting through space in a replica of the Impervious searching for primitive societies to rule over.

The Empire is not a specific person, but instead is the everlasting spirits of Vanic II-VI. They are the Emperor's greatest allies and killers. They do not answer the calls of any number of worshippers; only the signet ring of the Emperor can call them forth. They will serve the bearer of the ring for the rest of eternity. [/note]

The descendents of rapists, murderers, thieves, and other undesirables, the Empire of Man is quickly becoming a political juggernaut in the Black Eye Galaxy. Ruled by the bloodline of Vanic, the Mankind has conquered and enslaved at least 20 entire planets. Blessed with a powerful military and quick reproduction cycle, they have quickly surpassed their former teachers the Voth. For years Vanic ruled until he was able to ascend to godhood, helping to push his children forward toward progress.

After years of studying the crystals aboard the Impervious, Vanic realized that an unknown force was stopping most of their greatest technological tools. With the power generators mysteriously losing power and winter quickly approaching, Vanic turned to the Voth for aid.

Through the reptilian race Mankind survived the brutal winter and learned to rely on magic for their machinery. Mankind's ingenuity met with Voth arcane skill and the first Armada of the Empire was created.
Today the Empire is ruled by Emperor Vanic VII, the direct descendant of the god himself. He meets daily with the Dark Council, twenty ambassadors from the various controlled planets, some are Men and Voth, while others are even stranger Xenos who have bent to the will of the Empire.

Magic of Vanic:
Vanic quickly became a skilled sorcerer and created thousands of spells in his life time. Some of his mighty achievements include ritual magic as well as the enslavement of cosmic entities (demons, devils, and celestials).

Eyes of Vanic
Type: Divine
Spirit: 3 points
Level: 2
Range: One ray 25' long (augment: +5'/1 point)
Saves: None
SR: Yes

White holy fire launches forth from your eyes as you chant to Vanic.

You fire a ray of fire from your eyes that requires a ranged touch attack and deals 4d6 damage. You can augment this spell by improving the range for one point.

This is pretty neat, a very solid and clear idea of a galactic empire, with a shadowy and nasty start to their beginnings--it's like Dune meets Traveller. So all the tech is based on magic then? Out of curiousity are you totally inventing your own system for this? Or are you using your own magic system with D20 or something?

I find the worship of the ancestral emperor a neat idea that makes a lot of sense, and I like that one of the first things you did was to describe this. In a temple would the different aspects be shown in different shrines, or would there be altogether different temples for each aspect?

And the Voth--are they still a subject race? Or have they become rather what the Han Chinese were to the Mongols--invaluable as advisors and so on? How are other subject races treated?

[quote1188664271]This is pretty neat, a very solid and clear idea of a galactic empire, with a shadowy and nasty start to their beginnings--it's like Dune meets Traveller. So all the tech is based on magic then? Out of curiousity are you totally inventing your own system for this? Or are you using your own magic system with D20 or something?[/quote]
Thanks for the comment Tybalt. Yes, technology is based on magic. In the Black Eye Galaxy (a real galaxy btw) technology malfunctions. Power is drained and standard electricity fizzles out, this is why the Warp Drive on the Impervious stopped working. It is only through magic (which does not exist in the Milky Way)that space travel is possible. By using magic to power our                                                                                                                                                                                                                       technology, creating magitech. My game will be d20-ish (six abilities and modifiers, skills (maybe) and feats (maybe) however a lot of things are being changed. Instead of having classes that are 20 levels long and represent broad archetypes, I am creating new classes that are  5 levels long and are very focused (like a prestige class).

[quote1188664271]In a temple would the different aspects be shown in different shrines, or would there be altogether different temples for each aspect? [/quote]
Not necessarily. There are definitely religious orders in the galaxy who focus on one of these aspects, but most worship Vanic as a whole.

[quote1188664271]
And the Voth--are they still a subject race? Or have they become rather what the Han Chinese were to the Mongols--invaluable as advisors and so on? How are other subject races treated?
[/quote]
The Voth are one of the only races Mankind looks to as equals. They are powerful mages and are loyal servants, therefore they enjoy a seat of power while other races are peasants. Most other species are treated with disdain by the Empire, often they kill and destroy Xenos just because they are there to kill, an Imperial Soldier needs no reason why he kills, only a soft alien body for his bullets to fly into. You could say that the Empire is powerful because it crushes all competition.

Some of the many player races include: Men, Voth, Clone (yes there will be these), and droid. There will also be the option of playing Humans from the Milky Way (who do not use magic)

Hehe, with the magic and the whole "Empire of Man" thing with the god-emperor I get a really strong Warhammer 40K feeling from this, especially when you start talking about magically enhanced flaming chain-axes and stuff. :D

What I don't understand about the Voth is that they have a desire for power, yet, they reached out and helped the first humans learn magic... why? If they had such a desire for power, why not use their superior ability and just crush them?

The Voth have the magic and power, but not the ingenuity or creativity that Mankind has. The Voth had never even thought about Space Travel or Faster than Light speeds

Initiate of Vanic

level One: 6 HP, Attack Bonus +0, Fort/Ref/Will +2/+0/+2, Spirit 3, Lay on Hands
Level Two: 12 HP, Attack Bonus +1, Fort/Ref/Will +3/+0/+3, Spirit 5, Sacred Defense +1,Divine Health.
Level Three: 18 HP, Attack Bonus +2, Fort/Ref/Will +3/+1/+3, Spirit 8, Maul of Vanic
Level Four: 24 HP, Attack Bonus +3, Fort/Ref/Will +4/+1/+4, Spirit 14, Divine Perseverance
Level Five: 32 HP, Attack Bonus +4, Fort/Ref/Will +5/+2/+5, Spirit 19, Dominating Aura 40'

Abilities
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: The initiate of Vanic is trained in all simple weapons as well as the Maul (1d10
Bludgeoning damage, x3 crit). Initiates of Vanic also are trained in small firearms (pistols). Initates of Vanic can wear cloth, light, and medium armor. They are trained in the use of shields.

Lay on Hands: As an ordained priest of Vanic, an Initiate of Vanic ,If she has a Charisma score of 12 or higher can heal wounds (her own or those of other worshipers of Vanic) by touch. Each day she can heal a total number of hit points of damage equal to her Initiate of Vanic level x her Charisma bonus. An initiate may choose to divide her healing among multiple recipients, and she doesn't have to use it all at once. Using lay on hands is a standard action. Alternatively, am initiate can use any or all of this healing power to repair damage to ships and other machinery. Using lay on hands in this way requires a successful touch.

Sacred Defense: The Initiate of Vanic adds +1 to all saves against divine spells, as well as spell-like abilities and abilities of Outsiders.

Divine Health: The Initate of Vanic is immune to all diseases, including magical diseases such as the plague.

Maul of Vanic: Through constant prayer and worship to Vanic the Initiate of Vanic is capable of giving added blessings to his god's favorite weapon. In the hands of an Initiate of Vanic a Maul is treated as though it were a +2 weapon with either the frost or flaming property. (The initiate decides each round whether the weapon deals cold or fire damage) If the weapon has other abilities these still apply and if the weapon has an enhancement bonus better than +2 the higher of the two bonuses is used. The Maul does not gain these abilities if it is not wielded by the Initiate.

Divine Perseverance: Once per day, if the initiate is brought to -1 or lower hit points, he automatically is cured of 1d8+5 points of damage.

Dominating Aura: An initiate of Vanic is immune to fear .(magical or otherwise) Enemies within 40 feet of an initiate suffer a -4 morale penalty on saving throws against fear effects.

Spells:
Level One: (5)
Detect Alien
Type: Divine
Spirit: 1 point
Level: 1
Casting Time: Standard Action
Range: 60 ft. Cone
Duration: 10 minutes
Saves: None
SR: No
 [note]Spells in this entry: As this is a living document, I haven't created all the spells (the initiate of Vanic will get more than two I assure you!) next to each level there is a number in parenthesis. This is how many spells of each level the initiate will have. You may notice that this class seems weak. That's because he is a Heroic character class, he should not be anymore powerful than a fifth level character.[/note]
Your vision blurs as you hunt for the impure xenos. Once you have found one, he is enwreathed in light waiting for you to put an end to its unholy life.

You can sense the presence of an Alien. The amount of information depends on how long you study a particular area or subject.
1st round: Presence or absence of Aliens.
2nd round: Number of Aliens.
3rd round: The power and location of any Aliens. If you don't have line of sight you can tell the general direction of the alien but not the specific location.

Level Two: (4)
Eyes of Vanic
Type: Divine
Spirit: 3 points
Level: 2
Casting Time: Standard Action
Range: One ray 25' long (augment: +5'/1 point)
Saves: None
SR: Yes

White holy fire launches forth from your eyes as you chant to Vanic.

You fire a ray of fire from your eyes that requires a ranged touch attack and deals 4d6 damage. You can augment this spell by improving the range for one point.
Level Three: (3)
Level Four: (3)
Level Five: (2)

So... yea. Any comments?

Quote from: Gnomemaster[...] Most other species are treated with disdain by the Empire, often they kill and destroy Xenos just because they are there to kill, an Imperial Soldier needs no reason why he kills, only a soft alien body for his bullets to fly into. You could say that the Empire is powerful because it crushes all competition.

This attitude works fine until the empire meets a technologically or numerically vastly superior race. ;) Thinking about it, this also bears a strong similarity to the Starcraft background. And we all know what happened to the Confederation when they met the Zerg swarm or the Protoss expedition fleets - they got their asses handed to them. :D

Quote from: GnomemasterSome of the many player races include: Men, Voth, Clone (yes there will be these), and droid. There will also be the option of playing Humans from the Milky Way (who do not use magic)

Have you already thought about the implications of cloning? Is cloning a free for all thing, or only for the rich and powerful? Are there laws regarding cloning a person against their will? Who is punished if a clone commits a crime - the clone, the one who cloned him, or the original?

Good questions! Clones are treated like slaves in the Empire. Cloning is for the rich and powerful (Often powerful corporations) and people don't really clone themselves (although it is not unheard of, it is seen as weird and unnatural by the Empire) Instead clones come in specific models (like a car) that are designed for specific tasks. (Clones with strong backs and weak minds are created for working in fields for example). Clones are considered property like a droid, however a clone can often escape, change his appearance and live life as a human.

If a clone commits a crime, he is recalled by the company that built him and replaced with a new model free of charge for the owner. The Clone is then put into a work camp that will reinstate his training as a servant or kill him.

Characters who are clones may belong to another player (an be treated fairly), or they may be an escaped clone refugee, or they may be a clone soldier who's training has snapped.

So you aren't talking about cloning the traditional sense, more of a bio-engineering of the human template to better perform specific tasks? removing a soldier's fight-or-flight instinct, heightening a clone laborer's endurance, that kind of thing?

You could say that. Picture it like this: We aren't here to create a better human, we are here to create a better slave.

Ive begun work on another one of the powerful factions in the Black Eye Galaxy, the Vampires of Necropolis. These are powerful undead creatures that live on a planet that's rotation is such that only half of the planet gets sunlight, the other half is always in the dark. They are a powerful and ancient culture that hopes to one day make thralls of all creatures.

I just think that space vampires would be awesome, they would have almost nothing to fear in space. So far, I have three factions: The Empire of Man, The Humans (who come from the Milky Way Galaxy and right now are not much of a factor) and the Vampires. I was thinking of naming the Kingdom of Blood, but haven't set my heart on anything.

I also hope to include a little bit o' fiction to go with this setting.

Terra, Homeworld of the Empire of Man
Planet Class: Alpha (habitable)
Climate: Temperate
Terrain: Forests, plains, mountains, jungles
Atmosphere: Breathable
Gravity: 1.0 G
Government: Imperial Rule
Day: 24 Hours (One Standard day)
Year: 365.25 Days (One Standard year)
Languages: Common and Voth
Population: 79 Billion (75% human, 23% Voth, 2 % slave)
Moons: 3 (Krieg, Sereta, Modun, and Rivas)

Terra was the first planet the renegade settlers discovered that was habitable. Originally it was a densely forested world but years of industry have cut down on that. Terra's largest city, Stratton, covers an entire continent and is the political and economical center of the Empire.

Terra's Military: The Imperial Army has long been a standard tradition on Terra; every adult citizen is forced to spend 2 years on active duty in one of the many civil services offered by the government. These low-paying jobs often include working for the bureaucracy, working in the medical field, or serving in the military. Terra has developed at least two legions every two years (and sometimes more than that, especially during times of war)

A legionnaire's life is often hard and demanding, taking him far and away from home, a legionnaire visits hundreds of planets, fighting all manner of xeno or fiend, in every theater of war imaginable, all in the name of the Empire. Legionnaires often fight wearing light power armor and use a wide array of weapons; however there are over a thousand different specialized units that wear heavy power armor, drive powerful tanks, or pilot giant orbital star-crafts in deep space. If the bureaucracy is the long arm of the Empire, then the legionnaires are the gauntleted fists of the Empire.

Notable Terran Legions: The Terran Clone Legion and the Slave Legion are some of the finest forced legions in the Empire. The Clone legion is genetics at its finest, each soldier is bioengineered to be resilient and strong, they are trained in all manners of warfare and tactics, and finally they are fearless and answer orders without question. The Slave Legions are the best way for a slave to earn his freedoms. Often, when an owner dies without a proper will, his slaves become property of the Empire. Occasionally these go to work in dangerous mines or the like, but promising individuals go to fight for the Emperor, when taken by the Government a slave has a chance to serve to earn their freedom. After five years of service and with good conduct, a slave is released from their divine contract and set free.

Many of Terra's heavy legions are prime examples of Magic meets Might as thunderous tanks and warriors in heavy power armor rain down upon their enemies. The Terran 634th is one of the greatest artifice units in the galaxy, lead by Colonel Warlock Gerrand Hawknare, the 634th has conquered no less than 3 territories as well as rescued 13 worlds from absolute destruction by Xeno and Fiendish forces. 634th legionnaires are recognized by their powerful staves, firearms, and other experimental magic gear. They are currently locked in an ongoing campaign against the Aetherians of the Degos system.