The Stars Above

[Elven Doritos]

   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."

[Numinous]

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?

[Elven Doritos]

This is a revival of my old thread entitled "http://www.shadowfell.org/CBG/viewtopic.php?t=12">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

[Elven Doritos]

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.

[Elven Doritos]

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.

[Elven Doritos]

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?

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.

[Numinous]

Ok, that's cool, just trying to help you and satisfy my curiosity.

[CYMRO]

Looking good so far.
I am glad to see more of the races statted out.

[Epic Meepo]

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.

[Elven Doritos]

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.

[Ishmayl-Retired]

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.

[Elven Doritos]

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.

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

[Captain Obvious]

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)

[Xathan]

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. :)

[Elven Doritos]

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?