That is all.
Sunday, July 15, 2012
Friday, July 13, 2012
MUTANTOR!!! wtf?
Some setting notes about my slowly gestating game from a chat on G+ about stonepunk:
MUTANTOR!!!! is weirdgrim stonepunk. 'Punk' is a rejection of social norms: in a neolithic society that means rejecting the tribe and going your own way. Only it's a dangerous world: you wanna eat well, you gotta hunt as a pack. so these outcasts and exiles need to find other outcasts and exiles they can work together with but still maintain their own self-determination. That's the setup for the PCs, ostracised punks who have to get along just to survive: adventure follows. Each tribe they're from has its own cultural mores, so they're all rejecting something different. If it ever sees the light of day, during character creation you create the tribe you've left behind:
Zak's Barbaric Tribe Generator was my Secret Santicore request for a reason.
Stonepunk is also riffing on its steampunk predecessor. With steampunk you've got technological innovation and wild possibilities... with stonepunk you've got the same thing, just with a different technology. so the world of MUTANTOR!!! is on the cusp of technological evolution, and it requires people who aren't prepared to do things the way the ancestors did things for thousands of generations. It requires people who see things differently... punks who'll experiment and fuck things up and try the new cause they're all about rejecting the old. The PCs, once again. Only it's not just the jump from hand axes to bows and primitive blades, it's stonepunk, so it's about stonebased technology - henges, stone circles, ziggurats and pyramids... architecture as a machinery - and seeing what it can power, as much as smaller ideas - stonepunk weaponry and what rockart can bring into existence.
So take that, make everything a mutant, make the land a living entity infected by cancerous dungeon infestations, make it gritty and bloody and horrible and set it at the south pole with days and nights that last a year and everyone fears the Warriors from the Meat Moon.... well that's MUTANTOR.
more stuff about the game here
Sunday, July 8, 2012
DCC: d100 Weird Urban Occupations
I haven't provided any racial occupations, I kinda think anyone could be any of these. If it's important to your campaign, roll here:
01-85 Human (or most common race)
86-95 Dwarf (or second most common race)
96-99 Halfling (or third most common race)
100 Elf (or least common race)
d100 WEIRD UBRAN OCCUPATIONS (with weapon and gear)
01 Sweat-milker, Wooden pail (as club), Apron
02 Muck-racker, Crusty rake (as polearm), Soiled smock
03 Slurry-runner, Staff, Thigh-high boots and sweaty rags
04 Limb-strainer, Large bloody sieve (as club), Spare hand
05 Filth-cutter, Scissors (as dagger), Leather smock
06 Wine-walker, Bottle of piss* (as club), Barrel of wine
07 Lick-spitter, Wooden pail (as club), Breath mints
08 Boot-licker, Shoelaces (as garrote), Boot polish and brush
09 Chattel-poker, Prong (as spear), Manacles and key
10 Slug-wrangler, whip (as garrote), Jar of salt
11 Worm-breeder, Bucket full o' worms* (as club), Fishing hooks and twine
12 Snail-picker, Sack full o' snails* (as blackjack), Bag of rotting lettuce
13 Toad-flicker, Jar of flies* (as sling), Pet toad
14 Boil-maker, Scalpel (as dagger), Jar of infected cultures
15 Mud-farmer, Rake (as polearm), Cart full o' mud and broadrimmed hat
16 Scab-welder, Ritual knife (as dagger), Surgeon's bag and bandages
17 Wood-hacker, Axe, Bundle of wood and scrimshaw
18 Book-burner, Weighty tome (as blackjack), Flint'n'steel and flask of oil
19 Piss-taker, Hose pipe (as garrote), Glass jar
20 Under-strainer, Large sieve (as club), Sewer-trinkets
21 Skin-weaver, Dagger, Leather-working tools
22 Fancy-prancer, Cane (as club), Outlandish clothing
23 Tongue-dancer, ribbons (as garrote), Vial of hallucinogenic delights
24 Stare-giver, Blackjack, Vial of chloroform
25 Gift-taker, Hook staff (as spear), Sack o' stolen presents
26 Crave-digger, Shovel (as short sword), Coat full o' soporific lollies
27 Sword-breaker, hammer and tongs (as mace), bag o' shattered blades
28 Heckle-smasher, knuckle dusters (as club), Necklace of teeth
29 Weed-killer, Scythe (as dagger), Box o' poisonous concoctions
30 Slack-scratcher, Cat-o'nine-tails (as flail), Book of the law
31 Itch-pricker, Bloody big syringe (as dagger), Nettlejuice
32 Tooth-finder, Dental hammer (as blackjack), Bag o' teeth
33 Mind-blower, Peace-pipe (as blackjack), Bag o' special 'erbs
34 Cutter-sharp, Short sword, Whetstone and leather strap
35 Block-rocker, Sledgehammer (as warhammer), Leather smock
36 Slake-breaker, Water urn* (as club), Soaking rags
37 Flesh-knitter, Sewing needles (as dart), Healing salves
38 Swoon-bender, Bottle of plonk* (as club), Aphrodisiacs
39 Flea-bagger, Sheetbeater (as club), Jar of noxious fumigants
40 Rat-chandler, Dagger, Chest o' rats and wax and wicks
41 Cat-nipper, Dead cat (as blackjack), catnip and box o' mice
42 Snog-ripper, Metal teeth (as dagger), Collection of lips
43 Fog-bearer, Censer and chain (as flail), Box o' incense
44 Whisp-worder, Smoking pipe (as dagger), Book o' disturbing tales
45 False-herder, Hefty icon (as club), Book o' names
46 Sluice-stepper, Grapple hook, (as handaxe), Thigh-high boots
47 Prattle-corker, Ball gag (as garrote), Black hood
48 Thorn-plucker, Secateurs (as dagger), Bag o' bigass thorns
49 Shit-stirrer, Crusty paddle (as club), Galoshes
50 Lard-slapper, Massive spatula (as club), Tub o' man-fat
51 Grub-slopper, Large Ladle (as club), Stained apron
52 Face-caulker, Whopping big syringe (as dagger), Vials o' congealing ichors
53 Gland-clapper, Long reachy forceps (as club), Bottles o' disenfectant
54 Corpse-bolter, Wooden stake (as dagger), Hammer and nails
55 Root-plucker, Shovel (as axe), Basket o' taters
56 Slop-chopper, Butcher's knife (as dagger), Tub o' gristle
57 Slave-grinder, Flesh grater (as long sword), Bucket o' manmeat
58 Purse-biter, Curved knife (as dagger), Pouches with 3d6 coins
59 Tramp-lighter, Torch (as club), Flint'n'steel and flask of oil
60 Chin-wagger, Pub-darts (as dart), Pouch o' smokes and rollies
61 Gorm-brewer, Tankard (as blackjack), Barrel of ale
62 Strife-stewer, Short sword, Molotov cocktail and seditionist literature
63 Art-choker, Garotte, Tome with collection of terrible artists
64 Plot-smoker, Quill (as dart), Book of scribblings and smoking pipe
65 Sludge-kludger, Iron muckmold (as club), Filthy apron
66 Star-groper, Old spyglass* (as club), Astrographical gazeteer
68 Taint-stripper, Talismanic quarterstaff (as staff), tin skullcap
69 Tongue-twister, Iron tongs (as club), Bag o' hot coals
70 Goad-worker, Motivation stick (as club), Rump-kicking boots
71 Tar-dripper, Large brush (as blackjack), Tub o' sticky stuff
72 Bloat-herder, Flensing spade (as polearm), Chum bucket
72 Clan-sacker, Club, Sack full of sacks
73 Book-creeper, Sheperd's crook (as staff), Ledger of neighbor's offences
74 Shrine-sweeper, Broom (as staff), religulous trinkets
75 Wit-fighter, Quill (as dart), Book of Pith
76 Hue-chimer, Gong and Bell (as club), buckets of paint
77 Bile-driver, Bronze rod (as club), Greasy ironwood funnel and peppers
78 Chide-winder, Brushpole (as staff), Bucket of sin-marking housepaint
79 Chug-dealer, Pewter tankard (as blackjack), Stolen barrel o' beer
80 Thug-squealer, Spoon-shiv (as dagger), Hair wax
81 Sigh-roller, Dagger, bag o' coin and anti-depressant concoction
82 Meat-brawler, Side of meat (as club), Leather apron
83 Street-crawler, Stiletto (as dagger), eyeopenin' getup.
84 Key-hugger, Dagger, Locksmith's kit and wax-imprint kit
85 Scroll-drudger, Letter-opener (as dagger), Collection of scrolls in cases
86 Number-cruncher, Hefty abacus* (as club), Pen and notebook
87 Blind-writer, Staff, Blindfold and pen and ink
88 Hood-turner, Sewing needles (as dart), Fancy cloak
89 Word-tamer, Heavy dictionary (as blackjack), Ink and quill
90 Moon-slinker, Grapple hook (as handaxe), Rope and cloak
91 Lip-stainer, Sickle (as dagger), Jar of hallucinogenic warpleberries
92 Horn-swoggler, Begging bowl (as blackjack), Deck of marked cards
93 Squid-wrestler, Weighted net (as flail), Sack o' stinkin' baitfish
94 Brain-fetcher, Trephine (as dagger), Brain in a jar
95 Spice-muddler, Secateurs (as dagger), Large sieve
96 Beast-cocker, Whip (as garrote), Very long gloves
97 Rung-runner, Grapple (as dagger), 30' rope
98 Fuzz-crusher, Hook (as dagger), Woolen jacket
99 Pelt-biter, Skinning knife (as dagger), Animal hide
100 Eggler, Pokey fork and tongs (as dagger), Chicken and candle in velvet box
* 1 in 6 change of breakage on impact
With thanks to Erik, Humza, Jon, Trent, Richard, Claytonian, Chris, Dak, Christopher and Zak for stepping in when my brain died.
Thursday, July 5, 2012
Wednesday, July 4, 2012
Star Wars : Planets of the Malicrux VI
TALIS is a mudball of a planet, where scumdrakes and amphibious bloatwyrms are hunted for sport by the galaxy's best. The extreme elliptical orbit subjects the planet to great differences in temperature. During the prolonged winter when the planet is far from the system's twin suns, the muddy surface is as hard as rock, with only a narrow band of viscous ocean around the equatorial belt. As the planet draws closer the world thaws, and the ocean broadens, til in the heights of summer two polar islands are all that remain. This primordial ooze is rich with nutrients, and combined with a lower than average gravity it supports a diverse ecosystem of truly massive creatures, which in turn draws big-game hunters and bored nobles from the heart of the galaxy. Several safaris operate under the purview of House Vaspasa; Grand Duke Meriko Vaspasa is a passionate hunter and will often personally escort visiting dignitaries on hunting trips.
TANGELWOOD is a dangerous weed-choked world; overgrown by continent-spanning patches of massive and carnivorous tangelthorn. With razor-sharp barbs growing over one hundred meters in length along twisting branches tens or even hundreds of kilometers long, tangelthorn is possibly one of the largest photosynthetic lifeforms known in the galaxy. The various subspecies are prized sources of patterned lumber and some have rare medicinal properties; but Tangelwood's true fame stems from the annual pod-racing festival, when the galaxy's best podracers dart down the winding passages of the Leafspear Labyrinth. A deadly leg of the galactic podracing circuit, the plants tear and impale many racers while probing bloodroots seek out the veins of any fool who forgets to shut their blast doors at night. Tangelwood also serves as the domain of House Arranasis, whose Duchal Palace commands the finest views of the track. The House has a vested interest in the podracing industry and has invested in a number of tracks around the sector, keen on developing the sport across the Malicrux.VASPASA is an arid world of rocky badlands and steaming savannahs. It is populated by the Vasp, a bipedal reptilian race with human range height and mass. The atmosphere is slightly caustic, and the Vasp and all they create must be hardy and enduring to last in such and environment; the Vasp are covered in a hard dermal chitin that helps them survive. They also have an aptitude for industrial manufacturing and have built a strong economy on Vaspasa that provides highly processed durable goods to the rest of the sector. This historically provided a slightly above average standard of living. Until recently the Vasp had proven to have generally very good health, with an inherent resistance to disease. Unfortunately interstellar trade has appeared to introduce a foreign pathogen to Vaspasa, and a disease known as Hyun Fever has spread aggressively throughout the population over the last 5 years, causing rapid rotting to the Vasp’s armor and exposing them to severe caustic burns from their natural environment and leaving them easily susceptible to secondary infection. Whilst Hyun Fever has no known cure and does not seem to affect other races, a treatment to manage the symptoms is available from MediCrux, although it is expensive. Duke Meirko Vaspasa personally oversees the administration of the treatment, despite himself becoming infected. Economic activity and standard of living amongst the Vasp has declined notably as a result of this persistent pandemic. Imperial doctors from the Public Health Authority maintain a vigilant watch over the world, fearing mutation and spread of the disease.
VLATA YHOM is a dark and foreboding funeral world, where countless millions have been laid to rest beneath grim grey skies and cold stone. That any would chose such a forlorn place may surprise, until the strange power of Vlata Yhom is revealed: those that are swiftly interred within days of passing may live again, albeit in a ghostly form. Some great wonder is at work on this world, and the dead may continue to appear before the living and commune with them, though there are some limitations. The dead cannot learn anything new, only recall memories from their living days, and they must receive regular contact, or their memories will fade away, leaving only a ghostly husk behind. Coordinating the allocation of burial grounds is a presence known only as The Veil, a pale apparition that lingers in the great Temple of Yhom, the largest single structure on the planet. Here, in vast marbled halls filled with silence, petitioners can bring their fallen and seek permission from the Veil to bury them on Vlata Yhom. If the Veil approves, it instructs the fallen’s companions where to find their final resting place, and once interred in the soil of the world, the fallen may rise once more. There are sad tales of the living being unable to let go of loved ones buried on Vlata Yhom, remaining in the presence of the past, til they too pass away. All attempts to study the planet have met with failure; expeditions have been known to encounter extraordinary runs of ill luck and data corruption. For now, the secrets of Vlata Yhom remain undisturbed.
Sunday, July 1, 2012
Star Wars : Planets of the Malicrux V
PLANETS OF THE MALICRUX
MIMANDE is a
rocky agrarian world of incredible slate towers and canyons, where a heavy mist
lingers throughout the year. This cool damp climate is perfect for a number of
agricultural products, and the farms that work the narrow valleys are renown
for their vineyards and breweries. Its people have thrown off the shackles of
technology and a simple pastoral life. Normally such worlds quickly fall prey
to slavers and corporate exploitation, but Mimande is barren of mineral wealth
(some whisper suspiciously so) and massive ion nebula that surrounds the system
makes travel treacherous. Some traders risk the trip for the Ral'cath spirits,
or the latest produce from Kau’meta Vineyards; the fermentation process
excludes all droid and technology process so creates a purely organic luxury
item that attracts excessive profits – assuming the ship survives the journey
to nebula, and the trader has something of worth to barter with. Credits are
worth nothing here, with value being placed on the usefulness of items and the
skills a man can give his society.
MOLOVAR is a
shattered world, split in two by some cataclysmic event predating the fall of
the Malicrux Empire. The forces of gravity have been hard at work however, and
the remnants of the planet have reassembled to form a new world of high
volcanic, tectonic and cosmic activity. Numerous chunks of the planet still
orbit the central planetary mass, and meteoric bombardment is a continuous
threat. Volcanoes run along the great fissures that cross the world, and there
are constant seismic events as the two main halves grind against each other.
Imperial geologists, vulcanologists and astrophysicists are drawn to Molovar,
and from the relative safety of its outermost moon they monitor the planet
below, eager to decipher the mystery that surrounds the planet. All data
indicates that whatever triggered Molovar’s cataclysm, it was not a natural
occurrence. What troubles the Empire is that those responsible might still be
out there, hidden deep in the Malicrux Nebula.
PALAUGA is an
ocean world, with a central core of solid state water and thus lacking in the
magnetosphere necessary to protect its inhabitants from the mutational effects
of solar radiation. Life thrives here despite the hardship, or possibly because
of it: the radiation causes constant mutation and an accelerated evolution, and
most established species have developed a radiation resistant chitin. It is
home to the Palauga, a species of sentient crustaceans that come in a wide
variety of forms, all heavily armoured and armed with vicious claws. The
Palauga developed a society of warring feudal states when the first explorers
from the Republic arrived, and the reception found them exceptionally tasty.
The Republic closed access to the world, but did not count on the Palauga
reverse engineering the starship their entreé arrived in. While it took them
six hundred years to do so, revolutionising their society and galvanizing them
towards the stars, when the Palaugan Emergency spread across the Malicrux
Sector one hundred years before the clone wars, it took a unified military
force composed of armies from across the Sector to drive them back to their
watery lairs. In the decades since, the Palau reigned in their appetites and
began diplomatic overtures to the surrounding planets, and were finally
admitted into the circle of noble houses. House Palauga has proven to be
politically savvy, currying favour with the power of the time; with the rise of
the Empire they have been vocal supports of their doctrine and welcomed the
appointment of an Imperial Governor with open claws, and have promised a mighty
feast in his honour.
PORT KULLUS is a vast
trade collective scattered across a number of space stations, ship berths,
satellites and small moons in close orbit around the ringed gas-giant of
Bokucryeu. While Sapphirica may be the political epicenter of the Malicrux
Sector, Port Kullus is its commercial heart. The great majority of goods that
past into and out of the Sector pass through Port Kullus, and it is here that
goods and cargo manifests are inspected, recorded and taxed before being
transferred from local haulers and freighters into massive spacebarges that run
the trade routes into the Galactic Core and beyond. This requires a huge number
of services, and the entire system is overseen by guildmasters personally
appointed by the Sapphrician nobility. Tariffs are collected, filling the
coffers of the noble houses, but they in turn pay a sizable proportion to the
Empire. Corruption, smuggling, bribery, tampering and theft are inevitable, and
the Yellow Prince is the undisputed master of the darker aspects of the trade
hub. His base of operations is unknown, and few if any ever lay eyes upon him,
but such is his power that on a whim he can shut down most operations in Port
Kullus, and thus the Sector. The shipyards are where his influence is weakest;
here the mechanics and shipwrights are allied in powerful and belligerent trade
unions that keep the Yellow Prince at bay. The entire collection of myriad
orbital bodies and stations are protected by an array of defensive systems.
Those fools who attempt to raid Port Kullus rarely if ever get a second chance.
PROHL is a semi-arid planet that
has a ring of automated warning beacons to keep travelers away. It is known
among spacers by the more infamous moniker of “Murder”. The planet is shrouded
by a layer of continuous ionized storm clouds that block all scanners and plays
havoc with ships attempting to make a landing. Below the cloud layer lies a
10km high layer of hot, humid and breathable air. The land itself is rugged and
arid and covered in alternating dense forests of 30-40' tall mushroom type
'trees' and 10' bamboo type grass fields, the dim light that filters through
the cloud layer leaves the land in a perpetual twilight by day or absolute
darkness by night. The name “Murder” is allegedly attributed to the first
transmission received by explorers from a crashed starship on Prohl:
"<static> .. this planet is murder .. <hash>". Only three
of the 30 odd crew of a specially shielded research ship have ever officially
returned from the planet. They describe giant spider-like creatures, intelligent
and technologically capable, with advanced cybernetics grafted to their bodies
– vibro-blade enhanced slashing limbs, metalo-ceramic weave laced through their
carapace, cortex nodes to enhance reflexes - and they swarm and kill any who
land on their planet. Those few researchers who brave the planet believe an
ancient race placed them here, though whether as a prison, to isolate them from
the galaxy or protect the galaxy from whatever they guard is uncertain.
RAVENHOLT is a
verdant world named after the sentient black-winged birds that soar over its
lush dark forests and lofty peaks. Waterfalls spill down great mountains to
feed a broad network of cool lakes and rivers, and much of the world remained
untouched under the stewardship of House Rabenhout. It was sparsely populated,
with only a handful of cities concentrated on the northern continent where
rustic arts and harmonious architecture blended with the great trees of the
forests. This philosophy was reflected in the cities' artisans and craftsmen,
who were famed for their exquisite woodcarvings and independent head-strong
manner. Of course, all this has changed since the demise of the Old Republic,
and overthrow of House Rabenhout by the political machinations of House
Kyrieken. Now the world is the focus for rampant industrialization; the old
trade in pharmaceuticals, rubber, wood and other natural products was
superceded with vast opencut mines and refineries that draw precious trillenium
ore from the earth. An essential metal in the manufacture of starship
components, the trillenium trade has swelled House Kyreiken's coffers and they
have not been idle; whole cities have risen up out of the pristine forests and
massive shipyards are currently under construction in several regions around
the planet. In another coup for the House, patriarch Skyris Kyreiken has been
appointed as the Imperial Governor for the sector, and the planet now serves as
the focus of Imperial military might. The Sector Army is based here, and while
the majority of the Sector Fleet has been dispatched in the far reaches of the
galaxy in the hunt for the Rebel Alliance, two Imperial-Class Star Destroyers
now orbit the planet. What the Ravens think of these interlopers in their
forests and skies no-one can be sure, though the few old woodsmen who remain
are certain that the Ravens have their own plans to rid their world of the
accursed Kyreiken.
RUKH is a cold and desolate
mountain world that stands at the border of the only known route into the
Djakarshi Forbidden Zone. Great watchtowers and powerful sensor arrays rise up
from the icy peaks, monitoring the interstellar and hyperspatial regions that
surround it. Maintained by the Old Republic for millennia and now under
Imperial control, it is there to ensure nothing or leaves the Forbidden Zone.
Of course, there are always foolhardy souls who are willing to try, and rescue
teams are on standby to bring in the wayward vessels, though what happens to
those who break the quarantine is a mystery. In fact most of what occurs on Rukh
is a matter of speculation, for more detailed information is blacklisted by the
Empire.
SAPPHIRICA is a
beautiful ocean world, the blue jewel that crowns the Malicrux Nebula and
gateway to the Sector. Blessed with abundant seas and favorable winds, Sapphirica
has long served as the sacred gathering place of the noble houses of the
Malicrux, who reside in stunning white cities and palaces that float in the
skies over the waves. So captivating are the twilight vistas of the Nebula
rising over tranquil seas that even the Emperor Himself has an Imperial
Residence here, a shinning pinnacle of architecture formed from millions of
golden blades that turn slowly about a central palace. As is befitting a world
frequented by the ruler of the galaxy, the entire planet is protected by a vast
energy shield, projected by a number of huge generator towers that burst from
the waves to loom kilometers into the sky. The capital of Allura is the largest
floating city where the noble houses hold council. It is a hotbed of political
intrigue and scandal; what transpires in the gleaming council chambers and
scintillating banquet halls can have ramifications that affect every corner of
the Malicrux Nebula. In the upheaval that followed the rise of the Galactic
Empire, the power and influence of nobles of Sapphirica has been somewhat
diminished as more and more Imperial might is exerted by House Kyreiken on
Ravenholt; however it would be impossible for the Empire to maintain order
across the Sector without the support of the Sapphirican Houses, and for the
time being an uneasy alliance has been thrust upon the two worlds.
SICCIDDE is a
scorching desert world rent by massive canyon systems that house numerous
industrial cities. Sicciddian weapon factories play an important part of the
Sector's manufacturing economy, with large research facilities and proving
grounds; most of the labor is provided by convict workforces, typically alien
labourers the victim of the Empire's pro-human stance. Acts of sabotage and
uprising are not uncommon, but the local planetary wardens are brutal in
repressing such actions. The planet is controlled by House Siccidde, who had
little trouble adapting to the doctrine of the New Order; they enjoy the full
support of the Empire's bureaucracy and receive regular shipments of prison
labour from across the galaxy.
SINAMMON is a
beautiful pleasure world where the sector’s elite come to play, bathing in the
golden seas beneath lavender skies or dancing the night away in the light of
Sinammon’s seven moons. Access to this shimmering paradise is heavily
restricted, with all interstellar traffic directed to the orbital station that
circles the equator; here all visitors must turn over any weapons as they board
shuttle craft that then descend through the clouds to their palace of pleasure.
Sinammon offers all manner of idyllic pastimes, from relaxing on tropical
sky-yachts then nautodiving the vibrant reefs that colour the shallow seas, to
aeroboarding from the troposphere, landing on a mountainside, and working the slopes
before paragliding from glacial cliffs of the polar continent. Anything to whet
the appetite of a bored nobility. Naturally with such an influx of the wealthy,
security is paramount and the planetary defense force is as deadly as it is
discreet. There are a number of small enclaves scattered across the planet
where the rich may retire and live in peace, and holonet stars rub shoulders
with retired admirals and corporate princes. Idyllica Holdings maintains the
staff and security, essentially ensuring that the world runs smoothly, far from
the prying eyes of the holonet media or the gawping stares of a star-struck
public. It is rumoured that Idyllica is slavish in meeting the needs of its
clientele, and caters to all tastes, however sordid. Such speculation is of
course dismissed as the envy of the masses.
Star Wars : Planets of the Malicrux IV
PLANETS OF THE MALICRUX
KALISHE is a
vicious jungle world teeming with blood-leafed carnivorous plants, where
monstrous predators stalk cunning prey. It is a deadly place, bathed in the
ominous crimson light of its red giant star, and few attempts to colonise the
planet have met with success. There are but a handful of operations that have
endured these inhospitable conditions, and a couple have even thrived. The
first is an ever-expanding number of clandestine spice plantations run by petty
drug barons under the control of Guuzha the Hutt, who negotiated access to the
jungle under agreement with House Kalishe. The drug lords maintain heavily
armed perimeters and compounds on the tropical archipelagoes, where guards
watch over plantation slaves who are surprisingly upbeat about their situation:
a short life on Kalishe is a better fate than a slow, toxic death on Vorzheva
Prime. The other operation exists in rumour only; it is said that the infamous
Baal Kabuul makes his home deep in the heart of the greatest jungle, where he
co-ordinates a flesh trade with connections spread out across the sector and
beyond. What the Baal makes of Guuzha the Hutt’s presence on his world is
unclear, though the growing number of coordinated attacks by normally solitary
predators hints at the Baal’s displeasure. The Empire shows little interest in
the planet for now, as long as House Kalishe, which receives regular
“contributions” from the Hutt’s representatives, regularly fills its
coffers.
The twin moons of KANTO PRIME and
KANTO SECUNDUS share the same orbit around a barren
terrestrial world that in turn orbits a complicated quaternary star system;
they are always bathed in sunlight, tidelocked to one another, and are bound in
a slow death spiral that will see the two moons collide some time in the next
thousand years. They are close enough now that their atmospheres mingle, and
the gravity of Kanto Prime is strong enough to rip mountains from the surface
of Kanto Secundus. Seismic activity and meteorites are commonplace in regions
where the worlds face each other; but for now the outer faces are relatively
safe. Capitalising on the constant sunlight, the warm and pleasant world of
Kanto Prime has developed an intensive agricultural industry, focusing on
luxury wines that are the toast of the Core Worlds. The financial return on
their produce is so great that House Kanto – who manage the vineyard estates –
has installed a military grade defense grid around their estates to shot down
incoming meteors, and drive off any would be thieves and pirates. The former
galactic senator Duke Orlando Kanto, who can trace his ancestry to Core World
nobility and served until
the collapse of the Republic, personally oversees his family run estates
whenever he can, but with the growing influence of the Empire he has come out
of retirement and is spends more and more time on Sapphrica. Politically savvy
and a gifted orator, Duke Kanto is outspoken and critical of Imperial
activities within the sector, and has weathered several attempts on his life. He
is widely considered to be in league with the Rebel Alliance, but he is
critical of them as well, citing the number of innocents killed in the
destruction of the Star Destroyer Ferocious while in
dock at Port Kullus. His duties to the Council on Sapphirica leaves House Kanto
to be run by his daughter Nuala, who has inherited much of her father’s traits.
She oversees House Kanto’s interests, operates out of his duchal palace on
Kanto Secundus, located in the polar mountains just beyond the rim of the gravitational
degradation. House scientists predict the growing gravitational pull will
envelop the palace within one hundred years, but for now the family is safe.
The slow destruction of Kanto Secundus is not without benefits; as the crust is
slowly torn apart, great seams of minerals are uncovered and while very
dangerous, a flurry of mining activity has begun under Nuala Kanto’s
personal supervision.
KELM is a temperate world of
broad plains and jilkawood forests, made famous by the Siege of Kresiela, where
a force of thirteen Jedi took refuge for one thousand days and nights against
an entire legion of clone troopers till finally they were betrayed by one of
their own. Now the former Jedi Temple of Kresiela is an important Imperial
garrison and museum dedicated to the the Fall of the Jedi, examining their
galactic influence and the corruption inherent in such power. Students from
across the sector and beyond come to study the number of Jedi artifacts are on
display, and learn how to identify and report Force-sensitive individuals to
the appropriate Imperial authorities. Visitors are restricted to a limited area
of the Temple and parts of the surrounding jilkawoods; the Imperial garrison
conducts a number of live fire training exercises and whole continents are
designated as proving grounds to test weapons for the war against the
terrorists of the Rebel Alliance. The recently established Imperial city of
Palpatino lies nearby, and is dedicated to the support and logistics of the
Imperial garrison and the museum. The citizenry is loyal and security is
discreet, with recruiting offices producing a number of excellent personnel for
the ever-important logistics of the Imperial Navy.
KLULKHUN is a giant
world in every sense. While it is a rocky terrestrial planet it dwarfs most of
its siblings and rivals gas giants for size, supporting lifeforms of truly
immense proportions that roam the great plains and graze by countless lakes.
Such a large planetary mass generates a heavy gravity that has flattened the
landscape, leaving low mountains and shallow seas. That the creatures here are
as large as they are is a testament to their incredible strength and bone
structure. The heavy gravity has also protected the world from depredation; it
is difficult for most offworlders to work in such taxing conditions, though
there are several generations of indentured beast herders that have adapted to
the gravity. They live their precarious lives in small armoured huts half
buried into the flesh of mighty gygantors, huge eight-legged grazing beasts
that grow several kilometers in length. Here the herdsmen strip prized flesh
from open cuts in the beasts’ flanks – merely a scratch to these creatures -
and their masters sell the delicacy to offworld traders from Sapphirica and
Sinammon, eager to satiate the noblity’s tastes for the exotic.
MEPHIYEH is a
complicated hollowed world full of secrets and mystery. House Mephiyheh's
understanding of orbital physics ensures their rule over the planet is
absolute. Early in the Republic, survey ships found a world rich with ore
and minerals, and mining began. Initially materials were removed from the
planet to be refined and used elsewhere, but as more and more was extracted,
refining and then manufacture developed in the mining cavities. Now the planet
is a hollow sphere with a number of structures are said to orbit within its
confines. The one main entrance to the planet’s interior is guarded by Mephiyeh
troops that operate out of the only surface structure: the Citadel is heavily
fortified and is a cylinder of air locks that control the planet’s internal
environment. Rumours persist that the Citadel is of a scale that will allow
even the largest of Capital Ships to pass within. Inside is a plethora of
superstructures in slow orbit around each other, each with a variable gravity
that the Mephiyeh can control at a whim. These include arcologies, refineries,
manufacturing stations, warehouses, and the ore itself, in massive
free-floating stock piles of material that fuel the planet’s incredible energy
requirements. 100 million souls live in the spinning disks of the
arcologies. For large or heavy stored materials they spin at lower speeds to
simulate lower gravities, liquid or alluvial materials are kept in warehouses
that spin faster, turning them into the largest centrifugal pumps in the
galaxy. All of these objects bar one spin, rotate, gravitate and roll around
inside the planet’s husk. The one object stays in one position relative to the
planet is the Duchal Palace known as the Garden. An oasis of calm within a hive
of industry, the greatest engineers of Mephiyheh and the most illustrious
customers are permitted to visit and pay homage to the scions of House
Mephiyheh. The progenitor of the House and the reason for its might and
independence, was a mathematic genius and a madman that realised that more
of the planet can be used by moving and coordinating the movement of the free
floating bodies inside the husk of the planet. His daughter built on his works,
and held the power of this planet when she used free-floating structures within
the planet to crush all that opposed her. Peace and control has been maintained
by a combination of judicious use of gravitational manipulation and variation,
all of which is a closely hidden secret. With out the help of flight control
navigating between the planetoids is nearly impossible, and has kept the planet
from falling into Imperial possession – for now.
Thursday, May 31, 2012
MUTANT DICE ENGINE: Further Ideas
Have a read of the way it works in that link above; the new idea I've been exploring is different ways of reading the 3d6 roll. Currently it's 3d6, drop highest and lowest, keep the middle, unless you roll doubles or triples, which you add together. Doubles 1's are bad, triple 1's are worse. What happens if you keep the lowest roll, or the highest? Why would you?
Well the why is pretty straight forward, it's a measure of ability, now in three stages. If you're crap, keep the lowest dice; if you're good, keep the middle dice, if you're awesome, keep the highest.
What that does to the results is shown below:
And when you group them together in bands of results (which I was looking at doing in that post linked above) you get this:
Basically no great surprises. If you're crap it shows. If you're good it shows.
What is probably the biggest issue is that no matter what you're rolling you always have the same chance of rolling doubles and getting an extraordinarily high result. Looking at the top table, doesn't matter if you're keeping low, mid or high, you're going to be scoring a result higher than six 22.7% of the time; every fifth roll; you'll roll twelve or more 8.3% of the time, every twelfth roll.
From a simulation point of view this is problematic. The rookie has the same chance of succeeding at a very difficult task as the seasoned pro (though he's likely to stuff it up and result of zero to two 53.7% of the time). Doesn't strike me as very realistic.
From a gameplay point of view it's actually looking pretty fun. Even if you're totally crap, you have as good a chance at the unlikely shot as the awesome guy, and I can see that encouraging players to try things even though they might be crap.
My question is this... would you prefer something more realistic — say by not allowing "keeping the lowest" rolls to add doubles or triples together, which adds exceptions to the standard way of reading the rolls, something I'd rather avoid — or something that is unrealistic but encourages having a go?
Thursday, May 17, 2012
The Koronus Expanse
Click on the image to enlarge (1000px x 1000px).
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
It's oh so quiet.. shh... shhhhhh...
Been crazy busy with all seven shades of hoo-haa
but here's a smattering of the results:
First up, some character illustrations from
Kyrinn S. Eis' upcoming Porphyry supplement:
and an illustration of an eeeevil anteater for
Erik's Arcane Abecediary over at Wampus Country:
and finally some in-game Twiddler scribbles in
Trent B's New Feierland, the most horrible place in the multiverse:
though I think I had Scrap Princess's Flux
in mind for the last one:
THAT IS ALL.
MORE TO COME.
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