OOC Discussion

[Marullus]

I need a copy of this Other Dust thing. so Survivor is a whole class? What is their ability/angle?

Looking forward to seeing what you choose and the fleshed-out concept.

[kmbll]

Did we ever land anywhere in terms of mutual background? And how does Dexter want to fit into that?

[DexterWard]

I need a copy of this Other Dust thing. so Survivor is a whole class? What is their ability/angle?

Looking forward to seeing what you choose and the fleshed-out concept.

From Mister-Kent's first "Characters and Character Creation" thread post:

Choose a class.
Warriors are survivors proficient in fighting and combat of all varieties.
Psychics are gifted with unique mental powers.
Experts have expertise in a wide range of useful skills. Think of them as the Scientists.
(The following are from post-apocalyptic Other Dust and are fully compatible with SWN. They have different Class Abilities than the SWN classes. We can use them if you think they'd fit your character better--if you're curious about them, let me know!)
Scroungers are tinkerer and inventors who will make tech work no matter what’s the cost. They have more of an Engineer’s perspective compared to the Experts.
Slayers excel at combat and brutal violence.
Speakers inspire others and bind disparate groups into shared purposes.
Survivors endure the worst of the wastes and the untamed wilds.

I'm happy to post anything anyone wants from the Other Dust core book. Just let me know what you have an interest in.

[DexterWard]

Survivors
Privation harvests countless men and women in the wastelands. Hunger, disease, radiation, and the unnumbered enemies of the fallen world take their toll of those who remain. The Survivor stands apart from these unfortunates, a man or woman too hard and too strong to be culled by ordinary dangers. The Survivor goes where others dare not and lives where others can only die.
Whether a wanderer, hermit, ranger, explorer, or a simple man who will not die, the Survivor defies the privations of the new world. He or she finds food and clean water where others see only a wasteland, and a path where others see only confusion. The Survivor’s skills aid not only their personal survival, but also the sustenance of those who travel with them.
As a Survivor, it’s your job to be the last hero standing. Thanks to medical stims and Old Terran first aid, even grievously wounded teammates can be saved from death- if there’s anyone left to rescue them. As the Survivor, your teammates also tend to rely on you for the survival skills and practical expertise to keep them in one piece.

Prime Attributes
INT or CON

Class Skills
Athletics, Combat/Unarmed, Combat/Primitive, Navigation, Perception, Profession/Any, Stealth, Survival, Tech/Medical, and Vehicle/Any.

Class Ability: Hard to Kill
The first time you are reduced to zero hit points in a day, you immediately regain 1 hit point for each experience level you possess. Optionally, you may allow yourself to fall unconscious from the injury, in which case you will appear dead but will awaken ten minutes later with 1 hit point. This ability does not work against injuries that a human could not possibly survive.

HD: d6+2

Survivor Training Packages

Adventuring Survivor
This package reflects a role and training not provided by the options below. Select this choice if you wish to pick your own set of skills for your Survivor.
Skills: Any five skills, at least two of which must be Survivor class skills.

Stranger With No Name
Some Survivors are just perpetually passing through, moving through the isolated towns and villages of the new world without leaving a trace behind them. It could be they’re looking for something, or looking to stay clear of something that follows. These strangers rarely make much impression on others, but precious little seems able to keep them from moving where they will.
Skills: Combat/Any, Culture/Traveller, Navigation, Stealth, Survival, Vehicle/Any

Explorer
A hard-bitten adventurer with a mind to find what has been lost, an explorer seeks out the ancient ruins of the old world to liberate whatever wealth or secrets it might hide. These expeditions tend to be hard on the participants, and there are times when the explorer himself is the only one to make it back: half radioactive, all mangled, and clutching a king’s ransom in tech.
Skills: Combat/Any, History, Navigation, Perception, Security, Survival

Healer
Whether a frontier sawbones, a tribal medicine man, or a disciple of the fading secrets of Old Terran medicine, these Survivors lend their strength to those in need. Healers tend to be deeply respected by villagers and other common folk, and they can usually rely on a bed and a meal almost anywhere- provided there’s any food to be had in the first place. A failure to cure the headman’s ailing daughter, however, can put the Survivor’s ability to maintain their own health to the test.
Skills: Combat/Any, Instructor, Navigation, Perception, Tech/Medical, Survival

Last of the Breed
Countless enclaves perish each year under the spears of raiders, the teeth of badlands mutants, or the relentless grind of simple privation. The Survivor is the last of their kind, carrying on their shoulders the only remnants of their ways and history. They might carry on for the sake of revenge against the powers that destroyed their people, or they might dream of rebuilding what was so bitterly lost to them.
Skills: Any one skill, Artist, Combat/Any, Culture/Any, History, Survival

Family Man / Family Woman
These Survivors are remarkable only for the ferocity of their devotion. Many adventurers seek glory and wealth for their own sake, but these men and women fight for their kindred. Their families often suffer under some burden that only they can hope to lift, or are relying on the Survivor to bring them prosperity. Even after their immediate problems are resolved, such Survivors often find themselves venturing out once more to stockpile just a few more resources or earn a few more allies. In the wastelands, no safety is ever really enough.
Skills: Any two skills, Combat/Any, Culture/Any, Navigation, Survival

Teacher
The will to survive extends beyond resisting the daily threats of mutants, famine, and plague. It also means preserving the culture and knowledge of the past and teaching it to those who come after. Some Survivors work as travelling sages and teachers, imparting the wisdom of the past to those who need it to survive the future.
Skills: Combat/Any, Culture/Literacy, History, Instructor, Science, Survival

Wild Man / Wild Woman
A wild man- or woman- dares to live in the very worst of the wastelands, those lethal rad zones or mutated badlands where even bandits and raiders don’t dare go. These men and women often relish the dangers of their homes, even though simple survival there requires knowledge and expertise even beyond the scope of hardened wasteland travellers.
Skills: Athletics, Combat/Any, Navigation, Tech/Medical, Stealth, Surviva

[DexterWard]

I went ahead and changed my CS, setting everything to Level 0.

[Marullus]

I was thinking of going with an engine/mechanic grunt but will begin looking through the options now.

You achieved that goal - he is really hardy (from Survivor) and is a good engine tech and ship-gunner.

Combat/Any: Gunnery (Explorer package)
Culture/Spacer (Engine Crew package)
Exosuit (Engine Crew package)
Gambling (Engine Crew package)
History (Explorer package)
Navigation (Explorer package)
Perception (Explorer package)
Security (Explorer package)
Survival (Explorer package)
Tech/Postech (Engine Crew package)

Question for the group: does our ship HAVE guns? It is a small transport, right?

We actually could probably use an engine/mechanic grunt so that Madoshi can focus more on his robots. I would also say maybe a straight up business man or a getaway driver would be things that would be helpful. Potentially someone with gunnery as well. Unless I missed any of those but of course be anything you want to be. Welcome aboard!

land vehicle actually fits better with my character anyway.

Just noting that this aspect was lost. You didn't end up with any vehicular skill with your build, nor planet-side skills.

So, I looked that up and it doesn't seem to be a big deal. Using a skill unskilled only incurs a -1 instead of a 0. Having good attribute bonuses can compensate for that because both skill and attribute are added to the roll. (They note the exception of combat/unarmed which adds to both to-hit and damage while others just add to the success roll.)

Anyone more familiar with SWN, am I reading that right? It doesn't seem to limit unskilled checks like I expected it would.

[kmbll]

I was thinking of going with an engine/mechanic grunt but will begin looking through the options now.

You achieved that goal - he is really hardy (from Survivor) and is a good engine tech and ship-gunner.

Combat/Any: Gunnery (Explorer package)
Culture/Spacer (Engine Crew package)
Exosuit (Engine Crew package)
Gambling (Engine Crew package)
History (Explorer package)
Navigation (Explorer package)
Perception (Explorer package)
Security (Explorer package)
Survival (Explorer package)
Tech/Postech (Engine Crew package)

Question for the group: does our ship HAVE guns? It is a small transport, right?

We actually could probably use an engine/mechanic grunt so that Madoshi can focus more on his robots. I would also say maybe a straight up business man or a getaway driver would be things that would be helpful. Potentially someone with gunnery as well. Unless I missed any of those but of course be anything you want to be. Welcome aboard!

land vehicle actually fits better with my character anyway.

Just noting that this aspect was lost. You didn't end up with any vehicular skill with your build, nor planet-side skills.

So, I looked that up and it doesn't seem to be a big deal. Using a skill unskilled only incurs a -1 instead of a 0. Having good attribute bonuses can compensate for that because both skill and attribute are added to the roll. (They note the exception of combat/unarmed which adds to both to-hit and damage while others just add to the success roll.)

Anyone more familiar with SWN, am I reading that right? It doesn't seem to limit unskilled checks like I expected it would.

I think you're reading it right though it makes little sense to me for things like flying spaceships. Based on Swan Song, I would guess we'll be based on a generic free trader but I don't know for sure. Edit: which would mean we'd have two guns and would want a gunner since space dogfights are deadly.

[DexterWard]

Just noting that this aspect was lost. You didn't end up with any vehicular skill with your build, nor planet-side skills.

So, I looked that up and it doesn't seem to be a big deal. Using a skill unskilled only incurs a -1 instead of a 0. Having good attribute bonuses can compensate for that because both skill and attribute are added to the roll. (They note the exception of combat/unarmed which adds to both to-hit and damage while others just add to the success roll.)

Anyone more familiar with SWN, am I reading that right? It doesn't seem to limit unskilled checks like I expected it would.

Yeah there are skills in the Class for those but like you guys were saying they are just for advancement purposes.

Per Glintwine:

Your "Class Skills" don't actually affect starting skill values. If they did, then Experts would literally start with a 0 in every non-combat skill other than Tactics and Tech/Psitech.

As I said in my above edit, you can check out Page 65 of the SWN corebook for a table that shows how skill advancement works and what the book means by "class skills" vs. skills allotted to you by your training package. Those skills that count as "Class skills" for you just cost less to increase.

[Marullus]

kmbll - can you cut back on quoting entire posts when replying? I do most of my reading on a cell phone and it makes it really cumbersome.

Yeah there are skills in the Class for those but like you guys were saying they are just for advancement purposes.

Right. I was pointing it out in case you wanted to consider other Background options. It depends what your desired story is, and how you want it to really come out.

[DexterWard]

Yep. I'm gonna have to do a little more reading and make a few decisions.

[Glintwine]

Anyone more familiar with SWN, am I reading that right? It doesn't seem to limit unskilled checks like I expected it would.

Yeah you have the right of it once again, Marullus. The GM of course has the final say on whether or not someone can attempt something they are unskilled in, but as-written the book only applies a -1 penalty to someone attempting something simple that they are unskilled in, barring unfavourable working conditions on top of that. It's pretty heavily implied, though not outright stipulated in the rules, that characters shouldn't be able to complete complex tasks using skills they haven't put any points into.

Good attributes CAN offset those penalties, but in the base game it's actually unlikely for a character's attributes bonuses to total higher than +1 or +2. Most characters start with a +1 in their prime requisite and that's it.

The easiest skill checks in the game require a roll of 6 or better on 2d6, and with a -1 penalty the average roll is, actually, 6. So most characters can attempt most things, but it's always preferable to be good at what you're trying to do. As an example, you probably want your Expert with 2 points in Navigation to attempt to plot that Spike Jump rather than your Warrior with a total of -1 to the roll to try, because failure can mean literal destruction of the ship and all it's crew if the Warrior fails and then rolls a bad result on the Spike Drive Malfunction table (or whatever it's called).

As for whether our ship has weapons, we don't know yet I don't think - Mister-Kent has yet to give us the stats of our vessel.

I think you're reading it right though it makes little sense to me for things like flying spaceships.

Again, it's assumed that a person untrained in the relevant skill can't effectively engage in any complex task using it. So with some luck, someone untrained in Vehicle/Space might be able to fly through empty void or land safely in a field, but dogfighting other ships will probably be FAR beyond them. The way I tend to justify untrained people being able to perform basic functions with starships however is to say that many ships have extensive auto-piloting and input-compensation systems - flying a ship under normal conditions tends to be more like operating a computer where you have input commands via an interface to control things, as opposed to piloting a more simple vehicle like a car or old school fighter jet where everything is based on reflex and muscle-memory.

But that's just how I tend to explain it in my own games. A GM deciding to go for a more soft sci-fi feel might describe differently.

[Mister-Kent]

Galactic Encyclopedia is up, y'all! Sorry for the delay--take a peek as more details develop...

As for the unskilled rolls--it is fine for a lot of skills, but some it's more of a stretch. Anyone could attempt an unskilled Athletics or Persuade roll at the regular -1 penalty, but for science/technical skills I'll likely add an additional -1 at least, depending on the desired maneuver. This is a highly situational thing. I very rarely outright deny an unskilled attempt, just be warned that you might be penalized to heck on the roll!

[explosiveghast]

This is rad.

Thanks a ton.

In which system is the Fallen Angel Casino currently cruising?

[Mister-Kent]

...Currently drifting 'round Sthenelos, an alien world in the Pizarro system...

[explosiveghast]

Do we know which alien race inhabits Sthenelos?

Thanks again for posting the sector. Super cool.

[Mister-Kent]

Sthenelos is the ancient homeworld of the Salaril.

BTW: Important note that every character would know--The Solar Republic that for various reasons hates you all so is based on Deidameia, in Kazemi.

[explosiveghast]

How vast is the Solar Republic? How much of the sector is under their direct influence?


Salaril are totally naga!

(3 limbs including tail and humanlike.)

[Mister-Kent]

The Solar Republic most definitely has dominion over the Kazemi, Hipsipyle, Zulf-, and Xoramen systems. But do note their political concerns--foreign policy and military prep. They are infact well-armed expansionists, so they might turn up in all sorts of corners of Tartarus Lambda.

There are large sections that have no overt interaction with the SR at all, which isn't to say their not around in some form...

[Marullus]

Hmmmm.... the last five posts came while I was trying to figure out and interpret what was in the Sector read-out. I was trying to stitch together enough to formulate the story behind my guy. (An expansionist empire with enough tech to make cyber-warriors and maltech, with a neighboring system close enough to conquest.)

Mister-Kent - is any of it usable? If not, can we take the documentation you're deriving and put it in the Galactic Encyclopedia thread so we can tie our backstories to that instead of to the random-generator results?

Al-Halou - GRID0600
Contains two planets - Bergthora, Alcemene
Controlled by Solar Republic

Malachi Lykos served on the planet Bergthora, in sector 600, the Al-Halou system. Bergthora is the home to billions, surviving due to a high level of technology (Tech 4) and development. The planet is temperate to warm, with a breathable atmosphere, but no living plants or animals to sustain its population. The natural world (what remains of it) is only the remnants of milennia-old terraforming, all petrified and lifeless as a result of Maltech planet-busters used in wars centuries ago. It is largely replaced by the sprawling metropolis, the whole planet acknowledged as simply the City and Wastes. It is the Capital World of the Solar Republic, thriving based on both tribute and conquest from worlds within its galactic empire. Ruled by the profit of the bourgoise, military life and service is glorified to the population as the route to being a Citizen instead of just a Civilian. Major Products: Postech, Cyberware, Warfare.

Alcemene is the other planet in the Al-Halou System. Temperate, breathable, and with a thriving human-miscible biosphere, it is a farm planet tended with high efficiency (Tech 4) by its small population - tens of thousands of farm families ruled by mandate of the Solar Republic regime. Major Products: Agriculture.

Aizazuddin - GRID0601
Contains three planets - Eidyia, Koskotas, and Periboea

Periboea has an invasive, toxic atmosphere: the hundreds of thousands on the planet live in biodomes protected from the thriving biosphere outside and the caustic air.

Koskotas is a temperate, breathable, growing planet which produces agriculture for the billions on Eidyia, the former capital of the Liberal Consensus, now a territory of the Solar Republic since the conquest in the last war.

[Marullus]

Who's character had the alien intelligence in their brain?
Colbayb is an alien race controlled by a neural symbiant! You could tie into that?


I'm still at a loss. I'll wait for clarification on what things are in which sectors with which planets.

* We are looking for a major empire with enough people and tech to produce cyber special forces and also consider Maltech.

* We need a religious world and a primitive world to originate our psychics.

* I'm unclear - that's a lot of races. Are they all sentient, space-based, and civilization-producing?

* What are the major interstellar languages? The others took terran languages - is that right? (I was holding off for direction)