d20 RPG Objects Blood and Space Starship Construction Manual.pdf

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BY
CHARLES RICE
ADDITIONAL DESIGN
CHRIS DAVIS
EDITOR
chriS DAVIS
COVER ART
SCOTT CLARK
INTERIOR ART
V. SHANE
LAYOUT
CHRIS DAVIS
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STARSHIP CONSTRUCTION MANUAL
STARSHIP CONSTRUCTION MANUAL
INTRODUCTION
THE DESIGN
PROCESS
1. THEORETICAL DESIGN
The first step in designing a new item is deciding what
it is and what you want it to do. Go through the tables
that follow in this chapter and write down what you
want the item to be and do, then total the materials
cost and invention points the item will require (these
topics are covered in depth later in this chapter).
Welcome to the last book in RPGObjects’ Blood
and Space II line of books, the starship construction
manual!
Before we begin, let us take a moment to discuss
what this book is, and what it is not.
What this book is: This book has three primary
purposes: to assist the game master in the creation
of new starship hulls and weapons, the two starship
systems most likely to require a specific feel for
the game master’s campaign; to assist the intrepid
player who wants a ship that is neither battlecruiser
nor destroyer but something all his own; and finally
to allow a player to heavily
modify a starship almost until it is
unrecognizable from its original
purpose, such as taking an old hunk
of junk bulk cruiser and turning it
into the fastest smuggling ship in
the galaxy.
What this book is not: This
book is not intended as a physics
text nor was it written to require
one. If your favorite starship
construction rules require a
spreadsheet, go in peace and send
no more.
This book is also not intended
to supplant the basic rules for how
starships are put together in the
future core rules. It was meant to
assist those using that system but
who want a little more variety
(especially the ability to design
completely new hull types from
scratch).
These rules are drawn from the RPGObjects’ product
Blood and Circuits and are reproduced here for
completeness, so that this product does not require
anything else to aid the game master and players
in designing their own starships. Those who find
this system interesting and would like to see how it
applies to weapons, armor, robots, computers and land
vehicles might wish to investigate the aforementioned
product.
2. GATHER RAW MATERIALS
This involves making a wealth check. If the character
fails he must choose to wait while searching for
suitable materials (at a price he can afford) or settle
for cheaper or less suitable materials and increase the
item’s prototype modifier.
Determining Purchase DC: The
purchase DC for an item you are
designing is actually the cost of the
raw materials. Materials for exotic
items can be restricted in much
the same way as items themselves
and may be rated as Licensed (+1),
Restricted (+2) or Military (+3).
The additional cost (+1-+3) is for
a character without the necessary
access buying the materials on the
black market.
Progress Levels: The Progress
Level of an item also factors into the
materials cost of an item. For each PL
above the current technological level
(PL 5 for campaigns taking place
in the modern era) add +5 to the
materials cost of an item. Any item
more than one PL higher than the
modern era (PL 7 or higher) cannot
be made at all except with the GM’s
permission. Usually this means the
campaign involves super-science or
superpowers.
BLOOD AND SPACE
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STARSHIP CONSTRUCTION MANUAL
3. SKILL CHECKS
Make skill checks to generate invention points. The
time it takes to make each check is determined by the
character’s ranks in the craft skill being used to create
the item. Each check adds one to the item’s prototype
modifier.
Niles Antilles stood in the control tower of the UEG Repulse, watching the radar screen with intense
anxiety. On the screen a pair of flashing lights made a lazy turn, banking and changing their course back
toward the massive space carrier.
As the twin fighters began to edge back toward the flight deck, the com relay crackled to life, “This is
Space Superiority Craft X-77 Bravo, request permission to begin simulated combat landing number nine.”
The fleet engineers, who had designed the fighters, intended to be the next generation of SCC Fighters,
looked calmly over the numbers flowing by on their screens and nodded to the Flight Control Officer.
“Roger SCC X-77, you are cleared to begin your simulated combat landing.”
With that the Flight Control Officer keyed a microphone, his voice echoing in the expansive flight deck
below, “Attention all Flight Deck personnel. Prepare to receive fighters on combat approach, repeat prepare
for combat approach.”
A series of high pitched shrieks and flashing lights accompanied this announcement and suddenly the
flight deck was awash in activity, men and women running full tilt to their positions, clearing equipment out
of the way, CPOs yelling and swearing at their crews to move faster.
On the radar screen the lazy maneuver of the fighters had transformed itself. The craft were now moving
at combat speeds, performing the high speed landings designed to bring the craft in one side of the massive
hanger deck, refuel and rearm, and return the craft to space as soon as possible.
It was one part night carrier landing in combat, one part frantic high-stakes car race pit stop, and the most
dangerous thing a carrier pilot did in a reliable spacecraft, which so far hadn’t been the case with the SCC
X-77.
The twin dots moved closer and closer, the forward thrust of the craft propelling them faster and faster
through the frictionless void toward the tiny, also moving surface of the flight deck.
At the moment the fighters’ landing skids in the surface, the major innovation of the X-77 came into
play, the reverse thrusters in the nose of the spacecraft that would assist the arresting tractors, allowing the
spacecraft to come in at a much higher velocity. While this posed its own series of dangers, it was better
than being picked off by enemy fighters one by one as you reduced speed so you could land.
4. ITEM COMPLETED
Game master writes down total prototype modifier.
Bugs are discovered when a character using the device
rolls a natural one or whenever an opponent threatens
a critical against him while using the device. Bugs
impose a permanent penalty when using the device
until corrected by use of the Repair skill.
INVENTION POINTS
In this optional system an item is created slowly by
successive skill checks. The cost of an invention is
rated in invention points and each time the inventor
works on it (how long will be determined by the
inventor’s skill- see below) he makes a Craft skill
check (d20+ his total skill modifier) and adds
the points together. When he has generated more
invention points than the item requires he has
completed a working prototype. Note that while this
effectively means that even a character with 1 rank in
a Craft skill could eventually make a very complex
item (if he was willing to take a long time to do it)
there are some significant advantages to having a high
skill, namely prototype modifiers (see below).
Time Between Skill Checks: How long it takes a
character to generate invention points is a function of
the ranks he has invested in the requisite craft skill
required to construct the object. A character with a
very high number of ranks will have made similar
objects before and have all the needed tools on hand
to perform his task. A character with a low number of
ranks, on the other hand, is essentially learning as he
goes and will need to make frequent work stoppages
to gather tools he didn’t think to have on hand and
to consult manuals on the construction of the item in
question.
requires a character to not adventure for the entire
time required to make his next invention check and
also reduces the wealth gained from Profession checks
when a character gains his next level by 1-4 points (if
a character burns the midnight oil repeatedly between
levels he might actually end up losing wealth when he
makes his next Profession check - this could represent
the character burning savings to pay bills or perhaps
being demoted at his day job).
A character may also move one step up the table
if he has skilled assistants working with him on the
project. All assistants must have at least one rank in
the requisite class skill required by the item. To make
Skill Ranks
Check Time
1-5
3 days
6-10
Daily
11-15
Twice per day
16-20
Four per day
21+
Hourly
This assumes a character works on an item part time
(between adventuring and career responsibilities). If
a character does nothing else but work on the item he
may make checks one-step higher on the table. This
BLOOD AND SPACE
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STARSHIP CONSTRUCTION MANUAL
completely fantastic and new (such as a car that
doubles as a submarine). For example new race car
engines, designed by experienced race car engine
designers, still have flaws the first few times they
are used in a race, even though the designer has built
similar high-tolerance engines before and despite
the fact that the internal combustion engine is a
thoroughly understood technology.
That is if the damn things worked.
The thrusters fired and for a brief moment it appeared the craft was slowing. Then a high pitched shriek
filled the flight deck and the decelerator burned out.
The pilots’ voices were filled with the anxiety everyone on the flight deck and in the com tower was
feeling as the craft broke free from the tractor and shot toward the far side of the flight deck, which opened
again onto the void of space, “Abort! Abort! Fly through!”
One of the fighters lifted up slightly off the flight deck, careful not rise too high and into the ceiling
above. A split second before it would have hit the force field at the far end maintaining the atmosphere of
the flight deck ,synchronized computers in the carrier and the fighter turned off the force field allowing the
craft to safely skid back into space. A massive blast of wind filled the flight deck as a burst of atmosphere
followed the craft into space, one unlucky member of the flight crew was actually knocked off his feet by
it, but quickly scrambled back upright as the force field returned to its former position and the atmosphere
pumps whined and complained in their attempts to return the atmosphere to its former level of pressure.
The lead pilot’s wingman hadn’t been so lucky. The tract sheered off part of her landing skid and in the
process turned the fighter’s nose toward the far wall. The pilot tried like hell to turn the nose back toward
the far end, but with the extreme speed and high number of Gs she was pulling, it was impossible.
The entire massive spacecraft rocked and shook as the tank of fuel exploded. The fire grew quickly in the
oxygen-rich atmosphere of the flight deck, seeming to take on a life of its own as the flight crews ran off
the flight deck. The Flight Control Officer again addressed the flight crews running for the side portals, as
if he needed to, “Attention Flight Crew personnel, emergency fire control procedures in effect, emergency
depressurization of the flight deck will occur in 10 seconds... 9 seconds... 8...”
And exactly 8 seconds later both force fields dropped, exposing the entire flight deck to the vacuum of
space. The flames actually grew for a split second as the air moved in a mass with hurricane force but then
was instantly extinguished as it attempted, in vain, to follow its fuel into space.
GENERATING PROTOTYPE
MODIFIERS
Prototype modifiers are generated in three basic ways:
skill checks, rush jobs and cheap materials.
Skill Checks: Each time you make a skill check to
generate invention points you generate one prototype
modifier. This means a character with a high skill will
tend to generate items with fewer bugs.
Rush Jobs: You may add additional prototype
modifiers to an item to complete it faster. Each time
you make a skill check you may declare you are
rushing and add to your skill roll as if you had just
spent an action point. However instead of deducting
an action point from your total the GM adds one to the
invention’s total prototype modifier.
Note that if you actually spend one or more action
points to aid in the completion of a device this does
not count as a rush job, it is simply good fortune or
divine inspiration at work.
Cheap materials: You may add prototype modifiers
to an item to make it cheaper. You may add +2 to your
wealth check to pay for the item’s raw materials for
each +1 you add to the invention’s total prototype
modifier. You may even decide to do this after you
make your wealth check. For example if you are
attempting to build an invention whose raw materials
cost is 20 and you roll a 10 on your wealth check you
may decide to settle on cheaper materials and begin
construction now rather than wait to gather the needed
materials, adding 5 to the item’s eventual prototype
modifier (since the wealth DC is the number of hours
it takes to make a wealth check a wealth-challenged
PROTOTYPES
checks faster the character must have at least one
worker for each 20 invention points the finished item
will cost (so an item that will cost 300 points requires
15 assistants to speed up construction).
Skill Checks and Prototype Modifiers: Each time
a character makes a skill check he adds one prototype
modifier to the item in question (see below for more
information on how these affect the finished product).
Since a character with a high skill will have to make
fewer checks to accumulate the invention points
necessary for success this also means he will generate
fewer bugs in the creation of his devices (certain feats
and class abilities might reduce this amount even
further).
Every time you invent a new (or significantly modify
an existing) item it will always have *ahem* design
flaws. Perhaps the metal in the firing pin will get
suddenly tired of being where it was or a hundred
other unforeseen problems could crop up in the design
or implementation of an item. This concept is handled
with prototype modifiers .
Prototype Modifiers: A core concept to all
equipment design is the prototype modifier. Prototype
modifiers occur naturally during the creation of an
item and represent minor flaws that must be corrected
as they are discovered. This occurs even in “known”
technologies and not just in the creation of something
BLOOD AND SPACE
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STARSHIP CONSTRUCTION MANUAL
flaw is discovered will be that flaw and may never be
repaired). However some copies of a device through
random chance might have been spared this design
flaw. Copies of an item that have already had their
prototype modifier reduced to 0 (meaning all bugs
have been identified and possibly worked out) are
mysteriously free of this design flaw.
Back to the Drawing Board-Eliminating Design
Flaws: So how exactly do you get rid of design flaws
if you have failed to correct the problem? The answer
is you must go back to the drawing board.
To benefit from going back to the drawing board
you must make an exact copy of the item you are
attempting to improve without adding any new
features. If you succumb to this temptation (known
as “feature creep”) you have started an entirely new
design that will have an entirely new prototype
modifier with potentially new (and totally different)
bugs and design flaws.
The process is much the same as making a copy of
an item; however, you must spend invention points
equal to fifty times the design flaw’s penalty (so 50
for a flaw that imposes a –1 penalty through 300 for a
flaw that imposes a –6 penalty). Craft rolls to generate
these points do not add to the item’s prototype
modifier.
When these points have been spent the design flaw
has been puzzled out and corrected and the completed
item will be free of it.
As the force fields returned to their normal place a second group of crewman, these masked and suited to
protect them from the cold and lack of atmosphere moved onto the flight deck to cover the craft with flame-
retardant foam to eliminate any chance of a spark reigniting the blaze when oxygen returned to the flight
deck.
Meanwhile the engineers watched the data, seemingly oblivious to the damage and death occurring on the
deck below, “I don’t understand, we compensated for the last flaw, it should have worked.”
Antilles walked over to the engineer, hands clenched into fists behind his back that wanted to take the tiny
man and pummel him against the bulkhead, “You’re damned right it should have, and until you can give me
and my pilots a reason why it didn’t, this whole crackpot idea is going back onto the drawing screen where
it belongs.”
The engineer turned, oblivious to how close he came to being a bloody smear on the bulkhead, “But
Admiral, with respect, this project has authorization direct from...”
Antilles silenced the man with his presence as he stepped so close his chest actually brushed against
the man when he inhaled, “I don’t care if you have the imprint of the President of the UEG on those
orders, mister, no fighter takes off from this carrier without my direct authorization and I will not give that
authorization until you prove, to my satisfaction, that no further damage will occur to my people or my
flight deck. Is that clear?”
The engineer just nodded, his voice having left him.
Antilles, also silent, turned on his heel and left the tower, heading down to the flight deck to survey the
damage first hand.
character might end up spending as much or more
time shopping for quality raw materials as building
the item itself).
bugs and you have just found one.
Bugs generated by prototype modifiers last until
repaired (see below).
Working the Bugs Out: A character has three
chances to work out a bug. The first attempt may
be made in combat as an attack action and requires
a Repair skill check (DC 20 + the item’s current
prototype modifier).
The second attempt can also be attempted in the
field and requires 5 minutes (50 rounds) to perform.
This check also requires a Repair skill check (DC 15 +
the item’s current prototype modifier).
The final attempt can only be performed in a
workshop and requires 4-24 hours to perform (4d6
hours). This check also requires a Repair skill check
(DC 10 + the item’s current prototype modifier).
If this final skill check fails the bug is in fact a
design flaw and is a permanent feature of the device
(including any copies of the device that have been
made - the next prototype modifier activated after a
EFFECTS OF PROTOTYPE
MODIFIERS
At certain times during each game, when you roll a 1,
whenever anyone attacking you scores a critical threat
or whenever the GM wants to be fiendish (this latter
can happen no more than once per game, however-
the GM doesn’t get to be fiendish every round of
a critical combat- sorry guys!), he will activate a
prototype modifier, giving you a –1d6 modifier to one
aspect of your device, such as to hit, damage, defense,
movement, etc. until the bug is worked out. Think of
prototype modifiers as anti-action points.
Each time a prototype modifier is activated the
prototype modifier of the item is permanently reduced
by one. The prototype modifier represents potential
NEW CHARACTER
CLASSES
STARSHIP DESIGNER
You love to design new starships and have the
knowledge of engineering and space sciences to allow
you to construct spacecraft for almost any purpose,
from the smallest courier to the largest galaxy-
traversing explorer.
BLOOD AND SPACE
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