XXVc Graphics 3- Luna

This is a reworking of some art from the XXVc sourcebook Luna. The art in that book was pretty typical of the XXVc line. Some of it, very little, was really pretty terrific (usually the work of one time Legion of Super-Heroes artist James Sherman) and the rest was kinda shoddy stuff, probably because TRS wasn't paying too well.

Anyway, the original art was crap and I hated it, so I took it upon myself to redo it. The one change to the text that I made was to turn Britannica into Celtica. I figured maybe things took a sour turn for the UK at some point and Ireland moved in to take control. That's why the slogan on the flag is in gaelic- "Na Aris" is gaelic for "never again" which, in the original material, is in latin.

The color of the banner may strike some as odd, but I wanted something that said "Luna" and had an atypical look. Also, and I don't expect anyone to understand this, but I wanted it to have a touch of "The King in Yellow" to it.

XXVc Notebook- Needle Gun Plus

XXVCR2 Earth in the 25th Century introduced the darter, weapon of choice for the discerning Cannibal of Tomorrow and perhaps the stupidest weapon in the game. It is certainly insulting, along the lines of giving American Indians "futuristic" tomahawks* that shoot lasers or explode. 

While the idea on the whole is awful, the darts used are still interesting and worth using somewhere else. But where? Join me now as we take a journey into the Future to find out....

The idea that those poisons used in those darts are only found in Buenos Aires and Guyana (?) and are unreproducible with 25th century science is also pretty stupid. It's not like it's Haitian voodoo powder or something.

Here are the different varieties of darts available:

Type A- A strong nerve toxin, which paralyzes the central nervous system, inhibiting all movement for 1d8 hours. Save vs Poison at -2; successful characters are slowed, capable of only half movement.

Type B- A mild soporific; save vs poison or sleep for 1d12 turns.

Type C- An alkaline which causes 1d8 damage on contact, no saving throw applicable.

Type D- A highly toxic substance capable of 1d6 points of damage and inducing convulsions for 1d8 rounds (save at -2 for limited duration of 1d4 rounds). Convulsing characters drop everything in hand and are immobilized, save for seizures.

Would these unbalance the lowly Needle Gun? In a setting that allows for man-portable particle accelerator guns and gamma ray lasers that can deal horrific damage, would a few non-lethal darts (and a lethal one) really throw everything out of whack? Put too much power in one character's hands? I don't think so. 

I would make them hard to come by, though. In my game, not every weapon is available at your friendly, local Ammu-Nation. I would say those darts are normally only available to military and para-military organizations (a local police department, for example) and would have to be acquired on the black market like some of the other death-dealing guns in the game. 

In addition, I'd require the civilian needle gun to be modified to accommodate them, rendering the gun useless for standard needles. Considering the ease in procuring a needle gun, it would be much easier to mod one than to acquire the military version.


*For the record, I have no problem including in a Buck Rogers High Adventure Cliffhangers game, since that kind of malarkey is not uncommon there.

XXVc Update + New Game Art

I was reminded the other night that it's been a while since I posted here. Well, my online XXVc game came to an end (temporary? permanent? can't say fo' sho') because one of my players thought I was running the game just for him, apparently. 

Since then I got invited to an AD&D 2e Dark Sun game and have offered to run XXVc for them whenever the DM wants a break. I also started a one-on-one XXVc game which I'm looking forward to. A face-to-face game can be a jolly good time, in my opinion.

So, I have a couple of things to show today. One is a money card for the Firste (sic) Luna Bank, which I've renamed LunaBanc. No reason to do it- I just needed to scratch an itch. The second is for an idea I had to develop the sadly and sorely underdeveloped Solar Alliance, RAM's puppet organization on Earth.

I'm using as a model the Earth Republic of Syfy's tv series Defiance, of which I am a fan. One of the tasks I assigned the SA was to be the bug in Earth's ear about mutants and the first thing that came to mind was propaganda posters. Everyone loves a propaganda poster, so I spent the last couple of days working on one. 

First up is the LunaBanc card. It's supposed to be an aluminum-like metal with a laser-etched holographic "water mark" of an olde tyme image of the Moon. Of course, when i say "laser-etched holograph" I mean whatever the 25th century version of that would be. It's not flashy, it's just a viso-prop.

Click me.

And next is the Solar Alliance's anti-mutant poster that one might find posted up in a North American Regency sprawl. This one has obviously been out in the weather for a while.

Click for the full sized (but not life sized) view.

I'm gonna do more of these, because this one was a ton of fun to do. They'll get better as I go, but I think this one is a pretty nifty first effort. More XXVc-inspired art coming soon!

XXVc Graphics for your Shopping Pleasure

There's one aspect of my game that I was slow in developing, but something that I really felt would make it better. I've already shown some of it with the artwork I've posted already, but another part of that is "coloring in" some ideas to help bring the setting to life.

So, the following is an advertisement for the Central Universal Department Store's "Superhappiness" campaign showcasing their fine line of I don't know. The CUD Store is a common sight in all large cities and some of the crappier arcologies. It's based on Soviet Russia's GUM Store (CUD is translated from whatever GUM stands for in Russian) and Walmart's cyclopean failure, Hypermart.

Not a Hypermart, but close. Click to big it up some.

Anyway, "Superhappiness" as an ad slogan has a nice "1984" feel to it, as does the nameless, unknown product they're hawking. I imagined the contents as some kind of generic Soylent Green type food-like substance, but it could be anything in there. Brightly colored bags of shit.

Click pic to BONUSIZE

I came up with a bunch of businesses that reside under the RAM umbrella (you've already seen a couple) and will do more logos and whatever in the near future. The CUD Store doesn't have a logo. There is no bigger store on Earth, and so it doesn't need one. It just is.

Superhappiness.

XXVc Graphics 2

One of the major differences between XXVc and its source material is the absence of the dreaded Han, who tormented those poor, savage North Americans in both the Buck Rogers comic strip and the two novels it was based upon.

So, I thought it would be amusing to introduce them into my game, albeit with some significant differences. In this case the threat is Han Airways, North America's largest airline. In this future, though, hydrogen-filled dirigibles have made a comeback in a big way, owing to a number of post-apocalyptic reasons.

Han Airways is run by Mr. Bogdan Bong, who also just happens to be the Regent of North America. Both of these positions have more than a little to do with Bong's father being the president of the massive Chinese megacorporation Han Chemical Group, of which Han Airways is a subsidiary.

It may not be apparent, but I actually put a lot of thought into these things. I've long had a fascination with corporate logo design, particularly from the 60's thru to the early 70's, which tended to run the gamut from dry to downright ugly. I realize the game is set 500 years in the future, but, hey- I gotta be me, amirite?

Anyway, more of these as they come to me. And if any fans of the game have any requests, let me know and I'll get cracking on it.

XXVc Graphics

So, this is pretty simple. I had written about the Solar Alliance and felt that they should have been presented as more of a present threat on Earth than portrayed in the game. In particular, there was no identity to them- everything is RAM all the time. And, yes, RAM controls the Solar Alliance, but they, in turn control Earth. They needed a face.

That lead me to make some images for the players to hang their eyeballs on. It also doesn't hurt that I enjoy doing this sort of thing and so here they are.

I may do more later on, but for now, enjoy these-

Solar Alliance Uniform Patch

The next one is supposed to be kind of an all-purpose logo. Special branches of RAM might use different colors or a different design altogether.

The next two for a sinister genetics firm. I don't know anything about them besides the name, which I liked enough to create the following-

Click to see full size

NOTICE: These are free for personal use only. Any other use is VERBOTEN.

XXVc- Fast Talk issues

One of my players whipped a successful Fast Talk roll on one of my gennies which lead to an interlude wherein I had decipher exactly how the skill worked. The rules don't really go into much detail and as far as I know there isn't another similar TSR game that has that skill.

But there was nothing about duration, number of targets, or how soon you could retry in case of a fail. Vexing. Anybody know of a TSR game I can go to as a reference? The only game I can think of that is similar is Call of Cthulhu (a game I own, that is) but I haven't had a chance to dig it out of storage yet.

Oliver, what have you got for me?

Rocketship Round-up

The following is wholly the work of someone other than myself and I take no credit whatsoever for it. I present it here only as a service to players and GMs of the XXVc game.

XXV: SPACE SHIPS

  Compiled By: Dave "Serpine" Rosson

  Last Update: 02/06/2000

The following is a collection of all the space ships found in any

and all of the XXVc resources, including the modules and

supplements (indicated by product number) and the computer games

(indicated by 'MC').  In several cases the ship class names and

some other stats not found in the origional had to be fabricated. 

A few ships were dropped (like the 30 ton pleasure yacht in

XXVCA2 which is almost point to point identicle to the 35 ton

Princess of Mars, save for an extra 5 tonnage).  At least one

ship was invented totally (the 'Hades' class Ringer transport for

big mineral hauls), and several ships experienced tinkering: Even

if you sacrificed every inch of cargo the Venusian Battler II

from XXVCS3, revised as the more properly designed 'Mirage' class

here, would not have had the weapon spaces for its origional

list.  Also notice there is no 'Pirate' category, since they tend

to use whatever ships they get, and remember that most ship types

are available on the market so they can be found used even in

rival groups to their origin.  This is especially true of NEO

which scavanges or buys most of its ships.

=================================================================

                        Basic Format

class name { type, (source in game)

Names: names of the some ships of this class.

 Tons: tonnage, Lng: length, Wd: width, Crg: cargo

 HP = ( H: hull hp, S/C: sensors/commo hp, C: control hp,

       LS: life support hp, F: fuel hp, E: engine hp )

 AC: base armor(armor modified by speed defence bonus),

  Crew: standard crew, Speed: speed,

  RB: reaction bonus, DB: defense bonus

 Weapons(number of weapons): list of weapons

-----------------------------------------------------------------

                        Independent Vessels

Campbell { Asterover, (3562 sheet)

Names: U of Deimos.

 Tons: 20, Lng: 40 ft, Wd: 10 ft, Crg: 10 tons

 HP = ( H: 80, S/C: 20, C: 20, LS: 40, F: 60, E: 60 )

 AC: 8(6), Crew: 4, Speed: 4, RB: -1, DB: -2

 Weapons(1): 1 Pumped Laser

Jane { Light Stock Freighter, (3562 sheet)

Names: Lady Jane Gray.

 Tons: 30, Lng: 60 ft, Wd: 15 ft, Crg: 15 tons

 HP = ( H: 120, S/C: 30, C: 30, LS: 60, F: 90, E: 90 )

 AC: 8(6), Crew: 3, Speed: 4, RB: -1, DB: -2

 Weapons(3): 2 Beam Lasers, 1 Gyrocannon

Shroeder { Long Range Scout, (XXVCS2 p30)

 Tons: 50, Lng: 100 ft, Wd: 25 ft, Crg: 5 tons

 HP = ( H: 200, S/C: 50, C: 50, LS: 100, F: 200, E: 150 )

 AC: 8(8), Crew: 12, Speed: 3, RB: 0, DB: 0

 Weapons(2): 1 Missile Mount, 1 Beam Laser.

Aphid { Asteroid Miner, (XXVCR7 p38)

 Tons: 60, Lng: 130 ft, Wd: 90 ft, Crg: 30 tons

 HP = ( H: 240, S/C: 60, C: 60, LS: 120, F: 180, E: 180 )

 AC: 6(6), Crew: 18, Speed: 3, RB: 0, DB: 0

 Weapons(6): 2 Beam Lasers, 2 Missile Mounts,

             2 Lt Acceleration Guns

Raptor { Pursuit Cruiser, (XXVCA2 p46)

Names: Kiss of the Falcon.

 Tons: 70, Lng: 140 ft, Wd: 45 ft, Crg: 45 tons

 HP = ( H: 210, S/C: 70, C: 70, LS: 140, F: 210, E: 210 )

 AC: 6(6), Crew: 18, Speed: 4, RB: 0, DB: 0

 Weapons(7): 2 Beam Lasers, 2 Gyrocannons, 1 Pumped Laser,

             1 Missile Mount, 1 Lt Acceleration Gun

Luxus { Interplanetary Spaceliner, (3562 sheet)

Names: Luxis Triplanetary.

 Tons: 550, Lng: 1,100 ft, Wd: 225 ft, Crg: 305 tons

 HP = ( H: 2,200, S/C:   550, C:   550,

       LS: 1,100,   F: 1,650, E: 1,650 )

 AC: 8(10), Crew: 25, Speed: 1, RB: +1, DB: +2

 Weapons(3): 3 Pumped Lasers

 NOTE: Can support 275 passengers.

Jovian { Deep Jupiter Miner, (XXVCR7 p39)

 Tons: 8,000, Lng: 1,000 ft, Wd: 1,000 ft, Crg: 3,000 tons

 HP = ( H: 32,000, S/C:  8,000, C:  8,000,

       LS: 16,000,   F: 24,000, E: 24,000 )

 AC: 8(12), Crew: 1,600, Speed: 1, RB: +2, DB: +4

 Weapons(7): 5 K-Cannons, 2 Heavy Missile Mounts

-----------------------------------------------------------------

                           LUNA (LSS)

Copernicus { Scout Cruiser, (3562 sheet)

 Tons: 25, Lng: 50 ft, Wd: 12 ft, Crg: 12 tons

 HP = ( H: 100, S/C: 25, C: 25, LS: 50, F: 75, E: 75 )

 AC: 6(4), Crew: 9, Speed: 5, RB: -1, DB: -2

 Weapons(2): 1 Missile Mount, 1 Gyrocannon

-----------------------------------------------------------------

                             MERCURY

Flame { Light Cruiser, (XXVCA2 p51)

 Tons: 40, Lng: 80 ft, Wd: 20 ft, Crg: 20 tons

 HP = ( H: 160, S/C: 40, C: 40, LS: 80, F: 120, E: 120 )

 AC: 6(4), Crew: 10, Speed: 4, RB: -1, DB: -2

 Weapons(4): 2 Gyrocannons, 1 Beam Laser,

             1 Light Acceleration Gun

Maximus Argyre { Med Cruiser purchased from RAM, (3562 sheet)

 Tons: 150, Lng: 300 ft, Wd: 75 ft, Crg: 75 tons

 HP = ( H: 600, S/C: 150, C: 150, LS: 300, F: 450, E: 450 )

 AC: 6(7), Crew: 50, Speed: 2, RB: 0, DB: +1

 Weapons(10): 5 Beam Lasers, 3 Gyrocannons,

              1 Hvy Acceleration Gun, 1 K-Cannon

 NOTE: Most weapons behind retractable panels.

Sun God { Assault Cruiser, (MC)

Names: Flare, Corona, Hermes, Osiris, Apollo.

 Tons: 200, Lng: 400 ft, Wd: 100 ft, Crg: 100 tons

 HP = ( H: 800, S/C: 200, C: 200, LS: 400, F: 600, E: 600 )

 AC: 4(5), Crew: 67, Speed: 2, RB: 0, DB: +1

 Weapons(20): 10 Missile Mounts, 10 Beam Lasers

Chryse { Heavy Cruiser purchased from RAM, (3562 sheet)

 Tons: 500, Lng: 1,000 ft, Wd: 250 ft, Crg: 250 tons

 HP = ( H: 2,000, S/C:   500, C:   500,

       LS: 1,000,   F: 1,500, E: 1,500 )

 AC: 4(6), Crew: 135, Speed: 1, RB: +1, DB: +2

 Weapons(20): 5 K-Cannons, 5 Heavy Missile Mounts,

              5 Pumped Lasers, 5 Gyrocannons

-----------------------------------------------------------------

                      Nautilus Submersibles

Triton { Submersible Cruiser, (XXVCR7 p44)

 Tons: 30, Lng: 50 ft, Wd: 15 ft, Crg: 6 tons

 HP = ( H: 120, S/C: 30, C: 30, LS: 60, F: 90, E: 90 )

 AC: 9(7), Crew: 2, Speed: 4, RB: -1, DB: -2

 Weapons(2): 1 Missile Mount, 1 Heavy Missile Mount

Aegir { Submersible Cruiser, (XXVCR7 p44)

 Tons: 40, Lng: 70 ft, Wd: 20 ft, Crg: 10 tons

 HP = ( H: 160, S/C: 40, C: 40, LS: 80, F: 120, E: 120 )

 AC: 9(8), Crew: 4, Speed: 4, RB: -1, DB: -1

 Weapons(3): 1 Missile Mount, 1 Heavy Missile Mount,

             1 Light Acceleration Gun

Enki { Submersible Cruiser, (XXVCR7 p44)

 Tons: 50, Lng: 90 ft, Wd: 25 ft, Crg: 14 tons

 HP = ( H: 200, S/C: 50, C: 50, LS: 100, F: 150, E: 150 )

 AC: 9(9), Crew: 6, Speed: 3, RB: 0, DB: 0

 Weapons(3): 2 Heavy Missile Mounts, 1 Missile Mount

Rudra { Submersible Cruiser, (XXVCR7 p44)

 Tons: 55, Lng: 100 ft, Wd: 27 ft, Crg: 16 tons

 HP = ( H: 220, S/C: 55, C: 55, LS: 110, F: 165, E: 165 )

 AC: 9(10), Crew: 8, Speed: 3, RB: 0, DB: +1

 Weapons(3): 2 Heavy Missile Mounts, 1 Missile Mount

Ahto { Submersible Cruiser, (XXVCR7 p44)

 Tons: 60, Lng: 110 ft, Wd: 30 ft, Crg: 18 tons

 HP = ( H: 240, S/C: 60, C: 60, LS: 120, F: 180, E: 180 )

 AC: 9(11), Crew: 10, Speed: 3, RB: +1, DB: +2

 Weapons(4): 2 Heavy Missile Mounts, 1 Missile Mount,

             1 Light Acceleration Gun

Tefnut { Submersible Cruiser, (XXVCR7 p44)

 Tons: 65, Lng: 128 ft, Wd: 32 ft, Crg: 20 tons

 HP = ( H: 260, S/C: 65, C: 65, LS: 130, F: 195, E: 195 )

 AC: 9(11), Crew: 12, Speed: 3, RB: +1, DB: +2

 Weapons(4): 2 Heavy Missile Mounts, 1 Missile Mount,

             1 Light Acceleration Gun

-----------------------------------------------------------------

                           NEO/Phoenix

         (NOTE: Scram Rockets use only half normal fuel)

F-66 Starfire { Multi Purpose Fighter, (3562 sheet)

 Tons: 15, Lng: 30 ft, Wd: 7 ft, Crg: 7 tons

 HP = ( H: 60, S/C: 15, C: 15, LS: 45, F: 45, E: 45 )

 AC: 6(2), Crew: 1, Speed: 5, RB: -2, DB: -4

 Weapons(1): 1 Light Accelerarion Gun or 1 Gyrocannon

X-23A Krait { Stolen Mars/Space Stealth Fighter (3562 sheet)

 Tons: 10, Lng: 20 ft, Wd: 5 ft, Crg: 5 tons

 HP = ( H: 40, S/C: 10, C: 10, LS: 20, F: 30, E: 30 )

 AC: 6(1), Crew: 1, Speed: 7, RB: -3, DB: -5

 Weapons(1): 1 Gyrocannon

 Electronic Stealth Cloak: When in motion AC improved by -6.

Ln1 { Scram Rocket, (XXVCR7 p42)

 Tons: 20, Lng: 40 ft, Wd: 10 ft, Crg: 10 tons

 HP = ( H: 80, S/C: 20, C: 20, LS: 40, F: 20, E: 40 )

 AC: 6(4), Crew: 2, Speed: 4, RB: -1, DB: -2

 Weapons(2): 2 Beam Lasers

Ln2 { Scram Rocket, (XXVCR7 p42)

 Tons: 25, Lng: 50 ft, Wd: 12.5 ft, Crg: 12.5 tons

 HP = ( H: 100, S/C: 25, C: 25, LS: 50, F: 25, E: 50 )

 AC: 6(4), Crew: 2, Speed: 4, RB: -1, DB: -2

 Weapons(2): 2 Beam Lasers

Ln3 { Scram Rocket, (XXVCR7 p42)

 Tons: 30, Lng: 60 ft, Wd: 15 ft, Crg: 15 tons

 HP = ( H: 120, S/C: 30, C: 30, LS: 60, F: 30, E: 60 )

 AC: 6(4), Crew: 3, Speed: 4, RB: -1, DB: -2

 Weapons(3): 2 Beam Lasers, 1 Missile Mount

Ln4 { Scram Rocket, (XXVCR7 p42)

 Tons: 35, Lng: 70 ft, Wd: 17.5 ft, Crg: 17.5 tons

 HP = ( H: 140, S/C: 35, C: 35, LS: 70, F: 35, E: 70 )

 AC: 6(4), Crew: 3, Speed: 4, RB: -1, DB: -2

 Weapons(3): 2 Beam Lasers, 1 Missile Mount

Ln5 { Scram Rocket, (XXVCR7 p42)

 Tons: 40, Lng: 80 ft, Wd: 20 ft, Crg: 20 tons

 HP = ( H: 160, S/C: 40, C: 40, LS: 80, F: 40, E: 80 )

 AC: 6(4), Crew: 4, Speed: 4, RB: -1, DB: -2

 Weapons(3): 2 Beam Lasers, 1 Heavy Acceleration Gun

Ln6 { Experimental Stealth Scram Rocket, (XXVCR7 p42)

 Tons: 45, Lng: 90 ft, Wd: 22.5 ft, Crg: 22.5 tons

 HP = ( H: 180, S/C: 45, C: 45, LS: 90, F: 45, E: 90 )

 AC: 6(2), Crew: 4, Speed: 4, RB: -1, DB: -4

 Weapons(3): 2 Beam Lasers, 1 Heavy Acceleration Gun

-----------------------------------------------------------------

                            RAM (RMS)

F-66 Starfire { Multi Purpose Fighter, (3562 sheet)

 Tons: 15, Lng: 30 ft, Wd: 7 ft, Crg: 7 tons

 HP = ( H: 60, S/C: 15, C: 15, LS: 45, F: 45, E: 45 )

 AC: 6(2), Crew: 1, Speed: 5, RB: -2, DB: -4

 Weapons(1): 1 Light Accelerarion Gun or 1 Gyrocannon

X-23A Krait { Mars/Space Stealth Fighter (3562 sheet)

 Tons: 10, Lng: 20 ft, Wd: 5 ft, Crg: 5 tons

 HP = ( H: 40, S/C: 10, C: 10, LS: 20, F: 30, E: 30 )

 AC: 6(1), Crew: 1, Speed: 7, RB: -3, DB: -5

 Weapons(1): 1 Gyrocannon

 Electronic Stealth Cloak: When in motion AC improved by -6.

*Scorpion { Earth/Space Capable Krait Version (XXVCR1 sheet)

  AC: 6(2), Speed: 6, RB: -2, DB: -5

X-12a TAV { Trans-atmospheric Vehicle, (XXVCR7 p41)

 Tons: 22, Lng: 44 ft, Wd: 11 ft, Crg: 11 tons

 HP = ( H: 88, S/C: 22, C: 22, LS: 44, F: 66, E: 66 )

 AC: 7(3), Crew: 3, Speed: 5, RB: -2, DB: -4

 Weapons(2): 1 Missile Mount, 1 Pumped Laser

Hellas Breame { Long Range Scout, (XXVCS1 sheet)

 Tons: 25, Lng: 50 ft, Wd: 12 ft, Crg: 3 tons

 HP = ( H: 100, S/C: 25, C: 25, LS: 50, F: 140, E: 75 )

 AC: 6(4), Crew: 9, Speed: 5, RB: -1, DB: -2

 Weapons(3): 2 Gyrocannons, 1 Missile Mount

Cassini Royale { Security Scout, (XXVCS1 p32)

 Tons: 30, Lng: 60 ft, Wd: 15 ft, Crg: 15 tons

 HP = ( H: 120, S/C: 30, C: 30, LS: 60, F: 90, E: 90 )

 AC: 6(2), Crew: 3, Speed: 5, RB: -2, DB: -4

 Weapons(2): 1 Heavy Acceleration Gun, 1 Missile Mount

Coprates Star { Executive Scout, (XXVCS4 p29)

Names: Princess of Mars. 

 Tons: 35, Lng: 70 ft, Wd: 17 ft, Crg: 17 tons

 HP = ( H: 140, S/C: 35, C: 35, LS: 70, F: 105, E: 105 )

 AC: 8(6), Crew: 8, Speed: 4, RB: -1, DB: -2

 Weapons(3): 2 Missile Mounts (Retractable), 1 Beam Laser

Arsia Mons { Support Scout, (XXVCR1 p41)

 Tons: 40, Lng: 80 ft, Wd: 20 ft, Crg: 20 tons

 HP = ( H: 160, S/C: 40, C: 40, LS: 80, F: 120, E: 120 )

 AC: 6(2), Crew: 10, Speed: 5, RB: -2, DB: -4

 Weapons(2): 2 Pumped Lasers

*Ascraeus Mons { Escort Scout, Arsia Mons Version (XXVCA2 p37)

  AC: 6(4), Crew: 15, Speed: 4, RB: -1, DB: -2

  Weapons(3):1 Hvy Acceleration Gun, 1 Gyrocannon, 1 Beam Laser

Hubble { Combat Scout, (CTD)

Names: Van Allen, Copernicus, Kepler, Goddard.

 Tons: 50, Lng: 100 ft, Wd: 25 ft, Crg: 25 tons

 HP = ( H: 200, S/C: 60, C: 65, LS: 100, F: 160, E: 150 )

 AC: 6(6), Crew: 20, Speed: 3, RB: -1, DB: 0

 Weapons(4): 2 Missile Mounts, 2 Beam Lasers

Mediabloc { Spy Cruiser, (XXVCS3 p6)

 Tons: 100, Lng: 200 ft, Wd: 50 ft, Crg: 50 tons

 HP = ( H: 400, S/C: 200, C: 100, LS: 200, F: 300, E: 300 )

 AC: 6(7), Crew: 30, Speed: 3, RB: +1, DB: +1

 Weapons(5): 2 Beam Lasers, 2 Pumped Lasers, 1 Missile Mount

 NOTE: Added sensor packages.

Argyre { Medium Cruiser, (3562 sheet)

Names: Julius Raurus, Adder, Viper, Anaconda, Sidewinder.

 Tons: 150, Lng: 300 ft, Wd: 75 ft, Crg: 75 tons

 HP = ( H: 600, S/C: 150, C: 150, LS: 300, F: 450, E: 450 )

 AC: 6(7), Crew: 50, Speed: 2, RB: 0, DB: +1

 Weapons(10): 5 Beam Lasers, 3 Gyrocannons,

              1 Hvy Acceleration Gun, 1 K-Cannon

Efficient Commerce { Transport, (3562 sheet)

 Tons: 300, Lng: 600 ft, Wd: 150 ft, Crg: 440 tons

 HP = ( H: 1200, S/C: 300, C: 300, LS: 600, F: 900, E: 900 )

 AC: 8(8), Crew: 3, Speed: 3, RB: 0, DB: 0

 Weapons(1): 1 Gyrocannon

Alba Patera { Heavy Versatility Cruiser, (XXVCR1 p40)

 Tons: 450, Lng: 900 ft, Wd: 225 ft, Crg: 225 tons

 HP = ( H: 1800, S/C: 450, C: 450, LS: 900, F: 1350, E: 1350 )

 AC: 4(6), Crew: 350, Speed: 1, RB: +1, DB: +2

 Weapons(30): 10 Hvy Missile Mounts, 5 Lt Acceleration Guns,

              5 Pumped Lasers, 5 Beam Lasers, 5 Gyrocannons

 NOTE: Carries 1 fighter (Maximum 10 Tons)

Chryse { Heavy Cruiser, (3562 sheet)

Names: Sahara, Gobi, Mohave, Outback, Kalihari.

 Tons: 500, Lng: 1,000 ft, Wd: 250 ft, Crg: 250 tons

 HP = ( H: 2000, S/C: 500, C: 500, LS: 1000, F: 1500, E: 1500 )

 AC: 4(6), Crew: 135, Speed: 1, RB: +1, DB: +2

 Weapons(20): 5 K-Cannons, 5 Heavy Missile Mounts,

              5 Pumped Lasers, 5 Gyrocannons

Memnonia { Tanker (refuels 200 units/rnd), (XXVCS3 p31)

 Tons: 1,000, Lng: 2,000 ft, Wd: 600 ft, Crg: 10 tons

 HP = ( H:4000, S/C:2000, C:1000, LS:2000, F:75,000, E:3000 )

 AC: 6(9), Crew: 100, Speed: 1, RB: +2, DB: +3

 Weapons(20): 20 Pumped Lasers

Phytus { Fighter Carrier, (XXVCS3 p32)

 Tons: 5,500, Lng: 11,000 ft, Wd: 2,750 ft, Crg: 2,250 tons

 HP = ( H: 22,000, S/C: 5,500, C: 5,500,

       LS: 11,000,   F: 8,500, E: 8,500 )

 AC: 8(10), Crew: 300, Speed: 1, RB: +2, DB: +5

 Weapons(30): 30 Pumped Lasers

 NOTE: Carries 120 fighters (Maximum 15 Tons each)

Tharsis { Battler, (3562 sheet)

Names: Acidalia, Pallas Athene.

 Tons: 5,000, Lng: 10,000 ft, Wd: 2,500 ft, Crg: 2,500 tons

 HP = ( H: 20,000, S/C:  5,000, C:  5,000,

       LS: 10,000,   F: 15,000, E: 15,000 )

 AC: 0(5), Crew: 1,700, Speed: 1, RB: +2, DB: +5

 Weapons(240): 100 Pumped Lasers, 50 Heavy Missile Mounts,

               50 Gyrocannons, 20 Missile Mounts, 20 K-Cannons

*Hellas (modified Tharsis) { Transport Battler (XXVCR1 p40)

  Replace the K-Cannons with 20 fighters (Maximum 10 Tons each)

Nereidium { Heavy Battler, (XXVCR1 p40)

 Tons: 7,000, Lng: 14,000 ft, Wd: 3,500 ft, Crg: 3,500 tons

 HP = ( H: 28,000, S/C: 7,000, C: 7,000,

       LS: 14,000, F: 21,000, E: 21,000 )

 AC: 0(6), Crew: 1,900, Speed: 1, RB: +2, DB: +6

 Weapons(315):100 Hvy Missile Mounts, 50 Hvy Acceleration Guns,

              75 Pumped Lasers, 50 Gyrocannons, 40 K-Cannons

-----------------------------------------------------------------

                             RINGERS

Vulture { Ringer Planetary Transport, (XXVCR7 p45)

Names: Buzzard, Hyena, Packrat, Scavenger.

 Tons: 70, Lng: 100 ft, Wd: 75 ft, Crg: 50 tons

 HP = ( H: 280, S/C: 70, C: 70, LS: 140, F: 210, E: 210 )

 AC: 7(7), Crew: 4, Speed: 3, RB: 0, DB: 0

 Weapons(2): 1 Light Acceleration Gun, 1 Light Blunderbuss

Hades { Ringer Interplanetary Transport, (Extrapolation)

Names: Lugh, Nephythys, Volos.

 Tons: 700, Lng: 1,000 ft, Wd: 750 ft, Crg: 500 tons

 HP = ( H:2,800, S/C:700, C:700, LS:1,400, F:2,100, E:2,100 )

 AC: 5(8), Crew: 150, Speed: 1, RB: +2, DB: +3

 Weapons(36): 20 Missile Mounts, 10 Light Acceration Guns,

              5 Heavy Blunderbusses, 1 K-Cannon

-----------------------------------------------------------------

                        VENUS (SI & IMF)

Spirit { Venusian Fighter, (Armageddon Off Vesta)

 Tons: 10, Lng: 10 ft, Wd: 10 ft, Crg: 5 tons

 HP = ( H: 40, S/C: 10, C: 10, LS: 20, F: 30, E: 30 )

 AC: 5(2), Crew: 1, Speed: 5, RB: -3, DB: -3

 Weapons(1): 1 Lt Accelerarion Gun or Gyrocannon or Beam Laser

 NOTE: Do to peculiar spherical design called shots

       against these have an additional -3 penalty.

Good Hope { Armed Freighter, (XXVCR3 p51)

Names: Dray.

 Tons: 80, Lng: 160 ft, Wd: 40 ft, Crg: 40 tons

 HP = ( H: 320, S/C: 80, C: 80, LS: 160, F: 240, E: 240 )

 AC: 6(6), Crew: 20, Speed: 3, RB: 0, DB: 0

 Weapons(8): 4 Beam Lasers, 4 Lt Acceleration Guns

Valor { Heavy Cruiser, (XXVCR3 p51)

 Tons: 500, Lng: 1,000 ft, Wd: 250 ft, Crg: 250 tons

 HP = ( H:2,000, S/C:500, C:500, LS:1,000, F:1,500, E:1,500 )

 AC: 4(6), Crew: 400, Speed: 1, RB: +1, DB: +2

 Weapons(32): 10 Pumped Lasers, 10 Gyrocannons, 5 Catch Nets,

              5 Beam Lasers, 2 K-Cannons

*Zephyr (Modified Valor) { Blockade Cruiser, (XXVCA2 p52)

Names: Home of the Magnificent Wind.

 AC: 6(8), Crew: 350, Speed: 1, RB: +1, DB: +2

 Weapons(34): 10 Beam Lasers, 10 Gyrocannons, 5 Pumped Lasers,

              3 Hvy Acceleration Guns, 2 Heavy Missile Mounts,

              2 Acceleration Guns, 1 K-Cannon, 1 Missile Mount

Pennant { Star Carrier, (XXVCR3 p51)

Names: Charge, Last Rite, Our Lady of Sorrow.

 Tons: 5,000, Lng: 10,000 ft, Wd: 2,500 ft, Crg: 2,500 tons

 HP = ( H: 20,000, S/C:  5,000, C:  5,000,

       LS: 10,000,   F: 15,000, E: 15,000 )

 AC: 0(5), Crew: 1,800, Speed: 1, RB: +2, DB: +5

 Weapons(225): 100 Beam Lasers, 100 Gyrocannons,

               19 Pumped Lasers, 6 Heavy Acceleration Guns

 NOTE: Carries 50 Fighters (Maximum 10 Tons each)

*Herald (Modified Pennant) {Star Battler, (XXVCS3 cover)

  Remove Fighters, Crg is now 3200, and replace weapons with:

  Weapons(220): 100 Pumped Lasers, 50 Heavy Missile Mounts, 

                40 Gyrocannons, 15 Missile Mounts, 15 K-Cannons

  NOTE: Often used to transport goods, supplies, and troops.

*Mirage (Modified Pennant) {Heavy Star Battler, (XXVCS3 cover)

  Remove Fighters, Crg is now 1,500, and replace weapons with:

  Weapons(325): 100 Pumped Lasers, 75 Heavy Missile Mounts,

                75 Gyrocannons, 50 Missile Mounts, 25 K-Cannons

-----------------------------------------------------------------

                         Unique Vessels

Rogue { Stealth Scout, (3562 sheet/Armageddon off Vesta)

 Owner: Killer Kane, Mercenary (usually for RAM)

 Tons: 30, Lng: 60 ft, Wd: 15 ft, Crg: 5 tons

 HP = ( H: 120, S/C: 30, C: 30, LS: 60, F: 90, E: 90 )

 AC: 6(1), Crew: 3, Speed: 6, RB: -2, DB: -5

 Weapons: 1 Lt Acceleration Gun, 2 Beam Lasers

 Electronic Stealth Cloak: When in motion AC is improved by -5.

Maelstrom Rider { Combat/Science Cruiser, (MC)

 Tons: 150, Lng: 300 ft, Wd: 75 ft, Crg: 55 tons

 HP = ( H: 400, S/C: 300, C: 150, LS: 600, F: 600, E: 600 )

 AC: 6(6), Crew: 6, Speed: 3, RB: 0, DB: 0

 Weapons(7): 2 Missile Mounts, 2 K-Cannons, 3 Beam Lasers

 NOTE: Has all 4 advanced sensor packages from XXVCR7,

      not to mention the standard ones from XXVCR1.

      The ship also has a computer system capable of running a

      mid-level DP (but only the one it was designed for).

C-17 Shroud { Mute Cruiser Prototype, (XXVCS2 p31)

 Owner: NEO, who have it under field testing.

 Tons: 200, Lng: 400 ft, Wd: 100 ft, Crg: 50 tons

 HP = ( H: 800, S/C: 400, C: 200, LS: 400, F: 600, E: 600 )

 AC: 4(5), Crew: 60, Speed: 2, RB: 0, DB: +1

 Weapons(15): 5 Pumped Lasers, 5 Beam Lasers, 5 Missile Mounts

 Muting: Total ummunity to missiles, and invisible till

        detected changing course or firing. After this, ships

        with appropriate sensors can maintain a lock (but an AC

        bonus of -4 still applies).

Free Enterprise { Black Brotherhood Flagship, (3562 sheet)

 Owner: Black Barney, master pirate of the Black Brotherhood.

 Tons: 300, Lng: 600 ft, Wd: 150 ft, Crg: 150 tons

 HP = ( H: 1,200, S/C: 300, C: 300, LS: 600, F: 900, E: 900 )

 AC: 4(6), Crew: 90, Speed: 3, RB: +1, DB: +2

 Weapons(10): 5 Heavy Missile Mounts, 2 K-Cannons,

              2 Hvy Accleration Guns, 1 Gyrocannon

 Starfield Cloak: This device makes the ship 90% invisible to

              all scanners and gives a -10 AC bonus versus all

              weapons but missiles and K-cannons.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

                           BLANK FORM

xxx { xxx, (xxx)

 Tons: x, Lng: x ft, Wd: x ft, Crg: x tons

 HP = ( H: x, S/C: x, C: x, LS: x, F: x, E: x )

 AC: x(x), Crew: x, Speed: x, RB: x, DB: x

 Weapons(): x

-----------------------------------------------------------------

                            LEGAL

This document is intended solely as a quick reference for those

who already own the various XXVc materials, and is not intended

to infringe on any copywrites or trademarks on this now long-dead

game. I encourage everybody to hunt down any of the XXVc material

spawned by the collaborations of the Dille Family Trust,

TSR/WotC/Hasbro, SSI, and others that they can.

XXVc Notebook: (Not So) Great Space Battles

I've been test running space combat during downtime between games, just to get the hang of it. It's pretty straightforward, but there are a couple of odd bits to it. One was the amorphous combat round wherein everyone rolls initiative then moves and/or attacks until their Speed points have been used up. Having done that everyone's Speed points reset, unless reduced by damage to the engine and hull. Repeat until dead. Maybe I'm just not used to it, but it seemed kind of mushy to me. This after just one playtest, though.

Another other odd thing was damage to weapons. Every section of a rocketship has a number of points damage it can sustain before becoming useless except for weapons. According to the rules, any hit on a weapon will destroy it. Maybe I missed something, but that's the way I read it. Here's the line from page 78 of the C&C book-

"Weapon hit: One of the ship's weapons, determined randomly, is destroyed."

There it is. Randomly roll an '8' on the hit location table and you can blast even the biggest of weapons right off the hull of the enemy's ship. That can really suck in a Krait vs Starfire dogfight where each only has one weapon. In fact, that's exactly what happened- I rolled an 8 and effectively ended the combat with one shot.

What my player suggested was to use the damage score of each respective weapon as their hit points. This would mean the mighty k-cannon could take 100 points of damage before being destroyed. I might go one further and say that the damage the weapon can do and the hits it can take are the same thing- so a Missile Mount that took 10 points of damage could only deal 30 points. We'll see how that goes.

In any case, kudos to Ettin of Hexen (who logs webs at Duster Bones, see link to the right) for coming up with such a simple, nifty solution.

Then there are the weapons. You don't roll for damage as you normally would. Each has a set amount of damage that it does. I guess the idea is to keep the action moving. Those that want a more random element to it could convert the damage numbers to die rolls easily enough. All ship's weapons do damage in multiples of 10. We may have to try it that way at some point.

Anyway, showtime is quickly approaching. Time to prepare for the game.
 

XXVc Miniatures!

I was browsing the goods on Shapeways.com and ran across some minis that look suspiciously exactly like some of the ships in the Buck Rogers XXVc rpg.

For example, here's the F-66 Starfire

...here's Admiral Duck Sauce's F-44 Buck

I'm pretty sure this is the actual product...

...and here's his F-69 Starfang

...but this is just a CG model

There are a number of other familiar designs available, in addition to ones that appear to be based, I believe, on Space Cruiser Yamato and they're for sale at Admiral Duck Sauce's shop, so go check 'em out. He also has some sci-fi rpg minis available in different scales, but none that are based on XXVc designs (none that I can tell, anyway.)

There are a bunch of other shops that are of interest to the Ol' Eyeball, but I'll get to them another time.

XXVc Notebook- Saving the Earth

As anyone who has read the XXVc World Book and/or Earth in the 25th Century knows, Mother Earth is in dire straits is 2456 AD. Pollution, disease, warfare (including conventional, nuclear, biological, chemical, etc), a depleted ozone layer... the list is a long one and each has taken a heavy toll. Add to that a drastically depleted human, animal and plant population and you have to start to wonder how it could ever be possible for Earth to recover.

From where I'm sitting, Earth couldn't, especially not with RAM's continued efforts to annihilate the planet's inhabitants. As far as I know (and I'd love it if someone showed me different) no solution is given in the published material beyond the efforts of certain groups such as NEO to throw off RAM's oppression. After that? Who knows. The obvious answer, to me, is the same process that made Mars a more or less livable planet and that is terraforming. Conditions are so bad on Earth that it would take the same colossal effort that made the other planets inhabitable to revive the near-fatally damaged ecosystem.

Failing that, who knows? Say your campaign goes as planned and eventually Mars is defeated or at the very least made to look elsewhere for plunder. Then what? How does NEO even begin the effort? Personally, I never got past the idea of  terraforming, so I have no other answer to give, but I'd like to know what plan the two of you that read this blog would have NEO and friends set into motion. Maybe there is something obvious I'm overlooking. Maybe something not so obvious and I'm just a dumbshit.

Thus I put it to you, dear and loyal readers. How would you handle the situation in your game?

XXVc Community on G+

I created one, on that off chance someone besides me out there is interested in discussing this game. Check it out here, if you dare- XXVc: The 25th Century

XXVc Game Update!

With no rules, no dice, and no character sheet, I actually managed to take my sole player, Rad Randy right to the front door of the heart of this adventure.

Then he turned an ran away. No real explanation or reason, just up and fled the scene.

I'm assured that the trip down the elevator shaft was very exciting, however. Huzzah!

Lazyass Summer Post

I hate summer. I want to do things even less than I normally do in summertime. However, that doesn't keep my swelling, itching brain from annoying me with ideas and new interests. 

Case in point, Hulks & Horrors.

When I first read about it, I thought it sounded kinda pointless and a little stupid, but after grabbing the free version and giving it a scanover, I change my view on it. Now, all I can picture when I think about that game are those shitty 80's sci-fi horror movies like Galaxy of Terror and Inseminoid. Now that has my attention. Not that slick, oh-so-serious transhuman nonsense of Eclipse Phase or the wanna-be Travellerness of Stars Without Number.

No, Hulks & Horrors makes me wanna crawl through dark, greasy access tunnels that are dripping with alien mucous to track down some mythical high-tech McGuffin. The idea that the galaxy has become an endless graveyard waiting to be robbed by opportunistic scumbags has a great appeal to me. I could go on, but I think I'll let this amazing movie trailer wrap up why H&H took such a hold on me.

"Struggling for survival in the infected remains of a diseased universe." I'd say that sums up Hulks & Horrors rather nicely. Also, FUCK YEAH GREEN SLIME! If you haven't seen it, I highly recommend it. 

Everything else is just the usual shit I've been shoveling here for a while- XXVc; Traveller has reared it's ugly head once again (and, no, I don't mean that trainwreck Traveller5) and, new to the roster, but less new than H&H, Star Frontiers.

So, I got all cylinders firing for some hot, wet summer sci-fi action. Whether or not I can complete even one of these goals remains to be seen.

The Fall of the House of Orbus

Well, not quite but close. My venerable old Macintosh desktop may have finally given up the ghost and until I can get it into the shop to have it looked at it may as well be dead. So, I just wanted to let that one guy that sometimes reads this web log that I'll be posting even more sporadically than usual.

In the meantime I have a few ideas that I was about to pounce on, but kinda can't right now as a lot of the initial ideas are trapped in that infernal machine. The last thing I was working on was a Traveller interpretation of Howard Chaykin's early sci-fi effort "Ironwolf", originally published by DC Comics in Weird Worlds, then about 25 years later as a new hardcover graphic novel (with art by Mignola and Russell). It's essentially a cynical 70's take on the Planetary Romance genre complete with swordplay and feudalism and .45 Automatics and some odd ideas about space travel. I'll probably include Chaykin's lively three-issue "Twilight" comic as well, since it relates to the later Ironwolf one-shot.

The other thing I wanna work on is maybe overhauling XXVc's rocketship combat rules. I never used them, but I understand they are lacking. Hopefully it won't involve more than a few new rules inserted at strategic points, rather than having to start from scratch.

Ettin of Hexen (see my web log roll) has vanished and so his Care Bears rpg is on hold, I guess. A shame, too, cuz I happen to think that was a really cool idea, despite having no real interest in Care Bears or anything closely resembling them.

Hopefully, he didn't get eaten by hogs. Cuz hogs will totally eat you, given the opportunity.


Always a pleasure,
OO

FUTURE LIFE

I found this interesting article at io9.com about emerging scientific fields and wondered how they might be utilized in sf rpgs. I'm going to relate them, of course, to those rpgs I'm most familiar with, which in this case happen to be classic Traveller and (if you've been paying attention) Buck Rogers XXVc.

Already I'm thinking that a number of these will be relegated to "background science" since they're not the kinds of things that necessarily make for good adventure stories. On the other hand, never say never. Any of these could potentially make for a good adventure seed, I suppose, but that's the point of this article, innit? Gonna have a look at each one and see if we can find a gem or to inside.


Neuroparasitology- Reminds me of an episode, maybe the pilot, of an old UPN series called The Burning Zone about a team of scientists combatting unusual (i.e. made up) viruses. The story I recall had to do with some kind of parasitical virus that "possessed" people to further some sort of world-domination plot. There's definitely an rpg plot or two to squeeze out of neuroparastiology for just about any sci fi game, I would think. Off the top of my head, I can't think of any Traveller adventures that involved behavior modifying parasites, but I do know that XXVc did cover manufactured viruses in one supplement (Earth in the 25th Century,) so manufactured parasites are a no-brainer.

Quantum Biology- I got nuthin'. Quantum shmantum, might as well be magic.

Exo-Meteorology- This is the kind of science that science fiction sort of renders moot. At least the kind that involves colonized worlds. It's strongly implied that this work was already done many years prior, as it facilitated or helped facilitate colonization on other planetary bodies, including asteroids.

Nutrigenomics- Strictly background science, but interesting stuff, nonetheless.

Cliodynamics- Described in the io9 article as "Asimov's psychohistory come to life," this science has already been exploited in a number of arenas, including comics, tv, and rpgs where it is a tool of Traveller's race of master manipulators, the Hivers. In XXVc, psychohistory (I feel I can dispose with the unnecessary "cliodynamics" in favor of Asimov's already established term) could be utilized by the Venusians, but it seems a little involved for RAM's brute force approach to problem solving.

Synthetic Biology- Probably common in modern sci fi games, this doesn't seem like a good fit with any version of Traveller (except maybe for some Ancients-style monkey business.) This is already integral to the genetic engineering-heavy background of XXVc.

Recombinant Memetics- When I was boy, we called it "propaganda" and we liked it! Maybe my Old Fart-ness is showing, but this just seems like a fancy word for Psy-Ops. In any case, using the word "meme" in any serious context is cause for alarm.

Computational Social Science- Described as "the rigorous investigation of social phenomenon and trends over time." *yawn* See Cliodynamics, above.

Cognitive Economics- NEXT!

Organic Electronics- Okay, if I understand this correctly, it's a more refined form of biomechanics. I suppose in science fiction terms it would be a background science that allows for whatever level of bionics you want, right up to pseudo-biological cybernetics. This makes for nice technobabble and not much else, but it's nice to have some new technobabble to throw around, right?

Quantitative Biology- Another nice bit of t-babble that don't mean sweet fuck all in actual game terms.


(Tune in next time when I analyze how io9 isn't as quite cool as they want us to think they are)

XXVc Notebook- Firefly, part 2

Here's the second half or the crew. I basically gave up on River when it occurred to me that she was not much more than a plot device. I'm sure that would have changed had there ever been a second season, but as she is in the show and movie... plot device. 
As with the part one, some skill are followed by a question mark. Those are ones that I debated were necessary to play the character. I don't think there's a need for a huge list of skill for characters. This is XXVc not GURPS.
 

Inara Serra
6th-level Rogue

STR: 8

INT: 14

DEX: 10

WIS: 15

CON: 12

CHA: 18

TECH: 9

AC           hp

Career Skills
Fast Talk/Convince
Notice
Hide in Shadows
Move Silently

General Skills
General Knowledge
Law?
Literature
Memorize
Act
Distract?
Etiquette
Speak/Read Chinese

Kaywinnet Lee "Kaylee" Frye
12th-level Engineer

STR: 9

INT: 15

DEX: 13

WIS: 12

CON: 14

CHA: 15

TECH: 18

AC           hp

Career Skills
Jury Rig
Notice
Repair Electrical
Repair Life Support
Repair Mechanical
Repair Nuclear Engine

General Skills
Bypass Security
Physics?
Programming?
Ship Lore


Dr. Simon Tam

8th-level Medic

STR: 11

INT: 18?

DEX: 12

WIS: 14

CON: 11

CHA: 12

TECH: 17

AC           hp

Career Skills
Diagnose
Treat Critical Wounds
Treat Light Wounds

Treat Serious Wounds

General Skills

Biology?

Chemisty?

LST

Treat Disease

Treat Poisoning

Treat Stun/Paralysis

Etiquette

River Tam

12th-level Warrior+Rogue+Rocketjock+Engineer+Medic+Scout/Assassin+Technician+Commando+Astronavigator

STR: 10

INT: 22

DEX: 18

WIS: 8

CON: 9

CHA: 8

TECH: 9

AC           hp

Career Skills
All of them

General Skills
All of them

Derrial Book
15th-level Rogue

STR: 15

INT: 16

DEX: 14

WIS: 18

CON: 15

CHA: 12

TECH: 10

AC           hp

Career Skills
Bypass Security
Fast Talk/Convince
Move Silently
Notice

General Skills
Unarmed Combat
Cryptography?
General Knowledge
Literature?
Library Search?
Act
Etiquette?
Intimidate

XXVc Notebook- Firefly, part 1

Okay, here are the crew of Serenity. It was taking me too long to finish these, so I'm just putting them up as is. Everyone's Armor Class would probably all be in the 9-7 range, I figure, since they always just wore regular clothes. Hit points... who cares?

The next thing I'd add would probably be weapons, but there aren't any gunpowder weapons in XXVc. Anyway, here's the first half, the second to follow shortly. Feel free to critique them, I'm sure there are problem areas.

Malcolm "Mal" Reynolds
9th-level Warrior/Rogue

STR: 14
INT: 12
DEX: 16
WIS: 12
CON: 15
CHA: 17
TECH: 10

AC           hp

Career Skills
Battle Tactics
Leadership
Zero G
Notice

General Skills
Brawling
Animal Riding
Drive Jetcar
Intimidate
Astrogation
Animal Training?

Zoe Washburne
9th-level Warrior 

STR: 14

INT: 14

DEX: 15

WIS: 12

CON: 16

CHA: 12

TECH: 10

AC           hp

Career Skills
Battle Tactics
Demolitions
Zero G
Notice
Repair Weapon

General Skills
Brawling
Drive Jetcar
Treat Light Wounds
Intimidate

Hodan "Wash" Washburne
10th-level Rocketjock 

STR: 10

INT: 15

DEX: 16

WIS: 16

CON: 11

CHA: 14

TECH: 16

AC 10         hp

Career Skills
Drive Jetcar
Zero G
Notice
Pilot Rocket

General Skills
Commo Ops
Jury Rig
Repair Computer
Repair Electrical
Sensor Ops
Astrogation

Jayne Cobb
10th-level Warrior 

STR: 18

INT: 9

DEX: 14

WIS: 8

CON: 18

CHA: 10

TECH: 10

AC           hp

Career Skills
Demolitions
Zero G
Move Silently
Repair Weapon

General Skills
Brawling
Drive Heavy Groundcar
Treat Light Wounds
Intimidate
Economics
Tracking

XXVc Notebook- Animal Apercu: Osquip

I'm favoring the old Fiend Folio write-up for the Osquip with this entry and so am only dealing with the six-legged relative of the rat, not the 2e decapod beaver.

OSQUIP

http://www.lomion.de/cmm/ratosqui.php

CONCEIVED PURPOSE: Experiment (failed)

CLIMATE/TERRAIN: Warrens, Ruins, Sewers

FREQUENCY: Uncommon

ORGANIZATION: Pack

ACTIVITY CYCLE: Night

DIET: Omnivore

INTELLIGENCE: Animal

Genotype: Mole rat, shrew and bulldog

Habitat/Terrain: Originally, the osquip was an early experiment in genetic hybridization, with an eye towards creating arable land- the osquips were hoped to build warrens in relatively lifeless soil, breed in large numbers and quickly die, leaving their remains to fertilize the area. However, the best laid plans of osquips and men often go awry, as they say and elements of the bulldog strain became dominant. They eventually escaped into the wild and the rest is history.

Ecology: Osquips were originally conceived as strict carnivores, in the hopes that they wouldn't harm surrounding plantlife, but nature had other plans and they quickly adapted to whatever food was available. They are a common sight in the larger sprawls as well as the occasional orgzone sewer system. In most regards they are like the giant rats they appear to be, avoiding lit, open areas, nesting dark, enclosed spaces and living off whatever source of nourishment they can find. Luckily, osquips were never able to breed any more frequently than the common canine from which they derive many of their characteristics.

Osquip meat tastes like shit, but their hide makes for good leather.