OOC Stuff

[Supercape]

For discussing your thoughts on the story, your player characters, your rolls, and the number 42.

[Supercape]

Re: Aine's stowaway

I like the concept, very much. Especially as this will be a character who has not been "chipped" and is a much more free agent.

The Roma idea is interesting. I am trying to get a grip on why they would stowaway. I wonder if the character has had strange dreams of the old "Non-Euclidian Archtiecture" on Titan, and has had some compulsion to seek them out. Just a suggestion, other idea's would work.

Would be interesting to think about what the colonists (there are only 8 so far) actually think of a rogue factor like a stowaway. Probably leniently but cautiously. Thoughts welcome. We could kick of the thread with being discovered on the latest unmanned supply drop. Again, your thoughts?

[Mr. Handy]

I ran out of time, so I couldn't rebuild my character yet. I hope to do so over the next few days.

You might want to check out my own sci-fi scenario, The Ninth Planet (there's a link in my signature). It was set on Pluto in 2112. Aine was a player in that one.

[aine]

Re Ninth Planet: And I still don't trust mushrooms!

I have my character ready to load up. Where shall I put him? I think, perhaps, some unscrupulous dock hands drugged him and dumped him in a stasis-crate bound for Titan to get him off their own base. He's going to be very cold and mightily pissed off, plus he had some rather uncomfortable dreams on the way over...

Also, he has a high SAN but do you think this will have worn down over years of rough living as he's basically a tramp:



Background: Forty years old, Seth Hazard looks a fair bit older. He's had a hard life, more of a survival really, he's one of the Roma, a loosely connected tribe of space wanderers, homeless nomads who eek out an existence on board ships and spaceports that they manage to get into, doing odd jobs, often menial or distasteful in return for temporary board and sustenance.
No one likes them around as they are reputed to be shifty and untrustworthy. However, it is best not to make an enemy of one because then you find all sorts of little things going wrong, missing or malfunctioning; best just to put up with the scoundrel, give him some work and food and then one day he'll be gone, as mysteriously as he arrived.
Seth has a natural talent for electronics and computer science; this makes him very good at getting into places he shouldn't. He has plenty of experience of the realities of deep space, can find his way round almost every model of ship and installation, he's visited most of them, and can turn his hand to most kinds of work. A life in space has stunted his growth somewhat; he is very slight, undernourished but he has a wiry strength and indefatigable constitution; he has learnt to thrive on not a lot. He's a canny fellow, can see which way the wind is blowing and has no illusions how others view him.

[Supercape]

I love the idea that he was ejected into space by the last space station he pissed off! "Send him to Titan, boys!"

For the purposes of the setting I would like to keep this from being too "far future" sci-fi. So whilst you can expect Mars and Venus and the Moon to have well established colonies / bases, and there to be a far few large space stations around the inner planets; there is no FTL travel and colonies on the outer planets are recent / rare.

[Yuggoth / Pluto of course will be a special case...nobody has been able to land there???]

So perhaps he was a space tramp on the moon, or in one of the great orbital space stations around Earth.

Great photo by the way, I can very much dig this guy! I would put the draft character in this thread just so we can all check him over (without being too anal about it), and then Ill create a thread for the finished product, if that suits?

[aine]

Here's his summary of skills etc:

Seth Hazard

Characteristics:
STR: 13
CON: 14
SIZ: 9
DEX: 17
APP: 9
INT: 16 (idea 80)
POW: 16 (Luck - 80)
EDU: 14+2=16 (Know - 80) [includes +2 from age]

Sanity: 80-1-=70
Maximum Sanity: 99
Hit Points: 12
Magic Points: 16
Damage Bonus: 0

Computer use (20%): 50%
Conceal (15%): 25%
Craft tools(05%): 35%
Credit Rating (15%):
Dodge (DEX x 2%): 34%
Drive ATV (20%): 40%
Electrical/mechanical Repair (10%): 50%
Electronics (01%): 51%
Fast Talk (05%): 25%
First Aid (30%): 40%
Hide (10%): 50%
Jump (25%): 35%
Listen (25%): 35%
Operate Heavy Machinery (01%): 31%
Own Language: English (EDU x 5%): 80%
Persuade (15%): 35%
Pilot T-Prop(01%): 41%
Psychology (05%): 35%
Sneak (10%): 50%
Spot Hidden (25%):
Scanning (20%):
Sub-Light Piloting (20%):
knife: (25%): 55%
Pistol (30%) 50%


Clothes. Boots. Thermal suit. Shiny Medallion, Concealed Nasty Fighting Knife, and powerful lipstick torch

[Supercape]

Great stuff. Like the Small SIZ.

Mechanically, I note a few things: I don't think we will be using the fabricator skill (more a case of using science and repair skills, or craft if its something specific). Locksmith fits, but not sure if there will be any mechanical locks around! Pistol skill is I think technically "Plasma Pistol?"

Also it looks like you have overspent on skills, although I am not sure about this. Feel free to adjust your skills or have another point or two in EDU to compensate. You might wish to consider (if shaving points), if he is new to Titan, how he learned to pilot the customised craft ("T-Prop") as Titan is pretty unique in the solar system (Low gravity, dense atmosphere). I guess if he is a natural and knows how to fly earth helicopters he could justify some skill in it? (your call).

As for equpiment, You can assume that Clothes boots. Multitools and Exosuits are available! A multitool includes a torch, but I guess Seth might have a small powerful custom torch (like a lipstick sized thing) given he likes sliding around in access and ventilation tunnels. As for Knife, I would suggest saying something like "Concealed shank" or "Hidden Pen Knife", effectively a small knife 1d4+db damage - although if you meant he carries around a more nasty / large fighthing knife- that is possible although such a thing would probably be confiscated under lock and key on the base (until it becomes apparent that there are nasty things crawling around in the ventilation ducts, in which case everyone will want his knife...) Also the multitool can be used as a small knife (that said, having an extra hidden shank in your belt or boot probably fits this guy...). Not sure what a survival bar or the medallion is? (although a medallion could be a handy garrotte? )

Feel free to lower sanity or add in a nuerosis / phobia as you see fit. He sounds like a robust strong willed guy justifying high POW, but as you say, his recent experiences may have ground him down a little? (5-10 SAN loss maybe?)

Thoughts?

[aine]

Good spot! I'd doubled up on the extra age points so I have shaved various skills. I've given him skills that he's acquired over the years working in various facilities, I didn't realise the T-prop was specific to Titan, thought it was a futuristic helicopter and he has used these crop spraying for a few years - he might be able to adapt with a penalty or time spent reading the manual? I've changed fabrication to craft...um...tools?? He has a small fighting knife because he's often in less than salubrious places. Survival bar is food and the medallion could be! I've taken 10 off SAN for general wear and tear.

[Supercape]

Craft tools works for me; I presume this means he can build hand held tools and the like?

the T Prop thing - I wouldn't worry about it unduly. My logic was that Titan is so unique for air flight (low gravity, thick atmosphere) that helicopters would be customised to that environment. For the purposes of the game however, its rather irrelevant as you won't be going back to earth or Venus and picking up a different model! It would be entirely reasonable to have some Pilot T-Prop skill based on the fluff that he knows how to pilot a regular helicopter and has a knack for improvisation and low gravity.

Only other technical issues I can see is that Computer Use has a base skill of 01%, and for some reason I still add up as overspent on skills but again, thats easily remidied if you wish.

I would suggest updating Euqipment to: Shiny Medallion, Concealed Nasty Fighting Knife, and Headband torch (or something)? You can pretty much assume that multi tools, food packets, and Exosuits are freely available (for neatness sake keeping it to the stuff he always carries that is "unique" to him?) Again, your call.

[Wumpus]

Hey guys!

Here's my character sheet for Hattie Barton, the colony's biologist. Hattie runs the fungal growth lab to produce food for the colony. She also privately cultivates unauthorized specimens for recreational use and has developed a bit of a reputation in the colony as a result. I will flesh the character out a bit more when I have the time.

Character Name: Hattie Barton
Age: 28
Mission Role: Biologist(Mycology)
Mission Time: 6 Months

Characteristics:
STR: 9
CON: 12
SIZ: 9
DEX: 15
APP: 15
INT: 17 (idea 85)
POW: 15 (Luck - 75)
EDU: 16

Sanity: 75
Maximum Sanity: 99
Hit Points: 11
Magic Points: 15
Damage Bonus: 0

Astronomy (01%):01%
Biology(01%): 61%
Chemistry(01%): 41%
Computer use (20%): 45%
Communications(20%): 20%
Conceal (15%): 15%
Dodge (DEX x 2%): 30%
Drive ATV (20%): 20%
Electrical/mechanical Repair (10%): 10%
Electronics (01%): 36%
Fast Talk (05%): 35%
First Aid (30%): 30%
Hide (10%): 35%
Jump (25%): 25%
Listen (25%): 40%
Library Usage (25%) 45%
Operate Heavy Machinery (01%): 01%
Own Language: English (EDU x 5%): 85%
Persuade (15%): 15%
Pharmacy (01%): 61%
Pilot T-Prop(01%): 01%
Psychology (05%): 05%
Sneak (10%): 10%
Spot Hidden (25%): 35%
Scanning (20%): 20%
Hand-to-Hand:
knife: (25%): 25%
Plasma Pistol (30%) 30%

[Supercape]

Welcome aboard.

Hattie looks like a funky character, I like the illegal drugs she is cultivating. Feel free to expand on that; perhaps she has some superpowerful sedative she uses or a hallucinogen or something. Feel free to cut her SAN a bit from its usage (if you feel it is appropriate)

The only issues I can see is essentially there is a considerable underspend on skills (from INTx10 general interest and EDUx20 occupation)?

Also, I have computer use down as a base 1% from 6th Ed; is it 20%?

[Wumpus]

Oh, I think I just multiplied EDU by 10 instead of 20. I will make the adjustment when I get home. I think you're also correct about the computer usage role although it really doesn't make any sense in the context of the setting. I can't imagine that there are many people, let alone astronauts, who wouldn't have even a basic understanding of computers at this point.

[Supercape]

Oh, I think I just multiplied EDU by 10 instead of 20. I will make the adjustment when I get home. I think you're also correct about the computer usage role although it really doesn't make any sense in the context of the setting. I can't imagine that there are many people, let alone astronauts, who wouldn't have even a basic understanding of computers at this point.

Its a fair point. My understanding of "Computer Usage" skill from the rule book is that everyone can use a computer, but this skill is specifically for programming or hacking - which I guess is more of a specialist skill?

Anyway it all looks cool to me the major thing to riff on is secret fungus cultivation, so anything you can elucidate on that for the purposes of fun role play would be great!

[Mr. Handy]

You're right about Computer Use. It's for coding/hacking, not for normal everyday use.

I should be able to get my character up this weekend.

[aine]

Ok I've edited Seth Hazard above. Sorry about the figures, comes from doing it on various backs of envelopes and changing my mind on skills. I'll add photo and other base skills to the final sheet.

[Supercape]

Ok I've edited Seth Hazard above. Sorry about the figures, comes from doing it on various backs of envelopes and changing my mind on skills. I'll add photo and other base skills to the final sheet.

Cheers - it still adds up overspent to me? Don't want to get to bogged down but if you could give it the once over again maybe? The only other things I note is that Computer Use is base 1% (see above?). My only other suggestion is that this guy looks like he should have a very high Fast Talk , unless you would like to play him as a sneaky devil who gets tongue tied ("I was just stealing some..ahh...I mean...I was just borrowing...")_

[Mr. Handy]

Character creation rolls (STR, CON, POW, DEX, APP, SIZ, INT, EDU) (3d6=14, 3d6=15, 3d6=13, 3d6=12, 3d6=9, 2d6+6=14, 2d6+6=9, 3d6+3=14)

Name: Samantha Golightly
Age: 30
Sex: Female
Occupation: Engineer
Current Residence: Titan Colony



Characteristics:
STR: 14
CON: 15
SIZ: 14
DEX: 12
APP: 9
INT: 15 (Idea - 75)
POW: 13 (Luck - 65)
EDU: 15 (Know - 75) [includes +1 from age]

Sanity: 65
Maximum Sanity: 99
Hit Points: 15
Magic Points: 13
Damage Bonus: +1D4

Background: Samantha Golightly is a tall, muscular woman with short red hair. She has always been shy and lacking in social skills, but she makes up for that with courage, a thirst for discovery, and obsession with her chosen profession. She is a skilled engineer, and she jumped at the chance to travel to Titan and explore a new world. She came with the most recent batch of new arrivals after undergoing extensive training for the mission.

Skills: (Non-default skills BOLD, Professional Skills ITALICS, Hobbies preceded by a DOT)
Accounting (10%):
Anthropology (01%):
Archaeology (01%):
Art (05%):
Astronomy (01%):
Bargain (05%):
Biology (01%):
Chemistry (01%): 26%
Climb (40%):
.Communications (20%): 55%
Computer Use (01%):
Conceal (15%):
Craft (05%):
Credit Rating (15%):
Cthulhu Mythos (00%):
Disguise (01%):
Dodge (DEX x 2%): 24%
.Drive ATV (20%): 45%
Electronics (01%): 51%
Fast Talk (05%):
First Aid (30%):
Geology (01%): 41%
Hide (10%):
History (20%):
.Jump (25%): 55%
Law (05%):
Library Use (25%): 50%
Listen (25%):
Locksmith (01%):
Medicine (20%):
Natural History (10%):
Navigate (10%):
Occult (05%):
Operate Heavy Machine (01%): 51%
Other Language (01%):
Own Language: English (EDU x 5%): 75%
Persuade (15%):
Pharmacy (01%):
Photography (10%):
Physics (01%): 41%
Pilot T-Prop (01%):
Pilot Starship (01%):
Psychotherapy (01%):
Psychology (05%):
Repair (20%): 60%
Ride (05%):
Scanning (20%): 50%
Sneak (10%):
.Spot Hidden (25%): 55%
Swim (25%):
Throw (25%):
Track (10%):

Hand-to-Hand:
Fist/Punch (50%):
Grapple (25%):
Head Butt (10%):
Kick (25%):
Knife (25%):

Firearms:
Machine Gun (15%):
.Plasma Pistol (30%): 60%
Rifle (25%):
Shotgun (30%):
SMG (15%):

Equipment:
Multiscanner
Multitool
St. Chistropher medallion
Weight set (in her quarters)

[Supercape]

This all adds up perfectly to me!

My only request is could you add mission time at the top (I presume its something like a week or a month as she is in new arrivals?)

Ill put up Player CHaracter thread.

Wumpus / Aine, your characters are nearly ready? just a few outstanding points as above; I don't want to get to bogged down to much in character creation of course. Let me know what you want.

[Mr. Handy]

I realized that I wouldn't have been able to bring a weight set to Titan. Anything massive enough to provide a decent workout in Titan's low gravity would have been too much to add to the ship. I'll just change that to unspecified exercise equipment.

Quite right! Weight is at a premium for space travel. I would add that the base recreation/common rooms will have some exercise equipment - I would guess resistance stuff using rubber bands or springs (very effective if you know how). Of course she could have her own stuff too.

[Supercape]

Ooops accidentally edit rather than quote of your post MrHandy, I am sorry. STill, it is preserved!