Space Force 2010

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Prince Charon
Posts: 61
Joined: Tue Jun 02, 2020 1:45 am

Space Force 2010

Post by Prince Charon »

In 1989, aliens resembling creatures from myth and fantasy came to Earth in spacecraft that they called 'spelljammers.' Many stayed on Earth to teach, and to enjoy the relative peace and safety of this world. In the twenty-one years since, humanity has learned much. Now, we send out our own spelljammers to the stars. Their mission: to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life, and new civilizations, to boldly go where no-one has gone, before!

(In our history, TSR brought out an AD&D supplement called Spelljammer, about fantasy spacecraft, in 1989. In the timeline of the setting, actual spelljammers arrived on Earth, instead.)

Spelljammer.org

Spelljammer Wiki

3.5e Spelljammer on DandD Wiki
5e Spelljammer on DandD Wiki

I'm currently imagining this as a PL6 campaigne with few or no powers beyond some Devices and racial or 'class' abilities, though PL7 or 8 with limited powers is an option. Spellcasting will generally involve the Ritualist and Benefit (Readied Rituals) advantages.

The default idea is that the PCs are the senior officers (and perhaps one or two senior NCOs) of a Space Force/NASA armed explorer (blatantly Star Trek style, as implied above), but if the players prefer, junior officers (NCOs, enlisted) are an option, and civilians in this setting might also be explorers, possibly space merchants looking for new markets, or just curious folk out to go beyond Known Space. Likewise, they could be military personnel for some other space service, spelljamming crews from other worlds, colonists looking for/building a new home, and so forth.

The physics of the setting can be thought of as 'real life, plus magic,' rather than the weird variant that Spelljammer uses. No phlogiston, no crystal spheres surrounding star systems, and the gravity plane and air sphere are spells cast on the vessels, rather than products of how the universe works (and thus work differently on individual vehicles).


The Tech Level and Equipment Availability chart in the Cosmic Handbook (p32) is one of those areas in which I feel that M&M goes too far in the direction of 'less granular,' so as an option, I suggest using the Progress Levels system from d20 Future (abbreviated 'PrL,' to avoid confusion with Power Levels), or the Technology Level system from GURPS (abbreviated TL), unless you and your players agree that the difference will not be that important in your game. Modern Earth in-setting is d20 PrL5 or GURPS TL8, with various technomagic items that in many cases imitate tech from higher PrLs. Most of the cultures in Known Space are PrL2 or TL3, roughly equivalent to the Middle Ages, which gives Earth a fairly significant advantage over them. (A few worlds are more advanced, like Eberron, which is roughly in the area of PrL4 or TL5, while still being pretty much Tech Level 0 - or 'between 0 and 1' - on the M&M scale.) On the other hand, living on monster-filled death worlds as they do has lead many alien races (and a number of individual aliens) to develop Powers of their own, rather than being dependent on equipment, rituals, and Devices.
Prince Charon
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Joined: Tue Jun 02, 2020 1:45 am

Re: Space Force 2010

Post by Prince Charon »

Timeline

1989: The first spelljammer to contact Earth is the Faerunian vessel Mystra's Laughter, landing in Hawai'i. Among other things, the crew are given a world map, and warned to avoid certain nations because 'they don't make good deals.' The captain-owner decides to direct his rivals & enemies to those nations. Some crewmembers choose to remain on Earth.

1990: The Calufrax, a spelljammer made from the hollowed-out corpse of an ancient red dragon of that name (and owned by a rival of the captain-owner of Mystra's Laughter) lands in Russia, outside Moscow.

1991: First (confirmable) local Ritualists trained. First Earthborn half-elf born in Nevada.

1993: First (confirmable) local Artificers trained.

1995: First Earth-built Spelljamming Helm created.

1996: United States Space Force formed from the US Space Command, and space assets of all US armed services.

1997: Space Shuttle OV-101 Enterprise adapted into a spelljammer. First Psions arrive on Earth, and begin teaching. The style rapidly becomes popular.

1999: Discovery that it is possible to become an Artificer without first becoming a Ritualist. After many in-system tests, Enterprise performs a survey of the Alpha Centauri trinary system, and surprisingly discovers a reasonably-habitable planet orbiting Alpha Centauri A, and a mostly uninhabitable planet, resembling an easter egg with a band of habitable territory, tidally locked with Proxima Centauri.

2000: The worlds discovered by Enterprise the previous year are named 'Centaurus' and 'Easter Planet,' respectively. First contact between Earth and Eberron vessels occurs (Enterprise and Vedykar Beauty; the latter agrees to accompany Enterprise back to Earth, to open trade negotiations).

2001: Treaty of Canberra ratified, creating the Royal Commonwealth Space Forces.

2003: Airbus Pachyderm Long-range Transport (spelljammer) becomes available. Mars Terraforming Project begins, despite protests, both coherent and incoherent.

2004: Boeing Conestoga Colony Transport comes on the market. First units lack spelljamming systems, and are used on Mars.

2005: Venus Terraforming Project begins.

2006: The Kingdom of Karrnath on Eberron successfully test-detonates a crude atomic device.

2007: Cyberpsi developed by a Psion on Earth.

2008: SM-69 Declaration Long-range Multirole Spaceplane enters service.

2010: Present day.
Prince Charon
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Re: Space Force 2010

Post by Prince Charon »

The United States Space Force was formed in the 1990s, from the US Space Command and the space assets of the US Air Force, Army, and Navy. Ranks are based primarily on those of the US Air Force, with some modification. The space militaries of other Earth nations will tend to have similar templates.

Basic Space Force Template

No attribute below 0.
Stamina, Agility, and Intellect must not be below 1.
Will and Toughness must not be below 2.
Dodge, Parry, and Fortitude must not be below 3.


Advantages:

Benefit (Military Rank)
Benefit (Advanced Technology)

(Most military Ritualists will have some level of Benefit (Readied Ritual), usually equal to PL, as will many alien Ritualists. Personnel serving in an interstellar spacecraft must also have the Artificer advantage.)


Skills:

Acrobatics +2
Atheletics +2
Close Combat (unarmed, grab, knife) +3
Ranged Combat (firearms, blasters, throw, grenades, vehicular weapons) +4
Expertise (Astronaut) +5
Expertise (various, as appropriate for crew position) +6
Technology +4 (+6 for Engineering NCOs, +8 for Engineering officers)
Treatment +3
Vehicles +2

(Personnel serving in an interstellar spacecraft must also have Expertise (Technurgy) equal to Technology skill, as they may be called on to assist in repairing, jerry-rigging, or enchanting technomagical equipment. If crew position requires regular use of a skill, the minimum bonus will tend to be higher, in the +6 to +8 range - though someone newly transferred to that department might have a lower skill. On vehicles with smaller crews, Expertise (Astrogation) is often a required skill for all personnel.)


Equipment:

Multitool
Smartphone
Survival knife
Vacuum suit
Shared EP (Spacecraft or Starbase)
Other equipment, as appropriate for crew position


Complication:

Duty
You are part of the crew of a deployed spacecraft, with the duties and responsibilities thereof.



Benefit (Military Rank) (modified from the chart in Golden Age, p43):

US Space Force Ranks - +Wealth Bonus

0 Spaceman Basic, Spaceman, or Spaceman First Class - +0
1 Senior Spaceman - +0
2 Sergeant (any grade) - +0
3 Warrant Officer; Second or First Lieutenant - +0
4 Lieutenant Major - +1
5 Major or Lt. Colonel - +1
6 Colonel or Brigadier General - +1
7 Major General - +2
8 Lieutenant General - +2
9 General - +2
10 General of the Space Force - +2

(A Spaceman Basic is insufficiently trained to be assigned to an interstellar vessel, though a full Spaceman may be. On some vessels, the lowest rank will actually be Spaceman First Class.

Lt. Major replaces the rank of Captain, which is instead used as the positional title for the commanding officer of a vessel designed for interplanetary or interstellar travel. The commander of a shuttle not intended for either (often a Warrant Officer or NCO) may hold a positional title of 'coxswain.' Either may be informally called 'skipper.' For most campaignes, PCs probably shouldn't start with Military Rank higher than 5, the usual rank for the Captain of a large interstellar spacecraft.

NASA astronauts assigned to Space Force vessels are generally ranked as Warrant Officers, but may be given an acting commission. In both cases, they have Benefit (Military Rank), because the distinction is more something that should be roleplayed than roll-played. They share the same template, save that they are not required to have combat skills (though most can at least operate a stunner competently), Dodge may be as low as 1, and Parry may be as low as 0, but Intellect must not be below 2. Those with an acting commission must have the same minimums as active military personnel, save for INT, which must still be at least 2. Such officers often hold the post of Mission Specialist or Science Officer, serving as liaison between the Captain and the science team. Some also serve as Executive Officer.)


Royal Commonwealth Space Forces

The RCSF were formed by the Treaty of Canberra (2001), to allow the Commonwealth of Nations to present a united front to the galaxy (and a unified budget, allowing Commonwealth members who have little or no military or very little money to still have a presence in space). Interstellar spacecraft often have crews from several Commonwealth nations. The most significant Commonwealth members to not join the Treaty are India and Pakistan, who maintain separate forces.

RCSF Ranks - +Wealth Bonus

0 Spacecraftman or Spacecraftwoman (any grade) - +0
1 Junior Technician, Lance Corporal, or Corporal - +0
2 Sergeant (any grade), Technician, Chief Technician, Warrant Officer, or Master Spacecrew - +0
3 Acting Pilot Officer, Pilot Officer, or Flying Officer - +0
4 Flight Lieutenant - +1
5 Squadron Leader or Wing Commander - +1
6 Group Captain or Space Commodore - +1
7 Space Vice-Marshal - +2
8 Space Marshal - +2
9 Space Chief Marshal - +2
10 Marshal of the RCSF - +2

Other major Earth military space services include the Brazilian Space Navy, Soviet Rocket Forces, the PRC's People's Liberation Army Space Corps, European Space Command, Indian Space Force, Japan's Space Exploration and Development Agency (technically not a military, but they are armed, uniformed, organized in a paramilitary fashion, and defend Japanese interests in the wider galaxy), and the ASEAN Combined Star Service (which exists for much the same reasons as the RCSF and the European Space Command).


Navy-style Ranks - +Wealth Bonus

0 Seaman (most grades, or all grades in some services) - +0
1 Leading Seaman (aka Leading Rate, or Petty Officer Third Class in some services) - +0
2 Petty Officer (any grade) - +0
3 Midshipman or Ensign - +0
4 Lieutenant (any grade) - +1
5 Lieutenant Commander or Commander - +1
6 Captain or Commodore - +1
7 Rear Admiral - +2
8 Vice Admiral - +2
9 Admiral - +2
10 Fleet Admiral (aka Grand Admiral, Admiral of the Fleet, et cetra) - +2

(This is a generic example, specific services vary.)



Benefit (Advanced Technology) references the fact that Earth is one M&M Tech Level (or three d20 Progress Levels, or five GURPS TLs) above most of the rest of the setting, and the PCs are assumed to be interacting with people from lower PrLs a lot. The number of Tech Levels, PrLs, or TLs you are above most of the people you are likely to interact with outside the crew/party determines the level of the Advantage, so you need to know which one your GM is using before you finalize your character. In a game set on Earth, native humans would not have this benefit, but someone from the wider galaxy living on an advanced world like Earth or Eberron would have a Complication like 'Primitive Technology,' and take a penalty to Technology and some other skill rolls (or just fail outright), when trying to deal with most modern equipment or vehicles. (Of course, most modern humans would have a great deal of difficulty trying to perform medieval forgework, or stone age flint-knapping, without training.) The Complication may be dropped once the player and GM agree that the character has had sufficient time and education to get used to more advanced technology.


Expertise (Astronaut) covers all the things you really need to know when living in space, like how to put on a vacuum suit in a hurry, how to notice and patch leaks, what to do if the radiation alarm sounds or the gravity malfunctions (Acrobatics is useful in low- and microgravity, Athletics in heavy gravity), escape pod operations, how to recognize life-support problems and what to do if you find one, et cetra. Magic usually makes air leaks very unlikely, and other problems likewise, but nothing is certain.
Prince Charon
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Re: Space Force 2010

Post by Prince Charon »

Common Expertises and Specialties

Format explanation:
X (base Expertise skill)
- Y (specialization of X)
-- Z (specialization of Y)

(Depending on the GM, some specializations may be grouped together as a single skill, or dropped entirely; specialists generally have a lower DC for matters within their specialty, but a higher DC for related matters outside of it.)

Accounting
Administration
Arcane
- Alchemy (most specializations are Artificer disciplines)
-- Eastern Alchemy
--- Nei-tan (Chinese Internal Alchemy, Ritualist discipline)
-- Western Alchemy
-- Herb Lore (folk alchemy, varies widely by culture and region, generally cheaper and faster but less powerful and reliable)
- Magic (the numerous spellcasting disciplines, most of which are good for both Ritualists and Artificers)
-- Adandic Thaumaturgy (Earth name for a group of related styles common to many aliens, and taught on Earth)
--- Abjuration
--- Conjuration
---- Calling
---- Creation
---- Summoning
---- Teleportation
--- Divination
---- Scrying
--- Enchantment
---- Charm
---- Compulsion
--- Evocation
---- (specific element)
--- Illusion
---- Figment
---- Glamer
---- Pattern
---- Phantasm
---- Shadow
--- Necromancy
---- Healing (in some Adandic styles, a subschool of Conjuration, Evocation, or Transmutation, instead)
--- Transmutation
-- Bardsong
-- Druidic Lore (also commonly used by rangers, and other nature-focused casters)
-- Psionics (a common style group on Earth, less so among the aliens)
--- Attunement (Artificer discipline)
--- Clairsentience
--- Metacreativity
--- Metapsionics
---- Probability Alteration (rare among those aliens who practice Psionics, but less rare among Earth humans)
---- Psychic Vampirism (draining power and energy from others to heal or temporarily enhance the user)
--- Psychokinesis
---- Cyberpsi (Psionic control of computers and electronics, developed on Earth)
--- Psychometabolism
---- Psychic Healing
--- Psychoportation
--- Telepathy
-- Runelore (spellcasting using mystic symbols to focus the power; often used with other styles from the same culture)
--- Futhark
--- Ogham
--- Gematria
--- Tengwar
--- (specific lexicon/style)
-- Theurgy (faith-based spellcasting, based on Awareness)
--- (specific religion or philoshophy)
--- Air Domain
--- Animal Domain
--- Chaos Domain
--- Death Domain
--- Destruction Domain
--- Earth Domain
--- Evil Domain
--- Fire Domain
--- Good Domain
--- Healing Domain
--- Knowledge Domain
--- Law Domain
--- Luck Domain
--- Magic Domain
--- Plant Domain
--- Protection Domain
--- Strength Domain
--- Sun Domain
--- Travel Domain
--- Trickery Domain
--- War Domain
--- Water Domain
- Occult (can serve as an Artificer and/or Ritualist discipline, at a higher DC)
-- (specific culture)
-- Fortune-Telling
--- Astrology
--- Cartomancy
---- Tarot
--- Necromancy (divination by talking to ghosts)
--- Rune-casting (often paired with Runelore, above)
--- Technomancy (divination by using or observing technology)
--- (Many others)
-- Mystic Architecture (Artificer discipline)
-- Mystic Craftsmanship (Artificer discipline)
-- Spirits
-- Technurgy (Magical technology, Artificer discipline, very common among Earth's spelljammer crews)
-- the Planes
- Thaumatology (Scientific study of magic; also a Science specialty)
Architecture
Astronaut
Current Events
History
Literature
Meditation
Nature
Navigation
Philosophy
- (specific philosophy, useful for some faith-based magics)
Science!
- Anthropology
-- (specific culture)
-- Xenology
- Archaeology
-- (specific culture)
-- Xenoarchaeology
- Astronomy
-- Astrogation (space navigation)
-- Astrography (political starmapping)
- Biology
-- Agronomy
-- Biochemistry
-- Bioengineering
-- Biophysics
-- Botany
-- Cryptobiology
-- Ecology
-- Genetics
-- Marine Biology
-- Paleontology
-- Xenobiology
-- Zoology
- Chemistry
-- Analytical Chemistry
-- Biochemistry (also a Biology skill)
-- Inorganic Chemistry
-- Magical Chemistry (see also Alchemy)
-- Materials Chemistry
-- Neurochemistry
-- Nuclear Chemistry
-- Organic Chemistry
-- Physical Chemistry
-- Theoretical Chemistry
- Criminology
-- Forensics
- Cryptography (often studied with Cryptology, below)
- Economics
- Geography
-- (specific region)
-- Xenogeography
--- (specific planet)
- Linguistics
-- (specific region or language group)
-- Xenolinguistics
--- (specific region or language group)
- Mathematics
-- Applied
-- Computer Science
-- Cryptology (often studied with Cryptography, above)
-- Statistics
-- Surveying
-- (numerous other, less common mathematical disciplines)
- Meteorology
- Military Science
- Physics
-- Astrophysics
-- Classical Physics
-- Geophysics
-- Nuclear Physics
-- Quantum Mechanics
-- Warp Physics (may replace with Hyperspace Physics; whatever it is, it's the FTL science)
- Planetology
- Political Science
- Psychology
- Sociology
- Thaumatology (Scientific study of magic; also an Arcane specialty)
Strategy
Tactics
Theology
- (specific religion, useful for most faith-based magics)
Prince Charon
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Joined: Tue Jun 02, 2020 1:45 am

Re: Space Force 2010

Post by Prince Charon »

Languages

All languages known to our Earth are also known in this setting, and some extinct languages are known in more detail, due to the use of magic, and due to variants of some of these languages not being extinct on other human-inhabited worlds.

In addition, there are a number of alien languages available:

C'Ahmn, the lingua franca of the spaceways, is a tongue pronounceable to varying degrees by most known races, though it favors humans and most humanoids. Resembling English in structure, the vocabulary seems to be entirely composed of words borrowed and modified from other languages.

Giff, the tongue of the eponymous race of wanderers.

Vs'shtak, the language of the Dragons, commonly called 'draconic' in English.

Yphesti, language of the Desert Elves of the planet Yphesti.


I'm still deciding on others, probably including the major D&D languages. Suggestions?
Prince Charon
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Re: Space Force 2010

Post by Prince Charon »

Powers

Powers in this setting should mostly be Devices and Racial abilities, with the occasional Talent Power, or rare abilities like Quickness (Mental Tasks Only) or Quickness (Single Task Only); possible examples of the latter include Rituals Only or Artificing Only. Optionally, there may also be Class-specific powers, if the players want that. Either way, Artificer and Ritualist are far more common (though frequently-used rituals may well become a permanent part of the caster's aura, justifying in-story the player choosing to buy that power for the character).

If a ritual or artifact is already in your spellbook, library, or whatever, you do not need to make a design roll to use it again, as long as you can find it. Depending on the size and organization of the library you're using, however, you may need to make a research roll of some sort. A modern computer library could search itself for you in a turn or two, and would not require a roll, but lower-tech libraries are rarely so convenient or well-organized (and those that are, often have spiritual or demonic librarians, who may not steer you to precisely what you want, or even what you truly need). This applies just as much to psionics and faith-based magics as it does to arcane spellcasting (although demonic librarians are far less common, save in the libraries of 'evil' deities).


Magic and Psionics are objectively different ways of using the same energy (and use mostly the same mechanics), but are seen as different powers, and have differences that are mostly below the scale of M&M's simulation. Notably, anti-magic effects are less effective, or totally ineffective, against psionics, and anti-psionic effects likewise have difficulties with magic. Natural philosophers (and scientists) who have studied them suggest that magic involves invoking external forces, while psionics uses internal power. This is mostly correct, but there is significant overlap between them.


Faith-based magics tend to be more specialized than Arcane or Psionics, with the specialties mostly depending on the deity or philosophy you follow, and how you view that source. In general, faith-casters get circumstance bonuses on Healing, Turn Undead, Lay to Rest, and other stereotypical 'Divine caster' abilities, as well as powers the deity or philosophy is particularly associated with in the mind of the caster. However, they will receive no bonus for abilities the source is only distantly connected to, and circumstance penalties in areas that the caster does not associate the source with, or believes it is opposed to.
Prince Charon
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Joined: Tue Jun 02, 2020 1:45 am

Re: Space Force 2010

Post by Prince Charon »

Blasters

These technomagical energy weapons (also called phasers, lasers, ray guns, zap guns, and so forth) are common in police use on Earth, as well as most Terran space services. They can be set to stun or kill, do not require ammunition, only energy (an important concern when space and mass are at a premium, as in most spacecraft), and have no discernible recoil (a concern in microgravity). A simple Technology roll (DC 15) with a multitool can modify most blasters to use as tools, for cutting, drilling, or welding, as well as emitting a narrower or wider beam (some - usually more expensive - models can do this without a roll, by turning a knob or flipping a switch; this is the case with standard-issue USSF and RCSF blasters).

Military and some police blasters can be 'hotshotted' by operating a concealed switch; this doubles the blaster's damage (or Affliction, if set to stun), but will render the weapon a paperweight or awkward spear or club in at most five shots, and may do Damage 1 or 2 to the user's hands, due to the heat (vacuum suit gloves will completely protect, and be undamaged, and some military blasters have good enough heat-venting to inflict no damage to the user). Non-military blasters can be hotshotted with a Technology roll (again, DC 15), but they tend to become inaccurate (sometimes as bad as -5 to Ranged Combat skill, unless a critical success is made on the Technology roll). Repairs in either case need a DC 20 Technology roll, and require replacement parts. Some cheap, illegal blasters with low quality parts are hotshotted to start with, intentionally disposable, but will explode on a critical failure, doing the blaster's hotshotted damage to the user (these blasters do not necessarily have decent heat-venting). Illegally-modified blasters (and hand-made blasters intended for the criminal market), whether reusable or not, are often called 'ghetto blasters,' due in part to the efforts of various rap artists (most of whom have never committed even a single violent offense).

One common variant of the blaster types below is the stunner, a weapon that has a stun setting only, and is frequently made to be difficult to tamper with. While these can be modified to have a kill setting (DC 20 on the Technology roll, which voids the warranty and may lead to criminal charges if caught; failure damages the stunner, requiring replacement parts, and a critical failure ruins it), this tends to impact their reliability (Unreliable with an activation roll, unless a critical success was made on the Technology roll). Civilian stunners can be hotshotted (DC 20 if not already modded, DC 25 if modified to have a kill setting), but tend to fail after one or two shots (five if you got a critical success on the Technology roll), and will become inaccurate on anything less than a natural 20 on the Technology roll. Many civilian stunners transmit their GPS coordinates to the police when fired outside of a firing range or other such location, or when tampered with. As a result of all this, stunners are often street-legal in areas where firearms or normal blasters are not.

Man-portable blasters are roughly standardized into four types:

Hold-out Blasters are small (size rank -6, a few at the low end of -5), easily concealed weapons, some models of which can be mounted to a Picatinny rail or equivalent. Most are not pistol-shaped, more resembling a rod, oblong, or a small remote control, mp3 player, or similar unrelated gadget (which may or may not be able to function as the item it appears to be). Almost none have Multiattack. Hold-out stunners are very common.
Affliction 5 on stun, Damage 3 on kill.

Blaster pistols are about as big as a normal pistol (size rank -5), and generally are pistol-shaped, with the power cell either in the grip, below the barrel, or partly or fully surrounding the barrel; a few types are more 'dustbuster,' 'squash,' or 'banana' shaped, especially civilian models. Many have one or two accessory mounts like the Picatinny rail. Some have folding or removable grips, and are designed to be mounted on a Picatinny rail or equivalent, like the hold-out blaster. This is most often done if one is likely to carry a ballistic rifle, but also wants an energy weapon. Very few have Multiattack. Stunner pistols are fairly common.
Affliction 8 on stun, Damage 5 on kill.

Blaster rifles or blaster carbines are around size -4, though a few are at the low end of size -3. They are not designed to be mounted on other weapons, though most carry a few Picatinny rails or equivalent for items like telescopic sights, scanners, flashlights, foregrips, bipods, and so forth. Some are also equipped with bayonets. A few have Multiattack. Stunner carbines are not common, but do exist, often in the hands of conservationists and park rangers.
Affliction 10 on stun, Damage 8 on kill.
Bayonet, if any, does Strength-based Damage +2, Crit 19.

Heavy blasters (aka blaster cannon, automatic blasters, or Squad Automatic Weapon blasters; sometimes 'Dinosaur blasters' for those without Multiattack) are size -3 or -2. Most have bipods or tripods for stability, and nearly all have Picatinny rails or equivalent. Very few are bayonet-equipped. Some are vehicle-mounted (powered armour counts as a vehicle for this purpose), as are any larger and heavier blasters. Most have Multiattack. Heavy stunners are rare, and are most often custom work, or short production runs for riot police.
Affliction 12 on stun, Damage 10 on kill.
Bayonet, if any, does Strength-based Damage +4, Crit 19.

Sniper weapons tend to be ballistic rifles, not blasters, though rumours of long-range blasters with invisible beams or bolts exist. If real, they would be top-secret, and their characteristics would be up to the GM.


I have more stuff written for the setting, but it still needs work before I feel that it's a good idea to post it.

Thoughts on what's here so far?
Prince Charon
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Joined: Tue Jun 02, 2020 1:45 am

Re: Space Force 2010

Post by Prince Charon »

Sorry this took so long.

Vehicles

Spacecraft
As noted in the OP, in this setting, unlike Spelljammer proper, the gravity plane and air bubble are the result of enchantments placed on the vessel, rather than part of the physics of the setting. How each works may thus vary somewhat from vessel to vessel. Also, the larger the object or area to be affected, the more difficult it is, which is why terraforming Mars is going to take so long, while some small asteroids have atmospheres (and sometimes increased gravity), already. This is also why the spacecraft tend to be on the smaller side in most cases.

Satellites
Many Earth-built spelljammers, especially those intended for exploration, will carry a large stock of small relay and observation satellites (mostly in the microsat to nanosat range since 2008), to be deployed around newly-discovered planets before landing either the main vessel, or any shuttles. Depending on the mission and the size of the vessel, they may leave some or all of these satellites behind when heading to another system.


Fighters

The Lockheed Martin SF-27 Merlin is the standard space fighter of the USSF, RCSF, and many other US allies. Use the Space Fighter template from the M&M 3e Hero's Handbook, pp172-173, but add space-to-space missiles (Ranged Damage 11, Burst Area 9, Homing 7). Other Earth space fighters, such as the Russian MiG-34 'Forward' or Eurofighter Meteor II, are similar enough to use the same stats in M&M.


Shuttlecraft
Smaller, parasite spacecraft (as opposed to the Space Shuttles, which are spelljammers on their own). Generally size H or G. The Pegasus spaceplane (Gadget Guides p121) is a good example of a larger, higher-end shuttlcraft, save that it should have Movement 1 (space travel), rather than Movement 2, as the latter would require a spelljamming helm. Most shuttlecraft have no Movement power at all, relying instead on a high Space Speed.


Spelljammers

McDonnell Douglas SM-69 Declaration Long-range Multirole Spaceplane

A large lifting body spaceplane designed for military use. The vehicle is reasonably modular, thus able to serve as a heavy bomber, superheavy fighter/bomber, reconaissance vessel, science vessel, cargo or light fighter carrier, passenger carrier, or a combination. Depending on the style of your game, it may be a solo armed explorer, or part of a Flight or Squadron (e.g one explorer, one cargo vessel, and two or four dedicated combat vehicles, possibly all being variants of the SM-69). Similar to the Explorer-class Starship in the Cosmic Handbook (p32).


Boeing Conestoga Colony Transport

A lifting body spaceplane designed to land on any large enough, reasonably flat area, and be disassembled to form the core building complex of a colony. Specialized variants include fortified colonies, mining outposts, farming communities, manufacturing centers, and so on. The Command Module, containing the spelljamming helm, may be used as a courier, or carry the crew home, if they are not part of the colony. Size of the main vehicle is Awesome, while the Command Module is Gargantuan, and is functionally similar to the Pegasus spaceplane (Gadget Guides p121), with the same interstellar FTL.


British Aerospace Thunder Child Space Bomber

A combat spaceplane capable of launching missiles of various types, laying space-mines, or dropping bombs, as well as depolying probes and doing search-and-rescue work in peacetime. Oddly, the vehicle is reinforced to serve as a ramship, though this has never been used outside of testing. Size category is Gargantuan (think of this as a more specialized version of the Pegasus spaceplane). Similar vehicles include the Mitsubishi Raiden and Boeing SB-25 Star Fortress.


Tupolev Tu-357 'Carrack' Space Fighter-Carrier
A non-landing, lightly-armed spelljammer designed to carry a constellation of space fighters close enough to the battlespace to be useful, without significantly endangering the carrier. Size category is Awesome. Similar vehicles include the Lockheed Martin SC-57 Grissom Mobile Space Force Base, and the British Aerospace Nimrod II Fast Shuttle Carrier.


Airbus Pachyderm Long-range Transport

A large, practically hollow spelljammer, designed to carry bulk cargo, large numbers of intermodal containers, or huge individual containers. Commonly used with a 'landing body' (a single-use lifting body, designed for only one atmospheric entry and landing) by nations sending dissidents out to colonies when they don't trust the colonists not to attack the crew, and/or do not want them to have a Spelljamming Helm of their own. Size is Awesome, and can contain slightly smaller containers of the same size category, including the aforementioned landing body.
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