[BESM 3.0] A Star to Steer By[Space Opera] [NC to EX] Interest Check

[GloomCookie]

I must go down to the seas again, to the lonely sea and the sky,
And all I ask is a tall ship and a star to steer her by,
And the wheel's kick and the wind's song and the white sail's shaking,
And a gray mist on the sea's face, and a gray dawn breaking.


I must go down to the seas again, for the call of the running tide
Is a wild call and a clear call that may not be denied;
And all I ask is a windy day with the white clouds flying,
And the flung spray and the blown spume, and the sea-gulls crying.


I must go down to the seas again, to the vagrant gypsy life,
To the gull's way and the whale's way, where the wind's like a whetted knife;
And all I ask is a merry yarn from a laughing fellow-rover,
And quiet sleep and a sweet dream when the long trick's over.

John Masefield

We don't get a choice when fate decides to intervene in our lives.  Sometimes it's for the better, guiding us down a path we otherwise wouldn't take.  Other times, we are put through Hell in order to satisfy the fickle whims of the cosmos.  For the crew of one small freighter, fate has decided to put them to the test, to see if they are worthy.

Welcome to A Star to Steer Her By, a B.E.S.M. 3rd Edition game built in the Space Opera style.  This is a game about fate and how it all ties together to form a universe of tangled possibilities for the people who have chosen to join.  The game will start with one of three ships and will evolve along a loose plot thread based entirely on character choices and interactions with their environment.  Choosing to take on one mission or quest instead of another could land them big rewards, or land them in a space prison far from any civilized planet.  Even the passengers have a say in how fate weaves a tapestry around their actions.

So ask yourself if you'll tempt fate and be drawn into a universe that will evolve and expand around every single player as they choose how they want to live their lives.  Will fate reward you?  Or send you spiraling out of control into a black hole?  Only you can decide that.

Character Sheets Points: 135

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[b]Character Name:[/b]
[b]Player Name:[/b]

[b]Age: 16+[/b]
[b]Height:[/b]
[b]Weight:[/b]
[b]Sex:[/b]
[b]Race: (Dorei, Human, Kyojin, Shisoka, Shokunin, Telepath)[/b]

[b]Description:[/b]

[b]Point Cost:[/b]
[b]Templates Used:[/b]
[b]Size:[/b] 0 - Medium

[b]Body Stat:[/b] Value:   Points:
[b]Mind Stat:[/b] Value:   Points:
[b]Soul Stat:[/b] Value:   Points:

[b]Attack Combat Value:[/b] (B + M + S)/3 + 1/LVL ATTACK COMBAT MASTERY
[b]Defense Combat Value:[/b] (B + M + S)/3 + 1/LVL DEFENSE COMBAT MASTERY
[b]Damage Multiplier:[/b] 5 + 1/LVL MASSIVE DAMAGE ATTRIBUTE

[b]Health Points:[/b] (B + S)x5 (+ TOUGH ATTRIBUTE - NOT SO TOUGH DEFECT)
[b]Energy Points:[/b] (M + S)x5 (+ ENERGY BONUS ATTRIBUTE)
[b]Shock Value:[/b] (MAX HEALTH POINTS)/5 (+ COMBAT TECHNIQUE [HARDBOILED] ATTRIBUTE)

[b]Attributes:[/b]
[table]
[tr][td][b]NAME[/b][/td][td][b]LEVEL[/b][/td][td][b]POINTS[/b][/td][/tr]
[/table]

[b]Skills:[/b]
[table]
[tr][td][b]NAME[/b][/td][td][b]LEVEL[/b][/td][td][b]POINTS[/b][/td][/tr]
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[b]Defects:[/b]
[table]
[tr][td][b]NAME[/b][/td][td][b]LEVEL[/b][/td][/tr]
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Available Attributes/Races

Available Attributes (non-race specific):
Attack Combat Mastery
Aura of Inspiration
Combat Technique
Companion
Defense Combat Mastery
Divine Relationship
Energy Bonus
Extra Actions
Extra Defenses
Features
Heightened Awareness
Heightened Senses
Item
Massive Damage
Melee Defense
Organizational Ties
Ranged Attack
Ranged Defense
Skills
Tough
Wealth

Race Specific Traits (Add attributes/defects to character sheet):
Dorei:
Special Defense {Lack of Food lvl 1, Sleep lvl 1}
Special Movement {Light Step}
Unappealing lvl 1
Sensory Impairment {Bright Light}

Kyojin:
Armor lvl 2
Combat Technique lvl 1
Blind Fury lvl 3

Shisoka:
Mind Shield lvl 2
Illusion lvl 1
Reduced Damage lvl 2

Shokunin:
Extra Arms lvl 2
Awkward Size lvl 1 (3-4 meters, 200-400kg)

Telepath:
Ask GM to approve custom attributes/defects (must remain within point limit)

Items

A list of commonly available items.  If you don't see something you'd like to include, please PM me with the item and specifications, and I'll work it in.

Ground Equipment

Antigravity Belt Flight {10kph; Skim} Points: 7; Cost: 3

Chameleon Suit Armor {Rating 2} Invisibility {Sight x2; Unique Restriction -1: visible within 2 meters} Points: 13; Cost: 6

Combat Armor (Light) Armor {Rating 8} Less Capable {Major - Agility} Points: 7; Cost: 3

Combat Armor (Medium) Armor {Rating 16} Less Capable {Major - Agility x2; Minor - Running Speed} Points: 13; Cost: 6

Combat Armor (Heavy) Armor {Rating 32} Less Capable {Major - Agility x 2, Endurance, Strength; Minor - Manual Dexterity, Running Speed x2} Points: 25; Cost: 12

Gas Mask Special Defense {Airborne Toxins} Sensory Impairment {Vision} Points: 3; Cost: 1

Personal Comm Device Features {Radio, GPS} Points: 2; Cost: 1

Space Equipment

Magnetic Boots Special Movement {Wall-Crawling} Points: 4; Cost: 2

Maneuvering Jetpack Flight {10 kph} Unique Defect {Space Only} Points: 7; Cost: 3

Space Suit Armor {Rating 10; Health 5} Special Defense: Survive Freezing Temperatures Survive Lack of Air Survive in Vacuum Points: 17; Cost: 8

Teleporter {1 person} Teleport {1000km} Points: 60; Cost: 30

Weapons

These are just a few weapons.  If you think of a better one and would like to write up stats for it, send me a PM and I'll review it and, if necessary, add it to the list.

Melee Weapons

Light Melee	Heavy Melee	Special Melee
5kg Sledgehammer {lvl 4; Incapacitating (1)} Points: 9; Cost: 4	10kg Sledgehammer {lvl 6; Incapacitating (2); Hands} Points: 13; Cost: 6	Bolt Hammer {lvl 6; Hands; Penetrating (2)} Points: 13; Cost: 6
Crowbar {lvl 3; Incapacitating (1)} Points: 7; Cost: 3	Katana {lvl 5; Hands; Penetrating (2)} Points: 11; Cost: 5
Knife {lvl 3; Penetrating (1)} Points: 7; Cost: 3	Laser Sword {lvl 8; Hands; Piercing (2); Penetrating (2)} Points: 19; Cost: 9
Wrench {lvl 3; Incapacitating (1)} Points: 7; Cost: 3

Ranged Weapons

Light Ranged	Heavy Ranged	Special Ranged
5mm Mass Driver Pistol {lvl 3; Ammo (1); Range (1)} Points: 6; Cost: 3	10mm Mass Driver Pistol {lvl 4; Ammo (1); Penetrating (1); Range (1)} Points: 9; Cost: 4	Mini Rocket Launcher {lvl 5; Ammo (3); Backblast (1); Homing (1); Indirect (1); Penetrating (3); Range (2)} Points: 13; Cost: 6
5mm Mass Driver Rifle {lvl 3; Ammo (1); Accurate (1); Range (2)} Points: 8; Cost: 4	10mm Mass Driver Rifle {lvl 4; Ammo (1); Penetrating (1); Range (2)} Points: 10; Cost: 5	Plasma Mortar {lvl 5; Ammo (3); Indirect (1); Penetrating (3); Range (3)} Points: 12; Cost: 6
24g Shotgun {lvl 4; Ammo (2); Range (1); Spreading (2)} Points: 9; Cost: 4	38g Shotgun {lvl 5; Ammo (2); Range (1); Spreading (2)} Points: 11; Cost: 5
Laser Pistol {lvl 2; Accurate (1); Range (2)} Points: 7; Cost: 3	Plasma Pistol {lvl 4; Continuing (1); Inaccurate (1); Range (1)} Points: 9; Cost: 4
Laser Rifle {lvl 2; Accurate (1); Range (3)} Points: 8; Cost: 4	Plasma Rifle {lvl 5; Continuing (1); Inaccurate (1); Range (1)} Points: 11; Cost: 5
Needler Pistol {lvl 4; Non-Penetrating (1); Range (1); Spreading (1)} Points: 9; Cost: 4

Please also submit your choice of starting starship.  Player chosen Captain will be given two points to vote with, all others one point.

Starting Starships

Converted Gunship

Attribute:	Level:	Points:
Armor {Rating: 60, Health: 30}	30	60
Features Extra Capacity 5 (5 people & 3,200 tonnes) FTL Radio Landing Gear Radar Detector Search Lights Silent Running	10	10
Flight {100k kph; Detectable (Hearing)}	9	71
Shield {+3 Armor Defense}	3	12
Space Flight {1M speed of light}	5	10
Special Defense {Freezing Cold (2); Lack of Air (2); Low Pressure (2)}	6	12
Supersense {Radar; 100km; Detectable: Radar}	5	9
Weapon "Plasma Turret" {Helper; Range 3}	9	22
Weapon "Laser Turret" {Accurate; Helper; Range 4}	5	16
Defects:		Points:
Awkward Size {50 meters, 4000 tonnes}		20
Special Requirements {Frequent Maintenance, Fuel}		2

Ship Picture

Research Transport

Attribute:	Level:	Points:
Armor {Rating: 50, Health: 25}	25	50
Features Extra Capacity 10 (10 people & 51,000 tonnes) Bio-Research Laboratory Fabrication Workshop FTL Radio Lavish Interior Manipulator Arms Materials Research Laboratory	16	16
Flight {10k kph}	7	56
Forcefield {Airtight; Blocks Transport; Internal}	3	10
Shield {+6 Armor Defense}	6	24
Space Flight {10M speed of light}	6	12
Special Defense {Freezing Cold (2); Lack of Air (2); Low Pressure (2)}	6	12
Supersense {Radar; 1,000km; Detectable: Radar}	6	11
Weapon "Ion Pulse Launcher" {Accurate; Incapacitating, Range 2}	0	3
Weapon "Mass Driver" {Helper; Range 4}	11	27
Defects:		Points:
Awkward Size {125 meters, 120k tonnes}		28
Special Requirements {Frequent Maintenance, Fuel}		2

Ship Picture

Bulk Freight Asteroid Miner

Attribute:	Level:	Points:
Armor {Rating: 90, Health: 45}	45	90
Features Extra Capacity 20 (20 people & 53M tonnes) Debris Intake Manifold FTL Radio Large Cargo Doors Search Lights Tow Cable	25	25
Flight {300 kph}	4	32
Shield {+2 Armor Defense}	2	8
Space Flight {100k speed of light}	4	8
Special Defense {Freezing Cold (2); Lack of Air (2); Low Pressure (2)}	6	12
Supersense {Radar: 100km; Detectable: Radar; LIDAR: 100m}	7	13
Weapon "Mining Laser" {Accurate; Helper; Piercing; Range 4}	2	11
Weapon "Laser Turret" {Accurate; Helper; Range 6}	4	16
Weapon "Laser Turret" {Accurate; Helper; Range 6}	4	16
Defects:		Points:
Awkward Size {300 meters, 1M tonnes}		32
Special Requirements {Frequent Maintenance, Fuel}		2

Ship Picture

Approved Characters
Captain:
Navigator/Pilot:
Engineer:
Passenger 1:
Passenger 2:
Passenger 3:
More passengers may be added if necessary

Codex

Common Terminology

Bindary: A choice between two decisions, both having equal weight and (often) both choices are unappealing.

Bloomer: A male child who has accomplished something of note to be recognized as a man (typically 16 to 18 years old)

Blossum: The female version of a bloomer.

Frogs: Nickname for the Kyojin, due to their frog-like appearance.  *note: do not ever refer to a Kyojin by this term directly.

Locker: Short for air lock, it is most often referenced when the decision to summarily execute someone by ejecting them from the ship.

Lunch Box: Any metal container carried around frequently, jokingly referred to contain the owner's lunch regardless of the actual contents.

Marble: Two definitions, one being a beautiful planet, the other being a shiny sphere.

Phants: A common nickname for the Shokunin, due to their elephantine features.

Silent Running: Because of the vast emptiness of space, most ship sensors operate by looking for the bright infrared and EM signatures of nearby vessels.  To counter this, many ships will sometimes 'run dark', meaning they reduce their emissions to the bare minimum to avoid detection.  While this isn't very effective in open space, this is often done around planets and asteroid fields, using only soft pulses of maneuvering jets to move.  Many pirates employ this technique to pounce on unsuspecting freighters as they approach planets far from civilized space.

Torch Run: A series of quick runs between planets, referring to the fast, often fiery entrance into a planet's atmosphere.

Species

Dorei
Unlike the Shokunin they often work with, the Dorei are perhaps the shortest lived species in the galaxy, at a mere 45 year lifespan on average.  Their short lifespan and close proximity to one another leads them to push out and expand much more rapidly than other races, so much so that some communities fear they are intruders and actively resent their presence.  Despite this, they are industrious, often buying ships unworthy of salvage and fixing them for cheap, before reselling them for a higher price or keeping it to continue their travels.  Their persecution lends them to mix well with humans, who often take them on as companions in their own travels throughout the galaxy.

Common features:
Height: 1.5 to 2 meters
Weight: 50 to 100 kilograms
Prefered Habitat: Approximately 20 degrees C in dark, confined areas.

Race Picture

Humans
Thousands of years ago, man arrived in the galaxy, fleeing a war that consumed their former homes.  With nowhere to turn, they found a quiet world to call their own, building their new homes in the hopes of finding peace.  Peace was not to come, however, for they were soon discovered by the Kyojin, a race of warriors that conquered and enslaved the humans.  Bred as slaves and shipped throughout the galaxy, most were kept as objects of amusement, or consumed as exotic novelties by bizarre and strange aliens.  It was only through the intervention of the Shokunin, petitioning to the Galactic Parliament on behalf of the strange humans, were they allowed to go free.  With no definition of home, most humans are wanderers , one of the weakest races physically, but the most adaptable and able to survive where most species would perish.

Common Features:
Height: 2 to 3 meters
Weight: 50 to 150 kilograms
Prefered Habitat: Approximately 25 degrees C in brightly lit open areas.

Species Picture

Kyojin
The Kyojin are the most feared race throughout the galaxy.  While an individual Kyojin is trouble, an entire battlecruiser full is enough to put many planets on full alert status.  Emanating from the harsh world of Shinosekai, the Kyojin were originally a primitive, backward race that was destined for self-destruction before a Dorei freighter crash-landed there, leading to the Kyojin to reverse-engineer the alien vessel and begin expanding into the galaxy.  While most races have appropriate defenses and are willing to stand up to the Kyojin, many smaller races, including early humans, were conquered and enslaved, if not rendered extinct, by the Kyojin.  Most Kyojin are restricted in normal parts of the galaxy because of their barbaric nature.

Common Features:
Height: 2.5 to 3.5 meters
Weight: 75 to 150 kilograms
Prefered Habitat: Approximately 35 degrees C in partially illuminated open areas.

Species Picture

Shisoka
Shisoka are the thinkers of the galaxy, preferring to occupy themselves with solving unique problems rather than fight.  Their world is unknown, kept that way by its presence inside a nebula and obscured by various technological wonders.  What is known is that Shisoka prefer to keep to themselves, and have developed numerous techniques for combating intrusion into their personal affairs.  One thing known of Shisoka is that they always are willing to study gambling, finding the practical application of random probability fascinating, though their skill at predicting the odds makes them a mixed bag in regards to many casinos.  It would seem that of all the races, the Shisoka are the most elusive and mysterious.

Common Features:
Height: 2 to 3 meters
Weight: 50 to 125 kilograms
Prefered Habitat: Unknown

Species Picture

Shokunin
The Shokunin are a race of craftsmen, honing their skills over their 300 year lifespan.  As one of the longest-lived species in the galaxy, they are patient and slow, preferring to do things right the first time or taking the time to line up the proper tools and elements before launching into a project.  They are also advocates of personal choice and freedom, letting their young choose any path they so choose and interfering only when necessary.  This attitude of freedom of choice was what pushed the Shokunin to advocate for the enslaved humans throughout the galaxy to be set free, releasing them from their bondage to choose their own paths in the galaxy.  Their homeworld, Kogei, is a major trade stop and is one of the largest homes of the Dorei in the galaxy.

Common Features:
Height: 3 to 4 meters
Weight: 200 to 400 kilograms
Prefered Habitat: Approximately 30 degrees C on grassy plains in bright sunlight.

species Picture

Telepath
Telepaths are humans who, through accident or intent, have become able to read the minds of others through physical contact.  While their mastery of the mind is still somewhat tenuous, most humans regard telepaths as a threat to their free-will, and many smaller communities welcome telepaths with death on sight.  Their movements are tracked regularly and the more dangerous ones are known to simply disappear.  There are rumors of a secret telepath space station where they go to hide, but these are mostly regarded as rumors meant to scare people about the power of telepaths.

Common Features:
Height: 2 to 3 meters
Weight: 50 to 150 kilograms
Prefered Habitat: Approximately 25 degrees C in brightly lit open areas.

Species Picture

Technology

Antimatter Drive: One of the fastest engines on the market, the anti-matter drive uses ordinary water and anti-matter to produce tremendous steam and propel itself forward, often accelerating far beyond most other forms of thrust.  While it is the fastest drive, the requirement of anti-matter in the system is a dangerous liability for anyone, and as such is rarely found on anything other than military vessels, mostly fighters.

Dyna-Drive: Short for Dynamic Drive, the Dyna-Drive uses conventional thrust technology to propel the ship through space, bending and twisting space to reconfigure it such that the actual distance between points A and B are shorter than they actually are.  Without traditional thrust, the Dyna-Drive is useless.  The origins of Dyna-Drive pre-date most cultures found today in the galaxy, and records from this elusive era remain spotty at best.  Regardless, Dyna-Drive is the second most popular type of engine on the market, mostly due to its independent nature compared to jump-drives.

Fusion Bottle Drive: The abundance of hydrogen in the universe, coupled with the relative safety of fusion plants aboard larger vessels, means there is a near constant supply of plasma available after it is used to produce energy for a starship's need.  While not quite as steady as Ion-Pulse drives but safer than anti-matter, the fusion bottle drive is the go-to system.

Ion-Pulse Drives: Built to provide steady, consistent thrust for freighters hauling bulk cargo, the ion-pulse drive uses ionized gas to push the vessel towards its intended destination.  The drive is cheap and doesn't require much fuel, but its acceleration curve is the smallest of all available drives on the market, and as such, is only found on commercial bulk freighters as a cost-saving measure.

Jump-Drives: Unlike Dyna-Drives, Jump Drives create miniature wormholes between two points, allowing ships to cross the gap instantly.  However, Jump Drives are very stringent, and often rely on the jump network to operate.  This reliance means that most ships jump to the closest system available to them, then engage their Dyna-Drives to power their way to the next system.  For larger freighters, jump drives are the only drives installed, since most worlds not included in the jump network lack the appropriate facilities for vessels of such bulk anyway.

Magnetic Flux Shielding: Using the unique spin effect caused by magnetic fields, highly ionized particles are released and allowed to spread around the ship to form a protective envelope.  The unfortunate downside, however, is that while the field gets denser and thus more effective at shielding against enemy fire, the shield itself cannot be selectively opened, meaning some of a ship's own weapons fire is blocked as well.  There are rumors of new generators with selective 'firing ports' designed into them, but at the moment it's pure speculative fiction.

Particle Shield Generators: Using highly focused EM fields, the particle shield uses tightly bunched atoms to form a chain from one emitter to the next, forming a near-solid wall only a few atoms thick.  Because of the dynamic shape of many particle shields, they are sometimes able to allow passage of certain materials one way, making them invaluable in manufacturing and mining.  For more militant purposes, particle shields are mostly used as transport inhibitors against the few ships known to possess such technology.

Important Links
Coming Soon[/list][/list][/list]

[Videospirit]

I might make something for this. Haven't done a space opera for a while. Are you running off some sort of flowchart plotline?

[GloomCookie]

I might make something for this. Haven't done a space opera for a while. Are you running off some sort of flowchart plotline?

Fate don't need no flowchart.  I've got a rough idea of where I want to go but I'm not bound to it.

[AndyZ]

Interesting.  Are psychic powers limited to telepathy?  What kinds of weapons and future tech are available?  I don't see teleporters on the ship, so I'm guessing you have to land the entire thing on a planet in order to get down.

[GloomCookie]

Interesting.  Are psychic powers limited to telepathy?  What kinds of weapons and future tech are available?  I don't see teleporters on the ship, so I'm guessing you have to land the entire thing on a planet in order to get down.

Only the ex-gunship has landing capability.  The others must dock in space, so if a planet doesn't have a space station, the crew might need to invest in a teleporter at some point.  For all intents and purposes, your ship is a reconfigured military ship bought by civilians.  If you play a member of the crew, your job is to carry out the orders the company set forward for you, and that's about it until told otherwise, and so you're not about to worry whether investing in the ship is worth it or not until fate decides to kick you in the ass.

As far as what the ship itself does, that's entirely up to the Captain and crew.  As a passenger, unless you get hired on as a full-time member of the crew, you can leave at any port, provided you've paid for your transit.  That's between you and the Captain, and that should probably be arranged prior to departure.

As for weapons and such, I'm going to start creating a list here soon.

[AndyZ]

I think I might try for Captain, though not sure.

Tell me more about the Telepaths.  Are Telepathy/Mind Control the only powers they get or can training/practice expand out to other psionics?  Are they recognizable as telepaths on sight thanks to some sort of mutation, or can they pretend to be mundane until they use their abilities?

[GloomCookie]

I think I might try for Captain, though not sure.

Tell me more about the Telepaths.  Are Telepathy/Mind Control the only powers they get or can training/practice expand out to other psionics?  Are they recognizable as telepaths on sight thanks to some sort of mutation, or can they pretend to be mundane until they use their abilities?

The only reason telepaths don't have any sort of defined list of powers is because it's a mutation of the standard human genome, so depending on any defects you take as a result of character creation, you can appear perfectly normal or a hideous monster.  Telepaths are usually, if identified and tracked, made to wear identifying symbols, though these rules are less enforced towards the edges of the galaxy.

EDIT: Preliminary item and weapon list finished.  Submit new weapons/items to me via PM.

[ReijiTabibito]

Linna, question.  How do you plan on translating Impaired Manipulation over to the combat armors?  EX: Light Armor has IM1, which according to the book says...you have only 1 arm.

[GloomCookie]

Linna, question.  How do you plan on translating Impaired Manipulation over to the combat armors?  EX: Light Armor has IM1, which according to the book says...you have only 1 arm.

Edited the armors to now have Less Capable instead.  Means you take penalties more realistically than what I had.  Costs a little more than what I had, I think, but it's more realistic and the payoff for using it is better.