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Burn the Land, Boil the Sea...


Warren Verona

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Hey, Kaz. Dave's on his way to work, so I'll see if I can answer the question.

On page 61 of the Players Guide under 'Cost of Skills' you'll read that the cost to increase a skill is Current Rank + List Price (or List Price -1, if it's a profession skill). Ignore that.

The cost to increase a skill is List Price (or LP -1).

So, if you purchased 5 ranks in Pistol (List Price 4/Rank) then you pay only 20 Skill Points (or 15 if you're a Combat Spec).

Normally, the cost to purchase/increase a skill is Current Rank + List Price. If that skill belongs to your profession, it's Current Rank + (LP - 1). What Dave's suggesting is just removing the addition of Current Rank, so it becomes LP as the standard, or LP - 1 if it's for a skill associated with your profession.

Even if we're using the optional rules presented in the official Alternity errata (found here, under the heading "Optional Rule Set 2: Skill Selection and Improvement") - which would be nice, BTW! - then the cost for 5 ranks of Pistol at LP would be 20 (4x5=20), at your (very generous) general cost of LP-1 it would be 15 (3x5=15), and for Combat Specs it would be 10 (2x5=10).

Was the above quote a typo, or am I just misunderstanding the Skill-buy mechanics?

I think it's just a misunderstanding. LP - 1 isn't the general cost (which would then be further reduced for professions), but the one for profession skills. Using a List Price of 4, a Combat Spec will spend 15 (5(LP-1)) skill points for 5 ranks of Pistol, while my lowly Tech Op would spend 20 (5 x LP).

So, long story short... Basically, yes, we're using the errata, though we'd always house-ruled it with our groups since we hadn't seen an official errata published. (Hooray for the internet!) I hope that helped clear things up!

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It does, yes. Thanks! :)

Are we also using the Errata for total Skill points?

As an example of the difference, the rules in the core book wind up giving you INTx5 (for humans), plus another 40 if I'm understanding the achievement progression up to Level 5 correctly, but the Errata states that you get Skill points equal to 30 plus 3 times your Intelligence score, plus 5 more for humans. So, in the rules as written, an INT of 10 would net you a total of 90 SP (45 SP base, +5 for being human, +40 for being Level 5), while in the Errata you'd instead get 105 SP ((30+(3x10))SP base, +5 for being human, +40 for being Level 5).

I'm a big fan of more skill points, so obviously I vote for the Errata, but I'm then I'm not the GM, so it's really not my call. ;)

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It does, yes. Thanks! :)

Are we also using the Errata for total Skill points?

As an example of the difference, the rules in the core book wind up giving you INTx5 (for humans), plus another 40 if I'm understanding the achievement progression up to Level 5 correctly, but the Errata states that you get Skill points equal to 30 plus 3 times your Intelligence score, plus 5 more for humans. So, in the rules as written, an INT of 10 would net you a total of 90 SP (45 SP base, +5 for being human, +40 for being Level 5), while in the Errata you'd instead get 105 SP ((30+(3x10))SP base, +5 for being human, +40 for being Level 5).

I'm a big fan of more skill points, so obviously I vote for the Errata, but I'm then I'm not the GM, so it's really not my call. ;)

Actually, it would be +30 for Level 5. Just as a note. :)

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Okay.

I've given it a lot of hard thought, and decided I have a concept I'd really like to try in a game, and that would fit this one pretty well.

So to make sure that I'm not pitching on someone else's astroturf, here's the bullet points:

* - Technical genius; skilled in mechanical and electronic engineering, computer programming and robotics. Also in the physical sciences that underpin those disciplines.

* - Shipboard role is indeterminate. I have decided that I am not gonna stake this out. I'm just going to make a character, and y'all can decide where she'd fit in best. She'll be a pretty good pilot, a really good engineer, but she could just as easily sit in the cargo bay and make the ship money fixing people's stuff and selling gidgets, modded weapons and little robot pals.

* - Not sure if this is feasible in Alternity, but I'd love it if I could somehow arrange for her to have one or more robots, like sidekicks or minions in M&M.

* - SMASH THE SYSTEM!

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Actually, it would be +30 for Level 5. Just as a note. :)

Right, well see, that's why I brought it up, I was by no means certain I understood how that really worked. ;)

Alternity's core dice mechanic seems pretty straightforward, but I have to say that the actual process of building the character is somewhat ill-defined.

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Skills - Just use 2C for now. You guys are being kind enough to try and learn a new system, I don't wanna bog everyone down with trying to learn all kinds of errata too.

Max - Your concept is cool with me, just remember that he robot should be a companion, not something you hide behind while it does all the work. Make sure you can handle your own in a tussle.

Mala - PM

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Black Forest

Black Forest is an expansive planet as its name suggests, most known for the sheer amount of trees. All ground life is limited to one continent the size of South America, which varies from near-polar coniferous tundra to southeastern equatorial rain forests to temperate deciduous forests and river valleys.

Suffice it to say, the world is well-watered, physically and climate-wise, there are no deserts, and summers are not distinctly hot except in the jungles. As befitting a naturally rich and lush planet, the two primary industries that have always been central to the Black Forest planetary and inter-Verger economies are agriculture and hunting.

Founded by a wealthy but independent minded German-descended lineage, the Schauburgers, the colonies that would become the Confederation of Black Forest were impacted heavily by the loss of contact with the Stellar Nations. Limited in mineral, metal and other deposits integral to maintaining high-tech, the Confederation resorted to reduced technology and careful maintenance of their ships and other essential advancements - plus a fair dose of imports.

In a number of ways Black Forest is a classic example of the Verge, a confederacy of regional populations in a largely mid to late 20th century tech level, rural hunters and farmers mostly, independent minded, religious and self-sufficient as communities.

The Concord had an exceptionally rough time when they arrived at Black Forest as part of 'reunification' as much of the planet was suited for guerrilla warfare and the 'Blacks' were well used to arms.

But the eventual limits on supplies and technological advantages brought a slow end to open resistance - an insurgency led by one Brian Connell remains, the Black Forest Freedom Fighters, and they have made Concord efforts at setting down deeper roots failures - jungle tourism has led to tours disappearing into jungles altogether in questionable circumstances, and popular support is with the BFFF despite Concord propaganda against the 'terrorists.'

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Some background stuff. Not OOC secret, but spoilered so it doesn't threadcrap. Wouldn't be IC public I don't think...

Also, Dave, before I finish up my character sheet, could we discuss this 'special skill' thing you talked about earlier? It would help me decide how to spend these points if I had some idea what it might be.

Daniyah Alin Zallah is the daughter of Trazech and Molinya Zallach; a wealthy and politically powerful pair of people who had sat on the ruling council of the Verge world Dulcinea and were among its most influential members. An early-settled world that was rich in resources and unusually well-industrialized for the Verge, Dulcinea was targeted early on by the Concord in its bid to establish (or re-establish, depending on who you ask) their rule over the recalcitrant stars. Councilors Trazech and Molinya from early on organized a bloc of councilors who wished to accept Concord rule without a fight, in exchange for guarantees of high positions in the new bureaucracy.

By hook and by crook, they saw this motion passed...and Dulcinea went up in flames. The Concord rolled in, and the people rose up against them, and the Council. The Concord was taken by surprise and forced to withdraw. Later, when they returned in force and captured the planet properly, the ruling Council was executed as traitors...believed to have deliberately lured the Concord into a trap by feigning compliance. The executions served the larger purpose of saving face after what had been an embarrassing setback, if brief.

Daniyah wasn't there when this happened. The youngest of three children, she was the baby of the family. With the family name and legacy assured with her older brother and sister, and growing up in a house where the other kids were nearly grown and out, she had great latitude to pursue her interests. Those interests were 'tearing up and building machines' and 'militant social justice.' Though Dani fancied herself an anarchist, her one-girl war on The Power consisted mostly of pranks and minor vandalism. Not enough to keep the daughter of illustrious Councilors out of Dul-Tech, one of the premier institutes of sciences in the Verge before the Concord appeared.

When Dulcinea rebelled against the Concord, the student body was split. Many sympathized with the rebels. Some with the Concord. Most just wanted to be safe, and make sure their families and friends were safe. The school administration elected to evacuate the campus as the fighting surged through the cities, and the plumes of smoke could be seen from school grounds.

The Concord was repulsed, but when the students returned from the remote test facility they'd evacuated to, Daniyah did not come back with them. It'd been discovered that her parents had invited the Concord in, and she'd faced a lot of anger over that from the other students...and from herself as well. She couldn't go back and face all that, or them.

Then the Concord returned, with a fury. Relatively safe in the test facility, Daniyah was aghast at the images of warfare on the street, of the Concord's punitive campaign. The executions of the old ruling Council, including her parents, was Gridcast live. Daniyah had time, and motive, to re-examine her old notions of what 'anarchist' meant, and to find them wanting.

She turned her formidable gifts to the problem of getting off Dulcinea, managing to secure her own bank account before assets were frozen. The test facility had enough parts and equipment for her to hack her own ID and make a new name for herself (so she'd not be identified as related to the executees). Officially she was listed as missing, as the school had suffered damage and casualties during the fight for re-occupation, and not all the students were accounted for. Unofficially, Deezy Klatta managed to get herself offworld, once the military blockade was lifted. She was well equipped, but had no income. Her first forays into space were 'working passages,' where she traded her technical expertise and gifts to captains who needed them in exchange for passage.

It was only a matter of time before one of those captains offered her a job.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Alright (Centimane here, BTW), I offered to create a fractal world map of Black Forest for Jeremy, and this is me making good on that offer.

Jer didn't give me a whole lot of info as far as the star Black Forest orbits, or other details concerning its system, so I just let that stuff generate randomly and ran with it. Here are the results:

black_forest_system.png

Symbol_Legends.png

black_forest_system_thumb.pngblack_forest_thumbnail.png

Black Forest

Standard (Garden)

Distance: 230,830,664 km

Radius: 3,850 km

Gravity: 0.76G

Orbit Period: 662.39 days

Rotation: -33.2 hrs

Climate: Cool

Mean Temp: 285K/12C

Atmosphere: Thin (Breathable)

Atm. Pressure: 0.7768

Water / Ice Index: 87.68

Volcanic Activity: Light

Tectonic Activity: Light

Resources: Abundant

Hospitable

Population: 576,859,000



black_forest.png

Notice that the single continent shown appears to be about twice the size of South America, even though Jer's post had indicated it was "the size of South America"; this is because, as is shown in the information summary above, Black Forest has a radius that's only slightly more than one-half that of Earth.

The listed population is based off of a "starting pool" of 400,000 people, which I "aged" for about 350 years (I'm assuming the colony had been there for at least a few decades before the Long Silence began, so I added 50 years to the 300 that the Concord has been away), with an average annual growth rate of just over 2% (I didn't bother populating the rest of the planets in Black Forest's system). So don't take it as gospel, since Jer (or Rev) may have a different idea of just how many people live here.

Anyway, there you go. Enjoy! :)

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