[BFRPG] - Skulls, crossbones and spellvessels

[artikid]

So.. In this thread I'd like to develop a spelljammer-like expansion for BFRPG.
It will take time because the subject is vast and time is short.

Any help is welcome.

The tentative name of this project will be: Voidspanners.

My basic assumptions are:
The planesof standard D&D cosmology may not exist
I'll not necessarily try to stick to the Ptolemaic worldview of the universe
I'd like to put in there something like the East India Company
A Tortue like asteroid belt
I'd like a Lensmen like corp
I'd like a sort of Traveller Aids Society
I don't know why but I'll have three great magic users living scluded on three different moons.
I'd like for Thullids to be alien monstrosities hiding on a Jovian like planet
I'm adding firearms
I'm -probably- adding a magical engineer class
I'll try to change the basic rules of BFRPG as less as possible.
I'll add some little rules for trade
As much as I like it stealing things from Firefly is something I don't want to do. I'd rather steal from Kipling, Stevenson and any Errol Flynn movie you can think of.
Oh... also: space dragons and undead living in the void.

For a starter let's say that the universe is made of concentric spheres each one usually occupied by a celestial body.
The spheres are not physical, but simply forcefields that contain the universe and can be crossed by the magically powered vessels.

The innermost sphere is occupied by the earth, inhabited by humans and halflings.

The second sphere is occupied by the moon(s) where the great mages live.

Third sphere is occupied by the stone planet of dwarves.

Fourth sphere is for the forest covered planet of the elves, the elves have a strong Druidic faith and rarely leave their planet.

Fifth sphere is for the mars-like planet of orcs and goblinoids, laid to waste by its natives in ages past. Goblinoids once had a great planet spanning empire that collapsed.

Sixth sphere is for the poisonous planet of alien monsters

Seventh and eight spheres are sort of empty, occupied by the asteroid belt, debris, undead, space dragons, hiding pirates...

The ninth and last sphere is empty, it has the stars and constellations on its surface.

The ninth sphere can't be crossed by anything except for plane-crossing spells like Gate, beyond it the Astral Plane lies and further on the outer planes, elemental planes, deities, demons etc.

More to follow soon

Best regards
artikid

[Thorkhammer]

Wish I could be of some help. But alas, I'm have no idea what Spelljammer is.

Good luck though.

[sycarion]

I'm glad I'm not the only one that has thought of this.

The only thing I would want to be really different is that only a MU or Cleric can operate a space craft. To have a bunch of pirates, there needs to be an easy way to navigate a ship without resorting to every mage in the multiverse being a pilot. That would possibly mean a new class - pilot. Like you said, a magic engineer might be necessary.

Still, I would hope for something magical that 'just works' like the helm, but without the restriction. For example, something like a helm that makes the entire ship ethereal. Travel happens by skirting along the ethereal curtain planet to planet or sphere to sphere. Maybe the engine is a big magic item, though that might make them too rare.

Otherwise, the rules for aerial combat could be a good starting point with as little as possible being added.

For a real alien, you could use the OGC Phrenic Scourge. Really cool, really alien.

I like the idea of the re-introduced sphere, but I would like the universe to be a bit 'bigger'. I'm thinking along the lines of other galaxies and planetary systems.

Just some ideas. Look forward to yours.

[artikid]

Hello Sycarion.
My aim is to write sometthing that fits in, say, 40 pages.
I too don't like very much the idea that only spellcasters can activate a space craft (spellvessel? or voidspanner?).
I too think that space ships should be some kind of magical item, or at least the engine.
The engine allows the ships to cross the force curtains separating the spheres but I wasn't thinking of it being capable of making the whole ship ethereal.
Actually I'd like to keep the planes a separate subject matter from space travel.
I was not thinking of having a pilot class as it diverges too much from the basic rules of BFRPG. Magical engineers would be a necessary thing instead to allow non-magic using races (like dwarves) to be able to travel space.
Aerial combat is already handled in BFRPG, so I don't think we need to work on this.
I'll have a look at the Phrenic Scorge, but as I already stated I'd like to add as less as possible using the already existing BFRPG expansions.
I eliminated the concept of other galaxies because it would require additional pages to describe how intergalactic travel is handled and how to create worlds. Also, the original Ptolemaic worldview does not envision the concept of galaxies at all.
Thanks for reading
artikid

[artikid]

Introduction
Voidspanners is a new setting and rules supplement for Chris Gonnermann's Basic Fantasy Role Playing. Voidspanners aims at recreating the atmosphere and adventures as seen in Swashbuckling pirate movies, in Space.
However this supplement will not describe outer space the way modern science understands it, but the way the western medieval world saw it and treating this worldview as real.
Some changes to the Ptolemaic worldview have been introduced to better fit the medieval mindset to the trappings of the fantasy genre as portrayed in Role-Playing Games.

Practical Cosmology
The elements
Modern science tells us that the universe is a vast, probably infinite, span of almost absolute emptiness pockmarked with galaxies. Each galaxy is, in its own turn, made up of thousands -maybe millions- of planetary systems.
These systems are incredibly different from one another: the stars at their center differ, the quantity of planets per system is extremely diverse. Most of all, the universe obeys the precise laws of physics, chemistry and mathematics.
Also, modern science recognizes the existence of many different elements (118) whose mixing makes up for the variety of the material world in all its aspects.
Voidspanners adopts - with some exceptions - the geocentric worldview made popular by Claudius Ptolomaeus and Aristotle, and the classical categorization of elements that made its way in to modern day Role Playing games.

The Universe of Voidspanners is thus made up of five elements: earth, fire, air, water and ether (or quintessence).
Ether is an insubstantial element that occupies every point in space, including within material bodies, and thus overlapping with all physical reality. Magicians have calculated that ether constitutes about 90% of the physical universe of Voidspanners.
Ether looks like gray fog and leaves a sticky, damp, sensation to the touch. Ether can be traversed by light as easily as darkness, does not burn, and is very cold.
Ether is breathable just like very thin air, and while no gravity exists in ether flying creatures may cross it like they would cross the skies.
The basic structure of the universe
The Voidspanners universe is essentially a bubble of swirling ether. Astrologists and magicians recognize eight big streams of thicker ether that have been dubbed Spheres.
The most external of the Spheres is the biggest of them all, no one has ever crossed it -or been able to see through it- called "Prime Mover". The stars of the Voidspanner universe all reside in the main flow of the Prime Mover.
Magicians maintain that if someone could travel through the Prime Mover, he or she could reach the Astral Plane and all the other planes of existence.
The Spheres do not move in a straight line, they instead flow from the Prime Mover spinning and rotating clockwise towards the center of the universe. The movement of the Spheres is frequently altered by furious etherstorms.
This rather tranquil spot - a literal eye of the storm - is where the main planet of the system (Earth) resides with its moon and the Sun.
Celestial bodies
Many Celestial bodies dot the ether: asteroids, planets, comets, moons, the Sun and stars.
Celestial bodies almost never reside inside the stream of a Sphere but rather hang in the calmer interstices between the Spheres themselves.
To travel from one of these bodies to another is often necessary to cut across the main stream of a Sphere putting ones life at risk.
The physical structure Planets and moons is inline with modern beliefs: they are solid spheres of matter spinning on themselves, an atmosphere of some kind may have coalesced around them and their presence in etherspace exerts a substantial gravitational pull. As for the real world moons always rotate around a planet.
Asteroids, comets and asteroid belts also behave in line with modern beliefs. These are huge chunks of rock and metal that may be stationary -as is the case of asteroids- or may have been set in motion by an etherstorm -as is the case of comets.
Only one Sun exists in the universe of Voidspace, a ball of flaming ether propelled across space by its own combustion. The Sun orbits the Earth at greater distance than its moon.
Stars, as the Sun, are huge balls of burning ether. The ignition of the stars has been caused by the continuous friction between the Astral plane beyond and the currents of thick ether of the Prime Mover.
Almost all celestial bodies have a fixed -or almost fixed- location in etherspace.
The planets and their moons as well - as the asteroid belts - are considered to be stationary as their relative positions inside the flux of ether are constant. On the other hand lighter celestial bodies like comets may have no fixed location as their orbit is constantly altered by etherstorms.
The last and most peculiar kind of Celestial Body is made up by creatures native to the ether, as these are often capable of flight their position is always changing.

How does it look? Does it need to be corrected?

Next: Ether geography

[Golan2072]

Sounds fun and playable

[sycarion]

Introduction
Celestial bodies
Many Celestial bodies dot the ether: asteroids, planets, comets, moons, the Sun and stars.
Celestial bodies almost never reside inside the stream of a Sphere but rather hang in the calmer interstices between the Spheres themselves.
To travel from one of these bodies to another is often necessary to cut across the main stream of a Sphere putting ones life at risk.

This was the only part that was unclear to me. Otherwise, it sounds good, though I would write it from a perspective of "this is the way the world is" instead of "this is how it compares and contrasts with modern understanding". It's the English major in me, I'm sorry. I hope it is helpful, it is not a criticism.

The etherstorms sound similar to an idea by Descartes in regards to the vortex. Don't have time to elaborate, just sounded 'neat' to me.

This is less that 2 pages, I think ether geography and voidspanner mechanics will be another 2 pages each. BFRPG already covers cargo space and hull points, so a couple pages of for types of engines and how they work and there should be about 25 - 30 pages left.

Look forward to seeing more.

[artikid]

Introduction
Celestial bodies
Many Celestial bodies dot the ether: asteroids, planets, comets, moons, the Sun and stars.
Celestial bodies almost never reside inside the stream of a Sphere but rather hang in the calmer interstices between the Spheres themselves.
To travel from one of these bodies to another is often necessary to cut across the main stream of a Sphere putting ones life at risk.

It's the English major in me, I'm sorry. I hope it is helpful, it is not a criticism.

Don't worry, I need this kind of criticism since English is a second language to me!

This is the rest of what I mean to put in Voidspanners:
Living in the Aether
Voidspanners and spellvessels
Characters: races and classes (new ones and takes on old ones)
Equipment
Adventuring and encounters
Traveling and trading
Combat
Magic and Spells
Monsters
Magic items

[sycarion]

In keeping with the idea of a type of East India Company, I'm curious about planets and asteroids. Does each sphere have only one? If so, I would hope that asteroids would appear in a couple different spheres.

Thanks for the outlines, I'll submit my ideas and you can change them accordingly.

As an aside, I attempted something like this a while ago, but with a different RPG. I made peridot (or olivine) mining an important industry because it is the only gemstone created in space. For non-magical void engines, I even had peridot as part of the fuel source.

I'll be back with something a bit more on topic.

[artikid]

Ether Geography - part 1

Ether geography
The eight Spheres are thus home to the different heavenly bodies, we will now describe the contents of each Sphere moving outward from the Eye of the storm at the center of the Universe.
For each Celestial body you'll find astronomical data, a short description, the names of important political organizations and personalities, a list of native creatures and finally major imports and exports.

The Eye of the Storm:

Earth
Diameter: 7,900 mi.
Period of revolution: 365 days
Period of rotation: 24 hours
Surface temperature extremes: -130°F to + 140°F / -54°C to +54 °C
Atmosphere: Breathable
Government: Various forms
Major imports: iron, gold, gems, art objects and historical treasures
Major exports: firearms

The Earth is a rich and varied planet, home to all kind of living creatures and where all material resources are readily available.
About two thirds of the surface is covered with salt-water oceans, the remainder consisting of continents and islands.
The Earth is the home planet of Humans and Halflings.
Human kingdoms hold the greatest political power on the surface and have made their way in etherspace creating extraplanetary empires with footholds on other planets of the system. The more clannish Halflings usually follow in the steps of Humans but very few dare leave the planet.
The foremost political powers on Earth are:

People's Mercantile Union of of Logria (Ruler: General captain Lord Tremblyn Marmaduke ): Originally a small island kingdom inhabited by barbaric human tribes and halflings, Logria quickly developed into a powerful sea-spanning kingdom annexing nearby islands and kingdoms.
As the king's power grew more dictatorial the aristocrats staged a revolution and forced the King to leave the country.
Logria is now a capitalistic and technocratic Oligarchy and one of the great driving forces to space colonization, with colonies all over the system.
Logria allows for free speech, has a parliament and does not allow for racial or religious prejudice.
Currently the first world power, Logria is engaged in a race to etherspace with the Empire of Yralmen and the Heavenly Gate of Orkhon. While hostilities have not exploded on the Earth, deep space is frequently the stage of naval battles between corsair ships under the pay of Logria and Yralmen's or Orkhon's traders.
One of the most powerful organizations in all Logria si currently the Bonaventure Ether Trade Company, a monopolistic trade company that deals in etherspace trade under government charter.
Bonaventure ETC is almost a state in itself holding land grants on other planets, a vast fleet of Voidspanners and its own military forces.

The Great Empire of Yralmen (Ruler: Emperor Villek II) The militaristic Yralmen Empire is a newborn continental power, born from the unification of many independent dukedoms and baronies.
The Great Empire is a heavy handed military government, with strict social codes and a warrior ethic.
While not as technically or magically efficient as Logria the Empire has an abundance of metals and excellent smiths and is known to have the most impressive heavy infantry of the system.
Guns and cannons from Yralmen are highly prized.
Feeling surrounded by the growing power of Logria, Yralmen is preparing for an all-out war preaparing alliances with all sorts of minor powers and the Heavenly Gate of Orkhon.
The Yralmen empire has also established very good diplomatic relations with the Dwarves of Nazamroth and is preparing to have them put an Embargo on trade with Logria.

The Heavenly Gate of Orkhon (Ruler: Gatekeeper Devrim Ertegun) The Heavenly Gate is the oldest and most traditional of the great world powers on earth. Orkhon was born more than thousand years ago when the highly religious Orhok nomadic tribes established themselves in the highlands of the Lantian peninsula.
The nomads quickly submitted the small cultured and decadent kingdoms of the Lantian Peninsula giving rise to an energetic empire driven by religious fervor, the newborn Heavenly Gate assimilated many powerful neighboring nations. Nowadays the Heavenly gate is a decadent, corrupt, bureaucratic nation: refined, with a long history and a glorious past. Most people are more interested in the pleasures of life, in philosophical studies or in a life of devout contemplation than anything else.
Due to its failing political importance, the Gatekeepr has allied with emperor Villek planning to sit at the winner's table when the war will explode hoping to trade a few thousand dead for the spoils of war.
The Heavenly Gate is a strict religious government based on the monotheistic faith practiced in Orkhon, laws are harsh and forbid the use of arcane magic.


The Moon
Diameter: 2, 160 mi.
Period of revolution: 27 112 days
Period of rotation: 27'/2 days
Surface temperature extremes: -130°F to + 140°F / -54°C to +54 °C
Atmosphere: Breathable
Major imports: Water, food, and raw materials
Major exports: Investment capital, voidspanners

Earth's moon, simply known as The Moon, is a barren desrt of rock and ash with almost no natural resources or native life. Many magicians postulate that this is the case due to ancient magical experiments gone awry.
Currently however the Moon is not completely devoid of life or activity.
Logria, Yralmen and Orkhon have agreed to create a free-trade zone on the Moon with independent port-cities that are governed jointly by Mercantile Unions under governative licence. Other minor powers have also established their etherspace ports on the Moon.
Smuggling obviously abbunds on the Moon especially in the greatest etherport of them all: Tales.
Tales is also a renowned shipyard where the best of Voidspanners are built.
The Moon is also home to a mysterious character simply known as the Moon Mage, this reclusive individual is purportedly a very powerful human mage of indeterminate age living in a tower on the moon's dark side.

Ether geography will take me some time...I guess

[artikid]

Ether Geography - part 2

First Sphere:
Nazamroth
Diameter: 3,024 mi.
Period of revolution: 88 days
Period of rotation: 59 days
Surface temperature extremes: -20°C to +70 °C
Atmosphere: Breathable
Major imports: Foodstuffs
Major exports: Metals, raw ores, gold, silver, dwarven magical technology
Ruler: Chief Councilor and Grand Architect Dargi Quartzkey

Nazamroth is the homeplanet of the dwarven race. Like the Earth's Moon Nazamroth was mostly a barren, stony planet. The engineering genius of the dwarves turned the planet in a single enormous city on may levels, with the Heart of Nazamroth, the principal magical forge of the dwarves and house of the ruling coucnil, at its core.
Nazamroth is a place of marvels with enormous gardens of fungi, subterranean seas and mountain ranges aviaries and any kind of architectonical marvels.
The dwarves are mainly merchants, traders and crafters, with a neutral outlook on interplanetary politics, they however recently agreed to a treaty with Yralmen - promising an embargo on Logria- with the aim of containing Logrian expansion.
Dwarven traders are a common sight across all of the system, the only places dwarves are not likely to be seen is Hanar, homeplanet of the goblinoid races and Hine-ugoi, where the Thullids reside.

Kellagund, moon of Nazamroth
Diameter: 660 mi.
Period of revolution: 45 days
Period of rotation: 45 days
Surface temperature extremes: -60°C to +60 °C
Atmosphere: Breathable

Windy Kellagund, only moon of Nazamroth is a small and pleasant planetoid covered with grass plains, low hills and running streams of water.
While Kellagund is property of nazamroth it has been rented to the Voidspanners' Brotherhood, a mutual support guild for ether travelers founded by by the dwarven traveler and rich entrepreneur Hrolf Goldenbeard.
Hostels of the Brotherhood are present in all major spaceports across the system.
The VB also takes charge of a interplanetary postal system and publishes a sort of newspaper called "The Gazette" distributed in all hostels every three months.
The VB's hostels offer medical aid, guides, interpreters, maps and legal advice to its members for a yearly fee.
The Voidspanners' brotherhood is politically neutral and a promoter of free speech and equality.

[artikid]

Ether geography - part 3

Second Sphere:
Ivoreze
Diameter: 7,520 mi.
Period of revolution: 225 days
Period of rotation: 243 days
Surface temperature extremes: -30°C to +30 °C
Atmosphere: Breathable
Major imports: metals, stone.
Major exports: drugs, animals, foods, and alchemical components
Ruler: Arch-Druidess Irenherl Greatwillow

Ivoreze is a forest planet, completely canopied by giagntic trees and with abbundant flora and fauna but absolutely poor in mineral resources. No mountain range higher than 1000 meters exists and salt water is rare, cirumscribed to the two Twin Seas. Humidity is abbundant and swampy forest is rather commonplace.
Magical fields are very strong on Ivoreze, for good or for bad. Displacers and Blink Dogs are the native races to Ivoreze and have been its rulers for thousands of years till the advent of the fay races (elves, pixies, sprites, gnomes etc..).
Native to Hanar, the fay fled the man-made Cataclysm in search of a new homeland and settled on Ivoreze. The fay are ruled by a druidic matriarchy, hostile to all kinds of invasive technology: engineering, architecture, agriculture, industry. The majority of items and objects on Ivoreze are either naturally or magically grown from living things. Fays are hunter-gatherers living for the day, continuously moving from one place to the other.
Towns are unknown on Ivoreze, but small villages exist surrounding sacred groves and the all important Trees of Life.
Elves and other fays are a rare sight outside of Ivoreze but everybody recognizes their living Voidspanners magically grown from the limbs of the Trres of Life.
While not xenophobic the long-lived fays look at short-lived races with a sort of amused contempt: traders from other planets are few and are advised not to leave precise areas of the planet's surface, in the same way trade of technological tools is strictly controlled.
A dwarven joke says that on Ivoreze you could kill someone and not be arrested, but you could be convicted to twenty years of forced labor for selling a plow.
Ivorezen airspace is heavily guarded by the fays and is probably the hardest one to break in in all the system.

Serlar, moon of Ivoreze
Diameter: 1,800 mi.
Period of revolution: 27 1/2 days
Period of rotation: 27'/2 days
Surface temperature extremes: -30°C to 0°C
Atmosphere: Mostly poisonous
Major imports: none
Major exports: poisons, alchemical components
This moon of Ivoreze is a rocky core and dinosaur infested swamps stormed by a swirling mass of poisonous gasses. Very few travelers are brave enough to come to Serlar and those that brave its surface are usually well equiped with magic.

Arilar, moon of Ivoreze
Diameter: 2, 160 mi.
Period of revolution: 34 days
Period of rotation: 34 days
Surface temperature extremes: -30°C to +30 °C
Atmosphere: Breathable
Major imports: technology
Major exports: animals, foods, water
Peaceful Arilar is home to the largest Logrian colony in the system, rented by the Logrian government and under control of an elven guardian druid. Inhabitants of the colony are mostly human farmers and herders but a halfling community is also present.

Voonlar, moon of Ivoreze
Diameter: 360 mi.
Period of revolution: 12 days
Period of rotation: 12 days
Surface temperature: 18 °C
Atmosphere: Breathable
Major imports: none
Major exports: none
Voonlar is the personal garden of another mysterious magician known as the Second Moon Mage. This individual (purportedly of elven race) is as elusive as its human colleague.


Third Sphere:
Hanar
Diameter: 7,900 mi.
Period of revolution: 365 days
Period of rotation: 24 hours
Surface temperature extremes: -130°F to + 140°F / -54°C to +54 °C
Atmosphere: Breathable
Major imports: Weapons, metals, water, food
Major exports: Slaves

Hanar was once a beautiful and green planet, covered with forests and seas home to the elven race.
The elves in those days were very different from the druidic people of today.
Always a curious race the hanarian elves researched the secrets of nature in all possible ways, mixing magic and technology they developed a great and powerful culture. But no matter how much they discovered their appetite for knowledge was never satiated, in a rather short time by elven standard they became callous and jaded.
All kinds of experiments were tried for the sake of knowledge and soon a breeding program was started: new races and subraces were created to serve the elven race.
Orcs, hobgoblins, goblins, bugbears where bred from the basic elven stock to serve the masters.
But the evil nature of the goblinoids brought the downfall of the Hanar culture: a rebellion of the goblinoids forced the few remaining elves that renounced their evil ways to flee hanar while the rest where enslaved and absorbed by the new lords of the planet.
The new empire of Hanar was cruel, magnificent and evil as no other kingdom has been since then.
Yet the continual internal strife and warring of the clans caused the goblinoid empire to collapse and laid the planet to waste after a fifty years long war in which all possible weapons were used.
Nowadays Hanar is a planet with almost no water, dry, covered with a yellowish savannah. Huge canyons now stand where once there were seas or lakes. The goblinoids have split in thousands of clans and tribes in perpetual war with one another and have deserted the many cities of the planet.
All kinds of creatures and magical wonders can be found in those ancient ruins if one is brave enough.

While the Solar Concordate subscribed by all the powers (Logria, Orkhon, Yralmen, Nazamroth) explicitly forbids the selling of Voidspanners and firerms to the goblinoids, all of them have colonies on Hanar, both to keep trade with Hanar under control and to stage archeological missions searching for ancient secrets.
The Yralmen are known to sell non-forbidden weapons to the goblinoids or hire them as mercenary cannon fodder.
Thullids also have established contact with the Hanarians in hope of enrolling them against other sentients.

All kinds of smuggling and slavery go on behind the backs of the great powers, mostly under the control of the pirates of the Black Company.

Since traders to and from Hanar are very frequently ambushed by pirates or corsairs, and given the volatile situation on-planet, the Voidspanners' Brotherhood has advised its members to avoid it in their travels.

Iron Bands of Hanar
The Iron bands of Hanar is what remains of Hanar's only moon, a tight ring of asteroid and debris. The Iron Bands are very dangerous to Voidspanners due to the damage easily caused by floating debris and the raiding parties of native gargoyles.
The largest asteroid in the Iron bands is called the Tower of the Third or Tower of the One to Come, few have seen it and even less have tried to brave it. Sages hold that it was home to a third Moon Mage and that a prophecy exists about the coming of a Third Moon Mage of goblinoid race.

[artikid]

Ether geography - part 4

Fourth Sphere:
Hine-ugoi
Diameter: 89,000 mi.
Period of revolution: 3337 days
Period of rotation: 14 hrs.
Atmosphere: Poisonous
Major imports: Slaves
Major exports: Slaves

To most living creatures Hine-ugoi is a nightmare. This huge planet is covered by stormy clouds of poisonous gasses, almost all of its fauna and flora is poisonous to all intelligent races save one: the Thullid.
The Thullids aim for interplanetary conquest, their motivations are simple: hunger and reproduction, they crave for brains to eat or impregnate.
Hine-ugoi is home to all kind of horrid abberrations: oozes, puddings, rot grubs and similar creatures are native to Hine-ugoi.

Fifth Sphere:
Arcane Concordate of the Watchers
The Arcane Concordate of the Watchers is a not so secret society of self styled guardians of interplanetary peace.
The Concordate is not tied to a single planetary power and just like the Voidspanners' Brotherhood strives to maintain political neutrality.
Membership is for life and traitorous or rogue Watchers are hunted down and brought in front of a tribunal of peers, treason is usually paid with death.
Its principal activity is to fight piracy and - most of all- the thullid from Hine-ugoi.
The Watchers accept good willed people of all races and professions as members, but magic users and clerics are the majority.
No planet or moon exists in the Fifth Sphere, the ACW uses instead a gigantic Voidspanner vessel (capable of holding three or four hundred voidspanners) as a moving base.

[SmootRK]

I think this will be a lot of fun, especially with a strong pirate vibe. Perhaps even move the era up a little bit from canonical fantasy times to something mirroring the age of the East India Trading Company; flintlocks and sabres, cannonballs, etc.

The ships should have multiple methods to 'power'. For instance, the essentially non-magical Dwarves ought to have an option, perhaps steam. Void Orcs or Goblinoids might utilize such means as well. Magic, bound Elementals, Steam, certain materials/minerals from 'deepearth' areas. etc.

[artikid]

I think this will be a lot of fun, especially with a strong pirate vibe. Perhaps even move the era up a little bit from canonical fantasy times to something mirroring the age of the East India Trading Company; flintlocks and sabres, cannonballs, etc.

The ships should have multiple methods to 'power'. For instance, the essentially non-magical Dwarves ought to have an option, perhaps steam. Void Orcs or Goblinoids might utilize such means as well. Magic, bound Elementals, Steam, certain materials/minerals from 'deepearth' areas. etc.

The Earth Nations are roughly inspired by the UK, Germany and Turkey just before WWI, for Logria I also took some inspiration from "the Difference Engine" by Sterling and Gibson.

I plan, as stated, to introduce rules for firearms.
The Bonaventure Ether Trade Company is inspired by the India Company.

Orcs and goblins do not produce Voidspanners in the base settings, while I plan to create a new class called Spellcrafter that is open to Dwarves and can create spellvessels.
As for powering ships I only thought of three different system up to now: Voidspan engines with activation wands, elven living ships and starsails that catch etherwinds.

[sycarion]

I'm editing/compiling everything you've submitted so far. I'll post a link to the pdf when it's ready.

This is very interesting so far. My only question is, can you call the main planet something other than Earth?

Thanks for everything so far.

[artikid]

I'm editing/compiling everything you've submitted so far. I'll post a link to the pdf when it's ready.

This is very interesting so far. My only question is, can you call the main planet something other than Earth?

Thanks for everything so far.

Hi Sycarion,
I was going to ask you to be my editor since you are an English major, thanks to you for the support!
Yes, I'd like to change the name of the main planet, any ideas?
This is where I got the idea for the names of Earth's nations:
Logria is just a different version of Logres
Yralmen comes from welsh Yr Almaen for germany
Orkhon comes from Orkhon Valley in Mongolia, where the earliest known texts in any Altaic language where discovered. The language could be described as "Old Turkish".

Meanwhile I discovered we have some trouble, a d20 SJ product exists called Shadows of the Spider Moon.
In this expansion the Illithids are the main villains.
I'd like to avoid any kind of similarity between voidspanners and existing settings of other SJ products, so we need a new race of alien baddies.
I've read the description of Phrenic Scourges and they could be viable...
My only doubt is that they are almost identical to Mind Flayers in all but description.

[artikid]

Ether Geography - 5

Sixth Sphere:
The sixth Sphere is mostly empty and seems to attract all debris floating in the system. A sort of space Sargasso Sea full of dead Voidspanner vessels, floating junk and corpses. Scavengers and pirates (independent or of the Black Company) frequently come here looking for things to salvage.
The Sixth Sphere is also a popular hideout for Etherdogs (a term used to tag criminals sentenced to exile or just plain vagabonds of the ether) and a favorite spot of the Black Company to maroon fellow pirates that have been judged guilty of non capital crimes against the ship or the Black Company.
The sixth sphere the place of choice for void dragons to build their dens.

Seventh Sphere:
Azooc's belt
Commonly known as "The Belt", Azooc's belt is a vast asteroid belt encircling all of the system. The Belt takes its name from Azooc Barlindon, a human etherfarer that discovered it and charted most of it. Originally the settlement of Yralmen colony in outer space -soon followed by colonies of Logria and Orkhon- today Azooc's belt is a veritable Tortue of the ether. At first pirates acted as corsairs for one nation or the other, till they became more powerful as a political entity than the nations they where fighting for.
They soon declared the Belt to be independent and declared the birth of the Black Company.
The Black Company is a sort of democratic system governed by the great Captains of the fleet. Each sip is an independent democracy: both the captain and the quartermaster are elected by the crew; they, in turn, appoint the other ship's officers.
Pirates share whatever they seize from their victims; pirates injured in battle might be afforded special compensation similar to medical or disability insurance.
The Company readily accepts any kind of outcasts. It is reputed that about 40% of any pirate vessels' crew are prisoners and slaves liberated from captured slavers or prison ships.
Do not forget however that Company members are absolutely mercenary and will ally with or against anybody, committing any kind of crime. The Black Company is, for example, well known for selling unransomed prisoners of war as slaves to the Thullids.
Ships of the Company usually raise the Company's Flag just prior to boarding: a red and black banner with skulls and crossbones called "Happy Robert".
Happy Robert takes its name from Robert Vane, founder of the Company who was arrested and burned at the stake by the Ylarmen navy.
Rules on board a pirate ship are rather simple:
Every crew member has the right to express his vote, the right to food and liquor
Gambling is not allowed on board
At 8 p.m. all lights on board must be turned off
Weapons must always be ready and clean
Every crew member is responsible of his own hygiene
Members of the opposite sex are not allowed on board (The Company runs only same-sex crews)
Deserters are punished by death or marooning
The main port of the Company is a huge carved asteroid called the Castle of Symphonies due to the musical sounds caused by the ether winds passing through its corridors.
The Castle is a real city-fortress with an estimated 2 million people population, probably the largest city in the whole system, about half of which is directly connected to the Black Company and Piracy (the rest being slaves, children, prostitutes and the elderly).
The council of captains elects a Governor for a three years term, there is no limit to the number of terms one can serve as governor.

Famous pirates and pirate ships include:

Gouvanon Ilwindel the Red Corsair, Captain of the Hidden Prince (Elf male)
Morgan Bonnet, Captain of the Devil's Dishonor (Logrian Human male) Current Governor
Darri Tak "Ironbeard", Captain of the Icon of Tears (Dwarf male), the most feared and cruel of pirates of the Company.
Caliyat Raji, Captain of the Vain Hope (Orkhon Human male)
Annette "Bonny Anne" Lowhill, Captain of the Manta (Halfling female)
Resiel "Red Mary" Mariassir, Captain of the Northwind (Half-elf female)

[sycarion]

@artkid Happy to help. Chris brought me on as an editor and I hope to be a helpful friendly face to help with wording and a bit with layout. I used to be a newspaper editor, but I'm not as strict as I used to be.

As far as product identity that we cannot use, you are right that Illithids are off-limits. They are the main bad guys that run the slave trade. We also cannot use The Arcane, scro, giff, etc. There's also a d20 mini game that further limits what we can do.

Here is a link to some of my ideas from a while ago: (edited to remove link) Some of this will not fit voidspanners. Just disregard those parts.

I suggest using the formians (ant-men) with huge asteroid type ships that house the colony. I imagine them as a force that cannot be reasoned with. Their ships are so large that they cannot be dealt with solely through combat.

I also created a race called the vespertillians that have some ability to combat the formians. They have a bit of history as the formians destroyed their homeworld. I'm normally not a fan of anthropomorphic races, so I took care to give them a few fox-like features without making them humans with fox heads.

I also think we can use the xill as a race to be encountered in space. They are kind of alien (especially with four arms). Just seemed like a good idea.

I'm not worried about using the phrenic scourges because we will have to translate them from d20 to BFRPG. BFRPG currently doesn't have a psionic supplement, so their abilities may be quite different. Even if there are similarities to Illithids, I believe we can re-imagine them to be more than just a mind flayer clone.

As far as names, I'm an amateur linguist. I've even written a conlang or two. Let me see what I can come up with for names. I'll post them here.

Still editing the first section (overview) then on the the ehter geography. Good stuff so far.

[artikid]

Hi Sycarion,
my Anti Virus closed the connection to the link you posted, I suggest you check out if it has been hacked or infected with malware.

As a sidenote, the Formians have been used in Shadows of the Spider Moon as well...
I'm thinking of adapting Lovecraft's Mi-Go or something like that.

What about Tellus instead of Earth?

[artikid]

Ether geography - part 6

Prime Mover:
The Prime mover is completely and utterly empty, comets and falling stars all have their birth here.

Moving celestial Bodies:
Two comets are known to cross the system: the Blue star Comet and the Red Tear
The Blue star comet: It takes 30 years for this Comet to make a complete round trip of the system from the Prime Mover to the Eye of the storm and back.
The Blue star comet is the largest of the two Comets and almost a planetoid, with a breathable atmosphere although icy cold and swiped by deadly winds.
Many rumors surround the Comet, some maintain that the Comet is in fact a moving moon inhabited by a powerful wizard, other rumors hold that the Comet is a Prison for demonic creatures or traitorous Arcane watchers.
Etehrfarers have not had the chance to discover the truth as almost all that tried died at the hands of the brutish creatures living on its surface.
The Red tear comet: It takes 20 years for this Comet to make a complete round trip of the system from the Prime Mover to the Eye of the storm and back.
The Red tear comet is considered a notorious ill omen throughout the system.

This ends Ether Geography, next: Characters

[sycarion]

Hi Sycarion,
my Anti Virus closed the connection to the link you posted, I suggest you check out if it has been hacked or infected with malware.

Thanks for letting me know. This was supposed to be cleared up on Spetempter 17. Turns out that the footer of the wiki had a problem. I had google clear the main site, but forgot to include the wiki. Sorry. The iframe link to reycross.com is gone. However, here is the content I was interesting in showing you:

Code: Select all

Peridot

Peridot is a game of space fantasy that features flying ships and flintlock firearms for M20. Outer space is cast as a great ethereal ocean where swashbuckling action and exotic ports call to merchants, pirates and explorers alike. With great opportunities come great dangers such as the Formian feederships, the Alakdan slave traders, and the intricate schemes of the Rakshasa.

Races

Bilyazi Elves

Bilyazi average 5 feet tall and typically weigh around 125 pounds. Aside from their striking appearance, Bilyazi are often identified by their vegetarian diet. Bilyazi identify themselves by hair color: silver, golden yellow or deep black. Eye color ranges from amber, violet, or emerald green. They prefer clothing of white, silver, yellow, or gold, with cloaks of deep blue or purple. Bilyazi were the first in space.

Humans

Humans are

Rakshasa

Rakshasa are

Shotek Orcs

Shotek are

Umeni Gnomes:

Umeni stand 3 to 3½ feet tall and weigh 40 to 45 pounds. Their skin color ranges from dark tan to a light brown, their hair is fair and on rare occasion white. Their eyes are varying shades of green. Umeni males prefer short, carefully trimmed beards. Umeni generally wear leather or earth tones, though they decorate their clothes with intricate stitching or fine jewelry. Umeni reach adulthood at about age 30, and they live about 250 years, though some can live almost 300 years.

Umeni are masters at using proto-matter from the Ethereal Plane to power their techno-magic devices. They are also good fabricators of raw materials (except peridot, which cannot be magically created), though most folks do not know that they generate wood from proto-matter instead of cutting down actual trees. Shipbuilders tend to use umeni as suppliers of tools and materials for any project.

Vespertilians

Vespertilians are shorter humanoids that average 4ft tall and weigh around 40lbs. Their face has a little bit of a snout ending in a fox-like nose. They have prominent pointed ears and smaller darkened eyes. They have a thick mane of hair that appears in various shades of brown and red. As a whole, Vespers (short form of their name) are noted for its creativity, cunning, and amazing resourcefulness. A formian colony ravaged their homeworld generating a centuries-long hatred of formians and any other insect-like creature. Vespers ships are the only ones that will actively engage a formain ship in space. They are quite skilled at combat with formians - they are the only known race with the ability to successfully take formians by surprise. As a result, an individual vesper is highly resistant to psionics or carries a device that makes it extremely difficult to read their thoughts.

Many still regret the destruction that ended what they considered a golden age for their kind. Yet, outside of their conflict with the formians, many are quite skilled artisans in a variety of disciplines.

Xill

Xill are

Etherspace and Interplanetary Travel

It is generally believed that the Bilyazi Elves were the first to travel to the space between planets. They also discovered that the line between what we call reality and the Ethereal Plane is very thin. There were new cultures to explore, but also unimaginable dangers. Since those first trips into the space between, all the known races have found their way to the stars. There are still untold dangers and adventure that await.

Ethereal and material planes

The Material Plane is the plane of existence everyone is familiar with. Most folks never encounter other planes of existence within their lifetimes.The Ethereal plane exists parallel to our own plane of existence.

Ship's Wheels

Ships are powered by powerful magical items called Ship's Wheels or helms. They can vary in appearance, but will always appear as a large piece of furniture. Most look like great thrones, but others look like low couches or even beds! Others are built to accommodate more than one person. Different races have been helms to accommodate their physiology as needed. Ships' Wheels allow ships to phase into the ethereal plane, in order to allow movement, but they also handle keeping air fresh and avoiding collisions with other ships. A ship without a helm is adrift in the space between (or the ethereal plane).

Movement

A helm allows a ship to travel at two speeds, cruising speed and tactical speed. Crusing speed will allow a ship to travel between planets typically in 1d6 days. While in crusing speed, the ship, it's crew, and cargo have phased into the ethereal plane. Very little on the material plane can harm.

Equipment

Ships' Weapons

Etherships have special weapons available:
Type/Name 	Crew 	Damage 	Notes
Light Guns
Saker (6-pdr) 	2 	4d6 	
Long Nine 	2 	3d6 	Triple Range, must be mounted on the bow or stern. 

As a sidenote, the Formians have been used in Shadows of the Spider Moon as well...
I'm thinking of adapting Lovecraft's Mi-Go or something like that.

Yes they did, but I was implementing it differently. formians are still ogc. However, Lovecraft's Mi-Go would be a good idea. In fact, after looking up the Mi-Go, using them is a better idea. They can fly through the ether without a vessel. They also have an alternate way to transport humans through the spheres (the brain cylinders).

What about Tellus instead of Earth?

Tellus is good. We'll go with that.

[artikid]

Characters

Races and classes
All standard character races are available to players in the Voidspanners setting, of these only Dwarves, Elves and Humans have mastered voidspanning magical technology. Halflings, native to Tellus just like the Humans, are generally found traveling the ether on human or dwarven ships.
Among NPC races only the Thulids are a voidspanning race.
The most powerful voidspanning fleet is the dwarven one, with the divided humans coming second. Elves, due to their reclusive nature tend to defend their own etherspace but rarely venture deeper in the system.
Relationship between the voidspanning races are generally neutral, with the exception of the Thulids considered to be enemies by all other sentients with the exception of Hanarian goblinoids and the Black company who are ready to deal with the Thulids.
The Arcane Concordate of the Watchers is generally well seen by the main voidspanning powers with the exception of Thullids and the conservative Orkhon who do not like the watchers easyiness with magic.
Hanarians are treated by other sentients with caution, the way a savage and barbaric neighbor is.

Dwarves: Dwarves in voidspanners are usually native to either Nazmaroth or Kellagund, a few are born in Azooc's belt or -more rarely- to Tellus or Hanar. Dwarves have access to a new class, the Spellcrafter, and may take the Spellcrafter/Fighter Combination class.

If the Dungeoneer's Almanack-or other supplements are used dwarves have their restrictions on classes change to: dwarves may become Assassin, Barbarians and Paladins.
Dwarves in Voidspanners are usually Lawful Neutral.

Elves: All Elves in voidspanners are native to Ivoreze, with no exception. Elves follow the standard BFRPG rules for elves with the following exceptions: elves have access to the new Spellcrafter class and can not take the Fighter/Magic-user Combination class. They may instead become Fighter/Clerics.

If the Dungeoneer's Almanack or other supplements are used elves have their restrictions on classes change to:
Elves may become Rangers, Illusionists, Druids or Sorcerers. Elves forfeit the Cleric class and may become Fighter/Druids instead.
Elves in Voidspanners are usually True Neutral.

Humans: Humans are usually native to Tellus, the Belt or Hanar and Ivoreze. Humans may take the new Spellcrafter class or any other class.

Humans in Voidspanners are usually some kind of Neutral.

Halflings: Halflings are usually native to Tellus, the Belt or Hanar and Ivoreze.

If the Dungeoneer's Almanack or other supplements are used halflings have their restrictions on classes change to: Halflings may become Rangers, Jesters or Druids.
Halflings in Voidspanners are usually Chaotic Neutral.

Gnomes: Just like elves, gnomes are native to Ivoreze. Gnomes may become Spellcrafters.

If the Dungeoneer's Almanack or other supplements are used gnomes have their restrictions on classes change to: Gnomes may become Rangers, Jesters, Illusionists and combination class Thief/Illusionist.
Gnomes in Voidspanners are usually Chaotic Neutral.

Half-elves: Half-elves are typically native to Ivoreze, Tellus or Azooc's Belt. Half-elves may become Spellcrafters. Like elves half-elves may become Fighter/Clerics instead of Fighter/Magic-users.

If the Dungeoneer's Almanack or other supplements are used half-elves have their restrictions on classes change to: Half-Elves may become Assassins, Rangers, Paladins, Illusionists, Druids or Sorcerers. Half-elves may become Fighter/Druids instead of Fighter/Clerics.
Half-elves in Voidspanners are usually True Neutral.

Half-Ogres and Half-Orcs: Members of these races are only native to Hanar or the Belt.

If the Dungeoneer's Almanack or other supplements are used Half-goblinoids restrictions on classes change to: they may become Barbarians and Half-orcs may become Assassins as well. Occasionally Half-orcs become Grave masters.
Half-goblinoids in Voidspanners are usually of some Neutral or Evil alignment.

Combination classes
Fighter/Druid or Cleric: Must meet the requirements for both Cleric or Druid and Fighter. These characters may both fight and cast divine spells. This combination class can use all weapons.
As Druids they are allowed to cast druid spells while wearing metal armor. A Fighter/Druid or Cleric must gain experience equal to the combined requirements of both base classes. Fighter/Druids or Clerics roll six sided dice (d6) for hit points.

Fighter/Spellcrafter: Must meet the requirements for both Spellcrafter and Fighter. These characters may both fight and use Spellcrafter spells. Furthermore they are allowed to cast magic spells while wearing metal armor. A Fighter/Spellcrafter must gain experience equal to the combined requirements of both base classes. Fighter/Spellcrafters roll six sided dice (d6) for hit points.

Languages: Dwarfish is the tradespeech of all the ether, so Common in Voidspanners is based on dwarfish and not a human language.

New Class
Spellcrafter

Spellcrafters are a special kind of magicians, known for their mastery over magic items and constructs and their great ability at creating such kind of splendors including Voidspanning engines.

Spellcrafters use the same experience table for Magic users, but uses the spell acquisition table for Clerics with the exception of first level spells which are gained as for Magic users.

Spellcrafters roll 1d4 for hit points and gain 1 HP per level after 9th, a spellcrafter fights and saves as a magic-user and has the same restrictions on armor and weapons.

The Prime Requisite for Spellcrafters is Intelligence; a character must have an Intelligence score of 12 or higher to
become a Spellcrafter.

A first level Spellcrafter begins play knowing read magic and one other spell of first level. These spells are written in
a spellbook provided by his or her master. The GM may roll for the spell, assign it as he or she sees fit, or allow the
player to choose it, at his or her option. See the Spells section in the BFRPG rulebook for more details.

Spellcrafters do the same "kind" of magic as normal Magic-Users, such that they are able to learn spells from each other; however, only those spells listed as available to both classes may be so learned. See the section on spells for the Spellcrafter's spell list.

Spellcrafters receive a +1 to all Saving Throws made against effects generated by magic items, conversely targets of magical effects generated by a magic item in their hands suffer a -1 penalty to the saving Throw.

The real power of spellcrafters however is their greater understanding of the processes of magical fabrication, this is expressed by the Spellcrafting Ability.
Spellcrafters can create any scroll from 1st level, potions and other Single Use Items from 3rd level, at 7th level they can create any kind of magic item.
A spell crafter gets a spell crafting rating based on its level:
Level : Spellcrafting rating
1-4: 5% / 1
5-9: 10% / 2
10-14: 15% / 3
15-19: 20% / 4
20: 25% / 5

A spellcrafter adds its first spellcrafting rating (from 5% to 25%) as a bonus to the base chance of success of magical reasearch done to create items, this same number is applied as a discount to the cost of creating a magical item.
Spellcrafters are also faster at creating magic items reducing the number of days necessary to create an item by the second number in the spellcrafting ability column (from 1 to 5).
For more about creating magical items see the BFRPG rulebook.

@Sycarion: I'm not casting of your proposals, but for the moment I'm more at ease writing what comes out. As soon as I'm finished we should have a look over the result and try to integrate your ideas to make the setting/expansion come truly alive.

[sycarion]

@Sycarion: I'm not casting of your proposals, but for the moment I'm more at ease writing what comes out. As soon as I'm finished we should have a look over the result and try to integrate your ideas to make the setting/expansion come truly alive.

No worries. It's all part of the process.

While editing, I'm thinking about stating the Mi-Go. Even though they can fly in the ether, I still assume that they have spacecraft.

For what it is worth, I'm looking at some of the rules in BF that discuss ship size and hull points.

One quick note, the spell tables for clerics and magic-users are the same except that MU have a spell available at 1st level. In other words, the cleric table is just shifted down a row. For the spellcrafter class do they simply progress like Magic Users or do they have only one 1st level spell available at 1st and 2nd level?

Keep it coming, great stuff.

[artikid]

While editing, I'm thinking about stating the Mi-Go. Even though they can fly in the ether, I still assume that they have spacecraft.

For what it is worth, I'm looking at some of the rules in BF that discuss ship size and hull points.

One quick note, the spell tables for clerics and magic-users are the same except that MU have a spell available at 1st level. In other words, the cleric table is just shifted down a row. For the spellcrafter class do they simply progress like Magic Users or do they have only one 1st level spell available at 1st and 2nd level?

I don't know how to explain it better than showing it
Spellcrafters spells table:
Lvl : spells
1 : 1 ----
2 : 2 ----
3 : 2 ----
4 : 2 1 ---
5 : 2 2 ---
6 : 3 2 1 ---
7 : 3 2 2 ---
8 : 3 2 2 1 --
9 : 3 3 2 2 --
10 : 4 3 2 2 1-
11 : 4 3 3 2 2 -
12 : 4 4 3 2 2 1
13 : 4 4 3 3 2 2
14 : 4 4 4 3 2 2
15 : 5 4 4 3 3 2
16 : 5 4 4 3 3 2
17 : 5 5 4 3 3 2
18 : 6 5 4 4 3 3
19 : 6 5 4 4 3 3
20 : 6 5 5 4 3 3

I realized I worded the class restrictions rather poorly, the classes available to races -if using supplements- are in addition to the ones already available by the standard BFRPG rulebook unless indicated otherwise (for example elves can become Thief, fighters, Mus but not Clerics in addition to all optional classes listed)

[sycarion]

I don't know how to explain it better than showing it
Spellcrafters spells table:
Lvl : spells
1 : 1 ----
2 : 2 ----
3 : 2 ----
4 : 2 1 ---
5 : 2 2 ---
6 : 3 2 1 ---
7 : 3 2 2 ---
8 : 3 2 2 1 --
9 : 3 3 2 2 --
10 : 4 3 2 2 1-
11 : 4 3 3 2 2 -
12 : 4 4 3 2 2 1
13 : 4 4 3 3 2 2
14 : 4 4 4 3 2 2
15 : 5 4 4 3 3 2
16 : 5 4 4 3 3 2
17 : 5 5 4 3 3 2
18 : 6 5 4 4 3 3
19 : 6 5 4 4 3 3
20 : 6 5 5 4 3 3

I realized I worded the class restrictions rather poorly, the classes available to races -if using supplements- are in addition to the ones already available by the standard BFRPG rulebook unless indicated otherwise (for example elves can become Thief, fighters, Mus but not Clerics in addition to all optional classes listed)

That explains it. Thanks for showing the table. Don't worry about poor wording or anything, I understood what you meant. I'll take care of that part.

Great work so far, once it's done we can hammer out some of the finer details.

[artikid]

Religions

Choice of religion is a metter principally connected to the character's race (and alignment if you are using this optional rule). Rarely will a person take on a religion of another race, but some ether travelers have done so.

Ancestor worship: The religion of dwarves is based on reverence of the ancients, the belief that family members have a continued existence beyond death and the ability to influence events in the living world. Dwarven religion seeks both the continued well being of ancestors in the overworld and assistance to the living by those same ancestors. Family loyalty and kinship ties are particularly stressed values. While a main temple exists on Nazmaroth where important community members are innumed the idea of temple or church is rather weird for dwarves. Each dwarven family has some sort of shrine with images of revered dead and dwarves tipycally are named after famous reltives in hope of giving them their ancestor's virtues.

Animism: Animism is the main religion of the Hanar goblinoids, the belief that souls or spirits exist not only in humans but also in other animals, plants, rocks, natural phenomena such as thunder, geographic features such as mountains or rivers, or other entities of the natural environment. While potentially similar to Druidism, animism does not delegate to faeries a specific role and does not incarnate nature as a whole in a single deity.
Animism is at the same time more personal (the river near your house is a deity, as is the hill behind it) and less (animism is not anthropomorphic) believing in the virtues of natural spirits but not in their being named and sentient individuals. Thunder, Darkness and Silence are considered the most powerful of spirits in Hanarian Animism.

Druidism: The religion of the fay of Ivoreze is a cult based on worship of nature and promotes harmony with all living beings and things. Invasive technology is seen as an abberration and actively fought, arcane magic while accepted as a natural force is not used widely as is by humans. Druidism has a particular view of fay creatures as expression of nature's own will and lifeforce, in Druidism nature is incarnated in a female deity called Cel.
Druids do not build temples but rather gather in sacred groves, the majority of rites are held on full moon nights and are connected to fertility, healing and protection. Sacred Trees of life can frequently be found in the greatest groves and fairy creatures of any kind, as well as animals, typically search comfort in the groves and the druids in case of need.
Some humans also follow druidism, especially in Logria.

Kismet: The main monotheistic religion of Tellus and humans, Kismet (literally: fate or destiny), was born in the desert provinces of the Orkhon empire and has spread to all nations of Tellus. Kismet is a revealed religion, a message of god given to the Prophet and written in sacred texts.
Kismet preaches meekness, piety, generosity, and equality of all believers who submit to the will of god (called the Source) and opposes a generic force of evil named the Abyss. Kismet teachings describe the Abyss as an "absence of god" rather than as a positive entity.
Kismet is open to believers of any race, but frowns on the use of arcane magic.
kismet mantains that believers true to its teachings will live beyond death in the light of god while sinners will tumble in the Abyss and be forever dead.

Kismet has fractured since its birth:
Traditionalist Kismet is more harsh in its application of religious creed and laws and is exemplified by the Theocracy of Orkhon where the birth of temporal and religious happened at the same time .
Reformed Kismet has spread to all other nations of Tellus and is more liberal in its approach, especially since the power of religious leaders was held in check by already existing secular powers. Reformed Kismet sees religious tennets more as a message to believers, a personal path to follow to reach spiritual perfection, rather than as precisely defined rules to be enforced by society.

Both traditional and reformed kismet hold in high esteem the Prophet and the prophets that came after him. Clerics of Kismet are expected to follow in the steps of prophets, spreading the teachings to non- believers and acting as spiritual guides of the community.
Kismet temples are simple and elegant, usually built in white marble and with a high tower.

Melekism: melekism could be considered a derivative of kismet, or rather its anthisesis. Melekists believe that the Abyss is not a metaphysical emptiness but a deity in its own right, a deity that favores the strong and the brave and ready to grant power and richness on its followers.
Melekists are evil and dangerous individuals welcome nowhere and acting as a sort of secret society, no official temples of melekism exist and cult members usually meet -masked- at night in underground caves.
Melekist rites usually mock Kismet rites and Melekist clerics try very hard to put their hands on kismet holy symbols to use and defile in their meetings.
The Heavenly gate of Orkhon puts melekists to death by stoning, other countries and nations may allow for freedom of thought or belief as long as no crime is committed. Many members of the Black Company boast Melekist beliefs.

next: Equipment

[artikid]

Equipment - part 1

New Armor types [theader][td]Armor Type[/td][td]Cost[/td] [td]Weight[/td] [td]AC[/td][/theader]

Padded	10 gp	5	12
Ring mail	40 gp	25	14
Banded	100 gp	45	16

Padded armor is the lightest armor available made of untreated hides and leather, its is encumbering as wearing no armor for what regards movement rates. Padded armor denies arcane spellcasting.
Ring mail armor is made with metal rings or plates sewn on hardened and treated leather, its is encumbering as wearing leather armor for what regards movement rates. Ring mail denies arcane and druidic spellcasting and the use of Thief abilities.
Banded armor is made with light metal strips similar to plate mail pasted to heavy treated leather, its is encumbering as wearing metal armor for what regards movement rates. Banded armor denies arcane and druidic spellcasting and the use of Thief abilities.

If the Thieves' Options supplement is used, thief characters may wear all of the above kinds of armor with the following modifiers to their skills:
Padded: +5%
Ring mail: -10%
Banded armor: -30%

Firearms: In voidspanners wheel-lock, smooth-bore, front-loading, single shot weapons are quite common.
Firearms are rare and delicate objects, exposition to water requires the weapon to be cleaned and dried for one full turn before it may be used. Also exposition to water of gun powder makes it useless till dried for one full turn.
Firearms need to be cleaned regularly by a proficient user every ten shots fired. An unclean firearm will explode on a natural roll of 1 inflicting regular firearm damage to the user and becoming irreparably wasted.
If the rules for Critical hits from the Olde Dungeoneers Almanack are used, firearms deal triple damage on a critical hit.
Three kinds of personal firearms exist: pistol, musket and blunderbuss. Pistols and muskets are single target weapons while the blunderbuss is an area effect weapon firing a load of shrapnel.
Pistols need one round to reload, muskets and blunderbusses need two actions to reload.
Pistols and muskets are fired normally against an enemy's AC while blunderbusses are fired against a general area you want to cover rolling against AC11.
Blunderbuss and musket require two hands to be fired.

Edit:If the attack roll is successful all characters within a cone 60 feet long and 10 feet wide facing as selected by the attacker are hit if their AC is lower than the attack roll and suffer damage. Modifiers for range are applied to the attack roll separately against each target (i.e.: a target at long range compares its ac against the attack roll -2, targets at short range compare it against the attack roll +1)


If the attack roll fails check the rules for grenade missiles to determine where the area effect of the blunderbuss is aimed at.
dwarves, halflings and gnomes have no trouble with using pistols or blunderbusses, GMs may chose to impart penalties for using a musket though.

Weapon Cost- Size- Weight- Dmg.
Pistol -80 gp -S -5 -1d8
Blunderbuss- 120 gp -M -15 -1d6
Musket -200 gp- M -15 -1d10
Powder and ball for one shot- 1 gp-NA -0.2
Powder and silver ball for one shot- 20 gp-NA -0.2-

Missile Weapon Ranges
Weapon -Short (+1) -Medium (0) -Long (-2)
Pistol 60- 120- 180
Blunderbuss 20- 30- 60
Musket 100- 200- 300

Class and firearms: Druids, clerics, jesters, barbarians should not be allowed to use firearms. The rationale behind this rule is that firearms are comparatively easy to use than say a crossbow or longbow.
So the classes not allowed to use firearms have been chosen not on a skill-based criteria but on a "cultural" one. And, after all, what is a fantasy game of pirates and galleons without blazing muskets?

[artikid]

Equipment-part 2

Ship and siege weapons:
See th BFRPG core rulebook for details on handling this kind of weapons.
Cannons: This weapon fires balls of lead with flat trajectory, it is usually mounted on wheels and may be mounted on a ship. Cannons require a Crew of three.
Gunpowder and ball to shoot a light cannon once costs 15 gp and weighs and weighs 2 pounds.
Gunpowder and ball to shoot a Heavy cannon once costs 30 gp and weighs and weighs 3 pounds.
Culverine:Culverines are ultra light cannons that can be manned by a single person, culverines are very light compared to other cannons and are usually mounted on a swivel allowing for 360° arc of fire. A culverine is too heavy to be handled and fired by any creature -except maybe a giant- without a mount.
Gunpowder and ball to shoot the culverin once costs 10 gp and weighs 1 pound.

Cannons and Culverines need to be cleaned regularly by an artillerist every ten shots fired. An unclean gun will explode on a natural roll of 1 inflicting its regular damage to all within a 5’ radius and becoming irreparably wasted.

If the rules for Critical hits from the Olde Dungeoneers Almanack are used, cannons and culverines deal triple damage on a critical hit.

Edit: Culverines and cannons can be charged with nails just like a blunderbuss, if that is the case, damage dealt is reduced to d6 (2,3 or 4) and range is halved. The area effect cone is as long as the reduced weapon range, its width is 20 feet for culverines and 30 feet for cannons.

Weapon - Cost - Wt - Rof - Attack Plty - Dmg -S.Range-M.R.-L.R
Culverine - 500gp - 100 - 1/3 - -1 - 2d12 - 30' - 90' - 180'
Lt. Cannon - 2000 gp - 1000 - 1/3 - -2 - 3d12 - 40’ - 120’ - 240’
Hvy. Cannon - 5000 gp - 2000 - 1/3 - -3 - 4d12 -70' - 210' - 420'

[artikid]

Equipment - part 3

Voidspanners and Spellvessels
Voidspanners come in the same general categories as regular ships, Game masters can thus expect Voidspanners to have the same characteristics and of the following ship types:

Caravel
Carrack
Galley, Small
Galley, Large
Riverboat
Sailboat

Voidspanners are not inherently magical, but fly due to a magical propulsion system. Please take note that simply strapping one of these on a regular ship does not turn it in a Voidspanner nor can Voidspanners usually sail the seas.
If a character wants to buy an amphibian Voidspanner capable of sailing both sea and void, the base cost of the ship is increased by 20%.

Voidspanners move by flight and have the same movement rates per round as a ship of their type, each voidspanner is powered by one of the following three propulsion systems:

Void engines: Void engines are massive magical items connected to the ship's rudder and helm.
Void engines are activated by a magical wand inserted in the ship's helm. Void engines are heavy, encumbering and grant the ship average flying speed and maneuverability.
The ship's base speed and turning distance do not change. A voidspanner powered by a void engine can fly in reverse at a its standard speed and can Hover in place.
Void Engines add to the ship's cost 10,000 gp and subtract about 5 tons of cargo.

Ether sails: Ether sails are magical sails capable of taking the etherwinds, they allow for greater speed but at the cost of lower maneuvrability. Ether sails need not be activated by magic wands and do not take cargo space.
The ship's base speed increases by 10' and its turning distance increases by 5, ether sails however are less efficient inside an atmosphere as the presence of air partially blocks etherwinds: in this case the speed bonus is lost but maneuverability is still adversely affected.
Edit: A voidspanner driven by ethersails can not fly in reverse nor hover in place.
Ether sails add to the ship's cost 15,000 gp and do not take cargo space.

Elven Tree-magic: Eleven tree ships are marvels of Druidic magic, and very rare. Elven tree ships are basically live creatures. An elven tree ship is slower but more maneuverable: its speed is decreased by 10' but its turning distance is reduced by 5'.
Elven tree ships have one additional ability: they heal from damage at a rate of 1d4 Hull points per day.
Elven tree ships however need a Druid to keep them active and moving, for each spell level sacrificed to the tree-ship the ship can fly for 4 hours.
Edit:Tree-ships can fly in reverse at half their speed and can hover in place.
An elven tree ship costs twice the basic cost of the ship.
Elven Tree-ships can not be repaired but can be affected by cure spells.

Edit:A voidspanner can travel 24 hours a day in the hands of a good navigator and if the crew takes turns. The traveling speed of Voidspanners is five times its encounter speed in miles per day.
So at a speed of 20' per round a voidspanner travels up to 100 miles a day.

What about Lifeboats?
Voidspanner vessels usually have lifeboats of somesort, most are unpowered vessels barely more than a shelter to hang on if the main spellship is destroyed. A few, rare lifeboats are actually voidspanning vessels: rowboats, canoes and barges can be fitted with either ethersails or shaped by elven druidic magic into a tree-ship. Ether engines are too big to fit on these ships.


Mounting Siege weapons: the following weapons can be built on a ship: Onager, ballista, trebuchet, culverin, light cannon and heavy cannon, rams.
There is almost no limit to the number of culverins a ship can mount: about 1 for each 5 feet of space on the ship, culverins have a 360° arc of fire.
Light Cannons, ballistas and onagers require about 10 feet of space and subtract 1 ton each from the ship's cargo capacity. All these weapons have a 60° arc of fire.
Heavy cannons require 10' feet of space and subtract 2 tons from cargo space and have a 60° arc of fire.
Trebuchets require 15' feet of space and subtract 2 tons from cargo space and have a 60° arc of fire.
Rams do not have any effect on the ship's cargo capacity and do not require extra space.

Example: A Large galley (120x20) could thus mount up to 24 Larg cannons, 12 on each side. This would take up 24 tons from the cargo capacity of the Voidspanner.
Otherwise, by mounting 5 large cannons per side (for 20 tons of cargo space), the same galley could mount 4 culverins on the aft, and 4 on the prow.

Armoring: voidspanners can be armored, for a 10% extra on the base cost the ship can have its Hardness increased by 1, however this lowers its base speed by 5'. Elven tree ships can not be armored.

Thickening: voidspanners can be built with thicker boards, planks etc... for a 10% increase on its base cost. This increases the ship's Hull Points by 20%, but lowers its cargo capacity by 20%.

Extra Cargo: some voidspanner prefer their ships to be less sturdy and have more cargo: for a 10% extra cost the voidspanner has 20% more cargo and 20% less Hull Points.

Edit: Cabins: A cabin costs 500 gp and takes up 1 ton of cargo space. Each cabin can hold up to three passengers. A ship without cabins can not have First or second class passengers.