Guardians of the Galaxy

Jay has been posting up a storm about the upcoming Guardians of the Galaxy movie, this movie is really getting me excited.  I've been a big fan of The Guardians of the Galaxy comics (old and new) for a long time, so this should rock!  I don't see Bug from the Micronauts in the lineup though so that's a bit disappointing.  Anyways I think this will be my next Sci Fi Campaign!  Now to decide on the rule system to use; X-plorers, Stars Without Number, Rogue Space, Machinations of the Space Princess, Savage Worlds..so many choices!!  I did do an X-plorers conversion for Rocket awhile back, course I've also done a ton of Marvel  Aliens conversions for Stars Without Number...my recent foray into Rogue Space showed me I can run crazy off the cuff adventures (which is very much in the spirit of Guardians of the Galaxy), hmmm decisions decisions...

Long time followers of my blog know I'm a fan of Sci Fi and Lego and I just saw where there will be Lego sets for Guardians of the Galaxy!  Can't wait to see how these look!  I'll be using them for minis in my Campaign!

Are You Ready For Some Sci Fi!

I didn't realize how many Digest Size Sci Fi gaming books I had!  Most are from the old Justifiers game, but there are some others as well.  : )

Vorcarians for Machinations of the Space Princess

I've been watching reruns of Farscape lately, man that was such a great series!  One of my favorite alien races from the show are the Vorcarians.  So I figured I'd stat them up for Machinations of the Space Princess.

Vorcarian

Race Template

Adaptable:  +1 skill point

Acute Sense of Smell (+1 to Survival & Search Skills)

Pack Mentality

Night Vision

Strong (+1 to STR)

Penalties

-4 to Charisma

-4 to Intelligence

Quirks

Aggressive, Pack Mentality

Vorcarians are a stout, bipedal species with moderate intelligence. The males and females are nearly indistinguishable from one another, and they are dog-like in appearance with long stringy, grey hair, metallic teeth and red eyes. Their namesake comes from their amazing ability to track and hunt by the scent of blood. The species is so adept at tracking, that bounty hunting is both a lucrative and appealing line of work for them. Females have a better sense of smell than males, yet the species is patriarchal, wherein the females are submissive to the males (females get an additional +1 to Survival & Search Skills but suffer a -2 to Charm and Will Saves when interacting with males). Female Vorcarians act in accordance to how their male mates direct them. Vorcarians are very aggressive, but easily become submissive when dealing with a more aggressive party.  

Vorcarian Blood Tracker (75xp) 

Quote: "We split the bounty 80-40!" 

Close Defense: 13 

 Ranged Defense: 14 

 Armor: Hides 1d4
Hit Dice: 4 (18hp)
Initiative: +1
Movement: 10m per round
Attacks: 1/+1
Damage: 1d4 fists, blade 1d6, blaster carbine 1d10
Saves: 5
Traits: (See above)
Skills: Combat Dodge 1, Survival 2

 Vorcarians are Copyright Jim Henson Company, no copyright infringement is intended. 

 

Space Frankenstein for Machinations of the Space Princess

Seeing as how it is Frankenstein Day, I thought I'd post a character I made up for Machinations of the Space Princess RPG, for a first level character he is tough! But he is so darn ugly he is going to need all those bonus hit points!

Frankie aka Ole Blue Eyes

Race: Space Frankenstein

Charisma: 8 (-1)                     Level: 1

Comeliness: 5 (-3)                  Class: Killer

Constitution: 16 (+3)           
Dexterity: 14 (+2)                    

Intelligence:  10                      

Strength: 18 (+4)                 

Wisdom: 12 (+1)                                           

      Saves:                  

Charm: 4              

Looks:  3             social reaction: -4

Toughness: 11

Reflexes: 9

Logic: 5

Power: 10                           

Will: 5

Race Traits:

Adaptable +1 Skill Point

Dead – Dead Flesh (Double Hit Points)

Giant – Enduring (+1 Con)

Giant – Resilient (+1 to Toughness/Power saves)

Giant – Strong (+1 to strength)

Armor: Reinforced Medium (1d4+1)

Shield: "Ding" Medium Deflector (+2 to Ranged Defense)

Hit Points: 23

Psi Points: 2 (Character is NOT Psychic)

Everyman Skills:                             Other Skills:

Climb: 1                                         Juggernaut: 1

Languages: 1                                    Power Attack: 1 (-4 to attack, +5 melee damage)

Search: 1                                        Pilot Starship: 1

Security: 1

Sleight of Hand: 1

Sneak Attack: 1

Stealth: 1

Structure: 1

Survival: 1

Tinker: 1

weapons

Sword 1d10 damage (armor defeating, reduce by 1 step)

Headhunter- Heavy Slug Pistol 1d8 damage (long range, extra ammo capacity x 2) range: long Ammo save: 16

Combat Screen:

Base Attack Bonus: 0

Close Attack Bonus: +4

Ranged Attack Bonus: +2

Close Damage Bonus: +4

Ranged Damage Bonus: +1

Close Defense: 15

Ranged Defense: 16

Initiative: +1

Other Gear:

Space Suit

Basic clothing

Backpack

Climbing Rope

First aid kit

restraints

spare ammo

Simian Saturday Betelgeusian Berserker Baboon for MotSP

Betelgeusian Berserker Baboon

The planet Betelgeusia is home to a humanoid race of simians infamous for their bad tempers. They have spread out across the galaxy, often hired on as muscle in various crews and gangs. While not known for their wisdom many have shown skills related to things other than just fighting.

Race Template
Fur (+2 to Toughness save vs. harsh weather)
Foot-Hands (+1 to climb skill)
Berserk (new trait) when wounded or enraged they gain a +2 to hit in close combat
Adaptable (+1 skill point)
Strong (+1 to Strength)

Penalties
-4 to Charisma
-4 to Wisdom

Quirks
Bad-Tempered
They like bananas just don't mention it to them

Betelgeusian Berserker Baboon NPC (50xp)

"Now you've pissed me off!"
Close Defense: 13
Ranged Defense: 12
Armor: 1d4
Hit Dice: 3+3 (16hp)
Initiative: +1
Movement: 10
Attacks: 1/+1
Damage: 1d4+1 fists, Berserker Bash Stick 1d10
Saves: 5
Traits: (See above)
Skills: Power Attack, Flurry of Blows
Medium Brawler Armor – 1d4, +1 to Close Defense
Berserker Bash Stick- 1d10 can be thrown up to 10 meters.

Based on the race from Bucky O'Hare Cartoon, No copyright infringement is intended.

Crugs an Alien Race for Machinations of the Space Princess

CRUGs
      Crugs are crocodilian humanoid aliens native to the swampworld Nastus Prime. They are rather dimwitted but make decent minions (i.e. thugs) for the more savage overlords and crime bosses throughout the galaxy; savage because Crugs have been known to eat their victims... They average 6-7' tall and are covered in tough brown scales. They have large crocodilian jaws that they often augment with a cybernetic lower jaw. There are no known Crug Psions.

 Crugs have the Adaptable trait once, giving them one bonus Skill Point (this point is often spent on learning to pilot their various swamp craft).
 Natural Weapons- Carnivore Jaws d4 damage (those that have Cyber Lower Jaws (the vast majority found offworld) lose their swimming faster ability but do d6 damage with their jaws)

Scales- +1 bonus to armour rolls

Swimming- swim 50% faster than normal

Infrared Vision- Can sense heat and see in the dark 15 meters
-4 to charisma
-8 to wisdom

Typical Crug Thug (Goon)

Close Defense: 12
Ranged Defense: 12
Armour: 1+1
Hit Dice: 2 (9 hit points)
Initiative: +1
Movement: 10m per round
Attacks: 1/+1
Damage: 1d4 fists, 1d6 jaws, Crude Pistol 1d6 damage (inaccurate -1 to ranged attacks)
Saves: 5
Traits: Adaptable, Scales, Infrared Vision, Carnivore Cyber Jaws,
Skills: Sail: 1, Wrestle: 1

     Crug's prefer to operate in and around swampy areas, when found in such environments they almost always have their Swamp Jets with them. They love to zip about the waterline raising hell and using hit and run tactics to raid any communities in the area. 

Crug Swamp Jet
Aquatic Personal Transport
Crew: 1
Attack: +3
Scale: 1
Hit Points: 13
Armour: 0
Defence: 11
Speed: Fast
Weapons: None
Toughness Save: 5
Reflexes Save: 8
Power Save: 5

Star Trek Into Darkness

My wife and I got to go see the new Star Trek Movie last night.

We both really enjoyed it, seeing it has definately gotten me back into Sci Fi mode.  If you liked the last one you will like this one,  my wife is still not completely overjoyed about the whole reboot thing, but I'm ok with it. 
     Now to decide what mechanic to go with....Stars Without Number...X-plorers....Machinations of the Space Princess...Starships & Spacemen....decisions, decisions....

Iron Dwarfs

Here's a fun alien race I worked up for Machinations of the Space Princess, with some Stars Without Numbers Tags thrown in. 

Iron Dwarfs (Kragmosians)

Lenses
Austere: The harsh conditions of their homeworld have instilled in them a strict sense of living with no luxuries, waste or other "frivolous" things. They consider other species pursuit of such things to be a sign of weakness.
Pride: While not necessarily overtly hostile to other races, they do favor their own kind over all others and have a near single-minded focus on the promotion and advancement of their own species.
Collectivity: Communistic outlook, the importance of the individual is thought to be minimal when weighed against the group as a whole.
Government: Oligarchic; "The Central Committee"
Technology Level: 4
Motivation: Community
     The heavy gravity world of Kragmos-3 is home to the Kragmosian race, or as humans tend to call them Iron Dwarfs. They are a squat, short (4'+ tall) race of humanoids with a metallic-like outer hide. They are a proud race, viewing other races as beneath them, but will trade with other species for goods and resources that cannot be found within their home system. While possessing space travel capabilities they tend to stick to their homeworld, maintaining only a few trade outposts outside of their home system. There is little individuality amongst them, the harshness of their homeworld entrenched in them a strong desire to work for the community as a whole rather than the individual. This same background led them to develop a very austere culture teaching them to make do with little, as well as, valuing restraint, selflessness and strength of will. It is thought for this reason that no known Iron Dwarf has ever exhibited or pursued the development of Psion abilities. Lone Iron Dwarfs found beyond their home system and outposts are most likely rogues amongst their own kind that have been exiled to human space as a form of punishment.
     While they exhibit a great deal of restraint on most occasions Iron Dwarfs do enjoy singing, while they work (it is actually a very low hum), however their singing creates a low vibrational effect that other races (humans in particular) find disturbing! Humans listening to the "singing" for more than 5 rds will suffer a terrible headache (-1 to all skill checks requiring concentration until free from exposure for 5 rds or more.)

MOTSP Traits
Humanoid: +1 Skill Point
Metal-Oxide Based- Metallic Skin: Armor Rolls at +1 (for other games this would be the equivalent of Damage Reduction: 1)
High Gravity – Very Tough +2 Con, -1 Dex
Austere- Tough: +2 to Toughness Save
-4 to Charisma: Racially Prideful, Austere and Introverted, Iron Dwarfs tend to not interact well with other races.
Iron Dwarfs have no known Psion abilities; PC Iron Dwarfs cannot choose the Psion class

Kragmos-3
Atmosphere: Breathable Mix (has a harsh unpleasant smell, but no other ill effects)
Temperature: Warm World – Rocky Desert, surface is harsh and brutal
Biosphere: Immiscible
Population: Estimated to be in the Hundreds of Thousands (99% of Iron Dwarfs dwell underground, their cities hidden from outsiders, they utilize tunnelers and borer vehicles to travel beneath the planet's rocky surface so exact numbers of their overall population are unknown).
Tech Level: 4 (with advances in gravitic weaponry & underground borer and tunneler vehicles)
World Tags: Heavy Mining (while poor in many resources, Kragmos-3 is rich in metal and mineral wealth), Desert World

Based on the cover of Gold Key's Space Family Robinson, no copyright infringement is intended.

People Call Me the Space Cowboy!

I've been fiddling around with the hopefully soon to be released Machinations of the Space Princess RPG Draft rules, the Final Playtest Draft was just released this week.  It looks like it will be a fun Space RPG, I've got a few characters and aliens stat'd up, but after reading Lord Gwydion's post over on the What a Horrible Night to Have a Curse Blog, I just had to take a minute and do up a MotSP version of everyone's favorite Space Cowboy; Maurice! : )  Tip of the hat to Lord Gwydion and Steve Miller! LOL

Maurice; aka The Space Cowboy, aka The Gangster of Love

Race: Human
Charisma: 16 +3                                                     Level: 1
Comeliness: 14 +2                         Charm: 8          Class: Expert
Constitution: 10                              Looks: 7  Social Reaction: +5
Dexterity: 13 +1                            Toughness: 5
Intelligence: 12+1                          Reflexes: 7
Strength: 9 -1                                Logic: 6
Wisdom: 11                                   Power: 5
                                                     Will: 6
Race Traits:
Adaptable: +1 Skill Point that can be spent anywhere. x3

Armor: Medium Armor (1d4)
Shield: Medium Deflector (+2)
Hit Points: 6
Psi Points: 1
Everyman Skills:
Climb: 1
Languages: 1
Search: 1
Security: 1
Sleight of Hand: 1
Sneak Attack: 1
Stealth: 1
Structure: 1
Survival: 1
Tinker: 1
Other Skills:
Riding: 1
Lover: 2
Pilot Starship: 1
Hail of bullets: 2
Perform (musician): 2

Weapons
Laser Tommy Gun (d8 damage, Medium range, Autofire, Ammo Save 16)
Six-Shooter (d6)
Knife (d6)

Combat Screen:
Base Attack Bonus: 0
Close Attack Bonus: -1
Ranged Attack Bonus: +1
Close Damage Bonus: -1
Ranged Damage Bonus: 0
Close Defense: 12
Ranged Defense: 15
Initiative: 0

Other Gear:
SpaceSuit
Cowboy Hat
Sunglasses
Pack of Smokes
Bandana
Backpack
First Aid kit
50 credits in other assorted gear and stuff

Space Bettas for your Old School Space Opera Games

Well I missed Simian Saturday, had to run errands with She Who Must Be Obeyed, so to make up for it how about a Sci Fi Sunday post!  These beasts may not appeal to those running hard sci fi campaigns but I like to have a bit of pulp in my games and under the right circumstances I think they'd be alot of fun. These do have a place in my Shattered Stars Campaign. I stat'd them up for the fun X-plorers RPG, but with minimal work you can use them with your OSR Sci Fi game of choice. Have a great Day!

Space Betta
X-plorers RPG Stats (to use with SWN basically just flip the AC)

AC: 14
HD: 3d6
THB: +2
ATT: tentacles x 2/1d6 (+ see below)
SV: 17+
MV: 6
XP: 90
Special Abilities: Hold Attack (if both tentacles successful hit their victim, he must make a Physique or Agility Save, whichever is better for the victim, if he fails he is grappled and the Space Betta automatically inflicts 1d6+2 points of bite damage the following round and each round thereafter until the victim can break free, or is dead.), Optional Movement: Flying (can Fly with a MV of 8 in Zero G environments). Immunity: They are immune to the effects of Vacuum.
     These tentacle, fish-like aliens are named for their passing resemblance to a species of ancient Terran fish,  Space Bettas are fearsome predators of the spaceways.  Through some unknown means they can survive indefinitely in the vacuum of space. Space Bettas are most commonly encountered in and around derelict space stations, abandoned spacecraft and various asteroid belts.  It is believed that they originated from somewhere in the Nega-Zone, and it is said that they can still be found there in great numbers.  They have voracious appetites and will attack, kill and eat any living prey they encounter.
  Oh and I've been playing around with the Rough Draft rules for the upcoming Machinations of the Space Princess RPG, here is how the Space Betta would be stat'd up for MotSP per the draft rules.   MotSP Stats (Machinations of the Space Princess)
Close Defense: 12
Ranged Defense: 12
Armor: Scaly Hide (1d4)
Hit Dice: 3 (13)
Initiative: +1
Movement: 10m per rd., Flight 20m per rd.
Attacks: 2
Damage: 1d6 +1
Saves: 5
Traits: Sealed-System (can survive indefinitely in a vacuum), Tentacles (grapple attacks are +1 to hit & damage), Flight (20m), Extra Action

Here is the original cover which I based these beasties upon.