taalismn wrote:And FTL speed is not necessarily a sign of suepriority, especially if your runner-ship's big bad 7 light years an hour CG-drive conks out and you're surrounded by the 'slowpoke' system patrol cruisers of the locals, each armed with enough firepower to stand off a Warshield...
Dunno... For my part, having a better FTL means that I
(as a GM) have a better chance to choose the place,
time and even the forces of a given engagement, better
chance to concentrate forces, and so on.
OK, sometimes the "turtles" can get lucky, but on the long run
"slow FTL Yamato" will meet "fast FTL carrier task force", and
then the virtual seabottom.
Adios
KLM
But still, one of the most basic rules for survival on any planet is never to upset someone wearing black leather - This is why protesters against the wearing of animal skins by humans unaccountably fail to throw their paint over Hell's Angels.
- Terry Prachett
Small font: use ctrl+c and copy it, so you can read. But since it is in small fonts, it is not important. I am not a NE salesperson.
Interesting observation KLM. Good thing the producers of Star Cruiser Yamato didn't carry it out that way or else it would have been very short. And I probably wouldn't have picked up all three seasons.
"Your Grace," she said, "I have only one question. Do you wish this man crippled or dead?"
"My Lady," the protector of Grayson told his Champion, "I do not wish him to leave this chamber alive."
It is aggraveted by the "fact" that if your ships are
generally faster, less of them can cover the same
area, which is very important in the thing fleets do
the most: patrolling.
But in wartime it is also important, because you
(as the faster) can spread your forces thinner,
with the same reaction time as your slower
opponents.
Adios
KLM
But still, one of the most basic rules for survival on any planet is never to upset someone wearing black leather - This is why protesters against the wearing of animal skins by humans unaccountably fail to throw their paint over Hell's Angels.
- Terry Prachett
Small font: use ctrl+c and copy it, so you can read. But since it is in small fonts, it is not important. I am not a NE salesperson.
Thinner is definately not better. Especially during wartime. I agree with you there. I didn't get the Trek reference until you mentioned it. Although that is appropriate to them to spread their forces thinner.
"Your Grace," she said, "I have only one question. Do you wish this man crippled or dead?"
"My Lady," the protector of Grayson told his Champion, "I do not wish him to leave this chamber alive."
Aramanthus wrote:Thinner is definately not better. Especially during wartime.
"Thinner" is a bit misleading.
Actually, if both forces are set up so that the scout can get
backup within like 5 minutes, the faster one can cover a
larger area - so thinner in the sense, that they have more
light years between ships, but not thinner in the sense,
that it takes the same time to get reinforcements.
Icing the cake if one is fast enough to have a better
sensor/space coverage AND a faster reaction time.
Adios
KLM
But still, one of the most basic rules for survival on any planet is never to upset someone wearing black leather - This is why protesters against the wearing of animal skins by humans unaccountably fail to throw their paint over Hell's Angels.
- Terry Prachett
Small font: use ctrl+c and copy it, so you can read. But since it is in small fonts, it is not important. I am not a NE salesperson.
Also faster FTL speeds might promote a generally lighter weapons fitout on the bulk of the ships, since the same rapid response allows more ships to be brought to bear on a situation, faster in-out times, and a general reliance on speicialized spacecraft types that can be brought in to deal with a given situation...
When you're poking along, you're stuck with what you have at hand, so designers will generally try to load their ships up with all the tools and weapons they can carry, energy requirements and engine restrictions allowing, since you ain't getting out of a situation for awhile, and reinforcements aren't always assured...
-------------
"Trouble rather the Tiger in his Lair,
Than the Sage among his Books,
For all the Empires and Kingdoms,
The Armies and Works that you hold Dear,
Are to him but the Playthings of the Moment,
To be turned over with the Flick of a Finger,
And the Turning of a Page"
of course, this presumes your sensors and communications are FTL capable and sufficently faster than the drives to make such a rapid response concept workable.
Author of Rifts: Deep Frontier (Rifter 70) Author of Rifts:Scandinavia (current project) * All fantasy should have a solid base in reality. * Good sense about trivialities is better than nonsense about things that matter. -Max Beerbohm Visit my Website
That nis true. Because like in ST if all of your warships aren't in the right place goodbye to that sector. Unless you have a great rapid response force waiting at a central location that is.
"Your Grace," she said, "I have only one question. Do you wish this man crippled or dead?"
"My Lady," the protector of Grayson told his Champion, "I do not wish him to leave this chamber alive."
Also depends as to whether the fastest speed of your communications is better or equivalent to that of your fastest ships....some cultures might be entirely reliant on courier chains...
-------------
"Trouble rather the Tiger in his Lair,
Than the Sage among his Books,
For all the Empires and Kingdoms,
The Armies and Works that you hold Dear,
Are to him but the Playthings of the Moment,
To be turned over with the Flick of a Finger,
And the Turning of a Page"
Any thoughts on what sort of weapons systems the Splugorth might have used on their spacecraft prior to their absorption of the Kittani as their premiere technologists?
-------------
"Trouble rather the Tiger in his Lair,
Than the Sage among his Books,
For all the Empires and Kingdoms,
The Armies and Works that you hold Dear,
Are to him but the Playthings of the Moment,
To be turned over with the Flick of a Finger,
And the Turning of a Page"
I can see them using mostly TW and magic based ship weapons. I don't see them using technology until they rescued their kittani slaves. At least that is my opinion on the Splugorths.
"Your Grace," she said, "I have only one question. Do you wish this man crippled or dead?"
"My Lady," the protector of Grayson told his Champion, "I do not wish him to leave this chamber alive."
Maybe weak technological systems?
And older systems since bypassed by modern countermeasures?
-------------
"Trouble rather the Tiger in his Lair,
Than the Sage among his Books,
For all the Empires and Kingdoms,
The Armies and Works that you hold Dear,
Are to him but the Playthings of the Moment,
To be turned over with the Flick of a Finger,
And the Turning of a Page"
“So....which of those litte blue-green spheres should I burn today? Decisions, decisions....”
Gortha-class Dreadnoughts pre-date the adoption of the Kittani as the primary technicians of the various Splugorth dominions. The design dates back to the last great unified Splugorth empire and its last surges of expansion, when dozens of Splugorth intelligences pooled resources under one leadership, adopted standards of production, and marshalled thousands of minion races to build a megaverse-conquering warmachine. The original designers of the Gortha-class are lost to time(most likely a now extinct, or since degenerate, slave species), but the design has persevered, being slowly changed over time. Few new Gorthas are produced nowadays; the majority of the ships are painstakingly maintained or restored original production vessels.
The Gortha-class Dreadnoughts resemble giant Splugorth: a radial tangle of outstretching secondary hulls, joined and topped at a central hub by a giant sphere, surrounded by claw-like sensory arrays. Their drive systems harken back to the Maqui Knouldum(see Rifter #34), but the stress of centuries of operation has reduced the effectiveness of the drives until they are a pale shadow of their original speed...Few Gorthas operate with their original MK(i)SE drives, instead using adhoc cobble-up drive systems of varying performance. A Rift Drive provides back-up(it once was the primary FTL drive until the Splugort discovered it was of limite use in PPE-poor regions of space).
The Splugorth lacked, at the time of the Gorthas’ inception, the powerful PPE generators that would later be developed through TechnoWizardry on Rifts Earth and in the United Worlds of Warlock. Instead, the Gorthas rely on a combination of crytalline PPE ‘batteries’ and slave-taps to supply PPE, both of which require frequent replacement of the power generating elements. The former system uses massive blocks of natural crystal(typically quartz, though large amounts of smaller gemstones are frequently used) to provide power....high power demand and frequent use cracks and ultimately pulverizes the crystal, requiring replacement. The latter system requires specially fitted slave pens and siphoning chambers to draw PPE from restrained slaves. Though the Splugorth don’t sacrifice the slaves(such a policy would require constantly bring in new material, which isn’t always convenient in a pitched battle), they have been known to perform blood sacrifices in emergencies, when extra power is required(or if the particular Splugorth captain is feeling particularly sadistic). As it is, the ‘non-lethal’ proccedure is degrading and excruciatingly painful for the unwilling participants, and many die anyway in the proccess, their bodies then fed to monster members of the crew or tossed out into space. Most drive-slaves don’t last more than five or six trips on a Gortha.
Weaponry on a Gortha is heavy, but again, the age of the hull limits the size and power of the weapons. Once formidable in their time, the main weapons batteries common to the Gorthas are now considered second-line hardware. Over the centuries, various efforts have been made to update the weapons configuration, with spotty success. Still, the Gorthas mount enough guns and launchers to pose a serious threat if they have the time to bring them to bear. Many of the weapons are designed to terrorize subject worlds and new conquests, particularly of people less advanced than the Splugorth.
Physical armor is heavy, and often augmented by magicks. The technological forcefielding is actually quite paltry for the size of the ship; one of many systems that was powerful at the time of the Gorthas’ original inception, but which has fallen by the wayside over the centuries. The magic defenses are one of the few things that has been successfully upgraded over the years, thanks to long centuries of assimilation of other species, experimentation in magic, and espionage against such powers as the United Worlds of Warlock. Thus, it is not uncommon to see Gorthas sporting Flame Cannons and Hull Breacher missiles.
Internal security systems are paranoid, to say the least. Since many Splugorth planetary lords make these ships their homes, their quarters(the bridge) are heavily protected by elite corps of troops, Eyes of Eylor, and rune statues of every description. The rune statutes are prominent parts of the heavy ornamentation lining the interiors of these ships. Heavy stone and wood inlays, booming halls, daunting gothic arches, and alcoves showcasing the treasures of a hundred plundered worlds(some of that treasure living) line the general access corridors and chambers of these ships. The ships carry nearly two divisions of warriors for internal security, boarding actions, and invasions. The ships feature large luxurious accommodations for nearly a thousand special guests, many of whom are powerhouses in their own right. In stark contrast, the quarters of the troops and minions are spartan and efficient, bending little to any sense of humanity...only of an absolute control of lives and destinies. The ships also can carry up to fifteen thousand slaves(typically cramped into cells) as spoils of conquest, labor, or food. And the less said of the slave pits, onboard gladiatorial arenas, and torture chambers, the better.
Despite their size, Gortha Dreadnoughts have less firepower than a Kreeghor Dreadnought, and given their additional shipboard luxuries for their masters, more expensive to produce. Splugorth tend to use these ships like giant yachts, rarely sending them out into front line combat without massive escorts of auxiliary craft and screening vessels. In their heyday, or when the Splugorth don’t anticipate heavy resistance(as might be expected from fortified TGE and CCW worlds), Gorthas are used in ‘shock and awe’ attacks on new territories being conquered by the alien intelligences; the sight of a Gortha hanging in a subject planet’s atmosphere, crushing cities at whim while hordes of monstrous troops pour from its bays, has broken the collective will of more than few once-proud peoples. When Splugorth fight Splugorth for power, Gorthas become much-sought after prizes of war.
Currently, fewer than 25% of Splugorth Intelligences posses a Gortha Dreadnought, making them fairly rare. The TransGalactic Empire has the broken shells of two Gorthas on prominent display on the homeworld of Kreeghor-Tet and has a standing reward of 10 million Imperial Credits and promotion to Invincible Guardsman for any Imperial (commanding) officer who destroys a Gortha. Another Gortha of note/legend is the personal ship of the infamous Splugorth Kryygorth, Master of Bio-Manipulation. While most reports say that his Gortha flagship was destroyed in orbital fighting, rumors persist that the ship, and presumably a tyrant’s treasure of Kryygorth’s secrets, escaped its attackers and fled into the void, where it still hides to this day.
Type:Splugorth Gortha
Class: Dreadnought Battleship
Crew: 2,350 +1,000 passengrs+ 10,000 troops+15,000 slaves
50-300 Rune Statutes
MDC/Armor by Location:
Main Body 300,000
Bridge Citadel 100,000
Secondary Weapons Hulls(13) 6,000 each
Heavy Meteor Cannons(4) 5,000 each
Microwave Emitter Array(1) 1,000
Heavy Laser Cannons(9) 3,000 each
Long Range Missile Launchers(10) 500 each
Point Defense Particle Beam Turrets(20) 300 each
Point Defense Rail Gun Turrets(50) 300 each
Point Defense Laser Turrets(60) 300 each
Hangar Bays(4) 7,000 each
Tractor Beam Mounts(20) 100 each
Variable Forcefields 5,000 each side(30,000 total)
Magical Force Barriers:* 30,000
*Maintaining the Force Barriers consumes 600 PPE per 30 minutes of operation. The Impenetrable Wall of Force-based spells powring the Barrier, however, are vulnerable to neutralization/penetration by Dispel Magic Barrier and Negate Magic spells.
Height: 4,000 ft
Width: Roughly 10,000 ft in diameter; the central sphere is 4,000 ft in diameter
Length: Roughly 10,000 ft in diameter; the central sphere is 4,000 ft in diameter
Weight: 80 million tons
Cargo:35 million tons
Powerplant: Advanced Nuclear with 100 year energy life
PPE Batteries---The crystalline batteries have a capacity of about 50,000 PPE. Up to 4,000 slaves can be simultaneously drained at a time (providing roughly 4d6x1,0000 PPE in additional power)
Speed:
(Atmosphere) Hover to Mach 3; Transatmospheric
(Space) Mach 6
(Kitsune Value: 60% of light speed. Accelerate/Decelerate at 1.8% of light speed per melee)
(FTL) (Original)8.6 light years per hour
(Modern) 1d6 light years per hour
(Rift Drive) 20 light year range per 2,000 PPE expediture.
(Underwater)---Fully operational underwater; can reach speeds of 30 MPH, and depths up to 8 miles.
Market Cost: Roughly 70 billion credits
Systems of Note:
Standard Starship Systems, plus;
*Dimensional Teleport Chamber---Deep in the heart of every Gortha battleship is a D-Chamber rigged for Dimensional Teleportation, allowing for personnel and cargo to be moved to and from the ship from distant ports and even other dimensions. This allows the Gortha to act as a beach-head over a new conquest, and troops can be poured through the chamber to join the assault on new worlds until more permanent field gates can be set up. The D-Chamber has the spells Dimensional Portal (600 PPE to operate for 10 minutes), Circle of Travel(default portal to the Gortha’s homeport), and Dimensional Teleport(400 PPE to operate for single-person teleports).
*Tractor Beams(20)----Effectively rated for 1,000 tons dead weight, but can be used for imparting small changes in momentum/direction to ships/structures several times that mass. Range: 2 miles
Weapons Systems:
1)Heavy Meteor Cannons(4) ---These are large projectile weapons similar to the GR-5000 Mass Driver cannon, and used for similar purpose; planetary bombardment and population terrorization. These weapons fire huge rock and metal projectiles, wrapped in a plasma field, making them appear as hellfire-bound comets.
Despite their fearsome power, the Meteor Cannons are almost useless against spacecraft...all but the slowest and largest spacecraft can easily dodge the giant projectiles
Range: 700 miles in space
(Kitsune Values: 700,000 miles in space)
Damage: 1d4x1,000 in space, 1d4x100,000 MD to a five mile diameter blast area on a planetary surface, plus 1d6x1,000 MD to another 5 miles, and 4d6x10 MD to an outer perimeter of 10 miles.
Rate of Fire: Once every five minutes
Payload: Typically carries 30 projectiles per cannon
Note: Spacecraft are +10 to Dodge. The projectile itself has 1,000 MDC(magically enhanced by a plasma shell), so it CAN be shot down with enough firepower.
2) Microwave Cannon(1)----This is another terror WMD meant for terrorizing planetary populations. It is a space-to-surface orbital microwave irradiator that projects a wide-area swathe of lethal microwaves capable of boiling flesh and flood, withering plants, and vaporizing organic material in horrifying fashion. It is also nearly completely ineffectual against shielded electronics and megadamage metals.
Metal EBA, megadamage vehicles, power armors, robots, forcefields, and thick rock/concrete shelters provide effective protection against the microwave barrage.
Range: 40 miles in atmosphere, 100 miles in space
(Kitsune Values: 100 miles in atmosphere, 100,000 miles in space)
Does damage to a 1.5 mile-wide swathe
Damage: 6d6 MD in radius of effect, 63% chance of combustible materials bursting into flame, plant life dies, metal power armor and robots will spark and sparkle and communication/sensor systems will have a 50% chance of being disrupted for 1d4 minutes. Most megadamage body armor types, especially ceramic, plastic, and padding will be inefefctual at blocking the microwaves, with the wearer taking 1d6 SDC through the armor.
Against spacecraft, the beam is virtually useless, but missile electronics may be affected. 60% chance of knocking out the guidance systems of missiles.
Rate of Fire: Once per melee, but can fire a continious beam for up to fifteen minutes before recharging(1 hour).
Payload: Effectively Unlimited
3) Heavy Laser Cannons(9) ---The primary anti-spacecraft weapon, though they are also used for pinpoint surface bombardment
Range: 25 miles in atmosphere, 80 miles in space
(Kitsune Values: 80 miles in atmosphere, 80,000 miles in space)
Damage: 1d4x1,000 MD per blast
Rate of Fire: Once per melee
Payload: Effectively Unlimited
4)Long Range Missile Launchers(10) ---Used for both anti-spacecraft and planetary attack. Older Splugorth missiles tend to be twice the size of their CCW and TGE equivalents, but the Kittani have refit about 60% of the Gortha fleet to newer standards.
Range: Varies by Missile Type
(Kitsune Values: 3,400 miles in atmosphere, 1,800,000 miles in space) Damage:Varies by Missile Type
Rate of Fire: Volleys of 1-25
Payload: 3,000 LRMs, 300 missiles per launcher, . Additional missiles may be stored in the cargo holds and reloaded within 30 minutes(1 ton of cargo per 12 missiles)
5) Particle Acceleration Beam Cannons(20)---These are medium-caliber PBCs used for point-defense.
Range: 1 mile in atmosphere, 2 miles in space
(Kitsune Values: 2 miles in atmosphere, 200 miles in space)
Damage: 1d4x100 MD per blast
Rate of Fire: GCHH
Payload:Effectively Unlimited
6) Point Defense Triple-Barrel Rail Guns(50)---These are large, old-style, magnetic rail guns, rather than more modern grav-guns.
Range: 1.5 miles in atmosphere, 3 miles in space
(Kitsune Values: 3 miles in atmosphere, 300 miles in space)
Damage: 3d6x10 MD per burst
Rate of Fire: EGCHH
Payload: 200 bursts per cannon. Charging an ammunition drum takes 1d6 minutes.
7)Point Defense Lightning/Laser Turrets(60) ---These can either be conventional lasers or TW Lightning Rod weapons...range and damage remained unchanged.
Range:1 mile in atmosphere, 3 miles in space
(Kitsune Values: 3 miles in atmosphere, 300 miles in space)
Damage: 1d6x10 MD per burst
Rate of Fire: EGCHH
Payload:Effectively Unlimited . TW systems typically need the spells refreshed every six months(300 PPE per cannon)
8 ) Magic Ground Attack
These are typically systems of little use in space combat, but which are used in support of ground assaults, particularly when the Splugorth are trying to ‘make a statement’. These attacks are typically launched from low orbit to devastating effect.
*Summon Ley Line Storm-----Effective range of 15 miles and affects a five mile area; costs 500 PPE. Effects similar to that of the spell of the same name(page 146)
*Summon and Control Storm-----Effective range of 20 miles and affects a 15 mile area; costs 600 PPE, and lasts 18 hours. Effects similar to that of the spell of the same name(page 149)
*Blight of Ages---Effective range of 2 miles and affects a ten mile area; costs 1,200 PPE. Effects similar to that of the Spell of Legend(page 154)
*Mystic Quake---Effective range of 2 miles and affects a five mile area; costs 900 PPE. Effects similar to that of the Spell of Legend(page 157)
*Metropolis---Effective range of 1 mile and affects a 2,000 ft radius---1,600 PPE for 10 days or 7,600 PPE + the sacrifice of a mage-slave to make permanent. This is used to set up surface fortifications or establish fortified positions on a world.
Auxiliary Craft:
600 Kittani Robot Fighters
200 Kittani Robo-Jets
8 Slaver-Skimmer Attack Craft(Space-capable versions of the Slaver Raider)
15 Flight-Capable Insecton Land Rovers
25 Creax Rovers
*Remember that Splugorth Minions include demonic beings such as gargoyles who are easily the equivalent of tanks and power armors.
Notes:
About 70% of Gorthas possess 1d6 unused levels in the hull(s) that have fallen in neglect and have little in the way of system monitoring. These sections are typically abandoned and sealed off from the rest of the ship....small groups of beings could presumably enter the dreadnought through these sections and remain hidden for days, if not weeks or months in the sealed-off sections.
However, about 70% of Gorthas have 2d6 Haunting Entities roaming their ancient corridors, lured there by the negative emotions pervading the craft, and 75% have pest problems of various sorts, ranging from bats(!!!!) and Space Uglies, to more serious pests.
Last edited by taalismn on Sun Dec 02, 2007 5:59 pm, edited 2 times in total.
-------------
"Trouble rather the Tiger in his Lair,
Than the Sage among his Books,
For all the Empires and Kingdoms,
The Armies and Works that you hold Dear,
Are to him but the Playthings of the Moment,
To be turned over with the Flick of a Finger,
And the Turning of a Page"
taalismn wrote:Any thoughts on what sort of weapons systems the Splugorth might have used on their spacecraft prior to their absorption of the Kittani as their premiere technologists?
Actually, Kittani are somewhat overrated (as well as underrated
in other espects)...
Look up their description in WB2, where they appeared more
or less as Lord Splynn's personal pet race (although some of
them are in service of other sploogie's).
Since then, they somewhat adopted a "the techies for all sploog"
state... Which makes the Megaverse a bit less colorfull.
Kydians (and Kreeghor) are also relatively new additions, even
for Lord Splynn, who is youngish for sploog standards (but probably
wieved as a yuppie by older sploogs).
So, why not introduce DOZENS of tech races to the menaces of the
Megaverse?
Just my two cents.
Adios
KLM
But still, one of the most basic rules for survival on any planet is never to upset someone wearing black leather - This is why protesters against the wearing of animal skins by humans unaccountably fail to throw their paint over Hell's Angels.
- Terry Prachett
Small font: use ctrl+c and copy it, so you can read. But since it is in small fonts, it is not important. I am not a NE salesperson.
Figured as much, but the Splugies tend to ride their minions hard, unless they're very useful or bad to the bone...
I also figure they ain't terribly great at space combat, except when the opposition isn't terribly good...and they tend to apply their more successful infantry tactics to space combat(hordes of minion fighters, a few heavy units, fortified positions, lots of magic)...
-------------
"Trouble rather the Tiger in his Lair,
Than the Sage among his Books,
For all the Empires and Kingdoms,
The Armies and Works that you hold Dear,
Are to him but the Playthings of the Moment,
To be turned over with the Flick of a Finger,
And the Turning of a Page"
Could stand to tweak this a little more, but I'm edging on munchkin as is...
From my 'Good Splugorth' alternity...
GS PearlStar Planetary Assistance Mothering Ship
“See? I told you the aliens were watching us! And that they were friendly! And that they just won’t let us little people down here die stupid stinking deaths because of some global pandemic! I TOLD you!....Though I do admitt I was kinda expecting them to be little gray big-eyed fellas or lovely tall blond women...The large tentacled eyeball’s kinda unexpected. ”
The PearlStar-class Planetary Assistance Mothering Ships are the Good Splugorth (among whom it is known as the ‘Gaeza’)version of the Gortha-class Dreadnought. Instead of instruments of conquest, though, these shining, ivory-white vessels deliver salvation to beleagured planets in crisis.
Though fairly common in their own universe, the PearlStar is unknown in the canonical Three Galaxies universe-line...though on several occasions reports of unusual white and gold starships similar in description to PearlStars have swooped down on devastated worlds, usually in the aftermath of a system-wide cosmic catastrophe, and delivered much-needed relief assistance and supplies. These ships are kept in excellent shape by their crews, their medical equipment and avionics constantly upgraded and updated as medical science and space technology advances.
PearlStars are immediately distinguishable by their opalescent main hulls, mirrored main globe, petal-like sensor arrays, and thirteen snowflake-like secondary hulls radiating out from the central sphere.
The PearlStars are one of the few starships for whom the Maqui Knouldum(see Rifter #34) still manufacture MK(i)SE drives and spares, after their race as a whole turned inward and dropped out of the wholesale engine production business. The GS were able to prove that the MK(i)SE drives were of great humanitarian use to them, and the Maqui Knouldum were convinced of the righteousness of their cause enough to continue servicing them. The rate of new engine production is slow, however, so many newer PearlStars must make do with less powerful drives; the GS are currently negotiating with the Prometheans for access to Phase Drives.
The interiors of these ships couldn’t be more different from their canonical brethren. Sparkling, pristine, and antiseptic, yet warm and welcoming. State of the art medical laboratories and treatment rooms, comfortable wards, and quiet lounges for restful recreation and healing meditation. Even the psych wards are comfortably accoutered. The PearlStars represent the best of GS medicaal technology and design.
The secondary hulls support quarantine labs and cargo bays filled with emergency relief gear, ready for use. Entire pre-fab housing units, decontamination centers, and field hospitals able to house, clean, and treat whole towns, can be dropped from orbit, and rapidly assembled by power armored Kittani engineers and Minions within hours, if not minutes.
Magic pervades the PearlStar...healing magic, light magic, and other benign forms fairly drench the interior. Unlike the Gorthas, the PearlStars are fitted with state of the art crystalline PPE generators that draw ambient PPE from subspace and harnessed low-level Elemental essences, giving the ships plenty of PPE to run the various magical systems and allowing for energy taps in the treatment rooms(roughly equivalent to being on a Ley Line). However, if necessary, chambers in the hull can be isolated from the PPE system, and insulated from PPE satuation(this is usually done to diagnose and treat magical illnesses and control dangerous beings able to manipulate magic).
PearlStars maintain only self-defense weaponry(which is still very heavy for a humanitarian aide vehicle) for use against those who would seek to violate and pillage these flying temples of good will(the GS are pragmatic enough to recognize that total pacifisim is not always possible or desireable in a hostile universe), and the ships also maintain a diligent internal security staff for fending off pirates, keeping hysterical survivors from each others’ throats, subduing deranged patients, and stopping the occasional supernatural predator or malign spirit that tries to get aboard. Armor is among the heaviest of battleship-sized vessels in the Three Galaxies, as is the protective shielding; often the same crisis conditions that necessitate the arrival of a PearlStar prove equally as dangerous to rescuers.
Besides carrying a complete hospital of aide workers, PearlStars also carry a regiment of Kittani engineers, In planetary crisises, these valiant technicians are responsible for setting up field hospitals and aid stations, throwing up refugee housing, clearing debris, restoring essential services, seacrh and rescue, and repairing port and transportation facilities. An armored brigade of robots, power armors, and vehicles also stands ready to assist in efforts.
While these ships are forces of good unto themselves, PearlStars rarely respond to planetary emergencies alone. They are typically the core of a relief flotilla of transports, hospital ships, shuttle carriers, engineering craft, and security escorts.
Even if damaged and decommissioned, PearlStars continue to serve; the ships are frequently converted into the cores of vast orbital spacestations(indeed, on long term relief efforts, GS engineers will frequently attach additional modules to the outrigger arms of the ships, turning them into temporary orbital stations). The giant Haayador IX facility is one such example; it was once the ancient GS PearlStar -Benign Touch-, which was badly damaged when responding to a plasma storm that swept through the system, nearly incinerating the inhabited world of Haayador Nincis. Today the giant spacestation that was built from the wreck of the -Benign Touch- orbiots above the slowly re-greening planet, and serves as both part of the re-terraforming effort, and as a hub for relief efforts in the Seclada Sector of the Anvil Galaxy.
Type: Good Splugorth PearlStar
Class: Planetary Relief Hospital Ship
Crew: 3,000 +12,000 aide workers/troops+ capacity for 14,000 patients
50-200 Rune Statutes
MDC/Armor by Location:
Main Body 500,000
Bridge Citadel 150,000
Secondary Pylon Hulls(13) 10,000 each
Long Range Missile Launchers(4) 500 each
‘Snowflake’ Defense Cannon(6) 600 each
Point Defense Laser Turrets(80) 300 each
Rail Guns(25) 300 each
Hangar Bays(4) 7,000 each
Tractor Beam Mounts(20) 100 each
Variable Forcefields 5,000 each side(30,000 total)
Magical Shield of Invulnerability 15,000 *
* Can be raised 3 times per 24 hour period-6,000 PPE and 5 minutes lag-time to to rebuild/reset beyond that.
Height: 4,000 ft
Width: Roughly 11,000 ft in diameter; the central sphere is 4,000 ft in diameter
Length: Roughly 10,000 ft in diameter; the central sphere is 4,000 ft in diameter
Weight: 85 million tons
Cargo:35 million tons
Powerplant: Advanced Nuclear with 80 year energy life
PPE Generators---------The PearlStar has no less than 18 crytsal TW generators, in order to power its magic systems. One generator is mounted in each secondary hull, and five in the main sphere Each generator provides 400 PPE(72,000 PPE for all eighteen generators combined) and regenerates at 50 PPE per hour(900 PPE per hour total). each also has an adjacent PPE Battery Bank, that can hold up to 1,200 PPE each(21,600 PPE total), and recharges/absorbs energy at 100 PPE per 24 hours, plus they accept any additional power contributed by passengers/crew.
Note: All TW Generators are shielded by special Ley Line Protection devices, analogous to Faraday Cages, in order to prevent being disabled during infrequent, but powerful, deep space ley line storms. During such events, all magical systems are turned off and secured, until the storm passes. Invariably, though, some dmage is inflicted to peripheral systems that could not be shut down or drained in time, but at least the main generators will not be damaged.
Speed:
(Atmosphere) Hover to Mach 3; Transatmospheric
(Space) Mach 6
(Kitsune Value: 60% of light speed. Accelerate/Decelerate at 1.8% of light speed per melee)
(FTL) (Original) 8.6 light years per hour
(Modern) 7 light years per hour
(Rift Drive) 20 light year range per 2,000 PPE expediture.
(Underwater)---Fully operational underwater; can reach speeds of 30 MPH, and depths up to 8 miles.
Market Cost: Roughly 70 billion credits---Fully outfitted and stocked, a PearlStar’s medical supplies and medical equipment adds another 10 billion or more, making these ships tempting targets for pirates.
Systems of Note:
Standard Starship Systems, plus;
*Dimensional Teleport Chamber---Deep in the heart of every PearlStar is a D-Chamber rigged for Dimensional Teleportation, allowing for personnel and cargo to be moved to and from the ship from distant ports and even other dimensions. This allows the Gortha to act as a beach-head over a new conquest, and troops can be poured through the chamber to join the assault on new worlds until more permanent field gates can be set up. The D-Chamber has the spells Dimensional Portal (600 PPE to operate for 10 minutes), Circle of Travel(default portal to the PearlStar’s homeport), and Dimensional Teleport(400 PPE to operate for single-person teleports).
*Tractor Beams(20)----Effectively rated for 1,000 tons dead weight, but can be used for imparting small changes in momentum/direction to ships/structures several times that mass. Range: 2 miles
*Biowizardry Labs---Onboard facilities allow for the implantation of symbionts and viral modifications. Thaumapronic growth vats also allow for the onboard production and culturing of medicinal slimes, basic medicines, and the small-scale breeding of useful medical symbiotes. Within 48 hours the facilities aboard the ship can produce enough medicinal slime to treat a fair-sized community of 10,000 sentients. Major procedure operating room capacity for 400 at a time.
*Superior Targetting Systems---The point-defense systems are tied in to an advanced sensor target acquisition and tracking system that gives a +3 to the PDS turrets to strike.
*Internal Magic Systems:
*Extinguish Flame---Magic fire control systems.
*Cleanse(Self)---This is a magical sanitation system that allows entire sections of the ship to be scrubbed and sterilized magically clean.
*Globe of Daylight---Globe of Daylight spells can be channeled to whereever needed aboard the ship.
*Cloud of Steam---Like Cleanse, sections of the ship can be subjected to a thorough steam-cleaning via the Elemental Warlock spell, only the steam can reach autoclave temperatures(doing DOUIBLE damage).
*Circles of Protection---The GS know disasters draw creatures of evil, especially malign spirits, so they’ve set up both Simple and Greater Circles of Protection(typical ratio of 1 Greater to every 10 Simple) in alcoves and special areas aboard the ship. In the event of an infiltration by malign spirits, patients and staff can be quickly moved to the special safe areas, the circles activated, and any potential victims in the path of the entities afforded sanctuary until the ship’s security staff can respond to the emergency.
Weapons Systems:
1) SunBeam Projector(1)---The spherical main hull can project a broad beam of magically-generated sunlight(like a massive Globe of Daylight). This is used to illuminate disaster areas for rescue workers to better operate. It is also a great morale-booster for beleagured survivors of a disaster---a great ray of sunshine breaking through the gloom to show that all is not lost. It can, incidentally, be used to attack vampires!
Range:16 miles in atmosphere, 100 miles in space
(Kitsune Values: 100 miles in atmosphere, 100,000 miles in space)
Affects a 10 mile-wide area
Damage: None from the sunbeam
People caught in the beam will be +1 to save versus Horror Factor, +1 to save versus illness, +2 to M.E., gain an extra point of healing, and will generally feel happier and more hopeful.
The beam is powerful enough to break through cloud overcast.
Against vampires and other beings harmed by sunlight, it does full sunlight damage.
Rate of Fire: Once per melee; can keep up the beam for 45 minutes per ‘charge’
Payload: Effectively Unlimited; each shot costs 300 PPE
2)Long Rnge Missile Launchers(4)---These are used only in the direst of emergencies to launch weapons; typically they are used to deploy probe packages and aerosol dispersal pods (carrying bactricides, fungicides, immunizers, etc.) to disaster areas. In combat they are primarily used to deploy decoys and anti-missile/anti-fighter interception to allow the mothership to escape.
Range: Varies by Missile Type
(Kitsune Values: 3,400 miles in atmosphere, 1,800,000 miles in space) Damage:Varies by Missile Type
Rate of Fire: Volleys of 1-10
Payload: 800 LRMs, 200 missiles per launcher, . Additional missiles may be stored in the cargo holds and reloaded within 30 minutes(1 ton of cargo per 12 missiles)
3) ‘Snowflake’ Defense Cannon(6)---These are identical to the ‘Death Cloud’ Cannons developed by the United Worlds of Warlock. In the GS universe the United Worlds of Warlock formed not in response to Splugorth aggression against the Elven Star Kingdom, but in response to an attack by a Demon Planet!!! The Good Splugorth did such an excellent job helping the broken worlds of the Warlocks and the ESK recover, that a grateful United Worlds of Warlock repaid them with technical assistance. The ‘Death Cloud Cannon’ was one of several technologies deemed sufficiently defensive in nature(since they argue that the devices use an opponent’s own strength/speed against themselves) that the GS approved their installation on their flagship assistance ships. The StarPearl-mounted projectors produce a larger cloud than those mounted on UWW Arcane Mk II Patrol Ships, but also cost more to recharge.
Range: 10 miles in space
(Kitsune Values: 10,000 miles in space)
Covers an 800 ft area of space
Damage: Ships flying into the the ice cloud will take 4d6 MD times their Mach number, larger ships of 10,000-40,000 tons will take 10 times damage, 41,000-100,000 tons by 20, and ships massing more take 100x damage. Ships are -6 to dodge the cloud, gigantic vessels are -8 to dodge. Missiles automatically detonate upon impacting the cloud.
Rate of Fire: Once per melee round
Payload: 10 shots per cannon per 24 hours; further activations require 700 PPE.
4)Point Defense Lightning/Laser Turrets(80) ---These can either be conventional lasers or TW Lightning Rod weapons...range and damage remained unchanged.
Range:1 mile in atmosphere, 3 miles in space
(Kitsune Values: 3 miles in atmosphere, 300 miles in space)
Damage: 2d6x10 MD per burst
Rate of Fire: EGCHH
Payload:Effectively Unlimited . TW systems typically need the spells refreshed every six months(300 PPE per cannon)
5)Rail Guns(25)---These are basic rapid-fire electromagnetic acceleration weapons firimg bursts of metallic projectiles, machine-gun style. Again, the more pragmatic GS affiliates have insisted that Good Intentions are poor defense against Nuclear-Armed Malice, and that the aide ships should have a good mix of defensive systems able to deal with a variety of threats.
Range: 5 miles in atmosphere, 10 miles in space
(Kitsune Values: 10 miles in atmosphere, 1,000 miles in space)
Damage: 3d6x10 MD per burst
Rate of Fire: EGCHH
Payload: 500 bursts per turret. Additional drums can be reloaded from the cargo holds within 30 minutes(a drum takes up a ton of cargo space)
6) Planetary Magic---These are special magic systems used from low orbit or in atmosphere in support of rescue and assistance endeavors.
*Calm Waters---Effective range of 20 miles and affects a fifteen mile area; costs 200 PPE. Effects similar to that of the spell of the same name(page 88 )
*Cap Volcano---Effective range of 10 miles and duration of 48 hours; costs 160 PPE. Effects similar to that of the spell of the same name(page 73)
*Summon and Control Rain---Effective range of 150 miles and affects a fifteen mile area; costs 150 PPE. Effects similar to that of the spell of the same name(page 146)
*Calm Storms---Effective range of 15 miles and affects a ten mile area; costs 200 PPE. Effects similar to that of the spell of the same name(page 143)
*Metropolis---Effective range of 1 mile and affects a 2,000 ft radius---1,600 PPE for 10 days or 7,600 PPE + the sacrifice of 1 P.E point by a volunteer mage to make permanent. This is used to set up establish fortified(against civil unrest/harsh weather/predators) facilities on a world.
*Sanctuary---Used to create ‘safe zones’. Effective range of 2 miles and affects a two mile area; costs 3,000 PPE for 3 days duration. Effects similar to that of the Spell of Legend(page 157)
*Slowness---A broad-area effect application of the Time Walk Spell of Legend, it is used to slow down time in an area, allowing rescuers outside the affected area more time to get set up and prepare to deal with whatever is transpiring within. Effective range of 2 miles and affects a 1 mile area; costs 6,000 PPE for 15 minutes. Effects similar to that of the Spell of Legend(page 158)
Notes:
PearlStars are suffused with such an atmosphere of hope and good will that patients will be at a +2 to save versus Coma/Death, illness, and insanity, while aboard the ships. Beings of evil will be -2 to save versus magic attacks directed at them, and must roll versus a Horror Factor 10 (Vampires and other Undead at Horror Factor 13) every 10 minutes they are aboard the ship or suffer the consequences.
-------------
"Trouble rather the Tiger in his Lair,
Than the Sage among his Books,
For all the Empires and Kingdoms,
The Armies and Works that you hold Dear,
Are to him but the Playthings of the Moment,
To be turned over with the Flick of a Finger,
And the Turning of a Page"
Nice ship! Just one thing................. What happened to the evil of the standard sploogie? Should this be accompanied by a slaver. That way they resuce them and then heal them And finally they sell off the people they just rescued to become slaves. Or is this from that universe with the Goody two shoes sploogies?
"Your Grace," she said, "I have only one question. Do you wish this man crippled or dead?"
"My Lady," the protector of Grayson told his Champion, "I do not wish him to leave this chamber alive."
Aramanthus wrote:Nice ship! Just one thing................. What happened to the evil of the standard sploogie? Should this be accompanied by a slaver. That way they resuce them and then heal them And finally they sell off the people they just rescued to become slaves. Or is this from that universe with the Goody two shoes sploogies?
The universe of the Goody-Two Shoes Splugorth...I've been expanding and updating my file on them, so it will show up again either in the Alternate Dimensions thread or as its own thread entry in all its updated glory...
-------------
"Trouble rather the Tiger in his Lair,
Than the Sage among his Books,
For all the Empires and Kingdoms,
The Armies and Works that you hold Dear,
Are to him but the Playthings of the Moment,
To be turned over with the Flick of a Finger,
And the Turning of a Page"
I bet since then, the sploogies are really hate the Id Self
spell...
...or some of them realised that being a "good god" (instead
the unforgiving evil master most sploogies are) also produces
a steady PPE flow and maybe less beings with murderous intent.
Adios
KLM
But still, one of the most basic rules for survival on any planet is never to upset someone wearing black leather - This is why protesters against the wearing of animal skins by humans unaccountably fail to throw their paint over Hell's Angels.
- Terry Prachett
Small font: use ctrl+c and copy it, so you can read. But since it is in small fonts, it is not important. I am not a NE salesperson.
“Look, I’m really grateful for the rescue from the Demon Sea....and for patching me up afterwards...Thank you all so very much, ma’am...er...I mean SIR!...Kinda hard for me to tell there, sorry....But I’m fine now....can you give me back my guns...and my pants?”
----Anonymous Refugee on Atlantis.
This presupposes that the Splugorth, instead of being historically evil beings, have been the opposite, but no less extreme, alignments----In this altaverse, the name ‘Splugorth’ is synonymous with ‘Samaritan’, and they have been known for millenia as a visually hideous, but soul-set, force of good and charity. Evil Splugorth do exist, and their going against the grain of their species makes them ironically even MORE horrifying (Horror Factor 19, as opposed to canonical 17!) than their evil mirrors in most of the Megaverse, as well as a continuing lesson and source of shame for their kin.
In the Three Galaxies and other universes, the Splugorth are recognized as Champions of Light, an ancient race that has not become cold and callous with advanced age, nor grown inured to the sufferings of others. They fight cruelty with kindness, darkness with hope, and poverty with charity. They maintain a cross-dimensional network of affiliates that serve as a core of a megaversal movement to provide assistance to those who most need it.
*The Three Galaxies
“The contagion is airborne and 99.999% fatal to whoever contracts it...It has already jumped the quarantine efforts in the metropolitan areas it was first detected in, and panic has spread the disease even more quickly...These displays show the areas of known infection, but we can safely assume that fully fifty percent of the planet has been affected...a full ninety percent within the next six months. That is six billion casualties and an extinction event in the making. I cannot emphasize enough the looming humanitarian crisis we are facing on this world.” The tentacles slip away from the control orb as the massive eye turns to gaze at the assembled response staff. “Doctor Zharonzas?”
The long-craniumed Chief Meta-Healer activates his own display.”It’s a straightfoward weaponized immune-defficiency virus with a very rapid gestation and propagation, and hence a high mutation threshold, while still retaining its lethality. Very nasty, but you already know that. Conventional treatment regimens won’t touch the stuff...at least not the conventional medications available to most societies...However, the pathogen is biochemically identical to forty other pathogens we’ve encountered in the last two thousand years. We’ve adapted several of the treatments we used on those cases and that we’ve kept in stock against similar such contingencies, tested them remotely on samples we’ve taken via remote probe, and adjusted the strength of the medications accordingly. We’ve gene-tailored the fastest-acting anti-body, designated Agressor-1, into a stable-mutation, rapid-growth fungal spore bus we’ve used as standard in these situations, and have loaded it into biopackage warheads. We have also prepared similar cultures of the more-short-lived treatment virals and bacteria, designated Aggressor series 2 thru 6, and prepared them for tactical deployment.”
The broad-faced and horn-chinned flotilla Carrier Air Group commander took up the commentary. “We will commence mass high-atmosphere airburst release-launches within the next forty-eight hours, to achieve mass global immunizations. Individual air groups will perform localized delivery of the Aggressor 2, 3, and 4 agents, as well as targetted drops of Agressor 1 and 5 into water supplies and watershed areas. We expect no serious resistance to these incursions, but all aircrews have been advised to keep their shields and point defense systems active. Intelligence indicates there’s a lot of scared sentients down there and they may not be listening to our broadcasts to realize we’re not the vanguard of an invasion.”
Doctor Zharonzas continued again. “We expect to see the first slowdowns of mortallity reports within 48 hours of the first tactical deliveries, followed by an overall cessation of new outbreaks in the next week as the planetary jetstreams distribute the Aggressor 1 antipathogen. Should any new outbreaks occur within that period, we will re-apply Aggressors 1-4 and modify Aggressor 5 to deal with any unforeseen mutation in the pathogen. Once we see a leveling off of the outbreak in the next three weeks, we will commence Phase Two.”
A spindly globular body armored in irridiscent scales stood forward. “Once the overall situation has been stabilized and the effectiveness of global countermeasures confirmed, landings will commence, with Agressor series 6 applied to landing zones. Properly bioshielded staff will commence incursion into the initial outbreak zones to identify survivors, seek out, and destroy reservoirs of infection, determining the extent and type of decontamination needed as they do so. Efforts will be made to coordinate with local authorities to commence proper identification and disposition of the dead, and draw up priorities for reconstruction and recovery.”
The figure in arabesqued light power armor behind the stilt-borne globe added his piece.”We’ve prepared plasma and chemical ordnance for safe disposal of infection sites, so eco-ompact should be minimal. We’ve already selected our own sites for surface supply depots and strongpoints to better oversee the followup work.”
“That is the schedule, gentlebeings.” The medusa-tentacled Grand Coordinator finished for the staffers. “We have a world to save...Let’s get to it.”
In the Three Galaxies the territories of the GS are much more diffused and intermingled among those of the other star nations....the presence of GS enclaves is SOUGHT, not feared, by the denizens of the Three Galaxies. The GS go about the Three Galaxies as they please and where they are needed, as a sort of galactic Peace Corps. In fact, in the GS Three Galaxies, a favorite debate of speculative fiction writers is what the Splugorth would be like is they WERE evil (One of the most popular series of this morbid genre reads exactly like certain RPG books written in a far distant alternate universe).
At the behest of the High Lords and Sunaj accountants, the GS have established a sort of subscriber service to serve sectors of the Three Galaxies with medical care and disaster relief. By paying an annual service fee, worlds can take out what amounts to disaster insurance, insuring prompt assistance in times of crisis. Other worlds pay the GS to supervise and re-organize their planetary medical care systems and organizations. Still others donate generously to support the GS efforts to protect otehr worlds that lack the sophisticated medical support of other 3G powers. Payment doesn’t neccessarily have to be in Universal Trade Credits, however; the service fee can be in the form of volunteers, ships, real estate, goods and food for disaster relief, agreements to maintain GS communications relays and warp transit gates, etc. In this way the GS have acquired their own worlds as ‘firehouses’ across the Three Galaxies, where armies of emergency staff live, train, and practice, squadrons of ships are based, and megatonnes of supplies and medicines await their need.
The GS have served as mediators and diplomats in a variety of different theatres and conflicts. But not even the ancient power and universal good will of the Good Splugorth have managed to sway all belligents from war. Time and again they have offered to mediate in the war between the TGE and the FWC, but due to the influence of The Dweller, the Kreeghor have been stoked to a killing rage against their former benefactors, the Splugorth. The influence of the GS has also led to a civil war within the society of the Coloye Dopamen----half of the biochemist society are in the pockets of the criminal drug cartels, while the other half want to work wholeheartedly for the GS, producing medicines for the needy.
It is worth mentioning, however, that without the diabolical infighting among infernal beings and the elimination of competition that the canonical Splugorth routinely engaged in, the Three Galaxies of the GS is perhaps slightly MORE dangerous than that of canon. While many evil beings and races that might otherwise have come up the ranks under the mentorship of the Splugorth have wilted without Splugorth support, many others who would have been crushed and destroyed by the Splugorth for being upstarts have bloomed in malign fecundity instead. Other beings who might have sought allegiance with the Splugorth, have instead turned to other darker beings for patronage. Beings such as Cronus now have substantially larger presences in the Three Galaxies than they might otherwise enjoy. The infamous Demonstars (RDB 6: Three Galaxies, pg 148) are known not as mere legend, but are a reality, as they are even more common and prevelant in the GS 3G. This makes the services of the Good Splugorth all the more vital in maintaining the morale of the Forces of Light.
-------------
"Trouble rather the Tiger in his Lair,
Than the Sage among his Books,
For all the Empires and Kingdoms,
The Armies and Works that you hold Dear,
Are to him but the Playthings of the Moment,
To be turned over with the Flick of a Finger,
And the Turning of a Page"
Though KLM's remark about the PPE to be harvested long-term from good deeds and enthusiastic voluntary worship has me thinking...I hadn't considered that angle, so my thanks to you, KLM, for reminding me...Rival/companion temples to gods/goddesses like Hestia and Apollo?
Gotta think of a good variation on the Splugorth Eyeball symbol(like Network Omni's All-Seeing Eye) as the 'Red Cross' of the GS...
Also puts new emphasis on completing the Crucis-class anti-vampire ships I discussed with DarkMaxx...
-------------
"Trouble rather the Tiger in his Lair,
Than the Sage among his Books,
For all the Empires and Kingdoms,
The Armies and Works that you hold Dear,
Are to him but the Playthings of the Moment,
To be turned over with the Flick of a Finger,
And the Turning of a Page"
taalismn wrote:Gotta think of a good variation on the Splugorth Eyeball symbol(like Network Omni's All-Seeing Eye) as the 'Red Cross' of the GS... .
Got a one dollar note?
Also, it makes me think, if someone digs up a few of them in
CS territory... It is clearly from the Golden Age, yet the "all
seeing eye on a pyramid"... It is disturbing.
I am really curious what is the official CS standpoint on this
Adios
KLM
But still, one of the most basic rules for survival on any planet is never to upset someone wearing black leather - This is why protesters against the wearing of animal skins by humans unaccountably fail to throw their paint over Hell's Angels.
- Terry Prachett
Small font: use ctrl+c and copy it, so you can read. But since it is in small fonts, it is not important. I am not a NE salesperson.
Someone would have to go and ask one of the CS supporters to put their two cents in. Maybe Dead Boy could, of course there are many others in various places here on the boards.
"Your Grace," she said, "I have only one question. Do you wish this man crippled or dead?"
"My Lady," the protector of Grayson told his Champion, "I do not wish him to leave this chamber alive."
-------------
"Trouble rather the Tiger in his Lair,
Than the Sage among his Books,
For all the Empires and Kingdoms,
The Armies and Works that you hold Dear,
Are to him but the Playthings of the Moment,
To be turned over with the Flick of a Finger,
And the Turning of a Page"
-------------
"Trouble rather the Tiger in his Lair,
Than the Sage among his Books,
For all the Empires and Kingdoms,
The Armies and Works that you hold Dear,
Are to him but the Playthings of the Moment,
To be turned over with the Flick of a Finger,
And the Turning of a Page"
A splugorth who is not overtly powerful but is a masterful manipulater. Quietly manipulating various dimensional earths towards to where he/it all rules the planets except in name.
It would be amusing if that group was actually there minions. I know several members of that organization. And too think that they could be agent of a Sploogie! Now that is scary.
"Your Grace," she said, "I have only one question. Do you wish this man crippled or dead?"
"My Lady," the protector of Grayson told his Champion, "I do not wish him to leave this chamber alive."
LunarYoma wrote: A splugorth who is not overtly powerful but is a masterful manipulater. Quietly manipulating various dimensional earths towards to where he/it all rules the planets except in name.
Given their clearly superhuman intellect, probably all Sploogies
have several "silent subversion" projects running all over the
Megaverse. After all, this game is amusing, and offers big profit
if it succeds, with very little investment.
Kinda playing lottery.
Also, it is rewarding to have several independent civilisation
joining to your domain - each of them is a huge drawback to
the enemy propaganda, picturing you as an evil slavemaster
(which you of course are... ).
Adios
KLM
But still, one of the most basic rules for survival on any planet is never to upset someone wearing black leather - This is why protesters against the wearing of animal skins by humans unaccountably fail to throw their paint over Hell's Angels.
- Terry Prachett
Small font: use ctrl+c and copy it, so you can read. But since it is in small fonts, it is not important. I am not a NE salesperson.
LunarYoma wrote: A splugorth who is not overtly powerful but is a masterful manipulater. Quietly manipulating various dimensional earths towards to where he/it all rules the planets except in name.
Given their clearly superhuman intellect, probably all Sploogies have several "silent subversion" projects running all over the Megaverse. After all, this game is amusing, and offers big profit if it succeds, with very little investment.
Kinda playing lottery.
Also, it is rewarding to have several independent civilisation joining to your domain - each of them is a huge drawback to the enemy propaganda, picturing you as an evil slavemaster (which you of course are... ).
Adios KLM
Helps to have some credible dup---er, illustrious personages of sterling character---vouch for you when peole start pointing fingers...
-------------
"Trouble rather the Tiger in his Lair,
Than the Sage among his Books,
For all the Empires and Kingdoms,
The Armies and Works that you hold Dear,
Are to him but the Playthings of the Moment,
To be turned over with the Flick of a Finger,
And the Turning of a Page"
“Look at those lines! That six-sided hull! That mossy-gray mottling of the hull-metal...And if those aren’t Ommlac pulse-traction drive pods, I’m a Noro’s barber! That’s Ellarth work, all right, and I’d estimate it’s not less than ten thousand marr-cycles old if a day! It has to be Ryynnagrath’s treasury ship!”
The Ellarth were an ancient slave-species of the Splugorth, and were renowned for their metallurgical and shipbuilding skills, at a time when few races possessed starfaring capabilities. Despite their technological advancement, however, the Ellarth fell to the Splugorth and were duly subjugated. Records of the Ellarth conquest are scant, and are decidedly Splugrth-biased, but apparently the Ellarth managed to impress their overlords who set them to work building for them.
The Ellarths were best known for their construction of modular structures and ships using hexagonal components (known as hexamun) and plates of a tough, dense, metal known as reenor. Besides being extremely durable, reenor acquired with age a mossy mottled patina that appealed to Splugorth sensibilities. More importantly, reenor plates are resistant to magical penetration of any sort....a reenor-enclosed space could be not magically scryed, nor teleported into or out of. This made it perfect for secured areas such as prison cells and treasury rooms.
The secrets of reenor manufacture made for a very lucrative monopoly for the Splugorth who controlled the enslaved Ellarth. Unfortunately, in one of the bitter wars between rival alien intelligences, a vicious Splugorth competitor decided that if it couldn’t break the monopoly on reenor and hexamun construction, then nobody else would continue to profit from the trade either. The rival had the Ellarth food supplies(which, ironically, were used to enslave the Ellarth in the first place) seeded with an incurable and incredibly contagious species-specific biological weapon that swept through the entire Ellarth population, killing them all. The trade in Ellarth hexamun products collapsed almost overnight, but not before both rival Splugorth were wiped out, if not by each other, then by other opportunistic Splugorth.
Today, few Ellarth reenor ships and structures survive, and those that have are prized as treasures. A few reenor structures are known to exist on Atlantis, serving as either high security prison cells at Azlum, or as shielded treasury buildings.
Because of their use as bank vaults, Ellarth reenor structures are frequently sought by treasure hunters eager to loot whatever precious goods the Splugorth socked away inside....Unfortunately, they also tend to ignore the fact that the Splugorth also used them to confine beings that even they couldn’t deal effectively with...Some of the prisoners of reenor-lined cells are very old, very evil, and very insane....
The standard Ellarth ‘building block’ is a hexagonal cross-sectioned cylinder, 400 ft on a side, and between 400 to 1,000 ft long, made of gray-green reenor metal, and possessing 5,000-15,000 MDC. These units can be attached end to end or side by side, with the line of travel being along the long axis or laterally(some buyers cap the ends with large domes and observation bays), with engines and other systems often mounted in secondary hulls outside the main hexamun structure.
-------------
"Trouble rather the Tiger in his Lair,
Than the Sage among his Books,
For all the Empires and Kingdoms,
The Armies and Works that you hold Dear,
Are to him but the Playthings of the Moment,
To be turned over with the Flick of a Finger,
And the Turning of a Page"
In the current age, there is no such thing as a 'standard' complete Ellarth ship; they tended to be handcrafted...With time, I hope to do a few specific examples, but nowadays, one is more often to find bits and pieces of Ellarth technology and material-magery than a complete craft...
-------------
"Trouble rather the Tiger in his Lair,
Than the Sage among his Books,
For all the Empires and Kingdoms,
The Armies and Works that you hold Dear,
Are to him but the Playthings of the Moment,
To be turned over with the Flick of a Finger,
And the Turning of a Page"
Haven't had a new ship in a while...this must be fixed!
Zyganian Pulsis-class Corvette
(aka ‘Skinny Z’)
“The Zyganians think that just because they stick a few guns on a length of mez-alloy sewer pipe, cramp a drive in the end, paint their preposterous ‘royal coat of arms’ on the side, then hump the assemblage into any star system they please, they’re making an ‘imperial presence’! I am sick and tired of travelling this sector and just about every system I come into, there’s one of those rotting little Zyganian sewer-pipes getting in my way, challenging my ships, and its Loyalist Party appointee captain jamming up the com channels pontificating to me about ‘Zyganian imperial destiny’! If I see another one of them, I am saying to Galunes to the non-aggression pact and cleaning my squadron’s main batteries and local space at the same time! And if the Spirit-accursed Zyganians send them at me in flotilla strength, I say all the better target practice for my crews!”
---Rear Admiral H’zzef Phon, Republik of As-than Space Navy, Golgan Republik Slador Alliance.
The Pulsis-class is a Zyganian light warship design; light, fast, inexpensive, and reliable, it is meant for the ever-expanding Empire’s need for patrol, scout, and courier craft. The Pulsis is a collaborative design between weapons-manufacturer Regmo Industries and Zach Hypershift, both of whom began planning for Zyganian re-armament even before the revolution that threw out the Golgans. The Pulsis’ prototypes were actually produced off and tested under a Golgan contract for courier ships; the FRZH-300X was passed over as mediocre because of its heavy resemblance to the previous all-Zyganian designed FRZH-200 Journa-class light transport, a reliable and long-lived vessel, in favor of a Golgan-licensed vessel. Of course, Regmo and Zach also conspired to supply the Golgan authorities with false performance specs, while delaying retooling for the Golgan-approved ship, and stockpiling parts for the Journa that were really meant for going into their Pulsis. Once the Great Revolution came, early Pulsis corvettes were rushed into production. Despite the early headstart on development, however, full-scale production of the Pulsis was delayed until the Zyganian Empire could fully streamline and coordinate rescource management and production across the newly liberated domain. Now that the production problems have been all ironed out, though, the Pulsis is quickly replacing many elderly Golgan Republik-era ships in Zyganian service.
The Pulsis has a straight-forward cylindrical-shaped hull, with four control vanes at one end, an offset armored command pod at the other, and a spindle thickness at the middle of the cylinder. It is a straightfoward design, meant for easy manufacture, and uses a large amount of parts already in mass production for civilian designs. The powerplant and propulsion system are upgrades of the Remo-Alliant GC200, a rugged and reliable system usually used as auxiliary propulsion on larger capital ships, though, as an auxiliary system, the GC200 requires frequent re-infusions of deuterium fuel on anything longer than short hops. The standard FTL system is relatively bug-free, but is again best suited for short FTL jaunts than sustained long-range journeys.
Armor on the Pulsis is modest, but better than that on many other corvette designs(due to the ship’s simple and rugged structural design), and it relies on its variable forceshielding for the bulk of its protection...that, and its ability to outrun trouble. It is well-armed, with several arrays of energy weapons, and missile bays.
The Pulsis is designed to be easily modified for a variety of functions; its forward modular cargo bay can be quickly outfitted as additional crew/passenger accommodations, avionics bays, sensor stowage, missile/bomb bays, or mission modules.
The Pulsis is nearly ubiquitous in Zyganian space; it is seen virtually everywhere in all military and government branches as a scout, patroller, courier, diplomatic envoy shuttle, and even private transport for affluent Zyganian industrialists and politicians. A number of the ships have also been sold/fallen into the hands of Runners and other fringefolk.
The Pulsis can be considered to be roughly equivalent to the TGE Berserker in capabilities, but is lighter, smaller, and more available.
Type: ZCr-10B Pulsis
Class: Multipurpose Corvette
Crew: 18+10 passengers
MDC/Armor by Location:
Main Body 2,200
Bridge 1,000
Pulse Laser Turrets(8 ) 100 each
Forward Particle Beam Cannons(3) 90 each
Forward Missile Bay(1) 100
Engines 1,200
Variable Forcefields 1,000 each side, 6,000 total
Height: 68 ft
Width: 60 ft
Length: 220 ft
Weight: 4,000 tons
Cargo: If not carrying special mission modules in its forward bay, the Pulsis can carry 1,000 tons of cargo
Powerplant: Advanced Nuclear Fusion w/ 30 year energy life
Speed:
(Atmosphere) Hover to Mach 3; transatmospheric.
(Sublight) Mach 9
(Kitsune Values: 55% of light speed; Accelerates/decelerates at 0.9% of light speed per melee)
(FTL) 4 light years per hour
(Underwater) Not Possible
Market Cost: 220 million credits
Systems of Note:
Standard Starship Systems
Weapons Systems:
1)Forward Light Particle Beam Cannons(3)---Mounted under the bridge is a triple battery of fixed-forward PBCs, the primary long range direct fire anti-spacecraft weapon.
Range: 1 mile in atmosphere, 2.5 miles in space
(Kitsune Values: 2.5 miles in atmosphere, 2,500 miles in space)
Damage: 1d4x100 MD per blast, 3d4x100 MD for all three cannons firing simultaneously(counts as one attack).
Rate of Fire: ECHH
Payload: Effectively Unlimited
2) Forward Medium Range Missile Bay(1)---Mounted under and behind the cockpit/bridge is a medium range missile launcher, meant primarily for anti-missile and anti-spaceccraft work.
Range:Varies by Missile Type
(Kitsune Values: 160 miles in atmosphere, 80,000 miles in space)
Damage:Varies by Missile Type
Rate of Fire: Volleys of 1-10
Payload: 120 missiles. Additional missiles may be stored in the cargo holds and reloaded within 10 minutes(1 ton of cargo per 24 missiles)
3) Pulse Laser Turrets(8 )---The Pulsis mounts eight pulse laser turrets on the waist midpoint of the hull; four turrets covering the forward half, and four the aft. These are typically used for point defense against spacecraft and missiles.
Range: 2 miles in atmosphere, 4 miles in space
(Kitsune Values: 4 miles in atmosphere, 4,000 miles in space)
Damage: 6d6x10 MD per blast, 2d6x140 MD per four cannon-blast
Rate of Fire: ECHH
Payload: Effectively Unlimited
4) Modular Mission Bay
a) Short Range Missile Launchers(6)
Range:Varies by Missile Type
(Kitsune Values: 10 miles in atmosphere, 500 miles in space)
Damage:Varies by Missile Type
Rate of Fire: Volleys of 1-20 each launcher
Payload: 100 per launcher, 600 total. Additional missiles may be stored in the cargo holds and reloaded within 30 minutes(1 ton of cargo per 48 missiles)
b) Medium Range Missile Launchers(4)
Range:Varies by Missile Type
(Kitsune Values: 160 miles in atmosphere, 80,000 miles in space)
Damage:Varies by Missile Type
Rate of Fire: Volleys of 1-10
Payload: 50 missiles each launcher; 200 total. Additional missiles may be stored in the cargo holds and reloaded within 10 minutes(1 ton of cargo per 24 missiles)
c) Long Range Missile Launchers(2)
Range: Varies by Missile Type
(Kitsune Values: 3,400 miles in atmosphere, 1,800,000 miles in space)
Damage:Varies by Missile Type
Rate of Fire: Volleys of 1-8. up to 4 times per melee
Payload: 56 missiles per launcher, 112 total; additional missiles may be carried and loaded from cargo, but will take at least 15 minutes(1 ton of cargo per 12 missiles)
d) Cruise Missile Launchers(2)
Range:Varies by Missile Type
(Kitsune Values: 3,400 miles in atmosphere, 1,800,000 miles in space)
Damage:Varies by Missile Type
Rate of Fire: Volleys of 1-6 each launcher, twice per melee
Payload: 30 each launcher, 60 total. Additional missiles may be stored in the cargo holds and reloaded within 30 minutes(1 ton of cargo per 6 missiles)
e) Rail Gun Turrets---Two medium rail gun turrets deploy from ventral and dorsal hatches.
Range: 6 miles in atmosphere, 18 miles in space
(Kitsune Values: 18 miles in atmosphere, 18,000 miles in space)
Damage: 2d4x100 MD per burst, or 1d4x100 MD to a 150 ft wide area at half range, 4d6x10 MD to a 400 ft wide area at maximum range
Rate of Fire: EGCHH(usually 4-6 bursts per melee)
Payload: 400 bursts per gun
f) Heavy Laser Cannon Pod---A single large laser array deploys from bomb-bay doors
Range:8 miles in atmosphere, 16 miles in space
(Kitsune Values: 16 miles in atmosphere, 16,000 miles in space)
Damage: 1d6x100 MD per shot
Rate of Fire: Five shots per melee
Payload: Effectively Unlimited
g) Heavy Particle Beam Cannon Module---A single large PBC array deploys from bomb-bay doors
Range: 4 miles in atmosphere, 8 miles in space
(Kitsune Values: 8 miles in atmosphere, 8,000 miles in space)
Damage: 2d4x100 MD per shot
Rate of Fire: Four times per melee
Payload: Effectively Unlimited
h) Mine Warfare Pod----Holds 150 mines, each the equivalent of an LRM warhead.
i) Troop Carrier Module---Accommodates 50 troops in coffin-style bunks and a central ward room, or 25 power armor troopers and their suits.
j) Diplomatic Mission Module/Luxury Accommodations----Spacious cabins for 12 people and a shielded conference room
k) Sensor Module---A Zyganian copy of the CCW’s Deployable Listening Array, a folding antennae long range sensor that cannot be deployed/operated when the ship is moving at anything above Mach 2/0.02% of light speed per melee acceleration/deceleration.
Variants:
The Pulsis has spawned a number of variants, the most common of which include the following:
*ZCr-10GCX---The civilian model of the Pulsis. It lacks any of the weapons, but the bays are still available for refit with military equipment.
*ZCr-10H ---Amphibious Operations Version; The Zyganian High Command likes commissioning amphibious-capable warships and letting the amphibious Golgans know it, just to jerk their chain. The ZCr-10H has advanced sonar, a matte-black anechoic hull surfacing, extra streamlining, blue-green laser modifications, two short-range torpedo racks(each with 25 SRTs) on the midpoint, replaces two of the forward PBCs with a long range torpedo launch array(carries 18 LRTs), and typically carries a torepdo module or amphibious commando quarters section in its mission bay. In amphibious operations it can dive to 1 mile depth and move at 55 MPh underwater.
*ZCr-10J----The J-model sacrifices two of the rear-facing laser turrets to mount two lateral booster units on the rear fuselage that increase the ship’s real-space speed to Mach 11, and FTL speed to 6 light years per hour. This model is typically used as a fast courier and liaison craft.
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"Trouble rather the Tiger in his Lair,
Than the Sage among his Books,
For all the Empires and Kingdoms,
The Armies and Works that you hold Dear,
Are to him but the Playthings of the Moment,
To be turned over with the Flick of a Finger,
And the Turning of a Page"
But still, one of the most basic rules for survival on any planet is never to upset someone wearing black leather - This is why protesters against the wearing of animal skins by humans unaccountably fail to throw their paint over Hell's Angels.
- Terry Prachett
Small font: use ctrl+c and copy it, so you can read. But since it is in small fonts, it is not important. I am not a NE salesperson.
I figured we needed something light and inexpensive...
-------------
"Trouble rather the Tiger in his Lair,
Than the Sage among his Books,
For all the Empires and Kingdoms,
The Armies and Works that you hold Dear,
Are to him but the Playthings of the Moment,
To be turned over with the Flick of a Finger,
And the Turning of a Page"
Better find her fast...with me out of commission for the foreseeable future, the unseen audience is going to start putting dark matter pressure on you or KLM...(evil grin)
-------------
"Trouble rather the Tiger in his Lair,
Than the Sage among his Books,
For all the Empires and Kingdoms,
The Armies and Works that you hold Dear,
Are to him but the Playthings of the Moment,
To be turned over with the Flick of a Finger,
And the Turning of a Page"
I did not guess that so many things can be fitted into a
five by eight feet "kitchen"... But it is ready and looks
like a swiss army knife (as well as providing a feeling
how a really cramped starship looks/feels like).
And of course there is that issue with pine trees and gifts...
Adios
KLM
But still, one of the most basic rules for survival on any planet is never to upset someone wearing black leather - This is why protesters against the wearing of animal skins by humans unaccountably fail to throw their paint over Hell's Angels.
- Terry Prachett
Small font: use ctrl+c and copy it, so you can read. But since it is in small fonts, it is not important. I am not a NE salesperson.
Sounds like you have the perfect apartment KLM! It has food, a christmas tree and can still provide shelter! So you have a swiss army apartment, lucky guy! Does it have the Victorinox on the wall or the floor?
"Your Grace," she said, "I have only one question. Do you wish this man crippled or dead?"
"My Lady," the protector of Grayson told his Champion, "I do not wish him to leave this chamber alive."
