THE KETHERIC-HIVE AFFAIR (Balder's Gate 3 in Space! Quest)

BORN TO TIEF, WORLD IS FUCK
NAME: Karlach Cliffgate
RACE: Tiefling
HIT DIE/MELEE DAMAGE: 1d12 | HIT POINTS: 21/21 | LUCK: 6/6
PROFF: +2
XP: 0 | LEVEL: 2

STRENGTH​
DEXTERITY​
CONSTITUTION​
INTELLIGENCE​
WISDOM​
CHARISMA​
16 (+3)​
16 (+3)​
13 (+1)​
8 (-1)​
10 (+0)​
12 (+1)​
Save: +5​
Save: +5​
Save: +3​
Save: +1​
Save: +2​
Save: +3​

RACIALIZED TRAITS
Darkvision: Can see 100 feet in darkness without colors. Born this way, ma called it 20/Evil vision.
Light Sleeper: Only needs four hours of sleep for a long rest. Learned this in CapFor - nap when you got it.
Energy Resistance [Fire]: Take 1/2 damage from fire. This is why we got the cheap apartments, near the radiators.
Speed Malus: -1 meter of movement per round. Gorby Jr. is a pain in the ass.
Hider: Can hide when even only lightly obscure. Learned to duck pretty fast in the military.
ABLITIES
Action Surge (1/rest): Can take an extra action, refreshes on a short rest.
Reckless attack: Can gain advantage on Str based attacks while giving enemies advantage to hit you.
Rage (2/day): can go into a rage for 1 minute, gaining advantage on str checks and saves, +2 to str damage, reistance to B, P and S damage. Can't cast spells while raging.
Fighting Styles: Defensive (+1 to AC while wearing armor), Ranged (+2 to hit with ranged weapons), Blind Fighting (gain blindsight to 10 ft)
Second Wind (1/rest): Can use a bonus action to get 1d10+Level HP.
Natural Explorer: Ensure that the group has enough vac-suits and full tanks unless enemies take specific actions to negate it. When trapped with limited resources, double what the GM says you have. Create 3 shifts as a crew, rather than 2. Can patch suit as a free action. once per session, you can declare one thing to be true about a space station, habitat or spaceship - if the GM refuses, you're given a Luck Point.
Favored Enemy (Fascists): Get advantage on Wisdom (Survival) to track them and Intelligence rolls to know about their tactics.
Broad Proficiency: Martial Weapons, Heavy Weapons
Single Proficiency: Vac-Suits, Light, Medium, Heavy
Tool Proficiency: Repair, Shuttles, Armored Fighting Vehicle
Fighter's Luck: Get x3 LP per level.
Skills [8]: Skilled in Athletics, Acrobatics, Stealth, Perception, Persuasion, Performance, Intimidation, Insight
Expertise [2]: Expertise in Athletics and Stealth (double proff bonus.)​

GEAR

Armored Vac Suit (AC 19, 7 Bulletproof)
Bulletproof: AC applies to gunfire. If an enemy rolls 8-17, remove 1 bulletproof.)​
M-Gloves: Can create two mage hands as a free action, controlled by focused

Collapsable Knife: +5 to hit, 1d12+3 damage
Concealable: Advantage to hiding, -1 intimidation
Sharp: Deals 3 damage on a miss.​

MP-5: The Solar System's sexiest SMG
Effective Range: 0-25 Meters | 25-50 Meters
Damage: 1d4+3| Caliber: Medium | Recoil: 4 | ROF: 8 | Magazine: 30+1 | Intimidation: +3
Special: Tacti-Cool (comes with a built in, infinite use wand of Ray of Frost, which can be fired from the weapon whenever you want.)
Underslung DC8-ROFW: 60 foot range, 1d8 frost damage, reduces enemy movement speed by 10 feet on a hit.​

Arachne 9mm
Effective Range: 0-50 Meters
Damage: 1d4+3 | Caliber: Medium | Recoil: 7 | ROF: 3 | Magazine: 15+1 | Intimidation: +2
Special: Frangible - you can buy Small Caliber rounds for this to reduce the recoil to 4.​

23 magazines fully stocked of 9mm rounds

Standard patch kit
Effect: It can patch any hole of about palm size or smaller. Unfortunately, since they're designed to be 'slap and forget' patches, they can't really patch bigger holes effectively. Fortunately, you can apply them as a free action.

Computer Tool Kit
Effect: The computer tool kit is the collection of various lengths of wire, soldering gun, screwdriver (magnetized) and other nibbly little bits you need to do repair work on a computer, physically speaking. This won't do anything to debug it, unless you're being really literal about debugging here.

Cuffband
Effect: A plastic set of restraints. Good for dissidents, bounties and, until the Supreme Court's decision re Staton V Solarium Primary School, unruly children.

FINANCES

Q-Card: +0
Specie: 1 Gold

LEGALITY
Current Hab Legality: Not in Hab
Intimidation: Not in Hab
Total Criminality: Not in hab


STARSHIP - USAF-SGF Short Sword (Drizzit Class)
Acceleration Max: 3Gs | Handling: +4
Sensors: 5 Locks, 2 Jams

STRUCTURE SPACES: 300
Thrusters (10): 25 [10 Armor]
Externalities (9-4): 85 [0 Armor]​
Weapons: 72​
2 Fore, 2 Starboard, 2 Port, 2 Aft, 2 Dorsal, 2 Ventral S&R Draconic Limited Twin Linked 40mm PDCs
1 Dorsal Multipurpose 32cm Launch Tube​
EW/COM: 5​
D98 Panopticon Installation​
Cargo: 6 Tons​
Life Support (3): 39 [10 Armor]​
Radiators: 10
Water Recycling & Air Filtering: 15
Cabins: 10 (6 Bunk Rooms, 3 Cabins, 1 Officer's Cabin)
Sickbay: 5
Mess Hall: 5​
Command, Control & Communication (2): 5 [10 Armor]
Engines (1): 90 [10 Armor]
ARMERMENT
S&R Draconic Limited PDCs
Range: 0 | Damage: 1 Damage
ROF: 4d10 | Special: +5 to hit Torpedoes

32cm Launch Tube
Range: N/A | Damage: Per torpedo
ROF: 3 per round | Capacity: 17 Torpedoes

MD-82b Armor Piercing Chemical Torpedoes (12)
Special Note: These use high density hydrogen fuel bricks and have an extremely short duration
Acceleration: 20G | Handling: +4
Structure: 3​
Thrusters: -
Externalities (9-4): 1 [Armor 1]​
Weapon: 1​
High Yield Armor Piercing Warhead: 30 damage​
Life Support: -
Command, Control & Communication: -
Engine: 1​

T2-9 Tactical Nuclear Interplanetary Ballistic Missiles (5) [INOPERABLE]
Special Note: These use Zevar drives and have infinite range.
Acceleration: 10G | Handling: +4
Structure: 3​
Thrusters: -
Externalities (9-4): 2​
Weapon: 2​
Tactical Nuclear Warhead: 300 Damage (5km radius)​
Life Support: -
Command, Control & Communication: -
Engine: 1​
Description: A 300 ton warship, the Short Sword comes armed with 12 point defense cannons capable of covering every angle of attack and a 3 tube dorsal mounted torpedo bay, with 20 torpedoes, currently stocked with 15 MD82b antiarmor torpedoes that burn high density hydrogen fuel (making them high speed, short range), and 5 IPBMs with 30 kiloton tactical nuclear warheads. These have Zevar drives. They do not have "range" limitations.
 
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The Bank and the Bandits (2.1)
You weren't sure why you were shocked to find a bank in Nuke, but, you kinda were. On the TV, third sphere places like Nuke were always minaret sounds, orc water barons in robes and hijabs, and people with cheap looking AKA-46s in dusty red rust deserts. You never imagined seeing a tired, bored looking half-orc, half-halfing in a rather nice polo shirt and khaki pants sitting behind a desk, with a big clunky computer next to him - CRT glowing and the blue and gray of some modern operating system running on it. He had a bunch of papers, a pencil, and actually managed a smile when you sat down across from him with Shadowheart and Asterion - Wyll had decided to stay outside with Gale and Lae'zel, as each of them were going to raise more questions than answers here.

"Hello, I'm Arron, welcome to Solarium Banking Intergalactic, how may i help you today?"

"uh...me n' my friends here, we're looking into starting a kinda...mutual...bank account for...you know..." you waved your hand.

"Freelancing," Shadowheart said.

"Yes, freelancing!" You said. "You know, running jobs and shit."

"I...see..." Arron said, slowly, drumming the eraser of his pencil against the table. "Will you be operating on Mardok or across the SOL system?"

"Mardok for now, but, we're interested in moving offworld," you said, smiling bright.

"Well! I'll need some identification first," he said.

"Gotcha!" you said. "Can you run, uh, USCF serial numbers through that? I kinda...my ID card, uh, you know. Mardok and all that."

Arron frowned at you, then turned to the computer. "Okay. There might be up to an..." He clicked twice on an icon and a tiny map of the SOL system and current orbits printed itself onto the screen. He lifted his nose to peer at the screen. "...four minute or longer delay to access that information electronically if it's not contained in a station within our light bubble."

"That's fine!" you said, then gave him your serial number.

He typed it in. "Ah! Karlach Cliffgate, Breach Trooper...honorably discharged..." He nodded, then pulled up your mugshot. He smiled at you. "What happened to the horn?"

"A fuckin' car crash, can you believe it?" you asked, touching the stump.

Arron chuckled, then started to type away. "Well, Miss Cliffgate, your credit number is actually...um..." He paused. "It's...uh...average. You have some debts here, and you've paid of some of them. We may be able to give you a line on credit, assuming of course you're willing to..." And then he started to talk and talk and talk. You had to admit, a lot of it kinda went in one ear and out the other. You nodded a few times, said 'uh-huh' a lot and 'sure.' Then once it was done, and you were midway through imagining doing anything else, Arron gave you a billion papers to sign. You signed them. Finally, he laid down something that actually penetrated: "This account will be shared in common with your freelancing group, with you as the nominal leader. If you wish to mortgage this reputation onto buying a starship, it can be included with a form D-91.A and will be applicable for federal and state taxes. Any questions?"

You blinked at him, then smiled. "Nah! Clear as crystal!"

You three walked out with your new shiny Q-cards, and you handed them all out with a smile. "Now! Lets be responsible, guys!" you said, seriously. "We've got three coin to pay off any debts we rack up. Got it?"

"Got it," Gale said, wiggling it. "So, this is like a Quipu from Laturr?"

"The fuck is a quipu?" you asked.

Wyll and Shadowheart looked equally confused.

Asterion sighed. "I never really did pay much attention to finances in the old world," he said, airily.

Gale rubbed a palm against his face. "I'll...read a book on it or something." He winced slightly, his hand going to his chest. The momentary flare of pain passed and you walked over to him, frowning a bit.

"You okay, spellboy?" you asked, punching his shoulder gently. He hissed and rubbed his arm, then chuckled at you.

"Quite...I, ah...have a bit of a...well..." He made a face. "It's a long story. Lets get shopping, eh?"

"Sure!" You said. "When we eventually get a ship, we'll have fuck of a lot of time to chat." You grinned.

"How fast do these ships go?" Gale asked. "I remember there being some theories about adapting animated sailing ships with a magical shell of air - but...well, even moving from place to place around Laturr herself was quite difficult and took months."

"The average ship goes at 1G," you said.

"Which is?" he asked.

"Nine point eight oh six meters per second squared," you said, cheerfully.

Gale opened his mouth at you.

"Don't look so shocked, she graduated elementary school," Shadowheart said, her voice playfully wry.

"What, who doesn't know what a G is?" you asked, scowling slightly.

"No, uh, it's just...it's a very...technically specific amount!" Gale said, his cheeks coloring.

"I'm not a moron, Gale," you said, scowling. "I know how much a G is, how many rads you can suck down before you need at least an ounce of healing potion, how quick you use up oxygen, you know, normal shit."

"You didn't know what rain is," Asterion muttered.

"Fuck you, fang boy!" you snapped, blushing. He chuckled and grinned at you as rain sheeted down from the glass ceiling.

***
The first store you hit was the local Magic and Crafts shop. Gale boggled at the Light Bees, Friend Pills, Presti-Ohs and Mage Hand Bracelets hanging along the wall - spluttering as he took the Mage Hand bracelet down, reading the plastic and cardboard packing. His eyes bugged even more as he saw the pricetag, then scampered over to you. "Is a United Stated dollar roughly analogous to a gold coin?" Which set you off laughing so hard that half the shoppers looked at you like they were scared you'd been hit by nitrogen narcosis. When you wiped the tear away and explained the actual difference, Gale's eyes went wide.

"How are they so cheap?" he asked.

"I dunno, capitalism?" you said, shrugging.
In the end, you hit the M&C shop, the local urban outfitter looking for gear, and an QuestMart for combat gear. The QuestMart was a fun surprise since they didn't have a waiting period on hand weapons, though they did have to sell them with maglocked scabbards that wouldn't let you draw until you left Nuke - but, like, you were pretty sure that was just the thinnest of patch job excuses.

In the end, you walked away with...

---
So! Stuff costs a penalty to your Q-Card! You roll your Q-card when you leave a settlement to see how much debt you're in. You negate Q-Card penalties and even get Q-card bonus by doing quests and getting paid. This abstraction is to make bookkeeping easier and let you stay vague with money...and also to accurately simulate the feeling of having a credit card and ADHD. Use a plan vote!
UTILITY
Computer Tool Kit

Cost: -0Q

The computer tool kit is the collection of various lengths of wire, soldering gun, screwdriver (magnetized) and other nibbly little bits you need to do repair work on a computer, physically speaking. This won't do anything to debug it, unless you're being really literal about debugging here.


Cuffband

Cost: -1Q

A plastic set of restraints. Good for dissidents, bounties and, until the Supreme Court's decision re Staton V Solarium Primary School, unruly children.

Fiber Eye

Cost: -2Q

A small camera on the end of about five meters of cable. It can fit under and through anything bigger than about 0.5mm.

Friend Pill

Cost: -1/5Q

A bright green pill infused with the Friends cantrip. To be sold legally, the FP has to come with a secondary Light cantrip that causes you to glow a bright green. Illegal FP (also known as cracked FP), can be purchased at a significantly higher strain to your Q-Card.

Laser Microphone

Cost: -2Q

A small laser emitter attached to a cable that attaches to anything with an audio hookup. This allows you to 'hear' through vibrations against walls - vital for making sure you're not about to open a door into vacuum (or vice versa!)

Light Bee

Cost: -1Q

A tiny bee shaped friendo (that is to say, a chunk of plastic) with a Light cantrip worked into it. It floats around. Emits light. There are non-bee shaped ones for the terminally serious. Activating a light bee triggers the duration (which has been enhanced to a single SOL rather than the pitifully short time of a naturally cast cantrip) and it can't be turned off. Yes, you need to buy another one once it runs out.

Mage Hand Bracelet

Cost: -2Q

A bracelet that, when activated by touching various buttons and knobs on it (this takes an action) allows you to manifest and manipulate a Mage Hand cantrip. These bracelets have five charges before they become some expensive tat.

Magnetic Clamps

Cost: -0Q

A clamp with a battery and an electromagnet in it. Can root 500 kilograms of mass to place against pretty much anything but a hill giant (requires 21+ strength to even have a chance of moving it, and even then, it's a DC20 Athletics check.)

PRESTIO-S!(™)

Cost: -1Q

It looks a bit like a Pez dispenser, albeit wider and with several caps rather than just one. Each one dispenses up to 10 capsules (called PRESTIO-S(™) in the United States) that are worked with one of the effects that Prestidigitation can do save one: Starting Small Fires. There are PRESTIO-S!(™) for snuffing fires out, but no one would sell a magical implement for starting fires, what are you fucking out of your gourd? These capsules need to be snapped with intention (focusing on the target in question.) Once they're all used up, you need to buy a new one.

Patch Kit

Cost: -0Q

It's a patch kit! It can patch any hole of about palm size or smaller. Unfortunately, since they're designed to be 'slap and forget' patches, they can't really patch bigger holes effectively. Fortunately, you can apply them as a free action if they're on your belt, as kids are taught to do so from the day they're born, anywhere in the Solarium. Literally, everywhere.

Piton Gun

Cost: -1Q
Can lodge one of 50 pitons into asteroidal rock, cliff faces, or thin metal. These pitons can then be attached to with tethered, or you can just deface public property with it. When used as an improvised weapon, it counts as having the Ranged tag twice.

Portable Computer

Cost: -5Q

Astounding! Imagine, if you will, a suitcases sized metal box with a hinged side along the top that unfolds to reveal a screen, with a keyboard on the inside of the 'lid.' This…is a Portable Computer! With a 2.5 MHz microprocessor; 64 KB of RAM; two single-sided 191 KB 13.3cm floppy disk drives; and an 80-column, green monochrome, 22cm CRT providing crystal clear text displays, this easy and portable system for computational tasks weighs a breezy 13 kilograms! Comes with carrying handle and backpack.

Portable Phone

Cost: -4Q

For the Exodite on the go, this phone system can automatically hook into the communication grid of any reasonably sized First or Second sphere habitat and allow for phone calls to be sent and received. Weighing in at a mere 1.2 kilograms, they come in your choice of color, and come with an internal battery that takes only 8 hours to charge! (Battery Life depends on call time, but tends to 1-2 hours.)

Splash Patch

Cost: -2Q

A small green patch covered in warning labels and a distinct, triangle shape from the oval shaped patch kit patch, the Splash Patch is worked with a single shot Acid Splash cantrip and is bought for rapidly burning into a part of a ship you need to get at in a damn hurry. While they could be used for crimes, they're more often used for emergencies.

Tether

Cost: -0Q

It's 50 meters of sturdy rope. You…do rope stuff with it. It can hold about 1,000 kilograms of weight before snapping, but can be severed with 3 Slashing damage, 6 of any other kind (that includes gunshot damage) and can be used for, like, whatever you want.

ARMOR

Light Armor


Leather Jacket | AC: 11+Dex (Cost: -2 Q)

Combat Weave Uniform | AC: 12+Dex Modifier (Cost: -3 Q)

Light Bulletproof Vest | AC: 12+Dex [Bulletproof 1] (Cost: -4 Q)

Medium Armor

Ballistic Armor | AC: 15+Dex (Max Modifier 2) [Bulletproof 3] (Cost: -5Q)

Heavy Armor

(Special, See Below) Armored Vac Suit | AC: 18 [Bulletproof 6] (Cost: -8Q)


HANDGUNS
Arachne Automatic 9mm


Costs: -2Q

E. Range: 0-50

Damage: 1d4 | C: Medium | RCL: 7 | ROF: 3 | Intimidation: +2

Capacity [M]: 15 rounds of 9x19mm

Special: Frangibles (by reducing the caliber to small, reduce the RCL to 4)

A deadly semi-automatic pistol with the unfortunate habit of discharging by accident when dropped, the Arachne is a sleek and dangerous looking midnight black pistol, with glowing red paint on the iron sights.


Coyōtl 12-C Boregun

Costs: -3Q

E. Range: 0-50

Damage: 1d6 | C: Medium | RCL: 15 | ROF: 2 | Intimidation: +3

Capacity [C] (1m/2 rounds): 6 rounds of .44 magnum

Special: Stopping Power (missing a Bulletproof target that is not in cover must make a Constitution save of DC10+2d6 or be knocked prone, then another save at the same DC or be stunned)

A high caliber six shooter from the 2nd Age, the Coyo remains deeply popular among the inner and outer system. Called a Boregun because the first models were made by industrial mining devices being put to…alternative means, the Coyo fires absurdly large and dense slugs for their size, making it nearly impossible to hit a target twice - but if you do put two rounds into a bulletproof vest, they're gonna feel it. And maybe break a rib.


Cuetlaxochitl 38-HSF Snubnosed Revolver (Copgun)

Costs: -1Q

E. Range: 0-50

Damage: 1d4 | C: Medium | RCL: 4 | ROF: 2 | Intimidation: +1

Capacity [C] (1m/2 rounds): 6 rounds of .38 Special

Special: Ease of Use (Gain advantage on concealing this pistol.)

A snub nosed little revolver mostly used by United States habcops, the Cuetlaxochitl has been in use for a few centuries now and hasn't changed much - primarily due to the incredibly conservative political power structures of the police unions that have kept policing basically unchanged since the times of the Lunar city states. There's also a fucking billion of these things floating around out there.


Magia Missilia Number 9 Machine Pistol (MM-09)

Costs: -2Q

E. Range: 0–50

Damage: 1d4 | C: Small | RCL: 8 | ROF: 5 | Intimidation: +2

Capacity [M]: 32 rounds of 9x19mm

Special: No Time To Stop (cannot fire below 2 ROF)

An ugly looking wood and plastic weapon produced by Magelock Expeditions, this gun looks magical because someone put an LED in the bulbous drum magazine that turns green when it's full, orange when it's at half, and red when it's out. Most people put tape over it or remove it. However, what the MM-09 does do is put just an absurd amount of lead downrange. Get a stock for it if you want to hit anything.


Koren Voss Gun-3 Pistol

Costs: -4Q

E. Range: 0-50

Damage: 1d6 | C: Medium | RCL: 4 | ROF: 2 | Intimidation: +1

Capacity [M]: 8 rounds of .45 ACP

Special: Modular (can include two upgrades, rather than one)

A sleek gun that looks like it comes from the 4th age, not the 3rd, the KVG-3 is the third pistol made by Koren Voss Matches, the grandson of Old Man Matches. Designed with innovative modular systems that actually fucking work - much to everyone's shock - the KVG-3 is a high end tool that can be worked into any number of permutations.

SUB MACHINE GUNS
Ah, This Piece Of Shit Again, We're Really Up Against the Wall With An Airlock In Our Future, Aren't We? (Greazkgun)


Cost: -4Q (off Mardok), -0Q (On Mardok/In Mardok Orbit)

E. Range: 50-200

Damage: 1d6 | C: Medium | RCL: 6/4 | ROF: 4 | Magazine: 32+1 | Intimidation: +2

Special: Project: Freedom From The Skies (these guns are all really old and have an awkwardly placed magazine. You can fire them holding them the way they're supposed to be and use the 6 recoil, or you can fire them while holding onto the side jutting magazine and use the 4 recoil - you will now jam if any of your dice roll a nat 1.)

The cheapest gun that the Zeue Republic could produce, this was originally called the Magister Sub-Machine Gun Class 3. However, since it is now mostly used by dirt poor backcountry orcs and their allies since 32,000 of them were scattered across Mardok during the War and you can make them out of sheet metal and a few basic machines, it has been given a new and very orcy name, influenced by the number of utopian freedom fighters that are carrying them in an attempt to free Mardok from the capitalist exploitation it has been undergoing for the past 150 years. The sights are built sighted to about 100 meters (roughly) and can't be adjusted, because the gun is made of as few moving parts as you can manage. Off Mardok, they're more of a collector's item than anything else.

NON-FIREARM WEAPONS
All non-firearm weapons cost -1Q card and are assembled using two traits. So, a longsword is heavy+sharp, a bow and arrows is heavy+ranged, and so on.

Tags
Long: Enemies without long gain disadvantage. You get disadvantage if you're in a tight area.

Concealed: Can be hidden. Can be used with advantage in tight areas. -1 intimidation modifier.

Sharp: Deals [Stat Mod] on a miss.

Heavy: Upgrade damage dice by one step (d6 becomes d8, d10 becomes d12, and d12 becomes 2d8)

Ranged: Can be used at range. If improvised, this can be used once. If purchased, this represents enough weaponry to be used repeatedly (bows, throwing knives.)


Have fun!
 
Everything single use is worthelss except maybe a few patch kits and one acid. Maybe two.

Also, gotta have rope.
----
Will habe to come back later for a think about the armour and guns.
 
[X] Plan "Karlach gets a Boot(knife)"
-[X] Just so happens that Karlach recognizes a sealed but unmarked CapFor vac-crate of gear being sold sight unseen and takes a gamble on the lootbox
-[X] Standard gear of Patch Kit(obvious), Tether(obvious), C-Repair kit (cause someone's force overriding an airlock) and Cuffbands (because even if they are pirates COs frown upon shooting after they surrender)
-[X] 1 Armored Vac Suit (Still plastic sealed for transport with the 'Remove Before Use' tags still in)
-[X] Enough CapFor "Designated CQC Tools" to outfit anyone in the crew that would want one (It's a big monowire knife that has Concealed, but from the memory shape alloy the frame is made from the hilt can 'charge' it to have it expand and extend to have Long instead. A one-size-fits-all solution whether you are cutting into a panelbox or the tether of a terrorist during transit. It's one problem is it's a bootknife with the mass of a much heavier blade.)
-[X] Get some range time in for Laz as we sort through the box

Expensive as -fuck- but getting Laz something that isn't going to have her perforated the moment the shooting starts so she can go sicko mode on the fascist fucks it pretty high on my priority list. Unlike normal 5e, Advantage and Disadvantage in this rules rewrite can stack and cancel each other out instead of any advantage past the first being wasted so getting a melee weapon that isn't improvised is important to me. And, it's thematic.
 
How much would you change the following trait to make it not suck and worth xp:
The Right Tool for the Job
You've learned how to produce exactly the tool you need: with thieves' tools or artisan's tools in hand, you can magically create one set of artisan's tools in an unoccupied space within 5 feet of you. This creation requires 1 hour of uninterrupted work, which can coincide with a short or long rest. Though the product of magic, the tools are nonmagical, and they vanish when you use this feature again.
(From the Artificer class)
 
Adhoc vote count started by DragonCobolt on Apr 25, 2024 at 8:27 PM, finished with 13 posts and 4 votes.

  • [X] Plan "Karlach gets a Boot(knife)"
    -[X] Just so happens that Karlach recognizes a sealed but unmarked CapFor vac-crate of gear being sold sight unseen and takes a gamble on the lootbox
    -[X] Standard gear of Patch Kit(obvious), Tether(obvious), C-Repair kit (cause someone's force overriding an airlock) and Cuffbands (because even if they are pirates COs frown upon shooting after they surrender)
    -[X] 1 Armored Vac Suit (Still plastic sealed for transport with the 'Remove Before Use' tags still in)
    -[X] Enough CapFor "Designated CQC Tools" to outfit anyone in the crew that would want one (It's a big monowire knife that has Concealed, but from the memory shape alloy the frame is made from the hilt can 'charge' it to have it expand and extend to have Long instead. A one-size-fits-all solution whether you are cutting into a panelbox or the tether of a terrorist during transit. It's one problem is it's a bootknife with the mass of a much heavier blade.)
    -[X] Get some range time in for Laz as we sort through the box


Sorry for the delay! It has been a CRAZY busy week!

I finished a novel, got to practice for my upcoming viola recital with my piano accompaniment (and had to explain what the hell an Arcanum is to a confused 40 year old), AND I got to BLEEP with a BLEEP and then BLEEP all BLEEP and BLEEP [Redacted for being ludicrous levels of TMI]

Anyway, roll me a diplomacy check, DC12+

(It's how good the range goes)
 
Crate C (2.2)
"We're not buying that," Shadowheard said as Gale held aloft a little circlet of gold wire and glittering glass.

"But it's an Eye of Minute Seeing! These were quite good and it's so cheap-"

"It's marked up fifteen times its worth to bilk tourists," Shadowheart said, snatching the gem from him. "You can get a magnifying glass better than this for, like, fifteen bucks." She set it back on the wall.

"...are those magical?" Gale asked.

"No," Shadowheart said. "We just can make a decent lens these days."

Gale seemed to be somewhat deflated. You, meanwhile, were eying the dangling belts, cloaks, and plastic hoods that made up the GENERAL PURPOSE isle of this magic resale shop. You frowned and picked up a hood of emergency radiation protection, scowling as you did so. "You can't sell this without the helmet!" you said, turning back to the bored looking gnoll at the back of the shop. He turned a page in his comic book, then lifted his other hand and slapped a sign.

ALL MAGIC ITEMS SOLD AS IS
NO REFUNDS


You put the hood back with a harrumph. Then your eyes caught on something as a trilling string of Gith profanity came from behind several shelves and Wyll hastily hissed at Lae'zel. You didn't quite hear what he said, but you hoped they didn't draw the attention of the clerk. Instead, you knelt down and dragged out a huge box with a big stenciled C on the top and, on the side...a USCF logo. Your palm caressed the Old Laturr globe with an anchor through it, and the old draconic logo: Semper Fideli. "Ooh fuckin' rah!" You said, then started fiddling with the clasps, trying to open the crate.

That drew the gnoll's attention. "Whoa! Hey! You buy that a la carte! No peeking!"

"What!?" you asked.

He pointed at the sign.

"It's not a magic item!" you said. "It's a fucking supply crate!"

"S' got magic on it," the gnoll said, while Gale, Shadowheart, Lae'zel and Wyll walked over. Lae'zel had her hands behind her back and you noticed that one half of a plastic cuffband was wrapped around her right wrist, while Wyll was hastily and guilty closing a switchblade and tucking it back into his pocket.

"It does have magic on it," Gale said.

"It's a crate!" you said, angrily.

"It appears to be a semi-permanent feather fall spell," Gale said.

"Well, shit, fuck, of course it does, it's meant to be dropped from orbit, it was used in the war!" You said, angrily. "That doesn't make it magic."

"...yes it does?" Gale asked.

"Buy it all or stop pawing at it!" The gnoll snapped.

You scowled. "You know there's an even chance we're just buying an empty fucking box."

"Will you just BUY something already!?" Astarion called from the front door, where he had been lounging by the window, smoking a cigarette and looking as bored as vampirically possible for the past half hour. "We've been here for two hours!"

You grunted, picked up the crate, and walked over, while Gorby J clacked after you on his tether. You thumped it down onto the shelf, while Shadowheart seemed to be very interested at the ceiling. You grinned slightly, then stretched your arms slowly, letting your muscles shift, while the gnoll rang you up. When you gave the Q-card, he took it, then looked at you.

"You're all freelancers?" he asked.

"Yeah," you said.

"Figured," he said, then slotted it into the reader. It chirruped and you grinned at everyone else.

"Lets see what we got!" you said, opening the crate right there - the lid almost bonking the gnoll's snout.

"Hey!" he said, while everyone craned their heads - even Astarion. You saw the interior had a standard patch kit, a tether, a computer repair kit for airlock forcing, a pair of cuffbands (which caused Lae'zel hiss, narrow her eyes, and pin her ears against her head like a cat), some armored vac-suit components all sealed up in plastic, and a box of CQC tools!

"Fuckin' JACKPOT!" you said, while the gnoll harrumphed as you opened the CQC tools, taking out the small, palm sized rod.

"What is that?" Gale asked.

You grinned and squeezed it. The pole whirred and a flash of magic made your hand swell and a big old combat knife stuck out of it. You touched the button at the bottom and it shrank down again. "They're knives, contained in rods of collapsing," you said, which caused Gale's eyes to bulge.

"Was this some knight's raiment?" he asked.

"...no, standard ish," you said. "Knights get specialist gear."

Gale shook his head. "I..." he paused. "It took every kingdom on Laturr years of backbreaking labor while entire armies fought tooth and nail, round the clock, to keep the demons off our backs to create enough passwall accelerators to launch the Exodus. And then I wake up in a world where you throw away priceless relics like they're trash."

You considered.

"Yeah, well, it has been six hundred years," you said.

"There were thousands of years on Laturr without this kind of advancement!" Gale spluttered.

"Yeah, but was there capitalism?" you asked, then closed the big crate.

***
Lae'zel grumbled as the two of you alone walked through the streets. Everyone else was back at the buggy, packing it up, and there were still some debates about trying to find mercs or checking out Auntie Ethel. You, though, had managed to talk Lae'zel into taking a kinda important detour.

"I need no training. I was taught the ways of death by the Crech-Teachers of my people, who have been waging war longer than your civilization has existed on this barren speck of dust!" Lae'zel grumbled.

"Yeah, but, do you know how to shoot a gun?" you asked as you stopped before the gunshop you had visited earlier.

Lae'zel frowned.

"...they seem like cheating," she said.

"Everyone out here has a gun, unless we're going into some hoighty toighty civilized hab," you said, grinning at her, then slapping her shoulder with one hand. "And then you'll be way scarier than them with a pencil, so, who the fuck needs a gun then, right?"

She grinned, slowly, her ears twitching up. "This is the case. I am glad you've been paying attention."

"I pay lots of attention to you," you said, grinning at her.

Lae'zel's face blushed and she scowled and kicked your shin. "Silence!" she said, then turned and walked straight into the store, shoving the door inwards. You chuckled and followed after her, and after another swipe of your Q-card, you were in the shooting range. You hung up your jacket, letting it hang off a peg, stretching your bared arms as you enjoyed being somewhere with tank top weather.

You turned back to your jacket. You had brought one of the 9mm pistols you had kept, tucked into the pocket. You pulled it out, showing her the weapon.

"This is an Arachne 9mm," you said, simply. "She's a locked breech, recoil operated semi-automatic pistol, fifteen round magazine with 9x19mm parabellum plastic rounds, basically the same shit goes into the MP-5. That's why she's called a submachine gun, since she fires pistol rounds." You opened the Arachne up, showing Lae'zel the action. "Magazine pushes bullets in here, firing pin comes down, the gun goes bang, and the recoil - the force of the bullet going out pushes the receiver back, and that works a new bullet into the chamber and you're ready to go again, just like a rocket." You worked the action with your hand, sending an unfired round whipping into the air. You caught it as it drifted down in lazy slow motion. "This is the trigger - it's got a safety built into it, so, you just push them both down at once and it goes bang. This is the magazine release." You demonstrated, dropping the magazine into your palm. "Now, this is real fucking important: This shit? It's got a round in there." You opened it again, ejecting the last shot. "So, even if you have the magazine out, you do not aim this at anyone unless you mean to kill them."

Lae'zel nodded, frowning. "I know how weapons-"

"No, Lae'zel, I'm fucking serious here," you said, putting a red hand on her cheek, lifting her chin and looking right into your eyes. "Guns kill people. They kill em as fast as a sword, but instead of swinging that hunk of metal, you just need to twitch a finger like this." You put just the tiniest pressure of your calloused trigger finger against her cheek, dimpling spotted yellow skin. "Just that much and you can kill someone."

Lae'zel was very quiet.

"So, never, ever, ever point a gun at someone unless you plan to kill them. Got it?"

Lae'zel was looking into your eyes, and her eyes were very, very wide. "I understand, sa'varsh."

You grinned, starting to slot the bullets back into the magazine, crooking the Arachne under your armpit. "Is that like istik?" you asked, curiously.

"Tch!" Lae'zel turned back to the range, glowering at the distant target.

You walked up next to her. "Okay, now, keep your finger off the trigger. We're gonna start with just doing the magazine. I want you to be comfy taking that in and out." You smiled at her, and Lae'zel showed that she learned quick: The magazine slapped her palm, then she slid it back in. She removed it again, then worked the last bullet out. She slid that bullet in with her thumb, then reloaded, then chambered it. She nodded curtly.

"Done," she said, firmly.

"You pay a lot of attention," you said, grinning. "Is it cause I am cute?"

"No," she said. "It's because it is easy to forget you lack pain sticks."

You frowned. "Your instructors...beat you?" you asked.

"The Gith Empire has harsh traditions," she said, her voice firm. "Under the Proclamation of Two Skies, the Githyanki kept their martial traditions, but the Githzerai were given the role of stewards and watchers - Vlakith the Eternal and her council will keep us ready for war. The pain sticks...they are to teach us proper discipline. The mind flayers can reach into unprotected minds and twist them so easily - many Githyanki warriors go into battle with pain sticks strapped to their bodies, so that they might resist more easily. Thus, to fight while in agony, it is...taught."

You bit back your first response which was that sounds like a fucked up way to deal with a lack of magitech support.

Instead, you said: "...dang."

You moved on to showing her how to hold it. You frowned at her slightly. "No, no, not like that." You moved behind her, sliding your arms along her arms, pressing your back to her chest. you could feel her warmth and her muscular shoulders against your chest as you shifted her hands with yours. Your voice was soft in her ear. "You have to have a strong grip. Like this. If you limp wrist the thing, then your arm actually robs the recoil - momentum goes into your wrist instead of into the gun." Her ear was quivering with each soft word you spoke. "It's all momentum, and you want that momentum to work for you. Now, aim down the sights. See the target. And...exhale when you pull the trigger."

Lae'zel's breath hitched a little.

She breathed out.

Pulled the trigger.

The gun leapt and a neat hole appeared in the entirely un-PC target of a snarling orc with a battleax raised over his head.

Lae'zel let out a soft tch, her cheeks red. "Simplicity itself," she said, her voice haughty as her ears quivered. You could just barely see the earplugs.

---
What do you do?

[ ] Kiss those cute ears
[ ] Give her a pat on the shoulder, tell her you did good job and...
[ ] ...head to Auntie Ethels
[ ] ...head back to the Adventurers
[ ] ...try and find some hirelings, then go to the Adventurers​
 
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"There were thousands of years on Laturr without this kind of advancement!" Gale spluttered.

"Yeah, but was there capitalism?" you asked, then closed the big crate.
:V

You frowned. "Your instructors...beat you?" you asked.

"The Gith Empire has harsh traditions," she said, her voice firm. "Under the Proclamation of Two Skies, the Githyanki kept their martial traditions, but the Githzerai were given the role of stewards and watchers - Vlakith the Eternal and her council will keep us ready for war. The pain sticks...they are to teach us proper discipline. The mind flayers can reach into unprotected minds and twist them so easily - many Githyanki warriors go into battle with pain sticks strapped to their bodies, so that they might resist more easily. Thus, to fight while in agony, it is...taught."

You bit back your first response which was that sounds like a fucked up way to deal with a lack of magitech support.

Instead, you said: "...dang."
That's rough, buddy.

Also, how could I resist such an invitation?
[X] Kiss those cute ears
 
How much is a single copper coin worth in terms of Quipi?


From the Google Doc That You Can Read At Any Time said:
Whenever you want to buy something, you reduce your Q-Card. Whenever you do something for the community or get paid by a fiscal enterprise, you increase your Q-Card. When you leave a station, you roll 1d20+Q-Card, and then pay the amount of Specie that the table says.

From the Google Doc That You Can Read At Any Time said:
RESULT​
EFFECT​
-20 to -16​
Yeah, they're sending out the cops to stop you from leaving before you pay off your debt, which is easily in the 25 Specie Range. If you resist, it will get violent. Stations without the coercive state actors like cops, the locals will run you out of town the old fashioned way unless you do some major service for them.​
-15 to -11​
For habitats with laws and cops, you cannot leave the station without forking over 15 Specie or equal amounts of personal effort. Habitat without either will not allow you to dock here again unless you offer up a similar amount of goods, services or Specie as back in "civilized" ports.​
-10 to -5​
As with the above result, the range of debt is only 5 specie.​
-4 to 0​
You eat garbage and sleep in a bad area. Gain 1 stress token.​
0 to 5​
You lived a nicely average lifestyle on this station. No effect. You did it!​
6 to 10​
You leave with some spending money in your pocket and a good reputation behind you. Lose 1 stress token, free of charge, for nice treatment.​
11 to 15​
You're going to be talked about 'round town for quite a while now. +3 permanent Q-Card.​
16 to 20​
You're so popular and well liked that if this habitat has any kind of communication system, you're getting famous elsewhere too. Either get +6 permanent Q-Card to this habitat, or get +3 to here, and +1 to three other habs of your choice.​
 
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