Requires the use of the d20 Modern Roleplaying Game, published by Wizards of the Coast, Inc.

Transcription

1 Requires the use of the d20 Modern Roleplaying Game, published by Wizards of the Coast, Inc.

2 Introduction Welcome to Ronin Arts Future: Starship 5 The Havamàl, the fifth in a new series of PDFs for use with futuristic D20 System campaigns. This series makes some assumptions about your campaign; the starship designs in this series will be most useful in campaigns in which the following statements are true: The campaign is not a hard science setting. Campaigns that are more space opera/adventure movie are the intended target for this series. Starships are not rare or unusual. All of the starships in this series assume that space travel is a standard and common occurrence individuals either fly their own ships or ride on passenger ships. Starships and space travel are as common for characters as a plane ride is for people of our reality. Space combat is not uncommon. It s just another exciting adventure when the player characters have to engage the enemy while fleeing from some world or other. The campaign is packed with action. If things aren t exploding, how much fun can the game really be? Most of the starships in this series are designed to fill an even number of pages. This is so that you can print the pages back-to-back if you wish and drop them into a binder. This introduction, and the page of new starship equipment and assorted information, can also be printed separately and added to your binder. The schematic and silhouette page is designed to be used as a player handout it s what flashes up on their ship systems when they attempt to ID a ship and GMs need only give the players the page when they encounter a ship from this series. About the Author Michael Hammes has been freelancing in the roleplaying industry since Starting small, he has steadily built his repertoire, and reputation, by working for such companies as Ronin Arts, Alderac Entertainment Group, Dark Quest Games, and E.N. Publishing. He is currently trying to balance his writing schedule with his role as stay-at-home father. To catch the latest from Michael s Imagination, please visit e-future Tiles The Havamàl is based on SkeletonKey Games e-future Tiles: Star Freighter, Star Hunter, and Star Patrol tile sets. While this PDF can be easily used on its own you will get a lot more use out of it in your game sessions if you construct the ship at miniatures scale using the printable tiles. The only tiles you will need that are not available in e-future Tiles: Star Freighter, Star Hunter, and Star Patrol are the wing extensions which have been thoughtfully included at the end of this PDF. To learn more about SkeletonKey Games please visit their website at New rules and ideas NEW SHIP SYSTEM The following are recently developed innovations in use on the Havamàl. They are included here so that you may easily use them to modify existing starships or as a reference when designing your own original ships. Eye of Odin (PL 6) Given the name Eye of Odin by the Havamàl project lead Dr. Magnus Halverson, as a nod to his Scandinavian heritage, this is the recently developed advanced sensor array carried by the Havamàl. The Eye is an advanced version of a Class III sensor array incorporating hi-res video, infrared and electromagnetic sensors, ladar detection units, and multiband radar. It has the following capabilities: Ascertain the location, type (ultralight, light, and so on), and subtype (fighter, destroyer, and so on) of all visible ships on the battlefield. 2

3 Identify and ascertain the location of all visible hazards on the battlefield (such as asteroids and mines). Identify all PL 5 or PL 6 weapons on a specific ship (number and type of weapons present), including their organization into batteries (but not fire links). Ascertain the presence of any or all of the following systems on a specific ship: grapplers, magnetic field, point-defense system. Identify a specific ship s armor type (PL 5 and PL 6 armor types only). Analyze the chemical composition of a planet s atmosphere (the ship must be orbiting the planet). Analyze and chart the topography of a 100- square mile area on a planet s surface (the ship must be orbiting the planet). Determine a planet s prevailing meteorological conditions and weather patterns (the ship must be orbiting the planet). Intercept (receive) any and all broadcast frequency communications (i.e. radio and video transmissions in omni-directional mode; these include radio, television, cellular). Lock on to the source of a specific broadcast frequency communication as long as the source is within a 100-mile radius of the ship (including the planet s surface). Grants a +2 equipment bonus on all initiative checks. Each of these functions is taken as a move action. Note that manually selecting the actual frequency to lock on to, based on what the operator sees and/or hears can take significantly longer. In other words, if there are 100 frequencies in use and the operator wishes to listen and/or watch each in turn to determine which one to lock on to, it takes some time (treat it as changing channels with a maximum speed of one channel/frequency being evaluated per move action). In general, the search and lock functions are automated by either selecting a specific frequency to lock on to ahead of time (i.e MHz) or by having Odin s Eye scan the frequency band for a specific voice or words (via voice-recognition software) or visual match (via face0 or image-recognition software), and locking on to those frequencies. Purchase DC: 32. Restriction: Illegal (+4). Odin s Ravens (PL 6) These are sensor drones that have the same capabilities as the Eye of Odin (they are, in effect, sensor satellites). They feature both a laser and radio transceiver for two-way communication with its deploying ship; a Raven can be programmed for specific actions, or it can be controlled remotely from the deploying ship. A Raven has thrusters for maneuvering. Protection comes in the form of a stealth screen and a self-destruct mechanism. The self-destruct mechanism can be activated remotely by the deploying ship or automatically by the drone should an attempt be made to capture the drone (i.e. using grapplers) without first giving the proper deactivation code. A Raven has a Defense of 12 and 12 hit points, and it rolls 1d20+4 on opposed grapple checks. A Raven does not carry a Mimer s Well. Purchase DC: 30. Restriction: Illegal (+4). Mimer s Well (PL 6) Developed by the same team that brought the Odin s Eye project to fruition, Mimer s Well is a cryptological encoding and decoding computer module that grants its user a +10 equipment bonus on Computer Use checks to unscramble transmissions. It is impossible to decrypt a message encrypted by the Mimer s Well unless one has access to another Mimer s Well that is set up identically to the one issuing the message (if the GM doesn t want to allow that kind of security, assume that the Mimer s Well grants a +10 equipment bonus on Computer Use checks to scramble transmissions). This set up must be done manually using good old-fashioned cypher books and pads, or perhaps cypher PDAs (see The Enigma Machine section); having it done by computer completely defeats the purpose as a computer can be hacked into. Purchase DC: 30. Restriction: Illegal (+4). 3

4 Basic Information The Havamàl project, named after a portion of the poetic Edda, was created with one purpose in mind: to spy. Codenamed Electric Eye, the project was under the leadership of the renowned mathematician and cryptologist Dr. Magnus Halverson, originator of the Halverson Algorithm. Although the Havamàl project was initially supposed to be mounted upon an existing military starship platform, the nature of the equipment would have required too many modifications to any existing ship design to make it cost-effective and so it was decided that a brand new ship would be created. The Havamàl herself is outfitted with the latest in sensor technology and features arguably the most advanced encryption (see The Enigma Machine below) and decryption module available; not only is it capable of easily decoding every known encryption method, but its own encryptions are thought to be unbreakable (whether they are or not is up to the GM). At a minimum, in addition to the three-man crew that operates the ship, the Havamàl is staffed by five intelligence analysts (the GM can substitute one security guard for one of the analysts). However, during missions, hot-racking will increase that number three-fold so that the ship is in operation 24 hours per day. HAVAMÀL TACTICS The Havamàl is not a combat ship (just in case you didn t get that). Its purpose is to deploy in a system or near a planet and keep an eye on goingson. Especially with its Odin s Ravens sensor drones deployed (usually near inhabited planets or busy space lanes), there is little that occurs in a system that will go unnoticed by the ship s cryptologists. The basic tactic is to deploy the Odin s Ravens in the desired positions while the Havamàl finds a good place to hide (its options are pretty wide open with its radiation shielding). The Havamàl then receives information from the drones, which is decoded and analyzed by its intelligence analysts, and can also issue instructions to the drones (to move them to a better location, return them to the ship, self-destruct etc.). Should any of the Ravens be discovered and/or be in danger of capture, they are self-destructed to keep them from falling into enemy hands. Should the Havamàl be discovered or be in danger, it attempts to flee, self-destructing its Ravens in the process. Should capture be imminent, the crew will use the ship s self-destruct system to keep the ship from falling into enemy hands (whether the crew actually has time to escape or not is up to the GM). THE ENIGMA MACHINE The idea of the encryption capabilities of the Mimer s Well is based on the real-life German Enigma cipher machine. In use during WWII, the machine allowed the Germans to communicate with an unbreakable level of security until an example of the Enigma machine, cipher documents, and cipher pad were captured (the story of all this makes for some interesting reading and should give the GM some adventure ideas involving the Havamàl beyond those found in the Adventure Hooks section). game statistics Havamàl (PL 6) Type: Ultralight Subtype: Unique Defense: 7 Flat-footed Defense: 5 Autopilot Defense: 7 Hardness: 30 Hit Dice: 15d20 (300 hp) Initiative Modifier: +4 (+2 Dexterity, +2 Eye of Odin) Pilot s Class Bonus: +3 Pilot s Dex Modifier: +2 Gunner s Attack Bonus: +2 Size: Colossal ( 8 size) Tactical Speed: 3,500 ft. (7 sq.) Length: 100 feet Weight: 250 tons 4

5 Targeting System Bonus: +3 Crew: 3 (trained +4) Passenger Capacity: 5 Cargo Capacity: 50 tons Grapple Modifier: +16 Base Purchase DC: 55 Restriction: Illegal (+4) Attack: 2 fire-linked heavy neutron guns -3 ranged (15d8) Attack of Opportunity: N/A Design Specs: Engines: Ion engine, thrusters Armor: Vanadium Defense Systems: Chaff launcher, decoy drone launcher, improved damage control system (2d10), improved autopilot system, radiation shielding, self-destruct system, stealth screen; the Havamàl substitutes two additional defense systems for two weapons. Sensors: Eye of Odin (enhanced Class III sensor array), targeting system Communications: Laser transceiver, radio transceiver Weapons: 2 fire-linked heavy neutron guns (range incr. 6,000 ft.) Grappling Systems: Grapplers Starship Key 1. Cockpit - the cockpit has three positions: pilot, copilot/gunner, and navigator/sensors. The cockpit is laid out in a neat and logical manner. 2. Medical Facility - a standard requirement on all space-going vessels of this size, this medical facility is equipped with everything necessary to handle most emergencies. However, as the ship is not staffed with an actual Doctor MD, the crew must use the ship s Doctor MD software (Doctor DDS and Doctor Psych modules also available) to walk someone through handling emergency surgery and grants a +10 equipment bonus to the Treat Injury (surgery) skill; note that the -4 penalty for someone not having the Surgery feat still applies so that someone without the Surgery feat performing field surgery while relying on the instructions of the Doctor MD program receives only a +6 equipment bonus. This Doctor MD software bonus does not stack with but rather replaces any existing ranks in Treat Injury skill for an individual using the Doctor MD software; the individual performing such surgery uses either the Doctor MD software or relies on his or her own Treat Injury skill bonus. 3. Kitchen/Lounge - This area is the kitchen and lounge. It is usually stocked for two weeks of operation. 4. Bathroom - Fully equipped. 5. Crew Quarters - Four double bunks and a stacked locker for each individual. 6. Intel Controls - Each of these bays has the controls for and access to the Eye of Odin sensor array as well as a Mimer s Well tied both the Eye of Odin and the ships laser and radio transceivers. Not only does this set-up build in additional redundancy, but also allows twice the work to be done. 7. Loading Bays - These platforms not only serve as entrance and exit to the ship, but also have space for additional supply storage. 8. Pod Bays - This is where the Odin s Ravens sensor drones are stored when not deployed. The Ravens are stored on rails and released through the open hatch. 5

6 The Mimer s Well The PCs are hired by an organization (a government, corporation, terrorist group, whatever the GM decides is appropriate) to either capture the Havamàl or to come into possession of a Mimer s Well and the attendant cypher materials (books and pads or PDAs) so that the organization can decode the messages of a rival organization. The difficulty here is for the PCs to accomplish this without the ship (or at least the Mimer s Well if the GM decides to remove the self-destruct system from the ship because it makes things too difficult) being destroyed since the crew undoubtedly has instructions to engage the self-destruct system the moment it is in danger of capture (and being boarded counts). Adventure Hooks Is There A Doctor In The House? Like most scientists, Dr. Halverson is usually too busy researching to contemplate the moral dilemmas his research creates. Fortunately, this time he has raised his head up from his project long enough to realize that the completion of the Havamàl project will significantly shift the balance of power to his employing organization (a government, corporation, criminal gang, terrorist group, whatever the GM decides is appropriate). This is not good, and now the good doctor wants out. So he contacts one of the PCs (preferably one with a technological background who might have studied under the Dr. Halverson) in order to get some help in this endeavor. Of course the good doctor s employers don t wish to see him go and are prepared to do anything, including killing him and all those helping him, to prevent Dr. Halverson from seeking new employment elsewhere. Drone Counters These small drones Odin s Ravens are designed so that you may drop them into area 8 on the ship. We ve provided one more counter than the ship can carry. 6

7 TOP VIEW SILHOUETTE VIEW FRONT HAVAMÀL unique design 7

8 HAVAMÀL unique design DECK PLAN Cockpit 2. Medical Facility 3. Kitchen/Lounge 4. Bathroom 5. Crew Quarters 6. Intel Controls 7. Loading Bays 8. Pod Bays 8

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Modern System Reference Document Copyright , Wizards of the Coast, Inc.; Authors Bill Slavicsek, Jeff Grubb, Rich Redman, Charles Ryan, Eric Cagle, David Noonan, Stan!, Christopher Perkins, Rodney Thompson, and JD Wiker, based on material by Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook, Skip Williams, Richard Baker, Peter Adkison, Bruce R. Cordell, John Tynes, Andy Collins, and JD Wiker. Future: Starship 5 The Havamàl, copyright 2004 Michael Hammes. Published by Ronin Arts Based on SkeletonKey Games e-future Tiles sets Future: Starship 5 The Havamàl is copyright 2004 Michael Hammes. All text in this book is designated as open game content. You may not distribute this PDF without permission of the author. d20 Modern is a trademark of Wizards of the Coast, Inc., a subsidiary of Hasbro, Inc., and is used with permission. Wizards of the Coast is a registered trademark of Wizards of the Coast, Inc., a subsidiary of Hasbro, Inc., and is used with permission. 9

10 e-future Tiles: Starship roninss06 All artwork is Edward Bourelle and may be reproduced for personal use only.

11 e-future Tiles: Starship roninss07 All artwork is Edward Bourelle and may be reproduced for personal use only.