Dr. Rix's page

I have been struggling just finding time to create a character for this campaign. I think it probably best for me to withdraw.

I appreciate all the work put into it and the attempts to revise the plot to keep it going, but it hasn't really caught my imagination. I'm thinking of starting a new campaign based in the Doctor Who universe, so if I do that, I'll have even less time.

Good luck all.

Rix gulps at the prospect of dealing with such violent foes but feels somewhat comforted that strong warriors will be with her.

"What can you tell us of these Sky Devils?" she asks. "How do they move? What weapons do they use when they attack? Are they natives of your planet or aliens from space?"

Came down with a case of the flu (mild) earlier this week, so I'm just now getting time to catch up on PBP material.

I've got my 2nd character roughed out but it will take some time to get him into a character ready to run. I hope to have him ready in a day or two, depending on how my work and other games go.

By the way, Rix will be bringing Trixy down to the planet. She's been shy about letting the Leeunids see Trixy, for fear they will be offended at having an animal so much like them as a pet. Rix doesn't see her as a pet, however, and she'll introduce her to the Leeunids and encourage them to touch her so Trixy can communicate with them telepathically and help them understand the nature of the relationship between Trixy and Rix.

I'll work on a fighter type. I'd like to make the character a Leeunid if possible. Does the GM have a source that would provide some racial advantages/disadvantages native to the cat people? If not, I'll wing it.

If there are some high tech weapons these warriors prefer, let me know.

I created Rix with the assumption that there would be combat (a standard part of Space Opera) and after combat there would be people needing medical attention. So there need to be at least a few more characters capable of doing battle for her to have a chance of surviving battles and for her to have something to do when not trying to survive battles.

If we're not recruiting then I'd like to create a second character who is a fighter type and run two characters. If Aster wants to do that, I'm fine with that and then we'd have four, or if Aster wants to stick with one character, then add an NPC.

I'm okay with recruiting more players, however.

I don't think continuing to play with just two PCs will be worth the effort.

I'm currently a player in 3 campaigns (not counting this one) and a GM of 2 campaigns, (plus another that is on hold: Phoenix), so my plate is plenty full. Two of the games where I'm a player are Starfinder and the Phoenix game is also futuristic, so I'm getting my fill of SF RP.

If this stops being fun for the GM and/or we can't get more players, I'm okay with ending it.

We've been in exposition mode a long time, so if we are to continue, I'd really like to get things to a point where we're thick into a dungeon crawl or wilderness exploration or problem solving that require teamwork and dice rolling for everyone nearly post. If we can't get into something like that in the next month, I'm going to lose interest.

Rix follows the priest as requested. She's still not remotely used to being in the presence of such aliens and communicating with them, but she tries to behave as if she does this all the time.

It might help to get a description of the village, the jungle, maybe some background on the alleged abilities and/or history of the oracle. Otherwise, we can only say we are armored and armed and trudging through the jungle watching for threats, following whatever directions we have been given.

Rix suits with all her medical gear and what few weapons she has.

If the group has any money and if the locals have any serums or potions of healing or for known jungle illnesss or poisons, she would like to investigate buying some.

While we are waiting for information on the new planet, I looked back and can't find anything that says if we know whether the Death Dust is organic, a form of nano machine, or some hybrid. If I overlooked it somewhere, forgive me. It may not matter, but it's still interesting to know.

Rix will work on analyzing samples of the dust from the planet in case there was something interesting. Let me know if she can roll anything toward this effort.

Rix sighs and says, "You've been through a lot and I cannot tell you what to do. You must do as you think best. But since you asked, I would have you show them compassion and do so with the expectation that they realize you are worth more to them as examples of how to live than as a quick way to make a dishonest credit. If you could show them a better way, they might willingly help you survive, contribute their skills to help, and prove they are worth more to you alive than dead.

"What would they gain by attacking you? What weapons would they use that you can't keep from them? Every life has value. But do what you think best and good luck. We'll do what we can to find an antidote to this dust and we will return when we have a better way to help you."

She turns and starts to return to the ship, not looking back.

Rix feels compelled by her oath to first do no harm to try to persuade the Sandpit remnants to show mercy to the pirates, even though she knows they may be hard to convince. She gives her comrades a look that invites them to help if they are willing and able.

"Anyone can argue that theses pirates deserve to die. As a wise woman once said, 'Many who live deserve death. But many who have died deserve life. Can you give back life once taken? Then be slow to take life. Even the wisest cannot foresee all paths.' I urge you to consider that perhaps the reason these have so little compassion is that so little compassion has been shown them. Spare them, even though they do not deserve it and you will be teaching compassion. They may yet demonstrate they can help you survive."

Diplomacy default =6

3d6 ⇒ (4, 4, 6) = 14

"So if the rumors of plants surviving the Dust are false," Rix says, "there is no point to studying Sandpit. We should do what we can for these poor people. I'd suggest they do what they think is just to these pirates and use their ship to try to emigrate somewhere else. We should do some scans just to be sure about there being no plantlife but it sounds like our next stop would be this oracle."

"The Death Dust was introduced here several years ago, was it not? If it kills in months, why are you still alive? We have also heard rumors that survivors on Sandpit have been importing seeds and animals in an attempt to repopulate the planet. Is that true? We need to get all the information we can about any living thing that has been able to live in spite of the dust. I'll want blood samples from each of you to study, if that is all right."

To Lady Roaora: "Do you know this 'Oracle of Nivek' the chief speaks of?"

"I'm so sorry. Is there anything alive on the planet, other than you?
Is there some reason these others are compassionate enough to bring you food but not to offer to take you somewhere you can start over?"

"What are you doing here? How long have you been here? We too have a lot of questions for you, although we would not call it interrogation, just curiosity as to how anything is surviving on this planet after the Death Dust was introduced. We hope that what we learn here might allow us to save other planets before the dust can devastate the ecology."

Hoping we get a few circumstance bonuses to this for saving them:

Default Diplomacy: IQ - 6: 6
3d6 ⇒ (1, 2, 6) = 9

This default seems harsh if it applies to any attempt by someone to get someone else to cooperate or be friendly. If the average IQ is 10 that means most people have almost no chance of succeeding at such actions unless they have specifically studied how to be diplomatic. I think most people have never studied how to be persuasive but routinely get strangers to help them when they need a hand.

I've never seen any evidence in Star Wars that anybody in that galaxy actually needs a bathroom....

However, they do need kitchens. Where else would they make their blue milk?

Maybe when they have to go to the bathroom, they just use the force. :)

I think there are images of the Serenity deck plan on the Internet. I was about to look some over recently but got interrupted.

Saw the end of the movie (Serenity) a few nights ago.

"Yes," Rix says to the first humanoid who spoke. "You're safe for now. I'm a doctor. Does anyone need emergency medical aid?"

Do a search on Google Images with the search entry "starship deck plans" and you'll find dozens of possible floor plans. I would suggest for those who are passionate about finding a deck plan that fits the vision you have of our ship to look over these and recommend something.

"We'll take them off your hands and study them. Lady Roara will decide what happens to you." Rix looks at the woman with the leonine features, and then starts toward the people in the huts.

Rix walks forward once it seems they aren't trying anything tricky. She helps move the weapons out of reach before saying, "We really do just want to talk. It is our understanding that this planet was contaminated with something that should prevent all life, and yet here you are. I'm a doctor, by the way, so if you are ailing, I can try to help."

Rix stands up and shouts, "Like I said: Parlay!" She does not move forward, however, until someone with a BFG goes first.

For what it's worth, the space ship image I added to the map at the upper right would be a little over 100 feet long @ 5' per square. It seems to be able to hold about 8 passengers (assuming 2 beds per pictured bunk) and about 700 square feet of cargo floor space. If what we're doing doesn't require rigorously worked out GURPS vehicle stats, I'd suggest we use the one pictured for now.

If someone can find something better, share the link and we can have a Google drawing set up for in ship roleplaying.

This link may be of interest:

http://forums.sjgames.com/showthread.php?t=62539

It has a downloadable spreadsheet that purports to be able to use the GURPS rules to design a spaceship. So if someone wants to see what the GURPS rules could produce for our tech level and work out cost and size, have at it. I am content to leave this out of the game unless there's going to significant ship to ship combat.

There is a video about the spreadsheet on You Tube uploaded by the author: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SYBXDDud9g4

I notice the same author's You Tube home has a number of music lists that appear to be collections of music appropriate for various SF genres.

The map I used on the battlemap comes from this website, which has some notes on the ship's size and a complete printout of the GURPS specifications, for what it's worth:

https://woolshedwargamer.com/tag/gurps-spaceships/

While I'm at it, here is what the author posted for the ship:

https://woolshedwargamer.files.wordpress.com/2016/01/gurps-space-4e-spacesh ip-solomani-marizela-class-survey-scout-with-deckplan.pdf

Rix will crawl forward if there is cover. Otherwise, she just waits for the shooting to stop.

Cover 1-50: 1d100 ⇒ 18

Crawling speed is 1/3 of your Move, so Rix crawls 1 hex where she finds some cover; added some rocks in front of her icon.

I added an image of a pile of rocks which can be copied and pasted and moved onto the map where ever there is cover. The image is currently in the upper left corner of the map.

Aster: I put a deck plan of a small ship to the right of the battlemap. There are lots of similar plans that can be found with an Internet image search. I thought this was about the right size.

Anything you want to add to the map, just save it as an image file and then click the insert tool bar button and upload the image. It can be resized and moved about.

I find it best to click the view button and the 200% option to get a better view of the map.

I put a link to the battlemap in Rix's header. I recommend the GM do something similar or put the link in the header of the gameplay thread, so it's easy to get to the map as needed.

Battle map link:
https://docs.google.com/drawings/d/1YM64-6vjHjsX54dog3n84mGRsIs1pthuQnGww8F DHEs/edit?usp=sharing

Battlemap

I'll get something together tonight.

Rix too needs to be closer to have a possibility of being useful in combat, but she'll have to be really close, so she will only move if/when others have moved ahead of her and are providing cover fire. She's mostly praying at the moment.

If this is mostly barren rock, I can make a map with hex grids that we can use. If this is going to be a battle that we will have to fight for more than a round, I think we should have a map with movable tokens to avoid having to ask questions about how far away one character is from another.

Also, ZenFox, I sent you a PM.

Of course, if we go by the rules of the cinema, if you are the hero, your enemies have -18 to hit, even when spraying full auto at short range, while the hero gets +15 even when shooting a pistol at a target at long range with no time to aim. :)

Damage rules are also different for heroes and enemies of the hero. One shot usually takes out any enemy, while heroes can take multiple shots and still keep going.

I don't mind realistic rules as long as it doesn't bog down the flow of the game. And of course, when I have a character who is not shooting back, pile on the penalties when the enemies are shooting!

Combat Paralysis: 3d6 ⇒ (1, 3, 1) = 5
With no cover nearby, Rix just flattens herself on the ground and covers her head.

Rix throws herself to the ground and crawls toward anything that provides some cover from the weapons fire.

Rix sighs, then says, "It means 'Let's talk before we try to kill each other.' We are seeking information, nothing more."

Default Diplomacy: IQ - 6: 6
3d6 ⇒ (3, 4, 2) = 9

Eh! It was worth a shot.

"Parlay?" Rix calls out tentatively.

Rix will check the ship's readings on the temperature and other environmental factors (wind, likelihood of rain, atmospheric composition).

Also, what kind of terrain and vegetation will we be dealing with (jungle, forest, plains, etc.)?

"Sounds like a plan I can get behind, that is, as long as I can stay behind you folks with the big guns. Assuming we can make peaceful contact, or perhaps if we capture some, remember that I can do limited telepathy. I'll try to see what information I can pick up. If I can study someone for about ten minutes, I can sometimes read their aura and determine how healthy they are."

As for realism, I'm willing to overlook small issues of realism but balk when expected to overlook major violations of known laws of physics or just plain common sense.

Examples: I love Star Trek and overlook a lot of stuff, like how they never worry about inertia when the ship makes various sub-light speed maneuvers but then when they get hit by a weapon, everyone gets thrown sideways. But in the 1st episode of The Next Generation, at the end when they needed Wesley to make the first of his many acts that saves the Enterprise from destruction, they say that a piece of a star is heading right for the ship. A piece of the star? as in solid piece? Then he saves the ship by reversing the polarity of a tractor beam, something which apparently had never occurred to any engineer when designing the tractor beam or at any time for years after using the thing. No one every said, "Hmmm. You know, it would be nice if we could use the same physics that allows us to create a pulling force to instead make a pushing force. How about if we switch polarities of ...."

Another example, from the second Star Trek movie (new cast), the ship's impulse drive and artificial gravity system fails near earth, so gravity starts to pull the ship toward the earth's atmosphere. At that point, everyone in the ship should go into weightless mode, but instead, people begin falling across the decks. There's also pivotal moment in the movie Gravity when Newton's laws take a hike while someone in a weightless environment continues to experience a force after they should have had their movement relative to the space station stopped. Or Superman hauling a ship across a section of frozen water by walking as he pulls the ship, ignoring that there's not enough force of friction for him to haul a motor boat, let alone a cargo ship. Even Superman would have to fly to work up the force needed to pull the ship, or else he was just faking the whole thing of walking for the photo op.

An example that doesn't bother me is something like the Doctor Who episode, "The Rings of Akatan" where we have cities on astroids with normal gravity and no domes holding in the atmosphere. A character gets drawn from one asteroid to another with some kind of magical tractor beam and the heroes go after her on a kind of space scooter, with no space suits or anything. But it moves the action from point A to point B and all these things could be explained by some kind of force field, so who cares?

I also know from being a GM of a home brew game that sometimes one overlooks something and has to ask the players to overlook it to avoid a major short circuit of the already planned out adventure.

I've been assuming that we are in exposition mode, getting the PCs to the point in the adventure when we are given specifics to deal with in such detail that we can go into normal roleplaying mode. I expect that point is about to arrive once we are on the ground and dealing with the people, flora, fauna, and environmental hazards, requiring diligent attention to detail.

Kind of like the point in a table-top game where the GM pulls out a map.

Rix suits up with all her medical gear and weapons as the ship scans for settlements.

When Roaora points out the ship, she says, "Let's see if we can scan them for indications of life and to see what kind of weapons they have. Then maybe we should hail them."

If needed, Rix can help plot the course.

Navigation 14: 3d6 ⇒ (2, 2, 4) = 8

If there is any chance Rix and Olivia (and others perhaps) can learn anything useful studying the dust on the trip, let us know or roll against the appropriate skills. I expect the answer will only come once the party gets to the planet but it would be nice if success using some of the science skills could aid the effort in some way.
I expect success will be at best incremental, so even if a roll is successful, it won't by itself solve the adventure. In any case, assume Rix is working on whatever she can until it comes time to form an away team. She will not wear a red shirt, for what it's worth!

Rix collects some samples of the dust for analysis. "If you have any medical research data on the dust, please transmit it to our ship so we have as much data as possible. We'll do what we can."

Once back on the ship, Rix pauses only long enough to hug Trixy before settling in to analyze the samples of dust and look over any data sent from the planet.

Preliminary Analysis rolls:
Chemistry (TL 10) 14
3d6 ⇒ (2, 5, 5) = 12

Biology(TL 10)(Earthlike) 13
3d6 ⇒ (1, 6, 2) = 9

She will also insist on very frequent physical exams for each crew member to monitor for any illness or other medical problems causes either by the dust or any other pathogens from the planet.

Rix gets to the king too late attempt to heal him. With tears in her eyes, she looks around and tries to heal any who need it before talking to the others about the King's request.

Rix moves toward Olivia.

Rix will crawl along the wall, staying out of sight (she hopes) toward ...

Please describe where Rix is relative to Terra and Olivia and anyone close to the wall.

Target = 13 (will +1)
Combat Paralysis: 3d6 ⇒ (1, 3, 3) = 7
Successive rolls are at cumulative +1, but you have to keep rolling until you succeed. A slap from a friend can provide another +1.

The deadly exchange of energy jolts Rix out of her frozen state. She sees how deadly the battle is. She wants to be a hero and rush to the side of a wounded Leeunid, but dives for cover behind the low wall instead.

Not sure if any rolls are needed, here is a roll in case it is needed.

3d6 ⇒ (6, 4, 4) = 14

'Just our luck to stumble into an interstellar conflict. One first contact would have been enough for me,' Rix thinks.

I just noticed this is post 666. Cue ominous music.

HT roll: Target 10
Combat paralysis: 3d6 ⇒ (5, 4, 4) = 13

As the guns go off, Rix freezes in place, staring at the combat, horrified and unable to move.

Sorry, I forgot about that.

Realizing she was at a dead end, Rix made her way to the firefight that was lighting up all kinds of tell-tales on the monitors. She was much more use as a healer, so she set about trying to help the wounded, starting with Arabella.

Heal: 1d6 ⇒ 3

Dr Rix, fearing she could do nothing to synthesize a vaccine without nanotech equipment and expertise currently lacking, decided to take Trixy and check out the cargo hold to see if she could find any clues to the mysterious virus. She donned a pair of stun gloves for self-defense.

She approached the cargo bay cautiously, concerned this Borak monster might be there still, perhaps hoping to witness his havoc firsthand. That gave her an idea, perhaps he would no longer be in the cargo bay but would have gone to the nearest com suite. She peered into the suite as quietly as she could.

Looking for Mister Bad Borak: 1d6 ⇒ 6

Dr. Rix (full name: Dr. Rohana Ingólfsdóttir-Xióng, MD) woke with a headache and began the process of diagnosing herself. This was made easier when Borak identified the existence of a nanotech infection designed to kill living and synthetic alike. For the first time since she had been given the punishment of working on a lowly tub like the Angel she felt like she was where she was supposed to be.

She had studied hard to qualify herself to work in the best xeno-biologic research station in the quadrant, in the Gemini. She got that job but quickly lost it when she discovered an illegal exotic animal gen-mod program catering to the very rich. After an investigation by the PDP, the operation was exposed, but those in charge of her next assignment resented her exposing their little side business and transferred her to the Angel to get her out of the area. Her one compensation was getting to keep Trixy, a genetic combination of a housecat with a sabretooth tiger from prehistoric earth. It was the size of bobcat but tame and even intelligent, able to communicate via psionic touch.

Rix was psionic as well, able to heal with a touch and a concentration of Chi, but that wouldn't help in this situation. She began at once to try to synthesize an anti-virus for this plague.

Antivirus Design, step 1: 1d6 ⇒ 2

Her first effort to breakdown one of the viruses and analyze its operating system failed. She kept working.