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The wiki article states, "Each of the planets in the Pact Worlds system hosts its own infosphere that is rarely synchronized with each other due to the lag time involved with interplanetary communication." I think that needs expansion and 'rarely' is too harsh.

I say banks pay to synchronize their transaction logs frequently to avoid people overdrawing and running away. You'd be hard pressed to outrun your banking history even in remote systems. Banks particularly regard adventurers as non-creditworthy and too risky.

Space Wikipedia updates more frequently than other non-profits, taking up to a week in-system, rather than up to a month, and up to a year galaxy-wide, rather than if you're lucky.

Space CNN updates as fast as communications allow.


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Culture clash! A human dons sunglasses because it makes him look cool but is threatened by his Drow ally for offering a pair as it implies he's a lower class pleb.


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People are arguing whether a magically created washing machine used as a weapon should be rejected? GMs should generally say yes to player inventiveness as it's fun and makes a better story. Of course, GMs should say no the game breaking exploits but a Fabricate Tech washing machine pushed out of a window isn't one of them: situational; non-repeatable in the same scene (move away from the drop zone); one-shot; weak save DC; burns a limited resource. The Technomancer is better off casting Magic Missile.

If a player thinks it's funnier to push a washing machine out a window than to cast Magic Missile, why say no to that?


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FirstChAoS wrote:
I can picture some lower planar fiend looking over a whole wall of electronic boxes in the material plane. Each box a complex AI waiting to attract a soul, which then gets sent to his home plane so the box can get another.

Devils hiding behind proxies that exploit social media. I always thought Facebook was a tool of the Devil. :)

This does suggest a way to better answer the OP. There are four hypotheses.

1. The Outer Planes don't have the raw materials and mentality to make technology themselves and are just acquiring it.
2. The Outer Planes learn from the souls they get in their locality and not from ancient races that were in different localities.
3. For Outer Plane beings, technological gear is merely a portrayal of their inherent power and technology of the current era.
4. The Outer Planes could develop technology but occupants are powerful enough to rarely need it, so they just acquire the little they do bother with.

The answer to whether planar beings, hiding behind proxies, spread propaganda in data networks helps decide which hypothesis is best. If yes, 1 makes no sense whilst 2 does. If no, the opposite applies.


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I don't know the lore but it all looks soft sci-fi. Call armour automatically self-sealing using reservoirs of solidifying paste.


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Space fantasy needs propaganda.

Propagandist: +1 Int
With the advent of interstellar communications and immigrants, even more causes and ideals are competing for public attention and you understand what grabs that attention. Whether you believe in one of these causes or just work for hire, you make sure anyone associated with the cause has an easier time dealing with the public.

Theme Knowledge (1st)
Choose an organised cause for this theme, such as a faction, rebellion, religion, or company, that subscribes to an ideal. You can change cause at any time but lose all theme abilities till you spend a day learning how people react to it. Reduce the DC of Culture checks to recall a society's or organisation's attitude to the cause by 5. Reduce the DC of Sense Motive checks to determine a person's real attitude to the cause by 5. Culture becomes a class skill for you, though if it is a class skill from the class you take at 1st level, you instead gain +1 bonus to Culture checks. In addition, you gain an ability adjustment of +1 to Intelligence at character creation.

Publicity Campaign (6th)
You can organise a low level publicity campaign for your cause in a location you choose within planetary communications range of you, up to the population of a city or space station, through online forums, social media, posters and vids using hired promoters, casual workers and media contractors. Recognised members of the cause in the location gain +2 competence bonus to Diplomacy, Bluff or Intimidate when conversing with non-members for activities, such as bullying, fast-talking, gathering information, negotiating, recruiting, or trading, who have an attitude of Indifferent or better. For non-members with an attitude of Unfriendly or Hostile, apply a -2 competence penalty. A campaign costs 2000 credits per week and has no effect on its first day. Costs can be reduced (GM's discretion) if the cause supplies its own promoters and workers. You must spend 5 hours per week co-ordinating the campaign. You can start a new campaign in a new location, which ends your current one.

Grand Publicity Campaign (12th)
You are experienced enough to organise a low level publicity campaign across a star system despite the communication delays. This is like Publicity Campaign but applies to everywhere within system-wide communications range of you and costs 40000 credits per week.

Master Propagandist (18th)
You revel in stories that show your campaigns are as unstoppable as the tide. Up to twice a day, when someone describes an event you've never heard before and when the campaign bonus made the difference between a Skill Check failure and success, you gain 1 Resolve Point.


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I think there may be a solution to the evil lair map problem: legality class, a concept from GURPS, meaning how much governments care that you have it. Restrict data in Fabricate Tech to open legality class, meaning it can be purchased openly.


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Azalah wrote:

"You can create any single technological item with a level equal to or less than the level of the expended spell slot × 3, to a maximum of your caster level."

I would say that answers the item level question. Unless I'm not understanding what you're asking.

The question is about deciding an item's level based on its concept, perhaps using existing spells as a baseline.


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Hmm... No FAQ or even quotes from a designer. The distinction between 'has' and 'uses' might be seen by the less pedantic as rules abuse but the examples only consisting of consumable items should be convincing. Still think it'd be cool to magic up a fire extinguisher when confronted with a fire.

This still leaves the item level problem. Creating a hand-held translator then sticking a battery in it sounds great but what item level? The nearest spell is Tongues, which is level 3, so expending a 3rd level spell slot could create this item of level 9. However, such a device would differ from the spell in a few ways.

Lasts 1 min per level, not 10 min per level.
Can only handle languages already analysed by linguists and encoded for such devices, whereas magic laughs at your petty requirement of plausibility.
Is obvious translation is happening and where the microphone/camera is being aimed at.
Requires a flexible class feature whereas Tongues requires an entry from a very limited, known spells list.

That reduced duration, in particular, is limiting. I'd say item level 5 but I'm guessing. Are there any useful guidelines or rules of thumb for deciding item level?


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I will be playing in S&S as an Elven Rogue who's already a pirate but won't handle slaves. Apparently, S&S is 'sandboxy', so I'm wondering if being a privateer for Andorra is feasible. Mostly so my character can snigger that a bunch of do-gooders grant (restricted) license to commit robbery.

Would Andorra issue Letters of Marque? Would the Pirate Lords accept privateers within their confederation? Are privateers outside the sandbox of S&S?