So, I'm running a game where the party is a bunch of interstellar castaways stranded on medieval Golarion. I've been modifying rules on the fly to reflect them scrounging and producing resources but the most recent sticking point in my game is the question of power generation. Starfinder does not have a lot of rules when it comes to methods of power generation other than stating that you can often recharge batteries in most civilized settings. I looked at the options from the Pathfinder Technology guide but those were frustratingly vague in a few areas.
Currently, they are looking at putting solar panels up on the roof of their headquarters to help address their power consumption needs but I could easily see them needing more power as their gear and projects get grander. As such, I need a range of potential options.
Things to consider would be the item level, power output, credit/UBP cost, size of installation, and unique benefits or drawbacks. Wind and tidal are not great option for practical reasons but here's a few types of generator I was considering:
Solar:
-Perks: Cheap, clean, low-maintenance
-Needs access to the sky (but not strictly sunny days, that's a common misconception. Cloud cover does cause a slight dip in efficiency but not complete shut-down)
-Relatively low out-put
Geothermal:
-Probably can't do full geothermal power on a planet with so many cave systems, but heating and cooling is an option. More a support system than anything.
Hydroelectric:
-Probably relatively low power
-Cannot construct a dam system so alternatives would be needed.
Reactors:
-Fancy future tech? I don't really know enough about potential power-sources to really speculate.
-High-yield but expensive.
So, I'm running a game where the party is a bunch of interstellar castaways stranded on medieval Golarion. I've been modifying rules on the fly to reflect them scrounging and producing resources but the most recent sticking point in my game is the question of power generation. Starfinder does not have a lot of rules when it comes to methods of power generation other than stating that you can often recharge batteries in most civilized settings. I looked at the options from the Pathfinder Technology guide but those were frustratingly vague in a few areas.
Currently, they are looking at putting solar panels up on the roof of their headquarters to help address their power consumption needs but I could easily see them needing more power as their gear and projects get grander. As such, I need a range of potential options.
Things to consider would be the item level, power output, credit/UBP cost, size of installation, and unique benefits or drawbacks. Wind and tidal are not great option for practical reasons but here's a few types of generator I was considering:
Solar:
-Perks: Cheap, clean, low-maintenance
-Needs access to the sky (but not strictly sunny days, that's a common misconception. Cloud cover does cause a slight dip in efficiency but not complete shut-down)
-Relatively low out-putGeothermal:
-Probably can't do full geothermal power on a planet with so many cave systems, but heating and cooling is an option. More a support system than anything.Hydroelectric:
-Probably relatively low power
-Cannot construct a dam system so alternatives would be needed.Reactors:
-Fancy future tech? I don't really know enough about potential power-sources to really speculate.
-High-yield but expensive.
Alternate: magic batteries that recharge every sunrise. There's already precedent in dead suns.
Hell, might as well look at fossil fuels for an interim measure too.
Alternate: magic batteries that recharge every sunrise. There's already precedent in dead suns.
Hell, might as well look at fossil fuels for an interim measure too.
Magic is definitely an option later on, right now it is still pretty alien to the party.
Fossil fuels are a possibility but constantly managing fuel consumption would be a pain. Also their homeworld (fancy future Earth) only just survived ecological collapse from centuries of burning fossil fuels and other pollutants so that might be a bit unpopular.
Alternate: magic batteries that recharge every sunrise. There's already precedent in dead suns.
Hell, might as well look at fossil fuels for an interim measure too.
Magic is definitely an option later on, right now it is still pretty alien to the party.
Fossil fuels are a possibility but constantly managing fuel consumption would be a pain. Also their homeworld (fancy future Earth) only just survived ecological collapse from centuries of burning fossil fuels and other pollutants so that might be a bit unpopular.
Perhaps they hire a wizard to make their solar/hydro/geo/fusion generators magically more efficient? That does tend to be the worst part of those (except fusion).
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For hydro power you can use a water wheel of some sort. Just need a flowing river and you are good to go.
Also they could use wind power relatively easily also.
You also could use steam power on a small scale with a tea kettle and token spell. Boil water under pressure spin a small turbine and generate electricity. No fossil fuels required.
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It's not terribly hard to make Methanol, you could certainly make a methanol powered generator to recharge other devices.
We've got those armor upgrades that generate charges while you're moving, mount one of those to a treadmill or big hamster wheel (depending on what kind of PCs you you have) and have a new downtime chore.
To piggy back on this.
A stationary bike hooked up to a generator. Pedal away!
Alright, I adjusted my search terms and came up with two items that we can use as a baseline: the Backup Generator armor upgrade and Solar Sheeting
It looks like the assumption is that 1 charge per 10 minutes under specific conditions with portability is a item level 4 ability priced at 2,000 credits.
My party is level 2 right now and while they just got a huge windfall in credits, they'll probably be wanting to upgrade their equipment first after a few incidents in the first fights. What I'm thinking is this...
Item level 2
Price 500 credits
Bulk 4
These bulky, 10x5ft panels of basic photovoltaic cells are cheap and easy to print in the event of a person being stranded away from a power grid. While not as efficient as more advanced solar power systems, they can be quickly produced from a survival printer from common silica and a select few elements. Once installed on a structure or in a free standing arrangement, a MK1 Solar Panel produces 1 charge every half-hour during daylight hours unless in areas of extreme cloud-cover.
Alright, I adjusted my search terms and came up with two items that we can use as a baseline: the Backup Generator armor upgrade and Solar Sheeting
It looks like the assumption is that 1 charge per 10 minutes under specific conditions with portability is a item level 4 ability priced at 2,000 credits.
I like using the backup generator as a baseline. If it gives 1 charge per 10 minutes of movement I certainly would give it better capability if they hooked it up to s dedicated flywheel (ie a stationary bike) and were specifically peddling to generate electricity. So maybe 1 charge for in 5 minutes this way.
100 minutes of peddling to fully charge a simple battery and 200 minutes to charge an advanced battery. Seems reasonable to me.
Taking a look through the internet shows that bicycle generators are out there now. They seem to be relatively inefficient. However if you project technological advancement out to Starfinder levels, then I think this is a viable option for PCs to generate power when they have to be their own power suppliers.
Considering I'm giving them access to expanded downtime rules based off the old PF1e, that actually becomes a nice little trade-off.