Question: On youthful/mature, that'd be... No idea what. Explain, please? The others I'm pretty sure I get.
Also, if you get + to a skill/attribute from multiple things, I assume they stack?
Also, we need at least suggest privileges to comment.
edited 13th Feb '17 1:52:55 PM by Izshta
All are significantly abnormal in a normal world... All are significantly normal in an abnormal world.Bluefire
Depends on what you mean. If you mean how do the numbers work, 1 is one end of the spectrum, 3 is the other, 2 is neutral. In the first drafts, and hopefully in the future, it was a 1-7 spectrum, with 4 being neutral, 3 and 5 being pretty mellow and low-key enough not to inhibit day-to-day interaction, 2 and 6 being serious, but reasonable about it, where they might have to have someone ask them to chill out every so often, but the worst that happens is passionate debate, and 1 and 7 being a generally NPC-only value, where they're openly hostile to those who don't share it.
If you mean "what is it/where's the divide," Spiritual/Worldly is a measure of how given a character is to looking for a "deeper meaning" in a situation vs dealing with the here and now, with all that entails. Consider the whole "one person on one set of tracks, five people on the other, do you flip the switch and kill that one person to save the five," problem.
Worldly phrases it "do you sacrifice one life to save five." Spiritual phrases it "do you murder that person to rescue others?" Worldly says yes, generally, where Spiritual says no.
Worldly believes it is right because one is less than five. Its utilitarian attitude dictates that that's the logical choice. Spiritual believes that it is right because you didn't choose for any of this to happen, but if you flip the switch you are consciously choosing to kill that one person. Even if you saved five people, you murdered someone to do it, and that's not an acceptable course of action (this is assuming the character has qualms about killing, mind). Worldly argues that Spiritual can't be trusted, because it isn't capable of making the hard choices. Spiritual says that Worldly can't be trusted, because it sells out its own morals in times of adversity.
Worldly's position on the issue can be summed up as "I achieved the best result I could with the resources I had available." Spiritual's position can be summed up as "I did what was right, even if the outcome doesn't look as good on paper."
President Stalkeyes-
Yeah, you get the five free points, and then depending upon what traits you choose, you'll receive additional bonuses.
Fill out what you have in all your skills once you have everything picked out. Once we've all got traits we like, I'll dole out skill points (everyone will get the same number, I just want to see how many points everyone has once traits are taken care of first, to make sure I'm not giving out too many or too few.
Sector upbringing was going to vary depending upon the location. I intend to get the sectors more fleshed out later on, but for now, yeah, pick out three skills that seem fitting.
Regarding the backgrounds, that upbringing is something I'm working on, and the previous career can just use the peacekeeper stats.
Ishta-
Youthful vs Mature is actually a holdover from when this was a much different game. I'm going get rid of that. It's going to be replaced with something that works better.
Multiple bonuses stack.
Changed the sharing settings. You should be able to comment now.
edited 13th Feb '17 2:36:44 PM by Dragon573
It's kind of funny. Sufficiently advanced stupidity is like sufficiently advanced science; eventually, you find something you can't solve.![]()
Someone explain why I didn't think of that.
re: Aristocrats.
Glad you asked!
The Imperial Alignment's core sectors have a host of noble families, dating back to the earliest days of the Imperial Alignment, when it was only a few star systems. These families served in a similar capacity to, and were the inspiration for, the Imperial Alignment's modern Sector Governors. Each family was to look after a star system, and secure the resources it held. In systems with multiple planets suitable for colonization, one planet would serve as the capital, while the other vassal-worlds would have noble families of their own, appointed by and answering to the family on the capital. Still other nobles were appointed to handle swathes of space without habitable worlds; these "station nobles" usually resided on Palace Prime, and were primarily intended to secure strategically significant locations, such as barren but resource-rich worlds, or subspace slipstreams.
When the Imperial Alignment had expanded too far for the royal family to manage the individual families, the first sectors were created, with sector governors appointed to look after multiple star systems. The first governors were elevated from the nobility, but the title isn't inherently hereditary; every sector governor serves at the pleasure of the monarch of the Imperial Alignment, and can be replaced at the monarch's whim. There are no titles for the spouse or children of a sector governor, but the connections established and wealth amassed during the governor's time in office often ensures that the family can (assuming an honorable dismissal) maintain prominence, often enough to wed into nobility, though whether they can wed into the nobility of the sector they formerly administered is dependent upon how well they maintained relations with the local nobility.
Beyond this, there are also families that have risen to power through wealth, prestige, or simply being well connected. Comprised of administrators, bankers, or manufacturing moguls, this portion of the aristocracy has no formal title, but nonetheless finds itself with considerable pull throughout the Imperial Alignment, and often prove indispensable allies to sector governors looking to strike deals with those without the "baggage" of noble lineage.
At first, each sector handled its nobility differently, but as the Imperial Alignment expanded, expediency was needed, and thus a strict rank hierarchy was formalized. The lowest rank of nobles were those without habitable planets, referred to as Prefects. Those with planets, but answering to another authority in their system, are Seneschals, while those reigning over an entire system serve as Archons. As struggles arose between individual systems and rivalries formed among families, Justiciars were selected from among the Archons, holding domain over several systems and responsible for mediating conflicts arising between them, and answerable to sector governors. The highest ranking of the formal nobility are Exarchs and Castellans, nobles hand-selected by the reigning monarch to govern strategically significant locations (Exarchs are those appointed towards the edges of Imperial territory, while Castellans serve in the interior). Exarchs and Castellans report directly to the Empress and hold absolute dominion over their territory, essentially serving as Sector Governors of the areas they are appointed to. The titles are temporary, lasting until whatever emergency prompted their appointment is resolved, but those who distinguish themselves are well rewarded, sometimes replacing the sector governor who proved incapable of preventing the crisis in the first place.
edited 13th Feb '17 6:38:30 PM by Dragon573
It's kind of funny. Sufficiently advanced stupidity is like sufficiently advanced science; eventually, you find something you can't solve.Honestly, you can be the favorite daughter of an Exarch if you like. The only thing that's definitely off limits would be being a direct relative of the Empress.
It's kind of funny. Sufficiently advanced stupidity is like sufficiently advanced science; eventually, you find something you can't solve.I have made a thing:
Spreadsheet Character Sheet v1.
edited 13th Feb '17 7:39:51 PM by Izshta
All are significantly abnormal in a normal world... All are significantly normal in an abnormal world.That character sheet is pretty cool. And I finally decided what I want to do character wise. A combat engineer or hacker or something to that effect. Maybe not the most skilled in a fight, but good at tech and computer stuff and weapon mods and stuff. Prone to building random stuff out of junk and what not. If psychic powers are a thing they might go towards technopathic stuff. Probably has some cyborg bits.
Admittedly, I might still whip up a Doomguy expy just for the hell of it.
Not entirely sure what early life I want for the character. Definitely not delinquent or noble, like is there an average citizen option? Or like I dunno apprenticeship/family business thing? Maybe orphanage. I dunno. I'd like to request just one of those but I'm not entirely sure what I want this character's childhood to be like yet.
I definitely want engineer/mechanic or a weaponsmith type previous career option. Which is also the same for the military career. Someone needs to keep the warships running. I'm assuming most troops handle weapon maintenance themselves but I also suspect there's some high end specialized gear that needs specialists to maintain.
Also, huh. -reads battle bond career- I guess psychic powers are a thing, and the Empire isn't a huge fan of them.
Not super important but Human (Imperial) implies there are plans for other human options. If so what are the plans for those other human options?
Click Click Boom BoomDo I need to have a previous career, or can one go into the military immediately once they're an adult? The idea was that my character entered the armed forces as a way to get out of the abusive and destitute situation in which he grew up. The army was the only option he could see, underestimating his own abilities or not having the financial opportunities to persue a more intellectual career. Maybe I'm just misunderstanding something about the Grand Navy. Edit: Or is that what Peacekeeper is supposed to be?
Can I substitute Coerce for Security in the Delinquent background (assuming it includes intimidation—maybe a description of each skill would be helpful)?
Is there no way I can take a 0 to my Empathy? I'm really not trying to power game, I just want to represent someone who really is below average socially.
Do the factions have any colors or symbols associated with them off which I can base their icons?
edited 14th Feb '17 7:09:35 AM by StygianEmperor
Flesh is a design flaw.Current character idea, since we seem to be sharing those:
Imperial noble, fairly prominent, family has a history of military service, she followed in their footsteps, attracting the... personal interest of the Empress along the way (No pressure). She rose rapidly through the ranks due to competence (despite what some would say), well on her way to commanding a ship of the line, before getting her career wrecked by political machinations. Thus, here.
Also, thanks for the praise re: character sheet.
All are significantly abnormal in a normal world... All are significantly normal in an abnormal world.@Kosjurake: I'm working on the backgrounds. I actually made some edits to the sheet, and there's a new "early life" option available. If you have anything specific you're after, fire away. The maintenance option is definitely something I can draft up.
And re:battle-bond, it's not the the Imperial Alignment isn't a fan of psychic powers. It's the battle-bonds themselves that they aren't fond of. See, a battle-bond is indicative of a low level of psychic ability. Enough to reach out, not enough to grasp. So when individuals with that sort of latent potential are in close proximity, their minds "find each other," sometimes. It can happen simply by extended periods of close proximity, but most often it happens in times of great stress, hence the name "battle-bond." It's great at first. It lets soldiers cooperate much more effectively, it helps them aim better... effectively, two soldiers with a battle bond are worth about three unbonded soldiers. They're greater than the sum of their parts. And if a whole squad bonds, they can actually start manifesting some pretty advanced powers through their combined power. But here's the catch.
Imagine that you have someone you're connected to. Imagine the closest relationship you've ever had, whether it's with a parent, a friend, a sibling, a spouse, etc. Now imagine even closer than that. You know what one another are thinking without saying anything. When one of you is happy, the other is happy too. Imagine being so close to a person you can't imagine life without them.
Now imagine that suddenly, that person dies. And not just that they die, that you feel it. You were in their head, and now that part of you is dead. You're missing limbs. You're missing memories. You're missing half the sensory input you've become accustomed to. You think of something funny, and no one around you laughs. Someone walks up behind you without you noticing, and you get startled, because you don't have another set of eyes and ears watching your back. You lose your balance when walking, because you don't have another set of foot-steps to sync your to. And to cap it off, you can't trust anyone around you. Their minds are closed to you. They're smiling, but you don't know what they're thinking.
That is why the Imperial Alignment suppresses battle-bonds. Outside of the military, psychic links are fine, but during military service, there's always the possibility of one of the bond-mates dying. Separating the pair isn't something either bond-mate enjoys, but it's an act of compassion.
Also, yes. There are plans for other humans. Coalition defectors, for instance. Or maybe not defectors. But that's something I'm still working on.
@Izshta: Sounds great!
@Stygian: That's basically going to be what I was going to have you do, but you keep the stress threshold.
re: Empathy, it needs to be at least one. I believe you on the power gaming thing, but zero is literally "non-functional. Unable to understand others in a meaningful way. Discharge this guy and set him up with a psychiatrist before he murders someone." If it helps, having one in a score doesn't just mean "normal." It actually covers any individual who is able to function in society within reason. So a one in strength covers the nerd who gets stuffed into lockers or the guy who works out a bit, and one in empathy covers everyone from person who sniffles a little at Old Yeller to "high functioning sociopath." If you're looking for "below average socially," you might consider taking "reserved," though. And yeah, coercion is fine as a substitute for security.
The reason for the Previous Career is that anyone who wants to join the Imperial Alignment military is required to have a permanent residence and have reached a certain age, and that has its roots in past eras. See, at one point, the Empire went through a period of rapid expansion, and had to fight multiple wars against multiple foes on multiple fronts. Basically, think WWI Germany, where you're brawling with everyone around you, except that the Imperial Alignment won.
I'll break the exposition dump to say that if you wanted to go into the military before you reached the proper age, the Peacekeepers would have been the way to go.
At the time, there wasn't an age requirement, so a lot of young people went into the service straight away. Fresh out of Space High School, join the army, you know the story. Thing is, those people ended up fighting for decades, often with more time in active combat than peacetime. So, when the wars ended, they came back to Imperial space and a) had no job to return to, b) had no idea how to live a normal life, and c) had no real support system, since they hadn't put down any roots beforehand, becoming the Imperial Alignment's very own Lost Generation.
The Emperor of the time, originally Wilhelm the Conquerer, dubbed himself Wilhelm the Delinquent (in the formal sense, "failing in one's duties), seeing this as a personal failure, and immediately drafted up a host of laws restricting military service, offering restitution to the families of those who had lost children, and creating new social services for veterans on a national level, rather than leaving it to planetary governments to determine what was best. He was also quick to aid in reconstruction efforts on conquered worlds, and defied tradition by creating national memorials for soldiers on both sides of the conflict and extending benefits to the families of his fallen enemies. This riled up the sector governors of the time, but none actively opposed him, and his post-war reign was a time of scientific advancement, artistry, and general prosperity. For this reason, though he still referred to himself as "the delinquent," the public came to call him Wilhelm the Magnanimous, and he remains a beloved figure in Imperial history.
Also, re: aging, humans aren't immortal. Treatments are available to slow, stop, or even reverse the aging process, but eventually, for whatever reason, people's bodies simply shut down. They'll look like a twenty-five year old at three-hundred, but they go to bed and don't wake up. Current scientific speculations involve psychic resonance, but that's basically their standard technobabble for "no damn idea."
Side Note
On a side note, that ties into FTL. All ships are equipped with an FTL drive. Standard stuff. Bend space in front and behind to go faster than light. Star-Trek style warp travel came first (that's also what a Warp Blade is. It doesn't so much cut as "nudge" one half of the target one direction and the other half in the opposite direction. Armor is completely ineffective, since it doesn't actually make contact with the blade), but later on, "slipstreams" were discovered, areas where the fabric of reality is... more malleable, effectively. These lanes allow faster, more efficient transit. Imagine swimming with a current pushing you along. Similar concept. The reason I bring this up is that there are also "gates," which allow instantaneous transit between two fixed points. The Empire used them a lot during that war, but the enemy ended up using their own gate system against them and launching a raid on Palace Prime by just barreling through all their defenses and heading through the gates. The attack was easily rebuffed because they suffered heavy losses to the orbital defenses and put themselves within a few minutes travel of literally every ship in the Grand Navy, but it proved that such a transit system was dangerous if not carefully managed. Most gates were deactivated, and are only reactivated at the order of sector governors, who in turn have to get approval from the monarch.
Unrelated to the above, when Synthetics in the Imperial Alignment are created, they go through a period analogous to childhood. They aren't given the suites of programming they'll need for their later duties straight away (or armor and integrated weaponry, in the case of war droids); those are bestowed bit by bit, until the Synthetic reaches "adulthood." Until then, they're entrusted to beings who serve as surrogate parents, whether other Synthetics or even Organic beings. These formative years are crucial to the development of their identities. Simply creating a sentient being, programming it to do a task, and telling it to do it from the moment it's activated is considered slaving under Imperial law, and punished as such.
Also, Administrative A.I. (and most other Synthetics) have bodies that are mostly indistinguishable from humans by default. Some choose to modify this, swapping out synthetic skin for exposed metal, or even entirely different frames, designed to resemble other species.
Also, for those with synthetic skin, it's considered good manners to introduce oneself as a Synthetic when introductions are made, such as during the handshake. It's not legally required, but watching new friends peel their skin away to perform maintenance tends to be jarring for the unprepared.
edited 14th Feb '17 11:47:41 AM by Dragon573
It's kind of funny. Sufficiently advanced stupidity is like sufficiently advanced science; eventually, you find something you can't solve.So, having cybernetic implants that look like normal body parts and then intentionally yanking them out is in poor taste. Still tempted to give my guy a cybernetic eye and then pop it out at the most inappropriate times.
Click Click Boom BoomThat is a well known prank. It's popular in more relaxed company, but in a formal setting, it's... frowned upon.
Also, be aware that the post I made has had more than a few clarification edits since I put it up, so everyone might want to refresh the page and just double check.
edited 14th Feb '17 11:55:39 AM by Dragon573
It's kind of funny. Sufficiently advanced stupidity is like sufficiently advanced science; eventually, you find something you can't solve.How frowned upon are we talking here? Firing squad? latrine duty? demotion? paycut? Loss of shoreleave?
Click Click Boom Boom

I have a few questions.
- Regarding attributes, I'm assuming that our chosen heritage automatically adds a point to the corresponding attribute, and said point doesn't count as one of the five points we have to allocate manually. Is that right?
- Regarding skills, do we just leave those for now?
- Regarding homeworld, if we pick 'Sector', does that essentially mean we have to select skills ourselves depending on where exactly they come from?
- Regarding early life, previous career and service history, I have some ideas specifically relating to my character. She grew up on a Zolatian farm that grows produce for local Imperial-controlled areas on the planet (these farms are wholly or mostly manually-operated, as Zolatians tend to be more wary of technology than other races), and before she joined the navy she was a planetside security officer, responsible for enforcing Imperial law and dealing with insurgents from her own race; and she in particular went out of her way to do everything by-the-book and avoid unnecessary casualties, feeling that just slaughtering everyone who opposes you doesn't exactly paint a good picture of the Empire. Are there any existing options that would fit these, or would you have to make new ones?
Those sell-by-dates won't stop me because I can't read!