Heavy Future: Power of Rock

I just received this WIP image from Amanda Webb, depicting two Heavy Future characters wielding Rockers. She'll color the figures, but sent along this background test image, just to see if I liked the star background.

I liked it enough I thought I'd post the black and white version here. Manda's inks are always great, and they look really striking against the stars.

Tonight I'm working on spells for the Heavy Future setting. I want a spell list almost as large (and setting specific) as The Modern Grimorie sourcebook I did a few months back.

More previews to come,

CHRIS

Another New Toy: MOTUC Man-E-Faces

I'm really growing to like the Big Lots near my home. Today, I stopped by to pick up some new towels and bedding and I found this guy- the MOTU Classics Man E Faces. This, as I mentioned a few years ago, is the first MOTUC figure I've picked up, and one I've been wanting. When I left the store today, they had several Auroras in her red tunic, quite a few Nameless Ones and Count Marzos plus a few more intriguing figures. However, none of them really captured my attention like Man E Faces did, though I will definitely keep an eye out the next time I'm at Big Lots. I'd love it if Optikk made his way to the clearance aisle, not to mention classic He-Man or any of the female characters (I really want the Green Goddess or classic Teela).

Man E Faces is the one character I've now owned all three versions of- the classic MOTU toy, the Mike Young cartoon version, and now this 6 inch badass. I've always loved the design- he's a Kirby-tech space barbarian wearing a costume that's half space suit and half gayclub leather boy.

As a toy, he's incredible, with tons of articulation. He's not as heavy as I imagined he would be. From the pictures I've seen on line, I assumed a certain heft to the MOTUC figures, especially given their retail price point. With the relatively lighter, softer plastic used, Man E Faces turned out to be quite a bit lighter than expected. His articulation, though is wonderful, and his action feature works exactly like the classic toy. However, Mattel included a second head drum, with three new faces- a generic He-Man face, Orko and Skeletor. I'm a traditionalist, so I'm keeping Man E Faces posed with his classic head drum (hero, monster, robot). Of the new faces, the Skeletor skull face is easily the coolest and might occasionally get display. By the way, Man E Face's monster face is exactly the way I've always pictured and described D&D Orcs in my games.

The paint choices are pretty nice. I would have preferred the more orange skin tone of the classic figure, but the flesh tone is growing on me. It makes Man E Faces seem more like a space barbarian than a superhero. I'm pleased with the way purple was used to unify the design. The purple detailing on the cheeks of Man E Face's robot and hero faces, not to mention Orko's scarf perfectly matches the rich purple on his pipes and armor plating, and looks great. I wish the design had integrated some of the monster or skull faces' green into the body- perhaps as detailing on the 'button' visible above the air tanks right above the figure's sternum? As it is, the lurid green used for the two monstrous faces seems out of place in an otherwise purple, peach and blue figure.

There's one thing I've always wondered about the character- did Jack Kirby have a hand in his creation. I know that in the early 1980s Kirby was doing character design work for animation, including work for Thundarr the Barbarian, but did he ever work on MOTU? I ask because the jagged, orange and purple 'war paint' on Man E Face's hero face looks very Kirby to me, and characters with weird or exaggerated heads is a Kirby staple (see the Red Skull, Arnim Zola, Modok, ect). His powers and general look have always given Man E Faces the 'Kirby creation' tag in my head, which may be why he's one of my favorite MOTU characters.

Blessed Be,
CHRIS

FUCKING METALLLLL!

I’ve been working on Heavy Future pretty intensely for the last week or so. It’s a very satirical, make it up as I go setting that John and Amanda are both having a ton of fun working on. I’m including the most over the top, intentionally offensive stuff I can, in the spirit of bad 70s and early 80s sci fi. I’ve got a playable race of Jesus Clones serving as cyber-enhanced televangelists as a bad guy faction and I’m building a faction of Cosmic Satanist metalheads as anti-heroes. Here’s a sample of the metal-head aesthetic and future-Satanic flavor I’m adding to Heavy Future.

CHRIS

Rock Guns and Heavy Metal Starships

            Rock and roll is a weapon. Outlaw Sex Station 09 broadcasts galaxy-shaking heavy metal good honest hardcore pornography every second of every galactic day, hoping to shake Earth’s drone-citizens outta their complacency. And rock and roll can be a weapon in a tactical sense as well. Sex Station nomads and freelance journos are never more than arm’s length away from their main axes……

            Game Rule Information: Rockers

            Rockers are weaponized future guitars. They can be fired as a conventional single shot weapon as an attack action. Rockers are classified as Exotic Firearms, and can be used as electric guitars as needed.

However, a proficient wielder can choose to make a Perform (stringed instruments) check with the rocker as a full round action. Doing so allows the wearer to substitute her Perform check result for an attack roll. A Perform check result in excess of the target’s AC/Defense applies the overage as additional sonic damage; this additional damage is multiplied on a critical (nat 20 on the Perform check). For example, if Rawkzilla’s perform check with his Death Falcon is 22, and the target’s AC was 18, the target would suffer four additional points of sonic damage.

Recharging Rockers

The Rocker’s internal energy cell can not be recharged by conventional means. Once the internal energy cell is depleted, it can only be recharged by the wielder making a successful Perform (stringed instruments) check in combat. Anytime the Rocker is used in this manner, its internal energy cell is completely recharged.

Masterwork and METAL! Rockers

Any Rocker can be purchased as a masterwork quality version. Masterwork quality versions provide a +1 equipment bonus on Perform checks with them, and are marked by the machine applied chrome signature of some famous galactic guitar legend on the body.

METAL! rockers are even better, and provide a +3 equipment bonus on Perform checks with them. METAL! rockers have a critical threat range of 19-20, and are accompanied by holographic gold flames projected from the guitar; these flames lick across the musician’s fingers as he plays the rocker.

Superior Rocker	Base Purchase DC Modifier
Masterwork quality rocker	DC +2 (+1000 gp)
METAL! quality rocker	DC +5 (+2500 gp)

            Death Falcon Rocker

            The Death Falcon is a massive, high tech guitar with a golden raptor’s head built into the powerful guitar’s body. The raptor’s eyes flash with azure flames when it is used in battle, and the electronic falcon’s beak opens in a scream of rage when it is fired.

            Screaming Angel Rocker

            This sleek blue and white futuristic guitar has a body resembling an angel’s wings. When the guitar is played, the wings open up light a beetles shell, revealing glowing mechanisms within.

            Special: As a standard action, the Screaming Angel can produce a Shout as a spell-like ability with a caster level equal to the musician’s total character level. Each use of the Shout uses up a charge from the Screaming Angel’s energy cell.

Rocker	Damage	Critical	Range Increment	ROF	Magazine	Size	Weight	Purchase DC	Rest.
EXOTIC FIREARMS PROFICIENCY
Death Falcon Rocker	2d8 sonic	20/x2	50 ft	Single	6 internal cell	Medium	6 lbs	DC 21 (3000 gp)	Res +2
Screaming Angel Rocker	2d6 sonic	20/x3	100 ft	Single	6 internal cell	Medium	8 lbs	DC 22 (3500 gp)	Res +2

Satan Maximus

CN Male Greater God

            Satan Maximus is a music-based ultra-computer created by 79^th Century rebels. Knowing they could never defeat the omniscent Dues Futura in their time, with their dying act, the rebels sent Satan Maximus into the distant past. There, the passionate and decisive ultra-computer could battle his rival on a more equal footing, and with luck, prevent the horrific timeline from coming to pass in the first place. In a universe filled with power-hungry god machines, opposed only by emotionless and voracious space fungus, Satan Maximus presents the only hope for the future- the only place for humanity to flourish. However, Satan Maximus’ trip back through time sapped most of its power, and rather than a decisive victory, he fights a guerilla insurgency against the Dues Futura.

            Satan Maximus inspires adventurers, rebels and malcontents to both greatness and genocide. Satan Maximus desires and inspires change and conflict, and is the patron of heavy metal. Outlaw Sex Station 09 plays a hard drivin’ hymn to Satan Maximus every galactic midnight. Despite his fierce temper and violent pride, Satan Maximus teamed with Jesus I to assist the divinity in his struggle against the futuristic fungi, and even reluctantly teamed up with Jesus II to liberate Earth from the furries. Don’t expect the ICG to acknowledge either of those exploits however, as worship of Satan Maximus is heresy punishable by immolation…..

Hell’s Legions

CN-CG Male and Female Demigods   

            Satan Maximus’ hordes are an endlessly diverse assortment of joyfully chaotic, carnal terrorist-heroes. They blend human, machine and animal traits seemingly at random, wrap it all in leather, and prowl the cosmos looking for adventure, glory and a good hard fuck. The more compassionate demons actually try to keep their partners alive during and after the fuck; the rest are just considerate to make sure their lovers at least die in pleasure as they are consumed by the demon’s inhuman strength and burning fluids. Some adventurers and musicians are inspired/tempted/provoked by a particular cosmic demon.

            Some of the most famous cosmic demons include:

• Apoloyn Atomos, demon of zero point energy and politically motivated snipers
• Bahomess Battara, demoness of anal play, sexual equality and first contact (a Pacifican favorite)
• Chainblade Ceres, demoness of martial arts and surgical/cybernetic body modification 
• NanoSkale Luciifur, demon of morally unconstrained science and high tech sabotage
• Sixgun Satanica, demoness of orgies, political kidnappings and revolvers
• Tantalos Tripwire, demon of bomb making, peaceful protests and knowing which tactic to use and why in any given situation

Deity	Alignment	Domains (associated sub-domains)	Favored Weapon
Satan Maximus	CN	Darkness, Destruction (rage), Liberation (both), Luck (fate), Madness, Magic, Rock N Roll * (heavy metal), Strength (ferocity)	Rocker
Hell’s Legions	Usually CN or CG	Charm (lust), Earth (both), Fire (both), Trickery (deception), War (tactics)	Rocker or Great Axe

New Clerical Domain: Rock N’ Roll

            Play it loud enough, rock n’ roll can change the galaxy. Play it long enough, and even those fascist fuckwads will start singin’ along. Satan Maximus played the first rock song on his 666 stringed electric guitar, and rock is his greatest weapon against complacency and hypocrisy. Rock on!

            Heavy Metal and Glam are Rock N’ Roll’s subdomains.

Granted Powers: Priests serving the screamin’ temple of rock do double duty as frontmen for their bands. Add Perform (any musical) to the Cleric’s list of class skills. Clerics with this domain receive Exotic Weapon Proficiency (rocker) as a bonus feat.

First Level: As an immediate action, you can unleash a Power Riff on your Rocker. All enemy creatures within 5 ft per four cleric levels suffer 1d4 points of sonic damage, plus an amount of energy damage equal to your CHA modifier. When playing a Power Riff, you choose whether this additional damage is Cold, Fire or Sonic damage, and the riff you play changes to reflect your choice. You may use this ability a number of times per day equal to 3 + your CHA modifier.

Eighth Level:  Starting at 8^th level, once per day, you can conjure a Galactic Tourbus, a massive vehicle capable of carrying up to 100 Medium sized passengers and all their gear in rock n’ roll luxury. Using this ability requires a one minute performance, and once conjured the Galactic Tourbus will remain real for one hour or until it is commanded to depart, before fading back into unreality with the stench of diesel and Glow joints.

            The Rock N’ Roll cleric who conjured the Galactic Tourbus can command it to close its doors and teleport without error to any world or space station the Cleric has ever previously visited, or any world where the Cleric has previously announced he or she will visit to perform. Regardless of the distance teleported, it takes the Galactic Tourbus about 2d4 hours to cover the distance; the travelers party hard on the bus during this time.

Domain Spells: 1^st Chord of Shards, 2^nd Piercing Shriek, 3^rd Gallant Inspiration, 4^th Thunderous Drums, 5^th Denounce, 6^th Heroic Finale, 7^th Deafening Song Bolt, 8^th Vengeful Outrage 9^th Overwhelming Presence

Heavy Metal Subdomain

            If it ain’t metal, it ain’t shit. You favor driving guitar riffs and florid Satanic lyrics to prog-rock inspiration to heroism.

Granted Powers:

First Level: As an attack action, you can unleash a Metal Storm on your Rocker. This forms a cone of heavy metal fury 15 ft at first level, that increases by +5 ft for every four cleric levels. All creatures caught within the Metal Storm suffer 3d6 points of Sonic Damage (WILL DC 15 half) The Metal Storm deafens all creatures caught within for one round per four cleric levels (WILL DC 15 negates). The Cleric can use Metal Storm a number of times per day equal to 3 + his CHA modifier.

Domain Spells: 2^nd Mad Hallucination, 3^rd Ghostbane Dirge, 4^th Vision of Hell

Glam Subdomain

            You’re a beautiful slightly androgynous long haired rocker boy. You got into the rock game for all the kinky sex.

Granted Powers:

First Level:  When unleashing a Power Riff, you may choose to have it deal Pleasure damage in addition to Cold, Fire or Sonic damage. Otherwise your Power Riff functions identically to the standard Rock N’ Roll granted power.  

Eighth Level: Beginning at 8^th level, gender becomes a mere social construct for you, something you can alter with a thought. At will, as a move equivalent action, you can change your gender and sexual orientation. You may choose to either be male, female or hermaphaditic, and choose what creatures (if any) you are considered sexually attracted to. This transformation lasts indefinitely, until you choose to change it again. Thanks to your androgynous shifting ability, you receive a bonus on Disguise checks equal to ½ your Cleric class level.

Domain Spells: 1^st Unnatural Lust, 5^th Cloak of Dreams, 6^th Joyful Rapture, 9^th Waves of Ecstasy

Heavy Future: Bounty Hunters

One of the things I want to include in Heavy Future is a Bounty Hunter class- I decided to build my Bounty Hunter as a Ranger archetype, and merge the Pathfinder and D20 Modern rules in the same way I did for Black Tokyo Unlimited.

My Bounty Hunter is a gun-focused version of the Skirmisher archetype, a non-magical ranger who has some interesting Intimidation-based and detective type skills. He's got a great, gritty feel with a lot of implied attitude and roleplaying potential. I may be adding to this, and supporting this archetype with various feats and gear, but here's a preview of Heavy Future's Bounty Hunter.

The Bounty Hunter

Ranger Archetype

           

            Bounty Hunters can criss-cross half the galaxy, find their target in some backwater shit hole, and either bring him back to the client alive or dead, as the job demands. Bounty hunters are part detective, part professional kidnapper, part gunthug, and part freelance cop, only they’re usually just a few degrees more honest than any member of those professions. Bounty hunters can’t be squeamish about the jobs they take- the competition for big bounties is too fierce, and the paydays are too tempting. Likewise, Bounty Hunters don’t usually get the luxury of picking who they work for. Bounty Hunters are as apt to take a job brining an innocent kid to a Space Mafioso don for torture and execution as they are to earn their creds capturing wanted criminals. In fact, the Space Mafia usually pays better than the law…..

            Weapon Proficiencies

            Bounty Hunter Rangers gain Personal Firearms Proficiency and Advanced Fire Arms Proficiency as bonus feats.

            Skills

            Bounty Hunter Rangers add Drive and Pilot to their list of class skills.

            Cold Stare (EX)

            Bounty Hunters are dead-eyed sociopaths, even the kindest of them. The worst are monsters from a chase-nightmare wearing body armor and carrying blasters. Bounty Hunters may choose to make an Intimidate check to demoralize a single adversary each round as a swift action.

            As a standard action, the Bounty Hunter can clearly identify himself and his current quarry (the creature he has a current bounty on) and attempt to demoralize the quarry. If this Intimidate check is successful, the quarry becomes panicked rather than shaken, as is typical for demoralized creatures.

            Cold Stare replaces Wild Empathy.

            Bounty Hunting Tactics (EX)

            At 5th level, the Bounty Hunter learns Bounty Hunting Tactics, which typically grant a boon or bonus to the Bounty Hunter or hinder his targets. At 5th level, the ranger learns one trick, selected from the list below. At 7th level, and every two levels thereafter, he learns another trick. A ranger can use these tricks a total number of times per day equal to 1/2 his ranger level + his Wisdom modifier. Tactics are usually swift actions, but sometimes move or free actions that modify a standard action, usually an attack action. Once a trick is chosen, it can't be retrained. A ranger cannot select an individual tactic more than once. This ability replaces the ranger's spells class feature.

Bounty Hunter rangers do not gain any spells or spellcasting ability, do not have a caster level, and cannot use spell trigger and spell completion magic items. As Bounty Hunting Tricks are a variation on the “hunter’s tricks” provided by the Skirmisher ranger archetype, the GM may allow you to select skirmisher tricks as variant class abilities.

The following is a list of hunter tricks and their effects.

Aiding Attack (Ex): The ranger can use this trick as a free action when he hits a creature with an attack. The next ally who makes an attack against the target creature before the start of the ranger's next turn gains a +2 circumstance bonus on that attack roll.

            Back Hand (EX): You activate this tactic as part of an unarmed strike. If the attack is successful, your target is knocked prone.

            Blaster Burn (EX): The ranger can activate this trick as a free action before making a ranged attack roll that would inflict energy damage. If the attack is successful, the target suffers an additional 1d4 points of energy damage of same type as the initial attack per round for the next two rounds.

Catfall (Ex): The ranger can use this trick as an immediate action when he falls 20 or more feet, ignoring the first 20 feet of the fall when calculating the falling damage. If the ranger takes no damage from the fall, he does not fall prone.

Casual Violence (EX): As a free action as part of a missed melee attack, the Bounty Hunter inflicts a number of points of damage (slashing, piercing or bludgeoning, at the Bounty Hunter’s option) equal to his ranger level to the missed attack’s target. 

            Cold Will (EX): Invoking this ability as a swift action, the ranger becomes immune to mind affecting abilities for one round.

Distracting Attack (EX): The ranger can use this trick as a free action before he makes an attack. If the attack hits, the target takes a –2 penalty on all attack rolls for 1 round.

Dying Declaration (EX): As a full round action, the Bounty Hunter can viciously interrogate a creature reduced to 0 HP or fewer but not completely destroyed (a victim killed by a gunshot to the chest, but not one atomized by an explosion). The dying creature will croak out a short (5 words at most)phrase providing some insight to one of the Bounty Hunter’s current targets, such as the target’s current or near future location, the target’s goals, weaknesses, capabilities, weapons, ect.

            Fist Full of Gun (EX): The ranger can use this tactic as a free action when he hits with a ranged attack. Any damage dice that come up as either the highest or second (ex: 7-8 on D8 or 9-10 on D10) highest possible result are rerolled; dice can be rerolled multiple times if they continue to roll high.

            Gut Shot (EX): The ranger can use this tactic as a free action when he hits with a ranged attack. The target is sickened for one round and suffers Bleed 2 for 1d4 rounds.

Hobbling Attack (EX): The ranger can use this trick as a free action when he hits with an attack. The target of the attack's land speed is reduced by half for 1d4 rounds.

            Hell Hound (EX): As a swift action you can increase the critical threat range of your weapons by one point per world (planet, inhabited moon, space station, arc ship, ect) you have actively persued your target through. Example: You’re pursing a criminal who you encountered first on Earth, than again on Rigel II Beta, and finally on Andromeda VII, your weapon attacks would have their critical threat range increased by three. This enhancement lasts for one round. This ability only functions against a single target, which you designate when you activate the power.

            I Hate This Planet (EX): The Bounty Hunter’s disdain for the backwater world he’s chased his quarry to improves keeps him sharp. As a swift action, the Bounty Hunter can receive a +5 insight bonus on his next ranged attack roll. If this ranged attack is successful, an inanimate object, structure of piece of cover within 30 ft of the target and in a straight line from it suffers the same amount of damage as the initial target.

Rattling Strike (EX): The ranger can use this trick as a free action before he makes a melee attack. If the attack hits, the target is shaken for 1d4 rounds.

Reputation for Violence (EX): If you invoke this trick as a free action while making a melee attack, you roll an Intimidate check rather than a melee attack roll to determine the attack’s success.

“Safety’s On” (EX): As a swift action, you make a Bluff check against an adjacent, armed target who can clearly understand you. If the Bluff check is successful, the target inadvertently either ejects her weapon’s magazine or completely drains its power cell.

Stay Up (EX): The ranger can activate this trick as a swift action. Doing so allows him to reroll a failed FORT Save; he must take the results of the reroll even if they are worse then the first results.

            Tirade (EX): As an immediate action, whenever you successfully demoralize a character with Intimidate, you can attempt a new Intimidate check to demoralize another target within 30 ft who can clearly see and hear you.

Trick Shot (EX): As a standard action, the ranger can make a ranged attack that ignores concealment (but not total concealment), soft cover, and partial cover.

Uncanny Senses (EX): As an immediate action, the ranger gains a +10 insight bonus on Perception (Spot) checks for 1 round.

Warning Shot (EX): As an immediate action after making a successful ranged attack roll and rolling damage, the Bounty Hunter can elect not to deal damage. Instead, the target is paralyzed for one round, if they fail a WILL Save with a DC equal to the rolled damage. If they save, the warning shot has no effect. This is a mind influencing, fear effect.

Galaxy Command: Heavy Future

         Here's a look at something I started writing last night. I wasn't getting anywhere with my Sectaurs inspired setting, and I realized I'd had this idea percolating in my brain for the last few weeks. Here's an excerpt from the opening text to a new Galaxy Command sourcebook. 

   "Heavy Future is a sourcebook for the Galaxy Command campaign setting. By default Galaxy Command is pretty clean; other than the occasional space-bikini, things are kept pretty all ages. Sex is kept off screen, badguys are clearly marked, adventures are action packed without being excessively violent. In short, Galaxy Command is not the setting you’d expect from the author of Otherverse America and Black Tokyo.

            Heavy Future changes all that, overlays the bright and shiny utopia of the 35^th Century with a thick layer of late 70s sci-fi sleeze. All of a sudden, sex throbs to the forefront of the story, players visit pleasure moons where they pump alien thugs for information in more ways than one, and the setting’s central conflict the war between Galaxy Command and WARSTAR gets dirtier than ever. Heavy Future is inspired by retro sci-fi stories like Barbarella, Star Crash and Heavy Metal, as well as modern sci-fi stories in the same vein, like Brian K. Vaughn’s Saga and Machinations of the Space Princess. Expect kinky and endearingly bizarre aliens, sexy space pirates, strange new monsters, quirky new powers and some of the most bizarre, deadly and tantalizing forbidden weapons in the whole strange galaxy!

No Sex Future

            Galaxy Command brought peace to half the galaxy, united a diverse assortment of races in single purpose, built the first star gates and warp drives, and fought WARSTAR to a standstill on a thousand worlds. But who cares about any of that?

            Command Space may be safe, but it’s sterile and sexless by choice. Everything, on every world is perfect. The benevolent and all knowing Adam Intelligence provides for its citizens on every need and desire. Sex and romance are outmoded concepts, unnecessary for a galactic population that reproduces only through Adam-selected artificial breeding. The human race has long freed itself from base hormonal drives. On Earth, marriages are consummated by psychic transference, an intensely pleasurable telepathic ritual that unifies the couple without all the messy barbarism of actual fluid transfer.

            So naturally, there’s a whole galaxy out there not buying into Galaxy Command’s plastic and polyester utopia. Sure, the unaligned worlds might have to put up with more WARSTAR incursions than Command Space systems, and sure, everybody has to kick up the credits to the Space Mafia to stay safe, but that’s why the Good Lord K’zakkit made disintegrator pistols. Out there in unclaimed space, you still live free, fly by your wits, and stick your input into anything cute, warm, willing and greenskinned when you want to.

The Star Virgin Cultural Template

            Galaxy Command has abandoned sex, and for most civilized spacers, the mere thought of simple kissing with all its bacteriological transfer and hormonal dangers shakes them to their spines. The whole idea of sex, pregnancy and childbirth without using an exo-womb…. those things are horrors best left to behind in the pre-space flight darkness of humanity’s past, like eating meat, warfare and criminal behavior. Characters with the Star Virgin cultural template added are firm believers in Galaxy Command’s chaste utopia, living hormonally suppressed lives that free them to concentrate on enlightenment and exploration. Whether exposure to a dangerous and thrilling galaxy breaks the Star Virgin out of his or her shell, or only strengthens their commitment to Galaxy Command’s ideals, is a question for each character to answer themselves.

Acquiring the Template

The Star Virgin cultural template can be added to any human character who grew up in Command Space during character creation. Star Virgins can give up this template at any time, by choosing actual, physical sex with a willing partner, immediately losing the template’s benefit but also removing its drawbacks.

Ability Score Modifiers

            -1 STR, +1 INT. Star Virgins emphasize the mind and disregard the body. They learn fast but have no real idea what their bodies are capable of. This ability score modifier is lost when the Star Virgin template is removed.

            Hormonally Pure (EX)

            Star Virgins take libido-suppressants and mood-mellowers. Centuries of genetic and social conditioning have bred a race of Chaste and rational humans. Star Virgins are not affected by Charm Person, nor abilities that duplicate it, and receive a +2 racial bonus on WILL Saves against mind influencing effects.

            Flustered (EX)

            Try as they might, Star Virgins can’t quite suppress their instinctive sexual drives. Though they do not practice, they have a preferred gender and sexual orientation, no matter how suppressed. When within 30 ft of any human of their preferred gender with a CHA score of 15+, the Star Virgin is distracted, tongue tied and uneasy for some reason they can’t really explain. The Star Virgin suffers a -1 luck penalty on all skill checks and Initiative checks."

Anyway, expect more Heavy Future previews in the coming days. I figure it should be as well received as Action Galaxy was- a modular campaign plug in that spins the generic sci-fi environment of Galaxy Command in a particular direction. 

CHRIS

 

A Cyborg Died Last Night

A cyborg died last night. 

Her name was Hannah Warren. Half Korean, a little short of three years old. Born without a trachea. Cutie.

In April, she was implanted with an artificial trachea, made of plastic and artificial tissue cultured from her own bone marrow. Sunday, a little less than three months after becoming a cyborg, Hannah Warren died. The implant worked; her body failed around the implant. Three years old, and the surgery was too much for a sick little kid to take. But the implant worked, an artificial trachea, first of its kind in the world worked for three months. Hannah got to spend about three months out of her hospital bed and off her breathing tube for three months, and got to taste what it was like to be a kid for about 90 days.

The implant worked.

And the little girl, who fate decided to make the first of her kind, still died.

But an impossible, science fictiony thing happened. For three months, a new type of cybernetic implant kept a dying kid alive. A surgery that had never been attempted before failed, but at least Hannah's doctors tried. And text time, with the next sick kid, maybe they keep her alive for six months, or nine months, or a full year. And the one after that, maybe she gets to see her prom.

Because impossible things are only hard the first time, and this impossible, highly experimental surgery kept a little girl alive for three months.

http://www.nbcnews.com/health/young-girl-given-bio-engineered-windpipe-dies-6C10566338

Blessed Be,
CHRIS

Insect Summer

 In Texas, during summer there are two constants. Heat and bugs. Wasps and spiders, bees and beetles, locusts, flies and mosquitoes everywhere.

Inspired by all the insect life buzzing and stinging, I've decided to build a Sectaurs inspired setting., called Symbor. Like Action Galaxy, Symbor will be a mini-campaign campaign, with lots of new fluff and crunch to bend Galaxy Command to a specific genre.

Right now, my world of Symbor will be a dual-format setting, ostensibly part of the Galaxy Command cosmology, but also usable in a fantasy context. Like most of my current stuff, my Sectaurs homage world will be a hybrid of the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game with D20 Modern elements.

As it stands now, my "Symbor" draft is pretty basic. I'm only just getting to know this world.... My memories of Sectaurs are fairly vague, I remember loving the classic Marvel tie-in comic, which featured amazing art from Mark Texeria, who went on to do awesome art on the 90s Ghost Rider revamp. Seriously, Texeria's art was the absolutely best part of that comic. I remember owning only one Sectaur figure, Waspix. He's the purple and green fellow in the above image, and I loved him. The almost metallic sheen on his armor looked beautiful, and for an early 80s toy, he had tons of articulation and great sculpting. I think at the time the larger Sectaurs figures, especially those with the 'deluxe' insect steeds were a little too expensive for my family- if I recall the Sectaurs toys had a price point several bucks higher than the MOTU figures, and much, much higher than a single, carded G.I. Joe.

I recently began watching the five episode mini-series on Youtube- call it research. Storywise, the cartoon holds up. It was much more violent and genuinely medieval show than Masters of the Universe, and the series' main villian, General Spidrax, was an extremely competent and intimidating figure. He felt like a brilliant and  sadistic military leader, sorta of Vlad Dracul with compound eyes. If I had to give the cartoon a one line summary it would be "Game of Thrones with bug people." Seriously, the cartoon was shockingly dark, presenting a world with sadistic slave-masters, sociopathic mercenaries and a villainous army on the march, pillaging and burning everything in their path.

The key rules elements this setting will include:

* Everybody gets an animal companion. Classes, like Ranger or Paladin, that get some kind of animal companion or mount receive a more powerful animal companion.
* The worlds natives are a unique race of humanoids called Sectans, whose racial traits emphasize their bond with insects and inhuman features and powers.
* Swappable racial ability packages, starting talents and racial feats will incorporate elements from Fursona, which are 'on-theme' with a world of giant insects.
*Naturally there will be tons of new bug and spider-based monsters, and I'll be pulling some critters from my still unpublished Endara draft to populate Symbor.
* Techlevel will be mostly medieval/Renaissance but there will be pockets of advanced tech and cool sci-fi type weapons, not to mention 'dues ex machina' type artifacts and lost relics.

I'm getting the first sketches in from Amanda and the first renders from John. I really like this wasp-rider from Amanda. She looks like she belongs in the original Sectaurs cartoon- she's a riff, not a rip-off or mere repainted knock-off. Anyway, expect the Symbor book in a couple of weeks, and a few other projects in the meantime.

Blessed Bee,
CHRIS