Expansion for my life

TimeSPAN Expansion for Planets Systemless Setting

Written by Al Seeger

c. 2012 Point of Insanity Game Studio

http://www.poigamestudio.com

Artwork used under license from Tamas Baranyar,

John Picot, Louis Porter Jr. Design Image Portfolio

series, Jeff Preston, and Sade. Some artwork

copyright Art of War Games, used with permission.

http://www.poigamestudio.com

Introduction 4

Income Level 4

Character Creation 6

Effects of Gravity Class 6

Aglath 8

Crathik 10

Dwalv 11

Grey 12

Grovasti 13

Hominid 14

K'hul 15

Luth 16

Sagadon 17

Teph 18

Yeezak 19

Zrah 20

Table of Contents

How to Use this Book

This product is meant to serve as a guide for gamers who

wish to use the TimeSPAN rule set with the Planets

Systemless Setting. Equipment costs have already been

covered in the TimeSPAN core book, chapter 4. The main

focus of this book will be to cover the various character races

and how much starting money a character will have.

Income Level

The first thing a player needs to do is determine his Income

Level. This represents how much money a character starts

with and how much money he receives after each adventure.

Money gained after each adventure is assumed to come from

side jobs the character does or from investments. It does not

take into account money the character might receive from

other sources, like a reward for turning in a wanted criminal

or preventing a crime. Typical rewards for heroic acts can

range anywhere from 500-1000 credits.

This money is measured in the generic term Trade Credits

(TC). If the character comes from the Alliance, the

Sagadonian Empire, or the Grovastian Empire these credits

represent the currency accepted on all worlds within the

sector. If the character is from the Neutral or Far Sector these

credits represent the local currency.

Introduction

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Roll1d100 Income Level

1-10 Poor

11-30 Low

31-75 Medium

76-95 Upper

96-100 Elite

Poor characters start with 25 TC and receive 1d6+4

TC after each adventure.

Low income level characters start with 75 TC and

receive 5d4 TC after each adventure.

Middle level characters start with 150 TC and receive

5d6 TC after each adventure.

Upper level characters receive 300 TC upon creation

and get 5d8 TC after each adventure.

Elite level characters start with 500 TC upon creation

and get 5d10 TC after each adventure.

This money is not all the money the character has to

his name. It is assumed the character can afford

shelter appropriate to his Income Level, food, and

basic necessities. Consider this money the

character’s “spending money.”

Exchanging Currency

One disadvantage character from the Neutral and Far

sector face is the fact that the planets in these regions

do not use a universal currency. So what should the

players and game master do when the adventure

takes them to a planet that uses different forms of

money?

Most technologically advanced worlds have some sort

of money-changing system that will allow travelers to

exchange the money they have for the “coin of the

realm,” so to speak.

Rather than keep track of exchange rates throughout

the galaxy, we’ll use a fast and simple rule. When a

character exchanges his money for a different form of

currency he loses 10-40% (1d4x10%) of the amount he

turns in. The loss comes from fees, local taxes, and

changing money values. If a group of characters are

trading currency at the same time only one player

needs to roll.

For example, if a character from the Alliance visits a

world in the Neutral Sector he needs to exchange his

Alliance credits for the local currency. He decides to

trade in 500 TC. The player rolls 1d4 and gets a 2. The

character gets 400 TC back (500 x 20%=100, 500-

100=400).

Income Level

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Character Generation

The process of creating a character for use in the

Planets setting is very similar to creating a standard

TimeSPAN character. The main difference is many of

the species presented here have modifiers to their

ability scores and racial abilities. Even with these

modifiers characters still have a minimum ability score

of 1and a maximum score of 6.

Effect of Gravity Class

Without proper adaptation gear a character will have a

difficult time on a planet with a Gravity Class (GC)

higher than his native world. When in a situation like

this a character’s Power, Endurance, and Dexterity

will suffer as he needs to fight against stronger gravity

than he is used to. When a character is on a planet

with a lower GC than his native world he will find

himself capable of athletic feats he never thought he

could achieve!

As stated in the Planets setting book there are 6

Gravity Classes: 0-6.

Planet with Lower GC: When a character is on a

planet with a lower Gravity Class than his native world

he does not need gravity specific adaptation gear. For

each step lower his lifting and carrying capacity

improves by 25%. He also treats his Power as 1 higher

for purposes of attack rolls and damage rolls (maximum

is still 6). For every class lower he also receives an

additional +1 to skill or ability checks involving strength,

agility, or endurance.

For example, Bob’s character has a Power of 2 and is

from a GC 2 world. If his character visits a GC 1 world

he would treat his Power as 3 for determining attack roll

and damage bonuses. Since he is visiting a planet with

gravity one step lower he would receive a +1 to any

physical skill and ability checks. His lifting and carrying

capacity will increase by 25% while he is on that planet.

Planet with same GC: When a character is on a planet

with a GC equal to that of his home world his Power,

Dexterity, and Endurance are unaffected.

Character Generation

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Planet with Higher GC: If a character finds himself

on a planet with stronger gravity but no adaptation

gear than he will treat his Power as 1 point lower per

Gravity Class for purposes of determining attack and

damage bonuses (minimum is still 1). Each GC higher

reduces his lifting and carrying capacity by 25% and

forces the character to take a -1 penalty to any sort of

physical skill or ability check.

Using Bob’s character again, let’s say his ship is

forced to make an emergency landing on a Gravity

Class 5 world, three steps higher than what he is used

to. Unfortunately, Bob’s character does not possess

the appropriate adaptation gear. His Power score is

reduced to 1, his lifting and carrying capacity is

reduced by 75%, and he will suffer a -3 penalty to any

physical skill or ability checks because he will have a

harder time working against the gravity.

For reference each species entry will list the race’s

native Gravity Class, which will be referred to as

Native Gravity.

And now, on to the character races!

Effect of Gravity Class

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Aglath

Native Gravity: GC 2

Modifiers: +1 to Willpower, -1 Power, -1 Endurance

Racial Abilities: Aglath receive a +2 to when

attacking with or defending against psychic attacks.

All members of this race are considered psychic even

if they belong to another class. Thus, if a psychic were

to use a psi power against an aglath soldier he would

not receive the +1 bonus he normally receives when

using a psi power against a non-psychic character.

All aglath have two psychic powers. First, they can

communicate with any intelligent creature within 50

feet by using telepathy. All aglath can use the psychic

stun psi power three times per day, though this natural

stun only has a range of 25 feet. If the target fails his

defense roll he is stunned for 10 minutes.

Finally, all aglath have gills as well as lungs. They can

stay underwater for as long as they need to and can

dive up to three miles below the surface, though they

can only survive 15 minutes at this depth. Aglath are

equally comfortable in salt water or fresh water.

Their underwater vision is just as good as their above

water vision as long as they have appropriate light

(thus, if an aglath dives deeper than the sun’s light can

penetrate, or if the water is murky, he will need to

provide his own light source).

Aglath

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Racial Hindrances: Since the aglath are aquatic

creatures they risk dying from dehydration. It is not

enough for an aglath to simply drink water-his skin

must remain moist. If an aglath goes for three days

without exposing his skin to significant amounts of

moisture he will start to suffer minor headaches. On

the fourth day his Power and Endurance scores will

drop by 1 point. On days 5-8 he will suffer a

cumulative -1 penalty to all rolls (damage included).

His movement will suffer as well, granting a -3 penalty

to his Armor Value and only be able to move at half

speed (round down). On day 9 he automatically fails

all rolls. On day 10 he dies.

The only way to reverse this process is for the aglath

to submerge himself in clean water (it can be fresh or

salt water). For every day the aglath has been without

water he needs to spend one hour soaking to reverse

the damage done to his body. He must soak for at

least four hours to recover his lost Power and

Endurance.

Crathik


Modifiers: +1 Power, +1 Endurance, -1 Intellect, -1

Willpower

Racial Abilities: Upon creation crathik receive 5 extra

Vitality. They also double their lifting and carrying

capacity. If the character has one or two horns they

can be used as a melee weapon in close combat,

granting the character one additional unarmed attack.

Racial Hindrances: Due to this race’s ugliness and

reputation a crathik character suffers a -3 penalty to

any skill checks that depend on the character making a

positive impression, such as a skill check involving

diplomacy or negotiation.

A crathik’s biggest drawback though is his tendency to

fly into fits of uncontrollable rage. After the third round

of combat the crathik must make an average Willpower

check. Success means he may act normally. Each

round after he must make another Willpower check at

the next highest level of difficulty. Failing any one of

these checks means the crathik gives in to sheer

bloodlust!

Aglath

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He will abandon ranged and psychic combat in order

to move to the closest opponent so he can attack with

melee weapons or his bare hands. During this time

the crathik receives a +1 to Attack Rolls and damage.

The rage lasts three rounds after all visible opponents

are dead or pursuit becomes impossible (i.e., the

opponent boards a boat and takes off, leaving the

crathik stranded on an island).

The problem with an enraged crathik is he loses

almost all his better judgment (which, truth be told, for

most members of this species isn’t much!). If getting

close to an opponent means the crathik has to charge

200 feet across an open field towards an opponent

armed with an automatic rifle in a bunker he will! The

character can still differentiate friend and foe, so this

isn’t a blind rage. An enraged crathik will even attack

fallen opponents (to make sure they are really dead)

and even opponents that have surrendered, until the

rage ends. This can be a problem if the party needs to

take prisoners or if an ally was masquerading as one

of the enemy!

One of the reasons this rage can be a liability is

because many clever strategists have figured out how

to use the crathik’s rage against him. Such folk will use

defensive tactics, deception, and trickery to provoke the

crathik until he snaps. They will then exploit the fact

that the crathik will charge towards the nearest

opponent without regards to its own safety. This is

usually a good way to lure the crathik into a trap or a

highly disadvantageous situation. Many a unit of crathik

mercenaries have met their ends this way.

Crathik

10

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Dwalv


Modifiers: +1Power, +1 Intellect, -1Dexterity

Racial Abilities: None

Racial Hindrances: Dwalv cannot tolerate exposure

to the light from yellow stars. Each hour of direct

exposure causes 1d3 points of damage. If a dwalv

reaches 0 Vitality from exposure to sunlight he enters

a state of shock and dies within an hour. The skin of a

sunburned dwalv takes on a grey, stone-like

appearance. In addition, bright light forces them to

take a -3 penalty to Attack Rolls and any sort of skill

check where sight is essential. To get around these

penalties dwalv characters need to wear darkened

eyewear and special suits that cover their entire body

(even exposure to a small area is enough to cause

damage). Staying inside during the day or going out at

night will work as well. Long term exposure to light

from a yellow star inevitably causes a fatal disease,

but this takes months of direct exposure and is easy

to avoid if one takes precautionary measures.

Dwalv

11

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Grey


Modifiers: +1 Intellect, -1 Power, -1 Endurance

Racial Abilities: Members of this species receive a

+3 to resist disease and have infravision to 100 feet.

Racial Hindrances: None.

Grey

12

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Grovasti


Modifiers: +1 Power, +1 Endurance, +1 Intellect, -1 Dexterity

Racial Abilities: Grovasti can hold their breath for one hour and

receive a +2 to any skill checks involving swimming. They also

double their lifting and carrying capacity.

Racial Hindrances: Members of the grovasti race cannot become

psychics. They also suffer a -2 penalty to resist Psi Powers. Like

their smaller allies the aglath, grovastis require a moist

environment. They do not need to spend as much time in the

water as the aglath do, but they do need very high humidity. If a

grovasti spends two days in a dry environment he starts to suffer

minor headaches. On the third day his Power and Endurance

scores will drop by 1 point. On days four and five he will suffer a -

2 penalty to all rolls (damage included). His movement will suffer

as well, granting a -3 penalty to his Armor Value and only be able

to move at half speed (round down). On day six he automatically

fails all rolls. On day seven he dies.

The only way to reverse this process is for the grovasti to

submerge himself in fresh water. For every day the grovasti has

been without water he needs to spend one hour soaking to

reverse the damage done to his body. He must soak for at least

four hours to recover his lost Power and Endurance.

Grovasti

13

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Hominid (human)

Native Gravity: Usually GC 3, but on rare occasions

GC 4.

Modifiers: None

Racial Abilities: The major advantage humans have

is their adaptability. As long as there is breathable air,

food, and water humans can survive almost

anywhere. As an added bonus, newly created human

characters start with one extra Advanced Skill point

that may be used as the player sees fit.

Racial Hindrances: None.

Hominid

14

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K’hul


Modifiers: +1 Dexterity

Racial Abilities: +1 to Dexterity related skill and

ability checks.

Racial Hindrances: The k’hul are prone to

recklessness. If a k’hul character sees an opportunity

to show off he must make a Willpower check with

difficulty determined by the GM. The more spectacular

the result will be, the higher the difficulty level should

be (no less than Average, however). Failing the

Willpower check means the character will attempt to

show off or take the more reckless path regardless of

the danger. For example, using a bridge to walk

across a swiftly flowing river may be the safer route,

but it is boring! So why use the bridge when there is a

vine hanging from the tree over there that looks like it

“might” let you swing over to the other side?

Hmmm….which route should I choose?

K’hul

15

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Luth


Modifiers: -1 Willpower

Racial Abilities: The primary ability of the luth is their

extra set of arms. If a luth is trained in two weapon

fighting he may use either four handguns or 4 small

weapons (such as knives) at once. If the luth is

unarmed he may make one extra unarmed attack.

Luth characters receive a +2 Attack bonus when

wrestling or grapping opponents due to their extra

arms.

Racial Hindrances: -2 to any Willpower skill or ability

checks. Luth also suffer a -2 penalty when defending

against mind control Psi Powers and devices that

simulate those powers.

Luth

16

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Sagadon


Modifiers: See below

Racial Abilities: Since all sagadons are bred for a

specific purpose a sagadonian character receives a

+1 to one ability score of the player’s choice. Sagadon

characters also start with an extra 5 Vitality and take

half damage from fire, heat, and radiation based

attacks. They are immune to the effects of a

microwave gun (see TimeSPAN rulebook, chapter 4).

Racial Hindrances: Sagadons are weak against cold

and take double damage from such attacks. Their

slow reflexes force them to take a -5 penalty to Action

Order rolls. Finally, the GM spends all but 1 of the

character’s initial Basic and Advanced Skill points.

These skill points will be spent on skills related to the

character’s occupation (rolled on the chart in Chapter

6 of the Planets setting book, found under the section

“Sagadons as Player Characters”).

Sagadon

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Teph


Modifiers: +1 Power, +1 Endurance, -1 Intellect, -1

Dexterity

Racial Abilities: +2 to Power and Endurance related

skill and ability checks.

Racial Hindrances: -2 to Dexterity and Intellect related

skill and ability checks.

Teph

18

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Yeezak


Modifiers: None

Racial Abilities: Yeezak characters start with 5 extra

Vitality. Their extra eyes allow them to easily track the

movements of nearby friends and foes as well as spot

potential ambushes. Yeezaks receive a +3 bonus to

Action Order rolls as well as rolls to avoid being

surprised.

Racial Hindrances: Like the grovasti, the yeezak

race is non-psychic. They may never learn Psi

Powers and suffer a -2 on any rolls to resist them.

Yeezak

19

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Zrah


Modifiers: +1Dexterity, +1 Intellect, -1 Endurance

Racial Abilities: If a zrah gets a 10 foot running start

he can make a ramming attack with his horns. The

character uses his unarmed combat and Power

modifiers (if any) and the attack inflicts 2d6 damage.

Racial Hindrances: Zrah do not have as good a

constitution as other races and suffer a -3 to resist the

effects of poison, drugs, disease, and intoxication.

Zrah

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Expansion for my life