Stars Without Number: Scions of the Stars, Ex astris intellectus Options

[Buddha72]

MrAres wanted me to pass on that he is traveling at the moment and for some reason can't post using his phone to Dumpshock. But he is paying attention. Harken will be playing the silent solemn role while Ravenna butchers our first encounter with the Re.

As to the lack of posting I just returned from a trip over the last week a few hours ago but I do plan on bumping tomorrow. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

[JxJxA]

No worries, I knew that you and Fenris were traveling. I didn't know if Lain or MrAres needed anything else from me, so thanks for the heads up with MrAres.

[Lain]

No worries, I knew that you and Fenris were traveling. I didn't know if Lain or MrAres needed anything else from me, so thanks for the heads up with MrAres.

Sorry was paying attention but figured since Sereth did the initial contact, best if he initiated the response.. Was pretty busy weekend so time was a bit short anyway:)

[JxJxA]

No worries, I just wanted to make sure I gave enough of a bump.

[Lain]

couple quick questions
1) If people can tell if psychic powers were used against them (ie trained) is this a specific skill? Do we have it? do we automatically have it if we use psionics? For example can Sereth or Mr Ares learn it?
2) also what is the base knowledge of levels? For example if asked to setup a mind link would I know they are at least X level of psionics?
3) Would Alice know if a mind link only shares surface or directed thoughts verses allowing someone to delve in?

just want to make sure I understand how much is common knowledge etc.. Obviously a mind link that only shares directed thoughts is less intrusive then mind probing hehe

[JxJxA]

@ Lain: I'll stick with the numbers to keep everything clear

1) From what I can see in the base book, there is no skill that lets you identify what psychic skill is being used against you. P.26 only says that even those who resist a psychic power will at the most know that they have been subject to an attack, and you will not know what power was used or who attempted to use it. I imagine that both Ravenna and Alice are aware of what an unsuccessful psychic attack feels like. If Harkin and Sereth have been subject to psychic powers/attacks before, then I also imagine that they are familiar with the feeling of a failed use. From a game mastering standpoint, it also makes it easier for me if you are all aware that you dodge a psychic attack if you have made a successful mental save.

I can do a little digging to clarify, and I might be inclined to house-rule that a psychic trained in a particular power would know if that same power was unsuccessfully used against them.

2) P.65 in the Systems section deals with psychics and their knowledge of psionic disciplines. Here is the relevant quote:

The basic training given all psychics includes the introductory protocols for all of the six common psychic disciplines, and so no special training is required to develop new powers.

I read that as giving you a basic understanding of what a power does and the levels required for it, otherwise how would you be able to learn a new power without special training?

3) Based on the above, Alice would know what a mental link does and the level of telepathy needed for it. Basically, it allows both parties to share words and images freely, and is maintained indefinitely until either of the parties terminates it.

[JxJxA]

@ Buddha: Reading between the lines, you get the sense that if you work for Seyger in any capacity (outside of maybe responding to a distress call) then Re will not work with you.

[JxJxA]

@Buddha: Did you want to ask about the Re missions while you were at the consulate?

[Buddha72]

Thanks for the reminder - posted!

[JxJxA]

@ Buddha: Cool, will get an update up soon.

@ Fenris and Lain: I'm just waiting on Fenris to tell me if Sereth is ok with Xeraxes establishing a mental link with him before moving forward with your story.

[Fenris]

@JxJxA - lol...I hadn't even thought of responding. I assumed he was talking about forming the link with Alice, since she's sort of managing the 'psychic' portion of this, sorry! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

[JxJxA]

@ Fenris: No worries, I wanted to keep everyone in the loop. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

@ All: There's the big bump. I took a little liberty with Harkin handing over his weapons just to keep the scene moving. Suffice to say, I will not through surprise space ninjas at either you or Ravenna. I also figured you guys might want to RP a bit with the big giant cuttlefish rather than just get the mission info. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif) As for team psychics, Xeraxes is asking if you have a way to (1) take them from Waypoint Station to Vishwa, and (2) get them to the academy safe and sound. You can walk the 5 km through a jungle of dea---I mean the jungle of candy and fun times for all, or you can drive through it if you have another vehicle (like an ATV or gravcar, see p.48 in the main book)

[JxJxA]

Also, feel free to make knowledge or skill rolls as you see fit. Culture skill rolls will be int based, and any type of persuasion/negotiation will be cha based.

[Fenris]

Culture[Traveler] for Vishawa Academy: Culture[Spacer](+0) + Int(+1) (2d6 + 1=3)

Wow, remind me...are there botch rules for snake eyes? >.<

Also, are there any issues with the ship in terms of landing on the planet? Not sure if we're in something like the original Enterprise or something (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

[Lain]

Culture Traveler 2D6=1,2(3)
Perception to watch people around the table for signs of agitation (basically looking to see how they react to us, to our discussions (assuming he is discussing stuff seperate with them than us) (perc + wisdom to know signs of lying, uncomfortableness etc..)=2D6+1= [2,6,1] = (9)
Also Persuade(+ 0 for char) to show that I mean no harm to them, just that Alice cares for her team 2d6 → [4,5] = (9)

[JxJxA]

@ Fenris: No botches, you just don't know anything off the top of your head. You can always look up stuff on the sector's info net, but you might not be able to sift through lies, misinformation, rumors, and whatnot.

As for the ship, I gave it the atmospheric conversion modification. It can land on planets. It's best to do it on a space port. The jungle surrounding the academy will make it too difficult to land.

@ Lain: Same thing with regards to the Vishwa academy.

[JxJxA]

I just realized that there are no clear rules for lying/deception. Have you guys seen any? If not, I'm going to treat it as an opposed skill check of perception vs. persuasion. That sound fair?

[Lain]

Makes sense to me, as persuasion is the ability to convince someone..
so if one person roles a 4 in perception and the other roles a 5 in persuasion its believed?
might want to add a little.. difficulty.. for some whoppers.. ie + 2 difficulty to convince someone a bubbling green liquid is the latest in taste sensation..
on the other hand, if there is no obvious reason to disbelieve then a flat roll (No difficulty added for paranoia) makes sense..

[JxJxA]

Yeah, it would make sense to suck a penalty for trying to convince someone that 2+2=5. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/nyahnyah.gif)

[MrAres]

Yeah that rule seems reasonable. Poor Harken will just believe everything he hears (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif) I some times actually enjoy rping a character that believes things I know are bs, seduced by characters I know they should stay away from etc.

[JxJxA]

Well, one thing I was thinking about was rolling a mental save in secret to see if anyone notices someone subtly deceiving them. However, I might just make a persuasion/perception roll in secret to see if anyone picks it up. I know that stuff on forums can get really murky (it's happened to me more than once).

Also, I just wanted to be clear on the missions right now. You can do all the missions in tandem except the S&R because they want you to start right away. It's possible that the mission will still be available when you finish the others. I'll probably roll percentiles to figure out if the ship is still lost, discovered, destroyed, hijacked, etc.

[JxJxA]

@ All: I know that I'm throwing a lot of crazy system names at you, and I apologize for it. Make sure to check out the map that I have here. All you really need to worry about with the S&R is the "trapezoid" of hexes with points at 0302, 0304, 0506, and 0603. They think the lost ship is somewhere in that area. The big danger is that there are no stars there. If you run out of spike fuel, you're stuck (i.e. time to call for help).

Let me know if there is anything else I can do to make some of this clearer if it's getting confusing.

@ Lain and Fenris: I'm just waiting to see if Fenris has any other questions before pushing forward with the psychic scene.

@ MrAres: How is the char building coming along? Give a shout if you need help. I'd recommend thinking about picking up combat(gunnery) because no one is trained to fire the ship's guns. As an alternative, you can hire an NPC and take turns rolling the dice. ^_^

[JxJxA]

@ Fenris: Oops, forgot to answer your question. I'm putting an edit into the IC to have Xeraxes forward the information to you about Vishwa.

Basically, Humans are highly allergic to the planet's biosphere. Flora is edible, but not pleasant to eat. Contact with fauna provokes allergic reactions on both sides. There are no tailored anti-allergens known to counteract them, and exposure can be fatal for some. The psychics at Vishwa expect the students to survive the planet without protection.

[Fenris]

Huh, brutal about Vishwa. Thanks for the info, though.

I'm mostly givng MrAres a chance to respond to my question before I plow forward.

[JxJxA]

The good news is that you guys are welcome to use environmental equipment. The psychics, not so much. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/nyahnyah.gif)