Ephemeris:
A Science Fiction Role Playing Game
Created By
J Alan Erwine
&
Joshua Kviz
Published by Nomadic Delirium Press at Smashwords
This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
Copyright 2009 Nomadic Delirium Press
http://www.nomadicdeliriumpress.com
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any informational storage and retrieval system, without the written consent of the publisher, except by a reviewer who wishes to quote brief passages in connection with a review written for inclusion in a magazine, newspaper, website, broadcast, etc.
Nomadic Delirium Press
Aurora, Colorado
Cover Image: V838 in Monoceros
Cover Design by Laura Givens and J Alan Erwine
For my wonderful and beautiful fiancée Rebecca, who makes me want to be more than I’ve ever been in life, and for our lovely daughters, Eryn, Juliah, and Alexis…sorry girls, with me in your lives, you will be geeks.
-J Alan Erwine
For my family for showing me that aliens do exist on Earth.
-Joshua Kviz
Table of contents
The year is 2185. The human race has gone to the stars, and found that they’re not alone. Local space is teeming with civilizations, some hostile, some friendly, and some indifferent. This is the universe of Ephemeris.
Ephemeris is a game of galactic trade and galactic conquest; of inter-species conflict and cooperation. Ephemeris is a science fiction role playing game. Here you will be able to take on the role of your favorite alien species and your favorite class. You will be able to trade, fight, negotiate, conquer, whatever you’d like to do with your fellow players. You can play the role of an Althani Trader, or maybe an Arbonix Cyber Wizard, or maybe even a Human Nanist. You can create a party made up entirely of one species and set out to upset the trade routes of a rival species. Or maybe you want to create a party with a variety of species that preys upon the trading routes of the various civilizations. Or maybe you want to explore the ancient ruins on long dead planets, ruins that clearly show that there were other species roaming the spaceways in the past…but where are they now? You can fight in great wars, negotiate grand peace treaties, and explore sections of the galaxy that no sentient has ever explored. Or maybe your party has joined with one of the interplanetary corporations; corporations whose motives are never entirely clear. These are just some of the possibilities open to you.
The universe of Ephemeris is yours to do with as you please. What you now hold in your hands are the basic guidelines for the games. Here you’ll find the races, classes, abilities, skills, weapons, and ships that allow you to create your own Ephemeris universe.
Now, step inside for the greatest science fiction adventure you’ve ever been on…
THE BASICS
Welcome to the science fiction game of Ephemeris. In this very brief section, we will give you an overview of what’s contained in this book, and what you’ll need (other than a vivid imagination) to play the game.
The Contents of this Book
This basic rulebook is broken down into several chapters, each of which will give you the information you need to run a game or to play the various character classes in the game.
Attributes (Chapter 1): An in-depth look at each of the seven character attributes, including how they affect combat, research, character interaction, and every other aspect of the game.
Species (Chapter 2): An overview of the six species that make up the game Ephemeris, including special abilities of each species and an overview of how they might view the galaxy in your game.
Character Classes (Chapter 3): A look at the nine classes that make up Ephemeris, including details on what makes each class unique, including strengths and weaknesses.
Skills (Chapter 4): This chapter looks at the abilities a player can add to their character to make them uniquely their own. Included, you’ll find physical skills, sciences, and space survival skills.
Goods (Chapter 5): In this chapter you’ll find the items a character can attain over time. This includes survival gear, weapons, armor, space craft, and common goods as well.
Spells & Transferences (Chapter 6): Here you’ll find the spells for cyber-wizards and the transferences for Nanists.
Gaming Basics (Chapter 7): This chapter will give you an overview of how to play the game, including combat, information about alien atmospheres, and a wide variety of other subjects.
Hyperspace (Chapter 8): Here you’ll find information about traveling in hyperspace; a necessary, but dangerous part of the universe. You’ll learn about the dangers posed to sentient brains, and the dangers of exploring something that no one really understands.
Cyberspace (Chapter 9): This chapter will give the players the information they need for exploring cyberspace, including information on hacking, and information gathering.
Creatures (Chapter 10): This chapter gives information on some of the non-sentient, quasi-sentient, and sentient (but non-spacefaring) creatures that a game master might want to pepper the game with.
Gaming Ideas (Chapter 11): Finally, we leave you with some very basic ideas you might want to incorporate into your games. These include possible reasons why a species is now traveling in space, possible adventures, and possible rivalries.
What Will You Need to Play?
The book you hold in your hand is the first thing you’ll need, and other than that, it’s pretty simple. Each player will need at least five six-sided dice, a pencil, a few sheets of paper, and a vivid imagination.
The Game Master will also need the adventure that they’ve created to challenge the players with, but most of that goes back to that vivid imagination.
Do You Need to Know Astronomy to Play?
Although it wouldn’t hurt to know the very basics of astronomy, it isn’t absolutely necessary. If you know what a light year is and what an astronomical unit is, then you probably know enough. Even if you don’t know these things, if you’ve read or seen some science fiction, you should be able to play the game no problem. Ephemeris was designed to be fun. It’s not a lecture on astrophysics.
Metrics
As you read through these rules, you will probably notice that this game uses metrics. This is because metrics are a much more logical measurement system, and it’s our belief that metrics will be what is used once humanity does finally go to the stars. Granted, the other species in this game won’t be using the same metric system that humanity uses, but it would make the game far too complicated if we used a different measurement system for every species…so we decided to go with the metric system.
ATTRIBUTES
Your characters’ attributes are his basic abilities, such as their strength or intelligence. Almost everything that takes place is affected by your character’s attributes. Much of your character’s success in Ephemeris will be determined by dice rolls, and almost every one of those rolls will be affected by one or more of your character’s attributes.
There are seven basic attributes for each character. Those attributes are: Intelligence, Common Sense, Charisma, Sanity, Strength, Agility, and Endurance. The standard character will have ability scores that range between 2 and 12, although these basic numbers can be adjusted by race, genetic manipulation, cybernetic implants, and a rise in levels.
DETERMINING ATTRIBUTES
During character creation, each player rolls 2 six-sided dice ten times. The three lowest combined rolls are discarded, and the player then places the other 7 rolls into the abilities as they see fit.
Each character class has a prime attribute, and players must be aware of that before they assign scores. In addition, all species, except for humans, have attribute score modifiers that must be taken into account as well, and two of the classes have an attribute score modifier that must be considered.
ATTRIBUTE MODIFIERS
Every roll in the game, whether it’s a combat roll, a skill check, a sanity check, or some other check will usually be modified based on the character’s attributes. Below is a table that shows what those modifiers are. These modifiers need to be noted on the character sheet by each attribute score.
ATTRIBUTES
INTELLIGENCE
Intelligence is a measure of how well your character learns. In a lot of ways, this can be thought of as a character’s book smarts. A character’s Intelligence will determine how many skills they’re capable of knowing, and it will also modify their chance of success on some of those skills.
A low Intelligence can lead a character to make a bad decision because they don’t understand how the universe really works…so a lot of thought should be put into making sure a character has a high Intelligence score.
Intelligence also affects the number of power points a Cyber Wizard has, and the number of nanos a Nanist has.
Intelligence is the primary attribute for Cyber Wizards, Nanists, and Scientists.
The Intelligence modifier is used whenever a character uses one of the following skills: Appraise, Astrophysics, Celestial Mapping, Computerese, Cybernetics, Engineering, Forgery, Genetics, Hacking, Hyperspatial Mechanics, Linguistics, Nanotech, Navigation, Net Running, and Sciences.
COMMON SENSE
Common Sense is the measure of how logical your character is. Another way of thinking of Common Sense is that it’s a character’s street smarts. Common Sense is what will usually get your character out of trouble after intelligence fails.
A low Common Sense can lead to a character making a bad decision because they just don’t know any better. Low Common Sense means that the character doesn’t understand what effect their actions can have on the universe.
Common Sense is the primary attribute for Bandits, Law Enforcers, and Explorers.
The Common Sense modifier is used whenever a character uses one of the following skills: Decipher, Innuendo, Listen, Mechanics, Micro Gravity Survival, Mining, Piloting, Search, Sense Motive, Spot, and Survival.
CHARISMA
Charisma is the charm and personality of a character. In a game like Ephemeris this might be more important than in some other games. Your character will often have to try to charm his way out of a situation or they may need to try and charm their way into a better trade deal.
Charisma is the modifier for reaction checks.
Charisma is the primary attribute for Diplomats and Traders.
The Charisma modifier is used whenever a character uses one of the following skills: Bluff, Diplomacy, Etiquette, Gather Information, Interrogation, Intimidate, and Negotiation.
SANITY
Sanity is a measure of a character’s grasp on reality. Many things in the game can cause a character to lose Sanity. For example: travel in hyperspace, genetic manipulation, and cybernetic implants. When all else fails in negotiations, trade, or just about anything else, a Sanity check can often save a character at the last moment…or the stress on a character’s Sanity could cause them to lose all control.
If a character misses an a check that involves Intelligence, Common Sense, or Charisma by just 1 or 2 points, they can try a Sanity check to see if they can make the check with that score.
The Sanity modifier is only used in the Concentration skill check, but anyone can imagine how important concentration is. And even though Sanity may not play much of a role in skill checks, it is still a very important attribute, and any player should think about setting this score high if they’re planning on doing much travel in hyperspace, or if they want their character to undergo a lot of cybernetic or genetic upgrades…because all of these can damage a character’s Sanity.
If a character’s Sanity score drops to 5, they begin to suffer from a mental illness. At that point, the game master should have them roll a six-sided die. The table below is then consulted:
1 Depression
2 Paranoia
3 Anxiety
4 Schizophrenia
5 Multiple Personality Disorder
6 Dementia
The lower the sanity score is, the more severe the case is. A 5 is very mild, and the character will only manifest symptoms under severe stress. It is possible to take nanos as a treatment for a mental illness. The cost is 10 credits per day for every point under 6. Thus a character with a Sanity score of 3 would have to pay 30 credits a day to keep their mental illness in check…even then, flare ups are possible. Any time a character comes under severe stress, they must make a Sanity check using two six-sided dice. If they fail to roll their Sanity score or lower, they have an attack of their mental illness…meaning that sever symptoms will suddenly manifest themselves, causing all kinds of problems for the character.
The game master must make sure that the player is playing a mentally ill character properly. Experience penalties could be exacted for not playing the character well.
If a character’s Sanity score should fall to zero, then that character is considered to be in a catatonic state, and can no longer be used in the game.
STRENGTH
Strength is a character’s physical prowess. It affects their ability to lift and carry objects, the success and damage of a physical attack, and is a modifier for several skills. Higher strengths also allow a character to better function under high gravity.
For every point of Strength, the character can carry 20 kilograms of weight.
In combat, the Strength bonus is added to any attack dice rolled by a character when they’re using a handheld weapon. It would not apply to a plasma pistol, but if the character were using a sword, or some sort of club, they would add their Strength bonus to their attack dice roll. (More information about combat will be given in Chapter 7: Gaming Basics.)
Strength is the primary attribute for the soldier/merc class.
The Strength modifier is used whenever a character uses one of the following skills: Climb, Jump, and Swim.
AGILITY
Agility is the measure of a character’s reflexes. Agility modifies a character’s defense dice, some of their attack dice, and it also affects their initiative. Agility is also a modifier for several skills. Agility is affected by both high and low gravities, so a high score can help a character better function in gravities that are outside of what they’re used to.
In a combat, a character adds their Agility bonus to any defense dice rolls they might make. In addition, a character also adds their Agility modifier to any attacks that are done at a distance, such as with plasma pistols, neuronic whips, bows and arrows, and other such weapons. (More information about combat will be given in Chapter 7: Gaming Basics.)
The Agility modifier is used whenever a character uses one of the following skills: Balance, Hide, and Stealth.
ENDURANCE
Endurance is a measure of a character’s stamina and their ability to incur damage. A high Endurance can also help a character function better in high gravity. Endurance is used to modify a character’s health, and is also used to modify several character skills.
Each time a character advances in levels, they roll a specific number of six-sided dice (depending on their class) to determine how many health points they can add. They also add their Endurance bonus to the dice total each time they gain a level. Please keep in mind that no matter how bad a character’s Endurance penalty might be, they always gain at least one health point each time they gain a level.
The Endurance modifier is only used to modify the fitness skill, but given that an Endurance bonus will increase your character’s overall health, it’s easy to see how important a high Endurance attribute is.
SPECIES MODIFIERS
All species, other than humans, have attribute score modifiers that are applied to their characters at the beginning of the game. They are as follows:
ALTHANI: +1 strength, +1 endurance, -2 agility
ARBONIX: +2 agility, -2 strength
CULTHAN: +1 intelligence, +1 endurance, -2 sanity
MELANATHEE: +1 intelligence, +1 common sense, -2 charisma
TULMATH: +1 charisma, +1 intelligence, -2 endurance
MAXIMUM ATTRIBUTES
The majority of species can not exceed an initial score of 12 in any ability, even with racial modifiers. The only way a character can exceed their species maximums is through cybernetic implants or genetic manipulations. Some species, however, have maximum attributes that are higher or lower than a score of 12. Those differences are as follows:
CHARACTER MODIFICATIONS
Due to special circumstances, two character classes receive minor attribute modifications when they’re created.
Due to their cybernetic implants, all Cyber Wizards suffer a -1 penalty to their Sanity when they’re created. As a result, the Species Maximums for this class are one lower than they would be for other classes. For example, a Culthan Cyber Wizard would have a maximum sanity of 9, while a Human Cyber Wizard would have a maximum sanity of 11. These maximums can not be exceeded except with genetic or cybernetic manipulation.
Due to the intensive physical training, the Soldier/Merc class receives a +1 to their Endurance score when they are created. However, this bonus can not push an Endurance score over a character’s species maximum.
RAISING ATTRIBUTE SCORES
There are three main methods to raise a character’s attribute scores “permanently.”
At 5th level, and every five levels after that, a character may raise any one attribute score by one point. It’s assumed that as characters explore the galaxy, they will get better at what they do. However, this modification can not raise an ability score past a species maximum.
Characters can have cybernetics implanted into their body. There’s a wide variety of these implants, and they’ll be discussed more in the section on cybernetic implants. These implants can raise ability scores, but there is also the possibility that a character will suffer damage to their sanity score with each new implant.
Characters can also undergo genetic manipulation to increase ability scores, but like cybernetic implants, this too can cause a loss of sanity.
Some spells that Cyber-Wizards and Nanists can use will allow a character to temporarily raise their ability scores. These temporary increases can exceed the Species Maximums.
AN EXAMPLE OF CREATING A CHARACTER
Rebecca has decided that she wants to play a Culthan Trader. Once she has her character sheet, she rolls two six-sided dice 10 times. Her results are: 6, 10, 7, 8, 9, 8, 7, 6, 11, and 9.
She discards the three lowest rolls, the two sixes and one of the sevens.
Since a Trader needs a high Charisma, she decides to assign the 11 to that ability, and because of the Culthan’s problems with Sanity, she decides to assign the 10 to that ability…especially since her Trader will be spending a lot of time in hyperspace, she knows that a high Sanity score will be very important. She also knows that piloting and navigation are very important to a Trader, so she wants to make sure she has high Common Sense and Intelligence scores, since those attributes affect those two skills. Therefore, she applies her two rolls of 9 to those abilities. The 8’s go to the character’s Agility and Endurance, while the 7 is given to the character’s Strength.
She then applies the Culthan modifiers, which are a +1 to Intelligence and Endurance and a -2 to Sanity.
Once she has assigned all of the abilities, and applied the Culthan modifiers, her character’s attributes look like this:
INTELLIGENCE: 10
COMMON SENSE: 9
CHARISMA: 11
SANITY: 8
STRENGTH: 7
AGILITY: 8
ENDURANCE: 9
With these scores, Rebecca’s Culthan Trader would have the following modifiers (which would be applied to the appropriate dice rolls) for each of her attributes:
INTELLIGENCE: +2
COMMON SENSE: +1
CHARISMA: +3
SANITY: no bonus or penalty
STRENGTH: no bonus or penalty
AGILITY: no bonus or penalty
ENDURANCE: +1
THE SPECIES
There are six main species in Ephemeris at this time. These are the species that are in the area that is fairly close to the Earth. Each of these species evolved in their own way on their home planets, and should not be thought of as just another kind of human
Although it’s not really believable that there could be six species in this sector of space that are basically equal in their technology, for purposes of the game, they have to be. If they weren’t, everyone would want to play the species that is the most advanced.
Each species has strengths and weaknesses, and the game master should make sure the players are playing their characters according to those strengths and weaknesses.
The specifics of how the various species get along in each game of Ephemeris is up to the game master that is running the game. We’ve tried to make these rules as open as possible, so that the game masters and players can create the universe that they really want to play in.
ALTHANI
The Althani come from a high gravity planet orbiting Epsilon Indi. They’re short squat creatures that in some ways resemble the bipedal saurians of ancient Earth. Unlike the ancient dinosaurs of Earth, the Althani have either two or four powerful arms. Even the Althani aren’t sure why some of their species have two arms and others have four. It would seem to be some evolutionary artifact that no longer serves any function.
It’s even possible that the differences could be used to create some form of racism in a game, should a game master so desire.
The Althani homeworld has gone through more changes than most planets in the habitable range of a star would normally see. As a result, the Althani are better able to adapt to hostile environments. When exposed to an atmosphere that is different from their own, they make their Endurance checks as if their Endurance score was two higher than it actually is.
Althani tend to be brutish creatures, and they’re often perceived as being rude, arrogant, and egotistical by the other species of the galaxy. Most Althani like being described that way, and they’ll often do everything they can to perpetuate those feelings with others.
The Althani make great soldiers due to their Strength and Endurance, but while they’re fearsome fighters, they’re not good losers. Should an Althani lose in any form of combat, they must immediately make a Sanity check using two dice. If they fail to roll their Sanity score or lower, they immediately lose one Sanity point, and the loss is permanent.
Due to the high gravity of their homeworld, the Althani receive a +1 bonus to their Strength and Endurance, but they suffer a -2 penalty to their Agility at the beginning of the game. Due to their militaristic training, all Althani gain a +1 attack bonus with the weapon of their choice at first level.
ARBONIX
Of all the major races, the Arbonix are the only ones capable of
flight. The Arbonix, however, don’t have wings or any of the
appendages that flying creatures might have on another planet.
Instead, they achieve flight by taking in the atmosphere surrounding
them. This gas enters small tubules along their chest and is then
routed to a pouch inside their chest, which converts the gas into a
super heated substance that is extremely light. The gas then is
allowed to escape from flaps in their membranous skin…thus giving
the Arbonix propulsion. When not in flight, the Arbonix are able to
store gasses to be super heated at a later time in case they need to
fly in a non-atmospheric setting. It’s also important to note that
an Arbonix spacesuit or alien environment suit needs to have vacuum
safe intake valves that will allow gas to enter the tubules.
Every other species seems to think that the Arbonix are evolved from flying creatures similar to what the other species have on their planets, but the Arbonix are actually evolved from large baloonish creatures with hooked beaks. Their skin tends to be very elastic, which helps on their homeworld, a small planet orbiting Beta Canum Ventacarium (also known as Chara on Earth). The atmosphere of their homeworld is a very harsh and very thick shell of boiling gasses that is quite toxic to all non-native life, but the Arbonix's elastic skin has allowed them to adapt to the harsh environment, and in fact, this type of skin is very common among most of the lifeforms on the planet.
The Arbonix have very sleek skin that is orangish in color, and they are often perceived as a dainty race because of their small and thin statures. While many fear their abilities in the air, they tend to dismiss their abilities on firm ground…this is often a fatal mistake, for although the Arbonix may be weaker than many races, they’re quite agile, and can be quite deadly.
At the beginning of the game, the Arbonix receive a +2 bonus to their Agility and a -2 penalty to their Strength.
The Arbonix can see slightly into the infrared and ultraviolet, and as a result, they gain a +2 bonus on both the search and spot skills.
CULTHAN
T
he
Culthan are often referred to as the mad race, although never to
their faces. They’re known for having very short tempers, and
insanity seems to run in many, if not all of their bloodlines.
Although they tend to be very intelligent, something in their past
has started them on a road to madness that they can’t seem to
escape. This madness drives them, and the Culthan always seem to be
at war with at least one of the other major species, and they often
try to dominate some of the lesser species as well.
The Culthan home world is a frigid ice planet orbiting Alpha Mensae. The system lacks a massive gas giant, and as a result, much of the clutter from the evolution of the star system remains. For this reason, the Culthan home world is constantly bombarded by meteors and even the occasional asteroid.
Long ago, one of these asteroid impacts moved the planet farther from its primary, causing the atmosphere to freeze, leaving the evolutionary ancestors of the Culthan desperate for survival.
All life on the planet was forced to find means of coping with the growing ice on the surface, and the perpetual darkness that the ice was bringing to the planet.
In order to cope with the harsh environment, the Culthan evolved with a powerful exoskeleton; the inside of which is covered with millions of tiny cilia moving at a high rate of speed to keep the Culthan from freezing to death. Using their four legs to move, the Culthan dig through the ice with a sharp pick like appendage that protrudes from the front of their exoskeleton. The two front legs of the Culthan can double as arms, and it’s with these limbs that the Culthan began to manipulate their environment, and thus helped their evolution along.
In the galactic society, the Culthan are very intelligent. Usually they are scientists, cyber wizards, or nanists. Maybe this is so they can better protect the rest of the races on their homeworld, or maybe it’s an attempt to end their own madness.
At the beginning of the game, the Culthan receive a +1 bonus to their intelligence and their endurance, but they suffer a -2 penalty to their sanity. Due to their dark environment, the Culthan are able to see into the infrared spectrum and are also able to see slightly into the ultraviolet as well. This ability to see into the infrared gives the Culthan a +2 bonus on their search and spot skill checks.
HUMANITY
Humanity is the newest species to reach the stars and is sometimes viewed as an upstart, and at other times they are viewed as injecting new life into the starlanes. It mostly depends on who you’re talking to, and what humanity has been doing of late.
Humans are fairly adaptable at whatever they try to do, but depending on the type of game the game master chooses to run, humans could be exiles in the galaxy or they could be viewed as the great saviors, or they could be just another species trying to carve out survival in what can be a very deadly galaxy.
At the beginning of the game, humans receive an additional 4 skill points that they can divide up, with no more than two points being given to any one skill. This is above and beyond the three point maximum allowed for any skill at first level, so it’s possible for a Human to assign five skill points to a skill at first level, but not at any level after that.
Humans have no bonuses or penalties to their attributes at the beginning of the game.
MELANATHEE
T
he
Melanathee are the elders of the galactic civilization, although they
talk of long forgotten races. No one is sure if these species were
real, or if it is just a joke the Melanathee enjoy playing on the
younger species.
The Melanathee home world is a large heavily clouded moon of a gas giant orbiting the star classified as HD 69830. Of all the worlds that are inhabited in the galaxy this is by far the toughest, and the Melanathee have carved out a niche on every corner of the world that they possibly could.
Though the Melanathee are considered to be somewhat humanoid in most appearances, their bodies are actually the crystallized gases of their home. The true being of the Melanathee is the Corona Heart.
The Melanathee started out life as magnetic and sentient masses (the Corona Heart) that over time have evolved the ability to attract atmospheric gas and crystallize it into solid structures that they can morph into appendages or whatever else they might need to manipulate their environment. This ability allows them to blend in (under casual observation) just about anywhere they go, but the morphic ability is not instantaneous, and it takes a great toll on the Corona Heart. The morphic ability takes anywhere from three to ten days to complete and it leaves the Corona Heart drained for a full week, and unable to change the Melanathee shape again. At that point, the Melanathee can again begin to function as they normally do. In addition, the Melanathee can only undertake these types of metamorphoses half a dozen times every year.
This transformation is not perfect, and any detailed examination will show the observer that they are actually looking at a Melanathee and not some other creature, but in a crowd, the Melanathee can blend in pretty well. They can use this ability away from their homeworld, but they don’t always like to because they are very vulnerable during the time it takes the Corona Heart to recharge itself.
This is such a bizarre ability, that many feel the Melanathee were probably uplifted by a previous civilization, because it’s hard to imagine this ability evolving on its own.
Even though the Melanathee are able to blend in, they still tend to be a bit standoffish. They prefer to socialize with their own race, but will associate with others if they feel it’s absolutely necessary for whatever it is they need to achieve, but they will usually make it clear that they’re only tolerating the “inferior” species.
The Melanathee are also the only a-sexual race. At the end of a Melanathee’s life, the Corona Heart breaks into three or four pieces, which mature into new Melanathee. During this “childhood,” the Melanathee are cared for by other members of the race. No one is quite sure if these are family members, or exactly how it’s decided that care will be given to the “young.”
At the beginning of the game, the Melanathee receive a +1 bonus to their intelligence and common sense, but they suffer a -2 penalty to their charisma. All Melanathee are trained in the sciences, and any Melanathee character automatically gains two skill points in the science of their choice.
Due to their slightly morphic nature, all Melanathee receive a +2 bonus on the disguise skill.
(The Melanathee pictured is attempting to pass itself off as human.)
TULMATH
T
he
Tulmath are generally the most widely accepted of the major races.
For centuries, their civilization has been admired because of their
extensive research in to everything, from the micro to the macro.
In some ways, the Tulmath resemble the slugs of Earth, but this is an unfair and narrow minded description because they only resemble slugs in the most base of way. The Tulmath actually have six limbs, the two back limbs are used for propulsion, while the two front limbs are used to manipulate their environment. The two central limbs can be used in either way. The Tulmath do have a large structure on their back that does seem to resemble the shell of a snail, but it actually contains their breathing organs as well as sensory organs that give them a unique view of the universe. These organs are able to perceive energy waves that others would never even be aware of. As a result, the Tulmath gain a +1 bonus when facing attacks from energy weapons, spells, or nanos. This gives them a +1 defense bonus against energy weapons, and it gives them a +1 bonus on attribute checks against spells and nanos that are energy based (such as lightning bolt or bind.) This extra sense, however, does not work if the Tulmath wear any kind of armor that is energy based (such as ablative armor or force shields.)
The Tulmath are a tri-sexual species. Scientists from the other species have been trying to learn for decades exactly how the Tulmath reproduce, but the Tulmath, despite their general openness to other species, have not revealed this information to anyone…and research on dead Tulmath have failed to answer the question as well.
The Tulmath homeworld is a small planet orbiting Sigma Draconis. The planet’s gravity is about two-thirds of that of Earth, and as a result, the Tulmath don’t always have the endurance that some of the other species have.
Many Tulmath become traders, and their intelligence and charm make them popular in whatever star system they visit. Since so many of them are traders, they are greatly responsible for keeping the galactic economy going.
At the beginning of the game, the Tulmath receive a +1 bonus to their charisma and intelligence, but they suffer a -2 penalty to their endurance. Because of Tulmath training, all Tulmath characters gain an extra skill point in diplomacy and etiquette at the start of the game.
CHARACTER CLASSES
A character’s class can basically be thought of as their job in the game of Ephemeris. This is a very generalized description, and it might not work for your particular game, but it is, at least, a good starting point.
There are nine character classes in the game, and each brings with it certain benefits and short-comings. A character’s class will determine what kinds of abilities they get as the game develops, and it will determine much of what happens throughout the game.
In order to play a successful game of Ephemeris, it’s usually best to have a variety of character classes. The Game Master might inform you as to what types of characters will work best for his/her adventure, but then again, they might not.
Ultimately, for the game to be as fun as possible, the players should be allowed to play whatever class they’d like, but players should keep in mind that a balance of characters works best, and at times, even they have to listen to the game master’s advice.
LEVEL ADVANCEMENT
Throughout the game, characters will gain experience. As they do, they will advance in levels, gaining more attack and defense dice, more health, more skills, and special abilities that are unique to their class.
On the next page is a table that charts out the advancement of levels. You can see that advancement is quicker at lower levels because it’s much easier for a character to die at low levels in what is basically a hostile galaxy.
Experience can be gained in a variety of ways. Defeating enemies in combat, successfully negotiating a new trade route, diplomatically avoiding war, completing a trade mission, raiding a trade mission, and these are just a few possibilities.
This will be discussed in greater detail in GAMING BASICS (CHAPTER 7).
ATTACK/DEFENSE DICE BY CLASS AND LEVEL:
Whenever a character is in a combat situation, they roll a specific number of six sided dice for both their attack rolls and their defense rolls. To that dice roll is added any bonuses the characters might have for strength, agility, skill bonuses, or whatever else they might receive a bonus from. More detailed information about how to handle combat is listed in GAMING BASICS (CHAPTER 7).
Below is listed the number of dice for each character class at each level.
THE CHARACTER CLASSES
BANDIT
Background: The Bandit is a generalized class, and tends to be one of the more adaptable classes. Within this class you can find pirates, bounty hunters, and just about anyone else that decides to live outside of the laws. With the proper cybernetic enhancements, a bandit could even become an amazing hacker and data thief. The bandit can ply his trade on a planet or out among the stars, depending on the adventure.
A bandit can be an independent thief, part of a larger crime organization, or could even be in the employ of a corporation or maybe even a government. All of that can be determined based on the type of game you are playing.
Bandits tend to prefer the company of other bandits, but they often bring other classes into their bands, with Cyber Wizards being their favorite…and who can blame them? They will also often join with less reputable traders. Obviously bandits are not likely to adventure with Law Officers.
Primary Attributes: The primary attribute for a Bandit is Common Sense, but having good attribute scores in most of the other attributes can be very helpful as well. When considering where to put attribute scores, a player should take into account whether or not the game is going to be more space based or planet based…if the game master lets them know.
Health: A bandit rolls three six sided dice with every level advancement, adding in their Endurance bonus.
Skills: All Bandits start out with one skill point in the following: stealth, decipher, disguise, survival, gather information, weapon skill (player’s choice).
Starting Equipment: The Bandit starts off the game with one of the following: flechette pistol, plasma pistol, or a level one ablative shield.
ABILITIES RECEIVED AS THE BANDIT ADVANCES IN LEVELS:
2nd Level: The Bandit adds an additional skill point in both bluff and forgery. This is above and beyond the normal skill points gained for class advancement.
3rd Level: At this level, the Bandit gets a choice of adding a +1 to their attack bonus with a weapon of choice (this can’t be changed as the Bandit advances) or they can add one skill point to each of the following: stealth, decipher, disguise, survival, and gather information.
4th Level: By this time, the Bandit has usually spent a lot of time trying to avoid detection. As a result, they gain either the Self Stealth or the Ship Stealth ability.
Self Stealth: A Bandit with at least 4 skill points in the stealth skill can now add their class level to their attempts to hide themselves.
Ship Stealth: A Bandit with at least 4 skill points in piloting and navigation can now add their class level when attempting to hide a ship from detection…provided the Bandit is the pilot or navigator.
6th Level: At this level, the Bandit has the option of either adding a 1st level Bandit to their band, or they can roll an additional six sided die and add that to their health. They do not get an endurance bonus with this roll.
7th Level: The Bandit adds an additional skill point in disguise and innuendo. This is above and beyond the normal skill points gained for class advancement.
8th Level: At this level, the Bandit gets a choice of adding a +1 to their defense bonus, or they can add one skill point to each of the following: stealth, decipher, disguise, survival, gather information.
9th Level: The Bandit gets either the Self Stealth or the Ship Stealth ability, depending on which one they did not pick at 4th Level.
11th Level: At this level, the Bandit has the option of either adding a 2nd level Bandit to their band, or they can roll an additional six sided die and add that to their health. They do not get an endurance bonus with this roll.
12th Level: The Bandit adds an additional skill point in hide and search. This is above and beyond the normal skill points gained for class advancement.
13th Level: At this level, the Bandit can choose from one of three options. They can add a +1 to their attack bonus with a weapon of choice. (This can be stacked with the choice they made at 3rd Level or it can be with an entirely different weapon.) Or they can add a +1 to their defense bonus, or they can add one skill point to each of the following: stealth, decipher, disguise, survival, gather information.
14th Level: The Bandit gains the Detect Stealth ability. This allows the character to add their class level whenever they’re searching for an individual or a ship that is hiding or stealthed.
16th Level: At this level, the Bandit has the option of either adding a 3rd level Bandit to their band, or they can roll an additional six sided die and add that to their health. They do not get an endurance bonus with this roll.
17th Level: The Bandit gains an additional skill point in survival and intimidate. This is above and beyond the normal skill points gained for class advancement.
18th Level: Again the Bandit may choose from one of three options. They can add a +1 to their attack bonus with a weapon of choice. (This can be stacked with the choices made at lower level, or it can be with an entirely different weapon.) Or they can add a +1 to their defense bonus, or they can add one skill point to each of the following: stealth, decipher, disguise, survival, and gather information.
19th Level: The Bandit gains the Absolute Stealth ability. At this point, a Bandit using stealth, either in a ship or as an individual, can only be detected by a character of at least 19th level.
Example: 1st level Althani Bandit
Intelligence: 6
Common Sense: 12
Charisma: 7
Sanity: 10
Strength: 10
Agility: 9
Endurance: 10
Health: 18
Skills:
Balance: 1
Bluff: 0
Climb: 2
Concentration: 2
Decipher: 6
Diplomacy: 0
Disguise: 6
Etiquette: 0
Fitness: 2
Forgery: 0
Gather Information: 2
Hand to Hand Combat: 2
Hide: 1
Innuendo: 3
Interrogation: 0
Intimidate: 0
Jump: 2
Listen: 4
Mechanics: 6
Micro Gravity Survival: 6
Mining: 4
Navigation: 1
Negotiation: 0
Piloting: 5
Search: 4
Sense Motive: 4
Spot: 4
Stealth: 3
Survival: 6
Swim: 2
Weapon Skill (Plasma Pistol): 2
Defense Bonus: 1
Progressed:
5th Level Althani Bandit
Intelligence: 6
Common Sense: 13
Charisma: 7
Sanity: 9
Strength: 10 (Cyber enhanced: 11)
Agility: 9
Endurance: 10
Health: 83
Skills:
Astrophysics: 2
Balance: 1
Bluff: 1
Climb: 2 (3)
Computerese: 2
Concentration: 1
Decipher: 9
Diplomacy: 0
Disguise: 10
Etiquette: 0
Fitness: 2
Forgery: 1
Gather Information: 2
Hand to Hand Combat: 2 (3)
Hide: 1
Innuendo: 6
Interrogation: 0
Intimidate: 0
Jump: 2 (3)
Listen: 6
Mechanics: 6
Micro Gravity Survival: 8
Mining: 5
Navigation: 3
Negotiation: 0
Piloting: 8
Search: 10
Sense Motive: 5
Spot: 5
Stealth: 7
Survival: 7
Swim: 2 (3)
Weapon Skill (Plasma Pistol): 2
Defense Bonus: 1
Special Abilities:
Weapon of choice: Plasma Pistol
Ship Stealth: The Bandit adds their class level to any attempts at hiding a ship from detection, provided they’re the pilot or navigator.
CYBER WIZARD
Background: The Cyber Wizard is one of the most dangerous classes in existence. They use a wide variety of cybernetic implants to enhance various energies that allow them to create what appears to be magic. Cyber Wizards tend to be obsessed with knowing everything that people say can’t be known. If there are any mysteries left in the universe, you can be assured that a Cyber Wizard will be trying to uncover those secrets.
Cyber Wizards are often loners, but they can be seen exploring with any other class. Who wouldn’t want a character with the powers of a Cyber Wizard at their side?
A possible problem and possible limitation for the Cyber Wizard is that cybernetics might be illegal on some planets, or possibly even in entire sectors of space. This could lead to some serious problems, and some interesting adventures for the Cyber Wizard.
Primary Attributes: The primary attribute for the Cyber Wizard is Intelligence but other attributes can also be important. A Cyber Wizard will always want to continue boosting their endurance score because their cybernetic implants cause them to have limited health, and it can be a very dangerous galaxy…especially when an enemy realizes you’re a Cyber Wizard…that makes you a quick target. The biggest drawback to the Cyber Wizard is that they’ve already had so much cybernetic work done to them before they begin adventuring that they suffer a -1 penalty to their sanity. This penalty lowers the maximum racial score for sanity.
Health: The Cyber Wizard rolls two six sided dice with each level advancement, adding in their endurance bonus.
Skills: All Cyber Wizards start out adventuring with one skill point in each of the following: hacking, computerese, disguise, net running, cybernetics and concentration.
Starting Equipment: A Cyber Wizard starts the game out with a Cyber Wizard Staff.
Level Advancement: Advancing levels is much harder for Cyber Wizards than it is for other character classes. Whenever a Cyber Wizard advances, they must have more cybernetics installed. The price for these cybernetics is equal to 100 credits X the level the character is trying to attain.
The installation of these new cybernetics poses a couple of problems for the character. First of all, the character must have the ability to install the cybernetics themselves. This means that the Cyber Wizard must have a number of skill points in cybernetics equal to the level they are trying to attain. In addition, the character must make a Sanity check once the cybernetics are installed. When the character makes the check, they roll a specific number of six-sided dice. Their roll must be lower than their current Sanity score, or they permanently lose one point of Sanity, and they have to install the cybernetics again. This costs them the same amount of money again, and the character must once again make a Sanity check, using their new lower Sanity score.
The number of dice that are rolled depends on the level the character is trying to attain as follows:
2-8 one die
9-12 two dice
13-17 three dice
18 four dice
As a Cyber Wizard advances, they gain access to more spells. Below is a table that outlines how many spells of each spell level they can have at each class level. The number that is listed is the number of spells that should be recorded on the player’s character sheet. The Cyber Wizard has a set number of cyber points that they can use each day. With these points, they’re able to access the spells they know. The number of cyber points it takes to cast a specific spell is based on the spell level. For example, Phase is a third level spell, it would require the use of 3 cyber points to cast this spell.
When the Cyber Wizard is determining how many Cyber Points they have, they must be sure to add their Intelligence bonus. So a 5th level Cyber Wizard with a 12 Intelligence would have 18 Cyber Points. 14 for being fifth level, and 4 from their Intelligence bonus.
The table below outlines how many spell points the character has at each level, and how many spells of each spell level they have access to:
ABILITIES RECEIVED AS THE CYBER WIZARD ADVANCES IN LEVELS:
2nd Level: The Cyber Wizard adds an additional skill point in cybernetics. This is above and beyond the normal skill points gained for class advancement.
3rd Level: The Cyber Wizard has the choice of adding +1 to their Sanity checks when they have new cybernetics installed (meaning that they would make the Sanity check as if their Sanity was one point higher than it really is), or they can add a skill point in each of the following: hacking, computerese, disguise, net running, cybernetics, and concentration. If the player takes the bonus to their cybernetic Sanity checks, this should be considered at all future level advancements.
4th Level: As the Cyber Wizard masters more energy, they’re able to focus those energies on one spell, allowing the Cyber Wizard to cast that spell as if they were one level higher. For example a 4th Level Cyber Wizard could select a spell, like Energy Bolt and they would be able to cast it as if they were 5th level. This spell can not be changed later in the game, so careful thought must be put into what spell the Cyber Wizard wants to select.
6th Level: Even though Cyber Wizards tend to loathe the idea of combat with weapons, they do realize that it’s sometimes a necessary evil. As a result, by this time in their training, they’ve learned to defend themselves, and thus they add a +1 to their defense bonus.
7th Level: The Cyber Wizard adds an additional skill point in concentration. This is above and beyond the normal skill points gained for class advancement.
8th Level: The Cyber Wizard has the choice of adding +1 to their Sanity checks when they have new cybernetics installed (this would stack with the +1 option from Level 3, if they took it), or they can add a skill point in each of the following: hacking, computerese, disguise, net running, cybernetics, and concentration. If the player takes the bonus to their cybernetic Sanity checks, this should be considered at all future level advancements.
9th Level: The Cyber Wizard can again focus their energies on one specific spell, just as they did at 4th Level. This can be used on the same spell that they chose at 4th Level, or it can be used on a completely different spell. If the same spell is chosen, they would then cast that spell as if they were two levels higher than they actually are.
11th Level: Cyber Wizards slowly learn to use weapons over time, and at this point, they’re able to add a +1 attack bonus to the weapon of their choice.
12th Level: The Cyber Wizard adds an additional skill point in computerese. This is above and beyond the normal skill points gained for class advancement.
13th Level: The Cyber Wizard has the choice of adding +1 to their Sanity checks when they have new cybernetics installed (this would stack with the +1 option from Levels 3 and 8, if they took it) or they can add a skill point in each of the following: hacking, computerese, disguise, net running, cybernetics, and concentration. If the player takes the bonus to their cybernetic Sanity checks, this should be considered at all future level advancements.
14th Level: The Cyber Wizard can again focus their energies on one specific spell, just as they did at 4th and 9th Levels. This can be used on the same spell that they chose at 4th or 9th Level, or it can be used on a completely different spell. If the same spell is chosen, they would then cast that spell as if they were two or three levels higher than they actually are, depending on how many times they’ve chosen to enhance that specific spell.
16th Level: At this point, the Cyber Wizard can choose to either add another +1 to their defense bonus, or they can add a +1 to their attack bonus with a weapon of their choice. They can choose the same weapon that they chose at 11th Level, in which case they would now have a +2 bonus with that weapon.
17th Level: The Cyber Wizard adds an additional skill point in Nanotech. This is above and beyond the normal skill points gained for class advancement.
18th Level: By this point, the Cyber Wizard has had so much cybernetic work done to their body that they no longer need to make sanity checks when they have new cybernetics installed…provided they have any sanity left.
19th Level: The Cyber Wizard can again focus their energies on one specific spell, just as they did at 4th, 9th, and 14th Levels. This can be used on the same spell that they chose at 4th, 9th, or 14th Levels, or it can be used on a completely different spell. If the same spell is chosen, they would then cast that spell as if they were two, three, or four levels higher than they actually are, depending on how many times they’ve chosen to enhance that specific spell.
Example: 1st Level Arbonix Cyber Wizard
Intelligence: 10
Common Sense: 6
Charisma: 6
Sanity: 7
Strength: 5
Agility: 9
Endurance: 10
Health: 9
Skills:
Balance: 1
Bluff: 0
Climb: -1
Computerese: 4
Concentration: 2
Cybernetics: 4
Decipher: 0
Diplomacy: 0
Disguise: 2
Etiquette: 0
Fitness: 2
Forgery: 2
Gather Information: 1
Hacking: 4
Hand to Hand Combat: 1
Hide: 1
Innuendo: 0
Interrogation: 0
Intimidate: 0
Jump: -1
Listen: 1
Mining: 0
Net Running: 4
Piloting: 1
Search: 0
Spot: 0
Stealth: 1
Survival: 0
Swim: -1
Weapon Skill (Plasma Spear): 2
Defense Bonus: 1
Progressed:
Example: 5th Level Arbonix Cyber Wizard
Intelligence: 11
Common Sense: 6
Charisma: 6
Sanity: 7
Strength: 5
Agility: 9 (Cyber Enhanced: 10)
Endurance: 10
Health: 51
Skills:
Balance: 1 (2)
Bluff: 2
Climb: 1
Computerese: 7
Concentration: 3
Cybernetics: 8
Decipher: 1
Diplomacy: 0
Disguise: 3
Etiquette: 0
EVA: 2
Fitness: 2
Forgery: 2
Gather Information: 3
Genetics: 5
Hacking: 6
Hand to Hand Combat: 3
Hide: 1 (2)
Innuendo: 2
Interrogation: 0
Intimidate: 0
Jump: 1
Listen: 1
Mining: 0
Nanotech: 5
Net Running: 4
Piloting: 2
Search: 2
Spot: 0
Stealth: 1 (2)
Survival: 0
Swim: 1
Weapon Skill (Plasma Spear): 2
Weapon Skill (Plasma Pistol): 2
Defense Bonus: 1 (2)
Special Abilities:
+1 on cybernetic sanity checks
One spell has been enhanced by one level
DIPLOMAT
Background: The Diplomat is the person that makes things work. They forge the treaties, and make the alliances, and they’re the ones that try to stop the wars. The diplomat might seem like the type of character that would just sit around and talk, but any good diplomat, especially in the 22nd century will tell you that sometimes a weapon can be a great diplomatic tool. Diplomats are usually employed by governments or corporations, but often times, an independent trader might bring a diplomat along…to smooth over difficult relations…or to help fight their way out of failed negotiations. Diplomats are very skilled with communicating with other individuals, and this can come in handy in any kind of campaign.
Diplomats will often be found in the company of soldier/mercs, law officers, scientists, and explorers. On a more dangerous mission, a diplomat might want to ally themselves with a Cyber Wizard or a Nanist. Even groups of bandits have their own form of diplomats.
Primary Attribute: The primary attribute for diplomats is charisma, but a player will want to take other attributes into consideration as well, especially endurance, since a Diplomat doesn’t start with the best of health scores.
Health: A Diplomat rolls two six sided dice with each level advancement, adding in their endurance bonus.
Skills: All diplomats start out with one skill point in each of the following: etiquette, negotiation, diplomacy, interrogation, weapon skill (player’s choice), and science: psychology.
Starting Equipment: The Diplomat starts out the game with a Computer system.
ABILITIES RECEIVED AS THE DIPLOMAT ADVANCES IN LEVELS:
2nd Level: The Diplomat gains an additional skill point in negotiation and diplomacy. This is above and beyond the normal skill points gained for class advancement.
3rd Level: By this point, the Diplomat has probably had to fight their way out of more than one negotiation, so they gain a +1 on their attack bonus with a weapon of choice, or they can gain an additional skill point in each of the following: etiquette, negotiation, diplomacy, interrogation, and psychology.
4th Level: The Diplomat learns a lot of tricks as they progress in levels, and at this point, they can pick any of the species and they then add a +2 on any checks (other than combat checks) when dealing with that species.
6th Level: The Diplomat has now built a bit of a name for himself, and as a result, he gains the services of a 1st Level Diplomat…usually of the same species.
7th Level: The Diplomat gains an additional skill point in innuendo and gather information. This is above and beyond the normal skill points gained for class advancement.
8th Level: Faced with many “aggressive negotiations,” the Diplomat has now learned something about how to protect themselves in a fight, so they gain a + 1 on their defense bonus, or they can gain an additional skill point in each of the following: etiquette, negotiation, diplomacy, interrogation, and psychology.
9th Level: The Diplomat can now add a +2 on any checks (other than combat checks) for any species they’d like. This bonus can be combined with the bonus from 4th Level, which would give the Diplomat a +4 bonus with that specific species.
11th Level: As a Diplomat’s name grows, more people want to be in his service, and help further his cause. At this point, a 2nd Level Soldier/Mercenary joins the services of the Diplomat. The Soldier/Mercenary will usually be of the same species as the Diplomat.
12th Level: The Diplomat gains an additional skill point in concentration and intimidate. This is above and beyond the normal skill points gained for class advancement.