Astro-Jumpers
An astro-jumper is a space-faring ship operated by an astro-navigator. PCs aboard an astro-jumper may encounter other ships or opponents in space and need to do battle. HP for an astro-jumper does not refer to Hit Points, although the principle is the same. In this case it stands for Hull Points. All astro-jumpers are fitted with ionized plasma-based weaponry.
ASTRO-HOPPERS
Another type of spacefaring ship is the astro-hopper. These small ships come in both a compact size and a shuttle-like size that can accommodate up to four crew members. They are generally not intended for extended journeys but are perfect for inter-system planet hopping.
OPERATING ASTRO-JUMPERS & HOPPERS
The way in which an astro-jumper is operated is by first converting magical matter via the conversion chamber into the astro-jumper’s fuel source. Any magical item works for this process, much in the same way as coal works for trains, etc.. The navigator then sits at the helm to operate the astro-jumper. The PC will navigate through perilous situations by rolling under their Agility. If the ship needs to make an escape the PC will roll for the escape with their Escape Bonus. During a space battle another PC should be assigned to operate the Tactical Station. That PC will be making the Attack rolls for the ship and keeping track of its Hull Points. If the navigator is flying solo they will need to pilot and operate the Weapons on their own, or they can ask the ship's A.I. to operate weapons, in which case the DM will take over as an NPC.
AUTO-SPHERE
A sentient life form which takes the shape of a large sphere until it chooses, or is requested, to take the shape of a mechanical transport vehicle not exceeding its own mass, via the natural ability to transmorph at will. Example: a mid-sized adolescent auto-sphere may take the shape of a motorcycle or small two-person sports car or sedan. Whereas a full grown adult may take the shape of a large utility vehicle or small water-faring vehicle. Note: it can only take the shapes of what it is familiar with
All auto-spheres mimic the shapes they take with complete functionality and accuracy, including energy based weapons and ordinances.
Preadolescent auto-spheres lack the ability to transmorph until roughly two years of age, and only with the experiences of which mechanical vehicles they have encountered.
All auto-spheres may fly, depending on the vehicle they mimic, and some are space-faring.
Damage caused by a weapon mimicked by an auto-sphere is equal to the energy of its life force and not based on the stats of the weapon it mimics. Thus an adult will cause more damage than an adolescent. If the auto-sphere chooses it may cause only half damage or less.
Damage taken: as with all living creatures an auto-sphere must rest to restore CP. Healing spells and potions are just as effective as with all creatures.
TRAVEL & TIME-DILATION
Once a ship has departed any given celestial body, port, or fixed point in space and activated her engines she is traveling at what is known as Star Speed. Time for her crew will pass much slower than time on a planet of origin. For every unit of Star Speed traveled (abrv: SSU), 20 Standard Planetary Cycles (abrv: SPC or years) pass from any point of origin.
STANDARD SHIP EQUIPMENT
the control panel of an astro-hopper
Portal Generator
The device creates a portal in space that allows a ship to travel quicker, bypassing the effects of Time Dilation, and assuming the navigator has entered the correct coordinates.
Wormhole Locator
The device locates a natural wormhole that allows a ship the same benefit as the portal generator. But travel through wormholes can be dangerous. Navigator must roll against Intuition when entering a wormhole. A fail will cause 2 points of damage to the ship.
Planetary Scanner
When a ship enters a star system the device will scan for the nearest planet and list all details of planets and celestial bodies within its scanning range.
Star Chart
Star charts indicate the location and relative position of the various planets in a star system.
Mooring Anchors
The way in which a star-jumper lands is first by firing its mooring anchors. Smaller ships may have need of only one. Larger ships need two or three. The mooring line then pulls the ship through the atmosphere down toward the surface. Nearing the surface the ship then extends her landing gear. Once the ship has landed the crew must then wait for roughly an hour while the ship decompresses and adjusts to the atmosphere. If there is no atmosphere, such as an asteroid, it is safe. Once the decompression period has ended the crew may open the hatch, extend the vestibule platform and exit the ship, being careful to have donned Environmental Protection Gear first if needed.
On-Board A.I.
All spacefaring vessels are equipped with interactive computer intelligences that communicate with all essential operations. If uninstalled or deactivated they must be operated manually with crews large enough to accommodate the individual ship.
Environmental Suits
In cases of emergencies or to explore celestial bodies such as a planet with no atmosphere all spacefaring vessels are equipped with fully functional environmental suits numbering the complement of a crew equal to the size of the ship. Each suit is likewise equipped with a mobile interface to access the ship’s onboard A.I.
Shields*
Exterior Outer Hull Shields may also be purchased for astro-jumpers. The size listed below is in reference to the size of the ship, not the shield itself nor the output of energy. *Ships do not come equipped with shields. They must be purchased and installed.
Lifeboats
Lifeboats have one purpose: to preserve the lives of a ship's crew in case they need to abandon ship. The lifeboat falls toward the nearest gravity well, hopefully of a planet. Launching a lifeboat close to a star can have nasty results. For this reason some larger astro-jumpers equip themselves with auto-spheres.
Conversion Chamber
While the navigator operates the astro-jumper the conversion chamber must be fed with magical materials to convert it into a fuel source.
Byrlisium Globes
Forged from byrlisium crystals these globes come in a variety of sizes and are widely coveted for their powerful magical properties. Because it is difficult to stabilize, very few space-faring cultures attempt to forge their own globes, considering it is extremely volatile. Attempts have been made to feed an astro-jumper directly with unrefined byrlisium crystals and those attempts have proven devastating. Only byrlisium globes are a viable fuel source, and wars have been fought to obtain them. An astro-jumper equipped with these globes may soon find itself the target of pirates and officials alike.
