Classless Sci-Fi Horror 4E Homebrew Conversion Campaign

[X4bT0rZ]

Hey gang,

I am currently planning to run a sci-fi body horror campaign that uses the 4E ruleset as a base template. I'm currently probing for interest. I'll post some of the relevant information in brief. I want to note from the onset that I have an ultimate license; anyone can play!


Ruleset Changes at a Glance: The most obvious changes are as follows. The setting/genre has move from high-fantasy to gritty sci-fi/body horror. There are no classes and the power system is largely gone; replaced by free-form talents and feats. Most of your core character stats (e.g., HP and movement) are governed by your core attributes. Attack rolls are replaced by skill checks. AC is gone and its function subsumed under Reflex. The damage output of attacks has been increased; various items and abilities are introduced to balance.

I will have a ruleset document available to the players for purposes of character creation/advancement. You don't need to know how to play 4E to join---you can learn the ropes as you play.


Setting Influences: Aliens franchise, Dead Space franchise, Mass Effect franchise, John Carpenter's The Thing, and the works of H.P. Lovecraft.


Setting: Sometime in the 21st Century: The Cataclysm. Nearly all record of human history prior to the Cataclysm is lost. The onset of environmental collapse caused a mass extinction event. Economic collapse made it impossible for the masses to cope with the increased scarcity of goods. The resulting global warfare brings humanity to the brink of extinction. Nine out of every ten people died as a result of the desperate grab for habitable space or the lack of access to resources, such as clean drinking water. But lo! Salvation! The Miskatonic Foundation, headed by Dr. Aryn Tol-Thape, reveals two ground-breaking technological innovations. First, gravity induction, which provides a clean, limitless source of energy. Second, field projection technology, which allows the manipulation of atoms to create protective fields around fixed points. Together, these technologies gave rise to the creation of massive biomes. Habitable environments became manufacturable.

Fast forward some 200 years. The Federated Earth Directorate and Colonial Coalition engaged in a full-scale interplanetary war. Unimaginable weapons of mass destruction were invented and unleashed upon civilian populations; entire colonies were evaporated in a flash; entire populations were decimated by biological or technological terrors. The Trade Consortium profited from the war, splitting its subsidiaries to secretly back each side. The Colonial Coalition gave the Trade Consortium a proprietary lease to the Vault and its contents to in exchange for new technologies. The war ceased when it is discovered that alien life is in fact human in origin. Corporate espionage revealed that Miskatonic Foundation had been sitting on a Vault on Earth. Some of these ``Archean'' reclaimed technologies were originally reverse engineered to produce gravity induction and field projection technologies. Public support for the war collapsed as the collective anger turned toward the Trade Consortium. Reaching an unsatisfying stalemate, the Federated Earth Directorate and the Colonial Coalition sued for a peace agreement. The Colonial Coalition was granted a probationary 99-year independence period whereupon its performance was to be evaluated by a panel, the Independence Review Board, at the end of the period. The Trade Consortium was penalized and forced to pay huge reparations to each side. Two state-run corporate entities were introduced into the Trade Consortium, the FED Corporation and the CC Cooperative, intended to be a sort of checks and balance against Trade Consortium corruption. The Federated Earth Directorate and the Colony Colonization compete in an empire-building race to colonize the rest of the solar system. The asteroid belt, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto, and all the major moons thereof, were brought into the reach of human civilization. FTL drive technology advances made it possible to travel from Mercury to Pluto in just four months. The problems of interplanetary communication were solved by proprietary quantum entanglement technology owned by Interstellar Broadcasting Corporation. Massive towers are erected in every major colony broadcast the Interlink, an interstellar information network linking everyone everywhere all the time. Instantaneous communication became economical in a very short period of time. The Interstellar Broadcasting Corporation joined the Trade Consortium.

Fast forward another some 100 years. The Independence Review Board decided against Colonial Coalition independence and recommended a one-state solution via consolidation with the Federated Earth Directorate. The cold war between FED Forces and CC Forces heated up into the second full-scale interplanetary war. Unbeknownst to the Colonial Coalition, the Federated Earth Directorate had struck a number of clandestine deals with the Trade Consortium to split ownership over Colonial Coalition territories. Consequently, the Colonial Coalition received no support from the Trade Consortium; it fought a war of attrition and was reduced to a loose agglomeration of pocket resistance groups over a 12 year period. By 321 P.C., the Colonial Coalition was officially classified as a terrorist organization.

Fast forward another some 25 years. Humanity has spread into the Oort Cloud, terraforming, colonizing, stripping everything for resources for the continued push outwards. FTL drives have advanced to the point where it is now possible to travel from Mercury to the edge of the outer Oort Cloud in under six months. Megacorporations produce nearly all goods and services, and anything without a Trade Consortium branding is contraband. The Federal Earth Directorate is the sum of all military might, funnelling much of the created wealth toward the Core. Life in the Core is privileged, and life in the Reaches is difficult. Resistance groups are not uncommon, though often short lived. Pirates pose a serious threat to civilians in the Reaches. Most civilians make a living as a FED Peacekeeper or as a "corporate jockey'' working for near-sustenance wages for the Trade Consortium. Some entrepreneurial individuals make a living as professional salvagers; a lucky few stumble upon caches of alien technological remains and strike it rich. It is increasingly clear that alien caches will shape the future of who dominates who; every megacorporate competes with each other---as well as with the Federal Earth Directorate---for the excavation of these alien caches. Technological advance marches forth, seemingly benefiting fewer and fewer people. The most important scientific and cultural questions seem to be: What happened to the Archeans? Why do they no longer inhabit the solar system? Are we the remnants of the Archeans? Did they come from somewhere else? Will whatever happened to them happen to us?


Campaign Playstyle: The campaign will aim at delivering a narrative centered around navigating the complexities of political intrigue, overcoming the influence of strange cults, investigating the origins of skulking abominations, exploring alien ruins, and defeating an ancient slumbering malevolence. I aim to deliver 1/3 RP, 1/3 exploration, and 1/3 combat; first few sessions will likely be heavier on the exploration and combat.


Date and Times: Weekly or biweekly, as schedules permit. Friday or Saturday or Sunday evening, as schedules permit. Shooting for a 2-3 hour block in the evening, Mountain Time (for example, 6:00-8:30 PM @ GMT -6), as schedules permit.


Players Needed: Looking for a number of serious individuals to attend regularly. I have one for sure, a few others possibly. I would like to get 3-6 regular players. If you're interested but not sure, you're welcome to attend and see if it suits your fancy---if not, no biggie.


Text Only: I prefer to use text-only as it promotes atmosphere and immersion.


If you are interested, please post your availability. We would aim to begin as soon as possible.


I've made other postings on this topic. Link enclosed.
https://www.fantasygrounds.com/forum...ad.php?t=18896

[damned]

not able to participate but i did thoroughly enjoy reading thru that good luck.

[X4bT0rZ]

Thank you.

I'm enclosing a link to a more thorough summary of the setting history.

https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B64w...it?usp=sharing

[JonarKhree]

Hey, really like the sound of the setting you've got going. Just reading through the extra material you posted as i type this.

I'm generally free to do a Friday or Saturday evening. Would love to at least attend a sesh or two to get a feel for it. Am reasonably familiar with 4e but being a new setting etc i imagine I'll need my hand held now and then. Shoot me a line if your interested :-)

Matt

[X4bT0rZ]

I'll send you a PM.

Hand holding is perfectly acceptable. The first few sessions will be geared toward introducing the setting and the game mechanics so that people can settle in and feel comfortable (or decide its not for them). Afterwards we'll concentrate on delivering deep story elements and getting to the creepy crawlies.

[JonarKhree]

Kewl. Thanks for that. Look forward to it.

Matt