From: [r--dd--n] at [ttidca.TTI.COM] (John Redden) Subject: Other Suns : 6 ------------------ OS.6 ---------------------------------------- This is being posted to the net by myself for Niall Shapero. Others Suns is copyright by Niall Shapero. This gaming material is distributed on a shareware basis. If you do not use the material you owe the author nothing. If you do use it please pay him what you think it is worth at a fair price becasue it took a damn lot of work to develop and playtest. The USmail address is: Niall Shapero 2536 Short Ave Los Angeles CA 90066 USA Those of you with modems can dial into his BBS using this phone number: (213)822-6729 Please email any comments to my electronic mailing address and I will pass them on to Niall. ---------------- end of preamble ------------------------------------------- N'Aberdeen The Imperial Sector Capital world of N'Aberdeen was colonized in the 3nd century by caucasians of northern European stock. A typical N'Aberdeener is 10 centimeters taller than the Human average (add 10 to LEN) and somewhat slimmer (deduct 2 from BLD). The typical N'Aberdeener has red hair, green eyes, and fair skin. Technology The technological level on N'Aberdeen is at normal Imperial levels in all the sciences save one: biology. Even there, the N'Aberdeener's have managed only one advance, but that one ad- vance is a major one: formchange. Using engineered viruses, biofeedback and Human-computer linkage techniques, and organ regeneration technology, the N'Aberdeener's developed a method of changing a man's shape and body functions without killing him. To perform any "significant" modifications requires time and a fair amount of expensive equipment but per- forming minor alterations (such as hair color, eye color, finger- prints, or voice patterns) is possible within a few days using a minimum of equipment. Formchange technology has not, as of the current date, been extended to non-Human races by the N'Aberdeeners, and the Empire has prevented all Hegemonic attempts to acquire it. Formchange machines: Type I Formchange Machine Permits minor modifications to appearance and physical character- istics (sufficient to confuse most commonly available physical identification systems). Mass 2 metric tons, will accomodate any Human up to size 25. A Grade 10 computer is needed to run a Type I formchange machine, as well as a power source capable of gener- ating 0.001 E/hr. Type I Maintainer units mass 20 kilograms, have in-built computers capable of operating them safely, and can be "hooked up" to a Human subject in 1 hour (requires a success- ful Human medical skill roll). A standard portable generator is required to operate a Type I Maintainer unit. A Type I form- change machine costs 10 million Imperial Marks, a Type I Main- tainer unit costs 10 thousand Imperial Marks (4 Imperial Marks = 5 System Monetary Units at the current rate of exchange). Limits for Type I machine Modifications permitted to character- istics (together with times required to force the changes and time required to maintain the changes) are as follows: Char Max Delta To Change Required Maintenance ==== ========= =========== ==================== STR 3 1 day/point 4 hours/week/point CON 2 2 days/point 6 hours/week/point END 8 4 hours/point 2 hours/week/point DEX 2 3 days/point 12 hours/week/point LEN 30 5 days/point Not Applicable BLD 2 10 days/point Not Applicable Cosmetic change 1 day Not Applicable Change times and maintenance times are cumulative. Thus, an individual who wished to increase his strength by 2, his consti- tution by 1, increase his height by 15 centimeters, and reduce his build by 2 would have to be "in the tank" for 2 + 2 + 75 + 10 = 89 days. To maintain his increased strength and constitution, he must use a properly programmed Type I Maintainer unit for 8 + 6 = 14 hours per week. If a modified subject fails to use a maintainer, he reverts to his original characteristics at the same rate he acquiried the new ones. In our example, it took 2 days for the added STR, so our subject would lose one point of strength at the beginning the 8th day, and then again at the start of the 9th day since his last maintenance. While charac- teristics are changed serially (first one, then another) they are lost in parallel (all at the same time). Smaller computers may be used with a Type I machine, but there is an added risk. For each grade below 10, there is a 10% cumula- tive chance of fatal malfunction of the unit per day of opera- tion. Type II Formchange Machine Permits significant modification to appearance and physical characteristics. Within limits of size change, a Human may be changed, to all outward appearances, into a member of another species. Genetically, the result is still vaguely Human (assum- ing that the definition of Human is "anything that a formchange machine can modify"). A genemap will still uniquely identify the "changed" individual. Changes resulting from modifications by a Type II system are reversible. Mass 10 metric tons, will accomo- date any Human up to size 40. A Grade 60 computer is needed to run a Type II formchange machine, as well as a power source capa- ble of generating 0.001 E/hr. Type II Maintainer units mass 30 kilograms, have in-built computers capable of operating them safely, and can be "hooked up" to a Human subject in 1 hour (requires a successful Human medical skill roll). A standard portable generator is required to operate a Type II Maintainer unit. A Type II formchange machine costs 100 million Imperial Marks, a Type II Maintainer unit costs 100 thousand Imperial Marks. Limits for Type II machine Modifications permitted to characteristics (together with times required to force the changes and time required to maintain the changes) are as fol- lows: Char Max Delta To Change Required Maintenance ==== ========= =========== ==================== STR 9 1 day/point 4 hours/week/point CON 5 2 days/point 6 hours/week/point END 20 4 hours/point 2 hours/week/point DEX 10 3 days/point 12 hours/week/point LEN 60 3 days/point Not Applicable BLD 10 5 days/point Not Applicable Cosmetic change 4 hours Not Applicable Conversion to 15 days/point Not Applicable Non-Human shape of SIZE Type III Formchange Machine The Type III machines permit the widest and most permanent modi- fication to physical characteristics. Using one of these ma- chines, a Human can be changed into a member of another species. While a Type III machine can be used to modify a genetic Human, the primary use for such machines is to create perfect spies. The process of producing a genetic H'Rel or a genetic Korli from a genetic Human is NOT, however, a reversible process (or, at least, not until the N'Aberdeeners figure out how to modify other races than Humans). Type III machines mass 40 metric tons, will accomodate any Human up to size 80. A Grade 60 computer is needed to run a Type III formchange machine, as well as a power source capable of generat- ing 0.001 E/hr. Type III Maintainer units mass 40 kilograms, have in-built computers capable of operating them safely, and can be "hooked up" to a Human subject in 1 hour (requires a success- ful Human medical skill roll). A standard portable generator is required to operate a Type III Maintainer unit. Type III form- change machines are currently all in Imperial Government hands, but the governmental cost of these machines is 5 billion Imperial Marks for a Type III Formchange machine, and the Type III Main- tainers cost the government 50 million Imperial Marks each. Limits for Type III machine Modifications permitted to charac- teristics (together with times required to force the changes and time required to maintain the changes) are as follows: Char Max Delta To Change Required Maintenance ==== ========= =========== ==================== STR 18 1 day/point 4 hours/week/point CON 15 2 days/point 6 hours/week/point END 40 4 hours/point 2 hours/week/point DEX 20 3 days/point 12 hours/week/point LEN 120 3 days/point Not Applicable BLD 30 5 days/point Not Applicable Cosmetic change 1 hour Not Applicable Body converstion 5 days/point Not Applicable to Non-Human of SIZE (NOT REVERSIBLE!)