d20 Ronin Arts Future 13 Gravity Age Rumors.pdf

13 GRAVITY AGE RUMORS

BY PHILIP REED

This PDF provides the GM with a selection of

rumors that can be used in any space opera cam-

paign that includes starships. These rumors make

some assumptions about your campaign and will

be most useful in campaigns in which the follow-

ing statements are true:

WHAT’S REQUIRED TO USE THIS PDF?

In order to use Future: Gravity Age Rumors you

will need the modern d20 roleplaying game SRD and

the official future SRD. No other Ronin Arts products

are required to use this PDF.

FUTURE: DATASTREAM

As of the time of publication, Ronin Arts’ Future:

Datastream subscription service is running, intro-

ducing new material for futuristic campaigns five

times each week. For more information on the

Future: Datastream, including subscription infor-

mation, please visit the official forums at www.rafo-

rums.com.

The campaign is not a “hard” science setting.

Campaigns that are more space

opera/adventure movie are the intended

target for these rumors.

Starships are not rare or unusual. All of the

rumors in this issue assume that space trav-

el is a standard and common occurrence –

individuals either fly their own ships or ride

on passenger ships. Starships and space

travel are as common for characters as a

plane ride is for people of our reality.

Space combat is not uncommon. It’s just

another exciting adventure when the player

characters have to engage the enemy while

fleeing from some world or other.

The campaign is packed with action. If

things aren’t exploding, how much fun can

the game really be?

OPEN GAME CONTENT

All of the text of this PDF is presented as open

game content. While this means absolutely nothing

to your campaign it does give other publishers per-

mission to use this material as long as they follow the

open game license (see the end of this PDF).

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Philip Reed has been working professionally in

the roleplaying game industry since 1995. In that

time he has worked for such companies as West End

Games, Privateer Press, and Steve Jackson Games.

Today Philip spends his days at home running Ronin

Arts, writing and designing new games, and reading

whatever books interest him at the time. To learn

more about Philip Reed – and Ronin Arts – please

visit www.philipjreed.com/php and www.roni-

narts.com . The approved Ronin Arts fan forums can

be found at www.raforums.com .

While some of the following rumors may slot

into campaigns in which all of the above is not true

it will likely require some work on the part of the

GM. No matter what the basic assumptions of your

campaign are, though, all GMs of futuristic cam-

paigns should be able to take some ideas from the

rumors in this PDF.

RUMORS

USING THE RUMORS

This PDF is intended solely for the GM. Players

who suspect that their GM may have a copy of this

PDF would do best to close this file now and find

something else to peruse.

The rumors in this PDF may be sprinkled liberally

in a campaign either as written or modified by the

GM. GMs should always be prepared for the situa-

tions, characters, and locations discussed in any

rumor to leap to the forefront of the game session;

you never know what bit of information the players

will grab and run with.

When in any cantina, hangar bay, powerstation, or

similar establishment where men and women gath-

er, select a rumor (or two or three) from this PDF and

have each player make a Gather Information check

and then check the roll against the chosen rumor(s).

I’ve discovered that these rumors work especially

well if, after the Gather Information check is rolled,

you give the PCs first the failed result (if they made

their roll) and then, shortly after, give them the suc-

cessful result. This adds some roleplaying opportuni-

ties and, I’ve found, encourages the PCs to talk over

the false rumor before discovering the truth.

Each rumor follows the format:

RUMOR HEADING (GATHER INFORMATION DC)

Failed Gather Information Check: If the check

is failed this is what the PCs hear. A section of this

entry is to be read aloud to the players though many

GMs will choose to paraphrase the information

(especially if any of it needs to be tweaked to better

fit the campaign). This entry also discloses the source

of the rumor.

Successful Gather Information Check: If the

check succeeds this is what the PCs hear. Again, this

entry is intended to be read aloud and gives the

source of the rumor.

Follow Up: If the PCs choose to investigate the

rumor this information will help the GM to prepare

for what could happen.

THE RUMORS

T HE B LACK H OLE S YNDICATE N EEDS

S MUGGLERS (DC 10)

Failed Gather Information Check: “You

know the Black Hole Syndicate, boy. Well, they’re

lookin’ for pilots – without a criminal record – to

operate some of their freighters. It’s good pay and

safe work since the Syndicate has pretty much

every cop between here and the Dio Rings taking

bribes. I could point you in the right direction . . . for

a small price.”

If the player characters are interested, and can

negotiate a payment for information, the old man

continues:

“You want to haul yourselves down to Bay 112.

Ask for Rigger Clive and tell him Jacobs sent ya.

He’ll get you boys working.”

Source: Arthur Jacobs [male human, Strong

Ordinary 3, 12 hp] , a lean, tall man in his fifties.

Jacobs’ talks in a slow, broken tone – the man’s

seen better days. He wears a simple jumpsuit and

carries a Fusion Age laser pistol. If pressed, Jacobs

RUMORS

agrees to lead the player characters to Bay 112 but

he’ll attempt to sneak away if things turn ugly.

Successful Gather Information Check: “I

couldn’t help but overhear Jacobs. If you’d take

make advice, friend, I recommend you don’t go into

that meeting without first arranging some protec-

tion. The Black Hole Syndicate, while they do some-

times hire freighter pilots, is better known for

snatching people and selling them into slavery. I’d

expect the worst, if I were you.”

Source: Irina Alekseyevna [female morphean,

Smart Ordinary 2, 9 hp], an attractive woman

with short red hair dressed in a tight, revealing

bodysuit. Alekseyevna’s gene therapy modifica-

tions are not apparent visually. She refuses to get

involved, stating prior commitments.

Follow Up: If the player characters choose to

go to Bay 112 they’ll meet Rigger Clive [male

human, Tough Ordinary 5/Charismatic

Ordinary 5, 55 hp] and eight of his thugs. Clive

will attempt to lure the player characters into a

nearby light freighter – “to show them the ship,”

he’ll say – but once inside he and his men will

attempt to capture the player characters. If Rigger

Clive and his men succeed the player characters

will be bound and gagged and whisked off to an

illegal slave market. If the player characters suc-

ceed and gain access to the ship they’ll quickly

determine that it’s little more than a hull – the

Black Hole Syndicate has used this tactic a lot over

the last few months.

Rock, a maximum security prison in the Noah

System. Bailey is only repeating what he overheard

a few minutes ago.

Successful Gather Information Check:

“Yeah, the Chikako Confederation is hiring mercs

but the job’s no picnic. My brother died working for

those Chikako bastards; they sent him and ten oth-

ers into a battle against several dozen and kept

them there until every merc was dead. The Chikako

pay well – if you can survive the assignments – but

they demand a lot for their credits.”

Source: George Argos [male human, Strong

Ordinary 2, 8 hp], a pale-skinned man wearing

gray fatigues and unarmed. Argos is friendly and

will do everything he can to persuade the player

characters to not seek employment with the

Chikako Confederation.

Follow Up: If the player characters go to the

trouble of traveling to Selfakan VII they’ll be per-

mitted to meet with Chikako Confederation

recruiters. The exact way in which the meeting

evolves will depend on the type of campaign that

you want to run (and that the players want to par-

ticipate in). It’s highly recommended that this par-

ticular rumor, more than any other, be used prima-

rily as background chatter and not the basis for

adventure. Still, if you want to run a campaign in

which the player characters are hired mercenaries

this is certainly a good way to get the ball rolling.

T HE W INNER OF THE S TARCROSS

R ACE W ILL B E G IVEN A S TARSHIP

(DC 10)

Failed Gather Information Check: “You

haven’t heard of the Starcross? It’s a new race being

put on by the Haver Corporation. Each ship in the

race has to pay an entrance fee but the prize is big!

The team that wins the race is gonna be given a

Fusion Age courier ship. Sure, it’s not top of the line

but a free ship’s a free ship. I hear the competition

for the race is gonna be pretty intense – hell, I’m

thinking about borrowing a ship and entering

myself – so I bet there’s gonna be some foul play

during the run.”

Source: Richard Kubek [male human, Fast

Ordinary 4, 14 hp], an agile man in his early thir-

ties dressed in an old flight jacket and one-piece

T HE C HIKAKO C ONFEDERATION IS

H IRING M ERCENARIES (DC 10)

Failed Gather Information Check: “You look

like a tough bunch that can hold your own in a

fight. If you’re looking around for work you may

want to consider heading out to Selfakan VII and

signing up with the Chikako’s. Last I heard they

were in the market for mercs and paying good

wages. It’s supposed to be easy work.”

Source: Black Bailey [male human, Tough

Ordinary 5, 27 hp], a towering, heavy-set bald

man a prosthetic arm. Bailey is wearing a suit of

scout armor and has a laser rifle slung over his

shoulder and a plasma pistol on his hip. He hires

himself out as an enforcer, bodyguard, or thug and

has spent several years incarcerated on Devil’s

RUMORS

black bodysuit. Kubek spent several years as a cor-

porate courier, flying one-man starships between

all of the wealthiest worlds, but lost it all when a

crash destroyed his legs and left him in a coma for

years. Under the bodysuit Kubek is a mix of flesh

and cybernetics.

Successful Gather Information Check: “A n

old courier? Hardly. The prize is a decommissioned

bulk freighter. Old, sure, but a lot more useful to the

right group than a courier. If I win I’ll take the ship,

hire a few men, and start running cargo for a living.

It would be nice to get out of the hangar and actu-

ally travel the stars.”

Source: Jorgen Holm [male human, Smart

Ordinary 6, 16 hp], a blond-haired man in his late

forties dressed in a station engineer’s outfit. Holm

has spent the past twenty years working in the

hangar, performing minor maintenance and

repairs on starships. He’s managed to convince his

boss to loan him an Information Age shuttle that

has been heavily customized. Unfortunately for

Holm, though, the ship’s just too old to compete

against the newer model ships that are sure to be

entered into the race.

Follow Up: If the player characters choose to

enter the race this is a great opportunity to run a

session that doesn’t rely heavily on combat. Of

course, some competitors are going to do every-

thing they can to sabotage the others but actual

weapons fire during the race is not allowed – vio-

lators will be expelled. Whether or not the player

characters win depends completely on whether or

not you want them to get their hands on the prize.

ing and crying in panic, rushing about looking for

someone to take her to a place with ample

amounts of food and water.

Successful Gather Information Check:

“Ignore that woman, she’s insane. Yes, the Alliance

was destroyed in a meteor storm but it wasn’t car-

rying anything more than circuit boards and diag-

nostic components. Besides, even if the Alliance

was bringing in food and water the station has a

six-month supply on hand and can get fresh sup-

plies in less than twelve hours. There’s pretty much

no fear that we’ll ever run out of food or water.”

Source: Adriaen Tappan [male human, Smart

Ordinary 4, 10 hp], an elderly gentleman that

makes his living onboard the station as a traffic

control director. Tappan was in the control booth

when the report of the Alliance’s destruction

reached the station so he’s far more informed

about the situation than the screaming woman.

Follow Up: Unless the woman is silenced (or

sedated) she’ll push several people onboard the

station into a panic that, if left alone, grows into a

riot. Station security will be overwhelmed in such

an event and begin hiring competent men and

women to assist in dispersing – and sometimes

arresting – the rioters.

P IRATES ARE A MBUSHING S HIPS IN

THE A NTARNOX L ANE (DC 15)

Failed Gather Information Check: “Six times

in the past week pirate ships have ambushed

freighters traveling along the Antarnox Lane, the

most recent ambush taking place just yesterday.”

The man looks down at his datapad, types a few

quick keys, and looks back up to the player charac-

ters. “My sources tell me that the pirates are oper-

ating out of the Keyes Ring and I’ve heard rumors

that the Shippers’ Guild is going to offer a bounty

on the pirates no later than next week. An experi-

enced group such as yourselves may want to get

out there and try to capture a pirate ship or two

before the bounty is posted; there could be some

good money in it.”

Source: David Weaver [male human, Fast

Ordinary 8, 20 hp], owner and operator of the

Planet Carrier, a light freighter. Weaver has been

running the Antarnox Lane for a decade now and

has never personally encountered pirates (though

T HE F REIGHTER A LLIANCE W AS L OST

IN A M ETEOR S TORM (DC 15)

Failed Gather Information Check: “Did you

hear? The Alliance was completely destroyed in a

meteor storm; there were no survivors! She was

coming in with a load of food and water and now

the station’s going to run out of supplies before

tomorrow.” The woman turns away from the player

characters and starts shouting: “We’re going to

starve!”

Source: Jessica McCutcheon [female human,

Dedicated 1, 4 hp], an early-twenties woman

with long black hair and a long, hooked nose. She

grows increasingly louder until she starts scream-

RUMORS

F AISAL A BDO HAS B EEN A RRESTED

FOR M URDER (DC 15)

Failed Gather Information Check: “Abdo had

it coming, the murderous slime. I spent six months

serving with that fool on the FTL Shadow and he

was never anything but a thief and a liar. If it were

up to me,” the man looks around nervously, “Abdo

would be shoved out of an airlock. The law’s going

to be far, far to lenient on the man.” Patting his pis-

tol the man stares hard at your group. “I should

have killed him when we were on the Shadow .It

would have saved us all some trouble.”

Source: Paul Martin [male human, Tough

Ordinary 4, 20 hp], a thick, powerful man with

well-defined muscles and a broad smile. Martin is

well known to merchants and smugglers in this

sector of space – he’s served on dozens of different

ships over the years – and he’s very well liked.

Martin’s carrying a laser pistol,

he’s had a few encounters with the law; he some-

times smuggles illegal cargos for the Black Hole

Syndicate). Weaver has dark hair, a moustache,

wears glasses, and dresses in plain, cheap jump-

suits. If he gets into trouble there are 1d4+1 men

in the immediate area that are employed by

Weaver; these men will jump to his rescue no mat-

ter the conditions.

Successful Gather Information Check: “I

wouldn’t set out in search of those pirates without

ensuring I’ve got a combat-ready ship, myself.” A

short, thin man in red scout armor steps up as soon

as the player characters finish talking with David

Weaver.“Weaver’s right, and he’s a trustworthy fel-

low, but that doesn’t make those pirates any less

dangerous. I’ve got a few friends working in station

security and they tell me that the pirates are oper-

ating with no fewer than a dozen assault fighters,

escorts, and one rebuilt cruiser.” The man takes a

slow drink. “Besides, it’s best to leave the problem

to the military – they’ve got the equipment and

manpower to handle the situation and should be

on the case in less than a week.”

Source: Alexander Dane [male aquan, Smart

Ordinary 5/Fast Ordinary 3, 25 hp], captain of

the hauler Galaxy Whale . Dane has had encounters

with pirates in the past and is keeping his ship in

stardock for the next few weeks until this recent

pirate situation is dealt with by the military. He’s

quite friendly and will ask the player characters to

have a meal with him. He believes the best thing

anyone can do for now is avoid the Antarnox Lane

and wait for the military to do their job.

Follow Up: If the player characters foolishly go

in search of the pirates they’ll find them. Lots of

pirates. If they wait around it will be less than a

week before the Shippers’ Guild offers a bounty on

each pirate ship brought in to the station (DC 35

sale value for purposes of determining the effects

of claiming a bounty on a player character’s Wealth

bonus) and a few days after that a military task

force begins patrolling the shipping lane. The play-

er characters, if they do not own their own starship,

could sign up with a freighter to help provide

defense in the event of a pirate attack. If they do

own their own starship they may choose to hire

themselves out for escort duty during the crisis.

a dagger,

and is

wearing a battered spacesuit.

Successful Gather Information Check:

“Sure, Abdo Faisal was arrested for murder, but

what they’re not telling anyone,” the woman

glances around and then lowers her voice, “What

they’re not telling anyone is that Faisal escaped last

night. Word is he had help from a guard but I’m not

sure if that’s true or not. Station security is moni-

toring all ships leaving the station and they’re will-

ing to pay a healthy bounty to anyone that can cap-

ture Faisal and bring him in. I’d go after him myself

but I’m scheduled to make a run to Moreau Station

in just a few hours.”

The woman motions the player characters clos-

er.“For the right price I could be persuaded to share

what I know about Faisal including,”

she grins,

“where he can be found on the station.”

If the player characters can give the woman

enough to make her happy she hands them a small

map of the station with a maintenance closet on

the lowest level marked. “Faisal’s there, but I’d be

careful if I were you.”

Source: Ayame Eriksson [female human,

Charismatic Ordinary 6, 22 hp], an attractive

woman of Oriental/European ancestry. She has sev-

eral friends in station security that told her about

the escaped Faisal after she swore to keep her

mouth shut until she blasted off. When she saw the

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