User:Kydo/workspace/variant rules/ omni-dnd

Fantasy Future

"Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic."

"Any sufficiently analyzed magic is indistinguishable from science."

Influences

• Spelljammer: Just because of tradition; Spelljammer is Fantasy Future's roots.
• Final Fantasy: Provides, across multiple narratives, a broad impression of how magic can be used in practical ways to produce mundane contrivances. This is especially the case for Magitek and FFXII style airships.'
• Star Wars: Space kings, space queens, space knights, etc. The force is basically psionics and magic.
• Star Trek: Only because it is the source of a vast range of sci-fi tropes. Its influence is seemingly inescapable. Itg is the pre-eminent space opera.
• Mass Effect: Proved to me that science fiction and fantasy are one. Imagine eezo is mana and mass effect fields are just magic forces.
• Lost in Space: Or The Odyssey, or the Seven Voyages of Sinbad, or any other story of travelling by vessel from land to land, encountering many a strange and extraordinary sight.
• Evil Dead 2: Chain. Saw. Hand.
• Steampunk Media: There are no true film or literature sources, but the theme is out there.
• Cyberpunk: The RPG and the genre.
• The Cthulhu Tech RPG: And, indirectly, the cthulhu mythos in general.
• Isaac Asimov: Especially the foundation and robots series.
• Traveller: The RPG. Gave many ideas on how to make tabletop spacefaring interesting.
• The Fifth Element: Honestly abandons science completely in favor of fantastic futuristic style. Strongly inspires much of the setting's style.
• Bladerunner: Expands upon ideas from Isaac Asimov and informs the Fifth Element style with a shot of grim reality. Androids.
• Ender's Game: The buggers, ideas for 0 G sports, space military training, and ideas for warfare in space.
• Farscape: Plays a big role in how races are designed for this.
• EVE Online: Especially impacts ideas about space warfare and how space culture would work. Also helped inspire how space whales work, which indirectly inspired space bug biology.
• Space Whales (Album): Directly inspired the space whales and their life style.
• Tachyon: The Fringe: Like Mass Effect and EVE Online, hugely impacted space travel, warfare and technology.
• Armorines: Project S.W.A.R.M. Clearly influenced the space bugs.
• Lexx. Gave me more ideas to expand the story of the space bugs.
• Starship Troopers. The founding father of space bugs.

Time Accelleration

This setting revolves around a simple premise: That people constantly work to improve their lives. Most fantasy worlds are stagnant in a state of perpetual medieval stasis to maintain flavour, but noticing it- especially when centuries pass without any change- can ruin the suspension of disbelief. So, we postulate, what would happen if this arbitrary stasis were to be removed from the world of D&D? This setting can be used to explore possible futures of the fantasy setting without explicitly stating "this is what would happen." As such, there are three degrees of time accelleration you may apply to the game, each building upon the previous.

Industrial Modern

This covers everything from the enlightenment, where philosophies of logic, reason, science, etc. become defining elements of culture, through the industrial revolution where feudalism gives way to new forms of economy, through modernization to advanced technology beyond what we have today. It largely culminates with the invention of various nuke-like magic bombs and space travel.

The early part of this setting is pretty close to normal D&D. However, culture is rising as the population grows, and with it, the range of wealth and social strata. The middle class emerges, and mundane melee weapons and armor reach their technological limits. Early firearms emerge. Most importantly, the way people think changes dramatically. Education becomes more comprehensive and advanced, rulers take interest in intellectual advancement, and progress becomes more important than simple survival or power. New forms of government begin to rise as various nations explore and expand to every corner of the world.

Industrialism hits when engineers and magi finally meet with unified theories, combinibg their efforts to improve technology. Manufacturing, mass transit, interior plumbing and heating, mass communication- one by one new technologies rise, and with them a swiftly changing global culture rife with new conflicts never before imagined.

Terrible wars are fought with terrible engines of destruction, and devastating magic improved by a streamlined theory of magic. Tragedies and abominations occur. The world gets ever smaller.

And then the ultimate weapons are devised. The Almagest Space Bomb, the Yin-Yang Spell Bomb, and others. Finally, space flight. A civilization manages to reach beyond this one world.

Theory of Magic

Most influential is that, with the rise of rationalism and the scientific process, academic research of magical phenomena may begin. As a result, a theory of magic is devised. Magic becomes physics. Alchemy becomes chemestry. The theory of magic maintains these assumptions about how magic works:

• Magic is a form of radiant energy.

• Magic has an amplitude or magnitude which remains constant, regardless of distance travelled.

• However, as the magic radiates, its occupied space distorts by expansion, reducing its magnitude. In other words, it "thins out" if you stretch it, but stays the same if you just move it around.

• Magic passes through material, and so does not generate shadows the way light would.
• Magic does not "move" by radiation, it simply swells and expands to occupy an area for as long as it is being radiated.
• Magic persists after radiation; a radiation source may only last for brief moments, but the radiated magic remains. The area covered is the magic's field.

• The amplitude or magnitude of a field is measured as if it were the density of a particle, as magic is radiated in distinct, consistent divisions known as mana.

• Magic behaves as a wave and has a "tone" or frequency at which it "resonates".

• The prime tone is mostly passive, but can be refracted to generate other tones.

• There are five refracted tones, which correspond roughly to the classical elements and the phases of matter.

• Earth = Solid
• Water = Liquid
• Air = Gas
• Fire = Plasma
• Aether (No material equal)

• Magic

• The combined overlapping fields of all radiated magic in a given area comprises a so-called "background magical field".

Galactic Timeline

The universe appears, shaped by primordial forces predating even the divines.

The gods appear from these primordial forces and begin giving shape to the chaos.

Life appears, in some places by the will of the divines, in others on its own. Among its earliest incarnations in this galaxy are the Aboleths, who ruled the galaxy as tyrants.

The progenitors arrive in the galaxy, bringing their krakens as a weapon to control the forces of chaos as they spread and reset life in the galaxy. In the process, they nearly exterminate the Aboleths.

The Progenitors put their krakens into a hybernation-like stasis, leaving them in nearly unreachable places. They are left behind just in case the Progenitors ever need to return.

Life begins to grow again, this time by the direction of the progenitors, via the seeds of life they'd left behind.

The precursors rise to dominate the galactic community with similar motives to the progenitors, but using more peaceful methods. They build a network of slipstream gates which allow efficient galactic travel.

The remaining Aboleths, seeking to buy time for their master plan, uplift the (then primitive) Ilithids and unleash them on the galaxy.

The Ilithids wipe out the precursors and begin to rapidly deplete life in the galaxy. Their scientists determine that, as apex predators of their nature, Ilithid society cannot exceed more than a few hundred individuals per habitable planet.

The Ilithids intentionally shut down the slipstream network to isolate themselves, allowing nature to do its work, reducing their numbers to tolerable levels and effectively saving all life in the galaxy, but lose their culture and heritage in the process.

Time passes and new civilizations rise. Some reach space travel and find the ancient slipstream gates, repairing and reactivating them as time goes on, slowly building a new galactic community.

Races

A number of unique races are added to the game for this setting, to facilitate the caleidoscope of aliens needed.

Rubberheads

"Rubberhead" is actually a derogatory name humans came up with for extraplanetary colonists. The reference is to "Rubber Forehead Alien", a cosmetic technique used in old sci-fi performances. Unlike those fictional beings however, "Rubberheads" are fully real, and the vast majority are natural.

Different stars and worlds have different background magical fields (BMFs) and leylines, and this field is what causes organisms to grow and develop the way they do. The BMF is what allows inherently magical creatures to evolve on some worlds, and is also the cause for the occasional "irregular" (monster) which appear spontaneously.

Extended exposure over multiple generations to a unique BMF can ultimately cause permanent adaptations to the population, effectively producing a new subrace. How many generations it takes is generally based on how energetic the star is, but this is only a guideline; it is the BMF that does the change, and some planets have unusual properties which can dampen or amplify the effects. Additionally, the qualities of the planet determine how much change is to occur. Generally, the less similar to a creature's homeworld, the more change is necessary to survivd there. So, a planet with a strong BMF would cause rapid changes, possibly within a single generation, but could take several generations to reach a state where no further change is necessary if its conditions are substantially different from their homeworld.

Mechanically, the Rubberhead race entry is actually a tool you can use to make subraces and variants of monster entries. It consists of two d100 charts, one with cosmetic features, and the other with mechanical variations. You can, of course, randomly roll on these charts to make your rubberheads. Alternatively, each entry also has guidelines explaining what conditions are likely to cause a given mutation, and which mutation on the other chart it matches up with. For instance, a planet covered in water is likely to cause mutations like blue skin, frills, gills, or crustacean-like carapace. Each of these features are also likely to be paired with a couple of optional mechanical features.

Typically, only one mutation, cosmetic or mechanical, will occur at a time. However, some mutations are so minor that they may be qualities of each other. For instance, on three separate worlds, you may find citizens from the first have red skin, citizens from the second have fire resistance, and citizens from the third have both. Minor mutations, which may appear in pairs, are marked with an asterisk. Pairing must be across the charts; even though fire resistance and poison resistance may both be minor mutations, they cannot appear paired together because they are both mechanical. One would have to appear before the other.

Aside from natural exposure however, it is possible to create unnatural rubberheads. Many of these are people who have been exposed to an incredibly intense BMF. Though this has often been due to massive natural disasters, some are born from intentional exposure in secret research facilities. Various organizations wish to utilize or abuse this potent effect. Indeed, some have even speculated at breeding so-called "super soldiers" through carefully controlled intense exposure under specified, manufactured conditions. A few even go so far as to mingle magitech, alchemy, or necromancy into these experiments.

Spacebugs

Inspired by the Bugs from Starship Troopers, the Zerg from Starcraft, the Rachni from Mass Effect, the Tyranid from Warhammer 40k, the Xenomorphs from the Alien franchise, the Buggers from Ender's Game, and the alien menace from Armorines: Project S.W.A.R.M.

Their true origin is from a massive star wrapped in a dense cloud of meteors, asteroids, and comets, called the Nemesis Star. The Nemesis Star is so-named for its tendency to hurl its space debris directly at other celestial bodies, almost as though it were acting upon some personal will. The bugs evolved in the void on these space rocks.

The space bugs are actually densely populated polyp-like colonies of micro organisms. Together, each colony makes up a mostly self-sufficient ecosystem. (External energy sources are still needed; they are not infinite motion machines) Together, the colony survives by forming a protective, pressurized, metallic shell to protect their interior ecosystem. Certain members of the colony are charged with specialized functions which serve the group, such as providing motive power to the shell's limbs. Together, they survive, and when the colony reproduces, the massive cluster of eggs, buds, spores, seeds, and other base materials are collected in a "womb" organism, which feeds them until they produce their own shell. This womb is then ejected as an egg sac after it leaves an egg to replace itself. The Nemesis Star is home to millions of species of these space bugs.

One particular species, nicknamed "brain bugs", evolved advanced psychic powers, which they use to control and organize other space bugs. This gives the impression of a "hive" or "colony", but this is only superficial. The bugs have no relation to each other, nor do they have any will of their own. They are all puppets to the brain bug who controls them.

For the most part, space bugs spread throughout the galaxy by accident, as the Nemesis Star hurls infested space rocks at other worlds. At each world, new types of space bugs evolve due to exposure to that world's BMF. The other method by whoch space bugs escape into the galaxy is by riding in so-called "star bugs". These are thought to be the direct descendants of the earliest Nemesesian life. They are gargantuan beings, as large or larger than the debris of the Nemesis Star. They are mostly hollow; their colony being connected only by sprawling, web-like metworks of tubes and strands. Inside, they can house a full ecosystem of space bugs. Indeed, they feed off this inner world for survival! They travel between worlds, gorging themselves on oxygen, hydrogen, carbon, and water. When they arrive on another world, they may stay there for centuries, possibly even becoming a part of the scenery. In this time, their passengers leave and populate the planet. Eventually the star bug has had its fill and takes off again, kidnapping its newly repopulated inner garden with it.

Mostly a monster maker, but can also make an intelligent race.

The Reptilians

An actual race entry vaguely based on lizardmen.

Biomechanoids

Inspired by Terminator; the Machines from The Matrix; Megaman (especially X, Zero, and Legends); the Geth from Mass Effect; Data, the Doctor, and the Borg from Star Trek; Isaac Asimov's Robots books; the androids from Alien; the droids from Star Wars.

A system used to create everything from robots, to cyborgs, to engineered organisms and living machines. Generally, the assumption is that all of this is purely mechanical, but one can use it to augment living things to create cybernetics, or can abandon the mechanical features to male ot organic.

Ilithids

Originally an apex ptedator from a highly psionic world. Sapience was necessary to outsmart their homeworld prey. When the Aboleths found them, the Ilithids had just reached something of a psionic iron age, despite their small numbers. They had succeeded in forming hive minds, which allowed small groups to do the thinking of entire nations. The Aboleths recognized the potential disaster if they were released into the galaxy before they were ready, and chose to use the Ilithids as a weapon to stave off the "divine plan" of the progenitors.

The Ilithids, newly uplifted by the Aboleths, rapidly spread across the galaxy, harvesting psionic nourishment from species across the stars. Their empire of cruelty, dominated by the corrupt and insane hive minds, nearly wiped out all life in the galaxy. Eventually, one of the largest hive minds calculated that their civilization is unsustainable, and that the only way to save the galaxy from themselves... Was self-sacrifice. They waged a desperate war against their own kind, eventually successfully deactivating the slipstream network, trapping billions of Ilithids on disparate worlds. Many of these worlds died, as the corrupt hive minds continued their savagery. On less damaged worlds, the Ilithids were forced into conflict with themselves, either eliminating their presence from that world, or eventually reaching an equilibrium- a balance- with the surrounding ecosystem.

The splinter hive mind recorded its peoples history on massive plates of gold in a grand temple on their new homeworld before committing suicide. The liberated Ilithids built a new civilization on their home world, based on justice and equality with other sapient people. They maintained a tenuous peace, regulating their own numbers by strict and rutheless law, and preying on only lesser beings, albeit in higher numbers. Their homeworld and its people- with their help- flourished.

When the slipstream network was reopened, the Ilithids were one of the first races to join the new galactic community. They call themselves reclaimers, seeking out their isolated otherworldly kin, freeing them from their hive minds, and teaching them their true heritage. Few of these other Ilithids come willingly, and most reject their teachings. Most would rather die fighting for the right to eat the galaxy. Some do understand the wisdom of their ancestors, usually only a handfull of individuals from each ascendant world. These enlightened Ilithids usually do quite well integrating.

Despite all of this, Ilithids are an extreme galactic minority. They maintain small numbers, proportioned to accessible viable galactic food resources, out of necessity. They are rarely seen, and are the subject of much speculation, rumor, racism, and paranoia. It does not help that most races had terrible homeworld relations with isolated Ilithids, and these fears are imposed upon the entire species. And worse, there are always criminals and renegades of every species. Every evil Ilithid is treated as a potential political disaster.

To the enlightened Ilithids, a hive mind is the ultimate enemy, and creating one is the ultimate crime. The process of creating one nearly guarantees insanity and catastrophic consequences. Out of millions of hive minds, only one could see clearly enough to do the right thing. They take great pains to seek out, destroy, and prevent the creation of any hive mind.

Things to note about Ilithids:

1. They do not need the minds of sapient people, they simply prefer those as they are more nourishing. Ilithids can easily sustain themselves on the brains of lesser creatures, though they must eat more.
2. Ceremorphosis can technically work on most any humanoid body, including non-sapient humanoid animals.
3. Ceremorphosis does not change physiology substantially, only the head, digestive system, and epidermis. Offspring are released from the head. Technically, they'd still have genitals and be perfectly capable of normal reproduction. The offspring would likely be based on the genetics of the host creature.
4. Elder Brains, referred to here as hive minds, are not necessary. The ancient Ilithids developed this technology to advance their civilization in spite of their small numbers. Technically, the elder brains are an affront to the ilithid patron deity, Ilsensine.
5. It is assumed that the splinter Ilithids appeared due to an adversary ilithid incorporating its brain into its community's hive mind.

Precursors

The dominant culture of the previous galactic civilization. Theycalled themselves the Leg'na. They underwent a mass restructuring, genetically, to give themselves purpose and meaning, producing three distinct ethnicities. Leg'na means sky children.

The Aveds were the largest group. Their function was raw resource extraction, production and manufacturing, services, and economic progress. Their purpose was to live happy, full lives. The other two ethnicities were created to ensure their purpose could be met. Aved means person.

The Raa'tenalp were the military ethnicity. Their purpose was actually to prevent war and bring it to an end as quickly as possible. They were also moderators and regulators, fighting against restistant chaos wherever it rose. In civilian areas, theg were police. Raa'tenalp means order bearer.

The Raa'los were the governing ethnicity, and the extreme minority of their species. Their purpose was to write and regulate the law, andmanage the justice system and reguregatory bodies. Their minds were impressive, capable of consciously tracking and sustaining up to ten simultaneous conversations without interruption.

How they originally appeared has been lost to time. After their reformation, there are numerous deptictions of their final form. They resemble most humanoids, though with softer features, as though they are made from wax or clay. Their skin has metallic appearance, and their hair is made of fine metal wire. They each have enormous wings with metal feathers. Their eyes are vacuous holes, glowing with brilliant light. The Raa'tenalp and Raa'los were also large in size. They had abandoned the need for space vessels, capable of personal interstellar travel, though some vessels still existed for trade and war.

The Leg'na built a galactic civilization revolving around peace by balanced order. All races and individuals who opposed this civil culture were subjugated, reeducated, and then reintegrated. No race was forced to undergo transformative processes as they had done to themselves, but subordinate races were expected to abide by their values.

The Leg'na built the slipstream network between the stargates which dot the galaxy. These were the "highways" by which galactic civilization was possible. Their magoc and technology were well advanced beyond anything any of the other races have ever achieved.

When the Ilithids exploded into the galactic setting, the Leg'na were ill-prepared for interstellar war. After millenia of relative peace, they had become arrogant and complacent, believing the abstract forces of chaos and evil had been tamed. The Ilithids focused their assault on the Leg'na and wiped them out completely within a century. Without the central governance the Leg'Na had provided, the rest of the galaxy fell rapidly.

One distant Leg'na colony managed to escape the fate of their civilization. Seeing the coming disaster, they intentionally destroyed the stargate to their cluster, spread their people to the most remote planets in the farthest systems in the cluster, and entered a magical stasis to transcend time.