Sub-ether no 1 and what’s to come

Sub-ether no 1 and what’s to come

USER ALERT

(((Imperial Frequencies Found))) 

Thesignal is strong, but distant, you watch the skies, and  search thechannels, so set your Ansible to Sub-ether Zero zero.

So, the first issue of Sub-ether is out and seems to be doing well.  Let’s talk about Future issues.  I talked about outlining what’s going in the rest of them a few posts back. Where here that is.

So that’s seven in total.  I have bits and bobs for more here and there (the Space Alphabet column for example – while no I don’t have 26 entries written, I do know what 23 of those 26 are and have written more than I have issues for Sub-ether.   Possibly at that time I may see how Goodman feels about a SPACE ALPHABET book.

If anyone has any ideas or dare, I say it, suggestions for such a thing. LMK. If anyone is already doing such a thing, also, please LMK  I have no desire to punk anyone’s existing projects. I know how that burns. 

Anyway, back to Sub-ether. 

Each issue will be as long as it needs.

I am happy to take submissions if anyone is interested, at least in theory.  Perhaps I should scribble down a post about that too?

Sub-ether 2- Aloft on Phlogiston Winds  is the Raid on Planetoid issue; a full funnel for Galaxy Black and DCC.  Includes articles about the Maenad Space Pirates (including a full class and generation), Space lore and society, Also  the ICSS Serendipity as a ship for PC voyaging.   Jam Packed of weird space adventure.

Sub-ether  3  the spice pirates issue; adventure for 0-1 levels on the world of Saxus II, free the slaves and smash the Clan of the White Sun.  Make a fortune on all that seized Boosterspice. 

Details the core world of Saxus, the machinations of the Spice Control Commission, the shapeshifting menace of the Clan of the White Sun.  Should also have the Imperial Tarot, and another Starships of the Galaxy article.

Sub-ether 4  - Special Splinters issue; travel through the Sub-ether on voyages across Possibility and Probability.  Travel across the anywhen and neverwhere and sail or warp into billions of possible Splinters of reality.  Includes new options for your Splintershifter, and maybe a version of the Neon Pacific 9mm stuff I did a few years ago.  (That last part is iffy)   Also features Egg Drop Soup, detailing an imperial science station in close orbit of a black hole.

Sub ether 5 Will be the legion issue; time to get your military SF on  all of the mil spec stuff pulled from Galaxy Black gets it’s time to shine here as well as mission generators, squad games where everyone’s playing a fireteam of 3, and more.  Jam packed full of stuff.

Related -  has anyone ever tried to render the DCC rule down into something that could be used in a hex and counter style simulation game?  Asking for a future version of myself.

Sub-ether 6 Secrets of the Navigators  - blowing the doors off what has already come before.   Possibly an extra class, but definitely all manner of Navi secrets and psy powers; how to run a Navigator game.  Options options options. All about the Navi houses and more. 

If I decide I hate myself and hate ya’ll more, I will clean up this timeline thing that has emerged from all this writing. Likely I don’t hate anyone that much, but we’ll see. 😊

Sub-ether 7  Galaxy White – This is the End; this issue will be themed around a variant where the Empire has fallen and space itself is unraveling.   

If we’re still going after that we’ll see. I have one or two other notions, but this is what’s in the hopper so far.   Sub-ether 2 should drop just before, as, or shortly after Galaxy Black drops, later in the year. At that time, I should have a better idea when 3 and 4 will be coming.  

Voyages in the Sub ether

The Sub ether

Sub-etheric voyage complications sub table

1	Without so much as a wink of translocation energy, a Ferryman now stands on the bridge waiting its toll.
2	Dance Along the Edge - possibly your navigator is pushing her limits, or the Ship’s God is especially heady with worship but the combined limits of ship, etheric protections, and power have been reached if not exceeded.   Likely will arrive at destination d5 days sooner than projected, even if this is impossible.  Also psychic spillover affects all unshielded passengers and non-crew life forms :  sleep, arousal, hunger, communal clustering, communal grazing, communal grooming
3	Energy curve - vessel momentarily passes alongside an etheric region of great energy bending; (1-3 amplification, 4-6 drain) In amplification,  Apply effect 2. Above, stage all energy effects upward *four* stages on the dice chain, and all batteries become charged, lights grow brighter, etc.   Those with recent injuries will heal four times faster;   In Drain, Again apply 2. Above but all affected parties become sluggish and sleep.  Those with hibernation tendencies will fall into such a state.  All light and sound are dimmed for the duration of the voyage.  Thought passes slower.  Dreams do not seem to occur.   All energy effects are reduced 4 steps on the dice chain.   Those who are injured will heal four times slower than normal and magical / technological healing is affected by the energy curve as above.  Thank your Navigator or Ship’s God right now.
4	Grazing the Toum-Var  - Ship’s energy screens or the like graze the outer edge of the bleed;  1d7+12 dimensional analogs spawn near or replace local versions immediately.
5	The first Sub-ether...follows you home.  Voyage occurs without incident; At arrival however, those on ship are (and remain) entangled with supernal phenomenon taking the form of a constant monotonous chanting. It is apparently in their own accent but no known language.  IT loops every 3.14 minutes and remains persistent for 3d20 hours...unless another etheric voyage is undertaken in that time after which it does not further persist. .
6	Visions.  1D5 aboard ships simultaneously experience a vision; Any with Seer abilities may share it to others. Vision Thing table (D8) 1)    Ship’s destruction 2)   Something occurring at destination 3)   A quest object 4)   A danger in the nearby or oncoming sub-ether 5)   A premonition of warning or disaster from long dead civilization 6)  The death of billions on a world as it is destroyed, thousands of lights away. 7)   The Death Sun gazes into you 8)   Endless dead bleeding bodies or other terrible scene- Pick from Plague, Revolution, Racial Purity, Law, Chaos, or Undead Fun.

And faster than you can say Event Horizon....

Little known sub dimensional pathways through the aether

1	The soul roads - patrolled and protected by the armies of the Hell gods, ensuring the traffic of souls to the Pit. For a toll or other agreed upon stand-in, they may give ships and voyagers access to the deeper planes via such a road.   Be wary.
2	The Red Lodge - the vessel overlaps, however briefly in transit, with a hallucinatory conceptual space defined by desire, hunger, life, passion, and violence.   The crew is randomly distributed across this hallucinatory mindscape until they can find a way to break free.  Good luck. Also, cancel your plans for the evening, this is a misjump.
3	The City of Dreams - impossibly tall, thin glass towers throbbing with red and yellow glow are everywhere packed in too tightly together.  Immediately your vessel is surrounded by little beings with tremendously deep eyes.  “You aren’t supposed to be here.”  All goes black.  Consciousness regained 1d12+5 hours later…..somewhere along the ship’s intended path of travel. Maybe.
4	The Metropolis – Dim recollections, missing time, soul terror, examinations, you arrive at your destination 1d8 hours prior to your departure.  Violate your light cone at peril. No one seems to recall who suggested the pathway – it is gone from your memory.
5	Nightmare 102 - it gets...bad.  Reality goes runny.  Each and every individual mote of consciousness spends the next period of conceptual existence trapped in a hell of their own making.  IT must be endured;  5d12 real hours later, the ship will arrive at its destination point.  All those who have “died” in the meantime must make a DC 20 Fort save or they will experience immediate death by system shock.
6	The Writhe - ship now voyaging through an only semi-material realm wrought of small writhing, scuttling insect analogs.  Sacrifices must be honored every d12 hours or the creatures making up matter in this realm will attempt to infest and consume the vessel and its contents.   Sacrifices must take the form of those openly displaying the most fear. They must die afraid.