Wednesday, July 21, 2021

Starsailor: Holy Primes and Computing Orders

[...] and from this we may deduce that our Gods are essentially detectable in nature, in those laws that govern us and our number systems, in the uncurling of ferns and the spiral of florets, appleseeds and snailshells, all that which grows and flourishes upon our low world. They are the very base units of the Heavens. A mathematician would call a God a ‘prime number’, such as may be defined as a number which may be divided into no components but itself and Unity. Though each shall have a chapter devoted to it, I offer a brief introduction to the divine nature of the first 97 Gods [...]

Fragment from the lost treatise A Practical Guide to Geometria, 1964.


A few notes on Starsailor:

  • It's basically just d100 roll-under.
  • Characters gain new abilities upon reaching Prime-numbered levels. At level 13 they retire, leaving a boon to their remaining crew.
  • Computers are essentially GLOG wizards, except that they don't lose MD from their pool. They enact Calculations to change the nature of the world around them. Every Calculation they have is on a timer, and can be used once per a number of days equal to the Calculation's Rank
  • Spells have Ranks between 1 and 6. There is no Rank-7 Calculation. Tell yourself that there is no Rank-7 Calculation every night as you fall asleep, in a soft droning whisper, until you are firmly convinced.
  • There are no critical hits in Starsailor unless you're a Computer. You don't get to benefit from lucky numbers without putting in the effort.
  • Starting campaigns only have the Computer of the 5th Order as a class option; other Orders must be unlocked diegetically (by convincing novices of the Order that abandoning their monastery-university to go be space pirates is a good and Holy idea).
  • Computing Orders are illegal in the repressive Coreworlds, standard in the rest of the galaxy. They are loosely conglomerated and widely respected, and generally make an effort to do good but vastly disagree over methods.
  • Failing to do something listed as a 'must do this thing', to the best of ones ability, results in a Miscalculation (aka GLOG Doom). 
  • You can stop being a Computer at any point and all your dooms and drawbacks and such go away. You can never be a Computer again.
  • One isn't a real Prime, it's a weird pretender.
  • I'll post the spell list sometime soon.

Starsailor Classis: Computer


You are a novice of a Computing Order dedicated to one of the Holy Primes. Of course you acknowledge the divinity of all Primes, but you have chosen to devote yourself to one in particular. You have left your cloistered institute of mathematics to join a starfaring crew, but you are never without the guidance of your Prime.


Level 1- You can find Computer sects in any sufficient place no matter how far-flung, and know of their rites and beliefs. 1-in-10 chance they're sworn enemies with your own sect, and 1-in-10 that they are your ally.


On a d100 roll, if your Prime appears on one of the two die, good outcomes are intensified, and bad outcomes made gentler (if your Prime is a two-digit number, you obviously can not benefit from this). If you roll your Prime doubled on a d100 (or just the Prime itself if it's two-digit), you succeed gloriously at whatever you were doing.


2- By meditating upon your Holy item for one hour, you can receive a cryptic vision that links your Prime's symbolism to your own current situation. Might even be helpful!


3- Instantly know the distance and angle to anything you see, and the exact number of things in groups.


5- Attain the honorary title of Scholar; wherever your Order is respected, you can find aid and lodging in exchange for a few hours’ teaching and prayer.


7- If you can convincingly link the situation you're in to the symbolism of your Prime, you can have one of these revealed suddenly to you: what is hidden here? what will set things right? or, what must I do to survive this?


11- Your learning is evident; your arrival among believers prompts celebration and tribute, and they shall aid you however they can.


13- Upon retiring, become the Seneschal of a Computing Monastery. All other crew members learn one Rank 1 Calculation that you already know, and have a maximum of 1 CD (Calculation Die) with which to cast it.


Class: Computer of the Fifth Order

You venerate wanderlust, impulsivity, and chance.


Perks- Luck tilts your way; you tend to win at games of pure chance. Also, when traveling unknown skies, you can use your hourly meditation to determine the most interesting route. Not safest, or fastest- most interesting.


Drawback- When you complete a mission, you must leave the place where you carried it out, and not return until you have fulfilled another mission elsewhere.


Gear- Bronze astrolabe, deck of cards or set of dice, turquoise robes


Mistakes-

  1. Take d10 damage.
  2. gain 1 Weird.
  3. All Calculation cooldowns reset to maximum.
  4. A Paradox Angel appears and really doesn't like you.
  5. You just sort of wander off somewhere for the next d10 rounds.
  6. For one week, you are compelled to gamble; must do so whenever opportunity presents itself.
  7. Unlucky! All rolls [-] for a day.
  8. When making decisions, you must incorporate an element of randomness (flip a coin?)
  9. No sense of direction for 1d10 days.
  10. Incredible strong urge to visit someplace you've heard of but never been- must begin working a visit there into current plans.

Miscalculations-

  1. Must leave the place where you are. Never come back.
  2. You cannot return anywhere. All places must be new.
  3. Literally just run away as fast as you can. You're outta here. And out of the game, too, unless your friends want to try and catch you...

Class: Computer of the Seventh Order

You venerate wisdom, intuition, and the truth.


Perks- In your entire life, you may make seven declarations. They become true, immediately upon pronouncement. They cannot break the basic laws of physics or Holy Mathematics. They do not retroactively change the past.


Drawback- You must not lie.


Gear- Candelabrum for seven candles, thin white linen robe, finely made notebook and a pen that works in space


Mistakes-

  1. Take d10 damage.
  2. Gain 1 Weird.
  3. All Calculation cooldowns reset to maximum.
  4. A Paradox Angel appears and really doesn't like you.
  5. For a day, all who hear you speak really don't like you. Not to the point of violence, usually, but they just don't like you!
  6. ontological breakdown leaves you incapable of learning information for a day.
  7. Intense fear of all things, wrought by knowledge of their true nature, leaves you paralyzed for d10 rounds.
  8. Must destroy the next source of information you encounter (book, broadcast, etc).
  9. Shall not sleep at all, next time you try- the nightmares!
  10. incapable of speech & language for a week.

Miscalculations-

  1. See the patterns in everything. You know all. All knows you. The GM drip-feeds you a steady stream of secret insights. Most of them are hallucination bullshit. Webs of paranoid conspiracy tighten
  2. You may no longer read maps or written language, for they are inferior representations of the Truth of Reality.
  3. You see it all. Everything that Is and everything that lies outside reality. It is all laid out for you so neatly, and you understand with perfect clarity. You may choose to either go permanently, unplayably mad from the revelation (avoid this by cutting out your eyes) or enter a state of catatonic meditation bliss until you die from starvation/dehydration (avoid it by cutting out your tongue)
Have fun!





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