by DoOverAgain

An item RPG: Public Access has been added to the geeklist Solo RPGs on Your Table - March 2026

by Phegnax

Related Item: Herald's Call

Congrats on receivong your Badge. 🎉

by raptor777777

Quick heads-up that I'll be slower than usual for my own lots this year, but I *will* eventually get to you.

by itiriktari

Related Item: Alice is Missing

11

by mic_al

Well, it'll be an unpopular answer; but an honest one:

20- 25, no younger.

I'm an adult, I don't have children, and I want to hang with adults. And especially some younger people might get on my nerves.

by l_c_jackson

Magical Creatures


How to create them

How to create magical creatures and intelligent beings compatible with Flynn's Guide to Magic.

Refer to page 69 of the Traveller Core Rulebook (2008) to create the basic biology.

Altternatively create entirely non-biological entities, using mythology and literature for inspiration.

Grant the creature either properties that are intrinsically magical, or bolt onto a biological creature magical spell properties. Those could include permanent spells, spells invoked at will, or (for an intelligent creature) the ability to cast like normal humans.


Effects of damage on magical beings

Damage is applied to creature characteristics in the usual Traveller (2008) way, Endurance first. Rather than passing into unconsciousness at zero Strength, or Dexterity, a purely magical creature (that is one with no physical body) will dissipate.


Examples

Some common types of magical creature and intelligent beings.


Zombie (my own)

Animate Dead (Summon 4/Gen 3) will create durable zombies (Flynn's Guide to Magic in Traveller, pg 33).

80 kg, armour optional, but unlikely (they don't care and their owner is not made of money!)
Str 9, Dex 5, End 12
Int 2, Edu 2, Soc 0
Psi 0, San 0, Mana 0
Fist/Teeth D6, plus simple melee weapon, eg Club 2D6, or Cutlass 2D6+4
Typical Skills: Melee (blade) 1, or Melee (bludgeon) 1, or Melee (unarmed) 0
Speed: -1 on initiative, often half normal human speed.
Personality: Tough mindless killers, with a taste for fresh brains. Cannot talk, cannot be Charmed, and have no fear of anything (being already dead). Mercifully too thick & clumsy to operate missile weapons, or firearms.
Note: An otherworldly being which can be detected as such, or warded against.

A skeleton is just a zombie weakened by decay, having each physical attribute halved.
On the upside, they are just as fast as a human, with no initiative penalty.


Mature dragon (from the Aldreth rules)
http://www.ace-dog.com/Traveller/AldrethA4.pdf

6,000 kg, armour 11,
Str 18, Dex 9, End 18,
Int 10, Edu 9, Soc 10,
Psi 7, San 9, Mana 9
Tooth & Claw x3.
Breath: 4D6 Flame, range= Shotgun. (Traveller Central Supply Catalogue, TL4 Flamethrower)
Typical skills: Athletics ( flying) 0, Melee (natural weapons) 0.
Spells: Variable, typically from the categories "Charm" & "Illusion".
Personality: Avaricious, devious, vulnerable to flattery.
Note: An otherworldly being which can be detected as such, or warded against.


Ogre (from the Aldreth rules)
http://www.ace-dog.com/Traveller/AldrethA4.pdf

200 kg, armour 4,
Str 12, Dex 5, End 10,
Int 3, Edu 2, Soc 1,
Psi 2, San 9, Mana 0
Melee weapon Club 4D6 (damage x2), Fist 2D6 (damage x2).
Typical skills: Melee (bludgeon) 1
Personality: dim and brutal. Easily confused.
Note: An otherworldly being which can be detected as such, or warded against.


Ifreet (my own)

Weightless, armour 0.
Str 12, Dex 10, End 10,
Int 9, Edu 9, Soc 0,
Psi 0, San 12, Mana 10
Melee weapon: Claws 3D6 (resulting from damage x3 for size)
Skills: Recon 1, Melee (natural weapons) 1, Deception 1
Difficult to see, it resembles a wirlwind of smoke, and sounds like a rushing wind.
While in it's natural form it has double human movement speed.
It can pass through small cracks gradually, but not solid matter (such as a sealed bottle).
When not attacking with claws can only be harmed by magic weapons (such as those enchanted by Enchanted Weapon, Lesser), or spells.
When making a physical attack it becomes vulnerable to physical attack in the same 6 second combat round.
Personality: An Islamic demon of the underworld, powerful, and cunning.
Can shapeshift into any human, or animal, form that it knows. However this also makes it vulnerable to attack (and reduces it to normal speed), so it is not normally used in combat.
Invoked by the Arcane Summoning III (level 6) spell pg 33.
Capable of casting Charm (+5 telepathic domination) to possess humans, as a signature spell (1 round to cast). Range costs may apply.
Max physical stats = 32, duration of summoning= 1 minute.
Note: This is an otherworldly being which can be detected as such, or warded against.

by DoOverAgain

An item RPG: Public Access has been added to the geeklist Solo RPGs on Your Table - March 2026

by l_c_jackson

Magical Familiar Variant Rule

I have adopting the Familiar as a mustering-out benefit, inspired by Doc Grognard's Adventurer Book 2, pg 4-5.
https://docgrognard.blogspot.com/2011/06/adventurer-book-2-n...

"Familiar is a small intelligent animal that acts as a combination spy and servant; typically a familiar can speak to its master, and is at least as smart as a child."

In my game I am assuming that the "animal" is the size, and familiarity, of a cat.
The "child" level of intelligence would be that of a young child, and even that level is only possible in such a small brain due to magic.
Familiars have automatic free telepathy, allowing the master to see, hear, smell, feel, and act through the familiar's own senses and muscles, over short distances (say 50m). Beyond that the familiar must rely on its own wits, and report back later.

I have NOT adopted the "Summoning Familiar" spell from the same source. That spell is overly complex, too powerful, and too expensive. In my setting such weak familiars are persistant, and (with my Mana point based spell system) do not require summoning.

by dysjunct

Vangelis scoring Blade Runner and Cosmos puts him in IMO.

Agree with the others as well.

by ZachSullivan

Related Item: BoardGameGeek Blog

Great design diary - I'm really excited to play this!

by JugglinDan

Related Item: Traveller Core Rulebook Update 2022

Brass Jester wrote:

Dan
Your 'one-roll' table sounds interesting - I'd like to see it when it's done

Comparing this table to the Cost Options in the Star Traders Campaign in SOLO Second Edition (or the first edition, it's the same info. Aside, I bought the first edition, but Zozer gave a free upgrade via DTRPG), I think what I'm proposing is something in between option 1 and 2. Option 2 lets you assume that you always have passengers for your next destination, and that you always fill available space with freight, while option 1 is "calculate everything the hard way, full Traveller". I'm using option 1 in my game, but I've noticed that on low population worlds I might only find 3 passengers, and only a fraction of the freight I could carry. It just takes a lot of rolls and DM calculations to get there.

The "one table based on world population code" would be option 2a: it's the SOLO option 2, but there's a chance you won't always find all the passengers or freight you could carry, but sometimes you might find some mail. Of course, the idea might suck, since it's also "Option 2 but the pay is worse".

by JugglinDan

Related Item: Traveller Core Rulebook Update 2022

I just use the simple fuel skimming rule from the core rules (10+ DEX + Pilot (spacecraft) check that takes 1D hours). All the extra stuff in the companion about gas giant operations I treat as fluff. I think I made reference to "the deep", but that's about it. I'm already drowning in detail in my Traveller game which makes it hard to see the emerging story sometimes. Anywhere I can simplify is good!

brass jester wrote:

I’m going with an option given in SOLO where the Ship’s Fund pays for speculative cargo and emergency expenses, the Crew Fund pays for Upkeep and equipment.
Once they start trading, a die roll will determine what passengers and freight the ship is carrying, this is assumed to cover the running costs (maintenance, fuel, life support.) Another die roll will determine this. If it doesn’t then the shortfall comes out of the Ship’s Fund first, then the Crew Fund. In this case a decision may have to be made about what gets paid.
It means that the crew will have to take side jobs and do spec trading to keep the Crew/ Ship funds topped up.

I can't find this at all. I do have the separate funds though. All my operating profits and expenses work from the ship's fund, which is the number I list at the top of each session report. Each crew member started with some money from character creation, and they do get paid a flat salary each maintenance period from the ship's fund that they use for personal expenses - personal items, on-world accommodation, R&R etc. Common items, like vacc suits or medical supplies are bought by the ship. They can be used by individuals but should be returned to the ship's locker afterward.

I've had the idea that some crew members might do a little black-market trading on the side, but that has not eventuated yet. The jump net trick has so far made operations very profitable though, so I've had to introduce dramatic pressure through other means, as they are not feeling the pinch financially.