SPAAAACE TIIILTS!

[ShadowKnight1224]

However, an issue I'm running into is that spaceships are actually pretty hard to model in a way that isn't stupidly complicated while simultaneously having that shiny layer of realism that I'm going for.

It actually depends on what you want the narrative role of spaceships to be in your games. If you want mechanical rules for a box that gets you places while the drama happens en-route, your idea works just fine. If you want to make the spaceship a main protagonist, a Tharsis-like entity with different sectors that need maintenance, offer benefits at the risk of injury, and you have to manage your resources (food, water, life support, fuel, research, etc.), then you might want to create a multi-merit, like Geist's Haunt, where each individual thing you want to keep track of is a "Spaceship [Noun]".

Likewise, if you have other narrative roles for the spaceship, you can model those too. You can even have different versions of the Spaceship merit, each with a different level of complexity, so that the ST can pick whichever one works best for her game.

[AceOfAlmonds]

...
However, an issue I'm running into is that spaceships are actually pretty hard to model in a way that isn't stupidly complicated while simultaneously having that shiny layer of realism that I'm going for. I'm thinking of maybe just throwing up my hands, making Spaceship a merit that builds off of Safe Place, and basically just reduce it down to "your safe Place can travel between planets; extra dots in this merit reduces the time it takes and makes the trip more comfortable". If I went with that, I would basically just be reducing the Spaceship down to a box that gets you places - I hope you brought enough food!

I'm also not going to abstract out the narratively interesting parts of space travel - namely, running out of food and the dramatic moment when your characters learn they have a stowaway... which might be enough to kill them all if they don't space them right quick.

Maybe you could model the merit off of other splat-specific Safe Place analogs? For example, Hollows (CtL) have add-ons for Mobile Hollow (one that moves around), Amenities (how quality the stuff inside is, though it may not account for quantity), Security (how hard it is to get in). Those might help codify your spaceship version.

Also, this idea and execution is super awesome

[ajf115]

Brilliant. These will be perfect for Beast.

I've actually started writing a Beast whose lair is a half-abandoned space station and whose form is a protean mass of darkness which clings to the shadows and sometimes extends vicious talons to snag passing prey. I've actually started writing a space-based Atavism named 'From the Outer Darkness' but I'm not sure what exactly to put in for the effects.

[ErikModi]

Check out my Infinite Macabre goodies, linked in my sig. I took a crack at reworking the Spaceship merit, it might give you some ideas.

[amechra]

Double post HYPE!

I have hit a quandary - as you can kinda see, I'm going for something grittier and "harder" than Space Opera. About the only thing I'm taking from Infinite Macabre is Between Space, and that's just because it gives me warm Event Horizon vibes.

However, an issue I'm running into is that spaceships are actually pretty hard to model in a way that isn't stupidly complicated while simultaneously having that shiny layer of realism that I'm going for. I'm thinking of maybe just throwing up my hands, making Spaceship a merit that builds off of Safe Place, and basically just reduce it down to "your safe Place can travel between planets; extra dots in this merit reduces the time it takes and makes the trip more comfortable". If I went with that, I would basically just be reducing the Spaceship down to a box that gets you places - I hope you brought enough food!

I'm also not going to abstract out the narratively interesting parts of space travel - namely, running out of food and the dramatic moment when your characters learn they have a stowaway... which might be enough to kill them all if they don't space them right quick.

[amechra]

"Step into my lair - don't mind the 10Gs. Oh, I'm sorry, I forgot you liked your bones."

[Hexmeister Vic]

Brilliant. These will be perfect for Beast.

[amechra]

Reserved for an update of the Spaceship merit. I scrapped what was here before because it was terrible.

---

So, umm... I'm still a little nauseous from dental surgery, and this popped out instead of sleep.

If the Tilts look really harsh to you, that means that they're doing their job. After all, space hates you and wants you dead.

[amechra]

Environmental Tilts

Between Space [Tilt]
You are in Between Space (see Infinite Macabre); when this Tilt is imposed, one character within the Tilt must either lose one Willpower or take 1L. As long as you are subject to this Tilt, you cannot recover Willpower through rest or surrender, and fulfilling your Virtue only recovers one Willpower rather than refilling your pool. After spending at least nine hours in this dark grey void, you start losing one Willpower an hour for as long as you remain in Between Space. Curiously, Ghosts suffer none of the negative effects of this Tilt; instead, they treat it as if it were the Open condition and are naturally (and permanently) Materialized while in this area.
Causing the Tilt: Going through a Stygian Gate. Alternatively, entering the Underworld through an Avernian Gate.
Removing the Tilt: Leaving through a Stygian Gate. Alternatively, exiting the Underworld through an Avernian Gate.

Hard Vacuum [Tilt]
You have the terrible luck of being in hard vacuum; not only is there no air, there's no air pressure. Have fun as your bodily fluids boil out of your pores! You take 1A damage each turn, as your body shuts down and your internal organs start suffering massive cell death. If you don't suffer Aggravated damage due to massive physical trauma, this damage is reduced to 1L each turn, which cannot be healed until you are brought inside some sort of atmosphere. If you happen to also have a Vitae pool, you lose one Vitae each turn as your blood alternatively boils and crystallizes.
Causing the Tilt: Getting thrown out of an airlock without a suit.
Removing the Tilt: Get pulled onto a ship or otherwise return to the sweet, sweet protection of an atmosphere.

Heavy Gravity [Tilt]
You are in an area with incredibly heavy gravity, which is at minimum 1.5 G; it certainly isn't comfortable, and your body really doesn't like it. Your Strength is considered to be one dot lower for the purposes of climbing, lifting, throwing, your Speed, and jumping, your Stamina is considered to be one dot lower for the purposes of fatigue, and you take a -1 penalty to Perception rolls, Speed, and Defense; for each full multiple of Earth's gravity past 1 G, increase these penalties by one. Once your effective Stamina hits 0, you suffer from the Insensate Tilt; if the Gravity is increased by more than 3G after this point, you fall Unconscious within one turn and take 1B each turn you continue to suffer from the increased gravity. This damage increases by 1 for each multiple of Earth's gravity past the point of unconsciousness.
Causing the Tilt: Move into an area of heavy gravity; flip on an artificial gravity generator.
Removing the Tilt: Get out of the area. Unless you can generate anti-grav, you're kinda screwed.

Life Support [Tilt]
This Tilt comes with a numerical rating; that rating is the number of people that the area with the Tilt can support comfortably. If the number of people on board exceeds that amount, the available oxygen begins to deplete faster than it can be replaced; everyone in the area starts to suffer from the Suffocate (Moderate) Tilt after [20 - twice the number of people in excess] hours.
Causing the Tilt: Most spaceships are intentionally covered by this Tilt through the "magic" of oxygen scrubbers.
Removing the Tilt: Turn off the life support module; just be aware that everyone will gain the Suffocate (Moderate) Tilt after a few minutes as the oxygen is quickly depleted.

Low Gravity [Tilt]
You are in an area of low gravity, clocking in at less than 0.6 G. Your Strength is considered to be two dots higher for the purposes of climbing, lifting, throwing and jumping, and your Stamina is considered to be one dot higher for the purposes of fatigue. On the flip side, your Defense and Speed are reduced by two, and you take a -2 penalty to all Dexterity-based dice pools; it's hard to maintain balance when you weigh a fraction of what you normally do.
Causing the Tilt: Move into an area of low gravity; flip on an anti-grav generator (or the like).
Removing the Tilt: Can you generate artificial gravity? Because otherwise you won't be able to do anything.

Microgravity [Tilt]
You are in an area of "zero gravity", where there's no downwards pull to worry about (or depend on). Your Strength, Defense, and Speed are effectively zero unless you are tethered, braced by a surface, or have some large object to push off of; in addition, if you are secured by any method other than being effectively tied down (such as through hand-holds or magnetized boots), falling prone or taking the Knocked Down Tilt mean you are no longer secured to that surface and are free-floating. Whenever you make a sudden movement (such as making an attack or moving faster than half your Speed), make a Dexterity + Athletics roll; on a failure, you take the Knocked Down tilt, and on a Dramatic Failure you take the Nausea tilt as well; additionally, any attack you make other than an attempt to start a grapple is reduced to a Chance Die. If it's any consolation, you also treat your Strength as if it were two dots higher for the purposes of climbing, lifting, throwing, and jumping; this stacks with the benefits of Low Gravity. As an added bonus, ignore the effects of the Leg Wrack Tilt; legs aren't really needed to get around up here.
Causing the Tilt: Hey, someone turned off the artificial gravity! Or there was no artificial gravity in the first place.
Removing the Tilt: Turn that gravity generator back on (if there is one.)

Nightless [Tilt]
Space has no day or night; there's just an eerie blackness out there, broken only by the harsh untwinkling light of stars. Alternatively, you're somewhere with an incredibly short day and night, or one that lasts months (or even years). Regardless, this ruins your Circadian rhythms something fierce; you suffer from the Insomnia condition for as long as you are under the effects of this Tilt. Gaining the Space Legs condition resolves your Insomnia and renders you immune to this Tilt.
Causing the Tilt: Going somewhere where the day-night rhythms really don't match your body.
Removing the Tilt: Set up some sort of artificial day-night cycle; return to a planet or moon with a real day-night cycle.

Recycled Atmosphere [Tilt]
One thing you aren't going to hear much about from the brochures is how much space travel literally stinks. After a few days, the air on a spaceship is going to start to stink of sweat and farts. Once the stink has accumulated, all Perception rolls made based off of your sense of smell are reduced to a chance die; in addition, everyone on the ship treats the stink like a Level 1 Extreme Environment.
Causing the Tilt: Seal a bunch of people up in a more-or-less enclosed environment for a couple of days.
Removing the Tilt: Get out of the enclosed area; open the area to a planetary atmosphere for a few days.

Personal Tilts

Braced [Tilt]
You've managed to brace yourself against some surface or have been tightly secured while in Microgravity. You do not need to roll Dexterity + Athletics when making sudden movements to see whether or not you've maintained your balance; in addition, your attacks only take a -2 penalty rather than being reduced to a Chance Die.
Causing the Tilt: Grab onto a secure handhold or get strapped down.
Removing the Tilt: Get knocked prone; alternatively, lose your grip or get your tether cut.

Conditions

Heavyworlder [Persistent]
You were born and raised on a planet with stronger gravity than Earth; as such, your body is used to such the pressures of living in such an environment. You reduce all of the penalties inflicted by the Heavy Gravity Tilt by one, and treat your Stamina as one higher for the purposes of fatigue. However, you receive the benefits and drawbacks of low gravity when the local gravity is 1 G or lower.
Beat: N/A
Resolution: Die, or spend a significant time outside of a gravity well.

Running Low on Food [Persistent]
Your ship has run low on food; unless you take drastic action, you aren't going to make it to your destination without starving.
Beat: N/A
Resolution: "Lose" enough people that the rest of you can survive. Find a way to ration the food that doesn't lead to mass starvation.

Space Legs [Persistent]
You've gotten your "space legs" - you are comfortable in the lower gravity conditions that you find on a space ship, and have grown used to the lack of a day-night cycle. You ignore the Nightless and Recycled Atmosphere Tilts, and don't suffer from the negative effects of the Low Gravity Tilt unless the local gravity drops below 0.1 G. On the flip side, you start suffering the effects of the Heavy Gravity Tilt at 1G rather than 1.5 G, and gain the Insomnia condition while in places without the Nightless Tilt.
Beat: N/A
Resolution: Getting regular sleep while somewhere with a day-night cycle for a week will fix your Circadian rhythms and resolves your Insomnia. Readjusting to heavier gravity, however, can take months or years.

Equipment

Magnetized Boots
Die Bonus +2, Size 1, Durability 2, Structure 2, Availability ••
Effect: You've got a set of boots with magnetized soles; as such, you gain Braced Tilt while standing on a metal surface. However, your Speed is halved while you wear them and are on a metal surface.

Manned Maneuvering Unit (MMU)
Die Bonus +0, Size 4, Durability 3, Structure 5, Availability ••••
Effect: A MMU is a jetpack you can wear over a space-suit, allowing you to maneuver while in conditions of Microgravity. While more-or-less unusable in closed spaces, it allows for movement in without needing a surface to push off of, and can (more importantly) bring you to a stop. As long as you are not tethered to or braced against a surface, the MMU allows you to use your full Speed for movement, and prevents your Defense from being reduced to 0 by Microgravity. In addition, it can produce up to 0.1G worth of thrust in a pinch; it can store enough fuel to run up to six hours.

Spacesuit
Die Bonus +5, Size 6, Durability 3, Structure 3, Availability •••••
Effect: A Spacesuit is designed to protect you from negative effects of tripping the void. It acts as a hardened NBC suit with built in magnetized boots. On top of the normal benefits of an NBC suit, it renders the user immune to the Extreme Heat, Hard Vacuum, Radioactive, and Extreme Cold Tilts, recycles water and oxygen for the wearer, and supplies 2/2 Armor. In addition, the wearer only loses their protection from the listed Tilts and NBC contaminants if they suffer from the Pierced Armor Tilt.
However, the Suit comes with a severe drawback; it's very bulky, halving your Defense and Speed unless you happen to be in an area with the Low Gravity Tilt. On top of this, it only holds enough power to run life support for 8 hours, with a back-up battery supplying up to 30 more minutes; once this runs out, the suit stops recycling water and oxygen, and no longer supplies immunity to the Extreme Heat and Extreme Cold Tilts.

Merits

Heavy Gravity Training (••)
Prerequisites: Stamina •••
Effects: You've received training with regards to the effects of heavy gravity; treat your effective Stamina as if it were one dot higher for the purposes of the Heavy Gravity Tilt.

Zero-G Maneuvers (Style; • to •••••)
Prerequisites: Athletics ••, Dexterity ••, Athletics Speciality related to micro-gravity.
Effects: You've spent some time in space, and have learned how to get around while in micro-gravity conditions. You can pull of maneuvers that would make other people puke their guts out; needless to say, the techniques learned through this Merit only apply while you're under the effects of the Microgravity Tilt.
Instinctive Bracing (•): You've learned how to brace yourself against pretty much anything, and do so pretty much instinctively. As long as you are adjacent to a surface with at least one handhold, you benefit from the Braced Tilt.
Tuck and Roll (••): You can snap your body into a somersault even without a surface to push off of, and you have some experience with changing your body's profile while free floating. Your Defense is no longer reduced to zero while in Microgravity and away from a surface.
Touch and Go (•••): You are pretty practised at using your momentum to whip you around; whenever you move up to your Speed, you may add your Athletics to your Speed.
Kick-Off (••••): You kick off surfaces almost as second nature. Whenever you get the Knocked Prone Tilt or Break Free of a Grapple, you may Reflexively spend one Willpower to move up to your Speed.
Zero-G Monkey (•••••): People rarely expect you to use your entire body as a club; that's why it works so well. As long as you are Braced, you suffer no penalty to melee attacks; if your target is Braced, they must make a Dexterity + Athletics roll. On a failure, they take the Knocked Prone Tilt; on a Dramatic Failure, they take the Nausea Tilt as well.