System generator
Shamelessly pirated from the Rogue Trader (RPG) sourcebook Stars of Inequity, the tables for randomly generating a Star System a pioneering Exploratory Fleet might discover.
System Properties
| D10 | Feature | Effects |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bountiful | Lots of mineral wealth. Choose one to all of:
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| 2 | Gravity Tides | Treacherous skies. Choose one:
|
| 3 | Haven | Peaceful system of garden worlds. Choose one:
|
| 4 | Ill-Omened | Cursed, either in fact or in legend. Crew morale will suffer just by arriving and will stay fragile until you leave. |
| 5 | Pirate Den | A wretched hive of scum and villainy. You must be cautious. D6+4 ships are present, including a beefy flagship, and 50% chance of a space station base. |
| 6 | Ruined Empire | A Xenos or Dark Age civilization once lived here. Choose one:
In either case, this affects a minimum of 1 Planet and if there are more Resource deposits than planets the remainder are Derelict Stations or Starship Graveyards. |
| 7 | Starfarers | There are several planets and a civilization (human or xeno) which spans them. Minimum 4 Planets in the system; add more wherever if it falls short. The native civilization inhabits D6+3 Features, planets first. Any planet with a native civilization has this one, with Development level Voidfarers, Colony, or Orbital Hab, with at least one Voidfarers in the system. |
| 8 | Stellar Anomaly | Some star systems don't fall into the neat "planets orbit star, stars orbit galactic center" bucket. This is one; there's some fuckhueg negative space wedgie affecting the local gravity. Remove any 2 Planets generated in the system as they or their orbits are destabilized. Navigating within and through this system is easier since these wedgies are used as Navigator's landmarks. Local Warpspace is also calmer, but sudden reversion to realspace is more dangerous with a high chance of Gravity Riptide, Solar Flare (even if not near a star), or Radiation Burst. |
| 9 | Warp Stasis | A calm Warp isn't always good; sometimes it becomes "becalmed in the Warp". Double the base time for any trip entering or leaving this system and the time to send or receive an Astropathic message. It may also be harder to use psychic powers of any kind in the system. |
| 10 | Warp Turbulence | This isn't a true Warp Storm, but that may not be much consolation. All Warp jumps into or out of this System are more difficult. Some of the following may also be true:
|
Star And Solar Zones
Roll for star strength and size, which then determines how much stuff is in each of the three Solar Zones; Inner Cauldron, Main Biosphere, and Outer Reaches
| Roll | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 1 | Mighty: Blazing, overpowering blue or blue-white light. Strong Inner Cauldron, weak Main Biosphere. |
| 2-4 | Vigorous: Steady white light. All zones normal. |
| 5-7 | Luminous: Well past its peak brightness, but steady yellow or yellow-orange. Weak Inner Cauldron. |
| 8 | Dull: This star will live for millennia more, but it is unmistakably dying. It is large but dim, usually red. Strong Outer Reaches. |
| 9 | Anomalous: Dis's fuckin weird. It may be a brown dwarf, nearly-invisible purple, or just about anything else. Make any one zone strong or weak. |
| 10 | Binary: Two stars. Roll D10; 1-7: the stars match; reroll once. 8-10: they're different; roll once for each. Reroll 9s and 10s, but if the stars match a 10 can mean it's a three-star system. Star characteristics are set by the appropriate roll; zone strength is set by the lowest roll, subtracting 1 for each extra star, min 1. |
| Zone Strength | # of System Element rolls |
|---|---|
| Weak | 1d6-3, min 1 |
| Normal | 1d6-1, min 1 |
| Strong | 1d6+1, min 3 |
System Elements
| Inner Cauldron | Main Biosphere | Outer Reaches | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Roll | System Element | Roll | System Element | Roll | System Element |
| 01-20 | No Feature | 01-20 | No Feature | 01-20 | No Feature |
| 21-29 | Asteroid Cluster | 21-30 | Asteroid Belt | 21-29 | Asteroid Belt |
| 30-41 | Dust Cloud | 31-41 | Asteroid Cluster | 30-40 | Asteroid Cluster |
| 42-45 | Gas Giant | 42-47 | Derelict Station | 41-46 | Derelict Station |
| 46-56 | Gravity Riptide | 48-58 | Dust Cloud | 47-55 | Dust Cloud |
| 57-76 | Planet | 59-64 | Gravity Riptide | 56-73 | Gas Giant |
| 77-88 | Radiation Bursts | 65-94 | Planet | 74-80 | Gravity Riptide |
| 89-100 | Solar Flares |
95-100 | Starship Graveyard | 81-93 | Planet |
| 94-100 | Starship Graveyard | ||||
Element Descriptions
Asteroid Belt: A thinly-spread ring of rocks which may have once been a rocky world. This poses a minor navigational hazard for all travel in its Solar Zone, and has D6-1 Mineral Resource deposits.
Asteroid Cluster: A denser, cohesive group of asteroids, usually the remains of a shattered planet or moon. It is confined to a small volume but is a serious navigational hazard within its extent. It also has D6-1 Mineral Deposits, either within the asteroids or in the remains of ships destroyed trying to navigate it. Pirates often use these as cover.
Derelict Station: An old, empty space station. If there is a space-capable civilization in the system, it was their creation. Otherwise, roll on the Station Origins table and give it D6-1 (min 0) Archaeotech or Xenos Ruins Resources.
Dust Cloud: The leftovers of an asteroid field or solar flare, these can be used as sensor cover but are basically irrelevant beyond that.
Gas Giant: Usually not a useful planet directly, but frequently home to rocky moons which could be much more promising. Use the Planet generation table below.
Gravity Riptide: A major navigation hazard and one that's very hard to detect from a distance.
Planet: A rocky world, potentially suitable for human habitation. Use the Planet generation table below.
Radiation Bursts: Not localized, but affecting the whole Inner Cauldron. Detecting an imminent burst is tricky but possible, and a skilled Enginseer's care for the augur arrays, or taking refuge behind a planet or moon, can protect the sensors; otherwise they will be damaged and difficult to even begin repair on for several hours. Even when there is no active burst, lower-level radiation makes all augurs and sensors noisy and unreliable in the area.
Solar Flares: Not localized, but affecting the whole Inner Cauldron. They are essentially unpredictable, and any journey through the Cauldron has a 10% chance per day of being hit by a solar flare, which is nearly as damaging as void combat weapons. Multiple instances of this each add 10% to the daily chance of being hit by a flare.
Spaceship Graveyard: A number of dead ships, floating in the void. Roll on the Graveyard Origins table to determine how they got here, and add D10+2 small Resource caches (Archaeotech or Xenos Ruins) spread across the dead fleet.
Ruin Origins
| Roll | Origin |
|---|---|
| 01-10 | Eldar Orrery: Wraithbone station with many cloistered cells, and psychic signatures of long-gone power |
| 11-15 | Eldar Gate: Wraithbone contraption in the shape of an enormous door. What could it possibly be? |
| 16-30 | Ork Rok: From a distance, this looks like an asteroid, but it's hollow and full of Ork 'technology', |
| 31-45 | STC Defense Station: A commonplace core pattern found across the Imperium, customized to defend a human colony. |
| 46-65 | STC Monitor Station: A commonplace core pattern found across the Imperium, customized with extensive augurs and communications tools. |
| 66-75 | Unknown Xenos Defense Station: A heavily armed station of unrecognizable origin, clearly not built for human occupants. |
| 76-90 | Unknown Xenos Monitor Station: A station of unrecognizable origin, with many sensor arrays and clearly not built for human occupants. |
| 91-95 | Necron Station: Station made of the Living Metal characteristic to the Necron xenos. Purpose unclear, probably defended by Canoptek robots. |
| 96-100 | Unusual Human Station: Structure and markings indicate this was built for humanity, but it is unlike usual patterns of station. |
| Roll | Origin |
|---|---|
| 01-15 | Wrecked Battlefleet: Whichever side fielded these, they lost badly, and all hulks belong to the same force. 2D6 ships, most or all shattered beyond any value. |
| 16-20 | Fleet Engagement: Massive conflict raged here, with many hulks from both sides. 1d10+6 hulks, plus possible unexploded mines, torpedoes, or attack craft. A few might be worth salvaging. |
| 21-35 | Lost Explorers: Ships lost to overextended supply vaults, or failure of vital systems. D3 ships but most or all are salvageable. |
| 36-65 | Plundered Convoy: Plundered transports and cargo ships drift here, from an ancient shipping lane. D6+1 ships are here, all boardable but dsifficult to salvage and probably thoroughly picked-over. |
| 66-90 | Skirmish: Wrecks from a small battle, from two different sides, drift here. D6+2 hulks, all heavily damaged but possibly sturdy enough to salvage. |
| 91-100 | Unknown Provenance: Bizarre assortment of different vessels drifting past defies easy explanation. Dozens of utterly ruined ships, D6 hulks with some integrity remaining. No shared origin is plausible. |
Planet Properties
TODO; until then, Planet generator
Gross Properties
Gravity and Surface Composition
| Roll | Meaning: Rocky Planet |
|---|---|
| 1 | Small, Light: The already-small world is low in metals, and so has even lower-mass than it appears. Subtract an additional 2 from the result of its Gravity roll, and halve the Abundance of any Mineral Resources it holds. |
| 2-3 | Small: Too small for strong gravity or abundant resources. Subtract 5 from the result of its Gravity roll. |
| 4 | Small, Dense: As Small but with higher gravity and more mineral resources available. |
| 5-7 | Large: Worlds of this size can range across a vast spectrum of possible types. |
| 8 | Large, Dense: As Large but with higher gravity and more mineral resources available. |
| 9-10 | Vast: Huge and voluminous, worlds of this type strain the upper edges of the possible size for a single world. Such planets tend to be of middling density, as they are already more massive than is common. Add 5 to the result of its Gravity roll. |
| Roll | Meaning: Gas Giant |
| 1-2 | Gas Dwarf: Considerably more massive than most rocky planets, but small for its kind. Subtract 5 from the result of its Gravity roll. |
| 3-8 | Gas Giant: Vastly more massive than any rocky world, with accordingly powerful gravity. |
| 9-10 | Gas Titan: The titans among gas giants are larger than some small stars, and may even be 'Brown Dwarfs', arguably closer to being stars than planets. Roll another D10; on an 8+ this is a Brown Dwarf; its Gravity roll is an automatic 10 and its moons are generated as if they were one Solar Zone closer to their star. On a 1-7 it is an 'ordinary' titan and merely adds 3 to its Gravity roll. |
Dense: A Dense planet adds 5 to the result of its Gravity roll. Increase the Abundance of any Mineral Resources it holds by 10.
| Roll | Meaning: Rocky Planet | Orbital Feature Rolls |
|---|---|---|
| .-2 | Low Gravity: Subtract 10 to its roll for Orbital Features and subtract 2 from its roll for Atmospheric Presence. Maneuvering on this world may be difficult for those not accustomed to it. | D2 |
| 3-8 | Normal Gravity: Approximately the same gravity as Terra's standard 1 G. No effects. | 2D3-1 |
| 9+ | High Gravity: Add 10 to this planet's roll for Orbital Features and add 1 to its roll for Atmospheric Presence. | D6+1 |
| Roll | Meaning: Gas Giant | |
| .-2 | Weak: Weak gravity for a gas giant, though still stronger than almost all rocky planets. Subtract 5 from its roll for Orbital Features. | D6 |
| 3-6 | Strong: Enormous gravity field, normal for its type. No effects. | D6+D3 |
| 7-9 | Powerful: Objects well beyond its immediate surroundings feel its pull. Add 5 to its roll for Orbital Features. | 2D6 |
| 10+ | Titanic: Even the system's star is affected by this world's gravity. Add 15 to this planet's roll for Orbital Features. | 3D6 |
Air and Orbit
| Roll (Rocky) | Roll (Gas) | Feature |
|---|---|---|
| -10-30 | -5-15 | No Feature: Nothing interesting added to the planet's orbit. |
| 31-45 | Large Asteroid: An asteroid large enough to be detectable by sensors, but not visible except as a fast-moving star to the naked eye, occupies a stable orbit around this planet. | |
| 46-60 | 16-40 | Planetary Rings(Dust): A wide ring of fine particles circles the planet. This isn't a hazard to navigation, but does make sensor readings noisier. If this is rolled multiple times, enlarge the rings rather than adding more sets of rings. Sensor readings get progressively harder as the rings get larger. |
| 61-90 | 41-70 | Lesser Moon: Large enough to have a noticeable gravity well, but smaller than even a small rocky planet and often not massive enough to be a proper hydrostatic spheroid. Roll D10; on a 6+ it is rich enough in minerals to count as a Mineral Resource, generated normally but with Abundance reduced by 5. |
| 71-85 | Planetary Rings(Debris): A narrow band of asteroids or chunks of ice extends out around the Gas Giant. The spread is limited enough that they can be avoided with a short detour, but if the detour is skipped, navigating them is like navigating an Asteroid Field system feature. If this is rolled multiple times, increase the size and density of the rings, making the needed detour longer and the navigation through them harder. | |
| 91-100+ | 86-100+ | Moon: A true moon, massive enough to form a proper hydrostatic spheroid. Generate this as a new Rocky Planet, but its mass must be less than its primary. If the primary is a rocky world, the moon's Body must be less than the primary's Body. If the primary is a gas giant, the satellite's Body must be less than (the primary's Body+4). |
For a gas giant, you're done here. For rocky planets, continue to generating its atmosphere and biosphere.
| Roll | Meaning |
|---|---|
| .-1 | None: No atmosphere,or almost none. Operating on its surface requires the usual tools and protection for working in vacuum. |
| 2-4 | Thin: The atmosphere is very thin, making any dangers from toxic gases reduced but also making it very difficult to breathe. |
| 5-9 | Moderate: The density of the air is normal or nearly so, and imposes no extra strain. |
| 10+ | Heavy: Air so thick it is crushing. Any dangers from toxic gases are more severe, and breathing the dense, heavy air is stressful, preventing unaugmented humans from getting proper rest. |
If no atmosphere, you're done here. If there is one, continue:
| Roll | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 1 | Deadly: You're basically swimming in an acid ocean. Even with total environmental seals, you're probably living on borrowed time. If the atmosphere is Heavy, you're definitely living on borrowed time. |
| 2 | Corrosive: Poisonous to breathe and deadly on contact. If you're a SPEHSS MARINE you can probably make it a minute or two without a total environmental seal, but without it you're probably living on borrowed time. |
| 3-5 | Toxic: Poisonous to breathe, but only mildly harmful to walk through. You'll need a rebreather but not a full isolation suit. |
| 6-7 | Tainted: Trace elements will be harmful to breathe with long-term exposure, though spending a week or so breathing it shouldn't have much effect. Not great for colonization but fine for short-term exploration. |
| 8-10 | Pure: Rejoice! The air is clean and breathable by even the frailest of constitutions. |
If the atmosphere is Toxic or worse, you're done here. If it's at worst Tainted, continue to the biosphere.
Biosphere
- Climate
- Water Presence
- Water Distribution
Environment and Riches
- Territories: unusual and notable pieces of landscape, of varying size
- Landmarks: smaller, localized memorable things
- Resources: Valuable stuff, of different types and size of deposit, also used for non-Planet resources
Life
- Native Species, subsapient
- Inhabitants, sapient
- Race
- Tech Level