Only Futures, Part 1: Character Arcs

Don't think about who you want your character to be. Think about who you want your character to become.

Pedro Correa

This is Part 1 of 3. Part 2 is here, Part 3 is here.

Characters are a moment in time. A campaign is just the backdrop in a slice of the character's life - a time when they achieved something very important for themselves. All characters are temporary. The character will grow and change. The character will become a better version of themselves or a worse version of themselves. They will gain something, they will lose something. They will learn an important truth about themselves. When their arc is complete, their story is over even if their life is not. It's time to move on from that character and begin a new one, or else start a new arc.

 

So don't spend hours crafting a character that might die in the first session. Make your character become someone, transforming and changing into their best (or worst) versions of themselves the longer they survive. Once they complete their arc, let the character move on with their life.

What Is an Arc and Why Have It in TTRPGs?

A Character Arc is character change. It's the real reason stories are told. Nobody reads/watches Lord of the Rings to learn about Hobbit feet and walking vast distances with an evil ring. We read/watch it because those feet belong to Frodo Baggins, accompanied by Samwise Gamgee, who happens to be carrying an evil ring vast distances. Plot gives context to characters - plot serves the characters. We like Lord of the Rings because we like seeing Aragorn embrace the truth we already know about him: that he is a worthy king; because it's awesome to see Legolas and Gimli grow from resentful to respectful of one another, and finally BFFs. Characters are why we enjoy stories and they're what we remember most about them. The plot is just the arena.

In TTRPGs, we want Character Arcs because without them, characters might grow stale and boring. Characters who change are characters who create a story. Character Arcs can also make for surprising, compelling, and inspiring moments at the table. It is far more interesting to see a character struggle to become something than it is to watch the same character (even when it's a "new" character) do the exact same shit over and over and over again.

In screenwriting and novel writing, there are two main types of arcs (there are actually quite a few arcs, but generally only two principle arcs that create all the others): The Positive Arc and the Negative Arc. There's no reason these same arcs can't be used in TTRPGs.

The arcs are really quite simple. The Positive Arc is a character that grows into a better version of themselves. We use these to tell uplifting stories of hope and achievement. The Negative Arc is a character that becomes a worse version of themselves. We use these to tell stories that disturb us or to reveal an unpleasant truth about the world.

Of course, you can still use a Positive Arc to tell a disturbing story that exposes a truth about the world, and you can still use a Negative Arc to tell a story of hope and achievement. But generally speaking, Positive Arcs involve characters becoming better, so they are uplifting stories. Negative Arcs involve characters becoming worse, so they are more unsettling stories.

Bicicleta Sem Freio

Every arc begins with a belief or personality flaw that is holding the character back from what they need. I learned it as the "Wound," although KM Weiland has recently popularized it as "The Lie Your Character Believes." In my opinion, this is a much better way to think about characters (although the principles are mostly the same as with the Wound). The character believes something about themselves or the world that isn't true - and their adherence to that untruth is what stops them from growing and becoming better versions of themselves.

The Lie, Positive Arc example: The Matrix trilogy. Although Neo claims he doesn't believe in Fate, he does. The Lie he believes is that he is controlled by Fate. Throughout all three Matrix films, he battles with this idea of Fate controlling him - always almost overcoming the Lie, but not quite. In the first Matrix, he believes the Oracle when she tells him that he isn't fated to be the One. In Matrix Reloaded, he believes that the Architect has used him as just another means of control, Fate once again asserting its power over him.

Neo doesn't fully shake off the Lie until the last battle with Agent Smith in Matrix Revolutions, when he finally recognizes that the entire Matrix is built on the illusion of Choice and hinges on Fate (programming). He embraces his Truth when he takes Fate into his own hands by choosing to die, knowing full the consequences of his choice. Although Neo dies, he is a better version of himself when his Character Arc concludes.

The Lie, Negative Arc example: Touch of Evil. Detective Vargas believes that justice prevails, and that once a truth is revealed, none will be able to deny it. The Lie that Vargas believes can be boiled down to: Vargas believes that the truth matters. Throughout his winding investigation into murder and conspiracy, he reveals massive corruption both from his own government, the US government, and even drilling all the way down to a relatively small precinct.

At the end, the Truth that Vargas learns is that, in his world, truth doesn't matter. Nobody cares when he reveals the murders, corruption, and conspiracies. Everyone shrugs their shoulders and the world just goes on spinning. Vargas learns that there is no real justice in the world, and truth doesn't matter. As a result, he becomes a more bitter person. When his Character Arc concludes, he is a worse version of himself.

Integrating the Lie into TTRPGs

To find the Lie of your character, you start at the end. What kind of person do you want your character to be at the end of the story? Once you've identified that, you move them as far away from that person as they can be. That point marks the beginning of your story. A screenplay or novel doesn't really begin with the event - it begins with a character. The event is for showing viewers/readers who the character is in that moment, and hints at who they need to become.

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As Gamemasters, Wardens, Referees, Whathaveyou, we can translate this into TTRPGs by providing the event for PCs to react to. The PCs' reaction to the event will reveal who they are when their story begins, and who they need to become in order to complete their arc (though they might still accomplish mission objectives in spite of themselves).

Because TTRPGs are a collaborative storytelling effort, perhaps we can improve our games by adhering to certain storytelling techniques. The Character Arc is a tried-and-true technique. The nature of collaborative storytelling being what it is, it falls on GMs to create the framework that allows our players to develop their characters beyond just the mechanics of a "leveling up" system. Players that want to can develop their characters as three-dimensional, complex characters, as people in a world who will change and become better (or worse) versions of themselves.

 

It's important to recognize that not all players will know how to do this at first. As a Gamemaster, you don't just guide the rules of the game, you provide oversight on the momentum of the story. As such, it's up to you to help struggling players who may not immediately know how to show character growth and change (but want to show that change - not every player is going to be down for this level of RP and shouldn't be forced to do so if they don't want to). They will get better and better at it over time.

To summarize: the Character Arc is a tried-and-true storytelling technique. We can use Character Arcs at the table to keep players, the story, and gameplay evolving - just like we use them in traditional storytelling formats to keep the story evolving. We can encourage our players to let go of their characters once the arc is complete (or else, develop a damn compelling new arc to be followed).

Below are two tables. One for Positive Arcs and one for Negative Arcs. Although they're listed as d10, don't feel obligated to have players roll on them. If one of these arcs resonates with a player, let them run with it. These tables are just an example, they are by no means exhaustive. There are uncountable Lies and arcs to be told.

The Psychology of the Lie and Game Mechanics

The psychology of the Lie is another simple idea: it's difficult for a character to turn away from their Lie, because the Lie is easy and comfortable. Embracing their Lie makes their life easier. Turning away from the Lie involves making difficult choices that instigate change and massive disruption to their life. In a sense, a character is constantly rewarded for following their Lie by being given an easy, complacent path through life.

To gamify this aspect of the Character Arc, reward players mechanically for following their Lie (XP, Resolve, advantage on certain rolls, Strees relief, etc), but "punish" them in terms of the actual game world (objectives failing, getting the wrong attention from NPCs, unable to focus on critical mission or Character Goal details etc). This simulates the psychology of the Lie - the Lie is difficult for a character to walk away from, because the PC's life is easier when they stick to the Lie. It isn't until they fully acknowledge the destruction that the Lie is causing to their personal world and to others around them that the PC is able to grow and finally embrace their Truth.

The Lie will inform and give context to all of the PC's actions, until they slowly embrace the Truth. The Truth will not be embraced all at once. There will be many false starts, where the PC thinks they've mastered the Truth, only to find themselves slipping back into the Lie, because believing the Lie is always easier than embracing the Truth.

As a disclaimer: none of these are an explicit endorsement of what a GM or players actually believe about the world. These are simply a wide array of Lies a PC can have, and a Truth that they can come to. The "Truth" in this case is not an empirical truth or fact, but simply an enforced observation about the world around them that they integrate into their world view.

Virginia Mori

d10 Positive Arcs

As a quick reminder: a Positive Arc begins with a pessimistic Lie that the character must learn to throw off in favor of an optimistic Truth (which will be the exact opposite of the Lie).

1. "If I ignore it, it goes away."

It's not that you don't believe in problem solving. It's just that you've noticed the really difficult problems have a tendency to resolve themselves if you just ignore it for a whle. This makes life pretty easy for you, since everything becomes someone else's problem if you wait long enough.

2. "Life is cheap."

You've seen more than you care to say. Suffice to say, you've learned that the universe is just one long parade of carnage. Why bother preserving life? It's just going to end violently. It's best to get what you can out of it, whatever that might cost someone else. If someone else was stupid enough to die, tough shit. Someone else will come along shortly to replace them anyway.

3. "Everything is already decided by fate."

There's no point in taking charge or really believing anything. Fate has already decided the outcome. All you can do is hold on for the ride and hope for the best. As a result, you've found it's best to just not take a proactive stance on anything. Instead, just react to the situation as it comes.

4. "Fear controls me."

You remember the day that fear and panic ruled you. On that day, you swore you would never put yourself in that position again. You avoid anything that might be stressful or fearful, terrified that the fear will once again take control of you.

5. "We cannot change who we are."

You are who you are. Things beyond your control have modeled you; life has made you this way, and it's too late to change. You put no effort into analyzing your mistakes or trying to improve yourself. Why bother? We are who we are.

6. "My past defines me."

You have seen and done terrible things. They made you who you are today. You cannot escape your past, and so you cannot be anyone but who you were when you made those terrible choices. Your past will always be there, and there is no forgiveness from the past.

7. "I'm not myself without them."

Some call it co-dependency. You don't care. You need them all the same. Without them, your world is darker and more terrifying. You think about them when they're gone, write to them obsessively. It's like a drug. You go into withdraw without them. And when you see them, or when you hear from them, all your troubles just fade away.

8. "I am the sum of my achievements."

You've accomplished nothing of worth, and so you are nothing of worth. Your peers have gone on to do great things. Meanwhile, you're stuck here in the toilet of the universe, pissing your life away. If only you could accomplish something great, then you would be somebody great. You keep trying to do things, and sometimes you even impress yourself with what you accomplish. But it's just never good enough...you're never good enough. You have to keep trying.

9. "There is no hope for humanity."

Humanity went right down the shitter. The evidence is all around you: the greed of corporation, the complacency of citizens, the corruptions of government. Humanity is lost, and there's no point doing anything to help humankind. People are shit awful at heart, and it's best if you don't have to deal with them.

0. "I deserve what I'm owed."

You've been a good person all your life. You've helped strangers, and so strangers should help you. It's about time society did you a good turn. Maybe you have to coax the world a little, take for yourself what you're owed every now and again. But you deserved it, so it wasn't wrong.

Mike Hinge

 d10 Negative Arcs

As a quick reminder: a Negative Arc begins with an optimistic Lie that the character must learn to throw off in favor of a pessimistic Truth (which will be the exact opposite of the Lie).

1. "I am somebody."

I matter in this universe. I'm a person, an individual with my own story to tell.

2. "There is a little bit of good in everyone."

No matter how horrible someone is, there's something inside of them that's worth redeeming. Nobody intentionally hurts anyone else. You show mercy when you can, and try to understand even the most vile of people. Everyone deserves another chance to be better.

3. "I can control my own destiny."

Choice has always been yours. There are no masters to control your destiny, no god above or fate below. Your path is yours to make. Every decision you make is truly yours. The genesis of a choice begins in your mind without external control, and it ends when you act.

4. "It wasn't my fault."

It happened, and it was horrible. But ultimately, I'm not to blame. Accidents happen, and who was supposed to know that it would happen like that? You can't predict the future, so you can't be held responsible for what happened that day. Sometimes the nightmares keep you up. Sometimes flashback distract you. But I just need to toughen up and press on.

5. "Everyone deserves to be happy."

The universe is a sad and lonely place. Everyone deserves to find happiness in it, no matter who they are or what they've done. I do what I can to help others, to lessen suffering in a universe full of suffering.

6. "My past does not define me."

Yes, things have happened. But my past does not dictate who I am or what I can become. Those events are done and over with - the past is dead.

7. "Life is a precious miracle."

Life is rare and life is fragile. All living things deserve to keep living. Life must be spared at all costs.

8. "Justice will prevail."

Once the truth is revealed, justice will take its course. Law and order presides above all things, and eventually everyone must render unto Caesar. I peruse the truth relentlessly, because truth is objective and people care about it.

9. "Freedom is an inherent right."

The universe has given us freedom. It's desire is biologically programmed into all humankind, and so all humankind deserves it.

0. "Society owes something to its members."

Society must give something to the individuals that comprise it. Without this exchange, society itself will crumble. I see to it that those who contribute to society are given what they're owed. Surely, society cannot exist if it only takes and takes and takes from its members, and discards them when they have nothing left to offer...

Only Futures, Part 3: Player Facing

This post contains no spoilers, and is meant to be a quick and easy way to show players their options for Goals and Arcs. It's a stripped-down version of Posts 1 & 2, with only the player-pertinent information written here.

Part 1 can be found here. Part 2 is here.

Character Arcs

Don't think about who you want your character to be. Think about who you want your character to become.

 

Josan Gonzalez

Characters are a moment in time. A campaign is just the backdrop in a slice of the character's life - a time when they achieved something very important for themselves. All characters are temporary. The character will grow and change. The character will become a better version of themselves or a worse version of themselves. They will gain something, they will lose something. They will learn an important truth about themselves. When their arc is complete, their story is over even if their life is not. It's time to move on from that character and begin a new one, or else start a new arc.

 

So don't spend hours crafting a character that might die in the first session. Make your character become someone, transforming and changing into their best (or worst) versions of themselves the longer they survive. Once they complete their arc, let the character move on with their life.

What Is an Arc and Why Have It in TTRPGs?

A Character Arc is character change. It's the real reason stories are told. Nobody reads/watches Lord of the Rings to learn about Hobbit feet and walking vast distances with an evil ring. We read/watch it because those feet belong to Frodo Baggins, accompanied by Samwise Gamgee, who happens to be carrying an evil ring vast distances. We read/watch it, because we enjoy seeing Aragorn embrace the truth we already know about him: that he is a worthy king. We read/watch it because it's awesome to see Legolas and Gimli grow from resentful to respectful of one another, and finally BFFs. Characters are why we enjoy stories and they're what we remember most about them.

In TTRPGs, we want Character Arcs because without them, characters might grow stale and boring. Characters who change are characters who create a story. Character Arcs can also make for surprising, compelling, and inspiring moments at the table. It is far more interesting to see a character struggle to become something than it is to watch the same character (even when it's a "new" character) do the exact same shit over and over and over again.

In screenwriting and novel writing, there are two main types of arcs (there are actually quite a few arcs, but generally only two principle arcs that create all the others): The Positive Arc and the Negative Arc. There's no reason these same arcs can't be used in TTRPGs.

The arcs are really quite simple. The Positive Arc is a character that grows into a better version of themselves. We use these to tell uplifting stories of hope and achievement. The Negative Arc is a character that becomes a worse version of themselves. We use these to tell stories that disturb us or to reveal an unpleasant truth about the world.

Mike Hinge

Of course, you can still use a Positive Arc to tell a disturbing story that exposes a truth about the world, and you can still use a Negative Arc to tell a story of hope and achievement. But generally speaking, Positive Arcs involve characters becoming better, so they are uplifting stories. Negative Arcs involve characters becoming worse, so they are more unsettling stories.

Every arc begins with a belief or personality flaw that is holding the character back from what they need. I learned it as the "Wound," although KM Weiland has recently popularized it as "The Lie Your Character Believes." In my opinion, this is a much better way to think about characters (although the principles are mostly the same as with the Wound). The character believes something about themselves or the world that isn't true - and their adherence to that untruth is what stops them from growing and becoming better versions of themselves.

The Lie, Positive Arc example: The Matrix trilogy. Although Neo claims he doesn't believe in Fate, he does. The Lie he believes is that he is controlled by Fate. Throughout all three Matrix films, he battles with this idea of Fate controlling him - always almost overcoming the Lie, but not quite. In the first Matrix, he believes the Oracle when she tells him that he isn't fated to be the One. In Matrix Revolutions, he believes that the Architect has used him as just another means of control,  Fate once again asserting its power over him.

Neo doesn't fully shake off the Lie until the final battle with Agent Smith in Matrix Revolutions, when he finally recognizes that the entire Matrix is built on the illusion of Choice and hinges on Fate (programming). He embraces his Truth when he takes Fate into his own hands by choosing to die, knowing full the consequences of his choice. Although Neo dies, he is a better version of himself when his Character Arc concludes.

The Lie, Negative Arc example: Touch of Evil. Detective Vargas believes that justice prevails, and that once a truth is revealed, none will be able to deny it. The Lie that Vargas believes can be boiled down to: Vargas believes that the truth matters. Throughout his winding investigation into murder and conspiracy, he reveals massive corruption both from his own government, the US government, and even drilling all the way down to a relatively small precinct.

At the end, the Truth that Vargas learns is that, in his world, truth doesn't matter. Nobody cares when he reveals the murders, corruption, and conspiracies. Everyone shrugs their shoulders and the world just goes on spinning. Vargas learns that there is no real justice in the world, and truth doesn't matter. As a result, he becomes a more bitter person. When his Character Arc concludes, he is a worse version of himself.

Tiago Scaff

Integrating the Lie into TTRPGs

To find the Lie of your character, you start at the end. What kind of person do you want your character to be at the end of the story? Once you've identified that, you move them as far away from that person as they can be. That point marks the beginning of your story. A screenplay or novel doesn't really begin with the event - it begins with a character. The event is for showing viewers/readers who the character is in that moment, and hints at who they need to become.

 

The Lie will inform and give context to all of your character's actions, until they slowly embrace the Truth. The Truth will not be embraced all at once. There will be many false starts, where your character thinks they've mastered the Truth, only to find themselves slipping back into the Lie, because believe the Lie is always easier than embracing the Truth.

To summarize: the Character Arc is a tried and true storytelling technique that is vital for any long-term campaign. We need Character Arcs at the table to keep players, the story, and gameplay evolving - just like we need them in traditional storytelling formats to keep the story evolving - and we need to encourage our players to let go of their characters once the arc is complete (or else, develop a damn compelling new arc to be followed).

Although the tables below are listed as d10, don't feel obligated to roll on them. If one of these arcs resonates with you, run with it. And these tables are just an example, they are by no means exhaustive. There are uncountable Lies and arcs to be told.

Finally, as a disclaimer: none of these are an explicit endorsement of what players actually believe about the world (although they can be). These are simply a wide array of Lies a Character can have, and a Truth that they can come to. The "Truth" in this case is not an empirical truth or fact, but simply an enforced observation about the world around them that they integrate into their world view.

 

Aaron Pinto

d10 Positive Arcs

As a quick reminder: a Positive Arc begins with a pessimistic Lie that the character must learn to throw off in favor of an optimistic Truth (which will be the exact opposite of the Lie).

1. "If I ignore it, it goes away."

It's not that you don't believe in problem solving. It's just that you've noticed the really difficult problems have a tendency to resolve themselves if you just ignore it for a whle. This makes life pretty easy for you, since everything becomes someone else's problem if you wait long enough.

2. "Life is cheap."

You've seen more than you care to say. Suffice to say, you've learned that the universe is just one long parade of carnage. Why bother preserving life? It's just going to end violently. It's best to get what you can out of it, whatever that might cost someone else. If someone else was stupid enough to die, tough shit. Someone else will come along shortly to replace them anyway.

3. "Everything is already decided by fate."

There's no point in taking charge or really believing anything. Fate has already decided the outcome. All you can do is hold on for the ride and hope for the best. As a result, you've found it's best to just not take a proactive stance on anything. Instead, just react to the situation as it comes.

4. "Fear controls me."

You remember the day that fear and panic ruled you. On that day, you swore you would never put yourself in that position again. You avoid anything that might be stressful or fearful, terrified that the fear will once again take control of you.

5. "We cannot change who we are."

You are who you are. Things beyond your control have modeled you; life has made you this way, and it's too late to change. You put no effort into analyzing your mistakes or trying to improve yourself. Why bother? We are who we are.

6. "My past defines me."

You have seen and done terrible things. They made you who you are today. You cannot escape your past, and so you cannot be anyone but who you were when you made those terrible choices. Your past will always be there, and there is no forgiveness from the past.

7. "I'm not myself without them."

Some call it co-dependency. You don't care. You need them all the same. Without them, your world is darker and more terrifying. You think about them when they're gone, write to them obsessively. It's like a drug. You go into withdraw without them. And when you see them, or when you hear from them, all your troubles just fade away.

8. "I am the sum of my achievements."

You've accomplished nothing of worth, and so you are nothing of worth. Your peers have gone on to do great things. Meanwhile, you're stuck here in the toilet of the universe, pissing your life away. If only you could accomplish something great, then you would be somebody great. You keep trying to do things, and sometimes you even impress yourself with what you accomplish. But it's just never good enough...you're never good enough. You have to keep trying.

9. "There is no hope for humanity."

Humanity went right down the shitter. The evidence is all around you: the greed of corporation, the complacency of citizens, the corruptions of government. Humanity is lost, and there's no point doing anything to help humankind. People are shit awful at heart, and it's best if you don't have to deal with them.

0. "I deserve what I'm owed."

You've been a good person all your life. You've helped strangers, and so strangers should help you. It's about time society did you a good turn. Maybe you have to coax the world a little, take for yourself what you're owed every now and again. But you deserved it, so it wasn't wrong.

Pedro Correa

d10 Negative Arcs

As a quick reminder: a Negative Arc begins with an optimistic Lie that the character must learn to throw off in favor of a pessimistic Truth (which will be the exact opposite of the Lie).

1. "I am somebody."

I matter in this universe. I'm a person, an individual with my own story to tell.

2. "There is a little bit of good in everyone."

No matter how horrible someone is, there's something inside of them that's worth redeeming. Nobody intentionally hurts anyone else. You show mercy when you can, and try to understand even the most vile of people. Everyone deserves another chance to be better.

3. "I can control my own destiny."

Choice has always been yours. There are no masters to control your destiny, no god above or fate below. Your path is yours to make. Every decision you make is truly yours. The genesis of a choice begins in your mind without external control, and it ends when you act.

4. "It wasn't my fault."

It happened, and it was horrible. But ultimately, I'm not to blame. Accidents happen, and who was supposed to know that it would happen like that? You can't predict the future, so you can't be held responsible for what happened that day. Sometimes the nightmares keep you up. Sometimes flashback distract you. But I just need to toughen up and press on.

5. "Everyone deserves to be happy."

The universe is a sad and lonely place. Everyone deserves to find happiness in it, no matter who they are or what they've done. I do what I can to help others, to lessen suffering in a universe full of suffering.

6. "My past does not define me."

Yes, things have happened. But my past does not dictate who I am or what I can become. Those events are done and over with - the past is dead.

7. "Life is a precious miracle."

Life is rare and life is fragile. All living things deserve to keep living. Life must be spared at all costs.

8. "Justice will prevail."

Once the truth is revealed, justice will take its course. Law and order presides above all things, and eventually everyone must render unto Caesar. I peruse the truth relentlessly, because truth is objective and people care about it.

9. "Freedom is an inherent right."

The universe has given us freedom. It's desire is biologically programmed into all humankind, and so all humankind deserves it.

0. "Society owes something to its members."

Society must give something to the individuals that comprise it. Without this exchange, society itself will crumble. I see to it that those who contribute to society are given what they're owed. Surely, society cannot exist if it only takes and takes and takes from its members, and discards them when they have nothing left to offer...

 

Character Goals

Goals can accompany Character Arcs, or they can stand independent (as in, you can do both in a single character, or just choose either an Arc or a Goal).

d10 Character Goals

Bicicleta Sem Freio

1. Get rich or die tryin'

Obtain d10 million credits in the bank. Maybe it's a gambling debt, maybe you're trying to pay your ma's medical bills...who knows. Doesn't matter. All that matters is that sweet, sweet money.

After achieving this goal, your next character starts with 1d100*1000 extra credits.

2.  Locate descendants

After years of relativistic and hyper-relativistic travel, your children and their children have aged and died. You now long to find the family you never knew, but they are scattered among the stars. Track the history of your lost family and find your last living descendants.

After achieving this goal, you may assume the role of one of your descendants. Two skills of your choice carry over from your previous character, as well as two pieces of equipment/weapons, and half your wealth.

3. Parasitic host extraction

An unknown parasitic worm has wrapped itself around your spine and sunk its translucent teeth into your brain. You don't know what this worm does, but it probably isn't good. Its effects will doubtless begin to manifest soon. Unfortunately, even the best surgeons and black clinics are unable to remove it without paralyzing you (at best). Travel the cosmos and conduct research of your own to discover its nature. Once you think you have enough information, find a surgeon you trust to extract it.

After achieving this goal, you may play as the surgeon (aside from class skills, start with skills in Biology, First Aid, Genetics, Pathology, Surgery, and Xenobiology). Surgeon also starts with 100,000 cr as payment for the parasite extraction.

4. Revenge

Your hatred is nuclear, your drive unrelenting. You hunt your quarry across the stars - from world to world, from station to station. You don't know what you'll do when you find them, but neither of you will be the same after.

Their sins against you

1. Hostile takeover of the company you founded - left you destitute.

2. Destroyed your ship and crew.

3. Stole credit for your research and discoveries.

4. Declared you dead and sold your stuff.

5. Hurt a loved one (child, lover, friend, etc).

6. Cheated you out of your share of the heist.

7. Framed you for a crime.

8. Outed you (android, human, sexuality, biological sex, true past, etc).

9. Removed you from the Board of Directors.

0. Ratted you out to the authorities. 

 

After achieving this goal, rewards depend on how you accomplished your goal. If you visited grotesque or fatal revenge on your target, you can play the role of the target's friend or family member. Your new target is your old character, now an NPC. If the you showed mercy to your target, you can play as a witness to the event. Watching mercy has given you faith in humanity. Start with +10 to Sanity saves.

5. Build your own ship

You want nothing more than the freedom that comes with owning a starship. Unfortunately, buying a custom-order ship is out of the question, and the only way you can afford a used ship is going so far into debt that you'd never be free again. But you have a special plan. You're certain that you can scrimp, scavenge, and steal enough material to build your own ship, eventually.

 

After achieving this goal, you may play as a crewmember hired by your previous character, who is now the NPC captain of the ship. Aside from class bonuses, start with two Trained Skills of your choice and one subsequent Expert Skill. Earn a monthly salary, plus mission bonuses.

If you already have a ship and crew, begin with enhanced abilities.

6. Scatter the ashes

Your best friend is dead. You watched it happen, and there was nothing you could do to stop it. Permanent d10 minimum stress (added to class minimum), plus a phobia for what killed your friend:

1. Drowning. Fear of water. 

Phillip Druillet

 

2. Vacsuit accident. Fear save when donning a vacsuit, [-] on all Fear saves while in a vacsuit. 

 

3. Mass shooting. Fear save every 10 min in crowded places. If inside: must always face a door. 

 

4. Cryopod malfunction. Gain d10 Stress when entering cryosleep. 

 

5. Crushed by cargo loader. The sound of heavy machinery induces a Panic roll. 

 

6. Unknown virus. Compulsively wash hands after gaining Stress, or else make a [-] Fear save. 

 

7. EMP attack. Fear of the dark and d10 Stress if computers malfunction for any reason. 

 

8. Docking collision. Gain 2d10 stress whenever entering or leaving docking bay/planet. 

 

9. Explosive decompression. Fear of airlocks. 

 

0. Cancer. Get medical/mechanical check every month or become convinced you're about to die.

Your friend had very specific wishes for where they wanted their ashes scattered. You now travel from world to world, from system to system, searching for the perfect place to lay your friend to rest.

After achieving this goal, your next character gets a permanent [+] on Fear saves unless they acquire a phobia (they still retain a [+] on Fear saves, just not for the phobia).

7. Ride the event horizon

Something within compels you to ride the glowing accretion disk of a black hole - and further. It pushes you to the edge of real, beyond which only math remains. You'll do whatever it takes to satisfy this suicidal curiosity. Time dilation be damned, tidal forces be damned, radiation be damned - you will overcome all. Guile, mutiny, sabotage...nothing is off the table if it means accomplishing your goal. You will take this ship to the edge. In, through, and beyond. They called you insane, but soon they'll all know what it means to totter on the brink of reality and stare into the cosmic abyss of the unreal.

After achieving your goal, you can play as the corporate/government agent responsible for investigating the aftermath (whatever form it takes...insanity, ship destruction, true enlightenment for what lies beyond the event horizon, it all depends on how you accomplish your goal). The agent learned much writing the After Action Report - start with +10 to Intellect and advantage on Sanity saves.

8. Help the millennial flower bloom

The millennial flower was discovered by your ancestor several hundred years ago. This flower, and the deadly planet on which it was discovered, are the most closely guarded secrets of your family. This particular flower has been in your family for generations, and you are its caretaker. None of them have ever seen a millennial flower bloom before, but the botanists in your family estimate that it happens once every thousand years. Discover the appropriate nutrients to help it bloom. Protect it at all costs. If you play your cards right, your flower will bloom within the next year, and will be the first to do so. What secrets are waiting inside the bud? Once it blooms, your research notes will be invaluable. Your family name will be remembered for eons.

Players who achieve this goal can take on the role of a Researcher. Begin with +3 permanent Stress, but start with training in Hydroponics and Chemistry, and gain [+] to all rolls that involve creating chemical/herbal concoctions that give [+] to Sanity, Fear, and Body saves.

ju sting

9. Complete your pilgrimage

In order for your soul to gain passage to the high assembler, the FORTRAN stars must know your name and rebirth equation. To teach them these things, you must orbit each FORTRAN star a number of times equal to the number of letters in your name, endlessly chanting your name and rebirth equation while you fast. You are not allowed to sleep during these orbits, and the only spoken words that can leave your lips are your name and rebirth equation. It is your firm belief that if you die before completing your pilgrimage, the FORTRAN stars will not unleash their prominences towards the Pleiades for you, and the path to the high assembler will remain obscured. Introtic gravity waves will slowly pull your soul into the eternal quantum of fragmentation where your soul will splinter into a thousand lines of ragged code. When the universe is recompiled, you will not be reassembled with it. You will remain only as an idea of yourself - drifting deaf, sightless, speechless, and powerless within a vast cosmic void.

Players who achieve this goal can take on the role of one of the Monks of Cosmic Contemplation. You are steadfast against the horrors of the universe. Start your next character with a permanent 3 resolve.

OPTIONAL: As a Cosmic Monk, perhaps you know a little space kung-fu.

0. Create your magnum opus

You came to space to be inspired. Art, music, programming, dance, writing...whichever you choose, you're determined to be the best. Your adventures feed your imagination, and you translate those adventures into your art. You don't know how long it will take to complete, but you know that by the time you're finished, it will be one of the greatest works humanity has ever seen. Your name and works will be remembered forever.

Players who achieve this goal can begin attuned to the pattern of the stars, the calming mantra of all existence. At a safe location, instead of having to choose between healing or relieving Stress, they may do both.

Only Futures, Part 2: Character Goals

This is a continuation of Only Futures (Part 1 is here, Part 3 is here). Goals can accompany Character Arcs, or they can stand independent (as in, choose one or the other - no obligation to pick both an Arc and a Goal).

If a player chooses both, the Lie should get in the way of them achieving their Character Goal (and sometimes the mission). Remember, the Lie the Character Believes (discussed in Part 1) is constantly getting in their way and causing trouble for those around them, but the Lie also makes their life easy. So when they side with their Lie, give them mechanical awards and advantages (advantage on saves, XP, etc), while punishing them in the gameworld (objectives failing, getting the wrong attention from NPCs, unable to focus on critical mission or Character Goal details etc).

All tables are made to be rolled on every time after creating a new character. This will hopefully create some interesting character chains as players move from one goal to another, and make a new character according to the results of their previous goals.

The first paragraph of each numbered entry is meant to be seen by the players immediately (and optionally, the rewards for completing the goal). Everything else is for the Warden to dole out as they see fit. There is a spoiler-free post for players to read here if you'd rather show them that.

d10 Character Goals

1. Get rich or die tryin'

Obtain d10 million credits in the bank. Maybe it's a gambling debt, maybe you're trying to pay your ma's medical bills...who knows. Doesn't matter. All that matters is that sweet, sweet money.

After achieving this goal, your next character starts with 1d100*1000 extra credits.

2.  Locate descendants

After years of relativistic and hyper-relativistic travel, your children and their children have aged and died. You now long to find the family you never knew, but they are scattered among the stars. Track the history of your lost family and find your last living descendants.

After achieving this goal, you may assume the role of one of your descendants. Two skills of your choice carry over from your previous character, as well as two pieces of equipment/weapons, and half your wealth.

Mike Hinge

3. Parasitic host extraction

An unknown parasitic worm has wrapped itself around your spine and sunk its translucent teeth into your brain. You don't know what this worm does, but it probably isn't good. Its effects will doubtless begin to manifest soon. Unfortunately, even the best surgeons and black clinics are unable to remove it without paralyzing you (at best). Travel the cosmos and conduct research of your own to discover its nature. Once you think you have enough information, find a surgeon you trust to extract it.

[The more information the player gathers about the parasite, the higher the chances are of a successful extraction. When a player thinks they're ready, aggregate the knowledge they've gathered and use it as a threshold for either advantage (the player gathered quite a lot of info) or disadvantage (the player didn't gather much info) on the surgeon's skills.] 

As an optional parasite, perhaps this is simply the larval form of a much worse, far deadly parasite. 

After achieving this goal, you may play as the surgeon (aside from class skills, start with skills in Biology, First Aid, Genetics, Pathology, Surgery, and Xenobiology). Surgeon also starts with 100,000 cr as payment for the parasite extraction.

4. Revenge

Your hatred is nuclear, your drive unrelenting. You hunt your quarry across the stars - from world to world, from station to station. You don't know what you'll do when you find them, but neither of you will be the same after.

Their sins against you

1. Hostile takeover of the company you founded - left you destitute.

2. Destroyed your ship and crew.

3. Stole credit for your research and discoveries.

4. Declared you dead and sold your stuff.

5. Hurt a loved one (child, lover, friend, etc).

6. Cheated you out of your share of the heist.

7. Framed you for a crime.

8. Outed you (android, human, sexuality, biological sex, true past, etc).

9. Removed you from the Board of Directors.

0. Ratted you out to the authorities. 

 

After achieving this goal, rewards depend on how you accomplished your goal. If you visited grotesque or fatal revenge on your target, you can play the role of the target's friend or family member. Your new target is your old character, now an NPC. If the you showed mercy to your target, you can play as a witness to the event. Watching mercy has given you faith in humanity. Start with +10 to Sanity saves.

5. Build your own ship

You want nothing more than the freedom that comes with owning a starship. Unfortunately, buying a custom-order ship is out of the question, and the only way you can afford a used ship is going so far into debt that you'd never be free again. But you have a special plan. You're certain that you can scrimp, scavenge, and steal enough material to build your own ship, eventually.

Chris Foss

 

[Players who choose this path will either need to skill into and/or find PC/NPC associates who have the following skills: Heavy Machinery, Mechanical Repair, Physics, Mathematics, Engineering, Computers, Hyperspace, Astrogating, and Artificial Intelligence. They can begin building components at any point so long as they or someone helping them has the skills and components to begin construction.]

 

After achieving this goal, you may play as a crewmember hired by your previous character, who is now the NPC captain of the ship. Aside from class bonuses, start with two Trained Skills of your choice and one subsequent Expert Skill. Earn a monthly salary, plus mission bonuses.

6. Scatter the ashes

Your best friend is dead. You watched it happen, and there was nothing you could do to stop it. Permanent d10 minimum stress (added to class minimum), plus a phobia for what killed your friend:

1. Drowning. Fear of water.

2. Vacsuit accident. Fear save when donning a vacsuit, [-] on all Fear saves while in a vacsuit.

3. Mass shooting. Fear save every 10 min in crowded places. If inside: must always face a door.

4. Cryopod malfunction. Gain d10 Stress when entering cryosleep.

5. Crushed by cargo loader. The sound of heavy machinery induces a Panic roll.

6. Unknown virus. Compulsively wash hands after gaining Stress, or else make a [-] Fear save.

7. EMP attack. Fear of the dark and d10 Stress if computers malfunction for any reason.

8. Docking collision. Gain 2d10 stress whenever entering or leaving docking bay/planet.

9. Explosive decompression. Fear of airlocks.

0. Cancer. Get medical/mechanical check every month or become convinced you're about to die.

Your friend had very specific wishes for where they wanted their ashes buried. You now travel from world to world, from system to system, searching for the perfect place to lay your friend to rest.

After achieving this goal, your next character gets a permanent [+] on Fear saves unless they acquire a phobia (they still retain a [+] on Fear saves, just not for the phobia).

7. Ride the event horizon

Something within compels you to ride the glowing accretion disk of a black hole - and further. It pushes you to the edge of real, beyond which only math remains. You'll do whatever it takes to satisfy this suicidal curiosity. Time dilation be damned, tidal forces be damned, radiation be damned - you will overcome all. Guile, mutiny, sabotage...nothing is off the table if it means accomplishing your goal. You will take this ship to the edge. In, through, and beyond. They called you insane, but soon they'll all know what it means to totter on the brink of reality and stare into the cosmic abyss of the unreal.

[Start an obsession counter at zero. Every week that the player is not within 30 ly of a black hole, player rolls a Sanity save. Each failed save increases the counter by 1. They can see this counter as an abstraction of their obsession to reach the black hole. Their desperation should increase with every incremental increase of the counter. After the counter reaches 5, all Sanity saves are made with disadvantage. At 10, the player is no longer able to think rationally and will employ extreme force to accomplish their goal (fomenting mutiny, taking the crew hostage, waking up from cryosleep early to change bearing, locking the crew in their quarters, etc.). The player rolls at disadvantage to resist these urges if they don't want to do them.] 

 

Mike Hinge

This is a goal the player may not survive if they achieve it. Whether the crew survives is another matter. The goal is "achieved" when the character: A) Flies the ship close enough to the black hole to be destroyed (tidal forces, extreme radiation, debris collision, etc.), B) Is permanently stopped by the crew (killed, kicked off the ship, etc.), or C) Seeks professional medical treatment for their obsession.

After achieving your goal, you can play as the corporate/government agent responsible for investigating the aftermath (whatever form it takes...insanity, ship destruction, true enlightenment for what lies beyond the event horizon, it all depends on how you accomplish your goal). The agent learned much writing the After Action Report - start with +10 to Intellect and advantage on Sanity saves.

8. Help the millennial flower bloom

The millennial flower was discovered by your ancestor several hundred years ago. This flower, and the deadly planet on which it was discovered, are the most closely guarded secrets of your family. This particular flower has been in your family for generations, and you are its caretaker. None of them have ever seen a millennial flower bloom before, but the botanists in your family estimate that it happens once every thousand years. Discover the appropriate nutrients to help it bloom. Protect it at all costs. If you play your cards right, your flower will bloom within the next year, and will be the first to do so. What secrets are waiting inside the bud? Once it blooms, your research notes will be invaluable. Your family name will be remembered for eons.

Joseph Lombardero

Curie's World, the planet on which this flower was discovered, is incredibly dangerous. Many of your ancestors lost their lives during the exploration when they first discovered it. For this reason, only a dozen of the flowers were removed from the surface to be studied elsewhere. Due to the danger and a lack of funds, your family hasn't tried to mount an expedition to the planet's surface for several generations.

The flower's stalk is as thick as your forearm and incredibly strong, almost like the trunk of a small tree. The leaves are wide, droopy, and covered in trichomes. The bud is larger than your head. The millennial flower metabolizes radiation and should be fed weekly by implanting the radiation into the soil. The flower itself is not radioactive - its metabolism renders radioactive material inert. You can feed it bits of fuel from the reactor, but if you don't have the appropriate skills to extract and handle nuclear material, you'll probably want someone to lend you a hand. Otherwise, roll with disadvantage. Treat failed checks as exposure to moderate radiation. You can also try more creative approaches, like exposing it to the radiation outside the ship's protection. But you'll need to do some research so you don't overdo it or underfeed it.

[A curious or motivated player can return to the planet on which their family discovered the flower. I suggest Warden's familiarize themselves with MYSTERYSPICE's Curie's World for a run on the planet. In-person exploration of the planet will be dangerous as hell, and should show that all may not be well in the millennial flower's ecosystem. The flower is endemic to its region, almost like a weed. No animals eat the flower, no weeds choke it. It seems to grow completely unharrowed by fauna and flora alike. A more in-depth examination of the flower shows it to be many millions of years old, completely unchanged in all that time - no evolutionary off-shoots, no major adaptations or transformations. Studying fauna within the region should reveal another red-flag for the players: nearly every animal they examine shows a remarkable lack of variation among the gene pool. This is indicative of a bottlenecking event in which a large swath of the population was killed. Dedicated study of fossils from this region show that the bottleneck seems to have happened about 1000 years ago, with yet another bottleneck 1000 years before that one...]

When the bud finally blooms, it is terrifying to behold. The pedals are rotating fractals. The stamens sway and dance although there is no wind. Swirling in the center is a multicolored array of disk florets, spinning. Disks within disks, wheels within wheels, turning mechanically in opposite directions, extending downward to infinity. The closest player rolls a Sanity check at disadvantage. A failed roll means that the character is inexorably drawn to the rotating florets. An odor drifts from the flower, reminding the character of their most precious memory. They weep, tears streaming down their face as their nose touches the center of the disk florets. Upon contact, the pedals snap around their head. Tiny seeds explode from the florets into the air, filling the lungs of the weeping character. Speed check for everyone else or become exposed. Once in contact with warm, wet flesh (such as the inside of a body), the seeds take root and sprout instantly. Small green stalks burst from the throat and lungs of anyone exposed. Pollen enters the bloodstream, infecting cells with an algae-like bacteria. Infected players vomit green bile, it oozes from their nose, eyes, and pores. Death is painful and swift (d10 minutes if you need an exact time) - anyone infected dies gurgling on slick, green slime as tiny little stalks pop from every inch of their body.

If it blooms or if the the player conducts enough research to conclude that being in the vicinity of the flower when it blooms is a very bad idea, they will have achieved their goal.

Players who achieve this goal can take on the role of the Disturbed Researcher. You have seen horrors beyond horrors. Begin with +3 permanent Stress, but start with training in Hydroponics and Chemistry, and gain [+] to all rolls that involve creating chemical/herbal concoctions that give [+] to Sanity, Fear, and Body saves.

9. Complete your pilgrimage

In order for your soul to gain passage to the high assembler, the FORTRAN stars must know your name and rebirth equation. To teach them these things, you must orbit each FORTRAN star a number of times equal to the number of letters in your name, endlessly chanting your name and rebirth equation while you fast. You are not allowed to sleep during these orbits, and the only spoken words that can leave your lips are your name and rebirth equation. It is your firm belief that if you die before completing your pilgrimage, the FORTRAN stars will not unleash their prominences towards the Pleiades for you, and the path to the high assembler will remain obscured. Introtic gravity waves will slowly pull your soul into the eternal quantum of fragmentation where your soul will splinter into a thousand lines of ragged code. When the universe is recompiled, you will not be reassembled with it. You will remain only as an idea of yourself - drifting deaf, sightless, speechless, and powerless within a vast cosmic void.

For more ideas on possible pilgrimages, check out Swampgirl's Gods of the Black, and Gods of the Black 2.

Geber Luis

Players who achieve this goal can take on the role of one of the Monks of Cosmic Contemplation. You are steadfast against the horrors of the universe. Start your next character with a permanent 3 resolve.

Optional: As a Cosmic Monk, perhaps they know a little space kung-fu.

0. Create your magnum opus

You came to space to be inspired. Art, music, programming, dance, writing...whichever you choose, you're determined to be the best. Your adventures feed your imagination, and you translate those adventures into your art. You don't know how long it will take to complete, but you know that by the time you're finished, it will be one of the greatest works humanity has ever seen. Your name and works will be remembered forever.

Players who achieve this goal can begin attuned to the pattern of the stars, the calming mantra of all existence. At a safe location, instead of having to choose between healing or relieving Stress, they may do both.

Linguistic Drift for Mothership

Humankind has flung itself into the empty cosmos. Centuries have come and gone. Islands of humanity wink to life - colonies that are long divorced from ancient Earth.

Life thrives where it must. Dyson Swarm habitats orbit a baud-like pulsar, generational mining colonies are dug into a neighborhood of asteroids, star-worshipping blackhole farmers silently harvest unspeakable particles from the accretion belt.

Communication between these human bastions is rare. It takes decades for radio signals to travel from one colony to another, half as long travelling at hyper-relativistic speeds. The occasional cargo freighter is the most interstellar contact any of them will ever have.

Language evolves quickly. It takes only a single generation for a pidgin to stabilize into a creole. With minimal outside influence to maintain a common language, slang fractures all. In just a lifetime apart, with minimal contact, two languages will evolve utterly unintelligible to speakers of the mother tongue.

Needs of the speakers accelerate linguistic evolution. A society of terraformers toiling away for generations on a planet will evolve a vastly different lexicon and grammar shortcuts than a society of asteroid miners passing down their legacy from one generation to the next in the vacuum of space.

The language will transform accordingly. Even with constant travelers passing through to refuel or resupply, it's not enough to keep languages stabilized together - it might even exacerbate change as new words and grammatical structures are introduced by travelers and incorporated into the language by native speakers. The language will drift, it will evolve. It becomes something new.

Communication Errors

At a new station or colony, roll a d10 for the following language scenarios. For results 2-8, someone with linguistic training can roll a language check to see if they catch a communication error before it's too late (the Communication Error Results table is located just below this one). After the PCs visit the station or colony for the first time, allow non-linguists to roll intelligence at disadvantage for language checks (to learn from their mistakes from last time), and let linguists roll with advantage.

If you want to avoid rolls and simulate PCs learning, just RP the linguistic drift. Actually talk like the NPCs would talk in the table below. And remember that an NPC won't sit there forever while PCs struggle to understand them - PCs will have two or three shots to understand and be understood before the NPC gives up, smiling and nodding to placate the PCs before ignoring them completely. NPCs have better things to do (places to be, customers to serve) and don't have time to waste on PCs who don't talk no good.

If it isn't obvious, 2-8 can (optionally) stack. So if you really want to fuck with your players to create a linguistic hell, roll multiple d10s.

PCs can hire translators at any time to ease transactions (roll on the Translators table), but are only required on a roll of 9 or 0.

Finally, the act of dealing with speakers of another language can be very stressful for PCs. Miscommunication, embarrassment, hostility towards non-native speakers...all of these contribute to an unpleasant experience. For every 10 minutes that PCs have to interact with a communication barrier without a translator, roll d10 stress.

1. Despite lightyears of distance and centuries of separation, the language is still more-or-less the same as your own. You're able to conduct basic trade without a problem.

2. The lexicon is mostly the same, and grammar structures resemble your own. As a result, PCs don't notice that a new grammatical case has taken hold - one that reverses which noun is being modified in the possessive/genitive case, leading to some unfortunate mistakes when it comes to exactly which noun is modifying another. These mistakes are quite messy to resolve. PCs take the wrong goods from the exchange, they resupply with the wrong type of food, sell the wrong goods to NPCs, etc. An NPC offers the captain to buy the entire PC crew as indentured servants for a generous sum of credits - but PCs think the NPC is actually trying to buy passage on the PC ship.

3. The lexicon has changed, but most vital services are still in the PC's language. However, x-bar inflections now migrate from the head of the verb phrase to the head of the IP itself, but do not become questions from the native speaker's point of view ([The fuel depot is over there.] becomes [Is the fuel depot over there.]) As a result, the NPC's answer to any question PCs ask sounds like a question reflected back at the PCs.

Example:

From the PC's perspective:

PC - "How much does fuel cost per unit?"

NPC - "Does it cost 100 credits per unit?" (This can translate into "It [NULL does] costs 100 credits per unit," where NULL represents a word that appears in the deep structure but is omitted or moved in the surface structure - in this case, [NULL does] moves to the head of the IP and is no longer covert, becoming "Does it cost 100 credits per unit.")

This can lead to other mix-ups in the reverse scenario. For instance, if a PC asks: "Are you for hire?" This a question from the PC's point of view, but a statement from the NPC's point of view ("You are for hire."). This can be interpreted as the PC insisting to the NPC that the NPC is for hire - whether they like it or not. This will lead to great offense.

4. All verbs are now treated as transitive verbs. In the case where no object noun complement/direct object is possible, a dummy subject [it] is inserted. For example, if someone wants to say to the PCs "Please stand over there," [stand] is an intransitive verb that does not require a direct object, so the native speaker would insert the dummy subject [it] after the verb [stand], and actually say: "Please stand it over there." This can lead to obvious confusion from the PC's ("Stand what over there?"). Frustrated NPCs will eventually stop talking to the PCs and see them as ignorant spacers who can't speak a simple language. This will also lead to more NPCs trying to take advantage of the "idiot" PCs.

5. A new lexicon has replaced non-vital services. Words for fuel and repairs remain the same, but weapons, ammunition, clothes, medical supplies, scientific instruments - these all have new names. Some are even false cognates, which leads to PCs buying the wrong supplies or agreeing to sell things they never intended to sell. For instance, PCs haggle for a resupply of freeze-dried food but accidently buy 100 tons of frozen rats. If the linguist fails their roll, nobody realizes the mistake until the crew is underway and ready for dinner.

6. Everyone speaks in the past tense/past perfect tense about everything. Actual tense is inferred entirely from context - context that PCs won't have except through constant (months to years) of exposure to the culture of the station/colony.

7. Several common words in the PC's vocabulary (Warden's choice) are horribly offensive to the station/colony inhabitants. This can lead to an increase of fuel/service prices for the PCs, refusal of services, and even hostile/violent reaction from NPCs.

8. There is no longer a subject-verb-object obligation, in any order. As a result, subjects are omitted from sentences, and verbs are sometimes altogether absent, in much the same way that PROs are. The absent elements are derived through context, which PCs will not have. The absent elements always leave behind a null category. This results in a paused, jilted cadence when a null category is encountered. Prices for goods, directions, etc. are nigh impossible to attain without a lengthy back-and-forth.

9. Liberal use of compound words, new phonemes, and inter-fixes are mixed with what were once common words. The result is a language that sounds like the PCs own language, but is utterly unintelligible. A translator is necessary for any transactions.

0. New grammatical structures and cases, combined with an utterly foreign lexicon makes this language totally incomprehensible without a translator or extensive language lessons.

Communication Error Results

Don't feel limited to only these ten results. But if you need a quick roll or some inspiration, here's d10 results for you to use:

1. PCs accidentally sell what they intended to buy (example: if they were trying to buy more fuel, they accidentally sold the rest of their fuel). If the PCs don't have what they agreed to sell, they're on the hook for obtaining the goods to sell to the merchant.

2. PCs agree to sell themselves as indentured servants.

3. PCs buy slaves instead of food.

4. PCs agree to a cage-match tournament. Odds are 1:50 against them. Betting begins now. Forfeiting the match revokes station/colony privileges.

5. PCs volunteer to be willing sacrifices to the star beast imprisoned in the colony's depths.

6. PCs agree to smuggle illicit goods to the next sector over.

7. The haggling PC agrees to a marriage contract with the merchant's son/daughter. The dowry is a hundred thousand credits and twenty-five tons of ammonia nitrate fertilizer to the PC. Costs twice as much to break the marriage contract.

8. NPC hands over a piece of paper. For an outrageous price, PCs have just purchased a star with their name on it. They don't actually own the star, and the official name of the star won't change.

9. Accidentally join a cult. When PCs are arrive to where they think they'll be picking up whatever they thought they agreed to buy, it's actually just the induction ceremony into the cult. It's not violent, but it does involve getting a weird neck tattoo and the injection of a harmless parasite. Reneging the induction ceremony elicits a violent reaction from the cultists.

0. PCs have become part of a MLM scheme. Ten tons of essential oils and erotic lubricants are loaded into the cargo bay. They've given pamphlets on how to throw MLM Parties, and how to recruit their friends to become part of the MLM family.

Translators

A constantly morphing pidgin language necessitates translators. They're easy to find; they're always around the ports, loitering near bars and exchanges, willing to offer you their services. Cheap, they promise. "For you, my friend - very cheap..."

You can have all of these translators available at once, roll multiple d10s, or just a single d10. How you want to implement them is up to you.

Warden's choice for the cost of translators, but it should not be a trivial cost. The Risk v Reward of trying to communicate on their own v. hiring an NPC translator shouldn't be an easy decision. Depending on the economy of your game, a decent method of pricing might be the NPC's LNGx100 credits per day. Skilled translators know their value and will not be easy to haggle down nor will they be cheap (you can use their LNG skill as a haggling opposition check when first hiring them). Shitty translators are desperate for work and will sell themselves cheap, but their lack of skill may induce a roll on the Communication Error Results table.

To simulate the translator's skill, they each have an LNG skill. If PCs are using a translator, also roll an LNG check. Rolling over the LNG skill induces a Communication Error Result roll.

1. LNG: 100. Someone ancient. They walk excruciatingly slow and doubles any transit time, but you won't find a better (or more expensive) translator. They're a native speaker of the local language, and all-around polyglot. There's no chance for a communication error with them.

2. LNG: 80. A religious nut and polyglot. Skilled translator, but won't shut the fuck up about his weird space gods.

3. LNG: 70. Knows where the best deals in town are - d10 chance to reduce trade/service costs by 40%.

4. LNG: 60. Little girl, street urchin. Keeps calling you "my friend." She's not a native speaker of the local language - she learned the language in the streets and on the fly. Left here by her parents (by accident or misfortune, nobody knows). Trying to save up enough to start fresh on a station/colony with more opportunities. D10 chance she'll try to stow away aboard your ship. If you find her stowed away, she'll try to join your crew or haggle you into paying her for more translator services.

5. LNG: 80, but d10 chance she gets drunk on the job. If she does, reduce LNG to 30 (but her cost stays LNG 80). A maverick of a woman. Former pilot. She says a battle injury to her leg keeps her from flying. Walks with a limp that she occasionally forgets to fake. The truth is, she froze under fire and was stripped of her pilot's license. She's trying to earn back enough credits to bribe station/colony officials into reinstating her. She's ruining her reputation and bankroll with her drinking problem.

6. LNG: 50. He's sitting outside a bar, flipping a coin. He's not great, but he's not terrible. You can probably haggle him down to be even cheaper. He wants you to help develop his app. He'll ask for venture capital funding or programming experience. Whenever he's not translating for you, he's pitching you one of the many ideas he has for an app.

7. LNG: 40. Malfunctioning android. Not a native speaker, and they can barely understand what you're saying. But they've got the black market hookup and know how to smuggle goods in and out of stations. Their language skills aren't exactly up to snuff, but somehow they can talk you right past customs (advantage on any checks that involving getting things through customs or other contraband inspections). 

8. LNG: 30. Better than a translation dictionary, but not by much. He expects you to pay for his meal. He'll stop translating for you if you refuse. If you're a dick about it (threaten him, etc), he'll agree to keep translating for you, but purposefully translate everything wrong (roll twice on the Communication Error Results table).

9. LNG: 20. A homeless woman. She speaks the native language fluently, but she has a hell of a time understanding what you're saying. When you try to leave, she insists she's part of your crew now. She'll make a scene if you deny it. You'll need to pay her LNG fee again just to make her go away.

0. LNG: 15. Literally just a translation dictionary you picked up at the duty-free. You can speak into it and select the language you want it to spit out.

A Note on Linguistic Theory

Ideas for linguistic drift in this post are based on Chomsky's theory of Universal Grammar and Trans-Generative Grammar.

UG is a compelling linguistic theory, but it is not without problems. I believe the underlying ideas of the theory are sound based on the idea that language is an instinct. However, the exact mechanics and rules of a universal grammar are subject to change as we learn more and more about the biological elements that influence the language loop.

Criticisms of universal grammar are valid. One of the hardest reconciliations for UG, in my opinion, is not the origin of the theory. The trouble is finding a bridge law that links the biological with the grammatical. If we want to say that UG is valid because of the biological elements that make language a human instinct, then there must be a bridge law to link the predicates of grammar with the predicates of neurology. While Broca's Area and Wernicke's Area can account for some of the biological elements that contribute to language, our understanding of the biomechanical elements is not enough to reduce language down to a unifying theory.

In future posts, I'll be discussing alien languages (namely, how can we think about language in a way that isn't just "English, but with funny symbols") and @last_analogician's idea (over on the Mothership discord) of Interstellanguage, an NGO that works to spread a common language to keep humankind united among the stars.

Artwork

All art in this post is by Raul Urias. You can check out more of his fantastic work at his website: https://rauluriasart.com/