Hyperspace Hibernation

[Steve]

I need some advice on how to build one aspect of FTL drives for a near-future (late 22nd/early 23rd century) interstellar campaign idea I'm working on where FTL travel requires people to enter cold-sleep hibernation pods, much like how they showed the crew in the first Alien movie.

 

In this setting, hyperspace travel is lethal to the human mind, causing synaptic degradation and a descent into madness. However, traveling while in cold-sleep avoids this problem.

 

Points-wise, I'm thinking this is some sort of Side Effect on the FTL drive's power build, but I'm unsure if this is the right Limitation to use or how to describe the Side Effect if it is.

[L. Marcus]

Yah, Side Effect, a Mental Transform is my thinking. Or maybe two Side Effects, a Mental Transform and a NND RKA.

[Ninja-Bear]

I agree with L. Marcus that Side Effect is the 

[Steve]

5 hours ago, L. Marcus said:

Yah, Side Effect, a Mental Transform is my thinking. Or maybe two Side Effects, a Mental Transform and a NND RKA.

 

Thanks for this.

 

Traveling through hyperspace while awake results in the victim developing epilepsy, a raging insanity or falling into a coma rather than death, so I think I'll just make it a Mental Transform into one of those three states. It's probably going to be a -1/2 or -1 Limitation.

 

Explored space is not very huge, and hyperspace travel is not really fast, maybe about where Traveler is at: a parsec or two per week. Colonized space (the Core) reaches out about four parsecs from Sol, the Outer Rim goes out another six parsecs and is made up of mining outposts and other resource extraction sites as well as scientific research bases and start-up colonies, a barely-civilized zone reminiscent of the Wild West or maybe some places shown in the Firefly TV series. Beyond the Outer Rim is the Frontier, around ten parsecs or so deep, rarely traveled and home to only mining installations and scientific outposts.

 

The feel I am trying for is something like you saw in the original two Alien movies and the gritty space-western Outland, mixed with elements of Blade Runner. No blasters or laser guns, although a form of artificial gravity exists as an offshoot of the technology that gave mankind FTL travel. I'm leaning towards there being no aliens, just artificial beings like replicants alongside humans, but I'm still undecided.

[Scott Ruggels]

The “Grubby Baseball Cap” school of SF. Sounds promising. As for “ Artificial Gravity”,  you can still fake it if sub-light travel has constant thrust (torch ship), or if the ship have spinning sections. 

[Steve]

On 10/14/2019 at 5:02 PM, Scott Ruggels said:

The “Grubby Baseball Cap” school of SF. Sounds promising. As for “ Artificial Gravity”,  you can still fake it if sub-light travel has constant thrust (torch ship), or if the ship have spinning sections. 

 

Yes, pretty much this.

 

Here is my current write-up for the two types of hyperdrive that are available.

 

Class I Hyperdrive:  Teleportation 3m, MegaScale (1m = 1 lightyear; can be scaled down to 100 km/m; +4 1/4) (16 Active Points); Extra Time (1 Week, for full journey; -4 1/2), Increased Endurance Cost (x5 END; -2), OIF Bulky (-1), Requires A Roll (Navigation (Hyperspace); Must be made each use; -1), Side Effects, Side Effect occurs automatically whenever Power is used (3d6 Mental Transform (Major) unless in cryosleep; -1), Cannot Be Safely Used Inside A Gravity Well (-1/2). Real Cost: 1 point.

 

Class II Hyperdrive:  Teleportation 7m, MegaScale (1m = 1 lightyear; can be scaled down to 100 km/m; +4 1/4) (37 Active Points); Extra Time (1 Week, for full journey; -4 1/2), Increased Endurance Cost (x5 END; -2), OIF Bulky (-1), Requires A Roll (Navigation (Hyperspace); Must be made each use; -1), Side Effects, Side Effect occurs automatically whenever Power is used (3d6 Mental Transform (Major) unless in cryosleep; -1), Cannot Be Safely Used Inside A Gravity Well (-1/2). Real Cost: 3 points.

 

Cryosleep Module:  Life Support  (Eating: Character does not eat; Longevity: 1600 Years; Self-Contained Breathing) (17 Active Points); OIF Bulky (-1), Extra Time (One Minute; Only To Activate). Real Cost: 6 points.

 

The Class II hyperdrives are meant for military-type vessels. They represent the current top-end speed in the setting.

[pinecone]

Looks pretty good. Just a "style" thang, I would not have Transform, Not vs Cryosleep, I would build Power def into cryosleep tubes. Just a build pref, but it lets you run horror senarios like "Sometimes spacers wake up...Wrong" and things like that...:)

[Steve]

3 hours ago, pinecone said:

Looks pretty good. Just a "style" thang, I would not have Transform, Not vs Cryosleep, I would build Power def into cryosleep tubes. Just a build pref, but it lets you run horror senarios like "Sometimes spacers wake up...Wrong" and things like that...:)

 

That's a fair point. I'll give it some thought, but it didn't seem to be an issue in the Alien movie series, which is one of my primary inspirations.

 

I'm still not sure about my cryosleep module build. In Star Hero, they are built as just being Life Support vs Aging, but that seemed a bit too sparse for what it is supposed to do. I'm picturing it as being something like Simulate Death, only without a roll.

[pinecone]

Yeah it is a "Nerdy build craft" issue..Transform is not supposed to be a NND, it gets stopped by a Defense,,,yadda yadda...lol

[Steve]

I revised the cryosleep module a bit.

 

Cryosleep Module:  Life Support  (Eating: Character does not eat; Longevity: Immortal; Self-Contained Breathing) (18 Active Points); Concentration, Must Concentrate throughout use of Constant Power (0 DCV; Character is totally unaware of nearby events; -1 1/2), OIF Bulky (-1), Extra Time (1 Minute, Only to Activate, -3/4). Real Cost: 4 points.