SILVER VOID: A NEW FANTASY SPACE SETTING

With cooler weather ahead I find myself pondering winter games, as up here is the North winters are deep and cold. So role-playing games in a warm house are extra appealing. Right now I am planning a game that will involve younger players and their (geeky) mothers. To appeal to young imaginations, I am tapping into all that appeals to the hearts of young lads. So for inspiration I recommend the following:

Adventures of the Gummi Bears (Gummi Tech in particular)

Aladdin: The Series (Mechanicles)

Dr. Who (particularly the 4^th doctor)

He-Man Etc.

Krull (The Beast comes from SPACE!)
Nadia: Secret of Blue Water

Pinocchio in Outer Space

Robotech
Samurai 7

Spelljammer Boxed Set

Steven Universe

The Adventures of Baron Munchhausen

Voltron (The lion one)

Wakfu (particularly the fortress of Nox)

TALES OF THE SILVER VOID (or SILVER VOID for short)

This setting will be a fighting fantasy one using Blood and Treasure 1st Edition, a relatively simple and straight-forward game system that hearkens back to older versions of DnD. The Silver Void setting will in many ways be a classic fantasy setting. Magic, monsters, elves, etc, but will also incorporate the weirder sorts of space-going science fantasy. The overall concept is that there are many worlds that support life, and that some cultures can and do cross the depths of space in ships or on the backs of specialized monsters.

Magic is the primary means by which all of this is possible, along with a technological level somewhere in the Renaissance to Colonial America area of development. So muskets, soap, tea and clockwork gadgetry. Starships are created with a mix of assorted magics and the engineering skills of the time.

RACES

All kinds of strange beings can be found across space, and a space-going adventurer can expect to find beings that would be considered monsters anywhere else. Actually, most of them are still considered monsters, but everyone tries to mind their manners for the sake of trade and politics. But a number of races are very active in space, and excellent for player characters. Such as:

HUMANS

Humans should require no description, for fantasy humans and real humans are not terribly different. The Humans in the Mythic Space setting are a diverse and far flung people. They are rugged and adventurous, and seem to be willing to try almost anything. Most of the humans of the Mythic Space setting are part of city states and petty kingdoms that are part of the Commonwealth, a coalition of worlds and colonies born out of the chaos of the last series of Elven Wars. The Commonwealth is roughly in a Renaissance era of development, both technologically and culturally, bolstered by powerful magical traditions and a politically active Wizards Guild. Academics, Clerics, Merchants, and an energetic populace make mankind and the Commonwealth a growing power. Generally, humans get along well with almost any race or species if properly motivated by need, greed or necessity.

Humans use the same rules as presented in the Blood and Treasure Players Handbook. 

DWARVES

The Dwarves of the Silver Void setting are asteroid miners and planetary colonists of great skill. Most belong to the Commonwealth, which along with mankind is growing quite wealthy across the spaceways. The Dwarves are best known for their massive citadel ships, which are nothing less than asteroids that have dwarven citadels and mines in and on them. These mini-worlds are big, tough and very well defended, and thanks to dwarf engineering, they can fly through space. 

Dwarves use the same rules as presented in the Blood and Treasure Players Handbook.

ELVES, SPACE 

Elves are graceful creatures that are descended from the ancient Sidhe. They have thin faces, pointed ears and vivid eyes.  Their skin and hair color are often in harmony with the environment they call home, thus Space Elves have pale skin and light hair colors, but some tribes have blue or green colored skin. Elves stand about 5’ tall and have an almost androgynous build. The Star Elves revere the Primordial goddess Hemera with some also revering the Planar faiths of Arborea and Elysium, where many of their gods and allied celestials keep their divine realms. 
The Elven Empire was once a vast and powerful force in space, but is now much diminished following the last Unhuman War. The Empire is led by its Star-Empress Pleione VII and the Lord Admirals of the Elven Imperial Navy (EIN). The Empire lost large swaths of territory and is hoping to regain control of the spacelanes. 
Elves use the same rules as presented in the Blood and Treasure Players Handbook.Elves  may  multi‐class  as  fighter/magic‐users,  cleric/magic‐users  and  magic‐user/thieves.  

  

GNOMES

“He is indeed the true enchanter, whose spell operates, not upon the senses, but upon the imagination and the heart.” 
-Washington Irving

The gnomes of wildspace are tinkers, inventors, and alchemists. They can be found everywhere in the Known Universe, much to the distress of every other race. Wildspace gnomes are most (in)famous for a love of mechanical devices with many bells, whistles, and make much noise and usually do little or nothing at all. Gnomes are about 3 feet tall and weigh 45 to 50 pounds, with almost no difference between the sexes. Gnomes have brown skin and black, brown, or most often white hair. Their eyes are blue or violet in color. They are stocky but nimble, spending their lives deftly darting through their machines and avoiding moving parts and flying shrapnel. Gnomes often appear quite disheveled as they do not have time for personal hygiene. They wear simple clothes with aprons with many pockets and tool hoops, as well as large, heavy tool belts. A gnome is never seen without several dozen strange-looking tools and devices.

Gnomes use the same rules as presented in the Blood and Treasure Players Handbook.

HALFLINGS

The Halflings in the Silver Void setting are almost all members of the Commonwealth, and are considered instrumental in its running. Their small size and capable hands make them ideal ship-mates, and they are excellent craftsmen, laborers, farmers and cooks.  Halflings use the same rules as presented in the Blood and Treasure Players Handbook.

HALF-ELVES

Half-Elves are elf-Human hybrids, and are widespread across Maldek. Half-Elves comprise a large percentage of the Elven Fleet as standard crew and low-level officers, and so are fairly numerous in space. On Maldek, half-elves are accepted, but are sometimes resented, as most fear they are spies or otherwise allied with the Elven Imperial Fleet.

Half‐elves use the same rules as presented in the Blood and Treasure Players Handbook.

HALF-ORCS

Half-Orcs (and Orcs) are fairly numerous in the Silver Void setting, as orcs are an ancient star-faring culture of mercenaries and space pirates. Because of the long and terrible Orc/Elf wars, Half-Orcs have a bad reputation, but in the Commonwealth, an attempt at getting past this is being made. Most orcs and half-orcs revere Acheron, but a growing number of half-orcs are revering Hater Industria and Agenoria. On Maldek, half-orcs are most often employed as laborers and soldiers.

Half-Orcs use the same rules as presented in the Blood and Treasure Players Handbook.

ORCS, SPACE

Orcs are a species of aggressive mammalian carnivores that band together in tribes and survive by hunting and raiding. Orcs believe that in order to survive they must expand their territory, and so they are constantly involved in wars against many enemies: humans, elves, dwarves, goblins, and other orc tribes.

Orcs vary widely in appearance, as they frequently crossbreed with other species. In general, they resemble primitive humans with grey-green skin covered with coarse hair. Orcs have a slightly stooped posture, a low jutting forehead, and a snout instead of a nose, though comparisons between this facial feature and those of pigs are exaggerated and perhaps unfair.

After the many Elf/Orc wars, most orcs have become less focused on revenge against the elves, and are trying to create a more stable society. Orc clerics have revered Acheron for eons, but on Maldek and nearby systems, a growing number of priests of other gods can be found.

CHARACTER CREATION

Orcs modify their starting ability scores as follows: Str +2, Int ‐1, Wis ‐1 and Cha -1. They have darkvision to a range of 60 feet. Orcs are blinded in bright sunlight. They speak Orc, and might also learn Dwarf, Gnoll, Goblin and Ogre. Orcs can multi‐class as cleric/fighters, fighter/ magic‐users and fighter/thieves.

NEXT 

In following articles I will cover the basics of Space Travel, Cosmology, Ships and the beginning campaign setting. So stay tuned!