Rockets Away!

We've looked at two of the three 'menus' that 5e uses to build a character, species (race) and class. This time we are looking at the third, backgrounds. A primary goal of our design was that the backgrounds should be used to tie the character into the setting, as opposed to being generic sci-fi backgrounds. Instead of pilot we have Rocket Racer, instead of soldier we offer 1st Mars Expeditionary Force Trooper. You can use the stats for these backgrounds and your own concepts, for example Red Scorpion Crime Syndicate Operative is a good background for any criminal, not just those who have fallen into the convoluted plots of the Solar System's greatest crime lord.

We also wanted to do something about the background features. For those of you not familiar with 5e, these backgrounds features give a vague advantage in certain situations. The rest of the background's rules interactions are very specific, proficiency in skills, languages, tools, and vehicles, as well as equipment. Yet the feature does not have a direct mechanical interaction. There is nothing wrong with this, but in our experience it tends to lead to these background features being underused. This is especially true with newer players or those unfamiliar with a setting that the background ties directly into.

Towards that end we beefed up and defined the background features for Rocket Age (5e). This might be a controversial move to some; we are changing one of the more flexible aspects of characters in 5e. In playtesting we have found that this approach not only gives backgrounds a firmer mechanical aspect, but it also helps to underline in play just what being a member of the Rocket Set or a Vaudeville Player is. Of course our backgrounds still feature all the tables that you would expect, ideals, flaws, and such. As a side note, those are extremely difficult to write as they need to be vague enough to apply to several character concepts but specific to the background.

The backgrounds in Rocket Age are also tied into the optional inspiration points system. Each character has a number of inspiration points equal to 1+ their proficiency bonus. These work much like inspiration in 5e, with a few additional uses. They can be used to avoid death by spending 1 inspiration point, but instead of making that last death save the character is unconscious and at the mercy of the GM. Inspiration points can also be spent to talk someone through a skill check, using the spender's proficiency bonus and the acting character's ability score bonus. Finally, inspiration points can be spent to bend the plot, add features to a scene, or otherwise grant some narrative power to the player.

Backgrounds come into play as a means of regaining spent inspiration points. Each background has a list of three choices a character can make in play that earn an inspiration point. These are broadly defined, such as the Rocket Set using their wealth and connections to solve a problem. Two of the choices are tied to what the background is best at or its primary motivation, the third is one that places the background in conflict with the story, playing against type if you will. If you are not using the optional inspiration point system these choices can be used as a means of judging when a character receives inspiration.

Originally the species and classes we designed made use of the inspiration point system to power some of their features. This proved to be interesting, but made the use of these species and classes limited to campaigns using the inspiration point system. We really like how the system has played out, but we don't want to force anyone to use it. The closer our species and classes adhere to 5e parameters the more they can be used in any campaign, not just Rocket Age. Since one of the design goals of the adaptation has been to allow for a wide range of uses for the books, we decided to pull those features out and rework them so that they were no longer tied to what has become an optional system.

Now, on to the show!

1st Mars Expeditionary Force Troopers

You could play a soldier of any army, Earthling, Martian, Europan, what have you. The 1st MEF Trooper is not pigeonholed as a background only for Americans, but the story related material certainly is. The Solar System of Rocket Age is big, and although it would be nice to have a unique background for every military formation it just isn't possible (yet, as we adapt the rest of the series we will offer new backgrounds). The 1st MEF began as an ad hoc American force to respond to the Kalond Canal Valley Wars. In the years since it has grown to take on a role as an occupying force that maintains American interests and increasingly the interests of the US allies on Mars, particularly the city-state of Kostrast. Troopers gain proficiencies related to their role as soldiers as well as occupiers on Mars. Their background feature gives some basic proficiencies based on their service and training.

Europan Emissary Corps

Some backgrounds are only available to characters of certain species, naturally only Europans may be part of their Emissary Corps. The Europans seem to not be able to understand the cultures, and sometimes the biology, of other species, and the feeling is often mutual. In order to further their own understanding and foster good will with species they have so far deemed unnecessary to exterminate the Europans have created the Emissary Corps. Emissaries have their memories wiped, so that they cannot reveal the secrets of Europa, and are trained to join an alien species and live as one in order to better understand an alien way of life. As this training is based on incomplete data it usually results in confusion and chaos. Emissaries gain a host of proficiencies to help them, but their greatest aid is an implanted recording device. That the device is also linked to a small explosive meant to dispose of any Europan bodies left around is not important at this time.

Federated Shipping Associate

Federate shipping employs free traders to reach those areas that large corporations either cannot or will not. A Federated associate is subsidized by the company in exchange for a share of the profits, but is largely left alone to pursue the business they want to. Some associates operate ships, other set up shop in a Martian city-state or trading post on Venus or Ganymede. Armed with proficiencies to help them do business and a background feature that ensures they always get a good deal, a Federated associate is a fine addition to any party of heroes.

Freebooter

The freebooter movement began on Mars in the mid-1930s and has spread across the Solar System. What started as small independent bands of Earthlings looking for adventure and treasure has grown into a multispecies ideological resistance to the very concept of authority beyond their immediate leaders. Some freebooters use this ideology to cover up their greed, others truly believe in the lofty goals their band pursues and that governments and churches are merely hindrances keeping the good work from getting done. A mixed bunch, freebooters can be seen as little more than thugs and bandits, or as knights errant fighting for the common being.

ICIC Researcher

The International Committee on Intellectual Cooperation is a League of Nations committee dedicated to fostering academic, scientific, and artistic pursuits. The opening of the Solar System to Earthling exploration has catapulted this underfunded committee to international acclaim. The work it has done on Mars and Venus has secured funding and respect, and the ICIC sponsors scientists, students, artists, and others across the Solar System in their pursuits of a wide range of projects. As an example of what we are doing with the background features, the ICIC Researcher gains a discovery class feature from the Scientist class.

Interplanetary Comintern Agitator

The Interplanetary Comintern is battling for the workers and peasants of the Solar System. Their agitators can be found on every inhabited planet, organizing workers, campaigning for the rights of the common being, and educating others about communist doctrine and the historical dialectic. They are most active on Mars and Earth but have a strong presence in the Ore Fields of Venus. It was IPC agitators that sparked the Ebb Revolution that overthrew the caste system and seeks to establish a worker's paradise on Mar. Mechanically; the agitator is a fine example of a socially based background feature. Your character can make contact with the local IPC cell and gain information, goods, services, or even a few thugs to put the hurt on the bourgeoisie.

Ioite Scavenger

Ioites are the best scavengers in the Solar System, though that is not all they are capable of. Although this background says Ioite on the cover it can be used for any scrap yard dealer or kit basher character. It is also a fine background for engineer types who fix engines based on instinct rather than formal training.

Missionary

Do Martians have souls? What a ridiculous question, they certainly believe they do. The missionary background is geared towards an Earthling or Martian who is trying to spread their faith to other species. It also serves as a catch-all for your religiously inclined characters, with two noticeable exceptions below. Much like the IPC Agitator, the missionary can rely on their co-religionists to aid them in their hour of need. The exact manner of the help is defined, though there are several options ranging from cash donations to a handful of strong bodies with faithful minds.

Red Scorpion Operative

The Red Scorpion Crime Syndicate stretches its claws wide to take in all of the Solar System. As an operative of that organization, or maybe former operative, your character has done some shady things. It might not be their fault, the Red Scorpion prefers to use operatives it has leverage on, and blackmail is such a dirty word. This background also fits for nearly any criminal concept you might dream up.

Rocket Tramp

It takes a crew to run a rocket ship, and not all of that crew need be highly skilled engineers or pilots. Your common rocket hand finds employment on a range of ships from freighters to yachts, and even military rockets. The rocket tramp often serves as a common deck hand, takes jobs in rocket ports, and otherwise finds a way to get to their next destination. It is the journey that is their goal, but along the way they pick up small artifacts and trinkets of alien technology.

Rocket Racer

The rocket racer, which could just as easily be a test pilot for the US Rocket Corps or other national organization, is a true throttle jockey. The setting information presents this, but the background feature underscores it by granting a higher handling rating. In the hands of an expert pilot even the clumsiest flying brick is more agile.

Rocket Ranger

The stars of our show, the Rocket Rangers are a department of the US Rocket Corps, and thus part of the US military. Considered to be the best of the best, the Rangers have been heavily indoctrinated using the most advanced scientific techniques with a set of core values. A Ranger is supposed to be honest, honorable, loyal to the US Constitution, and fair in all their dealings. This has resulted in the Rangers being far more loyal to the stated ideals of their government than the government itself, one example being the near revolt of the Rangers when the military refused to admit women, people of color, and homosexuals into the Rangers. After all, the Rangers are the best of the best, and being elite is not limited to a certain class, gender, or other factor. They like to put the all in freedom for all.

Rocket Set

Where the Rocket Tramps work their way from planet to planet, the Rocket Set simply pay cash. The wealthy, the famous, and the privileged number amongst the Rocket Set, and are willing to put aside some creature comforts in order to explore the Solar System. Always having cash on hand (their background feature allows them to find a couple hundred dollars in the pocket of their second favorite dinner jacket) and willing to endure moderate hardships for the fun of travel, the Rocket Set are just here to have a good time.

Rocket Wire News Service Stringer

Reporting live, or at least as live as a RADIO broadcast from Mars can be, are the stringers for the Rocket Wire News Service. Paid per story, the stringers are motivated to go out and seek the news wherever it might be found. The Rocket Wire News Service collects these and passes them on to affiliate outlets across the Solar System. With press pass firmly taped to bubble helmet and notebook in hand, or increasingly a refurbished artifact camera, stringers can be found anywhere.

Second Hatching Namer

The lizard monkeys of Venus are undergoing a theological crisis. The First Naming was the creation of Venus, and the sacred duty of all lizard monkeys has been to go forth to Name and Behold all that is. With the advent of the Rocket Age some see a Second Hatching, the Solar System is new and fresh, and thus in need of Naming and Beholding. Towards that end the Namers of the Second Hatching hitch rides on rocket ships, stowaway on large vessels, or arrange to be picked up as a 'pet' by other species. All the better to see something new, name it, and understand its wonder.

Trailblazer

There are many wildernesses in the Solar System and the trailblazer is the one who seeks to enter, or even dwell in them. Often hailing from a culture that lives in a wilderness, the Trailblazer leads others in and hopefully out. Not simply masters of one region or type of terrain, a Trailblazer has an innate understanding of the wilderness that makes them at home on Mars, Venus, and stranger worlds.

United States Rocket Corps Engineer

While rocket engineers can come form a variety of origins, the USRC's engineers are generally held to be amongst the best in the business. Highly trained, skilled, and kept up to date on the latest discoveries, there is little that a USRC engineer cannot fix, and some new scratch built invention replaces what can't be fixed. Their background feature allows them to get anything working again, though at the risk of catastrophic failure somewhere down the line.

US State Department Attaché

Diplomats of all types might want to take this background, not just those working for the US State Department. Attachés are specialists in some area of diplomatic endeavor. Some oversee cultural or military matters, others are in charge of scientific and technological outreach. A rare few, at least as far as anyone knows, are actually spies. All may call on the power of their government to bring resources and influence to bear.

Vaudeville Player

Vaudeville was dying out on Earth, so the show took to space. Princes and lower castes on Mars have discovered a fondness for Earthling entertainments, and theatres on Earth are booked solid with shows featuring the alien wonders of the Solar System. Some enterprising acts have even toured the jungles of Venus and forests of Ganymede.

Venusian Harvititori

For most Venusians of the Ishtar Range adulthood does not come until they complete their harviitor. This journey of great deeds is taken far outside of their tribe or even concordat's boundaries. In this modern ear many young Venusians take to the rocket lanes for their harviitor, going further away from home than their ancestors have done in millennia. Increasingly a larger number never come home, some dying on alien worlds, but others choosing to become one of the Lost and wander forever and never take up adult responsibilities.

Venusian Speaker

The Venusians of the Ishtar Range are led, or more accurately influenced, by the Speakers. These quasi-religious figures are chosen by their fellows to speak for the gods and the people. They have little authority other than that which their personalities grant. Most are psychic in some way, and a few are powerful psychics capable of amazing feats.

Warpriest of the Order of the Sacred Hamaxe

The Order of the Sacred Hamaxe is a controversial religious movement on Mars. On one hand they flout the caste system by not just allowing non-Kastari to become priests, but actively encourage marriage across caste lines. Even worse, their code of honor drives them to fight evil in whatever form it may take, including overthrowing princes who have overstepped their bounds, fail to care of their people, or prove to be inept. One the other hand they battle Chanari raiders, bandits, aliens, and the many dangerous plants and animals of Mars, heal the sick, and tend to those with mental illnesses. The order is noted for its ceremonial weapon, a long handle with an axe head and a hammer head.

Wolfgang and Long Detective

Suitable for any law enforcement oriented character, the detectives of Wolfgang and Long work for the Solar System's only interplanetary detective agency. Wolfgang and Long do what others cannot, for there is no System-wide law. Criminals can easily jump planet and disappear, people wander off into parts unknown and never come back, and thieves have a million places to fence their ill-gotten goods. The detectives of Wolfgang and Long are trained to go out into the most alien of environments and bring justice, or at least whatever justice is being paid for, to the guilty.

Next time we will look at the most difficult part of this design, the vehicular and space combat.

Rocket Age in the Vortex system is available from Drive-Thru RPG, and from our website Why Not Games, as well as your friendly local game store. We are looking for playtesters for Rocket Age (5e), drop me a line at ken@whynotgames.com.