Navigating the Void

The Void is an infinitely vast emptiness that surrounds all the Fragments that make up the Shatter. Every Fragment exists in this airless Void. A Fragment might be solitary, or it might be clustered; in either case, it is one of several thousands, if not millions of Fragments that make up the Shatter, which itself is held together by the Void. Much in the way that oars and strong winds enable travel by sea on terrestrial worlds, navigating the Void is made possible through the power of Aeos technologies. This section will go over how such travel works, and when it is or isn't possible. ___ ### Open Void Being out in the open Void will expose a creature to a number of different challenges and conditions that they may never have to deal with when living on a Fragment. Here are a number of things that the Void traveller must take into consideration when leaving a Fragment for the first time. ##### Air Pockets When a creature or an object leaves a Fragment's atmosphere and enters the Void, they may find themselves quickly run out of breathable air. If a creature knows that it's about to be leaving an air pocket, similar to diving underwater, it can begin to hold it's [[Survival Needs#Air|breath]]. A creature can hold it's breath for a number of minutes equal to 1 plus their Constitution modifier before they begin to [[Survival Needs#Suffocating|suffocate.]] If a creature is thrown, dropped or otherwise forced out of an air pocket when they aren't expecting it, that creature can make a DC 10 Constitution saving throw to try to catch it's breath in time. If it fails this save, the creature begins to [[Survival Needs#Suffocating|suffocate]] as soon as it leaves the air pocket. ##### Gravity The reason a Fragment is able to pull its own atmosphere along through space is the force of gravity. It’s also the reason why creatures can stand on a spacefaring skiff without falling off the deck. In the Void, gravity is an accommodating force, in that the direction of its effect seems to be “that which is most convenient.” For a Fragment, gravity pulls everything downwards from it's "surface" or flattest plane. If a Fragment has no discernible flattest plane and is more round in shape, gravity pulls in all directions toward the centre of the Fragment, meaning that creatures can stand upright anywhere on, and dropped objects fall perpendicular to where they stand. The gravitational pull of a Fragment extends out as far as its air pocket. ##### Pressure Outside of a Fragments air pocket, a creature experiences very low pressure due to the lack of atmosphere. Unless they are in a pressurised environment or suit, a creature adrift in open Void is considered [[Conditions#Exposed 🛠|exposed]] to a [[Exploration & Environment#Low Pressure|low pressure]] environment. ##### Temperature The ambient temperature in the Void is about the same as on a moderate summer day in the temperate region of most worlds. Since there are no seasons outside of Fragments, this temperature remains constant at all times. Of course, proximity to the sun at the centre of the Shatter may increase or decrease the ambient temperature. ##### Weightlessness In any location where gravity isn’t present, the following rules apply: >**Impeded Melee** >When making a melee attack with a weapon, a creature that doesn’t have a [[Physical Capabilities#Flying|flying]] or [[Physical Capabilities#Swimming|swimming speed]] (either naturally or provided by magic) has [[Abilities & Skills#Advantage & Disadvantage|disadvantage]] on the attack roll unless the weapon deals piercing damage. > >**Movement** >A creature can use an action to push off something heavier than itself and move up to its [[Physical Capabilities#Movement Speed|walking]], [[Physical Capabilities#Flying|flying]], or [[Physical Capabilities#Swimming|swimming]] speed in a straight line. The creature continues along this course, moving in a straight line at its speed on each of its turns until something stops it or changes its trajectory. ___ ### Fragments Fragments come in all shapes and sizes and are where the majority of people across the Shatter live. In most cases, exploring a Fragment is no different from exploring a "world" in any other setting, however there are a few differences. ##### Environment Every Fragment generates its own atmosphere, gravity and temperature, so living on a Fragment is just as normal as living on world would be. However, through the power of Aeos tech, the people that live on Fragments may have a bit more control over their environments. If a Fragment is equipped with a large enough [[Aeos Crystals#Udendriate|Udendriate crystal]] (often referred to as an "atmo shard" or just "atmo") it is possible for Fragments to maintain control over their own weather, seasons, air pressure, or even an artificial diurnal cycle to dim the sun's bright light during periods of rest. ##### Surrounding Void Similar to how a Fragment generates it's own atmosphere, a Fragment has a larger area around it of [[#Open Void|open Void]] that is safe for traversal. If you consider the Void like a large ocean, each fragment could be thought of as an island, each with it's own 'coastal shelf' of open void around it, before the fall off into [[#Deep Void]] past it's borders. This area of open Void tends to travel with the Fragment, however the size of this surrounding void is largely dependant on the size of the Fragment. ##### Fragment Size One of the most important distinctions for each and every Fragment is how large it is. Smaller Fragments that can be "unbound" are normally no bigger than 5 or 6 acres. While Larger Fragments, which are always "bound" can be as large as some real-world Countries. >**Bound Fragments** >A Fragment is considered "bound" if it's locked to it's gravitation rotation around the sun. Fragments that are too large for [[#Detondrin Thrusters]] to push out of their natural orbit are bound, and are completely at the will of where gravity's pull takes them. Bound Fragments are often large enough to have settlements built upon them, and have to be concerned with how often they [[#Clusters|cluster]]. > >**Unbound Fragments** >An "unbound" Fragment, is a Fragment that has some method of navigation, usually in the form of [[#Detondrin Thrusters]]. They are unbound from their natural gravitational pull around the sun and are able to navigate through the Void as they wish. Unbound Fragments are usually owned by either families or small groups, with each of their [[#Fragment Lots|lots]] performing a vital function for the Fragment. ##### The Lighthouse An [[#Fragment Size|unbound]] Fragment is capable of being moved through the Void, at the will and whim of the Fragment's owner. Almost anyone can learn to navigate a Fragment through the void, and it's all done from within the Fragment's Lighthouse. The Lighthouse is a tall building, usually central to the Fragment, functioning both as a beacon to other Fragments to avoid collisions, and housing for a Fragment's navigational controls and Aeos technologies. The Lighthouse is an excellent vantage point that grants a pilot a 360° view to ensure they're able to navigate through the Void without obstruction. ##### Fragment Lots Land is a sparse commodity across the Shatter, and it's common that any amount of land on Fragment that can be claimed, is, as soon as it's discovered. Aboard an [[#Fragment Size|unbound]] fragment especially, the land is usually divided into lots with each lot performing a vital function for the Fragment. In the context of the game, if your party ends up in control of a Fragment, it's up to you to decide what to do with each lot. An [[#Fragment Size|unbound]] fragment will have anywhere from 6 to 12 lots, on which you can choose to build any kind of buildings you'd like that may help you. Perhaps a farm to grow your own crops, a drydock to berth a skiff, a shrine to a Paragon, a workshop for crafting, or maybe even a simple home to rest easy after a long day of adventuring. If you find interested parties, your lots may even be rented out to NPCs that could set up shops or businesses. ##### Detondrin Thrusters Bulky and incredibly explosive, Detondrin Thrusters are mounted to an operational ring around the underside of a Fragment. When fuelled, these thrusters provide a powerful forward thrust, which is able to propel a unbound Fragment at incredible speeds through the Void. The reliability and speed of a Detondrin Thruster is relative to it's quality. A Fragment is usually only capable of having up to three thrusters, but the more you have, the faster you'll go! >**Thruster Reliability** >Depending on the quality of a thruster, there is the potential for it to fail during it's use. If this happens, a Fragment will rapidly decelerate and resume moving at it's slower, short-range speed. Each tier of thruster quality and it's failure rate, can be seen in the chart below. > >| Thruster Quality | Crude | Basic | Enhanced | >| --- | --- | --- | --- | >| **Failure Rate** | 30% | 15% | 0% | > >For every 8 hours of travel through the Void, roll 1d100 for each Thruster that your Fragment is equipped with. If the result of any roll is below the Failure Rate of it's thruster, all equipped thrusters fail in sequence. > >Thankfully, when a thruster fails it's an easy fix. A quick discharge of the fuel lines will fix all thrusters, which only takes about 30 seconds. ___ ### Clusters Clusters come in many shapes and sizes and may last a few weeks, to decades. A Cluster forms when one or more [[#bound]] Fragments come close enough to each other that direct travel through Open Void becomes possible. When a Fragment comes within this safe range of others, it is considered "Clustered". Clusters are almost always temporary, and are usually named early in their forming after the most central Fragment to a Cluster. For example, the Willowbend Cluster is so named because the Fragment known as Willowbend Crossing was one of the first Fragments to fall into formation, and was at the time, the most central Fragment in the formation. Culturally, having a Cluster named after your Fragment is a cause for celebration, as the increase in travel to and from your Fragment is usually a boon to the local economy. It's not uncommon for multi-year festivals to occur on a Fragment that it's current Cluster has been named after. For some Fragments, clustering is a common occurrence; those that cluster often, in most cases, become large cities and metropoli. Arinthal, Marad Krath, Xin-Dousho and Versaam are all examples of fragments that had enormous population booms due to their cluster frequency. Meanwhile, there exist some Fragments that rarely ever cluster. These Fragments may have populations that only ever see a Cluster a once or twice in their lifetimes. For people on these Fragments, clustering presents incredible opportunities; opportunities that could however mean that they never see their home Fragment again. ___ ### Skiffs Skiffs are spacefaring vehicles that allow a small crew to move short distances quickly through the Void. Skiffs have their own set of rules, and are inherently more dangerous than being aboard a Fragment. ##### Atmosphere The atmosphere of around a skiff is artificially generated by specially carved [[Aeos Crystals#Udendriate|Udendriate]] crystals. These crystals generate a "field" around the skiff, that provides an [[#Air Pockets|air pocket]], [[#Gravity|gravity]], and [[#Pressure|pressure]] all suited to the needs of the skiff's owner. Should a Skiff's [[Aeos Crystals#Udendriate|udendriate]] crystal (often referred to as an "atmo shard" or just "atmo") become damaged or destroyed, it may lose critical functions or stop working all-together. For this reason, it's vital that a ship's crystal is protected at all costs. >**Overlapping Atmosphere** >When atmospheres intersect, such as when two skiffs pass close to each other and at different angles, the atmospheres of both ships remain in effect until the two skiffs touch one other (as often happens when they collide or when one ship lands on the other). If that happens, the atmosphere of the skiff that has more hit points remaining (regardless of the ships’ actual dimensions) overrides the other skiff’s, suppressing it as long as the skiffs remain in contact. This is important to note for deciding which way is "up", as it temporarily becomes the other skiff’s “up” as well. > >When a skiff enters the air pocket of a Fragment, the skiff’s Atmosphere is suppressed. Caution should be taken to make sure that a Skiff is perpendicular to the Fragment before approaching. ##### Combat There are a number of rules to make ship-to-ship combat simple yet exciting. >**Starting Distance** >At the start of an engagement, the DM decides how far a ship is from its enemies. Three possibilities are provided in the Starting Encounter Distance table. The shorter the distance, the less time crews have to load weapons and make other preparations. > >|Distance|Notes| >|---|---| >|250ft|Long range for ballistae, cannons, rifles and most bows | >|500ft|Long range for rifles, some bows and cannons| >|1,000ft|Beyond the range of most ranged weapons| > > >**Initiative** >If combat begins with all creatures on separate vessels, instead of rolling initiative as normal, all combatants take their turns with their entire team. Each side rolls a single d20, adding no modifiers. Whoever rolls highest wins initiative. In case of a tie, keep rerolling until the tie is broken. > >When it’s a side’s turn, the members of that side can act in any order they choose. Once everyone on the side has taken a turn, the other side goes. A round ends when both sides have completed their turns. > >**Moving and Steering a Skiff** >A character that pilots a skiff can move and steer without expending their own actions or movement. On their turn, the pilot determines how far the skiff moves (up to its maximum speed), what direction to skiff is oriented, and decides whether to approach another skiff or put more distance between the two. > >If a pilot wishes, they can choose a direction for the skiff to move in and step away from piloting. The skiff will continue in this direction at it's movement speed unless it's course it changed, or it eventually [[#Crashing|crashes]]. > >**Boarding** >When one skiff moves to within 5 feet of another skiff or Fragment, the pilot of the moving skiff can maneuver it alongside a target, enabling creatures to move safely from the skiff’s deck onto whatever the crew wishes to board. > >A skiff that has enough movement could pull alongside another vessel, deploy a boarding party, and then move away, provided the members of the boarding party took the [[Actions in Combat#Ready|Ready]] action to position themselves so they can move onto the other vessel when it’s close enough. ##### Crashing A pilot can run their Skiff into another object or a creature by moving the ship into the target’s space and making a special attack roll (1d20 + the pilot's [[Backstory#Spacefaring|spacefaring vehicle]] proficiency) against the target’s [[Abilities & Skills#Armour Class|Armour Class]]. If the attack roll hits, a crash occurs; otherwise, the target moves out of the skiff’s path, avoiding the crash. If the DM decides that a crash is unavoidable, no attack roll is necessary, and the crash occurs automatically. When a skiff crashes into something that could reasonably damage it, both the ship and the creature or object it struck take bludgeoning damage based on the size of the struck object, as shown in the Crash Damage table below. If the skiff runs into something that doesn’t have hit points (such as a Fragment), apply the damage only to the skiff. The skiff stops after crashing into a [[Movement and Position#Creature Size|Gargantuan]] or immovable creature or object; otherwise, the skiff can continue moving if it has any movement left, and whatever it struck moves to the nearest unoccupied space that isn’t in the skiff’s path. After resolving the effect of the crash, determine whether the skiff’s atmosphere is suppressed (see [[#Atmosphere|overlapping atmosphere]]). If the suppression of a skiff’s gravity would cause the creatures on or inside that ship to fall, they fall in whatever direction is appropriate for the sudden change in gravity. To determine the damage from a fall, see the [[Movement and Position#Falling|falling rules]]. | Size of Creature or Object Struck | Crash Damage | | --------------------------------- | ----------------- | | Large | 4d10 bludgeoning | | Huge | 8d10 bludgeoning | | Gargantuan | 16d10 bludgeoning | ##### Navigation Most skiffs are able to navigate through the Void in the same way that a ship would on the open seas. Riding on solar winds, and assisted by [[Aeos Crystals#Types of Aeos Crystals|Aeos]] tech, skiffs can be controlled by as little as one skilled pilot. When piloting a skiff, a pilot may add their proficiency with [[Backstory#Spacefaring|spacefaring vehicles]] to checks they make. A skiff is capable in moving in every dimension, and are faster than mobile [[#unbound]] Fragments travelling at short distances. However, most skiffs would take far too long to travel between [[#bound]] Fragments on just solar winds, so for long range travel it's much more common to use [[Aeos Crystals#Detondrin|Detondrin]] thrusters; the volatility and size of which make them impractical and dangerous for smaller vessels such as skiffs. Still, if necessary a skiff can be used to travel between [[#bound]] Fragments within a cluster. On average, it will take 4d4 days to travel the same distance that a mobile Fragment can travel within one jump. ##### Repairing Nonmagical repairs to a damaged skiff can be made while the vessel is berthed. Over the course of an hour, a character can pay 10 ![[shard.png]] in materials and perform a DC 10 Strength check, adding their proficiency with a tool set if applicable. On a success, they repair 1d8 (plus their proficiency bonus if applicable) damage to the skiff. Damage to onboard weapons can be repaired just as quickly, but at half the cost. The [[Other Spells#Mending|mending]] spell is a cheaper way to make repairs. Casting [[Other Spells#Mending|mending]] on a damaged skiff or onboard weapon restores a number of hit points to the target equal to 1d8 plus the spellcaster’s spellcasting ability modifier. The target can regain hit points from that spell no more than once per hour. Additionally, there are many businesses across the Shatter that may be able to repair your Skiff for you. Their services will be faster, but will likely cost much more. ___ ### Deep Void While the Void around a Fragment is often referred to as "Open Void", there are far more concerning regions of the Shatter that the sane will avoid at all costs. These regions are referred to as Deep Void. Deep Void is the very fringe of logic and reason. It's the border of reality within The Shatter, and the infinite anything of the [[Planes of Existence#The Outbetween|The Outbetween]]. Creatures that dwell in Deep Void are the kind that the mind has trouble comprehending. The things a person may experience in the Deep Void are the kind of things that drive a person to run and hide deep into the recesses of their own mind. The Deep Void is madness unbound. Only the foolish or desperate travel the Deep Void. Those that do and manage to return, are never the same.