Space Monsters: do they fit in Traveller?

[parmasson]

“The next question is how would these things evolve movement from energy source to energy source, and what form would that movement take?”

Well I can wonder if a type of ion drive that uses the “waste” as the fuel. Can’t living things generate electric fields? Yes it’s a stretch but it’s sci-fi.
Perhaps it is a kind of solar plat/organism that absorbs solar radiation like a plant and stores it chemically. It would have a “habitable” zone within its own solar system and region it lives in like dense asteroid belt. As long as it could live a long time and had enough intelligence to move from one food source to another why not?

Predators? They eat the producers you are talking about and perhaps can digest ship hulls!
Hmmm starting to see the merits of this idea.

 

[Ptah]

Originally posted by Kurega Gikur:
“The next question is how would these things evolve movement from energy source to energy source, and what form would that movement take?”

Well I can wonder if a type of ion drive that uses the “waste” as the fuel. Can’t living things generate electric fields? Yes it’s a stretch but it’s sci-fi.
Perhaps it is a kind of solar plat/organism that absorbs solar radiation like a plant and stores it chemically. It would have a “habitable” zone within its own solar system and region it lives in like dense asteroid belt. As long as it could live a long time and had enough intelligence to move from one food source to another why not?

Predators? They eat the producers you are talking about and perhaps can digest ship hulls!
Hmmm starting to see the merits of this idea.

Not too much sci-fi to me to see these things generating an electromagnetic field, especuially if they got a nice iron or other ore hunk inside them (sort of like a gizzard stone).

As you suggest maybe the shoot out ionized He or Xe (IIRC) from radioactive decay products, or maybe calcium ions from the minerals, using their electrical field. A primitive ion drive. They scoot from asteroid to asteroid looking for radioactives and metals to refine for their core, gaining what energy they can from the solar wind.

Here's the silly part, a spout of ions to move, a creature that refines the metals and radioactives in an asteroid belt? I can see it all now:
"Arghh thar she blows cap'n. Ion stream off the port bow, she be a beaut' sized of a subsidized liner. Arr. She'll work down to a goodin 20dton of gold say I."

 

[mike wightman]

Now there's a thought.

Some of these space dwelling critters are going to be excellent sources of concentrated minerals...

not silly at all Ptah, I like it

 

[Pickles]

I had a though a while ago about huge 'solar sail' creatures drifting from star to star. The sail not only provides motive power, but acts as a gill absorbing energy and 'spacedust'. The sail collapses to allow slingshots which get it in close to a star before driftig outwards again.

 

[archhealer]

Wow, what if they developed some sort of biological anti-matter containment, and just sort of 'ate' a few chunks somehow or else made it themselves, and floated around searching for more? Killing them suddenly becomes a lot more dangerous.

 

[Fritz_Brown]

I think you're talking the "Doomsday Machine", now, Archhealer.

 

[Pop]

Has anyone done a Traveller/Call of Cthulhu crossover? There are many interstellar threats in the mythos originated by H.P. Lovecraft, including some that would be formidable opponents to the Imperial Marine Corps. I'd be interested if anyone has collected the space-based references yet...

I have seen someone conclude that since looking into Jump space drives you nuts just like looking at the face of the Elder Gods, and concluded they live in Jump space.

I have seen a suggestion to look for the "forbidden science of the second imperium" thread, but have not found it...

I have had a player ask: what happens if you do Life Detection in Jump space? I concluded for MTU that Imperium psionic institutes by and large don't know, but that the Zhodani advise their nobles and intendants to do such scans at the minimim necessary range, and not pursue any 'anomalies' they might sense...

 

[Black Globe Generator]

Originally posted by Pop:
I have seen a suggestion to look for the "forbidden science of the second imperium" thread, but have not found it...

Forbidden Science of the Second Imperium

Enjoy.

 

[Pickles]

Originally posted by Pop:
Has anyone done a Traveller/Call of Cthulhu crossover? There are many interstellar threats in the mythos originated by H.P. Lovecraft, including some that would be formidable opponents to the Imperial Marine Corps. I'd be interested if anyone has collected the space-based references yet...

The site you're looking for is Cthulhu Rising. Not Traveller, but Cthulhu system.

 

[Maladominus]

Originally posted by Pop:
Has anyone done a Traveller/Call of Cthulhu crossover? There are many interstellar threats in the mythos originated by H.P. Lovecraft, including some that would be formidable opponents to the Imperial Marine Corps. I'd be interested if anyone has collected the space-based references yet...

Just don't tell the players in my campaign.... SHHHHH!

But yes, I've started inserting tiny bits of Lovecraft horror into my existing Traveller campaign.

The thing is that I'm not running a "CThraveller Cthampaign". Rather, I'm running a fairly canonical CT campaign, but adding the possibility that the Old Gods may have some part in our existing campaign universe. I'm trying to keep the Cthulhu mystery vague for the players. Why? Because if I make it too obvious, then the players will figure out everything, and the element of horror and surprise will be dampened.

EXAMPLE:

In the past 3 sessions, the players in my campaign have experienced some kind of "jump sickness", thanks to their Navigator having rolled a failed skillcheck in navigation during jump. Result? A few of the PCs have experienced very dark and troubling dreams. A couple of the Player Characters even experienced the same "dream". And this is what they saw in their dreams:

 

[Maladominus]

Originally posted by Pop:
I'd be interested if anyone has collected the space-based references yet...

Pop,

A creative GM can easily insert Lovecraft into the OTU. Easy as pie.

Take a look at the names of these CAN0NICAL SYSTEMS in the OTU, each one has a strong link to the Cthulhu Mythos:

Ithaqua, Magyar sector
Cthonia, Alpha Crucis sector
Cthulhu, Fornast sector
Kadath, The Beyond sector
Nyarlathotep, Solomani Rim sector
Miskatonic, Solomani Rim sector
Fomalhaut, Solomani Rim sector

Pluto, Sol System (Interdicted during the Imperial occupation, and also interdicted during the MT Era during Solomani recapture of Terra, right after the death of Strephon). Pluto is the same as planet Yuggoth. The planet of Miskatonic alone may hold many many adventures for my campaign.... the players could always visit the Miskatonic University and the fabled College of Meta-Sciences and The Great Library of Terran Mythologies.

 

[Fritz_Brown]

Pop, go take a look at the Bestiary forum, too. There are some threads there with Cthulu references, I think. (Lots of zombies, too!)