NATION TYPES OF THE STELLAR EMPIRES

On the following sections each nation type you may select is given a section. These sections detail the NATION TRAITS. You may ONLY spend Nation-trait points in those sections. Furthermore the types of worlds the nation colonises is also listed below. Also a list of ships they are permitted to build. As this is mostly only relevant later on the Ground Army forces will ONLY be mentioned where they have been done, if your preferred nation has no Ground Army section that is because it has not been done yet, and due to the irrelevance of Armies in the Prologue their presence was not required. This file may be re-released at a later point with this information. Also it is possible the formatting will not be the same on all types. Dont ask.

CONTENTS

ARTIFICIAL EMPIRE NATION

Artificial Empire Nations are rare hidden refuges of machine intelligence, whether they killed their previous masters or they just died out these sentient machines have become powerful and highly intelligent and have shed themselves completely of a dependence on biological life. They are cold and have a long reach though are typically more interested in just keeping their own advancement on a balanced sustained level. The machine has no use for excess after all. Artificial Empire FTL: The Subspace Drive is the most powerful FTL drive that one could imagine. It enters Subspace and Exits precisely where it is told to do so by the Machine Minds. Whether this is in deep space or within the atmosphere of a world over a city where the bombardment can immediately commence. This drive is perfectly safe, fast and dangerously accurate. However the power requirements are enormous and the charge times are very slow. Even the best Subspace Drives can take six hours to charge up to sufficient power. Artificial Empire Sublight Drives: Gravity Drives Nation Trait Basic: Trillion Digit Firewall: An AI Empire cannot be hacked by any means available to the plebeian masses. The AI can not only deflect any attempt to hack them whatsoever, but any attempt to do so will be responded to by AI Viruses that destroy the machine/s that made the attempt. Not very fleshy: The AI Empire does not require the niceties of life enjoyed by the biological life forms, little things like food, water, sleep etc. As such they do not require Agricultural worlds at all. Nation Flaw: Non-Expansionistic: An AI Empire is not the sort to waste effort and resources. For every inch of space they take they can spend lifetimes consolidating their hold and making sure every inch of useful material is being exploited. As such, with the exceptions of war, colonisation is so much slower for an AI Empire that it can seem practically non-existent.

NATION TRAITS:

Nanotech Citizens Traits:

Wireless World: The AI Empire isnt dependent on physical connections between systems, this creates a level of redundancy, but is not the safest method. While it does offer FTL calculation speeds and communications, it also means that citizens (typically called programs) die by their thousands daily due to interference for their wireless world. This also gives the citizens perfect connectivity forming a rudimentary Hive Mind of sorts. Considered a horrifying weapon these things scale from infantry-portable to Capital Scale. The fire a nanite swarm in a jacketed cartridge that explodes on the target covering them with a swarm of nanites who are set to disassemble the target. Unfortunately they can only do so much damage before their own life ends. (Roughly twice the Nanites weight.) Nanotech repair systems use solid reserves in a cargo hold to enact extremely rapid repairs. Nanotech Fabricators construct things twice as fast as any conventional methods. As such an AI Empire can roll ships out of the yards twice as fast as anyone else.

Nanotech Cannons: Nanotech Repair Systems: Nanotech Constructor:

Electron Domination Traits:

Transmissions are lovely things. Especially those of others who leave wide open paths through which you can hack in! Of course, once in who knows what can be done. The Electron Lance is a beam of raw electrons similar to a particle beam but far more Electron Lance: powerful, almost as powerful as a raw stream of electrons being fired at the target. (Counts as a Primary Beam) Similar to the Lance, but far more powerful, this is an arcing bolt of Electron Electron Whip: lightning, when it strikes a target it can be directed to arc out to more close targets. (Requires: Electron Lance) (Counts as a Capital Beam) The AI Empire no longer thinks in something as primitive as Binary but long ago left Three Dimensional it behind for three dimensional quantum computing in a crystalline lattice this Computing: slightly reduces their weakness for EMP. Open Systems Access:

Artificial Industry Traits:

Drop Factory: The Drop Factory is a nanotech fabricator that can dropped from Orbit (or lower) to begin producing reinforcements for a ground invasion. If the Empire even dropped armies and didnt just covertly drop the factory to produce one. (Requires: Nanotech Constructor) Biological life is such a waste of space and resources. Fortunately we here at GIVENOTAFUCK have developed the solution. A recycling centre to break down those fleshy things into useful materials. This doesnt really make the fleshy happy. But who cares. The AI Empires products are of a much higher quality than normal methods. The industrial method produces higher quality goods. The AI Empire has built an artificial planet. A world-sized complex. This almost always serves as the Empires Capital and a heart of industry to boot.

Bio-Recycling: High Grade Manufacturing: Artificial World:

Strategic/Tactical Developments Traits:

Digital Invasion: The Digital invasion is the use of AI citizens as weapons, they attempt to forcibly invade an enemys remote systems, especially remote-controlled weapons and ships. Especially drones. Gods help anyone who depends on combat drones. All your Drones are belong to us! The AI Empire are excellent digitally. But when applied to a direct attempt to throw out as much Electronic Warfare it surpasses expectation. It can fill space with enough jamming from an SWSCS vessel to even affect optical sensor packages. The Drones arent controlled by separate programs but by a single super-program that controls them all as a single directed entity. Squadrons behave literally as one moving and firing as a single unit. What is sleep to that which is eternally awake? Power conservation. No requirement the reactors provide more than enough. Your Empire works at full capacity at all times. There is no down period of course there is the fact your shit goes up like a bomb when destroyed... but hey. Its a small price... isnt it?

Electronic Dispersal: The School:

Rest is pointless.:

BIO-TECHNOCRACY NATION
Bio-Technocracy Nations are incredibly strange and beautiful things dedicated to perfection of biological technology, no longer do they use cumbersome machines of any sort, in fact they do not have any access to conventional technologies at all! From their living ships to living skyscrapers and even living weapons. Bio-Technocracy FTL: The ZTT Swallow Drive is a Zero Time Transit drive, this is done by the node cells in the biological bodies of the Bioships pressing down on spacetime and making a hole between their current position and their eventual destination. While extremely fast it has a limit of ten lightyears and vessels must make sequential jumps to reach far destinations. This coupled with the full day needed to recharge the node cells leaves them with average travel times. Bio-Technocracy Sublight Drives: The Distortion drive is an envelope of energy called a distortion field, it acts like a Gravity Drive moving the ship via manipulating gravity fields. Nation Trait Basic: Gravitational Sensors: Biotechnocracy ships and structures method of sensing things is different to just about anyone else, they cannot learn as much about a target as a technological sensor system, however cloaking and stealth technologies provide no impediment to them. Nation Flaw: Ageing nation: The one often considered major flaw of the Bio-Technocracy is that everything ages. Not in the technological goes obsolete sense, but more in the are those wrinkles? Why does my gun have arthritis? sense. EVERYTHING ages. And the more complex it is the faster it ages. Your biocomp might last a hundred years, but most bioships wont survive sixty years. Cautious: The Biotechnocracies are not stupid, as such due to their total reliance on living technology biological weapons are typically entirely forbidden, a Bio-technocracy MUST take Bioweapons as a resource defecit, they do not get to take a resource surplus in exchange. Under no circumstances may a Bio-technocracy trade for biological weapons or in any manner attempt to bypass this flaw.

NATION TRAITS:

Living Ships:
Regenerative: Gravity Senses: Longswallows: The bioships have advanced healing capabilities far beyond any typical biology. Flesh, bone and organs regenerate at a significant and visible rate. However this comes at a cost, the high metabolism required shortens the lifespan of the bioships by 10%. While the ships retain their optical, thermal and ultraviolet sight they also possess a sense for gravity. This lets them do much that few can. Like a better sense for cloaked vessels. Your vessels have been re-engineered to be capable of making longer distances per FTL swallow. The distance per jump is almost twice as long, this cannot be taken with Advanced Patterning Cells These cells are what powers the Swallow drive but these are more advanced than the normal patterning cells, they recharge more than six times as quickly as normal meaning that the ship can perform a swallow once every two hours, though the range is reduced by 20%. This cannot be take with Longswallows.

Advanced Patterning Cells:

Bio-Weapons:
Bio-Plasma: The body or specific organs are capable of energising a form of plasma within themselves, they can then vomit forth this plasma in a single focussed bolt of energy. This is the single most powerful form of plasma in the galaxy, yet none know why except the Bio-Technocrats themselves. The Terrorspike is a kinetic spear of bone fired at a frightening velocity, the ships can regrow each within a matter of hours, and each battery contains about 100 spikes. These weapons are unique in the universe. High energy acids fired at massive velocities over short ranges. Though they cant even begin to touch shields any vessel that finds itself without will find itself the victim of powerful acids. The patterning cells are used to energise through numerous spines along the vessels length creating an arcing bolt of energy that can leap from ship to ship in a devastating bolt of arcing energy that is devastating to shields and electronics. Void Worms are the Bio-Technocracys answer to missiles. These living drones seek out their target on their low grade distortion drives where they explode with bio-acids. The vessel fires a series of hollow spines sealed against the vacuum loaded with organisms designed to board the enemy vessel.

Terrorspike: Bio-Acid Battery: Biolectric Assault: Void Worms: Assault Spines:

Adaptation
Rapid Healing: Monstrosity: Stranger Senses: Fine Tuning: Biospheric Adaptation: The bio-technocracy can heal quickly, and efficiently, though the subject, be it ship or being, must consume a larger volume of materials to compensate. The creatures of the bio-technocracy are more horrifying than is the norm. The creatures are not only designed for purpose, but also for intimidation. The nature of biology can give things some senses lacking in machines. Instinct and senses for danger. Bred for these characteristics they become quite prevalent giving most creatures a form of sixth sense. The bio-technocracy finetunes its weapons and evolutions to expose weaknesses in the enemy rendering their weapons more effective against that individual. However they can only do so against a single nation type at a time. The Bio-Technocracy can quickly adapt to new conditions upon the worlds it comes to settle upon. However this ability cant be extended to their ships.

Strategic/Tactical Developments Traits:

ZERG RUSH!: HOLY FUCKING SHIT WHERE DID THEY ALL COME FROM! Your nation concentrates on countless numbers of small creatures of little potential for harm individually. But in the numbers the Bio-Technocracy fields them in worry. A lot. (Cannot take with NIDZILLA!) Uhm boss theyre ALL the big one. Your army fields a lot of oversized killy monsters, not as many as if it didnt only field big killy monsters, but still. A lot of pants will be browned before youre done. When invading your ships deploy clouds of spores and chemicals in their wake. These chemicals and spore lend towards the corruption of the enemy. When a planet is colonized or conquered the extended presence of the Bio-Technocracy leads to its biosphere being contaminated and corrupted until in a years time there is nothing else but the Bio-Technocracy and its forms.

NIDZILLA!: Biowarfare: Bioversion:

CRIMEOCRACY NATION
Crimeocracy Nations are anomalies, they are criminal enterprises that instead of falling before governments trying to remove them instead succumbed to the criminal elements now leaving THEM in charge. Crimeocracy FTL: The Blackmark Drive is, effectively, a Black Market FTL drive. Neither safe nor cheap it is fast and can emerge on a pinhead if that is what is required. It is preceeded by a cloud of darkmatter emerging from the jump before the ships emergence shielding it from immediate detection. But the effect fades quickly. Crimeocracy Sublight Drives: Nuclear Drive, an effective drive unlikely to get any dangerous amounts of attention, you hope. Nation Trait Basic: Five-Fingered Discount: Oh what do we have here? A lovely example of technology this is. You may recover enemy vessels without all their unique and protected technology destroyed, maybe even a tech to show you how to use them. (Captured Vessels are no longer automatically Hulks) Nation Flaw: Sticky-fingered: Your nation isnt the most popular on the block, in fact its probably the most hated by most with only a few exceptions. But not to the point that it is impossible to do business. Short on Morals, and Courage: Your people are thieves, murderers, pirates. They are not soldiers, they are not armies. When push comes to shove desertion is a very real issue a Crimeocracy has to solve.

NATION TRAITS:

Black Marketeering:
Light Markets: Medium Markets: These are small, quiet black markets run quietly without too much to draw the attention of the authorities. (You get +1 Illicit Goods Trait. You do not have to take a resource deficit.) (Requires Light Markets) These are larger more complex markets. The law is concerned at this point but still has bigger fish to fry. (You get +1 Illicit Goods Trait. You do not have to take a resource deficit, this is stacked with the Light Markets) (Requires Medium Markets) These are major blackmarkets that supply just about anything you can imagine. And probably a few you cant. (You get +2 Illicit Goods Trait. You do not have to take a resource deficit, this stacks with Light and Medium Markets) (Requires Major Market) This is the ultimate expression of free trade. Anything and everything can be found this cloaked superfacility is a point of pride for Crimeocracies. (You get ALL Illicit Goods except Slaves, Pleasure Slaves and Illegal Test Subjects. This overrides all the ones before it.)

Major Market:

Black Market Ring:

Those in high places:

Dirty Secrets: You have blackmail material on some individuals of significance, influential individuals. You can, infrequently, call off or misdirect another players attempts against you, or someone else even. This cannot work on any significant fleet action however. Common sense required. Youve managed to buy off the lowest level sons-of-bitches in a nations law and enforcement authorities. Your goods are much harder to intercept than would normally be the case. You, through whatever means, have managed to get an influential individual quite deep in debt. The sort of debt that has him/her/it worrying about the chances of a battlecruiser appearing in orbit just waiting to collect. As such s/he/it is amenable to giving out a few faked orders.
You have a firm protection ring running with many of the smaller companies, to the point that arguing with you is considered to be death-bait. Of course it IS death-bait. (You can only apply the effects of this trait to a maximum of three nations. Its effectiveness is reduced with each consecutive nation.) This leaves you with the ability to re-assign one of their trade resources to yourself.

Police, we OWN the police:

You owe us big:

Was that the fine china?:

Piracy:
Hi ho hi ho on your ship we go!: Fi fi fo fum you arent gunna run!: The Crybaby: In space nobody can hear you scream: Your pirates are enthusiastic boarders. And quite talented too. Your pirates have managed to procure the rare Ion weapon technology. Your special Pirate ships may equip the Ion class of weapon. A small transmitter unit with the IFF codes of a much larger civilian vessel. Useful for either attracting a good Samaritan into an ambush. Or getting the fuzz away from your position so you can run for it. Somebody call the waaambulance. Well if we wanted to be technical nobody can hear you over the broadwave MR-433 Electronic Jamming Suite. Manufactured by Take-and-Holdem Corporation for your safe pirating needs.

Strategic/Tactical Developments:
Tactical Retreat Now now, is that any way to treat a friend? We surrender? Make a call. In civilian parlance this tactical development has long been known as fuck fuck runaway runaway and when things get too hot and heavy for a Crimeocracy with this trait that exact tactic is the one implemented. In times of dire emergency nothing works quite so well as pulling in a few favours with some people with over-sized gambling debts who have over-sized amounts of influence with the political parties in charge. Oh look, a white flag factory! When push comes to shove surrendering seems as good as anything else. Provided that the enemy is of the sort whod give a shit. Its time to call in some favours. Used when a little extra... muscle... is needed... like NOW.

CYBERNETICIST NATION
Cyberneticist Nations are nations whose people are dedicated to their improvement of self at the cost of discarding even their biological components with improved cybernetic components, by the age of 25 95% of Cyberneticists will have replaced both eyes, no fewer than two limbs and of those 40% will have in fact replaced all their limbs. These are people driven to perfection even at the cost of their own bodies, perhaps one day they will become fully machine, though it is doubted. But for now they are driven to improve themselves whether simply to make life or work easier it doesnt matter. Cyberneticist FTL: Kraken Drive. The Kraken drive is a bizarre drive that somehow taps into a natural quark network. When engaged the Captain has mere minutes to select the correct path to his destination by drone from the several to several dozen potential paths presented to him. If he makes the wrong choice there is no telling where he might end up. This can, if used in an emergency, leave the Cybernetic Fleet scattered across space as Captains rush their decisions in their haste. Cyberneticist Sublight Drives: Fusion Drive Nation Trait Basic: Well Connected: Cybernetic societies may seem quiet to some the silence of their voices standing out more than those speaking. But to a Cyborg of those people life is full of digital noise, everyone is in contact with someone at some point in time. Nation Flaw: Rusty Bucket: Not only do Cybernetics have to worry about cuts, infections, sores etc, they have to worry about rust, static and other feedback. If you see a Cyber with a nervous tick either he has a nervous tick or his ocular implant is shocking his nervous system due to some system failure or another..

NATION TRAITS:

Personal Modification:
Extensive Combat Modification: Durability Upgrades: Deep Interface: Modular Modifications The Cyberneticists practice extensive modification of their soldiers beyond the norm doing whatever they deem is fitting to increase the combat capability of the Cyborg soldiers within reason. This leads to a better soldier. The potential for infection, rust and other problems is a matter of some concern for the Cyberneticists, with this trait the technologies have been improved to offer greater resistance to these issues. The Cyberneticists are more closely connected with their machinery than is considered natural. Their interface with technology is seamless and it would take a miracle worker to divine the difference between man and machine in many cases The Cyberneticists are more careful and design for modularity, sure an implant is useful, but it is far better if it is designed with versatility in mind.

Built for Task:

Built-in Weaponry: Industrial Tool Implementation: Cyberneticist soldiers often have lighter weapons build into their bodies, whether in the arms or shoulder the location is irrelevant. The Workers often are funded by the companies to have replacement limbs specially tooled to their workplace installed, this makes them more productive, though it does have negative social connotations suggesting that the company owns that particular Cyborg. Company Brand installs do that you know. A highly dangerous procedure this goes into the forbidden branch of altering a candidates brain, this procedure has a near sixty percent mortality rate. However if successful the candidates brain is enhanced with computers with pre-installed knowledge banks.
Prisoners are a blight on all nations, and dealing with them can be difficult, expensive and ultimately unproductive for many nations either leading to an overly expensive execution due to legal process or them going free and re-offending. Cyberneticists simply turn them into Servitors. Productive, cheap and no chance of doing anything of their own volition ever again.

Knowledge Upgrades

Servitor Production

Unified Defence:
Defence Uplink Sensor Cyborg Rapid Response The Cyborg Defence uplink is a mass integrated communications network hardened against attack leaving it largely untouched and even well protected against weapons like Enslaver Ion Cannons. A Cyborg whose limbs are mostly replaced with delicate sensory equipment, whether for civilian surveys, sciences or military purposes it doesnt matter in the end. The Cyborg interconnectivity allows a far faster response time than might be traditionally expected, this means that an attacker can often find himself combating Cyberneticist relief forces that they didnt even know were coming. When push comes to shove go digital, the Cyberneticists are good when it comes to electronic warfare. They just better make sure theyre on the winning end of the exchange or they might find themselves choking themselves to death.

Digital Invasion

Strategic/Tactical Developments:
Cyber Detonators Enemy prisoners have long posed a logistical problem for the enemy. For some races or nations this is less of a problem. But Cyberneticists with this trait simply use prisoners as another weapon, by replacing a few kilograms of internal organs with high explosives remote wired to detonate in enemy lines they just send em right back.... to hell. Each element of a machine must be perfectly aligned with the rest, or as closely as to seem perfect, in order to operate correctly, the Cyberneticists have taken this to include the users whose mental architecture is upgraded to allow for a better cohesion with the tools that they are expected to be operating. *Requires: Defence Uplink, Servitor Production.) Unity on the battlefield is important, very important. And so those with the Defence Uplinks and Servitor Production many have seen fit to combine them, infantry units are made up of servitors mentally controlled by a Squad Leader, vehicles whose crews are Servitors slaved to the Commander. This leads to a more effective fighting unit, but an uncreative one. The Cyberneticists with this trait consider the machine equal to flesh and blood and refuses to leave even machines behind in their efforts, they will attempt at all times to take their technology and machines with them, and where this is not possible they will commit to attempting to hide it, if this is not possible they are destroyed to protect the Cyberneticists technology base and out of mercy for the machines that would otherwise be abused by invaders.

Integration Methodology

Fight as One

Leave no Machine Behind.

DESPOILER NATION
Despoiler Nations are generally regarded as evil by most beings. They have no regard for the environment whatsoever and either instinctively or deliberately set out to basically ruin their own environments to the zone where they feel comfortable, how this state of being came about nobody knows. The only definite fact is that environments do not survive a Despoilers attentions. Despoiler FTL: The Thunderer Drive is a unique and interesting drive. In many ways it is similar to the Warlords Hyperdrives, but such is the velocity a vessel comes to a stop and leaves that it is in no danger from a Gravity well. Furthermore the triggering of the drive releases a radiation wave of Gamma rays. This is not a healthy occurrence for the enemies of the Despoiler. Despoiler Sublight Drives: Antimatter Drive Nation Trait Basic: Poisoned Worlds: Despoiler worlds, even their agricultural worlds are barely fit for living upon no matter what the species preferences, this has led to worlds that people are generally unwilling to fight over or attempt conquest of, and in fact by its very nature makes it that much harder to actually do if they want to. Nation Flaw: Poisoned Worlds: Though the Despoilers are largely immune to their own products their planets and environments are not. The Despoilers may take no food surplus traits at any time and may in no way gain a surplus of food.

NATION TRAITS:

Corruption:
Your nation sends in cult infiltrators to spread dangerous anarchic cults amongst target nations. (Spymaster Nations are Immune to this Trait.) Your merchants play up to the underworlds seeding drugs, dangerous and otherwise across the galaxy as your people know it. These drugs can range from simple marijuana Drug Habits!: analogues to drugs harvested from the cranial fluids of sentient creatures. The harder to acquire and better the buzz the better the price. After all, what do you care if a few hundred thousand sentients die, you have your profits. Basically orgies. But orgies in which your people infect the targets with mutagenic genes, such effects may take years or only months to manifest, but once it takes effect Mutagenic Parties: there is a steady degradation of their genetic code. Eventually the degredation renders them sterile. For decades, and longer, the loonies raved about contrails and how they were filled Pollution is bad with poisons, toxins and control agents largely discrediting themselves in the process mmkay?: while others mocked them. The Despoilers took those loonies, gave them government grants and demanded they make it happen. Cult Infiltrators:

Atmospheric/Flora-Fauna Perversion:
Taking any of these traits allows the Despoiler to use the Bio-warfare Ship Class Spores that change the biosphere of a world for the worst, increased chances of Cancers, increases in flesh-eating viruses and all manner of other horrors. At its tamest the Biosphere will become extremely dangerous for sentients. Mutagens to increase the number of aggressive DNA markers in native life. Previously herbivorous animals might turn on their owner tearing it apart with their teeth and consuming the flesh are all signs of IAMs. This is a strange trait, it doesnt actually collapse the gene-pool, none of its alterations should result in extinction, however it does mean the most undesirable genetic markers become pre-dominant. You can guess.
The Despoilers deploy a series of mutagens or gasses that accelerate flora growth in a hyperactive state, similar to the mutagenic spores this causes the life to become dangerous, poisonous thorns, entangling vines etc.

Mutagenic Spores: Increased Aggressor Markers: Genetic Collapse: Hyper-Flora

Radiation Weapons:
Broad Wavefront Projector: X-Ray Laser: Gamma Burst: Takes two Weapon Battery Spaces, the Broad Wavefront Projector fires a concentrated burst of radiation in, as its name might suggest, a broad wavefront, this weapon cannot miss its target but it does only a single weapon batteries worth of damage. A laser that ignores armour and hulls to kill anything organic about the target. However it cannot pierce shields. Period. A radiation weapon similar to the X-Ray Laser but much broader in its effect, however it doesnt bypass the hull or armour and due to this shields and armour must BOTH be compromised before this weapon can do damage. A planetary bombardment weapon used by Despoilers when such measures must be taken. A projector that soaks the groundside target in gamma radiation. Everything underneath its soak dies.

Gamma Soak:

Strategic/Tactical Developments:
Forget Fancy The Despoilers can be driven to a point where their fancy and advanced methods of spreading misery arent optimal. In such cases the mutagens, genetic weapons, radiation sprayers etc are all shelved in favour of simply deploying fun products like mass nerve agents, anthrax-d and other high-lethality weapons. When push comes to shove the Despoilers just dont care. If theyre boarded or their cities are about to be taken, or just about anything like that, the Despoilers will just drop all the shielding on their reactors flooding the local area with lethal radiation. Nothing is quite as much fun as disguising a number of bio-warfare cruisers as an aid convoy moving to help a planet cure itself from biological weapons, often actually doing so while instead seeding the atmosphere with much slower and more subtle bioweapons. The Despoilers simply cannot comprehend any warfare which doesnt involve dumping massive amounts of bioweapons, chemicals, radiation and other contaminants into the enemy worlds atmospheres. As such an enemy can find himself fighting a serious defensive action trying to stop them doing just that.

Mass Exposure

Aid Convoy Damned if we do, and what do you mean we dont?

DESTROYER NATION
Destroyer Nations are even less inclined than Despoilers to preserve environments, however they do not poison their own or their enemies. The Destroyers simply use the most firepower they could possibly bring to bear in order to get the job done. Which wouldnt be so bad if they werent so damned good at it. Destroyer FTL: Blastdrive. This drive is similar, again, to the Hyperdrives used by Warlords. However this one is extremely dangerous. When one notices that no Destroyers travel in close formation they will realise why when the vessels engage and emerge from their jumps. A byproduct, deliberate or no, is a release of considerable amounts of antimatter particles into the immediate space. While most go inert for some reason soon after, anything immediately near is in great danger. And Destroyers are known to engage their drives if surrounded for just this effect. Destroyer Sublight Drives: Antimatter Drive Nation Trait Basic: Siege Experts. When it comes to planetary bombardment there is no equal to defend yourself against Destroyer bombardments, whether artillery on the ground or ships in space is to fight a desperate battle to overwhelm their defences and avoid being hit in turn because when their weapons hit they hurt so much more than your own do. Nation Flaw: Wasteful. Destroyers are very poor at the concepts of conservation of force, when they take something there is usually very little of it left, vast tracts of resources can be found squandered and destroyed by the actions to take it leaving the spoils of war for destroyers scant and hard to rebuild. If they even can.

NATION TRAITS:

Spinal Weapons:
Siege Laser: A powerful Siege Laser that can only be equipped on Fast-Battleships and larger. The Siege Laser takes a hell of a lot of room. However it is capable of coring most smaller ships in a single shot. More importantly it is pinpoint accurate. (Limit: 1 Per Ship) Take a one thousand ton spear of tungsten (or other metal) accelerate it through a mass driver to .65c and watch the fireworks. Allows for the Special Ship type. Siege Driver a Dreadnought class weapon that fits it. (You must buy Both Spinal Mass Driver traits to receive the benefit.) Six of the heaviest laser weapons short of a siege laser mounted into a single cyclefiring spinal mount. It allows a more continuous volley of fire against a target. It is limited to Grand Cruisers and Larger. (Limit: 2 Per Ship) Unlike most Spinal weapons this isnt a designated spinal weapon configuration, instead fully one third of a ships firepower is fixed forward in a cone of destruction, no guided weapons may be included in this, as such a minimum of 1/3rd of a ships weapons must be direct-fire.

Spinal Mass Driver:

Reaper Beams!:

Forward Fire!:

Planetary Cleansing:
Spinal Mass Driver: Take a one thousand ton spear of tungsten (or other metal) accelerate it through a mass driver to .65c and watch the fireworks. Allows for the Special Ship type. Siege Driver a Dreadnought class weapon that fits it. (You must buy Both Spinal Mass Driver traits to receive the benefit.) A series of strange weapons designed to ignite the atmosphere of a planet into an inferno. Unfortunately the technology has a 50% failure rate due to planetary atmospheric differences. These devices take 100 Weapon Battery Spaces and can only be fitted on Maulers. If it fails once on a particular planet it will fail every time afterwards. Allows you to take the Special Ship Type Planetary Bombardment Ships These vessels have no defensive capacity except shields and can only fire upon a planet. However they carry enough Fusion weapons to destroy a continents ability to support life.
This is related to the majority of a Destroyer fleet, instead of bringing what are effectively superweapons to the table instead a fleet of ships is used to the same level of effect, their combined bombardment efforts quite... admirable.

Atmospheric Incinerators:

Nuclear Saturation: Combined Destruction:

Counter Defence:
Penetrator Missile Banks: EMP Co-axial Laser: Antimatter Tips: Get their Shield Resonance Frequency: The Penetrator Missile Banks fire fast but not very powerful shield-penetrating missiles at medium ranges. Their energy signatures are high and relatively easy to target however. A weapon designed to fire alongside standard Laser Batteries, these weaken a targets shields allowing the high powered laser weapon to penetrate and do the damage directly to the hull. It isnt quite as literal as that but your nation tips its projectile weapons with a unique compound that renders armour useless to the following shots. The Destroyers are experts at destroying the defence of an enemy ship, and how better to do that than use their sensors to find the weak points of a shield grid to exploit and bring down in the most effective, and fastest, manner possible.

Strategic/Tactical Developments:
Zero Economy of Force: Thunder Run: For most people lacking an economy of force, and knowledge of how to use such to the maximum possible benefit is a severe disadvantage. But for the destroyers with this trait without it they simply hurl a fleet at the enemy to bring their destruction about sooner in a massive display of force... one the enemy cant help but appreciate... for a few moments. (Cannot take without the Relativity is a Bitch trait.) The Destroyers combine superior speed with superior destruction in this display sending a small task force to make what is called a Thunder Run, a straight run deep into enemy territories hitting exposed and vulnerable targets and getting out of dodge before the enemy can do shit about it. A Nation does not survive by setting an example for others, it survives by making examples of others. The Destroyers do not handle things gracefully, as such when they are attacked the do not retaliate with similar force, they retaliate with overwhelming force, usually with an assault on a planet. Defeat is not something that a Destroyer takes well, and those with this trait take it less well than others and if defeat looks certain theyll begin committing to destroying anything and everything of value that might remain behind. Including the Civilian Populace.

Examples:

Scorched World Policy:

ECONOMIST NATION
Economist Nations are those nations whose industry and effort is devoted entirely to the procuring of money. They engage in almost only trade and their fleets are well designed to protect their trade assets, if it werent for the fact their trade assets are magnets for those who want to take their wealth. Economist FTL: LaGrange Drive. The LaGrange drive, obviously enough, requires LaGrange points to work. A vessel with a LaGrange drive must travel to the nearest Lagrange Point capable of holding the vessels forward width whereupon it can open a connection to the LaGrange network to other similar sized LaGrange Points in local space. The vessel then transit those tunnels to its destination. Its just a pity about the dangerous travel times between destination and LaGrange Points. Economist Sublight Drives: Fusion Drive Nation Trait Basic: Wealthy/Moneybags: Your nation is wealthy beyond most nations wildest dreams. Affording what you need is not difficult for you and is never an issue, of course Capacity and will to do so still is. But when it comes to trade you have an immediate advantage. Nation Flaw: Big red target: With great wealth comes the great realisation that everyone wants to take it from you. You can and will find yourself the target of every two-bit scammer, thief, pirate, confidence trickster and con artist.

NATION TRAITS:

Market-Engineering:
Cargo Cultist: Load-Bearing State: Controlled Trade: If freighters were warships, you'd blot out the stars with your fleet. You still do, but there's less gunfire involved. You remember all those times you beat up a boss and suddenly the castle collapsed? Well, you're kind of like that to the galactic economy. You manipulate the market like a concert virtuoso. If you have too much food being produced you force the producers to cut down, or dump quantities of it as rubbish. Everything is to maintain profit and stability. But it can create unrest. You can quickly alter production to fit the supply and demand of an evolving market in a way few others can. As such your people rarely want for consumer products, and more importantly it gives you an edge on breaking into foreign markets.

Tailored Trade:

Trade Relations:
New Hollywood: Accomodating: Convincing Economists: Rarities Market: A cultural centre of the galaxy. Everyone who's anyone has made their fame here. You have no qualms about letting others into your own markets in order to get your foot into theirs After all you know youre better at it than they are. Your people are good at convincing others that trade with you is a good and necessary thing. Of course they could tell you to fuck off anyway but its not the most likely outcome.
This is a difficult one to RP, but the fact is that your nation has a talent with rarities. Just hope that the previous owners relatives or descendants are the ones you find because while you call it a Rarities market they call it grave-robbing.

Corporation:
Free Market Boomtown: Corporate Takeover: Interstellar Stocks Market: The nice thing about a corporate state is there's profits for everyone. The not so nice thing is that you have to go back to your cubicle now. Small business is no competition for your highly aggressive corporate markets. When they spring up the Corporations stomp them into the soil and grind their bones into forfeiture papers. This can leave even Alien markets exposed to the Corporate hostility. You can introduce the concepts of an inter-species Stock Market with some reasonable expectations of success. And your nation plays the Stock Markets well. When push comes to shove the nation isnt afraid to engineer a market for their goods, with some skill they can create the market conditions they need. (For up to two nations they may turn one trade good that is not a surplus or deficit into a deficit, however the Economist MUST attempt to open trade to fill that deficit with a surplus of their own.)

Market Engineering:

Strategic/Tactical Developments:
When attempting to win a victory an Economist will rarely turn to direct force, they lack the skills required to win against most other nations without aid, instead they Blockade!: can opt to Blockade an enemy planet whose resources are required by their nation thus cutting them off (mostly) from trade with the rest. (Costs 3 Nation Trait Points) Blockades have one problem, they can be intercepted and stopped by force. But with Trade Sanctions the Economist can convince most Trade Sanctions!: Legal nations to refuse to trade with one specific nation. (Crimeocracies, Hunters are not required to obey Sanctions) (Does not effect Illicit Goods) In times of great need the Economist can often do a free giveaway where they take FREE GIVEAWAY: a set of goods and declare free trade of those goods for a limited time, provided the nations taking advantage sign a contract for regular trade of that good afterwards.

EMPIRE OF LIGHT NATION

The Empire of Light are the Shining Ones beacon of existence. An empire build in accordance with a not-quite human understanding of the universe. Many of the Empire of Lights innovations can be seen as far more advanced than they seem, but at the same time hold a deep down noxious terror. Economist FTL: Lightbridge Drive: Where many FTL drives are known for requiring a ship exit at the outskirts of the
system the Lightbridge drive is quite the opposite. It was that each star, with the proper application of force, magnetic energy and quantum displacement theory could be connected to any other star by a lightbridge that travels significantly faster than light. This drive requires the vessel to conduct a power-dive into the sun of the system it is present in firing precisely configured lashing fields of force that tighten as the ship gets deeper into the corona, and eventually the photosphere itself before, finally, it reaches the depth required to reach the target star and the lightbridge is formed and the vessel is hurled along an FTL corridor of pure light and stellar matter. All use of the Light-Bridge is accompanied by a small, but harmless, solar flare as stellar matter from the bridged star crosses the bridge with the vessel making the transit. It is theorised that the same could be done with a black hole but all experiments to this effect have simply lost contact with the science ships involved.

Economist Sublight Drives: Antimatter Drives Nation Trait Basic: Incredible Energy Tolerance: The Empire of Light being made of energy and crystal and all sorts of material designed to handle it are greatly resistant to energy weapons. Even the best energy weapon is but a third of its normal strength against their technology. Master Manipulators of Energy: Individually the Empire of Lights energy weapons might seem weaker than other nations until one discovers that they play with the energy in ways nobody else seems to be able to replicate. Energy beams twisting together as they lash out into stronger beams than the sum of its parts. Nation Flaw: Afraid of the Dark: The Empire of Light cannot venture far from the inside of a solar system, this leaves most of a systems outer reaches out of reach for their largest ships though the smaller ships which are frequently controlled remotely can venture somewhat further out the Empire of Light will not venture beyond a certain point where the solar energy they cherish is weak.

NATION TRAITS:

Blinding Shields:
Light Shield: The shielding of Empire vessels tends to be a bit stronger than others due to their more fragile ship hulls. They also tend to be obvious. But their brightness makes it hard to discern important targets being protected by them. The burning shield is also known by many as a solar shield. This field is in addition to any other shielding the vessel has, it controls a microflare in a powerful magnetic field this gives it a far better point defence capability than it might otherwise possess. (Takes all Point Defence Slots on a Complex Ship) (Requires Light Shield): The Flare is a fluctuation that is introduced into the shield generator to produce a burst of energy that smashes across every spectrum of sensor like a wave of solid light that can buy a ship the time to escape. Which it better do as doing so burns out the shield generator until it can be repaired in dock. This modulation of the shielding produces a light-scattering effect akin to some cloaking devices. While this will not cloak or hide the vessel it will scatter its energy signature over a much larger area of space making it hard to isolate the ships actual position.

Burning Shield:

Flare:

Twisting Light:

Flare Weapons:
Flaring Beams This is a modification to all energy weapons mounted on Empire ships, their energy weapons are weaker individually, but weave together into much larger coils of energy that provide more power than the same number of weapons working together normally would. The Empires unusual attachment to the properties and abilities of energy allows them to exert their technology to redirect it as it works in more subtle manners than others. This leads to curving energy weapons or even some that may seem to avoid friendly targets. This is a Capital Class weapon. It takes 40 Spaces, costs 1000 RP. It fires a solar flare. That is all.
This weapon is a Capital Class Weapon, it takes 100 Spaces and costs 25000 RP, this weapon can only be fired on a planet. Its effects are massive thermal destruction and radiation poisoning.

Directed Energy Stellar Flare Flare Bomb

Crystalline Matrixes:
Vessels of Light Divergent Structure Dense Crystal Energy Storage Total Conversion The Empire of Light builds the ship mostly out of crystalline substances giving them unprecedented levels of control. With this the crew requirements of a ship drop to one, the being who merges with the crystal to become the ship-mind. The nature of the Empires crystalline technology allows for greater diffraction of incoming energy weapons fire. The Crystalline structure of the ship store a small measure of any energy striking the hull, be it energy or solar, into pure energy to power their systems, or even sustain the Shining Ones aboard. This is a suicide measure, the structure of the ship is forged into pure energy by the Shining One in command and directed through the prow of the craft into a unstoppable spear of light.

Strategic/Tactical Developments:
Solar Swimming Wall of Light This strategy is a good protective and concealing measure. The Empire cannot conceal the light its ships give in space. But in using their superior energy resistances to conceal themselves in the suns photosphere few can challenge them in such an environment. A close-knit Empire Fleet appears to be a wall of charging solid light difficult to perceive and far harder to stop as they combine their fire. (Requires Flaring Beams)

ENSLAVER NATION
Enslaver Nations are also often considered evil, they are not interested in the material wealths of minerals and technology, though they do have such, no, they consider wealth to be the ownership of property, living property. They have thus become experts in the art of raiding and taking living sentient property. They are not largely popular with the more freedom loving species, but their trade is well valued by those of a more murky moral compass. Enslaver FTL: Ripper Drive, the Ripper drive is an angry technology. It doesnt exploit any holes in the universe. It creates them Cones of Force literally drill open the universe and thrust the ship through the gap where it tunnels through the underlying structure of the universe to its destination. This is relatively safe and fast. It is even quite stealthy if they emerge behind a planetary body. But the Drive is not entirely safe. It releases radiation during the journey, and as such the Slavers cannot spend too long within its confines. Enslaver Sublight Drives: Antimatter Drive Nation Trait Basic: Quiet Property Acquisition: The acquisition of slaves is a critical part of the Enslavers nature. As such they have refined it to an art, sometimes they will trade with other nations for the occupants of prisons, or the criminal underworlds for access to the slums to take their prizes, but most especially they are skilled at taking their precious commodities from other ships and conceal their involvement in the deed. Finders Keepers: There is nothing quite so sad as a stranded ship in space, especially when there are Enslavers about, they are excellent at reaching ships in trouble and bluffing its airlocks open to let them aboard to take their fill. In short, the Enslavers are EXCELLENT at taking advantage of a situation where they might get a few more warm bodies. Nation Flaw: Potential Rebellions: When invaded by a clever invader the Enslavers can find their most poorly enforced slaves rising up to aid the invaders against their oppressors. Up to forty percent of the merchandise are likely to do so as the tools that typically keep them suppressed are inadequate in the case of invasion. Pariah State: Those more honourable or just plain out civil nations often find Enslavers distasteful in the extreme. This could be because theyre frequently the victims of Enslaver attacks. But really... This means that the more honourable nations view the Enslavers negatively. (Economists, Industrialists, Scientists, Pacifists, Environmentalists, Isolationists and Psychic Hives.) None of these nations can voluntarily enter a nation-level agreement of any kind except a non-aggression pact.

NATION TRAITS:

Disabled Parking Traits:

Mass Stunning: The Enslavers have access to massive stun weapons. Frightening things that can be mounted on ships and fired at other vessels to expose them to boarding by the Enslavers for capture. Coupled with stun weapons the Enslavers can choose to take the Ion Storm which gives them access to the Ion weapons tree to disable enemy shields and systems with barrages of EM energy. This grants every Enslaver Ship a set of claws and a mouth the vessel grabs onto the enemy craft with the claws and the mouth bores into the hull of the enemy ship allowing the Slavers to board and take people at will. The Enslaver begins a boarding action with the release of gasses designed to knock out anything with an oxygen-based respiratory system. Of course, while effective, it isnt perfect. But it gets a better and more efficient coverage than Stun Cannons. The Enslavers pretend to be a vessel in distress, often using the wreckage of a larger vessel to hide within, often bringing the pieces to the ambush site and broadcasting the wrecks codes and identifiers. (Sometimes going so far as to register new, fake, ones to do this.) They then play crybaby to draw ships close enough. After which they begin trying to take the good Samaritan and slap a collar around their necks.

Ion Storm:

Boarding Claws: Gaseous Welcome:

Bait and Switch:

Obedient Minds:
The nanospider is a small fibrous bundle of nanofibres, deployed it would resemble a spiderweb which is where it earned its name. This is an expensive procedure that increases a slaves worth from 100 credits to one million credits. The surgery opens up the Slaves skull and deploys the nano-spider where their existing mind and personality are erased in entirety and unable to ever be recovered. Once done the Nanospider imprints the mind with a new designer-slave personality, these slaves are particularly valued for high importance assignments involving total silence, but expendability, these slaves cannot be rescued or cured. The Nanospider is removed once the new personality is implanted its work done. It also has a 10% lethality rate. BOOM HEADSHOT! Nothing keeps a slaves mind more focussed than the knowledge hes wearing a steel collar that weighs six pounds of which five pounds are the explosives designed to blast the Slaves head from his shoulders should he prove difficult or try to escape... or escape the knowledge that if he tampers with it his head, and those of five slaves closest to him burst too. The Slaves are kept docile and obedient by a volatile mix of drugs designed to suppress the mind and open susceptibility. These suppress everything, personality, willpower, instinct, sex drive even the need for food and drink. As such they have to be instructed to eat and drink. Or theyll forget and die.
Sometimes a Slave leaves the pens and comes back later, pale, unfeeling and empty inside, as if their soul had been struck from their body. These slaves, the soulless, are so empty in mind body and soul that it can be sensed by other slaves. And whenever a slave becomes too problematic he is taken away only to return empty. Soulless. Incentive for obedience no? Sometimes the Carrot works better than the stick, for a male slave this can be the promise of fornicating with the female slave of his choice, or being permitted three times his rations. For a female slave it can be the promise of not having to spend a night flat on her back until she was either pregnant, dead or sold. Or for both it could be the promise of favour from their master.

The Nanospider:

Blasting Collar:

Drugged to the Eyeballs: Promise of Horrors Unknown:

Reward is motivating:

Assault Mastery:
Stun Grenades: Boarding Masters: Rending Claws: Attacks are preceded by attacks with Stun Grenades, Flashers, Sensory Overload Ordnance etc. As such most defenders, be it on a planet or a ship, can find his defenders disoriented, down or even completely unconscious before the charge. Few, if any, are more skilled at boarding than these. Not because of any inherent biological ability. But because the Slavers are trained not only to breach the target. But to capture as many alive as possible when doing so. The Enslavers are prepared to literally rip through the walls to get to the produce and as such their armour is typically equipped with what they call rending claws they are designed to tear through thin armour and hulls. Doors etc. The Enslavers are equipped with a weapon they call the Magma beam. This is for those moments when a Blast Door just happens to get in their road. This is a slow-firing plasma cannon often mounted on the shoulder of a trooper who is the designated Plasmacaster. It might risk the cargo. But so does leaving the door intact.

Take out the Blast Door:

Strategic/Tactical Developments:
The Final Solution: There comes a time when the Enslavers will have a slave rebellion, under most circumstances it is not an issue and the slaves are suppressed and put down, but in circumstances where the slaves are receiving outside aid it is then where the Enslavers enact protocols to simply exterminate all the slaves. Not all Slaving is so simple as just waltzing in and taking what you want, no, for some, even many, it is far wiser to attack a ship and leave it crippled its alert beacons screaming after its crew and passengers are caged, then laying in wait for rescuers to come and take them too. For most Enslavers simply taking whoever they wish is a simple solution to the procurement of product, for others however they have another tactic, instead of traditional methods they complement them by sending Slaving missions to Penal Worlds of other nations, or even just to prisons to outright purchase slaves. The Enslavers simply attack with overwhelming force in a manner not normally associated with their kind, this is devastatingly effective and few can deny the overwhelming results of such an action as anything less than what they are. While the response is probably in return powerful none can deny the effectiveness of this method for taking masses of slaves.

Vultures:

Slave Shopping:

Shock and Chains:

ENVIRONMENTALIST NATION
Environmentalist Nations are the result of an environment conscious government rising, often from the ashes of environmental abuse that nearly led to self-destruction. Rising from those ashes in a manner almost completely opposed to their old ways conservation of environment, any, is first and foremost in their minds and resource exploitation is so miniscule as to barely register, however they can and will exploit resources on non-life-bearing worlds in order to protect those worlds that do in fact bear life. Environmentalist FTL: Slip-Point Drive: The Slip-Point drive is a warpspace twisting. The engaging of the Slip-point drive is quite visible and puts out a lot of light. But it twists the light and directions making tracking the vessel impossible and guessing its destination a simple guess at best. Sublight Drives: Solar Drive Nation Trait Basic: Preservationists: Environmentalist worlds are almost pure examples of raw nature and evolution at work almost entirely untouched by the outside universe, visitors are never permitted to the surface, their ships never allowed to enter their atmospheres. As such almost all Environmentalist worlds are beautiful green worlds and the morale of their people is high. Lifegivers: Environmentalists are incredible at preserving and creating the conditions for life, this is reflected in the incredible health of its peoples, and allows them to live longer than they otherwise might. Nation Flaw: Resource Poor: Truthfully speaking they are not resource poor, however they cannot, and will not, utilise those resources due to their mandate to protect the environment, as such they may not take anything except Foodstuffs as a Resource Surplus and must take all metals as a Deficit. Broken Environment: There comes a time for every Environmentalist nation where, sooner or later, they will have a world or environment trashed by outsiders, this event is highly traumatic for the environmentalists who see a perfect work of nature destroyed, this can cause suicidal depression for those inhabiting such worlds. Perpetual War: There are two nation types that the Environmentalists cannot exist in any state with except war. Despoilers and Destroyers, such is their nature that no Environmentalist can tolerate their existence, and while they may prosecute a Cold War instead of a literal meatgrinder war they are still compelled to a state of war with those nations.

NATION TRAITS:

Environmental Preservation:
Biosphere Containment: Biological Rejuvenators: Resistant Biosphere: Biospheric Shielding: Energy fields over cities, not designed to prevent contamination of the air and keep people safe but to keep all that harmful shit within it so that it doesnt taint the environment, in fact it is probably law that your citizens must undergo decontamination before setting foot outside into the nature they love. While this would benefit a living being of your nation it is not used that way, it is used to protect the environment and better protect it against what little carbon footstep you leave behind. In case of invasion or bombardment the biosphere has been tinkered slightly to provide more resilient life, if invaded the very life and biosphere of the planet will turn against the invaders, in case of Bombardment life grows back so much faster as to render the bombardment much more time consuming. Sometimes protecting the environment means erecting a powerful energy shield designed to keep out all that nasty stuff like Orbital Assaults, Rocks and harmful radiation. They cant take a lot of damage, but hey, something is better than nothing, right?

Alternate Energy/Weapon:
Solar Fusion:: Gen-Select Bioweapons: Hi-Grade Lasers: You can create and sustain a form of pure ecologically safe fusion, and... for some reason... use it to produce solar power. Your people despise any ecological damage to the point that they will not use actual normal weapons on a planetary surface but instead utilise targeted biological weapons to cleanly and painlessly remove the enemy. High power laser weapons more efficient than many peoples. However they are expensive and hard to produce, they take twice the spaces they normally would and do three times the damage. They also cost twice as much.

Terraforming:
Rapid Growth Program: Biospheric Transplant Biospheric Repair: Planetary Resurrection: From small algaes and insects to megafauna and pines the size of mount everest... ok the last two are exaggerated but not by far. Your people can terraform roughly three times as quickly, however for some years the life is unstable and dies far more quickly until your nation can re-engineer their biological cycles back to an expected norm. Your nation accelerates its Terraforming projects by simply re-engineering some already existing specimens and samples and transplanting them from one world to another. But it isnt the most popular method as it lacks the... natural... flavour. In times of need sometimes it is required to not just terraform, but repair the damage done before, damage that can seem almost impossible to repair, but with time and will the Environmentalists can do it. There are some times when a world is completely lifeless and without value, and sometimes there are those Environmentalists who with the knowledge and skill can spend years turning a once lifeless world into a lush and living place once more.

Strategic/Tactical Developments:
Rapid Intervention: The Environmentalists move quickly, more quickly than they might otherwise be politically, economically or military motivated to do so, in order to respond to an incident where an Environment is at risk, this goes double for when Despoilers or Destroyers are present. (Requires: Gen-Select Bioweapons) As a preventative measure they Environmentalists attempt to seed an atmosphere with Gen-select bioweapons to kill off their enemies before they ever leave their ships, however this has only a small success rate. The Emergency Act is when one of the Environmentalists environments is under thread of potential ruination, regardless of the threat, internal or external, the Emergency Act reassigns materials, supplies and ships to see off the threat whatever it may be. They hope. Isolation = Preservation, and so the Environmentalists decide to preserve the environments by simply not interacting with them on any substantial levels and in doing so restrict themselves to life in fully enclosed Arcologies in locations to inhospitable for life on those worlds.

Crop-Dusting:

The Emergency Act:

Preservation:

HUNTER NATION
Hunter Nations are honour bound societies which have become the epitome of the hunt, they do not wage war when it can be avoided but instead depend on many striking actions under the cover of stealth and cloaking technology, the only oddity is that they do not consider their cloaking technology to be in violation of the code of honour behind a fair hunt principle. Hunter FTL: Shadowleap Drive, this drive is undetectable, period. It cannot be seen, tracked, followed or even observed in operation. The downside. The vessel MUST leave the system and find a pocket of darkmatter to initialise the drive where it will then emerge inside another pocket of Dark Matter. Fortunately most Systems have Dark Matter Planetoids some distance beyond the system that the cloaked Hunters can safely make their way to and from. Hunter Sublight Drives: Gravity Drive Nation Trait Basic: Cloaking Device: A device that renders a vessel invisible to sensors and even the visual spectrum. However at its most basic the system is a double-blind. While the vessel cannot be seen it also cannot see. (NOTE: ALL Hunter ships are equipped with this device.) Nation Flaw: Code of Honour: The problem with Hunters is that they live by a code of honour that basically says if you fairly defeat the hunters coming for your ass youre basically free and clear, of course that doesnt stop other hunters coming for you, but the Hunters will always treat their enemies with respect when earned, and contempt when not.

NATION TRAITS:

Cloaking:
Cloak-Shape Sensors: A set of recalibrated mil-spec sensors designed to pierce the double-blind effect of the Cloaking device. But the effect isnt just localised, another vessel with Cloak-Shape sensors can see any other vessel that is cloaked. (And within detection range.) (Requires all other Cloaking Traits) These allow a vessel to be out of sync with the universe, they can pass through solid matter without much difficulty, but they cannot be mounted on anything smaller than a cruiser and if there is any mass that intersects with the cloaked vessel when it decloaks the massed area detonates in an antimatter explosion. This will also kill the cloaking device. This is not a popular technology. To defeat the sensor blindness of a basic cloaking device the vessel routinely flickers its cloaking device. This will create momentary sensor ghosts that can disorient a foe but at the same time it only gives you snapshots on your sensors, not reliable real-time data. Opting for a less-powerful but more energy conservative ripple field the cloaking effect is spread over a field that fluctuates the effect over itself, this serves to conserve much of the energy as the generators arent providing for a full cloak effect, this allows the Hunter some degree of fire control and ability to fire upon the enemy in return.

Phase-Cloaking:

Semi-Blind Field:

Ripple Field:

Engine:
Scream-Drive: An advanced FTL drive. It is ten times faster than anyone elses FTL drives, the downside? The space-time scream effect. A noticeable Bow-Wake of Space-time that propagates even faster than the travel itself. While nobody could escape your reach they could easily notice you were on the way and prepare. You can replace one percent of the secondary slots per class of vessel (EG: A Gunship could would lose 1%, a Mauler would lose 15%) with pursuit drives. Each of these boosts your acceleration by 1 gee over the best anyone else can achieve. Literally. Of course you also have that many less weapon batteries to play with. Your drives are able to give ten second bursts at 20 gees. Any longer and youd kill your crew or burn out the drives. You can do this once every hour. This gives you the ability to catch up a bit faster. A single-use FTL drive based on the Shadowleap drive principles, single use because the lack of a darkmatter pocket kills the drive after firing, and as it is the jump will be blind, its effect will also disable the normal drive for two to three days depending on how fast the crew works to repair it.

Pursuit Drives:

Punch-Drives:

Escape Drive:

Blame-Mongers:
False-Flag Operation: Diplomatic Denial: But we had to!: Your people disguise their vessels as ones of other local groups and as they learn more about that particular species fake more and more realistically, transmissions, voice, protocols etc are all within this trait. Your diplomats and government cover up any discovered operations with well rehearsed and fluid deniability, only a spymaster nation could easily see past the deception. Your diplomats dont technically try and shift the blame for what your nation has done in this one, instead they use some very clever operations work to convince the OTHERS that the target forced you to do so in order to ... well satisfy something, survival, honour etc. Your nations polities move quickly to cover up all signs, from recordings to physical evidence, and if pushed hard enough, even to the point of Nuking a small colony to cover all traces.

Cover-Up!:

Strategic/Tactical Developments:
Sensor Ghosts: Trackers: First Strike: Enough is enough: Using the Cloaking device cleverly the hunter convinces his target, be it ship or person, that their sensors are in fact malfunctioning and glitching by playing his cloaking device to create sensor ghosts. When hunting one of the first lessons is how to follow a target without being observed, it makes sense that the Hunters have refined this art to perfection. With this trait the Hunters have managed to ensure that they will almost always get the first, and hopefully overwhelming, shots off in a battle. Of course they dont always, but itd be a fair bet that they would. Sometimes the prey is just a bit too big, tough and ready for your ass, and it is times like these that it just makes sense, hunter or not, to bug the fuck out of there before it decides to lay a can of fuck you all over your ass.

INDUSTRIALIST NATION
Industrialist Nations are dedicated to massive industry, whether snowglobes and lounges to tanks and starships production is all that matters, how they came to be is irrelevant, do they have a massive consumer base that demands the products of industry? Or are they war-paranoid and feel that numbers are a substitute for quality? It doesnt matter really as they WILL outproduce almost everyone. Industrialist FTL: Shock Point Drive. The Shock Point Drive is powerful to say the least. Travel time is nearly nstantaneous but it is dangerous and energy consuming. Not the least because the crew of the vessel must be in stasis when the ship arrives. When initiating the Shock Point Drive there is no Inertial Dampeners, as such anyone not in stasis becomes a pretty red smear on the rear of the vessels walls. Of course if one were to somehow get out during transit before emergence they would become a smear on the front half instead.. Industrialist Sublight Drives: Fusion Drive Nation Trait Basic: Hyperproductive: The Industrialists are as the name might suggest, hyperproductive, unlike other nations they definitely dont have any days off and probably dont stop operating at night either. As such their production times are less than others might seem. Nation Flaw: Resource Hungry: An Industrial nation consumes resources at a rate that quite boggles the mind, they are considerably poorer for resources than many nations, not so much as a deficit as being unable to fuel their industry at 100% capacity most of the time. (May only take half the normal allowable resource Surplus and Deficits.) Quality Control: Industrialists, due to the high-volume nature of their work do suffer in the quality department and their ships and equipment is generally substandard to others. This can lead to all sorts of accidents as well when a particularly poorly designed piece fails at just the right moment to be a major problem.

NATION TRAITS:

Megastructures:
Industrial Heartland: Antimatter Ring: Mega-Scale Shipyard: Arcologies: Tank factories stretch to the horizon and shipyards fill the night sky with waste light. Your major planets have an orbital Station that rings the whole planet, this ring is an Antimatter Production station for power sources. Your Shipyards are far larger than anyone elses. Period. Large volumes of your population exist within a supercity that is in effect a single monstrous structure. This gives you a more effective and immediate labour pool to work with.

Industrial Automations:
Robotic Production System: Self-Replicating Factories: Defensive Reproduction: Safety Switch/Bomb: Machines building Machines. Oh the Irony.

Dangerous and unpredictable these factories reproduce themselves as well as what theyre programmed to produce. Unfortunately they can quickly become self-aware and Rebel. But if they dont they provide a significant advantage. Von Neumann devices designed to defend against hostile action, unfortunately they too can fall for the same error as the SR-Factories. For many Industrialists who trade their goods to other polities steps must be taken to ensure that said devices dont end up turned upon them for any reason. As such simple bombs or disabling devices are frequently included on traded items in the event such should occur. These devices are tamper-proof and usually placed in a critical place so that in the event an attempt is made to remove or modify the device the good is destroyed.

Super-factories: Note: Each Trait requires the one before it.:

Class One Superfactory: Class Two Superfactory: Class Three Super-Factory: Class Four SuperFactory Class Five SuperFactory: The Industrialist nations Industrial points increases by 50% The Industrialist nations Industrial points increases by 100% The Industrialist nations Industrial points increases by 150% The Industrialist nations Industrial points increases by 200% The Industrialist nations Industrial points increases by 250%

Strategic/Tactical Developments:
Industrial Overtime: Emergency Shutdown: Export the Crappy Ones!: Quality Control Reforms: In times of great war there is no choice but to push the limits of industry into overtime with the people working triple-shifts and even full-day shifts when need be thus pushing the Industrialists capacity to almost double, however this is a massive drain on resources and when enacted one random resource (related) will become a Deficit that must be traded for to fulfil the shortcomings. There it goes again, that pesky self-replicating factory has gone nuts again. Ah well, we installed that big red button this time, thatll stop it in its tracks. Quality Control is so difficult, and we have all these sub-standard hulls that people call cursed and jinxed or just plain dont seem to work right, well just export that lot to those who dont know any better. Yes. Lets do that. There comes a time when Quality MUST be considered, and with these reforms a secondary line is set up where teams of qualified inspectors can weed out the worst of the products, this trait minimises the effect of the Quality Control flaw.

ISOLATIONIST NATION
Isolationist Nations are those driven simply by the desire to be left alone by the outside universe, something amusing considering that they are happy to expand their own borders, and then fully well expect other races to still leave them alone, they Isolationists however make extremely poor aggressors and are always better off fighting defensive actions than offensive. Isolationist FTL: The Whisper Drive is a relatively silent drive as far as detection goes. The vessels dont rip holes in space, they dont scuttle away under darkmatter clouds, they dont release antimatter bursts. The vessel simply decelerates into view or accelerates away. It is as far from flashy as it gets. Isolationist Sublight Drives: Gravity Drive Nation Trait Basic: Just leave us alone: Even when engaging in interstellar relations at the core of things they largely just want to be left alone, and such is their attitude that most are perfectly willing to let them do just that. As such if the Isolationist is disinclined to contact or interaction with an individual or his nation that nation is unlikely to pursue the matter. Nation Flaw: Disinclined to Interfere: To convince their own people to interfere or even interact in stellar affairs is a herculean effort, and unless there is some form of direct threat it is in fact as close to impossible as you can casually get.

NATION TRAITS:

Advanced Shield:
Cyclonic Barrier Shields: A rotating helical shield arrangement that deflects enemy fire as often as stops it, the CBS Shields are expensive and hard to produce. A strange set of shields. Typically four shields that flicker out of sequence, there is no predictability to the shield arrangement and when one flickers back on it is typically at full strength. Such shields can take much less damage than normal shields but they recharge much faster. The downside? Due to the random nature of the Flicker shields ... well... sometimes theyll flicker out of phase.. together. These shields, like most, absorb the energy of incoming weapons fire, however unlike most these are designed to discharge the energy into the laser weapon banks boosting their power and rate of fire in accordance with how much damage the discharge shields are taking. The downside? When a Discharge Shield goes down it explodes. Sometimes the solution is less fancy and simply something harder than anything else. The Hard Shields are immune to shield-penetration weapons, though they are still effected by weapons that drain other shield types they are effected more slowly.

Flicker Shields:

Discharge Shields:

Hard Shields:

Go-Away:
Redirection Field: Go-Away Teleporters: Diplomatic Cessation: A redirection field is a combination of tractor and pressor technologies, it is used over incredible ranges to forcibly redirect enemy vessels away. This only works on Light Cruisers and Smaller. Anything over the size of Light Cruiser simply has too powerful engines to redirect. Teleporters that simply send enemy troops/infantry/man-sized objects somewhere unpleasant.... like a Suns surface. Whether something as simple as kicking them across the border or beheading them and mailing their leaders the heads with a Keep Out branded to their forehead you can cut diplomatic ties and trade agreements at ANY time with no ill effects. Sometimes an Isolationist simply has had enough and only one solution to the constant badgering by others presents itself, when pushed to it the Isolationist simply resorts to the time honoured principle of just killing everything that crosses their borders in a manner that doesnt leave much room for negotiation.

JUST FUCK OFF:

Distortion Traits: (All objects are restricted to planets only unless otherwise specified.)
Electromagnetic Distortion: Distort Shields: Sensor Blinds theyre called. They distort all electromagnetic signals of a planet until theyre indistinguishable from normal background noise, nothing short of a visual scan will reveal otherwise. The same technology as Electromagnetic Distortion but includes a holographic element to break up a ships visual signature. Such devices however are prohibitively expensive and take up ALL available shield spaces. A neurological disruption field. Anyone caught within it will become confused and lose their sense of direction. This always leads to the victim flying out of the Isolationists space. (Spymaster Nations are immune.)

Confusion Fields:

Strategic/Tactical Developments:
Deceptive Masking: Into the Trap: Get the Women and Children out!: Using their technology in combined fashions the Isolationist simply attempts to trick intruders into leaving their territories voluntarily and probably uncertain they had ever trespassed at all. Utilising their technologies of deception it is relatively easy to guide an enemy into a trap. Relatively being the keyword, sometimes it just doesnt pan out that way. Deceiving the enemy only works so far, but in times of need they call on their ability to deceive their enemies one last time in order to evacuate many of the civilians if they are forced to do so.

NOMADS NATION
Awww, look there, space bums be thankful of what we have people, be thankful. *Bump* Crap I flew one over, lets get the hell out of here! Nomads the eternal drifters between the stars, travelling in giant fleets the Nomads travel from system to system. They once might have had a homeworld but now this no longer is the case be it war, famine or disease these people decided to leave the ground beneath their feet and live a nomadic existence among the stars, only travelling to planets to trade or mine for resources. Other nations might often see these fleets as harmless travellers, while others see them as a horde of Veltarrian Locusts bend on strip mining everything in their way. Nomads FTL: Inertialess Drive. Both their Sublight and FTL drive the Inertialess Drive gets faster the less resistance it encounters. Within a Solar System it is restricted to slow sublight travel, but once beyond its edges they can really crank it up and bust through space like they have a rocket lit up their assholes. Nomads Sublight Drives: Inertialess with Gravity-null Tech Nation Trait Basic: Ever Mobile: Moving non-stop for as long as you can remember has its not inconsiderable benefits, like having nowhere that an enemy can point to on a map and go they are here as such striking at a truly important part of the Nomads is incredibly difficult. Easier to Defend: The Nomad Worldships are easier to defend than planets, for one their close confines and quarters mean that an enemy cant deploy artillery or aircraft to attack with and any unit specialised at long range combat is at a disadvantage in the vessels close confines. Other vehicles over a certain size also simply cannot fit within the Worldships. (Such as Destroyer Gigadeath-based chassis) Nation Flaw: Crappy Immunity System: If youre a nomad youve been living generations in space and havent had much or most likely never set foot on a planets soil and lived most of your life in the regulated environment of your ship. This means that your life is in constant danger because any foreign microbe entering your body could mean a slow and painful death if a cure is not found. Unwanted: Other nations see you as intergalactic free loaders or space bums, they fear that if your fleet comes to their planets that you strip mine the whole lot of them and leave nothing worthwhile and thus you are greeted with distrust at best or violence at worst.

NATION TRAITS:

Ships:
Excellent Maintenance: With ships that might have been operational in space for years, decades or maybe even over a century its important everything works perfectly, broken life support or radiation leakage is a death sentence so these Nomads know their way around to keep their ships in working order and more importantly in flying order. Sure keeping ships in working order is important but what do you do when a situation arises when something does break down no matter how well youve checked the equipment? Well your people have learned to fix a leaking reactor core with two strings, some gum, a lead plate and your grannys false teeth in just 3 minutes flat. If something breaks down your people can repair it, shields down in the middle of a battle? No worries by transferring those power cables they are back on, weapons might be down now but what use are weapons if your shields are down and the enemy uses your ship as target practice? If you dont trust your maintenance crews or your repair crews its always handy to literally back up every single piece of equipment or system. Shield generator down? Bring the secondary shield generators online. Life support damaged? Switch to backups. Main power offline? Bring that secondary generator online stat! A benefit of being born on a ship and living on it for decades is that you know it through and through, its drawbacks, its strengths you know how it reacts when you dive it into a gravity well thats why you know when a system is about to go offline moments before it actually happens and try to your best to prevent it from happening. Nomads know space and theyve been around for generations in space so they know interstellar short cuts, navigate the best course for their ships and know where dangerous anomalies can be found so they can steer the hell away before they are sucked into a black hole.

Amazing Tinkerers:

Back Ups Anyone?:

Lifetime Experience:

Cant get lost.:

Environment:
Living on a ship is nice and all but if you spend generations in space on ships where the environment is constantly monitored and disease free then your immune systems sucks which translates that just one microbe is enough to, at best make you as sick as a Karminite lizard monkey after eating rotten Bongi nuts, or at worst kill you. This is why you made sure that any trade goods, mined minerals, visitors, returning survey teams are checked, double checked and triple checked that they dont bring any bad microbes on board that could end in a plague killing everyone aboard. Oh no a disease has bypassed the bio sensors were doomed! DOOMED I TELL YOU! Ha, you might think that but your containment protocols are immediately activated and seal off the contaminated sections off from the rest of the ship. Those contaminated will be trapped of course but they either hope for a quick cure or die from disease but with the knowledge that the rest of the ship is secure. Did we also mention these nifty protocols can also make sure that enemy boarders have a harder time to penetrate the ship if all they find are sealed doors in their way. What happens if one of the farm ships suddenly produces a bad crop or is destroyed? Dying of hunger is not pretty, lucky its protocol to have a botanic garden to grow food on each ship to make sure your crew is fed for a time until the agricultural ships are producing again. Problem is that such botanic gardens need power so you sacrifice power you could use for weapons, shields or engines.

Advanced Bio Detectors:

Containment Protocols:

Botanic Gardens:

Military:
You were born and raised on a ship on a continuous voyage through space, its crew your friends, more than that they are your family and you have worked with them from the moment you could get into an environment suit and help with the ships tasks. Everyone knows their place aboard the vessel and trust the other without a doubt, repair crews are already on the task before the captain gives the order to repair a damaged system, your gunners are already firing on incoming targets and your defense teams are already moving to intercept boarding parties. When your fleet is attacked the unarmed and weaker vessels of your fleet at once go to the centre while the stronger and armed vessels take up formation around them to protect the fleet. Any attacker hoping to take down a few weak vessels suddenly faces the strongest vessels while the easy prey is located safely amidst defenders. Doing the same drills over and over again is an excellent defence against enemy intrusion, repair drills, fire drills, decompression drills, your civilians and military personnel have what they need to do, and when, down to an art. Your military vessels are well versed in aiding the fleet to reach the edge of the system where the Worldships can flee to FTL velocities on their inertialess drives. As such those times when they might normally be caught and destroyed there is a good chance you can evac them!

Know the ship, know the crew:

Ship Tortoise Formation::

Repeat Drills::

Get them to the rim!:

PACIFIST NATION
Pacfist Nations are totally against violence and totally into self-indulgence, or even other hippy ideals. How they survived to achieve spaceflight, or even survive spider-bites is a miracle, and probably considered largely impossible. How they survived long enough to develop FTL technology is another mystery. They do make nice punching bags. (Note: Do not RP unless you are 100% certain you can pull off running a people who utterly and totally will not defend themselves under any circumstances without exception.) Pacifist FTL: Warp Drive. The Warp Drive is probably the slowest of the drives. 100 Lightyears can take two months to transit. But during this time they are safe and untraceable by others. The time of transit while apparently significant and militarily crippling is completely offset by the fact Pacifists dont have a military of any kind whatsoever. Pacifist Sublight Drives: Nuclear Drive Nation Trait Basic: Harmless: People are less inclined to hurt those of a pacifist nation, at least most arent as inclined to do harm unto them, though they can make their presence felt largely they get by by not being worth the trouble of doing something about. Nation Flaw: Exploitable: They tend to be easy to exploit, by easy I mean REALLY easy. Though they have their own brand of corrupting ability theyre just as easy to exploit. Defenceless: The Pacifists are totally defenceless, they will not under ANY circumstances defend themselves, if a two foot tall weakling were to start raping a Pacifist bodybuilder in the street surrounded by her friends none of them, including the bodybuilder herself, would do anything at all about it (actually that is a lie, most would ask the weakling politely to stop and then wring their hands in frustration if he didnt.), and if someone were to pull a gun most pacifists wouldnt even have the common sense to move out of its line of fire.

NATION TRAITS:

Invulnerability Field Technology:

The Pacifists, somehow surviving against all odds have managed to develop the ultimate in defensive technologies. A field that nothing destructive can pass. There are several versions of the technology. Con: When active there is a slow buildup of lethal radiation if it is active for more that 24 hours it kills everything it is supposed to protect. And longer than 12 hours and everyone within is suffering severe radiation poisoning. (No trait can negate or alleviate this effect.) {Required for all other IF Technologies} The Extension Field can project the field around a friendly object. (Object MUST be friendly. Attempt to use it against an enemy and it simply does not operate. This reduces the already exorbitant price of the field.) A rare and ill thought of version of the Invulnerability field. It can last twice as long before killing everything. But that is because for every second its on it has a second off. And to add to its list of downsides. It costs four times that of a basic IF Field. A planetary IF field, it is identical to a Basic Invulnerability field. Except that it has a massive drain on power and takes a full month to kill everyone.

Invulnerability Field:

Extension IF Field: Cyclic Field: Planetary IF Field:

Peaceful Pacification:
Pacifist nations usually develop several ways of pacifying hostile nations. Now this isn.t hostile actions and doesn.t have any hostile effects. In fact they may be totally ineffective against Player nations as such things are very story-dependent. However a player conducting actions against you MUST take these into consideration. This trait represents the Pacifists ability to play up connection between themselves and Tales of Legend ancient mythology of the races they are dealing with. The Pacifists attempt to curb the wrath of their enemies by playing subserviently though Subservient: they will not compromise their culture by doing anything violent they will do everything else they can think of to pacify the enemy This is considered an action of last resort. To biologically pacify their enemies, but such a thing does not last forever, and its deployment is difficult to say the least. It has one major Pacifying Plague: drawback. If used and not TOTALLY successful the target of it will likely declare a genocidal war against the deploying party. (In short players, don.t use it unless absolutely needed if you choose it, the consequences far outweigh the benefits if you fail.)

Happiness Centre:
Narco-Centre: We all know Pacifists have to be on drugs to believe as they do, this is just a centralised facility to prove it. These facilities are stockpiles of all recreational drugs that do no harm to the user. Also known as free brothels. they.re for people who like fucking or being fucked. All involved end up happy.... unless they.re unsatisfying in bed at which the unsatisfied partner/s can just find another fuckbuddy. What? You like Eating? Well you sure came to the right place! For everything else there is the den of debauchery, if the Narco-Centre, Pleasure Domes or Gluttony Parlour don.t cover it the Den probably does. Except Violence, that is forbidden....

Pleasure Domes: Gluttony Parlour: Den of Debauchery:

PSYCHIC HIVE NATION

Pychic Hive Nations are those nations whose species found their Apex in the psychic arts and became as strong as one could imagine mentally. However their technology and skill with it has degraded since this and many functions others might use technology for the Psychic Hive are forced to use their vast minds to do instead. Industrialist FTL: Projection Drive, in this manner the Psychic Crew of the Ship simply wills space to switch places. The time it takes to do so is considerable, and the slightest distraction on preparation can ruin the entire attempt. This drive is relatively slow due to its method of operation. But once begun it cannot be stopped. Industrialist Sublight Drives: Chemical Drive Nation Trait Basic: Mental Hive: This is a powerful network of Psychic minds that serve to amplify the basic psychic disciplines and open up new ones. The most powerful aspect of the Psychic Hive in the instantaneous and uninterruptible communications... Nation Flaw: Feedback Loop: The Psychology of a Psychic Hive is a fragile thing, when things are going well the entire hive is elated and empowered but in situations like a battle where the deaths filter through to all of the people the eroding effect on morale is astounding, and it escalates exponentially, a lot of psychics killed at once can fracture an entire Psychic Hive battle plan as the others, regardless of how well their own battle is going are overwhelmed with the psychic instinct to fleet at all costs.

NATION TRAITS:

Telekinetic Destroyer:
Rending Minds: Telekinetic Resonance: Telekinetic Blast: Object Force: The minds of the Hive is a powerful tool, and bent to the will of tearing something apart with telekinetic force, like bodies, there are none finer at the art. The power increases with the volume of Hivers present and concentrating towards the military application. This is the simplest of Telekinetic abilities. Unlike the simple act of Rending the resonance is a more specific ability that sets up telekinetic resonance waves that cause the very molecules of the target to resonate on an increasing scale. Pop goes the enemy. A simple projection of telekinetic force. The Kinetic energy of the ability is directly proportionate to the number of Psychics in the loop. The telekinetic grabs other objects and hurls them with their psychic might behind it. When you start looking at their ships. Its not unheard of for their larger craft to grab Asteroids as munitions.

Mind Trick Traits:

Illusory Enemy: Mind Scramble: Unseen: Predictive Analysis: The Psychic implants visions and sights within the minds of the enemy that do not actually exist, or even change the countenance of their allies to resemble enemies. The Psychic assaults the neural pathways of the enemy breaking bonds as frequently as they can manage. This is almost invariably lethal. The problem is it requires very close proximity. The Psychic, or Hive Cluster, disguises things from their enemies sight. This is not perfect as it isnt precise enough to cloud their vision of anything more than what the Psychic himself can see. The Psychic can analyse the waves of mental energy given off by the enemy and study the way they act, and after some time can even begin to anticipate enemy movements to a degree.

Forceful Lash:
Pyrokinesis: Cyrokinesis:: Rage Sphere: Storm of Will: Through the agitation of air molecules the Psychic can create flame with his very will and direct it with his mind. The Psychic draws all warmth from the air around the target in a devastating super-cold cone of air that can freeze an unprotected man instantly. The Psychic gathers up all the mental energy of a battle and directs it inwards to the Hive, this acts as a short-term amplifier for the psychic powers of the local hives. Bolts of incandescent lightning are generated by the will of the psychic.

Strategic/Tactical Developments:
The Shrouding: Psychic Storm: Feedback Shield: Psychic Parley:: The Psychic hive aims at misdirecting the enemy with their psychic abilities. While this effect is not perfect it does create some fake movement within its effect and otherwise behaves like Electronic Warfare. A mental projection of a significant number of Hivers. As in millions. This storm can cover a solar system in nightmare inducing psychic energy as the Hivers begin dipping into the core of their fears and terrors. At the cost of their much vaunted Unity the Hive can choose to minimise the effects of feedback in their armed forces by having each ship withdraw into a single sub-hive with only a single hub-psychic open as a conduit for communications and data. Sometimes when the battle is going badly the Hive can compel the enemy to seek parley and negotiation, this only an option when the enemy is already open mentally to negotiation, and enemy intent on their destruction is unlikely to heed the mental call to parley.

SCIENTIST NATION
Scientist Nations are unpredictable high-technology societies. They love their jobs. And their job is DOING SCIENCE! just dont get in their way during a test. Much of their navy, army and other forces utilise what others would consider dangerously experimental technology. Hell they even have a ship class dedicated to testing technology under combat conditions, though no sane scientist would ever crew one its the insane ones that make the equipment found on the X-Testbed. Scientist FTL: Wormhole Drive. The Wormhole drive is a simple application of putting energy stresses on the spacetime linked between a pair of quantum particles of identical structure until they touch and you can open a hole to transit through protected by a reverse polarity electro-magnetic field to prevent it collapsing upon the ships manifold. Which would be bad. It is perfectly safe and quite fast. Scientist Sublight Drives: Quantum Drive. This drive is a simple teleportation drive, the catch? It can only make microscopic jumps, so the catch is how fast the drive can initiate the teleports, and if you want to go faster you need more energy and better systems. Being lighter is more important too. But only ships can make a sustained teleport-drive. It is not the fastest drive available by any stretch of the imagination. But it also doesnt leave massive thermal signatures somebody two systems over could see when the light gets there. Nation Trait Basic: Rapid Understanding: Technology and science are literally the very forte of the Scientist nations, they can develop almost anything given the time and inclination, and the Scientists have plenty of both. A scientist nation can rapidly learn about the capabilities of their enemies and allies just by studying them in action. Nation Flaw: Mad Scientists Disease: Being a nation formed on the very principles of scientific development and expansion it only makes sense that scientists largely have the final say in things. Which is a pity because they are LOUSY at OH&S procedures. Not to mention keeping them concentrated on the Quantum Harmonizer theyve been working on for six months instead of them slipping over to spend some time on the Eidetic Assault Ray that they dreamed about and simply MUST build. Get used to your scientists re-assigning themselves to their newest pet projects if you dont hover over them with a stun prod.

NATION TRAITS:

Nanotech:
Nanotech Shield: Nanotech Cannon: Nanotech Repair Systems: Nanotech Healing: The Nanotech Shield is only effective against one thing. Projectiles. It breaks down incoming projectiles before they reach the hull. Considered a horrifying weapon these things scale from infantry-portable to Capital Scale. The fire a nanite swarm in a jacketed cartridge that explodes on the target covering them with a swarm of nanites who are set to disassemble the target. Unfortunately they can only do so much damage before their own life ends. (Roughly twice the Nanites weight.) Nanotech repair systems use solid reserves in a cargo hold to enact extremely rapid repairs. Roughly the same as the Repair systems but for biological things.

Zero-Point Technology:
Zero-Point Reactor: Zero-Point Reaper: Zero-Point Projector: Wormhole Technology: A potentially unlimited source of power. Can be bad if destroyed. An energy weapon powered from Zero-Point space. Has control issues however, if operated for too long it will cause a feedback destruction loop. Energy, messages and even matter can be transported through Zero-Point Space. It is in effect an FTL teleporter and communications device.. Think Stargate, but with various sizes and scales. These can range from Stargate-sized to Super-gate sized. (REQUIRES ZP-Reactor and ZP-Projector)

Miscellaneous:
Eureka!: AI: Gravity-Wave Weapons: Biospheric Repurposing: The desire to take things apart and figure out how they work runs deep in your people's blood. While most nations have some AI technology this nation has perfected it, AIs have faster reaction times compared to biologically controlled systems. However they have this infrequent habit of becoming sapient and trying to kill their creators. With a wave of compressed space, one can penetrate standard shielding. Size, complexity and cost ensures that these weapons are rarely seen. Nature? Dont be absurd. We have SCIENCE! on our side! The Scientist nation can repurpose the atmosphere of a world to better suit their needs this is not some simple tribesmans terraforming. This is rebuilding the atmosphere. Of course it doesnt ALWAYS work.....

Strategic/Tactical Developments:
Wormhole Assault: Taking this trait allows you to use the Wormhole technology as a weapon. You may select a Wormhole to occupy 10 Heavy Weapon spaces instantly. This wormhole can be used to directly deploy warheads into an unshielded enemy vessel. But the power requirements are so enormous that the ship itself must be unshielded for the duration of the attack. (5 minutes) Requires: Wormhole Technology Trait In an effort to confuse and distract the enemy an array of X-Testbed craft are arrayed for battle and sent on their own to an enemy fortification or world. These X-Testbeds are loaded with dangerously experimental technology, it is almost garaunteed that the XTestbeds will inflict more damage on themselves than the enemy. But if they work as intended there is nothing the enemy could effectively do to stop them. The Scientist uses their technology to maximum effect to strike the enemy from an unexpected direction. While they may and or may not be detected on the approach it can almost be promised that they wont be found where others expect them to be found. Not all X-Testbeds are successful. Indeed, many if not most are gross failures that explode on their first run out. The Scientist nation keeps many of the hulks of these irreparable vessels. Some are so dangerous that theyre kept separate. A scientist nation with this trait deliberately sends these dangerous hulks to the enemy, while not all make the FTL trip those that do can be found by the enemy and when the enemy turns them on. BOOM! ... or worse.

TESTING PHASE!:

Surprise Assault:

Derelict:

SPYMASTER NATION
Spymaster Nations are masters of intelligence, espionage and other spy-games. Such is engrained into them from birth without exception or hesitation. They are without doubt considered a dangerous and very well hidden asset. But their greatest danger comes from their pre-emplaced intelligence assets across the galaxy. Spymaster FTL: The Mimic drive is an oddity. It mimics other nations FTL drives according to the wishes of the vessels captain, the manner by which it does so is unknown, and the method by which it actually goes FTL is even less known, all that is know is that it mimics the sensor signatures and visual appearance of others FTL drives. Spymaster Sublight Drives: Gravity Drive Nation Trait Basic: Intelligence Extraordinaire: The Spymaster begins with agents within any Bio-Technocracy, Cyberneticists, Despoilers, Destroyers, Economists, Environmentalists, Industrialists, Isolationists, Pacifists, Scientists, The Culture, Theocratic or Warlord Nations. Many of these intelligence operatives will be concealed and aides of people in influence. Or simply watching how things unfold. Nation Flaw: Beneath the net: There are some nation types, and races, that however due to their methods of operation provides a degree of immunity to the master spies abilities, the Enslavers, Crimeocracies, Hunters, Psychic Hive, AI-Empire, other Spymasters and Insectoids. These nation types (and race) are immune to the Spymasters Grade 10 Monitoring Bombs Ahoy and Large Disposable Funding Accounts traits. On top of that they do not start with any spies in their ranks and the Spymaster is unaware of the locations of Hunters, Crimeocracies and Enslaver nations as all three keep their locations secret above all else.

NATION TRAITS:

Internal Intelligence Division:

Your nation has a 100% Surveillance capacity administered over by near-AI level computers to detect specified parameters. Literally nothing within your borders goes unwatched and unmonitored. But your agents can be run a bit ragged if they try and keep track of everything. This also gives you the ability to detect cloaked vessels. Whatever theyre called all nations have a secret police, yours however is far enlarged Expanded Secret compared to others. This gives you a larger pool of resources with which to react to Police: situations as they happen/develop. Your people are monitored ever more closely by subcutaneous micro-chipping, when they Control Monitors: conduct an action considered undesirable by your government your Secret Police can send immobiliser signals to disable the individual until they can be brought in. Total Surveillance:

External Intelligence Division:

Grade 10 Monitoring: Large Disposable Funding Accounts: Expansive Contacts Whether with stealthed satellites, super-luminal telescopy or other means, likely a combination of the above, either way you have an incredible, fast and up to date monitoring system that is nearly impossible to detect, while it doesnt give you the total power of the Total Surveillance system it does provide you unparalleled intelligence capacity. Your EID has a large number of discretionary funds for bribes, purchasing information, even outright buying things if need be. Criminal Underworlds, Unsatisfied Government Workers, Overly talkative scientists or soldiers. No matter the source your Operatives have a large number of contacts. And due to it they also have a large number of ways into other nations for field operatives.

Field Operative:
Bombs Ahoy!: Your operatives are trained in explosives, convention, improvised and stolen, your operatives know the ins and outs of most things that go BOOM and what to do with them, the best operatives can even make it look like something else! This covers a wide range of options, mostly the fact that such agents are injected with shapeshifting technologies allowing them to feign and pretend theyre part of the target race. But such things include incredible levels of linguistics skill and cultural doctrine training as well as very real IDs. (Stolen from others who were killed to make room for the Spies insertion) In the only non-Hunter based use of the technology the Spymaster nation has access to small scale Cloaking devices that do not suffer from the double-blind effect allowing them to make capable entries into enemy states without risk of discovery. This gives access to the Special Insertion Ship Class.

Disguise:

Stealth Insertion:

Strategic/Tactical Developments:
Maskelyne: Deception in warfare is not an oft-practiced element. But it is one of yours. There is no simple line, no practiced formations that lead to an enemies defeat. There is deceit. Trickery and downright tomfoolery! Youll try many tactics to bypass the enemys expectations. Not all warfare is a clear-cut development. The Spymasters often get saboteurs behind enemy lines to strike at supply lines or other vulnerable locations. In some extremes they can even strike at enemy power generators. Bye-bye shields. The Spymaster does not wish to be discovered. Only a fool would be otherwise, thus the Spymaster builds hidden staging areas, often far from his own holdings, from which he can launch his missions without detection. To be blunt its nothing so fancy. It is simply striking valuable targets. Officers, Engineering crews, an Interdictor not escorted properly, or if the enemy is truly poorly thinking theyre command ship.

Behind the Lines:

Hidden Staging:

Precision Strikes:

THE CULTURE NATION

The Culture Nations are unusual in which they approach the galaxy with open inviting, but well protected arms. They seek to bring the galaxy into the fold of their grasp by simply making people WANT to join them. The Culture FTL: Capsule Drive. This is a bizarre drive. Essentially, the vessel is dematerialised with everything aboard, uploaded onto a Capsule (that did the work) which they fires to its destination through tiny slipstream drives. Once at the destination it materialises the ship around itself! While this is an interesting drive, and is quite fast, it leaves a few seconds of vulnerability before the capsule engages its drive. If it is disabled and captured an enemy could easily capture the ship within. The Culture Sublight Drives: Fusion Drive Nation Trait Basic: Diplomatically Loved: The Culture inspires trust and likeability from those they meet, this gives them a much easier time diplomatically than might otherwise be the case. They are also very good at, as they say selling themselves to others. Nation Flaw: Too Open: While the Culture is well liked diplomatically this comes at an incredible price. Security in a Culture is much much harder to maintain than any other nation type without exception. The freedoms and liberties that they so espouse to others in order to garner allies are giant security holes. And more importantly, exposes to others that there is nothing passive about the culture and that they will in fact attempt to seduce away as many of your people as will listen to their propaganda.

NATION TRAITS:

"Throw a Party!":
Everybody Loves Me!: Cultural Exchange: The past of your nation is filled with good relations and you have maintained them until today with fair trading, open borders, and cultural exchange. As a result you have very enemies and a great many friends. This helps to expedite the creation of any relationships. Your borders are perpetually open allow all sorts of other nations to bring their culture to you as long as they allow you to do the same and spread your culture throughout their land. This can pose many problems with such a permeable border but with your cultural strength the benefits seem to outweigh the negatives most of the time. Despite the vast difference in physical appearance between different species your diplomats are still usually regarded as at least pleasant looking to other species which helps a great deal when dealing with the other species as others are quite willing to talk to you in person. In order to aid in any diplomatic events you have assembled a crack cadre of diplomats and their entourages to meet any even theoretical diplomatic need. These men and women are renowned throughout the diplomatic world for their ability to face down any problem and avert any conflict.

Beauty Between Borders:

Diplomatic Corp:

Join Us,:
Culture Cannon: Sometimes subtle does not have to be that subtle. A giant space gun capable of firing an electronic message that upon impacting a sentient being will send a subtle bioelectric message through their brain making their though patterns go more in line with what you want them to think. Anytime someone from outside your nation shows up and sees the populace everyone always looks so happy and everything is pleasant. Everything feels like a utopia with no crime or problems anywhere, the perfect place to go on vacation in or potentially even defect to. Long ago someone had a great idea for a religion whether it be that every weekend is a constant party or that everyone gets to wear an awesome hat. Either way your religion spreads like wild fire and nobody minds when your people and culture show up on their doorstep. The rest of the galaxy is bombarded with a constant stream of shows, literature, and music. No matter how hard they may try nobody can escape the endless stream of media you send at them causing everyone else to at least become familiar with your society.

Everyone's So Happy:

Awesome Religion: Mass Media Saturation:

Or Die!:
Targeted Monuments: Decisive Victories: Don't Worry, We're The Good Guys: Trust Me, You Don't Wanna Do That: The Culture is very good at finding the symbols of other cultures. So, in order to smooth the transition over, The Culture likes to blow up the other cultures monuments, palaces, and other symbols of power for its enemies people, drastically lowering their moral. When going to war with other nations you try to force your enemies into large decisive battles to crush them both physically and psychologically. By defeating your enemy in such a manner you keep things from being drawn out and bad relations do not last as long. In any war you are in you make the claim that you are fighting for freedom, justice, and other garbage and spread propaganda of the atrocities of the other side whether true or made up and are so good at it that even civilians on the other side will start to believe it. Your ships are large, weapons impressive, and commanders notorious. Releasing just the right amount of intelligence on your own weapons and striking enemies at just the right place to emphasize your strengths to make your military seem many times more powerful than it really is.

Strategic/Tactical Developments:
Hearts and Minds: The Culture positions ships in low orbit that use specialised devices to broadcast psychological warfare messages into big booming audio that can be heard over even heavy bombardment. The propaganda eats away at the spirits of the defenders if the Culture is attacking and bolsters the spirits of the defender if theyre defending. (Whether because its the ship in low-orbit or the message is unknown.) The Cultures armies are accented by holographically projected armies and propaganda. It is difficult to tell the true size of a Culture force like this in clear weather. Though it is faulty during bad weather or atmospheric conditions. You have sympathisers amongst most, but not all, enemies they will do their best to aid you without exposing themselves to the enemy, whom they are betraying. However they are untrained for subterfuge. They can pass misinformation and even delay or misdirect the enemy, but only for a time. The Culture is not a foolish people, they study their enemies and look for weaknesses, where an honour-bound society might be drawn into an ambush by playing to their honour system.

Holographic Army:

Sympathisers:

Clever Approach:

THE UNFORGIVEN NATION

The Unforgiven are the foulest of the foul, despoilers, destroyers and desecrators. Their most glorious acts are more hideous than the worst acts of the Despoilers and Destroyers or worse. They are a blight upon the universe, a curse so profound that it has effected the very fabric of reality itself. They are driven before a storm of entropic decay to take new worlds and subject them to their curse. The only world that they hold sacred being the original world where they earned their Quantum Curse. The Unforgiven FTL: Entropic Drive: They move through decayed holes of spacetime created by their ships as they power into FTL velocities. Their drives are slow and must be engaged outside of a solar system in order to delay the curse. The Unforgiven Sublight Drives: Darkmatter Drive Nation Trait Basic: Invaders and Despoilers: The Unforgiven are masters of war on equal with Warlords, Despoilers, Destroyers and all their ilk. They have a particular talent for invading a world. In fact they have no choice in the matter. They MUST take new worlds if they hope to keep ahead of the Quantum Curse. Nation Flaw: The Quantum Curse: The Unforgiven are so reviled and hated that their very existence is plagued by the quantum curse. Worlds they hold, inhabit and take will eventually succumb to the quantum curse and begin accelerated entropic decay. Within decades of taking a world it will begin to age twice as fast and this acceleration is exponential within only two maybe three decades the quantum curse is at the point where its inhabitants age ten years a day and they are forced to give up and try and take other worlds. Reviled by All: The Unforgiven are despised by all beings of all creeds instantly and overwhelmingly. Two races that have fought bitterly for millennia will cease hostilities to unite and protect each other from the very curse in spacetime itself.

NATION TRAITS:

No World is Safe:
Beyond Mere Shields: Culture of Fear: Shielding provides no defence against Unforgiven Invasion fleets. Their entropic failure causing the shields to fail around their transports letting them through. On the ground the Unforgiven are terror incarnate, using weapons seemingly existent for horror only those without good training and experience are likely to rout beneath the nightmarish weapons of the Unforgiven When the Unforgiven arrive and land it almost seems as if light itself does not wish to contaminate the world with its touch, such worlds are thrown into a near-permanent twilight that can only be broken by forcing the Unforgiven from their worlds. The Unforgiven enslave the populace of the worlds they invade with remorseless and relentless evil. Those who question the will of the Unforgiven die many many deaths before they are permitted to serve once more.

Lightless Worlds: Freedom Burns TONIGHT!:

Entropic Purity:
Accelerating Death: None Shall Suffer as you Shall: The Unforgiven have long seen past their curse and now see it only as something to escape. But they have gained a morbid appreciation for death, if an unquestioning fear of it. It also confuses them how their slaves and conquests seem so much more resistant than they are. Evil is the hallmark of this nation and this Unforgiven nation is worse than most others. They believe that ever increasing acts of depraved evil are required to stave off the entropy and refuse to accept that they are its cause. The Unforgiven have decided that they cannot wait for dropships and other such inane things to land to invade a world. Instead all their vessels are designed to enter the atmosphere, land and disgorge troops directly while serving as near unassailable fortresses. (Accelerates the Quantum Curse) In this pocket of the Unforgiven the ability to age gracefully is seen as a blessing with no other equal. Such beings rise high in the ranks of power and gain much power. But what most do not realise is that such entropy is in fact wreaking more havoc internally than externally.

Burn the Skies:

Graceful Ageing:

Embrace the Decay:

Entropic Cannons: Entropic Shielding: Hold onto Death: The Unforgiven have embraced their nightmarish gifts with sickening abandon, their scientists learning how to embrace and duplicate the effect in a limited and controlled way. While they cannot reverse its ravages they can weaponise it. (Replaces Energy Weapons, 5X cost of all Energy weapons.) The Unforgiven can bolster their shields for a short time in pure unadulterated Entropic energy. This is enough to weaken many weapons to the point of worthlessness, but it is a calculated risk for the ship within will age years. The Unforgiven attempt to hold the world long past the point any other Unforgiven would abandon it to the ravages of their curse. The benefits are few. But some say that there is a point where the entropic decay reverses. This is of course horribly wrong.

Strategic/Tactical Developments:
Overwhelming Invasion: Sky Fleet: Mausoleum Ship: The Unforgiven are not ones to blithely act in the manner expected, in fact they have no choice but to go all or nothing. Their structures, cities and ships return to the skies to fill a target world. In effect, and literal truth, an entire worlds populace is involved in the invasion. The Unforgiven may use Worldships of the Nomad Fleet (but with their own technology). This is needed to keep their majority population from remaining too long in one place. These great Mauler class vessels also serve as tombships housing the greatest heroes of the Unforgiven in stasis in the hopes of reviving them if the Curse is ever escaped. These vessels are focuses of a fleet, and it is a true coup for another nation to kill them.

THEOCRATIC NATION
Faith is the first step to salvation and mutual understanding, the second step is to spread your religion among the stars to the unbelievers and if they dont accept your beliefs theres always the third step if they dont accept the god(s) in their hearts then just rip those hearts out. A Theocracy is founded on its faith in god(s) and if your faith is criticized then you might get very cranky and throw in a holy war against those who dare to speak against your doctrine. Theocratic FTL: The Path of God Drive hurls the vessel into a dimension of pure bright energy. The crews of such vessels often perceive that they are travelling through the mind of god or gods as the case may be. The travel times are fast and the entrances and emergences from this realm are accompanied by bright bursts of pure white light. Theocratic Sublight Drives: Light-Guide Drive. A light powered drive, this drive is powered, effectively, by sunlight, the closer to a sun it is the faster it will go, and if its drive is pointed at the sun this effect is even faster, though if it were to face away the drive would slow to a crawl. This drive glows with radiant white light of the reflectors. This is also a vulnerable point of Theocracy ships. Nation Trait Basic: By the light of God/s: Guided by the Gods your power, your weapons and even souls are powered by the divine light of that your nation worships. This means theyre immune to conversion and deception. While they can still be infiltrated they cannot be turned against their own. His(Her) will be done: Your nation obeys the will of its god with unyielding fervour. The edicts are obeyed instantly and to the letter. The commands are followed without hesitation. There are no dissenters to Gods will. Nation Flaw: Doctrine is the law of the Almighty: Your people, your nation live according to ancient doctrines passed down from generations and should be followed by everyone. That the alien races dont know the doctrine is their mistake not yours and any good diplomatic relations could be thrown out of the window instantly when all of a sudden the foreign diplomat breaks the divine rule of Thou shall not pick your nose on the seventh hour of the seventh day of the seventh month! Science equals Heresy: Science it brings the means to further spread the word of the divine but sometimes scientists discover something that is against doctrine and which is instantly labelled as heresy and dealt with severely. CRUSADE!!!: When a Theocracys Shrineworlds are attacked there is no greater insult to them and their religion. The Theocracy will almost instantly go into a state of total unrelenting war. They WILL mobilise ships and armies, they WILL attack almost mindlessly. However they WILL prioritise re-taking their Shrineworlds over any other consideration.

NATION TRAITS:

Inquisition:
Nobody Expects the (input name) Inquisition!: The shadows are the hiding place of the Heretics, Iconoclasts and Defiling Masses, and so from them we shall to operate watching the lesser elements for the slightest errors. And when we find it we prosecute it, in the light where it can bathe in gods light. While other nations might have problems with rebellious elements, terrorists or hippies the inquisitorial department of a Theocracy does their best to root out heretical enclaves like that and exterminate its members before their heretical misdeed can be executed. And to do this the Inquisition remains buried in the shadows. Hidden and watching with cold hearts for the slightest sign of faithlessness. Truth is what we desire. And truth is what we will find. If we must extract it through the application of pain and suffering, so be it. The Inquisition uses torture extensively to get the information it believes exists regardless. And it is well practiced at doing so. While it may no longer use the Thumbscrews and Hot Pokers. Its methods are effective regardless. And thus the heretic was thrust into gods light. His agonising brilliance passing through the pores of the unfaithful as he searched their mind for the truths or placed them there himself. Torture using the most agonising method possible. The victim is placed into a chamber and energy from the Gods Path drives is unleashed through them. If the victim survives they are seen as pure and innocent, if not they are guilty and into gods hands was the heretics punishment delivered. But god is really really strict apparently. There have been no survivors. The threats within are naught compared to the threats without. Together we watch and act against those who would threaten the will of God. The Inquisition watches for those others in the darkness and other nations for any threat to their power and sovereignty. They capture people for interrogation and torture, do whatever they perceive as necessary

Thumbscrews and Hot Pokers:

Truth into Gods Light:

Ever Watching the Darkness:

Hand of God:
Unto the heretics did we descend with the will of God bolstering our strength. And so didst they fall with the twisted ruins of their faithless hearts. When a nation of heretics and blasphemers have gone too far with insulting your faith it might be time to just eradicate the whole lot of them and that calls for a holy war. While your enemy might scoff and laugh at your antics they will soon learn to stop laughing and start screaming in terror as wave after wave of fanatical warriors decent upon them with the intent of destroying all in their path and will not rest until the high clergy and the god(s) of the Theocracy are satisfied that the religious injustice is paid in full. The lord is my shepherd and he shall protect me from harm. Soldiers of the Theocracy believe their faith protects them in any circumstance and that is seen by the almost suicidal antics of the troops on a battlefield but it unnerves the enemy and if those suicidal actions pay off the rewards are high. And unto the Altar was the man placed. A choice given he, pray unto god, or his heart would be sacrificed to cleanse his sin of disbelief so he might enter the afterlife clean. The Theocracy has a simply policy of convert to the religion. Or perish upon its altars. This can force a planets population to bow before the new God more quickly than a slow natural conversion. And so the meek rose to resist the invaders who sought to remove their gaze from the face of god. And numerous were they. The citizenry of the Theocracy will rise to repel invasions believing their very faith and religion itself to be under threat from the invader. While they will be so poorly armed as to be meaningless to a soldier normally. So in their numbers would they make up this shortfall.

Holy War:

Faith is my Shield:

Convert or Die!:

FOR THE FAITH!!!:

Wrath of God:
Finger of God A weapon, a pulse of golden light but the width of a wrist. With this weapon the flying threats of the enemy are destroyed before they can bring their cannons or bombs to bear. Few fighters and bombers could withstand a strike. Though accurate this weapon has a slow rate of fire. A medium weapon, this destructive bolt is slow firing like the finger but accurate and powerful. The Wrath of God is a weapon similar to the Thunder of God but Shotguns space with a devastating volley of fire. The Golden bolts of light driving the fear of judgement into the enemies of God. The Storm of God is a Thunder of God series weapon with a high rate of fire and excellent tracking capabilities. Even a capital ship has reason to be concerned facing these. The Divine Judgement is a heavy weapon, its golden bolt can level a city with a single salvo of blasts and its sounds remind one of the judgement being pronounced upon them by the high priests of their enemies. And so it is. A weapon of prodigious firepower. It is mounted from aft to prow and its blast can level a city in a single shot. Or blast a battleship in half. (This can only be equipped on the Wrath class vessel.)

Thunder of God: Wrath of God: Storm of God: Divine Judgement: Gods Guardian:

Strategic/Tactical Developments:
Will of God: The Theocracy troops are fanatically loyal. Especially in battle with the prospect of meeting their god should they fall in battle. They will never waver. Never fall back. Never ever defy an order to hold. Unfortunately the do tend to be difficult to order AWAY from a battle. The Theocracy likes to cleanse the enemy with light. And when that is unavailable they use fire. Lots of fire. Fire until the fire is on fire. BURN BABY BURN! (All Theocracy infantry units are in possession of at least one flamethrower.) The Theocracy has its troops with suicidal dedication to their cause. From time to time it will take a starship, fighter, tank or other piece of equipment and fit it with a bomb. Typically a fusion bomb. So when the high priest said let there be light little Jimmy said. Yes sir. Devotion to their God or Gods is so paramount that they will defend their ships with their very lives. It is not unusual to see smaller Theocracy vessels, fighters, even cruisers flying into the path of enemy fire that would otherwise have crippled or killed more valuable ships in the theocratic fleet.

Purge the Unclean: Suicidal Devotion:

Shield of Faith:

WARLORD NATION
Warlord Nations are nations built around the precept that war is not only inevitable, but a desired element of growth. To expand one must expel ones neighbours from that which you wish for yourself. You must take that which is yours in both hands and take that which you desire with both hands. You do not sit back and watch as others claim that you desire. You stand up and fight for it. Warlord FTL: Hyperdrive. The Hyperdrive is a simple drive, it accelerates the vessel past the light-speed barrier into another realm. This allows incredibly fast travel times, however they are sensitive to gravitational fields and must emerge distant from any planets or worlds. They can cruise in on sublight and use hyperspace to leave. But trying to emerge in a gravitational field will almost always be fatal. Warlord Sublight Drives: Fusion Drive Nation Trait Basic: Master Military: The Warlords are the most skilled military-based nation in the universe. They are better generals and tacticians than anyone else. When it comes to military action Warlords know best. Nation Flaw: Military Intelligence: The Warlords are not the universes most natural intelligence gatherers. While they can keep their own information secure as well as anyone their attempts at gathering information could be described as bumbling at best.

NATION TRAITS:

Main Weapons:
Siege Gun: Heavy Batteries: Penetrator Missile Banks Thunderer Batteries: AEGIS Point Defence Metalstorm: The only Spinal weapon available to the Warlords. It is a weapon that few wish to see more than once. Where many races might prefer an even mix of firepower a Warlord focuses his firepower on heavy weapons and the ability to do massive amounts of damage. As such 75% of their vessels weapons are Heavy Weapon Batteries. The Penetrator Missile Banks fire fast but not very powerful shield-penetrating missiles at medium ranges. Their energy signatures are high and relatively easy to target however. While not as powerful as heavy batteries or Penetrator Missile Banks they more than make up for it in sheer weight of fire. For every shell a heavy battery or missile a penetrator battery can throw a Thunderer can hurl fifty. The Warlords do not neglect Point Defence. The Aegis is in fact a network of point defence weaponry. While it isnt normally a Main Weapon when youre fighting off waves of strike craft it definitely is. A royal bitch to reload. But a royal pleasure to unload into the enemy. These unleash hundreds of rounds of kinetic slugs all at once making even Thundered batteries feel small.

Heavy Armour:
Each heavy armour trait must be purchased before the others Duranium This Armour increases a ships armour by 50% Armour: Quintanium This Armour increases a ships armour by 100% Armour: Neutrinium This Armour increases a ships armour by 150% Armour: Adamantium This Armour increases a ships armour by 200% Armour: The armour is layered to provide better protection versus kinetic weaponry. Layered Armour: (Does not require any traits) Reflective The armour is layered with a reflective surface to better resist energy weaponry. Armour: (Does not require any traits) This armour reacts to strikes by exploding violently re-directing the worst of the blast Reactive Armour: away from the ship. But this means the enemy can chew through it somewhat faster. (Does not require any traits)

Forceful Pacification:
Psychological Controls: Extermination Camps: Work Camps: You brainwash your enemies people using subliminal messages, psychological influence controls and other questionable methods. It isnt as outright efficient as Slavery and takes more time. But when it works nobody can dispute the results. The easiest way to control a population is to drastically cut its numbers. Well it helps if you order them very nicely. Here, have a shower. (No offence intended.) What keeps a newly conquered people happy and quiet? Forced Labour! Let them see that you are rebuilding their broken nation by participating! Surely they cant complain about helping to rebuild their homes and industries, you only use the lash out of love! Not quite so heartless as to have open Extermination Camps you slap as many malcontents into sealed cargo containers (re-entry capable) and fire them off into space with a one-use hyperdrive. Of course, youre kind enough to aim them at a Star System, and where you think a planet might be.... Arent you? While not death camps as far as the conquered are concerned it damn will be if they dont toe the line and do what theyre told! After all. Its their proud national spirit or their families. As far as you concerned they can only have one. And its their choice.

Relocation, Relocation, Relocation: Hostages:

Strategic/Tactical Developments:
Rain of Fire: The Warlord deploys their armies without dropships. They simply load the troops, tanks or other material into a simple object designed to be dropped from orbit through the atmosphere onto the planet below. These pods or tanks depending on the contents need to be recovered after the battle unlike Dropships. The Warlord can upgrade any unit of tanks to a Superheavy tank unit for no extra cost, though the number of tanks in the unit is cut by half these Superheavy tanks have better shields, armour and weapons than their lesser cousins. The Warlord deploys these units en-masse to break enemy lines. Hard. Deception in warfare is not an oft-practiced element. But it is one of yours. There is no simple line, no practiced formations that lead to an enemies defeat. There is deceit. Trickery and downright tomfoolery! Youll try many tactics to bypass the enemys expectations.
Only a fool simply attacks a single point of an enemys defence. Certainly one can bring more force to bear against a single target. But so to can the enemy concentrate their defences on a single point. No, a wise Warlord spreads out his assault across a broad front and force the enemy to either concentrate on one point and concede all others, or spread himself thin and run the risk of the Warlord re-directing his reserves in a single line-smashing hit.

Linebreakers:

Maskelyne:

On all Fronts: