Khonshu Alpha

There is no currency aboard the Khonshu Alpha. The original ship's system had a credit system, but it is long defunct.

All trade is currently performed through barter, goods and services being traded directly. We represent this in-game with Trade Units (TU).

The TU value of any good or service can vary depending on where the trade takes place. i.e. Fungal goods are common and cheap in the Dim Forest and rare elsewhere.

Example Prices for Goods Daily Ration 2 TU Knife 10 TU Map of Level 100-500 TU Yellow Bracelet 700 TU Red Bracelet 2000 TU Medical care 100-1000 TU

by Norton Glover – [email protected] E-Mail: [email protected] RPG Blog: Polyhedral Nonsense #Dungeon23

The Khonshu Alpha had several sources of food for its voyage. One of them was the Osiris Fungarium, a large dome (700 sq km) designed for the growing of fungi. It provided vast amounts of protein. It also served as a repository of various fungal species that would help colonize the worlds Khonshu Alpha was headed to.

After the Malfunction, the mycologists kept the fungarium growing as well as they could, but over the centuries the fungi have run riot, forming a strange ecosystem sometimes called The Dim Forest.

The science of Mycology has advanced tremendously over years, and they've been able to develop fungal tech to create weapons, medicines, and the ability to implant skills directly into the human brain.

The dome itself is lit from infrared lights on the dome ceiling. It is in perpetual twilight.

There is one functional maglev station making this level accessible. A small town called Substrate, or Spore City has formed within the station. Traders from across the ship come here to obtain fungal-derived food and medicines. Collectors and explorers use Substrate as a base to mount expeditions into the Dim Forest.

Things to do

• Make a pilgrimage to ask the Plasmodium Oracle a question.
• Brave the Puffball Plantation to collect valuable spores.
• Hunt bandits in the Hyphal Forest
• Collect wild slime molds to race in Substrate.
• Visit the House of Mind to implant new skills or sell skills you already possess.

#Dungeon23 #KhonshuAlpha

by Norton Glover – [email protected] E-Mail: [email protected] RPG Blog: Polyhedral Nonsense #Dungeon23

I've been continuing my #Dungeon23 Khonshu Alpha project in my notebook, but haven't had the opportunity to write any of it up in digital form. I'm starting to remedy that now.

Here's a quick preview of the next level, which is entirely based on fungi and mushrooms.

The whole level will be a fungal-based garden, that the pre-Malfunction crew used as a food source.

It'll have factions, trade, and weird fungal-based technologies.

Some of the level will most likely be a hexcrawl. Here's the first map, the entrance to Spore City.

by Norton Glover – [email protected] E-Mail: [email protected] RPG Blog: Polyhedral Nonsense #Dungeon23

This part of the complex is a small tourist shuttlecraft station. Passengers would take a small automated shuttle to tour the exterior of the Khonshu Alpha.

The purpose of this section is (hopefully) to reveal to the players that they've been living their whole lives aboard a vast starship. If the referee has kept this a secret, it should come as a big surprise to the players.

Emergency Pressure Doors

As this section has access to the void, there are several concealed emergency airlock doors. If there's a sudden drop in air pressure (room #28 perhaps), a klaxon will sound, and concealed air lock doors will emerge from the walls and block a corridor. Characters can make a DEX 6+ roll to jump through the closing doors to the pressurized side. If the players roll natural two (two ones), they are caught between the closing doors and will take 2D crushing damage per round until freed with a STR 10+ roll.

The doors can be temporarily opened (D6 rounds), with a blue bracelet. (see Bracelets)

If a pressure door is blocked by an object, the next closest pressure door will automatically activate.

Trapped in a Vacuum

When a character is in an area, (i.e. the wrong side of a Emergency Pressure Door) where the atmosphere is gone, they will take 1D damage per round. Starting on the third round, they need to make a END 10+ roll each round to stay conscious.

22. Voyager Plaza: The floors are inlaid with tiles inscribed with colorful images of various stars and planets. There's a circular dais in the center of the room that is a holographic projector. When the players enter the room, the projector will activate, displaying a 3D map of the galaxy. There's a bright green line across the image representing the flight path of the Khonshu Alpha. The first half of the line is straight, but then starts turning and twisting almost randomly.

The doors to the Maglev Station (#24) are visible, the glow of nebula in #23 can be seen, and the glass doors to #24 provide a view of the Shuttle Bay (#24)

23. Viewing Lounge: This is a lounge where passengers could look at the stars and watch the shuttles take off. A transparent geodesic dome has a dramatic view of the nebula the Khonshu Alpha is passing through. You can also see a number of the nearby sections of the ship, and the bright white exhaust of the ship's engines.

There are several couches of advanced memory foam. They are incredibly comfortable. One is deeply stained with what appears to be long-dried human blood.

The geodesic dome can take 70 points of damage before breaking.

24. Shuttle Bay: The doors to this room are transparent. This large room contains two tourist shuttles. They were designed for short sightseeing jaunts around the ship. Each ship is fully operational. The doors to each ship are open. Once a ship is entered, a chime will sound very minute until five minutes have passed. The ship will then seal itself up and automatically launch.

The shuttles are facing the inner airlock doors, which are normally closed.

There's a glass window that provides a clear view of room #25.

The Tourist Shuttle

A 20-ton launch, with a 3G manuever. There is no cockpit or pilot control. It is fully computer controlled. There are seats for twenty.

The Launch Procedure

After the five minutes of chimes, the inner airlock doors will open, and the ship will move forward to the airlock. The inner airlock doors will close, and then the outer airlock doors will open. The ship will be immediately launched. The ship will only launch if it detects passengers aboard it.

The Cruise

The pre-programmed cruise is 30 minutes. It travels up and down along the length of the ship, providing excellent views of the ship. The passengers will see the following:

The giant spheres that make up most of the ship. Several of which are clearly damaged. The kilometer-long plasma exhaust. Clouds of debris around the ship.

Five minutes into the voyage, a concession bot will pop out of its alcove in the ceiling and offer the passengers various bagged snacks. All of the snacks are long since expired, and anyone who eats them will need to make a END 8+ roll to avoid taking 2D damage from poisoning.

Names of snacks: Cheezo-Chips, Mango Zips, Frosted Mini-Zowies, Gunk Crisps,

The ship will return to the shuttle bay in exactly an half hour.

25. Control Room: This control room was mostly for show. The tourist shuttles pretty much piloted themselves. However, it made passengers feel better to see a NASA-style control center staffed by a human. There are a row of control panels with video feeds from inside each shuttle, and several views outside the ship. There's a microphone to communicate with the shuttles, usually used to narrate the shuttle's trip.

A clear window has a view of the Shuttle Bay (#24).

With a Computer 10+ roll, a character can gain control of either one of the shuttles. They can be controlled with a Pilot 8+ roll. On a critical fail (two ones), both the inner and outer airlock doors in #24 will open, exposing the shuttle bay and the control room to the void. The emergency pressure doors in #22 will automatically activate.

Seated at one of the control panels is a desiccated corpse in a tattered yellow jumpsuit. It has both a blue and yellow bracelet around its wrist.

26. Vacc Suit Storage: For maintenance purposes, 8 vacc suits are stored here. They all have Khonsu Alpha logos on them. One of the vacc suits has a critical fault, and will immediately fail if exposed to vacuum. Roll randomly to see which one.

27. Maglev Station #4: This maglev station is fully functional. There's a control pylon that can be activated with a yellow bracelet to summon a train. It will arrive in 2d6 minutes. A Computer 10+ roll can also be used to call a train.

28. Depressurized Restroom: The door has been sealed, and is covered with worn, illegible warning stickers. The door can only be opened with brute force – STR 10+ with bare hands, or STR 8+ with tools.

The restroom beyond suffered a micrometeorite strike, and is a complete vacuum. If the bathroom door is breached, the nearest emergency pressure door will activate. See Emergency Pressure Door section above.

by Norton Glover – [email protected] E-Mail: [email protected] RPG Blog: Polyhedral Nonsense #Dungeon23

A band of MET agents have taken over this section and are using it as a processing center for the people they capture and behead. They've made occasional raids on the Children of Thoth, and have a few prisoners. They use the Maglev shuttles to send the heads to the City of Skulls.

Response: If the players make any loud noises (explosions or gunplay) in these areas,it will attract attention from the MET agents in #19, #5, and #18.

15. Plaza: A circular room with a stagnant pool of water in the center that was once a fountain. Once-ornamental trees around the pool have grown wild and stretch to the ceiling, wrapping around each other in a complex web.

Flickering UV lights in the ceiling provide energy for the plants.

There are two MET agents in collection bodies lurking the upper branches. They are guarding the doors to 5, waiting for people to snatch up.

16. Maglev Station #2: This maglev station is a fully functional version of the station in #6. There's a control pylon that can be activated with a yellow bracelet to summon a train. It will arrive in 2d6 minutes. A Computer 10+ roll can also be used to call a train.

17. Junction: two corridors meet here. There are blood trails leading from the plastic curtains leading to the Chop Shop (#19), down to the Property Storage room (#20). Sounds of loud machinery are behind the curtains.

18. Maglev Station #1: This maglev station is fully functional. There's a control pylon that can be activated with a yellow bracelet to summon a train. It will arrive in 2d6 minutes. A Computer 10+ roll can also be used to call a train.

The MET agents have using this train to send heads to the City of Skulls, so a Computer 10+ can find the exact coordinates of the MET base.

There's a stack of about 8 MET head cylinders here. There's a 2 in 6 chance a MET agent is here loading the heads onto a train.

19. Chop Shop: The floor and walls of this room are covered in splashes of blood. There are eight operating tables, each with restraints. The tables are each equipped with a vial of cryo-chemicals and complex machines. The machines are beeping and whirring, making it difficult to hear anything.

There are 3 Medical MET agents here, working on 5 captured Children of Thoth, each strapped to a table. The victims are all heavily sedated.

If not stopped, the MET agents will behead their victims, and place their heads in cryo-chambers.

20. Property Storage: Several rows metal shelving, each containing plastic-wrapped packages of personal possessions. When the MET agents behead someone, they temporarily store their possessions here. Everything is neatly wrapped and labeled with the ID number MET has assigned each head. MET has every intention of restoring the possessions whenever the “patients” are revived.

Blood Trails lead though this room to #21

21. Body Dump: The MET agents have modified this room to dispose of the bodies. There is a slick metal chute leading down into darkness. The floors and walls are slick with blood.

The chute leads to the Fertilizer Processor room on the Agricultural Level.

#Dungeon23

by Norton Glover – [email protected] E-Mail: [email protected] RPG Blog: Polyhedral Nonsense #Dungeon23

Many locations and facilities aboard the Khonshu Alpha are secured with electronic locks. They were usually opened with combinations of retinal, brainwave, and DNA scans of the original crew. As the crew are all long dead, access is only available with security bracelets.

The bracelets are small ribbons, that wrap around the user's wrist and are secured magnetically. They come in various colors, each indicating what level of access they provide.

Most AIs can determine the location of anyone wearing a bracelet, and receive basic biological information about the wearer (heart rate, blood pressure, etc.) Most people are unaware of this feature.

Bracelets by Color

Yellow: Basic tourist access. Used to access maglevs, cornucopia machines, and recreational facilities.

Yellow Plus: Looks like a yellow bracelet, except with a light blue stripe. They were originally issued to passengers who had small children. Provides the ame access as yellow bracelets, but adds access to certain nurseries and playgrounds.

Orange: Assigned to lower level maintenance personnel. Can be used to command cleaning and repair robots, and enter most service areas.

Red: Generally assigned to security staff and emergency personnel. Allows the wearer to command all robots (except military), and enter weapons lockers, detention centers, and other high security areas.

Blue: Allows access to anything involving air locks or spacecraft. Usually assigned with another bracelet.

Indigo: Assigned to Engineering personnel. Allows access to ship's drives, life support, and virtually all systems.

Violet: Quite rare, only available to ship's command staff. Can be used to command any robot, enter any area, control any system. Supposedly the only way to enter Khonshu Alpha's bridge.

#Dungeon23

by Norton Glover – [email protected] E-Mail: [email protected] RPG Blog: Polyhedral Nonsense #Dungeon23

Maximum Efficiency Transit

After the Malfunction, when the network of AI systems began to fall apart, an obscure emergency plan in the ship's archives was activated. The plan, and the AI that administered it, was the Maximum Efficiency Transit (MET) program

In the event of a massive life support failure, the idea was to cryogenically store all passengers. Resources were limited, so it was more efficient to just store the human heads. The plan was to sever the head of each of the ship's passengers and place the heads in cryogenic chambers. When the Khonshu Alpha was out of danger, and arrived at a suitable destination, new bodies could be grown, and the passengers revived.

Once the MET AI was activated, it started its project of beheading and storing all humans. Most people were obviously reluctant to have their heads removed and frozen, so MET used security bots to capture what MET saw as “reluctant patients”.

Eventually, MET recruited humans into its cause. The agents of MET believe that they're the only hope at saving the people of Khonshu Alpha. In a show of faith, they have their own heads removed, and use advanced robotic bodies to move about. They can switch between bodies for different purposes.

Bands of MET agents wander the ship, founding bases and outposts. They capture and “process” as many people as they can, until local resistance grows too high, or they run out of passengers to “save”.

The City of Skulls

Supposedly all of the frozen heads are sent to a central depot. No one outside of the MET knows exactly where it is. Outsiders commonly call it the City of Skulls.

If someone is taken by the MET, it's possible one could find the City of Skulls, retrieve the victim's head and (with appropriate technology), get them a new body.

MET Robot Bodies

MET agents have several bodies they can choose from.

Collection Body

A humanoid torso attached to a scorpion-like base. These units are used to capture passengers. There is a cage on the scorpion body's back used to store prisoners. Net Gun (4) Entangle, Stun Baton 2D Stun Endurance 10, Lifeblood 30, Armor 4

Defense Body

A squat, humanoid body. Heavily armored. These are used to defend larger MET bases Blaster (10) 5D Endurance 15, Lifeblood 40, Armor 10

Medical Body

A crab-like body, bristling with medical tools and arms, most notably a sharp pincer used to remove heads. Scalpels 1D, Pincers 4D Endurance 10, Lifeblood 25, Armor 2

by Norton Glover – [email protected] E-Mail: [email protected] RPG Blog: Polyhedral Nonsense #Dungeon23

This area is immediately below the Central Plaza of the Maglev Station (#2). It usually accessed by someone falling or climbing down from #2

This area is almost entirely automated. Various robots examine anything falling down the luggage chute, process it, and store it.

The principal danger is from the various robots. There are “treasures” to be found in the Unlaimed Luggage (#10) and High Security(#11) areas.

There are hidden luggage corridors between the Luggage Return room (#13) and other areas of this level.

8. Entrance Shaft: A circular chamber with a rotating platform in the middle, and a conveyor belt leads south to #9. Anything falling from above will take 2D damage when it hits the platform. Anyone on the platform can make a DEX 8+ roll to jump off before the conveyor belt takes them to #9.

9. Luggage Handling: The luggage conveyor belt continues down this corridor. Anything on the belt will be prodded and probed by three robot arms. Treat this as an attack, if there's a person on the belt. There are four arms, so there will be four attacks.

Anyone on the belt can make a DEX 8+ roll to jump off before the arms attack.

There is a Mark I security bot on guard here. It will ignore anyone in this room, unless they try to interfere with the belt, or the robot arms.

If the security bot goes below 5 lifeblood, it will summon reinforcements from #13

After the robot arms, the belt splits into two tracks. Anything that is actual luggage will be sent to #14, everything else will be sent to Unclaimed Luggage (#10)

10. Unclaimed Luggage: Anything that cannot be identified by the robot luggage handlers in #9 will be sent here. Robot luggage spiders have sorted centuries of junk and detritus into several neat piles. The robot spiders (12 in all) cling to the walls until needed.

2 Mark I Security bots guard the doors to the High-Security area (#11).

If a player searches through the piles of junk for a half-hour, they can roll on the Junk Table to find a useful item. For every half hour, there's a 1 in 6 chance one of the security bot tries to question and detain them.

11. High-Security Area: If the robot spiders in #10 find anything dangerous or valuable, they store it here. The security bots that guard this room can only be bypassed with a blue or better bracelet, and the door can only be opened with a red bracelet or with a STR 10+ roll.

The following items can be found inside.

3 Stun-gas grenades 5 Auto Pistols 10 20-round magazine for Auto Pistol 1 Shotgun with 10 rounds Fusion Torch Cutter Tactical Armor Stun Baton (5) 10 knives 4 red bracelets 1 orange bracelet

12. Luggage Return: The conveyor belt brings any authorized luggage to this area. There hasn't been any authorized luggage in centuries.

A long defunct luggage robot stands here motionless. There are 4 small hatches, numbered 1 to 4. Each opens to a small shaft leading to one of the maglev stations above. They were intended to transport luggage, but a human-sized creature could crawl through them.

1 – goes to #18 2 – goes to #16 3 – goes to #6 4 – goes to ?

13 Robot Depot: There are rows of security, luggage spider, and repair and maintenance bots parked in neat rows. Other robots on this level can call upon them for reinforcements, if needed.

14 Robot Repair: A mechanical workshop, filled with gadgets and tools. There are two repair robots here designed to repair any robots that enter. Unfortunately their programming has corrupted over the years, and they will attempt to “repair” anything that enters. Treat as an attack

There's a tools locker with various tools: 2 Power drill 4 Flashlight 4 Fusion Torch Cutters 10 fuel cells

#Dungeon23 #KhonshuAlpha

Junk Table

roll d66

11 Maintenance Jumpsuit 12 Sunglasses 13 Leash 14 Night Vision monocle 15 Magnetic Boots 16 Helmet 21 Rope (3m) 22 Puzzle Box 23 Map of Recreation Level 24 Flashlight 25 Multitool 26 Medi-pak 31 Neuro-Pak 32 CBW suit 33 Fire Extinguisher 34 Yellow Access Bracelet 35 Motion Detector 36 Holographic Travel Guide (in a ring) 41 Bioscanner 42 Geiger Counter 43 Freeze Dried Rations 44 Chameleon Cloak 45 Shovel 46 Crowbar 51 Musical Instrument 52 Backpack 53 Autograpnel 54 Skateboard 55 Microtent (Sleeps 4) 56 Binoculars 61 Communicator 62 Electronics Kit 63 Fuel Cells (pack of 6) 64 Gas Mask 65 UV Sterilizer 66 Duct Tape

by Norton Glover – [email protected] E-Mail: [email protected] RPG Blog: Polyhedral Nonsense #Dungeon23

The large metal doors, built into in the false mountain, are opened just wide enough for a single person to enter.

This is the entrance to the station for the ship-wide maglev network.

Factions, People, and Items

Children of Thoth: Sect of about 40 would-be scholars who have devoted themselves for the study of pre-Malfunction technology. They've come to this station to access the Info-globes in the VIP Lounge (#3)

They're not actively hostile, but will not risk their lives or their researches to assist players. They're not likely to share information unless the players help them in some way. Perhaps dealing with the Efficient Transit League, or recovering an artifact from the Lost Luggage chamber might win them over.

Most of them are clad in tattered yellow jumpsuits, with illegible patches. They have terrible digestive problems due their entirely pork-based diet.

Orvis Deep: Eldest and wisest of the Children of Thoth. He's given himself the title of Professor, and leads the group. He's blind, but can see using a large night-vision monocular.

Info-Globes: A silvery globe with a built-in chair. They were used as terminals to access public ship databases. With the corruption of Khonshu Alpha's networks, they are exceedingly difficult to use. They require a Computer 10+ roll to access. Any information retrieved will be fragmentary at best.

Rooms

1. Entry Hall: A long corridor lined with various 8m Art Deco statues of various Egyptian gods. There are flickering recessed lights in the ceiling.. Running down the center of the hall is a conveyor belt. It was originally designed for luggage. If anyone steps on the belt, it will activate, moving at a high speed down the hall into darkness.

2. Central Plaza: A large octagonal room. It's generally in darkness, but motion detectors will light up the room as soon as anyone enters. The walls are covered with flickering screens, flashing schedules for long departed trains, and a series of random images.

Any disturbance or noise in this room will attract 6 Children of Thoth guards from #3.

The conveyor belt leads to a shaft. Anyone still on the belt must make a DEX 8+ roll to avoid falling down a shaft to #8.

3. VIP Lounge: This is where the Children of Thoth have made their settlement. Crude tents have been set up here for sleeping. There are usually 30 Children of Thoth here at any given time. Due to their diet, this room smells terrible.

There's a functional restroom, that the Children use as a water supply.

One large tent contains the Library, a collection of scraps of paper where the Children record what they've been able to learn from the Info-Globes. Orvis Deep lives here. This tent is always guarded.

There are 3 functional Info-Globes here. Children of Thoth scholars working in shifts are constantly attempting to scour the ship's networks for any useful or interesting information.

4. Food Court: Originally a food court. The Children of Thoth have modified this area into a food production area. There are 20 clear cylindrical bio-vats used to grown cloned pork. The cloned pork looks like a Christmas tree made of pork chops. 3 Children of Thoth technicians monitor the machines at all times.

5. Grand Concourse: The main corridor connecting the train stations. Gold Art Deco patterns on the ceiling and walls.

The west side of the room ends at a double door. It's been locked with crude chains. 3 Children of Thoth stand guard.

6. Depowered Train Station: A platform of grey tile over a 3m drop to the maglev train track. There is no power in this room, and will be in darkness. The train tunnel extends into the pitch-black maglev tunnel system. This is how the the Children of Thoth arrived here, after wandering the Maglev tunnels for weeks.

7. Former Snack Bar: The doors to this room have been sealed shut. They can be forced open with a STR 8+ roll. The room has been infested with Mad Mold. The Children of Thoth have never tried to open the doors.

by Norton Glover – [email protected] E-Mail: [email protected] RPG Blog: Polyhedral Nonsense #Dungeon23

I've gone back and forth about what system I want to use for my Khonshu Alpha #Dungeon23 project. I discussed my options in a previous post.

After giving it some thought, I've decided to go with the Traveller option. Specifically the open version – the Cepheus Engine. I've been a big fan of this system for a while, and I've been promoting it as an option for OSR designers.

I decided that the simple 2d6, skill-based system is a much better fit for my sci-fi setting. The usual OSR mechanics like classes & levels seem like they'd just get in the way.

Since Cepheus is under a OGL license, I can include the basic rules in the final product (if there is one).

Rules Modifications

I'll probably make a few changes to the rules for this setting.

I'm not sure I'll need the somewhat complex career system for characters. I'm assuming the players will be starting out as Greenskeepers, so they'll have some base skills, and I'll give them a few points to buy some.

I'll also have custom list of Traits to match the setting.

As the players explore the ship, they'll probably get a chance to modify themselves (possibly unwillingly) with cybernetic and biological enhancements. I'll have to make my own list of these as well.

by Norton Glover – [email protected] E-Mail: [email protected] RPG Blog: Polyhedral Nonsense #Dungeon23