What sort of starship flaws can you think of?

Aramanthus · Unread post by **Aramanthus** » Tue Sep 11, 2007 12:20 pm

Those are both very cool ideals! Please keep them coming!

taalismn · Unread post by **taalismn** » Tue Sep 11, 2007 10:01 pm

*Faulty Bedding---The variable consistancy gel-bed mattresses thatcame with the ship, and were touted as the 'ultimate in crew comfort and crew fatigue relief technology' by the manufacturer, have the bad habit of randomly changing consistancy(random EM interference may be to blame) shifting abruptly from comfortable supportive to granit hard to a quicksand consistance that can prevent a lounger from being able to get out of bed...and even suffocate them....

Aramanthus · Unread post by **Aramanthus** » Tue Sep 11, 2007 10:30 pm

LOL Talk about being bed ridden!

taalismn · Unread post by **taalismn** » Wed Sep 12, 2007 12:13 pm

*INternal Wormholes---The ship's FTL drive creates small random point-to point wormholes inside the ship(1d4 every 48 hours) while in operation, leading to stuff effectively disappearing and teleporting to other locations about the ship...the wormholes themselves are harmless, but the situation coudl range from embarassing(finding yourself 'ported naked out of the shower and into somebody else's room), frustrating(your perosnal possessions disappear and end up strewn all over the ship or in somebody else's cabin...the latter leading to great misunderstandings if the mini-wormhole phemnomenon is previously not known), and even potentially dangerous( canisters from the ship's cargo suddenly appear on the bridge, relaesing dangerous chemicals or dangerous animals on the crew...).

Aramanthus · Unread post by **Aramanthus** » Wed Sep 12, 2007 1:48 pm

ROFLMAO!!! That is another great one Taalismn! Thank you for sharing that one. Please keep them coming!

taalismn · Unread post by **taalismn** » Wed Sep 12, 2007 8:24 pm

*Incompatible Voltages---The ship's internal plugs match the hardware and equipment of the originating race...who never heard of standarization on the galactic scale...your personal possessions and all subsequent internal-add-ons will need adapter plugs or a converter to work...or risk catastrophic short-out when you plug them in...("Coffeemakers aren't supposed to explode like that!!!")

Aramanthus · Unread post by **Aramanthus** » Thu Sep 13, 2007 12:26 am

Are you sure that one is not the victim of "Tim the Toolman?"

Roscoe Del'Tane · Thu Sep 13, 2007 6:34 am

Aramanthus wrote:Are you sure that one is not the victim of "Tim the Toolman?"

What this pot needs, is MORE POWER! (Grunts enthusiasticly, before being electrocuted)

Aramanthus · Unread post by **Aramanthus** » Thu Sep 13, 2007 9:37 am

ROFLMAO!!!! :lol:

Good additional line there Roscoe!!!

Roscoe Del'Tane Wrote

What this pot needs, is MORE POWER! (Grunts enthusiasticly, before being electrocuted)

taalismn · Unread post by **taalismn** » Thu Sep 13, 2007 6:59 pm

EXACTLY what I was going to say....
Don't forget the Plasma Incinerator/Ticking Nuclear Time BOmb....

Aramanthus · Unread post by **Aramanthus** » Fri Sep 14, 2007 9:49 am

LOL I wonder about you Taalismn sometimes.

Please keep them coming!

taalismn · Unread post by **taalismn** » Fri Sep 14, 2007 2:29 pm

*Cursed Appearance---Either as a curse or as a cruel prank, the ship has been cursed to appear visually as something utterly terrifying...such as a Demonstar ship...although its transponders and all systems readable from inside the ship read the ship's ID and configuration correctly...The crew at no time realize the curse is upon the ship unless they are formally dropped from the crew(and are no longer considered 'part' of it) or spend 1d6 months away from the ship before returning, so they will always see it as it really is, but everybody else will take some convincing that the ship isn't a vessel of some monstrous race using faked sensor readings and transponder codes as part of a fiendish ploy!
Exorcising the curse takes awareness, a Remove Curse spell, and likely the removal of parts of the ship that have been inscribed with enchantment symbols, and/or totems/amulets/fetishes hidden aboard the ship...

Aramanthus · Unread post by **Aramanthus** » Fri Sep 14, 2007 3:21 pm

How about the opposite of that one Taalismn!

"Blessed Appearance" everything and everyone on this vessels have an otherly world appearance. It even causes evil to flee from it, including powerful vessels such as the Demonstars. People from it are often mistaken for angels or some other heavenly being.

taalismn · Unread post by **taalismn** » Fri Sep 14, 2007 4:14 pm

Aramanthus wrote:How about the opposite of that one Taalismn!

"Blessed Appearance" everything and everyone on this vessels have an otherly world appearance. It even causes evil to flee from it, including powerful vessels such as the Demonstars. People from it are often mistaken for angels or some other heavenly being.

Or rather...everybody wants to steal it, because it looks much more expensive and capable than it really is...

Aramanthus · Unread post by **Aramanthus** » Fri Sep 14, 2007 4:16 pm

If its a golgan ship with that curse, that explains what happened to all of their old ships that were decently constructed.

shiiv-a · Unread post by **shiiv-a** » Fri Sep 14, 2007 5:12 pm

imagin the horors if ...

the ship runs out of gas

.. [or the equivalent of whatever passes off as the current energy source for said ship]

*shrugs* .. nother time guys

Aramanthus · Unread post by **Aramanthus** » Fri Sep 14, 2007 5:14 pm

LOL Good one Shiiv-a! Imagine being stuck out in the middle of no where. And just think you'd be ......... (music plays) ............ "Lost in Space!"

Stormseed · Unread post by **Stormseed** » Sat Sep 15, 2007 1:35 am

Leaky Life Support

Every time an airlock/cargo door/panel is opened in vacuum, some of the air or other consumables bleeds off into space. The system will need to be topped off at every stop, and will rapidly become expensive and dangerous on long trips.

Roscoe Del'Tane · Sat Sep 15, 2007 7:39 am

Busted AC Ducts: The airconditioning actually works exceedingly well on this vessel, the real problem is that the filters in the ducts don't work properly/fill up very quickly. After more than two weeks in space, everytime the air is cycled into or out of a room/area, there is the chance that a blast of mold spores/dust will come poring out with the air.

taalismn · Unread post by **taalismn** » Sat Sep 15, 2007 10:37 am

*Cleanliness Next to Godlessness----The ship has an automated housekeeping system that uses remotes to clean up garbage and tidies up...Unfortunately, the system is a bit OVERzealous about cleaning, and tends to vacuum up small objects for disposal...including small valuables left on desks and beds, spare e-clips and spare parts left laying around, computer discsnot properly filed, keys, and other items(requiring frequent archaeological digs in the wastebins and constant cancellations of the incinerator/waste disposal cycle)...Also, old clothing or items left thrown on a chair or in the corner of a room are instantly snapped up and either rigorously cleaned(possibly undoing that preferred faded look, bleaching them, or otherwise damaging them....your barbraian Amazon's favorite loin cloth may not survive...). The system also lays down wax(or other clear, non-stick, polymer) with regular frequency, requiring frequent rolls versus P.P. and Maintain Balance, or else suffer regular Knock-down....

taalismn · Unread post by **taalismn** » Sun Sep 16, 2007 9:17 pm

External FTL DRive Powersource...The ship lacks an onboard powerplant powerful enough to generate the sort of juice needed for FTL drive operations...the ship has batteries that are good only for X amount of hours in FTL, or X number of lightyears....The ship must tap of/recharge its batteries at a spacestation, depot, or tender-ship with the appropriate power generation and transfer capability....
The FTL systems CAN be charged by onboard local space drive and electrical systems, but at an abysmally slow rate(48 hours or more per lightyear/hour of FTL drive time) or by deploying large solar collectors to gather power, but in both cases the ship will be terribly vulnerable during recharging.
The PLUS side to this system is that it is inexpensive...Half to a quarter the cost of a standard FTL drive system, which makes it popular with commutter and haulage services running transports between well-travelled systems, or, more omniously, by governments and agencies sending exilees on effectively one-way trips....

Aramanthus · Unread post by **Aramanthus** » Mon Sep 17, 2007 11:48 am

Those are some excellent flaws! Please keep them coming!

taalismn · Unread post by **taalismn** » Mon Sep 17, 2007 9:39 pm

*Antiquated Cooling System---The ship's systems run hot, and rely on an old-fashioned large area radiator system to remove excess heat...these radiators are large enough to warrent their own listing of targettable components and separate MDC ratings...in the event the radiators are damaged or destroyed, the ship's systems, typically the engines, will build up heat ...2d6 minutes under heavy workloads...before redlining....If the heat build-up goes unabated beyond that point, there is a 50% chance per minute of a total system shutdown(the system safeguards 'scramble' the power core), and a 25% chance of a catastrophic fire/meltdown in the power core...or, in the alternative, 1d6 other systems(life support, weapons turrets, sensors, gravity, etc...) will shut down to save power, route cooling capacity, and reduce heatload....

Aramanthus · Unread post by **Aramanthus** » Mon Sep 17, 2007 9:49 pm

Another very good flaw Taalismn! Please keep them coming!

taalismn · Unread post by **taalismn** » Tue Sep 18, 2007 8:39 pm

*Electronic Countermeasure System Past Expiration Date----The ship's immense and vaunted electronic warfare suite is a century out of date, and is so far behind the trend of electronic warfare and current targetting and jamming technologies and techniques that it actually ATTRACTS modern missiles and targetting systems...+1d6 for such systems to strike the ship....You're better off turning the whole thing off and unplugging it for good measure...

Aramanthus · Unread post by **Aramanthus** » Wed Sep 19, 2007 9:53 am

That could be a good use of old starships for testing new weapon systems. Set it out there and turn on its ECM and ECCM systems. That way you could see what sort of damage will occur to your stuff when hit. Live fire test in other words.

taalismn · Unread post by **taalismn** » Wed Sep 19, 2007 11:26 am

Still, it stinks when you turn on your electronic cloaking, and you light up every weapons board in the sector...

Aramanthus · Unread post by **Aramanthus** » Wed Sep 19, 2007 11:29 am

LOL You are 100% correct about that! That sounds like a Golgan problem.

shiiv-a · Unread post by **shiiv-a** » Wed Sep 19, 2007 1:54 pm

well .. one thing to think about. a group salvages a ship drifting in space

only thing is .. they can't get into it.

as in .. they are TOO big in their suits and PA's .. etc.

the corridors and such are 2 - 4 feet tall, requiring the humans and other non humans of 'normal human size or taller' to crawl about on the hands and knees.

after all .. not EVERY race that is capable of space travel is gonna be 'human sized'.

are they? .. *shrugs*

Aramanthus · Unread post by **Aramanthus** » Wed Sep 19, 2007 2:15 pm

You are definately correct Shiiv-a! Thank you for flaw! Please keep them coming!

devillin · Unread post by **devillin** » Wed Sep 19, 2007 2:44 pm

shiiv-a wrote:well .. one thing to think about. a group salvages a ship drifting in space

only thing is .. they can't get into it.

as in .. they are TOO big in their suits and PA's .. etc.

the corridors and such are 2 - 4 feet tall, requiring the humans and other non humans of 'normal human size or taller' to crawl about on the hands and knees.

after all .. not EVERY race that is capable of space travel is gonna be 'human sized'.

are they? .. *shrugs*

I just did that in my last adventure. They had to take off their Cyclones and other heavy armor just to get into the ship. Pissed the group off bad. Now that's what I call a dungeon crawl.

When they decided to visit the planet the ship came from, they made some skateboards for them to lay on when they entered these creatures' tunnel system. God they hated me. :lol:

Aramanthus · Unread post by **Aramanthus** » Wed Sep 19, 2007 3:58 pm

I can imagine they would hate you for that little adventure. But as a fellow GM, good job making them suffer.

taalismn · Unread post by **taalismn** » Wed Sep 19, 2007 8:37 pm

Yep...nothing like humiliating somebody when they realize the 2-ft tal 'munchkins' can now kick their larger alien visitors in the face...so much for that feeling of physical superiority...

Aramanthus · Unread post by **Aramanthus** » Thu Sep 20, 2007 3:15 pm

That keeps everyone on the same playing field!

taalismn · Unread post by **taalismn** » Thu Sep 20, 2007 5:58 pm

*Seizure Screens---The video displays on the bridge refresh themselves at a rate and brightness level that induces epileptic seizures in some beings(make an P.E. save vs Nonlethal Poison or go into convulsions for 1d6 melees), wanging headaches(M.E. save or -15% to skill rolls for 1d4 hours), or temporary blindness in others(beings with any sort of acute vision will suffer effects similar to a Blinding Flash spell, duration 1d6 minutes).

Aramanthus · Unread post by **Aramanthus** » Fri Sep 21, 2007 11:08 am

That is a very nasty one Taalismn! I like it! Please keep them coming.

taalismn · Unread post by **taalismn** » Fri Sep 21, 2007 12:56 pm

*Dirty Secrets---Somehow the ship's AI has acquired a collection of photos of the crew members' most embarassing childhood moments...and these images keep popping up at random times...
I'd call an exorcist....this smacks of supernatural humiliation...

Aramanthus · Unread post by **Aramanthus** » Fri Sep 21, 2007 1:30 pm

ROFLMAO!!! That is truly great one!!! :lol:

Please keep them coming!

taalismn · Unread post by **taalismn** » Fri Sep 21, 2007 9:10 pm

*Faulty Inertial Dampening---The gravitic generators or forcefield gear responsible for damping inertia are prone to 'hiccuping' or fluxuations in effectiveness...A botched piloting roll or a critical strike of Natural 19-20 on the ship will cause the ship's dampeners to momentary fail, subjecting the crew to the gee's of acceleration/deceleration, or sudden changes in relative direction for a fe w seconds, forcing them to make aRoll with Fall or Impact, or take 1d6 SDC from being slammed into fixtures or mashed into the floor...

shiiv-a · Unread post by **shiiv-a** » Sat Sep 22, 2007 10:57 am

heehee .....

and here i was thinking of someone with the Psi-Telemechanix climbing aboard an alien ship and 'contacting the ship' to find out how the thing runs.

is it then possible for said power to trigger a 'self defense' protocol? ... as in prevent the Psi from leaving the point of contact? .. a forcefield about him that slips up snug and traps them and KO's them? their only hope is for a team member to try and keep up to the limp form as the ship tries to ... 'clean' the infestation ...

[so much for the vaunted super powerful "nothing can stop me from learning about your vessel" Psi-Tech types]

guess i'll have to rethink that one, it came out kinda wishywashy ... sorry

taalismn · Unread post by **taalismn** » Sat Sep 22, 2007 8:00 pm

Anti-psi systems? Perhaps the original builders were at war with psionic foes, so they designed their ships to look out for and react to any manifestation of psionic abilities?Either it's a straight out psi-null zone aboard the ship, or any use of psionic abilities results in violent action?

Good idea, Shiiv-a, good idea....

shiiv-a · Unread post by **shiiv-a** » Sun Sep 23, 2007 1:15 am

well .. it was that or else the ship .. 'merges' with the psi-tech .. and that being now becomes the 'mortal part of the ship'.

a wonderful ending for the highly vaunted psi-techs that seem to swarm all the games lately that i've seen lately.

anyways. more like .. uhm .. the ship itself would have an IQ of about 30+ .. all in another language. thus IF a psi-tech tried to 'scan the ship' .. the ship would latch onto the 'scan' and trace it back and overwhelm the person. similar to a 'mind bond' .. but worse.

the 'psi' would now be at the mercy of the ship as it plunders the memories of the char from childhood to the current age. the ship MUST learn .. so a crash course on 'the perils of being a psi-tech of whatever nation/world' becomes a part of the ship [[ who's to say the ship is .. 'friendly' .. ? or even fully 'dead' ? ]]

oh right .. now while the ship is doing the plundering .. the char should get a chance to save versus that .. assault .. at a high negative .. and .. come out of the experience .. with the mentality of a child of 4 years of age.

so .. what do you think? .. oh wait .. i really do have that someplace already .. ah yeah .. the star fox ships are 'evolving' to do similar things to protect hte information about the ships and such.

taalismn · Unread post by **taalismn** » Sun Sep 23, 2007 1:53 pm

...Ouch....that certainly adds hazard to being a psychic....ewww.....
"Uh-oh...the ship's counselor won't take any appointments today...she's too busy playing with her blocks..."

Aramanthus · Unread post by **Aramanthus** » Mon Sep 24, 2007 12:06 pm

ROFLMAO!!! Those are some great ones! Thank you Shiiv-a and Taalismn! Please keep them coming!

taalismn · Unread post by **taalismn** » Mon Sep 24, 2007 8:34 pm

*Curse of the Comfy Chairs---The ship's fittings are so comfortable, efficiency suffers....bridge and workstation chairs are so ergonomically relaxing that sitters must roll versus their M.E. every fifteen minutes (every 5 minutes if the massage feature is activated) or grow drowsy(-1d4 to Initiative, -10% to skill rolls) with a 20% chance of falling asleep/drowsing off....

Aramanthus · Unread post by **Aramanthus** » Tue Sep 25, 2007 10:34 am

LMAO!! That is a great one. I suppose on those ships you have the "Spanish Inquisition!"

taalismn · Unread post by **taalismn** » Tue Sep 25, 2007 7:20 pm

*Cyberfeedback---The long range communications system broadcasts on particular frequencies or in a particular modulation/power level that every time the system is switched on, crew members with cybernetic headjacks, wireless datajack modems, optical HUDs, or wired nerves will suffer excruiating feedback and temporary blindness(-1d6 Initiative, strike, dodge, and parry for 1d4 minutes)...

Roscoe Del'Tane · Sat Sep 29, 2007 9:57 am

Inefficient Cleaning system: The supposedly 'super-efficient' automated cleaning system is horribly faulty. The vacuum bots leave trails of dust on the floor, the dishwasher leaves streaks of grease on the dishes, etc, etc. Has to be either completely overhauled or removed to be considered 'fixed'.

Wrong species 'scent candles': You know those things that you can buy? Those scented candles that smell like lilac or whatever? Well, this ship got a hold of a batch meant for some other race. Instead of inspiring good feelings, clear thinking, and pleasant moods, it inspires lethargy, the munchies, and absent-mindedness.

Poorly designed cargo holds: The storage bays are built exceedingly poorly, the rows are barely wide enough for the load lifter, and the rows don't hold as much as they should. Reduce the amount that can be carried by 1d6+24%, and it takes at least twice as long to un/load the vehicle. In an alternative, the bay could be made out of inferior materials, and unable to stand up to the strain of a full load.

Anorexia Inducing Ship: The A.I. that dispenses the food rations is resigned for races with either a slower metabolism or smaller stomachs. All meals dispensed from the ship are 14+6% smaller than 'normal' sized. To make matters worse, the ship has a strict rationing system in place for each crewmember/passenger, and any tampering will result in a complete lockdown on all foods and medicines.

taalismn · Unread post by **taalismn** » Sat Sep 29, 2007 10:30 am

*Exotic Stabilization System---The ship employs an paricularly bizarre emans of altering its attitude and position by shifting its center of mass...A computerized system shifts what it considers to be 'dead weight' around the ship via a system of actuators and conveyors...or else pumps liquids around the various ship compartments...this means crew members may find their rooms flooding with water(or some nuetral fluid), or their acceleration chairs/personal compartments, slung across the ship at high speed(or, in some cases, actually relocated OUTSIDE the hull proper at the end of a robotic pendulum arm). The ship won't kill them(intentionally) but the crew members don't know that, and every such incident is likely to have the equivalent of a Horror Factor 10 on them(12 if they have a fear of drowning, machines, hieghts, or the like depending on their particular experience) and will have them traumatized, clawing at the walls, or screaming their heads off every time the ship begins manuevering...

Roscoe Del'Tane · Sat Sep 29, 2007 10:59 am

Bizare Fuel Additives: The engine has, at some point in it's murky past, been tinkered on by an insane engineer. Now it does run, but some strange things have to be added to the fuel lines/reactor core/whatever in order to move at full speed.
This will lead to saying things like, "Alright, I got the concrete mix, Billy got the marshmellow fluff, and Croaker has the Tidy-Bowl bottles, right?", as well as some strange looks when asking for things in certain combinations. It will take roughly 15 pounds of additives per week to keep the ship running properly, otherwise, reduce the ships speed by 5% each week until the additives are, well, added.

Spectral Magnet: This ship attracts ghosts and astral beings like iron fillings to a magnet. Each week there is a 15% chance of a supernatural visiter popping up. Not only that, but the ship makes it very difficult for the being to leave, banishing or exorcising are the only way, and they have a -20% chance of success, as the ship protects its 'guests'.