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Wyldfarers for characters

Wylfarers are extremely complex devices, using a number of interlocking devices. These devices: the Frame, Anti-Wyld Grid, Engines, Shielding, and Weapons, determine the overall power level of a Wyldfarer in Artifact points. Many Wyldfarers have additional capabilities, usually purchased through seperate Artifacts.

At construction, the player should decide whether the motes for each element are coming from an Essence battery, or a hearthstone slot. Hearthstones provide (their rating x25) motes per day to a Wyldfarer vessel, but must be purchased seperately. See the Expansions section for information on Essence Batteries.

0 - Simple civilian ships, usually used by middle-class travellers. 5 Points to construct a Wyldfarer.
00 - A typical trade lane ship, used by merchants or wealthier citizens. 9 Points to construct a Wyldfarer.
000 - Typical military cruiser or exploration ship. 14 Points to construct a Wyldfarer.
0000 - A powerful and versatile ship. These Wyldfarers are very rare, as only the greatest Exalts can oversee their construction. 20 Points to construct a Wyldfarer.
00000 - One of the truly marvelous Wyldfarers, this great ship may be legendary. 27 Points to construct a Wyldfarer. Few of these marvels exist in the Span, and they are almost always famous.

Frame

First, the characters must decide how large the ship is. Larger ships can carry much more cargo and personnel, but are slow and ponderous. Larger ships also increase the cost for shielding and Wyld grids, as there is more energy needed to cover them. A Wyldfarer's Frame controls her Crew, Cargo, Armor, and Health ratings, along with having a base mote requirement, and modifying both Speed and Repair times.

Small (1 pt): Generally just a cockpit for one or two people, usually a fighter or courier. Uses 4 motes per day to power. Armor: 8 B/L soak, 4 hardness. Health Levels: U x3, M x2, C x1, I x2. Minimum Crew: 1

Medium (2 pts): Contains a cockpit and one to three secondary rooms, plus engine and technology space. Could comfortably hold five or six people. Uses 8 motes per day to power. 12 B/L soak, 6 hardness. Health Levels: U x4, M x3, C x3, Scrap x4. Minimum Crew: 2

Large (3 pts): Contains a cockpit, engine room, and two or three central rooms (usually a rec room, kitchen, and cargo hold) plus eight to ten small side rooms and a cargo area that might also fit one or two Size 1 Wyldfarers. Can comfortably suit ten to twenty passengers. Uses 12 motes per day to power. 16 B/L soak, 8 hardness. Structural Levels: U x6, M x5, C x4, I x6. Manuever Rating -1, Speed -1, Repair Time x2. Minimum Crew: 5

Massive (4 pts): In addition to a bridge, engine room, gunnery stations, and ten to twelve subsidiary rooms, it has anywhere from ten to fifty crew quarters, as well as one or two bays capable of holding cargo, or four to six Size 1 Wyldfarers. Alternately, it may have a cargo bay for a single Size 2 Wyldfarer. Uses 16 motes a day. 20 B/L soak, 10 hardness. Structural Levels: U x8, M x7, C x6, I x8. Manuever Rating -1, Speed -3. Costs 5 Construction Points. Increases Essence cost of Grids and shields by 1/3. Repair Time x3. Minimum Crew: 10

Incredible (6 pts): This huge Wyldfarer contains a bridge, engine room, gunnery stations, generally has two to three cargo bays and at least two to three launch bays for ten to twelve Size 1 ships, each of which could also fit one or two Size 2 ships. It also contains anywhere from twenty to over a hundred crew quarters, and a dozen secondary rooms. Uses 20 motes a day. 24 B/L soak, 12 hardness. Structural Levels: U x10, M x8, C x8, I x10. Maneuver Rating -2, Speed -5. Increases Essence cost of Grids and shields by 2/3. Repair Time x5. Minimum Crew: 20

All known frames are based on jade, and therefore there is little variation between them. However, many of the smaller mortal Wyldfarers use less jade in their construction, and more steel. These frames require one less mote per Frame level to operate, but reduce Soak by 1 per level and apply an extra Speed penalty of -1 to the ship.

Anti-Wyld Grid

This is generally considered the most critical aspect of the Wyldfarer, as without it, a ship is doomed to be unwoven in the endless reaches of the Wyld. In the Scarlet Imperium, these are called 'Earth Fields', and are constructed from White Jade. In the New Realm, they are known as Lunar Grids, and are made from Moonsilver. The forces of the Prince Of Shadows use Ash Emitters, constructed of jade and soulsteel. Each has a slightly different effect, noted below.

Grids may be activated at low power. They may be activated at any power level up to the level of the Grid, at the cost of the level that is active rather than the grid's full cost.

Short-Range Patrol Grid (1 pt). This grid is capable of reducing Wyld Intensity by one level within the ship (Borderlands become normal, Middlemarches become Borderlands, Deep Wyld becomes Middlemarches, and True Chaos becomes Deep Wyld.) Because of the weakness of the grid, it can only be used in proximity to a world, and tends to fail during Wyld Storms. This grid uses 2 motes per day to remain active.

Trade Lane Grid (2 pts). This grid is capable of reducing Wyld Intensity by two levels within the ship (Borderlands and Middlemarches become normal, Deep Wyld becomes Borderlands, and True Chaos becomes Middlemarches.) Most merchant travellers have this level of protection; they are still unable to traverse trade routes during Wyld Storms. This grid uses 4 motes per day to remain active.

Frayed Route Grid (4 pts). Some merchant ships and most military vessels have this level of protection. This grid is capable of reducing Wyld Intensity by three levels within the ship, and reduces Wyld intensity by one level for 10 yards in all directions from the ship. (Borderlands, Middlemarches and Deep Wyld become normal, and True Chaos becomes Borderlands.) These ships can even traverse normal trade routes during Wyld Storms, or follow natural routes through Essence lines to new worlds. This grid uses 6 motes per day to remain active.

Deep Exploration Grid (6 pts). Very few ships have grids this advanced or expensive. This grid completely shuts out the Wyld inside the ship, reduces Wyld intensity by two levels at a distance of up to 20 yards from the ship, and reduces it by one level at a distance of 50 yards. No Wyld changes can affect the ship. This grid requires 8 motes per day to remain active.

Grids can be bought at +1 pt to become 'Expanded Grids'. Expanded Grids require an extra 2 motes per day to operate, but extend their benefits at a distance of up to 100 yards from the ship (Frayed Route and Deep Exploration grids apply their benefits to a further area outside these 100 yards.)

Grids may also be purchased as Linked Grids for +2 pts. Linked Grids can hook up to other ships' grids, providing their benefits. Linked Grids require the difference between the other ships' grid and the level it is being raised to to be spent by the ship with Linked Grids. There is no limit on the number of ships that can be linked beyond Essence expenditure.

Alternatively, grids can be bought at -1 pt to become 'Short-Term Grids'. These grids cannot function for more than one hour at a time. After this, they collapse. Every five minutes offline restores one minute of use to a short-term grid.

In addition, gridds have the following construction benefits:
Jade: Earth Fields are unusally stable. If a Wyldfarer equipped with Earth Fields wishes, it can supercharge the shields to defend better. The fields are treated as being +1 level above what they actually are, but the ship is completely incapable of movement or combat. This helps merchant ships survive most Wyld Storms, and Earth Fields are the most popular mortal shielding. Charged Earth Fields take an extra 3 motes per day of activation, beginning with a 3 mote payment immediately upon activation.
Moonsilver: Lunar Grids allow for the potential of combat and short-range missions around the Wyldfarer. Lunar Grids extend their full benefits for 25 yards around the ship at all times. Expanded Grids cover 150 yards instead of their normal 100.
Soulsteel: Ash Emitters are extremely hazardous to the Wyld. Any creature of the Wyld approaching within 10 yards of a ship with active Ash Emitters takes unsoakable dice of aggravated damage per turn equal to the field's level.

Engines

Travel through the Wyld is much stranger and different that travelling through Creation. Wyld Engines allow a ship to play with the fluid properties of the Wyld, flying easily through the strangest terrain.

Engines may be activated at low power. They may be activated at any power level up to the level of the Engine, at the cost of the level that is active rather than the engines's full cost.

Low-Power Engines (1 pt): The slowest engines, ships with these cannot even manage most trade paths in a day. Speed 5, Manuever +0, Boost 1. Costs 2 motes per day of operation.

Standard Engines (2 pts): These engines are powerful enough to carry a ship along a route in under a day. Speed 10, Manuever +1, Boost 1. Costs 4 motes per day of operation.

Military Engines (3 pts): These are standard engines for long-distance merchant vessels and short-distance military vessels; they can always bridge the gap between worlds in a day, and can usually manage two. Speed 15, Manuever +1, Boost 2. Costs 6 motes per day of operation.

Exploration Engines (4 pts): These are the top-range of most ships, rare and powerful, able to traverse multiple worlds each day. Speed 20, Manuever +2, Boost 2. Costs 8 motes per day of operation.

Courier Engines (6 pts): The best that exist, engines that blaze their way through the Wyldspan; they can even cross the Span itself in only two seasons. Speed 25, Manuever +3, Boost 3. Costs 10 motes per day of operation.

Construction Materials:
Jade: Constructed from blue jade, Windwalker Engines are fast and manueverable. Ships with these engines gain +1 die to all Manuever rolls.
Starmetal: Starfinder Engines have a knack for unerring accuracy in the depths of the Wyld. All Wyld Navigation rolls gain +2 dice.
Soulsteel: Soulscreamer Engines roar through the Wyld with terror and fury. Soulsteel increases the speed of its engines by a flat +2.

Shields

While Wyldfarers are sturdy, due to the jade that reinforces their frames, they are still prone to injury, especially in the brutal atmosphere of the Wyld. Physical attacks from behemoths, fair folk and of course other Wyldfarers led to the development of shielding systems. Wave Shields guard ships of the Imperium, while the New Realm is protected by its Adamant Shields and the Knight's ships are guarded by their Void Shields. Unlike most ship systems, shields use a great deal of energy.

Shield health levels don't have Wound Penalties. Shields regenerate lost health levels at a rate of one level per 30 ticks, whether active or not.

Basic Shields (1 pt): Capable of stopping attacks by weak creatures or providing partial protection against powerful ones. Soak: 10 B/L, Hardness 4, 4 Health Levels. Costs 2 motes per scene.

Decent Shielding (2 pts): The kind possessed by most Wyldfarer ships in case of trouble. Soak: 15 B/L, Hardness 6, 8 Health Levels. Costs 4 motes per scene.

Military-grade Shields (3 pts): Capable of resisting most attacks, and ignoring many dangers. Soak: 20 B/L, Hardness 8, 10 Health Levels. Costs 6 motes per scene.

Advanced Military Shields (4 pts): usually possessed by military capitol ships. Soak: 25 B/L, Hardness 10, 16 Health Levels. Costs 8 motes per scene.

Top-Grade Shields (6 pts): The best in the Wyldspan. Soak: 30 B/L, Hardness 12, 20 Health Levels. Costs 10 motes per scene.

In addition to basic shield effect, the three shield types have special powers of their own:

Jade: Wave Shields act like the water, preparing for another fight soon after the first is done (or even during it!). Wave shield health levels regenerate every 20 ticks.
Adamant: Adamant Shields take a portion of their generator's invunerability. Increase soak by 3 B/L and hardness by 2.
Soulsteel: Void Shields have the resiliency of Oblivion. Increase the Health Levels of the shield by 3.

Weapons

The Wyldspan is a dangerous place, and many ships have taken to carrying the best weapons that they can find to deal with any problems that might come up. Weapons usually hook into the same defense grid as the shields, although they can be on a seperate circuit. Most ships will only have one weapon, or at best a linked pair, but some will fairly bristle with the things. Weapons are rated from 1 to 5, and are commonly made from jade, orichalcum, or soulsteel.

Wyldfarer weapons are more powerful than normal ones, but they suffer from a major drawback; they only function in the Wyldspan itself. The weapons convert Wyld energy to create their power; the closest they can come to operating in Creation is functioning inside an Expanded Grid. All 1-dot and 2-dot weapons use 3 motes per scene, 3 dot and 4 dot weapons use 6 motes per scene, and 5-dot weapons use 9 motes per scene.

||Name||Speed||Accuracy||Damage||Rate||Range||Tags||Cost|| ||Flare Cannon||5||+1||10L/2||2||100||O|| 1 || ||Essence Spike||6||+0||13L/3||1||150||O|| 1 || ||Pulse Cannon||5||+2||15L/3||3||125||O|| 2 || ||Essence Mortar||6||+1||20L/4||1||150||O|| 2 || ||Shock Cannon||6||+1||24B/4||1||150||O|| 2 || ||Plasma Repeater||5||+1||24L/4||1||150||O|| 3 || ||Essence Lance||6||+0||27L/5||1||200||O|| 3 || ||Gravitic Lance||7||+1||30L/5||1||200||O|| 4 || ||Null Cannon*||6||+0||21L/4||1||200||O, P|| 4 || ||Essence Inversion Cannon||7||+2||35L/6||1||250||0|| 6 ||

• Null Cannons must be made of soulsteel

Jade: Firelauncher weapons are quick to reload, always drawing more Essence in to continue the fight. Jade weapons are -1 Speed.
Orichalcum: Sunspear weapons are powerful and accurate, crossing the Wyldspan in a flash. Increase Accuracy by +1 and Range by +50.
Soulsteel: Lifecrusher weapons are devastatingly deadly. Increase damage by +3.

Paired weapons cost half again the price of a single weapon (round up), and +1 Speed. Roll to hit only once, but apply damage twice if the weapon hits. Each hit is soaked seperately.

Note that Wyldfarer weapons are not always hooked up to the main circuit. In such cases, they may be purchased as seperate artifacts, with the following restrictions: The cost per scene of activation increases by half again (rounded up), and seperate weapons have an Artifact cost equal to half their rating, rounded up. This is common within the Scarlet Imperium, which tends to have many weapons on seperate circuits for their larger ships.

Comments

So - if I understand correctly, in the Wyldspan universe, each ground-plot is defined by the Manse or Demense in it - thus, there is a 1-to-1 correlation between possible Manses, and places to travel from and to. Thus, a given chunk of land has, at most, one hearthstone coming from it. Having said that, that means that hearthstones were, at the beginning, a very rare commodity. Once the vessels got working, and travel between places was easier, it would be much easier to get around and pick up hearthstones for use. Still, I just wanted to check in and see if I'm right on my understanding. -- GreenLantern

There will be more explanation on this, but it's sort of true. First off, as things stabilized, some areas are made up of connected Manses; Arjuf, for example, has almost ninety Manses connecting itself together now, although there were fewer to start off. However, you are correct in that early on Hearthstones were trickier to come by, and of course every one slotted into a Wyldfarer is one you can't use for anything else. As I get to the geography section, I'll elaborate on how exactly this works. :) - FrivYeti