Resource Currencies
Mining Planets, Taming and other Extreme Sports
Resource currencies represent in game-terms how many resources your character has available to them. There are five resource currencies – Molten Minerals, Odd Ore, Arcane Algae, Strange Sap and Helpful Herbs.
- Arcane Algae – Used for aquatic-related, and psychological effects, as well as to boost the mutagenic properties of Strange Sap
- Molten Minerals – Often used as explosives or to provide energy or heat to an alchemical mixture.
- Odd Ore – Used to reinforce metals and space suits
- Strange Sap – Used in mutagenic recipes, often with Arcane Algae
- Helpful Herbs – Almost esxclusively used in medical recipes
As a space explorer you will use resources to make concoctions with recipes, to bribe NPCs, and to accomplish quest specific tasks. To make Elite and Divine Resource Currencies you will need to tame alien pets as well.
Each day in game time, every player gets to roll for mine for a specific resource. In hostile environments resource deposits may be found that grant more opportunities to mine.
In a longer campaign, players can seek out the Prime Matter – matter abstracted off all characteristics, thus having infinite potential.
Common Uses for Resource Currencies
All Explorers Know these Common Uses
- Acid – (SS + OO) – 1 Quark Coin – burns a human-sized hole through one obstacle, possibly revealing new map areas.
Battery – (MM + Acid) – 3 Quark Coin – activates Ancient Tech, possibly gaining power-ups, opening bot storage, or unlocking new map areas.
Botanical Boost – (3 SS) – 2 Quark Coin – causes botanical growth spurts, perhaps breaking things with roots or forming bridges.
Explosive – (3 MM) – 2 Quark Coin – creates a 4 by 4 explosive, clearing obstacles.
Plate – (2 OO) – 1 Quark Coin – Make a 2 by 1 ladder, bridge, or other simple machine.
Ration – (AA + HH) – 2 Quark Coin – Players must eat one ration a day or else take a +1 penalty to all rolls (stacks).
Water Seal – (3 AA) – 2 Quark Coin – allows the player to move underwater for four turns.
Your character’s class reveals how many additional recipes they can earn.
Tamable Lifeforms
First Contact with Strange Lifeforms
Some lifeforms encountered in a hostile environment are tamable. GMs create a set of triggers which describe how the creature will react to certain PC actions. To tame a creature, the party will need to
(1) avoid offending its triggers,
(2) give a species specific gift (usually a specific amount of resource currency) and
(3) depending on the species’ social pattern use compassion or dominance to tame. Some creatures are tamed through dominance others through compassion.
A tamed lifeform may grant a new adaptation for the player to use, as well as a Support Die that can be used on certain checks by the tamer, and possibly evidence points.
Some tamed lifeforms may have a cost to keep them day to day – a resource currency to eat for example.
