But how will my Isheean character react to things? (Traveller Tuesday #13)

Now that we've established the details of political, religious, and legal life on Ishee. We can start constructing an image of the slightly subtler elements of Isheean culture. We already know that it hosts a Tourist Attraction, is Progressive, and believes strongly in access to high technology as a basic right. That last is true, by the way, even outside of its champion government in the Guild-State of the Rose Brothers.

First up is the Progressiveness of the world. We already know that it's neither Conservative or Reactionary in attitude, but it could be either Radical or Progressive. Taking into account the Dice Modifier from Ishee's population, I find that gives us a range of 15, with only a 1-in-15 chance of a Radical attitude (I'm just slicing off the half of the table that is inappropriate, after applying the modifier, and re-figuring the chances from there. Using random.org to roll a d15, I am unsurprised that my 3 doesn't result in a Radical attitude. This attitude is then paired with an action, describing not what the Isheeans think and feel but how they actually behave. We roll an 8 on a flat 2d6 and determine that Isheean culture has an Advancing action. Isheeans believe change to be good and healthy, and are generally accepting of promising new ideas. They've a fair measure of drive and definite measurable progress can be seen, especially in their technology.

Isheean aggressiveness is also subject to a flat 2d6 roll. In this case, our 7 means the world culture is Unaggressive in attitude, and another 2d6 gives us an extreme of a 12 and a Conciliatory action. Putting the two together, we find that Isheeans prefer compromise to the use of force and even go so far as to refrain from building any significant military might. They will do anything to avoid military confrontation. This probably explains both the intense reaction of TCI towards the enemy agents on Ishee and their preference for restricting their own rights and movement over building a large army.

We've reached the point where we can't further develop Isheean culture without understanding how connected it is to the rest of the galaxy. Yep, its Starport, which is a rather disappointing Class E thanks to a roll of 3 on 2d6. I'd say Ishee represented something more of a cross between a monastic retreat, an isolated workshop free from distraction or limitation, a societal sandbox in which it is easy to cause and measure paradigm shift, and Burning Man to the Rose Brothers who founded it. They resisted building a bigger Starport because they never wanted to be bothered much by outsiders. Their FutureShockFest became a subsectorwide phenomenon without their wanting it to, and so they never improved the Starport to accommodate its crowds. To the offworders, this gives it the advantage of being free to berth here at the cost of a lack of sales of ship repair of any sort or of the drugs required for the biological elements of the noetic drive to function properly (a.k.a., “fuel”). There might be a pirate base, but a 4 is a far cry from the 12 needed for that (bUWP α-3D-0704-? (α Greve-Eau Pleine-Bishop Scheumack-Ishee)/E???774-?/X/??/Em).

2d6+5 will tell about Ishee's global extensiveness. The resultant 16 tells us that Isheean culture is highly fragmented among itself. The divisions between and within its cultures, states, political parties, and faiths are deep, loud, and frequent. Dissension is the rule. Well, considering the general pacifism on the planet, perhaps “long” might be a better word than “loud”. Resonant with the previous determinations, a 9 on 2d6+2 means that Ishee tuns an aloof face to the events of galactic society and otherworldly events. Isheeans react coolly, even to the point of occasional unfriendliness, to offworlders, seeing them as technologically prurient gawkers interested more in the spectacle of technology and science than in understanding its effects on society. In the Marches and TCI, a concurrent narrative is that outsiders might be there to act against the interests of the state, the populace, and the rulers, a suspicion that anyone could be an Imperial spy, Company operative, or alien instigator. Either way, the offworlders are likely to interfere out of incompetence fear, or malice, and no Isheean likes that idea. Isheean merchants tend to think of them as rubes too dazzled by the flash and sparkle of fancy technology to be very protective of their feccu (Fractally Encoded Company-backed Cryptocurrency Units).

In fact, how uniformly is law enforced on Ishee, anyway? That's a 2d6 roll on a table, which results in an 8. In all four states, the law is evenly and equally applied to every member of the populace. Just barely, though ~ repressive TCI in particular is risking a fall into a less even-handed (and incorrupt) style of governance.

Techgnostic Mormonism: The Beaumont Cosmological Computing System (Traveller Tuesday #6)

OK, this is interesting: I just rolled a 9 on 3d6 for the next religion's God View, which means that it's an interactive monotheism. Like Mormonism and some evangelical Christianities (and, I imagine, some Judaisms and Islams, too), this religion says that there is only one God and that that one God is constantly and ongoingly actively involved in the lives of sophonts. This is “God is My Co-Pilot” and “I Have a Testimony” territory. How is this going to interact with the Spirit-Listeners' watchful eagerness to take the path the spirits of the dead have made easy? Will they be great allies on this tech-worshiping world, or will they be at each others' too-similar throats? Let's find out!

Also, the Lost Secrets of the Rose Brothers are monotheistic, meaning that this might be the successor to the previous religion, perhaps a Mormon-like and/or fundamentalist shift in the guild's teachings?

Well, rolling a flat 2d6 gives us a Spiritual Aim of 6. It appears that this is a religion focused on getting into a heavenly paradise after death. That certainly doesn't sound like anything the Rose Brothers would put forth, nixing that idea. So, is that highly-interactive God trying to get you into Heaven, trying to create situations in which you have to make that choice, or trying to prevent you from going to Heaven after you die? Those last two are more interesting to me than the first. On the one had, you have a God actively campaigning against indecisiveness, apathy, and going with the flow and on the other, you have either a malevolent God who wants to hurt everyone (a maltheism) or a benevolent God trying to save sophonts from the numbing euphoria that awaits them.

The 9 we roll on 2d6-1 gives us a point of similarity between this religion and the Lost Secrets of the Rose Brothers: both have meetings only every other month, Isheean religions don't ask for much in the way of formal worship from their members! (So far, anyway.) I get the sense that Isheean culture, whether Fraternal, Oleinikan, Jermainish, or TCI focuses primarily on the ethical and embedded elements of religion, rather than orthodoxy or ritual. Rolling an 8 on 2d6+2 merely provides more evidence, as we learn that this religion has a loose hierarchy that leaves most decisions to the local level. I'm starting to get a sense that this religion might be similar to some Mormonisms, with a strong focus toward receiving testimony from Heavenly Father, Heavenly Mother(s), and/or the angels. In the case of this science-fictive religion, the hierarchy would mostly be chosen on two bases: (1) a higher-than-average rate, comprehensibility, accuracy, and detail in the messages they receive from the divine, and (2) more importantly, their skill and creativity at incorporating the testimonies of their congregants into a guiding plan for the community as a whole. Above the local level, clergy would be receiving more testimonies and, as they rise in rank, more summaries of collections of testimonies and trying to synthesize them into a whole ~ high clergy's role is reactive, rather than proactive.

Maybe their theology is modeled on distributed computing? A syncresis of Mormonism and distributed computing? We are all the sons and daughters of God, which means that we are all components of a massive distributed algorithm designed by that God for some ineffable purpose. But how does Heaven fit into this? Ah! If we take it as a God who is creating situations in which we need to make a choice between Heaven and Hell, then each life could be a bit in the process, bit as in the technical, computer-science meaning of the term.

It seems Isheean culture as a whole sees religion as something more akin to philosophy, as we again roll a 10 for liturgical formality, resulting in those bimonthly meetings being formal study groups discussing and interpreting holy writings. As I develop this idea of a testimonial/oracular distributed theo-computing, I imagine them discussing and interpreting not only the writings of the past that laid out the foundations of their beliefs, but also the testimonies of other worshippers and communities, reflecting on how those visions intertwine with their own.

There are active efforts by this religion to acquire converts across the subsector, if not further (rolled a 4 on 2d6-2). After all, the more sophonts engaged in God's distributed computing efforts, the faster, more powerfully, and more effectively the program can run. However, certain sophont species possess nervous systems so divergent from those that devised this religion that its followers cannot see how their testimonies (if they have testimonies at all) could fit together with those of the church as a whole, and so such sophont species are left alone by the missionaries.

3d6-4 gives us hundreds of thousands of adherents to this religion. Random.org tells us that the precise number is a highly respectable 810,552. That's smaller than the remaining available population of Ishee, so I'll invert my process and roll to see what percentage of those adherents live on Ishee. 53% of them live on this planet we are creating, which comes out to 429,593 Isheeans.

Finally, we roll the dWikipedia for a seed of a name . . . how about the Beaumont Cosmological Computing System? Yeah, let's go with that, with a note that the name doesn't capture the heavy Mormon influence on the origins of the religion ~ I'm seeing it as a techgnostic take on Mormonism.

The religious landscape of Ishee so far:
4,966,607 sophonts (31% of the population) atheist/agnostic/non-religious
7,690,230 sophonts (48%) Liberty Fellowship of Spirit-Listeners (known as Fellows, Associationists, or Listeners)
6 sophonts (essentially 0%) Lost Secrets of the Rose Brothers (generally just called gerontocrats or old fogies)
429,593 sophonts (app. 2.7%) Beaumont Cosmological Computing System (generally called Beaumonters, Algorithmists, or Systemites)
2,934,918 sophonts (app. 18.3%) not yet accounted for

A tiny li'l ol' religion in the Guild-State (Traveller Tuesday #5)

I'm hoping that we roll up a religion that could fit as the Rose Brothers' semi-mystical worship of innovation. Let's find out!

This time we roll 3d6 to determine the religion's God View, and an 11 tells us that this is a crisis monotheism. So, one God who only intervenes at crucial moments in human history. Is it a form of Christianity, Judaism, Islam, or something else? Well, the Spiritual Aim might help us narrow that down, and that's a roll of 2d6-2+(11-3)/3, or 2d6+1. We may indeed have the Rose Brothers' religion! The Spiritual Aim of this group is for believers to expand the frontiers of knowledge through inquiry and speculation.

Rolling a 9 on 2d6+4, we learn that this religion requires only bimonthly devotions. Another 9 (this time on 2d6+2) tells us that the religious hierarchy is a loose one with most decisions left to individual worshippers. Rose Brothers or not, this combination sounds like the clergy and religious hierarchy aren't really what you might think of as such, but are really just recognitions for advancing knowledge or achieving a depth of study ~ more collegial than priestly. We go on to determine that the bimonthly devotions are completely informal, open exchanges of ideas and concepts in a casual setting (14 on 2d6+2).

Now we get to the last test as to whether this can be “the” Rose Brother religion or just merely some spin-off splinter sect. I've got my fingers crossed that these three rolls result in at least a high five-digit number. Our first roll is on 2d6-2; it turns out that the religion has an ordinary Missionary Fervor and will accept any sophont among its ranks (rolled a 6). Though a recruitment drive of sorts exists, mostly by means of talks and panels rather than missions or proselytization, the majority of this religion's adherents are perfectly happy to not try to convert their friends. Sadly, this is a tiny religion, as rolling a 0 on 3d6-6 means that there's only a maximum of 9 members.

Rolling the dWikipedia for a name . . . how about the Lost Secrets of the Rose Brothers? These (actually randomly generating the number) 6 elders, the oldest people in the Guild-State, still follow the religion of the Rose Brothers in its original form: that the omnibenevolent God of Mystery (Hamachis of the Horizon) can only intervene in human affairs when human ingenuity creates an opening for It to do so. Humans create such openings (is it a cosmological opening, the world torn asunder? Or is it psychological, opened by the wonder and panikon of future shock? These six remember fondly and with melancholy the days when that was still an active theological argument, if a bit of a tired one). They can only get together every other month to reminisce about the old days, discuss theology, and try to impress each other with their new ideas and inventions, but they never miss a meeting. And they're perfectly happy to tell others the Lost Secrets, but they recognize that history has passed them and their beliefs by. If they can't create the opening for Harmachis of the Horizon, then mebbe whatever has replaced their ways can.

So far, the religious landscape of Ishee involves:
4,966,607 sophonts (31% of the population) atheist/agnostic/non-religious
7,690,230 sophonts (48%) Liberty Fellowship of Spirit-Listeners
6 sophonts (essentially 0%) Lost Secrets of the Rose Brothers
3,364,470 sophonts (21%) not yet accounted for

Finally! The last of the Virtues! (Design Domingo #5)

MYSTICAL (My)/WORLDLY (Wo)
Mystical people look to the spiritual world for guidance; Worldly people concern themselves with the affairs of this world -- many religions measure piety by the Mystical trait, while others measure piety by the Worldly trait, for their religion is of this world.

A mystical character often dwells on spiritual matters, and is aware of them and their implications in the material world. (This is not the same as worship, which is an action rather than a belief.) A mystical person is a spiritual person. An extremely pious person is devout or zealous, perhaps even saintly. Worldly indicates profligacy, taking great pleasure in temporal things such as fine clothes, comfortable furnishings, good music and poetry, and the best company. Do not confuse Worldly with Indulgent; the two often go hand-in-hand, but they are not the same.

Mystical is often used to make Knowledge (arcana, planes, religion), Spellcraft, and Use Magical Device rolls. Worldly, on the other hand, is involved in determining the maximum amount of weight your character can carry and in calculating hit points and is often used to make Knowledge (engineering, geography, history, local, nature, nobility), Profession, and Sense Motive rolls. Sometimes, it’s used to make Climb, Swim, Fly, Ride, Fortitude, Appraise, Craft, Linguistics, Survival, and Handle Animal rolls, as well as rolls to perform feats of strength. Both Mystical and Worldly are often used with Perception rolls.
Paladins use Mystical to determine how many skill ranks they receive each level.
Mystical governs the spellcasting of clerics, while Worldly governs that of druids and rangers.

PRUDENT (Pru)/RECKLESS (Re)
Prudent people look before they leap and think things through before acting. Reckless people believe in deeds, not words and trust in their instincts and skills to preserve them.

The prudent character gives thought to what they do before they act. Such a character is called cautious, and excessively prudent people are called shrewd, circumspect, or discerning — or “slow to act.” The reckless character acts before they think things through, without concern for anything but the immediate consequences. An extremely reckless character is called careless, or a hothead.

Prudent is involved in calculating your character’s Armor Class (AC) and is often used to make Reflex, Disable Device, Escape Artist, Sleight of Hand, Stealth, Appraise, Craft, Knowledge (engineering), Perception, Profession, Sense Motive, and Survival rolls. One of the common traits used to make attack rolls, Reckless is also used in Climb, Swim, and Acrobatics rolls, as well as rolls to perform feats of strength and Fly or Ride checks to charge or increase your mount’s speed beyond its wont. Both Prudent and Reckless are sometimes used to make Will and Intimidate rolls.
Barbarians use Reckless to determine how many skill ranks they receive each level.

TEMPERATE (Te)/INDULGENT (In)
Temperate people restrain their appetites and eat wisely and drink little. Indulgent people party the night away and eat and drink until they are fuller than full.

Temperance means that a character takes only what he needs of food, drink, and other temporal needs. They are frugal and abstain from excess. Extreme temperance indicates asceticism, perhaps even self-mortification. An indulgent character is a gourmand: they take pleasure in food and drink, both in quality and quantity. Extremes of this indicate gluttony and drunkenness.

Temperate is sometimes used with Fly or Ride rolls to reflect the careful treatment of the mount, as well as Survival rolls. Indulgent, on the other hand, is involved in calculating hit points; it’s also often used to make Appraise rolls and certain kind of Craft (like Craft (food)) and Knowledge (local, nobility) rolls. Temperate is more often used to make Fortitude rolls than Indulgent, but sometimes Indulgent can be used to reflect a body that’s used to handling new and strange excesses. Both Temperate and Indulgent are sometimes used to make Will and Heal rolls.
Monks use Temperate to determine how many skill ranks they receive each level, while sorcerers use Indulgent.

TRUSTING (Tr)/SUSPICIOUS (Su)
Trusting people assume the best of everyone until proven otherwise; Suspicious people fear the worst of everyone until proven otherwise.

One who is trusting tends to believe information without any inclination to suspect its falsity. An excessively trusting person is gullible and credulous, perhaps even a dupe. Suspicious indicates that a person is unlikely to believe what they hear unless proof is offered. An extremely suspicious person is called a skeptic or a doubter. A naturally suspicious person might still be extremely pious, however.

In some cases, jealousy is included under the Suspicious trait. Thus when someone acts jealous, they may start making rolls with Suspicious. Furthermore, Suspicious is one of the common traits used to make attack rolls, as well as being involved in calculating your character’s Armor Class (AC), and is often used to make Reflex, Disable Device, Escape Artist, Appraise, Will, Perception, Profession, Sense Motive, Bluff, and Disguise rolls. Trusting is sometimes used to make Handle Animal rolls. Both Trusting and Suspicious are often used to make Knowledge (local, nobility), Linguistics, and Diplomacy rolls.

VALOROUS (Va)/COWARDLY (Co)
Valorous people do not shrink from honest, fair battle. Extremely valorous people do not shrink from possibly suicidal battle. Cowardly people seize any chance to avoid combat.

To be valorous means to be brave and courageous, willing to place oneself in danger for the sake of victory, friends, or the simple love of battle. Many PCs, by dint of being the protagonists in an action-adventure story, are valorous, and thus might be referred to as doughty, stalwart, or valiant. Extremely heroic individuals are often called fearless or intrepid. Valor may be exhibited not only in combat, but whenever risks to one’s health or wellbeing are involved. Cowardly means to be fearful of pain and of harm to one’s self. Someone who is extremely faint-hearted is labeled as a poltroon, dastard, craven, caitiff, or recreant.

As mentioned before, the types of stories told in fantasy RPGs tend to privilege Valorous characters, though Cowardly heroes can be a helluva lot of fun. Accordingly, these two Virtues are very often used to make a wide variety of rolls in Middens & Morals. To start with, Valorous is one of the common traits used to make attack rolls, and is sometimes used to make Fortitude and Will rolls, too. Battlefield medicine often uses Valorous to make Heal rolls, and Valorous can reveal information about your opponent when used with Perception. Cowardly is involved in calculating your character’s Armor Class (AC) and often used with Stealth rolls and Perception rolls to detect ambushes and surprise attacks. Both Valorous and Cowardly (depending usually on the direction one is moving in relation to the enemy) are often used to make Climb, Swim, and Sense Motive rolls and feinting, ambushing, distracting, and other such tactics often use either Valorous or Cowardly to make Bluff rolls. Though swashbucklers and the like are probably using Proud or Reckless to make Acrobatics rolls, there are times when either Valorous or Cowardly will be more appropriate.
Fighters use Valorous to determine how many skill ranks they receive each level.

Space faith! (Traveller Tuesday #4)

Now that we've got an idea of the political situation on Ishee, we get to start looking at one of my favorite things: its religious landscape! In college, I became fascinated by the interactions between science/technology and religion. I studied the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Mormonism) in light of the very specific moment in anthropological histriography in which it began (their idea that First Nations peoples were descended from the Lost Tribes of Israel was a short-lived scientific theory) and Spiritualism as envisaging the medium as a human version of that new-fangled invention called the telegraph and Theosophy as continuing Spiritualism after the telegraph lost its shininess and Darwin was the new thing. And I studied UFO and ancient astronaut religions, like Scientology, Raelianism, the various formulations of Nuwaubianism, Heaven's Gate, and more. The Nuwaubians are extra-fun because they hit my other button: identity religions like the Radical Fairies, the Lost-Found Nation of Islam, Rastafarianism, etc.

So, we start off by giving a number to the atheist/agnostic/non-religious population of Ishee, the folk we won't capture with our randomized religions. Let's just roll 1d100 and call it a percent. A reasonable 31% of Isheeans list themselves on surveys as atheist/agnostic/non-religious, or 4,966,607 sophonts.

Because FTL travel in my religion is built on technology derived from actual Spiritualist weirdness (the New Motive Power of Unitarian abolitionist turned Spiritualist free love preacher and abolitionist John Murray Spear), there needs to be at least a significant percentage of the population of any planet that practices a Spiritualist religion. I'm gonna choose the appropriate God View until I'm satisfied with that percentage.

So, our first religion will be one of ancestor worship (God View 5), which means we roll 2d6-2+(5-3)/3, or 2d6-1, to determine its Spiritual Aim. Oh, goody! We rolled a 3, which means that the religion believes in reincarnation with a karma doctrine (meaning that one's actions, morality, and/or devotion in this life determine or affect your next life). Next, we roll 2d6-7+3 for the amount of Devotion Required. 11-4 is 7, so there are fortnightly services, with anything more being in the realm of personal piety rather than religious requirement. That feels more like a focus on a morality-based karma doctrine than a devotion-based one. Or, maybe, a simple consequential karma (if your actions create a 'verse with more poor people in it, than your chances of being reborn as a poor person are greater. Duh.)

The Organizational Structure of the religion ends up as a flat 2d6 roll, which results in a 6, which means that it has a loose hierarchy, with most decisions made on a regional (as in interplanetary) level. I'm thinking that means that there are some higher reaches of clergy that oversee several worlds and discuss theology, ethics, liturgy, and the like, with most of the lower clergy (planetary and local) generally listening to them and going forward with what they think while mebbe putting their own bit of a spin on it. Mebbe something like Islam's hierarchical structure but with a Spiritualist personal-gnosis approach rather than a reverence for an unchangeable text. There is a central authority in this religion (unlike Islam, or modern Islam anyway), but it mostly functions collegially and academically to keep the various regional leaders talking to each other for unification and the development of the understanding of the religion.

A 2d6-7+6 roll of 10 tells us that ritual (which, recall, is only held fortnightly) is generally limited to formal study groups discussing and interpreting church writings. I think this is a twofold thing. One, the religion focuses less on seances and spirit possession, and more on the little everyday ways that the spirits of the dead (especially one's own dead and the various Spirit Associations contacted long ago by John Murray Spear) direct and guide our lives. There is a whole body of religious writings talking about how the ghosts might do that, or about developing the discerning, present awareness to notice when they do. Another body of religious literature would, in fact, come from seances and spirit possession, generally practiced only by clergy (and practiced more, the higher up in the hierarchy you are). This body records direct communications from the Spirit Associations and is studied by adherents of the religion in order as a guide to belief and action.

The Missionary Fervor of the religion is always determined with a 2d6-2 roll, which in this case comes up 4. This means that adherents of this religion actively (but not zealously) proselytize among a limited number of sophonts. A friendship with a member of this religion won't involve a conversion attempt every time you hang out, or even once every five times, but there's a good chance there will be at least one conversation about how your ancestors and the Spirit Associations are trying to guide you and direct your life to your betterment and that of everyone that is, was, or will be. I'm getting the sense that, while there is some idea that there are bad actors among the spirits, this religion doesn't really focus on that very much, considering it uncommon or rare.

According to the theologians of this church, every sophont species has its own Spirit Associations leading its dead, and not all of them have come into communion with the Associations of Human Spirits that the church focuses on. This means that some sophont races are exempt from its proselytization efforts and encouraged instead, if it comes up (adherents won't bring it up) to talk to their dead to see what they should be doing.

Finally, we roll 3d6-4 to determine how many people follow these teachings and channelled documents. Wow, this is a popular one! We rolled a 12, which means that the religion has literally trillions of adherents ~ I'm imagining this covers at least a couple of subsectors, if not more. Let's use random.org to come up with an actual number: 2,045,958,269,515 people follow this religion. How many of those are on Ishee? We've accounted for 31% of its population, so let's roll a d69 to find out. 48% of Ishee's population belongs to this religion, or 7,690,230 sophonts.

We need to give it a name. Let's roll that dWikipedia and see what we can come up with . . . how about the Liberty Fellowship of Spirit-Listeners?

Virtues, continued (Design Domingo #4)

GENEROUS (Ge)/SELFISH (Se)
Generous people keep only what they need to maintain their station and reward their followers well; Selfish people are stingy and accumulate wealth all for themselves beyond their station.

Generous determines the impulse, learning, or desire to share with others. It includes the largesse of barbarian chieftains, and also the famed virtue of Charity. Extremely generous persons are called unselfish, magnanimous, and big-hearted. Selfish is the desire to possess, keep, and further accumulate things for oneself. Greed is usually a component of selfishness. This possessiveness usually regards material property and wealth, with the character being known as a miser or hoarder, but it might apply to glory, so that the character always wishes to keep the most glorious tasks and duties for themself. Very selfish persons are labeled both stingy and self-serving.

Generous is often used to make rolls to perform feats of strength or Heal rolls when your character is helping someone out, or with Handle Animal rolls in general. It’s sometimes also used with Fly and Ride checks involving overland travel, where endurance and being well-fed determine your mount’s performance more than anything else. In some cases, jealousy is included under the Selfish trait. Thus when someone acts jealous, he may begin rolling with Selfish. Beyond that, Selfish is sometimes used to make Reflex rolls, especially ones to protect a character’s stuff, as well as Bluff rolls. Both Generous and Selfish see common use with Disable Device, Craft, Knowledge (nobility), and Profession rolls and, depending on what you’re doing, with Sleight of Hand and Stealth rolls, too. Selfish is more often used to make Appraise and Will rolls, but there are situations in which Generous is used instead.

Rogues use Selfish to determine how many skill ranks they receive each level.

HONEST (Ho)/DECEITFUL (De)
Honest people are truthful and never lie under oath. Deceitful people use words as weapons to snare others with tricks.

To be honest is to deal truthfully with others, both in matters of import or triviality, no matter what the consequences. Persons of extreme honesty are said to have integrity and to be trustworthy, scrupulous, and reliable. A deceitful person is generally likely to distort truths, or to fabricate untruths, for their own ends (or perhaps on behalf of others) — or in some cases, simply for the sake of doing so. Chronically deceitful people are called liars, frauds, and false-hearted.

Honest is often used to make Diplomacy rolls, while Deceitful is often used with Escape Artist, Sleight of Hand, Stealth, Sense Motive, Bluff, Disguise, and Use Magic Device rolls. It’s also involved in calculating your character’s Armor Class (AC). Both Honest and Deceitful are often rolled to make Knowledge (all), Linguistics, Will, Profession, and Perform rolls and sometimes Intimidate rolls, too.

Clerics and druids use Honest to determine how many skill ranks they receive each level, to reflect the fervent nature of their faith.

MODEST (Mo)/PROUD (Pro)
Modest people play down their glory and do not ask for praise; Proud people sing their own praises and expect the accolades of others.

To be modest is to be quiet and reserved about one’s gifts and accomplishments, not seeking excessive attention in the recitation of one’s own deeds. A modest character is glad simply to perform deeds, rather than bask in the repeated glory of hearing about them. Very modest people are called humble and reserved, or perhaps even shy. The Proud trait indicates the degree to which one gets pleasure from hearing and/or boasting of their deeds. Many lifeways value Pride in a character. Excessive pride implies arrogance, and likely a boastful nature.

Proud is often used to make Acrobatics, Profession, Bluff, Intimidate, and Perform rolls, and sometimes used to make Climb and Swim rolls. Rolls to perform feats of strength, too. Modest people sometimes make interesting use of both Sleight of Hand and Stealth, so it’s sometimes used for those rolls, as well as for Knowledge (nature), Perception, Survival, and Handle Animal rolls. Meanwhile, both Proud and Modest are sometimes used to make Knowledge (local, nobility) and Diplomacy checks.

Proud governs the spellcasting of bards and also determines how many skill ranks they receive each level. They’re one of two classes which use the same trait for both (the other being wizards).

JUST (Ju)/ARBITRARY (Ar)
Just people adhere to the law. Arbitrary people do whatever they like.

A just character is capable of telling what is right and wrong (within the mores of their upbringing and their personal beliefs), and is desirous of passing due judgment based on that information. A very just person is called fair and impartial. Arbitrary means that the character has no concern for what is right or wrong, and uses other information and bases for his decision making. Very arbitrary people are labeled unjust, unfair, wrongful, and probably biased and partial.

Both Just and Arbitrary are one of the common traits used to make attack rolls and Knowledge (local, nobility) rolls. Arbitrary is sometimes used to make Escape Artist, Sleight of Hand, Stealth, Will, Bluff, Intimidate, Perform, and Use Magic Device rolls. Fly, Ride, and Handle Animal rolls sometimes use Just, as the animal learns more easily what a just rider wants. It’s also often used to make Appraise, Knowledge (history), Perception, Profession, Sense Motive, and Diplomacy rolls.

Just governs the spellcasting of paladins.

MERCIFUL (Me)/CRUEL (Cr)
Merciful people accept surrenders and treat prisoners well. Cruel people find it better to kill those who surrender so they can't cause you future trouble, or else to break their will through torture.

Mercy indicates a tendency to extend sympathy, pity, and aid to others. This includes sparing an enemy, giving money to the poor, helping the weak, and any other act that is not expected of one’s rank and station. A very merciful person is called compassionate. Cruel indicates a disregard for the feelings and needs of others, or lack of sympathy. High values in Cruel indicate that the character actually enjoys the discomforts and troubles of others.

Cruel is one of the common traits used to make attack rolls (especially melee attack rolls). Perception and Intimidate checks, too. Another incredibly powerful trait for combat-oriented characters, it also adds to damage rolls. Merciful sometimes finds use with Escape Artist rolls and often with Heal rolls. Depending on how you treat your mount, both Merciful and Cruel are often used to make Fly or Ride checks and sometimes both can be used with Sleight of Hand rolls to set people up or help them avoid the eyes of the law (or in similar situations, obviously).

O holy Virtue! (Design Domingo #3)

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Well, let's start where everyone starts (Traveller Tuesday #1)

By creating a world, with an eye toward it being part of a whole subsector!

Well, first we start with a name. I know, I know ~ it seems like I'm putting the warp nacelles ahead of the cargo bay, but I think figuring out a name first off gives you something you might work off, to establish themes, original colonizing culture, et cetera. And if you don't? Logically speaking, most stars won't be named by colonists anyway.

I like to keep as much randomness as possible, so I went to Wikipedia, hit “Random Article”, and got sent to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colin_Sheumack. At the moment, we know nothing about the structure of the system, so I'll apply the name to the star itself ~ we're writing about the Bishop Sheumack system. I kinda like including the title in the sun's name; it gives a different feel than other settings.

Thinking about it, I can totally name the mainworld of the Bishop Sheumack system. Rolling the dWikipedia, I get https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roger_Ishee. Ishee will be the name of the mainworld, and we'll place it in a random hex in the subsector. Oooh, but first, let's name that subsector, sector, and quadrant: Eau Pleine subsector (Alpha-3D or Greve-D) in Greve sector (Alpha-3) in Alpha Quadrant. Lets roll for the hex: 0704.

Anyway, Ishee needs some definition. I'm more of a social scifi/anthropological scifi kind of qween, so I like to start with the second half of the bUWP (Basic Universal World Profile). So, rolling 2d6-2, I find that Ishee has more people than the average planet: tens of millions of people live there (Pop digit 7: bUWP α-3D-0704-? (α Greve-Eau Pleine-Bishop Scheumack-Ishee)/????7??-?/?/??/Em).

But how many tens of millions? Using random.org to generate a random 8-digit number, I discover that 16,021,313 live on Ishee. That's about the size of Lagos, Nigeria (city proper) or the Moscow metropolitan area or the entire country of Cambodia!

Next, I roll 3d6 and get a 9, which is greater than the world's Pop digit of 7, so there are no cities of tens of millions on this planet. How about millions? Are there cities of that size? A 10 on 2d6 tells me that no, there are not (again, it's larger than 7). I don't have to roll for cities with hundreds of thousands of people ~ 1d6 will always roll less than 7! Another 1d6 roll gives me a 1, which will result in a very decentralized planet, as that means that there are only (16,021,313/107)*(1+9) cities of this size (the largest). That comes out to 16 of them. Assuming they have an average population of 500,000 for ease, that takes up 8,000,000 of our 16,021,313, leaving us with 8,021,313 people unaccounted for.

Rolling 1d6 again tells us that there are (8,021,313/107)*(4+9)*10 cities with tens of thousands of people. That works out to 104 of them. Of these 3d6-3% ( I rolled a 15, so 12%) will have populations of 90,000 or more. The math says that's 12.513 cities, so I will just barely round up ~ 13 cities of such size exist on Ishee. Overall, however, we again assume these cities average out to about 50,000 people each, accounting for another 5,200,000 of our people. We still need to account for the remaining 2,821,313.

Well, let's run through that formula again, rolling a 2, which gives us (2,821,313/107)*(2+9)*100. That's 310 cities averaging 5000 people each. Rolling 3d6 tlls us that (12-3)% of them have 9000 or more people ~ that's 28 such cities. That's another 1,550,000 people placed in cities, leaving 1,271,313. Let's do another quick run through for the small towns of hundreds of people, rolling a 3 on 1d6. (1,271,313/107)*(3+9)*1000 equals 1526 cities, of which (15-3)%, or 183, have populations of 900 or more. Averaging all those cities out to 500 people each, we realize that they hold a total of 763,000 people. Only 508,313 people remain homeless. Or, rather, they tend to live alone in isolated settlements of no more than maybe a few dozen people (2-4 families), or roam across the surface as traveling folk with no permanent residence.

For future consideration, we designate the ten largest of the cities as primary cities, the remaining 6 cities with hundreds of thousands of people as secondary cities, and all the rest as tertiary.

Now, let's define the planet's major cultural elements. Rolling 1d3, we discover that there are two big Cultural Differences. Rolling 2d66, we get 12 and 61. Let's see . . . looking at the chart . . . the planet is (or hosts) a Tourist Attraction of some sort which attracts Travellers from at least the subsector if not further afield and is Progressive, with an expanding and vibrant culture full of optimism and hope. I'm kind of taken with the idea, at first blush, that this tourist attraction isn't a thing or a place, but a seasonal or annual festival that people come to the planet to see ~ maybe like a futuristic Burning man or a Cherry Blossom Festival or election hoopla . . . .

In addition, there is but a single local custom of note (I rolled a 1 on 1d6). Another 1d6 roll gives me a 5, which tells me that is single local custom of note is something from the “Miscellaneous Customs 1” table . . . That's a 1d66 roll, which gives me a 56, so high tech is allowed for . . . some group of people. Let's head on over to that table, which is another 1d66. But first! I roll a 1d6 and get a 2, s I don't have to roll on the bigger table. A roll of 1-3 tells me that the entire culture practices this custom. Hmmmm, “High tech allowed for everyone”. That sounds to me like a culture that is fiercely protective of access to high technology and deeply distrustful of any attempt to limit it. Think of, say, the NRA's take on the 2nd Amendment, or even more extreme. Maybe mixed in with what are currently more leftist ideals (or non-political and seen as a charity) of removing societal and economic barriers to access.

Maybe that festival I mentioned above, the tourist attraction, is a high tech playground/conference/chance to show off? Depending on how capitalist (ugh!) this world or this subsector turn out, it can be something like a Maker Fair mixed with Burning Man kind of thing or a massive corporate marketing scheme (like, say, E3 or Comic-Con) . . .

The Halfling Holiday of Longdays

"Sweet you came, and sweet you shall return."

--The Journal of Sacrifices 3:19c (from the Diaries)

When the halfling liturgical calendar embarks into Longdays, a period of forty-eight days of fasting, prayer, repentance, and reflection, often including a rather literal step into the desert, clergy in both the Apostolic Ǽtscúrárite /ǽtʃúrɑ́r/ Church (an inclusive, sacramental, esoteric, and mystical religion with apostolic succession) and the Outer Halfling Church join with religious people from around Walhiska /ɥɑ́rískɑ́/ of various different heritages and backgrounds. Halflings commonly remind themselves and each other that it’s often all too easy to let one’s mind wander while reading the more esoteric texts when, at this time, we should be focusing on making straight the way for the Divine to enter into our hearts.

Probably the most defining feature of Bróƿèo-Tḕrkṑ-Scúcrá /bróɥèotɛ̀rkɔ̀ʃúkrɑ́/ is the imposition of sugar which is made from the sugar canes blessed with the sweat, blood, and pained cries of halfling worshippers on the previous Fréo-Brī̀m-Scǽní /fréobrɪ̀mʃǽŋí/. This sugar is placed on the foreheads of the congregation with the accompanying phrase, “Remember that you are sweet, and still sweet you shall return.” To be sure, it’s a rather strange custom to many outsiders but to the faithful, it is a reminder that mortals were created to be amusement and candy for the gods, that people are therefore fundamentally carefree and joyful, and of their mortality – something that is easily forgotten in the crush and turmoil of daily lives.

"There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow in ethics or wealth or rank; true nobility is being superior to your former self in pleasantry and beauty and cheer."

--halfling writer Éornòst Fíenƿḕg /éorŋòstfíyŋɥɛ̀g/

One of the processes that halflings work on in that inimitably cheerful halfling way during Longdays is that of learning humility – epitomized in the Story of the Druid and the Tax Collector in Hǽnsóró's /çǽnsóró/ Diary. When, on Bróƿèo-Tḕrkṑ-Scúcrá, they receive the imposition of sugar they’re engaging in something that is simultaneously a very public act marking them as elect, yet at the same time, the symbol used is that of their ultimate fate as candy in the mouths of the gods and, recalling the popular Orthodox icon, ‘Extreme Hospitality’.

The quote by Fíenƿḕg, in many ways, could be said to be a proper quote to an understanding of this season of vows and the value of the role of remembrance in the spiritual process of dissolution, boiling, and caramelization. Mortals must descend and experience the bewildering confusion of being fully dissolved in the milk and water of nature, while at the same time recognizing the need for their own inner caramelization in the process.

When mortals remember, as Ǽngìmúngæ̀m /ǽŋːìmúŋːæ̀m/ speaks that the ‘delight of the gods is a thing we share along with equality’, they can come to a gentle understanding of how they all as a trifle sharing in a common cook all are engaged in this process, which is ultimately redemptive, and thus arrive at gnosis. We share in one another's suffering and learn compassion for the gods, that we are all suffering with, sharing in that sympathy with the Divine Light.

In Nìsèoƿṑsóró's /ŋìsèoɥɔ̀sóró/ writings, the Three Ends of Things are often compared to the three aspects that are present during the process of combustion (i.e. fire, smoke, ash): ‘Whatever burns is sulphur, whatever is humid is mercury, and that which is the balsam of these two is salt’. Nìsèoƿṑsóróans also employ the Three Ends of Things to represent the composition of the mortal microcosm: spirit (mercury), soul (sulphur) and body (salt), and this correlation is extended to some extent to a typology of the gods: the old gods (sulphur), the timeless gods (mercury), and the young gods (salt)."In this manner", states Nìsèoƿṑsóró, ‘in three things, all meets its end […] namely, in salt, in sulphur, and in liquid. In these three things all things are contained, whether sensate or insensate […] So too you understand that in the same manner that mortals are fed into the mouth of the gods, so too all creatures die in the number three’.”

“You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men.”

--Átscék's /ɑ́tʃék/ Diary

Salt, here, stands as a figure of power which concentrates taste, and provides its own flavor to a dish – the effect which salt has upon meat, fruit, and many other things. As living witnesses to the gods mortals are urged to communicate divine truth to make the flavors of their selves and others' more pronounced and delicious as well as to act in such a way as to preserve the good (which is a secondary benefit of salt). On another level, however, salt is used in the preservation of the dead – probably a good example would be the thirty to forty days in which many mummies were preserved in natron (a type of salt) prior to burial – thus it becomes a reminder of mortality.

Within each mortal there is rot and decay, and unyummy things. It can be a voice from the past which reminds one of how worthless one is when one knows one is not. It can come from obsessing over failures one has made however big or small. It can come from study or work. It can also come from one's spiritual family as well. Longdays is such a time, then, to drop the burden of what one's been carrying for the past weeks or even years and is an invitation for mortal's to start out on a new adventure of forgiving themselves and others for the barriers that they have placed in their hearts which prevent the gods from coming to them more clearly, as well as to improve their flavor in the gods' mouths.

"What makes mortals free is the knowledge, of what they are, of what they can become, of where they were, of wherein they have been cast, of how they are being cooked, of what spices shall compliment their flavor, of what birth truly is, and what rebirth Truly is."

--halfling theologian Nwǽmùmgèmàn /ŋːʷǽmùmgèmɑ̀ŋ/