The Environment
of Sting (Sword Wolds 0705)
Atmosphere
The atmosphere of Sting is composed of 22% oxygen (the same as Earth), but the overall pressure is only 0.7 atm at sea level. Thus the equivalent altitude on Earth (based on oxygen pressure) is 3km higher (i.e. there is the same amount of oxygen at 0km altitude on Sting as there is on Earth at 3km).
Temperature
The base temperature (for hex row N-4) is 13.9°C, but this is affected by a number of factors: axial tilt, eccentricity, and day and night. It can also be moderated by water (if a coastal area, adjust the temperature by 1d6° up or down towards 13.9°C). The ‘arctic circles’ lie at about 19° from the poles, and thus include hex row N-9 (and north from here) and S-9 (and south from here).
| General Base Temperatures (°C) |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hex Row | Summer in Northern Hemisphere (Day/Night) | Summer in Southern Hemisphere (Day/Night) |
||
| N-11 | -16 | -18 | -47 | -49 |
| N-10 | -10 | -12 | -41 | -43 |
| N-9 | -4 | -6 | -35 | -37 |
| N-8 | 2 | 0 | -39 | -31 |
| N-7 | 8 | 6 | -23 | -25 |
| N-6 | 11 | 9 | -12 | -14 |
| N-5 | 14 | 12 | -1 | -3 |
| N-4 | 17 | 15 | 9 | 8 |
| N-3 | 20 | 19 | 20 | 18 |
| N-2 | 26 | 25 | 26 | 24 |
| N-1 | 32 | 31 | 32 | 30 |
| S-1 | 32 | 30 | 32 | 21 |
| S-2 | 26 | 24 | 26 | 25 |
| S-3 | 20 | 18 | 20 | 19 |
| S-4 | 9 | 8 | 17 | 15 |
| S-5 | -1 | -3 | 14 | 12 |
| S-6 | -12 | -14 | 11 | 9 |
| S-7 | -23 | -25 | 8 | 6 |
| S-8 | -29 | -31 | 2 | 0 |
| S-9 | -35 | -37 | -4 | -6 |
| S-10 | -41 | -43 | -10 | -12 |
| S-11 | -47 | -49 | -16 | -18 |
| Effects | ||
|---|---|---|
| DGP Grand Survey description | T5 hits/min when exposed |
|
| 50°C | Upper limit of human habitability | 1 |
| 37°C | Physical strain on human body | |
| 30°C | Upper limit of human comfort | |
| 25°C | Upper limit of optimal temperature (room temperature) | |
| 18°C | Lower limit of optimal temperature (room temperature) | |
| 15°C | Base temperature for Terra | |
| 6°C | Minimum for crop growing season | |
| 0°C | Lower limit of human comfort | |
| -5°C | Crop “killing frost” temperature on most worlds | 1 |
| -20°C | Lower limit of human habitability | 1 |
| -36°C | Hardy plants killed on most worlds | 4 |
| -78°C | Carbon dioxide solidifies to form dry ice | 16 |
Wind
| Beaufort Scale | ||
|---|---|---|
| Severity | Name | Wind (kph) |
| 0 | Calm | 1 |
| 1 | Light air | 1-5 |
| 2 | Light breeze | 6-11 |
| 3 | Gentle breeze | 12-19 |
| 4 | Moderate breeze | 20-28 |
| 5 | Fresh breeze | 29-38 |
| 6 | Strong breeze | 39-49 |
| 7 | Moderate gale | 50-61 |
| 8 | Fresh gale | 62-74 |
| 9 | Strong gale | 75-88 |
| 10 | Whole gale | 89-102 |
| 11 | Storm | 103-117 |
| 12+ | Hurricane | 117+ |
Events & Encounters
The world map shows “clear”, “mountain”, and “sea” terrain. Interpret “clear” land as follows:
- From N-7 to N-11 use the tundra table
- From S-7 to S-11 use the tundra table
- From N-6 to S-6 and within 1d6 kilometres of the sea use the coast table
- Other clear land in Arabia is 50% desert, 50% steppe
- Other clear land elsewhere is 50% forest, 50% steppe
Roll 2d6 for every 50 km travelled in the predominant terrain to find the animal encounter or event if any.
| Encounters/Events (2d6) |
||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steppe | Forest | Mountain | Coast | Desert | Tundra | |
| 2 | Family House | Hunters | No encounter | No encounter | No encounter | Hunters |
| 3 | Hunters/Farmers | No encounter | No encounter | No encounter | No encounter | No encounter |
| 4 | Carrion Worm | Carrion Worm | Carrion Worm | Carrion Worm | No encounter | No encounter |
| 5 | Scuttlebug | Scuttlebug | Bulette | Sandhopper | No encounter | No encounter |
| 6 | Läufer | Chipmunk | Sheep | No encounter | No encounter | No encounter |
| 7 | Deer | Sieber | Deer | No encounter | No encounter | No encounter |
| 8 | Rat Thing | Mature Sieber | Rat Thing | Rat Thing | No encounter | No encounter |
| 9 | Sabre-toothed Cat | Skorpion | Mountain Jiger | No encounter | No encounter | Deer |
| 10 | Event (Storm) | Event (Storm) | Event (Storm) | Event (Storm) | Event (Storm) | Event (Storm) |
| 11 | No encounter | No encounter | Event (Landslide) | No encounter | Snake | No encounter |
| 12 | Military Unit | Event (Forest Fire) | Military Unit | Military Unit | Military Unit | Military Unit |
Family House: On a cleared and levelled patch of ground stands a 6d6 room mansion with attached garages, servant’s quarters, and power plant. How many of the residents are currently home depends on the time of day. There is a 50% chance that this is also a farm (with barns, animal pens/paddocks, and a pigsty or two).
Hunters: A low-flying (or grounded) air/raft with 1d6 hunters. They’re armed with rifles and/or shotguns.
Farmers: Two low-flying (or grounded) air/rafts with 2d6 farmers. 1d6 farmers will be armed with shotguns.
Military Unit: A military unit marches through on a training exercise. For size roll 6 on 1d6 for platoon-sized, otherwise squad-sized. For transportation, roll 6 on 1d6 for grav vehicles (APCs, etc), otherwise on foot. They are armed with smallarms only.
Event (Storm): A heavy rainstorm with poor visibility and high gusting winds begins. Travel is difficult (flying is perilous, ground vehicles can become mired in mud/sand, foot travel is arduous). Storm lasts 1d6-3 days (min=1) and is severity 1d6+6 (reroll if total is 12).
If in a forest the wind causes a lot of noise but does not otherwise impede travel on the ground (but you still get wet).
If in a desert there is the added danger of flash flood (roll 6 on 1d6). And if in a desert near mountains, there is a chance that the storm is not local but in the mountains … and a flash flood may come (roll 3+ on 1d6)!
If in tundra, the storm is a snowstorm.
Event (Forest Fire): The forest is burning rapidly towards the adventurers. All animals on the forest table run blindly toward the group. Each animal will attack if blocked by an individual.
Event (Landslide): Roll 9+ on 2d6 for each character and/or vehicle to be hit by falling/rolling rocks. However …
To dodge a rockfall while on foot:
Difficult, Dex, Fateful and hazardous
Animals
| Animal Table | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Qty | Animal | Mass | Hits | Armour | Wounds | Weapons | Reactions | ||
| 1 | Bulette (1d6 for size) | mesh | teeth | A1 | F8 | S1 | |||
| 1-3: 3 metres long | 1000 kg | 7/3 | 7 | ||||||
| 4-5: 4 metres long | 1300 kg | 9/4 | 9 | ||||||
| 6: 5 metres long | 1600 kg | 11/5 | 11 | ||||||
| This large amphibious hunter looks like a marine shark with legs ... and armour! There is even a dorsal fin (but no tail). Fully grown bulettes are 3 to 5 meters in length. While not very fast (or very bright) they have great endurance and will pursue prey for hours. They will also tenaciously smash through simple stockades to reach their prey. They used to be found in coastal regions but have been hunted into extinction there by early settlers, the only specimens left are those that live in mountain lakes and rivers (emerging to hunt when there are no fish, or they sense easy prey). | |||||||||
| Qty | Animal | Mass | Hits | Armour | Wounds | Weapons | Reactions | ||
| (var) | Carrion Worm | 1 kg | 1/0 | none | 1 | teeth | A9 | F3 | S1 |
| This small snake is found all over Sting. Its superior sense of smell allows it to locate dead and dying animals. It is also attracted to dung and other waste products. The Carrion Worm is more common in steppe and forest terrain (Qty=2d6) than elsewhere (Qty=1). | |||||||||
| Qty | Animal | Mass | Hits | Armour | Wounds | Weapon | Reactions | ||
| 1 | Chipmunk | 1 kg | 1/0 | none | 1 | claws | F8 | A8 | S1 |
| This tree-dwelling intermittent is common in Sting’s forests. It was named for its similarity to the Terran Chipmunk. | |||||||||
| Qty | Animal | Mass | Hits | Armour | Wounds | Weapons | Reactions | ||
| 2d6 | Deer | 400 kg | 7/2 | none | 4 | horns | F2 | A5 | S3 |
| This grazer was brought from Old Earth by the original settlers for use as a source of meat. After some minor genetic adjustments for local conditions it was released into the wild. It is commonly hunted for food and sport. | |||||||||
| Qty | Animal | Mass | Hits | Armour | Wounds | Weapons | Reactions | ||
| 1 | Läufer | 100 kg | 3/7 | none | 1 | beak | F3 | A8 | S4 |
| This is an ostrich-like flightless bird that spends its time searching out and eating seeds of all kinds. | |||||||||
| Qty | Animal | Mass | Hits | Armour | Wounds | Weapons | Reactions | ||
| 1 | Mountain Jiger | 400 kg | 9/7 | none | 5 | teeth | A9 | F5 | S3 |
| When Sting was first settled, this pouncer was mistaken for a Long-Toothed Jiger found on other worlds (hence its name) but it is actually completely unrelated. The Mountain Jiger is a 5m long cross between a leopard and a warthog with long sharp teeth and mottled leathery skin. Mountain Jigers are solitary, fiercely territorial, predators. | |||||||||
| Qty | Animal | Mass | Hits | Armour | Wounds | Weapons | Reactions | ||
| 1 | Rat Thing | 50 kg | 6/1 | none | 2 | teeth | F3 | A5 | S1 |
| This giant rodent has chimpanzee-like intelligence and is usually nocturnal. Rat Things often have clubs or knives and have even been known to shoot firearms if they can get hold of them, but this has been determined to be mimicry of observed human behaviour rather than genuine reasoned intelligence. Rat Things often try to steal human artefacts and food and can be dangerous to unwary campers at night. | |||||||||
| Qty | Animal | Mass | Hits | Armour | Wounds | Weapons | Reactions | ||
| 1 | Sabre-toothed Cat | 25 kg | 3/3 | none | 2 | teeth | A2 | F10 | S2 |
| This is a smaller relative of the Mountain Jiger ... but with a more feline face and fur. It is vicious but keeps the rodent population in check. | |||||||||
| Qty | Animal | Mass | Hits | Armour | Wounds | Weapons | Reactions | ||
| 1 | Sandhopper | 1 gr | 1/0 | none | 0 | teeth | A6 | F9 | S1 |
| This cricket-like insect (commonly found along the beach) could normally be ignored if it weren’t for the fact that they sometimes carry disease. (This they pick up from feeding on diseased carcasses.) When encountering a number of sandhoppers make the ‘attack’ and ‘flee’ rolls separately for each individual ... and for any attacking sand hoppers roll 6 on 1d6 for the presence of “Sand Flu” (see below). | |||||||||
| Qty | Animal | Mass | Hits | Armour | Wounds | Weapons | Reactions | ||
| 5d6 | Scuttlebug | 1 kg | 2/1 | none | 1 | teeth | A2 | F10 | S2 |
| This gatherer is a recent (and accidental) addition to Sting’s ecosystem. It is considered a pest. It looks like a clawless lobster, multiplies like a rabbit, leaps about a lot, and can decimate local plant life and crops. | |||||||||
| Qty | Animal | Mass | Hits | Armour | Wounds | Weapons | Reactions | ||
| 3d6 | Sheep | 200 kg | 7/5 | none | 1 | teeth | F2 | A8 | S1 |
| This grazer was brought from Old Earth by the original settlers for use as a source of meat. After some minor genetic adjustments for local conditions, some escaped into the wild and now thrive in mountain regions. Those raised for food are domesticated and live on plains farms. | |||||||||
| Qty | Animal | Mass | Hits | Armour | Wounds | Weapons | Reactions | ||
| Sieber | none | acid | A0 | F7 | S1 | ||||
| 1d6 | ... adolescent | 25 kg | 3/3 | 2 | |||||
| 1 | ... mature | 50 kg | 4/4 | 3 | |||||
| This tree dweller appears as a slow-moving sloth-like creature. It has a fan-like sticky tongue, often more than 2 meters long, which it dangles when in tree branches to snag passing insects. It can partially digest caught insects without ingesting them first and so will often leave its acid-covered tongue out for hours at a time. Anyone not paying attention when walking in a forest runs the risk of stumbling into a Sieber’s tongue (which some people claim can be mistaken for a vine). | |||||||||
| Qty | Animal | Mass | Hits | Armour | Wounds | Weapons | Reactions | ||
| 1 | Skorpion | 3 kg | 1/1 | jack | 2 | stinger | A0 | F5 | S1 |
| This aggressive tree-dwelling arachnoid hunts siebers and chipmunks (and anything that moves). It has a venomous sting which will 1d6 points of additional damage within 30 minutes of a strike (unless anti-venom is administered). | |||||||||
| Qty | Animal | Mass | Hits | Armour | Wounds | Weapons | Reactions | ||
| 1d6 | Snake | 3 kg | 2/1 | jack | 1 | teeth | A2 | F7 | S2 |
| This desert omnivore eats cacti (and other desert plants) for water and is cannibalistic for protein. | |||||||||
| Sand Flu |
|---|
| Agent Type: Complete bacteria Infectivity: High (40% to 75%) Routes of Transmission: Insect or animal vector Incubation Period: Days Systems Affected: Haematological Severity (Frequency): Automatic Severity (Amount): Minor To avoid infection per infected sand hopper bite: Difficult, END -1 Symptoms after a 1d6 days incubation phase include fatigue, shortness of breath (anaemia), and prominent lymph nodes in neck, armpits and groin (if not immunosuppressed). In other words: reduce END by 2d6. Without treatment, the disease lasts an additional 2d6 days then recovery is at 1 point of END per day thereafter. Use normal medical rules for offworld medics. Diagnosis for local physicians is Routine, and targeted antibiotics are readily available. With treatment, recovery of 1 point of END per day begins immediately. If treated before the end of the incubation phase, then there are no symptoms. Most locals are vaccinated annually: they can still get sand flu, but the infection task becomes “Average, END” and severity is halved. Having sand flu has a similar vaccinating effect for 1d6 years. |
Recommended reading
101 Lifeforms by BITS
– the Long-Toothed Jiger is number 16
– the Scuttlebug is number 30
Medicine In Traveller by Robert O’Connor (Freelance Traveller)