Tomb World Features

[Methone]

Right now, Tomb Worlds seem to get a random grab-bag of features from other planet classes. While you can argue some of them fit thematically - having a Searing Desert, having Lichen Fields - none of the colorful Feature Artwork fits with the dead gray Tomb World itself. I suggest we should have unique features for Tomb Worlds or, at the very least, a 'deadened' artwork for the existing features they have access to.

 

[G S Palmer]

That would make things more interesting/realistic. I had a few thoughts on what those features could be:

Generator Districts: Scorching Wastelands (Unprotected by the remnants of this planet's ozone layer, these barren, radioactive deserts are baked by the sun's rays, providing ample opportunity for the collection of solar power), Wind-Swept Ruins (Powerful winds gust through these crumbling ruins, ready to be tamed and put to use by our wind turbines), Radiation Storms (Vast electromagnetic storms of water vapor, dust, ash, and radioactive fallout rumble over these plains, rendering the area barely habitable but a prime location for lightning batteries), Uranium Mines (Before nuking themselves out of existence, the previous civilization to live here had established an extensive network of uranium mines. With careful mining, the remaining resources could power another civilization for centuries).

Mining Districts: Blasted Bedrock (With the topsoil blasted away by a particularly violent thermonuclear explosion, the bedrock in this area is easily accessible for mining), Dry Seabed (Valuable deposits of minerals have been exposed here after the seas dried up in the heat of nuclear fire).

Agriculture Districts: Mutated Forests (The blighted fruits that grow on these twisted trees might not look particularly edible, but are in fact surprisingly nutritious), Subterranean Ecosystem (Protected from nuclear fallout by layers of bedrock, these troglobites live quite happily among their forests of pale fungi), Ruined Hydroponics Complex (Remnants of a buried hydroponics system in these caves tell the tale of the last survivors desperately trying to eke out an existence after the apocalypse struck).

These were just a few ideas I had. The text is obviously unpolished, but was intended to give an idea of what I meant.

 

[Methone]

That would make things more interesting/realistic. I had a few thoughts on what those features could be:

Generator Districts: Scorching Wastelands (Unprotected by the remnants of this planet's ozone layer, these barren, radioactive deserts are baked by the sun's rays, providing ample opportunity for the collection of solar power), Wind-Swept Ruins (Powerful winds gust through these crumbling ruins, ready to be tamed and put to use by our wind turbines), Radiation Storms (Vast electromagnetic storms of water vapor, dust, ash, and radioactive fallout rumble over these plains, rendering the area barely habitable but a prime location for lightning batteries), Uranium Mines (Before nuking themselves out of existence, the previous civilization to live here had established an extensive network of uranium mines. With careful mining, the remaining resources could power another civilization for centuries).

Mining Districts: Blasted Bedrock (With the topsoil blasted away by a particularly violent thermonuclear explosion, the bedrock in this area is easily accessible for mining), Dry Seabed (Valuable deposits of minerals have been exposed here after the seas dried up in the heat of nuclear fire).

Agriculture Districts: Mutated Forests (The blighted fruits that grow on these twisted trees might not look particularly edible, but are in fact surprisingly nutritious), Subterranean Ecosystem (Protected from nuclear fallout by layers of bedrock, these troglobites live quite happily among their forests of pale fungi), Ruined Hydroponics Complex (Remnants of a buried hydroponics system in these caves tell the tale of the last survivors desperately trying to eke out an existence after the apocalypse struck).

These were just a few ideas I had. The text is obviously unpolished, but was intended to give an idea of what I meant.

I like it but some of them don't fit. Mainly the ones that reference people who lived there before - not all Tombs were caused by a holocaust. Some just had the misfortune to generate around a Pulsar, and some WHAT WAS WILL BE.

 

[G S Palmer]

Another ag district idea: Mass Graves (The soil in this area is exceptionally rich, fertilized by the decaying remains of millions upon millions of war victims).

 

[G S Palmer]

I like it but some of them don't fit. Mainly the ones that reference people who lived there before - not all Tombs were caused by a holocaust. Some just had the misfortune to generate around a Pulsar, and some WHAT WAS WILL BE.

I suppose. You'd also have to take into account cases where primitives were bombed out of existence by FP/DE empires.

 

[Methone]

I suppose. You'd also have to take into account cases where primitives were bombed out of existence by FP/DE empires.

Maybe they can have features that reference previous civilizations specifically in the cases where there was a previous civ. And those features would be the +3 District ones, and otherwise Tombs are locked to +1 and +2 features, as sort of a counterbalance to Gaias only having +2 and +3.

 

[Tamwin5]

Some Ideas for non post-apocalyptic features.

Agri Districts:
Twilight Valley: Harsh radiation is defused by constant clouds of dust, creating a precarious ecosystem for a few hardy plants.
Buried Aquifer: Sealed deep underground, lakes of radiation free water will allow the easy expansion of surface farming efforts.

Other:
Cracked Mantle: Some unimaginable force has split open a relatively small portion of this planets crust. While an opportunity to be exploited, the surrounding area is uninhabitable, even when compared to the rest of this hellish planet. (+4 energy, +4 mining, -1 max districts)

 

[G S Palmer]

Oasis of Life (Ag districts): This area of the planet seems surprisingly untouched by the devastation that blankets the rest of the surface.

Crumbling Infrastructure (Mining districts): The twisted concrete and metal of these blasted city ruins can be salvaged and reprocessed into useful minerals.

 

[G S Palmer]

Ash Plains (Ag districts): These massive expanses of ash, if properly irrigated, could be transformed into productive farmlands.

 

[Methone]

Time to pitch in with ideas of my own!

Spoiler: Generator Districts

Craggy Mountains - Massive storms crackle and howl through the crevices. +1 Generator District

Glass Desert - Pulverized and melted by extreme conditions, this glossy expanse receives immense sunlight. +2 Generator Districts

Shattered Power Grid - This infrastructure has been destroyed, but the fuel that powered it is still abundant. +3 Generator Districts (Only on Tombs that would've had a civilization)

Spoiler: Mining Districts

Bombardment Zone - Countless impact craters have revealed many resources in this area. +1 Mining District

Exposed Crevice - This shattered piece of crust leads deep into the world's mantle, and churning magma delivers fresh minerals to the surface daily. +2 Mining Districts

Decimated Factory - Once used to make and house heavy ordinance, there's nothing here except scrap metal. +3 Mining Districts (Only on Tombs that would've had a civilization)

Spoiler: Agriculture Districts

Toxic Basin - A series of mountains surrounds this region and traps irradiated rainclouds here. The water is toxic, but can be used for farming. +1 Agriculture District

Sheltered Caverns - Hidden from the radiation above, sickly plants and fungi eke out a living here. +2 Agriculture Districts

Former Town - Fertilizer old and new, mundane and profane, seeps through the soil. +3 Agriculture Districts (Only on Tombs that would've had a civilization)

 

[Tamwin5]

Decimated Factory - Once used to make and house heavy ordinance, there's nothing here except scrap metal. +3 Mining Districts (Only on Tombs that would've had a civilization)[/SPOILER]

I'd change this one a little to:

Decimated Factories - Once used to make and house heavy ordinance, these massive factory complexes have rusted away into corroded heaps of metal . +3 Mining Districts (Only on Tombs that would've had a civilization)

 

[DukeLeto42]

Cracked Mantle: Some unimaginable force has split open a relatively small portion of this planets crust. While an opportunity to be exploited, the surrounding area is uninhabitable, even when compared to the rest of this hellish planet. (+4 energy, +4 mining, -1 max districts)

Some of them, such as this one, should probably be tied to planet modifiers. Probably just reduced habitability in this case.

 

[Methone]

Probably just reduced habitability in this case.

It's a tomb world; they've got 'Reduced Habitability' covered.

 

[G S Palmer]

Since strategic resources need some love too, here's my shot at that:

Poisonous Fog (Gas Extraction Wells): The atmosphere in this area is thick with clouds of poisonous gas, either from natural geological processes or from the ravages of chemical warfare.

Decrepit Chemical Plants (Gas Extraction Wells): Despite their age, these industrial ruins still belch poisonous fumes into the atmosphere.

Munitions Dump (Mote Harvesting Traps): A vast landfill of unexploded ordnance provides an exploitable wealth of volatile chemicals.

Crystal Crater (Crystal Mines): The heat of nuclear fire seems to have caused several useless minerals common in this area to reform into massively more valuable crystals.

 

[G S Palmer]

Bioelectric Lichen (Generator Districts): The first lifeform to eke out an existence in this barren wasteland also happens to have evolved tremendous energy generating and storage capabilities that make it ripe for exploitation.

Chemical Rain (Mining Districts): Centuries of corrosive chemical rain have worn away the rock in this area, exposing several veins of valuable minerals.

 

[Tamwin5]

Since strategic resources need some love too, here's my shot at that:

Poisonous Fog (Gas Extraction Wells): The atmosphere in this area is thick with clouds of poisonous gas, either from natural geological processes or from the ravages of chemical warfare.

Decrepit Chemical Plants (Gas Extraction Wells): Despite their age, these industrial ruins still belch poisonous fumes into the atmosphere.

Munitions Dump (Mote Harvesting Traps): A vast landfill of unexploded ordnance provides an exploitable wealth of volatile chemicals.

Crystal Crater (Crystal Mines): The heat of nuclear fire seems to have caused several useless minerals common in this area to reform into massively more valuable crystals.

Not a fan of Chemical plant and munitions dump. It often takes an empire several decades before they get the tech to manufacture the rare resources, so why would a pre-FTL empire get them?

Poisonous fog and crystal crater are good, maybe some slight word tweaking (thick with clouds of valuable yet poisonous gas)

For Volatile motes, maybe some techno-babble about radioactive decay and ionizing radiation?

 

[DukeLeto42]

It's a tomb world; they've got 'Reduced Habitability' covered.

Yeah, that's generally true, but species with tomb world habitability not being effected is weird, and you have to assume at some point it's going to be terraformed, but I kind of doubt you're going to fix a cracked planet in the process.

 

[Tindalosihound]

A couple of suggestions, some more suited to sites where roadside picnics have been held.

Sludge Sea (Gas Extraction Wells): What was once an ocean has become an expanse of toxic chemical sludge. When properly treated, the toxic chemicals can be turned into rare and valuable gases.

Haunted Wastes (Mote Harvesting Traps): For an unknown reason, reality here seems... thinner. Strange events plague explorers and inhabitants, but also result in the formation of volatile motes.

Crystal City (Crystal Mines): This expanse of crystalline spires and mesas resembles nothing less than an immense city. Whether natural or artificial, these apparent ruins are a perfect source of rare crystals.

Metal Roots (Mining Districts): Beneath this great dust field are vast seams of valuable minerals, apparently the remains of a former settlement, now buried beneath a thin layer of dust.

Blasted Heaths (Agricultural Districts): These former plains have been exposed to some form of exotic radiation, making it surprisingly fertile -- although what grows here is heavily mutated.

Ambient Fields (Generator Districts): Strange energies have gathered in this region, making the entire place a form of natural power generator if properly harnessed.

 

[G S Palmer]

Not a fan of Chemical plant and munitions dump. It often takes an empire several decades before they get the tech to manufacture the rare resources, so why would a pre-FTL empire get them?

Poisonous fog and crystal crater are good, maybe some slight word tweaking (thick with clouds of valuable yet poisonous gas)

For Volatile motes, maybe some techno-babble about radioactive decay and ionizing radiation?

The universe is a big place. Some people might figure one thing out far before others do.

As for Munitions Dump, I was kind of going for something similar to what you mentioned in you comment about radioactive decay.

 

[G S Palmer]

Yeah, that's generally true, but species with tomb world habitability not being effected is weird, and you have to assume at some point it's going to be terraformed, but I kind of doubt you're going to fix a cracked planet in the process.

It would be nice if we had more planetary modifiers for tomb worlds (and for planets in general). Something like Roving Mutant Hordes, Frequent Mutations, Toxic Atmosphere, etc, etc.