The Scientist's Sourcebook
An Ephemeris RPG supplement
By J Alan Erwine
Copyright 2010 by Nomadic Delirium Press
Learn more about the Ephemeris RPG at http://www.nomadicdeliriumpress.com/ephemeris.htm
Published by Nomadic Delirium Press at Smashwords
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THE SCIENTIST’S PLACE IN THE UNIVERSE
The Scientist is a crucial part of the Ephemeris universe. They’re the ones making the discoveries and charting the course for what the future will look like.
Many players might think that the Scientist is a boring character to play, but in general, the Scientist in Ephemeris is not the guy in a lab coat hanging out with a bunch of beakers. No, the Ephemeris scientist will usually have a lot more in common with Indiana Jones than a lab scientist. Although it is true that a player could choose to play a character that spends most of his or her time in the lab, most players will want a character that is out in the universe getting their hands dirty, and trying to change the course of history.
Scientists usually specialize in one science, but with species constantly competing for planets, and corporations doing whatever they can to take over as much of the galaxy as they can, the Scientist must be out in the universe experimenting. True, they may send what they find back to a lab for other Scientists to do further research on, but the Scientist character will almost always be on the cutting edge of the universe.
Because of a Scientist’s knowledge of the way the universe works, a lot of corporations will want to hire them, and they are also very popular with other character classes because of their specific knowledge.
The original rulebook gave you the very basics for running a Scientist in the Ephemeris RPG, but this supplement will provide you with even more material to round out your character. You’ll find sub-classes that a character might want to use, skills and items that a character might want to use as they try to discover the secrets of the universe, and a set of research tables that game masters might want to use to see just how well the research is going that the Scientist is attempting to undertake.
SCIENTIST SUB-CLASSES
There are eight Scientist sub-classes listed in this supplement, but this is far from a complete list. Game Masters and players should feel free to create their own sub-classes, using these as a guide.
ANARCHIST
(The Mad Scientist)
Although most Scientists work towards the good of the universe…or at least the good of their own species, there will always be those that want to try to destroy or conquer, or just generally do more harm than good. These are the Anarchists, or Mad Scientists if you’d prefer.
Anarchists have a much different focus than general Scientists, although they too will specialize in one science. Anarchists usually prefer biology, chemistry, or physics for their primary focus, since those are easier to use to cause great harm, but if a player can find a reason why they might want an astronomer, a geologist, or whatever other Scientist they think they can do a great deal of harm with, the game master should allow this.
Skills: The Anarchist starts out with a slightly different skill set from the standard Scientist. At the beginning of the game, an Anarchist gets one skill point in each of the following: computerese, decipher, intimidate, and weapons skill (player’s choice.) In addition, the Anarchist receives two skill points in the science of their choice.
Starting Equipment: The Anarchist starts out the game with a computer system.
Limitations: The Anarchist will not be very popular with most individuals, so they will often find it difficult to find work…until they can meet some other unscrupulous individuals, and then there will be plenty of work.