Dawning Star (abbreviated DS) is a science fiction role-playing game by Blue Devil Games built on d20 Modern and powered by d20 Future by Wizards of the Coast. It is the first full-scale campaign setting using the d20 Future ruleset. It is published under the Open Game License. The setting is self-described as "firm science" and is designed to support a number of science-fiction subgenres, including: space Western, 'bug hunt' (like the Alien series of films or Starship Troopers), alien ruin exploration, political intrigue, etc. Synopsis The setting history commences in the year 2184. Having detected a dark object on a collision course with Earth, a massive multinational evacuation plan is set into motion. The evacuation takes place in 2196 shortly before the destruction of Earth. At the outer limits of the solar system, the evacuation fleet interacts with a Tentaari gateway device. Because the device is damaged, the ships of the fleet are scattered randomly throughout the galaxy. One ship—the titular Dawning Star—finds itself in the Helios system. The humans land on Eos, one of the planets in the system that is environmentally quite similar to Earth. Following their arrival, the humans begin to colonize the planet and explore the numerous alien ruins that dot the planet's surface. A government is established called the Dawning Star Republic. However, some of the rebellious colonists break away to form the Eos Freedom League. In 2248, the Tentaari make contact with the humans. They are very secretive about the history of the planet and are cautious about helping the humans. In 2249, humans first encounter the Velin, an indigenous species similar in appearance to humans. Alien species The following species of aliens exist in the Dawning Star setting. This list is not exhaustive. Haimedians: Plant-based humanoids that are the minority population on C'thalk. They are experts with organic technology, including genetically engineering task-based species. Humans: Evacuees of Earth and their descendants. They have colonized Eos and are just starting to explore the rest of the Helios system. Saurians: The dominant population on C'thalk. They are genetically similar to terran dinosaurs and have four primary sub-species: brachins, flyers, shellbacks, and tyrans. Tentaari: Small gray humanoids. They are highly intelligent but also mysterious, reluctant to share any information with the humans. Vaasi: The primary “villains” of the setting, consisting of several related insectoid xenomorphs, including true vaasi, phrenics, and vaasi warhounds. Also referred to