TEXT: Requires the use of the d20 Modern 
  Roleplaying Game, published by 
  Wizards of the Coast, Inc.  
  
  1 
  †ABOUT DAWNING STAR 
  Dawning Star was the first full-scale science fiction campaign setting built on d20 
  Modern and powered by the Future ruleset from Wizards of the Coast. The 
  critically-acclaimed setting was nominated for an ENnie for Best d20 Game. You 
  can learn more and download free material by visiting www.dawningstar.com. 
   
  †ABOUT TERRAFORMER 
  The Terraformer line of products from Blue Devil Games presents new material 
  designed for Dawning Star but usable in most science-fiction campaigns. Each 
  entry will offer a new prestige class, xenomorph, talent tree, feat, weapon, etc. 
  and advice on using it into your campaign and using it to “shape your world.” 
   
  †ABOUT BLUE DEVIL GAMES 
  “Fiendishly Clever.” Blue Devil Games is one of the highest-quality small-press 
  publishers on the market today. BDG product lines include Dawning Star, 
  AEvolutions in support of Monte Cook’s Arcana Evolved, and the upcoming 
  Passages. Visit our website for more information:  www.bluedevilgames.com. 
   
  †ABOUT LEE HAMMOCK 
  Lead writer and game designer on the Dawning Star line, Lee has been 
  affectionately called the “Hemmingway of RPGs” for the quality of his writing 
  and prolific body of work. Lee has worked for numerous publishers, and is the 
  writer on the main story in the HALO Graphic Novel from Marvel Comics. 
  Relics of Eos 
  While Eos is full of alien creatures, strange ruins, and forgotten cities, 
  nothing fuels the human imagination like the relics found across the planet. 
  “Relic” has become the catch-all term for any functioning alien technology 
  found on Eos. Most relics are found in the ruins scattered across the 
  planet. These devices are all that remain of the vast technological and 
  scientific advancements achieved by the former residents of the planet. 
  They are few and far between. Due to their power and rarity, relics are 
  some of the most valuable items on the planet. 
  Dawning Star University researchers estimate that, in any given year, 
  fewer than ten relics are recovered across the entirety of Eos. Of these, it 
  is estimated that 50% end up in the hands of private collectors, 30% go to 
  the Republic and its various research institutions, and the remaining 20% 
  are claimed by the EFL. Common thought suggests that the Republic 
  obtains relatively few because of the many laws and regulations on relic 
  hunting, while private collectors and the EFL are not nearly so 
  constrained. As a practical matter, private collectors tend to pay much 
  more than the Republic or the EFL. The combined value of the relics 
  uncovered each year cannot really be estimated due to the lack of any 
  reliable market information on them. It is a substantial sum to be sure. 
  Relics do not have a set Purchase DC due to their rarity and power, but 
  they are never sold for less than a small fortune. 
  It is widely rumored that the largest collection of relics on Eos is 
  
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  possessed by Maximillian Dagos. He is known to fund dozens of teams of 
  relic hunters each year. Dagos’s collection of relics is said to be kept on 
  his ship, The Last Resort, in orbit above Eos, but they are occasionally 
  loaned out to his agents for use in the field. Most other private collectors 
  keep their finds in storage or put them on display in their residences, 
  rarely using them as anything other than trophies. The relics possessed 
  by the Republic are kept under lock and key, only accessible by scientists 
  trying to unlock their secrets and never used for anything other than 
  research. The EFL conducts research on their less useful relics but 
  readily uses those relics with immediate applications in the field until they 
  are no longer functional, at which point they are turned over to 
  researchers. 
  A number of criminal groups in both the EFL and the Republic have 
  managed to get their hands on relics. In many cases, these are simply 
  relic hunters who find a relic with a less-than-reputable application and 
  give up hunting for a life of crime. These groups tend to be short lived, 
  rarely planning far beyond their first heist and usually relying too much on 
  their relic only to have it fail at an inopportune moment. Still these groups 
  can cause massive property damage, and both the Republic and the EFL 
  have passed laws governing relic use within their territory. It is common 
  for relic hunters to avoid all government entanglements and sell directly to 
  private collectors. 
   
  Types of Relics 
  The types of relics found on Eos vary dramatically, from simple gadgets 
  that seem to be little more than kitchen appliances to devices that ignore 
  all known laws of physics. Most are small and easily portable with few 
  large devices surviving the long years since they were last used. Relics 
  are usually found deep within the ruins of Eos where they are protected 
  from the elements. Unfortunately these areas are also often home to 
  spitter spiders and worse, making relic retrieval a very dangerous 
  profession. Darkling sightings are common around the most relic-rich 
  ruins. 
  Most of the relics found on Eos are designed to be used by creatures 
  of roughly human size, though not always of the same shape. While many 
  relics can be used by humans well enough, some were obviously 
  designed for species that had different body structures. Some of the more 
  advanced relics can alter their shape according to the need of the user, 
  but these are exceedingly rare. Most relics have a hardness of 20-50 and 
  10-50 hit points. 
  Relics are generally constructed of very resilient materials, including 
  megatanium, making them very difficult to break. Despite this hard outer 
  casing, years of exposure to the elements have made the interior of the 
  relics fragile. Consequently, while it may be difficult to break a relic in half, 
  a hard shake might stop it from working. As a result, relics are treated 
  carefully and carried around in special padded boxes. There is more than 
  one story of a relic hunter snuffed out when he dropped a relic that 
  promptly detonated. In addition to such explosive dangers, relics have also 
  
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  been known to get stuck while active, making them impossible to turn off 
  until the item’s power runs out. Unfortunately this can be a very long time, 
  but this is usually not the case. Most relics have enough power to activate 
  less then twenty times or remain active for only a few minutes at a time, 
  but this can vary dramatically. 
  While some relics have military applications, most were designed for far 
  less dangerous activities. Most are simple labor-saving devices such as 
  communicators, construction tools, medical devices, or entertainment 
  devices. Only a quarter of the devices discovered seem to have been 
  designed with military use in mind. Some non-military devices, such as a 
  Star Confederation cutting tool, have been repurposed by humans as 
  weapons. Humans have a habit of using relics for other than their 
  intended function because they misunderstand the relic’s design or willfully 
  disregard it. 
  Relics range from Progress Level 7 to 9, though very few are Progress 
  Level 9. While the more advanced relics are usually more powerful, they 
  are also more difficult to repair, recharge, and study, making them less 
  valuable in some ways. The most valuable relics in the eyes of the 
  Republic are those that can easily be understood and learned from, while 
  the EFL tends to go after more powerful, though less decipherable relics. 
  Most relics rely on nanites, genetic manipulation, force fields, energy 
  control, or gravity manipulation with very few relics relying on Red Truth. 
  Relics that do access Red Truth are seen as dangerous by the humans 
  of Eos due to their negative side effects, even if these side effects are not 
  well understood. Most experienced relic hunters have learned to avoid 
  places where things look a little red, but still each year a handful of relic 
  hunters lose their minds forever from the influence of Red Truth. This has 
  led to a handful of relic hunters learning to use the Red Truth to their own 
  ends through psionics, but not more than a dozen humans have learned 
  how to do so. In general, the scientific communities of the Republic and 
  the EFL know that Red Truth is some sort of strange mind-affecting 
  energy field, but have no clue as to its real origin. 
  While most relics are of Star Confederation origin, a small number of 
  vaasi relics have been found as well. These are more organic and 
  bulbous in appearance than Star Confederation relics. They are designed 
  to be used by the vaasi, which often makes it uncomfortable for humans 
  to use these relics. Vaasi relics are nearly always weapons or other 
  combat-related devices. They are slightly more powerful and involve 
  fewer safety measures or attention to collateral damage than Star 
  Confederation ones. For more information on vaasi relics see the relic 
  construction rules below. 
   
  Relic Hunters 
  The Dawning Star Republic’s Department of Science estimates there are 
  over three hundred active groups of relic hunters on Eos as of 2152, most 
  of which operate outside of Republic territory. Only a quarter of these 
  groups are licensed by the Republic, a requirement to operate or sell 
  relics legally. Instead, most are little more than treasure hunters or 
  
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  mercenaries looking to make a quick fortune by selling to private 
  collectors. Such groups are not above murder in order to claim a find, and 
  the Republic Rangers work constantly to hunt down such undesirables. 
  Most relic hunters are from military, security, or exploration 
  backgrounds. Few have actual scientific training and instead hire outsiders 
  or ignore the need for such skills, a tactic that rarely works well. Relic 
  hunters are often attracted to the business by dreams of quick riches with 
  little work, though very few ever reach that goal. The mortality rate 
  among relic hunters is much higher than the success rate, and it is the 
  unprepared relic hunter who is most likely to die. Those relic hunters who 
  do have some manner of scientific background might be archaeologists, 
  engineers, or terraformers who have left their drab former lives for 
  something more exciting. A growing number of xenotechnologists are 
  coming out of new programs at Dawning Star University and are specially 
  trained to deal with alien technology. The drastic differences in history, 
  point of view, and methods between the more militant relic hunters and 
  the more scientific can often lead to heated disagreement within relic 
  hunting groups, and more than a handful wipe themselves out each year 
  after using violence to solve their disputes. The towns that relic hunters 
  frequent, such as Hapeville, often feel like boomtowns of the American 
  West on Old Earth. There is an undercurrent of violence, and most 
  disputes are solved with firearms. These disputes are most common 
  among the smaller and less established relic hunter groups, while older, 
  more experienced groups spend their time working instead of fighting. 
  While most relic hunters are rather rough sorts, not all are. They run 
  the gamut from little more than drunk ditch-diggers to advanced scientific 
  operations employing dozens of agents with the latest vehicles and 
  sensor equipment. The more successful relic hunters are the more 
  organized ones. Most relic hunter groups don’t last more than a few years 
  before disbanding due to frustration. The more successful teams are 
  usually funded by a large corporation or government entity, with the top 
  two backers being Maximillian Dagos and joint ventures between the 
  Republic Department of Science and Dawning Star University. These 
  larger groups are the ones that most often have their paperwork all 
  properly taken care of, but this does not mean they always follow the 
  letter of the law. 
  Both the Republic and the EFL occasionally task specially trained units 
  of their military forces with relic recovery duties. In the Republic this is 
  handled by the 15th Special Forces Group, commonly known as the 
  Reclaimers; in the EFL this is carried out by the EFLSF team out of 
  Roger’s Point known as the Gravediggers. It is not uncommon for both 
  groups to go after the same relics when rumors of particularly dangerous 
  or valuable items surface, leading to quiet but extensive combat 
  operations as neither group wants to get caught with its fingers in the 
  wrong pies. When plausible deniability is impossible using official forces, 
  both the EFL and the Republic have been known to hire independent relic 
  hunters, but only those who are known to be loyal and trustworthy (at 
  least until the situation gets too desperate). 
  The following groups are examples of some of the types of relic 
  
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  hunters operating in the wilds of Eos. 
   
  15th Special Forces Group (The Reclaimers) 
  The premiere relic hunting team in the employ of the Dawning Star 
  Republic, the Reclaimers conduct both overt and covert operations. Most 
  of their missions involve investigating leads with the hope of finding 
  unclaimed relics, while braving ruins, hostile xenomorphs, and harsh 
  weather. The Reclaimers’ less well known missions involve forcibly 
  reclaiming relics deemed too dangerous to remain in the hands of others, 
  be they in the hands of private citizens or groups like the EFL. These 
  operations are carried out under the strictest secrecy and usually blamed 
  on some third party (often the EFLSF). The Reclaimers receive backup 
  from other units of the EDF in the field, in addition to often working hand-
  in-hand with the Department of Science and the Republic Rangers. All 
  three groups regularly share information about possible relic locations and 
  recent discoveries. 
  The Reclaimers are a platoon of 34 soldiers: four squads of eight 
  soldiers, CO Captain Miles Ober (Fast Hero 3/Charismatic Hero 3/Field 
  Officer 2), and Platoon Sergeant Roxanne Tii (Tough Hero 4/Soldier 2). 
  Each squad includes one commanding lieutenant, an explosives expert, a 
  linguistics expert, a xenotechnology expert, an archaeologist, an engineer, 
  and two security officers. All members of the Reclaimers are highly 
  trained combatants, and all have served in the EDF for at least four years 
  prior to their assignment. Most of the technical experts are graduates of 
  Dawning Star University as well. Unlike most relic hunter groups, the 
  Reclaimers have two velin in their ranks, the only two members who have 
  not served with the EDF for the requisite time. These two members, 
  Gartuk (Velin Hunter 3/Velin Guardian 2) and Tellomi (Dedicated Hero 3/
  Explorer 2) of the White Sky tribe, are members as a show of good faith 
  to the Velin Tribal Council. They have provided invaluable assistance in 
  the field with their knowledge of indigenous plants and animals. Gartuk 
  and Tellmoi are full members and have taken part in every facet of their 
  operations, including repossession of dangerous relics. The two velin 
  believe that some humans are not wise enough to use the tools of the 
  ancients correctly. 
  The Reclaimers are based in EDF Headquarters outside Dawning Star 
  City, though there is currently a push for the platoon to get its own base 
  of operations closer to the ruins of Northern Dawnhome where it usually 
  operates. The Reclaimers make ready use of EDF vehicles in the field, 
  particularly Dromedary Air Cargo units and scout bikes. The Reclaimers 
  are armed with a selection of the latest EDF weapons, including a limited 
  number of energy weapons in each squad. 
   
  Dr. Patterson’s Boys 
  An example of the middle range of relic hunters, Dr. Patterson’s Boys fall 
  between the bands of raiding thugs and the massive government and 
  corporate teams that are both far more common. Dr. Patterson’s Boys 
  are run by Talia Patterson (Smart Hero 3/Field Scientist 2/Relic Hunter 3), 
  a graduate of Dawning Star University and former scientific advisor to 
  
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  Patricia Rogers. Why exactly Dr. Patterson left the service of the EFL is 
  not publicly known, but it seems to have been a relatively amicable split. 
  Indeed the EFL often uses Dr. Patterson’s Boys as contractors when 
  dealing with alien ruins, and some relic hunters whisper that the group is 
  nothing more than a covert operation of the EFL designed to provide 
  plausible deniability. Whatever the truth is, Dr. Patterson’s Boys have 
  licenses for operation in the Republic and have had no legal issues in their 
  operations in Republic territory. There have been some rumors about Dr. 
  Patterson selling her finds in Republic territory to private collectors before 
  allowing them to be properly cataloged by the Department of Science, but 
  these have yet to be substantiated. 
  Membership fluctuates between ten and twenty members, but the core 
  eight are always present. Dr. Patterson serves as the leader and lead 
  scientist of the group, with Dr. Phineas Troup (Smart Hero 3/Engineer 4), 
  a fellow Dawning Star University graduate, and Ijin Thomas (Smart Hero 
  3/Relic Hunter 3), a long time relic hunter, serving as her scientific 
  assistants. Sarah Dorral (Strong Hero 3/Soldier 4) is the head of security 
  for the group and is assisted by Roger Peel (Fast Hero 3/Gunslinger 2) 
  and Dawson Tane (Fast Hero 4/Gunhand 2), both of whom are former 
  EDF soldiers turned mercenaries. Becca Oppen (Charismatic Hero 3/
  Barter Jack 3) serves as the group’s broker and contacts expert, while 
  transportation is handled by former air runner Elly Brias (Fast Hero 3/Air 
  Runner 2). Dr. Patterson hires thugs and laborers as needed from the 
  EFL and Republic, whichever is more convenient at the time. While the 
  full-time members of the group earn salaries, the hired hands receive a 
  share of profits, an arrangement that Dr. Patterson regularly uses to rook 
  her hired hands out of any money at all. Because of this practice, Dr. 
  Patterson is earning a bad reputation among relic hunters and is having 
  an increasingly difficult time finding willing workers. 
  Dr. Patterson’s boys have no official base, though most of its members 
  have a home in Steel End. When in the field they operate out of an old 
  Dromedary air cargo unit that has seen better days. Dr. Patterson’s Boys 
  did well for the first few years of operation, but have hit a dry spell the 
  past two years and are beginning to run low on funds. Because of this 
  morale is starting go flag, the Dromedary is starting to suffer from 
  maintenance problems, and Dr. Patterson is getting desperate. If things 
  don’t change soon, Dr. Patterson’s Boys may be willing to go from being 
  relic hunters to petty thieves. 
   
  Squad Alpha Twelve (The Gravediggers) 
  Based out of Roger’s Point, the Gravediggers are the preeminent official 
  relic hunting team of the EFL. While the EFL may have other covert relic 
  hunting teams in its employ that are larger or more effective, the 
  Gravediggers are the largest and most successful of all the relic hunters 
  actually acknowledged by them. This does not mean that all the missions 
  carried out by the Gravediggers are overt operations—only that the EFL 
  admits to their existence and to some of their less controversial 
  operations. Many in the relic hunting and espionage communities believe 
  that the Gravediggers are meant to serve as a diversion from other more 
  
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  sensitive relic hunting operations due to the attention directed at them by 
  the EFL. 
  Most operations carried out by the Gravediggers involve the recovery 
  of relics from situations where violence is expected. Much of the time this 
  means going into xenomorph-inhabited ruins, but in the past it has also 
  meant attacking other relic hunters. The missions that involve ruin 
  exploration are usually public operations, while attacks on other relic 
  hunters are kept secret. When the EFL wants to go head-to-head with 
  the Republic in recovering a specific relic, the Gravediggers are usually 
  the agents they send unless they are looking for an extremely high level 
  of deniability. Unfortunately such levels of deniability often mean a loss of 
  control over the situation, so instead the Gravediggers are sent in even if 
  they are more likely to lead back to the EFL. 
  The Gravediggers are made up of two teams, one specializing in 
  publicly acknowledged operations and one that is involved in secret 
  operations. The public team, known as Squad 1, is commonly used as a 
  distraction or in operations where secrecy is not an issue. The 
  membership of Squad 1, also known as the Camera Hogs, is not kept 
  secret and they nearly always operate openly in uniforms with all insignia 
  displayed. Squad 1 is involved in stereotypical relic hunting operations, and 
  its twenty members are highly skilled in survival, combat, and alien 
  technology. Squad 1 is made up of solders from other EFLSF squads, 
  rogue terraformers, scientists, and a number of former Republic relic 
  hunters on the run. Gravediggers Squad 1 is run by Octavia Long 
  (Charismatic Hero 5/Soldier 3/Field Officer 1), a long time EFL officer who 
  has served in a number of EFLSF squads. She is said to be the EFLSF’s 
  foremost expert on combating xenomorphs. 
  Gravediggers Squad 2, on the other hand, is made up of twenty 
  individuals whose identities are concealed from the public; they never 
  wear any sort of EFL uniform or insignia. Instead they usually disguise 
  themselves as independent relic hunters or bandits, affording the EFL 
  plausible deniability as to their actions. Squad 2, commonly known as the 
  Blacksheets, is sent on missions that involve stealing relics from other 
  factions, usually private collectors or other relic hunters. Squad 2 is rarely 
  sent after the relics claimed by the Republic directly, fearing that doing so 
  would lead to all out war, but Squad 2 and the Reclaimers regularly come 
  into conflict in the field when they both go after the same target. These 
  battles are carried out with both teams operating under cover and are 
  usually explained away as battles between relic hunters or bandits. Squad 
  2 is led by Duncan Li (Fast Hero 3/Infiltrator 5), formerly one of the most 
  prosperous criminals in Dawning Star City before being caught in an 
  extensive extortion scheme three years ago. Duncan fled to Roger’s Point 
  and quickly earned a place in the EFLSF due to his leadership skills and 
  utter ruthlessness. 
  The Gravediggers operate across Eos, but can usually be found in the 
  northern reaches of Dawnhome close to Roger’s Point. Only Squad 2 
  operates in Republic territory, and even then they stick close to the 
  border. In recent months the Gravediggers have begun to expand their 
  operations to other settlements in the EFL and have set up satellite bases 
  
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  in every EFL member city. It is suspected that the EFL intends to start up 
  new EFLSF teams in the near future trained specifically for relic hunting 
  and that they will be trained through these new bases by the 
  Gravediggers. 
   
  The Red Dogs 
  The Red Dogs are the sort of relic hunters that are all too common on 
  Eos, but not due to their longevity or cunning. No, the Red Dogs are one 
  of the dozens of fly-by-night relic hunting operations that crop up each 
  year and disband or are killed off by the next. Fueled by enthusiasm and 
  greed, the Red Dogs hope to find a relic, sell it to some private buyer, and 
  live the rest of their days in ease from the profits. The fact that none of 
  the participants know much about science, the relic market, or alien ruins 
  does little to dissuade them. 
  Led by Gustav Douglas (Tough Ordinary 3), a former plantation 
  manager from southern Dawnhome, the Red Dogs have little relic-hunting 
  experience. Gustav changed careers after getting fired for embezzling 
  money from the plantation he managed. That night he attempted to drown 
  his sorrows at a Hapeville bar, but ended up overhearing some drunken 
  relic hunters bragging about a recent find instead. He bought drinks for the 
  relic hunters and pumped them for what information he could, learning that 
  they were part of one of the larger relic hunting groups called the 
  Stonewall Company and they had a number of leads on relics in nearby 
  ruins. Gustav ended the evening by deciding that he would try to beat 
  them to these relics and set out the next morning to round up some 
  friends and get underway. 
  The friends that Gustav recruited were mostly farmhands and laborers 
  with even less knowledge of relic hunting than he. They set out the next 
  day in a pair of stolen Styler Ground Transports and haven’t looked back 
  in the six months since. Unfortunately the Red Dogs did not beat the 
  Stonewall Company to any of the relics Gustav heard mentioned and 
  have not had any success in the time since, instead making their way 
  working a series of odd jobs or engaging in petty crime to get by. The 
  group has not prospered by any stretch of the imagination, and instead is 
  continually on the brink of starving. While they still search for relics, the 
  hope of making a quick fortune is beginning to dim, and it is unlikely that 
  the Red Dogs will be together for more than a few months unless they hit 
  it big, though it’s more likely they’ll be killed first. 
   
  Scylla Prentice 
  A rarity among relic hunters, Scylla Prentice (Smart Hero 3/Field Scientist 
  8/Relic Hunter 2) works alone. A graduate of Dawning Star University 
  with a degree in terraforming and a long time employee of the 
  Department of Science overseeing remote terraforming stations, Scylla 
  Prentice opted for early retirement three years ago to take up a career 
  as a relic hunter. Unlike most relic hunters who come from security or 
  military backgrounds and see relic hunting as a matter of muscle, Scylla 
  Prentice comes at things from a far more scholarly angle. She tries to 
  minimize the risk to herself through extensive research before she ever 
  
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  enters the field. She is an expert in xenotechnology. Scylla Prentice 
  prefers guile and technology over brute force, choosing to investigate 
  ruins that are more known for technological threats rather than those 
  known to be inhabited by hostile xenomorphs. While Scylla Prentice did 
  learn a thing or two about guns in the years she spent running 
  terraforming stations in the middle of nowhere, she knows she’s not a 
  skilled combatant and is past her prime to boot. 
  While Scylla Prentice usually works alone, she has been known bring 
  hired guns and laborers with her for particularly difficult or dangerous 
  hunts, especially when expecting xenomorphs. She treats these hired 
  hands fairly and hires Republic citizens when possible, particularly those 
  with EDF experience. Scylla Prentice only goes into the field once or twice 
  a year, but boasts a 20% recovery rate, far in excess of most teams. 
  When rumors begin to circulate about Scylla Prentice entering the field 
  amateur relic hunters and mercenaries usually scramble to try and get on 
  her list of possible candidates, knowing that in the worst case they’ll be 
  well paid and in the best case they’ll be rich. 
  Scylla Prentice makes a habit of operating in areas that others 
  consider picked clean, using the notes and records of other hunters to 
  create extensive reports on the ruins she visits. She is very adept at 
  finding hidden rooms and previously blocked passages that other relic 
  hunters are unable to locate. She usually operates around Dawning Star 
  City and almost always travels by ground due to her crippling fear of 
  flying. 
   
  Relic Brokers 
  While the relic hunters get most of the glory in the relic business, the real 
  money is made by the brokers. Half-scientist, half-fence, these individuals 
  are skilled in discovering how to use a relic, determining its worth, and 
  identifying who to sell it to. They get the relics from the hunters to the 
  buyers, taking a percentage for their efforts. Some relic hunters resent 
  the brokers and the percentage they take, instead trying to cut out the 
  middleman. This rarely goes well as few relic hunters have the skills and 
  contacts to unload a relic. Only the largest, longest established, and best-
  funded groups can bypass the brokers, and those outfits usually do. 
  Obviously those relic hunters funded directly by buyers, like those that 
  work for Maximillian Dagos, turn their finds directly over to their 
  employer ... most of the time. 
  Most relic brokers are former archaeologists or scholars; many are 
  graduates or faculty from Dawning Star University. The skills needed to 
  properly examine relics are a rare thing, and the scholarly circles of the 
  University are the best place to develop the contacts needed to offload a 
  relic. Those brokers who are not former academics are usually fences or 
  criminals who have decided to try and move up in the world to bigger 
  ticket items, and they don’t get much bigger than relics. Those brokers 
  who come from scholarly circles usually sell to scientists or governments, 
  while those of the criminal persuasion sell to private collectors. Private 
  collectors tend to offer more for relics, but selling to them can involve 
  
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  breaking a number of laws since most such collectors wish to keep the 
  Republic and the EFL ignorant of their acquisitions. 
  Relic brokers can be found only in large settlements (like Dawning Star 
  City or Roger’s Point) or settlements that cater to relic hunters in 
  particular (such as Hapeville). In either case they are not easy to find, not 
  wanting to advertise their activities or the large amounts of wealth they 
  likely involve. Relic brokers operate in low-key fashion, working out of 
  their homes or in hidden offices behind locked doors with numerous 
  security systems. Many hire bodyguards, but try to keep them out of sight 
  as much as possible. Relic brokers do most of their business in their own 
  homes or businesses, where they know they are as safe as possible, or 
  in public places to keep everyone on their best behavior. In either case 
  any relic broker in the business for more than a few months knows to 
  cover all the angles and always have a backup plan. While not all relic 
  brokers are vengeful sorts, they do not take to double crosses, and 
  many, particularly those from a criminal background, have a habit of 
  putting sizeable bounties on those who cross them. 
  Most relic hunters have a specific set of clientele they both buy from 
  and sell to, and it can be very difficult to get into a broker’s good graces in 
  either case. Doing so can take months. Any broker of quality isn’t going to 
  just take in a relic hunter off the street who claims a find of worth. Instead 
  they will insist on lengthy inspections of the relic by independent sources, 
  something not all relic hunters will agree to since it will remove the relic 
  from their possession for a time, and extensive background checks on 
  the relic hunters themselves. Such processes can take some time, during 
  which the relic hunters are likely to badly want to get rid of the relic since it 
  makes them a target. Once a group of relic hunters earn the trust of a 
  broker, they can usually offload a relic in a number of days.  
  Becoming a buyer of relics is an even more difficult operation as 
  brokers don’t want to get stiffed their fees and don’t want any legal 
  entanglements. Most criminal operations are pickier about who they sell to 
  than the legal brokers by necessity of avoiding legal problems. Non-
  governmental relic buyers like to keep their operations under the radar 
  and so only use brokers they trust. The broker-buyer relationship is a 
  delicate one when it comes to private buyers with each being able to get 
  the other in all manner of legal trouble. Because of this there must be a 
  strong level of trust between the two and buyers or brokers who prove 
  themselves untrustworthy often find few others willing to deal with them. 
  Governmental buyers on the other hand usually operate openly through 
  the better known brokers, having the weight of law on their side. 
  Most brokers take 10-20% of the money they sell the relic for their 
  services, though this varies according to the relationships the broker has 
  with the buyer and the seller, the type of relic being sold, and the legalities 
  involved. Characters who wish to make contact with a relic broker can 
  either make a Knowledge (streetwise) or a Gather Information check (DC 
  25) as modified by the table on the following page. Given the high DCs, 
  players will usually want to Take 20 on these checks. 
  If the character fails the check by 10 or more points, he has instead 
  found a less-than-honorable broker, who will betray the relic hunter at first 
  
  11 
  chance and attempt to steal 
  the relic. This could be anything 
  from paying the relic hunter in 
  counterfeit money to attacking 
  the relic hunter when 
  exchanging the relic for 
  payment. 
  Once the broker is found 
  and a deal struck, finding a 
  buyer for the relic generally 
  takes a couple of weeks. 
  Particularly dangerous or 
  valuable relics can take months 
  to sell if the broker is willing to 
  take the job at all. Small time 
  relic brokers will pay a little to 
  the relic hunters up front and the bulk when the goods are moved; some 
  may even ask the relic hunters to help in the deal by acting as body 
  guards. Big time brokers will pay the relic hunters upfront for the relic and 
  then sell it at their leisure, handling their own security operations in the 
  process. 
  Because of the turnaround time, brokers often have relics in their 
  possession, making them tempting targets for thieves or desperate relic 
  hunters. Most brokers have extremely effective security measures 
  protecting relics in their care, with some making use of major banks in 
  Dawning Star City to keep their property safe. While relic brokers do 
  occasionally get robbed, it is generally easier to rob the relic hunters who 
  found the relic than to steal from the broker they sold it to. 
  These are a few examples of the types of brokers that relic hunters may 
  run into. 
   
  Martin the Weasel 
  A relative newcomer on the relic broker market, Martin the Weasel 
  (Charismatic Hero 3/Swindler 2) is a former smuggler who ran weapons 
  from the Republic to the EFL before being discovered by a group of 
  Republic Rangers. Martin managed to escape custody and flee to Sun 
  City, and luckily his crimes were not severe enough to warrant further 
  pursuit. There he stumbled upon a group of relic hunters at the Sun City 
  Cabana Grill who were trying to offload a relic weapon, an ancient plasma 
  rifle, but had no contacts to do so with. After fast talking his way into the 
  confidence of the relic hunters, Martin used his old smuggling contacts to 
  find a buyer for the weapon and used the profits to set himself up in Sun 
  City as a relic broker. Unfortunately in the last few months he has been 
  largely unsuccessful in finding other clients due to the fact word has gotten 
  around he rooked the first group of relic hunters he worked with out of 
  much of their profits. Martin is quickly becoming the broker of last resort in 
  Sun City and, with his funds running low; he is desperate for a break. He’s 
  likely to offer cash up front for any relic brought to him with a minimum of 
  questions asked, but getting much more out of him will be a challenge.  
  Situation 
  Mod. 
  Small Population (10,000 or less)  
  +10 
  Very Small Population (1,000 or less) 
  +20 
  Settlement known for relic hunter activity 
  -5 
  Settlement a center for relic hunter activity 
  -10 
  Looking for a relic broker willing to break the law 
  +5 
  A very expensive relic (Purchase DC 50+) 
  +5 
  An extremely expensive relic (Purchase DC 60+) 
  +10 
  Progress Level 8 relic 
  +5 
  Progress Level 9 relic 
  +10 
  Illegally obtained relic 
  +5 
  
  12 
  Captain Lang 
  A former Rebuilder, EDF technical officer, and relic hunter, Captain Lang 
  (Smart Hero 3/Rebuilder 6) is a widely respected expert when it comes to 
  relics of a military nature. Now over 80 years old and one of the few 
  surviving crewmembers of the Dawning Star who never went into 
  cryogenic sleep, Captain Lang lives in Dawning Star City near the Earth 
  Memorial Park. Captain Lang lives in a large, tastefully decorated loft 
  apartment that is filled with memorabilia from the many adventures he’s 
  had during his life. In recent years Captain Lang has been using his 
  contacts in Republic government, the EDF, and relic hunters to get relics 
  in the hands of the Republic with a minimum of questions and fuss. 
  Captain Lang recognizes that sometimes the laws need to be bent for the 
  greater good, he helps those who come upon dangerous or particularly 
  valuable relics under questionable circumstances get the relics in the 
  hands of the Republic without any criminal charges. Captain Lang usually 
  makes his deals in the Earth Memorial Park in public, relying on exposure 
  to keep himself safe, though such deals are often observed by the 
  Dawning Star City Police. Captain Lang always deals fairly, though he has 
  little respect for those who flagrantly break the law or don’t have the best 
  interests of the Republic in mind. 
   
  Osbeorn Hillsborough 
  A long time member of the faculty at the Dawning Star University, 
  Osbeorn Hillsborough (Smart Hero 8) is a charismatic but bookish fellow 
  who teaches several of the introductory xenotechnology classes at the 
  University. Through these classes he has made extensive contacts 
  throughout the field of xenotechnology, and many relic hunters with 
  University training remember Professor Hillsborough fondly. Because of 
  this, a large number of his students end up coming back to him for advice 
  or help, and a handful even come back with relics that they are looking to 
  unload. Through such events, Professor Hillsborough has become the 
  primary source of relics obtained by the University and the Department of 
  Science. Professor Hillsborough is an extremely unassuming, trusting man 
  who makes most of these deals in his own living room over tea and 
  biscuits, but has yet to suffer any serious threat or double cross. Now he 
  has developed such a reputation for fairness that others apart from his 
  students seek out his help selling relics. 
   
  Selling Relics on Your Own 
  Some relic hunters wish to bypass the brokers entirely and sell relics 
  directly to the buyers, but this is a difficult process for most. Any relic 
  hunter can sell directly to the Republic or the EFL just by filing the right 
  paperwork, but doing so will get the relic hunter a pittance compared to 
  what they could earn selling to a private collector. Most private relic 
  buyers are extremely rich and avoid letting the public know the details of 
  their relic acquisitions. Due to the dangerous nature of relics and the legal 
  entanglements that dealing with them can involve, most buyers only deal 
  with brokers who have earned their trust, a process that can take years. 
  More than one buyer has ended up buying a relic that exploded shortly 
  
  13 
  thereafter or unknowingly purchased a stolen relic, so most only deal with 
  trusted sources now. 
  Still there are some buyers who are more willing than others to take a 
  chance on an unknown broker or relic hunter, most of whom are the less 
  wealthy buyers who can’t afford to deal with the better known brokers. 
  These individuals are willing to take risks other buyers are not, and 
  expect to get a better price because of it. These buyers are usually small 
  scale private collectors or low-ranking government agents and can 
  usually be found in settlements that cater to relic hunters like Hapeville. 
  They rarely have the money to buy relics of high value (Purchase DC 
  60+) and run small operations with a minimum of overhead. 
  Relic hunters who wish to bypass the brokers can attempt to find a 
  buyer with a Knowledge (streetwise) or Gather Information check (DC 35) 
  using the same modifiers as those listed previously for finding a broker. If 
  looking for a governmental buyer, the character can instead make a 
  Knowledge (civics) check (DC 10). If the check is successful the relic 
  hunter has found a buyer willing to make the deal. However, going through 
  legal channels often alerts other relic hunters and buyers to the find. This 
  may mean that others may try to obtain the relic by force or cause other 
  problems for the relic hunters, such as brokers who don’t appreciate 
  those who try to cut them out of the system. 
  If the character fails the skill check made to find a buyer by 10 or more 
  points he has instead found a less than honorable buyer, who will betray 
  the relic hunter at first chance and attempt to steal the relic. This could be 
  anything from paying the relic hunter in counterfeit money to attacking the 
  relic hunter when exchanging the relic for payment. Most buyers are very 
  private individuals who prefer not to leave loose ends so their betrayal of 
  the relic hunters is likely to be final and very well planned. 
  Once the buyer is found the relic hunters must arrange an exchange, 
  which is usually done in a public location through intermediaries or in some 
  other neutral location. Most buyers pay cash in the form of Republic 
  credits, making such payments hard to trace, but some have also been 
  known to pay in goods or future services. The Republic has been known 
  to even dismiss minor criminal charges in exchange for a relic, but nothing 
  more serious than assault can be bought off in such fashion. Most private 
  collectors will buy the relic at its appropriate Purchase DC or close to it, 
  while governmental agencies will instead offer payment based on a 
  Purchase DC of the relic 10 to 20 lower than its actual DC. 
   
  The Gravevine 
  While relic hunters are spread across the world and are a rather 
  secretive, suspicious group, they form a community of their own when 
  they do meet. This community is often argumentative, dysfunctional, and 
  based more on shared stress than comradeship, but it is a community 
  none the less. This normally takes place in bars and libraries in places like 
  Hapeville and Dawning Star City or chat rooms and forums through the 
  Eonet. These communities are partially used to share and trade 
  information, partially used for bragging and chest thumping, and partially 
  
  14 
  used as support structures for individuals leading stressful and difficult 
  lives. The community that exists among relic hunters is commonly called 
  the Gravevine, a name coined by a relic hunter who said “it’s like the old 
  grapevine, only a third of the people die every year.” 
  Usually the professional, skilled relic hunters are the ones that take part 
  in the Gravevine with amateur or new relic hunters not knowing of its 
  existence or facing social pressures when they try to interact with the 
  Gravevine. Such relic hunters are usually referred to as “spitter bait” and 
  ignored or mocked, though some more kindly relic hunters try to give such 
  newcomers advice and help through the Gravevine. For the most part 
  however folks on the Gravevine are so used to seeing people drop out of 
  the community that they don’t move quickly to befriend newcomers so 
  they don’t have to mourn them when they die. 
  Despite the competitive nature of relic hunters, the flow of information 
  and communication among the Gravevine is surprisingly free. While there 
  is little in the way of specifics shared in terms of possible relic locations, 
  tricks of the trade such as scent traps to lure away spitter spiders or the 
  best ways to put a piton into a ruin wall are common. Also the rumor mill 
  in the Gravevine is very active with conversations about everything from 
  official EFL and Republic relic recovery operations to darklings sightings 
  being common topics. The information on the darklings contained in the 
  forums and chat rooms of the Eonet is arguably the most complete set of 
  information regarding darkling sightings, behavior, and technology on Eos 
  and is likely to be a major tool in fighting the vaasi once their presence is 
  confirmed. 
  Most relic hunters take part in the Gravevine every few days, either 
  visiting a relic hunter bar or logging on to the Eonet. Most only do so to 
  keep up with friends and the latest gossip, but it is the quickest way to 
  spread information through the relic hunter community. Anytime there is a 
  new relic found or a known relic lost, the news usually shows up first on 
  the Gravevine.  
  Physical hangouts frequented by relic hunter and thus part of the 
  Gravevine in a settlement can be found with a Knowledge (streetwise) 
  check against the same DC as finding the black market in the community. 
  Finding the Gravevine through the Eonet requires a Computer Use check 
  (DC 10), though getting respect once you do is much more difficult. Once 
  connected to the Gravevine, either in person or remotely, characters can 
  try and collect information. Doing so requires at least one hour and a 
  Gather Information check in a physical location, such as a bar, or a 
  Computer Use check (DC 10) in the case of the Eonet. If this check is 
  successful the character gets a +4 circumstance bonus to one 
  Knowledge check regarding relics, relic hunters, finding a broker or buyer, 
  or xenomorphs. If the character can succeed at a Reputation check (DC 
  15) while using the Gravevine they receive a +4 bonus to all skill checks 
  involving interacting with the Gravevine. 
   
  Relic Hunter Hang Outs 
  There are a handful of particularly well known hangouts among relic 
  
  15 
  hunters, most of which serve as neutral meeting places between hunters 
  and a place to access the Gravevine. Some brokers will deal in such 
  establishments, but others do not trust being surrounded by relic hunters 
  so completely. Buyers are very rarely found in such environments, though 
  their agents are far more common and often are found in relic hunter 
  hangouts keeping an eye on the latest gossip. While non-relic hunters are 
  allowed in such places, they are nearly always viewed as outsiders and 
  not made to feel very welcome. 
   
  The Long Hole 
  Located in Hapeville, the Long Hole is widely said to be the first relic 
  hunter bar and the birth place of the Gravevine. In operation for 26 years, 
  it is one of the oldest buildings in Hapeville and is owned by a retired relic 
  hunter Lex Teep (Tough Hero 4/Relic Hunter 5), a small but wily man who 
  retired after losing most of his left leg to a cave in. Lit by oil lanterns and 
  filled with wood paneling, the bar feels like a mixture of a seedy dive and a 
  gentleman explorer’s club of Old Earth. Xenomorph body parts and old, 
  broken relics hang on the walls as reminders of the deeds of patrons past 
  and present, and it is considered a mark of high honor to have something 
  you found hanging on the walls of the Long Hole. The clientele is a mixture 
  of all ranks of relic hunters, from amateur to veteran, but only the best are 
  allowed to drink on the second floor. Lex Teep is the final arbiter of who 
  gets to the second floor and the regular patrons are more than willing to 
  help him enforce his order. Violence or trouble of any sort is frowned 
  upon at the Long Hole and Lex Teep has lots of friends both here and 
  abroad who will make life very difficult for anyone who busts up his bar. 
  Any attempts to access the Gravevine at the Long Hole gain a +4 bonus 
  to any skill checks involved and any bonuses gained from doing so are 
  doubled.  
   
  Dawning Star University Coffee Shack 
  A small, hole in the wall basement tea and coffee bar located on the 
  grounds of Dawning Star University, it serves as the main meeting place 
  for relic hunters who work with the University and the Republic’s 
  Department of Science. Run by a young university drop out Cylin Tim 
  (Charismatic Ordinary 3), it serves as a popular hang out for students 
  studying archaeology and xenotechnology. Over time these students have 
  graduated and moved on, but many end up coming back to the Coffee 
  Shack when they have business with the University. The main room of 
  the coffee house is a large open space with lots of tables and chairs 
  made out of various bits of cast off metal, much of it from the Dawning 
  Star itself, but Cylin has converted two of her storage rooms to serve as 
  private meeting rooms for her more circumspect visitors. The main 
  primary users of these rooms are relic hunters and the University or 
  Republic agents they come to meet. 
   
  Sun City Cabana Grill 
  Little more than a small wooden hut, the Grill serves fresh fish and offers 
  a selection of umbrellas and lounge chairs. It is easily the most 
  
  16 
  unassuming hangout for relic hunters on Eos. Run by a native of Sun City 
  named David Pine (Dedicated Ordinary 2), the Cabana Grill has become 
  a relic hunter hangout by virtue of its excellent food and its impressive 
  ocean view. While a number of non-relic hunters can usually be found 
  enjoying a fish fajita and watching the sunset, there’s almost always at 
  least a handful of relic hunters in the crowd. The Cabana Grill serves as a 
  popular public meeting spot for relic hunters and brokers who like dealing 
  in the open since it’s on an otherwise desolate beach where it would be 
  very difficult to set up any sort of double cross. This has not stopped a 
  handful of firefights to break out at the Caban Grill much to the 
  consternation of its owner who really wishes all these gun toting crazy 
  people would stop coming to his restaurant, despite the hefty tips they 
  often leave. The Sun City Cabana is located on the northern end of the 
  settlement on a sand peninsula called Sunset Hill and all power is 
  provided by portable solar generators, though lighting is usually provided 
  by torches. Most its clientele walk from Sun City proper or travel by boat 
  to the Sun City Cabana. 
   
  Bender Alley 
  Bender Alley is a small back alley located near the center of Roger’s 
  Point that is filled with a handful of antique shops, book stores, and a 
  single bar famed for having a impressive stash of Old Earth Whiskey that 
  can be sampled for a sizeable cost. The streets on the alley collectively 
  are referred to as Bender Alley and make up the primary hangout for 
  relic hunters in Roger’s Point. The two book stores on the Alley have their 
  own presses that regularly turn out works of interest to relic hunters, such 
  as xenomorph studies, scientific journals, and new Eotian atlases. While 
  the stores on the Alley attract the business of relic hunters and brokers, 
  most of the actual deal making happens in the Alley itself. The Alley has 
  many nooks, crannies, and dead ends in which deals are made out of 
  sight of most passersby, but close enough that any sort of trouble will 
  make enough noise to draw attention quickly. Because of the rather 
  secretive nature of Bender Alley most visitors come with a number of 
  bodyguards. Violence is rare largely due to the fact everyone in the Alley 
  is armed, so any fight would doubtless lead to several casualties. Patricia 
  Rogers has several agents active in Bender Alley and likes to stay 
  appraised of events there, but rarely interferes except when she feels the 
  city itself is threatened. Bender Alley is best place in Roger’s Point to find 
  a relic hunter or a broker, and attempts to access the Gravevine here 
  gain a +2 circumstance bonus to related skill checks to do so.  
   
  Laws Regarding Relics 
  Both the Republic and the EFL have a number of statutes regarding 
  recovery, possession, and ownership of relics since they can pose a 
  serious threat. These laws come into three basic categories: relic hunter 
  license laws, salvage laws, ownership laws, and use laws. 
  Both the EFL and the Republic have dedicated security forces working 
  to keep abreast of unregistered relics, crimes committed using relics, and 
  
  17 
  relic buyers who avoid government scrutiny. In the EFL this is carried out 
  by the Gravediggers and Patricia Rogers person intelligence agents, all of 
  which is done very secretly. Dangerous relics and those who make 
  trouble with them often disappear without a trace. In the Republc these 
  operations are carried out by the Republic Rangers who are much more 
  forthright in their pursuit of such criminals and relics. While their pursuit is 
  open, the Republic prefers to keep the truth of how dangerous some 
  relics are out of the public eye, forcing the Rangers to occasionally cover 
  up rampant nano-swarms or pocket-sized nuclear reactors to avoid 
  panic. 
   
  Relic Hunter License Laws 
  In the Republic, relic hunters must follow certain licensing procedures if 
  they want to be able to legally enter ruins and register relics. The EFL 
  requires no such licenses. To get a relic hunter license from the Republic 
  requires that the applicant be a citizen of the Republic for at least five 
  years, have no official ties to the EFL, no criminal felony convictions, and 
  a generally stable psychological state. The licensing process requires 
  extensive tests and background checks which require at least a week to 
  complete and a filing fee that requires a Wealth check (Purchase DC 10). 
  Most citizens of the Republic can get relic hunter licenses without difficulty, 
  but anyone who applies for a license and fails to get one is flagged in the 
  databases of the Department of Justice as a possible rogue relic hunter. 
  Such individuals are likely to get on the list of the usual suspects 
  whenever a relic goes missing. 
  Once a person is issued a license they are entered into databases 
  throughout the Republic as a licensed relic hunter and given an 
  identification card denoting their status. This card has a barcode that can 
  be scanned by most Republic governmental agents, including police, 
  allowing forgeries to be quickly detected since they will not be entered in 
  the system. Also the retina, dental records, fingerprints, DNA, and 
  biometrics of the relic hunter are stored for corpse identification purposes, 
  but these are also often used by law enforcement. For those who do not 
  meet the criteria of the Republic relic hunter license, getting a license is 
  nigh impossible. Doing so would require a massive number of contacts in 
  multiple layers of Republic bureaucracy. 
   
  Salvage Laws 
  In both the Republic and the EFL, the basic idea of “finders keepers” 
  generally applies to relics, but in the Republic this applies only to licensed 
  relic hunters. Both the EFL and the Republic consider any unclaimed relic 
  found by a relic hunter to be property of that relic hunter or the company 
  he represents. While both governments consider any relic to be claimed 
  once it is found and thus property of its finder, claim jumpers who seek to 
  steal the finds of other relic hunters are not uncommon, and most relic 
  hunters keep their finds secret until they are safe in civilization. Unlicensed 
  relic hunters who attempt to register a relic with the Republic will have the 
  relic confiscated and the relic hunters forcibly quarantined to make sure 
  they didn’t bring back any dangerous infections or other threats from 
  
  18 
  wherever they found the relic. Assuming these tests turn up nothing the 
  relic escheats to the Republic. While technically a misdemeanor, these 
  infractions are generally not prosecuted. 
  Salvage rights, and thus ownership rights, are assigned when the relic 
  is registered with the EFL or the Republic. The EFL and the Republic do 
  not officially recognize each other’s rights in such matters, but usually do 
  so unofficially to avoid the extra political entanglements that relic hunters 
  ducking back and forth across the border stealing relics from the other 
  would cause. In the Republic, only licensed relic hunters can register relics, 
  while in the EFL anyone who has not been convicted of a felony by the 
  EFL is allowed to register a relic. Since relic ownership in the eyes of the 
  EFL or Republic is only cemented when a relic is registered, relics that 
  are never registered, such as those gained through illegal means, are 
  considered unclaimed. Thus, the large private collections owned by some 
  relic buyers could be stolen and then registered with the Republic or EFL, 
  which would then recognize the thief as the legitimate owner. This is one 
  more reason that relic buyers tend to spend a lot of effort and money 
  guarding their property. 
  If during the registration process the relic is found to be a danger to the 
  public safety of the Republic or the EFL or if the relic is one the 
  government thinks would be particularly useful, both governments reserve 
  the right to take possession of the relic immediately. In such cases relic 
  hunters are paid a fee for finding the relic, but it is a fraction of what they 
  could make selling it to a private buyer. Registering a relic takes about a 
  week, during which time the relic is tested by the appropriate government 
  agency and cataloged before being returned to the relic hunter, assuming 
  it is returned at all. The EFL is far less likely to take relics from relic 
  hunters at registration, and usually only does so in the instances of the 
  most dangerous sorts of relics. The EFL prefers to take relics from 
  people who have already proven they can’t be trusted with them, and 
  thus often repossesses relics from known troublemakers. 
  Most private buyers prefer to buy unregistered relics since those are 
  the really valuable ones; the ones that can rewrite physics and treat the 
  Laws of Thermodynamics as suggestions. Some, such as Maximillian 
  Dagos, register their weaker relics on the assumption they will not get 
  taken by the Republic while keeping their stupendous finds in hiding. The 
  Republic suspects many of its wealthier citizens of such deceptions, and a 
  special detachment of the Republic Rangers has been set up to try and 
  catch such individuals in sting operations, but so far has been 
  unsuccessful. 
   
  Ownership Laws 
  In both the Republic and the EFL citizens are allowed to own registered 
  relics, though the guidelines of what is acceptable for private citizens is 
  much stricter in the Republic than in the EFL. The Republic only allows 
  citizens to own relics that have a Restriction Level of Licensed, which 
  includes mostly non-military relics with limited power supply and little ability 
  to produce large scale effects. The EFL on the other hand allows items 
  that have a Restriction level of up to Military to be possessed by citizens, 
  
  19 
  which means anything less than a heavy weapon, armored vehicle, virus, 
  combat robot, or other relic can pose a danger to an entire settlement 
  can be kept by a citizen. In both cases as long as a citizen breaks no 
  other laws with a relic they are allowed to keep it. Citizens may sell relics 
  if they wish but to do so they must contact the appropriate government 
  agency to change the registration to the purchasing party. In both the EFL 
  and the Republic the purchaser of a relic must have no felony convictions 
  with the registering government and in the Republic must be a registered 
  citizen for at least five years. 
   
  Use Laws 
  Registered relics may be used by citizens in both the EFL and the 
  Republic freely as long as they cause no danger to anyone, including the 
  user. Both governments treat accidental deaths by relics as murders 
  regardless of the situation. Any other damages or injuries inflicted by a 
  registered relic are handled as normal for such crimes in the EFL, but in 
  the Republic criminals who use relics are given elevated sentences. Relics 
  used in crimes are always confiscated by the local government, and any 
  crime involving a relic is automatically considered a felony, thus preventing 
  the criminal from ever legally owning a relic again. 
  Using an unregistered relic in a crime, a far more common occurrence 
  than the use of a registered relic, is a serious crime in both the Republic 
  and the EFL. In the Republic using an unregistered relic is a felony that 
  carries a prison term of at least ten years and a high enough fine to drive 
  most anyone into bankruptcy. In the EFL using an unregistered relic is an 
  instance of reckless endangerment with an aggravating factor and can 
  carry a 20-year prison sentence or even a death sentence, with the death 
  sentence being the far more likely outcome. Both governments are very 
  interested in keeping the use of unregistered relics to an absolute 
  minimum. 
   
  Relic Design 
  This section presents general rules for designing a relic, including flaws to 
  make them more unique. Ultimately, the GM should create relics that 
  function appropriately for his or her campaign. 
   
  Items From Other d20 Modern Books as Relics 
  Due the variety of powers and abilities found in Eotian relics, many of the 
  magic items found in d20 fantasy games can be used as relics in Dawning 
  Star with little modification. Items from PL7 to PL9 from the Future SRD 
  can also generally be used. Note: The table on page 100 of Dawning Star: 
  Operation Quick Launch identifies spells and powers unsuitable for 
  duplication in relics. Additionally, the following guidelines should be followed 
  when creating relics: 
  1. Scientific Explanation: Relics need to have some sort of scientific 
  explanation for how they accomplish their function. It does not need to be 
  strictly possible but it should be believable. For example a healing item 
  could use nanites or special regenerative drugs, but not a healing ray that 
  
  20 
  closes wounds. The results may seem magical, but the process should be 
  grounded in science. 
  2. Power Source: All relics have some sort of power source, be it an 
  internal battery or a miniature fusion reactor. Again, the specifics need not 
  be strictly possible but must be believable. 
  3. Psionics: Many psionic powers do not make sense as relics due to 
  the way Red Truth functions and how it is different than other 
  interpretations of psionics. Psionic-based relics should be focused on 
  information or altering the physical world through altering information. (You 
  can download a primer on Red Truth at http://www.dawningstar.com/pdf/
  RedTruth_Revealed.pdf) 
   
  General Properties 
  Generally speaking, relics have a base hardness equal to their Progress 
  Level x5, so a PL7 item should have a base hardness of 35. Each 
  additional point of hardness 
  increases the Purchase DC of 
  the relic by +1. 
  Use the table to the right to 
  find a guideline for the base 
  number of hit points of a relic 
  based on its size. Additional hit 
  points increase the Purchase 
  DC of the relic by +1 for every 
  additional 10 hit points. Relic 
  spacecraft, mecha, and other 
  large vehicles should use the 
  appropriate rules instead of 
  these rules for determining hit 
  points, hardness, and other similar qualities. 
  The base Purchase DC of a relic is the normal purchase DC of a 
  similar normal item + 5 + 10 per Progress level above 6, so a Progress 
  Level 9 item with a normal Purchase DC of 30 has a Purchase DC of 65. 
  If the relic mimics a magical or psionic ability, increase its Purchase DC by 
  the caster level of the item x2. Example: The technological equivalent to 
  the crystal pistol detailed in the d20 Modern Roleplaying Game would 
  have a Purchase DC of 39 (normal Purchase DC of 29 + 2 x caster level 
  5th). Analogs from d20 books that does not use the Wealth system, have 
  a base Purchase DC equal to 20 + 5 x caster level. 
  Powered relics normally have enough power for 1 use or 10 minutes of 
  operation, depending on its function. Each doubling of the number of uses 
  or the time it can operate increases the Purchase DC of the relic by +1. 
  So an item with 8 uses would have a purchase DC of +3. If the item relies 
  on other relics for power, such as energy clips, do not adjust its Purchase 
  DC. 
   
  Explosive 
  Relics with this flaw have a chance of exploding every time they are used 
  or sustain damage. This makes them very dangerous to use in any 
  Relic Size 
  HPs 
  Diminutive 
  1 
  Tiny 
  2 
  Small 
  4 
  Medium 
  8 
  Large 
  16 
  Huge 
  32 
  Gargantuan 
  64 
  Colossal 
  128 
  
  21 
  situation. Each time the relic is used or takes damage, the chance of 
  explosion is equal to 25% + the amount of damage taken. When a relic 
  explodes, it deals damage of an appropriate type of energy equal to 1d6 
  points per Progress Level to everything within 10 feet per Progress Level. 
  Thus, a PL9 device that explodes does 9d6 damage to everything within 
  90 feet. Creatures in the affected area may make a Reflex save (DC 10 
  + 1 per Progress Level) for half damage. The Purchase DC of relics with 
  this flaw are reduced by -5. 
   
  Fragile 
  The relics’ outer casing may be stout, but their inner workings are 
  relatively fragile. Any time they are dropped, jerked violently, or sustains 
  damage (even if this damage does not penetrate its hardness), the 
  chance of breaking is equal to 25% + the amount of damage taken. A 
  broken device stops functioning completely and must repaired before it 
  can function. The Purchase DC of relics with this flaw are reduced by -5. 
   
  Hard To Stop 
  Once a relic with this flaw is turned on, it is hard to stop. This flaw can 
  only be found in relics that have multiple uses, such as energy weapons 
  or healing kits. Once a relic with this flaw is activated, there is a 25% that 
  the device activates again immediately afterwards, targeting the same 
  target as the previous use if possible. Reactivation should be checked for 
  each round until the device stops working or runs out of power. This 
  means rifles will keep firing; healing devices will keep healing the same 
  subject (even if unnecessary), etc. The Purchase DC of relics with this 
  flaw are reduced by -5. 
   
  Long Activation 
  Some relics take longer than others to turn on, and ones with this flaw 
  take a good long time. Each time this flaw is applied, the length of time 
  required to activate the relic increases: If the relic would normally take a 
  free action to activate, it instead requires a standard action; if relic would 
  normally take a standard action to activate, it instead requires a full-round 
  action; if the relic would normally require a full-round action to activate, it 
  instead requires one minute; if the relic would normally require a minute or 
  more to activate, it requires five times as long to activate. Activating a relic 
  with this flaw provokes an attack of opportunity. The Purchase DC of 
  relics with this flaw are reduced by -2 each time it is applied. 
   
  Non-Humanoid Design 
  A relic with this flaw was designed to be used by Star Confederation 
  races not shaped like humans, .e.g., dosai. Checks and attack rolls using 
  the relic and made by a humanoid character (including all the other PC 
  species of the Helios system) suffer a -4 penalty. This reduces the 
  Purchase DC of the relic by -5. 
   
  Unreliable 
  Relics with this flaw do not always function when they should. If a 
  
  22 
  character attempts to activate a relic with this flaw, there is a 25% that 
  the device fails to activate. This is only determined after the full activation 
  time for the relic is spent. This reduces the Purchase DC of the relic by -5. 
  Increasing the chance of failure by 2% decreases the Purchase DC by an 
  additional -1. 
   
  Vaasi Design 
  The relic is a device of vaasi origin. This means it is quasi-organic, and 
  most species will find it distinctly uncomfortable to use. Those who do 
  come into contact with vaasi technology often describe the experience as 
  being similar to touching a corpse. Checks and attack rolls using the relic 
  and made by a non-vaasi character suffer a -4 penalty, and require a Will 
  save (DC 12) or the character becomes nauseated. This reduces the 
  Purchase DC of the relic by -10. 
   
  Weak Casing 
  Many relics have not weathered the long years of being exposed to the 
  elements well and are now vulnerable to damage they would have once 
  resisted. Each time this flaw is applied, the hardness and hit points of the 
  relic are reduced by -5 to a minimum of 1. The Purchase DC of relics with 
  this flaw are reduced by -2 each time it is applied. 
   
  Sample Relics 
  The following relics are examples of the sorts of relics that can be found 
  on Eos and the other planets of the Helios system. 
   
  Chembond Grenade 
  A common firefighting tool of the Star Confederation, this device slows 
  fires and most other chemical reactions by flooding the area with inert 
  particles that easily bond to other molecules. Fires get snuffed out, 
  carbonated drinks go flat, and explosives don’t—at least for a time. The 
  effects are temporary, but given sufficient time and power, chembond 
  grenades can restore their internal supply of inert particles. In time these 
  became common household devices used for all manner of dangerous 
  situations, but unfortunately they also make it very difficult to breathe. 
  Most were issued with a breathing apparatus to prevent unfortunate 
  accidents. 
  When activated, a chembond grenade can be thrown as any other 
  grenade. On the following round it fills a twenty foot radius with inert 
  particles. This immediately puts out all normal fires, renders acids inert, 
  stops common chemical reactions such as internal combustion engines, 
  etc. At the GM’s discretion particularly powerful fires or acids may remain 
  active, but a good rule of thumb is reducing all cold, fire, and acid damage 
  by 30 points within the affected area. The particles remain for ten rounds. 
  Any living being in this area must make a Fort save (DC 18) or begin 
  suffocating. They must make a new save each round they are in the 
  affected area, and if they leave the area they must continue to make 
  saves each round until they succeed. Once used, a chembond grenade 
  
  23 
  expends 30 charges and takes 30 hours to recharge. Chembond 
  grenades are PL8 items with a Purchase DC of 42 and a restriction of 
  Illegal. 
   
  Communication Spheres 
  Once used as the primary form of faster-than-light communication in the 
  Star Confederation, communication spheres allow fast but very limited 
  communication over vast distances. Communication spheres are fist-sized 
  metallic-blue spheres with a number of grooves on one side to make it 
  possible for beings with a number of different hand structures to hold 
  comfortably, while the other side has a small circular control panel. They 
  come in paired sets. The two spheres are identical except that one has a 
  black circle imprinted on its side and the other a white circle. Each set of 
  communication spheres is a matched set and if one is damaged or 
  destroyed both spheres become useless. Communication spheres weigh 
  two pounds and all have the Fragile flaw. 
  Communication spheres are PL 7 devices. Each sphere contains a 
  quantum particle that has been entangled with its opposite number in the 
  other sphere. Both spin the same direction due to this entanglement, 
  though the spheres can be used to switch this direction, causing the other 
  to immediately switch as well regardless of distance. This allows the user 
  of a communication sphere to communicate instantaneously over vast 
  distances. There are two limitations: Communication spheres immediately 
  lose their entanglement if they pass through a gateway, rendering them 
  useless for interstellar communications; the information passed through 
  the communication sphere is limited in its complexity because the spheres 
  cannot change the direction of their quantum particle’s spin faster than a 
  few times each second. This means the communication spheres function 
  is much the same fashion as a telegraph, only over immense distances. 
  Using a communication sphere requires a Computer Use check (DC 10) 
  for each round of operation, assuming the sender and receiver have 
  worked out some system of meaning for the signals sent through the 
  spheres. Communication spheres have an internal power supply of 50 
  charges and consume one charge per round of active use; they were 
  plugged into larger power supplies when used by the Star Confederation. 
  Communication spheres have a Purchase DC of 60 and a restriction of 
  Licensed. 
   
  Disintegrator Cube 
  The disintegrator cube was once a common waste reclamation device 
  used by well-off families and companies throughout the Star 
  Confederation. This device is almost a perfect cube with each side 
  measuring a little more than one yard. On one side of the cube there is a 
  small control panel comprised of a handful of small buttons and output 
  screens arranged in a circular fashion. The opposite side of the 
  disintegrator cube can be opened by pressing the largest button on the 
  control panel. Opening the hatch reveals the hollow interior and walls 
  covered with a fine grey dust (in fact, a swarm of hibernating nanites). 
  The entire device weighs thirty pounds due to the fact it is mostly hollow. 
  
  24 
  The disintegrator cube is a PL 9 device. Activating the disintegrator 
  requires a Computer Use check (DC 10). Once activated the nanites in 
  the disintegrator cube trigger and begin disassembling any matter placed 
  in the cube into its constituent compounds, a process that takes ten 
  minutes. For example, placing a computer into the disintegrator cube 
  yields neat piles of silicon dust, gold dust, plastic, and other compounds 
  used in a computer. It allows any device to be completely salvaged with 
  less than 1% of the mass of the item lost in the conversion. Liquids and 
  gases cannot be broken down with the disintegrator cube. The device will 
  not activate when any movement is detected within its chamber, making it 
  impossible to use on living beings. Objects with a hardness of 50 or higher 
  are immune to the effect of the disintegrator cube. A fully-charged 
  disintegrator cube consumes 100 charges each time it is used and has an 
  internal battery of 1,000 charges. A fully charged, fully functional 
  disintegrator cube has a Purchase DC of 50, though most are not in such 
  good condition. It has a restriction of Illegal. 
   
  The Fire Egg 
  The “fire egg” was a common Star Confederation portable power device 
  used by both civilians and soldiers. About the same size and shape as a 
  watermelon, this laser-fusion generator is able to draw in hydrogen from 
  the surrounding area and fuse it into helium, creating a nigh-infinite supply 
  of energy in a handy, man-portable package. It has ten ports that can be 
  connected to most Star Confederation devices or batteries, producing 
  1,000 charges of power per round. A single fire egg produces enough 
  power to supply a small city indefinitely. 
  Unfortunately, fire eggs were not designed to be used indefinitely and 
  begin heating up after an hour of constant use. Fire eggs were originally 
  deployed in groups of three that rotated so no one fire egg would be in 
  use for more than four hours. After eight hours of constant use they 
  become red hot, inflicting 2d6 heat damage per round to any creature 
  touching it. After sixteen hours of constant use, the fire egg has a 25% 
  chance of exploding. The chance increases by 1% each round of 
  constant use thereafter. When a fire egg explodes, it deals 20d6 damage 
  (half fire/half concussion) to everything within a 500-foot radius (Reflex 
  DC 18 for half damage). Fire eggs take eight hours of inactivity to fully 
  cool down. Fire eggs also often have the Explosive (inflicting the above 
  damage instead of the normal damage for the Explosive flaw), Fragile, 
  and Hard to Stop flaws. Fire eggs have a Purchase DC of 65, a 
  restriction of Illegal, and are PL8. 
   
  Identipod 
  Due to the huge populations of the Star Confederation, all kept in close 
  contact regardless of distances due to a variety of advanced 
  technologies, citizens often had trouble keeping track of all the people 
  they knew. To aid in this the identipod became a common social tool 
  among the more socially active members of Star Confederation society. 
  The device is small and designed to be unobtrusive, often taking the form 
  of a watch or piece of jewelry so it can be used to identify people without 
  
  25 
  giving away that the user did not remember this person’s identity. A small 
  number even considered these devices to be an invasion of privacy and 
  in poor taste. 
  Regardless of its shape, an identipod must be able to communicate 
  with its wearer. This was usually through audio or text, both of which were 
  in Unispeak. While active the identipod continually scans all sentient 
  beings around it using a variety of sensors. These collect extensive data, 
  including species, height, unique skin markings, facial structure, retina, 
  finger prints, bone structure, etc. This means that within one round of 
  being brought within 30 feet of a creature the identipod can detect if the 
  person is stored in its databank and any relevant information the user 
  recorded about that person, such as name, occupation, etc. The identipod 
  could easily see through many forms of camouflage or holograms and 
  grants the user a +8 bonus on Spot and Search checks to see through 
  disguises. In any situation where the gamemaster feels remembering a 
  person’s identity or facts about them would be useful the identipod grants 
  the user a +2 bonus on relevant Charisma and Charisma-based skill 
  checks. Identipods can run for 40 hours on their 8-charge battery and can 
  be recharged by most Star Confederation power sources. Identipods are 
  PL8 devices with a Purchase DC of 49 and a restriction of Restricted. 
   
  Inertial Field Projector 
  This small device, roughly rectangular in shape with its longest side 
  measuring eighteen inches, was a common safety precaution in Star 
  Confederation vehicles and roadways. When activated, the device 
  creates a field of super dense particles in front of itself which acts as a 
  flexible but ultimately unbreachable barrier, negating the blow of any 
  object striking it. This allows the inertial field projector to safely stop nearly 
  any vehicle it is mounted on the front of quickly and safely with minimal 
  discomfort to the passengers. The device can also be deployed without a 
  vehicle, stopping any matter from passing through the barrier. 
  Inertial field projectors are PL8 devices. They project a transparent field 
  ten feet wide and ten feet tall on one side of the device with large vehicles 
  carrying several synchronized projectors to act in unison. Any object 
  coming in to the contact to the field has its inertia fully canceled as long as 
  its total inertia is not above a certain level. Damage from any physical 
  attack passing through the field is reduced by 50 points. Vehicles have 
  their impact damage reduced by -15d6, but sufficiently fast moving 
  vehicles may be able to overwhelm the field. An inertia field projector 
  consumes ten charges per round of operation and has an internal power 
  supply of 50 charges. It has a Purchase DC of 54 and a restriction of 
  Military. 
   
  The Invisible Stick 
  A covert services weapon developed in the later stages of the war with 
  the Vaasi Empire, the invisible stick gave its wielder the edge by being 
  completely invisible to the wielders’ foes. When it is not active, the invisible 
  stick is little more than a metal stick one yard long with a handle and 
  several buttons. When activated via these buttons the invisible stick 
  
  26 
  becomes completely invisible to the naked eye and all forms of 
  electromagnetic radiation sensors such as infra-red or ultraviolet sensors. 
  Only the wielder can see the invisible stick by using special goggles that 
  are matched to the stick which calculate the position of the stick at any 
  time by way of a number of transmitters in the stick that continually 
  update the goggles with their position, speed, and orientation. Thus the 
  user sees the invisible stick superimposed over his vision while wearing 
  the goggles but his opponents see nothing. In addition to the light-bending 
  advantage of the invisible stick, when the invisible stick detects an 
  imminent impact with enough force to do damage, the outer casing of the 
  stick recedes from the striking surface, revealing a monofilament wire at 
  the core. 
  A creature defending against someone wielding this weapon has all 
  bonuses based on the ability to see and react to the attack halved. This 
  includes any dodge or Dexterity bonuses and bonuses from feats or 
  special actions such as the Expertise feat or using the Full Defense 
  action. An invisible stick consumes one charge per attack and has an 
  internal power pack with 50 charges, though it can be attached to most 
  Star Confederation power sources. The invisible stick is a PL8 device and 
  has a Purchase DC of 46 and a restriction of Military. The invisible stick is 
  considered an exotic melee weapon and thus requires the Exotic Melee 
  Weapon Proficiency (Invisible Stick) feat to use without penalty. 
   
   
   
   
   
  Living Armor 
  Living armor was a rare and expensive device used in physical therapy in 
  the hospitals of the Star Confederation. Each suit of living armor was a 
  specially engineered creature that bonded with the nervous system of its 
  owner, healing physical damage and helping the wearer relearn how to 
  walk or perform other basic functions. The suit itself required regular 
  injections of nutrients to stay alive but little other care. There was much 
  debate in the Star Confederation as to the morality of creating and using 
  living beings in such fashion, but once the suits were created no one 
  wanted to kill them since they were living beings. In the end only a handful 
  of suits of living armor were made, most of which ended up in the hands 
  of those with permanent injuries that could not be otherwise healed. A few 
  were packed up in stasis pods before the attack on Eos in order to keep 
  them around for future use, remaining alive and functional to the present 
  day. Reviving them properly can be difficult. 
  It is effectively a suit of living clothes, much like the armor of the 
  haimedians. It lives off the waste of the wearer, but it cannot live off the 
  waste of vaasi, haimedians, coqui, or mechites due to their unusual 
  physiologies. The living armor must be worn or kept in its nutrient storage 
  tank for at least 24 out of every 72 hours to survive. While worn, living 
  armor grants the wearer a +2 enhancement bonus to Strength and a +4 
  enhancement bonus to Constitution. The wearer also gains fire 
  Weapon 
  PL 
  Dmg 
  Crit 
  Type Size 
  Wgt 
  Purch 
  Restr 
  Invisible Stick 
  8 
  2d8 
  19/x4 Slash Med 
  1 lb. 
  46 
  Res (+2) 
  
  27 
  resistance, cold resistance, acid resistance, sonic resistance, and radiation 
  resistance of 3. While wearing a suit of living armor the wearer heals at 
  double the normal rate, including ability damage. While wearing the 
  optional hood piece the wearer gains a +8 enhancement bonus to 
  Fortitude saves against any airborne threats, such as viruses and 
  poisonous gases. Owing to its odd appearance, wearing a full suit of living 
  armor confers a -4 penalty on any Charisma or Charisma-based skill 
  checks. Whenever the wearer of a suit of living armor must make a 
  saving throw against massive damage, the living armor must also make a 
  saving through with a +6 bonus. If the living armor fails its saving throw, it 
  dies, becoming useless. A suit of living armor is a Progress Level 8 item 
  and has a purchase DC of 52 and a restriction of Licensed. Living armor 
  is considered light armor, though few who used it had the training to use it 
  to its true potential. 
   
  Stim-Nanite Shot 
  Found in first aid kits across the Star Confederation, these common 
  healing devices were easy to use and extremely effective. While they 
  were initially used by medical and military agencies, in time they were sold 
  as common household first-aid implements. Looking much like a pen, the 
  stim-nanite shot is little more than a small air injector with one dose of 
  medical nanites, pain relievers, and healing accelerants. The most 
  common version of the stim-nanite shot was a single use device that 
  broke down to its component molecules after used, but medical facilities 
  often had multi-use versions. 
  Using a stim-nanite shot is a standard action that provokes an attack of 
  opportunity. The shot immediately converts up to 1d8+3 points of lethal 
  damage to nonlethal damage and heals 1d8+3 points of nonlethal 
  damage, and it continues to convert three points of lethal damage to 
  nonlethal damage per round for the next ten rounds. At the end of ten 
  rounds, it also restores up to 1d4 points of Dexterity, Constitution, and 
  Strength damage ten rounds after it is used. A stip-nanite shot is a PL8 
  item and has a purchase DC of 46 and no restrictions. 
   
  Warrior Collar 
  Used by the soldiers of the Star Confederation when in extended combat 
  situations, the warrior collar is designed to keep the wearer at peak 
  performance for extended periods of time. It does this by stimulating the 
  nervous system of the wearer, allowing the user to think clearly and avoid 
  exhaustion without need for drugs. This process is not dangerous unless 
  the warrior collar is used for weeks on end—something that the Star 
  Confederation avoided doing. Warrior collars look like simple metal mesh 
  circlets that are worn around the neck and tightened to be snug but not 
  uncomfortable. Warrior collars are flexible so they do not get in the way 
  Armor 
  PL 
  Type 
  Equip. 
  Bonus 
  Prof. 
  Bonus 
  Max 
  Dex 
  Armor 
  Penalty 
  Wgt 
  Restr 
  Living Armor 
  8 
  Tactical 
  +4 
  +1 
  +6 
  -1 
  15 lbs. 
  Lic 
  Speed 
  (30 ft) 
  30 ft. 
  Purch 
  52 
  
  28 
  of movement or breathing. Warrior collars will not function on vaasi, 
  haimedians, coqui, or mechites due to their unusual physiology. 
  When activated, the warrior collar draws its power from the nervous 
  system and movements of the wearer, allowing it to operate indefinitely. 
  Once the warrior collar is put on it may be activated or deactivated by 
  toggling a concealed switch. When active, the collar confers a +2 bonus 
  to Dexterity and Constitution, reduces any penalties due to exhaustion or 
  fatigue by half, and reduces the time to recover from exhaustion and 
  fatigue conditions to one-quarter the normal time. The wearer may also 
  operate without sleep for up to 72 hours without suffering any penalty. If 
  the warrior collar is used for more than two weeks without a break of at 
  least 24 hours, the wearer suffers 1 point of Constitution damage and an 
  additional point of Constitution damage each day thereafter until the collar 
  is deactivated. Warrior collars are PL8 items with a Purchase DC of 58 
  and a restriction of Licensed. 
   
  Relic Hunter Advanced Class 
  While many claim the title of relic hunter, few are truly worthy of the 
  honor. Those that are possess a mixture of technological, military, and 
  survival skills that set them apart from the amateurs who simply want to 
  get rich quick. The real relic hunters know that research, planning, and 
  knowing when to give up are the secrets to success. 
  Select this advanced class if you want to be an expert at finding, 
  recovering, and using advanced alien technology. You may not always be 
  able to fix it, but you sure know how to find it. 
  The fastest path into this advanced class is from the Smart or 
  Dedicated hero basic classes, though other paths are possible. 
   
  Requirements 
  To become a Relic Hunter, a character must fulfill the following criteria. 
  Base Attack Bonus: +2 
  Skills: Knowledge (Technology) 6 ranks, Search 6 ranks, Spot 6 ranks, 
  Survival 6 ranks. 
   
  Class Information 
  The following information pertains to the Relic Hunter advanced class. 
   
  Hit Die 
  The Relic Hunter gains 1d8 hit points per level. The character’s 
  Constitution modifier applies. 
   
  Action Points 
  The Relic Hunter gains a number of action points equal to 6 + one-half his 
  character level, rounded down, every time he attains a new level in this 
  class. 
   
  Class Skills 
  The Relic Hunter’s class skills are as follows. 
  
  29 
  Skill Points at Each Level: 8+ Int modifier (7+ Int modifier for 
  nonhumans). 
  Climb (Str), Computer Use (Int), Decipher Script (Int), Disable Device 
  (Int), Gather Information (Cha), Investigate (Int), Knowledge (earth and life 
  sciences) (Int), Knowledge (physical sciences) (Int), Knowledge 
  (technology)(Int), Listen (Wis), Navigate (Int), Read/Write Language, 
  Repair (Int), Research (Int), Search (Int), Speak Language, Spot (Wis), 
  Survival (Wis), Swim (Str).  
   
  Class Features 
  The following class features pertain to the Relic Hunter advanced class. 
   
  Inspect Xenotech 
  At 1st level, by spending a move action and inspecting a piece of alien 
  technology, the Relic Hunter may make an Intelligence check (DC 10+ the 
  device’s progress level) to determine the abilities of the device. The Relic 
  Hunter enjoys a bonus on the check equal to his class level. If successful, 
  the Relic Hunter knows the basic abilities of the item, such as damage 
  and range increment for weapons or speed for vehicles. If the Relic 
  Hunter has the Smart hero talent Identify Alien Technology he may add 
  both his Relic Hunter and Smart hero levels to the Intelligence check. 
   
  Danger Sense 
  At 1st level, the Relic Hunter gains an eye for situations that are about to 
  turn dangerous. Anytime the Relic Hunter must make a Reflex save he 
  may make a Spot check against the same DC. If the Spot check is 
  successful the Relic Hunter gets a +3 bonus to his Reflex save. 
   
  Deactivate Relic 
  At 2nd level, the Relic Hunter is able to deactivate most relics even if he 
  doesn’t know how they work fully. As a full-round action the Relic Hunter 
  may make an Intelligence check (DC 10+ the relic’s progress level) with a 
  bonus equal to his Relic Hunter level. If successful the device is 
  deactivated, though the process of deactivation for some devices may 
  take some time. Also this deactivation does not mean the relic is safe just 
  because it is shut down, e.g., shutting down a relic aircraft in mid-air. 
   
  Gravevine Insider 
  At 2nd level, the Relic Hunter has spent enough time working within the 
  Gravevine to receive a +4 bonus to all skill checks related to the 
  Gravevine. 
   
  Bonus Feats 
  At 3rd, 6th and 9th level, a Relic Hunter gets a bonus feat. The bonus feat 
  must be selected from the following list, and the Relic Hunter must be able 
  to meet all the prerequisites of the feat to select it. 
  Alertness, Archaic Weapons Proficiency, Armor Proficiency (Light), 
  Athletic, Blind-Fight, Blood Blister Survivor, Cautious, Dodge, Educated, 
  Exotic Firearms Proficiency, Exotic Melee Weapon Proficiency, 
  
  30 
  Gearhead, Guide, Meticulous, Personal Firearms Proficiency, Renown, 
  Studious, Technological Aptitude. 
   
  Relic Hunter Reputation 
  At 4th level, the Relic Hunter has developed a reputation as being a 
  competent relic hunter. Other relic hunters may come seeking his advice 
  or try and hire him for expeditions. The Relic Hunter receives a +4 bonus 
  to Reputation when dealing with relic hunters, brokers, or buyers, including 
  the Gravevine. He also gains a +2 bonus to Charisma and Charisma-
  based skills when interacting with relic hunters, brokers, or buyers. 
   
  Fast Searcher 
  At 4th level, the Relic Hunter takes half the normal time required when 
  searching, including taking 10 or 20 when making Search checks. 
   
  Utilize Xenotech 
  At 5th level, by spending an action point and ten minutes investigating a 
  piece of alien technology, the Relic Hunter can attempt to figure out how 
  to operate the basic functions of the alien device. This requires an 
  Intelligence check for each device against the DC listed on the table 
  below. The Relic Hunter receives a bonus to this check equal to his Relic 
  Hunter level. If successful, the Relic Hunter can use the basic functions of 
  the device—such as 
  driving a vehicle or 
  firing a weapon—
  without the normal 
  penalties associated 
  with using a device of 
  a higher progress level 
  than the Relic Hunter 
  is familiar with. The 
  Relic Hunter still 
  suffers from any other 
  penalties due to not 
  having the proper 
  feats to use the item, such as a lack of proficiency with a particular 
  weapon class. The Relic Hunter must know what the device does before 
  using this ability from the Inspect Xenotech class ability, a Knowledge 
  (Technology) skill check, or another source, such as an instruction manual 
  or technical schematic. If the Relic Hunter has the Smart hero talent of the 
  same name he may add both his Relic Hunter and Smart hero levels to 
  the Intelligence check. 
   
  Technological Aptitude 
  At 7th level the Relic Hunter gains the Technological Aptitude feat as a 
  bonus feat regardless of if he meets the prerequisites. 
   
  Exotic Technology Training 
  At 8th level, the Relic Hunter gains one of the following feats as a bonus 
  feat, for which he does not have to meet the prerequisites: Armor 
  Type of Object 
  DC 
  Device of same or lower progress level as Smart hero’s culture 
  10 
  Device 1 progress level above the Smart hero’s culture 
  15 
  Device 2 progress levels above the Smart hero’s culture 
  20 
  Device 3+ progress levels above the Smart hero’s culture 
  25 
  Device has an unusual interface, such as mental controls  
  +5 
  Device is particularly complex 
  +5 
  For each size category greater than Medium-size 
  +2 
  
  31 
  Proficiency (Powered), Exotic Firearms Proficiency, Exotic Melee 
  Weapons Proficiency, Organic Technology Familiarity (see Helios Rising). 
   
  Technological Comprehension 
  At 10th level, the Relic Hunter has gained a wide and varied understanding 
  of alien technology, allowing him to interact with it much more easily than 
  most people. He need no longer spend an action point to use his Inspect 
  Xenotech and Utilize Xenotech abilities. He also gains the ability to spend 
  an action point to completely ignore penalties due to the Progress Level 
  of a single item for one use. 
   
   
  Class 
  Level 
  BAB 
  1 
  +0 
  2 
  +1 
  3 
  +2 
  4 
  +3 
  5 
  +3 
  6 
  +4 
  7 
  +5 
  Fort 
  Ref 
  +1 
  +0 
  +2 
  +0 
  +2 
  +1 
  +2 
  +1 
  +3 
  +1 
  +3 
  +2 
  +3 
  +2 
  Will 
  Def 
  Bonus 
  Rep 
  Bonus 
  +1 
  +0 
  +1 
  +2 
  +1 
  +1 
  +2 
  +1 
  +1 
  +2 
  +1 
  +2 
  +3 
  +2 
  +2 
  +3 
  +2 
  +2 
  +4 
  +2 
  +3 
  Special 
  Identify Xenotech, Danger Sense 
  Deactivate Relic, Gravevine Insider 
  Bonus Feat 
  Relic Hunter Reputation, Fast 
  Searcher 
  Utilize Xenotech 
  Bonus Feat 
  Technological Aptitude 
  8 
  +6 
  +4 
  +2 
  +4 
  Exotic Technology Training 
  +3 
  +3 
  9 
  +6 
  +4 
  +3 
  +4 
  Bonus Feat 
  +3 
  +3 
  10 
  +7 
  +5 
  +3 
  +5 
  Technological Comprehension 
  +3 
  +4 
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Dawning Star/Dawning Star Terraformer 11 - Relic Hunting.pdf