BX-Space – Space Suits
Outside of the Rocket Ship there is of course no atmosphere in space or upon the surface of a typical asteroid or moon. Space is a vacuum harmful to characters not wearing a space suit. Vacuum, Heat (treat as Fire), and Cold would cause 1d6 Damage per round if Space Suits were not worn. A Space Suit might be best described as “bulky” in appearance. Movement is slowed while wearing a Space-suit.
|
Character Encumbrance |
Normal Move (Per Turn) |
Encounter or Combat Movement |
Running Movement |
|
801—1600 coins OR Any Space Suit and carrying treasure |
60’ |
20’/round |
60‘/round |
Space Suit AC
Space-suits have Armour Class.
- Note that a Character may not wear Armour and a Space Suit.
Space Suit AC, Cost, & Weight
|
Item |
AC |
Cost in gp |
Weight in Coins |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Space Suit 71 |
7 |
40 |
200 |
|
Space Suit 52 |
5 |
80 |
400 |
|
Space Suit 32 |
3 |
120 |
500 |
Note 1 – Space Suit 7 is usable by all Characters.
Note 2 – Space Suits 5 and 3 are not usable by Magic User’s and Thieves.
Space Suit Life Support
While a Space Suit protects its wearer from the cold, heat, and vacuum they do not protect the wearer from radiation. If submerged a Space Suit does not leak but it is not a diving suit. A Space Suit has sufficient air for 12 hours held in four air tanks carried on the wearer’s back, 3 hours per tank. The air tanks can be refilled at a Rocket Ship by connecting the tanks to either internal or external fill nozzles. In an emergency a Space Suit air supply may be shared with one other suit at double the rate of consumption. There is only one such connection per suit.
Space Suit Damage
When a character wearing a space suit is hit and injured by a weapon their suit is also punctured, each Turn thereafter the suit has not been repaired the character suffers an additional loss of 1 hit point until the hole(s) are patched.
Note that only blunt weapons such as a club, cause injury without puncturing a space suit.
A suit may also be accidentally punctured or torn. A Character may make a System Saving Throw to completely avoid any Tear or Puncture resulting from Movement, or Hazards.
Suit punctures and tears can be sealed with any one of 4 patch kits held in the cargo pockets of every space suit. Sealing punctures or tears takes 1 Turn. Each air supply tank will empty in 3 Turns and all tanks are empty in 12 Turns. With no air a Character suffers 1d6 damage each turn; which is halved if they make a successful saving throw vs. No Air.
Helmet
The helmet of a space suit is partially or fully transparent and equipped at the neck with a Tele-Radio for communication and a gauge which shows the full or empty status of each air tank.
Note – The Tele-Radio has a short range and requires a Check Roll to use it successfully.
Zero Gravity & Space Walks
Because zero gravity may cause Space Sickness, and presents additional difficulty to movement, a Rocket Ship has an artificial gravity system, which if it is functioning, provides normal gravity inside the ship. There is no artificial gravity outside the ship.
In Zero Gravity Characters and objects float regardless of size or weight. Inside a Rocket Ship a character can use the inner hull as hand and foot holds to move through the ship. That is they have something to push against to move. A Character may use hand and foot holds to move along the outside hull of a ship but space presents additional risk for outside a ship a character that loses contact with the surface of the hull may dangerously drift away from it and be unable to return on their own.
When free floating in zero gravity outside a ship a character might be mere inches away from a ship hull and be unable to reach it or move towards it. Because free floating characters cannot return to the ship on their own for their own safety they must either be tethered to the ship with a line of rope, or themselves wear a Rocket Pack. The rescue of drifting characters might take the form of throwing them a tether, reaching out to them, using a Rocket Pack, or retrieving them with the ship’s grapple.
Note – Desperate characters may attempt to vent the air in their suit and use it to propel themselves towards the ship. Assign this a Test Number from 9 to 2 depending on the circumstance.
Magnetic Space Boots
Space boots have magnetic soles and cling to decks and bulkheads in Zero Gravity. However, if a character is successfully struck in combat in Zero Gravity by any weapon other than a Ray Gun they must make a Saving Throw vs. Zero-G to stay attached or they become detached and float.
Space Sickness
Whenever Characters experience a sudden shift to Zero Gravity they may initially be affected by Space Sickness. They must make a saving throw vs. Zero-G or be unable to take any action for 1 round. Zero-G is to be added to the BX-Space Saving Throws under Space Suit Punctures.
Wearing Giant Robots
If the Space Master permits it Characters may “wear” an oversized Giant Robot but it is not a Space Suit. This kind of Robot causes 1-8 (1d8) damage with its claws. The Robots AC takes precedence over that of the Character even if the Character’s AC is better. A Robot also strikes last in any round regardless of whether or not a Character is operating it.
Next Article – BX-Space Rules Wrap Up
