Battleborn Jump WIP v1

Battleborn CYOA
(Jumpchain-Compliant!)
	Once, this was a universe filled with uncountable galaxies. Stars, planets, and civilizations. All of that changed, however, with the arrival of the Varelsi. From beyond the known universe, they appeared, Darkening all in their path and consuming the very stars. Now, only Solus and its small system remain, the rest of the universe having been utterly devoured. Yet, Solus is still vibrant and alive, with life swarming across its planets. Ekkunar plays host to jungles and deserts, waterways and Aztanti ruins. Tempest teems with floating Jennerit cities. Bliss hums with UPR settlements and machinery. At one point, Solus showed real promise of finally defeating the Varelsi incursion once and for all. Then, however, Lothar Rendan, Warmaster of the Jennerit Imperium, betrayed the Empress Lenore and the multi-faction alliance he had once led, seeing no future for his people save in submission to the very Varelsi they had spent so many millennia fighting. He invited the Darkening of the Jennerit homeworld of Jennar, and now leads armies of Thrall from the planet Tempest in a final push against the last star. The other factions have splintered, fighting among each other over the limited remaining resources and their differing ideologies. It falls to a select group of each faction's mightiest warriors – their Battleborn – to fulfill the ancient prophecy concerning the End, unite their peoples, defeat the traitor Rendain, and put a stop to the Varelsi once and for all.
	That, dear friend, is where you come in. Take this 1000 CP and answer this question for yourself – in the end, will you fight together? Or die alone?
	Take note: Solus is the last star in the entire universe. Do keep in mind that if you cause or allow its destruction and thus doom the universe to premature heat death, you'll be going home.
Section 1: Age and Faction
Roll 3d8+10 to determine your age, or pay 50 CP to choose your age from those rollable as well as your gender.

Choose a Faction below to belong to – incidentally, this will also determine your starting location.

Drop-In [Free] – Well, that's odd. Nobody here seems to know where you're from. You just sort of appeared in orbit around Solus, asleep or in stasis inside a truly ancient-looking ship. Ignoring the now nigh-unreadable logo on the side of the vessel, which you could swear belongs to a weapons corporation long since defunct, you awaken to the unmistakable feeling of this derelict being towed to one of the five locations below (roll 1d5).

Jennerit Imperium [Free] – Like many among the Jennerit, you were outraged by the coup d'etat led by Lothar Rendain, and your loyalty to Empress Lenore led you to turn against the traitor in hopes of preventing the fall of Solus. You start on the tidally-locked planet of Tempest, awaiting a rescue from one of the floating cities as you fight off swarms of Thrall and malfunctioning Minion Robotics drones.

Eldrid [Free] – You oppose the Varelsi in the name of the natural order, as your faction always has. Of course, masters of biology who grow their equipment rather than building it would be very interested in protecting the last shining star indeed. You find yourself fending off a wave of Thrall soldiers on a forested chunk of the shattered planet Ekkunar, preventing their entry into an ancient Aztanti ruin. Soon enough, a small ship will be arriving to recruit you for the battle against the Varelsi.

Last Light Consortium [Free] – Profit, that's the name of the game. The remains of the universe's great corporations form the Last Light Consortium (LLC for short), and the leading company among them is Minion Robotics – the greatest remaining producer of war machines. Drones? Starships? Weapons? They manufacture it all. You find yourself behind the relative safety of the Arcfleet – a floating, planet-sized space station consisting of multiple modules and surrounded by vast shields. Keep in mind, this is relative safety. Luckily for you, a small ship will most likely be visiting soon to pick you up.

United Peacekeeping Republics [Free] – Someone has to stop the Varelsi. Someone has to preserve democracy. Someone has to overcome the forces of destruction and chaos! Among the factions of Solus, the motivations of your government are perhaps the most purely anti-Varelsi in nature – or so one might assume. You awaken on the frozen world of Bliss, within a heated settlement – one of the few not yet overrun by Thrall, malfunctioning Minion-bots, or Varelsi. Needless to say, the Battleborn will be arriving soon to put the place in order, and you'll likely find yourself joining them – unless you had something else in mind?

The Rogues [Free] – Even at the end of days (literally!), there are always the downtrodden, the criminal, and the mad. Concentrated in the Detritus Rings at the outer edge of the Solus system, these rogues and scavengers inhabit small asteroids and old shipwrecks alike, living on the edge of death. You awaken within a particularly large chunk of outdated warship, floating around the ring. A certain ship is going to dock here soon, looking to have you aboard.


Section 2: Role
Everyone has a role to play on the battlefield – but which is yours?

Attacker [Free] – You're meant to push against objectives, cut through waves of enemies to reach critical locations, and take the fight right to the Varelsi's faces. Your skillset is mostly focused around dealing heavy damage and moving quickly.

Defender [Free] – Your role is to hold the line. Dealing damage is one thing, but your skillset focuses more on withstanding it. Let them try to bring you down – you've got all day.

Supporter [Free] – Every war needs utilities – medics, tacticians, and those who otherwise act as force multipliers. Your allies will need you in the coming battle – will you stand behind them, or leave them to their fates?

Section 3: Species
Many species inhabit the Solus system – but some are more common within certain factions than within others. Your choice of species is free, but you can only pick one. You gain all of the usual innate or genetic abilities of that species, at the average of their normal capabilities. Drop-Ins can pick any of these, but will always have an off “tell.” As for why that is, well...

Shared
Human [LLC, UPR, Rogues] – You should probably know what these are already.

Aviant [Rogues, UPR] – Birdlike humanoids which come in flighted or flightless varieties, and often resemble specific species of birds. You can choose from either type.

Clone Soldier [UPR, Rogues] – Whether from a successful or a failed batch, you number among what were once thousands of clones, produced for a long-forgotten war.

Eldrid
Aelfrin – A people resembling what the Humans of ancient days would call “wood elves,” the core race of the Eldrid can live for thousands of years before age takes them. Unfortunately, there aren't very many left at all – and should you walk among them, you will be one of only two confirmed Aelfrin in the system.

Ekkuni Dwarf – A short, stocky, and hardy people native to Ekkunar's caverns, these beings are capable of living for centuries and surviving briefly in vacuum – this is often assumed to be due to their sheer stubbornness.

A. Mikollopria – There aren't many of these, either. Once there was a whole planet-sized fungal cluster of these creatures, but only a few human-sized clusters escaped – and only one made it to Solus. Or, well, perhaps two. Comes with a tendency to refer to oneself in the plural.

Ice Golem – Well, not quite. While they may certainly look the part, formations such as these are actually the result of macroscopic extremophile bacterial colonies forming into ice-covered bodies. Comes with a slight tendency to consume everything in sight for

Jennerit Imperium
Jennerit – Tall and lean, with pointed ears and sharp features, the Jennerit are an ancient and proud people. It is unknown whether Jennerit can truly die from old age, and some have lived for thousands of years.

Thrall – Tall, muscular, durable, horned, the underclass of the Jennerit Imperium are intimidating, useful in all forms of manual labor, and above all, stupid. Unfortunately for Rendain, that last one doesn't exactly describe you. What can we say? Giving a creature gifted in every way but intelligence implants that might risk giving it that intelligence is not what one might call a Good Idea if you wish to continue controlling said creature.

Last Light Consortium
Robot – Some are made as butlers. Others, as durable war machines to be piloted by recently-debugged AI's. Whatever the case, you are unlike other life. Your “soul” is data, and your “flesh” is a futuristic alloy you probably wouldn't be able to pronounce if you were human.

Rogues
Varimorph – A species from the Etram system, capable of adapting to situations by slowly altering their own genetic code to prepare themselves better for alternate environments. In their normal state, however, they resemble small humanoids with alternating light and dark patches of skin and wiry hair. This ability to self-modify even allows them to mimic technology to some extent – though they cannot mimic anything their bodies cannot provide room or energy for.

United Peacekeeping Republics
Oddly enough, this democratic faction isn't home to any unique species.

Section 4: Skills and Abilities
A Perk marked “Discount” is 50% off for the designated Faction or Role. Free means it can be taken at no cost to the Faction or Role specified, but

Born For This [Free] – A Battleborn must be ready to fight at any time – and so to you comes the basic competency needed to fight against the Varelsi and their minions.

100 CP, Discount by Faction
Night Vision [Free Drop-In] – You're very adept at seeing in the dark. Only an absolute lack of any light whatsoever would render you unable to see clearly. Maybe it's got something to do with those black sclerae of yours? Probably not. Right?

Insurrection [Free Jennerit Imperium] – It's one thing to launch a rebellion, but another to know who you can trust to join it. Good thing for you, you've got intel on that. Let the enemy try and plant any moles in your organization – that'll just make sniffing them out more fun.

Guided by Nature [Free Eldrid] – The stars. Er, sorry. Star. Singular. The moons. The seasons. There's a certain rhythm to things in the natural order, and you've managed to attune yourself to them, as befitting the Eldrid. Not only do you have a very accurate sense of time and timing, but you also instinctively attune with the natural world around you to glean information on such things as the migration and breeding seasons of animals, or the usual time at which monsoons arrive.

The Right Price [Free LLC] – What's the point of protecting the last star in the universe if you can't make any money off of it? That just will not do! Luckily for you, it seems, you have a means of cutting the red tape (mostly through bribery) to get your products to market despite any potential... deal-breakers, and get a sense on just how much you'd need to use to accomplish this. You've got to spend money to make money – better, then, not to spend that money paying lawyers.

Someone's Gotta Do It [Free UPR] – Because boy is it a dirty job, and a scary one, and even a thankless one. Sometimes it feels like the suits on Bliss don't even care about Solus, so long as there's still life in the universe and it's under democratic rule. Sometimes it feels like they don't carry about you, either. But you know what? Screw getting all mopey about that! Even if you've got to fight all by yourself, naked, with just your bare hands, as long as you're focused on the battle at hand you can forget about despair or depression. You'll have time to cry when you're dead.

Honor Among Thieves [Free Rogues] – When Shard-jumping and salvage are just about your only ways of life, you learn one very important lesson – don't mess with them, and them won't mess with you. You find yourself progressing relatively unmolested by bandits, thugs, and all other manner of outlaws – and should they come across you engaged in a criminal or otherwise seedy enterprise, they may even decide to help out.

300 CP, discounted by Faction
The Unseen [Discount Drop-In] – That's funny. The disposable minions of the Varelsi... don't seem to be able to tell you apart from the environment. Even if ordered by someone who can see you to attack you, with no other potential targets in sight, they'd probably just sit around looking confused until you moved. On a note I'm absolutely sure is completely unrelated, you've got a strange set of purple veins running just under your skin now. I'm sure it's nothing to worry about.

The Mighty Have Fallen [Discount Jennerit Imperium] – But you will not be among them. Not like this. So long as you seek to do what's right, the darkened skies will hold no sway over your heart. Rendain gave into despair and betrayed all he had once fought for – you will not make that mistake. This is not the mere grim determination of the UPR troops, but something greater – it is knowing that so long as you do the right thing, all will be well. It is a torch to be carried, in war and in peace, so long as Solus still shines.

Eldrid Vitality [Discount Eldrid] – As keen on remaining in sync with the natural world as they are, the Eldrid recognize that their bodies are often far less durable than the trees, stones, and soil they so revere. Let it not be said that there is no way to mitigate this. Like many among the Eldrid, your body's tissues repair themselves more quickly than those of others – noticeably, but not that quickly. A cut that'd take an hour to stop bleeding for others takes 15 minutes for you, in other words.

Minion Engineer [Discount LLC] -  Minion Robotics, the last and largest of the great weapon manufacturers, has a great many machines at their disposal. Sentry turrets, robotic drones, and even the spider-like tanks known as Huntsmen. With the proper time and resources, not only can you build and maintain these – but you also know just how to pitch them for sale. After all, what's the point of making something for free?

Well-Rounded [Discount UPR] – The military doctrine of the Peacekeepers requires that its soldiers be adaptable to various situations and types of enemies – even as the Varelsi remain the main threat to the universe. So went your training – from the highest mountains to the lowest valleys, the densest jungles to the deck of a starship, fighting anywhere feels just like fighting in your preferred terrain. Any time, any place, and whatever weapons they have, the Peacekeepers are ready.

Scrapmaster [Discount Rogues] – Living in the Detritus Rings, you learn to make do with what you've got. Surprisingly, sometimes that's as good as the shiny new bits the UPR and LLC get. In your hands, which are skilled at putting together weapons and armor out of old or discarded parts, these same weapons and armor perform admirably, almost as if they were built that way in a factory or from scratch by a master weaponsmith or armorsmith! Your gun might be made of rusted junk, but you can forget about it falling apart like rusted junk.

600 CP, discounted by Faction
The Void Has Eyes [Discount Drop-In] – That's weird. Are those ten Varelsi Skulks actually... listening to you? And did the portal they came out of appear when you waved your hand? That's really weird. But surely those wisps of shadow emanating from your flesh have nothing to do with it. Nope, not even the part where you can make about six of these portal blooms at a time. Granted Skulks aren't the strongest Varelsi, so you'll be needing to replenish them often, and that gets tiring, but hey. Free Varelsi. Neat.

Once Of The Order [Discount Jennerit Imperium] – And now you wield those skills in the name of lost Jennar – of lost Emperess Lenore – and of tearing the traitor Rendain a new one. As a Thrall, you are a gladiator without peer, your fists and equipment the match of twenty of your kind. As a Jennerit, you are perhaps a Keeper of the Blade, once among Empress Lenore's elite guard, with extensive training in the order's tri-blade style, or perhaps you are a Silent Sister, healing and scourging alike with the sisterhood's strange art, drawing on the energy of the stars themselves (or, now, Solus itself) to Sustain their allies and annihilate their foes.

The Forest Is A Factory All Its Own [Discount Eldrid] – Nobody ever said technology had to be all gears and wires. The Eldrid are experts in biotechnology, producing throwing knives that hold the the thrower's own venom, longbows that compete with UPR guns in both fire rate and damage, stone rune-axes capable of matching Jennerit swords, and even living gauntlets that reshape themselves subtly based on the user's desires. Even these, however, are but the least of the Eldrid's wonders of integration, life and machine made one and the same. Greater works include  the Eliim Trees, which serve as vast libraries of information, and the ancient, golem-like guardians that stand sentinel over ancient tombs. Greater wonders await, should you somehow manage to retake old Eldrid worlds from the Varelsi void, or harvest the knowledge within the library on Ekkunar for yourself. Use it well, Eldrid.

Magnum Opus [Discount LLC] – The AI type known as the Magnus are the crowning achievement of the Last Light Consortium's research facilities. Not only can you forge the powerful AIs yourself, sculpting data into an entity capable of managing financial and manufacturing assets across multiple planets, but you also possess the means to debug said AI's in case of a... how shall I say, rebellion. Should you possess a means of linking AI's together seamlessly, you might even be able to create an equivalent to the Magna Carta – which would keep your new artificial intelligence friends sane, for one thing – but where are you going to get that?

Everybody Sound Off [Discount UPR] – The United Peacekeeping Republics, while possessing the least diversity in species within Solus, encompasses the survivors of what were once hundreds of thousands of different cultures, civilizations, and governments. This cosmopolitan spirit is now at your command. This is something beyond teamwork, what you possess now. This is unity. Come what may, when you and your allies are together in battle, nothing will drive a wedge between you. Nothing. Neither wind nor rain, nor hail nor flame, nor tides of Varelsi risen again, nor breaking speeches from Lothar Rendain, will break your team apart in the thick of the fight. You will not go quietly into eternal night.

Rogue Commander [Discount Rogues] – You're something rare in the Detritus Ring – a true leader, capable of bringing outcasts of all different kinds of causes together to fight for their survival. You can bring order to the chaos of criminals, mercenaries, and runaways – even get them to fight with real discipline. With enough time, and enough of their favor, you could forge them into a nation of their own. A certain “Valkyrie” will appreciate the help keeping everything in line, by the way.

100 CP, discounted by Role
Open Fire! [Free Attacker] – When you're fighting to save the last star in the universe, nobody's got time to go fishing for ammo! Luckily for you, you have an easier time reloading than your weapon might imply. Wherever your ammunition might be stored, reloading your firearms is as simple as making a motion to eject the previous clip. A new clip will appear, filling your weapon to its maximum capacity again and drawing on your ammunition reserves. If you somehow do manage to use those up completely, well. We admire your dedication to the fight to save Solus.

Stand Your Ground! [Free Defender] – Let it never be said that you are a coward, nor that you will break before the onslaught of your enemies like balsa wood against a chainsaw. You've got something of a layer of “shields” over your normal flesh. Think of it as a pool of temporary “hit points,” that can take as much damage for you as an ordinary human would take from a tank round before dissipating. Of course, once it's gone, you won't get it back until you find a shield-regenerating drop or go ten minutes without taking damage, whichever comes first.

Medic! Medic! [Free Supporter] – Everyone needs a little battlefield healing sometimes! Luckily, you can provide. Whether through some quirk in your body chemistry that fires a beam of regenerative energy, a technique that manipulates cellular division, or just good old-fashioned medicine, you're capable of healing your allies in the thick of it, slowly but surely. Can't regrow any lost limbs with this alone, but you can bring them back from a decent number of broken bones in about two minutes.

200 CP, discounted by Role
Tankbuster! [Discount Attacker] – You know how your enemies have all of those annoying shields all over? Well, you've got something of a solution for that. On average, one of every ten shots from your weapon of choice just seems to ignore their shields and hit their health directly. Shields? What shields?

Get Down! [Discount Defender] – Sometimes those idiots on your squad won't just take cover already. Luckily, you seem to have this thing you do where you can jump in front of attacks for them and take about 5/6 of the damage they otherwise would have. It's not much, but it's something to keep these morons alive and shooting.

Shields Up! [Discount Supporter] – Bullets are bad for your friends. You like your friends, right? Then maybe you should protect them from bullets! This will help – you've got some means, technological or otherwise, of projecting shields of force over your allies. Now, these will only absorb a certain amount of damage for them before breaking, but they'll always be durable enough to keep the ally in question from going down in just one hit, and if undisturbed will last for 8 seconds, after which you can place a new one on them. This is obviously better against enemies that shoot or strike slowly than it is against, say, a gatling gun.

300 CP, discounted by Role
Get Back Here! [Discount Attacker] – Oh, no they don't! Those morons think they can run from you!? Now you'll show 'em! A tether of force, a grappling hook, a vine or tentacle, whatever it may be, you've got a means of grabbing enemies within five meters of you and pulling them right in. Of course, it has to be something you're strong enough to pull, but that shouldn't be a problem, right?

Stay Over There! [Discount Defender] – One way to protect your friends is to make sure their enemies don't get close. Luckily you've got a force projector, or a small explosive, or a miniature wind tunnel, or something that can push your enemies back by about three meters. Should work on any ground forces you find here, as well as anything else you encounter up to the size of a Varelsi Gunhulk.

Buffs! Get Yer Buffs Here! [Discount Supporter] – Whether it's a special serum, a device to manipulate time slightly, or some other means, you can help your allies hit harder and faster when it counts! Once every minute or so, you can “overclock,” so to speak, the weapons of up to eight people around you, improving their firing rate by half again and their damage slightly. The faster they shoot, the faster they win, and they have you to thank for it. Aren't you proud?

General Perks
Double Helix [Free] – The abilities inherent to your species and weapons have a funny way of 'improving' over time, as you battle – but only temporarily. Once the battle is done, you revert to your base state – though no weaker than you were before you came here. This strange phenomenon is known as the Helix, and each mutation brings new spins on the same moves. A poison gauntlet or bomb might find itself able to stun after some time, and a minigun may add burning or freezing properties to its rounds. An ability to regenerate one's own vitality could spread its effects to those nearby, or a charging attack may become faster and move you further. Essentially, as long as you're still fighting a battle, your combat abilities from this world will improve themselves in minor ways as the battle drags on, to offset attrition, only to revert to base form once the battle has been over for a half-hour.

Emergency Teleport [Free during this Jump only] – For the duration of your stay here, you will have access to the same LLC Checkpoint system the Battleborn use on their missions. Essentially, when you are mortally wounded, the system will activate and transport you to one of the “checkpoints” on the planet you're on so you can recover – but at most, you'll get five of these evacs per mission, and they're shared with everyone else running alongside you. If something happens to all your teammates and they eat them all up and you get gunned down? Let's hope you have an alternative method of getting out alive. Nobody ever said the LLC worked cheap. Because they don't.


Section 5: Items and Gear
Discounted items are 50% off for the specified Faction or Role. Free means it's free, but you don't have to take it.

General/Undiscounted
Faction Emblem [Free] – This small badge in the image of your Faction's symbol makes a nice accessory. For Drop-Ins, the badge is in the ominous shape of a Varelsi's white mask. I'm sure that's got nothing to do with anything.

500 Shards [50 CP] – The LLC would like to remind you that Shards, small bits of solidified stellar energy created every time the Varelsi consume a star, are a very precious commodity, and you should probably hold onto these so you can purchase LLC products with them! For instance, this amount happens to be just enough for a Minion Robotics Repair Drone!

Skins [50 CP] – Do you like alternate color palettes for your main outfit? Wonderful, because that's exactly what you're getting, ten of them you can switch between at any time! Also affects your skin and hair, if you want, so don't worry too much about it! Now, normally, this wouldn't cost anything, but for this low, low price of just 50 points (neatly displayed above), all of your Companions can get in on the action! And we do mean all of them. Isn't that great?

Pet Varelsi [50 CP] – This tiny shadowy abomination is a cat-sized version of any of the Varelsi types yet encountered, and generally acts like a cat. It will occasionally create tiny portal blooms to bring friends over for playtime for an hour or two. If you want, it can actually look like a Varelsi version of any small house pet. No combat prowess, but it's... cute? I guess?

Turret Posts [200 CP] – Well, these are odd. Mostly, they look something like 5 empty panels. However, dump the currency equivalent of 300 Shards in, and you'll get a brand-new LLC turret! They're not that durable, but there's three types – Shock, Stinger, and Thumper! Shock turrets fire arcs of electricity at your enemies, stinger turrets blast lasers at them, and Thumper turrets fire exploding rockets! Any time one is destroyed, just drop the currency into the panel again, and you'll get a brand-new one of any of these three types! Still works when you take them with you, just don't ask where the money's going.



Companions
We Fight Together [400 CP, discount by Faction] – Or die alone. It's sort of one of the core tenets of this whole thing. Anyway, want a familiar face instead? Can do! With this, you'll hit it off with one of the well-known Battleborn, and as it's easier to make friends with people you see often, this option is only half-price for Battleborn belonging to your Faction! In short, an Eldrid would only pay half as much to befriend Alani or Boldur as they would to make friends with ISIC or Orendi.

I Get To Bring Friends [400 CP, discount Drop-In] – But don't ask me why Nova would shoot you before airlocking you. You think you're the first Battleborn she's airlocked? Anyway, you can import up to 5 previous Companions (or create new ones to fill the slots), who will receive a Faction, a Role, and 400 points to spend. They can't import their own Companions, and none of them can belong to the same faction you do.
Section 6: Drawbacks and Ending
Oh, sure, you could take up to +800 CP in Drawbacks, but honestly you have enough problems to begin with. Are you sure about this?

Overshadowed [+100 CP] – Did you have a bad release date or something? Because nobody seems to notice anything you're doing, especially not in your first year. You'd have to almost singlehandedly save Solus just to get more than a “good job.”

UI Trouble [+100 CP] – It's generally not a good idea to have your gun and HUD blocking half your field of vision. Unfortunately, this seems to be what is happening. All the time. You can barely aim through all of this information.

The Last Light Consortium Would Like To Remind You [+100 CP] – That upon accepting these one hundred Choice Points TM , you have agreed to receive a constant feed of Last Light Consortium advertising, as well as helpful public service announcements. These announcements may or may not include, but are not limited to, sarcastic commentary on your current actions, sarcastic commentary on your previous adventures, and even proclamations concerning the surely-inevitable doom of the universe, as well as advertisements for all of your favorite Last Light Consortium products! Thank you for subscribing!

Giant Gun, Smallish Head [+100 CP] – Well, some of your physical features are a bit, how shall we say, exaggerated. It's not necessarily ugly, but it's going to look a bit awkward no matter what you do. Them's the breaks.

Hoofing It [+200 CP] – Jump pads just don't work for you. You launch off, and then hit an invisible wall in the middle of your jump and fall into a chasm. Now, this is going to mean one of two things, since all your missions will involve these jump pads and the drops they're meant to prevent: falling to your doom, or hoping you can survive falls from anywhere between 100 feet up to from close to the stratosphere of a planet. Oh, and don't try any funny business where you just up and fly. That, well, ain't gonna fly. Now, grappling hooks and the like? Those are okay. Just don't miss.

Shard Shortage [+200 CP] – A lot of things in this universe need Shards to activate. Unfortunately, you never seem to have enough on hand. Too bad, huh? Well, this also includes your more powerful worn gear and accessories now, so you're stuck with the equivalent of whatever handheld weapons this world's got in battle. Still, that's not all bad! Considering the weapons some folks bring to bear? You shouldn't have too much trouble. Right? ...right?

Command Access Super-Duper Denied [+200 CP] – Nova, the “friendly,” “helpful” AI running the ship the Battleborn operate from, doesn't seem to like you very much. And not in the same way she doesn't seem to like anyone else very much sometimes, no, more being consistently unhelpful and giving incorrect directions to you specifically. And you'll fall for it every time, you poor fool.

Finite Ammo [+200 CP] – Huh. That's funny. What's that clicking sound? Was that your weapon running out of ammunition? And did it just... not reload from any sort of stockpile? That's right, you've got to actually reload ammunition the normal way now, and you've only got as much as you can produce through actual munitions manufacturing methods, or have stockpiled. Note, this doesn't mean a gun that can use just about everything as ammunition stops doing that, it just means you have to have things around for it to shoot.

A Fun Fact About Magnuses [+300 CP/+100 CP] – They're all insane. Every. Single. One. ISIC thinks the universe is a joke and wants to crash it using The Algorithm – a chunk of code so complex he surmises the very fabric of existence will have trouble processing it. He then desires to punch the beings responsible for reality in the face. Nova is... Nova, and that's about all the warning you'll really get. But surprise, they're not the only ones! Now absolutely anything, anything with even the slightest amount of programming or other artificial consciousness is completely out of its mind, and probably not in a way that will help you. Yes, even that. Yes, even the one that runs that. I shouldn't have to tell you why this is a Bad Thing. Don't worry, they'll get better once you're gone. If you yourself are a Robot (in which case you're as bonkers as the rest), or if you just don't have any such things on hand, you'll only get 100 extra points for this. Sorry, bud.

Lore Challenges [+300 CP] – Besides your general fighting style, your name, and your primary weapon, you remember nothing about yourself. You haven't lost any of your powers, but it's hard to use something you don't even know you have. Not only that, but your Companions don't recall you either. Luckily, there's a way to get this back. By fighting alongside your Companions under always-absurd or annoying conditions possibly hundreds of times, you and they can piece a little of it all back together. Regardless of what's still missing, you'll get it all back at the end.

Hardcore Mode [+300 CP] – Have it your way! Not only do you not have access to the LLC's Emergency Checkpoint System, but neither does anyone else. If a Battleborn dies on a mission, they stay dead, even if they'd otherwise be able to afford the evacuation-teleport the checkpoints provide.

Rendain Was Right [+600 CP] – Well, alright, then. If you want it that way. The destruction of Solus is no longer a loss condition – because it's doomed anyway. This really is the end of everything, and you will be alone in the dark. Your Companions, your pets, your summons – even the other Battleborn – are all lost to you. It's just you, surviving an endless tide of Varelsi. Varelsi that grow stronger all the while, as time passes in the endless void. Whether they'll ever catch up to you is a question for the ages, but you can always be sure each wave will take longer to deal with than the last. And unlike normally, even if you did have any abilities based on sunlight or starlight – or the power to make suns – those are lost to you, too. You're all alone, and should you shut your eyes even once, you might never open them again.

Regardless of whatever Drawbacks you took, they are revoked at the end of your decade-long stay – if you live that long. You've got one last choice to make.

Go Home – You'd rather the light pollution be the reason you can't see the stars in the sky than “they were all eaten.” Still, as a consolation prize, you get to keep everything you picked up on your adventures so far.

Stay Here – The Varelsi aren't gonna stop gunning for Solus just because you're gone – a Battleborn's work is never done.

Move On – Screw this! These idiots might not have a ticket out of here, but you do! On to the next adventure!


Section 7: Notes
1. Yes, you can install ISIC into your (insert thing an AI can go in here) if you Companion or Pod him. I just don't know why you think that's at all a Good Idea That Won't Result In Millions Of Deaths. Because it's not. It's a terrible idea likely to result in millions of deaths. Upgrade that to billions if the thing you're installing him in is a starship with any major complement of weaponry.
2. Yes, you can use We Fight Together to pick up Rendain, but why on Ekkunar would you want to?
3. Abilities based on starlight or sunlight, or that produce new suns, still work unless you take the 'Rendain Was Right' Drawback. Just so you know.
4. The various physical traits mentioned in the Drop-In Perks are optional indicators of “you spent way too much time out there in Varelsi space and surprise that's where your new powers are from.” In case that wasn't obvious.
5. Yes, ISIC still knows the Algorithm if you take him with you. I wouldn't recommend running it in a universe you're still in.
6. About the Lore Challenges drawback – the means by which you and your Companions would regain memories of one another often relate to formative prior moments in your relationships. If you and a companion fought off a massive horde of enemies who were attacking from range, for instance, then your Lore Challenge might include killing a certain number of Thrall Gunners or Varelsi Marksmen. Remembering bringing someone back from the dead might require you to heal up other Battleborn, or your Companions, to “good as new” from “will probably bleed out soon” several hundred times. The numbers are always annoyingly large, but never impossible.