You were once a young officer in the Imperial Navy, known for your ability to make tough calls. After being honorably discharged, you were contacted by agents of the Aeshara royal family, one of the most esteemed houses in the Imperial Court, and it was revealed that your father was a long-lost member of their bloodline, and that you are the heir to a large, valuable planet. The previous ruler died when the planet was attacked by rebels, but the Aeshara Patriarch is generous. He considers you family and has granted you 50 talents to rebuild.

You will take the throne and lord over the surviving 1 billion inhabitants of the world.
Although you are technically bound to the Emperor and your Patriarch, there is nothing preventing you from claiming your independence.
If you become powerful enough, they might decide that it is not worth their ships and troops to retake your planet.
Be wary, though. The forces of the Empire are vast. If you attack Imperial space, they will retaliate.

Planet Biospheres (Choose at least 1):

Barren (0 talents) - Your planet is absolutely inhospitable for any known forms of life, and your own people must find shelter within controlled environments. However, there are extremely high concentrations of iridium, palladium, and uranium here, which can be mined and sold for a high price or utilized for their incredibly useful properties. You may not choose another biome. The Rich Perk is free.

Desert (2 talents) - Although your planet is vastly larger than those of most other biomes, it is mostly sand. Your domain offers little in the way of nourishment or fertility, so trade will be the most essential aspect of your economy, and hydroponics will be a necessity. Your land is rich with precious materials, such as metals, sources of fuel, and various spices. Be wary, however, as the desert holds many dangers, such as sandstorms, giant death worms, and extreme heat.

Frozen Wasteland (1 talent) - Your land is as large or larger than a desert domain, but it is far from the reach of its star, and thus it is icy and barren. The organisms that live here and few and far between, but those that do dwell here are incredibly hardy, as are your people, who seem to thrive in this inhospitable place. There are many opportunities for study of scientific anomalies, and there are rumors of ruins from an ancient spacefaring civilization hidden somewhere here.

Jungle (3 talents) - Hotter, higher oxygen percentage, and incredibly lush, your planet is host to a massive jungle teeming with all sorts of exotic fauna and flora. Perhaps this can be used to your advantage. Beware, higher oxygen means a more combustible atmosphere, meaning lightning will spark explosions and fires will be more of a hazard. The jungle is also home to many dangerous predators of all shapes and sizes.

Great Plains (4 talents) - Vast rivers and fertile soil cover your land. Great beasts walk the planet, some up to four or five times the size of an African elephant. Your people are skilled farmers, and there are deposits of uranium, gold, and precious stones here.

Waterworld (2 talents) - Your world has no ice caps, and thus the sea levels are extremely high. Thus, there are no major continents. Only warm, tropical islands dotted about with golden sandy beaches and lush flora. Beneath the seas lie a wealth of palladium, iridium, and platinum, but the ocean is a major obstacle in harvesting. Giant, dangerous creatures roam the depths. Your people are hardy from a wealth of natural disasters and sea monster attacks, and there are rumors that some have even mutated gills. Be warned, however, that yours are not the only sapient beings here…

Forest (4 talents) - Great trees reach towards the sky. Deciduous ferns cover the temperate forest floor, and mosses and lichens thrive in the wet climate. Any form of mining or development will first require the removal of local fauna and flora. Primitive tribes roam these lands bearing bows and spears, though they are of little threat to you. There is evidence of adamantium deposits beneath the ground, an extremely rare metal that is near impenetrable and is often used for fortifying hulls on high-end warships.

Marshlands (2 talents) - Your lands are covered in wet bogs, mangroves, and swamps. Insects are rampant, many of which have venomous bites. Dangerous creatures lurk these marshlands, and building is extremely difficult. However, your people have adapted to the dangerous and toxic lands, and are thus immune to many diseases and poisons. Mining these lands will be difficult, but they are host to a vast network of natural gases.

Mountainous (2 talents) -

City Construction (Choose at least 1):

Sky Cities - Often times, when planets are undergoing perpetual terraforming, large-scale mining projects, or are simply too dangerous or too difficult to build upon, hovering cityscapes are built in the sky. This also makes cities mobile. Constant maintenance will be required to keep your cities aloft

Artificial Island

Underwater

Subterranean

Planetside - The classic style of city construction that man has been using for millennia, your cities are placed on the planet’s surface and are thus exposed to the elements. However, this comes with the benefit of being the cheapest option. +10 talents


Biosphere Perks (Choose 2 for each biosphere on your planet):

Rich - An abundance of high quality minerals in this area makes mining here a lucrative business.

Lush - Life thrives here, the fauna is plentiful and the flora grows rapidly.

Megafauna - Giant creatures roam the area. Be warned, as they could pose a threat.

Megaflora - Massive plants grow here, and they grow very quickly. This may cause issues with infrastructure.

Atmospheric Hallucinogen - The air on this planet contains a natural hallucinogen. While this does keep people happy, it also distracts people from their work.

Natural Beauty - The scenery on this planet is simply beautiful, and anyone living on this planet will be constantly finding new wonders to behold.

Wild Storms - Spectacular electrical storms wrack this planet’s atmosphere on a regular basis.

Hostile Fauna - This world has evolved extremely hostile fauna, and the surface is rife with lethal predators waiting to ambush their next meal. Their biology offers great research opportunities, however.


Ruler Perks (Choose 3):

1. Intimidation - Perhaps you are physically imposing. Perhaps you have a fearsome reputation of some kind. People will naturally fear you and be submissive in your presence.
Your rule is not likely to be challenged, and people are more inclined to do as you say. Enemies will be cowards before you, and you will be able to dominate them.
Anyone attempting to attack you will suffer massive hits to their moral and not be able to fight well, and anyone considering attacking you will most likely not. Only the most stalwart of foes will actually fight you.

2. Charming - You have natural diplomatic skill and are usually able to find a compromise with neighboring factions before requiring to resort to war. Convincing people to your way of thinking is easy, and you always know the right thing to say in any given situation. Your ability to gain the trust of and persuade others is above that of anyone else, and you are a natural salesman, capable of bartering with the best.

3. Tactician - Your time in the Navy has taught you the art of war. You are one of the greatest military minds of your time. Your men respect your conditions and are unwavering in their loyalty. Your decisions are sound, your judgements wiser and your logic more rational. Hard choices are much easier, and it will take greatly overwhelming forces to defeat any soldiers or fleets you lead.

4. Biologist - Back in the Navy, you were a military scientist. A biologist, specifically, so you know the ins and outs of life to the molecular level. Surgery, selective breeding (including eugenics), gene splicing, genetic alteration, biological warfare… All these and more are within your knowledge. Be warned, however, that some may find your experiments to be “unethical”, which could cause issues to arrive should your work ever go public.

5. Technophile - You understand technology on a very deep level. From repairing and upgrading the old to innovating the new, technology just comes naturally to you. You are an exception mechanical engineer, programmer, and roboticist. You know how to upgrade nearly any gun, and any power armor, ships, or mechs you build will be of the highest tier possible for the parts you use.

6. Kingpin - Bad news: your planet is plagued by crime. Good news: the biggest gangs worked for your predecessor, and now you’ve inherited the position of “boss”. You can afford your gangs any amount of autonomy you wish, but if you give them too much leeway, they will likely fight amongst themselves, or they might get ideas about independence. You have full knowledge of the criminal underworld and access to any number of widely-illicit merchandise.

7. Wealth - Your noble lineage is especially wealthy. As such, along with your new realm you have inherited an extremely large amount of wealth. Congratulations! After the Emperor takes his taxes, you’ll get to keep a whopping 25 talents!

8. Ace - You are a leaf on the wind. Watch you soar. An exceptional pilot of enviable skill. A top gun. You are deadly in a dogfight and you can race with the fastest. Back in the Navy, if you weren’t an exceptional pilot, you were a dead pilot, and you made it through five years of combat against horrors most people will luckily never have to see. You’re not just talented, you’re experienced, and you’re a force to be reckoned with.

9. Sharpshooter - Advanced military training and live combat situations have made you a bona fide killer with any form of projectile shooting weapon. Plasma rifles, laser pistols, machine guns, snipers, you name it.

10. Brawler - Having grown up in a rough area, you learned to fight early on, and you learned to fight even better once you joined the Navy. Not once, even in basic training, have you never been beaten in a sparring match, and you haven’t lost a real hand-to-hand scuffle since you were a kid.

 11. Chemist - By pouring a few chemicals together, you can create compounds that are corrosive, erosive, or downright explosive. Drugs and medicines are also within your capability, even compounds far outside the grasp of other chemist, such as mind control or regeneration potions. If making weapons is your goal, you’ll need to find ways to weaponize the compounds you create, but you will never mess up in their creation and everything you make will come out almost exactly as you intend for it to, as you are a master of chemistry.

12. Physicist - From black holes to nuclear engineering, anything ‘physics’ is well within your realm of knowledge. Since most things are powered by fission, fusion, or antimatter, you’ll be more than capable of building, upgrading, and repairing things that put out energy, and the martial possibilities of this knowledge are vast.

13. Psychoactive Awakening (Costs 2 Perks) - Something awakens within you, though you are not certain why or how. You can now read people’s minds so long as you are making physical contact with them. With great effort, you may exert minor telekinetic force on small objects, lifting, pushing or pulling them. With time and practice, you can advance these abilities through rigorous training and meditation. Eventually, you will be able to lift and throw tanks with your mind and not only read people’s minds from a distance, but implant vivid illusions into their mind or possibly even control them, though reaching this level will take decades of dedicated practice.

14. Conduit (Costs 2 Perks) - You were born with a very rare, very valuable mutation: you can process a wavelength known as mana radiation, which emanates from black holes, quasars, and stars in supernova. Using this ability, you can shoot pulses of explosive energy from your fists, cast spouts of fire and bolts of lightning from your palms, crystalize things in ice with your mind, and perform many other elemental abilities. However, it will take years of practice and training to even begin to learn how to use these abilities proficiently, and if the Federation discovers your abilities, they may try to capture and study you.

15. Forbidden Knowledge (Req Conduit) - Just outside your atmosphere, an anomaly is discovered, as though reality itself has been torn. I rip in space to another dimension briefly opens. A few asteroids of a mysterious, previously unknown, highly conductive material fly towards your planet and crash in many remote areas across your land. When you excavate the first asteroid, you discover a mysterious book nearby with mysterious characters that somehow only you can understand. Studying this book will grant you otherworldly knowledge and a greater understanding of your abilities as a conduit. In addition, the asteroids are somehow concentrated mana energy. You wonder how these could be utilized to suit your needs...

16. Cult - Whether you proclaim yourself the prophet of some elder deity, the Messiah of a new era of faith, or the flesh-incarnate of a supreme god, you have established yourself at the head of a small group who worship that which you teach.
In the beginning, only one thousand people will follow your teachings, but they will follow you devoutly and with absolute loyalty. Converting others will be difficult and require effort to accomplish, though the inhabitants of your own world will be easier to convince than others. Without this, you cannot establish your own religion.

17. Solar Engineer - While you may not have the resources, you are one of the few engineers in the galaxy with the knowledge to spearhead the construction of a Dyson Sphere around the sun. Undergoing this project could take decades, maybe longer, but in exchange you’ll harness the energy of a star in its entirety. What you choose to do with the Sphere once it is created and the energy it produces is entirely up to you. Combined with Technophile, this could lead to some powerful military technology.

18. Brilliant Businessman - You are considered one of the Empire’s greatest economic minds. Managing your planet’s economy will be far easier, and industry will likely thrive under you. You are extremely good at mathematics, and trade deals tend to go your way. This does not necessarily mean you are better at shmoozing or brokering deals, but most aspects of business just come naturally to you. The merchants in your employ are almost twice as profitable as they would be without your direction, and your workers are nearly twice as productive.



Immortality:
Though the practice is outlawed by the Emperor under penalty of death, there are ways for a man of your influence to extend life, perhaps even indefinitely.

Super Soldier (Req Sharpshooter and Ace) - You were amongst the top tier of soldiers within the Federation Navy, and as such you were chosen to undergo a secret project. You were genetically altered to have increased strength, speed, agility, endurance, reflexes, and healing ability. Your cells destroy toxins and diseases near instantly, and you do not age. Had your noble birth remained obscure, you would have been required to stay in the Navy for fifty years instead of five. Lucky you. All data on this project was destroyed when another subject of the project went rogue. While no new super soldiers will be created, there are others out there who were from the same project.

Golden Throne (Req Cult) - Deep within the ruins of some forerunner civilization, you discover a great and terrible technology: the Golden Throne. Through the sacrifice of a single poor soul a day, you will no longer need to drink, eat, sleep, or even breathe. You will always be at perfect health. The more people you sacrifice, the stronger you become, and you obtain the skills and memories of everyone who dies to feed the Throne. However, you will need to sit atop the throne for at least six waking hours a day, and once you begin, you cannot go back. If you cease making sacrifices, you will grow increasingly ill and feeble until you wither away, and the more sacrifices you make per day, the more it will take to sustain you in the future. If anyone outside of your cult were to discover this horrible secret, you can be certain that it will be considered a crime against humanity.

Spliced Abomination (Req Biologist) - Through careful experimentation, you’ve managed to splice your own genes with that of several animal and alien races. Your strength is great and your image fearsome. You have multiple limbs or perhaps even tendrils or venomous stinger-claws, and when a limb is lost, it will regenerate in less than a day, as will any other injury. Your regeneration abilities are so great, in fact, that your cells regenerate too quickly to age. You may continue to add genes of other animals or xenos. However, each time you splice, your mind becomes a little more feral as you gradually lose your humanity and become an abomination of science.
-Intimidation free. Cannot take Charming.

Cyborg (Req Biologist & Technophile) - With your intimate knowledge of the workings of your own biology combined with incredible technological expertise, you’ve managed to integrate technology into your body. You are faster, stronger and far more durable. Your eyes have been replaced with superior, cybernetic implants. Subdermal implants and pain limiters keep you going even after taking severe damage. Parts of your brain have been replaced with silicone, making it more efficient. You can also now interact with technology directly. You don’t need to eat. You don’t need to sleep. However, your mechanical parts require maintenance.

Consciousness Uplink (Req Technophile) - You have ascended beyond flesh and blood and are no longer restricted by a mortal form. Your consciousness has been uploaded to a powerful supercomputer, and thus your mind has become extremely efficient and functions at a level far beyond any that an organic mind could achieve. You can take direct control over any technology you can become connected to, even through the Extranet, and your mind can be in multiple places at once. However, this change is irreversible. You will never experience any of the joys of a human form again. Also, be wary of viruses.

Hivemind (Req Psychoactive Awakening) - A single spore of some mysterious, parasitic lifeform appeared on your planet, found a host, reproduced, and spread. Soon, a great hivemind swept your planet, consuming, corrupting, and mutating everything in its path until all your people were slaves to it. However, when you became infected, your mind overpowered and destroyed the hivemind consciousness and yours replaced it, meaning you now control a great, planet-wide hivemind, which you can spread or recede at your discretion. While your body may die, you shall not until the very last spore of your hivemind is extinguished.

Aberration (Req Conduit & Forbidden Knowledge) - Study of that otherworldly tome has made you powerful, though it has warped your mind and body. You will never die and you are adept altering the universe around you through manipulation of mana radiation. You can also step into other dimensions as a “shortcut” through space-time, walking through parallel universes to quickly traverse our own. With the proper scientific know-how, it may be possible to harness this power in the form of jump drives for your ships, enabling near-instant travel across the galaxy. You can also summon creatures from other dimensions, but be wary: you will not be able to control these beings, and your constant tearing of space may draw the attention of unimaginable horrors from beyond the cosmos.

Suneater (Req Solar Engineer) - You’re not building a Dyson Sphere to provide for your people. You’re not building it to power your entire fleet, nor will you use it to power your entire planet, which it certainly could billions of times over. No, your Dyson Sphere will have a very specific purpose: empowering you. You’ve developed a device that will enable you to absorb the energy of a star. By absorbing this energy, you become eternally youthful, impossibly strong, and incredibly fast. Most weapons will be unable to pierce your skin. However, if you’re relying on this for immortality, know that the construction project for the Dyson Sphere might potentially take so long you’d never see it finished, and it is an extremely expensive endeavor.

Advisors (Choose Two):

The Steward - Intelligent and a friend to nobility, he knows just how to manage a kingdom and is adept at the arcane. Most of your planet-managing time will usually be freed up by him.
If asked, he will run the planet for you. In his hands, your realm will prosper. It will never become wealthy, but it will not be poverty-stricken, making your people happy.
The steward gives good counsel, often coming up with solutions to problem on your behalf. The Steward will be able to successfully resolve most non-serious issues for you and provide insight into those he cannot.
His education gives him only basic knowledge of military tactics, and he is a diplomat with some connections.

The Priestess - Above all, the Priestess cares for the people
However, she will enforce the rule of her god(s) over your own law. Her loyalty lies with the realm, not with you, and she will not hesitate to remind you of this.
She is excellent at keeping the masses happy, yet her loyalty may falter if you oppose the will of her god(s). She is a skilled diplomat when dealing with other factions of her religion. She is also proficient at medicine.
At your direction, the Priestess can spearhead campaigns of indoctrination or inquisition upon your own planet.
-If you have the “Cult” bonus, the Priestess is unwaveringly loyal to you under any circumstance; this also legitimizes the Cult religion in the people’s eyes.

The Capitalist - He represents the desires of the bourgeoisie first and foremost: wealth. In fact, he is the founder and CEO of a major galactic multi-corporation: Parallax Industries. Although he is unpopular with the people, he is a master at finding money where it does not exist and finding loans when needed.
He is a master treasurer. If you follow his advice, your kingdom will grow in wealth, although almost none of the newfound wealth will be going into making the lives of the common people any better without your intervention.
He has no military acumen whatsoever, yet is a skilled diplomat and will help you avoid war at all costs, and he will acquire help if war is inevitable. If he likes you enough, he may even give you stock options in his company.

The General - The General was once a great officer of the highest tier in the Federation Navy. He was your superior and a good friend. His loyalty is unquestionable.
The common folk adore him and the nobility despise him for being lowborn.
He is a master tactician and soldier without peer, although he is well past his prime. You gain a bonus to your military, your troops are better disciplined, your space is better defended, and your armies and navies are more adept at fighting and conquering.
He will teach you his vast knowledge of combat, tactics, and warfare, but it could take to the end of his life to teach you what he knows, and even then he may not be able to pass on his incredible skill.

The Spymaster - A master of intrigue with a wide network of agents and bugs in nearly every system in the Empire. Though he appears mostly human, he is actually a member of a distinct race with strikingly similar DNA. However, his people can read emotions and can thus tell when someone is lying and is a very good judge of character. He was once apprentice to the Emperor’s own spymaster, and he has contacts in the highest seats of power.
Though he will remain out of the public eye, he is an expert in propaganda and will increase public support for your regime. He can guide you through the politics of nobility, give you vital intelligence, help you decide who to trust, and train other spymasters to work below him, thus increasing his network.

The Pirate - A famed pirate lord comes to your court despite the massive bounty on his head and reveals himself to be an old squadmate of yours who was declared MIA. After his fleet was destroyed in a run-in with the Federation pirate hunting special forces unit, the Archangels, he learned about your rise to power and decided that this was his best option. You can offer him an official pardon and in exchange he will serve you as long as he lives. He is a master of guerilla tactics, an excellent gunslinger and pilot, and a good leader. He can train people to become pirates or privateers and pillage in your name (though perhaps not publically, but your ties might still be discovered). He is also extremely charismatic, has contacts in several pirate groups, and is beloved by the people as a loveable swashbuckler.

The Scientist - Though he lost his accreditation due to a… misunderstanding with the Imperial Board of Science involving an exploding star, the Scientist is a highly intelligent, highly educated man with several doctorates under his belt. He is likely one of the greatest scientific minds of your time. With him by your side, your realm’s scientific progression will increase significantly.

The Rebel -



Complications:

Bounty Hunter - base on orc bounty hunter

Deformity (+10 talents)

Aberration (+1 shard)

Mutation (+2 shards)

They - They have been awakened. They have always been here, but only now do they awaken from their slumber.