Burrow Space

Hamsters, being small, look inward to explore. The Burrower has the ability to enter a microspatial cosm. This "space" is called burrow space. In burrow space all points on the earth are only minutes or seconds away. But there are distant, less-travelled places with hazards uniquely their own:

• Burrow storm
  • The burrow storm is a turbulence in microspace. Forces unknown to hamsters cause these. Research teams are studying them to discover their patterns and make travel a little more safe and predictable. Note: a particularly skilled Burrower can use a storm to accelerate his/her rate of travel by rolling vs. a GM-determined difficulty. Failure results in becoming lost. This technique is only really useful to a Deep traveller (see below).
• Deep Burrow
  • A place far from the normal realms. It has its own laws, dangers and denizens.
• Breachers
  • Hamsters are not alone in their travels. Stikquito and other species menace the Burrow ways.

A Burrow way is a form of basic travel. It appears as a hole or doorway of black laced with bright colors. Once entered it appears as a translucent, multicolored tunnel winding around in black, empty space.

Beyond the Burrow way is Burrow space: a black void without temperature or natural law. It is not possible to freeze or suffocate here as these things cannot occur naturally at this level.

Burrow space is decorated with globes and connecting strands. These are natural Burrow ways and the globes are natural doors. Some of them are permanent and others are not. During a Burrow storm extremely short-lived Burrow ways will dance between the spheres like lightning.

Burrow stuff occasionally collects in pockets, acting as a sort of bluish purple glowing fog. This is a waste material. It is eliminated through contact with Burrow ways or doorways. It is a kind of condensation from 3-D space (normal space).

Physics | Geography

Burrow Vessels

When it is required that a Burrower transport more than a few fellow hamsters, a Burrow vessel may be employed.

The Burrower acts as both pilot and engine.

A Burrow vessel can be any container, but the best are made in shipbuilding cities. The usual materials are fungus and crystal, but some cities have specialized in building vessels from human debris.

A vessel has the following five stats. Items marked with an "M" can be modified with a Design point. One Design point equals a one-level improvement in a ship's stats. However, for this improvement to take effect, a Ship Engineering skill roll must be made against a GM-determined difficulty. Failure results in a design flaw.

• (M) Inertia: a vessel's resistance to changes in direction and speed.
  • Inertia is the difficulty required to activate the Burrow skill for the vessel.
  • Inertia = Size +/- Design points
  • A simple vessel has Inertia: Poor.
• Size: the total volume of a vessel.
  • Size and Inertia are related.
    • Inertia is equal to Size, but by using lighter building materials, Inertia may be lowered. Inertia may be raised by adding armor.
• Cargo: a vessel's ability to carry items for transport.
  • Measured in the number of Syrian hamsters that a vessel can carry. A simple vessel has Cargo: Good.
  • Cargo cannot be greater than Size.
  • Burrow Vessel Cargo Capacity Levels:
    • Terrible: 5 Syrians
    • Poor: 8 Syrians
    • Mediocre: 12 Syrians
    • Fair: 18 Syrians
    • Good: 27 Syrians
    • Great: 41 Syrians
    • Superb: 62 Syrians
• (M) Maneuver: a vessel's agility in "flight."
  • Maneuver = inverse of Inertia +/- Design points (see example below)
• (M) Hull Strength (Damage Capacity): resistance of a vessel to damage.
  • Note: only ship-scale weapons will damage a ship; small arms fire will not.
  • Hull Strength = (Inertia + Size) / 2 (rounded down if necessary)

Example of Burrow Vessel Construction

The HV (Hamster Vessel) Ineluctable Seagull

• Inertia: Fair
• Cargo: Good
• Size: Great
• Maneuver: Good
• Hull Strength: Good

The Ineluctable was designed as follows:

1. Choose the basic stats
   1. Size = Great
   2. Inertia = Great - 2 levels (Design points) because the vessel was built out of lightweight fungus materials = Fair
2. Choose remaining based on basics
   1. Cargo < Size
      1. This ship will have crew quarters and ship weapons. It needs space for 4 hamsters and equipment: the equivalent of 12 hamsters of space (Mediocre space).
      2. Great - Mediocre = Good
         • 41 hamsters - 12 hamsters = Good (29 hamsters) Cargo space (Good was chosen because it was closest).
   2. Maneuver = inverse of Inertia rating
      • Therefore, Fair Inertia = Fair Maneuver, and Superb Inertia = Terrible Maneuver.
      • Maneuver improved by design engineering: + 1 Design point = Good
   3. Hull Strength = the average of Inertia and Size = Good
      • The Hull Strength can be increased by Design point, but isn't in this example.
3. Total Design Points: 3
   • Breakdown: 2 for reducing Inertia, 1 to increase Maneuver
   • For the initial design this means a Mathematician rolled 3 times versus a GM-determined difficulty. A failure on one of these rolls will lead to a hidden design flaw in the vessel. (How many lifeboats would the Titanic have had if someone had done the math?)

The Ineluctable is a trader vessel. Chartered to transport goods to research stations in the Deep Burrows, it is large enough to carry supplies and a sizeable array of weaponry.

Its captain is Chat-Ner, a Golden hamster of the Nutcrackers. Chat-Ner is a veteran Burrow Space strategist/tactician. He has led his crew through many successful encounters with various Deep Burrow Breachers.

The pilot is Soo-Leu, a dwarf Burrower. Soo is an excellent pilot (Open Burrow Way skill: Great). She is used to working with Chat-Ner and can often anticipate his directions.

The first officer is Neem-Oy, a longhaired Mathematician. Neem doubles as engineer in the event the ship is damaged. He was present when the ship was designed, and again when it was built.

Last but not least, there is Scuttles, the most recent addition. A longhaired Companion, he adds a needed levity to the crew. He provides light entertainment and does the cooking and cleaning. He also helps direct loading and unloading. In addition, he is the tactical officer, and as such, he controls the ship's weapons: Scerb and Scroob.

Scerb and Scroob: Whip Scorpions

• STR: Great
• DEX: Poor
• AGL: Good
• STA: Fair
• MIND: Terrible
• Armor: AV 2, CV 5

The whip scorpions act as mobile weapons platforms.

Weapons:

• Claws (+2 OF): used to repel boarders
• Chemical Whip
• Ranged weapon: Acid Spray
  • Range: Long
  • Damage: +3 OF/round (Scale: ship level)
  • Each scorpion is good for 20 shots per day