Rules suggested by Kurt Forbes. You rock, bro.
One of Ternus's most potent weapons was invented not long after they settled the system. 3D printing technology was already widespread, but a company called Foundry & Forge codified it into our modern version.
F&F, as they are known, became a financial powerhouse that is still in operation today. They are immensely rich, and make forges and foundries of all types throughout the sector.
There are plenty of knock off brands, and pirate forges, but nothing is trusted like F&F.
The Foundry
The foundry is a black box stamped with a silver logo with a hammer and anvil. They range in size from a Mk I appliance that will fit in your workshop to a cargo-bay sized Mk IX in a battleship's well protected hold.
Every foundry is equipped with a reservoir of nanites that disassemble any material inserted down into the desired components. Foundries are often installed near asteroid fields, forests, or even oceans, depending on the needs of the culture that installed it.
They are readily available for purchase on Ternus, but are quite expensive. The larger the printer the more astronomical the purchase price, as the unit that houses the nanites is comprised of a material they cannot break down. A foundry's maximum size is its Mk in meters cubed. E.g. a Mk5 Foundry has a maximum size of 5m*5m*5m=125m³.
A foundry cannot function when open. It must be closed for the nanites to activate, which means all foundries are limited to their capacity. A larger object must be broken down before being fed to the foundry.
A foundry takes 1 hour per rating to break down a full load.
Mk I- 2,000 credits
Mk II- 17,600 credits
Mk III- 65,000 credits
Mk IV- 170,000 credits
Mk V- 366,000 credits
Mk VI- 695,000 credits
Mk VII- 1.2 million credits
Mk VIII- 2 million credits
Mk IX - 3.1 million credits
The Forge
Forges are similar in size to foundries, and follow the same Mk system. A forge also contains a suite of nanites, but these take raw materials fed through attached reservoirs and allow the forge to assemble them into any available schematic.
Schematics can be incredibly valuable, particularly those from ancient ships in previous epochs, which allows the rediscovery of ancient tech.
Forges are more complex, and more expensive than foundries. However, the complexity is worth it. Higher mark forges aren't just larger. They can assemble more complex subcomponents.
All schematics also have a rating, and a forge may not process a schematic higher than its rating. This means that for the most ancient, and powerful schematics adventurers must return to ports like Drifter Rock, or to a Confederate destroyer, or a trade world like Yanthara or Colony 3.
A forge can assemble an object in (schematic Mk * 3 hours)
Mk I- 3,000 credits
Mk II- 28,000 credits
Mk III- 115,000 credits
Mk IV- 330,000 credits
Mk V- 777,000 credits
Mk VI- 1,620,000 credits
Mk VII- 3,070,000 credits
Mk VIII- 5.5 million credits
Mk IX - 9.4 million credits
Schematics
Schematics are found on every world, in all shapes and sizes. From starships to wrenches everything has a schematic. These schematics are stored on the Foundry & Forge servers, and are tied to a specific user account.
A user can access any schematic they have purchased, or uploaded themselves. However, in the event that Quantum communications are jammed a forge will go inert until communications are re-established.
Non FF devices have no such limitation, and black market forges can be found all over the sector, if you know the right people. Many adventurers will even purchase or construct their own, so they can keep their schematics to themselves.
Do you really want everyone making a copy of your snazzy new pistol?
As with forges and foundries schematics scale in value based on rating. Engineers may construct their own schematics using the engineering skill.
Each attempt takes 8 hours of work and research per rating of the schematic. The target rating becomes the DT for the roll. Competent engineers can construct schematics for highly sought after items, then either sell them or use them.
Generally sold schematics net about 50% of actual value if being sold to a third party.
Each schematic lists the required materials, including any special materials needed.
Mk I- 100 credits
Mk II- 800 credits
Mk III- 2000 credits
Mk IV- 8000 credits
Mk V- 18,000 credits
Mk VI- 42,000 credits
Mk VII- 90,000 credits
Mk VIII- 120,000 credits
Mk IX - 260,000 credits
Materials
All schematics call for materials to fabricate the item. These can be metals, plastics, proteins, or more exotic materials. Yes, that includes magical materials. Dump in a void wyrm, and out comes powdered voidscale.
Each forge has a reservoir for each of the three base substances, though fueling them requires a foundry, or simply purchasing the raw materials. Magical foundries are much more rare, and employed almost exclusively by the Inurans, who take steps to limit its use.
When looking at a schematic you may see P1, M2, Pr1. This indicates you need 1 unit of plastics, two units of metals, and one unit of proteins to create the object. Proteins aren't often mixed with plastics and metals, but if you can brainstorm a use it is definitely possible.
Each schematic requires materials equal to its rating.
Magical materials, such as powdered voidscale or fire dust may be consumed by mages for additional spellpool just like a mana potion. For this reason mages who can get their hands on a foundry are often well supplied for combat.
Comments