10.2.3: Creating Star Systems

There may be quite a few occasions wherein it will be necessary for a GM to map out a whole new star system. Such occasions generally include adventures or campaigns in which the GM is attempting to use a relatively realistic vision of how space travel works, but may also include adventures in which a new Starfaring Age race is being introduced or in campaigns that takes place in a brand new Sector. The procedure for creating a star system is not particularly complicated in and of itself, though there are some very complex calculations required. Use of a calculator is highly recommended for this procedure.
==Creating Stars==
The process of creating star systems begins with a very simple question: how detailed does the creator want their star system to be? For the purposes of most campaigns, a creator can get away with surprisingly little information about a star system; all that's really needed is a star in the center and maybe a few planets (strictly speaking the planets aren't necessary, though in general the creator had better have a few if they ever want anyone to visit the system for an extended period of time). In those cases, a creator might be better off simply generating a system Nav Map, as outlined in the previous Chapter. They'll save themselves a lot of time and effort in the process.
On the other hand, a creator may want to create a large and complex star system. The first step in creating this kind of star system is to determine its stellar configuration (the number and types of stars contained within the system). To determine the number of stellar bodies present in the system, a system creator simply needs to make a d% roll and reference the table below:
Number of Stellar Bodies in a Star System by d% Roll
d% Result	Number of Bodies Present
00-49 	1
50-94 	2
95-99 	3
Once the number of bodies in the system has been determined, the next step is to determine their general overall category. Stars are categorized based on their stellar luminosity class, a fancy way of saying how big they are and how hot they are (and to a lesser extent, the color of the star). There are seven categories of stellar luminosities, each designated by a single letter: O (hottest), B, A, F, G, K, and M (coldest). The system creator may simply select what stellar classification(s) they would like to use from among those categories. Alternatively, the creator may make a roll of d1000 (1d10 and d%, where the extra 1d10 serves as the "hundreds" place roll) for each star in the system and use the following chart to determine stellar classification(s). For each subsequent star over the first present in the system, an additional 200 should be added to the result of the roll, with any result over 999 counting as an M-type star. Once a star's general category has been determined, another d10 roll should be made to determine the star's Morgan-Keenan sub-type (represented by "d10" in the following charts), which will have bearing on its mass, luminosity and temperature, all of which will have a strong bearing on the rest of the system's configuration.
Stellar Luminosity Class Selection by d1000 Roll
d1000 Result	Luminosity Class 	Color 	Mass(times Sol) 	Luminosity(times Sol) 	Temperature(times Sol)
000-006 	Exotic Result (roll d1000 on the Exotic Results Table)	Exotic Result (roll d1000 on the Exotic Results Table)	Exotic Result (roll d1000 on the Exotic Results Table)	Exotic Result (roll d1000 on the Exotic Results Table)	Exotic Result (roll d1000 on the Exotic Results Table)
007-035 	F-V 	White 	1.7-0.07d10 	8.1-0.7d10 	1.29-0.01d10
036-113 	G-V 	Yellow 	1.04-0.01d10 	1.32-0.08d10 	1.03-0.02d10
114-234 	K-V 	Orange 	0.82-0.034d10 	0.42-0.038d10 	0.86-0.03d10
235-999 	M-V 	Red 	0.48-0.027d10 	0.04-0.0039d10 	0.60-0.03d10
In the event that the "Exotic Result" occurs, the system creator has an unusual star on their hands. They need to make another d1000 roll and look up the result on the following table.
Exotic Results Table Results by d1000 Roll
d1000 Result	Object Type 	Mass(times Sol)	Luminosity(times Sol)	Temperature(times Sol)
000 	Black Hole 	10-0.7d10 	N/A 	N/A
001 	Quark Star 	3-0.1d10 	N/A 	N/A
002 	Neutron Star 	2-.05d10 	N/A 	N/A
003 	F-VII (White Dwarf) 	0.8 	0.001 	1.29 - 0.03d
004 	M-Ia (Red Bright Supergiant) 	20-d10 	117000-2400d10 	0.60-0.03d10
005 	M-Ib (Red Supergiant) 	16-d10 	46000-750d10 	0.60-0.03d10
006 	M-III (Red Giant) 	6.3-0.31d10 	470-22d10 	0.6-0.03d10
007 	M-VI (Red Dwarf) 	0.15-0.01d10 	0.011-0.0011d10 	0.60-0.03d10
008 	O-Ia (Dark Blue Supergiant) 	50-3d10 	200000-3000d10 	10.34-0.52d10
009-087 	B-II (Light Blue Bright Giant)	30-1.7d10 	170000-16800d10 	5.17-0.34d10
088-499 	A-II (Blue-White Bright Giant)	14-0.3d10 	2200-160d10 	1.72-0.04d10
500-999 	F-IV (White Subgiant) 	2.5-0.05d10 	19-0.7d10 	1.29-0.03d10
Note that the d1000 roll representing the occurrence of luminosity classes in the charts above is reasonably close to being realistic, but is not 100% so. This deviation has been done in order to increase the probabilities of the inclusion of the rarer, heavier star types and stellar remnants.
With information on the star's mass, luminosity, and temperature in hand, the creator can then derive other critical pieces of information about their system using the following set of formulas. These will be used to determine the characteristics of the various orbiting bodies in the system. Each of these formulas produce a result in AUs; the results should be rounded to three decimal places.
 Roche Limit: Luminosity(1/2)/10
 Tidal Lock Radius: (0.216 * Mass)(1/3)
 Inner Ecosphere Radius: (Luminosity)(1/2)*0.82
 Outer Ecosphere Radius: (Luminosity)(1/2)*1.2
 Frost Line Radius: (Luminosity)(1/2)*1.70
 Outer Planetary Limit: 40 * Mass
Finally, the creator may derive some supplementary information about the star using the following formulas. This information is not critical to system building, but will provide some additional "flavor" information; creators may choose to allow GMs employing their system to derive this information themselves if they wish. Again, the results of these calculations should be rounded to three decimal places. Note for most stellar remnants (black holes, quark stars and neutron stars), the only formula here that will give a sensible answer is the formula for absolute mass.
 Surface Gravity (g): ((Mass * Temperature2)/Luminosity)*28.02
 Surface Temperature (K): Temperature * 5778
 Absolute Luminosity (W): Luminosity * 3.939×1026
 Absolute Mass (kg): Mass * 1.989*1030
With the stellar configuration and dispositions determined, the creator may determine which stellar body will be in the system's center, known as the primary. The primary will determine a lot of the characteristics of the finished star system. In an unary system (a system with just one star), determination of the primary is simple; it is merely the indicated star or stellar remnant. In a multi-star system, there is no stellar body in the exact center; there is instead a point at which the centers of gravity of the stars in the system orbit each other, known as the barycenter. In this case, the primary will be located in the first orbit around the barycenter. The system's primary should be the stellar body with the greatest amount of mass. In the event where a system contains two objects with the exact same mass, the creator may simply select one of that object type to be the primary.
To simplify the resulting set of orbital lanes (which will be discussed shortly), it is recommended that all multi-star systems show all the stellar bodies in the system as being relatively close together; this will allow the creator to treat the system in the same general manner as a single-star system. For purposes of determining the system's final set of critical orbital distances, the creator may simply add half the distances indicated by the non-primary stars to those of the primary, with the final aggregate distances applying to the primary. Once again, this may not be the most physically realistic way to handle this kind of scenario, but it is the easiest. A procedure for creating (and using) a system wherein the stellar bodies are not so close to one another is presented towards the end of this sub-Chapter.
Stellar remnants require a bit more handling when it comes to the determination of their critical distances. This is because prior to their demise, the star in question generally was significantly more massive than it is afterwards. Before calculating any critical distances in which a stellar remnant is involved, multiply the mass value by eight, and use the same luminosity and temperature values as for any star fitting the equivalent mass range result. In the event that the mass is off the scale, just use the values for an O0Ia type star. Alternatively, the values for luminosity and temperature may be set at zero - any planets in the system at that point were likely gravitationally captured after the stellar death event.
A creator may decide to go ahead and put in some solar hazards into their system in order to make things a little more interesting. An existing solar hazard may be added to any star in the system (not stellar remnants), or it may be added as a 
nascent feature of an existing star. Adding hazards as nascent features are excellent additions for event-based adventures (see Chapter 11.1) as they usually give any visitors a time limit in which to get things done before a major catastrophe occurs. The creator may add solar hazards to any star in the system, though they should bear in mind that adding these hazards will affect the number of planets and other objects that may be placed. The creator may either select hazards at their own volition, or they may roll d% for each star in the system and use the table below to determine what hazards (if any) will be added to the star. Note that black holes and neutron stars are considered hazards in and of themselves.
Solar Hazard Determination via d% roll
d% Result	Effect
00-69 	No hazards are added to the star.
70-79 	The star regularly goes nova, and will go nova again in a short time-frame (another year or two at maximum). The creator must set a date and time in the near future at which the next nova will occur and a frequency indicating now often novae occur. No objects may exist at the Roche limit. This hazard may not exist in a unary star system; ignore this hazard if indicated for an unary system. One star in the system must be changed to an F-VII type star as well.
80-89 	This star has gone supernova at one point in its history and has collapsed into a white dwarf. No planets may exist closer than the star's Frost Line. Change the star's characteristics to that of an F-VII type star.
90-95 	This star will go supernova in a relatively short time-frame (another year or two at maximum). The creator must set a date and time in the near future at which the supernova will occur. The creator must divide the star's mass by eight; if the result is less than 1.5 solar masses, a white dwarf will replace the star. Between 1.5 and 2 masses, the star will be replaced by a neutron star, a quark star between 2 and 3 masses, and a black hole over 3 masses. Any planet closer than the star's Frost Line will be destroyed when the supernova occurs, as will any craft in the area.
96-99 	The star will go hypernova in a relatively short time-frame (another year or two at maximum). The creator must set a date and time in the near future at which the hypernova will occur. All planets in the system will be destroyed when the hypernova occurs, and a surge of radiation (Level X) will affect all systems directly connected to that system via jump line for 1d% days. This may only be added to an exotic star that is not already a stellar remnant. The star becomes a black hole after the hypernova occurs.
Stars may only have one of the hazards listed in the table. All stars (even those that contain no other hazards or contain a nascent feature) also have a stellar corona and stellar photosphere hazard (which will only affect a craft in close proximity to the star). For more information on the effects of all solar hazards on space vehicles and capital ships, see Chapter 8.3.
==Creating Planets and Objects==
Once all stellar objects have been placed in the system and any hazards have been added, the creator may begin placing objects (planets, moons, jump points and navigational hazards) within the system. Object placement within star systems is fairly straight-forward, though there are a number of restrictions that a creator needs to keep in mind. The number of orbital lanes (a designated path in which a planet or other object may be placed in orbit around a star) present in a star system must be determined before any object may be placed. For the sake of navigational simplicity, the orbital lanes in all cases are circular (i.e. have no eccentricity), coplanar (no orbital tilt), and centered on the system's barycenter (or the primary in unary star systems).
To determine the positions of orbital lanes within a star system, the creator begins with a value equal to the calculated Roche Limit in AUs; the first orbital lane is always located at the system's Roche Limit. To determine the position of each subsequent lane, the creator will roll 1d10 and multiply the distance of the previous orbital lane by the indicated amount, rounding the result to three decimal places. This result sets the position of the next subsequent orbital lane. This process continues until the creator arrives at a result greater than the system's Outer Planetary Limit. When that occurs, the final value is thrown out, and the last valid result sets the position of the outermost orbital lane.
Distance between Orbital Lanes via d10 Roll
d10 Result	Distance Multiplier for Next Orbital Lane
0 	Roll d%. Divide the result by ten.
1 	1.3
2 	1.4
3 	1.5
4 	1.6
5 	1.7
6 	1.8
7 	1.9
8 	2.0
9 	2.1
Once the positions of the orbital lanes have been set, the next step is to determine what object (if any) will fill a given orbital lane. For each orbital lane in the system, the creator may either select an object at random or use a d% roll and the following table to determine what object will be placed.
Orbital Lane Object Determination via d% roll
d% Result	Object (System) 	Object (Planetary Orbit)
00-49 	Planet 	Moon/Moonlet
50-79 	Empty 	Empty
80-84 	Dust Belt - Diffuse	Empty
85-89 	Dust Belt - Dense 	Rings(Dust Belt - Diffuse)
90-94 	Asteroid Belt 	Rings(Dust Belt - Dense)
95-99 	Radiation Belt 	Radiation Belt
Note that some orbital lanes might be off limits to planets due to existing solar hazards. In the event that a planet is indicated by a d% roll in a "forbidden" lane, the creator may either ignore the result and leave the lane empty or place an asteroid belt there instead. An asteroid belt should be placed in the event that a planet is indicated at the Roche Limit orbital lane. Creators may also choose to ignore any result that indicates a hazard (a Dust Belt, Radiation Belts or Rings) if they are not using hazards within their campaign. Finally, the table above is also used to determine the placement of moons around a planet. The actual distance of a given planet's Roche Limit will not be set during this procedure; lunar orbital lane distances should be kept as multiples of the planet's Roche Limit until the planet's size, mass and gravity are set using the procedure in the next Chapter. 
If a planet is indicated and the lane is not restricted, then the creator will need to determine the type of planet that will be created there. Knowing the planet's type is crucial for determining its basic stats, as outlined in Chapter 10.2.4. Planetary type is based upon the location of the system's ecosphere as well as the location of the specific orbital lane. The creator will need to roll d% and use the following table to determine the specific planet type.
Planet Type Determination based on Orbital Lane via d% roll
Type 	Pre-Ecosphere(Roche Limit to Inner Ecosphere Radius)	Ecosphere	Post-Ecosphere(Outer Ecosphere Radius to Frost Line Radius)	Post-Ecosphere(Frost Line Radius to Outer Planetary Limit)
Molten 	00-64 	00-09 	N/A 	N/A
Rock 	65-79 	10-44 	00-29 	N/A
Liquid 	80-89 	45-69 	30-39 	N/A
Frozen 	N/A 	70-79 	40-69 	00-49
Gas Giant	90-99 	80-99 	70-99 	50-99
Once the planet's type has been set, the creator will need to determine whether or not there will be any moons or other objects (such as rings) around it. This can be done in the same manner as placing planets around a star, except the creator will use the "planetary orbit" column when determining what objects to place around a given planet, will ignore all occurrences of "Gas Giant" when determining a given moon's type ("Rock" should be used instead), and will use Dense Rings in the event that a moon is indicated at the world's Roche Limit. To limit the number of objects placed around a planet, it's recommended a roll of 1d5-1 be made first, with the result indicating the number of objects. A result of one or two indicates either major moons or moonlets, while three objects or more indicates strictly moonlets. For Gas Giants, a roll of d% may be made instead; up to 20% of the result (round down) are moons and the remainder are moonlets. 
Any planet located in an orbital lane located inside the system's Tidal Lock Radius and all moons in the system may either be tidally locked to their primary (this would be the planet around which any moon orbits) or in a state of spin-orbit resonance (as in the case of the planet Mercury; "resonance" indicates a simple numerical relationship between the length of a world's year and the length of its day). A system creator should roll d% for any world that has the potential to be tidally locked and note the result; on 63 or higher, the world is in resonance and is tidally locked otherwise. Among other things, tidal locking plays a role in determining the habitability of a world.
The last thing that needs to be placed in a star system (after all planets, moons and hazards) is its jump points. A system needs to have one jump point located in it for every jump line indicated for the system on its Sector map. This may include pairs of jump points necessary for "in-system" jumps. A jump point may be placed at any of the five Lagrange Points associated with a planetary body (which makes sense when considering the nature of jump points as discussed in Chapter 8.4; they are not physical objects, so they can maintain a position in any of the "unstable" Lagrange Points - L1, L2 and L3). A creator may set jump points at any Lagrange Point of their choosing (whether it is between the system's primary and a planet or between a planet and its moons), or roll d% and use the following table to set the position of jump points. Note that in order to actually know the position of a Lagrange point, the mass of both bodies in the system would have to be known; that set of calculations is not part of this procedure, but is an optional step of the world creation procedure presented in the next Chapter). An Asteroid Belt or set of planetary rings can be considered a planet for determination of jump points within the belt; in that case, the creator may set a single jump point at an arbitrary location within the belt/rings.
Determination of Jump Point Positions at Lagrange Points by d% Roll
Primary/Planetary BodySystem Type	Number of Jump Points
Star-Star-OR- Star-Gas Giant 	0: 00-041: 05-172: 18-353: 36-734: 74-915: 92-99
Star-Terrestrial 	0: 00-141: 15-492: 50-843: 85-99
Gas Giant-Moon 	0: 00-341: 35-492: 50-793: 80-944: 95-99
Gas Giant-Moonlet 	0: 00-541: 55-942: 95-99
Terrestrial-Moon 	0: 00-741: 75-842: 85-943: 95-99
Terrestrial-Moonlet 	0: 00-941: 95-99
In all cases, the actual Lagrange Point at which to set a jump point may either be set arbitrarily or through the use of a 1d5 roll, with the result of the roll determining the specific Lagrange Point to use or ignore at the creator's discretion.
A star system is essentially complete once all its jump points have been placed. The creator will still need to take the time to go through the planet creation procedure outlined in Chapter 10.2.4 for every planet and moon in the system to generate specific information on them if such information is desired. As a final step in the system creation process, a creator may place artificial objects in the system (such as space stations) if they so choose, though that step may also wait for the specific adventure in which the system will be featured.
===Trojan Objects: A Caveat about Multi-Star Systems===
The rules for star system creation as listed above work well for unary star systems with single planets orbiting the primary, or even for multi-star systems where the stars in the system are fairly close to one another. However, there may be star system designers out there who want to design something more complex and therefore will not be able to create the system they wish to create using these rules as they are. They might want to put the stellar objects in the system relatively far apart from one another, or they might wish to have more than one planet in a single orbital lane (a staple of many different science fiction universes). Creating this kind of system is possible within WCRPG, though it will require some fudging of the star system creation rules as well as the interplanetary transit rules covered in Chapter 8.3.
For objects in multi-star systems, there are two possible orbital configurations. The first of these is the P-type orbit, in which an object orbits around all of the stellar objects in the system. This is the normal orbital type as described above. The second type (the one that requires special rules) is the S-type orbit, in which an object orbits around just one stellar object within the system. S-type orbits are akin to what occurs with moons in a planetary group and it is helpful to think of the relationship between a stellar object and any objects in S-type orbitals around it as its own unique little group, particularly for navigation.
All stellar objects in the system should be placed in P-type orbits around the system's barycenter. The only additional restriction to planet building in these systems is that no objects (other than jump points or artificial objects) can exist in the P-type orbital lanes between the primary and the other stellar objects. Simply put, an object in such an orbital lane would be rapidly ejected from the system due to the forces of gravitation. For this same reason, creators should forget about figure-eight type planetary orbits; they simply aren't physically possible.
The Outer Planetary Limit for objects in S-type orbital lanes is one-half the normal Outer Planetary Limit for the star; any object located further away than that limit will need to be placed in a P-type orbit instead. In addition to the normal restrictions on orbital lanes imposed by the stellar object's luminosity and solar hazards, some of the normal outermost lanes may be restricted due to its proximity to the other stellar objects in the system. Specifically, any area of "overlap" between two stellar objects (i.e. any region wherein a body could be considered in orbit of two or more stellar objects) must be completely devoid of orbiting objects. The actual area of overlap between two stellar objects will depend on the distance between them. If a planet or other orbital body would be placed around one stellar object such that its distance to any other stellar object would be less than its adjusted Outer Planetary Limit, the orbital body cannot be placed there, simple as that. Objects located in S-type orbits will only consider the stellar object around which they are orbiting when determining its type; P-type orbital objects will use the same formula for multi-star systems as discussed above (for stellar objects in close proximity to one another).
Navigating between a P-type orbit and an S-type orbit is fairly simple. An invisible "transition" lane exists at the adjusted S-type Outer Planetary Limit around all stellar objects. Heading to a P-type orbit from an S-type orbit requires a craft's pilot to first set a course to this transition lane. Once the craft arrives there, it is considered to be at the stellar object's position within the star system and the craft is free to make a new transit to its final P-type destination. Similarly, to reach an S-type orbit from a P-type orbit, the pilot must first set course for the stellar object's position around the system's barycenter. Upon arrival, the craft will be in the transition lane around the stellar object, in the quadrant the GM deems appropriate (see Chapter 8.3). If the GM was paying attention as to from which direction the craft was approaching the object, they may merely place it in the appropriate quadrant. Should the craft approach from a cardinal direction, the GM may place the vehicle in either of the appropriate quadrants at their discretion, or roll 1d2 for placement; a result of two corresponds to the higher numbered quadrant. A GM may always roll for the craft's position at random using a roll of 1d5; the GM simply places it in the quadrant corresponding to the outcome of the die roll. If the result of the roll is five, the GM may either roll again or simply place the craft at random. In all cases, the craft's position upon approaching the stellar object is the transition lane in the quadrant indicated.
Finally, a creator may want to put multiple planets in an orbital lane when a planet is indicated by an object placement roll. There are a number of ways a creator may do this. The simplest thing to do is to set a second planet in the same orbital lane as the first planet, placing the second planet at either one of the first planet's stable Lagrange points (L4 or L5, assuming there's no jump point already in place there) or in the exact opposite quadrant as the first (i.e. directly opposite the first planet on the other side of the system's primary). Alternatively, two or more planets can be set up around a barycenter that orbits around the system (what's known as a Trojan planetary system). Trojan planets can be treated similarly to multi-star systems; the largest planet in the Trojan system is the "primary" and is closest to the barycenter, with the other planets set in the opposite quadrant. The same restrictions for the placement of S-type orbits in a multi-star system apply for the placement of moons in a Trojan system. A similar method of navigation may be used to maneuver between the moons of the various planets.
==The Cyvuspe System: An Example==
Given the complexity of this procedure as a whole, it seems unfair to not provide some measure of an example of how it works. To that end, the following example will be provided. This example will build off of the examples from the previous two sub-chapters and present how the Cyvuspe system might look if a creator wanted to be detailed about its setup.
Our system creator wants at least one (preferably two) habitable worlds in the Cyvuspe system, one to represent the Agricultural World of Cyvuspe and the other for the Pleasure World of Usoso (Usoso need not necessarily be a completely habitable world; a marginal world would do just as well - like the world of Hilo presented in End Run). To try and simply matters in pursuit of this end goal, they've decided to use die rolls to generate the entire system at random. To begin, they make the d% roll for the number of stellar bodies in the system. The roll comes up as 83; there will be two stars in the system, which the creator will set close enough together to count as a single star. The creator makes the d% rolls for their types: the rolls come up as 049 and 346, so we have two main sequence stars, one a G-type and the other an M-type. Finally, the creator makes two d10 rolls to set their decimal classes, starting with the G-type star. Those rolls come up as 2 and 0; the Cyvuspe system will have a G2-type star and an M0-type star at its core.
The creator then begins figuring out the specific characteristics of both stars using the formulas presented above. Solving the formulas, the creator discovers the G2-type star has a mass of 1.02 solar masses (2.029*1020 kilograms), 1.16 solar luminosities (4.569*1026 watts), a temperature of 0.99 solar temperatures (5720.2 K), and 24.148 gees of surface gravity. The M-type star has a mass of .48 solar masses (9.547*1019 kilograms), .04 solar luminosities (1.576*1025 watts), a temperature of .6 solar temperatures (3466.8 K), and a surface gravity of 121.045 gees.
Next, the creator begins solving the formulas for determining the critical radii for the system. Since there are two stars, the creator will need to find the radii for both stars individually, and then do some extra accounting for the M-type companion. They start by finding the radii for the G-type star as if it were by itself. Plugging its luminosity value into the formula gives a Roche Limit of 0.108 AU (1.16(1/2)/10 = 0.108). The Tidal Lock radius turns out to be 0.604 AU ((0.216 * 1.02)(1/3) = .604); similarly, the Inner Ecosphere Radius is 0.883 AU, the Outer Ecosphere Radius is 1.292 AU, the Frost Line is at 1.831 AU, and the Outer Planetary Limit is at 40.8 AU. When accounting for the same limits with the M-type star, the creator finds that its Roche Limit is 0.020 AU, 0.470 AU for the Tidal Lock Radius, 0.164 AU for the Inner Ecosphere Radius, 0.240 AU for the Outer Ecosphere Radius, 0.340 for the Frost Line, and 19.2 AU for the Outer Planetary Limit.
Now that the creator has the radii for the individual stars, it's time for them to come up with values for the system as a whole. To do this, they'll halve the radii they calculated for the M-type star and add them to the respective calculated radii of the G-type star. This gives them their final set of values: the Roche Limit is at 0.118 AU, the Tidal Lock Radius is at 0.839 AU, an Inner Ecosphere Radius of 0.965 AU, an Outer Ecosphere Radius of 1.412 AU, a Frost Line at 2.001 AU, and an Outer Planetary Limit at 50.4 AU.
The next step for the creator is to see if their system will contain any solar hazards. They don't particularly want any hazards, but they still roll the dice to let fate decide. The dice come up as 27 and 32, so their system will be relatively hazard free.
Now the creator begins the task of setting down the positions of their orbital lanes. They begin with the Roche Limit at 0.118 AU. The first die roll is a six; this indicates a multiple of 1.8, so the next orbital lane will be at 0.212 AU (0.118 * 1.8 = 0.212). The next roll also comes up as six, so the next lane is at 0.382 AU. The roll after that comes up as an 8; this indicates a multiple of 2, so the next lane is at 0.765 AU (0.382 * 2 = 0.765). The next die roll comes up as eight, so the next lane is at 1.529 AU. The creator stops there...their orbital lane configuration has skipped the ecosphere entirely! This is unfortunate, but does happen sometimes if everything is left to chance...
Starting over at the 0.118 AU Roche limit, the die comes up as a three for a 1.5 multiplier; the next orbital lane is at 0.177 AU. A three comes up again; the third orbital lane is at 0.266 AU. The next roll is a seven, indicating a 1.9 multiplier and positioning the next lane at 0.504 AU. An eight comes up next; this will set the next orbital lane at 1.009 AU, within the ecosphere. Breathing a sigh of relief, the system creator continues rolling. The next roll is a zero, so they roll d% and divide the result (an 89) by ten, giving an 8.9 multiplier for the next lane. This sets it at 8.979 AU. A five comes up for the next roll (a 1.7 multiplier), setting the next orbital lane at 15.265 AU. A nine comes up next; this has a 2.1 multiplier, so the next lane is at 32.056 AU. The next die roll is a seven; this would put the next orbital lane at 60.906 AU, but the Outer Planetary Limit is 50.4 AU, so this final result is invalid and the system creator may stop with the outermost orbital lane at 32.056 AU. All told, they've wound up with eight valid orbital lanes, one of which is in the ecosphere.
With the orbital lane distances finally set, the creator may begin rolling for object placement. The creator has eight orbital lanes, so they roll d% eight times and record the results, starting with the innermost lane and going outward. The die rolls come up as 08, 00, 99, 44, 46, 63, 32, and 66. The 08 for the first lane indicates a planet; this lane is at the Roche Limit, though, so the creator substitutes an Asteroid Belt. The 00 for the second lane indicates a planet; the creator makes a note of its presence. 99 indicates a Radiation Belt, which they place in the third orbital lane. 44 and 46 both indicate planets; they are noted with glee (particularly the 46, as this corresponds to the ecosphere lane). The 63 and 66 both indicate empty lanes. Finally, the 32 indicates another planet in the seventh orbital lane.
Now the creator is interested in determining what kind of worlds they've generated. They've got four worlds in their system at various points; the creator makes four d% rolls, one for each world, again corresponding to the innermost world first and going outward. The results are 14, 86, 62, and 98. They check these results against the planetary type table. The first two worlds are pre-ecosphere lanes; a 14 indicates a Molten World in the second orbital lane, while an 86 indicates a Liquid World in the fourth orbital lane. The third world is in the ecosphere; a 62 indicates a Liquid World (what the creator was shooting for). Finally, the last world is beyond the system's Frost Line; a result of 98 indicates the presence of a Gas Giant.
The creator then begins the process of determining what satellites will be in the system. The first three worlds were all terrestrial, so a roll of 1d5-1 is made 'for each world'; again the results are applied to the innermost world first going out. The results are 4, 2, and 0. Therefore, the first world has four lunar orbital lanes, the second has two, and the third (our ecosphere world) has none. Finally, the creator casts d% for the gas giant; the result is a meager 10 lunar orbital lanes.
Now the creator begins rolling to see what objects they have created in the lunar lanes. For the first world, d% is cast four times, one for each lane. The results are 04, 09, 13 and 50; three moons (moonlets in this case) have been created. The creator goes ahead to see what kind of worlds these are; rolling 23, 80 and 02 for worlds in the Pre-Ecosphere (we know they're in the Pre-Ecosphere because the world they orbit is in the Pre-Ecosphere) gives us two Molten moonlets and one Liquid. The second world is next: two d% is rolled, one for each lunar orbit. These come up as 91 and 94, both of which indicate Dense Rings, so the creator need not do anything further with that planet's lunar system. The third planet had no lunar orbital lanes, so it gets skipped. Finally, the creator rolls ten times for the lunar orbital lanes of the gas giant; the results are 15, 11, 34, 49, 54, 28, 73, 15, 09 and 01. This generates eight moons total; 20% are moons while the other are moonlets, which sets only one of them as a full sized moon. The creator rolls eight times to see what kind of worlds these are (again, considering for Post Frost-Line worlds); skipping to the chase, five of the moonlets are Rock Worlds, 2 moonlets are Frozen Worlds, and the full moon is a Frozen World.
Only one thing remains for the creator in terms of the worlds themselves, and that's to see which ones are in tidal lock and resonance. Of the planets, the first two are located inside the system's Tidal Lock Radius, so they'll need rolls to see if they are locked or in resonance. d% is cast twice; the results are 60 and 87. The innermost world is in tidal lock, but the second world is in resonance. Now the creator begins rolling for the system's moons. For the three moonlets in orbit around the first world, rolls of 32, 24, and 03 result, so they are all tidally locked to the first world. Rolls for the eight moons and moonlets of the Gas Giant are conducted last; none of them are higher than a 54, so all of these worlds become tidally locked to the Gas Giant.
The last phase of star system creation is to set the positions of jump points, which the creator may now do since the disposition of their system has finally been set. Checking the Sector map, the creator sees the Cyvuspe system has nine jump points total (two of which are for an in-system jump). The first lane contains an asteroid belt; the creator chooses not to put any jump points within it, and immediately goes to the Molten World in the second lane. They begin with a roll for the planet itself; it comes up as an 05. Checking the chart, they see for the Star-Terrestrial World system configuration that an 05 indicates no jump points. Three rolls are made for each of the moonlets; these come up as 20, 65, and 79. All three are below the 95 threshold for a Terrestrial-Moonlet system configuration, so the second orbital lane will remain free of jump points.
The third orbital lane is empty, so the next stop is the Liquid World in the fourth orbital lane. Again, this is a Star-Terrestrial configuration; a 92 is the result of the d% roll, indicating three jump points here. 1d5 is rolled three times, with results of 1, 4, and 2 coming up respectively. There will be three jump points near this world, at its L1, L2 and L4 Lagrange Points.
The roll for the ecosphere Liquid World in the fifth orbital lane (which the creator has already decided will be the world of Cyvuspe itself) comes up as 93, so three Lagrange Points around this world will host jump points. The die rolls come up as 5, 5, 1, 1, 1 and 2 (accounting for all re-rolls when repeat results come up), setting jump points at this world's L1, L2 and L5 Lagrange Points. Six jump points have been set, with one world left to go in the system.
The creator rolls a 23 for the Star-Gas Giant system, indicating 2 jump points in relation to the Gas Giant itself (which are set at the L1 and L5 points), leaving one point to go. The creator rolls for the Gas Giant-Moon configuration; that one comes up as 07, so no dice there. They then roll for the first Gas Giant-Moonlet configuration; this one comes up as 59, which is a large enough to set the final jump point; the d5 roll sets it at that moonlet's L2 Lagrange Point.
After choosing which jump points will lead to the various connecting systems (they set the in-system jump at the L2 Lagrange Points of the fourth and fifth orbital lanes, among other choices), the creator is satisfied with the configuration of their system. They then begin focusing on the world they created in the system's ecosphere, and later plan to check out the next closest world to the system's suns (the Liquid World with the rings, a good candidate for the Pleasure World of Usoso - particularly with an in-system jump now putting it and Cyvuspe in a constant state of close proximity to one another)...
----
NEXT: 10.2.4 Creating Worlds
PREVIOUS: 10.2.2 Creating Nav Maps
TOP
----
Category:WCRPG