TEXT: EEONS MAGAZINE  |  ITomb Worlds
  B
  EFORE AMINO ACIDS ORGANIZED INTO EARTH'S FIRST
  single-celled organisms over three billion years ago, 
  entire civilizations had risen, reached out to distant stars,
  colonized vast empires that spanned galaxies, fell into decline, 
  and eventually collapsed. The remnants of these once proud and 
  powerful empires litter the galaxies—ancient and mysterious 
  home worlds, dangerous experiments still continuing after their 
  creators have gone extinct, and military outposts brimming with
  weapons of unimaginable power. Now, as humanity and other races explore the vastness of the Milky 
  Way and beyond, hints and rumors of these lost civilizations spread, drawing treasure seekers, 
  archaeologists, and mad cultists hoping to uncover the truth of these once grand empires. Ancient 
  defenses still function and unknown dangers lurk in the ruins jealously protecting the secrets of the elders. 
  TOMB WORLDS
  GRAVEYARDS OF THE ELDER RACES
  writing Anthony Jennings
  art Sad e
   
  editing Russ Morrissey
  
  Tomb   Worlds|    EONS MAGAZINE
  Below you will find a series of tables and 
  descriptions that will help you create worlds were 
  ancient and powerful civilizations thrived. The 
  tables will describe the type of world discovered, 
  the level of the civilization at its peak, the cause of 
  the civilization’s decline, the current state of the 
  population, and the state of the world’s ruins. 
  These rules are fully compatible with the world 
  creation rules found in WOIN Building A Universe.
  How Common Are Tomb Worlds?
  The GM will need to decide how common tomb 
  worlds are in the game setting. Typically, the 
  choices will be between rare and very rare; very 
  rare is the default option. During the Creating a 
  Civilization step of Designing a Star System, roll 
  the dice shown below. If all the dice show sixes, 
  the civilization is dead. Then use the following 
  steps to create the dead civilization. 
  Rarity 
  Dice 
  Context
  Common 
  2d6 
  1-in-36
  Rare 
  3d6 
  1-in-216
  Very Rare 
  4d6 
  1-in-1,296
  1. Determine type of world.
  2. Determine Advancement Level (See Peak
  Technology below), wealth (See Wealth
  Table on Page 21 of Building a Universe), and
  society type.
  3. Determine current state of population.
  4. Determine demographics, government, and
  law (See Government Table on page 22 of
  Building a Universe).
  5. Determine how the civilization fell.
  6. Determine state of the ruins.
  7. Create a new species if necessary.
  Creating The Tomb World
  When setting down on a new world, PCs may 
  discover that they have inadvertently set foot on 
  the ancient home world of a collapsed empire, an 
  abandoned colony, or a small frontier outpost. 
  1d6 
  World Type
   1 
  Core World
  2-3
  Colony
  4-6
  Outpost
  Core World. At the heart of the empire, these 
  worlds were once the seats of powerful 
  governments—democracies, monarchies, 
  republics, dictatorships, or theocracies. While this 
  world may not have been the capitol, it was home 
  to many of their institutions of government, 
  learning, religion, art, and culture. Core worlds 
  were among the most populous worlds before the 
  empire’s decline. 
  Colony. A vast empire requires a vast amount of 
  resources to function. Colonies provided these 
  gargantuan empires with a variety of resources 
  through mining, agriculture, manufacturing, and 
  other specialized tasks. These worlds had a 
  modest population of farmers, miners, and 
  mechanics along with their families. Many of 
  these worlds housed military bases and shipyards 
  that built the enormous ships that once provided 
  protection to thousands of worlds. 
  Outpost. At the very edges of the fallen empire 
  are the remnants of outposts that marked its 
  ancient borders and furthest expansion. An 
  outpost world will usually contain a single 
  settlement, perhaps nothing more than a research 
  station or a small military base. The empire may 
  have intended to colonize the world, but the 
  empire contracted before those plans could come 
  to fruition. 
  
  EONS MAGAZINE |  ITomb Worlds
  Civilization's Peak Technology
  While civilizations that are struggling through the 
  Bronze Age or sputtering into the Industrial Age 
  have their own charms for anthropologists and 
  xenobiologists, these civilizations once reached 
  out to the stars and developed extraordinary 
  technology. Use the chart below to determine 
  exactly what level of technological development 
  this civilization had reached prior to its downfall. 
     To determine the fallen civilization’s highest 
  level of technology, use the Technology Table 
  from Building a Universe and roll 1d6+6. 
  Current State of the Population
  The end of a civilization does not necessarily 
  mean that death of the entire population. 
  Sometimes survivors remain behind. Advanced 
  species may even have found ways to avoid their 
  own deaths.
  1d6 
  State of Population
   1 
  Extinct
   2 
  Remnants
   3 
  Suspended Animation
   4 
  Mutated or Evolved
   5 
  Lone Survivor
   6 
  Artificial Intelligence
  Extinct. The catastrophe that befell this 
  civilization wiped out the entire population. Only 
  dust remains. 
  Remnants. Somehow, someway, life found a way, 
  and a few scattered pockets of this race survived. 
  They still propagate their ancient traditions, but 
  the meanings may have been lost or evolved in 
  the intervening centuries. They may still have 
  access to their ancient technologies, but more 
  likely, their knowledge of technology has 
  regressed back to a much earlier state.
  Suspended Animation. With foresight and quick 
  thinking this civilization foresaw its doom and 
  survived the collapse of its society by entering 
  suspended animation.
  However, they have sleeping for centuries and 
  the machines supporting the sleeping chambers 
  may have failed. Those who survived the 
  centuries of suspended animation a well-
  equipped medical facility could awaken them. 
  How will they react when they discover that the 
  galaxy doesn’t remember them or their 
  civilization? 
  Mutated or Evolved. Whatever catastrophe 
  destroyed their civilization, the species somehow 
  survived, but in the intervening millennia they 
  have changed—devolving from a powerful star-
  faring race into barely sentient beings incapable 
  of higher order thinking. Conversely, they may 
  have evolved beyond the need for a mortal body 
  and become beings of pure energy. Whatever the 
  case, they are no longer the same species they 
  once were. 
  Lone Survivor. A single member of the species 
  survives. He/she/it is thousands, millions, or 
  even billions of years old and biologically 
  immortal (it does not age nor would disease or 
  poison kill the individual). This being remains as 
  a caretaker of the ruins or guardian of the secrets 
  of the fallen empire. 
  Artificial Intelligence. An artificial intelligence 
  was the only survivor of the calamity which 
  destroyed this civilization. This powerful 
  intelligence could hold the answers to many 
  mysteries or blueprints to lost technology. The AI 
  has its own agenda as well. And, like any 
  intelligent being, the centuries of isolation could 
  have had a detrimental effect. Have centuries of 
  loneliness driven it insane? Has damage to its 
  circuits and processors caused it malfunction? Do 
  ancient orders from its creators endanger the 
  universe? 
  
  Tomb Worlds| |  EONS MAGAZINE
  How Did The Civilization Fall?
  Collapse comes in many forms. Did the species 
  bring on their decline themselves? Was an 
  external threat responsible? 
  1d6 
  Reason for Collapse
   1 
  Disease
   2 
  Scientific Blunder
   3 
  Internal Strife
   4 
  External Threat
   5 
  Environmental Catastrophe
   6 
  Evolutionary Leap Forward
  Disease. The disease did not kill rapidly and 
  spread with surprising ease, carried to the 
  thousands of planets the civilization had 
  colonized. As the death toll mounted, medical 
  staffs and researchers couldn’t find a cure and 
  many of them died from exposure. The origins of 
  the disease were a mystery to them and remain 
  so to this day. Is the disease still out there? Has it 
  evolved to affect the player characters’ races?
  Scientific Blunder. They were on the verge of a 
  great discovery and an exciting leap forward in 
  their technology, but everything went wrong. 
  Perhaps they were attempting to harness the 
  energies of a black hole or maybe they were 
  testing a new faster-than-light drive. Whatever 
  the case, the failure of the device disrupted their 
  civilization to such a degree that they could not 
  recover. 
  Internal Strife. The greatest threat to an empire is 
  not external forces but internal stresses caused by 
  political disagreements, economic stagnation, 
  civil unrest, civil war, and coups that destroy the 
  civilization from within. This empire fractured 
  into dozens and then fractured again into 
  hundreds of smaller entities that were much 
  weaker than the whole. 
  External Threat. After the war ended, nothing remained. 
  No beings, no buildings, even the seas boiled away. 
  Whoever or whatever destroyed this civilization were 
  determined that nothing should be left. The only word 
  worthy of this level of utter annihilation is “genocide.” 
  Environmental Catastrophe. More deadly than 
  earthquakes, volcanoes, or hurricanes, the death of a star 
  is the most violent and powerful release of energy known. 
  If the star is massive enough and spinning fast enough, 
  the explosion sends out a gamma ray burst that can end 
  life on every planet in its path bringing destruction to an 
  entire civilization. A common supernova releases enough 
  energy to disrupt nearby star systems, and the resultant 
  black holes can render thousands of parsecs 
  uninhabitable. Not even the most advanced species can 
  overcome the power unleashed by a supernova. 
  Evolutionary Leap Forward. Having evolved beyond the 
  need for a physical body, these beings now inhabit higher 
  order dimensions or have become beings of pure energy. 
  They abandoned their worlds to explore the multiverse. 
  The planets that these beings once called home may house 
  secrets to powerful technologies and new sciences, but 
  ancient defenses may still guard these worlds. 
  State of the Ruins
  The passage of centuries or even millennia can do far 
  more to destroy a civilization’s architecture than warfare. 
  The table below describes the state of the civilization’s 
  ruins. 
  1d6 
  State of the Ruins
   1 
  Heavily Defended
   2 
  Looted
   3 
  Buried
   4 
  Demolished
   5 
  Untouched
   6 
  Underground Only
  
  Tomb  Worlds | EONS MAGAZINE
  Heavily Defended. Wise beings avoid this 
  planet. Ancient defenses are still active and 
  capable of destroying the most heavily armed 
  cruisers. Explorers unfortunate enough to land 
  on the planet find automated defenses stalking 
  them—self-repairing androids, high-powered 
  turrets, and armed flying drones patrol the 
  planet. 
  Looted. You arrived too late. In the 
  intervening centuries, scavengers and 
  archaeologists have stripped this world bare. 
  Anything of value is long gone and now 
  resides in a museum or the private collections 
  of the wealthy elite. A lucky explorer might 
  find some secrets still hiding in the ruins. 
  Buried. For millennia, earthquakes, volcanoes, 
  glaciers, and other natural phenomena have 
  combined to raze any evidence that this world 
  was ever inhabited. Deep scans of the planet’s 
  surface may uncover some ruins, but explorers 
  would learn very little from these remnants. 
  Demolished. The collapse of this civilization 
  was incredibly violent. Atomics, pulse 
  weapons, or another exotic weapon destroyed 
  the buildings leaving only gutted ruins 
  behind. If this civilization fell to an ancient 
  enemy or civil war, the ruins could be 
  radioactive. Their enemies “salted the earth” 
  to ensure that the civilization would never rise 
  again. 
  Untouched. The eerie quiet of the streets is 
  unnerving. No creatures—not citizens of the 
  planet and not the indigenous animal life—
  exist on this world. The buildings are pristine 
  and appear untouched despite centuries of 
  being unoccupied. Plant life has taken over the 
  cities. Whatever happened here must have 
  happened fast and all at once. 
  Underground Only. Devastated by orbital 
  bombard, the surface of this world is one 
  enormous ruin. The attacks left nothing but 
  craters. The species that inhabited this world built vast 
  underground complexes as a final defense against attacks. 
  They also warehoused incredible amounts of information 
  including archives that contained their civilization’s 
  history. 
  Clarke VII 
  Medium ruined terrestrial home world
  Astronomical Data
     Parent Star Clarke (F main sequence yellow-white star)
     Orbital Position 7; AU 2; orbital period 2.5 years;  
        rotation 28 hours
     Size average (radius 7,341 km); gravity 1.1G (standard)
     Atmosphere earthlike; composition earthlike
     Type terrestrial (capital) (Ruined World)
     Satellites 2 (Clarke VIIa & Clark VIIb); Rings -
  Civilization Data
     Civilization home world (capital)
     Advancement Level 10
     Wealth -
  Population Data
     Population 0/Extinct (Scientific Blunder)
     Government NA
     Lawfulness NA
  Habitability Rating 9; Sociological Rating 10
  Catalog Code F14-m7Mc-U10i
  Discovered by Jonathan Harkin, Clarke VII is one of the 
  many mystery worlds of the galaxy. When Cmdr. Harkin 
  set foot on the planet, he could not believe his eyes. Every 
  building, bridge, starport, vehicle, and starship was still in 
  immaculate condition; yet, when his sensors dated the 
  remains, they showed that the structures were at least 
  1,000 years old. Harkin and his crew explored the largest 
  metropolis but found no remains of the species. They had 
  all vanished. Harkin did collect several portable 
  computers, and once their data was analyzed, Harkin 
  learned that the civilization was on the cusp of a great 
  scientific experiment. What he assumed were news reports 
  explained little of device, but it was supposed to be the 
  harbinger of a new phase in their society. After the last 
  story that talked of the imminent activation, Harkin could 
  find no further information. Harkin’s conclusion was that 
  the device had destroyed the civilization. Currently, 
  Terran science teams are exploring the world seeking to 
  understand the civilization and locate the device. 
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/WOIN/EONS Magazine/Eons 18 - NEW, World Building - Tomb Worlds.pdf