The author's introduction explains how Blood and Space originally developed from a 'cinematic hard sci-fi' campaign he ran in the 1990s, with the rules ending up as Blood and Space: D20 Starship Adventure Toolkit and at least the bare bones of the setting being presented here.

Presented in landscape format - presumably so that it is readable on screen (though each page fills more than a screen on my large and high-resolution one!) but rather odd if you prefer to print out PDFs - there are several short stories designed to give a feel of the setting, as well as the necessary rules for the races and classes available.

Prometheus Rising is set in the future of this solar system, and although it's been thoroughly explored, we haven't got much beyond its boundaries. Robotics have developed to a point where Android is a valid race to choose from, while the political scene seems to be a moil of corruption and corporate raiding. Most other races are caused by radical genetic engineering of normal human stock, so you have such as the Astronomers, with exceptionally keen eyesight; Clones (bred for a range of specific purposes), Earthers (the original human stock) and Floaters (who have grown up in microgravity environments). The one exception is the Euro, a native of Europa adapted to aquatic life but perfectly capable - if a bit ungainly - when out of the water.

Classes that may be taken include the Corporate Lackey (who works for one of the mammoth corporations that do their best to rule the planets and the spacelanes) and the Sensitive (psychically-gifted individuals), as well as the base classes given in the core rules. There are also a couple of prestige classes, the Psychic Healer and the Psychic Pilot, giving two directions in which psychically-gifted characters might wish to develop. There are also 28 new feats, mostly psychic or combat-oriented.

The book ends with a tour of the Solar System, with thumbnail sketches of the situation on each planet and a few adventure ideas for each one. As a taster, it definitely makes me want to visit this particular alternate reality (even if most of the little stories suggest it's a rather rough and often cruel place), but a lot of work would be necessary to detail it into a full campaign. Let's hope that there is more to come...

Return to Prometheus Rising page.