Steam Technology

What is Etherium?

Etherium is a rare, crystalline element discovered on the planet Erebus and rumored to exist elsewhere in the Victoria star system. It possesses extraordinary properties that defy conventional physics. Its discovery revolutionized technology across the system, yet its true nature remains only partially understood.

Physical Properties:

• Etherium forms in deep azure, crystalline structures, often embedded in veins of dense rock.
• It is paradoxically both extremely dense and remarkably lightweight, making it easy to transport once extracted.
• The crystals emit a faint inner glow, especially in darkness, and often feel cool to the touch.

Volatility:

• Etherium’s signature—and most dangerous—property is its violent reaction to water. Even a single drop will trigger instantaneous volatilization, causing the crystal to flash-convert into a powerful gas and unleash a massive kinetic burst.
• This volatility demands extreme caution: miners wear insulated suits, work in dry environments, and transport etherium in sealed containers.
• Mishandling or sabotage can result in catastrophic explosions.

Mystique & Value:

• Etherium is a highly coveted commodity, essential for advanced technology and crucial to the economies and militaries of Elysium and Erebus.
• Smuggling, sabotage, and fierce competition over mining rights are common, and entire settlements have risen or fallen based on access to etherium.

What is Steam?

Steam is the refined, gaseous fuel produced by carefully processing raw etherium. It is the beating heart of industry and travel in the Victoria star system, powering everything from humble streetlamps to mighty airships.

Production:

• Etherium is transported to specialized facilities where it undergoes chemical stabilization, transforming it into Steam—a pressurized, highly energetic gas.
• The process carefully regulates the volatilization reaction, producing a fuel that is far more stable and manageable than raw etherium.

Storage & Handling:

• Steam is stored in reinforced metallic canisters or barrels—titanium for most uses, adamantine for military or high-security applications.
• Containers are heavily sealed to prevent leaks and to keep moisture out, as even stabilized Steam can become hazardous if exposed to water.

Properties & Uses:

• Steam is a phenomenally efficient fuel. A single barrel can keep a small airship aloft for up to thirty days.
• When used as an energy source, Steam emits a thick, white vapor that resembles ordinary steam but is actually a unique byproduct with special properties:
  • The gas is several orders of magnitude more buoyant than hydrogen, making it indispensable for airship lift and propulsion.
  • Steam’s energetic output powers engines, generators, weapons, and even prosthetic limbs and automata.

Economic and Social Impact:

• Cities with access to etherium shipments from Erebus or Steam refineries are powerful economic centers.
• Steam is so essential that its supply lines are fiercely guarded, and theft or sabotage is a major crime.
• Black markets and smuggling rings thrive wherever Steam is rare or regulated.
• The technology has shaped social structures and warfare on the planet Elysium.
• Erebus maintains a monopoly on etherium, but its crippling need for food sources for its population forces it to trade with the nations of Elysium.

Dangers:

• Despite its stability compared to raw etherium, Steam remains volatile. Mishaps, leaks, or the presence of water can turn containers into deadly bombs.
• Accidents in refineries or during transport are feared disasters.

In Far-Star Victoria, mastery of Etherium and Steam is the key to prosperity and power—but always demands respect for forces that can destroy as easily as they create.

Steam (Processed Etherium) — Pathfinder 2e Rules

Physical Properties

• Item Category: Alchemical, Consumable, Rare
• Bulk: 1 (per barrel-sized container); smaller canisters (encountered as L bulk, S bulk, or as ammunition)
• Traits: Volatile, Pressurized, Precious

Economy

Cost:

• Barrel (common airship use, 30 days): 250 gp
• Canister (1 day’s worth for small vehicle or 20 shots for weapon): 15 gp
• Tiny Cartridge (single-use, e.g., weapon shot): 2 gp

Availability:

• Readily available in major ports, airship hubs, and industrial cities.
• Illegal trade and black market exist due to volatility and strategic importance.

Rarity: Uncommon to rare, depending on the location's relations with Erebus or major trade routes.

Using Steam with Vehicles

Steam-Powered Engine (Vehicle Upgrade)

• Upgrade Price: +500 gp base to any Medium or larger vehicle.
• Operation: Consumes 1 canister (15 gp) per 8 hours of continuous use for a wagon/carriage-sized vehicle, or 1 barrel (250 gp) for 30 days for a small airship.
• Benefits: Vehicle Speed +50% (minimum +10 feet), ignores difficult terrain on established roads or open skies.
• Drawbacks: If the engine is exposed to water (GM discretion), must succeed at a DC 30 Engineering or Reflex check or suffer a Steam Explosion (see below).

Steam Explosion (Hazard)

• Trigger: Steam container or engine exposed to water, or critical failure/strike to the engine.
• Effect: 6d6 fire and 4d6 bludgeoning damage in a 15-foot burst (basic Reflex save, DC 25); creatures failing by 10+ are knocked prone and deafened for 1 minute.

Steam-Powered Weapons

Steam Rifle

• Price: 120 gp | Bulk: 2 | Ammunition: Steam Cartridge (2 gp each)
• Damage: 1d10 piercing + 1d6 fire | Range: 120 ft. | Reload: 1 (replace cartridge)
• Traits: Fatal d12, Loud, Pressurized, Volatile (on a natural 1, 5% chance of minor explosion, 2d6 fire damage to wielder)

Steam Cannon

• Price: 400 gp | Bulk: 8 | Ammunition: Large Steam Canister (15 gp each)
• Damage: 4d8 bludgeoning + 2d6 fire | Range: 200 ft. | Reload: 2
• Traits: Splash 5, Pressurized, Volatile (as above, but 4d6 fire on explosion)

Steam Gauntlet

• Price: 60 gp | Bulk: 1 | Ammunition: Tiny Cartridge (2 gp, 5 shots per reload)
• Damage: 1d6 bludgeoning + 1d4 fire | Traits: Agile, Pressurized, Volatile

GM Note: You can create additional steampunk weapons (e.g., steam-powered blades, harpoons, or net launchers) using similar frameworks.

Steam-Powered Inventions & Crafting

Crafting Difficulty: Crafting with Steam requires both Alchemical Crafting and Engineering Lore (or Craft [Steam Devices] specialty).

• Crafting DC: Generally 28–35 (rare or complex devices may be higher).
• Failure: On a critical failure, the device explodes as per the Steam Explosion hazard.
• Maintenance: Devices require daily maintenance (10 minutes, Engineering Lore or Crafting DC 25) or risk malfunction (GM’s discretion).

Sample Inventions:

• Steam-Powered Grappling Hook: Fires up to 80 ft, DC 25 Athletics to anchor, 5 gp, requires 1 tiny cartridge per use.
• Personal Steam Glider: Allows slow fall as feather fall once per day, requires 1 canister per use, DC 30 Craft to build.
• Etherium-Powered Prosthetic Limb: Grants +2 circumstance bonus to Athletics and Acrobatics checks involving that limb, but on a malfunction (critical failure), deals 2d6 fire and disables the limb until repaired.

Environmental & Social Impacts

• Airship travel, major industry, and military technology all depend on Steam, making it a strategic commodity.
• Black markets, sabotage, and espionage are common around Steam supplies.
• Steam-powered devices and weapons are seen as symbols of progress but also risk, and some societies (Keeper-influenced, etc.) may restrict or even ban their use.

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