 November 21, 2010 - 11:04am | Okay guys at last the Sathar Homeworld is revealed.... Sathar: One hundred fifty light years beyond the Xagig Dust Nebula lies a desolate planet with a thin, brownish, nitrogen atmosphere. Known only as XJ-3, this planet is home to the Sathar, sentient creatures that evolved from wormlike ancestors over millions of years. The Sathar rose to dominance on XJ-3 mainly because of the absence of competing species. Since they took to the stars, the Sathar have claimed numerous other worlds, but the location of their homeworld remains their most prized and cherished secret. The Sathar hold several historical sites on XJ-3 sacred, and the planet also serves as the base for their secretive central command. Three elite cadres of Sathar defend the space surrounding XJ-3, and they can call upon others for reinforcements should an attack tax their resources. Not Canon but interesting none-the-less. "Hey guys I wonder what this does"-Famous last words "Hey guys, I think it's friendly." -Famous last words "You go on ahead, I'll catch up." -Famous last words "Did you here that?" -Famous last words |
 November 21, 2010 - 5:37pm | Well really wasn't it a matter of time before the Star Law and UPF found it anyways? Yes, it does kind of spoil the secrecy the Sathar have held. The only real question now is exactly how big of a fleet do the three elite cadres have combined? In every age, in every place, the deeds of men remain the same. |
November 21, 2010 - 6:14pm | According to the D20 write up Sathar are notorious for capturing enemy ships and adapting them in hidden shipyards throughout the worlds they've conquered, so it could be a whole lot, but they do the Sathar a disservice by saying the following.... "...most Sathar ships encountered in space are in less than peak condition. Hulls are often patched with pieces from other ships that have different color schemes, sections of plating may be discolored from energy blasts, and dents from past impacts are common. Despite their battered appearance, however, Sathar ships are surprisingly spaceworthy and durable." But what I now understand about the Sathar is that the reason they are so mean is that because they are stuck onboard their ships for so long when making the trip from their homeworld to the Frontier it's no wonder why they're so angry when they get there. "Hey guys I wonder what this does"-Famous last words "Hey guys, I think it's friendly." -Famous last words "You go on ahead, I'll catch up." -Famous last words "Did you here that?" -Famous last words |
 November 21, 2010 - 7:37pm | Patched up ships? What were those humans canibals from Firefly? |
November 21, 2010 - 9:10pm | Even if I was playing SF on a weekly basis, I don't think I would ever reveal the sathar home world unless we came up with a compelling and awesome series of modules. In the end the PC's would help defeat the sathar once and for all. Or would they.... Clan Y could be the next bad guy. |
November 21, 2010 - 10:57pm | The sad thing is that the Sathar weren't even in the d20 future book, they were an afterthought put into a tacked on article. I mean the core 4 were put into the book, and they even included a watered down campaign setting based on Star Law, but the chief enemy of the UPF didn't even merit inclusion in the core book?! "Hey guys I wonder what this does"-Famous last words "Hey guys, I think it's friendly." -Famous last words "You go on ahead, I'll catch up." -Famous last words "Did you here that?" -Famous last words |
 November 22, 2010 - 6:32am | Who's running the d20 show anyway???? I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
November 22, 2010 - 7:44am | Who cares? They had to merge several settings into one and make it "generic". Interesting topic, maybe someone will be inspired to write up an article or detailing something but for now, back to the Real Star Frontiers.  |
November 22, 2010 - 5:06pm | Sathar using patched up ships? As if the Sathar can't build their own? Sounds like some non-sense I'd just throw out how they have it there and run it any damn way I please. In every age, in every place, the deeds of men remain the same. |
 November 22, 2010 - 5:30pm | Sounds like the d20 Sathar author is a fan of the Borg and are trying to make the Sathar in their image. That being said, a lot depends on just how far the Sathar are from their resupply bases. The more extended their supply lines, the worse shape their ships will be in and they will be more likely to acquire anything they can use from their enemies. Ultimately, this falls to the perceptions and preferences of the referee. Personally, I'd combine the two. They may well have a functional SCC not far from the Frontier that is busy building and repairing ships as good as new. But, as they prepare for a second assault on the Frontier, they scout using their dinged up left overs from SWI so as to lull the UPF into a false sense of security. The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of
the strong. * Attributed to Mahatma Gandhi |
 November 23, 2010 - 5:53am | Hey Georgie thats a nifty idea. I could see that happening as well. that gives me an idea where the Sathar use old frontier militia ships to attack. trying to make it look like one UPF system attacked another. See if that starts off any small wars and then use the distraction to start another invasion elswhere. Time flies when your having rum. Im a government employee, I dont goof-off. I constructively abuse my time. |
 November 23, 2010 - 10:10am | Overall, pretty poopy. |
 November 23, 2010 - 12:49pm | Now I can see the sathar capturing a frontier ship, brain washing and hypnotizing the crew, and sending them back to do some terrorist type attack. But I don't see them using things made for or by "inferior" races. Sathar are kinda stuck-up that way. -iggy |
November 23, 2010 - 4:11pm | Here's a kind of reconciliation. Because the general tech level in d20 future is higher than what we accept in SF perhaps the Sathar of the d20 future game exist long after the UPF kicked their butts one final time and after a long peace, have regathered enough strength to try once again to crush the Frontier under its slimy flippered feet. Maybe the Frontier of the d20 system takes place one or two hundred years after 111 FY. I suggest this also because the Sathar in d20 future are somewhat different then the Sathar of SF Kind of the way Klingons in original Trek were different from those in later Star Trek shows, so there is reason to believe that these Sathar have played with their own genetics, (specially since they now have nanites within them that can be triggered to cause the Sathar to go boom rather then be captured. "Hey guys I wonder what this does"-Famous last words "Hey guys, I think it's friendly." -Famous last words "You go on ahead, I'll catch up." -Famous last words "Did you here that?" -Famous last words |
November 23, 2010 - 4:18pm | iggy, interesting idea using the sathar as written. /Comment not intended to to step on toes/ |
November 23, 2010 - 4:30pm | Maybe because you'd have to be really stupid to follow any advised course of action coming from a slimy worm. "Hey guys I wonder what this does"-Famous last words "Hey guys, I think it's friendly." -Famous last words "You go on ahead, I'll catch up." -Famous last words "Did you here that?" -Famous last words |
November 23, 2010 - 4:47pm | Deryn the Sathar don't need nanos to go boom to prevent capture, the module Face of the Enemy has the Sathar are hypno-trained to sudden death if captured. Granted the boom would be a nice added touch for them. But once it gets around that captured Sathar quickly become flaming balls of death, I don't think any one is going to risk a close encounter with them. In every age, in every place, the deeds of men remain the same. |
November 23, 2010 - 4:54pm | Apparently the d20 Sathar are not trustworthy enough to kill themselves when captured so they have nanites to do it for them. (D20 future seems obsessed with nano technology). "Hey guys I wonder what this does"-Famous last words "Hey guys, I think it's friendly." -Famous last words "You go on ahead, I'll catch up." -Famous last words "Did you here that?" -Famous last words |
 November 23, 2010 - 7:19pm | This is not your Father's Oldsmobile, err I mean evil bad guy. The bombing starts in five minutes. |
November 23, 2010 - 7:31pm | Yes but give me a '74 dodge charger or '79 trans am anyday over these new fangled "bubble" cars. Sometimes old is better. Which is why I'd never go 4th edition even if they dared temp me with a 4th edition SF. "Hey guys I wonder what this does"-Famous last words "Hey guys, I think it's friendly." -Famous last words "You go on ahead, I'll catch up." -Famous last words "Did you here that?" -Famous last words |
November 23, 2010 - 8:23pm | Off topic. If someone made Star Frontiers 4e it would get played by the general public and quadruple the followers of the SF. Especially if you follow the format of the new D&D essentials products. Their pretty, easy to read, easy to GM, etc. I know this goes against our love of the d100 system but I'm of the opinion that its a reality. You could show up at ANY game store and sit down with old/new players and play a four hour session. Could you do that with SF as-is? No. |
November 23, 2010 - 9:05pm | Easily transfered since 100 is is divisible by 5 or 20. just remember if somone has a 95 percent chance of doing something, that any roll greater than 1 on D20 is sucessfull. Thusly if you have a 60 percent chance to hit something then 8 would be your highest fail.... in other words roll a 9 or greater on D20. Just a thought, I have never used the "D20" system, I have played AD&D 1st and 2nd Edition. I LOVED It. AD&D was my Favorite RPG, Until 3rd Edition. I hated Third Edition with it's I can do anything with my Character. 4th Edition Makes me want to puke too. I liked the game the way it was, I did not see a need to change it so much that it is now not even recognizable as the same game. I would say that it is a completely different game with a Name that was already being used... and What the F--- Is a Healing Surge and why Can anyone do it? But that is a topic for a different forum.... The bombing starts in five minutes. |
 December 3, 2010 - 9:03am | Going back to the comment about the changable Klingons I remember the story of why they changed and it is again a sad comment on those who change things just for the sake of change. If you didn't know when the made Star Trek the Movie (I) the scene with the Klingons was the last one shot even though it was first in the movie. Surprisingly they were underbudget so the make up artist asked for and got permission to "do some really cool looking alien Klingons".Did it matter this changed a basic canon of Star Trek or that fans were confused for years until a silly explanation was presented two decades later. Now with the Sathar we have the same problem. The original game canon is being forced to fit into new systems and with different authors who may or may not care and are just throwing things in because they are told to. Best advice is to go with the original D&D note that it is only a game and we can take or leave or change whatever we want. Sounds like a great job but where did you say we had to go? |
 December 10, 2016 - 11:59am | Ran across this thread in a search, and wanted to add something for future finders: None of the D20 Sathar stuff mentioned in that article squares with original Star Frontiers. SPOILERS - If you have not played SFKH4 read no further: The Star Frontiers Knight Hawks module SFKH4 "The War Machine" presents the background for Sathar war operations. See Zeta Section "The Weak Link" Zeta.1 "History of the War Machine" and Zeta.2 "The FS30 IMPP" for the Star Frontiers background. It also states in the module that fully 20% of the Sathar ships attacking the Frontier in the Second Sathar War were produced by the FS30 IMPP. These sections were adapted from David "Zeb" Cook's ideas for the Independent Materials Processing Plant (IMPP) from his "Matters of Fact" article in Ares 15. Campaign idea: Scatter 4 more Sathar IMPP around the north and east sides of the Frontier map, each an equal distance away from the nearest Frontier system as Liberty is, and you have a pretty good long-term campaign - find and remove the other 4 IMPP and you can stop the main Sathar war effort in the Frontier for decades. If not, then the Frontier will eventually be overrun by self-replicating Sathar IMPP systems building more and more war machines. The clock is ticking... |
 December 10, 2016 - 1:27pm | I actually have a campaign written up that is exactly this. I made the extended Frontier map before I ever owned Zeb's guide though so it doesn't quite match with the published version of the map. Ad Astra Per Ardua! My blog - Expanding Frontier Webmaster - The Star Frontiers Network & this site Founding Editor - The Frontier Explorer Magazine Managing Editor - The Star Frontiersman Magazine |
 December 12, 2016 - 3:19pm | Ran across this thread in a search, and wanted to add something for future finders: None of the D20 Sathar stuff mentioned in that article squares with original Star Frontiers. SPOILERS - If you have not played SFKH4 read no further: The Star Frontiers Knight Hawks module SFKH4 "The War Machine" presents the background for Sathar war operations. See Zeta Section "The Weak Link" Zeta.1 "History of the War Machine" and Zeta.2 "The FS30 IMPP" for the Star Frontiers background. It also states in the module that fully 20% of the Sathar ships attacking the Frontier in the Second Sathar War were produced by the FS30 IMPP. These sections were adapted from David "Zeb" Cook's ideas for the Independent Materials Processing Plant (IMPP) from his "Matters of Fact" article in Ares 15. Campaign idea: Scatter 4 more Sathar IMPP around the north and east sides of the Frontier map, each an equal distance away from the nearest Frontier system as Liberty is, and you have a pretty good long-term campaign - find and remove the other 4 IMPP and you can stop the main Sathar war effort in the Frontier for decades. If not, then the Frontier will eventually be overrun by self-replicating Sathar IMPP systems building more and more war machines. The clock is ticking... Ah, this is one of the gems in these old discussion threads. I never saw the D20 version of what the Sathar homeworld is supposed to be, but I do agree with your assessment. "The War Machine" module presents a rather sophisticated, sly Sathar race that doesn't seem to be technologically deficient. Rather, they might be superior with some of their technology when compared to the UPF. I don't mind having a better idea of what the Sathar homeworld is supposed to be like, even if it's never revealed to the players. Well, keep searching. You'll find other interesting fan tidbits on this site. Joe Cabadas |
 July 12, 2020 - 9:01pm | Just discovered this old thread in 2020 and wanted to thank everyone for the d20 Future references, as I had never seen that conversion. I purchased it on the spot from Drive Thru RPG. Does anyone have the article that is referenced with the Sathar homeworld material? |
July 13, 2020 - 6:37pm | Just discovered this old thread in 2020 and wanted to thank everyone for the d20 Future references, as I had never seen that conversion. I purchased it on the spot from Drive Thru RPG. Does anyone have the article that is referenced with the Sathar homeworld material?
So I try to stay on top of the canon source material and fan canon- which can be hard since I've published 170 star frontiers articles in 3 different fan zines and sometimes catch myself thinking topic X would be a great article only to realize I already wrote that article 7-9 years ago. I too would love to see this sathar home world material but I've never seen it which is odd since I've usually seen every thing. I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
July 13, 2020 - 6:45pm | Just discovered this old thread in 2020 and wanted to thank everyone for the d20 Future references, as I had never seen that conversion. I purchased it on the spot from Drive Thru RPG. Does anyone have the article that is referenced with the Sathar homeworld material?
It seems that D20 Future has short notes on 8 different future setting, one is called Star Law and is the notes on Star Frontiers in the D20 rules system. I image that is where this material on the sathar home world is . I've added it to my cart on Drive thru but have not purchased it yet. I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
July 14, 2020 - 3:29pm | It's not in the D20 Future book, but rather in a on-line supplement they released calld D20 Future New Heroic Aliens. Which is now no longer online. I was able to find it on the Wayback Machine and you can grab a copy here: https://web.archive.org/web/20041204041549/http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=d20modern/article/20040928a Ad Astra Per Ardua! My blog - Expanding Frontier Webmaster - The Star Frontiers Network & this site Founding Editor - The Frontier Explorer Magazine Managing Editor - The Star Frontiersman Magazine |
