RPGaDay 2026 - DAY 3 - POISE

POISE

Poise isn't a word that commonly appears in my vocabularly, either written or spoken. It isn't something I think about and few of my characters are ever developed with their 'Poise' in mind. How does Poise even apply to RPGs Let's see if we can get an idea from the definition...

According to Merriam-Webster it means 'to hold or carry in equilibrium'. Isn't that balance? Are they synonymous? Hmm. Turns out they are in fact synonyms. That doesn't really help me though and it isn't what I think of what I think of Poise. What else is there?

Ah, Google has the definition of 'graceful and elegant bearing in a person'. OK, yes, that's more what I was thinking of. Like a princess. Like a Space Princess? A Psychic Space Princess!

YES!

I'm going with a Space Princess with Psychic Powers for this one. With that in mind, it is my honor to introduce her highness, Princess Yume Nebular of the Miraisekai Empire.

As lovely, charming, and diplomatic as she is enigmatic and, if rumors are true, dangerous, Princess Yume is the youngest member of the Nebular Royal Family and the heir to the Throne of Visions. Her elder cousin Kowai is next in line should something 'happen' to her. 

While accidents and direct attempts on her life have been made by forces unknown (shhyeah, right) none have been even remotely successful. Like many members of the Nebular Royal Family, the Princess possesses Psychic Abilities, one of which appears to be Precognition, the power to see the future. It is very difficult to rid yourself of a target who knows when, where, and how a threat to them is coming. 

Unbeknownst to all but the closest of family members, Princess Yume's personal scepter, the Infinity Stave, is an ancient artifact from a highly advanced though long extinct civilization that enhances her powers while she's in contact with it. 

Princess Yume always goes about with an air of Poise and a sense of calm confidence that can only come with being able to see events that have not yet occurred. This does not make the young royal invincible of course. Just because you know a catastrophe is coming doesn't mean you can stop it.

Luckily, she has the forces of the Miraisekai Empire at her disposal and a lot of friends who can help her escape a potentially deadly situation, including the Alien Explorer Gidget Starseeker and Asatira the Space Amazon.

Yume Nebular is built on another custom/combo Archetype, this one merging Princess and Esper into my own creation, Psychic Princess. I know, I know, we're workshopping the name. 

With this entry I focused on how she might function in an adventure or overarching plot, so things like Weapons and Adventure Gear and the like were kept to a minimum; I only gave her what I thought she needed her potential role. In an ongoing campaign I might flesh her out further if my players and their PCs responded well to her. 

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Looking ahead, some of the future prompts, those towards the later half of the month, are little lacking in 'energy'. Few of them are, how shall I put it, 'action' words. Still and all, better than previous years. I may have to get creative. We'll see how it goes.  

*The name Yume isn't a name per se but a word; it means 'Dream' in Japanese. Her rival cousin Kowai's name mean 'Scary' or 'Frightening'

Likewise, the 'Miraisekai' Empire uses the Japanese words for 'Future' and 'World/Society/Civilization' to form the Future Society Empire. Is their Precognition that powerful or could they actually be from the future? Don't know yet but its fun to imagine the possibilities.

This character, her Empire, and many other aspects were inspired by the Jurai Empire and related characters in the Japanese Anime Franchise 'Tenchi Muyo'. 

RPGaDay 2026 - DAY 2 - STATURE

STATURE

The word Stature implies prominent and even imposing physical size. It also related to importance or perceived important due to ability and achievements. The word makes me think of something Science Fiction is noticably lacking in these days...Space Amazons!

Asatira 176 is an Amazon Warrior Woman from the planet Astart (Astart Sagitarri II) and a renowned interstellar adventurer. Like all the women of her world, Asatira is descended from a group of genetically engineered super soldiers who colonized the planet a few centuries back. 

Not long after arriving on the planet a terrible plague wiped out the Male population and only the Females survived. Now, over 300 years later, their society thrives as a Matriarchal Direct Democracy - One Woman, One Vote! The Astartians are much sought after as allies because of their martial prowess but are not yet members of the Galactic Federation, prefering their independant status.

Elena 225 and Asatira 176 showing variants in Astartian Battle Armor aesthetics. 

Asatira is, as you can imagine, a big woman. She stands just over 7 feet tall and weighs roughly 250 lbs. The gravity of Astart is heavier than Earth-Galactic Standard and the people are adapted to such conditions. In addition, her Stamina and Speed are as impressive as her Physical Strength; her enemies sometimes succumb to fatigue before she even breaks a sweat.

While skilled with various weapons, her favorite is a Plasma Energy based 'Ray Sword', seen here being used against a Robot Commando of the Ares Battalion, a renegade military organization originally from Mars in the Sol System. The Battalion and the Amazons of Astart are bitter rivals. 

I love this character. She just came to me upon reading today's prompt and I had to write her up. I gave her a Hoverbike and Special Gauntlets to show her people are technologically advanced and not just big barbarians. The number after her name is a hold over from the distant past when her people, being genetically engineered, were given a batch number or other such designation. Maybe they were clones? Who knows! That was a long time ago. How do they reproduce now? Hmm. Good question...

Here's her Character Sheet:

Instead of using the Amazon Archetype, I decided to do another custom one combining the Amazon and the Muscle, resulting in what I refer to as 'The Amazon Warrior'. 

I am really looking forward to running this game sometime soon and I am still considering do a Solo campaign as well. It's just a really functional system that emulates the genre of Space Opera particularly well and that is one of my favorite types of Science Fiction after all. 

I see Asatira as a sort of 'Big Sister' figure for Gidget, the latter wishing she was half as cool as this badass Space Amazon. Meanwhile Asatira is well aware Gidget is good at things she herself is not, like piloting Starships and understanding complex Sciences like Biology. 

What a team they'd make, right!

Where to next - or is it who to next - as we explore the denizens of Frontier Sector Zeta and the universe of Space Opera Heroes!

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*Asatira is a Female name of Swahili origin meaning 'History' or 'Legend'. Quite fitting if I do say so myself. 

Asatira's homeworld of Astart (Astart Sagitarri II) is named for Astarte, the Hellenized form of the name of the ancient Near Eastern goddess, Attart. Attart is a counterpart to Ishtar and a female diety connected to Beauty, Sexuality, Royal Power, Healing, and War.  

RPGaDay 2026 - DAY 1 - DISCIPLINE

DISCIPLINE

An appropriate first word, as that's exactly what I'll need and hope to have to get anywhere with this particular Challenge. My track record here isn't particularly good.

When I think Discipline I think of 'Officer' type characters, like those serving in Starfleet and many Superheroes; those charged with the defense and well-being of civilians, institutions, and their fellow officers. 

Introducing Captain Lacey Pepper, the Sector Commanding Officer of the Galaxy Police in my rapidly developing Space Opera Heroes campaign universe. 

A career officer who worked her way up from Frontier Traffic Control, to Subsector 'Beat Cop', to the top law enforcement authority at the edge of Galactic Federation Space, Captain Pepper is equally liked and feared by the officers under her command. She's tough but fair and has a lot more compassion than most people might expect given her by-the-book outward demeanor. 

Flag of The Galactic Federation Galaxy Police

Galaxy Police Badge

So what makes Lacey Pepper stand out among the great many officers who constantly put their lives on the line to help the citizens of the Galactic Federation through anti-piracy operations, emergency responses and rescues, and interstellar community outreach? Discipline! She has a clear moral code, she sticks by it, and she has organized her life and her work (which are basically indistinguishable) in such a way as to allow her to apply her principles to the universe around her. This only works because she pursues her goals with unparalleled focus and resolve.  

And her she is in Space Opera Heroes Character Sheet form. Pretty simple to write-up. Once again she is an original Archetype, this one really just a variant on Super Heroine but with some added Law Enforcement skills like Investigation and Search. Super Heroine actually comes with Negotiation, which is largely why I choose that as my starting point. 

OK, Day 1 is complete. On to Day 2...

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*Lacey Pepper gets her first name from Mary Beth Lacey, one of the two policewomen in the Female led Police Procedural Drama 'Cagney and Lacey', played by the incomparable Tyne Daley. It was a ground-breaking and Emmy Award winning series that ran on ABC Television for seven seasons, between 1982-1988. 

Before Cagney and Lacey there was an even more pioneering show, Police Woman. Starring American television icon Angie Dickenson as Sgt. 'Pepper' Anderson, the series lasted four seasons and ran on NBC between 1974-1978. It was one of the first police/crime dramas to focus on a Female lead, proceeded only months before by 'Get Christie Love!' starring the beautiful and talented Teresea Graves. That show is itself remarkable for having a Black Actress as the star of a Detective/Crime series.