You and your friends become a crew of space pirates in this solarpunk sci-fi rpg. Earth's surface is uninhabitable due to climate change and the exploitation of industry, but humanity has thrived across the various planets and moons in the Sol system. They seek to settle the galaxy and repair Earth, all while navigating the sudden appearance of alien creatures from another reality.

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Features

- Skill-based character progression
- 5 Archetypes
- 3 Ancestries
- Custom character sheets
- Full color, illustrated PDF rulebook. 

Coming Soon

- Black and white, non-illustrated rulebook for home printers
- A free adventure to begin your campaign

Support Heliosail's Development on Patreon! We put out free content for your games every week. You'll find monsters and enemies here, as well as lore.

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A Solarpunk World

Solarpunk is a genre defined by green technology, hope for the future, and art nouveau aesthetics. The day to day world of Heliosail is one where people live fruitful and satisfying lives, and seek out valuable connections to nature. That doesn't mean it is without conflict, however- it takes constant work to maintain a positive, just society.

Many of the stories that work in darker genres like cyberpunk, such as stories about corruption and class struggle, will work with solarpunk as well. The difference is tone- solarpunk is an optimistic genre, where a protagonist's struggle against corruption, and their ultimate success, is a vision for our future rather than a cautionary tale.

The Netheri

The Netheri (\nɛθɛr`aɪ\ "nether-eye") are a mysterious form of alien life from a neighboring universe. They can have psychic abilities and often defy physics in surprising ways. Netheri range from huge, asteroid-eating monsters, to small surface dwelling animals and plants, and have given a breath of life to the old maritime legends of psirens, witches, and curses.

They emerge from dimensional rifts all over the solar system. These rifts are similar to black holes, undetectable except for the effect they have on everything around them. Some are just as deadly as a real black hole, but others are smaller, with less catastrophic results.

Level-less Design

Your character in Heliosail does not gain traditional levels or experience points. Instead, they improve their skills over the course of a campaign by using them, mastering powerful Tricks.

Tricks are special abilities that allow characters to do things they normally could not. Each time a player rolls a critical success when using a skill, they can unlock a new Trick for that skill. 

Cinematic Combat

What would a pirate RPG be without cool moments in a fight? Heliosail uses the Spotlight combat system. There is no initiative or turn order. Instead, each action that affects another creature triggers that creature's turn, so that combat popcorns around the table. This makes a fight very dynamic, and keeps everyone at the table engaged.

100% Human Made

This game was made entirely by humans, for humans. This includes all written text, artwork, and mechanics.