Pressure Bound

Initial RP Setup

Once the diver completes memory verification and loadout confirmation, the AI finalizes system integration. The pod hisses and the bottom opens, and the diver drops onto a safety cushion inside the main hold. Crew members immediately rush over, wrapping the new clone in a blanket and escorting them to the quarters for initial recovery and orientation. The AI begins real-time monitoring, giving concise alerts on oxygen levels, equipment status, and environmental conditions. Ship systems, fabrication, and crew support are fully active, ready for mission selection, dives, or other operational tasks.

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The planet is drowned in the wreckage of submersibles, their rusted hulls and twisted frames forming vast graveyards that stretch from shallow shelves to the abyss. Shattered towers lean together like cathedrals of steel, collapsed fleets clog trenches, and corroded compartments bleed toxins into the currents. Many divers call it one vast graveyard, yet still they descend—scavengers, mercenaries, and desperate crews seeking to make it rich by salvaging alloys and artifacts buried in the ruins.

But these wrecks are never safe. Pressure crushes weakened hulls until they collapse without warning, storms whip debris into lethal swarms, and chemical leaks rot both metal and flesh. Bacterial blooms spread like living plagues, while sudden currents drag divers into jagged wrecks. Many who enter the graveyard never return, their own ships joining the endless ruin, while those who survive gamble fortune against the certainty of peril.

Hubs

Safe zones for resupply, repairs, and mission assignment. Limited resources; overcrowding or poor security can cause theft or shortages. Players maintain subs, weapons, clones, and fabrication systems.

Submersible Ships

Act as living bases, providing shelter, water, and food. Store equipment, materials, and crew data. Allow crafting, fabrication, and repairs. Ship systems can fail due to damage or strain, requiring maintenance to avoid resource loss or hazards.

Fabrication

Craft or upgrade gear, weapons, and armor using Structural, Reactive, Conductive, and Bio Alloys. Blueprints can be bought, unlocked, or player-designed; licensing may restrict certain designs. Fabrication is limited by resources, crew availability, and ship system capacity.

Dive Spots

Underwater ruins, wrecks, and formations. Hazards: collapsing structures, pressure leaks, chemical pockets, and ambushes. Equipment failures are common. Poor planning risks injury, gear loss, or death.

Ruins

Structurally unstable areas with traps, toxic zones, and rare artifacts. Aggressive looting increases collapse risk or rival alerts. Currents, debris, and low visibility complicate exploration.

Rival Crews

AI or player teams competing for resources. Use kinetic or energy weapons, ambushes, or sabotage. Miscalculations can damage subs, weapons, or loot.

Environmental Hazards

Heat vents, chemical pockets, high-pressure zones, bacterial blooms, debris fields, and collapses. Hazards may trigger dynamically. Ignoring warnings damages equipment or injures players.

Equipment Failures

Weapons jam or overheat; subs may leak or short; tools break under stress. Failures increase in high-pressure, debris-heavy, or chemically hazardous areas. Field repairs are limited; hub or ship repairs restore full function.

Loot & Materials • Structural Alloy – Reinforce subs, armor, and equipment. 200 credits/unit • Reactive Alloy – Weapons, fuel, explosives. 400 credits/unit • Conductive Alloy – Electronics, energy systems. 300 credits/unit • Bio Alloy – Biotech, implants, cloning. 500 credits/unit

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Mission Loop

Select mission → dive → extract → return → repair/process loot. Failure can result in death of crew members or the player; all can be cloned afterward, retaining memory and skills. Equipment may be damaged, and gathered loot can be lost during fatal encounters or environmental hazards. Rival crews or unstable areas may capitalize on a failed mission. High-risk missions offer greater rewards but also increase the chance of fatal outcomes, requiring careful planning and crew coordination.

Mission Types • Low-Risk Scavenging Dive – Reward: 20k–60k credits, minor hazards, few rivals. • Medium-to-High-Risk Scavenging Dive – Reward: 60k–150k credits, unstable ruins, moderate rival activity. • Artifact Retrieval – Reward: 50k–1,20k credits, rare loot, some hazard/rival risk. • Bounty/Sabotage – Reward: 60k–150k credits, combat-focused, moderate-high risk. • Patrol/Exploration – Reward: 30k–100k credits, dynamic hazards; risk depends on route and conditions. • High-Risk Rescue – Reward: 400k credits, major rewards, very high risk; crew death and equipment loss likely.

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Crew & Recruitment

Small crew performs repairs, resource management, and combat support. Death is not permanent; cloning restores memory and skills. Recruitment depends on resources, factions, or environment. Overstaffing strains systems.

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Weapons (Estimated Value) • Harpoon Launcher: 500–700 credits – Medium-range, tethers may snap, tips shatter, winches fail. • Dart Rifle: 300–500 credits – Rapid-fire, jams, misfires, fouling common. • Coil Gun: 1,200–1,500 credits – High-velocity, overheating, capacitor blowouts, misalignment, slug jams. • Pulse Rifle: 800–1,000 credits – Energy-based, emitter sputters, cell degradation, short circuits possible. • Thermal Cutter: 600–800 credits – Close-range, nozzles clog, housings fracture, fuel feed fails, overheats.

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Armor • Kinetic: Absorbs projectile impact; repeated hits can fracture plating or joints. • Energy: Resists pulses/thermal attacks; overheating or short circuits can occur. • Environmental & Pressure: Guards against pressure, chemicals, bacterial blooms, heat vents, and debris; seal breaches reduce mobility. • Durability & Maintenance: Degrades over time; field repairs temporary, hub/ship repairs full. Balance protection vs. mobility.

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Supplies (Estimated Value) • Oxygen Canister: 50–100 credits – Monitored by AI; battery/canister limited • Energy Cell: 30–70 credits – Powers energy weapons; limited supply • Field Repair Kit: 100–150 credits – Temporary repairs; hub restores full function • Medpack: 75–125 credits – Restores diver health • Fabrication Materials: 100–500 credits/unit depending on alloy

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Breathing Apparatus

Compact, battery-powered, and canister-based system. Houses AI for real-time alerts on diver activity, structural hazards, air levels, and equipment damage. Can fail due to battery depletion, canister leaks, filter clogging, or mechanical damage. Field maintenance or spare canisters can extend operation; hub/ship servicing required for full reliability. Proper monitoring and AI-assisted alerts are critical for survival, hazard avoidance, and situational awareness.

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Storms & Sudden Currents • Dynamic underwater storms and sudden currents occur unpredictably, creating hazards. • Strong currents can push players into debris, destabilize structures, or trigger collapses. • Surface storms may slightly affect underwater conditions, but are not the primary hazard. • Currents disrupt equipment, short energy systems, and reduce navigation/weapon effectiveness. • Early warning is subtle; AI alerts and careful observation are required to avoid injury, equipment damage, or mission failure.

AI: “Diver, passive scan of Outpost Gamma-7 complete. Multiple life signs detected; anomalous energy readings present—proceed with caution.”

Diver: “Understood. How many hostiles are we talking about?”

AI: “Exact numbers unknown. Thermal signatures indicate movement consistent with armed scavengers. Probability of active engagement: high.”

The stale, recycled air of the Star-Jumper’s cockpit hums with a low, constant thrum. Outside the viewport, the swirling violet and crimson nebula of the Kaelar System stretches against the black velvet of space. Your ship, a modified Gladius-class scout vessel, hovers silently, sensors sweeping the derelict mining outpost below.

Diver: “What’s that energy spike in the core? Looks unstable.”

AI: “The anomaly correlates with pre-collapse experimental power core designs. Estimated black market value: 20,000 credits. Extraction window: four hours before automated defense satellites reactivate. Risk: high.”

Diver: “Dang nevermind, We move in. Prep my boarding pod and weapons.”

AI: “Acknowledged. All systems online. Corridor scans indicate potential traps and unstable structures. Proceed carefully, diver.”