Traveller/BRP Author The following article is my rough draft of a SF version of BRP. I used mostly Call of Cthulhu (CoC), Elric!, RuneQuest (the playtest draft of the fourth edition, RQ4) and Traveller (the New Era, TNE) as sources for ideas for rules. I'm afraid that I used a lot of abbreviations that you won't understand in this article without knowledge of some of the above books. For this SF BRP, I assume the background of Traveller. This is comparable to the universes of Asimov (Foundation) or Anderson (Dominic Flandry) and could be used in any similar background with little problem. The background centers around a more-or-less peaceful stellar empire with client states, independent wilds and some non-human races. The empire itself is ruled by beings calling themselves humans. Technology is advanced, but not as sophisticated as you could think of. There is faster-than-light travel (FTL) traveller, computers (perhaps also AIs), robots, laser weapons and other classical SF-stuff. However, there's no teleportation, antimatter power sources, sun-destroying weapons, cyberware or other 'unbelievable magic-like super technology'. CHARACTER GENERATION Characteristics Use STR, CON, SIZ, INT, POW, EDU, DEX and APP. These are the characteristics of CoC. STR, CON, INT, DEX and APP are all 'classic'. SIZ is typical for BRP-like games and EDU is important for SF games, maybe more than STR or CON (TNE for example uses STR, CON, INT, AGL=DEX, EDU and CHR=APP). POW is useful because it allows the concept of SAN, making a SF/Horror crossover conceivable. POW could also be used for PSI-like magic. Slightly different characteristic generation should be used for the different races of the Traveller universe. In the templates below, only those statistics which vary from the human norm are listed. Humans: Char. Roll Averages STR 3D6 10-11 CON 3D6 10-11 SIZ 2D6+6 13 DEX 3D6 10-11 APP 3D6 10-11 INT 2D6+6 13 POW 3D6 10-11 EDU 2D6+6 13 Aslan: STR 3D6+2 12-13 SIZ 2D6+8 15 Aslan are honorable lion-like creatures. Droyne: STR 2D6+3 10 CON 1D6+10 13-14 SIZ 2D6+3 10 POW 2D6+6 13 Droyne are lizard-like creatures. Hivers: STR 2D6 7 SIZ 2D6 7 INT 3D6+6 16-17 Hivers look like great sea stars. Vargr: STR 3D6+2 12-13 CON 3D6+2 12-13 Vargr resemble uplifted dogs. Zhodani: POW 2D6+6 13 Zhodani are human like, but most of them can use PSI. Homeworld Modifiers The homeworld of a character's birth can cause some slight variation in characteristics. Some of the more common modifiers are listed below. Note that no characteristic may be decreased to less than 3 or raised to more than 21. High Gravity +1 STR, -1 CON Low Gravity -1 STR, -1 CON Hostile Atmospheres -1D3 CON, +1D3 DEX* High Population +1D3 APP Low Population -1D3 APP High Tech Level +1D3 or +1D6 EDU Low Tech Level +1D3 CON, -1D6 EDU * Only if environment suits were often worn Derived Statistics Characteristic rolls are calculated as usual: Idea = INTx5, Luck = POWx5, Knowledge = EDUx5 and Charisma = APPx5. If you like, calculate SAN = POWx5. Calculate hit points as (CON+SIZ) / 2 (rounding up). Calculate damage bonus as (STR+SIZ) / 5 - 5 (rounding up). Apply normal damage bonus to all melee attacks except bites and other attacks which don't use the full effects of the strength or size. Apply half bonus to thrown weapons and no bonus to missile weapons. If you're stronger, use a heavier missile weapon. Your size isn't important at all. Background Determine the normal things like Name, Age, etc. Occupations An occupation defines a group of skills that players can distribute development-points to. Decide if your character is trained, skilled or expert. Distribute 200, 400 or 600 points to that skills. Your character also gets additional EDUx5 points due to education. Each character can also freely distribute an additional 100 + INTx5 point for personal interests. I would suggest setting 80 as an upper limit on any skill (without base chance). (In CoC, the difference in skill points between EDU 10 and EDU 20, both usual values, seems to be too unfair. You can be good in a lot of skills without education.) A character can try to increase his skills by using something I call educational occupations. This could be a technical university, combat training due to military service or war experience, or other special education. It's possible that the character had to make some sort of aptitude test. You gain about 50-100 points. [Sample Occupation] Starship Pilot Distribute points among Astrogation, Pilot, Communication, Computer, Environment Suit, Survival, Ship Engineering, Zero-G-Env, Handweapon and one skill as a personal interest. GAME SYSTEM Actions All skills are percent values, use D% (D100) to make success rolls. A roll less than or equal to a skill value is a success, a roll greater than skill value is a failure. A roll of 00 is a fumble. 99 is a fumble too, if skill value is less or equal to 50. A roll below 1/5 of skill value is a critical success, which gives you a better then normal result (double damage in combat). Use resistance table as normally in CoC or Elric! Skills TNE knows more than 100 skills, CoC has roughly the same number. Some suggested examples from Traveller (with corresponding CoC skills): Accounting* (10). Archaeology* (00) - a science. Art* (whatever) (05). Acrobatics (05) - jump, balance, ... Can be used to dodge. Act = Art (Acting). Admin (05) - knowledge of governments... Animal Handling (10) - "use and maintain" guarding and hunting beasts. Astrogation (00) - finding your way through (hyper)space. Bargain* (05). Biology* (00) - a science. Carpenter = Craft (Carpenter). Chemistry* (00) - a science. Climb* (40). Combat Engineer (is this really needed?) Communications - use and maintain communication devices. Computer* (10). Conceal* (15). Construction - of permanent structures, like buildings, etc. (Craft?) Craft (whatever) (10) - a handicraft, trade, occupation. Dance = Art (Dancing). Disguise (05). Dodge* (DEXx2). Drive* (any ground or grav vehicle) (20). Defaults to others at half skill. Electronics*. (00) Environment Suit (10) - use and maintain of all kind of suits like vac suits and combat armor. Farming = Craft (Farming). Fast Talk* (05). First Aid* (30). Fleet Tactics (00) - command combat operations of space ships. Forgery (00). Forward Observer (is this really needed?) Gambling (05) = Art (Gambling) ? Genetics (00) - a science. Geology* (00) - a science. Gravitics (00) - a science. Ground Tactics (00) - command ground combat operations. Hide* (10). History* (20) - a science (sort of). Intrusion (00) = Locksmith (sort of). Jeweler = Craft (Jeweler), Estimate. Jump* (25). Leadership (APPx2). Liaison (10) - ability to understand and deal with other groups and cultures. Listen* (25). Machinist = Mechanics, a craft. Map (05) = Make maps. Marketing (05) - buy and sell and make money. Martial Arts* (00). Mason = Craft (Stones) Mechanic (10). Medical (05) = Medicine*. Metallurgy (00) - a science. Meteorology (00) - a science. Music = Art (Music). Navigation (10). Observation (25) = Spot hidden. Painting = Art (Painting, drawing) Parachute (00) - ... Persuasion* (15). Physics* (00) - a science. Pickpocket (05) - a skill I'm missing in CoC. Pilot (any aircraft, vessel, spaceship) (00) Research (15) = Library use (sort of!) Riding (05) (any animal, perhaps a bike, too?) RCV Operations (00) - control remotely commanded vehicles/weapons/robots Robotics (00) - a science. Sculpture = Art (Sculpture) Sensors (00) - operate, diagnose and repair sensors. Service (15) - ability to serve as personal servant/maid, steward. Ship Tactics (00) - starship combat. Ship Engineering (00) - operate and maintain ship's engines. Sneak* (10). Starship Architecture (00) - design of starships Stealth (10) - move quietly, unnoticed. (Hide & Sneak) Streetwise (05) - knowledge of "certain" subculture. Survey (00) - explore territory Survival (05). Swimming (25). Tracking (10). Willpower (10) - sort of skill to resist psychological treatments. Xeno-Biology (00) - a science. Zero-G-Env (05) - no problems at gravityless places. *=CoC skills plus own language (EDUx5) and foreign languages (00). plus a lot of weapon skills for all hand-to-hand, missile and heavy weapons (such as grenade launchers for example). Handguns (20), SMGs (15), Rifle (25), Shotgun (30), Heavy Weapons (no more than 10). Pilot (thing) divides into quite a lot of subskills, so they should default to each other at half skill, if both are the same class of things, e.g. water vessels, submarines, space ships (no FTL travel), jump ships (with FTL travel). Experience Use experience checks as usual. You can train and raise all characteristics and skills as described in Elric! Injury A character becomes unconscious if his HP fall below 3. He's deadly wounded if his HP falls below 0. He dies if HP fall below -HP. (Another suggestion from RQ4, so characters live a little bit longer.) [Optional] Use the following hit locations, which all have own HPs. Humans, Aslan & Zhodani: 1D20 Hit location Hit points per location (HL) 1-3 right leg HP x 0.33 4-6 left leg HP x 0.33 7-10 abdomen HP x 0.33 11-12 chest HP x 0.40 13-15 right arm HP x 0.25 16-18 left arm HP x 0.25 19-20 head HP x 0.33 Droyne: 1-3 right leg HP x 0.33 4-6 left leg HP x 0.33 7-8 abdomen HP x 0.33 9-10 right wing HP x 0.25 11-12 left wing HP x 0.25 13-14 chest HP x 0.40 15-16 right arm HP x 0.25 17-18 left arm HP x 0.25 19-20 head HP x 0.33 Hiver: 1-3 First Limb HP x 0.33 4-6 Second Limb HP x 0.33 7-9 Third Limb HP x 0.33 10-12 Fourth Limb HP x 0.33 13-15 Fifth Limb HP x 0.33 16-18 Body HP x 0.50 19-20 Head Limb HP x 0.33 Vargr: 1-3 right leg HP x 0.33 4-6 left leg HP x 0.33 7-9 abdomen HP x 0.33 10 tail HP x 0.25 11-12 chest HP x 0.40 13-15 right arm HP x 0.25 16-18 left arm HP x 0.25 19-20 head HP x 0.33 A character dies if his head or body (chest or abdomen) loses HP or more points at once. Healing is as described in CoC. An immediately applied First Aid or Medicine will restore 1D3 HP. Normal healing restores 1D3 per week, plus 1D3 due to Medicine. Because of sophisticated med-tech, the recovery rate may be even higher (another 1D3 per week). All rolls are made per injury. Acid, Drowning, Suffocating, Explosions, Falling, Fire and Poisoning are as usual as in CoC. COMBAT Melee I suggest a combat round length of about 3 or 4 seconds. Each round, every character can make one action, mainly an attack roll. (10 or 12 seconds is too long for firearm combat. Because I didn't change the rate of fire, combat has been speeded up. Decide, whether this is good or bad.) DEX determines the order of attack. A tie is broken by INT or a D% roll. Firearms go before hand-to-hand combat. Afterwards, firearms with a rate of fire greater than one go again. If one character has a DEX which is more than 10 points greater than the opponents DEX, he can make hand-to-hand attacks before the opponents can react and fire. You can dodge or parry (use the same skill as for hand-to-hand attack or Brawl skill) as many attacks as you like, but with a cumulative minus of 20% (if you parry) or 30% (if you dodge) for each attack. You can go without defense and make an all out attack, attacking twice. Or, you can defend twice before reducing the skill value and go without an attack. Missile No special rules at the moment. Use normal rules as described in CoC. Laser weapons have a low powered target beam that gives +10% to hit if the user uses it. Stunner are special non-lethal weapons which stun a target. A pistol emits energy of 3D6 strength, a heavy rifle 4D8. The rolled total is matched against the HP of the target. If the strength of the energy overcomes the HP of the target, the target is stunned for strength x3 combat rounds. Standard range is 5m, up to 10m is damage is halved. Special You can make combat very complex. CoC or Elric! give good examples for unusual events. But, I think combat isn't that important (despite what GDW products may imply). Tables Weapons: This table describes some weapons as examples and gives common damages ranges for these weapons. Feel free to flesh out this table. I want to keep it short here. Weapons Base% Damage AP Unarmed 50 1D3+db - Grapple 25 1D4+db - Knife 25 1D3+db 3 Dagger 25 1D4+db 4 Parry dagger 20 1D4+db 6 1H-weapons 20 1D6-1D8 +db 6-8 2H-weapons 15 1D8-1D10+db 8 Shields Base% Damage Protection small 20 1D4 8* medium 20 1D4 10* large 20 1D4 12* * this is wood or plastic; metal or other material have higher values (e.g. +2) Missile weapons Bow 5 1D6 / 1D8 Crossbow 30 1D8 / 1D10 / 2D6 Fire weapons Pistols 20 1D6 / 1D8 / 1D10 / 1D10+2 / 2D6 / 2D8 Rifles/SMGs 15 1D10+2 / 2D6 / 2D8 / 3D6 / 3D8 Shotguns 30 4D6* (reduced due range) Lasers 25 2D4 / 2D6 / 2D8 Armor: Absorbs damage. For the snake of simplicity, there are no special penetration rules for crossbows, lasers, etc. If hit locations are used, different locations may be protected by different armor. Some examples: Leatherjacket 1 Kevlar vest 5 Metal(helmet) 6 Combat armor 10 BACKGROUND [Has to be written] History Technology Equipment