Char Gen Rules

The Plot:

Congratulations, Lieutenant.  You've been promoted.  You are starting at Level 6.  Here's a lieutenant band to sew on that sleeve of yours...

Stats:  You can either roll stats via RAW or buy them.  You have 19 points to spread, with all 4 stats starting at 8 before racial bonuses (you apply those after you roll/point buy).  As a mercy rule, if you roll terribly you may choose to point-buy instead.

Attribute Value Point Cost
    8               0
    9               1
   10               2
   11               3
   12               4
   13               5
   14               6
   15               8
   16              10
   17              13
   18              16

HP:  I'm going to use a house rule I like on HP.  You roll it, you get 1/2 the max dice value if you roll below half the dice value.  For example, if you roll a 2 on a 1d6, you would get 3 HP because you rolled below half.

This is my first time running the system, so bear with me.  I'm planning on making it about 60% away team missions and 40% ship-to-ship adventures.  Please keep it in mind when making characters.  You'll want some good ground talents along with your starship handling capabilities.

Casting Call:

The United Federation of Planets is a big tent, and aliens and humans work hand in hand.  I'd like to stick with the races defined in the rules (including the example Deltan).  However, if there is a Star Trek race you are dying to play (a Betazoid or Caitian for example), I'm willing to work with you.

Prop and Costume Departments:

The Federation and its people has no need for such arcane concepts like money and material avarice!  As such, if you want it for your character you probably have it, within reason of course.  Perhaps your Vulcan has a Vulcan lute or your Scotsman a traditional kilt.  However, things like trilithium and protomatter are very illegal, and people might give you strange looks if you have 100,000 phaser type IIs in your room.  Also, the prop department will be pretty pissed if they have to make all of those damn phasers...

Posting Rules

The Show Must Go On:
As a pilot show on network television, we don't have the pull to delay shows.  Consequently, it's important to keep on schedule.  Posting schedule, that is.  Real life will always take precedence, but at least try to stick with this:

• Post at least 1/week
• Let me know if you are going to be gone for a while so I can write you out of the picture for a while (like a sudden case of Tellarite tonsillitis or Bolian stomach flu <===There's always an issue with the Bolians).

If you need some time or a break, I'm happy to do so.  Just make sure to let me know, and I'll get an extra to keep your seat warm for you.  ^_^

Scripting Format:

Use the following posting conventions:

• Pick any color but orange for dialogue and thought and stick with it.
• Please write dialogue in quotes (Ex: "All hands to battlestations!")
• Please write thoughts in italics (Ex: I'd pay good money to shut him up...)
• Please write comm/radio dialogue between ::: marks (Ex: :::Tabin to Vigilant, status report.:::)

Optional and House Rules:

One of the great things about this Star Trek RPG version are the optional rules.  Network meddling, ratings pandering, and cultural phases (a la hippies) can quickly invade your adventure time.  I'm willing to try it, and I certainly hope you are.

Here are the optional rules that I'll be using in the game:

• A Being on Every Planet:  Sometimes the locals can get a little too friendly.  It can be a plus or a minus depending on the situation.  (Note:  This also means manly chest/long legs, short skirt officers will grant the +5 DC penalty to the love-struck local)
• Flirting With Fridge Logic:  Sometimes the writing invites the viewers to suspend disbelief. It almost makes you wonder what's the deal with the idiot who came up with this stor---ah, erm...well...  Behavior Analysis now gives you 1 question upon hitting the DC, and an extra one for every 5 you beat it.
• Technobabble:  What is science fiction without its fictional science?  Give me a good description of what you are trying to do, and I'll toss a few bonuses your way.
  
  • Good Example:  The hull is starting to buckle!  I think I can fix it if I reroute power from the subspace communications grid into the structural integrity fields!
  • Bad Example:  The Romulans are using disruptors?  Well, if I take this hydrospanner and apply it to the flux capacitor using Pym particles, we should be able to tesseract a proton torpedo-wielding cylon.  (I mean, at least try to make sense)
• TV Ratings-Fun with the Nielsens!:  Alas, television is all about ratings.  Should an episode (AKA adventure) send the general public channel surfing, the network heads may start dabbling with a few ideas.  It's still the 1960s, right?  (If it does affect your character, I promise it won't last more than an episode unless you like it)
• We'll Fix It In Editing:  You're heroes, dammit, and people don't want to see you fail!  This is a houserule for allowing you to use an action point for a reroll.

This message was last edited by the GM at 01:21, Wed 03 June 2015.

Special Effects On a Shoestring Budget:

You know what's awesome about psychic powers?  They're cheap!  You just need the character to look intensely focused!  All jokes aside, here is a list of the psychic abilities that we have made so far...

Natural 3D Thinker:

Your mind is so in-tune with the fabric of space-time that you have natural talent for working within its confines.  Provides a bonus where thinking spacially in 3D will help a situation.  Roll Know+Int to determine the bonus:

DC10 gives +1 bonus
DC20 gives +2 bonus
DC30 gives +3 bonus
And so on...

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Telepathy

Your mind has a evolved to allow for empathic and telepathic abilities.  Perhaps you have a paracortex that uses the psylinine neurotransmitter.  Regardless of the source, this psychic ability is best reserved for Telepathic species, such as Betazoids.  However, it may be appropriate for any species that is an evolutionary anomaly or mutant.  Make a Comm + Cha roll against the DC:

DC10:  Basic strong emotions
DC20:  Surface thoughts and ability telepathically speak with target
DC30:  Hidden thoughts and ability to mentally plant suggestions

Distance will affect the ability to read minds:

Line of sight (in-person or on viewscreen at "point blank" range):  +0 DC modifier
Long distance (on another ship or any other space range):  +10 DC modifier

A Betazoid who has this ability should also have have the following disability:

Psychic Susceptibility

Being a telepath is often a double-edged sword.  You are susceptible to the strong emotions of other creatures, which can overwhelm your own senses and distract you from tasks at hand.

Make a Comm + Cha roll against the GM's DC or character's psychic attack.

Make or beat:  No effect to you
Fail by 5:  -1 penalty to rolls until the source of the attack disappears
Fail by 10:  -2 penalty...
Fail by 15:  -3 penalty...

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Telekinesis:

Perhaps you are one of Plato's Stepchildren, Trelane's playmate, or you have a healthy dose of kironide at your disposal. For some reason, you can pick things up with your mind.

Make a Phys + Int roll to manipulate an object within line of sight:

DC 10: Clumsily manipulate up to 1 kg
DC 20: Finely manipulate up to 1 kg, or clumsily manipulate up to 5 kg
DC 30: Finely manipulate up to 5 kg, or clumsily manipulate up to 10 kg
This message was last edited by the GM at 12:22, Tue 25 Feb 2014.

Costume Department and Makeup:

Star Trek is all about aliens. Some have big, giant heads, some have funny noses, and some look just like humans except they're dressed up like Nazis or gangsters. Below are a few custom races that PCs are welcome to pick.

Betazoids are a telepathically gifted species who come from a planet where nobility kinda sorta still exists (Sacred Chalice of Rixx, anyone?), and weddings are always in the nude.

Evolved Paracortex: Most Betazoids are telepaths, although some never fully develop the talent. All Betazoids start off with the Psychic talent for free.

Healthy Body Image: +2 Cha

Natural Communicators: Being telepaths make Betazoids excellent at connecting thoughts and emotions to body language and vocal tone. As a result, Betazoids get a +2 bonus on Communications rolls involving sentient creatures.

Psychic Susceptibility: All Betazoids must take the psychic susceptibility penalty for telepathy, even if they do not have the telepathy psychic power.

Bolians are bald , blue humanoids with a bifurcating cartilaginous ridge running down the center of their body with a good reputation for being cheerful, and a bad reputation for eating foods other species would consider "unappetizing" at best and downright disgusting at worst.

Good-Natured: Bolians are renown for their good cheer and positive attitude. +2 Charisma

Hard-Working: No one is quite as gregarious or meticulous as a Bolian. Bolians start out with the Trained Skill trait as a bonus.

Partial Augments: Genetic engineering is illegal in the Federation, but there are still some desperate Human families who want to help their teenagers who are struggling to figure out the difference between a "dog" and a "cat." The following is an example of partial augments.

Genetically Tailored: +2 to one ability

Enhanced Cognitive Abilities: (pick if you choose Int for genetically tailored) +2 racial bonus on Knowledge and Engineering skills. Augments with this special ability also have eidetic memory—they do not forget things once experienced. In cases when a specific piece of information is essential to a skill check, the augment gains a +2 bonus.

Flexibility: One free talent at first level

Social Stigma: Due to their dangerous (and recent) history, augments suffer -2 on social rolls with other species and most social rolls involving augments will be at -2. This penalty does not necessarily apply to all situations—for example, some social situations such as intimidation or bluffing might not be affected by social stigma.
This message was last edited by the GM at 16:07, Thu 02 Apr 2015.