The Tricorder Rules set updates the method for advancing characters. I'll build along this thread to help explain the method and specifics.


This message was last edited by the GM at 21:53, Sun 21 Aug 2022.

A character doesn’t remain unchanged throughout their career. As they explore strange new worlds and seek out new life and new civilizations, they will be changed by what they learn, and they will grow from their experiences. The adversity these characters overcome, and the challenges they confront, will shape them.

Character development in Star Trek Adventures comes in two forms: characters grow and change periodically during their careers, in events called milestones; alongside this, the character’s renown and reputation will change as they complete missions and make important decisions.

Only Main Characters can receive milestones, but the benefit of a milestone can be used to change a Supporting Character or the ship itself — this represents the Main Character working to improve the crew and the ship. Changes made to Supporting Characters and to the ship must be discussed with the entire group: they belong to everyone, so everyone should have a say.

MILESTONES
A milestone is a meaningful event in a character’s life, a point at which the character reexamines themselves and changes in response to what they’ve experienced. Milestones occur at the end of missions, though a character will not always have a milestone at the end of every mission.

Milestones are connected to a character’s values, and to the Directives present during missions. Values are what drive a character’s actions, and a milestone is a significant point reached because of those actions. Milestones also vary in significance, with greater impact the more a character is involved in the action.

LOG ENTRIES
To reach Milestones and have your character grow, you need to maintain a log. The log is a record of your main character’s adventures, and thus it serves as an accounting of the character’s history in play. You gain Milestones whenever you make a connection between the current adventure and one noted in your log.

At the end of each adventure, create a brief description of the mission itself and how your main character was involved. One or two sentences should be the most you need; if your Gamemaster provides “episode titles” for each adventure, noting down the title of the adventure is sufficient. You’re welcome to write more if you want – and some players may want to – but it’s not essential, and so long as you’ve got a useful reminder of past exploits, any amount is fine. Alongside this, note down which, if any of your Values you used positively, used negatively, or challenged. Some shorthand is useful here: by numbering your Values, you can refer back to them by simply writing V1, V2, V3, etc., (or D1, D2, etc., for Directives), and following any that were used with a + (used positively), a – (used negatively) or an ! (challenged).



In addition, if you challenged a Value, you may rewrite that Value. The new Value should relate somehow to what it was before, and how the character’s views have changed as a result of the situation that caused the challenge. It doesn’t have to be a big difference – and often, it won’t be – but the new Value should demonstrate how the character’s perspectives have shifted.

Finally, if you used any of your Values (positively, negatively, or challenged) during that adventure, you may also make an adjustment to your character. This is optional, but it allows characters to adjust and shift in small ways over time. You may do one of the following:

• Adjust your Attributes: Reduce one Attribute by 1 and increase another by 1. You may not increase an Attribute to above 11, nor may you reduce an Attribute to below 7.
• Adjust your Disciplines: Reduce one Discipline by 1 and increase another by 1. You can’t increase any Discipline to more than 4 in this way, nor can you reduce a Discipline below 1.
• Swap one of your Focuses: Change a specialization by studying a different one. Choose one of your Focuses and replace it with a different Focus.
• Swap one of your Talents: Replace an existing Talent with a different one for which you meet the prerequisites.
• Help a supporting character in their training: Adjust one of the supporting character’s Attributes or Disciplines, swap one of their Focuses, or swap one of their Talents, as described above.

REACHING A MILESTONE
Once during any adventure, when you choose to use one of your main character’s values, you may call back to any previous adventure in your log where you used the same Value (or, in the case of Values that were challenged and rewritten, to the new Value created that adventure). Describe how that previous experience influences what is happening now, and then gain one Determination (you’re still limited to the normal maximum of 3). You must then place a tick next to the log entry you called back to, or otherwise mark that you have used it: each log entry may only be used once.

The Gamemaster may veto a call back which seems tenuous or inappropriate to the situation, though this should be done rarely, and if a call back is vetoed, then you may attempt another call back later in that adventure.

At the end of the adventure, when adding to your log, you will receive a Milestone. Note or mark in the log entry for the current adventure that you have received a Milestone, and which previous adventure you called back to (this will be important later).

Once you’ve written the log entry, you may make a change to your character. Select one from the Milestone Options table.


This message was last edited by the GM at 22:05, Sun 21 Aug 2022.

This message was last updated by the GM at 21:54, Sun 21 Aug 2022.

CHARACTER ARCS
Each Milestone is built on calling back to prior experiences and being influenced by them. Character arcs are the next step of that, showing how a character has developed over a longer stretch of time and a number of important events.

When you make a call back to a previous adventure, you may gain an additional benefit if that previous adventure was a Milestone, creating a character arc. You can only get this additional benefit a few times, as they represent momentous and significant events in the character’s life, and moments like that don’t come along very often.

Each character arc is a string of adventures connected by a single Value. At a minimum, this will be three adventures: an initial one where you used that Value, a Milestone where you called back to that initial adventure, and the third one which calls back to that Milestone. However, each time you complete a character arc, it takes a little more effort to complete the next character arc.

When you complete a character arc, you may change your character using one of the options in the Character Arcs table instead of one of the normal Milestone options.

Further, the total number of adventures required to make up a character arc increases by 1 for each character arc you’ve already completed: so, while the first character arc you complete is made up of three adventures, the second must include four adventures, the third must include five, and so forth.

An officer’s reputation can make or break their career, for it shapes how their peers and their superiors regard them, and in turn influences the kinds of opportunities and considerations they receive. A certain standard of behavior is expected of Starfleet personnel, and those standards increase with rank and responsibility.

A Main Character has a Reputation score, which is an approximate gauge of how they are regarded by their peers and superiors. Reputation is not just a passive indicator, however: it can also serve as a limited defense against disciplinary actions; a well-regarded officer has more leeway in their actions, particularly where they can provide reasonable justification.

A Main Character begins play with a Reputation score of 3.

WHAT REPUTATION MEANS
Under normal circumstances, a character’s Reputation will serve as a basic guide for how well-regarded they are among the rest of Starfleet, and beyond. This should serve as a guideline for how other Starfleet personnel views the character based on mission reports and other official records.

The different levels of Reputation have different effects, as summarized on the table opposite.

GAINING AND LOSING REPUTATION
A character’s Reputation will change as they face new challenges and the consequences of their decisions. Actions in keeping with Starfleet’s values and standards will see an increase in a character’s Reputation, while choices and outcomes which reflect poorly upon Starfleet will see a character’s Reputation reduce, and may even see disciplinary action taken against the character.

At the end of an adventure, the Gamemaster should consider the outcome of the adventure, the decisions that were taken, and decide which factors may influence a character’s Reputation. The Gamemaster is the final arbiter of whether an action has a positive or negative influence upon a character’s Reputation, but the simplest method is a list of simple yes or no questions. The Gamemaster may add questions as they see fit, and published adventures may include additional questions specific to that mission.

POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE INFLUENCES
Answering yes to the following questions is considered a positive influence:

• Was your mission successful?
• Did you positively use one or more of the adventure’s Directives?
• Did you obey the orders given to you by your superiors?
• Did you prevent combat from occurring, or avoid escalating hostilities?
• Did you establish common ground or peaceful cooperation with those who were newly encountered or previously hostile to you?
• Did you directly contribute to saving the lives of innocent people or your fellow crew?
• Did you take all reasonable action to render aid to those in urgent need or distress?

Answering yes to the following questions is considered a negative influence:

• Was your mission a failure?
• Did you challenge one of the adventure’s Directives?
• Were you disobedient to your superiors?
• Were personnel under your command killed during the mission?
• Did you employ force to any ends other than the defense of self, ship, crew, or innocent life?
• Did you employ lethal force during the mission?
• Did you take any unnecessary risks during the mission?
• Did you cause, or allow through inaction, innocent lives to be lost during the mission?
• Did you lie, cheat, threaten, or coerce others in order to achieve objectives during the mission?
• Did you permit a colleague or subordinate to act unethically or illegally during the performance of their duties?

THE REPUTATION ROLL
Once the questions have been asked, and any positive and negative influences have been counted out, you make a Reputation roll. This is handled similarly to a Task, though it doesn’t use any of the character’s Attributes or Disciplines.

When making Reputation rolls, it is best to have the commanding officer make their roll first, as the results of their roll may impact the rolls of other characters.


USING ACCLAIM
You gain Acclaim when you are deemed to have acted following the best Starfleet ideals, and it is a powerful tool to help further your character’s career. Acclaim must be spent immediately, but it can be spent as you see fit using any of the options presented in this section. You may use any of the options below as many times as you wish.

Acclaim can be spent in the following ways:

• Gain Favor: With renown comes the attention of others. You may spend Acclaim to obtain a favor from an NPC you encountered during the adventure (who cannot be an enemy). This costs 1 Acclaim normally, but the cost increases by 1 if the NPC is not from Starfleet, by 1 if the NPC commands a starship (or has similar status), or 2 if the NPC is an admiral, general, or other highranking figure. These increases in cost can be combined: getting a favor from a foreign ambassador costs 4, while a favor from the chief operations officer on a Federation starbase costs 1.
• Increase Reputation: You may increase your Reputation by 1, by spending Acclaim equal to the Reputation you are increasing to (that is, increasing Reputation from 3 to 4 costs 4 Acclaim). You may only use this at most once per adventure.
• Commend Another: If you are the commanding officer, you may spend 1 Acclaim to commend another main character in the group. This counts as one extra positive influence on the character’s Reputation roll, and it must be done before the roll.
• Awards: Acclaim may be used to purchase awards, which provide limited, but potent benefits to those who achieve them. Each award has a different cost and may have additional requirements. A selection of Starfleet awards is presented in the Command Division Sourcebook.
• Status: With the Gamemaster’s assistance, create an additional Trait for the character, which reflects their achievements, recognition, or special status, or remove a Trait which represents something negative or detrimental to the character. If the character is a commanding officer, then they may add a Trait to their ship instead. This costs 3 Acclaim.
• Elevation: A character who is a noncommissioned officer may receive a battlefield commission and become an officer by spending 3 Acclaim. If the commanding officer refuses, no Acclaim is spent.
• Promotion: A character may be promoted to a higher rank by spending 3 Acclaim. If the commanding officer refuses, no Acclaim is spent. A commander may not promote anyone to commander or above, and a captain may not promote anyone to captain or above.

USING REPRIMANDS
You suffer Reprimands when you are deemed to have acted against Starfleet ideals, and it can drive an officer to great lengths to atone for it. Reprimands can be spent immediately as you see fit using any of the options presented in this section, but you can also leave it unspent, lingering as a stain upon the character’s honor. You may use any of the options below as many times as you wish.

Reprimands which are not used increases the chances of gaining more Reprimands on subsequent Reputation rolls, as noted earlier in this section. Reprimands can be spent in the following ways:

• Gain Antipathy: Poor conduct earns enmity and makes enemies. You may declare that an allied NPC you encountered during the adventure regards you poorly. This uses 1 Reprimand normally, but the cost increases by 1 if the NPC commands a starship (or has similar status), or 2 if the NPC is an admiral or other high-ranking figure.
• Reduce Reputation: You may reduce your Reputation by 1, using Reprimands equal to the Reputation you previously held (that is, reducing Reputation from 3 to 2 uses up 3 Reprimands). You may only use this at most once per adventure.
• Demotion: You may accept demotion from your current rank, having proven yourself unworthy. Reduce your rank by one step (i.e., from Commander to Lieutenant Commander, or from Lieutenant to Lieutenant, J.G., etc.). This uses 3 Reprimands.
• Dishonor by Association: If you are the commanding officer, you may stain the reputation of others aboard your ship. This counts as one extra negative influence on each other main character’s Reputation roll, and it must be done before those characters roll. This uses 2 Reprimands.
• Stripped of Acclaim: If you have one or more awards, you may remove one or more of them to remove Reprimands; each award removed uses Reprimands equal to its cost.
• Status: With the Gamemaster’s assistance, create an additional Trait for the character, which reflects their cowardice or disgrace, or remove a Trait which represents something positive. If the character is a commanding officer, then they may add a Trait to their ship instead. This costs 3 Reprimands.
• Detention: You are stripped of your duties and locked away for a short duration, forced to contemplate your shame in isolation. A character in detention cannot be used: you must use a supporting character instead during the next adventure. This uses 2 Reprimands.
• Court Martial: You are arrested and placed on trial for your actions, using 5 Reprimands. You have the right to legal counsel in your defense, and the court martial proceedings should be played out in-game. The court will determine guilt or innocence, and pass sentence on you, which can include dishonorable discharge from Starfleet and/or incarceration in a penal facility.