From: Eric Phillips <[ERIC 8440] at [delphi.com]>
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
Subject: GURPS Trek Update 12/14 Section 1
Date: Tue, 14 DEC 93 01:11:39 EST
V 2.00
SECTION ONE: TREK TECH
This is a description of how the main items in the Star Trek
universe operate in GURPS game terms.
ANABOLIC PROTOPLASER:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The protoplaser is used to heal internal and external body
damage without the need of opening the patient to effect the
repairs.
The protoplaser effectively speeds up the body's natural
healing process. It is only effective on physical damage
that the body could naturally heal. Beyond that, invasive
surgery might be required.
The protoplaser can restore 1 point of lost HT every 5
seconds it is used. Weight is 1 lb. Cost is $1000
BEAM WEAPONS:
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Phasers: The phaser is the standard sidearm of Starfleet. It
fires a highly cohesive, phased particle/electromagnetic
beam capable of effects from light stun to disintegration of
matter.
There are three types of phasers. Phaser I is a small
handheld phaser that can be easily concealed (+2 to
Holdout). The second, phaser II, is larger (-1 to holdout)
but has more range. The third is the phaser III, also known
as a phaser rifle. It has an extremely long range and is
very powerful. It is not commonly used except in military
applications.
Here are the basic stats of the phasers:
Type SS ACC 1/2D MAX WT ROF ST RCL
I 10 2 200 400 .5 1 -- 0
II 9 5 450 600 1 1 -- 0
III 12 10 900 1200 4 1 -- 0
All phaser types have a malf. of ver.
All phasers operate at varying power levels, starting at
stun effects and going up to molecular disruption. The
phaser I can only fire at settings 1-8, but the phaser II
and III's can fire at all 16 settings. The effects at
various levels are as follows:
SETTING DMG STUN TIME CHG(MJ)
1 1/2d6 15-HT 16
2 1d6-1 25-HT 45
3 1d6+2 70-HT 161
-----------------------------------------
4 3d6+1 516
5 4d6 858
6 8d6-1 2700
7 11d6-1 4900
8 6d6x3 15,000
-----------------------------------------
9 6d6x7 65,000
10 6d6x11 125,000
11 6d6x18 300,000
12 6d6x20 540,000
13 6d6x22 720,000
14 6d6x24 930,000
15 6d6x26 1,170,000
16 6d6x30 1,550,000
The DMG column refers to the roll used to determine the
damage of the attack. Unlike the stunners and electrolasers
described in Ultra-Tech, settings 1-3 inflict actual
physical damage as well as initiating the stun effect. Any
damge that gets through armor is real.
The STUN TIME column shows the amount of time needed by the
stunned victim to naturally regain consciousness. By looking
at the chart it should be obvious that creatures with a high
health are more resistant to stun than others. If the victim
has a HT of 15, for instance, they will not be stunned
although they will take the one point of physical damage.
The final column, CHG(MJ), is an optional statistic. It
represents the amount of power in Megajoules that each shot
at that setting consumes. This is subtracted from the total
charge in the powercell. Phasers use a saurium krellide
powercell allowing large amounts of energy storage. Varying
amounts of stored energy are expended per shot depending on
the level selected. The fully charged energy storage for
each phaser type (in Megajoules) is:
Type Charge(MJ)
I 7,200,000
II 45,000,000
III 67,500,000
Under normal game play it is easiest to just ignore keeping
track of the charges used because even in a fire fight there
is an awful lot of energy available. For example, a fully
charged phaser II could fire off 9183 shots at setting 7 and
2,812,500 if all were set for setting 1. Under normal game
situations it is doubtful the powercell will be depleted.
Here are the effects of various settings upon humanoid
targets:
SETTINGS 1-3: "Light, Medium and Heavy Stun." In order to
stun a subject, at least one point of damage must penetrate
DR and hit the subject. The damage that penetrates is
actually taken by the subject. Then, the subject must roll
vs. HT minus damage taken to avaid a stun. If failed, the
subject is rendered unconscious for the time listed under
the STUN TIME column. If a limb is hit and the HT roll
fails, it is incapacitated for the time listed under STUN
TIME.
SETTINGS 4-5: "Thermal Effects." Also called "Heat
Settings." On a successful hit, central nervous system (CNS)
shock sets in. If any damage penetrates armor, the taget
must make a roll vs. HT minus damage taken or have their
heart stop. The subject will die in HT/3 minutes unless
someone performs CPR to save them. This takes one minute per
attempt and requires a successful First Aid/TL-4 or
Physician/TL roll.
SETTINGS 6-16: "Disruption." Setting 7 also called the
"Kill" setting. Thermal effects drop off as matter tends to
dissociates. If the damage to a living target is greater
than HT times 3, the subject dissociates into energy. For
hits that do not kill the subject immediatly, CNS shock
effects are the same as settings 4-5, above.
For inanimate objects, see p. BS125 for the guidelines for
assigning DR and hitpoints to inanimate objects. Here are
additional guidlines: When damage inflicted exceeds the hit
points of the object, but by less than 3 times the hit point
rating, the object will either be burned through, exploded
or melted. If 3 times hit points or more damage is
inflicted, the object will dissociate and be converted to
energy. The GM has the final word on the outcome of an
attack.
Any phaser can also be set for overload, a process where all
the energy within a phaser's powercell is released
explosively. The safety interlock must first be disabled and
requires a successful Gun(Phaser) skill roll. It takes one
round to disable the interlock and one round to start the
overload process. It takes 30 seconds for overload to occur
and during this time the phaser will emit a squeal that
increases in pitch while overload occurs. During the 30
second buildup the interlock can be re-enabled with a
successful Guns(Phaser) roll. This takes one round. After 30
seconds the phaser will explode causing 6d6x30 points of
explosion damage.
No price is listed for the cost of a Federation phaser
because all are issued to Starfleet members. Should one
become available on the black market, the asking price will
be at least triple that of an ordinary blaster.
When dealing with disruptors used by the Romulans and other
races, the above tables can be used to determine the effects
of these weapons with only minor changes. Here are some
guidelines on the similarities and differences between the
various weapons, although the GM has the final determination
of their effects:
Romulan technology is on par with the Federation and so
their disruptors are essentially identical to a phaser II's
in effect and powercell storage. They are heavier, around
1.75 pounds, and shaped more like a traditional gun.
For Klingon disrupters they are a little cruder, heavier and
have less capacity in the powercell compared to Romulan or
Federation technology. Settings probably range in effect
from level 2-8 on a Federation phaser.
Other disruptors used by other races could be similar to a
phaser in effectiveness (charges, range, etc.), but could
also be more like weapons listed in Ultra-tech, such as
blasters, paralysis guns, laser pistols, etc. Feel free to
make it up as you go along, varying weapons and weapon
characteristics from race to race.
BIO-BED:
~~~~~~~
This is an orthopedically designed hospital bed
incorporating an array of biofunction sensors. This is
essentially the same as the Diagnosis Table described on p.
UT65. A bio-bed gives a modifier to the Diagnosis skill of
+7.
COMMUNICATOR:
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Communicators used by the Federation, Romulans, Klingons and
Ferengi all are similar in nature and should be considered
as a Fast FTL radio with a 500 km range. They can be
COMM-BADGE types (like the Federation uses), or hand-held.
Transporters can also lock onto this signal to increase
realiablity of transport.
HYPOSPRAY:
~~~~~~~~~~
The hypospray is a hand-held device used for the
subcutaneous and intravenous administration of medication on
a subject. The hypospray injects the subject by use of a
pinpoint high-pressure, low-volumn microscopic
aerosuspension stream. This allows medication to be
administerd through the skin or clothing (as long as DR is 1
or less) without mechanical penetration. It takes two
seconds to remove and replace a medication vial. The air
cartridge is good for 100 injections. Weight: 1/2 lb. Cost:
$125. Replacement air cartridges are $10 each.
KLINGON CEREMONIAL WEAPONS:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
These weapons are described in the Races section of this
work.
ITEM TYPE DMG REACH WT MIN-ST
betleH cut sw+2 1 3.5 10
betleH imp thr C 3.5 10
qutluch cut sw-3 C, 1 1 --
qutluch imp thr+1 C 1 --
MAGNETIC BOOTS:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
These are large shoes that allow a user to walk along
bulkheads or on starships hulls in low- or nul-G conditions.
Movement is reduced to 1/2 move unless the character has the
Vacc Suit skill, then movement is full. Their are two types,
one is fitted like shoes for indoor use and located on most
ships in emergency lockers, the other is designed to be
fitted onto any Vacc suit. It takes 10 seconds to put a pair
on, 5 seconds to remove a pair. Weight is 2 lbs.
PHYSICIAN'S MEDIKIT:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The physician's medikit is a small, strap on case designed
to carry emergency medical supplies. Mainly, two hyposprays
and a wide selection of drugs and other items are available.
A standard kit would include:
1- Anabolic Protoplaser
1- Neural Inhibitor (p. UT86)
2- Hyposprays
And the following medicine:
5- Doses of Hypercoagulin
5- Doses of Morphazine
5- Doses of Revive: Consider them Revive Capsules for effect
5- Doses of Superstim
3- Doses of Analgine, aka. Painaway
4- Doses of Antirad
1- Dose of Ascepaline
5- Doses of Quickheal
2- Doses of Suspend
3- Doses of Generalicillin
All doses of a drug type are contained in one container that
must be inserted in a hypospray. The differences between
amount of doses is due to the amount of medicine needed to
have an effect on a character. This standard kit may be
altered to suit a situation, for example, the characters
know they are going to a combat zone and may replace the 3
doses of Generalcillin with 5 doses of hypercoagulin.
Also, any drug contained in Ultra-tech should be available
in a Starbase and may be synthesized quickly on a Federation
vessel. Amount of doses per container is up to the
discretion of the GM.
TRICORDERS:
~~~~~~~~~~
The next major item found in the Star Trek universe is the
tricorder. Its sort of a swiss-army knife of handheld
computing units, containing a powerful on-board computer,
sensors and subspace-transceiver to link with the main
computer on board a ship in orbit.
As a computer, consider it to have a complexity level of 3
and can accept input from both the front panel keys or by
voice command. It also has the following software and
capabilities on board:
Biosampler
Datalink
Electronics Repair
Environmental Analysis
Chemscanner
Bioscanner
Radscanner
The medical tricorder has the following:
Biosampler
Datalink
Environmental Analysis
Medscanner (at +4 for diagnosis)
Radscanner
Chemscanner
Bioscanner
Through the Datalink software and the sub-space transceiver
assembly, the tricorder can instantly download or upload
data with the main computer, as long as the computer is in
range. Special programs may be run or stored on-board
depending on circumstance such as Expert System:
Biochemistry.
The medical tricorder also has a hand-held sensing device.
Together, these allow the tricorder to make detailed
diagnosis on known species. On unknown species it is limited
to telling if the lifeform is sick or dying, but a detailed
diagnosis is not possible in such a situation. On a
successful Electronics Operation(Medical) it will give +5 to
Diagnosis. Effective range is about three yards.
TRANSPORTERS:
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Transporters are devices that take an object or being and
converts it to an energy pattern that can be projected to a
desired coordinate. At the desired coordinate it is
reintegrated to its original physical structure.
The transporter was initially developed in 2158 but was not
considered safe for use on living beings until 2219. Even at
that point, some side effects of repeated transporting could
become noticeable on living organisms. This was caused by
the quantum states of atoms within the reintegrated organism
being randomly changed. The most common result of this
effect was called transporter psychosis, resulting mostly in
cases of absent-mindedness or paranoia. The effects were
cumulative over time. Through improved transport technology
no case has been diagnosed within the Federation since 2268.
However, it is unknown as to the capability of other race's
transporters when it comes to transporter safety.
Normal operating range for a standard transporter is
40,000km. The range for emergency or shuttle-based
transporters are 15,000km. In cases of low power or
interference by sub-space, electromagnetic fields or
radiation this figure can be reduced using the GM
descretion. Severe interference can result in the
transporter being unable to operate.
Transporters cannot be used through deflector shields.
Transport at warp is possible but only if both ships are
traveling at the same warp velocity. If they are not, severe
space-time distortions will occur to the transporter beam
making transport impossible.
Each transport takes 5 seconds, however system reset and
cooldown takes 85 seconds. This means each transporter
station can perform only one transport operation every 90
seconds.
To successfully transport matter to or from a transporter
array, a successful Electronic Operation(Transporters) roll
must be made. Any failure indicates that the computer has
cancelled the operation due to safety parameters being
exceeded. If this occurs, transport cannot be successfully
performed until 85 seconds pass while the transporter resets
itself. A critical failure doubles the reset time as the
computer compensates for unforeseen trouble.
The following are modifiers to the effective skill level
when attempting a transport operation:
Light Interference: -1 to -2
Medium Interference: -3 to -4 Heavy Interference: -5 or more
Transporter Lock aided by communicator: +2
Transporter Lock aided by Booster Field: +4
Subject beaming to or from another operating transporter: +4
Transport through a Warp Field: -1
Transport through dense materials(rock, cement, standard
metals): -1 per foot
Transport through ultradense or reinforced materials: -2
or more per foot
Interference could be caused by sub-space distortion,
electromagnetic (EM) radiation, nuclear radiation, nearby
dampening fields or even a low level stasis field around the
area. Also, natural occurring minerals in the soil or ions
in in the air may interfere with the transporter beam. It is
up to the GM to decide the extent of these conditions.
Transport at warp can only be attempted if each ship has
matched their warp velocities exactly. The transporter
computer will not allow a transport attempt unless this is
accomplished.
Other transporter abilities include:
Hold in Pattern Buffer: The pattern buffer is a device that
delays transmission of the matter stream while the doppler
compensators correct for relative motion between the
transporter emitter and the target coordinate. However, the
pattern buffer is capable of holding matter that is to be
sent or has been received for up to 7 minutes. This is
mostly used to detain a transported subject while giving
time for security officers to arrive at that transport site.
After the 7 minute delay the transporter computer will
automatically complete reintegration of the matter so that
no image degradation can occur.
Dispersal: The process of purposely reintegrating matter
after disengaging the annular confinement beam, thus
allowing matter to reform without a pattern. To do this,
safety interlocks must be overridden (requires a successful
Electronics Operation(Transporter) roll, takes 2 seconds).
This is used to accomplish the harmless dispersal of a
highly dangerous transport subject, such as an explosive
device. The transported object will form randomly, usually
taking the form of gasses and microscopic particulates.
Bio-Filter Scan: When matter is beamed in, the molecular
pattern is scanned by the computer using a Diagnosis
Program, Level 12. The program specifically looks for
patterns corresponding to various bacteriological and viral
forms. When the pattern is detected, the pattern is
manipulated to render the offending forms inert. This
program can only recognize patterns it has been previously
programmed for. It is not full-proof but will eliminate 95%
of all known virus and bacteriological dangers.