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Old 11-25-2019, 01:25 PM   #181
ericthered
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Default Re: [Psionics] [Space] Psi Trek - Worldbuilding

My first vote is two, to make for excellent politics.

My second vote is four, also because it makes politics.

Basing the federation on a tight economic and political integration (option 1) is fine.
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Old 11-25-2019, 07:01 PM   #182
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Default Re: [Psionics] [Space] Psi Trek - Worldbuilding

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Originally Posted by Prince Charon View Post
The Federation, or something else? question


2: United Space Authority
A defensive pact similar to NATO, but with trade agreements, some degree of technology-sharing and such, and extradition and other mutual agreements to smooth over law enforcement in their combined territory. So, less of a political union, but still an organization that exercises authority over a volume of space. Has some form of unified Star Fleet/Space Force/Space Patrol, but most likely not exactly the same one as canon (though if we keep the name I gave it, spacecraft names could still have the USS prefix, and it'll make more sense than the UFP using it). My preferred option.

This would be my choice: it is what I'm going to be using in my upcoming ST game
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Old 11-27-2019, 07:17 PM   #183
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Default Re: [Psionics] [Space] Psi Trek - Worldbuilding

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Originally Posted by Prince Charon View Post
The Federation, or something else? question

What sort of polity are our heroes from. Note that the ones not selected are still viable for a 'Mirror, Mirror' type of session or campaign arc. Please include the number when you vote.
I like options 1 and 2 the best. If I were trying to match the feel of ST, then 1 would win.
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Old 11-30-2019, 07:13 PM   #184
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Default Re: [Psionics] [Space] Psi Trek - Worldbuilding

OK, it doesn't look like anyone else is going to vote, so the poll is closed. If I've counted right, option 2 wins.

Depending on which I have ready soonest, the next question will be on weapons (grenades and melee weapons are pretty close to postable), or one of the templates that I'm working on, or I'll post an idea I have for the United Space Authority's Space Forces.... or I might get an Idea unrelated to any of them, and do that. Anyone have suggestions?
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Old 12-01-2019, 03:59 PM   #185
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Default Re: [Psionics] [Space] Psi Trek - Worldbuilding

Preliminary Vulcanian Template, help wanted

Attributes

ST +7 [70]; DX +2 [40]; IQ +1 [20]; HT 11 [10]

Secondary Characteristics

Will +2 [10]; Per +1 [5]

Social Background

Languages: Vulcanian/T'Khasi (Native) [0].

TL: 10^

Cultural Familiarity: Modern Vulcanian/T'Khasi [0].

Subtotal: 155


Advantages

Acute Hearing 2 [4]
Eidetic Memory [5]
Extended Lifespan (Early Maturation) 1.5 [3]
Less Sleep 4 [8]
Longevity [2]
Nictitating Membrane 2 [2]
Reduced Consumption (Cast-Iron Stomach, -50%) 1 [1]
- Reduced Consumption (Water Only, -50%) 2 [1]
Temperature Tolerance # []

Protected Power (Telepathy) [5]
Sleep (Nuisance Effect: Must touch target near the spine, -5%) 2 [27]
Suggestion 3 [30]
Telereceive (Link: Telesend, +10%) 1 [25]
Telesend (Link: Telereceive, +10%; Cannot lie with Telesend, -10%) 1 [9]
Teleshout (Telesend; Long-Range, +50%; Emergencies Only, -30%; Nuisance Effect: Brief message Only, -10%; Telepathy, -10%) [30]
Telepathy Talent 2 [10]

Perks

Near-Death Possession. [1]
Poker Face. [1]

Subtotal:


Disadvantages

Code of Honor (Vulcanian) [-5]
Pon-farr [??]
Reduced Endurance 1 [-3]

Quirks

Vegitarian. [-1]

Subtotal: -


Features


Skills

Autohypnosis [Will/H] [4] IQ]
Meditation [Will/H] [4] IQ]
Mental Strength [Will/E] [2] IQ+1
Philosophy (Surakism) [IQ/H] [4] IQ

Psi Skills to be added later.

Techniques

Subtotal:

Total:

Notes

(EDIT: Note that I don't have Prime Directive 4e, and don't want to copy the templates from it if I do get it.)

This assumes a Vulcanian of approximately the era of First Contact with humanity.

'Extended Lifespan (Early Maturation) 1.5' is meant to represent the fact that Vulcanians can live for over 250 years, but apparently not 360. Including Early Maturation just means that Vulcanians reach adulthood around the same chronological age as humans.

Reduced Consumption is split like that to express how the Vulcanian metabolism works: they have an adaptable digestive system, and thus while they need as much food as humans in terms of quantity, they can handle bad or strange food and somewhat brackish water, and being desert-dwellers, they also need less water on average than humans do.

The Vulcanian version of Sleep normally advances at a rate of 27 points per level from level 2 on, remaining a touch-only attack. 'Teleshout' is the telepathic contact Spock received in 'The Immunity Syndrome' when the crew of the USS Intrepid died: In an emergency, Vulcanians can transmit a brief message at ranges of multiple parsecs. Near-Death Possession is the telepathic equivalent of Near-Death Projection: When Vulcanians know they are about to die, they can mind-meld with someone, and prepare them to carry their katra (spirit), as Spock did to McCoy in Star Trk II and Star Trek III The katra can later be stored in psychotronic vessels, equivalent to a magical Soul Jar. Poker Face is the ability to not have your emotions show easily.

The Vulcanian Code of Honor revolves mainly around acting on logic over emotion, mastering one's passions, respecting intelligence and intellectual accomplishments, and requires not showing emotions to an obvious degree, but also includes upholding Vulcanian traditions, many of which do not appear to be logical in a modern civilization. The contradiction has lead to many philosophical debates, and many commentaries on the works of Surak and his students. In many cases, this involves starting with the conclusion that they want, and constructing a logical argument for why it must be so.

Not totally sold on the version of Mind Meld above (Telesend and Telereceive Linked), though it's probably pretty close. Also, not sure what disadvantages should be brought together to simulate pon-farr.


Thoughts?
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Last edited by Prince Charon; 12-01-2019 at 04:05 PM.
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Old 12-02-2019, 05:18 AM   #186
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Default Re: [Psionics] [Space] Psi Trek - Worldbuilding

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Originally Posted by Prince Charon View Post
Also, not sure what disadvantages should be brought together to simulate pon-farr.


Thoughts?
To the first, I'd say that given that Pon-farr happens every 7 years, it might show up once a campaign, and is probably just a quirk. To the second, I'd have to say that it really comes down to campaign philosophy; if characters are built on 500 points, or racial templates are free, then it's probably fine. If not, no one will play Vulcans, or the template needs cuts.
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Old 12-02-2019, 07:05 PM   #187
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Default Re: [Psionics] [Space] Psi Trek - Worldbuilding

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Originally Posted by TGLS View Post
To the first, I'd say that given that Pon-farr happens every 7 years, it might show up once a campaign, and is probably just a quirk. To the second, I'd have to say that it really comes down to campaign philosophy; if characters are built on 500 points, or racial templates are free, then it's probably fine. If not, no one will play Vulcans, or the template needs cuts.
One thought that I had to reduce the point cost is to have Suggestion or Teleshout be the primary in a set of Alternative Abilities containing most of the rest of the Vulcanian mental powers.
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Old 12-06-2019, 03:59 AM   #188
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Default Re: [Psionics] [Space] Psi Trek - Worldbuilding

I rearranged the telepathic abilities a little:

Protected Power (Telepathy) [5]
Suggestion 3 [30]
^ Mind Meld (Alternate Ability of Suggestion; Telereceive 1 [21] + Telesend (Cannot lie with Telesend, -10%) 1 [8]) 1 [6]
^ Sleep (AA of Suggestion; Nuisance Effect: Must touch target near the spine, -5%) 2 [5]
^ Teleshout (AA of Suggestion; Telesend; Long-Range, +50%; Emergencies Only, -30%; Nuisance Effect: Brief message Only, -10%; Telepathy, -10%) [6]
Telepathy Talent 2 [10]


Thoughts?
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Old 12-08-2019, 05:46 AM   #189
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Default Re: [Psionics] [Space] Psi Trek - Worldbuilding

Grenades

Grenades don't appear much in Star Trek. We see a Photon Grenade Launcher in one episode of the original series, and I don't recall if we see any Starfleet-issue grenades in TNG, DS9, or VOY at all. Given the term 'photon grenade,' I'd say that despite what the writer of the linked page thinks, they're probably matter-antimatter grenades (consistent with the Antimatter question, above, but not an absolute requirement for grenades). This isn't as dangerous as you might think: a society that can safely store antimatter for long periods, safely transfer it into a small warhead, and safely shoot that warhead at the enemy with a realistic expectation that the warhead will go off consistently and efficiently, right when it's supposed to, will thus have an excellent 'dial a yield' weapon (anywhere from 'radioactive flash-bang' to 'destroy a city,' possibly). A micro-nuke would be in some ways more dangerous, due to the need for a terribly-short half-life, and thus a need for much heavier radiation shielding (or psi-based radiation shields that require humans to be nearby pretty frequently). It also wouldn't be that good at dialing the yield down. Of course, it could be that it's a psi-based fusion grenade, meaning that the psychotronics within only need to work once, a little after it's thrown or shot, to rapidly and very tightly compress a small amount of hydrogen.

As noted in the 'Phasers' article, power cells put on 'overload' can explode with a fair bit of force, because any battery or capacitor able to power an energy weapon is theoretically capable of being used to make a bomb. How much force I'm not entirely certain of, as Ultra-Tech is fairly well-known on these forums as an interesting but rushed product. Suggestions?

Other grenades that might exist in this setting include most of the psi-bombs in Psi-Tech (pp28-29), Pizard's grenades, and any from GURPS Ultra-Tech or other supplements that the GM feels like allowing, but Star Trek writers just don't seem to have been all that interested in grenades.

The question is, what grenades do we want in the setting?


EDIT: The rough consensus seems to be that grenades in the Psi Trek setting, at least as used by the Star Fleet or equivalent, should come in 'a variety of exotic charges,' rather than going for bigger explosions.
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Last edited by Prince Charon; 12-19-2019 at 11:09 AM.
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Old 12-08-2019, 07:12 AM   #190
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Default Re: [Psionics] [Space] Psi Trek - Worldbuilding

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. . . they're probably matter-antimatter grenades (consistent with the Antimatter question, above, but not an absolute requirement for grenades). . . . an excellent 'dial a yield' weapon (anywhere from 'radioactive flash-bang' to 'destroy a city,' possibly).
The problem with dial-a-yield antimatter that is that once your grenade starts to go off, all the antimatter in it is going to annihilate within a timescale of milliseconds, at most. Present-day dial-a-yield H-bombs work by preventing stages of the bomb from detonating, which isn't really an option with antimatter.
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