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Old 02-11-2014, 04:42 PM   #21
robkelk
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Default Re: A character type for a Star Trek game

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Originally Posted by tbrock1031 View Post
This being an SJGames forum, folks are inclined to think GURPS stats before any other system when dealing with "what would this character have in the way of general traits?".
We could offer TOON or In Nomine statistics, if you'd prefer...
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Old 02-11-2014, 05:04 PM   #22
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Default Re: A character type for a Star Trek game

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Originally Posted by tbrock1031 View Post
This being an SJGames forum, folks are inclined to think GURPS stats before any other system when dealing with "what would this character have in the way of general traits?".
This being "Roleplaying In General", however, I tend to be rather system-agnostic when responding to questions.
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Old 02-11-2014, 09:14 PM   #23
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Default Re: A character type for a Star Trek game

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Originally Posted by Astromancer View Post
How would you put that in stats?
You can't, perfectly. It's one of those things you have to do in part and wing it. You might assign Aiden a +1 on rolls to use sex appeal or anything like that with NPCs who are already attracted to 'bad boys' or 'dangerous men' or the like, but the GM would have decide if the NPC was like that.

Likewise, you might assign him a -1 with males along the same lines as the reaction penalty to exceptional good looks.

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I assume that Aidan would ask for extra training in self-defence tactics that don't break the opponent. Holds and pins for example.
That would be reasonable. In fact, Starfleet would probably require him to do so, though maybe unofficially. (The military can require you to do a lot of things off the books when they want to.) It would be in his interest to do so, as well.

Also, if you want Aiden to be 'playing it smart', you mght assign him a Quirk: "Avoids bars/drunken/drugged situations that can lead to violence."
Aiden might end up being a bit of a 'goody two shoes' out of pre-emptive self-defense. Not necessarily, just a possibilty.

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The version of the Eugenics wars we're going with is what one can get from Space Seed. The whole campaign assumes that the Star Trek universe diverges from our world's history in the 19th century (but the divergence only become noticeable after 1970).
So the Eugenics Wars happened in the 1990s?
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Old 02-11-2014, 11:43 PM   #24
Peter Knutsen
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Default Re: A character type for a Star Trek game

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Originally Posted by Astromancer View Post
Second, what should Aidan's stats be? Khan must have had a GURPS ST of 22 or a little better. Aidan is clearly much stronger than a normal human, but what would fit? Similarly, his other stats are impressively high, what would fit the eugenic supermen, and the fact that Aiden is one of that group?
Assuming this is for a GURPS 4th edition campaign (or a 3rd edition one), although it can be adapted to other systems:

Very high ST, with extra Lifting ST, as depicted in the movie.
Slightly above average DX, 11, simply because "why not".
HT 12, automatic Fit (character doesn't need to do any particular work-out to maintain Fit, but in GURPS that's just a special effect so costs the normal 5 CP), and +3 Resistance to Disease.
Extended Lifespan, 1 or maybe 2 levels.
IQ 12, Will 14, Perception unmodified at 12.
1 level of Charisma
Sanitized Metabolism Perk

That's just the species Template, the individual character builds on top of that, and may in fact have a lowered ST or IQ (or DX or HT or anthing else) relative to the species "Template". None of that is likely for a player character, though, and you should not feel pressured into lowering anything.

Note that the above is not how I would build a homo superior sub-species. I'm simply going by what I've seen in the original TOS episode and the original movie, plus tossing in a few minor things that makes sense. Frankly, the whole "he's a superman because he's so uber physically strong"-thing makes very little sense. It's deeply immature. Above-average ST without any requirement to lift weights or otherwise work out to get or maintain it, sure that does make sense. But ST 22 or so, that's just ridiculous, although you are right that he is depicted in the movie as being immensely strong.

It's because movies and television are a sucky medium for storytelling, in that it cannot properly depict that which is important: The brain, the intellect. So they give him huge muscles instead.

You can throw in a few other gene modification Peks as well, ones that would make sense for a homo superior to have. I don't recall that GURPS Bio-Tech has any (apart from Sanitized Metabolism), but there may be some in the Perks Power-Ups volume, or others on here may be able to suggest some.

You can also throw in an automatic Psi Power Talent, at 10 CP/lvl for a general Talent. The species template should have one such level, with individuals then sometimes having more, or sometimes lacking the template (unless it's actually guaranteed by the genework that everybody will have it, no exception). But based on what I've seen, there's no basis for including such a Talent.

You could go for one or even two levels of built-in Smooth Operator Talent. That's very expensive and I've heard that many GURPS players consider it overpriced, but it does fit Khan in the TOS episode, potentially having the full four levels of that. With it or without it, he has a bunch of Charisma, though.
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Old 02-12-2014, 11:31 PM   #25
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Default Re: A character type for a Star Trek game

Khan's intellect was shown in the TOS episode. He managed to read and absorb the technical manuals for starships while he was in Sickbay -- for technology that didn't even exist when he went into suspended animation. He's also depicted as a tactician that nearly equals Kirk. No, not just muscles. Perhaps that's a peeve, but it doesn't apply here.

Which leads to the post I was going to make: other than only raw intellect, you might consider some other skills and abilities like speedreading, eidetic memory, savant-like arithmetic skills, and so on.
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Old 02-13-2014, 01:06 AM   #26
Peter Knutsen
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Default Re: A character type for a Star Trek game

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Originally Posted by Anaraxes View Post
Which leads to the post I was going to make: other than only raw intellect, you might consider some other skills and abilities like speedreading, eidetic memory, savant-like arithmetic skills, and so on.
In a species template? I think it'd be more approriate to make a Talent for that. Superior Intellect Talent, or something like that.
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Old 02-13-2014, 07:25 AM   #27
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Default Re: A character type for a Star Trek game

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Originally Posted by Astromancer View Post
For base stats, Would these seem right..

ST 17 (that's about roughly three times human normal, Khan claimed to be five times stronger than Kirk, but I assume Khan was a braggart).

DX 14

IQ 16 (that would make him intellectually formatable)

HT 14

Note: the Gm said my character (because of requiered roles and skills) also has Language Talent and some kind of Math advantage. Do you think Intuitive Mathematician since it's a five point advantage a good (not overboard) advantage.
Personally, I think that looks good. High attribute scores is probably the main advantage of this sort of character concept. Don't forget, he's probably good-looking, too. If he's not from the time period and is just out of the academy, you can justify spending just a minimum of points on job skills to save them for elsewhere.

But what about the skills from his old life? Some may carry over, like hand-to-hand combat skills, but while the others aren't likely to matter, you never know in Star Trek when you might need to drive an automobile, use a firearm, or reprogram an ancient 20th Century computer. Maybe just something like Wild Talent limited to skills he would have already known?
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Old 02-13-2014, 08:29 AM   #28
Peter Knutsen
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Default Re: A character type for a Star Trek game

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Originally Posted by martin_rook View Post
But what about the skills from his old life? Some may carry over, like hand-to-hand combat skills, but while the others aren't likely to matter, you never know in Star Trek when you might need to drive an automobile, use a firearm, or reprogram an ancient 20th Century computer. Maybe just something like Wild Talent limited to skills he would have already known?
You could handle that with an Advantage that allows ad hoc buying of skills from a limited and largely useless skill set, and then a small pool of unspent CP reserved for that.

Given that TL8 skills are indeed largely useless in a Trek TL campaign, the Advantage can probably just be a 1 CP Perk.

Or just spend 1 or 2 CP on Dabbler. 2 CP buys you sixteen TL8 skills. If the character is high IQ and above-average DX, that should be plenty. If the 16 Dabbled Skills are not assigned during character creation, but can be assigned on an ad hoc basis during play, then that's agani an Advantage, but in this particula case I think we're - again - looking at a 1 CP Perk. Especially if the Perk only allows 1/8 CP assignments and never doubles or quadruples.
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Old 02-13-2014, 11:03 AM   #29
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Default Re: A character type for a Star Trek game

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Originally Posted by Peter Knutsen View Post
In a species template?
For this particular character (Aiden). Such traits might or might not be common among the engineered. Rather than just jack up all the basic stats, most systems* have other traits you can add to make a character more able and appear stronger/faster/smarter. (This point is much like the GURPS point that masters of weapons don't just dump 200 points into one skill -- they have breadth and supporting traits.)

One problem with comparing with Khan is that he's... Khan. The dramatic point was that he was superior at absolutely everything (but could fail anyway). "Best at everything" isn't really an ideal starting point for a character concept that's supposed to get along with those from a group of other players. And Khan is the best of the best. Perhaps not everyone on the Botany Bay was quite so improved. Even the "+1s" and "+2s" to stats you find in fantasy race bonuses tend to skew the archetypes and characters in those directions. It actually doesn't take that much to seem better than human, though that's usually a fair way from seeming superhuman or godlike.

--
* Are we still trying to be system agnostic, or talking GURPS mechanics?
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Old 02-13-2014, 03:24 PM   #30
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Default Re: A character type for a Star Trek game

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Originally Posted by Johnny1A.2 View Post
That would be reasonable. In fact, Starfleet would probably require him to do so, though maybe unofficially. (The military can require you to do a lot of things off the books when they want to.) It would be in his interest to do so, as well.
Makes sense to me.

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Also, if you want Aiden to be 'playing it smart', you mght assign him a Quirk: "Avoids bars/drunken/drugged situations that can lead to violence."
Aiden might end up being a bit of a 'goody two shoes' out of pre-emptive self-defense. Not necessarily, just a possibilty.
Quirk noted, idea accepted, thanks offered. Thank-you!


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So the Eugenics Wars happened in the 1990s?
I'll rewatch the episode. But yes, this is a divergent history. Heck, Khan would probably been alive when the episode was broadcast. Assuming Star Trek was on TV in the Star-Trek-Universe.
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