[Star Trek] Klingon Template

[Captain Joy]

EDIT: The most updated template/lens can be found in post #40

Okay, here's my first pass at a Klingon template and Warrior Caste lens. These would be the augment virus afflicted Klingon's of the TOS/Captain Kirk on TV era.

I'm really not sure what to do about Early Maturation. The Vulnerability to Cold I got from Memory Alpha; what I currently have seems excessive, but I kind of like it. Otherwise, am I missing anything obvious?

(Yes, I have GURPS: Prime Directive. I've learned it's best regarded as food for thought, not resource material.)

Klingon Template (augment virus afflicted) -14 Points
[10] ST +1

[ 0] Cultural Familiarity (Klingon)
[ 0] Language: Klingonese
[ 2] Extended Lifespan 1 (live 150+ years)
[ 4] Hard to Kill 2
[ -5] Bloodlust (CR: 15)
[ -5] Callous
[ -5] Odious Personal Habit (Body Odor: earthy, peaty aroma)
[-15] Vulnerability (Cold; Wounding x2; Fatigue Only)
[ 0] Feature: dark skin, 2" taller than humans--typical of ST11
[ 0] Feature: significant internal organ differences, e.g. redundant organs

[ ?] Early Maturation: maturity at 8 years

Klingon Warrior Caste Lens -1 Points
[10] ST +1

[-10] Code of Honor (Klingon Warrior) (similar to Bushido)
[ -1] Delusion (I can see in an opponent's eyes any intent to kill)
[ 0] Feature: 5" taller--typical of ST12

[Purple Haze]

I'd just shift the temperature tolerance from a human's 35F-90F to say 65F-120F.

[Faolyn]

Their redundant organs should probably be represented by Very Fit or Very Rapid Healing, or both (or even HT +1 or +2), because damaging one vital organ doesn't necessarily kill them--they have another. I'd also give them a point of DR, because they're supposed to have very sturdy bones--and maybe another point of DR for the skull, because of those head ridges.

The OPH should probably be a biological one-point quirk--unless they're all wearing peat cologne.

I think they're taller than that.

Maybe Sharp Teeth? And perhaps Bully at 15 or less--they seem to have a system in which the weak suffer under the strong.

I agree with Purple Haze on the Temp thing.

[Captain Joy]

Originally Posted by Faolyn

Their redundant organs should probably be represented by Very Fit or Very Rapid Healing, or both (or even HT +1 or +2), because damaging one vital organ doesn't necessarily kill them--they have another. I'd also give them a point of DR, because they're supposed to have very sturdy bones--and maybe another point of DR for the skull, because of those head ridges.

This led me to read up. From GURPS: Powers, p. 46 on Damage Resistance: "Some creatures are huge, have redundant organs..." (emphasis mine). They suggest Damage Resistance with the Ablative limitation. So, I went with this and dropped Hard to Kill. Because I don't want my Klingons, as a species, to have superior cardiovascular health or recover from injury quickly, I'm not going with Fit or Rapid Healing. And, as a general rule, I'm pretty stingy with racial DX, IQ, or HT bonuses. Ablative DR seems to model redundant organs brilliantly.

Originally Posted by Faolyn

The OPH should probably be a biological one-point quirk--unless they're all wearing peat cologne.

Very good point. For a Klingon amongst Klingons, I'd call it a zero point feature. For a Klingon attempting to live amongst Humans, I'd encourage them to buy this down to a 1 point quirk. But, for a Klingon out of his element amongst humans, I want the -1 smell penalty.

Originally Posted by Faolyn

I think they're taller than that.

Memory Alpha says "larger"; Decipher games says same average height. My recollection from TOS eps is that they're the same size as us. I think we see a lot of large Klingons because we often see the large end of the Klingon bell curve.

Originally Posted by Faolyn

Maybe Sharp Teeth? And perhaps Bully at 15 or less--they seem to have a system in which the weak suffer under the strong.

Sharp Teeth I reserve to species that actually still use their sharp teeth for sharp teeth purposes. While I think Callous is ubiquitous to the species, I don't think Bully is. Although, I agree a Klingon is more like to have this disadvantage than a human.

Originally Posted by Faolyn

I agree with Purple Haze on the Temp thing.

As do I.

What to do about early maturation? Probably just a feature; its game advantage is probably already paid for with Extended Lifespan.

Klingon Template (augment virus afflicted) 1 Point
[10] ST +1

[ 0] Cultural Familiarity (Klingon)
[ 0] Language: Klingonese
[ 4] Damage Resistance 4 (Ablative, -80%) (redundant organs, G:P p. 46)
[ 2] Extended Lifespan 1 (maturity at 8 years, live 150+ years)
[ -5] Bloodlust (CR: 15)
[ -5] Callous
[ -5] Odious Personal Habit (Body Odor: earthy, peaty aroma)
[ 0] Feature: dark skin, size typical of ST10
[ 0] Feature: 1.23g, 65° - 120°F comfort zone

Klingon Warrior Caste Lens -1 Points
[10] ST +1

[-10] Code of Honor (Klingon Warrior) (similar to Bushido)
[ -1] Delusion (I can see in an opponent's eyes any intent to kill)
[ 0] Feature: 2-3" taller--typical of +1 ST

[borithan]

Personally think the ST bonus should be higher. Klingons are meant to be stronger than humans already, and the augment virus is meant to boost that further (how much further I don't know, but probably less than in humans). I would say it should be +2.

I would also argue that the Warrior Lens should just be included in the standard Klingon template. Klingons are Warriors by default, and even those that are not warriors share most of those traits. And then I think the extra +1 ST on top of +2 would be a bit excessive... So basically I would just fold the two into one. Maybe remove the Delusion and Callous. Callous I would then add to any replacement Warrior Lens. The Delusion, while it may be quite common, I wouldn't regard as ubiquitous.

[Faolyn]

First off, I'd like to apologize--I missed the bit about them being augments. So ignore a lot of the stuff I wrote, because I was thinking the other kind.

Originally Posted by Captain Joy

This led me to read up. From GURPS: Powers, p. 46 on Damage Resistance: "Some creatures are huge, have redundant organs..." (emphasis mine). They suggest Damage Resistance with the Ablative limitation. So, I went with this and dropped Hard to Kill. Because I don't want my Klingons, as a species, to have superior cardiovascular health or recover from injury quickly, I'm not going with Fit or Rapid Healing. And, as a general rule, I'm pretty stingy with racial DX, IQ, or HT bonuses. Ablative DR seems to model redundant organs brilliantly.

That could work. Maybe a level of Hard to Subdue instead?

Originally Posted by Captain Joy

While I think Callous is ubiquitous to the species, I don't think Bully is. Although, I agree a Klingon is more like to have this disadvantage than a human.

I disagree with Callous. Personally, I reserve that for my "evil" monsters and races, and klingons do show love and care for others, just with a large amount of "honor and duty" thrown over it that tends to overshadow it. Even the augments seemed to be like that--IIRC, in "Day of the Dove," the lead klingon appeared to care quite deeply for his wife. Although they admittedly are a lot less honor-bound than other klingons. But perhaps an Intolerance to "soft" races like humans and vulcans would do just as well.

I suddenly remembered probably the most important advantage: High Pain Threshold. They never seem to go down. And maybe Combat Reflexes. Since the augmented klingons don't seem to have a culture beyond what we see in TOS/that Enterprise episode, then there might not be a need for a Warrior template at all.

Also, in the DS9 ep "Trials and Tribble-ations" (my gods I am a geek :) ) we learn that klingons don't talk about the augments at all. Whether or not you want to reflect that (such as through a Social Stigma among "real" klingons) or simply as a background thing (they appear to be a dying offshoot race, and really don't have any other culture beyond their fighting) is up to you.

Oh, and Phobia (Tribbles, 15 or less).

[Fred Brackin]

Originally Posted by Captain Joy

What to do about early maturation? Probably just a feature; its game advantage is probably already paid for with Extended Lifespan.

Gurps Biotech p.48 has Early Maturation being a 0 pt Feature regardless of lifespan.

You might consider such things as the Alcohol Tolerance Perk and a pt or two of DR(Skull Only).

[Captain Joy]

Klingon Template (augment virus afflicted) 1 Point
[10] ST +1

[ 0] Cultural Familiarity (Klingon)
[ 0] Language: Klingonese
[ 4] Damage Resistance 4 (Ablative, -80%) (redundant organs, G:P p. 46)
[ 2] Extended Lifespan 1 (live 150+ years)
[ -10] Intolerance (nonKlingons)
[ -5] Odious Personal Habit (Body Odor: earthy, peaty aroma)
[ 0] Feature: dark skin, size typical of ST10, maturity at 8 years
[ 0] Feature: 1.23g, 65° - 120°F comfort zone

Klingon Warrior Caste Lens 0 Points
[10] ST +1

[-10] Code of Honor (Klingon Warrior) (similar to Bushido)
[ 0] Feature: 2-3" taller--typical of +1 ST[/QUOTE]

Appropriate Options
[-10] Bloodlust
[ -5] Callous
[ 1] Alcohol Tolerance
[ -1] Delusion (I can see in an opponent's eyes any intent to kill)

Originally Posted by borithan

Personally think the ST bonus should be higher. Klingons are meant to be stronger than humans already, and the augment virus is meant to boost that further (how much further I don't know, but probably less than in humans). I would say it should be +2.

As it stands, the being augment affected confers no advantage. It's primary purpose is to explain their human appearance.

Originally Posted by borithan

I would also argue that the Warrior Lens should just be included in the standard Klingon template. Klingons are Warriors by default, and even those that are not warriors share most of those traits. And then I think the extra +1 ST on top of +2 would be a bit excessive... So basically I would just fold the two into one. Maybe remove the Delusion and Callous. Callous I would then add to any replacement Warrior Lens. The Delusion, while it may be quite common, I wouldn't regard as ubiquitous.

While I intend to keep the Warrior Len separate, I have been convinced do drop Callous and the Delusion.

Originally Posted by Faolyn

Maybe a level of Hard to Subdue instead?

As phaser stun settings get a resistance roll in my campaign, this kind of advantage is not something to take lightly. Can you give me any examples of Klingons as a species being more likely to shrug off phaser stuns than other species?

Originally Posted by Faolyn

I disagree with Callous....perhaps an Intolerance to "soft" races like humans and vulcans would do just as well.

I dig. I'd go so far as to give them the -10 point version and make it towards non-Klingons.

Originally Posted by Faolyn

I suddenly remembered probably the most important advantage: High Pain Threshold. They never seem to go down.

I disagree. They feel shock penalties as much as anybody, IMHO. They just don't care and attack with the penalties.

Originally Posted by Faolyn

And maybe Combat Reflexes...Social Stigma among "real" klingons...Phobia (Tribbles, 15 or less).

No, no, and no. :) I might give the Jem'Hadar Combat Reflexes and High Pain Threshold as a species, but not Klingons. The Social Stigma is a good call, but I'll wait on that till I decide if there are enough bumpy headed Klingons around right now. The Phobia...amusing.

Originally Posted by Fred Brackin

Gurps Biotech p.48 has Early Maturation being a 0 pt Feature regardless of lifespan.

Thanks!

Originally Posted by Fred Brackin

You might consider such things as the Alcohol Tolerance Perk and a pt or two of DR(Skull Only).

I like the idea of drunk Klingons and these aren't the bumpy headed Klingons. So, no and no.

[borithan]

Both the Star Trek rulesets I have seen give Klingons High Pain Threshold (or similar). Now, I accept that you may not want to include it, and of course different rulesets mean different things when they say that, so they may not qualify for the Gurps one. In Decipher and Last Unicorn's sets there was no Shock, but increasingly damaged characters suffered penalties, so I guess represented more an ability to resist the pain of a wound already suffered, rather than the initial shock from a hit.

Both systems also suggested that Klingons at the very least recover from being stunned by a phaser more quickly than humans, cutting the stunned time to 25-33% of the human norm. Can't remember if there is any explicit evidence in the series though, aside from the fact that they are meant to be 'ard (but are turned into the punch bags of whichever badass of the week comes along).

I would also argue for any non-warriors to suffer some minor social stigma.

[jason taylor]

)
"[ -1] Delusion (I can see in an opponent's eyes any intent to kill)"

Big deal. When someone is waving a Bat'lithe at me, even I can see an intent to kill.