Babylon 5 campaign: some questions

[Lainier]

Hello! First of all, excuse my poor english ;) I'm going to run a Babylon 5 campaign using GURPS fourth edition rules, and I have some questions.

1) How to implement telepath's Psi-levels? Psi-level measures raw psionic power (P11 it's the maximum level attainable without training). Some abilities can be obtained only with a concrete level (for example, a telepath needs P9 for detecting electronic devices). A telepath can train to increase his psi-level, at risk of frying his brain.

I found a conversion of Moongose system: the Psi-levels translated into Telepathy Talent, but I don't like this very much. Why Telepathy Talent? There are other psionic talents. And I think this system has another problem: If I use only four talent levels (the maximum recommended), then it's very easy to become a P12 telepath (20 points). If I want high P-levels to be more expensive, then I must allow more talent levels: for example, a P12 is a telepath with Telepath Talent 12, which is insane: +12 bonus to telepath rolls!

Another solution it's to create a leveled Unusual Background, as high level telepaths are less common than low level. This Unusual Background would have 12 levels, at a cost of 5 points per level. But a friend of mine who uses to post in this forum (hello, Kuroshima!) thinks it's not a good idea, as Unusual Background must be used carefully.

So... any ideas about how to implement Psi-levels?

2) Second question: Any idea of the accelerations of Babylon 5 starships? I'm using 1G-3G for conventional starships, 3g-10g for military starships, 20g-50g for very advanced starships (technomage ship, White Star, Excalibur...), and 50g-100g for ancient races starships (First-Ones, Thirdspace Aliens, The Hand...). But maybe they are too slow... or maybe not. I suppose the decision will be easier when Starships 3 comes out.

[Gold & Appel Inc]

Originally Posted by Lainier

Hello!

Hey.

There's some discussion of ways to handle the Telepathy in this thread, but mostly species templates. I settled on standard Telepathy Talent 1-4 myself, I should warn you before you slog through it... IMHO: if you want it to cost more, charge more for it. The primary advantages of being a telepath in the setting are social anyway. Hope this helps.

[zorg]

Originally Posted by Lainier

1) How to implement telepath's Psi-levels? Psi-level measures raw psionic power (P11 it's the maximum level attainable without training). Some abilities can be obtained only with a concrete level (for example, a telepath needs P9 for detecting electronic devices). A telepath can train to increase his psi-level, at risk of frying his brain.

Most telepaths in the B5verse only know Telepathy, and no other psi powers. I'd suggest requiring either a hefty UB for Psychokinesis, or require psychokinetics to pick Delusions or other disads to simulate insanity.

As to the rating, I think you're approaching the problem from the wrong direction.
Just make psis with the normal rules - 1-4 levels of Talent, and various abilities. Then, eyeball the result: how powerful is this psi? If the character has lots of points in abilities, high Talent and decent IQ and Will, then give him a high Psi Rating.
Since the only effect of Psi Rating is social, you might want to fold it into Rank: Psi Corps, so that a higher rank implies a higher rating. Even a psi with few abilities might have a huge rating, if he has a big potential! Seeing that a high rating can also be disadvantegous (the Corps is never going to let ou go), it could even be a Feature.

[Fred Brackin]

Originally Posted by Lainier

1) How to implement telepath's Psi-levels?

2) Second question: Any idea of the accelerations of Babylon 5 starships?

1) Use 3rd ed Psionics? The 4e rules really are problematic in that things like range has to be handled by choosing appropriate limitations and some capabilities are entirely seperate powers and except for Innate attacks for mind-to-mind combat don't "level" very well.

In particular, levels of Telepathy Talent are almost irrelevant. Like any Talent it measures how well you can _use_ the attached power/skill/whatever compared to someone with the level of same controlling attribute but without Talent.

Telepathy Talents has nothing to do with what you're capable of, just how you modify the die roll to control it.

If you're determined to sue 4e rules you have to look at what a Teep of a certain level is supposed to be able to do and make a list of the Powers he's allowed to buy (and their limitations) at that level.

It's probably going to be a lot of work but that's the price you pay for ultimate flexibility. You _can_ build _anything_ from scratch but you _have to build _everything_ from scratch.

2) Accelerations are probably lower than you have in mind at least for pure Earthtech ships. Big Earth ships both military and civilian have rotating sections to simulate normal gravity. That means that don't use continual acceleration at all.

Instead they must be burning for a limited period of time and then coasting.

The StarFury fighter must be able to pull at least a few Gs (perhaps up to 9) for a limited period of time. The pilot of one is laid out flat along the plane of acceleration to better handle G-forces. I'd think they still must coast most of the time. I think we'd be looking at no more than minutes of full power.

If you were using Gurps Spaceships you'd pick hard science drives for Earth ships.

The Minbari do have reactionless thrusters, artificial gravity and acceleration compensation but I wouldn't put them much over 1 G constant or the Earth-Minbar war would have been even shorter and more one-sided than it was.

I can't think of any hard examples of speed from the show though so you can go with a mix of what looks right to you.

[Lainier]

Thanks for replying!

Originally Posted by zorg

If the character has lots of points in abilities, high Talent and decent IQ and Will, then give him a high Psi Rating.

That's interesting, and something similar was also suggested by Kuroshima. Maybe it will work.

Originally Posted by Fred Brackin

Use 3rd ed Psionics?

I heard 3rd ed psionics were too powerful.

Originally Posted by Fred Brackin

If you're determined to sue 4e rules you have to look at what a Teep of a certain level is supposed to be able to do and make a list of the Powers he's allowed to buy (and their limitations) at that level.

I've already made a list ;)

Originally Posted by Fred Brackin

Accelerations are probably lower than you have in mind at least for pure Earthtech ships.

Of course. Earth's tech level is lower than other races'.

Originally Posted by Fred Brackin

I can't think of any hard examples of speed from the show though so you can go with a mix of what looks right to you.

I will not use high accelerations for the moment ^_^

[zorg]

Keep in mind that the *effect* of a high Psi Rating is purely social: it's useful to climb the Corps career ladder, nothing else. The cost of your actual psi abilities is solely depending on their effect. In other words, a "high rating" is shorthand for "lots of CPs in psi abilities" - it's a descriptor, not necessarily a mechanic.

[Dragondog]

Originally Posted by zorg

Keep in mind that the *effect* of a high Psi Rating is purely social: it's useful to climb the Corps career ladder, nothing else. The cost of your actual psi abilities is solely depending on their effect. In other words, a "high rating" is shorthand for "lots of CPs in psi abilities" - it's a descriptor, not necessarily a mechanic.

Though a high Psi rating is a prerequisite for certain abilities.

[Harald387]

GURPS: Psionic Powers for 4th Edition should be coming out soon (or may already be out, I haven't been keeping track!), and will probably suit B5 psis perfectly. As others have noted, a high P-rating is mostly a social benefit; I'd judge it to be a Rank advantage, in fact, determining what the character's status within Psi-Corps is.

From a campaign standpoint, lots of points in Psi powers will grant you a high P-rating; someone with Psychic Illusions and Mind Blast will probably be a P11 or P12, where someone with Empathy and nothing else will probably be a P1. From a character creation standpoint, however, you simply require characters to buy a higher P-rating to go along with their more powerful psi abilities. It's not quite an unusual background - there are other concrete benefits to being a P11 - but there's nothing at all wrong with requiring some advantages in order to buy others.

I'd also note that, with two notable exceptions, it doesn't seem like B5-verse psis could do much in terms of training or practice to *increase* their abilities or add new ones; the Psi Corps taught a measure of control and skill (represented by greater skill at using the powers, or higher Talent), but it doesn't seem like there was much in the way of 'adding new abilities through training'. Your set of abilities determined your P-rating, and that was that. I'd generally not allow a B5 psi to buy new abilities without some significant story justification (frex, "the Vorlons rewired your brain").

[zorg]

Originally Posted by Dragondog

Though a high Psi rating is a prerequisite for certain abilities.

No - certain abilities mean that you have a high rating.

The Psi Rating doesn't have a mechanical effect beyond social impressiveness. It's a shorthand for "How poweful are the characters abilities." imo.

[Stone Dog]

Originally Posted by zorg

Keep in mind that the *effect* of a high Psi Rating is purely social: it's useful to climb the Corps career ladder, nothing else. The cost of your actual psi abilities is solely depending on their effect. In other words, a "high rating" is shorthand for "lots of CPs in psi abilities" - it's a descriptor, not necessarily a mechanic.

I agree with this. It is simply a rough estimate of what somebody is capable of and not a standard spell-list type of ranking.

If somebody developed a power early they would be a fascinating anomaly, but it is probably something that can happen.