House-Rules IMTU [LONG!]

[Golan2072]

Here are the house rules I use IMTU; for now, they are mostly concerned with the Solar Triumvirate, but many would be similar for other polities as well. I'll post the other polities' alterations later on.

So here is the first installment - Chargen houserules and Skill houserules.

Character Generation House Rules
- Characters should decide on their homeworld using my map.

- The characteristics are generated by rolling 2D6 7 times, discarding the lowest roll and assigning the remaining six to the six attributes as the player desires.

- The Referee secretly rolls and notes each character's PSI attribute at CharGen; the player could know this result (reduce by aging, ofcourse) only when recieving Psionic Training.

- Generally speaking, my Traveller universe isn't feudal; in the Solar Triumvirate, high SOCial standing usually belogs to various level of corporate execs, ranking bereaucrats, politicians and military officers. Therefore, high SOC does not automatically grant one a noble title. However, players of high SOC characters hailing from Earth may decide that the characters belong to the old aristocracy and assume a title; this has no game mechanics effect but would have several interesting role-playing ones.

- Characters are generated using the Extended Systems - that is, LBBs 4-7, as well as several other systems which I'll gradually (or on request) devise (such as belters, cops, doctors, pirates and scientists).

- Characters don't die in the generation process; a failed survival roll indicates that the character has been seriously wounded (PERMAMENTLY reduce 1d3 from a randomly selected physical characteristic; it can't reduce it to zero, so treat any result below/of zero as 1) and honorably discharged. The character is eligible for a Purple Heart if this was a Combat Mission (Raid, Strike etc). The character recieves all normal benefits (skills, promotions and decorations) for the current one-year term and mustering out benefits for all four-year terms (including the last, incomplete one; consider that "severance benefits") and enters the game.

- All characters may attempt to use the any of the pre-enlistment options. The options are College (LBB5 P15), Naval Academy (LBB5 P15), Military Academy (see below) and Merchant Academy (LBB7 P17 and P22). For modifications, see below.

- Two new options have been added to the College - the MOTC (Marine Officer Training Corps) and AOTC (Army Officer Training Corps):
1) MOTC, 8+, DM +1 if EDU 10+. The individual has undertaken Marine officer training while in college, and upon graduation automatically recieves a comission as a Second Lieutenant (O1) in the Marine Corps (go to LBB4 P3 for career resolution).
2) AOTC, 8+, DM +1 if END 10+. The individual has undertaken Army officer training while in college, and upon graduation automatically recieves a comission as a Second Lieutenant (O1) in the Army (go to LBB4 P3 for career resolution).

- Any character who graduates with honors from the College, Naval Academy, Merchant Academy or Military academy may apply for admission to the Medical School (LBB5 P15). If unsucessful,they may try to enlist to the branch of service of their choice (for college only; officer graduates must enlist to the one they've completed the OTC/Academy for). Any one who completes the Medical School sucessfully may join their service as an O3 officer. Naval officers automatically join their Medical branch, while Army/Marine officers join their own Medical Branch, which is resolved as the Support Branch (LBB4 P6) but uses the Naval Medical Branch MOS skill stable (LBB5 P8). Merchant graduates either join the Purser Branch as O3 Medics or join a Free Trader's crew as O3 2nd Officers. Alternatively the character may start a Doctor career (S4 P6, will be expanded later if needed).

- Any comissioned Naval Academy/Merchant Academy/Military Academy or OTC-college graduate may apply to the Flight School (LBB5 P16). Honors graduates are admitted automatically. Army pilots recieve a Vehicle (Aircraft or Gravcraft) skill instead of Pilot (both as the automatic skill and on a throw of 4+ on one die) and are automatically accepted as officers of the Cavalry branch. Marine pilots recieve Ship's Boat-1 as their automatic skill but otherwise use the standard procedures they join the Marine Cavalry branch but recieve the Ship's Boat skill instead of vehicle on their MOS table rolls. Naval characters are treated normally accroding to LBB5 P16. Merchant pilots join either the Deck Department or a Free Trader as 4th Officers. NOTE: Different services have, ofcourse, different flight schools, with the Navy one holding the highest prestiege and the Merchant one the least, but they all use the same game mechanics.

- Military Academy (Army and Marines)
Admission 10+ DM +2 if END 10+ (tough selection process)
Success 9+ DM +2 if DEX 8+
Education 1D-3 DM +1 if INT 9+
Honors 9+ DM +1 if INT 9+
Skills: the following skills are eached recieved by a graduate on a roll of 4+ (on one die): Tactics-1, Leader-1, Gun Combat-1
Characters who fail the Sucess roll are at the age of 19 and are immidiately drafted into the Army for a short (three year) term. Graduates may attempt to apply to the Flight School. Honors graduates may apply automatically to the Flight School and may attempt to apply to the Medical School.

- LBB7 Free Trader Fix: On the Free Trader Business skill table there are two entries, 3 and 5, which say Steward. Number 5 should be changed to Pilot. (thanks to Sig Oddra)

- Zero-Level skills are recorder during CharGen, see the "Skills" section for details. Ofcourse, many more could be recieved after CharGen by various means.


Skill House Rules
1) Clarifications
1A) The Gun Combat sub-skills for ALL services are as follows (astrisk denotes a new weapon which will appear in the upcoming Weapon Section of the document):
- Combat Rifleman (Rifle, Carbine, Assault Rifle, Advanced Combat Rifle, Gauss Rifle, Assault Carbine*, Advanced Carbine*, Gauss Carbine*). Army/Marine officers have to take this as their first Gun Combat skill; other characters may take whatever Gun Combat subcategory they want.
- Pistol (Body Pistol, Revolver, Auto-Pistol).
- Submachinegun (Submachinegun, Gauss Submachinegun*).
- Shotgun (Shotgun, Combat Shotgun*).
- Laser Weapons (Laser Pistol*, Laser Carbine, Laser Rifle).
- Zero-G Weapons (Snub Pistol, Accelerator Rifle).
- High Energy Weapons (PGMP-12 and the PGMP-13 prototype).
- Auto-Weapons (Auto-Rifle, LMG, HMG).
- Flame Throwers (Flamethrower*, Light Flamer*).

1B) Blade Combat - use the LBB1 cascade rules.

1C) Vehicle Skills - the following are subcategories of the Vehicle cascade skills:
- Wheeled (Does not cascades further; includes ATVs, ground cars and wheeled APCs among others).
- Tracked (Does not cascades further; includes Tracked ATVs, AFVs and APCs, tractors and most TL10- heavy military vehicles).
- Gravcraft (Does not cascades further; includes G-Carriers, Air/Rafts, Speeders and so on).
- Aircraft (cascades into Fixed Wing, Tilt Wing, Rotary Wing and Lighter than Air).
- Watercraft (cascades into Small Watercraft, Large Watercraft, Hoovercraft and Submarisble).

1D)Gunnery - cascades to Ship Weapons and Vehicle Weapons. Naval characters must choose Ship Weapons under most circumstances unless thjey already posses a Vehicle skill.

2) Characters who wish to do so may substitue the Robotics skill (LBB8 P44) for any Computer skill they recieve.

3) Zero-Level skills are given at CharGen using the following criteria (ofcourse, if the character has a real expertise - 1+ - in any of the listed skills, he or she uses the expertise and not the zero-level skill

) -
3A) All player characters are assumed to have Brawling-0, Dager-0, Blade-0, Pistol-0, Steward-0 and Vacc Suit-0.

3B) Any player character from a TL5+ world with any kind of solid ground is assumed to have Wheeled Vehicle-0.

3C) Any player character from a 100% ocean world is assumed to have Small Watercraft-0.

3D) Any player character from a TL11+ world is asumed to have Grav Vehicle-0.

3E) All military (Army, Marines and Navy) player characters are assumed to have Combat Rifleman-0, SMG-0, Laser Weapons-0, Shotgun-0, Foil-0, Cutlass-0, Cudgle-0, Forward Observer-0 and Tracked Vehicle-0.

3F) All player characters with a skill of 1+ in Combat Rifleman have Bayonet-0 and Spear-0.

3G) All Scout player characters from the Field branch are assumed to have Survival-0, Survey-0, Laser Weapons-0, SMG-0, Tracked Vehicle-0, Zero-G Weapons-0 and combat Rifleman-0.

3H) All Merchant player characters are assumed to have Carousing-0, Broker-0, Streetwise-0, Admin-0 and Trader-0.

3I) All Navy and Marine player characters are assumed to have Zero-G Weapons-0.

 

[RainOfSteel]

I'd add: PCs from Atmosphere 0 worlds have their standard Vacc Suit-0 raised to Vacc Suit-1, but that's just me.

It's nice to see a complete set of house rules used for CT all listed in one place.

 

[Fritz_Brown]

And, 2-4601, I think some of the above is a good starting point concerning default skills in the T5 playtest forum. Do you mind if I post over there?

 

[Golan2072]

No problem

 

[aramis]

I would suggest not just Atm 0, but Atm1 as well recieve Vacc 1, rather than Vacc 0.

Atm B+ should never get default vehicular skills, IMO...

Likewise, hydro 9 and A both should receive Sm Boat 0.

 

[far-trader]

I have often changed wheeled vehicle to small boat for worlds with significant Hydrographics, that seems a fair call.

I have never been comfortable with the automatic vacc-suit skill though. It seems to me that most people living under a dome on some airless world just aren't going to go outside and never will pick up the skill. It'd be a little like expecting every PC from Earth to have basic scuba skill. Actually I think that'd be more likely, oceans are much more inviting (usually) than vacuum

In a similar vein I can see a dome society on a world with a corrosive (or worse, or vacuum) atmosphere having vehicles and would grant the skill. The divergence for me on vehicle skills is usually more along the lines of Social Standing (the poor don't drive) or TL and Population (mass transit rules with the right TL and Hi Pop).

Just a couple of my thoughts on it. I actually prefer player selected backgrounds that make sense rather than default skills based on UPPs.

 

[Golan2072]

These were just rules of a thumb... I was actually thinking about giving the players several free zero-level skills to choose as background knowledge; some zero-level skills (especially with vacc suits, vehicles and weapons) are there for play convinience rather than realism; my rules actually give characters less zero-level skills than LBB1 and make them different even in this respect.

 

[Fritz_Brown]

Dan, the vacc suit skill (for a domed community) wouldn't be because folks go outside all the time - it would be due to emergency drills and such. (

And, of course, the kind of folks who become Travellers would probably (but no guarantee) be the kinds of folks who go outside a lot.)

 

[mike wightman]

I have a house rule that gives characters level-0 in all skills on their career Personal Development, Service Skills, and (the first) Advanced Education Tables.

 

[far-trader]

Fritz88, certainly that's a possibility, especially at certain lower TLs and average or high Law Levels (imo) but for the most part I would think there'd be no vacc-suit drills. It'd be more like tornado or earthquake emergency drills. "This is a breach drill. This is only a drill. The dome in you section has been compromised, make your way to a shelter and await further instructions." Something like that. Every home would have a small shelter and there would be public shelters as needed. Most of these shelters would be normal everyday use rooms but built to be sealed against the hazards and include emergency band comms. Of course that just the way I see it, ymmv

Agreed, "Travellers" would probably be the type to be going "outside" for a look around, even it was strictly against the rules

Employee 2-4601, you're right of course, most of the zero-level skills are there to serve the game, I just always found it more interesting to make them fit the character. Like I'd disagree with a PC from a high Law Level world and a career in say Bureaucrat having zero-level skill in all weapons (as was the standard in CT). The choose X zero-level skill sets based on background seems best to me.

 

[Fritz_Brown]

Good point, Dan. Of course, some of us think of space habitats first when we think of Atmos=0. There I would insist that everyone have their own vacc suit (carried or worn) with them at all times.

 

[far-trader]

A possibility for space habitats yep, and ships. Is vacc-suit skill used for rescue ball use? That'd be my choice of default carry gear in unsafe areas, anywhere that the wall next to you is next to vacuum or other bad atmosphere. If you have a double hull and are in the inner sections you have enough safety to not worry I'd think. Of course at high enough TL vacc-suits are as comfortable as clothing and as economical as special work gear. Situations like that I usually have people dressed in the tailored vacc-suit/uniform with belt PLSS and soft helmet and gloves handy. Typically engineering crew and security/troops on ships and space stations.

Oh, that reminds me of another zero-level skill gripe, zero-g skill, in a society where artificial gravity exists? Not likely. I don't recall when this one worked it's way in as a default skill, for Size 0 worlds and Belters iirc. Makes sense for Belters I guess but not so much for Size 0 worlds in general for popultions and TLs sufficient for domed settlements. It'd be a very specialized skill imo. Again, more recreational that vocational except in limited areas.

 

[far-trader]

Originally posted by Sigg Oddra:
I have a house rule that gives characters level-0 in all skills on their career Personal Development, Service Skills, and (the first) Advanced Education Tables.

That's an interesting way of doing it. I think I like that better than any simple system I've seen. I guess that J-o-T zero is pretty much a non-skill though right.

 

[mike wightman]

Yep, JoT-0 is worthless.

Also, because of skill duplication in the tables, you don't get too many level 0 skills.

Navy:
Ship's boat, vacc suit, fwd obs, blade, gun, gunnery, mechanical, electronic, and engineering.
Marines:
Gambling, brawling, blade, vehicle, vacc suit, gun, mechanical, electronic, and tactics.
Army:
Gambling, brawling, blade, vehicle, air/raft, gun, fwd obs, mechanical, electronic, and tactics.
Scout:
Gun, vehicle, vacc suit, mechanical, navigation, electronic, gunnery, and medical.
Merchant:
Blade, bribery, vehicle, vacc suit, steward, electronic, gun, streetwise, mechanical, navigation, gunnery, and medical.
Other:
Blade, brawling, vehicle, gambling, bribery, gun, streetwise, mechanical, electronic, and forgery.

 

[far-trader]

Yep, pretty easy and balanced and it makes sense.

I think you forgot (or dropped for other reasons) ATV for the Marines and Army though, and missed the Air/raft skill for Scouts

 

[mike wightman]

I used second edition LBB1, that's why ATV and air/raft aren't there

Same thing for 1st edition looks like -

Navy:
Ship's boat, vacc suit, fwd obs, blade, gun, gunnery, mechanical, electronic, and engineering.
Marines:
Gambling, brawling, blade, ATV, vacc suit, gun, mechanical, electronic, and tactics.
Army:
Gambling, brawling, blade, ATV, air/raft, gun, fwd obs, mechanical, electronic, and tactics.
Scout:
Gun, air/raft, vacc suit, mechanical, navigation, electronic, gunnery, and medical.
Merchant:
Blade, bribery, vacc suit, steward, electronic, gun, streetwise, mechanical, navigation, gunnery, and medical.
Other:
Blade, brawling, gambling, bribery, gun, streetwise, mechanical, electronic, and forgery.

 

[far-trader]

Originally posted by Sigg Oddra:
I used second edition LBB1, that's why ATV and air/raft aren't there

D'oh! Of course

 

[far-trader]

Hmm, just a thought Sigg, why not allow zero level in the second advanced education table too? Just for those who qualify with the Edu 8+ of course. It doesn't seem too unbalancing at a quick glance but maybe you found otherwise.

 

[mike wightman]

I always thought that the second table was for those characters who:
◘ had to meet the Edu requirement - a thought that has recently occured to me is that these are the people from the higher TL homeworlds, but more on that later/elsewhere;
and,
◘ have to make an extra effort to learn these skills, they aren't just picked up as part of day to day work and training.

That said, you are right. Adding them for characters with Edu 8+ wouldn't break anything anymore than the rest of this house rule

 

[Golan2072]

I am thinking about creating a few more expanded (LBB4-7 style) careers for CT; mostly for ones that only had basic chargen (LBB1 style) in CT cannon, but maybe one or two in addition. I'll be doing this mostly because I've intended to do so along time ago, and I want something Traveller-related to work on when not designing ships/subsectors.

So lets start with the Belters. These were done twice in CT cannon (S3 and Beltstrike), but in both occasions only Basic chargen was provided. I intend to construct an expanded generation system for them based on both S3 (Citizens of the Imperium) and LBB7 (Merchants). S3 has belters in it and a general idea of what skills a freelancer should get; LBB7 talks about Megacorporations, and I feel that the mining subsidary of a megacorp should be organized somewhat similarly (though with some differences, ofcourse) to its Transport/Trade subsidaries.

Basically, a character will have three options available for Belter enlistment: Megacorp, Clan and Freelancer. Megacorps are ultra-big commercial entities that deal, among other things, also in astroid mining; while the chances for a "big score" are quite slim in a megacorp (the big stock owners get their hands on most profits), the risks are low as well, and there are many eduicational opportunities in such a big, diverse and high-tech organization. Clans are informal, usually family-based or neo-tribal groups of belters who work togather; while the lack the sheer size, safeguards or tech of the Megacorps, they are also less stratified, offer more personal freedom and bring better chances for profit; on the other hand, they usually have access to heavier equipment and to mining opportunities than freelancers do. Freelancers are the crews of small prospecting and mining ships (typically Type-J Seekers) who seek their fame and fortune in the Belt; While the life of a Freelancer is risky, there is a chance of hitting a "mother load" - However, the chances of getting hit by a rival's (or a Megacorp's) missiles or lasers are almost as big, if not bigger, than the chance of hitting that load.

Only Megacorps have departments; Clanners belong to a special "Clan" department and Freelancers belong to a "Freelancer" department. Megacorporates have the following departments: Administration, Engineering, Flight, Prospecting and Mining (the Megacorp's Merchant subsidary usually handles long-range transport and sales).

More to come.