star wars - traveller style

7/27/2019 Star Wars - Traveller Style

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Star warsTraveller Style

Using the Mongoose edition of the Traveller rules-set to simulate the Star Wars universe is rather easy:

the main core rule-book itself contains rules on using hyperdrives instead of Jump-Drives.

SHIPS:

Starship shields (beyond mere nuclear dampeners and meson screens) come into play at Tech Level

16, with the incorporation of grav-tech into sandcaster defensive systems (p. 9, Central SupplyCatalog), for those who dislike the all-or-nothing effect of the so-called Black Globe defensive

system traditional to the Traveller RPG.

Alternately, if the campaign is using the T20 rules, Traveller gamemasters could utilize the concept ofparticle screens presented in the now out-of-print D20 Modern supplement D20 Future Tech, which

uses alpha particles (a cloud of hydrogen atoms stripped of their neutrons) held in a grav-field to

penalize enemy laser-fire rolls by a -4 penalty instead of absorbing damage as traditional shields tendto do in science-fiction RPGs.


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Particle screen technology has one advantage over TL 16 sandcasters, in that they do not require

taking up a slot on the ships hard-points. This leaves ship turrets (or fixed mounts) a chance to go the

Millennium Falcon route and have a triple-turret to mount pulse lasers or light Ion guns onto. Sure, theFalcon has two quad-laser cannons, but Traveller rules only provide for triple-cannon arrays or less.

However, Lucasfilm has stated time and time again that the Falcon is an entirely unique example of a

YT-1300 (which use Far Trader or Free Trader statistics) and not even other YT-1300's are known to

mount such guns.

This means that in Classic Traveller, MegaTraveller, and Mongoose edition Traveller, if the ship hasonly one 'hardpoint', the turret can only mount two beam- or pulse-laser cannons on its triple-turret, as

the third slot is taken up by the sandcaster. Ships with two or more hardpoints can mount three pulse-

lasers on the remaining triple-turrets.

Another thing to consider is that according to Traveller rules, starfighters (and shuttles, as well) CAN

NOThave on-board hyperdrives.

Hyperdrive generators are twice as large as a corresponding Jump-Drive unit, and ships under 100 tonsjust don't have enough room for either! (On the other hand, a ship with a hyperdrive instead of a jump

drive has effectively increased either its fuel capacity or cargo capacity by 50%.)

Either all starfighters (including X-wings, Y-wings, and all others) must be carried aboard largerhyperdrive-capable cruisers and carriers, or the game master must come up with a device similar to the

hyperdrive booster ring first seen in Episode 2: Attack of the Clones (and Episode 3: Revenge of the

Sith) of the prequel trilogy. This device would probably have to be powered by anti-matter instead offusion power, as the booster rings in the films did not seem to have any visible fuel tanks and according

to page 109 of the Traveller Core Rulebook (Mongoose Publishing edition) NO tonnage needs to beallocated to fuel, but the drive needs to be refueled once per month, at a cost of 5,000 Cr. per ton of

drive.

Ion Cannons are covered in the Universe of Babylon 5 campaign setting book, although the Ion

cannons of the Star Wars setting work slightly differently. Both fire bolts of highly ionized plasma at atarget, but the Star Wars version (while otherwise identical to the B5 version) does not do physical

damage to the hull, the damage is EMP damage to underlying systems. (Damage is applied to the hull

points as normal, but the hull isn't blown to bits when they run out. Once hull points are depleted, theship has lost power. In other words, it is stun damage for ships.) Only screens, shielding, and/or TL16

sandcaster protection can reduce the effects.

The infamous proton torpedoes, such as the one Luke fired down the thermal exhaust vent shaft todestroy the Death Star, are simply TL7 or higherNuclear Torpedoes, albeit with less of a radiation or

radioactive fallout threat,and thus somewhat legal, but only in the vacuum of space. Proton torpedoes

remain vulnerable to nuclear dampers (which is why the exhaust port of the Death Star was considered

a vulnerable point by the Rebel Alliance. Nuclear screens inside the reactorwould've rendered thepower supply of Tarkin's and Palpatine's favorite new toy an inert hulk.)


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Personal Weaponry:

Blasters: The blaster is the quintessential Star Wars weapon, either a pistol, rifle, or carbine that fires a

deadly bolt of energy. Debates both online and off have argued whether these weapons are lasers orplasma weaponry, but when it comes down to it, it doesn't matter. Simply use the Blasters from p. 51 -53 of the Strontium Dog source-book (reprinted here)and let them get on with playing the game.

Disruptors: Both the Tenloss DXR-6 disruptor rifle, the DXR-2 pistol, and the earlier sonic disruptors

used by both the Mandalorians and by Zabraks warriors would be considered TL18 (pistol) Matter

Disintegrators and TL19 (shotgun)Improved Matter Disintegrators. The mandalorian Ripper, while

considered a disruptor actually fires solid physical shards of material at the target, making it more

like the TL13 Splinter Pistol.

Lightsabers: Traveller Book 4: Psion introduces the Psionic Energy Sword, a TL14 lightsaber-like

weapon with damage comparable to a laser carbine (4D6+Effect), as well as introducing advanced


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psionic powers. For game purposes of a Star Wars game, Psionic Energy Swords can indeed parry Arc-

Field swords. If the player requests a great-lightsaber or dual-phase lightsaber instead of a standard

lightsaber, use the damage for an Arc-Field Sword, 4D6+2. Short, Shoto, or Guard-Shoto lightsabers do3D6+1 damage. For fans of Vader's last and final apprentice, Lumiya, the stats for the Las-Whip

(1D6+3 damage) from Strontium Dog can be used to simulate her lightwhip. The Long Handled

Lightsaber or Lightsaber Pike should use the stats for the TL16 Psi-Pike (4D6 + Psi rating), again

using the parry details of an arc-field weapon. The double-bladed lightsaber or lightsaber staff ismerely a double-ended psionic energy sword (4D6+Effect) so no damage adjustments are necessary

since you cannot (in terms of Traveller game mechanics) hit someone with more than one meleeblade at a time, but would add a +5 to his Parry value (which is added as a bonus to his Melee skill

for terms of parrying) as if he were wielding a set of TL14Handshields.

Bowcasters and Magna-Launchers: The Wookiee bowcaster is, according to the Star Wars Technical

Manuals and other sources, a weapon that cosmetically looks like a high-tech crossbow but

electro-magnetically fires an explosive quarrel or bolt sheathed in plasma, at its target. Treat abowcaster as a fancy TL13 5.5 mm. Heavy Gauss Rifle. (4D6AP) (Armor Piercing.)

Bounty hunter Dengar's magna-launcher, while similar in principle, lacks the energy-sheath and would

be considered aMagRail Rifle in Traveller terms. (4D6+2, non-armor piercing.)

The Discblade: Utilized by the Zieson Sha sect of Force-users/psions, the Discblade is effectively a

TL12Hurling Monoblade (2D6+5).


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Vibroblades and Vibro-swords: These weapons are nasty devices, used by melee combatants who

lack the lightsabers of the Jedi and the Sith. A physical blade enhanced with a vibrational field, their

stats can also be found in the Strontium Dog sourcebook. A Vibroblade or vibro-knife does 2D6+4damage. Vibro-swords do 4D6+4 damage. A variant featured in the Knights of the Old Republic video

game, the Baragwin Assault Blade combines a lightsaber-resistant blade with technology similar to that

of a vibro-weapon and a thin plasma field from the energy projector, to create yet anotheritem that

would use the statistics for the arc-field sword, doing 4D6+2 damage (two points less than a vibro-sword but able to cut through just about anything due to the plasma-field/vibro-field combination.)

The Sith Sword: Alchemically treated to do enhanced damage and to be able to parry lightsabers, the

Sith Sword would use the stats for a Psi Cutlass with the ability to parry arc-field swords and psionic

energy weapons. Sith Tremor Swords combine the Sith sword with a damaging vibrational field like

that of anImproved Static Sword, doing 3D6+2 damage but able to parry psionic energy swords andarc-field swords.

The Sith Lanvarok: The Sith lanvarok is a wrist-mounted device that launches metallic alloy disks atdeadly speeds, it is essentially a wrist-mounted TL14MagRail Pistol (3D6+2 damage) with half the

ammo capacity of 5 discs instead of the 10 discs a pistol holds. The more primitive massassi lanvarok

is a TL2Halberdcombined with a sling staff. It does normal damage for a halberd (3D6+2) as a meleeweapon and 2D6 as a sling.


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Armor:

Mandalorian Beskar'gam: While Mandalorian Iron may not exist in Traveller except perhaps in the

form of Crystalliron, crystalliron by the rules is too heavy for man-sized armor. However, ceramic anti-

laser armors do exist, so players wanting to simulate playing a Mandalorian warrior or a Mandalorian

scout clad in Beskar'gam should consider armor (such as the Mandalorian Supercommando Armor, likeJango & Boba Fett wore, or the Crusader Mark 3) to be TL12 Ceramic Alloy Carapace on page 135 of

supplement 4. In fact, for flavor's sake, lets just rule that both Crystalliron and Ceramic Alloy are one

and the same in-game and are just gradient-terms for MandalorianBeskar.Rarely did Mandalorians ever wear heavier armor, so suits ofCeramic Alloy Combat Armorwould be

rare indeed. KotOR era Neo-Crusaders used normal non-ceramic Combat Armor with Mandalorian

styling.


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Imperial Stormtrooper/Republic Clone Trooper Armor: Re-introduced for the first time since the

days of the Jedi Civil War and the war 300 years later with the second Sith Empire, Republic clonetroopers wore a suit of full-body armor complete with integral gas-mask, respirator/filter, and a small

air supply. Although the clone troopers wore different armors to signify different legions, they all had

the same statistics, essentially TL12Improved Combat Armor. Imperial Stormtrooper armor was less

individualized (and had less protection, basically TL11 Combat Armor), relying mostly on rankinsignias for all but a few classifications such as Scout Troopers, the Coruscant Guards, the Crimson

Guards and Shadow Guards, and Zero-G Troopers. Crimson and Shadow Guards wore red and blackTL10 Poly Carapace, with Crimson Guards armed with force pikes (as a Psi-Pike, with an optional

stun effect) and Shadow Guards armed with lightsaber pikes (see above, Lightsabers.) Scout Troopers

wore lightweight armor with the same statistics as Poly Carapace but with a full helmet.

Jedi Robes and Tunics: Unless wearing the full armor of the era of the Battle of Ruusan, Jedi rarelywore visible armor. Usually, their robes, tunics, and tabbards were a combination of TL10Improved

Cloth andReflec. During the days of the Sith Wars, though, some Jedi wore battle armor equivalent to

TL11Lightweight Poly Carapace with a TL12 Ceramic Alloy Helmet.


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Blast Vest and Helmet: Worn by the Rebel Troopers in Star Wars: A New Hope (on board Princess

Leia's ship) and in the Endor strike team in Return of the Jedi, blasts vests are the equivalent to the TL9

Torso Protector, and are almost always worn with a TL9Light Infantry Helmet.

Sith Dark Armor: Dark Armor is custom made, alchemically treated armor, usually either of

Phrikk/Cortosis alloy, or containing Cortosis Weave. In the former case, treat P/C Alloy Dark Armor as

Ceramic Alloy armor of the appropriate type. Cortosis weave armor, on the other hand, gives no added

protection against lightsabers/psionic energy swords, but it does shut off the weapon after theimmediate strike, so that the attacker must spend an action reactivating his, her, or it'slightsaber/PES

during the next round, potentially granting the defender a free hit against the attacker.


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Jensaarai Armor: Made using the same Sith Alchemy techniques, Jensaarai armor is functionally

identical to Sith Dark Armor, including the Phrikk/Cortosis alloy option or the Cortosis Weave option.

Since it is not actually of Sith construction, however, the appearance of the individual suits are quitedistinct, often featuring an animal motif incorporated into its design and styling.


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Characters and Careers:

For Jedi-oriented players, Traveller Book 4: Psion introduces theMystic Ordercareer (equivalent tothe standard movie Jedi), the Psion Scouts career (for the Jedi ExplorCorps branch), the Psion Scholarcareer with the Physician specialization (perfect for the Jedi MedCorps) and the Student(Jedi

AgriCorps, perhaps?) and Scientist(Jedi Librarian) specializations.

Some players just love playing the bad guys however, and while Sith-wannabe's will find Book 4

helpful (including the Mystic Order), they will probably get better use out of the Core rule-book's Psion

career, coupled with the rules on Sorcery from the Strontium Dog setting book. (After all, both Count

Dooku/Darth Tyrranus and Emperor Palpatine/Darth Sideus were (respectively) Mystic Order/Nobles

or straight-out Nobles, with both psionics training and skill ranks in Sorcery.) Such characters would

be extremely powerful from a personal perspective, having both a Psi score and a POW score to drawpower from for their psionic and sorcerous skills.

(Note: Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader [listed asImperial Leader]and Luke Skywalker [Young

Farmboy] both appeared, with stats, in the original Classic Traveller supplement S04: Citizens of the

Imperium.

Despite his Sith status, Vader has shown no skills with sorcery, so he would appear to be a Mystic

Order character perhaps with a term or two of Psion with a specialty in Psi-Warrior.Luke was presented as per the end of Star Wars: A New Hope, so his training is limited to a single term


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of the Pilot career [Book 2: High Guard] with a specialization in Fighter Pilot, with nothing more than

basic psionics training [in Telekinesis 0, Clairvoyance 0, and Awareness 0] and the Lightsaber/psionic

energy sword that once belonged to his father.)

Fans of the witches (and Nightsisters) of Dathomir could combine the Sorcery rules with Book 4's

Psion Driftercareer, especially theBarbarian specialization.

Fans of Mandalorian characters such as Boba Fett, his dad Jango Fett, Canderous Ordo, and the free-

willed ARC Clone Troopers will enjoyBook 1: Mercenary, Book 3: Scout, Book 5: Agent, andSupplement 4: Central Supply Catalog, which introduce many weapons, cybernetic implants, and

armors for the soldiers, scouts, and bounty-hunter types that Mandalorians seem to specialize in.

Fans of Han Solo and Lando Calrissian will get the most out ofBook 6: Scoundrel, as the Smugglercareer path appears in that book, as well as tips and tricks to get the most out of your Free Traders and

Far Trader ships. Han's fans should also remember that the esteemed captain Solo started his career not

as a smuggler but with one tour of duty as aNavy career character before being drummed out forfreeing a certain enslaved Wookiee scout before taking up smuggling. So,Book 2: High Guardcan

also be of aid for smuggler characters.

As for the campaign itself, the first question the referee should as himself is whether to run it as a

strictly Lucasfilm universe campaign, or whether to integrate Star Wars elements into his own

campaign.

Game Master should consider the high number of alien races in Star Wars might pose a slight problem

in comparison to the standard Traveller rules.

The easiest work-around is to take the bonuses and racial stats for published Traveller races and applythose to the closest Lucasfilm race, such as using Aslan stats for Wookiees and/or Cathar, Zhodani stats

for Sith, Kissai, and/or Massassi characters, et-cetera. Many Star Wars species (such as Twi'leks andZabraks) are considered 'near-humans', so simply create the character as if he or she were a human and

apply the necessary visual description and proper racial background 'fluff' to fill out your character as amember of whatever Star Wars race you like.

OR, you can take the racial statistic adjustments already published for previous editions of Star Wars

and apply those adjustments to the equivalent Traveller statistic, as well as the appropriate Alien Traits,listed on pages 41 42 of the Traveller Core Rulebook.


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The Force:

The Force transcends the concepts of both Psionics and magic, a little of both and yet neither. The

talents that the Jedi show, both in film and in various PC and console games, can be simulated underthe Traveller rules as Psionics. Indeed, as stated before, the Mystic Order career from the Psionics book

is tailor-made to portray members of the Jedi Order.

Most commonly, Jedi characters in the films have displayed theAwareness, Clairvoyance, Telekinesis,

and Telepathy psionic basic talents, as well as the Personal Enhancementadvanced talent (force

speed), although none so far have shown to utilize Teleportation, which is an unknown talent to theJedi Order. (As well as the Zieson Sha and Jensaarai offshoots of the Jedi Order.)

Force Lightning is a talent which can be simulated with a combination of the Advanced Talents of

Psionic AttackandEnergy-Kinesis, using a merger of theMind BlastandElectrokinesis powers,

respectively. The player uses the rules for Mind Blast to determine damage as normal for the power, but

the visual display is of electrical arcs zapping his target(s). Only one Jedi was said to have mastered

the Force Lightning ability without tapping into Dark Side lore, Jedi Master Klo Ploon, who's lightningbolts were oddly greenish in hue, hence its nick-name of Emerald Judgment by the other members of

the Jedi Council. Darth Vader, who had the potential to become the most powerful Sith Lord ever

known (before his injuries on Mustafar) could not learn this power due to the potential to accidentallyshort-circuit the cybernetics keeping him alive.

Afully-trainedSith, however, works slightly differently. The Sith utilize not only the standard abilitiesthat the Jedi Order possess, they also utilize Sith Sorcery, a catch-all term for a combination of

psionics, sorcery, alchemy, and genetic engineering. Many Sith utilize only psionics (such as former

Jedi Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader and Count Dooku/Darth Tyrannus) while others such as ancient

Jen'ari (Dark Lord of the Sith) Marka Ragnos and Darth Maladi (Jen'ari Darth Krayt's second-in-command in the Legacy Era) use both psionic talents and sorcery.

To quote the Strontium Dog sourcebook: Every sorcerer has a Power score which is equivalent to


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the average of his End and Int characteristics (rounded up). His Power is used to power his spells.

When his Power is exhausted, he can still cast spells but the Cost (see below) is deducted directly from

a randomly selected physical characteristic Str, Dex, or End manifesting as physical damage uponthe sorcerers body in some way (skin withers; blood vessels burst, physical co-ordination is lost and so

on). The damage can be healed in the normal fashion. Every sorcerous ability comes with a Cost value.

When a spell is successfully cast, the Cost is deducted from the sorcerers Power. Power is regained at

the rate of 1 point for every two hours of complete mental and physical rest.During this time the sorcerer cannot exert himself in any way; if he does, Power regain is interrupted

for the time spent in activity. Power cannot exceed the average of the sorcerers currentEnd and Int meaning that any damage sustained to End will limit how much Power can be regained through rest. To

reach his uninjured Power value the sorcerer must therefore undergo physical healing to regain his

original physical characteristics.

Example: Darth Sideus, in his final battle as Palpatine, Supreme Chancellor of the Galactic Republic,

suffered this effect during his battle with Jedi Master Mace Windu, damaging himself so terribly that

the scarring became permanent, when he cast True Weapon (4 point cost) to make his lightsaber morelethal while fighting the three Jedi who accompanied Mace Windu, Betrayal of the Mind(2 points) on

Anakin Skywalker to ensure that Anakin would side with him instead of with the Jedi, Hand of Life (3

more points) to heal damage from the electrical burns that he had taken when Master Windu reflectedhis Force Lightning back upon him, and finally casting Sky Hammer(6 points, raising the Power cost to

a total of 15 from his pool, exceeding his actual Power total) to knock Master Windu out of the

shattered window to his death.

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