The Traveller5 character generation rules have a large number of options for players to choose, everything from Nobles, to Marines, to Space Pirates, to Artists and Scientists, to the stereotypical Rogues. One option that is distinctly lacking is pursuit of Psionics. Given the nature of the official background setting, which is highly intolerant (at best) of those with psionic talent, this is understandable. However, there will always be those players who desire access to those abilities. Given the potential power of psionics in a campaign, and the possible mayhem players can cause using them (hehe), it is completely understandable why players might want access to them early on, and damned the consequences.
Referees who wish to allow players early potential access to psionic talents have no official options during character generation for players to use. To provide for this option, I have created the following Optional rules. Of course they are not perfect, and do not quite follow the normal format used for other pre-enlistment options. As always, use any optional rules with caution.
This option rule is formed as a Task, rather than similar to the standard pre-enlistment options in the standard T5 rules. To my way of thinking, this seemed the more realistic, or “better” option, allowing for the real danger of death or capture for those meddling in Psionics. Referees who run non-standard or non-Official Background settings may wish to ignore this, or develop versions more suited to their campaign settings.
PSIONIC TRAINING
Difficult (3D). Int. Streetwise. Dangerous. Time: 1 or 4 years.
*Remember to add another die to the attempt for the TIH! (This Is Hard!) rule, if the player’s Streetwise (or Streetwise + JOT) skill isn’t at least 3.
OPTION
After finding a trainer and rolling their CP / Psi score, the player may decide to NOT undergo further psionic training. If the CP score is considered (by the player) to be too low, he or she may opt out of further training, in order to concentrate on their career instead. If this is chosen, the player spends a single year seeking out the training, and completing the first Stage of training (i.e., he or she has rolled CP and completed the initial training; they have developed their Shield, and have learned the reflexive defensive ability – Cloud Mind. They may, at a later time, decide to complete their training, after beginning their adventuring career. If so, their CP does not decrease with aging, as they have undergone at least the first Stage of training.)
DANGEROUS
Normal failure for this task means the player is unsuccessful at finding a teacher. This gives the players a Negative Flux penalty to his/her SOC stat. [Roll 1D and subtract 1D from it, resulting in a penalty of 0 to -5.] Dabbling in psionics, even unsuccessfully, almost always has repercussions. In addition, the player will no longer be able to attempt enlistment in any ‘official’ career path: Noble, Marines, Army, Navy, or Scouts.
If SOC drops to one (1) or less, and/or the player rolls a Critical Failure, the character is caught in an Imperial raid, and either jailed or killed outright; the player must start the career process over with a new character. Life isn’t easy when you dabble in psionics…
SUCCESS
The player has located a training facility (or roaming Psion willing to train). Determine the player’s psionic potential and abilities, as listed in the rules in Book 3. The player completes the training successfully, and reenters the career process (or begins adventuring) as a fully-trained Psion.
TIME
As noted, an unsuccessful attempt to find psionic training takes one (1) year, regardless of success or failure. Success takes a full four (4) years (aka, one term).
BENEFITS
The player receives NO benefits for this training, of course. In addition, the player may make a maximum of TWO (2) rolls on the Cash Benefits tables; this represents the additional costs associated with paying the train
CONCLUSION
As always, use optional rules with caution, especially psionics, which have great potential for fun – as well as great potential to ruin a referee’s campaign planning.
Feel free to leave a comment regarding these optional rules. I’m sure there are factors or options I haven’t considered, and likely some errors.
Also let me know if you use them, and how they worked out with your campaigns. Input from the Traveller community keeps me going, lol.
LEGAL STUFF
As always, Traveller, its rules, and the like, are NOT my property, but the property of Far Future Enterprises, and the “Emperor” and creator of Traveller, Marc Miller.
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