critique this career

[jrients]

Mindknights of Matarishan

For over three centuries the Mindknights were the guardians of peace and justice in the old Federation, before the Long Night, before the Third Imperium. Individual Mindknights survived the breakup of the Federation, though the chaos of the times destroyed their order and scattered its members. Their great schools were lost, but the practices of the Mindknights survived the Long Night and the order was revived with a second founding concurrent with the expansion of the Third Imperium into the Gateway Quadrant. During the Psionic Supressions the Mindknight teachings were declared to be heresy and their schools were closed by Imperial Edict. Most Mindknights fled to worlds outside the Imperium, but rumour has it that some inhabitants of the Matarishan Federation Subsector still practice the old ways.

Mindknight
Enlistment 12+
DM +1 is Soc 9+
DM +2 if Psi 9+

Survival 8+
DM +2 if Dex 8+

Position -
DM +1 if -

Promotion -
DM +1 if -

Re-enlistment 4+

Service skill...Energy Blade-1

Personal Development
1 +1 Int
2 +1 End
3 +1 Dex
4 +1 Psi
5 Brawling
6 Gun Combat

Service Skills
1 Telepathy
2 Telekinesis
3 Teleportation
4 Clairvoyance
5 Awareness
6 Energy Blade

Advanced Education
1 Vehicle
2 Vacc Suit
3 Electronics
4 Computer
5 Psionic
6 Energy Blade

Advanced Education (Edu 8+ only)
1 Medical
2 Navigation
3 Engineering
4 Pilot
5 Jack-o-T
6 Psionic

Benefits
1 Low
2 +1 Dex
3 +2 Psi
4 Energy Blade
5 Travellers
6 High Passage

Cash
1 1000
2 5000
3 10000
4 15000
5 20000
6 25000

Notes:

Energy Blade and Psionic are cascade skills. Energy Blade allows selection of any energy melee weapon, such as Electro Foil, Plasma Saber, and Dual Plasma Sabre. Psionic allows selection of one Psionic skill, including Special. If Special is selected work with the referee to develop the Special power.

Psi score degrades each term as normal, but the total psionic power of the mindknight is found by adding psionic skill level to the Psi score. E.g. a mindknight musters out with Psi 5 and Telepathy-2. The character's net Telepathic ability is level 7. After mustering out the mindknight is considered fully trained to the limits of his or her abilities and cannot advance further in psionic skills.

 

[jrients]

Mindknights of Matarishan

For over three centuries the Mindknights were the guardians of peace and justice in the old Federation, before the Long Night, before the Third Imperium. Individual Mindknights survived the breakup of the Federation, though the chaos of the times destroyed their order and scattered its members. Their great schools were lost, but the practices of the Mindknights survived the Long Night and the order was revived with a second founding concurrent with the expansion of the Third Imperium into the Gateway Quadrant. During the Psionic Supressions the Mindknight teachings were declared to be heresy and their schools were closed by Imperial Edict. Most Mindknights fled to worlds outside the Imperium, but rumour has it that some inhabitants of the Matarishan Federation Subsector still practice the old ways.

Mindknight
Enlistment 12+
DM +1 is Soc 9+
DM +2 if Psi 9+

Survival 8+
DM +2 if Dex 8+

Position -
DM +1 if -

Promotion -
DM +1 if -

Re-enlistment 4+

Service skill...Energy Blade-1

Personal Development
1 +1 Int
2 +1 End
3 +1 Dex
4 +1 Psi
5 Brawling
6 Gun Combat

Service Skills
1 Telepathy
2 Telekinesis
3 Teleportation
4 Clairvoyance
5 Awareness
6 Energy Blade

Advanced Education
1 Vehicle
2 Vacc Suit
3 Electronics
4 Computer
5 Psionic
6 Energy Blade

Advanced Education (Edu 8+ only)
1 Medical
2 Navigation
3 Engineering
4 Pilot
5 Jack-o-T
6 Psionic

Benefits
1 Low
2 +1 Dex
3 +2 Psi
4 Energy Blade
5 Travellers
6 High Passage

Cash
1 1000
2 5000
3 10000
4 15000
5 20000
6 25000

Notes:

Energy Blade and Psionic are cascade skills. Energy Blade allows selection of any energy melee weapon, such as Electro Foil, Plasma Saber, and Dual Plasma Sabre. Psionic allows selection of one Psionic skill, including Special. If Special is selected work with the referee to develop the Special power.

Psi score degrades each term as normal, but the total psionic power of the mindknight is found by adding psionic skill level to the Psi score. E.g. a mindknight musters out with Psi 5 and Telepathy-2. The character's net Telepathic ability is level 7. After mustering out the mindknight is considered fully trained to the limits of his or her abilities and cannot advance further in psionic skills.

 

[jawillroy]

The idea of a dedicated psi character development system is interesting, but I have some issues with the execution. I'd want to see something more Traveller, and less Star Wars.

In terms of the Psionics, I'd adjust the process to avoid changing the LBB psionics training rules: since the time frame of those rules goes well beyond a four year term, there's no real reason for a trained psionic to not be at the height of his or her abilities at the end of that first term, especially among like-minded psi's in dedicated training.

So for first term, I'd go through the Psionics training process from book 3, and handwave the skill level increases to the character's maximum.

Following that, the character development process would proceed, but the instead of the psionic gimmies, I'd keep the skills more along the lines of Scout Meets Other: the general adventure-capability of the Scout, with the dodgy skills of the Other.

And I'd lose the lightsaber. For me, it Just Ain't Traveller.

Although for my part, I'm fine with making Psionics *difficult* to obtain.

 

[jawillroy]

The idea of a dedicated psi character development system is interesting, but I have some issues with the execution. I'd want to see something more Traveller, and less Star Wars.

In terms of the Psionics, I'd adjust the process to avoid changing the LBB psionics training rules: since the time frame of those rules goes well beyond a four year term, there's no real reason for a trained psionic to not be at the height of his or her abilities at the end of that first term, especially among like-minded psi's in dedicated training.

So for first term, I'd go through the Psionics training process from book 3, and handwave the skill level increases to the character's maximum.

Following that, the character development process would proceed, but the instead of the psionic gimmies, I'd keep the skills more along the lines of Scout Meets Other: the general adventure-capability of the Scout, with the dodgy skills of the Other.

And I'd lose the lightsaber. For me, it Just Ain't Traveller.

Although for my part, I'm fine with making Psionics *difficult* to obtain.

 

[Supplement Four]

Also, aren't you breaking a CT "rule" (which is OK, of course, as long as you know you're breaking it).

A character's PSI rating is a 2D throw -1 per term. Aside from temporary adjustment from drugs, a character's PSI rating can't be increased.

Your Personal table is allowing a character to increase PSI as much as once per skill obtained (maybe more than once a term, depending on how many skills he gets).

Do the Zhodani tables have anything like that? I'd look at them (also, there was a psionics book put out for T4, with a career in it, but I always felt the book was questionable).

If it were me, I'd keep the PSI rules they way they are (hard to get and keep high) and maybe make the +1 PSI award something else...maybe a +1 on the PSI Powers table (when throwing for powers). I'm not crazy about that, but it comes to mind right now. I'm sure you could come up with something better.

Also, one advantage that your career could hold for characters is that the 2D PSI roll is rolled early, so the -1 per term DM doesn't lower the PSI rating. These characters are "found" and trained early (after training, the PSI rating stays the same and does not decrease every four years). So, characters, without that penalty DM, will have much higher PSI ratings that most Traveller characters who check PSI later in life.

Just some thoughts.

 

[Supplement Four]

Also, aren't you breaking a CT "rule" (which is OK, of course, as long as you know you're breaking it).

A character's PSI rating is a 2D throw -1 per term. Aside from temporary adjustment from drugs, a character's PSI rating can't be increased.

Your Personal table is allowing a character to increase PSI as much as once per skill obtained (maybe more than once a term, depending on how many skills he gets).

Do the Zhodani tables have anything like that? I'd look at them (also, there was a psionics book put out for T4, with a career in it, but I always felt the book was questionable).

If it were me, I'd keep the PSI rules they way they are (hard to get and keep high) and maybe make the +1 PSI award something else...maybe a +1 on the PSI Powers table (when throwing for powers). I'm not crazy about that, but it comes to mind right now. I'm sure you could come up with something better.

Also, one advantage that your career could hold for characters is that the 2D PSI roll is rolled early, so the -1 per term DM doesn't lower the PSI rating. These characters are "found" and trained early (after training, the PSI rating stays the same and does not decrease every four years). So, characters, without that penalty DM, will have much higher PSI ratings that most Traveller characters who check PSI later in life.

Just some thoughts.

 

[jrients]

Thanks for the responses!

Imperium Festerium, I understand that the lightsabers aren't very Traveller-y, but since the point of the career is to add some Star Wars elements into MTU I consider that a feature and not a bug.

WJP, I specifically avoided re-reading the Zhodani module because I wanted the first draft to be based solely on what I could cobble to together from Books 1-3. I'm not against incorporating ideas from ther places, I just wanted to start with a tight focus.

 

[jrients]

Thanks for the responses!

Imperium Festerium, I understand that the lightsabers aren't very Traveller-y, but since the point of the career is to add some Star Wars elements into MTU I consider that a feature and not a bug.

WJP, I specifically avoided re-reading the Zhodani module because I wanted the first draft to be based solely on what I could cobble to together from Books 1-3. I'm not against incorporating ideas from ther places, I just wanted to start with a tight focus.

 

[jawillroy]

Very good then- I'd still be inclined to try to keep the game mechanics of the Psionics as close to the LBB as possible. If it's lightsabers you'll want, it's lightsabers you'll have -

How are you statting them out? Maybe Armor mods of a laser carbine, damage and range mods for a sword? How long's the charge last- be mos' awkward to have something like that jacked into a backpack... ^_-

 

[mike wightman]

The Zhodani and the Droyne can increase their psionic rating during character generation so it makes sense for this career to be able to do so too.
Adding psionic disciplines is something the Zhodani and Droyne alien module character generation allow too.

 

[jawillroy]

Very good then- I'd still be inclined to try to keep the game mechanics of the Psionics as close to the LBB as possible. If it's lightsabers you'll want, it's lightsabers you'll have -

How are you statting them out? Maybe Armor mods of a laser carbine, damage and range mods for a sword? How long's the charge last- be mos' awkward to have something like that jacked into a backpack... ^_-

 

[mike wightman]

The Zhodani and the Droyne can increase their psionic rating during character generation so it makes sense for this career to be able to do so too.
Adding psionic disciplines is something the Zhodani and Droyne alien module character generation allow too.

 

[jrients]

Originally posted by Imperium Festerium:
How are you statting them out? Maybe Armor mods of a laser carbine, damage and range mods for a sword? How long's the charge last- be mos' awkward to have something like that jacked into a backpack... ^_-

I haven't really tackled the light sabre part yet, but you're on the same track as I am. I'm leaning towards a brief charge for internal batteries with an option to hook it up to a beltpack.

 

[jrients]

Originally posted by Imperium Festerium:
How are you statting them out? Maybe Armor mods of a laser carbine, damage and range mods for a sword? How long's the charge last- be mos' awkward to have something like that jacked into a backpack... ^_-

I haven't really tackled the light sabre part yet, but you're on the same track as I am. I'm leaning towards a brief charge for internal batteries with an option to hook it up to a beltpack.

 

[jawillroy]

Really? Well, there you go then. Didn't know - I Hadn't read any of the OTU alien modules, as it happens - always whipped up my own.

Most of my formative Traveller play was during the period where LBBs were starting to disappear, but before teh intarweb highways and eBay, so I missed out/was sheltered from a lot of that.

 

[jawillroy]

Really? Well, there you go then. Didn't know - I Hadn't read any of the OTU alien modules, as it happens - always whipped up my own.

Most of my formative Traveller play was during the period where LBBs were starting to disappear, but before teh intarweb highways and eBay, so I missed out/was sheltered from a lot of that.

 

[far-trader]

Originally posted by jrients:
I haven't really tackled the light sabre part yet, but you're on the same track as I am. I'm leaning towards a brief charge for internal batteries with an option to hook it up to a beltpack.

An idea I toyed with ages ago for Psionic Knights and Weapons was making them psionically powered*. No batteries, no cords, no powder or whatever, just pure mental energy channeled through the focus item. Makes it a pretty kick butt weapon. Get's through scans, nobody except another psionic can use it (and even then it's not attuned to them like it is to you so they may not even be able to use it easily).

I had it as one of the "special" talents.

* That's how I always figured Jedi Lightsabers should work, but hey I'm not really George Lucas despite the repeated accusations by a friend.

 

[far-trader]

Originally posted by jrients:
I haven't really tackled the light sabre part yet, but you're on the same track as I am. I'm leaning towards a brief charge for internal batteries with an option to hook it up to a beltpack.

An idea I toyed with ages ago for Psionic Knights and Weapons was making them psionically powered*. No batteries, no cords, no powder or whatever, just pure mental energy channeled through the focus item. Makes it a pretty kick butt weapon. Get's through scans, nobody except another psionic can use it (and even then it's not attuned to them like it is to you so they may not even be able to use it easily).

I had it as one of the "special" talents.

* That's how I always figured Jedi Lightsabers should work, but hey I'm not really George Lucas despite the repeated accusations by a friend.

 

[jrients]

Dan,

I like that idea. I think I'll include in my campaign as an additional option. Most mindknights will use a standard laser sword, but with special training the psi-focusing blade becomes an option.

 

[jrients]

Dan,

I like that idea. I think I'll include in my campaign as an additional option. Most mindknights will use a standard laser sword, but with special training the psi-focusing blade becomes an option.