University and the Marines

[SoundOutTheGalleon]

Hello,

I'm a new member of CotI, and I'm a classic Traveller player, but I'm playing online with some people who are converting over to T20. My Marine character has a high INT and EDU and is highly skilled in Computer and Electronics, but ended up only as a Trooper. Does anyone out there think of any way my character can access University (to Masters/Doctorate level) without becoming an officer? The prior history system is complex enough without converting over an existing Traveller character!

 

[Jeff M. Hopper]

Your Marine could be assigned to a tech school, and get an AS degree. If his/her/its prior history has a long period of shore duty (assigned planetside) then you could say that he had attended night college during that time to get a BS. Once the BS is done with, then your Marine could work on getting his/her/its MS degree through correspondance courses and publications.

That's just my 0.02CR worth, you'd have to ultimately get something worked out with your referee for the game. Referee's are the boss of their games, ultimately.

 

[mike wightman]

You could have the character go to university during term 1 and then enlist in the Marines.

Then deliberately fail all the commission rolls.

You don't have to take levels in Marine just because you are in the Marine service, you can also take levels in professional, rogue, and others that fit your character concept.

If you post his full CT stats, terms served, skill levels, then we may be able to come up with something.

 

[SoundOutTheGalleon]

Hello again,

Thanks for your offers of help. I've posted the stats and things I was sent by my GM, when we were playing Classic Traveller:

Service Marine
Final Rank Trooper
Terms 4
Stats
Strength 9
Dexterity 7
Endurance 10
Intelligence 11
Education 10
Soc Stand 8
Skills
Computer 3
Cutlass 1
Medical 1
Electronics 3
Vacc Suit 2
Laser Rifle 3
Air/Raft 1
Mechanical 2
Auto-rifle 1
Track Vehicle 1
Bayonet 1

Equipment
Cutlass
Laser Rifle

Money 4000 Credits

 

[mike wightman]

Ok, taking a quick look, I would translate characteristics as:
Str 13, Dex 11, Con 14, Int 15, Wis ??, Cha ??,
Edu 14, Soc 12.

You'll have to roll Wis and Cha.

Go to university for term 1, and pick up 4000 EP (BSc with honours in Computer Science). Enlist in the Marines and earn about 6000EP per term, serve 3 terms.

EP total = 22,000, so you have a level 7 character.
I would split these levels between professional and marine, 3rd level Professional/4th level Marine.
You would have 60 points to spend on Professional skills and 12 points to spend on Marine skils.
I'd buy:
T/computer 10
T/electronics 10
T/mechanical 8
T/medical 6
driving 6
survival 4
gather info 3(6)
climb 3(6)
swim 3(6)
search 2(4)
listen 2(4)
spot 2

I'll do suggested feats later.

Let me know how that fits so far.

 

[SoundOutTheGalleon]

Hello Sigg,

Thanks for that - it looks really good! I rolled WIS and CHA and got 13 for both.

I have downloaded the character spreadsheet from this site, so that will greatly help with the calculations. It looks like a get a lot of combat-related feats as a Marine, so that is a bit of a relief

 

[mike wightman]

You're welcome, and I should have said welcome aboard earlier

 

[mike wightman]

Feats from Professional:

professional speciality: T/computers
armour proficiency: light
vessel: grav vehicles
vessel: tracked vehicles

From Marines:
armour proficiency: heavy
armour proficiency: vacc suit
weapon proficiency: marksman
weapon proficiency: swordsman
weapon proficiency: combat rifleman
weapon proficiency: laser weapons
weapon focus: cutlass
weapon focus: laser rifle
weapon specialisation: laser rifle

That still leaves 3 bonus feats to pick due to level and being human.
I would go for:
alertness
brawling
gearhead

Hope this all helps.

Cheers.

Mike

 

[SoundOutTheGalleon]

It does help greatly. Many thanks for the assistance.

My character seems to have an affinity for Ancient relics and alien tech in the campaign, so I might have to finagle Use Alien Device in there somewhere, but apart from that it looks about right...I make that 59 skill points - or is it just my arithmetic?

 

[mike wightman]

Some of them cost double because they aren't class skills.
I'll edit the post above and put the cost in parenthesis.

 

[mike wightman]

To get Use Alien Device in character generation you'd have to take a level of Academic or Traveller in place of a level of Professional or Marine.

Alternatively you could take Traveller as your next level when you earn enough EP during the game and pick it up that way.

Did your CT character pick up any decorations during generation?

 

[halberad]

Hello Roj,

I found your post. For using alien devices iaw THB page 99, a character can be shown how to use a device. A tech level 4 character can be shown how to operate a TL 12 coffee machine....
So Helen who is an Academic who specialty is Ancient artifacts is the expert and she shows everyone how to operate them.

Hope that helps a little.

 

[SoundOutTheGalleon]

I might still change careers to Traveller at the next experience level - it seems more appropriate, given what Roj has ended up doing.

(By the way, is that you Jim?)

 

[halberad]

Yes it is I, one of my alter egos!

 

[colinfit20]

In a game I played in one of the other characters actually took a level as a professional without leaving the marine corps he was then involved in. Depending on your ref maybe they'll allow a level of Academic or Traveller provided you include a perfectly good reason for picking this class, like you spent as tour on shore duty and date a member of a military research dept whilst studying for you bachelor's, there's nothing to say it couldn't have been developed as result of an ongoing task like going undercover on an intelligence mission for instance.

 

[mike wightman]

Yep, you could serve four terms in the Marines and still take Professional3/Marine4 for your levels.
Youd get an extra couple of thousand EPs during character generation. This wouldn't affect your character's final level but it would get you closer to the next level

I don't know if your Referee woudllet you take 1st level in Professional if you opt for 4 terms in the Marines.
It's vital to take 1st level in Professional to get all of those skill points

 

[SoundOutTheGalleon]

My GM has done the converting, and he has ended up a bit more high-powered than the version worked out here - but I guess that will be OK and that the campaign will be more high-powered...