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Friday, August 21, 2015

IMTU Lifepath 2

This is the middle bit of the Lifepath system, see the last post for more details

1.7.4 Promotions

The longer you’re in the service the more opportunities you’ll have to get promoted to an officer status, with higher pay, more benefits and better training (along with a ton more responsibility). Not everyone gets promoted in their careers, so if you don’t have any sets here you mustered out as a well-regarded Warrant officer, sergeant or petty officer. Alternately if you have a status score higher than 9 you can assume some sort of promoted rank but don’t get any of the advantages listed below for having the sets.

Mechanically, sets here increase your characters Status more than anything else, but there are a wide array of other advantages. The Scout Services does not have ranks, so convert any 4s to 5s or 6s of your choice. If you’re a Specialist use whatever service you’re tied to.

2x4: Officer

You are officially an Officer – albeit at the equivalent of a naval Lieutenant JG or an Army Lieutenant. Your Status increases to a 9 (if it’s already 9, make it 10) and you gain the shtick Decorated Officer, which provides you social advantages anywhere the GM thinks that would be relevant or, with a Fortune Point spend, automatically have your officer status be advantageous to the situation.

3x4: Second Promotion

You’ve received a second promotion, making you a full Lieutenant in the Navy or Marines, a Captain in the Army or something similar. Your Status increases to 10 (if it’s already 10 make it 11), you gain the shtick listed above any Archetype skill to a 10. (If you’re a Merchant Captain, add any Bridge skill at a 10.)

4x4: Third Promotion

A third round of promotions and you’re a Commander in the Navy or Marines, a Major in the Army or something similar. Your status increases to 11 (if it’s already 11 make it 12) and you gain the other advantages above.

5x4: Fourth Promotion

At this point you’re Captain in the Navy or Marines or a Colonel in the Army or the equivalent. Your status increases to 12 (if it’s already 12 make it 13) and upgrade to Decorated Officer 2, which in addition to the other effects lets you make a Fortune Point spend to gain Resources 1 in play once per game. (This can’t be activated during character creation when Resource Points are 50 times for valuable, but clever thinking)

1.7.5 Non-Career Skills

Of course not everything you did during your career tied directly in to your work in the service. You also picked up a few other things along the way. Scouts tend to have a lot of sets in this area given their inability to get promotions.

Mechanically these sets let you fill out skills that aren’t in your Archetype. This is really useful for the Navy Officer and other archetypes that only have 8 skills, less useful for the Doctor, who has 12.

2x5: Jack of All Trades

You’re a broadly skilled individual who has picked up a little of this and a little of that. You gain the shtick Jack of All Trades which lets you make a 1 point Fortune spend to gain any skill you don’t have at a 9 for the scene.

3x5: Led an interesting life

You’ve read a lot, done a lot, and practiced a little of this and that. In addition to the Jack of All Trades shtick you gain one new Info skill at 10 and another skill you don’t already have at 9.

4x5: A little of this, a little of that

Much as before you’ve branched out a lot in your experiences. Take the skill you raised at 3x5 and increase it to 10, then add 2 more skills you don’t already have at 9.

5x5: Just enough to be dangerous

Now your ability to fake it is unsurpassed. You upgrade to Jack of All Trades 2, which means your Fortune spend gives you a 11 in any skill you don’t have at at least that score for the scene, but any critical failure will be truly horrific.

1.7.6 Mustering Out

When you finally leave the service they always give you something for your trouble. At the very least you ended up with enough to carry you through from mustering out to the start of play, but you may have received more. The mustering out benefits are generally stingy to promote the sort of behavior that creates player characters.

Mechanically this determines what major equipment you have with you at the start of play. See 2.3.3 for a little more on this but any dice in this category equate to real, long term benefits the character can draw on in play rather than smaller cash payments.

1x6: Armament

It is very common for veterans to leave their service with a ceremonial blade (Marines and Merchants), licensed firearm (Army), or a choice of the two (Scouts, Navy)

2x6: Resources 1

In addition to the ceremonial weapon some leave the service with a major piece of equipment; This set gives Resources 1, Pre game resources are detailed below

3x6: Resources 2

As above but you have 2 pts of Resources

4x6: Resources 3

As above but you have 3 pts of Resources

5x6: Resources 4

As above but you have 4 pts of Resources

1.7.7 Resource Options

Here are some immediate suggestions on places to spend those resource points

Traveller’s Aid Society (Resources 1)

Your mustering out involved a lifetime membership in the Traveller’s Air Society – this is a reciprocal organization of people who ply the spaceways that is surprisingly well funded. Gain the Shtick Traveller’s Aid Society for the ability to make a Fortune Spend to find some way to get TAS support; if you don’t have any Fortune points left you can still call on them for help by guaranteeing to accept a complicating TAS plot thread in this or next session.

Merchant Ship (Resources 1+)

Each point of Resources spent gives you 5 years of ownership in a 45 year lease on a free trader. You have to make payments to the bank for the mortgage and keep it fueled and in repair but it’s a special sort of freedom. Minimum crew is 3, easy rooms for 6

Scout Ship (resources 1 or 2)

The scout system will give mustering out members free use of their aging ships, but those ships can’t be sold or passed on – they still technically belong to the scout service. For Resources 1 it’s an old, nearly decrepit ship that requires a lot of maintenance, while for 2 Resources it’s nearly new and was moved out of service for some unspecified bribe.

Marine Quality Vacc Suit (Resources 1)

This is a top of the line vacc suit; it gives the wearer Armor 2, a weapons pod that gives +1 to unarmed damage due to extendable blades and firearms equal to a small pistol, self sealing to protect from gasses/vacuum, magnetics to sick to hulls and propulsion systems for slow zero g flight.

Army Mech Suit (resources 3)

This is a vacc suit (less advanced than the marine one) covered in an armored exoskeleton. It gives Armor 4, multiple different firearms options and jumpjets to manage both high atmosphere/in orbit drops and really long leaps once on planet. It’s a humanoid tank. Avoid fighting them.

High Passage (Resources 1)


This is a luxury 1 week trip for one (that can be on a Jump 3 ship for what it’s worth) with all the trimmings. This includes perfectly cooked exotic cuisines, designer drugs, copious amounts of alcohol, and all the best entertainment. The tickets are transferrable and most be accepted (as long as the offering cruise line is still in business, though you need not fly that particular line), so they are sometimes are used as currency on the border between the rim and the core. 

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