Traveller Rules Reference
Tasks
Difficulties
- Simple (2+) tasks are trivial for everyone.
- Easy (4+) tasks are trivial for trained professionals and simple for an amateru.
- Routine (6+) tasks are trivial for trained professionals and relatively easy for amateurs.
- Average (8+) tasks are moderate obstacles for trained professionals.
- Difficult (10+) tasks are tough even for trained professionals.
- Very Difficult (12+) tasks are hard for a trained professional.
- Formidable (14+) tasks are exceptionally hard, foreign or complicated.
- Impossible (16+) tasks require near-miracles to pull off.
Timeframes
- 1D Seconds
- 1D Combat Rounds (six seconds per)
- 1D × 10 Seconds
- 1D Minutes
- 1D × 10 Minutes
- 1D Hours
- 1D × 4 Hours
- 1D × 10 Hours
- 1D Days
Chains
- Effect -6 or less: DM-3
- Effect -2 to -5: DM-2
- Effect -1: DM-1
- Effect 0: DM+1
- Effect 1 to 5: DM+2
- Effect 6+: DM+3
Environmental Dangers
Diseases
- Reduce characteristics starting with END
- Must make a series of END checks to resist effects
- Failure: takes listed damage, continue checking
- Success: disease is fought off
| Disease | END Check | Damage | Interval |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anthrax | Very Difficult (12+) | 2D | 1D days |
| Biological Weapon | Formidable (14+) | 3D | 1D hours |
| Pneumonia | Average (8+) | 1D | 1D weeks |
| Regina Flu | Routine (6+) | 1D-2 | 1D days |
Falling
- On 1G world, 1D damage per 2m
- High- or low-gravity worlds increase or decrease 1D per 4m
- Successful Athletics check reduces damage as Effect of distance fallen
- Armour does not protect against falling damage
Fatigue
- Traveller becomes fatigued after:
- being awake for END+18 hours
- performing heavy labour for >END hours
- making # attacks > END in a single combat
- Suffers DM-2 to all checks until they rest
Gravity
- High-gravity worlds inflict DM-1 to all skill checks
- Acclimation takes 1D weeks
- Travellers with Athletics (strength) acclimatise in 1D days
- Low-gravity worlds suffer DM-1 to all physical skill checks
- Acclimation takes 1D weeks
- Travellers with Athletics (dexterity) acclimatise in 1D days
- In zero-gravity, weapons require Average (8+) Athletics (dexterity) check
- Failure: spin helplessly out of control
- Regain control with an Average (8+) Athletics (dexterity) check
Poisons
- Work as faster, more wide-ranged diseases
| Poison | END Check | Damage | Interval |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arsenic | Difficult (10+) | 2D | 1D minutes |
| Tranq Gas | Difficult (10+) | Unconscious | 1D seconds |
| Neurotoxin | Very Difficult (12+) | 1D INT | 1D seconds |
Radiation
| Radiation Exposure | Immediate Effects | Cumulative Effects |
|---|---|---|
| 50 rads or less | None | None |
| 51–150 rads | 1D damage, Nausea (-1 to all checks until medical treatment received) | None |
| 151–300 rads | 2D damage | -1 END permanently |
| 301–500 rads | 4D damage, hair loss | -2 END permanently |
| 501–800 rads | 6D damage, sterile | -3 END permanently |
| 801 rads or more | 8D damage, internal bleeding | -4 END permanently |
| Radiation Source | Rads Received |
|---|---|
| Minor reactor leak | 2D/hour |
| Serious reactor leak | 2D/20 minutes |
| Minor solar flare | 1D × 100/hour |
| Major solar flare | 3D × 100/hour |
| Radiation weapon | 2D × 20 immediately |
Suffocation
- Without life support: 1D damage per minute
- Without air: 1D damage per round
Temperature
| Temperature | Effect |
|---|---|
| 50° (very hot desert) | 1D/hour |
| 200° (~Mercury) | 1D/round |
| 500° (~Venus) | 2D/round |
| Burning Torch | 1D/round |
| Welding Torch | 2D/round |
| Inferno | 3D/round |
| -25° (Arctic) | 1D/hour |
| -50° (~Mars) | 2D/hour |
| -200° (~Pluto) | 1D/round |
| Industrial Freezer | 1D/round |
| Liquid Nitrogen | 2D/round |
Vacuum
- Cumulative 1D/round
Weather
- High winds and torrential rain inflict DM-1 to all skill checks
Healing
Medical Treatment
- First Aid restores a number of characteristic points equal to the Effect of a Medic check (EDU), for at least one point.
- Divided as desired to damaged physical characteristics
- Requires at least basic medical equipment (e.g., medikit)
- Must be initiated within on minute of injury
- Surgery is required if all three physical characteristics still damaged
- Restores same as first aid, but failure loses 3+Effect points
- Requires hospital or sickbay
- Medical Care can benefit a Traveller with one or two damaged characteristics
- Restores 3 + (END DM) + doctor’s Medic skill per day
- Augmentations affect medical treatment, -DM equal to TL difference
- Mental Characteristics are each healed one point per day
Natural Healing
- Regain 1D+(END DM) points per day at full rest
- Surgery required: (END DM) per day restored
Unconsciousness
- Make an END check every minute
- Success: regain consciousness
- Failure: continue check, cumulative DM+1 each failed
Robots
Attributes
- Size determines number of Slots for physical equipment options.
- Locomotion determines movement capability; primary, unenhanced is free.
- Brain determines adaptability; initially free.
- Default set of five zero-slot options for base functionality.
Robot Brains
- Primitive (TL7): Does what it is told; any contingencies or feedback are determined by preprogrammed instruction.
- Basic (TL8): Incorporates machine learning; able to learn from experience in limited capacity. Limited to a core function and has no general intelligence or capability for common sense.
- Advanced (TL10): Capable of full communication in natural language, and is able to improvise solutions in real time. Gives no thought to the “why” of an action, bus can make autonomous decisions and learn from experience such that it has common sense.
- Very Advanced: Allows for complex reasoning; can attempt tasks outside their programmed functions, develop beliefs based on experience and reasoning. In numerous ways, better at specific tasks than biological equivalents.
- Self-Aware: Semi-conscious models with incredibly advanced features mirroring those of the most efficient natural species.