![[GURPS: Babylon 5]](b5logo.jpg)
Character Creation
Philosophy and Game Design
These rules are intended for players who want to play Earthforce characters within the timeline given in The Babylon Project RPG by Chameleon Eclectic. For those who do not know, this includes the period immediately following the Earth-Minbari War but prior to the inauguration of Babylon 5 itself.
In my campaign, the players are to be Earthforce Intelligence officers who specialize in troubleshooting (though not in the Paranoia style) the special problems encounted by the interaction between humans and the other sentients of the universe. They should be well-rounded in their skills, and should focus on interspecies interaction skills rather than strictly combat abilities. To further complicate matters, I have decided to include some of the races from the Traveller 2300 campaign setting, since that setting is similarly focused on the "realistic," and the aliens are really alien. The stats for the various Traveller races have not yet been added to the main Sentients Page, but I wanted to keep this initial offering for the purists.
So, without further ado...
Step I: Basic Point Values
PCs can design 90 point characters of whatever race they desire (or as determined by the gamemaster) with up to 40 points in non- racial Disadvantages and 5 points in non- racial Quirks.
Step II: Character Races (That is, weclome to Earthforce)
The four races given in the Babylon Project book as potential character types are Centauri, Humans, Minbari, and Narn. Each of these is outlined below. Please note that for the standard, Earthforce-based campaign, non-human races are strongly discouraged, unless those characters have become expatriated from their species and embraced the Earth as their primary focus of loyalty.
Step III: Psionics
Most of the major races (except the Narns) have psionic-capable individuals in their populations, although they are fairly rare. They are treated differently in each of the societies. It should be noted that Telepathy and ESP are the two categories of Psi powers that are most common, and that the others are so rare as to be virtually unheard of among the younger races. This may not be true of the older races, such as the Vorlons or the Shadows, who seem to use Psychokinesis and Electrokinesis (at least) as well as these more common abilities. Psi individuals are usually given a rating of their abilities, which is equivalent to their Power level in their particular power(s). Hence, a telepath with Telepathy Power of 6 (30 pts.) would be called a "P-6".
Not all characters will have psionics, and most will instead be "normal" members of their respective races. In the case of the standard Earthforce campaign, Psi-Corps members will not be members of Earthforce per se, but will rather be contracted to Earthforce through Psi-Corps. Only Rogue Telepaths and Registered Telepaths would be able to go through the Academy.
Human Telepaths
Human telepaths have been kept strictly controlled by the government, which fears them and fears that a lack of control over such individuals would increase the risk of abuses of psionic power. Hence, there are three possible routes (and thus point packages) to telepathy in Human characters within the Babylon Project Universe:
A) Psi-Corps member- This is by far the most prevalent option for human psis, since it allows them to legally keep their powers, and gives them a supportive structure in which to do so. Psi Corps members are provided for in every way by the Corps, and generally want for nothing. They are, however, subjected to strict regulation by the Corps, and are scanned monthly to ensure their proper behavior. Those who abuse their powers may find themselves arrested and forced to take the drugs which inhibit Psi abilities, or worse. Those who are loyal to the Corps can be trained in the use of their abilities, and might thus be able to increase their abilities more easily than others. There is a skills package available for Psi-Corps members only, to reflect their extended training.
