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Rules

GURPS Character Creation Guide

Starting Points100/-90/-5 — 100 character points total with a -90 disadvantage limit plus 5 quirks. This will be a zero to hero campaign. You may find, starting out, that your highest skill levels are merely 12's. Don't despair: your (adequate) Starfleet training, trusted (likely flawed) teammates, and (occasional flashes of) personal ingenuity will (possibly) see you through to becoming Starfleet's most decorated and the Federation's most celebrated officers and paragons (hopefully not posthumously).

Disadvantage limit-90 — this does not include disadvantages required by your Species template. It does include disadvantage in all other templates and lenses, e.g. the -40 disadvantage points in the Starfleet Officer template do count against the limit.

Character ConceptsIt is strongly recommended that you follow the instructions given in the Star Trek books below and take advantage of the Character Creation Worksheet when making your Starfleet character.

Character Creation WorksheetUse this resource to keep track character points during character creation. Various formats are available:

Star Trek Character Creation Worksheet.pdf Last modified: 2019 July 26 11:22.
Star Trek Character Creation Worksheet.xlsx Last modified: 2019 July 26 11:28.
Star Trek Character Creation Worksheet.numbers Last modified: 2019 July 26 11:25.

Star Trek 1: SpeciesUse this book to create a Star Trek character of any species (or at least a species the GM has ready so far). At least half your party must be Humans.

Captain Joy's STAR TREK 1: Species pdf Last modified: 2022 May 13 02:16.

Star Trek 2: StarfleetUse this book to create a Star Trek character that serves in Starfleet. No two PCs may play a character from the same department: Command, Sciences, Counseling, Medical, Engineering, Operators, Security. It's best to have at least one PC from each division: Command, Sciences, Operations.

Captain Joy's Star Trek 2: Starfleet pdf Last modified: 2021 December 22 16:25.

Cultures (for Cultural Familiarities)Federation is required and is equivalent to Human. Each Species has their own Culture as well.

Languages availableStarfleet speaks English. Each Species has their own language as well.

Starting wealth$75,000 (not that it matters)

Starting Wealth levels allowedAverage. PC wealth will not play a significant role in the campaign. Starfleet officers may not take reduced wealth as a disadvantage. Improving Wealth would be a waste of points.

Status LevelsPC Status, beyond that confirred by Starfleet Rank, will not play a significant role in the campaign. Do not improve or reduce your character's Status.

Advantages / Disadvantages / SkillsSee the library computer for a listing of required, recommended, allowed, not recommended, and forbidden advantages, disadvantages, and skill, accessible via the switches below.

Appropriate Contact Groups/Patrons/EnemiesVarious corporations or local governments would be an appropraite contact group. A high ranking member of the Federation would be an appropriate patron. A member of the Orion Syndicate would make an appropriate enemy. Otherwise, use your imagination and clear it with Captain Joy.

Psionics

Special Abilities Allowed for PCs

Starfleet Cheat Sheet: Advantages

• KIRK: Spock, how long since you've worked out in null-gravity combat exercises?
• SPOCK: Last week with you, Captain.
• KIRK: Let's go.

–"The Jihad", TAS episode 1x16

The following lists break the GURPS advantages up into Required, Recommended, Allowed, Not Recommended, and Forbidden categories.

Required Advantages

These advantages are required of every Starfleet officer.

Recommended Advantages

These advantages are appropriate to the tropes of Star Trek.

Allowed Advantages

Most of these advantages can be taken as is, but a few are considered psionic powers and others have level maximums (which your Species Template may override). Remember that most species require a 5 pt Unusual Background to have psionic powers. You are allowed only 1 perk for every 25 character points.

Not Recommended Advantages

These advantages require more player/GM work than most people are willing to commit to, or I don’t expect them to be a good value in the campaign, or they just seem incongruous with Star Trek. But if your character concept really calls for one of these, I will consider working something out with you.

Forbidden Advantages

These advantages are either exotic, supernatural, or cinematic; as such, the are generally forbidden. However, when they are included as part of a template or lens, then you may take them if you take that template or lens. E.g. Talents, except for the one in your Species Template, are forbidden.

Starfleet Cheat Sheet: Disadvantages

• KIRK: Put it on the screen.
• (Up shimmers an image of a group of four humanoids around a console. One leaves his post and salutes the figure with his back to us. That figure then turns, and we see someone who looks just like - a Vulcan. Both Spock's eyebrows hit the ceiling. There's a long silence and a lot of stares.)
• KIRK: Decoding?
• UHURA: Cryptography is working on it, sir.
• STILES: Give it to Spock.
• KIRK: I didn't quite get that, Mister Stiles.
• STILES: Nothing, sir.
• KIRK: Repeat it.
• STILES: I was suggesting that Mister Spock could probably translate it for you, sir.
• KIRK: I assume you're complimenting Mister Spock on his ability to decode.
• STILES: I'm not sure, sir.
• KIRK: Well, here's one thing you can be sure of, Mister. Leave any bigotry in your quarters. There's no room for it on the Bridge. Do I make myself clear?
• STILES: You do, sir.

–"Balance of Terror", TOS episode 1x08

The following lists break the GURPS disadvantages up into Required, Recommended, Allowed, Not Recommended, and Forbidden categories. Disadvantages included in your character's templates and lenses options should also be considered Recommended, even if they appear in the Forbidden list.

Required Disadvantages

These disadvantages are required of every Starfleet officer.

† Some rare few officers go so far as to take Sense of Duty (Every Living Being) for -20 points.

Recommended Disadvantages

These disadvantages are especially appropriate for Starfleet officers. You may choose discretionary disadvantages from any of your templates or leses as well.

* These disadvantages have a self-control number; changing it changes the disadvantage's cost (B120-121). The listed cost is for a self-control number of 12.

† Starfleet officers may choose to increase the scope of their Sense of Duty from Federation to Every Living Being. This costs an addition -5 points.

Allowed Disadvantages

Starfleet officers should choose from these disadvantages, or the recommended disadvantages above, for their -10 points maximum of personal disadvantages.

* These disadvantages have a self-control number; changing it changes the disadvantage's cost (B120-121). The listed cost is for a self-control number of 12.

Not Recommended Disadvantages

These disadvantages are atypical of Starfleet officers, generally because they're simply too debilitating. If your character concept really calls for one of these, mention it to the GM who will consider (then probably forbid) it.

* These disadvantages have a self-control number; changing it changes the disadvantage's cost (B120-121). The listed cost is for a self-control number of 12.

† If an entire party wants the same Enemy, then this disadvantage could be moved to the allowed list.

Forbidden Disadvantages

Unless allowed as part of a template or lens, no Starfleet officer my purchase these disadvantages. Starfleet officers may encounter NPCs with these exotic abilities, however.

* Magic Susceptibility and a few of the other disadvantages are inappropriate under the assumption that there is no magic in Star Trek. Even if that is not strictly true (e.g. TAS episode The Magic of Megas-Tu), since magic will rarely if ever occur in the campaign, these kinds of advantages are forbidden as irrelevant.

Starfleet Cheat Sheet: Skills

• CHEKOV: They're gone, Mister DeSalle. The captain and the others simply stopped registering.
• DESALLE: Check for malfunctions.
• CHEKOV: I did, sir, as soon as it happened.
• UHURA: Mister DeSalle, that's exactly what happened to Mister Scott and his party. They, they just disappeared.
• DESALLE: Nobody just disappears. They may have encountered a magnetic field or some other obstruction. Mister Chekov, recalibrate your sensors. If you need help
• CHEKOV: I can do it, sir. I'm not that green.
• DESALLE: Lieutenant Uhura, continue in your efforts to break through that static interference.
• UHURA: Aye, aye, sir.
• DESALLE: We know they're down there. I want them found.

–"Catspaw", TOS episode 2x01

The following lists break the GURPS Skills up into Required, Recommended, Allowed, Not Recommended, and Forbidden categories.

Required Skills

These skills are required of every Starfleet officer. They are included in every Officer Template unless noted otherwise. Some skills are required of some, but not all officers; they are noted in the "Recommended Skills" list below.

Recommended Skills

These skills are of value to Starfleet officers or adventure seekers. Officers may add or improve them at any time (unless forbidden by a template or lens) without having to provide the GM with an in-game explanation, but they should be ready to provide one should it come up in play. Those that are required for certain officers are so noted.

Allowed Skills

Adding an allowed skill to your character sheet requires an in-game explanation–usually working towards a certification that includes the skill. You may improve an allowed skill that you already have without having to provide the GM with an in-game explanation, but you should be ready to provide one should it come up in play.

A table of allowed skills and the certifications that include them may be added at some future date.

Not Recommended Skills

If a skill can't be found in any template, lens, or certification, then it probably isn't worth having. Inform your GM if he overlooked a useful skill.

A table of not recommend skills may be added at some future date.

Forbidden Skills

Unless allowed as part of a template or lens, no Starfleet officer may purchase these skills. Starfleet officers may encounter NPCs with these exotic abilities, however.

A table of forbidden skills may be added at some future date.

Starfleet Cheat Sheet: Wildcard Skills

• KIRK: I'm sorry, Mister Spock.
• MCCOY: Right. I'll get a few things I need, Jim.
• KIRK: Not you, Bones. I'm sorry, Mister Spock. You're best qualified to go.
• SPOCK: Do not suffer so, Doctor. This is not the first time superior capability has proven more valuable than professional credentials.

–"The Immunity Syndrome", TOS episode 2x19

Ambitious players may want to come up with their own Wildcard Skills. If the GM allows this, make sure all parties concerned take care to ensure that every player's niche is respected. It is recommended that players be limited to one Wildcard Skill.

The cost analysis for the seven stock department wildcard skills is given below. It is probably easiest to start with the stock wildcard skill for your department and modify it to taste. The Wildcard skill should amount to 13 average skills; adjustments for skills of other difficulty level, conditional skills, and skill overlap are given in GURPS Power Ups 7: Wildcard Skills, pp. 9-10.

Engineering! Wildcard

Engineering officer, LtJG rank or higher

Engineering officers are expected to maintain and repair ship's systems, especially the power and drive systems, but also life support, transporters, sensors, etc. As quickly getting to critical systems is vital to effective damage control, the Engineering! wildcard includes overcoming barriers via technological finesse and brute force. The proper care and handling of dangerous materials is also included. The Engineering! wildcard does not cover the use of any ship's systems; but note that Electronics Operation/TL skills default to Engineering!-5.

Engineering! skill is normally not subject to familiarity and low tech level penalties. Your breadth of experience allows you to repair and modify archaic and/or alien technology. Skills default to and from Engineering! skill normally. E.g. if you have Engineering! at Attribute+1, it only takes 4 pts to have Mechanic/TL11 (Stardrive) at IQ+2.

The Engineering! skill may substitute for any skill it covers for Departmental Certification purposes. E.g. Since Engineering! covers every skill in the Antimatter Reactor Technician certification, the skill requirements of that certification could be satisfied by having a high enough Engineering! skill. Skills default to and from Engineering! skill normally. E.g. if you have Engineering! at Attribute+1, it only takes 4 pts to have Engineer (Nuclear) at IQ+2; but that extra +1 would be subject to familiarity and low-tech-level penalties.

Engineering officers may borrow from the skills covered by Engineering! to help purchase or improve it, as long as doing so does not lower the final skill level of the skill borrowed from. E.g. character points borrowed from Electronics Repair/TL11 (Matter Transmitter) skill are spent on Engineering! skill; this is fine so long as the Electronics Repair/TL11 (Matter Transmitter) skill level ends up no lower than it was before.