BRP Starships 2.2

BRP STARSHIPS
role-playing in the far future
clarence redd
BRP STARSHIPS 2.2

written by clarence redd
advanced combat by
atgxtg
equipment list by kind
permission of jason durall
constructs chapter by
frank mitchell
cover art by jadrien cousens
www.jadriencousensart.com
interior art by matthias utomo
2014
Contents
Introduction
Starship Design
Ship Type
Modules
Capital Ships
Stats
Weapons
Protection & Recover y
Apps & Skill Enhancers
Rebuilding & E xpanding
Additional Rules
Ship Condition
5
5
5
9
12
13
13
14
15
16
17
Starship Combat
Combat Round
Damage
Combat Maneuvers
Combat Modifiers
22
22
23
24
26
Char acters
Campaign Power Level
Skill s
Occupations
Hit Points & Hit Locations
L ab Research
Tr ade & Cargo
Personal Equipment
30
30
30
32
39
40
41
42
Advanced Starship Combat

Weapon Options
Armor
Fire Arcs
Hit Locations
50
50
52
53
54
Constructs
Robots
Synthetics
Batter y Power
Major Malfunction Table
60
61
67
72
74
Alien Creation
Universal Par ameters
Life forms
78
78
80
World Building
World Conflicts
Tech Level
Ruling
Species
Foreign Polic y
Star System Specs
Star Mapping
92
93
95
101
101
102
10 3
106
Design Notes
113
Basic Rolepl ay ing is the registered tr ademar k of Chaosium, Inc.
BRP STARSHIPS
Introduction
his is a simple rules system for science fiction gaming in

Basic Role Playing (BRP), with its main focus on starship
design and handling. It is intended for space oper a games, but
it can be used for other st yles too.
The idea has been to to avoid the r ather, to many, abstr act concepts such as hull tonnage and power plant in the design phase.
Instead, focus is on what specific functions you need, and a few
stats to define some fundamental proper ties. Both design and
combat are fairly quick, tr ue to the idea of BRP. Treat these
r ules as a skeletal fr amework, with additional components easily added.
Please note that you will need

a copy of the book Basic Role
Playing by Chaosium to use
these r ules.
I do not have any specific sources of inspir ation for these r ules,
but these are the games that I of ten have returned to in my scifi rpg wanderings: Ringworld, Worlds Beyond, Tr aveller, Gurps
Space, O.R.E. Star Wars, MindJammer and the huge Swedish
post-apocalypse BRP game Mutant. My favourites, A shen Stars
and the main r ulebook of Basic RolePlaying, has al so been nearby when I was writing.
Scale
These r ules add the concept of scale to BRP. Descriptions in the
main r ulebook are considered as Planetside scale, while starships are in Starship scale, being roughly ten times in size, damage, armor and so on. Starship scale is considered the main
scale in these r ules.
Starship Design & Construction

The r ules go through these steps:
1. Decide upon Ship Type
2. Pick the Modules you need. Determine Size & Size Rating
3. Calculate Speed & Handling. They get more expensive the
more Modules you have
4. Add Hyperspace, Shields, Armor and Apps (Skill Enhancers)
Ship Type
First decide what t ype of ship you need. Many adventurers want
something in bet ween the examples here, but they can hopefully
ser ve as a star ting point.
E xample Ship Types: Shuttle, Fighter, Far Tr ader, Scout, Star
Liner, Scientific, Yacht, Gunship, E xplorer.
Modules
Pick the Modules you need. Write the Modules names down
on the Starship Sheet on page 18, and the number of Modules.
When finished, add the number of Modules together and write
the number down at the bottom of the Module box. This number
is the ships Size stat.
The following things are always included in a starship: hull,
power plant, airlock (not for small ships), vacuum suits for complete crew, computer, life suppor t system, communications system, sensors, repair kit and a gr avit y gener ator. No need to buy
specific Modules for those functions.
i write science fiction, and science

fiction isnt about the future. i dont
know any more about the future
than you do, and ver y likely less
ur sula k le guin
Cockpit /Bridge
1 module per person.
Engine
Select a Thr ust Rating (TR) for the Modules. Determines the
ships Speed value, see page 12.
Engine Type
TR for Engine
Cost/Engine Module
Cutting Edge
120
10000
Excellent
100
7000
Standard
70
5000
Economy
40
2500
Maneuvering Thruster
Select a Thr ust Rating (TR) for the Modules. Use the table above.
Determines the ships Handling value, see page 12.
Sickbay
1 module for an Autodoc with room for one patient. 4 modules
per patient for a regular sickbay.
Crew
1 module per crew member. 4 modules per crew member for
long trips.
Passengers
1 module per passenger. 4 modules per passenger for long trips.
Cargo Hold
1 module per ton cargo. Secret spaces, specific habitats or biotopes cost more.
Weapons
1 module per attack and round. Handled by one person with Artiller y skill. One module can be handled by the pilot. The following weapon modules are separ ate turrets. Choose from laser,
blaster, ion cannon, missiles.
L ab
1 module +10% in one chosen skill (cannot exceed +30% per skill,
though larger specimen can be brought into the lab if more modules are added for the same skill).
Open Space
8 modules minimum for canteen, briefing room, theatre, garden, gym etc. Holds at most one person per Module, but less is
prefer able.
Hangar Bay
4 modules for All Terr ain Vehicle ( AT V). 10 modules for a small
fighter or shuttle.
Hyperspace
1-5 modules. Ranges from 1-5.
Self-Repair
1 module per self-repair unit. One roll ever y third combat round.
+5% per step.
Escape Pod
1 Module can house one person for a week. No manual steering;
docking and landing is automatic.
Tractor Beam
1 Module per 10% to use as an opposed roll against opponents
Pilot skill. Tr actor beam percentage value must be greater than
the size of the ship being captured. Max 10 Modules. Range 5.
E x tra Sensors
1 Module with t wo additional close r ange sensor arr ays. For example Heat, Life, Specific Miner al, Water, Volcanic Activit y. Use
with Sensors Skill.
E xample Militar y Ship Sizes

Titan: 1280 (6 4 0-1920)
Battleship: 6 4 0 (320-960)
Cr uiser: 320 (160-4 80)
Destroyer: 160 (80-24 0)
Frigate: 80 (4 0-120)
Cor vette: 4 0 (20-60)
Cutter: 20 (10-30)
Small Cr af t: 10 [8-15]
Fighter: 5 (3-8)
E xample Civilian Ship Sizes
Far Tr ader: 4 0 (20-60)
E xplorer: 65 (4 0-120)
Shuttle: 12 (8-15)
Scout: 30 (20-60)
Star Liner: 320 (160-4 80)
Yacht: 30 (20-60)
Robot Arm
1 Module for one ex ternal robot arm, controlled from the bridge.
Strength 10 (Starship Scale). Reach: 10 meters. Skill: Heav y Machine or Fine Manipulation. For doubled strength and reach, add
one Module.
Add the number of modules together to get ship Size. See the
char t on the nex t page to calculate Size Rating. Use the closest
number of Modules and write down the Size Rating nex t to the
Size value.
Streamlined: Write Yes here if the ship is designed for atmospheric flight. Size stat is not altered, but the length and width
of the ship will be greater, to make room for wings and a slimmer hull (see page 12). Non-streamlined ships suf fer a -30% to
Pilot roll s in atmospheric flight.
Stealth: Gives the opponent -5% per step in Sensors or Spot
skill. Max -30%. More advanced stelth technologies may be encountered under r are circumstances.
Capital Ships
For ver y big ships (somewhere over 20 0 Modules), using the table for Size Rating makes the design phase a little easier.
Pick Modules as you normally would, but write down both the
number of Modules needed and the Size Rating for each function. And instead of keeping tr ack of hundreds (or thousands) of
Modules to add together, identif y the highest Size Rating. Make
an estimate to see if the rest of the Modules bump up the ship
into the nex t Size Rating.
E xample: A Star Destroyer have a r ating of 15 for crew, thats
about 4 0 0 0 people living on this ship. If it had a r ating of 12 in
weapons, 3 in labs, 12 in hangar bays, 13 in engines and so on,
we could fit the whole thing in a Size Rating 16 hull (1 bigger than
the 15, since nothing el se came close to the 15). So we would
know the ship was r ated up to 32 76 8 modules without having
to go into the bother of actually counting them and assigning all
of them. Note that it could be 30 0 0 0 or 4 0 0 0 0 modules at this
size we really dont need to know.
It will al so be of some help to use the r ules for weapon upgr ades
and the damage ladder on page 31. Using that sy tem will make it
easier to conver t, for example, 10 0 L aser Modules into 10 Heav y
L asers.
Size Rating
Number of
Modules
16
32
64
128
256
10
512
11
1024
12
2048
13
4096
14
8192
15
16384
16
32768
17
65536
18
131072
Module
Cockpit /Bridge
50 0 0 Cr.
Note
1 Module/person
Engine
250 0/ 50 0 0/ 70 0 0/10 0 0 0
Select Thr ust Rating (page

6) to determine Speed
Maneuver Thust
250 0/ 50 0 0/ 70 0 0/10 0 0 0
Select Thr ust Rating (page

6) to determine Handling
50 0 0 Cr.
1 Module/patient for
Autodoc. 4 Modules/patient
for regular sickbay
Crew
10 0 0 Cr.
1 Module/crew member. 4
Modules/crew member for
longer journeys
Passengers
10 0 0 Cr.
1 Module/passenger. 4 Modules/passenger for longer

journeys
Sickbay
Cargo Hold
Weapons
10
Cost per Module
10 0 0/ 50 0 0 Cr.
50 0 0-50 0 0 0 Cr.
1 Module/ton cargo. The

higher cost is for secret
holds or habitats/biotopes
1 Module/gunner. For costs,
see Weapons chapter
L ab
50 0 0 Cr.
1 Module/Skill +5%. Max

+30% in any one skill
Open Space
10 0 0 Cr.
1 Module/person, though
more is to prefer
Hangar Bay
10 0 0 Cr.
4 Modules for AT V. 10 Modules for small fighter or

shuttle
Hyperspace
50 0 0 Cr.
1 Module/jump r ange. Max 5
Self-Repair
50 0 0 Cr.
1 Module/Repair (Starship)
+5%
Module (continued)
Cost per Module
Note
1 Module. Holds one person
Escape Pod
10 0 0 Cr.
Tr actor beam
50 0 0 Cr.
1 Module per 10% as an opposed roll against Pilot skill
E x tr a sensors
50 0 0 Cr.
Two sensor t ypes per

Module
Robot Arm
50 0 0 Cr.
Skill: Heav y Machine or Fine

Manipulation
Stat
Cost per Module & step
Hit Points
50 0 0 Cr.
Armor
50 0 0 Cr.
Shields
10 0 0 Cr.
App
Cost /+5%
for a week
Note
Max 10
Note
Targeting
20 0 0 Cr.
Max +20%
Sensors
20 0 0 Cr.
Max +20%
Navigation
10 0 0 Cr.
Max +20%
Stat
Streamlining
Stealth
Cost
Note
10 0 Cr/Module
50 0 0 Cr/-5% and Module
Max -30%
11
Stats
SPEED =
Total Thrust Rating
Number of Ship Modules
SPEED (1-20)
Speed is a combination of acceler ation ( ACC) and top speed
(Speed Rate), and is calculated from the number of Engine Modules and their Thr ust Rating (TR). Add all the Engine Modules
TR together. Then divide the combined Thr ust Rating value with
the ships total number of Modules to get Speed.
Zero Speed can be used to simulate ship-sized space stations.
HANDLING =
Total Thrust Rating
Number of Ship Modules
Speed & Handling Guidelines

To get star ted, use a Thr ust
Rating of 10 0.
1 Speed = 1% of total number of
Modules.
Cutting Edge: 1.2 Speed per 1%
Standard: 0.7 Speed per 1%
Economy: 0.4 Speed per 1%
W ith Engine Modules 10% of the
total number of Modules, you
get Speed 10.
W ith Engines 20% of the total number of Modules, you get
Speed 20.
12
HANDLING (1-20)
Handling defines how quick and easy the ship is to steer, and is
calculated from the number of Maneuvering Thr uster Modules
and their Thr ust Rating (TR). Add all the Maneuvering Thr uster
Modules TR together. Then divide the combined Thr ust Rating
value with the ships total number of Modules to get Handling.
Add the Handling value as a bonus to Pilot skill.
SIZE (1- )
Size is the number of Modules the ship consists of. It is divided
into the Size Ratings on page 9. Add the ships Modules together,
and see what Size Rating comes closest.
Size
Approximate
Length
1-4
<10 m
5-15
10 m
15-50
20 m
50-10 0
50 m
10 0
10 0 m
For Size over 100, use the Size value as a star ting
point for the approximate length in meters.
The approximate length is a rough guideline to give a hint at how

big a ship is. A spherical ship can be 50% smaller, whereas a
streamlined ship can be about 50% longer.
Weapons
L aser
Damage 1d6, Range 20, Cost 50 0 0 Cr.
Blaster
Damage 1d8 +1, Range 20, Cost 10 0 0 0 Cr.
Ion Cannon
Damage 2d6 +1, Range 10, Cost 15 0 0 0 Cr.
Missile
Damage 3d6, Range 4 0, Cost 20 0 0 0 Cr.
High-Energy Blaster
Damage 3d6 +1, Range 30, Cost 50 0 0 0 Cr. Only L arge ships.
Calculating Speed & Handling:

A Simpler Approach
Here is an altarnative approach to
Engine and Maneuvering Thuster
Modules, making it slightly easier
to determine a ships Speed and
Handling.
To mimik the idea that the engines
are an integr al par t of the hull, always taking up approximately the
same percentage of the ship, calculate the total number of Modules
without Engine and Maneuvering
Thr uster Modules. Determine the
number of Engine and Maneuvering Thr uster Modules you need to
get your desired Speed and Handling, and do not recalculate the
total number of Modules with the
new Modules.
Note that all damage is in a scale appropriate for Starships. For

small vehicles, multiply damage by ten. Treat most planet-side
vehicles and built str uctures as Planetside scale.
Protection & Recovery

Shields
Shields are an energy field protecting the ship. Damage is subtr acted from Shields first, until it reaches zero. If Recover y is
used, Shields gain an amount equal to Recover y at the end of
ever y combat round. Other wise Shields are fully restored in 6
hours. Cost /Module and step (+1): 10 0 0 Cr.
13
Armor in space opera

Many space oper a settings
seems to constr uct ships without armor, perhaps as a tribute
to the aeroplanes of the past.
Armor
A high tech composite material covers the hull, to give more
protection. When Shields reach zero, deduct Armor from the
damage roll before reducing Hit Points.
Cost /Module and step (+1): 50 0 0 Cr. Max 10
Hit Points
A ships basic Hit Points are the same as Size. To simulate that
a ship can be built with a sturdier constr uction than normal for
its size, Hit Points can be bought separ ately.
Af ter the shields reach zero and armor is deduced from the
damage, it reduces Hit Points. When Hit points go down to half,
roll on the Malfunction Table (page 2 3). When Hit Points reach
zero, the ship stops functioning, except emergenc y systems (life
suppor t, docking, emergenc y light, autodoc, air locks). Less impor tant NPC ships probably explodes at zero Hit Points.
Cost /Module and step (+1): 50 0 0 Cr.
Recover y
Recover y is an optional r ule, to regener ate the Shields at the
end of ever y Combat Round. One point is recovered at the end of
a round for ever y step bought. Other wise Shields are fully restored af ter 6 hours without combat.
Cost /Module (+1): 20 0 0 Cr.
Apps & Skill Enhancers

Targeting App
Skill: Ar tiller y. Up to +20% in Ar tiller y skill.
Cost /+5%: 20 0 0 Cr.
14
Sensors App
Skill: Technical (Sensors). Intelligent algorithms aiding users of
sensor systems, to detect ships, get info on star systems, planets or anomalies. Up to +20% in Sensors.
Cost /+5%: 20 0 0 Cr.
Navigation App
Skill: Navigate. Up to +20% in Navigation, if rolling for Hyperspace jumps. Cost /+5%: 20 0 0 Cr
Rebuilding & Expanding

At standard starpor ts or better, and all ship yards, a ship can be
rebuilt and expanded (and repaired of course).
A ship can only add 20% new Modules when expanding. Modules
can be changed quite freely to new ones (labs to cargo hold,
cargo hold to weapons), but use common sense.
Most of the other stats can be bought up, but not more than 30%
(maybe with an occasional exception for stor y telling reasons).
This can, among other uses, simulate the acquisition of gear
from a world with an unusually high Tech Level.
Upgrading engines
The primar y upgr ade of Engine
& Maneuvering Thr ust Modules
is to increase Thr ust Rating. Recalculate Speed and Handling,
and pay the dif ference bet ween
the t wo r atings. If more Engine
Modules are to be added, they can
only be expanded by 20%.
These upgr ades can be done in a
standard starpor t or better.
15
Crew & Passengers

Luxur y Accommodations: 16
modules per person (five star
first class accommodations on
a passenger liner)
1st class civilian: 8 modules per
person
2nd class civilian: 4 modules
per person (standard)
3rd class civilian (coach/steerage): 2 modules per person
Militar y,
Of ficers
Quar ters:
1 module per person (a bunk
with some stor age space)
Militar y: 2 people per module (a
pair of bunk beds). Hot bunking
can reduce the crew requirements up to half again.
Additional Rules
Minimum requirements to r un a
Shor t r ange: Starship t ype, speed & direction, approximate

weaponr y and armor.
ship: 10% of the crew is needed

to r un a ship (only 10% of the
Weapon Modules are active) for
a shor t period of time. For ships
below 10 0 Modules, one person
can pilot the ship and utilize one
Weapon Module.
W ith automation the crew requirements can be lowered consider ably.
16
Autodoc
First Aid at 80% (treatment takes 10 minutes) and life sustaining
treatment in severe cases (major damage, poison, contamination) for three days.
Sensors
W ith a successful roll you can get the following information:
Long r ange: Detect a starship, its speed and direction, and
sometimes an of ficial record with name, home por t, destination,
mission t ype & captain. Communications possible.
You can al so get a good reading on unchar ted planets and moons
(atmosphere, rough map, over-all temper ature, electronic signal s, broadcasts). For higher tech solar systems, you get most
info from the star char ts and comm droids: Space stations, starpor ts, tech level, law & securit y, customs.
For planets and moons you get a detailed map, temper ature
variations, rough idea of biotopes, some settlements.
Hyperspace
A hyperspace engine is a stor y telling device needed to tr avel
the huge distances bet ween the stars. For a regular jump, no
skill roll is necessar y. The length of the jump is bet ween 1 and
5 (with secret high tech gear and unknown civilizations probably
having access to more). A jump of 1 gives access to only a few
close-by star systems, while 5 will make it possible to cross
large areas of empt y space to hard to reach systems, and shor t
cuts across voids. To really make sense of this value, you need
to dr aw a star char t see page 106.
Ship Condition
Additional r ule to simulate ships that are a bit r ust y or generally unkept. Ship Condition r anges from 0 to -10 0. All new ships
star t with zero.
Ship Condition
Stats af fected
-20
-2 Speed or
Handling
Once per four
adventures
-4 0
-60
-4 Hit Points &

Shields
Once ever y
adventure
-80
-10 0
Malfunction
Table Roll
-6 Speed, Handling,
Hit Points, Shields
Roll freely!
Ship Condition is reduced as follows: -10 each time maintenance

is not paid for (maintenance costs 1% of ship cost ever y month or
ever y four th adventure) and -10 for ever y damage not repaired
properly af ter combat (see r ules for repairs on page 7 & 30).
Al so use Ship Condition as a negative Repair skill modifier; especially ef fective with mid-combat repairs.
To increase Condition, one Repair roll is required per +10, plus
the expenses in Credits. It takes one day with the full negative
repair modifier, t wo days with modifier halved.
Buying and selling used ships
The Ship Condition modifier can al so be used when buying and
selling used starships. For example, a ship with condition -4 0
will have its price reduced by 4 0%.
High- & Low-Tech Ships

Here are some guidelines for creating starships from lower technology level s (TL 10-12):
They will have low Speed and Handling (1-10), to simulate weaker
engines and poor maneuvering
control s. Use a Thr ust Rating bet ween 10-30. To make them less
capable in combat, use Apps to
give skill penalties (-20%-50%) to
both Pilot and Ar tiller y roll s. They
will have reduced damage with all
weapons. Low (1-5) or no Shields.
Armor 1. Hyperspace 1, if any.
For ever y step lower Tech Level,
the number of Modules needed for
a function is increased by 50%.
Weapons can either increase in
size or reduce damage one step on
the Damage L adder (see page 50).
Higher Tech Level s (14-15, or more
if needed), will have engines with
higher Thr ust Rating (14 0-20 0) and
Weapon Modules will either take
50% less space or move up one
step on the Damage L adder. Other
t ypes of Modules can al so be more
space ef ficient, but use common
sense.
17
BRP STARSHIPS
name
type
speed
shields
recovery
handling
armor
hit points
size
hyperspace
modules
player
weapons
apps
other
streamlining
stealth
BRP STARSHIPS
NPC
attitude
type
fraction
speed
shields
recovery
handling
armor
hit points
size
hyperspace
weapons
pilot
artillery
pilot hit points
attitude
type
speed
shields
recovery
handling
armor
hit points
size
hyperspace
pilot
artillery
pilot hit points
fraction
weapons
20
21
Starship Combat
his is an attempt at a starship combat system that is neither

too abstr act, nor too bogged down with detailing. For more
detailed r ules, add some or all of the ingredients from the chapter Advanced Starship Combat.
Combat Round
The Combat Round works like this:
The ship with the highest Handling goes first.
1. Roll Pilot skill.
2. Attack: Ar tiller y roll. Halved if Pilot roll failed (and the other half removed if Evasion was chosen last round - see step 3).
3. Opponent choose if she wants to roll for Evasion. ( Ar tiller y
roll halved in nex t round if Evasion is chosen).
4. Attacker roll s damage.
5. Additional skill roll s by crew members (Repair, First Aid).
Rinse and repeat for nex t player. When all players have acted,
the nex t Combat Round begins.
Please note that if a ship evades and then doesnt make the Pilot
roll in the nex t round, no Ar tiller y roll will be possible. A good
pilot is thus essential to make the gunners job possible.
22
Damage
Damage is first subtr acted from Shields. When Shields reach
zero, subtr act Armor and then reduce HitPoints with that amount.
When Hit Points reach below 1/2, roll ever y hit that reduces Hit
Points on the Malfunction Table. The first malfunction lasts for
one round. For ever y subsequent hit, roll for a new malfunction
and move one step up on the Dur ation Table. Al so roll to check if
there are any personal damage.
Malfunction table (1d6):
1. Power out, no sensors or weapons
2. Minor leak in one module
3. No Maneuvering
4. Speed halved
5. Uncontrolled spin, stabilisation damaged
6. Critical hit: Re-roll on this table. +2 on dur ation table
Duration Table:
1. One round
2. 1d6 rounds
3. Until repaired
4. Until repaired, Repair at -30%
5. Until nex t landing and Repair
6. Until nex t landing and buying new par ts.
Personal damage: Ever yone on board the ship must al so make
an Agilit y roll (DE X x5) to avoid 1d6-1 damage.
See r ules for Repair (Starship) and Self-Repair for getting the
ship fully functional again.
23
Combat Maneuvers
Use these combat maneuvers (some or all) to make combat more
creative.
Evasion and Attack
Evades attack by rolling Pilot skill. The evaders nex t attack is
at 50%. To evade sever al shots, Pilot skill is -30% for each successive shot.
Escape
Double movement for 5 rounds. All power rerouted to engines
for a shor t burst, to get out of weapon r ange.
Movement and Attack
The normal action in a combat round. Roll Pilot skill for movement.
Surprise
Attacker gets one free round before the opponent can react.
Aim
Attacker holds fire in one round to get a better aim, and gets
+20% Ar tiller y in the nex t round. Only normal movement in the
aiming (first) round. If the Pilot roll is failed in the firing (second) round, apply both 50% for the failed Pilot roll and +20% for
Aim. Target gets no Evasion roll.
Placed Shot
-20% Ar tiller y to hit specific Module. If targets shields (if any)
are down, and Armor is pierced, the specific Module is damaged,
star ting on step 2 in the Dur ation Table.
24
Par tial cover

Moving the ship through a volume with large objects, making it
harder to hit. Both sides get 30% Ar tiller y.
Disable Ship
To disable a ship, make one Placed Shot per weapon turret, and
one last shot for propul sion. No other maneuvers possible for
the attacker at the same time, only Evasion.
Boarding
To board a ship, first use the Disable Ship combat maneuver,
until the ship is incapable of defending itself or escaping. Manipulating the airlocks then, to get inside, is of ten easy (no skill
roll, or Demolition/Fine Manipulation/ Technical at +20%).
Ramming
For desper ate players r amming is sometimes a viable option,
either to strike an opponent or to get out of enclosed spaces.
Both ships (or ship plus constr uction) take damage, though the
striking ship less so. Size and speed are the determining factors
for the amount of damage. 1d6 damage per 5 Size, and add 1d6
per 5 Speed. The r amming ship takes half that damage. See the
main r ulebook regarding hit points for constr uctive elements, in
Planetside scale.
25
Combat Modifiers
Use these modifiers to make combat more complex.
Terrain
-10% to -50% in Pilot skill if there are obstacles.
Ship Size
When the dif ference in Size Rating is 3 or more, the larger attacker is at 20% in Ar tiller y. The smaller attacker is at +20 in
Ar tiller y. A Size Rating dif ference of 5 (or more), Ar tiller y will
be at +/-4 0%
Speed
When the dif ference in Speed is 5 or higher, the faster ship gets
+20% in Evasion. This modifier evens out the odds for small and
fast ships, especially against a heavily armed opponent.
26
)
7
2
3
12
14
4 (M)
st
(3)
))) (( 122)
))))) (( 11)
))o
b ((((() +10%
(((((s) +10%
%bb ((
%%%s
ssss (((t
80%)
hyperspace
s
-
t +14%
ship condition 0
2
12
3
4
2
1
1
2
1
3
e
41
ter, 1d8+1, range 20

laser, 1d6, range 20
(s +22%
%%%%% +15%
28
29
Characters
ost of the r ules from the main r ulebook are used as is, but
here are a few additions and recommendations to suit the
genre better.
Campaign Power Level

The Heroic campaign level is probably best suited for space
oper a. Point based char acter gener ation (recommended): 36
points for char acteritics, 325 points for professional skill s (or
EDUx2 3), INTx13 for personal skill s. Psionics: Four powers at
POWx1, and use any skill points to increase them.
Skills
Alternative dif ficult y modifiers:
A s the dif ficult y modifier s in
the BRP Main Rulebook are a bit
chunk y, these r ules follow a system inspired by Wor lds Beyond and
Mutant :
Easy
+20%
Routine
+0%
Dif ficult
-20%
Hard
-30%
Ver y Hard
-50%
30
Below is a list of skill s of ten used in sci-fi games, and a bit of

expansion to the original r ules.
Pilot (Starship)
The abilit y to fly a starship, handle the daily care of it and knowledge of regulations of spaceflight.
Technical (Sensors)
Handling the sensor equipment in a starship. See the r ules about
starship design for more detail s.
Ar tiller y
Use of the heav y weapons in a starship. Works in tandem with
the Pilot skill when in a combat situation.
Repair (Starship)
The abilit y to repair mechanical and electrical malfunctions in a
starship. In combat, roll once ever y third round for a tempor ar y

repair. An additional roll is needed af ter wards to do it properly.
Repairs made on a lower-tech world will be less refined, and efficianc y will be at -20% for af fected par ts, stats and skill s.
Science (Physics)
Representing a gener al knowledge of this vast field, slanting
towards space-oriented concepts (vectors, orbits, gr avit y, F TL).
Science (A stronomy)
Represents a good knowledge of space, including stars, planets,
asteroids, orbits and so on.
Science (Xeno-Biology)
Gener al knowledge of the biology of known alien species. Can
al so be used to classif y new life forms. Medical doctors can use
this skill together with Medicine skill, to treat aliens not known
to her/him.
Use Str angeness x10 as a negative

modifier when at tempting a Medicine
roll on an unknown alien species,
then add any points in Xeno-Biology.
Knowledge (Xeno-Culture)
Gener al knowledge of known alien cultures, their customs and
laws. Can al so be used to dr aw conclusions about the behaviour
of unknown life forms.
Technical (Computer Use)
The user has a good abilit y to work with computers, both the
hardware and the sof t ware.
Navigate
To make hyperspace tr avel a bit more precarious, require a Navigate roll before ever y jump. A failed roll means the jump ends
in the wrong place. How much is probably best decided from a
stor y telling point of view, instead of rolling dice.
31
Occupations
A ssassin
Wealth: Aver age or Af fluent. You will al so have a wide r ange of
weapons and fal se identities.
Skill s: Dodge, Hide, Listen, Spot, Stealth, and five of the following: Br awl, Disguise, Drive, Electronics, Gr apple, Firearm (any),
Fine Manipulation, Mar tial Ar ts, Melee Weapon (any), Missile
Weapon (any), Pilot (Starship), Throw, Tr ack.
Belter leads their lives in the asteroid belts, of ten making a living
from mining or tugging the space
rocks.
Belter
Wealth: Poor to Af fluent.The gamemaster and player should determine whether the char acter owns their own starship.
Skill s: Heav y Machine, Navigate, Pilot (Starship), Science ( A stronomy), and five of the following: Br awl, Gambling, Knowledge ( A steroids), Missile Weapon (any), Repair (Electronics), Repair (Starship),Technical (Sensors).
Bount y Hunter
Wealth: Aver age or Af fluent.
Skill s: Dodge, Listen, Spot, Stealth, and five of the following:
Br awl, Drive, Electronics, Gr apple, Firearm (any), Fine Manipulation, Knowledge (L aw), Melee Weapon (any), Missile Weapon
(any), Pilot (Starship), Technical (Sensors), Throw, Tr ack.
Colonists are hardy individual s

who have lef t the secur it y of organized societ y, to break new ground
in the outskir ts of known space.
32
Colonist
Wealth: Poor or Af fluent.
Skill s: Cr af t (any), Heav y Machine, Pilot (Starship), Repair (Electronics), Repair (Mechanical), Spot, and four of the following:
Cr af t (Farming), Knowledge (Natur al World, Region, Xeno-Cultures), Drive, Firearm (Pistol, Revolver, or Rifle), Navigate, Pilot
( Aircr af t or Boat), Ride, Science (Xeno-Biology), Swim, or Tr ack.
Computer Tech
Wealth: Aver age to Af fluent.
Skill s: One Knowledge skill, L anguage (Other) (a progr amming
language), Repair (Electronics), Research, Science (Mathematics), Status, Technical (Computer Use), Technical (Sensors), and
choose one of the following skill s as specialties: Accounting,
Hide, or Knowledge (L aw).
Criminal
Wealth: Poor to Af fluent, sometimes Wealthy, usually Aver age.
Skill s: Bargain, Hide, Stealth, Drive, and choose any six of the
following: Appr aise, Br awl, Climb, Fast Talk, Fine Manipulation, Firearm (any), Gaming, Gr apple, Insight, Jump, Knowledge
(L aw), Listen, Mar tial Ar ts, Melee Weapon (any, usually knives
or clubs), Persuade, Pilot (Starship), Spot, Throw.
Diplomat
Wealth: Af fluent to Wealthy, usually Af fluent.
Skill s: Bargain, Etiquette, Fast Talk, Insight, Knowledge (L aw),
Persuade, Status, plus any three other skill s as appropriate to
the setting, usually from the following: Knowledge (Xeno-Culture, Group, Histor y, or Region), Listen, L anguage (Other), L anguage (O wn), Per form (Or ator y), or Research.
Detective
Skill s: Firearm (Handgun), Knowledge (L aw), Listen, Persuade,
Spot, Research, and choose four of the following: Br awl, Disguise, Dodge, Drive, Fast Talk, Firearm (any), Gr apple, Hide, Insight, Knowledge (any), L anguage (Other), Medicine, Pilot (Starship), Science (any), Technical (Computer Use), Technical (Sensors), Stealth, or Tr ack.
33
Engineer
Wealth: Poor to Af fluent, usually Aver age.
Skill s: Cr af t (any), Repair (Mechanical), Repair (Str uctur al),
Spot, Status, and five of the following: Ar t (usually Dr af ting),
Drive, Heav y Machine, Knowledge (any), Pilot (Starship), Repair (Starship), Repair (Electronics), Science (any), or Technical
(Computer Use).
E xplorer
Wealth: Af fluent or Wealthy.
Skill s: Climb, L anguage (Other), L anguage (O wn), Persuade, Pilot
(Starship), Research, Spot, and four of the following: Knowledge
( Anthropology, Histor y, Natur al World, Region, Xeno-Cultures),
Drive, Fast Talk, Firearm (Pistol, Revolver, or Rifle), Navigate,
Pilot ( Aircr af t or Boat), Ride, Science (Geology), Science (XenoBiology), Swim, or Tr ack.
Gambler
Wealth: Poor to Af fluent, usually Aver age.
Skill s: Bargain, Br awl, Dodge, Fast Talk, Gaming, Insight,
Knowledge ( Accounting), Sleight of Hand, Persuade, and Spot.
Intelligence Agent
Wealth: Aver age or Af fluent, depending on the setting.
Skill s: Dodge, Fast Talk, Hide, Listen, Research, Spot, Stealth,
and three of the following: Ar t (Photogr aphy), Br awl, Disguise,
Etiquette, Firearm (any), Gr apple, Knowledge (any), L anguage
(Other), L anguage (O wn), Mar tial Ar ts, Navigate, Pilot (Starship), Psychology, Repair (Electronics), Repair (Mechanical),
Ride, Swim, Technical (Computer Use), Technical (Sensors),
Throw, or Tr ack.
34
Journalist
Skill s: Fast Talk, Insight, L anguage (O wn), Listen, Persuade, Re-
search, Spot, and three of the following: Ar t (Photogr aphy), Disguise, Hide, Knowledge (any), L anguage (Other), Pilot (Starship),
Status, Stealth, or Technical (Computer Use).
L aw Enforcement Agent
Wealth: Usually Aver age. Corr upt lawmen are sometimes Af fluent.
Skill s: Br awl, Dodge, Fast Talk, Knowledge (L aw), Listen, Spot,
and four of the following: Drive, Firearms (any), First Aid, Gr apple, Insight, Knowledge (Region or Group), L anguage (Other),
Mar tial Ar ts, Melee Weapon (any), Missile Weapon (any), Pilot
(Starship), Ride, Status, Technical (Computer Use), Technical
(Sensors) or Tr ack.
L aw yer
Wealth: Destitute, Poor, Aver age, Af fluent, Wealthy
Skill s: Bargain, Fast Talk, Insight, Knowledge (L aw), Knowledge
(Xeno-Culture), one other Knowledge skill, L anguage (O wn),
Per form (Or ator y), Persuade, Research, and Status.
Mechanic
Wealth: Poor to Aver age, usually Aver age.
Skill s: Bargain, Cr af t (Metalwork), Drive, Fine Manipulation,
Heav y Machine, Repair (Electronics), Repair (Mechanical), Repair (Starship), and Spot.
Medical Doctor
Skill s: First Aid, Medicine, Persuade, Research, Spot, and choose
four of the following: Insight, L anguage (Other), Psychother apy,
Science (Xeno-Biology) Science (any) and Status.
35
Merchant
Wealth: Aver age to Wealthy, usually Af fluent. The gamemaster
and player should determine whether the char acter owns their
own shop or tr ade vessel.
Skill s: Appr aise, Bargain, Fast Talk, Knowledge ( Accounting),
Knowledge (Business), Persuade, Pilot (Starship), Research,
Status, Technical (Sensors) and any t wo other skill s as specialties.
Noble
Wealth: Af fluent to Wealthy, usually Wealthy.
Skill s: Bargain, Drive, Etiquette, L anguage (O wn), L anguage
(Other), and Status, plus any other three skill s as hobbies or
fields of interest.
Pirate
Wealth: Poor to Af fluent, sometimes Wealthy, usually Aver age.
Skill s: Pilot (Starship), Navigate, Missile Weapon (any), Ar tiller y,
and five more: Br awl, Gambling, Melee Weapon (any), Knowledge
(Region), Knowledge (L aw), Repair (Starship), Bargain, Fast Talk
Scholar
Wealth: Aver age or Af fluent, usually Aver age.
Skill s: L anguage (Other), L anguage (O wn), Persuade, Research,
Teach, Technical (Computer Use) and choose five Knowledge or
Science skill s related to your field of study.
Scientist
Wealth: Aver age or Af fluent, usually Af fluent.
Skill s: Cr af t (any), Persuade, Research, Status, Technical (Computer Use) or Heav y Machine, and any five Knowledge or Science
related to your field of study.
36
Shaman
Wealth: Poor or Aver age, at a tribal-level existence.
Skill s: Ar t (any), Insight, Knowledge (Histor y), Knowledge (Occult), L anguage (O wn), Listen, Per form (Ritual s), Persuade, and
t wo of the following as specialties: Cr af t (any), Fast Talk, First
Aid, Hide, Knowledge ( Anthropology), Medicine, L anguage (Other), Science (Pharmac y), or Status.
Special: You may be able to use psionics.
Soldier
Wealth: Poor or Aver age, but frequently given access to expensive or other wise-prohibited equipment.
Skill s: Br awl, Climb, Dodge, First Aid, and six of the following: Ar tiller y, Command, Drive, Firearm (usually Rifle, but any),
Gr apple, Heav y Weapon (any), Hide, L anguage (Other), Listen,
Jump, Medicine, Melee Weapon (any), Missile Weapon (any),
Navigate, Pilot (Starship), Repair (Mechanical), Spot, Stealth,
Technical (Sensors)or Throw.
Starship Pilot
Wealth: Aver age to Af fluent. If you own your own vessel, Af fluent.
Skill s: Drive, Heav y Machine, Listen, Navigate, Pilot (Starship),
Spot, plus any four of the following skill s: Bargain, Climb, Command, Cr af t (any), Knowledge (Region), Repair (Electronics), Repair (Mechanical), L anguage (Other), Persuade, Science (Physics), Science ( A stronomy), or Technical (Computer Use), Technical (Sensors).
Technician
Skill s: Fine Manipulation, Heav y Machine, Listen, Repair (any),
Science (Physics), Research, Spot, Technical (Computer Use),
and t wo other skill s from the following list as a specialt y: Cr af t
(any), Drive, Pilot (any).
37
Thief
Wealth: Any, subject to gamemasters approval.
Skill s: Appr aise, Dodge, Fast Talk, Hide, Stealth, and five other
skill s from the following list: Bargain, Br awl, Climb, Disguise,
Fine Manipulation, Missile Weapon (Blaster), Gr apple, Insight,
Listen, Jump, Knowledge (L aw), Persuade, Repair (Mechanical),
or Spot.
Tribesman
Wealth: Destitute to Poor, at a tribal-level existence.
Skill s: Cr af t (any), Dodge, Gr apple, Hide, Knowledge (Natur al
Histor y), Spot, Throw, Tr ack, and t wo of the following skill s:
Br awl, Climb, First Aid, Listen, Jump, Knowledge (Occult), Melee Weapon (according to culture), Missile Weapon (according to
culture), L anguage (Other), Ride, Stealth, or Swim.
Mercenar y
Wealth: Destitute to Aver age, usually Poor.
Skill s: Br awl, Dodge, Gr apple, Melee Weapon (any), Missile
Weapon (any), and five other skill s from the following list as
specialties: Climb, Firearm (any), Hide, Listen, Jump, L anguage
(Other), Mar tial Ar ts, Spot, Stealth, Swim, Throw, Tr ack.
Writer
Wealth: Poor to Wealthy, usually Aver age.
Skill s: Ar t (writing), Insight, L anguage (O wn), Persuade, Research, and five other skill s from the following list as specialties: Fast Talk, Knowledge (any), L anguage (Other), Listen, Status, or Technical (Computer Use).
38
Hit Points & Hit Locations

Hit Points are gener ally calculated as STR+CON/2 in BRP. If
this makes the char acters too easy to kill, use STR+CON instead, keeping to the heroic mood of the genre.
A limited use of hit locations is recommended. Armor is specified for each body location, but only total hit point losses are
calculated. Armor for specific locations are listed on page 4 3.
Hit Location
1d20
Lef t Leg
01-0 3
Right Leg
0 4-06
Abdomen
07-10
Chest
11-15
Lef t Arm
16-17
Right Arm
18-19
Head
20
E xposure to vaccum
If suddenly exposed, the char acter must exhale all air or suf fer
1d6 +2 per combat round due to collapsed lungs. ( Allow an Idea
roll to think of this, if the char acter is not used to space tr avel).
Additionally, a char acter will begin to hemorrhage, loosing 1 hit
point the first round, 2 the second round, 4 the third round, 8 the
four th and so on.
Eardr ums may al so burst (successful Stamina roll to avoid) and
af ter CONx2 rounds sight is af fected, making all skill roll s -50%
involving sight.
39
Lab Research
Finding clues by quasi-scientific research is quite common in
science fiction. W ith a L ab Module, players get a chance to uncover those pesk y little secrets.
Decide what skill or skill s the L ab will be built for. A char acter
using the lab must have the same skill and gets a skill bonus
bet ween 10-30%, with each 10% step costing 50 0 0 Credits. A
single Module can give max +10%, so to get full bonus, three
Modules are needed.
Conducting research: Decide what basic clue should always be
uncovered - the bit of information needed to move the stor y
for ward. Decide upon a time fr ame (5 days for example) and the
number of roll s needed (one per day perhaps). For each successive roll, add a piece of information that gives the players
an advantage when later solving the larger problem in the stor y
(perhaps a shor tcut, a way to avoid violence, revealing sensitive
local customs and beliefs or avoiding a tr ap). All dice should of
course be rolled by the GameMaster.
40
Trade & Cargo

Some pointers for speculative inter-planetar y tr ade, to give the
players some use for their cargo holds.
Any cargo available? In major starpor ts there will always be
cargo. For smaller por ts, there is a 20-50% chance, depending
on population size and tech level.
How many cargo lots? How many tons each? Roll 1d6-3d6 for the
number of lots, and 1d6 tons per lot.
Destination? Shipping commonplace goods from one planet and
selling it as a luxur y on another planet is the dream of all tr aders. Choosing the destination is half the job. Use Knowledge
(Region) skill roll to determine a good match. Missing this roll
results in a -20% penalt y on both buy and sell roll s (see below).
Buying Cost? How much can it be sold for? Use Bargain, Fast
Talk, Status and/or Persuade first when buying, and again when
selling. Consult the table below.
Buy skill roll is a:
Modifier when
selling
Sell skill roll is a:
Profit, % of buy
value
Success
+20%
Success
+50%
Fail
-20%
Fail
-20%
Success
+20%
Fail
0%
Fail
-20%
Success
+10%
41
Personal Equipment
Below is a table with a small selection of personal weapons t ypical for heroic sci-fi settings. All values in Planetside scale.
Type
Damage
Skill
Cost
Blaster Carbine
2d6 +2
Rifle, Energy
70 0 Cr.
Blaster
1d8 +1
30
Pistol, Energy
4 0 0 Cr.
Blaster Rifle
2d8 +3
60
Rifle, Energy
10 0 0 Cr.
40
Pistol, Energy
50 0 Cr.
30
Pistol, Energy
30 0 Cr.
50
Rifle, Energy
80 0 Cr.
20
Pistol, Energy
250 Cr.
3d8 vs tech
60
Pistol, Energy
60 0 Cr.
2d10+db
Medium
Sword
Par ticle Grenade
3d8
Thrown
Throw
80 0 Cr.
Thermal
Detonator
5d10
Thrown
Throw
10 0 0 Cr.
Heav y Blaster
1d10+2
Light Blaster
1d6 +1
Light Blaster
Rifle
Mini Blaster
Ionization Gun
Lightsaber
At the weapons basic r ange, the

skill chance is unmodified. At
medium r ange (double the basic
r ange), the chance becomes ,
and at long r ange (four times basic r ange) it becomes the nor mal
skill chance.
42
Range
Attk /CR
50
1
1
2d6 +1
1d4+2
1. Can be set to stun. Roll damage as normal and make a resistance roll
against the targets current hit points. The character is stunned for a number
of rounds equal to the points of stun damage done.
See nex t page for a table with a small selection of armor t ypical for heroic sci-fi settings. Many heroic char acters are not
wearing armor, perhaps because armor is only for militar y use.
Therefore, no lighter mesh armor t ypes are included.
Type
AP
Skill Modifiers
Hit Locations
Cost
Blast Helmet
10
-5% Perception Skill s
Head
250 Cr.
Blast Vest
-5% to Physical Skill s
Any
30 0 Cr. /par t
Blast Shield
12
Shield Skill
30 0 Cr.
Light Body Armor
10
-10% to Physical Skill s
Any
4 0 0 Cr. /par t
Militar y Body Armor
12
-25 to Physical Skill s
Any
80 0 Cr. /par t
Powered Body Armor
16
-20% to Physical and

Manipulation Skill s
All
10 0 0 0 Cr.
Equipment
Datalink For tr ansmitting high-bandwidth data across computer-systems. 10 0 Cr.
Comlink A basic communicator: can easily be keyed together
in pairs or groups, al so var y to commercial model s to high-end
militar y issue. Either hand-held, wrist-mounted, or headset. 5020 0 Cr.
From the hip:

B y not taking aim a char acter can double the number of at tacks per combat
round, but skill is at .
Droid Caller Small device capable of summoning any droid

with a restr aining bolt, or aler ting any nearby ser vice droid. 10 0
Cr.
Droid Controller A more complex version of a droid caller,
similar to a keypad link. 150 Cr.
Keypad Link A small hand-held computer slaved to another
computer or vehicle system, used for remote access and control. 20 0 Cr.
Datapad / Por table Computer Either specialized or gener aluse, usually equipped with some sensors and a datalink. 250 Cr.
Hologr aphic Memor y Cell A data stor age medium, commonly
used. 10 Cr.
43
Hologr aphic Display Projector Read-only projector for hologr aphic imaging or data, sometimes called a holoprojector. 10 0
Cr.
Code C ylinders Data stor age medium, encr ypted and self-destr ucting. 50 Cr.
Code Reader Data reader for code c ylinders, will scr amble
c ylinder if not keyed properly. 10 0 Cr.
Sensor Jammer Anti-sensor equipment. Of ten illegal. 250 Cr.
Communications Jammer Self explanator y, of ten illegal. 20 0
Cr.
Securit y Field Jammer Anti-securit y countermeasure device,
aiding intr usion into secure areas. Highly illegal and controlled.
350 Cr.
Damper Shield Gener ator Device capable of dampening all
electronic tr ansmissions in an area. 20 0 Cr.
Macrobinoculars Self explanator y, al so similar to Electrobinoculars. 10 0 Cr.
Tr acer Beacon Tr acing units capable of relaying coordinates
planet-wide or across star systems. Usually keyed into ship sensors or a computer with ex tended sensor capabilities. 250 Cr.
Sensor Pack A backpack-sized sensor arr ay, capable of longr ange detection and t wo-way planetar y-wide relay. 4 0 0 Cr.
Cable Dispenser and Hook Device with liquid cable reser voir
or filament cable, possible spike launcher, and attachable gr appling hooks. Can al so be combined into a rocket cable launcher,
mounted onto a blaster fr ame, gauntlet, or br acer. 10 0 Cr.
Food Capsules Could al so contain concentr ated liquids or
dr ugs. 10 Cr. /10 meal s.
Ox ygen Reprocessor Al so comes in gener al or specialized varieties. Can al so be combined with an ox ygen supply. 4 0 0 Cr.
44
Aquabreather For under water environments. 30 0 Cr.
E xposure Suit Protective outfit, comes in gener al or specialized varieties. 50 0 Cr.

High Gr av Suit Suppor t outfit, with automusculature suppor t
enhancements. 80 0 Cr.
Life Suppor t Suit Can sur vive light vacuum for shor t periods,
some include food, fluid, and waste systems. Monitors and regulates life signs on chest or wrist panel. 10 0 0 Cr.
Space Suit Comes in three basic varieties: Emergenc y (shor tterm sur vival in hard vacuum), Utilit y (basic, with maneuvering
jets and high r adiation shielding), and Militar y-Gr ade (long-term
hard vacuum sur vivabilit y, self-sealing, high r ad shields, jets,
full food, fluid, and waste systems). 20 0 0-10 0 0 0 Cr.
Por table Emergenc y Shelters Come in a variet y of sizes and
configur ations, from basic to deluxe, gener al to specific environment. 30 0-20 0 0 Cr.
Medpak A medical kit with either specialized or gener al application use. 75 Cr.
Power Cell s Useful for most powered equipment, weapons,
etc. W ide r ange of sizes and energy output features. 50 Cr.
Fusion Gener ator One of a variet y of light-to-heav y por table
gener ators. 30 0-150 0 Cr.
Fusion Tool s Could be a gener al kit, or specialized for specific
t ypes of work such as c ybernetic repair, spaceship mechanics,
or computer systems. 10 0 Cr.
45
Vehicles
The following vehicles are created using a system similar to the
starship design r ules.
Speeder Bike
Fir ing a weapon from or at a moving
vehicle is a Hard skill roll (-30%). Hitting a passanger is Ver y Hard (-50%).
For more detail s, see page 211 in the
main r ulebook, along with spot r ules
for other specific combat situations.
Fast and lightly ar mored hover bike.

Speed
15
Hit Points
40
Handling
18
Weight
0.8 ton
Size
30
Dimensions
L: 4 m W: 1 m
Weapons
Heav y Blaster Rifle, 3d6 +3
A r mor
AC 5 /
Cargo
5 0 kg
L and Speeder, Standard

Four-person standard model hover car.
Speed
Handling
12
8
Size
50
Weapons
None
A r mor
AC 10/
Cargo
10 0 kg
Hit Points
60
Weight
1.2 ton
Dimensions
L: 5 m W: 2 m
L and Speeder, Fast

Two-person fast hover car.
46
Speed
15
Hit Points
50
Handling
14
Weight
1 ton
Size
40
Dimensions
L: 3 m W: 2 m
Weapons
None
A r mor
AC 8 /
Cargo
5 0 kg
All Terr ain Vehicle (AT V ), Small

Four-person light terr ain vehicle.
Speed
Handling
10
8
Size
70
Weapons
None
A r mor
AC 12 /2
Cargo
4 0 0 kg
Hit Points
70
Weight
2 ton
Dimensions
L: 6 m W: 2 m
All Terr ain Vehicle (AT V ), Medium

Six-person armored terr ain vehicle with roof-mounted heav y
blaster. L arge cargo area for expedition gear.
Speed
Hit Points
10 0
Handling
Weight
4.5 ton
Dimensions
L: 10 m W: 2 m
Size
10 0
Weapons
Heav y Blaster Rifle, 4 d8 + 4
A r mor
AC 16
Cargo
6 0 0 kg
47
48
49
Advanced Starship Combat

Weapon
L aser
Damage
Type
Range
Ammo
Cost
1d6
L aser
20
No
50 0 0
Blaster
1d8 +1
Par ticle
Beam
20
No
10 0 0 0
Ion Gun
2d6 +1
Electric
10
No
150 0 0
Missile
3d6
E xplosive
40
10
20 0 0 0
Kinetic
Cannon
1d8
Kinetic
10
10
10 0 0
Weapon Options
he following options allow the weapons above to be to be

customized and expanded. A GM can use all, some or none
of the following.
Options and Cost: All the options presented below increase the
cost of the weapon. This increased cost can be paid for in Credits
or by increasing the number of modules allocated to the weapon
(mounting a bigger weapon). Instead of 20 normal blasters, you
can have 4 (each taking up 5 Modules) with a bunch of upgr ades.
50
Damage
Cost
+1 step
x2
+2 steps
x4
+3 steps
x8
+4 steps
x16
Increased Damage: This upgr ade increases the weapons damage by one step on the Damage L adder (see sidebar). This doubles the cost each time it is done. If desired, instead of increasing the damage dice, a flat +1 add to damage can be taken. A
weapon cannot have more adds than half its maximum damage
roll.
Increased Range: This upgr ade increases the weapons r ange.
Damage
ladder
Range
Cost
Fire Arc s
Cost
+25%
x1.5
2 arcs
x2
1d4
+50%
x2
3 arcs
x3
1d6
+75%
x3
4 arcs
x4
+10 0%
x4
1d8
1d10
Fire Arc: This upgr ade allows a weapon to attack targets in multiple fire arcs. See more on page 5 3.
2d6
Autofire: This upgr ade allows a weapon to fire multiple shots in

one attack, allowing it to get more than one hit on a successful
attack.
3d6
2d8
2d10
3d8
Burst
Cost
Attack Bonus
Shor t Burst (1d3)
x2
+10%
Medium Burst (1d6)
x4
+20%
Long Burst (1d10)
x6
+30%
4d6
3d10
5d6
4d8
Note: In some cases, such as point defense, a r apid firing weapons benefit is is putting more shots on target in order to increase the chance of getting one hit, r ather than tr ying to get
multiple hits. The GM can allow someone to give up the ex tr a
hits from a burst in order to receive the bonus to attack.
Point Defense: This upgr ade allows a weapon to intercept incoming missiles before they hit, possibly destroying them. A weapon
with this upgr ade can make an attack against the missile, right
before it hits (just like a parr y). If the missile is destroyed, then
the ship takes no damage. Most missiles are unarmored and
only have 1 hit point. A weapon that is used for point defense
cannot be used to attack on the same round. Cost x2.
4d10
5d8
5d10
51
Armored: The weapon has its own armor. This has the same
cost as armoring a ship, and is based on the number of modules
the weapon takes up. The upgr ade is usually used to either give
a weapon more armor than the ship is in, or to make missiles
somewhat resistant to point defense weapons.
Increased Ammunition: This upgr ade increases the amount of
ammunition available for a weapon.
Shots = Ammuntion Modules/ Weapon Modules x 10 0
Spinal Weapon Mount: This upgr ade allows the weapon to tap
directly into the ships engines. The ship is prett y much built
around the weapon. This allows for a ver y power ful weapon, but
one with some serious limitations.
Engine
Modules
Free
Upgrades
2-3
A Spinal Weapon:
4-7
8-15
16-31
32-6 3
6 4-127
takes 1 round to charge up per module it takes up.

gets one or more free upgr ades based on the total number
of engine modules
uses up all the ships engine power when fired, dropping the
ships Speed to 0 in turn af ter it is fired.
a spinal weapon mount double the weapons cost. (x2).
128-255
x2
+1
Damage
See Damage L adder on page 51.
Armor
52
Armor is split into five categories: Primed for laser, par ticle
beams, electric, explosive and kinetic. Standard armor in the
Starship Combat chapter, is Multi-Primed and protects equally
well against all attacks. In advanced combat, armor can protect
at half value against some t ypes of attack. For instance, Sin-
gle-Primed Kinetic armor protects at full value against kinetic

attacks, but only protects at half value against all other weapons t ypes. Armor can be Single-Primed, Duo-Primed, TriplePrimed, Quad-Primed or Multi-Primed. The table on page 50 lists
what t ype of damage dif ferent weapons do.
Armor that is weak against a cer tain t ype of attack cost a little
less. For ever y damage t ype removed, cost will be lowered by
10%.
For ward
Lef t
Right
Af t
Fire Arcs
Fire Arcs represents the idea that mounted weapons can only
fire in cer tain angles. There are four arcs: For ward, Af t, Lef t
and Right. When using the advanced combat r ules, weapons fire
in one of the arcs unless they are upgr aded. Use with miniatures
for best result.
53
Hit Locations
For more realistic battles, but al so deadlier and more unpredictable, a system for hit locations can be used. For ever y successful attack, 1d10 0 is rolled t wice and a ship-specific char t is
consulted. A s the layout of starships var y quite a lot, ever y ship
has its own hit location char t prepared at the design stage.
Preparing a Hit Location Char t
All ships are divided into three Sections: Front, Mid and Stern.
Take the ships total number of Modules and divide in three
equal par ts (or as closely as possible). Depending on how many
Modules each Section holds, figure out how many percent each
Module represent.
Go through all Modules and write them down in each section as
you see fit, splitting functions if necessar y. This means that a 12
Module cargo hold can be split bet ween Mid and Stern sections
to maintain a good balance bet ween the Sections.
You can al so add ex tr a armor to specific Modules at the cost of
50 0 0 Cr. Write the total armor value down in the char t for each
Module. The standard armor value is not used, but keep it on the
Starship Sheet.
Each 5 ex tr a Hit Points you have bought for the ship (for better
str uctur al integrit y), works as a 1 point armor when damage
spreads from one Module to another.
D ynamic Shields makes it possible to have dif ferent values for
the shields in Front, Mid and Stern. Changes are declared at the
star t of a combat round.
54
E xample: Using The Night Bird on page 27, this is what a Hit Location Char t would look like.
The Night Bird

Front
Mid
01-33
Stern
34-66
67-00
Modules
1d100
Arm.
Modules
1d100
Arm.
Modules
1d100
Arm.
Cockpit 2
01-20
Crew 4
01-40
Engine 3
01-30
Crew 8
21-00
Lab 2
41-60
Maneuver 4
31-70
Weapons 2
61-80
Hyper 3
71-00
Sickbay 1
81-90
Cargo 1
91-00
Shields: 7, Structur al Integrit y: 2, E x tr a Armor: Cockpit

Hit Locations in Combat
When an attack is successful, subtr act Shields as usual, and roll
1d10 0 to determine which Section is hit, then roll 1d10 0 to find
out the exact Module being hit. Subtr act Armor. Each Module
take 1 Hit Point of damage and any additional damage goes into
the nex t lower Module in the char t, the nex t one again and so on
(going to the nex t Section if necessar y - roll 1d10 0 to see where),
reducing damage bet ween Modules if str uctur al integrit y is upgr aded. And dont forget to reduce total Hit Points as normal.
Ef fects of Damage
First hit: Damaged.
Second hit: Roll on Module Malfunction Table, nex t page. For
each succesive hit, dur ation/severit y increases according to the
Dur ation Table.
All Modules of the same t ype are hit t wice: System is non-functional.
Tick the hit Modules to keep tr ack of damage.
55
Module Malfunction Table (1d6):

1. Complete module power failure
2. Minor leak
3.
4.
5.
6.
Major leak
Module gr avit y broken
Module control s unresponsive
Critical hit: Re-roll on this table. +2 on dur ation table
Duration Table:
1. One round
2. 1d6 rounds
3. Until repaired
4. Until repaired, Repair at -25%
5. Until nex t landing and Repair
6. Until nex t landing and buying new par ts.
Personal damage: Ever yone on board the ship must al so make
an Agilit y roll (DE X x5) to avoid 1d6-1 damage.
See r ules for Repair (Starship) and Self-Repair for getting the
ship fully functional again.
56
BRP STARSHIPS
Front
01-33
Modules
HIT LOCATIONS
Mid
34-66
1d100
Arm.
Modules
Stern
67-00
1d100
Arm.
Modules
1d100
Arm.
58
59
Constructs
rom the bronze giant Talos in Greek my th and Rabbi Loews

clay golem to Terminators, droids, and Major Kusanagi, speculative fiction abounds with animate ar tificial beings.
About Hit Locations

If using hit locations, the constr ucts total HP is irrelevant;
tr ack only damage to specific locations. Damage to a location has
the following ef fects:
Abdomen: At 0 HP or less the constr uct loses use of its legs, but
suf fers no other ef fects unless
noted.
Basic Roleplaying, a.k.a. the Big Gold Book, contains a few sample robots, written up much like other, more organic creatures:
STR, CON, SIZ, INT, POW, DE X . In contr ast, look at some of the
undead: Skeletons lack CON, Ghoul s lack POW, and Vampires
lack permanent POW but feed on Power Points. The chapter
on Equipment states that objects with CON are ex tr aordinarily
r are.
This ar ticle will outline r ules to dif ferentiate Constr ucts from
living beings.
General Rules for Constructs
Like inanimate objects, Constr ucts do not have CON. Hit Points
are equal to SIZ. Reducing a constr uct to 0 HP immediately
deactivates it; damage below 0 makes it harder, and eventually
impossible, to repair.
Arm, Leg, Treads, etc: At 0 HP

or less, the attack disables the
limb. If its a leg, reduce MOV by
the fr action of legs remaining; if
treads, the constr uct is immobi-
Constr ucts that can only follow orders have Fixed INT (BRP
p. 322); most constr ucts have INT 8 or more to reflect their understanding of speech and capacit y for logic. Sapient constr ucts
have regular INT.
lized. At -HP or less, the limb is

severed or destroyed. Damage to
an ex tremit y has no other ef fects.
Constr ucts lack POW, unless they have soul s or a presence on

the Spirit Plane. Constr ucts automatically fail Luck roll s, but
they ignore powers that af fect POW or MP, having no spiritual
presence and no animal instincts to cloud their reason. ( At the
GMs discretion, Constr ucts may al so ignore mind control, telepathy, and similar powers.)
60
continued ...
Constr ucts without POW may only use powers with a zero Power
Point cost, which dr aw Power Points from a built-in batter y
(similar to the ones in Equipment), or which have another limitation like Always On or charges.
A Constr uct will t ypically lack an APP statistic, unless it can impersonate a human being. In a world where constr ucts and humans mix freely and openly, constr ucts may have an APP score
to reflect body st yling.
Constr ucts gener ally require no food, sleep, or air, and are immune to poisons, diseases, and fatigue. It cannot heal on its
own, and healing spell s do not work; appropriate powers or
technical skill s will repair damage. Technological constr ucts
have optional r ules for r unning on batteries.
Constr ucts suf fer ef fects on the Major Malfunction table (page
50). Bleeding and impaling attacks do no ex tr a damage on a special success unless other wise noted. Other forms of attack may
or may not af fect constr ucts; see group or individual descriptions.
continued ...
Chest: Bringing a constr ucts
chest location bell 0 HP disables
it, unless other wise noted.
At
-HP or less, the constr uct can no
longer move any ex tremit y, and is
most likely destroyed.
Head: If the head contains the
constr ucts br ain or equivalent,
the constr uct is disabled at 0 HP,
and irretrievably destroyed at
-HP. Constr ucts with their br ain
in their torsos may have only a
sensor head; at 0 HP or less the
constr uct loses sight or hearing
(flip a coin), and at -HP it is totally
blind and deaf.
Robots
Robots are automatons which follow pre-set progr amming
which may be complex and/or orders from authorized users
given verbally or remotely. In high-tech societies, robots carr y
out a wide r ange of duties, such as manual labor, cleaning, repair, maintenance, war fare, assassination, disposal of hazardous material s. More sophisticated robots ser ve as butlers, personal assistants, and companions.
Robots tend to concentr ate on the task at hand to the exclusion
of all el se. If a robot is concentr ating on one task, most civilian
model s must make a Spot or Listen skill roll to notice even the
61
Drones are robots oper ated by

humans. A Drone has no INT,
and its ef fective DE X is the
lower of its oper ators and the
units.
Sapient Robots, if the GM approves, have regular INT rolled
r andomly. INT 8 becomes 3d6,
INT 12 becomes 2D6 +6, and 17
becomes 3D6 +6.
most obvious threats, and an Idea roll to react sensibly to events

outside their experience.
Robots usually need regular maintenance, even if they incur no
damage. Each month without maintenance, and each Fumble,
causes a -5% cumulative penalt y on all skill s until a technician
per forms proper maintenance.
Unlike most other creatures, a robots head t ypically contains
only sensors and associated circuitr y; most of their br ains reside in their torsos. Thus, a Head hit t ypically only blinds a robot, and does not disable it. E xcessive damage to the Chest or
Abdomen will deactivate the creature, possibly beyond repair.
Impaling damage to a robots power source (t ypically in the Abdomen) may cause a discharge of electricit y or r adiation. The
robots attacker (if in direct contact) suf fers the robots Damage Bonus in electricit y or r adiation burns. Radiation may have
longer-term ef fects.
Cargo Robot
Cargo Robots load and unload ships, with t wo power ful claws
and four power ful legs. Their ex treme strength is matched by a
surprising delicac y of touch.
Cargo Robot
STR
9D6+18
100
SIZ
9D6+18
50
INT
DEX
2D6+6
13
Move: 10
Hit Points: 50
Damage Bonus: + 8D6

Armor: 6-points metal chassis (br ain not in head, Constr uct
damage r ules)
Attack: Slam 35%, 1D6 +db (cr ushing)
Skill s: Listen 30%, Spot 30%
Hit Locations: Four Legged Humanoid (BRP p. 36 8)
62
Repair Robot
Repair Robots per form necessar y maintenance and repairs in
a high-tech installation. Their abilit y to learn from experience
can, over time, begin to resemble sapience.
One configur ation resembles a six-armed star fish, with a dorsal
sensor-head. Its made to oper ate in free-fall; under gr avit y, it
needs at least three manipulators to walk. The other, a barrelshaped body with treads, is more common on terrestrial installations.
Move: 8
Hit Points: 10
Damage Bonus: +0
Armor: 6-points metal chassis (br ain not in head, Constr uct
damage r ules)
Attack: Br awl 30%, 1D3+db (cr ushing), Power Tool s 50%, 1D6
(cutting or fire)
Repair Robot
STR
2D6+6
13
SIZ
1D6+6
10
INT
17
17
DEX
2D6+14
21
Skill s: Fine Manipulation 95%, Heav y Machine (Loader Drone)

95%, Hide 35%, L anguage (Lingua Nueva) 50%, L anguage (Standard Cybernetic Communication Protocol) 10 0%, Listen 75%,
Repair (Electronic) 95%, Repair (Gr avitic) 75%, Repair (Mechanical) 95%, Spot 75%, Technical Skill (Computer Use) 10 0%
Powers: Repair robots t ypically have the following abilities:
Built-In Toolkit: The constr uct has all tool s required for its
function built into its manipulators or chassis.
Built-in Communicator: The constr uct has a built-in connection to a computer or communications net work. The constr uct
can communicate freely with any other creature on the net work,
barring lack of wireless cover age or outages.
High-Tech Senses: The constr uct has super-human senses, including telescopic vision, low-light vision, infr ared and ultr aviolet vision, and sensitive hearing outside the normal human
r ange. Distance, darkness, noise, frequenc y, or size do not affect any Listen or Spot roll, within reason.
63
Hit Locations:
Star fish
D20
Locations
HP Formula
1-6
Body
2/5 total HP
7-8
Arm/Leg #1
1/4 total HP
9-10
Arm/Leg #2
1/4 total HP
11-12
Arm/Leg #3
1/4 total HP
13-14
Arm/Leg #4
1/4 total HP
15-16
Arm/Leg #5
1/4 total HP
17-18
Arm/Leg #6
1/4 total HP
19-20
Sensor-Head
1/5 total HP
D20
Locations
HP Formula
1-4
Treads
1/3 total HP
5-7
Abdomen
1/3 total HP
8-10
Chest
2/5 total HP
11-12
Arm #1
1/4 total HP
13-14
Arm #2
1/4 total HP
15-16
Arm #3
1/4 total HP
17-18
Arm #4
1/4 total HP
19-20
Sensor-Head
1/5 total HP
Barrel
64
Ser vitor Robot

Ser vitor Robots per form the ser vices of butlers, tr anslators,
personal assistants, and other staf f demanded by the rich and
famous.
Move: 8
Hit Points: 13
Ser vitor Robot
Damage Bonus: +1D4
STR
2D6+6
13
Armor: 6-points metal chassis (Constr uct damage r ules)
SIZ
2D6+6
13
Attack: Br awl 30%, 1D3+db (cr ushing)
INT
12
12
Skill s: Appr aise 85%, Bargain 55%, Etiquette (High Societ y) 95%,
Fast Talk 75%, Hide 25%, Insight 35%, Knowledge (Other Cultures) 75%, Knowledge (Linguistics) 10 0%, L anguage (all known)
95%, Listen 55%, Persuade 4 5%, Teach 60%.
DEX
2D6+6
13
Powers: O wners sometimes install the following options:

barring lack of wireless cover age or outages.
Hit Locations: Humanoid (BRP p. 36 8)
Infiltration Robot
Infiltr ation Robots masquer ade as organic beings to spy upon,
assassinate, or slaughter a group of humans. A few have been
reprogr ammed as bodyguards.
65
Move: 10
Infiltration Robot
Hit Points: 17
STR
9D6+18
50
Damage Bonus: +3D6
SIZ
2D6+10
17
INT
12
12
Armor: 12-points titanium alloy endoskeleton and Living Flesh

(Constr uct damage r ules)
DEX
3D6+14
25
APP
10
10
Attack: Br awl 90%, 1D6 +db (cr ushing), Sawed-Of f Shotgun 85%,
4D6 (impaling)
Skill s: Climb 85%, Command 4 0%, Demolition 4 0%, Disguise
60%, Dodge 90%, Drive (Car) 50%, Drive (Motorc ycle) 75%, Energy Weapon (all) 85%, Fine Manipulation 60%, Firearm (all) 85%,
Heav y Machine (Bulldozer) 4 0%, Heav y Weapon (all) 85%, Hide
60%, Jump 60%, L anguage (English) 50%, Listen 50%, Melee
Weapon (all) 85%, Missile Weapon (all) 85%, Persuasion 75%,
Repair (self) 25%, Spot 75%, Stealth 60%, Tr ack 60%, Throw 85%
Powers: Infiltr ation robots have the following abilities:
barring lack of wireless cover age or outages. (Stationar y constr ucts have a dedicated land line.)
Living Flesh: The constr uct has a covering of living flesh over
its metal exoskeleton, allowing it to pass completely as a human
(or other living creature). Any damage before armor exposes
metal underneath, but the skin repairs itself overnight unless
completely burned of f.
66
Synthetics
Synthetics cover a wide r ange of ar tificial life forms: sapient minds without bodies, sapient minds with bodies, and even
full-replacement c yborgs. All have free will, and humanlike INT
instead of fixed INT.
Synthetics can ef fect their own repairs, if the synthetic has the
required skill s, proper tool s, and the abilit y to reach an af fected
area.
Like robots, synthetics usually need regular maintenance, even
if they incur no damage. Each month without maintenance, and
each Fumble, causes a -5% cumulative penalt y on all skill s until
a technician per forms proper maintenance.
Synthetics fall into one of three categories:
Synthetic Minds, a.k.a. Ar tificial Intelligences, Infomorphs, etc.
are fully sapient minds which cannot move on their own; they
t ypically have only INT. Minds with POW have a psychic or magical component; alternatively, POW may stand in for control and
influence over other machines in a net work.
Ar tificial People, al so called Synthoids, Androids, G ynoids, etc.,
combine a Synthetic Mind and a Robot body. Ar tificial people
may resemble humans to some degree, but many find a wholly
nonhuman form better suited to their preferred environments
and professions.
Full Replacement C yborgs have synthetic bodies and a human
br ain connected to ar tificial life suppor t. FRCs prefer bodies as
humanlike as possible, but like Ar tificial People a few c yborgs
prefer environments where the human form is impr actical.
Advanced Synthoid ( Ar tificial Person)
An Advanced Synthoid augments a standard infiltr ation unit
chassis with a sapient mind, among other improvements. An
Impaling damage to a synthetics

power source (t ypically in the Abdomen) may cause a discharge of
electricit y or r adiation. The synthetics attacker (if in direct contact) suf fers the synthetics Damage Bonus in electricit y or r adiation burns. Radiation may have
longer-term ef fects.
67
Ar tificial Person can al so ser ve as crew replacement. Unfortunately, synthoids liter ally have a mind of their own, and frequently deviate from orders.
Move: 12
Advanced Synthoid
Hit Points: 13
STR
2D6+24
31
Damage Bonus: +2D6
SIZ
2D6+6
13
INT
2D6+10
17
Armor: 12-points titanium/cer amic fr ame and subdermal carbon fiber (Constr uct damage r ules)
DEX
2D6+14
21
APP
4D6
14
Attack: Br awl 90%, 1D6 +db (cr ushing), Stun Pistol 80%, 2D6
stun (knockback)
Skill s: Drive (Hover-car) 75%, Listen 80%, Navigate 70%, Pilot
(any) 85%, Repair (Electrical) 65%, Spot 80%, Science (Physics)
55%, Science ( A stronomy) 65%, Technical (Computer Use) 85%
Powers: A few owners, or the synthoid itself, may upgr ade to
give themselves Superpowers, or one of the following options:
Ar tificial Skin: The constr uct has a covering of ar tificial skin,
which is good enough to fool onlookers but not detailed examination. It will shred over time, and must be repaired like any
other par t of a constr uct.
68
Self-Repair: Nanotechnology repairs damage at 1 HP per day,

and automatically per forms most necessar y maintenance. This
capabilit y cannot reattach severed limbs without manual repair.
A s a side ef fect, the constr uct needs to ingest r aw material s to

fuel its repair systems and replace damaged elements.
C ybernetic Daemon (Synthetic Mind)
A Cybernetic Daemon exists in a world that blurs the distinction
bet ween science and magic. Its POW score reflects its abilit y to
dominate lesser systems, including environmental control s and
drones. While it resides somewhere in the physical substr ate
of its digital realit y, it keeps that place and the sites of its numerous backups a carefully guarded secret.
Power Points: 21
Skill s: Command 75%, Fast Talk 85%, Persuade 75%, Gaming 10 0%, Insight 60%, Knowledge (Cyberspace) 10 0%, Science (Cr yptogr aphy) 10 0%, Science (Mathematics) 10 0%, Sci-
C ybernetic Daemon
INT
6D6
21
POW
5D6+6
23
ence (Psychology) 60%, Str ategy 85%, Technical (Computer Use)

10 0%, Technical (Computer Abuse) 10 0%, Technical (Electronic
Securit y) 10 0%, Technical (Robotics) 90%, Research 10 0%
Powers: If the line bet ween science and magic are especially
blurr y, a Cybernetic Daemons tricks may resemble Magic, Sorcer y, or Super Powers.
Full Replacement C yborg (FRC)
Unlike other synthetics, FRCs have one biological component:
a human br ain, kept alive through biotechnology. Therefore, a
c yborg always has a POW score and a Luck roll.
Other dif ferences:
FRCs need to eat, although they require only a quar ter of the
amount of food a natur al human needs. Early model s needed
a special diet, while later model s consume any thing a human
can eat and use excess calories to recharge their batteries.
FRCs al so need to breathe, albeit at a quar ter of the r ate as a hu-
69
man. W ithout ox ygen the c yborg begins to suf focate, as its br ain
uses up what little ox ygen remains in its circulator y system.
The c yborg automatically takes suf focation damage each round,
as described on BRP p. 218. Cyborgs in hazardous jobs usually
install an internal ox ygen reser voir good for ten rounds or more.
Human-like FRCs t ypically put their biological br ains in their
heads and their life suppor t in their upper torsos. Thus, Head
and Chest hits have the same ef fect as on living creatures.
Despite a lack of CON, FRCs can succumb to poisons or diseases that breach their self-contained circulator y system. If an FRC takes a Major Wound, the FRC must make a
Luck roll to avoid damage to its bio-mechanical systems.
E xper ts in c yborg technology and biochemistr y can devise poisons and diseases specifically to elude filters bet ween its respir ator y or digestive system and its bloodstream.
If a biological agent enters the c yborgs life suppor t system, e.g.
through an impaling head or chest wound, it has full ef fect on
the c yborg. (E xception: par aly tics and the like have little or no
ef fect, since a FRC has no muscles to speak of.) If it sur vives,
its filtr ation systems will remove the toxin at a normal r ate.
Below is a t ypical pattern for an FRC which looks human but
hides augmented STR and DE X .
Full Replacement C yborg
70
Move: 12
Hit Points: 13
STR
2D6+14
21
Power Points: 11
SIZ
2D6+6
13
Damage Bonus: +1D6
INT
2D6+6
13
POW
3D6
11
Armor: 6-points titanium/cer amic fr ame (Constr uct damage

r ules)
DEX
2D6+14
21
APP
3D6
11
Attack: Br awl 90%, 1D6 +db (cr ushing), Heav y Pistol 75%, 1D10+2
(impaling)
Skill s: Br awl 60%, Dodge 80%, Fast Talk 60%, Drive 75%, Firearms (Pistol) 75%, Gr apple 4 0%, Insight 55%, Knowledge (L aw)
65%, Listen 60%, Mar tial Ar ts 30%, Spot 60%, Technical (Computer Use) 90%
Powers: Occupants sometimes upgr ade their bodies with technology that mimics Superpowers. A few c yborgs may possess
Psychic Powers, although br ain tr auma and an ar tificial body
may hamper them at the GMs discretion. Cyborgs may learn
Magic or Sorcer y if they find themselves in a world that permits
it, with worse complications than Psychic Powers.
Depending on available technology, funds, and personal preference, c yborgs may al so possess some or all of the following:
Ar tificial Skin: The constr uct has a covering of ar tificial skin,
which is good enough to fool onlookers but not detailed examination. It will shred over time, and must be repaired like any
other par t of a constr uct.
Built-In Toolkit: The constr uct has all tool s required for its
function built into its manipulators or chassis.
Living Flesh: The constr uct has a covering of living flesh over its
metal exoskeleton, allowing it to pass completely as a human (or
other living creature). The skin is equivalent to sof t leather armor. Any damage before armor exposes metal underneath, but
the skin repairs itself overnight unless completely burned of f.
Self-Repair: Nanotechnology repairs damage at 1 HP per day,
and automatically per forms most necessar y maintenance. This
capabilit y cannot reattach severed limbs without manual repair.
71
A s a side ef fect, the constr uct needs to ingest r aw material s to

fuel its repair systems and replace damaged elements.
Battery Power (Optional Rule)

For simplicit y, these r ules assume high-tech constr ucts have
enough power for all their systems. Alternatively, the player or
GM can tr ack power as a number of days of oper ation. Units deployed in the field for long periods might store 28 days of power,
while smaller
Cer tain activities shor ten (or ex tend) this time by a factor of
time spent in the activit y:
Complete Shutdown (sleep)
x0.01, or x0.5 for

cyborgs
Routine duties, light loads, normal movement
x1
Hard labor, heavy loads, moving at speed, more

computation than normal
x2
Combat, maximum effort, using all available

resources to solve a problem
x5
Direct Recharge and Maintenance
add 4 hours per

hour
Alternative refueling (e.g. simulated digestion)
add 8 hours per

meal
When the constr uct reaches the end of its oper ating time, the
constr uct will suf fer the following ef fects until its nex t recharge.
72
5% remaining
Skill tests at -10%
1% remaining
Skill tests at -30%, -10% movement
15 minutes remaining
Average skill tests are Hard, -50%

movement
5 minutes remaining
All skill tests are Hard, reduced to MOV 1
0 minutes remaining
Total shutdown, possible death of

personality
Skill penalties do not af fect mental skill s of a Full Replacement

Cyborg; life suppor t takes priorit y over other systems. Penalties do apply to skill s requiring speech, perception, and movement.
73
Major Malfunction Table
74
d100
Result
01-10
Cosmetic damage; if the construct has APP, lose 1D6 APP,

otherwise no effect.
11-20
Armor breach; reduce Armor Points by 1D3 AP (or one die

type: 1D12 -> 1D10 -> 1D8 -> 1D6 -> 1D4 -> 1D2 -> 0).
21-30
Locomotors (legs, treads, etc.) impaired; reduce ground MOV

by 1D3
31-40
One manipulator performs its function(s) at half skill until

repaired.
41-50
One manipulator loses all function.
51-60
A sensor system is impaired; any skill dependent on it is at

half value. If the same system is hit again, it is destroyed.
61-70
Construct loses 1D6 STR
71-80
Construct lose 1D6 DEX
81-90
Construct lose 1D6 INT
91-94
One randomly chosen special ability is disabled; if the construct has none, roll again.
95-96
Construct loses its ability to speak.
97-98
Construct loses use of one non-combat skill, chosen randomly.
99
Construct goes berserk and lashes out blindly at anything

nearby; anyone who gets too close must make a Luck roll to
avoid getting hit.
00
Construct loses all power and is deactivated.
Manipulators: Manipulator is fanc y robot talk for an arm. Some

constr ucts have only t wo arms, others have a dozen arms, each
specialized for a task. The constr ucts description should include how many arms it has. For manipulator results, choose
r andomly among those still functioning. If the same manipulator
is impaired t wice, it is disabled.
Sensors: A sensor provides information about the constr ucts

environment: vision, hearing, touch, taste/smell, r adar, sonar,
r adio communications, and so for th. Again, choose r andomly
from the list of functioning systems. For the purposes of these
r ules, assume each sense has exactly one system; one hit affects the entire circuit, not a specific area.
Repair
A qualified technician can repair each of these malfunctions,
given time and the right par ts. In a world of predominantly Iron
Age technology, qualified technicians and par ts may be a long
time coming.
Rarely, constr ucts have self-repair systems that restore hit
points. A ssuming damage hasnt disabled this special self-repair abilit y, the constr uct will fix all malfunctions when it reaches its maximum HP.
75
76
77
Alien Creation
C
BIOSPHERE
reating believable aliens can be hard. We do, af ter all, have

ver y little experience of ex tr a-terrestrial life. The images
and stories spread by popular culture is not always the best
source of inspir ation, as those being were created to fit a manuscript, not an alien world.
UNI V ER S A L S:
MOT IL E 2
UNI V ER S A L S:
MOT IL E 1
UNI V ER S A L S:
SE S SIL E 1
The following r ules will help with the creation of aliens, making
it both easier and more fun. Its not a replacement for creativit y,
but r ather a tool to spark it.
The r ules are divided into t wo steps. First, the universal blueprints of all living beings on a planet are defined, and nex t separ ate alien species are developed from those universal s.
L IF E FORM 1
L IF E FORM 2
L IF E FORM 3
L IF E FORM 1
L IF E FORM 2
L IF E FORM 3
L IF E FORM 1
L IF E FORM 2
L IF E FORM 3
Universal Life Form Parameters

i.
Str angeness: 1-10, where 1 represents Ear th-like, 5 Alien and
10 Really str ange. The str angeness par ameter adds a good over
all picture when interpreting all the results below.
ii.
A biosphere can be descr ibed as
hot, cold, garden wor ld, aquaeus,
deser t, high r adiation, sulphur
r ich, thin atmosphere, low gr avit y
and so on. Use the r ules for wor ld
building for more detail s.
78
Define something about the biosphere, and the universal s that

apply to all beings on the planet due to their hereditar y to each
other.
Biosphere: Write down 1-3 main par ameters about the biosphere, either from a world already created, or make some up.
Biodiversit y: Define how rich life is on the planet. Default is 1

sessile (plant) group, 2 motile (animal) groups. High biodiversit y: +1 sessile, +1d4 motile. Low: 1 sessile, 1 motile.
iii.
Body plans: Working as generic blueprints for all beings, with
Str angeness can al so be used as a

negative modifier for all communication skill s. Multiply Str angeness
with 10, and use the modifier whenever communication skill s are used
with humans or other aliens (for both
sides).
separ ate body plans for the dif ferent motiles and sessiles. Roll
for these five for each group:
Size:
1d10 0
01-10
11-20
21-30
31- 4 0
41-50
51- 60
61-70
71- 8 0
81-10 0
Size
Sub 1
1-6
7-15
16-2 0
21-3 0
31-5 0
51-75
75 -10 0
10 0 +
Fr ame:
01-3 3 Endo-Skeleton, 3 4-66 E xo-skeleton, 67-0 0 No fr ame
Symmetr y:
01-25 Bilater al, 26-50 A symmetrical, 51-75 Radial Symmetr y,
76-0 0 Spherical Symmetr y
Limbs:
1d10 0
0 -10
11-30
31-50
51- 8 0
81-90
91- 0 0
Limbs
5-8
1d10 0
Bilater al: Body can be spilt in t wo

similar par ts. Radial: Body is roughly
circular, with similar par ts repeated
r adially. Spher ical: Roughly spher ical in for m, with par ts repeated all
over the sur face.
Segmentation:
Many beings divide their body into par ts, either the whole body,
limbs or specific organs.
Roll 1d4 for the number of segments. Segmented par ts can be
Insects are the t ypical segmented

ear th life for m.
body, limbs and/or organs.
79
iv.
Universal s: Roll or pick 1d3 tr aits that apply to all beings in a
body plan group.
The tr aits listed here seems to
have developed independently sever al times here on ear th, and its
likely that they will occur again
el sewhere. The exact same evolutionar y path will not be followed
t wice though. Even if fur will be
the outcome, it will have a slightly
dif ferent biology behind it.
Dealing with contr adic tor y roll s:

If a r andom method is used to create alien life for ms, sooner or later contr adictor y results will occur
from the dif ferent tables. There are
sever al ways to deal with this. The
most simple solution is to re-roll
natur ally, but sometimes its good
to wait a second and give the contr adiction some thought. Can it be
used as a creative spr ingboard, to
venture into solutions not tr ied before? Can the t wo results make a
wor king combination by just fudging them slightly? If time allows, tr y
these pathways, and possibly you
will be rewarded with some highly
or iginal mater ial.
80
1d10 0
Universal Tr ait
01-11
Fur
12-23
Intelligence
2 4-35
Defensive weapons
36-47
Flight
4 8-59
Sense organs (of ten close to the br ain)
60 -71
Stages of life, 1d4+1*
72-8 3
Sexes, 1d4+1
8 4-95
Mouth (for intake of energy)
96- 0 0
Sunlight or heat conver ted into energy
* create one being for each stage, more or less similar to each other.
Life forms
W ith universal s defined, the actual alien is to be detailed. It is
recommended to create a handful of beings, filling dif ferent
roles in the ecosystem. Star t with one in each Body Plan group,
then proceed to create variations on the first motile.
Decide which body plan group the being belongs to, one motile
group is probably most commonly encountered by char acters.
Classification and habitat: Define the role it plays in the ecosystem (forest tr apper for example).
Filter feeder s eat small objects (animal s, seeds etceter a) suspended in

the atmosphere.
1d10 0
Classification
Type
01-25
Producer
Plant
26-50
Her bivore
Gr azer, Filter feeder
51-75
Omnivore
Gatherer, Scrounger
76- 0 0
Car nivore
A mbusher, Chaser, Pouncer,

Raider, Stalker, Tr apper
1d10 0
Habitat
1d10 0
Habitat
01- 07
Water/ Pool / L ake / Sea
51-57
Forest / Tree
08-14
Stream / River
58-6 4
Underground /Cave
15 -22
Shore / Reeds
65 -72
Deser t /Dunes /A r id
23-29
Plain / Meadow/Open
73-79
Wetland
30 -36
Tundr a
80 -86
Ice /Snow/Glacier
37-4 3
Semi-open
87-93
Mountain
4 4-50
Bushes
94- 0 0
Rock y
Roll multiple times for interesting

combinations.
Size modifier: +/-1d3 on the Size table on page 69.
Advantages: These are the specifics that have kept the being
alive through the ages, and that have helped it to car ve a niche
in the ecosystem. Pick or roll 1d3 times on the table on the nex t
page and tr y to find interesting combinations.
81
A r t as an advantage?
The Swedish biologist
Svante Pbo has presented the idea that the
biggest dif ference bet ween moder n humans
and neander thal s is
that they had no dr ive
to express their exper iences to other s (and not
that their intelligence
was lower, as we tr aditionally have believed).
Right from the star t,
moder n humans seem
to have utilized flutes,
images and probably
stor y-telling,
eventually leading to what we
today call the ar ts.
Could this be the advantage that gave moder n humans the edge in
the long r un?
1d10 0
Advantage
Description
01- 06
Perception
Choose 1d3 senses that are heightened
06-12
Fast
DE X 20 + and /or Movement 14+
13-18
Flight
Gas bag, wings, glide
Camouflage /Hide /
B y appear ance and /or Skill (75% and higher)
19-2 4
25 -30
Climb
31-36
Second habitat
37-4 2
4 3-4 8
49-5 4
Second
Natur al abilit y (like stick y feet) or Skill (75% or

higher)
Moves equally well in, for example, liquid and on
land (or in air/gas)
Breathes both gas and liquid
atmosphere
Tool user
See Tech Level Table. TL 0 for tool using animal.
Fine
Finger s, toes, lips, ear s, tail s, tentacles
Manipulation
55 -60
Shar p
Thor ns, teeth, claws, beak, hor ns, r idges
61-66
A r mor
E xo-skeleton, bony plates, hard scales, coar se skin
67-72
Poison
73-78
Builder
79-8 4
Communication
85 -8 8
89-94
95 - 0 0
82
Stealth
Psionic s / Psionic
Building complex nests, for protection and /or to

change ecos ystem
Simple, Complex (ape, whale, dolphin, bee),
L anguage
See chapter on psionic s
Immunit y
E x tr a Sense
Intelligence /High
Intelligence:
1d3 ex tr a senses. Heat, bacter ia, movement, electr icit y, magnetism (compass), specific chemical s
Intelligence: 7-15, High Intelligence:16 +
1d10 0
Disadvantage
01- 0 4
Immobile
05 -12
Fr agile
Low hit points, no ar mor
13-20
Slow
DE X <x x, Movement <x x
Rare / Vulner able
Hard to find fully functional
habitat
ecos ystem
21-28
29-36
Hunted
37-4 4
Disease-r idden
45 -52
Af fec ted by pollution
5 3-60
Eggs /Cubs
61-68
Inter nal Conflic ts
69-76
Hier archy/Obedient
77-8 4
Missing one or more

of the senses
85 -92
Hiber nation
93- 0 0
Food /energy scarcit y
Description
Cannot move. DE X 0. Suitble
for producer s /plants
Intensely targeted by a car nivore

Reduce CON by 25-5 0%.
Changes in the environment
af fec t the beings negatively
For K-str ategists, this is a
danger-filled per iod
Fighting about food, leader-
Empathy
Somewhere bet ween a behaviour, advantage and disadvantage empathy is
placed. Use this tr ait wisely, to for m
the basis of a societ y or to expose individual beings to dif ficult decisions.
Aliens completely without empathy
will r arely for m societies. A small
kind of empathy encompases the
closest beings. A medium kind,
have empathy ex tend to a complete
herd, village or group. A large kind
of empathy ex tends to almost all living beings.
A s with humans, empathy var ies bet ween individual s, and can be shaped
by philosophical or religious ideas
present in a societ y.
ship etceter a
Individual s not able to make
their own decisions
Remove 1d3 senses
Spends consider able time in
deep sleep
Reduce CON by 20%
Disadvantages: This describes some of the problems the beings

are str uggling with, or what makes it more vulner able. Roll or
pick 1d3 Disadvantages above, and tr y to find interesting combinations.
83
Behaviour: 01-10 In Harmony, 11-20 Curious, 21-30 Patient, 314 0 Watchful, 41-50 Suspicious, 51-60 Hiding, 61-70 Afr aid, 71-80
Easily Angered,81-90 Aggressive, 91-0 0 Detached.
Social: 01-20 Single, 21-4 0 Pair, 41-60 Small Group, 61-80 Herd
(from small to swarm), 81-0 0 Special (Par asite, Symbiotic).
Al so decide if the beings are K-str ategists or R-str ategists (producing only a few of f-spring and caring for them, or producing
many and not caring for them).
Communication:
1d10 0
Comm.
Description
Clicks, stomps, scr atches, mouth-sounds,
01-20
Sound
low/high frequenc y, sound gener ation with

other body par ts
The r ange communication can have

interesting ef fects on life for m behaviour. Tr y pictur ing the distance
needed to war n other s in their
natur al ecosystem, and this will be
the maximum r ange of communications. The nor mal communication r ange will be much shor ter,
per haps as low as 10%.
21-36
Scent
Spreading scents with var ious organs
37-52
Sight
Light, color, signs, infr a-red, ultr a-violet
5 3-68
Tactile
Touch
69-8 4
Psionic
See chapter on psionic s
85 - 0 0
Chemical
Similar to scent, though other sensor s

are used
Sever al communication forms can be combined, but pick one to

be the primar y.
Natur al weapons:
Many beings will be able to at least defend themselves, though
not all and not against an unusual threat (like humans). If they
do, pick a natur al weapon on the nex t page and use the following
base chances.
84
Primar y weapon: Low-powered 20% +DE X , Medium-powered

4 0% +DE X , High-powered 60% +DE X . Carnivores get at least
+10%. Secondar y/ Third weapons: 20-4 0%.
Skill s: To round of f the alien, add a few dominant skill s you find
appropriate: Animal s 0-3, Intelligence 1-5, High Intelligence
3-10.
Calculating characteristic s
STR: Two thirds of SIZ. If fr agile, one third of SIZ. For ever y 2 INT
above 5, STR is of ten lowered by 1.
CON: Two thirds of SIZ. If disadvantage Fr agile/Polluted/Disease, one third of SIZ.
SIZ: See above.
INT: Animal 3-6, Intelligence 7-15, High Intelligence 16 +, Mindless feeder/producer 0-2
POW: Animal 10, Psionic 16 +, Mindless feeder/producer 0
DE X: Slow 1-5, Immobile 0, Fast 20+. For ever y 5 SIZ above 20
DE X is lowered by 1.
1d10 0
Natur al
Weapon
Base Damage
01-10
Bite
1d6 +/-db
11-20
Claw
1d6 +/-db
21-30
Punch /kick
1d3 +/-db
31-4 0
Gr apple
1d3 +/-db
41-50
Cr ush
1d3 +/-db
51-60
Throw
1d3 +/-db
61-70
Hor n
1d3 +/-db
71-80
Sting
1d3 +/-db
81-90
Electr icit y
91- 0 0
Poison
Sur pr ised
to 3d6
Rash to 3d6
APP: >3d6 striking, awe-inspiring, beautiful. <3d6 ugly. APP is

always at -10 at first contact.
EDU: Animal /Plant 0, Intelligent primitives 5 +, Organized societ y 10+.
Movement: Normal 8-12, Slow <5, Fast 18 +. For ever y 5 SIZ
above 30, Movement is lowered by 1. Two movement values if the
being can move in t wo dif ferent atmospheres (air and water for
example).
85
86
1d10 0
Descriptive
1d10 0
Posture
1d10 0
Sur face
01- 05
Massive
01-20
Upr ight
01-14
Fur: Shor t or long
06-10
Slender
21-4 0
Hor izontal
15 -28
11-15
Pear-shaped
41-60
Diagonal
29-4 0
Scales ( AC 1-5)
16-20
Long
61-80
Bent
41-52
Chitinous ( AC 1-3)
21-25
Flat
81- 0 0
Crooked
5 3-6 4
26-30
Bent
65 -76
Patched
31-35
Split
77-8 8
Feather s
36-4 0
Bulbous
89- 0 0
Or namented /Color ful
41-4 5
Hammer-shaped
4 6-50
Box y
51-55
Ridged
56-60
Cr ystalline
61-65
Slither ing
66-70
Fat
71-75
Wedge-shaped
76-80
Spindle
81-85
Retr ac table
86-90
Hollow
91- 0 0
Bony/A ngular
Skin. Smooth or
coar se ( AC 1-2)
Tr ansparent /
Semi-tr ansparent
Appearence (Optional)
Hopefully the above process has given enough insights to
make it possible to conjure an image of the alien being. If
fur ther input is needed, roll or pick on the tables above.
Star t with descriptive terms for the whole being, and if needed, continue with specific body par ts or even sense organs.
Go through Posture and Sur face in the same way. Keep the
over all picture of the being (from the results above)in mind
all the time, to find interesting combinations.
High- & Low-Powered Aliens
Here are a few examples of how to make an alien species
higher or lower powered.
Low-Powered: Small size, fr agile, slow, weak or no natur al
weapons, no armor.
High-Powered: Big, strong, fast, lethal natur al weapons, intelligence, high intelligence, armored, coordinated (of ten as
a small group, but possible for pairs or herds too), tech level
matching the char acters, psionic.
Tech Level s & INT

Intelligence, 7-15: W ill eventually reach the stars in F TL ships.
Depending on how long time they have spent evolving, ever ything bet ween 0 and 10 on the Tech Level table is possible.
High intelligence, 16+: 50% chance that Tech Level surpasses
char acters Tech Level by 1d3. More primitive cultures exist too
natur ally - roll as above, though evolution to higher TL might be
faster, if they dont blow themselves up in the process, with the
Aggressive/Easily Angered behaviours.
Intelligence 4-6: Can be an animal or have a primitive culture
(Tech Level 0-1). W ill not evolve beyond TL 2, unless uplif ted by
another species.
Developing a Culture
For alien life forms of any Tech Level, the nex t step is to detail
their culture a bit more. The nex t chapter, World Building, is
mainly concered with that, and can help with defining a few basic
par ameters to make the world an interesting place for adventur-
Clothing will probably be wor n by

some alien species. Here is a list of
descr iptive words to make imagining
these a bit easier. Roll or pick 1d3
times.
01-10
11-20
21-30
31-4 0
41-50
51-60
61-70
71-8 0
81-90
91-0 0
Loose
Functional
Str ict
Patched
Coar se
Tight
Plain
Color ful
Smooth
Elabor ate
Roll another 1d10 0 to find out how

much of the body is covered.
ers.
87
BRP STARSHIPS
biodiversity
sessile no.
motile no.
strangeness
size
sessile no.
motile no.
strangeness
size
sessile no.
motile no.
strangeness
size
ALIEN
UNIVERSALS
biosphere
frame
symmetry
world
universals
limbs
segmentation
frame
symmetry
universals
limbs
segmentation
frame
symmetry
limbs
segmentation
universals
BRP STARSHIPS
world
strangeness
classification
ecosystem
communication
str
con
siz
int
pow
dex
app
edu
behavior
social
natural weapons
description
skills & powers
ALIEN
LIFE FORM
species
body plan
%
%
hit points
db
%
%
%
%
%
power points
advantages & disadvantages
90
91
World Building
nknown worlds are a staple of science fiction, and the following r ules are meant to help create them. You can either
star t with a world and create an alien r ace that inhabit it, or
star t with an alien and make up a world that match. The method
proposed is semi-r andom: Roll dice for some initial results, let
your creative side star t combining them into something interesting and then add some semi-r andom results to make the image more complete.
The main focus is on the culture of a world, especially the conflicts, as this is of ten more relevant to players than the actual number of gas giant moons or the spectr al t ype of the star
(though some detail s are provided for that too). This is what the
r ules cover:
World Conflicts & Conflict Intensit y
Outsiders: Forces standing beside the conflicts
If you need more detail s concer ning the scientific detail s of star
systems and planets, Gur ps Space
or Gur ps Tr aveller: Fir st In are
good resources.
Species & Ruling

Settlements & Population Densit y
Tech & L aw Level
Foreign Polic y
Solar System & Planetar y Spec s
The actual scientific knowledge we have today about other planetar y systems and how they function, is ver y limited. Quite a lot
of exoplanets have been detected, but no complete system has
been confirmed yet. Therefore, r ules like these are guesswork
and highly fictitious.
See page 108 for a blank, t wo-page World Sheet.
92
World Conflicts
Roll 1d10 0 1-3 times to find the conflicts that dominates the
world (or mix and match freely for more creativit y; have-not vs
small for example).
1d100
Conflict
Description
01-09
Good vs evil
The classic conflict, but it might not always be obvious who

is good and who is evil
10-18
Have-not vs have
For example Rich versus poor, people with power versus

people without, the ones with an essential antidote versus
those without it
19-28
Species vs species
On multi-species worlds this is an easy way out. But what if

they are highly dependent on each other?
29-3 8
Nation vs nation
Nation vs nation. You probably know all the nuances of this

already
39-4 8
Belief vs belief
This is quite popular these days, though it can of course be

a wider concept than merely religious: Capitalism/Communism/Environmentalism, Philosophers clashing etc.
49-5 8
New vs old
New money versus old money, new species versus old species etc
59-6 8
Tech vs primitive
A classic sci fi trope, with the primitives of ten finding surprising ways to strike back
69-78
Big vs small
Small nations/rebel groups/species versus the empire for

example
79-8 8
Reason vs belief
A special case of belief versus belief, where one belief is

viewed as a Tr uth. Science tends to fall into the former categor y, but it could ver y well be the other way around
89-0 0
Nature vs all
Natures powers can be terrif ying, even more so on an alien

planet. Geological dangers, poisonous plants, terrif ying
creatures, fire storms, psionic lichen - is nature protecting
itself or is it merely lethal to humans?
93
Conflict Intensit y
Conflict Intesit y determines how hot a conflict is. Roll once for
ever y conflict and indicate with a small arrow on the World Sheet
how it is developing over time.
1d100
Conflict Intensit y
Description
01-13
L arge scale war
All-out conflict. Ever y aspect of societ y dominated by the war
14-27
Small scale war
Smaller areas and groups involved in war activit y, only cer tain par ts of societ y af fected
28-41
Skirmishes
Isolated acts of violence & black ops, with bursts

of retaliation
42-56
Hatred & severe discrimination
Societ y as a whole is aware of the conflict, acting on it deliber atly and self-conciously. A majorit y, referring to tr adition, upholds the blatant
discrimination
57-71
Ignor ant
A large par t of societ y doesnt care about the

conflict, fueling it with their ignor ance
72-86
Debate & mild discrimination
Societ y as a whole is aware of the conflict, debating it, and tr ying to avoid acting on it. Tr adition and small groups keeps discrimination alive
87-0 0
Harmony & respect
The conflict is viewed as curious dif ferences

bet ween individual s, enriching societ y
Change over time:

94
Conflict is intensif ying

No change over time, given the circumstances
Conflict is cooling down
Outsiders
Optional r ule to make the conflicts less black and white, and to
identif y some people standing beside it, of fering an alternative
way for the players to get involved with the conflicts.
To determine Outsiders, roll again on the Conflict Table, but this
time pick only one of the t wo options listed for a result. Use this
one as a star ting point for an individual or group to act independently of the planetar y conflicts.
Then roll below to determine the influence they have on societ y.
1d100
Influence
Description
01-16
None
17-3 3
Invisible
Its like they dont exist, hard to find even when you are looking
3 4-50
Subversive
A more or less organized underground organization, r umoured

by many, spoken of by a some, known by a few
51-67
Diplomatic
Ver y well organized, moving discreetly in the corridors of power, maneuvering decisions in favour able ways
6 8-85
Minor Power
An ar ticulate group or individual, always consulted when decisions are made
86-0 0
Spin Doctors
These people set the agenda, and the rest of societ y follows in a
slower pace
Tech Level
Technology Level s measure the scientific capacit y of a world
and the complexit y and ef fectiveness of a piece of equipment.
Use the Tech Level Table on page 97 and roll 3d6-3. This will be
the gener al Tech Level of the world. Keep in mind that there
will probably be cases when there are dif ferent Tech Level s on
a world.
95
Tech Level s: Skill s and EDU

A s you tr avel to a wor ld with higher
or lower Tech Level, your EDU value
will var y (and your K nowledge roll
with it).
Alternate Technology Paths

Some worlds may not have followed the same path of technological progress as human civilization. Roll below to find out
how technology have developed dif ferently.
Skill s depending on local technology

will suf fer -20% for ever y higher TL
and -10% for ever y lower TL .
Alternate Technological Path, 1d6:
Up one TL: Skill s -20%, EDU -2

Down one TL: Skill s -10%, EDU -1
1-2
3
4
5-6
No deviation from the standard Tech Level

-1 Tech Level in one area
+1 Tech Level in one area
+1 step in one area, -1 in another and roll once more
Roll below to determine what areas of technology they

have developed dif ferently.
1d20
Technology Areas
1d20
Technology Areas
Agriculture
10
Energy
A stronomy
11
Manufacturing
Machiner y
12
Material s
Biology
13
Medicine
Chemistr y
14
Physics
Communication
15
Sensors or Optics
Constr uction
16
Tr anspor tation
Computers
17
Weapons
Economics
18-20
Unususal Technology *
* Examples include time travel, shape-changing, immor tality, psionics, biotech, advanced robotics and technology connected with species-specific
sense.
96
Tech Level Table

TL 0: (Primitive) No technology.
TL 1: (Primitive) Roughly on a par with Bronze or Iron age technology.
TL 2: (Primitive) Renaissance technology.
TL 3: (Primitive) The advances of TL 2 are now applied, bringing the germ of industrial
revolution and steam power.
TL 4: (Industrial) The tr ansition to industrial revolution is complete, bringing plastics, r adio and other such inventions.
TL 5: (Industrial) TL 5 brings widespread electrification, telecommunications and internal
combustion.
TL 6: (Industrial) TL 6 brings the development of fission power and more advanced computing.
TL 7: (Pre-Stellar) A pre-stellar societ y can reach orbit reliably and has telecommunications satellites.
TL 8: (Pre-Stellar) At TL 8, it is possible to reach other worlds in the same system, although
terr aforming or full colonization are not within the cultures capacit y.
TL 9: (Pre-Stellar) The defining element of TL 9 is the development of gr avit y manipulation,
which makes space tr avel vastly safer and faster.
TL 10: (Early Stellar) W ith the advent of Jump, nearby systems are opened up.
TL 11: (Early Stellar) The first tr ue ar tificial intelligences become possible, as computers
are able to model synaptic net works.
TL 12: ( Aver age Stellar) Weather control revolutionizes terr aforming and agriculture.
TL 13: (Aver age Stellar) The battle dress appears on the battlefield.
TL 14: ( Aver age Stellar) Fusion weapons become man-por table.
TL 15: (High Stellar) Black globe gener ators suggest a new direction for defensive technologies, while the development of synthetic anagathics means that the human lifespan is
now vastly increased.
Higher Technology Level s exist and may be discovered by pioneering scientists.
This list is taken str aight from Tr aveller SRD. Many games have similar lists, sometimes a
little more flexible, that can be used just as well.
Present time on Ear th is TL7-8 and suggested tech level for these r ules is around TL13.
97
L aw Level Table
1d10 -1
Weapons
No restr ic tions
Poison gas, explo-
sives, undetec table

weapons
Por table energy
weapons (except shipmounted weapons)
3
4
Dr ugs
Highly ad-
V isitor s must contact planetar y author ities by r adio,
dangerous
landing is per mit ted
narcotic s
any where
V isitor s must repor t passen-
Highly addic-
ger manifest, landing is
tive narcotic s
Combat dr ugs
Light assault weapons
Addictive
and submachine guns
narcotic s
weapons
per mit ted any where

L anding only at star por t or
other author ised sites
L anding only at star por t
Citizens must register of f-
A nagathic s
wor ld tr avel, visitor s must

register all business
All firear ms except

6
shotguns and stun-
Fast and Slow
ner s; car r ying weap-
dr ugs
V isits discour aged; excessive

contact with citizens
for bidden
ons discour aged

7
Shotguns
Tr avellers
dic tive and
Heav y weapons
Per sonal concealable
Information
All narcotic s
Free speech
cur tailed.
Citizens may not leave planet;

visitor s may not leave
star por t
Infor mation tech8
All bladed weapons,
Medicinal
stunner s
dr ugs
nology, any noncr itical data from

of f wor ld, per sonal
L anding per mit ted only to

militar y per sonel
media
A ny data from
9
A ny weapons
All dr ugs
of f wor ld. No free
No of f wor lder s per mit ted
press
98
This is taken from Tr aveller SRD, with some changes to remove

setting-specific information.
L aw Level
To determine the L aw Level, roll 1d10-1. The table lists illegal
objects and some regulations.
Population & Settlements
Roll t wo times on the table below to find out the population densit y and settlement str ucture. Star t by rolling the middle columns, Population Densit y. For results Ver y Low to Medium, roll
the second time on the columns to the right. If the results, on
the other hand, are from High to Super-Dense, roll the columns
to the lef t.
The first roll is at 4 0 if Tech Level is 4 or lower.
1d100
Settlement Structure
1d100
Population
Densit y
01-17
Ver y Low
18-35
Low
36-5 3
Medium
Settlement
Structure
1d100
Nomadic
01-19
Tempor ar y
Clusters
20-39
Dispersed
4 0-59
01-32
Towns &
Cities
5 4-70
High
V illages
60-79
3 3-66
Low Densit y
Spr awl
71-87
Ver y High
Towns &
Cities
80-0 0
67-0 0
High Densit y
MegaCit y
8 8-0 0
Super-Dense
For Tech Level s 8 and up, add 1d3 space stations and 1d3 insystem colonies for ever y additional level.
Keep in mind that settlements will strongly reflect the species
original biotope. A mega-cit y for example can be an ant hill, a
giant tree or an under water cor al reef.
99
Description of population densities:

Ver y Low
People are few and far apar t.
Low
Mostly unpopulated, with small clusters at large inter val s.
Medium
L arge areas are populated, but there are al so wide stretches of
unpopulated wilderness.
High
Densely populated areas are huge, and tr ue wilderness is gone.
Ver y High
Ver y large areas of high densit y and open space is a scarcit y.
Super-Dense
Most of the sur face is covered with multi-stor y buildings.
Starpor ts
Roll on table below to find the qualit y of a worlds best starpor t,
on ground or in orbit.
100
1d100
Type
Description
01-24
Full
Build and repair all t ypes of ships
25-49
Standard
Repair and larger upgr ades for common ship t ypes
50-74
Local
Simple repairs & maintenance
75-0 0
Emergenc y
L anding area & emergenc y gear
Tech Level and the qualit y of the starpor t is of ten related, but
there can be a number of reasons to deviate from this. A high
tech world might want to isolate themselves, and therefore having only a ver y simple landing site. Or a primitive world can have
a deal with a growing empire and keep a safe haven for their
ships.
Ruling
How a world is r uled can be a quite complex issue, and many
worlds will surely have dif ferent power str uctures in dif ferent
par ts. Roll below to get an indication on of ficial r uling and what
it is based on (and roll multiple times if there are sever al nations, for instance). To make it more complex, roll once more
for the actual, but informal, power str ucture, and write down in
parentheses.
1d100
Ruling
01-24
Anarchy
25-49
Dictatorship
50-74
Democr ac y
75-0 0
Council /
Semi-Democr ac y
1d100
Rule based on
(roll 1 to 3 times)
01-08
Belief
09-18
Species
19-28
Technology
29-3 8
Knowledge/ W isdom
39-4 8
Good looks
1d100
Species Structure
49-5 8
For tune
01-3 3
Single species
59-6 8
Random selection
3 4-66
1d3 dominant,
1d3 minor
69-78
V iolence
79-8 8
Heritage
Multi-species,1d6 +1
89-0 0
Prophec y
67-0 0
Species
Roll 1d10 0 to find out how many intelligent species are sharing
the world.
Write down the name/-s of the most impor tant species, and how
many more there are (to be detailed later if necessar y).
More detail s on creating other worldly species can be found in a
coming Aliens chapter.
101
1d100
Attitude
01-04
Aggressive
05-08
Intrigue
09-12
Peaceful
13-16
Secret
17-20
Negotiator
21-24
Provocative
25-28
Opportunistic
29-32
Union Builder
33-36
Neutral
37-40
Colonial
41-44
Trader
45-48
Closed
49-52
Passive
53-56
Explorer
57-60
Unpredictable
61-64
Low-key
65-68
Cultural Giant
69-72
Destabelizer
73-76
Fatherly
77-80
Sensible
81-84
Easily provoked
85-88
Old Glories
89-92
Empire builder
93-96
Dependent
97-00
Introvert
102
Foreign Policy
Foreign polic y describes a gener al attitude towards the rest of
the galax y, both close neighbours and distant empires. It consists of Attitude, Allies, Enemies and Par t of.
Attitude: Roll 2-3 times to cr af t an interesting realtionship to
the surroundings. Re-roll obvious contr adictions.
Allies: Write down what allies and friends the world has. Consider how strong the ties are and how stable they are.
Enemies: Find some enemies, old or new. Add detail s later,
about how and why.
Par t of: Is the world a par t of some larger political str ucture? It
may be empires, kingdoms, unions, feder ations and so on. Is it
par ticipating out of free will, or is there some pressure or necessit y involved (internal or ex ternal)?
W ith only a handful of worlds, relationships can quickly become
interesting, making it much more dif ficult for the players to
move around, and adventure hooks to spawn more ef for tlessly.
Star System & Planet Specs

For a slightly more detailed planetar y system and some physical
detail s about planets, roll up only the values you need below. Or
leave all blank, and roll them when the players actually need
them.
Note that some of the results here has perhaps already been
determined in the earlier steps.
Star Type: Roll 1d3, three times.
Blue, Yellow, Red
D war f, Normal, Giant
Single, Binar y, Trinar y
Number of planets: 3d6-2, where of 1d6 gas giants. Remove one
planet if you need an asteroid belt.
Planets in the habitable zone: 1d3 (+ 1d3 moons each)
Roll on the tables below for each planet in the habitable zone.
Planet Size
Planet size is probably most impor tant as a psychological hook
for the players. Resources and areas to explore will be suf ficient
on even the smallest planets, though it gives some guidance to
population size.
1d100
Planet Size
Gravit y
01-20
E x tr a Small
0.75 G
21-4 0
Small
0.85 G
41-60
Medium
61-80
L arge
1.15 G
81-0 0
E x tr a L arge
1.25 G
Bar ren sy tems or wor lds might seem

uninteresting, but could be used in
many ways. They can be sources for
r are miner al s, dr awing both cor por ations and individual s. Dissidents, refugees or goups seeking solitude can
colonize planets, moons or asteroids.
Scientific outposts may be located to
bar ren systems for many reasons.
Once a camp is set up, they tend to remain, if they are reasonably functional.
1G
103
Life (if not already defined)

For detailed r ules on life for ms,
see page 78.
1d100
Life
01-19
Lifeless
20-39
Single-cell life
4 0-59
Plant life
60-79
Animal life
80-0 0
Intelligent life (Tech Level)
O ver all climate

Planets with just one climate or biotope (ice planets or deser t planets) are
quite common in sci-fi. In realit y scientists believe this to be ver y r are, or
even non-existent: Even ver y cold or
hot wor lds are bound to have some climate var iation.
1d100
O verall climate
01-11
Ver y hot
12-24
Tropical
25-37
Warm
3 8-50
Ear th
51-6 3
Cool
6 4-76
Chilly
77-89
Ver y cold
90-0 0
Frozen
Percentage of planet sur face covered by water: 1d10 0. On a Ver y

Cold or Frozen planet, a large par t of it will be ice or snow.
104
Atmospheric Pressure
1d100
Atmospheric Pressure
01-19
Too thin (vacuum suit)
20-39
Thin (breathing mask)
4 0-59
Ear th-like
60-79
Dense (unpleasant)
80-0 0
Too dense (breathing mask)
Atmospheric Breathabilit y
1d100
Breathabilit y
01-24
Vacuum suit
25-49
Breathing mask
50-74
Unpleasant
75-0 0
Ear thlike
Unbreathable atmospheres can for example have too high level s

of methane, CO 2 , hydrogen, nitrogen, ammonium, be corrosive,
and/or contain pollutants (ashes, pollen, sulfur).
105
Star Mapping
Galactic
Nor th
Spinward
Trailing
Coreward
Rimward
Galactic
South
Dif ferent Densities: For really

dense par ts of a galax y (close to
the core or in a star cluster) 8 090% of the hexes will have a star.
For morespar se par ts 10-20% will
have star s.Placing star s just out of
reach of regular hyper space jumps
makes them a bit myster ious...
Star
faring
society
Hex number
Star
To make a star map for a splinter of a fictionalgalax y, the classic route is to create a hex map. They might look a bit unimaginative, but are quite pr actical. There is a blank hex map on the
nex t page to fill out.
You can al so use the free version of the progr am Hexogr apher
to make star maps. Here you can add the name of the star in
the hex, and small symbol s around the star to indicate some
impor tant facts. The symbol s are tied to Tr aveller Classic, but
its natur ally easy to change their meaning, as I have done here.
One hex represents 1 parsec, equalling 3.26 light years, (the
Milk y way is approximately 30 0 0 0 parsecs across) and al so the
distance tr avelled with Hyperspace 1. For ever y hex in normal
space there is a 50% chance that a star is present, and 8 stars
in 10 have a planetar y system. For stor y-telling reasons, a large
amount of these systems will have some kind of habitable planet. Political units could al so be marked, with lines or colors, and
other features of space that can af fect tr aveling (rif ts of empt y
space, slow F TL zones, debris-rich or pir ate infested areas for
example).
A map with 8x10 hexes is called a subsector. 16 subsectors (4x4)
are called a sector. You keep tr ack of subsector placement by
noting the names of the adjacent subsectors on the dotted lines
on all four sides of the star map sheet.
Life
Name
106
Planets
present
For a planet you want to detail, always write down the name of
the subsector and the number of the hex it occupies, to make it
easy to locate.
BRP STARSHIPS
subsector
sector
notes
BRP STARSHIPS
world name
WORLDS
solar system
conflicts
fraction
intensity
tech level
popul. dens.
law level
settlements
ruling
starport
species
outsiders
solar system specs
planet specs
BRP STARSHIPS
world name
solar system
fraction
conflict details
outsider details
general ideas
WORLDS
foreign policy
///e
t
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s t
Ayar World Map
Planetar y Map Generators

http: //topps.diku.dk /torbenm/maps.msp
http: //donjon.bin.sh/scifi/world/
(Incl. name gener ator)
http: //w w w.nbos.com/products/astro/astro.htm
(Commercial. A stroSynthesis by Nbos Sof t ware)
112
Design Notes
I have tried to keep tr ue to the ideas of BRP, but have deviated
from the guidelines in some cases. For ships, Modules and Apps
is a way to work with Powers/Skill s. Speed is loosly related to
ACC, and together with Handling and Size, is used as a sor t of
char acteristic for vehicles. The Size value has been the most
dif ficult to correlate, as it is so closely linked to the fundamental Module building block here, and the main r ules are quite unhelpful when it comes to large object sizes. All costs (in Credits,
Cr.) has been set to make them easy to conver t to whatever currenc y and value scale a setting is using.
The world building r ules are usable with any system, and not
limited to BRP. I have tried to minimize the number of par ameters to describe worlds and systems, but they grew over time
to make the r ules more descriptive and useful.
I would al so like to thank Atgx tg, Jason Dur all and Fr ank Mitchell for contributing material. And without the discussion for um
at BRP Centr al those r ules would probably not exist.
If you need more r ules, equipment or setting detail s to r un science fiction games with BRP, I can recommend River of Heaven
(tr anshuman setting) or Cthulhu Rising (hard sf inspired by the
Alien movies).

Clarence Redd
April December 2014
Basic Rolepl ay ing is the registered tr ademar k of Chaosium, Inc.
113
BRP STARSHIPS
communication
bargain05
command05
disguise01
etiquette05
fast talk05
language, own5xedu
language
perform05
persuade15
status15
teach10
manipulation
art05
craft05
demolition01
fine manipulation05
heavy machine01
repair15
sleight of hand05
mental
appraise15
first aid30
gamingint+pow
hit points
db
%
%
%
%
%
knowledge05
major wound
literacy5xedu
physical
climb40
dodge2xdex
drive20
medicine
psychotherapy
science01
astronomy10
physics
hide10
jump25
pilot01
starship
strategy01
technical05
sensors10
perception
insight05
listen25
navigate10
research25
sense10
spot25
track10
ride05
stealth10
swim25
throw25
clarence redd
race
home world
profession
age
mov
wealth
%
%
str
con
siz
int
pow
dex
app
edu
ver 2.1.1 november 2014
name
player
BRP STARSHIPS
weapons
player
%
hit locations
ap
01-03 right leg

04-06 left leg
07-10 abdomen
11-15 chest
brawl
grapple25
martial arts01
25
powers
16-17 right arm

18-19 left arm
20 head
power points
description
ver 2.1.1 november 2014
clarence redd
equipment
his is a simple rules system for

science fiction gaming in Basic
Role Playing (BRP), covering starship design & combat, alien creation,
robots and world building. It is intended for heroic sci-fi games, but
can be used for other st yles too.
To use these r ules you need the book
Basic Role Playing by Chaosium.
BRP STARSHIPS

BRP Starships 2.2

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What are the main sections covered in the rules?

What are the main sections covered in the rules?

What are some of the steps involved in starship design?

What are some of the steps involved in starship design?

BRP STARSHIPS

role-playing in the far future

BRP STARSHIPS 2.2

interior art by matthias utomo

Advanced Starship Combat

Basic Rolepl ay ing is the registered tr ademar k of Chaosium, Inc.

his is a simple rules system for science fiction gaming in

Please note that you will need

Starship Design & Construction

i write science fiction, and science

E xample Militar y Ship Sizes

Select Thr ust Rating (page

Select Thr ust Rating (page

1 Module/passenger. 4 Modules/passenger for longer

Cost per Module

1 Module/ton cargo. The

1 Module/Skill +5%. Max

4 Modules for AT V. 10 Modules for small fighter or

1 Module/jump r ange. Max 5

Cost per Module

1 Module per 10% as an opposed roll against Pilot skill

Two sensor t ypes per

Skill: Heav y Machine or Fine

Cost per Module & step

Speed & Handling Guidelines

The approximate length is a rough guideline to give a hint at how

Calculating Speed & Handling:

Note that all damage is in a scale appropriate for Starships. For

Protection & Recovery

Armor in space opera

Apps & Skill Enhancers

Rebuilding & Expanding

Crew & Passengers

Shor t r ange: Starship t ype, speed & direction, approximate

ship: 10% of the crew is needed

-4 Hit Points &

Ship Condition is reduced as follows: -10 each time maintenance

High- & Low-Tech Ships

his is an attempt at a starship combat system that is neither

Par tial cover

ter, 1d8+1, range 20

Campaign Power Level

Below is a list of skill s of ten used in sci-fi games, and a bit of

starship. In combat, roll once ever y third round for a tempor ar y

Use Str angeness x10 as a negative

Colonists are hardy individual s

Hit Points & Hit Locations

Trade & Cargo

Buy skill roll is a:

Sell skill roll is a:

Par ticle Grenade

At the weapons basic r ange, the

-5% Perception Skill s

-5% to Physical Skill s

Light Body Armor

-10% to Physical Skill s

Advanced Starship Combat