The Babylon Project Optional Rules

As I mentioned in my review The Babylon Project is pretty light on specific rules. A lot of stuff is left to the GM to decide. This page is a collection of optional rules which expand or modify the basic game system. Use of any of these rules is totally up to the GM. Some of these rules do affect play ballance, so if you're a GM you should carefully consider their effect on your campaign.

According to the basic rules for The Babylon Project, it is impossible to play a character with a Psionic attribute greater than 6 (a P7 rating). While this might be fine for most campaigns, where at most one or two players want to be commercial telepaths, it can be quite restrictive if the GM plans to run a Psi-Corps based campaign. This optional rule provides a mechanic for allowing higher Psionics attributes without throwing the game system totally out of whack.

The cost of the Psionics attribute to 1sp per per point. That is, for every level of Psionics, the character has one less point to spend on Tertiary Skills. The Psionics attribute can ONLY be bought during character creation and can NEVER be improved beyond it's base value.

Telepathic ability is useless without proper training. To represent this, use a character's Effective Psionics attribute. A character's Effective Psionics attribute is 1, plus the value as their Telepathy skill, plus 1 for each specialty. If a character's Effective Psionics attribute is lower than their Psionics attribute, use Effective Psionics for all rolls instead.

Example: Robert is a young telepath, he has a lot of potential, but he lacks the skill to use it properly. He has a Psionics attribute of 9 (P12). Robert's Telepathy skill, however is a measly 1, with a specialty in Scanning. Robert's effective Psionics Attribute is 3. That is, 1 point base, the 1 point value of his Telepathy skill and 1 point for his Scanning specialty. If Robert wanted to scan someone, his Ability would be 6.

Megan is a commercial telapath, who has completed all of her training. She has a Psionics attribute of 4 (P5). Her telepathy skill is 4 with specialties in Scanning, Blocking and Broadcasting which cost her 6. Megan's effective Psionics attribute is four, since her Telepathy skill is just as high as her Psionics. If Megan wanted to scan someone her Ability would be 10.

Robert is more powerful by P-rating, but he lacks training. He would have to either get lucky or spend fortune points in order to scan Megan. Megan, on the other hand, could scan Robert fairly easily. Robert spent many more points on his Psionics attribute but his Ability is much lower than Megan's. It seems like he got a raw deal. However, Megan can improve her Telepathy skill at most one more point, after that, she's maxed out. Robert is less powerful now, but he can improve his Telepathy skill by four more points and purchase two more specialties before he reaches his full potential. When he does, he'll have an ability of 16, enough to cut through one of Megan's blocks quite easily.

So you (or one of your players) wants to play a Psi Cop. This system allows you to do so.

Alfred wants to play a Psi-Cop. He has a Psionics attribute of 9 (P12). He chose Telepathy for his Primary Skill during character generation so he has a level four in the skill with specialties in Scanning, Blocking and Broadcasting. This gives him an Effective Psionics attribute of 8 (1+4+1+1+1). He still has one more point before he reaches his full Psionic potential, but right now he has an ability of 14, making him a very powerful telepath.

This rule has the effect of making telepathy much cheaper and more powerfull. Any GM should think long and hard before using this rule in their campaign. This rule is meant for campaigns where all (or almost all) of the characters will be playing Telepaths. Since this rule reduces the game system disadvantages of playing a telepath, the GM should consider the social disadvantages (prejudice, being watched by the Psi-Corps, etc.).

Combat Sense: A skill whose initial level the GM assigns based on the combat experience the player has expressed in his background. The following is a guideline:

Characters can buy up Combat Sense 1 level to a maximum of 3, if they acquire the appropriate experience or training in the game. Buying higher levels requires a great deal of training or experience (and a combat oriented lifestyle) and always costs double if GM approves it.

Rather than rely strictly on the Initiative attribute to determine initiative order, all combatants now make a standard Random Modifier roll and add their Combat Sense level to it. (Making it impossible for level 5ers to ever roll negitive).

The result is then used to modify either Initiative or Defense or split between the two. Defense is the character's Agility or Agility plus appropriate skill.

A negative Initiative means the character hesitated. A negative Defense means he's over extended or caught off balance.

For example a Level 2 Combatant makes a roll and gets +3 for a total of +5. He may choose to increase Initiative by 3 and defense by 2, or Initiative by 1 and Defense by 4 etc. (thus no need for the Aggressive, vs Defensive Postures of the original version). If instead he had rolled a -5, he would now have -2 to divide between Initiative and Defense.

If multiple combatants are declaring how they wish to allocate their points they can do so in reverse base Initiative order (so the highest natural Initiative can see what others have done before making his choice).

In running through a few mock battles this system takes substantially less time to do than to describe.

The Babylon Project is produced by WireFrame Productions, Inc. under license from Warner Bros., and is co-published by Chameleon Eclectic Entertainment, Inc. BABYLON 5 characters, names, and all related indicia are trademarks of Warner Bros.

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