GURPS: Babylon 5


Sentient Races

There are many alien races in the B5 universe, including the four other major powers (Centauri, Minbari, Narn, and Vorlons), the members of the non-aligned races, and the Old Ones, about which little is rumored, and even less is known. None of these races are available as players, although PCs might interact with them from time to time. So far, the only information officially released (in any real volume) has been for the Centauri, the Minbari, and the Narn, and these have been as faithfully converted as possible. All other race statistics are purely speculative.

Brakiri- Tech Level 10

Brakiri Telepaths

Centauri- Tech Level 10 (+17 pts.)

DX +1 (+10 pts.) IQ+1 (+10 pts.) Advantages Alertness +1 (+5 pts.) Disadvantages Reputation -1 (Pompous, foppish, decadent) (-5 pts.) Intolerance (Narn) (-5 pts.) Required Skills Heraldry (Centauri) MH @ IQ-1 (+2 pts.) LS: Centauri MA @ IQ (0 pts.) AK: Centauri Prime (or colony world) @ IQ (0 pts.) Savoir-Faire ME @ IQ (1 pt.) Quirks Wear their hair according to their Status (-1 pt.) Centauri Telepaths

Drazi- Tech Level 10 (11 pts.)

ST +1 (+10 pts.) DX +1 (+10 pts.) Advantages DR +2 (+6 pts.) Disadvantages Appearance: Unattractive Bad Temper (-10 pts.) Quirks Elections held through conflict of randomly-chosen parties (-1 pt.) Required Skills LS: Drazi @ IQ (0 pts.) AK: Drazi homeworld (or colony world) (0 pts.) Brawling PE @ DX (1 pt.) Drazi telepaths

Gaim- Tech Level 10

Probably as Insect Men from Fantasy Folk, although they are bred for specific purposes, and are not generally humanoid.

Markab- Tech Level 10

Markab Telepaths

Minbari- Tech Level 11 (cost varies by caste)

ST +1 (+10 pts.) IQ +2 (+20 pts.) HT +1 (+10 pts.) Advantages (All) Technological Superiority +1 (+5 pts.) DR +3 (Brain Only, -67%) (+3 pts.) Silence- 1 Level (+5 pts.) Extended Lifespan- 1 Level (+5 pts.) Disadvantages (All) Code of Honor (Live Elegant Lives, Never Kill Other Minbari) (-10 pts.) Required Skills (All) Savoire-Faire (ME) @ IQ (+1 pt.) LS: Minbari @ IQ (0 pts.) AK: Minbar (or colony world) @ IQ (0 pts.) Warrior Caste Only get: Combat Reflexes (+15 pts.) Intolerance (all) (-10 pts.) Staff PH @ DX (+4 pts.) Total Cost for Warrior Caste: +58 pts. Religious Caste Only get: Sense of Duty (all who respect life) (-10 pts.) Skill: First Aid (ME) @ IQ (+1 pt.) Skill: History (MH) @ IQ (+4 pts.) Skill: Teaching (MA) @ IQ (+2 pts.) Total Cost for Religious Caste: +46 pts. Worker Caste Only get: Skill Bonus: +1 with all Craft skills (+6 pts.) Total Cost for Worker Caste: +55 pts. Minbari Telepaths

Narn- Tech Level 10 (+27 pts.)

ST +2 (+20 pts.) HT +1 (+10 pts.) Advantages Temperature Tolerance (Heat Only) (+5 pts.) DR +1 (+3 pts.) Strong Will +1 (+4 pts.) Disadvantages Reputation -1 (Mercenary) (-5 pts.) Code of Honor (-5 pts.) Intolerance (Centauri) (-5 pts.) Required Skills LS: Narn @ IQ (0 pts.) AK: Narn Homeworld or colony @ IQ (0 pts.)

Pak'ma'ra- Tech Level 10

Advantages Reputation +1 (reliable, honorable) Disadvantages Appearance (Hideous) Odious Racial Habit (Eats Other Sentients) Pak'ma'ra Telepaths

Vorlons- Tech Level 13? (a bunch)

ST +10 (+110 pts.) DX -2 (-15 pts.) IQ +3 (+30 pts.) Advantages Unaging (+15 pts.) Technological Superiority (+15 pts.)

Vree- Tech Level 10

Vree Telepaths
Technology-

The "Standard" tech level for the Babylon Project campaign is TL 10, with some races (see above) being above or below that. Even among those who share the same tech level, however, some variation is present. The Narns, for example, own technology that they took from the occupying forces of the Centauri, but that technology has not yet become pervasive in their society. Hence, their culture has not yet matured as much as some others. Another example is that of the Centauri, who are on the verge of Tech Level 11, and have some of the technology listed therein (their starships, for example, use a form of the gravitic drive which the Minbari have used for centuries).

Furthermore, not all technology is socially acceptable within each culture, which means that some devices have lasted past their introduced tech level, while some others have not been produced (at least not widely so) even though there are civilizations capable of producing such devices. Braintaping is a good example of this type of restricted technology. Although advanced cultures have been known to use this form of technology to rehabilitate serious criminals, (in conjunction with mindwiping or mindburning), none are known to use braintapes as a way of avoiding the death of individuals. Another example is the widespread use of PPGs among the star-faring races, even though more powerful weapons could be created. PPGs are maintained because they do not penetrate armor well, and thus can be used with relative safety aboard a starship or colony world, where high penetration weapons could lead to breaches in atmospheric containment. High-powered slugthrowers and flamers and such do exist, but are not used except in intra-atmospheric conflicts.

The following technological devices are prevalent among the starfaring races:

Weapons: All weapons described at Tech Level 9 and below, except for blasters, which are replaced by PPGs.

Personal Armor: All types described at Tech Level 10 and below, although powered armor is extremely rare due to it's high cost and need for custom fitting.

Medical Technology: All types of technology through Tech Level 10, although Bionics (TL 8) and Automedics (TL 9) are extremely rare, at least on Earth. Bionics were never the rage that the Cyberpunk genre of the 1980s and 1990s projected them to be, but are still used as prothetics when necessary. Automedics are in use by the military on combat vessels, but are not as well-regarded as living doctors, so have only been popular in the event of large-scale disasters or conflicts where they can be used to treat more minor injuries to make doctors available for the very seriously wounded.


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