Under the Stethoscope - the Doctors Career

Somebody call a Doctor!


This time out I will examine the Doctors career, introduced in Supplement 4, Citizens of the Imperium. Can a Doctor become an heroic adventurer? Let's find out.

My first impression is that the Doctors career models a University Medical school or Major City Medical system. The first thing that suggests this to me is the fact that the Doctors career is not easy to get into. The enlistment throw is 9+, one of the hardest. Only 28% of applicants get in. Intelligence and Dexterity are the key characteristics; odds of getting in improve to 72% (6+).

Once you're in, on the other hand, Reenlistment is easy, only 4+. Survival is almost automatic at 3+ (97%). With the Intelligence DM, survival IS automatic. This is the second indicator. The low Survival throw points to a safe, stable environment.

This by itself makes the Doctors career a desirable one. Will this encourage players to stay in service longer? Doctors get the automatic 2 skills per term, after all. With no worries about Sudden PC Death Syndrome (SPCDS)^tm, players may want to pile on the terms for that sweet pension and loads of skills.

What skills are available?

Medical skill has the most slots. This is no surprise. Four tables with six slots makes twenty-four skill entries. Six of them are Medical. If Medical-3 makes you a doctor, what does Medical-5 or -6 mean? Yes, this could happen.
Actually, the odds are even greater than 1-in-4 that a character will get Medical several times. Table 1 has only characteristic bonuses. Skip Table 1 and Medical becomes 1-in-3.

Note well though, here's another reason to stay on at The Hospital. Starting in term four, if you take one skill slot on Table 1, the aging table throws could be mitigated or neutralized!

Is space still dangerous in the Far Future?

Last night for our weekly movie night we watched 1986's Space Camp. Overall it was a good movie; perhaps not the most dramatic but a fun sit. In short, a group of teenagers attending NASA's Space Camp get accidentally launched into orbit in a shuttle that's only half prepared for space, and they have to get back down before the run out of oxygen and die.

The circumstances that led to them being in space were not that credible to me, and the practical effects  were good but not always consistent. Despite this, the main storyline was these kids and their adult supervisor suddenly having to do for real what they had been mock-training for, and coming together as a team without which they would have all died. One thing that the film did do well was demonstrate the difficulties of surviving in space and in zero-G. There was the lack of air, the disorientation of zero-G and the problem of not being able to stop or turn easily. Everything takes longer in space, and the hostile environment will kill you if you let your guard down. The kids all showed the fear that weighed on them as they tried to survive and get home.

Flash forward by several hundred years to the present in my TU, which is the year 924 SA (Space Age). The new calendar began sometime in the 22nd century AD when Jump Drive was introduced. Mankind has reached out into space. I wonder if they still think it's dangerous?

Grenades for Traveller

"Boy, it sure would be nice if we had some grenades, don't ya think?"

 - Jayne Cobb, Serenity. 

Book 4, Mercenary, introduced hand grenades into Traveller combat. Striker had a few of them as well, but I want more! So here's my list of grenades for Traveller. Each item lists the type, (introductory TL), cost in Cr, and effects. Grenade vs Armor DMs are presented in Bk4, Mercenary. All grenades weigh 1kg.

Fragmentation grenades (5) Cr 10
at TL 5-6, 4D damage at TL 7-8 6D, at TL 9+ 8D
Mini grenades (8) Cr 15
4D damage, enough to destroy equipment or damage a door.
Micro grenades (8) Cr 20
2D damage, sufficient to destroy a door lock


Smoke grenades (6) Cr 10
Covers a 10m radius in white or colored smoke. Lasts for 4 rounds.
Sonic grenades (9) Cr 25
Emits highly uncomfortable audible sound. All within 15m must throw END or less on 3D or retreat at top speed for 2 rounds. Sound lasts 4 rounds. Hearing protection or sealed armor: throw 3D-4 for END or less.
Tranq grenades(9) Cr 20
Releases a tranquilizing gas. All characters in a 3m radius take 2D against END. If END is reduced to zero, character falls unconscious for 10 minutes.
Anti-laser aerosols (9)
Covers a 10m radius in chemical smoke designed to defeat lasers. Treat all laser fire through the smoke as having an additional Armor DM of -6. Lasts for 4 rounds.
Irritant gas grenades (7) Cr 15
Releases a cloud of gas that causes nausea and temporary blindness. Roll END or less on 3D to resist the effects. Cloud persists for 4 rounds. Characters in sealed armor or gas masks are unaffected.
Cryonic grenades (10) Cr 40
Releases a super-cold gas that does 3D damage, and causes all liquids to freeze. Characters even in sealed armor can be frozen in place by ice accumulation and by the armor stiffening.
Thermite/Incendiary grenades (6) Cr 20
Used to destroy material. Will burn through metal or stone, and set flammable objects alight. Grenade lasts for 2 rounds. Characters within 1m take 1D heat damage, characters in contact take 4D damage.
Fusion grenades (14) Cr 50
The high-energy version of the thermite grenade. Will burn through even starship hulls. Danger space 10m radius. Heat damage in danger space 6D, in contact 16D. Armor DMs as FGMP-14.
Visual Distortion grenades (12) Cr 45
Uses subsonic vibrations to blur the air in a 5m radius. All fire through the distortion is at -4, laser beams get scattered, losing 2D from damage. Nothing can be seen clearly through the distortion field.
Entangling grenades (11) Cr 30
Releases adhesive strands much like a spider web. Any character within 3m must roll DEX or less on 3D to avoid being entangled. If entangled, throw STR or less on 4D to escape. Cutting a strand with a blade takes 9 points of damage against Cloth armor.
Illumination grenades (5) Cr 10
Negates all darkness penalties for targets within a 25m radius.  Any character who looks right at an ignited grenade must throw END or less on 3D or be blinded for 10 minutes.
 Lubricant grenades (10) Cr 35
Covers a 5m radius with ultra-low-friction silicone spray. Any character on foot in this area must roll DEX or less on 3D to remain standing. Lubricant is persistent,  it must be cleared away with surfactants.
Shock grenades (10) Cr 25
Releases an electrical charge that affects all characters at Short range on 5+. 3D damage.
Acid/chemical grenades (13) Cr 40
Releases an Acid spray designed to degrade Battle Dress. Roll 1D, armor loses that many points of Armor DM (CT) or AV (Striker). Alternatively, it releases a magnetic 'paint' that covers visors and distorts on-board sensors, rendering the suit blind.
Thermal decoys (9) Cr 15
Emits a thermal signature that simulates body heat. Lasts for 6 rounds.
Contra-gravity grenades (13) Cr 100
Creates a localized gravitational field. Can be set to negate local gravity, causing everything in a 4m radius to float, or to amplify gravity, inducing weight penalties for a size A planet (see the gravity effects table in TTB).

Rules for throwing grenades. Use the Throwing Blades rule in the combat section as a guide, but extend range to Medium. Thrower is considered Evading while throwing. If thrower has thrown 25 or more grenades in combat, add DM +1 to roll to hit. For every additional 25, add another +1.* Any grenade thrown at short range may affect the thrower (7+ to hit yourself); and grenade thrown at Close range will affect the thrower. 

Rifle Grenades are fired from rifles, auto rifles or carbines. The grenades come with an adapter and blank round to launch. Loading time is one round, during which the firer is treated as Evading. Maximum range is Long. 

Readers feel free to suggest your own specialty grenades in the comments! 

* There is no 'grenade throwing' skill in CT, and I don't see the need to create one, given the restrictions on skills. This DM advantages the experienced thrower without creating a new skill. 

Firefly and Classic Traveller with Andy Slack!

Over at the Halfway Station, Andy  shares the story of a Classic Traveller adventure that shares more than a little in common with Firefly (AKA the closest Traveller has ever gotten to the big screen).  Check it out!

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