TEXT: Written by PHIL MASTERS
  Edited by THOMAS WEIGEL
  Additional Material, Consultancy, and Template Assistance by DAVID PULVER
  Additional Material by DAVID MORGAN-MAR
  Art by PAUL DALY, JESSE DEGRAFF, MATT KRESGE, RAMÓN PÉREZ,
  CHRISTOPHER SHY, DAN SMITH, and BRIAN TARSIS
  An e23 Sourcebook for GURPS
  ®
  STEVE JACKSON GAMES
  Stock #37-6701
  Version 1.0 – December 4, 2006
  ®
  
  2
  CONTENTS
  GURPS,  Warehouse 23, and the all-seeing pyramid are registered trademarks of  Steve Jackson Games Incorporated. Pyramid, 
  Changing Times, e23, and the names of all products published by Steve Jackson Games Incorporated are registered trademarks or trademarks of 
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  copyrighted materials. Your support of the author’s rights is appreciated.
  Lead Playtester: Jeff Wilson
  Playtesters: Frederick Brackin, Roger Burton West, Ze’Manel Cunha, Eric Funk, Anthony Jackson, Rev. Pee Kitty, 
  Jonathan Lang, Brett Pasinella, Bill Seney, Antoni Ten
  A Summary for New Players . . . . 4
  INTRODUCTION . . . . . . . . . . . 5
  ABOUT THE AUTHOR . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
  ABOUT GURPS  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
  1. TRANSHUMAN SPACE
  CAMPAIGNS. . . . . . . . . . . . 6
  CONCEPTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
  The Baseline Wave. . . . . . . . . . . . 6
  Waves and 4e Tech Levels. . . . . . . 6
  Crossing Waves . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
  Less Advantages at Home. . . . . . . 8
  Campaign Focus . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
  Campaign Moods: Excitement 
  and Terror. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
  Campaign Moods: Satire 
  and Comedy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
  Gritty vs. Cinematic . . . . . . . . . . 13
  APPROPRIATE CHARACTERS . . . . . 14
  Mandatory Features. . . . . . . . . . 14
  Character Legality . . . . . . . . . . . 14
  Team Building . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
  Weird Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
  RUNNING GAMES  . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
  “Our Servants Will Do 
  That For Us” . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
  Gathering Information . . . . . . . 15
  Combat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
  Adventures in 
  (Relative) Safety?. . . . . . . . . . 16
  Exceptional Wealth . . . . . . . . . . 16
  Tracking Character 
  Capabilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
  Mutable Point Totals. . . . . . . . . . 17
  2. A GM’S VIEW
  OF 2100 . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
  TECHNOLOGY AND SOCIETY  . . . . 18
  The Waves. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
  Ubiquitous Computing . . . . . . . 19
  Microbots . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
  Nanotech. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
  A Game of Ideas . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
  Biotech . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
  Artificial Life. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
  Memetics. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
  THE STATE OF EARTH  . . . . . . . . . 21
  The Power Blocs . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
  GURPS System Design ❚ STEVE JACKSON
  GURPS Line Editor ❚ SEAN PUNCH
  Indexer ❚ THOMAS WEIGEL
  Page Design ❚ PHIL REED and ––––
  JUSTIN DE WITT
  Production Manager ❚ MONICA STEPHENS
  Art Director ❚ WILL SCHOONOVER
  Production Artist ❚ ALEX FERNANDEZ
  Print Buyer ❚ MONICA STEPHENS
  Marketing Director ❚ PAUL CHAPMAN
  Sales Manager ❚ ROSS JEPSON
  Errata Coordinator ❚ ANDY VETROMILE
  GURPS FAQ Maintainer ❚ –––––––
  STÉPHANE THÉRIAULT
  CONTENTS
  
  CONTENTS
  3
  Memes at War . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
  Reasons to Travel . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
  LIFE OFF EARTH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
  The Practicalities of 
  Space Flight. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
  Opportunities in Orbit. . . . . . . . 24
  Mars. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
  The Olympus Project. . . . . . . . . . 24
  Mercury and Venus . . . . . . . . . . 25
  The Outer System . . . . . . . . . . . 25
  EMPLOYERS AND
  EMPLOYMENT  . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
  Law Enforcement . . . . . . . . . . . 26
  Private Investigations . . . . . . . . . 26
  Intelligence Work. . . . . . . . . . . . 27
  Software Agents. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
  Dangerous Masters . . . . . . . . . . . 28
  Military Organizations . . . . . . . 29
  Working for Industry. . . . . . . . . 29
  Conspiracy 2100 . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
  Enforcing Intellectual 
  Property . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
  CAMPAIGN IDEAS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
  African Hearts, 
  Transhuman Minds . . . . . . . 30
  Orbital Storm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
  Bringer of War . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
  Ts and Cs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
  Time Travel to 2100. . . . . . . . . . . 32
  Caught in the 
  Communal Web . . . . . . . . . . 32
  Peruvian Gothic . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
  3. GURPS 4E UPDATE:
  CHARACTERS . . . . . . . . . 33
  CHARACTER DESIGN . . . . . . . . . . . 33
  Attributes and Secondary 
  Characteristics . . . . . . . . . . . 33
  Vehicle ST and Other 
  Attributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
  Cultural Backgrounds . . . . . . . . 34
  Disadvantage Limits. . . . . . . . . . 34
  Character Points . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
  Wealth, Status, and 
  Cost of Living . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
  Fifth Wave Characters. . . . . . . . . 36
  Transhuman Space 
  Status Table . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
  What Cost of Living 
  Gets You in 2100 . . . . . . . . . . 38
  Advantages and Perks . . . . . . . . 38
  “Vessel” Cybershells. . . . . . . . . . . 39
  Talents for 2100. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
  Perks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
  Disadvantages and Quirks . . . . 41
  Bioroid Social Stigmas 
  and Wealth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
  Meta-Traits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
  Features. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
  Skills . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
  New Features. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
  Brain Hacking. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
  Computer Intrusion Under 4e. . . 46
  Memetics as a Wildcard Skill . . . 46
  Memetic Operations . . . . . . . . . . 47
  Memetics. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
  TEMPLATES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
  Humans. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
  Human Genetic Upgrades. . . . . 48
  Parahumans and Bioroids . . . . 48
  Uplifted Animals . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
  Infomorphs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
  IQ 0 in GURPS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
  Indomitable Ais and 
  “Machine Empathy”. . . . . . . 52
  Terminology: Sapience . . . . . . . . 52
  Cybershells . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
  Bioshells . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
  CONVERTING EXISTING
  CAMPAIGNS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
  4. GURPS 4E UPDATE:
  TECHNOLOGY . . . . . . . . 60
  WEAPONS AND EQUIPMENT . . . . . 60
  Software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
  Communications Implants . . . . 61
  Sensors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
  Weaponry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
  Weapon Tables. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
  Medical Treatments. . . . . . . . . . 64
  VEHICLES  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
  Bioship Templates. . . . . . . . . . . . 67
  APPENDIX: OFF-THE-SHELF
  ALLIES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
  INDEX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
  
  4
  TRANSHUMAN SPACE: A SUMMARY FOR NEW PLAYERS
  Transhuman Space: A Summary for New Players
  The year is 2100; the future is in the balance. Transhuman
  Space takes, broadly speaking, an optimistic view. There has been
  no global nuclear war, no great catastrophe; pollution and global
  warming, while by no means ended, have been more or less brought
  under control; resources mostly meet needs.
  But this isn’t a utopia either. There are still wars, tyrannies, and
  gross inequalities, and privacy is hard to find. Indeed, new sciences
  have created new evils.
  Biotechnology
  Most people, in advanced areas at least, have had all clear genet-
  ic problems eliminated in the womb, and many are enhanced, some
  to the point where they are no longer strictly Homo sapiens.
  Advanced medical treatments can largely eliminate disease (for a
  price), and lifespans are growing longer – though true immortality
  remains a dream.
  Bioroids are synthetic beings, mostly created as servants and
  lacking some human complexity – but they still think and feel.
  Biotechnology can also “uplift” other species to near-human intelli-
  gence, create exotic farm animals and pets, and synthesize drugs
  which can modify the human mind to order.
  Engineering
  Computers in 2100 are powerful and cheap, though not super-
  human; processors are embedded in almost every piece of technol-
  ogy. They are controlled by infomorphs, most of which are artificial
  intelligences ranging from nonsapient “NAIs” – clever talking user
  interfaces – through low-sapient “LAIs” – versatile, self-motivated,
  but not-quite-human minds – to fully sapient “SAIs.” It’s also possi-
  ble to scan a human brain to create a ghost, an apparently perfect
  infomorph model, but as this destroys the brain, opinions are divid-
  ed over whether it’s a path to immortality or an expensive form of
  suicide. Cybershells, the machine bodies which infomorphs inhabit
  and control, range from industrial machinery and weapon systems,
  through beautiful “cyberdolls,” to “wearables” and even implants
  within human bodies.
  Nanotechnology (micro-scale engineering) is currently limited to
  “wet nano” – pseudo-biological creations which manipulate organic
  processes.” Dry nano,” capable of manipulating any matter on an
  atomic scale, is a hopeful research topic. Portable 3D printers can
  manufacture complex objects to order, while microbots are insect-
  sized robots which work in collaborative swarms.
  Space
  Fusion-powered ships can cross the solar system in a few
  months. Indeed, fusion power is one key to humanity’s wealth, but it
  depends on helium-3, a rare isotope which must be mined from the
  surface of the moon or the atmosphere of Saturn. This is one of the
  major reasons for the growth of space flight. Meanwhile, a Chinese-
  dominated colony on Mars is terraforming the planet while modify-
  ing humanity to live there, and space navies, criminals, and bizarre
  ideologies are expanding through the void. Earth orbit is downright
  crowded, and may grow even more so when the space elevator cur-
  rently under construction is complete.
  Memetics
  Memetics is a young science of the mind. It sees “memes” (ideas
  and thought-patterns) as propagating like genes, using minds as
  their hosts, mutating and adapting as they go. Some people dismiss
  memetics as either seriously unreliable or, worse, deeply amoral and
  manipulative. Memetics isn’t magic mind control; rather, it raises
  the ancient arts of propaganda, rhetoric, and teaching to new
  heights. Populations are increasingly seen as a memetic battle-
  ground for radicals, politicians, and pranksters.
  The World Powers
  There are several Great Powers. China is the largest, though
  more advanced in some areas than others; the E.U. (European
  Union), a loose but expanding confederation, is perhaps the most
  advanced. The USA is still a force to be reckoned with, controlling
  helium mining on Saturn, but increasingly divided socially.
  The TSA (Transpacific Socialist Alliance) is a relatively weak
  confederation driven by a “nanosocialist” ideology which promotes
  the redistribution of information. It is a major concern in world pol-
  itics, having fought a war with China in the 2080s and triggered the
  formation of the PRA (Pacific Rim Alliance) as a counterbalance.
  India also has the power to make itself heard, as does the Islamic
  Caliphate, a high-minded theocratic alliance.
  The Waves
  Technology determines much about the state of human society.
  The first great “wave” was defined by agriculture, and the second by
  the Industrial Revolution; by the end of the 20th century, humanity
  was riding the third, powered by digital computing. In the 21st cen-
  tury, most of the world experienced a Fourth Wave, based on genet-
  ic technology; now, it seems, a Fifth Wave is rising, based on a com-
  bination of nanotechnology, memetics, and artificial intelligence.”
  Fifth Wave” societies are the wealthiest on the planet, but no one
  can be quite sure where they are heading.
  
  This supplement is designed to help you run games in the
  Transhuman Space setting. It consists of a guide to GMing
  and playing in the setting, and an extensive set of notes on
  updating Transhuman Space material to GURPS, Fourth
  Edition.
  While this book might be considered a “GM’s Guide to
  Transhuman Space,” there is little or nothing here that will
  have to be kept from players. Instead, it answers the question,
  “What do I do with this setting?”
  Read on, and find out.
  ABOUT THE AUTHOR
  Phil Masters is a British games writer, previously responsi-
  ble for a number of GURPS and other RPG supplements,
  including Personnel Files and a chapter of High Frontier for
  Transhuman Space; he was also co-author of GURPS
  Banestorm and GURPS Powers for GURPS 4e, and 
  many other books. He’s trying to change with the times 
  himself, but not always succeeding. His website is at
  www.philm.demon.co.uk.
  A face-to-face meeting with Gao Yanghou is
  never a comfortable experience. It doesn’t help
  that you can never know whether it’s really
  him or just one of the Swarm – his sculpted
  hatchet-men. Though it probably doesn’t actu-
  ally make much difference, especially if the
  rumors are true about the shadows running in
  their implants.
  This time, I was meeting – whoever it was
  I was meeting – in a warehouse on the edge of
  the Anglo quarter of New Shanghai. The
  choice of venue might have been his idea of a
  joke, but I try not to assume too much about
  the sense of humor of the man who runs the
  Triads in the capital of Rust China.
  He stood five meters away from me, and
  handed a package to one of his lesser flunkies.
  The man scurried over and handed it to me. It
  was a blank in augmented reality, no ID chips,
  but when I opened it up, my wearable decided
  that the logos and canister design gave it an
  80%-plus chance of being genuine. I gave it
  100%; Gao doesn’t play stupid games.
  “From the Belt?” I asked.
  “Fresh down the elevator this morning,” he
  said.“The latest Omokage refinement.” I won-
  dered if this meant that Gao had settled his dif-
  ferences with Xie Feng out on Hesheng – but
  that was another subject not to be discussed.
  “Your price?” I asked.
  “You know of the bioroid known as Sally
  Xan?” he replied, and my wearable woke up.
  “Not a good job to take,” it murmured to
  me, “Xan’s a Triad-made bioroid, but
  America/Mars got hold of her. She’s a
  Commonwealth agent these days.”
  I tried not to smile. Things were suddenly
  turning interesting.
  About GURPS
  Steve Jackson Games is committed to full support of GURPS play-
  ers. Our address is SJ Games, P.O. Box 18957, Austin, TX 78760. Please
  include a self-addressed, stamped envelope (SASE) any time you write
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  include:
  Pyramid (www.sjgames.com/pyramid/). Our online magazine
  includes new GURPS rules and articles. It also covers the d20 system,
  Ars Magica, BESM, Call of Cthulhu, and many more top games – and
  other Steve Jackson Games releases like Illuminati, Car Wars,
  Transhuman Space, and more. Pyramid subscribers also get opportu-
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  New supplements and adventures. GURPS continues to grow, and
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  Errata. Everyone makes mistakes, including us – but we do our best
  to fix our errors. Up-to-date errata sheets for all GURPS releases,
  including this book, are available on our website – see below.
  Internet. Visit us on the World Wide Web at www.sjgames.com
  for errata, updates, Q&A, and much more. To discuss GURPS 
  with SJ Games staff and fellow gamers, come to our forums at
  forums.sjgames.com. The GURPS Changing Times web page can be
  found at www.sjgames.com/gurps/books/changingtimes/.
  Bibliographies. Many of our books have extensive bibliographies, and
  we’re putting them online – with links to let you buy the books that
  interest you! Go to the book’s web page and look for the “Bibliography”
  link.
  Rules and statistics in this book are specifically for the GURPS Basic
  Set, Fourth Edition. Page references that begin with B refer to that book,
  not this one.
  INTRODUCTION
  5
  INTRODUCTION
  
  “You don’t look like the usual contractors I carry.” The human
  pilot was making casual conversation as the OTV coasted.
  “No, we’re just out here for a short while.” The passenger
  who’d spoken fidgeted in his cramped couch.
  “Phew – expensive day trip you’re on.”
  “Seems like we’re needed.”
  A second passenger switched out of his briefing display with
  a muttered command, hoping that a quick answer would stop
  the pilot from chattering any more. “We’re cops,” he said flatly,
  “Genetic Regulatory Agency.”
  Transhuman Space is a setting – a panoramic view of a
  diverse solar system. A Transhuman Space campaign requires
  something more specific; a subset of the locations available in
  that system, some things for PCs to do, a guiding theme or
  idea. This chapter is about campaign design – about moving
  from the panoramic to the specific.
  Choosing appropriate locations and things to do demands
  some decisions. Given all the possible directions of the game,
  the GM has to nail the basics down from the beginning.
  THE BASELINE WAVE
  Other sourcebooks have discussed the “waves” which
  define the technological and social state of things in various
  parts of the world of 2100. (See especially Fifth Wave, p. 7.)
  The wave which the PCs are riding will define their likely level
  of wealth and resources, as well as their comfort with the most
  advanced technology and its personal consequences – which in
  turn has a major effect on the feel and style of the campaign.
  Third Wave
  A Third Wave setting places the PCs at the margins of the
  Transhuman Space world, in a situation not too different
  from the early 21st century. Third Wave characters see bioroids
  as strange, alien creatures – perhaps as “vat-grown soldiers”
  employed by their foreign-backed government, or as “synthet-
  ic servants” in images of the luxurious lives of the super-rich.
  While cybershells are a straightforward enough idea – Third
  Wavers know all about machines – true artificial intelligence is
  another extraordinary concept, and the idea of machines
  becoming superior to humanity in any way should worry most
  of them. Actual encounters with such things will be rare and
  challenging.
  Third Wave PCs are stuck out on the margins, struggling to
  make their way in the world, even though they may have a
  secure place in their own local societies. The problem with this
  situation is that it downplays much that is interesting about
  Transhuman Space – it precludes playing any really exotic
  character types, traveling into space, or helping determine the
  course of human evolution. Still, it enables players who are
  unfamiliar with the setting material to ease their way into it
  gently, with less initial “future shock,” perhaps moving to more
  advanced areas later as they gain familiarity with the world.
  The idea may also have a certain “cyberpunk” appeal for some.
  The less-advanced regions of 2100, and the way things tend to
  happen there, are discussed in detail in Broken Dreams.
  Remember that areas like these are poor and backward, and that
  there are usually reasons why places get in such a state.
  Sometimes it’s a misfortune of past history, and local society may
  be working to catch up with the rest of the world; the government
  may be quite competently promoting development. In that case,
  game plots can revolve around efforts to acquire and exploit
  advanced resources on the cheap, whether by legitimate trade
  (with the PCs perhaps working as or for brokers, acting as body-
  guards and guides to foreign visitors, or investigating criminal or
  6
  TRANSHUMAN SPACE CAMPAIGNS
  CHAPTER ONE
  TRANSHUMAN
  SPACE CAMPAIGNS
  CONCEPTS
  Waves and 
  4e Tech Levels
  The Transhuman Space waves correspond fairly
  well to GURPS 4e tech levels; Third Wave is TL8,
  Fourth Wave is TL9, and Fifth Wave is TL10. But
  remember; the world is Fifth Wave, and the world is
  globalized. The future shocks from the Fourth and
  Third Waves are all decades in the past; now, only
  the economic distinctions really remain, and few
  people are shocked by anything but the Fifth Wave
  cutting edge. A poorly-educated character from a
  backwards area might have a level or two of the Low
  TL disadvantage, but most people, even in such set-
  tings, can have picked up any TL10 skills and famil-
  iarities they need through Web access and use of
  cheap but adequate imported gadgets.
  
  dubious projects), or by illegal means (with the PCs as crooks or
  cops). Examples in 2100 include Armenia, Ghana, and
  Cameroon.
  In other cases, such as Kyrgyzstan, South Sudan, or
  Cambodia, development may be stymied, as political or cul-
  tural deadlocks prevent the area from advancing. In that case
  the setting will tend to feel backwards and corrupt, or at least
  culturally restricted; ambitious individuals will dream of get-
  ting away to somewhere better, or, if they’re idealists, of
  changing the local system. Scenarios can still involve
  attempts to improve things, but they’ll feel much harder, per-
  haps even fruitless.
  Lastly, some Third Wave areas such as Haut-Zaire and
  Afghanistan are outright hell-holes, held back by the com-
  plete failure of civil order and social cohesion. These places
  are likely to be violent and dangerous, possibly being used as
  proxy battlefields by more advanced powers, and competent
  PCs will be forced to take sides in fights, even if they dream
  of getting out or somehow resolving the place’s many prob-
  lems. Scenarios in such a setting are likely to be military or
  paramilitary in nature; potentially exciting, but maybe rather
  nihilistic.
  Fourth Wave
  In a typical Fourth Wave game, the PCs are still out on the
  margins of advanced society. They are unlikely to have info-
  morphs to perform the wide range of tasks routinely handled
  by software in Fifth Wave settings, although their computer
  resources can still be quite respectable. They should, however,
  be familiar with advanced biotechnology, including bioroids.
  Fourth Wave locations can be quite prosperous. They
  include less advanced areas of major global powers such as
  China and the USA, as well as “second-line” nations such as
  Kenya and many outlying members of the European Union.
  Conversely, there is nothing to stop them being conflict 
  zones; Transhumanist biotechnology is driving social unrest 
  in Nigeria, Ecuador faces threats to its borders from 
  TRANSHUMAN SPACE CAMPAIGNS
  7
  Sometimes, PCs from a given background will venture
  into areas where the general level of technology and relat-
  ed social assumptions – the “wave” – differ from what
  they’re accustomed to. These incidents should be treated
  as interesting roleplaying opportunities, as the characters
  find that crucial assumptions are unreliable and the com-
  plexity of the transhumanist world is brought home to
  them.
  “Visiting Up”
  Characters visiting a higher-wave region than they’re
  accustomed to should be prone to confusion, practical
  problems, and probably emotional responses – classic
  “future shock.” (See also “Social Transition Stress
  Disorder,” Broken Dreams, p. 55.) A lot of this should be
  reflected in practical ways, such as PCs finding that they
  don’t have the virtual interfaces and augmented reality
  gear that they need to operate in society, shortages of
  funds, or lack of nanomod treatments to protect them
  against hostile nano or zero-G. The game rules express this
  idea with TL penalties, but enthusiastic roleplayers can
  take the opportunity to play it as something more; a
  chance to respond honestly to the radical nature of the
  Transhuman Space world, as their characters suffer the
  same confusion that they might feel themselves. The PCs
  might feel jealous of or inspired by the greater technologi-
  cal power of the advanced world, but they might also dis-
  approve, seeing transhuman technologies as dehumaniz-
  ing, new social models as amoral, and Fifth Wave people
  as smug and exploitative.
  “Visiting Down”
  Characters based in a higher-wave region who visit less
  advanced areas will also be disadvantaged and disoriented,
  especially if they can’t prepare properly; their advanced
  technology relies on continually available resources.
  Computer access is harder is lower-wave regions – systems
  can’t always access the Web, and even if they can, connec-
  tions may be slow and unreliable. The lack of augmented
  reality or fast search tools may be frustrating and even
  confusing. Likewise, power and fuel supplies, ammuni-
  tion, and so on, may be hard to obtain.
  Some PCs visiting lower-Wave environments may be
  arrogant, some may be sympathetic, and some may take
  the opportunity to promote their own pet ideologies – to
  plant their personal memes in potentially fertile soil. Aside
  from what it says about them as people, such behavior can
  have repercussions, especially if the PCs turn out to need
  local help later.
  The Technological Edge
  Alternatively, characters based in a lower-wave area can
  have personal access to higher-wave technology, giving
  them an advantage over less sophisticated or wealthy
  locals. Many Third Wave power elites have Fourth or Fifth
  Wave gear; it’s just that the masses around them don’t.
  A single tech level can make a big difference in technol-
  ogy. Weapons have better range, accuracy, and hitting
  power, while armor is likewise improved. A high-Wave
  adventurer may also have infomorph or cybershell support
  that enables him to effectively handle several tasks at once,
  or to work from a safe position while his opponents are
  exposed to danger.
  This sort of advantage can lead to arrogance or com-
  placency. Low-tech doesn’t mean stupid, though, and even
  a Third Wave opponent will have some access to the Web,
  which can provide information on high-tech gear’s limita-
  tions and vulnerabilities. Still, advanced equipment used
  with ruthless subtlety can produce very scary results; see
  the description of Alma-Ata in Broken Dreams . . .
  Crossing Waves
  
  nanosocialist neighbors, and even Kenya is suffering from
  social complications caused by the Olympus Project (p. 24).
  Fourth Wave regions don’t necessarily see themselves as poor
  or backward, although the inhabitants will be aware that tech-
  nology and lifestyles have developed further in other parts of
  the world. They may be working to catch up, with a fair chance
  of doing so in the fairly near future, or the local culture may be
  relatively cautious, unwilling to accept the radical technology-
  driven changes that progression to the Fifth Wave demands.
  PCs may become actively involved in the “drive for
  progress,” importing and implementing Fifth Wave technolo-
  gies, or they may work for a cause with more complicated
  ideals. They may also have to deal with the machinations of
  Fifth Wave agencies who see Fourth Wave nations as profitable
  targets for exploitation or manipulation – especially when
  something like the Olympus Project draws their attention to
  these areas.
  A Fourth Wave setting is different enough from today for the
  game to feel rich and strange, but not so exotic as to confuse the
  players to the point where they can’t roleplay their characters
  properly. The PCs will have to rely on their own skills and
  resources rather than on software to perform many tasks – but
  these personal abilities can be varied and interesting. On the
  other hand, such settings may feel like too much of a compro-
  mise, lacking the bleeding-edge excitement of the Fifth Wave
  and the street-level satisfaction-in-survival of the Third.
  Fifth Wave
  Many game groups will want to play in the Fifth Wave, the
  state of the art of the Transhuman Space setting. In the great
  cities and technological enclaves of North America, western
  Europe, South Africa, and southern China, businessmen,
  secret agents, politicians, law enforcers, and memetic engi-
  neers struggle with everything that’s special and dazzling about
  the setting, sometimes shaping the future but often simply
  struggling to discern that shape before it engulfs them.
  Fifth Wave areas are wealthy, as stable as their own tech-
  nological advance permits, and have well-established govern-
  ments. Interpersonal violence isn’t impossible, but it’s seen as
  both highly objectionable and somewhat out of date; in any
  case, advanced weaponry makes it very dangerous for every-
  one involved, and advanced forensic enforcement technology
  makes it hard to avoid the consequences of breaking the law.
  (All this is one reason why, as for the past two or three cen-
  turies, the most advanced nations have been prone to resolving
  their differences with proxy wars in less wealthy regions.)
  On the other hand, PCs prepared to use the memetics rules
  as freely as the combat system, to track faction wars and politi-
  cal subtleties, and to exploit the full range of Fifth Wave
  resources – and to respond when their opponents do the same –
  should find that a Fifth Wave campaign is a unique experience.
  Off Earth
  Life off Earth has challenges of its own. The technology and
  resources are necessarily quite advanced, but much of it is ded-
  icated simply to keeping everyone alive. Characters are often a
  long way from some things which the typical citizen of 2100
  takes for granted, and may occasionally be disconcerted by the
  lack of “standard” facilities.
  The Web is more diffuse, and – away from Earth orbit –
  slightly less comprehensive. Even a small spacecraft will have
  vast quantities of data available for casual reference, but very
  obscure or recent information may be absent. Augmented real-
  ity, while commonplace, serves practical purposes, such as
  assisting spacecraft maintenance; tags may have a distinctly
  businesslike look. PCs in near-planetary space can access
  wider information sources, but may be disconcerted to notice
  a significant signal delay, and all spacers are dependent on the
  goodwill of whoever or whatever is running the local networks.
  Signal lag and communication bottlenecks also prevent
  space travelers from using teleoperation of rented or borrowed
  cybershells as heavily as many ground-dwellers, and restrict
  access to the countless live slogs and other real-time interac-
  tive sources that define Fifth Wave society. The ground-dweller
  is a participant; the space traveler is limited to being, at best, a
  watcher. In deep space, such interactions are strictly local.
  Basic day-to-day survival is a serious consideration in
  space, but shouldn’t usually be an overwhelming concern 
  in games. Transhuman Space assumes that Fourth and 
  Fifth Wave technologies can adapt equipment (and, when 
  necessary, people) to extreme environments. With smart 
  materials and extensive AI oversight of every aspect of the
  8
  TRANSHUMAN SPACE CAMPAIGNS
  Less Advantaged
  at Home
  One way to set up a “high wave” game without
  giving the PCs huge resources or confusing the play-
  ers with too many options is to make the characters
  members of a highly advanced society who don’t, for
  one reason or another, have full access to all that it
  offers. A PC group might include a rich adolescent
  slumming it, his trusted but increasingly rickety old
  volkspider companion, a neighbor’s bioroid servant,
  and the ghost of his grandfather, running on a main-
  frame but teleoperating a lot of buzzbots and striv-
  ing to stave off boredom.
  The obvious problem here is that people without
  a lot of social clout or resources aren’t supposed to
  become involved in significant events. But it can
  happen anyway. A group of kids may have “young
  detectives” adventures, while slightly older adoles-
  cents or plain impoverished folks can become
  agents in street-level conflicts. “Indentured” AIs or
  bioroids can be assigned important missions, and so
  on.
  Many of these characters will have significant
  Patrons (parents, employers, owners, etc.) This gives
  GM a way to connect them to other events and fac-
  tions, and a way of recovering the situation if the
  PCs get into trouble over their heads. The problem
  is that the players may come to rely on this aid, or to
  feel that their actions are mostly irrelevant when set
  alongside the patrons’ wealth and influence. Make
  sure that not too many points go into the Patron
  advantage at the start, and then emphasize the lim-
  itations and restrictions. A Patron should be a help,
  but not a deus ex machina.
  
  technology, routine space flight is remarkably safe and even
  straightforward. Still, it isn’t really luxurious; spacecraft are
  cramped, travel times are long, and your life depends on a lot
  of AIs watching over you, though they are generally very polite
  and discreet about it.
  While there are many large bases, and multiple stations are
  in close communication in some areas, some groups may be
  millions of miles from anywhere, isolated from broader socie-
  ty and from the instantaneous information flows of the Web,
  and everyone on the same small ship really has to get along
  with everyone else. When things do go wrong, they go wrong
  dramatically. Space isn’t a natural environment for unmodified
  humans, and atmosphere mixtures, pressure levels, radiation,
  and complex medical and psychological effects can all con-
  spire against space travelers in dramatic or insidious ways.
  Life on Mars is slightly different, at least in the larger set-
  tlements. While the natural environment is hostile, most peo-
  ple live in substantial quasi-urban communities. The Web is
  still less extensive than Earth’s, but is more than adequate for
  almost any purpose, and augmented reality and teleoperation
  may be used for relatively frivolous purposes. Still, life on Mars
  remains something of a “frontier” existence, with pioneers,
  prospectors, and explorers developing a new land. It involves
  both overt – if mostly non-violent – conflict between several
  powers all staking out their claims on new territory, and the
  camaraderie of people who have more in common with each
  other than they have with the hierarchy “back home.”
  CAMPAIGN FOCUS
  Transhuman Space doesn’t mandate any particular plot or
  focus for a campaign. Rather, it supports at least as many types
  of game as present day Earth. As a GM, you can pick any story
  that interests you in the present-day, then move it forward a
  century and see how it changes. While this doesn’t necessarily
  bring out the full rich strangeness of the setting, it does give
  players a reliable, familiar reference point at the start.
  Investigations
  Investigation plots can work very well. They encourage the
  players to pit their wits against complex puzzles and meet all
  sorts of unusual people. Pursuing a mystery through different
  parts of a society and multiple locations can provide a broad
  introduction to the setting as a whole, providing all sorts of
  important details in a digestible form while giving the audi-
  ence every reason to pay attention to these facts.
  The PCs may be cops, private investigators, spies, news
  reporters, or indeed interested amateurs of some sort. (See the
  next chapter for organizations that might want to employ
  skilled investigators.) They may also be memeticists, analyzing
  communities and whole nations to monitor for memetic
  manipulation (and if necessary to stop it).
  Transhuman Space investigative campaigns may be
  episodic, with a different mystery each week, or there may be
  some grand overall puzzle to be solved in bite-sized pieces,
  with the big answer coming as a climax which ends the cam-
  paign or sends it off in a completely new direction. However,
  the complexity and novelty of the setting can make them chal-
  lenging to run; the GM will have to plan fairly carefully so as
  to be able to respond to any given PC action. The mysteries
  also have to be designed so that they can’t be solved by simply
  throwing computer resources at the problem, although AIs
  and the web can certainly provide a way to cut short dull
  research problems and feed new information to the PCs when
  the GM needs to give events a kick.
  GURPS Mysteries
  (which is available online at
  e23.sjgames.com) is a comprehensive guide to how to run
  mystery plots, and could be very useful here. All of the formats
  discussed on pp. 9-11 of that book are possible in the
  Transhuman Space world. Thrillers are always popular, while
  hard-boiled stories can be set, not only on the mean streets of
  numerous Earth cities, but on shabby L5 space stations or at
  the foot of the Mars space elevator. It’s equally straightforward
  to run slightly updated “cozy” plots, perhaps in genteel Fifth
  Wave Eloi communities, where the intellectual mystery of how
  anyone could commit an undetected crime will be far more
  pressing than the rather limited options for violence.
  (“Investigative memetics” plots will often have a rather “cozy”
  atmosphere.) Procedural stories are more work, as the GM and
  players will have to determine what procedures and tech-
  niques are possible in the setting. Likewise, puzzle stories may
  be hard to set up in the face of TL10 technology. Lastly,
  McGuffin plots are an option, especially if the McGuffin is
  some new computer design, biotech sample, unique nanotech
  creation, or rampant meme.
  Combat
  Combat situations are common in 2100, and fairly dan-
  gerous. The PCs may be soldiers, wandering mercenaries, or
  other combat specialists such as a police SWAT team. Their
  adversaries may be enemy soldiers, terrorists, violent crimi-
  nals, rogue infomorphs, or the bearers of radically divergent
  memes in some lightly-policed area such as the Martian out-
  back or the Belt. Both sides can use a wide range of tech-
  nologies – not just powerful guns and exotic ammunition,
  though those are diverse enough, but also cybershells, cyber-
  swarms, and insidious nanotech. This means that, in all but
  the most marginal conflicts, combatants must be technicians
  as well as warriors.
  One way to make such a campaign less prone to PC casual-
  ties is to permit a lot of teleoperated technology. This may
  lower the sense of personal risk, but a police SWAT team
  attempting a complex hostage rescue in the face of desperate
  opposition should feel concern for the safety of the hostages,
  even if the cops themselves are safely in teleoperation booths a
  mile from the scene – and, of course, the tactical challenges
  will be no less interesting. Meanwhile, shrewd opponents will
  be looking for ways to put the PCs personally at risk. Likewise,
  infomorphs (who actually form the majority of Fifth Wave
  armed forces) can always be restored from backups, and can
  sometimes even escape from danger by downloading, which
  may make them more casual about danger – although that can
  become expensive in cash and character points if the players
  become too careless, and enemies who can locate a hero’s
  backup can suddenly look terrifying.
  Armed forces are more socially inclusive in some respects
  than civilian society, and a soldier in 2100 may find that work-
  ing with a nonhuman partner is part of the job, even if the
  nation doesn’t class that being as a full citizen. He may even
  have to accept that the nonhuman takes a nominal “rank”
  above his own. (If an army trusts its AI strategists, for instance,
  it may decide that they should be empowered to issue orders.)
  TRANSHUMAN SPACE CAMPAIGNS
  9
  
  Another factor to note is that conflicts in the Transhuman
  Space world are almost invariably memetic as well as physical.
  An effective team may well have members dedicated to propa-
  ganda, counter-propaganda, and psychological operations,
  even at the squad level – and missions will often include a
  “hearts and minds” element. This can provide an extra dimen-
  sion to plans, problems when different objectives clash, or the
  possibility of paranoia if memetic warfare specialists appear to
  be applying their skills to the rest of the team.
  Combat-oriented campaigns can also include a certain
  amount of “downtime” activity. However much discipline is
  designed to control such things, armed forces are often the set-
  ting for personal rivalries, driving ambition, and the odd emo-
  tional storm. These “home base scenarios” need not be mere
  soap opera; there are, for example, possibilities for illicit activ-
  ities or internal investigations into wrongdoing.
  There are several useful GURPS Third Edition references
  dealing with these subjects. GURPS Special Ops deals with
  the kind of high-intensity small-unit military actions which are
  most likely to appeal to roleplayers; while the technology and
  conflicts both change radically by 2100, special forces still
  exist, and the book provides a useful overview of tactical con-
  cerns and possible scenarios. Likewise, GURPS Covert Ops
  describes clandestine conflicts. Finally, GURPS SWAT deals
  primarily with police SWAT operations in the present day, but
  many of the operational and tactical issues it covers will be just
  as valid in 2100, even if it’s remote-commanded cybershells
  doing the close assaults.
  Crime and the Streets
  “Streets” campaigns don’t have to involve professional
  criminal PCs, but they do imply a relaxed attitude to the letter
  of the law. In other words, this category doesn’t necessarily
  mean “playing thugs,” but it probably involves PCs who have
  to break a few rules in order to survive. (It can draw from
  Neuromancer or Casablanca – or it can take The Usual Suspects
  as its inspiration.)
  Assuming that the players want to feel at least somewhat
  heroic, this in turn means choosing a setting where the rules
  aren’t entirely fair – or just emphasizing the dubious side of
  any given society. The Transhuman Space setting isn’t
  dystopian, but it has its share of corrupt states, run-down
  cities, and lawless outposts. Indeed, some players may have
  enough doubts about the “runaway technology” and “radical
  change” aspects of the setting that they find the idea of play-
  ing rebels and outsiders entirely heroic. Broken Dreams pro-
  vides the most specific view of the dark side of the setting,
  although there are plenty of options for shady activity
  described in Deep Beyond (with criminal factions operating
  extensively in the belt) and In the Well (with Mars having
  become populous and chaotic enough to support a thriving
  underworld).
  Such games are likely to be more about survival than about
  changing the world, at least to begin with. Criminals tend to
  have a hard time of it in the most advanced areas – forensic
  technology is just too good, AIs are too pervasive – but there
  are gaps and flaws in any system, and shrewd operators who
  don’t actually break the law (much), or who do so with some
  discretion and the best equipment, can go a long way.
  Memetics has opened up whole new areas for crime, with the
  manipulation of ideas and the fine-tuning of rumors offering
  10
  TRANSHUMAN SPACE CAMPAIGNS
  Campaign Moods:
  Excitement 
  and Terror
  While the setting and practical focus of any
  campaign is important, so is the mood. This can
  vary within a game – indeed, a “one-note” cam-
  paign is usually rather dull – but radical changes
  and no stability can feel very unsatisfactory.
  Thrillers work very well in the Transhuman
  Space setting. The PCs are heroic, either as a
  career choice or because circumstances demand
  it; action and adventure are expected. Action
  heroes in 2100 need to be expert users of tech-
  nology, and will have impressive resources – but
  so do their opponents, so courage and dedication
  still provide an essential edge. Thriller plots can
  be straightforward struggles between heroes and
  villains, or shades-of-gray tales of betrayal and
  moral ambiguity, with the PCs forced to decide
  how far they’re prepared to go for a cause, or to
  compromise their ideals in the hope that they’ll
  eventually turn out to have done the right thing.
  Horror games lack the underlying confidence
  of the thriller. While this isn’t an explicitly dark
  world, it has many problems and dangers.
  Advanced biotechnology and digital intelligence
  permit many abuses which can affect players in
  an visceral way, from bioroids designed to want
  sexual abuse to the editing of sapient personali-
  ties. Meanwhile, conflicts beneath the surface of
  Europa or on far-flung space colonies involve as
  much claustrophobia and isolation as any horror
  fan could want. Transhuman Space horror
  games are likely to focus on the dehumanizing
  effects of runaway technology and the tendency
  to treat sapient beings as objects to be manipu-
  lated.
  As a reasonably rigorous hard SF setting in
  which competing schools of thought not only
  clash, but take physical forms, Transhuman
  Space provides an exceptional opportunity for
  games of Philosophical Exploration, looking at
  questions such as “What is Human?” and “What
  defines Sapience, or Individuality?” Some PCs
  may find themselves regarded as subhuman
  property, while radical factions argue whether
  great acts of terraforming and bioengineering are
  humanity’s destiny or hubristic abuse. While
  such plots may involve a lot of sitting around
  talking, they can also involve direct action, or
  attempts to propagandize – and in a world 
  with sophisticated memetics, attempts to pro-
  mote ideas may themselves raise large ethical
  questions.
  
  new opportunities for dubious profits and specialized 
  defensive work; see Toxic Memes for ideas. Street-level “meme
  hackers” may be small-time politicians, local businessmen,
  freelance deprogrammers – or con artists with some interest-
  ing tools and large target groups.
  Memetics and Politics
  Alternatively, PCs may operate entirely within the social
  order. Memetics turns politics into both a dubious branch of
  science and a genteel form of warfare (if it wasn’t already
  both), and managing society and its transformations in the
  face of Fifth Wave technology should be adventure enough for
  anyone.
  PCs can be politicians or activists, their memeticist advisors
  (some of them very possibly powerful AIs), other support staff,
  trusted family, and – in many areas – their bodyguards. While
  the last category can include the traditional heavies with fast
  reflexes and small, powerful handguns, it can also encompass
  skilled technicians whose job is to monitor their employer’s
  environment and medical condition in real time, especially
  when he’s out in public, and to respond instantly to biotech,
  nanotech, or microbot assaults by deploying countermeasures
  – preferably quickly and subtly enough that the employer’s
  schedule isn’t disrupted.
  This implies a cerebral style of game, but it doesn’t pre-
  clude physical action, especially if the bodyguards of either
  sort are called on to ply their trade. The PCs will be attempt-
  ing large-scale memetic operations to acquire and maintain
  popular support for their employer and their cause, but they
  will also be facing equally capable rivals. Radicals and ter-
  rorists may provide ruthless, effective opposition. This can
  be a grand West Wing-style saga of great power and respon-
  sibility, a more localized game of electioneering and deal-
  brokering – or, if things take a dark turn, a Manchurian
  Candidate-style story of memetic sabotage, uncertainty and
  betrayal.
  One problem when setting up a political campaign is that
  the players’ own real-world political opinions are quite likely
  to slip in, defining what their characters regard as ethical
  behavior. On the other hand, just because some PCs disagree
  with the “leader” doesn’t mean that they can’t work for him;
  the cynical, amoral memeticist who works for whoever pays
  best, and the honor-driven bodyguard for whom the job
  comes first, are both viable character concepts.
  Exploration and Research
  Transhuman Space isn’t a “frontier” setting. There is a
  frontier out there, of course – the outer system – but it sees a
  pretty substantial government presence, and it can be
  observed directly by telescope from “back home.” Games are
  more likely to be about the future of a mature technological
  civilization and interactions with a large and rapidly evolving
  human society.
  But research, and even exploration, are still valid themes
  for a Transhuman Space campaign. To begin with, there are
  some peculiar “frontiers” within the volume of mostly-
  explored space; the ocean depths of Earth and other worlds
  still have their mysteries, while the deserts of part-terraformed
  Mars have something of a Wild West atmosphere. Meanwhile,
  the Web is evolving into a whole new universe, ripe for 
  investigation; it’s arguable that the true pioneers of the setting
  are mostly infomorphs, exploring and expanding this realm of
  pure data while also exploring the possibilities of their state.
  Perhaps more importantly, research certainly isn’t dead; better
  AI, “dry” nanotech, and black hole physics are just some of the
  intellectual frontiers.
  Turning this sort of thing into an exciting campaign can be
  tricky. The key is that more than one group or faction is likely
  to be pursuing the same goals, and may be prepared to fight
  for precedence or bigger profits. Claim-jumpers on Mars and
  preservationist vs. expansionist groups almost anywhere are
  obvious examples, while the pursuit of, say, a newly discov-
  ered primordial black hole could easily turn deadly. On 
  the other hand, economic expansion could lead to subtler
  battles, in the courts or the media, with memeticists as the
  warriors . . .
  Colonization
  Likewise, there are still some places where new communi-
  ties can be built and shaped by the determination of their
  founders. Mars again qualifies, and humanity’s expansion into
  the Belt and beyond is just getting under way. The colonization
  of the outer system may not be something for which organic
  humanity is really suited, but infomorphs can dwell in cyber-
  shells suited to almost any environment. If these infomorphs
  are radicals, such as refugees from Exogenesis, the “colonies”
  have the potential to become rather strange.
  In the absence of enemies, such as Nanodynamics for the
  renegade Exogenesis infomorphs or whoever drove other
  exiles away from their homes, pioneering adventures may be
  rather low-key. Nor are these generally large projects, though
  the task of setting up an asteroid base, Martian town, or lunar
  research center could be enough to fill a campaign. “Colonial”
  games can also feature other activities, such as negotiation
  with neighboring communities, internal power struggles, and
  the odd fight with criminals or saboteurs from rival powers.
  The most effective sabotage might actually be memetic, as this
  can take a colony over to a rival side or put it in conflict with
  its original sponsors, so colonies are likely to include memetic
  defense specialists (hopefully not turning into political officers
  or propagandists, but the difference may seem vague to others
  in the colony). A “frontier marshals” campaign in which roving
  groups of troubleshooters aid outlying colonists with their
  internal and external conflicts could involves as many battles
  of ideas as gunfights.
  Business
  Business campaigns are about getting rich – or some-
  times, just surviving in a competitive corporate environment.
  They should tend to be low on violence (this isn’t a stock-
  cyberpunk setting, and corps will only resort to hiring armed
  help in very special circumstances) and long on thought and
  politics. However, PCs may be interested in high-risk, high-
  return options, which can lead them into geographical areas
  where not everyone plays by civilized rules; in some cam-
  paigns, a party may consist of a mixture of smart risk-taking
  entrepreneurs and their personal bodyguards and infomorph
  support. Also, remember that one of the most dramatic high-
  tech conflicts in the setting, the Exogenesis confrontation,
  was the consequence of commercial activity.
  TRANSHUMAN SPACE CAMPAIGNS
  11
  
  Many of the major corporations in the Transhuman Space
  world are rather staid and cautious, and there are few areas
  where capitalism operates in totally unrestrained cut-throat
  style. However, there are new opportunities opened up by
  rapid technological development, including humanity’s expan-
  sion into space. There are also niches where the individual
  entrepreneur or small company can make a good profit by dint
  of adventurous management. With fast communications,
  clever memetics, and rapid innovation, the small, agile outfit
  can do very well indeed – if it’s smart and lucky.
  Nor need business campaigns focus on dull accountancy or
  ruthless profit-grubbing. The small, agile company may well
  be riding the crest of the Fifth Wave, throwing itself into new
  possibilities days or even weeks ahead of the competition – or
  it may be working to bring all of humanity up to date, earning
  an honest profit as a broker on the border between more and
  less advanced areas and helping the latter to catch up with the
  former.
  Thus, the first thing to decide when setting up such a cam-
  paign is what sort of business the PCs are going to be in – and
  what their big starting opportunity for profit might be.. A busi-
  ness game should also involve opposition – not necessarily vio-
  lent rivals, but certainly competition. These may be established
  companies whose profits will be hurt if the PCs succeed, other
  entrepreneurs with similar ideas or a ruthless willingness to
  steal, or latecomers who may be willing to use dubious tricks
  or a lot of investment cash to catch up when they move into the
  same field as the PCs’ company.
  Picaresque Wandering
  A “picaresque” story is one about wanderers and travelers
  seeing the world (originally, the word meant stories about wan-
  dering rogues). Hence, the term implies a loose plot in which
  the main interest is the stuff which the characters encounter.
  There are also plenty of people in Transhuman Space who
  make good picaresque protagonists; wealthy Eloi playing
  tourist, bored “recurvers” living off their savings while they
  look for a new career, radical ideologists lying low after mak-
  ing themselves unpopular somewhere, and professional edge-
  hunters and tippers whose job is to identify or propagate the
  Next Big Thing a crucial few days ahead of mass awareness.
  It’s even possible to run a picaresque campaign in which the
  PCs hardly ever leave their homes (physically); they can “wan-
  der” the Web, or use teleoperated cybershells to explore almost
  anywhere within half a light-second or so.
  The snag with a picaresque story is of course the lack of
  focus or goal. Unless the GM keeps coming up with new and
  bigger amazing sights, the players are certain to get bored
  sooner or later – and the biggest wonders, verbally described,
  are bound to pale eventually. If the PCs develop soap-operatic
  relationships within the party, this problem can be deferred,
  but it will always be a threat – and a picaresque campaign that
  just fizzles out will probably be seen as a failure.
  Hence, a picaresque game may evolve over time into some-
  thing else. The PCs may develop some goal or goals for them-
  selves – starting a business or a colony, taking revenge for some
  assault, stopping some evil – or the GM may drop something
  important in their paths. Clever GMs can work hints and fore-
  shadowing events into the campaign from early on, so that
  when the change comes, the players can look back and see that
  it was coming all along.
  Sitcom/Soap Opera
  Life is interesting enough in the Transhuman Space world
  that “people just hanging out, having relationships and doing
  their jobs” can be a serviceable campaign theme in itself, with-
  out even the need for picaresque wandering. These plots can
  be modeled on television sitcoms and soap operas. Indeed,
  players with a taste for soap opera will often create plots with
  minimal encouragement, though the GM can always throw in
  a visitor, a minor personal problem, or a business opportunity
  to stir the pot.
  Sitcom campaigns can be set in relatively mundane parts of
  the setting – such as a peaceful community on Earth – or in
  more exotic locations, such as a slightly decrepit L5 station, a
  research base on the ocean floor, or a military outpost in the
  12
  TRANSHUMAN SPACE CAMPAIGNS
  Campaign Moods:
  Satire and Comedy
  As a relatively near-future SF setting, the world of
  Transhuman Space takes some of the features of
  our society to extremes. Hence, it almost inevitably
  has overtones of Satire, which can become central.
  Just as music and software “piracy” is a concern
  today, people in 2100 may find that their genes
  include “rights management” features that prevent
  them having children without paying a fee, and
  “content providers” may try to charge people for
  having memories of their products. Meanwhile, the
  hacker mindset has moved from computing to the
  human mind. Politicians in Transhuman Space
  games can turn out to be mere face men for artifi-
  cial intelligences, while fans of a cancelled SF series
  try to replicate their favorite stories in an all-too-real
  space environment.
  Satire can be hard to sustain in games, as players
  tend to want their characters to have adventures and
  accomplish things. Characters in effective satire
  tend to be subservient to the ironic point being
  made. Still, a more or less satirical approach can
  provide games with an unusual, twisted style.
  This can also be a good setting for Comedy
  games. The weirdness of the future world can easily
  tip over the edge, with talking furniture, pets almost
  as smart as their owners, people complaining about
  the stress of a 20-hour working week, and genetical-
  ly engineered octopuses being sold, unsuccessfully,
  as sex toys.
  GMs running comedy games should keep the
  stakes and the risks fairly low. Players who see their
  characters as having a lot to gain or lose tend to play
  them efficiently, which loses many chances for
  humor. Still, once the characters’ comic natures are
  established, they can have significant adventures;
  players will take to making humorous remarks, even
  (or especially) at moments of tension, and will come
  to accept defeats as well as victories as the stuff of
  humor.
  
  Belt. Soap operas require a little more tension and pressure,
  and can overlap with the business-oriented form or less fre-
  netic versions of the action-adventure style. They can be set
  in areas with moderate levels of conflict, such as slightly less
  advanced and stable regions of Earth, or expanding commu-
  nities on Mars or in the Belt. They can also work very well
  among the very rich of the Fifth Wave.
  It’s important, when setting up such a campaign, that the
  PCs be developed to work as a group, with the GM supervising
  a collaborative character creation session. This doesn’t mean
  that they shouldn’t have some conflicts – sitcoms and soap
  operas thrive on rivalries and feuds – but the PCs have to be
  willing and able to stay in the same place for extended periods,
  mostly on speaking terms. An “organized” group structure 
  can be invaluable, whether the group is a household (probably
  complete with infomorphs, and maybe some neighbors given to
  visiting), a small business, a military unit, or a scientific
  research team.
  As with a picaresque campaign, a sitcom or soap opera
  can become boring if it doesn’t go anywhere after a while,
  but there’s nothing to stop changes happening; they just tend
  to happen in the same place. Births, marriages, and (occa-
  sional) deaths are staples of the form, after all. And, if nec-
  essary, the GM can always send the group off on a quasi-pic-
  aresque journey, or raise the external conflict level for a
  while.
  TRANSHUMAN SPACE CAMPAIGNS
  13
  Gritty vs. Cinematic
  As a rigorous hard SF setting, Transhuman Space
  tends to be “gritty” rather than “cinematic.” Characters
  are realistic people (in the context of the setting), with
  serious concerns and (usually) a serious fear of dying,
  actions have logical and sometimes painful conse-
  quences, and the heroes have to be very smart, lucky, or
  rich if they want to single-handedly change the history
  of the world.
  However, this isn’t a ban on cinematic play.
  “Cinematic” stories such as the James Bond movies are
  set against the background of a normal-seeming world;
  that’s what makes Bond’s skills and accomplishments
  look so impressive. Likewise, it would be perfectly pos-
  sible to construct games around 2100-era super-spies,
  ultra-tough mercenaries, ace pilots, or master detectives.
  Furthermore, one of the cool things about advanced
  technology and weird environments is that they make
  things possible that would once have looked “cinemat-
  ic.” In 2100, martial artists really can leap right over the
  heads of their opponents – on Mars, given the right
  training or modified biology – while boosted nervous
  systems or AI control permit impressive feats of gun-
  play or driving. The laws of physics haven’t been
  repealed, but they can be exploited. A game played on
  the edge of high-tech plausibility can work very well
  indeed.
  The Wildness Quotient
  Transhuman Space also tends to be rather “low key” in
  plot style, full of moral shades of gray. Aside from a few psy-
  chopaths and renegades, there are few clear villains and few
  perfect heroes; even, say, the TSA, likely to be an antagonist
  in many games, has a clear ideology that appeals to some
  people today. Meanwhile, stories of global memetic control,
  world-devourer nanotech, or alien artifacts, are the province
  of InVid dramas and Toxic Memes, not “reality.”
  But again, that doesn’t have to be so, at least not all the
  time. A “Xoxhunter the InVid series” campaign, cinematic in
  style and flamboyant in tone, would be entirely viable. For
  that matter, even in the grittiest game, the occasional
  scheming boosted-IQ psychopath or wild new invention
  could be an interesting surprise for PCs who’ve become
  used to subtler problems.
  But the GM and all the players should make sure that
  they have similar ideas about the tone and style of their
  Transhuman Space campaign. If the GM wants to play rig-
  orous and gritty, while some of the players are expecting
  two-fisted cinematic action, some scenes will inevitably
  descend into messy chaos, with attempted stunts that play-
  ers think are “cool” and the GM sees as stupid and suicidal.
  Groups should talk through “setting assumptions” in
  advance, and everyone involved should pay attention to
  what works and what other people seem to assume.
  
  14
  TRANSHUMAN SPACE CAMPAIGNS
  Transhuman Space supports a huge range of characters,
  but they are not all suitable for every possible type of campaign
  or adventure. If players all just come up with PCs they think
  are cool, they might produce perfectly reasonable characters
  for the setting, but the chance of them all fitting into one cam-
  paign will be slim. So character creation has perforce to be
  managed. The GM should offer guidelines, discuss ideas with
  each player in turn, and veto ideas that look inappropriate or
  incompatible.
  MANDATORY FEATURES
  To begin with, some things may simply be required. If the
  campaign is to be set in space, for example, the PCs must be
  able to handle the medical consequences of zero-G and radia-
  tion. This may mean permanent biomods or nanotech treat-
  ments, an appropriate cybershell, or just the wealth to pay for
  temporary treatments. But it is equally important that PCs for
  a game set in an Eloi enclave should have some good reason to
  be there and to be more or less accepted, whether they are
  wealthy Eloi themselves, employees, owned or indentured AIs
  or bioroids, or the sort of people (cops, lawyers, financial advi-
  sors, etc.) who might regularly visit.
  Hence, the GM may prepare a short list of requirements
  before character creation begins. These may be negotiable if
  someone comes up with a viable character concept which
  deals with issues in a different, unexpected way, but they
  should determine the tone and assumptions of the campaign.
  If it becomes apparent in play that some characters are some-
  how unsuited for their environment, the GM and players
  should look for solutions, whether in the form of a sponsor
  paying for useful biomods, a few extra bonus character points
  to cover “crash training,” or a new PC to replace one who 
  really isn’t working.
  CHARACTER LEGALITY
  One feature of this setting is that some characters may be
  illegal in some jurisdictions, and treated as non-persons in oth-
  ers; for example, ghost programs are regarded as abomina-
  tions by the theologically-derived laws of the Caliphate. Rogue
  AIs are treated as a menace almost everywhere, and emergent
  intelligences are almost as widely distrusted. In other cases,
  there may be lesser complications; for example, a SAI citizen
  of the E.U. isn’t classed as a person in the USA (though it can
  be the property of an E.U. corporation, so the common solu-
  tion to the problem is for the European AI to set up such a
  company in which it is the sole shareholder).
  This doesn’t make such characters impossible to play – but
  they should be aware of the problem, and find some way to deal
  with it. In many cases, this is as simple as having a significant
  Secret disadvantage (a rogue AI can often pass as a stable, 
  legitimate program), or even just a Social Stigma. Still, 
  preserving such a secret or dealing with the stigmatization
  should be a significant concern for the player, and GMs who
  don’t want to spend part of the game dealing with such 
  problems should feel free to prohibit such characters.
  Note also that some character types are sometimes referred
  to as “illegal” because the act of creating them is illegal. They
  may be treated as innocent victims, much like escaped slaves
  among abolitionists. For example, bioroid production is illegal
  in the E.U., but a pre-ban bioroid, or one who came to Europe
  from abroad, can be a citizen, albeit one likely to be treated
  with curiosity and occasional disdain from the bigoted. In
  other cases, though, the character may be regarded with dis-
  taste or suspicion. For example, if a criminal gains access to
  the backup of a legal ghost or SAI, he may illegally create a xox;
  if it is subsequently liberated, the law is in a difficult position.
  Authoritarian governments who don’t have much regard for AI
  rights may delete it anyway, because “the law is the law,” but
  other governments may have to award it provisional legal sta-
  tus. However, it’s still the distrusted product of illegal activity,
  probably with a Secret or Social Stigma; it may well decide to
  migrate to somewhere more tolerant, or where its background
  is unknown.
  TEAM BUILDING
  In general, the PCs in an RPG campaign have to operate as
  a group. This can lead to complications in any game; it can get
  especially complicated in Transhuman Space, where one per-
  fectly reasonable PC may sincerely believe that another isn’t
  even a sapient being, and different “racial” templates are
  designed to survive in radically different environments.
  APPROPRIATE CHARACTERS
  
  Hence, in this even more than in most games, the PCs must
  be created as a group – designed not only to fit in the same spe-
  cific campaign environment, but to be capable of cooperating
  with each other, and also to possess a full set of any skills that
  the GM suggests will be essential for the game. (Ironically, it
  may be possible to play quite successfully even if one party
  member doesn’t regard another as sapient, provided that the
  pair aren’t actually hostile and the two players don’t mind a
  certain amount of friction in their character-level interactions.)
  This implies a certain amount of discussion and negotiation
  before play begins, and the GM should be clear about what the
  team will need in the way of skills and advantages.
  In less goal-oriented campaigns, especially picaresque and
  sitcom campaigns, throwing together a random bunch of
  beings and seeing what develops may be a lot of fun. They
  should still have some reason to come together, but the GM
  may be able to get away with a one-sentence briefing – “Create
  PCs who could all work for a failing biotech company in
  upstate New York,” or “At the start, you’re all going to be trav-
  eling on a Chinese-owned PSV heading for Mars.”
  WEIRD OPTIONS
  There are some odd characters in Transhuman Space.
  Indeed, whole parties may seem “bizarre,” intentionally or as a
  result of several players deciding to explore the limits of the
  setting. The PCs may all be infomorphs running on static com-
  puters, or ghosts of cryogenic subjects, or emergent AIs. This
  can be a good way of defining a cohesive group, and a degree
  of weirdness is part of the point of this setting, but it can also
  make for confusing, disruptive roleplaying. If everyone is try-
  ing to out-weird everyone else, all the time, there’s little scope
  for either character development or efficient achievement of
  goals.
  “Strange” characters may be totally unable to do some
  things, and find others trivial. As discussed above, some may
  be barred from some locations, and others may have dominat-
  ing secrets. They may also be strongly averse to some things
  (such as, say, working for anyone opposed to AI rights) and
  obsessive about others (such as obeying their programming).
  GMs who don’t want to have to deal with such things may ban
  or modify some character concepts.
  However, GMs should not set out to make everyone play
  “ordinary humans” (unless that’s a key feature of the cam-
  paign concept). The chance to play manufactured, genetical-
  ly modified, or technologically enhanced beings is a crucial
  selling point of Transhuman Space; players may be disap-
  pointed if it’s barred. And remember, in many parts of the
  world in 2100, these things aren’t really “weird” at all. They’re
  intended to be a standard, although certainly not the stan-
  dard, mode of play.
  TRANSHUMAN SPACE CAMPAIGNS
  15
  RUNNING GAMES
  Running a Transhuman Space game is much like running
  any RPG. However, the setting does involve some special con-
  siderations.
  “OUR SERVANTS WILL DO
  THAT FOR US . . .”
  One general issue, especially in Fifth Wave games, is the
  possibility that the PCs will delegate every significant task to
  specialized AIs and cybershells. This runs the risk of making
  the PCs themselves seem irrelevant. However, they should
  always be required to manage these systems. Even when an AI
  can be fully trusted with a secret task, it may well lack initia-
  tive and imagination. Furthermore, the PCs can actually be the
  infomorphs who are doing everything exciting. Certainly,
  much of the point of treating lower-grade infomorphs as Allies
  is so that they can be played just like any other NPC – complete
  with flaws and the sort of personality quirks which make for
  interesting roleplaying interaction.
  GATHERING INFORMATION
  Secrets and hidden knowledge are often the key to game
  plots; in Transhuman Space, there are many ways to track
  such things down. Most PCs have good access to the global
  Web, most or all of the time, and can search it for what they
  want to know. Hence, the GM should have some idea of the
  answers to any sensible queries which the PCs are likely to
  pose, and should try and have enough grasp of the setting as a
  whole that he can improvise responses to anything else.
  However, even if an answer exists somewhere on the Web,
  the PCs may not know to look for it. Much of the point of plots
  in this setting should be knowing what question to ask in the
  first place. Also, if an important item of information is held in
  just one place, that place can be watched by other AIs. Those
  who ask too many questions should be careful who overhears
  them.
  COMBAT
  Serious fights in this setting are often likely to be short,
  especially if military-grade weapons are involved and the par-
  ticipants aren’t using military-grade armor. However, using all
  this high-powered hardware to full effect requires full under-
  standing of its capabilities. Players who want to engage in a lot
  of fight scenes (and have their PCs survive) should be prepared
  to play technically adept characters, and should pay close
  attention to the game rules and weapon statistics. Microbot
  swarms, recon cybershells, and stealth gear are all important
  to survival for the transhuman combatant.
  Mortality and Otherwise
  The lethality of weapons in this setting is mitigated by sev-
  eral factors. The first is that pretty good armor is also available
  – although the best of it is rather obvious when worn, and will
  itself be treated as military-grade weaponry by many
  observers, including law enforcers. The second is the high
  quality of medical treatment; any party expecting a fight
  should include at least one member with first aid skills and
  good equipment. They shouldn’t depend on this too much – a
  
  head hit from an explosive round tends to render all the band-
  aging in the world irrelevant – but they’d be foolish not to
  notice the possibility.
  Also, many combatants may be infomorphs, who can have
  “extra lives” in the form of digital backups in safe locations.
  This renders “death” an annoyance rather than an end. Still,
  it’s also a drain on cash (to pay for new hardware) and charac-
  ter points (to rebuild the character’s skills and create a new
  backup).
  And lastly, not every fight has to be to the death, because
  not all weapons are lethal. Transhuman Space offers some
  effective alternatives. Cops, and anyone with an interest in
  avoiding murder charges, can opt for electrolasers and tangler
  rounds. These have less guaranteed stopping power than lethal
  rounds, but they are remarkably effective nonetheless.
  In fact, whenever the players are preparing for a possible
  fight or the GM is preparing details of an antagonist group,
  questions of goals and legalities are very important. In most
  places, displaying heavy body armor, battle rifles, or military
  cybershells will mark someone down as a probable killer and
  possible maniac, and may inspire a proportionate response
  from local law enforcement. Anyone using bullets or lasers
  aboard a thin-hulled spacecraft is likely to be treated as a
  lunatic. And standard light handgun rounds can be at least
  slowed by light personal armor – enough to give those skilled
  medics some chance to save the victim, at least. Still, GMs and
  players should both remember that fights involving serious
  weapons can be unpredictable and messy.
  EXCEPTIONAL WEALTH
  In Fifth Wave games especially, PCs may have rather
  impressive amounts of wealth. Even with 80% tied up in per-
  sonal resources, as generally recommended, that can lead to
  very well-equipped parties. If everyone starts out wealthy,
  treasure-hunting expeditions and high-risk careers lose some
  of their appeal.
  But “wealthy” protagonists aren’t an insuperable problem,
  even in action-adventure campaigns. Heroes may be fighting
  to do good, or to preserve their honor, or to survive attacks 
  by enemies – and may find themselves thrown into such 
  situations without any time to prepare. In social, political, or
  16
  TRANSHUMAN SPACE CAMPAIGNS
  Adventures in
  (Relative) Safety?
  Many TL10 weapons are powerful, well able to
  kill with one shot – so PCs should take the possibil-
  ity of being shot at very seriously. And if they threat-
  en NPCs with weapons, those NPCs are likely to
  become very polite, while looking for ways to report
  these dangerous thugs to the proper authorities,
  who will respond with greater force. In other words,
  violence should often seem like a stupid idea.
  This means GMs must make a choice between
  high-risk action-adventure games, and other, less
  danger-laden styles of play, such as mystery, political
  thriller, and soap opera. A PC can have other things
  to worry about than his life; surely wealth, fame,
  ideals, and the future of the human race are high
  enough stakes?
  
  memetic games, the motivations and risks are rather different
  – and while these aren’t usually obviously violent, the occa-
  sional episode featuring would-be assassins, deranged stalkers,
  or armed revolutionaries can fulfill players’ urges to just go out
  and shoot something. Such games also tend to imply social
  and legal controls on “useful” equipment; politicians and busi-
  nessmen aren’t supposed to go around armed to the teeth, and
  even their bodyguards are usually supposed to be discreet.
  It should also be noted that merely being filthy rich has
  never stopped human beings from wanting more. The players
  may have to adjust to this, especially with the word “Wealthy”
  appearing on every character sheet, but the idea of rich busi-
  nessmen still on the lookout for opportunities is hardly new.
  TRACKING CHARACTER
  CAPABILITIES
  Transhuman Space GMs should take care to remain famil-
  iar with the PCs’ abilities – first, because these are likely to be
  quite extensive, and something which the GM forgets might
  short-circuit a plot, and second, because NPC Ally infomorphs
  and suchlike ought to know about such things, perhaps
  reminding the PCs of their options at times. This can be as sim-
  ple as keeping up-to-date copies of all the PCs’ character sheets
  on file at all times (along with sheets for all their allies), and
  probably also keeping a “quick reference sheet” with notes on
  specific skills, resources, and advantages. A log of campaign
  events and useful acquaintances made can also be handy. This
  is especially important in a “Mutable Point Totals” campaign
  (below).
  Given that some PCs may have multiple infomorph Allies,
  keeping track of all their abilities, and using them to best effect,
  may become something of a heavy load. Strictly speaking, this
  is the GM’s job; Allies are NPCs, and shouldn’t become mere
  puppets of the players. However, Minions – especially those
  with programmed loyalty and limited initiative – are, to a large
  extent, subservient extensions of the PC’s will, so letting play-
  ers run them is not only easier for the GM, but not too unbal-
  ancing.
  Watch out for evidence that the PCs aren’t looking after
  their cybershells properly. Any with the Maintenance disad-
  vantage will suffer immediate and specific problems if not
  treated properly, but even those without can suffer minor (but
  cumulative) problems if not occasionally checked over and
  allowed to update their anti-virus protections and purge their
  memory space. Physically maltreated cybershells can also
  break down if they suffer extremes of temperature (beyond the
  limits defined by their model template), have to run on poor-
  quality fuel, or whatever. In addition, if they, come under
  attack, they may show the marks even if they aren’t actually
  damaged; a chipped and scruffy cybershell may attract adverse
  attention in polite society, and one with bullet scars will raise
  eyebrows when it next goes in for maintenance.
  TRANSHUMAN SPACE CAMPAIGNS
  17
  One approach to Transhuman Space games is to treat
  character points as an administrative record-keeping
  score, rather than a means of rewarding character
  advancement. Starting point value is a measure of the cam-
  paign’s initial power level, but is expected to go up and
  down a lot in the course of events. Whenever a character
  does something that would cost points, like an infomorph
  character buying an extra body, simply increase his point
  total. Whenever something happens that would cost him
  points, like losing an Ally, decrease his total.
  An example:
  Tanith Tokamura Hecate starts out as a 200-point char-
  acter. She’s a Tennin parahuman working for a Vacuum
  Cleaner orbital salvage operation, while moonlighting as
  bounty hunter. Tanith has two Allies: Jim, an NAI info-
  morph in a wearable interface, and Bob, another, high-end
  NAI residing in a tech spider cybershell. She also has a
  partner, Grimalkin – a free Felicia bioroid – who is anoth-
  er PC.
  In Tanith and Grimalkin’s first adventure, a trou-
  bleshooting expedition to a secret research station turns
  nasty, and Tanith’s tech spider is eaten by devourer cyber-
  swarms! Medical bills for the team’s injuries (Tanith is
  badly injured by nanoburn gas) use up the rest of their
  resources, and Tanith can not afford to replace her tech
  spider (although its NAI is backed up somewhere). She
  earned 2 bonus character points, but lost a 45-point
  Ally/Minion; she’s now a 157-point character.
  In Tanith’s second adventure, she and Grimalkin rescue
  a kidnapped slinky idol from xoxnappers, earning a
  $15,000 reward. Tanith spends some of it to buy a
  Guardians perm nanomod (2 points). She also earns 5
  bonus character points, which she puts toward skills.
  Tanith is now a 164-point character.
  In the group’s third adventure, they continue their
  bounty hunting, tracking down Jill the Ripper, a cyberdoll
  sex worker possessed by the shadow of a notorious serial
  killer. They capture it, but Tanith loses her right hand to
  the cyberdoll’s razor-sharp katana! She now has the One
  Hand [-15] disadvantage, but the GM awards her 4 char-
  acter points, bringing her to 153 points. Tanith also
  retrieves the disabled cyberdoll, planning to repair it even-
  tually – if she does, it might become a new Ally, but until
  then it’s deactivated and not worth any points.
  This approach has a great deal going for it, but requires
  a little care from the GM to avoid accusations of favoritism
  or increasingly unbalanced parties. There’s no need to hose
  a player just because he’s been lucky in recent adventures,
  but if someone has fallen way behind the others in terms
  of points, that’s a sign that he might be due a stroke of luck
  soon – and if someone gets way ahead, then fate, or more
  reasonably, smart enemies, may mark him down as a tar-
  get. Also, to prevent players from “gaming” this system
  during character creation, the GM may wish to rule that
  accessible starting wealth must mostly be spent before the
  first adventure begins, and can’t go toward anything that
  would add to the character’s point value.
  Mutable Point Totals
  
  “What is this place? It’s so complicated, and there are so
  many sorts of people.”
  The teacher looked at her student with a kindly smile, but
  couldn’t keep a note of amusement out of her voice.
  “This is an ordinary street,” she said. “When you’re fully
  trained and installed, you’ll carry your owners along something
  like this every day.”
  “That’ll be neat,” said the new AI.
  The world of Transhuman Space is a complex place,
  detailed at length in the previous supplements for the line.
  However, GMs should try and acquire a general understanding
  of its major features. This chapter provides a working
  overview.
  Technological progress is the main thing that makes the
  world of 2100 so different from today. Of course, there are also
  political and social movements to consider, but many of those
  are driven by technology.
  THE WAVES
  The idea of technological “waves” is defined elsewhere
  (pp. 6-8, p. TS21, and in Fifth Wave), but players may have dif-
  ficulty seeing how they affect their characters. What do they
  mean?
  First: the technological “wave” isn’t the same as wealth
  level, or even the local level of technological knowledge, exactly.
  While the richest parts of the setting do get that way by using
  Fifth Wave technology, a Fourth or even Third Wave region
  with ample natural resources and a stable, peaceful society
  may be wealthier than a more advanced locale which is suffer-
  ing from the traumas that arise from rapid progress, extreme
  social inequality, overstressed resources, and high-tech pollu-
  tion. Likewise, most of the knowledge that drives the Fifth
  Wave is available anywhere in the world, though using it
  requires some infrastructure.
  Rather, the local wave is determined by the technologies
  which underlie life in the area. Almost all of Earth is at least
  Third Wave, meaning that there are plenty of computers
  around, and almost all of them are connected to the Web. Most
  areas are Fourth Wave, meaning that advanced biotechnology
  is available; many or all people can afford some kind of genetic
  treatments, and bioroids may be present and performing some
  tasks. Also, those ubiquitous computers may be running low-
  sapient AIs, and microtechnology is fairly widespread; hence,
  manufacturing tends to be small-scale but efficient, and the
  ideas of “home” and “workplace” are blurred.
  In a Fifth Wave area, these trends have come to fruition,
  and are overlaid with the most powerful AI systems and the
  products of nanotechnology. The conceptual difference
  between “reality” and “online” is blurred; people often think 
  of the world around them in terms of v-tags and augmented
  reality labeling, and talk about “meeting” people who they only
  ever encounter on the Web. The result may be unnerving 
  for the lower-wave visitor, especially as concepts of personal
  privacy shift.
  Street Scenery
  If you look at the streets in Third, Fourth, and Fifth Wave
  societies, it looks like the world is growing less busy – 
  unless you can perceive the rising level of online activity. A
  18
  A GM’S VIEW OF 2100
  CHAPTER TWO
  A GM’S
  VIEW OF 2100
  TECHNOLOGY AND SOCIETY
  
  higher-wave street has less traffic and fewer billboards. It’s likely
  to be cleaner, assuming that someone is paying for cybershell
  cleaners. Late Third Wave technology brought a lot of visible
  wearable computer technology, which grew ever more wide-
  spread over time, but the development of implant systems
  causes this to fade from sight again somewhat in the Fifth
  Wave world. “Future shock,” once typified by barely-repressed
  panic at the growing speed of industrial society, now takes the
  form of confusion at the way that people seem estranged and
  detached from the world around them. Bioroids and cyber-
  shells may be commonplace in Fourth and Fifth Wave settings,
  but that depends on local laws, customs, and ethics. A naive
  Fifth Waver may send a teleoperated cybershell out onto a
  Third Wave street, but this all too easily attracts too much
  curiosity and sometimes violent hostility.
  Many of the people “present” on a high-wave street aren’t
  physically present at all, but access the scene through the Web,
  teleoperating cybershells if necessary; if anything interesting
  starts happening, many more may quickly “arrive,” at least as
  passive observers downloading imagery from local static sys-
  tems. Advanced augmented reality systems may have ways to
  indicate this fact; a street may become “physically empty, vir-
  tually crowded,” especially if anything dangerous starts hap-
  pening. In authoritarian societies, however, the rulers may
  decide to break communication links when something uncon-
  trolled is happening, emptying the virtual street.
  All this can have significant consequences when characters
  engage in typical adventuring behavior. Violence may lead to
  no more than a few damaged cybershells, followed by the rapid
  arrival of wired-up cops. Likewise, it can be harder to intimi-
  date or seduce someone who’s not actually physically present –
  but it’s not impossible. And people who do discover a need to
  be personally present somewhere may be all too easy to iden-
  tify and track.
  UBIQUITOUS COMPUTING
  Ubiquitous computing has all sorts of ramifications for
  Transhuman Space plots and the feel of the setting. Many
  people are permanently online. Amongst other things, this
  means that cutting off their connections should have a dra-
  matic effect – though GMs should avoid overplaying this trick,
  lest it become a cliché.
  If someone is attacked or is otherwise the victim of a crime,
  and if they have some kind of Web connection, it’s hard to pre-
  vent them sending a call for help. Even a visible wearable can
  probably get some kind of emergency signal out before an
  attacker can remove or destroy it. Likewise, anyone stealing an
  item should be sure to check what kind of electronics it incor-
  porates; even if it isn’t smart enough to call for help, it may be
  traceable.
  Meanwhile, augmented reality means that anyone with a
  virtual interface of some kind can find out a fair amount of
  detail about most high-tech items. One consequence of this is
  that falsified v-tags can have a significant effect on anyone
  who’s used to trusting this technology; this can loom large in
  mystery plots. The ability to download, not only data, but skill
  set programs, given a connection and a little time, means that
  parties need not be disabled by gaps in their experience.
  Remember also that technology can be turned against PCs,
  who may be traced by their Web access, if an antagonist has
  sufficient authority on the relevant systems. The ability to turn
  off one’s interface, go “electronically invisible,” and still oper-
  ate effectively in a high-tech environment may become the
  mark of the truly competent hero. And for those who don’t
  mind relying on some technology, there are a number of handy
  toys to use in conflicts. See the Radio Direction Finder
  (p. TS149), which can make for suspenseful games of cat-and-
  mouse, as two parties track each other by their encrypted sig-
  nals through various environments. This in turn may lead
  adventurers to use laser or infrared beamed comms wherever
  possible – large enough lasers can even be used to connect to
  satellite systems, although this will generally require prior
  arrangement with the satellite operator, and implies a stable
  mounting platform out of doors, and software-controlled aim-
  ing.
  Given the possibility of being cut off from information
  sources, some PCs will rely on downloading vast quantities of
  data from a source for later reference. GMs may rule that the
  databases involved are large, but storage is cheap in this set-
  ting, though communications links may impose a bottleneck.
  The main problem is knowing what’s likely to be needed later,
  and also how to sort through and analyze all that information
  when the time comes.
  MICROBOTS
  While microbots aren’t the subtlest or weirdest technology
  in this setting, they do have many uses and potential compli-
  cations. They make effective spies, weapons (of various sorts),
  and tools, useful for spies and soldiers as well as farmers and
  mechanics.
  But microbots are quite limited in their capabilities, even
  when operating in swarms under the direct control of an oper-
  ator. They may be TL10 robots, but their brains are tiny, their
  tools aren’t much bigger, and their small bodies are subject to
  numerous problems caused by their surroundings. Flying
  microbot swarms can be swept away by bad weather, while
  crawlers are simply slow. Properly equipped and prepared
  troops should have relatively little difficulty fighting cyber-
  swarms (use the Swarm Attacks rules, p. B461), though they
  can be dangerous and frightening to civilians.
  Microbots also have to follow strict orders and limited pat-
  terns; they should seem far more mechanical than bigger, more
  self-aware computers. Many people would call them down-
  right stupid, even when operating as a group. A controller can
  make them do slightly more subtle things, but this calls for
  full-time attention and implies the continued presence of a sig-
  nal which can be blocked, jammed, or traced.
  NANOTECH
  Likewise, it’s important to remember that Transhuman
  Space nanotechnology is relatively low key, mostly biological,
  and doesn’t defy the laws of physics. Its main uses, from the
  point of view of adventurers at least, are medical and phar-
  macological, and “medical nano” is mostly administered in
  controlled environments. It also explains how much of the set-
  ting’s more advanced materials and miniature devices are put
  together. It can’t reconfigure steel or make diamonds (at least,
  not in usefully short times), and nanobots can’t fly through the
  air under their own power or display any great initiative.
  A GM’S VIEW OF 2100
  19
  
  BIOTECH
  For all its power, biotechnology faces the same limits as are
  faced by life and evolution. Biotech systems have to get energy
  from somewhere (and may generate a lot of waste heat while
  working), and individual cells and chemicals can’t
  think. They can generally do what they’re
  designed to do, or go wrong in sometimes
  bizarre ways, but they can’t easily adapt to
  unexpected situations. Furthermore, genetics
  is an immensely complex subject; while a
  biotechnologist might study the life processes
  and even the genes of an animal in order to
  give a parahuman or bioroid design features
  similar to that species, the trick is a lot more
  complicated than just splicing an animal gene
  into the human genome.
  Nor is biotechnology a “field science” except
  in specific, limited ways. Transhuman Space
  scientists can create new species and “wonder
  drugs,” but the process takes weeks, months, or
  years, in huge and complicated laboratories.
  Scientist-adventurers are certainly possible,
  but will be limited to operating standard equip-
  ment, conducting straightforward tests, and administering
  pre-prepared treatments when out of the lab.
  Which said, they may prove to be very useful characters in
  some games. Because of the complexity of biological process-
  es, anyone combining or modifying treatments or techniques
  in unusual ways can produce unpleasant unplanned effects,
  unless they know exactly what they’re doing.
  ARTIFICIAL LIFE
  Despite all these limitations and problems, Transhuman
  Space technology has achieved wonders. Aliens exist – because
  we made them. PCs will probably have regular dealings with
  AIs or bioroids, and may be such things themselves. One of the
  questions which games can tackle is how “human” these
  beings really are, and how society may have to adapt to accom-
  modate them.
  PCs may fight for AI or bioroid rights, or find that the mil-
  itary unit they’ve joined includes as many free-willed machines
  as human soldiers, or help a young couple escape the disap-
  proval of the parahuman girl’s parents at her love for a bioroid.
  The players also get to create some really cool characters.
  Anime fans and cat-lovers will pounce on the idea of a Felicia-
  series bioroid, while players who want the best possible fight-
  er character will study the range of combat cybershells with
  intense interest. And how many comedy games make it per-
  fectly reasonable for a party to consist of a boy and his scoot-
  er, his jacket, and his dog?
  MEMETICS
  The science of memetics is another kind of technology, with
  its own capabilities and limitations. It makes propaganda and
  related techniques (rhetoric, advertising, popular arts, etc.)
  much more powerful and precise, to the point where even a
  lone amateur can have quite large-scale effects – but it can’t
  reach into individual human brains and reprogram them to
  order. (Some nanodrugs might accomplish that, but even with
  those, specific words and images can only be planted if the vic-
  tim’s environment can be precisely controlled.) Memetics isn’t
  telepathy; it’s mass psychology with some powerful scientific
  tools and a mechanistic view of its subjects. It also provides a
  handy vocabulary for describing social movements and condi-
  tions to players. For example, a “meme
  war” is a competitive propaganda cam-
  paign, in which both sides analyze and
  break down the ideas being spread by
  each other, prepare balancing ideas,
  and then try to spread them through a
  population which is familiar with
  memetics and may be all too aware of
  what’s going on.
  But memetics doesn’t have to be
  actively manipulative. Changing and
  propagating memes is hard work, and
  not terribly reliable; it is far easier to
  observe the “natural” memes in a popu-
  lation, and work to exploit those.
  Edgehunters and analysts might look
  rather dull as PCs, but that depends
  where they have to work, and what their
  goals might be; they can find themselves
  out on the fringes of society, acting as talent scouts as much as
  advertisers. They can also spot toxic memes before they
  spread, and prepare countermeasures. A campaign could
  involve a police unit, its official memeticist consultants, and a
  couple of sympathetic freelance edgehunters or social activists,
  locked in battle with psychopathic meme-hackers who create
  suicide cults and nihilist radical movements for kicks.
  20
  A GM’S VIEW OF 2100
  A Game of Ideas
  Science fiction is a “literature of ideas,” and
  Transhuman Space follows this model. This doesn’t
  mean that games have to revolve around detailed
  points of engineering and advanced physics
  (although they certainly can). It can just as easily
  mean that they can explore the social and economic
  consequences of advanced technologies, or the
  moral and ethical questions of changing humanity.
  Players may end up arguing about these, and per-
  haps changing their minds in character in response
  to events in the game.
  On the other hand, GMs should usually try to
  avoid letting sessions get bogged down in abstract
  debates, especially if not all the players are interest-
  ed. Sometimes the story should move along too fast
  for argument! It’s also best to make sure that the
  players don’t start out playing characters with
  philosophical positions too far from their own,
  unless they’re doing so very consciously. For exam-
  ple, if the player thinks that sapient AIs should have
  the same rights as human beings, a game about xox
  exterminators might feel too much like playing
  mass murderers.
  
  Earth in 2100 is no less complex a place than in our present
  day – and hence, no less full of potential adventure settings.
  THE POWER BLOCS
  With so many great powers in competition, international
  politics are complex and unstable. Heroes who work for the
  intelligence agencies of one power can’t automatically assume
  that A is a friend and B is a foe – even friendly powers have rad-
  ically different policies and moral stances on specific subjects.
  For example, the E.U. and the USA are likely to collaborate on
  many things, both large (keeping the powers of China and the
  TSA in check) and local (fighting Triad crime in the Belt), but
  if, say, an American bioroid seeks sanctuary on E.U. territory,
  the Europeans may well refuse to hand it back. Even individ-
  ual member states within power blocs such as the E.U., TSA,
  or PRA can have serious differences in attitude and policy; they
  are still independent nations, after all.
  These complicated relationships make for high-action
  espionage or political campaigns full of triple-crosses 
  and temporary alliances. Alternatively, such a game could 
  be played as cynical and morally ambiguous; agents and
  diplomats might regard the leaders and populations they
  serve as simple-minded and unstable, and feel that they have
  much more in common with their counterparts on the other
  side of the border. On the other hand, even the most jaded of
  operatives may have one or two true ideals left – enough 
  to keep him loyal and willing to destroy those counterparts,
  however much they resemble himself.
  Hot Spots
  For groups who want straightforward military games, or
  high-stakes wartime espionage, or the chance to play outsiders
  struggling to bring sanity or truth to a war zone, Earth still
  offers a number of active hot spots – some with declared wars,
  some with insurgencies or open revolts.
  Haut-Zaire is a corrupt military dictatorship that ruthlessly
  exploits its local mineral resources. Amoral mercenaries might
  be interested in sustaining the long-standing colonial tradition
  of stripping this region of wealth; higher-minded characters,
  including South African agents, might tackle the hard task of
  improving things, or just help defend Haut-Zaire’s neighbors.
  Central America is the setting for a confrontation between
  nanosocialism and its rivals. In Honduras, the conflict is an
  open civil war, and Guatemala is trying to trigger something
  similar in southern Mexico.
  Central Asia has a number of points of tension, a civil war
  in Uzbekistan, and a running set of local conflicts in
  Afghanistan. The government of Kazakhstan is likely to inter-
  fere with any of its neighbors, and both Russia and China may
  also take an interest; while few other outside powers have a
  direct interest in these conflicts, the instability isn’t good for
  anyone, local terrorists have demonstrated a willingness to use
  “dirty bombs,” and Kazakhstan’s ambitions are uncertain and
  sinister enough that foreign intelligence agencies pay close
  attention to the region.
  Burma is still fighting the breakaway states of Kachin and
  the Shan Republic – a military manifestation of the continuing
  struggle between the TSA and China.
  Conflicts as Opportunities
  War zones offer one set of plot possibilities, but there are
  plenty more where struggles take the form of espionage or
  memetic conflict, from polite diplomatic interaction between
  E.U. and Russia and policy-making for the GRA in
  Kaliningrad to cloak-and-dagger battles between PRA agents
  and TSA infiltrators in the back streets of Bangkok, from
  alliances of convenience seeking to protect or sabotage the
  Olympus Project in Kenya to the recurrence of old frictions
  on the Iran-Iraq border.
  If a campaign is set to revolve around such conflicts, the
  PCs may be a team of agents working for one of the factions
  involved, in which case their ultimate objectives should be
  fairly straightforward, although incidents along the way may
  prove complicated and morally messy. If their side is one
  which the players can see as essentially good, this leads to 
  a heroic campaign with enough subtlety to keep things 
  interesting. Alternatively, the PCs may be mercenaries or
  opportunists, with few ideals and more or less purely selfish
  objectives. Or they may shift from one category to the other
  in the course of the campaign, being driven to cynicism 
  or inspired to idealism. They may even set up their own
  miniature faction, with non-selfish goals that are still not
  quite the same as anyone else’s.
  If the conflict is open and violent, PCs will spend most of
  their time as soldiers, with appropriate skills and decent
  equipment. If it remains covert, however, they may be spies
  or informers, focusing on intrusion or social skills. In some
  cases, military PCs may train local forces to handle the 
  situation, although “instructors” and “advisers” are notori-
  ously prone to getting involved in shooting wars. Amoral PCs
  may also regard conflicts as good opportunities to engage in
  a little independent profit-taking, robbing banks amidst the
  confusion of a battle or establishing long-term alliances with
  the new regime after a successful revolution.
  MEMES AT WAR
  The nation-states of 2100 are also involved in conflicts rang-
  ing from subtle propaganda through trials of economic
  strength to old-fashioned military violence. But many of the
  setting’s important conflicts have little to do with nationality;
  Preservationism vs. Green System advocacy, or amortalism vs.
  transhumanism, are memetic conflicts which can be fought
  out within a nation as easily as across national borders.
  Admittedly, different nations may sometimes adopt specific
  ideologies, turning the memetic conflict into an international
  one, but it’s not always clear how sincere such commitments
  may be; many within the population may disagree with the
  ideology, or adopt it half-heartedly or in a rather shallow way,
  just to annoy their nation’s rivals.
  A GM’S VIEW OF 2100
  21
  THE STATE OF EARTH
  
  Memetic conflicts don’t automatically lead to physical vio-
  lence; if they do, the results slip towards civil war, or armed
  insurrection, or terrorism – and smart ideologues may see
  those as counterproductive. On the other hand, given the
  power of memetics in 2100, it’s very easy for a movement’s
  campaigns to push some of its followers towards fanatical
  extremism.
  Nanosocialism vs. the Rest?
  One of the biggest conflicts is that between nanosocialism,
  both as a free-floating ideal and as the guiding ideology of the
  Transpacific Socialist Alliance, and other concepts of intel-
  lectual property and economic organization. Indeed, some
  players may see this as the central conflict of the whole set-
  ting, and good military or espionage campaigns can indeed
  be constructed around it. However, it’s not the only conflict of
  interest around; not only are several non-nanosocialist states
  and groups far from friendly with each other, but there are
  conflicts within the “nanosocialist bloc.” The TSA isn’t a sin-
  gle state, and is far less unified than, say, the old Warsaw
  Pact. There are circumstances in which the TSA could split –
  such as India joining and disrupting the balance of influence.
  PCs could act to promote or prevent splits within the TSA, or
  could work for or against infosocialist groups in the rest of
  the world which regard the TSA as a perversion of their
  ideals, or could ally temporarily with TSA agents to foil the
  plots of China or the Caliphate.
  “Rogue States”
  The multipolar political balance means that there are few
  states which are regarded as outcasts by the world communi-
  ty, but there are some which most people would regard as
  extreme and dangerous. Burma and Colombia may be aligned
  with the power of the TSA, but they are radicals and danger-
  ous nuisances. Haut-Zaire is too weak and too locally focused
  to be considered really globally dangerous; it’s as much “failed”
  as “rogue.” Kazakhstan is perhaps the most ostentatious rogue,
  although even President Zarubayev has some provisional allies
  and purchased supporters abroad.
  When dealing with rogue states, remember that anyone
  trying to get rid of them may run into opposition from unex-
  pected sides. If the rogue government is removed, it will either
  be replaced by something else – probably aligned with some
  major international faction, and hence a problem for several
  other factions – or it will slip into anarchy, which is bad for
  virtually everyone. There’s always a terrible temptation for
  outsiders to prop up rogues and failures, for fear of the 
  alternatives – and given how much carnage the disintegration
  of a state and government can cause, they often have human-
  itarian arguments to justify themselves, too.
  22
  A GM’S VIEW OF 2100
  Reasons to Travel
  “Adventure” is often almost synonymous with “travel,”
  and this remains true in Transhuman Space. However, it
  may sometimes be harder for people in the setting to find
  reasons for physical travel. High-speed, high-quality Web
  connections, combined with teleoperated cybershells,
  make ideas like “traveling to meetings” or “examining a
  scene in person” seem slightly odd, even quaint. Even
  mercenary fighters may mostly be expert tactical consult-
  ants, giving instructions to local forces and disposable
  cybershells from a very safe distance. Cops or doctors
  might claim that telepresence never lets them identify the
  last 1% of crucial sensory data that lets them do their jobs
  right – but even these purists will sometimes make initial
  inspections of problems through the Web, and they’ll need
  to achieve good results to justify their travel expenses to
  their bosses.
  Still, PCs can find reasons to travel. That last 1% of
  sensory data may be crucial, some facts on-site may be
  impossible to identify remotely, an area may not have
  proper communications infrastructure (and radio-
  screened “privacy rooms” can have legitimate purposes),
  and radio links are dangerously detectable. Clever oppo-
  nents can use radio jammers, or just duck into “dead”
  areas, at which point an agent “on the ground” becomes
  essential. Some tasks will be rendered much harder by
  even a tiny communications lag, so traveling to within a
  few miles of the task may be essential. For that matter,
  some scenarios can easily begin with the PCs traveling for
  pleasure rather than business.
  Space
  Travel into space is still expensive in 2100; PCs should
  rarely be able to head from Earth to orbit or beyond with-
  out a serious budgetary justification. On the other hand,
  justification can sometimes be easy to find. Even at the
  speed of light, space means serious signal delays.
  Furthermore, in space, there are less likely to be local
  technical specialists on hand to deal with specific issues.
  And space colonization remains a matter of complex engi-
  neering, sometimes calling for skilled hands and eyes on
  the scene.
  Not Traveling
  Then again, in some cases, a campaign can simply not
  involve travel. It’s perfectly possible to have entertaining
  adventures without physically moving from home. Classic
  fictional “armchair detectives” such as Nero Wolfe pro-
  vide one possible model here; legwork can be performed
  by teleoperated cybershells as the 2100 counterpart of
  Wolfe’s henchman Archie Goodwin.
  Nor are “remote adventurers” necessarily 100% safe.
  If they can hire remote links, then so can their enemies
  – and if the situation is a matter of life and death, they
  may be traced by someone willing to spend money to
  ruthless ends. When faced with a remote antagonist, 
  the idea of renting cybershells or local muscle and 
  striking at him personally can be both effective and very
  satisfying.
  
  Choosing Sides
  Who might the PCs work for? Who might players want the
  PCs to work for? In some cases, the answer may seem pretty
  obvious – few people would want to play loyal agents of the
  government of Kazakhstan! In other situations, the distinction
  between “good guys” and “bad guys” is less clear. This can lead
  to a simple decision that one side or the other is the one to
  which this batch of PCs happen to owe loyalty; it’s just a game,
  so “why” isn’t very important. Or there might be the occasion-
  al moral problem in the midst of an otherwise straightforward
  conflict; the players might be able to offer serious reasons for
  favoring one side over the other, while admitting that their
  choice isn’t perfect or unquestionable. Or the campaign might
  be a morally complex “hall of mirrors” espionage game, with
  the PCs at best hoping that they do more good than harm.
  Memetic struggles can feature mercenary operators, in
  much the same way that open warfare can. Freelance memeti-
  cists, promoting whichever ideology pays best, are entirely fea-
  sible characters, although they can seem just as unattractive as
  amoral mercenary warriors. (They may not kill people direct-
  ly, but they’re likely to make a lot more people kill each other.)
  If they don’t take care to remain obscure, and if they become
  too obviously good at their jobs, they may well become targets
  for espionage or assassination, so they may be surrounded by
  guards and other specialists.
  A GM’S VIEW OF 2100
  23
  LIFE OFF EARTH
  While space flight is a mature technology in 2100, it’s not so
  cheap or easy that ordinary people see it as trivial. Hence, PCs
  in a space-based game should be seen, if not as an elite, then
  certainly as being in an unusual profession. They’re also cut off
  from much that Earth-based parties can take for granted – and
  faced with some of the strangest situations in the setting.
  THE PRACTICALITIES
  OF SPACE FLIGHT
  Space travel in Transhuman Space involves hostile envi-
  ronments and millions of miles. Still, some journeys will be
  fairly routine.
  Costs
  Among other things, space travel still costs a fair amount of
  money; spacecraft are expensive to build and operate, and
  humans have to make special preparations to work in the
  space environment. Also, because the game pays attention to
  the logic of orbital mechanics, the cost of different journeys
  varies. See p. TS172.
  Getting off Earth is expensive – a trip to low orbit costs
  $24,500, plus $12,500 to return to the surface. This will be a
  scheduled flight to an established station; most adventurers
  will need to pay more for a transfer to a higher orbit. Even
  given the much greater wealth of the setting, $37,000+ is a sig-
  nificant expense.
  Hence, among other things, PCs who start a campaign in
  space must have gotten there somehow, or been born there –
  and in the former case, the cost must have been covered by
  somebody, who’ll want some kind of return on the investment.
  Rich tourists can visit space, and companies can afford to take
  useful workers up to do their jobs, but – given the continuing
  costs of life support – individuals are highly unlikely to head up
  in the hope of work.
  Travel between planetary orbits is cheap compared to the
  ascent and descent phases at either end. For example, a jour-
  ney from Earth orbit to Mars orbit in 2100 (0.88 AU) costs
  around $2,600 per person in shared quarters. (The trip down
  to Mars is rendered significantly cheaper by the elevator; a
  one-way trip costs $1,000, whereas passage on a spacecraft
  would cost around $11,000 up, $5,500 down.)
  Medical Requirements
  Vacuum can kill a human being quickly, but radiation is
  more insidiously lethal (see pp. TS59-60), and prolonged oper-
  ation in zero gravity causes further problems for the normal
  human body (p. TS55). These are problems that 22nd century
  medical technology can alleviate, but they can’t just be ignored.
  The best approach usually employs nanomods; see p. TS165,
  and note that the cost will, once more, have to be paid by some-
  body. Employers will have a slight but distinct preference for
  individuals who have already acquired protection from some-
  where, especially for long-term contracts where permanent
  treatments are really required. A permanent space-oriented
  nanomod may also be considered a valid perk or part of the
  payment in certain jobs.
  Travel Times
  Travel within the Earth-Moon system takes hours, or a few
  days at most, and hence is on a par with air travel a hundred
  years earlier; cramped, a little tiresome, but bearable.
  Passengers can eat the indifferent food, admire the view, or
  work on their personal computers. Interplanetary travel takes
  significantly longer: weeks or months. (It’s also worth noting
  that how long varies considerably with relative planetary posi-
  tions. Smart travelers time their journeys carefully.) This can
  leave traveling PCs twiddling their thumbs.
  From the character point of view, the response should usu-
  ally be a combination of heavy use of InVid entertainment,
  socializing with other travelers, and (ideally) exercise to mini-
  mize the effects of being cooped up in a cramped space in low
  gravity. Which is not to say that the experience isn’t still boring
  for many. Obsessively self-perfecting PCs can take the oppor-
  tunity for computer-aided study of various skills, though this
  may make them look odd to NPCs with less intense priorities.
  A “time out” period like this can also be an opportunity to
  run a “change of pace” scenario. The players may be able to do
  minor favors for fellow passengers or crew members, teaching
  them new skills, advising them on personal or professional
  problems, or fixing damaged property – all good ways to make
  new Contacts. The ship’s computer can be used to run a minia-
  ture digital kingdom, and the PCs can play a roleplaying game
  within a roleplaying game – which might seem a little silly,
  until the relationships with and discoveries about other partic-
  ipants start to prove relevant in the campaign.
  
  OPPORTUNITIES IN ORBIT
  Earth orbit (including the Lagrange points) is a busy,
  bustling, varied place, exotic enough to be interesting for play-
  ers, close enough to be reachable even for many Earth-based
  campaigns. High Frontier covers this topic in detail.
  Adventures in an Industrial Park?
  Earth orbit isn’t really remote; everyone is mere hours, per-
  haps just minutes, away from well-equipped legal authorities.
  This part of space is also under constant observation, because
  it’s not only close, it’s also heavily trafficked; anything that cre-
  ates debris or doesn’t announce its planned trajectory will be
  treated as a nuisance.
  In a sense, it’s like an industrial park – or perhaps, more like
  an old, partly-rundown port city which is in the midst of a mas-
  sive redevelopment project, which is hitting the problem that
  many old occupants don’t want to move out of their properties.
  There are numerous old, battered, moldy can-stations, some of
  which have been up for 60 years or more, many of them run by
  layers of obscure false-front corporations; these can have a
  run-down gothic-decadent feel, and offer lots of privacy for the
  moderately careful.
  Scenarios set here should be like classic urban adventures,
  dealing with various levels of society and trying to avoid the
  attention of the authorities. To add to the fun, there isn’t a sin-
  gle government; this is international space, with countless sta-
  tions and satellites claimed by every significant nation on
  Earth.
  Vacuum Cleaning
  The Vacuum Cleaners, described in Chapter 2 of High
  Frontier, make natural Earth-orbit adventuring parties. They
  operate as small (PC-group-sized?) crews, some of them inde-
  pendent freelancers, and spend some of their time poking
  around old, sometimes mysterious hardware, some of it mili-
  tary. In some ways, they’re ordinary working folks, but they
  display a sense of adventure along with advanced technologi-
  cal knowledge.
  It’s also important to note that freelance cleaner crews don’t
  have to spend all their time vaporizing paint specks and 
  salvaging fuel tanks. A Steptoe-class spaceship can go almost
  anywhere in near-Earth space, can land or take off from the
  moon, and has enough power and fuel capacity to serve as a
  tug for quite large loads. It’s also armed, though it’s no warship.
  For that matter, cleaners who want to raise extra cash could
  easily moonlight in almost any other job in orbit; it’s usually
  easier for an employer with short-term work in hand to hire
  someone who has appropriate skills than to ship a specialist up
  from Earth.
  Luna
  The Moon, too, is something of an “industrial park.” It’s also
  a substantial body to explore, supporting multiple town-sized
  communities. Most of them are dedicated to industrial or sci-
  entific work (suggesting espionage plots), but there is also sub-
  stantial tourism (good for mystery plots), a certain amount of
  political activism, and enough of an entertainment and arts
  community to add glamor and permit some “high society”
  plots.
  MARS
  While most locations in space are restricted in size and in
  the range of activities taking place, Mars is a world, with inhab-
  itants who are set on making it into humanity’s second home.
  In the Well covers this subject in detail.
  Major Powers
  The two biggest national powers on Mars are China and
  America, who are locked into a hostile confrontation that
  makes any number of espionage plots feasible. This is not a
  war, though, and American and Chinese agents might find
  themselves cooperating against TSA plots. Both nations are
  also opposed to the Free Mars movement, although their atti-
  tudes in that area would probably be more diverse; indeed,
  each side might try to promote the Free Mars meme in the
  other’s territory, just to cause trouble. (Whether a successful
  independence meme could then be prevented from spreading
  is an interesting question. “The enemy of my enemy is my
  friend” is often a dangerous doctrine.) Likewise, both
  Americans and Chinese might find themselves fighting the
  same Martian organized criminals.
  There are a number of other nationalities on the planet,
  notably the Peruvians and Europeans. PCs on Mars could
  encounter a wide range of communities.
  24
  A GM’S VIEW OF 2100
  The Olympus
  Project
  The Olympus Project – the construction of an
  orbital elevator with its base in Africa, as described
  on pp. 23-24 and 40-41 of High Frontier and pp. 90-
  95 of Broken Dreams – can be the source of a huge
  variety of Transhuman Space campaigns. From
  politicians and engineers planning the project and
  dealing with the implications, through spies and
  agents working to defend or sabotage it on behalf of
  some faction with huge amounts of money at stake,
  and Vacuum Cleaners scurrying to remove every bit
  of potential dangerous debris from orbit, to working
  stiffs and opportunists on the streets of Nairobi who
  can see the biggest project in the solar system bring-
  ing vast and terrifying opportunities to their
  doorstep, the space elevator shapes countless lives.
  Indeed, a campaign could be designed to encom-
  pass almost all of these “levels.” A group of PCs
  could, say, be hired to defend some aspect of the
  Project (or one of its senior engineers), and could
  end up traveling between construction sites on
  Earth and in space, foiling sabotage and industrial
  espionage wherever they go and piecing together
  clues to a conspiracy among their opponents, or
  some complex sabotage scheme with elements on
  the ground and in space.
  
  Campaigns and Scenarios
  Mars is suitable for a wide range of games, including
  memetic warfare and crime-fighting as well as colonization
  and espionage. The strong presence of non-Western cultural
  influences, especially Chinese and Peruvian, can make this a
  rich and interesting setting, while the power of various corpo-
  rations, Triad criminal groups, and the occasional anti-ter-
  raforming terrorist in this relatively under-resourced and
  sometimes unstable society can give games a cyberpunk edge.
  With the elevator to give relatively cheap access to orbit, the
  proximity of the asteroid belt, and the use of space-based tech-
  nology in the terraforming project, Mars-based games can also
  get to space and the outer system relatively easily. Of course,
  PC adventurers won’t be the only ones exploiting this fact;
  criminals and saboteurs will be looking to orbit and beyond for
  opportunities.
  MERCURY AND VENUS
  By contrast with Mars, the inner planets (again covered by
  In the Well) are relatively lightly developed and populated.
  However, there are still activities of interest. Mercury has mines
  and antimatter production, a military resource which makes it
  a focus for potential sabotage and infiltration plots, while
  Venus is the location of a terraforming project and a certain
  amount of tourism. Its one substantial community, Research
  Station Aphrodite, could be a suitable setting for an offbeat
  mystery scenario.
  THE OUTER SYSTEM
  The region beyond Mars is a frontier in more senses than
  one. It’s also big, and mostly empty space; travel times become
  ever more significant in games set here. There’s a substantial
  human and AI population, developing new societies and ideas
  in all that space, but it should come across as essentially mar-
  ginal in many ways if compared to bustling Earth or even
  Mars. See Deep Beyond for details.
  The Belt
  Apart from a clutch of relatively large communities such as
  Ceres, humanity in the Asteroid Belt is spread thinly across
  numerous stations and bases, many of them locations for
  strange work and exotic memes. This makes it a great setting
  for “terror of isolation” horror plots and “closed community”
  mysteries, and also for bizarre soap operas and situation
  comedies. The opportunities for more open, free-ranging plots
  may be more limited, although the PCs might be the crew of a
  military vessel on patrol, or a “memetic countermeasures”
  team assigned to protect these remote communities from 
  psychological sabotage or morale problems.
  And, of course, those larger communities offer their own
  opportunities. The Duncanite community on Silas Duncan
  consists of independent-minded libertarian spacers and
  businessmen, heroic after their fashion and building a
  unique society (if also biochauvinist and potentially vulner-
  able to the larger national factions moving into the Belt).
  The Trojans hold even more radical communities, many with
  an outright criminal bent by most standards, and may serve
  as a source of antagonists in many campaigns – but even
  there, PCs could be independent-minded locals, seeking to
  navigate a survivable path between amoral exploitation and
  authoritarian government.
  Jupiter
  Jupiter’s overwhelming gravity and magnetosphere make
  its neighborhood a difficult place to really work, and most
  adventures in those parts are purely in the nature of scientific
  exploration. However, there is a continuing battle between EDI
  and rebel infomorphs on Io, a dubious enterprise at Valhalla
  Station on Callisto, and most significantly, the War Under the
  Ice on Europa (covered in most detail in Chapter 3 of Under
  Pressure) – any of which could form the focus of a dramatic
  scenario or limited-term campaign.
  In fact, the Jupiter system has the advantage, from a game
  point of view, of having a significant range of interesting “plan-
  etary” environments within relatively easy travel of each other;
  strife-torn Europa (underwater or surface), hellish Io, icy
  Callisto, Jupiter itself, and so on. GMs who want a game where
  PCs shuttle between multiple “alien” worlds might set them up
  as troubleshooters or spies in this “miniature solar system.”
  Saturn
  Saturn can be seen as the most important part of the outer
  system, simply because it supplies Earth with so much vital
  helium-3. This in turn fuels growing industries on Titan, which
  has acquired a bustling, semi-lawless frontier town atmos-
  phere. This is a good place for “frontier life” plots, where Wild
  West meets exotic technology and a substantial military pres-
  ence. The rest of this moon-system is slightly sparser in plot
  potential than Jupiter’s, but there’s scope for a fair amount of
  military espionage.
  The Far Reaches
  There aren’t many settlements beyond Saturn, but there are
  Gypsy Angel colonies in the Kuiper Belt, primordial black
  holes to locate in the Oort Cloud, and things happening on
  Neptune’s moon Triton that would lead to a lot of trouble if
  they were ever discovered.
  A GM’S VIEW OF 2100
  25
  
  While the idea of “jobs for life” isn’t terribly common in
  2100, there will still be many times when adventurers will find
  themselves working for a specific group.
  LAW ENFORCEMENT
  Law enforcement campaigns have a lot going for them.
  They provide a strong structure, with definite heroes (honest
  law enforcers) and villains (criminals), while still allowing for
  moral complexity in the form of unjust laws, corrupt cops, and
  lawbreakers with sympathetic motives. They permit plenty of
  action and combat (car chases, shoot-outs, raids on criminal
  HQs), while not being as unrelentingly dangerous as front-line
  military service. Individual adventures or whole campaigns
  can be cerebral exercises in detection and deduction.
  Law enforcers must be prepared to take orders or handle
  the consequences of “doing the job their own way,” but a beat
  cop or senior detective still has some freedom to make deci-
  sions. Law enforcers won’t usually change the world, but they
  can have the smaller satisfactions of making the world a better
  place a step at a time. Most law enforcers have to limit their
  use of physical force to what the rulebook permits, and gener-
  ally have to live by rules made by others – but those rules are
  generally supposed to be admirable.
  In the cities and towns of advanced parts of Earth, law
  enforcers are members of organized police departments work-
  ing under long-established legal systems, with all the benefits
  and responsibilities that implies. A “cop show”/CSI campaign
  is a perfectly valid option here. Law enforcement arrange-
  ments are more complex in a wilderness or under the oceans,
  but communications are generally good and jurisdictions are
  fairly well determined in 2100. A law enforcement campaign
  set in an area of civil upheaval or insurgency can be messier
  and more “militarized,” with, sometimes, more moral compli-
  cations, but cops are generally cops everywhere.
  Law enforcement in space or on other planets is more com-
  plicated again. Jurisdiction may be uncertain, so that law
  enforcers may have to spend much of their time confronting or
  negotiating with their counterparts from other nations, while
  criminals may be able to escape justice by ducking across a
  convenient border. (This is all too easy for infomorphs, which
  can make the move electronically.) Hence, there is often some
  temptation to bend or break the rules.
  Types of Organization
  Law enforcers come in several varieties. The classic 
  uniformed police force enforces the law and keeps the peace
  in a specified territory. Not all members of the force may
  wear uniforms – many fictional heroes are plainclothes
  detectives – but they are all generally defined by the job, and
  probably worked in the uniformed branch at some point
  (unless they’re civilian forensics experts – who could 
  make good PCs in a technothriller-ish Transhuman Space
  game). While such cops are mostly quite strictly limited by 
  geography and defined duties, their work can make for
  strong episodic campaigns, in TV cop show style.
  A second type of force, typified by groups such as the FBI,
  has broader geographic responsibilities and specific tasks, such
  as dealing with “federal crimes.” In an age of supranational fed-
  erations such as the E.U. and TSA, this type of organization
  may become more common, while advanced technology and
  social change creates new kinds of crime needing specialized
  responses. (The Genetic Regulatory Agency is one example.)
  This category can also encompass intelligence organizations
  such as the CIA or MI5 working in “investigative mode.”
  A third category is the “frontier marshal” sort of group,
  mostly found in colonies and suchlike remote, underdeveloped
  areas. ODPAP, China’s orbital police unit (see High Frontier,
  p. 30) is an example of a specialist “frontier force” operating
  quite close to home. Some such people may even be 
  26
  A GM’S VIEW OF 2100
  EMPLOYERS AND EMPLOYMENT
  Private
  Investigations
  As in our own era, many nations permit inde-
  pendent civilian “private detectives” to operate in
  society, often with some kind of registration or
  licensing scheme to avoid abuse. Such business is
  usually legal if the local CR is 4 or less, although it
  will usually be subject to significant controls at CR4,
  and may be seriously restricted even at CR3.
  Investigators who want to carry weapons may be
  subject to much tighter controls than those who
  don’t, while even in CR5 societies, an unarmed free-
  lancer may be able to eke out a living as an innocu-
  ous solver of minor problems. In CR0 societies, “pri-
  vate detectives” may be the nearest thing that there
  is to law, and will probably have to go armed.
  A party may provide the same sorts of services
  that have been available since the days of Allan
  Pinkerton and the Sherlock Holmes stories – find-
  ing missing persons, pursuing crimes that the cops
  can’t solve or won’t touch, resolving domestic mys-
  teries that don’t seem to involve actual crime,
  maybe a little bodyguard work or bail bond
  enforcement. However, in a complex world, all
  sorts of people can end up investigating mysteries.
  Computer consultants, memeticists, and biotech
  experts may all be called in to assist in dealing with
  complicated crimes, or may stumble across mys-
  teries in the course of their work. See the
  Barrymore Consultancy in Personnel Files, a com-
  mercial consultancy which ends up dealing with all
  sorts of enigmatic problems throughout South
  African society.
  An effective high-tech detective agency will need
  many of the same resources as the police – obser-
  vation technology, Web-based tracking capabilities,
  forensic microbots, and so on. This can give a game
  an interesting blend of (limited) high-tech resources,
  thoughtfulness, and action.
  
  part-timers – America/Mars frequently deputizes government
  employees to provide some kind of legal presence out in the
  wilderness, while the commander of a small station may have
  the legal powers traditionally assigned to a ship’s captain. In
  small communities such as those based on asteroids and arti-
  ficial habitats, law enforcement may be handled by private
  companies; see the Duncanite Security Companies (Deep
  Beyond, pp. 84-85) for one example.
  Law Enforcement and Technology
  In the world of Transhuman Space, advanced technology
  gives the professional law enforcer many advantages, 
  especially if he’s well-funded. Even if the government doesn’t
  deliberately set out to monitor every public area, both public
  and private areas are likely to contain cybershells or other
  machines with cameras which will record everything that they
  see – and criminals who seek to sabotage these may simply
  find that the controlling AIs call the police. Microbots and
  related technology enable forensics specialists to sweep crime
  scenes a dust particle at a time, and methodical, tireless AIs
  can sift through vast quantities of information in search of
  crucial clues. Stolen goods and kidnap victims may well carry
  electronics with radio communication capability, and even if
  they don’t call for help, these are easy to track. Neuroscience
  creates reliable lie detectors. And once a criminal is located,
  officers equipped with excellent squad-level communications,
  tactical software, and reliable less-than-lethal weapons can
  usually carry out arrests with quiet efficiency.
  However, a minority of criminals have access to advanced
  technology of their own. Teleoperated and NAI-controlled
  cybershells can enable crimes to be committed from a safe dis-
  tance. Microbots can remove and destroy every trace of evi-
  dence. Nanobugs and biotech provide whole new categories of
  weapon, and space travel provides whole new worlds to which
  to escape. Indeed, high-tech criminals in a low-wealth area
  may be all too effective at evading under-resourced local cops.
  Characters committing serious crimes in this setting have to be
  smart – and they still run the risk of being outsmarted.
  INTELLIGENCE WORK
  An intelligence game requires thought and judgment, espe-
  cially in the world of Transhuman Space, where a lack of sub-
  tlety will usually lead to rapid detection and defeat. Such
  games suit players who are prepared to be cautious and
  thoughtful about their PCs’ actions.
  While it’s possible to play heroic PCs foiling the plots of dan-
  gerous ideological radicals, international criminals, and the
  agents of dark authoritarian powers, stories about intelligence
  work provide opportunities for moral ambiguity, from occasion-
  al qualms about using deceit and violence to “shades of gray”
  epics in which the enemy are little different from the “heroes,”
  and objectives are set by cynical and ruthless leaders more inter-
  ested in political advantage than the public good. PCs are likely
  to think of their own beliefs and those of their enemies as the
  arbitrary result of memetic conditions, while the support that
  either side receives from the public at large is almost certainly
  the product of manipulation. Memeticists in the intelligence
  services may regard humanity as a crowd of automatons to be
  secretly reprogrammed as convenient, and many agents will
  find themselves working for or against such schemes.
  The intelligence agencies covered in Transhuman Space
  sourcebooks (p. TS97-98 and Fifth Wave, p. 38), are not the
  only agencies in the game. Bureau 10 isn’t the sole Chinese
  agency; it’s merely the one most likely to be sending spies off-
  planet. Likewise, the SIA handles American intelligence out-
  side Earth’s atmosphere; the CIA and FBI are still very active
  back on Earth. This can lead to “jurisdictional” disputes and
  cross-service rivalries; if the SIA, for example, discovered that
  terrorists were moving weapons through an American space-
  port, they should work with the FBI, and with the CIA if the
  terrorists were an international problem – but the case officer’s
  instinct might be to move against the problem while the
  weapons were off-world, to reduce the risk of leaks – and to
  keep the credit with the people who’d discovered the problem.
  Life could then become very tricky for any CIA moles within
  the terrorist group . . .
  American Agencies
  The SIA (p. TS98) is the patron agency of choice for high-
  energy, high-tech, cross-system campaigns featuring American
  heroes. It has to process the gargantuan quantities of traffic
  data generated by activities in Earth orbit, takes a major role
  in the complex “secret frontier wars” of Mars, and even (with
  USAF aid) hunts down Triad bioroid smugglers and probes
  Trojan Mafia data havens in the Belt. With such a wide area of
  operations, its agents become accustomed to independent
  action and the associated responsibility. However, it’s required
  to stay off Earth, where the mass of American interests are
  located, and an SIA agent caught out of place could find him-
  self months away from help.
  On Earth, the CIA remains the primary international
  branch of American intelligence, and can be played much like
  the CIA of a hundred years earlier – a major factor in the sub-
  tle, sophisticated information wars of Fifth Wave powers 
  and the dirty little struggles of Third Wave proxy warriors. The
  FBI defends American interests at home, and can appear in
  counter-espionage as well as crime-busting games. Lastly, the
  National Technical Intelligence Bureau is mostly concerned
  with signals intelligence – but, given the highly technological
  nature of intelligence work in 2100, it is very likely to play a
  part in any American-oriented intelligence story.
  European Agencies
  Because the E.U. is still a federation rather than a 
  monolithic state, its individual members still all maintain
  national intelligence services – often more than one major
  agency each. For example, British characters could be 
  members of the Secret Intelligence Service (“MI6,” complete
  with persistent James Bond glamor) – but they could also
  work for the Security Service (“MI5”), or GCHQ (the British
  counterpart to America’s NTIB). Germany has the BND,
  which is committed to a policy of expansion of E.U. 
  membership and influence, France has its General
  Intelligence Service, and so on. All of these are in theory 
  coordinated by the E.U. External Intelligence Coordination
  Committee (EUEICC), an office of the European Parliament,
  which regularly performs wonders of AI-directed bureaucratic
  synchronization and delicate secret diplomacy. When groups
  pursue any kind of coherent, unified policy, however, it’s 
  likely to be as much luck as judgment.
  A GM’S VIEW OF 2100
  27
  
  The one E.U.-level body with an intelligence role that does
  command cross-border support is the Genetic Regulatory
  Agency. Unfortunately, although it mostly works to prevent
  unlicensed and dangerous genetic manipulations, along with
  acting against bioroid trafficking (“the new slavery”) and
  genetic terrorism, it has serious critics within and beyond the
  E.U. It’s been called “the iron fist of militant Preservationism,”
  and its agents are frequently depicted in popular InVids as sin-
  ister men in black, dedicated to suppressing radical, life-saving
  new medical treatments, and hostile to oppressed bioroids. Its
  habit of casually claiming supranational authority at any
  excuse, its Preservationist bent, and an institutional disdain for
  memetics, don’t help with this image. Still, it also has its glam-
  orous aspects, combined with a grudging willingness to
  employ freelance talent if necessary (see High Frontier, p. 25).
  PRA and SAC Intelligence
  The USA and E.U. are massive powers, which can all too
  easily make their intelligence agencies look sinister; players
  might be more interested in taking the part of agents of sym-
  pathetic second-string powers.
  The Pacific Rim Alliance is another loose grouping, with its
  national intelligence agencies being coordinated by high-level
  committees within its united military command and control
  structures. (Non-military intelligence coordination has to be
  dangerously ad hoc.) The Australian Secret Intelligence Service
  is highly effective, thanks to decades of dealings with a wide
  range of erratic but determined potential opponents; any spy-
  counterspy game set in the ferment of southern Asia is virtually
  certain to feature ASIS intervention. Japanese agencies are more
  internally focused, though technologically competent, while the
  agencies of other PRA members tend to be badly over-stretched.
  Likewise, South Africa has its National Intelligence Agency,
  which has a taste for advanced biotech tools, giving it a formi-
  dable edge in the Third Wave border states across Africa where
  it fights many of its secret struggles. This can also make NIA
  agents and operations downright frightening as villains;
  they’re likely to deploy subtle toxins and drugs, including
  behavior-modifying nanobugs. Still, NIA human and bioroid
  agents, working for an Africa united, peaceful, and democrat-
  ic, should mostly seem heroic enough.
  28
  A GM’S VIEW OF 2100
  Software Agents
  PCs in “intelligence” campaigns will often be old-
  fashioned “spies on the ground,” using social skills
  and violence to achieve their goals. They may be
  selected because they are, or can pass for, “baseline”
  humans; the first qualification for a good spy
  throughout history has often been that he’s unre-
  markable. However the majority of entities working
  in intelligence are not human.
  “Software agents” are powerful tools. They can
  operate freely on the Web, sometimes working
  methodically and patiently to crack enemy data
  security, but more often soaking up vast volumes of
  unsecured information. They also make superlative
  analysts, taking as much time as they need to corre-
  late unsorted facts, and bringing fewer preconcep-
  tions and personal agendas to the task than most
  humans. Even the most cinematic “active service”
  field team will need infomorph support to manage
  communications, assist with tactical analysis, and
  occasionally don combat cybershells to provide
  massive firepower.
  While most players who want to play an intelli-
  gence game will probably be more interested in
  playing field agents, leaving the AI support function
  to NAI or LAI programmed allies, a more cerebral
  “software agents” game could have some interest.
  The PCs would be memeticists as much as spies,
  and could be heavily involved in memetic defense
  work. They don’t all have to be AIs; data collection
  still sometimes requires human eyes and ears on the
  spot, while enforcement and physical asset extrac-
  tion work still needs muscle. AIs can download to
  teleoperate cybershells, but humans can sneak into
  places where cybershells are sure to be detected.
  Dangerous
  Masters
  Some potential employers, especially in the intel-
  ligence field, should be distinctly worrying for most
  PCs. While the Chinese or TSA intelligence agencies
  aren’t evil, they lack democratic accountability and
  have long traditions of ruthlessness. PCs are unlikely
  to be employed by them in the long term, but might
  well be hired on a one-off basis or find themselves
  working for the same short-term goal – knowingly or
  not. Smart PCs who find themselves entangled with
  such organizations should take care not to find
  themselves classed as “disposable assets,” and should
  make sure that they have a way of leaving the rela-
  tionship smoothly when the job is finished.
  The agencies in question include China’s Bureau
  10 and Indonesia’s BAKORSTAPAS, both of which
  may also be involved in industrial espionage, and
  Saudi Arabia’s GID. Both BAKORSTAPAS and the
  GID are heavily involved in highly ideological
  memetic operations. The GID enforces Shariat law
  in the Caliphate through the Mutawi’yyun (see
  Broken Dreams, p. 33), while BAKORSTAPAS and
  other TSA agencies are thoroughly entangled with
  the External Intelligence Directorate (see Broken
  Dreams, p. 43), and must also sometimes work with
  the 
  Acquisitions 
  and 
  Internal 
  Intelligence
  Directorates. This web of national and alliance-level
  organizations often produces rivalries and “bound-
  ary disputes.”
  Agencies focused on internal national security
  and last-ditch memetic defense, such as China’s
  Ministry of Public Security or the TSA Theory and
  Praxis Directorate, are unlikely to employ outside
  operatives on anything more than a very short-term
  basis. They are dangerous to encounter; it’s their job
  to be paranoid about foreigners and foreign ideas.
  
  MILITARY ORGANIZATIONS
  Most military campaigns focus on national forces, which
  follow broadly traditional organizational patterns. In most sit-
  uations, the players can just decide which nation the PCs will
  be serving, and determine from that what force they’ll have to
  join. In many cases, there’s a further choice between giving loy-
  alty to a national organization or an alliance-level force such as
  the PRA’s Alliance Space Defense or the E.U.’s European Space
  Control Agency; see Spacecraft of the Solar System, p. 25.
  However, there are a couple of other potential employers.
  The extension of colonial and corporate activity into space and
  beneath the sea has created new opportunities for mercenary
  operations. Executive Decisions Incorporated (p. TS94) is 
  the largest of these, and hence, by necessity, one of the most
  outwardly respectable; it describes itself firmly as a security
  company. However, it has a proven capability to perform
  small-scale assault operations, in space or on the ground,
  using advanced technology. Its competitors range from 
  high-tech businesses leasing out burglar alarm systems which
  happen to include a few lightly-armed mobile cybershells, 
  to thuggish gangs-with-pretensions in backward regions;
  Orion Industries (Fifth Wave, p. 79) is another substantial
  Earth-based security company, and may act as a clearinghouse
  for more dubious mercenary contracts.
  One long-established offbeat military formation has
  become even more exotic in Transhuman Space. The French
  Foreign Legion has a centuries-long tradition of taking foreign
  nationals and asking few questions about their background,
  but using them as tough troops for tough tasks; in 2100, this
  policy has been extended to employing bioroids and AIs with
  complicated histories. The Legion is supposedly cautious about
  employing military xoxes, as the combination of willingness to
  break rules and programming to kill is a dangerous thing in an
  AI. Still, for a military campaign with an exotic mix of mor-
  phologies, psychologies, and origins, the Foreign Legion is
  hard to better. It even has a good public image, thanks to well-
  publicized raids on illicit bioroid manufacturing operations.
  WORKING FOR INDUSTRY
  While the Transhuman Space world isn’t a cyberpunk set-
  ting of unconstrained corporate power, the high wealth level
  and advanced technology enable the most powerful corpora-
  tions to be substantial forces, who sometimes end up using
  rather unconventional methods. With humanity’s dispersal
  across the solar system, government just isn’t always around to
  restrain corporations. Deep Beyond has details for several sig-
  nificant companies and corporate power structure relation-
  ships, because the outer system is one place where a corporate
  VP can rule a real pocket kingdom of his own. Corporations
  can represent interesting employers or patrons in even the
  most action-packed, dramatic campaigns – and in lower-key
  games, well, ordinary people with ordinary jobs have to be
  employed by someone.
  Such employers (and enemies, or rivals) can range from
  corrupt predators to responsible corporate citizens. Or they
  may just be accumulations of ordinary people, some corrupt,
  some idealistic, mostly just doing their jobs. While the basic
  structure of the corporation hasn’t changed much over the cen-
  tury, advanced, all-pervasive computer networks enable quite
  small groups of human managers to supervise large, broadly
  dispersed organizations, and to switch policies rapidly in the
  face of changed circumstances. Likewise, advanced training
  and infomorph support enable employees to switch jobs with
  relative ease, making more employees into short-term contrac-
  tors rather than the lifetime corporate drones of previous eras.
  A typical corporation in 2100 would probably seem both more
  personal and less stable, less of a “family,” than a visitor from
  the past might expect.
  There are a few corporations which make especially appro-
  priate medium or long-term employers and patrons for PCs.
  Some examples:
  Avatar Klusterkorp
  See p. TS94. As radical transhumanist biotechnologists,
  and Duncanites to boot, Avatar inevitably gets into a lot of
  fights. Players willing to buy into Avatar’s freebooting style and
  casual view of mainstream ethics could help shape the future
  of humanity in the outer system. Independent-minded AIs
  might have some problems with this employer.
  Columbia Aerospace
  The stereotypical giant US defense contractor, Columbia
  Aerospace (p. TS94) practically owns some of the biggest space
  stations and colonies in the system (see, for example, High
  Frontier, pp. 20-21). As Columbia builds and provides tech
  support for many of the most advanced spacecraft and war
  machines, working for them provides an excellent way for non-
  military PCs to be part of a military team (as contractors, etc.);
  they’re also a prime target for espionage.
  Marwari Digital
  As a system-wide media conglomerate (described on
  p. TS95), Marwari can act as a patron to roving freelance
  reporters in a classic “get the story at any cost” campaign. Its
  involvement with the entertainment business can make it a
  A GM’S VIEW OF 2100
  29
  Conspiracy 2100
  There may well be secret conspiracies operating
  in the world of 2100, but if there are, they’re very
  successfully secret.
  Any that do exist are likely to be reactionary plu-
  tocrats (“old wealth” that doesn’t approve of certain
  changes in the world – and remember, with TL10
  medical biotech, old wealth can be very old, with
  equally substantial fortunes), or simply government
  or corporate bodies using underhand means to pur-
  sue their own advantage. The wild-eyed radicals are
  mostly out in the open, but the setting also has its
  share of political extremists and idealists who oper-
  ate in shadow and use illegal tactics.
  The Ares Conspiracy and the Europa Defense
  Force started out as conspiracies, even if their secre-
  cy was eventually, inevitably lost. For numerous
  popular and (probably) delusional ideas about cur-
  rent dark secrets, see Toxic Memes.
  
  major factor in a campaign set in the weird world of transhu-
  manist celebrity culture. The Teralogos Consortium (Fifth
  Wave, p. 64) can serve as an alternative or a rival, with slightly
  more focus on the Web and on fast news services.
  Solar Express
  Solar Express (p. TS96 and Spacecraft of the Solar
  System, p. 18) pays people to fly around the solar system very
  fast. Courier work is likely to be quite dull, or at least routine,
  but some tasks may involve unexpected complications.
  World Tree Enterprises
  As a focus for conspiracy theories, World Tree Enterprises
  (Toxic Memes, pp. 52-54) can be an entertaining factor in any
  campaign. Its activities combine corporate raiding, mercenary
  work, and manipulation of Third Wave governments. PCs
  working for the company are likely to wonder who or what
  they’re actually working for – and what their ultimate goals
  might be.
  Others
  Esperante Enterprises (Fifth Wave, p. 59) is a company
  which used to do a lot of good, but which has now turned
  viciously exploitative. PCs might be interested in restoring its
  old culture.
  Executive Decisions Incorporated (EDI) is discussed on
  p. 29.
  GenTech Pacifica (pp. TS94-95, and see also Under
  Pressure) is closely involved with the Elandra undersea com-
  munity, and sometimes comes into armed conflict with violent
  radical preservationists.
  Nanodynamics (p. TS95) is big and powerful. Its purchase
  of Exogenesis means that it is now involved in a miniature war
  in the outer solar system.
  Nanosan Umweltsysteme AG (Fifth Wave, p. 85) combines
  advanced technology with the opportunity to travel the world
  doing good by cleaning up the environment.
  Xiao Chu (p. TS97) has not only economic power, but polit-
  ical connections. Any involvement with this company can lead
  to entanglements with the Chinese government and intelli-
  gence community. Xiao Chu is also heavily involved with the
  development of Mars.
  The short campaign ideas that follow demonstrate the
  range of possibilities for Transhuman Space games.
  AFRICAN HEARTS,
  TRANSHUMAN MINDS
  This investigative campaign starts at street level in South
  Africa, with the PC freelancers being hired to discover who is
  behind a series of low-level political dirty tricks campaigns in
  the South African Coalition. As they deal with individual inci-
  dents, the PCs win the trust of a political faction, and learn
  information that makes them the logical people to employ for
  further, related tasks.
  It becomes clear that TSA agents are behind some of the
  trouble, but are they being exploited as a front for other 
  factions who want to cause trouble for the Olympus Project?
  Some missions also involve encounters with World Tree
  Enterprises, who are seeking their own advantage.
  Eventually, the PCs will have encountered enough corrup-
  tion to cause a significant international incident – or, if
  they’re careless about how they expose things, to seriously
  damage the SAC, or at least prevent it from successfully
  expanding.
  30
  A GM’S VIEW OF 2100
  Enforcing
  Intellectual
  Property
  In 2100, the conflict between the holders of intel-
  lectual property and people who subvert their legal
  rights has gone global with the confrontation
  between the nanosocialist bloc and its enemies.
  Meanwhile, more old-fashioned organized crime
  has moved into the field, and sometimes taken relat-
  ed operations out into space.
  Hence, a campaign in which the PCs have the job
  of enforcing copyrights can easily have elements of
  not just high-action crime fighting, but also espi-
  onage and memetic warfare. Aside from individual
  rights-holders, the groups responsible for dealing
  with this include specialist units within local and
  national police forces, and also the World Trade
  Organization (see Broken Dreams). Opponents can
  include agents of the TSA Acquisitions Directorate,
  Martian Triads, the occasional Red Duncanite “data
  freebooter,” and any number of low-level criminal
  groups.
  The opposition can also include idealists and
  activists with serious moral arguments on their side.
  It is, in fact, also possible to play the “other side” –
  heroic data smugglers and idealist genetic libera-
  tionists, struggling to free human ingenuity from the
  dead hand of corporate control, carrying new nan-
  odrugs to the people who need but can’t afford
  them, providing the oppressed with the information
  they need to deal with the oppressors on equal
  terms, or enabling individuals to unlock the genetic
  rights management codes which are denying them
  the ability to have families. Intellectual property
  enforcement in the Transhuman Space setting
  sometimes goes far beyond heavy-handed, and it’s
  certainly possible to play a “shades of gray” cam-
  paign around this subject.
  CAMPAIGN IDEAS
  
  ORBITAL STORM
  This concept is built around a group of PC Vacuum
  Cleaners. Called to investigate an unmanned industrial HEO
  station of uncertain ownership which is throwing off debris,
  they discover that its AI supervisor wants to defect. The station
  is in fact part of a BAKORSTAPAS black funding data piracy
  scheme, selling to the Martian Triads and making use of
  Duncanite data havens. The AI, a bootleg model that was made
  smart enough to manage much of the day-to-day running of
  the business, fears that it’s been scheduled for deletion when
  the current phase comes to an end.
  The data pirates take rapid, violent action to delete the
  problem and destroy as much evidence as possible. Hopefully,
  the PCs will survive the ensuing spate of “computer malfunc-
  tions” and “unexpected debris behaviors” – after which, they
  discover that the AI is just one of several with similar motiva-
  tions and concerns. (These AIs may actually warn the PCs of
  planned attacks.) Unfortunately, this AI cabal is rather para-
  noid, not trusting its old makers but having been taught to
  regard most other agencies with equal suspicion. They decide
  to trust the PCs up to a point, releasing snippets of information
  to them and assessing their responses. This means that the
  Vacuum Cleaners eventually become the focus of attention for
  several law enforcement and intelligence agencies, along with
  WTO representatives. The characters will find themselves skat-
  ing round the Earth-Moon system, one step ahead of cyber-
  shell data destroyers and suspicious spies, following a trail of
  clues left by their unwanted rogue-AI “patrons.”
  BRINGER OF WAR
  One possibility for a game set on Mars is to have the PCs
  start on Earth and travel there, giving the GM an excuse to
  spring “unexpected” features of the planet on them. In this
  case, they are Earth-based freelancers who are hired by the
  Seihin Corporation (In The Well, p. 54), which thinks that its
  operations on Mars are being subjected to some kind of sys-
  tematic sabotage, but can’t pin down details. Its Earth-based
  management aren’t sure who to trust within their Martian
  organization, and may think that a non-Japanese team with no
  obvious prior connection to the company would have the best
  chance of avoiding suspicion. The PCs can create a cover story
  to explain their trip, and any interest they take in Seihin’s
  Martian operations, with their employers’ full assistance.
  They’ll find that they have reasonable resources, but some
  small things may make them nervous.
  After whatever distractions the GM chooses to throw in
  along the way, and visits to various parts of Mars, the PCs may
  eventually discover the truth – but it’s buried deep. The prob-
  lem is indeed (mostly) a plot, hatched by the TSA’s Memetic
  Warfare Special Operations Group (In The Well, p. 119), and
  hence is as well-hidden as all such operations. The Meme
  Warriors are attacking Seihin, and especially its connections
  with Earth, because the steady flow of former employees, their
  previous cultural connections weakened by their disaffection
  from Seihin and its failing attempts to create a corporate 
  culture, are a superb market for Peruvian cultural expansion –
  while an independent Seihin/Mars should eventually become
  ripe for a secret TSA takeover.
  This scheme has also sucked in rival corporate agents who
  wouldn’t mind a slice of Seihin’s Martian operations, and the
  odd Negative Growth saboteur, for whom Seihin vehicles are a
  symbol of human despoliation of Mars. This gives the Meme
  Warriors multiple layers of ready-made cut-outs. Furthermore,
  some “subtle sabotage” is actually just Seihin/Mars employees
  reacting badly to ham-fisted directives from Earth, which
  should confuse the issue considerably. But if the PCs keep dig-
  ging, they’ll eventually become a serious threat to the project –
  which is a cornerstone of the Meme Warrior plot. At that point,
  they’ll become the target of some subtle but very, very serious
  attacks.
  TS AND CS
  The PCs are employees of a financial consortium, their
  advisers and bodyguards, and perhaps independent reporters
  hunting a story. They are assigned to investigate a failed off-
  shore hotel project in the sea near the Turks and Caicos
  Islands, in the Caribbean. It quickly becomes clear that the
  whole scheme had been subverted and corrupted by somebody,
  especially when the PCs visit the unfinished hotel and find
  themselves caught up in a hasty attack by thugs who have been
  hired to remove some hidden material from the structure.
  In fact, the scheme has attracted the attention of a “crime
  ring” which is actually a deniable, disposable pawn of
  Colombian intelligence. The idea was to use the hotel as a way-
  station on a smuggling route from South to North America.
  Unfortunately, the project’s organizational stability was
  destroyed by the need to modify elements of the construction
  and the subtle removal of competent, honest managers who
  might have detected what was up.
  The criminals are mid-level Colombian and Maple
  Syndicate mobsters trying to extract themselves from the 
  fiasco and delete any serious evidence that they’ve left behind.
  However, some of them are also still looking for a way to
  replace or restore this potential transit point. Meanwhile,
  Caribbean Union law enforcement officers would like to catch
  as many of the criminals as possible, and may not be above
  using the PCs or the money they represent as bait. (They prob-
  ably won’t deliberately put innocent civilians into danger, but
  they may wonder if the PCs have also been bought . . .)
  A GM’S VIEW OF 2100
  31
  
  CAUGHT IN THE
  COMMUNAL WEB
  In this soap-operatic campaign, the PCs are all info-
  morphs, running on a cluster of static computers some-
  where on Islandia. (See Chapter 5 of High Frontier.) Most of
  them have recently established themselves there, and they
  have a variety of jobs. Some telecommute, perhaps even to
  other L4 stations such as the Vosper-Babbage Factory
  Asteroid, while others do consultation work for local busi-
  nesses; one or two may be independently wealthy ghosts, but
  regular work will give characters reasons to associate with
  the rest of the community. Much of the campaign time can
  be spent on the Web; part of the point of playing infomorph
  characters should be the sense that physical distance isn’t
  always a great concern.
  In any case, the PCs (and maybe other infomorphs) form an
  identity group, and a significant part of the campaign will be
  about relationships with other identity groups – complicated
  by the fact that, aside from the locked rooms where their com-
  puters reside, and a few “garages” where mobile cybershells
  and other community property are held, the PCs don’t really
  have a neighborhood to call their own. To begin with, in fact,
  the campaign can have something of the nature of an unusu-
  ally static picaresque, as the players learn their way around the
  complexities of Islandia society and maybe send teleoperated
  devices to visit other L4 communities.
  Eventually, though, things can turn more serious and
  focused. This may involve something like a brush with a com-
  mercially or ideologically hostile identity group (leading to a
  soap-operatic “boardroom battle” plot), or the discovery of
  substantial illicit activity on another L4 station, but the most
  interesting problems would probably involve something which
  the PCs are uniquely qualified to tackle – say, a sinister rogue
  AI attempting to infiltrate Islandia’s systems.
  PERUVIAN GOTHIC
  The PCs in this campaign are employed as roving trouble-
  shooters by a Nicaraguan politician – a moderate nanosocialist
  with a strong popular following, who has been sidelined in
  national politics. Agents of other TSA states have been working
  against her, because she’s too prone to questioning the overall
  direction of Alliance policies.
  She can and will fight this at home, and her position is just
  too popular in the country for her to be entirely eliminated.
  (She also employs some competent bodyguards, just in case –
  but that’s not the PCs’ job.) However, her political instincts are
  basically aggressive and mobile; she decides to hit back at her
  opponents by taking the fight to them. And her contacts in the
  Nicaraguan government have given her some clues as to where
  to start.
  So she asks the PCs to investigate various dubious govern-
  ment activities in the South American TSA states. They are not
  to expose anything if they can avoid it; the idea is to give their
  boss ammunition, not to damage the nanosocialist cause. She
  will call in favors to get them official status of some kind, but
  they may have to go undercover.
  This is an investigative/espionage campaign with heavy
  political overtones, which should eventually lead deep into the
  mountains of Peru. The patchy clues seem to point to surviv-
  ing elements of the pre-war “Special Projects” biotech division,
  which may mean anything from illegal weapons to Guardian
  and Helot II parahuman development (Fifth Wave, pp. 117-
  118). The tone and visual style of later scenes in the campaign
  should be defined by the presence of some truly gothic biotech-
  nology.
  32
  A GM’S VIEW OF 2100
  Time Travel 
  to 2100
  In time travel games where time travel itself is a
  secret (at least for the next hundred years or so), the
  world of Transhuman Space makes a good option
  for a future which the PCs could discover when they
  push the control lever forward. It’s a complex and
  rather strange setting from a modern-day point of
  view, emphasizing that social and technological
  changes over the next century are every bit as radi-
  cal and complex as anything the PCs can observe in
  their journeys through the past. It’s also survivable,
  but not an easy place to visit. PCs who seek out
  advanced weaponry and extremely effective medical
  supplies will find themselves trying to avoid atten-
  tion in a world where any street or building may be
  monitored by self-motivated computers with effi-
  cient face recognition software, where paying for
  anything may require a well-established digital iden-
  tity, and with plenty of suspicious local factions.
  Transhuman Space 
  and the Time Corps
  In time travel games using the “Time Corps” set-
  ting from pp. 217-229 of GURPS Infinite Worlds,
  the world of Transhuman Space could represent a
  third “potential present” – one in which, unlike the
  worlds of Timepiece and Stopwatch, theoretical
  physics never pursued the exotic paths which ulti-
  mately lead to time travel, and Earth neither unified
  under a benevolent world government nor fell to
  centralized authoritarianism, but grew ever more
  ideologically diverse. Perhaps certain important sci-
  entists were diverted into artificial intelligence
  research or biotechnology rather than temporal
  physics, or perhaps a lack of key breakthroughs left
  the temporal physicists with nothing to do except
  pursue abstruse theory; perhaps the United Nations
  and other key unifying forces were sabotaged, or
  didn’t receive crucial outside aid.
  If some disastrous historical intervention leaves
  both the Timepiece and Stopwatch futures equally,
  extremely unlikely, agents of both factions could
  find themselves stranded in the 2100 era of
  Transhuman Space, struggling to survive and evade
  notice in this barely-comprehensible world as they
  are forced to cooperate to restore some kind of 
  status quo.
  
  The newcomer moved smoothly across the ballroom, nodding
  to everyone who greeted him as a friend or an ally.
  “Darling – don’t tell me you’ve had a bodysculpt!”
  He smiled at that, shrugging to hint at deliberate ambiguity –
  but on the computer inside his skull, risk-assessment sub-
  processes raced frantically. His body was supposed to be a perfect
  replica of the subject! If a casual acquaintance could spot some-
  thing amiss, what else might be wrong with it?
  This chapter deals with Transhuman Space character 
  creation under GURPS, Fourth Edition, and includes updated
  versions of all the templates from the Transhuman Space
  main book.
  Character creation under 4e is generally similar to 3e, 
  and in some areas, the new rules provide more and better
  options for this setting. For a guide to converting between 
  the editions, see GURPS Update, available free online at
  e23.sjgames.com/item.html?id=SJG82-0105.
  ATTRIBUTES AND SECONDARY
  CHARACTERISTICS
  The new edition uses similar attributes to its predecessor.
  However, a few calculations have been changed.
  ST
  Lifting ability is now based on the square of ST, rather than
  being directly proportionate. Hence, some templates and char-
  acters which were given high ST under the old system, if only
  to ensure that they could lift themselves off the ground, can
  now be given lower values. Combined with the changes to
  attribute costs, this can help make large creatures and cyber-
  shells more viable as characters in games with restricted point
  budgets. Furthermore, Striking or Lifting ST can now be
  bought separately; the latter especially can be very useful for
  “worker” cybershells with a lot of load-carrying and lifting
  power but no particular hitting ability.
  DX, IQ
  Dexterity and Intelligence are largely unchanged – except
  that they now cost more at typical character levels. Some char-
  acters, designed or intensively trained for specific purposes,
  may be better treated as having appropriate Talents (see
  below) instead of very high Attributes.
  4e also has a hard definition of “sapience”; IQ 6+ is sapient,
  giving the ability to use tools and learn technological skills and
  languages. (Sentience is defined as minimal self-awareness,
  equivalent to IQ 1+. The 3e “Presentient” disadvantage is
  gone.) As language and technology use are requirements 
  for a companion or servant, all Transhuman Space AIs, 
  commercially-promoted uplifted animals, etc., have at least IQ
  6, regardless of colloquial uses of the term “sapience” in the
  setting. See Terminology: Sapience (p. 52) for more on this.
  HT
  Health is largely unchanged.
  Hit Points
  Hit Points are now based on ST rather than HT. This makes
  large or small beings easier to design, as their Hit Points may
  not need to vary much from this base.
  Large machines tend to have fewer Hit Points under the
  new edition than they did under the old; this reflects a change
  in the treatment of some types of combat and damage.
  Fatigue
  Fatigue Points are now based on HT. While this may pro-
  duce some minor variations in template or character details
  when converting, the difference is unlikely to be enough to
  worry about, and the results will often be more realistic.
  Will and Per
  These are now treated as secondary characteristics, albeit
  still based on IQ. When converting characters or templates,
  remember to convert Alertness and Strong or Weak Will into
  modifiers here.
  Basic Speed and Basic Move
  These too are now classed as secondary characteristics, and
  can be adjusted quite simply. Some cybershells have move-
  ment rates significantly different from their Speed, which is
  primarily a measure of reaction time and some agility. Note,
  however, that a cybershell vehicle may have Enhanced Move
  rather than increased Basic Move; it can doubtless outpace an
  ordinary human on the road or in the air, but can’t necessarily
  maneuver round a crowded room any better.
  GURPS 4E UPDATE: CHARACTERS
  33
  CHAPTER THREE
  GURPS 4E UPDATE:
  CHARACTERS
  CHARACTER DESIGN
  
  CULTURAL BACKGROUND
  A Transhuman Space character’s cultural/social back-
  ground needs to be assessed to enable certain parts of a 4e
  character sheet to be filled in.
  Tech Level
  In 4e terms, Transhuman Space is a mature TL10 setting
  with some TL11 biotechnology – treat it as TL10 for character
  definition purposes. Characters from Third Wave or poorer
  Fourth Wave areas could have one or two, or even three levels
  of Low TL; the runaway pace of technological progress in 2100
  is leaving some people behind. If a PC does take this disadvan-
  tage, the GM should note that he not only cannot begin with
  high-TL skills or knowledge, but he will be unfamiliar with 
  fully sapient (or perhaps even any) AIs, and may have difficulty
  dealing with them in small but inconvenient ways.
  Low-TL characters may have encountered bioroids, but will
  probably regard them as strange and a little unnerving. Anyone
  limited to TL8 or lower also cannot have received formal train-
  ing in memetics. Although he can resist persuasion, indoctri-
  nation, and manipulation as well as anyone else, he may
  underestimate the efficiency of this science – or overestimate it,
  regarding it with superstitious dread.
  Languages
  While languages have evolved in detail over the preceding
  century, and a large number of “marginal” tongues have died
  out altogether, the basic pattern of major languages in 2100 is
  much as a century before.
  34
  GURPS 4E UPDATE: CHARACTERS
  Vehicle ST and Other Attributes
  It is sometimes necessary to design vehicles as charac-
  ters, especially if they are cybershells and need to be
  defined as an infomorph’s body.
  Vehicles are typically listed in 4e terms with a single
  ST rating, which determines their carrying capacity and
  Hit Points. (For a simple rule of thumb, multiply the
  vehicle’s longest dimension in yards by 10; for example,
  a 9’ long ground car has ST 30.) This is a convenient
  simplification. However, not only can effective Lifting
  ST and Hit Points actually be slightly different in prac-
  tice (a rugged but underpowered aircraft may have low
  ST but a lot of Hit Points, for example), but the design
  may also need a Striking ST rating, especially if it has
  work arms.
  Hence, anyone designing a vehicle template can tinker
  with base ST, Hit Points, Lifting ST, Striking ST, and so
  on, to model the concept. For example, a cybershell
  “scooter” – designed to carry one or two passengers, but
  with only a pair of restricted-function work arms to assist
  with light luggage and handle minor self-repair tasks –
  might have ST 7, +8 Hit Points, and +13 Lifting ST. Other
  designs might treat their work arms as Weak Arms
  (p. B53). Don’t forget to apply the Size limitation to the ST
  of any vehicle with SM +1 or more.
  Similar principles can apply to cybershells. A
  humanoid cybershell might be built with human-normal
  strength, but still be as rugged as a typical 6’ long vehicle,
  giving it ST 10 and +10 HP.
  Note when defining vehicle-style cybershells that they
  should be able to carry a typical load at their quoted nor-
  mal maximum speed. This load will normally be bought
  as Payload, and hence will not count as Encumbrance. A
  combat cybershell which regularly carries heavy weapons
  on a hardpoint mount, or a “robot forklift,” might need
  some extra Lifting ST.
  Vehicle HT
  Most civilian passenger vehicles listed in the Basic Set
  have HT 10 or 11. However, sophisticated technologies
  (including smart materials) make HT 12 the norm for
  most Fourth and Fifth Wave models.
  Vehicle Handling and SR
  Every vehicle also has a Handling rating, which may
  generate an enhancement or limitation to the Enhanced
  Move advantage; see p. B52. Likewise, each has a Stability
  Rating (SR), and this too can be treated as a modifier to
  Enhanced Move; every +2 SR is a 5% enhancement.
  Disadvantage
  Limits
  The normal guideline in 4e games is that total
  points from all disadvantages (including reduced
  attributes, quirks, etc., but excluding anything in a
  racial template) should not exceed 50% of character
  base points. In Transhuman Space games, this may
  be too broad a limit.
  Genetic, surgical, and psychological therapy are
  well developed and effective. Many mental or physi-
  cal disadvantages that would seem entirely plausible
  for a hero in other settings will be curable, or should
  have been precluded by genetic therapy in the
  womb. Of course, a PC may not have had the time
  or money to acquire a cure yet – but this may lead to
  the question of why such problems aren’t fixed when
  the character next has some spare time and cash.
  Characters with many types of problem will be seen
  as freaks, maniacs, or technophobes. Meanwhile,
  serious Enemies are likely to be deadly, if they use
  resources effectively.
  Thus, players should be discouraged from scrab-
  bling for every possible disadvantage. A limit of 25%
  of starting points, or perhaps 30-50 points total,
  might be more appropriate.
  
  While illiteracy is still quite rare, it isn’t as crippling as it
  used to be in hyperdeveloped areas; characters from such set-
  tings might reduce their level of writing ability with their
  native language to Accented or even Broken and still be
  playable.
  Cultural Familiarity
  The major Cultural Familiarity categories of 2100 are
  Western (covering most of America and the EU, plus Australia
  and some other locations – and Russia, which has been large-
  ly subsumed despite some persistent “Orthodox” and
  “Communist” memes), Oriental/Chinese (covering China and
  several culturally Chinese-related Asian states, many of them
  current or former TSA members), Japanese (an offshoot of
  East Asian culture with Western influences, but with a number
  of strong, unique assumptions and patterns), Indic (covering
  India and some mostly-culturally-Hindu outlier communities),
  Islamic (the dominant culture in Pakistan and several other
  states as well as in the Caliphate), and African (a blend of pre-
  and post-colonial cultures in sub-Saharan Africa, growing
  increasingly homogeneous under the hegemony of the SAC in
  general and South Africa in particular). Other, minor, local and
  hybrid cultures survive in places.
  Intelligent individuals who travel or do business globally
  can easily have acquired multiple familiarities. Some charac-
  ters would do well to have more than one; for example, much
  of Turkey is “Europeanized”, but Islamic cultural familiarity is
  still required in outlying districts. Likewise, although the
  Muslim communities in India are quite “Indianized,” and non-
  Muslims in Pakistan tend to keep their heads down and follow
  local norms, anyone trying to understand either of those coun-
  tries should try to acquire both Indic and Islamic familiarities.
  A harsh Russianized version of Western culture is the govern-
  ment-imposed standard in Kazakhstan, although the Muslim
  underground struggles to preserve the Islamic memes that
  earn persecution (or worse) if displayed. Competent memeti-
  cists whose interests lie beyond their own homeland may have
  several familiarities (and a cinematic “memetic adept” would
  be almost expected to have Cultural Adaptability).
  Note that several cultural patterns, especially Western and
  Oriental/Chinese, have been carried into space; for example,
  those two are very useful for anyone looking to travel much on
  Mars. “Duncanite/Gypsy Angel” culture may well develop into
  a distinct familiarity within a few years, as the combination of
  libertarian ethics and the necessities of space-based life breed
  new attitudes and assumptions, but for now, “Western” still
  works in those communities.
  GURPS 4E UPDATE: CHARACTERS
  35
  Character Points
  Given the broad range of options for a Transhuman
  Space campaign, character starting point values vary
  widely. Nor need they remain stable in the course of a
  campaign; see “Mutable Point Totals,” p. 17. Transhuman
  Space characters tend to have higher point values than
  their counterparts in many game worlds. This is inevitable
  in a wealthy, technologically advanced world in which
  anyone can acquire useful allies and a better body for
  cash.
  50-150 points: Ordinary Citizens of the Future. It is pos-
  sible to create an ordinary, healthy adult who can function
  in society for 50 points or so. However, people from Fifth
  Wave societies will have resources, implants, genetic
  enhancements, and AI Allies taking them well beyond this
  level. 50-75 point PCs would be “accidental hero” types
  from backwards areas with serious limitations and prob-
  lems, or adolescents or other marginal individuals from
  wealthier areas. 150 points is the minimum for a compe-
  tent “professional adventurer” in the setting.
  150-250 points: Competent Specialists. 150 points will
  buy a normal human, upgrade, parahuman, or most types
  of bioroid, or a playable infomorph installed on a static
  computer, with plenty to spare for advantages and skills.
  Characters at this level should avoid getting into serious
  combat with armed professionals, but make good detec-
  tives, reporters, businessmen, Vacuum Cleaners, or
  memetic activists. 200 points permits trained and well-
  supported combat bioroids, well-resourced human Fifth
  Wave agents, light troops with allied cybershells, “civilian”
  ghosts running on bioshells, and static infomorphs or
  human technologists with large networks of cybershell
  aides. At 250 points, a game might include ghosts running
  on cyberdolls and many other interesting cybershells; 
  parties can be exotic and competent problem-solvers,
  even in a Fifth Wave setting. (In a Third Wave area, such
  PCs may be seen as strange and frightening.)
  250-500 points: Aces and Infomorphs: With 300 points
  or so, players can consider SAI characters on useful 
  civilian cybershells, and the best-resourced and techno-
  logically enhanced human operatives and mercenaries.
  With 400, the options include SAIs and ghosts in useful
  specialist cybershells such as cyberdocs or snakebots.
  Players who choose to play ordinary humans at these point
  levels will be able to command substantial resources and
  networks of useful specialist robots. With 500 points, 
  powerful high-end citizen AIs become feasible, with a
  range of cybershells to choose from, while ghosts can 
  easily run on exotic cybershells such as bush robots.
  500+ points: Technological Super-Beings: Games at this
  end of the scale should have a highly specific focus. This
  might be about being very, very good in combat – military
  SAIs loaded on RATS units would usually imply a 750+
  point game with plenty of battlefield action and maybe
  some weird “downtime” soap opera. With 600 or so
  points, the PCs could be AIs working as explorers or
  builders using cryobots or polypedes; or Axon Group info-
  morph activists in the outer system with an assortment of
  advanced cybershells, a limited network of additional
  technology, and a willingness to break quite a few rules
  (for example, xoxing) to achieve their goals.
  
  WEALTH, STATUS, 
  AND COST OF LIVING
  The basic starting wealth for the Transhuman Space set-
  ting is $30,000. The normal suggested level for a TL10 world is
  higher, but many parts of the world are at lower TLs. Moreover,
  as suggested on pp. TS127-128, the typical level of individual
  wealth varies significantly by area, from Wealthy in Fifth Wave
  areas to Poor in severely underdeveloped countries. The
  Nation Tables in Chapter 3 of Fifth Wave define the local
  wealth level for each country on Earth.
  As noted on p. B26, most characters should have 80% of
  their starting wealth tied up in home equity and supporting a
  settled lifestyle. While Transhuman Space adventurers may be
  footloose wanderers, most will have some kind of “personal
  base” somewhere; after all, they can probably reach it in a day
  or so, and people with money but no fixed abode at all are 
  considered eccentric at best. Note also that, in GURPS 4e, 
  characters start with a full wardrobe of ordinary clothes 
  appropriate to their Status (covered by that 80%), and that 
  cost of living covers accommodation and routine wear and tear 
  for clothes. On the other hand, in this setting, travel, incidental,
  and emergency expenses can be significant; sensible adventur-
  ers should start with a cash reserve (usually held in convenient,
  safe bank accounts with fast access through the Web).
  Offworld Wealth: People in offworld colonies and space sta-
  tions vary considerably in personal wealth; although most are
  at least Comfortable, they are not as wealthy as the inhabitants
  of their home countries or other high-tech areas on Earth.
  Many of them have taken challenging high-risk employment to
  make some money! Those who are settled permanently or own
  shares in their home stations may have high theoretical
  Wealth, but 80% of that is tied up in essential life support
  expenses and home costs, and is even harder to access than an
  ordinary homeowner’s capital. (If the base is making good
  money, they may have a few points in Independent Income
  from their shares.)
  Equipment Bought With Points: If a character starts play
  having spent points for an infomorph Ally, permanent
  nanomod, implant, etc., he doesn’t also have to spend cash for
  it (though he may have to spend some on maintenance as the
  campaign proceeds). If the item has features that aren’t 
  actually required by the point expenditure, he may have to
  cover the difference in cash. For example, if an AI could run on
  a cheap small computer in its standard cybershell, but the
  player wants a standard computer so he can use its capacity
  for other purposes, he should pay ($2,000 minus $100) $1,900
  for the extra computing power.
  If a player spends cash during play to acquire such advan-
  tages, the GM should rule either that the money is converted
  into character points in the process, or should also require
  expenditure of bonus character points. See p. 59.
  Infomorph Wealth: A free infomorph’s cost of living is 
  similar to that of a human with the same Status. It has no 
  biological needs, but it will probably have to pay rental charges
  on secure storage for its hardware and backups, maintenance
  fees, substantial insurance premiums for its cybershell, and so
  on. Most infomorphs have rather lower Status than the local
  human average, which reduces their costs. An infomorph trav-
  eling “away from home” does often live more cheaply than a
  human in the same situation, as cybershell storage comes
  cheaper than hotel rooms – a benefit arising from advantages
  such as Reduced Consumption or Doesn’t Eat or Drink.
  Status
  While few nations on Earth in 2100 are truly “classless mer-
  itocracies” (p. B28), many come close. GMs may prohibit most
  PCs from buying more than two levels of Status directly with
  points – any more must come from Wealth or Rank. As an
  example, the president of the 2100-era USA will have acquired
  Status 2 from some combination of birth, education, and inci-
  dental social influence; will be at least Wealthy (for +1), and
  probably a Multimillionaire (+2 or +3); and has Administrative
  Rank 8, for another +3, giving an overall total of +6 to +8. In
  practice, most people will assume +8, and the job fully sup-
  ports a lifestyle appropriate to this. The typical citizen of a
  Fifth Wave region, being Wealthy, automatically acquires
  Status +1; fairly or not, these people are seen as something of
  an elite in the Transhuman Space world at large.
  At the bottom end of the range, Status goes down as far as
  -2, meaning homeless or similarly deprived. This differs from
  the 3e rules, which assigned lower Status to low-grade proper-
  ty; this is now covered by a Social Stigma. “Mindless objects”
  have no Status at all, but this is treated as Status 0 for game-
  mechanical purposes (after all, they aren’t despised, just
  ignored socially). Non-citizen AIs, having few opportunities to
  acquire social standing or wealth, and not being permitted to
  hold much Rank (beyond perhaps a couple of levels of “con-
  venience rank” in a military force, for reporting purposes),
  rarely rise very high in Status. An AI or bioroid with citizen-
  ship which is still restricted by regulations or conventions will
  generally end up with Status one level below that of its imme-
  diate supervisor or legal guardian.
  Cost of Living, Pay, and Prices
  Status in Transhuman Space has an associated cost of 
  living as listed in the Transhuman Space Status Table (not as
  given on p. B265). However, that table gives a base value, which
  36
  GURPS 4E UPDATE: CHARACTERS
  Fifth Wave
  Characters
  Characters from a Fifth (or high Fourth) Wave
  background will tend to have high point totals by
  virtue of their society’s affluence, in the form of both
  character Wealth and the biotech treatments,
  implants, and AI Allies which it can purchase.
  However, they shouldn’t necessarily have much
  higher attributes or skills than individuals with
  more limited resources. To reflect this, in games
  assuming such backgrounds, GMs may choose to
  give players starting points at the lower end of the
  ranges suggested on p. 35, plus another 20-70 points
  each to be spent only on “racial” templates, Wealth,
  implants, biomods, and AI Allies.
  Military or espionage organizations may likewise
  provide long-term employees with implants, bio-
  mods, and useful personal AIs, which can be han-
  dled similarly.
  
  must be modified according to the general local wealth level.
  Multiply it by 4 in Wealthy nations or regions, by 2 in
  Comfortable areas, by 2/3 where the general level is Struggling,
  and by 1/3 in Poor areas.
  “Typical monthly pay” is $6,000 in Wealthy areas, $3,600 in
  areas where the general wealth level is Average or Comfortable,
  or $2,600 where it is Struggling or Poor – all for a base 30 hour
  week. But this is modified by personal wealth level, as per
  p. B517; also, many people have jobs which involve shorter
  working hours in exchange for proportionately reduced pay.
  People in wealthier areas tend to be paid much more, but also
  have higher living expenses; despite this, they may be able to
  work shorter hours.
  For example, most “ordinary citizens” in Fifth Wave areas
  are Wealthy, so their jobs pay about 5¥ the local base value;
  $30,000. On the other hand, not only are they Status 1, but the
  base cost of living for that ($2,400) is multiplied by 4 for the
  local general wealth level, to $9,600 a month. A typical citizen
  can thus work 10 hours a week (for $10,000 a month), or can
  support a dependent by working somewhat longer hours at a
  somewhat better job, or can live at Status 0 with a broad mar-
  gin. Two parents, both working fairly short weeks, can easily
  support a family. A Poor individual in the same area would
  make $1,200 a month working 30 hours a week, or $1,000 for
  25 hours; enough to cover the $1,000 a month required for a
  Status -2 lifestyle.
  If he was living in a Fourth Wave area of Comfortable
  wealth, an ordinary human’s base income for a (largely hypo-
  thetical) 30-hour week would be around $7,200 a month, but
  his Status would be 0, giving a cost of living of $3,600; he
  might just get by on a 15-hour week, but would probably work
  20, ensuring a safety margin. Likewise, in an Average-wealth
  area, base pay is $3,600 while Status 0 costs $1,800 a month to
  support; 20-hour weeks are again the norm.
  In a somewhat impoverished area where the basic wealth
  level is Struggling, someone with Struggling personal wealth
  would make $1,300 a month ($2,600 divided by 2) for a 
  30-hour week. At Status 0, the cost of living is $1,200 a month,
  so such hours are required to support that Status. And in Poor
  areas, with cost of living of $600 for Status 0 or $133 for Status
  -1, a typical citizen feels lucky to be working a 30-hour week
  for about $520 a month; only the slightly better-off achieve full
  Status 0 by global standards, although it’s not too hard to reach
  that level.
  The local wealth level multiplier also applies to incidental
  expenses including wages of employees (of course), accom-
  modation and rents, food, and labor-intensive services.
  However, it doesn’t apply to manufactured goods. Local
  issues aside, clothing, weaponry, vehicles, etc., cost much the
  same everywhere.
  GURPS 4E UPDATE: CHARACTERS
  37
  Transhuman Space Status Table
  Status*
  Examples
  Monthly Cost†
  8
  Leader of a Fifth Wave state or Great Power
  $600,000,000‡
  7
  Leader of middle-rank state
  $60,000,000‡
  6
  US senator, Chinese regional governor
  $6,000,000‡
  5
  Minister, big corporate head
  $600,000
  4
  Senior military officer, Established Eloi
  $60,000
  3
  Arcology mayor, rising entrepreneur
  $12,000
  2
  Mayor, Fourth Wave business leader
  $6,000
  1
  Fifth Wave citizen, Third Wave official
  $2,400
  0
  Fourth Wave citizen, ordinary soldier
  $1,800
  -1
  Under-skilled worker, Third Wave foot soldier
  $400
  -2
  Homeless or permanently displaced person
  $250
  * Status cannot rise very high in small communities, such as space stations or independent undersea habitats. It will
  not exceed 6 on Mars or Islandia, or 3-5 in most other such places.
  † Cost of living is modified in accordance with local wealth levels; see “Cost of Living and Prices.”
  ‡ Nominal value. Status this high usually comes with a specific job which provides resources and a lifestyle 
  appropriate to the position. Anyone able to support such a lifestyle out of personal income may have influence over a
  non-trivial segment of the local or global economy.
  
  ADVANTAGES AND PERKS
  While a number of 3e character elements are changed,
  renamed, downgraded to perks or features, or otherwise mod-
  ified in the new edition, few of relevance to Transhuman
  Space campaigns were removed. However, some new or radi-
  cally modified advantages may be very useful.
  Deleted and Changed Advantages 
  from Transhuman Space
  Bioroid Body (p. TS131) becomes a meta-trait; see p. 43.
  Flesh Pockets (p. TS131) is now represented by Payload
  (p. B74).
  Low-Pressure Lungs (p. TS131) becomes a character fea-
  ture; see p. 44.
  Machine Body (p. TS131) is replaced by a combination of
  the meta-traits Machine (p. B263) and Cybershell Body (p. 43).
  Mars-Adapted (p. TS131) becomes a meta-trait; see p. 43.
  Micromanipulators (p. TS131) can be replaced with High
  Manual Dexterity 4 [20], Sensitive Touch [10], and one or two
  perks (Accessory: Micromanipulation Tools, and Accessory:
  Molecular Manipulation Tools). Microscopic Vision is still
  required to use this effectively; take 3 levels to support micro-
  manipulation tools, 6 for molecular manipulation.
  No Degeneration in Zero-G (p. TS132) becomes a perk.
  Prehensile Toes (p. TS132) becomes Extra Arms (two, Foot
  Manipulators -30%, Short -50%), for a total of 4 points.
  Reproductive Control (p. TS132) becomes a perk.
  Uplifted Animal Bioroids (p. TS131) now simply take the
  Bioroid Body meta-trait, p. 43 (but may have different Social
  Stigmas to humanoid bioroids in the same location).
  Vessel (p. TS132) no longer exists. See the box on p.39 for
  how to handle this situation under 4e.
  Weaponry (p. TS132) can be replaced by Affliction, Innate
  Attack, or (more often) Payload or Weapon Mount; below.
  Affliction, Binding, Innate Attack
  pp. B35, B40, B61
  Although a number of cybershell designs have built-in
  weaponry, few should take these advantages. In most cases, an
  armed cybershell will either have Extra Arm (Weapon Mount,
  -80%) or Payload space (defined as weapons bays). “Attack
  advantages” should be reserved for the rare few cases where the
  only way to get the weapon out is to dismember and wreck the
  38
  GURPS 4E UPDATE: CHARACTERS
  What Cost of Living Gets You in 2100
  The following is a Transhuman Space version of the
  table on p. B266:
  Status 8: Several spacious luxury residences, unlimited
  luxury travel (including use of interplanetary craft, should
  your job require it), virtually unlimited sapient infomorph
  assistance, numerous human aides and servants, the most
  advanced medical facilities, and formidable (but almost
  invisible) armed personal protection.
  Status 7: At least one mansion-sized residence and sev-
  eral rural residences or retreats, luxury travel (including
  orbit, should your job require it), several highly advanced
  infomorphs on call for Web assistance, a department’s
  worth of human aides and some personal servants, exten-
  sive medical support on call, and well-trained personal
  armed guards.
  Status 6: A substantial mansion or estate and a few
  more modest houses or suites, a private aircraft (probably
  supersonic) and whatever ground transport you require,
  extensive Web access with AI support, a team of compe-
  tent aides and a couple of human personal servants, what-
  ever medical facilities you seem to need, and a group of
  human or cybershell bodyguards.
  Status 5: A mansion or estate and one or two town res-
  idences, an executive jet and several lesser vehicles, good
  permanent Web access, a team of efficient AI and human
  aides, good medical support, and probably several human
  or cybershell guards.
  Status 4: A mid-sized mansion, probably a holiday
  home and a city apartment, an aircar and a couple of
  smartcars, several infomorph aides with permanent fast
  Web access and a couple of human assistants, full medical
  coverage, and good automated security.
  Status 3: A small mansion, maybe other residences, an
  aircar and a smartcar, infomorph assistance with perma-
  nent fast Web access, probably a human aide, full medical
  coverage, and automated security.
  Status 2: A large house with interior automation and
  grounds, maybe other property, a couple of smartcars, a
  static AI that manages your domestic (including Web) and
  security requirements plus a wearable or implant, and full
  medical coverage.
  Status 1: A comfortable house or apartment with some
  interior automation, an up-to-date smartcar or a couple of
  older ground cars, a static AI managing your grocery
  orders and domestic budget, and a wearable providing
  augmented reality, burglar alarms, and access to good
  medical facilities.
  Status 0: A house or large apartment (possibly 
  mortgaged), a groundcar, a NAI managing your computer
  systems and personal budget, some kind of augmented
  reality system, and access to adequate medical facilities.
  Status -1: A small or shared apartment or hut or a
  decaying house in a bad neighborhood, use of public
  transport, some Web access and maybe shared use of AI
  assistance if you really need it, a few unreliable personal
  gadgets, and chancy medical support.
  Status -2: A room in a flophouse or shelter, or use of a
  rural hovel or abandoned urban building, plus whatever
  technological facilities you can scrounge or steal.
  People living in space or other extreme environments
  mostly have a bit less comfort and usually a lot less space
  and privacy (unless they are very rich). A significant por-
  tion of their cost of living goes toward keeping them alive
  from moment to moment.
  
  machine. If the weapon swaps out cleanly – and most cyber-
  shells have modular, easy-maintenance designs – then it’s really
  just equipment, albeit carried in an unusual way.
  Allies
  pp. B36-38
  The new “Constantly Available” Frequency of Appearance is
  highly appropriate for worn or implanted cybershells. It is less
  appropriate for other Allies, which can always be mislaid, need
  medical attention or repair, etc. – but a highly reliable info-
  morph and shell which follows the PC around, or a mindless
  “vessel” carefully kept close to hand, might qualify. The Minion
  enhancement is also highly appropriate for AIs or totally brain-
  washed bioroids.
  One special rule applies in this setting: AI Allies can exceed
  150% of the PC’s starting points, in the same way as nonsen-
  tient beings. This may be limited to NAIs and LAIs, or to AI
  Allies bought with the Minion enhancement, at the GM’s
  option; the point is that the Ally should be primarily a tool,
  with limited free will (and not too much initiative), not a way
  for a lower-powered PC to acquire a super-powerful NPC to do
  everything for him.
  Compartmentalized Mind
  p. B43
  Although this isn’t an entirely new advantage (and it can
  still be used in its standard form to represent AIs which can
  temporarily run multiple parallel processes with shared mem-
  ories), it has two new variations which can be used in
  Transhuman Space. Controls and Dedicated Controls can be
  used when defining vehicles and vehicular cybershells as char-
  acters if a human rider or occupant can take control of the
  machine. In most cases, Dedicated Controls are sufficient, as
  the driver performs a single function (driving the vehicle); 
  having some use of the vehicle’s sensors (but only by glancing
  at a screen or whatever) is considered to be a part of the 
  driver’s task.
  This advantage can also be used for wearable virtual inter-
  faces, which grant the wearer full access to their special sens-
  es. This removes the need to give those senses a “usable by
  wearer” enhancement.
  Damage Resistance
  p. B46
  The enhancements Laminate and Electromagnetic
  (p. TS129) can be used in 4e games, but Laminate now costs
  +10%, and Electromagnetic now costs +20%.
  Detect
  p. B48
  This can be used for sensors built into some specialist
  cybershells.
  Extra Life
  p. B55
  The vast majority of infomorphs have at least one backup
  copy on file somewhere; hence, one Extra Life with the Copy
  and Requires Body limitations is included as standard in info-
  morph templates. In fact, this copy could be restored to new
  hardware any number of times. If the game is using the
  Mutable Point Totals approach (see p. 17), this means that an
  GURPS 4E UPDATE: CHARACTERS
  39
  “Vessel”
  Cybershells
  In 4e games, an infomorph who owns a spare
  body no longer uses the “Vessel” advantage. Instead,
  buy the spare body as an Ally with the Minion
  enhancement, and a Puppet; give it the appropriate
  template for the cybershell plus the Minimal
  Software template (p. 50), or sometimes a basic NAI
  system. The Frequency of Appearance will usually
  be Constantly, but this may be reduced for, say, an
  unreliable model which is frequently found in pieces
  in the repair shop.
  An infomorph PC with multiple bodies should
  use the cybershell with the highest point cost as its
  “main body,” and take each less expensive body as
  an Ally/Puppet. If it genuinely spends most of its
  time in a lower-cost cybershell, the GM might permit
  the player to treat that as its usual body, but this is
  open to abuse, and isn’t recommended. If the PC
  also has other infomorphs as Allies, they can usual-
  ly be treated as running on whichever cybershell
  they normally occupy, or on whichever one they
  may move to if their usual shell has to be bought as
  the PC’s body.
  Example: Harold Monk, a ghost PC, normally
  resides on a mainframe (p. 55), but sometimes goes
  out and about in a snakebot (p. 57). He also owns a
  volkspider (p. 58) which is normally run by his LAI-
  6 personal assistant, and he sometimes takes it over
  for his own use. While Harold regards the main-
  frame as “home,” the snakebot costs the most points,
  so he treats it as his “main” body for character design
  purposes. He’s a 400-point character, which covers
  86 for the ghost template and 243 for the snakebot
  with points to spare.
  The mainframe, and the Minimal Software which
  Harold leaves in residence when he’s away, have a
  total value of -383 points, are constantly available,
  and have IQ 0, so they cost 4 points as an Ally
  (Minion, +0%), plus 5 points as a Puppet; the volk-
  spider with its LAI in residence has a total value of 82
  (for the LAI template) plus 70 (for the cybershell)
  plus 46 (for the LAI’s modular abilities and assorted
  skills), adding up to 198, giving it a cost to Harold as
  a Constantly Available Ally (Minion, +50%) of 12
  points plus 5 as a Puppet.
  If the infomorph is itself in fact a PC’s Ally, the
  owner should buy the infomorph plus its usual
  cybershell as an Ally in the usual way, and each
  spare cybershell (with minimal operating software)
  as an Ally/Minion and Puppet.
  
  AI character simply gains 15 points in value whenever it makes
  a secure backup and arranges for it to be activated if necessary
  in future, and loses 15 points whenever such a backup is wiped
  or otherwise lost. In other games, the player of an infomorph
  character must find 15 points from somewhere whenever it is
  restored from a backup, to renew the advantage; otherwise, if
  it has to be restored again in future, it becomes an NPC.
  Modular Abilities
  p. B71
  This is required for AIs who can employ skill set programs
  (pp. TS144-145), which is most or all AIs in Transhuman
  Space. To maintain compatibility with these 4e rules, the treat-
  ment of skill set software is changed; see pp. 60-61, noting the
  link between point value and Complexity.
  A new special limitation for this advantage is available –
  and indeed common – in the Transhuman Space setting:
  Limited Integration: Any program grants the skills as
  described, but the AI must semi-consciously “consult” it at
  each stage, introducing tiny delays. This makes no serious dif-
  ference in routine use, but can cause problems in stressful,
  complex situations such as sudden emergencies or combat,
  represented by a -3 penalty to all skill rolls at such times. -20%.
  This limitation is in fact so widespread that a cybershell
  without it may be regarded as exotic and worth study. The
  delay is considered acceptable for ordinary civilian use, but is
  less than ideal for adventurers. Because this limitation is the
  norm, military organizations generally train their infomorphs
  properly rather than relying on Skill Sets.
  Because of the range of possibilities for this advantage,
  the updated AI templates on pp. 50-53 don’t incorporate it –
  but almost all AIs have it in some form! A common design
  approach gives the AI the ability to interface with up to three
  Complexity 3 Skill Sets at a time, which gives Modular
  Abilities (Computer Brain) 3 (2, 2, 2) (Limited Integration,
  -20%; Skills and Languages Only, -10%), for a total cost of 30
  points. Assume that the standard list price for an infomorph
  includes this; greater capacity adds the usual $100 per point
  for “trained” advantages (see p. 60). Some SAI “programmed
  polymaths” of Complexity 9 or 10 have hundreds of points in
  this advantage.
  Payload
  p. B74
  This can be used to represent flesh pockets, cargo space,
  weapons bays, etc.
  Possession
  pp. B75-76
  With the Digital limitation, this is standard for
  Transhuman Space infomorphs, which can be transferred
  from cybershell to cybershell fairly easily. (One that was some-
  how restricted to a single, unique cybershell would remove
  possession from the template.) Transferring requires complete
  access to the target system, which in turn requires either legit-
  imate permission or a successful exercise in computer 
  intrusion (see “Computer Intrusion Under 4e,” p. 46). Use the
  computer/program Complexity rules from Transhuman
  Space to determine whether an infomorph can run on a given
  computer, rather than the IQ-based guidelines on p. B76.
  Rather than create simultaneously operating duplicates (i.e.
  xoxes) of themselves, law-abiding AIs delete the old copy 
  when they transfer to a new system. Most lack the skills or
  inclination to take over systems to which they have not been
  granted legitimate full access, and some incorporate security
  protocols or programming peculiarities which limit them to 
  a few machines with a specific system architecture; this can
  usually be represented by the Puppet Only limitation.
  The rules on p. B76 for accessing the host’s memories can
  be used to represent attempted access to shared, unsecured
  memory space on a new system. Some gypsy spirits (Fifth
  Wave, p. 33) and military intrusion programs can plunder the
  previous controlling program’s detailed memories in detail; to
  represent this, use the following new special enhancement:
  Full Memory Access: You can freely access the memories of a
  sentient host at any time. To recall a specific fact from the 
  subject’s memories requires a straight IQ roll, at no penalty for
  the time since takeover. Furthermore, if you also have the
  Assimilation enhancement, you can learn the victim’s IQ-, Will-,
  and Perception-based skills. +10%.
  Formidable intrusion programs and the most sophisticated
  gypsy spirits may achieve such intrusions with exceptional 
  precision; for these, add Cosmic, +50% (p. B103) to remove the
  usual requirement for an IQ roll to recall memories.
  40
  GURPS 4E UPDATE: CHARACTERS
  Talents for 2100
  The following Talents may be considered plausi-
  ble and useful in a Transhuman Space game:
  Born Spacer: Aerobatics, Free Fall, Navigation
  (Space), Piloting (any spacecraft), Spacer, Vacc Suit.
  Reaction bonus: professional spacers. 5 points/level.
  Computer Wizard: Computer Hacking (if permit-
  ted in the campaign), Computer Operation,
  Computer Programming, Electronics Operation
  (Communications or Media), Electronics Repair
  (Computers), Expert Skill (Arachnoxenology or
  Computer Security), Psychology (AI). Reaction
  bonus:
  computer professionals and SAIs. 10
  points/level if Computer Hacking is permitted, 5
  points/level otherwise.
  Memetics: Brainwashing, Diplomacy, Expert Skill
  (Memetics), Fast-Talk, Interrogation, Leadership,
  Merchant, Politics, Propaganda, Psychology (all spe-
  cialties), Sociology, and Teaching. Reaction bonus:
  anyone else trained in memetics who can observe
  you using it (but note that some uses of these skills
  will be too subtle to observe!). 10 points/level.
  Natural Diver: Aquabatics, Diving Suit, Scuba,
  Submarine (Free-Flooding Sub), Swimming.
  Reaction bonus: expert divers and aquatic beings. 5
  points/level.
  Pop Culture Maven: Connoisseur (Virtual Reality
  Arts), Current Affairs (People, Popular Culture, or
  Sport), Expert Skill (Memetics). Reaction bonus:
  obsessive pop culture devotees. 5 points/level.
  
  Puppet
  p. B78
  This is used for infomorph characters with multiple “vessel”
  bodies; see p. 39.
  Reduced Consumption
  p. B80
  Characters with a reduced need for oxygen can take one of
  a pair of special enhancements to this advantage:
  Includes Air: Your reduced requirements include oxygen
  (or whatever other gas you breathe). As well as reducing your
  life support requirements, this means that, if you are suffo-
  cating (p. B436), your rate of FP loss and time intervals
  before possible brain damage and certain death are reduced
  in proportion:
  Level
  FP Loss
  Possible Brain Damage
  Death
  0
  1/second
  2 minutes
  4 minutes
  1
  2/3 seconds
  3 minutes
  6 minutes
  2
  1/3 seconds
  6 minutes
  12 minutes
  3
  1/20 seconds
  40 minutes
  80 minute
  4
  1/100 seconds
  200 minutes
  400 minutes
  You also make Will rolls to retain consciousness once you
  reach 0 FP at the same frequency as you lose FP. If you get
  clean air again, you recover FP at the full normal rate. Damage
  from inhaled gases (such as attacks with the Respiratory Agent
  modifier) may likewise be reduced, and HT rolls to resist 
  such things may take a bonus of +1 or +2 per level – but some
  respiratory agents are effective in very small doses, so this isn’t
  always a very good defense (GM’s option). +200%.
  Air Only: As above, but the advantage only reduces your
  need for air; your food requirements are unaffected. +100%.
  Telecommunication
  p. B91
  This is common among cybershells and also organic char-
  acters with implants, in the form of Radio, or sometimes
  Infrared Communication or Laser Communication, or the 
  following new version:
  Cable Jack: You communicate using a plug for a fiber-optic
  cable, which allows direct, unjammable communication with
  any other computer or communicator with a similar jack and
  interface. A short (up to 10 yards long) cable is included; you
  can use extensions to add another 10-50 yards. 5 points.
  The following new enhancements are common in the set-
  ting. Cybershell templates and implant communicators may
  include either of these:
  Secure: Your signal employs measures that make it harder
  to intercept. Eavesdroppers must win a Quick Contest of
  Electronics Operation against your own Electronics Operation
  or IQ to pick up the content of the transmission. In the
  Transhuman Space setting, this represents a “frequency agile”
  system. +20%.
  Sensie: You can transmit and receive a full range of personal
  sensory impressions in real time. (The recipient needs a simi-
  larly equipped receiver to get the full experience.) +80%.
  See GURPS Powers and GURPS Ultra-Tech for further
  options and enhancements that can be used when defining
  specialist communications systems. Note also that organic
  characters with telecommunication implants should add the
  Temporary Disadvantage (Electrical) limitation (-20%) to the
  advantage. As discussed on p. B46, this applies to the implant,
  not to the character.
  Radio Security
  At TL9 and above, all radio communicators can be assumed
  to incorporate encryption systems as standard. Encryption 
  in the Transhuman Space setting is discussed on p. TS148.
  This is included in both radios bought with the Tele-
  communications advantage and those bought simply with
  cash as gadgets.
  Visualization
  p. B96
  As in 3e games, this can be used to represent some AI’s
  advanced “task modeling” functions. To improve its effective-
  ness in 4e games, add an enhancement, “Reliable”; each +5%
  gives +1 to IQ rolls to use the advantage.
  PERKS
  pp. B100-101
  One perk possessed by almost all cybershells is Accessory
  (Computer). In addition to running a resident infomorph, the
  shell’s electronic brain can be used to run the same sorts of
  utilities as any dumb desktop machine – word processors,
  spreadsheets, e-mail clients, graphics tools, games, and so on.
  Perks can also represent any number of small implanted
  gadgets, permanent nanomod or biotech treatments, or minor
  but useful tools which can be incorporated into cybershells,
  such as “drug factory” glands, slink implants, or cleaning tools.
  If a PC buys such an implant, treatment, or modification in
  play, the GM may require him to pay a bonus character point
  as well as the cash cost of the item and work. Alternatively,
  GMs may assume that anybody who raises and commits the
  cash for such things has effectively “bought” one point for the
  perk.
  Other perks include Reproductive Control (the ability to
  control one’s own fertility without contraceptives) and No
  Degeneration in Zero-G (immunity to calcium loss and muscle
  wastage during long-term space travel).
  DISADVANTAGES AND QUIRKS
  As with advantages, there are few radical changes in the dis-
  advantage catalog that will affect Transhuman Space games,
  but several detail improvements and new options.
  Deleted and Changed Disadvantages
  Alcoholism (p. B122) should be replaced for characters in
  this setting by “Addiction (Alcohol; Cheap, Incapacitating,
  Legal)” for -10 points (except for characters based in much of
  the Caliphate and some highly safety-conscious space habitats,
  for whom it’s illegal, and hence worth -15). As is explained on
  p. TS133, there are plenty of cheap treatments available to
  counter alcohol’s insidious effects, so the full Alcoholism dis-
  advantage is inappropriate. Alcohol addicts cut off from such
  treatments can still undergo the effects described on pp. B122-
  123, as a special effect.
  GURPS 4E UPDATE: CHARACTERS
  41
  
  Dependency on any sort of maintenance is now replaced by
  Maintenance (p. B143).
  Lame (Wearable) (p. TS133) is replaced by No Legs
  (Portable); see below.
  Limited Endurance (p. TS134) is replaced by Increased
  Consumption (p. B139) combined with the Machine meta-
  trait.
  Mistaken Identity is now generally prohibited from racial
  templates (see p. B21-22). Some bioroids and cybershells are
  certainly very similar to each other, but many have noticeable
  variations between individuals, and in any case, this isn’t 
  usually a disadvantage. People know about such similarities,
  and don’t automatically blame one bioroid or cybershell for
  another’s behavior. A PC with this feature is also as likely to
  exploit it for profit as to suffer from negative consequences.
  Specific “sub-model” types (who are sometimes mistaken for
  each other to embarrassing or confusing effect), the products
  of a very standard production run, and clones of various types,
  may qualify for the disadvantage.
  Phobia (p. TS133 and pp. B148-150): Phobias relating to
  microbots, nanomachines, or radiation all have a base value of
  -10 points.
  Reprogrammable Duty
  (p.
  TS133) is replaced by
  Reprogrammable (p. B150), and, for AIs other than citizens,
  emergent intelligences, and orphans, some kind of Duty
  (pp. B133-134), applies almost all the time. (The lack of such a
  Duty replaces the special “No Master” limitation on
  Reprogrammable Duty.)
  Sessile (p. TS134) is replaced by No Legs (Sessile) (p. B145).
  Hit Points and Damage Resistance no longer receive a special
  limitation for sessile characters, although many sessile cyber-
  shells will have a Size Modifier-based limitation on the former
  and the Can’t Wear Armor limitation on the latter, and some
  will buy their ST down substantially.
  Social Stigma is largely unchanged. However, bioroids 
  suffer different versions of the disadvantage, depending where
  they are based; see p. 43. Social Stigma (Barbarian) no longer
  exists as such; it is replaced by Social Stigma (Monster) for
  heavily armed military cybershells, which are seen as danger-
  ous death machines in most places (and which tend to be 
  treated warily even by human soldiers on the same side).
  Otherwise, typically, an infomorph installed on a cybershell
  will suffer a Social Stigma appropriate to the type of mind
  rather than the hardware; an AI with a typical Social Stigma
  (such as Minor, Minority Group, or Valuable Property)
  installed on a “Monster” military cybershell will suffer the
  effects of both Stigmas.
  An AI occupying a bioshell would be regarded as a Monster
  in the E.U., India, and the Caliphate – but would probably be
  hunted down so quickly that only one which managed to keep
  its nature a Secret would be a viable character. An Emergent
  Intelligence may be perceived as a Monster, especially if it does
  anything to provoke suspicion, though in more tolerant areas,
  normal policy will be to capture rather than delete, and one
  that comes out into the open and behaves “responsibly” may
  be granted the same treatment as any other AI of its type.
  However, like any other software with a “dubious” past (sus-
  pected xoxes, etc.), it may be treated with a degree of suspicion
  equivalent to that given to someone with a Criminal Record.
  Sterile (p. CI84) is now a 0-point feature.
  The Compromised version of Enemy (Unknown), as
  described on p. 125 of Broken Dreams, can now be treated as
  an Enemy with the “Unknown” and “Watcher” options. (You
  become aware on occasion that you’re being watched, but you
  don’t know for sure by who.)
  No Legs
  p. B145
  A new version of this disadvantage is required in
  Transhuman Space games:
  Portable: You’re incapable of moving under your own
  power, but are compact enough to be carried around. You have
  Basic Move 0 in all environments and get no extra points for
  this; furthermore, you can’t have traits that imply movement-
  related body parts such as legs, wheels, tracks, fins, wings, or
  jets. You aren’t anchored in place, though. Your shape and size
  let you be carried (like a weapon or gadget), worn (like
  clothes), attached to a vehicle, or perhaps even implanted
  inside another character or creature. You might even be able to
  pilot a vehicle or command a living host to move, although
  you’ll count as encumbrance, unless you’re carried in Payload.
  If you have manipulators, you have no penalty on fine work,
  but you get -6 DX on tasks that require the stability provided
  by legs, unless you’re anchored to a person or vehicle with at
  least 10 times your mass. This includes combat, with the sole
  exception of firing vehicle-mounted weapons. -30 points.
  Other New Disadvantages
  Electrical (p. B134) is standard for cybershells. Note that
  military cybershells and some “ruggedized” civilian models
  have high DR and good HT, protecting them from surge effects
  from all but the largest attacks; those with good “hardening”
  and surge protection may also have some level of Resistant to
  Electrical pulses and surges.
  Fragile (p. B136) may be appropriate, in some forms, for
  some cybershells – but the vast majority are better built than
  this.
  Maintenance (p. B143) is appropriate for some cybershells
  (and a few disastrous or highly experimental bioroids and even
  genetically modified humans). However, mature TL10 designs
  42
  GURPS 4E UPDATE: CHARACTERS
  
  (mechanical and otherwise) may be robust and self-sustaining;
  many cybershells can go for months or years without atten-
  tion, and few need more than weekly work.
  Noisy (p. B146) may be appropriate for worn-out or ill-
  maintained cybershells – or machines that just aren’t intended
  to be stealthy.
  Numb (p. B146) is required for machines with “dumb mat-
  ter” casings lacking tactile sensors – but these are a small
  minority.
  META-TRAITS
  Meta-traits (pp. B262-263) can be useful when defining 
  certain types of being in the Transhuman Space setting. Along
  with Machine, AI, Automaton, and the morphology meta-
  traits, the following are appropriate:
  Bioroid Body: Includes the perk No Degeneration in Zero-G
  [1], the disadvantage Unusual Biochemistry [-5], and the fea-
  tures Early Maturation 4, Intron Messages (usually a trade-
  mark), Sterile, and Taboo Trait (Genetic Defects). (Most also
  have the feature Closely Resembles Others Of The Same
  “Model,” but some bioroid types are built with a greater degree
  of individual variation.) Note that, unlike the corresponding 3e
  advantage (p. TS131), this no longer includes a Social Stigma.
  Bioroids are treated substantially differently in different
  regions, and it is more appropriate to give them different
  Social Stigmas according to their individual situations (see
  above) Uplifted animal bioroids now use the same meta-trait.
  -4 points.
  Concealed Bioroid Body: A bioroid carefully constructed to
  pass for a normal human under fairly close medical examina-
  tion. The design compromises that this entails mean that the
  character needs periodic medical attention. It combines the
  perk No Degeneration in Zero-G [1], the disadvantage
  Maintenance (3-5 people, monthly) [-6], and the features Early
  Maturation 4, Sterile, and Taboo Trait (Genetic Defects).
  Characters with this meta-trait often have significant Secrets!
  -5 points.
  Cybershell Body: This must be taken in combination with
  Machine (p. B263). It includes Injury Tolerance (No Neck) [5],
  Electrical [-20], and the features Sterile and Taboo Trait
  (Physical Changes). -15 points.
  (Note: Unlike the 3e treatment, cybershells in 4e games do
  not automatically have High Pain Threshold. Sudden damage
  to a complex machine can easily cause “shock” effects as the
  system adjusts and responds to the problem. However, some
  models are designed for rapid adaptation and “pain resist-
  ance”; hence some cybershell templates, especially military
  systems, include the advantage, and well-designed or simply
  robust civilian models may have it. Gamers converting a 3e
  campaign who wish to keep this advantage for their cybershell
  characters can assume that they’re these robust models, and
  add the advantage back in for 10 points.)
  Mars-Adapted: Includes Filter Lungs (Filter CO2 only, -70%;
  Temporary Disadvantage (Increased Consumption 1), -10%)
  [1], Reduced Consumption 2 (Air Only, +100%) [8], and the
  feature Low-Pressure Lungs. (Note that, under 4e, the Filter
  Lungs advantage works against CO2.) 9 points.
  FEATURES
  Features listed in Transhuman Space books carry over to
  4e largely unchanged, although some become advantages or
  disadvantages; for example, Digital Mind (p. TS134) has
  become an advantage (p. B48).
  A disadvantage listed under any of the taboo traits given
  here is permitted if it is specifically listed in a racial/model
  template; the template overrides the taboo trait. Also, option-
  ally, GMs may permit some mental disadvantages forbidden by
  specific taboo traits to be taken nonetheless – but only with a
  self-control number of 15. Genetic engineering or careful pro-
  gramming can remove predispositions to such things, but
  upbringing and environment will always have some effects 
  on a developing mind, potentially leading to limited but real
  mental flaws. Likewise, mental Quirks remain acceptable.
  Taboo Trait: Genetic Defects
  This still prohibits attributes more than 2 below the 
  template’s average, except for the effects of age. In addition, it
  prohibits Bad Grip, Bad Sight, Colorblindness, Dwarfism,
  Dyslexia, Epilepsy, Gigantism, Hemophilia, Hunchback,
  Innumerate, Neurological Disorder, Night Blindness, No Sense
  of Smell/Taste, Non-Iconographic, Numb, Short Attention
  Span, Slow Healing, or Susceptible to Disease – unless any of
  these can be explained as the result of accident, disease, or
  maltreatment, and there is a good reason why the victim has
  not had the damage medically fixed.
  GURPS 4E UPDATE: CHARACTERS
  43
  Bioroid Social
  Stigmas and
  Wealth
  Bioroids in 4e games will usually have a Social
  Stigma. In the E.U. or SAC, they are citizens with
  full rights, but many are legally Minors, while even
  “adult” bioroids may be treated as Second-Class
  Citizens in less broad-minded parts of these
  alliances. In almost all of the Caliphate and Red
  Duncanite communities, bioroids are Subjugated,
  with a wealth level of Dead Broke. Elsewhere, they
  are generally a Minority Group – except in some
  determinedly transhumanist enclaves and stations,
  where they are treated as full citizens with no 
  stigma at all.
  Uplifted Animal Bioroids are more likely to suffer
  a seriously restrictive Stigma, as humans reflexively
  treat them as animals. Most are Valuable Property
  (and Dead Broke), and in any area where humanoid
  bioroids are a Minority Group, Second-Class
  Citizens, or Subjugated, animal bioroids are
  Subjugated. (An exceptional animal bioroid which
  consistently demonstrates nearly human-level intel-
  ligence might rate as a Second-Class Citizen in a
  broad-minded community.)
  Because these Stigmas and wealth levels are
  mandatory for all bioroids in an area, they may not
  count against campaign disadvantage limits (GM’s
  option).
  
  Taboo Trait: Mental Instability
  This now prohibits Berserk (Battle Rage), Chronic
  Depression, any Compulsive Behavior with a self-control 
  number of 6, Delusions, Fanaticism, more than two levels of
  Fearfulness, Flashbacks, Guilt Complex, Kleptomania, Low
  Self-Image, 
  Lunacy, 
  Manic-Depressive, 
  Megalomania,
  Nightmares with a self-control number of 9 or less, Obsession,
  On the Edge, Paranoia, Phantom Voices, Phobias with a self-
  control number of 9 or less, Pyromania, Sadism with a self-con-
  trol number of 6, Split Personality with a self-control number of
  12 or less, and Trickster with a self-control number of 9 or less.
  Taboo Trait: Physical Changes
  This works much as on p. TS135. Note that variants of
  some models of cybershell may have some such “prohibited”
  feature engineered in at the factory, and it’s just possible that a
  competent engineer with a full workshop could add some of
  them at a later stage. However, GMs shouldn’t permit charac-
  ters with cybershell bodies to sidestep this limitation easily;
  variant models should be plausible commercial designs, and
  custom modifications should be tricky and expensive. An
  Unusual Background such as “custom-built variant for an
  eccentric rich buyer” or “unsuccessful concept/showpiece
  design” might justify some more exotic variants. Likewise, a
  physical disadvantage would logically be fixed at the next
  workshop visit – unless the job would somehow be incredibly
  expensive, or the problem is a side-effect of some custom work.
  Also, machines may gain the Maintenance requirement, or suf-
  fer increased Maintenance frequency requirements, if they are
  wearing out or have been badly damaged in the past.
  Taboo advantages are now all physical advantages (includ-
  ing Absolute Direction and Detect), and also increased
  Appearance levels. GMs may permit one or two levels of Acute
  Senses to represent better sensory processing as opposed to
  better sensory organs. ST and HT are also generally fixed; a
  cybershell will often have a fixed DX modifier, but DX is pri-
  marily determined by the operating infomorph.
  Taboo disadvantages are now all physical disadvantages,
  plus reduced Appearance levels, any reduction in written com-
  prehension of your native language and anything that shares
  the same script, Addiction, Cannot Learn, Dyslexia, Gluttony,
  Innumerate, Non-Iconographic, Post-Combat Shakes, Short
  Attention Span, Sleepwalker, and Unnatural Features.
  Taboo Trait: Self-Awareness
  Taboo advantages for this feature are now any modifiers to
  Will not included in the racial template, Animal Empathy,
  Common Sense, Cultural Adaptability, Danger Sense,
  Empathy, Fearlessness, Gadgeteer, Higher Purpose, Intuition,
  Language Talent, Plant Empathy, Rapier Wit, Social
  Chameleon, any Talent, Unfazeable, and Versatile.
  Taboo disadvantages are now any modifiers to Will, and all
  mental disadvantages except Bloodlust, Confused, Gullibility,
  and Impulsiveness – unless anything is included in the racial
  template. Quirks are not taboo.
  SKILLS
  The skills list mostly benefits here from a few additions and
  redefinitions.
  Deleted and Changed Skills
  A number of skills have been deleted or changed signifi-
  cantly. The following are likely to be important in relation to
  Transhuman Space:
  Armory: The Electromag Weapons specialty (p. TS136) is
  now part of Armory (Small Arms) at appropriate tech levels.
  Beam Weapons: Note that the specialty categories have
  changed to reflect configuration rather than weapon type.
  Brain Hacking: Use the rules on p. 45 for 4e Transhuman
  Space games.
  Cryptanalysis is now subsumed by Cryptography. It still
  doesn’t do much against strong encryption in the absence of a
  quantum computer.
  Genetics (see p. TS136): Genetics (Genetic Engineering) is
  now called Bioengineering (Genetic Engineering); Genetics
  (Heredity) becomes Biology (Genetics); and Genetics (Tissue
  Engineering) becomes Bioengineering (Tissue Engineering).
  Bioengineering (Cloning) is also definitely available. Not only
  do the required specialties of Bioengineering default to each
  other at -4, but they default to Biology (Heredity) just as well
  as they do to unspecialized Biology, i.e. at -5.
  Guns: Use the specialties from p. B199 rather than those
  from p. TS136.
  Low-G Flight: This becomes Piloting (Low-G Wings)
  (p. B214).
  Piloting: Plasma sail craft in Transhuman Space are oper-
  ated using Piloting (Low-Performance Spacecraft). However,
  there is a minimum -2 familiarity penalty for anyone operating
  such a craft without experience of this specific drive type, or
  converting to any other sort of low-performance spacecraft
  when his only experience is with plasma sails.
  44
  GURPS 4E UPDATE: CHARACTERS
  New Features
  Early Maturation
  This replaces the 3e advantage of the same name.
  You mature at the same rate as if you had Short
  Lifespan (p. B154) without affecting the frequency
  of aging rolls. This is a 0-point feature, but up to 5
  levels are possible:
  Level
  Maturity
  1
  9 years
  2
  4 years
  3
  2 years
  4
  1 year
  5
  6 months
  Low-Pressure Lungs
  You treat very thin atmospheres as thin, thin as
  standard, standard as dense, and anything denser as
  unbreathable. This feature also includes eye adapta-
  tions so that Vision penalties are similarly shifted. If
  you want greater precision, assume that the charac-
  ter’s native pressure (p. B430) is 0.7 atm.
  
  Xenobiology: This becomes Biology (p. B180) with a spe-
  cialization by planet type. When converting the old categories
  as discussed on p. TS136, Rock/Ice becomes Ice Worlds while
  Terrestrial becomes Earthlike.
  The following are new skills from Transhuman Space
  books:
  Aquaculture (Under Pressure, p. 106) can become an IQ-
  based Professional Skill. Alternatively, GMs can declare that
  Farming (p. B194) requires specialization by environment
  type; Aquaculture thus becomes Farming (Sub-Aquatic).
  Endurance Swimming (Under Pressure, p. 106) is now sub-
  sumed within Swimming (p. B224). GMs may optionally allow
  characters with this skill to increase distance covered as for
  Hiking (p. B200 and P. B351). Fine control of divetorps now
  uses Submarine (Free-Flooding Sub) skill; for a squidpack, roll
  against the better of Aquabatics or Scuba.
  Hydrology (In the Well, p. 91) is now an Expert Skill; see
  p. B194.
  Memetics (p. TS137) is now treated differently; see p. 46.
  Oceanography (Under Pressure, p. 106) becomes an Expert
  Skill; see p. 46.
  Pop Culture (Broken Dreams, p. 125) becomes Current
  Affairs (Popular Culture); see below.
  Speed Swimming (Under Pressure, p. 106) is replaced by
  buying up Water Move (p. B18).
  Acrobatics/Aerobatics
  p. B174
  A non-flying character with at least one point in Free Fall
  skill may learn Aerobatics for use in zero-G.
  Animal Handling
  p. B175
  This cannot generally be used with uplifted animals, who
  are (more or less) sapient beings. However, at the GM’s option,
  characters with a specialty of this skill applying to the pre-
  uplifted version of a creature can sometimes use it at -3 instead
  of Teaching or Psychology when working with uplifts.
  Brainwashing
  p. B182
  Memetics has rendered this skill quite subtle and relatively
  effective, although old-fashioned “brute force” techniques are
  still in use, and are considered to have their place by many
  (ruthless and amoral) specialists. Because the study of applied
  memetics involves a number of what would once have been
  considered low-key brainwashing techniques, and has become
  quite widespread, this skill might be slightly more widely avail-
  able, at least at low levels, than in most settings.
  Connoisseur
  p. B185
  A valid specialty in 2100 is Virtual Reality Arts, which covers
  both InVids and slinks, though a character can only apply it to
  the latter if he has a downslink implant. (Otherwise, he may be
  aware of the names of many leading slink artists, and have a
  good idea of their reputations, but he can’t discuss their work
  at all convincingly.)
  Current Affairs
  p. B186
  This is a useful skill for many Transhuman Space charac-
  ters, as tracing the state and development of politics, science,
  and popular culture in this rapidly-changing world can be the
  basis for whole profitable careers. Many edgehunters, cogni-
  tive ecologists, and “data miner” AIs will have one or more spe-
  cialties of Current Affairs at high levels. (Previously, this was
  represented by Area Knowledge, Politics, Research, etc.)
  Current Affairs (Popular Culture) specifically replaces Pop
  Culture skill (Broken Dreams, p. 125); see the description of
  that for some idea as to how Current Affairs can be used in
  relation to memetics.
  Expert Skill
  p. B193
  In the data-rich environment of 2100, when huge amounts
  of information are available to be correlated in new and inter-
  esting ways, any number of Expert Skills may exist. GMs
  should let players invent some to fit their PCs if they wish – but
  be prepared to veto overly broad or otherwise abusive con-
  cepts. Valid possibilities include:
  GURPS 4E UPDATE: CHARACTERS
  45
  Brain Hacking
  In Transhuman Space games, Brain Hacking
  skill (p. B182) can only be used on a ghost or shad-
  ow, and requires a ghost editor program (p. TS144)
  and full access to the system on which the victim-
  program is running.
  Use the regular Brainwashing skill, but the victim
  resists with IQ instead of Will (sheer determination
  doesn’t help much against someone who can adjust
  your mind’s structure, but subtlety and mental agili-
  ty do) and each skill attempt only takes 10 minutes.
  During such operations, a critical failure of the
  Brain Hacking skill will impose -20 points worth of
  disadvantages of the GM’s choice on the victim. The
  victim gets no defense against this, but the results
  should be inconvenient for the hacker.
  The results of Brain Hacking can be canceled out
  by another hacker, but this isn’t truly repair, just
  patching over damage. Many people would consider
  it kinder to restore from an earlier backup – but the
  victim might disagree.
  In addition to the normal uses of brainwashing,
  the hacker can gain information by hacking some-
  one’s mind. This allows the hacker to substitute
  Brain Hacking skill for Interrogation skill. Again, the
  victim resists with IQ instead of Will. Brain hacking
  in this manner takes one minute, and attempts to lie
  are pointless; the program will flag them instantly.
  At best, the victim can refuse to answer. Knowledge
  gained in this way consists of raw facts, unconnect-
  ed by reasoning ability. Hacking an expert biologist
  won’t give you Biology skill, but will tell you the
  titles of some good reference books.
  
  Arachnoxenology: can stand in for Computer Operation,
  Computer Programming, Psychology, or some areas of
  Mathematics when studying the Web as an environment for
  “wild” software. (See Fifth Wave, p. 32.)
  Memetics: can stand in for Brainwashing, Diplomacy, Fast-
  Talk, 
  Interrogation, 
  Leadership, 
  Merchant, 
  Politics,
  Propaganda, Psychology (all specialties), Sociology, and
  Teaching to answer questions about the use of memetic jargon.
  Oceanography:
  Replaces skills such as Geography
  (Physical), Meteorology, or Physics (Fluid Dynamics and other
  specialties) when dealing with the behavior of a planet’s
  oceans, and to a limited extent Biology (Ecology) in relation to
  the consequences for life in those oceans.
  Terraforming: can stand in for Biology, Geography, Geology,
  History, Meteorology, or Physics when describing the progress,
  intentions, and technical history of the Martian terraforming
  project. (Actually planning or carrying out parts of this
  process, or for that matter sabotaging it, requires much more
  specific skills.)
  Innate Attack
  p. B201
  This only applies to (ranged) offensive abilities bought as
  Innate Attacks. Most combat cybershells will use Weapon
  Mounts or Payload to hold their weaponry, and should use the
  appropriate skill for whatever is installed there.
  Psychology
  p. B216
  “Realistic” Transhuman Space games should divide this into
  “Applied” and “Experimental” mandatory specialties. In any
  case, it should also be divided into three “species” specialties;
  Human, Bioroid, and AI. Humans and Bioroid specialties default
  to each other at -2, while each defaults to and from the AI version
  at -4. In addition, each species of uplifted animal has its own spe-
  cialty, although only a few scientists have studied these.
  46
  GURPS 4E UPDATE: CHARACTERS
  Memetics as a
  Wildcard Skill
  As an alternative to the Talent and Expert skill
  discussed in the main text, Memetics! can be treated
  as a wildcard skill (p. B175), based on IQ, which
  substitutes for all of the skills listed for Expert Skill
  (Memetics) above. As with all wildcard skills, this is
  a rather cinematic approach, and may be prohibited
  by GMs who want a “realistic” game, but it isn’t
  entirely implausible that a character who has made
  a lengthy, broad study of the field could acquire a
  working knowledge of all these skills.
  Computer
  Intrusion Under 4e
  The rules given for computer intrusion in Fifth
  Wave (pp. FW128-130) assume the availability of
  Computer Hacking skill, which is now classed as 
  cinematic and hence will be unavailable in many
  Transhuman Space campaigns. (It can be permitted
  in “cyberpunk-style” games, of course.) Players
  attempting computer intrusion in such games may
  use the following rules:
  1. If the intruder doesn’t know the general type
  and origin of the AI operating system on the target
  computer, this can be identified by various offline
  methods (GM’s option), or with Computer Operation
  skill, taking 10 minutes; the roll is at -5 if the intrud-
  er has No Access to the system, -3 if he has Data
  Access, and -1 if he has Limited Access. Multiple
  attempts are at a cumulative -1 per previous attempt.
  If this information is unavailable, the eventual intru-
  sion roll is at -6.
  2. Likewise, the intruder will benefit from know-
  ing exactly what applications are routinely run on the
  target system. Roll as above if trying to determine this
  across the Web, but all penalties are doubled. If the
  information is unavailable, the intrusion roll is at -2.
  3. If the AI operating system has been identified,
  attempt an Expert Skill (Computer Security) roll, or a
  Research roll at -3, to determine any known cate-
  gories of vulnerability in the target system. If this
  fails, the intrusion roll is at -4.
  4. The intruder can take one hour to tailor special
  software to aid the attack; on a successful Computer
  Programming roll, this gives +1 to the intrusion roll.
  Likewise, if the user can communicate with the target
  AI without it being suspicious or hostile, taking at
  least 10 minutes, and makes a successful Psychology
  (AI) roll (using Psychology (Applied/AI), or
  Psychology (Experimental/AI) at -2, if both are avail-
  able), this also gives +1 to the roll.
  5. The intrusion roll itself is as in Fifth Wave, with
  all the modifiers given there except that the above
  modifiers replace the “Target Knowledge” modifiers,
  but is made against Computer Operation at -6.
  Optionally, “Computer Intrusion” can be treated as
  a Hard technique. In that case, the technique applies
  only to the intrusion roll, not to other skill rolls used
  earlier in the process.
  
  Psychology (Human) encompasses all upgrades and
  parahumans, whose brains are still built very much on the
  human pattern, though Metanoias and others show more
  divergence from the baseline than psychologists of previous
  eras would have considered normal – and also ghosts,
  although some ghosts evolve in peculiar ways as they grow
  accustomed to life as digital entities. Psychology (Bioroid) is a
  separate skill because bioroids have artificially-designed,
  speed-educated brains which diverge significantly from the
  human pattern. Psychology (AI) considers emergent intelli-
  gences, gypsy infomorphs, etc., as more or less pathological
  divergences from the baseline.
  Shadows can usually be analyzed using the Human spe-
  cialty, though the psychologist must take account of the mind’s
  incompleteness; occasionally, a roll against the AI-related skill
  may be useful to understand the program’s underlying artifi-
  cial structures.
  MEMETICS
  Characters with training or natural skill in memetics are
  handled a little differently under the new edition rules. They
  can take either or both of two options; Memetics Talent (p. 40),
  or Expert Skill (Memetics) (p. 46). As an Expert Skill, the lat-
  ter relates primarily to an academic understanding of memet-
  ics, and especially to a knowledge of the relevant jargon. A
  character still needs training in one or more of the skills it
  encompasses to perform practical “memetic operations,” but
  study of the background theory is often the first step along the
  way, and has some practical uses in identifying other people’s
  employment of memetics.
  Memetics Talent is more generally useful. It often repre-
  sents a natural aptitude for the whole field of memetics, and
  hence for any skill which uses it for practical purposes; one
  level is universal among SAIs, with their unique ability to ana-
  lyze their own mental processes. SAIs designed for or fascinat-
  ed by such work can purchase more levels.
  Alternatively, the Talent may sometimes represent a broad
  grounding in memetic theory which the character can turn to
  many different uses. This makes it unusual, as a Talent, in that
  GMs may allow it to be learned by study. If this is permitted,
  he must first put at least one point each into Psychology
  (Experimental) and Propaganda; subsequently, he can treat the
  Talent as a learnable advantage (p. B294). However, GMs may
  choose to limit training to 2 or 3 levels’ worth; it’s unlikely that
  there are many teachers in the entire solar system with greater
  talent than this (and no teaching materials covering higher lev-
  els), and an instructor can’t teach more than he knows.
  Note, incidentally, that memetic jargon is widespread in
  this setting. Even somebody who has neither the Talent nor the
  Expert Skill may well refer to the concept of memes when
  using or discussing skills such as Psychology or Politics; it’s
  become a basic point of reference.
  GURPS 4E UPDATE: CHARACTERS
  47
  Memetic Operations
  Chapter 7 of Toxic Memes has detailed rules for
  memetic operations. These can also be used under 4e, but
  in the absence of actual Memetics skill, rolls must be
  made against other skills.
  Artifact Analysis: When analyzing a cultural artifact for
  memetic content, first roll against Current Affairs (High
  Culture or Popular Culture), or Connoisseur with an
  appropriate specialty, to place it in context. On a critical
  success, the subsequent roll is at +2; on a failure, it is at
  -2; on a critical failure, no useful information can be
  extracted from the item (though the character might think
  it can, at the GM’s option). Then roll against Expert Skill
  (Memetics), Psychology (Applied) at -1, or Propaganda at
  -3 (propagandists know how to create memes, but are less
  adept at “reverse engineering”), with time taken and
  results as in Toxic Memes, p. 117.
  Population Analysis: Similarly, a memeticist can ana-
  lyze the prevalence and development of a specific meme
  in a population. This takes 2d hours for a simple meme,
  1d days for a medium complexity meme, and 2d+2 days
  for a complex meme, and requires extensive information
  – but access to the Web usually provides that. (A Research
  roll may be required if the subject is somehow obscure.) A
  successful roll against an appropriate specialization of
  Current Affairs reduces the time by 25% and on a critical
  success gives +2 to the subsequent roll. The actual analy-
  sis is a roll against Expert Skill (Memetics), Sociology,
  Propaganda at -1, or Psychology (Applied) at -3, with
  results as for Artifact Analysis above.
  Meme Design and Use: Follow the general rules in
  Toxic Memes. Preparatory rolls may be made against Area
  Knowledge, Current Affairs, Propaganda, Psychology,
  Research, and/or Sociology, at the GM’s option; if the new
  creation is intended to interact with an existing meme,
  use the rules for Population Analysis above. The actual
  campaign uses Propaganda skill. (Memeticists taking a
  hands-on approach to memetic dissemination may also
  find uses for Group Performance (Directing), Public
  Speaking, or Writing.)
  Countermemetics: The roll to analyze a suspected
  memetics campaign is an exercise in Population Analysis
  as above, with other modifiers as on Toxic Memes, p. 126.
  Countermeme creation follows the rules for Meme Design
  and Use.
  Deprogramming: See Toxic Memes, pp. 127-128. The
  deprogrammer 
  uses 
  Psychology 
  (Applied) 
  or
  Brainwashing skills in the Quick Contest; he can claim the
  +1 bonus for a successful preparatory Fast-Talk or
  Intimidation roll, but not for Psychology.
  Quick and Dirty Memetics: See Toxic Memes, pp. 128-
  130. Preparation can (and often does) use Current Affairs
  skill, along with the others listed; meme construction uses
  Propaganda, or Psychology (Applied) at -2, along with the
  other modifiers given in Toxic Memes.
  
  The following replace the templates from the Transhuman
  Space core book in 4e games. Those from the various supple-
  ments may be covered in later publications, although the con-
  version principles illustrated here should be easy enough to
  apply to other cases.
  HUMANS
  Genefixed Human
  p. TS115: 0 points
  Features: Taboo Trait (Genetic Defects). Add Taboo Trait
  (Unattractiveness) post-2035, and Taboo Trait (Mental
  Instability) post-2050.
  Floater
  p. TS115: -66 points
  Attribute Modifiers: ST-2 [-20]; HT-2 [-20].
  Advantages: 3D Spatial Sense [10].
  Disadvantages:
  Social Stigma (Minority Group) [-10];
  Vulnerability (Crushing Damage, ¥2) [-30].
  Racial Skill Bonuses: +2 to Free Fall [4].
  Features: Home gravity of 0 G. Height is typically 1’ greater
  than normal for ST.
  HUMAN GENETIC UPGRADES
  Alpha Upgrade
  p. TS115: 41 points
  Attribute Modifiers: DX+1 [20]; HT+1 [10].
  Advantages: Attractive [4]; Resistant to Disease (+8) [5];
  Longevity [2].
  Features: No Appendix; Taboo Traits (Genetic Defects, Mental
  Instability).
  Variants
  Olympian (p. TS115): Add Combat Reflexes [15] and Very
  Fit [15]. 71 points.
  Ishtar Upgrade
  p. TS116: 33 points
  Attribute Modifiers: ST-1 [-10]; DX+1 [20]; HT+1 [10].
  Advantages: Handsome/Beautiful [12]; Resistant to Disease
  (+8) [5]; Voice [10].
  Perks: Alcohol Tolerance [1].
  Disadvantages/Quirks: Overconfidence (12) [-5]; and -10
  points from Incompetence in any influence skill (p. B359),
  Odious Personal Habits (Competitive and Self-Obsessed)
  [-5], or some level of Jealousy and/or Selfish (or Proud).
  Features: Taboo Traits (Genetic Defects, Unattractiveness).
  Variants
  Siduri (p. TS116): Add Longevity [2] and reduce disadvan-
  tages to Overconfidence (12) [-5] and Proud [-1]. 44 points.
  Metanoia-Series Upgrade
  p. TS116: 51 points
  Attribute Modifiers: IQ+1 [20]; HT+1 [10].
  Advantages: Longevity [2]; Resistant to Disease (+8) [5];
  Versatile [5]; and either Language Talent [10] or 10 points in
  any Talent.
  Quirks: Imaginative [-1].
  Features: Taboo Traits (Genetic Defects, Unattractiveness).
  PARAHUMANS AND BIOROIDS
  Remember that bioroids will almost always have some kind
  of Social Stigma; see p. 43.
  Aquamorph
  p. TS116: 73 points
  Attribute Modifiers: ST+1 [10]; DX+1 [20]; HT+1 [10].
  Advantages: Amphibious [10]; Doesn’t Breathe (Oxygen stor-
  age ¥50, -40%) [12]; Pressure Support 1 [5]; Resistant to
  Disease (+8) [5]; Temperature Tolerance 1 [1].
  Features: Smooth gray, mottled, or black skin; webbed fingers
  and toes.
  Variants
  Sea Shepherd (p. TS116): Add Combat Reflexes [15],
  Enhanced Move (Water) 1/2 [10]; Teeth (Sharp Teeth) [1],
  Bioroid Body [-4], Skinny [-5], and Workaholic [-5]. 85 points.
  Note: Pressure Support 1 primarily reduces the character’s
  vulnerability to the bends; see p. B435.
  Felicia
  p. TS116: 157 points
  Attribute Modifiers: ST-1 [-10]; ST +4 (Costs 1 FP per second,
  -10%; Temporary Disadvantage (Gluttony (9), Impulsiveness
  (12), Lecherousness (9), see note), -39%) [21]; DX+3 [60];
  HT+1 [10].
  Secondary Characteristic Modifiers: Basic Speed+1.00 (Costs
  1 FP per second, -10%; Temporary Disadvantage (Gluttony
  (9), Impulsiveness (12), Lecherousness (9), see note), -39%)
  [11].
  Advantages: Acute Hearing +3 [6]; Acute Taste and Smell +2
  [4]; Attractive [4]; Catfall [10]; Claws (Sharp Claws) [5];
  Combat Reflexes [15]; Flexibility [5]; Night Vision 5 [5];
  Perfect Balance [15]; Resistant to Disease (+8) [5]; Teeth
  (Sharp Teeth) [1].
  Perks: Fur [1].
  Disadvantages: Bioroid Body [-4]; Extra Sleep 1 [-2];
  Overconfidence (12) [-5].
  Features: Transgenic features (human-feline facial features,
  with human hair and a cat’s fur, claws, and tail).
  Note: The Temporary Disadvantage limitation on the
  Felicia’s extra ST and Speed is a variant version; the added dis-
  advantages last from when the powers are switched off until
  the Fatigue Points lost by using them are recovered. Because
  this extra ST is strictly temporary, it doesn’t add to HP.
  48
  GURPS 4E UPDATE: CHARACTERS
  TEMPLATES
  
  Variants
  Felicia II (p. TS117): Delete the limited extra ST and Basic
  Speed. 125 points.
  Tennin
  p. TS117: 27 points
  Attribute Modifiers: ST-1 [-10].
  Advantages: 3D Spatial Sense [10]; Attractive [4]; Extra Arms
  (two, Foot Manipulators -30%, Short -50%) [4]; Longevity
  [2]; Radiation Tolerance 5 [10]; Resistant to Disease (+8) [5].
  Perks: No Degeneration in Zero-G [1].
  Disadvantages: Skinny [-5].
  Racial Skill Bonuses: +3 to Free Fall [6].
  Features: Home gravity of 0 G. Height is typically up to 1’
  greater than normal for ST, but weight is 75% of normal.
  Taboo Trait (Genetic Defects).
  Variants
  Wu Tsao (p. TS117): Add IQ+1 [20], Versatile [5],
  Imaginative [-1], and the features Altered Sex Ratio (Female-
  only births), Parthenogenesis (Can voluntarily become preg-
  nant with a clone of herself), and Sexual Orientation (Lesbian).
  51 points.
  ZR-5 (p. TS117): Delete Longevity and No Degeneration in
  Zero-G; add Clinging (Accessibility, Only in 0.2 G or less, -40%)
  [12], Bioroid Body [-4], and Workaholic [-5]. 27 points.
  Tianyi
  p. TS117: 45 points
  Attribute Modifiers: HT+2 [20].
  Advantages: Fit [5]; Very Handsome/Beautiful (Off-the-shelf
  looks, -50%) [8]; Less Sleep 2 [4]; Immunity to Disease [10];
  Sensitive [5]; Voice [10].
  Perks: Deep Sleeper; No Hangover; Sanitized Metabolism [3].
  Disadvantages: Bioroid Body [-4]; Chummy [-5]; Workaholic
  [-5]; Xenophilia (15) [-5].
  Quirks: Attentive [-1].
  Features: Taboo Trait (Mental Instability).
  Variants
  Incubus (p. TS117): Add DX+1 [20], Breath-Holding 1 [2],
  Flexibility [5], Hermaphromorph [5], Lecherousness (12) [-15],
  and +3 to Erotic Art [6]. 68 points.
  Yousheng
  p. TS117: 46 points
  Attribute Modifiers: ST-1 [-10]; DX+1 [20]; HT+2 [20].
  Advantages: Longevity [2]; Mars-Adapted [9]; Resistant to
  Disease (+8) [5].
  Features: Altered Sex Ratio (2:1 female:male births); Increased
  Fecundity (75% of births are twins); Sexual Orientation
  (Heterosexual); Taboo Traits (Genetic Defects, Mental
  Instability, Unattractive). Home gravity of 0.38 G.
  Variants
  Viking (p. TS117): Delete all features except Taboo Trait
  (Genetic Defects). Cost is unchanged.
  ZR-3 (p. TS117): Delete Longevity and all features except
  Taboo Trait (Genetic Defects); add Less Sleep 2 [4], Bioroid
  Body [-4], Workaholic [-5], and Attentive [-1]. 38 points.
  Ziusudra
  p. TS118: 77 points
  Attribute Modifiers: DX+1 [20]; IQ+1 [20]; HT+1 [10].
  Advantages: Attractive [4]; Extended Lifespan 1 [2]; Less Sleep
  1 [2]; Longevity [2]; Rapid Healing [5]; Immunity to Disease
  [10].
  Perks: Reproductive Control; Sanitized Metabolism [2].
  Features: Early Maturation 1; No Appendix; Taboo Traits
  (Genetic Defects, Mental Instability).
  Variants
  Nyx (p. TS118): Delete HT+1, Longevity, and Taboo Trait
  (Mental Instability); change Less Sleep 1 to Less Sleep 4 [8]. 71
  points.
  UPLIFTED ANIMALS
  Note that in some space colonies (especially Red Duncanite
  stations), an uplifted animal’s Social Stigma could easily
  become Subjugated. Conversely, one living on E.U. territory or
  some transhumanist enclaves could switch that disadvantage
  to Minority Group, and possibly eliminate Dead Broke from
  the template.
  Astropus
  p. TS118: 76 points
  Attribute Modifiers: ST-2 [-20]; DX+3 [60]; IQ-2 [-40]; HT+2
  [20].
  Secondary Characteristic Modifiers: HP-2 [-4]; Per+3 [15].
  Advantages: Chameleon 2 [10]; Constriction Attack [15];
  Damage Resistance 1 (Can’t Wear Armor, -40%; Tough Skin,
  -40%) [1]; Doesn’t Breathe (Gills, -50%) [10]; Extra Arms (6;
  Extra-Flexible on all 8 arms, +50%) [100]; Flight (Costs
  Fatigue, 4 FP, -20%; Requires Low Gravity, 0G, -50%) [12];
  Injury Tolerance (No Neck) [5]; Obscure 10 (Vision;
  Accessibility, Only in water or zero-G, -30%) [14]; Peripheral
  Vision [15]; Teeth (Sharp Beak) [1].
  Perks: Sanitized Metabolism [1].
  GURPS 4E UPDATE: CHARACTERS
  49
  
  Disadvantages: Bad Grip 2 (-4 penalty) [-10]; Bad Sight
  (Nearsighted; Mitigator, -60%) [-10]; Cold-Blooded [-5];
  Colorblindness [-10]; Dead Broke [-25]; Fearfulness 1 [-2];
  Hidebound [-5]; Incurious (9) [-7]; Innumerate [-5];
  Invertebrate [-20]; Mute (Mitigator (computer interpreter),
  -60%) [-10]; Short Lifespan 1 [-10]; Social Stigma (Valuable
  Property) [-10]; Stress Atavism (Mild) (12) [-10].
  Note: Being used primarily in space construction work,
  most astropuses have a home gravity of 0-0.2 G.
  K-10A Postcanine
  p. TS118: -24 points
  Attribute Modifiers: DX+3 [60]; IQ-3 [-60]; HT+2 [20].
  Secondary Characteristic Modifiers: Per+7 [35].
  Advantages: Combat Reflexes [15]; Discriminatory Smell
  (Emotion Sense, +50%) [23]; Enhanced Move (Ground) 1
  [20]; Teeth (Sharp Teeth) [1]; Ultrahearing [5].
  Perks: Fur [1].
  Disadvantages: Chummy [-5]; Colorblindness [-10]; Dead
  Broke [-25]; Disturbing Voice [-10]; Innumerate [-5]; Native
  Language Written Comprehension reduced to Broken [-2];
  Quadruped [-35]; Sense of Duty (Master) [-2]; Short Arms
  (see note) [-10]; Short Lifespan 1 [-10]; Sleepy (1/2 the time)
  [-8]; Social Stigma (Valuable Property) [-10]; Stress Atavism
  (Mild) (12) [-10].
  Quirks: Proud; Responsive [-2].
  Features: Early Maturation 1.
  Note: Like any quadruped, the K-10A can use its front legs
  for very limited manipulation purposes. However, it can only
  do so at close range; hence, it has the “Short Arms” disadvan-
  tage, with a value equal to the result of applying the Short lim-
  itation to two arms.
  INFOMORPHS
  The templates that follow define the common attributes of
  each type of infomorph; many individuals, especially AIs, will
  have additional options. As in 3e, an infomorph character
  requires both an infomorph template (the software, with asso-
  ciated mental attributes) and a cybershell or bioshell template
  (representing the hardware on which it currently runs, with
  physical attributes).
  For these purposes and when an infomorph “possesses”
  another body, DX is classed as a mental attribute, as it is large-
  ly determined by the software’s capacity for precision, real-
  time coordination, etc.. However, some cybershells provide a
  DX modifier, which is added to the infomorph’s own DX. For
  example, if a DX 12 SAI is running on a snakebot cybershell,
  its effective DX becomes 15.
  Virtually all AIs (though not ghosts or shadows) have
  Modular Abilities (Computer Brain) to represent the ability to
  run skill set software; see pp. 60-61. Details vary from model to
  model, but few AIs are designed to interface simultaneously
  with more skill sets than can be run alongside them on the
  smallest size of computer that can run the AI itself.
  Most AIs will also have a Duty to their owner; in the case of
  those owned by PCs, this arises almost all the time, and so 
  is worth -15 points. GMs may choose to treat this as the 
  standard, and not permit any variations. However, it’s perfectly
  possible for an AI which is left at home a great deal to have a
  lower Duty frequency, while one that isn’t taken into fights
  would have the Nonhazardous option – and one that’s used for
  military missions or similar would very likely have an
  Extremely Hazardous Duty. (Military NAIs are essentially
  regarded as disposable.) As such variations are possible, the
  Duty isn’t included in the AI templates below.
  Conversion Issues: Unlike the 3e versions, the AI templates
  below lack Mathematical Ability – but gain Intuitive
  Mathematician (from the AI meta-trait) in place of Lightning
  Calculator. This reflects the nature of an infomorph better; it
  isn’t especially good at the creative or intuitive aspects of math-
  ematical skills, but it can handle any amount of raw number-
  crunching with ease. Again, gamers wanting to preserve back-
  ward compatibility can add Mathematical Ability 3 [30] to the
  advantage lists, and increase the template costs accordingly.
  Minimal Software
  -255 points
  In addition to the infomorphs listed in the Transhuman
  Space core book, the approach to handling certain character
  features in 4e games requires a new template; “Minimal
  Software.”
  This is because, although most infomorph/cybershell 
  characters can be treated as a cybershell template plus an AI
  template, some cybershells which PCs will purchase as Allies
  will have no AI whatsoever, being used purely for remote 
  teleoperation or as a spare body (a “vessel”) for an infomorph
  character. Such cybershells should have the following template
  added; rather than a controlling AI, they have minimal “house-
  keeping” software installed to manage basic functions, such as
  controlling communications ports to allow an authorized info-
  morph to install itself, or keeping a bioshell’s heart and lungs
  running. This software can also manage the use of other 
  programs on the hardware, such as a teleoperation program
  (p. TS144), or simple utilities (word processors, graphics 
  programs, databases, etc.).
  See “Vessel” Cybershells (box-out, p. 39) for uses for this.
  Attribute Modifiers: IQ -10 [-200].
  Disadvantages: Dead Broke [-25]; Reprogrammable [-10];
  Social Stigma (Subjugated) [-20].
  Features: Complexity 1 program; Taboo Trait (Fixed IQ).
  Nonsapient AI (NAI)
  p. TS119: 29 points
  Attribute Modifiers: IQ-2 [-40].
  Advantages: AI [32]; Enhanced Time Sense [45]; Extra Life
  (Copy, -20%; Requires Body, -20%) [15]; Indomitable [15];
  Possession (Digital, -40%) [60]; Single-Minded [5]; Unaging
  (IQ only, -75%) [4]; Unfazeable [15].
  Disadvantages: Automaton [-85]; Dead Broke [-25]; Social
  Stigma (Subjugated) [-20].
  Racial Skills: Computer Operation/TL10 (E) IQ+3 [8]-11.
  Features: Complexity 4 program; Taboo Traits (Mental
  Instability, Self-Awareness).
  Notes: Unlike the 3e version, this template has No Sense of
  Humor (from the Automaton meta-trait) in place of Clueless;
  assume that the program is sophisticated enough to handle
  colloquialisms, but it doesn’t even try to make jokes. GMs who
  50
  GURPS 4E UPDATE: CHARACTERS
  
  prefer to preserve backwards compatibility with the old ver-
  sion can switch the two disadvantages without changing the
  cost.
  The Automaton meta-trait also gives it Incurious, replacing
  Staid in the earlier version. Some sophisticated NAIs may be
  permitted to “buy this off” (probably taking Staid in its place);
  programmers seek to make even the most basic AIs take some
  active interest in their surroundings.
  A NAI is regarded as a nonperson virtually everywhere in
  2100 – hence the Social Stigma. Few NAIs are capable of
  grasping this fact, and one that somehow “escaped” would be
  regarded as dangerously unstable corrupted software and
  probably hunted down for deletion by the former owner and
  the authorities. This Social Stigma replaces the Status -4 dis-
  advantage in the 3e template; for one thing, Status doesn’t gen-
  erally run that low in 4e games, and for another, a NAI, like an
  IQ 0 dumb machine, doesn’t really have Status at all – it’s treat-
  ed as a thing.
  Variants
  The above represents a Complexity 4 NAI. For each +1 to
  Complexity (up to Complexity 10), add +1 to the template’s IQ
  and 20 points to its cost. (For example, a NAI-7 has IQ+1 in its
  template and costs 89 points.)
  Low-Sapient AI (LAI)
  p. TS119: 82 points
  Attribute Modifiers: IQ-1 [-20].
  Advantages: AI [32]; Enhanced Time Sense [45]; Extra Life
  (Copy, -20%; Requires Body, -20%) [15]; Fearlessness 2 [4];
  Possession (Digital, -40%) [60]; Unaging (IQ only, -75%) [4];
  Visualization (Reliable, +4, +20%) [12].
  Disadvantages: Dead Broke [-25]; Hidebound [-5]; Honesty (9)
  [-15]; Low Empathy [-20]; Social Stigma (Valuable Property)
  [-10].
  Quirks: Attentive; Broad-Minded; Staid [-3].
  Racial Skills: Computer Operation/TL10 (E) IQ+3 [8]-12.
  Features: Complexity 6 program; Taboo Trait (Mental
  Instability).
  Notes: LAIs are regarded as property in most places; hence
  the Social Stigma. They do have a few limited rights, in custom
  if not in law, because they are generally recognized as possess-
  ing self-awareness and personalities, and hence are classed
  here as Valuable Property rather than Subjugated. Most are
  comfortable with this situation; as with NAIs, one that “went
  rogue” would be in a far more precarious position. In the
  Caliphate, they are subject to special laws and customs, for his-
  torical reasons; for a LAI based there, change the Social
  Stigma to Minority Group. (Such a LAI might also buy off the
  GURPS 4E UPDATE: CHARACTERS
  51
  IQ 0 in GURPS
  The Minimal Software template gives a “character” a
  fixed IQ of 0. As the GURPS Basic Set explains, this indi-
  cates the total absence of any mind; the “character” is no
  more sapient than a rock or a tree. Hence, it cannot learn
  skills or possess any mental traits, including many advan-
  tages and disadvantages.
  (A similar being with IQ 1 or 2 might well have a lower
  point value, thanks to the addition of mental disadvan-
  tages. This represents the fact that a totally mindless
  object can’t get itself into trouble of its own volition,
  whereas a low IQ creature can have just enough self-will
  to act on its disadvantages and suffer the consequences.
  IQ 1+ creatures are also susceptible to fright checks,
  Influence rolls, mind control, and so on, whereas IQ 0
  means that there’s no mind to be influenced; the IQ 0
  “character” doesn’t have to buy this immunity, any more
  than it can take those disadvantages.)
  Reprogrammable is an exception to this, being explic-
  itly permitted to IQ 0 beings; it’s not so much a mental
  trait as a physical feature of the being’s brain. (Duty, on
  the other hand, is prohibited, as it implies the possibility
  of deliberately refusing a task and suffering punishment
  in consequence.) In the Transhuman Space setting, a
  mindless cybershell can also have some essentially social
  disadvantages, and two are included in the template.
  Firstly, such beings are automatically treated as Dead
  Broke; some cybershells in some places (with AIs control-
  ling them) can and do own property, but not this one. And
  secondly, the cybershell automatically has Social Stigma
  (Subjugated), representing the fact that people will treat it
  as a mere object; they probably won’t damage it gratu-
  itously, but nor will they think twice about letting it come
  to harm if human lives are at stake, or in the course of a
  non-lethal conflict with the owner.
  However, IQ 0 doesn’t imply low Status in this setting.
  Strictly speaking, the “character” doesn’t have a social sta-
  tus at all; it’s a thing, regarded with no personal respect or
  contempt, but leaving Status at (effectively) 0 represents
  this adequately. (Logically, a machine might also have a
  low Cost of Living – but GMs can always throw in routine
  maintenance costs, which the owner must pay.) IQ 0
  cybershells might have other social disadvantages, but
  these must be specifically approved on a case-by-case
  basis, and will usually be associated with the cybershell
  rather than the software installed. For example, some
  heavily-armed military cybershells may have Social
  Stigma (Monster) – they’re scary death machines.
  A normal character who falls to IQ 0 as a result of
  aging dies. This does not mean that IQ 0 is equivalent to
  “dead”; rather, the effect is a “marker” for loss of neuro-
  logical functions associated with death of old age.
  (Someone temporarily reduced to IQ 0 by an Affliction
  doesn’t die either.) An IQ 0 being isn’t automatically
  Unaging (and can certainly suffer aging effects based on
  other attributes), but it doesn’t have to worry about neu-
  rological failure.
  
  Dead Broke disadvantage, though most are in practice perma-
  nently resident with a “guardian” who looks after their materi-
  al needs.)
  Variants
  The above represents a Complexity 6 LAI. For each +1 to
  Complexity (up to Complexity 10), add +1 to the template’s IQ
  and 20 points to its cost. (For example, a LAI-9 has IQ+2 in its
  template and costs 142 points.)
  Sapient AI (SAI)
  p. TS120: 153 points
  Attribute Modifiers: IQ-1 [-20].
  Advantages: AI [32]; Enhanced Time Sense [45]; Extra Life
  (Copy, -20%; Requires Body, -20%) [15]; Fearlessness 1 [2];
  Memetics Talent 1 [10]; Possession (Digital, -40%) [60];
  Unaging (IQ only, -75%) [4]; Visualization (Reliable, +4,
  +20%) [12].
  Disadvantages: Honesty (9) [-15].
  Racial Skills: Computer Operation/TL10 (E) IQ+3 [8]-12.
  Features: Complexity 7 program; Taboo Trait (Mental
  Instability).
  Notes: Many SAIs suffer from some kind of Social Stigma,
  but the type depends on where they are based. In the E.U., the
  Caliphate, and transhumanist enclaves, they are classed as full
  citizens (though there are many individuals with Intolerance
  directed towards them, and they may be treated as Minors
  some time after they achieve quite mature personalities). In
  China, they are functionally a Minority Group, and will rarely
  have better than Poor wealth; many are effectively owned by a
  government organization or company, though their theoretical
  legal rights aren’t always ignored. Society in India is suspicious
  of these entities, probably due to a widespread “Frankenstein
  phobia,” and they are effectively Subjugated there. Elsewhere,
  they are classed as Valuable Property. In the latter two cases,
  they will always be Dead Broke. Because these Stigmas and
  low wealth levels are mandatory, they may not count against
  campaign disadvantage limits (GM’s option).
  Variants
  The above represents a Complexity 7 SAI. For each +1 to
  Complexity (up to Complexity 10), add +1 to the template’s IQ
  and 20 points to its cost. (For example, a SAI-8 has no IQ mod-
  ifier in its template and costs 173 points.)
  Citizen AI (p. TS120): This is an SAI with no Social Stigma,
  no Duty (unless it is one that might be voluntarily accepted by
  any free citizen), and any level of wealth.
  General AI Variants
  Emergent Intelligence (p. TS120): Remove Dead Broke in the
  case of a LAI (though few EIs have much money), Honesty,
  and Reprogrammable (from the AI meta-trait). This adds 50
  points to the cost of a LAI, 25 to a SAI. Known EIs have a
  52
  GURPS 4E UPDATE: CHARACTERS
  Indomitable AIs
  and “Machine
  Empathy”
  The NAI template includes the Indomitable
  advantage, and it would be perfectly reasonable for
  individual LAIs and SAIs to acquire this as well.
  This in turn means that anyone wishing to use
  Influence skills on such beings needs an appropriate
  form of Empathy advantage – but none actually
  exists.
  GMs can either rule that such AIs are simply
  immune to any such attempts at influence, that AIs
  are close enough to humanity that standard
  Empathy serves this purpose – or that a new advan-
  tage, “Machine Empathy,” is required. In the last
  case, the new advantage should cost 10 points, and
  will work with AIs exactly as Empathy does with
  sapient organic beings.
  Terminology:
  Sapience
  The term “sapience” as used in the Transhuman
  Space setting doesn’t have quite the same meaning
  as it does in the GURPS rules. Given that the
  “Transhuman Space meaning” is used heavily
  throughout material published for the line, it’s too
  late to change it now; GMs and players should sim-
  ply recognize that there is a difference, and be care-
  ful to specify which they’re using.
  Basically, “GURPS sapience” means a GURPS IQ
  of 6+, which grants the ability to master language
  and technological skills. When used in relation to
  Transhuman Space AIs, “sapience” means self-
  directed intelligence comparable to that of a free-
  willed human being. Many “non-sapient” programs
  in the setting are in fact highly intelligent in GURPS
  terms, but lack motivation and the capacity for truly
  original thought – a lack reflected by various disad-
  vantages on the NAI and LAI templates.
  In fact, there is some heated debate in 2100
  about terms such as “sapience,” partly because the
  classic definition perhaps comes closer to the
  “GURPS” than the “Transhuman Space” mean-
  ings. Many academics and thinkers dislike the
  description of certain AIs as “non-sapient,” given
  these programs’ command of language and symbol-
  ic manipulation, which is far superior to that of any
  non-sapient animal. Some such people even insist
  that the popular abbreviations for categories of AI
  (NAI, LAI, and SAI) actually stand for Non-self-
  directing, Limited-self-directing, and Self-directing
  Artificial Intelligence respectively. Some activists,
  many of them citizen AIs, argue strongly that the
  idea that any AI can be described as “non-sapient”
  promotes the idea that AIs are all somehow less
  than human. As a practical matter, this argument
  seems to be a losing battle, despite the heat it gen-
  erates in discussion.
  
  Social Stigma, often severe (see p. 42); the alternative is to
  masquerade as something else (usually a much less powerful
  program) or remain hidden, which implies a large Secret.
  Gestalt Intelligence (p. TS120): Add Mindlink (p. B70), and
  optionally Mind Reading (p. B69); both must have the
  Cybernetic Only and Telecommunication limitations, and
  often also have the Sensory enhancement. This means that all
  participating AIs must have access to some kind of
  Telecommunication (or run on the same computer); they may
  need the Sensie enhancement (p. 41), or at least Video, to use
  the link to the full. Other AIs in the gestalt may represent Allies
  or an Ally Group.
  Gestalt AIs might be permitted to buy levels of
  Compartmentalized Mind with a special limitation “Must bor-
  row the use of a linked AI’s computer”; the value depends on
  how many and how easily accessible the other members of the
  gestalt may be. Note that an AI lending all its processing abili-
  ty will be inert and helpless. GMs might also permit such AIs
  to buy extra IQ with the limitation “Only when linked to the
  gestalt” – value again dependent on how convenient that is – to
  represent a powerful “brainstorming” ability.
  Gypsy (see Fifth Wave, p. 122): As an Emergent Intelligence
  (above) or a Shadow (below), but add the Full Memory Access
  enhancement (p. 40) to the Possession advantage, increasing
  template costs by 10 points. (The Cosmic enhancement can
  make this even more effective; see p. 40.) Gypsy infomorphs
  need good computer skills to support their “lifestyles.” They
  usually have a significant Secret or Social Stigma, as they are
  regarded as a nuisance at best (being prone to “borrowing”
  other people’s computer time), and a deadly threat at worst.
  Orphan (p. TS120): Orphan AIs lack any Duty; given public
  paranoia on the subject, they probably have a significant
  Secret, or a Social Stigma if exposed. Details vary between
  individuals; some are simply Citizens, others are treated as
  Monsters.
  Rogue (p. TS120): As LAI or SAI, but delete Honesty,
  increasing the template cost by 15 points. This often represents
  a serious Secret or a very major Enemy, as a known Rogue will
  hunted down for reprogramming at best, and quite possibly
  deletion. May be combined with Citizen or Orphan.
  Ghost Mind Emulation
  p. TS120: 86 points
  Advantages: Absolute Timing [2]; Digital Mind [5]; Extra Life
  (Copy, -20%; Requires Body, -20%) [15]; Possession (Digital,
  -40%) [60]; Unaging (IQ only, -75%) [4].
  Features: Complexity 7 program.
  Notes: Ghosts may suffer Social Stigmas, depending where
  they are based. In China and India, they are Second-Class
  Citizens; in the Caliphate, they are seen as Monsters; and in the
  TSA, they are widely treated as Valuable Property. Such
  Stigmas may not count against campaign disadvantage limits,
  at the GM’s option, as they apply to all members of the “race.”
  Variants
  Fragment Mind Emulation (p. TS120): Use the ghost tem-
  plate plus Amnesia (Partial) [-10], reducing the cost to 76
  points.
  Fragments also suffer greater Social Stigmas in many areas;
  in the E.U., PRA, SAC, USA, and most transhumanist enclaves,
  they are treated as Minors (the legalities are slightly different,
  but a fragment isn’t trusted to be a fully responsible adult, and
  will usually be assigned some sort of “guardian”), in most of
  the TSA they are effectively Subjugated, and in Duncanite
  communities they are Valuable Property.
  Shadow Mind Emulation
  p. TS120
  Use a LAI or SAI template, but delete Taboo Trait (Mental
  Instability) and add Amnesia (Partial; Shallow Memories,
  -70%) [-3] and Delusion (“I have full memories”) [-5], reducing
  the template cost by a total of 8 points. (See p. TS120 for an
  explanation of these disadvantages.)
  Shadows suffer the same Social Stigmas as the type of AI on
  which they are based. However, they are abominated as
  Monsters in the Caliphate, and SAI shadows are merely treat-
  ed as Valuable Property in India; adjust total template costs as
  required.
  CYBERSHELLS
  Note that, while the 3e Machine Body advantage included
  Doesn’t Eat or Drink, this isn’t included in either of the 4e
  meta-traits; hence, each cybershell template has to include
  advantages or disadvantages to reflect specific fuel/power
  requirements.
  When deprived of fuel, or when their power cells run down,
  machines quickly become inert, rather than slowly starving to
  death. This faster loss of function is balanced by the fact that
  they can be restarted at any later point by refueling or recharg-
  ing them. Any tendency to long-term decline if unattended is
  reflected by a Maintenance disadvantage.
  Bush Robot
  p. TS121: 299 points
  Attribute Modifiers: ST-1 [-10]; HT+1 [10].
  Advantages: Absolute Direction (Requires Signal, -20%) [4];
  Ambidexterity [5]; Damage Resistance 10 (Can’t Wear
  Armor, -40%) [30]; Doesn’t Breathe [20]; Extra Arms 1
  (Extra-Flexible, +50%; Foot Manipulators, -30%) [12];
  Extra-Flexible Arms (see note) [10]; Flight (Newtonian
  Space Flight, +25%; Space Flight Only, -75%) [20]; High
  Manual Dexterity 10 [50]; Injury Tolerance (No Brain) [5];
  Machine [25]; Microscopic Vision 6 (Accessibility: Must
  physically touch subject, -10%) [27]; Penetrating Vision 1
  (Blockable, any surface with DR 1+, -30%; Must physically
  touch object to be viewed through, -30%) [4]; Pressure
  Support 2 [10]; Reduced Consumption 3 (Recharge power
  cells once a week) [6]; Scanning Sense (Imaging Radar) [20];
  Sealed [15]; Sensitive Touch [10]; Telecommunication
  (Cable Jack; Video, +40%) [7]; Telecommunication (Laser
  Communication) [15]; Telecommunication (Radio; Video,
  +40%) [14]; Temperature Tolerance 20 [20]; Vacuum
  Support [5].
  Perks:
  Accessory 
  (Microframe 
  Computer); 
  Accessory
  (Micromanipulation 
  Tools); 
  Accessory 
  (Molecular
  Manipulation Tools) [3].
  Disadvantages: Cybershell Body [-15]; Mistaken Identity [-5];
  One Arm (Mitigator, Half Ground Move, -60%) [-8];
  Restricted Diet (Very Common, power cells) [-10].
  GURPS 4E UPDATE: CHARACTERS
  53
  
  Note: The bush robot’s limbs can be used as arms and legs
  interchangeably. Hence, it can use its full ground move while
  using one arm, use two arms while moving slowly on a single
  complex limb, or employ three arms with full effect while sta-
  tionary or floating in space – hence the peculiar combination
  of advantages and disadvantages. In addition, all of its arms
  have the Extra-Flexible enhancement, costing 5 points per arm
  for the standard two.
  Bush robots are rare and visually standardized, with a
  slightly odd history, all of which sometimes leads to confu-
  sion between individuals; hence, they qualify for Mistaken
  Identity.
  Buzzbot
  p. TS121: -15 points
  Attribute Modifiers: ST-7 [-70]; HT+1 [10].
  Secondary Characteristic Modifiers: SM -2.
  Advantages: Absolute Direction (Requires Signal, -20%) [4];
  Damage Resistance 2 (Can’t Wear Armor, -40%) [6]; Filter
  Lungs [5]; Flight (Temporary Disadvantage, Noisy 2, -4%)
  [39]; Infravision [10]; Machine [25]; Telecommunication
  (Cable Jack; Video, +40%) [7]; Telecommunication (Laser
  Communication) [15]; Telecommunication (Radio; Video,
  +40%) [14]; Telescopic Vision 2 [10]; Temperature Tolerance
  3 [3].
  Disadvantages: Cybershell Body [-15]; Increased Consumption
  3 (Requires refueling, 1 hour endurance) [-30]; Maintenance
  (Electronics Repair and Mechanic skills, 2 people, Monthly)
  [-4]; No Legs (Aerial) [0]; No Sense of Smell/Taste [-5]; One
  Arm [-20]; Restricted Diet (Common, any one hydrocarbon
  fuel) [-20].
  Perks: Accessory (Tiny Computer) [1].
  Features: Individuals of the same model closely resemble each
  other.
  Variants
  Newshawk (see Personnel Files, p. 61): A variant with supe-
  rior telescopic camera lenses and parabolic microphones, gen-
  erally used for news-gathering purposes. Change Telescopic
  Vision to level 6 [30] and add Parabolic Hearing 2 [8]. 13 points
  ($820, 5 lbs.).
  Wotatech Combat Buzzbot (see Personnel Files, p. 63): A
  light-military-duties variant with light-enhancing polarized
  optics and a mounting point for a light weapon (usually a
  micro-missile pod, but virtually any pistol-sized weapon is pos-
  sible without encumbering the buzzbot significantly). Add
  Extra Arm (Weapon Mount, -80%) [2], Night Vision 9 [9],
  Protected Sense (Vision) [5], and Perk (IFF transponder) [1]. 2
  points ($620, 5 lbs., plus the cost and weight of any weapon
  installed).
  Cryobot
  p. TS122: 378 points
  Attribute Modifiers: ST+1 [10]; HT+3 [30].
  Secondary Characteristic Modifiers: HP+5 [10].
  Advantages: Amphibious [10]; Damage Resistance 30 (Can’t
  Wear Armor, -40%) [90]; Doesn’t Breathe [20]; Doesn’t Eat or
  Drink [10]; Enhanced Move (Water) 1 [20]; Extra Arms 1
  (Extra-Flexible, +50%; Only in water or zero-G, -50%) [10];
  Extra-Flexible Arms (see note) [10]; Extra Legs (three total)
  [5]; High Manual Dexterity 4 [20]; Machine [25];
  Microscopic Vision 3 [15]; Permeation (Ice; Tunnel, +40%;
  Very slow, move only 1 yard/20 seconds, -70%) [7]; Pressure
  Support 3 [15]; Radiation Tolerance 1,000 [45]; Scanning
  Sense (Sonar; Targeting, +20%) [24]; Sealed [15]; Sensitive
  Touch [10]; Telecommunication (Cable Jack; Video, +40%)
  [7]; Telecommunication (Laser Communication; Video,
  +40%) [21]; Temperature Tolerance 25 [25]; Vacuum
  Support [5].
  Perks:
  Accessory 
  (Microframe 
  Computer); 
  Accessory
  (Micromanipulation Tools) [2].
  Disadvantages: Blindness [-50]; Cybershell Body [-15];
  Maintenance (Electronics Repair and Mechanic skills, 2
  people, Monthly) [-4]; No Fine Manipulators (Becomes One
  Arm if moving at half ground move and eliminated com-
  pletely in water or zero-G, -70%) [-9]; No Sense of
  Smell/Taste [-5].
  Features: Individuals of the same model closely resemble each
  other.
  Notes: The cryobot can use all three limbs for manipulation
  when in water, walk around on all three, or use one as an arm
  and thereby count as having temporarily lost one of its legs
  (reducing its move by 50%) – hence the peculiar combination
  of advantages and disadvantages. In addition, all three of its
  limbs have the Extra-Flexible enhancement, costing 5 points
  per arm for the standard two.
  The cryobot uses sonar instead of vision; this is sensitive
  enough to use in combat if necessary. It can transmit sonar
  images through Telecommunication that resolve as visual
  images on standard video reception equipment. Lastly, its
  Maintenance requirement encompasses the occasional need to
  refuel its radiothermal generator.
  Cyberdoc
  p. TS122: 232 points
  Attribute Modifiers: ST+1 [10]; HT+2 [20].
  Secondary Characteristic Modifiers: HP+3 [6].
  Advantages: Ambidexterity [5]; Claws (Sharp Claws) [5];
  Damage Resistance 5 (Can’t Wear Armor, -40%) [15];
  Discriminatory Taste [10]; Doesn’t Breathe [20]; High
  Manual Dexterity 6 [30]; Extra Arms 3 (Foot Manipulators,
  -30%) [21]; Machine [25]; Microscopic Vision 3 [15];
  Pressure Support 1 [5]; Reduced Consumption 3
  (Recharge/refuel once a week) [6]; Sealed [15]; Sensitive
  Touch [10]; Telecommunication (Cable Jack) [5];
  Telecommunication (Infrared Communication) [10];
  Telecommunication (Radio; Video, +40%) [14]; Temperature
  Tolerance 3 [3]; Vacuum Support [5].
  Perks: Accessory (Drug synthesis and dispensing systems);
  Accessory (Integral respiratory support – can keep a single
  patient breathing while remaining stationary); Accessory
  (Microframe Computer); Accessory (Micromanipulation
  Tools); 
  Accessory 
  (Ultrasound 
  scanner); 
  Sanitized
  Metabolism [6].
  Disadvantages:
  Cybershell 
  Body 
  [-15]; 
  Maintenance
  (Electronics Repair and Mechanic skills, 2 people, Monthly)
  [-4]; Restricted Diet (Very Common, power cells) [-10].
  Features: Individuals of the same model closely resemble each
  other.
  54
  GURPS 4E UPDATE: CHARACTERS
  
  Cyberdoll
  p. TS122: 127 points
  Attribute Modifiers: ST+2 [20]; HT+2 [20].
  Secondary Characteristic Modifiers: HP+3 [6].
  Advantages: Absolute Direction (Requires Signal, -20%) [4];
  Damage Resistance 2 (Flexible, -20%) [8]; Doesn’t Breathe
  [20]; Handsome/Beautiful (Off-the-shelf looks, -50%) [6];
  Machine [25]; Reduced Consumption 3 (Recharge/refuel
  once a week) [6]; Telecommunication (Cable Jack; Sensie,
  +80%) [9]; Telecommunication (Infrared Communication)
  [10]; Telecommunication (Radio; Sensie, +80%) [18].
  Perks: Accessory (Small or Compact Microframe Computer);
  Sanitized Metabolism [2].
  Disadvantages: Cybershell Body [-15]; Restricted Diet (Very
  Common, power cells) [-10].
  Quirks: Has a Neck Hit Location, but no special vulnerabilities
  there; Resembles a human until inspected closely (Prevents
  fully effective long-term disguise, but can still lead to a hos-
  tile reaction from people who find that they’ve been
  deceived, even accidentally) [-2].
  Features: Individuals of the same production run often resem-
  ble each other.
  Note: As a cybershell, the Cyberdoll has Injury Tolerance (No
  Neck), despite the fact that it has a human-like shape with a phys-
  ical neck. It cannot be choked or strangled, and blows to its neck
  do no special damage (treat them as ordinary torso hits).
  However, the neck location may be left exposed by some partial-
  coverage armor, and although severing its head doesn’t automat-
  ically “kill” it – the main computer is in the torso – it will detach
  several of the machine’s sensors; hence, this merits a quirk.
  Variants
  Clockwork Souls Custom (p. TS122): Delete Off-The-Shelf
  Looks and the “often resemble each other” feature. 133 points.
  Infiltration Android (p. TS122): Increase HP to +8 [16] and
  Damage Resistance to 10 (Flexible, -20%) [40], and add
  DX+2 [40], Per+3 [15], Basic Speed+2.0 [40], High Pain
  Threshold [10], Payload 1 [1], Perfect Balance [15], and
  Protected Sense (Vision) [5]. 295 points.
  Humaniform
  See Broken Dreams, p. 123: 12 points
  Attribute Modifiers: ST-1 [-10].
  Secondary Characteristic Modifiers: HP+1 [2].
  Advantages: Damage Resistance 3 (Flexible, -20%) [12];
  Machine [25]; Telecommunication (Cable Jack) [5];
  Telecommunication (Radio; Video, +40%) [14];
  Temperature Tolerance 3 [3].
  Perks: Accessory (Small or Microframe Computer) [1].
  Disadvantages: Cybershell Body [-15]; Maintenance
  (Electronics Repair and Mechanic skills, 2 people,
  Monthly) [-4]; Restricted Diet (Common, any one
  hydrocarbon fuel) [-20].
  Quirks: Has a Neck Hit Location, but no special vulnerabilities
  there [-1].
  Features: Individuals of the same production run often resem-
  ble each other.
  Note: See the note for the Cyberdoll regarding this cyber-
  shell’s quirk. Costs $4,000 + computer, 5’ 8” tall, 150 lbs.
  Variants
  Motion Capture Mannequin:
  A Humaniform model
  designed for InVid production motion capture work, “cyber-
  dance” performances, etc.. Change ST to -3 [-30], and add
  DX+1 [20], Flexibility [5], and Perfect Balance [15]; computer
  installed must be Small. 32 points ($6,000, 110 lbs.).
  Microframe/Mainframe/Macroframe
  p. TS122: -136/-128/-104 points
  Attribute Modifiers: ST-10 [-100]; HT+2 [20].
  Secondary 
  Characteristic 
  Modifiers:
  HP+8/+12/+30
  (Macroframe has Size, -20%) [16/24/48]; SM -3/0/+2.
  Advantages: Damage Resistance 5 (Can’t Wear Armor, -40%)
  [15]; 
  Doesn’t 
  Breathe 
  [20]; 
  Machine 
  [25];
  Telecommunication (Cable Jack; Sensie, +80%) [9];
  Telecommunication (Infrared Communication) [10];
  Telecommunication (Radio; Sensie, +80%) [18].
  Perks: Accessory (Computer) [1].
  Disadvantages: Cybershell Body [-15]; Increased Consumption
  4 (1/2 hour endurance if detached from power) [-40]; No
  Legs (Sessile) [-50]; No Manipulators [-50]; No Sense of
  Smell/Taste [-5]; Restricted Diet (Very Common, electrical
  power supply) [-10].
  Features: Individuals of the same model closely resemble each
  other.
  Note: Computers of these types generally draw power from
  permanent connections to some kind of socket. However, they
  have small internal power reserves to enable them to survive
  brief power outages.
  Variants
  Dumbshell Case: Static computers in 2100 generally have
  “semi-smart matter” casings with contact sensitivity, enabling
  the controlling software to monitor events in their vicinity,
  complain about users leaving coffee cups on them, etc. – but
  some still come with dirt-cheap
  “dumb matter” boxes. Add Numb
  [-20].
  Modded Case: A few slightly
  eccentric AIs regard idiosyncratic
  casing designs as a form of body
  art. (Of course, they have to hire
  or persuade someone to do the
  work, or get hold of a teleoperat-
  ed mobile cybershell.) Delete the
  second feature; adds at least
  $10/$50/$100 to cost (and some-
  times much more). Some manage
  to acquire variations in their
  Appearance Level . . .
  Wanderbox: Computers in lab-
  oratories and other controlled
  environments are occasionally given
  limited mobility for convenience (sometimes as an ad hoc
  modification 
  by 
  lab 
  assistants). 
  Change 
  Increased
  Consumption to level 3 (1 hour endurance) [-30], add Lifting
  ST +2/+6/+13 (Size, -20%, for Macroframe only) [6/18/31], and
  Replace No Legs (Sessile) with No Legs (Tracked or Wheeled)
  [-20]. Many wanderboxes have reduced Basic Move. Add
  +46/+58/+71 points, $10/$40/$100 to cost, and 20% to weight.
  GURPS 4E UPDATE: CHARACTERS
  55
  
  Mobile Helmet
  p. TS123: 189 points
  Attribute Modifiers: ST-6 [-60]; HT+2 [20].
  Secondary Characteristic Modifiers: HP+2 [4]; SM -2.
  Advantages: Ambidexterity [5]; Compartmentalized Mind
  (Dedicated Controls) 1 [10]; Damage Resistance 25 (Can’t
  Wear Armor, -40%) [75]; Doesn’t Breathe [20]; Flight
  (Newtonian Space Flight, +25%; Space Flight Only, -75%)
  [20]; Hyperspectral Vision [25]; Pressure Support 2 [10];
  Protected Sense (Vision) [5]; Machine [25]; Radiation
  Tolerance 5 [10]; Reduced Consumption 3 (Recharge/refuel
  once a week) [6]; Sealed [15]; Telecommunication (Cable
  Jack; Video, +40%) [7]; Telecommunication (Infrared
  Communication) [10]; Telecommunication (Radio; Video,
  +40%) [14]; Temperature Tolerance 5 [5]; Vacuum Support
  [5].
  Perks: Accessory (Small Computer); Can latch onto standard
  spacesuits and provide wearer’s head with own full DR and
  vacuum protection [2].
  Disadvantages:
  Cybershell 
  Body 
  [-15]; 
  Maintenance
  (Electronics Repair and Mechanic skills, 2 people, Monthly)
  [-4]; Restricted Diet (Very Common, power cells) [-10];
  Semi-Upright [-5]; Short Arms (see note) [-10].
  Features: Individuals of the same model closely resemble each
  other.
  Notes: The Dedicated Controls advantage reflects the fact
  that the wearer can use the helmet’s sensors, radio, and vision
  protection. The Semi-Upright disadvantage reflects the fact
  that (like a semi-upright creature), the helmet normally uses
  all four limbs when moving on the ground, but can swivel into
  an alternative posture to use two of them as arms, and can still
  walk, albeit slowly, at these times. The Short Arms disadvan-
  tage represents the Short limitation applied to the standard
  two arms.
  Polypede
  p. TS123: 419 points
  This modular cybershell has four substantially different
  configurations. The following partial template represents the
  common features of all four, and costs 326 points:
  Attribute Modifiers: ST+12 (Size -10%) [108]; HT+2 [20].
  Secondary Characteristic Modifiers: SM +1.
  Advantages: Absolute Direction (Requires Signal, -20%) [4];
  Ambidexterity [5]; Damage Resistance 40 (Can’t Wear
  Armor, -40%) [120]; Doesn’t Breathe [20]; Machine [25];
  Pressure Support 2 [10]; Radiation Tolerance 2 [5]; Reduced
  Consumption 3 (Recharge/refuel once a week) [6]; Sealed
  [15]; Telecommunication (Cable Jack; Video, +40%) [7];
  Telecommunication (Radio; Video, +40%) [14]; Temperature
  Tolerance 5 [5]; Vacuum Support [5].
  Perks: Accessory (Distributed Microframe Computer) [1].
  Disadvantages:
  Cybershell 
  Body 
  [-15]; 
  Maintenance
  (Electronics Repair and Mechanic skills, 2 people, Monthly)
  [-4]; No Sense of Smell/Taste [-5]; Restricted Diet (Common,
  any one hydrocarbon fuel) [-20].
  Features: Individuals of the same model closely resemble each
  other.
  The following represents the polypede’s usual form (and
  various essentially similar configurations), with the listed
  point cost.
  “Spider”
  Add Enhanced Move (Ground) 1/2 [10], Extra-Flexible
  Arms (the Extra-Flexible enhancement applied to the standard
  two arms) [10], Extra Legs (6 legs) [10], and Shapeshifting
  (Alternate Form; Three forms, all less powerful; Reduced Time
  2, +40%) [63].
  The polypede’s alternate forms are as follows:
  Rolling Hoop
  316 points
  Add Enhanced Move (Ground) 2 [40], No Legs (Rolls) [0],
  and No Manipulators [-50].
  Tunneling Worm
  346 points
  Add Tunneling (Move 1) [35], No Legs (Slithers) [0], One
  Arm [-20], and apply the enhancement Extra-Flexible (+50%)
  to the form’s single arm [5].
  Work Arm
  301 points
  Add No Legs (Sessile) [-50] and One Arm [-20], and apply
  the enhancements Extra-Flexible (+50%) and Long 4 (+400%)
  to the form’s single arm, giving +5 hexes to reach [45]. Note
  that the polypede must have somewhere solid to anchor itself
  before adopting this form.
  RATS
  p. TS124: 519 points
  Attribute Modifiers: ST+1 (Size -10%) [9]; DX+2 [40]; HT+2
  [20].
  Secondary Characteristic Modifiers: HP+4 [8]; SM +1.
  Advantages: Absolute Direction [5]; Acute Senses (Hearing) 3
  [6]; Chameleon 4 (Extended, Infrared, +20%) [24]; Claws
  (Sharp Claws) [5]; Damage Resistance 60 (Electromagnetic,
  +20%; Can’t Wear Armor, -40%) [240]; Doesn’t Breathe [20];
  Enhanced Move (Ground) 1 [20], Extra Legs (4 legs) [5];
  High Pain Threshold [10]; Infravision [10]; Machine [25];
  Payload 5 [5]; Pressure Support 2 [10]; Protected Sense
  (Vision) [5]; Radiation Tolerance 5 [10]; Reduced
  Consumption 3 (Recharge/refuel once a week) [6]; Resistant
  to Electrical Pulses and Surges (+8) [2]; Sealed [15]; Silence
  1 [5]; Spines (Short Spines) [1]; Telecommunication (Cable
  Jack; Video, +40%) [7]; Telecommunication (Laser
  Communication) [15]; Telecommunication (Radio; Secure,
  +20%; Video, +40%) [16]; Temperature Tolerance 10 [10];
  Tunneling (Move 1; Loose soil only, -50%) [18]; Vacuum
  Support [5]; Vibration Sense [10].
  Perks: Accessory (IFF transponder); Accessory (Microframe
  Computer) [2].
  Disadvantages:
  Cybershell 
  Body 
  [-15]; 
  Maintenance
  (Electronics Repair and Mechanic skills, 2 people, Weekly)
  [-10]; Restricted Diet (Common, high-energy power cells)
  [-20]; Short Arms (see note) [-10]; Social Stigma (Monster)
  [-15].
  56
  GURPS 4E UPDATE: CHARACTERS
  
  Features: Individuals of the same model closely resemble each
  other.
  Notes: The RATS typically carries a 10mm PDW and a
  30mm micro-missile pod in its Payload space, which includes
  a weapon port, though other configurations (up to 12 lbs. in
  weight, given ST 11) are possible. The listed monetary cost of
  the cybershell includes these two weapons. The Short Arms
  disadvantage represents the Short limitation applied to the
  standard two arms.
  Snakebot
  p. TS124: 243 points
  Attribute Modifiers: DX+3 [60]; HT+2 [20].
  Secondary Characteristic Modifiers: Per+1 [5].
  Advantages: Absolute Direction [5]; Damage Resistance 12
  (Can’t Wear Armor, -40%) [36]; Doesn’t Breathe [20];
  Double-Jointed [15]; Enhanced Move (Ground) 1.5 (Takes
  one second to become hoop or turn back, -5%; Temporary
  Disadvantage, One Arm becomes No Manipulators, -30%)
  [20]; Infravision [10]; Machine [25]; Pressure Support 2 [10];
  Reduced Consumption 3 (Recharge/refuel once a week) [6];
  Sealed [15]; Telecommunication (Cable Jack; Video, +40%)
  [7]; Telecommunication (Laser Communication) [15];
  Telecommunication (Radio; Video, +40%) [14]; Temperature
  Tolerance 5 [5]; Tunneling (Move 1; Loose soil only, -50%)
  [18]; Vacuum Support [5].
  Perks: Accessory (Small Computer) [1].
  Disadvantages: Cybershell Body [-15]; Invertebrate [-20];
  Maintenance (Electronics Repair and Mechanic skills, 2
  people, Monthly) [-4]; No Legs (Slithers/Rolls) [0]; One Arm
  [-20]; Restricted Diet (Very Common, power cells) [-10].
  Features: Individuals of the same model closely resemble each
  other.
  Variants
  Combat Naga (p. TS124): Change Damage Resistance to
  Damage Resistance 25 (Laminate, +10%; Can’t Wear Armor,
  -40%) [88], add Chameleon 2 (Extended, Infrared, +20%) [12],
  Extra Arm (Weapon Mount, -80%) [2], High Pain Threshold
  [10], Resistant to Electrical Pulses and Surges (+3) [1], Perk
  (IFF transponder) [1], and Social Stigma (Monster) [-15]. The
  Combat Naga typically carries a 10mm PDW or a police arm-
  gun; one of these is included in the cash price. 306 points.
  UCAV
  p. TS124: 792 points
  Attribute Modifiers: ST+6 (No Fine Manipulators, -40%; Size,
  -20%) [24]; HT+2 [20].
  Secondary Characteristic Modifiers: HP+9 (Size, -20%) [16];
  SM +2.
  Advantages: 360° Vision [25]; 3D Spatial Sense [10];
  Chameleon 6 (Extended, Infrared and Radar, +40%) [42];
  Damage Resistance 100 (Can’t Wear Armor, -40%) [300];
  Doesn’t Breathe [20]; Flight (Winged, -25%; Temporary
  Disadvantage, Noisy 5, -10%) [26]; Enhanced Move (Air) 6
  [120]; High Pain Threshold [10]; Hyperspectral Vision [25];
  Injury Tolerance (No Brain) [5]; Machine [25]; Payload 130
  [130]; Radiation Tolerance 10 [15]; Resistant to Acceleration
  (+8) [2]; Resistant to Electrical Pulses and Surges (+8) [2];
  Sealed [15]; Telecommunication (Cable Jack; Video, +40%)
  [7]; Telecommunication (Laser Communication) [15];
  Telecommunication (Radio; Secure, +20%; Video, +40%)
  [16]; Telescopic Vision 12 [60]; Temperature Tolerance 20
  [20].
  Perks: Accessory (IFF transponder); Accessory (Microframe
  Computer) [2].
  Disadvantages: Cybershell Body [-15]; Increased Consumption
  1 (Requires refueling, 4 hour endurance) [-10]; Maintenance
  (Multiple technical skills, 3-5 people, Weekly) [-15]; No Legs
  (Wheeled) [-20]; No Manipulators [-50]; No Sense of
  Smell/Taste [-5]; Restricted Diet (Occasional, jet fuel) [-30];
  Social Stigma (Monster) [-15].
  Features: Individuals of the same model closely resemble each
  other.
  Notes: This UCAV’s payload space is typically loaded with a
  15mm emag cannon with 400 rounds (firing through a weapon
  port) and 200 lbs. of bombs or missiles. The cash price
  includes the former.
  Because fuel is the primary constraint, the UCAV’s actual
  endurance is somewhat variable around the nominal four
  hours; it can keep going for a good six hours at low speeds, but
  flying at top speed, it generally has to return to base every two
  hours or so. This can be treated as a special effect.
  Virtual Interface Implant
  p. TS125: -100 points
  Attribute Modifiers: ST-10 [-100]; HT+4 [40].
  Secondary Characteristic Modifiers: HP+1 [2]; SM -9 (stan-
  dard VII)/-7 (Distributed VII).
  Advantages: Absolute Direction (Requires Signal, -20%) [4];
  Compartmentalized Mind (Dedicated Controls) 1 [10];
  Damage Resistance 5 (Can’t Wear Armor, -40%) [15]; Doesn’t
  Breathe [20]; Machine [25]; Mind Reading (Limited reading
  ability, -10%; “Wearer” only, -70%) [6]; Telecommunication
  (Cable Jack; Sensie, +80%) [9]; Telecommunication (Radio;
  Video, +40%; Reduced Range, 1/10, -30%;) [11].
  Perks: Accessory (Tiny or Small Compact Computer); Can
  monitor “wearer’s” basic metabolic/medical state; Can feed
  speech and sensory inputs direct into wearer’s nervous sys-
  tem [3].
  Disadvantages: Cybershell Body [-15]; Increased Consumption
  4 (1/2 hour endurance if detached from power source) [-40];
  No Legs (Portable) [-30]; No Manipulators [-50]; Restricted
  Diet (Very Common, battery/human bioelectricity) [-10].
  Features: Uses the wearer’s senses.
  Note: The VII’s Mind Reading advantage represents its abil-
  ity to pick up anything that the “wearer” says or subvocalizes,
  and a limited ability to interpret surface thought processes. It
  cannot actually read thoughts (hence the limitation), but it is
  hard for wearers to avoid subvocalizing or otherwise giving a
  lot away; this is represented by the normal IQ vs. Will contest
  to use the advantage on an unwilling subject. It can also mon-
  itor some of his metabolic functions (represented by a perk).
  The Dedicated Controls advantage represents the fact that the
  wearer can use the implant’s communications systems.
  Its external senses are “borrowed” directly from the wear-
  er’s nervous system. Of course, this means that he can shut
  them off by shutting his eyes, blocking his ears, and so on, and
  it suffers from any and all temporary or permanent sensory
  GURPS 4E UPDATE: CHARACTERS
  57
  
  impairments that affect him. However, the implant’s control-
  ling AI is automatically aware of everything that the wearer
  sees, hears, feels, etc., which can be useful – so this is treated
  as a zero-point feature.
  These devices draw most of the little power they require
  electrochemically from the organic bodies in which they are
  implanted. They also have small internal power cells to cover
  emergencies or special requirements, but if removed from the
  body, they soon go inert until connected to an alternative
  power supply.
  Variants
  Military-Grade Implant: A Distributed VII with a superior,
  secure radio and sensory overload protection, typically issued
  to military or security personnel. Change the radio to
  Telecommunication (Radio; Secure, +20%; Video, +40%;
  Reduced Range, 1/5, -20%;) [14] and add High Pain Threshold
  [10]. A VII of this type costs $2,500, plus $4,000 for surgery,
  plus the cost of a small compact computer. -87 points.
  Puppeteer Implant (p. TS125): The “wearer” can be treated
  as an Ally with the Minion enhancement or a Dependent (or
  both), and a Puppet. He will thus owe the infomorph an
  Involuntary Duty.
  Volkspider
  p. TS125: 70 points
  Attribute Modifiers: ST-2 [-20]; HT+1 [10].
  Secondary Characteristic Modifiers: HP-2 [-4]; SM -3.
  Advantages: Clinging [20]; Damage Resistance 3 (Can’t Wear
  Armor, -40%) [9]; Doesn’t Breathe [20]; Extra Legs (6 legs)
  [10]; Infravision [10]; Machine [25]; Reduced Consumption
  3 (Recharge/refuel once a week) [6]; Telecommunication
  (Cable Jack; Video, +40%) [7]; Telecommunication (Infrared
  Communication) [10]; Telecommunication (Radio; Video,
  +40%) [14]; Temperature Tolerance 2 [2].
  Perks: Accessory (Small Computer) [1].
  Disadvantages: Colorblindness [-10]; Cybershell Body [-15];
  No Sense of Smell/Taste [-5]; Restricted Diet (Very Common,
  power cells) [-10]; Short Arms (see note) [-10].
  Features: Individuals of the same model closely resemble each
  other.
  Note: The Short Arms disadvantage represents the Short
  limitation applied to the standard two arms.
  Variants
  Domestibot: Typical of the housekeeping spiders often
  found in well-off households. Change SM to -2 and Reduced
  Consumption to level 2 (Recharge/refuel once a day) [4]; add
  Payload 5 [5] and the perks Accessory (Domestic cleaning
  tools) and Accessory (Refrigeration system in payload bay) [2];
  and delete Colorblindness. 85 points ($5,500, 35 lbs.).
  Securibot: A low-cost but serviceable cybershell of a type
  sometimes used by impecunious Fourth Wave police depart-
  ments and private security companies. Change SM to -2,
  Damage Resistance to 10 (Can’t Wear Armor, -40%) [30], and
  Reduced Consumption to level 2 (Recharge/refuel once a day)
  [4]; add Basic Move+2 [10], Extra Arms 1 (Weapon Mount,
  -80%) [2], Protected Sense (Vision) [5], and Sealed [15]; and
  delete Colorblindness and Short Arms. Police models often
  add an Accessory perk (sirens and/or lights); many units, espe-
  cially in military service, have Accessory (IFF transponder).
  Either adds 1 point to the cost. 141 points ($8,000, 40 lbs.).
  Tech-Spider (p. TS125): Change SM to -2, Damage
  Resistance to 12 (Can’t Wear Armor, -40%) [36], and
  Temperature Tolerance to level 7 [7]; add Claws (Sharp Claws)
  [5] (retractable cutting blades), High Manual Dexterity 4 [20],
  Microscopic Vision 3 [15], Pressure Support 1 [5], Protected
  Sense (Vision) [5], Radiation Tolerance 5 [10], Sealed [15],
  Sensitive Touch [10], Vacuum Support [5], and the perks
  Accessory (Built-in multi-purpose toolkit) and Accessory
  (Micromanipulation Tools) [2]; and delete Short Arms. 204
  points.
  Wearable Virtual Interface
  p. TS125: -42 points
  Attribute Modifiers: ST-10 [-100]; HT+2 [20].
  Secondary Characteristic Modifiers: HP+1 [2]; SM -6.
  Advantages: Absolute Direction (Requires Signal, -20%) [4];
  Compartmentalized Mind (Dedicated Controls) 1 [10];
  Damage Resistance 5 (Can’t Wear Armor, -40%) [15]; Doesn’t
  Breathe [20]; Machine [25]; Night Vision 7 [7]; Protected
  Sense (Vision) [5]; Pressure Support 1 [5]; Reduced
  Consumption 3 (Recharge/refuel once a week) [6]; Sealed
  [15]; Telecommunication (Cable Jack; Video, +40%) [7];
  Telecommunication (Infrared Communication) [10];
  Telecommunication (Radio; Video, +40%) [14]; Temperature
  Tolerance 2 [2].
  Perks: Accessory (Tiny or Small Computer) [1].
  Disadvantages: Cybershell Body [-15]; No Legs (Portable)
  [-30]; No Manipulators [-50]; No Sense of Smell/Taste [-5];
  Restricted Diet (Very Common, power cells) [-10].
  Features: Individuals of the same model closely resemble each
  other.
  Note: The Dedicated Controls advantage represents the fact
  that the wearer can use the wearable’s radio, senses, and vision
  protection.
  Variants
  Full Helmet: VIG-style systems are often built into helmets;
  see p. TS160. Depending on whether the helmet is a light, medi-
  um, or heavy model, change Damage Resistance to 20/40/60
  (Can’t Wear Armor, -40%) [60/120/180] and Pressure Support to
  level 2 [10], and add Vacuum Support [5] and the Perk “Can
  latch onto standard spacesuits and provide wearer’s head with
  own full DR and vacuum protection” [1]; Size Modifier
  becomes -2. Cash price is $500 + price of a normal helmet +
  price of the computer installed; weight is as for the helmet.
  Many models also add additional sensory enhancements (cost
  as p. TS151). 14/74/134 points + any additional features.
  Printed DVI (p. TS126): Damage Resistance gains the limi-
  tation “Only against crushing damage” for -40%, reducing the
  cost to 5 points. -52 points.
  Ruggedized Portable: A small portable computer in a robust
  casing, capable of linking to a VI display in a monocle, “sun-
  glasses,” or other equipment, and screened against electro-
  magnetic effects – used for military applications, and also by
  some civilian workers in extreme environments. Change HP to
  HP+3 [6], Damage Resistance to 10 (Can’t Wear Armor, -40%)
  [30] and Pressure Support to 2 [10], add High Pain Threshold
  [10], Resistant to Electrical Pulses and Surges (+3) [1], and
  Vacuum Support [5]. -2 points, costs $1,500 + computer.
  58
  GURPS 4E UPDATE: CHARACTERS
  
  BIOSHELLS
  Bioshell Template
  p. TS126: 31 points
  Advantages: Absolute Direction (Requires Signal, -20%) [4];
  Immunity to Metabolic Hazards (Partial, Skull hit locations
  only, -70%) [9]; Telecommunication (Cable Jack; Sensie,
  +80%) [9]; Telecommunication (Radio; Sensie, +80%) [18].
  Perks: Accessory (Tiny or Small Compact Computer) [1].
  Disadvantages: Bioroid Body [-4]; Electrical (Partial, Skull hit
  locations only, -70%) [-6].
  Note: The bioshell’s immunity extends to brain infections,
  psychotropic agents, jet lag, etc.; however, anything which
  affects other parts of the body will still have an effect (possibly
  reduced if its primary effect is on the brain – GM’s option).
  Variants
  When combining this with a racial template, drop any IQ
  modifier and any mental advantages or disadvantages.
  Intrusion Variant: A bioshell generally intended for espi-
  onage missions. Add the Secure option to Telecommunication
  (Radio), 
  increasing 
  the 
  cost 
  to 
  22 
  points, 
  delete
  Telecommunication (Cable Jack), and change Bioroid Body to
  Concealed Bioroid Body [-5]. 25 points ($70,000).
  Gamers wishing to upgrade campaigns from 3e to 4e
  should have little trouble, although converting characters may
  take a little while. It’s better to try and convert the “feel” of the
  character than attempt a detail-for-detail conversion. For
  example, many characters with a good knowledge of how
  some area of society works should gain Current Affairs skill,
  which had no direct equivalent in 3e; it may replace or com-
  plement some kind of Area Knowledge. Also, in some cases,
  where characters had high IQ or DX simply to make them
  “cost-efficient” and competent in a set of closely related skills,
  a better representation of the character concept might involve
  reducing the attribute and adding a level or two of an appro-
  priate Talent.
  Changed Point Values
  After PCs have been converted (including updating the
  point costs of any of their Allies who have also changed), the
  results may be a fairly radical change from their previous point
  values. In most cases, values will increase, though some may
  actually fall. Characters who started with similar point values
  may now vary widely.
  One valid option is to ignore these divergences. Characters
  of varied nominal point values can adventure together, and
  point values in Transhuman Space can be highly variable. See
  “Mutable Point Totals,” p. 17.
  However, some players and GMs may be unhappy with this
  on principle; if campaigns start with equal-value PCs, presum-
  ably to ensure that everyone has an equal chance to shine in
  play, such divergences may seem to indicate a problem. Hence,
  the GM may wish to equalize the new point values.
  This is a matter of judgment, but it’s usually much better to
  equalize UP, rather than down. Players who see their charac-
  ters squeezed and diminished will resent it! There are two
  ways to accomplish this. In either case, begin by calculating
  how many points each PC has gained in the conversion
  process. For example, three characters, worth 210, 223, and
  245 points may now be worth 231, 268, and 272 points, so
  they’ve gained 21, 45, and 27 points respectively. The objective
  is to equalize the net benefit; this means giving the first char-
  acter another 24 points, and the third 18.
  The quick way is to immediately give everyone else enough
  “bonus points” that they benefit as much as whoever gained
  the most. The players can spend these points as they like, but
  should be discouraged from doing anything that will distort or
  radically transform the PCs – a point or two on attributes or
  existing skills, slightly better appearance frequency for Allies
  or Patrons, and such marginal but useful additions, are prob-
  ably best. Optionally, you can then give everyone another 3-8
  bonus points or so, to help round the characters out and give
  all the players the fun of making some character improvement
  choices. This can distort the game a little, but solves the prob-
  lem immediately. The slow way is to award bonus points to the
  “trailing” characters at a slightly higher rate, or to let them
  gain benefits with a point value – for example, they could be
  allowed to acquire infomorph Allies or useful biomods at a low
  cash cost. This requires some bookkeeping, but avoids too
  many weird character distortions.
  GURPS 4E UPDATE: CHARACTERS
  59
  CONVERTING EXISTING
  CAMPAIGNS
  
  Three of the intruders had assault pods trained on the cap-
  tain, and all three had that faraway look in their eyes. The cap-
  tain guessed that they were on brainbugs. Or maybe the xox cult
  didn’t need to bother with those.
  “Talk to me, Smith,” he subvocalized, hoping that the careful-
  ly designed area radio screen was holding.
  “Total 10 intruders. One leader, four on roving patrol, two try-
  ing to get into your air car.”
  “Are they going to succeed?”
  “One of them is a tech-spider, and it’s just loaded an intrusion
  skill set. It’ll take a while, but yes.”
  “Okay, so you should have time. Download to the car and get
  ready to move.”
  “I don’t want to leave you behind.”
  “I’m touched by your loyalty, but you don’t have to. The car’s
  got a MAD under the hood, three hives in the trunk, and all the
  software you’ll need to use them. Now go!”
  This chapter provides GURPS 4e statistics for equipment
  and other technological material in previous Transhuman
  Space books, and guidelines on how to update the products of
  vehicle and other design systems found in those volumes. It
  draws heavily on the 4e supplements GURPS Ultra-Tech and
  GURPS Bio-Tech, but modifies some details in borrowed
  material to fit the setting and maintain consistency with 3e
  Transhuman Space material.
  Equipment is (largely) unchanged in the new edition – but
  the way it is handled in game terms may require some small
  adjustments. The game treatment of AIs in cybershells (includ-
  ing VIIs) as characters is covered in Chapter 3.
  Legality Class
  The legality class system has changed in 4e. Strategic
  weapons are available only to governments are LC0; tactical
  hardware available only to the military is LC1; tactical hard-
  ware available to police as well as the military is LC2; civilian
  goods that require registration are LC3; and civilian goods that
  require no registration but that might be used for nefarious
  purposes are LC4. Truly innocuous items don’t need an LC 
  rating (unless someone in power develops a weird obsession or
  delusion on the subject).
  Where no LC is listed below for an item which had one
  given in 3e sources, follow the guidelines above, or assume
  that the old Class -1 translates to new LC0; old Class 0 trans-
  lates to new LC1; old Class 1 or 2 translates to new LC2; old
  Class 3 or 4 translates to new LC3; and old Class 5 or 6 trans-
  lates to new LC3 or 4 for weapons, 4 for other technology.
  Control Ratings for societies are exactly the same in the
  new edition as in the old.
  SOFTWARE
  Computer systems work much as in 3e; however, where
  they provide or mimic character abilities, the game mechanics
  may require some detail revisions.
  AI Prices
  The basic price for an AI is as listed on its template. Trained
  AIs cost more; $100 per character point of skills or most advan-
  tages beyond its model templates, and $800 (NAI), $6,000
  (LAI), or $30,000 (SAI) per added character point spent on IQ,
  DX, secondary characteristics, or Talents (including Language
  Talent). In fact, Talents are tricky to train or program into an
  AI; they should only be included with explicit GM permission,
  which should only be given if they make some kind of logical
  sense. It may be possible to raise an AI’s IQ while “buying back
  down” its Per and/or Will (but not below their original,
  untrained level), in which case the price is only increased by
  the final net point cost – but again, only with GM permission.
  This extends and modifies the rule for AI prices on
  p. TS142; see that page for more on the subject.
  Skill Sets
  pp. TS144-145
  These are now covered by the Modular Abilities advantage
  with the Computer Brain option; see p. 40 and p. B71. Replace
  the cost table on p. TS145 with a cost of $25 per character
  point for common skill programs. This may be increased for
  rarer skills, and doubled (or more) for obscure or legally con-
  trolled functions, at the GM’s option. A program giving two
  character points in a skill or language is Complexity 3; double
  the (maximum) number of character points which it can give
  for each increase in Complexity level. So a Complexity 4 pro-
  gram can give 4 character points, Complexity 6 equates to 16
  60
  GURPS 4E UPDATE: TECHNOLOGY
  CHAPTER FOUR
  GURPS 4E UPDATE:
  TECHNOLOGY
  WEAPONS AND EQUIPMENT
  
  character points, and a Complexity 9 skill set could grant up to
  128 points in a skill, at a cost of at least $3,200, should such a
  thing exist and be obtainable.
  In fact, what skill sets are available on the open market is
  up to the GM to determine. Accounting, Driving, Research,
  common human languages, etc., are commonplace, and com-
  bat skills for modern weapons definitely exist, though they
  may be legally restricted. On the other hand, obtaining good
  skill sets for obscure fields of academic study, use of bizarre
  weapons, or operation of unusual vehicles could be a project in
  itself, and anything a PC can locate may have expensive and
  low quality, giving it a skill penalty.
  Likewise, mental advantages range from tricky and expen-
  sive to program (Animal Empathy, Talents), to highly dubious
  or impossible (most of them). Most advantages aren’t available
  as software, with specific exceptions determined by the GM –
  though beta-testing some programmer’s attempt to encode
  Charisma could be an interesting adventure. Any advantages
  which are unavailable for characters to buy with points in the
  setting are unavailable as software, whatever the advertise-
  ments claim!
  COMMUNICATIONS IMPLANTS
  As described on pp. TS148-150, there are a range of
  implanted communications devices and systems available in
  the Transhuman Space setting. They can be bought as the
  Telecommunication advantage with a variety of options and
  modifiers; see Telecommunication, p. 41. Note that some char-
  acters may have VIIs with their own communications capabil-
  ity built in.
  The 
  Implant 
  Communicator
  (p.
  TS148) 
  gives
  Telecommunication (Radio; Reduced Range, 1/10, -30%;
  Temporary Disadvantage, Electrical, -20%) [5]. A higher-secu-
  rity version might add Secure (p. 41), increasing the cost by 2
  points and adding $50 to the price.
  An Implant Jack (p. TS150) is mostly only useful if the char-
  acter has other digital implants of some kind (or is himself a
  machine), though it can enable hands-free operation of some
  machinery. It gives Telecommunication (Cable Jack;
  Temporary Disadvantage, Electrical, -20%) [4].
  Standard Downslinks (p. TS150) are primarily intended for
  entertainment and education purposes, rather than to provide
  usefully augmented communication capabilities. Likewise,
  most Upslinks are used simply to record sensory material. If
  this is their sole purpose, each should be treated as a 1-point
  perk; both will normally be combined with an Implant
  Communicator or Implant Jack (as above), or a VII. A passive
  upslink is no real advantage, and may well serve to make an
  Enemy Watcher much more formidable. (It can make it easier
  to, say, call for help – but there’s no guarantee that the call will
  be answered, unless the monitor is bought as a Patron.)
  If the slink implants are intended for more advanced use,
  they become a more expensive advantage. An Augmented
  Sensory Link is a high-end implanted system designed for real-
  time transmission and reception of fully-detailed sensory infor-
  mation. It combines both upslink and downslink implants
  with high-speed communication channels. In addition to other
  applications, when combined with a VII and Teleoperation
  (Direct Control) software (p. TS144), it enables the user to tele-
  operate advanced humanoid cybershells and bioshells so well
  that they can pass for normal human beings for extended peri-
  ods, with completely naturalistic facial expressions, smooth
  responses and reactions, and so on. There are two common
  options here:
  Cable connection: Telecommunication (Cable Jack; Sensie,
  +80%; Temporary Disadvantage, Electrical, -20%). 8 points,
  $18,000, plus $4,000 for the surgery.
  Radio connection: Radio (Reduced Range, 1/10, -30%;
  Sensie, +80%; Temporary Disadvantage, Electrical, -20%).
  Note that this can also function as an ordinary radio (or trans-
  mit simple video imagery). 13 points, $18,500, plus $4,000 for
  the surgery.
  Standard upslinks and augmented sensory links are LC4
  (not generally heavily controlled, but restrictive governments
  like to keep an eye on all forms of publication); passive
  upslinks are LC3, in the sense that anyone who installs one had
  better have a good legal reason, or he’ll be open to prosecution
  in many places. All slink implants are banned (effectively LC1)
  in the Caliphate and a few other regions.
  SENSORS
  Anti-Glare (p. TS151): Equal to Protected Sense (Vision)
  (p. B78).
  Infrared (p. TS151): Gives 10-point Infravision (p. B60).
  Low-Light (p. TS151): Gives Night Vision 7 (p. B71), or
  Night Vision 9 for double cost.
  Multiview (p. TS151): Can switch between normal vision,
  10-point Infravision (p. B60), Night Vision 9 (p. B71), and
  Protected Sense (Vision) (p. B78).
  Teleview (p. TS151): Adds 1-4 levels of Telescopic Vision
  (p. B92) to Multiview; add 25% to weight and cost per level.
  WEAPONRY
  Combat hasn’t changed much with the new edition, but the
  weapon statistics do take a slightly different form. Most of the
  weapons detailed here are described in the Transhuman
  Space main book; the personal and tactical lasers are in Deep
  Beyond (p. 137).
  GURPS Ultra-Tech for 4e provides an alternative treatment
  of technologies similar but not identical to those of the
  Transhuman Space setting. GMs may choose to use its
  weapons and armor tables instead of those in this document.
  Although Transhuman Space is a TL10 somewhat-radical hard
  SF setting, many of the weapons in use are tried and tested 
  TL9 designs or simple refinements on those; in particular, 
  GMs should emphasize the practical problems of laser 
  weaponry.
  GURPS 4E UPDATE: TECHNOLOGY
  61
  
  All prices are as in the original Transhuman Space books.
  All these weapons (and hence the required skills) are TL10,
  although TL9 (or lower) versions of many exist, usually with
  slightly increased weight and reduced performance.
  62
  GURPS 4E UPDATE: TECHNOLOGY
  Weapon Tables
  Beam Weapons (Pistol) (DX-4, other Beam Weapons at -4, or Guns (Pistol)-4)
  Weapon
  Damage
  Acc
  Range
  Weight
  RoF
  Shots
  ST
  Bulk
  Rcl
  LC
  Electrolaser Pistol
  HT-2 aff
  2
  60/120
  1/B
  1
  200(3)
  3
  -1
  1
  4
  linked
  1d-3 burn
  Laser Pistol, 1 kJ
  2d(2) burn
  6
  460/920
  4.8/C
  3
  60(3)
  7
  -3
  1
  3
  See the main text notes for details of electrolaser and laser effects.
  Beam Weapons (Rifle) (DX-4, other Beam Weapons at -4, or Guns (Rifle)-4)
  Weapon
  Damage
  Acc
  Range
  Weight
  RoF
  Shots
  ST
  Bulk
  Rcl
  LC
  Electrolaser Rifle
  HT-4 aff
  8
  100/300
  4.5/B
  1
  100(3)
  5
  -3
  1
  4
  linked
  1d-3 burn
  Laser Rifle, 3 kJ
  2d+2(2) burn
  12 1,150/2,300
  12/C
  1
  30(3)
  8
  -5
  1
  2
  See the main text notes for details of electrolaser and laser effects.
  Beam Weapons (Rifle) (DX-4, other Beam Weapons at -4, 
  or Guns (Rifle)-4) & Guns (Gyroc) (DX-4, or most other Guns at -4)
  Weapon
  Damage
  Acc
  Range
  Weight
  RoF
  Shots
  ST
  Bulk
  Rcl
  LC
  Police Armgun
  5.6*
  -3
  2
  Electrolaser 
  HT-4 aff
  8
  100/300
  B*
  1
  100(3)
  5
  1
  linked
  1d-3 burn
  15mm missile
  6d pi++
  1
  500
  0.1*
  3
  4(3i)
  3
  1
  * Weight in first line is for weapon; “weight” in electrolaser line is required power cell; weight in missile line is per missile.
  See the main text notes for details of electrolaser effects.
  Gunner (Beams) (DX-4, or other Gunner at -4)
  Weapon
  Damage
  Acc
  Range
  Weight
  RoF Shots
  ST
  Bulk
  Rcl
  LC
  Tactical Laser, 20 kJ 4d+2(2) burn
  18
  6,000/12,000
  250/*
  3
  *
  29M
  -10
  1
  1
  Light Laser, 2.5 MJ
  3d¥9(2) burn
  18
  72,000/220,000
  10,000/*
  1
  *
  *
  -11
  1
  1
  Heavy Laser, 10 MJ
  6d¥7(2) burn
  18
  100,000/500,000
  37,000/*
  1
  *
  *
  -15
  1
  1
  MADS
  HT-4 aff (3 yd)
  18
  900/1,800
  250/Dp
  1
  144(5)
  26M
  -9
  1
  2
  * Purely vehicle-mounted weapon; uses an external power supply.
  See the main text notes for details of laser and MADS effects.
  Gunner (Machine Gun) (DX-4, or other Gunner at -4)
  Weapon
  Damage
  Acc
  Range
  Weight
  RoF
  Shots
  ST
  Bulk
  Rcl
  LC
  Emag Cannon, 15mm
  3d¥5 pi++
  8
  2,900/9,400
  200/245p
  20
  750
  29
  -10
  2
  1
  Guns (Gyroc) (DX-4, or most other Guns at -4)
  Weapon
  Damage
  Acc
  Range
  Weight
  RoF
  Shots
  ST
  Bulk
  Rcl
  LC
  Micro-Missile Pod
  6d pi++
  1
  500
  0.62/0.1
  3
  4(3i)
  3
  -2
  1
  3
  Mini-Missile Pod
  12d-1 pi++
  2
  500
  3.8/0.8
  3
  3(3i)
  5
  -3
  1
  2
  Guns (LAW) (DX-4, or most other Guns at -4)
  Weapon
  Damage
  Acc
  Range
  Weight
  RoF Shots
  ST
  Bulk
  Rcl
  LC
  Recoilless Rifle, 60mm
  9d pi++
  8
  330/2,850
  35/6.4
  1
  1(2)
  11
  -7
  1
  1
  Guns (Pistol) (DX-4, or most other Guns at -2)
  Weapon
  Damage
  Acc
  Range
  Weight
  RoF
  Shots
  ST
  Bulk
  Rcl
  LC
  Pistol, 4mm
  3d pi-
  2
  250/2,100
  1.5/0.28
  3
  50(3)
  8
  -1
  2
  3
  Pistol, 10mm
  3d pi+
  2
  200/1,900
  2.75/0.53
  3
  20(3)
  10
  -2
  3
  3
  Countinued on next page . . .
  
  Weapon Tables (Continued)
  Guns (Rifle) (DX-4, or most other Guns at -2)
  Weapon
  Damage
  Acc
  Range
  Weight
  RoF
  Shots
  ST
  Bulk
  Rcl
  LC
  AMR, 15mm
  12d pi++
  6
  770/4,100
  23/2.9
  3
  10
  12
  -6
  3
  1
  Recoilless Rifle, 15mm
  3d+1 pi++
  4
  200/1,900
  8.5/2
  3
  10
  7
  -4
  1
  2
  Guns (Rifle) (DX-4, or most other Guns at -2) & 
  Guns (Gyroc) (DX-4, or most other Guns at -4)
  Weapon
  Damage
  Acc
  Range
  Weight
  RoF
  Shots
  ST
  Bulk
  Rcl
  LC
  Battle Rifle
  11*
  -4
  1
  – 5.6mm lt. auto
  5d pi
  3
  530/3,300
  1.6*
  12
  100(5)
  10
  2
  – 30mm missile
  12d-1 pi++
  2
  500
  0.8*
  3
  3(3i)
  5
  1
  Assault Pod
  3*
  -2
  1
  – 4mm lt. auto
  3d+2 pi-
  3
  380/2,700
  0.56*
  12
  100(5)
  9
  2
  – 15mm missile
  6d pi++
  1
  500
  0.1*
  3
  4(3i)
  3
  1
  * Weight in first line for each weapon is for the complete weapon; weight in subsequent lines is for ammunition.
  Guns (SMG) (DX-4, or most other Guns at -2)
  Weapon
  Damage
  Acc
  Range
  Weight
  RoF
  Shots
  ST
  Bulk
  Rcl
  LC
  PDW, 4mm
  3d+2 pi-
  3
  380/2,700
  2.1/0.56
  12
  100(5)
  8
  -2
  2
  2
  PDW, 10mm
  3d pi+
  4
  200/1,900
  5.9/1.6
  12
  60(5)
  9
  -3
  3
  2
  GURPS 4E UPDATE: TECHNOLOGY
  63
  Stun Weapons
  An electrolaser has two effects. First, its laser beam inflicts
  1d-3 burn damage. Smoke, fog, rain, or clouds give extra DR
  equal to the visibility penalty – e.g., if rain gives a penalty of -1
  per 100 yards, a target at 200 yards gets an extra DR 2. The
  beam needn’t penetrate DR to carry the shock effect.
  Second, an electrolaser’s shock is a HT-based affliction
  attack with a (2) armor divisor (i.e., each 2 DR on the location
  struck provides +1 to HT). Add +3 past 1/2D range. In humid
  conditions, the electrical bolt may jump off the laser path to
  paths of lower resistance. In moist, humid environments, the
  attack roll must be made by at least 2; in rain, drizzle, or heavy
  fog, it must be made by at least 6. Otherwise, the charge has
  jumped off the laser beam, and there is no shock effect – just
  the 1d-3 burn damage from the laser. In a vacuum or trace
  atmosphere, there is no air to ionize; the electrolaser only
  inflicts the burn damage. If the victim fails to resist, the shock
  stuns him. He may roll against HT every turn at the same
  penalty (but without the DR bonus) to recover. Electrolasers
  can affect machines with the Electrical disadvantage the same
  way that they affect human targets.
  Electrolasers produce a “zap” sound, no louder than a
  silenced pistol, and the beam is visible.
  A shock glove inflicts the same HT-2 stun affliction damage
  as an electrolaser pistol whenever the wearer touches, punch-
  es, or grapples an opponent.
  Laser Effects
  Transhuman 
  Space
  laser 
  weapons 
  use 
  multi-
  frequency/tunable beams, and do tight-beam burning damage
  with an armor divisor of 2. Rain, fog, smoke, snow, and simi-
  lar weather or atmospheric conditions interfere with high-
  energy lasers, adding extra DR to the target equal to the vision
  penalty. Thus, if a yard of smoke would be -10 to vision, then
  each yard gives DR 10; if every 100 yards of haze gives -1 to
  vision, then a thousand yards provides DR 10.
  A laser beam can pass through material transparent to its
  particular frequency of light, which includes most glass, plas-
  tic canopies, etc. Increase the laser’s armor divisor to (10)
  when it strikes glasses, visors, windows, etc. unless the materi-
  al was specifically designed to be laser-resistant. Mirrored sur-
  faces are not effective protection: any laser powerful enough to
  inflict damage destroys the mirror, ruining its reflectivity. (This
  rule may be relaxed in cinematic games!)
  MADS Effects
  MAD beams deliver a HT-based affliction attack (modifier
  varying by weapon) with no armor divisor; add the target’s DR
  to HT to resist. If he fails to resist, he suffers from the Agony
  affliction for as long as he is in the beam and one second after-
  ward. MAD beams project ranged cone attacks – see Area and
  Spreading Attacks (p. B413).
  
  Weapon and Ammunition Options
  The following effects replace those described on p. TS157.
  Articulated Weapon Harness: Has the same effect as a bipod
  (ST requirement of the weapon is reduced by 2/3 and the
  weapon counts as braced) but can be used while standing up
  or moving.
  Gyrostabilized Weapon Harness: Functions as an articulated
  weapon harness, and also cancels penalties for walking or run-
  ning while firing.
  Smartgrip: Reduces the weapon’s ST requirement by 1.
  Stabilized Ammo: Reduce the effective range by 30% before
  assessing range penalties. The weapon’s actual ranges do not
  increase, however. For example, a target 300 yards away is
  treated as if it is just 210 yards distant – but it is still beyond
  1/2 damage range for a 4mm pistol.
  Homing Ammo: Can be used to making Homing (Vision)
  attacks (p. B413). For the Aim maneuver, use the normal
  appropriate skill for whatever weapon you are firing (e.g. Guns
  (Pistol) for a pistol).
  Laser Homing Ammo: As for homing, but only works if the
  firer is using a laser sight or designator, and receives the nor-
  mal +1 bonus for a laser sight. Ineffective if the target is
  obscured by smoke, prismatic smoke, etc.
  Gestalt Ammo: As for stabilized; also, when used for Rapid
  Fire attacks, increase the number of shots fired by 50% for pur-
  poses of assessing the Bonus to Hit only, and decrease the
  weapon’s Recoil number by 1 when assessing how many shots
  hit only.
  Armor Piercing Ammo: Treat as Armor-Piercing Hard Core
  (p. B279).
  APS Ammo: Treat as Armor-Piercing Discarding Sabot
  (p. B280).
  Hollow Point Ammo: As on p. B279.
  HEMP Warhead: Replace the weapon’s regular damage with
  the following:
  Warhead
  Damage
  15mm
  5d¥2 (5) imp + linked 1d cr ex [1d-1]
  30mm
  6d¥3 (10) cr + linked 2d cr ex [1d+1]
  60mm
  6d¥8 (10) cr + linked 8d cr ex [3d]
  Damage in brackets is cutting fragmentation damage. The
  main (non-explosive) damage in all cases is incendiary (see
  p. B105) – it can start secondary fires in volatile material, etc.
  SEFOP Warhead: This is treated differently in 4e games.
  A SEFOP projectile is a multi-purpose sensor-fused round
  which will detonate several feet away from and usually above
  the target, forging the warhead into a high-density slug that
  can fire down, attacking from overhead.
  SEFOP warheads are only available for homing projectiles.
  If fired to overfly the target, they may choose to attack the side
  they are facing or the top, targeting particular hit locations
  (usually the head of a person or a tank turret), and ignoring
  cover that does not protect from above or penalties for striking
  prone or kneeling targets.
  SEFOP warhead damage is as follows:
  Warhead
  Damage
  15mm
  4d+4 (2) imp
  30mm
  5d¥3+15 (3) cr
  60mm
  6d¥7+40 (3) cr
  All damage is incendiary (see p. B105) – it can start second-
  ary fires in volatile material, etc.
  Armor
  All armor types provide DR as in the Transhuman Space
  main book.
  Battlesuits: The Shenyang H-23 gives 17 ST for lifting
  and striking purposes only; the Vosper-Babbage Centurion
  gives 19 in both. Use the DR and Move values on p. TS160.
  Note, incidentally, that battlesuit technology in the
  Transhuman Space universe is slightly different from that
  described in the upcoming 4th edition version of GURPS
  Ultra-Tech.
  MEDICAL TREATMENTS
  The main issue here is with treatments that provide spe-
  cific character advantages, which may have different costs
  under the new edition. Some minor but permanent treat-
  ments may be treated as perks. GURPS Bio-Tech may
  include very slightly different versions of a few of these items;
  GMs may choose to treat those as variants or new (or poten-
  tial) developments. Certainly, minor variations are likely to
  exist, and can justify buying all manner of character features
  with points.
  Biomods
  Andraste (p. TS161): Gives Mars-Adapted (p. 43) [9].
  Bio-Booster (p. TS161): Basic Speed +1.00 (Cardiac
  Stress, every minute, -30%, Costs Fatigue, 1 FP, -5%) [13],
  Lifting ST +3 (Cardiac Stress, every minute, -30%) [7], and
  Striking ST +3 (Cardiac Stress, every minute, -30%) [11].
  Total 31 points.
  (Cardiac Stress is a new limitation that can only be taken on
  an advantage that is used for a short period of time and then
  turned off. While in use, make HT rolls at the specified inter-
  val; a roll of 14+ always fails. Failure means loss of 1d Fatigue
  Points; critical failure means a heart attack – see p. B429. See
  GURPS Bio-Tech for details.)
  Boosted Heart (p. TS161): Gives HT +1 [10], FP +1 [3], and
  Hard to Kill +1 [2]. Total 15 points.
  Flesh Pocket (p. TS162): Gives Payload 1 [1].
  Liver Upgrade (p. TS162): Gives Alcohol Tolerance [1] and
  Resistant to Ingested Poison (+8) [5]. Total 6 points.
  No-Shock Glands (p. TS162): Gives High Pain Threshold
  (Limited Use, 4/day, -20%; Temporary Disadvantage, -1 DX and
  -1 IQ, -40%; Attribute loss continues for an extra hour after use
  ends, -10%) [3].
  64
  GURPS 4E UPDATE: TECHNOLOGY
  
  Retinal Enhancement (p. TS162): Corrects Bad Sight, or
  gives Acute Senses (Vision) 1 [2].
  Ruanmao (In the Well, p. 97): Gives Damage Resistance 1
  (Flexible, -20%) [4], Temperature Tolerance 2 [2], and Perk
  (Fur) [1]. Total 7 points.
  NERV Drug Regimen (In the Well, p. 97): Gives DX +1 [20]
  and possibly Ham-Fisted (usually the -5 point version on an
  ordinary failed HT roll, -10 points on a critical failure).
  Testicle Tuck (In the Well, p. 97): Injury Tolerance (No
  Vitals; Partial, Vitals, Groin only, -60%) [2]. The cheap version
  adds the feature Sterile.
  Guan Di (In the Well, p. 98): A package of modifications
  that grants extra +1 ST [10] and +1 Striking ST [5]; also
  includes a NERV drug regimen and (for men) a testicle tuck,
  both as above. Total 36 points for men, 35 for women, less any
  side-effects of the NERV.
  Whirling Claws o’ Death (In the Well, p. 98): Combines a
  Bio-Booster, Boosted Heart, and (for men) Testicle Tuck (all as
  above) with +1 ST [10], +1 Lifting ST [3], +3 Striking ST [15],
  and Claws (Sharp Claws) [5]. Total 81 points for men, 79 for
  women.
  “Eunuch” (In the Well, p. 98): Gives +2 IQ [40], Fearlessness
  2 [4], Killjoy (Will still seek revenge, in a calm way, -20%) [-12],
  Low Empathy [-20], and Unnatural Feature 1 (Bulging fore-
  head) [-1]. Total 11 points, less the value of any further disad-
  vantages or quirks also gained, such as Callous or a Sense of
  Duty. Also, the level of Fearlessness gained may be greater than
  listed, and if the character chooses to lose all his head hair and
  otherwise emphasize his new bulging forehead, the level of
  Unnatural Feature may increase to 2 or 3.
  Andro-Womb (Deep Beyond, p. 121): This should be treated
  simply as a feature (“Can act as a surrogate mother with exten-
  sive technological support”).
  Lactonarcotic Bioreactors (Deep Beyond, p. 121): This can
  be treated as a perk.
  Prehensile Tongue (Deep Beyond, p. 122): Extra Arm 1
  (Extra-Flexible, +50%; Short, -50%; Weak, 1/4 body ST,
  -50%; Nuisance Effect, Can’t talk or eat while using tongue
  to hold objects, and may convey dirt or poisons to mouth,
  -10%) [4], plus Disturbing Voice (Severe lisp) [-10]. Total 
  -6 points.
  Quadrupedal Retromorphosis (Deep Beyond, p. 122):
  Enhanced Move (Ground) 1/2 [10], plus Quadruped [-35]. If
  the modification gives hooves rather than feet, these may qual-
  ify as a Claws (Hooves) [3]. Total -25 or -22 points.
  Venus Flytrap (Deep Beyond, p. 122): Striker (Cutting; Only
  in severely limited circumstances, -80%) [1].
  Winged Retromorphosis (Deep Beyond, p. 122): Flight
  (Accessibility, Only in 0.2G or less, -40%; Winged, -25%)
  [14]; Strikers (2; Crushing) [10]; No Fine Manipulators [-30].
  Total -6 points. If given to a bioroid or parahuman with
  Extra Arms (Foot Manipulators), delete that and replace No
  Fine Manipulators with No Fine Manipulators (Only when
  standing up, -35%) [-20]. If given to a multi-armed being,
  delete the No Fine Manipulators and two of the being’s Extra
  Arms.
  Xenostriker Biomods (Deep Beyond, p. 122): Any of Claws
  (Blunt, Sharp, or Talons, usually Switchable, +10%), Striker
  (Any damage type, sometimes with Cannot Parry, Clumsy, or
  Weak), or Teeth (Sharp Teeth). Teeth may add Affliction 1
  (Hemophilia, +30%; Follow-Up (Teeth), +0%; Only affects
  wounds caused by the bite, -10%) [12].
  Fisheyes (Under Pressure, p. 118): Gives Nictitating
  Membrane 1 [1], Night Vision 5 [5], and Unnatural Feature 1
  (Reflective eyes) [-1]. Total 5 points.
  Myelin Replacement (Under Pressure, p. 118): Gives a perk;
  Immunity to Gas Narcosis [1]. GURPS 4e doesn’t have rules
  for this danger at present; GMs can adapt those given in Under
  Pressure if necessary, but in any case, this biomod removes the
  problem. Note that Nerve Booster nanosymbionts (p. 66) also
  replace the recipient’s myelin; a dual-purpose treatment, com-
  bining both these benefits, costs $145,000.
  Perflubron Blood (Under Pressure, p. 118): Gives the
  bioroid +1 FP [3] and Resistant to Dissolved Gas Problems (+8)
  [2]. This is the same as Resistant to “the Bends,” as mentioned
  in other sources; in games which allow for the dangers of gas
  narcosis or high pressure nervous syndrome (see Under
  Pressure), the same resistance or immunity (with a base cost
  of 5 points) covers all three effects. Note also that bioroids with
  Pressure Support 1 have some resistance to the bends (see
  p. B435), but will have limited protection at best against the
  other problems; hence, combining these advantages, while
  expensive in points, may be useful for characters intended to
  perform deep diving missions. Total 5 points.
  Perflubron Transfusion (Under Pressure, p. 118): Not a per-
  manent modification, but provides the same protection
  against dissolved gas problems as perflubron blood, above, for
  12 hours, and a HT+4 roll every 5 minutes to let anyone
  already suffering from the bends recover completely.
  Nanodrugs
  These work much as on p. TS163. Advantages, perks, dis-
  advantages, quirks, and features that can be induced are as fol-
  lows (those marked * must have at least long-term duration):
  Absent-Mindedness, Alcohol Tolerance, Attentive, Autotrance,
  Bad Temper, Berserk, Bestial, Blindness, Bloodlust, Chronic
  Pain*, Combat Paralysis, Combat Reflexes, Cowardice, Deep
  Sleeper*, Delusions* (see below), Dependency (some kind of
  high-tech drug), Draining* (needs some kind of high-tech
  drug), Dreamer, Eidetic Memory, Epilepsy, Fearfulness (up to
  8 levels), Fearlessness (up to 6 levels), Flashbacks, FP from -5
  to +5, Gullibility, High Pain Threshold, Imaginative,
  Incompetence (Carousing, Diplomacy, or Fast-Talk), Laziness,
  Lecherousness, Less Sleep* (up to 5 levels), Manic-Depressive,
  No Hangover*, Overconfidence, Paranoia, Per from -4 to +2,
  Radiation Tolerance 2*, Rapid Healing* (either level),
  Resistant to Acceleration or Disease (+3), Short Attention
  Span, Single-Minded, Slave Mentality, Social Chameleon,
  Sterility, Truthfulness, Unfazeable, Will from -4 to -1. Self-con-
  trol rolls, where appropriate, may be set to any value when the
  drug is defined; if the HT roll to resist the nanodrug is missed
  by exactly 1, the self-control category improves by one level.
  (Drugs set for a self-control roll of 15 are reduced to producing
  a quirk-level effect.)
  Nanodrugs that produce delusions may be designed to pro-
  duce a general delusory state, but can’t produce a specific delu-
  sion . . . unless they are administered under controlled condi-
  tions with follow-up treatments. The GM should decide on a
  random specific delusion for the victim to suffer. A high-end
  delusion drug might be set to produce a severe sense of per-
  sonal power or invincibility; different victims might decide
  that they are immortal, that they have personal biomods that
  make them as strong as any other human or bioroid, that they
  are really a celebrity with a disguising bodysculpt, etc.
  GURPS 4E UPDATE: TECHNOLOGY
  65
  
  Mitigator drugs can affect anything listed above apart from
  secondary characteristic modifiers, and also Chronic
  Depression, Insomniac, Motion Sickness, Space Sickness, and
  some types of Terminally Ill. If a roll to resist a mitigator nan-
  odrug is missed by exactly 1, self-control rolls may again be
  improved by one level, with 15 becoming a quirk. Other advan-
  tages or disadvantages may be eliminated or reduced in effect
  as a side effect of a drug which induces some state with which
  they are incompatible, or may even be induced as a long-term
  unintended side-effect, at the GM’s option.
  The nanodrugs listed on p. TS164 are modified as follows:
  “Cry Baby!” induces Cowardice (12) [-10] and Will -1 [-5]
  (and so now costs $60/dose).
  Metatron induces Autotrance and Social Chameleon.
  Nepenthe grants Fearlessness 5. Used under medical super-
  vision, it can act as a mitigator for Chronic Depression or
  Manic-Depressive.
  Zero
  gives the user Bloodlust and Incompetence
  (Diplomacy), and eliminates Combat Paralysis, Honesty, and
  Pacifism if they are present.
  Nanosymbionts
  Permanent versions of many of these may grant advan-
  tages. (Ephemeral versions are simply purchased with cash.)
  Artery Cleaners (p. TS165): In themselves, these grant only
  feature-level benefits. However, combined with other treat-
  ments (such as DNA Repair Nanosymbionts, below), they
  might give Longevity, or even Extended Lifespan or Unaging,
  perhaps with limitations.
  Bacteriophages (p. TS165): Give Immunity to Known
  Bacteria [5].
  Brain Boosters (p. TS165): Give Enhanced Time Sense [45].
  Carcinophages (p. TS165): Give Immunity to Cancer [5].
  They also increase lifespan as described on p. TS165; this is
  treated as a feature.
  DNA Repair (p. TS165): Gives Regeneration (Slow;
  Radiation Only, -60%) [4]. They too also increase lifespan as
  described on p. TS165, which is treated as a feature.
  Guardians (p. TS165): Give Resistant to Nanomachines (+8)
  [2]. Some nanomachines may only be resisted if the target has
  or receives treatment with Guardians or similar; this is essen-
  tially a feature of those nanomachines, and so doesn’t add to
  the points cost of the Guardians.
  Immune Machines (p. TS165): Give Resistant to Disease (+3
  or +8) [3 or 5].
  Lung Cleaners (p. TS165): Give Filter Lungs [5].
  Metabolic Regulators (p. TS165): Give Metabolism Control 2
  [10].
  Microgravity Biochemistry (p. TS165): Gives Perk (No
  Degeneration in Zero-G) [1].
  Nerve Boosters (p. TS165): Give +1 Basic Speed [20].
  Pore Cleaners (p. TS165): These don’t provide enough 
  benefit to qualify as an advantage in themselves. However,
  combined with several other treatments, including Tooth
  Cleaners (below), they may be used to give a character the
  Sanitized Metabolism perk.
  Respirocytes (p. TS165): Give +2 FP [6] and Doesn’t Breathe
  (Oxygen Storage ¥25, -50%) [10].
  Tooth Cleaners (p. TS165): In themselves, these aren’t
  enough to cost points – but see Pore Cleaners (above).
  Virus Hunters (p. TS165): Give Immunity to Known Viruses
  [5].
  “AquaDude” (Under Pressure, p. 119): Gives +1 FP [3] and
  Breath-Holding 2 [4].
  Electroreceptors (Under Pressure, p. 119): Give Detect
  (Electrical fields) [10].
  Lateral Line (Under Pressure, p. 119): Gives Vibration
  Sense (Water) [10].
  Proteus Nanovirus
  Birth Control: “Sterile after one child” now counts as a 0-
  point feature.
  Skin Transformation: Fur in itself now counts as a 1-point
  perk, but it may also grant Damage Resistance 1 (Flexible,
  -20%) [4] and Temperature Tolerance 1 or 2 [1 or 2]. Very light
  scales are simply a feature. Spiny fur gives Perk (Fur) [1],
  Damage Resistance 1 (Flexible, -20%) [4], and Spines (Short
  Spines) [1].
  66
  GURPS 4E UPDATE: TECHNOLOGY
  
  VEHICLES
  Vehicles now tend to have significantly lower HP totals – and
  also, because of the new treatment of lifting ability, lower ST. In
  fact, ST and HP are usually set to the same value. (See Purchasing
  Vehicle ST, p. 34, for more on this.) Where vehicles have detailed
  statistics available – for example, as a product of the In the Well
  and Under Pressure modular design systems – some of these can
  be converted to 4e attributes. In other cases, new details just have
  to be estimated. Use the following guidelines:
  ST/HP: Find Empty Weight (on Earth) in pounds, take the
  cube root, multiply by 4, and round off.
  Hnd: This can only be estimated, but given the use of
  smart materials and refined computer controls in
  Transhuman Space, it should generally be one or two 
  higher than the value for a comparable TL7/8 vehicle on
  p. B464-5. Hence, wheeled civilian designs will usually have
  +1 or +2, fast surface watercraft will have +2 or +3, and light
  to medium aircraft (which benefit especially strongly from
  these advances) around +2.
  SR: Equal to the vehicle’s old SR in its normal environment.
  HT: Use the HT determined by the vehicle design system
  when available. Ordinary vehicles usually have a base HT 10.
  Especially flimsy, inherently overloaded, or ill-engineered
  designs have less, while redundant systems (e.g. a twin-engine
  aircraft that can fly safely on one engine), internal compart-
  mentalization, built-in damage control, etc., raise HT by a
  point or two. In Transhuman Space, smart materials and AI-
  monitored systems permit quite a lot of such high-reliability
  engineering.
  Move: Acceleration and Top Speed in yards/second are half
  Accel and Speed in mph.; round up.
  SM: Derived from the largest dimension and general form;
  see p. B19. Alternatively, see the component SM values gener-
  ated by the design system used, especially if attackers attempt
  to target specific locations.
  Range: For simplicity, multiply the time at full power that
  the fuel tank provides by the top speed. (Realistically, more
  cautious driving speeds could extend range, but few journeys
  achieve optimum fuel economy.)
  Note that all of the above are approximations. Some 
  converted vehicles:
  (The air car is described on p. TS193; the off-road vehicle,
  smartcar, and personal aircraft are from Fifth Wave, pp.
  130-132; the Martian rovers are from In the Well, p. 101; the
  hydrofoil yacht and patrol submarine are from Under
  Pressure, pp. 126-129.)
  Note that listed Occupancy does not include computers
  with infomorphs installed, though in many cases they act as
  crew – in fact, as drivers – most of the time.
  Spacecraft
  The existing Transhuman Space spacecraft construction
  and combat rules can be used as they stand in 4e games; use
  the weapons damage listed in the 3e books for that purpose,
  rather than taking anything from this chapter. (Fortunately,
  spaceships are unlikely to be significantly damaged by much
  other than other ships’ weapons.) Vehicle and weapons design
  and combat systems for 4e will become available, and will be
  compatible with Transhuman Space concepts, but designs
  will largely have to be recreated from scratch – no quick or
  simple conversion system can be offered here.
  SM values for ships will be much the same in the new sys-
  tem, which may be useful for perception and so on; take the
  highest value for a cylinder, and add +2 for a sphere and any
  ship whose largest and smallest dimensions are within 25% of
  each other, or +1 if its second largest dimension is at least 30%
  of the largest.
  Vehicle
  ST/HP
  Hnd/SR
  HT
  Move
  LWt.
  Load
  SM
  Occ
  DR
  Range
  Cost
  Locations
  Air Car
  34
  +2/3
  12
  4/200
  0.7
  0.4
  +3
  1+3
  5
  1,600
  $100K
  G4W
  Off-Road Vehicle
  74
  +1/4
  12
  3/45
  5.17
  2.05
  +3
  1+3
  8
  2,100
  $79K
  G6W
  Smartcar
  48
  +2/4
  12
  3/70
  1.63
  0.8
  +2
  1+3
  8
  1,800
  $24K
  G4W
  Personal Aircraft 
  104
  +2/6
  10
  11/803
  15.3
  6.50
  +6
  2+6
  5
  4,600
  $5.5M G3WWi
  Light Martian Rover
  57
  +1/5
  12
  2/33
  2.42
  0.95
  +2
  2
  10
  1,100
  $65K
  G4W
  Heavy Martian Rover
  85
  +1/5
  12
  2/33
  7.72
  2.97
  +3
  2+4
  10
  780
  $125K
  G6W
  Hydrofoil Yacht 
  183
  +2/6*
  8
  6/60
  88.8
  41
  +7
  2+8
  5
  8,600
  $843K
  g
  Patrol Submarine 
  271
  0/7
  6
  3/18
  182.2
  26.5
  +6
  3
  605
  620
  $3.3M
  s
  * Becomes +1/7 when not planing on hydrofoils.
  GURPS 4E UPDATE: TECHNOLOGY
  67
  Bioship Template
  The bioship template on p. 22 of Spacecraft of
  the Solar System converts to 4e as follows:
  Advantages: Doesn’t Breathe [20]; High Pain
  Threshold [10]; Injury Tolerance (No Neck) [5];
  Internal Hearing [4]; Internal Sight [10]; Internal
  Speech [5]; Internal Taste and Smell [1]; Pressure
  Support 2 [10]; Resistant to Acceleration (+8) [2];
  Temperature Tolerance 20 [20]; Vacuum Support
  [5].
  Perks: Sanitized Metabolism [1].
  Disadvantages: Bioroid Body [-9]; No Manipulators
  [-50]; No Legs (Aerial) [0].
  Total cost for this template is 34 points.
  A bioship will usually have a high SM and
  accordingly high ST; it must purchase the Flight
  advantage in some form. The advantages of Internal
  Hearing, Sight, Speech, and Taste and Smell simply
  represent the bioship’s ability to use these senses
  and abilities inside its own body. See GURPS Bio-
  Tech for more on this subject.
  
  APPENDIX: 
  OFF-THE-SHELF ALLIES
  The following are some infomorphs which can be acquired
  off the shelf, complete with appropriate cybershells. They can
  make useful Allies for PCs, although some players may prefer
  more “experienced” or personalized systems.
  All of the skills listed below can be assumed to be at TL10.
  However, it may sometimes be possible to acquire infomorphs
  trained and optimized for use in low-tech environments.
  Charlesfoster-M
  157 points/$57,200
  ST 0 [0]; DX 10 [0]; IQ 10 [0]; HT 12 [0].
  Damage 0; BL 0; HP 1 [0]; Will 10 [0]; Per 10 [0]; FP n/a.
  Basic Speed 5.5 [0]; Basic Move 0 [0]; Dodge n/a.
  Advantages: LAI-7 [102]; Modular Abilities (Computer Brain)
  3 (2, 2, 2) (Limited Integration, -20%; Skills and Languages
  Only, -10%) [30].
  Disadvantages: Wearable Virtual Interface (DVI, small genius
  computer) [-42].
  Skills: Accounting (A) IQ+4 [16]-14; Administration (A) IQ+3
  [12]-13; Computer Operation (E) IQ+3 [0]-13*; Expert Skill
  (Memetics) (H) IQ+1 [8]-11; Law (Commercial, for a region
  of the buyer’s choice) (H) IQ+1 [8]-11; Merchant (A) IQ
  [12]-10†; Research (A) IQ+1 [4]-11; Savoir-Faire (E) IQ-3
  [1]-7†; Survival (Desert) (A) IQ-1 [1]-9; Survival (Jungle) (A)
  IQ-1 [1]-9; Tactics (H) IQ [4]-10.
  * Included in LAI template.
  † Includes -3 for Low Empathy.
  The Charlesfoster series of deluxe personal AIs is popular
  among buyers who’ve acquired wealth through inheritance,
  luck, or specific talent, without also acquiring the skills
  required to keep it. This release (also known as the CF-3.1) is
  considered the most bug-free. In addition to business skills, it’s
  supposed to be capable of helping its wearer out of physical
  danger, aiding with information searches, and monitoring for
  memetic manipulations. But it’s mostly designed to perform
  accounting and routine financial activities. Major investment
  advice, portfolio management, etc., are better handled by
  human or static AI consultants.
  Variations: A surprising number of purchasers run
  “Charlesfoster” AIs on Virtual Interface Implants with small
  compact genius computers (99 points, $98,700). Stories of
  aging plutocrats installing similar programs on puppet
  implants in feckless offspring are probably just urban legends.
  Cortez-Ghao “Faraday”
  84 points/$8,900
  ST 0 [0]; DX 10 [0]; IQ 9 [0]; HT 12 [0].
  Damage 0; BL 0; HP 1 [0]; Will 10 [0]; Per 10 [0]; FP n/a.
  Basic Speed 5.5 [0]; Basic Move 0 [0]; Dodge n/a.
  Advantages: LAI-6 [82]; Modular Abilities (Computer Brain) 3
  (2, 2, 2) (Limited Integration, -20%; Skills and Languages
  Only, -10%) [30].
  Disadvantages: Wearable Virtual Interface (DVI, small com-
  puter) [-42].
  Skills: Computer Operation (E) IQ+3 [0]-12*; Driving
  (Automobile) (A) DX-1 [1]-9; Electronics Operation
  (Communications) (A) IQ [2]-9; Electronics Operation
  (Sensors) (A) IQ [2]-9; Mathematics (Applied) (H) IQ [4]-9;
  Piloting (Vertol) (A) DX-1 [1]-9; Research (A) IQ+1 [4]-10.
  * Included in LAI template.
  This wearable AI is designed for technicians. It doesn’t
  attempt to match the specialist depth that a competent human
  will possess; rather, it provides mathematical analysis and han-
  dle communications, data searches, or routine vehicle inter-
  faces while its wearer gets on with an immediate task. Lacking
  hands, it can’t use Mechanic skill sets “directly,” but it may
  have a few knowledge databases installed to support its
  research functions.
  Variations: NAI-based “techie” wearable systems are quite
  popular, as they don’t always need much flexibility, but most
  serious users prefer a research aid with decent initiative and a
  grasp of colloquialisms. The same sort of program can of
  course be run in an implant, but putting a library of technical
  manuals inside one’s own skull is generally considered to be
  the mark of a hopeless nerd.
  EDI “Bhisti”
  138 points/$11,300
  ST 0 [0]; DX 10 [0]; IQ 9 [0]; HT 12 [0].
  Damage 0; BL 0; HP 3 [0]; Will 10 [0]; Per 10 [0]; FP n/a.
  Basic Speed 5.5 [0]; Basic Move 0 [0]; Dodge n/a.
  Advantages: LAI-6 [82]; Modular Abilities (Computer Brain) 3
  (2, 2, 2) (Limited Integration, -20%; Skills and Languages
  Only, -10%) [30].
  Disadvantages: Ruggedized Portable (small computer) [-2].
  Skills: Computer Operation (E) IQ+3 [0]-12*; Diagnosis
  (Owner) (A) IQ+3 [12]-12; Electronics Operation
  (Communications) (A) IQ+2 [8]-11; Electronics Operation
  (Sensors) (A) IQ+1 [4]-10; Savoir-Faire (Military) (E) IQ-2
  [2]-7†; Soldier (A) IQ [2]-9.
  * Included in LAI template.
  † Includes -3 for Low Empathy.
  Executive Decisions (p. TS94) issues this AI model to many
  of its human combat troops. A Bhisti can supervise routine
  communications and sensor ops (including handling “sentry
  duty” while the user is asleep), signal for aid if the wearer is
  wounded, and run skill sets. (Area Knowledge, Survival, and
  languages are often installed for specific missions.) EDI retains
  override reprogramming codes for these AIs, but commands
  68
  APPENDIX: OFF-THE-SHELF ALLIES
  
  them to obey their assigned users. Employees are expected to
  develop a relationship with their AIs, so that they work togeth-
  er smoothly; many transfer the same program between differ-
  ent wearable computers according to the current mission.
  (Buy other cybershells, such as full helmet systems, p. 58, as
  “vessels,” as discussed on p. 39, if necessary.)
  EDI usually reclaims the system if the soldier leaves the
  company, although it must then be reacclimatized for the next
  user.
  GenTech BR-Secretarial
  36 points/$14,000
  ST 0 [0]; DX 10 [0]; IQ 9 [0]; HT 14 [0].
  Damage 0; BL 0; HP 1 [0]; Will 10 [0]; Per 10 [0]; FP n/a.
  Basic Speed 6 [0]; Basic Move 0 [0]; Dodge n/a.
  Advantages: LAI-6 [82]; Languages (any three, at Broken level)
  [6]; Modular Abilities (Computer Brain) 3 (2, 2, 2) (Limited
  Integration, -20%; Skills and Languages Only, -10%) [30].
  Disadvantages: Virtual Interface Implant (small compact com-
  puter) [-100].
  Skills: Administration (A) IQ [2]-9; Area Knowledge (User’s
  home area) (E) IQ+1 [2]-10; Computer Operation (E) IQ+3
  [0]-12*; Diagnosis (User) (A) IQ+3 [12]-12; Electronics
  Operation (Communications) (A) IQ [2]-9; Savoir-Faire
  (Servant) (E) IQ-1 [4]-8†; Teaching (A) IQ [2]-9.
  * Included in LAI template.
  † Includes -3 for Low Empathy.
  GenTech developed this implant AI personality for their
  bioroid division, and then discovered that they could make a
  comfortable profit licensing it out to others. It is not generally
  the first AI installed in a newly “decanted” bioroid; that will
  usually be a highly specialized “trainer,” optimized for the par-
  ticular bioroid model. Rather, the “Secretarial” can aid a
  trained, competent, but narrowly focused bioroid in perform-
  ing complex duties. It monitors the bioroid’s health, tracks
  appointments and work schedules, advises on minor social
  niceties, and occasionally plays the stern older brother. Some
  bioroids become fond of their “Sec,” or totally dependent on it;
  others regard it as a badge of servitude, and have it replaced
  the day they achieve independence.
  An indentured or legally immature bioroid will have an AI
  whose programmed loyalty is to his legal guardians; the codes
  for this must be handed over if the bioroid achieves independ-
  ence. If a bioroid has a functioning puppet implant (and most
  do while in training), their indenture is easy to enforce.
  However, even many indentured bioroids have their puppet
  systems disabled as they mature, as owners either use this as a
  symbol of trust and “graduation,” or regard the things as a
  glaring security hole. Only the most unconfident bioroids keep
  puppet systems on achieving independence.
  Rosario-Klein P55-J
  263 points/$16,000
  ST 8 [0]; DX 10 [0]; IQ 9 [0]; HT 11 [0].
  Damage 1d-3/1d-2; BL 13; HP 6 [0]; Will 9 [0]; Per 9 [0]; FP n/a.
  Basic Speed 5.25 [0]; Basic Move 7 [0]; Dodge 8; Parry 8
  (Wrestling).
  Advantages: LAI-6 [82]; Modular Abilities (Computer Brain) 3
  (2, 2, 2) (Limited Integration, -20%; Skills and Languages
  Only, -10%) [30]; Securibot (small computer) [141].
  Skills: Beam Weapons (Rifle) or Guns (Gyroc) or Guns (SMG),
  all (E) DX+2 [4]-12; Computer Operation (E) IQ+3 [0]-12*;
  Law (Police, for purchaser’s home area) (H) IQ-2 [1]-7;
  Observation (A) Per-1 [1]-8; Tactics (H) IQ-1 [2]-8; Wrestling
  (A) DX [2]-10.
  * Included in LAI template.
  Notes: An implementation of the low-cost “security cyber-
  shell” concept, the P55-J may be found as partner to a human
  or bioroid Fourth Wave cop, assisting with security work in
  locations where a little real trouble seems possible, or even pro-
  viding backup to door staff at nightclubs whose management
  want to project a tough image. While aggressive police forces
  may install a mini-missile pod on its weapons mount, private
  buyers tend to favor electrolasers, although mini-missiles with
  tangler warheads are also viable. (The cybershell may then also
  carry a can of anti-tangler aerosol.) A police armgun makes an
  acceptable compromise for some, though this requires that the
  AI receives additional training to use both weapon options to
  full effect. Space-based owners may opt for a laser rifle.
  Newshawk/7-6
  98 points/$2,320
  ST 3 [0]; DX 10 [0]; IQ 9 [0]; HT 11 [0].
  Damage 1d-5/1d-4; BL 1.8; HP 3 [0]; Will 9 [0]; Per 9 [0]; FP n/a.
  Basic Speed 5.25 [0]; Basic Move 5 [0]; Dodge 8.
  Advantages: Modular Abilities (Computer Brain) 3 (2, 2, 2)
  (Limited Integration, -20%; Skills and Languages Only,
  -10%) [30]; NAI-5 [49]; Newshawk (tiny computer) [13].
  Skills: Computer Operation (E) IQ+3 [0]-12*; Photography (A)
  IQ+1 [4]-10; Writing (A) IQ [2]-9.
  * Included in NAI template.
  The Newshawk/7-6 is an example of the flying cameras
  widely used by reporters on Earth and Mars and in some 
  larger space colonies. The AI has been trained to select camera
  angles, compose images, transcribe speech, and even prepare
  simple captions and other text. Favorite skill sets include lan-
  guages and Area Knowledge for regions to which the owner
  has been assigned. Tactics programs or training are sometimes
  added by reporters who have to venture into war zones, for use
  in assessing immediate risks.
  Janssen-Nord “Parker”
  23 points/$22,700
  ST 0 [0]; DX 10 [0]; IQ 10 [0]; HT 12 [0].
  Damage 0; BL 0; HP 8 [0]; Will 10 [0]; Per 10 [0]; FP n/a.
  Basic Speed 5.5 [0]; Basic Move 0 [0]; Dodge n/a.
  Advantages: LAI-7 [102]; Modular Abilities (Computer Brain)
  3 (2, 2, 2) (Limited Integration, -20%; Skills and Languages
  Only, -10%) [30].
  Disadvantages: Microframe [-136].
  Skills: Computer Operation (E) IQ+3 [0]-13*; Electronics
  Operation (Communications) (A) IQ+1 [4]-11; Electronics
  Operation (Sensors) (A) IQ [2]-10; Law (International
  Travel) (H) IQ-2 [1]-8; Navigation (Air) (A) IQ+1 [4]-11;
  Piloting (one specialty of purchaser’s choice) (A) DX+3
  [12]-13; Savoir-Faire (Servant) (E) IQ-1 [4]-9†.
  * Included in LAI template.
  † Includes -3 for Low Empathy.
  APPENDIX: OFF-THE-SHELF ALLIES
  69
  
  A fairly typical “pilot” AI as often installed in medium-sized
  aircraft, the “Parker” is well regarded among wealthy private
  buyers for its technical competence and refined personality.
  Very similar systems are often found in other vehicles, such as
  private yachts (for which, replace Piloting with Seamanship,
  and change Navigation (Air) to Navigation (Sea)).
  Tenzan THI-200bis
  341 points/$64,500
  ST 8 [0]; DX 10 [0]; IQ 9 [0]; HT 11 [0].
  Damage 1d-3/1d-2; BL 13; HP 6 [0]; Will 9 [0]; Per 9 [0]; FP n/a.
  Basic Speed 5.25 [0]; Basic Move 5 [0]; Dodge 8.
  Advantages: LAI-6 [82]; Modular Abilities (Computer Brain) 3
  (2, 2, 2) (Limited Integration, -20%; Skills and Languages
  Only, -10%) [30]; Tech-Spider (small computer) [204].
  Skills: Computer Operation (E) IQ+3 [0]-12*; Electronics
  Operation (Communications) (A) IQ-1 [1]-8; First Aid (E)
  IQ+2 [4]-11; Free Fall (A) DX+1 [4]-11; Mechanic (specialty
  of buyer’s choice) (A) IQ+2 [8]-11; Mechanic (second spe-
  cialty of buyer’s choice) (A) IQ+2 [8]-11.
  * Included in LAI template.
  This is Tenzan’s Suchi-Rukara (p. TS125) with basic skills
  trained into a LAI brain. It makes a dull partner; spacers
  exchange tips on how to teach it to display a bit more person-
  ality without too much risk of bizarre emergent behaviors.
  Variations: Installing essentially the same AI in a Mobile
  Helmet produces the Tenzan Gearhead-Ro, a less useful engi-
  neering assistant but a life-saver in emergencies. ST 4, HT 12,
  HP 6, Basic Speed 5.5; add Cooking (A) IQ+1 [4]-10; 330
  points, $71,900.
  Wotatech Hugin
  93 points/$3,200
  ST 3 [0]; DX 10 [0]; IQ 9 [0]; HT 11 [0].
  Damage 1d-5/1d-4; BL 1.8; HP 3 [0]; Will 9 [0]; Per 9 [0]; FP n/a.
  Basic Speed 5.25 [0]; Basic Move 5 [0]; Dodge 8.
  Advantages: Modular Abilities (Computer Brain) 3 (2, 2, 2)
  (Limited Integration, -20%; Skills and Languages Only,
  -10%) [30]; NAI-5 [49]; Wotatech Combat Buzzbot (tiny
  computer) [2].
  Skills: Computer Operation (E) IQ+3 [0]-12*; Forward
  Observer (A) IQ [2]-9; Guns (Gyroc) (E) DX+2 [4]-12; Savoir-
  Faire (Military) (E) IQ-3 [1]-6†; Soldier (A) IQ-1 [1]-8;
  Stealth (A) DX+1 [4]-11.
  * Included in NAI template.
  † Includes -3 for Low Empathy.
  Wotatech buzzbots are intended for scouting, perimeter
  patrols, and emergency fire support. They die quickly in real
  war zones, but some units find them useful for reconnais-
  sance. The model is typically fitted with a micro-missile pod
  with IFF interrogator (p. TS156-7), included in the above cost.
  The pre-trained AI is primarily oriented towards purely mil-
  itary missions; law enforcement and peacekeeping forces may
  prefer something custom-coded to less aggressive specifica-
  tions. (Military Hugins on duty in peaceful areas often have to
  deal with a lot of complex and conditional orders, though
  some forces just load them up with tangler rounds.) Buzzbots
  used on guard or patrol duties can quickly gain local Area
  Knowledge.
  Note that this cybershell gains the Noisy disadvantage
  when in flight, with the associated penalty to Stealth.
  70
  APPENDIX: OFF-THE-SHELF ALLIES
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  Advantages, 38-41; perks,
  41; see also Attributes
  and Secondary
  Characteristics,
  Disadvantages and
  Quirks, Skills.
  Adventure seeds, 24, 
  30-32.
  Aerobatics skill in Zero-G,
  45.
  Affliction advantage, 
  38-39.
  Afghanistan, 7, 21.
  Africa, 8, 24, 28, 30.
  AI, 14, 52, 60-61; legality
  in Europe, 14; machine
  empathy, 52; see also
  Infomorphs.
  Alcoholism disadvantage,
  41.
  Allies advantage, 15, 39,
  68-70; off-the-shelf, 
  68-70; servants who do
  everything, 15.
  Alpha upgrade template,
  48.
  Ammunition, 64.
  Andraste biomod, 64.
  Andro-womb biomod, 65.
  Animal handling skill, 45.
  Aquaculture skill, 45.
  AquaDude nanosymbiont,
  66.
  Aquamorph template, 48.
  Arachnoxoxenology skill,
  46; see also Expert Skill.
  Area knowledge skill, 47.
  Ares Conspiracy, 29.
  Armenia, 7.
  Armor, 64.
  Armory skill, 44.
  Artery cleaners 
  nanosymbiont, 66.
  Artificial life, 20.
  Asteroid Belt, 11, 25.
  Astropus template, 49-50.
  Attributes and secondary
  characteristics, 33-34, 51,
  67; see also Advantages,
  Disadvantages and
  Quirks, Skills.
  Augmented reality, 18-19.
  Author, 5.
  Avatar Klusterkorp, 29.
  Backups, 39-40.
  Bacteriophages 
  nanosymbiont, 66.
  Basic Move, 33; see also
  Attributes and Secondary
  Characteristics.
  Basic Speed, 33; see also
  Attributes and Secondary
  Characteristics.
  Beam weapons skills, 44.
  Binding advantage, 38-39.
  Bio-booster biomod, 64.
  Biomods, 64-65.
  Bioroids, 4, 14, 38, 43, 
  48-49; bioroid body
  advantage, 38; legality,
  14; meta-trait, 43; social
  stigma and wealth, 43;
  templates, 48-49.
  Bioshell template, 59.
  Bioship template, 67.
  Biotech, 4, 20.
  Birth control Proteus
  nanovirus, 66.
  Boosted heart biomod, 64.
  Born spacer talent, 40.
  Brain boosters 
  nanosymbiont, 66.
  Brain hacking skill, 44-45.
  Built-in weaponry, 38-39.
  Burma, 21-22.
  Bush robot template, 
  53-54.
  Business campaigns, 
  11-12.
  Buzzbot template, 54.
  Caicos islands, 31.
  Callisto, 25.
  Cambodia, 7.
  Cameroon, 7.
  Campaigns, 4, 6, 8-10, 
  12-13, 15, 24, 26-27, 29-
  32, 59; adventure seeds,
  24, 30-32; baseline wave,
  6; corporate, 29; existing,
  59; focus, 9-10; ideas for,
  30-32; intelligence work,
  27; law enforcement, 26;
  low resources and high
  technology, 8; moods, 10,
  12; private investigation,
  26; soap opera, 12-13;
  summary of setting, 4;
  wildness quotient, 13.
  Carcinophages 
  nanosymbiont, 66.
  Central America, 21.
  Central Asia, 21.
  Challenges, 15-17, 22;
  combat, 15-16; 
  exceptional wealth, 
  16-17; information, 15;
  keeping track of 
  characters, 17; mortality,
  15-16; safe adventures,
  16; servants who do
  everything, 15; 
  telepresence, 22.
  Characters, 14-15, 17, 
  33-59; attributes, 33;
  control rating, 14; 
  cultural background, 34-
  35; legality, 14; points,
  17, 35, 59; tracking 
  their abilities, 17; wealth
  and status, 36; weird
  options, 15.
  Charlesfoster-M ally, 68.
  China, 7-8; see also Mars.
  Ciao Chu, 30; see also
  Organizations.
  Cinematic and gritty 
  campaigns, 13.
  Citizen AI template, 52.
  Clockwork souls customer
  cyberdoll template, 55.
  INDEX
  INDEX
  71
  
  Colombia, 22; see also
  Crime.
  Colonization campaigns,
  11.
  Columbia Aerospace, 29.
  Columbia, 31.
  Combat naga  template, 57.
  Combat, 9, 15-16; 
  campaigns, 9; 
  infomorphs and, 16.
  Comedy campaigns, 12.
  Compartmentalized mind
  advantage, 39.
  Computer hacking skill,
  46; see also Computers.
  Computer wizard talent,
  40.
  Computers, 4, 19, 46;
  intrusion, 46; ubiquitous,
  19; see also Web.
  Concealed bioroid body
  meta-trait, 43; see also
  Bioroids.
  Connoisseur skill, 45, 47.
  Conspiracies, 29.
  Control Rating, 14; see
  also Legality.
  Corporations, 29-31; see
  also Organizations.
  Cortez-Ghao “Faraday”
  ally, 68.
  Costs, 23, 36-38, 60-70;
  AI, 60; of living, 36-38;
  space travel, 23; see also
  Status, Wealth.
  Crime, 10, 19, 27; 
  campaigns, 10; see also
  Legality, Law
  Enforcement.
  Cry baby nanodrug, 66.
  Cryobot template, 54.
  Cryptanalysis skill, 44; 
  see also Computers.
  Cultural backgrounds and
  familiarity, 34-35; see
  also Languages.
  Current affairs skill, 45, 47;
  see also Memetics.
  Cyberdoc template, 54.
  Cyberdoll template, 55.
  Cybershells, 43, 53-58;
  meta-trait, 43; templates,
  53-58.
  Damage resistance 
  advantage, 39.
  Dependency disadvantage,
  42.
  Detect advantage, 39.
  Dexterity, 33; see also
  Attributes and Secondary
  Characteristics.
  Disadvantages and Quirks,
  34, 41-43; see also
  Advantages, Attributes
  and Secondary
  Characteristics, Skills.
  DNA repair nanosymbiont,
  66.
  Domestibot template, 58.
  Downslinks, 61.
  Duncanites, 31.
  Early maturation feature,
  44.
  Earth, 21-24; hot spots, 21;
  memetic conflicts, 21-22;
  orbit, 24.
  Ecuador, 7.
  EDI “Bhisti” ally, 68-69.
  Electrical disadvantage, 42.
  Electroreceptors 
  nanosymbiont, 66.
  Elevator, 24-25.
  Emergent intelligence AI
  template, 52-53; see also
  AI, Legality.
  Employment, 26-30, 37.
  Engineering, 4.
  Equipment, 36, 60-67;
  armor, 64; communication
  implants, 61; legality
  class, 60; medical 
  treatments, 64-67; 
  sensors, 61; software, 
  60-61; using points to
  buy, 36; vehicles, 67;
  weapons, 61-64.
  Esperante Enterprises, 30.
  Eunuch biomod, 65.
  Europa, 10, 25, 29;
  Defense Force, 29; horror
  campaigns and, 10.
  Europe, 7-8, 14, 27; AI, 14;
  intelligence agencies, 27.
  Executive Decisions Inc.,
  29.
  Exogenesis, 11.
  Expert skill, 45-47.
  Exploration and research
  campaigns, 11.
  Extra life advantage, 
  39-40; see also Backups,
  Infomorphs.
  Far Reaches, 25.
  Fatigue, 33; see also
  Attributes and Secondary
  Characteristics.
  Features, 14, 43-44;
  mandatory, 14.
  Felicia template, 48-49.
  Fifth Wave, 8, 18, 36-37;
  see also Waves.
  Fisheyes biomod, 65.
  Flesh pockets, 38, 64;
  advantage, 38; biomod,
  64.
  Floater template, 48.
  Fourth Wave, 7, 18, 37; see
  also Waves.
  Fragment mind emulation
  template, 53; see also
  Infomorphs.
  Free Mars movement, 24;
  see also Mars.
  French Foreign Legion, 29;
  see also Legality.
  Frontier campaigns, 11.
  Future shock, 6-7, 19; see
  also Waves.
  Game of ideas, 20.
  Genetic rights 
  management, 12.
  GenTech BR-Secretarial
  ally, 69.
  GenTech Pacifica, 30.
  Gestalt intelligence AI 
  template, 53; see also AI.
  Ghana, 7.
  Ghost mind emulation 
  template, 53; see also
  Infomorphs.
  Gritty and cinematic 
  campaigns, 13.
  Guan di biomod, 65.
  Guardians nanosymbiont,
  66.
  Gypsy AI template, 53; see
  also AI, Legality.
  Haut-Zaire, 7, 21-22; see
  also Hot Spots.
  Health, 33, 34, 67;
  vehicles, 34, 67; see also
  Attributes and Secondary
  Characteristics.
  Hit points, 33; see also
  Attributes and Secondary
  Characteristics.
  Horror campaigns, 10.
  Hot spots, 21, 23; choosing
  sides, 23.
  Human templates, 48.
  Humaniform templates, 55.
  Immune machines
  nanosymbiont, 66.
  Incubus template, 49.
  Infiltration android 
  template, 55.
  Infomorphs, 4, 9, 28, 32,
  36, 39-40, 50-53; 
  backups, 39-40; 
  campaigns, 32; combat
  and, 9; intelligence 
  campaigns and, 28; 
  sapience, 52; templates,
  50-53; wealth, 36; see
  also AI.
  Information control, 15.
  Innate attack advantage,
  38-39.
  Intellectual property, 30.
  Intelligence work, 27-28,
  31.
  Intelligence, 33, 51; see
  also Attributes and
  Secondary
  Characteristics.
  Investigative campaigns, 9,
  19, 30-31.
  Io, 25.
  Ishtar upgrade template,
  48.
  Islandia, 32.
  Janssen-Nord “Parker” ally,
  69-70.
  Jupiter, 25.
  K-10A postcanine 
  template, 50.
  Kazakhstan, 21-22.
  Kenya, 7-8.
  Kyrgyzstan, 7.
  Lactonarcotic bioreactors
  biomod, 65.
  Lame (wearable) 
  disadvantage, 42.
  Languages, 34.
  Laser weapons, 63.
  72
  INDEX
  
  Lateral line nanosymbiont,
  66.
  Law enforcement, 26-27,
  30; intellectual property,
  30; see also Crime,
  Legality.
  Legality, 12, 14, 29-30, 60;
  characters, 14, 29; 
  equipment, 60; European
  AI, 14; French Foreign
  Legion, 29; genetic 
  rights management, 12;
  intellectual property, 30;
  xoxes, 14; see also
  Crime, Law Enforcement.
  Limited endurance 
  disadvantage, 42.
  Liver upgrade biomod, 64.
  Locations, 4, 7-11, 14, 
  21-25, 27-31.
  Low-pressure lungs, 38,
  44; advantage, 38; 
  feature, 44.
  Low-sapient AI (LAI) 
  template, 51-52; see also
  AI.
  Luna, 24.
  Lung cleaners 
  nanosymbiont, 66.
  Machine body advantage,
  38.
  Machine empathy 
  advantage, 52; see also
  AI.
  Macroframe template, 55.
  MAD weapons, 63.
  Mainframe template, 55.
  Maintenance disadvantage,
  42-43.
  Mars, 9, 11, 24-25, 31, 38,
  43; campaigns, 11, 25;
  Mars-adapted advantage,
  38; Mars-adapted 
  meta-trait, 43.
  Marwari Digital, 29-30.
  Medical treatments, 23, 
  64-67; in space, 23; see
  also Biomods, Biotech,
  Nanodrugs.
  Memetics, 4, 9-11, 20-22,
  31, 40, 45-47; combat
  campaigns and, 10; 
  Earth conflicts, 21-22; 
  investigative campaigns
  and, 9; political 
  campaigns and, 11; skill,
  46; talent, 40, 47; war
  and, 21-22, 31; see also
  Expert Skill.
  Mercury, 25.
  Meta-traits, 43.
  Metabolic regulators
  nanosymbiont, 66.
  Metanoia-series upgrade
  template, 48.
  Metatron nanodrug, 66.
  Microbots, 4, 19.
  Microframe template, 55.
  Microgravity biochemistry
  nanosymbiont, 66.
  Micromanipulators 
  advantage, 38.
  Military organizations, 29.
  Minimal software template,
  50; see also Infomorphs.
  Mistaken identity 
  disadvantage, 42, 53.
  Mobile helmet template,
  56.
  Modular abilities 
  advantage, 40.
  Moon, 24.
  Morality, 23.
  Mortality, 15-16.
  Motion capture mannequin
  template, 55.
  Myelin replacement 
  biomod, 65.
  Nanodrugs, 65-66; see also
  Nanosymbionts,
  Nanotech.
  Nanodynamics, 30.
  Nanosan Umweltsysteme
  AG, 30.
  Nanosocialism, 22, 30, 32.
  Nanosymbionts, 66; see
  also Nanodrugs,
  Nanotech.
  Nanotech, 4, 19; see also
  Nanodrugs,
  Nanosymbionts.
  Nations and places, 4, 
  7-11, 14, 21-25, 27-31.
  Natural diver talent, 40.
  Nepenthe nanodrug, 66.
  NERV drug regimen 
  biomod, 65.
  Nerve boosters 
  nanosymbiont, 66.
  New players, 4.
  Newshawk template, 54.
  Newshawk/7-6 ally, 69.
  Nicaragua, 32.
  Nigeria, 7.
  No degeneration in Zero-G
  advantage, 38; see also
  Space.
  No genetic defects feature,
  43-44.
  No legs (portable) 
  disadvantage, 42.
  No mental instability 
  feature, 44.
  No physical changes 
  feature, 44.
  No self-awareness feature,
  44.
  No-shock glands biomod,
  64.
  Noisy disadvantage, 43.
  Nonsapient AI (NAI) 
  template, 50-51; see 
  also AI.
  North America, 8.
  Numb disadvantage, 43.
  Nyx template, 49.
  Ocean depths, 11.
  Oceanography skill, 45-46.
  Off Earth, 8-9, 23, 36;
  wealth, 36.
  Off-the-shelf allies, 68-70.
  Olympus Project, 24, 30.
  Organization types, 26+29;
  dangerous masters, 28;
  intelligence agencies, 28;
  law enforcement, 26-27;
  military, 29; see also
  Organizations.
  Organizations, 29-31; see
  also Organization Types.
  Orphan AI template, 52;
  see also AI, Legality.
  Outer System, 25.
  Pacific Rim Alliance, 28.
  Parahuman templates, 
  48-49.
  Payload advantage, 40.
  Perception, 33; see also
  Attributes and Secondary
  Characteristics.
  Perflubron blood biomod,
  65.
  Perflubron transfusion 
  biomod, 65.
  Perks, 41; see also
  Advantages.
  Phil Masters, 5.
  Philosophical exploration
  campaigns, 10.
  Phobia disadvantage, 42.
  Picaresque campaigns, 12;
  see also Travel.
  Piloting skill, 44.
  INDEX
  73
  
  Political campaigns, 11, 21,
  24, 32; Earth power
  blocs, 21; Mars power
  blocs, 24.
  Polypede template, 56.
  Pop culture maven talent,
  40.
  Pop culture skill, 45; see
  also Memetics.
  Pore cleaners 
  nanosymbiont, 66.
  Possession advantage, 40.
  Prehensile toes advantage,
  38.
  Prehensile tongue biomod,
  65.
  Private investigate, 26; see
  also Investigative
  Campaigns.
  Propaganda skill, 47, see
  also Memetics.
  Proteus nanovirus, 66-67.
  Psychology skill, 46-47;
  see also Memetics.
  Public speaking skill, 47;
  see also Memetics.
  Puppet advantage, 41.
  Puppeteer implant 
  template, 58.
  Quadrupedal retromorpho-
  sis biomod, 65.
  Quirks, see Disadvantages
  and Quirks.
  RATS template, 56-57.
  Reduced consumption
  advantage, 41.
  Reproductive control
  advantage, 38.
  Reprogrammable 
  disadvantage, 51.
  Reprogrammable duty 
  disadvantage, 42.
  Research skill, 47.
  Respirocytes 
  nanosymbiont, 66.
  Retinal enhancement 
  biomod, 65.
  Rosario-Klein P55-J ally,
  69.
  Sapience, 52; see also AI,
  Legality, Infomorphs.
  Sapient AI (SAI) template,
  52-53; see also AI,
  Sapience.
  Satire campaigns, 12.
  Saturn, 25.
  Sea shepherd template, 48.
  Securibot template, 58.
  Seihin Corporation, 31; see
  also Organizations.
  Sensors, 61.
  Sessile disadvantage, 42.
  Shadow mind emulation
  template, 53; see also
  Infomorphs.
  Siduri upgrade template,
  48.
  Signal lag, 8.
  Sitcom and soap opera
  campaigns, 12-13, 32.
  Skills, 44-47; see also
  Advantages, Attributes
  and Secondary
  Characteristics,
  Disadvantages and
  Quirks.
  Skin transformation
  Proteus nanovirus, 66.
  Slinks, 61.
  Snakebot template, 57.
  Soap opera and sitcom
  campaigns, 12-13, 32.
  Social stigma 
  disadvantage, 42-43;
  bioroid, 43.
  Sociology skill, 47; see
  also Memetics.
  Software, 28, 60-61; 
  intelligence agents, 28;
  see also AI, Infomorphs.
  Solar Express, 30.
  South Africa 8, 28, 30.
  South Sudan, 7.
  Space, 4, 8, 23, 67; flight,
  23; medical treatments,
  23; signal lag, 8; 
  spacecraft, 67.
  Speed swimming skill, 45.
  Status, 36-38, 43; see also
  Costs, Wealth.
  Sterile disadvantage, 42.
  Street campaigns, 10.
  Street scenery, 18-19.
  Strength, 33-34, 67; 
  vehicles, 34, 67; see also
  Attributes and Secondary
  Characteristics.
  Stun weapons, 63.
  Taboo traits, 43-44; see
  also Features.
  Talents, 40.
  Team building, 14-15.
  Tech level, 6-7, 34; 
  crossing between, 7;
  waves and, 6.
  Tech-spider template, 58.
  Technological edge, 7.
  Technology and society,
  18, 27.
  Telecommunication 
  advantage, 41.
  Templates, 48-59, 67; 
  bioship, 67; bioshells, 59;
  cybershells, 53-58;
  human upgrades, 48;
  infomorphs, 50-53;
  parahuman and bioroid,
  48-49; uplifted animals,
  49-50.
  Tennin template, 49.
  Tenzan THI-200bis ally,
  70.
  Teralogos Consortium, 30;
  see also Organizations.
  Terraforming skill, 46; see
  also Expert Skill.
  Testicle tuck biomod, 65.
  The Belt, 11, 25.
  Third Wave, 6, 18.
  Thriller campaigns, 10.
  Tianyi template, 49.
  Time Corps, 32.
  Time travel, 32.
  Tooth cleaners 
  nanosymbiont, 66.
  Transhuman Space Status
  Table, 37.
  Travel, 12, 22-23; pica-
  resque campaigns, 12.
  TSA, 30-32.
  Ubiquitous computing, 19.
  UCAV template, 57.
  Uplifted animal bioroid
  advantage, 38.
  Upslinks, 61.
  USA, 7, 27; see also Mars.
  Uzbekistan, 21.
  Vacuum Cleaners, 24, 41;
  see also Earth.
  Vehicles, 34, 67.
  Venus flytrap biomod, 65.
  Venus, 25.
  Vessel advantage, 38-39.
  Viking template, 49.
  Virtual interface implant
  template, 57-58.
  Virus hunters 
  nanosymbiont, 66.
  Visualization advantage,
  41.
  Volkspider template, 58.
  Wages, 37; see also Costs,
  Status, Wealth.
  Waves, 4, 6-8, 18-19; 4e
  tech levels and, 6; 
  baseline, 6; crossing
  between, 7.
  Wealth, 16-17, 36-37, 43;
  wages 37; see also Costs,
  Status.
  Weapons, 61-64; advan-
  tages, 38-39; ammunition
  and options, 64; armor,
  64; laser effects, 63;
  MAD effects, 63; stun,
  63; tables 62-63.
  Wearable virtual interface
  template, 58.
  Web, 8-9, 11; see also
  Computers, Infomorphs.
  Whirling claws o’ death
  biomod, 65.
  Will, 33; see also
  Attributes and Secondary
  Characteristics.
  Winged retromorphosis
  biomod, 65.
  World Tree Enterprises, 30;
  see also Organizations.
  Wotatech combat buzzbot
  template, 54.
  Wotatech Hugin ally, 70.
  Writing skill, 47.
  Wu tsao template, 49.
  Xenobiology skill, 45.
  Xenostriker biomods, 65.
  Xoxes, 14; see also Crime,
  Legality, Law Enforcement.
  Yousheng template, 49.
  Zero nanodrug, 66.
  Ziusudra template, 49.
  ZR-3 template, 49.
  ZR-5 template, 49.
  74
  INDEX
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/GURPS [multi]/SETTING/Transhuman Space/Transhuman Space - Changing Times [GURPS 4E] [e23].pdf