By SEAN BARRETT Revised by Andrew Hackard Additional Material by William H
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™ SECOND EDITION Roleplaying in E.E. “Doc” Smith’s Classic Space Opera By SEAN BARRETT Revised by Andrew Hackard Additional Material by William H. Stoddard Edited by Scott Haring and Steve Jackson Cover by Kelly Freas Illustrated by Dan Smith Additional Illustrations by Denis Loubet Production by Remi Treuer GURPS System Design Steve Jackson The Playtesters of the Lens: Leif Bennett, Winchell D. Chung, Ben Coambs, Managing Editor Alain H. Dawson Scott Corum, Marc A. Dostaler, GURPS Line Editor Sean Punch Dr. John S. Eickemeyer, David Gordon Empey, Robert Gilson, Nate Hanner, Travis Herring, Design and Typography Jeff Koke and Alexander Lewis Jones, Charles Keith-Stanley, Remi Treuer Joseph Melton, H. Ian Novack, Laird Popkin, David L. Pulver, Tad Simmons, Timothy Tai, and Production Manager Gene Seabolt the Illuminati BBS. Print Buyer Paul Rickert Advice and Assistance: Art Director Philip Reed Kelly Freas, Dr. Laura Freas, Paul Hume, GURPS Errata Coordinator Andy Vetromile David Joiner, and Bonnie Long-Hemsath. Special thanks to Sales Manager Ross Jepson Verna Smith Trestrail and Susan Miller. GURPS, Warehouse 23, and the all-seeing pyramid are registered trademarks of Steve Jackson Games Incorporated. GURPS Lensman, and Pyramid, and the names of products published by Steve Jackson Games Incorporated are registered trademark or trademarks of Steve Jackson Games Incorporated, or used under license. Lensman is a trademark of the E.E. “Doc” Smith Estate. All rights reserved. GURPS Lensman is copyright ©1993, 2001 by Steve Jackson Games Incorporated. All rights reserved. ISBN 1-55634-527-5 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 INTRODUCTION . 3 DELGONIANS . 39 The Rescue of Medon . 75 7. COMBAT ADDITIONAL MATERIAL . 3 DHILIANS Beams of Force . 76 . 103 About GURPS . 3 AND NHALIANS . 39 WEAPONS OF MASS SPACE OPERA THE FIRST HISTORIAN . 4 EDDORIANS . 39 DESTRUCTION . 77 COMBAT SYSTEM . 104 Characters From EICH . 40 Annihilation The Scream of Other Campaigns . 4 JOVIANS . 40 of a Planet . 77 Escaping Air . 104 THE PRESENT KALONIANS,TOMINGANS, Brute-Force Inerting: “. In the event HISTORIAN . 4 ETC. 41 The “Net” . 79 of a loss of cabin Political Correctness . 4 LYRANIANS . 41 WEAPONS OF INDIVIDUAL pressure . .” . 105 MARTIANS . 41 DESTRUCTION . 80 Kamikaze Attacks . 106 1. HISTORY & NEVIANS . 42 A Note on“Free” Precision Gunnery . 107 SOCIETY . 5 ONLONIANS . 42 Combat . 81 Turn Sequence . 108 A BRIEF HISTORY OF PLOORANS . 42 PERSONAL ARMOR . 82 Follow-the-Leader – CIVILIZATION . 6 Spring . 43 WEAPONS AND or “You’ll Lexicon . 6 Summer . 43 ARMOR TABLES . 83 Kill Us All!” . 108 A Watchmaker Autumn . 43 MISCELLANEOUS Unorthodox Tactics – Universe? . 7 Winter . 43 EQUIPMENT . 83 or “Have You WOMEN AND LENSES . 9 POSENIANS . 43 A Machine to Do a Gone ?!?” . 109 Three Views Mad VALERIANS . 43 Computer’s Job . 84 Inventing of Women . 10 VEGIANS . 43 MEDICAL Maneuvers . 110 THE ACADEMY . 11 VENERIANS . 44 TECHNOLOGY . 84 The Furball . 111 The Oath . 11 SAMPLE CHARACTERS . 44 THE HYPER-SPATIAL SOCS IN LENSMAN . 112 Recognition . 12 TUBE . 84 Battle Stations! . 112 SCALES OF MENTAL 4. GAZETTEER . 52 PSIONIC DEVICES . 85 Damaging Inertialess PROWESS . 12 CLEAR ETHER . 53 LEGAL DRUGS . 86 Objects . 113 Officers’ Specialties – Line OTHER TELLUS-TYPE ILLEGAL DRUGS . 87 Example of Lensman and Staff Corps . 12 PLANETS . 55 Thionite Examples . 89 Combat . 114 THE GALACTIC UNION . 13 Radeligian Oglons – MARTIAL ARTS . 115 The Firsts . 13 Cateagles . 55 SAMPLE SHIPS . 89 The Enemies . 13 PLANETS . 56 PRODIGIOUS . 89 8. CAMPAIGNS THE HOME FRONT . 14 42-63510 – THE 5. TECHNOLOGY . 117 “HEAVENLY BODY”. 90 The “Little Lady” . 15 . 64 Cinematic Play . 118 Klono’s Anatomy . 16 FORCE,DRIVE,SCOPE, TECHNOLOGY STAGE . 65 6. TELEPATHY Taxes . 17 RANGE,POWER . BUT Tech Stages . 65 & THE LENS . 91 ABOVE ALL,ABSOLUTE 2. CHARACTERS ELECTRONICS . 65 THE LENS . 92 . 18 Units . 66 Improving Telepathic INTEGRITY . 118 VILLAIN-DRIVEN CHARACTER POINTS . 19 SHIP CONSTRUCTION . 66 Abilities . 92 PLOTTING . 119 CHARACTER TYPES . 19 Dimensions . 67 TELEPATHY . 93 Balance . 120 ADVANTAGES,DISADVANTAGES, Upkeep . 67 Deathscream . 94 VIEWPOINT . 120 AND SKILLS . 25 From Adventures in the Area Attacks . 95 TIME PERIOD . 120 ADVANTAGES . 25 Physical Sciences, Ricochets . 96 Arisia and Eddore . 121 NEW ADVANTAGES . 27 Chapter Four: Inertia Combination Attacks . 97 ADVENTURE SEEDS . 122 The Exalted . 28 and Weight . 70 Telereceive in Battle . 98 Theme Music . 122 DISADVANTAGES . 28 From Adventures in the Undetectable Mindwipe 99 The Lens NEW DISADVANTAGES . 29 Physical Sciences Lab Telepathic Across Genres . 124 SKILLS . 30 Book, Experiment 23: Assistance . 100 NEW SKILLS . 31 Inertialessness . 71 Wide-Open BIBLIOGRAPHY ECONOMICS,JOBS, Assault on Helmuth . 73 Two-Way . 100 . 126 AND WEALTH . 32 The Z9M9Z at the Wide-Open N-Way . 101 Battle of Midway . 74 INDEX . 127 3. RACES . 35 THE GALACTIC UNION’S RACIAL PROFILE SYSTEM . 36 PALAINIANS . 37 RIGELLIANS . 37 VELANTIANS . 38 ARISIANS . 38 CHICKLADORIANS . 39 2CONTENTS “Two thousand million or so years ago two galaxies were drive by the Triplanetary League through the annihilation of colliding; or, rather, were passing through each other.” So dread Ploor. begins the Epic of Space; so begins the war for freedom. The The Ultimate War has begun. Many of you won’t come story does not stop until the human race produces its ultimate back. But Lensmen always go in. development: minds of such maturity that they can think – think with drive, scope, and clarity – think so competently as ADDITIONAL M ATERIAL to be able to visualize the details of the entire macrocosmic universe, from the instant of its creation to its ultimate end. The GURPS Basic Set is required to use this worldbook. Two races are already ancient when the saga begins. GMs will find GURPS Space and GURPS Psionics useful as Eddore seeks conquest, and on the myriads of planets formed well. Though an interesting assortment of technology is during the interpassage of galaxies they find life enough to described in Chapter 5, some weapons and equipment from temporarily sate even their lust for dominion. Arisia opposes GURPS Ultra-Tech may be used in GURPS Lensman cam- them, but cannot stop them without help. That help is the paigns. The martial arts practiced by the various peoples of Galactic Patrol, and its assemblage has taken several long Civilization and Boskonia are surveyed in Chapter 7, though a Arisian lifetimes, two thousand million years. GM will need GURPS Martial Arts to make use of that The work is done in complete secrecy, for if Eddore learns information. of the plan prematurely, its failure is certain. Even more, Civi- GMs should read the Lensman series to understand the lization itself must not learn of its ultimate purpose, for that unique feel of this universe. GURPS Lensman is based on knowledge would introduce an inferiority complex that would those books. William B. Ellern’s stories, and David Kyle’s tril- ruin it forever. The Patrol believes it is fighting a war on drugs ogy about the nonhuman Second-Stage Lensmen, were used and piracy. The true scope of the War, though, can only be where they did not contradict the original series. Several other fully comprehended by entities of the third level of develop- books are listed in the bibliography that are not strictly com- ment. It is nothing less than the War of Good and Evil. patible with the Lensman series, such as Spacehounds of IPC, This book describes that conflict’s final phase, the Boskon- but which have similar tones and may enhance a Lensman ian War, from the invention of the Bergenholm inertialess campaign. 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