Character Advancement

This is a summary of the revised character development rules published in the Klingon Core
Rulebook. These were developed by Modiphius based on player feedback about the character
development rules established in the original STA rulebook.
Personal logs and values
Each player keeps a personal log of their adventures for their main character (separate from any
captain's or department head logs). Each log entry should:

 mention the stardate and your character's name (optional: episode title, if known)
 provide a description of your character's involvement in the episode. 1-2 sentences are
fine; players may elaborate if they wish (which can add to the Star Trek experience)
 if you used a value positively, negatively, or challenged a value; describe how the value
was used. Notes on using values:
o positive use of a value: used a value to spend your determination; describe the
situation in your log and how the value applied unless it is relatively self-evident
o negative use of a value: if a value would cause a character to act in a way the
player doesn't intend or brings up dramatic conflict based on the circumstances
then the player can accept a complication (of the GM's choice related to the
situation and value) and gain a point of determination.
o challenging a value: the character acts in a manner contrary to one of their values
in order to gain a point of determination; the challenged value is then re-written
to reflect the change in the character's views and paradigm.
 If you use a value in one of these ways during the episode you may:
o adjust an attribute: reduce one attribute by one while increasing another by
one
o adjust a discipline: reduce one discipline by one while increasing another by
one
o swap a focus: choose one focus and replace it with a different one
o swap a talent: replace a talent with a different talent for which the character
meets the prerequisites
o develop a supporting character in one of the above ways.

How to gain a milestone

The process of gaining a milestone takes a minimum of two episodes: one to initially use a value
and a subsequent episode in which they use the same value again in a similar way. The process

1. A value is used positively or negatively during an episode and the player records the
details of that use in their personal log.
2. In a later episode, the character uses that value again in a similar manner, calling back to
the previous use of that value. When this happens, the player gains a milestone and
makes a notation in their logs of the two episodes that were used to gain the milestone.
3. The player can then make one of the following:
o improve an attribute by 1 (max 11; each attribute may only be improved once in
this manner)
o improve a discipline by 1 (max 4, each discipline may only be improved once in
this manner)
o gain one additional focus
 o gain one additional talent
o develop a supporting character in one of the above ways
o adjust the ship's systems by reducing a system by 1 while increasing another by 1
(min6/max 11)
o Adjust the ship's departments by reducing a system by 1 while increasing another
by 1 (min 1/max 4)
o swap out one of the ship's talents for another

Character arcs
Character arcs can be used to further develop a character and require at least 3 episodes to earn.
The process:

1. the player uses a value in a similar fashion that they did to earn a milestone
2. the player gains a character arc (note that each time a player gains a character arc, the
next one requires an additional call back; i.e the first arc is earned by using a value in a
similar manner across three episodes, the second arc is earned by using the a value in a
similar manner across four episodes.
3. player spends the character arc to:
o improve an attribute by 1 (max 12)
o improve a discipline by 1 (max 5)
o create an additional value
o gain an additional talent
o increase a ship system by 1 (max 12; limit 1 increase per system)
o increase a ship's department by 1 (max 5; limit 1 increase per department)
o select an additional talent to the ship
o swap out one of the ship's talent

Reputation
A character's reputation represents how they are perceived by their peers and is required to gain
promotions, medals, and other perks. Reputation is a value between 1 and 5 with a base/starting
value of 3.

Reputation Influence

0 The character is barely fit to be called a Starfleet Officer, and they have few, if
any, chances left to redeem themselves and salvage their career. Further
problems may see them discharged from the service or worse.

1 The character's record is poor, and their future in Starfleet is questionable.

They are viewed as dangerously prone to disobedience, insubordination, and
needless recklessness. Further problems may result in significant disciplinary
action.

2 The character's record is somewhat uncertain, and their performance is

questionable. They are viewed as being too quick to disregard Starfleet's rules
and regulations, occasionally insubordinate, or they have gained a reputation
for unnecessary recklessness.

3 The character's record is solid, and their performance is satisfactory. This is the
 default state for a new character's Reputation

4 The character has a fine record, including a few commendations for exceptional
performance. They are viewed as good and dutiful officers, and their expertise
and perspectives are worthy of consideration

5 The character has an exemplary record, including numerous commendations

and decorations for acting above and beyond the call of duty. They are the
finest that Starfleet has to offer, and they are given greater discretion in how
they carry out their duties.

Reputation Roll process:

 Determine target number: target number is equal to 7 plus current reputation

 Set difficulty: difficulty is equal to the number of negative influences
 Assemble die pool: roll a number of d20s equal to the number of positive influences (no
limit)
 Check for successes: each d20 that rolls equal to or less than the target number
generates 1 success

1. any d20 which rolls equal to or less than current reputation generates two rather than
one success
2. any d20 that rolls a 20 is a complication (comp range increases by 1 for each saved
reprimand up to 5 reprimands)
 Compare to difficulty: Each success above the difficulty results in a point of acclaim. If the
number of successes is less than the difficulty you gain 1 reprimand plus another for each
complication
 Spend all acclaim or reprimands earned

Answering yes to the following questions are considered positive influences.

 Was your mission successful?

 Did you positively use one or more of the adventure’s Directives?
 Did you obey the orders given to you by your superiors?
 Did you prevent combat from occurring, or avoid escalating hostilities?
 Did you establish common ground or peaceful cooperation with those who were newly
encountered or who were previously hostile to you?
 Did you directly contribute to saving the lives of innocent people or your fellow crew?
 Did you take all reasonable action to render aid to those in urgent need or distress?

Answering yes to the following questions is considered a negative influence on the

character’s Reputation.

 Was your mission a failure?

 Did you challenge one of the adventure’s Directives?
 Were you disobedient to your superiors?
 Were personnel under your command killed during the mission?
 Did you employ force to any ends other than the defense of self, ship, crew, or innocent life?
 Did you employ lethal force during the mission?
  Did you take any unnecessary risks during the mission?
 Did you cause, or allow through inaction, innocent lives to be lost during the mission?
 Did you lie, cheat, threaten, or coerce others in order to achieve objectives during the
mission?
 Did you permit a colleague or subordinate to act unethically or illegally during the
performance of their duties?

Acclaim can be spent in the following ways (all acclaim must be spent...use it or lose it):

 Gain Favor: With renown comes the attention of others. You may spend Glory to obtain a
favor from an NPC you encountered during the adventure (who cannot be an enemy). This
costs 1 Glory normally, but the cost increases by 1 if the NPC is not from Starfleet, by 1 if
the NPC commands a starship (or has similar status), or 2 if the NPC is an admiral, general,
or other high-ranking figure. These increases in cost can be combined: getting a favor from a
foreign ambassador costs 4 Glory, while a favor from the chief operations officer on a
Federation starbase only costs 1.
 Increase Reputation: You may increase your Reputation by 1, by spending Glory equal to
the Reputation you are increasing to (that is, increasing Reputation from 3 to 4 costs 4
Glory). You may only use this at most once per adventure.
 Commend Another: If you are the commanding officer, you may spend 1 Glory to commend
another main character in the group. This counts as one extra positive influence on the
character’s reputation roll, and it must be done before that character rolls.
 Awards: Glory may be used to purchase awards, which provide limited, but potent benefits
to those who achieve them. Each award has a different cost and may have additional
requirements. A selection of Starfleet awards is presented in the Command Division
Sourcebook, and this system has been designed so that those awards can be used in this
system without any changes.
 Status: With the gamemaster’s assistance, create an additional trait for the character, which
reflects their achievements, recognition, or special status, or remove a trait which represents
something negative or detrimental to the character. If the character is a commanding
officer, then they may add a trait to their ship instead. This costs 3 Glory.
 Elevation: A character who is a non-commissioned officer may receive a battlefield
commission and become an officer, by spending 3 Glory. If the commanding officer refuses,
no Glory is spent.
 Promotion: A character may be promoted to a higher rank, by spending 3 Glory. If the
commanding officer refuses, no Glory is spent. A commander may not promote anyone to
commander or above, and a captain may not promote anyone to captain or above.

Reprimands can be spent in the following ways (up to 5 reprimands can be saved, but doing so
increases the complication range of your reputation roll):

 Gain Antipathy: Poor conduct earns enmity and makes enemies. You may declare that an
allied NPC you encountered during the adventure regards you poorly. This uses 1 reprimand
normally, but the cost increases by 1 if the NPC commands a starship (or has similar status),
or 2 if the NPC is an admiral, general, or other high ranking figure.
 Reduce Reputation: You may reduce your Reputation by 1, using Reprimands equal to the
Reputation you previously held (that is, reducing Reputation from 3 to 2 uses up 3
Reprimands). You may only use this at most once per adventure.
 Demotion: You may accept demotion from your current rank, having proven yourself
unworthy of the status you attained. Reduce your rank by one step (i.e., from Commander to
Lieutenant Commander, or from Lieutenant to Lieutenant, J.G., etc.). This uses 3
Reprimands.
 Dishonor by Association: If you are the commanding officer, you may stain the reputation
of others aboard your ship. This counts as one extra negative influence on each other main
character’s reputation roll, and it must be done before those characters roll. This uses 2
Reprimands.
 Stripped of Acclaim: If you have one or more awards, you may remove one or more of
them to remove Reprimands; each award removed uses Reprimands equal to its cost.
 Status: With the gamemaster’s assistance, create an additional trait for the character, which
reflects their dishonor, cowardice, or disgrace, or remove a trait which represents something
positive. If the character is a commanding officer, then they may add a trait to their ship
instead. This costs 3 Reprimands.
 Detention: You are stripped of your duties and locked away for a short duration, stripped of
your freedom and forced to contemplate your shame in isolation. A character in detention
cannot be used: you must use a supporting character instead during the next
adventure. This uses 2 Reprimands.
 Court Martial: You are arrested and placed on trial for your actions, using 5 Reprimands.
You have the right to legal counsel in your defense, and the court martial proceedings should
be played out in-game. The court will determine guilt or innocence, and pass sentence on
you, which can include dishonorable discharge from Starfleet and long-term incarceration in
a penal facility.