Table Of ContentWritten by DAVID PULVER, with KENNETH PETERS
Additional Material by WILLIAM BARTON, LOYD BLANKENSHIP, and STEVE JACKSON
Edited by CHRISTOPHER AYLOTT, STEVE JACKSON,SEAN PUNCH,
WIL UPCHURCH, and NIKOLA VRTIS
Cover Art by SIMON LISSAMAN, DREW MORROW, BOB STEVLIC, and JOHN ZELEZNIK
Illustrated byJESSE DEGRAFF, IGOR FIORENTINI, SIMON LISSAMAN, DREW MORROW,
E. JON NETHERLAND, AARON PANAGOS, CHRISTOPHER SHY, BOB STEVLIC, and JOHN ZELEZNIK
Stock # 31-0104 Version 1.0 – May 22, 2007
STEVE JACKSON GAMES
C
ONTENTS
INTRODUCTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Adjusting for SM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 PERSONALGEARAND
About the Authors. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 EQUIPMENTSTATISTICS . . . . . . . . . . .16 CONSUMERGOODS . . . . . . . . . .38
About GURPS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Personal Items. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
2. CORETECHNOLOGIES. . . . . 18 Clothing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
1. ULTRA-TECHNOLOGY . . . . . . 5 POWER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18 Entertainment. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
AGESOFTECHNOLOGY . . . . . . . . . . . .6 Power Cells. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Recreation and
TL9 – The Microtech Age. . . . . . . . 6 Generators. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Personal Robots. . . . . . . . . . . . 41
TL10 – The Robotic Age. . . . . . . . . 6 Energy Collection. . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
TL11 – The Age of Beamed and 3. COMMUNICATIONS, SENSORS,
Exotic Matter. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Broadcast Power . . . . . . . . . . . 21 ANDMEDIA . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
TL12 – The Age of Miracles. . . . . . 7 Civilization and Power. . . . . . . . . . 21 COMMUNICATIONANDINTERFACE . . .42
Even Higher TLs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 COMPUTERS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21 Communicators. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
TECHLEVEL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8 Hardware. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Encryption. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Technological Progression. . . . . . . 8 AI: Hardware or Software?. . . . . . 23 Receive-Only or
TECHNOLOGYPATHS . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8 Software. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Transmit-Only Comms. . . . . . . 46
Conservative Hard SF. . . . . . . . . . . 9 Using a HUD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Translators. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Radical Hard SF. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Ubiquitous Computing . . . . . . . . . 25 Neural Interfaces. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
CyberPunk. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 ROBOTSANDTOTALCYBORGS . . . . .26 Networks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Nanotech Revolution . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Digital Intelligences. . . . . . . . . . . . 26 Mail and Freight. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Unlimited Technology. . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Drones . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 MEDIAANDEDUCATION . . . . . . . . . .51
Emergent Superscience. . . . . . . . 10 Superhuman Minds and the Recording and Playback. . . . . . . . 51
High Biotech. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Singularity. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 Virtual Reality. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Retrotech. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Renting Robots. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 Augmented Reality. . . . . . . . . . . . 56
Safe-Tech. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Cyborgs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 Sensies. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Psi-Tech . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 MACHINESASCHARACTERS . . . . . . .27 Mass Media. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
GADGETCONTROL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11 Machine Intelligence Lenses. . . . 27 Teaching and Learning Aids . . . . 59
Creating an Equipment List. . . . . 11 Biomorphic Lenses. . . . . . . . . . . . 28 SENSORSANDSCIENTIFIC
Preventive Measures. . . . . . . . . . . 12 Meta-Traits. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 EQUIPMENT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .60
Retroactive Measures. . . . . . . . . . 12 Attributes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Passive Visual Sensors . . . . . . . . . 60
BUYINGEQUIPMENT . . . . . . . . . . . . .13 Advantages. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 Indirect Passive Sensors. . . . . . . . 61
Black Markets. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Purchasing Machines. . . . . . . . . . . 29 Active Sensors. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Legality and Antiques. . . . . . . . . . . 14 Disadvantages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 Combination Sensors. . . . . . . . . . 66
WEARANDCARE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14 Perks. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 Scientific Equipment . . . . . . . . . . 66
Quirks. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Maintaining Gadgets. . . . . . . . . . . 14
Repairing Gadgets. . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Skills. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 4. HOUSING, TOOLS, AND
Robots and Society. . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Powering Gadgets. . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 SURVIVAL GEAR. . . . . . . . . 68
Robots in Action. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
INTEGRATINGAND Cinematic Combat. . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 HOUSINGANDFOOD . . . . . . . . . . . . .69
MODIFYINGEQUIPMENT . . . . . .15 Controlling and Domestic Equipment
Plug-in Gadgets. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Reprogramming AIs. . . . . . . . 35 and Appliances. . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
Combination Gadgets. . . . . . . . . . 16 Swarmbots. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 Housing and Construction. . . . . . 71
Gear for Nonhumans. . . . . . . . . . 16 Foodstuffs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
GURPSSystem Design ❚STEVE JACKSON Production Manager❚MONICA STEPHENS Marketing Director❚PAUL CHAPMAN
GURPSLine Editor❚SEAN PUNCH Art Director❚WILL SCHOONOVER Sales Manager❚ROSS JEPSON
Editorial Assistant❚CHRIS MAKA Production Artist❚ALEX FERNANDEZ Errata Coordinator❚ANDY VETROMILE
Indexer❚NIKOLA VRTIS Production Assistance❚THOMAS WEIGEL GURPSFAQ Maintainer❚–––––––
Page Design❚PHIL REED and–––– Print Buyer❚MONICA STEPHENS STÉPHANE THÉRIAULT
JUSTIN DE WITT
Lead Playtester: Jeff Wilson
Playtesters: Alexander Borghgraef, Frederick Brackin, Ken Burnside, Henry J. Cobb, Douglas Cole, Shawn Fisher, Erik Funk, Anthony Jackson,
MA Lloyd, Elizabeth McCoy, Onno Meyer, and Hans-Christian Vortisch
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2 C
ONTENTS
EXPEDITIONGEAR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .74 Options. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132 Bodyguards. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190
Lights. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74 Hotshots and Overheating. . . . . . 133 Force Shields. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192
Navigation Instruments. . . . . . . . 74 FLUIDPROJECTORS . . . . . . . . . . . . .134 Nuclear Dampers . . . . . . . . . . . . 193
Containers and Load-Bearing Sprays. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134 Stasis Webs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193
Equipment. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75 Vortex Ring Projectors. . . . . . . . 134 Other Force Fields. . . . . . . . . . . . 194
SEunrvvirivoanlm anendt Cala. m. .p .i n. .g . G. .e .a .r .. .. .. .. .. 7775 GUNSANDLAUNCHERS . . . . . . . . . .135 8. MEDICAL AND
Conventional and
Exploration, Safari, and ETC Guns. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135 BIOTECH. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196
Salvage Robots. . . . . . . . . . . . . 79 Gas Powered Air Guns. . . . . . . . 139 BIOMEDICALEQUIPMENT . . . . . . . .196
Crossing a Gravity Gradient. . . . . 79 Electromagnetic Guns . . . . . . . . 141 Medical Gear. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196
TOOLSANDCONSTRUCTION Grav Guns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143 Medical Robots. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 202
MATERIALS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .80 Gyrocs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144 Psychiatric Equipment. . . . . . . . 203
Tools and Tool Kits. . . . . . . . . . . . 80 Rockets and Missiles. . . . . . . . . . 145 Biotech Equipment. . . . . . . . . . . 204
Worker Robots. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85 Hand Grenades. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146 Drugs and Nano . . . . . . . . . . . . . 204
Heavy Equipment, Salvage, Typical Weapons by TL . . . . . . . . 148 Biotech Techniques . . . . . . . . . . . 206
and Rescue Gear. . . . . . . . . . . 87 FIREARMACCESSORIES . . . . . . . . . .149 CYBERNETICSAND
Demolitions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88 Targeting Systems. . . . . . . . . . . . 149 UPLOADING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .207
MANUFACTURING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .89 Smartgun Electronics . . . . . . . . . 149 Body Modifications. . . . . . . . . . . 208
Industrial Equipment. . . . . . . . . . 89 Other Accessories . . . . . . . . . . . . 150 Brain Implants . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215
Future Economies. . . . . . . . . . . . . 89 WARHEADSANDAMMUNITION . . . .152 Remote-Controlled
Memory Materials . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90 Conventional. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152 Cybernetics. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215
Von Neumann Machines. . . . . . . . 92 Nuclear and Antimatter. . . . . . . 156 Implanted Digital Mind. . . . . . . . 216
PSIAMPLIFIERS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .94 Energy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157 Cybernetic Uplift. . . . . . . . . . . . . 218
BIOCHEMICALAND Total Cyborg Brain
5. COVERT OPS Transplants. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 219
NANOTECHWEAPONS . . . . . . .159
AND SECURITY. . . . . . . . . . 95 Gases and Clouds . . . . . . . . . . . . 159 Uploading. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 219
Downloading Minds. . . . . . . . . . 220
DECEPTIONANDINTRUSION . . . . . . .95 Foams and Liquids. . . . . . . . . . . 160
Low- and Very-Low-Res
Burglary, Infiltration, Poisons. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161
Copies. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 220
and Sabotage. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95 Metabolic Nanoweapons. . . . . . 161
Campaign Effects of
Forgery and Counterfeiting. . . . . 96 MELEEANDTHROWN Uploading. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221
Disguises and Smuggling. . . . . . . 97 WEAPONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .162
ECM and Stealth. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98 Physical Weapons. . . . . . . . . . . . 162 9. VEHICLES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 222
Computer Intrusion . . . . . . . . . . 100
Energy Weapons. . . . . . . . . . . . . 164 Planetary Travel. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 222
SECURITYANDSURVEILLANCE . . . .101 COMBATROBOTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .167 Space Travel. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223
Barriers, Mines, and Traps. . . . . 101
Warbots and Androids. . . . . . . . 167 VEHICLES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .224
Future Crime . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
Robot Weapons. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168 ATVs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 224
Security Scanners. . . . . . . . . . . . 104
Surveillance and PERSONALVEHICLES . . . . . . . . . . . .225
Flying Cars. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 225
Tracking Devices. . . . . . . . . . 105
Counter-Surveillance TANKS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .226
and ECM. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106 HOVERCRAFT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .227
ENFORCEMENTANDCOERCION . . .106 MINISUBS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .228
Forensics and Lie Detection . . . 106 DIVERPROPULSIONSYSTEMS . . . . .228
Restraint and Riot
TILT-ROTORTRANSPORT . . . . . . . . .229
Control Devices. . . . . . . . . . . 107
UTILITYVERTOL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .229
Interrogation, Brainwashing,
and Animal Control. . . . . . . . 108 7. DEFENSES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170 GRAVBIKESANDPLATFORMS . . . . .229
Black Ops Robots. . . . . . . . . . . . 110 Materials . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170 Microplanes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 230
Flight Packs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 230
BODYARMORAND
6. WEAPONRY . . . . . . . . . . . . 112 Zero-G Thrusters. . . . . . . . . . . . . 231
PROTECTIVEGEAR . . . . . . . . .171
Weapon Tables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112 DROPCAPSULES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .232
Body Armor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171
BEAMWEAPONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .113 Tailoring Armor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174 MATTERTRANSMISSION . . . . . . . . .233
Lasers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113 Rigid Body Armor. . . . . . . . . . . . 176 Technologies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 233
Chemical Infared Lasers . . . . . . . 114 Environmental Gear MT Booths. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 233
Electrolaser . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119 and Suits. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176 Telegates. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 233
Microwave Weapons. . . . . . . . . . 120 Teleport Projectors . . . . . . . . . . . 234
POWEREDSUITS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .181
Neural Weapons . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121 Dimension and Time Travel. . . . . 234
Exoskeletons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181
Particle Accelerators. . . . . . . . . . 122 Mind Voyages. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 235
Battlesuits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182
Sonic Weapons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124
Plasma Weapons. . . . . . . . . . . . . 127 Typical Armor by TL . . . . . . . . . . 186 BIBLIOGRAPHY . . . . . . . . . . . . 236
Gravity Weapons. . . . . . . . . . . . . 128 DEFENSESYSTEMS . . . . . . . . . . . . .187
Nucleonic Beams . . . . . . . . . . . . 130 Other Defenses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187 INDEX. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 237
Reality Disruption Beams . . . . . 131 FORCEFIELDS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .190
Psionic Beams. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132 Force Screens . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190
C 3
ONTENTS
I
NTRODUCTION
GURPS Ultra-Tech is a sourcebook of science-fiction GURPS Psionics, BESM 2nd Edition, and Transhuman
gadgets and weapons. It’s a resource for space, alternate Space.
future, techno-thriller, cyberpunk, or supers games – any Kenneth L. Peters lives in Post Falls, Idaho. He is an
setting that requires technology from tomorrow and anthropology buff and a sergeant in the United States
beyond. Marine Corps Reserve. He is the author of Transhuman
The equipment described within spans the “future” tech Space: Spacecraft of the Solar System, and a co-author of
levels from TL9 (a few decades from now) to TL12 (the age Transhuman Space: Under Pressure and several
of miracles). The emphasis is on personal gear of all sorts, Shadowrunbooks.
from hyperspectral goggles and neutrino communicators
to gamma-ray laser rifles and dreadnought battlesuits.
Ultra-Tech also provides plenty of details on future About GURPS
medicine, but since GURPS Bio-Tech covered genetics,
biomods, and drugs, this book emphasizes hard tech – Steve Jackson Games is committed to full sup-
cybernetics, ultra-tech medical equipment, neural inter- port of GURPSplayers. Our address is SJ Games,
faces, and mind uploading. As technology advances, the P.O. Box 18957, Austin, TX 78760. Please include a
line between man and machine may become increasingly self-addressed, stamped envelope (SASE) any time
blurred. Ultra-Tech provides rules for establishing the you write us! We can also be reached by e-mail:
capabilities and limitations of artificial intelligence, as well [email protected]. Resources include:
as templates for robotic or total cyborg bodies, from handy
Pyramid (www.sjgames.com/pyramid/). Our
technical ‘bots to shapeshifting nanomorphs.
online magazine includes new GURPS rules and
Ultra-Tech is a catalog for players, and a resource for
articles. It also covers the d20system, Ars Magica,
the GM. Ultra-technology can propel adventures into
BESM, Call of Cthulhu,and many more top games
action, add color and atmosphere to a science-fiction
– and other Steve Jackson Games releases like
setting, serve as the object of a quest, or power a villain’s
Illuminati, Car Wars, Transhuman Space, and
sinister design. There’s no need to make every gadget in this
more. Pyramidsubscribers also get opportunities to
book available at once – that can be overwhelming! It’s up
playtest new GURPSbooks!
to the Game Master to decide exactly what gear to use ...
New supplements and adventures. GURPS con-
but to help out, we’ve provided a chapter of suggestions on
tinues to grow, and we’ll be happy to let you know
integrating equipment into the game and establishing
what’s new. For a current catalog, send us a legal-
alternative technology paths so that the technology fits the
sized SASE, or just visit www.warehouse23.com.
campaign.
e23. Our e-publishing division offers GURPS
adventures, play aids, and support not available
P H
UBLICATION ISTORY anywhere else! Just head over to e23.sjgames.com.
Errata.Everyone makes mistakes, including us –
This is the third edition of GURPS Ultra-Tech; it has
but we do our best to fix our errors. Up-to-date erra-
been revised to the GURPSFourth Editionrules. The old-
ta sheets for all GURPS releases, including this
est material included here dates back to the three chapters
book, are available on our website – see below.
of equipment in the first edition of GURPS Space(by Steve
Internet. Visit us on the World Wide Web at
Jackson and William A. Barton). This material was incor-
www.sjgames.com for errata, updates, Q&A, and
porated into GURPS Ultra-Tech(by David Pulver). GURPS
much more. To discuss GURPS with SJ Games staff
Ultra-Tech 2added more gadgets, including some adapted
and fellow gamers, come to our forums at
from GURPS Cyberpunk(by Loyd Blankenship). Material
forums.sjgames.com. The GURPS Ultra-Tech web
in the present edition was also inspired by technology in
page is www.sjgames.com/gurps/books/ultra-tech/.
GURPS Psionics, GURPS Robots, and Transhuman
Bibliographies.Many of our books have extensive
Space.
bibliographies, and we’re putting them online –
with links to let you buy the books that interest you!
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Go to the book’s web page and look for the
“Bibliography” link.
David L. Pulver lives in Victoria, British Columbia. He
has been a science-fiction fan and avid gamer for most of Rules and statistics in this book are specifically
his life. He is a co-author of the GURPS Basic Set, Fourth for the GURPS Basic Set, Fourth Edition. Page
Edition, and has written or co-authored over 60 other gam- references that begin with B refer to that book, not
ing books, including GURPS Bio-Tech, GURPS Robots, this one.
4 I
NTRODUCTION
C O
HAPTER NE
U -
LTRA
T
ECHNOLOGY
The trouble with commanding the Imperial Secret Today’s visitor was Merlin, the AI who ran the psycho-
Service’s clandestine Galactic Operations Directorate, Colonel history division. It didn’t waste any time.
Erasmus reflected, was that whenever you had an unexpect- “I have some very bad news,” said the Artificial
ed caller, it was always bad news. Intelligence.
Colonel Erasmus forced a smile. “Of course you do.” The
AI’s avatar, who seemed to get younger each time they met,
shimmered before his desk. “I’m a little busy.”
“You’ll be busier. We have an evolving singularity in the
local bubble.” Merlin waved a hand, and a holographic pro-
jection of the Terran Sector materialized, extending across
time and space. “Observe. The Bubble client states – here.
And here . . .”
“An expansionist threat from the Thearchy of
Buckminister?” Erasmus shook his head in disbelief.
“You’ve fried a circuit, Merlin. They’re a safe-tech civ-
ilization, steadily regressing to retro-tech. If they
invade, it’ll be the Ludenburg Star Empire all over
again.” He smiled wistfully. “Infantry with
auto-rifles and steel helmets, pouring out of
hyperdrive ships . . . I even saw some horse
cavalry. It was almost fun.”
“This won’t be. Your data is obsolete,
Erasmus. The new synod’s given its backing
to the Accelerationist faction in the clergy –
scientific progress now glorifies the Creator. I’ve
plotted their cultural dynamism. Take a look at
this.”
Holographic equations appeared, hanging
in the air. It had been a while since Erasmus
had taken techno-sociology, but he could still
decipher them. “A radical superscience culture
in 40 years?”
“So I predict. They’re got their own AIs now.
Last month, they began experimenting with
nanotechnology. Combine that with their exist-
ing FTL technology . . .”
“Apocalypse now. I get it. Unfortunately, all
my operatives are a little busy.”
“Anything important?”
“Preventing a nuclear war. Tracking down
several grams of stolen antimatter. Finding a missing
princess. The daily grind. I expect results soon.”
“Tell them to hurry.”
GURPS Ultra-Tech is a catalog of technologies and
equipment from TL9 (extrapolations of existing develop-
ments) to TL12 (devices that verge on the miraculous).
This chapter provides general background and rules for
ultra-technology, along with guidelines for adjusting the
availability of equipment in a campaign.
U -T 5
LTRA ECHNOLOGY
A T
GES OF ECHNOLOGY
The following is an overview of a typical sequence for nuclear explosions. Mini-nukes increase the risk of nuclear
the development of ultra-technology. war by blurring the boundaries between conventional and
nuclear arms.
TL9 – T M Body armor advances even more rapidly than weapons.
HE ICROTECH
Comfortable climate-controlled suits can protect the entire
A body, and space suits become lightweight vacc suits.
GE
Advances in micro-turbines and robotics make powered
Major advances occur in the material science, especial- suits feasible, both exoskeletons (for civilian and military
ly in the fabrication of nano-scale materials, the applications) and battlesuits.
development of composite materials, and in polymer-based Perhaps the most significant developments are in
electronics. This leads to the widespread use of devices bioscience. Functional organs can be grown with tissue
such as printed computers, flexible batteries, and bio-com- engineering and transplanted into the body. Wonder drugs
patible implants, as well as products such as video wallpa- and other treatments can be delivered in smart capsules.
per and chameleon suits. Not all diseases are cured, but lifespans may increase sub-
Micro-mechanical electromagnetic systems – tiny sen- stantially.
sors and actuators – drastically shrink many electronic and
Superscience:Monomolecular wire and plasma weapon-
mechanical devices. The results are dramatic, ranging from
ry are developed. It’s common for faster-than-light drives,
vehicle surfaces that can change their aerodynamic proper-
parachronic travel, reactionless drives, or other super-
ties to labs-on-a-chip and artificial gills.
science transport systems to appear. TL9 cultures can
Fuel cells and gas turbines are miniaturized and used as
spread out rapidly to other worlds.
power cells for electronics and other portable devices. On a
larger scale, nuclear fusion and solar power free society
from dependency on fossil fuels, although they may remain TL10 – THE ROBOTIC AGE
economically important.
Artificial intelligence becomes smarter and cheaper, and
Computers, sensors, and communicators are faster,
the first volitional AIs – machines that can think like people
smarter, and smaller, and can be built into almost anything.
– appear. Inexpensive sapient machines are commonplace.
Wearable computers are inexpensive.
Swarms of tiny microbots can be built, and biomechanical
Quantum computers can solve problems and break
nanomachines can perform prodigious feats of medicine
encryption by computing every possible solution at once,
and genetic engineering.
but quantum communication systems trump that with
People who can afford to take full advantage of TL10
unbreakable encryption. Neural interfaces link mind and
medicine may live for centuries or more. As science gains a
machine, and cybernetic implants do not merely replace
greater understanding of the human mind, more complex
injured body parts, but actually enhance them.
neuro-tech and cybernetics become available ... it’s possi-
Mobile robots are commonplace, used in everything
ble to cybernetically possess bodies, control minds, and
from nursing to vehicle operation to combat. However, they
record sensory information.
lack self-initiative, and many are teleoperated. Androids
Molecular nanotechnology is routinely used in manu-
that can look human (even if they don’t act human) are
facturing. Many products can be self-assembled “from the
expensive but available.
bottom up” using methods analogous to the way biological
Improvements in material technology lead to affordable
organisms grow. The tools used are biomechanical in
space transport systems, such as single-stage-to-orbit shut-
nature, combining proteins and engineered viruses with
tles or space elevators. Cheaper access to orbit may boost
metals and other inorganic materials. Bio-nanomachines
other space technology, such as nuclear engines for inter-
construct most biotech products and are used in medicine
planetary journeys, beamed power from solar satellites,
and genetic engineering, but molecular manufacturing is
and life support technology. Industry and even colonists
still limited to making specialized components and
may go into space, taking advantage of the gravity-free
products that can be assembled in “wet” environments.
environment to mine asteroids or develop better industrial
Macro-scale products using metals, semiconductors,
processes.
diamond-hard materials, and ceramics still rely on “top
Small arms technology still relies on conventional guns
down” manufacturing techniques.
(with improved ammunition and smart electronics) but
One example of the new bio-nanotech products is pseudo-
specialized non-lethal energy weapons such as electro-
alive polymers that are capable of self-repair. These “living
lasers and sonic nauseators appear. So do the first bulky
bio-plastics” make a range of tough, lightweight, and self-
laser sniper rifles, heavy electromagnetic railguns, and
maintaining equipment possible.
laser cannon.
Material and power generation technology continues
Antimatter is now routinely manufactured. It’s used in
to improve. Super-strong composite materials are rela-
medicine (as a radiation source) but is too expensive to be
tively inexpensive. Weapons technology takes a quantum
used as a fuel or explosive. It is still useful in space propul-
leap with the development of power cells that can power
sion and weaponry, as a catalyst for triggering “clean”
6 U -T
LTRA ECHNOLOGY
effective man-portable electromagnetic guns and high- TL12 – T A
HE GE OF
energy lasers, although conventional weapons may remain
in use with smarter ammunition. Nuclear fusion reactors MIRACLES
are small enough to power battle tanks and fighter-sized
spacecraft. TL12 societies use their understanding of the universe
to produce devices and effects that are incomprehensible to
Superscience:Gravity control technology leads to artifi- less advanced cultures. The TL11 advances in nanotechnol-
cial gravity and contragravity being used in personal vehi- ogy and exotic matter are fully integrated into civilization,
cles, houses, and weapons, as well as reactionless space along with new devices such as living metal, gamma-ray
drives. Nuclear dampers can neutralize the threat of lasers, and self-replicating nanomachine swarms.
nuclear weapons. New superscience weaponry becomes Simple pills can regenerate the body in a matter of
available, notably plasma guns and exotic sonic beams. hours, or grow new cybernetic implants a matter of days.
Pocket antimatter reactors power vehicles, and spaceships
TL11 – T A and cities run on total conversion of mass to energy. Entire
HE GE OF
planets can be moved, or disassembled to build a shell
EXOTIC MATTER around a star. Devastating personal weapons are developed,
while nanomachines can directly imprint consciousness
Technology achieves precise control over the atomic
into human brains.
structure of objects. A mature molecular nanotechnology
Most aspects of a TL12 civilization can be run by intel-
is available, capable of inexpensively fabricating most
ligent machines, and most people might be machines,
products with atomic-level precision. Nanofactories
whether wholly or in part. Sentient robots could reproduce
(pp.91-93) make products out of diamond-hard material
themselves rapidly, spreading like a plague to terraform (or
(“diamondoid”).
eat!) a planet in a matter of months, or build any industry
Not everything can be built in nanofactories, however.
that is required. Raw materials are easy to come by. While
The most advanced TL11 products tinker with the sub-
asteroid belts may be already used up, TL12 cultures can
atomic structure of matter to create exotic materials. This
dismantle Jupiter-sized gas giants for parts.
may involve replacing electrons with super-massive parti-
Of course, if several TL12 nations existed in the same
cles (such as muons) to create hyperdense matter.
area and no one wanted to leave, they would soon run out
Depending on its stability, this may be used as a catalyst for
of gas giants. Then things might get nasty ...
fusion reactions (resulting in more compact power plants),
or as a component in computer hardware, armor, and other Superscience: Matter transmitters can “beam up” or
equipment. “beam down” without a receiving booth at the other end.
Antimatter is another exotic material that comes of age Regeneration rays may supersede nanotechnology for
at TL11. As its price of manufacture drops, it begins to see rapid treatment of injuries. Force fields can alter the flow
use as a means of compact energy storage. Antimatter rock- of time. Disintegrators and reality disruptor weapons
et engines are also available. can destroy almost any target that is not protected by
A vast array of powerful beam weapons are now avail- superscience defenses. Fortunately, personal force fields
able, including portable particle beams (blasters) and X-ray and stasis fields can stop them.
lasers. In response, armor becomes stronger and smarter,
and is usually made of diamondoid composites and exotic
alloys. Most armor is powered, from skintight smartsuits to
nuclear-powered dreadnought battlesuits. Even Higher TLs
Nanotechnology dominates medicine. The standard way
to heal someone is to take him apart (using the chrysalis Incredibly advanced technologies are difficult to
machine) and put him back together again in perfect con- conceptualize, never mind use in play. Even so, it’s
dition. Minds can be copied without destroying the original hard to resist the question of “What’s next?”
body. One option is to assume an age of technological
stagnation sets in. TL12 science may answer all the
Superscience: Contragravity is miniaturized, resulting fundamental questions of the universe, and techno-
in personal flying belts and small, hyper-agile robot mis- logical progress may not be possible. There is no
siles. Force screen generators protect vehicles and instal- TL13; science catalogs what exists rather than
lations, but are not yet suitable for personal use. Ranged explaining it. Engineering is no longer about inven-
gravity projectors are available, leading to tractor and tion, but merely application.
pressor beams and gravitic weapons. Hypergravity tech- Another possibility is to continue a straight-line
nology can produce stabilized hyperdense armor and progression. TL13 devices are like TL12 but weigh
compact nuclear reactors. Matter transmission can tele- or cost half or two-thirds as much, and so on. Or
port people from place to place, as long as there is hard- superscience developments can have their TL
ware to send and receive. Superscience sensors can “scan” bumped up to TL13+. They may represent bold new
for just about anything, and even see through walls. inventions, or artifacts from civilizations that ruled
Ranged neurotech devices such as dream nets and neural the galaxy eons ago.
disruptors are introduced. Recorded minds can be played
back into living bodies.
U -T 7
LTRA ECHNOLOGY
T L
ECH EVEL
Tech Level (TL) is an index of a society’s average Accelerated progression is extremely fast, in keeping
technological achievement, especially in its baseline with some optimistic futurist or transhumanist specula-
technology. tions. At this speed, humans will reach TL12 before we
can do much in the way of colonizing the universe.
T Perhaps we won’t even bother, if the “inner space” of
ECHNOLOGICAL
nanotechnology and virtual reality provides everything
P we need.
ROGRESSION
Fast progression is an optimistic pace of development
How quickly a society advances in Tech Level can be a which recognizes that societies take some time to assimi-
crucial element of a science fiction setting, especially one late technologies. It assumes that the pace of invention
that proceeds from Earth’s present. begins to flag as certain fundamental physical limits are
A rapid pace of technological change lets the GM add approached; it’s harder to play with atomic or subatomic
advanced technology to our own world without having to technologies.
make many changes in present-day culture or internation- Mediumprogression could result from “bumps in the
al politics. Most cyberpunk worlds are examples of this. road” such as wars or disasters, or the influence of polit-
Rapid change suggests a dynamic society that is struggling ical movements or religious orthodoxy that impose a
to come to terms with the latest developments. cautious approach to the sciences. This provides plenty
At the other extreme, many events common to science of time for humanity to establish interstellar colonies or
fiction settings require centuries or millennia: the estab- change society drastically without progressing beyond
lishment of large extraterrestrial populations, the rise of TL10.
new civilizations or empires, or the terraforming of planets. Slow progression might be the result of multiple wars,
If the GM wants to combine these long-range social and resource exhaustion, or powerful anti-technology move-
political developments with TL9 or TL10 equipment, it’s ments that put the brakes on progress. A slowly developing
necessary to have a slow pace of technological change. This society may have organizations devoted to controlling
may take the form of a superscience technology (such as “dangerous” technology.
FTL travel) appearing at TL9, followed by a long period of Retarded progression usually stems from technological
slower technological growth. stagnation, often in conjunction with a Dark Age that caus-
The table below depicts five examples of TL progression: es a major decline or fall of civilization. This gives plenty of
accelerated, fast, medium, slow, and retarded. Each has a time for interstellar empires to be established without tech-
set of “typical” start dates for TL9+ technologies, from the nology changing humanity beyond recognition, and pushes
perspective of a present-day terrestrial human baseline in the development of TL12 civilization into the very far
which TL8 began around 1980. These progressions can future.
easily be adapted to other start dates for alien or alternate-
Other options can also exist. A civilization could reach a
history cultures.
particular TL plateau and then freeze or regress due to cat-
aclysmic events or social changes. A society might be
TL Progression Start Dates
stymied by physical limits, such as one that develops under-
TL Accelerated Fast Medium Slow Retarded water or on a world with few metals. Societies could also
9 2020 2025 2030 2040 2050 take a path where the main TL remained constant, but
10 2050 2075 2120 2200 2500 where steady progress was made in superscience, or even
11 2100 2200 2500 3000 7000 in psionics or magic.
12 2200 2600 4000 8000 20000
T P
ECHNOLOGY ATHS
The standard GURPStech levels represent just one of Apply the Split Tech Levelrule (p.B511) as liberally as you
many paths that describe how different technologies wish to simulate a particular world or genre. For instance, in
pace one another in development. The tech levels of the a “cyberpunk” society, computing, bionics, and biotechnolo-
various items in this book should be treated simply as gy might be one or two TLs more advanced. In contrast, a
guidelines – a culture may develop some technologies “retro-tech” setting that mimics 1940s sci-fi might have com-
more rapidly than others. This might result from puters frozen at TL6 but other technologies anywhere from
accident, economics, a ban on research in certain areas, TL9 to TL12. Any combination is possible! A few “alternative
or the way the laws of physics work in that particular technology” concepts appear below. Feel free to use them,
universe. modify them, combine them, or create your own.
8 U -T
LTRA ECHNOLOGY
C
YBERPUNK
Unlimited Technology In this technology path, advances in cybernetics, med-
ical science, and some computer technologies race ahead of
This is the “default” technology path – simply
other technologies. This is often combined with either an
use every technology available at the assigned TL,
accelerated or fast TL progression. The increase in com-
whether it is radical tech, baseline, or superscience!
puter power is assumed to drive rapid developments in
In recent years, this has actually emerged as a
other fields, especially cybernetics, neural interfaces
dynamic science fiction sub-genre, sometimes
between mind and machine, and biotechnology, creating a
called “the New Space Opera.”
“future shock” climate in which society is constantly strug-
Unrestricted tech can be challenging for the GM,
gling to adapt.
especially at TL11 and TL12, due to the enormous
Cyberpunk worlds are usually TL8 to TL10. They have
range of possibilities and the array of resources it
some or all of these features:
provides to adventurers. However, it allows for
future worldbuilding on a grand scale, in which • Medical and biotech (Chapter 8) developments are
space opera and superscience meld with self-repli- strongly emphasized, and cybernetics or uploading may be
cation machines and nanotechnology to create one or two TLs more advanced than the general TL.
baroque wonders and marvels. • Neural interfaces (pp. 48-49) and sensies (pp. 57-58)
are common technologies, and may also be ahead of the
general TL.
• Volitional AI (p.25) is often present. Depending on the
C H SF
ONSERVATIVE ARD TL of the computer hardware, it may be available in mobile
robots, or found only in the most powerful computer sys-
In this path, technology is restricted to cautious extrap-
tems owned by large corporations and governments.
olations of present-day science. This type of setting may
lack the sound and fury of space opera or radical hard SF, A few superscience elements often creep in. Many cyber-
but it does bring a certain constancy to the campaign. If punk settings include monowire (p.103), neural disruptors
characters cannot rely on a technobabble device to produce (pp. 121-122), and downloading (pp. 220-221). However,
a deus ex machina, the world may seem more real to the even a cyberpunk game with no superscience can be
players – and more exciting as a result. cinematic in other respects; e.g., with the adoption of cine-
To create a conservative hard SF technology list, omitall matic combat or computer hacking rules!
new gadgets and technologies introduced after TL9. A con-
servative hard SF setting can still be specified as being
N R
ANOTECH EVOLUTION
TL10-12 ... if a TL9 gadget indicates it improves in some
way at higher TLs, it still does so. For example, computers GURPS Ultra-Tech assumes that dry molecular nan-
get their +2 Complexity per TL of introduction, but any new otechnology (the engineering of matter using nanoma-
software or computer technology introduced at TL10+ is chines) is not mature until TL11. Some futurists don’t share
unavailable. This is a general principle; the GM is free to this tame view. They predict a mature molecular nanotech-
make whatever exceptions suit the setting. nology will arrive within 30 to 50 years, creating a society
A truly hard SF campaign will have no superscience at that can build nearly anything for practically nothing.
all, but a few carefully-chosen superscience inventions, Such a rapid nanotechnology revolution requires at
such as a faster-than-light travel, may be added without least a TL9 background in chemistry and biotechnology.
changing the flavor too much. After it begins, spinoff factors will result in development in
Technology progression is usually medium or slow. many other technologies, partly due to a vast increase in
computing power and materials technology, and partly
R H SF because nanomachines may be able to rapidly replicate and
ADICAL ARD
improve themselves.
A radical hard SF setting emphasizes the transforma- It is simpler to assume that nanotechnology speeds up
tional possibilities of technologies such as artificial intelli- all technological progress than to pick and choose which
gence, genetic engineering, nanofactories, robotics, self- technologies appear “early.” This is the accelerated TL pro-
replicating machines, uploading, and mega-engineering. gression, although even fasterprogress may be possible in
Humans (or other races) may evolve their own bodies or some settings. A common Nanotech Revolution trope is the
minds into barely recognizable configurations. idea that super-intelligent computers, uploaded people, or
To create a radical hard SF technology path, set the other speedy nanotech entities will progress a TL every few
campaign at TL10-12 but omit most or all superscience years – or even every few months! The result may be a so-
technology. As with conservative hard SF, a few examples of called “singularity” in which the world becomes unrecog-
superscience may creep in, usually justified by a grand uni- nizable. “Normal” humans might see a singularity as a
fied theory (GUT) that reconciles gravity and quantum bizarre apocalyptic horror setting. The super-minds could
physics. even evolve out of our reality completely, leaving behind
Technology progression is usually medium, fast, or dazed (and possibly altered) survivors in a transformed
accelerated. world.
U -T 9
LTRA ECHNOLOGY
