TL of Mustering Out Benefits

[jwpacker]

I sincerely apologize if this is an FAQ, my searching has failed me here, and through the rules.

When one musters out, and chooses a non-cash benefit, one can get weapons, armor and other gear. But it doesn't specify the TL of the item that you get, and sometimes that's relevant.

If, for example, I roll Armor, and choose Combat Armor - am I getting TL 11, 12 or 14 gear?

Is there an official ruling on this?

 

[BP]

Not covered in any official ruling I'm aware of... but I provide the mustering benefits for my players, so this is a non-issue for me.

Irregardless, this would fall to whatever the Ref allowed.

If Scientific Equipment is used as a guide then it would be 'gained at the lowest Technology Level if multiple TLs are listed' (Core pg 35).

 

[Solomani666]

I sincerely apologize if this is an FAQ, my searching has failed me here, and through the rules.

When one musters out, and chooses a non-cash benefit, one can get weapons, armor and other gear. But it doesn't specify the TL of the item that you get, and sometimes that's relevant.

If, for example, I roll Armor, and choose Combat Armor - am I getting TL 11, 12 or 14 gear?

Is there an official ruling on this?

I generally limit it to weapons and armor issued to the characters unit, with battledress and fusion weapons being a strict no-go. I also take rank into account and whether the character has gained an ally in the service.

So an enlisted Navy PC might muster out with a snub or 9mm pistol, while a Navy officer might muster out with a gauss pistol as basic weapon choices. Increase by a level if the character has an ally in the service.

One one occasion I did allow a PC to muster out with battle dress and a fusion gun. The PC was a high ranking Marine officer with an ally and had registered/licensed his own mercenary company before retiring.


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[jwpacker]

If Scientific Equipment is used as a guide then it would be 'gained at the lowest Technology Level if multiple TLs are listed' (Core pg 35).

Ah, I'd not run into Scientific Equipment yet - that's as close to a precedent as I've seen thus far.

I generally limit it to weapons and armor issued to the characters unit, with battledress and fusion weapons being a strict no-go. I also take rank into account and whether the character has gained an ally in the service.

Agreed on this - something that powerful would have to be situationally appropriate for sure. But even Cloth armor and Stunner pistols have multiple tech levels, so it's nice to know that they will usually be the 'oldest' version if you follow the same pattern as Scientific Equipment.

 

[DFW]

When one musters out, and chooses a non-cash benefit, one can get weapons, armor and other gear. But it doesn't specify the TL of the item that you get, and sometimes that's relevant.

I treat items gained at mustering out time as something the character has been using in service that he takes with him. Not, a newly issued item. Thus, it is whatever he was using in his last term of service.

 

[locarno24]

I treat items gained at mustering out time as something the character has been using in service that he takes with him. Not, a newly issued item. Thus, it is whatever he was using in his last term of service.

Regardless of whether you see it as 'his' service pistol, or else a surplus item that a long standing friend in the quartermastery has 'lost' as a parting gift, it's still going to be a standard issue item - so yes, take your best guess as to the TL appropriate to the service.

For example, Imperial Navy (and marines) would be T14, whilst subsector and planetary fleets would more likely be TL12-13 (depending on the specific system), and so on.

If I was GM, I'd say the lowest TL by default but be open to be convinced to let you take an appropriately higher TL item if you can give a good reason.

 

[DFW]

Regardless of whether you see it as 'his' service pistol, or else a surplus item that a long standing friend in the quartermastery has 'lost' as a parting gift, it's still going to be a standard issue item - so yes, take your best guess as to the TL appropriate to the service.

Yes, that was my point. IMTU, Imp. Fleet uses ~TL14 items unless a good reason not to. Sub-sector Fleet TL 13, etc. Scouts avg. 13 unless, on new exploration, then they use the highest available. Merchants ~Tl 12.

 

[Treebore]

Usually you muster out on a planet, or in a system, and you KNOW the TL for that, and THAT is the default TL for the mustering out gear, but as always, ultimately it is whatever, or however, the GM wishes it to be.

 

[DFW]

Usually you muster out on a planet, or in a system, and you KNOW the TL for that, and THAT is the default TL for the mustering out gear,

Really? I was searching for a MGT rule on it but couldn't find. Can you give book & page?

 

[Treebore]

Usually you muster out on a planet, or in a system, and you KNOW the TL for that, and THAT is the default TL for the mustering out gear,

Really? I was searching for a MGT rule on it but couldn't find. Can you give book & page?

Its under the "common sense" clause. What is the TL of any gear? The TL of the planet you are on, or system you are in, buying or obtaining it. Or whatever else the GM determines for any reason they find fitting.

The default is, and has always been since Classic, that gear is assumed to be of the TL of where you are at. Want higher TL gear? Go to a higher TL location.

Again, the GM is always entitled to deviate from that assumption whenever they wish, for whatever reason they wish too.

 

[phavoc]

I would give the person the gear of the TL that they were commonly using. Imperial tech is generally going to the highest, on average, so if you mustered out and got a "portacomp", it would be TL-15, since that was the type of gear you used. If they were in say the local system defense forces, which used an average of TL-12, then they shoudl get a TL-12 "portacomp". And, of course, prohibited weaponry and gear would always remain out of legal reach... nothing saying that a clever supply sergeant wouldn't have been able to put away all the parts to a suit of battledress over the years. Things go missing or get busted in supply all the time yanno!

I would tend to shy away from using the TL of the world of where you mustered out because its not always germane to the rolls. You can have a TL-15 starport on a TL-5 world. When you muster out of Imperial service you do so at the starport, ergo you would use TL-15 (or below, as appropriate) to generate the gear by.

I don't recall any hard-and-fast rule being in any of the books. I think the assumption was you got the gear and it already had a minimum TL associated with it (like getting a Gauss Rifle.. it has a TL at when it is introduced so that would be the TL of it).

 

[rust]

I usually leave the decision about the technology level of their characters'
mustering out benefits to the players, they can choose any technology le-
vel that is plausible.

However, I always tell them that it would be prudent to choose the cam-
paign's average technology level, because otherwise the characters are
very likely to soon own equipment which is beyond repair because there
are no spare parts of very high technology levels available.

The one exception are the ship shares, if they are not turned into cash or
colony shares they are always for ships of the campaign's average tech-
nology level, because I do not want to spend any precious campaign time
with long voyages to planets with high tech shipyards each time a piece of
a ship has been damaged.

 

[DFW]

Its under the "common sense" clause. What is the TL of any gear?

No, it's called a HOUSE rule. A Marine who is issued a TL 13 Laser Rifle and then after flitting all over in star ships, musters out on a TL 12 world has his rifle magically change?

No, THAT is nonsensical, not "common sense".

Given the Traveler's do just that and get their gear during the career from their service, it would be happenstance. Especially, if you are talking about Scouts, Imp. Navy, Marines and the like. The planet they choose to leave to after the career is irrelevant in most cases to the TL of the equip they are using.

 

[jwpacker]

Given the Traveler's do just that and get their gear during the career from their service, it would be happenstance. Especially, if you are talking about Scouts, Imp. Navy, Marines and the like. The planet they choose to leave to after the career is irrelevant in most cases to the TL of the equip they are using.

And would lead to players wanting to muster out on high TL worlds just for the benefits.

I like the idea of TL of introduction - it isn't the laser rifle you used every day, it's the one the service will least miss...

 

[far-trader]

I think this is another one of those "rules" that screams LESS DETAILS! MORE IMAGINATION!! As in the "rule" is purposefully vague to allow more freedom and fun.

In other words, no rules about this or that restrictions on the muster out rolls. Every player, ref, and game will be different. Sometimes (the best times) even every character played by the same player will be different.

So if you roll "Weapon" look at the character and make it fit, come to a mutually agreed fiction between the ref and player.

1 Term Merchie with Streetwise-2 and a roll of Weapon on mustering out? A body pistol, untraceable, undetectable. Cheap and small suitable for a 1 term PC and illegal fitting their background.

Or maybe you roll "Armour"...

7 Term Army General with Flyer-4-Grav and a roll of "Armour" on mustering out so the unit surprises the "old man" with his also 'retired' and refurbished Grav Tank from his many campaigns (sans a working Plasma Cannon of course). Something for him to park on his lawn at the retirement villa and tool around the grounds on. Of course his unit doesn't know he's got a contract for post-career Merc service and that Grav Tank will be very useful. Sure it stretches the term "Armour" but like I said, fit the character, in this case an Armoured Grav Cav leader and priced suitable for the career.

Or whatever. Capital I magination.

...even IF there was some silly 'rule' about it must be this or that, I'd ignore it in favour of flavour.

 

[Liam Devlin]

IMTU I tend to say mustering out for service members of the Imperial Armed Forces be at a system with Bases for it. For homeworlders who recruited into the services like Scouts, Marines, and Navy, worlds with bases codes S, N, A, & B apply. SPA & MoJ muster outs can occur on any world with a Starport, and is an Imperial world.

Otherwise, the base TL for the service is used. I never allow powered armor out. Period. I reserve that for Huscarle and Active Duty/ Colonial Armed Forces units only--and well, if you've left, the suit stays bubba.

Side arms for officers under weapons, long weapons for enlisted personnel.

Merchies, usually a sidearm for Officers, and a 13mm shotgun for other crew.

Scouts, get your choice of side arm or long weapon.

rather than energy weapons, I usually show why there's a better selection of slugthrowers--spare parts, upkeep, ammo availability, & Law Levels.

Blades--the Marine and Navy Cutlasses, and in Imperial Army, only the Cavalry gets the sabre. All others, a bayonet.

Techie items tend to be related to the Service or Academic field you were in.

Thats where GM & player creativity and reasoning come together and barter.

 

[Kromodor]

Agree!

The "default" might seem a little off balance without outside influence.

For example, getting a low level weapon as Benefit which gives "weapon", might be a waste, as the Character might be able to buy it for cheap money.

So we add things like availability, license, overall TL limit and so on.



For example, if a player gets "Weapon", I will allow him to chose a weapon, that is 1 or 2 TL higher than the default for the start of this campaign. Even something like "stashes" at different worlds, that he might be connected to.

Yet of someone else tries to buy the same weapon normally, he's gonna get into hassle of mini adventures, especially if he's not connected to military or similar organization.

 

[jwpacker]

Great stuff here, guys!

I think I came to the question initially because I'm just one guy, learning the system, rolling up characters in a vacuum. No Player/GM back and forth, no other players to interject their life stories into mine. So I was looking for a "rule" rather than just finessing it.

That said, I love the idea of "Armour" being anything from a well-used but well-maintained Vacc Suit to a decommissioned, older armored vehicle.

 

[Liam Devlin]

Great stuff here, guys!

I think I came to the question initially because I'm just one guy, learning the system, rolling up characters in a vacuum. No Player/GM back and forth, no other players to interject their life stories into mine. So I was looking for a "rule" rather than just finessing it.

That said, I love the idea of "Armour" being anything from a well-used but well-maintained Vacc Suit to a decommissioned, older armored vehicle.

You're quite welcome Mssr. jwpacker!

 

[Jame Rowe]

Usually you muster out on a planet, or in a system, and you KNOW the TL for that, and THAT is the default TL for the mustering out gear,

Really? I was searching for a MGT rule on it but couldn't find. Can you give book & page?

I think that may be a house rule. If so, it's a house rule I'd use.