TELEPORTERS

As with stardrives, multiple types of teleporters can exist, depending on the technology used to develop them.

TRANSPORT BOOTH (PL 8)

Based on original teleportation technology, a transport booth is simply a booth large enough to accommodate a single Medium-size creature or Huge object, with controls on the outside. An operator selects the destination booth (which is any other transport booth), waits for a clear signal from the destination, then transmits. Anything inside the booth is disassembled at the molecular level, translated into electronic data, and transmitted. The speed of the transmission depends on the communication technology used, but even with the least effective communications, any distance of less than 1,000 miles is virtually instantaneous.

Radio Transceiver (PL 5): A transport booth equipped with a radio transceiver can teleport its contents to a receiving booth positioned within 240,000 miles (roughly the distance between Earth and the Moon). Since light travels at a speed of 186,000 miles per second, the transport is nearly instantaneous.

Laser Transceiver (PL 6): A transport booth equipped with a laser transceiver can teleport its contents to a receiving booth at any distance. However, the transmission travels at a speed of 8 AU/hour (or 744,000,000 miles/hour), making it practical only for interplanetary transport.

Mass Transceiver (PL 7): A transport booth equipped with a mass transceiver can teleport its contents to a receiving booth instantaneously. The maximum range of the transmission is 1,000 AU (roughly 93,000,000,000 miles).

Drive Transceiver (PL 8): A transport booth equipped with a drive transceiver can teleport its contents to a receiving booth within 1,000 AU (roughly 93,000,000,000 miles). The transport is virtually instantaneous.

Ansible (PL 9): A transport booth equipped with an ansible can teleport its contents to a receiving booth across interstellar space. The teleport occurs instantaneously, and the range of the transport booth is effectively unlimited. If the transport booth operator attempts to transmit before he gets a clear signal from the receiving booth, any living creature involved in the teleport must make a Fortitude save (DC 20). If the save fails, the living being immediately drops to -1 hit points and begins to die. Even if the save succeeds, the creature takes 2d4 points of Constitution damage. In either case, the teleported creature reaches the intended destination.

The purchase DC of a transport booth does not include the cost of the communication technology used to transmit the matter (see Table: Transport Booth Purchase DC Modifiers).

Purchase DC: 31 (per transport booth) + the communication system's purchase DC modifier (see Table: Transport Booth Purchase DC Modifiers).

Restriction: Licensed (+1).

TRANSPORTAL (PL 8)

The transportal is a contained teleportation field. Creatures step into it, and moments later they step out on the far side in a different location. The technology only allows transport from one transportal to another, though it is stable enough to remain open for several minutes with each activation and only requires about 30 minutes to recharge between activations. The only major drawback of the transportal is that it tends to disorient travelers. Any creature using a transportal must succeed on a Fortitude save (DC 15) or be shaken for 1d6 rounds upon arrival.

Purchase DC: 58 per transportal.

Restriction: Licensed (+1).

TRANSPORT DISK (PL 9)

The general technology of teleportation advances at Progress Level 9, to the point where a receiving station is no longer necessary. The traveler stands upon a disk on the floor, and the operator uses sensor technology to pinpoint the traveler's target destination. Pinpointing the target destination requires a successful Navigate check, and the DC depends on the distance traveled (see Table: Check DCs for Transport Disks). Attempting to pinpoint the location without the aid of sensor technology imposes a -20 penalty on the Navigate check.

When the operator transmits, any creature or object standing on the transport disk is instantly sent to the location the operator has selected. If the operator's Navigate check fails by 10 or less, the teleported creature or object appears in a location 1d100 miles from the intended destination (determined randomly). If the check fails by 11 or more, the teleported creature or object materializes inside solid matter at some location 1d100 miles from the intended destination. Any living creature teleported into solid matter takes 20d6 points of damage, or half damage if a Fortitude save (DC 20) succeeds. It must also be freed from whatever she has materialized inside of.

Although the chance of a botched transmission is daunting to some, transport disks offer a tremendous advantage. With a successful Computer Use check (see Table: Check DCs for Transport Disks), a transport disk operator can locate a particular creature or object with computer sensors and teleport it from its present location to the transport disk. The range is limited only by the range of the sensors.

Purchase DC: 52.

Restriction: Restricted (+2).