Fan Module for Star Trek Adventures –
Author: Fluor
Thanks to: Tomasz Piątkowski, Marek Izraelski, Weronika Rędziniak, Michael Dismuke
Special thanks to: Łukasz Kołodziej
Translated from Polish with Google Translate & ChatGPT
FULL PDF OF THIS AVAILABLE AND END OF ARTICLE
An extended personal thread is a special type of extended task that will represent your character’s personal goal(s). Personal storylines should be played as side quests during the session – in the background of the main mission or as cutscenes.
An extended personal thread is a long-term challenge, so it’s good to use if you’re playing multiple sessions in a row.
| By default, there is a limit of one scene per character arc per session. In exceptional situations, the GM may decide that the limit does not apply. |
If more than one character plays through personal threads, it may turn out that there is not enough time in a normal session to accommodate them all. Keep a queue so that characters who missed their turn get priority in the next session.
Personal threads are tools for character development. Both the success and failure of a challenge can lead to interesting discoveries.
An extended personal thread has two aspects: the story and the mechanics.
- The story dimension is a description of the details of the personal plot and how it affects your character. You can create it yourself or use the help of the generator at the end in Appendix 1.
- The game dimension will be represented by the progress track of the extended test, it also describes its final result and is described in detail below.
Both aspects are recommended, but you can use only the parts you like or modify them as you wish.
Extended personal threads are represented in the game as a Character Trait, while their progress is tracked using a special variant of the extended test.
Record the name of the thread and a 12-space progress track on the character sheet, with breakthrough points at the 6th and 9th spaces.
▢▢▢▢▢▢ ▢▢▢▢▢▢
Difficulty: 2
Resistance: 2
Countdown timer: 10
Difficulty and Resistance levels represent a character’s flexibility and readiness for change. Keep track of the current levels of these indicators, as they will change as you play out the personal story.
| When your personal story reaches a breakthrough point, apply the following effects: First breakthrough (6th space): It becomes harder to stay focused, as distractions arise. Increase the Difficulty by 1. The second point of the breakthrough (9th square) – the closer to the end, the more difficult it is. And you’re so close… Increase the Resistance level by 1. |
Special abilities or character talents that facilitate passing extended tests do not apply here, unless the GM deems that they fit the circumstances.
Each attempt to pursue a personal thread (or take a support action) consumes time and reduces the Countdown by 2. This represents the passage of time, which may be hours, days, weeks, or even months depending on the challenge. When the Countdown timer reaches zero, go to the Resolution of the personal thread to find out if it was successful.
| Spend 2 Momentum to act more efficiently: reduce the Timer by 1 instead of 2. |
Difficulty of the extended task
Extended personal threads are harder than most tasks. After nearly every attempt, they grow even more difficult. This reflects the ‘internal struggle’ and encourages players to use support actions (without which the implementation of the task is very difficult or time-consuming).
If the GM thinks that the personal thread should be easier, reduce the starting Difficulty and Resistance by 1.
The personal thread will be played out gradually over many sessions until it is resolved. The basic behavior related to the personal thread is described below in the section Current Task Progress.
Instead of the main action, you may choose one of three support options to increase your character’s chances of completing the story.
Note – both the Current Task Progress and the support options will take time, so choose them wisely. Also remember the limit of one scene (action) per session.
| Type of action | Action description |
| Current Task Progress | Your character focuses on completing the task. Describe or roleplay a short scene showing how your character approaches solving the problem. |
| Support – Self-reflection | Your character takes advantage of a moment of solitude to analyze the progress of the personal thread so far. Reflecting deeply on the challenge may spark new ideas or unlocking those that seemed previously unattainable. |
| Support – Meaningful conversation | Your character draws inspiration from a conversation with another person. It doesn’t have to be a deep conversation, sometimes the very fact that someone gives us attention and we can share our burdens can be crucial. |
| Support – Expert help | Your character decides to find the support of an expert adequate to the nature of the challenge. It may turn out that the problem is more complex than it originally seemed, but the knowledge and experience of an expert will allow you to make additional progress. |
Current Task Progress
The character makes progress in the personal plot on his own, as it is an individual challenge. In rare cases, the GM may allow helpers to participate.
Make a roll for your character’s extended personal story. The combination of Attribute and Department you choose depends on the nature of the challenge.
Was the test successful?
| Yes | “We are making progress” – you come to productive conclusions that help with your challenge. Mark progress equal to your Department value minus the Resistance. Then increase the task Difficulty by 1, because continuing the same way of reasoning will not be as spectacular. |
| No | ‘I’m going in circles’ – you waste time without making progress. Increase Resistance by 1, as the challenge proves harder than expected. |
Finally, mark the corresponding change on the Countdown Timer indicator.
If you complete the entire Challenge progression, go to the Resolution of the personal thread.
Complications
Complications rolled during personal thread progress or support action have special effects. Choose or draw them from the table below.
Apply complication effects after all other task effects have been introduced. Complications will usually hinder your subsequent approaches to the challenge.
| Result (d20 roll) | Complication | The effect of complications |
| 1 | Dead end | If possible, move the thread back 2 spaces on the progress track. |
| 2–4 | Difficulties pile up | Increase Difficulty by 1. |
| 5–7 | The problem is more complicated | Increase Resistance by 1. |
| 8–10 | Unexpected obstruction | Add this as a Personal Thread Trait. On the next attempt, reroll 1 die with a positive result. Remove the Trait after using this effect. |
| 11–13 | Loss of control over time | This test approach took 1 more unit of time – reduce the Countdown Timer accordingly. |
| 14-16 | Uncertainty | Record this as a Personal Thread Trait. On your next attempt, increase the complication range by 1. Remove the Trait after using this effect. |
| 17-18 | I can’t stop thinking about it | Add as a Character Trait. Reduce their base Stress track by 2. Remove the Trait the next time you mark the progress on the progress track. |
| 19 | Nothing happens | Add 2 Threat to the GM pool. |
| 20 | More trouble! | Roll two more times as the complication effects merge into one bigger one! |
Support – Self-reflection
Sometimes clarity comes when we are alone. Roleplay or describe a short scene in which your character finds a moment of peace and reflection.
Make a Difficulty 2 task (Insight or Control suggested) to see if you can come up with a constructive idea for solving the challenge.
Was the test successful?
| Yes | “It’s going to be easier now” – Lower the Difficulty and Resistance by 1. |
| No | “I can’t stop thinking about it” – Your character gains the Intrusive Thoughts Trait, representing their distraction from constantly analyzing the personal thread. |
Note the passage of time as you would for the Current Task Progress.
Support – Meaningful conversation
Have a conversation with another character about your personal thread. Whether the conversation is one-on-one or in a larger group, only one person will be key to the interaction and will be able to help with the challenge.
| The key person may change in later attempts – different people can help us at different stages of our struggle. |
A key person (if willing) describes whether they are able to provide you with support (and how they do it).
| Topic of conversation: At the beginning of a thread, show why the challenge is important to your character and what their motivation is to achieve the goal. In later stages, think about how much the character is willing to do and how determined they are to complete the personal story. |
If, after describing and playing the scene, you have doubts whether the help was adequate to the challenge, let the key person perform a Difficulty 2 task for Attribute and Department appropriate to the support provided.
Was the support of the key person convincing and adequate?
| Yes | “What a relief!” – Add 2 Momentum to the pool and lower the Difficulty and Resistance of your thread by 1. |
| No | ‘I don’t think we understood each other’ – Add 2 Threat to the pool (because of the tension between you). Your key person couldn’t help, but they get 1 Determination because they want to prove themselves helpful in any different way. |
Note the passage of time as you would for the Current Task Progress.
Support – Expert help
The expert can be an on-board advisor or any authority appropriate to the challenge.
Describe a scene of professional advice where your character is given new knowledge or tools to tackle the task.
Effects of support
Choose two different options from the list below:
- Mark 1 square on the progress track.
- Lower the Difficulty by 1 (minimum to 0).
- Lower the Resistance by 1 (minimum to 0).
- Add the Good Advice Trait on your character sheet. You will be able to use it once to reroll any number of dice from a task related to the personal thread. Remove the Trait after using this option.
- Add the Unconventional Idea Trait. On your next attempt, ignore the task’s Resistance. Remove the Trait after using this option.
- Remove a Trait related to a personal thread (e.g., resulting from a Complication)
- Reduce the time lapse for this scene by 1 (as if you spent 2 Momentum)
Note the passage of time as you would for the Current Task Progress.
How the Personal Thread Affects the Mission
A personal thread is a character’s Trait and can affect their actions while performing normal duties. If the GM decides that the personal thread will be important for the development of events (positive or negative), they can suggest marking one square on the progress track and/or adding 1 Determination to the character. Such a reward does not impact the Countdown timer indicator.
Resolution of the personal thread
Resolve the personal thread when you either complete the progress track or when the Countdown reaches 0.
If your progress track:
- Full progress track → complete success
- Second breakthrough reached → partial success
- First breakthrough reached → mild failure
- Less than first breakthrough → total failure
Describe how the outcome of the personal story affects your character. How does your character evaluate the path traveled and what did they learn? Have you managed to achieve your goals?
Remove or modify a character Trait representing a personal story to reflect the end result.
Enjoy!
Appendix 1
Personal Thread Generator
The personal thread can result from the course of the mission or the nature of the challenges that the character undertook. If you don’t have ideas or want more variety, then use the generator below.
Roll or select Personal Domain and Theme from the tables below.
Personal Domain
| Result (d20 roll) | Personal Domain | Keywords (inspiration for you and the GM) |
| 1–5 | Career and professional life | overtime on duty, reorganization of the department, training new people, harsh working conditions that you have to endure |
| 6–7 | Family and loved ones | family, relatives or loved ones from your past, someone significant from your childhood or adolescence, the need to visit a sentimental place, a relative gets into trouble |
| 8–11 | Personal relationships | the need to build a new romantic relationship or raise the current one to a higher level, seeking friendship or support, the desire to spend time in a nice company, the need to belong to a group |
| 12–15 | Pastime | talent competition, challenge yourself or others, the need to build or create a project together with others or alone |
| 16–19 | Physical and mental health | the desire to maintain good health, recurrent complications related to injury, recurrent complications related to post-traumatic stress, performing a medical procedure that you are very afraid of |
| 20 | Surprise | alien telepathy, time travel, disturbing dreams, mystery |
Theme
| Result (d20 roll) | Theme | Keywords (inspiration for you and the GM) |
| 1-3 | A new beginning | new responsibilities, new acquaintances, new challenges |
| 4-5 | Losing something valuable | a good friend leaves the service, farewell in the family, crisis in relationships, health hazard |
| 6-9 | Something from the past returns | old acquaintance revives, a long-cured disease returns, a long-completed project needs to be supplemented |
| 10-12 | Uncertainty | unclear situation on duty, mysterious behavior of someone from the family, a friend sends a disturbing message |
| 13-14 | Stagnation | repetitive duties at work, an unsatisfactory relationship that exhausts you, lack of time for hobbies or inability to find themselves in it, difficulty maintaining health/fitness |
| 15-18 | Development | gain recognition and praise, hobby brings additional joy, a health issue has been resolved, the relationship strengthens significantly |
| 19-20 | Crisis | the situation is getting worse, endless overtime, problems in relationships, health problems |
Personal thread theme
The combination of the personal domain and theme should give you a hint of what your character’s personal thread may be about. If you are not happy with your ideas, ask other players or the GM for suggestions.
The theme of the personal thread is noted on your character sheet as a Trait. You can refer to it freely during the game to have a positive or negative impact on your character’s actions.
How do I create the right personal thread topic?
Remember that extended personal threads are tasks that will be carried out during many sessions, so they are not one-time things that can be solved with a simple statement: did you succeed – yes/no.
A much more interesting question than whether you managed to go on vacation with your family or prepare for a concert is – how does our character cope with preparing for a challenge, with the stress or anticipation involved.
Extended personal threads show us the path of the characters, and only their resolution will be a place to reflect on whether they succeeded and what will remain of it for our character.
Example personal threads:
| Domain + Theme | Thread topic | Trait |
| Surprise + Stagnation | Stop mysterious bouts of boredom | Mysterious boredom |
| Career and professional life | Additional official duties that the character hated | Strenuous work |
| Family and loved ones + Development | Plan a family trip together | Family trip |
| Physical and mental health + A new beginning | New workouts can improve your character’s form | New workouts |
Appendix 2
Key Person Generator
Sometimes you don’t know who your key person will be or under what circumstances you will have a meaningful conversation. Use the following tables to add more unpredictability to your thread.
Select a key person:
| Result (d20 roll) | Choose a key character to accompany you in the Scene. It will be a character… |
| 1-2 | most like you |
| 3-6 | least similar to you |
| 7-8 | with whom you often interact |
| 9-12 | with whom you rarely interact |
| 13-14 | that fits the nature of the challenge |
| 15-18 | which does not fit the nature of the challenge at all |
| 19-20 | the right key person cannot be found at this moment – add 2 Threat and end the support scene |
Choose the location of your Scene:
| Result (d20 roll) | Choose where you want to interact with your key person: |
| 1-6 | leisure space, e.g. officers’ mess, recreational park, holodeck |
| 7-8 | your workplace or its immediate vicinity |
| 9-12 | the workplace of your key person or its immediate vicinity |
| 13-18 | on the way from place to place, e.g. corridors, elevators, shuttlecraft |
| 19-20 | a common mission, e.g. collecting research, preparing equipment, downtime related to waiting for test or scan results |
Appendix 3
Example of use
During a previous mission to the paradise planet, Commander Spock suffered serious injuries. As part of the unexpected consequences, his hormonal balance has become dysregulated and he is going through an unplanned pon’farr, or Vulcan mating season, during which he should be reunited with his partner or die.
This is an extremely personal issue and taboo on Vulcan, so Spock will strive to make as few people as possible know about it. Since the USS Enterprise was on a mission far from Vulcan, Spock decided that he would like to endure the pon’farr with meditation and the power of his mind.
Personal thread topic: Endure the pon’farr
New Character Trait: Personal Thread – Endure the Pon’farr
Initial Thread State:
⭘⭘⭘⭘⭘⭘ ⭘⭘⭘⭘⭘⭘
Difficulty: 2
Resistance: 2
Countdown timer: 10
Scene 1
Spock begins with the action: Current Task Progress. At first, he is sure of his power and capabilities, so he prepares meditation candles and after a while he falls into a deep trance.
Spock takes the Difficulty 2 task for Control (12) and Science (5). Spock has the Composure focus, which will be applicable here.
The player decides to buy 1 more die with Momentum.
Target number: 17 (12+5)
Results rolled are: 14, 16, 16
(3 successes on Difficulty 2 means generating 1 Momentum).
We mark the progress on the thread progress track: the Department used was Science (value 5), so we record this much progress minus the Resistance of the task (2).
⭙⭙⭙⭘⭘⭘ ⭘⭘⭘⭘⭘⭘
Difficulty: 3 (Difficulty increases after successful thread progression)
Resistance: 2
Countdown timer: 8 (the player does not have 2 Momentum to pay for the reduction of the duration of this approach)
The meditation was successful, and Spock afterwards became even more confident that he would be able to get through the problem without interference.
Scene 2
On his next mission, Spock finds it more difficult to meditate, as he flies with Captain Kirk and Bones on the shuttle to a diplomatic conference to represent the Federation. To be effective in peace talks, Spock needs to get his problem under control.
Under the pretext of practicing a speech, Spock finds a quiet corner at the back of the shuttlecraft. This time there are no meditation candles, and in the distance he hears Dr. McCoy muttering, complaining about space.
Spock takes action again: Current Task Progress
Spock takes a Difficulty 3 task for Control (12) and Science (5). Spock possesses the Composure focus, which is needed even more than before, as he feels it must be a deep and strenuous trance to completely distance himself mentally from his friends’ conversations.
The player decides to buy 1 die with Momentum and another for 2 Threat.
Target number: 17 (12+5)
Results rolled are: 6, 1, 19, 18
Spock can reroll one die from the Cautious + Science talent. Instead of a score of 19, we consider: 8
(4 successes on Difficulty 3 means generating 1 Momentum).
We mark the progress on the thread progress track: the Department used was Science (value 5), so we record this much progress minus the Resistance of the task (2).
⭙⭙⭙⭙⭙⭙ ⭘⭘⭘⭘⭘⭘
Difficulty: 4 (Difficulty increases after successful thread progression)
Resistance: 2
Countdown timer: 6 (the player does not have two Momentum to pay for the reduction of the duration of this approach)
The plot progression has reached the first breakthrough point, so there is an additional effect: increasing the Difficulty by an additional 1.
Finally, the progress of the task is as follows:
⭙⭙⭙⭙⭙⭙ ⭘⭘⭘⭘⭘⭘
Difficulty: 5
Resistance: 2
Countdown timer: 6
So far, everything had gone according to plan, and Kirk and Bones still hadn’t realized that Spock had a problem.
Scene 3
Spock’s player realizes that the thread is not progressing fast enough, and at this rate, the pon’farr can prevail before he completes all of the meditations.
Spock decides to take advantage of the action of support: self-reflection. A disciplined Vulcan mind should help find an effective solution.
Spock takes the Difficulty 2 task for Reason (11) and Science (5). Unfortunately, he does not have any adequate focus.
The player decides to buy 1 more die for Threat, because there is no Momentum in the pool.
Target number: 16 (11+5)
Rolls out: 10, 4, 14
(3 successes on Difficulty 2 means generating 1 Momentum).
A successful analysis of the challenge led Spock to find an ancient meditation technique that could be helpful here. Test Difficulty and Resistance decrease by 1.
⭙⭙⭙⭙⭙⭙ ⭘⭘⭘⭘⭘⭘
Difficulty: 4
Resistance: 1
Countdown timer: 4 (unfortunately, time passes, and there is still no Momentum to slow it down)
Scene 4
Spock decides to talk to a Vulcan monastery specializing in the newly discovered technique. Initially, the monks are reluctant to give spiritual advice at a distance, but after clarifying the special circumstances, they agree to help.
Spock benefits from the support action – expert help.
Select the following effects from the list: reducing the duration of this scene to 1 and lowering the Difficulty by 1.
After the update, the status of a personal thread looks like this:
⭙⭙⭙⭙⭙⭙ ⭘⭘⭘⭘⭘⭘
Difficulty: 3
Resistance: 1
Countdown timer: 3
Scene 5
This is the fifth mission in which Spock struggles with the pon’farr and feels that he has less and less time. He finds peaceful conditions to begin an ancient ritual, in the hope of a full solution to the problem.
Spock takes a Difficulty 3 (current thread difficulty) task for Control (12) and Science (5). Spock has the Composure focus, which will be helpful here.
The player decides to buy 1 die with Momentum and another for 2 Threat because he wants to generate as much success as possible.
Target number: 17 (12+5)
Roll results: 18, 9, 7, 8
Spock can roll one die from the Cautious + Science talent. Instead of a score of 18, we consider: 19
(3 successes on Difficulty 3 means generating 0 Momentum).
We mark the progress on the thread progress track: the Department used was Science (value 5), so we record this much progress minus the Resistance of the task (1).
⭙⭙⭙⭙⭙⭙ ⭙⭙⭙⭙⭘⭘
Difficulty: 4
Resistance: 1
Countdown timer: 1
Filling the second breakthrough marker adds a new effect: Resistance increases by 1.
After the update, the status of a personal thread looks like this:
⭙⭙⭙⭙⭙⭙ ⭙⭙⭙⭙⭘⭘
Difficulty: 4
Resistance: 2
Countdown timer: 1
Unfortunately, the ritual did not bring a complete solution (poor rolls), so Spock will only find out at the last moment how his personal thread will end.
Scene 6
Spock’s poor health and visible symptoms of pon’farr alarmed Kirk. He forces Spock to admit the problem, but since they are together in the cabin and Kirk is in the know, he can assist in solving the problem with the pon’farr.
Spock is no longer able to think rationally, so he takes a Difficulty 4 task for Fitness (9) and Medicine (1).
Kirk assists with Presence (10) and Command (5). He does not have any adequate focus.
The player decides to buy 2 more dice for Momentum.
Target number: 10 (9+1)
Results thrown are: 5, 12, 18, 9
Assist target number: 15 (10+5)
The result thrown was: 18
The total score is only 2 successes, so Spock decides to use Determination to reroll the failed dice. He cites the value that he is a child of both worlds (Vulcan and Earth) and that his human side will help him survive the pon’farr.
New results on dice: 7, 14
In the end, 3 successes out of the required 4 were achieved, so the attempt was not successful. The Resistance level of the quest increases.
⭙⭙⭙⭙⭙⭙ ⭙⭙⭙⭙⭘⭘
Difficulty: 4
Resistance: 3
Countdown timer: 0
Since the countdown is over, we move on to the resolution of the thread.
We check the result of the personal thread: the end of time and a full second breakthrough mean partial success.
Spock survived his pon’farr, and the rest of the crew didn’t really know about it. Except for Kirk and Bones, because the captain called a doctor to make sure Spock’s health wasn’t deteriorating. Spock recovers, though Dr. McCoy makes several culturally insensitive remarks.
The player removes the “Personal Thread – Endure Pon’farr” Trait from the character sheet and together with the GM they decide that a new Trait “Full Mental Comfort” will be created.
