Torture was part of many cultures’ justice systems. Death sentences were commonly carried out by agonizingly painful methods, while less-lethal torture was considered a legitimate means of extracting information or a confession. Indeed, the Romans didn’t consider a slave’s testimony to be legitimate unless obtained through torture.

As explained under Interrogation (p. B202), torture need not involve physical injury. Exposing someone to his phobia is torture; so is depriving him of sleep. The techniques described here are mainly forms of physical torture, though. All give +6 to Interrogation rolls. Many involve specialized equipment. Simply displaying such an instrument to the victim is worth +1 to Interrogation – more, if he suffers from appropriate disadvantages (Cowardice, Phobias, etc.). Implements hideously decorated with spikes and monstrous faces (see Decorated Equipment, pp. 37-38) might give another +1 for this initial display.

There are many ways to torture someone with water. The simplest is to hold his head underwater – or place a cloth over his face and pour water onto his mouth and nose – and drown him slowly (see Suffocation, pp. B436- 437). Another is to force him to swallow an excessive amount of water (inflicting agony) until intoxication causes death. These methods are TL0. Such torture is risky at TL0-4, when techniques to clear the lungs and restart breathing weren’t generally known (see Ventilation, p. 154.). A mistake may mean that your victim dies before you intend.

A water dungeon is a water-filled chamber. One version involves placing the victim in such a prison so that only his head is above water. After a few days, he develops skin sores and muscle deterioration. Roll vs. HT daily; each failure means -1 ST and -1 DX. Another variant involves continually pumping in water and giving the prisoner a hand pump. As long as he continues to operate the pump, he won’t drown. These tortures were TL4 in the real world.

Most fanciful was so-called “Chinese water torture.” This allegedly involved dripping water on victim’s head continuously for weeks until he went mad. Supposed examples appeared at TL4.

The whip is a simple, direct torture method, provided that the victim is restrained and unable to flee. Whipping, or flogging, was also a common form of corporal punishment. Caning is similar, but uses a thin cane rather than a whip; it was more common in Asia. These methods call for little more than the Whip skill (p. B209) and a suitable weapon.

If using a weapons-grade implement, the victim will suffer damage as if he were in combat and is unlikely to survive for very long. Thus, less-lethal whips and canes are commonly used for torture and punishment. A light, flexible cane, a knotted rope, or similar specialized device does 1d-4 crushing damage, and is $10, 2 lbs.

Punishment whips do less damage but cause great pain. After being hit, the subject suffers moderate pain for the next second only – but if struck repeatedly over successive seconds, this progresses a step a second to severe pain, terrible pain, and agony. Further blows extend the agony’s duration. For rules for pain and agony, see p. B428. Flogging customarily involves the target being pinned or tied down and lashed until he’s in agony, giving agony’s usual +3 to Interrogation and Intimidation if you stop and make demands.

This is a wooden frame with wrist and ankle restraints attached to either end. The top restraints can be adjusted by means of a roller and ratchet system. The victim is slowly “stretched” to death as the restraints are ratcheted up, suffering extreme pain at first, then dislocation of joints, and finally separation of limbs from body. Each time the rack is adjusted, roll a Quick Contest: the rack’s ST vs. the higher of the victim’s ST or HT. If the victim loses, inflict swing crushing damage for the rack’s ST on each limb and the spine (see GURPS Martial Arts, p. 137). Natural DR with the Flexible or Tough Skin limitation has no effect on this damage. A ST 20 rack: $800, 150 lbs.

This consists of a variety of small devices for causing pain: knives, pincers, hammers, metallic slivers or bamboo splinters, irons for heating in a fire, vises for crushing bones (e.g., thumbscrews), etc. Only the torturer’s imagination limits variety and complexity! $150, 8 lbs.

Surgical equipment (pp. 147-149) can also be used as improvised torture equipment.

Reputedly used in medieval Europe, this grisly device was in fact a Victorian fabrication. As customarily described, it was an iron box shaped in the likeness of a woman, its halves hinged and equipped with adjustable, inward-protruding spikes. The victim was placed within, the box closed, and the spikes slowly inserted, causing much pain… but avoiding the vitals to prevent a quick death. If a torturer did have such a device, he could inflict 1 point of impaling damage whenever he liked on any body part except the vitals. $5,600, 300 lbs.

Unlike passive lie detection gear, these systems are used to actively retrieve information, as well as to alter, erase, or enslave the minds of people or animals. See also Drugs and Nano.

A sonic projector has numerous deception applications. One obvious use is to distract or lure away sentries by beaming recorded voices or other suspicious noises that appear to come from one direction, then approaching from a different direction. Beamed audio can also be used to psychologically manipulate victims by beaming whispers to them from hundreds of feet away. This is merely annoying to anyone who knows what is going on, but targets unaware of this technology may believe they are going mad, talking to divine or supernatural entities, or, if the voice was engineered to sound like their own, talking to some part of themselves. Beamed audio may even be used to hypnotize someone over a distance; the normal rules and limits for Hypnotism skill apply to any such attempt.

This software allows the user to teleoperate another living entity’s body (the host). The host must have a puppet implant (p. 218), and the user must be in telecommunication with the host, or physically jacked into him. The user must be using a direct neural interface (p. 48) connected to the computer running this software, or be a digital mind. Control can be achieved automatically if the user has the appropriate passwords for full access to the puppet’s mind; gaining these may require Computer Hacking skill.

The user remotely teleoperates the host’s body, completely suppressing the host’s personality. His own body is in a trance; he may choose to return at any time, and must do so if the host falls unconscious or dies or if the communications link is interrupted. Sleep does not break the link, but if it is ever jammed or out of range, the operator loses control.

The user gains the host’s ST, DX, HT, and secondary characteristics calculated from these scores, as well as the host’s physical advantages and disadvantages. The user keeps his own IQ, Perception, Will, and mental traits. Social traits may or may not apply. The user’s IQ-, Perception-, and Will-based skills are unchanged. Other skills remain at the same relative skill level. For instance, if the user has Guns at DX+3, then he would have Guns-12 in a DX 9 body and Guns-14 in a DX 11 body. The user has no access to the subject’s memories.

If someone has biopresence software and appropriate equipment implanted in his body, the GM may require him to take the Puppet advantage (p. B78) for each Ally or Dependent (or group of them) whose mind he has access codes for.

The software is Complexity 7, double standard cost. LC3. Note that this is similar to the Possession (p. B76) advantage with the Telecontrol enhancement, and the Mindlink Required and No Memory Access limitations.

This technology is much less subtle than neural programming. It involves using focused energy fields or nanomachines to alter brain structure and destroy memories.

Brainwipe is used to punish criminals or dissidents, and to erase sensitive information from the minds of those who know too much. Brainwipe causes classic amnesia, erasing all memories of the subject’s personal life. It leaves personality and abilities intact. After brainwipe, a victim’s skills and mental disadvantages remain unchanged. He can function in society, but can’t remember his name, or anything from his past, even when confronted with the evidence. It can only be used to give the subject the Amnesia disadvantage.

Clinical Brainwipe Machine (TL9): This is a room-sized device incorporating a specialized diagnostic bed (p. 197). At TL9, it’s the only system available; at higher TLs, it gives a +1 (quality) bonus to operator skill. $100,000, 100 lbs., D/10 days. LC2.

Portable Brainwipe Machine (TL10): A helmet-sized device, plus an attached briefcase-sized control unit. $10,000, 5 lbs., C/24 hr. LC2.

A smart grenade (pp. 146-147) may be equipped with a tiny speaker and player. This lets it be programmed to deliver an audio message. This is usually set to play when the grenade is used with a time-delay fuse, typically for the purpose of warning civilians (“You have 20 seconds to leave the area. 19, 18 . . .”) or delivering some pronouncement (“Free Antares! Death to the Terran Empire!”) before detonation. The maximum duration of the message is 10 minutes, doubled per TL after TL9. Add $10 per weapon. LC3.

This technique uses a neural interface to “get inside” the subject’s head, then alter his perceptions through subtle and overt applications of total virtual reality (p. 54). The subject must be fitted with a neural interface (pp. 48-49) and connected to a computer system running neural programmer software. He is then put through multiple scenarios, some realistic, some bizarre or even hellish. The operator does not require a neural interface. Neural programming may add or remove a permanent self-imposed mental disadvantage (p. B121). It may give the subject a set of false memories or beliefs, which take the form of Delusions (p. B130). It can also induce a Phobia (p. B149). The process is handled as a regular contest of Brainwashing skill vs. the subject’s Will; add the equipment bonuses given below, and apply a penalty of -1 to skill for every -5 points or fraction the disadvantage is worth. Base time is one day, but more or less time can be taken – see Time Spent (p. B346). The process cannot actually erase memories (see Brainwipe Machine, p. 109) but it can give the subject the Delusion that a brainwashing, kidnapping, or other traumatic event was actually a dream or a false memory. Neural programmer software is Complexity 7. Good-quality software (+1 quality bonus) is Complexity 9; fine-quality software (+2 quality bonus) is Complexity 11. LC1.

This device, also called an extractor, probes a subject’s mind and retrieves memories. As the operator questions the subject, the extractor stimulates the brain to recall specific memories. It then uses electrochemical means to read those memories as they are formed.

Use of the device takes a specified time (varying by TL) per attempt, and requires a successful Electronics Operation (Medical) skill. Critical success retrieves the exact memory the questioner wishes to evoke. Success retrieves some of the desired memories, mixed up with exaggerations, errors, or unrelated associations. Failure retrieves fragmentary memories of no interest to the interrogator, or obviously false memories. Critical failure results in the subject’s brain constructing false memories that seem realistic.

All memories are in the form of a raw sensie feed. Its length depends on the duration of the probe. This information must be accessed via neural interface before the user knows whether the attempt succeeded or failed; see Sensies (p. 57-58).

A mind probe may be used as a fast or slow probe. A slow probe is safe, but takes eight hours per attempt. A fast probe takes only an hour per attempt, but is dangerous to the subject: whether the probe succeeds or fails, he must roll vs. the lower of his HT or the operator’s skill. Failure means brain damage (-1 to IQ); critical failure means he suffers the Coma mortal condition, and cannot be further interrogated until he recovers. Repeated fast mind probes can reduce a subject to a drooling idiot.

Clinical Mind Probe (TL10): This is a room-sized scanning device incorporating a specialized diagnostic bed (p. 197). At TL10, it’s the only system available; at higher TLs, it gives a +1 (quality) bonus to operator skill. $200,000, 200 lbs., D/10 days. LC2.

Portable Mind Probe (TL11): A helmet-sized device, plus an attached briefcase-sized control unit. $20,000, 10 lbs., C/24 hr. LC2.

A mechanical mind probe can also incorporate a brainwipe setting, equivalent to a similar-sized brainwipe machine (p. 109), for +50% to cost and no extra weight. The time required for fast and slow scans is halved at TL11, and again at TL12.