The Gift of Knowledge

 Supernatural Knowledge and Research

There are several advantages that can grant knowledge in GURPS, though most are going to give vague answers. Blessed and Oracle take an hour each and typically come from a deity, though other possibilities such as Oracle (Digital) are an option. Precognition and Psychometry let you see through the curtains of time. Visualization can be used for a skill bonus, possibly representing supernatural or cinematic focus. Finally Allies, Contacts and Patrons can provide valuable information.

That is all well and good and especially good for the GM who can use these abilities to create plot hooks or clue the players in on a promising lead. But waht about providing more details or answers to specific questions?  Magic has a lot of options, so why not Powers or something else?

The Akashic Records

The Akashic Records store all knowledge, events, thoughts, words, literraly everything that has or will ever occur. It originated from an Indian word Akasha found in scripture and later defined by the Theosophical Society. A similar concept comes from the Australian aboriginal people in their explanation for the Dreamtime. The 42 Tablets of Knowledge owned by Thoth (Ancient Egypt) were said to possess all knowledge of the universe. Gnositic magicians believed in a universal consciousness that could be explored. So we can see that the concept of all knowledge residing in a special place, state of being or reality, or even an object is cross cultural and actually pretty common.

GURPS Thaumatology: Ritual Path Magic even has a spell called Hall of Records (p. 44) inspired by this concept and submitted by yours truly.

How to do something like this without magic though?

Blessed, Very Blessed, and Oracle give only vague information, except possibly on critical successes. Precognition has the similar problem and is limited to events.

We should probably have an enabling advantage such as Blessed, Oracle (Akashic Records), or Jumper (Spirit) to access this storehouse. Dreaming or Meditation seem like appropriate skills, possibly a special version of Research (Akashic Records) to find and interpret the information. We could then make a skill roll and the GM assign a penalty. 

Determine the penalty!

This can done by GM fiat, based off how widely known the desired information is or something else. One option is to borrow from the New Inventions rules (p. B473) using the Concept modifiers. So if the question were deemed Simple the roll is -6 (-0), Average -10 (-2), Complex -14 (-4), and Amazing -22 (-8) with the second lower penalty requiring Researcher (see below). This takes a full day per question or 1d*10 minutes with Researcher. These skill penalties can be pretty hefty so Time Spent for a bonus is often a good idea and bonuses from complimentary skills or other knowledge may be needed.

Determining the Complexity level can be pretty tough but the skill and price listings offer a decent guide. Broader questions with vague answers should be easier, especially if they forward the plot! 

Patron God of Knowledge

A god of knowledge, powerful A.I., programed database searching program, even a cooperative spirit or ghost could be purchased as an Ally, Contact, or Patron and provide information. Ally is typically for combat but even a low cost Ally can have incredible skills and abilities to find things out. Contacts are limited to one skill or wildcard, Contact groups increase cost but cover related skills GURPS Social Engineering: Keeping in Contact expands on Contacts and is useful here. In particular the modifiers Disparate, +25%; Highly Accessible, +25%; Patient, +20%; Less Helpful, varies are all useful here. Patrons should have Minimal Intervention, -50% or something similar if all they do is provide information.

Researcher

25 or 50 points

You have an innate knack when it comes to finding things out. When using Research, exploring your subconscious for clues using Meditation or Dreaming, phrasing search phrases, or even questioning supernatural powers your ability significantly reduces penalties and saves time. Use the rules for Gadgeteer or Quick Gadgeteer (p. B56, and pp. B475-477) for Analyzing a device, accessing the Akashic Records or similar things. Where those rules do not specifically apply, halve the typical penalties to find your answers. This can take the Focused, -50% limitation when applied to a single area such as questions about magic or a particular science.

Research!

This wildcard skill completely subsumes Research and replaces Computer Operation, Dreaming, Forensics, Intelligence Analysis, Interrogation, Meditation, and any other skill when it comes to sifting through data, poking through books, or even asking people the right question.

Wildcard Benefits: Exchange points for Favors in Play for information only. Powering abilities bought with Costs Character Points, or reaching Contacts for information requests. If purchased at IQ counts as Gadgeteer and Quick Gadgeteer at IQ+3 for analyzing devices or researching plans for an invention. Alternatively grants Researcher instead of Gadgeteer.

Full Bonus: Offsets penalties for Time spent when using the above skills.

Half Bonus: Apply the half bonus to IQ rolls when using Blessed, Very Blessed, Oracle, Precognition, or Psychometry to find answers.

Summary

Information abilities can short circuit mysteries and bypass obstacles so are often feared by GMs. However they can also greatly help when used appropriately, such as when players are stuck or missed a vital clue the GM wanted found. Another important consideration is that often information gathering is a time consuming task and a solitary one!  So while one player is gathering valuable information the rest are sitting idly by. If the player and the GM are entertaining about it this is typically good with the players, but if its boring, takes too long, or feel they have no stake in the results it can ruin a game session. Consequently these abilities often just come down to a few die rolls in play, where in a book or show they are often an important part of the entertainment. Also many of these advantages and skills require substantial pint investments.

A good GM needs to work with the information based player and both have mutual trust so that quick die rolls handle routine matters or speed up pacing when needed but the player still has their time in the spotlight. Remember any player who invests a lot of points in something, expects to get good value for those points and a good GM will either forbid those abilities upfront or honor the social contract.

It is also helpful to not consider this an adversarial task that bypasses the carefully set up plot or mystery but enhances it and makes it more interesting for everyone. This last bit takes practice and GM creativity, but if you can master that skill your games will be much more fun for everyone involved - including you.