ST in GURPS

The ST attribute is scaled around human realistic capabilities. For most campaigns this is ideal, but super heroic campaigns it is very expensive to  preform some of the lifting feats we see in comics.

ST does not boost a lot of skills but increases damage dealt with low tech weapons and punching plus is a big help in grappling. It also increases HP, meaning you are harder to kill. Also you can carry more so its useful even in a high tech society.

Grappling

Combat in GURPS is probably among the most flexible and tactical of all RPGs out there. Grappling is a bit anemic in GURPS Basic and I would like that to change in a Fifth Edition.

GURPS Martial Arts: Technical Grappling was a very sophisticated and detailed take on improving this. The author later wrote Fantastic Dungeon Grappling a more streamlined take on the topic. I would like to see this added to a GURPS Fifth Edition, either in that version of GURPS Characters ort a Martial Art or combat supplement. I feel the material is solid but could use a little more detail for nonhumanoid's and special situations. A New Take on Grappling, Pyramid #3/34 Alternate GURPS is another effort to improve grappling and also worth a look and has several interesting articles.

Lifting Great Weights

The standard system is good enough for most purposes, even really strong humans. However for a Supers setting I recommend Knowing Your Own Strength, Pyramid #3/83 Alternate GURPS IV which offers a Logarithmic lift rating. This is a solid way to resolve the issue.

Another option is Super Effort on ST, a +300% Cosmic enhancement introduced in GURPS Supers.

I find the first better but the second is still pretty simple. Write down ST as two numbers, the base ST and the modified ST for when you pay that FP to boost it.

Privilege, an Alternate GURPS Advantage

I really like GURPS, but no system is perfect and there are some things people would like to change if they could. This series of posts would be things I would like changed in a hypothetical GURPS 5th Edition. This is purely an exercise and I have no word on if or when such an edition is being worked on, nor am I likely to be specifically asked for recommendations.

However, as a fan we all have our pet things (often contradictory, meaning a new edition cannot please everyone) I will just list some of mine.

GURPS has several social advantages that I think can be combined. Combining things can result in a less intimidating ruleset IF the consolidated material really works well together and is not too complicated.

Claim to Hospitality is tied to an organization or social construct. Diplomatic Immunity grants some protections. Legal Enforcement Powers lets you enforce the law and grants some protections. Security Clearance grants access to information. Tenure prevents you from being fired. I think these can be easily combined into a single advantage.

Privilege

You have been granted access and authority beyond what other people typically have. This may be granted by a government or private entity and is only recognized where appropriate. These privilege's can be suspended or removed at any time and are typically linked to a specific job. What is available is limited to the scope and jurisdiction of the organization, though allied organizations may extend similar "courtesy" privilege's.. Halve the cost (rounded down) for minor organizations of limited ability or importance in the campaign. The GM may build certain packages for the campaign to ease character building.

Sum the various items below and list it on the character sheet as Privilege (Organization; traits) [cost].

Clearance: Your organization provides you the information and material (weapons, computers, labs, etc.) you need to do your job, but sometimes that information or equipment has uses outside work or beyond others in the same role. Narrow range of information or equipment on a "Need to Know" or use basis [1]. Either free access to a narrow range or broad job access to relevant material. [5]. Free access to a broad range of material. [10]. Need to know requires it be strictly needed for your job as defined by your superiors. Free access has much more latitude and usually only requires signing for it.

Enforcement: Local jurisdiction, the ability to arrest suspected criminals, perform authorized searches, and possibly carry a concealed weapon. [5]. One or more of  national or international jurisdiction, or ignore civil rights, or engage in covert investigations, or kill with relative impunity. [+5 each].

Exemption: You are exempt from certain aspects of ordinary law enforcement. This often comes with another organization that applies its own rules to you. Replace ordinary laws with similar rules that are just as strict [5]. Less strict [10]. You can do nearly anything you please provided you don't injure the organization that granted you the immunity. [15]. Diplomatic Pouch [5].

Hospitality: Your organization is encouraged to assist its members, including unofficially having other members help out. Reciprocity is expected and others can call on your aid as well. You can request food, shelter, and basic aid.  A single friend in another city is worth 1 point; a small family, 2 points; a society of merchants along an important trade route, 5 points; vast alliance of wealthy figures, 10 points. Members are friendly towards each other (+3 reactions) and may provide advice, introductions, and small loans, if asked.

Investment: Your invested with basic administrative authority. This automatically includes Rank 0 and gives you the ability act as an "Official" of the organization. You could for example preside as chairperson over meetings, handle the books as a licensed accountant, preside over weddings or other religious rituals, speak on behalf of the organization, residency at a hospital, etc. 

Tenure: You can't be fired through less than extraordinary means. This may be a reward of excellence and being to hard to replace, seniority, political clout and influence, nepotism, or even blackmail. [5].

Special Modifiers

Cosmic, Brotherhood, +50%

    Normally you have to show some form of ID or uniform to exercise your privileges but with this enhancement the appropriate people automatically know you're a member in good standing. Buy this with Selectivity (p. B108) if you need to conceal your nature. This modifier suits some supernatural organizations or exotic groups like the Lensmen of Doc Smiths series.

Summary

This combines  Claim to Hospitability, Clerical Investment, Legal Enforcement Powers, Legal Immunity, Security Clearance, and Tenure with a bit of Patron thrown in. If I were writing it for a supplement, Pyramid article, or that hypothetical Fifth Edition I would expand this a bit for clarity and add some examples but it still saves a decent amount of space and page flipping. It also adds a few bits of utility, such as with the Investment section.

GURPS Wealth Revisited

Wealth in GURPS is a weird advantage. It can influence how much money you make from a job or even transactions. It can benefit from high Rank or Status and it can be a game breaker if one PC is the group financier.

Mburr on the forums suggested a breakdown into Income, Starting Cash, Assets, and Lifestyle.

Income is currently covered by Wealth and Independent Income.

Starting cash reflected by the above (usually 20%) and possibly debt, Signature Gear, or points for cash.

Assets is covered mostly by Wealth, but Patron can also factor in here.

Lifestyle is mostly from Status level but modified by some disadvantages.

It can be a complicated and nuanced combination to get just the flavor you want.

Abstract Wealth, Pyramid #3/44 Alternate GURPS II by Jason Brick has another take. It converts Wealth into a secondary attribute. It uses a table instead of a flat number for different levels and you roll against the level by comparing the item value to wealth level to see if you can purchase said item. I kinda like the concept but the execution feels overly complicated. Its main claim to fame is to avoid having to track actual money and thus save bookkeeping.

So how could we change the current system to make something simple yet fun and useful?

Start with Wealth (p. B25)

Dead Broke [-25]

Poor [-15]

Struggling [-10]

Average [0]

Comfortable [10]

Wealthy [20]

Very Wealthy [30]

Filthy Rich [50]

Multimillionaire [+25/level] over the cost of Filthy Rich.

You have to have a job to earn this money. Independent Income lets you get money based on Wealth level without working for it and assumes passive income like an allowance, interest, royalties, etc.

Patrons do not generate revenue (though you may get a salary if employed there) but can provide equipment and other assets on a decent roll. I used Patron to handle being a ships captain/owner without having to be rich in my article The Captains Boat, Pyramid #3/71 Spaceships II. I wanted a way to get characters like Han Solo who had their own ship but were not wealthy. The idea is a ship (including a crew) can be seen as a small company.

Lets take a look at treating Wealth like most advantages and apply modifiers.

Independent Income: You get a percentage of your income without having to spend time working for it. Gives +1%/level up to +20%. Gives full income at +50%. [+1%/level up to +20%; Full income for +50%].

Supernatural Access: You can get your funds anywhere. No need to get to a bank or worry about a lost credit card! [+50%].

I used this for a submitted article (not published) for Conjurors, inspired by the Dragon Knight series.

In High Tech settings it may not be needed and is often overkill.

Liquid Wealth: Your wealth is liquid and does not include the normal assets associated with it. You may still earn the normal amount and have other perks but live a nomadic lifestyle that does not include fixed assets. Instead of the usual 20% liquid and 80% permanent fixtures it is 100% liquid and available for adventuring gear. This gets more for adventuring use but precludes assets like a house or car that you could borrow against. In some settings this may be the default and it severely cramps a stable lifestyle.[-0%]

Starting Wealth: This is a case of one use ability or ability that costs character points. Wealth is purchased at 1/5 cost but once used the money is gone! Wealth can be purchased multiple times at different levels this way to represent markers that can be called in. Impulse Points may be allowed, especially for cinematic wealthy characters.

Optional Rule: Patronage

Appropriate Patrons or Contacts (but not Allies) may be purchased as alternative abilities to Wealth. The total points in alternative abilities cannot exceed the points in Wealth. This can represent well established characters who own or have controlling interest in companies and can leverage that asset.

Summary

This is an initial thought on how to make Wealth a bit more intuitive. By applying modifiers we can tailor Wealth to meet the needs of the character or campaign without a lot of complicated and scattered rules.

Bruce Wayne would have high level Wealth + some incidents for Starting Wealth for say when he needs to buy a bank or build a space station. As Ben Affleck answered Flash, his superpower is being rich.

A super with a lab? Wealth + Patron as an alternative ability, and if they can occasionally get very expensive gear seemingly out of nowhere they may have had a use of Starting Wealth saved up/

Han Solo? Starting Wealth would be another way he started the campaign with his own starship.

Lifestyle is not addressed here, I think that is still well represented by Status and I have some ideas on that in my upcoming GURPS Template Toolkit: Spirits supplement.

Rules I don't Use, Replace, or Revise

 I really love GURPS but nothing and no one is perfect and there are a few things I do not really like. This is the topic for several bloggers this week so I shall try to chime in with a few comments.

Other posts that are up on this this week are...

Author Christopher Rice

Of Paper Men and Plastic Monsters

Of Paper Men and Plastic Monsters Guest post by Kallaz

Worlds Beyond Earth

Lair of the Chaotic GM

Mailanka's Musings - Psi Wars

My Comments

A few advantages I feel are overpriced or just kinda flakey with mechancics.

Penetrating Vision is priced well for the first level but after that you get significant diminishing returns and I would use the Size Speed Range Table to give it a logarithmic range.

The Min ST capping damage at *3 I like for most campaigns but there should be an advantage to ignore that cap, a perk is probably to low so maybe  a 5 point advantage to ignore that? Only used in highly cinematic or supers campaigns though. Unlike others I feel it is a realistic limit.

Unaging and Regrowth are overprices, though Unaging as Immunity to certain attacks can be worth it. this is a common refrain and PK posted some suggestions here.

Possession by default you die without a host.  I really wish Possession had been written differently and wish we had an Alternate GURPS Pyramid still going to propose alienate ideas. A lot of the modifiers have hidden effects that can muddle the whole thing.

Binding could use a lot of love for some modifiers. Retraction, binding a body part, etc.

As Worlds Beyond Earth by Eric the Red posts above on Jumper and Warp I would like them to be more closely aligned in how they work. In fact I would rather they were one ability with modifiers!

Maybe something like ...

Vanish

Costs 100 points.

You can disappear from one location and reappear in another! This takes 10 seconds, which can be changed using Reduced Time or Preparation Required. It takes an IQ roll to successfully appear at the desired target, this takes a penalty for range using the SSR (p. B550), apply Long-Range (Powers, p. 108) or Reliable to reduce these penalties. If you can travel to other planes of existence, time, or worlds add a modifier.

+50% to Time Travel, +0% if can only travel in time and not distance.

+50% to add World jumping, +0% if can only jump to other worlds but not go any physical distance.

+50% to add Plane Jumping, +0% if can only jump to other planes.

Then add some of the modifiers under Warp and Jumper and include limitations for how many planes you can cross. Also add IQ penalties for world jumping and plane travel, use the entry in Basic for Infinite Worlds. The author of Worlds Beyond Earth has a point on how many worlds you can get to and I would need to ponder on that if I was actually going to publish this ability or use it in a campaign but that seems rather unlikely so I'll leave the idea here.

Also I would like to see the modifiers for Lord of My Domain applied not to Jumper but to something else, say Status (probably requiring a minimum level). Owning your own dimension seems a legit use of high Status and modifying a dimension seems a poor use of Jumper which should be able to get you into any dimension.

On the other hand I at least address one of his complaints in my upcoming Spirit Template supplement.

Enthrallment and Imbuement

I like the idea of these but with no obvious mechanics they are hard ot implement and tweak in a campaign, I feel that is a waste.

Gadgeteer and Inventing

I prefer the rules in After The End but would take them farhger if I could write a supplement on Gadgeteering. Applying a consistent set of rules that apply to various TL, Magic, Medicine, Gadgets, etc.

Magical Enchanting

GURPS Magic has very time consuming enchanting rules, suitable for a low fantasy setting with few magic items. I would like a system that could be tweaked for faster enchanting and covered more options. This has been addressed somewhat in various places such as GURPS Technomancer and Pyramid but I would love it to be gathered in one place.