Self-Fulfilling Prophecies Edition
Previous >>46808413
Anyone ever used this in campaign? Seen it floating a bunch of times.
Here are the updated Tome of Battle disciplines. Thanks to the provided feedback in the previous thread, I reworked Death Mark, changed some core skills to make disciplines more thematic, inserted missing skills, missing new imbuements, and three sample martial adepts.
>>46919160
I will next time I'm running on earth, during or after ww2. Maybe a Hellboy game based around it?
>>46919160
That is really cool. Definitely goes into my next game (whenever it happens)
>>46919227
You can also check Psionic Powers for Powers Technics.
(I really dislike Imbuements and cant understand it advantage and why so many people call it so good, sorry)
>>46920757
You're not alone. I don't like Imbuements, either, anon.
>>46919227
Looks good! If I had to add anything, I would include some sort of Imbuement for every path as they can all get up to some cuhrayzee stuff (sans White Raven, which is aptly covered by the teamwork-focused traits). I'd rip from p.14-15 of Imbuements, which recommends imbuements by template; for example, the Iron Heart discipline would probably follow the recommendations for the Knight, being "effects that could pass as pure skill at arms," Shadow Hand can round out its list with imbuements from the Thief list, etc. I'd also consider adding something like Chilling Strike to the Shadow Hand style, as I remember that discipline having a very strong link to cold damage.
>>46920757
Personally, I like the feel of the skill-based approach; I think it makes it more martial (here's a skill I have to train up to be good with) and less supers (here's a 30-point advantage that's all or nothing). Admittedly, though, it did take a while for me to warm up to them, and I do think the tiers of imbuements locked behind advantages are hella dumb.
>>46921560
I play a little with Weapon Master who have modular imbuements (changing evey second, effective skill ~19). It was funny, but i feel more restrained(?) restricted(?) than while i played with (less points) similar type karateka builded around enhancements on his unarmed attacks.
Maybe it my HEROlegacy resists in me or i had wrong games with wrong GMs.
>I like the feel of the skill-based approach;
Psionic Powers about that -- you buy ability and you buy skill to activate and control it. (And i feel very ok with it). And with buying style as AAs -- fairly cheap way.
>>46922099
Yeah but you're still buying the power and then the skill to control it; there's still that point wall at the beginning. I know that Imbuement has prereq advantages too, but again I think those are dumb and often waive them in games I GM.
>>46922623
I found a happy medium, breaking the imbument levelled advantage down a bit, and then coupled it with the talent. Just in general reducing the cost makes it a more lucrative comparable choice.
This isn't explicitly GURPS, but seeing as it's for a GURPS game, I'm posting it here.
Any advice on keeping combat maps varied and fun? I grew up on 30'x30' empty dungeon rooms, so I'm worried I won't be able to supply the sort of rooms the Tactics skill assumes for its mapped version. I'm actually tempted to use the mapless version that grants luck rerolls instead because I don't want to make the skill useless on accident.
>>46924935
Stop using empty rooms. Have obstacles and opportunity for cover. Have varied terrain. Have your NPC's use these features intelligently.
>>46924935
Dungeons should never really be a series of unconnected rooms with nothing but monsters and treasure chests in them unless you're playing a roleplay-less hack-n-slash game. Build places that have a purpose - prisons have narrow corridors lined with small cells, storage vaults have huge rooms whose ceilings may have caved in, castle undercrofts might lead to caverns as an escape route, caves lead to underground rivers.
Thinking of the dungeon as a place with a use, or a place with context within the world, rather than a place to contain monsters, generally gives you a better way to fill them. Dungeon features emerge naturally. An abandoned dwarven city will have a plaza with a central fountain, spewing forth foul, poisonous water. A wizard's vaults for terrible experiments will have chambers for containing abominations and traps for keeping them from escaping. The purpose of the dungeon doesn't have to relate to why the player characters are there, it's just a background feature to make more interesting locales to fight in.
>>46919140
Is it weird to love a system you've never had a chance to play? For all I know GURPS could fuckin' suck.
>>46924935
Have lots of places lit by clay or glass lamps filled with oil, so there are basically Molotov cocktails hanging from the walls and roof just waiting for a shot to break them or someone to grab them and throw them.
Put bad guys up on fragile walkways that let them shoot down at things, with crude supports. Let players break them or knock them down to send bad guys sprawling into the dirt, injured and stunned.
Slippery floors, from water, blood or slime, force people to go slowly and carefully or bust out skills to stay standing. Heavy wind and hail or rain can make ranged attacks more difficult and keep it very hard to hear anything far away.
Just fighting in a badly lit area can complicate things, especially if there's a few strong light sources.
>tfw have 5+ ideas for GURPS campaigns
>moved away from my great GURPS group in hometown
>not enough people to play with
>work schedule is random and shitty
>frequently spending 2-3 weeks working abroad
>>46926344
I had that same problem, and then I played it. Goodbye, lesser systems, GURPS is all I will ever need.
>>46926344
I wouldn't call it love. You're infatuated with the system, or have a crush on it at best.
The hype for your first campaign is the honeymoon, and if your group and the system are a decent match, the honeymoon period will continue for quite a while. Eventually, though, you'll see the flaws, the clunky bits, things that *need* to be changed.
That's when love comes in. Loves comes after knowing the system's flaws inside and out and still wanting to play it forever.
>>46921560
Thanks again. Here's the new version with only a slight change - Chilling Strike added to the Shadow Hand style. I do not want to add any imbuements to Iron Heart, because judging from the description, it's supposed to be entirely mundane, and Imbue requires a power modifier.
I think this little project of mine can be declared finished.
>>46920757
I'll be honest with you, I'm not a big fan of Imbuements either. But my players love them. Recently I've warmed up to the Imbuements, so I do not see a problem with them. I absolutely love Psionic Powers though.
>>46926297
Do you perhaps have a repository of real-world maps of dungeons and prisons and such I could peruse? I don't want to end up on another list by googling "prison map" or "bank map".
>>46927235
Try online play. It's not the same but it can be fun and it allows a much looser schedule and ease of play.
I'm looking at running my first game with GURPS, but I'm looking through my PDFs and I'm not seeing many advantages and disadvantages...yet when I look at other universal systems, such as BESM, there's near 100 pages of them.
Am I missing something?
>>46927695
Yo, that's deep.
>>46928797
Basic Set: Characters, pg. 32-166.
>>46928797
Are you using the Basic Set or Lite? Lite is the slimmed-down starter-friendly version, so there's obviously less there. Or are you trying to use a splat on its own and not with Characters/Campaigns?
>>46928797
The "Advantage List" and "Disadvantage List" sections in the Basic Set are over 100 pages long in total.
>>46928904
>>46928928
>>46928936
Turns out I was looking through the Basic Set and Lite, not the Characters PDF. I got lost in my 100+ GURPS PDFs.
Much obliged, Anons.
>>46929030
Oh gosh, I was looking at the 3rd Edition basic set.
My apologies for being retarded.
So you can cripple a hit location by doing a fraction of total HP damage to it, such as:
>Extremity(hand, foot, tail, fin, or
extraneous head): Injury over HP/3.
There's also this rule:
>Dismemberment: If injury to a body part before applying the above limit was at least twicewhat was needed to cripple it, the body part is not just crippled but destroyed. A cutting attack or explosion severs a limb or extremity; otherwise, it’s irrevocably crushed, burned, etc.
So does this mean that, for an average person with 10hp, anything over 8 damage to the skull is instadeath? So basically any gunshot wound?
>>46930131
I think so.
>>46930131
You cannot cripple the neck, face, or skull, so no you cannot insta-kill via dismembering those hit locations either.
The lethality of axes to the neck and bullets to the brain are more than covered already by the wound multipliers.
>>46930308
Where does it say that you cannot cripple those locations?
I'm trying to figure how to kill someone with 1 shot to the head via .22 pistol, which is perfectly realistic. .22 pistol does 1d+1 Pi- damage, meaning it would average 10 damage to the skull (average damage of 4.5, DR 2, x4 multiplier). With that, you're almost certainly stunning the guy and maybe knocking him unconscious. You'd have to roll max damage of (6+1-2)*4=20 to even force a save-or-die at -1x HP on an average person.
>>46930457
Hit 'em in the eye instead? That nearly does it on an average damage roll.
>>46930131
Since it explicitly says extraneous head, I don't think that works if the target only has one head.
>>46930457
It says "sufficient injury to a limb, extremity, or eye may cripple it", and the neck, face, and skull aren't mentioned at all in that section.
Also, are you including damage from bleeding?
>>46930457
>Where does it say that you cannot cripple those locations?
Look at the list on p. B398-399.
>Arm or Leg: Any major wound [...] cripples the limb
>Hand or Foot: Damage over 1/3 HP in one blow inflicts a crippling major wound.
The entries for the Neck, Face, and Skull hit locations do not mention crippling, thresholds, or effects beyond modified wounding multipliers. Eyes can be crippled though.
A bullet to the brain may not instantly kill at that caliber, but it *will* kill; you can't dig a bullet out with First Aid, you need Surgery, and the bleeding rolls are more frequent (every 30 seconds), meaning you're very liable to hemorrhage to death long before the doctors have a chance to save you.
>>46930749
>Also, are you including damage from bleeding?
I wasn't. The average guy has a good chance of getting to -1x HP with bleeding, since he's rolling against 8 and needs to either succeed 3 times in a row or crit-succeed to stop bleeding.
While the neck cannot be crippled...
MA138.
>>46931557
Yeah, that's a 0-point special effect, though; you already have to die normally for decapitation to occur.
Bio-Tech *did* however include rules for crushing the windpipe; it's a cr-only crippling that causes suffocation with no save RAW. While it's realistic, it's pretty fucking brutal, so most GM's give an HT roll to resist suffocation if they include crippled necks at all.
>>46928162
Can you divide imbuement skills and Martial powers to their own categories, that they dont messed with basic advantages and skills?
Thanks.
I dunno about you fuckers, but I decapitate shut that takes enough cutting damage to cripple.
I have pcs that live to choppy chop. They make heads roll. Fuckers drink out of the leftover skulls.
>>46934850
That there skull seems mighty hard to drink outta.
>>46934850
Cutting gets a whopping 2x multiplier on the neck. Combine that with the high ST values and heavy weapons you see with "choppy chop" PCs, the general lack of neck armor, and mook rules for 0 HP = instadeath, and yeah most blows to the neck *should* decapitate RAW. It is a little harder for worthy monsters of lieutenant-tier enemies, but I feel that's fitting.
>>46935381
A wise man invest in a bit of chainmail for his neck. DR 4 and HP 10 means it takes 9 cutting damage to the neck to take off the head with crippled=decapitated. A strong man with a heavy weapon can manage that kind of hit, as can a monster, while an average guy will find that kind of damage unlikely even with a All Out, unless he gets a very heavy weapon.
As you note, high HP shifts the math. An HP 15 brute needs 12 CUT to the neck to go full Highlander on him if he brings his chain-mail collar.
>>46937361
>A wise man invest in a bit of chainmail for his neck
A soldier fighting in a war, for sure. An adventurer, bandit or deserter might not be able to be so choosy.
Rapier on the left hip.
Long falchion-style "knife" on the right.
Large knife in one boot with handle sticking out a bit, but it shouldn't hinder movement.
Balisong is hidden in another boot.
Two small knives are either hidden in sleeves or just sit in forearm sheath.
Now, where should I put my armor-piercing katar? Would it be too inconvenient to just strap it to the thigh?
>>46937361
Pretty sure it should be super hard to decapitate someone with chainmail on their neck.
>>46937870
Small of the back, above the ass, laying parallel with the belt, hilt facing dominant hand
>>46937808
A bit of leather gives you DR 2. Collars and makeshift protection for the throat could also be fashioned from scraps of armor. While the basic set is very, very stingy on throat armor (the Greathelm and full sets are your only option) IRL it's pretty common and easy.
>>46938064
GURPS agrees with you if you use the optional rules for armor penetration by cutting weapons then even what gets past the DR, under a high threshold, is Crushing rather then Cutting.
Indeed, IRL it takes a strong man to remove a human head, and a good, solid swing. Even bound people on a cutting block often required several wacks.
>>46939121
That works. Or chest sheath, inverted diagonal angled to the dominate hand, behind the shoulder or under the arm.
Or, because you've already gone crazy, strap it to the forearm and rig it to drop into your hand.
>>46939121
>>46939364
Thanks. Actually, chest or stomach seems to be the best place.
>>46939285
Wouldn't leather stiff enough to provide DR impede neck movement?
>>46941745
Rather than a contentless bump, have a reminder that Bio-Tech is a deeply magical realm, with some wonderful accompaniments to the Skullcat:
Fleshbed (TL10)
This is a biogenetic mass of flesh, tailored for spinal sup-
port and comfort. It’s alive, warm, and you’ll never want to
leave. $7,500, 60 lbs. LC4.
Garbage Disposal (TL10)
This lives under the kitchen sink, digesting all organic
scraps and excreting partially treated waste into the sewer.
It might be biogenetic, or based on a small omnivore.
$1,000, 8 lbs. LC4.
Smart Rug or Bathmat (TL10)
This slowly tugs itself across the floor, slurping up dirt,
puddles, soap, hair, etc. ST 4, DX 2, IQ 1, HT 12; Move 1.
$500, 4 lbs. LC4.
Squidpack (TL10)
This resembles a squat squid with four arms. It wraps its
tentacles around the user’s body and forces water out of its
natural hydrojet for propulsion. The wearer’s body tension
guides the squid, but it takes practice to steer accurately
(treat as a familiarity of Swimming; Aquatic and
Amphibious users instinctively know how to use it). The
pack provides Move 5 in water. It needs to be fed daily, but
is happy with table scraps and vitamin supplements. $300,
10 lbs. LC4.
>>46939496
Not so much. DR 1 is thin leather or duck cloth, and it doesn't have to be very tight. A posture collar would be quite stiff, but there's a fair number of neck-armor options.
How much is the Limitation "Accessibility: Not versus silver" worth for the Insubstantiality Advantage?
>>46944126
>fleshbed
I read that doujin. More than one of them, even.
For real though I love Biotech's devotion to magical realming-like come on, you know someone's gonna that sort of thing.
>>46944930
So the being in vulnerable to the effects of silver?
Use the inverse of the limited Dr scale?
>>46946712
Being insubstantial to everything except for silver (and, by extension, silver weaponry).
>>46946920
I'd say -5% for having an uncommon bane, but I'd be willing to move it up to -10% if the weakness was a common part of the lore and people knew to exploit it.
>>46944126
>you will never be able to hug soft warm bed and it will hug you in response
Also, Garbage Disposal should be TL0, I saw it in Flintstones.
>>46951548
LMAO
>>46951548
"It's a living."
*laugh track*
>you don't need swimming skill to actually swim
>>46957209
You don't need Erotic Art to fuck either. You just need it to not suck.*
*Well, I suppose to not suck or to suck really well, given what erotic art covers. **
**Dose anyone else think it's weird that Erotic Art is a core book skill? You'd think they'd just fold it into Sex Appeal. †
†How many footnotes is too many? I'm asking for a friend
>>46957979
Well, you can be good at getting people into bed, but suck at figuring out what to do with them.
I find that erotic art is really only required for people who get out there-for BDSM stuff an unmodified roll would be needed to not fuck up and somehow piss someone off.
How would you stat up a weapon for a PC which, with a Ready action, can be morphed into other kinds of weapons? E.g. a shield to a spear to a sword...
>>46957979
Because normal fuck between two people who both just want to got some pleasure is at +5, thus negating defaulting. Which means you usually got everything right if you are not too clumsy.
I agree that just not drowning is can be done without swimming. But it should affect speed at least.
>†How many footnotes is too many? I'm asking for a friend
You have one more special symbol before you have to switch to [0] notation.
>>46958433
Depends how you did it. Programmable matter with a handle and the ability to change shape on command could be TL 9 or 10.
I'd make it weigh 3 pounds and able to become anything you can make with a solid or hollow object, highly durable once it's set to solid mode with DR and HP as steel, with different software defined shapes. Weapon apps range from crude to good, but most result in a Fine quality melee weapon or tool. A few moments with a computer can define a new shape.
Cost $300 gurpsbucks or so. Too much and it wouldn't made sense to make them often.
Magic? Err, I don't know. Depends on the setting.
>>46958419
It gets a bonus from Flexibility and stuff, it helps even if you are vanilla as the icecream on apple pie. If you are just trying to get a healthy young male off, yeah, that should give you like +20 to the roll.
>>46958841
>$300 for weapon that can be anything
>when simple rapier costs $500-$1000
>>46958906
>Buying a rapier
>TL 9 or 10
Anything is pretty limited. It's 3 pounds, so you can't make a good splitting maul or hammer.
>>46958934
It's just stupid when morphing blade costs less than a relatively primitive steel one.
>>46958969
By TL 9 a good stamped steel rapier should cost about $80.
>>46957979
>>46958790
I think that this is spelled out in Social Engineering in an aside titled "Fade to Black." I think it said something similar to what you said that everyone has a huge cultural familiarity bonus with "normal sex" that you don't need "200 hour of rigorous professional training" just to have nominally enjoyably sex. It's meant for tantric stuff and ritual magic.
>>46959006
This is not how gurps bucks work. You just got more money, not make old items cheaper. The only difference is default quality.
>>46957209
The Swimming Skill is at a HT-4 Default (Easy difficulty). This makes sense, given that once you've really learned how to swim, it sticks with you for a long time.
>>46959087
Sort of. That is the cost of a rapier at any tech level, built by hand by a skilled craftsman.
Things where the way they build them changes dose have the price change. Soap, for example, goes from $20 a pound to .25 a pound.
complete newbie to gurps, our group is looking at getting into it.
One of our members will be re-DMing after a 20 year break, and he wants to do a small zombie-survival campaign, 2 sessions or so.
I want to do a complete unknown campaign, basically start with a character, and I'd use the splat books to throw them into an unexpected genre after the first or second session... anyone else do this? Is it a bad idea? I'm new to GURPS, but I've been told that it's all very good at mix-and-matching. I want them to make modern, beleiveable characters, and then throw them into something unexpected.
Also, new to GURPS general threads... is their a resource link at all?
>>46959175
Okay, that's a point.
But about morphing blade again. If you stat it as advantage, it will be something like this:
Modular abilities (Cosmic, 1 second to switch) 10 points per point of ability
Physical only +50%
Focus-limited: shaping metal -15%
Trait-limited: Innate Attack, melee only -40%
Gadget limitations:
Something for durability -5% or -10%
Can be stolen (must win quick contest on ST) -30%
So it will -40-45%, 5-6 points per level.
Something like sw+3 cut would cost 7 points +100% for ST based -20% for melee = 12-13 points.
So it can be from 60 to 80+ points advantage. And I have no idea how to convert it to item, lol.
I would suggest the following: take the most expensive melee weapon you can do with this thing, and multiply its cost by 5.5.
I also have no idea how much base price should be reduced. But since I wrote this shit, I'm gonna post it.
>>46959482
Unexpected can work well in GURPS, just make sure your players are okay with suprises and the fantastic.
Check the image on the OP! It's a PDF file with lots of delicious links. DEVOUR THEM.
Zombie survival GURPS can be fun. Fighting zombies is a treat because they are durable, but don't defend themselves.
>>46959724
So many files, it might actually be worth creating a mega account.
Is mega safe? Or should I create a secondary email for it? I normally dl them one-by-one, but that would take ages with this system.
>>46959828
mega isn't aweful but I'd use a throwaway that I diden't mind haveing spammed the fuck out of.
>>46959828
I never receive any message on email I used specifically for mega.
Do you NEED Acting to convince others that you've been shot as part of a fake fall to the ground if you successfully Dodge/Parry a bullet?
>>46944732
>mfw I thought it was Bowie from the thumbnail
>>46960059
You can default but it won't be convincing. Ever watched a game of football (soccer)? When players are faking injury, that's what defaulting on Acting looks like.
>>46960281
I'm a BLACKSTAR
>>46958433
Honestly, I'd just stat it out with Innate Attacks and other applicable Advantages, using Alternate Abilities and Gear limitations, then figure out a good discount for requiring a Ready maneuver to switch between "modes". Using Preparation Required and Takes Extra Time as (very) loose guidelines, I'd suggest -5%.
If you don't want to make it cost actual character points, you could just reverse-engineer points-for-cash, having it cost 10% of the TL's Average starting wealth per CP it would normally cost.
>>46959517
I got the impression this was supposed to have a preset list of forms, not just anything you want it to be at all. That's why I figured Alternate Abilities would be the better option.
>>46960291
So, what, the refs are all just defaulting on Body Language, too?
>>46960498
The refs don't seem to care, from what I've seen.
>>46960571
The consequences of erring on the side of the faker are much lower then accusing someone of faking it.
>>46960438
Everyone loves Bowie.
I love Sorcery!
>>46961880
I would stat ritual that completely destroy your silly abilities, but I'm too busy collecting rare pepe guano.
>>46961880
I've given it a thorough peruse, and it is indeed excellent.
Currently Re-jiggering the DF Wizard to use Sorcery (and the Cleric to use Divine Favor) rather than the standard magic system. And yes, I've seen the Sorceror template - i just want to replace the magic system mechanics, not the character template in it's entirety.
>>46962039
I'd be interested in seeing your results when you get done re-jiggering.
>>46962039
I think there is a pyramid article that does the Cleric -> Divine Favor thing, and I'm not positive, but I think there is one that also does the Wizard -> Sorcery thing too.
>>46962766
There are articles for both. However, the Sorcery one gives you the Sorcerer template which differs quite a bit from the Wizard, and I only want to replace the magic mechanics. The "dungeon saint", or whatever it's called, I haven't given a proper look over yet.
Thanks though!
>>46962792
>replacing 30yo virgin bookworm with freak-of-nature magic cannon
>wanting them to be the same
For what purpose?
>>46962938
Not the anon you're responding to, but a learned bookworm still brings a lot to the table — that's why the Sage template exists in the first place — so that may be worth preserving as a secondary role.
Skeletons animated by fell magic
>super realistic DR 2 and low hp but injury tolerance (homogenous) due to being bone puppets?
Or
>injury tolerance(unliving) on an "all 10s" statblock?
Grim fantasy game, bordering on heroic fantsy game, so I'm on the fence.
>>46964252
I would say unliving, DR2, low HP, -ST, +DX, and --IQ as a base template. Stronger magics protect and strengthen your spooky scary minions.
>>46964252
>>46964379
I think the official templates also usually throw in Vulnerability (Crushing) x2, and immunity to metabolic hazards.
>>46964829
>>46964379
*nods perceptibly*
*makes notes*
*strokes chin*
Tell me moooooorre
>>46965073
If you are asking for page numbers,
There is the skeletal undead template in GURPS Horror, p.27, the same is in Fantasy on p. 133, There is a "Servitor Skeleton" on p. 26 of Dungeon Fantasy 9, and there are statted out skeletons (with a skeleton, large option) on p. 48 of Dungeon Fantasy Adventure 1.
There is a magic-ish skeleton in GURPS Magic on p. 152 as well.
That should be a lot of fodder for putting a skeleton together.
>>46965073
>>46966036
There's the Skeletal Corpse meta-trait on p. 69 of Zombies as well, which is easier to read (and I think more in-depth) than the one in Horror.
>>46964252
How is it animated by fell magic? Are we talking environmental hazard ("Bodies left unburied in Dead Man's Gulch are cursed to rise again against the living!") or some necromancer's minions?
If it's the former, go with whatever you feel would work as a challenge against your party. If it's the latter and you're looking for a base template, less is more; a crummy base template for animated minions keeps necromantic commanders from overshadowing everyone else with sheer numbers, and it leaves room for the caster to learn/devise/invent a more powerful spell later on in the campaign.
>>46967800
Yeah it IS more of just a thematic cursed dead. Mooks and goons, "hp and an attack line with a dodge value". I didn't want to stress out about it, but I did want them to feel in line with everything else
>>46966713
>Furry
Oh god, kill it with fire...
>>46968064
You think that's bad?
Come, let's go deeper.
This is why I love bio-tech, they don't shy away from this stuff.
>>46968223
Oooh solid. I now have my next cyberpunk characters back story written in one page!
Grizzled cop with an edge against eros droids and stunties. Fuckin eh
>>46966713
>you will never have gothic furry sex droid
"Humans are too fragile in GURPS, you die in one hit if you're attacked by anything baseball bat tier or higher!"
How do you react to this?
>>46971992
I dodge or parry, or wear armor.
>>46971992
I find a player who knows how to read and do basic math.
That, or I hit them with a baseball bat and see if they survive.
>>46971992
Inform the person that your character is unlikely to die in one hit unless the bat hits your Skull on a good damage roll.
>>46972039
With a collective -12 to your DX of 10 (-5 Default...unless you happen to tons of experience swinging broadsword-like weapons plus -7 to hit the Skull), good luck getting a successful hit in even with All-Out Attack: Determined) and Telegraphic Attack (+4 to hit/+2 to defend against) before the police are contacted.
>>46971992
I refute with " just how well do you deal with getting walloped with a baseball bat?" And "how does 1d+2 damage with an improvised two handed mace kill someone?"
>>46972137
happen to have*
>>46971992
I hit him in the head with baseball bat or something higher. I need to make sure that GURPS is still realistic system.
>>46972145
With a max damage roll of 8, this can force a roll versus death if the Skull is hit (-2 DR results in 6 damage multiplied by 4 which equals 24 damage...enough to take your average Joe/Jane to the -1xHP threshold).
You need to be lucky, very skilled, or have the element of surprise to actually hit the Skull, though.
>>46971992
"Who are you, naysayers of gurps? Who allowed your impudent opinions into these hallowed halls of Jackson-Worship?! TO WHAT TERRIBLE DEMON OF OERTH SHALL WE SEVER YOUR SEXUAL ORGANS TO?"
>>46971992
"Then don't get hit with a baseball bat"
>>46972137
>(-5 Default...unless you happen to tons of experience swinging broadsword-like weapons plus -7 to hit the Skull)
I wouldn't say tons, I'm more of a hobbyist. That said, I do have tons of experience swinging an actual baseball bat. So I'd probably go with skill at DX (10 or 11 by my best guess: slightly above average, but not by much), and no familiarity penalty.
Plus, my target definitely doesn't have Combat Reflexes... and a sudden attack with a bat in a social setting is gonna catch him off guard, and we've already established that his IQ is shit. So he'll be mentally stunned and his defense will suck, mitigating the drawback of the telegraphic attack.
And I wouldn't swing for the head, I'd probably just roll randomly for hit location. I'm more looking to vent my own frustration and disgust than actually kill the guy. So that's an effective skill of 14, about a 90% chance to hit.
As for the police, I'm sure they'll understand why I had to do it.
>>46972279
>OERTH
>>46972360
>we've already established that his IQ is shit.
>KEK
>>46972361
Do you NOT use established settings with lore histories for your games? I happened to crib gray hawk once or twice. My Eberron game was also a big hit with my friends.
How in the hell do I work someone who can turn into an adult dragon into a low fantasy political campaign, in a solo game, without everything turning into "lol I'm a dragon now good luck motherfuckers"?
Running two groups in tandem, with each having an effect on the other. Built on the same point values.
Basically, how do I make adventures and challenges for the Right Hand of a Duke without turning things into all out warfare?
It's related because I'm running both campaigns in GURPS.
>>46972817
By vetoing the dragon power.
Or
By challenging it appropriately with an npc of equal power who can deal with a dragon. (Either by having a similar transformation power built in the same guidelines/in setting rules,or a comparable glass cannon power)
>>46972817
Mental disadvantages? "Must conceal true identity" for example.
>>46972817
Perhaps there would be a huge stigma attached to knowing that he's a dragon, so he has to hide it. Or, perhaps some people have a very effective means of defeating dragons, like a kind of metaphorical "kryptonite", so he would have to be super careful about when and where to use that ability. Just keep in mind you want to balance it in such a way that the ability doesn't become useless, because then you've basically tricked him into wasting his points, in which case it would have been more fair to just veto it instead.
>>46972817
>How in the hell do I work someone in who can turn into an adult dragon into a low fantasy political campaign, in a solo game...
You don't
You veto that shit
You ask him to be special in some other not ridiculous way
Or
You veto your game, and run something more appropriate to "and then I was a DRAGON and it was TOTALLY AWESOME and I killed EVERYTHING FOREVER"
>>46972817
If people find out that he's a dragon, he loses all of his social contacts, no one will do business with him, and various wizards/high-level adventurers/whatever will try to hunt him down and kill him.
>>46972856
I'd be tempted to have vicious dragon hunters and other dragons working in the shadows too. Revealing himself and blowing his cover means drastic consequences, getting lots of new enemies. So he can use dragon power to solve problems, but has to do so in a clever way.
>>46973707
>>46972856
>>46972817
This is easy.
A jetpack and wifus.
>>46972856
>>46972890
>>46972982
>>46973707
>>46973777
All great suggestions/advice, thanks guys. I am letting him have his dragon alternate form, as all PC's between both campaigns are worth approximately 500 points and he is willing to have it be his "setpiece ability" (worth 230 points as an AA)
He will have plenty of enemies, and paint himself as an anathema to anyone who knows he can change. It is uncontrollable, and will cause as many problems for him as it solves.
There is also a dragon who considers him an affront to the species, and will function as an Enemy for him should his affliction become public knowledge.
>>46973908
Absolutely. If he shows his"true power", he will become a very big target and if nothing else an appealing tool to those who have no investment in directly hamming him.
>>46974053
*harming
I just used the official SJGames website player/gamefinder tool and started correspondence with a potential new GURPS player in my area. This feels weird and alien to me.
>>46975343
Welcome to the fold, young man.
Please, sit down. Have a coke. There are also cheetos
Im not too experienced at GURPS but i want to play it and it seems the only way to do it is to GM it.
I've played a little bit of GURPS, and i've DMed dnd 5e for about a year now, is there anything thats GURPS specific about GMing to keep in mind?
>>46976280
I'm not very experienced myself, but I think the most important advice is: 'Say no'. If something doesn't fly, don't compromise. The wide range of options tricks players into thinking they can get anything in any game if they have the points, no matter how inapropriate to the setting or tone it is, and this is explicitly not true (spelled right there in the BS). Be firm, say no.
That's my limited experience of GURPS, really. Have fun, ease yourself into the rules with the players.
>>46975792
Ah nah, I've been playing for about two years now... well GMing for two years, but my real life players have been dwindling, and I have a very small pool of real life friends that are interested in playing, so I just wanted to add some more to my small cadre of three players.
Just feels weird finding people online to play in IRL game.
>>46976280
Just made a GURPS game post in the gamefinder thread >>46977115
If those times work for you, it's a possibility.
Did anyone here use alternative strength rules from pyramid#83? Is it good?
>>46978298
I tried them. They do a good job of making ST scale like DX, IQ and HT, but the lowered damage makes ST based weapons fall off harder then normal.
>>46972360
Are you certain you don't have the Sports (Baseball) Skill instead?
If not, are you sure you don't have Broadsword Sport and/or Broadsword Art? Broadsword is a do-or-die combat skill that's all about efficiency in life threatening situations.
You can use the Sport or Art versions of the Broadsword Skill during a fight, by the way, but you'll be attacking at -3 due to the mismatch in utility.
Even assuming you have DX 10, have you really put in 800 hours in to gain Broadsword at DX level? It costs 2 CP to buy it up to DX, and each Character Point requires 400 *hours* of self-training. I assumed that you didn't have an instructor constantly teaching you how to wield a vareity of weapons covered under the Broadsword Skil nor learned your skill "on the job".
As for the police? You're at a penalty to your Influence Skill (likely at default unless you're practiced in it) and/or Reaction Roll...unless the law enforcement in your area accepts gamers beating each other up for questioning RPG rules as fully legal.
GM's girlfriend wants to run a hunger games scenario - I dont really care but, she keeps insisting on that learning the rules isnt actually important.
I got 100 pts with 60 pts disadvantages and 5 quirks.
What I need to do? Break the game using the rules. I need to murder my fellow players and win.
But also survive, Ive never bothered watching the movies and dont really care either.
So far I know one player's character: ST as much as he can and a big axe. Usually low skills as he never cares about skill.
Help me break this, within rules and setting context.
Pic related: Better in every way.
>>46979631
Judo. Grappling. Technique Mastery (Judo Throw). Arm Lock. Technique Mastery (Arm Lock). Feint (Judo). Technique Mastery (Judo Feint). Parry niggas, throw niggas (deceptively) or arm lock niggas (deceptively), cripple niggas.
Combat Reflexes, Luck, Danger Sense, high DX/Per, get yourself some Stealth. Be the judo throwing snake in the grass.
Or you could tell her PVP is a bad idea and to not run literal Hunger Games/Battle Royale.
>>46979665
So by spending my points on Judo instead of skills I save a lot of points by focusing on a single skills and Ill be able to avoid trouble fairly easily.
Knowing the player I already said I know the concept of how do I get around him? Going into a judo match with Beefcake Mcstrong is probably dumb. Im thinking of backing it up with say a knife or something, but not at very high skill, I just need to reliably hit as grappling will rek his defenses.
I dont honest to god think she wants PVP but wants there to be three survivors somehow, but Im that monkey with the wrench.
How do I deal with it when she sends in a bunch of these guys, IE GM is pissed so here are gun mooks (Keep in mind she doesnt know the rules for shit, only me and another player knows.):
Im thinking survival/camo skill to hide in the mud ala Arny in predator.
>>46979745
>So by spending my points on Judo instead of skills I save a lot of points by focusing on a single skills and Ill be able to avoid trouble fairly easily.
Sorry meant I didnt have to buy up attribute.
Im tempted to get DX up in case of her sending in the Stig(s): That way I sneak kill one of the dip shits and grab his gun. The rest should be easy pickings. IF I can somehow get good at the gun. Im thinking that a good default does alot.
What did the good guys do to stop the stalinist/pol pot child soldiers in the movie? Like what happens if some dipshit spins out of control?
>>46979631
Buy off the headshot penalty to -3, buy a three-shot Rapid Strike technique (Club Swing to Skull/Club Swing to Skull/Club Swing to Skull) to -4 (or -0 if you can get Weapon Master (Club), skyrocket your axe/mace skill, get enough ST to deal decent damage with a club.
His ST doesn't mean shit when you parry his attacks easily, a club is an incredibly easy thing to find even if you aren't given one, and three hits to the skill are pretty damn likely to stun him (HT-10 is a rough check to make).
If you've got the points, go ahead and invest in off-hand attack technique for the club and two weapon attack technique, to throw in a fourth club hit and have an extra parry each round just in case.
Even better if you invest in Stealth and sneak up behind him.
>>46979631
Going HtH good chose for unarmed parry and favor disarming, coz, well, if u lost your crude mace u cant go chop-a-choppa losers with minmaxed axe/mace skill.
So as >>46979665 says Judo is VERY NICE especially for it ultimative-almost-combat-ending throw.
Also "sweep" and "stomp kick -> head (or any body part you can cripple)".
Coz in GURPS standing up without acrobatics take some time and while lying down you have -3 to defence.
Also think about craft sling for sw-based pi ranged attack and improvised garrote.
>>46979631
I'm going to add tactics to the list here, if you can swing it. Crazy survivalists who have to track and surprise game might have a few points in it, and in GURPS tactics is one of those hecka powerful force modifiers. You might have to face up against a situation where multiple PCs are gunnin' for you if you keep up this plan, and in that realm surprise and superior positioning is gonna be your saving grace.
>>46979631
Reporting in: Im having troubles with one thing, I cant remember how it works grappling enemy weapons.
IRC its -4 to grapple a weapon but does this work against say, a spear?
Also if I grapple an enemy weapon can I hold onto it with the Judo skill or do I have to use ST?
>>46979631
ST 10 [0]
DX 10 [0]
IQ 10 [0]
HT 12 [20]
Per 14 [20]
Combat reflexes [15],
Luck [15],
Danger sense [15],
Judo-19 [40]
Sweep-17
Arm lock-19
Chokehold-17
Disarming-19
evade-19
finger lock-16
Camoflage-16 [12]
Search-13 [1]
Tracking-13 [1]
Survival woodlands-13 [1]
Swimming-12 [1]
Stealth-15 [20]
Silent running -1 [4]
Disads:
Bloodlust [-10]
Bad temper [-10]
Loner [-5]
Pyromania [-5]
Paranoia [-10]
Low self image [-10]
Lunacy [-10]
-5 quirks
This is my build, its really bad but I need to be a combat god.
>>46972817
>low fantasy
>people can turn into dragons at will
Pick one
>>46983898
>low fantasy
>some random mary sue princess white hair last known of her bloodline immune to fire lolol who owns ALL remaining dragons in the world, whom consider her their mother, protecting her to their last breath
Pick two?
>>46984825
She didn't turn into a dragon, also her dragons are basically just winged reptilian beasts who breath fire, not a human in a non-human body.
Her only magical power was making those fossilized eggs hatch (and it might have had nothing to do with her but just with the pyre and the return of magic associated with the comet) and having limited control over them as their "mother". All in all, she's about as magical as a falconer.
>>46984918
Well, her main magical ability is being fireproof really.
>>46983898
>>46984825
>>46984918
Guy who's running the campaign, here.
There is actually good in-world justification for his ability, and it is not without limitations or "catches"; it's difficult and existentially painful for him to use as well as extremely difficult to maintain control when it manifests (he also reverts if he sleeps/falls unconscious/whatever, and he has to be right ontop of a ley line for it to even be a possibility).
It plays heavily into the role he has been given by his Duke (who is, long story short, not actually the Duke but an appointed proxy who has taken his place), and his reputation is... complicated, given the nature of his station and ability (though he primarily serves as a trusted advisor and royal troubleshooter; the player wants to engage in political subterfuge and traveling diplomatic missions, rather than "go here, kill this, come back"-type stuff).
Basically, I was just curious if anyone here had ideas on adventures or problems I can throw at him that will be engaging.
The material I have written currently is mostly just political background, NPC motivations, status of international relations (including deteriorating relations between the not-Duke and the throne), details on trading & alliances, and current struggles of the realm he will begin in. So, lot's of things to "organically" draw events from as the game unfolds, but not much in the way of immediate plot hooks or adventure ideas yet.
If it's relevant, his dragon body is 30' long and doesn't have anything special beyond that. Fire is 1-yd cone, does 2d at 1 yard, 1d past that up to 10 yards max. His armor is worse than plate (and this is an "age of sail" -ish campaign, era wise, so there are cannons and crude firearms), bad grip, clumsy flight; aside from very straight-forward fighting against melee-only opponents in small numbers without cover, he is actually at a pretty severe disadvantage should he accidentally shift under duress.
>>46985207
The main thing I want to avoid is him changing into a dragon in a sensitive situation, and inadvertently causing all-out war.
While that could be an interesting situation to play through, a lot of the political tension will be in STOPPING war from breaking out, so I'd rather not let that pin drop until a ways into the campaign, at least.
Thinking of in-world reasons to avoid this, perhaps there could be some kind of a cultural reason to want to STEAL such a dragon, rather than just declare war and kill it. (similar to taking nobility as prisoners for bargain or ransom, rather than cutting their throats after besting them on the field). There could be some mystical use for a live dragon, or perhaps even just the morale reinforcement of having a chained dragon to show your country would be a good enough reason.
Or maybe blooded Kings used to keep dragons regularly, one apiece, mimicking their heraldric crests after the appearance and color of their personal dragon. So, perhaps having a dragon (willing or otherwise) could be seen as strengthening one's claim to a given throne, perhaps in preparation for diplomatic grabs or negotiating for land/power.
For those countries which still have border disputes and skirmishes, it could be a way to threaten would-be invaders and stake a claim over a significant location of some kind.
Anyway, sorry, this is all fluff/spitballing and not-really-GURPS related at this point, but thanks for the feedback all.
>>46985391
Maybe there are other dragons who upon finding out about this person, would take it upon themselves to hunt him down.
>>46964252
You need brittle on them, mate. Skeletons are brittle.
>>46986328
I like that idea; his ability is public knowledge, and "true" dragons consider his gift an abomination and an affront to their kind. I could easily see either direct hunting, or even dragons holding vital locations (entire towns, or strategically important places) hostage/blocking trade routes, and trying to blackmail either the Duke or just the general populace into giving him up (or even letting them try to assassinate him). Dragon-incited riots in the streets, the poor revolting against their liege lord, etc.
>>46983429
I'm a noob, but how do you use disarming? What would the opposing player roll for resistance? Dexterity?
>>46987840
P. 400
/tg/ is there a warhammer fantasy orc template anywhere?
>>46991264
What's special about the WHFB orc that separates it from your standard "generic" orc?
>>46993071
half fungus, overagressive, not even a little civilized, overetarded, etc.
>>46993324
WHFB orcs are (at leaqst partially) fungus too? I thought that was 40k only.
>>46993370
thats fantasy and 40k, they are the same "specie". according to legend if they ever conquer the entire planet they will ascend into the stars
>>46993473
Huh, didn't know that. Thought there was a bigger divide between Fantasy and 40k.
Anyway, their fungoid nature makes them exceptionally durable; I'd give them either Injury Tolerance (Unliving) to represent redundant organs and a body that resist perforation, or I'd give them Injury Tolerance (Damage Reduction) to cut ALL damage by 2/3/4/etc. because they're just that tough.
Wholly uncivilized is Bestial in the spades. Add Bad Temper (6) on top of it and I think you have the ork mindset.
I'd add only a minor IQ penalty, -2 at most, and buy Per and Will back up; Orks can possess a frightning level of low cunning, and Bestial makes most "civilized" skills inaccessible anyway, so it's not like your going to be seeing any Ork poets, physicists, or merchants anytime soon.
If WHFB orks possess the same level of innate specialization as their spacefaring bretheren, there's a perk called something like One-Trick Wonder that lets you roll at attribute for one application of a single skill, which -- when combined with Talent -- allows for things like Mekboyz; I don't think WHFB orks do this, but I didn't think they were fungal either, so here it is just in case.
If I wanted to see what sort of thoughts GURPS has on the balance and considerations of Pirates (age of sail, sure, but maybe space/ancient too?), would that 3rd edition Pirates book work well, or would the balance be wonky compared to 4th? And, beyond that, is there a 4th book that aready covers that?
![latest[1].jpg](https://i.imgur.com/0lB0s6U.jpg "latest[1].jpg")
Hey /GURPSgen/, my players asked to make me our next game around Monster Hunter, so i need your advices:
1) How to make (really dangerous) megafauna, who can survive shot-in-eye-tactics and PC's ganging up on them with no real worries, but dont be like "GM-wants-hard-rape-TPK thing".
2) Butchering monsters for fun and profit, or how many G$ can be extruded from animal and how to process these G$ into items.
3) Some advice on point totals, skill levels and damage. I feel DF templates is too powerful for that.
Thanks.
>>46995611
>Pyramid #3-64 - Pirates and Swashbucklers
>Supporting Cast - Age Of Sail Pirate Crew
It's not much, though.
>>46995611
>would that 3rd edition Pirates book work well, or would the balance be wonky compared to 4th
It would. In some things. And would not in others. Even if you convert from 3e to 4e.
>And, beyond that, is there a 4th book that aready covers that?
GURPS 4th - Supporting Cast - Age Of Sail Pirate Crew, Low Tech, Spaceships 3 - Warships and Space Pirates, [Pyramid-3-64] Pirates and Swashbucklers.
>>46995643
>I feel DF templates is too powerful for that.
>some half-naked woman fight metal dragon/gryphon abomination with meter-wide mace
I think DF templates may be not powerful enough.
>>46995643
Anon.
>>46997729
This, way this. They'd need like 400/-100 to realistically hunt megafauna. Especially monstrous megafauna.
![8075-004-d1108bdf[1].jpg](https://i.imgur.com/bCI8RNI.jpg "8075-004-d1108bdf[1].jpg")
>>46997729
>I think DF templates may be not powerful enough.
>>46997788
>to realistically hunt megafauna
You need just high shooting skill, to aim and shoot before MF sees you.
Say if we hunt on something like Stegosaurus (SM+4), with something DF templatish, what can afford say crossbow-17. So we aim, then then aim for another 1.5 mins for precision aiming and u have +4 (crossbow acc) +2 (aim) +5 (precision aim) +4 (Monster SM) +1 (Braced) for 33 skill. We shoot in eye (-9), from 100-149 yards away (-11) and end with effective skill 13.
With hunting crossbow, with Cranequin x3, rated to 30 ST -- 3d+5 avg. 15.5 *4 = 60 injury, which for sure is enough to force Major Wound and Knockdown And Stunning check, or at least drop him to negative HP, from whom monster will lose his consciousness. And hunter will have at least hour to end his deals with monster.
True Story. One time i hunt in almost same way on dragons in DF game.
>>46998522
Hunting crossbow's cranequin only gives STx2.
Damage for steel crossbows determined using half rated ST.
Which means you use STx1 for damage for hunting crossbow and STx1.5 for military one.
Which means you abused your GM's lack of knowledge you filthy cheater.
Even assuming you use military crossbow and character has 12 ST, crossbow ST is 18, damage is 1d+2+5, about 10.5 on average.
I'm thinking of doing a GURPS game kinda like Nazis in Fantasyland.
The issue is that battle mages have a shitty TS but are very expensive. They would get slaughtered by anything from TL6+.
How do I buff them? Is there a system for making custom mass combat units? I want a powerful mage to be a real threat.
>>46999744
Give them magic items with defensive effects, or have the nations that field them focus on defensive magical training more and more as the game progresses, eventually giving even apprentices the relevant spells at 19+.
>>46999959
How would that stuff in GURPS Mass Combat though?
>>47000028
Class Superiority over all non-magical forces and having the combat mages present in Significant Deeds all but immune to conventional weapons.
Magic reducing certain elements to TL0-5 Light Infantry due to fire elementalists and makers/breakers messing with gear on a wide scale.
On a more strategic level, logistical nightmares due to the weather actively seeking to fuck your shit up, and supplies rotting and going bad for no discernible reason.
>>46999744
Pic is from Pyramid #3/84 Perspectives article Heroes on the Mass Scale, which is for converting PCs to individual units rather than handwaiving them away. While you can work out the TS of new mages by writing them up as characters and then converting, I think it's just easier to set their TS to whatever you want and then use that equation to find cost to raise/maintain. Personally, I would make battlemages expensive to raise but cheap to maintain; wizarding college is *expensive*, but after they're trained there's not a lot of cost to maintaining their effectiveness unless your setting requires expensive components for magic.
It's worth noting that battlemages are so expensive because they add to Recon, Artillery, and even C3I superiority; literally no other unit at that tech level beside Battle Mages and Flying Mages have C3I, making them absolutely indispensable.
>>47000115
Are there any other pyramid magazines that have additional rules for mass combat?
>>46995643
1) Injury Tolerance (Damage Reduction). High ST + HP but it only rarely actually attacks; read Combat Writ Large for rules on trample and incidental attacks (Zinogre's rush and Rathian's fly-by attack, for example, are best treated as these and not high-damage potential OHKO slams). All else fails, remove the Eye hit location. DR of course. As for the exact values, there are a handful of Pyramid articles dedicated to a pseudo-CR system; after the players have made their PCs, you'll know what you'll need to build to challenge them. Remember to use cumulative crippling rules!
2) I've found the rules for turning kills into meals and into pounds of meat, but I have yet to find the rules for cash. I *know* they're here, though, so I'm going to keep looking. If it's not, I'd take a note from existing rules: Get $X equal to the monster's ST on a successful roll and half that on a failure; critical failure fucks something up (for meals, it means you got some poisonous shit; for loot, maybe it means you wounded yourself?). Critical success should net some sort of bonus (You got a Plate/Gem/Pallium!).
3) Just because MH doesn't have an over-the-top shonenshit tone doesn't mean Hunters are realistic or low point value characters; yes, you grunt with effort when swinging a GS and having huge weapons slows you down unlike most JPRG characters that can attack twelve times a second with a sword the size of a kayak, but you're still a dude that can get clawed and batted around by dragons the size of a house, get blown up, frozen, fried to a crip, and electrocuted, and then still manage to not only survive but actually kill the beasty with only a sword. 400 points with 60% *having* to go to ST is a start; this also allows for weapon progression as high-ST characters will need heavier weapons to capitalize and get the most out of their insane ST.
>>47000435
#3/44 Alternate GURPS II has Tactical Mass Combat.
>>47000575
Here's a bit of spitballing using the rules for Dungeon Fantasy in the next level, combined with CER.
Worthy Foes give 1 cp, Bosses give 2, and Epics give 4.
Perhaps the GM can either
a) trade some of these CP for dollars for the player
b) give dollars in addition to CP.
This has a problem that getting stronger means weak monsters will give out less money... but maybe, if you calculate the amount of money given by the original CER of a character, and keep that constant for the rest of the campaign, then monsters you outgrow will still generate the same revenue, while stronger ones will give more?
The question is whether revenue should grow linearly or on the log scale like most things in GURPS.
EG:
1 pt = $500
2 pt = $1,000
3 pt = $2,500
4 pt = $5,000
>>47000688
Thinking on this for a few minutes, and I think this would require an extraordinary power curve to have monsters give interestingly different amounts of money, which I don't think 1~5 CP and bonuses per session will accommodate.
>>47000802
CER has a wide range, though, so maybe each monster giving $50*CER would work.
I hate eclipse.
>>47000802
>>47000900
CER guy here, just noticed that on p.13 of Dungeon Fantasy 8 there is a formula for generating prices of surgically extracted valuables from monsters based on things like monster weight, power levels, etc.
Bump
>>47003234
Goddamnit so THAT's where that was. That's certainly a lot easier than running through the entirety of the CER system.
What, exactly, does rust do to metal in terms of stats?
Does rusted iron/steel possess lower DR than normal, lower HP than normal, or both lower DR *and* HP than normal?
I want to run a game set in 793 in the British Isles so as to depict the start of the Viking Age. I've never ran a GURPS game before so I'm kind of lost. What supps should I use?
>>47006135
I was surprised too. I just realized it when writing a review, and it was just serendipity that this conversation happened at the same time.
The review by the way:
http://pseudoboo.blogspot.com/2016/04/review-dungeon-fantasy-8-treasure-tables.html
I do like CER though... it's a pain to calculate it, but it is a handy number to have.
>>47006611
Corrosion damage would work nicely, right?
Every 5 damage reduces DR by 1, once DR reaches 0 the object will start taking HP damage.
>>47007050
I'm referring to metal objects/structures that have rusted naturally over time...not because of an Innate Attack.
Come to think of it, would HT also possibly be lowered (in addition to DR plus HP)?
>>47007256
That's what I'm saying, isn't corrosion damage good enough? A metal object left out in the woods would take 1 corrosion damage per month or even week? First depleting it's DR and then it's HP?
Whichever way you do it, I think DR will go first, long before HP is affected. A sword has DR 6, while a wooden baseball bat has DR 2.
>>47006754
GURPS Low Tech might be a good place to start
>>47008749
Yeah I downloaded all the possibly relevant files from the archive.
Does this setting sound fun to anybody? I'm nervous that this is only interesting to me and my players might get bored as we've only played d&d.
>>47008835
Personally, I like the idea, but if your group starts getting bored, surprise them with secret magic runes or something
>>47008835
Have you asked them what they wanted?
>>47007367
I believe there was something about maintenance in low tech. Every week for regularly used weapons and armor, every month if it's oiled and stored somewhere.
>>47008749
It's also a good place to stop. For first-time games, less is more, especially if the group is coming in fresh from D&D only, so I would use at most Lite/Basic Set + Low-Tech.
Boom.
>>47017524
Missed my gaming session yesterday to run a booth at Calgary Comic and Entertainment Expo
Worth it
>>46926344
>Is it weird to love a system you've never had a chance to play? For all I know GURPS could fuckin' suck.
I have the same thing with dwarf fortress, never actually try to learn how to play it
>>47020770
I tend to mega fort into a dam, and then lose all my fps
In a game where PC warriors are focused around a single weapon, would it be unreasonable to mandate that they each need to pick and at least partly invest in one striking martial art and one grappling martial art as a supplement to their fighting skills?
>>46926344
Not at all, I haven't played a RPG in over 5 years but I'm in love with many systems, most of them I've never played.
>>46964252
Use damage the damage by 2
Then if you penetrate the character you multiply it by 1.5 (and if you don't multiply the original [not the 2x one] by 1.5 for the sake of finding blunt trauma)
>>47021620
What, like as a setting thing, or do your PCs just tend to hyperspecialize? I wouldn't go so far as to "mandate" anything because then you run the risk of CHOOCHOO MUH AGENCY bullshit, but I would tell them that they're setting themselves up for failure if they don't put at least a point into unarmed striking, grappling, and a backup weapon or three (shortsword or knife is really fucking useful in a pinch).
Rolling DX-5 to use most weapon types is crippling. You can roll DX for unarmed strikes and grapples, but you can't use any techniques and you're likely going to be at a disadvantage (anyone that bothers to initiate a grapple or brawl will probably be able beat some shmuck that's relying on raw DX).
>>47021824
Oh yes, they'll each have a backup weapon who's underlying Skill they've put points into, but there's not nearly as much of an an emphasis in unarmed competency.
A surprising number of players think that grappling limbs or executing a groin strike is easier than it looks.
>>47021824
By the way..."MUH AGENCY"?
>>47021937
Player agency.
A common railroading complaint is that players have their agency removed when you dictate their actions or choices.
>>47021982
I can see that coming up in more draconian cases, but...don't GM set limits (no attribute under 10 or above 22, for instance) or require templates (no matter how small) all the time, though?
Such a decree is almost a necessity in a point-buy system where the players could potentially go hog-wild with a shopping list of traits to purchase yet still end up with dangerous gaps in their overall competency.
>>47022080
GMs*
>>47022080
Just because it's reasonable or necessary doesn't mean morons won't throw a fit about it.
I just had a player literally tell me they didn't know the enemy didn't disappear because the enemy retreated from a fight.
>>47022736
Wait, so they thought that the disadvantage just went away if they beat the Enemy or forced them to retreat?
>>47024318
They thought since I said the enemy ran away, the enemy wasn't planning on ambushing them later. (They were bandit scouts that only lightly harassed them, but decided to retreat to a safer position when they realized they were outnumbered)
>>47024380
On one hand, you did the right thing realistically; bandits don't fight, they ambush and harry.
At the same time, though, I'd advise you don't do that too often, as it teachers players to never leave anything alive ever and leads to general murderhobo tendencies.
>>47024380
Don't be afraid to make it clear that the foe retreated but might return later, in greater numbers. Give them a chance to notice the bandits stalking them like carrion birds waiting for something to die. Explain directly that they will run from a direct confrontation but will wait for a chance to attack when they sense weakness.
This helps with the problem >>47024535 pointed out: If this happens often you will have players start hunting anyone that runs away to kill them dead and making sure to allow no survivors from a fight.
>>47024318
I think they were just opposing-force, not an Enemy made from a Disadvantage. (Where they absolutely do go away if killed or forced to terminally abandon their opposition. They are then replaced by an equal-value disadvantage though, likely just another Enemy.)
>>47025065
>>47024535
Well, the previous session, the players complained the encounters were too dumb, and there was too much fighting to the death.
Now they are too smart, and not letting themselves be killed.
I have this problem where I listen to what my players say they want, but I think the issue is that they don't actually know what they want... or on the other hand, it could be that I know how to make dumb and smart work, but I dunno how to make just dumb enough that the players feel smart and not patronized.
>>47025065
Ways to make it clear: Tell them they get the feeling they haven't seen the last of those bandits. Have the bandits yell 'we will make you pay for this' as they run away, have a grizzled old man explain to them that bandits scare easily but will return soon and in greater numbers.
>>47025221
>I have this problem where I listen to what my players say they want, but I think the issue is that they don't actually know what they want
Welcome to GMing 101: Why Open-World Sandboxes are the Devil, and Other Lies Players Tell Us.
>>47025221
A little set dressing can really help make encounters easier for players to understand. Enemy communication is great for this. If one of the bad guys yells "retreat! We will get the others and come back for them" you've given the players the information they need.
That said, don't worry about too much about patronizing.
Phrase it in the terms of things their characters would understand, like knowing those bandits would be back or that the place up ahead looks good for a trap. If you plan to ambush them in the night feel free to say their place to stay doesn't look that safe, they may want to set a watch or some traps. The details of how they do that is up to them, but it moves the story along.
>>47025321
Ah, this sounds a bit helpful. It's a bit counterintuitive to me to think "intelligent" adversaries would go about yelling, "Hey, let's do plan b involving that obvious fixture ahead because plan a isn't working out," but it makes sense in the context of a game. One player has "hard of hearing too," so I could still make them roll to perceive the plan, and in a meta-game sense, that would give them the clue that there is more going on, but the prize for succeeding is knowing exactly what's happening.
>>47009017
They don't know what they want.
>>47026254
How typical.
If I were you, I'd add some magic or something. I'm sure the Vikings book has theme-appropriate examples.
>>47025373
Yeah, it sounds a little silly but even smart foes need to talk to coordinate and that kind of chatter can really help. Like having an attacker point at one person and say "focus on that one!" lets a player know they might want to go on defensive and reminds them to cooperate with their own allies.
With bandits it makes even more sense. They can't just directly command, they need to make a case. "Let's get out of here and fight them somewhere else" shows you are cunning, not cowardly.
This also gives you a chance to reward people with good hearing as you pointed out, and people that know different languages. "Retirada, amigos!"
>>47026367
Speaking of the vikings book, there doesn't seem to be an update for 4th edition, does this matter? Also the vikings book in the archive is the first edition, does anyone have the newer version?
>>47028272
4e in general does not do settings/topic books, but instead does genre books. That's mostly because 3e's setting/topic books were 95% fluff and could be used by any edition -- hell, any SYSTEM -- without much effort needed, so there's no real need to update them.
So no, you should be fine using 3e Vikings as background material or inspiration. What mechanics ARE included in it can probably be easily converted with the free 3e>4e conversion PDF that SJGames hands out.
>>47028338
Oh awesome! Still looking for that 2nd edition version of the vikings book though as the one in the archive was published in 1991.
I am trying to think up a way to handle a certain move i've seen/read about many times in fiction, but I find myself stumped on how to best represent it.
Damian is charging full-tilt at Jill while armed with a weapon (knife, axe, spear, staff, etc). Before he gets in striking distance, he throws the weapon with all his might at her in a manner that forces her to limbo down/twist aside in an awkward way that penalizes her Active Defenses (either a static number or one based on a Margin of Success) right before he reaches next turn (for a Slam or Move-and-Attack maneuver).
What, exactly, would Damian be doing? Would it be a-okay to call this thrown weapon attack meant to destabilize an Active Defense a type of "Feint" that applies as long as you can reach your foe in the next turn?
>>47028977
I don't think so. Damian has done a thrown weapon attack, but the intent is to kill. Instead, Jill has succeded at an acrobatic dodge. At least in your specific example. If he wanted to penalize her defences he could have gone for a deceptive attack or a feint. While I can understand what you're aiming at, your example is not really 'it'.
>>47028977
There are a couple ways to tackle this.
1) "Delayed Gratification" from Pyramid #3/52 Low-Tech II introduces the Setup-Attack, which is the same as a Deceptive Attack but the effects come up the next turn. Damian threw his weapon at the right angle that the only way they can avoid it is to put themselves in a compromising position.
2) "Limiting Multiple Dodges" from p. MA123 introduces a cumulative -1 per dodge after the first. If your character is attacking twice (e.g. AOA Double while moving forward and using the first attack halfway through to throw the weapon or Move & Attack + Dual-Weapon Attack if he's got a weapon ready in both hands), that -1 could represent the awkward positioning.
3a) If the target ends up in a sufficiently awkward position at the end, it could qualify for Dodge & Drop: to get a bonus vs. your thrown attack, and the character is left open on subsequent turns.
3b) You could also houserule it and expand D+D from being prone only to ending in other positions like Crawling or Kneeling for a smaller bonus.
I think #3 is the best, as treating it as a feint implies that the spear cannot actually hit and thus only sails dangerously close*, #1 has a nonsensical penalty when applied to ranged weapons and dodges, and #2's penalty is both too small and too transient.
*I would totally allow you to feint with a thrown weapon, though, but as an actual feint in that you fake that you're going to throw it.
>>47028977
Damian does a thrown attack, meant to kill
Jill does a dodge and drop OR a parry/retreat-she can't handle this without some bonuses.
Jill is not yet fully recovered to standing when Damian reaches her and attacks.
This is very probably an example of extra effort being used to get two attacks off in a round, or to do Giant Step with a rapid strike-that way Jill has to work with successive defense penalties. Check martial arts extra effort rules for which option(s) seem best.
