This is a monthly r/GURPS thread for anything and everything related to your own campaigns. Tell us how you and your friends are making out. Update us on the progress of your game. Tell us about any issues you've run into and maybe we can help. Make suggestions for other players and GMs.

This is a monthly r/GURPS thread for anything and everything related to your own campaigns. Tell us how you and your friends are making out. Update us on the progress of your game. Tell us about any issues you've run into and maybe we can help. Make suggestions for other players and GMs.

Heavy spears weight half as much as a halberd

...why?

isn't a halberd like, a spear with differently shaped point?

I get it should be heavier, but why *so* heavy?

(btw I know I could just change it, I'm wondering if this actually makes sense cause I have absolutely no idea if this actually works like this irl)

I was invited to join a game run by some friends. The campaign is already in progress (around 2100 points). Before officially joining, I went to “watch” a few sessions and they showed me some of the powers, etc.

There’s one player who is more experienced in our group (he considers himself an expert), and I wanted to understand how normal this level of power is. The RPG takes place in a Jujutsu Kaisen setting, and the characters are equivalent to Semi–Grade 1 and Grade 1.

From a newcomer’s perspective, I found it very strange and I’d like an opinion from outside our group. When I shared my thoughts about how unusual it felt to play a game with so many dice/bonuses, they called me crazy and said this is completely normal in GURPS. Also: “If everyone at the table is broken, nobody is overpowered.”

I apologize if I used any terms incorrectly; English is not my first language, and as I said, I haven’t officially played yet. Here are some of their abilities:

I – Combat Altered Time Rate 6
(requires DX roll -10%, combat only -20%, cardiac stress 10 sec -40%, maximum duration 12h -5%, costs 1 FP -5%) -80% [120]

II – Final Judgment
250d6 (120d+455) corrosion – innate attack (Armor Divisor ignores DR +300%, Link +10%, Extended Time Cost 1 -10%, Emanation -20%, Unreliable: 2 consecutive attacks of 8 or less -1600%, Selective Area 1 km radius +520%, Brawling roll +20%, Side Effect: HT 5 +350% and Secondary: No manipulators or legs and head only (immobile fixation), coma +65%, DX -30 +60%, Affects Insubstantial +20%, No Signature +20%, Granted by Another -40%, Surprise Attack +250%, Costs ER 11 -55%) -80% [100]

III – Unlimited Space Divider
Space Control 120, Distortion 10^19× (Granted by Another -40%, Mental Stress 10 sec -40%, Costs ER variable 1–20/sec (1 per 6 levels) -100%, Environmental -5%, Talent -10%, Minimum Distance -5%, Collective +100% 120 m, Reflexive +40%, Independent +40%, One Hand -20%, Weakness to adhesives (glue) -60%, Based on DX +20%) [720]

IV – Combo C
Striking ST (Affects Insubstantial, Selective +20%, Based on Granted ST +60%, Additional Attempt +10%, Armor Divisor (100) vs enemies with glue weakness +50%, Cosmic: No Die Roll Required if not in contact with glue +85%, Accurate 20 +100%, Extra Effort +0%, Reliable 10 +50%, HT 1 -100%, Side Effect: Stunned +50%, Unreliable: 11 on two previous consecutive rolls -400%, Talent -10%, Costs ER 1 -15%, Link +10%)
→ Injury Tolerance (Static) (a trait -50%, Talent -10%, Link, Unreliable: two consecutive 11s) [5 pts]

V – Reincarnated Divider
Affliction (Night Vision 1 +10%, Secondary: Cosmic Power Modular Ability +8000%, Melee Attack -30%, Costs FP 100 -500%, Limited Use 3× -40%, Permanent +150%, Weakness: adhesives -60%, Based on DX +20%, Granted by Another -40%, Talent -10%) [750]

→ Cosmic Power Modular Ability 2000
(Physical and Mental +100%, Split -70%, Access with sword -20%, Granted by Another -40%, Reflexive +40%, Costs FP/second 10 -100%, Switchable +10%) -80% [4000]

i'm making a creature that is big and floaty, and has an trait where if it is killed/defeated, it can detach its head, which then tries to fly away to then regenerate the rest of its body. I'm wondering how this could be done in gurps, or if there is already a precedent for something like this

Unreliable states that :
"Every time you want to use the power, you must roll the activation number... or less on 3d. Once you succeed, the ability will work for that particular use. When you cease to use it, you must make another activation roll to start it again."

How does this work for passive abilities like Altered Time Rate?
Does it only allow the character to take one turn in which they can take multiple actions?
Or does it work until the character stops taking multiple actions in a turn?

Are there any examples of how this might work for other passive abilities (eg. Damage Resistance)?

My initial thoughts are to rule it as working until the character stops taking multiple actions.

so I'm running a supers game where my players are freelance super-henchmen who help other villains with their problems. they've taken a job for next session where they're going to help deal with a hero that is expected to show up to hinder the villain's operations. the hero is a quick stealthy guy who is extremely accurate with guns, even capable of pulling off ricochet shots. the setting is a mall during night hours.

my question is any suggestions on how to run an interesting encounter inside this mall?

for reference, my players include a guy who can turn invisible and move really fast, someone who can regenerate extremely fast, and a guy with aoe gravity powers + limited flight and force projections (like a wall or floor)

There are so many ways to build stuff in GURPS. I have my own ideas but want to hear yours.

I have an insect race, the Veekay, in a science-fiction space station campaign. They are an option for player characters. They are solitary by nature, but when they get together for breeding, they become a hivemind. They literally share one consciousness for the period of copulation. This can be two members, or sometimes more. It is said that when the race was younger it was a colony mind during breeding, but as they evolved into sapience it became smaller and smaller groups.

The race has recently been devastated. There are only around 100 left. Recently they've found that they can hivemind in pairs outside of breeding. This kind of hivemind is low level taxing so they can't maintain it over a week or two.

Functionally: A Veekay player character can try and find another Veekay to go with them on an adventure. If they are successful in finding another Veekay that is capable of adventure and convince them to go with them they essentially have another body. It's one mind, but two bodies, played by the player. So the new mind has all of the mental advantages and disadvantages of both Veekay in the relationship. There is no personality conflict or fight for control.

I can think of about 3 ways to pull this off but wanted to hear from you.

In my city (which is Zaporizhzhia by the way) there is quite a bit of GURPS happening, so i know like 3-4 other masters that GM'ing GURPS regularely, i even played a bith at their games. Also speak with GURPS local communitiy online.

I feel like there is a lot of "masterful arbitrariness" for lack of another term. It's not like they just not follow they rules all the time, but they don't so it suddenly.

For last example, i observed game where character with 13 ST was hit to a head with homerulled monster with impaling damage. Rolled 4 damage, and crit to the head (crit roll 10), first we thought that 1 damage penetrated (figured it out that crit ignored DR, but still). Master said "You are dead". No counting real damage with all modifiers, no HT rolls.

Master said that "Damage penetrated to the brain = you are dead or vegetative so what's the point". Yeah in setting where is magical healing is avaliable.

Not like people on the table was against it, and that play was advertised as "Highly deadly" but it felt extremely unfair.

And problem of "that's too much damage" persist even among some players. Noone really wants to roll if numbers feels high.

Its also feels i'm the only man in local community who wants to to follow the letter of the rules at least at core of the rules. And other masters are using "Master are right" rule among others.

I am wrong?

Hey, I'm trying to make a golem that can magically take damage on behalf of others. I've seen skills and traits that let you interpose yourself between an attack and the original target, but nothing like what I'm looking for.

I know the aura enhancement will help, but I can't find any trait that'll let me just take damage for another creature. There might be something for minions, but I'm looking to fill a 'magical bulwark' role with this build. Does anyone have any ideas? Thank you for your time.