Welcome to MyGURPS, a page full of resources and
information for the GURPS® Fourth Edition roleplaying game from Steve Jackson Games.
Herein you'll find some of the house rules that I use (and heartily recommend) for the
newest edition of GURPS, various resources and articles that you might
find useful, new data files for the GURPS Character Assistant
software, and some of the GURPS books (and other Steve Jackson Games
products) that I've reviewed on RPGnet. You'll also find resources for other
games near the bottom of the page. And if you'd like to know more about me,
click here!
To remove or redisplay this introductory text, click on the MyGURPS
logo at the very top of the page. To view or hide the content in a given
section, just click on its header. Enjoy the site!
Fourth Edition not only streamlined GURPS, it fixed a
lot of rules and exceptions that were unbalanced or otherwise broken. Of course, even an
unashamed fanatic like myself has to admit that a few things can still use some tweaking. All
of my house rules here have been extensively playtested and have had a positive effect on the
system. Click on the rule if you want to know the details, or the rationale behind it.
Many of these house rules are available in the GCA Files section below if you want to incorporate them into your own game.
1. Perception and Will are separate from IQ.
Both Per and Will are their own attributes. They start at 10, and can be raised or
lowered for 5 points/level. IQ is unchanged, at 20 points/level.
This is a big change, but an important one. As written, if you lower your character's Per
and Will, you'll see that IQ (just IQ by itself) costs 10 points/level. Compared to the price
of Talents, Magery, and even skills, that's just too little. Now that mental skills cost more
per level, it's unbalancing to make IQ cost less.
In addition, it makes themetic sense for Will and Perception to be divorced from
IQ. Intelligence certainly doesn't affect alertness -- look at any animal to see that. And
your strength of will isn't related to how smart you are, otherwise nerds would intimidate
jocks, not the other way around.
This does slightly change the cost of building characters, so you'll want
to mentally add about 10-15% to the starting character points suggestions in
the books.
(Note that Affliction (Attribute Penalty, IQ) no longer reduces Per and
Will. Instead, the Attribute Penalty enhancement may be bought for each at +5%
per level. Similarly, Steal Will and Steal Per are +100% enhancements for
Leech.)
2. Reducing the value of "flavor" traits.
The values of all age-related traits (Extended Lifespan, Longevity,
Self-Destruct, Short Lifespan) are halved, except for Unaging, which costs 5
points. Terminally Ill no longer exists, except when granted via an
Affliction.
These are what I call "flavor" traits. It's neat to say that your
elf is 1,500 years old, but that's about it. In all but the most unusual campaigns, the game
is unlikely to go on long enough that age comes into play. And Terminally Ill is a horrible
example of a disadvantage. It does nothing to inconvenience your character in any way, shape,
or form, until one day when you just die and make up a new character. Adding a Mitigator is
one step towards fixing the problem but a equally large step towards making it worse (since
now your timetable is indefinite).
If you have a horrible disease that's going to kill you, buy appropriate disadvantages. If
the only thing keeping you alive is an experimental drug, take a Dependency. If you're morose
over your situation, take Chronic Depression. But you shouldn't get any points for something
that doesn't affect you until it's too late. I'd call that a Quirk ("At some point, I'll be
replacing this character with a new one.")
Note that Destiny is unchanged, but there should be an emphasis on ensuring the destiny
comes into play before the campaign ends.
3. Arm DX, Arm ST, and Regrowth are cheaper.
Arm DX costs 9 or 12 points for one or two arms. Arm ST costs 3, 4, or 6
points for one, two, or three arms. Regrowth costs 10 points.
Arm DX appears to be priced in comparison to DX at 20 points per level.
That is a mistake, however, as Arm DX does not affect Basic Speed and should
thus be priced comparably to "just DX" (i.e., DX +1 and Basic Speed -0.25),
which is 15 points per level. Otherwise, you'd be better off spending the 15
points to improve your overall DX instead of spending 16 points to only
improve your two arms. The easy way to fix this is to make the price
comparable to "just DX" at 15 points per level and adjust the value of Arm DX
proportionately.
Arm ST has a similar problem in that it appears to be priced in comparison
to ST at 10 points per level, while it really should be compared to "just ST"
(ST +1 and Hit Points -1) at 8 points per level. The simple solution is to
again reduce the values proportionately. Unfortunately, only "Two Arms" can be
reduced evenly by 20% (to 4 points), and I'm not willing to have fractional
values for a basic advantage. From experience, I can say that the utility of
"One Arm" versus "Two Arms" versus "Three Arms" is about the same, really;
players will always use their strongest limb(s) unless forced not to.
Therefore, I rounded towards the value of "Two Arms", to err on the side of
keeping their prices similar.
Regrowth is a different issue. Essentially, it gives you a weaker version
of Injury Tolerance (No Eyes [5], No Vitals [5], and Unbreakable Bones [10])
-- you do take the injury, but can grow it back over a long period of
time. Considering that for 20 points you can be absolutely immune to
dismemberment, it makes no sense to charge 40 points to be able to recover
from dismemberment over a long period of time. I think -50% is a conservative
value for "Loses the limb/organ but grows it back weeks/months later", which
sets a fair value at 10 points.
4. Control can be used normally to provide DR.
Each level of Control can be used to give people in your area of effect
DR 1 versus appropriate attacks. A successful, IQ-Based Power Block
will double any defensive use of Control for one attack.
Per GURPS Powers, using Control to provide DR requires a
special "stunt" known as a Power Block. But to me it seems logical to
make it a normal use of Control. If each level of Control can give you +1 to
resist an Affliction, +1 to ignore a combat penalty, or -1 on an opponent's
combat penalty (depending on the substance or energy being controlled), adding
+1 DR doesn't seem very far-fetched or overpowered. And, with this rule in
place, it then makes sense to allow a Power Block roll (instead of the
normal IQ roll) to try to double the defensive effects of this ability.
5. Costs Fatigue is worth -10%/level.
Costs Fatigue is worth -10% per level, to a maximum of -40%. If you have an advantage
that would normally remain on indefinitely, you can take "Costs 1 FP per 10 seconds"
for -20% or "Costs 1 FP per second" for -40%.
In my years of gaming, I have noticed that abilities with no energy cost whatsoever are immensely
more useful than those with even a minor cost. Take a super with a laser eye-beam. If he gets
into a fight, there's no reason he can't use it 20 or 30 times in the span of a combat. Add
even a 1 FP cost to it, and suddenly he can't use it more than 7-8 times without seriously
imparing his ability to fight -- and that's if nothing else fatigues him (or already has)!
Note the -40% cap, however, to prevent this from becoming a free ride. Otherwise you find
the munchkins buying their FP up and then adding "Costs 40 FP, -200%" to bring down the cost
of their 500-point ability with a ton of enhancements. Also note that there is no "Costs 2 FP
per 10 seconds" limitation. This rewrite gives a fair point break while preventing the worst
instances of abuse.
Optional Complications: "Costs Hit Points" is worth 1.5 times as
much -- hit points are harder to recover and more dangerous to lose. If you
have any abilities that allow you to recover at least 1 FP or HP (as
appropriate) per second, this limitation is worth 1/5 as much. If you can
recover faster than that (e.g., Extreme Regeneration), it's worth 1/10 as
much. The fact that you have to pay the energy cost is still a minor
limitation, on about the same level as a Nuisance Effect.
6. Armor Divisor (100) is available.
Armor Divisor (100) is available as a +300% enhancement. This is a fair
price in comparison to Cosmic (Irresistable Attack), which is more effective
but is also stopped by Cosmic DR. Hardened DR reduces both enhancements
normally.
Per recent clarification, the Cosmic (Irresistable Attack) enhancement is
reduced by the Hardened enhancement exactly as if it were a higher level of
Armor Divisor. In addition to that, the Cosmic enhancement on DR allows
it to completely stop Cosmic attacks -- in a sense, it acts as "Hardened 6,
Only Versus Cosmic Attacks".
So, the only "missing" level of Armor Divisor (looking at the Hardened
enhancement) is Armor Divisor (100). It seemed fairest to make it +300%, as
dividing DR by 100 is almost as good as ignoring it. It's not quite as
effective as Cosmic, but it also isn't affected by Cosmic DR, which seems like
an even trade.
7. Various new modifiers for traits.
While building characters and helping others to do so, I've come up with
several new "special modifiers" for various advantages, as well as a new advantage
(Indefatigable). Unlike the other house rules, this will load as a
separate page -- it's too long to do inline.
8. Enthrallment skills require an Unusual Background.
For balance purposes, an Unusual Background is required to learn and use
the four Enthrallment skills. This costs 5 points, plus 5 points for each
level of Charisma (maximum 30 points.)
Even with a mere Charisma 1, the Enthrallment skills act as an easy Charm
Person. Sit down with someone at a bus station, tell him the story of your
life, and suddenly he's robbing the ticket window. This adds a surcharge which
brings its cost inline with that of restricted Magery or limited, area effect
Mind Control.
9. Temporary Enchantment fixed.
When using the Temporary Enchantment spell (from GURPS
Fantasy and Magic),
multiply the energy cost of the enchantment by (Uses)/(Uses+6), rounding up. So a wand that
can cast Fireball 30 times costs (30/36), or 84% of the normal energy cost to enchant.
The idea behind Temporary Enchantment is a good one, but why make it impossible (or
ridiculously expensive) to make an item with a dozen or more charges? This makes a one-shot
item cost the same (15%), while allowing for as many uses as you want.
10. Slams use ST when possible.
Replace "HP" with "ST" for living beings in the formula for calculating
the damage from slams. Use HP for inanimate objects and all other collisions
or falls. If the type of Strength matters, use Striking ST.
Hit Points can represent a lot more than just weight, and Strength is often
a better gauge of mass and bulk. Just look at someone with Body of Air -- they
cannot pick anything up, punch you, or normally have an effect on the world,
but they slam as well as a normal person! This fixes that. The concept of
falling damage seems to be that everyone is affected proportionately, so Hit
Points work fine, there.
Dustin Tranberg had a good suggestion. Copy the following table and paste
it onto your GM's Screen. It makes slams much easier to deal with.
SLAM DAMAGE |
ST x Move |
|
Dmg |
1 to 25 | | 1d-3 |
26 to 50 | | 1d-2 |
51 to 99 | | 1d-1 |
100 to 149 | | 1d |
150 to 249 | | 2d |
250 to 349 | | 3d |
+100 | | +1d |
11. (Psi) Static comes in two levels.
Resistible is no longer a limitation. Instead, it is the first level
of Static, with a cost of 15 points. The normal advantage, as written, is the
second level.
The difference between, "You cannot use your power on him (or in this area)
at all, period," and, "It's very difficult, but possible, for you to use your
power," is a significant one. In my experience, complete static is easily
worth twice as much as resistible static. GURPS seems to agree, at
first glance. Simulating this with a -50% limitation works by itself, but when
you throw a couple of enhancements on there (such as the Area Effect which is
de rigeur for building a "screamer") the cost difference quickly
changes to a flat 15 points.
I posit that if the ability to completely shut down every psi within 128
yards, no matter how skilled or powerful they are, is worth 150
points, then the ability to merely make it difficult for them to use
their psi should be closer to 75 points than to 135 points. The way to achieve
this is to change the base cost, so Static (Resistible) is 15 points and
Static (Complete) is 30 points.
12. Changes to Trading Points for Money and Signature Gear.
The starting cash you get by trading in points now scales up (using a similar progression to Wealth) and is based on your starting wealth, not the campaigns. This makes it a fair deal for wealthy characters while reducing abuse from poor ones. Signature Gear no longer provides funds; it simply adds plot protection to gear that you've already purchased. Because there's a table involved, this house rule is located on its own page.
13. Streamlined Languages for Modern Games.
In games set on modern Earth, 99% of the people will speak one of the following languages:
Arabic,
Bantu (Southern African),
Berber (Northern African),
Cantonese/Wu (Chinese),
Dutch/Afrikaans,
English,
Farsi/Kurdish (Iranian),
Finnish/Hungarian,
French,
Gaelic/Welsh,
German/Yiddish,
Greek,
Hebrew,
Hindi-Urdu (Indian/Pakistani),
Indonesian/Malay,
Italian/Romanian,
Japanese,
Korean,
Latin,
Mandarin (Chinese),
Navajo,
Norwegian/Swedish/Danish,
Polish/Czech,
Russian/Ukranian,
Spanish/Portugese,
Thai/Burmese,
Turkish/Mongol,
or
Vietnamese/Cambodian.
A slash means that the languages are closely enough related that, for simplified game purposes, they count as a single language.
The real world has thousands of active languages, but that doesn't mean that a game should. In my experience, most players avoid investing heavily in languages (even in a globe-trotting game) because they realize that even if they learn a dozen languages, they can still only talk to a small fraction of the world.
This change attempts to fix that issue. Combining similar dialects broadens the scope of many languages. But more importantly, this rule is an agreement on the part of the GM that these languages are going to be the ones that come up in the game. This isn't a statement that (e.g.) other dialects of Chinese don't exist! It just means that if the party encounters a Chinese NPC, he will speak Cantonese, Mandarin, or Wu.
Obviously, hidden or secret languages are not on this list. Also, there may be a valid in-game reason to intentionally give an NPC a different language, but if so, that automatically becomes a plot point -- players should think, "Huh, that's interesting that he speaks Lakota -- I'll have to make a note of that," not, "Damn, that lying GM never told us that we had to learn Lakota, too!"
(And if your particular language or dialect is not on this list, sorry! It's chosen from an American point of view; no offense is intended.)
14. Combat, Combat Art, and Combat Sport Skills Are Techniques.
When you learn a Combat skill, Combat Art skill, or Combat Sport skill (see p. B184 for details), you may buy up the other two versions as an Average technique defaulting to your skill-3. For example, if you know Karate Art at DX+2, you know Karate at DX-1 and can buy it up to DX+2 level for 3 points.
This change is due to equal parts game-balance and realism. As the rules are written now, if you know (e.g.) Broadsword at DX+4, it costs 12 points to buy just your Broadsword Art up to the same level. That's a game balance issue because you're wasting points -- not just due to the lack of utility, but because you'd be nuts not to just spend the 12 points on Broadsword (raising Broadsword Art and Sport by +3, from default, simultaneously). While that issue comes up with other defaults, it's especially bad here, as many martial arts styles require you to, e.g., learn both Judo and Judo Art. And it's a realism issue, because fighters and athletes do transition between (e.g.) tournaments and MMA fighting without spending a full year training non-stop to adapt. A technique is a fair compromise; at 3 points per skill, it costs 6 points to raise all three variants to the same level -- exactly half of the 12 points mentioned above.
15. Cheap Firearms.
Cheap guns are -60% to Cost (-0.6 CF). They have -1 Acc, -1 HT, and -1 Malf. If you aren't using Malfunctions (p. B407), treat this as "16 is always a failure, and 17 is always a critical failure."
Alternatively, if you don't mind extra detail, the firearm's HT is unchanged. However, whenever it would normally get a bonus to a HT roll -- like the HT+4 roll to resist Slime, Sand, and Equipment Failure (p. B485) -- it rolls against straight HT, no bonus.
With all of the love for high-quality firearms, it's weird
that we haven't come up with official rules for low-quality
ones. These three drawbacks focus on the problems usually cited in
real-life for cheap guns.
Note for My Players: I also have a
minor house rule about Dependents and Enemies. They may be only taken with a
Frequency of "6 or less" or "9 or less" without special GM permission.
Retired House Rules
Several of my house rules have been retired due either to them being
incorporated as official rules or to new rules which solve the same problem in
an acceptable way. I'm glad that this section exists! It means that the system
is being constantly improved as it grows. Retired house rules include those
for Gunslinger, Magery 0, and Off-Hand Weapon Training.
I. Gunslinger includes weapon familiarity.
GURPS High-Tech includes rules (different from mine, but excellent
nonetheless) that make it worth the cost. I'll be using those rules instead.
II. Magery 0 can be limited just like higher levels of Magery.
Since the publication of this page, the GURPS FAQ has been revised
to make it canonical that you can apply the One-College Only limitation
to Magery 0 as well, which is a good start, at least. In addition, the data
files for GURPS Character Assistant now support this
house rule fully, allowing all of the Magery limitations to be applied
to Magery 0. This bodes well for all.
III. Off-Hand Weapon Training is a learnable perk.
GURPS Martial Arts codifies this as a canonical rule now. I
suggested it during the playtest and the agreement was overwhelming. I'm proud
to be responsible for this change.
IV. Preparation Required has an "Immediate" version.
This is now an official rule, in GURPS Psionic Powers, along
with some modifiers for Compartmentalized Mind and Telekinesis which could be
previously found on the Various Modifiers page.
V. Expanded Rules for Alternative Abilities.
As of GURPS Power-Ups 8: Limitations, you can
now buy an AA with more than one "slot."