Posts
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My GURPS House Rules
As a way to get back into the habit of writing I thought I would expound a bit on my preferred GURPS house rules. These are the modifications I make on every campaign I GM. Some are tried-and-true, some are experimental, and one I haven’t really used yet but intend to.
None of them are original creations, though. There’s so much stuff out there already that I don’t feel inclined to come up with my own stuff.
The Permanent Fixtures
These rules should be in effect in pretty much any game I GM.
Metric!
If I have one complaint about GURPS is that it uses Imperial measurements for everything. I don’t! I use metric instead. By now I’m pretty used to applying simple conversions for lengths and weights.
Areas and volumes are more annoying, though I suspect this site would help me there. I don’t agree with everything on it (for example, I’m not rounding Basic Lift to the nearest whole kilogram, that’s not granular enough), but it does a good job overall.
Alternate Guns Specialties
These are from Pyramid #3/65. It greatly simplifies the existing Guns specialties, and I think it makes a lot of sense. I use it on any game that has guns at all.
Occasional Appearances
These don’t always appear, but I like them nonetheless.
Complimentary Skills
This rule originally appeared on GURPS Dungeon Fantasy 2 and GURPS Action 2, and was restated on Pyramid #3/70. It encourages teamwork, and gives heroes a bit of an extra edge in general. It hasn’t appeared in all of my games because people rarely think to invoke this rule, but if anyone asks whether they can use it the answer is always “yes”.
Tactics For the Win
This originally appeared in GURPS Martial Arts. It allows the Tactics skill to grant rerolls when not using tactical maps, or to enable tricky positioning shenanigans when using them. It makes playing “warlord” characters mechanically viable, and the only reason it’s not a permanent fixture is that people don’t always make those types of character.
Team Efforts
Another one from Action and Dungeon Fantasy. It simplifies group tests.
Range Bands
This is from GURPS Action. It’s a lot easier to use than the Size/Speed range table for combats without a map! In practice it mostly means giving nearly everyone a -3 penalty for ranged attacks and calling it a day, since combats in my games rarely happen further away 20m that even when everyone has guns.
Experiments, Tried and Untried
These are rules I want to use more often, but I still don’t feel I’m good enough at applying them to so in every game.
Technical Grappling, Simplified.
This is obviously from GURPS Technical Grappling. I like the basic idea of the Technical Grappling system, but as written it’s way too complex to use in any game that is not entirely about playing through an entire MMA tournament at a high level of detail.
I would like to keep the central mechanic where grapplers to “control damage” according to their skill and strength, and where this damage makes it increasingly harder for the opponent to move. Referred Control has to go, however, and I strongly dislike the idea of adjusting people’s ST mid-fight. I’m also not too keep on calculating multiple ST scores for every possible combination of limbs you’re using for a grapple.
Sometimes I’m strongly tempted to buy Douglas Cole’s Dungeon Grappling supplement for D&D-alikes and port it back to GURPS, since it seems to do lot of what I described above already. However, now that I’ve discovered that the official GURPS conversion of his Hall of Tyr adventure is real, I’ll probably wait for that instead. In the meantime I might work something out on my own.
Hybrid Ritual Path Magic
I’m a big fan of the Ritual Path Magic system as described in, well, GURPS Ritual Path Magic. I like the energy accumulation model and the flexibility it allows. That book is more geared towards settings where magic is rare and/or hidden, though, which means it tends to limit magic by what is “mundanely possible” in the setting in question. You can exceed those limits with Greater effects, but it’s expensive.
GURPS Dungeon Fantasy 19: Incantation Magic describes a variant of this system meant to fit a D&D-like setting, where magic is known and common. The limits it imposes are a lot less fuzzy (you can do this much damage, or give this big a bonus). The exact amounts are dependent on Magery and there are no Greater effects that allow you to exceed them. That’s good for my purposes, but unfortunately the system is based on an “effect shaping” model where spells give you more skill penalties the more powerful they are.
What I want here is a hybrid system, one that’s based on energy but also geared towards obvious-magic settings. What I’d do here is basically use the system from RPM with the Magery-based limits from DF, and the removal of Greater effects. I haven’t tested this in actual play with real players, but I would like to.
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Post-Combat Shakes in Dungeon Fantastic
I usually dislike April Fools posts, but this year Dungeon Fantastic has an excellent one on Post-Combat Shakes. It’s not always that you can try out something described in Dungeon Fantastic at home in real life.
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Pathfinder Iconics in the DFRPG: Jirelle
In this post I continue to write up the Pathfinder iconic characters for use in the Dungeon Fantasy Roleplaying Game. Links to all of them will appear in the project page, which also contains links to the GURPS Dungeon Fantasy versions.
Today’s template is the Swashbuckler, which means today’s character is Jirelle. Here she is:
By Wayne Reynolds, Copyright 2014 Paizo Publishing Even if you’re familiar with Pathfinder’s Iconics, Jirelle might be somewhat new to you. This is because the class she represents, the Swashbuckler, is not from the core rules but from the “Advanced Class Guide” supplement. You can find her bio here, and the only place where I could find her stats is inside this free package of premade iconic characters that contains all of them.
From these, we can learn the following:
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Jirelle is a half-elf born in the Shackles, a pirate-infested archipelago. She sunk her evil pirate’s mother ship to avoid becoming a demonic sacrifice, but the ship and its whole crew later returned as undead. Her main long-term goal is returning them to the depths.
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Her fighting style is acrobatic and daring, relying a lot on precision and fencing skill.
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She wields a rapier as her main weapon, and despite the illustration showing one of every traditional off-hand fencing weapon on her person, the character sheet indicates the buckler is her favorite.
This version of Jirelle is pretty much identical to the GURPS Dungeon Fantasy version, with the main difference being equipment. Her armor and buckler are a lot heavier, and thus I was forced to perform a little point shuffling to get her an Armor Familiarity perk. She’s still as good at fencing as ever, though.
One thing I noticed here is that the DFRPG version of Rapier Wit uses the Intimidation skill rather than Public Speaking. I don’t think it would be a stretch to allow it to be used with Public Speaking, so I’m keeping that skill here. If your GM sticks to the letter of what the book says, feel free to move those Public Speaking points to Intimidation instead.
Jirelle, 249-point Half-Elf Swashbuckler
ST 11 {10}; DX 16 {120}; IQ 10 {0}; HT 13 {30}.
Damage 1d-1/1d+1; BL 12.1kg; HP 11; Will 10; Per 10; FP 13; Basic Speed 7.25; Basic Move 7.
Dodge 11; Parry 16F (Rapier); Block 13;
Advantages
- Armor Familiarity (Rapier) {1}
- Charisma 2 {10}
- Combat Reflexes {15}
- Enhanced Parry (Rapier) 2 {10}
- Luck {15}
- Magery 0 {5}
- Perfect Balance {15}
- Rapier Wit {5}
- Weapon Master (Rapier & Buckler) {25}
Disadvantages
- Code of Honor (Outlaw’s) {-5}
- Gregarious {-10}
- Impulsiveness (12) {-10}
- Obsession (Acquire a ship and crew to defeat my evil mother) (12) {-10}
- Pacifism (Cannot Harm Innocents) {-10}
- Sense of Duty (Adventuring Companions) {-5}
- Social Stigma (Half-Breed) {-5}
Skills
- Acrobatics (H) DX+1 {4}1 - 16
- Brawling (E) DX {1} - 16
- Carousing (E) HT {1} - 13
- Climbing (A) DX {1}1 - 16
- Fast-Draw (Knife) (E) DX+1 {1}2 - 17
- Fast-Draw (Sword) (E) DX+1 {1}2 - 17
- Intimidation (A) Will {2} - 10
- Jumping (E) DX {1} ‐ 16
- Leadership (A) IQ+1 {1}3 - 11
- Public Speaking (A) IQ+2 {2}3 - 12
- Rapier (A) DX+4 {16} - 20
- Seamanship (E) IQ {1} - 10
- Shield (Buckler) (E) DX+2 {4} - 18
- Stealth (A) DX-1 {1} - 15
- Streetwise (A) IQ {2} - 10
- Thrown Weapon (Knife) (E) DX {1} - 16
- Wrestling (A) DX {2} - 16
Equipment
- Ordinary Clothing [Body, Limbs]: Free, 1kg.
- Light Leather Armor Suit: DR 1. $150, 9kg.
- Light Buckler [Body]: DB 1. $40, 4kg.
- Edged Rapier [Body]: Damage 1d+2 imp or 1d+3 cut; $1000, 1.5kg.
- Backpack, Small [Body]: Holds 20kg of gear. $60, 1.5kg.
- Personal Basics [Backpack]: $5, 0.5kg.
- Waterskin [Backpack]: Holds 4L of liquid (4kg if water). $10, 0.13kg.
- Small Throwing Knife x3 [Body]: Damage thr-1 imp. $90, 0.75kg.
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Pathfinder Iconics in the DFRPG: Sajan
In this post I continue to write up the iconic characters from Pathfinder for use in the Dungeon Fantasy Roleplaying Game. Links to all of them will appear on the project page, which also contains the links to the GURPS Dungeon Fantasy versions.
Today’s template is the Martial Artist, which means today’s character is Sajan the Monk. Here he is:
By Wayne Reynolds, Copyright 2008 Paizo Publishing I think he looks pretty cool! His bio and official stats give us the following information:
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He was born in Vudra, his world’s India analogue, where he was a member of the warrior caste along with his beloved twin sister Sajni. Even after they were posted to separate barracks at the age of 12 they still met regularly to spar and hang out.
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Sajni was given away as part of a peace agreement, and Sajan ran after her. He tracked her down to Absalom, his world’s “big cosmopolitan city”, and has been looking for her since.
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As a monk he’s quite acrobatic and prefers to rely on his flurry of blows in combat. He might also grapple or trip opponents with his hooked “temple sword” if that’s more tactically advantageous.
The GURPS Dungeon Fantasy version used the stats for a khopesh from GURPS Low-Tech for the “temple sword”. Since this one is restricted only to the material in the DFRPG boxed set, we go with the Heavy Falchion stats and give up on the rules for weapon hooks. We also had to lose the gauntlets, as his light cloth armor is a bit heavier here. Sajan continues to be a very effective combatant either with his sword or with his fists, and has most of the abilities people have come to associate with monks in d20.
Sajan, 250-point Human Martial Artist
ST 11 {10}; DX 16 {120}; IQ 10 {0}; HT 12 {20}
Damage 1d/2d-1; BL 12.1kg; HP 11; Will 11 {5}; Per 10; FP 12; Basic Speed 7.00; Basic Move 8 {5}
Advantages
- Chi Talent 2 {30}
- Mantis Strike {9}
- Tiger Sprint {9}
- Trained by a Master {30}
- Weapon Master (Heavy Falchion) {20}
Disadvantages
- Disciplines of Faith (Chi Rituals) {-10}
- Honesty (12) {-10}
- No Sense of Humor {-10}
- Obsession (12) (Find my sister) {-10}
- Sense of Duty (Adventuring Companions) {-5}
- Vow (Vegetarianism) {-5}
Skills
- Acrobatics (H) DX-1 {2} - 15
- Broadsword (A) DX+1 {4} - 17
- Climbing (A) DX-1 {1} - 15
- Fast-Draw (Shuriken) (E) {1} - 16
- Hiking (A) HT-1 {1} - 11
- Judo (H) DX {4} - 16
- Jumping (E) DX {1} - 16
- Karate (H) DX {4} - 16
- Meditation (H) Will-1 {2} - 10
- Running (A) HT-1 {1} - 11
- Stealth (A) DX-1 {1} - 15
- Tactics (H) IQ {4} - 10
Special Skills
All include +2 from Chi Talent.
- Blind Fighting (VH) Per {2} - 10
- Body Control (VH) HT {2} - 12
- Immovable Stance (H) DX+1 {2} - 17
- Light Walk (H) DX+1 {2} - 17
- Parry Missile Weapons (H) DX+1 {2} - 17
- Pressure Points (H) IQ+1 {2} - 11
- Push (H) DX+1 {2} - 17
- Throwing Art (H) DX+1 {2} - 17
Equipment
$802.0, 12.1kg. No Encumbrance, but only just.
- Ordinary Clothing [Torso, Limbs]: Free, 1kg.
- Light Cloth Armor [Body, Limbs]: DR 1. $137, 8.25kg.
- Temple Sword [Torso]: As Large Falchion. Damage 2d+5 cut or 1d+1 imp. $625, 2.25kg.
- Pouch [Torso]: Holds 1.5kg of small items. $10, 0.1kg.
- Star Shuriken x5 [Pouch]: Damage 1d+1 cut. $15, 0.25kg.
- Spike Shuriken x5 [Pouch]: Damage 1d imp. $15, 0.25kg.
- $198 in coin.
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Dragon's Dogma Bestiary: Hydras
Copyright 2012 Capcom. This is an entry in the Dragon’s Dogma bestiary. You thought I had droppped this, didn’t you? The remaining entries along with the full adaptation can be found here.
Like gryphons and chimeras, hydras are a heraldic animal in Gransys, symbolizing endurance in battle. Hydra sightings are vanishingly rare, for not many of these monsters exist in Gransys and even fewer people who saw one up close lived to tell the tale.
A Gransys hydra looks like a gigantic four-headed snake, covered in shiny black scales. Its four necks tower over the ground at the height of a cyclops, and its main body is even larger. Its four heads can spit a jet of numbing poison, and and swallow a grown man whole. Despite this, the creature lacks substantial fangs and its jaw muscles are more suited for immobilizing victims than for outright crushing them. Should the hydra have need of crushing someone, though, it can simply slam its heads, necks, or tail into the victim.
ST 50; DX 13; IQ 5; HT 15;
HP 60; Will 12; Per 12; FP 15;
Speed 7; Move 8 (Slithers); SM +5;
Dodge 10; DR 6 (neck); 9 (elsewhere).
- Head Slam (15): 6d+3 crushing; Reach C-4; The hydra slams one of its heads into the target.
- Miasma Spit (15): A 2 meter radius area of effect in front of the hydra. Targets exposed to the venom must roll HT. Success means 1d injury, failure means 2d. Targets also suffer a -1 penalty to DX for every 2 injury sustained, which lasts for 1 minute. Costs 2 FP per use.
- Bite (15): The target is grappled with ST 52! In subsequent turns the hydra will attempt to swallow the target (treat it as an attempt to pin). See Notes below for how to rescue a swallowed target.
- Tail Sweep (15): 6d+3 crushing with double knockback; Targets a 3 meter radius area of effect behind the hydra. Can only be dodged, not parried or blocked!
Traits: Extra Attack 3; High Pain Threshold; Horizontal; Hydra Regeneration (see below); No Legs (slithers); No Fine Manipulators; Nictitating Membrane 3; Night Vision 9; Peripheral Vision;
Skills: Brawling-15; Wrestling-15; Innate Attack-15;
Class: Mundane.
Hydra Tactics
The hydra can do something with each of its heads each turn, or give up one head’s action for a tail sweep. Each head counts as a separate individual for the purposes of being targetted with mind-affecting spells or the like.
Despite its feasome size and prowess, a hydra has the mind of a beast. It will usually attack because it’s hungry! In these cases, its usual tactic is to impair one of more targets with its Miasma Spit, then bite and swallow them. It will retreat once it has had its fill or suffered significant injury.
Hydras are also highly territorial and will fight any who trespass on their lairs to the death.
Fighting a Hydra
A cumulative 15 injury from cutting weapons to a neck will sever one of the hydra’s heads. 2d seconds later, the head will grow back, and the hydra will regain the lost HP. The stump must be burned with natural or magical fire to prevent this from happening! Severing and cauterizing the last head will of course kill the beast.
Someone swallowed by a hydra can still be saved in the 10 seconds it takes for them to travel down the beast’s neck if the offending head is severed before then. If they reach the creature’s body they will automatically take 6d+2 cr damage per second from its innards, which practically guarantees a swift death.
Giant Climbing
It’s possible for a brave or suicidal warrior to climb the neck of a hydra! It’s skin is mostly smooth but still provides some handholds, giving a -2 to any Climbing rolls. Someone clinging to the neck of a hydra can target the neck at no penalty with a one-handed melee weapon, but the beast can still attempt to crush the pest by slamming its neck against the ground. Treat this as a “Head Slam” attack. The target has a -2 penalty to Dodge it unless they let go of the hydra.
Hydra Variants
Archydra
The original game also features the “Archydra” in its most difficult dungeons, beyond the Rift. This variant is white instead of black, harder to hurt, and does have fangs. It has DR 9 in the neck and 12 elsewhere and can bite for 6d+2 imp damage instead of grappling if it wishes.
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