Realistic Gadgeteer

AlexanderHowl · 03-05-2016, 05:59 PM

I was toying with an idea about making a realistic Gadgeteer. There have been people who have manifested abilities that could be considered to be a bounded form of Gadgeteer (Edison, Tesla, etc). I think that you could have a character with Gadgeteer in a realistic campaign if it was purchased with the equivalent of the perk Special Exercise, with the limitation that it may not be used to develop gadgets with a tech level more than one above the campaign baseline and may not be used to purchase Gizmos. I would also suggest that realistic characters that take Gadgeteer advantage should be required to have a minimum of twenty character points in scientific skills.

Minuteman37 · 03-05-2016, 06:33 PM

I'd also say you need to specialize your Gadgeteer by scientific discipline.

AlexanderHowl · 03-05-2016, 06:44 PM

It is not the tech level that is the problem, it is the penalties associated with the invention roll. The first internal combustion automobile, a Complex Device, was a new type of device and was one tech level above the local TL, which would have been a -24 to skill for the concept roll (-19 to skill if they were taking the maximum of one month per roll [+5 to skill for X30 time required]). Even if they had a skill of 25, which would be the maximum realistic skill level, they would have been rolling against a '6' every month, and I honestly doubt that Benz had a skill above 20. I think that a limited form of Gadgeteer would be realistic for inventors like Benz, who could not have developed the necessary skill to have a chance of doing what they did under GURPS rules.

~~NineDaysDead~~ · 03-05-2016, 07:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AlexanderHowl

It is not the tech level that is the problem, it is the penalties associated with the invention roll.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Basic page 473

+1 to +5 if the item is a variant on a existing one; -5 if the basic technology is totally new to the campaign (regardless of TL); -5 if the device is one TL above the inventor’s TL.

Quote:

Originally Posted by AlexanderHowl

The first internal combustion automobile, a Complex Device, was a new type of device

The History of the internal combustion engine suggests otherwise.

Instead of taking a -5 for being a totally new type of technology, it should be gaining a +1 to +5 for being a variant on a existing one.

Quote:

Originally Posted by AlexanderHowl

and was one tech level above the local TL,

I don't think Benz's first car qualifies as one tech level above the local TL.

-14 for Complex +5 for extra time, +1 to +5 gives a total of -8 to -4 to skill

03-05-2016, 05:59 PM	#1
AlexanderHowl Join Date: Feb 2016	Realistic Gadgeteer I was toying with an idea about making a realistic Gadgeteer. There have been people who have manifested abilities that could be considered to be a bounded form of Gadgeteer (Edison, Tesla, etc). I think that you could have a character with Gadgeteer in a realistic campaign if it was purchased with the equivalent of the perk Special Exercise, with the limitation that it may not be used to develop gadgets with a tech level more than one above the campaign baseline and may not be used to purchase Gizmos. I would also suggest that realistic characters that take Gadgeteer advantage should be required to have a minimum of twenty character points in scientific skills.

03-05-2016, 06:33 PM	#2
Minuteman37 Join Date: Aug 2015 Location: Kenai, Alaska	Re: Realistic Gadgeteer I'd also say you need to specialize your Gadgeteer by scientific discipline.

03-05-2016, 06:44 PM	#3
AlexanderHowl Join Date: Feb 2016	Re: Realistic Gadgeteer It is not the tech level that is the problem, it is the penalties associated with the invention roll. The first internal combustion automobile, a Complex Device, was a new type of device and was one tech level above the local TL, which would have been a -24 to skill for the concept roll (-19 to skill if they were taking the maximum of one month per roll [+5 to skill for X30 time required]). Even if they had a skill of 25, which would be the maximum realistic skill level, they would have been rolling against a '6' every month, and I honestly doubt that Benz had a skill above 20. I think that a limited form of Gadgeteer would be realistic for inventors like Benz, who could not have developed the necessary skill to have a chance of doing what they did under GURPS rules.