Points Buckets for a Cinematic Martial Arts Campaign

Greg 1 · 01-25-2017, 09:01 AM

I’d like your thoughts on how to best set up points buckets for a cinematic martial arts campaign. This is not a game I’m running. I’m just tinkering with a setting that I may one day post online.

PCs are modern day cinematic martial artists of about equal combat effectiveness. They have non-combat abilities too, to give them things to do other than fight. I’m thinking of around 250 points in the combat bucket, though I’m not sure.

I’m even less sure about how many points should go into the non-combat bucket. I need to provide enough points for a PC to be a scholar with a handful of non-combat chi abilities, or to become a scholar and magician with a handful of non-combat magic abilities. Having said that, I also want players to be able to play an “ordinary” guy like the hero of so many martial arts films. I’m concerned that if I put too-many points in the non-combat bucket, it won’t be possible to play someone who plausibly thinks of themselves as an “ordinary guy”.

I have four main questions:

How many points for the combat bucket?

How many points for the non-combat bucket?

What abilities won’t fit clearly in either bucket?

What do you suggest as non-combat abilities that will still allow a PC to plausibly see themselves as an “ordinary guy”?

01-25-2017, 09:01 AM	#1
Greg 1 Join Date: Feb 2007	Points Buckets for a Cinematic Martial Arts Campaign I’d like your thoughts on how to best set up points buckets for a cinematic martial arts campaign. This is not a game I’m running. I’m just tinkering with a setting that I may one day post online. PCs are modern day cinematic martial artists of about equal combat effectiveness. They have non-combat abilities too, to give them things to do other than fight. I’m thinking of around 250 points in the combat bucket, though I’m not sure. I’m even less sure about how many points should go into the non-combat bucket. I need to provide enough points for a PC to be a scholar with a handful of non-combat chi abilities, or to become a scholar and magician with a handful of non-combat magic abilities. Having said that, I also want players to be able to play an “ordinary” guy like the hero of so many martial arts films. I’m concerned that if I put too-many points in the non-combat bucket, it won’t be possible to play someone who plausibly thinks of themselves as an “ordinary guy”. I have four main questions: How many points for the combat bucket? How many points for the non-combat bucket? What abilities won’t fit clearly in either bucket? What do you suggest as non-combat abilities that will still allow a PC to plausibly see themselves as an “ordinary guy”? __________________ GURPS Settings Beneath Castle Everglory: A Dungeon, Lineage (Modern Fantasy) Paradise City (Cyberpunk), The World of Kung Fu (Modern Martial Arts Setting)