'Godlike' using GURPS?

[mearrin69]

Thanks for all of the replies. Your thoughts on it are appreciated.

I may have overstated the psychology issue, because I'm not 100% familiar with the rules yet. My understanding from reading the background material (but not the powers rules) is that powers have a lot to do with the mental state of the Talent. So, if you get the idea that your indestructibility doesn't work on Tuesday...it doesn't. If you slip into a deep depression for some reason, you might not be able to manifest your power at all. Edit: so, I'm not sure if that means that someone can use interaction skills to inflict a mental condition that will take away your powers. In the game I think it's tied to a pool of Will that goes up and down.

I'll (obviously) be doing some more reading on this but someone more familiar with the setting/rules might correct me in the meantime if I'm mistaken.
M

[Fred Brackin]

Originally Posted by vitruvian

Except that's not the case. It was specifically other Talents, not anybody mundane no matter their skill in psych warfare, who could spend Will to prevent you using your powers on them. For GURPS and general purposes of play, though, I think a Quick Contest works better.

The real question is whether or not this is an important or even possibly a _defining_ characteristic of how Godlike Talents work in the original setting and not just the original game mechanics.

When adapting to Gurps don't just translate game mechanics because they're _there_. Make sure it's a defining characteristic of things in the setting and not just the rules system.

[vitruvian]

Originally Posted by Fred Brackin

The real question is whether or not this is an important or even possibly a _defining_ characteristic of how Godlike Talents work in the original setting and not just the original game mechanics.

When adapting to Gurps don't just translate game mechanics because they're _there_. Make sure it's a defining characteristic of things in the setting and not just the rules system.

It is. 10 char.

[mearrin69]

We worked with this some tonight. Here's what we came up with (tentatively, so feedback appreciated):

* Characters to be built on 175 pts. 75 pts to be used for the 'mundane' character and 100 pts for 'Talent'-related stuff. Total disadvantage limit is 87 pts, excluding required campaign disads. Use modified templates from GURPS WWII.
* Advantages, 'hyperstats', and 'hyperskills' are purchased with the Godlike power limitation [-10%]. All are negated by static, subject to contest of wills against other 'Talents', and the character must have WP to use (see below).
* The Godlike Talent [5/lvl] provides a bonus to activating/using features purchased with the Godlike power limitation.
* Characters have a 'Will Pool' or WP equal to their 'Base Will' (see below) plus any CP converted to WP (spent out of the 100 pts) at creation. WP increases or decreases based on in-game events, as described in Godlike. Must have WP to use 'Talent' powers, hyperstats, and hyperskills. May spend it to oppose contest of wills vs. other 'Talents'. May spend it like CP to expand existing powers or buy new (related) ones in play.
* GURPS Will serves as 'Base Will'. If WP falls below this level it rises toward it with R&R, etc.

So. The player created a character with Flight (added a -10% accessibility limitation for needs a 15' running (or falling) start), Enhanced Move 2, 3D Spatial Sense, Doesn't Breathe (only at high altitudes - we used the -80% very rare modifier), and Temperature Tolerance (only at high altitudes - same modifier). She took Godlike Talent 2. There were a few points left over for WP. The character has been trained by the TOG as a commando with a few points in Flight and Aerobatics to represent some training using the power.

The basic story is that he was on the Tacoma Narrows bridge when it collapsed (11/1940) but survived because his flight powers manifested at that point (everyone else got off but his dog was too scared and he stayed with it). He hid his powers until after the first US Talent was discovered and then the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor (both late 1941). Afterwards, his patriotism got the better of him and he presented himself to Section Two and was trained by the TOG. He will take part in Operation Torch and we'll go from there.

Apologies for all of the quote marks. Godlike refers to people with powers as Talents, which is a specific game term in GURPS...so I was trying to make it clear when I was referring to background term.

Anything look badly amiss? Thanks!
M

[Not another shrubbery]

Originally Posted by mearrin69

So. The player created a character with Flight (added a -10% accessibility limitation for needs a 15' running (or falling) start), Enhanced Move 2, 3D Spatial Sense, Doesn't Breathe (only at high altitudes - we used the -80% very rare modifier), and Temperature Tolerance (only at high altitudes - same modifier).

That comes out to a max Air Move of around 40... about as fast as a car, as I recall a character saying in one of the vignettes from Godlike. Nice :)
The limitation you're using for Doesn't Breathe and TempTol looks high to me, although the exact altitude where they kick in might make a difference. The Gills version of DB seems roughly comparable in utility... maybe it could be a benchmark.

[The Benj]

It's a sprint speed of 80 Miles an Hour, which is pretty fast.

Depending on high high you want him to be able to go, he could just take 2 levels of the Pressure-Adapted Lungs Perk from Bio-Tech instead of Doesn't Breathe, so he can breathe in Thin and Very Thin atmosphere.

It won't protect him from gas or the like, but it's a whole lot cheaper.

[whswhs]

Originally Posted by The Benj

It's a sprint speed of 80 Miles an Hour, which is pretty fast.

Depending on high high you want him to be able to go, he could just take 2 levels of the Pressure-Adapted Lungs Perk from Bio-Tech instead of Doesn't Breathe, so he can breathe in Thin and Very Thin atmosphere.

It won't protect him from gas or the like, but it's a whole lot cheaper.

Thanks for the reference; I was thinking I'd seen something like that, but not finding it. Taking one level might make sense, actually: no handicaps in Thin atmospheres, increased fatigue costs in Very Thin, unable to breath in Trace (less than 0.15 psi). Depending on what altitude is the upper limit, of course.

Bill Stoddard

[Not another shrubbery]

Originally Posted by The Benj

It's a sprint speed of 80 Miles an Hour, which is pretty fast.

Depending on high high you want him to be able to go, he could just take 2 levels of the Pressure-Adapted Lungs Perk from Bio-Tech instead of Doesn't Breathe, so he can breathe in Thin and Very Thin atmosphere.

Just to be clear, my comment was not meant to be snarky, and I'm sorry if it seemed that way. I just thought it was cool that he matched that character quote from the sourcebook. It always seemed a little peculiar that the first super in the setting (Der Flieger) was also the fastest flyer for so long, despite there being a fairly large number of other flyers over the course of the war.

I don't think Pressure-Tolerant Lungs is supposed to be a leveled Perk, but (as Bill notes) just the Perk itself, for Thin atmosphere, should be fine.

[Fred Brackin]

Originally Posted by Not another shrubbery

I don't think Pressure-Tolerant Lungs is supposed to be a leveled Perk, but (as Bill notes) just the Perk itself, for Thin atmosphere, should be fine.

Pressure _Support_ is leveled but is not a Perk.

There are the 0-pt Features of High Pressure and Low Pressure Lungs. With one of these you either treat Low Pressure as Standard and Standard as Dense or Dense as Standard and so forth.

Finally there is a Perk called Pressure Tolerant Lungs. With this you can either treat Thin and Standard as Standard or Standard and Dense as Standard. You also move the level beyond your new "normal" by one place i.e. Very Thin is treated as if it were only Thin.

The text appears to imply that you can't add both Thin and Dense to Standard for 2 pts but this is interpretation on my part..

[mearrin69]

Thanks. We didn't think to look for abilities in Bio-Tech. Will check it out.

This reminds me that I need to look at Enhanced Move again to see if it applies to just one movement type or if it should be taken with some kind of flight only limitation.

On speed: With stats as of last I looked, the character had a basic move of 6, which took his top air speed to 96 mph (I think: 6x2(flight)x2x2(enhanced move)=48x2(convert to mph)=96 mph). For reference, that's a lot slower than a Me-109 which cruises at 365 mph (according to Wikipedia) so he won't be dogfighting airplanes I guess. She's envisioning him as more of a 'strategic asset' for high-altitude observation and on the ground in a close air support role. Frankly I think he could use a little DR...but he's fast so maybe he'll be hard to shoot if he keeps moving.
M