Gurps 4th, making new races!

[Bill Cipher]

Hey everybody!! How's it hanging?

I am currently making new race templates for my RP world, that my RP group is currently playing in. But! I can't seem to find anything even remotely relating to Tusks in the 4th edition! Am I somehow overlooking it, somewhere? If it helps; I am looking for wild boar like tusks.

Thanks in advance!

ps. I can't seem to edit anything on my profile, is that normal?

[whswhs]

Tusks are either Teeth (specifically Fangs) or Strikers with the Cannot Parry and Limited Arc limitations. See which one looks closer to the way you are envisioning them.

[Bill Cipher]

Thanks a bunch! I went with striker (cutting), since they are more outward-going than teeths, like a Wild Boar.

I have another question though, if I want a certain skill to be part of a race - how should I implement that? I think Gurps 3rd Edition used Racial Skill (Brawling) fx. but not sure about 4th Edition?

And again, thanks in advance!

[Phantasm]

Originally Posted by Bill Cipher

Thanks a bunch! I went with striker (cutting), since they are more outward-going than teeths, like a Wild Boar.

I have another question though, if I want a certain skill to be part of a race - how should I implement that? I think Gurps 3rd Edition used Racial Skill (Brawling) fx. but not sure about 4th Edition?

And again, thanks in advance!

I'd probably go with a Racial Skill Bonus (p. B452, Basic Set: Campaigns) for that skill or a Talent that includes it, and then make note that most members of that race that will be encountered will have put points into the skill. There are rules on the next page for Racially Learned Skills, but in practice I tend to avoid them (my players tend to say "but I want to play a member of this race who doesn't know that skill...").

[Bill Cipher]

Originally Posted by Phantasm

I'd probably go with a Racial Skill Bonus (p. B452, Basic Set: Campaigns) for that skill or a Talent that includes it, and then make note that most members of that race that will be encountered will have put points into the skill. There are rules on the next page for Racially Learned Skills, but in practice I tend to avoid them (my players tend to say "but I want to play a member of this race who doesn't know that skill...").

Thanks! I think I will just apply the skill, under the racial templates skill list. I assume that's how Racially Learned Skills are placed.

I know what you mean, but I believe it to be important for this race. I am all for being versatile, when it comes to RPing, it's meant to be fun for the players. But! They have known war for a long time and it has become sort of a cultural thing for them. Plus their natural big frame and instinct makes them fairly capable fighters. But I can probably be persuaded with a good background story (Haha) that gives their character reason for absolutely not having this particular skill.

[tbone]

Originally Posted by Bill Cipher

But I can probably be persuaded with a good background story (Haha) that gives their character reason for absolutely not having this particular skill.

I go with the method Phantasm mentions: build in a Talent or other bonus if appropriate, then encourage players to buy race-appropriate skills. Even strongly encourage. But not require.

I find "You should take this skill common to the race, unless you have a good story for not doing so" to be a cleaner approach than "You must take this skill common to the race, unless you have a good story for not doing so." Because if the "must" isn't enforced, it's just a "should" anyway.

[Kelly Pedersen]

Note that, even if you do decide to give a race a "racial skill" rather than a racial Talent for the skill (and some races definitely do have levels in the skill itself, rather than just an aptitude for it), it's still fine for a particular member of the race to not have that skill, due to defect, unusual upbringing, or just because they're uninterested in it. Just take the points in the skill off, and treat it as a disadvantage. So if Cat Folk have Climbing at DX+1 [4], then the rare Cat Folk character who can't climb would have a -4 point disadvantage.

[RyanW]

There is also the option of someone living among that culture without the appropriate skills as having a Social Stigma or negative Reputation.

[Kelly Pedersen]

Originally Posted by RyanW

There is also the option of someone living among that culture without the appropriate skills as having a Social Stigma or negative Reputation.

Social Stigma (Uneducated) for a character lacking a critical racial skill sounds right, yeah. And I'd give them both that disad and the effective disad of not having the skill to boot.

[RyanW]

Originally Posted by Kelly Pedersen

Social Stigma (Uneducated) for a character lacking a critical racial skill sounds right, yeah. And I'd give them both that disad and the effective disad of not having the skill to boot.

Personally, I avoid putting "cultural" traits on the Racial template (learned skills, social traits, etc.) unless they truly are hardwired or universal when in the "reference culture." That usually means a racial skill bonus rather than an actual skill level, or things like Second Class Citizen if members of the race have limited legal rights in the area the campaign is principally set in. And if the game is set in a non-human culture, even the humans are likely to be treated with pity or contempt if they don't know how to do basic tasks like identify stones by taste.

Then again, I also tend to steer away from racial/cultural equivalence in my settings, so that flavors my opinions on the matter.