GURPS Monster Hunters Power-Ups 1

[Christopher R. Rice]

Originally Posted by NineDaysDead

1. Why does Deductive Mastery include "Based on IQ or Perception, Own Roll, +40%"?

By default Psychometry rolls IQ.

If your IQ is equal to or higher than Perception, why change that?

If your Perception between 1 to 3 higher than your IQ, Reliable +1 to +3 (+5% to +15%) is cheaper than "Based Perception, Own Roll, +20%"?

If your Perception 4 or more higher than your IQ, "Based Perception, Own Roll, +20%" makes sense. but why would you spend another +20% on "Based on IQ or Perception, Own Roll, +40%"

Because that's how I wanted to build it? I wanted it to be the better of IQ or Perception when rolling. So that's what I did. Do note that building a spell that boosts IQ or Perception is trivial with RPM and in all games I've ran the witch invariably boosts allies.

Originally Posted by NineDaysDead

2. Deductive Mastery uses the "short range" limitation, but the "short range" limitation moves things down the classes:

no penalties at all
Long-Distance Modifiers (p. B241)
the Size and Speed/Range Table (p. B550)
-1/yard like a Regular spell (p. B239)

Distance converts as “miles” as “weeks.”


But Psychometry doesn't use any of these classes, it adds a -1 penalty for every tenfold increase from a base of -0 at 1 day or less. How does this interact with the "short range" limitation?

Here it's just taking a step: months to weeks, weeks to days, days to hours, hours to minutes, minutes to seconds. That's it.

[Christopher R. Rice]

Originally Posted by NineDaysDead

What's the Code of Honour for Higher Purpose (Acquire Knowledge) and Higher Purpose (Veracity)?

I'm not sure either of them need a code of honor. The first was pulled from DF4 and the second follows the model of the first. The first doesn't require a code of honor that I'm aware of.

[NineDaysDead]

Originally Posted by Christopher R. Rice

I'm not sure either of them need a code of honor. The first was pulled from DF4 and the second follows the model of the first. The first doesn't require a code of honor that I'm aware of.

It's built in to Code of Honour:

Originally Posted by Code of Honour, basic page 59

You are driven to exceed your normal limits in one specific pursuit. You must state this exactly as if it were a Code of Honor disadvantage (p. 127): “Defend all women,” “Slay all demons,” etc. If, in the GM’s judgment, you are unfaltering in your pursuit of your Higher Purpose, you get +1 to all die rolls that pertain directly to the pursuit of your cause. If you deviate from your Higher Purpose, you lose this bonus . . . and the GM is free to penalize you for bad roleplaying just as if you had ignored a Code of Honor.

[NineDaysDead]

Originally Posted by Christopher R. Rice

Because that's how I wanted to build it?

As I understand it, template books are supposed to be efficient builds to stop newbies walking into bad builds, experienced players don't need this. Just saying "Because that's how I wanted to build it?" doesn't really do that.

Originally Posted by Christopher R. Rice

Do note that building a spell that boosts IQ or Perception is trivial with RPM and in all games I've ran the witch invariably boosts allies.

Given that it's trivial, why not have the witch boost whichever one your build operates off? For +40% you can get Reliable +8 and have the witch boost you on top of that!

Originally Posted by Christopher R. Rice

Here it's just taking a step: months to weeks, weeks to days, days to hours, hours to minutes, minutes to seconds. That's it.

So it's really a different Limitation that's been given the same name as an existing Limitation.

And that seems wonky:

7 days becomes 24 hours,
6 days becomes 6 hours,
5 days becomes 5 hours,

24 hours becomes 1 hour
23 hours becomes 23 minutes
22 hours becomes 22 minutes

[Christopher R. Rice]

Originally Posted by NineDaysDead

It's built in to Code of Honour:

Not when used the way these two are. Higher Purpose (Slay Undead) doesn't work that way and neither does Higher Purpose (Seek Knowledge). Horror treats them the same way. It is effectively a talent that covers a specific set of circumstances instead of a specific set of skills.

[Christopher R. Rice]

Originally Posted by NineDaysDead

As I understand it, template books are supposed to be efficient builds to stop newbies walking into bad builds, experienced players don't need this. Just saying "Because that's how I wanted to build it?" doesn't really do that.

First, this isn't a template book - it's a book on power-ups. Second, I've *never* been told that my builds must be perfectly efficient when writing material. And I've written a lot of material. It would have came up by now. I don't have an answer other than the one I've given. I wanted it to work this way so I wrote it up this way. Sorry if you don't find that convincing but it's the truth.

Originally Posted by NineDaysDead

Given that it's trivial, why not have the witch boost whichever one your build operates off? For +40% you can get Reliable +8 and have the witch boost you on top of that!

See above.

Originally Posted by NineDaysDead

So it's really a different Limitation that's been given the same name as an existing Limitation.

And that seems wonky:

7 days becomes 24 hours,
6 days becomes 6 hours,
5 days becomes 5 hours,

24 hours becomes 1 hour
23 hours becomes 23 minutes
22 hours becomes 22 minutes

It's how Short-Range works on abilities with penalties who rely on time vs. distance as far as I know.

[NineDaysDead]

Originally Posted by Christopher R. Rice

Not when used the way these two are. Higher Purpose (Slay Undead) doesn't work that way

Source? “Slay all demons,” is literally part of the text in basic, and it's really not that different from Slay Undead. I believe if you have "Slay Undead" or “Slay all demons,” you're not supposed to back away from a fight with them, even if the odds are suicidal.

Originally Posted by Christopher R. Rice

and neither does Higher Purpose (Seek Knowledge).

If you have Higher Purpose (Seek Knowledge) you probably aren't supposed to back away from acquiring knowledge, ever!
Irina Spalko has this, Indiana Jones doesn't.

Originally Posted by Christopher R. Rice

It is effectively a talent that covers a specific set of circumstances instead of a specific set of skills.

It's also a code of honour because it straight up says so in the most direct way possible!

Originally Posted by Kromm

You could see it this way: DX+1 (Maximally limited, -80%) [4] + IQ+1 (Maximally limited, -80%) [4] + HT+1 (Maximally limited, -80%) [2] + Enhanced Block 1 (Maximally limited, -80%) [1] + Enhanced Dodge 1 (Maximally limited, -80%) [3] + Enhanced Parry 1 (All; Maximally limited, -80%) [2], for 16 points.

Or you could see it as Daredevil [15] that gives +1 on rolls in desperate straits instead of when you do stupid things, losing the reroll because "desperate" is somewhat more common.

Or you could see it as Higher Purpose [5] with the implicit Code of Honor removed, note that the median Code of Honor is -10 points, and charge 15 points.

Regardless, it's in the realm of 15 points. However, it would need to be reserved for really dire circumstances, or it wouldn't rate this generous treatment. I'd allow it when the PC is litereally a single success roll away from dying or becoming somebody's permanent slave. In fact, having it activate only when such a roll is made, providing its bonus then and until the risk subsides, would be most balanced.

[NineDaysDead]

Originally Posted by Christopher R. Rice

It's how Short-Range works on abilities with penalties who rely on time vs. distance as far as I know.

Source for that please?

Originally Posted by Powers page 68: Precognition

If the GM prefers, he can roll whenever the user has an encounter that might trigger a vision . . . but at a penalty found by consulting Long-Distance Modifiers (p. B241) and reading “miles” as “weeks.”

[Christopher R. Rice]

Originally Posted by NineDaysDead

Source? “Slay all demons,” is literally part of the text in basic, and it's really not that different from Slay Undead. I believe if you have "Slay Undead" or “Slay all demons,” you're not supposed to back away from a fight with them, even if the odds are suicidal.
If you have Higher Purpose (Seek Knowledge) you probably aren't supposed to back away from acquiring knowledge, ever!
Irina Spalko has this, Indiana Jones doesn't.

It's also a code of honour because it straight up says so in the most direct way possible!

GURPS Horror (p. 14)
GURPS Dungeon Fantasy 4: Sages (p. 9) under the dagger footnote
GURPS Dungeon Fantasy 11: Power-Ups (p. 12) under Mortal Foe.

All of these Higher Purposes work just like the one in my book.

Originally Posted by NineDaysDead

Source for that please?

I used that exact passage to work backward with Short-Range. Far as I know this is the first time it's been used like that. I could have made a note but I thought it was pretty implicit for the text. Playtesters didn't have a problem with it, Kromm didn't have a problem with it on his read-through, PK didn't have a problem with it from when I wrote that power up for Pointless Monster Hunting.

[Refplace]

Originally Posted by NineDaysDead

As I understand it, template books are supposed to be efficient builds to stop newbies walking into bad builds, experienced players don't need this.

Originally Posted by Christopher R. Rice

First, this isn't a template book - it's a book on power-ups. Second, I've *never* been told that my builds must be perfectly efficient when writing material. And I've written a lot of material. It would have came up by now. I don't have answer other than the one I've given. I wanted it to work this way so I wrote it up this way. Sorry if you don't find that convincing but it's the truth.

I agree, this is a Power-Ups book not a template one, though I dont think that matters here.
When I buy a book I want ideas I would not have thought of but are still useful, either directly or as inspiration. I'm ok with efficient but what I really want is flavor and basing it off IQ or Per has more flavor than just tacking Reliable on it.In any case a player or GM could likely add that and probably think of it easier or more often than the different attribute.
I rarely agree with all of an authors builds or thoughts and the statistics or Under The Hood comments are especially useful then as it might help with perspective and/or inspiration or just make it easier to change what I dont like.
This book is very large and dense (reason I havent done a review yet) so there is going to be stuff I like and stuff I dont like but it saves me time as I know its had some vetting and the worked examples should be reasonably efficient and/or interesting.
What specific builds I or a player dont like or wont fit the setting or flavor desired we can change. But thats easier with a starting point.
I can think of a couple of builds I would have done differently, but not all of them would have been better even just for my specific situation.
But there are also builds I or my players may never have even thought of, those are the real utility - even if they get tweaked.