Steve Jackson Games - Site Navigation
Home General Info Follow Us Search Illuminator Store Forums What's New Other Games Ogre GURPS Munchkin Our Games: Home

Go Back   Steve Jackson Games Forums > Roleplaying > GURPS

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 03-17-2009, 08:02 PM   #1
Harald387
 
Harald387's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Ottawa, ON, CA
Default ST, HT, and Skinny

So discussing GURPS characters today, a point came up: 'Skinny' caps HT at 14. HT has little to do with bulk, however. This raises a couple of questions:

-Is 'Skinny caps HT' a holdover from when 'HT' also meant 'Hit Points', and thus bulk?
-Does it break anything if one says 'Skinny caps ST' instead of capping HT?
-Does it break anything if one says 'Skinny caps both ST and HT'? Should it be worth more, in that case - though Taboo Traits are usually zero points, so I suspect not.
Harald387 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-17-2009, 08:22 PM   #2
Langy
 
Join Date: May 2008
Location: CA
Default Re: ST, HT, and Skinny

Skinny people are less generally 'healthy' than non-skinny people; it has very, very little to do with strength or bulk. Not too sure what it does have to do with, except that being skinny is means you're more likely to get sick, die early, etc., etc.
Langy is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-17-2009, 09:06 PM   #3
Crakkerjakk
"Gimme 18 minutes . . ."
 
Crakkerjakk's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Albuquerque, NM
Default Re: ST, HT, and Skinny

Would one of those Kenyan Olympic long distance runners count as unhealthy? Cause I'm pretty sure they qualify for skinny. I think it makes more sense to cap ST with skinny.
__________________
My bare bones web page

Semper Fi
Crakkerjakk is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-17-2009, 11:05 PM   #4
Stupid Jedi
 
Stupid Jedi's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Edmonton, AB, CA
Default Re: ST, HT, and Skinny

Quote:
Originally Posted by Crakkerjakk
Would one of those Kenyan Olympic long distance runners count as unhealthy? Cause I'm pretty sure they qualify for skinny. I think it makes more sense to cap ST with skinny.
BMI isn't worth much, but Kenyan runners have a BMI of about 18-19 based on heights and weights posted on various websites. Most BMI indexes list a BMI of 15-18.4 as underweight. This places those Kenyan runners right on the edge.

IMO, a HT cap of 14 isn't really a meaningful disadvantage (a stat of 14 is considered exceptional). Give a Kenyan runner a HT of 14, Very Fit, and a Running skill of 20, and he would be in exceptional health with amazing endurance.

The way the RAW handles Skinny works just fine. If anything, I'd simply get rid of the HT cap -- such as high cap would only matter for cinematic games or for supers, and in those cases the GM can make as many exceptions as he wants.
__________________
"Learn from the mistakes of others - you can never live long enough to make them all yourself."
Stupid Jedi is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-18-2009, 02:49 AM   #5
vicky_molokh
GURPS FAQ Keeper
 
vicky_molokh's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Kyïv, Ukraine
Default Re: ST, HT, and Skinny

I hate the HT14 cap, especially so because Fat merely limits your HT to 15! (But generally I hate it because it's a Taboo Trait bundled with a 'real' Disadvantage.) I guess you can see that I like playing Skinny characters by my reaction. ;)
__________________
Vicky 'Molokh', GURPS FAQ and uFAQ Keeper
vicky_molokh is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-18-2009, 03:42 AM   #6
chris1982
 
Join Date: Nov 2006
Default Re: ST, HT, and Skinny

I must say I never ever played a char with HT higher than 14...
chris1982 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-18-2009, 06:40 AM   #7
Not another shrubbery
 
Join Date: Aug 2004
Default Re: ST, HT, and Skinny

Quote:
Originally Posted by chris1982
I must say I never ever played a char with HT higher than 14...
I've played a couple with HT 15, and it seems like I recall some character with a HT of 16 in a game I was in... but yeah, HT above 14 is kind of a point sink.

Regarding the OP: It does look like a holdover from 3E, though I've never been bothered by it (or even given it any thought). It might be interesting to check with Kromm to get a designer viewpoint. Since it's equivalent to a taboo trait, it's easy enough to houserule away, or modify, as one sees fit. Making the cap on ST looks reasonable and safe.
Not another shrubbery is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-18-2009, 08:25 AM   #8
Stupid Jedi
 
Stupid Jedi's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Edmonton, AB, CA
Default Re: ST, HT, and Skinny

Quote:
Originally Posted by Not another shrubbery
I've played a couple with HT 15, and it seems like I recall some character with a HT of 16 in a game I was in... but yeah, HT above 14 is kind of a point sink.

Regarding the OP: It does look like a holdover from 3E, though I've never been bothered by it (or even given it any thought). It might be interesting to check with Kromm to get a designer viewpoint. Since it's equivalent to a taboo trait, it's easy enough to houserule away, or modify, as one sees fit. Making the cap on ST looks reasonable and safe.
Giving a ST cap for Skinny doesn't make sense. Skinny refers to a build type, not mass. A Skinny 15' giant would still be heavier than the largest human.
__________________
"Learn from the mistakes of others - you can never live long enough to make them all yourself."
Stupid Jedi is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-18-2009, 08:35 AM   #9
Not another shrubbery
 
Join Date: Aug 2004
Default Re: ST, HT, and Skinny

Quote:
Originally Posted by Stupid Jedi
Giving a ST cap for Skinny doesn't make sense. Skinny refers to a build type, not mass. A Skinny 15' giant would still be heavier than the largest human.
*shrug* Add in a factor for SM, if it suits you... though in games where characters can be outside of human norms, it might make sense to just ignore the idea of attribute caps (at least those related to the Build traits). Skinny does affect mass, as reflected in the weight adjustment.

Last edited by Not another shrubbery; 03-18-2009 at 10:21 AM. Reason: spelling :P
Not another shrubbery is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-18-2009, 09:01 AM   #10
Hockney
 
Join Date: Feb 2007
Default Re: ST, HT, and Skinny

Not that this necessarily related *directly* to HT, but some research suggests that being "underfed" (and as a result, Skinny), prolongs average lifespans. Since longevity is related to resistance to and recovery from illnesses, I would say that Skinny could be argued to be linked to a higher HT score, instead of a limit on HT.
Hockney is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Fnords are Off
[IMG] code is Off
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT -6. The time now is 04:28 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.9
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.