Morph and negative ability scores

[RogerWilco]

Suppose I'm a ST8, IQ 8 Human (so a personal ST-2 and IQ-2 on top of the Human template). I have Morph.

I Morph into a "Saw Scaled Viper"

I'm using http://www.panoptesv.com/RPGs/animal...ae/Vipers.html, but it's just to illustrate a point.

-123 points

ST -9 [-90] DX +0 [0] IQ -8 [-160] HT +2 [20]

Basic Lift 0.1 kg HP 1 [0] FP 10 [-6] Will 10 [40] Per 12 [50]

Weight 0.05 kg SM -6 Length 0.57 m

Basic Speed 5.5 [0]
Basic Move: 2 [-15]
Land Move: 2 [0]
Water Move: 1 [-1]
Climb Move: 1 [0]

DR:
-0 [-0]

Advantages: Acute Smell 3 [6]; Amphibious [10]; Clinging (Branches and brush -40%) [12]; Breath Holding 4 [8]; Combat Reflexes [15]; Discriminatory Smell [15]; Hard to Kill 4 [8]; Hard to Subdue 4 [8]; Infravision [10]; Gripper 3 (mouth) [3]; Peripheral Vision [15]; Racial Skill Bonus 3 (Stealth) [6]; Reduced Consumption 3 [6]; Sharp Teeth (Linked (fangs) 20%) [6]; Stretching 3 (always on -10%) [6]; Striker (fangs; impaling; Cannot Parry -40%; No Wounding -50%; Linked (sharp teeth) 20%) [3]; Terrain Adaptation (Sand 300%) [0]; Terrain Adaptation (Slippery 300%) [0]; Terrain Adaptation (Uneven 300%) [0]; Terrain Adaptation (Undergrowth 300%) [0]; Vibration Sense (ground; cannot detect immobile objects -10%) [9];
° Innate Attack 0.3 (bite venom - necrotizing; 1d-3 toxic; follow up (fangs); linked (other venoms) 10%; cyclic (3 hourly cycles) 60%; cyclic (2 daily cycles) 20%; blood agent -40%; onset (10 minutes) -10%; resistable (HT-4, doesn't stop cycles) -10%; limited use (1 per 9 days) -40%; variable 5%) [2];
° Innate Attack 1 (bite venom - hemorrhagic; 1d toxic; follow up (fangs); linked (other venoms) 10%; cyclic (3 hourly cycles) 60%; cyclic (2 daily cycles) 20%; symptoms (nauseated, 1/2 HP) 60%; symptoms (Confused, Absent-Mindedness, 2/3 HP) 25%; blood agent -40%; onset (10 minutes) -10%; resistable (HT-4, doesn't stop cycles) -10%; no crippling -10%; limited use (1 per 9 days) -40%; variable 5%) [7];
° Innate Attack 1 (bite venom - immediate effects; 1d toxic; follow up (fangs); linked (other venoms) 10%; symptoms (moderate pain, 1/3 HP) 60%; symptoms (severe pain, 1/2 HP) 80%; symptoms (terrible pain, 2/3 HP) 60%; blood agent -40%; resistable (HT-4) -10%; no wounding (does cause shock appropriate to damage rolled) -40%; limited use (1 per 9 days) -40%; variable 5%) [8]

Disadvantages: Bad Sight 5 (Motion Sensitive) [-5]; Cold Blooded (65°) [-10]; Hard of Hearing [-10]; Low Empathy [-20]; Reduced Endurance 2 [-10]; Quirk (Weak Bite, -1 damage per die) [-1]; Restricted Diet (carnivore) [-10]; Vermiform [-35]; Short Lifespan 2 [-20]; Wild Animal [-30]

Features: Forked tongue; Scaled; Born Biter 2

Skills: Brawling (E) DX+2 - 12 [4]; Climbing (A) DX-1 - 14 [1]; Escape (default) (H) DX-6 - 9 [0]; Intimidation (A) Will - 10 [2]; Stealth (A) DX+2 - 15 [8]; Survival (A) Per - 12 [2]; Tracking (A) Per - 15 [2]; Wrestling (A) DX+2 - 12 [8]

The relevant part of this racial template for this question is: ST -9 [-90] DX +0 [0] IQ -8 [-160] HT +2 [20]

My human now has negative ST and 0 IQ. What does that mean? Have I just killed myself?

[RogerWilco]

I partially found an answer to my question I think:
http://www.sjgames.com/gurps/faq/FAQ4-3.html#SS3.1.5

I also found that B14 says:

At the other end of the scale, a score of 0 is defined in special cases, but 1 is the minimum score for a human. No one may have a negative score.

So I think my question becomes if a Saw Scaled Viper can have ST0 IQ0, or that the minimum scores would be 1, like for a Human?

Would this add to the cost for the purpose of Morph-ing into it? I guess it would add 60 points?

[Nereidalbel]

You'd have ST1 and IQ2. Morph replaces your racial template entirely. Whether your normal IQ is 8 or 16, a snake has IQ2. You are allowed to buy IQ up to your normal score when Morphing, but, this will affect the cost of the template you're Morphing into.

[RogerWilco]

Originally Posted by Nereidalbel

You'd have ST1 and IQ2. Morph replaces your racial template entirely. Whether your normal IQ is 8 or 16, a snake has IQ2. You are allowed to buy IQ up to your normal score when Morphing, but, this will affect the cost of the template you're Morphing into.

This does not match with how Racial Templates are described on page 261, look at the Sangria example in the first column. At least that's how I understand it. The template stacks with your own personal modifiers and replaces your previous racial modifiers.

I think a person with IQ 8 turning into the viper above has IQ 0 and a person with IQ 16 turning into the same has IQ 8, assuming they don't have racial modifiers to IQ.

[Celjabba]

By raw, yes, you switch racial template and then aply personnal modifiers. A houserule suggested by Kromm is to apply a scaling factor, so an iq 8 (10-2) human become an iq 2 snake instead of iq 0 : 2 * (8/10)= 1,6 rounded to 2.(or rounded down to 1, which may make more sense).
But it is an houserule.
On the other hand, you can ignore the IQ racial penalty, if you have morph with a large enough pool.
http://forums.sjgames.com/showpost.p...9&postcount=17
Celjabba

[Refplace]

yeah the templates swap ten add personal mods.
So your IQ 10-2=8 human becomes IQ 2-2=0 snake but the 1 IQ minimum means you need the extra to cover with your pool for IQ 1 up to your IQ 8.

[RogerWilco]

Originally Posted by Refplace

yeah the templates swap ten add personal mods.
So your IQ 10-2=8 human becomes IQ 2-2=0 snake but the 1 IQ minimum means you need the extra to cover with your pool for IQ 1 up to your IQ 8.

What defines the 1 IQ minimum? Is it the line on B14 I quoted? Is there more information somewhere?

[weby]

Originally Posted by RogerWilco

What defines the 1 IQ minimum? Is it the line on B14 I quoted? Is there more information somewhere?

http://www.sjgames.com/gurps/faq/FAQ4-3.html#SS3.1.5

has what happens if it is 0.

[The Benj]

Yeah, you don't want to change into a form that gives you IQ 0, or you'll never change back.

But it's unusual for a shapeshifter to change mentality anyway, so I'd say ditch that, which conveniently raises the value of the template by 120 points, to just -3.

ST is still an issue though. 0 HP is not a good time either.

[Flyndaran]

I prefer to ignore the linearity problem and adjust via percentiles.
An IQ 8 human is 80% species normal. IQ 1.6 rounds to 2, so I would just ignore it.
And so forth for ST 9.