GURPS Shadowrun

[Kelly Pedersen]

I actually cooked up some racial templates for a Shadowrun Action game I ran recently. I got the dwarves, elves, and orcs in at 25 points each, while the trolls ran to 50. If you want, I can post them here.

[Kesendeja]

Originally Posted by Kelly Pedersen

I actually cooked up some racial templates for a Shadowrun Action game I ran recently. I got the dwarves, elves, and orcs in at 25 points each, while the trolls ran to 50. If you want, I can post them here.

I'd love to see them.

[trechriron]

Originally Posted by Jovus

...

Again, none of these point totals are set in stone or anything. But I find that it's very helpful to have these kinds of targets in mind when I start getting down to the brass tacks of design, so I don't just tinker away and never play.

Awesome! It sounds like you're well on your way. Would be interested to see what you cook up.

Originally Posted by mlangsdorf

...

So, something like this:
200 CP characters
100 point Basic Action Template
2x 25 point skill packages
Up to 2 more 25 point skill packages or up to 50 CP spent between cyberware and magic.

In play, you can spend an unlimited amount of CP on magic, or an unlimited amount of CP on cyberware, but if you have both, you can't spend more on magic than (80 - points spent on cyberware).

...

This is a superb breakdown/idea!

Originally Posted by Kelly Pedersen

... If you want, I can post them here.

I too would be interested.

[Jovus]

Originally Posted by Kelly Pedersen

I actually cooked up some racial templates for a Shadowrun Action game I ran recently. I got the dwarves, elves, and orcs in at 25 points each, while the trolls ran to 50. If you want, I can post them here.

Go for it!

As for all mages having astral projection, that's going by the board. It's never really come up in games that I've played or adventures that I've read, and it's just as potentially disruptive as the Matrix if a character is focused around it. Instead, mages will have the option of purchasing astral sight of some kind, which should help with shadowrunning, and will be based on aura reading (which is probably some kind of Psychometry combined with Mind Reading, but with some heavy negative modifiers).

If folks really want Astral adventures, that can be worked out on a case-by-case basis, and is supported in the fluff.

[Kelly Pedersen]

Originally Posted by Jovus

Go for it!

Here you go. These are most closely based on the racial stats that SR 4e has.

Dwarf (Shadowrun)

25 points

Attributes: ST 12 [20], HT 11 [10]
Secondary Characteristics: HP 10 [-4], Will 11 [5], FP 10 [-3], Basic Speed 5 [-5], Basic Move 4 [-5], Size Modifier -1
Advantages: Infravision [10], Resistant to Pathogens +3 [5], Resistant to Toxins +3 [5]
Disadvantages: Social Stigma (Minority Group) [-10]
Quirks: Bulky Frame, Poor Runner, Treated as Juvenile [-3]
Notes: Bulky Frame gives -1 on rolls to squeeze through tight spaces, Disguise rolls to disguise yourself as someone without this trait, and on rolls to build or shop for clothing and equipment. Poor Runner gives -1 to Running skill, and causes you to lose FP twice as fast for paced running or sprinting. Treated as Juvenile gives -1 to reactions with people when you propose or are seen doing actions that a young person wouldn't be allowed to do.

Elf (Shadowrun)

25 points

Attributes: DX 11 [20]
Secondary Characteristics: Basic Speed 5 [-5]
Advantages: Beautiful Appearance (To humans) [12], Charisma 1 [5], Night Vision 3 [3]
Disadvantages: Social Stigma (Minority Group) [-10]
Notes: Elves' Appearance affects humans, but not each other. This is a 0% modifier.

Orc (Shadowrun)

25 points

Attributes: ST 12 [20], HT 11 [10]
Secondary Characteristics: HP 14 [4], FP 13 [6], Basic Speed 5 [-5]
Advantages: Night Vision 5 [4], Sharp Teeth [1]
Disadvantages: Unattractive Appearance (To humans) [-4], Social Stigma (Minority Group) [-10]
Quirks: Hungry [-1]
Notes: Orc's default light level is -1: they suffer no darkness penalties for this level, but brighter lights actually penalize them. They are unattractive to humans, but not each other, this is a -0% modifier. The Hungry quirk means they need one additional meal of standard size per day, for a total of 4.

Troll (Shadowrun)

50 points

Attributes: ST 15 (Size, -10%) [45], HT 11 [10]
Secondary Characteristics: FP 10 [-3], Basic Speed 5 [-5], Size Modifier +1
Advantages: Damage Resistance 1 (Tough Skin, -40%) [3], Infravision [10], Long Arms (2 Arms) [20]
Disadvantages: Ugly Appearance (To humans) [-8], Short Lifespan (-1) [-10], Social Stigma (Minority Group) [-10]
Quirks: Bulky Frame, Loud Voice [-2]
Notes: Trolls are ugly to humans, but not to each other, this is a -0% modifier. Loud Voice gives the effect of Penetrating Voice, but also gives -2 to Stealth when you must coordinate vocally, or +2 to observers' rolls to eavesdrop on you conversing. Trolls can also choose to spend points to improve their DR up to 3, or to buy a Striker, either Crushing or Impaling, and with the Limited Arc (front) limitation, representing unusually combat-effective horns.


Additionally, orcs and trolls can both take one level of reduced IQ, or disadvantages such as Social Stigma (uneducated), reduced fluency in their native language, and so on, representing poor education and the effects of bad nutrition in childhood, without these disadvantages counting against the campaign disadvantage limit.

[Bruno]

In changing systems you should expect "balance" to change - no more trolls with longbows being more dangerous than sniper rifles, among other things.

Personally, I have problems with the idea of a "street rat" or "wanna-be rockstar" somehow being equivalent to the more flamboyant character types. Just because Shadowrun thought these were balanced starting character options doesn't mean it made any sense as such, and one of the consequences of moving to GURPS is that it won't make sense. It's GURPS - unless that troll street samurai is severely burdened by epic problems not represented in Shadowrun (or the struggling musician is also a wizard/psychic/cyborg/Kardishan/whatever), they shouldn't be equivalent.

"Struggling musician" isn't an adventuring character in the same category as the rather-more-action-movie archetypes used in Shadowrun. "Struggling musician with extensive social contacts in the mafia" or "struggling musician who's retired special forces" or "skilled face-man who likes to sing gigs in small bars on the side" or "student of supernaturally-powerful music" are adventuring characters. "Struggling troll musician in a heavy metal band" can probably be made to work too, but by upgrading the "struggling musician" concept, not by stealing points from it to pay for being a troll.


"Loss of Essence" was never really a good balancing mechanism for cyberwear. It's just a series of taboo traits (and iirc some mental disads) - if you were never interested in magic for your character, it wasn't really significant. [1] There's a reason why taboo traits are 0 points in GURPS except in some extreme circumstances (where they're still very very limited in points returned, and bundled with reaction penalties and/or skill penalties).

[1] Disclaimer: I actually only have read and played Shadowrun 1e, this might have been tightened up in further editions.

[AlexanderHowl]

In 4e Shadowrun, the average attribute is (minimum rating plus two), so the average human possesses a '3' in every attribute except Edge (where they get a '4'). I am starting to that a conversion should look at the average racial attributes to calculate the appropriate GURPS attribute modifiers. The racial attribute modifiers should probably just represent features rather than being disadvantages worth points.

Since Trolls possess an average Strength of '7' and a Body of '7', they would possess ST and HT 133% greater than the average human (4e Shadowrun is a linear system). If we use that as a baseline, the average Troll would possess ST+5 (Size, -10%) [45] and HT+5 [50] (yes, the average Troll can outlast the most physically fit human in 4e Shadowrun). Trolls would be unable to have a DX, IQ, or Per above 13, and would be unable to have greater than Appearance (Attractive) or Charisma+1.

Loss of Essence is actually quite important in Shadowrun because it makes it more difficult for beneficial magic to effect you and it makes you more vulnerable to Essence drain attacks. A character with Essence 6 can survive being fed on by a vampire, though they will never be the same. A character with Essence 1 will automatically die if a vampire feeds on them. In GURPS terms, I think one way of representing it would be Magical Resistance equal to the amount of lost Essence and Vulnerability (Occasional; Essence Attacks) equal to the amount of lost Essence+1, so an Essence 1 character would gain Magic Resistance 5 [10] and Vulnerability (Occasional; Essence Attacks * 6) [-60].

[mlangsdorf]

Originally Posted by mlangsdorf

So, something like this:
200 CP characters
100 point Basic Action Template
2x 25 point skill packages
Up to 2 more 25 point skill packages or up to 50 CP spent between cyberware and magic.

I thought I'd put together a sample character based on Kelly's racial packages.

Big Grimm, Dwarf Street Samurai
Templates and lenses: BAT, Dwarf, Close Quarters Battle, Hostile Extraction, Cyberware x1
Advantage points spent on DX+2
Disadvantage Sets: Anti-Social, Checkered Past, Hard-Boiled, Scarred, Socially Awkward

Slush fund points spent on Combat Reflexes

Attributes: ST 12 DX 14 IQ 11 HT 12
Secondary Attributes: HP 10 Will 12 Per 12 FP 11 Basic Speed 6.5 Move 5 SM -1
Advantages: Combat Reflexes; Craftiness 1; Infravision; Luck; Resistant to Pathogens +3; Resistant to Toxins +3
Cyberware: Smartlink system*; Pain Editor 1**
Perks: Robust Hearing; Robust Vision
Disadvantages: Alcoholic; Callous; No Sense of Humor; Oblivious; Shyness (Severe); Social Stigma (Criminal); Social Stigma (Dwarf); Stubborn
Quirks: Bulky Frame; Poor Runner; Treated as Juvenile; 5 More To Be Determined

Skills: Brawling-16 (DX+2); Computer Operation-11 (IQ); Driving (Automobile)-12 (DX); Fast-Draw (Ammo)-15 (DX+1); Fast-Draw (Knife)-15 [DX+1]; Fast-Draw (Long-Arm)-15 (DX+1); Fast-Draw (Pistol)-16 (DX+2); Gesture-11 (IQ); Guns (Grenade Launcher)-14 (DX); Guns (Pistol)-16 (DX+2); Guns (Shotgun)-14 (DX); Hold-Out-11 (IQ); Intimidation-13 [IQ+1]; Judo-14 (DX); Knot-Tying-15 (DX+1); Liquid Projector (Sprayer)-15 DX+1; Shadowing-14 (DX); Stealth-15 (DX+1); Tactics-11 (IQ); Throwing-14 (DX)

* Provides Gunslinger (Only when using smartlinked guns -10%) [23]
** Provides Hard to Subdue +1 [2]

That's a 200 point Street Samurai. I guess he's reasonably competent for 200 points - with decent pistols, he can reliably shoot people in the heart from 7 yards away, and he can stare people down or subdue them and tie them up as long as they aren't too strong-willed or strong.

Big Grimm hopes that his opposition mostly consists of completely average people with minimal skills, because that's about the limit of people that he has an edge over. If he meets a real street samurai with augmented senses and reflexes, he's a dead man.

[AlexanderHowl]

Dwarfs in Shadowrun are always treated as adults (unless they are Gnomes) and are just as likely to enter into positions of power as Elves or Humans. While Dwarfs are not as fast as Humans when it comes to running, their superior Body gives them around 33% greater endurance, meaning that they are better runners than Humans.

[Fred Brackin]

Originally Posted by AlexanderHowl

Since Trolls possess an average Strength of '7' and a Body of '7', they would possess ST and HT 133% greater than the average human (4e Shadowrun is a linear system). If we use that as a baseline, the average Troll would possess ST+5 (Size, -10%) [45] and HT+5 [50] ].

This is probably the wrong approach. Body is important in SR as a Resistance Attribute and this includes bullets. The thing to do might be to compare the effect of a specific gun on an average Human and a average Troll and then fix things so that HP in Gurps reflect this.