Racial Template or Chimera

[Eddie T]

Hey all, I'm trying to develop a more refined character design approach to GURPS 4e. So I'm expanding from my comfort zone with a genetic engineering task.

I want to create a race of dog men - genetically engineered half human, half dog. The basic upright humanoid body of a man, the head/claws/fur/tail of a dog, the intelligence of a human meshed with some of the instincts of a dog. I don't know, maybe this is more of an Uplift from 3e?

So what are some best practices that you all have found for this? Right now I'm very slow and methodical in going step by step through a racial template in the Basic Set. I think Bio-tech might have a more "mass produceable" methodology. I'd just like some opinions on how to go about designing anything along these lines and building the process to speed it up in the future.

Thanks.

And for the record, I'm still very much a noob in most respects to GURPS.

[mr beer]

I'd go through the various traits of a dog (Basic p457) and decide which ones you want for your dogmen and to what degree.

Chummy? Maybe.
Discriminatory Smell? Probably.
Domestic Animal? Nope.
Per 12? Maybe. Or maybe Per +1.

Maybe Hamfisted? Maybe an IQ penalty?

That kind of thing.

[sir_pudding]

Bio-Tech indeed is useful here.

[Tom H.]

My basic thoughts without cracking BioTech:

I would build your dog man without worrying about templates from the outset.

All your building blocks in GURPS can be referred to as Traits. Traits encompass anything from attributes to advantages to skills and all their modifiers.

Now all that higher level stuff from Meta Traits to Templates to Lenses is merely packaged collections of Traits.

Once you have your dog man, then you can figure out how you want to package his traits into meaningful categories.

I'm not sure if this is the correct level of response you're looking for, but I hope it helps.

[sir_pudding]

If it isn't a unique character then they absolutely do want to design a template. Not all traits are available at all tech levels either.

[jacobmuller]

I did a bunch of chimera a while back and recently "simplified" them - yes, this is the shorter version of the "dog"/human chimera.
{there's a bunch of setting specific detail so not a generic template}
The "speed it up thing"? I decided on traits that all the genetically engineered folk would have and called it Gené.l
In future? Put a lot less detail into the tmeplate - it should be more like a GURPS Lens. This thing is ridiculous and it wasn't a one-off.
Belle [72]
Belle from the Latin, Canii Bellus, Dogs of War. They’re tough, reliable, determined; they move in packs, are eager to please their leaders. Belle fur is mostly gray with highlights of faun, and occasionally white or black. Belle have big families, are usually triplets, with quads common, pen and hex-tuplets less so. The support of their extended family is a valuable asset and a good excuse for allies, contacts or insider knowledge (Serendipity (Trivial information only, -50%)). French social background. Canis lupus lupus – the gray wolf.
Attributes: ST +1 [10] HT +1 [10]
Secondary Characteristics: HP +2 [4]; FP +1 [3].
Advantages: Gené [+39]; Claws, Blunt [3]; Hard to Subdue +2 [4]; High Pain Threshold [10]; Night Vision +1 [1]; Penetrating Voice [1]; Racial talent Brawling +1 [2]; Attentive [1].
Disadvantages: Selfless <12 [-5]; Sense of duty (family) [-5]; Workaholic [-5]; Nosy [-1].
Feature: Height/Weight: more compact than a typical human, use the height for one ST band lower.
Talents: Basic Instincts, Drifter, Hunter, Mass Combat, Natural Athlete, Outdoorsman, Soldier, Team Player.
Anti-Talents: Allure, Artificer, Bureaucrat, Business Acumen, Data Processor, Digitally Minded, Inquiring Mind, Life Sciences, Mathematics, Memetics, Music, Negotiator, Philosopher, Physical Sciences, Systems Engineer.
Career: Guards, LEO, COPs, Private security, Mercenary.
Gené [+39]
D’Foy’s Gift was not her only achievement; she had already achieved global renown for her work in geneering by creating semi-sapient chimeric bioroids and the system to mass produce them; revolutionary innovations that are still beyond the capabilities of current genetic engineers. D’Foy called them Gêné, French for shame; her intent was unclear but the name stuck, although with a slightly different inflection. D’Foy’s Gift wrought dramatic changes in their genome. Gené were initially treated by many as no better than intelligent animals. The Gené did eventually gain equal legal status with “humans” as Federal Citizens. Today, despite out-numbering Humans 20-to-1, Gené still form society’s underclass. The Germanic nickname is Halfling, ie rogue, thief, low-life; the Japanese nickname is Jaki, ie imp, demon, monster; rarely referred to as ELFs, engineered life forms.
Gené Racial Template [59]
Secondary: Basic Move +1 [5].
Advantages: Hominan [+51]; Fur [1]; Enhanced Move: Digitigrade [10]; Enhanced Move: All Fours (Must use hands: No Fine Manipulators, -30%) [7]; Empathy - Sensitive (Scent based, -20%) [4]; Teeth, Sharp [1].
Disadvantages: Easy to Read (visible tail, -20%) [-8]; Homophilia @15 [-5*]; Unusual Biochemistry (Common , -50%) [-3]; Lecherous <15 (Bi-annual , -80%) [-2].
Features: Digitigrade; Emo-Tail; no breasts – half-dozen nipples on abdomen. Unlike the classic anthropomorphic, their faces have a human profile if not appearance.
Gené Social Lens [-20]
Wealth: Struggling [-10]; Status –1 [-5]; Social Stigma: 2nd Class Citizen [-5].
Emo-Tail: varies from clade to clade but short-haired and demonstrative. Could be considered a close-combat striker but uncontrollable and unconscious. Controllable enough to be “dressed”, ie tucked into suit trousers.
Homophilia: a geneered love of humans, similar in effect to Xenophilia or Revered, ie reactions to all humans are at a bonus.

[Phantasm]

Here's a "gengineered loyal humanoid canine slave race" I came up with for a setting conversion:

Dog Boy
82 points
Attribute Adjustments: ST +2 [20]; HT +2 [20].
Secondary Characteristic Adjustments: Per +2; Basic Speed +0.50 [10]; Basic Move +1 [5].
Languages: American (Accented Spoken/Illiterate) [-4].
Advantages: Acute Hearing 2 [4]; Animal Empathy [5]; Claws (Blunt Claws) [3]; Combat Reflexes [15]; Damage Resistance 1 (Tough Skin, -40%) [3]; Danger Sense (ESP, -10%); Detect Psychics (Reflexive, +40%; ESP, -10%) [13]; Detect Supernatural Beings and Phenomena (Reflexive, +40%; ESP, -10%) [39]; Discriminatory Smell [15]; Parabolic Hearing 1 [4]; Ultrahearing [5].
Perks: Fur [1].
Disadvantages: Chummy [-5]; Easy to Read [-10]; Pacifism (Cannot Harm Innocents) [-10]; Short Lifespan -3 [-30]; Social Stigma (Subjugated) [-20]; Wealth (Poor) [-15].
Quirks: Red/Green Colorblind [-1].
Features: Digitigrade [0]; Vestigial Tail [0].


I'd planned lenses based on breed, including wolf, with the above being a "wild mutt" type.


Another canine form from my Ranoc fantasy setting, a fox type:
Vulpten
55 points
Attribute Adjustments: ST +5 [50]; IQ -1 [-20]; HT +1 [10].
Secondary Characteristic Adjustments: Will +1 [5]; Per +1 [5].
Advantages: Acute Hearing 3 [6]; DR 1 (Tough Skin, -40%) [3]; Night Vision 7 [7].
Perks: Fur [1].
Disadvantages: Colorblindness [-10]; Extra Sleep -1 [-2].
Features: Digitigrade [0]; Vestigial Tail [0].



YMMV, of course.

[Eddie T]

This is good stuff guys, thank you so much.

So Jacob and Phantasm - did you two start from human -> dog or dog -> human for the templates?

I'm trying to see how other, more experienced GURPS GMs tackle thought exercises like this so I really do appreciate the stats, but am more interested in the process of how you got there. If that makes sense?

I mean, I know that I can cobble together everything in any way I want and repackage later like Tom H. said (or follow the write up of the Dog Boy from that other game system), but there is so much stuff that it's a bit overwhelming when you take those first steps from prepackaged, book-written templates into making your own.

And of course, I know that it doesn't really matter as long as my group has fun, but one of the beauties of the GURPS system is it's consistency throughout books. I want to develop my style to complement not work at odds with published materials.

[Phantasm]

In my case, I had an idea of what the final product should be like, and went through the Basic Set reading through trait after trait to find the right mix. I didn't start with either "dog" or "human"; I shot for "humanoid dog" right from the start.

Hope that helps.

[Eddie T]

Pretty much what I've been doing, it just takes forever. It might just be not having everything memorized slowing me down but that's why I'm asking how others do it.