[Basic] Advantage of the Week: Intuitive Mathematician and Lightning Calculator

johndallman · 02-25-2021, 12:26 PM

Intuitive Mathematician [5] and Lightning Calculator [2] are mundane mental advantages. Both allow you to do calculations in your head, extremely rapidly. Lightning Calculator limits this to arithmetic; Intuitive Mathematician allows you to do any mathematics you understand. Both advantages appeared during the GURPS 3e period, where Lightning Calculator cost [5] and Intuitive Mathematician cost [25], although that included Mathematical Ability, which cost a flat [10] under 3e.

The in-play effect is that the player can use a calculator* at any time for Lightning Calculator, even if their character is busy with something else, and doesn’t need to for Intuitive Mathematician: the character just knows the answers. The Basic Set notes that “true mathematical geniuses” will have one of these traits, plus the Talent of Mathematical Ability. That’s certainly true for cinematic mathematicians; real-world ones are quite varied.

These advantages are fairly rare on published templates, but they do show up, on artificers, merchants, navigators and scientists. The AI meta-trait includes Intuitive Mathematician, and Aliens: Sparrials points out that they let you keep track of your bar bill while drunk. Bio-Tech can engineer them at TL10, and they’ve very useful with Monster Hunters 5’s technomagic. Powers: The Weird has strange ways to both gain and use them, while Ultra-Tech has nice simple brain implants.

Lightning Calculator is cheap enough to take if there’s a reasonable chance it will be useful. Intuitive Mathematician is handy if solving problems very quickly will be useful, but if mathematics is likely to be a major plot point, IM may trivialise it. The only time mathematics has been important in a game for me was my Infinite Cabal campaign, where it was being created by NPCs and the PCs were gathering information that constrained the problem. In that situation, instant solutions are bad for the flow of the story.

* Do you remember them? They used to be physical devices, not programs on ‘phones.

02-25-2021, 12:26 PM	#1
johndallman Night Watchman Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Cambridge, UK	[Basic] Advantage of the Week: Intuitive Mathematician and Lightning Calculator Intuitive Mathematician [5] and Lightning Calculator [2] are mundane mental advantages. Both allow you to do calculations in your head, extremely rapidly. Lightning Calculator limits this to arithmetic; Intuitive Mathematician allows you to do any mathematics you understand. Both advantages appeared during the *GURPS* 3e period, where Lightning Calculator cost [5] and Intuitive Mathematician cost [25], although that included Mathematical Ability, which cost a flat [10] under 3e. The in-play effect is that the player can use a calculator* at any time for Lightning Calculator, even if their character is busy with something else, and doesn’t need to for Intuitive Mathematician: the character just knows the answers. The Basic Set notes that “true mathematical geniuses” will have one of these traits, plus the Talent of Mathematical Ability. That’s certainly true for cinematic mathematicians; real-world ones are quite varied. These advantages are fairly rare on published templates, but they do show up, on artificers, merchants, navigators and scientists. The AI meta-trait includes Intuitive Mathematician, and *Aliens: Sparrials* points out that they let you keep track of your bar bill while drunk. *Bio-Tech* can engineer them at TL10, and they’ve very useful with *Monster Hunters* 5’s technomagic. *Powers: The Weird* has strange ways to both gain and use them, while *Ultra-Tech* has nice simple brain implants. Lightning Calculator is cheap enough to take if there’s a reasonable chance it will be useful. Intuitive Mathematician is handy if solving problems very quickly will be useful, but if mathematics is likely to be a major plot point, IM may trivialise it. The only time mathematics has been important in a game for me was my Infinite Cabal campaign, where it was being created by NPCs and the PCs were gathering information that constrained the problem. In that situation, instant solutions are bad for the flow of the story. * Do you remember them? They used to be physical devices, not programs on ‘phones. __________________ The Path of Cunning. Indexes: DFRPG Characters, Advantage of the Week, Disadvantage of the Week, Skill of the Week, Techniques.