Items as allies?

[Fnugus]

I'm not totally sure how the mechanics of the Allies advantage handles this.

A friend of mine made a character which had a special sword, which he made as a character, much like this:

ST set to 5 [-50]
DX set to 0 [-200]
IQ set to 0 [-200]
FP set to 0 [-30]
Basic Speed [-50]

HP set to 50 [90]

Duplicate
Innate Attack (cut)
Unkillable 2
Unaging
Regeneration Extreme
DR 40

All this, for an ally that is bought at the 75% of character value, where character point total is 150.

What troubles me is that I can't seem to find any recommendations as to how items are created, and if done using the above mentioned method would result in super powerful weapons at very low point costs.

Any good advice on how to get my point across that it's an improper way of making equipment?

And how should I go about building items using character points?

Regards,
Fnugus

[sir_pudding]

Thaumatology has a chapter on intelligent items.

Although if all the character wants is a sword with plot protection (which this seems to be), use signature gear instead.

[Fnugus]

Problem is, the item is not intelligent (hence the IQ 0), and in the description of the Allies advantage states that you can have nonsentient allies. But what is a nonsentient ally?

I prefer the use of Signature Gear, but if the rules can be bended in this way, it's far more profitable for characters to do it this way.

Fnugus

[sir_pudding]

Originally Posted by Fnugus

Problem is, the item is not intelligent (hence the IQ 0), and in the description of the Allies advantage states that you can have nonsentient allies. But what is a nonsentient ally?

In theory you can write up the Millennium Falcon (for example) as an ally. In my current game, a certain race has mecha-like battle constructs, which for PCs I use Ally, as the creations are basically unique. Alternatively you can use abilities with gadget limitations (which is how Supers does it).

I prefer the use of Signature Gear, but if the rules can be bended in this way, it's far more profitable for characters to do it this way.

A sword isn't going to be more a point as signature gear. Your sword as character write-up is missing some things: Compartmentalized Mind (Controls), the Innate Attack should have ST based, Injury Tolerance (Homogeneous, No Head, No Neck, No Eyes, No Blood), Immunity to Metabolic Hazards, Accessory Perk: Sword, and so on; that should raise the point value.

[Fnugus]

A sword isn't going to be more a point as signature gear. Your sword as character write-up is missing some things: Compartmentalized Mind (Controls), the Innate Attack should have ST based, Injury Tolerance (Homogeneous, No Head, No Neck, No Eyes, No Blood), Immunity to Metabolic Hazards, Accessory Perk: Sword, and so on; that should raise the point value.

This doesn't seem to make up for the 500 points released from just reducing the basic and secondary attributes to 0 (ST, DX, etc).

As far as I've read in the chapter in Thaumatology, it suggests setting DX to somewhere between 10 and 14, IQ depending on the item (1-5 being willfull, 6+ actually having personality), and HT 11-13, but not really giving any reasons as to why you shouldn't just reduce them all to zero. I mean, just a sword, supposed to be wielded and used to be fought with, why should DX be anything else than 0, when it's not moving on it's own. Why should IQ be anything else than 0 if it's not supposed to be sentient?

Fnugus

[sir_pudding]

Originally Posted by Fnugus

HT 11-13, but not really giving any reasons as to why you shouldn't just reduce them all to zero.

HT can't be 0, see the Injury to Objects rules in the Basic Set.

[Fnugus]

I didn't mean to include HT in that. It's the other attributes that worries me.

[sir_pudding]

Originally Posted by Fnugus

I didn't mean to include HT in that. It's the other attributes that worries me.

Kromm on Vehicle DX.

[Not another shrubbery]

Originally Posted by Fnugus

As far as I've read in the chapter in Thaumatology, it suggests setting DX to somewhere between 10 and 14, IQ depending on the item (1-5 being willfull, 6+ actually having personality), and HT 11-13, but not really giving any reasons as to why you shouldn't just reduce them all to zero. I mean, just a sword, supposed to be wielded and used to be fought with, why should DX be anything else than 0, when it's not moving on it's own. Why should IQ be anything else than 0 if it's not supposed to be sentient?

Because if it is just a sword, then you probably should not be building it as a character. Check the section Items as Characters on p118, especially the third paragraph.

[malloyd]

Originally Posted by Fnugus

Problem is, the item is not intelligent (hence the IQ 0), and in the description of the Allies advantage states that you can have nonsentient allies. But what is a nonsentient ally?

Sentience is defined on B 15. And yes, this build is arguably rules legal. Except to the extent all nonsentient allies explicitly contract the description of Ally which includes "He *will* disagree with you from time to time" (emphasis original).

Personally I consider non-sentient allies to be a mistake. I'm sure it was intended as an attempt at "Ship Patron" and the like - a way I give the PCs really expensive equipment without them being really rich, a recuring character design problem in GURPS - but it doesn't do that particularly well. Certainly if it can't do *anything* independently, I wouldn't approve it as an Ally. I suppose it needn't actually be sentient to be capable of independent actions, so I guess there is some middle ground there for programmable devices,