[Basic] Advantage of the Week (#58): Fit, Very Fit
 

Previous Thread: Fearlessness, Unfazeable
Next Thread: Pending

If you're new to this series or just want to leave feedback about it, check out the Introduction Thread. If you need help finding something we've already discussed, johndallman is maintaining an index of which traits we've discussed. This is especially handy if the trait you are searching for happens to have been part of a multi-subject review.

Basic

Fit (p. B55)is a Mundane, Physical Advantage that grants +1 to all your HT rolls, as well as causing you to regain FP at twice the normal rate excluding FP lost to Spells, psi Abilities, etc. Very Fit (also p. B55) functions in the same way, but with a +2 bonus to HT rolls and you also lose FP at half the normal rate (for mundane forms of exertion). Both of these traits are intended to represent improved cardiovascular health. According to p. B294, Fit is an Advantage you can gain through study in game, after character creation; presumably, this is true of Very Fit.

Related Traits

• Fatigue Point
• Hard to Kill
• Hard to Subdue
• Health
• Metabolism Control
• Unfit
• Very Unfit

Other Supplements

• GURPS Martial Arts features numerous mentions of Fit and Very Fit, but almost entirely in Templates or Styles.
• GURPS Powers brings up Fit and Very Fit under Resisting Abilities, on page 169.
• GURPS Power-Ups 3: Talents mentions it as a potential Enabler or Prerequisite for a Talent.
• GURPS Update only includes Fit and Very Fit in the list format, which means it can't have changed much, as well as showing the CP cost is the same for both traits between Editions.

Past Editions

Sure enough, we find Fit on page 25 and Very Fit on page 31 of Compendium I, in the section for new Mundane Advantages. Besides being split into two separate entries, the only other major difference is it is slightly less detailed; no comment indicating that this trait was about cardiovascular fitness. A further note is that the mechanics of Third Edition are different; prior to Fourth Edition, Fatigue Points were based on ST and Hit Points on Health.

Useful Links

Feel free to suggest any existing threads or other, appropriate links on this matter.

Discussion Starters

This is (usually) a generic list of questions for those who want to participate in the discussion but need a little help. If you already know what you want to say, feel free to skip these. ;)

• Have you ever taken one of these traits for any of your PCs or NPCs?
• Is there anything done really well by any or all of these traits?
• Is there anything you think these traits could or should do differently?
• Think any of related traits are necessary for proper discussion? Go ahead and bring them up, but remember that this is a thread focused on Fit, Very Fit, and Metabolism Control. :)
• Any thoughts on how the 4e versions of these traits compare to their past edition counterparts?

Re: [Basic] Advantage of the Week (#48): Fit, Very Fit
 

Very Fit, HT14 and Breath Control seem like a good way to approach marathon-running in GURPS. Also good for swimming in ice-cold water.

By its own, Fit is a pretty good deal; whether you want the second level will depend on how much you expect to track the various causes of mundane long-term FP loss (exhaustion, sleep deprivation, undereating etc.).

Re: [Basic] Advantage of the Week (#58): Fit, Very Fit
 

I take Fit on many characters, simply for the advantage on death checks. An additional +1 HT is better value than Very Fit unless the campaign is going to feature lots of FP accounting, as Vicky says.

Could one of our kindly and athletic moderators correct the thread title? This is Advantage of the Week #58, not #48.

Re: [Basic] Advantage of the Week (#58): Fit, Very Fit
 

Fit is one of those amazingly good deals in CP terms: like Combat Reflexes and High Pain Tolerance, it’s near-mandatory for low-TL warriors.

I only put Very Fit on one character, a mage with Recover Energy 20. Very Fit doesn’t help recover FP spent on magic stuff, but Recover Energy does help recover FP spent on physical stuff, octupling recovery on net. They pulled down a Weapthy income digging ditches and doing other unskilled labor, in conjunction with their use of the Might spell to assist in farming and construction tasks in a low-tech colony without domesticated animals.

One odd little interaction of Fit/VF and the Running mechanics is that, in places, running calls for *either* a HT roll or a Running skill roll. Since Fit/VF add to HT rolls but not HT-based skill rolls, being Very Fit increases the amount by which you have to invest in the Running skill by quite a lot, if you want to actually see any benefit from it.

Re: [Basic] Advantage of the Week (#48): Fit, Very Fit
 

Not needed to shatter marathon records. Just have Ft 14, Move 6, and Running 16 to finish under 2 hours.

Very fit shouldn't have any effect on starvation or dehydration. I suppose by RAW they do though.

Re: [Basic] Advantage of the Week (#58): Fit, Very Fit
 

Fit is effectively an automatic pick for my players at the moment - if a character doesn't have it it's a sign that they're not expected to be getting in trouble and the point budget was very tight.

Very Fit is less common, and only taken for characters where being exceedingly fit is seen as conceptually reasonable as well as mechanically useful.

Re: [Basic] Advantage of the Week (#58): Fit, Very Fit
 

I put Very Fit on a genetically engineered character but it was a very high pt game and was for "show". We tend not to do that sort of gaming.

When I was GM and made Nyx the Barbarian for a non-crunch-loving player I game her Very Fit and then (as GM) just remembered that Nyx never got tired. So this was mostly for "show" too.

Re: [Basic] Advantage of the Week (#58): Fit, Very Fit
 

Fit people can actually be at a disadvantage when it comes to lack of food and water.

Fit doesn’t actually imply any body fat percentage, but in real life most fit people have a lower BF than non-fit people... and body fat helps sustain you when you miss meals or water breaks.

I agree that especially if it is cardio-respiratory based it should have no benefit to missing meals or sleep.

If it’s just a generic “ you’re better at resisting that stuff” then fine...

....and I take Fit on every character I make.

Re: [Basic] Advantage of the Week (#58): Fit, Very Fit
 

I love Fit but rarely actually take it on new characters. It comes down to Basic Speed breakpoints. If you're not near another whole number for Basic Speed, Fit is mostly +1 to HT for 5 points off. If you are near another whole number for Basic Speed, +1 HT is effectively +1 to Move and Dodge for only 5 points more than Fit.

But if I have 5 earned character points and nothing more obvious to spend them on, Fit is always a great buy.

Re: [Basic] Advantage of the Week (#58): Fit, Very Fit
 

I'm really reluctant to use Fit simply because I've never seen the need to clarify the difference between someone who's just really healthy (say, 13 HT) from someone who's slightly less healthy but also slightly more athletic (12 HT and Fit).

Re: [Basic] Advantage of the Week (#58): Fit, Very Fit
 

Edited the first post to include how Fit can be gained in-play through study (p. B294). That might be the best reason to not take Fit, assuming the campaign is likely to have time for your character to study/train at anything. While there are other traits that can be gained in this manner, Fit seems to be the most straightforward and budget conscious.

I remember taking Fit quite a bit, but that was under the 3e rules, where HT 11 through 13 was only 10/level but after that, the cost increased. As some have pointed out, buying actual levels of Health includes a bump in Speed. Anyone have time to run the numbers, and what DX/HT combinations result in even Speed scores? Even when just building characters for fun under the 4e rules, I find that I usually end up with DX/HT combinations that either

• produce an integer for my Speed
• produce a non-integer that is more than a single level of HT away from becoming an integer

Re: [Basic] Advantage of the Week (#58): Fit, Very Fit
 

Quick table, with HT/DX score between 8 and 16

Re: [Basic] Advantage of the Week (#58): Fit, Very Fit
 

That's not really the big deal. It's the doubled FP recovery. That;s pretty much mandatory for marching infantrymen and hikers whose GM tracks FP loss and recovery.

Consider a grunt with ST 10 or 11 and an 80 lb load (Heavy Encumbrance). Marching 1 hour costs him 4 FP (5 on a hot day) so he better rest after an hour. Without fit it takes him 40 minutes to get his FP back or 20 with Fit.

On average he's making 2 miles every 100 minutes without Fit of every 80 minutes with it. So that's at least a 20% increase in speed even without a successful Hiking roll. That's a big difference in whether or not your army gets to the right place at the right time.

You probably don't see whole armies with Very Fit until you get TL10 genetic engineering but you might see something like a SEAL team where everyone has it. They're probably all ST12 in the first place and are at only Medium Encumbrance which is a 50% increase in speed to begin with. Then they're able to march 2 hours for only 3 FP and only need 15 minutes to get it back.

Re: [Basic] Advantage of the Week (#58): Fit, Very Fit
 

Since it says it provides a bonus to all HT rolls, does fit includes resisting afflictions?

Re: [Basic] Advantage of the Week (#58): Fit, Very Fit
 

If you resist with HT, then yes.

Re: [Basic] Advantage of the Week (#58): Fit, Very Fit
 

DFRPG let's it work for Magic to. I have put it on all my DFRPG characters for the halving time needed to recover from a friend hasting me

Re: [Basic] Advantage of the Week (#58): Fit, Very Fit
 

Thanks for the update:

That's great news!

I see, did not know you could recover "magically spend" FP with fit in that system; quite handy.

Re: [Basic] Advantage of the Week (#58): Fit, Very Fit
 

Not the FP spent on spells. I believe hes talking about the FP cost from the stress of being hasted as opposed to the casting cost.
I'd let it cover that myself.

Re: [Basic] Advantage of the Week (#58): Fit, Very Fit
 

I thought so, after all, if you are "hasted" the effect is that your body reacts more rapidly and IMO, FP lost during this state would be a mundane effect (in this case a haste spell could be stimulating adrenaline production in your body).

But since they wrote:
I concluded it was about the FP spent on magic abilities.

Re: [Basic] Advantage of the Week (#58): Fit, Very Fit
 

Not if you're hit with an affliction resisted by Will!!!

Re: [Basic] Advantage of the Week (#58): Fit, Very Fit
 

I've had fit on two of my characters and it's barely come into play, only when making a health roll and I remember it helps.

I'd rather just spend a couple of points towards extra health or Hard to subdue or hard to kill.

The fatigue part never comes into play in my group.

Re: [Basic] Advantage of the Week (#58): Fit, Very Fit
 

Yeah... the problem is Casters can't normally take Fit and those that can get Fit, can't normally get spells.

So it's balanced in that regard.