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- - New Talents (https://forums.sjgames.com/showthread.php?t=168107)

Quote:

Originally Posted by kirbwarrior (Post 2317691)

...It even calls out using Magery, which is underpriced for being a skill talent (it covers more skills than the number of mundane skills!)...

Almost immediately after the release of GURPS 4e people were asking why they bothered to create a unified talent system and immediately make Magery NOT follow the rules. I think they should have never tried to combine the concepts to begin with, Power Talents should have always existed instead of pretending an equivalency that was repudiated as soon as the books were out.

Of course a lot of people also think the entire 'default' magic system from 4e should have been done away with for something more generic and universal, but I imagine the boys preferred to copy-pasta 3e stuff instead of having to create a massive new spell grimoire following new (better, more logical, more consistent) rules as they probably should have.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Abrasax (Post 2317692)

Of course a lot of people also think the entire 'default' magic system from 4e should have been done away with for something more generic and universal, but I imagine the boys preferred to copy-pasta 3e stuff instead of having to create a massive new spell grimoire following new (better, more logical, more consistent) rules as they probably should have.

The reason for keeping Magic around as it is was because there wasn't an easy to understand magic system and they wanted to get Basic out the door. Then released like 20 books talking about different magic systems, including Powers talking about actually making a magic system using the advantages easily available. A theoretical GURPS 5th will most likely use the magic-as-powers approach because (like psionics) it gels better with the inherent character creation, adding on the more complex and unintuitive ones in other supplements.

I realized I didn't add a talent. Well, I found a goofy one from back in the day;

Koninja 5/level

Skills: Karate, Kiai, Knife, Knot-Tying, Kusari

Reaction Bonus: Ninja and anime enthusiasts (but not actual ninja or anime characters!)

Alternate Benefit: +1/lvl on Escape rolls to get out of bindings (to help protect against Knot-Tying and Kusari)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Donny Brook (Post 2317669)

Born Retired Civil Servant talent:

Administration, Savoir Faire, Acting, Hobby Skill, Housekeeping

Rename the talent "Gentleman's Gentleman" and you've got a talent suitable for a number of cinematic personal assistants.

Hobby Skill represents either personal interest or knowledge of their employer's hobbies.

Diplomacy, Fast-Talk, or Intimidation could substitute for Acting.

Carousing, Connoisseur, Computer Operation/TL, Current Affairs, Driving/TL, Games, Mechanic/TL, or Photography/TL could substitute for Hobby Skill.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Donny Brook (Post 2317319)

Ironman Church Minister talent
Running, Bicycling, Swimming, Religious Ritual, Theology, Public Speaking

Actually, not so silly. Just rename it "Muscular Christian" and you get a Victorian or early 20th century YMCA leader or a modern "Christian Athlete."

Administration, Combat Art/Sport, Hiking, Leadership, Naturalist, or Sports skill could substitute for some of the skills on the list.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Donny Brook (Post 2317319)

Singing Cowboy talent
Singing, Performance, Musical Instrument (Guitar), Animal Handling, Sport (Rodeo), Survival (Plains)

Again, not so silly for a 20th c. Matinee Movie Star if you swap Sport (Rodeo) for Riding (Horses).

I do not know. A Gentleman's Gentleman would likely instead have Current Events, Games, Housekeeping, Riding, and Savior-Faire.

Quote:

Originally Posted by AlexanderHowl (Post 2317714)

I do not know. A Gentleman's Gentleman would likely instead have Current Events, Games, Housekeeping, Riding, and Savior-Faire.

All equally valid. The core skills are Housekeeping and SF.

Add Acting, Current Affairs (Crime), Driving, and Photography for a gentleman detective's valet (e.g., Bunter in the Lord Peter Wimsey books).

Add Acting, Connoisseur (Fashion), Current Affairs (Popular Culture), and Sewing for a lady's maid to an aristocratic female detective. (e.g., Dot in the Miss Fisher stories).

Add Administration, Connoisseur (Fashion), Current Affairs (High Society), and Diplomacy to get a Jeeves character. (Also add Common Sense, Higher Purpose, Indomitable, Serendipity, Wild Talent, and a ridiculously high IQ to get the real article.)

Add Animal Handling (Equines), Games (Golf), Guns, and Tracking skill for a Scottish "Ghilly" in the service of a "sporting" gentleman who rides, shoots, and plays golf - using his man as a groom, caddy, and game tracker.

The idea with all of these is to create a character who is well-adapted to a narrow dramatic role without giving them ridiculously high DX or IQ scores and keeping their overall point cost in skills down. That makes them good allies for medium point-cost PCs or allows for reasonably competent PCs in a low point-cost game.

Talented NPC Servant (25 points)
Attributes: HT +1 [10]
Secondary Characteristics: Per: 12 [10].
Advantage: Talent 2 (Gentleman's Gentleman - Modified) [10]; and up to 5 points from increased attributes, increased skills, Languages, Cultural Familiarities, or other advantages.
Disadvantages: Duty (Employer, 6-) [-5]; Sense of Duty (Employer and Friends) [-5]; and -10 points in other disadvantages or reduced attributes.
Primary Skills: Savoir-Faire (Servant) (E) IQ [1] - 12*; Housekeeping (E) IQ [1] - 12*
Secondary Skills: Skill A (A) IQ [2] - 12*; Skill B (A) IQ [2] - 12*; Skill C (H) IQ-1 [2] - 11*.
Background Skills: 2 points from any suitable skill.
*+2 for Talent.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Donny Brook (Post 2317422)

I think more emphasis needs to be placed on the text in Basic Set:

Quote:
"You have a natural aptitude for a set of closely related skills.
...
Talents should always be believable inborn aptitudes. For instance, Sports Talent might make sense – some athletes really do seem to have a gift – but the GM ought to forbid Ninja Talent ..."

In view of the text I bolded, I think that a mere coincidence of skills being used by a certain profession or even being common to a certain trope or role niche is not sufficient justification to be a Talent, since there is no believable natural aptitude that joins (to take the case of the excluded Ninja for example) Stealth and Poisons, or (to take the published example Born Spacer) Navigation and Vacc Suit. If Navigation and Vacc Suit can both be part of a "believable inborn aptitude", then so can Animal Handling and Guitar, or indeed, anything whatsoever.

And that whole nonsense about "no Ninja Talent" and then Ninja Talent showing up in Power-Ups 3 Talents* is a very large part of why I kicked the 'thematic' and 'inborn' requirements to the curb.

* Yes, I know it's a Power Talent in DF 12, but it showed up in PU 3 as a Skill Talent.

Quote:

The relaxation of criteria also creates a minmaxing issue...

I disagree, but then again, I'd rather see a PC spend 80 points on Talents than 80 points on IQ. Heck, I'm happier if a 'knight' PC were to buy 4 levels of Heavy Cavalry Talent (Broadsword, Crossbow, Lance, Riding, Shield) than 1 level of DX.

Quote:

Originally Posted by AlexanderHowl (Post 2317684)

Slight cultural differences between the UK and the USA. In the UK, a rambler is someone who takes long walks. In the USA, a rambler is a drifter or vagabond.

As well (at least starting in the 70's-ish era) in the US 'rambler' means 'playah'. It's used in a number of songs to reference one who isn't tied down to any one partner.

Quote:

Originally Posted by kirbwarrior (Post 2317691)

If anything, I'd rather get rid of Power Talents and make sure every power set has an appropriate mundane talent. It requires more work, but generally speaking will fit my campaigns better.

Agreed, broadly. but I note that Power talents tend to work because Players will very often come up with new and novel uses of Powers that may require a new Power Skill during the campaign and suddenly your tightly crafted Talent doesn't fit it. If you're fine with increasing the Talent to cover it (and the cost by 1) I'm right there with you.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pursuivant (Post 2317733)

The idea with all of these is to create a character who is well-adapted to a narrow dramatic role without giving them ridiculously high DX or IQ scores and keeping their overall point cost in skills down. That makes them good allies for medium point-cost PCs or allows for reasonably competent PCs in a low point-cost game.

Talented NPC Servant (25 points)

Very nice... consider it yoinked for my notes.

Free Runner

Reaction Bonus: People enountered on rooftops or while climbing the side of buildings

Skills: Acrobatics; Area Knowledge; Climbing; Jumping; Running

Alternative Bonus: +1/level to HT rolls to recover from injuries acquired while free running.

Born Mom's-Basement-Dweller talent:

Games, Current Affairs, Computer Operation, Connoiseur (Junk Food), Expert Skill (Conspiracy Theories)

Pedophile Pornographer talent:

Acting, Shadowing, Photography, Computer Operation, Driving, Wrestling

Born Phone-bank Scammer talent:

Computer Operation, Electronics Operation (Telephony), Fast-talk, Acting, Body Control