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

[Otaku]

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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?

[vicky_molokh]

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.).

[johndallman]

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.

[Toptomcat]

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.

[Flyndaran]

Originally Posted by vicky_molokh

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.).

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.

[Rupert]

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.

[Fred Brackin]

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.

[tanksoldier]

. Very fit shouldn't have any effect on starvation or dehydration

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.

[Boge]

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.

[evileeyore]

Originally Posted by Hide

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

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.