A fully cannonical way to do centaur's lower body strength

[Kuroshima]

From some time, I've been thinking about how to model a centaur's lower body strength, ie that he has the kicking and load bearing capacity of a horse, but has human sized arms. Finally Powers granted me the tools to do it right, though that took a while to assimilate.

Lower Body ST [5]
->Listing ST+1 [3]
->Striking ST (One attack only: Kicking -60%) [2]
Add apropriate mods for size as needed (A clasical centaur is definivelly size +1, but given the nature of GURPS I wouldn't make any assumption on that, since you might have cat-taurs that are cat sized in a specially weird setting)

[Adina]

Originally Posted by Kuroshima

From some time, I've been thinking about how to model a centaur's lower body strength, ie that he has the kicking and load bearing capacity of a horse, but has human sized arms. Finally Powers granted me the tools to do it right, though that took a while to assimilate.

Lower Body ST [5]
->Listing ST+1 [3]
->Striking ST (One attack only: Kicking -60%) [2]
Add apropriate mods for size as needed (A clasical centaur is definivelly size +1, but given the nature of GURPS I wouldn't make any assumption on that, since you might have cat-taurs that are cat sized in a specially weird setting)

Why not just use extra ST(No fine manipulators)?

JeffM

[Kuroshima]

Originally Posted by jmurrell

Why not just use extra ST(No fine manipulators)?

JeffM

Partly because I don't like using the modifier associated with a disadvantage the creature does not posses, but mainly because it causes weird interactions with HP: How do you consider the HP granted by the extra ST purchased with No Fine Manipulators? Do you create split a HP stat, for lower body and upper body wounds? If so, how do you split the original HPs?

It creates way too many problems IMHO, and this is both very simple and appropriate. You should purchase HP according to your mass though.

Also, this represents al kinds of lower body ST, from centaurs to goat-legged fauns to other creatures with stronger lower body than the rest of their limbs.

[Anthony]

Originally Posted by Kuroshima

Partly because I don't like using the modifier associated with a disadvantage the creature does not posses, but mainly because it causes weird interactions with HP: How do you consider the HP granted by the extra ST purchased with No Fine Manipulators?

As lack of fine manipulators doesn't reduce the utility of HP (and does reduce the utility of Load ST and Striking ST) I'd say that the NFM limitation includes an assumption that it only affects load/striking ST, and thus it would add HP normally.

[Pomphis]

One question: what skill would be used by a centaur with a Lance ? Lance or Spear ?
And would damage be calculated based on upper or lower body strength ?

[Charleson Mambo]

Side question:

How well can a centaur load stuff onto his (equine) back? There'd be some serious twisting around to get suff on, not to mention tying it down.


Charleson Mambo

[Mercator]

Originally Posted by Kuroshima

From some time, I've been thinking about how to model a centaur's lower body strength, ie that he has the kicking and load bearing capacity of a horse, but has human sized arms.

I like your solution. It's simple and avoids weird trait behavior like the HT problem you mentioned. Being something of a GURPS newbie, I wasn't sure how to model Centaurs for my setting, that is, whether to use your system or the NFM limitation, but I like this one much more.

Add apropriate mods for size as needed (A clasical centaur is definivelly size +1,

. . . plus a lower-body ST of perhaps +13 to +15 relative to the upper body ST, as per the Horse writeups on B459.

but given the nature of GURPS I wouldn't make any assumption on that, since you might have cat-taurs that are cat sized in a specially weird setting)

Now I want to see that...

Originally Posted by Pomphis

One question: what skill would be used by a centaur with a Lance ? Lance or Spear ? ]

As far as weapon skills are concened, I'd treat Centaurs as normal mounted humans, so I'd say Lance. Of course, they would not use the lower of weapon and Riding Skills, just the weapon Skill.

Originally Posted by Pomphis

And would damage be calculated based on upper or lower body strength ?

See Cavalry Weapons, on B397.

Cheers,

M.

[Stripe]

Originally Posted by Kuroshima

From some time, I've been thinking about how to model a centaur's lower body strength, ie that he has the kicking and load bearing capacity of a horse, but has human sized arms. Finally Powers granted me the tools to do it right, though that took a while to assimilate.

Lower Body ST [5]
->Listing ST+1 [3]
->Striking ST (One attack only: Kicking -60%) [2]
Add apropriate mods for size as needed (A clasical centaur is definivelly size +1, but given the nature of GURPS I wouldn't make any assumption on that, since you might have cat-taurs that are cat sized in a specially weird setting)

So, this is the way we're going to do things from now on?

I don't have Powers at all or any of my books with me here at work, so I don't understand this, unless you mean Lower Body ST costs 5 per point and Striking ST costs 2 per point? Then, you add a size modifier to reduce cost of either/both?

Thanks!

[younglorax]

The solution to this probably depends on where you want to put vital organs and the like.

If you want to adopt Kuroshima's solution, and put the organs in the horse body, you get one answer. Personally, I think that a centaur is essentially a horse with a rider, and so the rider is more important, and stabbing the human heart brings down the whole beast. Whether stabbing the horse heart does too leads to some obnoxious point-accounting, though.

[Arazael]

Originally Posted by Kuroshima

Lower Body ST [5]
->Listing ST+1 [3]
->Striking ST (One attack only: Kicking -60%) [2]

A conspicuous problem with this is that the hit points should be based on body mass, and will probably need +1 for each +1 lower body ST. Since these would cost 2CPs each, this works out at the same cost, and less useful, than +1 ST. Using the NFM modifier gives a more consistent result all round.