[DF] The Road to 250 Points

[Grouchy Chris]

Originally Posted by Greg 1

What sort of limits would you put on advancement from "first level" to 250 points? Would the PC be required to spend all character points working towards the 250 point template for their class? Could they buy any ability from the 250 point template right from "first level", or would you stratify the template abilities into higher and lower level abilities, with higher level abilities only being appropriate for PCs of a certain point value?

I think if you're trying to achieve something reminiscent of old-school gaming, you want to reserve more powerful abilities for later in the character's career. I don't see the point of restricting the character to the 250-point template until they pass 250 points, though. Letting a character ignore some of what's on the 250-point template in favor of other options creates a wider range of possible advancement paths, and flexibility is what GURPS is all about, right?

So, for example, take a Druid starting at 100 points, using Eric B. Smith's template:

Attributes: ST 10 [0]; DX 10 [0]; IQ 12 [40]; HT 11 [10].
Secondary Characteristics: Damage 1d-2/1d; BL 20 lbs.; HP 10 [0]; Will 12 [0]; Per 12 [0]; FP 11 [0]; Basic Speed 5.00 [-5]; Basic Move 5 [0].
Advantages: Reduce Power Investiture (Druidic) to 2 (from 3). Take only 20 points from among Druidic abilities and other advantages (instead of 20 points in Druidic abilities and 20 in other advantages). Take only 10 spells (instead of 20).

Then let's say from 100 to 149 points, the druid can take anything that costs up to 5 points off of the original template, power-ups from DF 3, and, if you have it, power-ups from DF 11. That would be:

Green Thumb [5/level]
Per +1 [5]
FP + 1 [3]
Animal Friend [5/level]
Mind Shield [4/level]
Animal Empathy [5]
Channeling [4]
Damage Resistance 1 [4]
Medium [4]
Plant Empathy [5]
Terrain Adaptation [5]
Resistant to Disease (+3) [3] or +8 [5]
Signature Gear [varies]
Energy Reserve (Druidic) [3/level]
Any spell available at PI 2
Any skill on the 250-point druid template
Cleaving Strike [5]
Any of the many combat perks [1]
Mortal Foe [5]
Slayer Swing at Neck [4/skill]
Slayer Swing at Skull [5/skill]
Slayer Thrust to Vitals [3/ skill]
Ghost Blaster [5/spell]
Any of the many caster perks [1]
(etc., etc....buy DF 11 to see them all. It's good, you won't regret it.)

Then when the druid hits 150 points, they can take any ability costing up to 10. That would allow raising ST or HT, Healer talent, another level of Power Investiture (Druidic), and so on. At 200 points, the druid can take abilities costing up to 15 points, and so on.

This would allow a player to go all-out for spells, PI, increased FP or energy reserve, and caster perks, to become a master of druidic magic, or ignore spells and invest in Animal Friend, Animal Empathy, and Alternate Forms when they become available, to become a great beastmaster (who knows comparatively little magic), or whatever other concentration. By the time two different druids hit 250 points, they will have evolved in quite different directions.

Of course, I just pulled those point values for "levels" and allowed abilities out of thin air. If you don't like them, any others could be substituted. And it may be that you'd want to reserve some cheap abilities for later, or make more expensive ones available earlier. But I think something like this would would give a player the sense of advancing to greater and greater levels of power as they go along, so I think it's what I would use as a starting point.