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Old 06-11-2009, 08:33 AM   #371
Gold & Appel Inc
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by tanniynim View Post
I don't always view Gizmos as a cinematic trait. It really depends on how it's played. If it's based on "he's got so much crap, it has to be in here somewhere", it isn't quite so cinematic.
I disagree; IMHO Gizmos are a perfect example of a trait that doesn't have to be supernatural but which is always cinematic. I think the realistic approach would be to list everything in his cart, and make him roll his Search default with a +4 TDM (because he didn't intentionally hide anything) to see how fast he can find something that is definitely in there.
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Old 06-11-2009, 08:51 AM   #372
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Quote:
Originally Posted by tanniynim View Post
I don't always view Gizmos as a cinematic trait. It really depends on how it's played. If it's based on "he's got so much crap, it has to be in here somewhere", it isn't quite so cinematic.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Gold & Appel Inc View Post
I disagree; IMHO Gizmos are a perfect example of a trait that doesn't have to be supernatural but which is always cinematic. I think the realistic approach would be to list everything in his cart, and make him roll his Search default with a +4 TDM (because he didn't intentionally hide anything) to see how fast he can find something that is definitely in there.
While the advantage is listed as mundane, and the text says it is definitely not realistic, I'm not sure it has to be entirely cinematic either.
Some people might consider there is a hard divide between realistic and cinematic and a game is either one or the other, but I think there is plenty of room in the middle for say 'tv-realism', which certainly isn't real world realistic, but neither would it necessarily qualify for cinematic.

The only bit which isn't hard-realistic is:
"It does not even “enter play” until you take it out; thus, it cannot be damaged, lost, stolen, or found in a search."

As a GM, I'd have no problem allowing this guy to have a Gizmo or 2. A bit of leeway in the lost, stolen criteria is pretty minor given the limit on the sort of item this guy could readily have available (given the 3 basic criteria on the item).
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Old 06-11-2009, 09:39 AM   #373
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Gizmos also work for characters that should have thought to bring something that the less intelligent player didn't think of.
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Old 06-17-2009, 07:51 AM   #374
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SCAR
The only bit which isn't hard-realistic is:
"It does not even “enter play” until you take it out; thus, it cannot be damaged, lost, stolen, or found in a search."
The “Schrodinger’s Advantage”-like ability to define it at need sets it apart from realistic also, I’d say.
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Old 06-28-2010, 12:20 PM   #375
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Russell "Rush" Randall, Flat Broke Workaholic [0 Points]:

Image: A filthy, haggard, and probably drunk man with wild hair, a surprisingly engaging smile, and a pleasant, confident speaking voice.

Culture: TL 8 [0]; Familiarity: Western [0]; Languages: English (Native / Native) [0];

Attributes: ST 9 [-10]; DX 10 [0]; IQ 11 [20]; HT 9 [-10];

Secondary: Speed: 4.75 [0]; Move: 4 [0]; HP: 10 [2]; FP: 9 [0]; Perception: 12 [5]; Willpower: 10 [-5];

Advantages: Charisma +1 [5]; Contact Group (Street People: 10*, Available 12-, Unreliable) [5]; Contact Group (Marketing People: 10*, Available 12-, Unreliable) [5]; Contact Group (High Society: 10*, Available 12-, Unreliable) [5]; Less Sleep X2 [4]; Pitiable [5]; Reputation +4 ("Rush? That crazy drunk who talks rich people out of money and then just gives it to anybody who asks? I F-ing LOVE that guy!" Local Street People and Barflies, 10-) [3]; Voice [10];

Perks: Dabbler (Former Corporate Marketing Executive: +2 Default to Administration, Contract Law, Leadership, Propaganda) [1]; Dabbler (Kind of Homeless: +2 Default to Hiking, Panhandling, Scrounging, Urban Survival) [1]; Honest Face [1];

Disadvantages: Alcoholic [-15]; Compulsive Generosity (9-) [-7]; Gregarious [-10]; Pacifism (Reluctant Killer) [-5]; Status -2 [-10]; Wealth (Dead Broke) [-25]; Workaholic [-5];

Quirks: Mildly Honest [-1]; Mildly Impulsive [-1]; Nosy [-1]; Personality Change (Lecherous Drunk) [-1]; Responsive [-1];

Skills: Acting IQ [2]-11; Administration (A) IQ-3d [0]-8; Area Knowledge (E) (Denver) IQ+2 [4]-12; Carousing (E) HT+1 [2]-10; Connoisseur (Beer and Whiskey) IQ [2]-11; Current Affairs/TL8 (E) (Local) IQ+1 [2]-12, (People) IQ [1]-11; Detect Lies (H) Per-1 [2]-11; Fast Talk (A) IQ+4v [8]-15; Hiking (A) HT-3d [0]-6; Law (H) (Colorado Contract) IQ-4d [0]-7; Leadership IQcdv [0]-11; Merchant (A) IQ+1 [4]-12; Panhandling (E) IQ+7dp [0]-18; Propaganda (A) (Business) IQ-3d [0]-8; Public Speaking (A) IQ+4vc [4]-15; Savoir-Faire (E) (High Society) IQ+1 [2]-12; Scrounging (E) Per-2d [0]-10; Sex Appeal (A) HT-1 [1]-8; Streetwise (A) IQ-1 [1]-10; Survival (A) (Urban) Per-3d [0]-9;

p = +3 for Pitiable
v = +2 for Voice
d = +2 for Dabbler
c = +1 for Charisma

Notes: Part of our continuing series: "Wacky People From the Streets of Real Life Denver," name changed slightly because somehow he would find a way to sue me. He's suitable for an Ally, Contact, or bizarre recurring encounter for a character with Weirdness Magnet in a realistic or Modern Horror setting, and if some sort of apocalypse forced him to get off the sauce and he didn't get killed by a plague or something, he'd probably have a ridiculously huge, loyal, and industrious band of survivors following him within a month, if not his own religion.

Background: Rush was never good at anything other than being liked, it's all he has left, and he craves it desperately. He usually has two full-time jobs (often in phone sales and fundraising, where they seriously do not care what you look like if you sound good) just to stay busy and socialize, and is haphazardly trying to represent or personally operate several entrepreneurial endeavors that he would love to tell you about if you have just one second. When he gets any kind of money at all he immediately goes to the fanciest bar nearby that will have him and drinks it away the same day, gives it away to anybody with a sob story, and ends up sleeping at the shelter or (more often) couch-surfing with a non-homeless drinking buddy and/or business associate. He works constantly, is intelligent and cultured, and is a more-or-less decent individual, but has nothing.

Sample Dialogue: "Do you like my [ed: filthy, torn] sweatshirt, John? Great, isn't it? Check out the quality of these seams - they sure have been through a lot, but I won't bore you with my problems! Ha! Now listen John, I represent the man who invented the device I embroidered this with! I don't tell everybody about this, but you did get those last three rounds until I find my wallet, and I can tell you're smart enough to know a great investment opportunity when you see one..."

Last edited by Gold & Appel Inc; 06-28-2010 at 01:35 PM.
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Old 06-28-2010, 01:50 PM   #376
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Twyll View Post
Okay. I see you renamed IQ for Intelligence (fear, Mr. 4e hates it), this is very amusing.... I think you should reconsider your interpretation of the IQ stat.
This character was created off the top of my head 5 years ago, while I was still learning about the GURPS system. Here is a less exaggerated version of the character, who is still intended to be something of a pastiche.

Toby Gelman

St 10 [0] Dx 8 [-40] IQ 12 [40] Ht 10 [0]
Hp 10 Spd 4.0 [-10] Mv 4 Per 12 Will 12 Fp 10

Advantages: Eidetic Memory [5] Less Sleep 2 [4] Single Minded [5]

Perks: + SOP: Documents everything in a timely manner

Disadvantages:
Coitophobia (9) [-15]
Loner (12) [5]
Odious Personal Habit (Slob) [-5]
Unfit [-5]

Quirks:
-Cannot tolerate being touched
-Dislikes being outside
-Impatient with people who don't read manuals
-Japanophile
-Territorial

Skills:
Body Language A Per-1 [1]-11
Computer Operation E IQ+2 [4]-14
Computer Programming H IQ+2 [12]-14
Electronics Repair (Computers) A IQ+1 [4]-13
Engineering (Electronics) H IQ-2 [1]-10
Expert Skill (Computer Security) H IQ [4]-12
Literature (Manga) A IQ [2]-12
Research A IQ [2]-12
__________________
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Old 07-25-2010, 09:35 PM   #377
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Dylan and Kelly, the Half-Ass Bluegrass Buskers [-20 Points Each]:

Image: A couple of extremely crusty and ragged Gutter Punks in their apparent mid-to-late teens. He has a mop of greasy brown hair shoved under a frayed black ball cap, while she sports a blonde fauxhawk dirty enough to stick up without product.

Culture: TL 8 [0]; Familiarity: Western [0]; Languages: English (Native / Native) [0];

Attributes: ST 9 [-10]; DX 10 [0]; IQ 10 [0]; HT 10 [0];

Secondary: Speed: 5.0 [0]; Move: 5 [0]; HP: 9 [0]; FP: 10 [0]; Perception: 10 [0]; Willpower: 11 [5];

Advantages: Contact Group (Local Street Musicians and Gutter Punks: 12, Available 12-, Somewhat Reliable) [10]; Talent x1 (Music) [5];

Disadvantages: Addiction (Tobacco) [-5]; OPH -1 (Poor Hygiene) [-5]; Pacifism (Reluctant Killer) [-5]; Sense of Duty (Each Other) [-2]; Skinny [-5]; Social Stigma (Minor) [-5]; Status -2 [-10]; Wealth (Poor) [-15];

Quirks: CoH (Gutter Punk) [-1]; Dreamer [-1]; Mildly Honest [-1]; Mildly Lazy [-1]; Obsession: Music (Not Necessarily Playing It) [-1];

Skills: Area Knowledge (E) (Denver) IQ+1 [2]-11; Brawling (E) DX [1]-10; Carousing (E) HT+1 [2]-11; Connoisseur (A) (Bluegrass) IQ-1 [1]-9; Current Affairs/TL8 (E) (Local) IQ+1 [2]-11; Hiking (A) HT-1 [1]-9; Intimidation (A) Will-1 [1]-10; Musical Instrument (H) IQ+2m [8]-12; Panhandling (E) IQ [1]-10; Scrounging (E) Per+1 [2]-11; Singing (E) HT-3m [0]-7; Streetwise (A) IQ+1 [4]-11; Survival (A) (Urban) Per [2]-10;

m = +1 for Music Talent

Notes: Part of our continuing series: "Wacky People From the Streets of Real Life Denver." CoH: Gutter Punk = "You may take hand-outs from private individuals, but never The Man. Share extra food and drugs with other gutter punks until they're gone. Wear the same clothes until they fall off you, then repair them and keep wearing them. Do not steal from other gutter punks. Do not conform to anything other than Gutter Punk culture. Conform to Gutter Punk culture rigorously."

Background: Kelly and Dylan are a couple of young runaways, born to teenage mothers with meth problems in the mid-90s, who have very similar backgrounds, ideals, and interests. It is clear to anybody with a shred of empathy who observes them for a few seconds that they have very recently met and are quite infatuated with each other. Dylan plays guitar, Kelly plays banjo. They take turns singing when they feel like it, but neither has a good voice for it. They play decently enough to barely scrape professional quality and could probably make enough for a private place to stay instead of a spot at a shared gutter punk flophouse by doing session work if there was a market for the kind of music they like and if they actually cared about being successful. As it is, they kinda sorta busk downtown in the evening, usually on the 16th Street Mall, in a very lackadaisical manner that involves a lot more quiet conversation and grinning like fools at each other while standing there holding their instruments than actual playing and begging for money. Their biggest ambition is to get a whole band together and play real shows, but it's probably not going to happen any time soon.

Last edited by Gold & Appel Inc; 07-26-2010 at 01:50 PM.
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Old 07-25-2010, 11:36 PM   #378
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If you have some of these you'd be willing to post on the GURPS Character Archive please do so. http://gurpscharacter.com

A lot of good ideas in the thread...
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Old 08-09-2010, 02:20 PM   #379
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The Best-Dressed Scavenger in Denver [-5 Points]:

Image: A tiny, stick-thin young man, probably about 90# soaking wet, with a wispy near-goatee and long, long black hair worn loose down to his mid-thigh. Sometimes his hair is clean and combed, sometimes it's a total rat's nest. He wears Salvation Army clothing that he cleans and mends himself but displays excellent taste, intuitively choosing quality materials and cuts that look great on him even as he's picking through the trash. He's not a bad-looking fellow, and could even be attractive by conventional standards if he stayed clean, ate properly, and got some exercise besides walking everywhere.

Culture: TL 8 [0]; Familiarity: Western [0]; Languages: English (Native / Native) [0];

Attributes: ST 8 [-20]; DX 10 [0]; IQ 10 [0]; HT 11 [10];

Secondary: Speed: 5.25 [0]; Move: 5 [0]; HP: 8 [0]; FP: 11 [0]; Perception: 11 [5]; Willpower: 11 [5];

Advantages: Fashion Sense [5]; Talent x1 (Artist) [5];

Perks: Classic Features (Ute Tribe) [1]; Compact Frame [1]; Dabbler (Raised by Ancient Reservation Storytellers: +2 Default on History: Ute, Occultism, Public Speaking, and Theology: Ute) [1]; Photogenic [1]; Schtick (Intimidating Stare) [1];

Disadvantages: CoH (Personal) [-5]; Distinctive Features (Tiny Ute) [-1]; Pacifism (Reluctant Killer) [-5]; Skinny [-5]; Status -2 [-10]; Wealth (Poor) [-15];

Quirks: Chauvinist [-1]; Heightened Sense of the Dramatic [-1]; Incompetence: Stealth [-1]; Straight-Edge [-1]; Uncongenial [-1];

Skills: Acting (A) IQ-1 [1]-9; Area Knowledge (E) (Denver) IQ+2 [4]-12; Brawling (E) DX [1]-10; Connoisseur (A) (Men's Wear) IQ-1 [1]-9; Current Affairs/TL8 (E) (Local) IQ+2 [4]-12; Hiking (A) HT-1 [1]-10; History (H) (Ute Tribe) IQ-4d [0]-6; Intimidation (A) Will [2]-11; Occultism (A) IQ-3d [0]-7; Public Speaking (A) IQ-3d [0]-7; Scrounging (E) Per+2 [4]-13; Streetwise (A) IQ+1 [4]-11; Survival (A) (Urban) Per+1 [4]-12; Theology (H) (Ute Tribe) IQ-4d [0]-6;

d = +2 for Dabbler

Notes: Part of our continuing series: "Wacky People From the Streets of Real Life Denver." CoH: Personal = "Emulate the style and demeanor of the legendary Ute Warrior as you interpret it. Be stoic and self-sufficient, especially before the White Man. Never beg. Never cut your hair unless you are in mourning."

Background: The Best-Dressed Scavenger isn't big on talking to people, but he likes to be seen. He spent the windy and rainy portion of last night storming around downtown in a stylish linen summer suit unbuttoned to blow around and show his hairless ribs for example, occasionally pausing to pose dramatically when somebody was watching and the mood struck him. He craves attention (but not social contact) so badly that he is completely hopeless at sneaking around even when he wants to. He could probably be a professional model if he cleaned up and worked out a little; if he'd been trying out for that sort of job in the mid-90s with his bony and strikingly exotic look, Calvin Klein would've made him famous.

Last edited by Gold & Appel Inc; 08-10-2010 at 05:50 PM.
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Old 08-10-2010, 10:22 AM   #380
Not another shrubbery
 
Join Date: Aug 2004
Default [OT] Wacky Denver

Quote:
Originally Posted by Gold & Appel Inc
Notes: Part of our continuing series: "Wacky People From the Streets of Real Life Denver." CoH: Personal = "Emulate the style and demeanor of the legendary Ute Warrior as you interpret it. Be stoic and self-sufficient, especially before the White Man. Never beg. Never cut your hair unless you are in mourning."

Background: The Best-Dressed Scavenger isn't big on talking to people, but he likes to be seen. He spent the windy and rainy portion of last night storming around downtown in a stylish linen summer suit unbuttoned to blow around and show his hairless ribs for example, occasionally pausing to pose dramatically when somebody was watching and the mood struck him. He craves attention (but not social contact) so badly that he is completely hopeless at sneaking around even when he wants to. He could probably be a professional model if he cleaned up and worked out a little; if he'd been trying out for that sort of job in the mid-90s with his bony and strikingly exotic look, Calvin Klein would've made him famous.
<marveling>
You must live in an interesting community. Do you actually know these people?
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