GURPS: Remnant: Fan-made rules for adventuring in the world of RWBY

[Kuroshima]

Originally Posted by GreatWyrmGold

Perhaps, but it's a system I understand. Besides, the cinematic optional rules are in there for a reason.

Oh, sorry, I forgot to mention that FAE is 48 comic book sized (not letter sized) pages long, with big illustrations, and available for download for "pay what you want (including nothing)" (download page here) so it's certainly worth what you pay for it to check it out, and I assure you that it's worth your time (Fate Core should be required reading for everyone, just for it's game building advice and GM advice that works with all systems. It is also available for download).

Again the problem is that you can painstakingly try to replicate all the crazy stunts, and gauge HPs and STs, but in the the end, the creators of the show did a lot of things "because they looked cool on the screen". For example, Yang's strength varies a lot from scene to scene, and the knock-back she inflicts on Junior during the trailer should have turned him to pink mist, unless he was a highly trained Aura user (and he might, he's certainly above mook level, and could possibly be a failed hunter student). They also display thematically linked abilities from episode to episode but seldom repeat the exact same thing.

[GreatWyrmGold]

Originally Posted by Kuroshima

Oh, sorry, I forgot to mention that FAE is 48 comic book sized (not letter sized) pages long, with big illustrations, and available for download for "pay what you want (including nothing)" (download page here) so it's certainly worth what you pay for it to check it out, and I assure you that it's worth your time (Fate Core should be required reading for everyone, just for it's game building advice and GM advice that works with all systems. It is also available for download).

Fascinating! Still more familiar with GURPS.

Again the problem is that you can painstakingly try to replicate all the crazy stunts, and gauge HPs and STs, but in the the end, the creators of the show did a lot of things "because they looked cool on the screen". For example, Yang's strength varies a lot from scene to scene, and the knock-back she inflicts on Junior during the trailer should have turned him to pink mist, unless he was a highly trained Aura user (and he might, he's certainly above mook level, and could possibly be a failed hunter student). They also display thematically linked abilities from episode to episode but seldom repeat the exact same thing.

That's my problem, and I'm fine with it. I like trying to find order in the madness—almost as much as I like gratuitous eloquence.


I'm reworking Aura a bit, to make Aura regeneration a bit less extreme and explain Aura powers more.

[GreatWyrmGold]

Quick little thing here.

Faunus

Remnant is mainly inhabited by humans, of quite literally all colors. However, there is also a race called the faunus. Faunus are a human-like species with animal-like features. Examples include animal ears, tusks, tails, antlers, and retractable claws.
Unfortunately, details about faunus are lacking; for instance, while most accept that they are a self-propagating race, no one knows if each subtype is a separate subrace or if two cat faunus can produce a dog faunus—and there isn't even anything saying that faunus can't arise from two human parents, which seems like a basic piece of information. That said, a few things are known. While Monty Oum has discussed the possibility of non-mammalian faunus, both his statement and an informal census the faunus seen on RWBY show that the overwhelming majority of faunus are part mammal, rather than (say) ophidian, piscene, or cephalopodian faunus. All faunus appear to possess one and only one overt animal-like anatomical characteristic (such as cat ears) and some incidental similarities (such as slightly cat-eye-shaped eyes); it is possible that faunus can have multiple characteristics (e.g, cat ears and retractable claws), but this seems improbable. It is stated that all or most faunus possess excellent night vision, and shown that their personalities tend to line up with stereotypes about "their animal".

The most well-defined characteristic of faunus is the discrimination they receive. For some time, there were attempts by humans (in at least one kingdom and possibly all) to confine faunus to an area far from the four kingdoms (for some reason), which may or may not have been implemented for an unknown amount of time before the Faunus Rights Revolution[sup]1 2[/sup]. Even in the present, discrimination against faunus survives; for instance, the Schnee Dust Corporation is alleged to exploit faunus labor (presumably more than they would exploit humans)[sup]3[/sup].
The White Fang was founded in the wake of the Faunus Rights Revolution as "a symbol of peace and unity between Humans and the Faunus." Due to continued discrimination, it morphed into an organization which acted as the "voice" of the faunus. Five years ago, due to a leadership change, the White Fang went through another metamorphosis into, essentially, a terrorist group.[sup]4[/sup]

Faunus Racial Template

All faunus have the following traits: Night Vision 3 [3], Social Stigma (Minority Group) [-10], Unnatural Features[sup]5[/sup] 3 [-3]. Faunus may also have additional traits based on their physical characteristics.

Footnotes

1: Citation: RWBY Season 1, Volume 1, Episode 12, "Jauncedice Part 2".
2: I never said it was a well-defined characteristic, just that it was better-defined than the others.
3: Citation: RWBY Season 1, Volume 1, Episode 2, "The Shining Beacon".
4: Citation: RWBY Season 1, Volume 1, Episode 16, "Black and White".
5: Given how faunus physical features vary greatly between individuals—even between ones of the same general "type" (e.g, cat faunus may have ears or claws)—this disadvantage applies.

[GreatWyrmGold]

I am on a roll today.

Dust

Dust is a substance which is mined from the ground and then processed. Theoretically, it can be used for anything if you mix it right—in the same way that you can theoretically achieve anything if you try hard enough.
There are four basic types of Dust—Air, Fire, Earth, and Water.[sup]1[/sup] These can be mixed to create other types—electric, ice, glass, etc, as well as various industrial compounds. All Dust contains energy in great density, making it an ideal fuel; however, it is unstable in its natural state.
Dust can be found as raw powder, or processed into crystals; the powder is easier to combine than the crystals, but less stable. Some industrial and most martial uses prefer powder, due to the ease of starting the reaction, but most civilian users of Dust prefer crystals. A few other forms of Dust, such as suspending Dust powder in a gelatin, exist[sup]2[/sup]; none are used nearly as frequently as powder or crystal, however.
Nearly all advanced technology on Remnant is based on Dust[sup]3[/sup]. Dust powers everything, generally using either powdered Dust as fuel or small Dust-crystal batteries[sup]4[/sup]. Much also uses the properties of Dust in other ways, forming the basis of computers and in particular the crude "artificial intelligences" powering many robots.

Dust and History

The introduction to the first episode of RWBY contains a brief description of ancient times on Remnant. Once, mankind was threatened by Grimm; then, Dust was discovered, giving mankind a foothold and enough strength to drive back the darkness. They thereafter used Dust, steel, and so forth to make their civilizations greater, larger, and stronger.

REF

In GURPS, REF is a measurement of how explosive a substance is, pound for pound, compared to TNT. To estimate this, I compared the explosion caused by Ruby sneezing[sup]5[/sup] to TNT explosions of various sizes; I eventually estimated that one caused by 1.5 pounds of TNT, only less smoky[sup]6[/sup]. (The smoke and lack of scale made this difficult to determine—if someone has a better estimate, let me know.) However, only the Dust in the air exploded—the bottle was still 80-90% full! It looked to contain about six to eight fluid ounces of Dust when full, meaning that somewhere between 0.6 and 1.6 fluid ounces of Dust exploded[sup]7[/sup]. According to Wolfram Alpha, if Dust has the density of glass or rock, the Dust which exploded weighed roughly 50-120 grams[sup]8[/sup]. I'm leaning towards the lower ends of the volume and Dust-used estimates, so I'll pick 75 grams as my number. This is roughly one-ninth of the 1.5 lbs of TNT I compared the explosion to, so we have an REF of nine for Fire Dust—50% more than stabilized metallic hydrogen!.
Other forms of Dust probably have different explosive potentials, but we don't know for sure, and lack any explosions for comparison. The following numbers are...basically made-up. Water Dust is the lowest, with an REF of 6; Earth Dust has 7, while Air Dust has an REF of 8. Mixed Dust has other explosive values, intermediate between its components; for instance, Dust used for fuel generally has an REF of 7-8, while electric Dust (a volatile mix of Air and Fire) has an REF of about 8.7.
Dust deals some of its damage with burning rather than crushing damage. Subtract six from its REF; this is the number of dice rolled which deal burning damage, while the rest deal crushing.[sup]9[/sup] Mixed Dust rounds to the nearest number. Alternatively, divide the damage up as a ratio—Fire Dust deals half burning and half crushing damage, while Ice Dust (REF 6.5) would deal one-twelfth burning damage.
(The GM should feel free to adjust these rules—they aren't based as firmly in canon, fanon, or logic as many I'm making are.)
Dust powder and crystals have the same REF; crystals have the same energy density as powder, just in a more stable form. Dust gel has a fraction of the REF as normal Dust, ranging from 0.5 to 0.1 depending on the concentration. This does not change the ratio of burning to crushing damage.
All of the above rules assume either an intentional IED or accidental, sudden detonation; most intentional uses of Dust release energy more slowly. Dust can detonate when dropped, like nitroglycerine. Fire Dust powder detonates on a 10+, Air on a 11+, Water on a 13+, and Earth on a roll of 14+. Crystals add two to these numbers, and most mixed Dust tends to be more stable than pure Dust (by design); for instance, most fuel Dust (primarily Fire and Air, and almost always powder) will generally detonate on a roll of 12+. It is difficult—perhaps impossible—to make Dust powder only detonate on rolls of 16+ or higher. Naturally, striking the Dust will make it detonate more readily—subtract the maximum damage an attack (such as a punch) can do from the number required to detonate it.

Abilities

Most characters cannot possess Dust-based abilities except as part of a weapon (Author's Note: I'll get to that).
For simplicity, most characters are usually assumed to usually have access to practically unlimited amounts of Dust on their person; once they are out, they must spend five seconds replacing the Dust in their weapon. For extreme simplicity, the type of Dust possessed is not tracked. For less-simple-icity, Dust is tracked separately for different weapons.

Dust is an Energy Reserve (Limited Use, 1, Fast Reload, -20%; Nuisance Effect, explodes on damage*, -5%; Nuisance Effect, flashy, -5%; Nuisance Effect, weapon-limited, -5%); it costs two points per point of Dust ER. This is added to a weapon's point cost before gadget and similar limitations.
*Explosions cause 6dx0.03x damage, where x is the number of points of Dust ER a character has in a weapon. Targeting the Dust receptacle on a weapon requires a roll to attack the weapon with an additional -3; they essentially never happen by accident. If an attack penetrates DR—including Aura, if appropriate—it causes an explosion. The explosion deals triple damage to the weapon itself, and DR has no effect!** If the weapon is not destroyed, internal damage forces it to be repaired.
**If the weapon is somehow protected by Aura or a similar effect after the explosion—despite not having any such protection preventing the explosion—that may be applied after tripling damage.

Footnotes

1: The identity of the four types is...not agreed-upon. Some argue that they are fire, lightning, ice, and wind; others take more unusual stances, or mix the "energetic" and "elemental" interpretations. The details do not matter here, however.
2: This is not supported by canon, but very little about how Dust is actually used is, so...
3: This is generally accepted, though not always to the extent I take it. Still, there are fans who say that Remnant has Dust-based agriculture and metallurgy—I'm not the worst.
4: TNT has an energy density of 4.6 MJ/kg, according to Wikipedia, while the lithium-ion batteries in my laptop are closer to 0.4[sup]10[/sup]. This means that TNT contains about ten times as much energy, by weight, as a charged laptop battery. (It's harder to discharge slowly and even harder to recharge, though.) Dust has an energy density several times higher than TNT. Even the small Dust crystals which would be required to power devices like their Scrolls[sup]11[/sup] would have battery lives superior to those of many real-world electronics! It's uncertain if they can be recharged, though.
5: This makes more sense in context. (Not much, though.)
6: This means the explosion did something like 6dx2.5 damage, around 50 on average. Given the relatively unscathed appearance of all parties nearby—including Weak Aura Poster Girl Weiss Schnee[sup]12[/sup]
7: The upper bound is more than twice the lower. Oh, these estimations are going just swell...
8: Okay, more like 45-125, but I have to round inward at some point, right?
9: GURPS explosives always roll exactly six dice for damage, multiplied by something based on the mass and REF of the explosive.
10: Wikipedia cites a lower bound of 0.36 and notes the lack of a citation for the upper bound of 0.875. Nice of them to be honest.
11: Basically collapsible smartphones. Except the ones big enough to be collapsible tablets.
12: Do not call her this[sup]13[/sup].
13: Actually, do. It sounds hilarious.

[GreatWyrmGold]

Weapons

The heart of RWBY and Huntsmen alike, weapons in RWBY are nowhere near as simple, logical, or specialized as those used by real-world warriors. Weapons in RWBY include relatively normal axes, machetes, rifles, etc...but mostly for mooks. Huntsmen, major criminals, and a surprising number of minor characters have folding-frame weapons—weapons which change form from one to another. Examples include a hammer/grenade launcher, a glaive/trident/rifle, and the primary protagonist's scythe-rifle. I am still not making any of these up. Folding-frame technology seems to involve ways to bypass most engineering guidelines, and frequently imply a component of "hammerspace", even if the weapon in question is a bladed SMG rather than a hammer.
Even weapons which don't transform (which are definitely the minority) usually have special tricks courtesy of Dust, the most prominent example being the Multi-Action Dust Rapier used by Weak Aura Poster Girl[sup]1[/sup] Weiss Schnee. This little rapier can produce bolts of fire, create ice in several shapes, empower her Semblance, and produce effects with four other varieties of Dust which she has not been seen to do. While hers is probably the most versatile weapon seen thus far, other weapons are capable of impressive feats. The most incredible feat is probably produced by Penny, who wields several swords controlled semi-telekinetically and attached to her by wires; they can fire a laser beam powerful enough to slice two aircraft in half at the same time, even though they aren't in line with her!.
It is possible to enhance your Semblance by imbuing it with Dust stored in your weapon. While this is most commonly used by Weiss, it comes up much more prominently with her teammate, Blake Belladonna, who receives a magazine pre-made for this precise purpose; the abilities thus provided make her next major fight a cakewalk[sup]2[/sup].
For all of this variety, some weapons are simple objects. A few are simply guns, two are plain swords, and one is an umbrella[sup]3[/sup].

Create Your Own Weapon

Due to the length of this section, it has been folded into a convenient spoiler.

Spoiler:  

Step 1: Concept

The first step is to think of what you want your weapon to be. A shotgun that turns into a flail? A montante that turns into an arming sword and a rifle? A shield that turns into two arm-blades? The sky's the limit—between the umbrella[sup]3[/sup] and the handbag-minigun[sup]3 3[/sup], you can't possibly make anything more absurd than Monty Oum did. Consider that you may have multiple weapons, such as a sword and a shield (canon examples include Crocea Mors and the shieleath[sup]4[/sup], and Milo and Akuo), dual wielding (canon examples too numerous to list), or possessing multiple weapons which are different (the most notable example being Wilt and Blush). If you have multiple weapons, construct them separately.

Having done so, you should identify the ways the weapon can be used. First identify separate forms, completely different shapes the weapon is folded into; the weapon needs to actually transform to discard the abilities offered by one form for those offered by the other. Second, identify grips; these are different ways to hold the weapon, allowing one to switch between sets of abilities more quickly.
Example: We will design Blake Belladonna's Gambol Shroud to show how to build weapons. It has two separate forms, the sword-shape and the pistol-shape. In the pistol-shape, it can be swung around by the ribbon attached to its trigger[sup]3[/sup], letting it be used as a kusarigama; this is a separate grip of the pistol form.[sup]5[/sup]
Having done so, identify firearm components, melee attacks, Dust-based abilities, and anything else each form and grip can do. Keep them in mind. Also consider if you want to have any Dust-based Semblance augmentations.

Step 2: Define Each Form's Abilities

For each form, identify everything that can be done in that form which cannot be done in at least one other form. Similarly, identify anything which can be done in one grip but not another.
Example: We will examine Gambol Shroud's capabilities by form and grip.[sup]6[/sup] It has two forms: Sword and Pistol. In Sword form it can slash or stab; in Pistol form, it can shoot or be slung by its ribbon tied around the trigger[sup]7[/sup], letting it be used as a kusarigama or grappling hook. The shooting form and the slinging form will be separate grips.

Many weapon abilities will—naturally—come up again and again.
Any ranged attack (or melee attack not based on strength)[sup]8[/sup] is Innate Attack (B61). They will almost always involve one or more enhancements or limitations, particularly ones intended for attacks (B102). Firearms will almost always be piercing; you may add Limited Use to simulate ammunition, but no one on Remnant seems to need to reload. Dust-based Innate Attacks are common and may take many forms; common forms of damage are burning, crushing, and fatigue with the Hazard (Freezing) enhancement.
Melee attacks are nearly always Strikers (B88). Most have greater reach than Close; use the Long enhancement for this. Not being able to strike in close combat, while using it at the rest of its range, uses the +100%-per-yard version and has an additional -25% limitation. A Striker which uses Swing rather than Thrust damage has the Swung enhancement, for +100%.[sup]9[/sup]
Many weapons have recoil which is used to augment movement by essentially throwing the combatant around; prominent examples include Crescent Rose the scythe-rifle and Ember Celica the shot-gauntlets. This is Super Jump (B89) with the limitation Full Power Only from GURPS Powers (pg. 80).
Shields are a bit tricky. First, most of them can be used to bash; this is a crushing Striker with the Weak limitation. The main features of a shield are its defense bonus and the ability to block. Being able to block rather than parry with the Striker is a special feature; having a Defense Bonus costs 25 points per level.[sup]10[/sup] A DB of +1 is equivalent to a light shield; a medium shield would give +2; and a large shield gives +3.
Making an attack which involves throwing a weapon is a slightly complicated process. First, create a Striker with the Ranged enhancement; this creates a thrusting Strength-based attack with a range. Then, add Limited Use 1 (-40%). It is assumed that being able to pick up and use your weapon instead of only having one use per day balances out the inability to use the weapon in the interim.
Forms or grips which have multiple attacks—such as a sword form which can both stab and slice—use the Alternative Attack rules (B61), allowing the cheaper attack(s) to be bought at 1/5 cost after all modifiers. Do not use these rules if a character can use both attacks at once.
Attacks do not use the Brawling skill (for Strikers) or the Innate Attack skill (for…Innate Attacks); they instead use an appropriate weapon skill. This is a feature.
Most minor abilities are Perks, costing one character point each. Examples include built-in flashlights, a telescope, or blades that can be used as improvised climbing gear.

Once you have determined the abilities possessed by each form and grip, add the point costs of all of unique abilities together and determine the total point cost of each of them. Abilities possessed by all forms are added to the total cost of the weapon in a later step; the cost of abilities possessed by all grips of a form will be added to the total form cost.
Example: Gambol Shroud’s sword form is simple. It can be used to slash or stab. A cutting Striker with Swung and a reach of 1-2 has enhancements totaling +275%; thus, it costs 7*(1+2.75)=27 points. An impaling Striker with a reach of 1 costs 8*(1+0.75)=14 points. The latter attack costs 1/5 as much, or 3 points. The total for this form is 30 points.
The pistol form has two grips. The pistol grip and the kusarigama grip do not share any abilities. The pistol grip is a piercing Innate Attack; comparable pistols deal deal around 3d piercing damage, with a Rate of Fire of 3 and Accuracy of 2. In addition, pistol ranges are roughly ten times greater than base Innate Attack ranges; this is handled by the well-named Increased Range enhancement. These enhancements total +90%, respectively; the total cost is 29 points.
Attacks with the kusarigama grip are powered not with muscle, but with recoil. These attacks would be an impaling Innate Attack dealing 2d damage, with the Melee Attack (Reach 1-4) limitation, for -15%; the final cost of this attack is 14 points. With a grappling-hook Perk, this grip has a final cost of 15 points.

Step 3: Add Grip Costs

The cost of a form with multiple grips is equal to the cost of the most expensive grip, plus one-fifth the costs of additional grips. If an ability can be used in multiple grips, do not include its cost in the cost of any but the most expensive grip.
This is not a free lunch. Transitioning between grips takes one full second and as many hands as it takes to wield the weapon. Any simple actions which could be taken with the weapon in either grip may be taken; the only active defense allowed is Dodge.
Example: Gambol Shroud’s pistol form has two grips. The more expensive is the pistol grip, at 29 points; the kusarigama grip costs 15 points. The cost of this form is 29+(0.2*15)=32 points.

This is longer than the character limit—again—so I'm splitting it between two posts. Also again.

[GreatWyrmGold]

Spoiler:  

Step 4: Determine Base Cost

This is a little more complicated.
Shifting between forms involves a variation of the Alternate Form ability.

Spoiler:  

Transforming a weapon requires room to move it around in and a reasonably stable base. This is an Accessibility limitation worth -5%.
By default, it takes ten seconds to switch between Alternate Forms. Reduced Time 1 (+20%) reduces this to five seconds, which is much closer to the time taken in RWBY.
GURPS Powers adds a few useful modifiers to Alternate Form[sup]11[/sup]. Once-On-Stays-On (+50%) is useful not only for simulating the behavior of the weapons, but also for making the math simpler.

The total cost of all forms is equal to the cost of the most expensive form plus 25 points per form beyond the first.
To this total, add the cost of any abilities granted by the weapon in any form, such as Dust reserves and Dust-based Semblance augmentations.
Example: Gambol Shroud’s two forms cost 32 and 30 points; the total form cost is 57 points. If it had any Dust-based abilities—such as the augmentations to her Semblance seen late in Volume 2—they would be added directly to the base cost.

Step 5: Weapon Modifiers

A number of modifiers can apply to the weapon as a whole.
All weapons may have a convenient storage form as a feature. Add a +5% modifier if the weapon’s storage form looks enough like a non-threatening item that a typical observer will not think the wielder is armed. Increase this to +10% if said form conceals the weapon completely[sup]12[/sup.
The gadget limitations (B117) apply as well. Most weapons will have damage resistance of 5-10 and 10-15 hit points[sup]13[/sup], giving them a -10% or -15% limitation; heavier weapons have more hit points, ones with thicker parts made from more durable materials have more damage resistance. See the Object Hit Point Table (B558), treating the weapon as a homogeneous object. Weapons generally have a Size Modifier of -1 to -4, giving an additional -15% or -20% limitation. Most weapons have Can Be Stolen at the -30% level, but ones which are worn rather than held usually only qualify for the -10% level.
Most weapons are technically unique, but most characters using the weapons have the ability to replace said weapons with a similar or identical weapon; thus, they do not qualify for this limitation.
Example: Gambol Shroud is stored as a sheathed sword; no modifiers are needed, as it is clearly a weapon.
Gambol Shroud has 14 hit points and damage resistance 9; this is a -10% limitation. Gambol Shroud is a few feet long but slender; its Size Modifier is probably -2, giving an additional -20% limitation. Gambol Shroud is attached by its ribbon, meaning it can only be removed forcibly; this is worth -10%. The total limitation value is -40%. If its base cost is 57 points, the final cost would be 35 points.
After this step, do the same for any other weapons your character possesses. At the GM’s discretion, multiple identical weapons may be at half cost after the first, or weapons which cannot be used simultaneously may have one-fifth cost; otherwise, pay full cost for each.

Step 6 (optional): Organizing the Information

This was a lot of math and looking up rules, but we’re finally on the home stretch.
First, go over everything with your GM. You should be doing this for most complicated things you do with your character, and probably should have checked earlier in the design process, but you need to make sure everything is kosher[sup]14[/sup] before you write everything down.
Second, write the name of your weapon(s) on your character sheet and their point total(s) next to them. The details will be recorded elsewhere.
Thirdly, locate this elsewhere and record all forms and grips your weapon possesses, as well as all abilities (including attacks) possessed by the weapon and its individual forms. Write in as much detail as is needed to use the ability in play, ideally without needing to look up details in the rulebooks. Optionally, include point costs of individual abilities and forms; you should probably do so if you intend to modify the weapon later. Use any format you deem appropriate; one possibility has been shown below.
You may wish to include a brief description or even a drawing of the weapon.
Example: Simple Gambol Shroud [35]
Form 1: Sword [30]
—One Grip [30]
——Slash: Cutting Striker, Swung, Reach 1-2 [27]
——Stab: Impaling Striker, Reach 1; Alternative to Slash [14/5]
Form 2: Pistol [32]
—Pistol Grip [29]
——Shoot: 3d Piercing Attack, Range 100/1000, Accuracy 2, Rate of Fire 3 [29]
—Kusarigama Grip [15]
——Kusarigama: 2d Impaling Attack, Melee (Reach 1-4) [14]
——Grappling Hook (Accessory Perk) [1]
Damage Resistance: 9; Hit Points: 14; Size Modifier -2
Gambol Shroud is a Variant Ballistic Chain Scythe. Its default form is a katana with the tip sharp on the inner edge of the blade. The blade can fold down, turning it into a bladed pistol; there is a ribbon tied to its trigger guard, allowing it to be used as a kusarigama in this form, with the blade propelled by the recoil from the pistol.
Depending on the detail your chosen format includes, you may wish to keep your weapon design notes.

If I ever turn this into a proper document/mini-supplement, I will be including a table of common weapons to pull from when designing weapons.

Using Weapons

A weapon (usually) has a number of forms. Transforming a weapon between forms, or from its storage form, takes five seconds. These forms may have grips; switching between grips takes one second, and simple actions not involving the weapon may be taken during that time.
Attacks made with weapons created with this system act as normal weapons in all ways, aside from potentially allowing unusual actions to be taken. For instance, few rifles allow one to propel oneself up a wall, or project a wall of ice. Weapons created with this system, particularly ones with Dust capabilities, may use the Stunt rules in GURPS Powers (pg 170).

During character creation, the Game Master should earmark a certain number of points to spend on weapon creation; 30-40 gives a weapon a few simple options. Players may spend additional points on weapons, of course.

Footnotes

1: Do not call her this.[sup]15[/sup] Especially in front of Weiss fans.[sup]16[/sup]
2: Somehow.
3: I sincerely wish I was making that one up...
4: This is not the shield's canon name. It has no canon name, so I have to use the fan name.
5: The actual weapon is slightly more complicated due to the fact that the weapon's scabbard can be removed and used as a second sword, but this goes beyond what was needed for the example.
6: For simplicity, we will not be accounting for the use of Gambol Shroud's scabbard as an additional weapon at this time.
7: Letting you shoot while slinging it around, letting you propel the blade faster or shoot enemies while kusarigamaing. It also means that you run the risk of shooting the pistol, like, always, but proper firearm safety is a small price to pay for looking cool![sup]17[/sup]
8: Melee attacks which hit with more force than would be plausible with the user's build do not count. (I'm looking at you, Ruby[sup]18[/sup]!)
9: I made it up myself after noting that swing damage was often (very) roughly twice thrust damage.
10: This is slightly cheaper than buying all Enhanced Defense advantages, due to the overlap. Essentially, if you only enhance one defense, you can simply avoid needing to use the other two; you can only use one defense at a time, so the whole is less than the sum of its parts.
11: Page 75.
12: E.g, Ren’s Stormflower.
13: Realistically, weapons with many moving parts would have 5-8 hit points and damage resistance closer to 3-5. RWBY is not terribly realistic, however, and using these fragile weapons doesn’t seem to damage them or even cause significant strain to the user’s Aura.
14: Isn’t it weird that the word for “food acceptable to eat according to Jewish religious law” has become accepted as a synonym for “acceptable” or “accepted”?
15: Unless you agree that it would be hilarious.
16: Even if you think it would be hilarious.
17: I'm being sarcastic. If you have a pistol, do not tie a ribbon around its trigger and sling it around like a flail.[sup]19[/sup]
18: She has the scythe-rifle. It’s a very large weapon, and Ruby is very small.
19: If you think that's even remotely acceptable I hope you never get access to a firearm ever.

[GreatWyrmGold]

This one was...fun. But I think it's the last of the big crunch-heavy topics.

GRIMM

Author’s Note: The information we have been given on Grimm has been spotty and vague; while this is understandable for some of the information, for some it is simply not stated. Thus, this section relies heavily on observation, estimation, and guesswork. It should be taken as even less canon than everything else in this supplement.
For this reasons, we will only be scratching the surface of what makes the—pardon the pun—Grimm dark.

What Are Grimm?

The monsters we fight lack a soul. They are creatures of Grimm, the manifestation of anonymity. They are the darkness, and we are the light. —Pyrrha Nikos[sup]1[/sup]
An inevitable darkness—creatures of destruction—the creatures of Grimm—set their sights on man and all of his creations. These forces clashed, and it seemed the darkness was intent on returning man's brief existence to the void. —Unknown narrator[sup]2[/sup]
The creatures of Grimm—typically called “Grimm” for short—are one of the forces on Remnant that shape civilization on Remnant. While some would argue that the Grimm are not as much a threat as many (in-universe and out) make them to be, no one can deny that protecting against what Grimm can do is a vital part of Remnan civilization, one that some would say their entire culture is built around.

Grimm Biology and Behavior

The first thing to be said about Grimm biology is that they don’t seem to have much. They don’t eat,[sup]3[/sup] and when killed, their bodies evaporate over minutes if not seconds, making study difficult or impossible. In case that wasn’t enough, keeping Grimm in captivity is…difficult; they tend to fight their captors until one or the other dies. Still, some things are known.
Once, it was believed that Grimm were animals possessed by evil spirits, or the spirits of animals which were tortured. These theories have been largely discarded, as varieties of Grimm with no resemblance to any (known) animal species were discovered. The wiki and some fans claim that new forms of Grimm are discovered daily; however, neither canonical statements, Word of God, nor the dynamics of Remnant support this claim.
Grimm exclusively attack mankind and his works.[sup]3[/sup] They fight animals, but not often—the prevailing hypothesis is that they only do so over territory. They don’t even kill to eat—as far as can be told, they don’t eat. Grimm seem attracted to negative emotions, for unknown reasons.
Young Grimm are virtually mindless; older ones learn from experience and gain wisdom. They exercise caution, in the end withdrawing from inhabited lands completely. They still remain close to civilization, though...not that anyone knows why. But even they rarely shy from easy kills.

The History of Grimm

All information in this section comes from the opening of RWBY, Season 1, Volume 1, Episode 1, “Ruby Rose,” unless otherwise noted.
The creatures of Grimm have inhabited Remnant and hunted its inhabitants for time immemorable. Legends imply that the Grimm may have existed in some form before humanity was born,[sup][/sup] but legends are far from the most reliable source of information.
What is known is that human civilization dealt with Grimm from its earliest days. It seemed the Grimm would prevail, until humanity discovered Dust. With the power of Dust at hand, man drove back the darkness. Doing so, they created four mighty kingdoms and safe regions around them.
There are those who fear that these lights of civilization, however bright, will flicker and die. Luckily, there is no sign of this happening.[sup]4[/sup] Hunting Grimm has even become a pastime[sup]3[/sup], a sure sign that any danger it poses is waning. And as humanity grows in knowledge, the lights only burn brighter.

Grimm Racial Templates

All Grimm have the Grimm meta-trait, which costs 50 points.

Spoiler:  

Advantages: Detect Humans (Increased Range x500, +80%; Precise, +100%) [56], Detect Misery (Increased Range, x50, +60%) [16], Doesn’t Breathe [20], Doesn’t Eat or Drink [10], Fur [1], High Pain Threshold [10], Immunity to Metabolic Hazards [30], Injury Tolerance (Homogeneous) (Vulnerable Head, ad hoc -10%), (No Blood) [41], Unaging [15]
Disadvantages: Aura Susceptibility 3 [-9], Bestial [-15], Cannot Speak [-15], Dependency (General proximity to human misery; Constantly) [-10], Fragile (Unnatural) [-50], Hidebound [-5], Low Empathy [-20], No Sense of Humor [-10], Social Stigma (Monster) [-15]
Features: Body dissolves on death; No FP
All traits are in the Basic Set Volume 1, though Detect with the Increased Range enhancement may not be technically legal.

Grimm racial templates always include an age lens.[sup]5[/sup]

Spoiler:  

Note that bonuses or penalties to Attributes and Secondary Characteristics are cumulative. For instance, a Larval Grimm has -6 ST and -2 Hit Points; a young Beowolf has 10 Hit Points, so a larval Beowolf would have 10-6-2=2 Hit Points.

Larval Grimm (-250 Points): Grimm which are still very young and have not yet developed either their pale armor or all of their misanthropic instincts. They tend to stick together, though, and if any human gets too close to them they will attack.
Attribute Modifiers: ST -6 [-60], DX -1 [-20], IQ -3 [-60], HT -2 [-20]
Secondary Characteristic Modifiers: Size Modifier -2, Hit Points -2 [-4], Will +2 [10], Perception +1 [5], Basic Speed -0.25 [-5]
Advantages: -
Disadvantages: Aura Susceptibility 3 [-9], Bad Temper (9) [-15], Berserk (6) (Battle Rage, +50%) [-30], Chummy [-5], Curious (9) [-7], Impulsiveness (6) [-20], Overconfidence (6) [-10]
Skills: None; Brawling default equals DX-4

Young Grimm (-50 points): The most common form of Grimm encountered, due in part to aggressive behaviors and in part to (closely-related) high mortality rates. Most young Grimm are roughly man-sized.
Attribute Modifiers: None
Secondary Characteristic Modifiers: None
Advantages: Damage Resistance 2 [10]
Disadvantages: Aura Susceptibility 2 [-6], Bad Temper (12) [-10], Berserk (9) (Battle Rage, +50%) [-22], Curious (15) [-2], Impulsiveness (9) [-15], Overconfidence (6) [-10]
Skills: Brawling DX+1 [2], Stealth IQ-1 [1], 2 points in species-specific skills

Mature Grimm (150 points): Older and more powerful, mature Grimm are still prone to many of the same faults as their younger kin. They tend to be roughly the size of an automobile.
Attribute Modifiers: ST +15 (No Fine Manipulators, -40%; Size, -20%) [600], DX +1 (No Fine Manipulators, -40%) [12], IQ +2 [40], HT +2 [20]
Secondary Characteristic Modifiers: Size Modifier +2, Hit Points +3 (Size, -20%) [5], Will -1 [-5], Basic Speed +0.5 [10], Basic Move +1 [5]
Advantages: Damage Resistance 5 [25]
Disadvantages: Aura Susceptibility 1 [-3], Bad Temper (15) [-5], Berserk (12) (Battle Rage, +50%) [-15], Impulsiveness (15) [-5], Overconfidence (12) [-5]
Skills: Brawling DX+2 [4], Stealth IQ [2], Tracking Per-1 [1], 4 points in species-specific skills

Elder Grimm (350 points): Grimm still older and more powerful than the mature Grimm. Big as a house, these Grimm are starting to develop what some would consider intelligence. Elder Grimm stay the hell away from civilization, although they still often attack nomads, travelers, and the like who come too close.
Attribute Modifiers: ST +55 (No Fine Manipulators, -40%; Size, -50%) [110][sup]6[/sup], IQ +4 [80], HT +6 [60]
Secondary Characteristic Modifiers: Size Modifier +5, Hit Points +10 (Size, -50%) [10], Will -2 [-10], Perception +2 [10], Basic Speed -0.25 [-5], Basic Move +2 [10]
Advantages: Common Sense [10], Damage Resistance 12 [60]
Disadvantages: Berserk (15) (Battle Rage, +50%) [-7], Impulsiveness (15) [-5], Overconfidence (15) [-2]
Skills: Area Knowledge IQ [1], Brawling DX+4 [12], Stealth IQ [2], Tactics IQ [4], Tracking Per [2], 8 points in species-specific skills

Grand Elder Grimm (550 points): The oldest of Grimm have incredible strength and intelligence rivalling a human’s. They are very rare and almost never seen. Certainly, they don’t attack humans.
Attribute Modifiers: ST +70 (No Fine Manipulators, -40%; Size, -60%) [140][sup]6[/sup], DX -1 [-20], IQ +5 [100], HT +13 [130]
Secondary Characteristic Modifiers: Size Modifier +6, Hit Points +20 (Size, -60%) [16], Will -4 [-20], Perception +4 [20], Basic Speed +0.75 [15], Basic Move +3 [15]
Advantages: Common Sense [10], Damage Resistance 20 [100]
Disadvantages: None
Skills: Area Knowledge IQ+2 [4], Brawling DX+4 [12], Stealth IQ [2], Tactics IQ+1 [8], Tracking Per [2], 16 points in species-specific skills

Author’s Note: I didn’t decide to make each template worth 200 points more than the last until I redid the math to include No Fine Manipulators and Size modifiers and realized that I would have done so if I just added 50 points to the Grand-Elder-Grimm template.

[GreatWyrmGold]

Finally, every Grimm is of a specific species. The following are some of the most common varieties of Grimm (ie, those seen in canon thus far).

Spoiler:  

Beowolf (0 points)
Lupine Grimm. Well, sort of; their limb proportions almost bring to mind a large ape. Still, their anatomy—especially as larvae—and their behavior are a close match to those of wolves. Beowolves are a relatively weak species of Grimm, but they make up for it with numbers.
Attributes: ST 11 (No Fine Manipulators, -40%) [6], DX 12 (No Fine Manipulators, -40%) [24], IQ 4 [-120], HT 10 [0]
Secondary Characteristics: Damage* 1d-2/1d-1, Basic Lift* 16, Hit Points 10 [-2], Will 8 [20], Perception 12 [40], Fatigue Points -, Basic Speed 6 [10], Basic Move 8 [10]
Advantages: Grimm [50], Sharp Claws [5], Sharp Teeth [1]
Disadvantages: Chummy (or Gregarious if larval) [-5], Damage Resistance -1 or Easy to Kill 2 [-5 or -4], Quadruped [-35]
Skills: Tactics IQ-2 [1]; see also Species-Specific Skills

Boarbatusk (50 points)
Porcine Grimm. They have large tusks, smaller but still large fangs, and four eyes. Unusually tough and very aggressive.
Attributes: ST 14 (No Fine Manipulators, -40%) [24], DX 11 (No Fine Manipulators, -40%) [12], IQ 4 [-120], HT 12 [20]
Secondary Characteristics: Damage *, Basic Lift *, Hit Points 16 [4], Will 8 [20], Perception 12 [40], Fatigue Points -, Basic Speed 6 [5], Basic Move 4 [-10]
Advantages: Cutting Striker (Tusks) [7], Damage Resistance +1 [5], Enhanced Move (Ground) 2 (Maximum Duration, 1 second, -80%; Reduced Recharge, 5 seconds, ad hoc +20%; Requires Ready, ad hoc -10%) [12], Fangs [2], Grimm [50], Hooves [3], Peripheral Vision [15]
Disadvantages: Bad Temper (15) or -3 Control Number to Bad Temper [-5], Quadruped [-35], Weak Bite [-2]
Skills: Brawling DX [1]; see also Species-Specific Skills
Note: The Enhanced Move ability requires a Ready maneuver the turn before using it. It represents curling up into a ball and rolling, which the boarbatusk uses to slam enemies.[sup]8[/sup]

Creep[sup]8[/sup] (-25 points)
Rare underground Grimm, Creeps have stubby bodies and tails, large heads, and two thick legs. They vaguely resemble cassowaries with large heads. Creeps are rarely seen, but when they encounter humans, they attack. They are weak, but quick; in addition, their isolation means that you will almost never find just one.
Attributes: ST 8 [-20], DX 11 (No Fine Manipulators, -40%) [12], IQ 3 [-140], HT 13 [30]
Secondary Characteristics: Size Modifier -1, Damage *, Basic Lift *, Hit Points 5 [-6], Will 8 [25], Perception 15 [60], Fatigue Points -, Basic Speed 7 [20], Basic Move 6 [-5]
Advantages: Grimm [50], Scanning Sense (Sonar) [20], Sharp Beak [1], Talons [8], Vibration Sense [10]
Disadvantages: Blindness [-50], Horizontal [-10], No Fine Manipulators [-30]
Skills: See Species-Specific Skills

Deathstalker (15 points)
Scorpionoid Grimm, and very large ones. Unusually, they are coated in armor from essentially the time they are spawned. Deathstalkers attack by crushing enemies in their claws or striking them with their golden stingers. Some claim Deathstalker stings have a deadly venom; these rumors are false, and in any case Aura would protect Huntsmen from the effects of such poisons. They are very tough, but clumsy.
Attributes: ST 13 (Size, -10%) [27], DX 8 [-40], IQ 3 [-140], HT 17 [70]
Secondary Characteristics: Size Modifier +1, Damage *, Basic Lift *, Hit Points 20 (Size, -10%) [13], Will 6 [15], Perception 10 [35], Fatigue Points -, Basic Speed 5 [-25], Basic Move 5 [0]
Advantages: Extra Legs (Eight) [15], Fangs [2], Grimm [50], Impaling Striker [8], Long Talons (Cannot Impale, ad hoc -10%) [10]
Disadvantages: Bad Grip 3 [-15], Horizontal [-10]
Skills: See Species-Specific Skills

Goliath (100 Points)
Elephantine Grimm, the largest species of Grimm known. Goliaths are rare, especially younger ones; killing a Goliath was once (and to an extent is still) considered a great achievement for a Huntsman, somewhere between a coming-of-age rite and “catching the big one,” leading to a decline in their population. Most Goliaths are older, and hence even less likely to be seen. They are slower and more cautious than most Grimm, but far stronger.
Attributes: ST 25 (Size, -20%) [120], DX 7 [-60], IQ 5 [-100], HT 13 [30]
Secondary Characteristics: Size Modifier +2, Damage *, Basic Lift *, Hit Points 26 (Size, -20%) [2], Will 9 [20], Perception 15 [50], Fatigue Points -, Basic Speed 5 [0], Basic Move 4 [-5]
Advantages: Crushing Striker (Tusks) [5], Enhanced Move (Ground) 1 [20], Extra Legs (Four) [5], Peripheral Vision [15], Increase self-control number for Overconfidence by 3 (younger than Elder)/Remove Overconfidence (Elder)/+1 Perception (Grand Elder) [5]
Disadvantages: Horizontal [-10], One Arm (Extra-Flexible, Long +1, Weak 1/4) [10-20], Weak Bite [-2]
Skills: Area Knowledge IQ [1]; see also Species-Specific Skills

Nevermore (-25 Points)
Avian Grimm, one of the smallest common Grimm species. Its perceived size is all the smaller due to how few make it to adulthood. Nevermores are more aggressive, and larval Nevermores often fly out in flocks to harass travelers or cities. Nevermores can fly swiftly and have a ranged attack (hurling feathers at enemies), both rare among Grimm. Luckily, they are weak and fragile.
Several physicists have concluded that Nevermores should be unable to fly; after a brief period of derision, this was confirmed by biomechanists, who pointed out that Deathstalkers and many older Grimm should—logically—collapse under their own weight. The conclusion is that whatever forces create Grimm grant them certain exceptions to the laws of physics.
Attributes: ST 6* [-80], DX 16 (No Fine Manipulators, -40%) [72], IQ 4 [-120], HT 7 [-30]
Secondary Characteristics: Size Modifier -2, Damage *, Basic Lift *, Hit Points 4 [-4]*, Will 8 [20], Perception 14 [45], Fatigue Points -, Basic Speed 8 [45], Basic Move 2 (Ground) [-30]
Advantages: Enhanced Move (Air) 1 (speed 28) [20], Flight (Small Wings, -10%) [36], Grimm [50], Impaling Attack 1 (Thrown Quills) (Add Thrust Damage, ad hoc +150%**; Armor Divisor 0.2, -50%; Rate of Fire 3, +50%) [5], Talons [8]
Disadvantages: Aura Susceptible 1 [-3], Bad Temper (15) or -3 Control Number to Bad Temper [-5], Damage Resistance -2 or Easy to Kill 5 [-10], Easy to Kill 2 [-4],*** Horizontal [-10], No Fine Manipulators [-30]
Skills: Brawling DX [1], Flight HT-1 [1]. See also Species-Specific Skills.
*Larval Nevermores have a Strength of 1, rather than the 0 implied by subtracting six from five, as well as one hit point. This increases the point cost of the lens by 12 points.
**Adds the cost of Ranged, Melee Attack (ST-based), and a little extra.
***Easy to Kill is limited to (HT-3) levels. Thus, a larval Nevermore only has one level and increases in point cost by 12 points.

Taijitu (75 points)
A serpentine Grimm, with a head at each end of its body. One end is black, the other white. Taijitus are rare. Some have rumored that their fangs are poisonous, but these rumors are unsubstantiated. Taijitu are swift and relatively strong, but frail.
Attributes: ST 11 (No Fine Manipulators, -40%) [6], DX 14 (No Fine Manipulators, -40%) [48], IQ 4 [-120], HT 7 [-30]
Secondary Characteristics: Damage *, Basic Lift *, Hit Points 6 [-10], Will 8 [20], Perception 13 [45], Fatigue Points -, Basic Speed 7 [30], Basic Move 7 []
Advantages: Aura Susceptibility 2 [-6], 360 Vision [25], Constriction Attack [15], Extra Attack [25], Extra Head [15], Grimm [50], Teeth (Fangs) [2]
Disadvantages: Damage Resistance -1 or Easy to Kill 2 [-5 or -4], Vermiform [-35]
Skills: See Species-Specific Skills

Ursa (100 points)
An ursine Grimm. Arguably the most powerful Grimm one is likely to encounter.
Attributes: ST 20 (No Fine Manipulators, -40%; Size, -10%) [50], DX 10 [0], IQ 4 [-120], HT 15 [50]
Secondary Characteristics: Size Modifier +1, Damage *, Basic Lift *, Hit Points 25 [10], Will 7 [15], Perception 11 [35], Fatigue Points -, Basic Speed 6 [-5], Basic Move 7 [5]
Advantages: Constriction Attack [15], Damage Resistance 4 [20], Grimm [50], Sharp Claws [5], Sharp Teeth [1]
Disadvantages: Sweet Tooth (quirk) [-1], No Fine Manipulators [-30]
Skills: See Species-Specific Skills

And now for the species-specific skills! Unfortunately, this forum doesn’t seem to have a table function (how barbaric), so I’ll have to make do with a Google doc.

[GreatWyrmGold]

New Grimm Species

It’s easy to go overboard with this, but when Huntsmen venture far from known lands, species beyond the few listed above may be encountered.
All Grimm are violent, large, and physically powerful, but without supernatural abilities such as psionics or Aura. Grimm with extraordinary physical abilities, like the Nevermore’s flight and quill-throwing or the Creep’s ability to sense foes in complete darkness, are the exception rather than the norm; most Grimm are simply the same package of strength, durability, and speed in various combinations and forms.
Grimm are, in general form, corrupted versions of normal animals, usually ones which mankind usually sees as stereotypically dangerous, creepy, intimidating, or some combination or synonym of the three. These are generally made stranger, with additional body parts (such as the extra head of the taijitsu or the extra eyes of the boarbatusk), qualities mixed from similar animals (such as the nevermore, a mixture of vulture and corvid), or simple structural distortions (such as the beowolf and the more extreme creep).
Design your Grimm as a Young Grimm, which for most will be roughly the size of a human being.

Customizing Grimm

”They are creatures of Grimm, the manifestation of anonymity.” —Pyrrha Nikos[sup]1 7[/sup]
Grimm vary very little. They are all hateful, violent, dark, and ultimately unable to slay anyone with a moderate amount of skill. Grimm do not learn, grow, or change as we do, and they certainly don’t specialize—every Grimm is capable of surviving and fighting on its own, and most do. That said, there is one way one can create custom Grimm with a good amount of plausibility.
Adjusting Age Lenses
GMs may modify these lenses for specific Grimm species—and probably should—to avoid minimizing differences between Grimm species as they age. For instance, the Elder Grimm lens gives +55 ST; as the basic Goliath template grants ST 20 and the basic Nevermore 5, an Elder Nevermore would have ST 60, while an Elder Goliath would only have ST 75. This problem is most prominent with Strength and Hit Points, but to an extent occurs with IQ, Basic Move, Damage Resistance, and many other traits.
With Strength and Hit Points, multiply the modifiers by one-tenth of the base Strength or Hit Point total. Grimm with an Intelligence of 3 halve Intelligence bonuses, rounding up; ones with an Intelligence of 5 increase them by half, rounded down. Multiply Basic Move bonuses by one-fifth of Basic Move, rounded as seems fit. Grimm with penalties to Damage Resistance may halve age-provided Damage Resistance. Other traits may be played by ear.
The GM may also tweak how the Grimm ages beyond young age. Most commonly, this is by shifting skill points, but physical abilities can differ as well. For instance, a heavily-armored Ursa might have -1 Basic Speed but +4 Damage Resistance. The Grimm will generally be similar in form to the standard, however.

Footnotes

1: Citation: RWBY, Season 1, Volume 1, Episode 6, “The Emerald Forest Part 1”.[sup]#[/sup]
2: Citation: RWBY, Season 1, Volume 1, Episode 1, “Ruby Rose”.
3: Citation: RWBY, Season 1, Volume 2, World of Remnant, “Grimm”.
4: Citation: GreatWyrmGold’s Grimm Theories, on Reddit. It’s a bit self-indulgent, yes, but better that than reprint close to 50,000 characters of arguments.
5: Cost—notably for Strength, Dexterity, and Hit Points—in these lenses and assume No Fine Manipulators and a base Size Modifier of zero. Similarly, Strength and Hit Point costs assume the base Size Modifier, without any modifiers for age lens. If point cost is important, you should recalculate the point cost of Strength, Dexterity, and Hit Points.
6: Cost for traits may never go below 20% of the original, even if given limitations worth -81% or…less? more?
7: I already cited this quote, though…
8: I am not making this up.
#: Man, it’s been a while since I’ve done a proper citation. Feels good.

And that's finally done.

[GreatWyrmGold]

Skills and Folding-Frame Weapons

Skills and Custom Weapons

Huntsmen using folding-frame weapons use the normal skill for using such weapons. A rifle that turns into a pike uses the Rifle skill to shoot and the Polearm skill to stab. If it is possible to shoot this weapon in a non-firearm form, it uses typically the same skill as when in its firearm form. Melee attacks in a firearm form use the same skill as a normal improvised firearm, unless the firearm form has built-in blades or the like.
A character is automatically familiar with his or her custom weapons. Anyone else using them takes unfamiliarity penalties, unless they are familiar with a similarly-modified weapon (GM’s discretion). If the weapon would qualify for unfamiliarity penalties without this rule, the character takes a -4 penalty rather than just -2! The character also takes the -2 penalty to default use of folding-frame weapons (unless he or she is familiar with very similarly-modified weapons of a different sort; the GM should use extreme discretion here). Use of abilities possessed by a similar weapon which are not possessed by any weapons a character is familiar with will always give penalties.
Example: Nora has hidden Crocea Mors, Jaune’s broadsword. He has an early sparring match with Cardin, and hence needs to borrow Gambol Shroud. He has never used a katana before in his life, let alone one that turns into a pistol, so he is at -4 to skill; since his Broadsword skill is only 11, he has to roll below seven to succeed. He could also borrow Weiss’s rapier for the same penalty; while defaulting from Broadsword to Rapier gives a -4 penalty, both are essentially standard weapons of their class. Jaune would get an additional -2 for unfamiliarity if he attempted to use any Dust-enhanced attacks with the rapier, which would reduce his effective skill to 5 and his chance of success to less than 5%.

Wildcard Skills for Custom Weapons

If the GM allows it, characters may take wildcard skills (B175) relating to their weapon. The skill applies to all uses of that weapon, including any attacks, parries (or blocks, for a shield) Acrobatics rolls for feats the weapon plays an integral part in (such as using the weapon’s recoil to propel oneself), applications of the weapon’s noncombat features, or Armory, Engineer, and other skills used to repair, upgrade, or replace the weapon. However, it can only be used for a specific weapon (or two identical weapons, or—if the GM allows it—two different weapons used together).
The GM may rule that a weapon is similar enough to the weapon one has a Wildcard Skill for that it may be used at no penalty, but should do so sparingly. A weapon in the same general form (or, more likely, forms) gives -1, a simple weapon of a skill used to wield the weapon would be at -2, and either an unfamiliar simple weapon or a folding-frame version of a familiar weapon would be at -3. An unfamiliar folding-frame weapon using the same skill would be at -5!
Ruby Rose has the Crescent Rose! skill, which she can use to shoot a Nevermore, cut a Beowolf in half, or propel herself with Crescent Rose’s recoil. If she found a similar scythe-rifle, she would roll against Crescent Rose!-1. A normal scythe or a sniper rifle would give her a roll at -2. Using a normal glaive—a weapon which, like a scythe, uses the Polearm skill—would give her -3; so would trying to shoot a folding-frame sniper rifle/pike. Using Neptune’s weapon—whether in trident, glaive, or rifle form—would give -5!
Techniques can be based off of the wildcard skill, if they require specialization by skill; they must specify one form of the weapon, or multiple forms which would use the same skill. The character can use them with any weapon using the same skill as said form; this is at default level or the penalties listed above, whichever is better.
Example: If Nora knows the Retain Weapon technique at Magnhild!+4, she can use it with any similar hammer (that is not also a gun) at Magnhild!+2. Attempting to use it with Neptune’s weapon in glaive form—assuming Magnhild uses the Polearm skill—would normally take a -5 penalty; however, the default level of Magnhild!+0 is more beneficial, so Nora rolls against Magnhild! With no penalty. This makes it slightly harder for Neptune to get his weapon back.

Cinematic Skills and Remnant

Cinematic skills can be divided into two categories: Those which rely on qi, and those which do not. The latter are usually appropriate for games set in Remnant; optionally, the GM can remove any Trained by a Master requirement. The former may be.
Some skills drawing on qi are also always appropriate. Power Blow, for instance, may be a feat of strength rather than control of inner energy. Others, like kiai, are harder to separate from their Eastern origins. However, the GM may allow players to take these skills, powered by Aura instead of qi! If he does so, any Trained by a Master requirements should probably be kept. In addition, Fatigue Point costs should be replaced by Aura costs; a conversion rate should be chosen, probably not more than 10 points of Aura per Fatigue Point of cost.

Custom Techniques

Arguably, you can’t have an authentic RWBY experience without every Huntsman using special techniques to take advantage of and express his or her weapon, Semblance, and personality. The rules for designing techniques from GURPS Martial Arts will be extremely helpful here, but are not required.

Maneuver or Technique?

Sometimes, simply finding a proper maneuver in the rulebook is all one needs to do. Why create a special Lunging Slam technique when All-Out Attack (Long) will do fine? Who needs to bother with a Slow Strike technique when you can use a Telegraphic Attack, or an Evaluate maneuver followed by an Attack? Access to GURPS Basic Set 2, GURPS Martial Arts, and other books with many maneuvers in it will naturally make this a more plausible path.
You may wish to focus more on the rules of the maneuver than the first thing you think of when imagining one. After all, there are many possibilities for each maneuver, especially in a cinematic game. This point is covered repeatedly in GURPS Martial Arts. For instance, a Deceptive Attack could involve changing the angle of the attack at the last minute, attacking from an unusual angle, or striking quickly…or jumping away from a shadowy duplicate too quickly for you or your opponent to fully adjust to, partially transforming your weapon to slip past the opponent’s guard, or releasing a flurry of ice Dust a moment before you strike.

Adjusting Existing Techniques

The rules for one technique could be adapted to a completely different technique. Some adjustments may need to be made, of course.
The simplest is keeping the technique but changing the name, and perhaps allowing it for a weapon which would not otherwise be permissible. This should hardly need explanation—it follows logic described in the previous section. You may also apply modifiers to the default found in the Creating New Techniques section of GURPS Martial Arts (pg 89). In addition, the following modifiers may apply, if the GM allows it.
A technique which is made easier by some special characteristic of the weapon used, or by a character’s Semblance, may have the default level improved by +1. The technique is unusable if the character is forced to make do with a different weapon or unable to use her Semblance. This modifier does not apply if the technique is only possible because of such factors! (It is intended to encourage players to find creative ways to use their weapons; abuse of it should be punished as typical munchkinry.)
If a technique involves the use of the character’s Aura, an Aura cost may be included. This gives a bonus to default equal to +1 per five points of Aura spent. The GM should apply limits to this, and may adjust the ratio (especially if characters have significantly more or less Aura than typical Huntsman students).
Finally, the GM may apply a -1 or greater penalty to default for techniques which would be especially difficult with the character’s weapons—or potentially overpowered!
All such changes should be recorded. A name change may also be in order.

New Techniques

If your group has access to GURPS Martial Arts, your players may—and should!—design custom techniques for their characters. They may use the above modifiers as well as the ones in the book.

Styles and Remnant

GURPS Martial Arts introduces the concept of a combat style—a group of skills, techniques, and tactics associated with a particular school of thought and training. These apply well to many games, but Huntsmen and their human adversaries are too varied for styles to be plausible. No two major characters even use the same weapon!
That said, certain NPCs could plausibly possess fighting styles. In particular, the Atlesian military practices a rigid discipline, with all soldiers being given roughly the same training.
Style Familiarity perks are permissible, but they must apply to one of the following:
1. The fighting style of one person, and anyone who taught or was taught by that person and uses the same weapon and techniques. For instance, Ruby’s use of the scythe-rifle was learned from her Uncle Qrow; a Style Perk applying to one of them would apply to the other.
2. The techniques used by one species of Grimm.
3. The fighting style taught by one disciplined, well-organized, combat-focused group. This would generally not apply to officers, special forces, and the like, who would have their own personal fighting styles.
Needless to say, Style Familiarity is not a common Perk on Remnant.