Racial Template or Chimera

[dcarson]

I do mostly the same, go through the lists looking for things that seem to fit. I do look at GURPS animalia to see if it has the animal and what they give it. Then decide how much of that to keep or maybe keep in a weaker form.

[Tom H.]

Yeah, Eddie, it can be kind of a rabbit hole, so don't feel bad if it's time consuming.

One of the problems with the massive list of advantages in the Basic Set is that there are many themed sets of advantages with strong connections among each other, but they are all just listed alphabetically.

Unfortunately there isn't much in the way of official guides to relating advantages together for a desired outcome (unless you need to take your designs to the level of GURPS Powers, probably not needed for Dog Men). You basically discover these connections from the ground up by cross-referencing the entries in the Basic Set as you peruse them.

So surprisingly, there are a lot of GURPS "rules" hiding among the advantages. For example, there are combat rules for brittle or combustible bodies masquerading as the Fragile disadvantage.

Building characters with all these rules is pretty clever, but sometimes it can be a bit overkill if the end result of compounding say 4 advantages is just tweaking a score or two by a point or two.

In the end, what really matters is how the character will interface and behave in the world. That interface is limited to a smaller number of statistics and success rolls.

For the "lighter" Dungeon Fantasy, the recommendation is to even build monsters without character points, just focusing on some relevant scores.

Even here it helps to know some of your advantages. They act as a shared vocabulary to describe specific effects.

[jacobmuller]

Originally Posted by Eddie T

So Jacob and Phantasm - did you two start from human -> dog or dog -> human for the templates?

I'm trying to see how other, more experienced GURPS GMs tackle thought exercises like this so I really do appreciate the stats, but am more interested in the process of how you got there. If that makes sense?

I used Biotech and from the stand point of what parts of the dogs would make it into the chimera. I even used bodyweight for ST guidelines.
I altered and added based on ideas I picked up from the forum/ other GURPS books. Eg digitigrade granting +1 move; semi-upright for enhanced movement but loss of hand use during.

I wouldn't do it that detailed again. The basic set advice is a good guideline. I mean, the basic cat people have something like two advantages and extra DX. The rest of the unspecified details is flavouring.

Have you seen GURPS Albedo? A lot of anthropomorphics in one place and very little beyond clare name to distinguish.

But each of us has our own concept of what makes a dogman a dogman not a manman :/

[sir_pudding]

Bio-Tech will tell you what is possible at your genetic engineering TL and how much an embryo will cost.

[Eddie T]

Originally Posted by jacobmuller

Have you seen GURPS Albedo? A lot of anthropomorphics in one place and very little beyond clare name to distinguish.

Never even heard of it, and I've printed off everything from e23 several times in the Steve Jackson Games-supporting goal of catching up on at least PDFs of everything I've missed.

All of this has really got me wanting to do an Isle of Dr. Moreau type scenario, at least. Hell, maybe even a GURPS Gamma World-style campaign.

[Flyndaran]

When going with hybrids, you need to decide on goals. 95% human 5% not human for that "lovable" furry look. 5% not human 95% human for that weird-animal look. Or near the 50% 50% split for true nightmare fuel. I tend to think the 75% 25% ratio is best for uncanny valley creepiness.

[Bruno]

Originally Posted by Eddie T

Never even heard of it, and I've printed off everything from e23 several times in the Steve Jackson Games-supporting goal of catching up on at least PDFs of everything I've missed.

It's a fan conversion of the RPG Albedo

http://www.sjgames.com/gurps/article...lbedo-1.7.html
http://forums.sjgames.com/showthread.php?t=91048

[jacobmuller]

Originally Posted by Bruno

It's a fan conversion of the RPG Albedo

http://www.sjgames.com/gurps/article...lbedo-1.7.html
http://forums.sjgames.com/showthread.php?t=91048

TQ Bruno.
I did a 4th edition conversion of it, have it as MSWord and PDF.
Looking at it just now and I wonder if I finished the conversion; and it would be my opinion of how Sloniker's read of the original Albedo game system's take on the graphic novel would convert into GURPS 3e. An opinion of an opinion of an opinion of a graphic novel. cf Walking Dead.

But Albedo did do minimalistic anthropomorphics - upright walking, tool using, talking animals (in a space faring culture). Barely human; frequently not even humanoid, eg ostrich and kangaroo.

My own designs (maybe a dozen) were to be as human as an orc/elf/dwarf - man in a rubber mask sci-fi; perhaps of Andre the Giant or Warwick Davis stature, but very human chimera. If chimps share 95% of our DNA, then these would be more 97/8%.

Edit: Latest "Lite House" version
Citizen Chimera
These were those chosen to serve amongst us who most benefitted from D’Foy’s Touch and for whom the Gift was intended.
Citizen Gene Lens [-17]
FP -1 [-3]; Wealth 9 [-10]; Immunity to DB [1]; Status -1 (Gené) [-5]; Sanitized Metabolism [1]; Acaudate [0]; Plantigrade [0].
Appearance: if Gené were human, their appearance would range from horribly disfigured to merely fixable. But they’re Gené – a cute puppy is still cute but a puppy. So appearance is from the point of view of the clade, eg a handsome Belle looks almost human but he’s still handsome, for a Belle.
Suné [30]
Arctic Fox: 4’7” 70lb. Sunny disposition or gloating know-it-all?
ST8 [-20] DX11 [15] IQ11 [15] HT12 [30]
Gené [-17]; Empathy (Scent based, -50%) [8]; Honest Face [1]; Careful [-1]; Broad-minded [-1]; Uncongenial [-1]; Night Vision [1].
Machen [75]
White Tigron: 10’0” 420lb SM+1. Machen as in the German for do, or the French for chewed-up?
ST14 [36] DX12 [30] IQ10 HT12 [27]. NB: Male [7] adds ST +3 [27], 10” and 60lb.
Gené [-17]; Sharp Claws [5]; Sharp Teeth [1]; Fur [1]; Night Vision [3]; Sensitive (Scent based, -50%) [3]; Grumpy [-1]; Uncongenial [-1]; Lazy [-1] ; Staid [-1]; Restricted Diet – Carnivore (Substitution, -50%) [-5]; Aversion (the taste of human flesh causes Nausea) [-1].
Sén [50]
Panther: 5’4” 100lb; firm grip on reality or his?
ST9 [-10] DX13 [45] IQ10 HT12 [30]
Sensitive (Scent based, -50%) [3]; Night Vision [2]; Gené [-17]; Uncongenial [-1]; Lazy [-1]; Staid [-1]
Belle [15]
Doberman: 5’3” 90lb. Belle – not beautiful.
ST8 [-20] DX10 IQ10 HT12 [30]
Gené [-17]; Empathy (Scent based, -50%) [8]; High Pain Threshold [10]; Energy Reserve (Emergency Only, -30%) 2 [4]; Deep Sleeper [1]; Extended Hearing [1]; Night Vision [1]; Penetrating Voice [1]; Congenial [-1]; Nosy [-1]; Responsive [-1]