GURPS ST vs real wold records

Infornific · 08-20-2020, 10:18 PM

Regarding statting bench presses and such, my own inclination would be to base ratios of lifts on the world records and assume world records require 5 to 6 times more lift (BL) than a normal (ST 10) human.

For example the world record for a raw bench press is 770 lbs and for a deadlift is 1105. That suggests a ratio of 7 to 10, so perhaps BL*7 for base bench press and BL*10 for a deadlift. Matching the world records would require a ST of around 23 or 24. A character who could bench 350 lbs would need a BL of 50 or a ST close to 16. Of course more realistically a champion power lifter would have a lower ST plus Lifting ST and Lifting skill. You could add in a Perk for +1 ST with a specific lift to allow more variation.

So once you established the likely ratios you could then estimate BL multiples and work out required ST from there. How fussy you'd want to get with Lifting ST, skills & perks is up to you.

Looking at your numbers for the 100kg trained man, the ratio for Military Press:Bench Press:Dead Lift seems to be around 3:4:6. Maybe BL*2 for Military Press, BL*3 for Bench Press and BL*5 Deadlift (kilos instead of pounds.) That would suggest a ST of 13 or so based on the numbers you gave.

Unfortunately from what you've said the ratios for untrained lifts aren't the same as for trained lifts. I don't know how to handle this - perhaps a penalty for untrained use of certain lifts would work in game terms.

Regarding HP, HP are supposed to correlate with Mass and living creatures with realistic biology should have HP equal to (cube root of weight in lbs)*2. Durability aside from mass is supposed to be represented by DR and HT. However that relationship is much looser for PCs who can have exceptional HP due to sheer gumption. For a normal GURPS campaign I'd use mass as a floor for HP. In a harshly realistic campaign you might set HP close to Mass but that keeps HP in a tight range.

Things like push ups, chin ups, etc are trickier. GURPS ST represents absolute force but chin ups depend on a high ST to body mass ratio. A small wiry man who could do a lot of chin ups might have a modest ST while an NFL nose tackle who is much less adept at such exercises would have a high ST. I would be inclined to use either HT or a HT based skill roll to express such abilities. Alternately you could make it a multiple of BL verses the character's own body weight.

08-20-2020, 10:18 PM	#22
Infornific Join Date: Dec 2004	Re: GURPS ST vs real wold records Regarding statting bench presses and such, my own inclination would be to base ratios of lifts on the world records and assume world records require 5 to 6 times more lift (BL) than a normal (ST 10) human. For example the world record for a raw bench press is 770 lbs and for a deadlift is 1105. That suggests a ratio of 7 to 10, so perhaps BL7 for base bench press and BL10 for a deadlift. Matching the world records would require a ST of around 23 or 24. A character who could bench 350 lbs would need a BL of 50 or a ST close to 16. Of course more realistically a champion power lifter would have a lower ST plus Lifting ST and Lifting skill. You could add in a Perk for +1 ST with a specific lift to allow more variation. So once you established the likely ratios you could then estimate BL multiples and work out required ST from there. How fussy you'd want to get with Lifting ST, skills & perks is up to you. Looking at your numbers for the 100kg trained man, the ratio for Military Press:Bench Press:Dead Lift seems to be around 3:4:6. Maybe BL2 for Military Press, BL3 for Bench Press and BL5 Deadlift (kilos instead of pounds.) That would suggest a ST of 13 or so based on the numbers you gave. Unfortunately from what you've said the ratios for untrained lifts aren't the same as for trained lifts. I don't know how to handle this - perhaps a penalty for untrained use of certain lifts would work in game terms. Regarding HP, HP are supposed to correlate with Mass and living creatures with realistic biology should have HP equal to (cube root of weight in lbs)2. Durability aside from mass is supposed to be represented by DR and HT. However that relationship is much looser for PCs who can have exceptional HP due to sheer gumption. For a normal GURPS campaign I'd use mass as a floor for HP. In a harshly realistic campaign you might set HP close to Mass but that keeps HP in a tight range. Things like push ups, chin ups, etc are trickier. GURPS ST represents absolute force but chin ups depend on a high ST to body mass ratio. A small wiry man who could do a lot of chin ups might have a modest ST while an NFL nose tackle who is much less adept at such exercises would have a high ST. I would be inclined to use either HT or a HT based skill roll to express such abilities. Alternately you could make it a multiple of BL verses the character's own body weight.