Stats For Students

[Inky]

Specific examples of what you're thinking of?

Pitiable or similar might also be worth a look.

[Farmer]

Originally Posted by RGTraynor

Now sure, sometimes this can be sloughed off as sheer dumb luck or the speed of plot, but. The notion of minors-as-incapable is very much a Western shibboleth of the last several decades.

Minors are not incapable. 12 year olds, if you want a realistic lens, are physically, emotionally, cognitively, and intellectually less developed and typically have less experience than adults.

Using things like Talents, or other advantages (depending on the scope in which they are meant to excel) allows you to make them "competitive", but still need to overcome their basic limitations. A 12 year old with IQ 8 or 9 doesn't make them stupid, it reflects their point of development. Most studies support humans as achieving full cognitive development somewhere between 22-25. 11 or 12 is when grey matter mass is pretty much maxed prior to pruning, so if you like it's the beginning of the run home to cognitive maturity and roughly transitions at the same time as the onset of puberty (which seems physical development to maturity also commence).

So, yes, make them adult like in stats if you like, but there's a lot that can be done with a reduced set of stats and other benefits that may help you to play them as super-capable children as opposed to "short adults". The options are up to the GM and the players.

If you want to build children as adults, of course you can.

[Alden Loveshade]

As I've worked in schools, I'll put in my two cents (this is realistic; a cinematic game of course can break the limits).

Many adults underestimate kids. When I ran a computer lab at a school, I had 10-year-olds and one 9-year-old hooking up computers for me. And a few 10-12-year-olds were more-or-less my "aides," helping with the younger students. They did just fine.

Needs Extra Sleep is a common age-related Disadvantage. Impulsiveness and Short Attention Span are possible, although many have grown out of Short Attention Span by the age of 12, and many aren't Impulsive. Some time around then, puberty kicks in, which can significantly change how they act and perceive the world around them (Frankly, a number of kids become less responsible.)

One thing I like with GURPS Third Edition is that it has more details for making children. For 12 year olds, it suggests figuring final adult attributes, then adjusting them.

So while an average adult would have ST, DX, IQ, and HT at 10, as a 12-13 year old it would be ST 8 (adult ST-2) DX 10 (adult DX) IQ 9 (adult IQ-1) and HT 9 (adult HI-1). I personally think Fourth Edition handles HT better, so it might be adult HT.

For points, the suggestion for all ages is no more than 2 points in Skills per year; thus a 12-year-old with 24 points in Skills would be quite exceptional--at the high end of the range.

There's more under Age and Beauty on pg. 20 of the GURPS Basic Set (Fourth Edition), but you may well have already seen that.

[dcarson]

A Dabbler Perk so they have better than default but not a full point in common things is useful.

Pitiable and or Innocent Face fit for some kids.

[Opellulo]

Not to open a can of worms but "point wise" I always considered 0 the "baseline "even if this was different than the "regular adult human".
In this case for example y would have considered every "base student" as a 0 point, ignoring the fact that they would no be as "capable" as adults. Same for skills, its level is intended within the context of the campaign: so, for example for me it's legit for an "Hermione" to have Research at 17 or an "Eren" with sword at 20 even if realistically they could not have the time to develop the skill to that level.

In the end it's all a matter of the scope of the adventure: if the PC are "sealed" in their worlds there is no need in descending into minutiae like the "Real World".

[Donny Brook]

ST should be relatively simple, just use the Build Table on page B18.

From age 12 and up, DX should be normal and priced like adults.

Give them -1 HT for generally less developed immune systems, but many (perhaps most) will also be Fit.

I would be inclined to let IQ be normal and priced like adults as well, but would impose requirements to chose at least some mental disadvantages from a selected list including such things as Oblivious, Short Attention Span, Absent Minded, Impulsive, Gullible, etc.

As for Skills, Age x2 points is not a bad rule. Some mitigation of this constraint would be available using Dabbler (further to dcarson's post above).

[jason taylor]

One more colorful option is a more ancient form of student. A knight's squire for instance, or a Plucky Middie on a gallant sailing ship. That will put them in the way of some adventure.

You can also put them in an occupied country in WWII.