Stats For Students

[scc]

So two potential campaigns that are vying for attention in my brain at the moment involve the characters being students.

The first is a Harry Potter style magic school, with the characters being 12 years old, the other is running Virtual Mekton (Fan setting for Mekton about kids playing an arcade game) using GURPS.

So there are some pretty common question for these:

How high or low can Attributes go? I'm thinking not more then one or two levels, and maybe no more then a single increase for the first.

Skills? Again I'm thinking no more then one or two points. For the second case what skills would be needed by a schoolboy or -girl to operate a Mech in VR? I'm thinking these would be easy skills and possibly capped by Computer Operation. What skills should I even allow at starting?

Now in the first case Magery is mandatory, and Ally comes up if/when the character acquire Familiars, but beyond those two, for either of these settings, are there any Advantages that seem like they should be on the list of those available? Should I even allow Advantages?

Disadvantages are in the same boat as the above, should I even allow them?

[swampthing]

Adventure stories with child heroes frequently involve success far exceeding skill, so I'd recommend considering (or even requiring) such advantages as Luck, Serendipity, Daredevil, Wild Talent, and Jack of All Trades.

Edit: similarly, Destiny, Hard to Kill, Extra Life, Intuition, Higher Purpose, Blessed (feats of DX or HT), and Enhanced Defense.

[Farmer]

The physical and cognitive development of most 12 year olds is significantly less than an adult. Whilst there are 12 years olds with are intellectually advanced, the baseline will be quite a bit lower, and even an athletic 12 year old will be significantly less physically capable, in all three attributes by comparison. But IQ is one you could allow to be further above baseline.

There's no reason they can't have disadvantages, in fact, they surely will if they are being played in a setting where they interact with adults, over and above those any individual might have. They're probably not going to have things like lechery (and even if a 12 year old did, I think most people would not want to be role playing it for obvious reasons). But poor eyesight, reduced legal rights, enemies, senses of duty, actual duties, various ailments, etc., etc.

[Farmer]

Originally Posted by swampthing

Adventure stories with child heroes frequently involve success far exceeding skill, so I'd recommend considering (or even requiring) such advantages as Luck, Serendipity, Daredevil, Wild Talent, and Jack of All Trades.

These would be very appropriate. Even just talents of in various areas to represent (super)natural abilities.

[David Johansen]

In the Harry Potter games I've run, I did first years as 0 point characters with 8 Strength and Magery 0 minimum which leaves 15 points to spend. It's quick, the Strength is a bit high but it's noticable and these are, after all, kids adventure story heroes, not realistic children.

[Pursuivant]

I once did a partial GURPS 3E version of the Harry Potter series.

My take was that 11 to 12 year-olds have ST 6-8 depending on size and maturation. Realistically, kids have other disadvantages, and a few perks, but they aren't applicable to a cinematic setting.

If you want to do a "Harry Potter" setting vs. "Harry Potter like" you will need to tweak one of the GURPS magic systems to fit. I used straight GURPS Magic with special rules to handle quick mastery of spells and wand use.

These days, I'd allow instant learning of spells and uncanny plot immunity as a use of Fate Points.

[whswhs]

I wrote GURPS Locations: Worminghall as a guide to running campaigns set in a medieval university's faculty of magic. In that era, students started attending at university around age 14, so that approximately fits.

When I ran a campaign set there, my baseline template looked like this:

baseline student

ST 10 [0]; DX 10 [0]; IQ 12 [40]; HT 10 [0]
Dmg 1d-1/1d+2; BL 20 lbs.; HP 10 [0]; Will 12 [0]; Per 12 [0]; FP 12 [0]; Basic Speed 5.00 [0]; Basic Move 5 [0]; Dodge 8
5’10”; 85 lbs.

Social Background
TL: 3
CF: Western [0]
Languages: English (Native) [0]; Latin (Accented) [4]

Advantages
Legal Immunity 2 [10]
Magery 1 [15]
Status 2 [5]*
Wealthy [20]: ready cash/movables $1,000

* Includes +1 from Wealthy.

Disadvantages
Social Stigma: Minor [-5]
other disadvantages and quirks [-14]

Attributes 40 + Secondary Characteristics 0 + Advantages 54 – Disadvantages 19 = 75†

† May take up to -18 more points in negative traits (low attributes/secondary characteristics, disadvantages, quirks) in exchange for up to 18 more points in positive traits (all other traits)

[A case could be made for lowering ST to 9 for -10 points. I would definitely do that for 11-year-old stdents.]

[cptbutton]

One thread I did about high school students, and another someone else did:

Anime Ordinary High School Students

Assumptions on High School and College Skill Levels

[TGLS]

Originally Posted by scc

How high or low can Attributes go? I'm thinking not more then one or two levels, and maybe no more then a single increase for the first.

Basic Set suggested:
> - 1 SM
> 80% ST
> 90% IQ/DX
For ten year olds. Fifteen year olds got their full adult attributes. The short version would appear to be "maybe a point off of where they'll be in a few years."

Originally Posted by scc

For the second case what skills would be needed by a schoolboy or -girl to operate a Mech in VR? I'm thinking these would be easy skills and possibly capped by Computer Operation. What skills should I even allow at starting?

If I recall, Immersive VR uses regular skills, so piloting, gunner, etc.

Originally Posted by scc

Should I even allow Advantages?

Disadvantages are in the same boat as the above, should I even allow them?

I'd say yes to both. Some advantages ought to be restricted or altered (i.e. Wealth, Status), and some may be required (i.e. Patrons to represent parents). Likewise, some disadvantages are unlikely (i.e. Alcoholism, Dependents) while again some ought to be mandatory (i.e. Social Stigma (Minor)), and others make sense (i.e. Phobias, Pacifism).

I think most worries about children who are overcompetent can be offset by keeping all the costly and mandatory traits/skills in a template, and providing a small budget for increased attributes, traits and skills.

[RGTraynor]

Well ... before folks go on the "realistic children" rails, I'd think a bit even beyond the fictional heroes paradigm. It's not just in the Harry Potter canon, but in many kid-adventurer works: the kids not only routinely take on adults, but beat them.

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.