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Old 03-29-2023, 12:18 PM   #1
Arith Winterfell
 
Join Date: May 2014
Location: Indiana, United States
Default Skills for a sci-fi character

I'm working on a sci-fi character for a criminal underworld type campaign akin to the bounty hunter/Jabba the Hutt stuff in Star Wars.

The character Arith Winters was originally an interrogator under a oppressive dictatorship in the planet Sinar. Raised largely by the state once his telepathic powers were discovered, he was raised to see the government as the rightful government of the people, and that the rebel forces were terrorists. The rebels did do terrible things too. So Arith saw his work gaining info from captured rebels as an important part of helping to protect good people.

He only has Telerecieve (Shallow) so he can't deep probe captured rebels, but he did do a combination of mundane interrogation, surface mind reading, and the Suggestion power to push them to reveal info to the state.

Well, in the end the Rebels won. The dictator was executed. Arith was forced to flee the planet in order to save his own life. Now he has been forced to adapt and survive in the interstellar criminal underworld. He is hunted by members of the New Sinarian government for war crimes on his homeworld due to interrogating rebels.

In the larger galaxy Arith is a relative nobody. Sinar is a backwater world, and average people really don't care about the government changing hands on Sinar. Governments are largely planetary, or at largest solar system wide, not intergalactic Empire. Still Arith works to keep a low profile, and has mild paranoia about being pursued by hunters from the New Sinarian Government.

Arith works to hide his powers, as he risks being arrested just for being a telepath as authorities in power would love to make use of his abilities/probe his brain to learn more.

He does have the minor ability to inflict ecstasy by touch (stimulate the brain's pleasure center telepathically), but it takes time to prepare to use it (1 min.) and FP to use it. So it largely is comparable to a "telepathic drug" he sells to people rather than meant as a weapon in combat.

I'm looking for suggestions/ideas regarding skills/powers he should have/shouldn't have in his current setup representing the former interrogator turned relatively new member of the criminal underworld. Other adjustment ideas are welcome too!

Name: Arith
Race: Human

Attributes [130]
----------------------------------------
ST 10
DX 10
IQ 15 [100]
HT 12 [20]

Hit Points 10
Will 15
Perception 15
Fatigue Points 12

Basic Lift 20
Damage 1d-2/1d

Basic Speed 6 [10]
Basic Move 6

Ground Move 6
Water Move 1

Social Background
----------------------------------------
TL: 10
Cultural Familiarities: Galactic Trader Culture [1]; Sinarian (Native) [0].
Languages: Sinarian (Native; Native Language, -6) [0]; Trade Common (Native) [6].

Advantages [146]
----------------------------------------
Affliction 1 (Direct Pleasure Center Stimulation; Costs FP, +1, -5%; Ecstasy, +100%; Melee Attack: Reach C, -30%; Preparation Required, 1 minute, -20%; Telepathic, -10%) [14]
Empathy (Telepathic, -10%) [14]
Mind Shield 3 (Psi) [12]
Suggestion 3 (Psi) [30]
Telepathy Sense 4 (Psi) [16]
Telepathy Talent 3 [15]
Telereceive - Shallow 3 (Psi) [24]
Telesend 3 (Psi) [21]

Perks [1]
----------------------------------------
Tactical Reading [1]

Disadvantages [-65]
----------------------------------------
Bad Sight (Nearsighted; Glasses, -60%) [-10]
Enemy (Equal in power to the PC; New Sinarian Government; 6 or less, *1/2; Hunter, *1) [-5]
Secret (Imprisonment or Exile; Has Psionic Powers) [-20]
Secret (Possible Death; Sinarian War Criminal) [-30]

Quirks [-4]
----------------------------------------
Careful [-1]
Mild Paranoia (New Sinarian Government) [-1]
Mildly Callous [-1]
Proud [-1]

Skills [80]
----------------------------------------
Acting (A) IQ-1 [1]-14
Amnesia (Suggestion) (Tech/H) Suggestion+1 [2]-18
Beam Weapons/TL10 (Pistol) (E) DX+2 [4]-12
Beam Weapons/TL10 (Rifle) (E) DX [1]-10
Brawling (E) DX+1 [2]-11
Detect Lies (H) Per+3 [4]-18
Includes: +3 from 'Empathy (Telepathic, -10%)'
Diplomacy (H) IQ [4]-15
Disguise/TL10 (Human) (A) IQ-1 [1]-14
Fast-Draw (Pistol) (E) DX [1]-10
Fast-Talk (A) IQ [2]-15
First Aid/TL10 (E) IQ [1]-15
Full Communion (Telesend) (Tech/H) Telesend+1 [2]-15
Holdout (A) IQ-1 [1]-14
Independent (Suggestion) (Tech/H) Suggestion+5 [6]-16
Interrogation (A) IQ+1 [4]-16
Intimidation (A) Will [2]-15
Literature (H) IQ-2 [1]-13
Merchant (A) IQ-1 [1]-14
Mind Shield (H) Will+2 [2]-17
Includes: +3 from 'Telepathy Talent 3'
Multiplicity (Telereceive) (Tech/H) Telereceive+1 [2]-14
New Approach (Telereceive) (Tech/H) Telereceive+4 [5]-17
Observation (A) Per [2]-15
Politics (A) IQ-1 [1]-14
Pressed Attack (Suggestion) (Tech/H) Suggestion+5 [6]-18
Psychology (Human) (H) IQ [4]-15
Secure (Telesend) (Tech/H) Telesend+1 [2]-15
Shadowing (A) IQ-1 [1]-14
Smuggling (A) IQ-1 [1]-14
Stealth (A) DX+1 [2]-11
Streetwise (A) IQ-1 [1]-14
Suggestion (H) IQ+3 [4]-18
Includes: +3 from 'Telepathy Talent 3'
Telepathy Sense (H) Per+1 [1]-16
Includes: +3 from 'Telepathy Talent 3'
Telereceive (H) IQ+3 [4]-18
Includes: +3 from 'Telepathy Talent 3'
Telesend (H) IQ+1 [1]-16
Includes: +3 from 'Telepathy Talent 3'
Universal (Telereceive) (Tech/H) Telereceive+1 [2]-14

Points Summary
----------------------------------------
Attributes/Secondary Characteristics [130]
Advantages/Perks/TL/Languages/Cultural Familiarities [147]
Disadvantages/Quirks [-69]
Skills/Techniques/Spells [80]
= Total [295]

Melee Attacks
----------------------------------------
Affliction 1 (Direct Pleasure Center Stimulation; Costs FP, +1, -5%; Ecstasy, +100%; Melee Attack: Reach C, -30%; Preparation Required, 1 minute, -20%; Telepathic, -10%); Dam: aff; Reach:C; Skill:"SK:Brawling"; Level:11; LC:
Brawling
Punch; Dam:1d-3 cr; Reach:C; Skill:"SK:Brawling"; Level:11; Parry:8; LC:
Bite; Dam:1d-3 cr; Reach:C; Skill:"SK:Brawling"; Level:11; Parry:No; LC:
Kick; Dam:1d-2 cr; Reach:C,1; Skill:"SK:Brawling"-2; Level:9; Parry:No; LC:
Notes: If you miss with a kick, roll vs. DX to avoid falling.

Ranged Attacks
----------------------------------------
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Last edited by Arith Winterfell; 03-30-2023 at 10:10 AM. Reason: Updating character info
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Old 03-29-2023, 02:51 PM   #2
Pursuivant
 
Join Date: Apr 2005
Default Re: Skills for a sci-fi character

Looks like a decent built. The Ecstasy affliction is an interesting wrinkle.

The value of his Secrets might be reduced if the campaign makes it easy to travel off-world or to change identities. If they don't apply beyond his "backwater" homeworld, they might also be worth less. The same goes for the Enemy, unless the new government really wants him and is willing to pay a serious bounty/send out agents to catch him.
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Old 03-29-2023, 05:28 PM   #3
Arith Winterfell
 
Join Date: May 2014
Location: Indiana, United States
Default Re: Skills for a sci-fi character

They will send out agents to find him, but the low frequency represents that its a big galaxy out there. But eventually some adventures will simply have wrinkles where individual agents or bounty hunters show up.

As to the Has Psionics secret, all players who have such powers, will have that secret due to organizations wanting to take advantage of their powers or to at least control them. That's a sort of general problem in the setting.

Now as to the secret tied back to his homeworld. That's one I've pondered about. My thinking was its not just his home government here, it gives any government that finds out about the secret an excuse to just ship him back to Sinar. So its at least a mild threat from other governments. And sending him back there could definitely be a death sentence, or at least a "you're powers are too useful to just kill you, so now you're our slave" sorta thing.
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Old 03-29-2023, 05:34 PM   #4
Arith Winterfell
 
Join Date: May 2014
Location: Indiana, United States
Default Re: Skills for a sci-fi character

I'm also open to other variants of the character to be suggested too. See if perhaps one sparks my interest sorta thing.

My original version of this character had the powers above, minus the pleasure center touch ability, and had full Telerecieve so he was more about outright probing victims mind and suggestion was weaker as a power.

Then I realized it could be more fun to make him in his current form where there is no easy just dig deeper mind reading. Instead it becomes a "game" of using different tools to gain info.

Plus I thought it would be an interesting character idea to play a morally ambiguous character who thinks of himself as a good person, but now questions if the former dictatorship were "really the good guys" or not. And raise the real questions about how we even really gauge good or evil people in the larger framework of power, government, and society.
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Old 03-30-2023, 12:30 AM   #5
Kaslak
 
Join Date: Oct 2022
Default Re: Skills for a sci-fi character

I would add acting, given the skills you already factored in, (I don't remember if there is a good default with them already)
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Old 03-30-2023, 10:10 AM   #6
Arith Winterfell
 
Join Date: May 2014
Location: Indiana, United States
Default Re: Skills for a sci-fi character

Okay. Sounds good. I went ahead and added that to my character in the original post.
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Old 03-31-2023, 07:04 AM   #7
weby
 
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Default Re: Skills for a sci-fi character

I do not know what type of campaign it will be in regards to combat frequency, but it should be noted that the combat survival is quite low.

But if combat is expected to happen following notes:
  1. Lack of combat reflexes makes you freeze up in surprises and your dodge low.
  2. Dodge 9 gives only 37.5% probability to avoid attacks. Thus if someone rolls a successful attack against you you are likely in big trouble,
  3. 10 hp: I do not know how effective weapons and armor are in use in the setting, but in general the ability to not go below 0 hp from one hit is very nice and the ability to not go below -1*HP on one normal hit is vital for combat survival.
  4. HT 12: This is a good basic survical feature, giving 74% to survive going below -1*HP.

On third point: as I do not know what will be the setting normal I will use world war 2 troops as example that should be understandable:

Scenario: Soldiers with different Hitpoints, and at full HP to start with, get hit by 9mm SMG (sten or mp 38/40 doing 3d6-1) or by typical combat rifle of the period doing 7d6 damage. These are without blow through rules as those are not often used for some reason..

Single SMG hit:
HP 8: 25.93% to stay above 0 HP and 98.15% to not have to roll death roll.
HP 9: 37.50% to stay above 0 HP and no probability to have to roll death roll
HP 10: 50.00% to stay above 0 HP and no probability to have to roll death roll
HP 11: 62.50% to stay above 0 HP and no probability to have to roll death roll
HP 12: 74.07% to stay above 0 HP and no probability to have to roll death roll
HP 13: 83.80% to stay above 0 HP and no probability to have to roll death roll
HP 14: 90.74% to stay above 0 HP and no probability to have to roll death roll

Single Rifle hit:
HP 8: less than 0.01% to stay above 0 HP and 2.21% to not have to roll death roll and 33.22% to not have to roll 2 death rolls.
HP 9: less than 0.01% to stay above 0 HP and 6.12% to not have to roll death roll and 66.78% to not have to roll 2 death rolls.
HP 10: 0.01% to stay above 0 HP and 13.72% to not have to roll death roll and 86.28% to not have to roll 2 death rolls.
HP 11: 0.04% to stay above 0 HP and 25.72% to not have to roll death roll and 96.21% to not have to roll 2 death rolls.
HP 12: 0.12% to stay above 0 HP and 41.42% to not have to roll death roll and 99.39% to not have to roll 2 death rolls.
HP 13: 0.28% to stay above 0 HP and 58.58% to not have to roll death roll and 99.96% to not have to roll 2 death rolls.
HP 14: 0.61% to stay above 0 HP and 74.28% to not have to roll death roll and less than 0.01% to have to roll 2 death rolls.

As each death roll is a HT roll, so at HT 12 they fail 37.5% of the time, avoiding them is a good idea.

Note how things go when increasing HP from 10 to 14 in above examples:
For SMGs it increases the probability to stay conscious from half to more than 90%
For rifle it increases the chance of not having to roll for death roll from about 1/7 to almost 3/4 and the probability of two rolls from about 1/7th to basically none.

So for your campaign you might want to do a similar analysis on damage after armor.

So combat survival in approximate order of importance at low point levels:
  1. So not get into combat
  2. Combat reflexes: This is a must for PCs in any campaigns with combat as it stops freezing and increases dodge.
  3. Check your hitpoints compared to campaign weapons and armors to try to stay concious and alive.
  4. See if you can increase the survival on death/unconsciousness rolls. In your case note that increasing HT is fairly cheap as you have increased speed already so each +1 HT -0.25 speed is only +5 points.
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Old 03-31-2023, 02:06 PM   #8
Witchking
 
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Default Re: Skills for a sci-fi character

A fair number of thief/rogue/spy skills...

But at least one omission from the ones I normally at least consider for that 'MOS'.

Search.

Sometimes you need to find the McGuffin and the other side is inconsiderate enough to hide it.

Useful for tossing rooms, finding secret doors, patting down Playmates, pretending to be a copper...

I would consider it at least.

P.S. I also always at least Consider popping a point into Acrobatics. It can be a way to give a good bump to Dodge via Acrobatic Dodge. Although I have never build a PC with a DX lower than 12...you may have hit the point where even I might not consider it.
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Last edited by Witchking; 03-31-2023 at 02:11 PM.
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Old 04-01-2023, 01:35 PM   #9
Pursuivant
 
Join Date: Apr 2005
Default Re: Skills for a sci-fi character

Quote:
Originally Posted by weby View Post
I do not know what type of campaign it will be in regards to combat frequency, but it should be noted that the combat survival is quite low.
Very good points, but lack of serious combat skills and a non-combat optimized build suits a professional interrogator who is mostly used to dealing with restrained victims.

The OP just has to trust that the GM understands the character's limitations and plans encounters accordingly.

The larger problem is that the character lacks attacks or defenses other than his formidable psi powers. Essentially, he's a psi-enhanced "face" character who will need to recruit muscle for protection and use people around him to distract and delay foes.

His player is going to have to play him intelligently so that he avoids combat or at least recruits "meat shields" to catch bullets/laser beams for him.

In an underworld setting, he's wide open to blackmail by any mob boss. "Be my interrogator and internal security guy or I turn you over to the authorities for the fat bounty on your head." He could also be forced to use his powers to be a human drug, giving an intensely pleasurable high to select clientele; effectively a prostitute without the sex. (Neural stimulation of pleasure centers can be a psychological Addiction.)

A limited form of Danger Sense or Intuition might be the cheapest substitute for Combat Reflexes and boosted HT, at least to start. That would give him a potential warning that trouble is coming, giving him a chance to duck out of sight.

Also consider Fit as a cheap package advantage which effectively includes 1 level of Hard to Kill and lots of other bennies which would cost more than 5 points if purchased separately.

An even cheaper substitute might be Perk (Access to Military-Grade Interrogation and Security Gear) which would justify him owning the best concealable armor he can afford. It's also easily justified if he looted his former workplace before the rebels took it over. (Lots of secret police gear just lying around with no goons to guard it . . .)

Claim to Hospitality (Medical Care) might also be useful if he retains friendly contacts with medical personnel who supported the previous regime. In a SF campaign being mortally wounded is no problem as long as your buddies can stuff you into an Emergency Support Unit/ Stasis Unit in time.
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Old 04-02-2023, 10:28 AM   #10
Donny Brook
 
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Default Re: Skills for a sci-fi character

I think you're paying a point for Beam Weapon (Rifle) when you'd already get that at default.

There is a general shortage of fighting skills, but particularly Brawling 12 would be much more optimal than leaving it at 11. Stealth is also at a level it would not be good to have to rely on.

Two very useful but overlooked skills to consider adding are: (a) Gesture, for silent communication or without a shared language, and (b) Architecture, for finding your way around inside buildings or surmising where key features might be located.
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