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Old 03-16-2020, 12:21 AM   #1
awesomenessofme1
 
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Default What are good sources for low-powered templates?

Just to clarify my criteria:
1) Either intended for a modern real-world game or generic enough to work in one.
2) No higher than 100 points.

I know Horror and Mysteries have a good selection, and I can get some use from them, but they're a bit genre-specific. So if anyone can recommend a certain book or thread, I'd appreciate it.
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Old 03-16-2020, 03:08 AM   #2
Celjabba
 
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Default Re: What are good sources for low-powered templates?

Gurps action 4 : Specialist is a great resource for that.

Take a basic mundane*, add a couple 25 cp skills set from Specialist, use the remaining 25 cp + quiks + disadvantages to customize (usually, including either a +1 to DX or IQ) and you have a credible 100 cp character ready to go.

*In my games, this would be the starting package for a young adult character in a mundane modern western world setting.
A player could remove items, but he would have to justify it.

Cost 25 cp

Code:
All stats at 10

**Languages 

Native language (native/native)

**Advantages 
Luck 
One level in a 5 cp talent. (or 5 cp toward a 10 or 15 cp talent)

**Disadvantages 
Pacifism (Reluctant Killer) 

**Perks 
Mundane background(current living area) [0]
Cultural familiarity(native culture) [0]
Dabbler perk (select 2 to 4 skills covering your studies or job training) [1]
Dabbler perk (select 2 to 4 skills covering your youth and background) [1]

**Skills 

Area Knowledge (current background) [1] (if different from young)
Current affairs(select 1 between sports, politics, pop culture, local news, internationnal news) [1]
Housekeeping [1]
1 Cp in One of Carousing, Connoisseur (any), Games (any), Hobby Skill (any), Musical Instrument (any), Singing, or Sports (any) [1]
Computer Operation [1]
1 Cp in a Professional skill or job prerequisite skill [1]
1 Cp in Savoir-faire(job related) or streetwise or an influence skill [1] 
1 Cp in swimming or hiking or driving or bicycling [1]

Last edited by Celjabba; 03-16-2020 at 03:28 AM.
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Old 03-16-2020, 03:39 AM   #3
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Default Re: What are good sources for low-powered templates?

Martial Arts has a few 75 to 100 pt templates that work regardless of time frame, and can represent the old Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan movies (among others).

Traveller: Interstellar Wars has a few 75 to 125 pt templates for sci-fi characters that can be adapted to modern day. Likewise, a bunch of the 75 to 125 point templates in Space can probably be adapted for the modern day.

Mysteries also has a few low-powered templates that work in the modern day.


A lot of the older hardcover and the first few PDF->Softcover genre and setting books have templates in the 75-125 pt range. If I missed any - I don't know what Infinite Worlds has, f'rex - it's because I really haven't looked at them (if I picked them up at all).
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Old 03-16-2020, 04:28 AM   #4
johndallman
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Default Re: What are good sources for low-powered templates?

Quote:
Originally Posted by awesomenessofme1 View Post
1) Either intended for a modern real-world game or generic enough to work in one.
2) No higher than 100 points.
There are quite a lot of good 50-, 75- and 100-point templates in Steampunk 3: Soldiers and Scientists. They don't need much work to update from TL6 to TL8.
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Old 03-16-2020, 06:34 AM   #5
ericthered
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Default Re: What are good sources for low-powered templates?

space is on the higher end of your list, but its has some solid templates that work for the modern era as well as the future. About 2/3rds are in your range.



Quote:
Originally Posted by Celjabba View Post
Gurps action 4 : Specialist is a great resource for that.

Take a basic mundane*, add a couple 25 cp skills set from Specialist, use the remaining 25 cp + quiks + disadvantages to customize (usually, including either a +1 to DX or IQ) and you have a credible 100 cp character ready to go.

Infornific pointed out to me that converting the 25 point templates to 10 pointers is dead simple most of the time: remove the 5-point advantage and halve the skills.
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Old 03-16-2020, 08:00 AM   #6
Kromm
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Default Re: What are good sources for low-powered templates?

For kind-of, sort-of realistic modern-day people who won't utterly crumble in adventure situations, GURPS Action 4 mostly just needs a half-priced BAT:
Attributes: ST 10 [0]; DX 11 [20]; IQ 11 [20]; HT 11 [10].
Secondary Characteristics: Damage 1d-2/1d; BL 20 lbs.; HP 10 [0]; Will 11 [0]; Per 11 [0]; FP 11 [0]; Basic Speed 6.00 [10]; Basic Move 6 [0].
Advantages: 20 points of advantages chosen from Luck [15] or the big list on p. 5.
Disadvantages: A total of -40 points in disadvantages picked from the many suggestions on pp. 5-7.
Skills: Brawling (E) DX [1]-11; Computer Operation (E) IQ [1]-11; Driving (Automobile, Heavy Wheeled, or Motorcycle) (A) DX-1 [1]-10; Guns (Pistol) (E) DX [1]-11; Stealth (A) DX-1 [1]-10; and Wrestling (A) DX-1 [1]-10.
Slush Fund: 4 points.
Use this with the process flow on p. 4, but limit yourself to one skill set in a 75-point campaign or two in a 100-point campaign.

For instance, you might build a plausible fireman who just happens to know how to fight and shoot by starting from the above BAT and choosing ST +1, Will +1 (to be brave!), and Fit with your advantage points; picking your disadvantages from the Dutiful and Virtuous lists (because you're a life-saving hero); doubling up on the Fireman skill set with the notes on realistic campaigns in effect; using the Slush Fund to buy some realistic background skills like Area Knowledge (to know the city) and Urban Survival (to be able to spot dangerous structures, standpipes, etc.); tacking on a Higher Purpose as explained on p. 34; and optimizing.
ST 11 [10]; DX 11 [20]; IQ 11 [20]; HT 11 [10].
Damage 1d-1/1d+1; BL 34 lbs.; HP 11 [0]; Will 12 [5]; Per 11 [0]; FP 11 [0]; Basic Speed 6.00 [10]; Basic Move 6 [0].

Advantages: Breath Holding 2 [4]; Fit [5]; Higher Purpose (Keep this city standing!) [5]; Lifting ST 2 [6].
Perks: Special Exercises (Lifting ST 2) [2].
Disadvantages: Duty (Fire department; 12 or less) [-10]; Overconfidence (12) [-5]; Pacifism (Cannot Harm Innocents) [-10]; Selfless (12) [-5]; Sense of Duty (Brigade) [-5]; Workaholic [-5].
Quirks: Whatever you like! [-5]
Skills: Area Knowledge (City) (E) IQ+1 [2]-12; Brawling (E) DX [1]-11; Carousing (E) HT [1]-11; Climbing (A) DX+1 [4]-12; Computer Operation (E) IQ [1]-11; Driving (Heavy Wheeled) (A) DX+1 [4]-12; First Aid (E) IQ+2 [4]-13; Forced Entry (E) DX+2 [4]-13; Guns (Pistol) (E) DX [1]-11; Liquid Projector (Water Cannon) (E) DX+1 [2]-12; NBC Suit (A) DX+1 [4]-12; Professional Skill (Firefighter) (A) IQ+4 [16]-15; Stealth (A) DX-1 [1]-10; Urban Survival (A) Per [2]-11; Wrestling (A) DX-1 [1]-10.
The GM might be sympathetic to lowering the Professional Skill to boost "action" skills if the campaign is mostly going to be about that (say, to get Brawling (E) DX+1 [2]-12, Guns (Pistol) (E) DX+1 [2]-12, Professional Skill (Firefighter) (A) IQ+2 [8]-13, Stealth (A) DX+1 [4]-12, and Wrestling (A) DX+1 [4]-12 . . . though if the game will have our fireman suddenly thrust into an action role, it won't take many earned points beef him up), but this is a playable and fairly competent 100-point character.
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Old 03-16-2020, 09:04 AM   #7
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Default Re: What are good sources for low-powered templates?

One of the easiest places to look this up is the official Occupational Template List, and in particular the Template Spreadsheet based on that list (from themook.net).

The spreadsheet, in particular, can allow you to sort through all the templates by type, source books, and point cost to weed out all the inappropriate ones and give you a list of templates in the range that you're looking for.
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Old 03-16-2020, 09:29 AM   #8
Demron
 
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Default Re: What are good sources for low-powered templates?

I have seen people recommend the generic survivor template from Zombies (p. 37, 25 points) as a starting point. Maybe add a motivational lense (Supers has a few good ones) and your are halfway there.
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Old 03-18-2020, 12:38 AM   #9
Jariel
 
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Default Re: What are good sources for low-powered templates?

Gurps Psis has several 150 point templates. The templates are built with 50 points in psionic abilities so if you remove those you have several 100 point modern templates. It also has the "unexpected psi" template which is a 100 point template with 50 points in psi abilities. If you remove the psi powers from that, you have a good 50 point template to start from.
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Old 05-07-2021, 06:18 AM   #10
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Default Re: What are good sources for low-powered templates?

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