Adapting Third Edition Templates To Fourth Edition

[Otaku]

Hey all. The short version is that I was having fun adapting the many, many templates from GURPS Warriors and GURPS Rogues (both Third Edition books) to the Fourth Edition Rules. Then it stopped being fun, not just for the sheer volume, but as I encountered more and more places where I just didn't know how to do the conversion. Yes, even with GURPS Template Toolkit 1 and Toolkit 2 to help me. It doesn't help that I've come to realize I not only don't know Fourth Edition all that well, but finally realizing how often I misunderstood (or just missed) the rules for Third Edition. ^^'

Perhaps an even bigger source of embarrassment is that my searches for such threads on the board turned up nada. Or maybe too much; basically, I couldn't find the relevant threads on my own and I am assuming someone had done this before me. So... yeah, if someone even marginally more competent than myself has already done this, feel free to link to the appropriate places.

Well, that was the original, expected discussion. Turns out what I seek isn't already out there. As help was offered, I'll take it. Here is a link to a Google document that contains what I've got so far. Initially, I just went for the most direct conversion I could manage of the Third Edition template. As we're not converting characters, I am not worried about preserving things like Basic Lift and Basic Damage when it comes to 3e ST versus 4e ST. What matters most is if a character built using the template works. They should be able to adequately perform as per the demands of the template, and we should find a balance between "perfectly optimized" and "a good starting point for character design".

Some templates may already have 4e counterparts. There is a "Warrior" template in GURPS Martial Arts for Fourth Edition. This can easily be used to make someone who is a knight, an archer, etc. So why bother adapting things like the Heroic Knight and Archer templates from GURPS Classic Warriors? Besides practice for this the templates that lack such modern counterparts, these can be taken in a different enough direction to justify them. Considering that, at the time of this edit, the Heroic Knight is now simply the Knight, with the more Heroic bits separated out into a Lens, I'm hoping others are still game for this kind of thing.

Template Names will remain the same. Correction: that was the plan, but the very first template we tackled (Heroic Knight) has undergone enough changes that I now refer to it simply as the Knight template. I now am trying to allow that some templates? They too may change enough to justify altering the name, or the differences between then and now may similarly necessitate such revisions.

Template costs listening to others, we will aim for costs that end in "0" or "5" for the templates and their lenses. We will also allow for templates being much more costly, again due to the fundamental differences between Third Edition and Fourth Edition.

Attributes: We start out with the Third Edition templates scores but with their Fourth Edition costs. We're not worried about things such as preserving the Basic Lift of the Third Edition template. We are worried about the functionality of the Attributes... and maybe avoiding things getting too high.

Secondary Characteristics: Basic Lift and Encumbrance thresholds are going to be higher due to the Fourth Edition rules being more generous.
HP was based on HT and FP was based on ST due to Third Edition rules; I will simply assign values based on the Fourth Edition rules. Unless the role the template fills calls for something different.

Advantages, Disadvantages, Quirks, and Skills will be converted to their Fourth Edition equivalents, should they exist. Anytime a Skill requires Specialization and (Any) is listed, this does not override what is appropriate to the campaign or character concept.

For example, your Barbarian might have Boating/TL6 (Motorboat) when the campaign TL is at least TL7, but not if it is a TL5 setting. Even if the setting is TL7+, your Barbarian still may not be permitted Boating/TL6 (Motorboat) if other aspects of the campaign prohibit it.

Lenses follow the guidelines mentioned above, but these are the best example of something I’ll often have to fiddle with so that multiple options that had the same cost in 3e end up with the same cost in 4e.

Heroic Knight [130 points] (p005-009)
Attributes: ST 12 [20], DX 13 [60], IQ 11 [20], HT 12 [20].
Secondary Characteristics: Damage 1d-1/1d+2 HP12 [0] WILL 11 [0] PER 11 [0] FP 12 [0] Basic Speed 6.25 [0] Basic Move 6 [0]
Advantages: Status 2 [10], Wealth: Comfortable [10]
Disadvantages: Duty: Liege Lord (9 or less) [-5] and -25 points of mental disadvantages chosen from Charitable [-15*], Code of Honor (Chivalry) [-15], Compulsive Behavior (Vowing) (12) [-5*], Honesty [-10*], Pacifism (Cannot Harm Innocents) [-10], Selfless [-10], Sense of Duty (Nation) [-10], Truthfulness [-5*], and Vow (Never refuse a request for aid) [-15].
Primary Skills: Broadsword (A) DX+1 [4]-14 or Axe/Mace (A) DX+1 [4]-14, Lance (A) DX+1 [4]-14, Riding (Any) (A) DX [2]-13, Shield (E) DX+1 [2]-14.
Secondary Skills: Leadership (A) IQ [2]-11, Tactics (H) IQ [4]-11.
Background Skills: Armoury/TL3 (Any) (A) IQ-1 [1]-10, Heraldry (A) IQ-1 [1]-10.

Lenses
Courtly Knight (+16 points): Add +1 IQ [20], Enemy (Political faction) (Medium-sized Group, Hunter, 6 or less) [-10], Dancing (A) DX-1 [1]-12, Diplomacy (H) IQ-1 [2]-11, Falconry (M/A) IQ-1 [1]-11, Games (Chess) (E) IQ [1]-12, and Politics (M/A) IQ-1 [1]-11. This kind of knight should not be Illiterate.
Dragonslayer (+19 points): Add +1 DX [20], Overconfidence (12) [-5*], Biology/TL3 (Planety, Zoology) (H) IQ-1 [2]-10, Bow (A) DX-1 [1]-13, and Tracking (A) PER-1 [1]-10.
General (+12 points): Add Charisma 2 (adds +2 to Leadership) [10], Bloodlust (12) [-10*], +1 Leadership [2], +1 Tactics [2], and Strategy (H) IQ+1 [8]-12.