Infinite Worlds Templates

The greatest problem in playing GURPS is the heavy character investment time. The classical solution is character templates. The best 'ready to use' templates are the uniform point instruction sets found at the beginning of each series. They seem especially useful for doing one shot games, or introducing players.

I am a huge fan of infinite worlds. The Setting allows me to do so much, and it really explores what gurps is. That said, the classic ISWAT campaign isn't something that you can put up fast, character-wise... until now.

This system is aimed at being able to create ISWAT style characters rapidly. It does this by having a number of templates (or lenses, if you choose) that can be put together quickly and then filled out.

Here is the index to the system

Steps:

Step 1: Decide on a concept. If you don't have a concept, you don't have a character. Sure, you can browse, but you will get the best results by deciding on a concept first. Where is the guy from? Why is he working for ISWAT? what makes him so special that he would be on the elite team?

Step 2: Assign basic templates: TL, background, Adventurer role.

Step 3: Choose Major Descriptors: don't feel a need to use up all your points, just sketch the character.

Step 4: Step through choices so far and specify options. Also fill general person and Adventurer.

Step 5: Evaluate strengths and weaknesses. Consider combat, social skills, movement, stealth, and how competent your character is at primary roles.

Step 6: Assign and Specify options to complete point count. Look at Descriptors, Skills, and increasing existing Descriptors.

Step 7: Collapse skill bonuses. Count up your talents for DX or IQ and raise those scores by the appropriate amount. Then count up your skills for each Attribute (and note if they have multiple selections, are part of double selections, or are just normal selections). Every six skills allows you to raise that attribute by 1-- you must then lower each of these six skills by 1. double selections count as half, and skills selected more than once count as double (regardless of whether they have two selections or ten). This boosts all of your other skills, not the ones used to boost the base number, so choose the lower priority skills. An unused all skills bonus can be used to provide a bonus, but It cannot be combined with any of the skills it boosts.

Step 8: Record final attributes, skill lists, and positive and negative advantages.

Is this really Gurps?

This system uses gurps. The rule books used are the basic set and powers. The points even work out to be mostly the same. There are three types of changes that have been made.

The granularity of the points has been reduced. 10 Gurps points correspond to roughly 1 point here. I say roughly because quite a few 4's, 6's, and 9's have been rounded into more pentaphilic numbers. Appearance is .5. 2 ER is .5. Night vision 9 is 1. this was done to streamline things and make point accounting easier.

The hardest thing to make pentaphilic was skills. In the end I made [12] points of skills in gurps cost 1 point, and a single [4] points in a skill cost .5. The talents are also a little wanky, but I stand by them as fair, reguardless of whether or not they use the raw amounts. If it really bugs you, you can pretend I used the alternative pricing method in powers and then made it pentaphilic. At any rate, the 12 to 1 thing lies under the entire system.

The last change is how powers are done. Powers stunts are legal, but with adjusted rules. This was done to encourage specialization.