Essential Resources: The MyGurps IQ rule

There are some gurps resources that have changed the way I play the game, articles and fan-created work that forever alter the way I play the game. These are not official resources, but in many ways they are just as good. One of the best such resources is MyGurps. And among the best rules on the site is: 

1. Perception and Will are separate from IQ.

Both Per and Will are their own attributes. They start at 10, and can be raised or lowered for 5 points/level. IQ is unchanged, at 20 points/level.

Its a very simple rule, with very good reasons for existing

More About MyGurps

Before talking more about the rule, let me rave more about Mygurps. The author is known as "Reverend P. Kitty". The blog is older than his current job, but currently he is one of the (two) folks who edits all of the gurps books that come out. And he's responsible for writing the Monster Hunters line, and who knows what else. Seriously, this is not some random blogger like myself.

This is not the only awesome rule there. There are rules for repricing regeneration, new advantages, a system for building new spells in the standard magic system -- seriously, its good stuff. Its also a small site, and its a resource, not a blog. Its dense, are fairly easy to find what you want. Really, go check it out.

IQ and DX

In the old days of D&D you had six attributes. Half were physical, half were mental. As soon as you could choose which numbers went where the concept of a 'dump stat' came into being. Of Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma, you never needed all of them, and could do without at least one. Additionally, they did a lot of each other's work, which in most cases was magic. Gurps abstracted this all into IQ.  And all was well. You had one stat that measured your skill at athletic things, and one stat that measured your skill at anything that wasn't athletic. Other attributes where around, but they had narrow, well defined purposes, and the grand question is are you brainy or are you brawny.

This is fantastic if combat is a large focus of your game. You play warriors, so why place a large emphasis on things other than what warriors do? Well, because we don't always play warriors any more. As RPG's have matured, doing things besides hitting a wide variety of creatures with a wide variety of weapons (and being correspondingly hit) have become more and more important. In fact, if I want to play a pure combat game, I'll get a computer game. This isn't to denigrate the hack and slash style of play: it has its place and can be quite fun. But there are other modes of play.

Looking over the types of games I like to run, I see uses for IQ all over the place. Monster Hunters has IQ used for various powers, for knowing facts about your enemy, for being handy with tech, for being able to talk information out of people -- all of which are separate niches. IQ covers administration, spycraft, out thinking others, and DX covers ... Fighting and Moving around.

And so we come up with our solution: raise the cost of IQ. IQ costs 20, but that doesn't include the bonus to perception and will.

A side note to this is to rely on talents. Seriously, 5 and 10 point talents become a core part of gurps when you use this rule. And they make for more focused characters.

I hope you find mygurps enjoyable. And that you find it useful. Because its one of the gurps sites everyone should know about.