It’s no secret that I’m a huge fan of the GURPS Monster Hunters series. I was one of the first to playtest it before it came out and I’ve been one of the biggest contributors to the series so far. What can I say, Monster Hunters scratches all the right itches for me. “Born to Be Wild” came about from my desire to merge some of the optional rules from Power-Ups 7: Wildcards into something that champions could use. Many of the skills came from my own campaign (which caused a bit of an issue in the first draft and later fixed in the first PDF proof – Thanks, Steven!). Overall, when I got the final PDF proof this was truly something I could be proud of. Each skill was useful in its own way and the way the skills that were already available to champions were expanded just worked for myself and my reviewers (I hope it works for others!). Moreover, I got to explore some ideas I’ve been noodling on for a while now (wildcard perks – I’m looking at you).
Anyways, this took me about 40 hours to write. It took me about 30 hours to edit, 20 hours of research (mostly double-checking other GURPS books), and about 60 hours of revision. I spent a further 3 hours look looking over the preliminary PDF for any issues and revising.
A few things I took out (one magic wildcard and a normal wildcard):
Craftmaster!
IQ
You are a genius crafter and creator of the highest order. This skill covers Armoury, Artist, Carpentry, Jeweler, Machinist, Masonry, Mechanic, Metallurgy, and Smith. Make a DX-based roll for Leatherworking or Sewing. Can stand in as Connoisseur to recognize, evaluate, or sell anything you’ve made or could make. You can also make Professional Skill rolls to stand in for specialties that craft, create, or manufacture things (e.g., Professional Skill (Bookbinder)).
This wildcard skill can also be used for Path of Energy or Path of Matter effects when it comes to manufacturing, creating, or repairing things. For example, you could use this skill to conjure a lump of metal or light a forge fire, but not throw a fireball or control a computer.
Wildcard Benefits: Ignore penalties due to TL difference, improvised gear, and so on. Additionally, a successful skill roll lets you scrounge or improvise equipment for other skills that’s good enough to cut -1 per +1 of your full bonus for being improvised (p. B345). (Note: This was basically an expansion of a casting talent from Pyramid #3/66: The Laws of Magic.)
Full Bonus: Add the full bonus to your final margin to determine any additional margin based effects.
Half Bonus: Add half the bonus to the HT rolls of anything you create.
Outdoorsman!
IQ
You are a true expert on outdoor survival. This skill replaces Boating, Camouflage, Climbing, Fishing, Hiking, Naturalist, Navigation, Prospecting, Riding, Skating, Skiing, Survival, Swimming, Tracking, and Weather Sense. Also, Area Knowledge in regions previously explored by the user; Observation in wilderness environments; and Traps in any capacity related to classic outdoor threats such as deadfalls, pits, and snares.
Wildcard Benefits:Ignore penalties due to Tech-Level, Familiarity, or Equipment when dealing with survival gear (improvised or otherwise).
Full Bonus: Add your full bonus to resist natural hardships such as eating poison berries by accident, exposure to the elements, etc.; rolls to spot natural hazards or ambushes in the wilderness.
Half Bonus: Add half your bonus to all Active Defense rolls made against natural threats (e.g., rockslides or quicksand).
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