GURPS101: More New Talents I

Here are a few new talents – mostly culled from my own campaigns.

 

Born to the Blade

10/level

Broadsword, Fast-Draw (Knife, Sword, or Two-Handed Sword), Knife, Rapier, Saber, Shortsword, Smallsword, and Two-Handed Sword.

Reaction Bonus: None! You’re natural adeptness with a blade is enough.

Alternative Benefit: On the other hand, instead of a reaction bonus, it increases maximum bonus you can get on Evaluate rolls by your Talent level / 2 (round up). This still takes the normal amount of time, but you enjoy a higher bonus than others do.

Alternative Cost: 8 points/level.

Notes: This is a powerful talent in a small package and the GM is advised to be careful with allowing it in their game.

 

Climatologist

5 points/level

Expert Skill (Climatology, Hydrology, or Oceanography), Geography (Physical), Geology, Mathematics (Applied, Statistics, and Surveying), Meteorology (or Weather Sense), and Physics (Atmospheric Physics or Geophysics).

Reaction Bonus: Eco-activists, 0ther scientists, and anyone else that would be impressed by your skills.

Alternative Benefit: -1/level less-severe total penalties from Tech-Level Modifiers (p. B168) and Familiarity (p. B169) to employ new gear or concepts after successfully examining them with one of the skills above for at least an hour. +1/level when using Meteorology to predict the weather.

Alternative Cost: 6 points/level.

Notes: None.

 

Culinary Flair

5 points/level

Artist (Food Styling), Connoisseur (Food, Spirits, or Wine), Cooking, Gardening, Housekeeping, and Professional Skill (Brewer, Butcher, or Distiller).

Reaction Bonus: other chefs; anyone you cook or prepare food for.

Alternative Benefit: +1/level to rolls to determine the individual ingredients or composition of a recipe and -1/level less-severe penalties from Familiarity (p. B169) when dealing with unfamiliar equipment used with any of the Talent’s skills.

Alternative Cost: 6 points/level.

Notes: None.

 

Furious Fists

5 points/level

Brawling, Boxing, Judo, Karate, Sumo Wrestling, and Wrestling

Reaction Bonus: None! You’re natural adeptness with your fists is enough.

Alternative Benefit: On the other hand, instead of a reaction bonus, it increases maximum bonus you can get on Evaluate rolls by your Talent level / 2 (round up). This still takes the normal amount of time, but you enjoy a higher bonus than others do.

Alternative Cost: 6 points/level.

Notes: This is a powerful talent in a small package and the GM is advised to be careful with allowing it in their game.

 

Picking Over The Bones

Talents are among my favorite things for GURPS. They help add to a character’s style without having to use the blunt weapon of high attributes. Overall, the four previous talents are probably balanced and I’ve used them in campaigns before so I know they are not too broken – especially the armed and unarmed talents. Do you have custom talents in your campaigns? What are they? Respond below!

Posted in GURPS 101 and tagged , .

One Comment

  1. Witchcraft Works: Alchemy, Chemistry, Hazardous Material (Magical), Pharmacy, Poisons, Thaumatology. [5/level] For people with pointy hats and huge cauldrons.

    Herr Doktor: Chemistry, Diagnosis, Pharmacy, Physician, Physiology, Surgery. (+1/level to fright checks caused by body horrors) [5/level] Definitely not 5-point version of Healer.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *