Asking for a friend. I know there are several "attack with body" skills, but I don't know which to recommend, and I'm helping him make a character.

I've recently saw a video about the Terran Trade Authority books (late 70s). This is just the sort of book that would've captivated me as a young child. I loved this era of sci-fi spaceship art: Usborne's "Computer Spacegames" was a treasured book, and I liked the covers of the Maplin catalogues here in the UK.

The TTA books have a delightfully anachronistic timeline in retrospect. There is an an official TTA RPG that Stewart Cowley co-wrote, but I was disappointed with the forward shift in timeline, and the replacement of some technologies with more "fashionable" ideas of the 2000s - for example the Dune-inspired space folding warp drive became an Alcubierre drive.

I love converting things to GURPS Spaceships, so here's my attempt at the SSF 21D Cutlass.

Technology notes

TL9 up to the 2040s. TL10 with the introduction of force screens and contragravity.

McKinley Ion Ultradrive - treat as a VASIMR drive in low thrust mode.

deVass Warp Generator - treat as a Jump Drive, limited to safe jump points outside of gravity wells, and requires a charge-up time of one day per light year of jump. The jump itself takes one day per light year. Maximum jump distance of 5 light years.

Defense Shield - treat as a Force Screen, with a dDR of one SM smaller than that of TL 11, and must have the energy switch.

Gravity Resist Projector - treat as contragravity.

Synthetic Steel - treat as metallic laminate

Plastisteel - treat as advanced metallic laminate. High-density plastisteel is hardened AML.

Various advanced Plastisteel variants such as flexible, articulated or layered are treated as nanocomposite.

SSF 21D Cutlass (TL10)

SSF 21D Cutlass

Manufacturer: Various
User: Terran Defense Authority
Year: 2050
Role: Local Defense Interceptor
Crew: Pilot, Gunner, Astrogator
Armaments: 1 OPA-8 Particle Accelerator; 2 Laserlances; Missile Launcher (4 Mk II missiles)

The SSF 21D Cutlass was produced for the Mars War, a military variant of the 2023 Law Enforcement Cutlass.

The Cutlass has a robust 300-ton streamlined hull, 45 yards long. As the hull was designed prior to the introduction of gravity-resist generators, it has wings for aerospace operations. The hull is 14mm high-density plastisteel at the front and center, 7mm in the rear.

Two propulsion systems are installed. Two Avery nuclear thermal ram-rockets provide 300 tons of thrust for combat maneuvering and aerospace operations; or 750 tons when the variable choke venturi tubes are employed. An ion ultradrive is used for interplanetary travel.

At a cruising speed of 10 mps, the Cutlass can travel 1 AU in 29 weeks (13.5 weeks acceleration, 2 weeks cruising, 13.5 weeks deceleration).

Statistics

dST/HP: 50/70
HT: 12
Space Move: 1G/1.8 mps
Space Hnd/SR: -1/5
Air Move: 10/1,250 (2,500 mph)
Air Hnd/SR: 3/6
LWt.: 300
Load: 0.4
SM: +7
Occ: 4ASV
dDR: 16/16/8 (Hardened); 15 (energy force screen)
Range: -
Cost: $49.54M.

Special rules
Pulsed Thrust. The thrust of the nuclear thermal rockets can be doubled. For every one minute of pulsed thrust (in space, this is one fuel tank of fuel, 0.45 mps), make a HT check for the ship. On a failure, the rockets become disabled. 

Semi-Rapid Fire beams have a RoF of 3 (20-second), 10 (1-minute), 30 (3-minute), or 100 (10-minute).

Structural Reinforcement is an optional rule from Eric B. Smith’s spreadsheet.
Armour and Volume rules from Pyramid 3/34.

Systems

Front Hull

[1-2] Armor, Advanced Metallic Laminate (total dDR 16; hardened)
[3!] Weapon Battery (one fixed mount 10MJ semi-rapid fire particle beam; two fixed mount 10MJ semi-rapid fire improved lasers)
[4] Control Room (C7 computer; comm/sensor 6; three control stations; Emergency Ejection (Lifepod))
[5] Smaller Systems (three at SM+6): Habitat (1 bunkroom); Weapon Battery (one fixed mount 20cm missile launcher); Tactical Comm/Sensor Array (comm/sensor 7)
[6!] Half-size Systems: Force Screen, Early (dDR 15; Energy); Structural Reinforcement
[core] -

Central Hull

[1-2] Armor, Advanced Metallic Laminate (total dDR 16; hardened)
[3-6] Fuel Tanks (15 tons hydrogen each for Nuclear Thermal Rocket (ram-rocket); 1.8 mps total delta-V)
[core] Power Plant, Fusion Reactor (2 Power Points)

Rear Hull

[1] Armor, Advanced Metallic Laminate (dDR 8; hardened)
[2-3] Nuclear Thermal Rockets (0.5G acceleration each; ram-rocket)
[4!] Ion Ultradrive (0.0002G acceleration)
[5-6, core] Fuel Tanks (15 tons hydrogen each for Ion Ultradrive; 30 mps total delta-V)

Design Notes: The source material states the Cutlass has a thrust of 1,500,000 lb - this is 750 tons. The Cutlass is implied to be able to launch from the surface of Mars, so it needs an acceleration greater than 0.38G. Using NTR drives, this means the Cutlass cannot be greater than SM +8 (1,000 tons); or SM+7 if we also want it to operate in Earth’s atmosphere.
I don't know why Cowley decided on two high thrust rockets when the painting clearly has three.

The stated armour thickness of 14 cm is a problem if plastisteel has the same density as steel: it would mean the ship would have to be almost entirely comprised of armour. I decided to treat this as a “typo” and make this 14 mm thickness.

The illustration depicts the Cutlass as having a streamlined, winged hull - which ties in with the original hull being designed prior to the invention of contragravity. I added the ram-rocket feature to the NTRs on the basis of what appears to be air intakes.

The Temporal Authority offers many opportunities for self-advancement and guided self-study, each divided up into 5-credit course levels. We look forward to guiding you to growth and improvement!

Career Advancement

• Official Commendation (2 levels):  Each level provides a +2 bonus on reaction roles with Temporal Authority personnel. 
  
• Interdepartmental Networking (up to 4 levels): Each level provides the operative a professional contact with a signature skill at level 18. At the beginning of each session the operative rolls to see if the contact is available to assist, succeeding on a 9 or less.
  
• Professional Mentorship Program: You gain a patron within the TA, chosen when you take this course who may offer you some useful aid during your current mission. This course comes in 4 levels:
    ◦ Level 1: Patron in mid-level management, helps on a 6 or less
    ◦ Level 2: Patron in mid-level management, helps on a 9 or less
    ◦ Level 3: Patron at Department Head level, helps on a 9 or less
    ◦ Level 4: Patron in Upper Management, helps on a 9 or less.
      
• Special Security Vetting:
    ◦ Level 1: You have 'need to know' access to classified TA information, and receive the full picture and context of field operations you are a part of.
    ◦ Level 2: You now have comprehensive access to classified information, including unofficial operations. (Requires Professional mentorship Program Level 3). 

Social Training

• Charisma (up to 3 levels): +1/level on all reaction rolls made by sapient beings with whom you actively interact; +1/level to Influence rolls and +1 to Fortune-Telling, Leadership, Panhandling, and Public Speaking skills.
  
• Language Acquisition: 
    ◦ Survey: Gain 3 new languages at broken level.
    ◦ Advanced: Improve 2 languages from broken to accented or from accented to native.
    ◦ Intensive: Gain 1 new language at native level.

Physical Training

• Ambidexterity: you now have no penalty for using either hand for a any task.
• Track and Field training (up to 3 levels):  increase basic speed by 1.
• Cardiovascular Training: 
    ◦ Level 1: you gain +1 to all HT rolls and recover FP at twice the normal rate.
    ◦ Level 2: You also lose FP at half the normal rate.
    ◦ Level 3: Your bonus on HT rolls is now +2

• Advanced muscular conditioning: A 2-level repeatable course, focused on improving holistic physical strength. Anyone can take this course to raise their ST to 10. Cardio Training Level 1 is a prerequisite for increasing ST to 12, and Cardio Training Level 3 is required to increase ST to 14.  
    ◦ level 1: +1 to HP and to ST rolls for lifting, grappling, and slow applications of force.  
    ◦ level 2: +1 to ST, overriding the benefits of level 1.
      
• Advanced vitality conditioning:  A 2-level repeatable course, focused on improving holistic health. Anyone can take this course to raise their HT to 10. Cardio Training Level 1 is a prerequisite for increasing HT to 12, and Cardio Training Level 3 is required to increase HT to 14.  
    ◦ level 1: gain +1 HT but with no change in basic speed or basic move.
    ◦ level 2: gain the appropriate increase in basic speed and move.

• Nerve Deadening Therapy: Both levels of this unpopular course can be taken as a single level, although this accelerated process unfortunately tends to lead to nightmares: Make a roll against a target of 12 each morning upon awakening. On a failure, lose 1FP. On a 17 or 18 you are left shaking with -1 to all skill and Per rolls for the entire day. 
    ◦ Level 1: You never suffer a shock penalty when injured, and gain +1 on HT rolls to avoid knockdown and stunning, and on HT/Will rolls to resist pain. 
    ◦ Level 2: These bonuses increase to +3

Cognitive Training

• Chronometric Training: You always know what time it is, and how much has passed, including after time travel.
  
• Memory Enhancement:
    ◦ Level 1, Eidetic Memory: You automatically remember the general sense of everything you concentrate on, and can recall specific details by making an IQ roll.
    ◦ Level 2, Photographic Memory: you automatically recall specific details, too. Any time you, the player forget a detail your character has seen or heard, the GM or other players must remind you.

• Advanced Motor Coordination: A 4-level repeatable course, focused on improving dexterity. Anyone can take this course to raise their DX to 10. Track and Field Training Level 1 is a prerequisite for increasing DX to 12, and Ambidexterity is required to increase DX to 14.  
    ◦ Level 1: Your basic speed increases by 0.25
    ◦ Level 2: You have +1 on DX rolls.
    ◦ Level 3: You have +1 on skill rolls for DX based skills requiring high manual dexterity.
    ◦ Level 4: You gain +1 to DX, overriding the benefits of earlier levels.

• Cognitive Performance Enhancement:  A 4-level repeatable course, focused on improving holistic intelligence.  Anyone can take this course to raise their IQ to 10. Memory Enhancement Level 1 is a prerequisite for increasing IQ to 12, and Professional Development Level 3 is required for access to the experimental equipment capable of increasing IQ to 14. 
    ◦ Level 1: You gain +1 to Per.
    ◦ Level 2: You have +1 on IQ rolls.
    ◦ Level 3: You have +1 to Will
    ◦ Level 4: You gain +1 to IQ, overriding the benefits of earlier levels.
It is possible--but not advised--to take 4 levels of CPE as a single course, which comes with the side effect of debilitating cluster headaches: Roll against a 9 each day. On a failure, the GM will trigger a 2-hour attack during the course of the day, which gives a -4 to DX and IQ. At the end of this interval, success on an HT roll ends the attack. A failure means another 2 hours of headaches.

Combat Training

• Shield Training: You gain +1 to your Block defense.
  
• Defensive Weapons Training:
    ◦ Level 1: You gain +1 to your Parry defense with a particular melee weapon
    ◦ Level 2: Your +1 Parry defense now applies to all melee weapons
      
• Weapon Specialisation: You train in a specific type of melee weapon, in which you have a skill level of DX+2 or higher.
    ◦ Level 1: You have half penalties for multiple parries in a round with your weapon.
    ◦ Level 2: You have half penalties for rapid strike attacks with your weapon.
    ◦ Level 3: Once per day, before rolling damage, you can choose to increase the damage of your weapon by +2 per die rolled.
    ◦ Level 4: You always do +2 damage per die rolled with your weapon.

• Weapon Mastery: This course requires Weapon Specialisation Level 4, and expands the benefits of that course to a broader class of weapons:
    ◦ Level 1: Applies to an additional similar weapon (i.e. longsword and broadsword)
    ◦ Level 2: Applies to a small class of weapons (i.e. all fencing weapons)
    ◦ Level 3: Applies to a medium class of weapons (e.g. all swords)
    ◦ Level 4: Applies to a large class of weapons (e.g. all bladed weapons)
    ◦ Level 5: Applies to all weapons

• Rapid Firearm Usage: Under particular circumstances you gain your firearm's full Accuracy (Acc) bonus without needing to aim first if the weapon is one handed, and half that bonus if two-handed and the full bonus with 1-second of aim. 
    ◦ Level 1: Gain this bonus 1/day when shooting a weapon you're familiar and practiced with at close range.
    ◦ Level 2: Gain this bonus 2/day, and at any range.
    ◦ Level 3: Gain this bonus with any weapon, familiar or unfamiliar.
    ◦ Level 4: Gain this bonus 4/day.
    ◦ Level 5: You always gain this bonus.
      
• Combat Reflex Development:
    ◦ Level 1: You never freeze in combat and gain +6 to recover from mental stun when ambushed. You gain +1 on your initiative to avoid surprise attacks.
    ◦ Level 2: You have +2 against Fright checks, and +1 to the fast-draw skill
    ◦ Level 3: You gain +1 to all your active defenses (dodge, block and parry).

Miscellaneous Training

• Preparatory Karmic Banking: By carrying out helpful and good deeds under the guidance of master monks, the TA can provide scientifically guaranteed good luck to be leveraged during field operations. Once per hour of play, you may reroll twice a single failed defense roll, resistance roll or HT roll made to avoid injury, taking the best of the three rolls. This course contains three levels:
    ◦ Level 1: You must declare you are using luck before you roll. 
    ◦ Level 2: You may now use luck after seeing the result of your roll.
    ◦ Level 3: You may now use luck for any roll, not only defensive rolls!

• Enhanced Field Preparedness (up to 3 levels): You always seem to have just the piece of gear you need. Once per gamesession per level of this advantage, youmay pull out one small item of equipment that you could have been carrying.This “Gizmo” remains undefined until you reveal it. It does not even“enter play” until you take it out; thus,it cannot be damaged, lost, stolen, orfound in a search. A Gizmo must be small enough to fit in an ordinary coat pocket, and must meet one of three criteria:

1. An item you own but did not specifically state you were carrying.

2. An item that you probably own, and that is in keeping with your character concept, but that is minor orignorable enough to leave unspecified.

3. An inexpensive device widely available at the time period's tech level.

   • Personal Development: Some operatives have unique or uncommon abilities that they wish to enhance further. They can meet with a special coach to develop a bespoke programme of study by reaching out to the General Manager (GM).

Skills Training

• Talent Cultivation (4 levels): This course cultivates innate inborn aptitudes. Choose 6 or fewer closely related skills (almost never including combat skills). Each level of Talent Cultivation gives +1 to rolls using these skills. Talent Cultivation can be taken for a maximum of 2 separate groups of skills, each with their own 4-level advancement.
  Examples of talents:
    ◦ Animal Friend: Animal Handling, Falconry, Packing, Riding, Teamster, and Veterinary.
    ◦ Musical Ability: Group Performance (Conducting), Musical Composition, Musical Influence, Musical Instrument, and Singing.
    ◦ Green Thumb: Biology, Farming, Gardening, Herb Lore, and Naturalist

• Skill Development: This is a wide category of specific courses that focus on develop specific skills. Most operatives spend most of their training time in Skill Development courses! You can devise your own courses freely.They come in 5 types:
    ◦ Introductory Courses: Gain +1 skill level in 5 new, untrained, skills.
    ◦ Advanced Courses: Gain 2 additional skill levels in 2 skills you know at introductory level (i.e. where you have 1 skill level).
    ◦ Accelerated Study Courses: Gain 3 skill levels in one new skill.
    ◦ Focused Courses: +1 skill level in a skill you know at an advanced level (3 or more skill levels) and +1 in a technique for that skill.
    ◦ Specialised Courses: +4 in techniques relating to a single skill.

Say I'll want to buy a Toxic attack that lingers for 10 seconds, doing 1d6 damage each cycle. That's 40 points.

Oooor I could just buy 10d6 Toxic damage for the same 40 points that's all applied at the same time with no need to wait.

What am I missing here?

I've been trying to find the right system for my specific game idea for a while now and I keep gravitating back to this system even though reading the ruleset has felt like trying to teach myself calculus (I've since discovered the tutorial videos on youtube).

My idea for a game is a low-power, almost tactical urban fantasy game where everyone plays mages of a sort, either gaining magic from a patron they have to actually roleplay bargaining with and serving, or gathering their own magic from the land. I want their to many layers to consider, from what material and type your spell focus is to who you owe favors to, to what your familiar is or if you even choose to have one. I don't want spell components to be handwaived away but something that needs to either be bought or collected. I want my players to have to understand how to construct rituals if they want to perform greater magic. And most importantly, I want the players to actually have to learn magic. I want them to start basically normal and choose what disciplines to pursue. I want character progress to be dynamic, players actually having to seek out sources of power and knowledge to improve. I want them to get mired in a political landscape and eventually own estates and private domains they can customize.

With all my wants in mind, does GURPS seem like a good system to build this environment in? I understand I will have to spend a lot of work building magic powers from Skills or Advantages, but I'm willing to put in the work if it's a good fit. I've been tinkering with M&M 3e for years just because I find it fun to make new builds but it struggles with lower power. Thank you for reading and your opinions.

Does anyone know anywhere in the books where there's a damage formula based on a hot object's temperature?

Like... How do you calculate how much damage 160 degrees F vs 300 degrees F vs 1000 degrees F vs 6000 degrees F does?

Alright, so I'm trying to gauge how much damage an attack a character of mine has needs to be at minimum capable of.

Said attack can reduce even a peak human clothed in the best modern fire-retardant body armour to ash within a single second. (so in other words, do 220 damage through whatever DR the armor has within a single second)

With this in mind, what's the best body armour TL8 has against fire specifically?

When you do a skill check in GURPs do you just roll for success or do you use the difference between the target number and the roll to determine the degree of failure or success?

For example if youre trying to jump over a river and you miss your target roll by 1 then you might just get wet, but if you miss by 5 you might get swept down stream?

My players stack limitations on everything under the sun. One has Altered Time Rate 2 for 40 points, and the other has Alternate Form (Dragon) for only 17 points. They each have a 125-point budget, but their powers are worth far more than that. Is this the intended GURPS experience, or are my players abusing the system? (4th Edition)

Hello, I'm a really new player to GURPS. I'm a part of a small group that is starting to learn GURPS today, and could anyone here explain to me in real slow-brain terms how to achieve reality-bending through modular abilities? I was hoping it could be speech-dependent to cheepen it up. Any help will be appreciated

I am a very new GM and would appreciate the minimum book require

The question I have here is what exactly "breaks" this?

Like if you where wearing a full body baseball mascot costume, even with the helmet having no eye holes.. are you perceived.

If you're in a cardboard box, like solid snake, are you preceived even while the box is flat against the ground?

Or if you got into a coffin and closed the lid?

Is there still hope for a July 2026 release date for the Revised edition?

I haven't played GURPS since the '90s but going to do a one-shot adventure for the family and GURPS is perfect for the setting. I went to go buy the core books and saw that the revised edition is coming out and thought "Perfect! I'll hold off and wait for it."

In the meantime I did purchase a used copy of Characters just so I could get started creating some characters.

How would you build the following advantage?

Natural Harmony (Supernatural) -- A character with this advantage can pass among natural creatures (e.g. animals) without being considered a threat or food. Predators don't see the character as a meal and prey will not see the character as a threat. So long as the character doesn't behave in a threatening manner, they can pass without eliciting a response. If there have been no prior interactions the creatures attitude will start with a neutral disposition. A bear, tyrannosaurus rex, deer, dog or horse will not have a positive or negative opinion of the character initially. What the character does to the animal or how they behave can change their attitude (e.g. damaging members of the herd, disrespecting their territory, etc.) An angry predator that is not angry with the character will still not attack. However, attacking a T Rex will result in a bad day for the character.

• Subjects of the ability are usually natural animals and beasts of animal intelligence or less (IQ 5). It may not work on magical or unnatural beasts (at GM's discretion). It has no affect on sentient beings.
• The power works when the subject sees (or otherwise senses) the character, but they do not need to know the subject sees them.
• If the character attacks or offends a creature affected by this ability, the creature is no longer affected and the character loses access to the ability until they atone for their actions. The ability can be shut off by the character.
• The subject gets no roll against this ability. If the druid acts in a manner the subject finds offensive, then the subject is no longer affected and free to act accordingly.

I have an idea, but I'm curious what others can come up with. In the campaign, I would tie it to disadvantages such as Duty and/or Code of Honor.

This guy could have used it:
https://www.reddit.com/r/whoathatsinteresting/comments/1uuiqfy/a_tourist_was_seriously_injured_after_a_bison/

That seems like a very clear Advantage over most swords, but I can't seem to find anything that'd actually fit.

It's not Rapid Healing or Regeneration, because those assume regular healing ability as base. I don't want it to heal particularly fast, I just want it to be able to heal at all.

There's no Unhealing to remove because most normal items don't have that added to them in the first place, it's just automatically assumed by virtue of logic and common sense. I'd have to add the disadvantage to every other item in the game just so I can remove it from this one sword, which seems like an incredibly pointless hassle.

What other options have I got?