Character Creation

Character Points

The point limit for the Space Rush campaign is 200. Ostensibly, this is 100 points, plus 25 points each for a racial template and religious template, and 50 for a professional template. Very few of these templates actually cost that much, and one need not actually use templates at all, but this is a good rule of thumb for how much a player should be spending on each if spending their points without templates.

Disadvantage Limit

There is a Disadvantage Limit of -60 points, though Disadvantages acquired through templates don't count against this limit. A disadvantage is anything with a negative cost, including low Attributes, reduced social status, and all the specific disabilities listed in Chapter 3. In theory, you could keep adding Disadvantages until you had enough points to buy whatever Advantages and Skills you wanted until you reach the limit. This limit is only in effect at Character Creation; Disadvantages acquired during the game are theoretically unlimited. Debt is another exception, though a special one: Debt can be acquired (see Attributes). These points don't go towards Character Creation. See Buy Your Starting Gear in the Character Creation Checklist below.

Character Points in Play

Your character’s starting point total is only relevant when he first enters play. Shortly thereafter, he will start to change. The GM will sometimes reward you with extra points to spend, or even new abilities . . . but you might lose capabilities, too. All of these things will change your point total.

Eventually, your PC will be worth more or fewer points than those of your companions, even though you all started out equal. Don’t worry about it! Develop the habit of regarding your point total as a useful measure of your capability at this time– not as a gauge of overall campaign power level, or of your personal success or importance relative to the other players or PCs.

Character Concept

The two most important things to know about your character are who he is and what role you want him to play in his adventures. Find out what kind of game the GM plans to run and what kinds of characters he intends to allow. Then start filling in the details. There are several ways to approach this.

You can choose the abilities you want, spend your character points, and work out a character concept that fits the abilities. A good character is much more than a collection of abilities, but “shopping” for abilities can be a great inspiration.

You might instead decide on your character’s focal qualities first – the handful of things that define him, such as personal history, appearance, behavior, aptitudes, and Skills. Think about how he acquired those qualities, then spend your points on features that go with these traits. (You might find it useful to work out a biography first, as described below.)

Finally, you might find it helpful to answer some basic questions about your character, using the answers to develop a biography before you spend any points. For instance:

• Where was he born and where did he grow up? Where does he live now?

• Who were his parents? (Does he know?) Are they still alive? If not, what became of them? If so, does he get along with them?

• What training does he have? Was he an apprentice? A student? Or is he self-taught?

• What is his current occupation? What other jobs has he held?

• What social class does he belong to? How wealthy is he?

• Who are his friends? His enemies? His closest professional associates?

• What were the most important moments of his life?

• What are his likes and dislikes? Hobbies and interests? Morals and beliefs?

• What are his motivations? Plans for the future?

You can answer such questions in your head, on paper, or in an interview with the GM. You can even discuss them with the other players (but you will want to keep some secrets, even from your friends). Or you might prefer to answer them by writing a life history.

Life Histories

To really solidify your character concept, you can write your character’s life history, or “character story.” You don’t have to write a character story – but it’s recommended. If you do, then you should show this story to the GM, but not necessarily to the other players. This can serve as a great aid to roleplaying, and can help the GM integrate your character into his campaign world.

As your character adventures and gains experience, his “story” will get longer and more detailed. Not only will you have the adventures themselves to remember . . . the more you play your character, the more you’ll work out his background, history, and motivations.

Characterization Bonus

Writing a life history amounts to roleplaying a character before the campaign begins. The GM might choose to reward players who write detailed character stories with a few extra character points for good role playing – perhaps 1 to 5 points. The story need not be a literary masterpiece to merit bonus points, but it should be more than just a token effort, and should attempt to answer all of the questions listed under Character Concept that are relevant to the character.

Character Types

A character can have any combination of abilities he can afford, provided the GM agrees. (Players of other RPGs take note: this means that GURPS does not use character classes.) However, all of his abilities should paint a picture consistent with his character concept. Some inspirations from heroic fiction:

Exotic. An alien, angel, robot, or other hero defined by his unusual powers or nature. Most of his starting points should go toward high Attributes, exotic or supernatural Advantages such as p, or a racial template. As a result, he probably has fewer mundane abilities than his fellow adventurers.

Jack-of-All-Trades. A many-skilled hero: mercenary, bush Pilot, reporter, etc. DX and IQ are most important. Advantages such as Talent and Versatile can help. Pick one or two Skills from those suggested for each of the other character types. A Jack-of-All-Trades isn’t as good as a dedicated expert, but he has some skill in many areas.

Mouthpiece. A bard, con man, or other person who exploits wit and charm. IQ is crucial. Charisma, Cultural Familiarity, Rapier Wit, Voice, and a good appearance are all useful. Most important are Skills that emphasize social interaction: Carousing, Fast-Talk, Merchant, Public Speaking, and so on.

Sage. A “wise man” – Priest, professor, scientist, etc. High IQ is essential. Classic Advantages are Eidetic Memory, Intuition, Language Talent, and Languages. He needs several related IQ/Hard Skills in obscure fields (Expert Skills are especially suitable), as well as Research, Teaching, and Writing.

Scout. A seasoned outdoorsman or “ranger.” All Attributes are equally important; some extra Basic Move and Perception can be extremely useful. The archetypal Scout advantage is Absolute Direction. Valuable Skills include Area Knowledge, Camouflage, Naturalist, Navigation, Survival, and Tracking.

Sneak. Thieves and spies need high DX and IQ, as well as good Perception. Helpful Advantages include High Manual Dexterity and Night Vision. Many Skills are appropriate – Acting, Current Affairs, Disguise, and Savoir Faire suit a worldly spy, while a fantasy thief should pick Climbing, Lockpicking, Pickpocket, and Traps. Stealth skill is universal!

Specialist. An expert at one skill. His knowledge runs deep and narrow; he is the opposite of the Jack-of-All-Trades. His skill is very high (at least 18), with a good score in the attribute it is based on. Any advantage that gives a skill bonus is helpful – especially Talent. Tinkerer. An Engineer, inventor, technician, or other mechanical genius. IQ is vital; DX is useful. Any kind of technological skill fits this sort of character, and Scrounging skill is de rigueur. Cinematic inventors should also have High TL, Gadgeteer, and Gizmos.

Warrior. A professional fighter needs high ST, DX, and HT, and might wish to buy up Hit Points and Basic Speed. Useful Advantages include Combat Reflexes, Hard to Kill, and High Pain Threshold; cinematic war riors should also consider Extra Attack and Weapon Master. Combat Skills are a must, and Leadership, Strategy, and Tactics can help. Modern commandos should add Skills such as Explosives, Forward Observer, and Parachuting.

Character Creation Checklist

Be sure to visit all of the following sections during Character Creation:

• Basic Attributes and Secondary Characteristics. These affect almost everything else on your character sheet, so pick them first.

• Build and Age and Beauty. These sections describe the in game effects of height, weight, age, looks, etc.

• Choose your character's Vices and Virtues as well as their Temperaments and Drives. Vices are how your character will recover their Stress Points (aside from natural recovery from rest), and Virtues are an avenue for Experience gain.

• Choose Race, Occupation, and Religious Templates, or reject them and build your own.

• Social Background, Wealth and Influence, Friends and Foes, and Identities. Determine what kind of society you are from, where you stand in the game world, how others regard you, and who you can count on for support – or for a knife in the back!

•Choose Advantages.

•Choose Disadvantages, but remember that creating a character who is too dysfunctional to properly adventure likely means that they won't be long for the world. Mental Disadvantages and Quirks, special mini-disadvantages, can help you define your personality.

• Skills and Techniques describe what you can actually do. Be sure to match your Skills to your occupation and character type or concept.

Aside from Attributes, which you should normally select first, the order you work through these sections makes little difference . . . start with the one most important to you, and work from there.

Finally, buy your starting gear. Average starting wealth is $75,000. You can (and should) use this to buy your gear. Additionally, you may take on Debt to exceed this level; either by spending the extra points attained through the Disadvantage directly on Gear (using the Ally Advantage for a vehicle, Signature Gear Advantage, or buying Advantages AS gear with the appropriate Breakable and/or Can Be Stolen limitations. Alternatively, Debt can simply give cash for you to buy gear, $7,500 per level of Debt. Note that with the 20 point limit on Debt means that the maximum addition for starting wealth is $150,000 unless you purchase the Wealthy Advantage, and you'll be paying $15,000 every month or facing consequences until the debt is forgiven.

Things Not Shown on the Character Sheet

There are several things you might want to keep track of separately:

Job Details. It can be important to know what you do for a living when you’re not adventuring (unless adventuring is your job – lucky you!) and how long you spend doing it. This determines your income and on-the-job training opportunities. Military characters should keep a service record.

Life History. If you write down your character story, keep it in a separate file so you can easily expand it as your adventures unfold.

Vital Statistics. If you think your parents’ names, your place and date of birth (or zodiacal birth sign), your bloodline, and similar traits are likely to matter, keep a separate “personnel file” on yourself that contains such details.