[31-0004] GURPS Lite.pdf

LITE An Introduction to Roleplaying

A UGUST 2004 E DITION

Rev. 07/12/04

From STEVE JACKSON GAMES

GURPS Rules by STEVE JACKSON • GURPS Lite Abridged Rules by SCOTT HARING and SEAN PUNCH

Edited by ANDREW HACKARD and STEVE JACKSON

Illustrated by CHRIS DIEN, TORSTEIN NORDSTRAND, BOB STEVLIC, and ERIC WILKERSON • Graphic Design by JUSTIN DE WITT

Contents

W HAT I S GURPS ? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

G LOSSARY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

T HE B ASICS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

S UCCESS R OLLS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

R EACTION R OLLS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

D AMAGE R OLLS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

C HARACTERS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

C HARACTER P OINTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

B ASIC A TTRIBUTES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

C HARACTER S HEET . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

S ECONDARY C HARACTERISTICS . . . . . . . . . 6

I MAGE AND L OOKS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

S OCIAL B ACKGROUND . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

W EALTH AND I NFLUENCE . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

A DVANTAGES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

D ISADVANTAGES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Q UIRKS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

S KILLS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

S KILL L IST . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

C HARACTER I MPROVEMENT . . . . . . . . . . . 17

E QUIPMENT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

A RMOR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

S HIELDS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

W EAPONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

P LAYING THE G AME . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

P HYSICAL F EATS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

M ENTAL F EATS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

C OMBAT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

I NJURY , I LLNESS , AND F ATIGUE . . . . . . . . 29

G AME W ORLDS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

W HAT I S GURPS ?

GURPS stands for “Generic Universal

RolePlaying System,” the RPG that these

rules are condensed from. Why is it called

that? Well . . .

“ Generic .” GURPS starts with simple

rules, and builds up to as much optional

detail as you like. This abridged version

presents the “core rules” that most GMs

start with.

“ Universal .” The basic rule system is

designed to emphasize realism. It can fit

any situation – fantasy or historical; past,

present, or future.

“ RolePlaying .” This is not just a “hack-

and-slash” game. The rules are written to

make true roleplaying possible – and to

encourage it. In GURPS, you pretend, for a

little while, to be someone else.

“System.” Over 200 different books have

been published for GURPS , in eight differ-

ent languages (so far). It is one of the rec-

ognized standards for roleplaying, world-

wide.

A BOUT GURPS

Lite

This is the boiled-down “essence” of

GURPS : all the fundamental rules, but not

the options and embellishments that often

confuse new players. Once you’re comfort-

able with these rules, you can pick up the

GURPS Basic Set and jump right into the

action. Experienced Game Masters will, we

hope, find this a valuable tool for

introducing new players to the game.

M ATERIALS N EEDED

FOR P LAY

To play, you will need these rules, three

six-sided dice, pencils, and scratch paper.

G LOSSARY

GURPS is a roleplaying game (RPG).

Like any hobby, gaming has its own unique

language. To help you understand the con-

cepts and terms used in this game (and

other RPGs), we’ll start with a few defini-

tions:

roleplaying game (RPG): A game in which

players take on the personalities of

imaginary individuals, or characters, in a

fictional or historical setting, and try to

act as those characters would.

Game Master (GM): The referee, who

chooses the adventure, talks the players

through it, judges the results, and gives

out bonus points.

character: Any being – person, animal,

robot, etc. – that is played by the GM or

a player.

nonplayer character (NPC): Any charac-

ter played by the GM.

player character (PC): A character created

and played by one of the players.

statistics: The numerical values that

describe a character, piece of equipment,

etc., taken collectively. Often called

“stats.”

party: A group of PCs taking part in the

same adventure.

game world: A background for play; a set-

ting. “World” might mean “planet,” but it

could also refer to a region and historical

period . . . or an entire universe.

adventure: The basic “unit” of play in a

roleplaying game, representing a single

mission or plot. It might require several

sessions of play, or just one play session.

encounter: One “scene” of an adventure,

usually a meeting between the PCs and

one or more NPCs.

campaign: A continuing series of adven-

tures. A campaign will usually have a

continuing cast of player characters, and

the same GM (or team of GMs). It may

move from one game world to another,

with a logical reason.

race : The species to which you belong.

Nonhuman characters (elves, dwarves,

halflings, and Martians, for example) are

common in RPGs.

pages freely. You may not charge for it, except to cover the actual cost of copying. You may not remove any part of it. You may not change or modify it, except that retailers, distributors or

conventions may add “Courtesy of (name)” at the top of this page. You absolutely may not incorporate this game, or parts of it, into another product for distribution in any way.

GURPS Lite is available in PDF format from www.sjgames.com/gurps/lite/. You may distribute this PDF file freely under the above restrictions, and post copies of it online.

You may not sell it or include it as part of any product for sale without the written permission of Steve Jackson Games Incorporated.

Please visit our web site at www.sjgames.com. You may also write to us at PO Box 18957, Austin, TX 78760.

SJG01-0004

GURPS L ITE

T HE B ASICS

GURPS uses six-sided dice only. To figure combat damage (and several other things), the “dice+adds” system is used. If a weapon does

“4d+2” damage, this is shorthand for “roll 4 dice and add 2 to the total.” Likewise, “3d-3” means “roll 3 dice and subtract 3 from the total.”

If you see just “2d,” that means “roll two dice.”

GURPS Lite has only three basic “game mechanics”: success rolls, reaction rolls, and damage rolls.

S UCCESS R OLLS

A “success roll” is a die roll made when

you need to “test” one of your skills or abil-

ities. Sometimes you roll; sometimes the

GM rolls for you. For instance, you might

test, or roll against, your Strength to stop a

heavy door from closing.

When the GM Rolls

There are two sets of circumstances

under which the GM should roll for a PC

and not let the player see the results:

1. When the character wouldn’t know for

sure whether he had succeeded.

2. When the player shouldn’t know

what’s going on.

D EGREE OF

S UCCESS OR

F AILURE

Once you have calculated your effective

skill by applying all the relevant modifiers to

your base skill, roll 3d to determine the out-

come. If the total rolled on the dice is less than

or equal to your effective skill, you succeed,

and the difference between your effective skill

and your die roll is your margin of success.

Example: If you have effective skill 18 and

roll a 12, you succeed; your margin of success

is 6.

If you roll higher than your effective skill,

you fail, and the difference between the die

roll and your effective skill is your margin of

failure.

Example: If you have effective skill 9 and

roll a 12, you fail; your margin of failure is 3.

Many rules use margin of success or fail-

ure to calculate results that matter in play, so

be sure to note it when you roll.

W HAT TO R OLL

Whenever a character attempts to per-

form an action (e.g., use a skill), roll three

dice to determine the outcome. This is

called a success roll. The task in question

succeeds if the total rolled on the dice is less

than or equal to the number that governs

the action – most often a skill or an attrib-

ute. Otherwise, it fails. For example, if you

are rolling against Strength, and your ST is

12, a roll of 12 or less succeeds. Thus, the

higher the stat you are rolling against, the

easier it is to make the roll.

Regardless of the score you are rolling

against, a roll of 3 or 4 is always a success,

while a roll of 17 or 18 is always a failure.

In general, the player makes the die rolls

for his character’s actions. However, the

GM may always choose to roll the dice in

secret – see When the GM Rolls, below.

M ODIFIERS

The rules often specify modifiers for cer-

tain success rolls. These bonuses and penal-

ties affect the number you are rolling against

– your “target number” – and not the total

rolled on the dice. Bonuses always improve

your odds, while penalties always reduce

them.

For instance, when using the

Lockpicking skill in the dark, the GM might

tell you to roll at -5 for the attempt. If your

Lockpicking skill is 9, you roll against 9

minus 5, or 4, in the dark.

A specific scenario might provide modi-

fiers to allow for the relative ease or difficul-

ty of a particular situation. For instance, an

adventure might state that a lock is +10 to

open due to the fact that it is primitive and

clumsy. If your Lockpicking skill were 9, you

would roll against 9 + 10, or 19. Since the

highest roll possible on 3d is 18, it would

seem that success is assured. Not quite – see

Critical Success and Failure , below.

Modifiers are cumulative unless stated

otherwise. For instance, if you tried to open

that primitive lock in the dark, both modi-

fiers would apply, and you would roll

against 9 - 5 + 10, or 14.

Critical Success and Failure

A critical success is an especially good

result.

• A roll of 3 or 4 is always a critical suc-

cess.

• A roll of 5 is a critical success if your

effective skill is 15+.

• A roll of 6 is a critical success if your

effective skill is 16+.

When you roll a critical success, the GM

determines what happens. It is always

something good! The lower the roll, the bet-

ter “bonus” he gives you.

W HEN TO R OLL

To avoid bogging down the game in end-

less die rolls, the GM should only require a

success roll if . . .

• A PC’s health, wealth, friends, reputa-

tion, or equipment are at risk. This includes

chases, combat (even if the target is station-

ary and at point-blank range!), espionage,

thievery, and similar “adventuring”

activities.

• A PC stands to gain allies, information,

new abilities, social standing, or wealth.

The GM should not require rolls for . . .

• Utterly trivial tasks, such as crossing

the street, driving into town, feeding the

dog, finding the corner store, or turning on

the computer.

• Daily work at a mundane, non-

adventuring job.

Base Skill vs. Effective Skill

Your base skill is your actual level in a

skill, as recorded on your character sheet.

Your effective skill for a particular task is

your base skill plus or minus any modifiers

for that task. In the Lockpicking examples

above, the base skill is 9 in all cases, while

the effective skill is 4, 19, or 14.

You may not attempt a success roll if

your effective skill is less than 3 unless you

are attempting a defense roll (p. 28).

A critical failure is an especially bad

result.

• A roll of 18 is always a critical failure.

• A roll of 17 is a critical failure if your

effective skill is 15 or less; otherwise, it is an

ordinary failure .

• Any roll of 10 or more greater than

your effective skill is a critical failure: 16 on

a skill of 6, 15 on a skill of 5, and so on.

GURPS L ITE

When you roll a critical failure, the GM

determines what happens. It is always

something bad – the higher the roll, the

worse the result.

other traits to settle a competition. The one

with the highest score doesn’t always win . . .

but that’s the way to bet. A “Contest” is a

quick way to handle such a competitive situ-

ation without playing it out in detail. In a

Contest, each competitor attempts a success

roll against the ability being tested – with all

applicable modifiers – and then compares his

result to his opponent’s. There are two differ-

ent ways to make this comparison.

vs. failure by 5 generally means more than

success by 2 vs. success by 1! The winner’s

“margin of victory” is the difference

between his margin of success and the

loser’s margin of success if both succeeded,

the sum of his margin of success and the

loser’s margin of failure if he succeeded and

the loser failed, or the difference between

the loser’s margin of failure and his margin

of failure if both failed.

R EPEATED

A TTEMPTS

Sometimes you only get one chance to

do something (defuse a bomb, jump over a

crevasse, remove an inflamed appendix,

please the King with a song). Other times

you can try over and over again until you

succeed (pick a lock, catch a fish, analyze a

poison). Still other times you will not know

whether you succeeded or failed until it’s

too late to try again (translate an old treas-

ure map, order in a French restaurant,

build a ship). Finally, there are times when

you are injured by failure but can afford to

fail a few times (climb a wall, impress a

savage tribesman).

The GM must use common sense to dis-

tinguish among these cases, according to

the exact situation in which the adventurers

find themselves.

Quick Contest

A “Quick Contest” is a competition that

is over in very little time – often in one sec-

ond, perhaps even instantly. Examples

include two enemies lunging for a gun or

two knife throwers seeing who gets closer

to the bull’s-eye.

Each competitor attempts his success

roll. If one succeeds and the other fails, the

winner is obvious. If both succeed, the win-

ner is the one with the largest margin of

success; if both fail, the winner is the one

with the smallest margin of failure. A tie

means nobody won (in the examples above,

both fighters grabbed the weapon at once,

or the knives hit the same distance from the

bull’s-eye).

Margin of Victory

The amount by which the winner beat

the loser is often important – success by 5

Regular Contest

A “Regular Contest” is a slow competi-

tion with much give and take – for instance,

arm wrestling.

Each character attempts his success roll.

If one succeeds and the other fails, the win-

ner is obvious. If both succeed or both fail,

the competitors’ relative positions are

unchanged and they roll again. Eventually,

one character succeeds when the other

fails. At this point, the one who made his

roll is the winner.

The length of game time each attempt

takes depends on the activity, and is up to

the GM. In a combat situation, each

attempt takes one second . . . but in a

library-research contest, with the fate of the

world hanging on who finds a certain

obscure reference first, each attempt could

represent days of time.

C ONTESTS

Sometimes a situation arises in which two

characters must compare attributes, skills, or

R EACTION R OLLS

When the PCs meet an NPC whose reac-

tion to them is not predetermined (see

below), the GM makes a “reaction roll” on 3d.

The higher the roll, the better the reaction.

The GM then plays the NPC according to the

guidelines on the Reaction Table.

The GM should keep this roll secret from

the players. They don’t know, for instance,

whether that friendly-looking old farmer is

giving them straight advice or sending them

into a trap.

A reaction roll is not a success roll. There

are three important differences:

1. There is no “target number” to roll

against.

2. A high roll is good, not bad.

3. Reaction modifiers apply directly to the

die roll. A reaction bonus is any factor that

makes NPCs friendlier, while a reaction penal-

ty is something that biases NPCs against the

PCs.

Some common reaction modifiers:

Personal appearance and behavior. This is

especially true for the PC who does the talk-

ing! Above-average appearance gives a

bonus, as do some advantages (see p. 8).

Below-average appearance and many disad-

vantages give a penalty.

Racial or national biases. Elves don’t like

dwarves, Frenchmen don’t care for Germans,

and so on. These are usually penalties, and

take the form of an Intolerance disadvantage

on the part of the NPC.

Appropriate behavior by the players! Here’s

a chance to reward good roleplaying. A good

approach should be worth +1 or more! A

wholly inappropriate approach that antago-

nizes the NPCs should give the party -1 or -2

on the reaction roll. Don’t tell the players,

“You blew it!” – just roleplay the offended

character, and let them figure it out.

Random reaction rolls are great when

they add a note of unpredictability to the

game – this is more fun for the GM, too!

However, never substitute random die rolls for

reason and logic.

betrayal, public ridicule, or ignoring a life-or-

death plea are all possible.

1 to 3: Very Bad . The NPC dislikes the

characters and will act against them if it’s

convenient to do so: attacking, offering gross-

ly unfair terms in a transaction, and so on.

4 to 6: Bad . The NPC cares nothing for the

characters and will act against them (as

above), if he can profit by doing so.

7 to 9: Poor . The NPC is unimpressed. He

may make threats, demand a huge bribe

before offering aid, or something similar.

10 to 12: Neutral . The NPC ignores the

characters as much as possible. He is totally

uninterested. Transactions will go smoothly

and routinely, as long as protocol is observed.

13 to 15: Good . The NPC likes the charac-

ters and will be helpful within normal, every-

day limits. Reasonable requests will be

granted.

16 to 18: Very Good . The NPC thinks high-

ly of the characters and will be quite helpful

and friendly, freely offering aid and favorable

terms in most things.

19 or better: Excellent . The NPC is

extremely impressed by the characters, and

will act in their best interests at all times,

within the limits of his own ability – perhaps

even risking his life, wealth, or reputation.

R EACTION T ABLE

Roll 3 dice and apply any reaction modi-

fiers.

0 or less: Disastrous . The NPC hates the

characters and will act in their worst interest.

Nothing is out of the question: assault,

GURPS L ITE

D AMAGE R OLLS

A “damage roll” is a roll made in a fight, to see how much harm you did to your foe. Damage rolls use the “dice+adds” system (see p. 2).

Many things can affect the final injury inflicted by your attack. Armor reduces the damage received by the wearer. Certain attacks do extra

damage if they get through armor. All these things are explained in the combat rules – see p. 29.

C HARACTERS

When you roleplay, you take the part of

another person – a “character” that you cre-

ate. GURPS lets you decide exactly what

kind of hero you will become. Asteroid

miner? Wizard? Professional time-traveler?

You can take your inspiration from a fic-

tional hero or heroine, or create your new

“self” from the ground up. Once you know

what role you want to play, it’s time to bring

that character to life!

The GM (Game Master – the person

“running” the game) will give you a number

of character points with which to “buy” your

abilities. For instance, the stronger you

want to be, the more points it will cost. You

can also buy advantageous social traits,

such as wealth, and special abilities called

advantages (see p. 8).

If you want more abilities than you can

afford on the budget given to you by your

GM, you can get extra points by accepting

below-average strength, appearance,

wealth, social status, etc., or by taking dis-

advantages – specific handicaps such as bad

vision or fear of heights (see p. 10).

The two most important things to know

about your character are who he is and

what role you want him to play in his adven-

tures. 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 collec-

tion of abilities, but “shopping” for abilities

can be a great inspiration.

You might instead decide on your char-

acter’s focal qualities first – the handful of

things that define him, such as personal his-

tory, appearance, behavior, aptitudes, and

skills. Think about how he acquired those

qualities, then spend your points on features

that go with these traits.

C HARACTER P OINTS

Character points are the “currency” of

character creation. Anything that improves

your abilities costs character points: you

must spend points equal to the listed price

of an ability to add that ability to your char-

acter sheet and use it in play. Anything that

reduces your capabilities has a negative

cost – that is, it gives you back some points.

For instance, if you start with 125 points,

buy 75 points of advantages, and take -15

points of disadvantages, you have 125 - 75 +

15 = 65 points remaining.

Feeble (under 25 points): Small children,

mindless thralls, zombies, etc.

Average (25-50 points): Ordinary folks,

such as accountants and cab drivers.

Competent (50-75 points): Athletes, cops,

wealthy gentry . . . anyone who would have

a clear edge over “average” people on an

adventure.

Exceptional (75-100 points): Star ath-

letes, seasoned cops, etc.

Heroic (100-200 points): People at the

realistic pinnacle of physical, mental, or

social achievement; e.g., Navy SEALs,

world-class scientists, and millionaires.

Larger Than-Life (200-300 points):

Leading roles in kung fu movies, fantasy

novels, etc.

Legendary (300-500 points): Protagonists

of epic poems and folklore.

This beginning point level is sometimes

referred to as the power level of the

campaign.

Disadvantage Limit

A disadvantage is anything with a nega-

tive cost , including low attributes, reduced

social status, and all the specific disabilities

listed under Disadvantages (p. 10). In theo-

ry, you could keep adding disadvantages

until you had enough points to buy whatev-

er advantages and skills you wanted. In

practice, most GMs will want to set a limit

on the disadvantage points a PC may have.

A good rule of thumb is to hold disadvan-

tages to 50% of starting points – for

instance, -75 points in a 150-point game.

Starting Points

The GM decides how many character

points the player characters (PCs) – the

heroes – start with. This depends on how

capable he wants them to be. Some example

power levels, with suggested starting points:

B ASIC A TTRIBUTES

Four numbers called “attributes” define

your basic abilities: Strength (ST), Dexterity

(DX), Intelligence (IQ), and Health (HT).

A score of 10 in any attribute is free, and

represents the human average. Higher

scores cost points: 10 points to raise ST or

HT by one level, 20 points to raise DX or IQ

by one level. Similarly, scores lower than 10

have a negative cost: -10 points per level for

ST or HT, -20 points per level for DX or IQ.

(Remember that negative point values

mean you get those points back to spend on

something else!)

Most characters have attributes in the 1-

20 range, and most normal humans have

scores in the 8-12 range. Scores above 20

are possible but typically reserved for god-

like beings – ask the GM before buying such

a value. At the other end of the scale, 1 is the

minimum score for a human.

The basic attributes you select will deter-

mine your abilities – your strengths and

weaknesses – throughout the game. Choose

wisely:

6 or less: Crippling. An attribute this bad

severely constrains your lifestyle.

7: Poor. Your limitations are immediate-

ly obvious to anyone who meets you. This is

the lowest score you can have and still pass

for “able-bodied.”

8 or 9: Below average. Such scores are

limiting, but within the human norm. The

GM may forbid attributes below 8 to active

adventurers.

GURPS L ITE

10: Average. Most humans get by

just fine with a score of 10!

11 or 12: Above average. These

scores are superior , but within the

human norm.

13 or 14: Exceptional. Such an

attribute is immediately apparent – as

bulging muscles, feline grace, witty

dialog, or glowing health – to those

who meet you.

15 or more: Amazing. An attribute

this high draws constant comment and

probably guides your career choices.

Strength (ST)

±10 points/level

Strength measures physical power

and bulk. It is crucial if you are a war-

rior in a primitive world, as high ST

lets you dish out and absorb more

damage in hand-to-hand combat. Any

adventurer will find ST useful for lift-

ing and throwing things, moving

quickly with a load, etc.

Strength is more “open-ended”

than other attributes; scores greater

than 20 are common among beings

such as large animals, fantasy

monsters, and robots.

Dexterity (DX)

±20 points/level

Dexterity measures a combination of

agility, coordination, and fine motor ability.

It controls your basic ability at most athlet-

ic, fighting, and vehicle-operation skills,

and at craft skills that call for a delicate

touch. DX also helps determine Basic

Speed (a measure of reaction time, p. 6) and

Basic Move (how fast you run, p. 6).

Intelligence

(IQ)

Permission is granted to photocopy this form at 200% for personal use.

This and other GURPS forms and support material may also be

downloaded at www.sjgames.com/gurps/resources/ .

±20

points/level

Intelligence

broadly measures

brainpower, including creativity, intuition,

memory, perception, reason, sanity, and

willpower. It rules your basic ability with all

“mental” skills – sciences, social interaction,

magic, etc. Any wizard, scientist, or gad-

geteer needs a high IQ first of all. The sec-

ondary characteristics of Will (p. 6) and

Perception (p. 6) are based on IQ.

Health (HT)

Basic Lift (BL)

Basic Lift is the maximum weight you can lift over your head with one hand in

one second. It is equal to (ST¥ST)/5 lbs. If BL is 10 lbs. or more, round to the near-

est whole number; e.g., 16.2 lbs. becomes 16 lbs. The average human has ST 10 and

a BL of 20 lbs.

±10 points/level

Health measures energy and vitality. It

represents stamina, resistance (to poison,

disease, radiation, etc.), and basic “grit.” A

high HT is good for anyone – but it is vital

for low-tech warriors. HT determines

Fatigue Points, and helps determine Basic

Speed (p. 6) and Basic Move (p. 6).

Handedness

Decide whether you are right-handed or left-handed. Whenever you try to do

anything significant with the other hand, you are at -4 to skill. This does not apply

to things you normally do with your “off” hand, like using a shield.

GURPS doesn’t distinguish between left- and right-handed characters; either is

0 points. However, Ambidexterity is an advantage that costs points – see p. 8.

GURPS L ITE

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