GURPS (4th ed.)-Action 1-Heroes.pdf

H EROES 1

Written by SEAN PUNCH

Illustrated by DAN SMITH

An e23 Sourcebook for GURPS ®

STEVE JACKSON GAMES

Stock #37-0307

ACTION

Version 1.0 – July 2008

C ONTENTS

I NTRODUCTION . . . . 3

Action Who’s Who . . . . . . 3

About the Author . . . . . . 3

1. A CTION

T EMPLATES . . . . 4

L ENSES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

No Lens? . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

C AMPAIGN T YPES . . . . . . . 5

“Check Out the

Big Brain . . .” . . . . . . 6

T EMPLATES . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Assassin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Cleaner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Demolition Man . . . . . . . 8

Quirky Good Luck . . . . . 8

Face Man . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Hacker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Infiltrator . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Investigator . . . . . . . . . . 12

Medic. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Shooter . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Wheel Man . . . . . . . . . . 14

Wire Rat . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

2. A CTION H EROES ’

C HEAT S HEET . . 17

S UITABLE

A DVANTAGES . . . . . . 17

Action-Movie

Advantages. . . . . . . . 18

Gun Perks . . . . . . . . . . . 18

S UITABLE

D ISADVANTAGES . . . 19

Disadvantage Limit . . . . 20

S UITABLE S KILLS . . . . . . 20

Specialties . . . . . . . . . . . 22

Familiarity . . . . . . . . . . 22

Defaults . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

W ILDCARD S KILLS . . . . . 22

Everyman Skills . . . . . . 22

When Not to Use

Wildcard Skills . . . . 23

3. P ULLING

R ANK . . . . . . . 24

Modifiers. . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Sample Assistance . . . . 24

Results of Success . . . . 25

Legal Enforcement

Powers . . . . . . . . . . . 25

T OOLS AND G ADGETS . . . 26

Arson and

Demolition. . . . . . . . 26

Burglar’s Tools . . . . . . . 26

4. G EAR . . . . . . . 26

Combat Accessories . . . 27

Standard (and Not-so-

Standard) Issue . . . . 27

Communicators . . . . . . 28

Computers . . . . . . . . . . 28

Insertion/Extraction

Aids. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Labs and Scientific

Gear . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

Law Enforcement

and Security . . . . . . 29

Light Sources . . . . . . . . 29

Luggage . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

Medical Equipment . . . 29

Optics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

Personal Accessories . . 29

Spy and Surveillance

Gadgets . . . . . . . . . . 30

Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

A RMOR AND

C LOTHING . . . . . . . . 31

W EAPONS . . . . . . . . . . . 32

Firearms . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

Special Ammo . . . . . . . 33

Hand Grenades. . . . . . . 33

Melee Weapons. . . . . . . 34

V EHICLES . . . . . . . . . . . 34

Used Vehicles . . . . . . . . 34

I NDEX . . . . . . . . . 35

About GURPS

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GURPS System Design

❚

STEVE JACKSON

Managing Editor

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PHILIP REED

Marketing Director

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PAUL CHAPMAN

GURPS Line Editor

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SEAN PUNCH

WILL SCHOONOVER

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C ONTENTS

Art Director

Page Design

I NTRODUCTION

The modern cinematic thriller seems like simple-minded

entertainment but is hardly simple. Centuries of adventure sto-

ries proved the timelessness of its key motives: honor, loyalty,

and revenge. Many of its essential plots and archetypes origi-

nated in 1920s and ’30s pulps. Its visual style borrows from the

gangster flicks, war movies, and Westerns of the ’30s, ’40s, and

’50s. Its edginess owes a debt to ’60s and ’70s directors, who

took great risks with graphic violence, raw language, and con-

troversial but highly influential exploitation films. And the

fancy guns and gadgets snuck in from Cold War spy fiction.

GURPS Action 1: Heroes provides character-design guide-

lines for the sorts of lead roles common in action films and tel-

evision series made and set in the 1990s and 2000s. As befits

their origins, these men of action are more complex than their

screen portrayal suggests. The ambition of Action 1: Heroes is

to bring that depth to the game without doing violence to the

genre (violence should happen in play!).

Most important, action heroes engage in nonstop thrills.

This doesn’t always mean fighting: creeping through jungle,

chasing bad guys, defusing bombs, crash-landing planes, sav-

ing the President, hacking computers, disposing of evidence

. . . that’s action, too. Thus, Action 1: Heroes focuses on abili-

ties useful in risky situations (described in Action 2: Exploits ).

Realistic but less-exciting skills mostly just get a nod.

Next, cinematic heroes usually work alone – or perhaps

with a partner, a sidekick, or specialists who get little screen

time. This doesn’t work in an RPG unless you’re running a sin-

gle-player campaign. Action 1: Heroes assumes a more typical

four- to six-gamer group. It divvies up heroic competencies and

elevates traditional “bit parts” (e.g., geeky technical experts) to

leading roles. Thus, all the thrilling stuff that needs doing will

get done, but the PCs must pull together to do it; think Ocean’s

Eleven, Ronin, or Sneakers.

Finally, skills and actions – not paychecks – define heroes.

Soldier, spy, cop . . . it doesn’t matter. In action movies, they all

get into dicey situations, do what they feel is the Right Thing,

and have skills to match. A detective might do things that mil-

itary and intelligence organizations handle in real life, but if he

shoots straight, drives fast, takes down bad guys, and stays true

to his values, he’s still a “good cop.” Thus, the character tem-

plates in Action 1: Heroes sort heroes by specialty, not by job

– although there are also “lenses” for specific backgrounds.

This makes it much easier to run a team game.

Be warned that Action 1: Heroes isn’t about real-world

intelligence, police, and military personnel. Realistically,

Action Who’s Who

bad guy: Anybody who opposes a hero. He might be a

legitimate ambassador, law officer, banker, etc. That

isn’t important! What matters is that he’s on the

wrong side.

boss: The lead bad guy – usually either incredibly com-

petent or an utter wimp hiding behind henchmen.

cannon fodder: A lesser bad guy whose only job is to

fight or otherwise obstruct a hero so that the boss

can execute evil plans . . . or the hero.

crew: A group of heroes. Most often used in caper

stories.

henchman: A bad guy midway in importance between

cannon fodder and boss. A henchman often has a

full name (unlike fodder, who are all “Hey you!” or

“Louie!”) and a trademark weapon, and sometimes

leads fodder.

hero: One of the protagonists in an action story,

whether or not he’s a nice guy. The title character of

the movie Léon is an assassin – but still the hero

(the cop, Stansfield, is the bad guy ).

mook: See cannon fodder.

squad: A group of heroes. Most often used in military

and police campaigns.

team: A group of heroes.

even heroic cops don’t carry on like John McClane in Die

Hard, spies can’t afford to behave like James Bond, and sol-

diers aren’t trained to act like John Rambo. And the fact that

the same rules also let you create super-crooks isn’t a sugges-

tion that real-world government agencies are corrupt – it’s

just an admission that in the movies, “super-crook” vs.

“super-spy” is mostly an issue of whose guards you’re eluding

and what safe you’re cracking. Use Action in serious games at

your own risk!

A BOUT THE A UTHOR

Sean “Dr. Kromm” Punch set out to become a particle

physicist in 1985, ended up the GURPS Line Editor in 1995,

and has engineered rules for almost every GURPS product

since. During the GURPS Third Edition era, he compiled both

GURPS Compendium volumes, developed GURPS Lite,

wrote GURPS Wizards and GURPS Undead, and edited or

revised over 20 other titles. With David Pulver, he produced the

GURPS Basic Set, Fourth Edition, in 2004. His latest creations

include GURPS Powers (with Phil Masters), GURPS Martial

Arts (with Peter Dell’Orto), and GURPS Dungeon Fantasy

1-4. Sean has been a gamer since 1979. His non-gaming inter-

ests include cinema and wine. He lives in Montréal, Québec

with his wife, Bonnie. They have two cats, Banshee and

Zephyra, and a noisy parrot, Circe.

I NTRODUCTION

A CTION

T EMPLATES

The easiest way to make sure you have all the bits and

pieces you need to fill your role without treading on another

player’s toes is to start with a character template. To use a tem-

plate, simply pay its point cost, select any options it leaves

open, and write down the abilities this gives you. To cus-

tomize your PC, spend any additional points from quirks or

personal disadvantages on whatever you like (subject to GM

approval). See How to Use Character Templates (p. B258) for

details.

The Basic Set suggests 200-300 points for the “leading roles

in movies,” so these templates go right down the middle and

assume a 250-point campaign. The GM is free to vary power

level either way, but should know that fewer points won’t make

Action more realistic! These guidelines are for larger-than-life

heroes, defined more by quality than by quantity.

Since players familiar with action movies will naturally

tend to create one-man-army PCs, defeating the purpose of a

team, the GM is strongly encouraged to make templates

mandatory. This runs contrary to advice elsewhere in GURPS,

but it’s for a good cause. Disadvantages are always suggestions,

though; players may substitute their own choices.

Even if the GM lets players create PCs from scratch, the

templates should be required reading so that there isn’t too

much overlap, and so that key competencies are covered. The

Action Heroes’ Cheat Sheet (pp. 17-23) gives further advice for

those who prefer not to use templates.

L ENSES

Each template requires the player to define his hero’s

background by choosing one of the 20-point lenses (see p.

B449) below. Any template can have any lens, but the GM is

free to require an explanation that squares with action real-

ism (not reality!). For instance, an assassin might have the

law enforcement lens if he’s a maverick ex- cop out to avenge

a murdered partner. Each template’s customization notes

elaborate on what the standard lenses imply for that charac-

ter type.

Lenses have two components that work as follows:

Skills: Because attributes and advantages vary by template,

lens skills note relative levels (like “DX+2” and “IQ-1”), not

absolute ones. Remember to add any advantage bonuses! If a

skill appears on your lens and your template, you may combine

the points assigned to it and buy a higher level. You never have

to spend the whole 20 points on skills; you’re welcome to save

points for the lens’ social advantages.

Social Traits: These traits are additional options for using

the template’s advantage and disadvantage allowances, not part

of what lens cost buys – although you’re free to use leftover

points from lens skills to acquire social advantages. The social

traits on the intelligence, law enforcement, military, and secu-

rity lenses are for active agents, officers, and servicemen; see

Pulling Rank (pp. 24-25) for effects. If the team belongs to a

military unit, police force, etc., the GM may make some of

these advantages mandatory.

Criminal

20 points

You’re a criminal or an ex-criminal. This lens is for a crook

who’s a believable hero, even if he isn’t nice; e.g., a hacker, a

casino robber, or even a principled hit man. Psycho killers and

terrorists rarely make good heroes.

Skills: Streetwise (A) IQ [2]. • Another 18 points chosen from

Brawling, Forced Entry, or Guns (Pistol), all (E) DX+1 [2];

Filch or Stealth, both (A) DX [2]; Savoir-Faire (Mafia) (E)

IQ+1 [2]; Gambling or Holdout, both (A) IQ [2]; Carousing

(E) HT+1 [2]; Intimidation (A) Will [2]; Urban Survival (A)

Per [2]; 2 more points in any lens skill to raise it by one

level; or 6 more points to raise it by two.

Social Traits: Crooks of all kinds may spend some of their tem-

plate’s advantage points (or leftover lens points) on Contact

(Fence, fixer, smuggler, etc.; Appropriate skill at 12, 15, or

18; 9 or less; Somewhat Reliable) [1, 2, or 3] and/or Contact

Group (Gang, mob, etc.; Skill-12, 15, or 18; 9 or less; Some-

what Reliable) [5, 10, or 15].

Intelligence

20 points

You’re an active or retired spy, or a “sleeper.” Not all spies

work for governments. In the movies, corporate spooks are

common, and nongovernmental organizations – notably the

U.N. – have secret agencies.

A CTION T EMPLATES

C HAPTER O NE

Skills: 20 points chosen from Filch or Stealth, both (A) DX [2];

Area Knowledge (any) or Current Affairs (any), both (E)

IQ+1 [2]; Holdout, Interrogation, Photography, Propa-

ganda, Research, Shadowing, or Smuggling, all (A) IQ [2];

Brainwashing, Cryptography, Forgery, Intelligence Analy-

sis, or Psychology, all (H) IQ-1 [2]; Observation or Search,

both (A) Per [2]; 2 more points in any lens skill to raise it by

one level; or 6 more points to raise it by two.

Social Traits: Officially sanctioned spies must take their tem-

plate’s Duty and may spend some of its advantage points (or

leftover lens points) on Intelligence Rank 0-4 [5/level].

(any) (A) Per [2]; 2 more points in any lens skill to raise it

by one level; or 6 more points to raise it by two.

Social Traits: Active-duty personnel must take their template’s

Duty and may spend some of its advantage points (or left-

over lens points) on Military Rank 0-4 [5/level].

Security

20 points

You’re a professional counterspy (if so, this background is

to “intelligence” as “law enforcement” is to “criminal”), body-

guard, or secret policeman.

Skills: 20 points chosen from Fast-Draw (Pistol) or Guns (Pis-

tol or Submachine Gun), both (E) DX+1 [2]; First Aid or

Savoir-Faire (High Society or Servant), both (E) IQ+1 [2];

Administration, Criminology, Hazardous Materials (any),

Holdout, or Interrogation, all (A) IQ [2]; Brainwashing,

Cryptography, Intelligence Analysis, Psychology, or Tactics,

all (H) IQ-1 [2]; Body Language, Observation, or Search, all

(A) Per [2]; 2 more points in any lens skill to raise it by one

level; or 6 more points to raise it by two.

Social Traits: Government agents must take their template’s

Duty, and may spend some of its advantage points (or left-

over lens points) on Legal Enforcement Powers (Federal or

Secret Service) [10 or 15] and Security Rank 0-4 [5/level].

Law Enforcement

20 points

You’re a cop (detective, marshal, etc.), retired cop, or pri-

vate investigator. The latter two have no official clout, but sev-

eral templates offer useful Contact Groups.

Skills: Law (Police) (H) IQ [4]. • Another 16 points chosen

from Forced Entry, Guns (Pistol, Rifle, Shotgun, or Subma-

chine Gun), or Liquid Projector (Sprayer), all (E) DX+1 [2];

Riding (Horse), Shortsword, or Tonfa, all (A) DX [2]; First

Aid or Savoir-Faire (Police), both (E) IQ+1 [2]; Administra-

tion, Animal Handling (Dog), Criminology, Interrogation,

or Streetwise, all (A) IQ [2]; Accounting, Forensics, or Tac-

tics, all (H) IQ-1 [2]; Observation or Search, both (A) Per IQ

[2]; 2 more points in any lens skill to raise it by one level; or

6 more points to raise it by two.

Social Traits: Active law officers must take their template’s

Duty, and may spend some of its advantage points (or left-

over lens points) on Legal Enforcement Powers (Local or

Federal) [5 or 10] and Police Rank 0-4 [5/level].

N O L ENS ?

If the GM requires templates but wants to allow more lati-

tude in character creation, he can make lenses optional. Since

each template allocates 20 points for a background, this yields

additional points for customization. The GM will probably

want the players of heroes who don’t hail from one of the

above career paths to choose a specific calling and back it with

points, as in these examples:

Academic: Split 4-8 points among Research, Teaching, and

Writing, and use the other 12-16 to be great at some IQ/H skill.

For a truly cinematic “prof,” just buy +1 IQ!

Athlete: Put 20 points into ST, HT, Fit, etc.

Journalist: Select the intelligence lens, but replace Brain-

washing, Cryptography, and Forgery with Public Speaking

and/or Writing.

Martial-Arts Master: Spend 20 points on a fighting style

from GURPS Martial Arts.

Rich Adventurer: Invest 20 points in Status and/or Wealth.

Survivalist: Buy 20 points’ worth of Guns and outdoor skills

(Camouflage, Hiking, Survival, Tracking, etc.).

Military

20 points

You have experience as a guerrilla, militiaman, reservist,

regular soldier, or special operator. This need not reflect your

current status, which is often “mercenary” in the movies.

Skills: Soldier (A) IQ [2]. • Another 18 points chosen from

Gunner (any), Guns (any), Knife, or Parachuting, all (E)

DX+1 [2]; NBC Suit, Spear, or Throwing, all (A) DX [2];

Camouflage, First Aid, Gesture, Savoir-Faire (Military),

Seamanship, or Submariner, all (E) IQ+1 [2]; Artillery

(any), Forward Observer, Leadership, or Scuba, all IQ (A)

[2]; Strategy or Tactics, both (H) IQ-1 [2]; Swimming (E)

HT+1 [2]; Hiking (A) HT [2]; Skiing (H) HT-1 [2]; Survival

C AMPAIGN T YPES

The GM should decide what templates and lenses fit the

campaign he’s planning, and let the players know before char-

acter creation. Suggestions:

Brotherhood in Blue: The PCs are big-city cops dealing with

mobsters, gangs, serial killers, etc. Detectives are investigators,

undercover detectives are face men, SWAT officers are shooters,

and bomb-squad technicians are demolition men. In a high-tech

game, hackers and wire rats handle surveillance. The driver of

the SWAT van or chopper might be a wheel man, and an EMT

could be a medic, but NPCs often fill these roles. Few forces have

full-time assassins, cleaners, or infiltrators aboard. Nearly every

cop will have the law enforcement lens or the security lens.

A CTION T EMPLATES

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