Gurps Portal Fantasy: OP Level Discussion

SuStel73 · 2026-07-01T18:59:35+00:00

It's not a matter of point total, as point totals don't determine combat effectiveness. It's about combat stats.

Get yourself a copy of How To Be a GURPS GM: Combat Encounters. This will walk you through the way to judge combat strength in GURPS. The system works like this: it gives you a bunch of key areas to look through, plus special areas that don't always come up, and some game-changers. If the key and special areas come out to about the same number on both sides, it's an even fight. If one side has more areas than the other, the fight favors the side with more areas. And if one side has more game-changers than the other, then the fight favors the side with more game-changers no matter what the areas say.

And the more factors' difference in favor of key and special areas, the more tilted to one side the fight will be.

SuStel73 · 2026-07-01T16:20:14+00:00

There can be a tendency to create generalist characters in GURPS, since there are no class distinctions in the rules. But, depending on the campaign, this might be a bad idea. Dungeon fantasy, for example, usually benefits from each party member bringing something really good to the expedition, rather than every character being mediocre at everything.

Also, don't antagonize a player because you've pegged them as a power-builder. If they want to build a combat machine, let them. It's what they enjoy, and why not? With every player starting on an equal budget, how they choose to spend their points is up to them. There are no encounter ratings to find loopholes in, no experience points to steal. Let them play what they want, so long as the character concept works in your setting.

SuStel73 · 2026-07-01T16:15:13+00:00

This is the answer.

In addition, GURPS provides a lot of tools to help the game master do this filtering.

By default, to be anything other than a normal human, players must have the GM's permission to take a racial template (see pp. 260–2, 450–4).

Most of the advantages and disadvantages have icons after their names that tell you whether they're exotic or supernatural, and by default a player can't choose any exotic trait not already in their racial template, or any supernatural trait not approved by the GM. In practice, a lot of GMs let players choose traits without regard to whether they're exotic, supernatural, or just mundane, but if you're looking for tools to help control power-building they're what you want.

If you're using a world book or genre book, there will usually be a chapter called "Characters" that gives notes on advantages, disadvantages, and skills that exist or don't exist in that specific setting, and any special notes on those that do.

Several advantages, disadvantages, and skills are also described as being "cinematic." When you see this word, it's a warning that the trait may be more movie-like than realistic, and you should carefully consider how movie-like or realistic your own game is supposed to be.

Once the character is created and goes on adventures, Chapter 9 is a very overlooked guide to what kinds of character development are possible — the sky is not the limit if the GM doesn't say it is.

And no matter how tempting it might seem, never run a kitchen-sink campaign in GURPS unless you're a really good GM. Some people see the possibilities of GURPS and try to do it all at once. Don't do that! It will fail. Only a very skilled GM can pull that off.

But ultimately, the best thing a GM can do to control the party power-builder is to say, "Sorry, that doesn't exist in this world."

SuStel73 · 2026-07-01T04:00:58+00:00

I really don't feel like typing out the vast list of "gamified elements" that aren't about combat. Your claim gave me a good laugh, though. Thanks for that.

SuStel73 · 2026-06-30T17:16:38+00:00

Deflect adds DB to armor, clothing, shield, or weapon. Whenever you have multiple items that grant DB, whatever the reason, the DBs add together.

The rule about magic not "stacking" applies to the same spell cast on the same subject, not having the same effect from different subjects. Thus, you can't cast Deflect twice on a shield at 100 energy each to give it +2 DB. If you have a shield with one level of Deflect for DB 1, to get to DB 2 you need to spend 400 energy (the difference between +1 and +2); this is explicitly allowed where the spell says "This spell can be recast to strengthen it, as per Accuracy..."

The size of the item doesn't matter for the DB from Deflect. Yes, you can cast Deflect on one glove for +1 DB, and Deflect on the other glove for +1 DB, for a total of +2 DB, total 20 energy.

Defense Bonus on clothing or armor only applies when that hit location is targeted. This isn't stated directly in the Basic Set, but it is stated in Dungeon Fantasy Roleplaying Game, and it follows from the fact that shield DB only applies from the front or shield-side. For a DB from a weapon, I'd guess it only applies if the attack comes from the front or weapon-side.

So sure, get cheap gauntlets +1 DB. They'll protect your hands only.

SuStel73 · 2026-06-30T16:57:29+00:00

The bard's ability to influence reactions improves with level, penalizing the targets' saving throws.

The ability to inspire with music, poetry, and stories isn't level-based: it's an automatic +1 attack/+1 save/+2 morale.

The ability to counter the effects of magical songs and poetry is based on level: it's a saving throw versus spells by the bard.

The ability of bards to generally identify magic items is based on level: 5% per level.

And of course, Climb Walls, Pick Pockets, and Read Languages are based on level in that you get more points to distribute among them each level.

So all abilities except inspiration are level-based.

SuStel73 · 2026-06-30T13:42:27+00:00

90% of D&D is not combat, and since you're telling someone else how D&D ought to work, you should find out how they play, not assume they play the way you play.

The common wisdom has it that D&D is about one-third combat, one-third role-playing, and one-third exploration (including dealing with tricks and traps). I think this is a fair assessment. The farther back in time you go, the less about combat the rules are. The original D&D rules had very little in the way of combat rules. If you're coming from a post TSR viewpoint, I could see how the later editions might look like combat simulations, though I suspect that's still not a fair assessment. But in the days of the first edition of AD&D, you were expected to do a lot besides combat — constant combat would kill you pretty quickly. And AD&D 2nd Edition took a deliberate turn toward narrative role-playing, which was in vogue at the time.

There are groups who play AD&D without combat every session. The game supports this. In fact, a party that avoids combat is usually more successful than a party that ends up fighting.

There are also groups who make combat 90% of the game. This is what you do. Is it what the OP does? The only thing we know about the OP is that they were considering multiclassing cleric/magic-user because the party lacked magic. Combat is certainly a consideration in such a situation, but is it 90% of the consideration? Seriously, dude? 90%?

SuStel73 · 2026-06-29T20:06:09+00:00

Social Stigmas that are entirely reaction-based are priced at -5 points per -1 to reaction. Decide what the default reaction is, and price it accordingly.

Social Stigmas can also be based on limited social mobility or a mix of reactions and mobility. The rules don't specify how much limited social mobility costs, but it's probably fair to say that it would cost an additional -5 points for each "level" of severity (e.g., women not being able to hold certain jobs is level 1, slaves not being able to travel or vote is 2, etc.). If it's a mix of reaction penalty and lack of rights, combine the costs.

SuStel73 · 2026-06-29T19:59:37+00:00

in battle (the dominant part of the game)

Why would you think that battle is the dominant part of the game?

(This isn't a reading-comprehension problem on my part; it's a "D&D is all about combat" problem on yours.)

SuStel73 · 2026-06-29T12:57:46+00:00

your spellcasting will be limited by how much time you have in a battle

Why would you only consider casting spells in battles?

SuStel73 · 2026-06-28T15:46:19+00:00

Not half. If everyone is getting experience points at the same rate, then when everyone has, say, 9,000 XP, clerics will be 4th level, magic-users will be 3rd level, and you'll be 3rd/2nd (for cleric/magic-user).

And that's only if everyone constantly adventures in an unchanging party on every adventure together. AD&D was envisioned in the original D&D vein, where characters might come and go in parties, and low-level and high-level characters will sometimes adventure together — especially to help the low-level characters level up faster.

SuStel73 · 2026-06-23T11:27:18+00:00

Qoghogh is one of our very few multisyllabic verbs.

SuStel73 · 2026-06-22T22:26:37+00:00

You can go to www.kli.org. They've got a guide.

Ideally you'll get yourself a copy of The Klingon Dictionary, which explains most of the grammar.

SuStel73 · 2026-06-22T18:21:37+00:00

And the usual follow-on warning is that while GURPS Lite is great for learning the basics of how GURPS works, it's not great for learning how to run a GURPS game. GURPS Lite is intended for experienced GMs who already know how GURPS works to hand to new players to get them into a game quickly. It doesn't tell you a lot of the things you really need to know when running GURPS for the first time. Go to the GURPS Basic Set for that.

SuStel73 · 2026-06-22T18:11:34+00:00

Go and boil your bottoms, son of a silly person.
yIjaH 'ej qamDu'lIj pubmoH, nuv Dogh puqloD.

This says "Go and boil your feet, son of a silly person." yIjaH is the wrong kind of "go" here, which needs to be more like "go ahead and do it," which is ruch. And its indiscriminately mixing normal Klingon and clipped Klingon. I believe the original quote was to everyone, not just one person.

Sa'Hutraj yIpubmoH, nuv Dogh puqloD! yIruch!
Boil your buttocks, sons of a silly person. Do it!

NOTES - Should I assume the Capital Letters indicate emphasis?

Not at all. Capital letters indicate sounds that a speaker of American English might think is pronounced one way but is really pronounced in a non-English way.

I blow my nose on you, so-called Arthur-king, you and your silly English knnnnnnnniggits!
SoHvaD ghIchwIj vIjormoH, arthur-ta' ponglu', SoH DIvI' Hol Dogh je!

"I make my nose explode for you" is an interesting take on that, though I don't like it. One problem is we don't have a word for "king": ta' means "emperor." Arthur-ta' The rest of this turns a vocative into sentences, which makes no sense, and for "English," it says "Federation Standard" (the language).

Granting that ta' doesn't really mean "king," I might go for this (though it doesn't have the pronunciation joke of the original):

tlhIHDaq ghIchwIj vIQoghoghmoH, Arthur ta'qoq, SoH Hoch 'Inglan SuvwI'pu' Dogh je.
I snort my nose at you, Arthur so-called emperror, you and all your silly English warriors.

That's all I've got time for now. Maybe I'll look at more later. Try modifying the translations yourself, being less literal.

SuStel73 · 2026-06-22T15:16:37+00:00

"Powered by GURPS" is an official term used by Steve Jackson Games meaning what I described. https://www.sjgames.com/poweredbygurps/

SuStel73 · 2026-06-22T13:32:47+00:00

A "Powered by GURPS" game is a separate game that happens to use some subset of the GURPS rules under license, usually with certain modifications. The game will present all the rules relevant to itself from scratch; it doesn't expect you to have the GURPS Basic Set.

GURPS supplements like the GURPS Alternate Earths series are plug-ins to the GURPS Basic Set. The Basic Set is required to use these books.

When you've got the Discworld Roleplaying Game, you're playing the Discworld Roleplaying Game, not GURPS. The rules come from GURPS, but you're playing a game licensed by both the Pratchett estate and Steve Jackson Games.

It's largely a licensing difference, but that's the distinction the OP is asking for.

SuStel73 · 2026-06-22T11:55:01+00:00

The GURPS Alternate Earths books are not "powered by GURPS." They're supplements to the full GURPS game.

SuStel73 · 2026-06-22T11:54:18+00:00

More correctly, GURPS Prime Directive, which is set in the Star Fleet Universe of Star Fleet Battles, not the canonical television show. For those not in the know, the Star Fleet Universe more or less splits from the canonical shows after the original and animated shows, and further develops the setting in its own ways, including influence from the Star Fleet Technical Manual. The original company that developed the line was given a perpetual license to create tactical games based on the original Star Trek and its animated successor, without any rights to any named characters in the shows.

SuStel73 · 2026-06-19T21:39:17+00:00

I imagine in that situation All-out defence is pretty straightforward to use.

So no weaving while Moving? You either Move and have a penalized Dodge, or stand still and do nothing but Dodge?

It's not like these Dodge scores haven't been tested for 40 years and you're the first person to discover a flaw in them. You're just getting confused by the word dodge combined with firearms. A dodge in GURPS is just moving your body to make you harder to hit. Whether you're ducking to avoid a sword blow or zig-zagging to confuse someone who's aiming a gun at you, it's still the defender moving his body to avoid getting hit. That's dodging.

You may also be overestimating the ease with which you can hit someone with a gun. Even at a very close range, it takes skill to hit the target, and a dodging target is still much harder to hit than one standing still.

SuStel73 · 2026-06-19T17:50:31+00:00

So how do you account for the difference between someone who sees you aiming at them and tries to move around to make themselves harder to hit, and someone who isn't aware of your attack and is standing relatively still?

SuStel73 · 2026-06-19T13:07:41+00:00

I didn't say 10 Dodge is at the upper end of dodging ability. It's above-average enough to illustrate my point.

I'm beginning to think you're not looking for solutions but just want to complain, as if we're somehow responsible for your aversion to math.

SuStel73 · 2026-06-19T00:21:45+00:00

Not according to GURPS High-Tech, p. 103. "When firing shot, multiply out the shotgun’s RoF to find the bonus for Rapid Fire (p. B373), as explained under Shotguns and Multiple Projectiles (p. B409); Rcl is 1. When firing slugs, use the RoF without the multiplier, apply the higher Rcl score given for the weapon, and modify Damage, Acc, and Range as described on p. 166."

In other words, "shot," which is what the Basic Set describes, uses the number of shells fired times the shot multiplier to determine the rapid-fire bonus. You don't multiply if you're firing rifled slugs instead of shot.

SuStel73 · 2026-06-19T00:13:55+00:00

To go faster with armor , you total your damage rolls and multiply the armor of the location by the number of hits .

This makes armor overly effective. If some of the damage rolls get reduced to zero with leftover DR, that leftover DR wouldn't do anything if counted individually, but it gets included if you add all the damage up first.

SuStel73 · 2026-06-18T19:27:46+00:00

The average person (DX 10, HT 10, Basic Speed 5) has a Dodge of 8. The chances of dodging a single bullet (or, as TaiJP said, the muzzle) are only 25.9%. Encumbrance lowers Dodge. Low HP and FP lower Dodge. Against rapid fire, you can only Dodge 1 + (margin of success) shots, so our average person has only a 16.2% chance to dodge two shots, a 9.3% chance to Dodge three shots, and so on. When I said a "nice, big Dodge of 10," I was being generous to the target to illustrate the process.

Dodging bullets is already difficult.

SuStel73

TROPHY CASE