More Cinematic advantages & disadvantages for cinematic campagins.
Gurps does a good job at providing us with realistic (& playable) rules, but
sometimes realism just ain't gonna save the day. Sometimes we need a hero,
to take us to the end of the night. When they gotta be strong, when they
gotta be tough... thats when you need the Hollywood Hard Men & Baaad Babes.
These advantages allow the GM to run a Cinematic game with 100pt characters,
and allow the players to tailor the degree of Heroic Realism that suits their
characters.
If these advantages are not available to badguys, NPC's and other players,
they should require a 30pt unusual background cost, "Cinematic Hero". All
the point costs listed here are suggestions only and GM's are advised to
customize them, to provide the flavour they're looking for. Some of them have
the potential to be very abusive.
You don't seem to be affected by wounds. The GM keeps track of your Hits, and
will tell you when you're dead. Other than that wounds have no effect on you,
except maybe to trigger Berzerk. Knockback does apply. Also Apparent
Invulnerability does not add to your chances of resisting knockout.
By holding your pistol(s) sideways so the the grip is horizontal (-1 penalty)
, and using only Snap-Shots, you cause all of your foes that can see you to
take a Fright Check. ("Whoa! He's too baaaaad for me!!!")
-Sue and Sean
sands@netcom.com
This is a half step towards being trained by a Master. The character uses the
cinematic multiple attack rates (2 at 16, 3 at 24) and may learn any
Cinematic Skills & Maneuvers the GM rules do not need the Trained by a
Master advantage as a pre-requisite (see MS p. 42). Characters who "upgrade" to the later advantage do so in
1/3rd the time. It takes two years (one if taught by a teacher who has this
advantage) of intense self study to acquire this advantage in play, unless
the character has access to magic or ultra tech forms of teaching.
(Great Wish, skill chips etc.)
-unknown (sorry)
The shooter poses in a truly cool fashion, this takes a second to set up
( and the player must demonstrate the pose ), then if they roll a critical
success, the target gets blown back through a plate glass window, and falls
ten stories to land on a car... in slow motion! Any character finessed in
this way is considered to be dead, hospitalized or captured. At the very
least they are out of the game for the rest of the session.
-Paul C. Pinkosh
pinkosh@hawaii.edu
Combat Skill Bonuses add to DX for the purposes of determining Combat skill
levels.
-From discussions between
Thomas (tgm) Ackermann
& Dr Kromm
This advantage allows Hero's to gain defensive bonuses in the spirit of
action movies, where Heroes often, with total disregard for tactical
knowledge and common sense, strike handsome camera poses in the middle of a
gunfight.
Each level subtracts 1 from your opponents chance to hit you with a missile
weapon ( NOTE this advantage does NOT add to PD). But you have to adopt
the correct heroic defense posture to be able to get your
maximum defensive bonus...
+1 for blatantly ignoring available cover
+2 to +3 for putting yourself in a good position to be shot at (ie.
striding towards a machine gun weilding Semiotic Terrorist would be worth +3)
+1 for cool clothes (ie. the Mariachi's black scorpion jacket,
Shame's modern-day zoot suit, or even Bruce Willis's body-hugging t-shirt and blue jeans)
+1 for attractive Hero's
+2 for Very Handsome or Very Beautiful appearance
+1 for wearing a ragged T-shirt
+2 for being stripped to the waist (bikini or bra for Baaad babes in a PG rated game)
+3 for being naked (or in underwear in a PG rated game)
an extra +1 if you're a woman and your foes are men.
-by Joe Weinmunson
A specific type of intelligence. This represents the cunning (Chutzpah) a
person may have. It adds +2/+4 to Social skills and Theif/Spy mental skills.
Also in combat it adds +1/+2 when attempting to feint an opponent, and can be
used in other situations as a bonus to IQ based quick contests when
attempting to trick someone.
The Criminal Mastermind has the ability to single-handedly concieve, plan,
fund, recruit, train & then execute the most convoluted, contrived and
unlikely of crimes. These crimes will, if successful, make the criminal
exceedingly wealthy, or powerful, or let them start World War X, or whatever
they desire. This advantage also includes the ability to automatically
out-guess and out-maneuver, the best local and national law enforcement has
to offer. The advantage has one down side - the Criminal Mastermind can
never forsee the actions of a Hollywood Hard Man or Baaad Babe, and so are
almost always doomed to messy failure. Criminal Masterminds usually have a
foreign accent.
The characters immune system is improved dramatically, they are resistant to
most diseases, and receive a +4 HT bonus to resist them. This is a lesser
form of the 10-point Immunity to Disease advantage.
By "punching" your projectile (or beam!) weapons forward as you jerk the
trigger, you impart extra velocity to your shot, giving you a bonus to damage
done equal to your ST/10 rounded down. Only the first shot of a multiple
burst gets this bonus, however.
-sands@netcom.com (Sue and Sean)
The character is on a fast track to power. At the end of every session once
character points have been allocated, the Fast Learner rolls 1d6 and adds
that to their character point total.
This advantage increases your chance of a critical success by +1. Very Flukey
increases the chance of a critical by +2. This advantage is worth an extra +5
points if the character is a regular Magic User ( GM call ).
This advantage makes Gigantism (Basic p.28) into an advantage, you still get
the reaction mods, but also get +2 Strength, taking the total point cost to
+10. Your Height does not change but you gain 5lbs per point of ST added.
Every level of Hard Head adds +1 to your chance of resisting a knock-out blow.
Except if the blow came from behind, or was a Total Surprise.
You are invulnerable to injury or death, from 'normal' car accidents. If the
car you're speeding at 120 mph in, goes out of control, rolls down a cliff and
bursts into flames, you will have been thrown clear and will suffer no more
than a few cuts and bruises. However, you are not invulnurable to Unnatural
Vehicular Injury, say arising from a demonic '56 Chevy.
This allows the character to use the flesh wounds rule, ( B p.183 ). By
spending one character point, all normal wounds except crippling injuries can
be 'healed' back to full health. The character cannot be in combat, and must
be conscious. This doesn't work on damage caused by disease or poisons.
KO +2 points/Level
You're profficient at knocking people out. Any time you hit someone in the
head, your level of KO is subtracted from their roll to avoid knockout.
No matter how cinematic the combat, some attacks are simply too powerful to
bounce back from. Nigh Invulnerable may be used once per game session, letting
the character be severely but not critically injured by a powerful attack.
12.7mm bullet, howitzer airburst, FAE munition--no matter the damage, the PC
is reduced to one point below -HT, and looks simply awful.
-by Joe Weinmunson
You're hard to read emotionally. Adds +2 to any gambling game that involves
bluffing, and -2 for anyone to try to read your emotional state with Empathy,
Psychology or Detect Lies. Adds +2 to resist interrogation, and subtracts -2
from someone using Body Language on you.
This is a minor version of Rapid healing and Immunity to disease. You get +2
to resist diseases, and + 2 on healing rolls, and rolls to avoid being
crippled. You may not take this advantage unless you start with a health of
12 or more.
There are two ways for the character to resist explosions...
Once per hour of play they may resist explosions by bracing themselves . If the character, realizing a grenade's about to go
off, stands tall and makes a mighty, tortured yell (fists clenched, legs
apart, screaming at the sky). This adds 8 to DR for ONE TURN ONLY. GMs
may require a HT or Yelling (P/E) roll to gain the bonus.
or Running away . Explosive gases frequently violate the laws of physics
when around Hollywood hero's, doing horrendous damage but moving barely
faster than characters can run. To reflect this, don't apply concussion
damage instantly; have it move out from the blast center 20% faster than
the PCs current mode of locomotion (running, sportscar, Millennium Falcon,
etc.), thereby giving them a chance to lessen or evade damage.
-by Joe Weinmunson
You get the Luck advantage, usable but once per game.
Your whole torso is packed with big glistening, well articulated, bulky
muscles. This increases your ST by half again (round down), but decreases your
Basic Speed by 1 due to the extra weight.
You never seem to run out of ammunition unless the GM wants you to, or you
roll a failure result (15-18 on 3d6).
-David M. Girardot
dmg@epix.net
An opponent will never hit you with their first shot or burst. If the
opponent is a player character or Major NPC, they'll only hit on a critical
success and you may still get a defense. The shot gives a warning to the
character that they're under fire, but usually doesn't wound them in the first
second. Once the warning has been given then all bets are off. This may not
apply to situations where the enemy is close, has you covered and you already
know they're gonna shoot you.
You find yourself especially attracted to 'enemies' of the opposite sex.
Furthermore, any member of the opposite sex you get involved with will die a
horrible death before the end of the adventure.
-From: Revenant (revenant@willow.apana.org.au)
You are the 'innocent bystander' who always seems to cop the bullet meant for
the hero. Any time a bullet misses anyone within 20 yards of you, it rolls to
attack you instead.
-From: Revenant (revenant@willow.apana.org.au)
You insist on making life difficult for yourself by attempting everything the
hard (but impressive) way, - you know you are the best at everything and HAVE
to show everyone.... You'll always aim between the eyes of your enemy, you'll
never sneak up on your enemy when you could burst in dramatically etc. This
is the advanced case of Glory Hound, not only will you always take the
greatest risks, pursue the most complex plans and organize the most
self-aggrandizing press conferences; you'll actively make everything as
difficult as possible... by informing your enemy of your exact plans on
national TV, or sneaking into a compound wearing a Ninja costume from Props
and followed by a camera crew with spotlights etc. You get a +2 reaction (at
least publicly) from the press, small children, teenagers, etc. and a -2
reaction from the police, and fellow heroes, etc. A Fancy-pants is beyond
Overconfident, and Glory Hound, they aren't Taciturn nor do they have Common
Sense.
-From: Revenant
You are easy to Knock out. Any roll versus Knock out, resulting from a blow
to the head is at -4. You cannot have a Glass Jaw and be Hard Headed.
Your critical failure is -1 less than everyone elses, ie. if your chance of
critical failure was 17, it becomes 16. Also a roll of 17 is always a failure.
A Very Klutzy characters' critical failure chance is at -2, and a roll of 16
or more is always a failure. This disadvantage is worth an extra -5 points if
the character is a regular Magic User ( GM call ).
Applying a quirk to a skill makes that skill 1 point cheaper. Players may have
up to five Quirky Skills (GM approval is essential), these are not counted
against the five 'normal' quirks. ( ie Drive (car)(Q.Always drives as loudly
and as fast as possible) P/A 3pts = DX + 1 )
You've a weak constitution, all healing rolls and rolls to resist disease and
crippling injuries are at - 2. You can't be sickly with a health over 12,
nor if you're Immune to Disease, have Rapid Healing or are Robust.
This is mild paranoia, specifically you 'suspect' everyone 'may' be plotting
against you. You'll never trust anyone except old friends. Other Characters
react to you at -1, and a suspicous NPC has an automatic -2 reaction to
strangers, especially unusual ones.
You hardly ever speak, prefering to let your actions speak for you. You must
make a will roll to say more than a few words. This means the player of a
Taciturn character should never discuss plans with the rest of the character
party. Taciturn adds a -2 penalty to Diplomacy, Merchant, Fast Talk and
Savoire-Faire.
This is having bad luck twice. Something BAD happens to you, twice per game.
Hyper-Strength
From Gurps Robots
Sharpshooter
From Martial Arts Adventures
Trained By Master
From Martial Arts
Hero's Code of Honour
From Supers
Villians Code of Honour
From Supers
Recovery
From Supers
Catfall
From Supers
Psycho Killers
From Horror
Where in most cases you take only Stun damage (2-5x HP) until your opponent
rolls a critical success (3-6) at which point you take 1/2 to 1/5 your current
Stun as damage. The stun multiplier depends upon how cinematic you want your
game to be. To prevent drawn out battles you could rule that for killing
attacks (i.e. martial arts strikes, bullets, swords, etc.) do 1 pt of real
damage per die of damage rolled as well as the stun. So if I take 2d6(11
damage) I would take 11 stun and 2 pts of damage.
-David M Girardot
dmg@epix.net
Sample Characters
"Edward MacGuillycuddy, or 'Cuddly' as his fans know him is the new force in
Urban Vigilante Law Enforcement. The prominent Scottish Coral Atoll Ecologist
leapt into the headlines when he rescued 25 eminent Biologists from the
clutches of the "Emergent Phenomenom Strike Force", and saved Geneva from the
deadly Ebola-Glasgow Virus. Ed MacGuillycuddy joins me here in the studio....
won't you come on down Edward 'Cuddly' MacGuillycuddy "
[Wild Applause]
"Thank you Bob, it's great to be here"
"Ed, as you ( and everyone watching) knows, this city is paralysed with
terror. The Evil Tomito Dibango has reduced the Mayoress to tears, forced the
Police Chief to eat his hat, and beaten the army into retreat. Frankly i don't
see how one man can save us"
"Oh Yeah, Just watch me"
Ed MacGuillycuddy 100 point Cinematic Hero
Shiny Black hair tied in a pony tail, black moustache and goatee, well-tanned
(reddish) skin, dark brown eyes, -- 6', 160 lbs.
ST 12, DX 12, IQ 10, HT 12.
Basic Spd 6, Move 7
Dodge 6, -3 to hit (with missiles), Parry 10 (Brawling), 8 (Judo)
Advantages : Coolness PD 3, Hard Head 2, Just a Scratch, High Pain Threshold,
Attractive.
Disadvantages : Klutzy, Bond's Women, Fancy pants, Stubbornness.
Quirks : "Oh Yeah, Just watch me", Supports Rainforest Action, Wants to be on
the cover of Time magazine, Wears Fractal T-Shirts, has never had a real job &
doesn't want one.
Skills : Brawling 15, Guns(Pistol) 15, Fast Draw Pistol 12, Guns(Machine Gun:
Quirk- never aims) 14, Judo 12, Broadsword (club) 11, Knife 12, Throwing 11,
Acrobatics 10, Running 10, Jumping 12, Stealth 12, Sex Appeal 11, Swimming 12,
Scuba 9, Climbing 11, Driving (car) 11, Motorcycle 12, Pilot (light plane)
11, Computer Operation 10, Singing 12, Ecology (coral reefs) 7/13, Leadership
9, Performance (Quirk- himself as hero) 10, Demolition 9, Escape 10.
Coffee coloured skin, Black Hair in a Crew cut, -- 5' 8", 155 lbs.
ST 12, DX 14, IQ 12, HT 12.
Basic Spd 6.5, Move 6
Dodge 6, Parry 10 (Karate)
Advantages : Criminal Mastermind, Baaad Shooting Grip, Slightly Lucky,
Cinematic Attack Rate.
Disadvantages : Bully, Overconfident, Greed, Pyromania.
Quirks : Loves BIG explosions, Wears Dark wrapround sunglasses, Wears English
Tweed suits, Is always 'Just about' to light up a cigarillo, Tends to yell in
a high pitched voice when he gets angry.
Skills : Karate 16 (two attacks), Acrobatics 14, Guns- Pistol (Quirk- Always
uses the Baad Shooting Grip) 17, Guns- Shotgun 16, Pilot- Helicopter 15,
Jumping 14, Leadership 12, Detect Lies 11, Administration 12, Demolitions 13,
Poetry 11, Disguise 12, Traps 12, Psychology 11, Portuguese 12, English
(Quirk- Speaks with a terrible Portuguese /Kenyan Accent) 12, Japanese 11.