If a player wishes to have a character from a different, non-human race, she may--but there are certain costs to be paid. GURPS is based on a human average, but other races can be designed and played. Since other races have different abilities and talents, they have certain advantages and disadvantages (not to mention quirks) compared to humans. Take the races as packages of advantages, disadvantages, and sometimes skills. In some cases, the cost of the racial package might be considerable; in other cases, advantages and disadvantages balance out to make the cost minimal or absolutely nothing. In a few cases, the overall package may be weighted more toward disadvantages, and taking the race may get the character extra points.
Keep in mind that Elves are not just humans with pointed ears who wear green; playing a non-human character will complicate both character creation and roleplaying. If you feel up to it, it can be great fun. If you don't, remember that human characters can be challenging enough.
Dwarves like to live underground, but their halls are airy, often well-lighted, and very comfortable and pleasant. Even the mines where their convicts toil are less unpleasant than the mines free human miners work in. Dwarves are most comfortable in caverns and underground halls.
Dwarves are great craftsmen; their workmanship is legendary. Even the very average dwarf apprentice could get a good job as a master craftsman in a human town (hence the dwarvish insult "Sell it to humans!" which means that someone's workmanship is mediocre.). Dwarves love well-crafted things--whether fine jewelry, excellent weapons, or even a very well made coal scuttle. This sometimes creates the mistaken impression that they are very materialistic. They are very interested in material things, but they can see beyond them.
Unfortunately, many dwarves have a tendency toward Greed and Miserliness. Some rise above it, and some do not. It is common enough and bad enough to have given Dwarves a reputation of being extremely unkind and dishonest--a stereotype that is not all that true.
Dwarves are 1 and 1/2 feet shorter than the average human of the same ST, but weigh 100 pounds more. It's muscle.
Friends and Foes: Dwarves have a -2 reaction to Elves--it's been that way for ages but no one knows why. Dwarves also react at -3 to Orcs. They hate Dragons intensely. As great craftsmen, they dislike sloppy workmanship and bad quality products--and they do not warm to the people responsible.
ST +2 20 points
Fatigue +2 10 points
Racial Advantages
DR +1 5 points
Extended Lifespan 5 points
Extra Encumbrance 5 points
Longevity 5 points
Racial Disadvantages
-2 With All Missile Weapons 0 points
Greed -15 points
Intolerant of Orcs -5 points
Miserliness -10 points
Reduced Move -1 -5 points
Racial Skill Bonuses
Axe/Mace at DX+1 4 points
+3 To all Craft Skills 9 points
Racial Quirks
Suspicious of Elves & Goblins -1 point
Never Shave Beards -1 point
Playing a dwarf character will cost 30 points.
To create Elves, figure the character's height and weight normally and then add three inches to height and subtract fifteen pounds from weight. This might make non-Elves look scrawny and underfed, but on Elves it looks just right. Then apply the racial advantages and disadvantages below.
Elves live a very long time, and no human really understands the Elvish life cycle. Certainly, the Elves do not discuss it with others--ever. Nevertheless, some few details have become known outside their race. Elves not only live a long time compared to humans, but they do not age noticeably--at least not noticeably to other races; other Elves will be able to estimate the approximate age of other Elves with as much chance of being correct as a human has of estimating the age of another human. Some Elves do appear somewhat aged, with white hair and a few facial wrinkles, but extremely feeble or senile Elves are unknown--at least no non-Elf has ever seen one. One sign of age in Elves is a certain gravity of manner although this can be misleading.
Many Elves die of violence or from accidents, but only the Elves themselves know whether Elves die of old age. Those Elves who live among humans usually retire from the world after many years--whether to go away to die or simply to start life anew elsewhere no one knows. Any non-Elf who asks about these matters while get the silent treatment--in fact, this is the worst faux pas one can commit when dealing with Elves.
Friends and Foes: Elves react to Orcs at -2, and Dwarves at -1. Other than that, they consider one's behavior before forming an opinion of one's character. Elves often have the Animal Empathy advantage.
IQ + 1 10 points
DX + 1 10 points
ST - 1 -10 points
Racial Advantages
Attractive Appearance (+1) 5 points
Combat Reflexes 15 points
Magical Aptitude (1 Level) 15 points
Musical Ability +2 2 points
Unaging 15 points
Racial Disadvantages
Code of Honor: Always Behave
With Elegance and Style -15 points
Sense of Duty to Nature -15 points
Racial Skill Bonuses
+1 to Bard 2 points
+1 Savoir Faire 1 point
Playing an Elf character will cost 40 points.
Most children of Elves and humans take after the human parent--these are the Half-Elves described here; however, some children of Elves and humans take more after their elvish parent--for game purposes, they are considered full Elves.
IQ + 1 10 points
Racial Advantages
Extended Lifespan 5 points
Magical Aptitude (1 Level) 15 points
Playing an Half-Elf character will cost 30 points.
Many goblins work in low status jobs like garbage collectors and chimney sweeps. This is less a matter of job preference than it is of human prejudice. Goblins are intelligent and as honest as humans--which is to say that they cover the range from larcenous to saintly. Goblins often have their own small villages, but there are many who wander from place to place setting up camp, staying a while, and then moving on. These gypsy goblins are excellent sources of information and stories if one can gain their trust--not easy since they are often the victims of harassment by humans.
Goblins are impulsive. They can also be quite unnerving with their big pale green eyes with the vertically slit irises. They are fascinated by magic and react to magic users at +1. No one knows why this is.
Friends and Foes: Goblins have no particular racial friends or enemies; however they do suffer at the hands of Orcs and the occasional bunch of human thugs.
ST -2 -15 points
DX +1 10 points
IQ +1 10 points
Racial Advantages
Night Vision 10 points
Racial Disadvantages
Impulsiveness -10 points
Racial Quirk
Fascinated by Magic 1 point
Playing a goblin character will cost 6 points.
There are reports of a "Orc King" who is supposedly getting Orc tribes to band together for the common good. Rumor has it that some of the formerly violent tribal Orcs are this king's greatest supporters now. This is a great threat to mankind if true.
Orc characters will meet with hostility and distrust from others--on a good day. On a bad day there may be an angry mob with a rope. The -3 Reputation may be overcome, but it will take work to get the community to see the Orc for who he is rather than for what he is. That an Orc character would be involved with a party of adventurers means that he would have to have a 10-point Unusual Background.
Friends and Foes: Most intelligent races dislike Orcs, and the feeling is mutual. This dislike manifests itself as a -3 reaction toward any Orc from any intelligent being. Elves and humans will kill Orcs for reasonable causes, but dwarves will tend to want to kill them on sight. Genocide is not too strong a word to use for the dwarvish policy toward Orcs
IQ -2 -15 points
HT +1 10 points
Extra Hit Points +2 16 points
Racial Advantages
Acute Hearing +2 4 points
Racial Disadvantages
Intolerance -10 points
Reputation -3 -15 points
Different tribes of Orcs will have different individual advantages: Acute Vision, Alertness, Combat Reflexes, High Pain Threshold, Night Vision, and Rapid Healing. The GM will decide on that. Unattractive Appearance and Bully might also be assigned to particular Orc tribes.
Playing an Orc character will cost -10 points.
HT +1 10 points
IQ -1 10 points
Extra Hit Points +1 8 points
Racial Advantages
Acute Hearing +1 2 points
Racial Disadvantages
Reputation -2 -10 points
Playing a Half-Orc character will cost 0 points.
Biologically, Winged Folk are similar to humans, except for the wings and the fact that Winged Folk eat more than the usual human amount of meat. Of course, the animals they raise for food tend to be light and portable too: small goats and guinea pigs especially.
Each wing of a Winged Person can take up to 1/2 Ht before becoming incapacitated. Only 1/2 of the damage done counts against the person's normal hit points. If only one wing is out of commission, the Winged Person will be forced to crash-land, taking damages as if in a fall from 10 to 60 feet, or her actual height, whichever is lower. A successful Flying roll will halve the effective falling distance. If she is unconscious or if both their wings are out, she takes falling damage from actual height.
Winged Folk can attack with hand-to-hand or ranged weapons with no penalties while flying.
Winged Flight:Winged Folk fly at a base speed of twice their normal Move. Their wingspan is twice their height. To take off, they need a clear area with a radius equal to the wingspan in all directions. A winged person could not take off if there were any obstructions within that radius on the ground or above. If a Winged person loses a wing it cannot fly.
Fragile: Because they are flying creatures, Winged Folk have a lightweight skeleton that is more brittle and fragile than the ordinary human's. Winged Folk take double damage from crushing attacks.
Friends and Foes: Because of their exotic nature, many races have tried to capture Winged Folk for whatever nefarious reasons they have. The result of this is that Winged Folk react to most other races at -2, except for Dwarves, Great Eagles, and Goblins, to whom they react normally. Even less open are the "Moon Brides," who are Winged Folk Amazon warriors. They are Winged Women who have rebelled against the rather male chauvinistic Winged Folk culture.
ST +1 10 points
DX +2 20 points
Racial Advantages
Acute Vision +2 4 points
Winged Flight 30 points
Racial Disadvantages
Fragile -20 points
Racial Skills
Bolas at DX 2 points
Flight at DX 2 points
Playing an winged character will cost 50 points.
Centaurs tend to be barbaric. They are often overconfident, stubborn, given to boasting, and rather fierce with people they perceive as enemies, but they are fairly friendly to people who don't bother them. They are also staunch allies and can be great friends. They are affected by mild claustrophobia; they are not comfortable in any building. They are extremely uncomfortable in tunnels and dungeons. Some of the more settled Centaurs do build simple structures to store food and corral animals. They even build simple open-sided structures--basically just roofs--to keep themselves dry.
A few rare individuals are Centaur sages. These are extremely learned centaurs who mild mannered and wise beyond their experience. Some of the greatest schools have been run by Centaur sages; in fact, most of the greatest heroes have been trained and taught by Centaur sages (consider this 10 points worth of Unusual Background). Centaur sages are recognizable by their shaven heads--unknown among Centaurs except for Centaur sages.
Split ST: A Centaur's ST should be expressed as a split number signifying their upper body ST and their lower body ST. The lower body ST is 13 higher than the upper body ST. The race average ST is 10/20. The second value is used as Fatigue for normal fighting, travelling,carrying and so on. Centaurs are nearly tireless. Fatigue for spellcasting should be assessed from the upper-body ST.
Inconvenient Size: The Centaur race is much larger than most humanoids. This means that a Centaur's ability to function is seriously impaired when he is in a humanoid community.
Friends and Foes: Centaurs react to Elves at +1; they react to intruders in their territory at -2.
ST +3 30 points
IQ -1 -10 points
Increased ST (Lower body only) * 30 points
HT +2 20 points
Racial Advantages
Alertness +1 5 points
DR +1 5 points
Enhanced Movement * 10 points
Four Legs 5 points
Racial Disadvantages
Inconvenient Size -10 points
Overconfidence -10 points
Phobia: Mild Claustrophobia -15 points
Stubborn -5 points
Racially Learned Skills
Animal handling at IQ 4 points
Running at HT 4 points
Survival (Plains) at IQ 2 points
*Increased ST is at the lower "no fine manipulators" price since it only applies to the lower body.
*Enhanced Movement means that the Move score is doubled. This is only for the purposes of locomotion; Dodge and initiative values are not affected.
Playing a centaur character will cost 65 points.
Their racial average ST is 11/21.
Attributes
ST +1 10 points
HT +2 20 points
Increased ST (lower body only) 30 points
Racial Advantages
Acute Hearing +2 4 points
Alertness +1 5 points
Enhanced Move 10 points
Racial Disadvantages
Phobia: Mild Claustrophobia -15 points
Social stigma (part jackass) -5 points
Stubbornness -5 points
Unattractive -5 points
Racially Learned Skills
Racially learned skill: Teamster IQ -1 1 point
50 points to play a Onocentaur
Weres automatically turn into their beast form once a month on a full moon. The beast does not automatically go out and commit mayhem; however, evil Weres will have to make an IQ-5 roll to avoid giving in to their baser instincts, providing of course they want to avoid giving in. The Gamemaster is the final judge whether a Were character is of evil alignment or not (see "A Note on Alignment"). Most Weres hide their nature because of a justified fear of persecution.
Some Weres can change deliberately at other times--this is an additional 5 point advantage. The transition takes 3 seconds and the Were cannot do anything--including taking an active defense--during the transition.
Advantages and Disadvantages: Weres have a special advantage: Regeneration. Injured weres regain HT at the rate of 1 extra hit per 12 hours in addition to any normal healing or treatment. This Regeneration works no matter what form the Were happens to be in. The regeneration will not replace lost limbs, digits, eyes, and so on.
On the other hand, Weres are vulnerable to silver. They can touch silver objects with no damage, but the presence of silver negates the Regeneration advantage, and silver or silver-coated weapons do double damage. Regular weapons do regular damage to Weres; somehow a story got started that they are invulnerable to regular weapons--not true. Also, all damage taken in beast form carries over when the Were converts to human form--this can be dangerous since the beast form usually has more hit points than the human form. It is therefore possible that a badly wounded were in beast form can transfer into a dying or dead human.
Weres have normal stats in human form, but they have different stats in beast form: special ST, DX, and HT, and sometimes special DR and PD, depending on the type of beast. Weres in beast form cannot do anything that an animal cannot do. Weres in beast form cannot speak, write, pick locks, or play the lute. They can understand speech and catch frisbees in their teeth.
There are four basic types of weres found in the world that Erom is found in: werewolves, werebears, wereboars, and weretigers. There are rumored to be other types, but nothing sure is known about them. (More detail is available; see F124.)
All the were types listed below have set DX values, but individuals who have very high or very low DX scores while in human form receive bonuses or penalties to their DX in animal form. A character with a DX of 14 or more gets a +1 to the DX listed for the creature type. Characters with DX of 9 or less get -1. For example, Siegfried (DX 15) and his clumsy cousin Heino (DX 8) are shapeshifters--werewolves, to be exact. The average werewolf has a 14 DX, but Siegfried gets +1 for a wolf DX of 15 while Heino gets a -1 for a wolf DX of 13--still better than his human DX.
The stats below are based on the weres who cannot deliberately cause the transformation. Weres who can deliberately cause the change cost an extra 5 points.
All werebears automatically have the Berserk disadvantage (p. B31); after all,the word "berserk" is based on the word for bear.
The material presented here is my original creation, intended for use with the GURPS system from Steve Jackson Games. This material is not official and is not endorsed by Steve Jackson Games.
GURPS is a registered trademark of Steve Jackson Games. All rights are reserved by SJ Games. Any GURPS material is used here in accordance with the SJ Games online policy.
All original content Copyright © 2000 by Paul C. Pinkosh. All rights Reserved.