GURPS Character Creation: Just the basics! Part 3

Hello again, gamelings!

Welcome to the third installment of “Let’s Create A Character!”

In today’s episode we will be discussing:
Social Background and Wealth and Influence

Let’s jump right into it, shall we?

Social Background consists of 2 elements:

Tech level and Language.


Tech Level:

Tech level is the number of the level of technological advancement. Prehistory/caveman days would have a low tech level while future/space age would have a high tech level.

Usually the campaign is assigned a tech level but if you want to be crazy with it all (and your GM lets you), you can spend points to be higher or lower tech level than the assigned campaign tech.

Now let’s say that you want to have a lower tech level than that of the campaign…

Well… okay then…

It’s your choice.

This means that you start off the campaign with NO KNOWLEDGE of how to use ANYTHING at the campaigns tech level.

You’re campaign takes place in late Victorian England (tech level 6)? Your tech level is 2?

Good luck figuring out indoor plumbing! Hell… Good luck even figuring out books or doors!

You can, however, learn certain DX-based skills (such as opening those darn doors or how to hold and fire a weapon, even) in play if there is someone of the correct tech level around to teach you.  However, since you don’t think the same way as other (higher-tech) players, they can’t teach you any IQ based tech skills.

In order to obtain this super special lack of technological knowledge, you get -5 points for each tech level you plan to loose.

Good for you…

HOWEVER!!!!

If you plan to have a higher tech level than your fellow campaigners (and the ability to look down your nose at these primitive beasts), you must spend 5 points per tech level!  This comes in handy big time if you are in a lower tech level campaign and just so happen to be a doctor!

“QUICK! HAND ME THAT SYRINGE OF EPINEPHRINE!!!”
“Yarp.”

Moving right along to Language!

Now, GURPS just assumes that your character is fluent in your native language! (How sweet is that?)

Your fellow campaigners and gm, however, will need to know what that is so go ahead and mark it on your character sheet in a similar layout to this “English (Native) [0]”.

Go on.

Trust me… You want to.

It will save you time and a headache later…

Done with that?

Good.

Now…
Language:

Language is a combination of two parts:

Comprehension levels and Literacy.

Comprehension level is basically how well you can function in the foreign language.

How many points you are going to spend on learning a new language depends largely on your comprehension level, of which there are 4.

None: Just nod and smile because this language doesn’t even rustle your hair as it zooms over your head. It costs zero points to have this non-level.

Broken: You can say “where is the bathroom?” but you probably won’t understand the answer until the person you are speaking to slows it down like they are speaking to a toddler. This means that you are at a -3 when it comes to skills that require or depend upon language. This costs 1 point for spoken and 1 point for written.

Accented: You can speak the language but people snicker at you behind your back for how silly you sound. This gives you a -1 to skills that require or depend on language. This level costs 2 points for spoken and 2 points for written.

Native: You speak this language so well that no one would know that you aren’t from there… you know… except that they’ve never seen you around before…  This one has no negatives toward your language skills and it costs 3 points for spoken and 3 points for written.

Next up we have...



 Literacy:

This basically determines if you can read!

Illiteracy: This is a written comprehension level of “none”… It basically looks like scribbles and gibberish to you. You get the previously mentioned -3 disadvantage to your language rolls. Dang… that sucks.

Semi-literacy: This is a written comprehension level of “Broken”… you read SUPER slowly! You must roll against your IQ to understand the most basic things written in this language. You get the previously mentioned -2 disadvantage to your language rolls.

Literacy: This is a written comprehension level of “accented” or “native”. You can read at full speed and even understand it! YAY YOU! You still get the -1 disadvantage to language rolls if you are “accented” though.

Alright!

On to Wealth and Influence!

What does it take to be wealthy and influential?

Well…

Wealth

Reputation

Importance

THESE ARE THE INGREDIENTS CHOSEN TO CREATE THE PREFECT LITTLE GIRL!

I mean…

Yea…


Wealth:

Wealth is dependent on the character.

A factory worker in modern days will be living much more comfortably than a medieval lord even though the amount of money he has is less.
It’s all variable.

Most people will start off with an “Average” wealth level. This doesn’t cost any character points and it gives you the average wealth level for your campaign.

Now here’s the fun part:

Deciding what wealth level you want to have.

Dead Broke: You own nothing but the scraps of linen that you call clothing attached to your body. That’s it. You have no money. You have no property. You have no source of income at all! You are unable to work, unwilling to work, or can’t friggin find work! -25 points! Congrats! Go spend them on a shower, a shave, and some food…. You bum.

Poor: You have 1/5 of the average campaign wealth. You can find some work but no one is willing to pay you more than pennies! -15 points.

Struggling: You have ½ the average campaign wealth. You can get any job out there… you just won’t make very much money at all… -10 points.

Average: Your bank account is completely average in every way. You are the everyman! 0 points

Comfortable: You have a job but you are living a bit better than the rest of the world. Congrats! Your starting wealth is double that of the Average campaign wealth! 10 points

Wealthy: You are sitting pretty at 5x the average starting campaign wealth! Woooo! Go you! 20 points

Very Wealthy: You get 20x the average campaign starting wealth!!! How are you doing this?!? 30 points

Filthy Rich: At this point money is probably all your character has going for itself since you are spending a whopping 50 points on this! The upside, however is that you have 100x the average starting campaign wealth. Congratulations on becoming the 0.001%.

Reputation:

What do you want to be known for?

The details of your reputation are 100% up to you! That means you get to use that big, beautiful brain of yours!

Look at you go!

You are a character creating machine!

Be SUPER SPECIFIC when it comes to your reputation and know that for every +1 to reaction rolls (up to +4) it costs 5 points and for every -1 to reaction rolls (up to -4) it is -5 points!

Easy, right?

Now we come to the last bit of this installment…

Importance (status):

This is you place in society!
It has its own little distinction from your personal fame and fortune
.

Status levels range from -2 (beggar) to 8 (god-like ruler).

The average status for most characters is 0 (free man).

For every level above 0 that you raise it will cost you 5 points but going even one level above 0 puts you in a ruling class in YOUR CULTURE ONLY! This means that those from YOUR CULTURE will defer to you giving you a bonus on reaction rolls.

If you want to go a level or two below average in status it will be -5 points per level! Save those points for your advantages and disadvantages!

We will discuss those next time on:
SUPER FUN CHARACTER CREATION TIME!!!!!

Do you have any questions? Any at all? Wonder why narwhals have sword-like protrusions on their faces? Go ahead and ask us whatever you want in our comment section!