Table Of ContentGURPS is the most flexible roleplaying system
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ever created. With just this book, you can
adventure in any world you can imagine. Use all A
types of weapons from clubs to lasers . . . magic
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and martial arts . . . psionics and superpowers.
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Create exactly the character you want to play
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. . . your favorite fictional hero, or your own
invention. Choose from over 400 advantages
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and disadvantages, over 350 skills, spells, and
techniques. Customize your character with E
individual perks and quirks, and you’re ready
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to go.
No more switching game systems when you
change campaigns! GURPS gives you one set of
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clear, comprehensive rules to cover any
background. This new Fourth Edition is based
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on 16 years of gamer feedback from the Third
Edition, and is faster and easier to play than ever before. A
GURPS makes the Game Master’s job easy and fun. All rules are carefully organized, indexed, R
and cross-referenced. Charts and tables are clear and legible. And to help you introduce new
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players to the system, there’s a “Quick Start” section which covers the basics in a few pages . . .
and the introductory version of the rules, GURPS Lite, is available free online!
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This is Book 1 of the two-volume Basic Set. Only this book is necessary to play.
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Game Masters, and players wanting more detail, will find Book 2 valuable.
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S
4TH EDITION, 7TH PRINTING
PUBLISHED JANUARY2020
I9S!BBMNF @J1A-:R5S5V6QX3O4o-Y7`Z2`Z9iZ-nZ0`
STEVE
JACKSON
GAMES
Made in
SJG 01-0001
Hong Kong 01-0001
Basic Set: Characters
GURPSGame Design by STEVE JACKSON
GURPSFourth Edition Revision by DAVID L. PULVER and SEAN M. PUNCH
Cover Design by VICTOR R. FERNANDES
Cover Art by JOHN ZELEZNIK
Edited by ANDREW HACKARD and STEVE JACKSON
Illustrated by ABRAR AJMAL, ALEX FERNANDEZ, TED GALADAY, ERIC LOFGREN,
JOHN MORIARTY, TORSTEIN NORDSTRAND, GLEN OSTERBERGER, V. SHANE,
BOB STEVLIC, ERIC WILKERSON, andJIM ZUBKAVICH
ISBN 978-1-55634-729-0 7 8 9 10
STEVE JACKSON GAMES
President/Editor-in-Chief/GURPS System Design (cid:1) STEVE JACKSON
Chief Executive Officer (cid:1) PHILIP REED
Chief Creative Officer (cid:1) SAM MITSCHKE
Chief Operating Officer (cid:1) SUSAN BUENO
GURPS Line Editor (cid:1) SEAN PUNCH
GURPS Project Manager (cid:1) STEVEN MARSH
Project Manager (cid:1) DARRYLL SILVA
Production Manager (cid:1) SABRINA GONZALEZ
Art Direction and Page Design (cid:1) PHILIP REED
Production Artists (cid:1) JUSTIN DE WITT, ALEX FERNANDEZ,
PHILIP REED, and NIKOLA VRTIS
Prepress Checkers (cid:1) SUSAN BUENO, MIRANDA HORNER, and LEONARD BALSERA
Director of Sales (cid:1) ROSS JEPSON
GURPS FAQ Maintainer (cid:1) VICKY “MOLOKH” KOLENKO
Infinite Worlds Concept by John M. Ford and Steve Jackson
Iconic Characters Created by Kenneth Hite
Editorial Assistance by Jeff Rose
Proofreading by Steve Jackson and Sean M. Punch
Additional Material: Kenneth Hite, Robert M. Schroeck, William H. Stoddard
Fourth Edition Testing and Rules Refinement:James Cambias, Paul Chapman, Mark Cogan, Peter V. Dell'Orto, John M. Ford,
Devin L. Ganger, Robert Gilson, Kenneth Hite, Roberto Hoyle, Steven Marsh, Phil Masters, Elizabeth McCoy, Walter Milliken,
Bill Oliver, Kenneth Peters, Giles Schildt, Gene Seabolt, William H. Stoddard, Michael Suileabhain-Wilson, William Toporek,
Brian J. Underhill, Andy Vetromile, Hans-Christian Vortisch, Jeff Wilson, Jonathan Woodward
Helpful Comments:Michelle Barrett, Kim Bernard, T. Bone, C. Lee Davis, Shawn Fisher, Bob Portnell,
Lisa Steele, Stéphane Thériault, Chad Underkoffler
Credits for earlier editions:
Additional Material: Steve Beeman, Craig Brown, Jerry Epperson, Jeff George, Scott Haring, Mike Hurst, Stefan Jones,
Jim Kennedy, David Ladyman, Jeff Lease, Walter Milliken, Steffan O’Sullivan, Ravi Rai, W. Dow Rieder,
Art Samuels, Scorpia, Curtis Scott
Playtest:Norman Banduch, Jeb Boyt, Keith Carter, Caroline Chase, James Crouchet, Jim Gould, Scott Haring,
Rob Kirk, David Ladyman, Martha Ladyman, Creede Lambard, Sharleen Lambard, C. Mara Lee, Mike Lopez,
Michael Moe, David Noel, Susan Poelma, Warren Spector, Gerald Swick, Allen Varney, Dan Willems
Blindtest:Aaron Allston, Mark Babik, Sean Barrett, Bill Barton, Vicki Barton, James D. Bergman, David Castro,
Bruce Coleman, Jerry Epperson, Jeff Flowers, Dave Franz, Cheryl Freedman, Jeff George, Kevin Gona, Kevin Heacox,
Carl Leatherman, Guy McLimore, Alexis Mirsky, Joseph G. Paul, Greg Poehlein, Greg Porter, Randy Porter, Mark Redigan,
Glenn Spicer, John Sullivan, Rick Swan, Kirk Tate, David Tepool, Bob Traynor, Alexander von Thorn, and many others
Reality Checking:Warren Spector, Monica Stephens, Allen Varney, Jim Gould, David Noel, Rob Kirk
Research Assistance:Mike Hurst, Jeffrey K. Greason, Walter Milliken
Helpful Comments:Many of the above, plus Tim Carroll, Nick Christenson, Jim Duncan, David Dyche, Ron Findling, Mike Ford,
Steve Maurer, John Meyer, Ken Rolston, Dave Seagraves, Bill Seurer, Brett Slocum, Gus Smedstad, Karl Wu, and Phil Yanov
Many thanks to everyone above – and for all the others we couldn’t list.
And special thanks to everyone who enjoyed the first three editions and said so!
GURPS, Warehouse 23, and the pyramid logo are registered trademarks of Steve Jackson Games Incorporated. Pyramidand the names
of all products published by Steve Jackson Games Incorporated are registered trademarks or trademarks of Steve Jackson Games Incorporated,
or used under license. GURPS Basic Set: Charactersis copyright © 1986-1989, 1991-1994, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2002, 2004, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2015, 2020
by Steve Jackson Games Incorporated. All rights reserved. Printed in Hong Kong.
The scanning, uploading, and distribution of this book via the Internet or via any other means without the permission of the publisher is illegal,
and punishable by law. Please purchase only authorized electronic editions, and do not participate in or encourage
the electronic piracy of copyrighted materials. Your support of the author’s rights is appreciated.
2 C
REDITS
C
ONTENTS
INTRODUCTION. . . . . . . . . . 5 Other Physical Features. . . . . . . . 21 Modifying Existing
Example of Character Advantages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117
About the Authors. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Creation (cont’d). . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Designing Entirely
WHATISROLEPLAYING?. . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
SOCIALBACKGROUND. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 New Advantages. . . . . . . . . . . 118
Mini-Glossary. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Technology Level (TL) . . . . . . . . . 22
Materials Needed for Play . . . . . . . . 8
Culture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 3. DISADVANTAGES. . . . . . 119
QUICKSTART . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Language . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Metric Conversions . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Disadvantages for Heroes . . . . . . 119
Sapience and Language. . . . . . . . . 23
Restrictions on Disadvantages. . 120
Accents. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Types of Disadvantages. . . . . . . . 120
Broken to Broken. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Secret Disadvantages. . . . . . . . . . 120
Example of Character
Self-Control for Mental
Creation (cont’d). . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Disadvantages. . . . . . . . . . . . . 120
WEALTHANDINFLUENCE . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Self-Imposed Mental
Wealth. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Disadvantages. . . . . . . . . . . . . 121
Starting Wealth. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
“Buying Off” Disadvantages. . . . 121
Reputation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
DISADVANTAGELIST . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122
Tech Level and Starting Wealth. . . 27
Example of Character
Importance. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Creation (cont’d). . . . . . . . . . . 162
Classless Meritocracies. . . . . . . . . . 28
QUIRKS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162
Special Rules for Rank. . . . . . . . . . 29
Mental Quirks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162
Example of Character
Example of Character
Creation (cont’d). . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Creation (cont’d). . . . . . . . . . . 164
Privilege. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Physical Quirks. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165
1. CREATING A Social Restraints. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 NEWDISADVANTAGES. . . . . . . . . . . . . 165
CHARACTER . . . . . . . . . 10 FRIENDSANDFOES. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 Modifying Existing
Associated NPCs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Character Points . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Disadvantages. . . . . . . . . . . . . 165
Contacts. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Character Concept. . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Brand-New Problems. . . . . . . . . 166
IDENTITIES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
How GURPSWorks: Realism
Alternate Identity vs.
and Game Balance. . . . . . . . . . 11
Secret Identity. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Character Types. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Example of Character 2. ADVANTAGES. . . . . . . . . 32
Creation: Dai Blackthorn. . . . . 12
Character Creation Types of Advantages. . . . . . . . . . . 32
Checklist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Advantage Origins. . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
SAMPLECHARACTERSHEET. . . . . . 13 Potential Advantages. . . . . . . . . . . 33
Things Not Shown on the What’s Allowed. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Character Sheets. . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Turning Advantages
BASICATTRIBUTES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Off and On . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
How to Select ADVANTAGELIST. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Basic Attributes. . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Frequency of Appearance. . . . . . . . 36
Handedness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Limited Defenses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
How GURPSWorks: IQ, Alternative Attacks. . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Sentience, and Sapience. . . . . . 15 Perks. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
DSEACMONADGAERYTACBHLAERA.C .T .E .R .I S. T. I.C .S . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 1165 MOEDnIFhIEaRnSce. m. .e .n .t .s .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 110021 4. SKILLS. . . . . . . . . . . . . 167
Machines and Fatigue. . . . . . . . . . 16 Attack Enhancements Controlling Attribute. . . . . . . . . . 167
BASICLIFTAND and Limitations . . . . . . . . . . . 102 Choosing Your
ENCUMBRANCETABLE. . . . . . 17 Turning Enhancements Beginning Skills . . . . . . . . . . . 167
Example of Character Off and On . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102 Difficulty Level. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168
Creation (cont’d). . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Limitations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110 Technological Skills . . . . . . . . . . 168
BUILD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Optional Rule: Tech-Level Modifiers. . . . . . . . . . . 168
Size Modifier (SM). . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Limited Enhancements. . . . . . 111 Prerequisites. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169
How GURPSWorks: Examples of Modified Specialties. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169
ST, Mass, and Move. . . . . . . . . 19 Attacks. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114 Grouped Skills. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169
Shopping for the Big, Tall, Gadget Limitations. . . . . . . . . . . 116 Familiarity. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169
Thin, and Small . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Example of Character BUYINGSKILLS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170
AGEANDBEAUTY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Creation (cont’d). . . . . . . . . . . 116 Skill Notation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170
Age. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 NEWADVANTAGES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117 Improving Your Skills. . . . . . . . . 170
Physical Appearance. . . . . . . . . . . 21
C 3
ONTENTS
SKILLCOSTTABLE. . . . . . . . . . . . . 170 Fire Spells. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 246 WEAPONS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 267
MEANINGOFSKILLLEVELS . . . . . . . . 171 Gate Spells. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 247 Choosing Your Weapons . . . . . . 267
Probability of Success. . . . . . . . . 171 Healing Spells . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 248 Weapon Statistics. . . . . . . . . . . . 268
Relative Skill Level . . . . . . . . . . . 171 Knowledge Spells . . . . . . . . . . . . 249 Glossary of Arms and Armor. . . . 268
Choosing Your Skill Levels . . . . . 172 Light and Darkness Spells. . . . . 249 Optional Rule:
SKILLDEFAULTS: USING Meta-Spells. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 250 Modifying Dice + Adds. . . . . . 269
SKILLSYOUDON’TKNOW. . . . . . . 173 Mind Control Spells . . . . . . . . . . 250 Melee Weapons. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 271
SKILLLIST . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174 Movement Spells. . . . . . . . . . . . . 251 Silver Weapons. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 275
Optional Rule: Wildcard Skills . . 175 Necromantic Spells. . . . . . . . . . . 251 Muscle-Powered
Geographical and Protection and Ranged Weapons. . . . . . . . . . 275
Temporal Scope. . . . . . . . . . . . 176 Warning Spells. . . . . . . . . . . . 252 Bodkin Points. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 277
Planet Types. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180 Water Spells. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 253 Hand Grenades and
Physiology Modifiers . . . . . . . . . . 181 Incendiaries. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 277
Team Efforts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185 6. PSIONICS. . . . . . . . . . . 254 Firearms. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 278
Skills for Design, “Smartgun” Electronics. . . . . . . . 278
Glossary of Psi Terminology . . . . 254
Repair, and Use. . . . . . . . . . . . 190 POWERS, TALENTS, ANDABILITIES . . . 254 Optional Rule: Malfunction . . . . 279
Complementary Skills. . . . . . . . . . 206 Pside Effects. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 255 Heavy Weapons. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 281
Example of Character Gaining New Psi Abilities. . . . . . 255 ARMOR. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 282
Creation (concluded) . . . . . . . 227 USINGPSIABILITIES. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 255 Armor Tables. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 282
TECHNIQUES. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 229 PSIONICPOWERS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 255 Wearing Armor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 286
Creating Techniques. . . . . . . . . . 229 Antipsi. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 255 SHIELDS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 287
Buying and Improving ESP. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 255 Carrying Weapons and
Techniques . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 230 Psychic Healing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 256 Other Gear. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 287
TECHNIQUECOSTTABLE. . . . . . . . 230 Psychokinesis (PK). . . . . . . . . . . 256 MISCELLANEOUSEQUIPMENT . . . . . . . 288
Using Techniques . . . . . . . . . . . . 230
Sample Combat Psionics and Magic. . . . . . . . . . . 256 9. CHARACTER
Telepathy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 257
Techniques . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 230 Teleportation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 257 DEVELOPMENT. . . . . . . 290
Double Defaults and Examples of Psionic Powers. . . . 257 IMPROVEMENTTHROUGH
Techniques. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 232 Other Powers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 257 ADVENTURE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 290
Sample Noncombat Traits Gained in Play. . . . . . . . . . 291
Techniques . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 232 7. TEMPLATES . . . . . . . . . 258 Money. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 291
Quick Learning
5. MAGIC . . . . . . . . . . . . 234 CHARACTERTEMPLATES . . . . . . . . . . . 258 Under Pressure. . . . . . . . . . . . 292
How to Use Character
Glossary of Magical Terms. . . . . . 234 Templates. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 258 IMPROVEMENTTHROUGHSTUDY. . . . . 292
LEARNINGMAGIC. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 235 Are Character Templates Jobs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 292
Prerequistes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 235 Finding a Teacher. . . . . . . . . . . . . 293
“Character Classes”?. . . . . . . . 259
Mana . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 235 Optional Rule:
Sample Character Templates. . . 259
CASTINGSPELLS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 235 Uniqueness. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 259 Maintaining Skills. . . . . . . . . . 294
Distraction and Injury. . . . . . . . . 236 Learnable Advantages. . . . . . . . . 294
RACIALTEMPLATES. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 260
Caster and Subject . . . . . . . . . . . 236 How to Use Racial Templates. . 261 TRANSFORMATIONS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 294
Time Required. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 236 Body Modification. . . . . . . . . . . . 294
Sample Racial Templates. . . . . . 261
Energy Cost. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 236 Mind Transfer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 296
Omitting Racial Traits. . . . . . . . . 262
Critical Spell Failure Table. . . . . . 236 Supernatural Afflictions. . . . . . . 296
META-TRAITS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 262
Magic Rituals. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 237 Death. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 296
Limits on Effect. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 237
TRAIT LISTS . . . . . . . . . . 297
Duration of Spells and
Maintaining Spells. . . . . . . . . 237 ADVANTAGES. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 297
Canceling Spells. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 237 DISADVANTAGES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 299
Casting Spells While MODIFIERS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 300
Maintaining Other Spells . . . 238 SKILLS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 301
Ceremonial Magic . . . . . . . . . . . . 238 TECHNIQUES. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 304
DIFFERENTKINDSOFMAGIC . . . . . . . 239 SPELLS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 304
Colleges of Magic. . . . . . . . . . . . . 239 ICONIC CHARACTERS. . . . 307
Spell Classes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 239
Area Spells on a Battle Map. . . . . 239 COMBAT LITE . . . . . . . . . 324
Magic Staffs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 240
Dissipating Held Melee COMBATTURNSEQUENCE. . . . . . . . . . 324
and Missile Spells. . . . . . . . . . 241 8. EQUIPMENT. . . . . . . . . 264 MRAANNGEEUDVEARTSTA. C. K. S. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 332246
Long-Distance Modifiers. . . . . . . 241
Money. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 264 ATTACKING. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 326
Alternative Magic Systems. . . . . . 242
SPEALiLr LSIpSTel.l s. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 224422 CCOOSSTTOOFFLILVIINVGIN.G . T. .A .B .L .E . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 226655 DDEAMFEANGDEINAGND. .I .N .J U. R. Y. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 332267
What Cost of Living RECOVERY. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 328
Body Control Spells. . . . . . . . . . . 244
Gets You: FATIGUE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 328
Communication and
Empathy Spells. . . . . . . . . . . . 245 A Modern Example. . . . . . . . . 266 INDEX. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 329
Earth Spells. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 245 BUYINGEQUIPMENT. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 266
Legality Class. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 267
Enchantment Spells . . . . . . . . . . 246 CHARACTER SHEET . . . . . 335
4 C
ONTENTS
I
NTRODUCTION
GURPS stands for “Generic the Fourth Edition, is a unified whole. looking for a rule ... and not finding it.
Universal RolePlaying System.” It was We’ve gone to a great deal of effort to GURPSis extensively cross-referenced,
originally a joke . . . a code word to make sure that it all works together, with a Table of Contents, an Index, and
describe the game while we looked for a and it all works.GURPSwill let you cre- a Glossary of terms used in the game.
“real” name. Years went by – literally! – ate any character you can imagine, and Third is ease of play. In GURPS,
as the game developed. We never found do anything you can think of ... and it most of the detailed calculations are
a better name, and now that the Fourth all makes sense. done before you start play ... they are
Edition is in your hands, the name is entered on the character sheet, and
GURPS has been in print now for
more appropriate than ever. saved until you need them. Once play
nearly 35 years. It was not
actually begins, it should not be com-
“Generic.”Some people designed in a vacuum;
plex. I’ve tried to make GURPSas fast-
like quick, fast-moving every game builds on
moving yet realistic as possible. It’s up
games, where the referee the ones that came
to you to decide whether I succeeded.
makes lots of decisions before. We learn from
Most roleplaying systems depend
to keep things moving. our successes – and
for their success on a continual flow of
Others want ultimate from the successes of
“official” supplements and adventures.
detail, with rules for others. I think the best
GURPS is different. True, we’ve
every contingency. Most of games are those that are
released a lot of material already, and
us fall somewhere in simple, clear and easy to
we plan to do much more; a totally uni-
between. GURPS starts read, and I’ve tried hard to
versal system offers great leeway, and
with simple rules, and – make GURPS“friendly.”
we’ve got a supplement list as long as
especially in the combat One important influ-
your arm. But GURPS is designed to
system – builds up to as ence was Hero Games’
be as compatible as possible with sup-
much optional detail as Champions, for the
plements written for different games.
you like. But it’s still the flexibility of its char -
The reason? Simple. Suppose that
same game. You may all use it differ- acter-creation system. Another was
you’re a GURPS player. You’re at the
ently, but your campaigns will all be Flying Buffalo’s Tunnels & Trolls, for
hobby shop, and you see a really inter-
compatible. its appeal to solitaire gamers. Finally,
esting supplement package. But it’s by
“Universal.” I’ve always thought it M.A.R. Barker’s Empire of the Petal
another publisher, for another game.
was silly for game companies to publish Throneremains noteworthy, even after
No problem. The GURPS system
one set of rules for fantasy, another one decades of competition and imitation,
breaks everything down into plain
for Old West, another one for science for the detail and richness of its alien
English and simple numbers.
fiction, and another one for super pow- game world.
Distances are given in feet and miles,
ers. GURPS is one set of rules that’s But there’s more to GURPS than
rather than arbitrary units; times are
comprehensive enough to let you use trying to repeat past success. The fail-
given in minutes and seconds. That’s
anybackground. There are worldbooks ures of earlier systems are important,
what makes it generic. That also makes
and supplements that “fine-tune” the too. In GURPS, I’ve tried to achieve sev-
it easy to translate. If you see an inter-
generic system for any game world you eral things I think earlier designs
esting supplement for another game,
want. But they are still compatible. If missed.
go right ahead and get it. You can use
you want to take your Wild West gun- First and foremost, of course, is the
it as a sourcebook for GURPS.
slinger and your WWII commando for- flexibility of a “universal” system.
Likewise, if your gaming group
tune hunting in Renaissance Italy ... go Others have tried this, but have fallen
favors other systems . . . you can still
for it! And because that’s exactly the into the twin traps of watered-down
use your GURPSadventures. As long as
kind of game that so many of our fans combat (where a lightning bolt is just
that other game uses units that you can
play, the Fourth Edition adds an over- like a .45 pistol) or incompatibility
translate into feet, minutes, and other
arching background created to support (where players have to learn so many
plain-English terms, you can import
just such campaigns. alternate rules for each new game and
your GURPSadventures.
“RolePlaying.”This is not just a hack- characters don’t easily cross over).
When GURPS was launched, we
and-slash game. The rules are written GURPS presents a single, unified sys-
dreamed of its becoming the “standard”
to make true roleplaying possible – and, tem that allows for great diversity with-
roleplaying system. The hobby has
in fact, to encourage it. GURPS is a out losing its coherence. This Fourth
grown hugely since then! There will
game in which you take on the persona Edition incorporates dozens of rules
never be a single standard . . . but
of another character – and pretend, for that originally appeared in supplements
GURPS is one of the standards, and
a little while, to bethat character. published for the Third Edition. They
that’s fine. We have never tried to drive
“System.” It really is. Most other seemed important enough to bring into
others out of the market, or even to
RPGs started out as a simple set of the Basic Set– so here they are.
force them to conform to us. Instead,
rules, and then were patched and mod- Second is organization.Every gamer
we are conforming to them – by pro-
ified, ad infinitum. That makes them has had the experience of hunting fran-
ducing a system that will work with any
hard to play. GURPS, more than ever in tically through one book after another,
clearly written adventure.
I 5
NTRODUCTION
At any rate, here it is. I’m satisfied
that GURPSis the most realistic, flex- About the Authors
ible, and “universal” system ever
developed. This Fourth Edition is the Steve Jackson
culmination of 18 years of continuous Steve Jackson has been playing games for entirely too many years, and
development and two years of con- designing them professionally since 1977. His other game-design credits
certed revision. I hope you like it. include Ogre and G.E.V., the award-winning Illuminati, the best-selling
In closing, I want to acknowledge Car Wars, the atrocious Munchkinand its offshoots, and many others. He
and thank the two revisors of this edi- has served as an officer and volunteer for various industry associations,
tion. Sean Punch, the GURPSline edi- and was the youngest person ever inducted into the Origins “Hall of Fame.”
tor, and David Pulver spent two years He is the founder of Steve Jackson Games, in Austin, Texas.
collating feedback, experimenting Steve is an active member of the Science Fiction Writers of America.
with variant systems, and knitting a He is a semi-retired science fiction fan, and once spent a great deal of
decade and a half of rules material time writing for various zines and helping to run conventions. He now
into a coherent whole. It would not enjoys reading others’ writing and attending others’ cons. So it goes.
have happened without them. His other hobbies include surfing the net, playing with Lego and
– Steve Jackson rolling-ball toys, gardening (especially water lilies), and tropical fish.
Notes on the David L. Pulver
David L. Pulver was born in Kingston, Ontario and grew up in
Fourth Edition
Canada, England, and New Zealand. He has been a science fiction fan
This edition represents a leap for- for most of his life, an avid gamer since 1978, and a professional author
ward in more ways than just rules. As since 1988. GURPS Ultra-Tech was his first book. He has written or co-
the hobby has changed, so have the authored over 75 RPG books including Transhuman Space, the
standards and expectations for role- Second and Third Editions ofBig Eyes, Small Mouth,and theGURPS
playing-game supplements. So . . . Spaceships series, as well as hundreds of magazine articles.David lives
on Vancouver Island.
• The core rulebooks are bigger.
Feedback has been clear on this point. Sean M. Punch
Gamers dislike it when basic rules are Sean Punch set out to become a particle physicist in 1985 and ended
“held hostage” in supplements. They up as GURPS Line Editor in 1995. In that capacity, he has written, edit-
want as much as possible in theBasic ed, or contributed to some 150 GURPSreleases, revised the game into
Set so they can use it to run almost any its fourth edition (2004), and been a regular contributor to Pyramid
kind of game. magazine. From 2008, he has served as the lead creator of theGURPS
• Support is ongoing. Still, there will Dungeon Fantasy series, which led to his design of the Dungeon
be lots of supplements! Thanks to our Fantasy Roleplaying Game, released in 2017. Sean has been a gamer
online store, Warehouse 23, we can since 1979, but devotes most of his spare time to Argentine tango (and
quickly and easily release these in digi- occasionally tending bar). He lives in Montréal, Québec with son
tal form, and updatethem to fix errata. amour,Geneviève.
• Supplements are modular. Print
books aren't profitable below a certain
size, but digital releases can be short,
which allows more focus and special- economical all-in-one rulebooks to Character Creation and Compen-
ization. This lets you customize the expensive boxed sets. We decided to dium II: Combat and Campaigns.
dispense with the box and release Most GURPS supplements written
perfect toolkit without investing a ton
Basic Set, Third Edition as a single between 1996 and 2003 required one
of money.
book. We managed to shoehorn every- or both of the Compendia. The basic
Holding this book, you might ask, thing into one volume. We continued rules had effectively spread to three
“Why does this edition of theBasic Set to call it the Basic Set– even though it books. In the process, several internal
come in twovolumes? Why not one big was not a boxed set – so that retailers inconsistencies became evident – the
book, like the Third Editionand lots of and customers would know that it was almost-inevitable result of growth by
other RPGs?” The answer involves a the same game. agglomeration.
bit of history ... By 1995, we had published over Basic Set, Fourth Editionaddresses
The first two editions of Basic Set – 100 titles forGURPS.However, it just the inconsistencies by recasting Basic
released in 1986 and 1987 – were wasn’t feasible to keep them all in Set, Third Edition and the two
boxed sets containing cardboard fig- print, so it became progressively hard- Compendia as a unified system. It
ures, combat maps, dice, andtwo rule- er to find certain supplements. occupies two volumes not because we
books (sound familiar?). Book 1: Meanwhile, gamers with large think we will make more money that
Characterswas aimed mainly at play- GURPS libraries were finding it way, but because condensing three
ers, while Book 2: Adventuring was increasingly difficult to locate specific books into one proved impossible –
more of a GM’s guide. This was a rules. To solve these problems, we there was too much material! But
logical division of content for a RPG, compiled the most frequently used these two volumes contain the best of
and quite common in the ’80s. rules from all of GURPS into two 18 years of GURPS development,
By the time of the third edition expansion volumes: Compendium I: makingFourth Editioncomprehensive
(1988), gamers had come to prefer in a way that few other RPGs are.
6 I
NTRODUCTION
And because this edition’s Basic put the brakes on growth by agglom- fantasy, science fiction, supers, horror
Setis comprehensive, there is noneed eration The Basic Set is truly all you . . . anything. We believe that’s a big
to “bolt on” extra rules that will come need to run nearly any kind of game: win, and we think you will agree!
to be seen as mandatory. This should – Sean Punch
W I R ?
HAT S OLEPLAYING
In a roleplaying game (RPG), each the “audience” joins in the creation. mass-produced to please the widest
player takes the part of a “character” The GM is the chief storyteller, but the possible audience, but each roleplay-
participating in a fictional adventure. A players are responsible for portraying ing adventure is an individual gem,
referee, called the Game Master (GM), their characters. If they want some- crafted by those who take part in it.
chooses the adventure. He determines thing to happen in the story, they The GM provides the raw material, but
the background and plays the part of makeit happen, because they’re in the the final polish comes from the players
the other people the characters meet story. Other types of media are themselves.
during their adventure. The adventure
may have a fixed objective – save the
Princess, find the treasure, stop the
invasion – or it may be open-ended,
Mini-Glossary
with the characters moving from one
escapade to the next. A roleplaying Below are a few important terms used in this book. The complete
“campaign” can be open-ended, lasting glossary appears on pp.563-565.
for years, as characters (and players)
advantage: A useful traitthat gives you an “edge” over another person
come and go. It’s all up to the GM and
with comparable attributesand skills.See Chapter 2.
the players.
attributes:Four numbers – Strength, Dexterity, Intelligence,and Health
No game board is necessary for a
– that rate a character’s most basic abilities. Higher is always better!
roleplaying game – although some sys-
tems, including GURPS, include See pp.14-15.
optional “boardgame” rules for combat cinematic:A style of play where the needs of the story outweigh those
situations. Instead, the game is played of realism, even when that would produce improbable results. See
verbally. The GM describes the situa- p.488.
tion and tells the players what their d: Short for “dice.” “Roll 3d” means “roll three ordinary six-sided dice
characters see and hear. The players and add them up.” See p. 9.
then describe what they are doing to Dexterity (DX): An attribute that measures agility and coordination.
meet the challenge. The GM describes See p.15.
the results of these actions ... and so disadvantage:A problem that renders you less capable than your other
on. Depending on the situation, the GM traits would indicate. See Chapter 3.
may determine what happens arbitrar- enhancement:An extra capability added to a trait.This increases the
ily (for the best possible story), by refer- point cost of the trait by a percentage. See pp.102-109.
ring to specific game rules (to decide
Fatigue Points (FP):A measure of resistance to exhaustion. See p.16.
what is realistically possible), or by
Health (HT): An attribute that measures physical grit and vitality. See
rolling dice (to give an interesting ran-
p.15.
dom result).
Hit Points (HP):A measure of ability to absorb punishment. See p.16.
Part of the object of a roleplaying
Intelligence (IQ):An attribute that measures brainpower. See p.15.
game is to have each player meet the
limitation:A restriction on the use of a trait.This reduces the pointcost
situation as his characterwould. A role-
of the trait by a percentage. See pp.110-117.
playing game can let a player take the
point:The unit of “currency” spent to buy traitsfor a character. The
part of a stern Japanese samurai, a
more points you have, the more capable you are. Point costs for
medieval jester, a wise priest, a stow-
away gutter kid on her first star-trip ... traits are often written in brackets; e.g., “Combat Reflexes [15]”
or absolutely anyone else. In a given means the Combat Reflexes trait costs 15 points. See p.10.
situation, all those characters would prerequisite:A traityou must have to qualify for another trait. If the
react differently. And that’s what role- prerequisite is a skill, you must have at least one point in it. See
playing is about! Thus, good roleplay- p.169.
ing teaches cooperation among skill: A number defining your trained ability in an area of knowledge
the players, and broadens their or broad class of tasks. See Chapter 4.
viewpoints. Strength (ST):An attribute that measures physical muscle and bulk.
But roleplaying is not purely educa- See p.14.
tional. It’s also one of the most creative trait: An advantage, attribute, disadvantage, skill, or other character
possible entertainments. Most enter- “building block” that affects game play and costs points to add,
tainment is passive: the audience just modify, or remove.
sits and watches, without taking part
in the creative process. In roleplaying,
I 7
NTRODUCTION
We’ve also added several features
to make the rules easier to learn. The
Materials Needed for Play Quick-Start (below) and Conventions
(p. 9) sections cover the most impor-
• GURPS Basic Set Characters. Everyone will need access to this
tant game concepts. The Glossary
bookin order to create characters and look up character abilities. A large
(pp. 563-565) defines the terms used
group will find it handy to haveseveral copies available, especially during in the game – and an abridged version
character creation. (see Mini-Glossary, p. 7) appears here
• GURPS Basic Set Campaigns. The GM will need a copy of this so you can understand the Quick Start
book, which contains rules for success rolls, physical feats, combat, rules without flipping pages.
injury, animals, and vehicles, as well as advice on how to run the game The best way to learn GURPS is to
and design a campaign. join a group of friends who already
•Character sheets. Each player will need a copy of the Character Sheet play. If you’re starting out on your
(pp. 335-336) on which to record his PC’s statistics. You may make as own, here’s what we recommend:
many copies as you like for your own use (but notfor resale).
1. Quickly skim this book, just to
• Three six-sided dice.A set of three dice for each player, and another
get the flavor of the game. Don’t worry
set for the GM, is even better.
about the details yet.
• Pencils and scratch paper.For taking notes, sketching maps, etc.
2. Read the Mini-Glossary (p. 7)to
learn the basic terminology.
3. Read the Quick-Start and
Conventions sections to learn the basic
The other important thing about H L game concepts.
OW TO EARN
roleplaying is that it doesn’t have to be 4. Read Creating a Character
competitive. In most roleplaying situ- GURPS (pp.10-12) to get an idea of the differ-
ations, the party will succeed or fail as ent things characters can do.
a group, depending on how well they If you have some experience with 5. Read the rest of the rules in
cooperate. The greatest rewards of roleplaying games already, you should detail, as your time permits.
good roleplaying come not in “win- find GURPS easy to pick up. But if
ning,” but in character development. this is your first RPG, you’ll have a lit- GURPS Litemay also be useful to
The more successfully a player por- tle more to learn. Relax – if you got you. It’s a 32-page distillation of the
trays his character (as judged by the this far, you’ll be fine! basic system; you can download it free
GM), the more that character will gain Don’t be alarmed by the physical at gurps.sjgames.com/lite.
in ability. size of the game. There’s a lot of mate-
Once you have absorbed the rules,
When it’s all said and done, the GM rial here – two thick books – but we’ve
you can be the GM for your friends,
and the players will have created a done our best to make it easy to use.
and help them learn the game. You
story ... the story of how the charac- The tables of contents (pp.3-4 and
can do whatever you want . . . that’s
ters met, learned to work together, 339-341) and the index (pp.329-334 or
the whole point of the system.
encountered a challenge, and (we 570-575) are as detailed as we could
Most important: Have fun!
hope) triumphed! manage.
Q S
UICK TART
This section is a brief guide to the your Strength to stop a heavy door heavy door is harder than stopping an
whole GURPSgame system. The Basic from closing, or against your Guns skill ordinary one.
Setspans two thick volumes, but most to hit an enemy with your pistol. For an especially easy task, you
of that is detail, “color,” and special The only dice used in GURPS are would get a bonusto your attempt. You
cases. The game system is actually easy. six-sided ones. Roll three dice for a suc- might roll “Animal Handling+4” to
GURPSis designed to be “friendly,” cess roll. If your roll is less thanor equal make friends with a very friendly dog. If
both for the player and the Game to the skill or ability you are testing, your Animal Handling skill were 12, a
Master. The rulebooks include a lot of you succeeded. Otherwise, you failed. roll of 16 or less would succeed. Making
detail, but they’re indexed and cross- For example, if you are rolling against a roll of 16 or less is easier than making
referenced to make things easy to find. Strength, and your ST level is 12, a roll the base skill roll of 12 or less, because
And all the detail is optional – use it of 12 or less succeeds. a friendly dog is easy to deal with.
only when it makes the game more fun. Sometimes you will have modifiers For details on success rolls, see
There are only three basic “game to a roll. For instance, if you were try- pp.343-361.
mechanics” in GURPS. Learn these ing to stop a very heavydoor from clos-
(2) Reaction Rolls. A “reaction roll”
and you can start to play. ing, you might have to roll against
is a roll made by the Game Master (or
Strength at -2 (or ST-2, for short). In
(1) Success Rolls.A “success roll” is GM) to determine how his nonplayer
that case, with a Strength of 12, you
a die roll made when you need to “test” characters (NPCs) react to the player
would need to roll a 10 or less to suc-
one of your skills or attributes. For characters. This roll is always optional;
ceed. Rolling a 10 or less is harder than
instance, you might test, or roll against, the GM may predetermine reactions.
rolling a 12 or less, just as stopping a
8 I
NTRODUCTION
