Comparative Character Chart
I’ve borrowed this comparison of characters from Sean “Dr. Kromm” Punch, the GURPS Line Editor, but as I don’t know how he came to the numbers he listed, I’ve made my own scales. If any category is missing, please let me know. In all categories, I’ve listed the Hero’s peak at no expenditure of resources such as FP, so there might be areas within a category where the Hero doesn’t have the listed rating and Heroes with a lower rating that is more broadly skilled than a Hero with a higher rating and by expending FP, e.g. for chi or magic, he might reach beyond what is listed. A - indicates that the peak is very “thin”, while a + indicates that the Hero has something extra, but that it doesn’t warrant an increased rating. Everything below this paragraph is from Kromm’s system (as used in his modern day campaign) and my adaptation of it (both to a cinematic fantasy campaign and RPol).
Below, each Hero is rated from 0-5 in a whole slew of categories. This is how much better than the average Joe they are in that area. This isn't a linear scale, and it isn't even the same scale for all categories. All I'll say is that a 0 means "no better than the average Joe"; a 1 means "at least a few points in relevant traits of any kind"; and each category after that is enough of a shift in capability that people at the previous grade would be outclassed in a push-comes-to-shove situation. I've made 5 blue to make it easy to find the “experts”. I've made 0 red to highlight the non-experts, help existing players figure out where to spend points, and suggest to new players what would be useful.
The categories are equally arbitrary, really, but here's a rough guide:
Animals: How to deal with animals
Arcane Magic: The ability to use wizardry and sorcery.
Athleticism: How athletic the Hero is, in terms of both raw physical potential and actual athletic skill.
Awareness: Alertness, not just in terms of Per, but also skills based on it and advantages that give an edge at noticing things.
Break & Enter: Ability at getting into places where the Hero doesn't belong.
Charm: Raw appeal, as distinct from studied social-engineering abilities.
Chi: The ability to channel Chi.
Cleaner: Overall competence with disposing of evidence.
Destruction: General ability at arson, demolition, and sabotage.
Dexterity: The attribute… more or less.
Divine Magic: The ability to use clerical magic and powers.
General Knowledge: Basically, how much more broadly skilled the Hero is relative to the average person.
Intelligence: The attribute… more or less.
Investigation: Actual clue-following, crime-solving ability.
Languages: Number and degree of proficiency with languages and accents.
Medical: Skill at treating injuries and illness, as well as incidental knowledge of contagion, drugs, etc.
Melee Combat: Combat with melee weapons. Look at Strength for the full picture.
Military: Formal tactical and leadership experience in a real army or calculated ability to fake this really well.
Movement: Fleetness of foot, more or less.
Outdoorsman: Comfort with the great outdoors, including not freezing to death and not getting lost.
Ranged Combat: Combat with ranged weapons. Look at Strength for the full picture.
Reflexes: Essentially just a relative rating of Dodge score, with a few other things I felt were important.
Resolve: Resistance to fear, torture, etc. More than just Will, that I'll say.
Sneakiness: General ability to stalk around without being noticed. Each Hero tends to have a favorite method, of course.
Social: Overall social firepower, considering skills as well as advantages, perks, etc.
Stamina: A coarse rating of fatigue resistance and energy reserves.
Strength: The attribute… more or less.
Thievery: How good the Hero is at ripping things off and getting away with the crime.
Toughness: A general rating of how well the Hero withstands violence.
Unarmed Combat: Grappling, punching, kicking, etc. Look at Strength for the full picture.
Vehicles: Training at vehicle handling and maintenance, regardless of exact specialty.
This message was last edited by the GM at 14:14, Sat 13 Mar 2010.
