I use games to explore poverty, slavery, social justice, and all these other interesting topics within the confines of a low tech environment with limited education or access to information. I always find it a game of how does one learn try to be "good" with the cultural lenses and biases inherent after so much history of suffering and cynicism.
Anyway, I've made a stable of Interesting and detailed stated out Characters in the same manner I obsessively detailed my JTAS submission. Complete with load outs (the words per cents per time of prepping a load out is not worth they pay off).
GURPS Low Tech Character Folder
You will notice that the Dwarf Template follows pretty much the D20 DnD format of explaining powers. There is a "summarizing" term and what the feature, power, or difference means. It does not follow the GURPS format of stating out everything in its points.
Note that a Dwarf's Template is different from their Default Dwarven Social Background. This is there is no mix up with abilities and features, because some dwarves (any many minorities) can be raised as slaves or serfs despite their ethnicity.
Dwarf Template
-15 points
Dwarves
- Slow Move - They begin with Move 4 instead of Move 5
- Lifting Strength +3 – Calculate Basic Lift for Dwarves, as though they have 3 levels greater ST.
- Night Vision 9 – Dwarves have excelent night vision, negating 9 levels of darkness penalties.
- Extended Lifespan – Dwarves are long lived and slow maturing, they become a young adult at around 36 years, an adult at around 60 years, middle aged at around 100 years, old at around 120 years, and Venerable at around 140 years.
- Workaholic – Dwarves are hardworking to a fault, they are so single minded with their work their relationships suffer. They suffer -1 reaction penalty with those who are affected by it.
- Stubborn – Dwarves unusually stubborn people, it takes a great amount of effort to change a Dwarves mind. Double the time and resources it takes to argue an opposing point across to a Dwarf. Because of this inherent nature Dwarves are get along better with each other intoxicated or not minding the business of others. Often the Dwarf suffers a -1 reaction penalty to anyone affected by their stubborn nature.
- Taciturn – Dwarves are a naturally grumpy, cranky, and taciturn people. Other peoples find these offensive and rude. The Dwarves suffer a -1 reaction penalty to other races.
- Elven Rivalry – Dwarves have an unhealthy rivalry with Elves.
- Social Stigma: Minority Group – Dwarves are a Minority Group, they suffer -2 reaction penalty to other races and +2 reaction bonus to their own. They are all Vassal States to the Human and Elven Empires.
- Features:
- Stocky and Heavy Build (Height x0.8, Weight x1.3 of a human of the same strength).
- Male facial hair grows faster than head hair.
Dwarven Social Background
10 points
- Language Speak/Comprehend Dwarven (Native)
- Cultural Familiarity: Dwarven (Native)
- Literate in Dwarven (Native)
- Language Speak/Comprehend Common (Accented)
- Numerate
Rulfar is a Dwarven Horse Archer. Dwarves ride ponies and ponies are logistically the best for Horse archery if you are going inject some realism into "Fantasy". Also Ponies are the only horse which has a gait allows it to be used in dwarven terrain. In the DnD version, ponies are cheap and he affords 8 of them but in GURPS he can only afford one.
Complications
* Wants his sister, Rallyah, to have a chance as the Clan Shield Mother (the female equivalent of Chief). She stands a better chance with him in self exile.
* Secret: His Father Gritter’mane has broken down since the breach of the Dunnum Hearth, 5 years ago. His claims that it was his “faulty intelligence” that made his father decide to the Clan defenders to hold the eastern wall, which resulted for a successful enemy feint and an attack from the south. He has taken the duty and self exile of frontier patrol as a result.
* Secret: His father let a young orc warrior live, an attack of compassion. The orc was a young warrior, who was crippled and blamed him, Gritter’mane, for all the suffering of his people. Wanting to prove a bigger man, he let the orc escape... not knowing he was bearing valuable intelligence. In the frontier, Rulfar has lost the taste for killing orcs (he has no bonus against orcs).
* 3 year ago, when he left he took a dangerous assignment and went as far east as he could. He went so far as to find lands unknown to dwarves and elves. His brief stay earned the fierce hatred of an enemy who will cross the great steppes and deserts for revenge.
* Upon return, he got the most disliked assignment any dwarf could ever conceive - being oathbound to serve an Elven Lord (Duke Tytian).
Clan Dunnum
Grandfather and Chief: Umber’kin
Father: Gritter’mane (age 230; Early 60s in human years)
Mother: Dalia of Clan Boffin (age 240; Early 60s in human years)
Twin Sister: Rallyah (*Heir*) (age 118; early 30s in human years)
Younger Sister: Katlane (94 Late 20s in human years)
Younger Sister: Bethany (82 ; Mid 20s in human years)
The Dunnum Lands.
123,000 mountain acres (not flat land)
I wish I can do this in Miyazaki or Studio Ghibli Style (will update the character sheet when i get to draw him).
