This is a bit of Action Movie style role playing game rules from my favorite role playing game author, S. John Ross. I wouldn’t ordinarily think that role playing game rules would be of a very general interest but this is just such a fun piece of humorous writing I thought I’d share it. To put it in context, this is from his article Beyond the Grip of Realism, which is a collection of rules for GURPS designed to make your character able to act in a more ridiculous, action movie way. They are specific, character by character advantages, such as “Cowboy Ammo”, which costs 5 points and means you only need to reload when it would look cool to do so. The following is Truly Badass.
Truly Badass; 75 points
You are the shape emerging from the flaming wreck, the spectre of justice,the silent killer, the daring pilot, the suave agent. You’re a badass,and every ounce of confidence is justified.
This advantage represents the many perks of being a cinematically- competentindividual, and falls somewhere between a special kind of Luck and a specialkind of Charisma. The GM should require that any character purchasing theTruly Badass advantage be able to back it up with real ability — the TrulyBadass are at the top of their field: healthy, assured, and capable ofgetting the job done (whatever the job might be).
Important to many facets of the truly badass is the “Scrub”– any character with noreal identity, unworthy as foes. Nameless thugs are scrubs. Generic congressmenwandering through a crowd scene are scrubs. Almost all security guardsare scrubs. If the GM has assigned the character a motive that extendsbeyond a single scene, he probably isn’t a scrub.
The many facets of the Truly Badass:
If it isn’t important, you can just kill it: That’s without adie- roll of any kind. By taking a one-second Attack maneuver, any Scrubbecomes dead. Or they can become unconscious or maimed, if you feel likeit. They must be within reach (or yards equal to your DX, for ranged weapons).Characters or foes of signifigance (GMs discretion) are immune to this.If you have multiple attacks you can make multiple kills.
If it’s weaker than you, it’s scared: Crowds of Scrubs will partto let you pass. Furthermore, they must make a Will roll in order to attackyou. When they do attack you, rules such as Buck Fever (p.CII65) are appropriate,if the GM enjoys them.
If it’s recognizable, you recognize it: If you have Driving skill,you can identify a model of sports car by the purr of the engine. If youhave Guns skill, you can identify a model of pistol by the sound of thesafety releasing. If you have Savoir-Faire skill, you know an Armani onsight, and so on. This requires an IQ roll.
If you want to be there, you are: In an action scene, when nobodyis looking, you seem to move like a ghost, appearing out of nowhere. Youmay use a Move maneuver to get anywhere in a single turn (into an air-vent,on top of an elevator, beneath a stairway), silent and undetected, providedit is within [Move] yards, and you are unobserved. No die-roll is needed(see the opening scenes of The Professional for this).
If you want to be noticed, you will be: When you decide to beconspicuous, you are. Crowded rooms will hush slightly when youenter, and people will pay attention. Nobody will forget you.
If it’s mechanical, it likes you: Your motorcycle can explode,but it never breaks down. Your gun can run out of ammo, but it never jams.Your laptop can be fragged by an antitank weapon fired through the window,but you don’t experience irritating system-crashes. You take great careof your equipment, and it never fails you in any mundane way. This doesn’tprotect you from the failures of experimental equipment.
If you play, you win: You can never lose a Quick Contest witha scrub — the dice need not be rolled. You just win. Likewise, any skillroll made against a scrub will succeed– you will automatically Fast-Talk them, seduce them, Intimidate them,and so on.
Note that while this advantage is useful for sweeping aside the rabble(and speeding play), it should be used to enhance roleplaying, not to sidestepit. Saying “I kill the twerp with the Beretta pointed at me”isn’t enough; the player must always describehis Badass exploits for the amusement of those at the gaming table.“I flip the Beretta’s muzzle back into his gawping mouth andsqueeze his hand on the trigger” is much more amusing.
For 50 points, a character can be merely “Badass.” He maychoose any three of the above traits to comprise the advantage. Both Badassand Truly Badass characters are automatically immune to things like theflu, getting their shirts stuck in their fly, and other minor problemsof the mundane world, as a matter of style.
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Posted by raygan
