© 1998, 2000 by Jefferson A. Wilson | Go to Jeff's RPG page.
See Also: Table of Contents | Introduction | Campaign | Characters | Development Ratings | Worlds | Glossary
As originally written, characters in the War for Reality are 1,025 point GURPS characters. Vaash characters are built on 350 points, with 40 points of disadvantages, 5 points of quirks, and the 675 point Adult Vaash racial template. Characters other than Vaash may be played, but must have some sort of innate World-jumping ability. This could be the world-jump advantage, knowledge of gate spells, or a built-in parachronic generator. The point is that it may not be taken away from them without doing serious harm. (Standard Vaash start the campaign with up to $1,500,000 in personal equipment. Additionally, each character can draw on the resources of the world where he was raised.)
It is possible to use this campaign at much lower power levels. Such a campaign would focus on aspects other than the Vaash/Sesh conflict, and use the conflict as background. Some of the ideas in GURPS Lensman are applicable here. With sufficient time and interest I will add examples.
This is an anything goes campaign. There are very few limitations on character concepts. You may choose to play a Vaash, or an Vaash ally with similar abilities. You may build your character from any of the GURPS books. The one exception to this is GURPS: Mage the Ascension. When dealing with alternate realities, Mage the Ascension characters become much too complicated. In this campaign, such characters are restricted to a particular dimension (or, possibly, dimensional group). Restrictions on advantages and disadvantages are discussed under the appropriate heading. Some interesting character concepts we don't have yet are: Alchemist, Angel, Beastmaster, Computer Expert, Dragon, Ghost, Magical Gadgeteer, Martial Artist, Merchant, Philosopher, Pilot, Primitive (i.e. stone age), Reality Artist (see Reality skill), Robot, Roboticist, Samurai, Sociologist/Politician, Softechnician (see Softech skills), Superhero, Technomage.
As a Vaash, you grew up in a reality which was protected from external enemies (including the Sesh). Upon completing your basic development, you traveled one of the paths your parents left you through many worlds to the ruined station at Enclade 4251. There you found traces that others had been there before you. You followed those traces to join with others of your kind at Gateway Base.
As an person allied to the Vaash, you may have been recruited by a Vaash, or noticed the large amounts of world-jumping activity around the reality which contains the Gateway Base, and decided to investigate.
Before starting to develop your character, you should consider the world/dimension that he or she comes from, and his or her place there. Once you've decided on that, you need to consider what makes this character a heroic example of that culture. With these questions answered, you can develop your character in depth. Remember that the War for Reality is just as much a war of cultures as it is a war of individuals, so your cultural background should be unique in some way. Your world also operates to protect you, so you need to decide why other world-jumpers find it difficult to work on your world.
All characters are assumed to come from a basically TL/8 world with some equipment up to TL/12 available to them (see the GM or Equipment chapter). The primitive disadvantage and advanced advantage are available to change these values if you desire. Note that the more advanced a piece of equipment is, the less likely it is to work on alternate worlds.
Stats (365): (60) ST +5, (45) DX +4, (45) IQ +4, (60) HT +5, (25) Charisma/5, (16) Hit Points/2, (100) Increased Speed/4, (10) Manual Dexterity/1, (4) Strong Will/1
Senses (105): (5) Absolute Direction, (5) Absolute Timing, (25) Alertness/5, (4) Microscopic Vision/1, (20) Parabolic Hearing/5, (25) Sonar Vision, (5) Subsonic Hearing, (6) Telescopic Vision/1, (10) Ultrasonic Hearing
Defenses (97): (10) Acceleration Tolerance, (5) Anti-Deafen, (15) Cast Iron Stomach, (12) Damage Resistance/4, (5) Extended Lifespan/1, (10) Immunity to Disease, (10) Improved G Tolerance/.5, (5) Longevity, (15) Nictating Membrane/1, (5) Polarized Eyes, (5) Rapid Healing
Skill Bonuses (46): (15) Athletic Talent/5, (15) Combat Reflexes, (6) Combat Talent/2, (4) Language Talent/2, (3) Scientific Talent/1, (3) Social Talent/1
Other (111): (50) Filthy Rich, (1) Protected Plane/1, (60) World-Jump (Cannot follow, drift, Roll Will or Stunned)
Disadvantages (-95 [-25 for Sesh]): (-10) Delusion that Sesh are naturally superior to all other races [Sesh Only], (-80) Enemy/Sesh {12-} [Vaash Only], (-5) Unique, (-10) Vow to first do no harm [Vaash Only],
Skills (49): 4 Anthropology-MH (IQ+1*), 2 Bard-MA (IQ+1*), 2 Beam Weapons (Laser)/C-PE (DX+3*~), 1/2 Black Powder Weapons-PE (DX+3*~), 1 Computer Ops/6-ME (IQ+1), 2 Crossbow-PE (DX+3*), 2 Detect Lies-MH (IQ-1*), 1 First Aid/C-ME (IQ), 2 Guns (Rifle)/8-PE (DX+3*~), 1 Judo-PH (DX+1*), 1 Karate-PH (DX+1*), 2 Knife-PE (DX+3*), 16 Linguistics-MV (IQ+5**), 1/2 Mathematics-MH (IQ-2*), 2 Naturalist-MH (IQ-3*), 1 Parachronic Physics-MV (IQ-3*), 1/2 Physics-MH (IQ-2*), 2 Psychology-MH (IQ-3*), 2 Research-MA (IQ+1*), 4 Running-PHh (HT+5*), 1 Swimming-PE (DX+5*)
* Includes Skill Bonus, ~ Includes IQ Bonus
Other racial advantages are possible. If you want to play an "Elf-Vaash," you can build the appropriate racial advantages and disadvantages into the character.
Characters may not take patrons, reputation, or status without discussing it with the GM. Since the campaign takes place on so many worlds, and the power level is set so high, most applications of these advantages will not apply. Allies may be taken provided they have world-jumping ability or the character has enough ability to carry them from world to world. The Double-Jointed advantage is part of a Vaash's athletic talent and may not be taken.
Super powers are available, but if you want them you should discuss it with the GM. In most areas of the continuum, super power do not work.
This advantage is found in GURPS Religion, and is also found in slightly different form in GURPS Vampire Companion as Medium. In addition to functioning as listed in those volumes, this ability will also permit a World-Jumper to "sense" where he will end up when he World-Jumps to a specific destination. This cannot be done is the jumper is rushed, but does not take very long.
This advantage allows a character to start with skills and equipment above the normal Tech level of a campaign. This is TL/8 in the War for Reality campaign. TL/9 = 10, TL/10 = 30, TL/11 = 60, TL/12 = 100, TL/13 = 150, TL/14 = 210. Tech levels above 14 are not available in this campaign.
This is a plane that only the character can get to. This could be due to guardians, a unique access, etc. The plane that is exclusive may also be protected (see Protected Plane below).
A protected plane is one that world jumpers find it difficult to operate on. This could be due to a hostile environment, very powerful inhabitants, unusual natural laws, etc. Each factor that makes it protected costs one point. (A plane with two warring powers and unusual natural laws would cost 5 points.)
No character may take enemies other than those specific for the campaign without discussing them with the GM. Physical disadvantages are not allowed for Vaash but may be taken by other races. Odious Personal Habits, Social Stigma, and Status act very differently when you are jumping from world to world and thus can only be taken as quirks. Bad Temper, Impulsiveness, and Dyslexia may be taken by non-Vaash if their racial template permits. Berserk, Greed, Intolerance, and Sadism may not be taken by anyone.
The debate between the Vaash and Sesh is complex and has many divisions. In summary, the Vaash believe that interference in other planes is more likely to do harm than good. Sesh believe the opposite.
This vow is intended primarily to protect worlds and cultures. It will never prevent a person from defending himself. As different Vaash have different interpretations of the vow it can range from -1 (a quirk) to -20 (fanatic). -10 is the typical value of the vow.
This skill is the same as in GURPS Grimoire. Note that the defaults have changed. A person does not have to be a mage or from a magical world to have this skill, although it helps a great deal. This skill enables a mage to adapts old spells and develop new spells. It is particularly useful when a mage is in an area whose magical rules are different than he is used to.
This is the skill of altering your own thinking patterns to achieve special mental states. This skill replaces Meditation in Martial Arts (when combined with Autotrance), Mind Block in Psionics, Meditation in Religion, and Autohypnosis in Uplift.
The user can use any of the following subskills. Each subskill is Mental Average if purchased separately, or the character may specialize. The GM should decide what effects the character can generate based on his background and experience.
Using this skill requires 18-skill minutes (minimum 1 minute) and a successful skill roll. There is no penalty for repeated attempts. If the character has the Autotrance advantage, each minute becomes 6 seconds, with a minimum of 3 seconds. The new mental state lasts until the character ends it, changes it, sleeps, or loses consciousness. No more than one of the states below may be active at once, even if they are learned as separate skills. Unless otherwise noted, this skill must be used in a quiet and undistracting environment.
This is the science of water studies. A Hydrologist knows about currents, salinity, alkalinity, temperature changes, and water-borne toxins.
Juggling is both an Athletic and Artistic skill. For each item over three a juggler should subtract one from his skill, and a juggler may attempt a skill roll to perform a special feat. A juggler may also attempt (at Juggling - 5) to snatch a thrown weapon out of the air if he has a hand free.
Animal and Medical skill. Used for softech vehicles, but is not a vehicle skill.
This is the complete science of planetary development. It includes the study of both terran and non-terran planets. It is also useful for its defaults Ecology defaults at Planetology-5, Geology at Planetology-2, and Meteorology at Planetology-3.
This skill enables a character to change the rules of his environment. This skill is very fatiguing and usually requires the use of development points as well. It may not be used more than once every second. The GM sets the necessary fatigue and DP cost, and has no need to be consistent. As this skill is extremely powerful, the GM should probably require a 40+ point unusual background to learn it. This skill only permits very minor alterations. If the player wants to base a character around altering reality, he should consult GURPS Mage The Ascension.
This state gives a +1 (+3 on critical success) to all mental skills except Magic, Psionic, and Meta skills. Autotrance gives an additional +1 bonus. This skill can also be used to ignore any distractions in the environment. This particular function can be used in a distracting environment, and then used to trigger another mental state.
Entering this state causes instant death, although the character can be returned to life with sufficiently advanced magic or technology. This state requires only 1/60 of the normal time to enter.
This state enables the character to block out certain sensations. The state must first be set up. Then, whenever the character is injured to the point of unconsciousness, stun, or ST or HT below 4, a pain control roll may be attempted in order to avoid the effects. If the character has the Autotrance advantage, unlimited rolls are allowed as long as the character is conscious. Otherwise, only one roll is permitted per injury per hour.
In this state, a character gains fatigue at double normal rates (triple with Autotrance), and may see visions. He may not move around in this state, or do anything other than concentrate on his trance. The character is aware of his surroundings, but any loud noise or physical contact will break the trance unless he makes a Will-3 roll. If injured, there is an additional -1 per point taken.
With the Autotrance advantage, there is a +3 to the Will roll vs. distractions, but the character must make an IQ roll to end the trance.
The ability to fall instantly and fully asleep.
Grants Strong Will/2 (/5 on a critical success) This bonus is +2 with the Autotrance advantage.