GURPS: Low-Tech Background Packages

These Background packages are  meant to give color to the character templates in pyramids adventurous occupations men-at-arms. This also allows the players and GMs to easily build non-warrior character. 

Mental Road-map – the following are likely packages of a given background, these skills occur most often in the individuals who are fit these loose categories. No profile is perfect, consider that some individuals default from a related skill and build up from there, while others incompetent, lacking skills and forced to make best with defaults. 

Inspired by Mgelis background packages in JTAS March 20, 2012 background professions

some low-tech -assumptions: 

  • Innumerate (B140) basic mathematic skills are not developed 
  • Illitteracy (B24), cannot read and write in vernacular, note that the ability to write is assumed in my interpretation of comprehension levels (B24), but strictly in RAW that is not clear IMO. If you go by the description of writing in B228 people can write, but without the skill they write terribly at -5 default penalty when trying to be very clear and cram as much useful and consice information into a composition.  
 Note: using optional specialization rules B169 

Basic Education is 10cp, the rest is 5cp.

Basic Education and Literacy
Read/write: Vernacular (Native) [3];  Buy off Innumerate [5]; Literature (optional specialty: Native Lore and Stories) (A) IQ-1 [1]; Savoir-faire (High Society) (E) IQ [1]. 10 points

Multi-Cultural Education
Cultural Familiarity [1]; Speak language: 2nd language (accented) [2]; Read/Write: second language (accented) [2].

Classical Education

Speak Language: Ancient (broken) [1]; Read/Write: Ancient (broken) [1]; Philosophy (Classical) (H) IQ-2 [1]; Public speaking (A) IQ-1 [1]; Mathematics (applied)/TL2 (H) IQ-2 [1]. This is the typical kind of education provided by Roman and Greek tutors.

Religious Education
Speak Language: Ancient (broken) [1]; Read/write: Ancient (broken) [1]; Theology (Specify) (H) IQ-2 [1]; Literature (Religious) (H) IQ-2 [1]; Religious Ritual (A) IQ-1 [1]. This is the typical kind of education provided by Christian Clergy.

Religious with Classical Education
Philosophy (Classical) (H) IQ-2 [1]; Mathematics (applied)/TL2 (H) IQ-2 [1]; Theology (Specify) (H) IQ-2 [1]; Literature (classical or religious) (H) IQ-2 [1]; Public speaking (A) IQ-1 [1]. This is the typical kind of education provided by  Islamic and Christian tutors.

Reciprocity Education
Philosophy (Reciprocity) (H) IQ-2 [1]; Administration (A) IQ-1 [1]; Mathematics (applied)/TL2 (H) IQ-2 [1]; Psychology/TL2 (H) IQ-2 [1]; Research (A) IQ-1 [1]. This is the typical kind of education provided by Confucian scholars.

Legalistic Education

Law (H) IQ-2 [1], Administration (A) IQ-1 [1], Math (applied)/TL2 (H) IQ-2 [1], Accounting  (H) IQ-2 [1], Savoir-faire (high society) (E) IQ [1]. This is the typical kind of education provided by Taoist scholar. 

Courtier

Expert Skill: Political Intrigue (H) IQ [4]; Area Knowledge (Choose a Court) (E) IQ [1]. 

Magistrate

Body language (A) Per-1 [1]; Interrogation (A) IQ [2]; Law (H) IQ-2 [1]; Administration (A) IQ-1 [1].

Herald
Public speaking (A) IQ-1 [1]; Poetry (A) IQ-1 [1]; Writing (A) IQ-1 [1]; History (H) IQ-2 [1]; Current Affairs (E) IQ [1]. 



Philosopher
Research or writing (A) IQ-1 [1]; Philosophy (H) IQ [4].

Uses of philosophers in game. As the GM I would allow some cognitive therapy feats and access to some modern skills like economics, political science, and psychology. An example is mindful meditation is a bhuddist mental technique that improves concentration and multitasking in modern learning studies, very similar to the concentration enhancement of autohypnosis. What happens is these skills default to the Philosophy, Expert Skill, or History at -4.  

Sage
Research or writing (A) IQ-1 [1]; Expertise (choose one) (H) IQ [4].

Historian
History (H) IQ [4]; Public speaking (optional specialization: storytelling) (E) IQ [1]

Mandarin

Administration (A) IQ-1 [1]; Law (H) IQ-2 [1]; Accounting (H) IQ-2 [1]; Mathematics (applied) (H) IQ-2 [1]; Public Speaking (A) IQ-1 [1]. 

Litigant

Law (H) IQ [4]; Current Affairs (Laws) (E) IQ [1].

Healer
Physician/TL2  (H) IQ-2 [1]; Diagnosis/TL2  (H) IQ-2 [1]; Pharmacy/TL2  (H) IQ-2 [1]; Surgery/TL2  (H) IQ-2 [1]; First aid/TL2 (E) IQ [1]. 

Master Builder

Mathematics (applied)/TL2 (H) IQ-2 [1]; Engineering (civil)/TL2 (H) IQ-2 [1]; Architecture (A) IQ-1 [1]; Artist (sculpting) (H) IQ-2 [1]; Leadership (optional specialization: managing construction crew) (E) IQ [1]. 

Scout

Survival (Homelands) (A) Per-1 [1]; Navigation (land) (A) Per-1 [1]; Stealth (A) DX-1 [1]; Hiking (A) HT-1 [1]; Observation (A) Per-1 [1].

Spy
Acting (A) IQ+1 [4], fast talk (A) IQ-1 [1]. 

Campaigned
Soldier (A) IQ-1 [1]; Hiking (A) HT [2]; Survival (A) Per [2].

Archer
Bow  (A) DX+1 [4] or Crossbow (E) DX+2 [4]; Fast draw ( arrow or quarell)  (E) DX [1].

Duelist
Feint (H) primary weapon+4 [5].

Squad Leader

Leadership (optional specialty: only his squad) (E) IQ [1]; Tactics/TL2 (optional specialty: squad) (A) IQ [2]; Strategy/TL2 (H) IQ-2 [1]; Public speaking (optional specialty: squad)  (E) IQ-1 [1]. 

Combat Engineer

Mathematics (applied)/TL2 (H) IQ-2 [1]; Engineering (combat)/TL2 (H) IQ-2 [1]; Armoury (artillery)/TL2 (A) IQ-1 [1]; Artillery (catapult)/TL2 (A) IQ-1 [1]; Traps (A) IQ-1 [1]. 

Elite Guard 

Observation or Search (A) Per-1 [1]; Body language (optional specialty: detecting threats of violence, cannot be used to detec lies or emotion) (E) Per+2 [4] or  Body Language (A) Per+1 [4]. 

Marine

Crewman: seamanship/TL2 (E) IQ [1]; swimming (E) HT [1]; shipboard-fighting perk [1]; rope use (A) IQ-1 [1]; climbing  (A) DX-1 [1]. 

Next…

  • GURPS: the Expertise and Philosophy skill and the Low Tech world 
  • Building Low Tech characters 5points at a time – an experiment of taking 5pt package farther. If instead of buying every skill, arrange 

Leave a Reply

More Articles & Posts