GURPS - Compendium 1..

Firearms Specialization
and Familiarity
(Continued)
Black Powder Weapons
Specializations
Handgonne - Firing a cannon-lock
small arm.
(Lock-type) Musket - Firing a smoothbore,
shoulder-stocked gun designed primarily
to fire a single bullet, but easily
capable of firing multiple bullets.
(Lock-type) Rifle - Firing a rifled,
sighted, shoulder-stocked gun designed to
fire a single bullet.
(Lock -type) Shotgun - Firing a smoothbore,
shoulder-stocked gun designed primarily
to fire multiple shot.
(Lock-type) Pistol - Firing a gun that
has no shoulder stock.
(Lock-type) Hand Mortar - Firing a
true hand mortar or a grenade discharged
from a gun.
(Lock-type) Special Weapon - Firing a
gun of peculiar design . . . built into a
shield boss, permanently swivelled to a
saddle pommel, etc. Each special weapon
is a separate skill.
Defaults: Lock-type is the ignition system
of the gun; cannon-lock, matchlock,
wheellock, flintlock or caplock. Going
from a more advanced to a more primitive
ignition system is hard. Handgonne
defaults from any other Black Powder
Weapons specialty at -7 (and defaults to
DX-6). Matchlock defaults from wheellock
or flintlock at -3; from caplock at -5.
Wheellock/flintlock defaults from caplock
at -2. Going up the scale is easier.
Wheellock/flintlock defaults from
matchlock at -2; caplock from wheellock/
flintlock at -1.
Specializations default by the type of
use. Smoothbore, shoulder-stocked weapons
default to each other at -1; to rifles at -2. Long
guns default to pistols at -4.
Familiarity penalties (see p. B43) apply
to weapons that the firer doesn't normally
use, even within his skill specialty.
Common penalties are -2 for an unfamiliar
weapon of a familiar type or -4 for an unfamiliar
type of weapon. Familiarity penalties
can be wiped out by eight hours of practice
with the gun. Eight hours of practice means
eight hours on the range, not eight hours of
carrying the piece around!
All of these penalties are cumulative.
Continued on next page . . .
If someone is trying to mimic a regional accent in a language that is not his
native language, use the above rales for those whose skill in the language is 13 or
higher. If the speaker's skill is not that high, there is an additional penalty: -1 per
level below 13. Thus, a character with a German skill of 10 trying to pass for a
Berliner would roll at -4 - only on a 6 or less would he deceive any native
speaker!
When someone learns a language, he may decide which accent his teacher
taught him. Thus, the person above would only need to roll a 10 to sound like a
Berliner if his teacher were from Berlin - there is no penalty because he isn't
trying to mimic an accent: he's merely speaking German as he learned it. In that
case, though, he would need to roll a 6 or less to sound Bavarian (-3 for being
three levels below 13, and -1 for regional difference). He would need a critical
success to sound like a Swiss national.
If the character is only speaking very simple and short words and phrases,
the GM may allow a bonus to the roll. This proviso may save a PC's life in a
Cliffhangers or Special Ops scenario - or even a fantasy or space campaign on
occasion! The GM should be lenient if the player has a plausible reason for his
character to know a few phrases fluently.
Other Approaches to Language Skills
Some other optional language rules that can be used:
Everyone learns accents at the same rate: Compute a speaker's accent as
though he had an IQ of 10, regardless of his actual IQ. So if Olaf the Slow and
Willem the Wise each put 1 point into studying, say, Arabic, Willem will learn
much more of the language . . . but Olaf's accent, on those few words he knows,
will be just as good. The Language Talent and Mimicry bonuses would still
apply, raising the effective accent IQ from 10. So if Olaf has Language Talent, he
could end up with a poorer vocabulary, but a much better accent, for the same
amount of study.
Base languages on half of IQ: Languages are mental skills based on IQ/2
rather than IQ. (Linguistics, Language Talent and so on add to this base normally;
one level of Language Talent would give a base (IQ/2)+l.)
The absolute level of someone's skill determines the size of his vocabulary.
The skill level relative to the character's IQ determines accent. Grammar and
syntax depend on both the absolute and relative levels of skill.
At skill 3 or less, one knows only a few basic words.
At skill 4-5, one knows more words and a few simple phrases.
At skill 6-7, one can speak and understand simple sentences, spoken slowly.
At skill 8+, one has a command of the language equivalent to a native
speaker with an IQ equal the character's skill. However, his accent (and to a
lesser extent his grammar and syntax) will still be different from a native speaker's
unless the skill equals or exceeds the character's IQ.
If a character's language skill is less than his IQ, he has an accent. The
strength of the accent depends on how far the skill is below IQ. One point less
than IQ would give a slight accent; more would give a stronger accent.
If a character's skill equals his IQ, he can speak without an accent (unless he
takes the quirk "Speaks with a foreign accent"). He can also think in the language
and pass as a native speaker.
A character with language skill at least equal to IQ (either as a foreign or a
native speaker) may also attempt to use an accent or dialect, rolling against
default accent or dialect skill (parent language -1 to -3) for each sentence.
If the default accent or dialect skill is at least equal to the character's IQ
(due to the parent language skill being greater than IQ), then the character can
use the accent or dialect without making any skill rolls.
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