GURPS - Compendium 1..

Pious
5 points
Some people have an innate sense of propriety, which allows
them to show uncommon respect to the people and things that
are considered sacred or worthy of respect in their culture. A
Pious character can show respect in an encounter by making an
IQ roll. This gives him a +1 on reaction rolls with superiors.
This is not Savoir-Faire. Piety is a moral impulse, not a
facade of etiquette. Pious characters also usually have Reputations
for propriety, which give them reaction bonuses from
almost everyone. The exact Reputation is up to the player.
Pitiable
5 Points
There's something about you that makes people pity you and
want to take care of you. You get a +3 to all reaction rolls from
anyone who considers you to be in a position of helplessness,
weakness or need.
Plant Empathy
5 points
You have extraordinary succes s with growing things. You
have a +4 on any skill roll relating to the care of living plants,
+2 on skills related to the identification of plants and +2 on
reaction from sentient plants.
You may use and eat plants, but you may never destroy a plant
unnecessarily, and should prevent others from doing so. A stronger
version of Plant Empathy - Tree-Kin - is described on p. 31
Rank
5 to 10 points/level
In a highly-stratified society, it is usually an advantage to hold a
high-ranking position within one's profession. The types of Rank
available will depend on the culture in question: Academic Rank
exists in societies that put a high value on education,
Administrative Rank (p. 19) in highly-bureaucratic societies,
Merchant Rank in mercantile societies, Military Rank (see p. B22) in
most nations with standing armies, and Religious Rank (p. 22) in
any culture where organized religions have temporal power. It is
possible for many different types of Rank to coexist within a given
society, and one can often hold more than one kind of Rank.
Rank may also coexist with Social Status, or may replace it
altogether. When Rank and Status exist in the same society,
high Rank usually gives some Status for free, at a ratio of one
level of Status per one to three levels of Rank. Most forms of
Rank are worth 5 points per level, and from 6 to 8 levels will
exist. If Rank also grants wealth, or grants Status on a 1:1 basis,
then it is worth 10 points per level.
Rapier Wit
5 points
This advantage is only appropriate in a silly campaign!
This advantage allows the character to use verbal attacks in
combat. Roll a contest of Bard skill vs. the IQ of the opponent. A
success causes the opponent to be mentally stunned (see p.
B127). A critical success also causes 1 point of physical damage -
the opponent injures himself accidentally (by dropping something
on his foot, choking on his own tongue, etc.). A failure has no
effect, and a critical failure enrages the opponent. (This may
trigger disadvantages like Berserk or Bloodlust . . .) A Rapier
Wit attack does not count as a combat action, since talking is a
free action (p. B107).
Rapier Wit may be used to affect a group, with a skill penalty
of -1 for each additional opponent. The enemy group must have
something in common which is known to the character using this
advantage - e.g., they are all bodyguards of the Cardinal, flunkies of
the same household or members of the same military unit.
For PCs, the GM may assign a modifier based on the player's
description of the verbal attack. There is a -2 penalty to skill if
the target has the No Sense of Humor or Clueless disadvantages,
and it does not work at all if the target is Unfazeable.
Religious Rank
See Clerical Investment, p. 22.
Resistant to Poison
5 points/level of Rank
S points
You are resistant to poison: +3 to HT to resist its effects.
This is a lesser form of the more cinematic Immunity to Poison
advantage (p. 58), and can be possessed by normal humans.
Ridiculous Luck
60 points
The GM who enjoys a swashbuckling style of play may add
this further level of Luck. It works just like "ordinary" Luck or
Extraordinary Luck (p. B21), but is usable every ten minutes!
Sanctity
5 points
For some reason, people find it very difficult to think ill of
you. Unless confronted with direct evidence to the contrary,
people will assume you're innocent and high-minded (although
not necessarily naive). People tend to trust you and confide in
you. This advantage has nothing whatsoever to do with how virtuous
or trustworthy you really are, it's just the way you're perceived.
Sanctity gives no bonuses to reaction rolls, but it will
influence the actions of those who have a positive reaction to
you.
Security Clearance
Variable
You have a security clearance which allows you to access
information classified as "secret" by a particular government or
corporation. Cost is 2 points per level for most nations and corporations,
and 5 points per level for megacorporations and
world-power nations.
No one can receive a Security Clearance without a thorough
background check, so the GM should not allow characters who
have Secrets or other suspicious disadvantages to take this
advantage.
Semi-Literacy
0 or 5 points
During certain historical eras, there were many people who
were semi-literate. A semi-literate person requires three minutes to
read this sentence, and an IQ-2 roll to understand the full
meaning! In case of failure, the amount of understanding is
based on how much the roll was missed by. The GM should
make the roll in private, and convey totally false information on a
critical failure. Many words are always unintelligible to a
semi-literate person, including some in this paragraph.
In a world where Semi-Literacy is the norm, it is worth 0
points, and full Literacy is worth 5 points, while total Illiteracy is
worth -5 points. If Illiteracy is the norm, however, then Semi-
Literacy is a 5-point advantage.
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