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View Full Version : [GURPS 4e] Numbers, Successes, and Automatic Success/Failures...



Zovc
2009-11-05, 10:10 AM
So, I'm reading through GURPS 4e's rules lite right now, and the rolling mechanics are confusing me a bit.

I understand that, for the most part, you're always going to roll three six-sided dice, and that low rolls are better than high rolls. The lowest you can get is a 3 or a 4, so the lowest is best if low=good, that makes sense to me. 17 and 18 are automatic failures, but what if you have a 17 or 18 in the given area that you're checking? Can you get a 17 or 18 in a given area?

Tough_Tonka
2009-11-05, 01:09 PM
You can get a skill up to 18 and higher however you always automatically fail on a 17 or 18. Its like rolling a natural one. The main reason to get skill this high or higher is to deal with penalties from difficult situations. With fighting skills for example you can take penalities to target specific body parts or an expensive high quality lock might give someone a -3 to there Lockpicking skill to open it. If your locking picking skill was 20 you'd still only fail on a 17-18.

warmachine
2009-11-05, 07:52 PM
In the GURPS Action 1: Heroes supplement, the Medic template has Physician-20. Combined with the bonusus from a TL8 crash kit and unfaltering pursuit of Higher Purpose ("Medic!"), this can reach 23. Using the -10 penalty for cinematic instant use and Fast Draw (Medical Gear) skill, a medic can usually have someone instantly patched up during a gunfight.

The limit on skill level is up to the GM and the setting. For action film heroes that regularly do the impossible, such as above, obscene skill levels are expected. For other genres, obscene skill levels can be gamebreakers.