Trying to make characters for my recent foray into modern (1983) horror made me realize there are not a lot of resources that assist you in this. That’s a shame, as GURPS shines for new players in modern settings, I think. It is something you can’t do with D&D.
There are lists of character templates online but they are not sorted very usefully and the templates range widely in point cost and tech level (TL). So what should you do if you need templates for a group of 125-point moderns at TL8, as I did for my Horror for new players games?
For Action, Using the Basic Action Template
For a relatively streamlined character-creation process where you still get some agency, start with the Basic Action Template (BAT) from GURPS Action 4 (100 points), then add one of the 25-point “skill sets” given (e.g., “Negotiator,” “Countersurveillance,” “Femme Fatale,” etc.) for a total of 125 points. Or if you prefer, start with a “half-BAT” at 50 points, then add three “skill sets” for the remaining 75 points. This process will not produce noncombatant characters.
Use Investigators from GURPS Horror
As an alternative, start with one of these 60-90 point templates from GURPS Horror Chapter 1: Academic, Attorney, Aristocrat, Criminal, Detective, Explorer, Doctor, Journalist, Police Officer, Retired Soldier, and Tech. Then add the 25-point “skill sets” from GURPS Action 4 mentioned above.
Use Investigators from GURPS Mysteries
OR, start with one of these 60-86 point templates from GURPS Mysteries Chapter 7: Fire Marshal, Hard-Boiled Detective, Police Detective, Medical Examiner, Specialist (really a “Security Consultant” sort of person), and That Darn Kid.
For an Unarmed Fighter, Use GURPS Martial Arts
GURPS Martial Arts has some modern character templates for those who wish to specialize in unarmed combat — these are appropriate for a TL8 setting. However, they often make use of the book’s optional rules, which might be a problem in your campaign or one-shot. See: Assassin, Contender (e.g., Pro Boxer), Crimefighter, Duelist, Spy, Student, Stuntman, Warrior (at TL8: Mercenary). These are all 100 points.
For a Medical Connection, Use GURPS Bio-Tech
All of the templates in GURPS Bio-Tech chapter eight will work and may require no adaptation at all. They all have a point value from 65-125 and a strong biomedical focus. These include: Activist, Bioengineer, Biotech Executive, Ecoteur, Epidemiologist, Forensic Pathologist, Nurse, Organlegger, and Physician.
Other Sources
The difficulty is that these templates are so scattered. Other books have a TL8 character near 125 points here or there, but they are hard to find. For example, “Hardened Survivor” is a 150 point template in GURPS Zombies, p. 39 and it is suitable for TL8, but it is the only template of its kind in the book near this point cost.
If you are looking for premade characters, Iconic Characters Xing La and Professor Headley (see p. B314) could be reduced to 125 points and changed to fit TL8 but they are the only prospects contained in the Basic Set.
Special Thanks
The GURPS Forum thread “What are good sources for low-powered templates?” was a big help when researching this topic!
IMAGE CREDIT: Dall-E 3
Requires Concentrate 