Advantages
An advantage is a useful trait that gives you a mental, physical, or social edge over someone who otherwise has the same abilities as you. Each advantage has a cost in character points — you can have as many as you can afford.
Advantages & the Point Economy
An advantage is a useful trait that gives a mental, physical, or social edge. It has a fixed point cost and is yours as long as you can afford it. You can take as many as you can pay for. Some can be acquired later in play — Chapter 9 covers that — but most are purchased during character creation.
Advantages interact directly with the disadvantage limit: you can take up to 50% of your starting points in disadvantages and use those recovered points to buy more advantages. That trade-off is the central tension of Chapters 2 and 3 together.
Three Cost Structures
Every advantage entry uses one of three pricing schemes. Read the entry to know which applies before spending.
| Cost Type | Example | Cost | What You Get |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flat | Combat Reflexes | 15 pts | One price. You either have the trait or you don't. No partial purchase. |
| Leveled | Acute Vision | 2 pts/level | Buy as many levels as you want. Each level adds a fixed bonus. |
| Variable | Claim to Hospitality | 1–10 pts | Cost depends on extent or scope. Read the entry for the scale. |
In a 150-point game your disadvantage ceiling is −75 pts. Every disadvantage point recovered is a point freed for advantages or skills. Chapter 3 covers disadvantages in full, but keep the trade-off in mind when pricing your advantage list.
An advantage earns its points if it pays off in play as often as a skill at equivalent cost would. Combat Reflexes (15 pts) is roughly equal to raising a combat skill by 3 levels — but it applies to every active defense, every initiative, and removes the freeze risk entirely.
If an advantage never triggers in the campaign, you overpaid. Ask the GM what kinds of situations come up before choosing expensive traits.
With leveled traits like Acute Vision, each level adds +1 to specific rolls. You don't have to max out — buy only what your concept justifies. Two levels of Acute Vision (+2 vision) costs 4 pts; three costs 6 pts. Stop when the bonus stops mattering for your character's role.
Six Categories of Advantage
GURPS uses two overlapping classification systems. Every advantage has both a trait type (what kind of thing it is) and an access level (who can normally have it). These combine — a single advantage can be Mental and Supernatural. Marker numbers in each advantage entry identify both.
Trait Types
| Type | Marker | What It Is | Body-Swap Rule | Activation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Mental |
2 | Originates from the mind or soul | Moves with your mind | IQ / Per / Will roll (if needed) |
 Physical |
3 | Part of your body | Stays with your body | HT roll (if needed) |
 Social |
4 | Part of your identity or reputation | Depends on setting | Usually automatic |
The Mental / Physical split matters most in campaigns with body transfers, possession, or cloning. If Aldric's mind is moved to a new host body, his Eidetic Memory (Mental) comes with him — but any Physical traits belonging to his original body stay behind.
Most mundane campaigns never trigger this rule. But knowing it helps you understand why the split exists in the entry text.
Access Levels
| Level | Marker | Who Has Access | GM Permission? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mundane | (none) | Anyone, in any genre | Rarely needed |
 Exotic |
1 | Nonhumans by default; humans need body modification or explicit GM permission | Always required |
 Supernatural |
5 | Anyone the GM allows — doesn't mark you as alien in the way Exotic does | Always required |
When you see 1 or 5 in an advantage entry, read it as "requires GM permission." In a realistic game the GM may forbid all supernatural traits. In a supers campaign they may be freely available. Agree with your GM before spending points on Exotic or Supernatural advantages.
How Advantages Work in Play
Activation States
Advantages fall into three activation modes. Read the entry to find out which applies.
Always-on: Traits that cannot be turned off — either because they are constant (Resistant), permanent species traits (Extra Arms), or never an inconvenience (Intuition). You cannot switch these off even if you wanted to.
Switchable: Most advantages can be toggled with a 1-second Ready maneuver. The default state — sleeping, unconscious, not paying attention — is on. You have to actively choose to suppress a switchable trait.
Attack-type advantages (Affliction, Innate Attack, and similar) are only active during an Attack maneuver. You cannot keep them running continuously without a special enhancement bought when the trait is purchased.
Switchable defaults to on. If Mira has Night Vision and enters a torchlit social gathering where glowing eyes would be conspicuous, she can suppress the trait with a 1-second Ready maneuver.
Some traits may not be suppressible cleanly — agree with the GM before play. Some GMs rule that socially inconvenient traits come with a minor quirk disadvantage if actively suppressed often.
Combat Reflexes is always-on — you can't choose to freeze. High Pain Threshold is always-on — you never feel the shock penalty. These traits are straightforward: you have them or you don't, and they're never a burden.
Advantage Origins
When you take an Exotic or Supernatural advantage, you must choose an in-game source — the narrative explanation for where the power comes from. This is mostly flavour, but origins can have mechanical consequences in certain environments or under specific countermeasures.
Origins give the GM hooks and give you flavour. Pick something that fits your character's story, then check with the GM whether that origin has any special vulnerabilities in the campaign. A Magic-origin trait may fail in a no-mana zone while a Biological one keeps working perfectly.
| Origin | Description |
|---|---|
| Biological | Inborn features or mutations; can be detected and altered at high TL |
| Chi | Inner strength of martial artists; certain afflictions and drugs may weaken or block it |
| Cosmic | Emanates from the universe itself; typically reserved for gods, demigods, and supers |
| Divine | Gifts from the gods; may not function in areas of low sanctity for your deity |
| High-Tech | Cybernetic implants and robotics; detectable by sensors and vulnerable to electronic countermeasures |
| Magic | Draws on ambient mana; fails in no-mana zones, reduced in low-mana areas |
| Psionic | Power of the mind; special anti-psi drugs and gear can counter or suppress it |
| Spirit | Invisible supernatural beings acting on your behalf; fails where spirits cannot reach or are blocked |
Potential Advantages
You can set aside 50% of an advantage's cost as a down payment against acquiring it later in play. Work with the GM to define the specific in-game conditions under which you will gain the full trait. When those conditions are met, you spend bonus character points to cover the remaining half.
Three named variants exist for different narrative situations:
Heir: You stand to inherit wealth, title, or power. Pay half the trait's cost now. When the inheritance arrives — the patriarch dies, the kingdom falls to you — you gain double the advantage's value and pay the remaining cost from bonus points earned in play.
Schrödinger's Advantage: At a critical moment when all seems lost, you suddenly discover a hidden ability worth twice your investment. The GM announces it; you pay the remaining cost immediately in order to use it. Used sparingly, this is one of the most dramatic moments a GURPS session can produce.
Secret Advantage: The GM selects the advantage and does not tell you what it is. The trait functions in the background, but is not under your conscious control until it is revealed and fully paid for. Common in horror or mystery campaigns where the character slowly discovers what they are.
Potential Advantages work best when your concept has unrealized potential — a character who doesn't yet know they're magically gifted, or a dispossessed noble who may reclaim their birthright. Agree on exact trigger conditions before play starts. Vague conditions create disputes; precise conditions create satisfying payoffs.
Curated Advantage Catalog
The full advantage list runs to dozens of pages in the Basic Set. This catalog covers the most mechanically significant and commonly useful advantages. When building a character, match your concept to your advantage choices — not the other way around. An advantage you never use is just a tax on your build.
| Advantage | Cost | Category | Role | Key Mechanical Effect |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Combat Reflexes | 15 pts | Mental | Combat | +1 all active defenses; +2 Fright Checks; never freezes in surprise; +6 to snap out of mental stun |
| High Pain Threshold | 10 pts | Physical | Combat | No shock penalty on injury; +3 HT rolls vs knockdown and stun; +3 to resist torture |
| Hard to Kill | 2 pts/lvl | Physical | Combat | +1/level to HT survival rolls at −HP or below; buy 1–3 levels |
| Hard to Subdue | 2 pts/lvl | Physical | Combat | +1/level to HT rolls vs unconsciousness from injury, drugs, or psionic attack |
| Fit | 5 pts | Physical | Endurance | +1 to all HT rolls; recover FP at twice the normal rate |
| Danger Sense | 15 pts | Mental | Survival | GM rolls IQ before you walk into danger; success gives you a vague warning before anything happens |
| Acute Vision | 2 pts/lvl | Physical | Perception | +1/level to all visual Sense rolls; buy 1–6 levels |
| Acute Hearing | 2 pts/lvl | Physical | Perception | +1/level to all auditory Sense rolls |
| Absolute Direction | 5 pts | Mental | Survival | Always know which way is north; retrace any path from the last month; +3 to Navigation |
| Eidetic Memory | 5 pts | Mental | Academic | Perfect recall of anything you concentrate on; +1 to relevant IQ-based rolls |
| Language Talent | 10 pts | Mental | Academic | Learn languages at half the normal cost and time |
| Common Sense | 10 pts | Mental | Roleplay | GM warns you (IQ roll) before you commit an obviously bad decision in play |
| Luck | 15 pts | Mental | Universal | Once per hour: reroll any die roll twice, take the best of three results |
| Charisma | 5 pts/lvl | Mental | Social | +1/level to reaction rolls from sapient beings; +1/level to Influence, Leadership, Public Speaking |
| Voice | 10 pts | Physical | Social | +2 reactions from anyone who hears you; +2 to Diplomacy, Fast-Talk, Singing, and related skills |
| Magery 0 | 5 pts | Mental / Sup. | Magic | Detect magic with Sense rolls; prerequisite for learning any spells whatsoever |
| Magery 1+ | +10 pts/lvl | Mental / Sup. | Magic | Learn spells at effective IQ+Magery level; opens access to higher-tier spells per level |
| Perfect Balance | 15 pts | Physical | Combat / Movement | +4 DX on narrow surfaces; never fall from moving vehicles, riding, or acrobatics without a critical failure |
| Empathy | 15 pts | Mental / Sup. | Social | Sense emotional state and general intent on an IQ roll; +1 to reactions from anyone you've read |
| Reputation | 1–4 pts/+1 | Social | Social | +1 to +4 on reaction rolls from those who've heard of you; scope and frequency determine cost |
| Wealth | 10–25 pts | Social | Social / Equipment | Comfortable (10), Wealthy (20), or Very Wealthy (25) — multiplies starting money and income; social doors open automatically |
| Status | 5 pts/lvl | Social | Social | +1 reaction from those of lower status; free entry to restricted social circles; social penalties for not "acting the part" |
Mira Ashfeld, DX 13, has just been ambushed — two attackers converge from opposite sides. Without Combat Reflexes she gets one active defense per attack and risks freezing on an IQ roll to act. With Combat Reflexes she defends at +1 to each roll, her side gets +1 on initiative, and she cannot freeze. On a Dodge of 9+1=10 (74% success) she slips the first blow. On a Parry of 9+1=10 she turns the second. The 15-point investment has directly prevented two hits in the opening second of combat.
Vora takes a sword slash for 7 HP. Normally that's a −7 shock penalty — her next attack and active defense would drop by 7, turning DX 12 into effective DX 5. With High Pain Threshold the penalty is zero. She attacks at her full skill on the very next second, as if the wound didn't happen. Paired with Hard to Kill 2, she's fighting at full effectiveness right up until a death check.
Aldric has IQ 16 and Magery 1. He learns spells at effective IQ 17 — the difference between a 98% spell roll and a 74%-capped natural learner at IQ 14. The 5-pt Magery 0 unlocks spell learning entirely. The 10-pt Magery 1 means Aldric can learn complex spells a practising mage at IQ 14 cannot even attempt. Cost: 15 pts total. Payoff: access to higher-tier spells and faster learning throughout the entire campaign.
Physical and Mental advantages generally benefit any character in any situation. Social advantages (Wealth, Status, Reputation) depend entirely on the setting and the GM's world. A Very Wealthy merchant in a trade-focused city campaign gets enormous value. The same trait in a dungeon-crawl or survival game barely matters. Discuss campaign tone before investing heavily in Social advantages.
Perks: Minor Advantages
A perk is a very minor advantage worth exactly 1 character point. Perks follow all the same rules as ordinary advantages, but with three firm restrictions:
- Cannot be modified with enhancements or limitations
- Cannot provide wealth, social standing, or direct combat bonuses
- Can provide a modest bonus (up to +2) to an attribute, skill, or reaction roll — but only in relatively rare circumstances
Perks are the character system's texture layer. They're small, specific traits that bring a character to life without shifting the power level of a build. A city-watch veteran might have Deep Sleeper from years of uncomfortable barracks. A con artist has Honest Face. A hedge-witch has a personal Shtick — she always smells faintly of herbs no matter what she's been doing.
| Perk | Mechanical Benefit |
|---|---|
| Alcohol Tolerance | Drink steadily for an indefinite period with minimal ill effects; +2 on all HT rolls related to alcohol |
| Autotrance | Enter a trance voluntarily (1 minute concentration + Will roll); +2 on rolls to contact spirits or enter meditative states |
| Deep Sleeper | Fall asleep in nearly any conditions; no negative effects from poor sleep quality; normal IQ roll to notice disturbances |
| Honest Face | Look trustworthy and harmless to strangers; not singled out for spot-checks; +1 to trained Acting skill for "acting innocent" only |
| No Hangover | Eliminates all aftereffects of alcohol, however much was consumed — does not mitigate intoxication itself |
| Penetrating Voice | Others roll Hearing at +3 to hear you over background noise; +1 to Intimidation when surprising someone with a roar or yell |
| Sanitized Metabolism | Minimal body odour and waste; −1 to attempts to track you by scent; +1 reactions in cramped close quarters (ships, submarines, elevators) |
| Shtick | One cool signature feature that sets you apart — no combat bonus, no income (e.g., clothing always spotless even after combat; run or fight in high heels at no DX penalty) |
The GM is encouraged to invent new perks freely. A simple test for whether something is a perk or a full advantage: would it single-handedly change the outcome of a fight, generate reliable income, or open social doors? If yes, it's an advantage. A perk's benefit should be "nice to have" rather than "essential."
Modifiers: Enhancements & Limitations
A modifier is a feature you can attach to an advantage — and occasionally to attributes, secondary characteristics, or skills — to change how it works. There are two types:
- Enhancements — expand or amplify what the advantage does. They increase the point cost as a positive percentage.
- Limitations — attach restrictions that make the advantage harder to use, more situational, or weaker. They reduce the point cost as a negative percentage.
You can stack as many modifiers as you like. Add all the enhancements and subtract all the limitations to get the net modifier, then multiply the advantage's base cost by the result. Always round up to the next whole number.
Round the result up to the next-highest whole number.
Limitation cap: the net modifier cannot reduce cost by more than 80%.
No matter how many limitations you stack, you can never reduce an advantage's cost by more than 80%. Its minimum final cost is always 1/5 its base cost, rounded up. Treat any net modifier of −80% or worse as exactly −80%.
Example: Combat Reflexes costs 15 points. Even with limitations totalling −200%, the minimum you'd pay is ⌈15 × 0.20⌉ = 3 points.
How the Math Works
An advantage has a base cost of 10 points. You apply four modifiers:
- Enhancement A: +10%
- Enhancement B: +40%
- Limitation A: −30%
- Limitation B: −45%
Step 1 — Net modifier: +10 + 40 − 30 − 45 = −25%
Step 2 — Final cost: 10 × 0.75 = 7.5 → rounds up to 8 points.
Warp (teleportation) costs 100 points at base. Dai the thief takes two limitations:
- Psionic Teleportation (−10%): anti-psi fields block the ability entirely
- Range Limit, 10 yards (−50%): cannot teleport further than 10 yards per hop
Net modifier: −10% − 50% = −60%
Final cost: 100 × 0.40 = 40 points. Two meaningful restrictions cut the cost by 60%.
In a setting with no anti-psi and where 10 yards covers most combat scenarios, the GM might disallow these as "not genuinely limiting" — a reminder that the GM has final approval of all modifiers.
Aldric has Danger Sense [15 pts]. The GM agrees to let him apply the Ranged (+40%) enhancement so it warns him of threats at a distance, not just immediate ones.
Net modifier: +40%
Final cost: 15 × 1.40 = 21.0 → 21 points.
No limitations were applied, so cost goes up. That's the trade-off for greater capability.
Common Enhancements
Enhancements broaden or amplify an advantage. Their value is always a positive percentage applied to the base cost. Some enhancements are marked attack-only — restricted to Affliction, Binding, and Innate Attack.
| Enhancement | Value | What It Does |
|---|---|---|
| Area Effect | +50%/level | Ability affects everyone within a radius (2 yards at level 1). Each level doubles the radius. Active defenses offer no protection; targets may dodge-and-retreat to escape the area. |
| Affects Insubstantial | +20% | Your ability also affects ghosts, spirits, and other insubstantial beings, in addition to normal solid targets. |
| Affects Substantial | +40% | While you are insubstantial, your ability still affects solid targets — and insubstantial ones as well. Very powerful; GMs may restrict this to NPCs. |
| Cosmic | +50% to +300% | Ability operates beyond normal campaign constraints. At +50% it ignores its own built-in restrictions (e.g., Healing cures "incurable" diseases). At +300% it bypasses the target's DR entirely — a truly godlike modification. |
| Extended Duration | +20% to +300% | Ability lasts longer than its default duration. ×3 duration is +20%; ×10 is +40%; permanent (with a specified dispel condition) is +300%. Without any dispel condition: +300%. |
| Increased Range | +10%/level | Multiplies the ability's range using a 2–5–10 progression. ×2 range is +10%; ×5 is +20%; ×10 is +30%; and so on. |
| Link | +10% or +20% | Use two or more abilities simultaneously as a single action. At +10%, they're permanently linked and must always be used together. At +20%, they can also be used independently. |
| Ranged | +40% | Gives range to an advantage that normally requires touch or only affects your immediate area. Default range: 1/2D 10, Max 100 yards, Acc 3. |
| Reduced Fatigue Cost | +20%/level | Cuts the FP cost to activate the ability by 1 FP per level. Only valid for abilities that already have a FP cost. Each level of this enhancement costs +20%. |
| Reduced Time | +20%/level | Halves the activation time per level. Once reduced to 1 second, an additional level makes the ability instantaneous — a free action. |
| Selectivity | +10% | Choose which of your other enhancements are "on" each time you activate the ability. Lets a single purchased ability serve as multiple versions of a power without buying it twice. |
Many individual advantages list their own Special Enhancements — bonuses unique to that ability. For example, Warp has Reliable (+5%/+1 to the teleport roll) and Extra Carrying Capacity (+10% to +50%). These only apply to the advantage they're listed under, but the GM may extend them to very similar abilities.
Common Limitations
Limitations restrict when or how an advantage functions, reducing its cost. The restriction must be genuinely limiting — the GM should reject any limitation already implied by the ability itself, or one that will almost never come up during play.
| Limitation | Value | What It Restricts |
|---|---|---|
| Accessibility | −10% to −60% | Ability only works against certain targets or in certain situations. "Only at night" or "only on men/women" (−20%); "only underwater" or "only in direct sunlight" (−30%); "only during full moon" (−40%); "useless under stress" (−60%). |
| Always On | −10% to −40% | Cannot switch the advantage off. −10% for social or cosmetic inconvenience; −20% for physical inconvenience; −40% if the always-on state is actively dangerous to yourself. |
| Costs Fatigue | −5% per FP | Spend FP each time the ability is used. An ability costing 2 FP per use reduces its base cost by 10%. An ability requiring maintained activation costs FP per minute of use. |
| Emergencies Only | −30% | Ability only activates under genuine life-threatening stress. Cannot be used voluntarily under normal conditions — the GM decides what qualifies as a sufficient emergency. |
| Limited Use | −10% to −40% | Fixed number of uses per 24 hours. Once per day (−40%); twice per day (−30%); 3–4 uses (−20%); 5–10 uses (−10%). More than 10 uses per day is not a meaningful limitation. |
| Nuisance Effect | −5% per drawback | Using the ability has an annoying side effect: −5% per −1 reaction penalty it imposes, for making you conspicuous, or for physical inconveniences like attracting insects or causing your armour to rust. |
| Pact | Variable | A higher power (deity, spirit, etc.) grants the ability only while you follow a strict moral code. The limitation value numerically equals the point cost of the required code disadvantages (e.g., a −10-point Vow gives a −10% Pact). |
| Preparation Required | −20% to −60% | Must spend time concentrating before using the ability. 1 minute (−20%); 10 minutes (−30%); 1 hour (−50%); 8 hours (−60%). Cannot use the ability at all without completing the preparation. |
| Takes Extra Time | −10%/level | Each level doubles the activation time. Appropriate when an ability is fast enough to use in emergencies but you want it to require an extra beat. Cannot reduce activation time past the point where it would no longer be useful in combat. |
| Takes Recharge | −10% to −30% | After each use, the ability is unavailable during a cooldown period. 5 seconds (−10%); 15 seconds (−20%); 1 hour (−30%). Longer recharge periods are not valid — use Limited Use instead. |
| Temporary Disadvantage | −1%/point | While the advantage is active, you suffer a disadvantage simultaneously. Worth −1% per point the disadvantage is worth, capped at −80% of the advantage's cost. Example: Extra Arms (20 pts) with Temporary Disadvantage: Legless (−30 pts → capped at −24%) = 14 points final. |
| Trigger | −10% to −40% | Requires exposure to a specific substance or condition to function. Very Common (−10%); Common (−20%); Occasional (−30%); Rare (−40%). Multiply the value by 1.5 if the trigger is illegal, addictive, or otherwise dangerous to obtain. |
| Uncontrollable | −10% or −30% | Power may activate at stressful moments — roll Will to suppress it whenever the GM deems the situation stressful enough. −10% if the uncontrolled activation is harmless; −30% if it's potentially dangerous to bystanders or allies. Can be bought off later as the character develops control. |
| Unreliable | −10% to −80% | Power randomly works or fails — roll an activation number on 3d before each use. Activation 14 (−10%); Activation 11 (−20%); Activation 8 (−40%); Activation 5 (−80%). Even with skill 20, a bad roll makes it fail. |
If an advantage is granted by a physical item — a magic ring, a cyberware implant, a wand — it can take one or more gadget limitations on top of any other modifiers:
- Breakable — foes can destroy the item. Value depends on the item's DR (DR 2 or less: −20%; DR 3–5: −15%; DR 6–15: −10%; DR 16–25: −5%). Add −5% more if it's a machine that can break down.
- Can Be Stolen — foes can take the item. Easily snatched: −40%; Quick Contest of DX/ST: −30%; Via stealth or trickery only: −20%; Must be forcefully removed: −10%.
- Unique (−25%, requires Breakable or Can Be Stolen) — if the item is destroyed or stolen, it cannot be replaced. The character points spent on it are permanently lost.
The GM should only charge points for gadgets that even the most advanced technology could not produce and that are not for sale anywhere in the campaign world. Ordinary equipment (armour, weapons, night-vision goggles) has a cash cost, not a point cost.
The GM has final say over which traits can be modified and in what ways. Some combinations make no sense (imagine Unaging with the Limited Use limitation — what does "one use of not aging per day" mean?). Others have abuse potential. The GM is free to prohibit modifiers that don't make narrative sense or that are designed purely to extract a cost discount with no real drawback in play.
In D&D, class features are binary — you either have them or you don't. GURPS modifiers let you fine-tune the shape of a trait: pay less by accepting a restriction, or pay more for extra power. Think of it as D&D feats that can be permanently adjusted with optional drawbacks and upgrades baked directly into their point cost — no house-ruling required.
Running Examples: Choosing Advantages
Each character's concept dictates their advantage choices. Advantages aren't decoration — they are the mechanical translation of who your character is. A warrior who doesn't have Combat Reflexes will lose fights a 15-point investment would have won. A wizard without Magery cannot cast spells at all.
Eidetic Memory [5 pts] — Thirty years of academic work. He doesn't take notes — he doesn't need to. Every text he's read, every formula, every argument, filed perfectly. On any IQ roll to recall specific studied material, he succeeds automatically on a 16 or under.
Magery 0 [5 pts] — He identifies magic as a branch of natural philosophy and has been sensitive to it since adolescence. Without Magery 0 he cannot learn spells at all. This is the door that everything else walks through.
Magery 1 [10 pts] — Adds +1 to IQ when learning spells — effective IQ 17 for spell study. Opens access to advanced spell tiers. The minimum level serious mages need to distinguish themselves from raw apprentices.
Magery 2 [10 pts] — Effective spell-learning IQ 18. Each Magery level expands the tier of spells he can reach, accelerates the rate at which mastered spells improve, and adds to final spell-casting rolls. The investment compounds across the entire spell list.
Magery 3 [10 pts] — Effective spell-learning IQ 19. This is the practical ceiling for a human mage without extraordinary enhancements. The highest-tier spells — those that reshape reality, open gates, or require ritual completion — are now accessible. Combined with Eidetic Memory, his study speed is extraordinary.
Combat Reflexes [15 pts] — Nine years of city watch, plus three mercenary stints. She reacts before she consciously decides. +1 to every active defense she makes, +1 on initiative for her side, and she cannot freeze — no matter how bad the surprise situation is. In any fight that starts badly, this is the advantage that keeps her alive.
High Pain Threshold [10 pts] — She's been stabbed, cracked over the head, and finished six-second brawls with injuries she didn't notice until afterward. No shock penalty on any hit means her skill levels are always full, even mid-wound. No roll to keep fighting after a knockdown attempt beyond the standard HT rolls, and +3 on those.
Very Fit [15 pts] — More than just healthy — she recovers FP at double the normal rate and reduces penalties for exertion. The extended fight, the forced march, the swim across a freezing river — her endurance outlasts people who simply have high HT. The 15-point cost reflects how much work this does across a full campaign.
High Pain Threshold [10 pts] — She held a ford alone under conditions that should have been fatal. She doesn't stop for pain. No shock penalty means her combat skill is always at full value regardless of how many wounds she's taken. +3 on knockdown rolls means she stays on her feet where others go down.
Hard to Kill 2 [4 pts] — +2 to every HT survival roll at negative HP. She goes down hard. The GM will be testing this early; these two levels may be the difference between a downed character and a dead one before the first adventure ends.
Fearlessness 2 [4 pts] — +2 to Will rolls vs. fear, terror, and intimidation. She has Berserk — under sufficient threat, she'll charge regardless. But Fearlessness means she's not impaired by fear before that threshold is crossed, and she resists enemy attempts to psych her out or break her nerve.
Vora has 8 points left before hitting her 150-pt ceiling — and she hasn't bought a single skill or disadvantage yet. Chapter 3 disadvantages will give her breathing room; Chapter 4 skills will use those recovered points. Her build is deliberately tight: she is a specialist, and specialists pay for it in flexibility.
Chapter 2 Character Sheets
These sheets reflect decisions made in Chapters 1 and 2 only. Disadvantages, skills, and equipment are placeholders until those chapters are complete.
Total committed: 105 / 150 45 pts remaining for Skills + Spells
Total committed: 115 / 150 35 pts remaining for Skills
Total committed: 93 / 150 57 pts remaining for Skills
Chapter Quiz
A randomised draw from a bank of 25 questions covering every concept in this chapter — advantage cost structures, activation types, trait categories, specific advantage mechanics, and the point economy. Ten questions per round, infinite rounds. The bank reshuffles each time so no two runs feel the same.