TEXT: An e23 Sourcebook for GURPS
  ®
  STEVE JACKSON GAMES
  Stock #37-0143
  Version 1.0 – June 2012
  ®
  Written by SEAN PUNCH
  Illustrated by ZACH HOWARD,
  LAURA K. JENNINGS, and JOYCE MAUREIRA
  POWER-UPS
  IMPULSE BUYS5
  TM
  TM
  
  Additional Material: Jason “PK” Levine, Phil Masters, and William H. Stoddard
  Reviewer: Steven Marsh
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  INTRODUCTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
  Publication History. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
  About the Author. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
  About GURPS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
  1. PARTING YOU
  FROM YOUR POINTS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
  BUYING SUCCESS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
  Paying Fate’s Price . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
  Perking Things Up: Buying Success . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
  Buying Effect. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
  Buying Reactions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
  Super Luck . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
  PLAYER GUIDANCE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
  Serendipitous Guidance. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
  Trading Points for Money . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
  Favors in Play . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
  Divine Intervention . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
  Perking Things Up: Player Guidance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
  SURVIVAL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
  Flesh Wounds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
  Deflecting Disadvantages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
  Miraculous Recoveries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
  Resurrecting Allies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
  Perking Things Up: Survival . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
  AMAZING FEATS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
  Opt-In Options. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
  Perking Things Up: Amazing Feats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
  Points for Energy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
  Character Point-Powered Abilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
  Open Your Eyes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
  Changing the World . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
  Bullet Time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
  2. IMPULSIVE CAMPAIGNS . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
  Villainous Impulses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
  IMPULSE CONTROL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
  Adjusting the Cost. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
  Separate Awards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
  Usage Limits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
  Spending Limits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
  Spending Capacity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
  Other Kinds of Points. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
  Bidding Wars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
  Karmic Balance. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
  TRADING GROWTH FOR DRAMA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
  The No-Growth Campaign. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
  Wagers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
  WHAT WORKS AND WHAT DOESN’T . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
  Impulse Buys Cheat Sheet. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
  INDEX. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
  CONTENTS
  2
  CONTENTS
  
  Preparing a hero for all possible contingencies would mean
  pouring infinite character points into single-purpose advan-
  tages and powers, and specialized perks, skills, and techniques.
  While an ability for every occasion would be lovely, strategies
  that demand bottomless budgets are impractical. Burning a
  few unspent points for a one-time bailout right now is often
  affordable, though – and when the alternative is meeting a
  sticky end where those points don’t matter anymore, it’s also
  sensible. Even if the circumstances aren’t especially deadly,
  they might be so rare that it’s more efficient to deal with them
  once, cheaply, than to buy a costly permanent capability that
  won’t see use ever again.
  Moreover, not every problem is amenable to a solution that
  can be framed in terms of abilities. Dramatic challenges
  demand dramatic resolutions. While this most often means
  roleplaying, there are times when what the player hopes to
  accomplish and what the GM regards as plausible don’t quite
  line up. In that case, the process escalates to negotiation – and
  the bargaining chips are character points.
  These sorts of bailouts and bargains are the realm of
  GURPS Power-Ups 5: Impulse Buys. It examines character
  points not in their better-known role as units of account for
  purchasing “goods” such as attributes and skills, but as a cur-
  rency for buying “services” from the GM. Because not every
  power-up lasts forever!
  PUBLICATION HISTORY
  The notion of spending character points to affect outcomes
  in play first appeared in the GURPS Basic Set, Fourth Edition
  (p. B347). Later options turned up in GURPS Martial Arts,
  GURPS Supers, and GURPS Thaumatology, and in the series
  GURPS Action, GURPS Dungeon Fantasy, and GURPS
  Monster Hunters. Impulse Buys is inspired by all of these
  sources but takes little from them verbatim.
  ABOUT THE AUTHOR
  Sean “Dr. Kromm” Punch set out to become a particle
  physicist in 1985, ended up the GURPS Line Editor in 1995,
  and has engineered rules for almost every GURPS product
  since. He developed, edited, or wrote dozens of GURPS Third
  Edition projects between 1995 and 2002. In 2004, he produced
  the GURPS Basic Set, Fourth Edition with David Pulver. Since
  then, he has created GURPS Powers (with Phil Masters),
  GURPS Martial Arts (with Peter Dell’Orto), and the GURPS
  Action, GURPS Dungeon Fantasy, and GURPS Power-Ups
  series . . . and the list keeps growing. Sean has been a gamer
  since 1979. His non-gaming interests include cinema, cooking,
  and wine. He lives in Montréal, Québec with his wife, Bonnie,
  and their two cats, Banshee and Zephyra.
  INTRODUCTION
  INTRODUCTION
  3
  Steve Jackson Games is committed to full support of
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  gamers, visit our forums at forums.sjgames.com. The
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  found at gurps.sjgames.com/power-ups5.
  Bibliographies. Many of our books have extensive bib-
  liographies, and we’re putting them online – with links to
  let you buy the resources that interest you! Go to each
  book’s web page and look for the “Bibliography” link.
  Errata. Everyone makes mistakes, including us – but we
  do our best to fix our errors. Up-to-date errata pages for all
  GURPS releases, including this book, are available on our
  website – see above.
  Rules and statistics in this book are specifically for the
  GURPS Basic Set, Fourth Edition. Page references that begin
  with B refer to that book, not this one.
  About GURPS
  GURPS System Design T STEVE JACKSON
  GURPS Line Editor T SEAN PUNCH
  Managing Editor T PHILIP REED
  Assistant GURPS Line Editor T –––
  JASON “PK” LEVINE
  Art Director T SAMUEL MITSCHKE
  Production Artist & Indexer T NIKOLA VRTIS
  Prepress Checker T MONICA STEPHENS
  Page Design T PHIL REED and
  JUSTIN DE WITT
  e23 Manager T STEVEN MARSH
  Marketing Director T MONICA VALENTINELLI
  Director of Sales T ROSS JEPSON
  GURPS FAQ Maintainer T –––––––
  VICKY “MOLOKH” KOLENKO
  
  First, a caution to players: Spending character points to alter
  in-game outcomes is optional and requires the GM’s permission.
  It’s tampering with the plot and often the setting – elements that
  fall in the GM’s domain in a traditional RPG. Even if the GM is
  open to sharing control, he might feel that using a purely game-
  mechanical resource to influence events and circumstances in
  the campaign is too “meta” in certain cases. Thus, the following
  qualifier is implicit, if not explicit, in every one of these rules:
  With the GM’s permission . . .
  If the GM allows an option, he’ll set a price in character
  points for the desired effect, using the numbers in the text as
  guidelines – which is all they are! If the player wishes to pro-
  ceed, then that’s how many unspent character points he must
  pay (see Paying Fate’s Price, p. 5). The player may spend or pass
  . . . but no backsies.
  Rejecting the GM’s offer means choosing to go with the flow
  instead of swimming upstream (or diverting the river). The
  player can’t opt not to spend the character points, see what hap-
  pens next, and then ask for his opportunity back when he does-
  n’t like how things are going. He can petition the GM to let him
  spend points to affect events going forward, but he can’t undo
  the past unless he gets the GM’s permission to exercise an option
  that specifically allows that (e.g., Flesh Wounds, p. 10).
  Likewise, once the player has spent character points, they’re
  gone, used to improve his situation. They don’t raise his char-
  acter’s point value. If he dislikes the outcome, too bad – spend-
  ing points is sometimes a gamble! He can take heart in the
  knowledge that if he roleplays the situation well enough, the
  GM might award him more points.
  Perking Things Up
  Each major section of Impulse Buys includes a Perking
  Things Up box that notes a few perks from Power-Ups 2: Perks
  (and sometimes other sources) that might seem too powerful
  as permanent, one-point abilities in a gritty or low-powered
  campaign. Even in a game where they’re balanced, PCs won’t
  necessarily enjoy equal access to them all. In either case, the
  GM may rule that the effects of a perk that lends itself to inter-
  pretation in terms of “uses,” and that looks like a hero pushing
  his luck, repute, or abilities, can be bought in play for a char-
  acter point per use instead of costing a point for keeps. The
  cost is always 1 point per use, regardless of the general rules for
  point expenditures found in the associated section.
  These boxes strive to reproduce the relevant benefits of the
  listed perks. Gamers who use these rules extensively will find
  the full write-ups in Power-Ups 2 helpful, however.
  CHAPTER ONE
  PARTING YOU
  FROM YOUR
  POINTS
  PARTING YOU FROM YOUR POINTS
  4
  The most basic use of character points in play comes from
  p. B347: A player can spend points to alter the outcome of his
  immediately previous success roll. The cost schedule:
  • Critical failure to failure: 2 points
  • Failure to success: 1 point
  • Success to critical success: 2 points
  Multiple shifts are possible. In that case, these costs are addi-
  tive. Critical failure to success, or failure to critical success, costs
  3 points; critical failure to critical success costs 5 points.
  Buying Failure
  When a player is required to attempt a success roll that he
  wants to fail or even critically fail, apply these point costs in the
  other direction; e.g., critical success to failure costs 3 points.
  This has its uses! For instance, a deadly warrior, mind-con-
  trolled to attack a defenseless ally, might spend points to criti-
  cally miss and drop his weapon, while an interrogation victim
  may prefer paying once to fail a HT roll that means he passes
  out from torture to purchasing a success each time he’s asked
  a question and blows his Will roll to resist Interrogation.
  BUYING SUCCESS
  
  Margins
  Simple success or failure doesn’t always matter as much as
  the margin. When margin matters, use these values for out-
  comes bought with points:
  • Bought critical success: Margin of success is (effective
  skill)-3, but at least 1.
  • Bought success: Margin of success is (effective skill)-10, but
  at least 1.
  • Bought failure: Margin of failure is 10-(effective skill), but at
  least 1.
  • Bought critical failure (when using Buying Failure): Margin
  of failure is 18-(effective skill), but at least 1.
  Remember that 0 or a negative number is less than 1. Thus,
  effective skill 4 gets 1, 1, 6, and 14 for these margins; effective
  skill 10 gets 7, 1, 1, and 8; and effective skill 16 gets 13, 6, 1, and
  2. At effective skill 3-4, it’s unproductive to buy a critical suc-
  cess for margin alone.
  Upgrading Margins: If the player rolls a natural success but
  with a margin so narrow that he may face miserable defeat –
  especially in a Quick Contest – his best bet is to buy a critical
  success for 2 points and take the margin noted above, which is
  like rolling a 3! However, if his margin is less than that of a
  bought success (effective skill-10), he may spend just 1 point to
  improve his margin to that level, converting his regular success
  into a superior but not critical one. For instance, if the player
  of a PC with effective skill 18 rolled a crummy 16, giving suc-
  cess by 2, he could pay 1 point for success by 8 instead.
  Dooming Foes
  The GM will usually want to forbid bought critical suc-
  cesses in situations where they visit critical failure, serious
  injury, or comparable disaster upon an NPC or a fellow PC.
  “No buying critical hits in combat” is the most obvious facet of
  this. Critical successes at Resisted spells (and comparable
  advantages) and even on certain Influence rolls can also
  amount to “I win” buttons. These things tend to suck the fun
  out of games where risk and doubt matter – especially horror
  and mystery campaigns, and anything described as “gritty.”
  On the other hand, in extremely cinematic campaigns
  where the heroes are destined to win, purchasing critical suc-
  cesses in combat against faceless, interchangeable opponents
  (“mooks”) is encouraged. Such adversaries are essentially
  scenery, not people. Spending points to brush them aside is
  in effect a creative application of Player Guidance (pp. 7-9).
  PARTING YOU FROM YOUR POINTS
  5
  Everything in Impulse Buys costs character points,
  which can come from several sources:
  Bonus Points: Points awarded for good roleplaying
  and advancing the story (see Awarding Bonus Character
  Points, pp. B498-499) can be spent this way instead of on
  permanent traits. Thus, players might want to hold some
  in reserve!
  Starting Points: Players never have to spend every last
  starting point (see Starting Points, pp. B10-11). They may
  elect to save some for buying outcomes in play. The player
  who likes a challenge might set aside a substantial fraction of
  his points and roleplay a hero who enjoys “script immunity”
  rather than great ability – a common fictional archetype.
  Sacrifice: A player with no unspent points might be able
  to sacrifice existing abilities for the points to influence fate.
  This requires the GM’s agreement, both that this option is
  allowed and that the lost trait suits the desired results. “I
  punch him so hard my wrist snaps!” would be fine if it
  meant sacrificing High Manual Dexterity for points to
  influence a Brawling attack – but even 1 point from Guns
  wouldn’t make sense, as a mangled hand would affect more
  than just Guns. If miraculous survival fits the campaign in
  the first place, the GM should consider permitting “Nearly
  dying weakened me” as justification for cashing in 25 points
  of physical capabilities to return from the grave (p. 10).
  Friends: The GM may let players exercise any of the
  above options on behalf of other players. This might repre-
  sent concrete assistance (e.g., providing 3 points to turn
  another PC’s critically failed HT roll into a success by per-
  forming surgery), but it need not be selfless – one path to
  personal success is through group success!
  Debt: The GM might allow a player with insufficient
  unspent points to go into “debt” – subtracting points spent
  in play from those awarded for the adventure – if this
  would save the PC’s life. If the player has a negative bal-
  ance at the end of the adventure, then the effects are as for
  sacrifice, except that the GM chooses what’s lost.
  Wild, Wild Destiny
  At the GM’s option, players can spend two kinds of
  renewable points on the options in Impulse Buys. Charac-
  ter points, Destiny Points, and Wildcard Points can be
  combined for this purpose. See Other Kinds of Points
  (p. 18) for related concepts.
  Destiny Points: Instead of its usual effects, positive Des-
  tiny (p. B48) gives the player 1/5 of the 5, 10, or 15 points it
  costs as Destiny Points. The resulting 1, 2, or 3 points can be
  spent on in-game outcomes as if they were character points,
  improving the hero’s odds of surviving to fulfill his destiny!
  Spent points refresh at the rate of one per game session, to
  a maximum of the original Destiny Points. These rules
  replace the usual ones for Destiny, the point cost of which
  now reflects not the hero’s significance but the strength with
  which fate impels him to play his part, however trivial.
  Wildcard Points: To reflect the great competence that
  wildcard skills (p. B175) represent, every 12 points spent
  on such a skill gives a Wildcard Point to spend on in-game
  outcomes that hinge directly on that skill. Buying success
  (p. 4) with it is obvious, but the GM may allow other
  options if the skill is fundamental to the situation. Wild-
  card Points are fully refreshed at the beginning of each ses-
  sion but don’t accumulate if unused.
  Paying Fate’s Price
  
  The GM may even allow players to use a variant of Buying
  Failure on their characters’ hapless opponents:
  Cursing Mooks: In a campaign inspired by larger-than-life fic-
  tion (superhero comics, over-the-top anime, mindless action
  movies, etc.), when a no-consequence NPC attacks a PC and fails
  his roll – or succeeds but is thwarted by the hero’s defense or
  resistance roll – the would-be victim may spend 2 character
  points to inflict a horrible outcome on his attacker. If the mook’s
  action is one for which there’s a table of such dooms – examples
  include the Critical Spell Failure Table (p. B236), Firearm
  Malfunction Table (p. B407), Critical Miss Table (pp. B556-557),
  and Unarmed Critical Miss Table (p. B557) – then the NPC might
  roll on that. If the poor fool was doing something intrinsically
  dangerous, the player may invoke this peril instead; e.g., if the
  mook’s weapon produces a backblast, this injures everybody in
  his vehicle, while if it’s an experimental device supplied by his
  mad scientist boss, it chooses this moment to exhibit some
  dreadful bug (p. B476) or side effect (p. B479). If several tables
  or dangers apply, the individual spending the points gets to pick!
  BUYING EFFECT
  “Success” isn’t exclusively about success rolls. For many
  feats, effect rolls determine how well things went. This means
  damage rolls, primarily – but for someone with Terror (p.
  B93), it refers to his victim’s roll on the Fright Check Table (pp.
  B360-361), while a hero with a sci-fi weapon might have to roll
  on a random table of effects for each zap. At the GM’s option,
  character points can sway these outcomes, too. In this case,
  points are spent before the roll.
  However the effect roll works, the player may spend 1 point
  to make up to two of the dice rolled come up at their maxi-
  mum. This can affect some or all of the dice – the only limit is
  points. For instance, 1 point could buy 6 on 1d or 12 on 2d; 2
  points, 18 on 3d or 24 on 4d; 3 points, 30 on 5d or 36 on 6d;
  and so on. If the roll uses a multiplier, then take the product,
  subtract the affected dice, and roll what’s left; e.g., 6d¥2 is like
  12d, so 2 points would buy 24 on 4d and the other 8d would be
  random (8d+24).
  Rolls on tables add some wrinkles. A monstrous PC with
  Terror could spend 1 point to turn the 3d rolled for the Fright
  Check result into 2d+6 or 1d+12, or 2 points to guarantee an 18,
  although the final result would vary according to his victim’s
  margin of failure. However, for a table where a lower roll is
  desirable, 1 point per two dice can buy the minimum instead.
  And if the player desires a specific, intermediate result, then nei-
  ther high nor low rolls will do, but the GM may permit the pur-
  chase of specific table outcomes at the cost of 1 point per die
  influenced: 2 points if the table uses 2d, 3 points if it involves 3d,
  and so on. The elevated cost is the price of fine control – and of
  holding up game play to browse table results!
  These options are fairer than allowing bought critical
  successes in combat, as the target had his
  chance to avoid being affected, and failed.
  For damage, Mighty Blows (p. B357) isn’t a
  whole lot less effective, and costs just 1 FP
  per use. If the GM allows that option, then
  buying effect is most likely balanced.
  Defense vs. Effect
  The best defense is to avoid harm alto-
  gether – so when a PC gets a roll to dodge,
  parry, resist, or otherwise avoid a bad effect
  entirely, and fails, the player might elect to
  spend points to buy success. A defense isn’t
  always possible, however. If the hero just
  performed an All-Out Attack, or is attacked
  by surprise, he doesn’t get an active defense.
  And if the effect is something like a nearby
  explosion, nobody gets much of a defense.
  In cases like these, the GM may allow
  players to invert the rules for Buying Effect to
  minimize the bad effects on their PCs. The
  price is the same: 1 point per two dice guar-
  anteed to come up all 1s (or all 6s, if more
  beneficial). For instance, a soldier sniped for
  7d+1 damage might receive no defense,
  because it was a surprise attack, but he
  could spend 1 point to make this 5d+3, 2
  points to reduce it to 3d+5, 3 points to get it
  down to 1d+7, or 4 points to suffer just 8
  points of damage.
  In some cases, even buying the minimum effect for lots of
  points may fail to prevent a dreadful outcome. When this hap-
  pens, see Deflecting Disadvantages (p. 10).
  BUYING REACTIONS
  Reaction rolls (pp. B494-495) are in essence effect rolls
  that use the Reaction Table (pp. B560-561). However, the
  most important of these can determine how adventures or
  even entire campaigns unfold! A spectacular combat roll
  might accomplish this if it kills off a major NPC, but most
  battles take several rolls to win – and victory often means lit-
  tle more than surviving to fight the next bunch of baddies.
  PARTING YOU FROM YOUR POINTS
  6
  Perking Things Up:
  Buying Success
  The following perks from Power-Ups 2: Perks amount to special cases of
  Buying Success (pp. 4-7) when they cost 1 character point per use:
  Immunity to (Specific Disease/Hazard) (Power-Ups 2, pp. 11, 14): If a
  player wants his PC to shrug off a metabolic or environmental hazard, a point
  spent before trying the resistance roll will guarantee his resistance this time.
  This can be better than bought success – both because it costs less than the 3
  points to turn critical failure into success after the fact and because it works
  regardless of whether the situation normally allows a resistance roll!
  Low Rejection Threshold (Power-Ups 2, p. 14): Similarly, a point spent
  before an implant operation will guarantee flawless adaptation to whatever is
  being added.
  No Nuisance Rolls (Power-Ups 2, p. 16): If the PC has 16+ in all the scores
  needed to carry out a rote “off-screen” task (e.g., Area Knowledge, Driving,
  and Navigation to get from A to B by car – or Acrobatics, Climbing, and Jump-
  ing to reach some place that’s accessible by foot), the GM may let the player
  spend a point to skip the relevant rolls. This removes any chance of critical
  success (natural or bought), but also any chance of failure.
  Rules Exemption (Power-Ups 2, p. 20): Many optional rules (e.g., Main-
  taining Skills, p. B294) impose extra success rolls. If the GM feels that perk-
  level immunity to certain of these would cheapen the campaign, he might still
  allow players to buy one-time exemptions at a point a pop.
  
  A wonderful reaction roll, though, can result in
  cheap or free goods or assistance, or privileged
  information that short-circuits the plot.
  In light of this, the GM shouldn’t allow players to
  spend character points to influence reaction rolls as
  such. Instead, use Favors in Play (pp. 8-9) when
  somebody wants an NPC’s cooperation. That
  option’s higher cost balances its greater effectiveness.
  This isn’t a prohibition against using points to
  affect success rolls in social situations. While
  Influence rolls (p. B359) can achieve results identi-
  cal to favorable reaction rolls, they’re resisted.
  When bought success isn’t forbidden for the rea-
  sons discussed in Dooming Foes (pp. 5-6), it yields a
  finite margin (Margins, p. 5) that could fail to sway
  a strong-willed NPC – it isn’t a cheesy “I win” but-
  ton. For more on success rolls that can replace reac-
  tion rolls, see Social Engineering.
  PARTING YOU FROM YOUR POINTS
  7
  A second important use of character points in play also
  comes from p. B347: A player can spend points to add a plausi-
  ble element to the scene or game world. He may only do so
  immediately after making a success roll and obtaining a success
  or a critical success, or in a situation that didn’t call for a roll in
  the first place. He cannot mitigate the effects of failure or criti-
  cal failure this way – that’s what Buying Success (pp. 4-7) is for!
  In addition to being plausible, the suggestion must be
  acceptable to the GM and the other players. The GM should go
  along with suggestions that are imaginative, move the plot for-
  ward, or save a PC’s life. The GM should not approve a sugges-
  tion that would short-circuit the plot, contradict a previously
  established fact, or harm or steal the scene from another PC.
  In borderline cases, the player(s) and GM can negotiate.
  After weighing the above considerations, the GM sets the
  price for the proposed addition to the scene or world:
  • Minor: An element that fits the scene perfectly – one the GM
  might have included if he had thought of it first. 1 point.
  • Moderate: A believable coincidence or addition, similar to
  the effects of Serendipity (p. B83). 2 points.
  • Major: Something that, while plausible, stretches disbelief
  – anyone watching would find the result quite unexpected!
  3 points.
  If the player proposes this addition after rolling a critical
  success, and wants the effect he’s proposing to replace the
  usual benefits of a critical success, reduce all of these costs by
  1 point, to a minimum of 1 point.
  The GM should make a note of any element added using
  this rule, as it becomes a permanent part of the game world!
  All of the above assumes that the situation is one the PC can
  usefully exploit. He may need to make further success rolls to do
  so, but as the addition is permanent, he can keep trying if he
  fails. Occasionally, however, the proposed change is fleeting,
  and if the hero fails his first roll to exploit it, his points are
  wasted. In the interest of fairness, when the player specifies an
  adjustment to the world that merely lets him attempt something
  once, reduce the cost by 1 point, again to a minimum of 1 point.
  Example: Cleome is exploring a post-nuclear wasteland and
  the GM has determined that she’s perilously close to some
  giant soldier ants. He requests a Hearing roll, which succeeds.
  He tells the player that Cleome hears clicking noises nearby.
  Cleome is a sniper, not a run-and-gun maniac, so her player
  wants to avoid close-range trouble. If the player proposes, “I
  sneak up behind some safe, solid-looking rubble to take a look,”
  the GM might charge 1 point; he didn’t specify any rubble, but
  nuked wastelands have tons of it, and his guarantee that it isn’t
  radioactive or crumbly, and is substantial enough to stop at least
  one attack, is worth a point. If she suggests, “I climb the rusty
  steel trestle of an old water tower and peer over the rise,” the GM
  might want 2 points; he hadn’t mentioned any tower, but as
  Cleome is scavenging in a ruined industrial zone, it’s plausible.
  And if she says, “I enter a mostly intact office building, bar the
  doors behind me, and snipe from a 10th-floor window,” the GM
  might insist on 3 points; a defensible 10-story building would be
  a valuable find! In all cases, the new scenery (solid rubble, rusty
  tower, or building) becomes a lasting part of the landscape – at
  least until it’s nuked again.
  PLAYER GUIDANCE
  Super Luck
  Super Luck (p. B89) lets the player dictate the result of one roll
  per hour of play; thus, a PC with that advantage might never need
  Buying Success (pp. 4-7). However, the GM may want to subject
  Super Luck to the same restrictions as points spent to influence dice
  rolls – that is, the hero can specify success and effect, but has limits
  on his margins and cannot prescribe reaction rolls. This is fairest in
  a medium- to long-term campaign, where the trait’s 100-point price
  will pay for itself many times over. In a short-term or one-off game,
  the GM might opt to let those with Super Luck specify the exact num-
  bers on the dice for any roll, as Super Luck replaces 100 points of
  abilities the player won’t get an opportunity to acquire later, and may
  well not have a chance to earn its keep. Either way, Super Luck never
  replaces uses of points other than Buying Success, and has no effect
  on the player’s option to use the rules in Impulse Buys.
  Tank: So what do you
  need? Besides a miracle.
  Neo: Guns. Lots of
  guns.
  – The Matrix
  
  Cleome’s player would pay a point less (1, 1, or 2 points) if
  the original Hearing roll was a critical success, or if the GM
  requires a Stealth roll to reach cover, with any failure meaning
  that the ants cut her off before she gets there. If both situations
  apply, then even the building would cost just 1 point, so the
  player might as well ask for that!
  Only suggestions offered with one particular PC or player’s
  personal benefit in mind cost points. Players ought to feel free to
  propose interesting plot directions without fear of being charged
  for it! A useful test is for the GM to ask himself whether he would
  award bonus points (p. B498) out of gratitude for a wonderful
  idea. If he would, then it’s simpler to incorporate the recommen-
  dation, avoid the accounting, and neither charge nor award
  points. And when the answer to “Who benefits?” is “The entire
  group, including the GM, because it tells a better story,” it
  should never cost anybody anything.
  TRADING POINTS
  FOR MONEY
  Used in play, this option from p. B26 amounts to a special
  case of player guidance. Game mechanically, the player trades
  character points for money, each point giving back 10% of the
  campaign’s average starting wealth in cash. The player must
  describe what happens in terms of events in the campaign,
  however. A settled individual might be paid a bonus, get a long-
  overdue tax refund, or see a minor investment pay off; a wan-
  derer could find a wallet, win at cards during his downtime, or
  be mistaken for a beggar and receive unexpected charity. This
  is an example of guidance that requires no success roll – the
  player specifies events that benefit the PC financially, spends
  points, and lucks out. As with other forms of player guidance,
  the outcome becomes part of the game world; e.g., if an invest-
  ment in a business pays off, then the company exists from that
  point on and might even act as a plot hook to draw the hero
  into later adventures.
  At the GM’s option, the player may instead trade points
  directly for goods with a fair market value equal to the money
  his character would have received. The fact that gear rarely
  fetches its full price when resold balances the convenience of
  not having to shop for it, negotiate its price, etc. It can be
  extremely handy to spend a few points to stumble across just
  the weapon or vehicle you need, no strings attached!
  Some gamers might point out that since each point in
  Signature Gear (p. B85) provides equipment worth 50% of the
  campaign’s starting money and immunizes it against casual
  loss, spending a point for 1/5 as much cash or gear without plot
  protection is a terrible deal. Optionally, the GM could have
  each character point sacrificed in play yield goods worth 100%
  of the campaign’s starting money. Such things come with no
  guarantees at all, of course, and also count as used, meaning
  that resale value is unlikely to be better than half price. By that
  logic, having each point return cash equal to 50% of the cam-
  paign’s starting money, not merely 10%, is probably fine.
  In all cases, this rule never produces “instant” results, least
  of all in combat! The gear or money shows up via standard
  channels – courier at the door, envelope in the mail, electronic
  bank deposit at the start of the business day, etc. – while no
  action is going on. To conjure valuables out of thin air, get
  Snatcher and see Changing the World (pp. 13-15).
  FAVORS IN PLAY
  Another special case of player guidance is gaining the
  assistance of a particular NPC. This most often comes up
  in a situation that doesn’t call for a roll, but the GM is free
  to have it hinge on a recent success if he doesn’t see the
  target NPC helping or even being present. When a roll is
  required, failure costs nothing (because no help is avail-
  able), while critical success reduces cost by 1 point, to a
  minimum of 1 point.
  There are two cases of importance:
  1. The NPC was present but not previously helpful.
  Points buy his assistance, as on a particularly good reac-
  tion roll. The GM may require previous success at an
  Influence roll to request aid – or at one of the many social
  feats described in Social Engineering, from searching for
  help to inciting a riot.
  2. The NPC wasn’t present but might plausibly show up.
  Points buy both appearance and assistance. The GM may
  require previous success at a call for help – whether vs. HT to
  holler or Electronics Operation to operate a police radio.
  Appearance without assistance doesn’t make much sense
  here. If the NPC’s presence is worth points to the player, then
  presumably it benefits the PC. And if someone’s mere appear-
  ance helps the PC – e.g., a cop walking past and scaring off a
  mugger – then that is assistance, however passive it might seem!
  There’s already a mechanic for an NPC who helps you once,
  after which your points are gone: Favor (p. B55). However,
  Favor differs in some important regards:
  • A Favor has an appearance roll, and allows rolls in suit-
  able situations until one day, the NPC turns up. When buying
  help with character points, however, either the GM has estab-
  lished that the NPC is present (case 1) or the whole motivation
  for spending points is to make him show up (case 2) – and
  when a roll is required, there’s no point cost on a failure, while
  a Favor can cost points yet never pay off. Thus, reaching the
  stage where points can be spent guarantees appearance. This
  makes the effective frequency of appearance “Constantly,”
  quadrupling base cost.
  • A Favor requires the player to describe it ahead of time,
  tying it to a specific NPC. This limits use to certain places and
  times. In case 1, the GM has already specified that someone
  potentially helpful is present, which is really no less limited.
  PARTING YOU FROM YOUR POINTS
  8
  Serendipitous Guidance
  A useful way to view Serendipity (p. B83) is as giving
  heroes who have it one free use of Player Guidance (pp. 7-9)
  per level each game session. They may still spend character
  points after running out of free uses. The GM who doesn’t
  mind some accounting might declare that each level of
  Serendipity gives 2 Serendipity Points to spend on Player
  Guidance as though they were character points; e.g.,
  Serendipity 1 would allow two minor uses or one moderate
  use, or lower the cost of one major use to 1 character point.
  Serendipity Points are fully refreshed at the beginning of
  each game session but don’t accumulate if unused. If used,
  this option replaces the usual rules for Serendipity.
  
  In case 2, though, the player specifies his helper, subject only
  to the rules for player guidance: the suggestion must be accept-
  able to the GM and the other players. Were that person a
  Patron, this flexibility would add Special Abilities, +100% to
  cost, the special benefit being that the NPC is whoever you
  need him to be.
  Thus, the points needed to secure “spontaneous” Favors
  like this are the base cost of the Ally, Contact, Contact Group,
  or Patron; quadrupled for guaranteed appearance; and
  divided by five as for any Favor. If the NPC isn’t present
  because the GM put him there, but simply appears, double
  the cost again. The results:
  • NPC who is present decides to render aid: 0.8 ¥ base cost of
  Ally, Contact, Contact Group, or Patron, rounded up.
  • NPC of player’s choice appears and renders aid: 1.6 ¥ base cost
  of Ally, Contact, Contact Group, or Patron, rounded up.
  Example: Hank is in a bad part of town when he’s jumped by
  two assassins sent by the mob boss he’s investigating. They were
  chosen to be Hank’s match; he’s worth 150 points, and while his
  player has no clue what the killers’ point totals are, he can safely
  assume that they’re worthy adversaries. Any help worth having
  would amount to an Ally worth 100% of his points, with a 5-
  point base cost. If the GM had previously mentioned a burly
  bouncer at a bar on the way into the area, Hank’s player might
  declare that the doorman comes to his assistance, and the cost
  for this help would be 4 points. If the GM had described the
  neighborhood as “lonely,” however, then having a competent
  fighter jump into a fight would cost 8 points. Either way, the GM
  might ask for a success roll to summon aid; if so, then failure
  would cost nothing but bring no help, while critical success
  would make these costs 3 and 7 points.
  These costs are higher than those for most player
  guidance, or the 2 points if Buying Effect (p. 6) were
  allowed on a 3d reaction roll – but changing 2:1 odds to
  even odds for anything less than the 25 points for Extra
  Life is a bargain when assassins come calling!
  DIVINE INTERVENTION
  Any points-for-benefits exchange could be interpreted
  as “my gods favor me” – and in certain settings, this
  might even be true! But in some genres, ranging from
  grim horror to hack-and-slash fantasy, it may be possible
  to trade accumulated karma, in the form of earned
  points, for direct and unmistakable divine intervention.
  This can accomplish just about anything, perhaps even
  miracles like raising the dead (see Miraculous Recoveries,
  pp. 10-11) . . . so in return, it’s a gamble.
  To use this option, the person asking must be reason-
  ably faithful. He need not be a paragon of his religion, or
  even religious – but he does have to uphold the principles
  of the deity to whom he’s praying. A lone individual must
  spend at least 1 character point (more points improve the
  odds) and then roll against the highest of IQ, Meditation,
  or Theology.
  Modifiers: A base -10; a bonus equal to character
  points spent; a bonus equal to 1/10 of the total point
  value of advantages that signify the petitioner’s holiness
  (Blessed, Power Investiture, True Faith, etc.), rounded
  down; a penalty equal to 1/5 of the sum of the absolute
  point values of traits that would offend the powers that be (this
  most often means disadvantages such as Social Stigma
  (Excommunicated), but certain advantages can be a problem;
  e.g., Wealth, when the god in question considers poverty a
  virtue), rounded up. Disadvantages that reflect holiness don’t
  give a bonus, but if the conduct they require is linked to a
  Higher Purpose, then that gift gives its usual +1 instead of
  adding 5 points to the advantage total.
  An actual priest with Clerical Investment can, in a suitably
  consecrated location such as a temple or a shrine, lead a group
  in a prayer for aid. Use the same rules, but now the roll is
  against Religious Ritual, the bonus for holiness is the best one
  in the congregation, the penalty for unholiness is the worst one
  present, and everyone who wishes to benefit must spend at
  least 1 point. The bonus for points is equal to all the points sac-
  rificed, however!
  Success means that a fortuitous coincidence befalls the sup-
  plicant(s), saving them from disaster or otherwise solving their
  problem in a subtle way. Critical success means an outright
  miracle – teleportation out of harm’s way, mass resurrection,
  etc. Buying Success (pp. 4-7) is not allowed here.
  This is meant to be one step beyond standard player guid-
  ance, in that a deity may well make the implausible possible. If
  players get to abusing this, remember that they propose but the
  gods dispose. In some settings, there might be a lifetime
  penalty of -1 or worse per previous request for aid involving
  that person. In others, each prayer demands a major donation
  or sacrifice before another will be answered. The worst-case
  scenario might be spending points on a call that won’t be
  answered, whatever the dice say.
  PARTING YOU FROM YOUR POINTS
  9
  Perking Things Up:
  Player Guidance
  These perks from Power-Ups 2: Perks work like specialized
  examples of Player Guidance (pp. 7-9) when they cost 1 char-
  acter point per use:
  Brotherhood (Power-Ups 2, p. 17): A point buys a beneficial
  case of mistaken identity with a group of potential foes, getting
  you past them (not gaining their assistance) once.
  Disposable Identity (Power-Ups 2, p. 18): This perk only ever
  gives one use for a point, so the GM may allow players to spend
  a point to pass an ID check without having the perk beforehand.
  Doodad (Power-Ups 2, p. 9): A point lets you whip out one
  bit of insignificant gear. It’s a stinky deal next to Trading Points
  for Money (p. 8), but it’s instant, even in combat.
  Friend (Power-Ups 2, p. 18): Even if the GM allows Friend
  perks, he might permit a PC who doesn’t have one to “know a
  guy” who helps out in a trivial way consistent with Claim to
  Hospitality (pp. B41-42), once, for a point. Anything better
  calls for Favors in Play (pp. 8-9).
  Honest Face (Power-Ups 2, p. 4): A point guarantees that
  the PC will/won’t be the one picked out of a crowd – whichever
  is beneficial – when someone comes looking.
  Standard Operating Procedure (Power-Ups 2, p. 15): A point
  lets the player retroactively claim that he reloaded, refueled,
  packed his bags, locked the door, etc.
  
  The most basic ways to spend points to stay alive, intact,
  and sane are covered under Buying Success (pp. 4-7).
  Purchasing successful defense and resistance rolls, and invok-
  ing Defense vs. Effect (p. 6) when that fails, ought to do.
  However, the GM may not want to use all of those rules – he
  might feel that they’re too generous or simply not right for the
  campaign. And even if those options are allowed, danger does-
  n’t always come in the form of attacks that can be dodged,
  curses that can be resisted, and scares that can be shrugged off.
  FLESH WOUNDS
  Immediately after you suffer damage, you may declare that
  the attack that damaged you (which can include multiple hits,
  if your foe used rapid fire) was a glancing blow or “just a flesh
  wound.” This lets you reduce the final injury from that attack
  to 1 HP (or FP) . . . at the cost of 1 character point.
  Be aware that this rule affects injury, not damage. It restores
  lost HP (or FP). If the hit inflicted knockback, knockdown,
  stunning, unconsciousness, crippling, or the like, those effects
  persist. In true cinematic tradition, a graze from a giant’s club
  can hurl the hero across the room, a bullet in the shoulder can
  cripple his arm, and a head blow with a tire iron can “just”
  knock him out, even if he’s in no danger of dying.
  This rule has a profound effect on combat’s place in the
  campaign! Most or all of the survivors of a fight – or at least the
  victors – won’t merely be alive but unhurt. This suits superhero
  “realism” (in some comics, nobody ever dies) and many action-
  movie settings (cinematic detectives and cowboys often only
  ever get shot in the shoulder). However, it cheapens a cam-
  paign where violence is supposed to have consequences.
  Second Winds: A similar rule can be applied to recovering
  FP. One character point restores all of the PC’s FP – and any
  Energy Reserves he has besides. Even heroes with 25+ energy
  points should compare Points for Energy (pp. 12-13) before
  spending. That rule “only” provides 25 FP, but they’re extra FP
  up front, which can allow more impressive feats.
  DEFLECTING DISADVANTAGES
  Severe injuries and calamities – physical, mental, social, or
  supernatural – can saddle a hero with lasting, even permanent
  disadvantages, reducing his point value and possibly destroying
  his character concept. If such harm results from bad luck rather
  than player idiocy (like having his character leap off a cliff, attack
  the king, or hurl his Signature Gear down a volcano), and if the
  player didn’t or couldn’t avoid it by spending points sooner, then
  the merciful GM might permit salvation after the fact. This costs
  half the points that the PC would otherwise lose, rounded in his
  favor. The ill effects still apply until the end of the dramatic
  scene or fight that led to them, however.
  Example: John the Fair suffers a critical hit to the hand in
  combat with a dragon. As a critical hit permits no active
  defense roll, John can’t use Buying Success (pp. 4-7) to ensure
  a parry. He’s bitten, fair and square.
  Worse, the dragon rolls a whopping 6d+2 cutting damage,
  and John is barehanded, as he’s a swashbuckler who relies on
  not getting hit, not some armored knight. John has HP 12, so 5
  HP (injury over 12/3 = 4 HP) cripples his hand and twice that, or
  10 HP, bites it off. Even if he spent 3 points on Defense vs. Effect
  (p. 6), he would receive 8 points of damage and suffer 12 HP of
  injury from the cutting attack, costing him his hand. Those char-
  acter points would be wasted! And Flesh Wounds (above) would
  restore his HP but not change the crippling effects.
  If the injury were merely crippling, John would get a HT roll
  to influence with points. This is dismemberment, though – there’s
  no HT roll! Thus, Buying Success isn’t an option here, either.
  Thus, John faces One Hand [-15]. Fortunately, the GM opts
  to let John’s player pay 7 character points to save his character
  from this fate. John must still fight one-handed for the rest of
  this battle, though.
  This is often a better campaign option than Flesh Wounds in
  a game where violence isn’t meant to be undertaken lightly. It’s
  costly enough that nobody will abuse it. At the same time, it
  keeps the heroes from ending up a mess of eye-patches and
  crippled limbs, which might not be the consequences the GM
  has in mind.
  MIRACULOUS RECOVERIES
  Whatever options are in effect, it can happen that a PC
  dies. In some genres, though, it’s possible for a hero to
  recover even from this – the injury wasn’t as bad as it looked,
  mysterious monks nursed him back to health, his god
  restored him to life to complete his worldly mission, what-
  ever. In effect, Deflecting Disadvantages (above) applies to the
  ultimate inconvenience: death.
  There’s already a one-shot means of coming back to life in
  return for points: Extra Life (p. B55). The simplest way to con-
  vert this trait into an impulse buy is to permit a player whose
  character dies to spend 25 character points to resurrect him.
  That is, to extend the option of buying Extra Life retroactively.
  In a campaign where heroes are allowed to start with Extra
  Life, this option is somewhat unfair. Players who choose
  Extra Life must make do with 25 fewer points of useful start-
  ing capabilities, some of which might not be available in play.
  PARTING YOU FROM YOUR POINTS
  10
  SURVIVAL
  And that was only one of
  the many occasions on which
  I met my death, an experience
  which I don’t hesitate strongly
  to recommend!
  – Baron Munchausen, in
  The Adventures of
  Baron Munchausen
  
  In many ways, they operate at a power level
  25 points below that of their less-prepared
  associates . . . and as most gamers work
  hard to keep their characters alive, the
  investment may never pay off. It cheapens
  their sacrifice to let those without Extra
  Life spend 25 points only as needed.
  To remedy this, the GM can take a page
  from Favors in Play (pp. 8-9) and decree that
  wishing Extra Life into effect retroactively
  costs double, just like conjuring an NPC out
  of nowhere. That is, it costs 50 character
  points to come back from the grave if you
  didn’t buy life insurance. Think of this as
  applying Deflecting Disadvantages to duck
  the worst level of Terminally Ill (p. B158),
  which is worth -100 points. This cost is
  specifically for campaigns where Extra Life
  is available ahead of time, though. If the only
  way to return from the dead is to spend points
  in play, then it costs 25 points, because everybody
  is treated equally.
  Whatever the price, this is a large character-point outlay on
  short notice. See Paying Fate’s Price (p. 5) for ways to foot the
  bill. Those thinking of invoking Flesh Wounds (p. 10) to avoid
  the expense take note: Death, like unconsciousness and crip-
  pling, is just another injury effect. You can have your HP back
  (which can make it easier to resurrect you with magic or ultra-
  tech), but you’ll still be a stiff!
  I’m Not Dead Yet: This rule is for dead PCs. Undead, cyborgs,
  or anything else not-quite-alive and not-quite-dead can’t use it
  to undo their situation! The GM might let the player of a PC
  who’s killed in a way that ensures an unwelcome transforma-
  tion pay up at the moment of death to return to life before the
  transition – but nobody can die, turn spooky, earn points as a
  monster, and then decide that he wants to be alive again.
  Neither can he willingly become such a creature, decide he
  doesn’t like it, and pay points to rejoin the living. First he’ll
  have to get himself killed or find a cure for his condition.
  RESURRECTING ALLIES
  If a hero’s Ally dies, Miraculous Recoveries (above) won’t
  help much. Allies advance by gaining character points as their
  PC improves, not by earning their own bonus points that sit
  around until needed (with some exceptions – see below).
  However, if the GM feels merciful and the player treated his
  Ally well, then the PC can spend points equal to the point cost
  of the Ally advantage to bring his associate back from the dead.
  It’s up to the player and the GM to work out the explanation,
  which need only make as much sense as Extra Life.
  Likewise, if a Contact, Contact Group, or Patron represents
  people – or an abstract organization that stands to be completely
  wiped out – then the PC might be able to pay points equal to the
  original advantage cost to rescue them. This is subject to stricter
  GM oversight. The player cannot undo a town’s destruction in a
  war by buying its citizens as a Contact Group again, or save his
  nation from a nuking by paying the cost to have it as a Patron,
  however much this might cost. Allies are personal in a way that
  these other traits aren’t.
  Finally, a player can combine this rule with Deflecting
  Disadvantages (p. 10) to keep his Dependent alive. Paying half
  the Dependent’s disadvantage value in positive points in effect
  “deflects” whatever disadvantage would replace the Dependent
  were he killed. This penalty is likely more severe than the
  bonus points the GM would deny for letting the Dependent
  come to harm; if the player willingly spends points to protect
  his Dependent, the GM shouldn’t inflict that penalty as well.
  The GM may want to use this rule to judge the size of such a
  penalty, though, effectively making its expense mandatory.
  Allies With Unspent Points: The reason why Allies lack
  unspent points is to avoid player-GM friction. It prevents
  players from buying cheap Allies and arguing that they have
  unspent points sitting around, and the GM from creating
  Allies that have all their points banked for impulse buys that
  are unlikely to benefit their PC. Players and GMs who are
  above such squabbling are welcome to negotiate other
  options; e.g., the GM might wish to extend Villainous
  Impulses (p. 16) to all NPCs, including Allies. In those cases,
  Allies can make miraculous recoveries, if they have enough
  unspent points. Regardless, the GM should require the player
  to use his character’s points to deflect danger or death result-
  ing from deliberately endangering an Ally!
  PARTING YOU FROM YOUR POINTS
  11
  Beyond spending character points to succeed at deeds that
  anybody could attempt – as with Buying Success (pp. 4-7) and
  Survival (pp. 10-11) – is the possibility of points enabling
  feats that aren’t normally possible. This is a little like applying
  Player Guidance (pp. 7-9) to the PC’s capabilities rather than
  the game world: The player asks for an exception to the usual
  limits on what his PC can do and then spends points to make
  it happen.
  AMAZING FEATS
  Perking Things Up: Survival
  Certain perks from Power-Ups 2: Perks are functionally additional
  options for Survival (pp. 10-11) when they cost 1 character point per use:
  Dramatic Death and Covenant of Rest (both Power-Ups 2, p. 19): A PC
  who dies with unspent points and who for whatever reason cannot use
  Miraculous Recoveries (pp. 10-11) should be allowed to spend 1 point to go
  out fighting for 1d+1 seconds and/or 1 point to stay dead (granting total
  immunity to spirit-summoning, zombification, etc.), as a dying wish.
  Sartorial Integrity (Power-Ups 2, p. 14): Whatever the heroes just
  endured, a point means the PC is presentable enough to avoid suspicion or
  reaction penalties. In effect, the player spends a point for the survival of his
  clothes. The GM may want to allow this for more important gear, perhaps
  permitting Sartorial Integrity as a permanent perk but always charging a
  point for the safety of tools, weapons, etc.
  
  OPT-IN OPTIONS
  If the GM likes an optional rule that allows an impressive feat
  or rules exception, but not enough to permit it as a “free” cam-
  paign option, then he might sell access to it for 1 character point
  per invocation. (If he wants a middle ground, he may permit the
  Extra Option perk from Power-Ups 2: Perks, which for 1 point
  grants a PC permanent access to a rule that isn’t in general use in
  the campaign.) The most balanced examples are rules that ben-
  efit the PC instead of harming or limiting his foes, and that don’t
  cost character points to invoke when adopted campaign-wide,
  although they might cost FP. The GM has the final say.
  Below are some suitable examples from other GURPS sup-
  plements, along with page references to the complete rules.
  Anything marked “use” costs 1 point each time the PC reaps
  the benefits. Items annotated with “combat” endure for one
  battle per invocation.
  • Cinematic Combat Rules (p. B417): Balanced applica-
  tions are Bulletproof Nudity (combat), Cinematic Explosions
  (use), Infinite Ammunition (combat), and TV Action Violence
  (use). As Cannon Fodder, Cinematic Knockback, and Melee
  Etiquette mostly hose NPCs, none of them are especially appro-
  priate. Flesh Wounds (p. 10) already costs a point to use.
  • More Cinematic Combat Rules (Martial Arts, pp. 132-
  133): Good choices are Shaking It Off (use) and Proxy Fighting
  (use) – and Imperial Stormtrooper Marksmanship Academy
  (combat), if invoked at the start of combat as a kind of defense.
  But Unarmed Etiquette and Gun Control Law grossly limit
  NPCs; Shout It Out! is less effective than simply buying suc-
  cess; and Bullet Time (p. 15) costs points regardless.
  • New Cinematic Combat Rules (Action 2: Exploits, p. 38):
  Fast Reloads (use) and Super-Silencers (combat) are fine.
  Flawless Firearms already costs character points. The other
  rules are out because they cripple NPCs. However, a point to
  use the Kayo rule on p. 24 of Action 3: Furious Fists might be
  fair in a semi-realistic campaign.
  • Optional combat rules from Martial Arts that make the
  user more effective without directly penalizing his foe can work.
  Spend a point per use to attempt a technique that the GM does-
  n’t normally allow even at default, attack a hit location that the
  GM isn’t using in the campaign (joints, spine, veins, etc.), feint
  with a noncombat skill (such as Dancing or Sex Appeal), quick-
  shoot a bow, chuck a handful of thrown weapons, use chambara
  movement for a turn, etc. The cost stands whether or not the
  move works, so make sure your abilities match your ambitions!
  • If the GM feels that any option under Extra Effort in
  Combat (p. B357) – and its expansions on p. 131 of
  Martial Arts and pp. 37-38 of Action 2: Exploits – is
  too cheap at 1 FP per use, he might allow it at 1 char-
  acter point per use instead.
  • By spending 1 point per casting, wizards might
  be able to invoke nonstandard rules: work a Regular
  spell with range modifiers from the Size and
  Speed/Range Table (Thaumatology, p. 35), adjust a
  spell’s effects if the GM doesn’t otherwise allow that
  (Thaumatology, p. 39), coordinate mass magic
  (Thaumatology, p. 51), etc. If enchantment is off-lim-
  its to PCs, a mage might buy permission to create a
  magic item!
  POINTS FOR ENERGY
  Spells, many exotic skills (like Power Blow), and a
  few advantages (such as Snatcher) always cost FP to
  use. Other abilities don’t strictly require FP but bene-
  fit from optional expenditures; e.g., burning FP can
  offset penalties to use Warp. And books like Powers,
  Psionic Powers, and Supers contain rules for spend-
  ing FP on extra effort and stunts with superhuman
  gifts. While the above costs are typically quite low,
  truly powerful feats – notably enchanting magic items
  – can cost dozens or hundreds of FP!
  At the GM’s option, a hero who’s strapped for
  energy – or one who wishes to stay fresh and keep his
  FP – may burn character points instead of FP. The
  “exchange rate” is one character point per 25 FP.
  Players may spend more than 1 point (e.g., 10 char-
  acter points for 250 FP), but however many points
  are spent, the temporary FP can normally power just
  one task; excess FP are lost. Thus, this is most effi-
  cient when the ability in question can use at least a
  full multiple of 25 FP.
  Heroes with actual powers in the Powers sense –
  interconnected advantages with a power modifier
  and a Talent – can make better use of this option.
  PARTING YOU FROM YOUR POINTS
  12
  Perking Things Up:
  Amazing Feats
  Many perks from Power-Ups 2: Perks could instead be examples
  of Amazing Feats (pp. 11-15) that cost 1 character point per use:
  Autotrance (Power-Ups 2, p. 12): If it’s vital that a PC who lacks
  this perk enters a trance, a point will guarantee a trance state.
  Controllable Disadvantage (Power-Ups 2, pp. 12-13): The GM can
  safely allow a player to spend a point to afflict his own PC with any
  mundane mental or physical disadvantage for long enough to capi-
  talize on it once.
  Extra Option (Power-Ups 2, p. 20): See Opt-In Options (above).
  Power Perks (Power-Ups 2, p. 11): In a campaign where the PCs
  have low-key powers and the GM doesn’t want flashy tricks domi-
  nating the action, a point allows a trick on par with a power perk
  suited to the spender’s power.
  Rest in Pieces (Power-Ups 2, p. 19): When it really matters that a
  foe doesn’t come back – that he won’t be resurrected, become a zom-
  bie, etc. – a point might guarantee this. In a campaign where such
  returns are commonplace, this is an example of an option that’s “too
  good” as a perk but just right as a one-off expenditure.
  The GM may also allow dramatic combat perks (Power-Ups 2,
  pp. 4-8) like Acrobatic Feints, Combat Vaulting, Quick-Sheathe,
  Quick Swap, Twirl, and Sacrificial Parry on a point-per-use basis
  if it’s that important to the player that his PC pulls off some feat
  without suitable training. Likewise, pp. 17-23 of Gun Fu lists
  many over-the-top firearms perks that might be kept under con-
  trol in tenuously realistic campaign if recast as cinematic rules
  that cost 1 point per use – especially Area Defense, Bank Shot,
  Bend the Bullet, Cookie Cutter, Fireball Shot, Just Winged Him,
  No Friendly Fire, Recoil Rocket, Rope Shooter, Scattergun, and
  Trick Shooter.
  
  They may convert character points to FP at the same rate, but
  keep the FP around as a temporary Energy Reserve (Powers, p.
  119) for their power. Once the energy is spent, it’s gone for good,
  but it is possible, for instance, to trade a character point for 25
  FP and spread that out over 25 tasks that cost 1 FP apiece.
  CHARACTER POINT-
  POWERED ABILITIES
  Many impressive abilities that serve a narrative or dramatic
  purpose in media such as fantasy novels and superhero comics
  have the potential to wreck a campaign. A book’s author or a
  film’s director controls all of his characters, and thus can
  ensure that the ones who have amazing gifts only ever use their
  capabilities to help him tell his story. In an RPG, though, every-
  body involved has a say in the tale being told, and the GM can
  at best referee the players’ actions.
  One way to allow high-end abilities but keep them under con-
  trol is to fuel them with a precious resource: unspent character
  points. Because the cost to use such capabilities is so dear, they
  should be a lot cheaper. Build a character point-powered ability
  normally, and then divide its final point cost (after enhance-
  ments and limitations) by five, rounding up. This buys the poten-
  tial to use that gift. Each use costs character points, and in
  between uses, the capability is inert. The character-point costs
  for activation are adapted from Player Guidance (pp. 7-9):
  • Minor: The use fits the scene perfectly – it’s dramatically
  appropriate and precisely in line with the GM’s desires.
  1 point.
  • Moderate: The use is believable, given the PC’s other abili-
  ties, and can be made to fit into the story. 2 points.
  • Major: The use is about the player wanting to show off or
  make gains at the expense of the storyline. From 3 points to
  the character point-powered ability’s cost (that is, 1/5 of full
  cost), depending on the level of disruption.
  The GM decides what qualifies as a “use.” One “scene” (bat-
  tle, verbal exchange, long and uneventful trip, etc.) is recom-
  mended for abilities that produce ongoing effects; e.g.,
  Invisibility. The goal is to serve the purposes of drama, after all,
  and few stories benefit from strict measures such as “10 sec-
  onds, no matter what’s going on.” For instantaneous
  shows of force, though, each use should last for one turn
  in combat or a single stunt.
  Character point-powered abilities are a great way to
  represent impressive extra effort. A hero with a 100-point
  attack might buy another 500 points of the same attack
  subject to the restriction that it costs points to activate. This
  would cost him 100 + 500/5 = 200 points but be as effective
  as an attack worth 100 + 500 = 600 points when he’s will-
  ing to pay points to use it!
  This option is only cost-effective for large, expensive
  abilities. If the ability is merely rarely used, then it’s more
  efficient to handle it as an alternative ability (Powers, p.
  11). The two options can be combined; use the reduced
  cost of the character point-powered ability (1/5 of full
  price) when including it in a set of alternative abilities. For
  instance, a hero could buy an attack worth 500 points as char-
  acter point-powered for 100 points, but stick it in a set of alter-
  native abilities with another ability that’s worth 100+ points
  and treat it as an alternative that costs 20 points. Alternative
  abilities don’t work if any part of the set is inactive, though –
  and while technically, anything that costs points to use fits this
  description when not powered-up, that’s a little too punishing.
  As a compromise, the GM should shut down the entire group
  of alternative abilities for the next scene (for the rest of the bat-
  tle, in the case of an attack) once points are spent to switch on
  a character point-powered ability.
  Improvisations
  There may be certain abilities that fit a hero’s character con-
  cept but not his starting budget – not even at 1/5 of the usual
  cost. Another possibility is capabilities that the GM doesn’t mind
  as one-offs but doesn’t want locked in as permanent traits, not
  even ones that cost points to use. In either situation, the GM may
  allow players to spend character points to have their PCs use
  these as “stunts” completely out of the blue . . . provided that
  they’re appropriate to the character and the story. Each “use” of
  such an improvised ability costs points equal to 1/5 of its cost as
  a permanent trait, as explained above.
  It’s up to the GM whether players can define such uses as
  alternative abilities to existing ones. If the GM likes this idea,
  then if the 1/5-cost improvised ability costs less than one of the
  hero’s permanent abilities, the player may pay character points
  equal to 1/5 of that cost (1/25, all told) for the stunt. The catch
  is that by doing so, he’ll disable all the other “alternatives” for
  the next scene.
  Example: In a campaign where Jumper (Time) is considered
  “evil” and forbidden to PCs – even as a 1/5-cost character point-
  powered ability – a villain attempts to use a time machine to
  alter the past. One of the heroes is a sorceress obsessed with
  history, and the player asks whether she could spend points to
  cast a one-off “spell” to travel through time to deal with the vil-
  lain. The GM agrees, and lets the player use Jumper with -80%
  in limitations, which would cost 20 points as a permanent
  advantage, by paying 4 character points. Another PC is a super
  with “dimensional” abilities such as Insubstantiality and Warp.
  His player wants to pay points to use Jumper (Time) [100]
  without limitations as an alternative to Warp. That would cost
  20 points normally – but it’s just 4 points as an alternative to
  Warp. The catch is that his Warp won’t work in the dramatic
  confrontation that follows!
  CHANGING THE WORLD
  Certain abilities let their wielders spend points to effect last-
  ing changes in the game world, effectively invoking a variant
  of Player Guidance (pp. 7-9) that blurs the line between how
  those gifts affect the character and how they affect the universe.
  PARTING YOU FROM YOUR POINTS
  13
  Open Your Eyes
  In some settings, a hero with abilities such as Magery or
  psionic powers can guide others in their quest to awaken those
  gifts in themselves. The details vary widely (see Powers, pp. 34-
  37 just to start with), but if the GM allows this, one possibility is
  that the mentor can give of himself to assist the process. In
  game terms, he transfers some of his own unspent character
  points to his student for the sole purpose of enabling his appren-
  tice to buy the capabilities that represent such an awakening.
  
  Good examples are Dominance (p. B50), which lets the user
  create Allies in play; Possession (pp. B75-76) enhanced with
  Chronic, which makes it possible to purchase Ally and Puppet;
  and Wild Talent (pp. B99-100) with Retention, which offers the
  chance to spend a point on a skill. Powers adds possibilities
  like Regrowth with the Doubling enhancement (Powers,
  p. 71), which enables the possessor to spend points to acquire
  new body parts, and the Creation Pool mechanic for Create
  (Powers, pp. 92-94), which converts points into more-or-less
  stable matter. Supers lets Mind Control work much like Pos-
  session for creating Allies (Supers, p. 114).
  However, all of the previous examples change the user’s point
  total. He keeps his new Ally, Puppet, skill, or Extra Arm, or the
  points in his Creation Pool; these things increase his value as a
  character. That isn’t the only possibility! Some abilities might
  extend the option of sacrificing points – as with all the other
  options in Impulse Buys – so that effects that would normally
  lapse after a certain time become permanent. This is a useful
  way of emulating super-powered wizards and even gods, and
  nearly always more balanced than allowing the Permanent level
  of Extended Duration (p. B105).
  Some examples:
  Affliction (pp. B35-36): If the victim
  fails to resist, the individual placing
  the Affliction can make it permanent
  by spending 1 character point per +1%
  of enhancement needed to produce
  the effect. This doesn’t work for Coma,
  Heart Attack, or Stunning; for any-
  thing functionally equivalent to these
  modifiers (permanent Unconscious-
  ness is no different from Coma); or for
  effects the GM feels can’t be repre-
  sented by traits added to or removed
  from the target. Someone cursed this
  way can “buy off” these problems by
  spending his own points.
  Allies (pp. B36-38): The Conjured
  enhancement (Dungeon Fantasy 9, p.
  4) is like Summonable but calls a dif-
  ferent being each time and requires a
  reaction roll. Someone with Ally (Con-
  jured) can spend character points to
  flood the world with demons, spirits,
  etc. Use Favors in Play (pp. 8-9) for
  this; each attempt calls for a Concen-
  trate maneuver and a roll against the
  Ally’s usual frequency of appearance.
  Success lets the summoner spend points equal to 1.6¥ the crea-
  ture’s base cost as an Ally – ignoring the frequency of appear-
  ance, modifiers, etc. on his permanent Ally advantage – to create
  that being. This entity becomes a free-willed, permanent resi-
  dent of the conjurer’s world, not his Ally, but on a Good or bet-
  ter reaction, it will grant its creator a minor favor or service
  before departing.
  Control (Powers, pp. 90-92): If the effect – water sculpture,
  reverse gravity, bizarre reflections, etc. – would be unstable,
  and end when the Control ends, the user can make it perma-
  nent for character points equal to the Control level used. If the
  Control has the Natural Phenomena enhancement, the cost
  rises to 5 points per Control level used (so afflicting a one-mile
  radius with a permanent storm costs 50 points!).
  Enhanced Time Sense (p. B52), Trained by a Master (p. B93), or
  Weapon Master (p. B99): See Bullet Time (p. 15) for a way to affect
  reality that suits video games and wuxia movies, especially.
  Gizmos (pp. B57-58): Someone with this advantage can
  spend 1 character point to “recharge” one use per level per
  game session. A PC with Gizmos 1 could whip out an item and
  then spend 1 point to produce another article; one with Gizmos
  2 could get four uses in a session by spending 2 points; and so
  forth. This isn’t as cost-effective as saving those points for more
  Gizmos, but that isn’t always an option.
  Growth (p. B58), Insubstantiality (pp. B62-63), Invisibility
  (p. B63), Shadow Form (p. B83), or Shrinking (p. B85): If the user
  has the Can Carry Objects enhancement, he can transform with
  an item in hand and pay character points to leave it that way –
  even after he lets go and changes himself back. He can also do
  this in reverse; e.g., pick up something insubstantial and materi-
  alize it. Either stunt costs 1 character point per 5% of his Basic
  Lift that the object weighs in the heavier of its initial or final form.
  Healing (p. B59): A healer who has the Cure Affliction
  enhancement (Powers, p. 51) can use his ability to remove his
  subject’s physical disadvantages.
  This costs character points equal
  to the absolute value of the disad-
  vantages cured. In effect, he’s
  “buying off” the disadvantage for
  the beneficiary. If he also has
  Empathic, he may pay this point
  cost by acquiring the removed
  problem himself!
  Illusion (Powers, p. 94-95):
  Permanent illusions no larger
  than the user’s maximum radius
  are possible if this advantage lacks
  the Mental enhancement. Cost is
  1 character point per yard of
  radius. Senses affected are limited
  to the ability’s usual ones (that is,
  Auditory Only, Extended, and
  Visual Only work normally), but
  the illusionist can elect to include
  only some of these. Users with
  Independence or Initiative may
  add 40% or 100% (round up),
  respectively, to this cost to pro-
  duce illusions with those effects.
  Jumper (pp. B64-65) or Warp
  (pp. B97-99): With the Tunnel
  enhancement, the user can create
  a permanent tunnel between two places, times, or planes. For
  Jumper, this costs a flat 10 character points. For Warp, it costs
  1 point per -1 in distance penalties (minimum 1 point).
  Mana Damper (p. B67) or Mana Enhancer (p. B68): With
  Area Effect, the user can create areas of permanently altered
  mana around where he’s standing. Maximum radius and level
  are as usual for his advantage. Cost per yard of radius is 1 char-
  acter point per mana level removed with Damper or 5 points
  per level added with Enhancer. For instance, Mana Enhancer
  2 (Area Effect, 2 yards, +100%) makes it possible to pay 5
  points to improve mana level by one over a one-yard radius, 10
  points to raise it by one in a two-yard radius or two in a one-
  yard radius, or 20 points to leave a two-yard radius two mana
  levels above usual (very high mana in a normal-mana world!).
  PARTING YOU FROM YOUR POINTS
  14
  
  Mind Control (pp. B68-69): If the advantage has Condition-
  ing, the controller can cure his subject’s mental disadvantages
  by paying character points equal to the absolute value of the
  disadvantages eliminated. He’s “buying off” his patient’s disad-
  vantages! This can happen for free if the user rolls a critical suc-
  cess on a Conditioning attempt, but this rule is arguably more
  balanced than that one. Even if the GM keeps using it, he may
  not want to allow Buying Success (pp. 4-7) to obtain critical
  successes that cure disadvantages. If he does, an analyst with
  Mind Control can spend a mere 2 points per fellow PC to erase
  the entire party’s mental problems.
  Neutralize (p. B71): If the victim fails to resist, the attacker
  can make this permanent at a cost equal to that of the abilities
  neutralized. This is all-or-nothing – and likely very expensive –
  unless the user has the Precise enhancement (Powers, p. 97) to
  let him pick what he erases. Keep track of what’s drained; the
  subject doesn’t lose his potential, and can restore his old abili-
  ties by buying them back with points.
  Obscure (p. B72): The user can create areas of permanent
  obscuration around where he’s standing. Maximum radius
  and level are as usual for his advantage. Multiply the magni-
  tude of the penalty to Sense rolls by radius in yards and
  divide by 10, rounding up, to find the cost in character
  points. For instance, someone with Obscure 10 (Vision)
  could conjure a two-yard-radius zone of permanent dark-
  ness, fog, or whatever for (10 ¥ 2)/10 = 2 points.
  Psi Static (p. B78) or Static (Powers, p. 98): With Area Effect,
  the user can create areas of permanent static around where he’s
  standing. Maximum radius is his usual radius, and cost is 2
  character points per yard of radius.
  Snatcher (p. B86): The Permanent enhancement ensures
  that objects acquired don’t vanish when you next use your abil-
  ity. Optionally, the GM can forbid that modifier and charge
  character points for permanency, using the campaign’s usual
  cost ratio for Trading Points for Money (p. 8). The advantage of
  Snatcher over that rule is that it’s instant and gives access to
  almost anything.
  Telekinesis (p. B92): This advantage can be stabilized to hold
  an object permanently off the ground at the cost of 1 character
  point per 5% of telekinetic Basic Lift that the thing weighs.
  Heroes whose have the Animation modifier (Powers, p. 83)
  and want to create permanently animated items may use the
  rules for Allies with Conjured, but at half the character point
  cost (0.8¥ the object’s base cost as an Ally), since nothing has
  to be summoned.
  Temperature Control (pp. B92-93): The user can create areas
  of permanent heat or cold. Maximum radius and level are as
  usual for his advantage. Multiply the temperature shift by
  radius in yards and divide by 20, rounding up, to determine the
  cost in character points. For instance, someone with Temper-
  ature Control 1 could leave a two-yard radius 20°F cooler or
  hotter for (20 ¥ 2)/20 = 2 points.
  PARTING YOU FROM YOUR POINTS
  15
  At the GM’s option, the player of a PC with Enhanced
  Time Sense, or possibly Trained by a Master or Weapon
  Master, may spend 3 character points to stop time and act
  out of turn. He can do so at any time – even between attack
  and defense rolls, or defense and damage rolls. He can’t
  interrupt death, though; if a failed roll means the PC dies,
  the player can’t stop time as a dying action.
  Entering Bullet Time gives the hero one turn to do any-
  thing he could do with a normal turn. Then ordinary time
  resumes and the GM assesses the outcome of those
  actions. Possibilities include:
  • Any maneuver that allows attacks lets him attack. Roll
  to hit normally. The targets are defenseless. The GM deter-
  mines all damage and injury effects and applies them the
  instant time returns to normal, before anything else occurs.
  • He can spend attacks to pluck projectiles out of the
  air. It takes a DX roll and an attack to grab each one. The
  player specifies how close he lets them get before he stops
  time. Snatched weapons lose their momentum and cannot
  injure anyone.
  • A Concentrate maneuver lets him activate or deacti-
  vate an advantage, operate controls, etc., so that an ability
  or a device will be “on” or “off” when normal time resumes.
  • Move or Change Posture means that when time
  speeds back up, he’ll be in his new location or posture.
  • Ready allows him to draw an item, reload a gun,
  open a door, etc. When the clock restarts, the item is in
  hand, the gun is loaded, the door is open, and so on.
  If he moves even a step during Bullet Time, all “paused”
  attacks on him simply miss when time restarts! If he moves
  between a weapon and its intended target, the attack hits
  him when normal time resumes; he may defend normally.
  Should his actions move another person into the path of a
  suspended attack, it hits that person instead – but the vic-
  tim may defend.
  During Bullet Time, the PC sees everything but himself
  “freeze.” He perceives everyone else paused in mid-
  motion, projectiles hanging in air, timers trapped
  between ticks of the clock, and so forth. He and items he’s
  carrying are the only things that move. Everyone else sees
  him move in a blur.
  If the GM allows this, he has two further decisions
  to make:
  • Can others buy in? Optionally, when someone buys
  Bullet Time, others with access to the option can “buy in”
  for 3 points. They must declare this as soon as the first
  fighter antes up, or be stuck in regular time! Those in Bul-
  let Time get one turn apiece, in descending order by Basic
  Speed, and affect one another normally. The rest of the
  world remains paused.
  • How much time? The GM decides how many succes-
  sive turns of Bullet Time can be bought. The default is just
  one, but the GM is welcome to permit 6, 9, or more points
  for 2, 3, or more turns. If others can buy in, everyone who
  wants to remain in Bullet Time must ante up before each
  turn of stopped time.
  Bullet Time
  
  The rules in Chapter 1 are optional – the GM decides which
  to use and which to ignore. Options like Miraculous Recoveries
  (pp. 10-11) will give the campaign a cinematic or supernatural
  cast that might not suit its genre, realism level, and/or power
  level. Even the most subtle in-play uses of character points lead
  to “meta-game” assets intruding on the game world more than
  usual, although that doesn’t have to strain disbelief; some real-
  life people luck into windfalls and job offers without working or
  studying hard, and it’s easy to imagine that as GURPS charac-
  ters, they’re spending more points on Buying Success (pp. 4-7)
  and Player Guidance (pp. 7-9) than on skills and social advan-
  tages. And a few rules are outright contradictory, because they’re
  intended as alternatives; a super with Snatcher and access to
  Changing the World (pp. 13-15) won’t need the Doodad option in
  Perking Things Up: Player Guidance (p. 9).
  The GM must also decide how often he wants to see these
  rules used. Several ways to enforce this decision are offered in
  Impulse Control (pp. 17-18), but don’t forget that character
  points are a finite resource. This naturally imposes limits on
  spending points in play:
  • The players can’t use these rules once they run out of char-
  acter points. As the one who sets starting points and awards
  bonus points, the GM determines how many points the players
  have to spend in play. The least heavy-handed control on over-
  use is to avoid excess; e.g., don’t give out 5 points per session if
  2 points better fits your vision.
  • A character point spent in play is one that doesn’t buy last-
  ing capabilities. Players may save bonus points or spend them
  on permitted options however they like. They are free to hoard
  them against disaster, guaranteeing favorable outcomes when
  the chips are down. However, the GM has an equal right to
  scale threats to where the PCs would be had the players bought
  permanent abilities. In a 150-point campaign where the GM
  has awarded an average of 50 points total, the challenges
  should suit 200-point heroes even if the players have spent
  many points on successes, player guidance, etc., or are hoard-
  ing them “just in case.”
  IMPULSIVE CAMPAIGNS
  16
  CHAPTER TWO
  IMPULSIVE
  CAMPAIGNS
  Another important decision for the GM is whether
  NPCs can use the rules in Chapter 1. Interchangeable
  mooks probably shouldn’t be able to spend points in play –
  they aren’t the heroes’ equals, and there’s even an option
  under Dooming Foes (pp. 5-6) to make their life a living
  hell. But what about named NPCs, like major villains?
  It’s fairest to assume that in the sorts of campaigns
  where PCs get to spend points in play, NPCs intended as
  worthy adversaries – which need not be especially com-
  mon – have pools of points for fueling similar options, at
  the same rates. The GM shouldn’t hose the PCs directly,
  however. A villain uses points to create evil magic items
  (Points for Energy, pp. 12-13), fund schemes (Trading Points
  for Money, p. 8), ensure that no cops happen by (Player
  Guidance, pp. 7-9), and return from the dead (Miraculous
  Recoveries, pp. 10-11). He doesn’t exploit them to slaughter
  the heroes with critical hits. If the GM wants that ending,
  there’s always “Rocks fall. Everybody dies.”
  The GM should announce point expenditures made in
  the PCs’ presence. If a villain turns 10 failed defenses into
  successes, it may look like cheating if the GM does nothing
  but shout, “He dodges again!” Player complaints are less
  likely if the GM crosses off points and proclaims, “Wow,
  you’ve made him use up 10 points.” Even better is a hand-
  ful of counters that represent the bad guy’s points, visible
  to everyone and set aside as points are spent.
  And how many points should NPCs have? That mostly
  depends on the genre. A cinematic action-movie villain
  ought to have lots of points; e.g., for surfing to Earth from
  orbit. A far more powerful supernatural being in a mon-
  ster-hunting game might have no budget – he’s cursed, and
  doesn’t enjoy script immunity. It’s best to be consistent
  within a given campaign, whether than means using 5% or
  10% of the NPC’s point value, or simply rolling 1d or 2d.
  When using Impulse Points (Other Kinds of Points, p. 18),
  the same number of IP as the PCs works well.
  Villainous Impulses
  The GM decides which rules to use.
  
  While the fact that character points are a finite resource
  means that impulse buys don’t strictly need controls, the cam-
  paign might be more fun with one or more of the following
  suggestions in effect.
  ADJUSTING THE COST
  Every point cost in GURPS is subject to GM fiat. This
  includes impulse buys! The GM might make “troublesome”
  uses costly (without banning them outright) but reduce the
  cost of manipulations that help tell a good story. This simple-
  but-effective measure benefits everyone – the players get more
  for their points while the GM gets to run his adventure unhin-
  dered. Player Guidance (pp. 7-9) and Character Point-Powered
  Abilities (p. 13) already include guidelines for adjusting cost
  per use, which can be generalized to any use of points in play:
  If the effect is a perfect match to the GM’s goals, the char-
  acter-point cost is 50% off, to a minimum of 1 point per use.
  If it’s at odds with the story, cost is 50% extra, with a minimum
  premium of +1 point.
  SEPARATE AWARDS
  The GM might want to divide the bonus points he awards
  into two balances: one for short-term gains and one for long-
  term growth. These might be apples and oranges, and not con-
  vertible – but if the GM favors one use over the other, he could
  allow players to transfer points at asymmetric exchange rates,
  or to but not from his preferred category.
  Example: In a campaign that uses long- and short-term
  points, the GM lets short-term points be converted to long-
  term ones on a 1:1 basis – but the ratio is 2:1 going the other
  direction. Over an adventure that lasts six game sessions, he
  awards each player 1 short-term point and 1 long-term point
  per session. At the end, the players could have up to 12 points
  for permanent abilities but only 9 for affecting events in play.
  At the start of the campaign, it’s better to set a limit on
  unspent points held in reserve; 10% of the campaign power
  level is reasonable. Thus, in a 150-point campaign, players
  might be allowed to reserve up to 15 point for in-play use with-
  out having to “buy” them at a premium.
  USAGE LIMITS
  Limits on how often these rules can be used are simple
  and direct in play, but require some thought beforehand.
  A few examples:
  • A player can use these rules at most N times per game ses-
  sion or adventure, but the specifics are unimportant; e.g., “You
  can use stuff from Impulse Buys twice each game session.”
  • A player can use a given option at most N times per game
  session or adventure. The value of N might be different for
  each rule; e.g., “On this adventure, you may have any number
  of flesh wounds, buy success up to three times, but request just
  one instance of player guidance.”
  • A player can use a powerful option N times, ever; e.g.,
  “You can each buy a single miraculous recovery in this cam-
  paign. After that, dead is dead!”
  In a campaign with supernatural elements, usage limits
  might be more generous or relaxed completely on a mission for
  a beneficent Higher Power . . . or more austere if the heroes
  end up cursed!
  SPENDING LIMITS
  Instead of thinking in terms of “uses,” the GM can limit
  how many character points can be spent in play each session
  or adventure. This might be uniform (“No more than 10
  points on this adventure.”), have exceptions (“No more than
  4 points each game session, excluding miraculous recover-
  ies.”), or be a lifetime quota (“No more than 25 points in this
  campaign – so don’t use these rules if you think you want a
  miraculous recovery!”). Once again, blessings and curses
  might play with the limits.
  SPENDING CAPACITY
  A variant on Usage Limits and Spending Limits is to estab-
  lish a capacity with a clever name – say, “Impulse Points” (IP).
  These can’t be spent as such; instead, each character point
  spent in play also consumes 1 IP. Depleted IP recover at a mod-
  est rate, perhaps a flat 1 IP per session, or conceivably 1 IP per
  bonus point earned that session.
  Example: Noemi has 23 character points saved up in a cam-
  paign where characters start with 10 IP and recover a flat 1
  IP/session. She could spend at most 10 character points in
  play, reducing her IP to 0. If she did, she would start next ses-
  sion with just 1 IP. She could then spend at most 1 character
  point on impulse buys – not all 13 that remain!
  The GM sets maximum IP and recharge rate. The numbers
  aren’t that important, as the real limit is still available character
  points. But a low IP maximum will rule out costly options, while
  a low recharge rate will prevent excessive frequency of use.
  IMPULSIVE CAMPAIGNS
  17
  IMPULSE CONTROL
  The first man had
  his three wishes, yes . . .
  I don’t know what the first
  two were, but the third was
  for death.
  – W.W. Jacobs,
  “The Monkey’s Paw”
  
  It’s up to the GM whether PCs can spend character points
  on better IP maxima or refresh rates as permanent advantages.
  Since they’ll have to spend even more character points to cap-
  italize on either benefit, the price shouldn’t be high – perhaps
  1 character point per +2 to the IP maximum or +1 to the per-
  session IP recovery rate. Reductions have too little impact to be
  meaningful disadvantages.
  OTHER KINDS OF POINTS
  The GM could even decide that the rules in Impulse Buys
  don’t use character points! He might restrict players to spending
  the Destiny and Wildcard Points defined in Wild, Wild Destiny
  (p. 5), and the Serendipity Points discussed in Serendipitous
  Guidance (p. 8). This would make Destiny’s role much larger,
  and render Serendipity and wildcard skills extra-attractive.
  Most radically, the GM could use Spending Capacity but
  have Impulse Points replace character points for in-play spend-
  ing. It’s up to the GM how many IP, if any, each PC starts with
  for free, and whether IP recharge. If IP never recharge, then
  points spent on extra IP are simply points set aside to use
  Chapter 1 as written, and IP should cost 1 character point
  apiece (and don’t really need a special name).
  If IP do refresh, though, then the fair price is 5 points/level
  – which matches Destiny Points – because the player will get to
  spend them over and over (and probably far more than five
  times). And if the PCs start with nonzero IP, selling off IP at -5
  points/level seems reasonable. The default refresh rate is that
  for Destiny Points, or 1 IP per session. If an improved rate is
  available at all, this should cost at least 10 points per +1 IP
  regenerated per session.
  It’s up to the GM whether traits like Destiny, Luck, and
  Serendipity are needed in a campaign where Impulse
  Points and/or their refresh rate can be bought for
  character points. If the GM does allow both, then
  Destiny Points can be combined with Impulse Points
  for purchases – and so can Serendipity Points and
  Wildcard Points, where the purchase is one for which
  those are legitimate.
  KARMIC BALANCE
  A final possibility is to arrange matters so that the
  players don’t want to push their luck more often than
  absolutely necessary. Maybe every 5 or 10 character
  points (or any other kind of points!) spent on impulse
  buys gives the character a point of “taint,” in the form
  of what Horror calls Derangement or Corruption.
  Perhaps each point spent gives the adventure’s Big Bad
  Evil Guy a point – or half a point, or 2 points – to use
  in his own machinations (Villainous Impulses, p. 16).
  Such schemes especially suit horrific and supernatural
  campaigns where taking the “easy path” means sub-
  mitting to sinister, even diabolical influences.
  IMPULSIVE CAMPAIGNS
  18
  So far, we’ve discussed ways to control how many charac-
  ter points players spend on game-world outcomes. This isn’t
  just to keep adversarial gamers from exploiting points as an “I
  win” button. There are also people who will – out of a well-
  intentioned effort to tell a good story and support the GM –
  spend so many points that their characters don’t improve at all.
  Bonus character points are primarily intended for personal
  improvement, and as noted earlier, a point spent in play is one
  that doesn’t buy lasting capabilities.
  However, perpetual upward mobility – a tradition estab-
  lished by old-school RPGs and often known as the “zero to
  hero” arc – doesn’t suit every campaign. There are entire
  genres where the protagonists usually prevail but rarely
  “power up”; e.g., classic comic-book supers. There are also
  storytelling methods for which this approach is standard. In
  an episodic campaign (or a traditional TV series), the heroes
  might look the same at the start of each adventure; from the
  viewpoint of what the characters can do, the episodes make
  sense in any order. Development in such cases is about per-
  sonality and character growth, not higher skills and more
  Hit Points.
  In this kind of campaign, the GM might wish to invert some
  of the suggestions for controlling points spent in play:
  • Adjusting the Cost (p. 17): Reducing the character-point
  costs for in-play outcomes might be all it takes to get the
  desired effect. For instance, if a critical success costs 1 charac-
  ter point rather than 2, or if a point buys 100 FP instead of 25
  FP, then players may opt not to raise Guns or Energy Reserve
  quite as often.
  • Separate Awards (p. 17): An effective tool here is to award
  more short-term points than long-term ones while offering
  favorable exchange rates when trading long-term points for
  short-term ones (perhaps better than even: “Each long-term
  point gives you two short-term ones.”) or even forbidding the
  exchange of short-term points.
  TRADING GROWTH FOR DRAMA
  Bidding Wars
  If two characters could both use points to affect the same
  outcome, and one of them actually does, the GM may allow a
  bidding war: The rival can spend equal points plus one to
  negate this outcome, the original spender can then see that
  point and spend another, and so on, until someone can’t con-
  tinue. All points are spent! This is always a one-on-one compe-
  tition – after two parties ante up, nobody else can come in on
  either side.
  Example: The heroic Zhang Zhu wants the police to spot the
  villainous Toru Otaka, and spends 4 points to “summon” an
  officer. Otaka would like the police to be busy elsewhere, and
  spend 5 points total to ensure this. Zhu goes up to 6 points total
  to get his way. Otaka can’t afford the 7 points he’d need to win,
  so he loses 5 points, the Zhang loses 6 points, and Officer Smith
  steps out of a nearby donut shop.
  
  • Usage Limits (p. 17): Inverting
  this idea is a matter of setting limits on
  how often character points can be
  spent on permanent improvements:
  “Each adventure, you can improve one
  trait that comes in levels by one level,”
  “Nobody can improve attributes, ever,”
  “Study (pp. B292-294) doesn’t earn
  points, it just allows one to spend that
  many earned points – so if you have no
  time for training, you can’t raise skills,”
  and so on.
  • Spending
  Limits
  (pp. 17-18):
  Inverting
  spending
  limits
  likewise
  involves restricting purchases of durable
  capabilities, and can take many forms –
  from “You can spend no more than 5
  points on skills this adventure” to “No
  more than 50 points of permanent
  improvements, ever.”
  • Karmic Balance (p. 18): In a set-
  ting with sinister paranormal forces, a
  fun inversion of this idea is to declare
  that points spent on permanent super-
  natural abilities – but not to influence
  outcomes – are what causes “taint.”
  Thus, in the spirit of pulp fantasy, fate
  punishes wielders of “evil powers” by
  sending heroes who defeat them with
  daring and panache.
  THE NO-GROWTH CAMPAIGN
  All of these techniques still allow some growth, but it’s pos-
  sible to run a campaign where the first and last time the play-
  ers buy abilities with character points is when they create their
  PCs. Two options work best:
  • Separate Awards (p. 17): Points are awarded for good
  roleplaying, etc., but these are all short-term points, useful only
  for buying game-world outcomes.
  • Other Kinds of Points (p. 18): Impulse Points replace
  points earned in play, and aren’t awarded at all – they just
  refresh. To encourage good roleplaying without bribing play-
  ers with points, the GM also invokes Adjusting the Cost (p. 17)
  and makes the IP cost lower for feats that help rather than hin-
  der the story.
  In either case, the heroes complete adventures not by brute
  force (by exploiting high attributes, heaps of advantages, and
  masterful skill levels) but through dramatic coups (spending
  points at pivotal junctures).
  The GM may still permit “horizontal development” in such
  a campaign. Instead of spending earned points, the players get
  to rearrange their traits a few points at a time. For instance, the
  driver who spends more time shooting than behind the wheel
  might shunt 4 points from Driving to Guns, and the hero who
  witnesses a lot of death could see Selfless become Callous as a
  defense mechanism. Rather than set hard point limits, the GM
  should listen to suggestions from the players and allow them if
  they’re consistent with what the PCs have been doing.
  Unless the GM wants the campaign to come to resemble a
  madhouse or a hospital ward, though, he should also provide
  some way to remove disadvantages gained in play due to crip-
  pling wounds, spectacularly bad Fright Checks, and so on. This
  can be done through detailed accounting (characters earn
  points that are useful only for buying off problems) or simply
  by being open-minded about having suitable treatments work.
  Improvements that don’t raise character-point totals might
  be possible, too. For instance, the GM might award more
  short-term points – or increased Impulse Points – as the cam-
  paign progresses and the stakes get higher. And each use of
  Player Guidance (pp. 7-9) shapes the world a bit more in the
  heroes’ favor, which is definitely a benefit even if it doesn’t
  show up on character sheets (thus, the GM should keep good
  notes on such things).
  Of course, many players will just hate this idea – gaming is
  all about leveling up for them. A compromise might be to for-
  bid discretionary earned points but still allow new skills when
  the hero attends university for a semester, new advantages if he
  goes under the knife in a cyberpunk campaign, and so on. The
  cynical GM might have cyberpunk implants improve a charac-
  ter’s point total at a cost in Impulse Points, in classic ’80s gam-
  ing fashion!
  IMPULSIVE CAMPAIGNS
  19
  Wagers
  Some gamers may enjoy wagers involving character points. The GM designs an
  adventure and sets minimum standards of success: “Steal the secret files,” “Escape
  the dungeon,” or “Save the princess before she’s sacrificed in 13 days.” Then he
  and the players mutually agree to some greater achievement that would be a real
  challenge – something like “Steal the secret files without a fight,” “Escape the dun-
  geon uninjured,” or “Save the princess by sundown today.” Players can then bet
  points on this outcome, up to an agreed-upon table limit. If they pull it off, they
  get double their points back; if they don’t, they lose their points.
  This only works if the GM is fair and doesn’t cheat, which requires trust. It’s
  acceptable to have a bad reaction or Stealth roll start a fight when trying to
  avoid one, but not to have NPCs jump the PCs at random. It’s fine to throw traps
  and monsters at PCs who are attempting to escape injury, but not “take damage,
  no saving roll” disasters. It’s okay to require a Riding roll to spirit the princess
  home before sundown, but not to have her flee laughing into the sunset.
  The players can invoke options from Chapter 1 to succeed at their wager!
  This tends to be self-correcting. Getting 10 points instead of 5 for the adventure
  is wonderful – but the extra 5 points is actually an extra 2 points if you had to
  spend 3 points for success at Stealth, Traps, or Riding. The only thing that’s off-
  limits is spending points to short-circuit the entire challenge. It isn’t acceptable
  to use Player Guidance (pp. 7-9) to make the rival spies lose the secret files,
  declare that there’s a secret exit from the bottom of the dungeon, or find an
  amazing shortcut home with the princess.
  A wager has nothing to do with any bonus points the GM might award for
  the adventure, which accrue regardless.
  UPWARD PROGRESS IS
  NEVER AUTOMATIC.
  – Gary Gygax,
  Dungeon Masters Guide
  
  If not every idea in Impulse Buys suits every campaign, it’s
  reasonable to ask which options are good and not-so-good for
  specific types of games. The GM’s word is final, but here are
  some recommendations. Possibilities that aren’t mentioned
  are neutral – while they don’t stand out as bad ideas, the genre
  in question isn’t flush with examples of them.
  GURPS Action and GURPS Gun Fu
  Reserving a few starting points to fuel stunning exploits is
  extremely appropriate for action heroes. See Paying Fate’s Price
  (p. 5), but Wild, Wild Destiny (p. 5) and Other Kinds of Points
  (p. 18) offer alternatives. If everybody has such a budget, then
  Bidding Wars (p. 18) can be fun in dramatic situations like high-
  speed chases.
  The lists below exclude possibilities that imply paranormal,
  superhuman, or weird phenomena – notably Changing the World
  (pp. 13-15),
  Character
  Point-Powered
  Abilities (p. 13), Divine Intervention (p. 9),
  Open Your Eyes (p. 13), and Points for
  Energy (pp. 12-13) – only because action
  plots rarely include such elements. There’s
  nothing wrong with these if suitable powers
  coexist with guns and Corvettes!
  Especially Appropriate: Buying Success
  (pp. 4-7); Buying Failure (p 4), to accept
  pain and death before talking under
  interrogation; Dooming Foes (pp. 5-6),
  because mooks have no rights; the No
  Nuisance
  Rolls
  option
  in
  Perking
  Things
  Up:
  Buying
  Success
  (p. 6);
  Defense vs. Effect (p. 6); Player Guid-
  ance
  (pp. 7-9),
  to
  ensure
  suitable
  scenery for stunts; almost all of Perking
  Things Up: Player Guidance (p. 9); Sur-
  vival (pp. 10-11), particularly Flesh
  Wounds (p. 10); the Dramatic Death
  and Sartorial Integrity options in Perk-
  ing Things Up: Survival (p. 11); and that
  timeless classic, Bullet Time (p. 15).
  Especially Inappropriate: Both Trading
  Points for Money (p. 8) and Favors in
  Play (pp. 8-9) assume more complex
  social interplay than action stories
  demand, and short-circuit the budget
  and Rank rules in Action. Opt-In Options (p. 12) and
  Perking Things Up: Amazing Feats (p. 12) are needlessly
  conservative substitutes for using the action-appropriate
  suggestions on those lists full-time and campaign-wide.
  GURPS Dungeon Fantasy
  Treating Destiny and Serendipity as sources of Destiny
  Points (Wild, Wild Destiny, p. 5) and Serendipity Points
  (Serendipitous Guidance, p. 8), respectively, rather than as
  more poetic traits, is exactly the sort of thing that suits
  munchkin power fantasies. In fact, most uses of points do – the
  trick is to forbid the stuff that’s too easily abused.
  Especially Appropriate: Buying Success (pp. 4-7); Buying Failure
  (p. 4), to weasel out of being dangerous to allies when mind-
  controlled; Dooming Foes (pp. 5-6), when fighting hordes of
  fodder; Trading Points for Money (p. 8) and Divine Intervention
  (p. 9) are essential genre canon; the Covenant of Rest option
  in Perking Things Up: Survival (p. 11), for holy avengers; Opt-
  In Options (p. 12) and Perking Things Up: Amazing Feats
  (p. 12) suggest things that aren’t especially in-genre as full-
  time rules but work when used sparingly; Character Point-
  Powered Abilities (p. 13) befits some powers available to PCs;
  and Open Your Eyes (p. 13), to explain how delvers acquire
  supernatural gifts as they “level up.”
  Especially Inappropriate:
  Favors in Play (pp. 8-9)
  and the social options
  under Perking Things Up:
  Player
  Guidance
  (p. 9)
  lend themselves to abuse
  around monsters, and
  assume more of a society
  than is usual; all of Sur-
  vival (pp. 10-11) badly
  devalues
  clerics
  and
  other healers; the GM
  who allows Points for
  Energy (pp. 12-13) and
  Changing
  the
  World
  (pp. 13-15) is asking for
  trouble if the players of
  spellcasters and power-
  users are even remotely
  adept munchkins; and
  Bullet Time (p. 15) is out-
  of-genre.
  GURPS Fantasy
  Serious fantasy – by con-
  trast to the dungeon-crawl-
  ing variety – customarily
  involves prophecy, destiny,
  and real heroism. This makes
  sacrifice (Paying Fate’s Price, p. 5) a suitable source of points;
  the mightiest deeds (from enchanting artifacts to begging the
  gods to return your True Love to the land of the living)
  inevitably have a cost.
  Especially Appropriate: Player Guidance (pp. 7-9) works well
  as fate favoring heroes on a quest; respectful Divine Inter-
  vention (p. 9) suits dramatic fantasy even better than the
  dungeon variety; Resurrecting Allies (p. 11) and Open Your
  Eyes (p. 13) are truly heroic when paid for by sacrifice;
  IMPULSIVE CAMPAIGNS
  20
  WHAT WORKS AND
  WHAT DOESN’T
  
  the Dramatic Death option in Perking Things Up: Survival
  (p. 11) is common; the magic rules under Opt-In Options
  (p. 12) and the Rest in Pieces option in Perking Things Up:
  Amazing Feats (p. 12) are apt when they’re rare (cost points
  to use); Points for Energy (pp. 12-13) and even Character
  Point-Powered Abilities (p. 13) are frequently the only way to
  use strategic spells and powers; and Changing the World (pp.
  13-15) is similarly fitting for individuals with suitable abili-
  ties, although those are often rare.
  Especially Inappropriate: The more self-serving options
  under Survival (pp. 10-11) cheapen the sacrifice and strug-
  gle that characterize heroic fantasy. The dramatic tradition
  of fantasy differs from that of action movies; with few
  exceptions, then, the combat rules mentioned under Opt-In
  Options (p. 12), and Bullet Time (p. 15), are a poor match.
  GURPS Horror
  Arguably, allowing anything in Chapter 1 is unwise in hor-
  ror. Such easy outs militate against doubt and suspense.
  Inasmuch as it makes sense to spend points in play, sacrifice
  and debt (Paying Fate’s Price, p. 5) are highly appropriate. The
  GM might make these the only ways to mess with game-world
  outcomes in a horror campaign! It can’t hurt to throw Karmic
  Balance (p. 18) into the mix, either. Horror is also a good
  match to The No-Growth Campaign (p. 19) and fertile ground
  for Wagers (p. 19), which can help convey mortality and ten-
  sion, respectively – but the two rules don’t mix well.
  Especially Appropriate: Buying Effect (p. 6), when slamming
  the stake into Dracula’s heart or otherwise acting with final-
  ity and conviction; Divine Intervention (p. 9), provided that
  the results are double-edged; Points for Energy (pp. 12-13),
  when the points come from sacrifice and the energy empow-
  ers black magic; and Character Point-Powered Abilities (p. 13)
  and Open Your Eyes (p. 13), once again paid for by sacrifice,
  when the abilities are creepy or painfully modest.
  Especially Inappropriate: Buying Success (pp. 4-7), Perking
  Things Up: Buying Success (p. 6), Defense vs. Effect (p. 6)
  against Fright Checks, and everything in Survival (pp. 10-11)
  constitute a long list of ways to poison suspense; Player
  Guidance (pp. 7-9) is almost as bad, as it offers far too much
  safety; Divine Intervention (p. 9) is out-of-genre when the
  intervention is purely beneficial; the Covenant of Rest rule in
  Perking Things Up: Survival (p. 11) and Rest in Pieces option
  in Perking Things Up: Amazing Feats (p. 12) are end runs
  around zombie plagues, vampirism, etc., and need careful
  monitoring if allowed; and Changing the World (pp. 13-15) is
  inherently monstrous and unsuitable for the protagonists.
  GURPS Infinite Worlds
  Any of the other sets of recommendations could apply in a
  suitable world. Those below consider the overarching setting.
  In that greater context, Destiny Points (Wild, Wild Destiny, p. 5)
  offer a way to handle parachronic travelers who are unusually
  important in the big picture – ones fated to shift timelines or
  prevent such disasters.
  Especially Appropriate: World-specific traits are difficult to
  price for people who jump between alternates; far simpler
  to let them spend points on the Immunity option under
  Perking Things Up: Buying Success (p. 6) to resist a world’s
  plagues, on Favors in Play (pp. 8-9) and the social options in
  Perking Things Up: Player Guidance (p. 9) to operate
  socially, and so on. Player Guidance (pp. 7-9) is easily justi-
  fied in a background full of alternate outcomes; Miraculous
  Recoveries (pp. 10-11) and Resurrecting Allies (p. 11) can be
  explained as replacing the original with a parallel self; and
  Opt-In Options (p. 12) and Perking Things Up: Amazing
  Feats (p. 12) seem like suitable ways to liven up a campaign
  where anything is possible.
  Especially Inappropriate: While not uniformly unsuitable,
  Divine Intervention (p. 9), the Covenant of Rest option in
  Perking Things Up: Survival (p. 11), Points for Energy
  (pp. 12-13), Character Point-Powered Abilities (p. 13), and
  Changing the World (pp. 13-15) are supernatural and/or
  superhuman enough to merit close scrutiny.
  GURPS Monster Hunters
  This genre resembles “Action with monsters,” not Horror.
  Reserving a few starting points for tinkering with fate is an
  excellent idea; see Paying Fate’s Price (p. 5). Wild, Wild Destiny
  (p. 5) was invented for Monster Hunters, Serendipitous
  Guidance (p. 8) offers a similar idea, and going all the way to
  Other Kinds of Points (p. 18) might work.
  Especially Appropriate: Buying Success (pp. 4-7), the No Nui-
  sance Rolls rule in Perking Things Up: Buying Success (p. 6),
  Player Guidance (pp. 7-9), and everything under Survival
  (pp. 10-11) all play to genre conventions; Dooming Foes
  (pp. 5-6) and Bullet Time (p. 15) are excellent against hordes
  of zombies and cultists (but best not allowed vs. bosses);
  Divine Intervention (p. 9) suits champions with demonstra-
  ble holy power; the Dramatic Death option in Perking
  Things Up: Survival (p. 11) is fun, especially with enough
  explosives; Character Point-Powered Abilities (p. 13) befits
  the genre’s powers; and Open Your Eyes (p. 13) meshes well
  with the way mentorship works in genre fiction.
  IMPULSIVE CAMPAIGNS
  21
  I am puzzled afresh about Renfield . . . when I went to see
  him after his repulse of Van Helsing, his manner was that of
  a man commanding destiny. He was, in fact, commanding
  destiny, subjectively.
  – Bram Stoker, Dracula
  
  Especially Inappropriate: Trading Points for Money (p. 8) is iffy
  when it undermines resources provided by a Patron; Favors
  in Play (pp. 8-9) is out if it would endanger random
  bystanders or expose secrets to them; Opt-In Options (p. 12)
  and Perking Things Up: Amazing Feats (p. 12) work better as
  campaign-wide options and genuine perks; and Points for
  Energy (pp. 12-13) and Changing the World (pp. 13-15) badly
  devalue ritual path magic.
  GURPS Mysteries
  Superhuman and supernatural
  options aren’t forbidden – they’re
  just uncommon in classic Mysteries
  campaigns, which are traditionally
  hard-boiled detective stories, the
  investigative flip-side of a game
  that’s more likely to use Tactical
  Shooting than Gun Fu for its vio-
  lence. Still, when mysteries happen
  in Fantasy and Supers games, those
  guidelines override these ones.
  Especially Appropriate: Favors in
  Play (pp. 8-9) and the social
  options in Perking Things Up:
  Player Guidance (p. 9), when lim-
  ited to street-level uses that aid
  investigation. The non-supernat-
  ural
  possibilities
  in
  Opt-In
  Options
  (p. 12)
  and
  Perking
  Things Up: Amazing Feats (p. 12)
  – and even Bullet Time (p. 15) –
  can work if the mysteries are
  occasionally punctuated by two-
  fisted pulp violence instead of the realistic kind.
  Especially Inappropriate: Buying Success (pp. 4-7) and Player
  Guidance (pp. 7-9) shouldn’t be allowed to generate clues,
  as “paying points to solve the mystery” is (pardon the pun)
  missing the point; Divine Intervention (p. 9) is in the same
  boat (go ask Brother Cadfael about how well praying
  works); and Survival (pp. 10-11), especially Resurrecting
  Allies (p. 11), takes much of the fun out of murder.
  GURPS SEALs in Vietnam
  and GURPS Tactical Shooting
  The No-Growth Campaign (p. 19) is worth considering in a
  game where there isn’t enough time between missions for
  believable improvement. Interpreting in-play point expendi-
  tures as mission preparation (rote learning to facilitate a spe-
  cific assignment) or exceptional heroism can make impulse
  buys a surprisingly good match to realistic violence. Still, such
  stories rarely involve paranormal capabilities – so while
  options for those weren’t ruled out for Action, they are here.
  Especially Appropriate: No Nuisance Rolls (Perking Things Up:
  Buying Success, p. 6) and Standard Operating Procedure
  (Perking Things Up: Player Guidance, p. 9) are believable
  when each use costs points; the points represent prep time.
  Buying Effect (p. 6) can make firearms damage less variable,
  which is arguably more realistic; the Dramatic Death rule in
  Perking Things Up: Survival (p. 11) also improves realism in
  some cases, as people rarely die outright when shot; and
  some of the combat options in Opt-In Options (p. 12) and
  Perking Things Up: Amazing Feats (p. 12) work as heroics, if
  each player has extremely limited uses (even “once, ever”).
  Especially Inappropriate: Buying Success (pp. 4-7), Buying
  Failure (p. 4), and Dooming Foes (pp. 5-6) undermine the
  genre premise that skill, not script immunity, determines the
  victor;
  Doodad,
  from
  Perking
  Things
  Up:
  Player
  Guidance (p. 9), feels silly in a
  campaign where every round of
  ammo is accounted for; all of
  Survival (pp. 10-11) is out in a
  game where maiming and death
  are essential sources of tension;
  and Divine Intervention (p. 9),
  the Covenant of Rest option in
  Perking Things Up: Survival (p.
  11), Points for Energy (pp. 12-
  13), Character Point-Powered
  Abilities (p. 13), Open Your Eyes
  (p. 13), Changing the World (pp.
  13-15), and Bullet Time (p. 15)
  are too weird for tales of realis-
  tic gun violence.
  GURPS Supers
  Saving starting points for
  stunts is squarely in genre, as is
  using one’s points to assist team-
  mates or bystanders; see Paying
  Fate’s
  Price
  (p. 5).
  Wildcard
  Points (Wild, Wild Destiny, p. 5)
  and Impulse Points (Other Kinds
  of Points, p. 18) also fit. Many
  superhero stories assume The No-
  Growth Campaign (p. 19) – but if points can be earned, regular
  gambles like Bidding Wars (p. 18) and Wagers (p. 19) are dramat-
  ically fitting, and can burn up points to the same effect.
  Especially Appropriate: Anything not described as inappropri-
  ate! In particular, Buying Effect (p. 6) and Defense vs. Effect
  (p. 6) fit power-vs.-power struggles; the social options in
  Perking Things Up: Player Guidance (p. 9) are more balanced
  than full-fledged favors in this genre; most of Opt-In
  Options (p. 12) works better if such feats costs points (but
  see below); Points for Energy (pp. 12-13), Character Point-
  Powered Abilities (p. 13), and Changing the World (pp. 13-15)
  are fine for those who have abilities that can exploit them;
  Open Your Eyes (p. 13) is the standard way to create new
  supers in many settings; and Bullet Time (p. 15) is tailor-
  made for scenes where one punch takes four panels.
  Especially Inappropriate: Dooming Foes (pp. 5-6) and Divine
  Intervention (p. 9) are best forbidden to protect the niche of
  heroes who can do similar things using powers; Trading
  Points for Money (p. 8) is dodgy, as supers should buy
  important equipment with points via the rules for gadgets
  and Signature Gear; Favors in Play (p. 8-9) used for tempo-
  rary Allies is far too good given the power level of most
  supers; and it’s unfair to require supers with Gunslinger,
  Trained by a Master, or Weapon Master to pay points to use
  the combat rules in Opt-In Options (p. 12) and Perking
  Things Up: Amazing Feats (p. 12), as they should be able to
  do most of this stuff as often as they want.
  IMPULSIVE CAMPAIGNS
  22
  
  IMPULSIVE CAMPAIGNS
  23
  This list is intended not just to
  speed play but for the GM to use as a
  checklist when planning his cam-
  paign. Feel free to copy it, delete for-
  bidden options, tweak costs, and print
  the results!
  Buying Success
  Critical failure to failure: 2 points*
  Failure to success: 1 point*
  Upgrade margin of success: 1 point
  Success to critical success: 2 points*
  * Costs are cumulative.
  Buying Failure
  Critical success to success: 2 points*
  Success to failure: 1 point*
  Failure to critical failure: 2 points*
  * Costs are cumulative.
  Cursing Mooks
  Enemy failure to critical failure:
  2 points
  Buying Effect or
  Defense vs. Effect
  Per two dice set to 1 or 6: 1 point
  Per die for exact table result: 1 point
  One-Use Perks
  Immunity
  to
  (Specific
  Dis-
  ease/Hazard),
  Low
  Rejection
  Threshold, No Nuisance Rolls, or
  Rules Exemption: 1 point/use
  Player Guidance
  Minor change: 1 point
  Moderate change: 2 points
  Major change: 3 points
  After critical success: -1 point*
  Fleeting change: -1 point*
  * Added to cost of change. Mini-
  mum cost is 1 point.
  Trading Points for Money
  Some campaigns may allow up to
  50% of starting cash/point as money
  or 100% of starting cash/point as
  goods, but by default:
  Per 10% of campaign average starting
  cash: 1 point
  Favors in Play
  NPC is present and renders aid: 0.8 ¥
  base cost of Ally, Contact, Contact
  Group, or Patron, rounded up
  NPC appears and renders aid: 1.6 ¥
  base cost of Ally, Contact, Contact
  Group, or Patron, rounded up
  Divine Intervention
  Per +1 to intervention roll: 1 point
  One-Use Perks
  Brotherhood, Disposable Identity,
  Doodad, Friend, Honest Face, or
  Standard Operating Procedure: 1
  point/use
  Survival
  Deflect disadvantage: 0.5 ¥ size of dis-
  advantage cost, rounded up
  Flesh wound (all but 1 HP): 1 point
  Keep Dependent alive: 0.5 ¥ size of
  Dependent cost, rounded up
  Miraculous recovery: 25 points (50
  points in campaigns with Extra
  Life)
  Resurrect Ally: Ally cost
  Second wind (all FP): 1 point
  One-Use Perks
  Covenant of Rest, Dramatic Death, or
  Sartorial Integrity: 1 point/use
  Amazing Feats
  Awaken ability in other: ability cost
  Bullet Time: 3 points/turn
  Energy: 1 point per 25 FP
  Opt-in option (cinematic or optional
  combat rule, spellcasting option,
  etc.): 1 point/use
  Character Point-
  Powered Abilities
  Minor use: 1 point
  Moderate use: 2 points
  Major use: 3+ points (up to 1/5 of full
  ability cost)
  Improvisation: 1/5 of full ability cost,
  rounded up
  Changing the World
  Affliction, permanent on victim: 1
  point per +1% of enhancement
  Ally with Conjured, summoned and
  released: 1.6 ¥ base Ally cost
  Control, permanent: 1 point/level
  Control (Natural Phenomena), per-
  manent: 5 points/level
  Gizmo recharge: 1 point/level
  Growth, Insubstantiality, Invisibility,
  Shadow Form, or Shrinking with
  Can Carry Objects, permanent on
  object: 1 point per 5% of Basic Lift
  Healing with Cure Affliction or Mind
  Control with Conditioning, to
  cure disadvantage: size of disad-
  vantage cost
  Illusion, permanent: 1 point per yard
  of radius
  Jumper, permanent tunnel: 10 points
  Mana Damper, permanent: 1 point
  per level per yard of radius
  Mana Enhancer, permanent: 5 points
  per level per yard of radius
  Neutralize, permanent on victim: cost
  of abilities neutralized
  Obscure, permanent: (Sense penalty
  ¥ radius in yards)/10, rounded up
  Psi Static or Static with Area Effect,
  permanent: 2 points per yard of
  radius
  Snatcher, permanent on object: as
  trading points for money
  Telekinesis, permanent on object: 1
  point per 5% of telekinetic Basic
  Lift
  Temperature Control, permanent:
  (temperature shift ¥ radius in
  yards)/20, rounded up
  Warp, permanent tunnel: 1 point per
  -1 in distance penalties (minimum
  1 point)
  One-Use Perks
  Autotrance, Controllable Disadvan-
  tage, Power Perk, Rest in Pieces,
  or normally off-limits combat
  perk: 1 point/use
  Impulse Buys Cheat Sheet
  Man proposes, but God disposes.
  – Thomas à Kempis, The Imitation of Christ
  
  Abilities, awakening, 13, 23; changing
  the setting, 13-15, 23; effect buying, 6,
  23; feats, 11-15, 23; improvising, 13;
  potential, 13; powered by character
  points, 13, 23; sacrificing, 5.
  Advantages, see Abilities.
  Adventures, see Campaigns.
  Affliction advantage, 14, 23.
  Allies advantage, 14, 23; resurrecting, 11,
  23.
  Autotrance perk, 12.
  Awards, separate, 17, 18; debt, 5.
  Bonus points, 5, 17, 18.
  Brotherhood perk, 9.
  Bullet Time, 15.
  Campaigns, changing, 7-9, 13-15, 23; genre
  advice, 20-22; limiting growth in, 18-19;
  no-growth, 19; player guidance, 7-9, 23.
  Character points, adjusting cost of impulse
  buys, 17; alternatives to, 5, 17-18;
  awarding, 17, 18; bidding wars for
  actions, 18; controlling use, 17-18;
  corruption by using, 18; debt, 5;
  disadvantage deflection, 10, 23; divine
  intervention, 9, 23; dooming foes, 5-6;
  effect buying, 6, 23; energy buying,
  12-13, 23; Favors and, 8-9, 23; flesh
  wounds, 10, 23; GM advice, 4, 16,
  20-22; limiting impulse buys, 17-19;
  money, 8, 23; sources of, 5; spending
  summary, 23; survival, 10-11, 23;
  transferring to students, 13; using on
  other characters, 5-6, 13-15, 23; wagers,
  19; see also Abilities, Campaigns,
  Combat, Margins, NPCs, Perks,
  Reaction Rolls, Success Rolls.
  Characters, alternative development, 18-19;
  no-growth, 19; saving starting points, 5.
  Combat, adding temporary rules, 12, 23;
  cursing mooks, 5-6, 23; defenses, 6;
  dooming foes, 5-6, 23; modifying
  damage, 6, 10-11, 23.
  Control advantage, 14, 23.
  Controllable Disadvantage perk, 12.
  Corruption, 18.
  Covenant of Rest perk, 11.
  Create advantage, 14.
  Damage, modifying, 6, 10-11, 23.
  Death, 10-11.
  Depending trait, 11.
  Derangement, 18.
  Destiny Points, 5, 18.
  Disadvantages, deflecting, 10; perk, 12.
  Disposable Identity perk, 9.
  Dominance advantage, 14.
  Doodad perk, 9.
  Dramatic Death perk, 11.
  Energy, buying, 12-13, 23.
  Enhanced Time Sense advantage, 14, 15.
  Extra Option perk, 12.
  Fatigue Points (FP), buying, 12-13, 23.
  Favor advantage, 8-9.
  Friend perk, 9.
  Gizmo advantage, 14, 23.
  Growth advantage, 14, 23.
  GURPS, 16, 17; Action, 3, 20; Action 2:
  Exploits, 12; Action 3: Furious Fists,
  12; Basic Set, 3; Dungeon Fantasy, 3,
  20; Dungeon Fantasy 9: Summoners,
  14; Fantasy, 20, 22; Gun Fu, 12, 20-
  21; Horror, 18, 21; Infinite Worlds, 21;
  Martial Arts, 3, 12; Monster Hunters,
  3, 21-22; Mysteries, 22; Power-Ups 2:
  Perks, 4, 6, 9, 11, 12; Powers, 12, 13,
  14, 15; Psionic Powers, 12; SEALs in
  Vietnam, 22; Social Engineering, 7, 8;
  Supers, 3, 12, 22; Tactical Shooting,
  22; Thaumatology, 3, 12.
  Healing advantage, 14, 23.
  Healing injury, 10-11, 23.
  Honest Face perk, 9.
  Illusion advantage, 14, 23.
  Immunity to (Specific Disease/Hazard)
  perk, 6.
  Impulse Points (IP), 17-19.
  Injury, modifying, 6, 10-11, 23.
  Insubstantiality advantage, 14, 23.
  Invisibility advantage, 14, 23.
  Jumper advantage, 14, 23.
  Low Rejection Threshold perk, 6.
  Luck advantage, 6.
  Mana Damper advantage, 14, 23.
  Mana Enhancer advantage, 14, 23.
  Margins, for bought outcomes, 5;
  upgrading, 5.
  Mentors, 13.
  Mighty Blows option, 6.
  Mind Control advantage, 15.
  Money, 8, 23.
  Neutralize advantage, 15, 23.
  No Nuisance Rolls perk, 6.
  NPCs, buying assistance, 8-9, 23; using
  impulse buys, 16.
  Obscure advantage, 15, 23.
  Perks, buying in play, 4; buying success, 6,
  23; combat, 12; feats, 12, 23; per-use
  cost, 4; player guidance, 9, 23; survival,
  11, 23; warnings about, 4.
  Player guidance, see Campaigns.
  Possession advantage, 14.
  Power Perks, 12.
  Powers, see Abilities.
  Reaction rolls, altering, 6-7; buying
  assistance, 8-9, 23; Super Luck and, 7.
  Regrowth advantage, 14.
  Rest in Pieces perk, 12.
  Rules Exemption perk, 6.
  Rules, temporary additions, 12, 23.
  Sartorial Integrity perk, 11.
  Serendipity Points, 8, 18.
  Serendipity advantage, 8.
  Setting modifications, see Campaigns.
  Shadow Form advantage, 14, 23.
  Shrinking advantage, 14, 23.
  Signature Gear advantage, 8.
  Snatcher advantage, 8, 15, 23.
  Standard Operating Procedure perk, 9.
  Starting points, 5.
  Static advantage, 15, 23.
  Students, transferring points to, 13.
  Success rolls, 4-7, 23; critical success, 4, 5,
  23; effect buying, 6, 23; failure, 4, 5, 23;
  roll-changing cost list, 4; Super Luck
  and, 7; see also Margins.
  Super Luck advantage, 7.
  Telekinesis advantage, 15, 23.
  Temperature Control advantage, 15, 23.
  Trained by a Master advantage, 15.
  Warp advantage, 14, 23.
  Weapon Master advantage, 15.
  Wild Talent advantage, 14.
  Wildcard Points, 5, 18.
  World modifications, see Campaigns.
  INDEX
  24
  INDEX
  A consistent soul believes
  in destiny, a capricious one
  in chance.
  – Benjamin Disraeli
  
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SOURCE: textdata/thevault/GURPS [multi]/4th edition/GURPS 4e - Power-Ups 5 - Impulse Buys.pdf