Talents in GURPS are advantages that boost skills and typically offer some additional benefit. Dungeon Fantasy Roleplaying Game (DFRPG) has Talents too (even if that game just calls them “advantages”).
This page will hold any Talents that I’ve created or revised. In addition to the expected information, I note where the Talents have been introduced earlier on other pages. Reading those may offer additional background on the thinking behind the Talents.
This page may be updated with new offerings at any time, so check back now and then.
The Talent show
Assassin’s Gift
5 points/level (GURPS, DFRPG)
Killing comes unnaturally easy to you – just not the straight-up, face-to-face kind of killing. You get +1 per level to the Blowpipe, Fast-Draw (Knife), Garrote, Poisons, and Thrown Weapon (Knife) skills, helping you make deadly strikes from the shadows.
Reaction Bonus: None. This is the sort of “sneaky” Talent meant to be used undetected – but the GM is free to award a reaction bonus for any appreciative observer.
Alternative Benefit: +1 per level to your attack roll with the Knife skill if used for a true backstab. The GM may extend this bonus to other small (Reach C) weapons, such as a rock or cosh to the head from behind.
Notes: This Talent avoids full use of Knife skill; that’s a melee thing. Assassins who aren’t afraid of actual fighting should check out Born Brawler.
Suggested character use: Fantasy thieves only, if you want to further differentiate this profession from other professions in a fantasy game.
First introduced in: The Talented Thief: Stealing the Spotlight in GURPS and DFRPG
Born Brawler
5 points/level (GURPS, DFRPG)
In-your-face mayhem comes as naturally to you as breathing. You get +1 per level to the Boxing, Brawling, Forced Entry, Knife, and Wrestling skills.
Reaction Bonus: Fellow brawlers, or anyone impressed by groin-kicking and ear-biting.
Alternative Benefit: +1 per level to the DX roll to ready a weapon in close combat, to any offensive default DX roll in combat (such as an unskilled punch thrown at DX, not a weapon attack at default skill), and to any roll to execute or spot a dirty trick in combat (a sucker punch, etc.).
Notes: This Talent’s intent is to make you a natural at up-close, offensive, simple armed and unarmed combat skills (hence no Karate or Judo). There aren’t many such skills suited to street brawling, though, so the Talent complements Brawling and Knife with Boxing and Wrestling. Forced Entry rounds things out, letting you take out your aggression on objects as well.
Feel free to replace Boxing, Wrestling, or both of these with other skills. Shortsword is a possibility, augmenting Knife with really big knives (as well as clubs). Intimidation would also make a great replacement, letting you wither opponents with swagger and verbal brawling. (This change would place Intimidation under two of the new Talents, but that’s okay; the combination of Street Survivor and Born Brawler would allow terrifying – and perfectly plausible – levels of Intimidation even without high IQ.)
Finally, if you want to make this a more wildly aggressive Talent, replace the Alternative Benefit with “+1 per level to hit with any All-Out Attack in close combat”.
Suggested character use: Any dirty fighter.
First introduced in: The Talented Thief: Stealing the Spotlight in GURPS and DFRPG
Born Sneak
5 points/level (GURPS, DFRPG)
There’s little you love more than skulking, spying, and slipping into and out of places you shouldn’t be. You get +1 per level to the Escape, Lip Reading, Observation, Shadowing, and Stealth skills. You can also take +1 per level on Camouflage skill when concealing yourself (not things or other persons).
Reaction Bonus: None. This is the sort of “sneaky” Talent meant to be used undetected – but the GM is free to award a reaction bonus for any appreciative observer.
Alternative Benefit: +1 per level in Contests to notice others shadowing and spying on you.
Notes: This Talent is a bit of a counterpoint to Devious Devices. That Talent helps you do sneaky stuff with things; this Talent helps you sneak yourself about. It includes Lip Reading, an oft-ignored skill that puts your spying prowess to good use.
Note that Born Sneak and Devious Devices combine to give you +1 per level on all uses of Camouflage skill.
Suggested character use: Fantasy thieves only, if you want to further differentiate this profession from other professions in a fantasy game.
First introduced in: The Talented Thief: Stealing the Spotlight in GURPS and DFRPG
Closer to Hell
10 points/level (GURPS)
You naturally gravitate toward some scary stuff. This powered-up version of the Close to Hell Talent (GURPS Dungeon Fantasy 11: Power-Ups) confers +1 per level to the Banish, Exorcism, Hidden Lore (Demons), Occultism, Pentagram, Physiology (Demons), Psychology (Demons), Religious Ritual, Thaumatology, and Theology skills. (Banish and Pentagram are the special demon-slayer skills from GURPS Dungeon Fantasy 20: Slayers, not the magic spells!)
Reaction Bonus: A reaction bonus from demons – or the alternate reaction bonus for demon-slayers (below).
Alternative Benefit: For demon-slayers, the reaction bonus becomes a reaction penalty from demons, offset by bonuses to use the Demon Sniffer ability and to pray for help against demons. See GURPS Dungeon Fantasy 20: Slayers for details.
Notes: This is simply a powered-up version of the Close to Hell Talent, adding Banish, Pentagram, Physiology (Demons), and Thaumatology to the six skills covered by that Talent.
Suggested character use: Demonologists, demon slayers, and the like – but only DF demon-slayers will enjoy the full benefit.
First introduced in: This article.
Devious Devices
5 points/level (GURPS, DFRPG)
You have a genius for deviously manipulating things: picking locks, setting traps, faking valuables, concealing contraband, and more. You get +1 per level to the Counterfeiting, Forgery, Lockpicking, Scrounging, Smuggling, and Traps skills – but in all cases, only when the skill is based on IQ or Per, not DX. You can also take +1 per level on Camouflage skill when hiding things or other persons (not yourself).
Reaction Bonus: None. This is the sort of “sneaky” Talent meant to be used undetected – but the GM is free to award a reaction bonus for any appreciative observer.
Alternative Benefit: +1 per level to IQ-based “legitimate” skills for crafting, repairing, or building things, whenever you modify an item for some sneaky, nefarious purpose.
Notes: This Talent covers a fair number of skills, but only when based on IQ or Per. It’s intended as a counterpart of sorts to High Manual DX, which also covers a good number of skills but only when based on DX.
Note that while this Talent and High Manual DX cover Forgery, Lockpicking, and Traps, they don’t “double dip” on these three skills; rather, the two traits combine to offer +1 per level on all uses of the skills, whether based on IQ, Per, or DX.
Suggested character use: Fantasy thieves only, if you want to further differentiate this profession from other professions in a fantasy game.
First introduced in: The Talented Thief: Stealing the Spotlight in GURPS and DFRPG
Dwarfcraft
5 points/level (GURPS)
The expectations that people place on dwarven aptitudes may feel like typecasting, but you fit that type all the same. You gain +1 per level to the Armory (Melee Weapons, Body Armor), Engineer (Combat, Mining), Masonry, Metallurgy, and Smith (all) skills.
Reaction Bonus: Clients or admirers of your enhanced abilities.
Alternative Benefit: +1 on IQ rolls to design or understand features of stone and metal structures, not already covered by this or similar talents. Also take a +1 per level to any IQ or skill rolls specifically to recognize a dwarvish hand behind a structure or crafted item.
Notes: Feel free to drop Metallurgy if it’s not likely to see use in a fantasy game; add Geology in its place.
A separate modification also makes sense: Move Prospecting from Dungeon Fantasy‘s Pickaxe Penchant to Dwarfcraft. Fill the resulting hole in Pickaxe Penchant by adding Polearm. (What’s an unbalanced polearm weapon but a big axe or hammer?) This change arguably makes both Talents more thematically consistent.
Suggested character use: Use this as an optional Talent for dwarves in DF, in any game in which the GM makes the covered skills relevant. Armory aside, Dwarfcraft won’t aid delver PCs much, but it’s a fine talent for giving builders and crafters the innate talents that dwarves are known for.
First introduced in: This article.
Feline Grace
5 points/level (GURPS, DFRPG)
You’ve got the moves like jaguar! Feline Grace adds +1 per level to the Acrobatics, Climbing, Escape, Jumping, and Stealth skills.
Reaction Bonus: Those who admire the graceful moves of acrobats, gymnasts, ninja, master thieves, and, of course, cats.
Alternative Benefit: +1 per level on DX rolls to use the Catfall ability. Also reduce any penalties on skills for working in cramped quarters by 1 per level.
Notes: This Talent is suggested by friendly correspondent VIVIT. I’ll add that many other skills, like Dancing, would fit under the “graceful” theme, but this Talent is really about cat-like stuff. (See Graceful and Lithe on this page for takes on more all-round gracefulness.)
Light Walk would definitely work as an extra skill fitting the cat theme, though I prefer to keep my 5-point Talents at five skills, barring special restrictions or other considerations. Such as this idea: Go ahead and add Light Walk; that’s a whole extra skill, but of minor benefit as very few PCs will use it. To mirror it with a minor limitation, ignore this Talent’s Climbing bonus when climbing down.
Suggested character use: Anyone with catlike grace could have this Talent, but it’s especially appropriate for DF and DFRPG cat-folk.
First introduced in: This article.
Gnaturally Gifted
5 points/level (GURPS)
You have a gnome’s “gnack” for certain craft skills. This Talent confers +1 per level to the Cooking, Carpentry, Artist (Pottery, Woodworking), Jeweler, and Leatherworking skills.
Reaction Bonus: A reaction bonus from buyers of the relevant crafts and other admirers of your skills.
Alternative Benefit: +1 per level to any other craft or artistic skills–not to make the items better (i.e., to increase skill for purposes of success), but rather to give the creations a more distinctively gnomish flair. Also take a +1 per level to any IQ or skill rolls specifically to recognize a gnomish hand behind a work of craft or art.
Notes: This Talent isn’t particular inspired by any sources from myth or literature; it’s simply intended to flesh out Dungeon Fantasy gnomes with more defining capabilities that fit my games.
Suggested character use: Use this as an optional Talent for gnomes in DF, if the covered skills would be relevant in the game. (However, with tweaks to the name and Alternative Benefit, nothing in the Talent would preclude its use for individuals of other races.)
First introduced in: This article.
Gnomish Siege Engineer
5 points/level (GURPS)
Your gnomish clockmaker’s mind goes from quaint to menacing when turned toward weapons of war. This Talent adds +1 per level to the Artillery (Catapult), Crossbow, Engineer (Artillery), Gunner (Catapult), and Machinist skills.
Reaction Bonus: Generals in need of siege engineers, soldiers who enjoy support from your creations, etc.
Alternative Benefit: +1 per level to IQ rolls to design or understand large mechanical mechanisms, not already covered by this or similar talents. That may include the sort of massive mechanical traps, door-opening mechanisms, etc. found in dungeons.
Notes: This Talent is intended for Dungeon Fantasy gnomes, taking their machinery-manipulating proclivities into more dangerous domains.
Consider one modification: Machinist arguably fits better under DF‘s Widget-Worker Talent. Move Machinist to that Talent, and move Armory (Missile Weapons) from Widget-Worker to Gnomish Siege Engineer. This swap makes both Talents more thematically consistent.
Suggested character use: Use this as an optional Talent for gnomes in DF, in any game in which the GM makes the covered skills relevant. (However, with a name change to simply “Siege Engineer”, there’s nothing about this Talent that would preclude gifted individuals of other races.)
First introduced in: This article.
Graceful
5 points/level (GURPS, DFRPG)
You move with an aesthetically pleasing fluidity and elegance. Graceful adds +1 per level to the Acrobatics, Dancing, Performance, and Sex Appeal skills – as well as the esoteric skill Light Walk, which demands delicate, deliberate movements.
Reaction Bonus: Admirers of aesthetics when you have a chance to show off your moves.
If the character is able to converse in sign language, this bonus could apply to reactions by the audience. This lets the Talent do for signing what the Voice advantage does for the spoken word!
Alternative Benefit: Graceful can add +1 per level to many other skills, but only for the purpose of looking good. For example, the bonus would apply to Skiing or Skating in the artistic portion of a competition, but not to make better time, plow through a tight turn, or avoid a danger.
Suggested character use: Primarily entertainers, but anyone could have this Talent.
First introduced in: Three new Talents for GURPS/DFRPG: Graceful, Lithe, and Life of the Party
Green Thumb (revised)
5 points/level (DFRPG)
This revision of DFRPG‘s Green Thumb trait confers +1 per level to the Esoteric Medicine (Druidic), Herb Lore, Naturalist, Pharmacy, and Theology (Druidic) skills, as well as the Survival skill when used to forage for veggies.
Notes: Reaction bonus is as indicated for the printed version of the trait. The point of this revision is to beef up the skimpy three skills aided by DFRPG‘s Green Thumb, by assuming that Esoteric Medicine (Druidic) and Theology (Druidic) also benefit from an innate understanding of plants and their properties. This brings the trait up to a nice five skills (plus Survival where noted).
An alternate take: For a different way to invigorate Green Thumb, start with bonuses to Herb Lore, Naturalist, and Pharmacy alone, per the rules, and introduce Gardening and Farming as new DFRPG skills that benefit from the Talent. While these are by no means exciting skills, they can be surprisingly useful on adventures, even for non-druids. See ideas here.
Revision could be made to GURPS‘ Green Thumb as well, although that Talent already aids Biology, Farming, and Gardening, three skills not found in DFRPG. To build a comprehensive GURPS Talent, use its existing Green Thumb, add Pharmacy (Herbal), tack on Esoteric Medicine (Druidic) and Theology (Druidic) if you like (assuming they’re meaningful in the game), and consider the Survival bonus for vegetarian foraging. Re-price as appropriate!
Suggested character use: Druids, woodsy elves, wildman tribes, plant beings, fae-tinged folk, and outdoorsy types in general.
First introduced in: Tiny GURPS idea: A better Outdoorsman; expanded upon in Tiny DFRPG idea: A better Green Thumb.
Homebody
5 points/level (GURPS)
The comforts of town and home come easily to you by nature. This Talent confers +1 per level to the Area Knowledge (Village or Town), Cooking, Housekeeping, Sewing, and Savoir-Faire (Townsfolk) skills.
Reaction Bonus: A reaction bonus from guests you host in your home or on a quiet night about town.
Alternative Benefit: +1 per level on any rolls to keep your home or other lodgings safe and clean (e.g., rolls to remember to put out a heat fire and lock doors, or rolls to store goods neatly for easy access). The GM may also allow the bonus to “homebody” Hobby pastimes like scrapbooking.
Notes: Savoir-Faire (Townsfolk) is an original invention: the skill of getting by in town or village life, serving as a gracious and polite host at home, and otherwise playing a role of “normie” Status (generally Status -1 to 2 or so) in human or halfling communities. It cross-defaults to Savoir-Faire at -2 or Savoir-Faire (Servant) at -2.
Gardening is another skill that would fit nicely under Homebody. However, that skill is already covered by Green Thumb, a Talent (along with thief-oriented Talents) that I assume to be fairly common among halflings.
Suggested character use: Homebody is intended as an optional Talent for halflings in Dungeon Fantasy, to imbue Shire folk with stereotypical aptitudes beyond the combat-oriented Halfling Marksmanship. It’s suitable for characters of any race, though.
First introduced in: This article.
Life of the Party
5 points/level (GURPS, DFRPG)
In a room full of wallflowers, you’re the fun guy. Take +1 per level to the Carousing, Dancing, Gambling, Performance, and Singing skills.
Reaction Bonus: Any fellow merry-makers!
Alternative Benefit: Dude! Don’t need one!
Suggested character use: Primarily entertainers, but anyone could have this Talent.
First introduced in: Three new Talents for GURPS/DFRPG: Graceful, Lithe, and Life of the Party
Light-Fingered
5 points/level (GURPS, DFRPG)
Things around you have a tendency to… disappear. (A thorough search might find those items on your person, though in the darnedest places.) Your brilliance at secreting objects also helps you ferret out items hidden on others. You get +1 per level to the Filch, Holdout, Pickpocket, Search, and Sleight of Hand skills.
Reaction Bonus: None. This is the sort of “sneaky” Talent meant to be used undetected – but the GM is free to award a reaction bonus for any appreciative observer.
Alternative Benefit: +1 per level to rolls to avoid being fooled by the same skills.
Notes: The trio Filch, Pickpocket, and Sleight of Hand can surprise newcomers to GURPS, which asks thieves to purchase three skills for capabilities that many game systems would bundle into one skill. (I wouldn’t be surprised to see some games toss the abilities of Holdout into the mix as well.) This Talent can ease the considerable cost of excelling in those skills.
Suggested character use: Fantasy thieves only, if you want to further differentiate this profession from other professions in a fantasy game.
First introduced in: The Talented Thief: Stealing the Spotlight in GURPS and DFRPG
Lithe
5 points/level (GURPS)
This variant of Graceful offers a more subtle mix of abilities, adding +1 per level to the Combat Art, Dancing, Erotic Art, Light Walk, and Stage Combat skills. (Note that Combat Art, Erotic Art, and Stage Combat are not found in DFRPG. Graceful is a better choice in that game.)
Reaction Bonus: Admirers of aesthetics when you have a chance to show off your moves.
If the character is able to converse in sign language, this bonus could apply to reactions by the audience. This lets the Talent do for signing what the Voice advantage does for the spoken word!
Alternative Benefit: Lithe can add its bonus to many other skills, but only for the purpose of looking good. It will add to Acrobatics, Skiing, Skating, etc. in a competition of aesthetic presentation, but not to tumble past a foe, plow through a tight turn, etc. Likewise, it can add to skills like Performance and Sex Appeal if the GM rules that a sexy strut or other lissome movements would appeal. (Have fun describing the action!)
Suggested character use: Primarily entertainers, though a number of unusual types could have this Talent.
First introduced in: Three new Talents for GURPS/DFRPG: Graceful, Lithe, and Life of the Party
Natural Impostor
5 points/level (GURPS, DFRPG)
Just who are you? Those around you may never know, what with your uncanny knack for impersonation and verbal deceit. You get +1 per level to the Acting, Disguise, Fast-Talk, Mimicry, and Ventriloquism skills.
Reaction Bonus: None. This is the sort of “sneaky” Talent meant to be used undetected – but the GM is free to award a reaction bonus for any appreciative observer.
Alternative Benefit: +1 per level on rolls to avoid being fooled by the same skills.
Notes: This Talent includes the little-used Ventriloquism skill, letting you further confuse people as to where you are.
Suggested character use: Fantasy thieves only, if you want to further differentiate this profession from other professions in a fantasy game.
First introduced in: The Talented Thief: Stealing the Spotlight in GURPS and DFRPG
Naturally Nimble
5 points/level (GURPS, DFRPG)
You can move. You get +1 per level to the Acrobatics, Climbing, Jumping, Running, and Swimming skills.
Reaction Bonus: Anyone who appreciates amazing athleticism.
Alternative Benefit: +1 per level to any sports skills, sporting contests, or generic DX rolls that take advantage of your full-body agility.
Notes: Swimming can be of help in infiltrating a dockside warehouse from the water, and in making a quick river getaway when discovered. If you find Swimming an odd man out, though, replace it with Escape as one of your nimble knacks.
Finally, if both the Reaction Bonus and Alternative Benefit feel boring, consider replacing those with yet another Alternative Benefit, available to thieves or other “mobility experts” only: +1 per level bonus to your Dodge roll, once per session.
Suggested character use: Larceny aside, one of the classic fantasy thief specialties is mobility: wall scaling, rooftop running, and all-round “dungeon parkour”. This is the Talent for such a thief – or any swashbuckler, martial artist, acrobat, or street punk who can really get around.
First introduced in: The Talented Thief: Stealing the Spotlight in GURPS and DFRPG
Outdoorsman (revised)
10 points/level (GURPS, DFRPG)
This revision of the GURPS/DFRPG Outdoorsman Talent grants +1 per level to the Camouflage, Climbing, Fishing, Hiking, Mimicry (Animal Sounds and Bird Calls), Naturalist, Navigation, Survival, Tracking, and Weather Sense skills.
Notes: Reaction bonus and alternative benefit are as indicated for the printed versions of the Talent. The point of this revision is simply to flesh out this arguably-stingy Talent with a full ten skills. See the full discussion at the link below.
As an alternative build to bring this Talent closer to the DFRPG version, replace Climbing (an addition of mine) with DFRPG‘s Disguise (Animals).
Suggested character use: Barbarians, druids, and scouts, of course, but just about any character could turn up with this trait.
First introduced in: Tiny GURPS idea: A better Outdoorsman.
Pickaxe Penchant (revised)
5 points/level (GURPS/DFRPG)
This is a suggestion for a small modification to dwarves’ Pickaxe Penchant trait from Dungeon Fantasy and DFRPG:
- Add Polearm (see suggested change to the Dwarfcraft Talent above) to Pickaxe Penchant.
- Move Prospecting out of Pickaxe Penchant and into Dwarfcraft.
This change makes both Pickaxe Penchant and Dwarfcraft more thematically consistent: the former focused on DX-based bashing actions, the latter covering all IQ-based aptitudes for crafting and mining.
This revised Pickaxe Penchant works fine in DFRPG, too. But a DFRPG dwarf who pines for higher Prospecting skill won’t find a ready skill-boosting advantage unless the GM creates a new one that boosts the skill, or introduces this page’s Dwarfcraft. That advantage covers skills not addressed in DFRPG, though it’s easy enough to bring them over from GURPS (or to simply wing their uses from their names alone).
First introduced in: This article.
Street Survivor
5 points/level (GURPS, DFRPG)
You have an instinct for getting by on the meanest of streets. You get +1 per level to the Detect Lies, Intimidation, Panhandling, Streetwise, and Urban Survival skills.
Reaction Bonus: Street hustlers, bums, ruffians, and anyone who’d be impressed by their ilk.
Alternative Benefit: +1 per level to rolls to spot street scams and miscellaneous dangers in urban situations, and to urban Tracking rolls. (This is paraphrased from the Alternative Benefit for Street-Smart and Street Smarts.)
Notes: This Talent covers key abilities you need to survive on the streets, both socially and physically. If you’ll be spending lots of time in the darker dark alleys, also consider Born Sneak and Born Brawler.
Suggested character use: Anyone with inborn “urban smarts”.
First introduced in: The Talented Thief: Stealing the Spotlight in GURPS and DFRPG
Underground Adventurer
10 points/level (GURPS with GURPS Undergound Adventures)
Your innate Talents run deep. You get +1 per level to the skills Cartography (only to map caverns and other subterranean features), Engineer (Mining), Geology, Hidden Lore (Chthonian Lore), Hobby Skill (Rock Collecting), Navigation (Underground), Prospecting, Survival (Underground), and Naturalist (only to identify and deal with native subterranean plants, animals, and other dwellers), as well as any other Hidden Lore or Expert skill dealing with underground phenomena and beings.
Reaction Bonus: Dwarves, troglodytes, spelunkers, and other Chthonic beings who admire your underground prowess.
Alternative Benefit: +1 per level to spot natural underground hazards such as slippery surfaces, pits, and potential rock slides.
Notes: This Talent uses skill specialties introduced in GURPS Underground Adventures: Navigation (Underground) and Survival (Underground). (Note that Dungeon Fantasy Setting: Caverntown introduces Survival (Subterranean), but this appears to be Survival (Underground) with a different name.)
Underground Adventures suggests a cross-default of -2 between Navigation (Land) and Navigation (Underground), and -4 between normal Survival specialties and Survival (Underground). But I like a uniform -3 for all of these cross-defaults: Navigation (Land) and Navigation (Underground), and normal Survival specialties and Survival (Underground). It’s easier to remember, especially as -3 is already the cross-default among Survival specialties.
Underground Adventures doesn’t give Cartography an underground variant. I think it should, though, for the same reason that the book suggests a new Navigation specialty: cave mapping calls for measuring and depicting wholly different three-dimensional complexities. If you like, introduce Cartography (Underground), cross-defaulting to Cartography at -3. In the Underground Adventurer description, replace Cartography with Cartography (Underground).
For a variant of Underground Adventurer that doesn’t use GURPS Underground Adventures, see Underworld Gift. For a variant usable with DFRPG, see Underworldly.
Suggested character use: True troglodyte races, dwarves with a natural bent (this is dwarves’ Outdoorsman Talent!), and any character unusually drawn to holes in the ground.
First introduced in: This article.
Underworld Gift
5 points/level (GURPS)
In the hidden depths, your hidden depths come to the surface. You get +1 per level to the Engineer (Mining), Geology, and Prospecting skills. You also get +1 per level to the Cartography, Navigation (Land), and Survival skills only in a natural underground setting, and Naturalist skill only to identify and deal with native subterranean plants, animals, and other dwellers. (For Survival rolls underground, apply the specialty that best matches the cave, etc.; Desert or Mountain is often appropriate.)
Reaction Bonus: Dwarves, troglodytes, spelunkers, and other Chthonic beings who admire your underground prowess.
Alternative Benefit: +1 per level to spot natural underground hazards such as slippery surfaces, pits, and potential rock slides.
Notes: This Talent covers more skills than the usual five for a 5-pt. Talent, but four of these are restricted in utility.
For a variant that makes use of optional skills from GURPS Underground Adventures, see Underground Adventurer. For a variant usable with DFRPG, see Underworldly.
Suggested character use: True troglodyte races, dwarves with a natural bent (this is dwarves’ Outdoorsman Talent!), and any character unusually drawn to holes in the ground.
First introduced in: This article.
Underworldly
5 points/level (DFRPG)
Mile-deep caverns, dank tunnels, and pitch-dark warrens? Ah, home. You get +1 per level to the Prospecting skill. You also get +1 per level to the Cartography, Navigation, and Survival skills only in a natural underground setting, and Naturalist skill only to identify and deal with native subterranean plants, animals, and other dwellers. (For Survival rolls underground, apply the specialty that best matches the cave, etc.; Desert or Mountain is often appropriate.) In addition, you get +1 per level to the Hidden Lore (Lost Civilizations) and Hidden Lore (Nature Spirits) skills, to answer questions about subterranean civilizations and spirits only. Finally, take +1 per level to spot natural underground hazards such as slippery surfaces, pits, and potential rock slides.
Notes: This Talent covers more skills than the usual five for a 5-pt. Talent, but most are restricted in utility.
For a variant tailored to GURPS, see Underworld Gift. For a variant that makes use of optional skills from GURPS Underground Adventures, see Underground Adventurer.
Suggested character use: True troglodyte races, dwarves with a natural bent (this is dwarves’ Outdoorsman advantage!), and any character unusually drawn to holes in the ground.
First introduced in: This article.
Widget-Worker (revised)
5 points/level (GURPS)
This is a suggestion for a small modification to gnomes’ Widget-Worker Talent from Dungeon Fantasy:
- Add Machinist (see suggested change to Gnomish Siege Engineer Talent above), Engineer (Clockwork), and Mechanic (Clockwork) to Widget-Worker.
- Move Armory (Missile Weapons) out of Widget-Worker and into Gnomish Siege Engineer.
This change makes both Widget-Worker and Gnomish Siege Engineer more thematically consistent. It also raises Widget-Worker’s skill count to seven, more than I prefer for a 5-point Talent. However, unless the GM is giving the game a hard steampunk turn, the additions are unlikely to benefit a DF PC much. As such, I don’t consider it unbalanced.
Both Gnomish Siege Engineer and this revised Widget-Worker will of course work in DFRPG, but would require the introduction of many GURPS skills to the game.
First introduced in: This article.
Header image: Sorry, I forget the provenance of this public domain image. But clearly our performer is demonstrating some exotic Talent with a name like “Equestrian Master”. (Or just the more prosaic Talent known as “Big Ol’ Show-Off”. And maybe he simply slipped off of the horse, and is deploying the Talent’s enhancements to Acting and Performance to instantly flash an “I meant that!” grin.)
But wait – why do we assume it’s the guy who has the Talent? Perhaps he’s just some schlub and it’s the horse that boasts a Prancing Performer Talent boosting the Games (Equestrian Sports), Jumping, Mount, Performance, and Running skills.
