• Players should create the number of Black Op character described below (and at the very minimum the 800 point character.) See also: One More Point which applies to all the Ops made below.

  1. One (1) Op at: 1000 points. +/- 20 points. [Exempted from all exemptions below except those that specifically apply.]

  2. One or more (1+) Op at: 800 points. These will be the main characters.

  3. Ten (10) at: 700 points. These are the Expectant Characters for all notes below. +/- 50 points.

  4. Three (3) at: 600 points. These are Fourth Year Academy Cadets. No point variance. Buy skills appropriate to a fourth year cadet.

  5. Two or Three (2-3) at: 400 points. These are Second Year Academy Cadets. No point variance. Buy skills appropriate to a second year cadet. Assume recruits are 200 points.

  6. One (1) at 200 points. This is a Pre-Academy person that will be a member of the U.S. Army's Special Forces Operations Group Delta. The template for this character is from GURPS Special Ops 2nd Edition. They will be borderline cinematic and are exempted from all rules below.
     In all cases except the 1000 point character, players may make as many more characters as they choose. (I'm not saying you can't make more than one 1000 point character; you just won't get to play more than one.)

• Attributes: All requirements for Skills and Attributes are per the book. Only one attribute over 19.

• Low cost strength (as per CI is used.)

• Cybernetics:Character Purchase Cyberware using the Money advantage and Cash Points per CI sidebar p. 17-18. Limit of 30 points to Temporary Cash.

• Skill Specialization:Characters must devote at least 8 points and have a skill of over 20 in three skills. These must be related and tie into the characters story. [Double this requirement for 1000 point character. Halve it for Fourth Year Cadets. Havle it again for Second Year Cadets.]
  These represent the characters specialization. i.e. a secop that specializes in computer security as opposed to one that specializes in executive security. (having advantages to enhance these is a good idea.)

• Allies, Contacts, and Ally Groups: Allies, Contacts, and Ally Groups can be purchased. The default level of value is raised to 600 points. i.e. If you want a Ally CombatOp for your Science Op then if he is 451 to 600 points he is 5 points. Modifiers are as normal. All Blackops are treated as having special abilities. (10 extra points)

• Agents are given up to 30 points to buy contacts. Anything not spent is wasted. Up to two Allies. Contacts aren't limited in number and aren't adjusted by the 600 point base above. See adjusted rules above. These freebie points add to the stated values above. [Disregard for Expectant Agents and for Cadets.]

• Patrons: Patrons are not allowed unless that Patron is another Op. Consider them a mentor. Limit one Patron (besides the Company) per agent. [Disregard for Expectant Agents.]

• Dependants:Agents may take up to one dependent, use the point scale above. [Disregard for Expectant Agents.]

• Eneies: Enemies are not allowed.

• Agents may have as much experience as they like. Graduate before the class of 2001 and after 96. Location is up to players. [Disregard for current Cadets.]

• High Technology: Character may purchase High Technology. Limit to TL+1. Current technologies are all TL8 with the exception of Bio-Tech (which doesn't exist in the form of advantages), Medicine (which is TL9) and Computers (which are TL9.) Cybernetics are not medicine and are thus TL8. [Disregard for Expectant Agents and Cadets.]

• Magic: Agents that wish to cast Magic may do so. Purchase Magery Level 1 and unusual Background (25 points). Up to fourty points may be spent on spells. They are exempted from skill requirements per psionic ops. Spells and spell use are per Technomancer. [Disregard for Expectant Agents. Double spell point leves for 1000-point Ops and halve for Cadets. Limit one mage per Player.]

• Psionics: Agents that wish to be Psionics may do so but must purchase Unusual Background (25 points). Up to forty points may be spent in power levels after all adjustments (for enhancements and limitation.) [Disregard for Expectant Agents. Double spell point leves for 1000-point Ops and halve for Cadets. Limit two psionics per Player.]

• Magic Tattoos: Agents may purchase Knacks as magic tattoos. Knacks cost 2% of the cost of a magic item. Only spells that may be built into magic items may be purchased as Knacks. A magic tattoo is a Knack with a -30% Limitation {Limited Use (6 times/day) -20%; Costs Fatigue (1 Fatigue/Use or minute of operation) -5%; and Accessability (Skin to Skin Touch to Activate) -5%}. Round fractions up to full points, minimum cost 1 point.
  Tattooed character must purchase Patron (Sally Tsung): appears on <6, 50 Points and Unusual Background (Tattooed Man), 25 points. [Disregard for Expectant Agents and Cadets. Exceptions for Petyr Alexandriavich: Only Patron (Sally Tsung) must be bought at 25 points.]

Advantages

Marksman: 4 points per level.

Each level grants a +1 with all guns and firearms skills. Optionally, specializing in one skill cuts cost by 2. i.e. Marksman (pistol) costs 2 points per level. Limit five total levels. [Double for Specialization. Double for 1000 point characters. Halve for fourth Year Cadets. Halve again for Second Year Cadets.]

Natural Aptitude: 20 Points.

This is allows a PC to double all points spent in ONE skill. This can't be bought after character construction and may only be purchased once.

Superb Depth Perception: 5 points.

This advantage represents some peoples ability to better judge distances and differences between distances at long range. Usually found in marksman, riflemen, bowmen, and snipers of superior ability. It grants a +2 with all ranged weapons, and an additional +3 for countering range penalties. This skill can represent a great degree of training (on the rifle range for example) or it can be natural (like Sgt. York or Carlos Hathcock.) It can be purchased during or after character creation.

Eidetic Memory III: 120 points.

The ultimate level of total recall and Photographic memory. Multiplies points spent in mental skills times eight. [Available to only 1200+ point characters.]

Jack of All Trades: 10 points/level.

Adds to default skill rolls at +1 per level. Black ops can purchase up to five levels of it, and can raise a default above it's base skill by up to +1.

Sharpshooter: 20 points.

A limited version of Sharpshooter that works for one type of weapon. Choices: Pump Action Shotguns, Double Barrel Breachloading Shotguns, Single Barrel Breachloading Shotguns, Auto-Shotguns, Semi-Auto Shotguns, Bolt Action Rifles, Gas Operated Semi-Auto Rifles, Battle Rifles, Carbines, Open Bolt Sub-machineguns, Blowback Submachineguns, Double Action Revolvers, Single Action Revolvers, Single Action Semi-Auto Pistols, Double Action Semi-Auto Pistols, Double Action Only Semi-Auto Pistols, Machine Pistols.

Disadvantages

Compulsive Thievery -10 pts

You are compelled to steal, rather than buy anything honestly. This is not the same as Kleptomania. You do not have to take everything that is not nailed down, but when you do want something, you prefer to get it through dishonest means. You must make a Will roll to avoid stealing something, even though you have enough coin in pocket. In a bar or tavern, you can buy a few drinks, but you will try to scam, steal or con others while you are there.

Wanderlust (Compulsive Wandering) -5 pts

You are uncomfortable if you are in one place for more than a week. You will avoid putting down roots, and long term relationships are difficult. You will rarely own more than you and your transport can carry. You love to travel. Many will assume a traveller and drifter is untrustworthy, so a Social Stigma (-1; Outsider) may be appropriate.

Skills

Animal


Herding Mental/Average Defaults to Animal Handling

Gathering, befriending and manipulating herd animals. Animal Empathy adds +4


• Artistic

• Athletic

• Combat/Weapon

  
  Guns Physical/Easy Specializations. NOTE: With Revolvers, Pump Action Shotguns, and Lever Action Rifles a skilled user may add +1 to the ROF for every level of skill they have over 12. Thus +1 at 15, +2 at 18, +3 at 21, +4 at 24, etc.
  Specializations:

  • Revolvers: Gauss and Conventional.
  • Pistol: Gauss and Conventional.
  • Machine Pistol: Gauss and Conventional.
  • Light Auto: Gauss and Conventional.
  • Rifle: Gauss and Conventional.
  • GYROC
  • Shotgun: Gauss and Conventional.
  • Needler: Subcalibre dart guns.
  • Grenade Launcher: EMGL and Conventional.
  • Flamethrower
  • LAW
  
  Gunner Physical/Average
  Specialization:

  • Machine Gun: Gauss and Conventional.
  • Anti-Tank Missile Launcher (ATGM)
  • Shoulder Launched Anti-Aircraft Missile
  • Mortar
  • Cannon

  Craft

  
  Armory Mental/Average

  Specializations:

  • Ammunition: The loading, reloading, wildcatting, design, and manufacture of ammunition for a particular caliber (small = < 14.5mm; Medium = <35mm; Large = the rest). Includes the design and fabrication of casings, primers, sabots, bullets (multiple bullet or single), and non-lethals.
  • Suppressors: The study, creation, design, and attachment of suppressors to Small Arms. This includes wipes, helical, integral, and muzzle can suppressors for pistols, rifles, sub-machine guns, shotguns, and machine guns.

  Esoteric

  Hobby

  Knowledge

  Magical

  Medical

  Military

  
  Field Equipment Operation/TL Mental/Easy Defaults to Electronics Operation

  The skill of operating common military field equipment, including basic radio operaton and protocol, as well as night vison devices. Each major military's equipment is a separate familiarity (i.e. NATO, Warsaw Pact, Chinese Bloc). At higher TLs, it also includes EM comms, inertial compasses and other elctronic equipment.
  

  
  Sensor Analysis/TL Mental Average Pre: Elec Op (Sensors)

  Allows the interpretation of the myriad information from sensors, including identification of vehicle types, or determining size/motion of animals vs humans or natural vs unnatural origins. Modifiers: Acute Hearing for audio sensors, Alertness. Specialization in different sensor types is also possible.
  

  
  Strategy addition

  Additional types of Strategy in which to specialize:

  • Battle Field: Infantry and cavalry (includes Close Air Support at TL 6+)
  • Logistics: Supply lines and support units
  • Aerial: Fighters, bombers and strategic reconnaissance
  • Naval: Water craft
  • Sabotage: Underground resistance and behind enemy lines
  • Siege: Reduction or defence of fortified positions
  • Space: Outer space and near orbit (TL differences can be very important)

  
  

  
  Military OrganizationMental Average Defaults to Administration-4 or Strategy (Logistics)-2

  Organizaton, but not deployment of a military force. Includes knowledge of how to billet and supply a unit, posting of watch, running of patrols etc. Required skill for most officers (more so in Army than Navy)
  

  Outdoor

  Professional

  
  Drafting/TL Mental/Average

  Ability to use specialized drafting equipment to make accurate and precise technical drawings. At higher TLs, includes Auto CAD/CAM usage.

  
  Professional Skill Mental/Average

  Specializations:

  • Machinist: The ability to machine parts out of various material on a lathe, mill, surface grinder, or drill press.
  • Welder: Given.
  • Auto Body: Painting, grinding, and refabricating damaged and worn out car bodies.
  • Street-Walker: Skills needed to be an effective street whore.
  • Cook: Given.
  • Fire-fighting: Duh.
  • Plumber: Wuh!
  • Electrican: Don't you get it yet.
  • Construction: Building and organizing the building of houses, dams, bridges, dikes, retaining walls, etc.
  • Logger:
  • Die-Making: Metal dies for plastics, metal, stamped parts, etc.
  • etc.: Make up your own, and email me.

  
  Advertising Mental/Average

  Allows successful marketing of a product or service.

  Psionic

  Scientific

  
  Electronics and Electronics Operation Mental/Hard and /Average

  Specializations:

  • Cyberware: The creation, design, and manufacture of cybernetic implants and enhancements (Electronics); and the maintenance, cleaning, and repair of cybernetic implants and enhancements (Elec. Op.)
  • Nano-tech: The study, creation, design, and use of nano machines and other small technologies.

  
  Rigging Operation Mental/Very Hard Pre: Driving Skill 15+ and Computer Programming 20+.

  The ability to operate a vehicle or vehicles by using a Neural Enviromental Interface designed for a vehicle. The operator becomes the vehicle and suffers damage as if the car were woven armor (like kevlar) taking blunt trauma. It is possible to die in this manner. Manual Dexterity affects the skill, adding its level to the driving skill being Rigged. Rigger Operation adds one fifth of the skill to the driving rolls while rigging. For controlling multiple vehicles, a -1 is incurred for every vehicle beyond the first that is controlled.

  
  Evolutionary Biology Mental/Hard Pre: Zoology, Palaeontology or Botany

  The study of the mechanisms of evolution, including natural selection, punctuated equilibrium, genetic heredity and variation, speciation concepts and phylogenetic reconstruction. Includes some knowledge of palaeontology, zoology, and genetics, but is separate.

  
  Systematics Mental/Hard

  The study of systematics and taxonomy. This includes cladistic analysis, phenetics, selection and measurement of character traits and knowledge of the scientific basis behind biological classification.

  
  Virology Mental/Very Hard

  The study of viruses and highly contagious diseases (super-bacteria). This includes the creation, growing, study, and combat of these organisms.

  
  Zoology Addition

  Some specializations available:

  • Entomology: Insects, and arachnids.
  • Icthyology: Fish
  • Marine Biology: Marine life, especially invertebrates (molluscs, crustaceans).
  • Herpetology: Reptiles and Amphibians
  • Ornithology: Birds
  • Mammalogy: Mammals

  Social

  
  Sex

  See GURPS Sex for more skills of a social nature. NOTE: Sex Appeal is the final measure of beauty, modified only by the RR of your appearance.

  
  Bribery Mental/Average

  Ability to properly offer a bribe in an unobtrusive manner. Also includes the skill of assessing the proper amount of bribe and/or appropriate medium (i.e. money, favour, gift item) and the receptiveness of someone to a bribe.
  

  
  Begging Mental/Average

  Ability to illicit a sympathetic response from the person being begged from. The Pitiable disadvantage will add a bonus.

  
  Travelling Mental/Average

  The skill of easy travelling, includes knowledge of how to best book passage, customs and administrative hassles in ports and how to avoid them, how to pack lightly, dealing with currency exchanges and battling jet lag, and myriad small skills which separate the world traveller from the average sunburnt tourist. Also includes (at appropriate TLs) ability to sleep in stagecoaches and skill in avoiding tourist traps and typical tourist con scams.

  
  Customs Mental/Easy (aka Savoir Faire)

  The knowledge of the proper ways to act and survive within a culture. Someone without the appropriate Customs skill in an environment will immediately be resognizable as non-native, and may encounter reaction penalties, or do things the natives find offensive or amusing.
  Within a culture type, but a different cultural group, such as a Bedhouin dealing with Gypsy nomads, there is a -3 penalty (or more, GM's call). A New York native in Paris would suffer this same penalty.
  Each character gains one Customs skill at IQ+3 at charcter creation, as his or her native culture. Others must be gained later. Each Customs skill has several skills which default from it. Those who have the appropriate native Customs skill will gain a +3 on their Default skill levels in these skills. For non-natives, you must have some skill in all the sub-skills before you can take the Customs specialty

  • Tribal Primitive hunter/gatherers; how to treat leaders and shamans with proper respect, share and eat food properly, elicit hospitality and avoid taboos. (Survival, Weather Sense, Tracking, Cooking)
  • Nomad Wandering, nomadic lifestyle: how to pack enough to survive and travel, seem unthreatening when entering a new area, how to find shelter outdoors or in an unfamiliar city, find people to deal with you. (Packing, Survival, Weather Sense, Hiking/Riding/Teamster)
  • Rural Life in the countryside; guessing the lay of the land, judging the type of crops, their health and readiness for harvest, appraising the health and value of animals, what animals are most useful for food, wool, etc. ability to get along with rural folks, usual holidays and celebrations (Animal Handling, Weather Sense, Agronomy, Carpentry)
  • Urban How cities are laid out, where to find lodging, recognize authorities and important people, knowledge of rents, leases, taxes, littering ordnances and other items of daily city life, how to protect yourself from thieves and con-men. (Streetwise, Merchant, Haggling, Law)
  • Military Chains of command, avoiding trouble and work details, unwritten codes of conduct, getting along with supply officers, getting semi-decent food, and getting along with other soldiers of your rank. (Leadership, Tactics, Intimidation, Gambling, Carousing)
  • Servant How to serve someone without offending anyone. How to be unnoticed, yet always availible, anticipating needs. (Merchant, Cooking, Law, Heraldry, Diplomacy)
  • Aristocrat (aka Savoir Faire) Manners and customs of high society. (Diplomacy, Politics, Heraldry, Fashion, Repartee)

  Other groups also have Custom skills, but these are very rare as native skills. They must be taken later, unless you can convince the GM otherwise. Like Professional skills (which are a form of Custom skill), they often contain jargon which an outsider would not know.

  • Pirate The codes, customs and cultures of nautical pirates. (Seamanship, Streetwise, Weather Sense, combat skill)
  • Bard/Entertainer Very much like Nomad, but with the addition of getting along with other entertainers, finding appropriate employment, not offending audiences etc. (Streetwise, Performance, entertainment skills)
  • Scholar Getting respect from peers, knowledge of other scholars with similar interests, how to present ideas to another scholar, eliciting hospitality from scholars, collecters and librarians (Literacy, Research, scholarly skills)

  
  Area Knowledge Mental/Easy

  Specialization:

  • The Company: M/VH. Knowledge and information on the Company. Available only to black ops. This is used to represent the scant amount of knowledge that floats around the Company. This skill is also used to determine if an Op knows another op personally, by reputation, or not at all.

  Thief/Spy

  
  Off-hand Writing Physical/Hard Default: DX -8 or Forgery -4

  The ability to write with your off hand is more difficult that just having Ambidexterity, though that advantage does grant a +2 with this skill. This skills represents the training in using your off hand. This can also be achieved through a specialization in Forgery, which will grant a net +1 (after the +5 for specialization, and then the -4 default.)

  
  Speed Reading

  Specialization:

  • Upside Down Writing: M/A. The ability to read persons documents while sitting across from them is a time honored skill of the spy. Can be attempted with Observation -7.

  Vehicle