GURPSよろず

　Much of Chapter 1 ―― particularly Additional Benefits (pp. 10- 15) and asides such as Conditional-to-General Defaults (p. 6) ―― is devoted to options that matter as much in play as during character design. Here are some additional possibilities, tied even less to defining specific wildcard skills than to how such abilities behave on adventures.

　An oddity of wildcards is that they’re balanced around mostly Average skills (How Many?, pp. 9- 10) and priced at greater-than-Very Hard prices, yet may include skills of all difficulties. Among other things, this can lead to situations where masters of entire fields are bad at simple tasks. Optionally, the GM can pick a “standard difficulty” for wildcard tasks and apply modifiers to rolls that correspond to tasks executed with easier or harder skills. Possibilities include:

　Easy is Easy: The recommended treatment for cinematic campaigns is to assume that wildcards are so costly that only bonuses would be fair, and then to further suppose that because most skills are Average, this amounts to giving bonuses to wildcards when they replace Easy skills.
Uses of Easy skills are thus at +1.

　Easy is Trivial: In a highly cinematic campaign, the GM may raise the previous bonus to +2 for Easy skills and +1 for Average ones ―― or even give +1 per step easier than Very Hard: +3 for Easy, +2 for Average, and +1 for Hard. This make wildcards a much better deal, and is most balanced when using wildcards only (Ditching Standard Skills, pp. 22-23).

　Average is Average: In a less-cinematic campaign where the GM regards wildcards as simplifications that mostly cover hordes of Average skills, Easy skills might still be used at +1 . . . but Hard ones get -1 and Very Hard ones suffer -2.

　For fairness, the GM should use one scheme campaign-wide.

　Much of this work (e.g., How Many Wildcards in the Campaign?, p. 21) counsels the GM to avoid overlap between wildcards that are liable to appear on the same character sheet.
One way to make overlap less of a concern ―― and even turn it into a selling point! ―― is to permit wildcards that cover similar ground to reinforce one another. Variations on Hyper- Competency (p. 13) offers two options that rely on a finite resource (Wildcard Points): the “common pool” and “universal pool.” Below are possibilities for the GM who desires bonuses with unlimited uses.

　The most modest method is to use the notion of complementary skills, introduced in the GURPS Dungeon Fantasy series. When this rule is in effect, if the GM agrees that a “master skill” would benefit from the application of a (different!) “complementary skill,” he can allow a roll against the complementary skill to help out. This gives a modifier to the ensuing master skill roll: +2 for critical success, +1 for success, -1 for failure, or -2 for critical failure.

　This mechanic is intended to promote teamwork, and normally assumes that different PCs are using the complementary and master skills. However, wildcards effectively turn an individual into a team! Hyper-Competency (pp. 12-13) addresses this effect when a single wildcard’s individual skills aid one another. Permitting complementary skill rolls enables different wildcards to assist each other in a less-flashy way that doesn’t cost Wildcard Points.

　Complementary skill rolls are a nice fit to wildcards because such traits are so broad ―― there’s almost always a way to justify a connection between two of them, if the player’s imagination is good enough!
The mechanic is easy to use, too, and unlikely to throw the game out of balance; the bonus it gives is small (+1 or +2) and not risk-free (the -1 or -2).
The downside is that the GM will face a steady stream of player requests leading to additional dice rolls and associated judgment calls.
As well, the results might seem too understated for a highly cinematic campaign, though that’s easily fixed:

　Rescaled Complementary Bonuses: To make high wildcard levels count, if the bonus from the “Half Bonus” column of the Wildcard Benefits Table (p. 14) exceeds +1, use that as the benefit the wildcard grants on a successful complementary skill roll. Critical success gives +1 relative to that. For instance, for someone with attribute+3 and a “half bonus” of +2, the range of effects becomes -2, -1, +2, and +3. The GM who wants really over-the-top action might use the full “Wildcard Bonus” column!

　Another possibility is to use the essential concept of complementary skills without the associated skill rolls. If the player can convince the GM that one wildcard should benefit another, then it does. For its effects, refer to the “Half Bonus” column of the Wildcard Benefits Table (p. 14).

　This option has the upside of being somewhat faster to use; there are judgment calls but no additional dice rolls. And though it does guarantee only bonuses ―― possibly large ones, at extreme wildcard levels ―― a major investment is needed to see any benefit at all. Thus, it’s probably balanced and might even be somewhat austere. To work around this stinginess, the GM can use this next optional rule:

　Complementary and Automatic Bonuses: If the GM desires larger bonuses and the gaming group likes rolling dice, add automatic bonuses to the standard complementary ones (-2, -1, +1, and +2). The range of effects for that hero with attribute+3 level and a “half bonus” of +2 would then become 0, +1, +3, and +4!

　A different way to let multiple wildcards “stack” without extra dice rolls is to add the points invested in them whenever they cover the same standard skill for the purpose of a task.
Look up total points on the Wildcard Cost Table (p. 4) or Wildcard Benefits Table (p. 14) to figure effective skill level. For instance, if Commando! and Gun! cover Guns (Rifle), then a sniper with 36 points in each of them has only attribute+1 for most tasks but effectively 72 points in shooting rifles, and therefore shoots at attribute+4.

　When assessing Other Bonuses (pp. 13-15), use only the highest bonus from among the relevant wildcards. Never sum bonuses or calculate them from total points. In the example, the bonus would be +1 for attribute+1 ―― not +2 for two wildcards at that level, much less +4 for one at attribute+4!

　The GM might use this method in the same campaign as Complementary Skills (pp. 25-26) or Automatic Bonuses (above). Perhaps points add when two or more wildcards encompass exactly the same standard skill for a specific task, while complementary and automatic bonuses apply when they don’t. It’s up to the GM whether to allow hybrid cases, like permitting multiple skills to sum points for a complementary skill roll to aid a master skill roll that also involves total points . . . but as that would get annoying in actual play, an either/or approach is recommended.

　In a cinematic game where wildcards compete with standard skills, increasing their critical success range can make them attractive and foster a larger-than-life mood. Instead of critical success on 3-4, rising to 3-5 at effective skill 15 and 3-6 at effective skill 16+, use one of these schemes:

　Open-Ended Criticals: For wildcards, the standard progression doesn’t stop! Success by 10+ is always a critical success: 3-7 at effective skill 17, 3-8 at skill 18, and so on.

　Slow Open-Ended Criticals: Every two levels of effective wildcard skill past 16 adds one to the range: 3-6 at effective skill 16-17, 3-7 at skill 18-19, 3-8 at skill 20-21, and so on.

　Relatively Critical: Wildcards start with a critical success range of 3-4 and add the “Half Bonus” from the Wildcard Benefits Table (p. 14); e.g., attribute+5 gives +3, making the range 3-7. Over-thetop campaigns might use the full bonus! Either way, the roll must succeed to be a critical success. Such a scheme makes high relative skill level worthwhile.

　Players love frequent critical successes, but it’s recommended that the GM set a maximum, whatever rule is used; 9 or even 8 is still generous.