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While GURPS is more geared to "realism" where Heroes can get disappointed, injured, sick, or even dead there are options for a cinematic tone.

Cinematic Advantages[]

Borderline advantages are in italics.

Cinematic Skills[]

Skills with Cinematic options are in italic.

Cinematic Techniques[]

Cinematic Combat Rules[]

(Basic Set pg 417)

  • Bulletproof Nudity: less clothing makes it harder to be hit.
  • Cannon Fodder: minor NPCs fail all defense rolls and collapse if any damage gets through DR.
  • Cinematic Explosions: explosions do no direct damage though they do disarray clothing, blacken faces, and (most importantly) cause knockback.
  • Flesh Wounds: ignore all but 1 HP (or FP) of damage... at the cost of one unspent character point
  • Infinite Ammunition
  • Melee Etiquette
  • TV Action Violence: If struck by a potentially lethal attack (including a rapid-fire attack that inflicts multiple hits), the hero can choose to convert his failed defense roll into a success. This costs him 1 FP and he loses his next turn.

Chambara Fighting Rules[]

Prerequisite: Trained By A Master or Weapon Master

Contrast with Realistic Martial Artists

"Chambara is the Japanese name for a (not highly authentic) movie or TV show featuring heroic, highly skilled martial artists, usually ronin and ninja. This word is also sometimes applied to martial arts movies in general, particularly those where the main characters have superhuman abilities."[1]

  • The Chambara fighter can skip one attack in order to change facing โ€“ that is, each facing change (to any facing) โ€œcostsโ€ one attack.[2][3]
  • Acrobatic Stand and Acrobatic Movement can have halve of all penalties when used.

Attacks[]

  • Acrobatic attacks (-6 default) that let the hero buy off the -4 to hit for a Move and Attack and -1 for an Acrobatic Attack, and ignore the skill limit of 9 when doing so.
  • Flying attacks (-6 default) that permit the fighter to eliminate the,-4 to hit for a Move and Attack and -1 for a Flying Attack, and bypass the skill limit of 9.
  • Spinning attacks (-6 default) that allow the martial artist to reduce,the -5 to hit for a Wild Swing and avoid the usual skill cap of 9.

Defense[]

  • Get +3 to all active defenses when they retreat โ€“ including blocks and parries that would normally get only +1.
  • May retreat more than once, and more than a yard at a time, up to a distance equal to their Move each turn. These retreats get the usual +3, but thereโ€™s a cumulative -1 per retreat after the first. Any retreat that exceeds one step is at an extra -1 per yard. For instance, a Move 7 fighter could retreat 3 yards at +0 (+3 for retreating, -3 for 3 yards), 1 yard two times at +2 and +1 (the basic +3, -1 and -2 for the second and third retreat), and finally 2 yards at -2 (+3, -2 for 2 yards, -3 for the fourth retreat).

Can use Acrobatics to enhance any defense, not,just Dodge. Treat this just like Acrobatic Dodge, except that it also works with Block and Parry. Any number of defenses can be acrobatic, at a cumulative -1 to Acrobatics per defense after the first.

Required Cinematic Skills[]

Classic Cinematic Combat Rules[]

(Compendium II pg 76, 78)
While these don't appear in 4e they are worth noting:

  • Exploding Eyeballs: Explosive decompression results in a bloody mess.
  • Firecrackers and Hand-held Nukes: Opposing-force grenades make noise and smoke, but do only sartorial damage while friendly-force grenades are selective regarding the damage they do.
  • Gun Control Law: The enemy will rarely use guns...even when they have them on their person.
  • Hollywood Automatic Weapons: opponents haven't conceptualized aiming, especially when it comes to groups and all burst fire counts as a snap shot, never getting an Accuracy bonus.
  • Imperial Stormtrooper Marksmanship Academy: the bad guys never hit with the first shot or burst of automatic fire.[note 1]
  • Martial Artists Anonymous: Every NPC the characters encounter will have some martial art training in the expert or better range. Ranma 1/2 is a prime example of this.

Cinematic Campaign[]

(Basic Set pg 488)
A Cinematic Campaign is about style and while it tends toward high point that is not a requirement. Many of the followers of Robin Hood would be below 100 points but still have cinematic aspects (such as Weapon Master).

Notes[]

  1. โ†‘ To be fair to the Stormtroopers if you pay attention their poor shooting was clearly intentional:
    TARKIN: You're sure the homing beacon is secure aboard their ship? I'm taking an awful risk, Vader. This had better work.
    LEIA: That doesn't sound too hard. Besides, they let us go. It's the only explanation for the ease of our escape.
    HAN: Easy... you call that easy?
    LEIA: They're tracking us!

    Varyon in the 'Re: Moving from d20 to GURPS' thread suggested other reasons including the actual elite Stormtroopers being effectively wiped out with the Death Star's destruction and the Empire using less well trained recruits afterwards.

References[]

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