D&D Attributes in GURPS

This is regarding an unofficial conversion of D&D material to GURPS.

Attributes

One aspect of D&D attributes that makes them hard to convert is that in addition to adjusting skills most of them confer what in GURPS terms would be called advantages (or if they are low enough disadvantages). Another factor is D&D attributes model things that are done in GURPS by a combination attributes, advantages, and disadvantages.

Table

This table is a very rough equivalency:

D&D Attribute	Equivalent GURPS Basic Attribute	Equivalent GURPS Secondary Attribute	Equivalent GURPS Advantage/ Disadvantage
Strength	ST	Basic Lift Damage	Lifting ST Striking ST
Dexterity	DX	Basic Speed: (HT+DX)/4 Basic Move	Combat Reflexes Flexibility Certain Talents
Constitution	HT	Basic Speed: (HT+DX)/4 (Extra) Hit Points (bonus) Fatigue Points	Fit, Very Fit/Unfit Hard to Kill/Easy to Kill Resistant
Intelligence	IQ	Per	Acute Senses Eidetic Memory Certain Talents
Wisdom	None	Will; Per (adj)	Acute Senses (adj), Common Sense, Intuition
Charisma	None		Charisma, Appearance, Certain Talents, can be "faked" with certain skills.

Important Notes

• Remember these are very rough equivalents that cover four versions of D&D. Not everything will line up with how the ability functions.
• To keep point costs down the modifier for everything but Strength should be used rather than the actual attribute. For example, 3.x/5e Intelligence 18-19 is IQ 14 (+4 modifier)
• While Constitution in D&D determines Hit Points they are determined by ST in 4e GURPS but Strength has no effect on Hit Points in D&D. This is why D&D Constitution (its bonus) rather then D&D Strength relates to GURPS 4e's Extra Hit Points. So a Str 16 Con bonus +2 in D&D is HP 16 (base) + 2 (Con bonus) or HP 18 in GURPS 4e.
• Success Rolls against an Attribute or Skill always fail on a 17 and 18. So having DX, IQ, or HT above 16 is not that useful nor are Skills above 20. Certain advantages and talents better serve simulating very high D&D attributes and skills than sending either past the 16 mark.
• D&D 1st and 2nd editions had exceptional Strength (18/xx). Thankfully there was a conversion guide from these editions to D&D 3e; simply covert to D&D3e and use that for human sized creatures. For larger creatures this score will likely have to be increased and this is more an art than a formula. For instance the Kiao-Lung and Li Lung dragons are nearly the same size and weight but the Kiao-Lung has a ST 16 while the Li Lung has a ST 32.

D&D1/2e STR	18/01 – 18/50	18/51 – 18/75	18/76 – 18/90	18/91 – 18/99	18/00	19 – 20	21 – 22	22 – 23	24 – 25
D&D3e/ GURPS ST	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27

• Comeliness (Com) is a D&D 1st and 2nd edition attribute formally introduced with the Unearthed Arcana. It was meant to model characters whose leadership ability didn't line up with their physical appearance but didn't see much use. It equates to Appearance maxing out out to Very Handsome (or Very Beautiful) for most races. Extremely high or low Comeliness may also require use of Terror with always on limitation.

Talents

Talents deserve special mention. At their core the represent a natural aptitude for a set of closely related skills. They can serve as a way to have high skill without having high attributes. Some classes have talents as an option as logically people with those talents would gravitate to those professions.

Energy Reserve

Energy Reserve is a special form of Fatigue that can only be used for spells. It can address the issue that combat itself uses Fatigue and allow wizards to cast spells even if their regular Fatigue is nearly exhausted.

Basic Speed and Basic Move

Basic Speed in GURPS is reaction time while Basic Move (always round down) is the character's ground speed in yards per second and a combat hex is 1 yard across. Basic Move for an average human is 5 and in the real world walking is roughly Move 1 (3 feet/second).

If GURPS already has an equivalent use that as the work has been done for you. If not there use these rough guidelines.

For AD&D1 & 2 base move for humans is 12” indoors (120') which would produce (inches/2.4) but we simplify it into (inches/2). So something that has Move: 9" gets Basic Speed 4.5 and Basic Move 4

For D&D 3.x and 5 one moves their speed in a turn and in GURPS one goes their Basic Move in a turn. This produces D&D Speed/5 = Basic Speed, round down for Basic Move. For flying take Basic Speed x 2 to find Basic Air Move. Water Move is Basic Move/5, rounded down.

Move can be improved for air, ground, or water with Enhanced Move which doubles the Move for each level. This is how the Gryphon has Air Move 24 with a Basic Speed of 6 (it has Enhanced Move (Air) 1).

D&D Hit points

AD&D1 itself pointed out that "These hit points represent how much damage (actual or potential) the character can withstand before being killed. A certain amount of these hit points represent the actual physical punishment which can be sustained. The remainder, a significant portion of hit points at higher levels, stands for skill, luck, and/or magical factors." Elsewhere it is flat out stated "As has been detailed, hit points are not actually a measure of physical damage, by and large, as far as characters (and some other creatures as well) are concerned"

So D&D Hit points do not represent the ability to actually take insane amounts of damage but a complex matrix of mundane advantages (like Serendipity), Cinematic advantages, and cinematic rules as well as things like Destiny and Impulse Buys.

The higher D&D Hit points are the more cinematic the character is and the more of these types of abilities they will have.

Also note that GURPS character are not at risk of dying at 0 HP like D&D characters are:

• 0 HP or less: make a HT roll at the start of your next turn, at -1 per full multiple of HP below zero to avoid becoming unconscious.
• -1xHP: In addition to the above effects, make an immediate HT roll or die.
• -5xHP: Die immediately
• -10xHP: Total bodily destruction (dependent on damage type)

Social Traits, Background, and Differences

• Alignment doesn't exist in GURPS and therefor doesn't limit professions.
• Classes don't exist and so prerequisites for multiclassing don't exist.
• Control Ratings and Legality Classes are excellent tools for controlling potential bothersome spells and items; most D&D governments will be in the CR3-5 range with the occasional CR6.
• The Tech Level of the average D&D world is TL 3^ - 4^ to TL(3+2)^ - TL(4+1)^ due to the mixture of Magic and Technology (food on par with Four-course crop rotation and the availability of Iron rations) and the very existence of the Platinum piece.
• Languages: The default in GURPS is that a character knows how to speak as well as read and write one language natively. The cost of additional languages is based on how well they are known in both spoken and written form. D&D tends toward characters being literate.

• Wealth: Wealth is always a problem - characters either have too little of it or too much. Written for Classic edition Incanus Color of Money provides some ideas on how to deal with wealth from a point prospective.