GURPS at a Glance
Four ideas carry most of the game. Each part of the guide builds on them.
Roll 3d6, Low Is Good
Roll three six-sided dice. If the total is at or under your effective skill, you succeed. 3–4 is always a critical success; 18 is always a critical failure.
Four Attributes
ST, DX, IQ and HT start at 10. ST and HT cost 10 points per level; DX and IQ cost 20, because so much depends on them.
Points, Not Classes
Buy exactly the character you want: attributes, advantages and skills cost points; disadvantages (usually up to about −50) and up to five quirks give some back.
Universal Toolkit
The same core rules cover every genre and Tech Level, from TL0 stone tools to TL12 super-science. Add only the optional rules your game needs.
The 13 Parts
Read in order for the full picture, or jump to what you need.
Learn the Game
GURPS Fundamentals
What makes GURPS universal: attributes, skills, the 3d6 roll, advantages and disadvantages.
Character Creation
Spend your points step by step, from concept and attributes to advantages, disadvantages and skills.
Characters & Inspiration
Character Examples
Worked characters and balanced adventure groups with full point breakdowns.
97 Sample Characters
Ready-to-play heroes, pairs and teams from 175 to 400 points, across many genres.
150 Character Names
Names for any genre and Tech Level, plus naming strategies and a genre wheel.
Character Groups
Balance a party with point-buy: power levels, archetypes and how roles fit together.
Rules in Play
Core Mechanics
Success rolls, margins, critical successes and failures, contests and reaction rolls.
Combat
Maneuvers, attack rolls, active defenses, hit locations, damage and injury.
GURPS Dice Roller
Success rolls with exact critical rules, Quick Contests, reactions and damage dice.
Character Sheets
Fillable sheets with point costs, secondary characteristics, encumbrance and skill levels worked out, to save and print.
Magic & the Supernatural
Magery, spells as skills, fatigue costs, prerequisite chains and other supernatural powers.
Run the Game