/gurpsgen/ GURPS general thread

Hangover edition

Everyone have fun on St.Paddys? I know I had fun. Whiskey fuelled chaos up in this motherfucker

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forums.sjgames.com/showthread.php?t=22938
forums.sjgames.com/showthread.php?t=63730
mewo2.com/notes/terrain/
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FIREFLY: the Verse
>The party are on Greenleaf, having followed elaborate and cryptic instructions to reach a rendezvous with...Someone
>The secret base under a mountain outside standard patrols tells them it is shady as fuck
>The madman with a knife who wanders out of the blast doors confirms their suspicions
>The firefight with him is even more weird, with his armor bursting g with purple dust as he gets shot
>Dee, the Scotty engineer, discovers the dust is wildly fast acting hallucinagenics, but luckily it washes off
>The party gives the corpse a wide berth, and loot. Space HMGs in a locker, DU APHCDS ammo, and then, a reactor Ina box surrounded by cases of weird blue vial space drugs
>Also, the wildman was nesting in a room full of alien flowers
>They GTFO, touch base with the weirdos, and get a dropoff on a silver mine
>They full thrust straight for it

If you roll a general reaction roll for an NPC and lets say you visit that same NPC a week later, would you require reaction rolls for things like ask for information or ask for assistance? Or would you just use the corresponding reaction roll from earlier?

I'd say make a judgement call , RRs are do when you don't know the exact reaction an NPC should be played as.

Assuming you wanted to make a new one, and the previous encounter went favorably, give the next one a bonus

I Love GURPS. In fact I can never play anything else now, but my biggest gripe is that there aren't enough fleshed out world settings, as in some other P&P RPGS. It used to be the shit, bland, black and white art

With that said, I think there are a lot of wonderful world settings in the GURPS repoitre.
Some of my Favorites are Banestorm, Autoduel (AKA Car Wars), and Reign of Steel.

I really wish SJG would bring back the latter two, with more detail. I would literaly cream my self with reckless abandon.

see, thanks to the generic modularity, I use it to play old settings like Eberron and the like. Pulling all the fluff from the game books and running on a skeleton of GURPS instead

I want to use the "Transhuman Stars" and "Galactic Federation" setting modification options from pages forty & forty-one of "Transhuman Space: Spaceships 8" to mix the setting of THS into space opera. But I still desire to not sacrifice too much of the firm to hard scifi tone of THS. Therefore I'd like to ask you guys the following question:

>"Which space opera setting does the best job of being a radical hard scifi setting while still involving intelligent aliens/non-solar sapients?"

Preferably with as much thinking and research behind it as what was put into Transhuman Space. ... I'd like to pillage ideas from said setting as I apply the hitherto mentioned modifications to THS.

>second session of the Maid RPG campaign today
>GM decides to use the random event table now, which he avoided during the first session
>session ends in nuclear holocaust, which our household narrowly escapes
What a perfect transition to GrimWyrd, which started immediately afterwards!

It's not yet a nuclear holocaust scenario...
Just wait for the Thaumatological Storms...

I apologize for sounding like a pervert, but does GURPS have rules for clothing damage? As in getting your clothes ripped off through the course of a fight?

make a judgement call; crushing shouldnt do much, cutting does lots, burning more, and corrosion is terrifyingly worse

I think it gets casually mentioned somewhere. Just remember clothes should be injury tolerance: homogenous, but with 1> HP

Low-Tech 2 or 3 has rules for cutting armor straps. You could also use the damage to object rules. A shirt is probably Diffuse and only has six to ten points of HP, so it'd take a few good cuts to tear it apart completely.

Pervert.

Off the top of my head from Basic Set: -Ish.

There are rules for weapons/armor/etc being destroyed. There are rules for being tangled in clothing (capes). Smash them together and you're good(ish) to go

Dude, its Veeky Forums

Is that Incase?
NEAT.jpeg

Is there no way to lower the recoil of a weapon? I find it kind of absurd that even ST50 monstrosities still don't have 100% control over the recoil of a 5.56x45mm rifle.

IDK about RAW, but my instinct is roll vs ST-Rcl

Also: forums.sjgames.com/showthread.php?t=22938

Word of Kromm is as follows:

>The effect of ST on shooting is that if you don't have enough of it, you suffer a skill penalty. Once you hit the ST listed for the weapon, the skill penalty goes away. More ST doesn't help.

>In 4e, Rcl has nothing to do with any of that. It's the fundamental limit on the weapon's inherent accuracy based on how much its internal components bounce around when you fire it -- how far the slide moves, how smoothly it cycles, all that. Being really strong won't help unless you can somehow reach inside the pistol and use your strength to make the weapon feed more smoothly and clamp down the various moving parts.

>You'll note that while the 3e Rcl stat was ST-dependent, we've decoupled Rcl from ST in 4e. ST measures controllability issues that the user can do something about; it goes down when you attach a stock, for instance, or use two hands. Rcl measures controllability issues that the user cannot affect; it doesn't necessarily go up as the round gets more powerful. In principle, a gun firing any round could have almost any Rcl value, depending on how good the gun is. It's more about whether the weapon operates smoothly than whether it requires great force to control.

>A good example is a 12ga shotgun. It requires a fair amount of strength to control: ST 10 in two hands, vs. ST 8 for a .38 revolver in just one hand. However, its Rcl is only 1 while the .38 has Rcl 2 or even 3. This is because the shotgun pellets all leave at once, and the gun's recoil doesn't influence them much, while the revolver has a cylinder turning, lacks the shotgun's big springs, etc. Being really strong won't change any of those factors. It will, however, let you fire a .44 Magnum revolver (ST 11) instead.

Basically:
Skill Penalty for Weakness = Can't control the weapon

Recoil = Gun's readiness vs unreadyness

Maybe? But higher caliber weapons have higher recoil values, and I very much disbelieve that to be because of 'Moving internal parts.' I think it's based on caliber and... Maybe it's just constant because balance? I've always thought the ST and Rcl divide was a little silly.

Also, to add, ST penalty wouldn't affect a weapon for the first shot if it was recoil based. I've always thought it was based off of how heavy the weapon was.

Fucking KROMM just told you otherwise man

>But higher caliber weapons have higher recoil values

But changing the ammo doesn't change the rcl.

It's a bad name though, give you that, when it's more like readiness.

Because, come on. You're telling me a person can't get the gun back under control after firing a shot?

>But higher caliber weapons have higher recoil values,

They do, but once you have the ST to handle them, recoil becomes a non-issue. More ST doesn't help.

>>and I very much disbelieve that to be because of 'Moving internal parts.

That's not what he wrote, you brain dead fuck.

He talking about accuracy: "It's the fundamental limit on the weapon's INHERENT ACCURACY accuracy based on how much its internal components bounce around when you fire it,"

He's pointing out that additional ST beyond that needed to handle the recoil will not improve a weapon's accuracy.

Inherent accuracy is represented by ACC. He's talking out of his ass for the most part to justify the fact that recoil is just there for balance and to make certain weapons not inherently better.

Recoil is "Firearms only. A measure of how
easy the weapon is to control when firing
rapidly: the higher the value, the
less controllable the weapon. Rcl 1
means the weapon is recoilless, or
nearly so."

But one's personal strength heavily factors in to how controllable a firearm is for multiple shots. Even if you meet the minimum ST, having more would still hypothetically make the recoil less taxing. Someone with 50ST would find that firing a 5.56x45mm feels like firing a .22, and a .22 feels like it's recoilless.

Also, pic related. Something meant to help control recoil, as in, the impulse given by firing a shot, increases a weapon's Rcl value when folded. That further discredits that Rcl is about 'accuracy.'

>Play loads of ST and arm ST knight with big sword
>Pretty incompetent at most things other than sword, but incredibly tough
>Many levels of hard to subdue
>Many levels of hard to kill
>High-pain Threshold
>Trying to recruit any wandering warrior into my order
>Come across ridiculously strong warrior who lives in village protecting it.
>Demand he join me, challenge him to duel
>Get arm cut off
>Get leg cut off
>Roll well enough to completely shrug it off.
>Try to persuade him into joining
>3

It was then that he knew there was no way to defeat the knight. All he could do was kill him.

>mfw

Is there an advantage that's like Gizmos but for people? As in, the character, on a successful roll or something, happens to know or be friends with just the right person need in a certain situation.

For example, a character like Sam Axe from Burn Notice would have such an advantage. Whenever they needed to do something that the characters couldn't do by themselves, Sam always had "a friend" available. Like, if they need to know something about an ongoing police investigation, Sam would have "a buddy at the FBI", or if they needed a nice car he would have a rich lady friend to lend him one, or stuff like that.

Point is, I want to play a character that has lots of "friends" for any situation like that in a modern day spy game, is there an advantage for that?

Modular Abilities, with a "Social Advantages only" modifier.

I think there's something like that in Powers....

Well tended to serendipity
As well as contact groups

DF Swashbucklers has some rudimentary clothing damage rules. Essentially, clothing loses 10% of its value after each hit that penetrates, and after 10 hits only shredded rags are left. These rules are extrapolated from rules in DF8 about damage to artifacts with set gems and inlay etc., I think.

I don't think that would work well for what I have in mind, but where in Powers is it? I had a quick look and couldn't find anything like that.

Serendipity seems a bit too general.

Contact Groups on the other hand seems too limited in that you have to choose your Contact Group in advance and it doesn't allow overly broad groups. Still, Contact Groups seems to be the closest to what I want so I'll see what my GM says.

Claim to Hospitality

Power-Ups: Impulse Buys gives new ways to spend character points, and one of them is on adding a character to the scene, with characters Deus Ex Machina'd on to the stage costing more. Destiny costs 5 points/level and gives a refilling pool of points you can spend on impulse buys. Having Destiny (Lots of Friends) may work.

Contacts are individual skills; I'm pretty sure Contact Group with Spy Skills-16 is legit.

>Serendipity seems a bit too general.
That's why limitations are a thing.

You could break it up a little. Contact Group (CIA) and Contact Group (Smugglers) and Contact Group (Mercenaries) along with Contact Group (Mafia) could give you friends in a lot of places that would whisper things in your ear. It's not "I have friends EVERYWHERE" but you could always buy another contact group if you need to build up your web in game. You certainly know somebody that could get you an introduction.

Grimwyrd today!
>Party is confined to a storage room until the Lord Marshall decides what to do with them
>Roderick the previously-a-noble off into the city for a healer for Falkirk(the comatose wizard)
>Rod encounters his Fae emmisary, and is rewarded for his service. He turns over a relic silver spear, receives his former knightly armor and arms, decorated with the tabard of the Verdant Kingdom
>Also granted a blood rose, a token of the Fae, to heal Falkirk

>He returns to the party, espouses, the group is wary of more "magic wizard bullshit" but don't have many other choices
>Rod does the thing, and BAM, fairy circle around Falkirk, and he's cocooned in rose Vines and blossoms
>At that same moment, above I. Timberkeep, a cry of pain, a thud, and muffled voices
>Cue everyone arming themselves and watching the doors

DYNAMIC ENTRY THROUGH CEILING EXPLOSION

>Shootout fight with warlock elves!
>Shadow swords and shields! Critical failures! GRAY THROWS A MOTHERFUCKER AT A MOTHERFUCKER!
>THE LEADER DROPS HIS MAGIC FIRE AND THE ROOM ABOVE BOILS IN GREEN FIRE

OH SHIT FIRE

>The group flees, the keep on alert!
>Roderick rallies the guard to bucket brigade!
>Deloth-ainur, the former demon worshipper, declares ITS FIENDFIRE! IT WILL NOT EXTINGUISH!
>The bucket brigade won't do! The timber built keep will fall! Surely!

>Syviis the elf TAUNTS THE FIENDFIRE
>IT FOLLOWS HER INTO THE YARD
>THERE WAS A FIREFIGHT

>The dust settled
>The fire extinguishers
>Cheers

Intense day. 4points for all.

Grimwyld this week..

>The building was on fire, and for once it wasn't my fault.

Group's in the basement at a keep waiting for news when we get our bird back. Tells us there are weird hungry sprirts in the city feeding off people, the Lord Marshall just went home to get stoned and fuck.

Roderick got back with his magnificent mustache, now wearing his pimp bling armor and carrying a magic rose. He told us that the Fae said it would fix Falkirk, our sick friend. One Rose Ceremony later and Falkirk is encased in a bloody rose bush. This is a change, if not an improvement.

We get attacked! Someone gets stabbed upstairs and a few seconds later they blow a hole in the ceiling above us and drop in. The Dynamic Entry catches lots of us off guard, but Suori begins the fun by shooting one of them then asking what they want.

Quick brawl with the rest that dropped in ends when Gray picks up one of the elven women that were attacking us and throws her back up, out of the hole and into the bald, scarred, green-glowing bad guy that was yelling at us from above. He hits and there's a huge explosion, then fire drips down out of the hole. Evil hungry green magic fire.

Everyone evacuates the building and tries to put it out, but it's Slyviss that figures out she can lead it around with magic and get it exhausted trying to eat her.

Ha! Grimwyldmind.

The good
>Nobody was hurt. Well, that we care about. Other people died, likely in agony
>We haven't seen the last of bald scarred people trying to murder us.
>With Lifting ST 22 you can throw a 140 pound elf 8 yard, 2 feet and 4 inches.

The bad
>We haven't gotten paid. It feels increasingly unlikely that we will
>Our bird might have been eaten
>We are now officially homeless
>The hungry spirit thing is likely our fault

I need powers based on illusion and energy for a witch. Got a budget for 300 points, she MUST have a Pact with pretty powerful demon and represent a well-seasoned witch when it comes to skills and advantages.
Everything else goes.

Please help, because I have no clue where to even start with this, as always, when making a magic user.

Also, that 300 is without any disadvantages. This is for heroic high fantasy game.

*energy drain

I guess this is about a time to hit the bed

Anyone have any suggestions on what books to look into for a modern-day fantasy game?
There are like a ton of them and I'm not sure which ones to look into.

You mean no disadvantages are allowed or they are simply not accounted for? What's the disadvantage limit, if there is any?

Ritual Path Magic + High Tech + Powers + Action = perfect mix for urban fantasy. Horror might help if you are planning to make it dark fantasy or with outrigh horror vibes

You obviously want a patron for the demon, then.

High IQ, points in thaumatology. Hidden Lore(Withcraft) if it isn't a common thing.

A lot of the rest sort of depends on what you want to do.

Also are any of the Gurps location books interesting?
Like Gurps Greece, Gurps Egypt and so on?

Some basic powers..

DR with Force Field and the Magic and Pact limitations, and maybe takes FP. A field of energy/fire/ect that deflects attacks and protects you. Ablative would be a shield that can be worn down, pure DR would just make you harder to hurt.

Innate Attack (Fire) at 2d to 4d with Pact and Magic limitations, and maybe Area. at 300 points it would be good to have an AoE that can take out weak, swarming monsters. You can just blast around yourself by shooting down if it lacks the punch to breach your DR.

Alternate Form and Obscure (Sight, Sound) with Cosmetic Only, Magic, Pact and Illusion limitations. You can look like someone else or clouad the minds of the weak willed so they don't see or hear you.

It's 300/-75. Sorry for not being specific, it's really late up here, but I'm after a lenghty brain-storm with other players in my group and I'm still in blanc when it comes to figuring out how the even start with this character.
This is probably why I almost never play as magic users. I always get giddy about playing such characters and then hit the brick wall when actually making them.

It's supposed to be an old witch, a crone-like character hiding under bunch of glamour spells, with vast knowledge about all sort of magic,but also common lore. And Witchcraft is most definitely Hidden Lore in our homebrew. I know that I both want and need a bunch of illusions, but sleight of hand stuff is also highly seeked. The concept was also to cast from her lifespan, but I know this is a fuckload of work when it comes to designing spells, especially when in the same time designing a reverse version, draining energy from others, so I will directly stick to lethaly draining targers and roleplay the rest.
I'm flipping RPM back and forth, but I doubt it's going to work with this type of character. I mean sure, rituals are fine, great and would fit, but I also need something that can be cast on spot.

To elaborate on how combat went:
>ruckus on the upper floor, party prepares itself
>ceiling comes crashing down, three elves jump down
>one is immediately shot dead by Suðri, who then asks what they want (he learned this from Bomrek)
>Bomrek draws his pistols and shoots the other two, wounding them
>we hear more voices above and more enemies leap down
>they attempt some dark magic misty sword shit but Syviis shoots one in the heart with an electric arrow and the party overall gives them no quarter
>Grey picks up one of the elves and throws her upstairs at the enemies above
>this makes someone spill their bottle of magic green fire demon and the building starts to burn
>party heads outside and tries to figure out how to extinguish the fire before it consumes the powder storage
>Syviis manages to extinguish the raging flame by luring the demonic part of it so far away from the physical fire that it goes out

That's what those knife-ears get for thinking they have any business underground.

Oh, and we now have to deal with magic nuclear fallout in the form of spirits that feast on emotions or some such.

That's four books right there.
Would making a character be super complicated?

Just use Monster Hunters 1.

Nope, since you only need few bits from High Tech and Action. So it boils down to RPM and Powers.
Thus - super-easy and self-reinforcing.

What about Gurps Magic?

Why doesn't the stash have that pyramid with the high tech bows in it?

Holy shit; it's that Suðri?

I find that the easiest thing to do when looking for skills to fit a theme is to steal unashamedly from related talents and wildcard skills. Fire up the respective Power-Ups books and look for entries like Arcane Lore! or Wise Woman, see what they cover, and go from there.

What about it? GURPS has half a dozen magic systems. That one is nothing special it was just first. Which one or ones being used in a game depend on the style of the game or the particulars of the setting.

Is there an advantage that makes it impossible to be knocked out? Something that would let you stay awake at negative HP without rolling HT every second you are active?

Good point. I like GURPS: Magic for being flexible and easy to run as a GM, but it's got a bunch of very bad spells.

Just an image I found on pixiv once which fit him pretty well (aside from the axe, helmet, and itty bitty beard).

This looks good

And this helps a lot, since I'm in the middle of page flipping and it really looks promising

Thanks!

Can someone explain how flamethowers work? The rules are a little esoteric to me.

Flawless Momentum
Affliction (Striking ST 2, +100%; Cumulative, +400%, Maximum duration up to 30 seconds, -75%) [52.5]
How to make features
"Affliction is only usable on me"
"Stack added each time i hit target or when target successfully parry/block my attack" -- 3 rapid strikes = 3 potential applications
"All stacks lost when i miss or target successfully dodge"?

A flamethrower is a jet
You pull the trigger, and get a stream of fire
To hit works like a melee attack with long reach. Specifically gaining the melee attack bonuses in tactical combat. But, it is a jet/beam attack
You get seconds of ammo, because you can hold down the trigger and spray an area over several rounds

If you NEVER give it to others, do not use affliction. Use a Trigger and Maximum Duration(powers) and things like that

>Use a Trigger and Maximum Duration(powers) and things like that
Then i cant stack hits or it will cost infinity points

How so? How was see you building it in that manner?

So if i buy Striking ST 2 (Maximum duration up to 30 seconds, -75%; Trigger (my attack don't miss or enemy dodge my attack), -15%) [2] i will get +2 Striking ST each time when my attack get contact with enemy?

source?

Yep. And Strikes St naturally stacks. So at worst, you're tracking a few durations as they wear off.

I'd imagine you'll want a spreadsheet with the damage table and some checkboxes

Incase
Tumblr is the primary. Tons of futa, but it varies

That is not at all how I see the rules in question. It actually only works once this way, you activate the Advantage with the first attack then it stays active for X amount of times, but it only works once. Otherwise you could get infinite anything with Trigger -X% (Do something).

Only targeting yourself is worth -80% because normal limitations never go higher (or is it lower?) that that.
Powers has Terminal Condition; I'd look there for the "ends on a miss" thing.
Activating automatically on a hit/parry sounds like a mandatory Link to your natural attack.

Limitations can go over -80%, I think, but the maximum limitation is at most -80% for each advantage or disadvantage.

True, but few cannon limitations go beyond -80%, even if they're incredibly limiting.

How would you model a guy who can tase people through skin contact and can extend that ability over his metal beating-stick and maybe through metal cables he can bind people with over a distance?

Burning surge innate attack with aura
Universal Follow-Up or Imbuement
Binding with linked burning surge innate attack

Oh yeah, imbuement was a thing. I had a vague idea how to do the other stuff, but I didn't think of imbuement. Thanks.

>have to run a session in five hours
>haven't prepared anything
>their plot hook is just some bullshit i ad lib'd in the previous session because I had nothing then too
Are there any books full of monster statblocks that come recommended? These are modern characters that only have a couple pistols for self defense and aren't combat optimized by any means.
I just need something interesting that can happen to them while they take a walk in the woods. They're paranormal investigators. The setting is very campy and they've had conversations with ghosts already.

Horror has plenty.

forums.sjgames.com/showthread.php?t=63730
There's a .pdf with it all in the few last pages of the thread.
Are you really just going to throw monsters at them for 4 hours?

Well not at them per se. I just need to pick one monster and expand it into a hunt.

>Take a few days to make a few maps
>Write up all the story for those locations
>Make up sidequests, secret objectives and proper characters for those locations
>Players then proceed to take a 4 hour session to just cross the desert to get to the first location out of 3 because they are busy dicking around with each other and the NPC's.

I don't know if I should feel amazed or horrified.

Limitations can go over -80% both individually and when added together. You can never get more than a total -80% from limitations.

That means if you have +500% of enhancements the most you can get credit for in limitations is -580% even if you have -7000% worth.

Anyone have any cool Gurps character's they've created and are willing to talk about?

Heu guys, do any of us do Javascript? Because look what I found

mewo2.com/notes/terrain/

I guess it depends on what you mean by Cool since one of my favorites walks the thin line between cheese and cool.

Prime example I tried to make Steampunk Jack Sparrow/ Indian Jones and I ended up with a scheming and plotting vampire nobleman that usurped an entire kingdom and managed to kill tanks with a shotgun.

Also if you ever want to break the game with the High Tech book I recommend the.Winchester Model 1887 because you can fire 90% of the ammo types in game through that.

One of my players wants to make a clockmaker. What are some skills or advantages he should consider taking?

/gurpsgen/, Gloranthanon here with another question for the veterans.

I'm currently working on the rules to allow players to "Heroform", by which they take on some of the aspects of a divine entity through ritual. The base for this is built on the Spirit Vessel rules from Thaumatology.

I have two approaches that I am considering:

1. Let the player heroform an entity such as a god, demigod hero, or ancestor in a very general way

This seems like the more complicated route -- coming up with stats for a bunch of different gods is a little daunting.

2. Let the player heroform an aspect of an entity and perform *specific actions* as defined by the entity's ancient deeds

These have the advantage of being written for me; all I have to do is stat them.

The first approach offers a lot of player freedom and significantly more power, while the second restricts the utility to specific exigences and perhaps makes it less interesting or worthwhile.

Which would be better from a Fun standpoint as a player, and also which would make for more compelling gameplay?

Wait. So it does it's damage every second for the rof time? That's a insane amount of damage, holy shit.

How would I do Hisoka from Hunter X Hunter?

Here are his two abilities copied from the wiki for those who don't know what he can do:
>Hisoka can alter his aura's consistency into an incredibly sticky and elastic substance somewhat akin to bubble gum, albeit both characteristic are much more prominent. Bungee Gum is also extremely durable and flexible, as Hisoka can change its shape at will. It can both stretch and contract, depending on what Hisoka desires. It can be attached either by pointing at his target or through direct physical contact.

>Hisoka can apply his aura to any thin surface (such as paper or cloth) and manifests his thoughts onto it to change its appearance.[4] He mainly use this ability for deception.[38] For example, by using it on a cloth and wrapping it around a wounded body part, he can trick his opponent into believing that he's undamaged, therefore confusing them.

Engineer (Clocks), Mechanic (Clocks), High Manuel Dexterity.

And of course, Combat Reflexes.

Nope. You deal the listed damage and might light the target on fire. There's rules for that under Burning damage.

To keep hitting them you have to keep the aim up.

Tremendous boy-molesting fruit.
Cute cow outfits optional.

Thanks, those seem like good choices. Machinist would also be a good skill, wouldn't it?

Oh I have a question about High manual Dexterity.
It gives you a DX based bonus to things that require a delicate touch, but lists Mechanic and Machinist as example which are both IQ based. How do I handle that?

DX based machinist and Mechanic rolls

>It gives you a DX based bonus to things that require a delicate touch, but lists Mechanic and Machinist as example which are both IQ based. How do I handle that?

Doctor Strange.

His Surgery skills are fine, his dex is shot. He can make the IQ rolls, but can't make the dex based rolls.

IQ machinist: Wat Do?
DX machinist: Can Do?

Could you go into more detail? I'm still new to GURPS.

I thought that if you make a skill roll for a skill that you have, only the level of the skill and the modifiers are important.

For example I have Machinist 15 and do a roll for it, I have to get a 15 or lower. IQ or Dex isn't factored in at all, only when I purchased the skill. Please explain where I'm thinking wrong.

If you are doing something very delicate, like microsurgery or assembling a very small set of gears and springs for a clock, you can roll your Mechanic rolls based on DX instead of IQ.

For example, let's say you have Machinist at 15, because you have bought it up to IQ +3 and have IQ 12.

You also have DX 11 and High Manuel Dexterity 3.

If you are doing a very delicate job, the GM might have you roll a DX based Meachenist roll. You would roll at DX +3 (14) and add +3 for HMD for a total of (17).

Sure. Machinist is a great general skill.

Ok thank you, that clears everything up