GURPS Attributes

Attributes are the basic characteristics of a GURPS character.

Basic Attributes

• Strength [ST] (10 points +- = 1 ST)
• Dexterity [DX] (20 points +- = 1 DX)
• Intelligence [IQ] (20 points +- = 1 IQ)
• Health [HT] (10 points +- = 1 HT)

Secondary Characteristics

Defined on the next few pages, along with information on Size Modifiers, Wealth, Tech Levels, and other basic statistics.

• Hit Points [HP]: normally equivalent to ST (±2 points per ±1 HP)
• Will: normally equivalent to IQ (±5 points ±1 Will)
• Perception (Per): normally equivalent to IQ (±5 points ±1 Perception)
• Fatigue Points [FP]: normally equivalent to HT (±3 points ±1 FP).
• Basic Speed: normally (HT+DX)/4 (±5 points per ±0.25 Speed)
• Basic Move: normally Basic Speed less all fractions (±5 points per ±1 yard/second)

Special Limitations

Strength

• No Fine Manipulators (-40%)
• Size Modifier (-10% x Size Modifier; max -80%)

Dexterity

• No Fine Manipulators (-40%)

Meaning of attributes

The below table assumes a human. For nonhumans, read each point above or below the human norm of 10 as a 10% deviation from the racial norm instead.

Attribute Score	general meaning	details
6 or less	Crippling	An attribute this bad severely constrains a lifestyle.
7	Poor	Your limitations are immediately obvious to anyone who meets you. This is the lowest score you can have and still pass for “ablebodied.”
8 or 9	Below average	Such scores are limiting, but within the human norm. The GM may forbid attributes below 8 to active adventurers.
10	Average	Most humans get by just fine with a score of 10.
11 or 12	Above average	These scores are superior, but within the human norm
13 or 14	Exceptional	Such an attribute is immediately apparent – as bulging muscles, feline grace, witty dialog, or glowing health – to those who meet the person
15 or 16	Amazing	An attribute this high draws constant comment and probably guides the person's career choices
17 or 18.	Legendary	historical “bests” and remarkable fictional heroes
19 or 20	Mythic	astounding even among great heroes in fiction and folklore
21+	Superhuman	off-limits to humans, barely suitable for great heroes, okay for deities

FAQ: What do attribute levels of zero mean?

Attributes outside the Below-Above average range

Who's Who 1 and Who's Who 2 stat several people outside the Below-Above average range in their Attributes. Due to changes between 3e and 4e regarding ST, HT, HP, and FP only DX and IQ are listed below.

Exceptional Attribute (13-14)

• DX 13: King David; William Marshal; Mozart; Lola Montez; Sir Richard Burton; Nikola Tesla
• IQ 13: Akhenaten; Cyrus the Great; Ch'in Shih Huang Ti; Justinian I; Theodora; Sei Shonagon
• DX 14: Shaka Zulu, Roger de Flor; John Wesley Hardin

Amazing Attribute (15-16)

• DX 15: Harry Houdini
• IQ 15: Benjamin Franklin; Nikola Tesla; Albert Einstein; Maimonides; Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
• IQ 16: Cardinal Richilieu; Archimedes; St. Augustine of Hippo; John von Neumann

Legendary Attribute (17-18)

• IQ 17: Aristotle
• IQ 18: Da Vinci; Sir Isaac Newton

Mythic Attribute (19-29)

• ST 20 Kyriakos Kapakoulak[1]

References

• Set: Characters|Basic Set: Characters pg 14
• Lite|GURPS Lite pg 4