Welcome on the Mirror site of Gunnm for GURPS


Gunnm
Cover

Written By:
Mark Chase
Home Base
http://www.meta-earth.com


Copyright 1997, all rights reserved


Based on the manga comic
Battle Angel Alita (Gunnm)
by Yukito Kishiro



In the year 1991, Japanese comic artist Yukito Kishiro began the manga series Gunnm (or Gun Dream, in English). In 1992 Viz Comics in the United States began to publish a translated version of Gunnm, renaming in Battle Angel Alita. In 1993 a two part animated OAV (original animation video) was produced in Japan based on Gunnm. Viz Video produced a subtitled version of these two 30 minute OAVs calling it Battle Angle (although the main character is named Gally instead of Alita). By 1993 Gunnm/Battle Angel had a devoted fan following of well over 900,000. Currently, Gunnm/Battle Angel is in its sixth series, and four graphic novels have already been produced from the first three series'.

Background
Scrap Iron City lines in the middle of a desolate waste called the Outlands. Scrap Iron City is home to millions of people and hundreds of factories. The city is run by a corporate government called, simply, the Factory. Far above the steel-gray sprawl of Scrap Iron City is the massive floating city Tiphares (called Zalem in the OAV), a utopia above the clouds.

Scrap Iron City
Below Tiphares is the very un-utopian Scrap Iron City. This city can be summed up in three words: Scrap, Iron, and City (hence its name). The city manufactures all the goods that go to Tiphares. The people of Scrap Iron City only get the scraps of what is produced to live on. All the quality food, ultra- technology, advanced medicine, and other goods are shot up through heavy protected tubs to the floating city far above. The people of Scrap Iron City get all the left overs, all the garbage from Tiphares, and, of course, all the by-product wastes from the factories. It is a very cruel, and unforgiving system.

A fare portion of the population of Scrap Iron City (about 20%) are full cyborgs. A person may become a cyborg when his body his severely damaged or he or she may simply elect to have a cyborg body. The only two parts of these cyborgs that is human is the brain and spinal column, although the body has a few pseudo- biological components. A bio-converter stomach is used to feed the brain, real blood flows through the biological parts. The cyborg has a real spinal column and living flesh on the face in some cases. Spinal columns are the only part (along with brain) that cannot be artificial replicated, so obviously spinal columns are very valuable.

Cyborg bodies range from about 5 feet tall and a few hundred pounds to massive multi-ton gladiator bodies. Most cyborg have real skin on the head, and hair as well, but the body does not have real skin, although is sculpted to look human.

The Scrap Yard
In the middle of Scrap Iron City is the Scrap Yard where all the junk from Tiphares is dumped. Here, scavengers may find some useful things such as discarded technology and cybernetics that may be repaired and recycled.

Almost anything may be found in the Scrap Yard. This place is home to millions of tons of cybernetic parts, discarded and broken technological gadgets (ranging from TL 9 to TL 12!). When looking for a certain technology oriented item, you must roll Scrounging - (TL-6). So trying to find a TL 12 leg drive train would require a scrounging roll at Scrounging - 6. The time taken is equal to TL/2 hours. Each hour you search you run the risk of getting attacked by other scroungers, drug crazed cyborgs, or psychopaths. So, each hour, the GM must roll 3d. On an 11 or less, the scrounger is attacked by something.

When looking through the Scrap Yard for nothing in particular, you still run the risk of being attacked, but you only need to roll Scrounging once. The GM will then determine what you found based on how well you succeeded.

     Succeeded by:            Translates to:
     1                        A toy or trinket
     2                        A common TL 9 item
     3                        A rare TL 9 item
     4                        A common TL 10 item
     5                        A rare TL 10 item
     6                        A common TL 11 item
     7                        A rare TL 11 item
     8                        A common TL 12 item
     9                        A rare TL 12 item
     10+                      Hmmm. You found a mysterious cyborg
                              in a state of hibernation.

Even when an item that looks useful is found, it may or may not work. Roll 1d to determine its state of ruin.

1. Intact and will function.
2. Intact, but unreliable. Will break down anytime a critical failure is rolled when using it.
3. Needs minor repairs, which will take 1d hours and cost 10% of its value.
4. Needs moderate repairs, which will take 2d hours and cost 20% of its value.
5. Needs heavy repairs, which will take 3d hours and cost 30% of its value.
6. Needs major repairs, which will take 1d days and cost 50% of its value.

The Outlands
Not much is know about the Outlands. It is just a big desert, only the very edges of which has been explored to any extent. The Outlands are fairly inhospitable, but some small towns have sprung up. Many criminals hide-out here to get away from the hunter-warriors. However, due to lack of food, water, shelter, cyber-repair and maintenance facilities, the extreme heat, and roaming bands of nomads who are looking for food and water, the probability of survival is about 3%, even for the nomads.

Tiphares as several agricultural stations are mining facilities in the Outlands. Nuclear powered trains make hourly runs between these facilities and are heavily armored and armed. A well trained and motivated bandit group could take one out and capture its contents.

Tiphares
This is the massive floating city that looms above Scrap Iron City. However, It is not really floating. Tiphares has a huge tower on it, a mile in diameter and hundreds of miles tall, that extends well beyond the planet's atmosphere and into orbit. On the top of this tower is a counter weight, or maybe another city; a city in space. This creates a balance between gravity and the centrifugal force of the planet's rotation that keeps then entire system stationary and "floating".

Twelve tubes lead up from Scrap Iron City to Tiphares sending goods and technology. Tiphares then dumps all its waste into the Scrap Yard below.

The only presence Tiphares has in Scrap Iron city is the Factory and the small, tube-like robots called cylinders. These robots are immobile and placed in holes in the floor and walls of Factory buildings. They basically govern the Factory and Scrap Iron City. Other, mobile defenders are under the control of cylinders, and the bigger ones are actually piloted by cylinders. These machines are laced with missiles, lasers, and rail guns, and are only used to enforce the laws in Scrap Iron City when the hunter-warriors fail.

Recently, Tiphares has started a program to take select, highly elite cyborgs from Scrap Iron City and equip them with loads of TL12 items, and make them agents of Tiphares. These agents are call 'The Tuned' and Alita (Gally) was the first. All Tuned have a human counterpart call and Operator station in a control room on Tiphares (Alita's new Operator is very incompetent, leading some to wonder is Tiphares really knows what is it doing with the project). As of now, the only Tuned is Alita, but the Ground Inspection Bureau (the group in charge of the Tuned project) plan to get more.

Nothing is actually known about what goes on inside Tiphares (other than the little clips from the Ground Inspection Bureau areas). It is said to be a paradise. No one from the ground has ever gone to Tiphares, although some people come down to Scrap Yard City either to be cyber-doctors or as outcasts (or both). A cyber-doctor from Tiphares can be recognized by the small dot on their forehead, but they will not talk about Tiphares.

The Factory
The Factory is the corporate government that runs the Scrap Iron City. They make the laws and announce bounties on criminals. A hunter-warrior must register with the Factory at one of the many Factory buildings throughout the City. To collect on a bounty, a registered hunter-warrior must bring the head of a criminal to a Factory building and show it to a cylinder. He will then be paid. TL 9 technology and cybernetics may be bought at Factory buildings, TL 10 may also be purchased but at x2 cost.

The major Factory laws are like all normal laws (murdering, theft, rapes, etc, is illegal). However, there are some strange differences. Any flying vehicle are illegal to own, fly, or even design. Murder is classified as such when a brain is destroyed "Brain Murder". Murder of a body is just assault and crippling injury. Spine theft is considered very heinous, as is the usage of endorphins. All guns (pistols, rifles, ect) are totally illigal, even for hunter-warriors (the Tuned can have them).

Almost everyone uses melee weapons, as guns are impossible to find (a critical success is needed on the black market, and the price will be very high. Probably 10,000 chips for just a pistol).

Criminals are punished by having bounties set on them (ranging from 20,000 chips for a minor crime like theft, to hundreds of thousand for multiple brain murders). Some of the big league killers have bounties in the millions, but most hunter- warriors won't even go after these guys. All hunter-warriors kill their pray, so there are no courts or judges, and all crimes are punishable by death.

Hunter-Warriors
This is what the player will probably be (unless the GM allows Tuned). A hunter-warrior is basically a bounty hunter. He goes after people who have bounties on their heads. Typically, the higher the bounty is, the tougher the criminal will be to kill.

Most hunter-warriors are cyborgs, although there are some successful humans. Most hunter-warriors operate solo, but some have partners, or even teams. A few have robotic assistants, like robot dogs or something of that nature. All hunter-warriors are very good fighters.

Cyber-Doctors
These are the people who repair both people and cyborgs. They typically have their own shop, and may employ other less skilled medics. Cyber-doctors can fix flesh as well as steel.

A cyber-doctor will usually buy working cybernetic parts at half value, non-functional ones at 1/4 value. They will buy spinal columns for between 30,000 and 50,000 chips depending on the demand at the time. They usually don't ask where the parts came from. When they fix someone they will charge full price (100,000 for spinal columns).

There is also a big demand for human body parts (like hands, legs, organs, etc) for those people who don't want to be cybered over. The prices for these are as follows:

Part              Bounty             Sales Price
----------------------------------------------------
Arm               15,000               30,000
Hand               8,000               16,000
Leg               20,000               40,000
Foot               7,500               15,000
Sensory Organ     22,000               44,000
Vital Organ       30,000               60,000
Other Organ       25,000               50,000
New Face          23,000               46,000
New Head          40,000               80,000
Spinal Column     50,000              100,000

Gladiator
These are big cyborgs. Mostly they are arena cyborgs massing well over ten tons, but this also includes cyborgs from Moterball, a sport that is a cross between race track roller blading, soccer, and autodulling. Moterball cyborgs are usually, but not always, human-sized, and very, very, fast, supped-up, and expensive.

Most arena gladiator are drug hyped, endorphin addicted, blood crazed psychopaths, but the best ones (PC gladiators, that is) are clean warriors bound by honor. On the other hand, most Moterball gladiator are cool and collected, and do not take drugs as that impairs balance and judgement. They are usually built with TL 10 and even TL 11 parts.

Most gladiators earn about 100,000 per game, a million if they win a championship.

The Tuned
The Tuned are the extremely elite agents of the Tiphares simi-offical organization called the Ground Inspection Bureau. Currently (as of issue 1 of Part 6) there is one Tuned agent, Alita. She when she was tuned, she was equipped with a truck load of ultra-tech gadgets and special abilities, only some of which have been unveiled.

Apparently, Tuned agents have a human counterpart called an Operator who is in constant contact with them from Tiphares. The Operator gives the Tuned tactical information, satellite data- feeds, early warning for potential attackers, and sends them on missions and inflicts punishments via an electroshock device built into the cyborg.

The Tuned are allowed to have guns, Alita was given an automatic rifle with explosive, armor piercing bullets (merely TL 8). However, the Tuned are also given a great many other gadgets. Check out the Tuned Upgrade Pack in the Cybernetic Components section.

Technology
The technology of Gunnm is TL 9 in Scrap Iron City, unknown in Tiphares (probably TL 12). The Factory produces TL 9-12 goods. They will only sell TL 9 goods (TL 10 goods at x2 cost) to the people of Scrap Iron City. It is believed that at one time civilization was at TL 13 or even TL 14, and some remnants of this can be found far away in the Outlands (Alita's berserker body may have been TL 13 or 14).

In Scrap Iron City, the street value for technology is as follows:
TL 9 - Normal
TL 10 - cost x2
TL 11 - cost x5
TL 12 - cost x10
All money is in units called chips.

Vehicles
Very few vehicles were seen in the series. Those that were were wheeled vehicles like 20th century cars, trucks, or jeeps. They probably run on fuel cells, internal combustion, or possibly MHD turbines. Make them as normal in GURPS Vehicles (restricted to civilian wheeled vehicles) or just guess a price a performance.

Tiphares has flying vehicles, probably anti-grav. The Factory uses nuclear powered trains in the Outlands. Factory defence has uses TL 12 defence robots and mecha piloted by cylinders.

Space Travel
None for Scrap Iron City. Unknown for Tiphares, but chances are they have at least orbital flight capasity.

Computers
Mostly TL 9 in Scrap Iron City. No cyberdecks or VR cyberspace network. There is a crude "internet" but it is of no significance to the series. It mainly regulates phone calls and cable TV.

Drugs
There are lots of drugs. Just use those listed in GURPS Cyberpunk and Ultratech up to TL 10, except analgine, including the price adjustments described earlier. New drugs below:

Beta Endorphin: A narcotic substance produced in the brain. Endorphin means "morphine produced in the body". Beta endorphins have a pain-relieving effect 6.5 times that of morphine. This, in game terms, totally replaces the GURPS Ultratech drug Analgine in effects, including its addictiveness. However, it costs 300 chips per dose and is illegal. It can also be taken by eating a fresh, raw human brain, which many cyborgs do.

Restorer: A nanobot drug (a swam of nanobots that are injected) that repairs damage to tissue on a cellular scale. It was invented by Doctor Desty Nova, and is very rare. Only a few places can replicate the process to make this drug. It only needs to be taken once, and it gives the following advantages permanently: Instant regeneration, immunity to diseases, immunity to poisons, unaging. However, the person must also pay 150 character points, or he will die from the process. This drug can only work on humans, not cyborgs. If you can find it, this drug costs five million chips.

Collapser: A nanobot drug also invented by Desty Nova. This drug is a just like dissassembler from GURPS Robots. However, it is usually injected directly into the body, either by needle, hypo, or a bullet. It will do 2d of damage per second to the subject (human or cyborg) and slowly collapses it into a powder. It cannot be stopped. Only people with restorer are immuned to it. It is very hard to find, like restorer, and cost five million chips.

Lycanthropazine: A mutanation drug invented by Dr. Megil and can now (unfortunately) be found on the black market. It works by causing the mind to regress, bringing out the bestial attack instinct. The belief that one has become a beast is so strong the body actually transforms into a hulking werewolf. It only works on humans. After 1d seconds the user will change into a beast. He will get Hideous Appearance, Berserker, +10 ST, +10 HT, -5 DX, and -5 IQ. The effects will last 2d minutes, after which time the user will change back and fall unconscious for 2 hours. If more than one dose is taken with-in 48 hours, the user will die.

Cybernetic Components All cybernetic parts here are created from GURPS Robots. However, a cyborg does not receive the advantages Absolute Timing, Eidetic Memory 2, Lightning Calculator, or Math Ability. Therefore, the base CP cost is not 80 points. It is zero. A character may get these separately as normal, however.

Robot Brains: These are control brains for the cybernetic body.
Type IV: Small, TL 9. Complexity 4.Genius. Wt: 1 lb, Vol: .02, Cost: 3500
Type III: Standard, TL9. Complx 5. Genius. Compact. Wt: 10 lbs, Vol: .2, Cost: 105,000
Type II: Standard, TL10. Complx 6.Genius. Compact. +2 DX Booster. Wt: 5 lbs, Vol: .1, Cost: 210,000
Type I: Standard, TL10. Complx 6. Genius. Compact. +3 DX Booster. Wt: 5 lbs, Vol: .1, Cost: 315,000

Head: This is the head, where the brain and life support goes. Eyes, ears, nose, tongue, and talking ability, and a mouth that are found on a normal human, and because the cyborgs have normal human-like heads, they must be put on a cyborg's head as well.
Type II: Basic Sensors, Basic Comm (minus the radio), Crushing Jaw ST 3, Brain and Life-support, living flesh. TL9. Wt: 12.1 lbs, .3 cf, 3 surface area, cost: 81,750, Points: 10.
Type I: Basic Sensors, Basic Communicator (minus the radio), Crushing Jaw ST 3. Brain and Life-support, living flesh. TL10. Wt: 8.85 lbs, .3 cf, 3 surface area, cost: 108,100, Points: 10

Spinal Column: This costs 100,000 chips and is required.

Arms: A cyborg may only have two arms. The below stats are for ONE arm.
Type VI: TL 9. ST 10, Wt: 1.5 lbs, cost: 3000. It requires 0.05 KWs. Cheep Option. .1 cf. 1.5 surface area. .07 cf of room remaining for other things.
Type V: TL 9. ST 15, Wt: 2.25 lbs, cost: 4500. It requires 0.075 KWs. .1 cf. 1.5 surface area. .055 cf of room remaining for other things.
Type IV: TL 9. ST 30, Wt: 4.5 lbs, cost: 9000. It requires 0.15 KWs. .2 cf. 2.5 surface area. .11 cf of room remaining for other things.
Type III: TL 9. ST 50, Wt: 7.5 lbs, cost: 15,000. It requires 0.25 KWs. .3 cf. 3 surface area. .15 cf of room remaining for other things.
Type II: TL 9. ST 100, Wt: 30 lbs, cost: 15,000. It requires 0.5 KWs. Cheep Option. .8 cf. 6 surface area. .2 cf of room remaining for other things.
Type I: TL 9. ST 500, Wt: 150 lbs, cost: 75,000. It requires 2.5 KWs. Cheep Option. 4 cf. 16 surface area. 1 cf of room remaining for other things. Type I-10: TL 10. ST 30, Wt: 3 lbs, cost: 12,000. It requires 0.15 KWs. .2 cf. 2.5 surface area. .14 cf of room remaining for other things.
Type I-10-2: TL 10. ST 50, Wt: 5 lbs, cost: 20,000. It requires 0.25 KWs. .3 cf. 3 surface area. .2 cf of room remaining for other things.
Type I-11: TL 11. ST 100, Wt: 10 lbs, cost: 40,000. It requires 0.5 KWs. .2 cf. 2.5 surface area. .14 cf of room remaining for other things.

Legs: A cyborg may only have two legs. The below stats are for one leg. The KWs listed are for TWO legs of the same type (a system will function only if both legs are the same type). CF and Surface area is listed for one leg.
Type VI: TL 9. 0.4 KW drive train. Wt: 8. Cost: 1600. It requires 0.4 KWs for two legs. .3 cf. 3 surface area. .14 cf of room remaining for other things.
Type V: TL 9. 0.5 KW drive train. Wt: 10. Cost: 2000. It requires 0.5 KWs for two legs. .3 cf. 3 surface area. .1 cf of room remaining for other things.
Type IV: TL 9. 1 KW drive train. Wt: 20. Cost: 4000. It requires 1 KW for two legs. .5 cf. 4 surface area. .1 cf of room remaining for other things.
Type III: TL 9. 3 KW drive train. Wt: 60. Cost: 12,000. It requires 3 KWs for two legs. 2 cf. 10 surface area. .8 cf of room remaining for other things.
Type II: TL 9. 5 KW drive train. Wt: 100. Cost: 20,000. It requires 5 KWs for two legs. 3 cf. 13 surface area. 1 cf of room remaining for other things.
Type I: TL 9. 10 KW drive train. Wt: 200. Cost: 40,000. It requires 10 KWs for two legs. 5 cf. 18 surface area. 1 cf of room remaining for other things.
Type I-10: TL 10. 0.5 KW drive train. Wt: 7.5. Cost: 4000. It requires 0.5 KWs for two legs. .3 cf. 3 surface area. .15 cf of room remaining for other things.
Type I-10-2: TL 10. 1 KW drive train. Wt: 15. Cost: 6000. It requires 1 KWs for two legs. .4 cf. 4 surface area. .1 cf of room remaining for other things.
Type I-10-3: TL 10. 3 KW drive train. Wt: 45. Cost:18,000. It requires 3 KWs for two legs. 1 cf. 6 surface area. .1 cf of room remaining for other things.
Type I-11: TL 11. .5 KW drive train. Wt: 5. Cost: 5000. It requires 0.5 KWs for two legs. .3 cf. 3 surface area. .2 cf of room remaining for other things.
Type I-10-2: TL 11. 1 KW drive train. Wt: 10. Cost:10,000. It requires 1 KWs for two legs. .3 cf. 3 surface area. .1 cf of room remaining for other things.
Type I-11-3: TL 11. 2 KW drive train. Wt: 20. Cost:20,000. It requires 2 KWs for two legs. .5 cf. 4 surface area. .1 cf of room remaining for other things.

Special Leg Add-on Moterball Skates: These are roller-blade-like skates that are mounted on the feet. To use them with out falling on your face, you must roll Sports (Moterball) or Sports (Skating) every time you start, stop, jump, or go around a curve really fast. These skates increase you ground speed by x3 when used. They cost 2000 chips for a pair, and take up 1 lb in each leg. If they are retractable, they also take up .05 cf in each leg.

Weapons: A cyborg can take any weapon up to TL 9. He may take a TL 10-12 weapon at the increased price as described earlier. However, guns are extreamly rare, and very illigal. Most weapons are melee weapons. Don't forget point cost.

Grind Cutters: A type of weapon that is placed in the hand and arms. Each grind cutter acts as a fully functional finger. But it has a million or so collapsing segments stored in the hand and lower arm. Each finger and thumb may be a grind cutter (you may have up to five per hand). When an attack is made, with a rate of fire equal to the number of grind cutters. The cutters shoot out like a long, serrated metal snake with mono- edge cutters on each segment. These cutters shoot out at the speed of sound and vibrate at a speed of nearly a million rpm. The reach is about twenty yards and control is insured by computer controlled segment actuation. Because of their volume, only large cyborgs mount them.

Because of the nature of the grind cutters, they do two types of damage. When they strike, the target takes 5d of crushing damage, then 3d(2) of cutting damage. The reach is 20 yards. Cost is 5,000. Weight is 30 lbs. Volume is .04 cf. Power is 0.3 KWs. LR is 2. TL is 9.

Electro-Plasma Generator: This is Alita's famous lightning weapon. The states are the same as the Plasma Faust in GURPS Robots.

body: The body is the torso where the bioconverter goes. It also houses the body's computer (but not brain). There are no specific body types for sale on the market, they are just put together to fit the need of the cyborg. A body can be as big as 3.33 x the cf of one of the legs, to as small as 2 x the cf of one of the legs. A human sized body is between .5 and 2.5 cf (average of 1 cf). Use the surface area chart in GURPS Robots to get the surface area of the body.

Head Size For Big 'Borgs: Sometimes a human-sized head would look silly on a huge cyborg. As a general rule, the head should have the same cf and surface area as half that of a leg. The extra space is just that, extra space. Big cyborgs are air head, but don't tell them I said so.

Bioconverter Reactor: This is the type of reactor that is used in cyborgs. They eat three meals a day, and excrete waste, just like a normal human. Omnivore reactors are by far the most common (90%). Carnivore reactors acount for about 7% of all reactors because they are more efficint, even though meat products are harder to find (unless you resort to cannibalism, which most carnivore cyborgs do). The other 3% is herbivore reactors. However, most cyborgs do not take herbivore reactors because they are less efficient. There are no vampire reactors in use, although the technology exists to build one. Because bioconverters are TL 10, the final cost is x2. Because the bioconverer's endurance has a max time of 48 hours, there is no point cost for endurance.

Structure, Hit Points, and Surface Features: Same as in GURPS Robots, p.40-45. These are custom components that are made for each individual cyborg. All cyborgs must take at least 1 DR of armor and must have waterproof or sealed body. Cloaking (holocloak, chameleon systems, etc) is not available.

All cyborgs have a sculpted body (male or female), the real skin on the head has already been taken care of when you purchased a head. You may get any level of appearance (hideous to very beautiful).

Other Things: Gadgets, weapons, accessories, from GURPS Robots may also be added, if you still have room.

The Tuned Upgrade Package: If the GM is allowing Tuned characters, he will have to give them this upgrade package. The cost is free (only available to the Tuned) but the cyborg must pay the CP cost. The Tuned package cost 30 CP, weighs 10lbs, and takes up .5 cf in the torso. It comes with:

Item                  Advantage

Satellite Uplink         absolute Direction, topographical maps
                         satellite surveillance abilities

G.I.B. Operator Link     Early attack warning, intelligence data,
                         control special item functions if Tuned
                         is occupied or other wise unable to do
                         so.  Note: Operator could be a complete
                         fool, making this a disadvantage.

Lice Probes              Small, bug-like probes that scout for
                         booby-traps and report them to the
                         Operator.  Operator can super-impose the
                         trap markers on the Tuned's visual HUD.

Ultrasonic sensors       Allows the Tuned to see into a target,
                         so he or she can strike vital parts
                         easier.  This gives a +1 to hit a
                         specified location.

Electroshocker           Actually a disadvantage, the
                         electroshocker causes sever pain to the
                         Tuned.  The Operator can use the shocker
                         on the Tuned if he or she goes against
                         orders.

More to come as the series continues.

Stats
Now calculate the design weight, volume and size, price, ST, DX, IQ, HT, and other stats as described on GURPS Robots pages 45-50. However, the IQ is the IQ of the cyborg's brain. The DX is the cyborg body's DX (as calculated normally) + the former human's DX all divided by 2.

Point Cost: The point cost is as follows. Total of robotics point cost/5 plus attribute point cost.

Advantages and Disadvantages
You may now give the cyborg advantages and disadvantages. Some can be clipped directly into the computer (see GURPS Robots p.59). You can have cybernetics from Cyberpunk that does not augment a human body (because your body is not human). In other words, most cyberware which augments the brain is okay. Many cyborgs will have several hundred points of disadvantages to keep their CP at the proper level. There is a limit of 200 points of disadvantages (not 45) for cyborgs. More on this below.

Character Points
Characters, human and cyborg, start out with this scale:
300 CP - Standard hero
350 CP - Big shot hero
400 CP - Mega hero
For humans, the maximum points spent on attributes is 200 point. The max on disadvantages is 45 points (40 points in disadvantages, 5 point in quirks). That may leave a lot of points for advantages and skills, but hey, its Gunnm. You will need them.

Cyborgs may still over shoot 400 CP, especially if they have ST 500. So, to handle this, cyborgs have a limit of 200 points for disadvantages. When a 350 point character gets a cyborg body, he may have to spend more points. For instant his new body will make him a 500 point character. He will have to take 150 points of disadvantages, probable mental disadvantages most likely. This can be explained by the trauma caused by getting a new cyborg body (cyber-schizophrenia or whatever).

Advantages

Literacy See p. B17; 10 points
Most people are illiterate in Scrap Iron City, execpt for doctor, hunter-warrior, and other cool people.

Military Rank See p. B22
The people of Scrap Iron City cannot have this, but the cylinders can (they are NPCs).

Wealth See P.B23
Most people have no wealth. Most are dirt poor. You need a 10 point Unusual back ground just to start with any kind of wealth.

Disadvantages

Illiteracy See p. B33; 0 points
Most people have this except doctor, hunter-warrior, and other cool people.

Skills

Ti Kung Tui
This is the "Asian Art". It is Karate in all but name. This replaces the karate skill.

Foreign Languages
Gimme a break. Who would waste their time studding foreign languages? Besides no one teaches them. The native language has no name, but is appers to be a derivative German.

New Skills

Sports (Moterball) (Physical/Avg) DX-4
This is the knowledge and skill at playing the deadly game of Moterball. When playing a game, a success that beats everyone else means you won. Just a plain success means you lived. A failure means your body was badly damaged. A critical failure means your brain died. This skill also is used when using Moterball skates to move.

Sports (Arena) (Physical/Avg) DX-4
This is the knowledge and skill at fighting in a cyborg gladiator arena. When playing a game, a success that beat everyone else means you won. Just a plan success means you lived. A failure means your body was badly damaged. A critical failure means your brain died.

Panzer Kunst (Physical/Hard) No default
This is the most powerful of the "armored arts" developed for cyborgs. With this skill you may parry any physical attack with either hand as though it were a weapon at 2/3 of your Panzer Kunst skill as your parry defense. This skill also adds 1/4 of the skill level to your move and dodge.

Used offensively, Panzer Kunst increases the amount of damage in punching or kicking or when you strike with a melee weapon. The bonus damage added on is equal to your skill.

This may seem awesome, and quiet frankly it is. To make it balance out, keep in mind only one person in the Gunnm series had this art--Alita. So, you must have a 30 point unusual background to have this skill. The background is that you had found a Panzer Kunst sensai far out in the Outlands somewhere, and he is now deceased.