Steve Jackson Games GURPS – Generic Universal RolePlaying System

ERRATA – GURPS Aliens – Updated June 9, 2002

Copyright © by Steve Jackson Games Incorporated.

P. 10. Some of the races in this book use advantages given in GURPS Compendium I and other sources, though many of them are not described in GURPS Aliens. If a racial description gives an unfamiliar advantage, see GURPS Compendium I, GURPS Supers, et al. Exception: the Ultrasonic Speech advantage was omitted entirely; see below.

The first edition of GURPS Supers used a different system for marking enhancements and limitations. A +/-1 level in that system equated to a +/-10% in all the revised versions, +/-2 levels is now +/-20%, etc. All instances of first edition Supers notation have been replaced in this errata list.

Under Racial Skill Bonus, change the cost to half the cost to learn the skill at the specified levels.

Amphibious costs 10 points. It no longer includes Gills.

Pp. 10-11. Body of Gas and Body of Water should be moved to the Disadvantages section.

P. 11.

P. 12.

P. 13. Add this advantage:

Enhanced Strength / variable. The cost for Enhanced Strength is 60 for ST 15, plus 10 per point of ST from 16-23, then 5 per point of ST from 24-30, then ½ per point of ST from 31+. Special Limitation: Natural. The extra ST bought does not supply extra fatigue, apply to jumping, or affect skills. (-40%). Special Limitation: The race has No Fine Manipulators (-40%).

P. 13.

P. 13. Add this advantage:

Flexibility / 15 points. Members of this race can bend their bodies in absolutely any direction. This advantage is like Double-Jointed (p. B20), only more so; a race cannot possess both Flexibility and Double-Jointed. Individuals get a +5 on any Climbing, Escape or Mechanic roll. Individuals cannot stretch or squeeze themselves abnormally, but any part of their body may bend this way.

P. 13. Under Healing, delete the listed special limitation. Add this text:

"It is assumed that this power works on the user's own race and on all "similar" races. Special Limitation: Works on the user's own race only. -20%. This isn't available where there is only one intelligent race. Special Enhancement: Xenohealing. The user can heal creatures quite dissimilar to himself. Examples: All Life Native to One Planet (+40%), All Carbon-Based Life (+60%), Anything Alive (+80%).

P. 14.

P. 15.

P. 16.

P. 17.

P. 17.Add the advantage of Ultrasonic Speech (25 points): This includes the Ultrasonic Hearing advantage. The race can converse in the ultrasonic range. Note that many terrestrial animals find it intensely annoying, or even painful, to be within earshot of sustained ultrasonic pitches. There is no cost if Ultrasonic Speech is the race's only form of communication.

P. 18.

P. 19. One Fine Manipulator is worth -15 points.

P. 20. Slow Metabolism is -60 points/level.

Pp. 21-23. Limb costs have been modified for better game balance.

P. 26. Two extra hit points cost 10 points. It costs 3 points to be a Phar. The sample character on p. 29 has a point total of 94.

P. 32. The Irari's Extended Lifespan costs them only 5 points, so racial cost is only 10 points.

P. 35. To keep the sample character at 100 points, increase ST to 11 and HT to 10.

P. 36. Three extra hit points cost 15 points. ST 21 (12+ Natural) costs 76. Engineer +2 costs 3 points, Mechanic +2 costs 2, and Electronics +1 costs 2. Racial cost remains 57.

P. 40. The Cidi's Manual Dexterity +2 is 6 points. Prehensile Tail is 10 points. Dwarfism is now Inconvenient Size. Racial cost is -19. The sample character on p. 43 has a point total of 103.

P. 44. The Fasanni have the racial skill bonuses Bard +1 (1), Savoir-Faire +2 (1), and Writing +2 (2). Racial cost is 12.

P. 47. The sample character has Administration-15, Bard-19, Diplomacy-14, Fast-Talk-16, Leadership-15, and Savoir-Faire-17 from the bonus for Cultural Adaptability. His point total is 197.

Pp. 48, 51. Gerodians: Eidetic Memory reduces the cost of the Psychology skill at IQ to 2 points. Change the racial skill bonus to +2 in Savoir-Faire. It costs 8 points to be a Gerodian. The sample character has a point total of 98 points.

P. 52. Banduch have ST 24 (No Fine Manipulators on all, Natural on 13+) for 44 points. DX -3 is -20 points. Amphibious is 10 points. Nictating Membrane is 10 points. Add Inconvenient Size (-10). It costs 73 points to be a Banduch. The sample character on p. 54 has a point total of 229.

P. 54. Roy of the Banduch, the sample character in the sidebar, has a point total of 229.

P. 56. The Tamile's Sensitive Touch is 10 points, Manual Dexterity +5 is 15, Stretching is 30, Short Lifespan is -10. Their Code of Honor is worth -15 points. Add 360-Degree Vision (Eyestalks) for 20 points. Racial cost remains -6.

P. 59. No change is necessary to the sample Tamile.

P. 60. The Memer's DR 2 is 6 points, Vacuum Support is 40, Short Lifespan is -10. It costs -9 points to play a Memer. The sample character on p. 63 has a point total of 141.

P. 64. The Kaa's Extra Hit Point is 5 points, DR 2 is 6, +1 Strategy is 2, +1 Interrogation is 1. It costs 30 points to play a Kaa. The sample character on p. 67 has a point total of 140.

P. 68. Kronin have Telesend at IQ+2, costing 8 points. It costs 39 points to play a Kronin. This alters the point total of the sample character in the sidebar on p. 71.

P. 71. Lieutenant Aram Sergo yiDarran, the sample character in the sidebar, has a point total of 104.

P. 73. The Markann's -2 HT is worth -15 points. Compute their arm cost as follows: two extra normal arms (20 points), giving them a +4 to grapple, and two arms which cannot attack (10 points) but which have extra Manual Dexterity (3 points). This makes the Markann racial cost 43 points. Reduce the cost of the sample character on p 74 to 113 points.

P. 76. The Verms have Secret (not Private) Communication and Sonic Blast (not Sonics). Three Extra Hit Points are 15. DR 2 is 6. Early Maturation 3 is 15. Sonic Blast 2 is 40 points. Short Lifespan is -10. Delete Cutting Strikers. It costs 212 points to be a Verm. Most Verms are built on 200 to 250 points. The character on p. 79 has a point total of 287.

Pp. 80, 83. Gormelites: DR 1 costs 3 points. Axe/Mace at DX is 2 points. It costs 19 points to play a Gormelite. The sample character is 109 points.

Pp. 84, 86. Sparrials: Delete Temperature Tolerance. Short Life Span is -10 points. Detect Lies has the -20% limitation Scent-Based, for a cost of 8 points. Replace Jumping at DX +2 (4 points) with one level of Super Jump (10 points). It costs 8 points to play a Sparrial. The sample character's point total is 108.

Pp. 88, 91. The Pachekki have the advantage of Limited Regrowth, not "Limited Regeneration." Rapid Healing is 5 points. Their Swimming +3 costs 2 points. Add Double-Jointed (5 points). Racial cost is -3 points. The sample character is a 93-point character.

Pp. 92-93. The Treefolk's Extended Lifespan costs them only 5 points (saves 20 points). 360-Degree Vision (Eyestalks) is 20 points. Compute their arm cost as follows: Eight arms, four of which perform as normal human arms (2 extra arms, 10 points each). The other four are short and cannot attack (2 points each, total cost 8). Final cost for arms is 28. The two extra "normal" arms give a +4 to grapple. Delete the disadvantage Limbs Cannot Strike.

Add the advantages Damage Resistance +3 vs. Non-Explosive Missile Weapons (common attack, 6 points) and G-Tolerance (5 points). Reduce the cost of DR 2 to 6 (saves 4 points).

Add the disadvantages of Honesty (-10 points) and 3 Levels Vulnerability to Fire (-30 points); delete the paragraph on p. 93 that says they have no special vulnerability to fire. Add the taboo trait Cannot Swim (0 points). Add the racial quirks Love Nature/Hate Cities; Detest Poetry; Ignore Status; Strongly Libertarian; Demand Courtesy (-5 points).

Final racial cost becomes 65 points. The sample character on p. 95 has a point total of 185.

P. 96. The reduced cost for arms cuts the Purulu racial cost drastically. They have 8 extra arms, which cannot strike (5 points each, total of 40 points), and their two "basic" arms also cannot strike (-5 points each). The fact that the arms can function as legs doesn't affect point value. This reduces the cost for arms to 30 points. Change the racial wealth level to Filthy Rich. They have racial skill bonuses of Accounting +3 (4), Economics +2 (3), Intelligence Analysis +1 (2), Law +1 (2), and Merchant +1 (1), making the Purulu racial cost -63 points.

The text and the template for the Purulu disagree over the exact wealth level. GMs can assign as high a level of Multimillionaire as their campaigns can tolerate to remedy this. Three levels would make their starting wealth 1.5 billion dollars, and would raise their template cost to 12 points.

P. 99. Make the sample character Social Status 4 and give him Danger Sense and Immunity to Disease. He is now a 65-point character. He is suitable for use as an NPC encounter.

P. 100. The Traders' Dark Vision is 25 points, Doesn't Breathe is 20, +1 to Freight Handling is 1. It costs 19 points to play a Trader. The point total of the sample character on p. 103 is 84.

P. 108. The Engai's Unaging is 15 points, Polarized Vision is 5, Walk on Liquid is 15, +1 to Bard skill is 1. It costs 239 points to be an Engai. The sample character on p. 110 has a point total of 339.

P. 116. Liook Sujan's Doesn't Eat is 10, Vacuum Support is 40, and Slow Metabolism is -60 points per level (-120 points for two levels). It costs 475 points to play a Liook Sujan.

P. 122. Crystal Computers' Extended Lifespan is 5. Replace the Delusion with an Obsession. Eidetic Memory reduces the costs of the racially learned skills: Astrogation at IQ (1 point), Astronomy at IQ (2 points), Computer Programming at IQ+5 (4 points), Mathematics at IQ+3 (2 points), Physics at IQ (2 points) and Research at IQ (1 point). It costs -32 points to play a Computer.

P. 124. Gloworms' Chameleon 3 is 21 points, Early Maturation is 5, Stretching is 30, Short Lifespan 2 is -20. It costs 46 points to play a Gloworm.

P. 126. Xenomorphs' Chameleon is 7 points, Stretching is 30. It costs 37 points to be a Xenomorph.