HIGHLANDER:
RPG supplement for GURPS

by Eric P. Isaacson & Travis Sparkman

Version 2.5 is here!

Introduction


Think of it: immortality. Living forever. What would you do if you could live forever? Amass great wealth? Ponder the mysteries of the universe? Lop a few heads and gain unimaginable power? Alas, all we mere mortals can do is only imagine what all these things are like, which is made a bit easier by role-playing. By creating characters -- immortal characters -- and then pretending to be them (at least for a few hours), imagination can be more than just an intellectual exercise. GURPS allows this to happen, in combination with the following rules. The genius of the GURPS system allows players to run their own immortal campaign (which, understandably, might prove a little difficult if you want to run a multi-immortal game) or to combine it with the World of Darkness books, like Vampire: The Masquerade, Werewolf: The Apocalypse, or Mage: The Ascension (I am speaking of the GURPS versions of these books, although the White Wolf originals provide essential reading and atmosphere, as well as Hank Driskill and Greg Gavigan's Highlander: the Gathering, 2nd edition, the inspiration for these rules), and run a campaign with vampire, mage, werewolf, and, of course, immortal characters (in any combination you choose). Please note, however, that the following rules were written from the point of view of playing immortals in the World of Darkness (because we like it that way), but can be easily modified to ignore that viewpoint.
Immortals have a unique place in the World of Darkness in that they are without clans, or tribes; in effect, they are loners, wildcards, mavericks. They are also human, with all the emotional baggage that comes with being human. They differ from humans in only two ways: they live a really, really long time and they possess the Quickening, a life force which keeps them alive and allows them to do some pretty amazing things. And Quickening is unlike Vampire Disciplines in that the Quickening abilities cannot be taught (although the skill at which the Immortal uses that ability can be) and can only be increased by taking another Immortal's head and with it their Quickening (with which the victor can channel this Quickening to his abilities, effectively increasing them).
Quickening also conveys some automatic advantages, at least where vampires and mages are concerned. Because of the powerful nature of the Quickening, Immortals cannot be blood bound, nor be turned to Ghouls, and they certainly cannot be turned into Kindred. Mages, too, cannot affect an Immortal's Quickening -- their Prime energy is considered immutable. The only exception to this is if a mage is within range when one Immortal takes the head of another; then the mage, if he won a contest of skills (against the victorious Immortal's The Last skill), could steal the escaping Quickening from the victor and stealing a bit of the victor's as well (see Two-on-one fights below). Too, Immortals are not affected by the effects of the Life sphere (beneficial or not), nor any other healing ability.
Immortal characters should be created as typical 100 point characters first, keeping in mind the time period in which the Immortal first "died" (a detailed history should be made at this time as well, to be given to the GM). Then the PC should create his Immortal with the remaining points allocated. Keep in mind that an Immortal should have picked up a lot of skills over the years, unless that's not part of her character concept (she lived on holy ground for sixty years, contemplating God and picking berries).
What follows are the essential rules to create and play an Immortal character in the GURPS format. A familiarity with the GURPS system is also recommended (or affiliation with those who do know).
And remember, there can be only one.

Disclaimers


GURPS (Generic Universal Role-Playing System) is a registered trademark of Steve Jackson Games, and is used here with their knowledge, but is unauthorized. HIGHLANDER is a trademark of Panzer/Davis Productions and Rysher Entertainment and used without their knowledge or consent. This is not meant as an infringement of their copyright. The term A World of Darkness is copyrighted by White Wolf and is used without consent. All else is copyrighted for Eric P. Isaacson and Travis L. Sparkman. This web page is non-commercial and non-profit. Distribute these rules freely, providing this disclaimer and our names accompany them.

Immortal Template


Immortality Total: 140 points
Unaging (15)
Immunity to Disease (10)
Fast Regeneration 1 HT/min. (50)
Recovery (10)
Reawakening (85) -- see below in Misc. -- Damage & Death
Sterility (-5)
Secret (-20)
Code of Honor (-5) -- no fighting on Holy ground; no 2 on 1 fights

Quickening Total: 60 points

Sense Quickening (5)
--sense quickening is automatic with other Immortals (within a ten yard radius) and while on Holy Ground (Nodes, Cairns, etc.)
Breathe Water [Gills] (10) (This can be deleted if you want.)
Potent Blood (-10) [three Blood Points for every two taken]
--because of the nature of the Quickening, an Immortal's blood is considered quite "rich" and probably very tasty to a vampire -- an Immortal effectively becomes a "lick stick." You can always delete this if you don't feel it fits with your campaign or your idea of how Quickening affects an Immortal's blood.
The Cloak (10)
The Last (45)

Total Immortal Template: 200 points

The Quickening

(the powers and their explanations)

Charge Sword Skill: MVH

This allows an Immortal to channel some of his Quickening into his weapon (usually his sword, but one which he must maintain contact with); this ability only causes aggravated damage (added to whatever damage was caused by the blow itself).
--can use any level below that possessed
--a +1 bonus to any level used below the maximum possessed; ex: an Immortal with Level 5 decides to use Level 2, giving him a +3 to his skill roll
--for each point of success rolled, power lasts one minute
--1 pt. fatigue per activation of power (note: not per level used)

Augmentation Skill: MVH

This allows an Immortal to temporarily increase his ST or speed (Move) -- a separate roll for both.
--can use any level below that possessed; +1 bonus (see Charge Sword)
--for each point of success rolled, power lasts one minute
--1 pt. fatigue per activation of power (note: not per level used)

Healing

This increases an Immortal's healing time (remember too that the Rapid Healing advantage is included in the cost of Regeneration). There are several levels: Level 1: Instant Regeneration (50 pts.): 1 HT/turn (sec.); this is the only additional level of regeneration which can be bought at the time of character creation. Succeeding levels can only be obtained by gaining Quickening during play.
Level 2: 2 HT/turn
Level 3: 3 HT/turn
etc.
-- each of these additional levels are purchased at 50 points per level by "banking" Quickening Points (QP); once these points are banked for Healing levels, they cannot be "moved" to purchase additional levels of other powers.

Rejuvenation (25 pts.)

This is a sub-set of Healing which only allows aggravated damage (damage from Charge Sword, supernatural claws, fire/electricity) to be healed at a rate of 1 point of aggravated damage per 1 hour of sleep (but not to exceed 8 points per sleeping cycle).
--this level of healing can be bought in addition to Instant Regeneration at time of character creation

Note: the double cost rule (paying double points to "buy" an additional level) does not apply to Healing or Rejuvenation.

The Cloak Skill: MVH

This allows an Immortal to "hide" his weapon within his clothing and not be seen. Also allows the Immortal not to be "noticed" in a crowd, unless the Immortal does something to attract attention. The Cloak is always considered "on," however, an Immortal can call on this ability if there is danger of him being "found out," i.e., the Immortal calls attention to himself and still wants to try to go unnoticed (thus the MVH skill rating). Only Quickening points can be used to increase this skill. (This power is similar to the vampire power Unseen Presence [in the Obfuscate discipline] and the mage ability Arcane.)

The Last

This ability confers information to the Immortal to his benefit, i.e., it allows an Immortal to "know" things which he could not normally know. It is similar to Danger Sense and Empathy; it also conveys the Immunity to Delirium (25 pts.) advantage. This ability allows for some balance between the Immortal character and the other WoD inhabitants (vampires, lupines, etc.), allowing, for example, the Immortal to sense other supernatural creatures or pre-immortals. It is to be used at the GM's discretion and rolled against an Immortal's IQ and the GM should never use this to intentionally confuse the PC. For an extra 5 pts. per level, an Immortal can increase the value of The Last, as follows:
-- after character creation, this ability can be increased through the use of QP only, paying double the cost between levels.

Note: an Immortal can only activate one power per turn, but is not restricted to using only one power per turn. Ex. -- "Richie" activates Augmentation (Speed) in turn one. In turn two, he activates Charge Sword; "Richie" can now use both Aug. (Sp) and CS during turn two and any succeeding turns until the time limit runs out or he decides to power down.

Gaining Quickening

The only way for an Immortal to gain Quickening is to behead another Immortal and absorbing the escaping Quickening. This is accomplished in game terms by taking the total point value of the beheaded Immortal and multiplying by a percentage. Depending on the type of game you want to play (slowly building up power or gaining power quickly -- it's the Gathering!), use 1 - 5% (rounding up). Two percent has proven to be a good balance between the two gaming extremes, although 1% is not bad. These points can then be spent by the victor on any of the Quickening powers he chooses, remembering that the point cost for raising levels is now doubled (with the exception of the Healing powers). Ex.:

Immortal "A" takes Immortal "B"'s head:

Immortal "B"has a total of 475 pts.
475 x 2%=(9.5) rounding up, 10 points.; Immortal "A" now has 10 points to spend in the Quickening powers.
Only these "banked" Quickening points can be used to increase Quickening powers; character points awarded by the GM cannot be used to do so.
In the situation where an Immortal gains Quickening and wants to buy a power he does not currently possess he can do so (remembering that the cost is now double) as well as receiving a skill level equal to IQ - (20 - IQ) -- for example, a PC with IQ of 14: 20 - 14 = 6;14 - 6 = 8 -- and that skill level can only be increased through the use of character points (and the successful use of the power).

Holy Ground and Two (or more) on One fights

Because these are part of the Rules of Engagement presented in the franchise, the following is used to explain and enforce these rules. Immortals do not fight on Holy Ground (consecrated places, Cairns, Nodes, etc. -- at GM's discretion) because the Holy Ground is considered the victor in any such fight. The beheaded Immortal's Quickening is automatically absorbed by the Holy Ground (with the other Immortal gaining nothing), while the "victorious" Immortal loses one level in a randomly selected Quickening power (by rolling a die), as follows:

And the Immortal must pay double points to regain the lost level (with the exception of Healing).
In Two on One fights, the victorious Immortal (the one who actually takes the head) takes the beheaded Immortal's Quickening and some of the remaining Immortal's as well. Ex.:
Immortal "A" and Immortal "C" team up against Immortal "B." After a fight, Immortal "A" takes "B"'s head, thus gaining his Quickening as per the above rules. Also, Immortal "A" gets some of his teammate's Quickening. Immortal "C" rolls a die as per the Holy Ground rules above, losing one level in a power. The difference in the point cost of the "lost" level and the "new" level go directly to Immortal "A." For example, Immortal "C" rolls a 4 -- The Last. He had Level 3 in that power and must now reduce that to Level 2; Level 3=10 points & Level 2= 5 points -- 10 - 5= 5 points going to Immortal "A."

Spending Quickening points

Points gained by beheading another Immortal can only be used to increase the levels of Quickening, not the skill required to use them (such as in Charge Sword and Augmentation); the skill can be increased by character points, awarded by the GM. Nor can Quickening points be used to increase "regular" skills, or temporarily increase Quickening power skills, i.e., they are not used like Blood Points in V:TM.

Fatigue after Gaining Quickening

An automatic 5 points fatigue to the victor after the beheading.

Character Creation

To reflect the idea that "older" Immortals may have "been around" and learned various skills (not to mention taken a few heads), the following table is used for starting points:


The remaining points go to attributes, advantages, and skills. Also, if a character has been out of commission for a long while (thus not "hanging around," picking up skills), but is created at a higher age bracket, an Unusual Background cost will be applied to compensate, at GM discretion.
A detailed history is required of all PCs, with extremely detailed histories being awarded extra character points to spend (this will help when choosing advantages, disadvantages, and skills).

Misc.

Advantages

-- High Pain Threshold (10 pts.) is highly recommended.
-- An Immortal can buy a Watcher as an Ally, as per GURPS Basic rules.

Disadvantage

-- Enemies (B 39): this can be used in two ways. One, a PC can take this disadvantage for a specific unfriendly Immortal, and/or, two, the GM and PC may decide that all Immortals can be potential enemies and vary the amount of this disadvantage accordingly.

Damage & Death

An Immortal's body is very much like a vampire's in that it is immortal, but there is only so much damage a body can take before it simply falls apart, i.e., immortality is not invulnerability. An Immortal can take up to -10 x HT before the body simply ceases to be a body and the Immortal dies. If there is any Immortal within range when this happens, they are considered the "victor" and receive the escaping Quickening, otherwise, the Quickening simply dissipates into the ether.

Regeneration of non-essential body parts, i.e., those which are not intrinsic for the body to survive (hands, limbs, ears, etc.), does not occur in an Immortal, although, say, a lost heart would regenerate. Also, damage to the neck area, if severe enough (critical success) or caused by aggravated damage, leaves a scar (determined by failing a HT roll).

Reawakening: similar to Resurrection, Reawakening allows for an Immortal, when they �die,� to start healing immediately at the rate of Regeneration they possess (1 HT/min. at minimum), the exception being, of course, if they lose their head. Unlike Resurrection, the Immortal character does not lose 25 points every time they die."

And what about all those headless bodies, anyway?

You can choose to play this as you like. You can have the authorities in the campaign simply ignore the headless bodies, as if they weren't even there (as in the series), or add some spice and have an intrepid detective asking questions about the Immortal PC (as in the movies and first season of the series), or come up with some other explanation, such as when the Immortal's head is dislocated, then the retarded aging process catches up with the Immortal and his body slowly fades to dust (but what to do about those "new" Immortals, eh?). It's up to you.

And what if you don't want to play in the World of Darkness?

Easy. Merely take out any cost incurred for those advantages/powers. In this case, the cost of the template is now 185 points (subtract Potent Blood and 25 points from The Last for the Delirium advantage).

Afterward

When I first saw Highlander (the movie) I was . . . amazed (but this word is inadequate), to say the least. This was well before I was into playing GURPS. Sure I'd played D&D a couple times and some other games which I believe are now defunct (ah, Superworld, where are you now?), but GURPS came much later, only a few years ago. Then, of course, the big thing was GURPS Vampire: The Masquerade, a game which I still enjoy immensely. Then one day, while cruising the "information superhighway," i.e., the world wide web, I came across Hank Driskill's and John Gavigan's Highlander: the Gathering, 2nd edition (based on the White Wolf Storyteller system). I thought, "Cool! A Highlander role-playing game!" But I was unfamiliar with the Storyteller system; how could I play? "Ah-hah!" went my brain. "Why not make a GURPS Highlander?" "Okay," I said to myself. So I got together with a friend of mine and we battled it out (on paper and in our heads) what a GURPS Highlander RPG should be like. Betwixt the twain, we came up with the above "rules." I put that word in quotes because I think the best thing about GURPS is its flexibility; if you don't like a rule or it doesn't quite fit, you can change it or throw it out. We've had to play a little fast and loose with the "evidence," i. e., the information presented in the movies and television show, but I think they work, so far (we're still playtesting). If you can come up with better or additional rules, let me know -- collaboration is what makes GURPS fun. Check back, as things are constantly changing.
If you would like to respond to these rules or offer suggestions, please do.

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