TEXT: Written by SEAN PUNCH
  Illustrated by JOHN HARTWELL, SEAN MURRAY,  
  AARON PANAGOS, DAN SMITH, and NIKOLA VRTIS
  Reviewer: Steven Marsh
  GURPS, Pyramid, Warehouse 23, the pyramid logo, Action, Dictionary of Danger, and the names of all products published by  
  Steve Jackson Games Incorporated are trademarks or registered trademarks of Steve Jackson Games Incorporated, or used under license.  
  GURPS Action 5: Dictionary of Danger is copyright © 2019 by Steve Jackson Games Incorporated. All rights reserved.
  The scanning, uploading, and distribution of this material via the Internet or via any other means without the permission of the publisher is illegal, and punishable by law. Please 
  purchase only authorized electronic editions, and do not participate in or encourage the electronic piracy of copyrighted materials. Your support of the author’s rights is appreciated.
  STEVE JACKSON GAMES
  Stock #37-0348 
  Version 1.0 – January 2019
  ®
  ACTION
  TM
   5
  Dictionary of Danger
  TM
  GURPS System Design z STEVE JACKSON
  GURPS Line Editor z SEAN PUNCH
  GURPS Project Manager z STEVEN MARSH
  Production Artist and Indexer z NIKOLA VRTIS
  GURPS FAQ Maintainer z  
  VICKY “MOLOKH” KOLENKO
  Chief Executive Officer z PHILIP REED
  Chief Creative Officer z SAM MITSCHKE
  Chief Operating Officer z SUSAN BUENO
  Director of Sales z ROSS JEPSON
  Page Design z PHIL REED and JUSTIN DE WITT
   Art Direction and Prepress Checker z NIKOLA VRTIS
  
  IntroductIon  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 3
  Publication History . . . . . . . . . . . .3
  About the Author . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3
  About GURPS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3
  1 . danger! .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 4
  Take-Out. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4
  That’s Gotta Hurt! . . . . . . . . . . . . .4
  Delivery. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4
  Knockback. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4
  Manhandling. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4
   
  Judo Throw . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5
  Overshooting. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5
  Trickery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5
   
  Body Armor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5
  Safety First! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5
  Wham! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6
  A Is for ArchItecture  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 6
  Heights. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6
  Doors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6
  Questionable Construction. . . .7
  Furniture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7
  B Is for BotAnIcAl  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 8
  Hitting a Snag . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8
  The Briar Patch. . . . . . . . . . . . .8
  Hey, That Stings!. . . . . . . . . . . .8
  Sniffle. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8
  c Is for chemIcAls  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 9
  Identification. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9
  Quantity and Form . . . . . . . . . .9
  Effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9
  D Is for DevIous .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 10
  Don’t Try This at Home . . . . .10
   
  Scrounging and Search? . . . . .11
  Fortunately, There’s  
  a Table Saw . . . . . . . . . . . .11
  e Is for electrIcIty  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 12
  Shocking Discoveries . . . . . . .12
  Electrifying Experiences. . . . .12
  Bad Wiring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12
  Bare Wires. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12
  Bathtub Accidents. . . . . . . . . .13
  f Is for fArm  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 13
  The Old Ways . . . . . . . . . . . . .13
  Bloody Fields. . . . . . . . . . . . . .14
  G Is for GenerIc  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 15
   
  Spray-Can Flamethrower. . . . .15
  h Is for heAt .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 16
  Hot Stuff . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16
  Hot Times . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16
  I Is for InDustrIAl  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 17
  Demanufacture . . . . . . . . . . . .17
   
  Killswitch. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17
  Entertainment  
  Through Pain . . . . . . . . . . .18
  J Is for Junk .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 18
  Dumpster Dangers . . . . . . . . .18
  Traveling Worst Class. . . . . . .18
  Bend, Fold, Spindle,  
  and Mutilate. . . . . . . . . . . .19
  Down in the Dumps . . . . . . . .19
   
  What’s That Smell? . . . . . . . . .19
  Fatal Attraction . . . . . . . . . . . .19
  k Is for kItchen  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 19
  Yeah, Well . . . I Also Cook . . .19
  Keep Fingers Away  
  From Blade. . . . . . . . . . . . .20
  Spicy! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20
  Just Plain Hot . . . . . . . . . . . . .21
  l Is for lAcerAtIons .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 21
  Hard Crack . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21
  The Glint of Light  
  on Broken Glass. . . . . . . . .21
   
  Bottle Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21
  He Got the Point . . . . . . . . . . .22
  m Is for meDIcAl  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 22
  ER & OR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22
  Pharmacy. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22
  Radiology. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23
  n Is for nAutIcAl  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 23
  In the Drink. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23
  Shipboard Screw-Ups. . . . . . .24
  Diving Dooms . . . . . . . . . . . . .24
  o Is for orDnAnce  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 25
  Snap, Crackle, and Pop. . . . . .25
  Flare Flair . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25
   
  Things That Aren’t  
  Supposed to Go Boom. . . . . . .25
  Big Bada-Boom. . . . . . . . . . . .26
  P Is for PIPes  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 26
  Running Hot and Cold . . . . . .26
  Perilous Pipelines . . . . . . . . . .26
  Q Is for QuAntum .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 27
  Story . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27
  Techno-Babble . . . . . . . . . . . .27
  Exploitation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28
   
  Semi-Hard Science. . . . . . . . . .28
  Mayhem. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28
  r Is for  
  resource extrActIon .  .  .  .  . 28
  Logging . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28
  Mining . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29
   
  Cave-In! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30
  Drilling. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30
  s Is for sPorts .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 30
  Batter Up! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30
  Fore!. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31
   
  Other Fun and Games . . . . . . .32
  t Is for tools  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 33
  Handcrafted . . . . . . . . . . . . . .33
   
  Raw Materials . . . . . . . . . . . . .34
  Danger: Keep  
  Hands Away . . . . . . . . . . . .34
  u Is for unsAfe  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 34
  Up to Code. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .34
  What Does This  
  Button Do? . . . . . . . . . . . . .35
  911 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35
  v Is for vehIcles  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 35
  Engines of Destruction. . . . . .36
   
  Greatest Hits . . . . . . . . . . . . . .36
   
  The Sound of Inevitability . . . .36
  Driving Dangerously. . . . . . . .37
  W Is for WorksIte  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 37
  Movement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .37
  Machinery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .37
  Materials . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .38
  x mArks the sPot  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 38
  Fifty Tons of Weapons-Grade 
  Plot Devicium. . . . . . . . . . .38
  You Are Cordially  
  Invited to Die . . . . . . . . . . .39
  Spring the Trap. . . . . . . . . . . .40
  y Is for yuck  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 40
  Damaging Dignity. . . . . . . . . .40
   
  Biohazard?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .40
  Revolting Results . . . . . . . . . .40
  Sickening Suggestions . . . . . .41
  Z Is for Zoo  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 41
  How Dangerous?. . . . . . . . . . .41
   
  Not the Bees! . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42
   
  Crazy Like a Snake. . . . . . . . . .42
  Don’t Feed the Animals. . . . . .42
  Seeing Red. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42
  2 . Style and uSage  .  .  .  . 43
  Your Mission, Should You  
  Choose to Accept It. . . . . . . . .43
  Location, Location, Location . . .44
  Setting the Scene. . . . . . . . . . . . . .45
  A Very Particular Set of Skills. . .47
  Index .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 49
   
  Contents 
  2
  Contents
  Don’t tell me  
  the moon is shining; 
  show me the glint of 
  light on broken glass.
  – Anton Chekhov
  
  To hold somebody’s face to a table saw, force his head into a 
  rolling mill, etc., grapple him as usual.
  – GURPS Action 2: Exploits
  And then what?
  Exploits hints at many opportunities for heroes – and vil-
  lains! – to put modern-world dangers to deadly use in action 
  scenes. But while it mentions dispatching enemies using 
  everything from car doors to hammer mills, it’s light on the 
  particulars. GURPS Action 5: Dictionary of Danger is your 
  guide to the gory details.
  This supplement’s title hints at its gimmick (every action 
  movie needs one!), which is that it organizes perils from  
  A to Z. Each letter represents not a single, ultra-narrow Bad 
  Thing, but a broad category of loosely 
  related hazards. That’s to minimize 
  page-flipping: Most violence happens in 
  specific environments tied to the plot, 
  and the menaces lurking in the crime 
  lord’s stereotypical ethnic restaurant 
  aren’t the same as those waiting in his 
  junkyard across town.
  What do you do with this stuff? Call 
  it “foreshadowing” or call it “Chekhov’s 
  gun,” but in an action flick, it’s a given 
  that in a showdown at the steel mill, someone will have a fatal 
  encounter with massive hammers or molten metal, and that if 
  a sculpture bristling with pointy bits is sitting in front of the 
  villain’s headquarters, somebody – probably the villain – will 
  end up impaled on it. The GM’s job is to ensure that encounters 
  take place around suitably perilous scenery, while the players’ 
  task is to illustrate just how unsafe those surroundings really 
  are (to which end the key traits – especially skills – for doing 
  so appear in boldface, as in Exploits).
  Like most dangerous tools, this material comes with a 
  warning: These rules simplify real-life complexities and adjust 
  deadliness to satisfy the Rule of Cool. Handle with care unless 
  running a GURPS Action game or an equally cinematic cam-
  paign – in that case, handle with extreme carelessness!
  PubliCation History
  This is the first edition of GURPS Action 5: Dictionary 
  of Danger. While the stats it assigns to hazards previously 
  defined in other GURPS releases – notably GURPS 
  High-Tech – are consistent with those supplements, 
  the text doesn’t come verbatim from those works.
  about tHe autHor
  Sean Punch set out to become a particle physicist 
  in 1985 and ended up as GURPS Line Editor in 1995. 
  In that capacity, he has written, edited, or contrib-
  uted to some 150 GURPS releases, revised the game 
  into its fourth edition (2004), and been a regular con-
  tributor to Pyramid magazine. From 2008, he has served 
  as the lead creator of the GURPS Dungeon Fantasy series, 
  which led to his design of the Dungeon Fantasy Roleplaying 
  Game, released in 2017. Sean has been a gamer since 1979, 
  but devotes most of his spare time to Argentine tango (and 
  occasionally tending bar). He lives in Montréal, Québec.
   
  introduCtion 
  3
  introduCtion
  about GURPS
  Steve Jackson Games is committed to full support 
  of GURPS players. We can be reached by email: info@
  sjgames.com. Our address is SJ Games, P.O. Box 18957, 
  Austin, TX 78760. Resources include:
  New supplements and adventures. GURPS continues to 
  grow – see what’s new at gurps.sjgames.com.
  Warehouse 23. Our online store offers GURPS print 
  items, plus PDFs of our books, supplements, adventures, 
  play aids, and support . . . including exclusive mate-
  rial available only on Warehouse 23! Just head over to  
  warehouse23.com.
  Pyramid (pyramid.sjgames.com). For 10 years, our 
  PDF magazine Pyramid included new rules and articles for 
  GURPS, plus systemless locations, adventures, and more. 
  The entire 122-issue library is available at Warehouse 23!
  Internet. To discuss GURPS with our staff and your 
  fellow gamers, visit our forums at forums.sjgames.com.  
  You can also join us at facebook.com/sjgames or  
  twitter.com/sjgames. Share your brief campaign teasers 
  with #GURPShook on Twitter. Or explore that hashtag 
  for ideas to add to your own game! The web page for 
  GURPS Action 5: Dictionary of Danger can be found at 
  gurps.sjgames.com/action5.
  Store Finder (storefinder.sjgames.com): Discover 
  nearby places to buy GURPS items and other Steve 
  Jackson Games products. Local shops are great places to 
  play our games and meet fellow gamers!
  Bibliographies. Bibliographies are a great resource for 
  finding more of what you love! We’ve added them to many 
  GURPS book web pages with links to help you find the 
  next perfect element for your game.
  Errata. Everyone makes mistakes, including us – but 
  we do our best to fix our errors. Errata pages for GURPS 
  releases are available at sjgames.com/errata/gurps.
  Rules and statistics in this book are specifically for the 
  GURPS Basic Set, Fourth Edition. Page references that 
  begin with B refer to that book, not this one.
  
   
  danger! 
  4
  Now for the good stuff. Well, the bad stuff. But first, some 
  words of wisdom on its use and abuse.
  take-out
  When danger is something a fighter can wield – like a 
  fire extinguisher or a fire axe – it usually takes one Ready 
  maneuver to snatch it from a table, workbench, rack, etc. 
  It must be within one yard, and no movement is allowed, 
  not even a step. The GM may rule that preparing something 
  ridiculously unwieldy (e.g., unrolling a fire hose) takes two or 
  more Ready maneuvers.
  Fast-Draw skill isn’t applicable to random objects in 
  the environment unless they’re a lot like real weapons; e.g., 
  a kitchen knife or screwdriver with Fast-Draw (Knife). 
  But a DX-based roll against a suitable technical skill works 
  the same way for non-weapons: Chemistry to seize a flask, 
  Machinist or Mechanic to grab a tool, Physician to acquire 
  a defibrillator, and so on. In all cases, success shaves off one 
  Ready maneuver.
  If the object is somehow secured – say, in a cabinet or 
  latched in place – it calls for one extra Ready maneuver per 
  step needed to liberate it. For instance, if you must smash the 
  glass, pull the safety lever, open the box, and finally grab the 
  fire axe, that’s four Ready maneuvers. Success against Forced 
  Entry shaves off one such Ready maneuver.
  If skill rolls let you prepare the item with no Ready maneu-
  vers, readying it is a free action!
  delivery
  Other hazards are part of the scenery: The 
  GM says they’re there at the start of a fight, 
  and as most (sane) people avoid them, expos-
  ing enemies to such perils means forcing or 
  tricking them into a danger zone. There are 
  several ways to accomplish this. In all cases, 
  if the hazard is ongoing, it affects the victim 
  immediately on initial exposure and again at 
  the end of any turn they remain in the threat-
  ened area.
  Knockback
  One of the most common ways to endanger 
  someone. As Knockback (p. B378) explains, 
  causes include:
  • Crushing attacks, including Cinematic 
  Explosions (Exploits, p. 38). Some less-lethal 
  ammunition (beanbag and baton rounds) 
  doubles its crushing damage for this purpose.
  • Powerful cutting attacks that fail to pen-
  etrate DR.
  • “Knockback 
  only” 
  attacks – notably 
  Shove (p. B372), the Push skill (p. B216), and 
  technological means, like high-pressure water 
  from a pipe (Perilous Pipelines, p. 26) or fire 
  hose (Up to Code, p. 34).
  • Slam (pp. B371-372).
  Manhandling
  Another option is to frog-march some-
  one into danger! Anyone who has grap-
  pled an enemy may try this on later turns;  
  CHaPter one
  danger!
  tHat’s GOTTA Hurt!
  Representing every hazard realistically – or sufficiently cinemati-
  cally – would fill many supplements. Consequently, this volume is quick 
  and dirty, which may frustrate players who enjoy exploiting the scen-
  ery. The most likely complaint is inadequate damage, which the GM 
  can dismiss by saying this example is small, weak, or annoyingly safe.
  Which suggests that big, strong, or unsafe examples should hurt 
  more. Here are some options:
  Dramatic Danger: Its simple and fun to say that every scary-sound-
  ing qualifier adds +1 damage. For instance, an electrical generator that 
  shocks for 1d+2 burn might be “overloaded,” “rain-soaked,” and/or “a 
  dangerous Chinese knockoff,” for 1d+3 to 1d+5 damage.
  BAD Stuff: The current BAD might influence the damage of scenery 
  linked to the main plotline; +1 damage per full -3 in BAD is recom-
  mended. Thus, if BAD is -10 in the final showdown, things in the villain’s 
  factory might be dramatically hot, sharp, and toxic, for +3 damage.
  I Bypass the Safety! The GM may let heroes roll against suitable skills 
  (GM’s judgment) to add complementary skill bonuses (Exploits, p. 5) 
  not to another skill but to damage. To do so, the PC must stand within a 
  yard of the dangerous object or its controls and take at least one Ready 
  maneuver – and they need a toolkit in hand to exploit Armoury, Elec-
  trician, Electronics Repair, Machinist, or Mechanic. For trivial pro-
  posals, like running scalding water so a mook shoved in a sink takes 1 
  point of burning damage while drowning, the GM can let one further 
  Ready maneuver replace the skill roll, for +1 damage.
  These possibilities might be exclusive, not cumulative; e.g., if the 
  GM was too pressed to qualify all the reasons why something is danger-
  ous, BAD Stuff could be an abstraction that replaces Dramatic Danger, 
  while I Bypass the Safety may not count if the proposal duplicates a 
  qualifier in Dramatic Danger. The maximum damage bonus is +4, which 
  the GM may convert to +1d.
  
   
  danger! 
  5
  each attempt counts as an attack, but one involving a Quick 
  Contest, not attack and defense rolls. Each contestant uses 
  the highest of ST, DX, or best grappling skill (Judo, Sumo 
  Wrestling, or Wrestling). If the grapple is with Arm Lock, 
  Choke Hold, Leg Lock, or a similar technique, the attacker 
  can try that at +3, if better.
  If the attacker wins, they may force their rival to step one 
  yard in any direction – in this case, toward the hazard. The 
  attacker moves, too, usually behind the victim.
  Alternatively, the enemy might be pressed against or into 
  danger within one yard (on a battle map, the hazard must 
  be in the same or an adjacent hex), without stepping. Each 
  victory exposes the victim for one turn. Any harm that 
  results is normally to the torso; to endanger another body 
  part, the attacker must declare this before attempting the 
  Contest and then roll at a penalty: -1 for arm or leg, -2 for 
  hand for foot, -3 for face or neck, -4 for skull.
  In either case – forced step or being pressed – a tie has 
  no special effect. A loss gives the victim their margin of vic-
  tory as a bonus to attempts to break free on their next turn.
  Judo Throw
  A Judo throw (p. B203) can chuck an opponent into 
  peril. Roll attack and defense as usual. If this works, and 
  the area on the ground where the victim lands – or would 
  land, if there weren’t something in the way, or a sheer drop 
  instead of ground! – is in the danger zone, that person is 
  exposed to harm. They suffer any bad effects (like being 
  incinerated or falling 23 stories) immediately.
  Overshooting
  A slam (pp. B371-372) is risky around hazards. If it 
  misses or is dodged, the attacker must move at least two 
  yards past the target, if enough movement remains. If that 
  means running off a roof, in front of a truck, or into other 
  peril, too bad! Cunning heroes who are very sure of their abil-
  ity to dodge can stand in front of danger and try . . .
  Trickery
  A hero might use Banter (Exploits, p. 39) to convince a bad 
  guy to blunder into harm’s way. You must state your intention 
  to lure your opponent into danger before you roll. If that per-
  son is aware of the peril, they roll IQ or Will at +1 if it would 
  hurt a little, +2 if it would surely incapacitate them, +3 if it 
  might kill them, or +5 if it will kill them.
  Successfully Drawing Aggression induces a foe without 
  a ranged attack to approach through or despite a danger 
  that’s between you. If a step would let them Attack, they’ll 
  do that. If you’re more distant, they’ll take a Move maneu-
  ver. And if you roll a critical success, they’ll charge you with 
  an All-Out Attack!
  You can also try this if the danger is behind you and you’re 
  too distant for your rival to take out their aggression with an 
  Attack maneuver. Taunting someone to close the gap with 
  an ill-advised slam – one you had better dodge! – requires 
  victory by 5+. Exception: Mooks who are inclined to slam 
  anyway (GM’s decision), like rugby and sumo thugs, do so 
  on any victory.
  Successfully Uttering Threats causes the enemy to back off 
  . . . toward or into danger that’s behind that person and further 
  from you. They’ll take one step back as part of their All-Out 
  Defense maneuver. If you win by 5+, they flee, taking a Move 
  maneuver to back away at half Move.
  Safety First!
  Known hazards may be screened off by railings, fences, 
  ropes, parapets, window sills, etc. Any such measure usually 
  does its job for those who bump into it due to knockback, a 
  Judo throw, overshooting a slam, or being tricked into back-
  ing away. The victim must still roll at DX+4 to avoid pitching 
  over the top, falling into danger regardless. Accidents happen!
  Against Manhandling (pp. 4-5), a safety barrier merely 
  gives the victim +2 in the Quick Contest. Losing means being 
  lifted bodily over the obstacle!
  And in attempts to goad someone into charging, the pres-
  ence of a safety barrier – or a sign that reads DANGER!, or 
  caution tape – means the victim is considered aware of the 
  peril, getting +1 to +5. If you win anyway, they’ll leap over the 
  obstruction and into danger.
  An obstacle lower than waist height has no effect unless 
  the victim backs into it by being knocked back or tricked 
  into retreating. Then it makes things worse. The victim 
  must make a DX roll to stay standing – and if they took 
  knockback that would already require such a DX roll, 
  it’s at an extra -2. Any failure means falling one extra 
  yard in the direction of the danger.
  Of course if there’s nothing in the way, an encounter 
  with danger is assured, while if the barrier is full-height, 
  it automatically prevents disaster . . . unless it breaks.
  body armor
  Unless otherwise noted, Armor and Clothing (Heroes, 
  p. 31) protect against anything that doesn’t inflict large-
  area injury (p. B400) – including hand tools and projec-
  tiles – provided the DR encompasses the affected body 
  part. They’re even effective against large-area dangers if 
  the only hit location exposed is covered (e.g., boots when 
  walking through acid). But they have no effect on blast 
  furnaces, car crushers, combine harvesters, and other 
  machinery big enough to engulf a whole person; special-
  ized suits may exist, but flexible, general-purpose gar-
  ments such as motorcycle jackets and body armor are 
  burned, crushed, or mangled with the wearer. This is bad 
  for heroes in tactical gear but excellent for drama: If hot 
  lead can’t touch the overconfident villain through his vest, 
  tossing him into molten lead is poetic justice!
  On the other hand, when heroes are endangered by 
  such huge damage, the GM may invoke The Sound of 
  Inevitability (p. 36).
  Padre: It’s not safe for you to be here.
  Machete: I’m not looking for “safe.”
  – Machete (2010)
  
   
  danger! 
  6
  Wham!
  There needn’t be fire, whirling blades, or a 23-story vertical 
  detour in somebody’s path for stumbling around to be painful. 
  Someone knocked back into a solid object or thrown into it 
  using Judo takes thrust-1 crushing based on the ST of the per-
  son who sent them flying – or 1 HP per yard of knockback, if 
  sent there by a gun, cinematic explosion, high-pressure jet, etc.
  If they overshoot a slam and run into something solid, 
  damage is thrust-1 crushing based on their ST.
  And if they’re manhandled and propelled into some-
  thing massive, they take thrust+1 crushing based on their 
  attacker’s ST. Their assailant further adds any damage bonus 
  for Brawling – or the ST bonus for Sumo Wrestling or 
  Wrestling read as a damage bonus, if better. Hit location is 
  the torso unless the aggressor took the penalty to target a spe-
  cific body part.
  In all cases, the obstacle takes the same damage as the indi-
  vidual hitting it. If it breaks, the victim falls through and into 
  any danger on the far side.
  At the GM’s discretion, characters slamming into danger-
  ous objects may take bonus damage or suffer a damage type 
  other than crushing.
  a is for ARChITeCTURe
  Unless the action takes place in pristine wilderness, man-
  made structures won’t be far away: Cities are packed with 
  them, the loneliest Farm (pp. 13-14) has its barn, and a ship at 
  sea (Nautical, pp. 23-24) amounts to a floating building. And 
  as everybody learned as a child, it’s dangerous to run indoors 
  . . . or to clamber out windows, or to play on the stairs or the 
  roof. Someone could get hurt that way!
  Heights
  Perhaps the top hazard buildings present is falling. 
  Fighters on roofs, balconies, and skywalks, in open stair-
  cases, near gaping windows or elevator shafts, etc. risk this 
  fate whenever any means in Delivery (pp. 4-6) moves them at 
  least one yard past the edge. If the victim goes just far enough 
  to end up over open space (always true for Manhandling, 
  pp. 4-5), they get a DX roll to end up hanging by both hands. 
  If they went farther (that is, two or more yards out into 
  empty space), too bad!
  Most bridges, balconies, staircases, observation decks, etc. 
  have railings. Many (but not all) roofs have these or parapets. 
  See Safety First! (p. 5). Elevator shafts, the sides of buildings 
  under construction, and so on almost always lack safety mea-
  sures. When a low obstacle trips somebody and they stumble 
  an extra yard, this turns a not-quite-fall into a fall that allows 
  a DX roll to catch the edge, or a certain fall into one that’s too 
  far from the edge to allow the DX roll.
  Those who fail DX rolls to save themselves (or don’t get a 
  roll) fall all the way down. Splat.
  Those who succeed end up dangling. They lose anything 
  they were holding (roll 1d: 1 means it’s right on the edge, 2-6 
  means it fell). While hanging, there’s no defense against attacks 
  on the hands. One crippled hand gives -4 to Pull-Up (Exploits, 
  p. 19); two means falling. Each pull-up attempt takes a Ready 
  maneuver; success means being prone on the edge.
  Damage from a fall is as per Falls (Exploits, p. 19) – or 
  Falling (p. B431), if the GM prefers complexity.
  Falling Down the Stairs: If Knockback (p. 4), Manhandling 
  (pp. 4-5), Judo Throw (p. 5), Overshooting (p. 5), or Trickery 
  (p. 5) leading to backing off moves someone on a staircase 
  down the stairs instead of over a railing, they may fall. With 
  knockback, overshooting, or trickery, this happens only on a 
  failed DX roll; roll at -2 on stairs, plus the usual penalty for 
  knockback distance. With manhandling, this happens if the 
  victim loses the Contest; if one contestant is on the stairs and 
  the other isn’t (say, they’re on the landing), the person on the 
  stairs rolls at -2. With a throw, this happens automatically. In 
  all cases, treat as a fall from a height equal to the distance to 
  the next landing – bouncing off hard treads isn’t any less likely 
  to kill or maim.
  Doors
  When someone is moved into a door using Delivery 
  (pp. 4-6), the outcome depends on the door.
  An unlatched door that swings outward does so, deposit-
  ing the victim on the far side. Someone who’s knocked back  
  gets the usual DX roll to avoid falling down. Someone who 
  is manhandled, overshoots, or is tricked is standing; some-
  one who’s thrown is lying down. This breaks the line of sight 
  unless the door is transparent or has a window. If the attacker 
  is standing within a yard or can step there after attacking, 
  they may immediately roll vs. DX to grab the handle (in which 
  case to get back in, the victim must win a Quick Contest of 
  ST), or vs. DX or DX-based Forced Entry or Lockpicking 
  to lock or latch it. On later turns – the attacker’s or someone 
  else’s – either is a free action with a roll, a Ready maneuver 
  without one.
  An unlatched door that swings inward – or a latched 
  one – is a solid obstacle. See Wham! (p. 6).
  An automatic door counts as an unlatched one that swings 
  outward if operational, as a solid obstacle if not.
  A revolving door is a solid obstacle if not operational. If 
  operational, the victim ends up sectioned off inside the door! 
  If the attacker is within a yard or can step there after attack-
  ing, they may try a DX or Forced Entry roll to interpose a 
  foot. On later turns (the attacker’s or someone else’s), this is a 
  free action with a roll, a Ready maneuver without one. To get 
  out, the prisoner must win a Quick Contest of ST; the jailer 
  has +4. If there’s a lock or latch, a roll to fasten this (as above) 
  is possible instead.
  An elevator door is a solid obstacle if closed. If open and 
  the victim is shoved out, a DX roll lets the attacker in the 
  elevator push a button to shut the door and escape. If the 
  victim is shoved in, roll 1d each turn; on 1, the door shuts, 
  sending that person for an unplanned ride. An attacker with 
  Serendipity can declare the door shuts right away – and 
  choose the next stop!
  Those who are trapped by doors and want to use violence 
  to escape should see Doors (Exploits, pp. 20-21) or Glass 
  (Exploits, p. 21).
  
   
  danger! 
  7
  Slam! Someone within the doorway of a door that’s free 
  to move can be crunched between door and frame. This is an 
  attack rolled vs. DX, Brawling, Sumo Wrestling, or Wrestling. 
  It can target any hit location the GM agrees is in the doorway, 
  at the usual penalty. The victim may either dodge or parry with 
  a free hand, at penalties for posture if not standing. Damage is 
  the attacker’s thrust+1 crushing, plus the bonus for Brawling, 
  or the ST bonus for Sumo Wrestling or Wrestling read as a 
  damage bonus. A motorized door that drops down or rolls 
  shut under its own power usually has a safety; if previously 
  tampered with – using Electronics Repair (Security) – roll a 
  Quick Contest between its HP and the higher of the victim’s 
  ST or HT, with it doing crushing damage equal to its margin 
  of victory.
  In Through the Out Door: Someone behind a door 
  that’s deliberately shoved or kicked toward them takes the  
  attacker’s thrust+1 crushing damage. Use the damage bonus 
  from Forced Entry, not unarmed combat skills. Hit location 
  is random.
  Gettin’ Medieval: Add +1 or even +2 (GM’s option) to any 
  damage from a door that’s unusually heavy, studded, or any-
  thing of the sort. This often applies to the gates of castles 
  adopted as mansions by wealthy villains, and to security doors.
  Questionable Construction
  Action stories love abandoned buildings, from houses to 
  factories – where better to hide prisoners, drugs, or terrorist 
  bombs? But such places are plagued with rot, rust, and dam-
  age from previous shootouts, which might be the cause or 
  result of abandonment. And that means unstable floors, walls, 
  and ceilings.
  The GM determines the number, nature, and location of 
  such hazards but doesn’t tell the players. In an action scene, 
  a Per-based Architecture or Urban Survival roll – at +2 for 
  Danger Sense – spots such a risk at a safe distance. Roll once 
  per danger. Mooks are unlikely to have the skills to spot such 
  peril, but they receive a simple Per roll if they’re in their estab-
  lished hideout.
  A known danger can be avoided . . . or exploited! The meth-
  ods under Delivery (pp. 4-6) can push, throw, or trick the 
  enemy into the danger zone. When fighting on a battle map, 
  alerted heroes can move such that unaware opponents must 
  approach or retreat through the risky area; if not using a map, 
  winning a Quick Contest of Tactics with the bad-guy leader 
  guarantees that one known hazard per point of victory befalls 
  the enemy.
  Suggestions for effects:
  Rickety Floors and Stairs: Roll vs. DX, at +1 for Perfect 
  Balance but with any penalty the GM assesses for a notably 
  unstable structure (say, -1 per point by which building HT 
  has deteriorated). Failure by 1-4 means a leg goes straight 
  through the floor; this does 1d-1 crushing to the leg and means 
  being stuck there, effectively prone, until the victim takes two 
  Change Posture maneuvers to pull free. Failure by 5+ means a 
  one-story fall; see Falls (Exploits, p. 19). Critical failure means 
  the next floor gives way when hit: a two-story fall.
  Crumbly Moorings: The balcony, catwalk, fire escape, gal-
  lery, or ladder on which the victim is walking or climbing 
  pulls free. There’s no DX roll to avoid this, but there’s a DX 
  roll to grab onto something that’s still suspended and dangle 
  helplessly; see Heights (p. 6). Failure means a fall to the next 
  story – a long drop, for a catwalk over a factory floor.
  Sagging Ceilings and Loose Chandeliers: Dodge at -2 or take 
  1d crushing as large-area injury (p. B400) from falling debris. 
  If the ceiling is high, made of concrete, etc., damage might 
  be 2d or worse; the GM decides this when setting the scene. 
  Ceilings may need “encouragement” to collapse; success at the 
  roll to spot the danger reveals this, and lets the hero trigger a 
  rubble shower by shooting at the ceiling. This is one way to hit 
  an enemy behind cover!
  Wobbly Walls: A nearby wall keels over, doing 1d-2 to 
  1d crushing, depending on the wall, as large-area injury 
  (p. B400). The victim is stuck in place until they make a ST or 
  Escape roll to get out; each attempt takes a Ready maneuver 
  and costs 1 FP.
  Furniture
  Buildings often contain domestic furniture 
  (chairs, tables, etc.), institutional fittings such as 
  handcarts and steel shelving, or specialty items 
  like sculptures. A list of every possible object 
  would fill a (boring . . .) book.
  If such an item is light enough that the attacker 
  could shove it, use Shoving Stuff into People 
  (Exploits, p. 37): Roll a Boxing, Brawling, or 
  Karate punch or kick at -4. If you hit, damage is as 
  for a punch or kick. Add +1 to damage if the object 
  is hard (like most furniture) or heavy enough that 
  the attack calls for two hands or bracing the entire 
  body (not one hand or a swift kick), or +2 for both.
  If it’s too heavy to move at all, ramming some-
  body into it uses Wham! (p. 6).
  If the attacker is strong enough to move it 
  but the defender isn’t, and the victim gets pin-
  ioned between it and an immovable object (like a 
  wall), the victim is stuck until they succeed at a 
  ST or Escape roll; each attempt requires a Ready 
  maneuver and costs 1 FP.
  
   
  danger! 
  8
  b is for BOTANICAl
  . . . and for bush, blossom, bark, and bloom. Wealthy crim-
  inals love nicely landscaped estates and corporate campuses 
  (which also feature exploitable Architecture, pp. 6-7), drug 
  lords fill fields and greenhouses with illegal crops (often offer-
  ing the dangers of a Farm, pp. 13-14), and many a terrorist 
  base is concealed in the jungle. All that greenery is beautiful, 
  but that isn’t the same as harmless – as the saying goes, 
  “Every rose has its thorn.”
  Hitting a Snag
  Thick growth – the sort commandos encounter on jun-
  gle raids – is bad footing: +1 movement point per yard 
  (hex) to traverse; -2 to attack rolls, DX rolls to stay stand-
  ing, and Acrobatics and Jumping rolls; and -1 on active 
  defense rolls. Running through it (Move 3+) requires a 
  DX-2 roll each turn, with failure meaning tripping and 
  falling. Although such vegetation is obvious, Overshooting 
  (p. 5) or Trickery (p. 5) can result in somebody blundering 
  through it anyway, while Knockback (p. 4) or Judo Throw 
  (p. 5) can mean being tossed into it.
  A Per-based roll against Naturalist, Survival for the ter-
  rain, or another outdoor skill the GM deems appropriate may 
  find denser vegetation, allowing these exploits:
  Tangle: Thicket so dense that someone deposited there via 
  Delivery (pp. 4-6) becomes entangled. They’re grappled by the 
  torso, and must break free from ST 8 (maybe higher, for cine-
  matic jungle) to leave; each attempt requires a Ready maneu-
  ver. If knockback was involved, the DX roll to avoid falling 
  down has an extra -2.
  Strangle: Serious vines. Snapping off a length suitable for 
  use with Garrote skill takes a Ready maneuver. Alternatively, 
  using Manhandling (pp. 4-5) within a yard of such vines (in 
  the same or an adjacent hex) – at -1 in the Quick Contest for 
  an arm or leg, -3 for the neck – lets the attacker wind them 
  around a hit location. That body part is considered grappled, 
  and the victim cannot use it or move away before getting dis-
  entangled, which calls for a free hand and three successful 
  DX rolls; each attempt requires a Ready maneuver. If the 
  neck was wrapped, the target also experiences Suffocation 
  (p. B436) until they escape.
  The Briar Patch
  Other plants are sharp. Spotting these requires no 
  roll – they’re distressingly obvious.
  Prickly Pests: Many plants have serrated leaves, small barbs, 
  or thorns too short to reach vital areas. Someone deposited 
  in these by Delivery (pp. 4-6) is inconvenienced much as per 
  Razor Wire (Exploits, p. 20). Treat as Tangle (above), but 
  each attempt to break free – successful or not – also inflicts 
  1d-3(0.5) cutting damage. This is typical of how roses, this-
  tles, holly, chollas, etc. behave in action stories. Even in real 
  life, such greenery is sometimes grown to conceal unaesthetic 
  facilities, providing subtle security in the bargain.
  Horrendous Horticulture: Then there are plants with thorns 
  four to eight inches long. When someone first crashes into these 
  by any means under Delivery (pp. 4-6), they suffer damage as 
  described in Wham! (p. 6), except damage type is impaling, 
  not crushing. After that, they work like Tangle (above), but 
  each attempt to break free – successful or not – also inflicts 
  1d-3(0.5) impaling damage. This is typical of huge cacti 
  and agaves, and trees like honey locusts and thorny acacias. 
  Villains love landscaping with these because they look badass.
  Hey, That Stings!
  Far too many plants irritate bare skin via stinging hairs, 
  irritating saps, and so on. In GURPS Action, they come in 
  three unpleasantness grades. Identifying these – whether to 
  avoid or exploit them – requires a roll against Naturalist, 
  Poisons, or Survival for the terrain.
  Itchy: Anyone with bare skin who lands in a patch thanks to 
  Delivery (pp. 4-6) – or who’s touched on bare skin by someone 
  wielding the plant as a weapon (hopefully with gloves) – must 
  roll against HT at anything from +5 to -5, depending on the 
  plant (or roll 2d-7). Failure means distracting itching that 
  causes a noncumulative -1 to DX and IQ. This lasts for the rest 
  of the combat. It endures for days in the real world, but can be 
  neutralized by a First Aid roll after the fight. This is typical of 
  poison ivy and nettles.
  Painful: As Itchy, but the effect of a failed HT roll (again, 
  possibly modified) is pain (p. B428): moderate (-2 to DX, IQ, 
  skill, and self-control rolls), severe (-4), or terrible (-6). This is 
  sometimes cumulative, with each exposure boosting the pain 
  level and four exposures incapacitating the victim with agony 
  (p. B428). Use this for most tropical stinging plants.
  Deadly: As Painful, but in some cases the first failed HT roll 
  leads directly to agony! Affected victims also suffer genuine 
  injury – though rarely more than 1 point of toxic damage per 
  exposure. While almost cinematic, this fits accounts of New 
  Zealand’s tree nettles and Australia’s gympie-gympie, and 
  suits plants found in illicit bio-tech labs (which might inflict 
  more damage).
  Sniffle
  Not all plants are dangerous to everyone. If someone 
  is known to have a bad reaction to a plant – a plot device 
  that requires Interviews (Exploits, p. 16) with disgruntled  
  ex-employees or ex-lovers, hacking into or stealing med-
  ical records, or a daring Diagnosis roll under false pre-
  tenses – this can be exploited. Exposure might cause 
  anything from coughing or sneezing (p. B428) to heart 
  attack (p. B429).
  Beck: Is this the only road in and out?
  Declan: If you want to stay alive.
  Beck: Why is that?
  Declan: That, there! That’s the jungle.
  – The Rundown (2003)
  
   
  danger! 
  9
  C is for ChemICAlS
  In action flicks, it’s de rigueur for chases and fights in 
  meth labs, hospitals (Medical, pp. 22-23), scientific facilities 
  (Quantum, pp. 27-28), and especially Industrial (pp. 17-18) 
  settings to take place around beakers, carboys, and even huge 
  tanks full of noxious substances. One misstep or stray bullet 
  means being doused with something that can spoil your entire 
  life. Cleaners, demolition men, and medics sometimes capi-
  talize on their knowledge of such things, “weaponizing” their 
  specialized skills.
  Identification
  Action scenes are no place for careful analysis! If the chem-
  icals are labeled, quick identification – resulting in knowl-
  edge of everything relevant under Quantity and Form (below) 
  and Effects (below) – requires a Per-based Chemistry or 
  Hazardous Materials (Chemical) roll.
  If the scene includes chemicals used for specific purposes, 
  Per-based rolls against skills for dealing with them will do; 
  e.g., Expert Skill (Military Science) for chemical weapons, 
  Explosives (any) for compounds that burn or blow up, or 
  Poisons for toxins. Skills suited to the setting can work, too: 
  Mechanic in the chop-shop, Pharmacy at the hospital, even 
  Streetwise in a drug lab.
  Lacking labels, educated guesses are possible if there’s con-
  text. If the medic with Chemistry knows the lab’s research, 
  the demo man who has Expert Skill (Military Science) has 
  been briefed on the terrorist plot, or the investigator using 
  Streetwise is aware she’s in a meth lab, a roll at -4 is possible.
  Not rolling, failure at an applicable skill, or success at an 
  inapplicable one means having no clue. Critical failure – any 
  failure, for an inapplicable skill – means guessing wrong. 
  Either way, it boils down to messing with things at random!
  Quantity and Form
  Real-life containers vary widely, but GURPS Action lumps 
  them into four categories:
  Vial: Small flask, test tube, or other container that can be 
  snatched one-handed with a Ready maneuver (Take-Out, p. 4) 
  and hurled at a single victim using DX-3 or Throwing on a 
  later turn: Acc 0, Range ST¥2, Bulk -2. If it hits someone (near-
  misses don’t matter for quantities this small), roll 1d; on 1-4, 
  it shatters, dousing them. Foolhardy heroes can use Shoving 
  Stuff into People (Exploits, p. 37) to launch a vial from its 
  resting place with one swift Attack, but it breaks and douses 
  them on 1-4 on 1d! If the top is open, a straight DX roll can 
  splash just the contents on someone within two yards (who 
  may dodge).
  Bottle: Large flask or reagent bottle. Treat as a vial, with 
  these differences: It won’t break against a person, so it requires 
  a DX or Throwing roll to attack a floor (+4 to hit), wall, or 
  other hard surface: Acc 0, Range ST, Bulk -4. Even then, it 
  shatters only on 1-4 on 1d. It can also be smashed with an 
  attack (preferably ranged) that does 3+ points of basic dam-
  age. Everyone within one yard of where the bottle breaks – on 
  a battle map, the target hex and all adjacent hexes – is doused. 
  If the top is open, splashing the contents on up to three foes 
  within three yards calls for a DX roll per target (again, they 
  may dodge).
  Barrel: Carboy, drum, jerrycan, or similar mobile bulk 
  storage. It can’t be thrown or launched to useful effect. If 
  not glass, a bullet that does 3+ points (plastic) or 6+ points 
  (metal) of basic damage causes the contents to start spraying 
  all over the place; for the rest of the scene, everyone passing 
  within a yard is doused on 1 on 1d, +1 per added hole (e.g., 
  1-3 on 1d after three hits). Big glass vessels are surprisingly 
  tough, but 12+ points of basic damage will burst one, dous-
  ing everyone within two yards – on a battle map, the target 
  hex and two rings of surrounding hexes – and leaving a pud-
  dle that exposes the feet of anybody walking through that 
  area later.
  Reservoir: Tank, vat, or other static bulk storage. Getting 
  doused generally involves falling in; see Delivery (pp. 4-6). The 
  GM should set a damage limit for piercing the walls – at least 
  18+ points. A hole creates a pressurized jet that douses every-
  body in a yard-wide, three-yard-long area next to it. Sabotage, 
  opening maintenance hatches, and other means might pro-
  duce a deluge that douses much of the scenery, but this is a 
  plot device that requires foreknowledge, equipment, and a roll 
  against something like Explosives or Machinist.
  The above rules assume liquids, which are the most fun in 
  action scenes. But there are other states of matter:
  Gases: Stored under pressure in containers that won’t 
  shatter. It takes 6+ points of damage to rupture vial- or bot-
  tle-sized vessels, 18+ for barrel-sized ones, and at least 27+ 
  for reservoirs. Most can’t easily be vented by turning a valve; 
  to tamper with this in combat takes 1d Ready maneuvers 
  and a DX-based Hazardous Materials (Chemical) roll. In 
  all cases, once gas starts hissing out, it affects a large area 
  quickly; assume that in an action scene, it reaches everyone 
  within one, two, four, or eight yards for – respectively – a 
  vial, bottle, barrel, or reservoir. It will eventually drift much 
  farther; a reservoir could leave the heroes facing a major 
  incident afterward! Many common gases are explosive or 
  flammable, or poisonous if inhaled; some are poisonous by 
  contact, or corrosive.
  Solids: These are hard to exploit. In vial or bottle quantities, 
  it’s possible to “splash” them on someone nearby, as with a 
  liquid. Hurling handfuls from a larger supply uses the rules 
  for vials; those without gloves expose their own hands. When 
  dumped from a great height or scattered with explosives, the 
  resulting particulate cloud works like gas.
  Effects
  Rather offer lists of chemicals – the effects of which vary 
  with concentration, purity, humidity, temperature, and so 
  on – these generic rules aim to keep the action moving. They 
  divvy up substances into a few broad classes with general 
  guidelines.
  Below, these categories are presented as a table to facili-
  tate scenes where there are so many chemicals that the GM 
  hasn’t time to get specific – or where careless combatants are 
  hurling and smashing unidentified containers at random! 
  
   
  danger! 
  10
  Roll 3d, rerolling any result that doesn’t suit the environment 
  (like explosives in a pharmacy). Each entry also offers rules 
  for randomly generating effects. The GM never has to roll and 
  may always choose category and effects as the story demands.
  3-4 – Explosive. Not munitions (Heroes, pp. 32-34) or the rel-
  atively stable explosives of Ordnance (pp. 25-26) and Arson 
  and Demolition (Heroes, p. 26) – both expanded on in 
  GURPS High-Tech – but compounds that blow up when 
  hurled, shot, or abused, like fulminates and anything to 
  do with hydrazoic acid. Forget about dousing the victim; 
  these cause explosions that use the rules on pp. B414-415. 
  Damage ranges from 3d to 6d¥2 cr ex for a vial (for a ran-
  dom explosive, 2d dice), 6d to 6d¥4 (or 4d dice) for a bottle. 
  Fragmentation from glass is 1d-2 cut. Barrels and reser-
  voirs are plot devices; even a smallish drum of something 
  weak explodes for 6d¥24 cr ex, probably killing everyone 
  within eight yards (a good time to invoke The Sound of 
  Inevitability, p. 36). Also common are solid particulate, 
  vapors from spilled liquids, and gases that blow up if later 
  exposed to sparks or flame; these do nothing initially, but 
  a firing gun or a bullet striking metal in the affected area 
  (as given in Quantity and Form) triggers an explosion of 
  the size noted above.
  5-8 – Flammable. Anyone doused with flammable liquid may 
  catch fire if later ignited. Burning, incendiary, or explosive 
  attacks will accomplish this – and if the container burst 
  because of such damage, that counts! Per Making Things 
  Burn (p. B433), Super-Flammable chemicals need any 
  exposure (even zero damage), Highly Flammable ones 
  require 1 point of damage, and Flammable ones call for 3 
  points. For random substances, roll 1d: 1 is Super-Flam-
  mable, 2-3 is Highly Flammable, 4-6 is Flammable. Treat 
  solid particulate and gases as Explosive (above) instead, 
  except the explosive damage is burning and not crushing.
  9-10 – Poisonous. While substances that are rapidly deadly by 
  injection exist, fast-acting contact poisons are rarer – the 
  most realistic result is skin irritation (noncumulative -1 to 
  DX and IQ for the rest of the fight). Terrorists and evil mas-
  terminds bent on world domination might store chemical 
  weapons (use the rules for mustard or nerve gas on p. B439) 
  or isolate stinging venoms (nature’s chemical weapons) in 
  bulk, and some exotic compounds found mostly in Internet 
  discussions could feature in a cinematic game. Solid par-
  ticulate and gas are inhaled, and more plausibly swift-act-
  ing; they can poison everyone in the affected area (as given 
  in Quantity and Form). To generate a random poison, roll 
  1d for a HT penalty to resist and 1d-2 (minimum 1) for dice 
  of toxic damage if the HT roll fails. Optionally, when roll-
  ing damage dice randomly, treat a roll of 1 or 2 not as “the 
  minimum 1d damage,” but as a random affliction from 
  pp. B428-429: choking, drunk, nauseated, retching, uncon-
  sciousness, etc.
  11-12 – Corrosive. Acid, base, oxidizer, or anything else that 
  dissolves people and gear. Use the rules in Acid (p. B428) 
  in all cases. Being doused counts as being splashed: 1d-3 
  corrosion per exposure. Immersion in a reservoir does 
  1d-1 corrosion per second. There’s some variability, from 
  as little as 1 point/splash (1 point/second for immersion) 
  to as much as 1d+1/splash (2d+1/second for immersion) 
  for so-called “superacids” that can’t realistically be stored 
  in vials and bottles. If rolling randomly, save superacids 
  for plot devices, start with standard damage, and roll 1d: 
  1-2 means -1 damage, 3-4 means no modifier, 5-6 means 
  +1 damage. Clouds of corrosive particulate and gas do all 
  kinds of horrible things on a long timescale; in combat, 
  treat them as being splashed each turn, and require the HT 
  roll to avoid eye damage noted on p. B428.
  13-15 – Harmless! Many chemicals do nothing interesting. 
  Even bottles with warning labels often have them only 
  because it’s better to be safe than sorry.
  16-18 – Roll twice, ignoring this result. Far too many chemi-
  cals have multiple effects: Many explosive and flammable 
  substances are at least mildly poisonous, almost all corro-
  sive gases are also poisonous, and potent oxidizers are both 
  corrosive and flammable (if not explosive). The GM is free 
  to assess three or all four effects to plot-device chemicals. 
  Example: Chlorine trifluoride is a stronger fluorinating 
  agent than pure fluorine, a stronger oxidizer than oxy-
  gen itself, and prone to setting everything (sand, asbestos, 
  water, people) on fire, and it and the results of these reac-
  tions are extremely toxic; it would realistically corrode and 
  poison its victim, set them ablaze, and explode, but would 
  also realistically need storage solutions that keep it from 
  being easily abused.
  d is for DevIOUS
  Despite the GM’s best efforts to describe a location’s haz-
  ards using the other entries in this supplement – or to set a 
  less-dangerous scene for a change of pace – quick-witted 
  players will concoct schemes to wreak havoc using ostensibly 
  innocuous items and safe environments. The GM could say, 
  “It doesn’t work,” but it’s more fun to roll and shout – or to 
  be precise, to let the players roll to make the bad guys scream 
  in pain!
  Don’t Try This at Home
  If a character is good at something that fits the current 
  scene, the player may want to show off the hero’s skills. When 
  that training has seen little use during the adventure – or the 
  entire campaign – the savvy GM will not merely permit but 
  encourage this. The character points could’ve been spent on 
  Guns and Karate, after all!
  Looking for Trouble
  The hero starts with a Concentrate maneuver to make a 
  Per-based roll against a skill relevant to the situation – pref-
  erably one that doesn’t facilitate mischief elsewhere in this 
  supplement (Chemistry, Electrician, facility with dangerous 
  tools, etc. allow no shortage of tomfoolery). This roll isn’t 
  for the skill’s conventional applications; it’s to recognize sur-
  roundings similar to those at headquarters, in a past career, 
  or during training.
  
   
  danger! 
  11
  Some sample settings, with associated found on standard 
  lenses and templates:
  Academic (e.g., classroom or library): Research, Teaching, 
  Writing.
  Artistic (e.g., art-restoration shop, photo lab, or studio): 
  Connoisseur, Photography.
  Business (e.g., bank, office, or retail shop): Accounting, 
  Administration, Computer Operation, Merchant.
  Law-Enforcement (e.g., police station or prison): Crimi-
  nology, Law (Police), Savoir-Faire (Police).
  Neighborhood: Area Knowledge or Current Affairs 
  (Regional) for that area.
  Performance (e.g., theatre or TV studio): Electronics 
  Operation (Media), Propaganda, Public Speaking.
  Social (e.g., ballroom, bar, or casino): Carousing, 
  Dancing, Gambling.
  The player must explain how the skill fits the scene and what 
  they propose to do; e.g., “My hacker has Administration because 
  he spends all day in an office . . . and here we are, in the mob 
  accountant’s office. I’m looking for a copier or printer with a 
  document feeder to stuff the crook’s necktie into.” Skipping 
  either facet lets the GM impose -4 per omission (e.g., -8 if that 
  player said, “I use Administration.”) or simply deny the roll.
  Any failure finds nothing. Success finds the proposed item 
  or situation (one of the GM’s choosing, if the player rolled at a 
  penalty); the greater the margin, the better the find.
  Causing Problems
  Misuses of anything found can take many forms. 
  The GM and player are encouraged to negotiate some-
  thing amusing! Here are some suggestions.
  In all cases below, where the effect references other 
  rules – in this book, Exploits, or the Basic Set – and 
  those require a skill roll, roll against the skill used in 
  Looking for Trouble (above), but with the attribute 
  base normally used in the adapted rules. For exam-
  ple, replace unarmed combat skills with DX-based 
  Merchant when adapting Wham! (p. 6) or Slam! (p. 7) 
  to crush a thief’s fingers in a cash-register tray.
  Take the Rest of the Day Off: The easiest option is 
  to let the feat count as a watered-down version of one 
  described elsewhere in this dictionary: at the bot-
  tom of the damage range, or at -1 per die if no range 
  is specified. In the office, the coffee machine may get 
  hot enough for Heat (p. 16), while a box of paper fasteners 
  dumped on the floor could cause Lacerations (pp. 21-22); 
  at the beauty salon, a hero who knows what’s in the bottles 
  could choose one that’s slightly flammable or poisonous, per 
  Chemicals (pp. 9-10); and at the friendly local games shop, 
  Slam! (p. 7) might be toned down for the hand-crushing 
  trick mentioned above. Critical success permits mid-range 
  damage or removes the -1 per die.
  Employer Liability Act: Damage isn’t automatically weak. 
  Many “safe” workplaces aren’t; e.g., a plummeting floodlight at 
  the theatre can inflict serious injury as per Sagging Ceilings and 
  Loose Chandeliers (p. 7): 2d crushing (to the skull, on a critical 
  success). The GM is encouraged to be generous if the hazard 
  is really just one from another entry – especially Architecture 
  (pp. 6-7), Generic (pp. 15-16), or Tools (pp. 33-34) – in an 
  unexpected environment.
  I’m Trying to Work Over Here: The thing found might 
  cause a distraction rather than damage. One possibility is to 
  allow a Feint made as a DX-based roll against the skill used 
  to spot the opportunity: In a disco with flashing lights and 
  loud music, a Dancing-based Feint can mean staying alive, 
  while if the angry professor throws a sheaf of papers in an 
  attacker’s face, the GM may permit a Feint using DX-based 
  Teaching. Another option is to allow Banter (Exploits, 
  p. 39) with IQ-based rolls against unconventional skills; e.g., 
  Uttering Threats with IQ-based Dancing to make someone 
  hesitate and watch your slick moves, or Drawing Aggression 
  with Teaching if that prof is in a classroom and taunts, “Ach, 
  the only person ever to fail Physics for Dummies is back to 
  fail again!”
  ’Cause Franklin Knows, Anything Goes: The GM is free 
  to allow unorthodox skills – including many not found on 
  lenses and templates in Heroes, but added on player whim or 
  by modules in GURPS Action 4: Specialists – to work with 
  Flashy Fighting (Exploits, p. 37), Sneaky Fighting (Exploits, 
  p. 37), or Using Your Head (Exploits, p. 39). Dancing might 
  replace Acrobatics on a slippery ballroom floor, Performance 
  could work as Acting for playing dead on a suitably set and 
  lit stage, and someone controlling a TV studio’s cameras and 
  PA system could use Electronics Operation (Media) or 
  Public Speaking for Analysis, Encouragement, and Spotting 
  (Exploits, p. 39).
  Fortunately, There’s a Table Saw
  As in a chase, exploitable perils in a fight require “Suitable 
  scenery or Lucky Break” (Exploits, p. 32). If the GM describes 
  surroundings that support the trick, great! If not, the player 
  can invoke Serendipity or spend one character point for a 
  Lucky Break that allows the attempt anyway, as described in 
  Player Guidance (Exploits, p. 41). The gamer doing so must 
  describe the serendipitous scenery; it has to make at least 
  marginal sense, and it remains for the rest of the scene, 
  exploitable by all.
  This can even cancel failures at skill rolls to locate hazards, 
  like those in Looking for Trouble (pp. 10-11): Serendipity or 
  burning a point finds something exploitable regardless of the 
  dice. Luck can also work by allowing a reroll, and is prefer-
  able because it “recharges” faster and costs no points to use.
  sCrounging and searCH?
  Players of heroes with the Scrounging skill may ask to use 
  that for Looking for Trouble (pp. 10-11) or other rolls this sup-
  plement requires to recognize exploitable perils. Be careful! 
  Scrounging is common, Easy, and already indispensible on 
  missions. It will devalue specialized skills if permitted in their 
  stead. It’s fair to allow it when the roll to locate unsafe stuff is 
  a simple Perception roll, but not in place of other skills.
  Search is rarely suitable – it’s about taking time to inspect 
  a package, person, vehicle, or room systematically. It may let 
  a security officer spot a metal detector to misuse at the night-
  club, or an X-ray machine to exploit at the airport, but it isn’t 
  generally applicable.
  
   
  danger! 
  12
  e is for eleCTRICITy
  Practically all contemporary buildings (Architecture, 
  pp. 6-7) and most Vehicles (pp. 35-37) have electric 
  power – and an Industrial (pp. 17-18) backdrop or Worksite 
  (pp. 37-38) might boast extreme voltages or currents,  
  and/or fewer safety measures than ordinary homes and 
  cars. Because of this, electricity is arguably the most com-
  monly abused hazard in action tales; every electrical fixture, 
  outlet, and wire is a potential improvised weapon, and the 
  laws of physics are bent in shocking ways.
  Shocking Discoveries
  Anybody can recognize a power cord or the prominent 
  black-and-yellow ISO 7010-W012 “lightning bolt” symbol. 
  Knowing where to cut into a wall to locate wiring – or iden-
  tifying an unlabeled current source – requires a Concentrate 
  maneuver and Per-based Electrician roll.
  Electrifying Experiences
  While there are countless ways to get zapped, the results are 
  always some quantity of burning damage. In GURPS Action, 
  only Tasers (Heroes, p. 32) and stun guns (Heroes, p. 33) 
  harmlessly stun, because they’re cinematically nonlethal.
  In effect, then, Action treats all shocks as Lethal Electrical 
  Damage (pp. B432-433). This is always Localized Injury, 
  though: On top of burning damage, the shock triggers a 
  HT roll at -1 per 2 HP of injury, with failure meaning being 
  stunned and rolling vs. HT every turn to recover.
  Unconsciousness for minutes and cardiac arrest – while 
  realistic – are too final and boring for action heroes. Save 
  them for situations where Cannon Fodder (Exploits, p. 38) 
  is in effect: The shocked mook or henchman passed out or 
  had a heart attack. If a player wants an NPC to drop faster 
  (or deader) from the harsher reading of the HT roll, they 
  can spend two character points on Buying Lucky Breaks 
  (Exploits, p. 41).
  The table below presents representative damage figures 
  (roll vs. Electrician to assess these in advance). Roll for 
  every turn of exposure, but always at least once even for brief 
  shocks. Cinematic circuit breakers and GFCIs – unlike real-
  istic ones – won’t prevent this, but a hero being shocked can 
  spend a character point to break the current after taking dam-
  age once, or two to have it happen so fast there’s no damage.
  Amount
  Cause
  1d-3 burn
  Badly wired small electronics (e.g., radio); 
  cattle prod; small vehicle battery.
  1d burn
  Large vehicle battery; most badly wired small 
  appliances (e.g., can opener, shaver).
  1d+2 burn
  Badly wired small appliance with heating 
  element (e.g. hairdryer, iron); household 
  electrical outlet or light fixture; small 
  portable generator or vehicle used as 
  such.
  3d burn
  Badly wired large appliance (e.g., oven); 
  electric security fence; household fuse 
  box; large portable generator or vehicle 
  used as such; residential mains.
  6d burn
  Electric chair; industrial mains; institutional 
  fuse box; power supply for electric fence 
  or huge machine.
  6d¥2 burn
  Cross-country transmission line.
  6d¥3 burn
  Electrical power plant; switching station.
  Bad Wiring
  The world according to action movies is full of unquali-
  fied electricians and pathetic safety standards. Any contact 
  with an open fuse box, running generator, or equipment bear-
  ing an electrical hazard symbol means a shock. In electrical 
  facilities – like power and switching stations – disaster lurks 
  behind a flimsy fence (in action flicks, trapped-key interlocks 
  are for wimps!). And electric security fences are lethal, even if 
  realistic ones mostly work like stun guns.
  Contact with these things is usually a result of Delivery 
  (pp. 4-6). Manhandling (pp. 4-5) and tackling someone to bear 
  them into danger are ill-advised: Both attacker and victim take 
  damage!
  Damage is per the table above. Unless the victim is wearing 
  a full suit (dry suit, fireproof suit, NBC suit, specialized “arc 
  flash” suit, etc.), DR is irrelevant. Metal never provides more 
  than DR 1.
  Heroes who’ve never experienced this kind of attack (as 
  victim or attacker) must roll vs. Electrician to realize the dan-
  gers of holding onto someone who’s being zapped, and the 
  futility of DR.
  Bare Wires
  Live electrical wires abound in 
  action stories. They’re most com-
  mon on the Worksite (pp. 37-38), 
  where apparently nobody knows 
  how to install a circuit breaker 
  (not that these break circuits in 
  action cinema). They can also 
  be created by taking an Attack 
  to smash a light bulb or slash 
  a power cord; the latter shocks 
  the person doing the cutting, 
  unless the tool has a nonmetallic 
  handle (e.g., wooden axe haft).  
  Cash: You don’t know anything about electricity, 
  do you?
  Tango: No.
  Cash: As long as you’re only touching one wire 
  and you’re not touching the ground, you don’t get 
  electrocuted.
  – Tango & Cash (1989)
  
   
  danger! 
  13
  Combat blades – from knives to katanas – typically have 
  full tangs that conduct the shock. Remember this; it comes  
  up later.
  Readying a sparking cable, lamp, or whatever uses the rules 
  in Take-Out (p. 4). The user is assumed to be holding onto the 
  safe part. For anything that inflicts more than 6d damage (e.g., 
  fallen transmission line), an Electrician roll warns there isn’t 
  a “safe part” – being fool enough to touch that without special-
  ized protection means being shocked yourself.
  After that, it can be used to attack people, causing the dam-
  age on the table with each hit. A wire uses DX in close combat, 
  but someone with Flail, Kusari, or Whip can use it at a longer 
  reach, at -1 per yard. A rigid lamp uses Axe/Mace, Polearm, 
  Spear, or Two-Handed Axe/Mace at -1, depending on its size 
  and esthetics.
  If this is parried, and the parrying weapon is metallic, the 
  target is shocked anyway; roll damage to the hand (split it 
  between the hands, for two-handed parries). If the attack hits, 
  it shocks the body part hit. DR does protect here, because con-
  tact is localized, and body armor, leather, etc. are insulators. 
  Metallic armor still only gives DR 1, though.
  Bathtub Accidents
  A euphemism for things that aren’t accidents: Someone is 
  in water (puddle, pool, actual bathtub) when somebody else 
  uses an Attack maneuver to dump in an electrical appliance 
  or live wire. The only defense is to dodge and retreat or drop: 
  out of or away from the water, which isn’t possible if you’re 
  soaking in a pool or tub. This does injury to everyone in the 
  water – even the one doing the shocking, if they’re stupidly 
  standing in the water – and DR doesn’t matter unless it’s a 
  fully sealed dry suit, because water soaking through conducts 
  the electricity.
  A related trick popular on film is touching an electrical 
  source to metallic scenery a foe is touching: steel catwalk, 
  safety railing (not so safe now), bed frame (don’t ask), etc. 
  Such acts of improvised parrilla (look it up) work much like 
  electrifying the water. It’s usually easier to defend, though; one 
  can often retreat off of or away from the metal. As well, the DR 
  of the body part in contact – if that’s “most of the body,” use 
  the rules for large-area injury (p. B400) – protects as it would 
  against Bare Wires (pp. 12-13).
  f is for FARm
  To idealists, farms symbolize life – they feed us. Yet we eat 
  dead plants and animals, and it’s farms that do the killin’, as 
  anybody who has ever visited one knows. Classic action sto-
  ries cast trigger-happy ranchers as villains (for animals, see 
  Zoo, pp. 41-42), while newer ones focus on the misuse of dan-
  gerous pesticides (Chemicals, pp. 9-10). Rural fight scenes 
  happen in view of razor-sharp agricultural implements. And 
  the bodies? Buried in the back 40.
  The Old Ways
  Agricultural settings offer a bumper crop of intimidating implements for heroes and (especially) bad guys to brandish as 
  improvised weapons. Resource Extraction (pp. 28-30) and Tools (pp. 33-34) offer other suitable options. The stats below use the 
  terms and notation on pp. B271-274.
   Weapon 
  Damage 
  Reach 
  Parry 
  Weight 
  ST 
  Notes
  AXE/MACE (DX-5, Flail-4, or Two-Handed Axe/Mace-3)
   Cattle Brand 
  1 point burn 
  1 
  0 
  2 
  8 
  [1, 2]
   Sickle 
  sw cut 
  1 
  0 
  2 
  8
    or 
  sw imp 
  1 
  0U 
  – 
  8 
  [3]
  BRAWLING or DX
   Captive Bolt Pistol 
  2d-1 cr 
  C, 1 
  No 
  6 
  10 
  [4]
  BROADSWORD (DX-5, Rapier-4, Saber-4, Shortsword-2, or Two-Handed Sword-4)
   Scary Billhook or Machete 
  sw+2 cut 
  1 
  0U 
  4.5 
  11
    or 
  thr-1 imp 
  1 
  0U 
  – 
  11
  KNIFE (DX-4, Main-Gauche-3, or Shortsword-3)
   Small Billhook or Machete 
  sw-1 cut 
  C, 1 
  0 
  1.5 
  7
    or 
  thr-1 imp 
  C 
  0 
  – 
  7
  At the higher voltage,  
  your muscles will contract  
  so much they snap in two.
  – Yoshida, in Showdown 
  in Little Tokyo (1991)
  
   
  danger! 
  14
  Bloody Fields
  Sowing and reaping by hand can’t feed the world’s billions. 
  That task calls for machines: harvesters, seed drills, swathers, 
  threshers, tillers, and as many specialized engines as there are 
  crops and soil types.
  What they all have in common is a terrifying capacity for 
  mangling. They do harm most often when Delivery (pp. 4-6) 
  sends somebody into their whirling maw. This inflicts thrust 
  damage for half the machine’s ST (round down) – its power 
  must drive not just the dangerous bits but also its wheels or 
  tracks, and ancillary machinery.
  Small: Attachments pushed or pulled by the classic gener-
  al-purpose farm tractor – a vehicle that makes economic sense 
  for a family farm, urban botanical gardens, or a large private 
  home. Wealthy villains might have small, specialized vehicles. 
  ST/HP 55 (3d-1).
  Big: Usually single-purpose gear for a large operation that’s 
  still recognizably a farm (red barn, workers in the fields, and 
  so on). ST/HP 108 (6d-1).
  Huge: Monstrous vehicles, often stories tall, 
  used on factory farms where the nearest road 
  or building could be completely out of sight, 
  tens of miles away. ST/HP 146 (8d+1).
  The Business End: The GM can choose each 
  machine’s damage type or roll 1d: 1-2 is crush-
  ing (e.g., threshing heads), 3-4 is cutting (e.g., 
  for harvesting crops), 5-6 is impaling (e.g., 
  long, spindly drills). If the motor isn’t running, 
  or the attachment is sitting in the field or hanging on the barn 
  wall, use Wham! (p. 6) to chuck a foe into it; damage type is as 
  usual for that machine.
  He Done Got Chewed Up: Many farm machines – notably 
  harvesters – are designed to pull things into them. If the GM 
  decides one works like that (or on a roll of 1-2 on 1d), anybody 
  who takes damage is likely to be caught up in it. If they can’t 
  break free from the ST used to figure damage, they take dam-
  age every turn until the machine is stopped by seizing control 
  (it takes one, two, or three turns to mount a small, big, or huge 
  model, and at least one to win a Quick Contest of DX, Judo, or 
  Wrestling with a hostile farmer) or damaging it (all have DR 
  5, and stop at 0 HP).
  He Don’t Run So Fast: Farm machines have Move 1-4 (roll 
  1d-2, minimum Move 1) while their dangerous bits are func-
  tioning, so they’re easily outrun. Still, people fall and get dis-
  tracted. Treat running someone down as a Ram (Exploits, 
  p. 33) doing the above damage instead of collision damage. Use 
  Driving (Agricultural) to hit; this defaults to Construction 
  Equipment or Heavy Wheeled at -2.
   Weapon 
  Damage 
  Reach 
  Parry 
  Weight 
  ST 
  Notes
  SHORTSWORD (DX-5, Broadsword-2, Jitte/Sai-3, Knife-4, Saber-4, Smallsword-4, or Tonfa-3)
   Billhook or Machete 
  sw+1 cut 
  1 
  0 
  3 
  10
    or 
  thr-1 imp 
  1 
  0 
  – 
  10
  SPEAR (DX-5, Polearm-4, or Staff-2)
   Hay Fork or Pitchfork 
  thr+3(0.5) imp 
  1* 
  0U 
  5 
  11 
  -2 to hit [5]
    two hands 
  thr+4(0.5) imp 
  1, 2* 
  0 
  – 
  10† 
  -2 to hit [5]
  TWO-HANDED AXE/MACE (DX-5, Axe/Mace-3, Polearm-4, or Two-Handed Flail-4)
   Hoe 
  sw cut 
  1, 2* 
  0U 
  3 
  8† 
  -2 to hit [2]
   Rake 
  sw(0.5) imp 
  1, 2* 
  0U 
  3 
  8† 
  -2 to hit [2]
    or 
  sw+1 cr 
  1, 2* 
  0U 
  3 
  8† 
  -2 to hit [2]
   Scythe 
  sw+3 cut 
  1 
  0U 
  5 
  11‡
    or 
  sw+1 imp 
  1 
  0U 
  – 
  11‡ 
  [3]
   Shears 
  thr imp 
  1 
  0U 
  3 
  8† 
  -2 to hit
    or 
  sw+2 cut 
  C 
  No 
  – 
  8‡ 
  -2 to hit [6]
   Shovel 
  sw+3 cut 
  1, 2* 
  0U 
  6 
  12‡ 
  -2 to hit [2]
   Sling Blade 
  sw+3 cut 
  1, 2* 
  0U 
  5 
  10†
   Sowing Hoe 
  sw+1 imp 
  1, 2* 
  0U 
  3 
  8† 
  -1 to hit [2, 3]
  Notes
  [1] Must be heated (a torch will do). Electric irons stay hot, 
  but a power cord limits effective reach and can be cut (Bare 
  Wires, pp. 12-13).
  [2] Treat as cheap (p. B274).
  [3] May get stuck (p. B405).
  [4] For slaughtering livestock. Uses a blank cartridge (three 
  turns to replace) to drive a bolt; pneumatic models that fire 
  repeatedly are linked to a compressor or heavy (10-15 lbs.) 
  tank by a hose. This model is non-penetrating; penetrating 
  ones do piercing damage.
  [5] Targets have -1 to Dodge, +1 to Block and Parry. Can 
  strike to disarm (p. B401) without -2 to hit for a non-fencing 
  weapon.
  [6] If closed on neck, limb, or extremity. Crippling a limb 
  or extremity amputates it!
  Be wary of any man who keeps 
  a pig farm.
  – Brick Top, in Snatch (2000)
  
   
  danger! 
  15
  g is for GeNeRIC
  Modern homes contain many objects and appliances 
  that are generic in the sense of “basic” and “common.” We 
  remember the classic warning these spurred when we were 
  youngsters: “Don’t play with that! It isn’t a toy!” This man-
  tra inspired budding action heroes (and bad guys) to imag-
  ine what would happen if they did play with such things. This 
  section discusses everyday items not more appropriate for the 
  Kitchen (pp. 19-21) or workshop (Tools, pp. 33-34).
  Bathtub: Slipping and falling in the bath isn’t very action-y, 
  but water-filled tubs are exploitable. They’re why Bathtub 
  Accidents (p. 13) are called that. In addition, a fighter who 
  wins the Quick Contest in Manhandling (pp. 4-5) can force the 
  face of a foe kneeling or crawling adjacent to or in a bathtub, 
  or lying in one, underwater, causing Suffocation (p. B436). 
  Suffocation happens automatically to anybody pinned in the 
  tub, unless their rival specifically opts to avoid this.
  Camera: A camera – be it a cell phone or a fancy profes-
  sional rig – isn’t deadly, but pointing the flash at someone 
  within a yard and firing it (an Attack at DX or DX-based 
  Photography) can dazzle! A target who fails to dodge (or 
  parry, in close combat) must roll vs. HT (at +1 for cool 
  shades or +5 for goggles that give Protected Vision) to 
  avoid blindness for seconds equal to margin of failure.
  Curling Iron: A classic source of Bathtub Accidents 
  (p. 13). Hot-styling damage to anything besides hairstyles 
  is cinematic, but in GURPS Action, it can be used to attack 
  with Knife at -1, for 1 point of burning damage.
  Fan: Realistic household fans break when used as 
  weapons. But a cinematic desk or stand fan with old-
  timey metal blades does 1d-4 cutting, while a tasteful 
  wooden ceiling fan from Way Back When does 1d-3 crush-
  ing, if Delivery (pp. 4-6) brings somebody into contact with 
  it. A ceiling fan can also be shot off its moorings (-5 to hit); a 
  hit means it lands on the person below for 1d crushing, per 
  Sagging Ceilings and Loose Chandeliers (p. 7).
  Hairdryer: These are good for Bathtub Accidents (p. 13). 
  They can also cause burns if held in place in close combat. 
  This generally requires a pinned subject; against anyone else, 
  roll vs. DX to hit, modified for hit location, and the victim 
  may parry the dryer or dodge its jet. Exposure for 10 succes-
  sive turns does 1 point of burning damage. Restart the counter 
  each time the dryer does damage or misses – blow-drying 
  someone to death takes time.
  Hat Stand: Used by picking it up (a Ready maneuver) and 
  holding it between you and an attacker. The goal is to push 
  them back or snag them with hooks and projections. This is an 
  attack using Staff at -2, but the target doesn’t defend. Instead, 
  a hit means they must win a Quick Contest to move closer; 
  each party uses the better of DX or ST.
  Iron: Inflicts 1d-3 burning damage if the heated surface 
  is held against someone in close combat, an attack with DX 
  or Brawling at -1. Whacking someone with the pointed beak 
  doesn’t burn and is awkward (DX or Brawling at -2), but 
  grants +2 to punching damage. Either way, treat the attack as 
  armed; the iron protects the hand.
  Mirror: A door- or wall-mounted mirror allows Dirty Tricks 
  (p. B405) when you’re out of sight of someone and waiting 
  for them to start combat with you. Roll a Quick Contest when 
  your opponent opens the door, rounds the corner, or what-
  ever: Your IQ or Tactics vs. their Per or Per-based Tactics. If 
  you win, your rival believes your image is you and attacks it 
  instead! Then on your turn, you can strike from your true loca-
  tion and they’ll defend at -4 against the first attack only. If 
  someone unluckily breaks a mirror, see The Glint of Light on 
  Broken Glass (pp. 21-22).
  Pillow: Held in two hands (a Ready maneuver to pick up), 
  this allows a grapple of the face (at the usual -3 to hit) to cause 
  Suffocation (p. B436) on future turns, until the victim breaks 
  free. If someone is pinned, the attacker can take a turn to 
  ready a pillow that’s in reach (one yard) and mash it over their 
  opponent’s face for the same effect on later turns.
  Sink: A water-filled sink lets an attacker who wins the 
  Quick Contest in Manhandling (pp. 4-5) force the face of an 
  enemy standing or kneeling next to it underwater, triggering 
  Suffocation (p. B436).
  Television: Hoisting an old picture-tube television in both 
  hands requires two Ready maneuvers; busting it over a foe’s 
  head afterward is an attack: Roll vs. DX or Brawling at -5. 
  Ramming someone’s head through such a TV screen within 
  one yard is Manhandling (pp. 4-5), at -3 for targeting the head. 
  Either does the damage in Wham! (p. 6): thrust+1, plus any 
  skill bonus. Residual charge in the tube also means the victim 
  must roll vs. HT or be stunned; roll vs. HT each turn to recover. 
  As that person’s head is now inside a TV, they’re considered 
  blind until they extricate it; this takes one Ready maneuver 
  but requires a DX roll, with failure doing 1d-3 cutting to the 
  face and critical failure meaning damage is to the neck.
  Toilet: Winning the Quick Contest for Manhandling 
  (pp. 4-5) can force the face of a foe kneeling or crawling next 
  to a toilet underwater, causing Suffocation (p. B436). In clas-
  sic cinematic tradition, an optional DX roll lets the attacker 
  flush the toilet. Success means a swirly that costs the victim 
  1 FP extra (this can’t be repeated on a combat timescale), but 
  failure means the victim gets the margin of failure as a bonus 
  to attempts to break free on their next turn.
  Vacuum Cleaner: “Power hickeys,” while amusing, aren’t 
  useful. However, a Ready maneuver and a Housekeeping roll 
  opens the outflow, allowing it to be directed at a foe within 
  one yard by making a DX-based Housekeeping roll at -5 to 
  target the face. The target must dodge or suffer from a major 
  distraction on their next turn: -3 to attack and -1 to defend.
  Spray-Can Flamethrower
  With a ready lighter or other fire source in one hand and 
  an aerosol can in the other, it’s possible to blast fire at an 
  opponent within one yard by making a Liquid Projector 
  (Sprayer) roll at -2. They may dodge or block. A hit does 
  1d-2 burning damage. A can holds fuel enough for 1d-1 
  attacks (minimum one).
  
   
  danger! 
  16
  Washing Machine: Adults can’t be stuffed into washers 
  and dryers, even in cinematic combat. Treat a top-loader as 
  a sink (above), but if it’s running and the shutoff is bypassed 
  (DX -based Housekeeping roll while manhandling someone), 
  the churning suds cost the victim 1 FP extra due to suffoca-
  tion every other turn (so winning the Quick Contest for four 
  turns saps 6 FP, not 4 FP). A front-loader isn’t useful for this, 
  but being within a yard and not in front of it allows an attack 
  at DX-based Housekeeping on a foe within a yard who is 
  in front, who can only dodge and retreat; if this works, the 
  water and laundry gushing out mean the target must roll vs. 
  DX at -2 or fall down.
  Wire Clothes Hanger: Bent into an “O” (one Ready maneu-
  ver) or straightened (three Ready maneuvers), this serves 
  as an improvised garrote – an ordinary crushing one, not a 
  wire one – that works at -2 to Garrote skill. A straightened 
  hanger can also thwack for 1 point of crushing damage (use 
  Whip skill and the rules for arm/hand wounds on p. B406), 
  or jab for 1 point of impaling damage (use Knife at -2), at 
  reach 1.
  H is for heAT
  We live in a technological world. We can debate 
  whether that actually started with cavemen learning to 
  make fire, but heat is never far from technology: myriad 
  Tools (pp. 33-34) generate it; it’s essential for many Generic 
  (pp. 15-16) fixtures, to Industrial (pp. 17-18) processes, and 
  in the Kitchen (pp. 19-21); and it’s the explanation for both 
  hot Pipes (p. 26) and cold ones. Modern heroes and vil-
  lains have ample opportunity to broil one another.
  Hot Stuff
  Heat sources inflict burning damage once per turn 
  (second) of contact. This is large-area injury (p. B400), 
  except when a particular hit location is targeted. Delivery 
  (pp. 4-6) leads to momentary exposure for a single dam-
  age roll unless it involves repeated turns of Manhandling 
  (pp. 4-5) – or a shove or throw that leaves the victim 
  lying down on or in the hazard, crawling slowly or taking 
  Change Posture maneuvers to escape.
  The table below presents typical damage amounts per 
  turn.
  Amount
  Cause
  1 point burn
  Dark-colored car in the sun*; household 
  radiator*.
  1d-3 burn
  Hot machine-gun barrel*; hotplate*; 
  running motor (car, heavy tool, 
  etc.)*.
  1d-1 burn
  Just-lit woodstove*; ordinary fire 
  (campfire, burning rubble, etc.); oven 
  or stovetop on “low”*; overheated 
  motor*.
  1d burn
  Fire with accelerants (e.g., gasoline).
  1d+1 burn
  Camp stove; housing* of furnace, 
  incinerator, or kiln; oven or stovetop 
  on “medium.”
  2d burn
  Barbecue grill; blazing woodstove; hot 
  coals; oven or stovetop on “high.”
  2d+2 burn
  Interior of domestic furnace, 
  incinerator, or small kiln.
  3d burn
  Interior of industrial kiln; molten metal; 
  reactor shielding; thermite fire.
  6d burn
  Interior of huge foundry furnace; 
  unshielded reactor.
  6d¥2 burn
  Interior of blast furnace.
  * Won’t usually set fires, regardless of damage. All the rest 
  will; see pp. B433-434.
  Hot Times
  Heat doesn’t magically stop 
  cold at some distance!
  Sources that inflict 1d or 
  more are hot enough that if 
  you use Manhandling (pp. 4-5) 
  to push a grappled foe into 
  them – so you are effectively 
  a yard away while your oppo-
  nent is in close combat with 
  the hot stuff – you take 1 point 
  of damage per die as large-
  area injury, though this radi-
  ated heat won’t set you ablaze. 
  For example, holding a mook 
  over a camp stove does 1d+1 
  to him (and might set him 
  alight) and 1 point to you, 
  while if you stand next to an 
  open blast furnace rather than 
  throwing someone in from 
  afar, your screaming victim 
  suffers 6d¥2 while you take  
  12 points.
  Sources that do at least 3d 
  are even more dangerous! At 
  an effective two yards, they 
  radiate 1 point of damage 
  per 3d. Thus, manhandling 
  a foe to within a yard of an 
  open industrial kiln while 
  you remain behind them at 
  two yards means they take 3 
  points while you take 1 point; 
  doing the same with that blast 
  furnace means they’re cooked 
  for 12 points while you suffer 
  4 points.
  To avoid self-injury, only 
  hold enemies against heat 
  sources that do less than 1d; 
  drag foes to within one yard of 
  those that do 1d or more but less 
  than 3d; and satisfy yourself with manhandling victims to 
  within two yards of dangers that do 3d or more. Or shove or 
  throw them in from a safe distance.
  
   
  danger! 
  17
  i is for INDUSTRIAl
  Factories, foundries, refineries, and similar facilities are 
  among the most popular of action backdrops. Heavy machin-
  ery and tangled pipes and wires – their sprawl, their din, their 
  stench – give bad guys the means to conceal or even manufac-
  ture contraband, stash abductees, and cover up torture and 
  murder. Spies sneak in to steal industrial secrets; ter-
  rorists, to cause destructive spills, leaks, and explo-
  sions. Then the heroes arrive – or escape – and the 
  surroundings color the violence that ensues.
  Demanufacture
  The definitive feature of industrial settings is 
  massive machinery: benders, crushers, drop ham-
  mers, hydraulic presses, rollers, shredders, and 
  countless other devices. Cranes, conveyors, and 
  lifts move everything from raw materials to fin-
  ished goods from process to process. Belts, link-
  ages, and flywheels drive these and other systems, 
  such as pumps and fans.
  These mechanisms could inflict any amount of damage on 
  unfortunates who stumble, fall, or are thrown into them by 
  Delivery (pp. 4-6). If the GM has chosen what type of work the 
  facility does, though, it’s possible to arrive at numbers that fit 
  players’ expectations.
  Cleanse Fold and Manipulate
  If a machine’s job is shaping other machines, total the DR 
  and HP of the thing it works on, and then add 10%, rounding 
  any fraction up, to find a ST score. For DR, see Damage to 
  Objects (p. B483); most household goods have DR 2, guns and 
  light tools have DR 4, and heavy tools have DR 6. For HP, con-
  sult the Object Hit Points Table (p. B558). If the device works 
  on vehicles, read DR and HP from pp. B464-465, Heroes, 
  p. 34, or Chapter 8 of GURPS High-Tech.
  Examples: A factory that produces assault rifles (Heroes, 
  p. 32) works on goods with the DR of a gun (DR 4) and the 
  HP of an 8.9-lb. machine (HP 8); the sum is 12, so ST is 10% 
  higher than that: ST 13.2, which rounds to ST 14. A produc-
  tion line for sports cars (Heroes, p. 34) has a ST that’s 10% 
  higher than DR 4 + ST/HP 57 = 61: ST 68.
  Anyone caught up in industrial machinery – or a link-
  age providing motive power to it – may be mangled. If the 
  machine works on the entirety (or nearly so) of the things it 
  churns out, roll a Quick Contest between the machine’s ST as 
  calculated above and the higher of the victim’s ST or HT. It 
  inflicts damage equal to its margin of victory. This is crushing 
  for something that bends, flattens, or rolls, or for a driving 
  mechanism. It’s cutting if the machine scores, shears, shreds, 
  stamps, etc.
  If the machine deals with only part of what it works on – or 
  is a pump, fan, or other ancillary system – use (1d+2)¥10% 
  (that is, from 30% to 80%) of the ST of the whole thing, 
  rounded up. Pumps tend to crush; fans usually cut.
  Examples: Machines that produce parts of assault rifles 
  have ST 5-12. Those that manufacture sports-car bits have ST 
  21-55.
  Most machines pull in what they work on. Victims dam-
  aged by them are caught! If they fail to break free from the 
  above ST on their turn, roll the Quick Contest again, and so on 
  until the machine is shut off or destroyed (assume DR 6 and 
  HP equal to ST).
  Further Down the Spiral
  Systems for moving stuff around can also be dangerous.
  Convey My Deepest Condolences: Ordinary conveyors roll 
  at Move 1-4 (roll 1d-2, minimum Move 1); cinematic ones can 
  reach Move 5-8 (treat this as +1 to +4 with the justifications 
  under That’s Gotta Hurt!, p. 4). Pressing a foe into a belt or 
  rollers with Manhandling (pp. 4-5) in order to power-sand 
  them does thrust crushing damage for the attacker’s ST, plus 
  half this Move rounded down, but always at least +1. That’s 
  thrust+1 at Move 1-3, thrust+2 at Move 4-5, thrust+3 at Move 
  6-7, or thrust+4 at Move 8. The weight of what the conveyor 
  moves doesn’t affect damage – but if that’s heavier than a per-
  son, anybody knocked or thrown onto the conveyor is carried 
  away at the system’s Move and possibly dumped into another 
  hazard before they can react (particularly if stunned by the 
  blow that put them there)!
  What Goes Up: Crane and derrick disasters are deadlier. 
  As a highly cinematic estimate, assume the ST of a crane for 
  the purpose of doing harm equals the HP of what it lifts.  
  If the machine is maneuvered so its hook or other attachment 
  bashes, gores, or plummets into someone – an attack that 
  requires access to the controls and a Driving (Construction 
  Equipment) or DX-based Freight Handling roll – it inflicts 
  thrust crushing damage for its ST. The victim may dodge, and 
  can retreat or drop for +3. It takes four Ready maneuvers to 
  reposition the crane between blows.
  Examples: A crane at the sports-car factory has ST 57, 
  meaning it does a mighty 6d+1 crushing . . . every fifth turn.
  Must Come Down: Things suspended at the factory can 
  be dropped – another attack using Driving (Construction 
  Equipment) or DX-based Freight Handling from suitable 
  controls. Again, the target may dodge. Damage inflicted is 
  based on height, as for Falls (Exploits, p. 19); a “standard” 
  industrial story is 24’ (8 yards), and a crane is rarely used for 
  less than a story. If the load has HP 20+, multiply basic dam-
  age by 2 at HP 20-29, 3 at HP 30-39, 4 at HP 40-49, and so on, 
  with each full 10 HP adding one to the multiple.
  Killswitch
  In industrial settings (and others, at the GM’s option), when 
  something bad is ongoing – say, someone is sucked into a machine 
  or insensible on a conveyor – an ally at the controls can, on their 
  turn, take a Ready maneuver to try to stop the process. Roll vs. 
  DX-based Machinist (or other skill the GM feels is relevant to this 
  facility), at +5 for the big red killswitch; that’s a DX roll for the 
  unskilled. A savior who previously took a Wait maneuver, hand 
  hovering over the switch, can act immediately to prevent all harm.
  
   
  danger! 
  18
  Examples: An assault rifle weighs 8.9 lbs., so 12 weigh 106.8 
  lbs. The GM decides 125 lbs. is “close enough” for a crateful. 
  That’s 20 HP. If this falls from three stories (24 yards) at the 
  gun factory, it does 4d+2 crushing, ¥2 for HP 20: 8d+4 crush-
  ing. Guns kill people, even without bullets.
  Entertainment Through Pain
  Aside from mechanical threats, tons (literally) of other 
  disasters await at industrial facilities, including:
  • Chemicals (pp. 9-10). Barrels of bad stuff of all kinds 
  can be emptied onto people; use a crane or pour it off an 
  upper level. Reservoirs are common, too, and often open at 
  the top – don’t fall in.
  • Electricity (pp. 12-13). Powers most machines. Indus-
  trial current shocks for 6d burning. The GM may assume 
  that cables – and Pipes (p. 26), for that matter – are unusu-
  ally common and available, giving +1 or more to rolls to 
  find ones suitable for misuse.
  • Heat (p. 16). Used to cure paint and resin, fire ceram-
  ics, shape or melt plastic and metal, etc. Huge kilns and 
  crucibles do 3d burning, while furnaces do 6d or even 6d¥2. 
  Some might be emptied onto people using cranes.
  • Heights (p. 6). As noted above, an industrial story is a 
  long drop. Assume falling one story is 2d+2, two is 3d+3, and 
  three is 4d+2 crushing.
  • Lacerations (pp. 21-22). Massive stockpiles of glass await 
  to be shattered! Sheets might be dropped from cranes – as 
  might industrial quantities of nails and sharp scrap metal.
  J is for JUNk
  Waste handling is among the 10 most dangerous occupa-
  tions of our time. Society’s leavings are often toxic (Chemicals, 
  pp. 9-10), jagged (Lacerations, pp. 21-22), or biohazardous. 
  Incinerators (Heat, p. 16), machinery for moving and com-
  pacting garbage, and the sheer mass of debris are also men-
  aces. So are junkyard dogs (Exploits, p. 46) – and murderers 
  who dispose of corpses at the dump. It’s no wonder dirty, 
  secluded dumpsites are among the 10 most popular action 
  backdrops!
  Dumpster Dangers
  Action flicks love back-alley brawls set against backdrops 
  of bags and bins of rubbish. Such scenes often begin with 
  someone tumbling or jumping into a Dumpster or trash pile 
  from a roof, fire escape, or window (Heights, p. 6). The gar-
  bage might break their fall – but not always. Roll 1d.
  Modifiers: +1 if the area is institutional as opposed to 
  domestic or commercial; e.g., outside a hospital (Medical, 
  pp. 22-23), lab (Quantum, pp. 27-28), or prison. +2 in an 
  Industrial (pp. 17-18), Resource Extraction (pp. 28-30), or 
  Worksite (pp. 37-38) environment.
  Then consult this table:
  1-2 – Soft Garbage. Halve falling damage, which remains 
  crushing, and round up. Then apply a DR of 1d-1 against it.
  3-4 – Hard Garbage. Falling damage is unmitigated but 
  remains crushing.
  5 – Sharp Garbage. Falling damage is unmitigated and 
  becomes cutting.
  6+ – Nasty Garbage. Roll 3d on the Effects table under 
  Chemicals (pp. 9-10). Also roll 1d for the fall itself: 1-2 
  means it’s soft (1-2 above), as the chemicals are viscous or 
  in squashy plastic bottles or bags; 3-4 means it’s hard (3-4 
  above), as the toxic waste is in drums; 5-6 means it’s sharp 
  (5 above), due to broken bottles.
  The GM can instead choose a result that suits the sce-
  nario – it wouldn’t do for the Dumpster outside the meth lab 
  to contain anything but sharp, nasty garbage!
  If rolling, heroes with Luck can request rerolls. Those with 
  Serendipity can specify “soft garbage” – and exemption from 
  What’s That Smell? (p. 19) – even when that result isn’t nor-
  mally possible.
  Time to Take Out the Trash: If Delivery (pp. 4-6) dumps 
  somebody in refuse at ground level, roll on the table above 
  and apply the result to the damage in Wham! (p. 6).
  Both Eyes Open, Nose Pinched Shut: If someone vaults 
  or clambers into a Dumpster using Climbing (Exploits, 
  pp. 18-19) or Parkour (Exploits, pp. 19-20) for some reason, 
  roll on the table. Soft garbage is completely safe. For hard gar-
  bage, roll 1d-3 crushing damage; the result can be 0 (Damage 
  Roll, p. B378). For sharp garbage, damage is 1d-3 cutting, 
  minimum 1. Nasty garbage remains nasty, and What’s That 
  Smell? (p. 19) remains gross.
  Traveling Worst Class
  Garbage eventually travels from that alleyway to the dump. 
  Those who go along for the ride – usually no thanks to Delivery 
  (pp. 4-6) – can end up badly mangled.
  Using the lift or compactor on a trash truck – or halting 
  one, to save an ally – takes a Ready maneuver and a Driving 
  (Construction Equipment or Heavy Wheeled) roll, at -2 
  for unfamiliarity unless the hero’s résumé includes “garbage 
  man.” Doing so requires access to the controls, one or more 
  sets of which are on the outside of such a vehicle.
  Fragrant Freight: An ordinary truck filled with rubbish – or 
  the barge that’s passing under the bridge in every action-movie 
  foot chase (or used to smuggle drugs in real life) – is nothing 
  but a moving Dumpster. Use Dumpster Dangers (above).
  We kill the weak so the strong 
  survive. You can’t stop the New World. 
  Your filthy society will never get rid  
  of people like us. It’s breeding them! 
  WE ARE THE FUTURE!
  – Night Slasher, in Cobra (1986)
  
   
  danger! 
  19
  The Tip: For a truck that lifts and empties a Dumpster into 
  it, roll 1d+4 for a “weight factor.” The GM may assign this, 
  with 5 or 6 suiting bins behind restaurants and shops, and 
  9 or 10 fitting big construction-site containers. Being under 
  the garbage when it falls inflicts 1d+1 crushing multiplied by 
  this factor.
  I Have a Crush on You: The classic rear-loader with a 
  hydraulic press slowly crushes victims to death with ST 
  2d+68; this can differ for two people in the same crusher. 
  Roll a Quick Contest between this ST and the higher of 
  each victim’s ST or HT. Total large-area (p. B400) crushing 
  damage equals the truck’s margin of victory, but it’s spread 
  out evenly over 10 seconds (drop fractions). There’s no get-
  ting out early . . . better hope a friend grabs the controls.  
  It takes seconds equal to the time spent being crushed for 
  the thing to open enough to get you out.
  Bend, Fold, Spindle, and Mutilate
  Garbage is often compressed or chopped up to 
  make it more compact. This is bad if Delivery (pp. 4-6) 
  pushes you in . . .
  I Got a Bad Feeling About This: A stationary com-
  pactor uses I Have a Crush on You (above), but is more 
  powerful: ST is 6d+64. Damage is still spread out over 
  time, making rescue possible. Killswitch (p. 17) applies, 
  usually from multiple locations, allowing DX rolls to save 
  friends. (Car crushers stop not after fixed time but when the 
  job is done, so a vehicle is doomed regardless of HP – but use 
  this lesser damage for people, even those in cars.)
  People Shredders: A shredder works like a compactor except 
  that damage is cutting; apply a ¥1.5 wounding modifier to 
  each second’s injury. For instance, if a HT 12 shooter is put 
  in a ST 85 shredder and loses by 73, she suffers 7 points of 
  cutting damage per second, meaning 10 HP of injury per turn.
  Down in the Dumps
  As ideas go, running around on garbage in a dump stinks. 
  Make a Per-based Urban Survival roll (or Per-5 roll) – at +2 
  for Danger Sense – to spot danger to avoid or exploit via 
  Delivery (pp. 4-6). Use Questionable Construction (p. 7), with 
  these differences:
  • Equivalents to Rickety Floors and Stairs require a roll for 
  Dumpster Dangers (p. 18), which modifies the damage taken 
  by legs that poke through, or in falls. It is possible to fall one 
  or two stories into a grimy grotto.
  • Equivalents to Wobbly Walls are trash, often stacked sev-
  eral stories high. If this falls on someone, it inflicts 1d dice – 1d 
  to 6d – of large-area (p. B400) crushing injury. The victim 
  is stuck until they win a Quick Contest of a ST or ST-based 
  Escape vs. ST equal to the damage roll. Each attempt takes 
  one turn and costs 1 FP.
  • Equivalents to Crumbly Moorings and Sagging Ceilings 
  and Loose Chandeliers aren’t normally present.
  Fatal Attraction
  Scrap yards use cranes with massive electromagnets to 
  move big metal objects like crushed cars. Use What Goes 
  Up (p. 17) and Must Come Down (pp. 17-18), with one extra 
  option: An attack using Driving (Construction Equipment) 
  or DX-based Freight Handling from the controls can pick 
  up a vehicle whose HP don’t exceed the crane’s ST; the driver 
  may defend with a vehicular dodge at (control skill/2) + 
  Handling, plus any Enhanced Dodge (Vehicular). Once the 
  vehicle is grabbed, it can be moved toward a hazard – crusher 
  (Bend, Fold, Spindle, and Mutilate, above), pond of molten 
  metal (Hot Stuff, p. 16), reservoir full of Chemicals (pp. 9-10), 
  etc. – or lifted up to be dropped. All at a stately Move 1, giv-
  ing occupants time to open doors and jump into Dumpster 
  Dangers (p. 18).
  k is for kITCheN
  Kitchens can’t match blast furnaces (Heat, p. 16) and fac-
  tories (Industrial, pp. 17-18) for deadliness, but they’re no less 
  popular in action flicks. It’s the rare martial-arts film that 
  doesn’t visit the service areas of an Asian restaurant – or upset 
  a noodle cart, at least – and every foreign crime lord holds 
  court in an “ethnic” eatery. Mixing heroes with bad guys in 
  close quarters with fryers and cleavers is like pouring water 
  on hot oil.
  Yeah, Well . . . I Also Cook
  The kitchen is a great place for Take-Out (p. 4). Here are a few popular menu items. The stats use the terms and notation from 
  pp. B271-274.
   Weapon 
  Damage 
  Reach 
  Parry 
  Weight 
  ST 
  Notes
  AXE/MACE (DX-5, Flail-4, or Two-Handed Axe/Mace-3)
   Ice or Meat Mallet 
  sw+1 cr 
  1 
  0 
  2 
  8
   Rolling Pin 
  sw+1 cr 
  1 
  0U 
  3 
  10 
  -1 to hit [1]
   Skillet 
  sw+2 cr 
  1 
  0U 
  5 
  12 
  -2 to hit
  What’s That Smell?
  When someone tangles with garbage via any of the possibili-
  ties under Junk (pp. 18-19), the GM may rule that injury comes 
  with insult in the form of Yuck (pp. 40-41), unless the type of 
  waste or how the victim encountered it clearly rules this out.
  
   
  danger! 
  20
   Weapon 
  Damage 
  Reach 
  Parry 
  Weight 
  ST 
  Notes
  KNIFE (DX-4, Main-Gauche-3, or Shortsword-3)
   Big Fork or Skewer 
  thr-2 imp 
  C 
  -1 
  0.25 
  5 
  -1 to hit [1]
   Carving or Utility Knife 
  sw-2 cut 
  C, 1 
  -1 
  1 
  6
    or 
  thr imp 
  C 
  -1 
  – 
  6
   Dough Cutter or Ulu Knife 
  thr cut 
  C 
  -1 
  0.5 
  5 
  -1 to hit [2]
   Huge Chef’s Knife 
  sw-1 cut 
  C, 1 
  0 
  1.5 
  7
    or 
  thr imp 
  C, 1 
  0 
  – 
  7
   Ice Pick 
  thr-1 imp 
  C 
  -1 
  0.25 
  5
   Kitchen Shears 
  thr-2 imp 
  C 
  -1 
  0.5 
  5 
  -1 to hit
   Paring Knife 
  sw-3 cut 
  C 
  -1 
  0.25 
  5
    or 
  thr-1 imp 
  C 
  -1 
  – 
  5
   Pizza Cutter 
  thr-2 cut 
  C 
  -1 
  0.25 
  5 
  -1 to hit [1]
  SHORTSWORD (DX-5, Broadsword-2, Jitte/Sai-3, Knife-4, Saber-4, Smallsword-4, or Tonfa-3)
   Cleaver 
  sw cut 
  1 
  0 
  2 
  8
  SMALLSWORD (DX-5, Main-Gauche-3, Rapier-3, Saber-3, or Shortsword-4)
   Spit 
  thr imp 
  C, 1 
  0F 
  1 
  5 
  -1 to hit
  Notes
  [1] Treat as cheap (p. B274).
  [2] Gives the hand DR 4 on a roll of 1-3 on 1d.
  Super-Size Me
  Commercial and institutional kitchens feature bigger uten-
  sils; +1 damage is easy to justify! Add about 50% to weight and 
  +2 to ST; e.g., a hefty marble rolling pin might do swing+2 
  crushing, weigh around 5 lbs., and require ST 12, while an 
  intimidating cleaver does swing+1 cutting, weighs 3 lbs., and 
  requires ST 10.
  Ouch, Hot!
  Kitchen tools often sit on hot stoves. Make a Per or Per-
  based Housekeeping roll to notice and avoid 1 point of burn-
  ing damage to the hand by picking them up carefully. These 
  acquire a linked 1-point burning attack for 1d seconds after 
  they’re taken off the heat.
  Keep Fingers Away From Blade
  Then there are the chef’s equivalent of power tools. This list 
  touches on the major food groups.
  Blender or Food Processor: A hand forced inside via 
  Manhandling (pp. 4-5) takes 1d-3 cutting per second.
  Dishwasher, Freezer, or Refrigerator: These machines aren’t 
  easily abused, but institutional versions offer heavy doors to 
  use with Slam! (p. 7) after manhandling a hand or head into 
  harm’s way. A big restaurant dishwasher that’s been run-
  ning steadily does 1 point of burning damage to those held 
  against it.
  Garbage Disposal: Manhandling can shove a hand down 
  one of these. It’s designed to chop through bone, and inflicts 
  1d cutting per second. It’s also designed to suck things in; vic-
  tims must break free from ST 10 or continue to take damage 
  until the hand is severed. Shoving someone’s clothing in (-2 on 
  the initial manhandling attempt) tightens it, restraining them; 
  each turn the victim fails to break free from ST 10, the body 
  part inside the clothing (e.g., neck for a necktie) takes crush-
  ing damage equal to the margin of loss.
  Mixer: A handheld mixer can be used to chase people 
  around, attacking at DX or DX-based Housekeeping; a hit 
  is harmless unless aimed at a nose, finger, etc., which does 1 
  point of damage. A stand mixer requires manhandling, but is 
  powerful enough to do 1d-3 crushing or cutting per second, 
  depending on the attachment. It can also snag clothing as per 
  a garbage disposal (above).
  Spicy!
  Many spices – cinnamon, black pepper, mustard, chili, hot 
  curry powder, etc. – are irritants when ingested via routes 
  besides the mouth (and sometimes even then). Quickly rec-
  ognizing something suitable on the spice rack requires a Per-
  based Housekeeping roll.
  Attacking with powder or hot sauce requires a DX or 
  DX-based Housekeeping roll, at -5 for the face. The attack 
  has Acc 1 and Max 2 (the GM may be generous with liquids 
  in squeeze bottles, assigning Max 3-4 and allowing Liquid 
  Projector skill). The target may block or dodge, but not parry.
  Spices work like feeble self-defense spray: The victim must 
  make two HT rolls: one to resist coughing (see Afflictions, 
  p. B428), another to resist blindness (p. B124). Both effects 
  endure for seconds equal to margin of failure. These HT rolls 
  could have any modifier from +1 (stale pepper) to -4 (chili); 
  the GM may choose this or roll 1d-5. Something exotic, like 
  ghost chili, might be equal to real pepper spray: -4 to HT and 
  a duration of minutes, not seconds!
  Jordan: You’re not a cook.
  Ryback: Yeah, well . . .  
  I also cook.
  – Under Siege (1992)
  
   
  danger! 
  21
  Just Plain Hot
  Hot Stuff (p. 16) covers most kitchen heat sources: Treat 
  almost anything used for cooking (flattop, pizza oven, stove, 
  etc.) as an oven or stovetop on “low,” “medium,” or “high” – or 
  as a barbecue grill, if open flame is involved. Damage ranges 
  from 1d-1 to 2d burning. For more variability, roll 1d: 1 is 
  1d-1, 2 is 1d, 3 is 1d+1, 4 is 1d+2, 5 is 2d-1, 6 is 2d. Exploit-
  ing heat requires Delivery (pp. 4-6), usually Manhandling 
  (pp. 4-5).
  Some special cases:
  Griddle, Hotplate, Toaster, or Waffle Iron: If manhandling 
  sticks a hand into or onto one of these or another hot small 
  appliance, damage is 1d-3 burning per turn.
  Hot Liquids: A pot of scalding liquid – coffee fresh from 
  the coffee maker, boiling soup, etc. – does 1d-3 burning. Treat 
  this as an attack at DX or DX-based Housekeeping, with Acc 
  1 and Max 3; the target may block or dodge, but not parry. 
  Hits to the face (-5 to hit) also blind for 1d seconds. Hot oil is 
  nastier: Damage is 1d+1, and on a face hit, the victim must 
  roll vs. HT; success means 1d seconds of blindness, but failure 
  or critical failure spells lasting or permanent blindness; see 
  Duration of Crippling Injuries (p. B422).
  Microwave Oven: Abuse requires manhandling a head 
  or hand inside. Each turn this works, the attacker can try 
  a DX-based Housekeeping roll to bypass the safety switch 
  and nuke the victim. Success inflicts 1 HP of direct injury that 
  turn; failure means the victim gets the margin of failure as a 
  bonus to break free on their next turn.
  l is for lACeRATIONS
  Many entries in this dictionary will cut you – especially 
  Tools (pp. 33-34), and stuff on the Farm (pp. 13-14) and in 
  the Kitchen (pp. 19-21) – but sometimes bleeding takes center 
  stage. It’s as if action-movie directors think, “Hmm, a 23-story 
  drop isn’t impressive enough. Put a huge, razor-blade-shaped 
  sculpture at the bottom.” Certainly, because action heroes and 
  their enemies gleefully exploit any edge they can, every jagged 
  prop is a Chekhov’s gun (well, Chekhov’s razor).
  Hard Crack
  Want to tell the world your movie is an action flick? Toss 
  somebody through a window. Cinematic glass can slice you 
  up if it’s in the shape of a broken bottle (see below), but not 
  if you crash through it bodily – a trick made possible by fake 
  glass, once made from sugar and now from resin.
  And the GM can run things that way!
  But in a gritty story, when someone collides violently with 
  glass – meaning Wham! (p. 6) if traveling horizontally or Falls 
  (Exploits, p. 19) for vertical misadventures – roll damage and 
  compare it to the pane’s DR and HP: DR 1, HP 3 for most plate 
  glass, more for security glass; see Glass (Exploits, p. 21). If 
  damage is less than DR + HP, the glass holds and the victim 
  suffers crushing damage as usual.
  When damage equals or exceeds the glass’ DR + HP, though, 
  the pane shatters. Roll 3d for the victim’s fate:
  3-4 – Horrific accident! Victim pierced by a huge fragment. 
  Convert crushing damage to impaling. Roll 1d: On 1, injury 
  is to the vitals; on 2-6, it’s to the torso.
  5-7 – Messy accident. Convert crushing damage to cutting.
  8-10 – Impact and minor cut. Usual crushing damage and 
  1d-2(0.5) cutting to one randomly chosen hit location.
  11-12 – Impact and minor cuts. Usual crushing damage and 
  1d-2(0.5) cutting to two randomly chosen hit locations.
  13-14 – Impact and major laceration. Usual crushing damage 
  and 1d+1(0.5) cutting to one randomly chosen hit location.
  15-16 – Impact and major lacerations. Usual crushing damage 
  and 1d+1(0.5) cutting to two randomly chosen hit locations.
  17-18 – Miraculous escape! Glass breaks the impact or fall. 
  Crushing damage equals DR + HP, no matter how big it 
  should have been, and that’s it – no bleeding.
  Regardless of the roll, if the glass breaks, the victim’s rest-
  ing place and the ground one yard around it is (that person’s 
  hexes and all adjacent hexes) are now full of broken glass; see 
  The Glint of Light on Broken Glass (below). The GM may extend 
  this further for a single, huge pane undivided by muntins!
  The Glint of Light on Broken Glass
  Negotiating a floor strewn with sharp objects – broken 
  glass, nails, sheet-metal burrs, etc. – is risky. Every turn, any-
  body moving on foot through the area takes damage to the 
  feet for each yard crossed. Delivery (pp. 4-6) counts: If you stay 
  standing, use the distance traveled; if you end up lying down, 
  you receive a flat four doses of damage instead.
  bottle serviCe
  A liquor (or similar) bottle makes a serviceable 
  club, dealing swing-1 crushing damage at reach 1 
  using Axe/Mace skill at -2. Roll 1d on any strike or 
  parry; 1-3 means it’s now a broken bottle. To deliber-
  ately break it with an attack (usually by cracking it on 
  something hard – like a bar – to do swing-1 crushing 
  to the bottle), assume DR 1 and HP 1-4, depending on 
  size and thickness. For a random booze bottle at the 
  pub, roll 1d-2 for HP (minimum HP 1).
  A broken bottle does swing-3(0.5) cutting or 
  thrust-1(0.5) impaling at reach C, using Knife skill at 
  -2. It cannot parry. It breaks beyond all usefulness on 
  1-3 on 1d on any strike.
  When a bottle shatters on an attack or parry, a 1 
  on the breakage roll inflicts thrust cutting damage on 
  the hand, based on your ST. If grasping it and trying to 
  break it, roll 1d; 1 means the same thing.
  Regardless of how a bottle breaks, it scatters 
  broken glass across a one-yard-wide circle (one 
  hex). See The Glint of Light on Broken Glass (above)  
  for effects.
  
   
  danger! 
  22
  Damage is thrust-3 cutting based on the victim’s ST, to a 
  randomly chosen foot – or, after falling down, to a random hit 
  location. Minimum basic cutting damage is 1 point per attack 
  (p. B378), DR protects normally, and maximum injury is 2 HP 
  per attack.
  Example: A mob thug with ST 13 (thrust 1d) and DR 1 Guc-
  cis staggers three yards through broken glass but doesn’t fall. 
  His feet take damage three times. Each roll is 1d-3 cutting vs. 
  DR 1; 1-4 on the die means no injury, 5 means 1 HP of injury, 
  6 means 2 HP of injury.
  He Got the Point
  The “grand finale” of bloody ends is Delivery (pp. 4-6) 
  into or a fall onto sharp scenery. This converts damage from 
  Wham! (p. 6) or Falls (Exploits, p. 19) to cutting for, say, 
  the cinematically sharp sickle of a Soviet-era sculpture, or 
  to impaling for something like a wrought-iron fence topped 
  with ominous spikes, or a lightning rod. This is never large-
  area injury; roll for a random hit location. Such outcomes are 
  always gory, though, so if the body part is an extremity or 
  limb, don’t ignore injury in excess of a crippling wound – sub-
  tract the full amount from HP!
  m is for meDICAl
  Gutless killers may stalk vulnerable heroes who are 
  recovering in hospital. Medical facilities offer these murder-
  ers and their ostensibly unarmed targets many deadly toys, 
  plus opportunities to misuse Chemicals (pp. 9-10), inflict 
  Lacerations (pp. 21-22), and exploit bad science (Quantum, 
  pp. 27-28) and icky stuff (Yuck, pp. 40-41). Medics occa-
  sionally resort to such violence in the field; wicked doctors 
  who delight in lobotomies and shock therapy, and the organ 
  thieves of urban myth, often do.
  ER & OR
  Many tools go from lifesaving to lethal in untrained 
  hands – or in the hands of those bent on mayhem. Most of 
  these are obviously dangerous, but finding a specific item 
  stat requires a Per-based Diagnosis, First Aid, Physician, or 
  Surgery roll.
  Bandages and Tourniquets: Cloth or elastic bandage (not 
  gauze) can act as a garrote at no penalty to Garrote skill. So 
  can a ready-made tourniquet.
  Bone Saw: There’s always one sitting around, even though 
  they’re not used all that often. An unpowered cutter is a spe-
  cialized hacksaw, and portable; a powered one has a cord long 
  enough to cross the room in which it’s used. Use Axe/Mace 
  at -3 or DX-based Surgery to hit with either in close combat. 
  A manual one inflicts swing-3 cutting, and can parry; a pow-
  ered one delivers a fixed 2 points cutting, and cannot parry. 
  Crippling damage to a limb amputates it!
  Cast: Someone with a limb in a cast can risk whacking 
  people with it! This is a kick or punch at standard posture 
  penalties (e.g., -4 when lying in bed, or -2 when sitting in a 
  wheelchair), plus another -4 for bulkiness and the fact that the 
  body part is healing from a crippling injury, so the whole body 
  must be turned to deliver an attack. A hit inflicts +1 damage 
  for hardness, and the body part has DR 2, but the patient must 
  roll vs. HT after each blow; failure means any time spent heal-
  ing is reset to zero.
  Cautery: The wand or “pen” is useful within a yard or 
  maybe two of the main unit. It gets hot. Roll vs. Knife at -2 
  or DX-based Surgery to hit in close combat. Damage is 1d-3 
  burning when abused as a weapon. Cannot parry.
  Defibrillator: This requires a hand on each paddle, and 
  both paddles must hit. This involves two DX-4 rolls (the -4 
  is for Dual-Weapon Attack) in close combat – but users with 
  Physician skill may make two unpenalized DX-based rolls 
  instead. A successful double hit counts as a jolt from a stun 
  gun (Heroes, p. 33), but with a HT-4 roll. It has 20 “shots.”
  IV Stand: These hefty metal poles are ubiquitous in medi-
  cal settings. Treat as a clumsy maul: -2 to Two-Handed Axe/
  Mace skill and only swing+1 crushing damage.
  Needle: A hypodermic needle stick inflicts 1 point(0.5) 
  impaling. The armor divisor means any DR stops it, and skin 
  gets DR 1; the latter prevents injury but not injection. Eyes 
  have DR 0. Large-bore needles, like those intended for tra-
  cheotomies, do thrust-3 impaling (maximum 1d-2 imp). A 
  needle attached to a full syringe may inject a follow-up attack 
  (Pharmacy, below). Needles use Knife skill at -1 in close com-
  bat, and cannot parry. Pushing the plunger immediately after 
  a successful stab (rather than slowly) calls for a DX-based 
  Pharmacy, Physician, Poisons, or Surgery roll.
  Scalpel: A scalpel is small but razor-sharp. Use Knife or 
  DX-based Surgery to hit in close combat. Damage is thrust-1 
  cutting (maximum 1d-2 cut). A scalpel cannot parry, and is so 
  light that if parried by anything but bare hands, it breaks on 
  1-3 on 1d.
  Surgical Laser: Useful only within two yards of the machin-
  ery to which it’s attached. Use Knife at -2 or DX-based Surgery 
  to hit at reach C, 1. Damage is 1d-3 tight-beam burning, and 
  can be parried (by parrying the wielder’s hand). Cannot parry.
  Pharmacy
  While medical drugs can be dangerous if misused, even 
  over-the-top movies rarely depict attackers forcing some-
  body to swallow a pill or liquid – or putting an anesthesia 
  mask on someone – and then waiting for the effects to kick 
  in. It’s too silly.
  Hypodermics (Needles, above), on the other hand, are men-
  acing. In an action scene, a Per-based Pharmacy, Physician, 
  or Poisons roll finds something of use. Roll at full skill if 
  searching among labeled vials or syringes, or at -4 to guess 
  from context (the sign on the door, how a patient is prepped, 
  etc.). The latter is typical when examining loaded syringes, 
  which aren’t often labeled.
  Success finds something that inflicts fatigue or toxic dam-
  age, as the searcher desires. Roll 1d for the HT penalty to 
  resist (HT-1 to HT-6). A failed HT roll costs the victim 1d FP 
  or HP. Critical success on the search – or Serendipity – gives 
  a choice between “hard to resist” (a fixed HT-6 roll, but the 
  usual 1d FP or HP) or “strong” (random HT penalty, but 2d 
  FP or HP).
  
   
  danger! 
  23
  Any failure on the search – or not rolling – means grabbing 
  drugs at random. Roll 1d: 1-4 finds something with no useful 
  short-term effects, 5 gives something that does 1d FP, 6 yields 
  something that does 1d HP. The resistance penalty for the lat-
  ter two remains random (roll 1d).
  If what’s found is a vial, not a filled syringe, it takes four 
  Ready maneuvers to prepare in two hands: one to grab the 
  vial, one to pick up a syringe, one to insert the syringe into  
  the vial, and one to draw the drug into the syringe. A DX-based 
  Pharmacy, Physician, or Poisons roll shaves off one Ready 
  maneuver, as does a Fast-Draw (Medical Gear) roll; success 
  at both reduces the needed time to two seconds.
  Radiology
  Almost the only way to get somebody into an imaging device 
  is through trickery, with a couple of cinematic exceptions.
  Magnetic Resonance Imaging Scanner: The danger here 
  is the powerful magnet. In action movies, switching this on 
  requires a Diagnosis or Physician roll; each attempt is a 
  Concentrate maneuver. Once activated, anything ferromag-
  netic in the room – steel, for instance – is pulled toward the 
  device. Anybody with holstered weapons (guns, knives, etc.), 
  buckles, or other steel firmly attached to them must roll a 
  Quick Contest vs. ST 10 or be dragged a yard toward the 
  machine; anybody holding such gear must win a Quick Con-
  test vs. ST 12 or lose the item. Articles like that are never kept 
  in the room, but a handful of small metal objects tossed in 
  there (an attack) means everybody is whacked for 1d-1 dam-
  age – usually crushing, but possibly cutting for something 
  like scalpels!
  X-Ray Machine: Someone can be moved in front of an 
  X-ray source – or a “nuclear medicine” device – via Delivery 
  (pp. 4-6). If they stay put, or if the attacker has a colleague at 
  the controls, the victim can be irradiated. Take a Concentrate 
  maneuver and make a Diagnosis or Physician roll to turn 
  on the equipment in a hurry. Realistically, even gross misuse 
  wouldn’t accomplish much in combat time, but Radiation 
  (pp. B435-436) doesn’t suit GURPS Action. Action-movie 
  X-rays fry people: 1 HP of direct injury per second.
  Harry: I’m going to kill you pretty soon.
  Samir: I see. How, exactly?
  Harry: First I’m going to use you as a human shield. Then I’m going to kill this guard 
  over here with the Patterson trocar on the table. And then I was thinking about breaking 
  your neck.
  – True Lies (1994)
  n is for NAUTICAl
  The sea is a harsh mistress – toy with her and you’ll end up 
  drowned, broken against the rocks, or eaten by Big Fish (Zoo, 
  pp. 41-42). While such forces of nature aren’t the focus of this 
  work, cunning or desperate heroes and villains sometimes use 
  the ocean’s might as a weapon, maneuvering foes into danger. 
  Deliberately misusing technology intended for work or sur-
  vival on or near the water is even more common in action 
  stories.
  In the Drink
  Using Delivery (pp. 4-6) to put somebody in the water is a 
  matter of making sure they run out of land before they run 
  out of movement. Around scenic lighthouses and piers – or 
  aboard ship – Safety First! (p. 5) applies. On the docks or in 
  the middle of nowhere, railings are unlikely.
  Shallow water is bad footing: +1 movement point per yard 
  (hex) to cross; -2 to attack rolls, DX rolls to remain stand-
  ing, and Acrobatics and Jumping rolls; and -1 on active  
  defense rolls.
  Deep water (over a person’s head) is the focus of these 
  rules. Anyone pushed, thrown, or tricked into it must roll vs. 
  Swimming (p. B354) at once, with doubled encumbrance 
  penalties (making life difficult – and short – for those weighed 
  down with kit) and without +3 for entering intentionally. 
  Failure costs 1 FP and means further rolls every five turns (see 
  Suffocation, p. B436). The victim can do nothing but struggle 
  until a roll succeeds.
  Some wrinkles:
  Fatal Waves: Rough water can give up to -5 to Swimming 
  rolls; the GM may choose this or roll 1d-1 for penalty size 
  (0 to -5). Any penalty means a risk of being swept off the 
  rocks or overboard by waves. A Per-based Scuba, Survival 
  (Island/Beach), or Swimming roll ashore – or Boating or 
  Seamanship roll at sea – identifies danger zones to avoid or 
  exploit. Use Delivery (pp. 4-6) to put someone there. The GM 
  rolls 1d each turn for those at risk; a roll less than or equal to 
  the penalty size indicates a wave, and the victims must win a 
  Quick Contest vs. ST (10 + penalty size) or end up in the water. 
  Near shore, each turn in the water means being pummeled 
  against rocks for thrust-3 crushing for this ST. For instance, if 
  the penalty is -2, a wave with ST 12 strikes on 1-2 on 1d, and 
  anyone it sweeps up is at -2 to Swimming and bashed for 1d-4 
  crushing per turn.
  Slippery Surfaces: Even without waves, water can make 
  decks and rocks dangerously slick. Make a Per roll – or the Per-
  based roll noted for Fatal Waves (above), if better – to notice 
  such areas, either to avoid or exploit. They cost +1 movement 
  point per yard (hex) to cross, and give -2 to attack rolls, DX 
  and ST rolls to stay standing or avoid getting swept into the 
  water, and -1 on active defense rolls.
  
   
  danger! 
  24
  Icy Waters: In chilly water, apply the effects of the first min-
  ute of Thermal Shock (p. B430) immediately: Roll vs. HT, with 
  success sapping 1 FP and failure costing FP equal to margin 
  of failure.
  Cement Shoes: To attach something heavy to somebody 
  (to drown them!), first take a Ready maneuver to grab a line 
  affixed to an anchor, departing submarine, etc. Whipping it 
  around someone from 1-4 yards away is an attack at -4; use 
  Kusari for a chain, Whip for a rope. To wrap it around some-
  one in close combat, attack using Knot-Tying; your foe may 
  dodge or parry. The target can detach this if they have a free 
  hand and take a Ready maneuver to make a DX roll – but if 
  they can’t or won’t, or fail, or if your allies act first, the weight 
  may drag them to their doom! There are endless options, 
  from a DX-based Seamanship roll to drop anchor to a ST 
  roll to shove a heavy object off a pier. If this works, the victim 
  is dragged under and makes all associated Swimming rolls 
  at -6 for Heavy or -8 for Extra-Heavy encumbrance; even if 
  they succeed, the DX roll to get free is at -2 underwater.
  Getting Out: Someone failing Swimming rolls can only 
  thrash and struggle. Someone who makes a roll can get out if 
  there’s a gentle slope, ladder, safety line, or similar – but this 
  still occupies five seconds.
  Shipboard Screw-Ups
  Action heroes board cruise ships captured by modern-day 
  pirates, freighters used by smugglers, and yachts owned by 
  wealthy criminals. Seagoing vessels are dangerous places, 
  offering:
  • Ladders (steep “staircases”) and upper decks to fall 
  from. Accounting for pipes and wiring, 4 yards/deck is typi-
  cal, so being shoved down a ladder means 2d-1 crushing. See 
  Heights (p. 6).
  • Hatches heavy enough to do +1 damage to those they 
  crush. See Slam! (p. 7).
  • Cranes that can suspend one-ton tunas (HP 25), hoist 
  lifeboats (HP 50-60), or shift cargo containers (HP 155-165). 
  See What Goes Up (p. 17) and Must Come Down (pp. 17-18).
  • Ways to end up overboard. See Heights (again), Fatal 
  Waves (p. 23), and Cement Shoes above).
  • Slick decks. See Slippery Surfaces (p. 23).
  • Propellers to butcher swimmers. See Vehicles (pp. 35-37).
  Some additional possibilities:
  On the Ropes: Ships have lines for all manner of purposes: 
  attaching anchors (rodes), dragging (tow cables), moor-
  ing (docklines), trawling (warp wires), and more. Someone 
  deposited in tangled ropes via Delivery (pp. 4-6) is grappled 
  by the torso, and must break free from ST 8 to leave; each 
  attempt requires a Ready maneuver, and if knockback was 
  involved, the DX roll to avoid falling down has an extra -2.
  Winched and Lynched: Lines are often attached to pow-
  ered winches. Manhandling (pp. 4-5) can hold a foe against 
  the rapidly spooling line to give a nasty case of rope burn; 
  this does thrust crushing damage for the attacker’s ST, at +1 
  to +3 (1d/2, rounded up). An attacker can use Knot-Tying or 
  DX-based or Freight Handling or Seamanship in the man-
  handling attempt to get the victim pulled by the line rather 
  than damaged; a winch has ST comparable to a crane (at 
  least ST 20), which is the ST to use if the victim wants to 
  resist being pulled, tries to break free, or ends up strangled 
  or mangled (Quick Contest between this and the higher of 
  the victim’s ST or HT, inflicting crushing damage equal to 
  margin of victory).
  Net Loss: Fishing vessels may carry nets. Being shoved 
  into a net works like On the Ropes (above). Dropping a net on 
  someone from an upper deck or crane is worse: The victim 
  requires at least one free hand, and must make three success-
  ful DX-4 rolls, to get free. Each attempt is a Ready maneuver, 
  during which time no other actions are possible.
  Boom! Sailboats – like yachts – have not just 
  lines but also dangerous booms. If swinging around 
  unsecured, these can be dodged. To use that in 
  combat, spot the boom before your victim does and 
  make sure they don’t see it coming and dodge – a 
  dirty trick (p. B405) that involves winning a Quick 
  Contest of IQ-based Boating or Seamanship vs. 
  the better of their Per or Per-based Boating or 
  Seamanship. If a boom is secured, a Ready maneu-
  ver and Boating or DX-based Seamanship roll can 
  free it to hit someone. A boom does thrust crushing 
  damage based on 1/2 of the vessel’s ST/HP if it has 
  one mast, 1/3 if two, or 1/4 if three.
  Diving Dooms
  Spy and commando stories feature 3D battles underwater, 
  with spearguns, propellers, and maybe sharks. Some related 
  gear is dangerous out of the water.
  Air Tanks: If the valve (-9 to hit, DR 6, HP 6) is shot off 
  a scuba tank, the cylinder becomes a dangerous projec-
  tile – everybody at Close or Short range (Exploits, p. 31) has a 
  6 or less chance of being hit. Unless dodged, the tank inflicts 
  3d crushing damage to a random hit location. Shooting the 
  body of the tank (-2 to hit, DR 6, HP 13) can produce similar 
  results, but in cinematic tradition, roll 1d: On 1, it explodes for 
  6d¥5 cr ex! Luck allows rerolls of random hits or explosions; 
  a use of Serendipity, or two character points, can specify 
  that a specific foe is hit by a tank, or that the tank blows up.
  Diving Chambers: These allow divers to adapt to the 
  depths, and take a while to be dangerous in real life. In 
  action movies, they make people puff up and burst. Use 
  Doors (pp. 6-7) to lock someone inside. It then takes a Scuba 
  skill roll to operate the machinery – a Ready maneuver. After 
  that, victim(s) must roll vs. HT every turn, at +2 for civilian 
  gear, -2 for naval equipment, or -4 for deep-sea exploration 
  tech. They suffer HP of injury equal to margin of failure. 
  Death means exploding messily.
  Kelly was a seaman, and his life  
  on the water followed a strict routine,  
  which meant observing all the safety rules 
  that had been written in the blood of less 
  careful men.
  – Tom Clancy, Without Remorse
  
   
  danger! 
  25
  o is for ORDNANCe
  GURPS has volumes packed with weapons, including 
  many that go BOOM – but not everything that explodes is 
  designed for combat. Mines (Resource Extraction, pp. 28-30) 
  and construction sites (Worksite, pp. 37-38) use explosives, 
  too. At the small end of the scale are the poppers and bangers 
  Mom and Dad warned would blow your fingers off. In GURPS 
  Action, “designed for combat” is merely a matter of perspec-
  tive, especially if the squad includes a demolition man!
  Snap, Crackle, and Pop
  Small, over-the-counter fireworks aren’t that dangerous 
  and are found everywhere, especially in Chinatown (a com-
  mon stop for GURPS Action 3: Furious Fists heroes). Large 
  pyrotechnics can cause real harm.
  Firecracker: Firecrackers start at 1d-5 cr ex and range up 
  to 1d-3 cr ex for huge ones like the “M-80.” Crushing damage 
  can be 0 (Damage Roll, p. B378) – and as damage is small and 
  falls off rapidly with distance, assess it only if the firecracker 
  hits somebody (use DX-3 or Throwing). Alternatively, attempt 
  Manhandling (pp. 4-5) while holding a lit firecracker, at -2 to 
  put it in a hand and hold it closed, -4 to poke it into a nostril 
  or ear. Treat the blast as a contact explosion (maximum dam-
  age), not an internal explosion. A firecracker in the ear will 
  deafen that ear, giving Hard of Hearing (p. B138), or Deafness 
  (p. B129) if both ears are done; this lasts (20 - HT) minutes, 
  and the victim must roll vs. HT after the fight, with critical 
  failure making the disadvantage permanent.
  Lots of Firecrackers: If a string of firecrackers is lit, treat 
  this as a constant 1d-5 cr ex in a one-yard circle (hex), even if 
  not touching them, for 10 seconds – there isn’t much chance of 
  harm, but crackers are hopping all over! If a crate takes burn-
  ing damage at the firecracker factory, the result is a full-on 1d 
  crushing explosion every second for 30 seconds.
  Roman Candle: This shoots small “stars” (fireballs). The 
  number of projectiles varies widely – the GM may just roll 
  3d – and they are shot at a fixed rate of one every two sec-
  onds, with no way to control this. A tube held in hand can 
  be pointed, allowing attacks at Guns (Grenade Launcher) 
  (defaults to DX-4) at -2, with Acc 0, Bulk -1, and a maximum 
  useful range of 10 yards. A hit does 1 point(0.5) burning; treat 
  DR 0 clothing as DR 1, which prevents harm, but exposed 
  skin takes damage. Some models shoot exploding stars; treat 
  this as a linked 1d-5 cr ex. Holding onto the hot tube means 
  the attacker suffers 1 point of burning damage to the hand 
  per 10 stars fired.
  Bottle Rocket: These use Guns (Rocket Launcher) 
  (defaults to DX-4) at -4, with Acc 0, Bulk -1, and a maximum 
  effective range of 20 yards. A hit does 1d-4(0.5) crushing. 
  The little “pop” at the end is a linked 1d-4 cr ex. Critical 
  misses have the usual results plus 1 point burning to the 
  attacker’s hand.
  Timing? Lighting a fuse is a Ready maneuver for some-
  one holding a lighter, smoking a stogie, or otherwise carry-
  ing flame. Pyrotechnic fuses are slow and safe by design. To 
  tinker with one so a device goes off when desired requires an 
  Explosives (Fireworks) roll when lighting it. Failure – or not 
  rolling – means a delay of 1d seconds. A Roman candle star or 
  bottle rocket isn’t impact fused, and shouldn’t explode when it 
  hits, but GURPS Action ignores this.
  Ooh! Ah! Most fireworks used for professional displays are 
  mortars that lob good-sized shells. Hitting anyone requires 
  access to the firing system (i.e., control panel) and a vic-
  tim in the right spot. Use Per-based Artillery (Cannon) or 
  Explosives (Fireworks) to identify a threat area; make a 
  DX-based attack roll to shoot. At close range, the usual effect 
  is 1d+1(0.5) cr – but a use of Serendipity, or two character 
  points, can specify a freak burst that does 2d+1 burn ex, 2d+1 
  cr ex, or even one linked to the other (the GM specifies which, 
  or rolls 1d: 1-3 is burning, 4-5 is crushing, 6 is both).
  Flare Flair
  Flares are common improvised weapons!
  Hand Flare: The classic road flare works like a baton with 
  reach 1. Use Shortsword at -2 to hit. Damage is 1d-4 burn-
  ing. Though solid enough for parrying, it breaks as if cheap 
  (p. B274).
  tHings tHat aren’t suPPosed to go boom
  Below are other things that blow up in action mov-
  ies. These can inflict a lot of damage – when making 
  something cinematically explosive, also allow Cinematic 
  Explosions (Exploits, p. 38)!
  Chemicals (pp. 9-10): See Effects (pp. 9-10) to blow up 
  explosive chemicals.
  Propane Tanks: A fuel cylinder has DR 6. Pierced by 
  non-crushing damage, it will leak gas. If there’s fire within 
  a yard – or the tank is in a fire when damaged – it’ll 
  explode! (Using Serendipity or spending two character 
  points sets off a blast without fire.) A camp-stove canister 
  does 4d¥2 burn ex, larger ones used by RVs and grills do 
  6d¥5 burn ex, and huge storage tanks do 6d¥24 burn ex or 
  more. In all cases, fragmentation is 1d cutting.
  Wrecked Vehicles: Unlikely to blow up in reality, these 
  explode readily on film! If a vehicle that consumes flam-
  mable fuel is already incapacitated – see Damage and 
  Wipeouts (Exploits, p. 35) for how this usually hap-
  pens – shooting the fuel tank may detonate it. This is an 
  attack at -3. On a hit, ignore damage but roll vs. the vehi-
  cle’s HT, at -3 for a burning or explosive attack. Failure 
  means a 6d¥(HP/10) crushing explosion, rounded up; e.g., 
  a sports car with ST/HP 57 explodes for 6d¥6 cr ex. Frag-
  mentation is 1d cutting.
  
   
  danger! 
  26
  Signal Flare: Whether shot from a single-use launcher 
  (Acc 0, Bulk -1, -2 to skill) or a flare pistol (Acc 1, Bulk -2, 
  no skill penalty, three seconds to reload), an aerial flare 
  uses Guns (Grenade Launcher). At up to 10 yards, it goes 
  thwack: 1d-2(0.5) cr for the disposable, 1d-1(0.5) cr for 
  the pistol. Beyond that, to 70 yards for the disposable or 
  300 yards for the pistol, it has a linked 1d burning attack. 
  Although it burns for a total of 10 seconds, it won’t stick 
  into or onto a target unless the shooter uses Serendipity 
  or spends two character points. It reliably – if cinemati-
  cally – ignites flammable Chemicals (pp. 9-10), gasoline, 
  etc. at any range, though.
  Big Bada-Boom
  Construction and mining explosives are stable . . . except 
  in the movies. If violence breaks out in a scene featuring 
  Blowing Stuff Up (Exploits, pp. 24-25) or Bomb Disposal 
  (Exploits, p. 28), with charges already in place, people 
  who know where the explosives are – roll Per-based Engi-
  neer (Combat) or Explosives (Demolition or EOD) if 
  unsure – may shoot at them to detonate them prematurely. 
  Treat this as an attack at -3, using the lower of the shooter’s 
  Guns and DX-based Engineer or Explosives. Roll 1d per hit; 
  on 1, the explosives go off! Using Serendipity or spending 
  two character points guarantees it.
  P is for PIPeS
  . . . and plumbing, pump, and pressure. Ordinary buildings 
  (Architecture, pp. 6-7) have pipes for water and heating (Heat, 
  p. 16). Medical (pp. 22-23) and research setups (Quantum, 
  pp. 27-28) circulate other substances, notably Chemicals 
  (pp. 9-10). Industrial (pp. 17-18) sites have all of the above, 
  at extreme temperatures and pressures. Canny action heroes 
  might press opponents against hot or cold pipes, or break 
  open conduits and direct the withering flow at their enemies.
  Running Hot and Cold
  Most pipes aren’t dangerous unless you collide with them: 
  Wham! (p. 6) applies, and the GM might assess +1 damage 
  for bouncing off a steel tube – or a cast-iron radiator – rather 
  than the wall behind it. There are exceptions:
  Hot: Hot pipes should be insulated, but sometimes the 
  ducts exist for heating, other times infrastructure is in dis-
  repair (common in the “abandoned” facilities beloved by vil-
  lains), and in rare cases the heat is too intense to contain. 
  Treat this as Hot Stuff (p. 16): Momentary contact does dam-
  age once, Manhandling (pp. 4-5) can hold someone there for 
  repeated doses. Burning damage per second is 1 point for 
  household hot-water pipes, 1d-3 for industrial hot-water or 
  household steam pipes, 1d-1 for industrial steam pipes, and 
  from 1d (heavy water) to 3d (molten lead, glowing cheery 
  red) for coolant pipes carrying heat away from a reactor. 
  This won’t set fires.
  Cold: Freezing pipes are rarer, and usually insulated as 
  part of refrigeration systems. If bare, they work as hot pipes, 
  doing thermal damage that’s treated as burning but incapa-
  ble of setting fires. Almost all common refrigerant lines would 
  do 1 point, but big industrial ones might manage 1d-3. While 
  exotic cryogenic conduits are always insulated, those exposed 
  by previous damage could inflict 1d-1 or 1d.
  Perilous Pipelines
  The other way pipes enter into action scenes is by being 
  broken and their contents directed at enemies.
  Combat Plumbing: Pipes can have any DR and HP, but in 
  a hurry, DR 6, HP 6 works for homes and small vehicles (e.g., 
  cars); DR 8, HP 8 for institutions, light industry, and large 
  vehicles (e.g., warships); and DR 22+, HP 22+ for heavy indus-
  try and massive infrastructure. Pipes in disrepair are weaker! 
  To gauge how tough a pipe is – or to spot unmaintained 
  pipes – make an Urban Survival or Per-based Machinist roll. 
  Any attack that reduces a pipe’s HP to 0 breaks it. Forcing 
  (Exploits, p. 21) works, too; Forced Entry gives its usual 
  bonus in the Quick Contest, and grabbing (or being cuffed to 
  . . .) and hanging from a pipe overhead or high on the wall 
  gives its own +2.
  Hosed! Once a pipe breaks, it can be grabbed in two hands 
  (a Ready maneuver unless hanging from the pipe) and used 
  to hose people down! A loose pipe has enough “give” to be 
  pointed at anyone in front of it, but the more rigid it is (higher 
  DR), the harder. Any Liquid Projector skill works, at -1 per 
  DR 3 or fraction thereof; e.g., -2 around the house, -3 at the 
  factory, or -8 to maneuver tubes big enough to crawl in. This 
  is a jet (a melee attack) with reach dependent on pressure; the 
  GM may set this or roll 1d. The target may dodge. If the pipe is 
  hot or cold and uninsulated, you take the damage in Running 
  Hot and Cold (above) each turn – it applies once, but if it’s 
  enough to cripple a hand, both hands are crippled. Effects of 
  being hosed depend on the contents:
  • Chemicals (pp. 9-10) produce their usual effects. Poi-
  sonous glop delivers one dose per turn. Corrosive substances 
  produce the effects of a splash, typically 1d-3 corrosion, each 
  second. Flammable liquids just make the recipient prone to 
  catching fire later – but any flammable stuff ignited by fire 
  anywhere along the stream changes the effects to those of a 
  flamethrower that does 1d to 3d burning (1d/2 dice, rounded 
  up), as large-area injury (p. B400), with unsealed DR count-
  ing at 1/5 value. Explosive liquids are rarely pumped around, 
  but explosive gases (e.g., propane) can be set off later by 
  flames or gunfire, for a crushing or burning explosion of 
  6d to 6d¥4 (or 4d dice), after which the pipe behaves like  
  a flamethrower.
  • High-pressure liquids do knockback; roll 1d to 6d (1d dice, 
  if choosing randomly) and treat this as “knockback only” dam-
  age (p. B378). High-pressure gases aren’t likely to do this (they 
  can if the GM wants!), but the target suffers from a major dis-
  traction on their next turn: -3 to attack and -1 to defend.
  • Hot and cold things do the damage under Running Hot 
  and Cold – but as with flaming stuff, this is large-area injury 
  and unsealed DR protects at 1/5 value.
  Effects aren’t exclusive! For instance, exotic reactor coolant 
  might be corrosive, poisonous, high-pressure, and hot.
  
   
  danger! 
  27
  Q is for QUANTUm
  . . . and quark, quackery, and questionable science. Other 
  entries describe the more-or-less realistic side of laborato-
  ries: Biology suggests Botanical (p. 8), Medical (pp. 22-23), 
  Yuck (pp. 40-41), and/or Zoo (pp. 41-42); chemistry, Chemicals 
  (pp. 9-10); and physics, Electricity (pp. 12-13). Heat (p. 16) 
  and – hopefully – safety measures (Unsafe, pp. 34-35) abound. 
  Amateurs work in their Kitchen (pp. 19-21), while sprawling 
  research facilities border on Industrial (pp. 17-18). But far-
  fetched MacGuffins need something extra!
  To answer the inevitable question: Yes, doubtful science 
  and engineering suit action movies – consider Live Wire 
  or Eraser. They aren’t just for bad guys, either; while Bond 
  villains love death rays, killer satellites (repeatedly . . .) and 
  orbital bases, and “atomic” and “nuclear” everything, it’s 007 
  who packs lasers and super-magnets in his wristwatch thanks 
  to an entire branch of MI6 devoted to implausible inventions. 
  Such craziness fits right into a genre whose differences from 
  the realistic technothriller include amendments to the laws of 
  nature that allow a hero to blow up a car with a bullet and 
  then outrun the supersonic blast front!
  When using these elements to add danger, keep STEM 
  in mind. This isn’t “Science, Technology, Engineering, and 
  Mathematics.” Not exactly.
  Story
  Link the treacherous technology or infernal machine to 
  the adventure. It’s most often the fulcrum of a villainous plot. 
  The heroes – perhaps the world – may witness its effects early 
  in the story, as a senator explodes, a death ray vaporizes the 
  Eiffel tower, or Los Angeles experiences a tremor, but they 
  can interact with it and try to stop the countdown only in the 
  finale, when BAD is at its worse.
  Alternatively, put the heroes on the side that controls the 
  MacGuffin. They’re trying to protect or recover a double-edged 
  development from criminals bent on exploiting it for profit, 
  spies who want to steal it, or terrorists seeking to use it for, 
  well, terror. This customarily comes with a hackneyed “If it 
  were to fall into the wrong hands . . .”. While action-movie 
  boffins are smart enough to build, say, a solar-powered heat 
  ray to provide clean energy, they realize its potential as a 
  weapon only after things go wrong.
  The difference is that heroes are likely to receive a briefing 
  on or even a crash course in “good guy” tech, but are on their 
  own coping with stuff developed (not just stolen) by bad guys. 
  That, and the BAD – it might be just as big in either case, but 
  it’s unlikely to affect PCs’ rolls to use a friendly MacGuffin.
  Techno-Babble
  Come up with a few words to describe the technology. This 
  suggests probable effects and applicable skills.
  Skills should ideally be obscure, rarely used ones the heroes 
  have – especially PCs in geeky supporting roles (hacker, 
  medic, and wire rat). This may explain why the team was 
  assigned the mission! Here are suggestions based on skills 
  found on lenses and templates in Heroes (if using Specialists 
  or custom characters, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to 
  match keywords to abilities):
  Accelerator/Generator: Electrician, Hazardous Mate-
  rials (Nuclear).
  Atomic/Nuclear/Radiation: Explosives (Nuclear Ord-
  nance Disposal), Hazardous Materials (Nuclear), 
  NBC Suit.
  Bioengineered/Genetic: Diagnosis, Expert Skill (Epi-
  demiology), Hazardous Materials (Biological), 
  NBC Suit.
  Cybernetic/Robotic: Computer Hacking, Computer 
  Programming, Expert Skill (Computer Security).
  Mind Control: Brainwashing, Pharmacy (Synthetic).
  Mutant (Animals): Animal Handling (any), Hazard-
  ous Materials (Biological).
  Mutant (Plants): Hazardous Materials (Biological), 
  Naturalist.
  Secret Formula: Chemistry, Hazardous Materials 
  (Chemical), NBC Suit, Pharmacy (Synthetic), 
  Poisons.
  Super-Weapon: Armoury (Heavy Weapons), Artillery 
  (any), Expert Skill (Military Science).
  Don’t dismiss widely used skills, though! Many a 
  plot turns on schemes employing conventional tech-
  nologies in unconventional ways. For instance, if evil 
  conspirators are stealing missiles using powerful 
  transmitters, Electronics Operation (Communica-
  tions) and Electronics Repair (Communications) 
  are relevant.
  
   
  danger! 
  28
  Once you have your words, drop them into a one-sentence 
  teaser: “Doctor Yes has developed a mind-control ray – a spe-
  cialized particle accelerator that induces quantum entangle-
  ment between his brain and the victim’s!”
  Exploitation
  Using the chosen skills in chases and fights – rather than 
  in technical sequences better covered by Hacking (Exploits, 
  p. 13), Repurposing (Exploits, p. 13), Sabotage (Exploits, 
  p. 25), Bomb Disposal (Exploits, p. 28), WMD (Exploits, 
  p. 29), or Outbreak! (Exploits, p. 40) – involves two steps:
  Look for a Big Red Button: To exploit a MacGuffin, the 
  heroes must know where it’s controlled from and where the 
  danger is. These are separate Per-based rolls, possibly against 
  different skills; e.g., Armoury or Artillery to identify the 
  super-weapon’s firing system, but Expert Skill (Military 
  Science) to posit where the death ray will hit. There’s rarely 
  a penalty – not even BAD – because control panels and 
  charred test areas have a certain sameness about them. 
  Shouting such information to teammates is a free action. 
  But BAD does affect the quality of henchman who must be 
  dispatched before trying to use the controls.
  Stand Back – I’m Using Science! Most MacGuffins require 
  potential victims to be in a specific danger zone. This is typ-
  ically achieved using Delivery (pp. 4-6), but the GM may 
  reward the players for their success so far by having a few 
  hostiles already in the threat area. Unleashing hell could be 
  a Ready maneuver involving a standard IQ-based roll or an 
  Attack requiring DX-based use. If the apparatus isn’t some-
  thing on which the PCs have been briefed, there’s a penalty: 
  from -2 for an unfamiliar use of known technology, through -4 
  for what’s essentially a new specialty of an existing skill (e.g., 
  using any conventional Artillery skill to shoot a beam), to -6 
  if the skill effectively replaces a basic attribute for default use 
  of some unknown Hard science skill (e.g., using Electrician 
  to mess with a particle accelerator or Explosives (Nuclear 
  Ordnance Disposal) to play with a reactor). If the penalty is 
  less severe than BAD, the GM is welcome to use BAD instead.
  Quick Gadgeteers: Hackers and wire rats with Quick 
  Gadgeteer are more adaptable. If a hero’s advantage covers 
  the skills to use the technology (computer skills for H4xx0r, 
  electronics skills for Solder and Duct Tape), ignore the 
  penalty!
  Mayhem
  Effects on victims could be anything. Some ideas:
  Creatures and Robots: Beasts escape their cages – or robots 
  are hacked – and go after their former masters. For abilities, 
  see Zoo (pp. 41-42) for animals, Robots (Exploits, p. 46) for 
  machines. The mad-science kinds are tougher than normal, 
  though, boasting higher ST/HP, defenses, DR, damage, etc.
  Death Rays: These customarily kill outright! But as NPCs 
  may turn them on PCs, it’s more sporting to assess damage 
  that would slay most ordinary folks (6d works) and hope the 
  villain doesn’t double-tap. Alternatively, invoke The Sound of 
  Inevitability (p. 36).
  Mind Control: Thought-control beams, madness-induc-
  ing “therapy” machines, and so on rarely provide direct con-
  trol – that would be too easy. Instead, they inflict unpleasant 
  conditions from pp. B428-429: agony, daze, hallucinating, 
  paralysis, seizure, etc. Any resistance roll may be 
  against Will rather than HT, and at -4 or worse.
  Particle Accelerators and Weird Radiation: Strange 
  radiation should be at least as bad as a microwave 
  oven (p. 21) or an X-ray machine (p. 23): 1 HP of 
  direct injury per turn. Most mad science is deadlier, 
  requiring penalized HT rolls (HT-4 or worse) or con-
  tested HT rolls (against 10 + absolute value of BAD), 
  with margin of failure or loss as injury.
  Pathogens and Poisons: Follow the advice in WMD 
  (Exploits, p. 29) and assume short-term exposure 
  produces a “mild case”: The target is reduced to 1 FP 
  and 1 HP (keep current FP or HP, if worse), and has 
  -5 to all success rolls. Any resistance roll is against 
  HT, at -6 or worse.
  r is for ReSOURCe exTRACTION
  In some action stories, villains go to the source in their 
  pursuit of riches: strip-mining precious metals, running 
  blood-diamond operations, fueling “evil empires” with oil, and 
  so on. In other yarns, heroes receive missions such as recov-
  ering offshore platforms – or stolen radioactive ore – from 
  terrorists. Such adventures wouldn’t be the same without 
  close encounters with Tools (pp. 33-34), oversized Vehicles 
  (pp. 35-37), specialized versions of Industrial (pp. 17-18) and 
  Worksite (pp. 37-38) hazards, and more.
  Logging
  Adventure stories depict lumberjacks as either honest 
  workers, menaced by corporate scum engaged in takeovers 
  and union-busting . . . or destroyers of the environment, and 
  thus enemies of tree-hugging heroes. Either way, green soon 
  becomes red.
  Alongside the specialized dangers below, Botanical (p. 8) 
  applies in deep woods, and wood chippers are really People 
  Shredders (p. 19).
  Semi-Hard Science
  The GM may adapt Quantum to real-world technology – say, 
  realistic particle accelerators and the big lasers in experimental 
  fusion reactors. Current Affairs (Science & Technology) usu-
  ally suffices for identification rolls. Abuse is hard, not because 
  these systems are unusual but because they fail safe; if any roll to 
  exploit them fails, the device shuts down for the rest of the scene. 
  Effects won’t be as deadly but can still be cinematic; e.g., that 
  particle accelerator might use the rules for magnetic resonance 
  image scanners (p. 23) at higher effective ST.
  
   
  danger! 
  29
  Putting the “Axe” in “Action”
  Not all lumberjacks are okay. Some love to fell foes like trees.
  Saws: Big crosscut saws aren’t useful melee weapons – but if Wham! (p. 6) tosses somebody into one that’s firmly wedged in 
  a tree, damage becomes cutting.
  Everything Else: These stats use the terms and notation on pp. B271-274.
   Weapon 
  Damage 
  Reach 
  Parry 
  Weight 
  ST 
  Notes
  AXE/MACE (DX-5, Flail-4, or Two-Handed Axe/Mace-3)
   Forestry Hook 
  sw-1 imp 
  1 
  0U 
  3 
  10 
  -2 to hit [1]
   Hatchet 
  sw cut 
  1 
  0 
  2 
  8
  BRAWLING-2, KARATE-2, or DX-2
   Climbing Spurs (Kick) 
  thr+1 cut 
  C, 1 
  No 
  4 
  – 
  -2 to hit [2]
  SPEAR (DX-5, Polearm-4, or Staff-2)
   Peavey 
  thr+2 imp 
  1* 
  0 
  5 
  10 
  -2 to hit [3]
    two hands 
  thr+3 imp 
  1, 2* 
  0 
  – 
  10† 
  -2 to hit
  TWO-HANDED AXE/MACE (DX-5, Axe/Mace-3, Polearm-4, or Two-Handed Flail-4)
   Broad Axe 
  sw+3 cut 
  1, 2* 
  0U 
  6 
  11‡ 
  -3 to hit
   Chainsaw 
  sw+1d cut 
  1 
  0U 
  25 
  11‡ 
  -2 to hit [4]
   Felling Axe 
  sw+3 cut 
  1, 2* 
  0U 
  5 
  11†
   Splitting Maul 
  sw+4 cut 
  1, 2* 
  0U 
  8 
  12‡ 
  -3 to hit
  Notes
  [1] May get stuck (p. B405). Use these stats for bailing, 
  cargo, and longshoreman’s hooks, too.
  [2] The -2 to hit adds to the -2 for kicking. Brawling and 
  Karate bonuses increase damage. If you miss, roll vs. DX to 
  avoid falling.
  [3] Spear with pivoting hook. Can also grapple at the same 
  reach, but at -5 to skill.
  [4] Has armor divisor (0.5) when striking or parrying any-
  thing hard (not flesh, wood, plaster, etc.). Crippling damage to 
  a limb amputates it! If it fails to penetrate DR, roll 1d: on 1-2, 
  nothing happens; on 3-5, it stalls and must be restarted; on 6, 
  the chain snaps, breaking the saw.
  Timber!
  Lumberjacks also like to fell trees on foes.
  If a Tree Falls in the Woods: Chopping or sawing through 
  a tree in combat time Ain’t Gonna Happen, but a small tree 
  that’s mostly cut through can be toppled onto someone. Dam-
  age is 1d to 6d crushing (1d dice, for a random tree). The shove 
  counts as an attack. Roll vs. ST, at -1 per 1d damage, to set 
  the tree in motion; add +1 or +2 for Forced Entry at DX+1 
  or DX+2, and +4 if making an All-Out Attack. On any success, 
  roll DX or DX-based Survival (Woodlands), at -1 per full 2d 
  damage, to hit the target. That person may dodge, but at -2; 
  falling trees are notoriously unpredictable.
  Log Rolling: Piled-up logs on trucks or ready to be loaded 
  can be loosed if not well-secured. Make a Per-based Freight 
  Handling roll – at +2 for Danger Sense – to spot an exploit-
  able situation. Quickly releasing the menace is an attack at 
  DX-based Freight Handling; Driving (Heavy Wheeled) 
  works, too, for a log-laden truck. This roll is at -4 for those 
  who aren’t familiar with forestry, -2 for those who are. 
  Success means everyone alongside the load (length is typi-
  cally six to 14 yards, or roll 2d+3), for any distance the GM 
  likes (logs can roll far), experiences 1d dice – 1d to 6d – of 
  large-area (p. B400) crushing injury.
  Pick-Up Sticks: Logs are hoisted onto and off of trucks, so 
  What Goes Up (p. 17) and Must Come Down (pp. 17-18) are 
  relevant. Although there’s no such thing as a “typical” log, 
  cranes easily transported into the woods are suited to logs 
  with HP 145 at most, setting an upper limit on crane ST and 
  damage from falling objects. But even a wimpy logging crane 
  has ST 80 – be careful out there!
  Mining
  Mineral extraction is as unsafe as it is lucrative. Bad guys 
  are drawn to the wealth – and to the ease with which hench-
  men can arrange “accidents” for heroes.
  Dig
  Getting ore out of the ground is the first step. Don’t forget 
  Big Bada-Boom (p. 26) for blasting!
  Pickaxe: This classic makes a clumsy-but-deadly weapon. 
  Many designs exist, from eight to 15 lbs. in weight, sport-
  ing axe, adze, or pick heads – usually two different blades.  
  Do not operate unless you 
  have extraordinary cutting needs.
  – Warning decal, Husqvarna 
  3120 XP chainsaw
  
   
  danger! 
  30
  All use Two-Handed Axe/Mace at -3. Treat as a great axe 
  (sw+3 cut) for an edge, a warhammer for a spike (sw+3 imp). 
  Turning it to strike with the other blade is a Ready maneuver.
  Mining Machines: At the other end of the scale are 
  machines used to strip away rock and earth wholesale: cut-
  ters, excavators, shearers, etc. They might have one huge 
  blade, several blades, or drill-like heads with sharp studs; use 
  the rules in Bloody Fields (p. 14) for all of these. While there 
  are small ones (ST/HP 55, 3d-1 damage) for use in tunnels, 
  there’s no upper limit – but 45,000-ton machines with four-
  story blades are best treated as “Dodge or die!” plot devices. 
  Damage is almost always cutting (well, “shredding”). Most 
  machines would toss a puny human away, not trap them; 
  instead of He Done Got Chewed Up (p. 14), assess knockback 
  in a random direction using full damage. Finally, these mon-
  sters move very slowly while operating: Move 1.
  Ore Conveyor: Ore is often conveyed on belts. Use Convey 
  My Deepest Condolences (p. 17) for someone pressed into 
  such a thing; high-volume mines run belts at Move 6-8 
  (thrust+3 or thrust+4 crushing). All shift tons of rubble, so 
  they’ll definitely transport a person! The hazard at the end is 
  a fall, either onto a rock pile (Falls, Exploits, p. 19) or into an 
  Ore Crusher (below).
  Dug
  Once ore is extracted from the Earth, valuables must be 
  extracted from the ore. As well as the specialized hazards 
  below, barrels of poisonous and/or corrosive Chemicals 
  (pp. 9-10) are used – leaving lakes of the stuff on site.
  Rocking Out: Make a straight Per roll to spot piles of 
  ready-to-tumble rocks – they’re hard to miss! Danger Sense 
  gives +2. If noticed, brusque Delivery (pp. 4-6) puts a foe in a 
  place where arrival triggers a mini-rockslide: 1d crushing, as 
  large-area injury (p. B400), and the victim is stuck until they 
  succeed at a ST or Escape roll; each attempt takes a Ready 
  maneuver and costs 1 FP.
  Ore Crusher: Use I Got a Bad Feeling About This (p. 19). 
  Typical ST is unchanged, and there’s always a Killswitch 
  (p. 17), but damage doesn’t stop: Roll a Quick Contest between 
  the machine’s ST and the higher of the victim’s ST or HT, 
  divide the margin of victory by 10, and assess this much large-
  area injury (p. B400) every turn until rescued or dead; e.g., a 
  HT 12 wheelman in a ST 85 ore crusher loses by 73, and so 
  receives 7 points of crushing damage per second.
  Drilling
  Oil and natural gas are inherently dangerous! They’re 
  flammable Chemicals (pp. 9-10) – and gas is also explosive. 
  Pipes carrying them add high pressure to the mix; see Perilous 
  Pipelines (p. 26). On offshore platforms, Nautical (pp. 23-24) 
  horrors abound.
  Here are further worries:
  Derrick-Do: Casings, collars, drill bits, jars, and 
  pipes are hoisted around, so What Goes Up (p. 17) 
  and Must Come Down (pp. 17-18) apply. A typical 31’ 
  length has HP 71, so use that for the ST of the small-
  est crane and the HP of likely falling objects.
  Pipes Revisited: Stacks of pipes work like stacks 
  of logs; see Log Rolling, p. 29. Use Per-based 
  Freight Handling or Machinist – at +2 for Danger 
  Sense – to spot the hazard, and a DX-based roll 
  against this skill to release it. The attack roll is at 
  -4 for those who aren’t familiar with drilling, -2 for 
  those who are. Typical pipe length is 10 yards. Being 
  hit means 1d dice – 1d to 6d – of large-area (p. B400) 
  crushing injury.
  s is for SPORTS
  Sports are healthy, but the same cannot be said of getting 
  whacked with balls, pucks, and similar projectiles, or the 
  implements used to launch them – or of many other things 
  around the gymnasium, playing field, or arena. Opponents 
  ranging from streetfighters to wealthy equestrians may chal-
  lenge heroes to not-so-friendly contests. Some action plots 
  revolve around athletics, especially in martial-arts 
  flicks and in stories involving illegal betting on any-
  thing from sandlot baseball to the Super Bowl.
  Batter Up!
  Many sports and games – all-American heroes enjoy 
  baseball or football, while posh crime lords prefer 
  golf – involve whacking balls, pucks, and similar defense-
  less objects. The sticks used for this can hurt. Other athletic 
  implements are meant for hitting people, or aren’t, but per-
  form the task admirably. (When the “sports” are martial 
  arts, use unarmed combat plus the weapons on pp. 20-22 
  of Furious Fists.)
  The terms and notation below are explained on pp. B271-
  274. Someone who knows a Sports or Combat Sport skill 
  may roll against it to attack (only!) with suitable equipment. 
  High-tech sporting gear is often light, leading to low required 
  ST; remember that maximum useful ST is three times this.
  Cave-In!
  In a mine, a Per-based Geology or Prospecting roll (roll vs. 
  Per at -5 for the unskilled) – at +2 for Danger Sense – can spot 
  an instability overhead. To exploit this when someone walks 
  under it, or is put there with Delivery (pp. 4-6), shoot the ceiling 
  or set off an explosive (remember: GURPS Action, not GURPS 
  Mining). This loosens rubble that does 3d+3 large-area (p. B400) 
  crushing to the victim, who’s stuck until they win a Quick Con-
  test of ST or ST-based Escape against ST equal to the damage 
  roll; each attempt takes one turn and costs 1 FP.
  
   
  danger! 
  31
  Sports Gear Table
   Weapon 
  Damage 
  Reach 
  Parry 
  Weight 
  ST 
  Notes
  AXE/MACE (DX-5, Flail-4, or Two-Handed Axe/Mace-3)
   Baseball Bat 
  sw+1 cr 
  1 
  0 
  2 
  8 
  [1]
   Cricket Bat 
  sw+1 cr 
  1 
  0 
  2.5 
  9 
  [1]
    or 
  sw+1(0.5) cr 
  1 
  0 
  – 
  9 
  [1, 2]
   Dumbbell 
  sw+2 cr 
  1 
  0U 
  3 
  10 
  -1 to hit
  BROADSWORD (DX-5, Rapier-4, Saber-4, Shortsword-2, or Two-Handed Sword-4)
   Pool Cue 
  sw cr 
  1 
  0 
  2 
  9 
  -1 to hit [1]
    or 
  thr-1 imp 
  1 
  0 
  – 
  9 
  -1 to hit
  SABER (DX-5, Broadsword-4, Main-Gauche-3, Rapier-3, Shortsword-4, or Smallsword-3)
   Saber (Fencing) 
  sw-3 cr 
  1 
  0F 
  2 
  8
    or 
  thr-1 cr 
  1 
  0F 
  – 
  8 
  [3]
  SMALLSWORD (DX-5, Main-Gauche-3, Rapier-3, Saber-3, or Shortsword-4)
   Épée 
  thr-1 cr 
  1 
  0F 
  1.5 
  5 
  [3]
   Foil 
  thr-2 cr 
  C, 1 
  0F 
  1 
  5 
  [3]
  SPEAR (DX-5, Polearm-4, or Staff-2)
   Javelin 
  thr imp 
  2, 3* 
  0U 
  1.8 
  6 
  -1 to hit [4]
    two hands 
  thr+1 imp 
  2, 3* 
  0 
  – 
  6 
  -1 to hit
  STAFF (DX-5, Polearm-4, or Spear-2)
   Ice-Hockey Stick (Wooden) 
  sw+1 cr 
  1, 2 
  +2 
  1.5 
  6† 
  -1 to hit
    or 
  thr+1 cr 
  1, 2 
  +2 
  – 
  6† 
  -1 to hit
  TWO-HANDED AXE/MACE (DX-5, Axe/Mace-3, Polearm-4, or Two-Handed Flail-4)
   Barbell 
  sw+4 cr 
  1, 2* 
  0U 
  12 
  13‡ 
  -2 to hit
   Golf Club, Iron 
  sw+1 cr 
  1, 2 
  0U 
  1.5 
  10† 
  -2 to hit
   Golf Club, Putter 
  sw cr 
  1, 2 
  0U 
  1 
  10† 
  -2 to hit
   Hammer 
  sw+5 cr 
  1, 2* 
  -2U 
  16 
  16‡ 
  -2 to hit [4]
  TWO-HANDED SWORD (DX-5 or Broadsword-4)
   Shinai 
  sw+2(0.5) cr 
  1 
  0 
  1.8 
  3†
    or 
  thr+1(0.5)cr 
  1 
  0 
  – 
  3†
  WHIP (DX-5 or Kusari-3)
   Rat-Tail 
  sw-5(0.5) cr 
  1 
  -2U 
  0.5 
  4 
  [5]
  Notes
  [1] Often swung two-handed: +1 damage.
  [2] Using the flat of the bat doubles DR vs. damage and 
  doubles damage used to determine knockback (only).
  [3] If the button is removed, thrust damage becomes 
  impaling.
  [4] Track-and-field equipment, not true weapons of that 
  name. Can be thrown; see p. 32.
  [5] Towel twisted into a whip; +1 damage if wet. Cannot 
  entangle, but can be cracked and can make someone drop an 
  item; see p. B406.
  Fore!
  The projectiles whizzing around fields, arenas, and games 
  room can be dangerous. The ranges below are for sting-
  ing uncooperative targets in combat – not benchmarking 
  award-winning feats – while the skills mentioned are often 
  combat skills. Athletes with suitable Sports skills may use 
  those to hit (only), at no extra penalties beyond those for 
  ranged combat. They also get +1 or +2 to ST, for both range 
  and damage, at skill DX+1 or DX+2.
  Most of these items are made for passing or throwing on 
  the run, and are pebbled, rubberized, or stitched to assist with 
  this. Bulk is -1 unless noted.
  Baseball*: Hurled with Throwing: Damage thr-1 cr, Acc 1, 
  Range ¥6/¥10. Tossed in the air and slugged with bat, use Axe/
  Mace at -2: Damage thr cr, Acc 0, Range ¥8/¥12.
  Basketball: Hurled with Throwing: Damage thr-2(0.5) cr, 
  Acc 0, Range ¥1.5/¥2.5. Double damage for knockback pur-
  poses only.
  
   
  danger! 
  32
  Billiard Ball*: Hurled with Throwing: Damage thr-1 cr, Acc 
  1, Range ¥4.5/¥9.
  Cricket Ball*: Hurled with Throwing: Damage thr-1 cr, Acc 
  1, Range ¥4.5/¥9. Tossed in the air and batted, use Axe/Mace 
  at -2: Damage thr cr, Acc 0, Range ¥6/¥11.
  Football: Hurled with Throwing: Damage thr-2 cr, Acc 
  2, Range ¥4/¥6. The pointy ball is made for this, and kicking 
  is less effective; use DX, Brawling, or Karate at -2 (like any 
  kick): Damage thr-2 cr, Acc 0, Range ¥2.5/¥3.5.
  Golf Ball*: Hurled with Throwing: Damage thr-1 cr, Acc 
  1, Range ¥6/¥10. Dropped on the ground and hit with 
  club, use Two-Handed Axe/Mace at -2: Damage thr 
  cr, Acc 1, Range ¥15/¥20.
  Hockey Puck*: Dense, narrow, and extremely 
  unsafe. Slapped along the ground or ice using a 
  hockey stick, use Staff or Two-Handed Axe/Mace at 
  -2: Damage thr+1 cr, Acc 1, Range ¥4/¥6. Steel prac-
  tice pucks (2 lbs.) are deadly: Damage thr+2 cr, Acc 1, 
  Range ¥1.5/¥2.5, Bulk -2.
  Medicine Ball: Massive (14-lb.) but soft ball. 
  Hurled using two hands with Throwing: Damage 
  thr+1(0.5) cr, Acc 0, Range ¥0.4/¥0.7, Bulk -8. Double 
  damage for knockback purposes only.
  Shot: As in “shot put.” The 16-lb. metal or metal- 
  weighted ball is launched with Throwing: Damage 
  thr+2 cr, Acc 0, Range ¥0.6/¥1.2, Bulk -8.
  Soccer Ball: Hurled with Throwing: Damage thr-
  2(0.5) cr, Acc 0, Range ¥2.5/¥3.5. The ball is made to 
  be kicked; use DX, Brawling, or Karate at -2 (like 
  any kick): Damage thr-1(0.5) cr, Acc 1, Range ¥4/¥7. 
  These stats also work for dodge balls or kick balls.
  * A practical fist load in unarmed combat: +1 to 
  punching damage.
  Track and Field
  Archaic ranged weapons adapted for sports can still kill. Most come in many different weights – these are just examples.
   Weapon 
  Damage 
  Acc 
  Range 
  Weight 
  RoF 
  Shots 
  ST 
  Bulk 
  Notes
  THROWN WEAPON (AXE/MACE) (DX-4)
   Hammer 
  sw+3 cr 
  0 
  ¥1/¥1.5 
  16 
  1 
  T(1) 
  13† 
  -8 
  [1]
  THROWN WEAPON (DART) (DX-4 or Throwing-2)
   Lawn Dart 
  thr imp 
  1 
  ¥2.5/¥3.5 
  1 
  1 
  T(1) 
  6 
  -2
  THROWN WEAPON (DISC) (DX-4 or Throwing-2)
   Discus 
  thr+2 cr 
  2 
  ¥4/¥6 
  2 
  1 
  T(1) 
  6 
  -3
  THROWN WEAPON (SPEAR) (DX-4, Spear Thrower-4, or Thrown Weapon (Harpoon)-2)
   Javelin 
  thr imp 
  1 
  ¥4/¥6 
  1.8 
  1 
  T(1) 
  6 
  -8 
  [2]
  Notes
  [1] Metal ball on a steel wire with a grip. User may take one or two All-Out Attack maneuvers before throwing not to attack, 
  but to spin and develop momentum. Each turn adds +1 to damage and doubles range, to a maximum of sw+5 cr and Range ¥4/¥6.
  [2] Extremely long and aerodynamic, with a grip; this greatly assists range but makes it bulky. No barbs.
  otHer fun and games
  While the most interesting things in athletic settings are 
  improvised weapons, Climbing (Exploits, pp. 18-19) and Parkour 
  (Exploits, pp. 19-20) experts might exploit the environment itself 
  to engage in Athletics in Combat (Exploits, p. 37). For instance:
  • Balance beams and tightropes allow Balancing.
  • Icy rinks permit Skidding – and those who know Skating or 
  Sports (Ice Hockey) may use that skill.
  • Springboards and trampolines give bonuses to distance 
  when Jumping. Springboards give +1 or +2 yards; trampolines, 
  from +2 to +4 yards.
  • Vertical ropes enable Climbing, Rappelling, and Swinging.
  Many activities also offer obstacles – boards at the rink, 
  guardrails at the racecourse, hurdles on the track, turnbuckles 
  in the ring – to throw people into or over with Delivery (pp. 4-6), 
  likely with an eye to doing harm (Wham!, p. 6).
  Warning: Not a toy for use by children. May cause serious or 
  fatal injury. Read instructions carefully. Keep out of reach  
  of children.
  – Warning, JARTS™ lawn-dart package
  
   
  danger! 
  33
  t is for TOOlS
  Everything in a workshop or toolbox is potentially dan-
  gerous! Action flicks just love to depict menacing goons and 
  resourceful heroes turning tools on one another. Suitable 
  implements are usually found around the Farm (pp. 13-14) 
  and Worksite (pp. 37-38), at Industrial (pp. 17-18) and 
  Resource Extraction (pp. 28-30) facilities, and in Nautical 
  (pp. 23-24) environments, and are used to repair Vehicles 
  (pp. 35-37). Domestic equipment is described under Generic 
  (pp. 15-16) and Kitchen (pp. 19-21).
  Handcrafted
  Any tool could maim someone who’s unable to fight back; e.g., you could slowly drill their head with a bit and brace, or remove 
  a limb with a hacksaw. This table limits itself to equipment that requires only a second or two of contact in melee combat. The 
  terms and notation are explained on pp. B271-274.
   Weapon 
  Damage 
  Reach 
  Parry 
  Weight 
  ST 
  Notes
  AXE/MACE (DX-5, Flail-4, or Two-Handed Axe/Mace-3)
   Crowbar 
  sw+2 cr 
  1 
  0U 
  3 
  10 
  -1 to hit
   Cutting Torch 
  1d+3(2) burn 
  1 
  No 
  7 
  10 
  -2 to hit
   Hammer 
  sw+2 cr 
  1 
  0U 
  3 
  10
   Mallet 
  sw+1 cr 
  1 
  0U 
  3 
  10
   Tire Iron 
  sw+1 cr 
  1 
  0 
  2 
  10 
  -2 to hit
   Wrench 
  sw+2 cr 
  1 
  0U 
  3 
  10 
  -2 to hit
  BOXING, BRAWLING, KARATE, or DX
   Gimlet 
  thr -1 imp 
  C 
  0 
  0.25 
  – 
  -1 to hit [1]
  KNIFE (DX-4, Main-Gauche-3, or Shortsword-3)
   Awl or Punch 
  thr-1 imp 
  C 
  -1 
  0.25 
  5 
  -1 to hit
   Box Cutter or Utility Knife 
  sw-3 cut 
  C, 1 
  -1 
  0.25 
  5 
  [2]
   Chisel or Screwdriver 
  thr-2 imp 
  C 
  -1 
  0.25 
  5 
  -1 to hit
   Heat Gun 
  1 point burn 
  C 
  -1U 
  2 
  8 
  -2 to hit [3] 
   Pocket Torch 
  1d-2 burn 
  C 
  No 
  0.25 
  5 
  -2 to hit
   Power Drill 
  1d+2(2) pi++ 
  C 
  -1U 
  2 
  8 
  -2 to hit [3, 4]
   Soldering Gun 
  1d-3 burn 
  C 
  -1U 
  1 
  6 
  -2 to hit [2, 3]
   Spike or Big Nail 
  thr-2 imp 
  C 
  -1 
  0.1 
  4 
  -1 to hit
  SPEAR (DX-5, Polearm-4, or Staff-2)
   Post-Hole Digger 
  thr+2 cut 
  1, 2* 
  0U 
  12 
  13† 
  -4 to hit
  TWO-HANDED AXE/MACE (DX-5, Axe/Mace-3, Polearm-4, or Two-Handed Flail-4)
   Bolt Cutters 
  Spec. 
  2 
  -1U 
  15 
  13‡ 
  -2 to hit [5, 6]
   Circular Saw 
  sw+3(2) cut 
  1 
  -1U 
  10 
  11‡ 
  -3 to hit [3, 5]
   Grinder or Sander 
  1 point cor 
  1 
  -1U 
  10 
  11† 
  -3 to hit [3, 7]
   Plasma Torch 
  3d+6(2) burn 
  1 
  No 
  35 
  11† 
  -2 to hit [8]
   Rotary Hammer 
  2d+2(2) pi++ 
  C 
  -1U 
  10 
  11† 
  -3 to hit [3]
   Sledgehammer 
  sw+4 cr 
  1, 2* 
  0U 
  15 
  13‡ 
  -2 to hit
  Notes
  [1] T-shaped, held with point projecting between 
  knuckles. Skill bonuses increase damage.
  [2] Treat as cheap (p. B274).
  [3] Power cord limits effective reach and can be 
  cut (Bare Wires, pp. 12-13).
  [4] May get stuck (p. B405). Can be freed in one 
  turn without a ST roll by reversing motor.
  [5] Crippling damage to limb or extremity amputates it!
  [6] Roll to hit hand or foot at the usual -4. This counts as a 
  grapple. If victim fails to break free, an Attack maneuver next 
  turn inflicts 8d(2) cutting.
  [7] Keep track of total damage; each 5 points reduces DR 
  by 1.
  [8] Attached to non-portable tanks or compressor by a 
  hose, limiting effective reach.
  
   
  danger! 
  34
  Danger: Keep Hands Away
  Large tools require potential victims to be brought to them. 
  Most such equipment has a Killswitch (p. 17).
  Big Saws: Bandsaws, radial arm saws, table saws, and so on 
  require Delivery (pp. 4-6). This usually means a single second 
  of damage – though Manhandling (pp. 4-5) can hold a victim 
  against the blade for longer. While these tools vary in 
  size and purpose, all inflict cutting damage, and most 
  have armor divisor (2). The GM decides if they’re small, 
  as in a basement workshop or for fine cabinetry (1d+3 
  cut); medium, as in a commercial shop or lumber store 
  (3d+2 cut); or large, Industrial (pp. 17-18) machinery by 
  another name (5d+2 cut). Crippling damage to a limb 
  or extremity amputates it!
  Drill Press: This is a power drill in a handy stand. Use 
  Manhandling (pp. 4-5) to hold someone in it and bore 
  them to death. Damage is 1d+2(2) pi++ per second.
  Lathe: A lathe can become lethal (lathal?) by acci-
  dent, but usually this involves using Manhandling 
  (pp. 4-5) to press someone into a turning workpiece. 
  This might do thrust-1 crushing per second for a blunt 
  wooden object (which is essentially punching the victim 
  for the aggressor), or 1d+3 cutting per second for a jagged 
  metal one (which acts like a saw). Also roll 1d each turn. On 1, 
  clothing gets caught in the mechanism and is quickly wound 
  tight; the victim must break free from ST 12, and if they fail, 
  the body part inside the clothing takes crushing damage 
  equal to the margin of loss that turn.
  Nailed!
  Nail guns are perennial cinematic favorites! They’re effectively firearms. Terms and notation follow pp. B278-279.
   Weapon 
  Damage 
  Acc 
  Range 
  Weight 
  RoF 
  Shots 
  ST 
  Bulk 
  Rcl 
  Notes
  GUNS (PISTOL) (DX-4 or most other Guns at -2)
   Nail Gun 
  2d-1 pi- 
  0 
  5/25 
  8 
  1 
  50(3) 
  11† 
  -4 
  2 
  -4 to hit
  Raw Materials
  Workshops hold not just tools but also the materials they’re 
  used on: boards, planks, posts, rods, etc. Rather than list 
  them all on tables, make a Scrounging roll to find an object 
  equivalent to a specific kind of club, mace, or stick. Failure 
  finds nothing like that; success by 0 finds something clumsy 
  (-2 to skill), success by 1-4 finds something less clumsy (-1), 
  and success by 5+ or critical success finds something perfect 
  (no penalty). Scrounging can also find a bolt, nut, end cap, 
  or large piece of hardware to pelt at enemies using Throwing: 
  Damage thr-2 cr, Acc 0, Range ¥0.5/¥1, Bulk 0.
  u is for UNSAFe
  “Unsafe” describes everything in this book, but here we 
  explore the most perverse: Abusing measures intended to 
  improve safety. Suitable equipment is common wherever other 
  hazards lurk – particularly in Industrial (pp. 17-18), Resource 
  Extraction (pp. 28-30), and Worksite (pp. 37-38) settings men-
  aced by Chemicals (pp. 9-10), Electricity (pp. 12-13), Heat 
  (p. 16), and Ordnance (pp. 25-26). It’s also built into Vehicles 
  (pp. 35-37) and carried by fire engines and ambulances (see 
  also Medical, pp. 22-23).
  Up to Code
  Many buildings – especially public and Industrial (pp. 17- 
  18) ones, and labs (Quantum, pp. 27-28) – feature safety 
  equipment. An Urban Survival or Per-based Hazardous 
  Materials (any) or Professional Skill (Firefighter) roll can 
  locate something useful in a fight. See Take-Out (p. 4) for 
  complexities that could delay gleeful misuse.
  Emergency Shower: Found where Chemicals (pp. 9-10) are. 
  If someone is beneath it, yanking the handle is an attack at 
  unmodified DX. Being drenched is a minor distraction (-2 to 
  attack, -1 to defend) for as long as the victim remains under 
  the shower, minimum one turn. That person is now standing 
  in water, ready for Bathtub Accidents (p. 13).
  Fire Axe: Uses Two-Handed Axe/Mace at no penalty. 
  Treat as a great axe (sw+3 cut) or warhammer (sw+3 imp); 
  switching takes a Ready maneuver. A typical model weighs 
  8 lbs.
  Fire Blanket: Pulled from its container with a Ready 
  maneuver, this is a serviceable net (p. B411) that can be 
  tossed over somebody up to two yards away. Few modern-day 
  people, even action heroes, have Net skill; roll vs. DX-6 to try 
  this, or at full DX-based Professional Skill (Firefighter). If 
  the victim fails to dodge or parry, they cannot see, move, or 
  act until they make three successful DX rolls; each attempt is 
  a Ready maneuver.
  Fire Extinguisher: Built to be easy to aim, these use Liquid 
  Projector (any) at +4, or full DX. Discharging one in some-
  one’s face (-5 to hit) causes a major distraction on their next 
  turn (-3 to attack, -1 to defend) and means they must roll vs. 
  HT; on any failure, they’re blinded for seconds equal to mar-
  gin of failure. A large extinguisher (20 lbs.) has Range 3, Shots 
  20; a small one (8 lbs.), Range 2, Shots 8; a mini model (2 lbs.), 
  Range 1, Shots 2.
  Fire Hose: Once unrolled (at least two Ready maneuvers, 
  plus another to turn on the water), these work like high-pres-
  sure pipes (Perilous Pipelines, p. 26). Residential and com-
  mercial models do 1d to 3d of “knockback only” damage 
  (p. B378); if choosing at random, that’s 1d/2 dice, rounded up. 
  Industrial ones inflict 4d to 6d (+3d). Use Liquid Projector 
  (Water Cannon), other Liquid Projector at -4, or DX-4  
  to hit.
  
   
  danger! 
  35
  What Does This Button Do?
  Combat around and between vehicles is common, but 
  sometimes the battle is inside a ride; see Passenger Actions 
  (Exploits, p. 33) for an example. Ostensible “safety features” 
  may be weaponized in such circumstances.
  Airbag: Using fancy driving to trigger just the passenger 
  airbag without crashing is exceedingly cinematic; the driver or 
  pilot must make a vehicle-operation roll (Driving, Piloting, 
  etc.) at -6. Reaching under the dash and fooling with wires 
  is equally cinematic; anyone in reach can try a DX-based 
  Mechanic roll at -6. Either is an Attack maneuver. Success 
  means the relevant airbag deploys, preventing the person it 
  “protects” from doing anything but try to free themselves, 
  which requires a DX-2 roll; each attempt takes one Ready 
  maneuver. Someone who isn’t seated and belted in place – like 
  a boarder – also takes 1d+1 crushing damage (roll 1d: 1-4 is 
  torso, 5 is face, 6 is skull).
  Ejection Seat: Firing someone else’s ejection seat is an 
  attack using vehicle-operation skill (Driving, Piloting, etc.) or 
  DX-based Mechanic. The other party may try a Per-based roll 
  against such a skill to notice; the customary tiger-striped lever 
  labeled “PULL TO EJECT” gives +5, letting the unskilled try a 
  full Per roll, though things are more subtle in spy cars. Success 
  allows an attempt to parry the attacker’s hand. Otherwise, the 
  seat fires and the person in it is ejected from the action. In air-
  planes at altitude, or for “zero-zero” seats built for ejection at 
  ground level, that’s a matter of spending the rest of the scene 
  taking a rocket-assisted trip, parachuting to the ground, and 
  getting disentangled; this can hurt, so roll vs. Parachuting, 
  with failure or critical failure costing, respectively, 1d or 6d 
  HP. In grounded older aircraft, or a spy car where the oper-
  ator can deactivate the parachute – or if the ejectee wasn’t 
  strapped in – skip straight to the 6d HP.
  Seatbelt: If someone is belted in, this can be used to help 
  restrain them. Roll for the initial grapple at -2; the target 
  may defend normally. If the grapple works, this lets a one-
  handed grapple count as two-handed (+5 to ST vs. attempts to 
  break free), leaving the other hand free for grabbing controls, 
  punching, etc.
  911
  Ambulances, fire trucks, and similar rescue vehicles carry 
  gear that’s the opposite of safe in malicious hands: Fire axes, 
  extinguishers, and (on pump trucks) hoses that do 4d to 6d of 
  knockback-only damage are described in Up to Code (p. 34). 
  There are bolt cutters, crowbars, torches, wrenches, and other 
  Tools (pp. 33-34); chainsaws (p. 29); and air tanks (p. 24). And 
  more specialized equipment.
  Aerials, Ladders, and Towers: Many fire engines feature 
  hooks, hoses, and platforms on specialized cranes. These 
  use What Goes Up (p. 17); to attack, roll against DX-based 
  Professional Skill (Firefighter), or Driving (Construction 
  Equipment or Heavy Wheeled) at -2. The crane’s ST is 1/3 
  of the truck’s, rounded down; rigs have ST/HP 68 to 104 (or 
  roll 7d+61), so that’s ST 22 to 34, doing 2d to 3d+2 crushing. 
  Some are highly responsive, taking one Ready maneuver to 
  reposition between blows! Must Come Down (pp. 17-18) isn’t 
  relevant – such cranes aren’t equipped to drop things.
  Go-Bar: A huge crowbar (17 lbs.). Uses Two-Handed Axe/
  Mace at -2 and functions as a maul (sw+4 cr).
  Jaws of Death: The so-called “jaws of life” are giant, 
  hydraulically powered “pliers” that open and close with dev-
  astating force. If open, Manhandling (pp. 4-5) can maneu-
  ver someone inside. The aggressor or an accomplice can 
  then roll vs. Forced Entry or DX-based Professional Skill 
  (Firefighter) to start them closing; this is an attack. The vic-
  tim has four turns to escape; otherwise, they suffer 6d¥5(2) 
  crushing, which is usually fatal (though so is being held down 
  and stabbed for four turns).
  Rescue Axe: Uses Axe/Mace at no penalty. Treat as an 
  axe (sw+2 cut) or pick (sw+1 imp); switching takes a Ready 
  maneuver. Typical models weigh 4-5 lbs.
  Searchlight or Floodlight: Rescue scenes regularly feature 
  huge lamps. Pointing one at someone is a ranged attack using 
  DX, with Acc 12, Range 200 (or more!). Tracking the target 
  is a new attack each turn – but after an Aim maneuver, Acc 
  assists all attacks until the victim gets out of sight. While the 
  rolls succeed, the subject is blinded when facing the light; 
  after turning away, getting behind cover, or taking out the 
  light, they must make a HT roll or remain 
  blinded for another 1d seconds.
  Turbo Extinguisher: This rare jet-powered 
  water cannon does 8d of knockback-only 
  damage with an impressive Range 75/150. 
  Use the rules for fire hoses, but the operator 
  must be at the controls (not holding a hose). 
  This stream is so forceful that out to seven 
  yards, 1/5 of the damage roll, rounded down, 
  applies as crushing damage; e.g., 28 points 
  for knockback also removes 5 HP of skin.
  You see the gear lever here? Now, if you 
  take the top off, you will find a little red 
  button. Whatever you do, don’t touch it.
  – Q, in Goldfinger (1964)
  v is for vehICleS
  Being struck by a moving vehicle is obviously bad, so this 
  section shines its headlights on other forms of offensive driv-
  ing – and on how heroes and their rivals can exploit the unsafe 
  environments outside and around vehicles to slaughter one 
  another. For hazards stemming from specialized accessories 
  attached to vehicles (e.g., whirling blades), see the environ-
  ments where such machinery is found: Farm (pp. 13-14), 
  Junk (pp. 18-19), Resource Extraction (pp. 28-30), Unsafe 
  (pp. 34-35), etc.
  
   
  danger! 
  36
  Engines of Destruction
  What makes vehicles terrifying isn’t only their mass, but 
  the impressive motive force needed to propel it. The machin-
  ery that generates this is the ultimate origin of collision dam-
  age, and direct encounters with it can be just as deadly! To 
  learn how deadly:
  1. On the table below, look up the number of primary, exter-
  nal motive systems – jets, propellers (aircraft or marine), rock-
  ets, rotors, tracks, etc. – the vehicle has and find the associated 
  multiplier. For this purpose, ignore small attitude, maneuver-
  ing, or vernier thrusters, tail rotors, and so on.
   Number 
  1 
  2 
  3 
  4 
  6 
  8
   Multiplier 
  1 
  0.7 
  0.6 
  0.5 
  0.4 
  0.3
  2. Apply the multiplier to vehicular ST/HP, dropping frac-
  tions, to get effective ST.
  3. Find thrust damage for effective ST.
  4. Assign a damage type: crushing for tracks; cutting for 
  fans, jet intakes, propellers, rotors, or screws; burning for jet 
  nozzles or rockets.
  Example: A small jet with ST/HP 84 and two turbofans uses 
  ST 58 to inflict damage. Thrust for ST 58 is 6d+2. Being sucked 
  into a fan therefore does 6d+2 cut; standing right behind the 
  exhaust does 6d+2 burn.
  For the secondary thrusters, rotors, etc. ignored above, roll 
  damage, divide by three, and drop fractions; e.g., on a light 
  helicopter (ST/HP 47) with one main rotor that does 5d+1 cut, 
  a roll that would let this rotor inflict 18 points lets the tail 
  rotor do 6.
  But how to use this?
  Victim, Meet Engine: If a vehicle is turning or running its 
  engines in place, or moving so slowly the GM rules it can’t 
  ram people for damage, you can still use Delivery (pp. 4-6) to 
  throw your enemy under tank treads, shove them into a jet 
  intake, or whatever. They’ll take damage as 
  above. Manhandling (pp. 4-5) is possible 
  but risky – if you lose the Quick Contest, 
  you must roll Dodge or be the one hit!
  Engine, Meet Victim: If you’re at a 
  vehicle’s controls and want to avoid a 
  collision that could damage your ride, or 
  are pivoting slowly and unable to ram, 
  you can turn the vehicle to chop or broil 
  someone outside. This attack is trickier 
  than ramming; roll vs. vehicle-operation 
  skill (Driving, Piloting, etc.), at -2 if your 
  victim is in front of you or -5 if you must 
  put them behind you (as with exhaust). 
  On a hit, the victim must dodge or take 
  damage as above.
  Engine Inspection: If engine workings 
  are exposed, or if you’re fighting in an 
  engine room, next to churning cams and 
  pistons, you can use Delivery (pp. 4-6) to 
  put someone in the moving mechanism. 
  Damage is based on ST/HP adjusted for 
  the number of motors, using the same 
  multipliers used for external motive sys-
  tems. It’s usually crushing – but no part 
  of a rocket does anything but burning 
  damage! For contact with components of 
  a power plant other than moving parts, 
  use Hot Stuff (p. 16) and Running Hot and 
  Cold (p. 26); e.g., any motor casing might 
  do 1d-3 to 1d-1 burning, and nuclear 
  reactors can manage 3d burning.
  One-Way Trip: Jet intakes, and marine 
  propellers in water, generate powerful 
  suction, while victims of reciprocating 
  machinery may get wrapped around 
  shafts. In these cases, those who can’t 
  break free from the ST the machine uses 
  to inflict damage take damage every turn 
  until it’s stopped – whether by destroying 
  it or making a vehicle control roll from the 
  bridge, cockpit, or control room. Some 
  vehicles also have a Killswitch (p. 17).
  greatest Hits
  Being run down is the #1 way to get maimed by a vehicle. In GURPS 
  Action, use Ram (Exploits, p. 33): Roll against vehicle-operation skill 
  (Driving, Piloting, etc.) to hit. The target may dodge. A hit does thrust 
  crushing damage based on vehicular ST/HP.
  This simpler replacement for the detailed Basic Set collision rules 
  (pp. B430-432) is reasonable when vehicles moving at typical urban speeds 
  (25-30 mph, or Move 12-15) strike pedestrians failing to escape at Move 1-7. 
  For instance, an SUV with ST/HP 68, closing at Move 5-14, does 3d to 10d 
  (average 23 damage) using the full rules, a flat 8d-1 (average 27) under the 
  simple ones; for a heavy motorcycle with ST/HP 36, the comparison is 2d 
  to 5d (average 12) versus 4d-1 (average 13). Close enough – although Action 
  exaggerates low-speed hits and tones down high-speed ones to make vehi-
  cles dramatically dangerous yet keep heroes alive.
  Playing in Traffic: Delivery (pp. 4-6) can push or trick someone into traf-
  fic, onto train tracks, etc. just as a speeding vehicle arrives. A player can 
  use Serendipity or spend one character point for a Lucky Break to ensure 
  there’s a vehicle – or to fall between tracks or wheels, avoiding all damage! 
  Vehicles moving at a good clip should be deadlier, so calculate damage as in 
  Wreck (Exploits, p. 35): Add the speed bonus to each die. That SUV with Top 
  Speed 50 (about 100 mph) and speed bonus +8 thus does 8d+63, which is 
  equivalent to 26d, or damage for a little over 75 mph in the detailed system.
  The Sound of Inevitability
  At the damage levels of high-speed hits – or even low-speed ones from 
  semis (11d), APCs (12d), locomotives (16d), or tanks (18d), never mind 
  ships (6d¥12 and up) – the difference between systems is that between 
  “dead” and “deader.” Not everybody has Serendipity, or points for Lucky 
  Breaks. That’s fine when it’s NPCs getting squashed, but when it’s heroes, 
  allow a Dodge roll even if “Nobody could avoid that!”, and permit Luck 
  for the attempt.
  If all else fails, consider having the hero be pushed or dragged, but not 
  killed. They miss this scene. They awaken in another ZIP Code at -1¥HP. 
  They spend the remainder of this adventure phoning in from hospital and 
  enjoying Medical (pp. 22-23) mishaps. But they don’t die.
  This advice holds whenever anything that does 6d¥2 or more dam-
  age – blast furnace, explosion, etc. – would insta-kill a PC.
  
   
  danger! 
  37
  Driving Dangerously
  Vehicle crew have many combat options:
  • Mangling people in motors. See Engines of Destruction 
  (p. 36).
  • Misusing safety gear. See What Does This Button Do? 
  (p. 35).
  • Running people down. See Ram (Exploits, p. 33) and 
  Greatest Hits (p. 26).
  • Slamming body parts in doors, which do +1 damage if 
  they’re heavy enough to seal against water or pressure, as on 
  ships and aircraft. See Slam! (p. 7).
  • Using dangerous attachments; e.g., Bloody 
  Fields (p. 14) and Mining Machines (p. 30).
  Here’s another possibility:
  Buckle Up! A vehicle’s operator can abruptly 
  alter speed or attitude in order to harm hostile 
  passengers. Make a roll against vehicle-operation 
  skill (Driving, Piloting, etc.), at a bonus equal to 
  Handling (Hnd) and a penalty up to one equal in 
  size to the vehicle’s speed bonus (Exploits, p. 34), 
  chosen by the operator; e.g., for a sports car with Top Speed 
  75 and speed bonus +9, the driver may choose from -1 to -9. 
  Critical failure means a wreck (Exploits, p. 35); failure means 
  the stunt doesn’t work and the operator must use their next 
  turn to regain control (a Move maneuver, allowing no other 
  action), or suffer a wreck on that turn instead. Any success 
  does 1d damage plus a bonus equal in size to the chosen pen-
  alty (so 1d+1 to 1d+9 for that sports car). Everybody aboard 
  suffers this, but those properly belted in get DR 5 and those 
  braced for it (like the operator) get extra DR equal to half their 
  ST, rounded down; no other DR counts.
  Pilot: Excuse me, Captain. This may 
  seem silly, but can you fly?
  Harry Callahan: Nope. Never had  
  a lesson.
  – Magnum Force (1973)
  W is for WORkSITe
  Action-movie villains gravitate to the construction and 
  freight-handling businesses. This could be a testament 
  to the days of organized crime controlling labor unions, a 
  nod to earlier times when crooked bosses broke up unions, 
  or because cargo containers and concrete simplify corpse 
  disposal. It helps that worksites are unsafe places, filled 
  with dangerous Architecture (pp. 6-7), Tools (pp. 33-34), 
  Vehicles (pp. 35-37), and more. Junk (pp. 18-19) and Resource 
  Extraction (pp. 28-30) describe related risks.
  Movement
  Simply moving through a worksite can be hazardous to 
  your health.
  High Steel: Falls (Exploits, p. 19) are a constant risk 
  when moving around buildings under construction or open-
  framed cranes at loading areas. Roll for Balancing (Exploits, 
  p. 19) at the start of every turn; action heroes use Acrobatics 
  but workers may substitute DX-based Professional Skills. 
  Either have -2 for a narrow, rigid beam. This -2 modifies 
  all other rolls to avoid falling, too, such as for knockback. 
  Failing any such roll means falling as described in Heights 
  (p. 6), with the DX-based “saving roll” but without the backup 
  of Safety First! (p. 5).
  Tricky Chuting: Delivery (pp. 4-6) into a construction chute 
  means falling, but friction against the sides halves damage. A 
  successful DX or Acrobatics roll to brake with hands and feet 
  means no damage. Damage is crushing, and never reduced by 
  the hard materials on typical worksites.
  Work in Progress: Construction sites feature temporary 
  and unfinished work, such as brick walls with unset mor-
  tar. Questionable Construction (p. 7) applies. A Per-based 
  roll against a fitting trade skill (Carpentry for wood, 
  Masonry for stone, Machinist for steel, etc.) can spot the 
  telltale signs.
  Machinery
  Much of the gear used for heavy labor resembles Industrial 
  (p. 17) equipment; e.g., conveyors for cargo or bags of cement 
  use Convey My Deepest Condolences (p. 17). Construction sites 
  also feature shovels (p. 14), pickaxes (pp. 29-30), and every-
  thing in Tools (pp. 33-34), notably nail guns, post-hole diggers, 
  sledgehammers, torches, and power tools.
  There are distinctions, however, and new threats. Anything 
  powered has a Killswitch (p. 17).
  Deconstruction: Wrecking balls use What Goes Up (p. 17) 
  with effective ST/HP 80 to 183 (or roll 5d¥4+60). Swung along 
  an arc totally clear of obstacles, they’ll shove even the stron-
  gest person aside (a Quick Contest of ST, if you insist) rather 
  than do damage – small consolation if pushed to your death. 
  Dropped vertically, or used to ram someone into an obstacle, 
  they do harm as usual. For demolition with explosives, see Big 
  Bada-Boom (p. 26).
  Dozed, Dug, and Forked: Pushing people into the blades 
  of bulldozers, excavators, forklifts, loaders, etc. uses Delivery 
  (pp. 4-6). Attacking someone requires a roll against Driving 
  (Construction Equipment); DX-based Freight Handling 
  also works, for machines specifically designed for loading 
  and unloading. Results depend on the vehicle. Hitting some-
  one with a machine that happens to have a blade in front is 
  a Ram (Exploits, p. 33) – but attacking at -2 might let a bull-
  dozer do cutting damage or a forklift inflict impaling dam-
  age. Anything with an “arm” inflicts thrust crushing damage 
  for half its ST/HP. All these machines vary widely in size;  
  a warehouse mini-forklift could have ST/HP 62; a monstrous 
  Cat D11 dozer has ST/HP 245!
  
   
  danger! 
  38
  Heavy Lifting: Steel beams, shipping containers, prefab-
  ricated concrete sections, etc. are massive. What Goes Up 
  (pp. 17-18) and Must Come Down (pp. 17-18) apply. A wimpy 
  crane would use 70 for its ST when hitting people and for the 
  HP of falling objects, making it utterly lethal.
  Jackhammer: While “portable” in the sense that a strong 
  person can maneuver it with great effort, this is hefty, bulky, 
  and tethered by a heavy hose or power cable. It takes ST 21 
  to wield one in combat, and Two-Handed Axe/Mace would 
  be at -8 against a moving foe! However, if someone is lying 
  down within one yard (its hex or any adjacent hex on a battle 
  map), it can be angled to attack; this requires only ST 15, is at 
  just -4 to hit (plus -1 per missing ST point, as usual), and does 
  7d(2) pi++.
  Stand Clear of Door: Big gates onto the site, and huge 
  warehouse doors, are metallic, motorized, and heavy – per-
  haps only DR 5, but with HP 35-37 if they block traffic in one 
  direction, or HP 44-46 if they control two lanes (or access 
  for huge machines). They do damage via the Quick Contest 
  in Slam! (p. 7).
  Materials
  Heavy materials themselves can pose a danger. They can 
  tumble from heights (Must Come Down, pp. 17-18) and more.
  Big Stacks: Over-tall or poorly secured heaps of cement 
  bags, cinderblocks, planks, and so forth can be toppled. A Per-
  based Freight Handling roll – at +2 for Danger Sense – spots 
  a promising hazard. Any action that dumps the cargo on some-
  one is an attack at DX-based Freight Handling; for loads on 
  trucks, Driving (Heavy Wheeled) also works. Those without 
  construction skills roll at -4, those with applicable training 
  are at only -2. Success means everyone alongside suffers 1d 
  dice – 1d to 6d – of large-area (p. B400) crushing injury. Area 
  of affect is variable: A teetering tower of standard pallets 
  would spill along a line a yard wide but many yards long; a 
  giant spool of wire might roll even farther; and anything long 
  and cylindrical works like logs (p. 29) or pipes (p. 26).
  Cement: Realistic cement mixers don’t pour fast enough 
  to affect combat. In action flicks, using Delivery (pp. 4-6) to 
  put someone under the spout – or an attack using Driving 
  (Construction Equipment) from the controls of such a 
  truck – is a common trick. The victim becomes stuck, unable 
  to act until they can make a ST or ST-based Escape roll. 
  Each attempt takes one turn and costs 1 FP – and if the 
  cement keeps pouring, repeated attempts have a cumulative 
  -1. A victim who’s lying down can be buried; they roll at -4 
  to escape, and three successive failures means Suffocation 
  (p. B436) starts. Use the same rules if someone is shoved into 
  wet cement.
  Rebar: Steel reinforcing bars pose an impalement risk, 
  which is why they’re capped on safe sites. Action mov-
  ies scoff at such cautiousness! He Got the Point (p. 22) 
  applies. Damage from falling onto or being shoved into 
  the protruding rods is impaling, but at -1 per die because 
  the ends are somewhat blunt.
  Rubble: The foot of a construction chute conveying 
  waste materials from upper stories isn’t a safe place. If 
  Delivery (pp. 4-6) puts someone there at a busy worksite, 
  random junk inflicts 1/4 of the falling damage (Exploits, p. 19) 
  for the chute’s height, rounded down. Assume 3.5 yards per 
  story; e.g., alongside a 20-story tower, that’s 70 yards, so fall-
  ing damage is 7d+2 cr and rubble does 1/4 of that per turn.
  What a Pane: Windows use Hard Crack (p. 21) whether or 
  not they’re installed – but glass that isn’t in a frame can strike 
  side-on, acting like a guillotine. Use Heavy Lifting (above) or 
  Big Stacks (above) to unload glass on someone. The difference 
  is that the hit does cutting damage.
  X marks tHe sPot
  X isn’t for anything, but customarily indicates a key loca-
  tion – in this case, where a deadly MacGuffin (e.g., killer sat-
  ellite) will strike. The challenge? Luring bad guys into danger 
  at the right moment. When the heroes engage in penny-ante 
  trickery, see Devious (pp. 10-11) or a specific threat (e.g., rot-
  ten floors invoke Architecture, pp. 6-7); when they can con-
  trol when and where the MacGuffin strikes, use Quantum 
  (pp. 27-28). X is the “nuclear option.”
  Fifty Tons of  
  Weapons-Grade Plot Devicium
  Nothing is as satisfying as turning the tables on the Evil 
  Mastermind and putting the bad guys in the crosshairs of 
  something big, inevitable, and deadly (hereafter the “Plot 
  Device”) – something more final than the onrushing trains, 
  teetering towers of pallets, and pools of toxic waste that Per-
  ception-based rolls reveal. We’re talking about dangers the 
  heroes are aware of ahead of time and their rivals can’t sim-
  ply notice and duck. This requires two things:
  1. Massive, unobvious danger. Anything from a time 
  bomb hidden in a trashcan to an orbital strike. The heroes 
  can set it up using such skills as Explosives or Traps, or 
  “call it in” by Pulling Rank (Heroes, pp. 24-25). Or the Plot 
  Device might be a neutral or enemy scheme the GM pro-
  vides. What it can’t be is the result of invoking Serendipity or 
  Player Guidance (p. B347), however many character points 
  the players offer to pay.
  2. Knowledge of what the Plot Device is, and where and 
  when it will strike. If the heroes set it up, they know! Oth-
  erwise, they must find out in order to exploit it, using  
  Gathering Intelligence (Exploits, pp. 11-14), Social Engineer-
  ing (Exploits, pp. 15-17), or Grabbing the Goods (Exploits, 
  pp. 23-24), depending on whether it’s a question of snooping, 
  asking, or stealing files. Discovering what, where, and when 
  could be three separate “side quests.”
  I promise I will never even think about 
  going up in a tall building again. Oh, God. 
  Please don’t let me die.
  – McClane, in Die Hard (1988)
  
   
  danger! 
  39
  Hybrids are possible. For instance, if the heroes learn of 
  a killer satellite and where its controls are, they might sneak 
  in and adjust where and when it strikes – that’s partly their 
  setup, partly the enemy’s.
  You Are Cordially Invited to Die
  Exploiting the Plot Device isn’t just a question of “Stand 
  under this wrecking ball or next to this propane tank.” That 
  kind of thing gives would-be victims Sense rolls to see the 
  threat – or at least hear the crane or hissing pipes – and Dodge 
  rolls to dive for cover. Use the rules for another kind of hazard.
  It isn’t a question of Delivery (pp. 4-6), either. Judo throws 
  allow defenses; knockback, overshooting, and trickery are 
  unpredictable; and while manhandling can drag foes into dan-
  ger, you don’t want to be in close combat when X Marks the 
  Spot. At any rate, these tricks work on just one bad guy at a 
  time – what’s wrong with a bullet?
  If the heroes have set a trap – or know where danger is 
  scheduled to strike from over the horizon, 15,000 feet, or 
  orbit – they’ll want to ensure the bad guys are there in force. 
  This means ensuring the ultimate (or at least penultimate) 
  showdown takes place in the right location. There are several 
  ways to do this.
  Accidentally on Purpose
  The PCs can discuss their next move in a place known to be 
  bugged or “have ears,” let a thief steal a briefcase containing 
  misleading papers, or talk in front of a prisoner and then per-
  mit them to escape. Such ruses require previous intelligence 
  gathering or social engineering to learn where their rivals are 
  operating, or Live Capture (Exploits, p. 24) for the prisoner.
  Because the heroes are helping the enemy learn their 
  (apparent!) plans, the bad guys’ rolls against Electronics 
  Operation, Filch, Lockpicking, Observation, etc. are at +4 
  and never contested. If there’s any doubt – say, the prisoner 
  is an idiot – the squad can grant a further +1 to +6 to their 
  rivals’ rolls, though this is risky.
  Whether the forces of villainy take the bait boils down to 
  a Quick Contest of the PCs’ disinformation skill vs. the oppo-
  sition’s effective Intelligence Analysis skill, which is the better 
  of the Big Boss’ actual skill or 10 + absolute value of BAD. 
  The heroes’ skill is usually Acting (to deliver a canned speech 
  in a bugged room or in front of a prisoner) or Writing (for 
  misleading documents). The bad guys get a bonus equal to 
  any deliberate bonus given earlier (“Too easy – it’s a trap.”), 
  and another +5 if the heroes are trying to turn the villains’ Plot 
  Device against them. This +5 doesn’t apply when the squad 
  learns of the Plot Device and secretly changes when and where 
  it will strike!
  Hold off rolling until just before the fight is supposed to 
  begin, and roll in secret. If the PCs win, the bad guys arrive 
  as desired. If they tie, nobody shows up. If the heroes lose, 
  they’re the ones set up – they’re ambushed driving to the 
  showdown, the battlefield is booby trapped, or, if the enemy 
  controls the Plot Device, it’s primed to fry the PCs.
  Everybody Knows You’ve Been Discreet
  The heroes can get word out in less-targeted ways. The two 
  most likely are:
  I Heard it Through the Grapevine: If the enemy has street 
  connections, getting word out might involve talking to the 
  right, wrong people. Use Accidentally on Purpose, but the 
  Quick Contest is between the heroes’ and villains’ Streetwise 
  skills. Again, use 10 + absolute value of BAD for the bad guys, 
  if better – and again, the enemy gets +5 if the PCs are try-
  ing to hoist them with their own petard. The good guys can 
  claim bonuses for Bribery (Exploits, p. 15) if they cough up 
  the cash to bribe the Big Boss (they have to push the mes-
  sage all the way to the top). This method can be less work 
  and more reliable than the previous one . . . except that on a 
  tie, instead of nothing happening, law enforcers or unrelated 
  criminals take an interest and show up to cause trouble. 
  Never trust crooks.
  Fake News: If the heroes employ news or social media, 
  use Accidentally on Purpose, but the Quick Contest is now 
  between the heroes’ Propaganda and the villains’ effec-
  tive Intelligence Analysis. The bad guys still get +5 against 
  being tricked into facing their own Plot Device. Computer 
  Operation (for social media), Electronics Operation 
  (Media) (for doctored images or video), Public Speaking 
  (for speeches), and Writing (for written articles) are all com-
  plementary skills for the PCs. This, too, can be easier, but a 
  tie means innocent bystanders – bloggers, journalists, Anti-
  Death Satellite flash mob, etc. – turn up to complicate the 
  heroes’ lives, while on a loss, such people are there to get 
  slaughtered when the good guys walk into an ambush.
  Throw Down
  The heroes can straight-up challenge the bad guys! This 
  only works if the opposition is known rather than a shadowy 
  conspiracy. That knowledge usually involves yet more intelli-
  gence gathering and social engineering.
  Again, use Accidentally on Purpose, but now the Quick 
  Contest between the heroes’ and villains’ Tactics skills, as 
  each side expects a trap and is calculating whether it can out-
  maneuver the other. Once more, use 10 + absolute value of 
  BAD for the bad guys, where better – but now they get +10 if 
  the PCs are trying to turn their own Plot Device against them, 
  because they don’t merely expect a trap but have one, one they 
  probably want to use themselves!
  However, give the bad guys -1 per humiliation they’ve suf-
  fered at the heroes’ hands on this adventure, to a maximum 
  of -10. The GM decides what counts. Beating up a few thugs 
  doesn’t rate; defeating the evil karate master in his own  
  dojo does. Just sneaking into the crime lord’s villa doesn’t 
  qualify; taking pictures of his tasteless wardrobe and post-
  ing them online does. And so on.
  If the heroes win, they get their way. If they tie or lose, the 
  bad guys set them up.
  The satellite is at present over . . . 
  Kansas. Well, if we destroy Kansas  
  the world may not hear about it  
  for years. Perhaps New York?
  – Blofeld, in Diamonds  
  Are Forever (1971)
  
   
  danger! 
  40
  Make Some Noise
  Most risky is simply going into the danger zone and doing 
  something the enemy can’t miss. The heroes might stealthily 
  set a bomb, or radio for an airstrike, and then shoot into the 
  air – or even call in that airstrike with visible smoke or flares. 
  If the villains control the Plot Device, the PCs may need to do 
  little more than deliberately fail Stealth rolls.
  Whether the bad guys fall for this is another matter. If the 
  enemies available to notice the commotion don’t know the 
  risk – because the Big Boss didn’t tell them about the Plot 
  Device, or because it’s the heroes’ setup – they’ll turn up. That 
  may seem generous, but it isn’t. First, the squad has given up 
  tactical surprise. Second, roll 3d; on 3 + absolute value of BAD 
  or less (e.g., 9 or less at -6), some mook radios or phones head-
  quarters, allowing the Big Boss to send reinforcements or acti-
  vate the Plot Device at the cost of a few goons. Finally, even if 
  the Big Boss is present, they’ll hang safely back and let their 
  thugs do the fighting.
  If the enemies in the area do know about the Plot Device, 
  because it’s theirs, they also know the heroes are in the target 
  area. Unless they have a pressing reason not to (perhaps they 
  have just one shot and need it to level New York), they’ll use 
  the Plot Device. When in doubt, roll against 9 + absolute value 
  of BAD (e.g., 15 or less at -6).
  This is a bad idea except when the heroes have set a trap 
  and want to reduce the size of the mook legions!
  Spring the Trap
  This is the easiest part. If the bad guys fall for the setup, 
  roll 1d+1. That’s how many turns of combat the PCs must fight 
  before the Plot Device wins the battle for them. No one can use 
  Luck to reroll this – it’s too large-scale. But anyone can use a 
  variant form of Player Guidance (p. B347) to reduce the time 
  at the cost of one character point per turn.
  Whether the Plot Device endangers the heroes is up to the 
  players. They can venture as close to danger as they wish, 
  ensuring the mooks stay closer, or hang back and snipe, which 
  means their fish might not stay in the barrel.
  y is for yUCk
  Vats and Pipes (p. 26) are sometimes filled not with dan-
  gers like Chemicals (pp. 9-10), but with something disgusting. 
  Someone might drown in gunk if they can’t swim, or fall ill 
  after the closing credits, but that isn’t the objective. Gross-out 
  “hazards” let the heroes show their quality by embarrassing 
  but not killing less-villainous foes – or by not seeking murder-
  ous vengeance when they get slimed. They’re also fitting fates 
  for comic-relief characters on both sides!
  Damaging Dignity
  Exploitable foulness tends to come in three forms:
  Vile Vials: Vials, bottles, and barrels of nasty stuff can be 
  chucked and burst to make life disgusting. Such attacks use 
  the rules in Quantity and Form (p. 9) – it’s the effects that dif-
  fer. This is typical of such small pleasures as jars of weap-
  ons-grade kimchi, jugs of sour milk, and urine samples – oh, 
  and rotten eggs (treat as hurled vials).
  Putrid Pipelines: If something gross is being pumped 
  around, handle the attack using Perilous Pipelines (p. 26). 
  Sewage is rarely at dangerous temperatures or pressures, 
  but the same cannot be said of strong-smelling food being 
  cooking or fermented in industrial quantities, which may add 
  injury to insult.
  Rancid Reservoirs: Basins of stink around the Farm 
  (pp. 13-14), ponds and reservoirs at sewage-treatment facil-
  ities, tanks at food-producing factories (which sometimes 
  add the hazards of Heat, p. 16), and not-too-toxic Industrial 
  (pp. 17-18) and Mining (pp. 29-30) effluent. Making victims 
  take a swim uses Delivery (pp. 4-6).
  A spewing pipe or festering reservoir of unpleasantness 
  requires no roll to detect; a small vial or rotten egg might. If 
  someone is searching for disgusting stuff, make a Per-based roll 
  against a skill suitable to the environment; e.g., Housekeeping 
  in a kitchen or Hazardous Materials (Biological) in a hospi-
  tal. Acute Taste and Smell bonuses apply.
  Revolting Results
  In ascending order by seriousness, effects of exposure are:
  Humiliation: Victims with disadvantages triggered 
  by disgusting things (particularly Mysophobia and 
  Squeamish) or insults (Bad Temper, Berserk, Selfish, 
  etc.) must attempt an immediate self-control roll. They 
  may have up to -5; optionally, roll 1d-1 for the size of 
  the penalty (0 to -5). Anyone trying to resist Banter 
  (Exploits, p. 39) targeting their predicament resists at 
  the same penalty, even if they have no associated mental 
  problems (e.g., covering a mook with sewage makes it 
  easier to draw their aggression or intimidate them into 
  slinking off); this lasts for the rest of the scene. Suitable 
  disadvantages without self-control rolls grow one step 
  more severe; for instance, Shyness worsens from Mild to 
  Severe while reeking of fish guts. Penalties and severity 
  increases aren’t cumulative with repeated exposures.
  Biohazard?
  Action-movie “reality” rarely has exposure to hospital 
  specimens or untreated sewage infect people. The grit-
  tiest stories might veer in that direction, but nobody falls 
  ill from Staphylococcus aureus (or whatever) on the time-
  scale of a short combat or even a Bullitt-caliber chase. If 
  the GM wants humiliated heroes or recurring villains to 
  suffer, use a “generic” illness equal to a mild flu (p. B443): a 
  24-hour delay, followed by six HT-2 rolls at 12-hour intervals 
  to avoid 1 point of toxic damage per cycle. Save the lethal 
  plagues for WMD (Exploits, p. 29) and Outbreak! (Exploits,  
  p. 40) scenarios.
  
   
  danger! 
  41
  Affliction: Along with humiliation, some revolting sub-
  stances cause mild Afflictions (pp. B428-429) on a failed HT 
  roll. Roll just once per fight, on first exposure. Ordinary awful-
  ness is resisted at +1 to +5, while truly vile stuff gives from -1 
  to -5; to choose at random, roll 2d-7. The classic result of fail-
  ure is nauseated for minutes equal to margin of failure, with 
  failure by 5+ or critical failure causing retching. Fetid fumes 
  might leave someone coughing instead.
  Drowning: Those pushed into liquids and unable to touch 
  bottom must roll against Swimming (p. B354), with doubled 
  encumbrance penalties and without +3 for entering intention-
  ally. Factories and treatment plants often use agitators, cen-
  trifuges, or pumps to mix, separate, or move things around, 
  giving up to -5 more (or roll 1d-1 for penalty size). If the goo 
  triggers disadvantages or afflictions, roll to resist those first; 
  they can further penalize Swimming (e.g., being nauseated 
  gives -2). Failure costs 1 FP and means further rolls every five 
  turns (see Suffocation, p. B436); the victim can do nothing but 
  struggle until a roll succeeds. Success lets the swimmer clam-
  ber out, which takes five seconds.
  Asphyxiation: On top of all this, reeking ponds and 
  tanks – not mere vials or pipes – may sometimes cause 
  suffocation even if the victim doesn’t drown. Septic-tank gases 
  are the classic example. For these, Suffocation (p. B436) sets 
  in immediately even the hazard is too shallow for drowning. 
  To end this effect, get out! That takes one turn if standing in 
  gunk, a few turns if lying down and forced to Change Posture 
  first, or five seconds if swimming. Don’t combine this FP loss 
  with that for drowning in deep goo; suffocation costs a flat 1 
  FP per second and the Swimming rolls merely determine how 
  long it takes to escape.
  Sickening Suggestions
  Anybody who remembers childhood should have no prob-
  lem dreaming up gross-outs. Here are a few starters, which 
  often overlap.
  Compost: Organic matter – usually Botanical (p. 8) or 
  Kitchen (pp. 19-21) waste – left to rot and liquefy for easier 
  disposal or use as fertilizer.
  Fermented Food: Fermentation yields many stinky foods 
  (below), but also delicacies not famed for their stench in 
  their polished form. Factories hold quantities large enough to 
  drown in. Beer and wine are among the most famous exam-
  ples; the production process reeks, and alcohol fumes above 
  the colossal vats can make victims tipsy (p. B428) on a failed 
  HT roll, drunk on failure by 5+.
  Fish: Things like fish guts – found in Nautical (pp. 23-24) 
  settings – and the pureed whole fish used to make processed 
  foods are widely considered disagreeable.
  Hospital Specimens: If it comes out of the human body, 
  someone at a Medical (pp. 22-23) facility wants samples for 
  testing. Even the least-malodorous excretions tend to squick 
  people enough to cause humiliation.
  Manure: Unlike human waste, the animal kind is often kept 
  around the Farm (pp. 13-14) for use as fertilizer. Piles might 
  not pose a drowning risk, but the GM may require a ST roll to 
  break free if shoved in.
  Sewage: From toilet to treatment facility, this isn’t pleasant. 
  Often pumped through Pipes (p. 26) – and large tanks have 
  asphyxiating gases sitting on top.
  Spoiled Food: Rancid meat, rotten eggs, sour milk, moldy 
  potatoes . . . all excellent for pelting at enemies, if only to 
  humiliate them. Sniff around the Kitchen (pp. 19-21) for it.
  Stagnant Water: Standing water can grow foul with bacte-
  ria, bugs, and decomposing organic matter. Like sewage, it 
  can have dangerous gas atop it.
  Stinky Food: Surströmming, kimchi, particularly fra-
  grant cheese, etc. technically isn’t spoiled (above), but might 
  as well be.
  Z is for ZOO
  Turning dangerous animals loose is something bad guys 
  do more often than good guys – but when scumbags have 
  treated critters poorly for the story’s duration, it’s a fitting 
  fate to end up caged or swimming with their long-suffering 
  victims. And in action tales set in the wilderness, canny jun-
  gle commandos and similar outdoorsy heroes often exploit 
  nature, red in tooth and claw, for a kill both more and less 
  subtle than a hail of bullets.
  How Dangerous?
  Descriptions of any significant number of dangerous ani-
  mals would fill a book; that’s appropriate for GURPS Bestiary 
  but not GURPS Action. The goal here isn’t to provide full 
  stats for animals – it’s to cover what happens to those shoved 
  into jaws that bite and claws that catch. The table below gives 
  strictly basic information for the usual suspects.
  
   
  Danger! 
  42
  Creature: The general animal type. In some cases, this is 
  broad and vague!
  ST/HP: How strong the animal is, which matters most 
  if it grabs you. A range means the entry covers everything 
  from small to huge species. If defeating the animal becomes 
  important (say, to free someone from its jaws), assume it gives 
  up and goes away after sustaining this much total injury.
  Damage: Simplified damage: thrust-1 (like a claw or bite), 
  at +1 per die for predators, because they have Brawling.
   Creature 
  ST/HP 
  Damage 
  Notes
   Alligator 
  19 
  2d cut 
  [1, 2]
   Bear 
  14-22 
  1d to 2d+1 cr or cut 
  [1]
   Bull 
  27 
  3d-2 cr or imp 
  [3]
   Chimpanzee 
  11 
  1d-1 cr or 1d-2 cut 
  [2, 4]
   Crocodile 
  22 
  2d+1 cut 
  [1, 2]
   Elephant 
  45 
  5d-1 cr
   Gorilla 
  15 
  1d+1 cr or 1d cut 
  [2, 4]
   Hippo 
  39 
  4d cr
   Horse 
  18-25 
  1d+1 to 2d+1 cr
   Jaguar 
  14 
  1d cut 
  [1]
   Killer Whale 
  30 
  3d+2 cut 
  [1]
   Komodo Dragon 
  13 
  1d cut 
  [1, 2]
   Leopard 
  13 
  1d cut 
  [1]
   Lion 
  16 
  1d+1 cut 
  [1]
   Mountain Lion 
  12 
  1d-1 cut 
  [1]
   Orangutan 
  12 
  1d cr or 1d-2 cut 
  [2, 4]
   Ostrich 
  13 
  1d-1 imp
   Pig 
  15 
  1d cr
   Rhino 
  28 
  3d-2 cr
   Shark 
  19-38 
  2d to 4d+3 cut 
  [1]
   Tiger 
  17 
  1d+2 cut 
  [1]
   Wolf 
  10 
  1d-2 cut 
  [1]
  Notes
  [1] Damage includes Brawling bonus.
  [2] Has a nasty tendency to hold on, doing damage each 
  turn, unless victim breaks free from listed ST or the animal is 
  wounded to 0 HP.
  [3] Impaling initial charge, crushing trample afterward.
  [4] Arm ST 3 makes “punch” deadlier and increases ST 
  when grappling.
  Don’t Feed the Animals
  The main way to get someone eaten or mauled by a beast is 
  to use Delivery (pp. 4-6) to put them in danger. Two moves are 
  common in action flicks.
  Keep Hands Away from Bars: If the animal is caged or 
  behind a tall fence, the goal is to shove or hurl an enemy 
  against the enclosure, where an enraged beast awaits. Roll 
  1d versus the number of times someone has crashed into 
  the bars; on 1 the first time, 1-2 the second, and so on, the 
  occupant is riled up enough to lunge. Heroes can rattle 
  cages to increase the odds; this is an Attack maneuver that 
  works automatically, but roll as usual to see whether the 
  cage-rattler is attacked. A safer option is to use Serendipity 
  or spend two character points to specify the critter is ready 
  now. Those sent front-on into biting or clawing range are hit 
  unless they dodge; those tossed with their back to the barrier 
  get no defense. In addition to doing damage, if a creature 
  tends to hold on (note [2] under the table) rather than just 
  nip, it grapples the victim and inflicts damage on later turns!
  Welcome to the Shark Tank: If the enclosure has an 
  opening, someone can be shoved to fall down into this 
  from above – or forced through a door and locked inside 
  (Doors, pp. 6-7). In that case, the animal attacks every turn. 
  Technically, it might miss, and it could dodge attacks on it. 
  In Action, speed things up by assuming that with All-Out 
  Attack (Determined), it won’t miss, but also won’t dodge. 
  Victims may dodge as usual on the beast’s turn, and on their 
  own turn may either attack the critter, do an All-Out Defense, 
  or waste time trying to escape. Most animals are too fast to 
  flee from on home ground!
  Seeing Red
  If a dangerous animal is out in the open, someone may 
  take a Concentrate maneuver to roll vs. Animal Handling 
  and draw the beast toward an enemy. This is an incredibly 
  risky proposition: -5 to skill. As it’s the rare action hero who 
  has Animal Handling (Big Cats) or whatever, the roll usu-
  ally has another -2 to -6 default penalty; see p. B175.
  On any success, the animal goes for the intended vic-
  tim as the person who caught its eye ducks carefully to one 
  side. On failure by 1-4, the 
  animal doesn’t seem to 
  notice (but if it would 
  attack someone at ran-
  dom, it still does). On 
  failure by 5+ or critical 
  failure, it goes after the 
  troublemaker!
  Once 
  the 
  animal 
  arrives, treat the situa-
  tion like Welcome to the 
  Shark Tank (above), with 
  the difference being that 
  there’s no enclosure, so 
  the victim may have more 
  options – perhaps includ-
  ing leaving the area and 
  shutting in the beast.
  Not the Bees!
  Knocking someone into an insect hive or piranha tank works like any use of Delivery 
  (pp. 4-6). After that, use the rules for swarms (p. B461). Assume nasty bugs (ants, bees, 
  wasps, etc.) do 1 point of toxic damage per turn, while biting animals (bats, rats, piranha, 
  etc.) inflict a collective 1d cutting. Ignore DR. If the intended victim goes down, the swarm 
  goes after the nearest person – friend or foe.
  Crazy Like a Snake
  Small, venomous animals like snakes and octopuses can be as harmless or deadly as the 
  GM likes. As a guideline, if the rules for tossing enemies to beasts indicate someone would 
  be bitten, ignore biting damage and worry about venom. To generate a random venom, roll 
  1d-1 for the HT penalty to resist and then 1d/2 (rounded up) for dice of toxic damage if the 
  HT roll fails – that is, it’s a HT to HT-5 roll to avoid 1d to 3d damage. Don’t worry about 
  cycles or accumulated effects; treat each dose as a one-off attack.
  
   
  style and usage 
  43
  Dictionaries often conclude with a grammar primer: guide-
  lines for using all those words. We’ll honor this custom, looking 
  at how to weave this supplement’s dangers into the game while 
  respecting the conventions of action fiction and the structure of 
  GURPS Action.
  The GM can fling this entire dictionary into the game 
  haphazardly, but it’s less jarring – and thus more fun – when 
  menacing scenery has ties to the plot (Your Mission, Should 
  You Choose to Accept It, below), setting (Location, Location, 
  Location, pp. 44-47), or heroes (A Very Particular Set of Skills, 
  pp. 47-48). Because such connections aren’t always obvious, 
  the main aim of this discussion is to help the GM choose 
  appropriate dangers. Players may find it useful, too; A Very 
  Particular Set of Skills and Setting the Scene (p. 45) offer hints 
  as to what abilities to use, and when.
  your mission, sHould you 
  CHoose to aCCePt it
  The strongest inspiration for hazards is the team’s mis-
  sion. The GM should ask these questions: What are the heroes 
  trying to accomplish? Who are their opponents, and what 
  are they attempting to do? What dangerous stuff does that 
  imply – and not imply?
  For instance, if the heroes are tasked with foiling a terrorist 
  plot to blow up an oil rig and contaminate their homeland’s 
  shores, the dangers under Nautical (pp. 23-24), Big Bada-Boom 
  (p. 26), Pipes (p. 26), and Drilling (p. 30) are de rigueur – with 
  Chemicals (pp. 9-10) released if the mission fails. Incidental 
  dangers could arise as the story develops; e.g., an oil rig needs 
  a Kitchen (pp. 19-21), and may even boast a recreation room 
  for Sports (pp. 30-32). Botanical (p. 8) and Farm (pp. 13-14) 
  are probably a reach, though!
  It’s impossible to anticipate every conceivable plot, but 
  Campaign Types (Heroes, pp. 5-6) offers broad inspiration.
  Brotherhood in Blue: Action cops get into chases where 
  Vehicles (pp. 35-37) are a threat. Big-city plots unfold in 
  back-alleys full of Junk (pp. 18-19) and Yuck (pp. 40-41), 
  and in buildings with dodgy Architecture (pp. 6-7), espe-
  cially if run-down or under construction (implying Worksite, 
  pp. 37-38) – and even ordinary homes hold the threat of the 
  Generic (pp. 15-16). Ethnic mobs love ethnic restaurants, 
  leading to Kitchen (pp. 19-21) combat. Specific crimes sug-
  gest other menaces; e.g., Chemicals (pp. 9-10) for drug labs, 
  Ordnance (pp. 25-26) for bomb scares, and Sports (pp. 30-32) 
  for illegal betting. And police officers often end up in Medical 
  (pp. 22-23) settings, to question victims of violent crime 
  or as victims of violence. Avoid things not native to urban 
  areas – Botanical (p. 8), Farm (pp. 13-14), Resource Extraction 
  (pp. 28-30), etc. – unless the heroes’ beat is unusual, like a port 
  or harbor with Nautical (pp. 23-24) dangers.
  Caper: Crooks are the flipside of cops, so everything noted 
  for Brotherhood in Blue applies – while “lovable criminals” 
  are rarely drug lords or mad bombers, they may have 
  to cut deals with such scum, bringing in the associ-
  ated hazards. Capers are often complex heists that 
  involve sneaking in via rooftops and elevator shafts, 
  cutting power, and then getting away at high speed, 
  making Architecture (pp. 6-7), Electricity (pp. 12-13), 
  and specialized Tools (pp. 33-34) and Vehicles 
  (pp. 35-37) relevant. These schemes are first and fore-
  most clever, which brings the Devious (pp. 10-11) and 
  Generic (pp. 15-16) into play, and means no danger is strictly 
  off-limits. In rare cases where the job is a violent one, it’s 
  extremely likely that X Marks the Spot (pp. 38-40).
  Commandos: Elite troopers traipse about in jungles full 
  of Botanical (p. 8) hazards, scuba dive in Nautical (pp. 23-24) 
  environments, and generally get parachuted into the great 
  outdoors, where the occasional Zoo (pp. 41-42) scene is 
  fitting. If operating in built-up areas, add Architecture 
  (pp. 6-7) to the list. Commandos are often tasked with 
  planting Ordnance (pp. 25-26) and tackling X Marks the 
  Spot (pp. 38-40) scenarios. As they use and confront serious 
  weapons, improvisations of the Devious (pp. 10-11), Generic 
  (pp. 15-16), Kitchen (pp. 19-21), Sports (pp. 30-32), or Yuck 
  (pp. 40-41) variety are unlikely except when off duty. On the 
  other hand, they are conversant in the violent use of their 
  own Medical (pp. 22-23) supplies, Tools (pp. 33-34), and 
  Vehicles (pp. 35-37).
  Mercs: The Commandos notes apply if the team is para-
  military, while Brotherhood in Blue is better inspiration for 
  domestic operators. Either way, mercenaries are usually less 
  lavishly outfitted than government-backed soldiers and cops, 
  and so may creatively misuse Chemicals (pp. 9-10), Generic 
  (pp. 15-16) hardware, Sports (pp. 30-32) equipment, and Tools 
  (pp. 33-34), and mess with makeshift Ordnance (pp. 25-26). 
   CHaPter tWo
  style and usage
  or, PiCking your Perils
  A lot of action movies today seem to have 
  scenes that just lead up to the action.
  – Jason Statham
  
   
  style and usage 
  44
  Adventures inspired by the evening news might see guns 
  hired to defend power plants (Electricity, pp. 12-13), cash 
  crops (Farm, pp. 13-14), factories (Industrial, pp. 17-18), aid 
  workers (Medical, pp. 22-23), profitable Resource Extraction 
  (pp. 28-30) sites, development projects (Worksite, pp. 37-38), 
  or even big game (Zoo, pp. 41-42) in Third World hellholes.
  Spy vs. Spy: Being up to the challenge of any conceiv-
  able mission by virtue of their cinematically broad skill sets, 
  super-spies may abuse or face every danger in the course of 
  a career – or even a weekend! They are inevitably Devious 
  (pp. 10-11), love to exploit the Generic (pp. 15-16), and are the 
  only heroes who routinely confront mad science (Quantum, 
  pp. 27-28) – and in sillier campaigns, improbable stuff like 
  shark tanks (Zoo, pp. 41-42). They’re exceedingly likely to 
  encounter a wide range of Vehicles (pp. 35-37) on a single 
  adventure, sometimes within a single chase scene: sports cars, 
  trains rattling across Old Europe, fighter jets, mini-subs, tanks 
  . . . Their own transport is traditionally rigged to be Unsafe 
  (pp. 34-35) when needed. And in the best secret-agent stories, 
  X Marks the Spot (pp. 38-40).
  Task Force: This is the gritty version 
  of Spy vs. Spy, so start there and lose the 
  shark tanks. As the challenge is to do the  
  best you can with limited resources,  
  the Mercs notes often apply. Most tales  
  of the super-covert favor bleak backdrops, 
  meaning encounters at isolated Industrial 
  (pp. 17-18) sites and facilities that handle 
  Chemicals (pp. 9-10), Junk (pp. 18-19), 
  and Yuck (pp. 40-41). Being plausibly 
  deniable means killings have to look acci-
  dental – falls (Architecture, pp. 6-7), faulty wiring (Electricity, 
  pp. 12-13) and appliances (Generic, pp. 15-16), overdoses 
  (Medical, pp. 22-23), drownings (Nautical, pp. 23-24), crashes 
  (Unsafe, pp. 34-35, or Vehicles, pp. 35-37) – and bodies 
  must disappear, often on the Farm (pp. 13-14) or Worksite 
  (pp. 37-38). It also means avoiding attention-grabbing 
  Ordnance (pp. 25-26) and X Marks the Spot (pp. 38-40) situa-
  tions, and bizarre Quantum (pp. 27-28) scenarios.
  Troubleshooters: The need for subtlety makes this look 
  like Task Force – just with less murder, because the PCs are 
  PIs, corporate security staff, and bodyguards, not ultra-co-
  vert agents. The heroes could be contracted to work for any 
  profit-making institution; e.g., an Industrial (pp. 17-18) plant, 
  R&D (Quantum, pp. 27-28) facility, or Resource Extraction 
  (pp. 28-30) site. A fun twist would be a series of diverse jobs 
  which pose peculiar hazards: One adventure might have them 
  protecting a star athlete (Sports, pp. 30-32) or racehorse (Zoo, 
  pp. 41-42) from criminals bent on fixing a match, the next 
  could see them figuring out who’s tampering with vats at a 
  prestigious winery (Yuck, pp. 40-41), and the one after that 
  may involve investigating noises in somebody’s steam tunnels 
  (Architecture, pp. 6-7, Heat, p. 16, and Pipes, p. 26). It’s action, 
  so things will turn violent!
  Vigilante Justice: The Brotherhood in Blue notes apply 
  here, too. As the focus is on gritty, street-level justice, include 
  ramshackle Architecture (pp. 6-7) in the slum, hazardous 
  Chemicals (pp. 9-10) at the meth lab, Junk (pp. 18-19) and 
  Lacerations (pp. 21-22) in the glass- and needle-strewn alley-
  ways, and lots of Medical (pp. 22-23) situations involving gang 
  violence and overdoses. Vigilantes are rarely subtle – many 
  want to send a message – so expect Heat (p. 16) and fire, 
  homemade Ordnance (pp. 25-26), Sports (pp. 30-32) using 
  bad guys’ heads as balls, and Tools (pp. 33-34) and Vehicles 
  (pp. 35-37) used as weapons. “Unsubtle” isn’t “grand scale”; 
  there may be labs but there won’t be mad science (Quantum, 
  pp. 27-28), and X Marks the Spot (pp. 38-40) scenarios are lim-
  ited to traps (gangs don’t have killer satellites).
  War Against Terror: The terrorists’ plots dictate many 
  of the dangers: If tampering with the water supply, expect 
  Chemicals (pp. 9-10) and Pipes (p. 26); if it’s the electrical 
  grid, see Electricity (pp. 12-13); if they’re crashing planes into 
  buildings, Architecture (pp. 6-7) and Vehicles (pp. 35-37) are 
  involved; if they’re planting bombs, that’s Ordnance (pp. 25-26) 
  and X Marks the Spot (pp. 38-40); and so on. The closer the 
  squad gets to the bad guys, the more the danger is clear and 
  present. Terrorists also require isolated locales to plot, train, 
  and store weapons, which may send agents to the woods 
  (Botanical, p. 8), Farm (pp. 13-14), an abandoned Industrial 
  (pp. 17-18) facility, a scrap yard (Junk, pp. 18-19), or a half-fin-
  ished office building (Worksite, pp. 37-38). Those in the mov-
  ies like Nautical (pp. 23-24) 
  settings, entering the country 
  illegally by ship.
  loCation,  
  loCation, 
  loCation
  The mission’s broad strokes 
  don’t dictate every possible 
  danger! As Exploits shows, an action plot could involve the 
  heroes learning about a job, traveling to a key location, snoop-
  ing, asking questions, stealing documents or abducting bad 
  guys, and getting away . . . and what they learn from those 
  they spy on, interrogate, or abduct, or from the codes they 
  break or files they snatch, might lead them to the next task, 
  locale, person, or object. Along the way, they may be caught, 
  chased, or attacked, conceivably ending up injured and in hos-
  pital – or captured.
  In short: Most adventures visit a number of important 
  sites – and several secondary ones! – not all of which are evi-
  dent from a one-line synopsis.
  Consider again the mission to foil a terrorist plot to blow 
  up an oil rig. That’s clearly a War Against Terror (above) 
  adventure, so on top of the hazards of oil rigs, bombs, and 
  pollution, there are those of the terrorists’ base; if the bad 
  guys intend to clamber around pipes, an Industrial (pp. 17-18) 
  site seems fitting. How did the heroes learn of the plot or the 
  base? Perhaps from a cook from the terrorist’s homeland, 
  subdued in a fight that started in the Kitchen (pp. 19-21) of 
  the stereotypical ethnic restaurant and ended in an alleyway 
  full of Junk (pp. 18-19). Another sympathizer might try to 
  assassinate the antiterrorists while off-duty, forcing them to 
  get Devious (pp. 10-11). And after finally defeating the ter-
  rorists on the rig, perhaps the leader spills the beans on a 
  wealthy backer, forcing the agents to contend with some ver-
  tical Architecture (pp. 6-7) at the Worksite (pp. 37-38) of the 
  skyscraper the high-roller is building – where the fanatical 
  villain leaps to death by Lacerations (pp. 21-22) and tries to 
  take a do-gooder with him.
  Phew!
  The most dangerous 
  moments come from boredom. 
  It’s usually best to cut down 
  on the waiting by planning 
  two stunt sequences at once.
  – Tony Scott
  
   
  style and usage 
  45
  Here are the dangers of a dozen generic locations that suit 
  many kinds of action stories:
  Airport: Mob ambassadors from the Old Country, for-
  eign spies, and other jet-setting villains have to get from 
  A to B; common criminals and terrorists alike may hope 
  to hijack planes; and the heroes could be attacked while 
  traveling to their next destination. The leading danger at 
  the airport is Vehicles (pp. 35-37) – specifically, planes. Jet-
  fuel-filled tanker trucks add flammable Chemicals (pp. 9-10) 
  to the cocktail, while baggage-handling machinery offers 
  almost Industrial (pp. 17-18) conveyors and other mecha-
  nisms. Safety gear – up to and including fire trucks – is just 
  waiting to be rendered Unsafe (pp. 34-35). And if terrorists 
  have a bomb, or a scheduled plane crash, X Marks the Spot 
  (pp. 38-40).
  Backwoods: Cinematic commandos seem fated to end up 
  in swamp or jungle, police or security officers may find them-
  selves tracking a fugitive through the boondocks, and NPCs 
  who value secrecy – spies, would-be informants, anyone who 
  fears assassination – might lie low in the back of beyond, forc-
  ing the heroes to seek them there. Secret bases of all kinds, 
  from black-ops facilities to terrorist training camps, are often 
  in the middle of nowhere, too. The classic dangers here are 
  plants (Botanical, p. 8) and animals (Zoo, pp. 41-42). As well, 
  a Farm (pp. 13-14) or Resource Extraction (pp. 28-30) facility 
  could border or be on the way to the wilderness, or be reach-
  able only by crossing it.
  setting tHe sCene
  Location, Location, Location (pp. 44-47) covers choos-
  ing dangers to suit a scene. After that, it’s time to get spe-
  cific: Where are the hazards? How easy are they to notice 
  and exploit?
  There are several options here, each of which suggests 
  a particular approach – and some details differ depending 
  on whether you’re using a battle map. We’ll follow two 
  examples: a factory and a barn.
  Obvious dangers. If it’s far-fetched that anyone in pos-
  session of their faculties would overlook something, alert 
  the players the moment the heroes encounter it – which 
  might be before the action – using words that make the 
  danger clear. On a map, mark it clearly (perhaps with a 
  hazard symbol, if you’re good at drawing or have stick-
  ers!). Examples: “The factory floor is littered with sharp 
  metal burrs. The furnace’s heat is stifling,” or, “As you 
  enter the barn, a combine harvester roars to life!”
  Obvious things that aren’t obviously dangerous. This 
  is the case when closer examination – and possibly a 
  Per-based roll – is needed to realize something in plain 
  sight is exploitable. If describing the scene, mention the 
  item without details or significance. On a map, sketch 
  a vague placeholder for the heroes to inspect. Exam-
  ples: “There are pipes overhead, and a red box to your 
  left labeled In Case of Emergency,” or, “There’s a tool 
  bench at the back of the barn, with jugs and drums 
  stacked beside it.”
  Unobvious dangers. Secretly note these and their loca-
  tions, but don’t mention them or mark them on a map. 
  Only the characters of players who ask for and succeed 
  at suitable Per-based rolls get to know about them. This 
  makes sense when the hazard is hidden, or intrinsic to 
  the place’s structure (“hidden in plain sight”). Examples: 
  A Per-based Electrician roll to locate high-voltage cables 
  on the factory wall, or a Per-based Architecture roll to 
  notice the sagging hayloft, waiting for someone to shoot 
  at it and drop bales on a mook.
  Borderline cases are inevitable! For instance, in an 
  immense factory, that box of emergency equipment might 
  require a Per-based roll to notice at all, and then time to 
  walk over and inspect it. On the other hand, the GM could 
  mention metal-sheathed electrical conduits along with the 
  pipes, handing out a free clue.
  There’s no sin in leaving details to chance. Many haz-
  ards suggest optional rolls for considerations like damage 
  dice or the ST/HP of machines. The GM can decide or roll 
  in advance – or roll only when somebody exploits the sit-
  uation. For example, the GM may already know the jugs 
  and drums in the barn hold harmful chemicals, but roll 
  the type of chemicals when someone examines them.
  It also isn’t a crime to change your mind, revealing 
  hazards the players are overlooking but which you want 
  to see used, or adding ones that would make the scene 
  cooler. Assume the heroes were distracted – probably by 
  immediate danger, like armed mooks or that combine 
  harvester. Just avoid ad-libbing situations only bad guys 
  can exploit!
  Heroes might get a pass in a couple of situations:
  Asking. You can’t think of everything. If a player’s pro-
  posal makes sense and won’t break the game, allow it 
  on a successful Perception roll. This is a situation where 
  permitting Scrounging is fair (Scrounging and Search?, 
  p. 11). Examples: “I look for an iron rod” in that factory 
  full of metalworking equipment, or “I check for a hay 
  fork” in the barn’s hayloft.
  Serendipity or Lucky Break. If the proposal is borderline 
  but consistent with the scene, allow it in exchange for a 
  use of Serendipity or for character points: one point if it 
  merely lets somebody try something, two if it works auto-
  matically or dooms an NPC (even a mook!). Examples:  
  “I bet a forklift is idling in the corner” in the factory, or 
  “The commotion angers the bull outside, who charges in.”
  Such changes in scenery remain for everyone! If a hero 
  can grab an iron rod, or dash for the forklift or hay fork, 
  so can a villain. If the bull charges and, instead of paying 
  two points to have it gore a mook the player pays one to 
  try Animal Handling, and fails, the sinister farmhand can 
  roll to turn the beast on the PCs.
  This underlines a final detail: The skills to spot some-
  thing aren’t always those to exploit it. A hero may roll vs. 
  Per-based Chemistry to notice toxic pesticide in the barn, 
  but dousing foes with it requires DX-based rolls.
  
   
  style and usage 
  46
  Bad End of Town: Stories involving crime and law enforce-
  ment are often set in parts of town sensible folk avoid; unsafe 
  neighborhoods are great places for terrorists and spies to 
  operate unnoticed; and any action plot could involve inter-
  acting with scum who frequent seedy bars, strip clubs, and 
  rooms by the hour. Merely passing through poses the risk of 
  being jumped by bad guys. This is where to find Questionable 
  Construction (p. 7) in the shape of rundown buildings; Junk 
  (pp. 18-19) in forms ranging from disgusting alleyways 
  through Dumpsters to junkyards; The Glint of Light on Broken 
  Glass (pp. 21-22); and Vehicles (pp. 35-37) such as noisy ele-
  vated trains and stinky garbage scows.
  Country Club: Bad people aren’t confined to bad neigh-
  borhoods! The masterminds in action stories are often rich: 
  corrupt businessmen and politicians, successful crime lords, 
  power-players who finance terrorism, jet-setting spy-movie 
  villains, and so forth. When they play, it’s at exclusive clubs. 
  The well-manicured grounds may cultivate Botanical (p. 8) 
  dangers to keep out the riffraff, and be large enough to require 
  serious machinery for maintenance (Bloody Fields, p. 14). The 
  dining area needs a well-appointed Kitchen (pp. 19-21). The 
  stereotypically well-heeled enjoy golf, fencing, and billiards 
  (Sports, pp. 30-32). And if yachts can tie up nearby, expect 
  Nautical (pp. 23-24) hazards.
  Docks: Most international cargo travels by ship. That 
  includes cars, electronics, food, fashion knockoffs, and con-
  traband: drugs, stolen goods (often cars again), weapons, and 
  more. Then there are spies and terrorists bent on sneaking 
  into the country by sea. And then there’s trafficking in peo-
  ple, from illegal-but-innocent immigrants to victims of the 
  slave trade. A trip to the waterfront suits any action story! 
  The most important hazards here are Nautical (pp. 23-24), 
  plus Worksite (pp. 37-38) dangers like cranes, forklifts, huge 
  stacks of goods, and heavy warehouse doors. Don’t overlook 
  Vehicles (pp. 35-37), though – even a moored vessel is quite 
  capable of crushing the unfortunate.
  Home: Everybody lives somewhere, including heroes and 
  their opponents. All it takes to work a home into the story is 
  to have the PCs stalked after hours or pay a “social call” on a 
  bad guy. The classic dangers are slamming doors and flying 
  furniture (Architecture, pp. 6-7), misuses of everyday items 
  (Generic, pp. 15-16), and all the knives and hot stuff in the 
  Kitchen (pp. 19-21). Hobby equipment might lead to Devious 
  (pp. 10-11) ideas or the creative use of Sports (pp. 30-32) 
  gear. The barbecue out back is among the Things That Aren’t 
  Supposed to Go Boom (p. 25). And if the place is an actual 
  mansion – say, the arch-villain’s posh residence – add every-
  thing under Country Club to the list.
  
   
  style and usage 
  47
  Hospital: The moment a PC is badly injured – by crooks, 
  enemy soldiers, rival spies, or any other opponent who 
  won’t stop at insults – you have an excuse to visit a Medical 
  (pp. 22-23) facility, with all the dangers that implies. Big-city 
  hospitals are usually towers (Heights, p. 6) with physical plants 
  where Electricity (pp. 12-13), Heat (p. 16), and Pipes (p. 26) 
  are hazards. Nearly all health-care facilities store Chemicals 
  (pp. 9-10) and things to make you say Yuck (pp. 40-41). The 
  latter may or may not be the same as the Kitchen (pp. 19-21), 
  depending on how you feel about hospital food. In most juris-
  dictions, such places must be Up to Code (p. 34).
  Industrial Wasteland: A vast tract of polluted land that 
  offers machinery that blocks lines of sight, a din that drowns 
  out gunshots and screams, and odors that mask drugs, explo-
  sives, and decaying corpses . . . it’s the ideal hiding place for 
  villains in any action story. In some cases, it’s part of the 
  plot – especially if it’s the target of espionage or terrorism, 
  or where contraband is being produced, not merely hidden. 
  Industrial (pp. 17-18) dangers are obvious but the other possi-
  bilities are endless: Chemicals (pp. 9-10), Electricity (pp. 12-13), 
  Heat (p. 16), Pipes (p. 26), and borrowings from Resource 
  Extraction (pp. 28-30) and Worksite (pp. 37-38). The pollution 
  itself is, of course, Junk (pp. 18-19) or Yuck (pp. 40-41).
  Military Base: If the heroes are commandos, mercenaries, 
  or ordinary soldiers, this is part of most adventures. If not, it’s 
  still a worthy destination: the team might be here for special 
  training; mobsters or terrorists could sneak in to steal mate-
  riel; and spies or other terrorists may target such a place. Also, 
  no action story ever has suffered from including explosions 
  and fighting, even if it’s only exercises! Real weapons – not 
  improvised ones – pose the greatest threat here, but don’t 
  overlook Ordnance (pp. 25-26) accidents, Nautical (pp. 23-24) 
  ones at a naval station, or fighter jets, tanks, and other scary 
  Vehicles (pp. 35-37). X Marks the Spot (pp. 38-40) is plausible, 
  too . . . say, by tricking bad guys onto a testing range.
  Offices: If the bad guys are at all organized, they’ll have 
  administrative needs, met by anything from a back room at 
  the chop-shop to a skyscraper financed with dirty money. 
  Heroes who work for an organization – police force, intelli-
  gence service, anonymous voice on the intercom, etc. – need 
  offices, too. Papers and paychecks are hardly the pinnacle 
  of peril, but they’re playgrounds for the Devious (pp. 10-11). 
  Office buildings are often Up to Code (p. 34) and offer 
  Architecture (pp. 6-7) to abuse (elevators, windows for leap-
  ing stockbrokers, desks and file cabinets to upend on people, 
  etc.), and some floors may be under construction, Die Hard-
  style; see Tools (pp. 33-34) and Worksite (pp. 37-38).
  Small Business: With sporting-goods stores, gun shops, 
  and car dealerships, the trick is keeping action heroes away! 
  More prosaic businesses serve as fronts, laundering mob 
  money or offering a base to anyone from outlaw bikers to 
  terrorists. And everyone – PC or NPC – visits gas stations, 
  eateries, and convenience stores. Devious (pp. 10-11) deeds 
  are certain, but not the best part. For each business, pick 
  a hazard or three that matches its stock in trade: farm 
  tools (The Old Ways, pp. 13-14) and pesticides (Chemicals, 
  pp. 9-10) at a feed shop; light Industrial (pp. 17-18) machin-
  ery and Tools (pp. 33-34) at a garage; the Kitchen (pp. 19-21), 
  Bottle Service (p. 21), and pool tables (Sports,pp. 30-32) at a 
  biker bar; and so on.
  Tunnels: It’s an axiom of action fiction that if it’s possi-
  ble to skulk through sewers, steam tunnels, or a subway, 
  somebody will do it. There’s no such thing as a “generic” 
  tunnel, but most carry utilities, usually power lines 
  (Electricity, pp. 12-13) or Pipes (p. 26), and of course trains 
  are dangerous Vehicles (pp. 35-37). Beyond that, tunnels 
  feature hazardous Architecture (pp. 6-7) – especially heavy 
  doors and unheralded drops – and require constant main-
  tenance, implying unsafely stored Chemicals (pp. 9-10) and 
  Tools (pp. 33-34), and Worksite (pp. 37-38) hazards. Swarms 
  of rats (Zoo, pp. 41-42) are more horror than action, but  
  why not?
  a very PartiCular  
  set of skills
  One last way to seed a story with danger is to tempt the 
  players with chances to use their characters’ abilities cre-
  atively. It may seem forced to add hazards solely to let PCs 
  show off, but remember: Action is about the heroes!
  Action is also about dramatic necessity. The heroes won’t 
  resort to makeshift measures if they have perfectly good guns, 
  or at least knives – or if they can walk up and karate-chop the 
  villain. When including hazards with the hope of seeing them 
  used, put them in scenes where the good guys are disarmed or 
  out of ammo, or can’t risk shooting, or where only off-the-wall 
  tactics can succeed (say, shooting the ceiling to collapse it on 
  the heads of mooks behind heavy cover).
  Here are ideas for each profession in Heroes and Furious 
  Fists. Characters built with Specialists require more flexibil-
  ity from the GM; start by looking at their skills.
  Assassin: Snipers love to shoot at everything that doesn’t 
  respond well to being shot: unstable ceilings (Questionable 
  Construction, p. 7, and Cave-In!, p. 30), compressed-air tanks 
  (p. 24), propane and gas tanks (Things That Aren’t Supposed to 
  Go Boom, p. 25), explosives (Big Bada-Boom, p. 26), etc. When 
  perched up high to snipe, shoving foes from Heights (p. 6) is 
  popular, too. Assassins who use poison are at home around 
  Chemicals (pp. 9-10) and Medical (pp. 22-23) facilities.
  Big Guy: A strong fighter who’s skilled at grappling craves 
  chances to use Delivery (pp. 4-6) . . . meaning nearly every let-
  ter in this dictionary has something to offer! Other ways to 
  let the hero show some muscle are to include Doors (pp. 6-7) 
  to slam into people (or obstruct), massive Furniture (p. 7) to 
  shove into foes, trees to knock over (Timber!, p. 29), and Tools 
  (pp. 33-34) too heavy for anybody else to wield – including the 
  jackhammer (p. 38).
  Cleaner: Housekeeping makes the cleaner at home in 
  household (Generic, pp. 15-16) and Kitchen (pp. 19-21) envi-
  ronments, but don’t forget their other specialized skills: 
  Chemistry and Hazardous Materials (Chemical) are valu-
  able around Chemicals (pp. 9-10). Freight Handling works 
  not just with bodies but also with cargoes (e.g., Log Rolling, 
  p. 29, and Pipes Revisited, p. 26), cranes (What Goes Up, p. 17, 
  Fatal Attraction, p. 19, etc.), and loading machinery (Dozed, 
  Dug, and Forked, p. 37). Cleaners are also the only heroes 
  likely to be good at Animal Handling (Zoo, pp. 41-42).
  Demolition Man: Explosive Chemicals (pp. 9-10) – and all 
  forms of Ordnance (pp. 25-26) – are essential. If the demo-
  lition man has real explosives, these can be useful for trig-
  gering a Cave-In! (p. 30), but what’s more interesting is to 
  let the hero set traps when X Marks the Spot (pp. 38-40).  
  
   
  style and usage 
  48
  The demo man’s knowledge of structures makes abusing 
  Questionable Construction (p. 7) easy. And around anything 
  nuclear, this hero is the only one who can bank on Explosives 
  (Nuclear Ordnance Disposal); see Quantum (pp. 27-28).
  Face Man: Face men aren’t specialists at particular hazards, 
  but they’re the heroes most likely to make Trickery (p. 5) work 
  when trying to convince someone to stumble into almost any 
  kind of danger, and also the ones best cut out for the ruses 
  in You Are Cordially Invited to Die (p. 39). They have one of 
  the broadest skill sets, too, so the GM should be prepared for 
  Devious (pp. 10-11) suggestions from the player.
  Fast Guy: A crazily agile hero who’s skilled at grappling 
  will use Judo Throw (p. 5) to toss people to their doom, and 
  stand wherever the charging foes he dodges will end up 
  Overshooting (p. 5) into danger – numerous entries suggest 
  one or the other! With DX 16+, also expect to see default 
  weapon skills used to wield many Tools (pp. 33-34), including 
  ones native to the Farm (pp. 13-14), Kitchen (pp. 19-21), gym 
  (Sports, pp. 30-32), and Worksite (pp. 37-38).
  Hacker: This hero isn’t great at exploiting real-world dan-
  gers. At best, they cook up something Devious (pp. 10-11) 
  on occasion, using digital gadgets to distract (“Beep-Beep-
  Beep”) or turning office machinery against enemies. On the 
  other hand, computerized Quantum (pp. 27-28) threats are 
  easily meat for the hacker, and hacking a killer satellite (or 
  whatever) so X Marks the Spot (pp. 38-40) where the bad guys 
  are standing is a classic bit.
  Infiltrator: The infiltrator is extremely agile, comfortable 
  around Heights (p. 6) and sure-footed when playing Other Fun 
  and Games (p. 32) or clambering around High Steel (p. 37). 
  Rivals who can’t keep up are fated to fall down – way down. 
  This hero is also a Forced Entry specialist who can exploit 
  anything that can be shoved or broken off into someone: 
  Doors (pp. 6-7), loose pipes (Combat Plumbing, p. 26), teeter-
  ing trees (Timber!, p. 29), etc.
  Investigator: The investigator is more thinker than 
  doer, most likely to use their broad skill set to be Devious 
  (pp. 10-11). That said, be aware that the Per-based rolls many 
  sections propose to spot exploitable dangers are usually 
  against Average skills, so Per 17+ means the investigator with-
  out the right skill still succeeds on 12 or less! They can share 
  this information with the teammate best-suited to exploit it. 
  The investigator is also the hero most likely to learn what, 
  where, and when in situations where the enemy has Fifty Tons 
  of Weapons-Grade Plot Devicium (pp. 38-39).
  Medic: It doesn’t take a brain surgeon to know that a medic 
  is at home with Medical (pp. 22-23) dangers! Many Chemicals 
  (pp. 9-10) and forms of Yuck (pp. 40-41) are up their 
  alley, too – and medics are the heroes most likely to have 
  Naturalist and find creative uses of Botanical (p. 8) threats. 
  Finally, a lot of mad-science menaces (Quantum, pp. 27-28) 
  call for a medic’s “wet science” knowhow.
  Ninja: The advice for the Fast Guy (above) and Infiltrator 
  (above) largely goes for this hero, too: The ninja is a suffi-
  ciently competent grappler to take advantage of Judo Throw 
  (p. 5), dexterous enough to wield anything that looks like 
  a melee weapon, and nimble enough to exploit 
  Overshooting (p. 5), mess with Heights (p. 6), and 
  play Other Fun and Games (p. 32).
  Shooter: Gunslinger aids with anything that 
  shoots: flare pistols (Flare Flair, pp. 25-26), nail 
  guns (p. 34), etc. The advice on shooting hazardous 
  objects given for the Assassin (p. 47) holds, but the 
  shooter tends to get closer to the mark – so while 
  shooting ceilings to drop them on people, or win-
  dows to create cut hazards (The Glint of Light on 
  Broken Glass,pp. 21-22), are fine, it’s risky to target 
  explosives and gas cylinders. Finally, shooters are the 
  only heroes likely to be good at the Liquid Projector 
  specialties that make Spray-Can Flamethrower (p. 15) 
  and Hosed! (p. 26) fun.
  Traceur: The traceur is wonderful around Heights 
  (p. 6), at playing Other Fun and Games (p. 32), and at 
  negotiating High Steel (p. 37). They’re also a martial artist who 
  can grapple foes to use almost every form of Delivery (pp. 4-6). 
  The implications of this combination are obvious. Urban 
  Survival is mandatory for this hero, meaning they’ll often 
  spot exploitable dangers in built-up areas; for examples, see 
  Questionable Construction (p. 7), Down in the Dumps (p. 19), 
  Combat Plumbing (p. 26), and Up to Code (p. 34).
  Weapon Master: If armed with their weapon of choice, 
  this hero probably won’t want to improvise. If not, they’ll 
  seek the implement that’s most similar; for options, see 
  Farm (pp. 13-14), Kitchen (pp. 19-21), Bottle Service (p. 21), 
  ER & OR (p. 22), Resource Extraction (pp. 28-30), Sports 
  (pp. 30-32), Tools (pp. 33-34), and Unsafe (pp. 34-35). But as 
  physically strong martial artists with mandatory grappling 
  skills, they can use Delivery (pp. 4-6) to great effect. And if 
  they have their weapon, they might just shatter bottles of 
  Chemicals (pp. 9-10), cut Pipes (p. 26), and so on.
  Wheel Man: Vehicles (pp. 35-37)! If it rolls, floats, or 
  flies, the wheel man can maim foes with it. That includes 
  the specialized vehicles discussed in Farm (pp. 13-14), Junk 
  (pp. 18-19), 911 (p. 35), Worksite (pp. 37-38), etc. And cranes, 
  basic rules for which are under What Goes Up (p. 17) and 
  Must Come Down (pp. 17-18). And, for sailors, the stuff in 
  Nautical (pp. 23-24). Oh, and don’t overlook What Does This 
  Button Do? (p. 35) to turn airbags and ejection seats into 
  weapons – or Tools (pp. 33-34), around the garage.
  Wire Rat: The wire rat isn’t a harmless mouse. That sky-
  high Electrician skill is downright scary around Electricity 
  (pp. 12-13), and all those technical skills suggest many Devious 
  (pp. 10-11) possibilities. Perhaps most important, though, 
  is this hero’s ability to deal with the stuff under Quantum 
  (pp. 27-28) – odds are that if the adventure involves a control 
  panel, the wire rat is the one figuring out how to use it to do 
  Bad Things.
  I write my own action. There’s a scene in  
  The Island – a highway chase where a pile of 
  train wheels fall off a truck and smashes into  
  the oncoming cars. That thought came to me as 
  I was driving next to a truck carrying rail wheels. 
  My mind is very fertile, so I’m like, “That’s very 
  dangerous!” I sent someone out to do research 
  and found out those train wheels weigh a TON 
  each . . .
  – Michael Bay
  
   
  indeX 
  49
  Adventure ideas, by campaign type, 43-44; by 
  character type, 47-48; by location, 44-47; 
  finding dangers in a scene, 10-11; getting 
  victims into peril, 4-6, 10-11, 38-40; 
  setting the scene, 45.
  Aerials, firetruck, 35.
  Afflictions, disgusting dangers, 41.
  Air tanks, 24.
  Airbags, 35.
  Airport, dangers for, 45.
  Allergies, plants, 8.
  Alligators, 42.
  Animals, 41-42; experimental, 28, 29; tactics, 
  42; venomous, 42; see also Zoo Dangers.
  Architecture dangers, 6-7, 37; locations and, 
  44, 46, 47; other dangers and, 8, 12, 26, 
  37, 38; suitable campaign types, 43-44.
  Armor, body, 5.
  Asphyxiation, disgusting dangers, 41.
  Assassin character type, dangers for, 47.
  Awls, 33.
  Axe/Mace skill, improvised weapons, 13, 19, 
  29, 31, 33.
  Axes, fire, 34; logging, 29; rescue, 35.
  Backwoods, dangers for, 45.
  Bad end of town, dangers for, 46.
  BAD modifiers, 4.
  Balls, sport, 31-32.
  Bandages, 22.
  Barbells, 31.
  Barrels, 9.
  Baseball, balls, 31; bats, 31.
  Bathtubs, 15; accidents, 13.
  Bats, sport, 31.
  Bears, 42.
  Big guy character type, dangers for, 47.
  Billhooks, 13, 14.
  Billiard, balls, 32; cues, 31.
  Biohazards, 40.
  Blankets, fire, 34.
  Blenders, 20.
  Boat dangers, 23-24.
  Body armor, 5.
  Bolt cutters, 33.
  Booms, ship, 24.
  Botanical dangers, 8; other dangers and, 
  27, 28; suitable campaign types, 43-44; 
  suitable character types, 48; suitable 
  locations, 45, 46;.
  Bottle rockets, 25.
  Bottles, 9, 21.
  Box cutters, 33.
  Boxing skill, improvised weapons, 33.
  Brawling skill, improvised weapons, 13, 29, 
  33.
  Broadsword skill, improvised weapons, 13, 
  31.
  Brotherhood in Blue campaign type, 
  dangers for, 43.
  Building (structural) dangers, 6-7, 37.
  Bulls, 42.
  Cameras, 15.
  Campaigns, see Adventure Ideas.
  Caper campaign type, dangers for, 43.
  Captive bolt pistols, 13.
  Casts, limb, 22.
  Cattle prods, 13.
  Cauteries, 22.
  Cave-ins, 30.
  Ceilings, 7.
  Cement, construction, 38; for drowning, 24; 
  stacks of bags, 38.
  Chainsaws, 29.
  Chandeliers, 7.
  Character types, appropriate dangers, 47-48.
  Chemical dangers, 9-10; other dangers 
  and, 13, 18, 19, 22, 26, 27, 30, 34, 40; 
  pathogens, 28; pharmacy, 22-23; poisons, 
  10, 26, 28, 30; suitable campaign types, 
  43-44; suitable character types, 47, 48; 
  suitable locations, 45, 47.
  Chimpanzees, 42.
  Chisels, 33.
  Chutes, construction, 37.
  Cleaner character type, dangers for, 47.
  Clubs, golf, 31; improvised, 34.
  Combat, finding dangers during, 11.
  Commandos campaign type, dangers for, 43.
  Compactors, 19.
  Complementary skill bonuses, 4.
  Compost, 41.
  Construction, questionable, 7, 37; see also 
  Architecture Dangers, Worksite Dangers.
  Construction explosives, 26.
  Containers, 9.
  Conveyors, 17-18, 30.
  Cougars (mountain lions), 42.
  Country club, dangers for, 46.
  Cranes, 17, 19, 24, 29, 30, 35, 47, 38.
  Creatures, experimental, 29; see also Zoo 
  Dangers.
  Cricket, balls, 32; bats, 31.
  Crocodiles, 42.
  Crowbars, 33, 35.
  Crushers, ore, 30.
  Cues, pool, 31.
  Cutting dangers, see Laceration Dangers.
  Damage, inadequate, 4; modifiers, 4;  
  see also specific dangers and items.
  Dangers, see Adventure Ideas, specific 
  dangers.
  Darts, lawn, 32.
  Death rays, 28.
  Defibrillators, 22.
  Demolition man character type, dangers for, 
  47-48.
  Derricks, 17, 30.
  Deviousness and dangers, 10-11; suitable 
  campaign types, 43-44; suitable character 
  types, 48; suitable locations, 46, 47; 
  trickery, 5; see also Traps.
  Dignity, damaging, 40.
  Discuses, 32.
  Dishwashers, 20.
  Distraction, causing, 11, 15, 26, 34.
  Diving, chambers, 24; dangers, 24.
  Docks, dangers for, 46.
  Doors, 6-7; worksite, 38.
  Drill presses, 34.
  Drilling, 30.
  Drills, power, 33.
  Driving dangerously, 37.
  Drowning, disgusting dangers, 41; weighing 
  down victim, 24.
  Drugs, 22-23; see also Chemical Dangers.
  Dumbbells, 31.
  Dumpster dangers, 18.
  Ejection seats, 35.
  Electricity dangers, 12-13; other dangers 
  and, 18, 27, 34; suitable campaign types, 
  43-44; suitable character types, 48; 
  suitable locations, 47.
  Elephants, 42.
  Elevators, 6.
  Emergency services gear, 34, 35.
  Engines, vehicle, 36.
  Épées, 31.
  Explosives, construction and mining, 26.
  Extinguishers, fire, 34; turbo, 35.
  Face man character type, dangers for, 48.
  Fans, electrical, 15.
  Farm dangers, 13-14; other dangers and, 
  6, 8, 21, 33, 40, 41; suitable campaign 
  types, 43-44; suitable character types, 48; 
  suitable locations, 45.
  Fast guy character type, dangers for, 48.
  Fences, impaling on, 22.
  Finding dangers, 10-11.
  Fire engines, equipment, 34, 35.
  Firecrackers, 25.
  Fish parts, 41.
  Flamethrowers, spray-can, 15.
  Flares, 25.
  Floodlights, 35.
  Floors, 7.
  Flu, 40.
  Foils, fencing, 31.
  Food, processors (appliance), 20; unpleasant, 
  41.
  Forestry hooks, 29.
  Forks, big (serving), 20.
  Freezers, 20.
  Furniture, 7.
  Fuses, lighting, 25.
  Garbage, 18-19; disposals, 20; see also Junk 
  Dangers, Yuck Dangers.
  Gear, readying, 4; see also specific items.
  Generic dangers, 15-16; other dangers and, 
  16; suitable campaign types, 43-44; 
  suitable character types, 47; suitable 
  locations, 46.
  Gimlets, 33.
  Glass, on floor, 21-22; windows, 21, 38.
  indeX
  
   
  indeX 
  50
  Go-bars, 35.
  Gorillas, 42.
  Griddles, 21.
  Grinders, 33.
  Guns skill, improvised weapons, 34.
  GURPS, 25; Action, 3, 8, 12, 15, 23, 25, 30, 
  36, 41, 43; Action 1: Heroes, 5, 10-12, 
  22, 27, 38, 43, 47; Action 2: Exploits, 
  3-9, 11, 12, 14, 17, 18, 21, 22, 24-26, 28, 
  30, 32, 35-40, 44; Action 3: Furious 
  Fists, 25, 30, 47; Action 4: Specialists, 
  11, 27, 47; High-Tech, 3, 10, 17.
  Hacker character type, dangers for, 48.
  Hairdryers, 15.
  Hammers, sport, 31, 32; tool, 33.
  Hanger, wire clothes, 16.
  Hat stands, 15.
  Hatchets, 29.
  Hay forks, 14.
  Hazards, see Adventure Ideas, specific 
  dangers.
  Heat dangers, 16; damage at distance, 16; 
  kitchen, 20, 21; liquids, 21; other dangers 
  and, 18, 19, 26, 27, 34, 40; pipes, 26; 
  suitable campaign types, 43-44; suitable 
  locations, 46, 47.
  Heat guns, 33.
  Heights, 6, 7, 18, 24, 37; falling objects,  
  17-18, 38; other dangers and, 18, 24, 37.
  Hippos, 42.
  Hockey, pucks, 32; sticks, 31.
  Hoes, 14.
  Homes, dangers for, 46.
  Horses, 42.
  Hoses, fire, 34.
  Hospital, dangers for, 47; see also Medical 
  Dangers.
  Hotplates, 21.
  Humiliation, disgusting dangers, 40.
  Ice picks, 20.
  Illness, 40.
  Industrial dangers, 17-18; locations and, 
  44, 45; other dangers and, 9, 12, 16, 18, 
  26-28, 33, 34, 37, 40; suitable campaign 
  types, 43-44.
  Industrial wasteland, dangers for, 47.
  Infiltrator character type, dangers for, 48.
  Investigator character type, dangers for, 48.
  Irons, clothing, 15; curling, 15; tire, 33; 
  waffle, 21.
  IV stands, 22.
  Jackhammers, 38.
  Jaguars, 42.
  Javelins, sport 31, 32.
  Jaws of life, 35.
  Jet intakes, 36.
  Judo throw, into danger, 5.
  Junk dangers, 18-19; locations and, 44, 
  46, 47; other dangers and, 37; suitable 
  campaign types, 43-44; suitable character 
  types, 48.
  Karate skill, improvised weapons, 29, 33.
  Killer whales, 42.
  Killswitch, 17.
  Kitchen dangers, 19-21; locations and, 44, 
  46, 47; other dangers and, 16, 27; sinks, 
  15; suitable campaign types, 43; suitable 
  character types, 47, 48; unpleasant food, 
  41.
  Kitchen sinks, see Kitchend Dangers, Sinks.
  Knife skill, improvised weapons, 13, 20, 33.
  Knives, kitchen, 20; utility, 33.
  Knockback, into danger, 4.
  Komodo dragons, 42.
  Laboratories, 27; see also Medical Dangers, 
  Quantum Dangers.
  Laceration dangers, 21-22; locations and, 
  44; other dangers and, 18, 22; suitable 
  campaign types, 44; .
  Ladders, firetruck, 35.
  Lathes, 34.
  Leopards, 42.
  Lightning rods, impaling on, 22.
  Lions, 42.
  Liquids, dangerous, 26; see also Chemical 
  Dangers.
  Locations, dangers, 44-47.
  Logging, 28-29.
  MacGuffin, see Plot Device.
  Machetes, 13, 14.
  Machinery, farming, 14; industrial, 17; 
  mining, 30; worksite, 37-38.
  Magnetic resonance imaging scanners 
  (MRI), 23.
  Mallets, ice or meat, 19; tool, 33.
  Manhandling, into danger, 4-5.
  Manure, 41.
  Marine propellers, 36.
  Materials, workshop, 34; worksite, 38.
  Mauls, splitting, 29.
  Medic character type, dangers for, 48.
  Medical dangers, 22-23; hospital specimens, 
  41; other dangers and, 9, 18, 26, 27, 34; 
  suitable campaign types, 43-44; suitable 
  character types, 47, 48; suitable locations, 
  47.
  Mercs campaign type, dangers for, 43-44.
  Metal, electricity and, 13.
  Microwave ovens, 21.
  Military base, dangers for, 47.
  Mind-control devices, 28.
  Mining, 29-30; explosives, 26.
  Mirrors, 15.
  Missions, see Adventure Ideas.
  Mixers, 20.
  Moorings, 7.
  Movement, 37.
  Nail guns, 34.
  Nails, big, 33.
  Nautical dangers, 23-24; marine propellers, 
  36; other dangers and, 6, 30, 33; suitable 
  campaign types, 43-44; suitable character 
  types, 48; suitable locations, 46, 47.
  Needles, 22.
  Nets, 24.
  Ninja character type, dangers for, 48.
  Octopuses, 42.
  Offices, dangers for, 47.
  Orangutans, 42.
  Ordnance dangers, 25-26; other dangers 
  and, 34; suitable campaign types, 43-44; 
  suitable character types, 47; suitable 
  locations, 47.
  Ostriches, 42.
  Ovens, 16, 21.
  Overshooting, into danger, 5.
  Particle accelerators, 28.
  Pathogens, 28; see also Chemical Dangers.
  Peaveys, 29.
  Pharmacy dangers, 22-23; see also Chemical 
  Dangers.
  Pickaxes, 29-30.
  Pigs, 42.
  Pillows, 15.
  Pipe dangers, 26; other dangers and, 16, 
  18, 40; sewage, 41; stacks, 30; suitable 
  campaign types, 43-44; suitable character 
  types, 48; suitable locations, 47.
  Pistols, captive bolt, 13.
  Pitchforks, 14.
  Pizza cutters, 20.
  Plants, 8; allergies and, 8; irritating, 8; 
  prickly, 8; thorny, 8; see also Botanical 
  Dangers.
  Plot Device, dangers, 38-40; defined, 38.
  Poisons, 28; see also Chemical Dangers.
  Pool, balls, 32; cues, 31.
  Post-hole diggers, 33.
  Projectiles, improvised thrown, 34; sports, 
  31-32.
  Propane tanks, 25.
  Pucks, hockey, 32.
  I always try to find something that makes a scene feel real, and what 
  makes things feel true to me is usually something anomalous, a component 
  you would never expect to find, so it doesn’t look manicured or perfect. This 
  can be a location, a gesture, an expression, a thought in somebody’s head.
  – Michael Mann
  
   
  indeX 
  51
  Punches, tool, 33.
  Pyrotechnics, 24.
  Quantum dangers, 27-28; other dangers 
  and, 9, 18, 22, 26, 34; semi-realistic, 28; 
  suitable campaign types, 44; suitable 
  character types, 48.
  Quick Gadgeteer advantage, 28.
  Radiation, weird, 28.
  Radiology, 23.
  Rat-tails, 31.
  Ready maneuvers, to get object, 4.
  Realistic hazards, 4; chemicals, 10;  
  science, 28.
  Rebar, 38.
  Refrigerators, 20.
  Reservoirs, 9.
  Resource extraction dangers, 28-30; other 
  dangers and, 13, 18, 25, 33, 37; suitable 
  campaign types, 43-44; suitable character 
  types, 48; suitable locations, 45, 47.
  Rhinoceroses, 42.
  Robots, 29.
  Rocks, 30.
  Rolling pins, 19.
  Roman candles, 25.
  Ropes, 24.
  Rubble, 38.
  Saber skill, improvised weapons, 31.
  Sabers, fencing, 31.
  Safety, barriers, 5; abusing features, 34-35.
  Sanders, 33.
  Saws, big, 34; bone, 22; circular, 33; tree, 29.
  Scalpels, 22.
  Scenery, sharp, 22.
  Science dangers, see Quantum Dangers.
  Screwdrivers, 33.
  Scrounging skill, 11, 34, 45.
  Sculptures, impaling on, 22.
  Scythes, 14.
  Search skill, 11.
  Searchlights, 35.
  Seatbelts, 35.
  Serendipity advantage, 6, 11, 18, 22, 24-26, 
  36, 38, 42, 45.
  Sewage, 41.
  Sharks, 42.
  Shears, garden, 14; kitchen, 20.
  Shinai, 31.
  Ship dangers, 23-24.
  Shipboard Screw-Ups, 24.
  Shooter character type, dangers for, 48.
  Shortsword skill, improvised weapons, 14, 
  20.
  Shots (shot put), 32.
  Shovels, 14.
  Showers, emergency, 34.
  Shredders, 19.
  Sickles, 13.
  Sinks, 15.
  Skewers, 20.
  Skillets, 19.
  Slams, 5.
  Sledgehamers, 33.
  Sling blades, 14.
  Slippery surfaces, 23.
  Small businesses, dangers for, 47.
  Smallsword skill, improvised weapons, 20, 
  31.
  Snakes, 42.
  Soldering guns, 33.
  Solid objects, damage by, 5.
  Spear skill, improvised weapons, 14, 29, 31, 
  33.
  Specimens, hospital, 41.
  Spices, 20.
  Spikes, tool, 33.
  Sports equipment, 30-32; suitable campaign 
  types, 43-44; suitable character types, 48; 
  suitable locations, 46, 47.
  Spray-can flamethrowers, 15.
  Spurs, climbing, 29.
  Spy vs. Spy campaign type, dangers for, 44.
  Staff skill, improvised weapons, 31.
  Stairs, falling down, 6; rickety, 7.
  Stick, ice hockey, 31.
  Stovetop, 16, 21.
  Structural dangers, 6-7.
  Surgical lasers, 22.
  Swarms, 42.
  Swimming, 23, 24.
  Tables, animals, 42; chemical effects, 9-10; 
  electricity effects, 12; farm implements, 
  13-14; garbage, 18; glass, 21; heat 
  sources, 16; kitchen utensils, 19-20; 
  logging tools, 29; sports gear, 31, 32; tools, 
  33, 34.
  Task Force campaign type, dangers for, 44.
  Techno-babble, 27-28.
  Technology dangers, see Quantum Dangers.
  Televisions, 15.
  Thickets, 8.
  Thrown Weapon skills, improvised weapons, 
  32.
  Tigers, 42.
  Tire irons, 33.
  Toasters, 21.
  Toilets, 15.
  Tool dangers, 33-34; other dangers and, 13, 
  16, 28, 35, 37; suitable campaign types, 
  43-44; suitable character types, 47, 48; 
  suitable locations, 47.
  Torches, tool, 33.
  Tourniquets, 22.
  Towels, 31.
  Towers, firetruck, 35.
  Traceur character type, dangers for, 48.
  Traps (“X Marks the Spot”), basics, 38-39; 
  luring into, 39-40; springing, 40; suitable 
  campaign types, 43-44; suitable character 
  types, 47, 48; suitable locations, 45, 47; 
  see also Deviousness and Dangers.
  Trash trucks, 18-19.
  Trees, 28-29.
  Trickery, 5; see also Deviousness and 
  Dangers, Traps.
  Troubleshooters campaign type, dangers 
  for, 44.
  Tunnels, dangers for, 47.
  Two-Handed Axe/Mace skill, improvised 
  weapons, 14, 29, 31, 33.
  Two-Handed Sword skill, improvised 
  weapons, 31.
  Undergrowth, 8.
  Unsafe safety features, 34-35; other dangers 
  and, 27; suitable campaign types, 44; 
  suitable character types, 48; suitable 
  locations, 45.
  Vacuum cleaners, 15.
  Vehicles, dangers, 35-37; exploding, 25; 
  getting hit by, 36; other dangers and, 12, 
  24, 28, 33, 37; safety features, 35; suitable 
  campaign types, 43-44; suitable character 
  types, 48; suitable locations, 45-47.
  Vials, 9.
  Vigilante Justice campaign type, dangers 
  for, 44.
  Vines, strangling, 8.
  Waffle irons, 21.
  Walls, 7.
  War Against Terror campaign type, dangers 
  for, 44.
  Washing machines, 16.
  Water, dangers, 23-24; electricity and, 13; icy, 
  24; stagnant, 31; weighing down victim, 
  24; see also Nautical Dangers.
  Waves, 23.
  Weapon master character type, dangers for, 
  48.
  Weapons, readying, 4; see also specific 
  dangers.
  Wheel man character type, dangers for, 48.
  Whip skill, improvised weapons, 31.
  Winches, 24.
  Windows, 21, 38.
  Wire rat character type, dangers for, 48.
  Wiring, bad, 12; bare, 12-13.
  Wolves, 42.
  Worksite dangers, 37-38; locations, 44, 46, 
  47; other dangers and, 12, 18, 25, 28, 
  33, 34; suitable campaign types, 43-44; 
  suitable character types, 48.
  Wrecking balls, 37.
  Wrenches, 33.
  X-ray machines, 23.
  Yuck dangers, 40-41; other dangers and, 
  19, 22, 27; suitable campaign types, 43-
  44; suitable character types, 48; suitable 
  locations, 47.
  Zoo dangers, 41-42; experimental animals, 
  28, 29; other dangers and, 13, 23, 27, 28; 
  suitable campaign types, 43-44; suitable 
  character types, 47; suitable locations, 
  45, 47.
   Good action films – not crap, but good action 
  films – are really morality plays. They deal in 
  modern, mythic culture.
   – Sylvester Stallone
  
  STUCK FOR AN ADVENTURE?
  NO PROBLEM.
  Warehouse 23 sells high-quality  
  game adventures and supplements  
  in print and PDF formats.
  l Free downloadable adventures for  
  GURPS and In Nomine!
  l Fun gaming accessories – shot glasses,  
  shirts, specialty six-siders, and more!
  l PDFs from Atlas Games, Amarillo Design 
  Bureau, Goodman Games, and  
  many others – plus gems from  
  the up-and-comers.
  l Original material for Transhuman Space  
  and new GURPS supplements from  
  Kenneth Hite, Phil Masters, David Pulver,  
  Sean Punch, and William Stoddard!
  l Fully searchable files of GURPS Fourth 
  Edition supplements.
  l Digital editions of out-of-print classics,  
  from Orcslayer and the complete run of ADQ  
  to GURPS China and GURPS Ice Age.
  l Buy board games and roleplaying PDFs in  
  the same order! Download digital purchases 
  again whenever you need to. 
  STEVE JACKSON GAMES
  warehouse23.com
  ®
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/GURPS [multi]/4th edition/GURPS 4e - Action 5 - Dictionary of Danger .pdf