Random Mob Person Table (GURPS)

When you do battle, are all of your opponents of the same ability with the same skills and hit points? Or are they facing a realistic mob full of opponents of varying ability? Perhaps the first option works when fighting clone armies, but most crowds are different. Obviously creating every character in a mob is a time-consuming, unrewarding, and unnecessary task. Fortunately, you can use this table to define several types of individual within the mob, with a modifier according to the type of mob the players are encountering. A mob of United States Marines will certainly be more challenging than a bunch of angry elementary school children.

The GM should have an idea of the type of mob that the players are encountering, for example angry villagers or an orc horde. For an individual in a mob that need more specific information, roll 1d6 and add the Mob Type Modifier for the type of mob being encountered. For example, a martial artist PC encounters four members of a street gang and engages with the closest guy to his left. He rolls a “3”, and since the street gang has a modifier of +2, he ends up with a “5”, an able opponent.

Individual Ability

1 Pathetic

2 Unfit

3 Weak

4 Ordinary

5 Able

6 Tough

7 Talented

8 Trained

9 Veteran

10 Skilled

11 Elite

12 Master

Mob Type Modifier

+0 School children, laboratory scientists

+1 Cloistered church clerics, juvenile gang

+2 Street gang, conscript soldiers, deputized posse

+3 Angry villagers, green troops, small town police, factory workers, biker gang

+4 Bouncers, orc horde, trained soldiers, state troopers, riot squad

+5 Elite soldiers, marines, royal guards, low-level Dungeon Fantasy party

+6 Mystical training, shaolin temple

Abilities

Pathetic: Unable to effectively fight, provides at best a distraction. HP 6; ST 6; DX 8; HT 8; Move 2; incompetent at all combat skills, punches at DX 7; kicks at 6; Knife and most missile weapons: 3; Bow and most missile weapons: 2. Prefers melee combat, will All-Out Attack at first, then All-Out Defense thereafter.

Unfit: Crippled, young, or badly out of shape. At a disadvantage in battle. HP 8; ST 8; DX 8; HT 8; Move 3; punches at 8; kicks at 6; Knife and most missile weapons: 4; Most other weapons and bow: 5; all weapons default. Behaves as Pathetic above, unless he has a clear shot without retaliation. Prefers to have a ranged weapon if given the option.

Weak: A person unused to physical effort. HP 8; ST 8; DX 10; HT 10; Move 4; punch at 10; kick: 8; knife and missile weapon: 6; most other melee weapons and bow: 5; Guns or Beam Weapons: 6. Fights as Unfit above. Also prefers to have a ranged weapon.

Ordinary: An ordinary person without any fighting background. HP 10; ST 10; DX 10; HT 10; Move 5; punches at 10, kicks at DX 8; knife and most missile weapons: 6; most melee weapons and bows: 5; All-Out Defense or All-Out Attack as the opportunity arises.

Able: An untrained person who has good physical potential. HP 12; ST 12; DX 12; HT 10; Move 6; punch: 12; kick: 10; knife and most missile weapons: 8; most melee weapons and bows: 7. Fights as Ordinary above.

Tough: Lacking formal training, but has muscle and is used to using his fists. HP 14; ST 14; DX 10; HT 12; Move 6; Brawling: 11; Knife: 11; most missile weapons: 6; preferred melee weapon (usually Broadsword): 10; most other melee weapons: 5. Favors melee with All- Out Attack (Strong).

Talented: An untrained individual with unexceptional abilities but a natural knack at a fighting skill. HP 10; ST 10; DX 12; HT 10; Move 5; most skills as Able above, but 1 of either (Easy): 14; or (Average): 13. May choose Brawling, Karate, Wrestling, or Judo.

Trained: A person with basic military training. HT 12; ST 12; DX 10; HT 10; Move 5; for common combat skills he'd be trained with, all Easy skills: 10; all Average skills: 9. May choose 1 punching skill and one grappling skill.

Veteran: A fighter with experience in the past. HT 10; ST 10; DX 10; HT 10; Move 5; Easy skills: 11; Average skills: 10.

Skilled: A trained fighter with experience. HT 12; ST 12; DX 12; HT 12; Move 6; Easy skills: 14; Average skills: 13. Likely to emphasize Karate and Judo in hand to hand combat. +2 Targeted Attack Technique to either skull or vitals for 1 melee and 1 ranged combat skill.

Elite: A highly trained fighter. A badass. HT 14; ST 12; DX 13; HT 12; Move 6; Easy skills: 16; Average skills 15. +4 to favored Targeted Attack techniques, +2 in numerous other techniques.

Master: A master trained by another master. HT 20; ST 14; DX 14; HT 14; Move 8; has either Trained by a Master, Weapons Master or Gunslinger. All easy skills: 17; average skills: 16; one preferred of each of hand to hand, melee and ranged at an additional +2. +4 in any technique needed.