====== Imbuement Skills ======
Imbuement Skills have no default, except across specialties
(see Specialties, below). All are DX/VH, although the GM is welcome to make them IQ/VH if that would better suit the power
source of Imbue (e.g., for psionics). Every Imbuement Skill has
some level of Imbue as a prerequisite.

====Specialties====

All Imbuement Skills require specialization by particular
combat skill. For instance, Multi-Shot (Pistol) – associated with
Guns (Pistol) – is different from Multi-Shot (Bow), Multi-Shot
(Rifle), and Multi-Shot (Thrown Knife), for use with Bow, Guns
(Rifle), and Thrown Weapon (Knife), respectively. You can specialize in any weapon skill that suits the skill type (see Types of
Imbuement Skills, p. 5), and there are two further specialties
that work slightly differently:

Throwing: This specialty lets you imbue hurled objects not
covered by any specific Thrown Weapon skill, regardless of
what they look like. It works with both Throwing and Throwing
Art (if you have it!).

Unarmed: This specialty enables you to charge up barehanded attacks regardless of what unarmed combat skill you use
– although you’ll find striking skills more useful. It covers kicks,
punches, and blows with Claws, Strikers, Teeth, etc. It doesn’t
include natural ranged attacks such as a dragon’s flame breath
(see What Can I Imbue?).

Specialties of a given Imbuement Skill default to each other
at the same penalty as the associated combat skills. For
instance, if you know Flaming Strike (Broadsword), you can
attempt Flaming Strike (Shortsword) at -2. There’s no default
between specialties for completely unrelated weapons.
To be able to imbue more than one weapon type, buy several
specialties – possibly improving them from default, for related
weapons – or purchase a wildcard Imbuement Skill.

====Wildcard Imbuement Skills====

Those who can truly imbue any weapon may learn a “wildcard” (“!”) version of any standard Imbuement Skill; see
Wildcard Skills (p. B175). Price such a skill as usual for the
desired level and then triple the point cost. Such a skill works
with every applicable combat skill – and possibly even with
skills for noncombat equipment (see Noncombat Imbuement,
p. 13). For instance, someone with Flaming Strike! could turn
any weapon to flame, be it a staff, a sword, an arrow from a
bow, or a bullet from a gun.

====Types of Imbuement Skills====

Imbuement Skills are divided into three basic classes based
on what weapons they can affect (for further details, see What
Can I Imbue?, above):

General: Any specialty is possible – Throwing, Unarmed, or
any weapon skill.

Melee: Allowed specialties are those for melee combat skills
(all Melee Weapon skills, plus Cloak, Garrote, Lance, Net, and
Shield) and Unarmed.

Ranged: Only missile and thrown weapon specialties are
available. For missile weapons, it’s the ammunition rather than
the launcher that’s imbued.

This distinction is made on the grounds of whether the
granted effects make sense for a given category of weapons. For
instance, enhancements that affect ranged combat stats have
no meaningful definition for melee weapons.
Imbuement Skills are also split into two large functional categories; see Enhancement Skills (pp. 6-11) and Transformation
Skills (pp. 11-13). Technically, there’s a third category here –
Combination Skills (pp. 13-14) – but this straddles the line
between the first two and isn’t truly distinct.

====Using Imbuement Skills====

To use an Imbuement Skill, you must be holding a ready
weapon of a type that skill can affect (if only at default); a missile weapon must also be loaded and ready to shoot. You cannot empower an unready weapon or unloaded missile weapon,
or a weapon that you, personally, aren’t using. You can never
imbue a weapon and hand it off to someone else – the only way
to give another person an imbued weapon is to charge up a projectile and attack him with it!
Imbuement Skills require no concentration or preparation.
Roll before you make each attack roll. If you succeed, add the
skill’s effects to that attack. Failure simply means you don’t get
the benefit of the skill. Critical failure also costs 2 FP.
Each use of an Imbuement Skill costs 1 FP. You can pay this
with standard FP or, if your Imbue advantage is part of a power,
out of an Energy Reserve associated with that power. You can
try to avoid this cost by making your Imbuement Skill roll at -5
(but if you critically fail, you still pay 2 FP).

Many Imbuement Skills offer variable effects. This doesn’t
change FP cost but gives an additional penalty, cumulative with
the -5 to avoid FP cost. Without very high skill, it often isn’t possible to attempt the more potent effects “for free” (or at all!).

You can use an Imbuement Skill multiple times per turn: roll
and pay FP once per attack roll. A rapid-fire attack is just one
attack roll, so roll and pay FP only once for that. Keeping the
special effects of your skills “on” full-time while your weapon is
in hand requires no skill roll or FP – thus, even a low level of
skill can look cool!

====Defensive Use====

You can attempt to imbue a weapon on somebody else’s turn
for such purposes as parrying and discouraging a foe from
grabbing your weapon. To do so, roll (Imbuement Skill/2) + 3,
adding +1 for Combat Reflexes. The modifiers and FP cost
work as usual. Success gives your weapon the skill’s usual benefits for the duration of one defensive action.

====Multiple Skills====

You can use as many different Imbuement Skills as you like,
provided that you can make the skill rolls and afford the FP
cost. You can even use the same skill more than once if you
know it for several power sources (see Multiple Imbue
Advantages, p. 4). However, you can never use more than one
Transformation Skill (pp. 11-13) of any kind per attack, certain
skills are mutually exclusive, and you can’t combine skills that
produce exactly the opposite effect (if there’s any doubt, the
GM’s decision is final).

====Talent====

If your Imbue advantage is associated with a power, that
power’s Talent adds to both regular and defensive uses of your
Imbuement Skills. In addition, a few advantages that aren’t
always associated with powers are effectively Talents for common power sources:

Chi: Chi Talent (from GURPS Dungeon Fantasy) and
Forceful Chi (from GURPS Martial Arts) provide a bonus for
individuals who have Imbue (Chi, -10%).

Divine: Power Investiture doubles as a Talent for holy folk
with Imbue (Divine, -10%).

Magical: Magery acts as Talent for mages with Imbue
(Magical, -10%). In Dungeon Fantasy, remember that BardSong is a magical power as well – so Bardic Talent works the
same way.

====What Can I Imbue?====
Imbuement Skills require specialization by combat
skill. Those with weapon skill specialties can imbue any
weapon covered by the associated weapon skill, those
with the Throwing specialty can charge up any hurled
object not covered by a weapon skill, and Imbuement
Skills that have the Unarmed specialty can enhance any
strike delivered by the user’s natural “melee weapons” –
punches, kicks, elbow strikes, knee strikes, head butts,
bites, claws, stings, etc.

However, you can’t imbue a ranged attack bought
with points, whether natural (like a racial ability) or
superhuman, even if it has gadget limitations. To this
end, the Innate Attack skill (p. B201) is never a valid specialty for Imbuement Skills. If you want to enhance such an attack, put the desired modifiers on the underlying
attack advantage and pay for them directly. Imbuement
Skills exist specifically to enhance attacks for which you
can’t easily do this, like swords, guns, and fists.
You might be able to enhance spells and/or equipment other than weapons. These special cases have
important rules of their own. For details, see Imbuing
Spells (p. 11) and Noncombat Imbuement (p. 13).

==== Imbuement Skill Categories ====
For the purpose of Wild Talent (p. B99), “Imbuement
Skills” is a valid category for the Focused limitation, worth
the usual -20%. To choose this option, you must have the
Imbue advantage without the Limited Skill Access modifier.
You cannot spontaneously use skills above your Imbue level.

For the purpose of Modular Abilities (p. B71),
“Imbuement Skills” is an allowed category for Limited when
used in its trait-limited sense (see GURPS Powers), and is
worth -20%. “Enhancement Skills” or “Transformation
Skills” – or “Melee Imbuement Skills” or “Ranged
Imbuement Skills” – is a -30% limitation. Anything more specific (e.g., “Ranged Enhancement Skills”) is worth -40%. You
must have Imbue to select any of these, and you can’t use
Modular Abilities slots for skills above your level.

====Imbuing Spells====

If the GM wishes, mages can buy Imbuement Skills to
use with Missile and jet spells (a jet spell is simply a
Regular spell with “jet” in its name; e.g., Flame Jet). These
require specialization by spell – Arching Shot (Fireball),
Ghostly Weapon (Flame Jet), and so on – rather than by
Innate Attack skill. For this purpose, treat Missile spells as
ranged weapons and jets as melee weapons.

It’s probably best to allow only Enhancement Skills.
Transformation Skills for spells badly blur college distinctions. For instance, a one-college Earth mage with Stone
Missile could circumvent the limitation on his Magery
and a whole lot of prerequisite spells by learning Burning
Strike (Stone Missile) and Impaling Strike (Stone Missile)
as substitutes for Fireball and Ice Dagger. Still, the GM
may be willing to live with this.

Finally, it’s also up to the GM whether wizards can
use any form of Imbue to affect spells or if their Imbue
advantage requires the Magical limitation. In the latter
case, note that Magery doubles as the Talent for magic
powers in most cases, so Magery will benefit spells and
Imbuement Skills. This may or may not be a desirable
outcome.

====Noncombat Imbuement====
Optionally, imbuement can have noncombat applications. The GM
may permit Imbuement Skills specialized to almost any mundane
equipment-operation skill – if there’s a logical interpretation! Some
examples:

• Cutting Strike (Forced Entry) to make a crowbar work as a fire axe.

• Dancing Weapon (Photography) to enable your camera to fly around
taking pictures while you stay hidden – an interesting alternative to
Telekinesis!

•Far Shot (Sensors), for Electronics Operation (Sensors), to extend the
range of a radar.

•Project Blow (Explosive Ordnance Disposal), for Explosives (EOD), to
deal with bombs from a safe distance.

If the GM allows this, base the Imbuement Skill on the same attribute
as the mundane skill for which it’s learned; e.g., IQ for Photography.
In a campaign where noncombat specialties exist, wildcard Imbuement
Skills (p. 5) encompass these, too. When using wildcard Imbuement Skills
this way, base the roll on the attribute that controls the mundane skill
being enhanced.

The industrious GM could even dream up new Imbuement Skills with
few or no combat applications. These might have narrow applicability –
but that need not mean “useless.” For instance, a Video Transmission skill
that bestows the Video enhancement for Telecommunication (p. B91)
would let the user transmit a video signal over any phone, radio, or similar device, using his eyes as cameras. This could be a real boon to a superpowered spy or journalist! Skills like this should normally require only
Imbue 1 – or Imbue 2 if they’re remarkably handy.

===== ENHANCEMENT SKILLS =====

Essentially, Enhancement Skills do for weapons what various modifiers from the Basic Set and Powers do for advantages. In most cases, you can combine these skills with each
other and with Transformation Skills (pp. 11-13) – although
some are relatively useless if you transform the weapon into a
non-damaging one, and a few are mutually exclusive.

====Annihilating Weapon - Melee; DX/Very Hard====

Default: Specialty for related weapon at same penalty as
weapon default.
Prerequisite: Imbue 2.

Your damaging melee weapon automatically gets to roll its
usual damage against any weapon that parries it – in effect, it’s
destructive for parrying purposes, just like a force sword. Roll
its damage normally and apply it to the parrying weapon (or
body part, if your opponent made an unarmed parry).
This effect is always obvious – your weapon flames, vibrates,
turns to brilliant green energy, or otherwise telegraphs its
destructive nature. Thus, canny foes can avoid the worst of it by
relying on Dodge instead. However, you can trigger your skill
defensively (see Defensive Use, p. 5) so that your weapon
damages a rival’s weapon or body when you parry him.

====Arching Shot - Ranged; DX/Very Hard====
Default: Specialty for related weapon at same penalty as
weapon default.
Prerequisite: Imbue 2.

This lets a ranged weapon arch up over the target and
strike from the top, regardless of its normal ballistics.
Effects are identical to Overhead (p. B107): the attack
bypasses any cover that doesn’t offer overhead protection,
negates penalties to hit for low target postures, and gives
the victim -2 to defend the first time he’s attacked (after that,
he’ll be on the lookout!). Arching Shot is useful for getting
arrows and bullets to targets that are behind a barrier of
finite height that blocks projectiles but not vision (e.g., a
Force Wall spell).

====Bank Shot - Ranged; DX/Very Hard====
Default: Specialty for related weapon at same penalty as
weapon default.
Prerequisite: Imbue 2.

You can bounce your damaging ranged attack off “hard
cover” in the environment in order to reach your target. The
exact DR and HP of the things you’re bouncing the shot off
aren’t important. What matters is that these objects are convincingly hard: walls and rocks, not curtains and ferns.

To use this skill, plot your course and count the bounces. If
there’s nothing but floor or ground around, then only one
bounce is possible: from you, to the floor, and back up to your
target. Once you have your course, roll vs. Bank Shot.

Modifiers: -2 per bounce after the first (-2 for two bounces,
-4 for three, and so on); an extra -2 for each ricochet off something fragile, like rice paper or window glass.
If this works, make a standard ranged-attack roll to hit
with the imbued projectile. Use the full range along the zigzag
path to the target. An alerted target always gets a defense, but
this is at -1 per bounce.

====Conic Blast - Ranged; DX/Very Hard====
Default: Specialty for related weapon at same penalty as
weapon default.
Prerequisite: Imbue 3.

This skill is only available for missile weapons (bows, guns,
etc.). It converts a single ranged attack into a cone that originates from the weapon, similar to a blast of grapeshot; see Area
and Spreading Attacks (p. B413). An unmodified skill roll gives
a cone that’s RoF yards wide at the attack’s Max range. HighRoF weapons get broader cones – not multiple cones.
Modifiers: You can spread the attack further at -1 per extra
yard of maximum width.

====Continuing Attack - General; DX/Very Hard====
Default: Specialty for related weapon at same penalty as
weapon default.
Prerequisite: Imbue 3.

This skill causes wounds from a damaging weapon to
worsen after the initial attack. Choose an effect consistent with
the attack you’re enhancing – acid or big grubs eating away at
the victim, bleeding, rotting, sticky napalm, venom, etc. Whatever the visuals, the effect is to give the attack a form of
Cyclic (pp. B103-104).

An unmodified roll means that if the initial attack injured
the target at all, he will suffer the same injury again in one
day’s time.

Modifiers: For a shorter interval, roll at -2 for 1 hour, -4 for 1
minute, -6 for 10 seconds, or -8 for 1 second. Repeated cycles are
possible: for standard 1 day intervals, roll at -1 per cycle after the
first; for other intervals, multiply the time penalty by the total
number of intervals (e.g., -24 for three cycles 1 second apart).

This is injury that comes right off HP – not damage that
must penetrate DR again, be multiplied for damage type, and
so forth. Should it matter, the effects are consistent with the
original attack’s damage type. For instance, enough continuing
injury from a burning attack would reduce someone to charcoal, while the same HP loss to cutting injury would leave
ground meat.

When imbuing an attack that has a linked or follow-up
effect, you must specify which part of the attack is continuing.
You can’t enhance more than one part of a linked attack, or
both a carrier and its follow-up attack.

Unless your Imbue advantage is Cosmic (+50% or +300%),
you must specify some reasonably obvious way to halt the continuing injury: dousing flame, picking out grubs, applying disinfectant to rotting flesh, etc. This isn’t likely to matter for
short intervals, of course!

====Crippling Blow - General; DX/Very Hard====
Default: Specialty for related weapon at same penalty as
weapon default.
Prerequisite: Imbue 3.

Lets you envenom your weapon or make a pressure-point
strike in such a way that a living victim may suffer a physical
Affliction (p. B40), as if your attack had a Side Effect (p. B109).
If any damage penetrates the target’s DR, he must make a HT
roll, at -1 per 2 points of penetrating damage, or suffer a harmful effect. A blow that doesn’t penetrate does nothing.

The default effect of a failed HT roll is that the target is
stunned. He may roll vs. HT at the same penalty every turn to
recover. More potent Afflictions give a penalty to your
Crippling Blow roll, but last for minutes equal to the victim’s
margin of failure.

Modifiers: -1 per -2 to ST or HT; -1 per -1 to DX; -1 per -10
points of physical disadvantages (but never exotic or racial
effects); -2 for Coughing or Moderate Pain; -3 for Nauseated; -4
for Severe Pain; -5 for Retching; -6 for Terrible Pain; -10 for
Agony or Choking; and -15 for total Paralysis. You can combine
several effects.

====Dancing Weapon - General; DX/Very Hard====
Default: Specialty for related weapon at same penalty as
weapon default.
Prerequisite: Imbue 3.

You can cast your weapon into the air to fight on its own.
This is like any other use of an Imbuement Skill: it takes no
preparation, requires 1 FP, and calls for a skill roll at the usual
modifiers. You cannot “stack” Dancing Weapon with any other
Imbuement Skill, though, because once you activate it, the
weapon isn’t ready in your hand!

On the turn you activate the skill, the weapon fights on its
own at a skill level equal to your Dancing Weapon skill. Its
Basic Move equals your own, and its damage is identical to
what it would do in your hands. It engages any one opponent
you indicate, executing Attack maneuvers to strike him when
he’s within range or Reach, and Move maneuvers to get to
him when he isn’t. This leaves you free to do something else.
Enemies can attack the weapon at penalty equal to its SM.
It can dodge at (Dancing Weapon/2) + 3, at -1 per defense
after the first. Use its usual DR and HP to determine breakage. If a foe manages to seize it (a grapple with DX or an
unarmed grappling skill, still with SM penalties), the imbuement ends immediately and your enemy acquires a new
weapon!

On later turns, you may pay 1 FP to keep the weapon fighting . . . or not. If you don’t, the weapon’s effective skill drops by
one, cumulative from turn to turn. Should skill ever fall below
3, the imbuement ends and the weapon falls to the ground
wherever it may be. The only way to erase the skill penalty or
“revive” the weapon is to grab it and reactivate the skill.
To recover a still-active weapon, it has to be within your
reach and you must take a Ready maneuver. This requires no
success roll (and Fast-Draw isn’t allowed). If it’s on the ground,
pick it up normally.

====Drugged Weapon - General; DX/Very Hard====
Default: Specialty for related weapon at same penalty as
weapon default.
Prerequisite: Imbue 3.

The weapon or its projectile carries a tranquilizing agent,
or isn’t “drugged” at all but strikes nonlethal pressure points.
Such an attack gains a 1-point follow-up fatigue attack that
obeys the rules for the Follow-Up modifier (p. B105). If
the weapon attack fails to penetrate DR, its follow-up does
nothing!

Modifiers: Higher fatigue damage gives a penalty of -1 for 1d-
2, -2 for 1d-1, -3 for 1d, -4 for 1d+1, -5 for 1d+2, -6 for 2d-1, -7
for 2d, -8 for 2d+1, -9 for 2d+2, or -10 for 3d; minimum damage
is 1 point in all cases.

====Electric Weapon - General; DX/Very Hard====
Default: Specialty for related weapon at same penalty as
weapon default.
Prerequisite: Imbue 3.

The weapon crackles with electricity and gains the Surge
modifier (p. B105). Targets such as electronics and robots with
electrical systems that take over 1/3 HP from it must make a
HT roll to avoid shorting out. Failure disables the target for
seconds equal to the margin of failure; critical failure disables
it until repaired. A critical hit with the charged-up weapon has
the same effect as a critically failed HT roll.

On an unmodified skill roll, the surge is the only effect.

Modifiers: To add follow-up electrical burning damage,
roll at -1 for 1d-4, -2 for 1d-3, -3 for 1d-2, -4 for 1d-1, -5 for
1d, -6 for 1d+1, -7 for 1d+2, -8 for 2d-1, -9 for 2d, or -10 for
2d+1. In all cases, minimum damage is 1 point and metal
armor is treated as DR 1 vs. the follow-up if the carrier attack
doesn’t penetrate.

====Envenomed Weapon - General; DX/Very Hard====
Default: Specialty for related weapon at same penalty as
weapon default.
Prerequisite: Imbue 3.

The weapon or its projectile becomes envenomed. Such an
attack gains a 1-point follow-up toxic attack that obeys the
rules for the Follow-Up modifier (p. B105). If the weapon
attack fails to penetrate DR, its follow-up does nothing!
Modifiers: Higher toxic damage gives a penalty of -1 for 1d-
2, -2 for 1d-1, -3 for 1d, -4 for 1d+1, -5 for 1d+2, -6 for 2d-1, -7
for 2d, -8 for 2d+1, -9 for 2d+2, or -10 for 3d; minimum damage is 1 point in all cases.

====Far Shot - Ranged; DX/Very Hard====
Default: Specialty for related weapon at same penalty as
weapon default.
Prerequisite: Imbue 2.

Far Shot gives a ranged weapon more range, most often by
stabilizing its flight via some form of telekinesis or force control. An unmodified skill roll doubles both 1/2D and Max.

Modifiers: -2 to multiply 1/2D and Max by 5, -4 to multiply
by 10, -6 to multiply by 20, -8 to multiply by 50, -10 to multiply by 100, and so on.

====Forceful Blow - General; DX/Very Hard====
Default: Specialty for related weapon at same penalty as
weapon default.
Prerequisite: Imbue 1.

This skill enhances a damaging weapon’s knockback
(p. B378) – usually via focused chi or psychokinetic force. The
attack effectively gains the Double Knockback modifier
(p. B104).

For a crushing weapon, use double the damage rolled to find
knockback. For other weapons, calculate knockback as if using
a regular crushing weapon. Damage type and amount are unaffected; Forceful Blow only changes knockback.

====Ghostly Weapon - General; DX/Very Hard====
Default: Specialty for related weapon at same penalty as
weapon default.
Prerequisite: Imbue 1.

Gives the weapon the Affects Insubstantial enhancement
(p. B102), allowing it to affect ghosts and other insubstantial
foes.

Guided Weapon
Ranged; DX/Very Hard
Default: Specialty for related weapon at same penalty as
weapon default.
Prerequisite: Imbue 2.

Guided Weapon lets you control a projectile after releasing it,
guiding it to its target with magical whistling, telekinesis, etc.
This works just like the Guided enhancement (p. B106): the
attack ignores range penalties and the projectile moves at 1/2D
yards/second – regardless of its normal speed – until it hits the
target or reaches Max range. Against distant targets, you must
take a Concentrate maneuver on turns after the first to control
your weapon.

Modifiers: -1 if you can turn the projectile around for a second attack next turn, at the original effective skill level, in the
event that your target dodges the first one; -2 to get a third pass;
and so on.

Guided Weapon cannot be combined with Conic Blast,
Multi-Shot, Shockwave, or any other skill that affects multiple
targets by default. It guides one attack to one target.

====Homing Weapon - Ranged; DX/Very Hard====
Default: Specialty for related weapon at same penalty as
weapon default.
Prerequisite: Imbue 3.

Homing Weapon lets a projectile guide itself to a target
using any one sense that you yourself possess. You must take
an Aim maneuver and make an unmodified weapon skill roll
to “lock on,” but you can ignore all ranged combat modifiers
except for effects that obscure the chosen sense. The weapon
then homes in on its target as if it had the Homing enhancement (p. B106): it ignores range penalties and moves at 1/2D
yards/second – regardless of its usual speed – until it hits the
target or reaches Max range.

Modifiers: -1 to enable the projectile to try a second attack
next turn, at the original effective skill level, should the target
dodge the first one; -2 for a third pass; and so on.

Homing Weapon cannot be combined with Conic Blast,
Multi-Shot, Shockwave, or any other skill that affects multiple
targets. You can only lock one shot onto one target at a time.

You can’t combine Guided Weapon with Homing Weapon,
either. The chief benefit of the latter over the former is that it
doesn’t require you to take Concentrate maneuvers when
engaging foes that require multiple turns (or multiple passes)
to hit.

====Incendiary Weapon - General; DX/Very Hard====
Default: Specialty for related weapon at same penalty as
weapon default.
Prerequisite: Imbue 3.

The weapon or its projectile is wreathed in flame; in effect, it
acquires the Incendiary modifier (p. B105). Treat such attacks as
if they had a 1-point burning attack as a follow-up (if any damage penetrates DR, the target suffers 1 HP of extra fire injury).

The real benefit here is that the weapon can retain its original
damage type but still set fires!

A burning attack enjoys the same bonus injury – but since it
can already set fires, the odds of that increase. Move the effective
flammability class of anything damaged up one step. See
Making Things Burn (p. B433).

Modifiers: -2 per additional flammability class shift (maximum five shifts – or four for a burning attack, which already
gets one free shift). Higher burning damage gives a penalty of -
1 for 1d-3, -2 for 1d-2, -3 for 1d-1, -4 for 1d, -5 for 1d+1, -6 for
1d+2, -7 for 2d-1, -8 for 2d, -9 for 2d+1, or -10 for 2d+2; minimum damage is 1 point in all cases.

====Multi-Shot - Ranged; DX/Very Hard====
Default: Specialty for related weapon at same penalty as
weapon default.
Prerequisite: Imbue 3.

You can supernaturally split your projectile(s) in midair,
increasing RoF. For missile weapons, this uses up only the
usual number of shots. For thrown weapons, you just need to
have one weapon to hurl. In either case, the additional shots
last for long enough to do harm and then vanish – if you go
downrange to retrieve ammo (or someone examines the
scene), you will only find the number of projectiles present
before the split.

A Multi-Shot attack effectively gains the Rapid Fire modifier
(p. B108). Not all shots will necessarily find targets. Follow the
rules under Rapid Fire (p. B373).

An unmodified skill roll gives +1 to weapon RoF. This gives
most thrown and low-tech missile weapons RoF 2 and most
repeating handguns RoF 4. You need RoF 5+ to use Spraying
Fire or Suppression Fire (both p. B409).

Modifiers: -1 per additional +1 to RoF, with no limit. If your
skill is high enough to deal with -18, you’re certainly welcome to
try for a RoF 20 bowshot!

====Penetrating Strike - General; DX/Very Hard====
Default: Specialty for related weapon at same penalty as
weapon default.
Prerequisite: Imbue 3.

The weapon hardens, becomes partly insubstantial, or does
something else that lets it pass through DR, giving it the Armor
Divisor enhancement (p. B102). The basic armor divisor is (2),
but this can be improved by taking a penalty to the roll. This is
cumulative with targeting chinks in armor (p. B400).
Modifiers: -2 for (3), -4 for (5), -6 for (10), -8 for (100), and -
10 to bypass DR completely.

====Project Blow - Melee; DX/Very Hard====
Default: Specialty for related weapon at same penalty as
weapon default.
Prerequisite: Imbue 3.

The melee weapon delivers its usual damage from a distance
– typically by projecting chi, psychokinetic force, or similar. This
ranged attack has Acc 3, Range 10/100, RoF 1, Shots N/A, Bulk
-2, and Recoil 1. Use the usual melee combat skill for the attack,
not a ranged combat skill. Project Blow doesn’t unready the
weapon for melee use.

Modifiers: -10 if used again immediately on the same turn, -9
the next turn, -8 in two turns, -7 in three, -6 in four, -5 in five, -4
in six, -3 in seven, -2 in eight, -1 in nine, and no penalty after 10
turns. Restart the counter after each use.

====Shattershot - Ranged; DX/Very Hard====
Default: Specialty for related weapon at same penalty as
weapon default.
Prerequisite: Imbue 2.

Shattershot causes the projectile of a damaging ranged
weapon to rupture on impact, scattering harmful fragments.
The attack gains the Fragmentation modifier (p. B104). Note
that this destroys the projectile – be sure you want to sunder
reusable ammo like an arrow or a spear!

An unmodified skill roll gives fragments that inflict 1d cutting damage – or burning damage, if the modified weapon is
burning, incendiary, or simply on fire. The fragments attack
everybody within 5 yards as explained under Fragmentation
Damage (p. B414). Note that hits aren’t guaranteed, cover protects, and victims may dodge.

Modifiers: -2 for 2d damage attacking everyone within 10
yards, -4 for 3d damage and 15 yards, -6 for 4d damage and 20
yards, -8 for 5d damage and 25 yards, or -10 for 6d damage and
30 yards. However, fragment damage can never exceed the
underlying attack’s basic damage.

Shattershot cannot be combined with Conic Blast.

====Shockwave - General; DX/Very Hard====
Default: Specialty for related weapon at same penalty as
weapon default.
Prerequisite: Imbue 3.

The weapon launches explosive attacks. With a melee
weapon, you smash your hands together, drive the charged-up
weapon into the ground, or something similar, causing a blast
that is centered on you but doesn’t harm you; make a combat
skill roll to execute this move, but don’t attack a specific foe. For
a ranged weapon, the projectile blows up or causes a massive
shockwave wherever it hits; check for scatter (p. B414).

Treat the weapon’s damage as if it had the Explosion modifier (p. B104), regardless of damage type. Divide damage by
three times the distance in yards to each target.

Modifiers: -5 to divide by twice the distance in yards or -10 to
divide by the distance in yards.
Shockwave cannot be combined with Conic Blast.

====Stealthy Attack - General; DX/Very Hard====
Default: Specialty for related weapon at same penalty as
weapon default.
Prerequisite: Imbue 1.

You can silence your weapon or make it invisible, as if it had
Low or No Signature (p. B106). An unmodified skill roll gives -2
to all Perception rolls to notice the attack.

Modifiers: -1 per additional -2 to Perception rolls, to a limit of
-4 to skill giving -10 to Per.

====Stupefying Blow - General; DX/Very Hard====
Default: Specialty for related weapon at same penalty as
weapon default.
Prerequisite: Imbue 3.

Lets you envenom your weapon or make a pressure-point
strike in such a way that a living victim may suffer a mental
Affliction (p. B40), as if your attack had a Side Effect (p. B109).
If any damage penetrates the target’s DR, he must make a Will
roll, at -1 per 2 points of penetrating damage, or suffer the bad
effect. A blow that fails to penetrate does nothing.

The default effect of a failed Will roll is that the foe is mentally stunned. He may roll vs. Will at the same penalty every turn
to recover. More potent Afflictions give a penalty to your
Stupefying Strike roll, but last for 1 minute times the victim’s
margin of failure.

Modifiers: -1 per -1 to DX or IQ; -1 per -10 points of mental
disadvantages (but never self-imposed ones; see p. B121); -1 for
Tipsy; -2 for Drunk; -3 for Euphoria; -5 for Daze or
Hallucinating; -10 for Ecstasy or Seizure; and -15 for Sleep. You
can combine several effects.

====Sudden Death - General; DX/Very Hard====

Default: Specialty for related weapon at same penalty as
weapon default.
Prerequisite: Imbue 2.

Sudden Death gives the weapon a type of Delay enhancement
(p. B105). Resolve the weapon attack normally and work out
what injury or other baneful effects your victim would suffer,
given the damage roll, DR, damage type, etc. But don’t apply
these when you deal the blow! Instead, they happen on your
command, at any future point and from any distance.

Modifiers: -5 if the damage occurs when a certain condition
is met, such as “when the victim next sleeps,” rather than when
you actively choose to trigger it.

Unless your Imbue advantage is Cosmic (+50% or +300%),
you must specify some way to neutralize the pending effect.
Typical options are the Esoteric Medicine skill for chi effects,
the Remove Curse spell for magical effects, the Exorcism skill
for spirit effects, or the Neutralize Poison spell for a toxin. To
be valid, this measure has to be one that exists in your game
world.

You can always cancel the pending effect permanently at any
time, from any distance, instead of activating it.

====Supreme Control - General; DX/Very Hard====
Default: Specialty for related weapon at same penalty as
weapon default.
Prerequisite: Imbue 1.

You can make a damaging strike so precisely that it has only
some of its effects – the ones you want – and not the others. This
is valuable when you’re interested in shoving things around
(knockback) but not breaking things (injury), for instance. An
unmodified roll lets you avoid one of blunt trauma (see No Blunt
Trauma, p. B111), DR reduction (if making a corrosion attack),
fire hazard (if making a burning attack), knockback (see No
Knockback, p. B111), or wounding (see No Wounding, p. B111).

Modifiers: -2 per additional feature switched off after the first.

====Telescoping Weapon - Melee; DX/Very Hard====
Default: Specialty for related weapon at same penalty as
weapon default.
Prerequisite: Imbue 1.

You can cause your melee weapon to change length briefly by
physically altering it instead of changing grips. This allows it to
hit a foe who’s out of reach, or enables you to fight in close quarters without the usual penalties. In effect, you’re able to adjust
your weapon’s intrinsic Melee Attack limitation (p. B112).
An unmodified roll increases or reduces Reach by 1 yard.
Allowed Reach categories are, in order: C, 1, 2, 3, and 4.
Modifiers: -2 for ±2 yards, -4 for ±3 yards, or -6 for ±4 yards.
Final Reach must fall within the C-4 range.
Traumatic Blow
General; DX/Very Hard
Default: Specialty for related weapon at same penalty as
weapon default.
Prerequisite: Imbue 1.
Enhances a damaging weapon’s blunt trauma (p. B379) –
possibly via a momentary density increase or an armordeforming force field. In effect, the attack gains the Double
Blunt Trauma modifier (p. B104).
Crushing weapons do 1 HP of blunt trauma per 2 points of
basic damage resisted by flexible armor. Cutting, impaling, and
piercing ones cause 1 HP of blunt trauma per 5 points of basic
damage. Other weapons only inflict 1 HP of blunt trauma per 10
points of basic damage.

===== TRANSFORMATION SKILLS =====
These Imbuement Skills change the fundamental nature of
your weapon. You cannot combine them with each other. You
can combine them with Enhancement Skills (pp. 6-11).

Binding Shot
Ranged; DX/Very Hard
Default: Specialty for related weapon at same penalty as
weapon default.
Prerequisite: Imbue 3.
Lets you convert a damaging ranged attack into a Binding
(p. B40). The projectile trails silk, sprouts tendrils, turns to goo,
etc., tying up the target. Roll your usual damage dice and read
the result as the Binding’s ST – no actual damage occurs. The
Binding’s DR is ST/3, rounded down.
Modifiers: You can add certain Binding modifiers by rolling
at a penalty: -2 for Sticky, -6 for Engulfing, and/or -8 for
Constricting or Suffocating.
Burning Strike
General; DX/Very Hard
Default: Specialty for related weapon at same penalty as
weapon default.
Prerequisite: Imbue 2.
The weapon or its projectile turns to flame or a scorching
heat blast, converting the damage of a non-burning attack from
its usual damage type to burning. For most attacks, the main
benefit is that you can set fires. For impaling or piercing
weapons, you end up with a tight-beam burning attack, which
can target vital areas.
Chilling Strike
General; DX/Very Hard
Default: Specialty for related weapon at same penalty as
weapon default.
Prerequisite: Imbue 3.
This skill turns the weapon into some sort of cold projector
or even a blade of chilling negative energy. Roll damage as usual
but interpret it as fatigue damage that works like the FP loss
described for Cold (p. B430), which is difficult to recover from.
In effect, this grants the Freezing modifier (p. B104).
Corrosive Strike
General; DX/Very Hard
Default: Specialty for related weapon at same penalty as
weapon default.
Prerequisite: Imbue 3.
Coats the weapon in acid, turns it into a disintegrator, or otherwise converts the damage of a non-corrosion attack from its
usual damage type to corrosion. Doing so halves the basic damage rolled, however.
Modifiers: -2 for 60% damage instead of 50% damage; -4 for
70% damage; -6 for 80% damage; -8 for 90% damage; or -10 for
full damage.
Crushing Strike
General; DX/Very Hard
Default: Specialty for related weapon at same penalty as
weapon default.
Prerequisite: Imbue 1.

Blunts the weapon or engulfs it in a broad force field, converting the damage of a non-crushing attack from its usual
damage type to crushing. This lets it work with other
Imbuement Skills that function best with crushing attacks,
improves knockback (p. B378) and blunt trauma (p. B379),
and lets a deadlier weapon “merely” beat a victim senseless.
Cutting Strike
General; DX/Very Hard
Default: Specialty for related weapon at same penalty as
weapon default.
Prerequisite: Imbue 2.
Narrows or sharpens the weapon in one dimension, converting the damage of a non-cutting attack from its usual damage type to cutting. Good for severing limbs.
Dazzling Display
General; DX/Very Hard
Default: Specialty for related weapon at same penalty as
weapon default.
Prerequisite: Imbue 2.
Lets you convert a damaging attack to Obscure (p. B40)
directed at vision. A melee weapon becomes a shaft of darkness or brilliance, or generates a visible shockwave that warps
light, affecting a two-yard radius or a radius equal to its Reach,
whichever is larger, on any turn when you use
this skill; this effect is centered on you. A projectile fills a two-yard radius with darkness,
glare, smoke, or something similar where it
hits, which lasts 10 seconds.
Roll your usual damage dice and halve the
result (round down). Read this as the Vision
penalty, to a maximum of -10. No actual damage occurs.
Modifiers: You can add the Defensive modifier (the Vision penalty doesn’t affect you) by
rolling at -5.
Deafening Display
General; DX/Very Hard
Default: Specialty for related weapon at
same penalty as weapon default.
Prerequisite: Imbue 1.
Lets you convert a damaging attack to
Obscure (p. B40) directed at hearing. A melee
weapon cracks, hums, rattles, etc., making a
din that affects two-yard radius or a radius
equal to its Reach, whichever is larger, on any
turn when you use this skill; this effect is centered on you. A projectile goes off like a string
of firecrackers or otherwise makes a racket,
making hearing difficult in a two-yard radius
for the next 10 seconds.
Roll your usual damage dice and halve
the result (round down). Read this as the
Hearing penalty, to a maximum of -10. No
actual damage occurs.
Modifiers: You can add the Defensive modifier (the Hearing
penalty doesn’t affect you) by rolling at -5.
Fatiguing Strike
General; DX/Very Hard
Default: Specialty for related weapon at same penalty as
weapon default.
Prerequisite: Imbue 2.
Winds the target by hitting nonlethal pressure points,
charges the weapon with a kind of stunner field, or otherwise
converts the damage of a non-fatigue attack from its usual
damage type to fatigue.
Impaling Strike
General; DX/Very Hard
Default: Specialty for related weapon at same penalty as
weapon default.
Prerequisite: Imbue 3.
Greatly narrows or sharpens the weapon in two dimensions,
converting the damage of a non-impaling attack from its usual
damage type to impaling. This gives -1 per die on the basic
damage roll, however.
Modifiers: -5 for full damage.

Piercing Strike
General; DX/Very Hard
Default: Specialty for related weapon at same penalty as
weapon default.
Prerequisite: Imbue 2.
Gives the weapon a narrow-but-blunt profile by reshaping
it, projecting a force field, etc., converting the damage of a
non-piercing attack from its ordinary damage type to piercing.
This improves blunt trauma for most non-crushing attacks and
allows crushing attacks to target vital areas.
Modifiers: +2 for small piercing, -2 for large piercing, or -5
for huge piercing.
Strike of Negation
Melee; DX/Very Hard
Default: Specialty for related weapon at same penalty as
weapon default.
Prerequisite: Imbue 3 with suitable power modifier.
Lets you deal a melee attack that neutralizes a specific
group of supernatural effects instead of causing damage.
Normally, the effects canceled are those that have the same
source as your Imbue advantage; e.g., magic spells, if your
Imbue is Magical. However, if the source of your Imbue is split
into clearly opposed powers – for instance, Moral (-20%) typically has Good and Evil powers – then the Strike negates
effects associated with the power that opposes yours. And if
your Imbue is Cosmic, the Strike can negate any one source at
a time (choose when you roll) at the +50% level, or all paranormal effects at once at the +300% level! Fighters with “wild”
forms of Imbue can’t learn the Strike at all.
If your attack hits, roll its usual damage dice. Treat the
result as the effective skill of the “dispel.” Roll a Quick Contest
of this “dispel skill” vs. the skill used to activate each ongoing
effect of the correct type on the target; victory means that a
temporary effect (like most spells) is dissipated for good while
a permanent one (like an enchantment) ceases to work for
minutes equal to margin of victory.
If the target has active, ongoing effects due to advantages in
the affected category, also roll a Quick Contest against his Will.
Victory means that all such advantages are shut off until he
reactivates them.
Modifiers: -4 to target one specific ongoing effect on the
target.
Strike of Negation offers a unique option: if the user is
capable of two or more attacks per turn with his weapon, and
one of these hits and wounds the target, then he can waive a
later attack on that turn to roll against Strike of Negation with
the usual modifiers and FP cost. If it works, roll the Quick
Contests above. Effective skill of the “dispel” is the earlier
attack’s basic damage roll or the injury that attack caused,
whichever is higher.
Toxic Strike
General; DX/Very Hard
Default: Specialty for related weapon at same penalty as
weapon default.
Prerequisite: Imbue 1.
Sprays poison, strikes lethal pressure points, or otherwise
converts the damage of a non-toxic attack from its usual damage type to toxic. Toxic damage only harms living things and
has no special damage effects – but it also leaves no bruises or,
in this case, any other evidence! In effect, it’s dim mak: the
hand of death.
Vampiric Weapon
Melee; DX/Very Hard
Default: Specialty for related weapon at same penalty as
weapon default.
Prerequisite: Imbue 3.
You’re capable of converting the injury you inflict with a
melee weapon into a “life force drain” that can heal your own
injuries. For every full 3 HP of injury your weapon inflicts on
a living victim, you heal 1 HP. You can’t raise your HP above
normal.
Modifiers: -5 to heal 1 HP per full 2 HP of injury, or -10 to heal
1 HP per HP of injury; -5 to “heal” an Energy Reserve instead of
HP at the same rate, if your Imbue advantage has a power modifier and you have an ER for that power.
Withering Strike
General; DX/Very Hard
Default: Specialty for related weapon at same penalty as
weapon default.
Prerequisite: Imbue 3.
This skill’s effects are obviously supernatural: The weapon
penetrates DR as usual but leaves no wound. Instead, it visibly
drains the target’s vital bodily fluids. Roll damage as usual but
interpret it as fatigue damage that works like the FP loss under
Dehydration (p. B426). This skill gives the Dehydration modifier
(p. B104), in effect.

=====OPTIONAL RULE: COMBINATION SKILLS=====

A nice thing about Imbuement Skills is that you can mix
and match them as noted in Multiple Skills (p. 5). For instance,
if you know Burning Strike (Unarmed) and Project Blow
(Unarmed), then each turn you can choose to barbeque enemies in close combat with burning punches, or project crushing punches, or blast distant targets with fire. But this flexibility doesn’t suit every setting or every character concept. What
if you want only the ability to hurl fireballs that do punching
damage?

The solution is a Combination Skill. Construct such a skill
by choosing two or more compatible Imbuement Skills whose
effects you wish to combine and merging them into a single
skill with a fitting name; e.g., “Project Burning Strike.” This
custom Imbuement Skill is DX/VH like the any other, and has
the highest Imbue level prerequisite among the skills involved.
It counts as one skill if you have Limited Skill Access on your
Imbue advantage.

Combination Skills have both upsides and downsides. The
biggest benefit is that they cost fewer points: you can buy just
one skill instead of two and pay half as much, one skill instead
of three and pay 1/3 as much, and so on. Another nice feature is
that one roll produces the effects of all the merged Imbuement
Skills, which means that high skill makes your combined imbuement more reliable (and easier to affect with Luck!).

The most significant drawback is that you can’t separate the
skills. For instance, that Project Burning Strike skill always
shoots ranged fireballs with a “cool down” penalty between
uses; you can’t give yourself burning fists or hurl ordinary
crushing punches.

Another downside is that the cost to use the skill is 1 FP per
merged skill (although critical failure still only costs 2 FP). For
instance, Project Burning Strike costs 2 FP – and Project
Penetrating Burning Strike would cost 3 FP. It’s still possible to
reduce this cost, but at -5 to skill per -1 FP.

A further difficulty is that while you can generate all the
effects of every constituent skill, the penalties for “advanced
applications” listed for both skills apply to the single skill roll.
Between this and FP reduction, points you save by not buying
multiple skills might well end up spent anyway – to get your
Combination Skill to the level where it’s as effective as two separate skills.
Finally, note that while Combination Skills can be “stacked”
with other Imbuement Skills, you can’t use them with any skill
that isn’t compatible with a constituent skill – the incompatibility extends to the entire Combination Skill. For instance, if
you know both Project Burning Strike and Impaling Strike,
you can’t project impaling strikes, because Burning Strike and
Impaling Strike are both Transformation Skills, and thus
exclusive.

The GM has the final say on whether Combination Skills
are allowed, which ones exist, and whether players can define
their own.

======IMBUEMENT IN THE CAMPAIGN======

It’s up to the GM whether to allow imbuement at all. In general, it is balanced against other abilities. The best Imbuement
Skills need Imbue 3, which – at 40 points – is in the same ballpark as Magery 3-4, Trained by a Master, and Weapon Master.
Imbue doesn’t grant any “hidden benefits” in its own right,
unlike those other advantages. And while Imbuement Skills cost
just 1 FP and work quickly, they’re also either Very Hard skills
specific to one weapon type (allowing the GM to disable them
temporarily by taking away those weapons) or triple-cost wildcard skills. The choice to use imbuement comes down to a matter of campaign style: imbuement competes with other superhuman gifts, especially cinematic martial arts and magic, so it best
suits games where the GM wants lots of competing options.
Next, the GM has to decide what power modifiers to allow
on Imbue. It’s logical to permit any modifier allowed on advantages in the campaign, and to make Imbue one of the abilities
of any power it suits. Imbue need not coexist with powers,
though – it could be the only advantage with a power modifier
in the entire campaign, making it the most important manifestation of chi, magic, psi, etc.
After that, the GM must decide what Imbuement Skills to
allow, and to whom. He might use the whole list or only a small
subset. He may even associate particular skills with specific
power modifiers in order to emphasize the differences between
different types of Imbue; e.g., the Chi modifier could give
access to skills comparable to Breaking Blow and Pressure
Points, while the Magical modifier allows the ones that deal in
flashy elemental energies.
Finally, there are all the decisions explicitly left to the
GM throughout these rules. Are Imbuement Skills IQ-based
rather than DX-based for some (or all) power modifiers? Can
wizards imbue spells? Do Combination Skills exist – and if
they do, which ones? Is noncombat imbuement allowed, and
are there unique skills for that? All told, these rules are highly
customizable.
GURPS DUNGEON FANTASY
Imbuement works well in Dungeon Fantasy – particularly
in campaigns that aim to ape computer RPGs, which often
use “skills” to refer to something closer to Imbuement Skills
than to Broadsword or First Aid. When using character templates, niche protection is best served by giving each role
access only to suitable skills. The GM should probably require
professions that use powers to apply their power modifier to
Imbue, but possibly give them access to more skills. Some
suggestions:
Barbarian: The barbarian can put his great strength to
good effect smashing weapons (Annihilating Weapon), hammering his breastplate (Deafening Display), tossing enemies
around (Forceful Blow), hurling projectiles hard enough to
rupture them (Shattershot), causing small quakes
(Shockwave), and putting big dents in things (Traumatic
Blow).
Bard: Dancing Weapon could be a bard’s best friend while
he strums. Both Dazzling Display and Deafening Display fit a
flamboyant performer. Singing an arrow to its target with
Guided Weapon has fictional precedent. And of course
Stupefying Blow fits with the bard’s other mind-control
tricks. Bards should buy Imbue with Bard Song (-30%).
Cleric: Clerics will have Holy (-10%) on their Imbue advantage. Imbuement Skills should suit the gods – blows from the
heavens (Arching Shot), strikes that affect ghosts (Ghostly
Weapon) and dispel evil (Strike of Negation), and so on.
Druid: All manner of natural venoms could work their
magic via a druid’s weapons, justifying Crippling Blow,
Drugged Weapon, Envenomed Weapon, Fatiguing Strike,
Stupefying Blow, and Toxic Strike. Burning Strike and
Incendiary Weapon, on the other hand, are inappropriate for
a forest guardian. Druidic (-10%) will apply to Imbue.

Holy Warrior: The advice for
clerics applies here, too. As masters of slaying evil, holy warriors
might have a few extra options,
such as cleansing fire (Burning
Strike and Incendiary Weapon)
and the ability to drive even the
bluntest weapon into a vampire’s
heart (Impaling Strike). Unholy
warriors will fancy Chilling Strike, Withering Strike, and
Vampiric Weapon.

Knight: The knight’s Imbuement Skills should be limited to
those that imitate shoves (Forceful Blow), blows aimed at
chinks in armor (Penetrating Strike), careful subduing attacks
(Supreme Control), and similar effects that could pass as pure
skill at arms.

Martial Artist: Most Imbuement Skills work here – but
especially good are the ones easy to justify as pressure-point
strikes (Crippling Blow, Drugged Weapon, Envenomed
Weapon, Fatiguing Strike, Stupefying Blow, Sudden Death,
and Toxic Strike) or chi projection (Far Shot, Guided Weapon,
and Project Blow). Apply Chi (-10%) to the Imbue advantage.

Scout: If the GM is fine with scouts being essentially mystic archers, then almost any Imbuement Skill in the Ranged
category will work. Popular video games have depicted
Arching Shot, Bank Shot, Conic Blast, Far Shot, Guided
Weapon, Homing Weapon, Incendiary Weapon, Multi-Shot,
and Penetrating Strike.

Swashbuckler: The advice for knights applies here, too, but
the focus should be more on finesse than on power; e.g.,
Dazzling Display, Penetrating Strike, Stealthy Attack, and
Supreme Control.

Thief: Most of the poison-oriented skills noted for the druid
suit the thief, as do subtle tricks like Penetrating Strike,
Stealthy Attack, and Sudden Death.

Wizard: Wizards should apply Magical (-10%) to Imbue.
The major attractions here are imbuing Missile spells with the
Imbuement Skills suggested for scouts and dispelling magic
with Strike of Negation (Staff). Remember that Magery acts
like a power Talent!
=====GURPS MARTIAL ARTS=====
Imbuement Skills definitely suit the martial arts depicted in
video games and comics. The underlying Imbue advantage
will often be modified with Chi (-10%) – although the drawbacks of that limitation don’t especially suit truly over-the-top
fighters! Imbue will usually give access to few enough skills to
justify Limited Skill Access as well.
Some Imbuement Skills mirror standard cinematic
martial-arts skills. Crippling Blow can produce stunning and
incapacity, much like Kiai and Pressure Points; Forceful Blow
is similar in purpose to Push; Guided Weapon and Homing
Weapon are alternatives to Zen Archery; Impaling Strike
resembles Pressure Secrets; Penetrating Strike is akin to
Breaking Blow; and Stupefying Strike is like beefed-up
Hypnotic Hands. Imbuement Skills might replace these other
skills or “stack” with them, allowing very potent effects.
Other Imbuement Skills are more extreme, allowing martial artists to shatter weapons with fists (Annihilating
Weapon), punch out robots (Electric Weapon), and hurl
swarms of throwing stars (Multi-Shot).
Combinations of skills can produce
the most outré effects seen in the source
material. For instance, Project Blow can
work with Burning Strike to turn
punching damage into a ranged fireball,
with Binding Shot to tie up foes, or with
Chilling Strike to freeze them. And of
course the dreaded dim mak mixes
Toxic Strike with Sudden Death.
Combination Skills (pp. 13-14) are often very suitable here!
The choice of Imbuement Skills might be the player’s. The
GM could let each player pick a theme for his martial artist
and use Imbuement Skills to define signature moves. This is
excellent when trying to simulate fighting video games, where
one ninja ensnares his enemies with Binding Shot and finishes
them with Burning Strike, while his brother freezes foes with
Chilling Strike and spears them on icicles created with
Impaling Strike. The GM decides how many skills each fighter
can have – perhaps simply by requiring that Imbue always
have Limited Skill Access.
On the other hand, the industrious GM could go through
the martial-arts styles in the campaign and associate suitable
skills with each. A modest number of Imbuement Skills and
specialties for each style would help distinguish different martial arts and fighters, which is a crucial element of any Martial
Arts campaign. For instance, Dagger Fighting might offer
Envenomed Weapon (Knife), Penetrating Strike (Knife), and
Stealthy Attack (Knife); Sumo could instead proffer Forceful
Blow (Unarmed), Shockwave (Unarmed), and Traumatic Blow
(Unarmed); and Kung Fu styles associated with particular elements might give suitable elemental skills. Such an approach
would still justify Limited Skill Access.
Finally, the GM may wish to build entirely new styles around
Imbuement Skills, designed to capitalize on their strengths.
Below is one such example, intended for a fantasy setting. See
Martial Arts for explanations of the terms and abilities.
Sample Style: Way of the Flaming Fist
6 points
Legend has it that this style was born in a long-forgotten
blood feud. On one side was a faction of imperious lords who
forbade commoners to carry weapons. On the other was a society of wizards who claimed a monopoly on magic. In the middle were defenseless villagers, being chopped up and cursed.
Horrified by this turn of events, the monk Wei Yu developed a
way of shaping chi into effects that could rival spells and
weapons, and taught it to villagers as a means of self-defense.
The Way of the Flaming Fist is almost exactly what it
sounds like: a punching art that mixes in fire-related
Imbuement Skills for good measure. The style assumes that
the user will be going up against weapons and armor – and
possibly magic – with nothing but his bare hands. It therefore
focuses on tactics and abilities that compensate for a lack of
equipment and minimize the odds of losing important body
parts to weapons.
The style includes two Combination Skills (pp. 13-14):
• Annihilating Burning Strike: This combines Annihilating
Weapon (p. 6) with Burning Strike (p. 11).
• Project Burning Strike: This combines Project Blow (p. 9)
with Burning Strike.

Against an enemy with a ranged weapon, the practitioner
uses Dazzling Display to make himself a difficult target. This can
often drive off weak-willed foes through sheer intimidation (see
the Fiery Resolve perk, below). A more determined rival is
forced to get closer. As he does, the martial artist softens him up
with Project Burning Strike.
If the battle starts at or moves to melee range, the warrior
waits for a weapon attack, parries with Karate, and tosses in
Annihilating Burning Strike against a polearm, spear, or other
weapons with wooden parts. Then he hits back with a
Counterattack carrying Incendiary Weapon, combined with
whatever hand strike suits the situation – Ear Clap or Eye-Poke
to incapacitate without killing, Hammer Fist against armor,
Spinning Punch against poorly trained rivals, or Exotic Hand
Strike or Uppercut to finish the fight. Most of these are thrown
as Deceptive Attacks. Other common tactics are disarms to take
the weapon out of the equation and feints that minimize the
odds of the rival successfully parrying a fist with a blade.
Advanced students are fast – both on their feet (Basic Speed)
and with their punches (Rapid Retraction). Most have vast
reserves of chi, allowing them to use even powerful Imbuement
Skills at will. They often learn advanced skills that have little to
do with fire, including Telescoping Weapon to give fists reach
comparable to weapons, Penetrating Strike and Traumatic Blow
for overcoming armor, and Forceful Blow for shoving around
foes too well-armored for even these skills to harm.
Traditionalists often learn Ghostly Weapon for striking down
ethereal wizards and the ghostly undead that serve them, and
may have Magic Resistance as well.
Masters are even more frightening. They learn deadly secret
hand strikes (Lethal Eye-Poke and Lethal Strike), often delivered
with Iron Hands. Many learn ways to reduce the deadliness of
weapons, such as the Roll with Blow technique and even exercises that turn the skin to armor. They combine their
Imbuement Skills with other chi abilities like Hypnotic Hands
and Power Blow – and frequently develop Forceful Chi, which
benefits these skills and their chi-based Imbuement Skills.
Masters can be more than a match for wizards, too, as they can
resist spells with Body Control and Mental Strength.
These days, a kwoon can be found in almost any large city.
However, as students need many years to learn how to fight
and to develop the basic gifts required (Imbue 3), even before
they learn the more extraordinary methods, the style remains
relatively rare. A PC seeking training will have to demonstrate
that he has the commitment (or gifts) to learn the style – and
traditional masters simply won’t train mages or members of
the warrior class.
Skills: Annihilating Burning Strike (Unarmed); Dazzling
Display (Unarmed); Incendiary Weapon (Unarmed); Karate;
Project Burning Strike (Unarmed).
Techniques: Counterattack (Karate); Disarming (Karate); Ear
Clap; Exotic Hand Strike; Eye-Poke; Feint (Karate); Hammer
Fist; Spinning Punch; Uppercut.
Cinematic Skills: Body Control; Hypnotic Hands; Mental
Strength; Power Blow.
Cinematic Techniques: Dual-Weapon Attack (Karate); Lethal
Eye-Poke; Lethal Strike; Roll with Blow.
Perks: Chi Resistance (Any); Iron Hands; Rapid Retraction
(Punches); Shtick (“Fiery Resolve”: Vision penalty from
Dazzling Display acts as Intimidation bonus of the same size);
Special Exercises (DR 1 with Tough Skin); Special Exercises
(FP can exceed HT by 100%); Technique Mastery (Any punching technique).
Optional Traits
Secondary Characteristics: Improved Basic Speed and FP.
Advantages: Energy Reserve (Chi); Enhanced Parry (Bare
Hands); Forceful Chi; Magic Resistance; Temperature
Tolerance. Imbue 3 (Chi, -10%) [36] is required to learn the
Imbuement Skills, and hence the style.
Disadvantages: Overconfidence; Pyromania; low Status.
Skills: Acrobatics; Breath Control; Crippling Blow
(Unarmed); Forceful Blow (Unarmed); Ghostly Weapon
(Unarmed); Impaling Strike (Unarmed); Meditation;
Penetrating Strike (Unarmed); Telescoping Weapon (Unarmed);
Traumatic Blow (Unarmed).

=====GURPS SUPERS=====

Just about any super-power might include Imbue among its
abilities; apply the power modifier and you’re almost done. It’s
up to the GM which powers actually offer Imbue, though.
Powers that project elemental forces (Air, Earth, Fire, Water,
etc.) and similar energetic effects (Bioenergy, Electricity,
Sound/Vibration, and so on) are good choices – as are those that
exert force at a distance, like Kinetic Energy, Magnetism, and
Psychokinesis. Other powers may require some negotiation
between player and GM.

In all cases, the GM should limit the Imbuement Skills
available to those that truly suit the power. The Fire power, for
instance, could easily justify Annihilating Weapon, Burning
Strike, Dazzling Display, Incendiary Weapon, Shockwave, and
even Withering Strike, as it sets things on fire, blows them up,
and dehydrates them. Chilling Strike, on the other hand,
wouldn’t make a lot of sense here – but it would be perfect for
the Cold power.

Remember that Imbuement Skills are for fists and
weapons, not for attack abilities. If you want an enhancement
on your advantage, buy the enhancement! What Imbuement
Skills do is let Captain Sarin use his Poison power to doctor
weapons (Drugged Weapon, Envenomed Weapon, Toxic
Strike, etc.) as well as to project poison bolts, poison gas, and
so on. The knack of projecting super-powers through ordinary
weapons – as opposed to via unique gadgets – is a common
super-ability, and one that’s incredibly difficult to get right
using advantages alone.

Don’t forget, too, that the goal of imbuement is to let heroes
“power up” ordinary weapons – for instance, to enable a supermarksman to pick up any Smith & Wesson .38, Colt .45, or
Desert Eagle .50 and make it work better. Supers who rely on a
specific gadget weapon with an array of effects should simply
define a set of alternative attacks (p. B61) and apply gadget limitations (pp. B116-117); such gadgets have well-defined limits
and don’t need imbuement to define them. Still, the GM may
allow gadget limitations on Imbue, which means that the
owner’s Imbuement Skills work only on one specific weapon
(although if that’s a missile weapon, the skills can imbue any
type of ammo the weapon can shoot).

One final option is especially suitable for a Supers campaign:
a power that focuses on imbuement. Below is one possible take
on such a power. If it exists in a setting, the GM should limit the
number of Imbuement Skills available to other powers that offer
Imbue – or even make this the only power with Imbue.

====Imbuement====
Sources: Chi, Divine, Magical, Psionic, or Super.
Focus: Weapon power-ups.

This is the power to enhance weapons with amazing capabilities. If these effects are produced by an energy that originates
from the body thanks to esoteric exercises (Chi) or mutation
(Super), the resulting Imbuement Skills are DX-based. If the
power arises from the mind (Psionic), gods (Divine), or ambient
mana field (Magical), those skills are IQ-based. Imbuement abilities only affect the world indirectly, by powering up an attack for
the user to wield with his combat skills.
====Imbuement Talent - 10 points/level====

This costs 10 point/level instead of the more usual 5
points/level because it modifies all of the power’s abilities and a
wide selection of potent skills (every Imbuement Skill).

===Imbuement Abilities===
Detect, for imbuement or others with this power; Imbue; and
Protected Power.

Any number of Afflictions, Bindings, and Innate Attacks
are allowed, but these must have the modifier Follow-Up (Any
Melee or Weapon Attack), +50%. This is priced the same as
the +50% version of Cosmic because it circumvents the normal requirement that Follow-Up be associated with a specific
carrier, allowing any weapon (melee or ranged) or barehanded attack – that is, anything that an Imbuement Skill of
the General variety could empower – to carry the attack
advantage.

The skills enabled by Imbue receive the Imbuement Talent
bonus but aren’t abilities of this power per se.
Power Modifier: Imbuement. The advantage belongs to the
Imbuement power. This modifier is usually Chi (-10%), Divine
(-10%), Magical (-10%), Psionic (-10%), or Super (-10%).