You are free to select any height and weight the GM deems reasonable for a member of your race. These choices do occasionally matter in play - for instance, when you attempt to impersonate an enemy, wear someone else's armor, cross a rickety bridge, reach a high ledge, or hide behind cover.
If you are lighter or heavier than usual for your ST, you may qualify for a build-related disadvantage. The following table gives the thresholds for these disadvantages for normal humans.
The extremes of each weight range usually match the extremes of the associated height range. Overlaps are intentional. Consider two ST 10 men who stand 5'8“ and weigh 175 lbs; one might be big-boned and lean, the other fine-boned and chubby. Depending on muscle tone, a 160-lb. man could have any ST from 9 to 13 and claim 'Average' build.
Regardless of weight, you never have to take a build-related disadvantage. If you want to be ST 9, 5'1”, and 250 lbs. with 'Average' build, the GM should allow it.
Build-related disadvantages are described below. In some settings, the GM may require you to take reaction modifiers if you select these traits, but this is not automatic.
| ST | Height Range | Skinny | Average | Overweight | Fat | Very Fat |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 or less | 4'4“-5'2” | 40-80 lbs. | 60-120 lbs. | 80-160 lbs. | 90-180 lbs. | 120-240 lbs. |
| 7 | 4'7“-5'5” | 50-90 lbs. | 75-135 lbs. | 100-175 lbs. | 115-205 lbs. | 150-270 lbs. |
| 8 | 4'10“-5'8” | 60-100 lbs. | 90-150 lbs. | 120-195 lbs. | 135-225 lbs. | 180-300 lbs. |
| 9 | 5'1“-5'11” | 70-110 lbs. | 105-165 lbs. | 140-215 lbs. | 160-250 lbs. | 210-330 lbs. |
| 10 | 5'3“-6'1” | 80-120 lbs. | 115-175 lbs. | 150-230 lbs. | 175-265 lbs. | 230-350 lbs. |
| 11 | 5'5“-6'3” | 85-130 lbs. | 125-195 lbs. | 195-255 lbs. | 190-295 lbs. | 250-390 lbs. |
| 12 | 5'8“-6'6” | 95-150 lbs. | 140-220 lbs. | 185-290 lbs. | 210-330 lbs. | 280-440 lbs. |
| 13 | 5'11“-6'9” | 105-165 lbs. | 155-245 lbs. | 205-320 lbs. | 235-370 lbs. | 310-390 lbs. |
| 14 or more | 6'2“-7' | 115-180 lbs. | 170-270 lbs. | 225-355 lbs. | 255-405 lbs. | 340-540 lbs. |
You have approximately 2/3 the average weight for your ST. This gives you -2 to ST when you resist knockback. You get -2 to Disguise - or to Shadowing, if you are trying to follow someone in a crowd. Your HT may not be above 14.
You have approximately 130% the average weight for your ST. You get -1 to Disguise - or to Shadowing, if you are trying to follow someone in a crowd. However, your extra fat gives you +1 to Swimming rolls, and +1 to ST when you resist knockback.
You have approximately 150% the average weight for your ST. You get -2 to Disguise - or to Shadowing, if you are trying to follow someone in a crowd. However, your extra fat gives you +3 to Swimming rolls, and +2 to ST when you resist knockback. Your HT may not be above 15.
You have approximately twice the average weight for your ST. You get -3 to Disguise - or to Shadowing, if you are trying to follow someone in a crowd. However, the extra fat gives you +5 to Swimming rolls, and +3 to ST when you resist knockback. Your HT may not be above 13.
It would be more realistic to calculate Basic Move from ST-to-mass ratio; for instance, a Fat character would move slower than one of Average build. If you want to simulate this, buy +1 Basic Move if your PC is Skinny, -1 if he is Overweight, -2 if he is Fat, or -3 if he is Very Fat, all at the usual point cost.
Women are on average lighter and weaker than men. You can simulate this by buying -1 or -2 to ST for the usual point cost. Choose a weight appropriate to this lower ST.
The GM should never require either of the above options. Most players prefer to choose ST, height, weight, and sex without being penalized!
GURPS handles mass considerations descriptively for nonhumans; e.g., a race that stumbles along under excess body weight will have a racial penalty to Basic Move.
Size Modifier rates a person's most significant dimension: length, width, or height. It is a modifier to rolls to hit you in combat and to Vision rolls made to spot you. Thus, it is a bonus for large creatures, a penalty for small ones. Although large creatures are easier targets, a positive SM qualifies them to buy ST and HP more cheaply by taking the “Size” limitation.
Most humans - and humanoids, robots, etc. that can pass for human - have SM 0, and can ignore this rule. Nonhumans use the SM on their racial template. However, your SM may deviate from racial average if you are not full-grown, or if you are a genetic dwarf or giant.
When creating a creature that is larger or smaller than a human, find its SM by looking up its longest dimension - height for upright creatures such as giants, length for horizontal creatures such as cats and dragons, diameter for blobs - on the Size Modifier Table (below).
If a creature's longest dimension falls between two entries on the table, base its SM on the higher value. Box-, sphere-, or blob-shaped creatures add +2 to SM; elongated boxes, like most ground vehicles, add +1.
| Longest Dimension | Size Modifier | Longest Dimension | Size Modifier |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.05 yard (1.8”) | -10 | 3 yards (9') | +1 |
| 0.07 yard (2.5“) | -9 | 5 yards (15') | +2 |
| 0.1 yard (3.5”) | -8 | 7 yards (21') | +3 |
| 0.15 yard (5“) | -7 | 10 yards (30') | +4 |
| 0.2 yard (7”) | -6 | 15 yards (45') | +5 |
| 0.3 yard (10“) | -5 | 20 yards (60') | +6 |
| 0.5 yard (18”) | -4 | 30 yards (90') | +7 |
| 0.7 yard (2') | -3 | 50 yards (150') | +8 |
| 1 yard (3') | -2 | 70 yards (210') | +9 |
| 1.5 yards (4.5') | -1 | 100 yards (300') | +10 |
| 2 yards (6') | 0 | 150 yards (450') | +11 |
It is neither an advantage nor a disadvantage to have a nonzero SM - the benefits and drawbacks tend to cancel out. The exceptions are genetic dwarfism and gigantism, as these conditions affect bodily proportions (notably relative arm and leg length) and have social ramifications (you stand out in a crowd).
You are abnormally short for your species. Regardless of ST, your height falls below the lowest value on the Build Table - under 4'4, for a human. This gives you Size Modifier -1. Choose your weight from the first line of the Build Table and reduce it by 15%.
You have -1 to Basic Move (short legs). In combat, your reach is reduced by 1 yard. This is partly because you have short arms, and partly because you must use scaled-down weapons (regardless of your ST, your arms lack the leverage to control full-sized weapons.)
You get -2 to Disguise - or to Shadowing, if you are trying to follow someone in a crowd. In backward settings, the GM may require you to take a Social Stigma if you suffer from Dwarfism.
A member of any race may be a dwarf. Scale down height by a factor of 0.75 from the racial average, and modify racial SM by -1. Otherwise, the rules remain the same.
You are abnormally tall for your species. Regardless of ST, your height falls above the highest value on the Build Table - over 7', for a human. This gives you Size Modifier +1 and +1 to Basic Move (long legs), and qualifies you to buy ST and HP at a discount. Choose your weight from the last line of the Build Table and increase it by 10%.
You get -2 to Disguise - or to Shadowing, if you are trying to follow someone in a crowd. On the other hand, height often provides a bonus to Intimidation skill. In backward settings, the GM may require you to take a Social Stigma if you suffer from Gigantism.
A member of any race may be a giant. Scale your height up by a factor of 1.25 from the racial average, and modify racial SM by +1. Otherwise, the rules remain the same.
If you are Skinny, Fat, or Very Fat, or have Dwarfism or Gigantism, clothing and armor tailored for average folk will not fit you! A shop in a city or large town, especially at TL6+, might have a selection that fits. Otherwise, you will have to pay an extra 10% or 20% for Gigantism or Very Fat - to have something made for you. This premium almost always applies to medieval/fantasy armor.