Racial Templates

The baseline character in GURPS
is human, but nonhumans are com-
mon in many game worlds. The col-
lection of traits that differentiate a
nonhuman species from humanity is
called a “racial template.”
Unlike character templates, racial
templates are not normally optional or
customizable – every member of a
species must purchase its racial tem-
plate, exactly as written. Furthermore,
racial templates are subject to a num-
ber of special rules that have ramifica-
tions in play, and may even include
“hidden features” that can affect out-
comes in the game.