Intelligence

Cost: [20]

Components[]

Intelligence can be broken down into the following components:

Will: [5] per +1
Per: [5] per +1
Academic skills [3] per +1
Social skills [2] per +1
Technical skills [2] per +1
Brainier “adventure” skills [3] per +1

GURPS Ultra-Lite[]

GURPS Ultra-Lite uses "levels" to denote attributes. For IQ they are:

Dull: 8
Normal: 10
Smart: 12
Very Smart: 14
Genius: 16

IQ, Sentience, and Sapience[]

"How GURPS Works: IQ, Sentience, and Sapience"^[1] and explains:

Sentience requires IQ 1 minimum. It is required to have purely mental traits or to learn skills. They must rely on Gesture or Body Language to communicate at IQ 1-5 since it is too low to learn a language, even the default language.
Sapience requires IQ 6 minimum. It is required to learn technological skills or languages.

IQ and Animal Training[]

IQ 2 (Average reptile): can learn to come when called for food and recognize its master, and not to attack him
IQ 3 (Average horse or hawk): can learn commands appropriate to its work and general tolerance for all humans or for specific masters (trainer’s choice). It knows its name and comes when called (if it feels like it).
IQ 4 (Average dog): can learn commands appropriate to its work and general tolerance for all humans or for specific masters (trainer’s choice), plus “fetch,” “attack,” “find,” “sit,” etc., as appropriate for the species. It tries to warn its owner of dangers it perceives, and fights – and even dies – for its master.
IQ 5 (Average monkey): as with IQ 4 but with more complexity.

IQ 0[]

"IQ 0 doesn't mean "mindless." It means "nonsentient." And that means "cannot learn skills." A nonsentient being can still have an identifiable brain and nervous system... just not enough of one to learn usefully." — Kromm in Redundent advantages? thread

This invalidates the claim made by What do attribute levels of zero mean? in the FAQ that IQ 0 means something is mindless and unable to act without possession you and/or operation via remote control.

This means Immunity to Mind Control [30], Indomitable [15], and Unfazeable [15] are not taboo advantages with IQ 0.

In any case the Vehicle (meta-trait) has IQ 0 and as a general rule so do viruses, bacteria, mold, and plants.

Examples (Classic)[]

According to the Classic Who's Who books some exceptionally intelligent historical figures have really high IQ:

IQ 15: Benjamin Franklin^[2]; Nikola Tesla^[3]; Albert Einstein; Maimonides ^[4]; Johann Wolfgang von Goethe^[5]IQ
IQ 16: Cardinal Richilieu^[6]; Archimedes^[7]; St. Augustine of Hippo^[8]; John von Neumann^[9]
IQ 17: Aristotle^[10]
IQ 18: Leonardo Da Vinci^[11]; Sir Isaac Newton^[12]

IQ vs Talents[]

Note: there were few talents in classic so the trend was to increase IQ rather than look for an IQ + talent combo that better fit the person. For example, does Sir Isaac Newton really have an IQ 18 or does he have a lower IQ with Natural Scientist and Mathematical Ability talents in 4e?

Spells[]

M32 Permanent Beast Possession
M32-33 Shapeshifting
M33 Permanent Shapeshifting
M134 Foolishness
M136 Drunkenness

References[]

Power-Ups 9: Alternate Attributes p 5-6, 12

[1] B15

[2] Classic: Who's Who 1 p88

[3] Classic: Who's Who 1 p110

[4] Classic: Who's Who 2 p32

[5] Classic: Who's Who 2 p76

[6] Classic: Who's Who 1 p78

[7] Classic: Who's Who 2 p14

[8] Classic: Who's Who 2 p20

[9] Classic: Who's Who 2 p120

[10] Classic: Who's Who 1 p22

[11] Classic: Who's Who 1 p60

[12] Classic: Who's Who 2 p66

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