Some 4th edition template design questions

Hey everyone,

I recently got the 4th edition basic set, and Magic, and I mostly like
the system.
I have some experience with other RPGs, but only with D&D an Mutants and
Masterminds (though I have been reading this newsgroups for several
monhs now), so the system has taken some getting used to, but at the
moment I think I have a fairly good grasp of it, and I am thinking of
running GURPS campaign in a few months, though I havent yet decided
which of several idea's I'l use.

So, I'm working on defining the mechanics for a few different ideas, and
I'd like some help.

First of the ideas for campaign is an SF setting, in which I would like
to use a few different kinds of aliens. However, I like _alien_ aliens,
and that means hat the mechanics will be somewhat more complex than for
standard humans.
I've decided to steal some aliens from SF literature:
Puppeteers from Larry Niven's Know Space books: how do I do the heads-
as-hands thing? Simply buy 360 degree vision and chalk the rest up to
special effects? Buy Extra Head? Something else? I googled for this,
thinking that a Puppeteer template would certainly have been written up
by someone before, but I couldn't find one.

Some form of small-size communal intelligence, like the Snakes (I think
that's the name) from Greg bear's Anvil of Stars. Here I have no idea
how to even begin.

I was also inspired by a Warhammer 40K Termagaunt. This one I have few
problems with, except for one small thing: this mini is six-limbed, with
two legs with hooves, two arms with dagger-like claws and no
manipulators, and two normal arms. How can I best buy this? Claws
(hooves) and two Strikers is the obvious way, but seems somewhat
expensive for what it gives the character. I thought about using Extra
Arms with No Fine Manipulators, but NFM is BTB only for when the
characters has no fine manipulators at all. Ideas?

I'd also like to have a 'race' of robots. In my conception, AI is
possible, but only in the form of hardware neural nets. These are in the
form of boxes of about the size of a human brains, which can be plugged
into any robot body with the correct connection ports. Switching bodies
is possible, but requires outside help from someone with some technical
experience, and about ten minutes' work, during which the character is
unable to act.
What would be a good way to build this ability? Presumably, it would be
based on Possession, with some severe Limitations, and with the bodies
bought as Puppets, but I'm not entirely sure of the precise way.

Is there a resource for help with designing and pricing robot bodies in
a balanced way?

And, finally, can characters with the Machine meta-trait (which does
means they do not spend nor recover fatigue) use magic, and if so, how?

Thanks for any help,

Indigar

indigar wrote:
> And, finally, can characters with the Machine meta-trait (which does
> means they do not spend nor recover fatigue) use magic, and if so, how?

This is covered in Powers. In short, they buy a magical 'Energy
Reserve' which costs 3 points per level and works as a Fatigue pool for
the purposes of using magic only.