Date: Fri, 07 Aug 1998 15:44:21 -0400 From: "Chad Underkoffler" Subject: Chi Magic Chi Magic (c)1998 Underkoffler [cunderkoffler@mail.acponline.org] Some material adapted from GURPS Compendium I and GURPSNet. ------------------------------------------------------------------ Chi Magic is the magic of the body, of gestures, of movement. Chi Magi produce results through manipulation of an internal mana field ("Chi") rather than drawing on the underlying mana of runes or words, or the inherent mana of objects, as other magical styles do. Because of the intensely personal nature of this, Chi Magic is best at stretching the physical and mental limits of the Chi Mage, rather than gross physical changes to the world around him. The Chi Mage spends a few moments realigning his internal flow of Chi to aid himself perform a task, rather than bludgeoning reality with mana to make a change. Chi Magi are, as a rule, more physically fit than other people. Necessary Advantages for Chi Magery * Magery 1 [15 pts] * Fit [5 pts] * Athletic [20 pts] (essentially Eidetic Memory 1 for Physical skills) Total Points: 40 pts. Note: Many Chi Magi have Intolerance (Magical) [cf. Intolerance (Religious)] against the other forms of Magery. This is by no means the majority of Chi Magi, however. --- Notes on Chi Magery: * Basically, the Chi Mage has access to all of the Esoteric Skills in Compendium, except for the Enthrallment skills, Ritual Magic, and Sonar Imaging. There are also the following changes to the various skills: ==> In prerequisites, replace Trained By A Master with Magery ==> The prerequisite for Shapeshifting: replace Morphing with Magery 2+ ==> The prerequisite for Change Control: becomes Shapeshifting 15+ ==> The prerequisite for Precognitive Parry: replace Danger Sense / ESP with Magery. * Unless noted in the skills description, the use of Esoteric skills costs no fatigue, only concentration. * Magery does add to skill level for Esoteric skills; so in calculating the skill level of a regular physical skill you would use [DX + M] rather than DX. * Chi Magi are able to utilize their Chi to go beyond mundane limits (see below, Using Chi with Skills); however, this costs Fatigue. * Chi Magi may be able to permanently realign their Chi to grant themselves temporary physical and mental Advantages or obviate physical or mental Disadvantages (see below, Chi Advantages). --- Using Chi With Skills Chi Magi can focus their Chi to do things impossible to mundane people, like running to the top of a sheer wall (Chi Running), or folding a perfectly lethal dagger out of a sheet of parchment (Chi Origami), or "just knowing" the best place to set an ambush from the flow of mana over a road (Chi Tactics). Any skill that the character has points in (no defaults) may be "extended" beyond its limits with Chi. An important thing to note is that nearly the exact same result can be derived from utilizing any number of Chi Skills. There are limits to using Chi Skills, while one could conceivably use Chi Light Walk to walk on water, one could not use the same skill to cross a gap between rooftops. Of course, if it's a foggy night and the GM so chooses, he may allow Chi Light Walk to walk on mist... but such an effect would be expensive in Fatigue. Chi skills cannot be taught to anyone, they are physical-magical improvisations upon a theme. If a Chi skill is formalized into an Esoteric skill, it may then be taught to others. When attempting a use of Chi to enhance a skill, the Chi Mage must take at least one turn to Concentrate. Then he will roll against [(mundane skill-3) + M] and expend a minimum of 1 Fatigue per effect, whether or not the roll succeeds. At the GM's discretion, a higher Fatigue cost may be levied for more difficult effects. EXAMPLE: Jim-- a Chi Mage burglar with Magery 1-- is being chased by the City Guard down a dead-end alley. He knows that if he can get to the rooftops, he can get away from them. Will he use Chi Climbing (to quickly climb up the wall) or Chi Running (to continue to run right up the wall)? Jim's Climbing skill is 13 and his Running skill is 10 (that explains why Jim wasn't using Chi Running to get away from the Guard: he'd be rolling against an 8!). Jim chooses to use Chi Climbing to scuttle up the wall. He is rolling against an 11, and must spend 1 Fatigue. He rolls a 9, and gets away. If a character is consistently using the same Chi Skill and effect, it would be appropriate to define it as an Esoteric skill. Compare Stealth and Invisibility Art, for example. One could make the argument that Invisibility Art started out as Chi Stealth. The new skill should have strict limits on the duration and effect. The player and the GM should work together to set the name, skill difficulty, prerequisites, skill description, concentration time, effects, and any additional requirements (Fatigue expenditure, acupuncture needles, moxa, etc.) needed for the skill. Some handy rules of thumb: MH skills tend to require (20-skill level) turns of concentration; MVH skills tend to require (25-skill level) turns of concentration; and prerequisite skill levels should be a minimum of 12+. EXAMPLE: Jim ends up using Chi Climbing several more times over his next adventure. Such a skill is awfully handy, and decides to try to formalize it into an Esoteric skill. The new skill-- Monkey Climbing-- is PH, has a prerequisite of Climbing 12+, allows the user to climb at a rate of half their Move, and requires (20-skill) turns of concentration to initiate. --- Chi Advantages A Chi Mage can realign his Chi to grant himself physical or mental Advantages (possibly even Racial or Super Advantages) or ameliorate the effects of physical or mental disadvantages. A Chi Mage could permanently adjust his Chi to grant himself more Acute Vision, increase his Intuition, and add Toughness to his skin; or hold his Alcoholism in check, remove the penalties for being Fat, or overcome his Shyness. The effects are temporary-- only so long as the character's Chi is flowing properly-- and are easily disrupted. By permanently spending character points, Chi Mages can align their Chi to gain Advantages or remove Disadvantages following these guidelines: * All Chi Advantages and Chi Disadvantages are subject to GM approval. The GM may disallow any Chi Advantages at any time (even after it has been used in play) for any reason he sees fit. * Chi Advantages require a character point expenditure equal to half the original Ad/Disad. To grant Acute Vision would cost 1 point/level; to stave off Unluckiness would cost 5 points. * From that point forward, the Chi Mage can utilize his Chi to enhance himself or hold his shortcomings in check. However, the effects are temporary, lasting only while the character is awake; asleep, he will lose his Chi Advantages. * Upon awaking, the character must make a Will roll to "turn on" his Chi Advantages. Failure means that his Chi is too unsettled to activate, and he must wait an hour to try again. Chi Advantages can be disrupted by unconsciousness, lack of mana (via No Mana Zones or magic neutralizing spells), or being the subject of a deliberate Pressure Secrets attack targeting the Chi Advantage. Any sudden loss of a Chi Advantage will cause the Chi Mage to be mentally stunned for 1d+5 seconds, roll vs. IQ to snap out of it. In addition, if the Chi Advantage was holding a Disadvantage in check, then that Disadvantage will immediately take affect upon recovery from the stunning, no resistance roll allowed. So a Chi Mage who had been holding his Unluckiness at bay with his Chi, would immediately suffer something horrible. === Questions, comments, criticisms welcomed. -- Rage http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Cavern/5751/index.html "Hold your breath. Make a wish. Count to three."