From: "J. Jackson" Subject: Gea House Rules Several people wanted to see house rules. Here are most of the house rules for my campaign. Its kinda long. Comments are invited and welcomed. Feel free to distribute them or use them or steal them or sell them.... JOHN JACKSON'S MEDIEVAL GURPS CAMPAIGN - HOUSE RULES Opening Comments - The official GURPS rules are only guidelines and don't always reflect how things work in my game world. There will invariably be contradictions. How these things are interpreted is the GM's call, and the GM will resolve conflicts (B177, #2, and B179, sidebar). These house rules strive to notify players in advance of things that are consistently different. If players make assumptions about things, they are on their own. If they didn't read this handout, they will be shown no mercy. I. Game Mechanics 1. Your character should only know details about spells he can cast. If you want to talk at length about a spell you can't cast, put half a point in Area Knowledge (spell), which is a different skill for each spell. Sure, most folks know that some spells out there can heal, or burn, or move things, and other very general things. You must be familiar to know how much energy is involved in the casting, or casting times, or levels, or prerequisites, etc. these things involve area knowledge. You can be somewhat familiar with spells your partners can cast or spells you have seen a lot (having seen a large number WILL involve a special background cost). 2. Quoting or looking up statistics or information for monsters during play gives the monsters special powers. 3. IF YOU (the earthling) SAY IT, YOUR CHARACTER SAID IT. If the players are noisy, the characters can't be stealthy! If the players can't decide quickly, the characters can't either. Kibitzing and open discussion during battles (except for 1 second character statements in your turn) are not allowed. Kibitzing is actually a powerful spell which aids your enemies in many ways. Thought that was a harmless orc did you? Please let other players think for themselves. 4. Points are awarded for 1) Role Playing, 2) Role Playing, 3) Role Playing, 4) What your character does outside of roleplaying, and 5) entertainment value to me and the other players. 5. Sense and Will rolls will be treated as separate attributes, independent of IQ. They are purchased at a discount from normal attributes. Will costs 40% as much, Vision costs 40% as much, Hearing costs 30% as much, Taste/Smell is a single attribute costing 20%. Alertness, Acute Senses, etc. will no longer be used in lieu of this system. II. Advantages & Disadvantages 1. After you start your character, the point cost of increase for each attribute depends on the attribute: ST and HT can be increased at a cost 1:1. All others, including DX, IQ, Senses, and Will cost double to increase. 2. Characters may buy Extra Fatigue at 5 points/level. This reflects a 2 point per level unusual background cost. Increasing fatigue after character start will cost 8 points/level (3*2 double cost + 2 unusual background = 8). 3. Magic Resistance has a 2 point per level unusual background cost (for a total of 4 points/level). Note that some beings possess a power called Magic Static, and are sometimes called "screamers". They hinder the use of manna in their area. 4. The flattened statistics advantage is available for 5 points. Once every hour, the player may substitute a d20 roll for a 3d6 roll. The bad flattener disadvantage (-5) allows the GM to do this capriciously to the character once an hour. Can be combined with luck. Note this is not always a blessing - a 20 (super critical failure) is just as likely as a 1 (super critical success). 5. Advantages that come in levels (Magic Resistance, Charisma, Language Talent, Extra Fatigue, Extra Hit Points, etc.) are limited in levels that can be bought. No more than five levels of these type advantages may be bought . Later in the game, events may allow you to attain more, but that's different. (Will and Senses are now treated as attributes. Buy all you want!) 6. Semi-literacy is available for 5 points. Semi-literacy is required to learn any spell or the alchemy skill. Full Literacy is required to learn any spell requiring Magery 2+ 7. Gigantism disadvantage requires that armor and clothing cost 20% extra, and weigh 20% more. Anyone whose height or weight winds up above 7.5 feet or 350 pounds must pay this as well, giant or not. This was hinted at in the book, but never detailed. 8. Dwarfism disadvantage requires that armor and clothing cost 20% extra, and weigh 10% less. Anyone whose height or weight winds up below 4.0 feet or 80 pounds must pay this, dwarf or not. III. Skills 1. Cost to learn new skills (including spells) depends on the skill of the teacher, supply and demand, and the difficulty of the skill. The table shows the number of days required to learn one point worth of skill from a teacher with the given "teach level". Teach level =MIN(teaching skill,skill level in skill being taught). Cost per point is an average, and fluctuates with market demands. Even with super intense training and great teachers, the times are ridiculously short. Time in Days Required to Learn One Point In A Skill. Teach Level Difficulty Easy Average Hard Very Hard 12 (tutor) 4 5 6 8 14 (scholar) 3 4 5 7 16 (teacher) 3 3 4 6 18 (professor) 2 3 3 5 20+ (master) 1 2 2 4 COST/POINT $100 $200 $300 $450 <12 or SELF 8/$200 10/$400 12/$600 16/$1000 Additionally, spell teaching usually has additional charges based on power and teaching guild. Self teaching doubles the cost and time for a teacher with a teach level of 12. 2. Once you've put 4 points in any skill or spell, further advancement requires special concentrated training, you've advanced as for as you can on your own. If resources and time allow, you can teach yourself at double point cost and expense with GM approval (literacy also required for self-teaching mental skills and some physical ones). [The book suggests limits of this kind, but never spells any out.] IV. Magic 1. The Magic Book and Grimoire are only a partial list of spells out there. You will discover others throughout the game. These books represent a wealth of knowledge far beyond what any character would know about magic. You know spells you can cast, period. Beyond that, the rumours are so wild that no one knows for sure. You may familiarize yourself with any given spell by learning the Area Knowledge skill for that spell if you find someone to teach it to you. Just because you have detailed area knowledge of a spell doesn't guarantee its existance. 2. Spells don't always work as written in the GURPS books, nor do they work the same way every time. Some don't work the way you think at all. Some carry hidden costs. Magic is fickle, and is no panacea. Keep in mind that there may be a number of slightly different versions of the same spell. 3. Spells are affected by a fickleness factor, rolled by the GM. It represents a wild side to magic. If you want everything to be predictable, become an accountant. Generally a 100% is wildly successful, a 99% is always successful and increased effect, a 98% is a slightly increased effect . Similar but opposite effect for a 03, 02, or 01% roll. 4. If a spell fails, it costs full fatigue cost as if it had succeeded. [This contradicts the Magic Book.] 5. The book says that a caster always knows if his spell is resisted and that a creature always knows if a spell has been cast on it, whether or not it worked. This does not fit with my world-view of how I want magic to operate. A caster does not necessarily know if a spell is resisted. A creature does not necessarily know if a spell has been cast on it. For some spells, it will be obvious, for others it will not. 6. Regardless of what the books say, there will be very few cases in which a creature can be affected by a spell without being entitled to a save or defense of some kind. My world-view (and it is my world) calls for everyone to get a chance (however slim). This specifically applies to Hinder, Death Vision, Soul Jar (even if the victim is helpless), Sterilize, Timeslip Other, Blink Other, etc. The victim may waive his right to resist (unless he has magic resistance). This does not apply to wizard's touch, missile weapons, jet, or breath spells where a dodge, block, or parry is allowed and armor PD helps. Dodges against electrical attacks and Death Touch get full PD from armor, just like any other kind of attack. [This contradicts the Magic Book which says that PD doesn't help for these.] A spell can't negate PD & not give a save, the victim must have the benefit of one or the other. 7. All spells have a "signature". Signature is some visual, auditory, and/or olfactory clue that a caster has just cast a spell. Some are subtle, some aren't. Signatures depend on the spell and the caster. As a rule, offensive spells and powerful spells have "louder, brighter" signatures. The signature will be assigned by the GM. Using the description of your spell's signature when describing your characters spell casting actions will be considered an essential part of good role playing. There may exist ways to suppress signatures, but they might very well be closely gaurded. 8. Jet spells cast through a staff are at -2 to hit per hex of the staff, and called shots are not possible. 9. At high levels of spell use, the caster may choose whether or not to reduce time OR cost. [The Magic Book says you get both, at the GM's option]. At level 20, two points of energy can be taken from the cost. At level 21, you can choose [reduce cost by 2 OR (reduce cost by 1 AND cut time in half)]. The options you have for high levels of effective skill are summarized: Skill Energy Reduction Casting Time 15/20_______-1/-2___________*1 21 -2 *1 21__________-1______________*1/2 25 -1 *1/4 25 -2 *1/2 25__________-3______________*1 30 -1 *1/8 30 -2 *1/4 30 -3 *1/2 30__________-4______________*1 etc. 10. Elementals are improved in ability. Fear them! They have natural armor and create an elemental weapon. These changes apply to the elementals that can be created or summoned by magi. The elder elementals (slight chance of being summoned, cannot be created) make these puppies look tame. 11. Teleport and Gate travel always take 1 full second. Blinks are still instantaneous. 12. Timeport is one-way only. You may only go into the future. 13. Slow and Sure Enchantments put 2 points of energy per day per caster into an item. The net effect is that item costs are cut in half for slow and sure enchantments. Quick and Dirty Costs the same. Costs are per the book until energy level exceeds 220 points, then multiply energy cost by $12.50. Powerstone costs are totally unaffected by this change, since their costs are based on a series of Quick & Dirty castings.