Subject: Gea House Rules
From: "J. Jackson" <[email-masked]>

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 <with
no signature if you wish>. 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.