GURPSnet-Digest Friday, January 3 2003 Volume 04 : Number 3760 In this issue: RE: Forensic Magic Re: Gurps WWII Re: Gurps WWII Re: Gurps WWII Question about enchantments Re: Question about enchantments Re: Meta Skills [was: Re: Open Letter from a Necromancer] Re: Question about enchantments Re: Question about enchantments Re: Meta Skills [was: Re: Open Letter from a Necromancer] Re: Question about enchantments Happy new Year and a little mailing test Spell enhancements part 1 (4th try) See the end of the digest for information on subscribing to the GURPSnet-L or GURPSnet-Digest mailing lists. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 01 Jan 2003 00:03:37 -0600 From: "Geoffrey Fagan" Subject: RE: Forensic Magic I got the notion for the forensic spells in my prior post from Randall Garret's outstanding Lord Dary short stories, which I just noticed at Barnes & Noble have been reprinted in an omnibus. Highly recommended. GEF _________________________________________________________________ Protect your PC - get McAfee.com VirusScan Online http://clinic.mcafee.com/clinic/ibuy/campaign.asp?cid=3963 ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 2 Jan 2003 18:26:20 +1100 (EST) From: =?iso-8859-1?q?Alan=20Atkinson?= Subject: Re: Gurps WWII --- Volker Bach wrote: > > On Tue, 31 Dec 2002 10:42:55 -0600, "Gabe Johanns" > > wrote : > > > Hello, > > > > I am going to be running a World War 2 campaign > soon. I have not seen > > the WWII core book and I am wondering if it would > help me with running > > my campaign. > > > > Are there more or better described equipment rules > in the WWII core book > > if I already have the Basic Book 3rd edition and > Compendiums' 1 and 2 > > along with Vehicles and High-Tech. > > > > Does the WWII core book contain extra information > about the Military > > Rank Advantage? > > > > How much background information is contained in > the core book? Are > > there dates and places (maps?) for major battles > or military bases? > > > > I am going to order Iron Cross, Hand of Steel, and > Dogfaces. I don't > > need another core rule book if it is just a copy > of the 3rd edition > > rules with a special version of Gurps: Lite that > can also be downloaded > > for free. > > Now I admit I haven't read any of the supplements, > but unless you are > really well versed in the history of World War II, > have a good idea of the > gear used, and can just make up vehicle stats as you > go along, you will > want WWII. Yes, there's a good deal of redundancy, > but I personally bought > it for the sheer reading pleasure. It does not > entirely succeed at > rendering World War II comprehensible (then again, > neither does any book > I've read), but it goes a long way there. > > Bad on the illustrations, though - too little visual > impact of the 'that's > what it looks like' kind. > > Volker Some years ago, TImeLife brought out a series of books, each focussing on a specific aspect of WWII. Lots of pics. Would be very useful in such a campaign. It's been a long while since they were published (at least 18 years) but perhaps they've been reprinted, or maybe you could find them in a 2nd hand store. GURPS-Nut http://movies.yahoo.com.au - Yahoo! Movies - - What's on at your local cinema? ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 2 Jan 2003 09:46:02 +0100 From: "Michele Armellini" Subject: Re: Gurps WWII Hi, > ------------------------------ > > Date: Tue, 31 Dec 2002 10:42:55 -0600 > From: "Gabe Johanns" > Subject: Gurps WWII > > Hello, > > I am going to be running a World War 2 campaign soon. I have not seen > the WWII core book and I am wondering if it would help me with running > my campaign. > > Are there more or better described equipment rules in the WWII core book > if I already have the Basic Book 3rd edition and Compendiums' 1 and 2 > along with Vehicles and High-Tech. > Yes, there are. They are more specific, too. For instance, Vehicles doesn't list things like stand-off armor, which many German WWII armored vehicles used. High-Tech and Basic offer only the most common WWII-era small arms. The list of WWII-specific personal gear is very useful, and you can only find it in the WWII corebook. The Modular Vehicle Design System is not only more specific, but also simpler than using Vehicles. And there are ready-made common vehicles. > Does the WWII core book contain extra information about the Military > Rank Advantage? Yes. First thing, there is a table with the actual names of the ranks for the five major combatants. There is mention of how to treat warrant officers. And most importantly, the ranks and character templates are cross-referenced, and you get to know which skills and at what levels are prerequisites for any given rank. For instance, MR2 characters need Administration-11, Leadership-12, Orienteering (or Navigation)-12, Savoir-Faire (Military)-10 and Tactics-12. > > How much background information is contained in the core book? There are some 32 pages of general history, which you won't need if you are really knowledgeable about WWII (although at times they come really handy to quickly find a date and such like). Standard military organization for ground units is covered (again, a WWII history buff won't need this). For each major combatant, you get paragraphs describing: Entry and Basic Training, Service Culture, Commendations, Standard Units, Operations and Tactics, Special Units, Intelligence. There is a brief run-down of the role of other nations. Finally you get a WWII travelog, suggestions for running campaigns in several tones and for cross-over campaigns, info about the home front... Are > there dates and places (maps?) for major battles or military bases? > Dates, yes. Maps, no. > I am going to order Iron Cross, Hand of Steel, and Dogfaces. I don't > need another core rule book if it is just a copy of the 3rd edition > rules with a special version of Gurps: Lite that can also be downloaded > for free. It isn't. Apart from what I've mentioned above, you get the MVDS, simplified rules for handling vehicle combat, sample vehicles, and above all the character templates, with customization notes for the five main combatants. The templates, together with notes about national characteristics, are a wealth of info. Suppose you want to create a Japanese sniper or a British fighter pilot. Unless you already really know a lot about both the GURPS skills system and the training, background capabilities, and combat experience that sniper or pilot would have, you'll find the templates very useful. Another add-on is the group of new or newly defined skills of Soldier, Tactics, Strategy, Operations. Regards, Michele ------------------------------ Date: 2 Jan 2003 09:12:21 -0000 From: "Volker Bach" Subject: Re: Gurps WWII On Thu, 2 Jan 2003 18:26:20 +1100 (EST), Alan Atkinson wrote : > > Some years ago, TImeLife brought out a series of > books, each focussing on a specific aspect of WWII. > Lots of pics. Would be very useful in such a > campaign. It's been a long while since they were > published (at least 18 years) but perhaps they've been > reprinted, or maybe you could find them in a 2nd hand > store. These are indeed a great source of pictorial material and some good war stories (mostly *amaing* pictures). Your local library would be the best starting point (no reprints I know of). Note, though, that they tend to represent the war in a somewhat sanitised light - think 1980s war films. Volker ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 02 Jan 2003 12:04:33 +0100 From: Oliver Schoenwald Subject: Question about enchantments Hello and happy new year, I have a question about the way enchantments can be done by the rules. An 'Walk on Water'-item needs 500 energy points. Using the quick & dirty-method, the mage has to spend 5 hours (1 hour per 100 ep) to create the item. As far as I understand, after these 5 hours end, the mage has to spend the necessary 500 points by using his ST, HT and the charge of one single powerstone. If he has assistants, he can get additional ST, HT and one powerstone per assistant to get enough energy. He and his assistants have to do the necessary enchantments during this time continuously and without interruption, e.g. no eating, no drinking, not following the call of nature. If I'm correct so far, here is my first question: If an item needs much more energy, e.g. 5000 energy points, using the Q&D-method isn't possible because the mage and his assistants would have to spend 50 hours uninterrupted in the enchantment, right? Second question: However, using certain preparation (using spells or items that allow the mage and his assistants to do their enchantments for full 50 hours without need for sleep, pause, food and water and sanitary actions) it would still be possible, as far as they can provide enough energy at the end of that time, right? Third question: while the Q&D-Method needs an uninterrupted short-time-ritual, the Slow & Sure-Method can be interrupted after an 8 hour day. So far I believe that the mage and his assistants may even take meals and have typical pauses during their working day, as long as they have, all in all, an 8 hour work day. So, using the S&S-Method, an item can be created over any days, and the days don't have to be following one another. I mean, the mage and his team of assistants (if any) may leave the item for some days or even longer to get some more enchantment whenever possible. Right? Fourth Question: Is there any other formula or method to define the necessary energy cost to create magic items? I remember someone said that the energy costs and the kind of items had been defined freely by the author? Did someone use another energy formula, e.g. something like casting cost plus maintenance multiplied by a certain factor? Fifth Question: How could I make the creation of magic items easier without unbalancing gameplay? Lowering the energy cost but adding the necessity for certain, rare and/or expensive raw materials for the item? If I think about a campaign like the Forgotten Realms, where there are plentiful of magic items, there should it be possible to create those items without spending several years alone or creating huge numbers of enchantment teams, shouldn't it? Thank you for any answers! Oliver Schönwald ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 02 Jan 2003 07:29:04 -0500 From: Emily Smirle Subject: Re: Question about enchantments Oliver Schoenwald wrote: > Hello and happy new year, > > I have a question about the way enchantments can be done by the rules. > > Fifth Question: How could I make the creation of magic items easier > without unbalancing gameplay? > Lowering the energy cost but adding the necessity for certain, rare > and/or expensive raw materials for the item? > If I think about a campaign like the Forgotten Realms, where there are > plentiful of magic items, there should it be possible to create those > items without spending several years alone or creating huge > numbers of enchantment teams, shouldn't it? Sure. The rule we use is that Slow and Sure enchantment, instead of adding one point to the total per day, adds a number of points equal to the mages skill in Enchant. Example: Syndaryl wants to enchant a brooch to disguise his deformities with an illusion. It would cost 150 energy to create, but by himself he doesn't have the resources to produce 150 energy in two hours, so he decides to enchant it by the Slow and Sure method. Syndaryl has a skill of 16 in Enchant and a skill of 15 in Illusion Disguise. It will take him (150/16)=10 days to produce, instead of 150 days by the old method. If multiple enchanters work on the same project use the highest Enchant skill of the group, and add the Magery of every other contributer. Example: Syndaryl asks his friend Gwenneth to help him enchant the brooch. Gwenneth has a skill of 20 in Enchant, which is much higher than Syndaryls. We use her Enchant skill as the base, and add Syndaryls Magery (3) to get 23. It will take the two of them (150/23)=7 days to create the brooch. - -- Let the sun never blind your eyes Let me sleep so my teeth won't grind -- "Grind", Hear a sound from a voice inside Alice in Chains ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 2 Jan 2003 15:16:18 +0100 (MEZ) From: Johannes Trimmel Subject: Re: Meta Skills [was: Re: Open Letter from a Necromancer] On Tue, 31 Dec 2002, Thomas Ackermann wrote: > On Tue, Dec 31, 2002 at 02:20:22PM +0100, Johannes Trimmel wrote: > > Somwhere out there on the net is a collage skill + advantages for spells > > System. A M/VH Collage skill and spells are maneuvers on it. I quite like > > it but it makes mages quite powerfull. > > Sounds interesting - but how to find it??? > I could have sworn that it was either a roleplayer or pyramid article (in a non restricted section) but i did not find it there. Basically you have your M/VH skill as collage skill and actualy spells are maneuver (average if Hard, Hard if veryhard) on it, you have to spend at least 1 cp per spell) Defaulting spells is not part of that system but it could easily be put in. > Also, i did never intend to make mages more powerfull - just more easy to > play and to create! I always feeled that a mage with 40 points in the > Healing College should be able to do quite some things outside the strikt > Spells he knows ... > If you want to take that system and keep mages equally powerfull you have to put in additional restrictions. > > If you are going to make maneuvers on spells you can also put some of the > > benefits of high skill to maneuvers, like less fatigue, less time to cast, > > no getures and or words ect. I always disliked it that if you buy a high > > skill for one of this effects you automatically get all the others as > > well. > > Yes, this is quite a good idea! > > This seem to require Enhancements again, or? > How would you do this with Maneuvers? > I used maneuver in a rather broad sense as additional goodies to your skill you can buy, thats cost is independent of the number of points you did put into that skill. So a fatigue reduction costs flat 2 cp per spell rather then a percentage like enhancement costs for advantages. Some of it would be like hitlocation like, like less range penalities or better skill for contests. > Say, "Healing Bones" as a new Spell, defaults to Major Healing-2 and can be > increased like a Maneuvers. How to add "1 turn less to cast" to this? > Then, an additional maneuvers to increase range or to use less fatigue? > A Maneuver for a Maneuver? > Or better an Enhancement-System? > It is more like an enhancement system, i just called it maneuvers because i started to think about this idea with maneuvers. !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Better a solution that makes the problem worse then no solution at all. Johannes Trimmel ++++++++++++++++ ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 2 Jan 2003 15:21:36 +0100 (MEZ) From: Johannes Trimmel Subject: Re: Question about enchantments On Thu, 2 Jan 2003, Oliver Schoenwald wrote: > Fifth Question: How could I make the creation of magic items easier > without unbalancing gameplay? > Lowering the energy cost but adding the necessity for certain, rare > and/or expensive raw materials > for the item? > If I think about a campaign like the Forgotten Realms, where there are > plentiful of magic items, there > should it be possible to create those items without spending several > years alone or creating huge > numbers of enchantment teams, shouldn't it? > In my experience PC enchanters always ruin gamebalance. Either they are able to enchant regulary then enchanted objects start to pile up. Or there are too many restrictions for that then they have spent lots of points for an ability they practically never use. I think the best is to define what enchantments can be done and how much effort it is to create them and ask the players not to make enchanter pcs. !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Better a solution that makes the problem worse then no solution at all. Johannes Trimmel ++++++++++++++++ ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 2 Jan 2003 09:42:21 -0600 (CST) From: Bret Indrelee Subject: Re: Question about enchantments On Thu, 2 Jan 2003, Oliver Schoenwald wrote: [snip ] > If I'm correct so far, here is my first question: If an item needs much > more energy, e.g. 5000 > energy points, using the Q&D-method isn't possible because the mage and > his assistants would > have to spend 50 hours uninterrupted in the enchantment, right? Getting 5000 fatigue would be a bigger problem. There is a spell in Grimoire (Vigil) that would allow the Mage to go without sleep for a little longer. One point you missed, the skill of the master enchanter takes a penalty for every assistant. This limits the size of the circle. The other thing is that all of the energy has to be paid at the end of the spell. You can't just feed energy in as you go, it has to be paid all at once. > Second question: However, using certain preparation (using spells or > items that allow the mage > and his assistants to do their enchantments for full 50 hours without > need for sleep, pause, food > and water and sanitary actions) it would still be possible, as far as > they can provide enough energy > at the end of that time, right? Yes. > Third question: while the Q&D-Method needs an uninterrupted > short-time-ritual, the Slow & Sure-Method > can be interrupted after an 8 hour day. So far I believe that the mage > and his assistants may even take > meals and have typical pauses during their working day, as long as they > have, all in all, an 8 hour work day. > So, using the S&S-Method, an item can be created over any days, and the > days don't have to be > following one another. I mean, the mage and his team of assistants (if > any) may leave the item for > some days or even longer to get some more enchantment whenever possible. > Right? Provided they are willing to make up the time. There are rules for missed days of work in GURPS Magic. > Fourth Question: Is there any other formula or method to define the > necessary energy cost to create > magic items? I remember someone said that the energy costs and the kind > of items had been > defined freely by the author? Did someone use another energy formula, > e.g. something like casting > cost plus maintenance multiplied by a certain factor? Not in the normal rules. > Fifth Question: How could I make the creation of magic items easier > without unbalancing gameplay? > Lowering the energy cost but adding the necessity for certain, rare > and/or expensive raw materials > for the item? I don't remember where it was, but one house rule that I remember is a magical workbench that reduced the time required to create an item. Since I don't really like to run campaigns with lots of magical items floating around, I really haven't paid much attention to how to achieve the effect you are looking for. > If I think about a campaign like the Forgotten Realms, where there are > plentiful of magic items, there > should it be possible to create those items without spending several > years alone or creating huge > numbers of enchantment teams, shouldn't it? I know there are a couple of people on the list who run a GURPS FR campaign, hopefully they can chime in. You might also find some help in GURPS Technomancer, which I believe has magic item factories so it should hopefully cover potential problems with flooding the market. I do know that there are several guilds of mages in the Forgotten Realms, so large circles of mages are mostly a matter of finding a proper master enchanter to lead everyone through the enchanting. - -Bret - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Bret Indrelee | "Unleash the baby ducks." bret@io.com | www.sluggy.com/daily.php?date=020522 ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 02 Jan 2003 18:47:15 +0200 From: "Taneli Pirinen Jka" Subject: Re: Meta Skills [was: Re: Open Letter from a Necromancer] a9300617@unet.univie.ac.at writes: >I could have sworn that it was either a roleplayer or pyramid article >(in a non restricted section) but i did not find it there. Basically you >have your M/VH skill as collage skill and actualy spells are maneuver >(average if Hard, Hard if veryhard) on it, you have to spend at least 1 cp >per spell) Defaulting spells is not part of that system but it could >easily be put in. Can't find one either. But I did find an old Roleplayer article "Improvised Magic as the only magic" that deals with the improvisation rules found in GURPS Magic. http://www.sjgames.com/gurps/Roleplayer/Roleplayer19/OnlyImprovMagic.html How about this one from gurpsnet archives? http://gurpsnet.sjgames.com/Archive/Magic/Systems/altmagic If you like that one you might also look this one. http://gurpsnet.sjgames.com/Archive/Magic/Systems/college.based I've been toying with something like this, but decided not to use it in my GURPS Fantasy game (I wasn't ready when first character - a mage - was created). Taneli "We all should share our knowledge but then our heads would explode." -Taneli 2001 taneli.pirinen(removethis)@(diespamdie)oyk.pkky.fi ICQ# 177695955 ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 02 Jan 2003 10:51:23 -0600 From: "Geoffrey Fagan" Subject: Re: Question about enchantments Bret's done a nice job of answering these, but I'd like to point out that for a monster Q&D enchantment, I'd be impressed with any mage who could focus for 50 hours, even with Vigil. >Fifth Question: How could I make the creation of magic items easier without >unbalancing gameplay? >Lowering the energy cost but adding the necessity for certain, rare and/or >expensive raw materials >for the item? See my preceding post on spell enhancements and limitations - should be just the ticket. And while there's no formula for enchantment costs, if you build new spells with that system, you develop the enchantment right along with it. >If I think about a campaign like the Forgotten Realms, where there are >plentiful of magic items, there >should it be possible to create those items without spending several years >alone or creating huge >numbers of enchantment teams, shouldn't it? In GURPS, lots of magic items are relatively easy and cheap to make, and starting characters can usually manage +1 weapons. More powerful items will take a year or two, sure - but compare that to other commissioned works, or orders from far ports, in a Medieval world. Fed-Ex didn't deliver Cathayan spices. - -GEF _________________________________________________________________ Protect your PC - get McAfee.com VirusScan Online http://clinic.mcafee.com/clinic/ibuy/campaign.asp?cid=3963 ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 3 Jan 2003 05:09:18 +0100 From: Mario Tani Subject: Happy new Year and a little mailing test I Wish You all a Happy new Year. PS. May someone from America reply in private mail so to check if the mail arrives me... Sorry to disturb but I'm having some problem about it. - -- Mario Tani IHGGer #438 ICQ UIN = 62716435 "Da Ya Wonna Live Forever?" "At Least I'Ve Arrived There" "A Kiss Is Not Always The Truth, But It Is Often What We Want To Be True" "Science It's An Art: It Takes Love, Faith & Courage" Official Member of the S.I.S.De. Follower of the Penguin (Keep on Linux!) G.U.R.P.S. FARRIK (UN)Official Site: Under (RE)Construction gurpsit an Italian G.U.R.P.S. ML: gurpsit-subscribe@egroups.com ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 03 Jan 2003 00:23:00 -0600 From: "Geoffrey Fagan" Subject: Spell enhancements part 1 (4th try) Fourth try, this time I'll split it up - again, sorry if you're seein' every attempt. I'm only posting because it's evolved quite a bit from Mr. Ross's original article. The main differences are Auxiliary (instead of Link) spells, using enhancements and limitations to change a spell's college for single-college wizards like the necromancer in the letter who brought this up, and extending the notion of TL to spells by using a TL requirement as a limitation to offset enhancements. There's lotsa possibilities here for customizing different schools of magic within the same campaign, including black magic, chaos magic, and initiatory groups. GEF Customizing Spells These rules (by S. John Ross, but slightly modified) provide a simple mechanic for extrapolating new spells from existing ones. Each enhancement or limitation changes the performance characteristics of the spell. An enhancement makes a spell more complicated, though, harder to cast, while a limitation makes it easier to cast (or just mitigates the penalty from an enhancement). Each enhancement and limitation lists a value to add to skill with the modified spell. A spell with a net penalty of 0 has the same difficulty as the original. A penalty of -1 turns M/H spells into M/VH, and further penalties reduce skill level even further. These penalties actually affect skill level, not just chance to cast; i.e., cost and casting time are affected accordingly. Likewise, a spell which has a net bonus is easier to cast than the original, but the GM may set a maximum bonus that limitations may provide. Only Accessibility, Extra Fatigue or Time, Ingredient, Recharge, and Vulnerability can actually contribute to a net bonus greater than +2 (the Mental/Easy level); other limitations merely mitigate the penalties from enhancements. Each customized spell is a separate formula, not an option for casting. However, a customized spell can serve in the place of its parent spell as a prerequisite. When a wizard must know a spell (e.g., in order to cancel it with Counterspell), knowledge of a variant is sufficient, although the GM may impose a penalty of -1 to -4 depending on the degree of variation. Sample Custom Spells: Explosive Fireball is a basic Fireball with Explosive Effect (-3), Extra Fatigue (+2), and Fireball as an Additional Prerequisite, for no net modifier, so it is mental/hard just like Fireball. Boost Vigor is a basic Vigor spell modified for Blocking (-2), with the casting restriction No Energy Reduction (-1) and with Vigor as an Additional Prerequisite (-1), so it too is mental/hard. Option: For aesthetic reasons if no other, the GM may require all spells to be within the range from M/VH to M/E. In this case, he should allow this special enhancement: Efficient. Each application, for -4, reduces fatigue cost by 1 and halves casting time (minimum 1). Thus, a severely limited spell will not have a greatly improved chance to cast or reduced ritual, but it can garner the other benefits of high skill. Custom Magical Items To determine the cost to make a magical item with a custom spell, with the same enhancements and limitations on its use, just multiply the total modifier by -10% and apply this to the cost to make the item! That is, if you have an item that normally costs 100 energy to make, with a -1 enhancement, the cost to enchant it is 110. Note that while it is theoretically possible to make powerful but cheap magic items with versions of Power and Speed limited to a function in conjunction with only one spell, this requires that an enchanter and his aids research and learn (i.e., invest points in) each limited Power or Speed application, which is only cost effective for items produced in quantity. Sometimes, a physical basis different from that of the basic spell (or none at all) may seem appropriate for enchantment with the modified spell. This is strictly an æsthetic call by the GM and has no value as an enhancement or limitation. ENHANCEMENTS Accuracy -1 for Missiles This enhancement may be bought any number of times, each application increasing the accuracy of a Missile spell by 1. Affects Insubstantial -2 Applied to a spell which produces a physical effect to interact with the target, this enhancement enables it to affect astral entities or spirits or fluid and immaterial entities wholly within physical reality, i.e., under the influence of a spell like Body of Air or Ethereal Body. Animal -2 Spells of certain colleges - Body Control, Communication & Empathy, Healing, Mind Control, and Necromancy - affect human (or near-human) subjects by default. The GM may disallow them or impose a penalty (-4 to -6) to work on animals, without this enhancement. In conjunction with the Accessibility limitation Animals Only, the spell becomes an Animal spell with no net skill modifier. Area -2/-4 This enhancement is applied to any Information, Regular, and some Special spells to create an Area version. The cost to cast becomes the base cost. All other information is unaltered. For any spell which inflicts damage, this is a -4 enhancement. Jet spells modified for Area effect inflict damage in each target hex and hit automatically, although the target may still Dodge if he can clear the subject Area, i.e., if the distance to the perimeter is 1/4 of his Move or less. Knockback is directed away from the center of the area. DR applies normally (but remember that only airtight armor protects against area-effect fire attacks). An Area-modified Jet spell is centered on the caster (and will surely affect him), but a further -2 enhancement will overcome this drawback. Armed 0 The ritual gestures of a normal spell require free hands, the only exceptions being arcane paraphernalia such as a wand, powerstone, or special Ingredient from the limitation below. A spell known at level 15 has minimal gestures and requires only one free hand, and of course a spell know at level 18 requires no gestures at all if the caster can speak instead. A spell with this enhancement incorporates weapons into its gestures. It must be cast with a weapon in one hand, the other empty as usual. At level 15, the off-hand may be empty or likewise armed. At level 18, no gestures are necessary, and hence no weapons, just as with a common spell. The gestures utilized with the spell are not consistent with holding a bow taught but otherwise do not render the weapon unready. Although this enhancement has no direct effect on skill level, it is typically part of a variable configuration. Armor-Piercing -5/level for Missiles Missile spells with the first level this enhancement bypass a quarter of armor's DR. Two levels apply an armor divisor of (2), three levels (5), and four levels (10). If the bonus applies only to certain types of armor, reduce the penalty to -4 per level, or -3 per level if the type of armor is especially rare. For example, an armor-piercing effect only against crystalline material such as common metal would be worth -4 per level; an armor-piercing effect only against dragon hide would be worth -3 per level. Auxiliary -4 This enhancement allows a spell to be combined with others. It is usually accompanied by an Accessibility limitation which lists the spells it can be combined with. (A single spell is a +2 limitation; a college or group of similar size is +1.) An exclusive auxiliary spell cannot be cast with other auxiliaries or even stacked with itself; that's a further +1 limitation. The combined spell has an energy cost equal to the sum of all spells involved, -1 per auxiliary spell. It has a casting time equal to the greatest of all spells involved. An Auxiliary Missile spell acts as a carrier for another spell, much like Throw Spell form GURPS Grimoire. Make one spell skill roll to create the Missile. If it hits, make another roll for the effect of the transported spell, with no range penalty. An Area spell carried in such a manner is centered on the impact. In order to act as a carrier, the Missile spell itself must be modified. Casting an Auxiliary spell on an ordinary Missile does not have the same effects; however, a Missile auxiliary on another Missile throws 2 Missiles! Resolve as burst fire. A Missile spell with another Missile as an Auxiliary is a special case: The Missiles fire simultaneously, as a burst. This technique allows a mage to fire missiles for multiple dice of damage at less energy cost than with a single powerful missile, but DR opposes each missile separately. A Resisted spell with a Resisted Auxiliary requires only one resistance test, against whichever attribute the main spell (i.e., not the Auxiliary) is resisted by. An Auxiliary Regular spell can affect the way an Area spell is cast, but it cannot affect the Area itself. For example, an elemental jet spell can act as a "carrier" just like a Missile spell. (Note: The standard GURPS mechanic for spells of this nature is to cast auxiliary spells and the subject spell consecutively and without interruption, auxiliary spells first. The subject spell therefore suffers the usual penalties for having a spell "on" when it is cast. If you prefer this method, do not reduce the cost to cast auxiliary spells as described above, for each spell will have its cost reduced according to the skill of the caster.) Blocking -2 This enhancement transforms a spell into a Blocking spell with instantaneous duration (detrimental effects apply until the subject's next initiative). If the base spell has a duration of a minute or more, halve its energy cost (minimum 1). Continuing Damage -4 This enhancement may be applied to any spell which does damage of any sort. The spell will then do normal damage on the round it hits, and normal damage -2 dice on the second round (including any inherent modifiers, so if a spell does 3d+3 on the first round, it will do 1d+1 on the second). Armor counts as usual for any subsequent damage. If this enhancement is bought twice (-8!) the reduction rate becomes 1d per turn instead of 2. This spell is most useful with high tech missile spells, which are capable of more than 3d damage. Continuous Casting -3 for Area You can cast an Area spell repeatedly, over adjacent areas, and each spell is delayed until the final spell is complete. Ordinary Maintenance is impossible; instead, you may stack castings to multiply the duration. For example, a mage with Rain-25 can create Rain each turn over a radius of 30 hexes (roughly 3 square miles per hour) with no fatigue cost, with a duration of one hour. Suppose he wanted to create rain over an area of 120 square miles for 2 hours, to relieve a drought. With a continuous casting version, he could do that with 80 hours of casting! Better cast Vigil first. Spells are continuous as long as the mage concentrates between castings; i.e., he does not lose the benefit just because some castings fail. He can even cast another spell, although the continuous casting in progress counts as one spell on. However, he must roll for distraction for all the usual reasons, plus once per hour (or once per day with Vigil) and whenever else the GM requires. If he fails, the spell takes effect at that time. Alternatively, you may cast Maintain Spell to concentrate for you, and then cast Steal Spell when you're ready to resume. The cost for Maintain Spell is 1 per 5 duration periods. If a spell is cast continuously, Auxiliary spells intended to modify it must be incorporated with each iteration, which means that they must have the Continuous Casting enhancement, too. In addition to weather control over the scale at which Nature herself works, this spell is useful for field-grade magic, as the timescale of military maneuvering allows the build-up of spells big enough to affect a unit. Cybercompatibility -2 Normally, a spell which affects biological targets suffers a penalty when cast upon a cyborg, based on the proportion of cyberware in the body (see Chapter 9, below). A spell with this enhancement does not have this problem; it affects the living portion of the target at no penalty in a manner which does not interfere with the cyberware at all. For example, a cyborg with a Hypertough Skeleton has a limb severed, and a mage casts Regeneration on him. Normally, the spell would incur a -3 penalty to affect the cyborg and would cause rejection of the cyberware in the arm if it succeeded. Cybercompatible Regeneration does not incur the penalty and does not cause rejection (but it does not regenerate damage to the Hypertough Skeleton, either; the new arm will have its natural resilience only). [Obviously, this one only makes sense if you have house rules which affect the interaction between magic and cyberware - but that's another topic.] Dual-College Membership -1 or -2, Variable Prerequisite In conjunction with an appropriate limitation (see below), this enhancement makes a spell eligible for membership in an alternate college for purposes of single-college Magery, single-college powerstones, or aspected mana. The penalty from this enhancement offsets the bonus for the limitation, and if the GM considers the rationale a stretch, he can double the penalty. The usual suspects are Illusion (college of Illusion or Mind Control), Necrosis (college of Necromancy), Physical Effect (appropriate elemental college), and Accessibility (various). This enhancement can extend the repertoire of a single-college mage without extending his scope. For example, Persuasion with an Accessibility limitation to Undead Only could be a Necromancy spell. Dark Vision or Fireball with an Accessibility to affect Lifeforms Only could likewise be Necromancy. Flight with a Physical Effect of wings of flame sprouting from the subject could be a Fire spell, although the GM might impose a -2 penalty for dual-college membership in this case. Accessibility limitations may have a negligible value but still qualify as a prerequisite for this enhancement: Accessibility for Aquatic Animals Only makes Animal spells eligible for membership in the college of the element Water. That's a significant limitation, worth +2 for most animal spells and perhaps +3 for Control Birds and Control Mammals, but it's worth zero for Control Fish. Unlike other enhancements, this one does not make a spell eligible for an Additional Prerequisite. Instead, if a spell has Dual-College Membership, it may substitute a spell from the alternate college for any unspecified prerequisite from its base college. An illusory version of Frostbite which makes the subject feel damaging cold requires 5 prerequisites including Frost and Freeze, but the remaining 3 may come from the Mind Control college instead of Water. Explosive -3 for Missiles This enhancement, when applied to a Missile spell, causes the missile created to explode on impact. Damage will be full in the hex of impact, and reduced by one die per hex outward (a 2d missile would do 2d in the impact hex and 1d in all adjacent hexes). Like any enhancement or limitation that affects damage done by a spell, it may only be applied to spells that do the damage themselves, that is to say, this cannot be placed on a Poltergeist spell, as it is the force of the object hurled by the spell that actually does the damage, not the spell itself. This enhancement may be bought twice. If it is, the damage reduction is 1 die per two hexes. Extended Range -1 for Missiles This may be purchased any number of times, each application increasing the 1/2D of a Missile by 5 yards, and the Max by 10, multiplied like base range at high TL. [Another house rule - enhancements and limitations are the main way I adjust spells for TL, but there are few others: Ranges get better as noted here, enchanting gets faster, and spell-vs-spell contests favor the hi-TL spell.] Fatigue Damage -3 This enhancement is applied to any spell that does damage. The victim loses as much fatigue as hit points. Flair -1 This generic enhancement affects a spell's form or style, but not its function or substance. For example, a Flame Jet with Flair can appear any color the caster desires, either continuous or pulsating, and a Scribe spell with Flair will produce a beautiful, even, flowing script in any hand with which the caster is familiar (such as Chancery, Gothic, or Uncial). Homing -4 for Missiles This enhancement may be applied to any missile spell. The missile in question will never miss its target, so long as it is within range. The target still gets any applicable defense roll. Multi-Source -2/level The modified spell formula can draw power from one alternate source per level. For example, a mage-priest, with both Magery and Power Investiture, could cast it using either advantage, according to the local mana or sanctity level respectively. Such spells are rare. In order to design a single magical effect that draws on multiple power sources simultaneously, take a spell from one source and enhance it with an auxiliary from another. If the auxiliary stipulates that it modifies only spells from a specific alternate power source, that's a +1 limitation (beyond the usual bonus for limiting the range of spells the auxiliary affects). See also the limitation Hybrid, below. Immediate -2 The spell commences as soon as the caster begins concentration, but it does not stabilize until the end of normal casting time; if the spell is resisted, the victim may roll for resistance every turn until the spell stabilizes. The mage must pay the energy cost of the spell when it begins, and interruption of the casting aborts the spell prematurely and costs an extra point of energy. Spells of instantaneous duration are ineligible for this enhancement. As with a spell which can be cast instantaneously, a mage may begin an immediate spell out of sequence, like an active defense, with a roll against half skill. Irresistable -1/level Resisted at -2 per level (recommended maximum of 1 level per 3 tech levels). Moveable Area -3 for Area This enhancement may be applied to an Area spell with a duration of one second or longer. It causes the area to be centered on a subject object or person, and to move with that subject. No Obvious Effect -2/-4 This enhancement may be applied to any spell that has some obvious sign of operation (GMs discretion based on his view of the spell). Such a spell with this enhancement is noiseless, invisible, et cetera. If this enhancement is used to create an invisible Missile (one of the more common uses), it may still be actively defended against, but at a -4! However, this is a -4 enhancement for Missile spells. Primitive -4 Technically, this is not an enhancement, but one may find it useful to think so. The default TL for GURPS Magic spells is 2; to use them at TL1, add limitations with a total value of +4; to use them at TL0, double that. Spells introduced at TL3 and later are not available, regardless of their limitations. Reversed -1 The spell has the opposite of its normal effect: Healing spells harm, creation spells destroy. Any reversed spell can counter the ordinary form, and vice versa, and reversed Missile spells are automatically Blocking spells for their respective missiles (do not purchase that enhancement separately) with an energy cost of 1. For other spells, the GM may have to rule on specific effects and energy costs. Safe -4/level The spell only backfires on a verified critical failure. In other words, if the mage rolls a critical failure, he should roll again against his spell skill, and a backfire occurs only if this too is a failure. With another level of this enhancement, the backfire occurs only if the second roll is also a critical failure. If the GM allows a third level, it completely elinates the possibility of a backfire. The GM may apply a level of this advantage to overcome some other drawback inherent to a spell, such as the IQ loss experienced by a shapeshifter or the unconsciousness that occurs with spells such as Possession and Rider Within. In this case, the possessing mage cannot move the subject and his own body simultaneously, unless he has a Compartmentalized Mind, but he is aware of each and can shift his control between them. With a second level, he could control one body fully and still direct the other to walk, or eat. Selective Effect -2 for Area This may be applied to explosive or Area spells. It allows the caster to choose who or what is affected, rather than blasting the whole area without prejudice. Spellburst -2 Each application of this enhancement halves the base casting time and cost but quarters duration (not applicable on permanent spells). A spell cast as a burst cannot be maintained. Minimum base casting time is 1; so don't apply this to a blocking spell. Subtle Magic -1 An enchantment with this enhancement is not detectable by a passive IQ+Magery roll, only by Detect Magic, and any spell which detects or analyzes magical effects in progress suffers a -3 penalty against subtle magic. Variable Configuration -1 The spell has an enhancement or limitation (or combined package) which is optional; e.g., it may be cast as a Regular Spell but also as an Auxiliary spell on itself, to intensify effects. For each optional enhancement or limitation (or package), assess the -1 penalty. Optional enhancements and/or limitations may be grouped together in packages, so that when any element of the package is employed, the others must be, too. In such a case, assess the -1 penalty only once for the package as a whole. If a limitation is optional, the caster gains the benefit of its bonus only when he chooses to employ it. However, he incurs the penalty for an enhancement (even this one) whether he employs it or not. _________________________________________________________________ MSN 8 helps eliminate e-mail viruses. 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