Quote:
Originally Posted by Fred Brackin
How does a 6D firebolt compare to a 7.62mm rifle?
If it's a generic Gurps 6D Burning Innate Attack it's not worth many pts be they CP, FP or Quintessance in comparison to that 7D P rifle round. Especially once you start looking at range. It's true that you can't detect the spell before it's cast but with a good sniper rifle you can fire before the target has detected you.
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Alternative Abilities helps get around this by substantially lowering the cost. The trick to making that work is getting a core ability that's useful enough, has a high enough cost to cover useful alternates, and isn't a core combat ability you'll regret switching off in a fight.
GURPS Powers: Divine Favor is good at most of those and for Shadowrun I'd go Humabouts route of making a Totem the Patron rather than God.
GURPS Thaumatology: Sorcery uses modular abilities as the core ability so is more flexible, though you dont get a base high power ability. Also its really too flexible for mages in that setting if I recall correctly.
GURPS Thaumatology: Chinese Elemental Magic would be good for Physical Adepts though I would beef it up with use of alternative abilities and the material from Pyramid #3/105
Chi Sorcery and especially #3/70
Elemental Xia Champions vs. the Shenguai (Jason "PK" Levine).
GURPS Powers: Totem and Nature Spirits provides 27 (plus additional variations) worked totems to give shamans a lot of flavor. Purchase some of the emblemetic traits separately or as alternative abilities for increased flexibility and power. It does not cover elemental spirits (I figured they were already covered in other books such as DF9: Summoners) but the two books can easily be combined for elemental totems.