Quote:
Originally Posted by tshiggins
Have you paid attention to what people have posted?
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A mite confrontational wouldn't you agree?
Quote:
Originally Posted by tshiggins
The existence of people with Magery 3 does not matter. You've asked the wrong question.
The questions that matter:
1. What spells or abilities exist in the setting?
2. How many people have those spells or abilities?
3. How many people know those spells or abilities exist?
4. How many people can find those who have those spells or abilities?
Once you've answered those questions, you can start to discuss ramifications, but not before then.
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So, let's look at the questions you want answered...
1) let's presume that we're using GURPS CLASSIC spell lists for now, for reasons that this particular individual (me!) largely disliked the spells introduced in GURPS GRIMOIRE as being over the top, and largely feels that GURPS MAGIC for 4e just made things worse, not better.
2) what spells or abilities exist in the setting. Unless one is talking about a SPECIFIC campaign universe, each game world can vary from the next by a wide margin. Two people running a GURPS BANESTORM campaign won't have the same viewpoints on what is what, let alone someone using GURPS FANTASY 1st edition or GURPS FANTASY 2nd edition (not to be confused with GURPS FANTASY for 4e as a genre book rather than a game setting world). But let's go with this shall we?
1 in 50 have any magery at all, generally speaking, magery 0. That's 2% for those inclined to do the numbers. Of those, only 1 in 10 might actively be trying to pursue a career in magic, casting only those spells that do not require magery. In GURPS FANTASY 1st edition, all that existed was Magery 1 through 3, and the only way spells that didn't require magery to cast, is if they were cast in a mana high area. Thanks to the evolution in GURPS MAGIC from the late 1980's on up to present day, we will have those who want to know "what about magery 0!". So, If only 1 in 10 individuals with magery will become actual practioners (for the sake of argument) and Magery 1 is 10 times rarer than magery 0, and magery 2 is 10 times rarer than magery 1, with magery 3 the rarest of all, at 1/10th the numbers of Magery 2 - we get the following ratios:
1000 Magery 0
100 Magery 1
10 Magery 2
1 Magery 3
If only 2% of the population has magery of any kind, that means that out of a population of 500,000 (1/4 the population of England circa 1200 AD), we're looking at 10,000 with mageborn talent. Breaking that down into numbers for each magery level...
10,000/1111 = 9.0009
Breaking it down to actual numbers, we get 9,000 with magery 0, 900 with magery 1, 90 with magery 2, and 9 with magery 3.
Demographically speaking, roughly 30 to 40% of a human population tends to be children. So, call it 6,000 adult magery 0, 600 magery 1, 60 magery 2 and 6 magery 3.
We're short by one mage due to the factions involved, so let's call it a magery 1 extra man just for giggles.
3) Let's presume that all spells known in GURPS CLASSIC MAGIC have been known to exist and history recorded them in one form or another. Mages who invented the spells wrote them down in books. Apprentices copied the master's books whether they could cast the spells or not. Enough copies of the spell books exist such that for magery 1 and magery 2 spells, all are available somewhere. For Magery 3 spells, a mage has to spend time searching for the spell books in out of the way places, ancient libraries, tombs, etc. Then a select few spells for magery 3 will exist as living knowledge for the 6 or so adult magery 3 mageborn that are out there in this mythical kingdom of 500,000 people. Of those 500,000, historical patterns indicate that roughly 50,000 will reside in cities and/or towns, the remainder will be in villages involved in raising food stuffs.
4) um, not certain what you're asking with #4. Are you asking how many are ever successful in discovering they have magery 3, and seek out masters with magery 3, and are taken in by their potential teachers? Or are you asking for something else?
Aura as a spell will suggest whether or not someone has magery. It also states that if the roll is good enough, about how powerful said magery is (I presume it means what level of magery). Aside from that, we're not looking at an awful lot of methods for determining who has what in a classic GURPS campaign.