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Old 05-14-2017, 09:07 PM   #1
SteamBub
 
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Default [RPM] Using Ritual Path Magic in Alchemical Baroque

Why, you may be asking? I say why not. I like how RPM allows for easy spell creation where in vanilla Path Magic from Thaumatology would require much more work from the GM. Also, whenever I say vanilla I'm talking about the Path Magic found in Thaumatology. Plus doing such a brainstorming exercise would have me get use to the RPM system. So here's some of my thoughts on how it might look like and feedback will be much appreciated.

Materials mainly referenced: Alchemical Baroque, Magic, Pyramid #3/66: The Laws of Magic, Ritual Path Magic, and Thaumatology.

Effect Shaping from the article "Alternative Ritual Path Magic" in Pyramid #3/66 p. 6 is to be used.

Magery is now mandatory for spell casting and potion making.

Alternative core skill is now Ritual Magic (Esoteric Philosophy) or Ritual Magic (Witchcraft) and having "potion-making" skill never differ two levels should be kept from Alchemical Baroque p. 11. Ritual Magic (Esoteric Philosophy) still has it's prerequisites listed on Alchemical Baroque p. 11.

Separate Ritual Adept Components with only a single rank in Ritual Adept (Time). Also no enhancements or limitations and must have prerequisite Ritual Magic Skill to gain a Ritual Adept Component, as listed in Alchemical Baroque p. 10.

Path skill prerequisite is now Ritual Magic, replacing Thaumatology.

Ban Path of Energy, Path of Matter, Path of Nonexistence, and Path of Undead.

Path of Spirits deals with fae, devils, ghosts, supernatural animals and wild spirits and rules listed under vanilla Path of Spirits in Alchemical Baroque p. 11 still apply.

Path of Animals and Path of Plants are new paths and now Path of Body and Path of Mind affects only humans.

Path of Plants should work on both living and dead. Only the unprocessed dead plant matter should be affected. Example: An apple that fell with some rot can still be affected. An apple that has been cooked into pie cannot be affected. Fallen soft brown leaves can be affected. Leaves that have turned darken in compost cannot be affected.

Path of Animal and Path of Plants cannot exceed skill in Naturalist.

Made up spells should be banned instead use a list of pre-made spells with spell familiarity and spell inventions, rules found on Ghostdancer's blog. These rules should help with the special features or rule applying with a few of the vanilla known paths had.

Formulary and herbal familiarity are also to be used, follow the same rules as spell familiarity. The formularies or herbals a caster is familiar with is divided between total starting spell familiarity.

For the skills listed for spell familiarity, remove the following: Esoteric Medicine, Innate Attack, Path of Energy, Path of Matter Path of Nonexistence, Path of Undead, Thaumatology, and Theology. Add Herb Lore, Path of Animal, Path of Plants, and Ritual Magic to the List.

Both spell familiarity variations are to be used.

Having spells dealing with transforming oneself into animals, "Skinchange", requires 10-point Unusual Background to have.

Suggested traditions for Higher Purpose are the allowed vanilla known paths found on Alchemy Baroque p. 11.

Casters with Ritual Magic (Esoteric Philosophy) cannot gain familiarity with spells dealing with "Health" unless caster has Physician/TL4. The penalty when casting "Health" spells should be the skill of Physician/TL4 subtracted from the Path of Body skill, if Physician/TL4 skill exceeds or equal to Path of Body skill, no penalty is given. Side-note, like how this came out, but I can see it being better. Any suggestions?

Casters with Ritual Magic (Esoteric Philosophy) cannot gain familiarity with "Cunning" spells unless the caster has Core specialty Ritual Magic (Esoteric Philosophy of the Mind), Pyramid #3/66 p. 20, and Higher Purpose (Cunning). Side-note, not too happy how this came out. Any suggestions to fix this?

Alternative for the restrictions for "Health" and "Cunning" spells is to require to follow a Magic Style with the rules founded in the "Alternative Ritual Path Magic" in Pyramid #3/66 p. 9.

Conditional Rituals are encouraged.

Places of power should follow the rules found under Elements in Alchemical Baroque p. 11.

Charms and Enchanted Item creation are banned. Magic Item rules found on Alchemical Baroque p. 11 are to be used.

Elixir making now requires the Alchemy or Herb Lore skill.

Alchemy skill cap, found in Ritual Path Magic p. 29, no longer applies and Alchemy and Herb Lore rules found in Alchemical Baroque p. 12 are to be used instead.

Follow the pricing for alchemy workspace kits on workspace kits in Ritual Path Magic p. 28 and Herb Lore Workspace Kits are 30 percent less. Herb Lore Workspace Kits should mostly be sold by other cunning men and witches. Side-note, I was just throwing a number out there for the herb lore workspace kit reduction, chance it as you see fit.

Treat formularies and herbals as a grimoire for elixir familiarity.

Pricing for formularies, in Ritual Path Magic p. 29, apply, but herbals should be 25 to 40 percent of the price of grimoires. Availability of formularies and herbals should follow the rules found in Alchemy and Herb Lore on Alchemical Baroque p. 12.

Instead of 1 hour of elixir process time, it is now tied to amount of energy required for the spell. For 20 or less - 8 hours, for 21 to 50 - 16 hours, 51 to 150 - 24 hours, and 150 or more - 32 hours, ingredients used apply to final energy. An alchemist must be present during the processing. Processing doesn't need the same alchemist to be present, but the alchemist with the lowest skill must roll for completion. Any other alchemist working on the potion does not need to be familiar with it, only the one who started making it. If not already familiar, treat as learning with teaching bonus. Optional, have all elixir processing take 24 hours.

On critical fail, on top of destroying the ingredients, follow the rules for Critical Failure under Gathering Ambient Energy. Optional, follow the critical failure rules found on Magic p. 210 and Thaumatology p. 105. Optional, on failure also follow the rules for failure under Gathering Ambient Energy.

Improvised ingredients are banned.

Suggest ingredients to use are found on Magic Potent Materials in Magic p. 222 and Herb Uses and Rarities in Thaumatology p.105.

Potions made with Herb Lore should follow the pricing rules found on Alchemy and Herb Lore in Alchemical Baroque p. 12.

There are two types of grimoires, Esoteric Philosophy Grimoires and Witchcraft Grimoires. To learn from a spell from a grimoire of another school, you must use the spell invention rules.

Grimoires availability rules should also follow the rules for formularies and herbals availability.

Grimoires written in Old Gold, Classic Tongue, are consider dead language grimoires.
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