[Powers/Super] Control Magic!

[Jinumon]

Hey again,

I've been continuing work on trying to crack how I want to implement arcane magic in my Fantasy setting, and was looking for critiques/ideas for my current iteration.

!NOTE! The majority of work on this was done in an afternoon. If the verbage isn't exactly crystal clear I apologize in advance. !NOTE!

New Advantage: Wizardry
30 points for Wizardry 1 + 20 points/level
You can sense and manipulate the energy field known as "Mana." Manipulating mana to create an effect (known as a "Ritual") requires 10 minutes of concentration, and a successful Thaumatology IQ/Very Hard roll. Characters must be able to speak and make simple gestures, and those without an appropriate Consecrated Space (see GURPS Thaumatology: Ritual Path Magic, p. 20) suffer a -5 penalty to all rolls. Success allows the caster to reproduce the effect of any Advantage the GM deems appropriate with a character point cost no greater than 5 times the caster's Wizardry level. Advantages that are normally “always-on” or “usually-on” that do not have their duration modified last for 24 hours.
Characters with Wizardry can also improve, hamper, or cancel existing magical effects. This requires the same act as performing a Ritual (it is merely a different kind of Ritual). Success allows the caster to confer a bonus or penalty no greater than their Wizardry level to resist or perform Wizardry on a single target or to cancel an existing magical effect (in which case the Thaumatology roll is opposed if the effect is from a source other than themselves).
Sensing mana allows those with Wizardry to detect and analyze ongoing magical effects and auras, including those of other individuals who possess Wizardry, as per Detect Magic (see Basic Set, p. 48).
Finally, Wizardry adds its level to all uses of this advantage, including performing Ritual, Spell, and sensing applications.

Under the Hood: Wizardry
Wizardry is essentially Detect Magic combined with a Control Magic! Wildcard advantage (see GURPS Supers, p. 41) that is limited with the “Immediate Preparation Required, 10 minutes, -45%,” “Magical, -10%,” “Must be able to speak and make simple gestures, -5%,” “Requires consecrated space, Weakened without, -5%,” and “Requires skill roll, Thaumatology IQ/Very Hard, -10%” limitations. This limited version of Control Magic has a cost of 5 points per level before the Wildcard multiplier of x4, allowing users to simultaneously benefit from other suitably “magical” advantages with a cost no greater than 5 character points per level, all of which are subject to the same limitations as the parent advantage.

New Skills: Spells IQ/Hard
Spells are quick-and-dirty applications of magic that spellcasters can use at a moment’s notice. This is a specific Ritual defined by the character subject to the normal limit as described in Wizardry. Spells emulating Advantages with a character point cost less than or equal to 3 times the caster’s Wizardry level cost no FP, but those greater than this cost 1 FP, or 2 FP if the character point cost exceeds 4 times the caster’s Wizardry level. Individuals may not default on spells.

Under the Hood: Spells
Spells are an alternate interpretation/take on Temporary Enhancements (see GURPS Powers, pp. 172-173). Instead of a Technique that adds enhancements, it is instead a skill that “buys off” the “Immediate Preparation Required, 10 minutes, -45%” and “Requires consecrated space, Weakened without, -5%” limitations. A Technique that provides +50% in enhancements would default to the Attribute or Skill at -5, requiring 6 character points to use it at Attribute or Skill +0. A Hard skill that instead removes -50% in limitations requires 4 character points to use at +0, balanced against the fact that (in this case) it may not be defaulted on. Spells with a low enough character point cost can benefit from a level or two of "Reduced Fatigue Cost, +20%," reducing the FP cost to 1 or zero.

The ultimate goal for my Fantasy setting in to allow for effectively unlimited "slow-and-sure" applications of magic and a pre-determined (but still limitlessly variable) "quick-and-dirty" magic. I tried several iterations of RPM/Ritual Powers, but found my players had too much of a knack for exploiting it (Altered Traits in particular). I had also considered using Sorcerous Empowerment, but the necessary limitations of Modular Ability slots and advantage interactions had me ultimately pass on it.

Big thanks to Refplace for putting me on to Wildcard Powers. Wouldn't have been possible otherwise.

Thanks as always, y'all

Jinumon

[Refplace]

Originally Posted by Jinumon

Big thanks to Refplace for putting me on to Wildcard Powers. Wouldn't have been possible otherwise.

Thanks as always, y'all

Jinumon

Your welcome.
Still mulling it over. Your Control Magic is the same cost per level as my Control Mana at 20 points a level. By the way it was originally Control Magic but Kromm suggested the different name to make clear its the energy thats being manipulated.
Our systems both use AA for spells but the similarity ends there and I do like some of yours. By the way I named mine Wizardry as well, seemed fitting.

Your system focuses on casters who rely on slow rituals for most things but can learn faster weaker spells.
If you dont mind Ill adapt that part as some magical styles variation.
I however have two issues that I need to mull over more.
1) The Wild Card part is of limited use considering those limitations.
While manipulating mana you can also cast say a lightning bolt at the same time but only under all those limitations such as prep time and casting penalties.
Did just inspire a neat idea I need to ponder and may add to my system though. So thanks for being an inspiration!

2) There is precedent for using Temporary enhancements so your ok there but the penalties to buy them off will make individual spells more expensive then they need to be,
On the other hand using learned type spells as full alternative abilities can help there. Still this may result in more expensive spells than you might think.

[Jinumon]

Originally Posted by Refplace

Your welcome.
Still mulling it over. Your Control Magic is the same cost per level as my Control Mana at 20 points a level. By the way it was originally Control Magic but Kromm suggested the different name to make clear its the energy thats being manipulated.

Good idea.

Originally Posted by Refplace

Our systems both use AA for spells but the similarity ends there and I do like some of yours. By the way I named mine Wizardry as well, seemed fitting.

I'm actually calling mine "Sorcery" but figured I'd pick something else in the forums as to avoid confusion.

Originally Posted by Refplace

Your system focuses on casters who rely on slow rituals for most things but can learn faster weaker spells.
If you dont mind Ill adapt that part as some magical styles variation.
I however have two issues that I need to mull over more.
1) The Wild Card part is of limited use considering those limitations.
While manipulating mana you can also cast say a lightning bolt at the same time but only under all those limitations such as prep time and casting penalties.
Did just inspire a neat idea I need to ponder and may add to my system though. So thanks for being an inspiration!

Making use of Rituals in this system is meant to be time-consuming. Spellcasters in this setting are MUCH more comfortable in tower laboratories than they are in the bush. Any effect one can create with a spell they can create in a lab with a little time and quiet, but spells allow them access to power outside of those conditions.

Originally Posted by Refplace

2) There is precedent for using Temporary enhancements so your ok there but the penalties to buy them off will make individual spells more expensive then they need to be,
On the other hand using learned type spells as full alternative abilities can help there. Still this may result in more expensive spells than you might think.

I wanted a relatively uniform cost for spells for the sake of simplicity, and I felt that Techniques (or Skills in this case) would allow for that. Also, because it is considered an alternate application of Control Mana!, effects can persist simultaneously. The lack of simultaneous spells is part of why I passed on GURPS Thaumatology: Sorcery. Sorcerous Empowerment also prioritizes known spells over improvised ones, and in this setting I wanted it to be sort of the opposite.

Thanks for the feedback, Ref. I want to try to include some kind Time, FP/HP, material component, and difficulty gradient as well, but I'm glad to know the base concept isn't totally nonfunctional.

Jinumon

[Refplace]

Originally Posted by Jinumon

Good idea.

Well he is Kromm :)

Originally Posted by Jinumon

I'm actually calling mine "Sorcery" but figured I'd pick something else in the forums as to avoid confusion.

Dont you hate it when you have a perfectly good homebrew system then something comes along that makes you have to rename it?

Originally Posted by Jinumon

Thanks for the feedback, Ref. I want to try to include some kind Time, FP/HP, material component, and difficulty gradient as well, but I'm glad to know the base concept isn't totally nonfunctional.

Jinumon

Well its just my untested opinion, but your welcome.
My main concern is buying off limitations, that is something you have to manage very carefully but I think those are ok, I would never allow it on a limited use type limitation for example.