06-20-2018, 12:56 PM | #1 |
Join Date: Aug 2004
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Complementing Chinese Elemental Powers
What magic systems would go well with Chinese Elemental Powers? I'm considering a variant of the Alchemy rules to beef up the Alchemy and Herb Lore skills, using the Sacred Architecture rules from Urban Magic to incorporate some more Feng Shui, and possibly doing something based on Path Magic and using the Chinese Mystical Modifiers from Thaumatology to address Chinese beliefs concerning gods and spirits. What else would be appropriate?
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06-20-2018, 03:47 PM | #2 |
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: Yukon, OK
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Re: Complementing Chinese Elemental Powers
I think most could be adapted.
RPM could be different Paths, though balancing them would take some work. Path/Book, Realm. Symbols, all could work. I tried to do the I Ching as a Symbol system but it was a lot of work and unsatisfactory in the end.
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My GURPS publications GURPS Powers: Totem and Nature Spirits; GURPS Template Toolkit 4: Spirits; Pyramid articles. Buying them lets us know you want more! My GURPS fan contribution and blog: REFPLace GURPS Landing Page My List of GURPS You Tube videos (plus a few other useful items) My GURPS Wiki entries |
06-20-2018, 04:06 PM | #4 |
Join Date: Feb 2016
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Re: Complementing Chinese Elemental Powers
I would suggest a five element version of Realms with the following fthree significant weaknesses (Thaumotology, pp. 188 to 192). First, Realms are incapable of permanently creating matter, though they can permanently transform matter through applications of magic. Second, Realms are incapable of permanently destroying matter, though they can damage matter through applications of magic. Third, Realms cannot produce effects that go backwards in time, as what has occurred cannot be undone with mortal magic. I would have six levels per Realm, though only gods could learn and use the sixth level, meaning that each level would cost 10 points.
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06-20-2018, 04:48 PM | #5 |
Join Date: Aug 2004
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Re: Complementing Chinese Elemental Powers
And that plays well with Chinese Elemental Powers? I could be wrong, but such a system strikes me as something that would end up competing with or replacing the Powers, not complementing them.
In general, I'm looking for systems that do something different than what the Elemental Powers do: making elixirs or concoctions, contacting spirits, etc. |
06-21-2018, 06:19 AM | #6 |
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Austin Texas
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Re: Complementing Chinese Elemental Powers
Go with sorcery but limit power spells to appropriate to a magic practitioner of that area.
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06-21-2018, 07:21 AM | #7 |
Join Date: Aug 2004
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Re: Complementing Chinese Elemental Powers
Sorcery strikes me as too similar to Chinese Elemental Powers. Unless it can be shown to be especially appropriate, I'd rather steer away from using multiple Power-based systems together.
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06-21-2018, 07:30 AM | #8 | |
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: Canada
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Re: Complementing Chinese Elemental Powers
Quote:
I do get the appeal of having a different mechanic for each, but things have to get very apples and fruitbats levels of "doing different stuff" before a different mechanic makes me comfortable.
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06-21-2018, 07:52 AM | #9 | |
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: Yukon, OK
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Re: Complementing Chinese Elemental Powers
Quote:
On the chance he is, all Chinese Elemental Powers is though is really a list of prebuilt abilities. So it could fit fine within Sorcery or you could just save points by buying many of them as alternative abilities. That loses the flexibility of Sorcery but could potentially be cheaper for higher end abilities, especially if you only have a few of them.
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My GURPS publications GURPS Powers: Totem and Nature Spirits; GURPS Template Toolkit 4: Spirits; Pyramid articles. Buying them lets us know you want more! My GURPS fan contribution and blog: REFPLace GURPS Landing Page My List of GURPS You Tube videos (plus a few other useful items) My GURPS Wiki entries |
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06-21-2018, 09:47 AM | #10 |
Join Date: Aug 2004
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Re: Complementing Chinese Elemental Powers
I'm not intending to use Sorcery here; so yeah, it's a moot point. Besides, one thing Sorcery doesn't handle well is ceremonial magic: it assumes that all spells require nothing more than a second of concentration and the expenditure of a FP — quick, no muss and no fuss. That doesn't really work for Chinese Alchemists, for instance.
As well, Sorcery doesn't strike me as a good target for the Chinese Mystical Modifiers found in the Appendix of Thaumatology; and one thing I'm hoping to do is to put them to use. Path/Book Magic, on the other hand, works well with said Modifiers; my main concern there lies in what the Paths or Books should be. My initial impulse was to use the Path column in the Bagua Modifers table as a basis for an eight-Path set: e.g., the first cut for the Path of Li gets all of the Rituals from the Path of Cunning, while the first cut for the Path of K'un starts with the Rituals from the Path of Dreams, supplemented by Path of Health Rituals that are limited to healing humans. Further refinement would be needed, of course. |
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