Spiritual Hit Points

[Jerander]

Originally Posted by b-dog

I want demons to be able to spiritually attack PCs in order to weaken the Spiritual Hit Points. If the PCs have negative Spiritual Hit Points then they are less resistant to being controlled by demons. A demon could then have two options of attack; the first would be to try to directly control the PC and this would be resisted by the PCs Will or the demon could do some spiritual attacks and reduce the Spiritual Hit Points below 0 and cause the PC to have a negative modifier to his Will roll. The second approach works well with DF style because it fits resource management just as normal Hit Points do.

Affliction (Disadvantage, Will -1, +x%)
Affiction (Disadvantage, Susceptiable to Mind Control 1, +y%)

[b-dog]

Originally Posted by Varyon

Mental HP (MP) would probably be based on Will rather than ST, but spiritual HP (SP) is difficult to come up with. Basing it on Per might work (Per is the closest GURPS has to D&D Wisdom, which is what I would go off of in that system). Alternatively, you could have MP be based on IQ and SP based on Will. Magery (and similar traits) might add to MP, while Power Investiture (and the like) would add to SP.

Dropping below 1/3 MP would penalize Will (or IQ) much as dropping below 1/3 HP penalizes DX. At 0 MP and lower, you risk falling unconscious, rolling against Will (or IQ) rather than HT. At -1xMP, you risk mental death, which reduces the character to a vegetable (the body still lives, so if you can somehow get a new consciousness in there it will work).

SP would be similar, except penalizing Per (or Will). Unconsciousness from SP damage temporarily turns your PC into a completely amoral NPC. Spiritual death means you've lost your soul, making the character completely amoral.

EDIT: I should note that these three together can make resurrection appropriately difficult - you need to find and fix up the body, find (in the astral plane?) and fix up the mind, and find (in the afterlife) and fix up the soul, then you need some ritual to combine the three back together. Flub it up and the person just dies again (failed to fix up the body), is a vegetable (failed to fix up the mind), or is an amoral monster (failed to fix up the soul).

This is really cool. Thanks.

[Walrus]

I'd say that this stretches GURPS mechanics too much. Characters pay points for definite mechanics, and if you rise some of them, you penalize others for their points (i mean those who didn't invest in all those risen advanatages).

FP attack with appropriate custom Hazard and, maybe, Symptoms is pretty devastating. You can make the entire environment hazardous for sanity or soul.

Fright (and Awe and Confusion) Checks shouldn't be underestimated as well. You can substitute some checks with Will-based skills as well (if you know a lot about demons, you wouldn't be so frigtened about them).

And if it becomes a focus of your game, check Horror for Corruption mechanics and other as well.

[b-dog]

In my gameworld demons want souls/spirit and they get them by defiling them trough spiritual attacks, weakening the resistance of the PC until he or she can no longer resist their evil suggestions and powers. Having Spiritual Hit Points fits well with the concept I have in my mind but maybe it is just too complicated for GURPS?

[Jerander]

The mechanics (Corruption, Derangement, Afflictions, etc.) as is can support what you want just fine. Or you can make up your own new mechanics. Making up your own raises questions of balance and point costs.

[JCurwen3]

In Nomine has three "realms", Corporeal, Ethereal, and Celestial. They're basically physical (body), mental (mind), and spiritual (soul). They're all tracked separately, and there are combat modes for each.

GURPS: In Nomine is a conversion. Mental HP start from IQ, and extra ones are bought as Extra HP with the limitation "Only for mental attacks", -50% (since the loss of these and importance is less significant than physical HP loss). Mind HP heal at the same rate at physical, but you use IQ instead of HT rolls for healing checks. Spiritual HP, or soul hits, start equal to Will, with extra ones bought as Extra HP with the limitation "Only for celestial attacks", -20%. Your healing checks for those are based on Will. There's more info if you're interested, but I don't want to plagiarize too much from the book either!

[b-dog]

Does GURPS In Nomine give damage amounts for spiritual and mental attacks?

[sir_pudding]

Originally Posted by b-dog

Does GURPS In Nomine give damage amounts for spiritual and mental attacks?

Yes. However spiritual attacks are usually the result of Celestial Combat (fights between Angles and/or Demons outside of corporeal vessels) and mental attacks are the result of Ethereal Combat which generally only happens in the Ethereal realm.

[b-dog]

Is there something analogous to dodging or parrying for spiritual and mental combat?

[sir_pudding]

Originally Posted by b-dog

Is there something analogous to dodging or parrying for spiritual and mental combat?

Active Defenses work in Celestial and Ethereal combat. It's pretty much like normal combat except in a different "realm".