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Old 04-20-2018, 10:37 AM   #1
Kromm
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Default Pyramid #3/114: Mind Over Magic

You hear strange laughter?
You believe you have been cursed?
It's all in your mind!
— Dr. Manfred Kromm, Respected Psychotherapist
Games often represent occult power as being surprisingly straightforward: Somebody says a few words and wiggles their fingers, and things catch fire, heads explode, demons appear. But in folk belief, supernatural abilities are rarely so direct. Curses and those who inflict them tend to be subtle – and even overt magic-users require time and secrecy to do their best (or worst!) work.

Pyramid #3/114: Mind Over Magic explores these esoteric themes. It aims to inject a little ritual and real-world superstition into your games – especially your fantasy games, where magic is too often reduced to fireballs, glowing swords, and pointy hats. Within you'll find:
The Incanter's Grimoire
By Christopher Rice
GURPS Dungeon Fantasy 19: Incantation Magic brought subtle ritual to the GURPS Dungeon Fantasy series, and now this article adds 16 more spells, along with notes on creating more and on adapting those from GURPS Thaumatology: Ritual Path Magic.

Names Have Power
By Rory Fansler
The concept of True Names is central to many views of magic. Past GURPS books have touched on the subject, but this piece goes into considerably greater detail, and should prove useful no matter what magic systems your campaign uses.

Eidetic Memory: Glass Magic and the Specularii
By David Pulver
The wizardry of GURPS Magic doesn't have to be all flashes and bangs, all the time. Sedate craftspeople and subtle spies have uses for it as well, as exemplified by the Glass sub-college, Magicae Speculum style (presented in GURPS Thaumatology: Magical Styles terms), and associated magical brotherhood.

Artifacts of Evil
By Paul Stefko
The best villains have the creepiest artifacts. Here are seven of these, defined using the rules in GURPS Thaumatology: Ritual Path Magic, along with guidelines on how to destroy them . . . or exploit them, if your heroes aren't 100% lily-white good guys.

The Carnie
By Sean Punch
Not everything weird and supernatural is magic per se. There are countless tales of evil clowns and sinister circuses, and these rules bring them to your GURPS Dungeon Fantasy campaign. Who says monsters have a monopoly on being downright frightening?

And as is our custom, Steven Marsh provides the foreword and afterword for this tome, his Random Thought Table offering ways to give adventurers secret powers that are really, truly secret.
Store Link: http://www.warehouse23.com/products/SJG37-2714
Preview PDF: http://www.warehouse23.com/media/SJG37-2714_preview.pdf
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Old 04-20-2018, 12:17 PM   #2
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Default Re: Pyramid #3/114: Mind Over Magic

I really liked this issue, to me the flavor behind the magic is at least as important as the mechanics of the magic system.
Of the handful of articles I have had published so far this was the most personal to me. The others were written to solve a problem (The Captains Boat) or flesh things out (Animal Combat, Alien Way of Thinking) but this one was meant first and foremost to add flavor.
My review is here.
My Designers Notes are also up.

For those who dont want to go there I will just say I liked the whole thing but Carnies takes the top spot this issue.
I'm going to build a goblin or kobold type race inspired by it and add carnival tropes to my primary fantasy setting.
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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!
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Old 04-20-2018, 12:41 PM   #3
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Default Re: Pyramid #3/114: Mind Over Magic

Quote:
Originally Posted by Kromm View Post
Names Have Power
By Rory Fansler
The concept of True Names is central to many views of magic. Past GURPS books have touched on the subject, but this piece goes into considerably greater detail, and should prove useful no matter what magic systems your campaign uses.
Ooooohhhh, I am looking forward to this one!


[EDIT]
Wow, that was a real typo.
[/EDIT]

Last edited by evileeyore; 04-20-2018 at 01:30 PM.
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Old 04-20-2018, 12:43 PM   #4
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Default Re: Pyramid #3/114: Mind Over Magic

Quote:
Originally Posted by evileeyore View Post
Ooooohhhh, I mean looking forward to this one!
Please let me know what you think then!
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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!
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Old 04-20-2018, 04:04 PM   #5
johndallman
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Default Re: Pyramid #3/114: Mind Over Magic

If I write this mad idea down, it might get out of my head. A carnival show, based on going through a maze in near-darkness, like a house of horrors, but dungeon-themed.

It seems an obvious thing to exist as entertainment, and would have a group of carnie performers dressed up as delvers to escort and/or rescue people going through, and playing the parts of monsters.

Then the Elder Things install a gateway, and things turn really weird. Normal delvers have to sort the problems out, while the carnies find themselves trying to cope with a genuine dungeon...
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Old 04-21-2018, 03:56 AM   #6
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Default Re: Pyramid #3/114: Mind Over Magic

The the Mad Power, would an Odious Racial Habit count instead of a personal one?
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Old 04-25-2018, 12:11 AM   #7
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Default Re: Pyramid #3/114: Mind Over Magic

A great issue, and continues the fun of GURPS magical systems.

I've been using the modifiers from Thaumatology for using a subject's real name, but this supplement brings more details to this.

It's also nice to see additional Magical Styles as well.
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Old 04-25-2018, 12:43 AM   #8
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Default Re: Pyramid #3/114: Mind Over Magic

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Originally Posted by SolemnGolem View Post
A great issue, and continues the fun of GURPS magical systems.

I've been using the modifiers from Thaumatology for using a subject's real name, but this supplement brings more details to this.

It's also nice to see additional Magical Styles as well.
Thank you very much!
I wish I had thought of a style for Namers but its a good idea now and I'll write one up and post it. Might be a few days, kinda busy on other things at the moment.
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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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