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Old 09-14-2016, 01:38 AM   #1
Jürgen Hubert
 
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Default Brainstorming Magical Styles concepts for starting adventurers

As pointed out in the Banestorm thread, I would prefer it if starting mages couldn't just pick and choose from the overall spell lists, but are required to join one or more magical styles. This would (a) increase verisimilitude, (b) make mages more varied, and (c) give some interesting social context to mages - while mages are in many way a breed apart from the "mundane" population, having different groups of mages express "school pride" and arguing about which approach to magic is "better" would make for great color to a campaign.


But for that to happen we need to have lots of magical styles to choose from for aspiring mages. So let's brainstorm some concepts for magical styles. What kind of styles would likely exist that (a) contain useful spells for beginning adventurers while (b) having a purpose in the world beyond training adventuring mages?
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Old 09-14-2016, 05:26 AM   #2
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Default Re: Brainstorming Magical Styles concepts for starting adventurers

Order of the Magic Fist: View magic as something to internalize and improve the self first and foremost. Spells are geared toward self imprimprovement, mostly body control and weapon spells (like Icy Weapon), though a defensive spell or two wouldn't go amiss.

Order of The Oak: View magic as the source of all life. Use healing, plant, and animal spells. Would act as a world wide healing order and helping farming communities to have healthy harvests.

Order of The Frozen Mind: Magic is a natural force as cold and uncaring as the ice from the northern mountains. Spell wise they are ice and water themes but philosophically they tend to be a cold logical bunch. As such they make great neutral third parties for disputes and excellent advisers.

Order of the Mountain: Magic is alive in all substances, it just needs to be brought out. They are the magical craftsmen of the world, with the make and break college coupled with any spell that would help such a profession (shape earth and wood. Possibly a shape ice spell for ice carvings, a High Manual Dex spell, and such).

Order of The Seekers: Believe magic truly originates in whatever world is after this one and have dedicated their lives to proving it. Members spend many hours studying the nature of magic and death, though seeking the answers to other mysteries is also encouraged so they don't stagnate mentally. Knowledge spells and necromancy are their specialty.

Let me know what you think. I have plenty more (plan on a game using them at some point) but have no time to post them right now. Oh, and if you need more detail that will have to wait. Don't have my notes with me, but I can add more detail in later if requested. Hope these help!
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Old 09-14-2016, 05:47 AM   #3
Jürgen Hubert
 
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Default Re: Brainstorming Magical Styles concepts for starting adventurers

Quote:
Originally Posted by Illusion158 View Post
Let me know what you think. I have plenty more (plan on a game using them at some point) but have no time to post them right now. Oh, and if you need more detail that will have to wait. Don't have my notes with me, but I can add more detail in later if requested. Hope these help!
Okay, thanks!

First of all, all of these groups have names beginning with "Order of the", which implies some strong cultural naming traditions which probably don't quite fit to Yrth or many other fantasy settings. Some variety would be useful.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Illusion158 View Post
Order of The Oak: View magic as the source of all life. Use healing, plant, and animal spells. Would act as a world wide healing order and helping farming communities to have healthy harvests.

Order of the Mountain: Magic is alive in all substances, it just needs to be brought out. They are the magical craftsmen of the world, with the make and break college coupled with any spell that would help such a profession (shape earth and wood. Possibly a shape ice spell for ice carvings, a High Manual Dex spell, and such).
These are the only two orders where it is apparent how they derive their income - one in the countryside, and the other one in the towns and cities. On Yrth, the former might get hassled from time to time for pagan sympathies - which some local circles might indeed have (I suspect that there are few magical orders on Yrth organized on a national scale that don't have sponsorship by a national government, though there are probably magical traditions that span a nation with lots of local cells. The Order of the Mountain might also be associated with the dwarves - which also might get some suspicion about possible heresies, but not nearly as much as the Order of the Oak.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Illusion158 View Post
Order of the Magic Fist: View magic as something to internalize and improve the self first and foremost. Spells are geared toward self imprimprovement, mostly body control and weapon spells (like Icy Weapon), though a defensive spell or two wouldn't go amiss.
That would fit into Sahud, where they could subsist on donations from the population, but in Megalos and other nations of Yrth this wouldn't be popular other than with Sahudese expatriates and maybe some idle rich who can afford to dabble in such philosophies. "Self-Improvement" for its own sake does not strike me as a particular popular goal among the societies of Megalos et. al.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Illusion158 View Post
Order of The Frozen Mind: Magic is a natural force as cold and uncaring as the ice from the northern mountains. Spell wise they are ice and water themes but philosophically they tend to be a cold logical bunch. As such they make great neutral third parties for disputes and excellent advisers.
Megalos probably doesn't have many "neutral advisers" and doesn't want them. Caithness could use them, but they don't have as much mana to support such a group. Cardiel is too far south.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Illusion158 View Post
Order of The Seekers: Believe magic truly originates in whatever world is after this one and have dedicated their lives to proving it. Members spend many hours studying the nature of magic and death, though seeking the answers to other mysteries is also encouraged so they don't stagnate mentally. Knowledge spells and necromancy are their specialty.
Vilest heresy! Not that this will stop some people... :p

But these sound cool - keep them coming!
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Old 09-14-2016, 06:02 AM   #4
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Default Re: Brainstorming Magical Styles concepts for starting adventurers

Members of (prestigious name) College: Masters of magical theory even if individuals may lack practical skill. Prestigious, Excellent at more theoretical applications of magic (counter spells, identification)

Worldshapers: Strong at spells that do not directly effect living things, When casting at a living thing they require an item to cast through (or other such weakness).

Runic manipulators: enchanters who specialize in working with existing enchantments. Very good at dealing with magical traps. Work as trouble shooters for enchanting guilds.

Followers of the whispering god: crosses over with a religious sect whose dubious god provides them with access to a huge range of spells.

Astrologers: excellent at mapping the magical landscape and tapping in to various celestial power surges etc. They require a large amount of paperwork and astronomy equipment to do this though.

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Last edited by (E); 09-14-2016 at 06:11 AM.
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Old 09-14-2016, 06:59 AM   #5
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Default Re: Brainstorming Magical Styles concepts for starting adventurers

Some of the styles in the GURPS Magical Styles Fan Netbook might be useful

https://wiki.rpg.net/index.php/GURPS...es_Fan_Netbook
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Old 09-14-2016, 07:17 AM   #6
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Default Re: Brainstorming Magical Styles concepts for starting adventurers

For my Project I created a "private investigator" style, which has most of the Knowledge college and a smattering of other things. I built the style not specifically for PCs in mind (since there isn't a single combat-related spell in the style) but for ride-along NPCs. My players love them some hack-and-slash and they don't often pay attention to the details, so having a buddy along who remembers to actually investigate what's going on around them is useful.
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Old 09-14-2016, 08:06 AM   #7
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Default Re: Brainstorming Magical Styles concepts for starting adventurers

Seekers are likely to make a living dousing wells, providing evidence in court/ acting as private detectives, and so forth. That isn't a ton of work, but its a good amount.

Manner of Saint Yalthreb:
Saint Yalthreb was a goblin priest who spent much of his life teaching that magic was a gift from god and those blessed with magery had a duty to serve. Yalthrebites study the healing of both body and mind, as well as knowledge spells and a few mental spells aimed resolving disputes

Sea Mage:
Sea mages live on the coast, or more frequently, on boats. A good sea mage can really make a trip easier, as he can make the water more accessible, providing protection from monsters and actual knowledge about areas fished, predict storms, and sometimes even destroy storms. While a few spells are their bread and butter, they learn a good number of water, air, and weather spells.

Sea mages have an odd obsession with languages: they frequently travel to both other lands and deal with the natives of the sea, and have several spells facilitating communication.
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Old 09-14-2016, 08:13 AM   #8
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Default Re: Brainstorming Magical Styles concepts for starting adventurers

The Doctor's schul:
A style developed in the Jewish-run hospital in Tredroy, it combines practical healing and cleansing spells with Jewish theology / mysticism and medical training.
It might even expand into some knowledge spells and individual practitioners will often find their own niche and learn spells in that direction.
Oh, and it should probably include debating and research skills, as it has some overlap with a traditional Yeshiva.
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Old 09-14-2016, 09:35 AM   #9
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Default Re: Brainstorming Magical Styles concepts for starting adventurers

Glad you like them so far! Apologies for the ones that don't seem to fit culturally and the naming conventions. Don't know much about Yrth beyond reading about it for a VERY short lived SWAT game some time ago. The names are just what I've been calling them in my notes to keep track of things, but ill try and come up with more varied ones from here on. (No promises. Im bad at coming up with names for things. >.<)

Order of Arcane (The Arcanists): They have no preconceived notions as to WHAT magic is or HOW. Instead, while others bicker about philosophies, they actually study it to find out. Their spells are mostly knowledge and meta spells. But it is also highly unusual to find a member who doesn't ALSO have other knowledge based skills. They are historians, archaeologists, alchemists, biologists, astrologists, and anything else that they think will help them find where the secret of magic is hiding.

Order of the Firestorm (Blazing Maw): Magic is an all consuming force, be careful not to get burned. Practioners of this style believe magic is a dangerous, albeit controllable force. They practice fire magic and tend to be as fiery and passionate as the flames they wield.

Order of Silent Dawn (Fallacy of Senses): Magic is what you perceive. Or is it? Practioners are, on face value, learned philosophers who research whether magic, or indeed the world, is as we perceive it to be. Perhaps something is clouding our senses? In truth they are an order of thieves and assassins with access to the sound and light and darkness spells with a smattering of other sense manipulation and enhancing spells.

Order of the Elements (Elementalis): Magic is in the air we breathe, the water we drink, the fire we make, and the earth beneath our feet. Practitioners believe a better understanding of the elements leads to a better understanding of the world that is comprised of them. They have access to the 4 elemental colleges, but cannot summon Elementalis. They CAN make and control them however. (Unlike more specialized schools in my setting, this style cannot use magical techniques)

I have 4 more I can remember right now but break is over so will post later. Oh and in my setting some schools function on yearly tuition from all members since being an official current member has social benefits, hence why some aren't obviously profitable.
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Old 09-22-2016, 12:03 AM   #10
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Default Re: Brainstorming Magical Styles concepts for starting adventurers

If you have a copy of Banestorm: Abydos, you can probably get a few necromantic styles from looking at the way carious organizations on the island operate.

Saint Magdalene's College would probably provide the most common style among the educated classes on Abydos, focusing on necromancy (but without Summon Demon), with a number of spells from the other colleges being available (probably including several mind control and healing spells, but the book doesn't explicitly detail magical styles, beyond the suggestion that most magical students have as many points in necromantic spells as in all other colleges combined). A lot of students are apparently accomplished duelists by the time they graduate, which makes sense given what the island's culture is like.
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