10-31-2017, 12:23 PM | #1 |
Join Date: Jul 2012
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Forbidden Magic Front & Magic Laundering
This is less a rules question and more about getting some opinions for character-design and recommended spell lists, using the standard GURPS Magic rules with Thaumatology Magical Styles.
BACKGROUND: The premise is a wizard who specialises in the Onyx Path, but the Onyx Path is a forbidden style (hunted at worst and shunned at best), and they want to be able to masquerade among other wizards as a more respectable kind of magic-wielder. The attitude to a style such as Underworld Lore is not as bad, but still pretty negative, it’s the kind of thing someone could get away with dabbling in but not to be perceived as a specialist in. The setting is more in line with GURPS Horror in a historical setting but later becoming modern, with public belief in the supernatural decreasing as people get into the Age of Reason. Rules can be borrowed from Dungeon Fantasy where convenient (power-ups, perks, etc), but the world is not DF, and the character is specifically not a delver. QUESTION: Which spells are best for a wizard to earn an income or provide a cover story to other wizards for how the wizard earns an income? Assume 20 points reserved for these spells + prerequisites. IQ + Magery enough to only need to spend 1 point per spell. Please do not suggest Style Familiarity unless it gives a shortcut to learning the money-making spells with fewer points. Thanks in advance. Last edited by Railstar; 11-01-2017 at 07:30 PM. Reason: clarification because the thread got side-tracked |
10-31-2017, 05:17 PM | #2 |
Wielder of Smart Pants
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Ventura CA
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Re: Forbidden Magic Front & Magic Laundering
Why don't they just study a second, more acceptable, style?
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10-31-2017, 05:53 PM | #3 |
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: On the road again...
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Re: Forbidden Magic Front & Magic Laundering
Agreed. Nothing prevents a mage from studying multiple styles, just like nothing prevents a martial artist from studying multiple martial styles.
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10-31-2017, 06:03 PM | #4 |
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Jacksonville, AR
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Re: Forbidden Magic Front & Magic Laundering
I'd go with Healing spells if allowed with medical skills.
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Travis Foster |
10-31-2017, 08:46 PM | #5 | |
Join Date: Jul 2012
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Re: Forbidden Magic Front & Magic Laundering
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Related to that, appearing to be a senior wizard rather than a novice would mean more respect from other wizards. It's possible. There's enough overlap with the Onyx Path (Final Rest, Recover Energy, Resist Disease & Suspended Animation) and being able to heal undead minions is always useful for a necromancer, so I see a lot of synergy there. It'd also be only 3 points for Lend Energy [1], Lend Vitality [1] & Minor Healing [1] I'm not sure how far they'd want to specialise in the Healing tree, at least initially, but it's certainly a good option to have in their toolbox and socially acceptable. |
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10-31-2017, 10:47 PM | #6 |
Join Date: Nov 2004
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Re: Forbidden Magic Front & Magic Laundering
How proprietary are other schools about their practices? In your shoes, I might see if the GM would allow an Unusual Training perk to pick up another Style Familiarity without all the backup skills. As long as there's some overlap, you could say youve read some of their stuff and can talk a good game as ling as you're not having to infiltrate heir chapter house or something.
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11-01-2017, 10:09 AM | #7 | |
Join Date: Jul 2012
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Re: Forbidden Magic Front & Magic Laundering
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So overall, not too proprietary. Cross-study would be accepted. The schools provide a way of learning rather than actively guard the knowledge. Buying Style Familiarity without taking all the skills would be a no-go, but learning individual spells from those styles would be easily possible (although must offer something to exchange for each spell). Also adding Gift of Letters & History to the list of style spells that can be safely used as part of a public portfolio. |
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11-01-2017, 11:48 AM | #8 |
Wielder of Smart Pants
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Ventura CA
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Re: Forbidden Magic Front & Magic Laundering
How about taking a second style that has some spells in common, that way your point spent on them counts for both styles?
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11-01-2017, 01:41 PM | #9 | |
Join Date: Dec 2007
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Re: Forbidden Magic Front & Magic Laundering
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11-01-2017, 04:43 PM | #10 | ||
Join Date: Jul 2012
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Re: Forbidden Magic Front & Magic Laundering
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All of the official published styles using GURPS Magic (not Ritual Path Magic), or a more setting-friendly equivalent. So an extremist sect of druidic sorcerers or part of the Unseelie Court could use the same rules as Perfecting Rites of the Shaded Woodlands, even if there are subtle differences in their philosophy. Do the magicians know all the styles? None of the styles are exactly a secret, although the information is fairly decentralised. Only the inner workings of a style would require something like Hidden Lore. But the basics are pretty easy to figure out. Are there any styles that overlap with spells an Onyx Path magician can know? Only Underworld Lore, from what I can tell, which overlaps far too much. It wouldn’t give the wizard an appearance of respectability if used as a cover. They’re basically known as quasi-necromancers, so while the reaction would not be as extreme as openly using the Onyx Path, it would still cause most of the same problems. Overall, I definitely think individual collections of spells is a far better solution to trying to learn a second style from the ground up. |
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