08-06-2015, 05:28 PM | #1 |
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Dobbstown Sane Asylum
|
GURPS Thaumatology: Sorcery
I'm going to break protocol here by first addressing my fellow hardcore GURPS geeks clearly and frankly. GURPS Thaumatology: Sorcery combines the colleges and themes of GURPS Magic with a new power framework and spells built as advantages. It includes nearly 50 spells and simple rules for adapting the rest. A lot of you have been asking for this for years. We heard you. It's here. Go buy it. :)
Okay, back to my normal promotional voice . . . Versatility. Most GURPS magic systems treat spells as skills, with an emphasis on education and a fairly narrow range of power. The main difference between an apprentice and an archmage is how much time and fatigue it costs them to work their mystical mojo. But this doesn't fit all worlds. Many settings call for a magic system that scales directly with campaign power level, in which a 500-point magus can work effects that a 75-point dabbler could never hope to attain. The difference between them isn't how long their spells take or how many FP they have to burn, but simply a matter of sheer power. Specifically, the power of sorcery. GURPS Thaumatology: Sorcery is a new system that models spells as abilities (advantages plus appropriate modifiers) gathered into a new power framework. A typical sorcerer will have a modest number of spells in his grimoire, but nearly all take just one second and 1 FP to cast . . . and many can be cast automatically, with no roll! And when none of his spells will fit the job, he has a limited ability to improvise -- to come up with the perfect cantrip to fit the situation. The more character points he sinks into sorcery, the more powerful his known and improvised spells become. The end result is a spellcaster whose magic is practically an extension of his mind and body -- for whom wizardry is as simple as walking and talking. Creating new sorcerous spells is a snap, because all of GURPS becomes your potential grimoire. If you can build it using advantages, it can be your latest ritual, just by following the simple, straightforward guidelines in this book. Just as important, you can feel confident that your spell is balanced against others, since more power means spending more character points. It's the ultimate "spell design system." And the enchanting rules let you go a step further, by turning any spell into a magic item that you can use, give to a teammate, or sell for a tidy profit! (And non-sorcerers will happily drop cash for these artifacts, once they see how versatile and powerful they can be.) With GURPS Thaumatology: Sorcery, your magicians are limited only by their own power and ambition. Choose your spells and demonstrate your mastery over reality. -- PK See the Preview: http://www.warehouse23.com/media/SJG37-1656_preview.pdf Buy the Book: http://www.warehouse23.com/products/...tology-sorcery
__________________
Reverend Pee Kitty of the Order Malkavian-Dobbsian (Twitter) (LJ) MyGURPS: My house rules and GURPS resources.
#SJGamesLive: I answered questions about GURPS After the End and more! {Watch Video} - {Read Transcript} Last edited by PK; 08-06-2015 at 08:20 PM. |
08-06-2015, 05:57 PM | #2 |
Join Date: Jul 2012
Location: A crappy state called Illinois
|
Re: GURPS Thaumatology: Sorcery
*Throws money at my smartphone* Take it, just take it already! This book literally couldn't of comes out at a more perfect time for me since I was already planning on converting Gurps magic spells to your sorcery rules this later this week.
__________________
GURB: Ultra-Tech Reloaded Normies: Man! The government is filled with liars and thieves! Me: Well yeah, here's what they're lying about, what they're stealing from you, and who's doing it. Normies: Rolls eyes Shut up conspiracy theorist Me: >.> |
08-06-2015, 06:04 PM | #3 |
Computer Scientist
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Dallas, Texas
|
Re: GURPS Thaumatology: Sorcery
How is the Sorcery system different from the Divine Powers system?
|
08-06-2015, 06:21 PM | #4 |
Join Date: Dec 2008
|
Re: GURPS Thaumatology: Sorcery
Does this add anything to the Sorcery Framework from Pyramid other than the converted spell lists from GURPS Magic?
|
08-06-2015, 06:29 PM | #5 | |
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Dobbstown Sane Asylum
|
Re: GURPS Thaumatology: Sorcery
Quote:
Pretty much everything else is different. The core advantage is based on a custom Modular Ability which offers two different ways to improvise spells (whereas divine favor is effectively a Patron). Sorcery uses a standard power Talent. The spells themselves use a -15% Sorcery PM that differs greatly from the -10% Divine one. The spells feature keywords (like Area, Obvious, and Resisted) which flag them as being governed by certain rules. Sorcerous spells can be turned into enchanted items via the Enchant spell, which are then bought and sold for cash. And a myriad of other differences too minor to list. Hopefully you'll find that all of the above contributes to a very different feel between the two. A paragon channels all of his abilities from a higher power; even with learned prayers, it's still "you get what your god decides to give you." Conversely, a sorcerer has an innate knack for magic -- magic under his personal control. If a spell isn't good enough, he can use extra effort to increase its potency or improvise an entirely new spell. My goal was for a sorcerer to feel 100% in control of his magical power, in contrast to the paragon who asks for help from his deity and then channels its will. (Not that the latter is a bad thing! In particular, the paragon can channel power far beyond what his learned prayers would suggest, while the sorcerer is limited to what spells his Sorcery can enable.)
__________________
Reverend Pee Kitty of the Order Malkavian-Dobbsian (Twitter) (LJ) MyGURPS: My house rules and GURPS resources.
#SJGamesLive: I answered questions about GURPS After the End and more! {Watch Video} - {Read Transcript} |
|
08-06-2015, 06:32 PM | #6 | |
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Dobbstown Sane Asylum
|
Re: GURPS Thaumatology: Sorcery
Quote:
It would be fair to say that "The Power of Sorcery" was my way of dipping my toe into the concept of this system, and with this book I was able to dive in completely.
__________________
Reverend Pee Kitty of the Order Malkavian-Dobbsian (Twitter) (LJ) MyGURPS: My house rules and GURPS resources.
#SJGamesLive: I answered questions about GURPS After the End and more! {Watch Video} - {Read Transcript} |
|
08-06-2015, 06:53 PM | #7 |
☣
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: Southeast NC
|
Re: GURPS Thaumatology: Sorcery
Why do things like this always come out right when my funds are dried up?
__________________
RyanW - Actually one normal sized guy in three tiny trenchcoats. |
08-06-2015, 07:55 PM | #8 |
Join Date: May 2008
Location: CA
|
Re: GURPS Thaumatology: Sorcery
After a quick glance through, this looks pretty sweet. The magic items bit is pretty cool indeed, though I'd have liked to see some buffs without an FP cost as well (I'd make that cost extra EP, though).
|
08-06-2015, 08:16 PM | #9 |
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Dobbstown Sane Asylum
|
Re: GURPS Thaumatology: Sorcery
You could certainly do so. After a lot of talking about it, Kromm and I decided that it was important to always ensure that there was some cost for buffs, etc., simply for game balance. "1 FP per buff per hour" is a very minor cost, practically a special effect, but it's enough that the PC can't just claim "always on" benefits with zero consequences. And considering how cheaply "usually on" Buff artifacts can be made, it seemed that it had the potential to really unbalance a typical party by having the sorcerer simply whip up powerful Buff items for everyone.
__________________
Reverend Pee Kitty of the Order Malkavian-Dobbsian (Twitter) (LJ) MyGURPS: My house rules and GURPS resources.
#SJGamesLive: I answered questions about GURPS After the End and more! {Watch Video} - {Read Transcript} |
08-06-2015, 09:20 PM | #10 |
World's Worst Detective
Join Date: May 2011
Location: Columbus, Ohio
|
Re: GURPS Thaumatology: Sorcery
Bought it immediately. My only question is... Do I use Sorcery or do I use Ritual Path Magic? This is probably one of the most difficult dilemmas I will have to tackle this week. What do you think, PK? What are the pros and cons of each system? Could they even be used together (like Divine Favor in Pyramid #3/66)? First of all, at first glance, this seems a lot more expensive than Ritual Path Magic, but I suppose this is probably more... powerful? You're not spending a bunch of time channeling energy and whatnot. Hmm... Hmm, indeed.
Anyway, thanks to everyone involved in this great release! EDIT: Would there be a way to make Sorcery cheaper, but to make it work a little bit more like RPM? I know that's pretty darn vague, but I'm about to fall asleep and my brain isn't working very well.
__________________
Raekai's links: My blog about conlanging, GURPS, and other stuff! — Using Knowing Your Own Strength with Conditional Injury Simulating multiple attacks Wildcard Power Pool: a flexible magic/powers system Magic to RPM complete conversion v2 (incomplete) Perussinexian Magic 2 (outdated) Last edited by Raekai; 08-06-2015 at 09:30 PM. |
Tags |
cancellation, powers, thaumatology |
|
|