[RPM] Post your rituals here

[Christopher R. Rice]

Originally Posted by Varyon

Honestly, I'd be tempted to just call the whole affair a Greater Transform Body effect - after all, I don't think a ritual to turn a person into an elephant requires a Strengthen Body effect for the bonus ST.

I could get behind this as well.

[ajardoor]

Okay, then, here's a errata'd version (BTW, anything wrong with the reductions for backlash, Fright Checks and required materials?)

----
Enchant Army of Hell
Spell Effects: Greater Transform Body.
Inherent Modifiers: Altered Traits, increased ST, increased DX, DR and Terror (Always On).
Greater Effects: 1 (x3).

This horrid spell (said to be discovered or invented in medieval Japan) allows a bunch of fighting men to temporary become demonic parodies of themselves and gain gruesome combat prowess. It requires a katana that has been bathed in human blood for 24 hours to be wielded by the caster, who will suffer backlash in the form of -2 IQ penalty for a minute and may roll Will once per minute after that to recover. Both the caster and the subjects will suffer a Fright Check when this spell is casted (and if the rules for Stress and Derangement from GURPS Horror are being used, this is a Sanity-Blasting Fright Check).
The subjects within the area of effect (10 yards here) will, for the duration of the spell (10 minutes here), be transformed into twisted and powerful semi-demonic warriors, granting them +5 ST, +2 DX, DR 8 and the Terror (B93) advantage (on sight) with the Always On limitation.

Typical Casting: Area of Effect, 10 yards (8) + Duration, 10 minutes (1) + Altered Traits, +5 ST, +2 DX, Terror (Always On, -20%) and DR 8 (154) + Subject Weight, 300 lbs. (3) + Greater Transform Body (8). 522 energy (174x3).
Note: Non-resistable -2 IQ damage backlash to the caster (-10%), required materials of a katana bathed in human blood for 24 hours (-5%) and a non-resistable Fright Check (-30%) backlash for both the caster and the subjects makes for a total energy reduction of -45%, to 287 energy.

[Christopher R. Rice]

Originally Posted by ajardoor

Okay, then, here's a errata'd version (BTW, anything wrong with the reductions for backlash, Fright Checks and required materials?)

----
Enchant Army of Hell
Spell Effects: Greater Transform Body.
Inherent Modifiers: Altered Traits, increased ST, increased DX, DR and Terror (Always On).
Greater Effects: 1 (x3).

This horrid spell (said to be discovered or invented in medieval Japan) allows a bunch of fighting men to temporary become demonic parodies of themselves and gain gruesome combat prowess. It requires a katana that has been bathed in human blood for 24 hours to be wielded by the caster, who will suffer backlash in the form of -2 IQ penalty for a minute and may roll Will once per minute after that to recover. Both the caster and the subjects will suffer a Fright Check when this spell is casted (and if the rules for Stress and Derangement from GURPS Horror are being used, this is a Sanity-Blasting Fright Check).
The subjects within the area of effect (10 yards here) will, for the duration of the spell (10 minutes here), be transformed into twisted and powerful semi-demonic warriors, granting them +5 ST, +2 DX, DR 8 and the Terror (B93) advantage (on sight) with the Always On limitation.

Typical Casting: Area of Effect, 10 yards (8) + Duration, 10 minutes (1) + Altered Traits, +5 ST, +2 DX, Terror (Always On, -20%) and DR 8 (154) + Subject Weight, 300 lbs. (3) + Greater Transform Body (8). 522 energy (174x3).
Note: Non-resistable -2 IQ damage backlash to the caster (-10%), required materials of a katana bathed in human blood for 24 hours (-5%) and a non-resistable Fright Check (-30%) backlash for both the caster and the subjects makes for a total energy reduction of -45%, to 287 energy.

I can't remember what I priced a Fright Check as - but I don't think -30% would be it. That's a lot for a result that might be nothing but stunning or retching. Maybe -20% for non-resistible and -10% if you can. I'd base the required materials on a Trigger myself at half cost and see where that goes. Spell looks okay otherwise.

[ajardoor]

That would make the reductions higher, if you can believe it - assuming the Trigger is both illegal (...yes) and occasional (very expensive and hard to find), final value halved.

The Fright Check technically already is resisted (via a Will roll plus Fearlessness, capped at 13...), so an extra Will roll before that seems a little finicky.

The final revised Note would be;

Note: Non-resistable -2 IQ damage backlash to the caster (-10%), required materials of a katana bathed in human blood for 24 hours (-22%) and a non-resistable Fright Check (-20%) backlash for both the caster and the subjects makes for a total energy reduction of -52%, to 251 energy.

[ajardoor]

Cleanse Ignorance
Spell Effects: Lesser Strengthen Mind.
Inherent Modifiers: Bestows a Bonus, +5 to a single mental skill.
Greater Effects: 0 (x1).

For the duration of the spell (a hour, by default), the subject (either the caster herself or touched by the caster, by default) receives a +5 bonus to a single mental skill chosen by the caster at the moment of casting (although as per the limits on Stacking Spells (Thaumatology: Ritual Path Magic page 15), this skill cannot be Thaumatology or a Path Skill).

Typical Casting: Lesser Strengthen Mind (3) + Bestows a Bonus, +5 to a single mental skill (16) + Duration, 1 hour (3). 22 energy (22x1).


Reveal Cosmic Truth
Spell Effects: Greater Destroy Mind.
Inherent Modifiers: Altered Trait, Chronic Depression.
Greater Effects: 1 (x3).

This spell crushes the will to live of the subject and makes her constantly miserable (the name is a rather cynical and creepy choice by a master adept). For the duration of the spell (one week, by default), the subject suffers the Chronic Depression disadvantage (B126) with a Self-Control number of 12. By default, the subject must within 10 yards of the caster for this spell.

Typical Casting: Duration, 1 week (9) + Altered Trait, Chronic Depression (12) (3) + Greater Destroy Mind (5) + Range, 10 yards (4). 63 energy (21x3).

[oneofmanynameless]

I've been making a Necromancer sort and have been struggling with the most basic of necromantic prowes: Summoning or creating new undead. Mostly... is it really just:

Greater Create Undead
+Duration; +Subject weight

I guess you'd need a Greater Control Undead in there if you want it to be your servant... or a Lesser Control Undead for minor non-sapient ghostly type undead.

Is there such a thing as a Lesser Create Undead?

Is there any varience for creating Mummy or Master Vampire vs. creating a Zombie or a Howler (under Phantasm, Horror p.79)? Do you need to add Altered Trait (for granting self the ally advantage or granting an enemy the enemy disadvantage?) Are the rules for stacking spells going to come up?

[Varyon]

Originally Posted by oneofmanynameless

I've been making a Necromancer sort and have been struggling with the most basic of necromantic prowes: Summoning or creating new undead. Mostly... is it really just:

Greater Create Undead
+Duration; +Subject weight

I guess you'd need a Greater Control Undead in there if you want it to be your servant... or a Lesser Control Undead for minor non-sapient ghostly type undead.

Is there such a thing as a Lesser Create Undead?

Is there any varience for creating Mummy or Master Vampire vs. creating a Zombie or a Howler (under Phantasm, Horror p.79)? Do you need to add Altered Trait (for granting self the ally advantage or granting an enemy the enemy disadvantage?) Are the rules for stacking spells going to come up?

For creating minions, you'll want to add Ghostdancer's "Summoned" spell modifier (find it here). Control shouldn't be necessary to order a minion you've created around, although you can use it to turn uncontrolled undead, or those of your enemies, into minions. Personally, I think of the difference between Lesser and Greater Create Undead as being that if you are reanimating a dead body into a more-or-less mindless undead, Lesser is sufficient. If you need to create your minion out of thin air, that's a single Greater Create Undead to make the body, and possibly a Lesser or another Greater Create Undead to animate it.

[oneofmanynameless]

Originally Posted by Varyon

For creating minions, you'll want to add Ghostdancer's "Summoned" spell modifier (find it here). Control shouldn't be necessary to order a minion you've created around, although you can use it to turn uncontrolled undead, or those of your enemies, into minions. Personally, I think of the difference between Lesser and Greater Create Undead as being that if you are reanimating a dead body into a more-or-less mindless undead, Lesser is sufficient. If you need to create your minion out of thin air, that's a single Greater Create Undead to make the body, and possibly a Lesser or another Greater Create Undead to animate it.

First: thank you for linking that to me!
Second: Ghostdancer, your articles on necromancy just made my day! Nay! My month!!

[Christopher R. Rice]

Originally Posted by oneofmanynameless

Ghostdancer, your articles on necromancy just made my day! Nay! My month!!

:-) Sure, man. I've got some more necro stuff coming soon - probably on my Patreon only page, but some on my blog too. I recently started a DF game so stuff related to that will show up soonish as well. I also occasionally take requests, so if you follow my thread about my blog you might get something you want written up done.

[oneofmanynameless]

Originally Posted by Varyon

Gender Bender
Spell Effects: Lesser Transform Body
Inherent Modifiers: None
Greater Effects: 0 (x1).

This transforms the subject into an opposite-gender version of themself, likely resulting in being mistaken for their own brother/sister. Eye color, hair color, and complexion remain unchanged, as does hair length (although style will typically be gender-appropriate). They retain all attributes (and this is not concealed - an ST 15 man who is subjected to the spell will look like an ST 15 woman), with those that are gender-specific simply changing to match their new gender (a Beautiful woman would become a Handsome man).
This change is a superficial one - a woman transformed into a man would not be under the influence of male hormones and would lack the ability to sire a child, for example.

Typical Casting: Lesser Transform Body (8) + Subject Weight, 300 lb (3) + Duration, 1 week (9). 20 energy (20x1).

wouldn't this be a greater transform body? "Lesser effects allow localized, believable, and subtle changes. Greater effects allow blatant and complete ones." Changing someone's gender is a pretty blatant and dramatic change right? even if not so from a mechanics point of view...

Originally Posted by Varyon

Familicide
Spell Effects: Greater Sense Body + Greater Destroy Body
Inherent Modifiers: Time-Spanning
Greater Effects: 2 (x5).

This spell traces the subject's bloodline back 800 years. Every living person who directly descended from those ancestors, or who has had a child who was directly descended from them, must immediately roll against HT-5 or die. The spell is intended to torture the subject by wiping out all of their blood relatives - for this purpose, it doesn't affect the subject (or, if applicable, the caster). The deaths of all those affected is directly visible to the subject. The spell has sufficient area to affect an entire Earth-sized planet, extending 500 miles above the surface.

Typical Casting: Greater Sense Body (2) + Time-Spanning, 800 years (13) + Greater Destroy Body (5) + Affliction, Heart Attack (60) + Area of Effect, 15,000,000 yards (43) + Excluded Targets, Subject and Caster (1) + Subject Weight, 300 lb (3) + Bestows a Penalty, Narrow, HT roll to resist this spell -5 (16). 715 energy (143x5).

This functions a bit different than the OOTS version, which kills everything directly related to the subject and everything directly related to those from step 1, with no time limits (notably, this version - spanning a mere 800 years - probably wouldn't have had certain unintended consequences). I figure a single Greater Sense Body effect is enough to find all the relatives and show their demise to the subject.

I'm reasonably sure, based on everything I've read about how closely related the human race is, that if you cast this on someone with European descent you'd probably end up forcing just about everyone in the world of European descent to make a HT-5 vs. death. 800 years is about 32 generations (4 generations per 100 years, but that's only the average for the last 100 years) and most American's of European descent are related within an average of 5 generations (we're pretty much all related within 7.) This spell might be better titled "Genocide". =p