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Old 08-20-2014, 04:08 PM   #91
Christopher R. Rice
 
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Default Re: [RPM] Post your rituals here

Quote:
Originally Posted by Varyon View Post
It would appear I've been thinking of how to handle hit locations with internal damage all wrong, then. Does this mean the final roll to cast the spell would take the hit location penalty, then? Or is it just a bonus to the foe's resistance roll? I'm most tempted to go for the latter, since failing at the final casting roll in RPM just means trying again in a few seconds. It also makes Quick-and-Dirty Rituals usable as-is, without modification, for when you want to make "Your Head Explodes" charms. In fact...
That's what I've done, but I've also used the Bestows a Bonus modifier to negate hit location penalties too. I've even toyed around with buying a Targeted Attack technique for a specific hit location and Path. When I've done this, Targeted Attack (Path of Matter rituals/Eye) has been the favorite. I wouldn't add the penalty for gathering energy, but I would for the final roll. This seems a bit murky, but that that's what I gathered from the rules.
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Old 08-21-2014, 07:55 AM   #92
Varyon
 
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Default Re: [RPM] Post your rituals here

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Originally Posted by Ghostdancer View Post
That's what I've done, but I've also used the Bestows a Bonus modifier to negate hit location penalties too. I've even toyed around with buying a Targeted Attack technique for a specific hit location and Path. When I've done this, Targeted Attack (Path of Matter rituals/Eye) has been the favorite. I wouldn't add the penalty for gathering energy, but I would for the final roll. This seems a bit murky, but that that's what I gathered from the rules.
The issue with using it as a penalty on the final roll, as I see it, is that gathering the energy for a spell is typically the primary time sink - taking a little longer to finally cast it (due to failing a few times) isn't that big of a deal, particularly if you're making a Charm or Conditional. For a character with Ritual Adept, Path of Body 18 and Magery 3 (assume he's got a Talent or some Perks that boost his maximum Path of Body from 15 to 18), my Skullburster ritual is going to take around 90 seconds to gather. At -7 to skill, that means probably less than 5 seconds to successfully cast it, which is a pittance compared to that gathering time. I think this will make such rituals a bit overpowered, so I'd prefer to shift things over to an HT bonus for the target - that way, when the mage rolls a 15, rather than waiting 4 seconds and trying again (with success meaning the target at best gets a roll against HT-4), he successfully casts the spell but his foe gets to resist at HT.
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Old 08-21-2014, 03:52 PM   #93
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Default Re: [RPM] Post your rituals here

Okay, cool, tell us how it works. :-)
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Old 08-24-2014, 03:25 PM   #94
Durick
 
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Default Re: [RPM] Post your rituals here

I ran some sample combats for a chanbara campaign I'm planning on running, and dismemberment featured heavily. This got me thinking about what the group's RPM caster would have to do if it happened to the PCs. I came up with three rituals that I'd appreciate feedback on. One of things I was waffling on was whether I'd need a duration on Restore Limb (which would probably push the cost close to the regrowth ritual since it would need to be a duration of a lifetime...). Also, the last one seemed really expensive, but given what it's doing it probably should be. Thanks in advance!

Restore Limb
Spell Effects: Greater Restore Body
Inherent Modifiers: Weight, Altered Traits Restore One Arm or One Leg,
Greater Effects: 1 (x3)

Restore a severed arm or leg. The limb in question must still be present, mostly intact, and recently lost. Replacing a limb that does not fit these criteria would require the rituals below.

Typical Casting: Greater Restore Body (4) + Subject Weight, 100-300 lbs (3) + Altered Traits, Restore One Arm or Restore One Leg (20). 81 energy (27 x 3)

Regrowth
Spell Effects: Greater Restore Body
Inherent Modifiers: Weight, Altered Traits Regrowth, Duration
Greater Effects: 1 (x3)

Causes the subject to regrow limbs for a duration long enough to regrow a leg (~9 months).

Typical Casting: Greater Restore Body (4) + Subject Weight, 100-300 lbs (3) + Altered Traits, Regrow (40) + Duration, 9 months (19). 198 energy (66 x 3)

Speedy Regrowth
Spell Effects: Greater Restore Body + Greater Strengthen Body
Inherent Modifiers: Weight + Altered Traits, Regrowth + Altered Traits, Regeneration (Slow) + Duration (1 week)
Greater Effects: 2 (x5)

As regrowth, but much quicker. Limbs grow back in a week, not months.

Typical Casting: Greater Restore Body (4) + Greater Strengthen Body (3) + Subject Weight, 100-300 lbs (3) + Altered Traits, Regrowth (40) + Altered Traits, Regeneration (Slow) (25) + Duration, 1 week (9). 420 energy (84 x 5)
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Old 08-24-2014, 03:50 PM   #95
Kalzazz
 
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Default Re: [RPM] Post your rituals here

This is a good thread to check out for Instant Regeneration!

http://forums.sjgames.com/showthread...eration&page=4

Post 34 has a writeup I threw together for it. Post 13 has Ghostdancer explaining the idea

Note, my post 34 has an optional rule I think I would use (Rule Zero DM fiat and all that yay!), but it isn't very popular, so just scale the healing to the needed amount and life is good

Last edited by Kalzazz; 08-24-2014 at 04:56 PM. Reason: corrected link
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Old 08-24-2014, 03:56 PM   #96
Kalzazz
 
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Default Re: [RPM] Post your rituals here

Note, for Instant Restoration instead of Instant Regeneration, I would do the same thing, but use Lesser Effects instead. After all, we think 'Is it in the nature of limbs to heal?' and we think 'Yeah, limbs tend to do that', so its probably Lesser

I would waive the cap on Lesser Effect healing by TL for this purpose also, because, I am sorry, but the idea of 'Okay, McScrawny, since you have low HP limbs we can heal you with Lesser Effects no problemo, but your buddy McBrawny over there needs Greater!' showing up could be ludicrous.

Actually, I would go with 'does the average 2x First Aid healing spell heal the wound for a generic ST 10 person? If so, Lesser, if not, Greater'

Which means at TL 9 its Lesser, Lesser. At TL 3 it is Lesser, Greater.
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Old 08-24-2014, 04:25 PM   #97
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Default Re: [RPM] Post your rituals here

Your link is dead, Kal.
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Old 08-24-2014, 04:29 PM   #98
Durick
 
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Default Re: [RPM] Post your rituals here

Thanks for the reply. For posterity, I think you meant this link (was easy to find after you put me on the trail since I knew you were the poster): http://forums.sjgames.com/showpost.p...8&postcount=34.

I don't know what I think about not requiring the altered traits portion of it. Is the reason because it seems too expensive otherwise?
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Old 08-24-2014, 04:55 PM   #99
Kalzazz
 
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Default Re: [RPM] Post your rituals here

Yeah, thats the correct link, sorry I must have copied the wrong thing in my post

I'm not psychic, so I can't answer why Ghostdancer decided as he did, but, a general idea that is oft expressed with RPM is to not use altered traits when direct RPM effects will get the job done.

Does it seem to expensive? Not expensive enough? Well, depends on the DM really.

Instant Regeneration is a 80 points Magic Magic spell. That is not easy to pull off. If you want a character to pull it off they need to be either very powerful, or geared specifically toward 'able to throw that big of spell downrange', the 105 energy RPM spell I tried to link to requires round abouts a skill 17-18 RPMist with matching magery to pull off for a generalist . . . so maybe 105 seems to low by that regard? Who knows! Its a DM feel thing!

I personally 'feel' (as in just feeling, I don't want to rewrite Magic, I don't feel that strongly about it) fixing a mussed up limb should be easier than 80 Magic Magic energy, so, 105 feels right to me by lawn dart guestimate, and 400 energy definitely doesn't

Now, if were asking about personal feelings, something definitely rubs me the wrong way about factoring target HP into the equation, I feel that as long as their both SM 0, healing the limb on McBrawny and McScrawny should require the same level of effort, and that ST 21 McReallyBrawny should not be easier to heal than ST 19 McBrawny because his HP ticked into the 'x2 Healing' range ( I asked PK earlier and verified the High HP and healing on pg 424 applied with RPM). So thus, I am personally halfway interested in finding another approach to the spell that doesn't factor HP in

But on the other hand, I have a perfectly good, fully statted, Ghostdancer vetted spell that gets the job done, so I am not that interested in reinventing the wheel

And while I most certainly can DM fiat my 'base it off 14' idea into it, that does mean thats another house ruled special case I would need to keep track of, so, is it worth it?

Who knows!

Does that help any? RPM is very much a 'ask the DM' type of system, which of course can make it a tad tricky for the DM at times!
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Old 08-24-2014, 05:02 PM   #100
Kalzazz
 
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Default Re: [RPM] Post your rituals here

On 'Philosophy of RPM Spell Design', check out the link in post 406 of this thread
http://forums.sjgames.com/showthread...118301&page=41 by Ghostdancer

Also you should of course read Post 410 because it is very cool! (smileys etc . . . but I do think its worth reading!)
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