Sorcery and Alternate Form

[CarrionPeacock]

It was discussed in another internet forum the possibility of using Sorcery and Alternate Form to simulate Persona from the game series of the same name.
The idea is that the base character would purchase Sorcery Empowerment and multiple Alternate Form, each granting a sorcery spell set to be used. What's the right way of doing it?

The way it was suggested, the Alternate Form itself wouldn't be a spell, but the spells it grants would naturally be. For example, one form would cost 15 points normally and contain 5 spells, each with full cost of 20 points, divided by 5 because it is a spell, making it cost 4 points each, total 35 point for the first form, plus 15 for each additional one. Is it legal? I feel like there's a nesting problem but I can't say for sure.

[AlexanderHowl]

You end up with a 10 second delay between whichever group of spells you need access to, because that is how long an unmodified Alternate Form requires for a transformation, which can be deadly in GURPS combat since you need to concentrate for that long to change forms. You would have to have twenty spells before you broke even (four forms), and the one CP that you would save per spell really would not be worth the 10 second delay between forms. Of course, I would not allow it anyway as a GM, since it is just needlessly complex.

[Refplace]

Not familiar with the game Persona but I think I get your idea. Here is how it would work.
Treating Sorcery as not a native ability of the base form lets each other form have it without buying it again for each form.
This will work and it will save some points but has that change time drawback, plus you can get knocked back into your base form.

Base form
Sorcerous Empowerment
Sorcery 5 [70]

Personae Fire 17 point fprm
Ignite Fire [4] 1 point
Shape Fire 4 [19/level] 76 points/5 = 16 points.


Personae Air 19 point form
Air Jet 5 [6/level] 30 points/5=6 points
No-Smell [63] 13 points

Personae Water 9 point form
Icy Weapon [14] 3 points
Whirlpool 5 [6/level] 30 points/5 = 6 points.

The most expensive is Air at 19 points so that costs 15 + 90% of 19 totaling 33 points. Each other form costs a flat 15 points.
Total spent on Alternate Forms 63 points.
But as pointed out it takes 10 seconds to change form, though you can purchase Reduced Time, +20%/level on the base cost of each form you want to shift into faster.

[Shadlith]

Originally Posted by Refplace

Not familiar with the game Persona but I think I get your idea. Here is how it would work.
Treating Sorcery as not a native ability of the base form lets each other form have it without buying it again for each form.
This will work and it will save some points but has that change time drawback, plus you can get knocked back into your base form.

Base form
Sorcerous Empowerment
Sorcery 5 [70]

Personae Fire 17 point fprm
Ignite Fire [4] 1 point
Shape Fire 4 [19/level] 76 points/5 = 16 points.


Personae Air 19 point form
Air Jet 5 [6/level] 30 points/5=6 points
No-Smell [63] 13 points

Personae Water 9 point form
Icy Weapon [14] 3 points
Whirlpool 5 [6/level] 30 points/5 = 6 points.

The most expensive is Air at 19 points so that costs 15 + 90% of 19 totaling 33 points. Each other form costs a flat 15 points.
Total spent on Alternate Forms 63 points.
But as pointed out it takes 10 seconds to change form, though you can purchase Reduced Time, +20%/level on the base cost of each form you want to shift into faster.

Speaking as the guy who actually made the system for his campaign, that was the idea behind the setup, yeah. The base advantage had 3 levels of Reduced Time and various limitations that fit the campaign I was running and knocked the price back to a +0% modifier. The idea came from Spirit Vessels in Powers, for reference.

[Refplace]

Originally Posted by Shadlith

Speaking as the guy who actually made the system for his campaign, that was the idea behind the setup, yeah. The base advantage had 3 levels of Reduced Time and various limitations that fit the campaign I was running and knocked the price back to a +0% modifier. The idea came from Spirit Vessels in Powers, for reference.

Yeah Spirit Vessels and also the Chevile? advantage for GURPS Maddness Dossier are good examples in Fourth Edition, GURPS Voodoo was a Third Edition example. Though it worked differently in that edition.