[Sorcery] The Relatively More Complete Sorcerer: A Grimoire

[Michael Thayne]

Originally Posted by SilvercatMoonpaw

What's your opinion on the Sorcery version of No-Smell? It seems very expensive for what it does; my thinking is that it might not need some of its enhancements, and the "Personal Smell only" limitation on Obscure might be worth more than -5%.

I started this thread with the intent of trying to follow in the footsteps of canon builds, not question, them. That said:

The big problem with No-Smell is that Obscure doesn't distinguish between different senses in terms of cost. No-Smell's price would clearly be reasonable for an invisibility or "silence"-type spell. No-Smell is less useful in a typical campaign, since in most campaigns few if any enemies will have smell as their primary sense. But Obscure doesn't care. Hard to see a way around that under RAW.

[Michael Thayne]

Water Spells

Seek Water
5 or 7 points

I’m not quite sure how rarity categories are supposed to work for Detect. Plausibly, “water” is an Occasional category, but this spell only works on “significant sources of water”, which might be Rare. That would make the basic version of this spell Detect (Significant sources of water; Sorcery, -15%) [5]. Seek Water (Improved) uses long-distance modifiers [7].

Purify Water
6 points/level

See notes for Purify Water

Create (Water, including contaminated water; Small category; Transmutation Only, -50%; Ranged, +40%; Only to turn contaminated water into good water, -30%; Magic, -10%) [6/level]

Create Water
15.5 points/level

See notes for Create Earth.

Create Water (Extended Duration, x10,000, +160%; Ranged, +40%; Reduced FP Cost 1, +20%; Magical, -10%) [15.5/level]

Destroy Water
7.5 points/level

This is just Create Water (Destruction Only, +0%; Ranged, +40%; Reduced FP Cost 1, +20%; Magic, -10%) [7.5/level].

Dehydrate
25.5 points/level

This is Fatigue Attack (Dehydration, +20%; Malediction 2, +150%; Sorcery, -15%) [25.5/level].

Freeze
2 points/level

This is just Create Ice (Transformation Only, Water to Ice, -50%; Magical, -10%) [2/level]. Assume this lasts until melted—in above-freezing weather, ice might be more valuable than water, but the need to keep the ice frozen will make it hard to sell in large quantities.

Frostbite
11.25/level

Using Cryokinesis from Psionic Powers as a source of cues, I think this would be Burning Attack (Malediction 2, +150%; No Incendiary, -10%; Sorcery, -15%) [11.25/level].

Ice Dagger
6.8 points/level

This might be a generic Impaling Attack, with Sorcery, -15% as the main limitation. I’d appreciate suggestions on how to make it more flavorful.

Ice Sphere
4.25 points/level

Similar to Stone Missile, this could be built as a generic crushing attack. Not sure how to give it an ice-specific flavor.

Shape Water
19 points/level

Similar to Shape Air and Shape Earth, this is Control Water (Accessibility, Only to shape and move water, -30%; Ranged, +40%; Sorcery, -15%) [19/level].

Water Jet
6 points/level

This should be virtually identical to Air Jet (GURPS Thaumatology: Sorcery p. 12).

Water Vision
21 points for level 1 + 5 points/additional level

Like Earth Vision, but for water. Level 1 is Affliction 1 (HT; Water Vision 1, +50%; Extended Duration, 10x, +40%; Fixed Duration, +0%; Increased 1/2D, 10x, +15%; No Signature, +20%; Sorcery, -15%) [21]. Each additional level grants 1 additional level of Water Vision, which is Penetrating Vision (Specific, Water and ice, -40%; Magic, -10%) [5/level].

[SilvercatMoonpaw]

Originally Posted by Michael Thayne

I started this thread with the intent of trying to follow in the footsteps of canon builds, not question, them.

I don't think you have to question the build itself to ask if there might be a cheaper way of achieving a similar result.

Originally Posted by Michael Thayne

That said:

The big problem with No-Smell is that Obscure doesn't distinguish between different senses in terms of cost. No-Smell's price would clearly be reasonable for an invisibility or "silence"-type spell. No-Smell is less useful in a typical campaign, since in most campaigns few if any enemies will have smell as their primary sense. But Obscure doesn't care.

Now see I would have missed this if someone else didn't point it out.

Originally Posted by Michael Thayne

Hard to see a way around that under RAW.

The web review where this was brought to my attention also mentioned Affliction as something the system doesn't seem to account for "utility" in determining costs.

Maybe the "commonality" settings of things like immunity should be expanded to other advantages.

[ajardoor]

Does anyone have a Sorcery version of Clean?

[Michael Thayne]

Originally Posted by SilvercatMoonpaw

Now see I would have missed this if someone else didn't point it out.

Glad I could help!

[Michael Thayne]

Here's the last of the batch I had in this pipeline when I started this thread. I may decide to expand this thread as time goes on, but I'll probably at least slow down.

Weather Spells

Explosive Lightning
14 points/level

This is Burning Attack (Nuisance Effect, Behaves erratically around conductors, -5%; Sorcery, -15%; Explosive, +50%; Surge, Arcing, +100%; Side Effect, Stunning, +50%) [14/level]

Lightning Weapon
19 points

Using Icy Weapon as a model, this is Affliction 1 (HT; Accessibility, Only on weapons, -20%; Advantage, Lightning Weapon, +90%; Fixed Duration, +0%; Increased 1/2D, 10x, +15%; No Signature, +20%; Sorcery, -15%) [19]. Notes: “Lightning Weapon” is Burning Attack 1d (Follow-Up, This weapon, +0%; Surge, Arcing, +100%; Magical, -10%; Visible, -10%) [9].

Fog
37 points for level 1 + 10 points/additional level

I decided to ignore the very specific effects on other spells for this one. That makes level 1 Obscure 10 (Vision; Extended Duration x30, +60%; Ranged, +40%; Sorcery, -15%) [37]. Each additional level adds a level of Area Effect, for 10 points per level.

More Buff Spells

Many advantages are totally straightforward to turn into buffs. Cost is 12 + advantage value + cost of Extended Duration. Remember to include the discount for the granted advantage being magical.

Typical utility buffs should have durations of 30 minutes, which requires adding Extended Duration x10, +40%, making the price 16 + advantage value. Advantages suitable for such simple buffs include Acute (Sense), Amphibious, Dark Vision, Flight, Infravision, Night Vision, Walk on Air, and Walk on Liquid, along with buffs to ST, DX, HT, or Per.

Every trait in that list has a standard magic spell that grants it with minimal modification—I wouldn’t necessarily allow buffs for just any unmodified advantage. Flight is the one less-than-perfect fit in that list, because fly speed will be Basic Speed x 2 rather than a flat Move 10 per the spell. If you really care about fidelity to Standard Magic, you could use the Slow limitation from GURPS Psionic Powers, plus Air Move +9 (Magic, -10%) [17], an approach that actually saves 1 point.

“Body of” spells are almost as easy to convert. Using Body of Wood as a model, they should cost 31 points + 90% of the value of the meta-trait, and again last for 30 minutes.

I’d steer clear of giving such long durations to powerful combat buffs. In the other direction, 30 minutes isn’t any kind of maximum. Both canonical spells and my own spells sometimes have longer durations.