GURPS Thaumatology: Magical Styles

[Greg 1]

Originally Posted by transmetahuman

but if I have to buy 20 CPs worth of spell skills or 10 CPs in a battle-wizard focused style to earn the right to get that Magic Perk

I think a lot of the magic Perks are like that. In themselves, they are worth more than 1 point, but this is balanced by the heavy prerequisites.

[Not another shrubbery]

Originally Posted by transmetahuman

I don't know about that.

Yeah... It doesn't seem way out of line compared to vanilla Weapon Bonds, although the ability to transfer it is a little nettlesome.

[baakyocalder]

Originally Posted by Stone Dog

We really need Spell Design Rules. It can come with a heavy disclaimer that GURPS Magic spells might not conform to them, but they would really be handy.

Thaumatology: Applied Metaphysics!

Actually, the secret spells for the Onyx Path are pretty reasonable at a quick glance. All are resisted spells. All require a lengthy stack of prerequisite spells and membership in the Onyx Path to learn. All do things existing spells do.

Rift to Hell is just a quick portal to Hell for your foe. If they fail their resistance roll, then they go to Hell. Remove Curse or escaping through other means are possible after the foe is sent to Hell. It's just rather unpleasant. Glimpse of Hell shows the victim Hell, and then requires a Fright check roll at a massive penalty, reminding me of GURPS Cthulupunk. Annihilation is a big damage spell, if the dice are not kind enough to you to eliminate your foe or they resist. 1d-4d damage are nothing to see at on a failure when on a success your foe's body is annihilated (it doesn't destroy your foe's soul or carried goods, so this would be the ultimate assassination spell).

The reason you study styles with Secret Spell and Shortcut to Power is to get the goodies earlier. . ..

[Joseph R]

Couldn't resist; I had to buy it. At first glance it looks great.

Plenty of cool Perks to both give different magical styles individual flavour and also to give players a reason for their PCs to want to belong.

However, I notice that at least one seemingly suitable perk from Power Ups 2 is missing (Charms, p.19). I wonder why. Is it in the new book under a different name? If so, I thought that names stayed the same in official works for purposes of canonicity (sp?). Is it genuinely "missing", or was there a reason it was left out?

[Kromm]

Charms are Shortcuts to Power. The name change was to accommodate the further structure of StP – specifically, its entanglement with a style and the possibility that it's part of an ordered set.

[Joseph R]

Excellent. Thanks for the clarification.

----
(Got a response from His Krommness)
*Backs away from computer and out of room, bowing repeatedly*

[Baldo]

Originally Posted by baakyocalder

Actually, the secret spells for the Onyx Path are pretty reasonable at a quick glance. All are resisted spells. All require a lengthy stack of prerequisite spells and membership in the Onyx Path to learn. All do things existing spells do.

Rift to Hell is just a quick portal to Hell for your foe...

Rift to Hell is also the only secret spell lacking "Time to cast" and "Prerequisites"...
It's because is a Regular spell requiring only 1 second to cast (and the Secret Spell perk)... Or am I wrong?

[Not another shrubbery]

Originally Posted by Baldo

Rift to Hell is also the only secret spell lacking "Time to cast" and "Prerequisites"...
It's because is a Regular spell requiring only 1 second to cast (and the Secret Spell perk)... Or am I wrong?

Time to cast might be just 1 second (that is supposed to be the case when that line is omitted), though it seems a bit too quick to me. The prerequisite line is missing, and should at least have the Secret Spell Perk listed... dunno if some spell prereqs might be needed.

[Kromm]

Argh . . . errata. The spell has prerequisites in my final draft and in fact in the PDF that I reviewed. Clearly, some last-minute layout change shoved them under the box:

Duration: Permanent, barring Remove Curse or the subject somehow fleeing Hell.
Cost: 12.
Time to Cast: 3 seconds.
Prerequisites: Magery 3, Secret Spell (Rift to Hell), and eight Fifth Circle spells.

I've submitted these errata and asked for a revised upload.

[Joseph R]

Argh, indeed!
I just printed out a colour hardcopy. Perhaps I should have waited a week before doing so :P

Hopefully it'll just mean a single page change, layout wise...