GURPS Middle-Earth Magic

[Agemegos]

Originally Posted by Flyndaran

I seriously doubt they should be classified as homo genus. They must have diverged before then. They are just too strange of primates to be recent outgrowths of homos.

I agree. My guess, based on their wrist bones, is that they'll end up classified as Australopithecus.

[lwcamp]

Originally Posted by Brett

DNA and Homo floresiensis (or Australopithecus floresiensis, if that's what the taxonomists end up deciding) are unlikely to have been on Tolkien's mind in the Forties.

But still, it is pretty darn cool that in ancient times, there was a land that was home to hobbits and dragons and oliphaunts. Unlike Middle Earth, however, it is the hobbits and oliphaunts that vanished, while the dragons remained.

Luke

[Johnny1A.2]

Originally Posted by lwcamp

But still, it is pretty darn cool that in ancient times, there was a land that was home to hobbits and dragons and oliphaunts. Unlike Middle Earth, however, it is the hobbits and oliphaunts that vanished, while the dragons remained.

Luke

Unless you credit the native stories of a human-like small creature that sounds oddly like the fossil race in question. I grant it seems incredibly improbable...

[tachyonic]

OK so I'm just finding this thread ten years after it was started, but I'm doing a Tolkienesque campaign (or at least a campaign using magic as he seemed to have seen it). Here's what I'm doing, and I'd really appreciate any feedback.

Humans use Energy Accumulating Ritual Path Magic without Ritual Adept or any of its component advantages available (at least to full blooded humans). This approximates real-life ritual magic; after all even Crowley and Gardner had to raise 'cones of power' to gather the energy for spells. So do wizards in my setting. Humans can acquire a lot of energy to cast massive spells and can get quite good at it, but run the risk of equally massive backfires. Thus mortal magic is seen as perilous but potentially world-shaking.

Elves have things a bit different. They use Ritual Path Magic too, but the Effect Shaping version. After all, Tolkien made it clear that Elvish magic was more reflexive and innate for them. I made a new advantage for them called Subcreation. It costs 30 points and is a bit similar to S. John Ross' famous 'Hedge Magic' advantage. Under the hood, it comes out to 5 points allowing Elves to passively imbue things they personally craft with perk-level boons AND possess that gear at the beginning. Another 5 points grant Elves the ability to learn Cinematic skills (Light Walk, Zen Archery, Enthrallment, etc.). Elvish 'Magery' costs 10 points, but that's because they can cast using Wildcard Paths (which differ a bit from Human paths). That gives greater breadth and depth of effect for greater point cost and better simulates the fact that Elves don't have to learn Thaumatology to do what they do while still keeping costs balanced relative to Human mages. Another 10 points gets Ritual Adept (time). You can only have one level of this in my setting, and Elves get it. They can cast quickly, but their power is still limited by the penalties they incur by trying to cast something massive. They can reduce the penalties through FP sacrifice or time sacrifice (again, I think this fits Tolkien; casters are shown 'weary' after major castings but the Elves took decades casting the spells that were necessary to create the Rings of Power).

Note: the Ritual Adept component is totally detachable. If I want to say that 'lesser Elves' don't have it, that fits too. They have the same kind of innate magic as, say, a High Elf, but just aren't as powerful. A Silvan Elf would have to eat a major time or fatigue cost to cast the same spell that a High Elf could just glare menacingly to do...but could still make pretty lights at a party in the woods without having to gather energy to do so. This also lets players be an Elf (whose life is suffused with magic) while having a niche besides 'spellcaster.' Their cool gear and Cinematic skills already set them apart and they can cast spells in times of need.

Paradoxically, the universality of Elvish magic is the reason why they don't use it all the time. Casual use will still result in critical failures, so even though they *can* screw with nature at will, they know better than to be flippant about it.

Faeries and other Maiar have an entirely advantage-based use of magic. The logic of this is that there are specifically faeries of seafoam (Wingildi) in Tolkien's works. Foam! Faeries are mighty specific regarding their 'spheres of influence' in our world's legends too, so it's actually logical. I was tempted to use Realms to represent their abilities, but I really think it's best to represent that specificity of abilities by using some really specific Powers-style advantages with hefty limitations for minor Maiar (and hefty enhancements for greater spirits).

Tell me what y'all think!

[Shostak]

I would consider having magic tied mostly to craftsmanship and singing as another skill focus and these could perhaps be tied to syntactic magic. Eä was made out of song, after all, and there are instances of singing used to weave magic in both LoTR and The Silmarillion. But most magic--from a sword with edges that glow when orcs are nigh to the One Ring itself--really seems to rely on cunning craft. But generally, I'd keep magic to a minimum, even for maiar (powers seems like a good system for them); it isn't like Gandalf was blasting spells all over the place. If anything, his chief power seems to have been being able to recall strains of the Music of the Ainur that gave him strong intuitions. I'd also definitely allow sacrifice to be used for energy accumulation.

[Anders]

Yeah, almost all magic in Middle-Earth seems to be tied to singing or items. There are a few exceptions (Gandalf, Sauron, the Witch-King), but they are either Maiar or powered by artifacts.

[gmillerd]

Originally Posted by Kelly Pedersen

So, what do people think? Any other major categories of effect in Middle-Earth that I've missed? Are the categories I've got wrong? And would a verb/noun or realm system be better?

I have played a lot of MERP in GURPS and *Hands of the Healer* is a great way to edge into the magical setting IMHO. (note: it's not really much healing).

The MERP interpretation has a lot of orientation toward 'spell focus', to use the modern lingo, that pushes into 'communion' rather than pure 'spell component'.

Resources that are tied to cosmic / planulars, lot of divination, buffs and enchantment, a lot of proving to others you are the chosen (and were actually chosen), etc.

It might be too much for in game work, but the flora that are found on the worst battlefields and the crystals that hold the light from such and such star ... just as powerful as some cheesy chainmail.

The darkness especially ... in MERP there is a lot of slavery, deceit, mind control, and mutation ... that has a lot of place in the 'communing' (willful or not) with various elements.

You might have a plant from a horrific battlefield that will bring your champion the ability to fight on through any ordeal and so forth.

Remember that only a few people in middle earth setting can 'create life', but most deeds are done through mutating and perverting life. Much like in World of Warcraft, the blood of an old god poisons the mineral (saronite) and is used for all sorts of weapons and such (not too healthy btw). Middle Earth is full of this type of stuff.

Rarely (if ever) to people just grab power from the 'weave' with 'magery' and blast people with it. They need to channel (or enslave) something to it. Often absorbing it into themselves (not always healthy). Even for good, buffing to be a great savior might have you wandering off away from the party to heal a river leagues away ... because the the spirit you tapped into doesn't give a **** about the issues of man ... it's those beavers that need to be taunt a lesson.