10-17-2010, 01:29 AM | #1 |
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: Portsmouth, VA, USA
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Enchantment only Spells
So I have a idea for my setting that I am a bit stumped on. I have in my current party roster a PC-enchanter from what amounts to the enchanters guild of the setting. And after flipping through GURPS Thaumatology a bit the characters player asked me a question that made a odd sort of sense: Can a mage learn a "enchantment only" version of a spell at a decreased difficulty if their Magery doesn't have the "Enchantment only" limitation?
That is a darn good question! I am thinking yes, they can, the utility of the spell itself would be reduced enough that it would be a attractive option to "lab mages" who still want a versatility (i.e. have regular magery not enchantment only). This would mean that VH > H and H > A. Alternatively, what about a mage with the "Enchantment Only" option on their magery being able to ignore prerequisites? Still as always what does the hivemind think? Ghostdancer |
10-17-2010, 01:37 AM | #2 |
Join Date: Apr 2007
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Re: Enchantment only Spells
Be a good option for designing a Magic Style out of the Thaumaturgy Companion to reorder pre-reqs for Enchantment Only versions... as for just doing it on the fly that'd be a GM call... I personally would still make them learn pre-reqs studying magic as written but if I took the time to design a style for it I might trim some of them for the style...
On the other point, I don't see why not. They could still learn regular spells having Magery but if they wanted to learn the Enchantment Only version of a spell just to enchant, I think that'd be allowable. |
10-17-2010, 01:47 AM | #3 |
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Seattle, Washington, USA
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Re: Enchantment only Spells
IMO, a PC with 'enchantment only' as a limitation on Magery should get a significant discount (>50%) on the cost of Magery, but I don't see why learning the spell would be any easier (it's the same spell, after all...) or why they would be able to ignore prerequisites.
Spend the points saved by the discount on extra (discounted) levels of Magery and the relevant skill will be a point or two higher, which amounts to the same result. I wouldn't worry about it all that much, my experience with PC enchanters has been that the people playing them tend to find it unsatisfying once they realize just how much time the character will be unable to spend adventuring because he's busy working on an enchantment. Of course, I use the one-mage-day-per-point-of-energy rule, if you've modified that, all bets are off.
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10-17-2010, 02:17 AM | #4 |
Join Date: Oct 2008
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Re: Enchantment only Spells
Has never come up in my games, But I would likely allow a enchantment only version of a spell as optional specialisation(thus one step easier making it average or hard instead of hard or very hard). But that spell would then only count as prereq to other enchantment only versions of spells not normal versions.
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10-17-2010, 11:21 AM | #5 | |
Join Date: Dec 2007
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Re: Enchantment only Spells
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10-17-2010, 12:53 PM | #6 | ||||||
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: Portsmouth, VA, USA
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Re: Enchantment only Spells
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Ghostdancer |
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10-17-2010, 01:03 PM | #7 |
Join Date: Dec 2007
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Re: Enchantment only Spells
It seems to me that enchantment is the higher order, more complex magic. By the principles underlying GURPS Magic, that one has to understand the basics before moving onto the more complex even if one doesn't use the basics for anything, making the enchantment easier to learn than just casting the spell seems wrong. But I have considered allowing enchanters who don't know a spell to work with people who do to create an enchantment.
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10-17-2010, 01:11 PM | #8 | ||
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: Portsmouth, VA, USA
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Re: Enchantment only Spells
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10-17-2010, 01:46 PM | #9 |
Join Date: Jun 2006
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Re: Enchantment only Spells
It seems to me that to make an item that allows the spell to be cast, you would have to know everything required to cast the spell. It might make sense for those spells where the item does something different than that.
It's probably not a particularly efficient use of points even if you permit it. If you are planning to take more than a handful of them, you'd get the same +1 to them, plus whatever other minor benefits come with it, from buying 1 more level of Magery with the enchantment only limitation.
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10-17-2010, 03:01 PM | #10 |
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Buffalo, New York
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Re: Enchantment only Spells
A quickie answer to the question posed, and I'll head out to work ;)
GURPS MAGIC as initially set up, has the following structure: Spells: Each spell, partitioned into separate colleges, produces an immediate effect upon casting. Few spells fall into the category of "Enchantment" only. Enchantments: Not ALL spells have the ability to produce an enchantment version of the spell in question. If you look carefully, you will note, that there are more than a handful of spells where you can cast an instant effect type spell, but not be able to produce and "enchantment" version of said spell. Study of spells: GURPS MAGIC specifically states that in order to learn a spell, the spell caster must be able to cast said spell. In other words, a spell requring magery 2 for instance, could not be studied by a mage without magery 2. If a mage had magery 1, and Lunar magery that would up his magery relative to the phases of the moon, could study a Magery 2 spell because he can cast it while he has an effective magery 2 overall. As a consequence of the above, having a one college magery "Enchantments College" would result in the mage never being able to cast ANY spells unless in a mana high location, and only if the spells do not require magery 1+ as prerequisites. So, utilizing the rules strictly as written, the answer appears to be no. Note however, that the above only applies if you're using the rules as written ;) Personally? I've always wondered why mages can't undertake the study of the spell "ENCHANT" if they are expert practioners of the fire college spells (ie 10+ spells from the college of fire), thaumaturgy 16+ (ie expert level), AND magery 2+. However, as a GM, I've also concluded that there is nothing to stop the GM (me!) from including a new spell in the game, or the players in my campaigns from asking "Can I invent an enchant spell, that is Fire College based?". I think I would permit it to happen in my campaign world. COLUMBIA GAMES has a magic system that has but 6 colleges, 7 if you include GREY MAGIC as a college. How would one simulate that kind of game universe using GURPS MAGIC rules? ;)
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