Will of the Gods, Help with Serendipity

[RedMattis]

Originally Posted by Dwarf99

that's exactly what I'm looking for but I'm going to have to redo my math, what I was looking for the cost of doing it once every second of every day(game time), which is way more something like 18 mil but that's before the mods listed above...

anyway I'm technically neither player or GM in this instance I'm doing it for mere curiosity I won't use it in my game per se, none of my players will get that high, but they might talk to someone who is that high.

IDHMBWM, but I'd suggest taking a look at the "Game Time" modifier in GURPS Powers, as well as "Reduced Time" from GURPS Characters.

[Figleaf23]

Originally Posted by transmetahuman

"Plausible" doesn't mean "likely". I think you can get an awful lot of mileage out of plausible serendipitous events before having to worry about Cosmic. JMO.

I was thinking that too. And the corollary is that upgrading to implausible events is not necessarily that big a benefit (particularly in a cinematic campaign where implausible abilities are commonplace).

[chris1982]

Originally Posted by Mgellis

This could come in three levels...

Normal serendipity involves plausible events. If you're in jail, a guard might drop his keys, allowing you to escape. With Wishing, for self or others, +100%, this is 30 points per level.

Cosmic, Implausible events, +300% = You're in jail and the guard decides to give you his keys so you can escape. Somehow, he knows you are innocent and that you deserve his help. With Wishing, for self or others, +100%, this is 75 points per level.

Cosmic, Miraculous events, +1000% = In a world without werewolves, a werewolf bursts into the jail, eats the guard, and then gives you the guard's keys. Oh, and he's singing Aerosmith tunes while he does it. With Wishing, for self or others, +100%, this is 180 points per level.

Hm, so for getting nearly the same benefit you pay 5 times the points? Thats not really a great deal... Usually in GURPS abilities are priced for what they do and not how flashy something is when they do it...

[Mgellis]

Originally Posted by chris1982

Hm, so for getting nearly the same benefit you pay 5 times the points? Thats not really a great deal... Usually in GURPS abilities are priced for what they do and not how flashy something is when they do it...

I'm making a distinction between "things that are unlikely but well within the range of plausibility" and "things that are physically possible but really aren't plausible or believable." It's as if the character has Mind Control or magic of some kind. A guard MIGHT suddenly decide to throw his career away just because he thinks you're a good guy, but c'mon, how plausible is it?

The last level, the +1000% one, is for "things that aren't even physically possible, but wow, that was a stroke of good luck, wasn't it?" :)

[transmetahuman]

Serendipity with Wishing is hard for me to get my mind around, I guess. Under GM control, plausibility is anything that has an explanation that holds together (whether or not the players ever learn it) - the guard is a telepath, has been reconsidering his career choice for a while, just found Jesus, recently developed a grudge against his employer, whatever. With Wishing, obviously the restraints have to be a bit tighter - but, really, any greatly fortuitous coincidence strains plausibility for me as a reader, so I'm at a loss to define boundaries beyond the GM ruling on a case-by-case basis "no, I don't want that to happen". If you're going to have an ability that circumvents that, there's really no fair point cost for it - it's basically saying "What's the point cost for me to be the GM?"

[Dwarf99]

Originally Posted by RedMattis

IDHMBWM, but I'd suggest taking a look at the "Game Time" modifier in GURPS Powers, as well as "Reduced Time" from GURPS Characters.

yeah I did already

Originally Posted by Mgellis

I'm making a distinction between "things that are unlikely but well within the range of plausibility" and "things that are physically possible but really aren't plausible or believable." It's as if the character has Mind Control or magic of some kind. A guard MIGHT suddenly decide to throw his career away just because he thinks you're a good guy, but c'mon, how plausible is it?

The last level, the +1000% one, is for "things that aren't even physically possible, but wow, that was a stroke of good luck, wasn't it?" :)

I think what he means is that the 100% is like "woo lucky break" 300% one is like a great wish and the 1000% one is like "holy crap did that just happen?"

Originally Posted by transmetahuman

Serendipity with Wishing is hard for me to get my mind around, I guess. Under GM control, plausibility is anything that has an explanation that holds together (whether or not the players ever learn it) - the guard is a telepath, has been reconsidering his career choice for a while, just found Jesus, recently developed a grudge against his employer, whatever. With Wishing, obviously the restraints have to be a bit tighter - but, really, any greatly fortuitous coincidence strains plausibility for me as a reader, so I'm at a loss to define boundaries beyond the GM ruling on a case-by-case basis "no, I don't want that to happen". If you're going to have an ability that circumvents that, there's really no fair point cost for it - it's basically saying "What's the point cost for me to be the GM?"

actually it's more like saying "what's the point cost for me to give one particular instance of being GM to a player" [180] I just wanted for mere curiosity to be able to figure out the point cost of a player saying "this happens, end of story." one time--whether or not I do end up deciding that the gods have this ability once per second, which I probably will(given the original quote and subsequent revision of 3 million and 18 million points respectively)--and be done with it.