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Old 09-11-2020, 01:27 PM   #1
johndallman
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Default [Basic] Disadvantage of the Week: No-Mana Shutdown

No-Mana Shutdown [-20] is an exotic physical disadvantage, normally only possessed by magic items built as characters. It means that they shut down completely in no-mana areas, but return to life as soon as magic starts operating again. This appeared in GURPS Thaumatology for 4e, and does not appear in any other publication.

This disadvantage should only be taken in settings where there are no-mana zones. Its pricing is based on Nocturnal, since although no-mana zones are generally rarer than daytime, they are often permanent, and an item could end up trapped in one indefinitely. Items that are damaged by no-mana zones should take Dependency (Mana), and if they stay conscious and only lose special abilities, those abilities should be bought as Mana Sensitive.

At the start of my Infinite Cabal campaign, one of the players wanted to play a magically animated suit of armour, but was talked out of it, once he realised this disadvantage would apply, and that no-mana worlds would exist. Has No-Mana Shutdown been used in your games?
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Old 09-11-2020, 01:30 PM   #2
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Default Re: [Basic] Disadvantage of the Week: No-Mana Shutdown

Shoulda played a magic suit of armour with mana enhancer.
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Old 09-11-2020, 01:32 PM   #3
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Default Re: [Basic] Disadvantage of the Week: No-Mana Shutdown

That would be one to give to an Elf especially if you rule that the Good People treat Mana like Oxygen.
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Old 09-11-2020, 02:16 PM   #4
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Default Re: [Basic] Disadvantage of the Week: No-Mana Shutdown

I generally treat any permanent magical item as having this, such as golems or permanent undead, though I don't think I've explicitly put it on a character sheet since none of them were PCs or important NPCs.
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Old 09-11-2020, 03:13 PM   #5
Alden Loveshade
 
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Default Re: [Basic] Disadvantage of the Week: No-Mana Shutdown

Quote:
Originally Posted by johndallman View Post
No-Mana Shutdown [-20] is an exotic physical disadvantage, normally only possessed by magic items built as characters. It means that they shut down completely in no-mana areas, but return to life as soon as magic starts operating again. This appeared in GURPS Thaumatology for 4e, and does not appear in any other publication....
Except that by default magical items shut down in no-mana areas. By GURPS Magic (p. 6): "No Mana: No one can use magic at all. Enchantments and permanent magic effects are suspended and do not function while within a no-mana zone, but resume when taken to an area with mana."

(And yes, I understand the philosophical distinction between "that's just the way it works" for non-character magic items and "my character may shut down" for magic item-characters.)
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Old 09-11-2020, 08:29 PM   #6
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Default Re: [Basic] Disadvantage of the Week: No-Mana Shutdown

No-Mana Shutdown is essential when modeling magical critters that cease to function when they hit a NMZ.

It's also a good basis for modeling creatures which shut down in the presence, or absence, of some external, ambient force. For example, trolls that turn to stone as long as sunlight shines on them or faeries who temporarily wink out of existence if their existence is denied.

The one big drawback to this disad is that it post-dates GURPS 4E Basic. It's implied for many magical creatures in GURPS Magic, Banestorm, etc., like golems, spirits, or undead, but isn't included in their templates because it wasn't invented when those books were published.

It's fair to ignore the disad for settings where NMZ don't exist, but it needs to be ret-conned into existing templates as necessary to make them truly generic.

Last edited by Pursuivant; 09-11-2020 at 08:35 PM.
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Old 09-12-2020, 03:23 AM   #7
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Default Re: [Basic] Disadvantage of the Week: No-Mana Shutdown

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Originally Posted by Pursuivant View Post
It's fair to ignore the disad for settings where NMZ don't exist, but it needs to be ret-conned into existing templates as necessary to make them truly generic.
It only really fits templates that shut down without mana but restart as normal if reintroduced to mana. In general, this would be artificial magical constructs with a physical form like a golem or a magical item.

For thaumavores like DF Faerie Folk Dependency (Mana) or something similar is still more appropriate as a general rule.
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Old 09-12-2020, 10:09 AM   #8
maximara
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Default Re: [Basic] Disadvantage of the Week: No-Mana Shutdown

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Originally Posted by Alden Loveshade View Post
Except that by default magical items shut down in no-mana areas. By GURPS Magic (p. 6): "No Mana: No one can use magic at all. Enchantments and permanent magic effects are suspended and do not function while within a no-mana zone, but resume when taken to an area with mana."

(And yes, I understand the philosophical distinction between "that's just the way it works" for non-character magic items and "my character may shut down" for magic item-characters.)
GURPS Magic is incorrect. Sanctity based spells and magic items do work in no mana areas as long as the Sanctity is not none and even there there is a big exception: Objects of Power.

Objects of Power come in two types: Minor (creates an area of High Sanctity within a given radius, no matter the true Sanctity of the area) and Major (Very High Sanctity within a given radius, affecting the area so strongly that even after the object has moved on, the location will remain an area of High Sanctity for 1 week per day the object was in the location). The default area is a 5-hex radius.

Objects of Power have a base Power of 25

To use Christianity as an example the Ark of the Covenant would be a Major Object of Power while the Grail and Spear would more likely be Minor Objects of Power. The Grail and Spear would also likely count as Enchantment through Deeds items.

Important Note: Since some deities (like Roma Arcana's Isis) favor mana based magic their Objects of Power may increase Mana rather then Sanctity levels.

There is something akin to this in enchantment called the Mana Pool "quirk" which raises the local mana by one or two steps. Unlike an Object of Power it is limited to Powerstones.

As the GURPSwiki points out:

Important Note: if the item built this way does not have the Mana Sensitive (-10%) limitation then mana and sanctity have no effect on the item (the item is effectively technological in nature or boosts the mana/sanctity level). Even with that limitation the item doesn't have a Power level per say so figuring exactly how that Mana/Sanctity Sensitive limitation works will fall to the GM to figure out. Items with No-Mana Shutdown are clear on how no mana effects them.
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Last edited by maximara; 09-12-2020 at 10:41 AM.
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Old 09-12-2020, 10:36 AM   #9
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Default Re: [Basic] Disadvantage of the Week: No-Mana Shutdown

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Originally Posted by maximara View Post
GURPS Magic is incorrect. Sanctity based spells and magic items do work in no mana areas as long as the Sanctity is not none and even there there is a big exception: Objects of Power..
That's because even though they use magic mechanics they aren't magic. They're holy.
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Old 09-12-2020, 11:41 AM   #10
AlexanderHowl
 
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Default Re: [Basic] Disadvantage of the Week: No-Mana Shutdown

The same applies to the default rules for RPM, magical items only stop working in desecrated areas (which are just as likely to be no mana or no sanctity areas as very high man or very high sanctity areas).
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