[RPM] Adapting Ars Magica into GURPS

Qhaysh · 01-24-2015, 10:10 AM

Ars Magica is a great game: it has a wonderful system for spellcasting and spell-design, and the setting is interesting and quite well-written. The problem is that the rest of the system is kind of low-resolution. So, being the GURPS fundamentalist that I am, I decided I'd try to convert the AM's magic.

Now, I know we already have Verb-Noun magic in Thaumatology. And although it is interesting, I don't quite find it robust enough (I did take a couple of ideas from it, though).

What I currently have in mind is kind of a mix of both systems (RPM and V/N Magic), but using the Effect Shaping variant (from Ghostdancer's lovely Pyramid Article).

Without further ado, here are the basic concepts:

Skills - Besides the usual 10 path skills (also called Forms, to follow Ars nomenclature) casters will also use 5 other skills called Techniques* (again, following Ars nomenclature).
In this system the 10 Forms are the thing being manipulated, and therefore work very much like the Nouns in the V/N Syntactic Magic from Thaumatology. The 5 Techniques are how the caster manipulates a given Form, and therefore work very much like the Verbs in the V/N Syntactic Magic from Thaumatology.

Casting - All spells involve at least two skills: one Technique (Verb) and one Form (Noun). When casting a given spell, the magus rolls both skills and adds the two margins together (if one of them is a failure, the margin might be negative). The combined margin must be equal to or higher than the final energy cost of the spell divided by 10 (using Ghostdancer's numbers from the Effect Shaping variant)**.
Casting time is calculated as per the guidelines in Effect Shaping.

*Despite the name, these are IQ/VH SKILLS, they are not techniques in the GURPS sense. Ars Magica calls its nouns Forms and its verbs Techniques.
** My rationale for this was that a point in MoS is more or less the same as a -1 penalty in the skill roll. I could be wrong.

I welcome any and all feedback you might have, oh Great Hivemind!

01-24-2015, 10:10 AM	#1
Qhaysh Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: alocal	[RPM] Adapting Ars Magica into GURPS Ars Magica is a great game: it has a wonderful system for spellcasting and spell-design, and the setting is interesting and quite well-written. The problem is that the rest of the system is kind of low-resolution. So, being the GURPS fundamentalist that I am, I decided I'd try to convert the AM's magic. Now, I know we already have Verb-Noun magic in Thaumatology. And although it is interesting, I don't quite find it robust enough (I did take a couple of ideas from it, though). What I currently have in mind is kind of a mix of both systems (RPM and V/N Magic), but using the Effect Shaping variant (from Ghostdancer's lovely Pyramid Article). Without further ado, here are the basic concepts: Skills - Besides the usual 10 path skills (also called Forms, to follow Ars nomenclature) casters will also use 5 other skills called Techniques* (again, following Ars nomenclature). In this system the 10 Forms are the thing being manipulated, and therefore work very much like the Nouns in the V/N Syntactic Magic from Thaumatology. The 5 Techniques are how the caster manipulates a given Form, and therefore work very much like the Verbs in the V/N Syntactic Magic from Thaumatology. Casting - All spells involve at least two skills: one Technique (Verb) and one Form (Noun). When casting a given spell, the magus rolls both skills and adds the two margins together (if one of them is a failure, the margin might be negative). The combined margin must be equal to or higher than the final energy cost of the spell divided by 10 (using Ghostdancer's numbers from the Effect Shaping variant)*. Casting time is calculated as per the guidelines in Effect Shaping. Despite the name, these are IQ/VH SKILLS, they are not techniques in the GURPS sense. Ars Magica calls its nouns Forms and its verbs Techniques. ** My rationale for this was that a point in MoS is more or less the same as a -1 penalty in the skill roll. I could be wrong. I welcome any and all feedback you might have, oh Great Hivemind!