07-21-2014, 06:21 AM | #51 |
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: Portsmouth, VA, USA
|
Re: [RPM] High Energy Cost spells (Example Body of Shadow)
I'm a pretty competent GM and can think on my feet really quick, but having that 3rd choice just made things really annoying.
__________________
My Twitter My w23 Stuff My Blog Latest GURPS Book: Dungeon Fantasy Denizens: Thieves Latest TFT Book: The Sunken Library Become a Patron! |
07-21-2014, 08:16 AM | #52 |
Join Date: May 2008
Location: CA
|
Re: [RPM] High Energy Cost spells (Example Body of Shadow)
Ya know, another way to do Body of Shadow - and I don't necessarily recommend this - is to use the disadvantage form of Shadow Form rather than the advantage one.
Shadow Form can be either a 50-point advantage or a -20-point disadvantage. The disadvantage version is different in that the user has no control over it and thus they're stuck in the shadow form until the duration ends - and thus can't really do much interaction with the world. That would shift the spell from 350 points to 120 points, even leaving it as two Greater effects. Last edited by Langy; 07-21-2014 at 08:31 AM. |
07-21-2014, 08:23 AM | #53 | |
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: Portsmouth, VA, USA
|
Re: [RPM] High Energy Cost spells (Example Body of Shadow)
Quote:
__________________
My Twitter My w23 Stuff My Blog Latest GURPS Book: Dungeon Fantasy Denizens: Thieves Latest TFT Book: The Sunken Library Become a Patron! |
|
07-21-2014, 11:52 AM | #54 | |
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: Oregon
|
Re: [RPM] High Energy Cost spells (Example Body of Shadow)
Quote:
How gamebreaking would it be to reduce the energy cost of Altered Trait effects, down to maybe 1/2 or 1/3? Last edited by vierasmarius; 07-21-2014 at 11:56 AM. |
|
07-21-2014, 06:40 PM | #55 | |
Join Date: May 2008
Location: CA
|
Re: [RPM] High Energy Cost spells (Example Body of Shadow)
Quote:
|
|
07-21-2014, 06:55 PM | #56 |
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: Portsmouth, VA, USA
|
Re: [RPM] High Energy Cost spells (Example Body of Shadow)
I've tried 3 points for both advantages or disadvantages (use the absolute value of the trait) - but it didn't work well. I've mucked with it in a few other ways, but it always screws things up pretty badly.
__________________
My Twitter My w23 Stuff My Blog Latest GURPS Book: Dungeon Fantasy Denizens: Thieves Latest TFT Book: The Sunken Library Become a Patron! |
07-21-2014, 11:03 PM | #57 |
Join Date: Aug 2004
|
Re: [RPM] High Energy Cost spells (Example Body of Shadow)
Also note that transformations between Paths are inherently pricy: 16 energy for the base Effects alone, before bringing anything else into the mix. If it’s a Greater Transform, that’s good for a ×5 multiplier right there, for a minimum cost of 80 energy. On top of that, Transforms usually involve bestowing or removing a meta-trait, which ups the cost further.
Some possible house rules to bring the cost down, some of which can be used in concert: • No matter what the Transformation is, never count more than one of the pair of Effects as a Greater Effect. This could drop the aforementioned 80 points to 48 points. • Make Transformations a special case: they always count as a single Effect; but it costs an extra (guessing) 2 energy if that single Effect uses two Paths. So a “Transform Body to Energy” Effect would cost 10 energy instead of 8. Instead of 80 points base for a Greater Transform, it would only be 30 points. • Or just have it count as a single Effect, with no price inflation; if you’re highly skilled with both Body and Energy, transforming between them is no harder than converting light into sound or a man into a pig. The 80-point Greater Transform would only be 24 points. • Sometimes, Altered Traits is pricy because the Advantages involved are arguably overpriced. I personally don’t consider Insubstantiality to be worth its price, and generally tweak it so that it costs half as much. If you’ve got some sort of energy form, this could reduce your energy cost significantly. • Consider dropping the cost of Altered Traits to 1 energy per point, regardless of whether it’s an Advantage or a Disadvantage that you’re granting; all that matters is the magnitude of price or value. The rationale is that you can often get a similar result without altering any traits at all; that is, much of the energy cost for the altered trait is already incorporated into the basic cost of the Effect. • Or be extremely conservative about using Altered Traits, reserving it for cases where you can’t justify the underlying Effect doing what you want. • Never itemize the individual traits granted; just come up with a single lump-sum total of all traits granted, both positive and negative, and base the Altered Traits energy cost on that. So if the Advantages and Disadvantages being added balance out, the total cost of Altered Traits is zero. This only helps if there’s a mixture of advantages and disadvantages involved. (This also may not be a house rule so much as a clarification.) |
07-21-2014, 11:18 PM | #58 |
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: Yukon, OK
|
Re: [RPM] High Energy Cost spells (Example Body of Shadow)
On your last point. That would be true if the Altered Trait was an Altered Form so seems fair. But to reduce munchkinism and too cheap disads I would think use the absolute value of the difference between advantages and disadvantages would be better.
|
07-21-2014, 11:20 PM | #59 |
Join Date: May 2008
Location: CA
|
Re: [RPM] High Energy Cost spells (Example Body of Shadow)
Dataweaver: Altered Traits costs 1 energy per point already for advantages, and 1 energy per 5 points for disadvantages.
|
07-22-2014, 01:55 PM | #60 | |
Join Date: Jun 2013
|
Re: [RPM] High Energy Cost spells (Example Body of Shadow)
Quote:
|
|
Tags |
ritual path magic |
Thread Tools | |
Display Modes | |
|
|