Do monsters have mana organs in GURPS 4th edition?

[b-dog]

I have the 3rd edtion fantasy beasitary and it says that monsters have mana organs. Do they have them in 4th edition?

In some ways I would think that a monster having a single organ that allows it to do supernatural things is a little strange because it seems more logical that the entire creature would be able to harness the surrounding mana.

For instance, a pegasus could possibly only fly in an area with mana but if it has a mana organ than what would it be? Maybe the feathers could pul mana into them but for other monsters there is no clear magical "organ."

What do you think? Does anyone know about mana organs in the 4th edition?

[lexington]

Fantasy say that yes, some do.

[Ulzgoroth]

Mana organs are a possible setting element.

But yes, Fantasy has some discussion of them.

[mib2932]

Originally Posted by b-dog

I have the 3rd edtion fantasy beasitary and it says that monsters have mana organs. Do they have them in 4th edition?

They have them if the GM says they have them.

[trooper6]

Like others have said. You can have them or not. If you don't like them, don't have them.

GURPS is a toolkit. It allows flexibility. It is customizable. If you want all animals with powers to have mana organs, then you can do that. If you want humans who have magery to have mana organs...you can do that too. If you want only certain animals to have mana organs...very rare ones, you can do that. If you want no creatures to have mana organs, you can do that.

GURPS is like Burger King, you can have it your way.

[SuedodeuS]

Originally Posted by b-dog

In some ways I would think that a monster having a single organ that allows it to do supernatural things is a little strange because it seems more logical that the entire creature would be able to harness the surrounding mana.

Consider that, in some ways, an organism having an organ that allows it to use oxygen is a little strange because the entire creature should be able to just bring it in through the skin (like earthworms and the like). We have lungs because they are more effective for letting us use oxygen. Mana organs in monsters could work the same way. As noted on Fantasy page 22, mana organs serve to gather/condense mana into a form the organism can use. Passive mana might simply not be enough to power their abilities, just as passive diffusion of oxygen through the skin isn't sufficient to keep us going. The monsters thus use their mana organs in the same way we use lungs.

Originally Posted by b-dog

For instance, a pegasus could possibly only fly in an area with mana but if it has a mana organ than what would it be? Maybe the feathers could pul mana into them but for other monsters there is no clear magical "organ."

Most monsters are assumed not to have a blatantly obvious mana organ - you have to cut it open (and know what you're looking for) to find it. A pegasus might have a mana organ just ventral to - or perhaps wrapped a bit around - its spine, just beneath the wings.

Of course, presence/absence of mana organs, as well as what they can be used for by harvesters, is completely up to the GM. In general, mana organs should probably supply some of the energy for similarly-themed (flying stuff for a Pegasus organ, for example) enchantments and possibly spells (with a lot of preparation). Extremely potent mana organs, like those of dragons, might be usable by consuming them, giving the mage a temporary magic-only Energy Reserve.

[Ulzgoroth]

Originally Posted by SuedodeuS

Consider that, in some ways, an organism having an organ that allows it to use oxygen is a little strange because the entire creature should be able to just bring it in through the skin (like earthworms and the like). We have lungs because they are more effective for letting us use oxygen. Mana organs in monsters could work the same way. As noted on Fantasy page 22, mana organs serve to gather/condense mana into a form the organism can use. Passive mana might simply not be enough to power their abilities, just as passive diffusion of oxygen through the skin isn't sufficient to keep us going. The monsters thus use their mana organs in the same way we use lungs.

Originally Posted by SuedodeuS

In general, mana organs should probably supply some of the energy for similarly-themed (flying stuff for a Pegasus organ, for example) enchantments and possibly spells (with a lot of preparation).

These don't go together well at all. Lungs take up oxygen, but don't have any special role in using it. If mana organs were analogous, a pegasus mana organ wouldn't have any more to do with flying than a basilisk mana organ. Unless maybe they accumulated different types of mana, in settings where mana has flavors.

[lexington]

Originally Posted by Ulzgoroth

These don't go together well at all. Lungs take up oxygen, but don't have any special role in using it. If mana organs were analogous, a pegasus mana organ wouldn't have any more to do with flying than a basilisk mana organ. Unless maybe they accumulated different types of mana, in settings where mana has flavors.

The way magic is used is mainly a function of what you want to do with it. Maybe only humans are smart enough to direct magic in a wide variety of ways.

[Crakkerjakk]

I like Mana Organs functioning as raw magic. Adventurers are always trying to kill hideous monsters because their spleens let wizards skip 6 months of slow and sure enchanting!

[SuedodeuS]

Originally Posted by Ulzgoroth

These don't go together well at all. Lungs take up oxygen, but don't have any special role in using it. If mana organs were analogous, a pegasus mana organ wouldn't have any more to do with flying than a basilisk mana organ. Unless maybe they accumulated different types of mana, in settings where mana has flavors.

I like the idea of mana being in a mostly-unusable form that is converted by the body into a form that can be used for tasks. For intelligent humanoids, this frequently means it's converted into a generic form of energy that is later used to power any manner of magic. For monsters with mana organs, they've evolved to use it for one purpose only (or perhaps some related purposes), and it's more efficient if they convert into the necessary form (rather than a generic one).

To tell the truth, however, I wasn't even thinking about my whole lung analogy when I was writing the bit about using the organs.