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Old 04-18-2014, 10:12 AM   #1
Kromm
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Default Pyramid #3/66: The Laws of Magic

Curses and demons?
I know no better way than
Magic without rules!
— Some wizard
A curious thing about magic is that people talk about how it "knows no limits" . . . and then hasten to list the supernatural laws it obeys. In a game, such laws take the form of rules: abilities to buy, resources to track, stats to memorize, systems to master. Still, it's entirely possible to expand The Art while remaining 100% "legal" – you just have to tack on new clauses, provisos, and riders! That's the mission of Pyramid #3/66: The Laws of Magic. This latest issue of Pyramid is full of new postscripts and loopholes:
  • Ever wanted to mix GURPS Thaumatology: Ritual Path Magic with another magic system? Alternative Ritual Path Magic is here to make it happen. This monster of an article doesn't shy away from any combination, merging Ritual Path magic with most of the systems from GURPS Thaumatology – and from GURPS Fantasy, GURPS Powers: Divine Favor, GURPS Thaumatology: Magical Styles, and more! If the mix works, it's on the menu.

  • Speaking of GURPS Ritual Path Magic, one of that system's greatest strengths is its versatility, yet as its creator (PK) demonstrates here, Ritual Path Specialists can also be a force to be reckoned with! Use the expanded Higher Purpose rules to give "teeth" to traditions. Save a few character points with specialized versions of Magery, Ritual Adept, and skills. Power up your arcane aficionados with focused Talents and perks.
[Wow, those first two articles would fill a 20-page PDF. This is GURPS Ritual Path Magic 2 at Pyramid prices – a great deal even if you don't use any of the remaining material for other magic systems!]
  • What if you could control the Heavens, spy on your enemies, and visit strange new worlds? The Azure Dragon makes it possible. In this month's Eidetic Memory, David Pulver adds a new grimoire to GURPS Thaumatology's Book magic. The four new rituals will be a welcome addition to any mage's repertoire, while the details of its backstory and contents make it a perfect MacGuffin for your next campaign.

  • Back in the days of GURPS Third Edition, GURPS Technomancer added "industrial enchanting" and "magical mass-production" to the tools for creating magic items. Now Thoroughly Modern Magic updates those rules to GURPS Fourth Edition, expanding them to cover every tech level while working out all the numbers for you. It also adds a magical style, a character template, and a job description for line enchanters – and even a sample NPC.

  • Lone enchanters in the field may find GURPS Magic's rules for creating magic items untenable. Production lines aren't much help to them, but there is another solution. The Material Difference brings the resource-farming and done-in-a-day enchanting of video games to GURPS, shifting the focus from staying at home, avoiding quests to actively seeking adventure. Once you've taken the time and risks to gather the magical ingredients, you're almost done!

  • And our usual features anchor this mystical endeavor, including a Random Thought Table that looks at when the rules are meant to be broken, Odds and Ends that explore ritual dangers and adventures in enchanting, and something . . . special, tucked away at the back.
PK & Kromm
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Old 04-18-2014, 02:20 PM   #2
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Default Re: Pyramid #3/66: The Laws of Magic

Seens to be an interessing Pyramid. I have just one question. My gamming group is focusing in DF for some time and we are slowly working in introducinfg different magic systems for different spellcasters. Does this Pyramid version help in this project?
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Old 04-18-2014, 02:39 PM   #3
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Default Re: Pyramid #3/66: The Laws of Magic

I am a huge fan of big meaty articles like Christopher's by the way, and would certainly welcome more of the sort!
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Old 04-18-2014, 03:04 PM   #4
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Default Re: Pyramid #3/66: The Laws of Magic

Quote:
Originally Posted by Mateus View Post
Seens to be an interessing Pyramid. I have just one question. My gamming group is focusing in DF for some time and we are slowly working in introducinfg different magic systems for different spellcasters. Does this Pyramid version help in this project?
If the different magic system is RPM, then yes. This is essentially a 20-page RPM supplement with some other nifty magic-related articles in it. I find it yummy.
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Old 04-18-2014, 03:04 PM   #5
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Default Re: Pyramid #3/66: The Laws of Magic

Quote:
Originally Posted by Mateus View Post
… My gamming group is focusing in DF for some time and we are slowly working in introducinfg different magic systems for different spellcasters. Does this Pyramid version help in this project?
"The Material Difference" offers a way to introduce PC enchanting into DF (and includes a Material Enchanter lens for wizards) -- instead of enchanting taking months/years of down-time, it takes only hours but requires "essences" you collect from special monsters. Thus, enchanting becomes "fun".
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Old 04-18-2014, 03:09 PM   #6
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Default Re: Pyramid #3/66: The Laws of Magic

Quote:
Originally Posted by Mateus View Post
Seens to be an interessing Pyramid. I have just one question. My gamming group is focusing in DF for some time and we are slowly working in introducinfg different magic systems for different spellcasters. Does this Pyramid version help in this project?
That depends on what you mean by "different magic systems." If you can expand on this, we could answer more accurately.

If you'll being using RPM at all, then it definitely helps! Christopher's article is full of variant combo ideas, many of which fit DF quite well, and my article will let multiple RPM casters in the party remain very distinct, protecting their niche.

If the systems you're using are still based on the regular magic system, then Kromm's article is an excellent way to introduce PC enchanting to DF without unbalancing your games or encouraging months or years of downtime (the reasons it was taken out to begin with).

(Also, have you seen GURPS Magical Styles: Dungeon Magic yet?)
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Old 04-18-2014, 03:24 PM   #7
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Default Re: Pyramid #3/66: The Laws of Magic

This was a great issue and a bit of a disappointment at the same time.
First, every article had cool stuff, even the last box :)
Christophers article really gives a lot of good options for RPM and tweaking it.

RPKs article for specialists was something really useful for a lot of campaigns and something asked for on the forums. I think I will redo (again) my human mages guilds with it in mind. They went from college magic to Book/Path and now I think will work even better as RPM. Especially since guild members could simply buy off some of the limitations and be generalists if needed but I have a campaign/setting reason for mostly specialists (at least the NPCs and common mages being such).

David Pulvers article was simply a fun and inspiring read.

Thoroughly Modern Magic by Paul Stefko was nice for industrial magic and getting a lot of magic items in a campaign if that is the goal. I expected magic items to be cheaper if they can be produced faster but he runs the numbers and includes a very useful table to make estimating it all easy.

However while all those articles are good, what I was hoping to see based on the Theme were more articles related to the so called Laws of Magic.
Sean Punches The Material Difference and Steven Marshes Random Thought Table however were the only ones that fit the bill IMHO.
Both were good, and The Material Difference will be worked into my main setting and I really like the way it worked. I have used material magic since GURPS Second Edition but always eyeballed it. This gives me a system to use that is more fair, less work and still fits the desired concept. Nice warm fuzzy feeling :)
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Old 04-18-2014, 03:27 PM   #8
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Default Re: Pyramid #3/66: The Laws of Magic

Quote:
Originally Posted by PK View Post
(Also, have you seen GURPS Magical Styles: Dungeon Magic yet?)
At the moment we are using:

Divine Favor for Clerigs and Druids (and maybe crazy cultists)

Sorcery for Summoners.

Regular spell system for wizard. Actually, the Dungeon Magic was the main reason to maintain the regular spell system for Wizards, but I frankly do not know yet what to do with Wizards.
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Old 04-18-2014, 03:31 PM   #9
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Default Re: Pyramid #3/66: The Laws of Magic

Quote:
Originally Posted by Mateus View Post
At the moment we are using:

Divine Favor for Clerigs and Druids (and maybe crazy cultists)

Sorcery for Summoners.

Regular spell system for wizard. Actually, the Dungeon Magic was the main reason to maintain the regular spell system for Wizards, but I frankly do not know yet what to do with Wizards.
Sorcery gets the least love in this issue.
RPM options from both articles may benefit both your priests and Wizards and the Material magic article will benefit Wizards if you stick with the standard magic system. And in fact everyone gets more loot options so others benefit too.
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Old 04-18-2014, 05:49 PM   #10
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Default Re: Pyramid #3/66: The Laws of Magic

Quote:
Originally Posted by munin View Post
"The Material Difference" offers a way to introduce PC enchanting into DF (and includes a Material Enchanter lens for wizards) -- instead of enchanting taking months/years of down-time, it takes only hours but requires "essences" you collect from special monsters. Thus, enchanting becomes "fun".
Yep. Love that aspect.
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