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Old 11-23-2012, 01:04 AM   #1
Apollonian
 
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Default [Thaumatology] Decanic Realm Threshold Magic - Hashing out the Empty Decans

First question: Has anyone written up the Realm-based version of the Cabal's Decanic magic, and if so, where is it available (if at all)?

Second, assuming they haven't...

I'm trying to work out a Realm-based version of the Cabal's Decanic magic because I'm not overly fond of the standard spell system. At present, the basics are as follows:

36 Realms, one per Decan. No areas of creation that the decans cannot affect.

Six levels of power, per the example in GURPS Thaumatology. Levels have a loose correlation to rank in the Cabal, with 1-2 for the Outer Circle, 3-4 for the Middle Circle, 5 for Masters, and 6 for Grand Masters only.
Realms cost 5 points per level.

So far, all well and good. However, I would like a sheet of potential effects for each Decan to hand out to players to get their creative juices flowing. The Decans with corresponding colleges are easy; just cherry pick two or three spells per level, work out how to do it Realm style, and go. The Empty Decans are a little trickier, and I could use ideas. (I'm excluding Level 6, because it's unlikely to come up yet...)

So. Here are the empty Decans, and the sample effects I've come up with so far:

Akhouiy (Indolence, drift, ease, dumb luck, serendipity)
Level 1 (Sense): Detect the most fortunate place to wait for something
Level 2 (Control): ?
Level 3 (Creation): ?
Level 4 (Authority): ?
Level 5 (Complete Power): ?

Akton: Decadence of the spirit; corruption; sin.
Level 1 (Sense): ?
Level 2 (Control): ?
Level 3 (Creation): ?
Level 4 (Authority): ?
Level 5 (Complete Power): ?

Alath: Comfort, stasis, stagnation, rest.
Level 1 (Sense): ?
Level 2 (Control): ?
Level 3 (Creation): ?
Level 4 (Authority): ?
Level 5 (Complete Power): ?

Anoster: The impossible, the unnamable.
Level 1 (Sense): ?
Level 2 (Control): ?
Level 3 (Creation): ?
Level 4 (Authority): ?
Level 5 (Complete Power): ?

Axiopheth: Mass, gravity, weight, oppression.
Level 1 (Sense): Detect the most fortunate place to wait for something
Level 2 (Control): ?
Level 3 (Creation): ?
Level 4 (Authority): ?
Level 5 (Complete Power): ?

Barsafael: Hidden truth, subconscious, unknown strengths
Level 1 (Sense): Detect the most fortunate place to wait for something
Level 2 (Control): ?
Level 3 (Creation): ?
Level 4 (Authority): ?
Level 5 (Complete Power): ?

Belbel: Pain, torment, shock, loss
Level 1 (Sense): Sense incorporeal undead; measure quantity of loss; find an emotional weak spot
Level 2 (Control): Amplify or dampen the sensation of pain, either physical or emotional; transfer one person's pain to another
Level 3 (Creation): Inflict or remove pain
Level 4 (Authority): Inflict or remove pain with much greater precision; change what causes pain to a person
Level 5 (Complete Power): ?

Buldumech: Wealth, treasure, money
Level 1 (Sense): Detect Treasure; instantly quantify sums of money
Level 2 (Control): ?
Level 3 (Creation): ?
Level 4 (Authority): ?
Level 5 (Complete Power): ?

Hephsimereth: Nothingess, defeat, loss
Level 1 (Sense): ?
Level 2 (Control): ?
Level 3 (Creation): ?
Level 4 (Authority): ?
Level 5 (Complete Power): ?

Mardero: Rebellion against comfort, anger at injustice, opportune disaster
Level 1 (Sense): ?
Level 2 (Control): ?
Level 3 (Creation): ?
Level 4 (Authority): ?
Level 5 (Complete Power): ?

Nefthada: Pleasure
Level 1 (Sense): Detect pleasure - people experiencing it, sources of it, etc. Measure how much pleasure someone is experiencing.
Level 2 (Control): ?
Level 3 (Creation): ?
Level 4 (Authority): ?
Level 5 (Complete Power): ?

Tepsisem: Beauty and its loss.
Level 1 (Sense): Precisely measure beauty
Level 2 (Control): ?
Level 3 (Creation): ?
Level 4 (Authority): ?
Level 5 (Complete Power): ?
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Old 11-26-2012, 12:40 PM   #2
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Default Re: [Thaumatology] Decanic Realm Threshold Magic - Hashing out the Empty Decans

Quote:
Originally Posted by Apollonian View Post
So. Here are the empty Decans, and the sample effects I've come up with so far:

Akhouiy (Indolence, drift, ease, dumb luck, serendipity)
Level 1 (Sense): Detect the most fortunate place to wait for something
Level 2 (Control): Genuinely random event (such as cards, dice) goes in the caster's favor
Level 3 (Creation): Bless
Level 4 (Authority): Curse
Level 5 (Complete Power): Just what I needed: "find" a physical object most helpful to current goal.

Akton: Decadence of the spirit; corruption; sin.
Level 1 (Sense): sense the sin: determine a target's greatest vice or mental weakness.
Level 2 (Control): Weak moment: target attempts to indulge their primary vice/weakness.
Level 3 (Creation): Unnatural appetite: target attempts to indulge in a vice or sin of the caster's choice
Level 4 (Authority): If thine eye offends thee: quash target's ability to desire or feel pleasure from one vice.
Level 5 (Complete Power): Gather at the well: draw people who suffer from a specific sin or vice to target location.

Alath: Comfort, stasis, stagnation, rest.
Level 1 (Sense): determine how long a thing has gone unchanged
Level 2 (Control): Halt aging
Level 3 (Creation): protective stasis
Level 4 (Authority): shield
Level 5 (Complete Power): take an area out of time so that it no longer changes meaningfully

Axiopheth: Mass, gravity, weight, oppression.
Level 1 (Sense): Detect the most fortunate place to wait for something
Level 2 (Control): hinder/rooted feet
Level 3 (Creation): surly bonds of earth: encumber a target with, say, a bonus 200 lbs.
Level 4 (Authority): aoe encumber
Level 5 (Complete Power): cut off the head: crush the person or item which most gives a target hope or freedom. Does not have to be present/


Belbel: Pain, torment, shock, loss
Level 1 (Sense): Sense incorporeal undead; measure quantity of loss; find an emotional weak spot
Level 2 (Control): Amplify or dampen the sensation of pain, either physical or emotional; transfer one person's pain to another
Level 3 (Creation): Inflict or remove pain
Level 4 (Authority): Inflict or remove pain with much greater precision; change what causes pain to a person
Level 5 (Complete Power): ?

Hephsimereth: Nothingess, defeat, loss
Level 1 (Sense): What's missing: study a complex object or system and determine what part is not there
Level 2 (Control): ?
Level 3 (Creation): ?
Level 4 (Authority): ?
Level 5 (Complete Power): ?
A few thoughts for you. Many of the others depend on you defining absolute reality in your world first (who decides what's possible? what is money? what is beauty? what is justice and where does it come from?)
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Old 11-26-2012, 01:14 PM   #3
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Default Re: [Thaumatology] Decanic Realm Threshold Magic - Hashing out the Empty Decans

Do you have the 3rd Edition GURPS Cabal? If not, you probably should get it. I don't know if it has a completely worked example (IDHMBWM), but it at least comes close.
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Old 11-26-2012, 05:45 PM   #4
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Default Re: [Thaumatology] Decanic Realm Threshold Magic - Hashing out the Empty Decans

Quote:
Originally Posted by Apollonian View Post
First question: Has anyone written up the Realm-based version of the Cabal's Decanic magic, and if so, where is it available (if at all)?
I wrote one up, right down to making it threshold based, but all the components were torn straight from the book, so it only went so far as a reference packet for play.

In fact, I even cut the corner of not including the empty decans. For my purposes at the time -- running a convention scenario -- I knew I needed to keep it simple. And really, I ought to have kept it even simpler than I did.
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Old 11-26-2012, 06:19 PM   #5
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Default Re: [Thaumatology] Decanic Realm Threshold Magic - Hashing out the Empty Decans

Quote:
Originally Posted by Jovus View Post
Do you have the 3rd Edition GURPS Cabal? If not, you probably should get it. I don't know if it has a completely worked example (IDHMBWM), but it at least comes close.
I thought it only had colleges of basic Magic, and the Path Magic paths that existed at the time.
I does give a couple sentences for what to do with the empty decans.

Decanic magic is quite wonderfully complex. Even I think it's best or at least workably easy to use spell based Magic.
But the idea of Realm based is interesting.
But shouldn't only the Source have the ability to truly create decanic energy from nothing?
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Old 11-26-2012, 08:59 PM   #6
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Default Re: [Thaumatology] Decanic Realm Threshold Magic - Hashing out the Empty Decans

Quote:
Originally Posted by Apollonian View Post
First question: Has anyone written up the Realm-based version of the Cabal's Decanic magic, and if so, where is it available (if at all)?
I've been thinking about just this thing. :)

Quote:
Originally Posted by Apollonian View Post
36 Realms, one per Decan. No areas of creation that the decans cannot affect.
Cabal implies that true immortality is pretty hard; the examples have real drawbacks (undead, must sacrifice royal children, etc...). I'd put it a a level 6 effect or a combination of a couple of level 5 effects. I think that having several areas of "canon doubt and uncertainty" in setting would be helpful. Even Grand Masters should only have strong theories about things like Atlantis and other mysteries.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Apollonian View Post
Six levels of power, per the example in GURPS Thaumatology. Levels have a loose correlation to rank in the Cabal, with 1-2 for the Outer Circle, 3-4 for the Middle Circle, 5 for Masters, and 6 for Grand Masters only.
Realms cost 5 points per level.
I'd limit access to level 6 effects to the Decanic Rulers and a rare and notable Grand Master (with most Grand Masters only having 0-3 level 6 realms). Maybe getting any level 6 realm is part of becoming a Grand Master.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Apollonian View Post
Akhouiy (Indolence, drift, ease, dumb luck, serendipity)
Level 1 (Sense):
Detect the most fortunate place to wait for something
Detect the most lazy person (useful in getting through customs)
Detect the most comfortable seat

Level 2 (Control): ?
Attract minor fortune
Lucky Parking space
Inflict Laziness
Ease Pain

Level 3 (Creation): ?
Create lucky charm
Bless
Serendipity

Level 4 (Authority): ?
Serendipity (with wishing)

Level 5 (Complete Power): ?
Inflict Destiny
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Old 11-27-2012, 11:37 AM   #7
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Default Re: [Thaumatology] Decanic Realm Threshold Magic - Hashing out the Empty Decans

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Originally Posted by Flyndaran View Post
But shouldn't only the Source have the ability to truly create decanic energy from nothing?
That doesn't invalidate a Realm-mechanic instead of a Spell mechanic. Using Spells instead of Realms doesn't "create" decanic energy any more than Realms do.
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Old 11-27-2012, 01:50 PM   #8
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Default Re: [Thaumatology] Decanic Realm Threshold Magic - Hashing out the Empty Decans

Anoster: The impossible, the unnamable.
Level 1 (Sense): find the self-contradiction in a flawed argument or system of ethics or mathematics
Level 2 (Control): eavesdrop on a quantum-encrypted channel without disrupting it
Level 3 (Creation): Encrypt a document using an infinitely complex or otherwise inexpressible method or key. It cannot be deciphered by mundane means, nor could you tell anyone else how to decipher it even if you'd want to. However, Anoster Level 2 can be used to read it.
Level 4 (Authority): Discern the true name of an Elder Thing. Since this name cannot be expressed, it can only be contained in your own mind -at considerable risk to your sanity.
Level 5 (Complete Power): change your true name into something unnameable, rendering your previous true and common names useless against you
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