12-21-2012, 11:22 PM | #1 |
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: Oldenburg, Germany
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Your experiences with Path/Book magic?
I am planning to use the Path/Book magic system for the first time in an upcoming GURPS Fading Suns campaign (as outlined here). And before I do so, I am wondering about other people's experiences with it. What's good, what's bad, what are the major pitfalls? How did it work out in play? What were some high points and what were some low points of its use in your campaign?
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GURPS Repository • Sunken Castles, Evil Poodles - translating German folk tales into English! |
12-22-2012, 07:03 AM | #2 | |
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Join Date: Apr 2008
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Re: Your experiences with Path/Book magic?
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12-22-2012, 09:41 AM | #3 |
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: Oldenburg, Germany
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Re: Your experiences with Path/Book magic?
Did you use effect shaping or energy accumulating magic?
And what did Magical Aptitude do, if anything?
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GURPS Repository • Sunken Castles, Evil Poodles - translating German folk tales into English! |
12-22-2012, 11:35 AM | #4 |
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Join Date: Apr 2008
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Re: Your experiences with Path/Book magic?
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12-22-2012, 01:06 PM | #5 |
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: Estonia
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Re: Your experiences with Path/Book magic?
Did you use your own made up books or took the ready made
paths from the Thaumatology? |
12-22-2012, 01:09 PM | #6 | |
Banned
Join Date: Apr 2008
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Re: Your experiences with Path/Book magic?
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My character had skills in the Paths of Luck, Knowledge and Protection. |
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12-22-2012, 05:34 PM | #7 |
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: Medford, MA
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Re: Your experiences with Path/Book magic?
I used it in my Renaissance Florence game. It worked really, really well.
I used Energy Accumulating, Path Magic, and created 4 different styles. Not all paths were available to all styles. The flashier stuff was only available to those that followed a secret Lady of the Forest sort of thing that involved Spiritual Distortion. My players also really liked it and found it fun. |
12-22-2012, 06:26 PM | #8 |
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: L.I., NY
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Re: Your experiences with Path/Book magic?
I used path/book magic for a 1930's pulp game, effect shaping for both paths and books. I liked how it worked. I made up several traditions for both book and path magic. I looked up some real-world historical 'magic' books, to use for the titles of magic books in the game, one of the players who has read up on occult traditions as a hobby really liked that.
One player who put a lot of points into IQ and picked up several magic books for just a few points each leaned toward dominating the game a bit. I had to make sure there were opportunities for the shooter (who also knew a few magic paths), the martial artist, and the gadgeteer to shine. If I were to run it again, I'd probably be a little stingier with the magic books available to characters to start. That would give me a bit more control over the magic-using characters. It would also make finding a new book more of a big deal. I might also try using energy accumulating for the path magic traditions, to make them feel different from the book-based traditions. |
12-22-2012, 07:57 PM | #9 |
Join Date: Feb 2009
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Re: Your experiences with Path/Book magic?
Ive played Path/Book using characters before but never at all understood the system beyond a very vague 'So the Path of Spirit somehow, maybe lets me try Spirit related magic?'
So it was all 'I want to do X!' DM, 'Okay, roll Path-Y' The DM liked this as he enjoyed the 'describe what you want to do and I will translate it into GURPS for you' style of DMing, but I had mixed feelings as I love the 'I know every single modifier on my actions and love stringing them together' |
12-23-2012, 04:38 AM | #10 |
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Seeheim-Jugenheim, Germany
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Re: Your experiences with Path/Book magic?
The 3 ed precursor to Path Magic was the most frequently used Magic system for my Group since it first appeared in Gurps Voodoo. We used it in many campaigns and different genres: traditional fantasy, modern day fantasy, horror and historicals with secret supernaturals. It is very similar to the 4th Ed path magic with effect shaping.
I had not the chance to use the 4th ed version, because our current started before Thaumatology was released. We use a heavily modified version of Thomas Weigels “Libere Rituum Magorum” (it’s excellent, but unfortunaly seems not longer be available on the web) that is also based on Path Magic. I am looking forward using the 4th ed Version in the future. Effect shaping fits my personally preferences on magic better than most other game mechanics because it avoids the “pool of energy” mechanic, witch feels to “physical” to me.
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