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Old 04-19-2018, 04:05 PM   #1
Dark Archon
 
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Default GURPS Mage the Awakening

I want to make a conversion of MtAw 2e to GURPS, mainly because I dislike CofD rules for literally everything that is not magic, especially combat rules. My main problem is transferring magic rules and keep certain important concepts about setting within the conversion. Have anyone tried to do this before me? Did you had any luck with it? I find it extremely difficult to keep concepts of 2e Reaching, Paradox and Mana in GURPS - I literally find no mechanic to represent something like it in GURPS.
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Old 04-19-2018, 04:24 PM   #2
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Default Re: GURPS Mage the Awakening

I played the orgnal edition of Mage so not sure how much changed,
GURPS did a conversion for GURPS Third edition but the magic system is in GURPS Thaumatology under Realm Magic.
Paradox is not part of default rules but is also in there as an option. Also stored Quintessence or Tass? is there too.
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Old 04-19-2018, 04:25 PM   #3
johndallman
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Default Re: GURPS Mage the Awakening

Two things that may help:

GURPS Thaumatology has "Realm Magic" a system for constructing magic systems that can be used to produce systems very much like M:tA.

There was a GURPS: Mage the Ascension book in the days of GURPS 3e. It's no longer available, but can be found second-hand. There are several copies on eBay at present.
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Old 04-19-2018, 04:31 PM   #4
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Default Re: GURPS Mage the Awakening

I have run the game as recommended above, with 4e realm magic and the 3e GURPS conversion. I found it worked quite well.

One thing I removed, though, was the fatigue cost for coincidental magic. I believe it goes better with the feel of the source material to have that be free.

The game fizzled out after a few sessions due to my failure to read a player correctly, but the rules base seemed to work fine.

A piece of advice on the world-adaptations I've seen a few times: Don't try to convert everything directly. Have a picture of what you want to make and build that. It doesn't all have to match the stats or have a conversion formula in order to get the feel you want.
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Old 04-19-2018, 04:37 PM   #5
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Default Re: GURPS Mage the Awakening

Quote:
Two things that may help:
GURPS Thaumatology has "Realm Magic" a system for constructing magic systems that can be used to produce systems very much like M:tA.
Quote:
GURPS Thaumatology has "Realm Magic" a system for constructing magic systems that can be used to produce systems very much like M:tA.
Realm magic isn't adequate in general to transfer MtAw 2e magic, because neither of three suggested methods of determining parameters for syntactic magic work. MtAw magic doesn't require any kind of resource from mage, so energy-based cost doesn't work. MoS-based parameters also doesn't work, because in MtAw 2e number of successes rolled on spell roll doesn't matter beyond the usual "critical success". Modifiers to the skill roll are the closest to the system, but concept of Reaching breaks this approach too.

Last edited by Dark Archon; 04-19-2018 at 04:42 PM.
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Old 04-19-2018, 05:26 PM   #6
Flyndaran
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Default Re: GURPS Mage the Awakening

Threshold magic might work well. Over stepping leads to Paradox.
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Old 04-19-2018, 06:28 PM   #7
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Default Re: GURPS Mage the Awakening

Quote:
Originally Posted by khorboth View Post
A piece of advice on the world-adaptations I've seen a few times: Don't try to convert everything directly. Have a picture of what you want to make and build that. It doesn't all have to match the stats or have a conversion formula in order to get the feel you want.
Truth.
Go for the feel but dont get bogged down in details trying for exact conversions.
Odds are you can make a better system if you dont get caught in minutia.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Dark Archon View Post
Realm magic isn't adequate in general to transfer MtAw 2e magic, because neither of three suggested methods of determining parameters for syntactic magic work. MtAw magic doesn't require any kind of resource from mage, so energy-based cost doesn't work. MoS-based parameters also doesn't work, because in MtAw 2e number of successes rolled on spell roll doesn't matter beyond the usual "critical success". Modifiers to the skill roll are the closest to the system, but concept of Reaching breaks this approach too.
There are parameters, though it could use some fleshing out.
I really dont see this as hard as many people make it out to be.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Flyndaran View Post
Threshold magic might work well. Over stepping leads to Paradox.
Yeah, but Realms match over to Spheres better than Colleges do.
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Old 04-19-2018, 07:08 PM   #8
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Default Re: GURPS Mage the Awakening

Threshold is not mutually exclusive with Realm magic.
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Old 04-19-2018, 07:40 PM   #9
Kelly Pedersen
 
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Default Re: GURPS Mage the Awakening

I concur with the others about not worrying about too much fidelity to the source rules. Down that road lies madness. :-)

That said, I think you can tweak Realm Magic a bit and have it fit Mage: The Awakening pretty well.

First, I'd treat Mana as just a special Energy Reserve (which can only be recharged at Hallows), which is the only thing that can power spells that require mana (no spending FP).

Second, I'd just adapt the Reach mechanic pretty much straight across from MtA: you start with a free Reach for any spell, and each level you have in the Realm above what you need to cast the spell gives another free Reach. Using a Reach changes the parameters of the spell, as per normal. The rules for Reactive Reality (Thaumatology, pp. 193-194) model Paradox pretty well too - just give a die of Distortion Points for every reach past the free one.

I wouldn't worry about Realm Magic being margin-of-success based, frankly. I realize MtA magic isn't, generally, but I think that's really more a matter of rules differences. I don't think it hurts the flavor of the magic if its effectiveness is a on a bit more of a gradient, rather than binary "it succeeds/it succeeds incredibly".

Rotes, I would do by allowing characters who had a Rote to roll the relevant mundane skill as a complementary bonus to the spellcasting roll (possibly giving a bigger bonus than just the standard +1 on a success/+2 on a crit, though).
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Old 04-19-2018, 09:49 PM   #10
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Default Re: GURPS Mage the Awakening

Use the old Gurps Mage: the Ascension or even better use Thaumatology: Ritual Path Magic.

RPM is a much much better magic system than Awakening and Ascension together, plus it is clearly inspired in Ars Magica (the same rpg that inspired Ascension rules).
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