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Old 08-26-2005, 05:17 AM   #1
kaan
 
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Default Character Point Debt for sudden revelation of powers

Some background:
My GURPS campaign is a plane-hopping affair, based upon the "Richard Blade" books (for those old enough to remember them).
This is my first GURPS game ever (as player or GM), and I am the first in my RPG circles to host a GURPS game. So I have a let's have a little bit of everything to show off the system's potential for multi-/cross- setting campaigns, and test it at the same time.

However, since all my player's are new to GURPS, and come from a D&D background, they are used to characters been balanced/equal for some definition of equal (XP / levels), with small differences.

The choice:
Now I have sent them into a magically active world, and two of the players chose to have been latent magical talents. This is a decision made during the session they encountered someone able to recognize this potential. Now one is barely active (Magery 0) and the second is a powerful upstart (Magery 3).

This puts them 5 and 35 points above the other two players who opted (sp?) to not have magic potential.

I do not want the players to feel like they lost something just because of an OOC choice. So I have ruled that the magically active players now have a CP debt, with at least half the character points they earn each session going into it, until it is repaid.

The players seem OK with this decision, but I would like to hear from some more experienced GURPS players and GMs.

The question:
How would do you handle similar situations?

I mean, if a player (character) works for something it is fair to increase their point total. If they can get themselves knighted, then the Status increase will increase their CP total.

But if one player decides that they too have Psionic powers, when they are in a world that allows them and it is the first time they have encountered this, what is your reaction? Note, they will probably have them as Uncontrollable at first, but how would you handle the CP increase?

The characters will eventually have the same CP total with the others, since the non-gifted get more CP, but are the extra points are too much of an advantage while they exist?
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Old 08-26-2005, 05:48 AM   #2
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Default Re: Character Point Debt for sudden revelation of powers

I would personally take the same route as you did. Point debt all the way, and forcing them to spend ALL their acumulated points in it, and then, half of what they earn.

As for balance, don't fuss about it, they system is IMHO, far sturdier than D&D, where 2-3 level diference between characters borders the unplayable.
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Old 08-26-2005, 06:00 AM   #3
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Default Re: Character Point Debt for sudden revelation of powers

On our forum in Italy someone has posted the same question yesterday, and I've answered him exactly the way you suggest ... CP debt! Beware however that if the magical traits are effective only in a single world this should be a limitation (50% or so).
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Old 08-26-2005, 06:58 AM   #4
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Default Re: Character Point Debt for sudden revelation of powers

To offset the debts you can always give him demporary disadvantages.

Certain mental ones make a nice thing (hey, let me do it - I can handle them all), as well as the usual enemies (ok, so you got knighted now. lets's get you syour favourite noble who does not like newly knighted dudes).

Those may (or may not) be easily offset when CP's are gained.
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Old 08-26-2005, 07:40 AM   #5
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Default Re: Character Point Debt for sudden revelation of powers

Another option would be to 'gift' the other players with advantages that they would recieve in some of the other worlds. I would also keep track of how many free cp's everybody got so that things are fairly equal.

Be careful thou, your characters could get more powerful than you are prepared for this way.

Wow! Blade books. That sure brings back some adolescent memories!
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Old 08-26-2005, 12:54 PM   #6
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Default Re: Character Point Debt for sudden revelation of powers

Quote:
Originally Posted by Dwarfolo
On our forum in Italy someone has posted the same question yesterday, and I've answered him exactly the way you suggest ... CP debt! Beware however that if the magical traits are effective only in a single world this should be a limitation (50% or so).
If you're talking about the mana dependancy of magery, that's built into the advantage, if you bean that their magery ONLY works of of the mana of world X and the mana of world Y won't sustain their magic, then I'd say a limitation applies.

Now, making normal advantages 'magical' is a -10% limitation, if I remember right, same value as making them 'psionic.' this provides specific ways that the advantages can be short-circuited by an adversary or the environment, such as meing in a no mana zone or an area flooded with psi-static, nut it may also provide benefits, such as being able to do something right under the nose of a guard who dosen't understand magic and therefore sees no causal link between the characters actions and why his hat is now on fire.
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Old 08-26-2005, 01:10 PM   #7
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Default Re: Character Point Debt for sudden revelation of powers

Well, I was suggesting a world where magic doesn't exist at all.
Take a look at a trait like Modular Ability. The Virtual limitation is applied when the ability is available only in a restricted realm (e.g. in one of many worlds) and it is worth a 50%. In this case you have a world where Magic exists and it has effect and another one where Magic is totally worthless.
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Old 08-26-2005, 04:05 PM   #8
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Default Re: Character Point Debt for sudden revelation of powers

Well, I'd scale the magery cost by the %age of world-time they will spend in any situation where it's at all germane.

But yes, make them use up their stored points (if any) and at least half of the points they earn, maybe more, until they meet it, OR they can acquire a disadvantage(s) to back off the cost, one related to suddenly discovering that one is a mage, perhaps the hard way.

Another thing is to arrange so that each PC gets some bennie of roughly equal worth in different worlds, bearing in mind the %age of time they are in that world.
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Old 08-26-2005, 04:19 PM   #9
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Default Re: Character Point Debt for sudden revelation of powers

If I was running it, I'd keep in mind Dwarfolo's suggestion, especially if you make good hard decisions about Magic not working in half the worlds available.

This makes the Advantages worth 3 to 18 points, which is more manageable.
I would then hit them with Temporary Disadantages* until they have fully paid off the CP debt. Making them pay half their earned CP to eliminate the CP debt is fair.


*For things like CP debt for Magery, I love to hit the players with Magic Susceptibility until they pay off the debt, this works great, is balanced, and the players usually find it rather amusing when they find out.
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Old 08-26-2005, 07:32 PM   #10
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Default Re: Character Point Debt for sudden revelation of powers

Is this a 4e game? If so, you could also get some good use out of the Potential Advantages sidebar (p. B33), particularly the Secret Advantage rule.

If they get to choose whether to have new powers in a new realm, then I'd treat it as CP debt. In a way, Potential Advantages already does this, but you're spending some of those points up-front at char-gen, and except for Secret Advantages, you already know what your latent ability is.
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