[RPM] Ritual Path Magic: doing the WEIRD stuff
 

Greetings, all!

So, I'm gradually reading and internalising RPM. As of now, I'm getting the impression that it's kinda 'MtA Sphere Magic built from scratch using GURPS', as opposed to Realm Magic's 'MtA Sphere Magic recompiled for GURPS'. Anyway, the flexibility is awesome. And with flexibility, of course I want to try out some of the weirder stuff. So, I'm a newbie to the system, and I'm curious how to do some of the stuff:

Meta-temporal perception: Inspired by Achron, being able to perceive not a point in time, but rather a segment of time, extending into the future and/or past, 'simultaneously', and acting based on this segment. Would this be just Greater Sense Crossroads with the segment length as a duration?

Reverse Missiles (M168), Force Dome (M170). Greater Transform Energy?

Time Out (M87). Something with Crossroads, but what?

Co-Location. Appearing simultaneously in multiple places. E.g. simultaneously in the office and in a bedroom at home. Lying on the bed will make you apparently float in mid-air in the office, while sitting in an office chair will make you appear to be hanging mid-air at home. But hey, you can watch TV and appear to be working. I suppose it will take some (what?) addition of Mind and Body to also be simultaneously doing different things with different manifestations.

Invent a Meme. Essentially replacing the applications of Memetics with magic, somehow divining and then writing down an idea that will catch on and become popular with the masses. Notice that I'm not talking about magically creating an idea, but rather of divining a concept, and then publishing it in a mundane way in the hopes that people will keep circulating it.

Read Between Lines. Divine whether factual statements in a text are factually (as opposed to finding the author of the text and reading his mind).

Mirror Gate. Creation of a gate, entering which makes the object exit another gate . . . but the connection between gates is a mirrored one, i.e. the exiting object will be flipped along one of the axes. Same for a scale-gate, where one gate is larger than the other, and thus passing object will change scale.

Recharge Destiny Points, uses of Serendipity/Luck, or otherwise provide 'ammo' for abilities that have limited uses.

Untether The Mind. Making one retain all magical powers and cognitive capabilities after death, essentially becoming a being of pure thought.

Rewind Time. This is something of a time travel action, in that after being subjecting to an unpleasant event, you get to change your actions in the past and try to fix it.

Groundhog Day. Trap someone in a Groundhog Time Loop.

Commune with the Small Gods. Talk to the spirit of your gun. Ask the pavement who hurt it lately. Is this just a Lesser Sense Spirit effect?

Resurrection/raise dead allies?

Thanks in advance!

Re: [RPM] Ritual Path Magic: doing the WEIRD stuff
 

Here's my stab at these. Thanks for two things: The challenge and the page number references.

This would largely depend on just what the in-game effect is. As per MH1, just getting information (regardless of how the process is described) is a Greater Sense Chance effect. You may need to add additional effects to represent any other effects (I watch how I am likely to die next and gain +1 to all active defenses to avoid it).

I would approach this as a Greater Control Matter effect. It should probably include Altered Traits, DR (Force Field, +20%; Limited, Ranged Projectiles, -40%) sufficient to stop the damage you are trying to prevent.

This is probably as tricky in RPM as it is with regular advantages. Effect-wise, I'd go with Greater Destroy Energy + Greater Control Matter, with Altered Traits, Ton of DR.

Greater Control Crossroads + Altered Traits, Jumper (Time Stop) + Area Effect?

Greater Create Mind + Greater Create Body + Duplication + Mindlink (Dupes)

Greater Sense Chance with Bestows a Bonus (to Propaganda). To make a meme that will catch on, I'd use Greater Strengthen Chance.

Greater Sense Chance.

Lesser/Greater Create Crossroads (depending on destination; see T:RPM p. 9) + Greater Transform Body.

This depends on the ability. I would use an appropriate effect to bestow Altered Traits worth however many uses of that effect you want recharged. This could be a restore or strengthen effect, probably. Frex, Lesser Restore Chance + Altered Traits, Serendipity 1 or Lesser Restore Chance + Altered Traits, Extraordinary Luck.

Greater Transform Mind + Altered Traits, Astral Entity.

Sounds like creating a gate to a past time/destination. Lesser/Greater Create Crossroads.

Greater Control Crossroads seems most appropriate.

Totally Lesser Sense Spirit.

Just about every iteration of this is naaaasty. PK (I think) actually posted rituals for this a long time ago during the dark days before Kromm found his bottle of Publishing Draino. IIRC, the ugly, ugly version was simply a Greater Restore Body + Greater Create Mind + Altered Traits, Extra Life (Cosmic, Retroactive) for a lot of points. It also wears off at the end of the spell's duration and the PC dies again. The PC is also resurrected The Monkey's Paw-style, mortal wounds and all.

The slightly less ugly version using Greater Transform Body + Greater Create Mind + Altered Traits, Unkillable (Cosmic, Retroactive) + Regeneration for a ton of points. This one also expires, but the person doesn't come back all bloody mess, at least.

I don't remember if there was a third, more permanent one, but then again, I'm not 100% the above are correct. The spirit is there, however.

Don't thank me until you see the results, but you're still welcome!

Re: [RPM] Ritual Path Magic: doing the WEIRD stuff
 

The game effect is probably described as the character becoming Time-Spanning. As in, the ability to think of time segments the way we think of the surrounding space.

I was looking at turning missiles, not blocking them. (If I were willing to emulate DR, I'd pick DR, but it's not what I meant.)

Hmmm. Thanks.

Duplication doesn't seem to do the deal, since there's no duplication involved. Wounding, healing, tiring, feeding, or otherwise affecting one manifestation does not allow the other to be unaffected. On the contrary, the manifestations are also restricted in their movements (e.g. if moving forward hits a wall in the bedroom, you can't walk forward even though there's an empty space in front of you in the office.)

Hmm, seems like a skill improvement from default, basically. Not as fancy-sounding, but seems to work.

Hmm. Destinies, yes. Didn't think of it.

Hmm. If it requires Transform Body, then it will also require Transform Spirit/Mind/Matter/Energy/etc. to act the same way on the other entities that move through.

So basically [5] per level of Destiny? It seems that just temporarily awarding 'character points' with the unspoken assumption that, being Chance-bestowed ones, they can only be used for Impulse Buys.

Sorry, perhaps I used a confusing wording. I meant a permanent change, like becoming a Hungry Ghost upon dying, but instead making sure the transformation would be into a Being of Pure Thought (like in the old Psionics).

I suppose you could look at it that way, but the important thing is that e.g. wounds sustained during the nasty events shouldn't move to the past, nor should earned money etc. And there shouldn't be two yous in the point to which the Rewind is performed.

I was thinking something less ugly and more permanent, closer to the one on M94. (Also, Create Mind kinda defeats the point, as the intent was to bring back someone; making a new one is a whole different affair - if you can make a copy instead of fixing what's on your hands, that has other, bigger consequences.)

Re: [RPM] Ritual Path Magic: doing the WEIRD stuff
 

I'm just going to short hand this (instead of writing up the spell, which I typically do), because there are so many questions. ^_%

Greater Sense Crossroads, Range in Time, a Duration of however long you want it to last, and Bestows a Bonus, all rolls that could gain a bonus if using predictive action.


Greater Control Mater. There is no automatic success here, you'd roll your Path of Matter skill, succeed means your turned it. Add Bestows a Bonus to increase your Path skill for this roll.

No absolutes in RPM. Greater Create Matter. Build this as a Force Field with however much DR (or Damage Reduction) blocks the setting's most powerful ability. Add Area of Effect.

Greater Control Crossroads plus Duration for however long the effect lasts. Add Area of Effect.

This would cou be Greater Strengthen Mind with Altered Traits, Compartmentalized Mind and Greater Strengthen Body with Altered Traits, Duplication. It could also be Greater Create Body and Greater Create Mind with Range to represent you creating a body and adding a telepathic link.


Lesser Transform Mind.

Greater Sense Chance. Maybe Greater Sense Mind.

Greater Create Crossroads + Greater Transform Body or Matter.

See Thaumtology II for a RAW example.

Greater Transform Body and Greater Transform Mind (or Spirit). See my posts in this thread for how to handle it.

Greater Transform Chance (to just change it) or Greater Create Crossroads (for a gate)

Greater Create Crossroads to create a gate and then Greater Control Crossroads to make them relive the day.

Yes.

See Prehistory for a RAW raise dead spell.

Re: [RPM] Ritual Path Magic: doing the WEIRD stuff
 

I'm not sure what sort of mechanical impacts that would have. From that point of view, maybe a Strengthen Mind effect. Lesser/Greater should probably result from the mechanical effects of such a boon.

I know you are reflecting missiles. But in doing so, the subject is not taking any damage. I don't see why altering a missile's KE sufficiently turn it back on its shooter costs less energy than stopping the missile. Hence the DR. Of course, RPM is all about the GM doing things the way (s)he sees fit within the setting. This is just how I see it. Maybe Ghostdancer or PK have a different take on this one.

You're welcome!

Ah, I thought you meant you had copies running around doing different things elsewhere. So this is more of a Clairsentience with a Cannot Move limitations? I'd build it as such. Greater Strengthen Mind + Altered Traits, Clairsentience (suitable enhancements and limitations).

I'm aiming at the mechanics for a lot of these. Divinations are specifically Path of Chance effects, so that's where I'm getting these. Otherwise, you might be able to do some sort of massive Sense Mind effect to get the same bonus, but you'd have to affect an AoE big enough to include your entire audience.

Again, you said, "Divine" and I thought "Sense Chance." There are probably other ways to go about it, but this is the one specifically called out in MH1.

I didn't think of objects or spirits. Minds are nonmaterial, so they wouldn't get smaller or mirored, and energy shouldn't matter, either (which side is the "left" side of a laser beam doesn't really change the effect of the laser). I suppose you could drop the Transform Body if you just declare that gates can do that sort of thing. Again, this is a GM call.

That was my thinking. Don't forget that rolling quirks when bestowing destiny can get kind of hairy for the caster.

I'm not familiar with old Psionics, but that's what I thought you meant. Essentially, the person is not dying. He's gaining a new racial template. I'd use Altered Traits to apply that template when he dies. You might require that it be cast as a conditional ritual, but being a Greater Transformation effect, I'd let it be instant and the effects permanent.

Then include a sufficient Restore Body effect to heal any injuries you had when you left the present. The rest sounds like a special effect. It's still a gate effect that traverses time rather that space.

Let me see if I can find the original post. Now that you mention it, I think it might have been Control Spirit and not Create Mind (which I think was for creating intelligent undead or something). Also, The Old Ways from Pyrammid #56 has a very forgiving take on resurrection called Revivify. That might be up your alley.

Re: [RPM] Ritual Path Magic: doing the WEIRD stuff
 

Well, example effects would be knowing (during all points on the segment and thereafter) all events observed on any point of the segment. Which means that if you perform an action that changes the 'default flow', you immediately know the consequences up to the endpoint of the segment. Note that you can't know about events which you don't observe on the segment, e.g. events after your own death (but you do know that you die at point x, and if you have enough time to change the events from the default flow, you can act accordingly based on this knowledge). I think it was Dr. Manhattan in Watchers who exhibited the most popular example of this phenomenon.

It's not clairsentience either. It's being in two places simultaneously. Remember the occasionally-discussed idea of living both in the real and the spirit world simultaneously in GURPS Shadowrun conversions? Maybe also some WoD conversions too. Basically, the character is affected by the two (or more) different locations.

Minds are nonmaterial, but they're asymmetric too: damaging the left half of the brain will bring down the left half of the mind with it, right will damage the right, and the effects are not the same. Not reflecting the mind while inverting the body will result in funny effects like flipping the scars on the body, but not flipping handedness of the mind. Energy does matter: a laser projecting a hologram through the gate will or will not be mirrored depending on the choice; not mirroring the kinetic energy of e.g. moving blood will also probably have a negative effect, as the energy gets dumped into other organs.

Oh, yes, Quirks are Quirky. But the idea of granting 'Impulse Points' directly instead of recharging a pool like one recharges HP and FP pools still seems lucrative, mostly because it also works on characters without MH Destiny.

Oh, I see the Enchantment solution. Will check it out.

Hmm. So also Restore Matter and the like. Unexpected.

Oh, found it. Thanks. Hmm, so it seems that I need to award Unkillable 2 and Regeneration in a similar manner if I want to do it without loss of points.

Re: [RPM] Ritual Path Magic: doing the WEIRD stuff
 

Check out Ghostdancer's response, too, Vicky. He's got a different take on those than I do, and he's probably closer to the mark (I usually defer to him unless it really goes against the grain of the setting).

If your game doesn't use MH Destiny or Impulse Buys, then this spell doesn't exist. I would generally offer it up as a way to recharge your use of an existing ability (although a similar ritual could just grant an instant use of that ability).

Re: [RPM] Ritual Path Magic: doing the WEIRD stuff
 

I did, thanks.

More weird stuff:

Draw Power, RPM Style: As the one on p. 180 of GURPS Magic, but instead getting a stream of GURPS Magic energy, get a stream of RPM energy.

Essential Fuel. Same as the one on M180.

Scare the tech spirit / 'Gremlins': based on the Gremlins Gift of Ragabash Werewolves had in oWoD: Disrupt or scare away the spirit of a technological item, making it stop working. Computers don't compute, guns don't shoot, phones don't call, knives don't cut, ropes don't bind, levers don't multiply force, writing doesn't convey meaning.

Thieving Talons of the Magpie (ditto WW): steal a supernatural ability / skill from another and temporarily use it for oneself.

Re: [RPM] Ritual Path Magic: doing the WEIRD stuff
 

I wouldn't. That spell is wonky enough to begin with. But if you must, I'd do what Dwarf99 suggested in the other thread: use subject weight and read lbs. as kW, then find the number of energy it would cost to do that and reverse it. So a device whose output was 30 megawatts would give +1 energy per second. Your HT-based Path of Energy skill or Magery+HT would cap how much energy you could draw. I have no idea if that's balanced, again, Draw Power is not exactly a forthcoming spell.

Essential spell effects aren't very RPM-like (so says PK from a emal a lonnnggg time ago). That said, the exact effects of this spell would be a Greater Transform Matter effect using Duration.

Lesser Destroy Matter, Lesser Control Chance, or Lesser Control Spirit to Bestow a Bonus, Malfunction number -5 (32). Since most objects don't have a malfunction number, you'd start at 19 (no malfunction possible) and then penalize the roll. In this case, -5, so the device goes AWOL on a 14 or higher on the operation roll.

Greater Transform Body + Greater Transform Body (or Undead, Spirit, etc.; whatever it takes to affect the target). Use altered traits to replicate the ability if it's more than a single use (i.e., it has a Duration).

Re: [RPM] Ritual Path Magic: doing the WEIRD stuff
 

Cool, I'm without books atm, so this may be a bit off (especially to reference Magic for the spells mentioned).

I'm not sure about this spell. Getting free energy from a ritual for new rituals sounds too crockish. If its about turning energy from a generator or battery into RPM energy while putting a load on that device, it could be tricky. I'd probably use a Transform Energy effect and a Transform Magic effect. How much energy is gained from the ritual per watt drained is beyond me, though. That'd probably take some number running. Also, due to the potential energy-crock nature of such a ritual, I'd probably make these greater effects. I really shutter to think of what could happen if you got more energy out of a ritual than what went in . . .

Without remembering the effects of the spell, I'd just say it's a Greater Transform Matter effect.

Per fluff, I'd say this is a Control Spirit, but mechanically it's just a Lesser Destroy Matter effect would have the same effect. This is where you have to decide what fits your setting. Just remember that you'll need an Area Effect and if you go the Destroy Matter route, you'll need a Weight for the entire weight of all machines affected (a potentially substantial energy cost).

Destroy Body/Mind (depending on ability) + Create/Control/Transform Body/Mind (depending on ability) + Altered Traits/Bestows a Bonus (depending on ability/skill). Lesser/Greater depends on the ability; skills would probably be lesser effects, in general.