Re: How to protect casters?
 

For 40 points you can also get HT 14, which not only gives you +1 to Basic Speed, Basic Move, and Dodge for free, but also means that 90% of the time, you won't stop functioning when you reach 0 hit points and won't die when you reach fully negative hit points. Compare, for example:

HT 10: reach 0 HP, 50% chance of being conscious on next turn
HT 14: reach 0 HP, 90% chance of being conscious on next turn, 81% on second next turn, 73% on third next turn, 66% on fourth next turn, 59% on fifth next turn, 53% on sixth next turn, 48% on seventh next turn

You can cast a lot of spells in half a dozen extra turns!

Bill Stoddard

Re: How to protect casters?
 

I second Bill's recommendation of HT instead of DX for mages. It works out very well overall. And don't forget that extra HT also comes with extra FP.

Additionally, if the fighter knows tactics, he can probably beat the default roll by the orcs by a decent margin. Check out the rules for tactics in MA, it'll let the fighter had out luck to the wizard based upon good tactical decisions.

Re: How to protect casters?
 

It's also entirely possible to hire mercenaries for cash-moneys, skipping the whole Ally issue entirely. This will be expensive, but in a DF game a successful adventuring party can afford to feed and pay a few Men-at-arms. If you have a healer in the group, the Men-at-arms are more likely to be confident that you'll bring them back alive, too.

You can then upgrade them to Allies if you decide you like having them around and can promote a good social relationship.

Hirelings - never underestimate their usefulness.

Re: How to protect casters?
 

Really, I just have one word for you. Armor. In our Forgotten Realms in GURPS game, we noticed that our mage/cleric was getting himself stabbed full of holes on a regular basis. Add to this that he was also accident prone and took regular falling/tripping/stumbling damage and we figured it was time for a change. So, when we were awarded a suit of mithral chain, it went right on the mage! Now, between that and his DR 1 robe, he's actually capable of surviving long enough to heal the rest or us. So, really, just spend the cash and get your mage a bit of chain mail. It makes a world of difference.

Re: How to protect casters?
 

I came up with some interesting issue regarding casters. I have looked over my characters. In local GURPS groups campaing from 50 points to 150 points are most common - with hard demand on disadvatages being played and definetly not for free - at some power lovel most players are faced with option to chose there roles carefully. Investing in healing magic is most common but even that "cripples" the character.
My point is short - GM is responsible to choice what peril PC face during session. By my experience alost every local GM is influence by heroic and cinemmatism without realising it. That it self could lead to situations that party faces 2 on 2 situation or 3-3 4-4...Usualy GM do realise that even a good fighter would have hard time fighting two at ones, but they usualy set mooks as "little" weaker then main fighter or in low point games as strong as the non-combat guy. This with gurps realism during fights and healing periods could easily leave group stuck. (As healers have hard time healing themself.)

Is there any advice in Dungeon Fantasy - how to pre-set an ramdom encounter? For example situation where fighter and healer travel together. They are faced by 3+ monsters but only one of monsters is a chalange at all, and the its minions are just an extra turn or two to handle.


How was this not off-topic. Easily: How to protect casters? - get your GM understand situation better.

Re: How to protect casters?
 

This goes down to gaming philosophy and so the discussion probably doesn't fit here, but I'd like to point out that the characters have as much say in what they face (except in limited circumstances, like active, aggressive enemies that chase the PCs down constantly), because if a dungeon is too dangerous, they can simply leave and go to a different one. I understand there is a general assumption among gamers that PCs are the center of the universe and thus they can overcome any challenge they face simply by marching onward, but the game doesn't have to work that way. It is possible to have obstacles the PCs are not meant to overcome, and as long as the GM doesn't unfairly hide the facts, it is the players' or characters' fault if they attempt to do so anyways and fail.

Re: How to protect casters?
 

Fault may be a bit strong. It depends on how the character is written. I have proceeded when I knew my character would fail, I have even proceeded when *he* knew he would fail. That was part of who he was "would rather die than quit"....

Re: How to protect casters?
 

Oh, thank you both for the clarification. Sorry for not catching the distinction. I did think that it was an uncharacteristically harsh comment by Gold & Appel.

-Rob

Re: How to protect casters?
 

I agree with both of you, for all of the stated reasons. (Indeed, the priest in my campaign eventually raised his HT for both the Basic Speed and the FP -- and because he was the messiah of the Death God and wanted to be immune to death, but that's an unrelated issue.) But elements of this decision tie into the earlier point about people wanting to play squishy mages: to some gamers, raising HT is a "fighter thing," and not in keeping with their vision of casters. So it goes. In that context, being small and skinny often makes "agile" seem more fitting than "healthy" . . . in which case definitions of "agile" that take form as +1 Basic Speed generally serve better than those that look like +1 DX, given the combat rules.

For that matter, the wizard's huge IQ will give him a decent Tactics level if he bothers. Whoever is using tactics, though, I agree that the options in Martial Arts are worth noting. In the OP's situation, the mapped version might actually be the better option, as it would allow the PCs to place their wizards far from enemies, and possibly behind allies or cover.

Re: How to protect casters?
 

Incidentally, about breaking out of the D&D mindset don't assume that your bad guys will be ignoring the Fighter who does 1D8 per round to get to the Wizard who does 6D6 over a 20 ft radius.

Nyx the Barbarian does 4D6+16 with a flail and she tends to aim for the Skull (Targeted Attack naturally). She's also usually under the effect of Great Haste.

Aldehar the Incendiary is not to be taken lightly but even with lots of Magery he tends to wound (partly because of Gurps realistic explosion rules) when Nyx auto-kills.

Our bad guys tend to try and keep 2 guys on Nyx (difficult) before they even try and get around her to tackle Aldehar.