[D20 to GURPS] Burnt Offerings Conversions

[Pragmatic]

I'm a complete GURPS novice. But, just pulling words out of memory from other posts I've seen:

Affliction plus some advantage like Unfazeable, with the Bard Song limitation. Would that work?

[Kuroshima]

Originally Posted by Pragmatic

I'm a complete GURPS novice. But, just pulling words out of memory from other posts I've seen:

Affliction plus some advantage like Unfazeable, with the Bard Song limitation. Would that work?

It would "work" (for some definitions of work).

it would, however, not work as you expect: It would allow you to create a "courage missile". The target, if hit, would roll at HT+DR, and if he failed, he would gain the advantage for a number of minutes equal to his margin of failure.

In order to get the typical bard abilities, you need to add Malediction, Area Effect, Emanation OR Aura, and the Power Modifier (if you take the Bardsong power from DF, it includes needing to hear you sing/perform IIRC). You can, however, take a look at the bard songs on DF11, or to the Auras of Power, on Pyramid #3/13, to see meta-modifiers (that is, a package of modifiers) to make it much easier.

[Landwalker]

Originally Posted by Kuroshima

For the Inspire Courage, either take a look at the DF11 Bardsong songs (p. 20), or at the Auras of Power article on Pyramid #3/13

It's hard for me to look at things I don't have, I'm afraid. Unless you can get more specific, I'm stuck with what I do have (which, relevant to this case, is Basic, Powers (which I struggle with, as I'm fairly new to it), and DF 1-5).

I do, at least, have Dungeon Fantasy 1, which I looked at when I was originally getting ready to try to put the Warchanter together. Since the Bard-song power from that didn't include any of the archetypal "inspiration" abilities, I built my own affliction, but you're right in that I should have remembered the Bard-Song power modifier and applied it to the Inspire Courage affliction. I'll edit that in now.

So, in light of what I do have to work with, is there any better way I could model the Inspire Courage ability? Anything distinctly wrong that I did with it? Any recommendations about anything else?

Originally Posted by Dragondog

You say that goblins hate and are afraid of dogs and horses, but I only see Phobia. What does their hate lead them to do? Is it Intolerance? Do dogs and horses have Enemy (goblins)? Is it only a Quirk?

Goblin swords are called "Dogslicers" for a reason — if a goblin can get past its phobia, it would like nothing more than to open a bloody smile for the offending canine (except, perhaps, to set the offending canine on fire).

I suppose this could be considered an Intolerance (Horses and Domesticated Dogs, -5 Reaction). I can add that to the basic "goblin template" now.

[Kuroshima]

Originally Posted by Landwalker

It's hard for me to look at things I don't have, I'm afraid. Unless you can get more specific, I'm stuck with what I do have (which, relevant to this case, is Basic, Powers (which I struggle with, as I'm fairly new to it), and DF 1-5).

I do, at least, have Dungeon Fantasy 1, which I looked at when I was originally getting ready to try to put the Warchanter together. Since the Bard-song power from that didn't include any of the archetypal "inspiration" abilities, I built my own affliction, but you're right in that I should have remembered the Bard-Song power modifier and applied it to the Inspire Courage affliction. I'll edit that in now.

So, in light of what I do have to work with, is there any better way I could model the Inspire Courage ability? Anything distinctly wrong that I did with it? Any recommendations about anything else?

The way you have it set up right now, there are a couple of issues:

• It's affected by DR: Having Dr will make this ability word differently. I would add Affliction, and invoque the Beneficial Afflictions on Powers p. 40. Also, this will mean that you don't have to roll for each target, only for the warchanter
• It's not sense based. Given that Maledicitions already ignore DR, you should take the Hearing-based limitation. EDIT: The bardsong power modifier takes care of this
• Requires concentrate is for abilities you can leave on all the time. This is an instantaneous effect, that must be continued turn to turn. Remove requires concentrate
• It lasts too long: Right now, those affected by the ability will keep the benefits for minutes. I would take Fixed Duration and Reduced Duration 1/60 (Found in Psionic Powers) to make this last 3 seconds after the warchanter stops singuing

[Landwalker]

Since I don't have the world's strongest grasp on Powers, I hope you don't mind a couple of questions so that I know where the issues are coming from.

It's affected by DR: Having Dr will make this ability word differently. I would add Affliction, and invoque the Beneficial Afflictions on Powers p. 40. Also, this will mean that you don't have to roll for each target, only for the warchanter

I was originally planning to give the ability the Malediction enhancement, but I didn't (and still don't) quite understand how that works. From B.106, "The value of Malediction depends on the range modifiers it uses." But the Inspire Courage ability doesn't use range modifiers, as far as I can tell—it's just an eight-yard emanation, period. So how would Malediction be priced in this situation?

(I don't really care how it's priced for the Warchanter, but it's a valid PC ability as well, so the pricing could matter.)

This is an instantaneous effect, that must be continued turn to turn.

Where can I find this laid out? I guess what I'm confused about on this point is how to model "The Warchanter can use this ability one time per day, but the one use lasts as long as he Concentrates on it." That's how I ended up (erroneously, I see from a closer reading) on Requires Concentrate, but I don't see how the normal Malediction/Affliction/Whatever rules achieve that goal.

[Kuroshima]

Originally Posted by Landwalker

Since I don't have the world's strongest grasp on Powers, I hope you don't mind a couple of questions so that I know where the issues are coming from.



I was originally planning to give the ability the Malediction enhancement, but I didn't (and still don't) quite understand how that works. From B.106, "The value of Malediction depends on the range modifiers it uses." But the Inspire Courage ability doesn't use range modifiers, as far as I can tell—it's just an eight-yard emanation, period. So how would Malediction be priced in this situation?

Emanation and Melee Attack+Aura both turn the affliction into something centered on the user. As such, there is no range to speak off (Once you add Area Effect, all targets in the area get the same effect). As such, pick Malediction 1 (the same that is used for melee afflictions)

(I don't really care how it's priced for the Warchanter, but it's a valid PC ability as well, so the pricing could matter.)

Where can I find this laid out? I guess what I'm confused about on this point is how to model "The Warchanter can use this ability one time per day, but the one use lasts as long as he Concentrates on it." That's how I ended up (erroneously, I see from a closer reading) on Requires Concentrate, but I don't see how the normal Malediction/Affliction/Whatever rules achieve that goal.

First, I find the 1/day of D&D an artifact of the system. If you're dead set on keeping it, then the solution is to take Melee Attack, reach C; Aura; Limited Use, 1/Day; Requires Concentrate

[Landwalker]

Originally Posted by Kuroshima

Emanation and Melee Attack+Aura both turn the affliction into something centered on the user. As such, there is no range to speak off (Once you add Area Effect, all targets in the area get the same effect). As such, pick Malediction 1 (the same that is used for melee afflictions)

I assume you mean the "+100%" Malediction, right?

First, I find the 1/day of D&D an artifact of the system. If you're dead set on keeping it, then the solution is to take Melee Attack, reach C; Aura; Limited Use, 1/Day; Requires Concentrate

I'm not really dead-set on keeping it.* It just seemed like a convenient thing to do. I would also be amenable to figuring out a way to work in Costs FP. My understanding is that "Costs Fatigue 1 [-5%]" would mean, in this case, "Must spend 1 FP each time the Warchanter triggers the ability, and an additional 1 FP/minute beyond the first if the Warchanter maintains it for that long."

What makes Melee Attack (Reach C) + Aura the appropriate way to model the ability, as opposed to Area Effect (X Yards) + Emanation? Aura specifically says it affects "anyone you touch or who touches you," not those around you.



* In fact, Pathfinder (the source material for this exercise) also does not have Uses/Day for the Bardic Performance abilities. It allows using it for a number of rounds equal to 4+Charisma Modifier. This would allow a Pathfinder Warchanter to use Inspire Courage for 5 six-second rounds each day.

[Dragondog]

Originally Posted by Landwalker

Goblin swords are called "Dogslicers" for a reason — if a goblin can get past its phobia, it would like nothing more than to open a bloody smile for the offending canine (except, perhaps, to set the offending canine on fire).

I suppose this could be considered an Intolerance (Horses and Domesticated Dogs, -5 Reaction). I can add that to the basic "goblin template" now.

I was just curious about it being absent from the stats, feel free to do whatever you think is most suitable.

If Inspire Courage has an 8 yard radius, Melee Attack + Aura isn't suitable, but Malediction could be useful.

[Kuroshima]

Originally Posted by Landwalker

I assume you mean the "+100%" Malediction, right?

Yep

I'm not really dead-set on keeping it.* It just seemed like a convenient thing to do. I would also be amenable to figuring out a way to work in Costs FP. My understanding is that "Costs Fatigue 1 [-5%]" would mean, in this case, "Must spend 1 FP each time the Warchanter triggers the ability, and an additional 1 FP/minute beyond the first if the Warchanter maintains it for that long."

What makes Melee Attack (Reach C) + Aura the appropriate way to model the ability, as opposed to Area Effect (X Yards) + Emanation? Aura specifically says it affects "anyone you touch or who touches you," not those around you.



* In fact, Pathfinder (the source material for this exercise) also does not have Uses/Day for the Bardic Performance abilities. It allows using it for a number of rounds equal to 4+Charisma Modifier. This would allow a Pathfinder Warchanter to use Inspire Courage for 5 six-second rounds each day.

Melee Attack+Aura+Area Effect means that you have a continous "aura" that covers an area around you, and that affects those that enter it when they enter ir, and once during your turn for every turn afterwards. Emanation+Area Effect means that you can create a split second pulse during your turn, that affects those around you. This is a fundamental change once you factor in modifiers that play with the duration of the ability: Limited use, 1/day for the Aura version would mean that you get one minute of effect, for the emanation version, it would mean that you get one pulse.

EDIT: Oh, and you can combine Aura with Area effect, just in case it was not clear from the comment above. It works as you expect.

[Dragondog]

Originally Posted by Landwalker

I assume you mean the "+100%" Malediction, right?



"Costs Fatigue 1 [-5%]" would mean, in this case, "Must spend 1 FP each time the Warchanter triggers the ability, and an additional 1 FP/minute beyond the first if the Warchanter maintains it for that long."

I believe that is the Malediction he is suggesting, yes. But you could use any of them. That form of Malediction would give you a -8 penalty at 8 yards.

Costs Fatigue 1 would mean that you spend 1 FP to activate it for 1 minute and half that for each subsequent minute.