[DF] Easy arcane magic for Dungeon Fantasy

[mlangsdorf]

My group's regular GM is busy with his kids, so I'm stepping in to run Mirror of the Fire Demon for a group of semi-inexperienced GURPS players. I'm trying to minimize the complexity of the game and focus on the sneaking, killing, and looting.

I'm using the Dungeon Saints article for the group's cleric, and it works very well: the player isn't getting stuck in options paralysis with dozens and dozens of spells, but she has 3 useful learned miracles (Flesh Wounds, Lay on Hands, and Smite) and understands the whole "pray for unpredictable miracles" concept. The combination reduces her options in combat from about 30 to 4 (pray, Smite, hit people with sword, run away) which is very helpful. Outside of combat, she's still got the full potential utility of a normal cleric, since she can heal people or ask for any generic miracle she needs.

Is there a good similar concept for Wizards? I don't want to hand someone a list of 30 spells with weird dependencies, casting times, and what-not. That's not useful. And even Ritual Path Magic, my preferred alternate solution, is probably too complicated for anyone who isn't fairly skilled at GURPS.

I'd like something that replicates the feel of the normal DF Wizard - magical utility guy with some combat ability - but minimizes option paralysis. Building a bunch of specific advantages like "magic shield spell", "magic zapping spell", and "flight", possibly as alternate abilities of each other, is a possible solution, but I'm worried that the mage will lose too much utility. Full blown modular abilities, while amusing, would cost too much and leave us back in the realm of option paralysis which I'm really trying to avoid.

Suggestions?

[Randover]

For utility try Verb and Noun Magic, from GURPS: Magic. While not Dungeon fantasy in first place it could serve the utility out of combat options. And maybe I would go for Innate attack and advatages just as you posted for the rest. Just don't over do it. Wizard can still use his staff both defensively and offensively. So I guess he doesn't need three more attacks and defense abilities.

[vierasmarius]

Originally Posted by mlangsdorf

I'd like something that replicates the feel of the normal DF Wizard - magical utility guy with some combat ability - but minimizes option paralysis. Building a bunch of specific advantages like "magic shield spell", "magic zapping spell", and "flight", possibly as alternate abilities of each other, is a possible solution, but I'm worried that the mage will lose too much utility. Full blown modular abilities, while amusing, would cost too much and leave us back in the realm of option paralysis which I'm really trying to avoid.

Suggestions?

Combine the two! Give them a set of potent spells as Alternate Abilities, plus a Modular Ability big enough for a couple magical perks or cantrips. So if they want to light up a room, they switch to the Illumination perk, but can still unleash their 3d Innate Attack if the light reveals orcs. You can find example perks in Power-Ups 2, DF 11, Psionic Powers and scattered around many other books. "Magical Perks Only" would be -20% or -30% on the Modular Ability, and requiring them to draw from a "spell list" (ie, only cantrips that they've already studied) might be another -10%.

[Bruno]

The utility value can be preserved (while retaining simplicity) with an advantage based system by picking up the general and flexible utility advantages :) But simple advantage based wizards are more like college specialists - they can have a lot of utility within their field, and often bleed over the edges a little bit, but aren't really general generalists.

Illusion (from Powers) is a VERY general purpose advantage. It's all the non-Creation spells of the Illusion and Creation college, and basically all the Illusion spells from D&D that aren't the semi-real ones.

Mind Control probably isn't what you're looking for here, but the Mind college is cannon DF wizardry, and can be mostly replaced by a single Mind Control advantage and (for more advanced spells) some enhancements. An alternate ability with a couple of Afflictions will help round out the Mind Control wizard (for sleep and mass sleep and daze type stuff).

An elemental wizard can go pretty darn far on just Create and Control, and possibly Telekinesis with the specific limitation.

[mlangsdorf]

I managed to fit an RoF lightning bolt spell, a 4d explosive fireball, a 3d area affect air burst, a 3d icy touch, a DR 4 force field, Telekinesis 5, Analytic Detect Magic and Walk on Air into a 250 point character with judicious use of alternate abilities and hefty limitations. I think that's enough distinct abilities to be a useful wizard that can be easily be played by an experienced player and that doesn't step into the thief's, cleric's, or scout's niche.

I thought about taking Illusion, but that can be a pain to handle from the GM's perspective, and generic create and control powers are too open-ended for me to be completely comfortable with. Mind control was a good suggestion, though, and if I could add anything it'd probably be that.

[Peter Knutsen]

What does a DF Wizard actually need?

Blast-stuff-at-range, and being able to work with magic as in the Metamagic Collge.

So, get to work on that. He needs Innate Attack, or possibly a whole stack of different Innate Attacks with all but the most expensive being bought as Alternate Abilities. Blast Close, Blast Range, Blast Far, Blast Area...

Metamagic is trickier. He needs to be able to Detect magic, preferably do some kind of analysis on it (if you expect character advancement he'll want to jazz up his Detect greatly, maybe extend its scope to cover anything supernatural, adding Reflexive, and maxed analysis), and he needs to be able to nullify hostily magic, which you do with an Advantage in GURPS Powers that I haven't looked at.

Utility beyond that? How about a Modular Ability letting him have any 2 Accesory Perks?

I think you can solve a lot of the problems that way, although I can't help with Dispel Magic, and I find Modular Ability to be underexplained and/or insufficiently flexible in the RAW.

[mehrkat]

i'm thinking about wizard's from fiction.

most of them have been handled:

Inate attack with variations,
shield with variations.
I would probably include something like wizard eye because its just cool,
Detect magic,
some sort of light spell
maybe flying
maybe levitate
maybe a translation spell

There are lots of little things you could add but that would make a pretty flexible mage with. when you finish the powers would you mind posting them I've been wanting to do a Dungeon Fantasy game with mages using powers instead.

[mlangsdorf]

Generic Wizard (250 points)

ST 10 [0]; DX 12 [40]; IQ 14* [80]; HT 12 [20].
Damage 1d-2/1d; BL 20*lb; HP 10 [0]; Will 14 [0]; Per 11 [-15]; FP 13 [3].
Basic Speed 6.00 [0]; Basic Move 6 [0]; Dodge 9.

Social Background
TL: 3 [0].

Advantages
Extraordinary Luck [30]; Energy Reserve 3 (Magical) [9]; Magery 0 [5];
 Trading Character Points for Money $1,000 [2]; 

Offense Spells [39] (alternate abilities on the following spells)
**Air Burst 3 (Accessibility (Must Shout and Move) (+1); Area Effect (2 yd);
 Armor Divisor (0.2); Double Knockback; Explosive (Damage / 3xYards);
 Increased Range (1/2D Range only) (x5); Mana Sensitive; Partial Dice (+2);
 Reduced Range (x1/5); Takes Extra Time (+1)) [24]
**Fireball 4 (Accessibility (Must Shout and Move) (+1); Costs Fatigue (+3);
 Explosive (Damage / 3xYards); Increased Range (1/2D Range only) (x5);
 Mana Sensitive; Takes Extra Time (+1)) [23]
** Icy Touch 3 (Armor Divisor (3); Costs Fatigue (+1); Follow-Up (+1);
 Mana Sensitive; Cannot Parry; Melee Attack: Reach 1,2; Partial Dice (+1))
 [23]
** Lightning Bolt 1 (Based on Innate Attack (Projectile) +2; Accessibility
 (Must Shout and Move) (+1); Accurate (+1); Armor Divisor (Arcing Surge);
 Costs Fatigue (+3); Incendiary; Extra Recoil (Rcl 3); Increased Range (x2);
 Increased Range (1/2D Range only) (x5); Mana Sensitive; Partial Dice (+2);
 Rapid Fire (+5); Side Effect (+1)) [24];

Utility and Defense Spells [31] (alternate abilities on the following)
**Detect (Magic; Occasional; Analyzing; Costs Fatigue (+6); Mana
 Sensitive; Onset (Delay 1 hour); Preparation Required (10 minutes);
 Sense-Based (Line of Sight) (One sense)) [10]
** Force Field 4 (Damage Resistance; Front only; Force Field; Mana
 Sensitive; Preparation Required (10 minutes)) [12] and Missile Shield 4
 (Damage Resistance; Force Field; Limited (Ranged Only); Mana Sensitive;
 Preparation Required (10 minutes)) [12]; 
** Telekinesis 5 (Accessibility (Must Shout and Move) (+1); Costs Fatigue
 (+1); Mana Sensitive; Preparation Required (10 minutes)) [9];
** Walk on Air (Costs Fatigue (+1); Mana Sensitive; Preparation Required
 (10 minutes)) [11].

Perks: Air Jet Spell; Ignition Spell; Illumination Spell; Psychic Guidance
 (Lightning Bolt). [4]

Disadvantages
Absent-Mindedness [-15]; Curious (12 or less) [-5]; 
Obsession (To become the world's most powerful...; 12 or less) [-10]; 
Sense of Duty (Adventuring companions) [-5].
Quirks: _Unused Quirk 1; _Unused Quirk 2; _Unused Quirk 3; 
_Unused Quirk 4; _Unused Quirk 5. [-5]

Skills
Climbing (A) DX-1 [1]-11; Diplomacy (H) IQ-2 [1]-12; 
First Aid/TL3 (Human) (E) IQ [1]-14†; Hiking (A) HT-1 [1]-11; 
Innate Attack (Projectile) (E) DX+2 [3]-14; Scrounging (E) Per [1]-11;
 Staff (A) DX+2 [8]-14; Stealth (A) DX [2]-12; Wizard! (WC) IQ [24]-14.

**Conditional -5 from 'Absent-Mindedness' when concentrating on
 another task.
†*Conditional +1 from 'First Aid Kit'.

Attack                   Amt  Type    1/2   Max   RoF   Rcl    Notes
Airburst                 3d+2  cr ex    10    20      1      1     AD(1/5), Area Effect 2
Fireball                   4d    bu ex    50   100     1      1    
Lightning Bolt          1d+2 cr in     100  200     5      3     metal provides DR 1 only; roll HT or be stunned
Icy Touch               3d+1 tx        melee 1,2                 AD(3), ineffective against objects

That's a bit messy so let me explain.

He has two arrays of spells: 1 offensive and 1 defensive/utility. He can switch between any of the offensive spells as a free action, but it takes 10 minutes to change a utility spell. All the combat spells require fatigue, and most require an extra round of concentration.

I used Onset and Sense-Based on the Detect Magic (Analyze) ability to represent that it takes him a full hour to identify a magic item. He can have the spell ready in 10 minutes, and he can cast it quickly, but it takes an hour to get the results back. He can only do it on something he can actually see.

He has a DR4 force field that only protects his front and another DR4 force field that only stops missiles, but is omnidirectional. They both operate at the same time (I guess I should have added Link?). Of course, they're on the same array as the utility powers, so he loses them both if he decides to Levitate or something.

He has a wide variety of dangerous attack spells: a (4d) big explosive fireball, a ball of air that knocks people away in a larger area (with double knockback and area effect 2) that is nearly useless against armor, a low-damage and draining lightning bolt with enough RoF to be used to suppress an area, and a quick damaging melee cold attack, used to stop anyone who gets too close. He can cast that at melee range through his staff, hence the clumsy (and technically illegal) Follow-up and Melee combination.

The Illumination, Ignition, and Air Jet perks are minor magical effects that he can pull up at a moment's notice.

As designed, the character has Extraordinary Luck. That's really a place holder for "30 more points of stuff", such as a DF3 race, more levels of IQ or Wizard!, or more spells. Obvious spell improvements include more levels of TK, adding Affects Others to Walk on Air (at 2 pts/ally effected), Payload (with Exposed and Mana Sensitive, representing the classic Floating Disk), some kind of dispel magic effect, and buffing up the combat spells for more damage or adding a Sleep type spell. As much as I like Wizard Eye in concept, I'm opposed to giving the wizard the ability to steal other people's niches. So the Thief and the Scout should scout, and the wizard shouldn't.

Some thoughts about this guy's role in a delving band: he can simplify crossing obstacles by walking on air, but only in "safe" locations since his DR is poor at that point. He can identify weird magic or found magic items, and lift small things it out of the way places with TK. He's absolute murder on small, diffuse opponents like Oozing Dooms or Toxifiers, with a fairly fast, high damage, area effect attack from Air Burst. He can set a couple of people on fire at range with his Fireball, but it's draining, or blast a big nasty like a Sword-Armor Golem that uses heavy metal armor with his lightning bolts. Any competent Scout is going to do equal or better damage at range and a Knight should have roughly equivalent protection and a lot better damage. His focus is on defeating "weird stuff"; the mundane types can fight the orcs and ogres while he kills the oozes, the molds, and the solid fire types.

[vierasmarius]

Originally Posted by mlangsdorf

**Air Burst 3 (Accessibility (Must Shout and Move) (+1); Area Effect (2 yd);
 Armor Divisor (0.2); Double Knockback; Explosive (Damage / 3xYards);
 Increased Range (1/2D Range only) (x5); Mana Sensitive; Partial Dice (+2);
 Reduced Range (x1/5); Takes Extra Time (+1)) [24]

.....

He has a wide variety of dangerous attack spells: a (4d) big explosive fireball, a ball of air that knocks people away in a larger area (with double knockback and area effect 2) that is nearly useless against armor, a low-damage and draining lightning bolt with enough RoF to be used to suppress an area, and a quick damaging melee cold attack, used to stop anyone who gets too close. He can cast that at melee range through his staff, hence the clumsy (and technically illegal) Follow-up and Melee combination.

Looks good. A quick note though, you've got both Explosive and Area Effect on the Air Burst attack, which isn't legal, and doesn't really make sense anyways. If you make it Explosive, it already affects an area (with damage reducing further from the epicenter). If your intent is that it affects at most a 2 yard radius, but still diminishes with distance, that's Area Effect + Dissipation (Basic pg 112 & 413).

[mlangsdorf]

The intent was that it does full damage in a 2 hex radius and then diminishes like an explosion from there (ie, damage is divided by 3 per hex from edge of the area effect). Dissipation is pretty much the opposite effect of what I want.

Also, I can't see anything in Basic (under Area Effect or Explosive) or in Powers that prohibits the combination.