RPM Animating Inanimate Matter

[VulpesFulva]

I'm too lazy to do my calcs right now, but how do Ghostdancer's "Summoned" mods compare to "buying an ally with altered traits?"

And I'd presume this is also where a GM can tweak costs for magic rather easily.

After all the reference point total for Summons don't have to be based on the PC's starting point total.

If Reference Total > PC Starting Points;
then Monsters getting away from their summoners is a lot more dangerous.

Conversely, a GM can make the reference total lower if he wants to deprecate "summoning."

[Christopher R. Rice]

Originally Posted by VulpesFulva

I'm too lazy to do my calcs right now, but how do Ghostdancer's "Summoned" mods compare to "buying an ally with altered traits?"

Both ways are doable IMHO, but I like my way best, because, well, it works better in the long run.

Originally Posted by VulpesFulva

And I'd presume this is also where a GM can tweak costs for magic rather easily.

That's the idea.

Originally Posted by VulpesFulva

After all the reference point total for Summons don't have to be based on the PC's starting point total.

Yup.

Originally Posted by VulpesFulva

If Reference Total > PC Starting Points;
then Monsters getting away from their summoners is a lot more dangerous.

Very much so.

Originally Posted by VulpesFulva

Conversely, a GM can make the reference total lower if he wants to deprecate "summoning."

Yes. But keep in mind that this really only applies to "generic" beings or "lesser named" critters. I would not use these rules for Princes of Hell, Archangels, etc. That's a whole different set of parameters.

[Kalzazz]

I've used the 'Altered Traits - Ally' method with no problems arising due to it, it is an intuitive way of pricing stuff

For Clay Golems, there is a great clay golem template in Magic, so if you have Magic I would check it out (even if you don't use the spells and alchemy as written it is great inspiration for RPM stuff, but, the Alchemy seriously rocks and is awesome (though I admit to using hellishly blenderized house rules of course to combine RPK MyGURPS alchemy and Magic alchemy with my own insanities for PC alchemists, the rules as laid out in magic are fine and awesome for non PC stuff))

Hmmm, maybe I should actually try to type out my own blenderized Alchemical insanity sometime for attempted Pyramidification

The clay golem template in magic is 0 pts, which means you can combine it with anything else for a net 0pt change, so you can have clay golem lion, clay golem knight, clay golem whatever, convenience!

As a note, we use the static summon point value rule (with major Kudos to Ghostdancer for coming up with a cool name for it, because I could never come up with a good name for it myself), which, like any good houserule annoys everyone equally yay! We use static value = 250 (so that things match up with DF! I heartily recommend using 250 also so you can steal all the wonderful DF templates for things). Our characters actually are baseline 300pts (more with experience), so the static value is actually weaker than the PCs, but thats okay, because the PCs are well, PCs, and thus presumably tougher than generic mookling mages that the baseline is closer to representing or something (or some other handwavium, honestly, the 250 is picked purely to make it easy to use DF stuff)

On that topic, here is a spell one of my characters uses featuring clay golems

Terra Cotta Gaurd Squad
Greater Create Matter[6](),
Greater Create Mind[6](),
Lesser Control Magic[5]();
Subject Weight: 5 tons [6],
Duration: 1 week [9],
Altered Traits: 24 [24] (Ally Group, 10 25% clay golem Guards, Constantly).
Cost: 280
Clay Golem from Magic is 0pts, Gaurd template from DF Henchmen . . . . the create matter is also handling equipping them (though is going to be some brutal Armory rolls!) So before casting the spell the character likes to cast this other spell

Armoury Enlighten
Lesser Strengthen Mind[3]();
Subject Weight: 100 lbs. [2],
Duration: 30 minutes [2],
Bonus Or Penalty: Single: +4 [8] (Armoury).
Cost: 15

The character in question is a Junior Clerk of the Celestial Bureaucracy, and uses Bureaucracy VH as her sub for Thaumatology. Her charms look suspiciously like forms in triplicate


Heh, silly thing Ive now realized, that spell shouldn't have a subject weight, oops! Well, it illustrates silly mistakes in spellgen so is educational?

[Kalzazz]

How would you go about instead of summoning 'Generic Goon Demon #10' and go about summoning 'Doomie the Doomful, Ultimate Arch Demon of Doomliness' then?

[Christopher R. Rice]

Originally Posted by Kalzazz

How would you go about instead of summoning 'Generic Goon Demon #10' and go about summoning 'Doomie the Doomful, Ultimate Arch Demon of Doomliness' then?

It would depend on the setting's assumptions. In my games, I use the following base spell effects:

Add Lesser Sense Spirit (to find the critter) if you don't know it's name, or no effect if you know its "summoning name."
Lesser Strengthen Crossroads (to create a temporary weak spot or allow a being with Jumper to easily cross over)
Add a extra +10 energy for breaking a dimensional barrier.
If you want to control it, add a Control Spirit effect. Lesser effects can prevent it from hurting you, Greater lets you control it.

That's for "Goon Demons" as you call them. For Arch Demons and the like, I decide on a "summoning penalty," this is between -1 and -10, with higher penalties corresponding to higher powered beings. Then I use the above effects, but they all become Greater effects. You can find books to remove the summoning penalty, they're priced as grimoires, but can only be used to cancel summoning penalties - rare books (+29 CF) cancel the penalty and give you a corresponding bonus to cast the spell itself. Even after all that, the subject can resist being bound - if that happens...well, it's ugly. You can always create a Pentagram to help protect you, but if you summon Moloch and Moloch wants to get you...he's going to. Thus it's stupidly risky in summoning such beings - better to go through the intermediaries.