[RPM] Thoughts and clarifications

[Dalillama]

Originally Posted by Ghostdancer

I don't see why you'd want to do this except for flavor

Honestly, this is 90% of the reason; I just wanted to know if people who are more experienced with RPM saw some reason it was obviously broken in a munchkiny direction.

What I would do if I were you is keep the Path cap as is, but allow a secondary skill replace Thaumatology - if better. So for your Path of Body example you could raise it no higher than Magery+12 or the higher of Thaumatology of Esoteric Medicine.

Yes, that was what I meant, sorry if I wasn't clear. But for people who don't have Thaumatology, Esoteric Medicine is their only available default.

Why do you have so many Create Matter effects? You only need one plus the Subject Weight - which you're lacking here.

You're creating stuff. What I'd do for a fully furnished apartment is figure out how much a given Status costs and then multiple that by 5.

Cost of living? I'm not sure I understand what number you're multiplying by 5 here.

So a Status 0 apartment probably has about $3,000 worth of stuff (at most). Then consult the Create Matter chart (p. 16 of GURPS Thuamatology: Ritual Path Magic); in this case it'll require a IQ-5 roll to visualize what you're doing and create properly functioning objects.

Now, per the Duplicate Object Ritual (p. 42 of GURPS Thuamatology: Ritual Path Magic), adding a Lesser Sense Matter effect and having a set of apartment furnishings on hand to duplicate into the phantom apartment would eliminate this problem, right? (it says you have to be touching the object to be duplicated, would adding Area of Effect change that?)

As above. You can use a single Create effect to make multiple items

This is the bit that I was failing to understand.

So, fixed:
Phantom Apartment:
Spell Effects: Greater Create Crossroads + Lesser Create
Matter. +Lesser Create Energy + Lesser Control Spirit + Lesser Create Spirit
Inherent Modifiers: Area of Effect.
Greater Effects: 1 (x3).
This spell creates a fairly nice apartment in a pocket dimension. The caster and any
being he brings along can access it. It functions identically to
“normal” reality in all respects and has its own self-renewing
supply of air. The apartment is furnished with a bed, a sofa, an armchair, and a coffee table. The kitchen area has a two burner stove and a small refrigerator. The apartment has electricity and running water, and has an invisible servant who takes care of most needs.
Typical Casting: Greater Create Crossroads (6) + Lesser Cre-
ate Matter (6) + Lesser Create Energy (6)+ Lesser Create Spirit (6)+Lesser Control Spirit(5)Area of Effect, 7 yards (6) + Duration, 1 month
(11) +Subject Weight (3,000 lbs) (5). 120 energy (40×3).


Personal Oasis:
Greater Create Crossroads + Lesser Create
Matter.x3+Greater Create Body
Inherent Modifiers: Area of Effect.
Greater Effects : 2 (x5)

This spell creates an alternate dimensional area that the caster can access and bring others to. The oasis is filled with sand. In the center is a freshwater spring and a date palm. The air is breathable, the spring inexhaustible, and the dates edible.
Typical Casting: Greater Create Crossroads (6) + Lesser Cre-
ate Matter (6) + Greater Create Body(6)+ Area of Effect, 10 yards (8) + Duration, 1 month (11) + Subject weight 450 tons (estimated weight of sand and water filling half that volume) (10). 235 (47x5)


You said in a different thread (I can probably find it if necessary) that the Greater Create Crossroads effect in Create Pocket Dimension (and thus by extension in these two spells) is only good for the initial access, and you'd need a separate Create Greater Crossroads effect to get back once you left. Would it be doable within the RAW to attach the initial Crossroads effect to something, creating a gate that exists for the duration of the spell? For instance a tent which, when you set it up and walk through the door you go to the oasis rather than the inside of the tent, or a cardboard box in an alley that leads to the phantom apartment?

EDIT:

Originally Posted by Varyon

An interesting feature, and one that makes investing in alternate skills have more of a pay off, would be to allow appropriate charms to not be limited by Path of Magic at all. For example, the supplement charms I suggested, provided they have effects appropriate for Esoteric Medicine, simply require rolling against Path of Body - the price for Lesser Control Magic is still in effect, but the "roll against the lowest skill" rule isn't.

Note this should only apply to charms, not to normal conditionals, and the effect needs to be appropriate for the underlying skill. With Esoteric Medicine, a pill that cures cancer (Greater Restore Body) is fine - a pill that makes you grow wings (Greater Transform Body) not so much.

That also works; I was looking for a way to make charms available but not regular conditionals, and that would do it.