[RPM] Learning the system

[AlexanderHowl]

There are a few major differences between the MtA and RPM. First, you do not suffer a penalty for multiple continuous effects in RPM. Second, it is much easier to create conditional rituals than in MtA.

If you want to, you can replace the existing RPM Paths with MtA Spheres (there are nine of each, so it is easier than it looks). I would give the effects a base energy cost of (MtA Sphere level + 2). If you are mimicking a rote, I would add the base cost of the Spheres required, though effective skill with them would be based on the primary Sphere. You could replace Arete with Ritual Magic (Tradition) (since it is limited by Magery, the skill actually does represent enlightenment). Lesser effects would be coincidental while greater effects would be vulgar.

[johndallman]

Originally Posted by AlexanderHowl

There are a few major differences between the MtA and RPM. First, you do not suffer a penalty for multiple continuous effects in RPM. Second, it is much easier to create conditional rituals than in MtA.

Ah, I wasn't clear. I was trying to say RPM can be used as an improvisational magic system, and that the play experience of doing this is somewhat analogous to M:tA, not that I was having trouble learning the differences between them.

If you want to, you can replace the existing RPM Paths with MtA Spheres

No, thanks. I'm not the GM, and I'd like to learn RPM on its own terms before I start fiddling with it.

[GarenLiLorian]

Generous of your GM to let you save someone from Sarin gas with lesser effects! But otherwise, yeah, that all seems fine. I'd probably write up Neutralize Poison as something like:

Neutralize Poison.
This spell detects harmful agents in the subject and transmutes them into a harmless substance, which the subject then passes normally. Magical or supernatural poisons are not affected by this spell (but changing it to a Greater Transform would allow that, possibly with a resistance roll). Typical casting: Greater Detect Matter, Lesser Transform Matter. Duration 1 hr (to allow the poison to pass through sweat or elimination) (39 energy). If you already know what the poison is, (through use of a Diagnosis or Poisons skill, possibly) you could forego the Detect effect, making this spell trivial. Note that this only removes cyclic damage; it doesn't heal them from any effects already suffered.

[ericthered]

Garen Li Lorian's build should work, though its mildly expensive to pull off.

I'm a little puzzled that you didn't want to use matter effects in the body because you wanted to avoid "horrific possibilities". RPM treats living things as privileged: they are effected in different ways than mere matter, have their path, and you can't inflict indiscriminate amounts of damage via leverage scientific know-how... and quirked spells shouldn't do that to a body either.

I wouldn't have allowed a lesser detect matter effect to identify the toxin, merely its presence and a general description of its effects, though if the caster had cast magic on Sarin before, I'd probably allow it.

Destroy matter should work to get rid of the toxin, though I'd prefer transform. A detect effect to isolate it is appropriate. I'd allow it to be a lesser effect IF you had access to a sample of Sarin. I'd also include range engery if the sample of Sarin was not immediately present, and a weight energy for the subject.

[Shostak]

There is a fairly complete conversion of spells from Magic to RPM found via the link in this post. The examples can be pretty helpful, but there are, obviously, other ways to magically skin the cat.

[johndallman]

Originally Posted by Shostak

There is a fairly complete conversion of spells from Magic to RPM found via the link in this post.

Thanks, that will help.

[Harald387]

Keep in mind that - much like MtA's rotes can incorporate multiple spheres - RPM rituals can incorporate multiple paths or multiple applications of the same path.

"Neutralize Poison" in the sense of 'find the poison and remove it from the body/destroy it' could be done with Lesser Sense Matter (detect the poison) + any of Lesser Control Matter (draw it out of the body), Lesser Control Body (use the body's own mechanisms to force it out, like the cinematic 'sucking poison out of a wound), or Lesser Destroy Matter (to simply get rid of it).

But as others pointed out, with RPM there are always several ways to skin any given cat.

[johndallman]

Originally Posted by GarenLiLorian

Generous of your GM to let you save someone from Sarin gas with lesser effects!

My account was a bit compressed. What we saw was:

Two guys talking. One walks over to a small wooden building, unlocks the door and starts to open it. A humanoid figure springs out, bears him to the ground, and starts ripping his throat out. There's a small explosion in the building, and hissing and bubbling noises.

The other guy runs towards this, and falls over twitching and vomiting. By this time we were thinking of gas, and a PC advanced, holding his breath, but was affected anyway. Being quite tough, he was able to retreat, but was clearly in need of drastic help.

The magic was: Lesser Sense Matter with range to get some idea of what the gas was told me "semi-complex organic molecule, with phosphorus and fluorine." I used that for Lesser Destroy Matter with radius to turn it into some molecules that were much less poisonous, and avoid the other characters getting poisoned. The character is a high-school science teacher, feels that Greater effects should be required to transmute elements, and there didn't seem like time for a Greater working.

As a player, I'd recognised the symptoms of nerve gas poisoning, from a WWII CoC scenario run by the same GM, but the character hadn't had a chance to just yet. However, she then got to make a Diagnosis roll and catch up. That meant that after a quick energy refill, I could do the Lesser Strengthen Body to make the victim immune to that substance, after which we retreated a hundred yards or so to consider what to do next.

[Christopher R. Rice]

If you're going for a MtA feel check out Pyramid 66 - in it I created a framework for using realms in RPM on p. 12.

[johndallman]

I'm trying to figure out how to do something like D&D Clairvoyance: designate a position, and be able to see as if from there. I thought I had found a way to do it with just Crossroads, but I can't find it the rule now, and I may well have been mistaken.

So I looked at Magic and the Magic to RPM conversion, and that gives me some examples, but I don't quite follow the logic:

Wizard Eye: Lesser Control Matter (5) + Lesser Create Crossroads (6) + Lesser Create Matter (6) + Lesser Sense Crossroads (2) + Duration, 10 minutes (1) + Speed, 10 yds/second (4).*24 energy (24×1)

The calculation is perfectly clear. Create Matter is clearly for the eye itself, and Control Matter for moving it around.

However, I don't see what part Crossroads is playing here, because Crossroads seems to be all about gates and weak spots, from the description on p. 9 of Thaumatology: Ritual Path Magic. Can anyone explain a bit?

Thanks in advance.