What are the best magical systems in GURPS?

[hal]

Originally Posted by AlexanderHowl

Honestly, the simplest magical system is probably Magic as Powers when the GM is willing to do the heavy lifting of designing abilities.

Just an observation - and I'll note that it is largely a function of "preference" here...

Creating a framework in which the GM can create new spells or let his player create new spells is nothing new. If you're familiar with HARN MAGIC, then you will know they have had that capability for YEARS before GURPS ever started to experiment with alternatives to GURPS MAGIC.

Do you want to know why I never went over to that kind of game system for magic?

You're at the table with players, and they went in a direction you didn't plan on. Rather than railroad them with forcing them to go the way you're prepared to go, you wing it. Then they run into a random encounter with a mage of some sort.

QUICK! List all of the spells this Mage has! Oh wait, No two spells are the same nor have the same effects because each spell is truly individual. Well, there goes the ability to wing it unless you pre-create your mages in advance. That's fine, but sometimes what you spend 2000 hours creating only to use 10% of - makes you realize that you have a better use for the other 90% of the 2000 hours you spent - could have been directed at something else.

Then comes the persnickety mathematical precision necessary to describe the spell as an advantage - not as if GURPS doesn't have a plethora of possible ways to build any given advantage, and some are not so readily apparent as to how they're used! That's just for Spells as Advantages. Using any of the other magic systems - I find is VERY open to abuse, allowing for things undreamed of in GURPS MAGIC. Be aware, I am only TOO aware that my preferences are not universal nor always shared by anyone else. I'm GLAD that GURPS VOODOO came out, but saw issues with that. I own copies of other game systems such as PENDRAGON, Chivalry and Sorcery (every edition that ever came out including the 5th edition). I owned copies of TFT (The Fantasy TRIP) WIZARD and even SPI's DRAGON QUEST. If you want to have some fun - take a peek at EDEN STUDIO's WITCHCRAFT/ARMAGEDDON series of books, and see how the Path Magic SHOULD Have been done with GURPS VOODOO (Incidentally, the same author who gave us GURPS VOODOO also gave us WITCHCRAFT and ARMAGEDDON). Sadly? Despite what we have with GURPS CHARACTERS and GURPS THAUMATOLOGY, there is no way to actively and accurately - simulate the magic system of EDEN STUDIO despite its relative simplicity!

Well - that's my take on games that give you the ability to create customized spells where no two characters create the exact same spells. It is great if you like to do that level of customization, but it can interfere with the ability to throw in spur of the moment characterizations.

[Alden Loveshade]

Of course "best" is subjective. For me, I've used GURPS Magic for home games, online games, and at gaming conventions. Myself and six other GMs ran a continuing fantasy campaign at Strategicon Conventions (OrcCon, Gamex, Gateway) using spells from GURPS Basic Set, which uses the same system as GURPS Magic. It worked quite well in all of them.

That said, I have played with variations.

[kirbwarrior]

Originally Posted by hal

You're at the table with players, and they went in a direction you didn't plan on. Rather than railroad them with forcing them to go the way you're prepared to go, you wing it. Then they run into a random encounter with a mage of some sort.

QUICK! List all of the spells this Mage has! Oh wait, No two spells are the same nor have the same effects because each spell is truly individual. Well, there goes the ability to wing it unless you pre-create your mages in advance.

I wing this kind of thing all the time, I'm not sure what problem you're talking about.

[dataweaver]

My preferences are Magic as Powers for non-flexible magic (though using Divine Favor as a core for improvising has its merits) and Realm Magic for flexible magic — although the very first thing I do with it is to throw out the energy costs for nearly everything; and I've got a half-dozen house rules that I routinely apply to it. So as written, I wouldn't call it “the best” per se; I just like the principles on which it's built, even if they were poorly executed.

I'm also fond of Path/Book Magic when dealing with “subtle magic” settings.

[ericthered]

Originally Posted by dataweaver

My preferences are Magic as Powers for non-flexible magic (though using Divine Favor as a core for improvising has its merits) and Realm Magic for flexible magic — although the very first thing I do with it is to throw out the energy costs for nearly everything; and I've got a half-dozen house rules that I routinely apply to it. So as written, I wouldn't call it “the best” per se; I just like the principles on which it's built, even if they were poorly executed.

That sounds intriguing. Can I see them?

[Anders]

Originally Posted by ericthered

That sounds intriguing. Can I see them?

I would also like a look.

Edit: Thank'ee sai.

[DouglasCole]

Originally Posted by Blind Mapmaker

...and Divine Favour for clerics.

I chime in only to say "yes, this." I find Divine Favor produces the best feeling clerical/supplication-based results and emergent behavior of any game I've ever played. My warrior-saint Cadmus was the most fun character of that type I've ever played.

[dataweaver]

Alternative Realm Magic

[hal]

Originally Posted by kirbwarrior

I wing this kind of thing all the time, I'm not sure what problem you're talking about.

Tell you what - quick, whip up a reasonable NPC mage using the magic system of choice, with all the spells ready to roll for interactions with the player characters.

You decide the parameters of the NPC so this is fair to you. If you want, open up a new thread. Maybe the example you give me will inspire me to use it in my upcoming SECRETS OF NEW ORLEANS Fantasy Grounds campaign set in 1920, but with the Call of Cthulhu material excised out and a different horror campaign put in its place (If you know Eden Studios WITCHCRAFT game system, it will be the Combine vs all mages and all other monsters, with the mages usually avoiding the monsters etc). Set in 1920's - the player character is unaware of what magic is out there.

So, go to town with your spur of the moment mage using the magic system of choice. ;)

[AlexanderHowl]

It is easy enough for systems like RPM. A practitioner in RPM could have IQ 12 [40], Magery 6 [65], Modular Abilities 24 (Amulet of Knowedge; Slotted Cosmic Powers; Magical, -10%; Protected Amulet, -35%; Trait-Limited, Magical Paths, -30%) [32], Modular Abilities (Ring of Mastery; Cosmic Powers; Magical, -10%; Protected Amulet, -35%; Trait-Limited, Ritual Mastery, -50%) [2], and Thaumotology (VH) IQ+6 [32]-18. For 171 CP, you could have a quite effective NPC.