[Magic] Development of Spell-based Magic through TL0

[maximara]

Originally Posted by munin

Another way to look at it is the cost of inventing spells. RAW, inventing a spell with no prereqs would require a workshop worth $12,000 (Magic, p. 15; energy cost at TL0 is $33*625/700 = about $30), where $1,200 is consumables per spell invention.

Uh. The flaw in that reasoning is on Magic, p. 20: "For a typical TL3 fantasy setting with plentiful wizardry and shops full of magic items, it should be possible to commission a magic item for about $33 per energy point. "

Paut elixir suggests that the material cost and sale price of 1 energy point is based 1/100 and 1/30 of a TL's base starting income respectively. (Thaumatology pg 52)

So that $33 market price is the rounding of $1k/30 (production is $10) for a specially commissioned item.

TL0 is $500 so production cost is $5 and commissioned retail is $16⅔

More over I seriously doubt spells as GURPS magic describes them would even exist at TL0. Symbol Magic and its bigger cousin Syntactic Magic as well as Craft Magic would more logically be king.

The flexibility of Syntactic/Symbol Magic makes developing new "spells" (new combinations) child's play once your people have developed a decent amount of nouns and verbs and symbols for them.