Infinite Worlds and Cabal, how does their travel actually work?

[johndallman]

These things are not clearly explained in GURPS rules. When I started running Infinite Cabal, I had to decide on them. My answers are too long for a posting, but you can find them in issues 1 and 2 of the fanzine The Path of Cunning, available free of charge from the link below.

[ajardoor]

1) The Gates of Thoth.
2) Gate spells.
3) Reality Shards.
4) Captured supernatural creatures with the appropriate abilities.

[Boyboy180]

Originally Posted by johndallman

These things are not clearly explained in GURPS rules. When I started running Infinite Cabal, I had to decide on them. My answers are too long for a posting, but you can find them in issues 1 and 2 of the fanzine The Path of Cunning, available free of charge from the link below.

These are great! They even answer other questions I was thinking of asking.
The one thing that I can't seem to find is rules for if their magic can be used on any world with mana.
Is there a general rule that you can use to figure it out?

[johndallman]

Originally Posted by Boyboy180

The one thing that I can't seem to find is rules for if their magic can be used on any world with mana.

My answer to that was "yes".

I had a number of no-mana worlds, but never found a reason to create a world that had magic of a fundamentally different kind. I was not running tours of all the GURPS settings, so the issue never came up.

[apoc527]

I love Path of Cunning -- any chance we'll see another issue or two?

Relatedly: how much would it mess things up to use RPM for Cabalists instead of the standard GURPS Magic system? I would imagine not much at all. Note that I would keep standard GURPS Magic for everyone else, just reinterpret Hermetic magic to be RPM...thoughts? Too much work?

[Apollonian]

Originally Posted by apoc527

Relatedly: how much would it mess things up to use RPM for Cabalists instead of the standard GURPS Magic system? I would imagine not much at all. Note that I would keep standard GURPS Magic for everyone else, just reinterpret Hermetic magic to be RPM...thoughts? Too much work?

I have put a lot of thought into this over the years. The short answer is that it works just fine, though I don't recommend spell magic for non-Hermetic magicians. In my experience it's easier to work with just one magic system... You could make Hermetic initiation a prerequisite for the Adept advantage(s) and that would go a long way toward giving the Cabal their edge.

My current thought is to create a path for each decan, but it's a lot of work

[apoc527]

Originally Posted by Apollonian

I have put a lot of thought into this over the years. The short answer is that it works just fine, though I don't recommend spell magic for non-Hermetic magicians. In my experience it's easier to work with just one magic system... You could make Hermetic initiation a prerequisite for the Adept advantage(s) and that would go a long way toward giving the Cabal their edge.

My current thought is to create a path for each decan, but it's a lot of work

Fascinating threads! My solution is to use reality-shaping RPM instead of energy-gathering RPM. This converts the energy requirements into a penalty to Path skills, which can be offset through the use of decanic and astrological correspondences that grant direct skill bonuses. Even if you use the same basic RPM system for all mages, the decanic correspondences will give Cabalists quite the advantage over those who cannot use them!

[Apollonian]

Originally Posted by apoc527

Fascinating threads! My solution is to use reality-shaping RPM instead of energy-gathering RPM. This converts the energy requirements into a penalty to Path skills, which can be offset through the use of decanic and astrological correspondences that grant direct skill bonuses. Even if you use the same basic RPM system for all mages, the decanic correspondences will give Cabalists quite the advantage over those who cannot use them!

I think that's a very good way to handle it.

[johndallman]

Originally Posted by apoc527

I love Path of Cunning -- any chance we'll see another issue or two?

We have not abandoned it. I had to spend eight months away from home caring for my mother. That was pretty draining; as I was starting to recover from it , I caught COVID-19, and then developed heart trouble, which is now fixed.

[apoc527]

Originally Posted by johndallman

We have not abandoned it. I had to spend eight months away from home caring for my mother. That was pretty draining; as I was starting to recover from it , I caught COVID-19, and then developed heart trouble, which is now fixed.

So sorry for those trials, John! Glad to hear things are resolved and VERY MUCH looking forward to future issues of TPOC. Are there any additional articles in the Infinite Cabal series to look forward to?