Caithness Mages : Adventure Seed

[Nikolai]

Originally Posted by Captain-Captain

raising those spells to 20s adds a measly FIVE HUNDRED AND THIRTEEN CP to the character's cost!!!! The 150 pt wizard who more or less is equal to 150 pt characters who aren't wizards. Now I have a 663 pt wizard who is about equal in power to a 150 pt now-wizard character - IF THE GAME TAKES PLACE IN CAITHNESs, which is the default conditoin your thread supposes.

Sorry if I sound too blunt, but those hypothetical +513 CP you come up with are completely irrelevant... ;-)
Investing 16+ points in each of 34 spells is *utterly* point-inefficient (at least if you have not yet reached the maximum levels allowed for IQ and Magery).
A fairer comparison would be IQ! +5 [50]. Or if you insist IQ+5 [100] if you have already reached your disadvantage limit or the maximum limit for lowering Perception and Will (it is normally -4 IIRC, I don't have my books with me).
This is still not a fair comparison as IQ+5 and even IQ! +5 affect far more things (especially skills) than the +5 to all spells.
If you also consider the increased surprise effect that mages have in big low mana regions (because their enemies usually don't expect anyone to use magic), mages aren't that much worse off in a big low mana country than in regions with normal mana.
I would agree that they are a little worse off. Overall, a permanent -5 to all spells, a slower Powerstone recharge rate and (IIRC) the inability to use the Recover Energy spell regardless of skill level is a bigger drawback than the surprise effect is an advantage IMO (although TPTB argue otherwise, for instance in the beginning of GURPS Fantasy - can't give you an exact page reference right now).
But this net drawback is nowhere even remotely near what your 150 vs. 663 CP comparison suggests... ;-)

[Nikolai]

Originally Posted by Mad Douglas

Now they are ready to begin their machinations, and return to the outside world. They are ready to return to a world with normal, and high mana zones. Revelling in their newly augmented power, as their skills will no longer be penalized, and fatigue points will return to them at a glorious rate.

That assumes that they were able to learn Recover Energy in Caithness.
If I recall correctly, Recover Energy doesn't work at all in low mana (even at skill level 20+). (Or was this changed from 3e to 4e? IDHMBWM.) This might imply that it cannot be *learned* in low mana, either.

[Nikolai]

Originally Posted by Mad Douglas

What might be the motivating force, behind a group of PC's even getting involved. The group has a diverse background, but I'm trying to think of a way to get them involved, without the "You are hired by ----- to investigate the..." approach. Can I involve them through personal means, and not mercenary ones?

Well, what is the plot you want to get them involved in, except for that it features your "Unamed"? (I believe you didn't yet say that, or did you?) What are the PCs supposed to do?

In any case, for some of the PCs mental disadvantages like Code of Honor, Sense of Duty, Vow or maybe Obsession or Fanaticism might do the trick to get involved against the Unamed if they cause harm in Megalos in a way that "triggers" the PC's disadvantage.
Or social disadvantages or advantages like Ally, Dependent or Duty: For instance, an Ally or the PC's old teacher to whom he has a Duty might ask for help because his daughter has been kidnapped by the mages or something.
Or one of the PCs might even already have the mages as a personal Enemy because he saw something he better hadn't and now decides that his best chance to survive (or behave honourably, or live on his life without permanently leaving Caithness / Megalos) is to take on the fight against them to help bring them down - Overconfidence might help here so that he thinks that his involvement in the fight considerably increases the chance that the Unamed will be defeated and won't be after him anymore.

P.S.: What's "Unamed" supposed to mean semantically? "Not amed"? If yes, what does "amed" mean? Or "U-named"? If yes, what does "U" stand for?

[tylrlsaa]

Originally Posted by Bruno

They tend to find the tiny spots of Normal mana in Caithness and build frickn great towers on them to keep other wizards out. The Feudal heirarchy politely grants them the land as a holding in exchange for the wizard not just sitting on top of the mana spot, drunk with power and cackling wildly, and hurling lightning or fireballs or whatever at anyone who comes near them.

As an aside to this, maybe the pockets of normal mana are 20 or more feet in the air. It would explain why every [bleep]ing wizard builds a tower.

[Phil Masters]

Originally Posted by Mad Douglas

I have a group of newbies, and they are awesome at D&D 3.5, but seem to be slower to absorb GURPS' nuances, and I have had to mercifully delay the revelation of these Evil Uber Mages.

"Evil"?

(The Caithness mage community can probably mostly be played as "Ars Magica meets Merlin". If that helps.)

[Icelander]

Originally Posted by Phil Masters

"Evil"?

(The Caithness mage community can probably mostly be played as "Ars Magica meets Merlin". If that helps.)

This thread is focused specifically on a band of exiled Uber Mages who are living in Caithness while plotting their terrible revenge.

They are the "Evil Uber Mages".

No one said anything about mages in Caithness being evil in general.

[Phil Masters]

Sorry - I read this as a new thread. My mistake. As you were.