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Old 06-19-2021, 07:19 PM   #41
Michael Thayne
 
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Default Re: [Sorcery] Michael's daily sorcerous spells thread

While writing up this spell, I noticed some errors in the Sandstorm write-up. Specifically, there was a mismatch between the descriptive text and the "Statistics" block, which I resolved in favor of the statistics block.
Spark Storm
Keywords: Area (Leveled).
Full Cost: 89/112/151 points for levels 1-3 (or more).
Casting Roll: IQ.
Range: 100 yards.
Duration: Indefinite.

Create a Windstorm with a dangerous addition. Any DX-based skill checks made inside the storm, and any ranged attacks passing through the area, are at -5. Anyone within must also make an ST check each second or be knocked over by the wind. Furthermore, the storm attacks everyone inside each second with lightning from above, rolling against skill 12. Those hit take 1d burning surge damage. Metallic armor counts as DR 1 against this attack, but nonmetallic armor protects normally. If any damage penetrates DR, the victim must make an HT roll, at -1 per 2 points of penetrating damage, or be rendered unconsciousness for (20-HT) minutes followed by -2 to DX for another (20-HT) minutes.

This spell requires constant concentration to maintain, but as long as you maintain it, you can also make the storm larger or smaller (up to the maximum radius based on your level). You can also designate a safe "eye" inside the windstorm up to half the radius of the storm.

More potent versions of Spark Storm exist. These add additional dice of burning damage, increasing the full cost of the spell as indicated by the table below.
Code:
Spell Strength		Full Cost
1d burning		89/112/151 points for levels 1-3.
2d burning		113/138/180 points for levels 1-3.
3d burning		137/165/209 points for levels 1-3.
4d burning		161/191/238 points for levels 1-3.
5d burning		185/218/267 points for levels 1-3.
This is also a Weather spell.

Statistics: Level 1 is Burning Attack 1d (Area Effect, 2 yards, +50%; Bombardment, skill 12, -10%; Cosmic, No Attack Roll Required, +100%; Fixed Duration, +0%; Increased 1/2D, 10×, +15%; Link, +10%; No Signature, +20%; Overhead, +30%; Persistent, +40%; Requires Concentrate, -15%; Requires IQ Roll, -10%; Selective Area, only to create an "eye", +10%; Side Effect, Stunning, +50%; Sorcery, -15%; Surge, Arcing, +100%; Variable, +5%) [23] + Control Air 2 (Ranged, +40%; Accessibility, only to create a windstorm, -30%; Link, +10%; Nuisance Effect, cannot move storm, -5%; Nuisance Effect, no penalty to ST rolls to remain standing, -5%; Sorcery, -15%) [38] + Control Air 3 (Does not increase area, -50%; Ranged, +40%; Accessibility, only to create a windstorm, -30%; Link, +10%; Nuisance Effect, cannot move storm, -5%; Nuisance Effect, no penalty to ST rolls to remain standing, -5%; Sorcery, -15%) [27]. Level 2 adds Area Effect (+50%) to Burning Attack [+2.5] and removes "Does not increase area" from two levels of Control Air [+20]. Level 3 adds Area Effect (+50%) to Affliction [+2.5], completely removes "Does not increase area" [+10], and adds Control Air 3 (Ranged, +40%; Accessibility, only to create a windstorm, -30%; Link, +10%; Only to increase area, -50%; Sorcery, -15%) [27]. The expanded versions raise the Burning Attack level.

Last edited by Michael Thayne; 07-06-2021 at 09:52 PM.
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Old 06-20-2021, 06:54 AM   #42
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Default Re: [Sorcery] Michael's daily sorcerous spells thread

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Originally Posted by Michael Thayne View Post
Spark Storm
You weren't kidding when you said that this spell would be a complicated write up!

I think you did a good job on the plain English write up. However, the effect of buying additional levels is not explained in that write up. I had to read the statistics block to determine that additional levels are increasing the area of effect of the spell. That would be good to add to the plain English description.

I liked the table of precalculated point costs for the spell. That is a good way to handle a spell that varies in both area of effect and damage. However, your write up preceding the table makes it sound like we would need to double the Full Cost of the spell to double the damage. It looks like you are increasing the damage by adding extra levels of Innate Attack. I'd recommend revising your write up to make that more clear.
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Old 06-20-2021, 07:51 AM   #43
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Originally Posted by Emerald Cat View Post
You weren't kidding when you said that this spell would be a complicated write up!

I think you did a good job on the plain English write up. However, the effect of buying additional levels is not explained in that write up. I had to read the statistics block to determine that additional levels are increasing the area of effect of the spell. That would be good to add to the plain English description.

I liked the table of precalculated point costs for the spell. That is a good way to handle a spell that varies in both area of effect and damage. However, your write up preceding the table makes it sound like we would need to double the Full Cost of the spell to double the damage. It looks like you are increasing the damage by adding extra levels of Innate Attack. I'd recommend revising your write up to make that more clear.
Thanks for the feedback! And you're right, I copy-pasted that wording from Falling Sky, but it doesn't fit Spark Cloud. I'll revise it.
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Old 06-20-2021, 08:13 PM   #44
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The original spell is primarily modeled as a Heart Attack but steals a "risk of brain damage" effect from the suffocation rules. I wasn't sure how to model that, so I left it alone. If you wanted to add it, you could argue that it should actually just be an automatic feature of having a heart attack, since realistically heart attacks can cause brain damage. I wouldn't charge more than +50% for it—i.e. half the price of Choking.
Steal Breath
Keywords: Resisted (HT).
Full Cost: 83 points.
Casting Roll: Will.
Range: Unlimited.
Duration: Instantaneous.

Snatches away a living victim’s "vital essence" by removing the body’s ability to get oxygen to essential systems: collapsing lungs, deoxygenating blood, and so on. Treat as heart attack (p. B429) for most purposes: the subject drops to -FP, falls unconscious, and dies in HT/3 minutes unless resuscitated. However, the arrest is respiratory, not cardiac, which may affect treatment (GM’s option).

Resuscitated victims have the lower of their current HP or 0 HP. This spell affects only breathing, oxygen-dependent life forms. Doesn’t Breathe – or any variety of Injury Tolerance that includes No Blood or No Vitals – gives immunity. Exceptions: Machines that require oxygen must resist or shut down until restarted. Air elementals and subjects with the Body of Air meta-trait (p. B262) treat Steal Breath as "save or die"; failed resistance means they’re instantly destroyed.

Statistics: Affliction 1 (HT; Can't affect most creatures with Doesn't Breathe or No Blood, but can affect certain machines, +0%; Cosmic, Reduced Time can turn Heart Attack into instant destruction, Air elementals only, +165%; Heart Attack, +300%; Malediction 2, +150%; No Signature, +20%; Reduced Time 10 on Heart Attack, +110%; Sorcery, -15%) [83]. Notes: This spell originally appeared in GURPS Magic: Death Spells, p. 9.

Last edited by Michael Thayne; 07-06-2021 at 09:55 PM.
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Old 06-21-2021, 06:55 AM   #45
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Steal Breath
Choking (p. B428) is arguably a more accurate Affliction than Heart Attack for this spell. On the other hand, waiting for the foe to Suffocate would take too long. Under the Suffocation rules, it would take about 10 seconds for an average person to exhaust their FP. Then they get to stay conscious until they fail a roll against Will. Not very useful as a combat spell!

The save-or-die effect on Air Elementals got lost in translation from GURPS Magic: Death Spells. We are adding ~18 points to the spell for a niche use, assuming Air Elementals are rare in your setting. I think that this is a reasonable result given that we are getting a save-or-die effect. However, buying spells that can target insubstantial foes in general would be a better investment.
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Old 06-21-2021, 12:05 PM   #46
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Originally Posted by Emerald Cat View Post
Choking (p. B428) is arguably a more accurate Affliction than Heart Attack for this spell. On the other hand, waiting for the foe to Suffocate would take too long. Under the Suffocation rules, it would take about 10 seconds for an average person to exhaust their FP. Then they get to stay conscious until they fail a roll against Will. Not very useful as a combat spell!
I thought about this. One possible solution would be to combine Affliction (Choking) with Fatigue Attack 6d (or Fatigue Attack 20 or something like that). Would make for a quite expensive spell though.

Quote:
The save-or-die effect on Air Elementals got lost in translation from GURPS Magic: Death Spells. We are adding ~18 points to the spell for a niche use, assuming Air Elementals are rare in your setting. I think that this is a reasonable result given that we are getting a save-or-die effect. However, buying spells that can target insubstantial foes in general would be a better investment.
Part of my goal here has been to mimic the general design philosophy of canonical sorcery spells, which generally seems to favor fidelity to the mechanics of the standard magic spells unless those effects are totally unsupported by the powers-based system (e.g. infinite DR). Though I just noticed I've been totally guilty of inconsistently pricing "Air elementals only"—is it -45%, which I used for Steal Breath and Control Air Elemental, or is it -80%, which I used for Destroy Air? The latter would make the Air Elemental-specific effect cost a more modest 10 points (which in practice means just 2 points plus an additional level of Sorcerous Empowerment as a prerequisite).
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Old 06-21-2021, 09:12 PM   #47
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Stench
Keywords: Area Effect (Leveled).
Full Cost: 11 points for level 1 + 2 points/additional level.
Casting Roll: None. Use Innate Attack (Gaze) to aim.
Range: 100 yards.
Duration: 5 minutes.

You can create a cloud of yellow, sulfurous gas. Anyone inside must roll against HT upon entering the cloud and each minute thereafter or take 1d toxic damage. Those with Doesn't Breathe, Filter Lungs, or Immunity to Metabolic Hazards are immune.

Statistics: Toxic Attack 1d (Area Effect, 2 yards, +50%; Extended Duration, 30×, +60%; Increased Immunity, 1 minute, -10%; No Signature, +20%; Persistent, +40%; Resistible, HT, -30%; Respiratory Agent, +50%; Sorcery, -15%) [11]. Further levels add Area Effect (+50%) [+2/level].

Last edited by Michael Thayne; 07-06-2021 at 09:56 PM.
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Old 06-22-2021, 07:31 PM   #48
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Stinkguard
Keywords: Buff.
Full Cost: 1 or 17 points.
Casting Roll: None. Use Innate Attack (Gaze) to aim the improved version.
Range: Self or 100 yards.
Duration: Indefinite or 30 minutes.

The subject becomes immune to nausea or retching caused by scent-based effects. This spell does not protect against other effects, or against nausea or retching effects that aren't scent-based.

The basic (1-point) version of this spell protects only the sorcerer; it has an indefinite duration, which means it must be maintained. The improved (17-point) version can protect anyone, works at a distance, and does not need to be maintained; it has a fixed, lasting duration.

This is also a Protection and Warning spell.

Statistics: The basic version is Immunity to Scent-Based Nausea and Retching [1]. The improved version is Affliction 1 (Advantage, Immunity to Scent-Based Nausea and Retching, +10%; Extended Duration, 10×, +40%; Increased 1/2D, 10×, +15%; No Signature, +20%; Sorcery, -15%) [15]. Notes: This spell originally appeared in GURPS Magic: The Least of Spells, p. 6.

Last edited by Michael Thayne; 07-06-2021 at 09:56 PM.
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Old 06-23-2021, 11:01 PM   #49
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I went back and forth on whether the Accessibility limitation was enough to cover not having control over the exact effects of the storm. Feel free to make the case the limitation should have been larger.
Storm
Keywords: Area (Special).
Full Cost: 280/290/300/310/320/330 points for levels 1-6, plus 51 points for each additional level.
Casting Roll: IQ.
Range: 0.
Duration: 50 minutes.

Creates (or dispels) a storm in a radius of 0.1 × level miles around you. The caster chooses whether to make conditions better or worse, but the exact effects are unpredictable; the GM should pick effects that make sense given the pre-existing weather conditions. Typically, the degree of the change should be enough to change penalties for bad weather by ±2. This means the storm will be relatively mild if cast in conditions of dead calm; likewise dispelling a hurricane may leave behind an ordinary rainstorm (or at least windy weather).

This is also a Water spell and a Weather spell.

Statistics: Level 1 is Control Weather 1 (Accessibility, Only to create or dispel storms, -30%; Emanation, -20%; Extended Duration, 300×, +100%; Natural Phenomena, +100%; Persistent, +40%; Sorcery, -15%) [55] + Control Weather 5 (Accessibility, Only to create or dispel storms, -30%; Does not increase area, -50%; Emanation, -20%; Extended Duration, 300×, +100%; Natural Phenomena, +100%; Persistent, +40%; Sorcery, -15%) [225]. Levels 2-6 remove "Does not increase area" one level at a time [+10/level]. Further levels add Control Weather (Emanation, -20%; Extended Duration, 300×, +100%; Natural Phenomena, +100%; Only to increase area, -50%; Persistent, +40%; Sorcery, -15%) [+51/level].
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Old 06-24-2021, 08:12 PM   #50
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Storm Shelter
Keywords: Buff.
Full Cost: 1 or 17 points.
Casting Roll: None. Use Innate Attack (Gaze) to aim.
Range: Self or 100 yards.
Duration: Indefinite or 30 minutes.

Bad weather affects the subject, personally – not their house or vehicle – as though it were less severe. Most often means -1 less to rolls to avoid falling overboard, see things through torrential rain, etc.

The basic (1-point) version of this spell protects only the sorcerer; it has an indefinite duration, which means it must be maintained. The improved (17-point) version can protect anyone, works at a distance, and does not need to be maintained; it has a fixed, lasting duration.

Also a Protection and Warning spell and a Weather spell.

Statistics: The basic version is Accessory (Storm Shelter) [1]. The improved version is Affliction 1 (Advantage, Storm Shelter, +10%; Extended Duration, 10×, +40%; Fixed Duration, +0%; Increased 1/2D, 10×, +15%; No Signature, +20%; Sorcery, -15%) [17]. Notes: This spell originally appeared in GURPS Magic: The Least of Spells, p. 17.

Last edited by Michael Thayne; 07-06-2021 at 09:57 PM.
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