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Old 08-06-2019, 09:43 AM   #11
AlexanderHowl
 
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Default Re: [Thaumatology] Decans As Gods

I do not know, but you can always restrict the known Paths. You can even make the Decans Books instead of Paths, where there are no defaults from Ritual Magic (Decanic) or Thaumology (Decanic). Instead, the Core Skill just sets the skill limit on the Books and determines the number of conditional rituals.
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Old 08-06-2019, 11:27 AM   #12
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Default Re: [Thaumatology] Decans As Gods

This'd be kind of fun with Magic As Powers. Every mage is a super, every super is a demigod. Why're you so lucky? 'cuz Akhouiy just don't keep it in the pants.
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Old 08-06-2019, 12:23 PM   #13
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Default Re: [Thaumatology] Decans As Gods

Remember Dr. Pretorious' line "A new world of gods and Monsters." The supers could be themed by mythic monsters and Mages could model themselves on the Gods. Mages would conect with various decans to shape themselves into the image of the god archetype they mean to be and embody. Monsters would be linked to one decan any more fully embody its nature and power.
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Old 08-06-2019, 06:05 PM   #14
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Default Re: [Thaumatology] Decans As Gods

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So it's been rattling around my brains for some time to use the Decanic Correspondences from Thaumatology to create a pantheon of gods for GURPS.
Other posters have mentioned the Aethyrs already, but I'll go into a bit more detail. GURPS Cabal, the book in which the decans were introduced, has you covered; each decan has a corresponding "Aethyr". These are explicitly called "the true gods of the Hermetic worldview" on CB121. Aethyrs are powerful spiritual patrons of their respective decans, residing in the Iconic Realm of Briah. They "have complete control over the energies they personify" and "are able to draw on near-infinite amounts of energy within their own domains." None of them are statted, but they are given names and epithets distinct from the names of their decans, and descriptions of the forms each one typically takes both in dreams and visions and when encountered on their home plane.

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The problem is that I'd really like to emphasise the existing connection to magic and spells, ideally each Decan/God will have a sphere of influence, a domain if you will, over roughly equal amounts of human existence and roughly the same number of spells.
In Cabal, some decans don't have spells associated with them because each college was associated with a decan and there were more colleges than decans -- this left 13 "empty decans" without spells. The in-setting justification for this was that each decan has an associated with a Word of Power spoken by God to create the world, and only 23 of those had yet been discovered. I would divorce the connection between the decans and the colleges and decide on a case-by-case basis whether a given spell receives bonuses or penalties from a given decan.
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Old 08-06-2019, 06:27 PM   #15
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Default Re: [Thaumatology] Decans As Gods

The Aethyrs could be reflected on Earth ( or multiple Earths as in IW or multiple multiverses as in Moorcock) as many different pantheons. Each mythic being being a spiritual lens to focus energy from the aethyr in question. The energies of Nefada (the decan of pleasure) come out differently if focused through Dynonisus or Shiva than if focused through Bubastus or Aphrodite. Ganesha would promote playful self-indulgence were the Handsome Monkey King would promote playful trickery and pranks. Nefada focused through Quetzelcoatl would promote creativity, through Tezcatlapoca sadism and viciousness. All the gods would be words of power.
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Old 08-06-2019, 06:49 PM   #16
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Default Re: [Thaumatology] Decans As Gods

Tangentially related but way back in 2008 I created a very short-lived thread on trying to come up with creatures/monsters of each decan.
http://forums.sjgames.com/showthread.php?t=48741

One could perhaps have decans' gods be paragons or at least sometimes in the form of each.
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Old 08-07-2019, 12:45 AM   #17
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Default Re: [Thaumatology] Decans As Gods

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Originally Posted by VIVIT View Post
Other posters have mentioned the Aethyrs already, but I'll go into a bit more detail. GURPS Cabal, the book in which the decans were introduced, has you covered; each decan has a corresponding "Aethyr". These are explicitly called "the true gods of the Hermetic worldview" on CB121. Aethyrs are powerful spiritual patrons of their respective decans, residing in the Iconic Realm of Briah. They "have complete control over the energies they personify" and "are able to draw on near-infinite amounts of energy within their own domains." None of them are statted, but they are given names and epithets distinct from the names of their decans, and descriptions of the forms each one typically takes both in dreams and visions and when encountered on their home plane.
The Aethyrs don't really matter for this discussion.
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Old 08-07-2019, 05:35 AM   #18
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Default Re: [Thaumatology] Decans As Gods

Just out of curiosity, why would certain of the decans make better or worse Paths for RPM? I admit that some of them would be rather esoteric, but I do not see how they would be terribly overpowered or useless. For example, the Path of Marderô would involve rebellion against comfort, anger against injustice, and mutations, each which would offer interesting possibilities.
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Old 08-07-2019, 07:08 AM   #19
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Default Re: [Thaumatology] Decans As Gods

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Just out of curiosity, why would certain of the decans make better or worse Paths for RPM? I admit that some of them would be rather esoteric, but I do not see how they would be terribly overpowered or useless. For example, the Path of Marderô would involve rebellion against comfort, anger against injustice, and mutations, each which would offer interesting possibilities.
The problem with Nefada as a RPM is that it would be addicting. The mage would end up using all their power simply to keep stimulating the pleasure center of their own brains.
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Old 08-07-2019, 08:10 AM   #20
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Default Re: [Thaumatology] Decans As Gods

Sounds like a self-limiting problem. Mages without self-discipline end up addicts of magic.
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