[Thaumatology] A purposive exploration

[Figleaf23]

Okay, so I started with this:

Originally Posted by Refplace

read the symbols, realm and syntactic sections, dig for references to spirits ...

Then immediately went on to this:

Originally Posted by Fred Brackin

... read Thaumatology cover-to-cover, ...

Now I'm at about page 80 and I must say,

Oh Wow! Oh Wow! Oh Wow!

is not far off the mark.

This is a marvellous book, on pretty much every level. The chapter that fills-out/completes/salvages the basic GURPS Magic system alone should provide SJGs eternal gratitude to the author.

This tome will allow me to specify the ludicrously complex and idiocyncratic, but perfect-for-my-universe magic meta-para-system I have had bottled up inside me for many years.

And let me not overlook the writing -- a fine representative of the general high GURPS standard: crisp, comprehensible, info-dense, complete, engaging.

Mmmm. Nice book. Good book.

[David Johnston2]

Originally Posted by Kenneth Latrans

I'll just say that I love the idea of

Magery 0 (no spell prerequisites, +20%) [6]
Magery 4 (no spell prerequisites, +20%) [48]

Those nine points could have gone into spells, but are instead used to ignore the whole prerequisite chain notion that they seem to be so worked up over.

I would totally do this even for a 100-point mage. And, because it's useful, internally consistent, and cost-effective, most GMs are going to veto it outright.

Isn't it more likely that they'd veto it because the prerequisite system is the chief selling point of GURPS's magic system in the first place? I like it because it represents the idea of magic as something you learn rather than just something you do.

[Crakkerjakk]

Originally Posted by David Johnston2

Isn't it more likely that they'd veto it because the prerequisite system is the chief selling point of GURPS's magic system in the first place? I like it because it represents the idea of magic as something you learn rather than just something you do.

I'd say that the fact that it's skill based with fatigue costs is the chief selling point to me. It fits how I think magic should "feel" for most games. Prereqs make logical sense, but the chief appeal is that I can learn a spell and cast it over and over until I'm too exhausted to lift a finger.

[Refplace]

Originally Posted by Fred Brackin

Incidentally, I know what "cthonic" means and I strongly suspect both Ken Hite and Phil Masters do too but that word is not used that I can recall.

Not sure if you meant this or not but Cthonic actually has 2 meanings or roots in most fantasy literature.
Lovecraft and Cthon as a primal earth diety focused mostly on the underworld and depths of the earth.

[Fred Brackin]

Originally Posted by Refplace

Not sure if you meant this or not but Cthonic actually has 2 meanings or roots in most fantasy literature.
Lovecraft and Cthon as a primal earth diety focused mostly on the underworld and depths of the earth.

I was going with your second definition and I would think that was the more common one (for an uncommon $2 sort of word).

[Figleaf23]

Originally Posted by Refplace

Not sure if you meant this or not but Cthonic actually has 2 meanings or roots in most fantasy literature.
Lovecraft and Cthon as a primal earth diety focused mostly on the underworld and depths of the earth.

Hm. I was using chthonic in the sense of 'primordial'.

[Refplace]

Originally Posted by Figleaf23

Hm. I was using chthonic in the sense of 'primordial'.

Yeah, thats how I tend to use it most too which is based off the Diety and early Greek religious references.