POWERS questions for the erudite...

[hal]

Hi All,
I'm working on translating an Imp from one game system over for use with GURPS. Normally, I'd just use the creature's abilities as written and not bother to figure out costs, but in this particular case, said "Creature" is summonable, and if I know the point value of it - the cost to cast the spell Summon Demon will be based on its point total/10. Unlike the GURPS MAGIC rule that says "Minimum of 20 fatigue", I plan on ignoring it entirely. Why?

GURPS GRIMOIRE had the spell SUMMON MINOR DEMONS - which costs only 15 energy, but produces 1d6+2 said demons. If the average roll is 3 or 4. That works out to between 5 and 6 such beasties per summoning. At an energy PER minor demon cost, that works out to roughly 3 energy per minor demon.

Now, an IMP on the other hand, priced at 62 character points (See GURPS DUNGEON FANTASY 9 SUMMONERS), the Imp is VERY close to what I want to use for my version of the IMP from another game.

Here is what I need to add:

See Aura (Perception Yrds distance)

Spit saliva (Based on DX, with a special capability of voiding much of the eye to hit penalty as is possible). Saliva that gets into a victim's eyes cause it to go blind for 1 minute per point the HT saving roll is failed by. I can simply change it to major eye irritant if need be, but I think Blindness just increases the cost of this by +50%.

Bite target: Net effect causes the victim to save VS HT or go unconscious.

Shape change into a small creature (the same creature always) 1 time per 24 hours. Retains its IQ, Perception, aura reading abilities - but loses saliva abilities

Go invisible for 1 hour - once per day.

Any takers on this? Yes, you're doing it as a favor - but frankly? I'd rather build vehicles using GURPS VEHICLES than build advantages using GURPS POWERS. That anyone uses POWERS routinely boggles my mind in a good way.

:)

As it is, I'm using the succubus from the Dungeon Fantasy, and will be making an effort to build the DRAGONQUEST major demons per the rules in GURPS POWERS. I'm also using the fact that certain types of demons can only be summoned on certain days of a month, or even certain hours of a day in certain days of a month. Unless the summoner tries to force these summoned demons into any bindings - the summoner may very well be better off just talking with them.

Another aspect that I'm using regarding Demons is that they can not actually attack a human being until they themselves attack the Demon. This is a function for both Angels AND Demons that applies equally.

As for the lesser demons? Those are former human souls or sadly, byproducts of Succubi/Incubi and human relationships. One thing that Incubi can do that is out of the ordinary, is insure that the fertility of the woman in question receiving the incubi's gift (G-rating here folks!) - she automatically conceives a child from the offering.

Again, thank you in advance for helping with this (and if no one does, I wouldn't blame them!!!)

[hal]

Almost forgot...

The Imp adds a "Radius of Evil" thing around it such that anyone within a radius of 2 hex circle gains a +1 bonus to saving rolls. This is clearly a "power" of Evil. It doesn't penalize anyone who isn't evil.

As it is, once I get a final price for this, the question will become one of "does any mage want this as a familiar?" and the subsequent cost to have it as an ally.

[johndallman]

Originally Posted by hal

Another aspect that I'm using regarding Demons is that they can not actually attack a human being until they themselves attack the Demon. This is a function for both Angels AND Demons that applies equally.

Does it apply to this imp?

Originally Posted by hal

. . . making an effort to build the DRAGONQUEST major demons per the rules in GURPS POWERS.

That will be a huge task, and their totals will vary by several orders of magnitude. I'd just assess summoning costs for them by eyeball.

Originally Posted by hal

See Aura (Perception Yrds distance)

That's Detect (Auras, Very Common), for a basic 30 points. That requires a Per roll, and the creature's Per is presumably somewhere in the range 8-14, or -4 to -5 for range. I'd charge something like +20% for "Fixed range limit of Per yards, no range penalties for a sense within that", but others may reckon it should cost more.

Originally Posted by hal

Spit saliva (Based on DX, with a special capability of voiding much of the eye to hit penalty as is possible). Saliva that gets into a victim's eyes cause it to go blind for 1 minute per point the HT saving roll is failed by. I can simply change it to major eye irritant if need be, but I think Blindness just increases the cost of this by +50%.

That's Affliction, one level [10], Disadvantage (Blindness) +50%, which also gives you the correct duration, Contact Agent -30%, total [12], plus Targeted Attack (spitting, eye) reducing the -10 penalty to -5, which costs a further [6].

Originally Posted by hal

Go invisible for 1 hour - once per day.

Invisibility [40], Switchable (+10%), Maximum Duration (1 hour, -10%), Limited Use (1/day, -40%), total [24]

Someone else want to have a try at a few more pieces?

[Anthony]

Originally Posted by johndallman

That's Affliction, one level [10], Disadvantage (Blindness) +50%, which also gives you the correct duration, Contact Agent -30%, total [12], plus Targeted Attack (spitting, eye) reducing the -10 penalty to -5, which costs a further [6].

Alternately, a 1 point small piercing or tight beam burning attack will reliably blind by doing a major wound to the eye (as it gets a x4 wounding modifier).

[Plane]

Originally Posted by hal

Spit saliva (Based on DX, with a special capability of voiding much of the eye to hit penalty as is possible). Saliva that gets into a victim's eyes cause it to go blind for 1 minute per point the HT saving roll is failed by.

Originally Posted by johndallman

That's Affliction, one level [10], Disadvantage (Blindness) +50%, which also gives you the correct duration, Contact Agent -30%, total [12], plus Targeted Attack (spitting, eye) reducing the -10 penalty to -5, which costs a further [6].

This advantage would blind someone no matter where you hit them as long as it touched skin, though.

Even something like blood agent (which works if you hit the eye AFAIK) would also work if it hit open wounds.

I don't know if we actually have something like 'affliction which only works if it hits a specific hit location'

We have stuff like "affliction only affects those who can see you" which is the Sight-Based limitation meant to limit Maledictions, not sure if floating that over to "I need to make a targeted attack against the eye for this to work" would make sense?

Knowing this would be cool to know rules on, you could make weird afflictions like "it only affects them if I make a targeted attack to their right hand" and so on

[hal]

Hi All,
Just wanted to say "Thank you" for the responses. I had originally started to try and handle the imp construction without the use of the Devilkin material until I realized "Wow, that already exists!" I had been struggling with how to define a few things (such as the armor piercing tail) and found the Devilkin already had it - which made my life all the more easier. The "Imp" in this game has a will of 6 to start with - one of the reasons they are overly capricious as well as easily distracted. In contests of will between themselves and humans, they almost never win (which is why possession by an Imp is more of an issue of bad luck than anything else). Having to fight a major league demon for possession of your body gets progressively harder as the other demon types have higher and higher will, until you run into a Duke, whose Will is stunningly high. There, you want to try things to appease the higher ups or threaten them with weaponry than to go head to head in a possession contest. Certain aspects of the Demons will remain unchanged, but in others, will be changed - all lbecause Features are a zero point cost item...