Steve Jackson Games - Site Navigation
Home General Info Follow Us Search Illuminator Store Forums What's New Other Games Ogre GURPS Munchkin Our Games: Home

Go Back   Steve Jackson Games Forums > Roleplaying > GURPS

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 05-13-2019, 12:05 PM   #1
CarrionPeacock
 
Join Date: May 2018
Default [Sorcery] Self-buff Affliction

How do I build an Affliction that can only target the caster?
Asking because I don't know how to make a Sorcerer that can fly and throw missile spells at the same time but not can't make other fly using Sorcery. Affliction (Flight) can also affect others, plain Flight is appropriate but keeping it on prevents the character from casting other spells.
CarrionPeacock is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-13-2019, 12:08 PM   #2
Gumby Bush
 
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: FL
Default Re: [Sorcery] Self-buff Affliction

I'd just buy Flight at full cost rather than as an Alternate Ability... Am I missing something that makes that not an option?
__________________
Formerly known as fighting_gumby.
Gumby Bush is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-13-2019, 12:09 PM   #3
CarrionPeacock
 
Join Date: May 2018
Default Re: [Sorcery] Self-buff Affliction

Quote:
Originally Posted by Gumby Bush View Post
I'd just buy Flight at full cost rather than as an Alternate Ability... Am I missing something that makes that not an option?
Is that allowed? I thought Sorcery only allows supernatural advantages/spells as an alternative ability to Sorcerous Empowerment.
CarrionPeacock is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-13-2019, 12:16 PM   #4
Gumby Bush
 
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: FL
Default Re: [Sorcery] Self-buff Affliction

If I were the GM and approved of your character being able to both fly and hurl missiles, then I would allow it. I'm not sure if it is RAW Sorcery, as I only know the basic concept--a special modular ability with other abilities potentially bought as Alternate Abilities--I haven't yet purchased the book. If I was unsure about it, I might require an Unusual Background as well.

If I were the GM and did not approve of your concept, Affliction would not let you get around that, especially if it ended up cheaper that way than buying Flight with a Limited Duration limitation.

Given that I am not your GM, the answer is basically: ask your GM.
__________________
Formerly known as fighting_gumby.
Gumby Bush is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-13-2019, 01:45 PM   #5
CarrionPeacock
 
Join Date: May 2018
Default Re: [Sorcery] Self-buff Affliction

Quote:
Originally Posted by Gumby Bush View Post
If I were the GM and approved of your character being able to both fly and hurl missiles, then I would allow it. I'm not sure if it is RAW Sorcery, as I only know the basic concept--a special modular ability with other abilities potentially bought as Alternate Abilities--I haven't yet purchased the book. If I was unsure about it, I might require an Unusual Background as well.

If I were the GM and did not approve of your concept, Affliction would not let you get around that, especially if it ended up cheaper that way than buying Flight with a Limited Duration limitation.

Given that I am not your GM, the answer is basically: ask your GM.
It's not for a game, I'm trying to understand how Sorcery works.
I don't think it's possible to get it cheaper than plain Flight, as the way affliction granting advantage costs 10 + advantage cost. Even if the "Self Only" limitation were worth -80% (doubt it), it would only reduce it to 2+advantage cost, which is obviously more expensive than plain advantage.
CarrionPeacock is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-13-2019, 01:55 PM   #6
Gumby Bush
 
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: FL
Default Re: [Sorcery] Self-buff Affliction

Either Sorcery or Divine Favor has rules about having two abilities bought at full cost to allow you to have two abilities in use at once--I think I've only seen it mentioned on the fora, so probably Sorcery somewhere. If that isn't a Sorcery rule, you could extend it to Sorcery, given that both are based on Alternate Abilities and thus have roughly the same guts, just different mechanisms for using unlearned abilities.

Given the guts of the system, there doesn't seem to be anything mechanically wrong with buying Flight at full price. The question therefore becomes a setting question, hence the "ask your GM" line. If the setting is supposed to having flying missile-slinging sorcerers, then having Flight bought at full price may even be common.

I'll defer to those with more access to the RAW rules though.
__________________
Formerly known as fighting_gumby.
Gumby Bush is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-15-2019, 01:58 PM   #7
Plane
 
Join Date: Aug 2018
Default Re: [Sorcery] Self-buff Affliction

Quote:
Originally Posted by CarrionPeacock View Post
It's not for a game, I'm trying to understand how Sorcery works.
I don't think it's possible to get it cheaper than plain Flight, as the way affliction granting advantage costs 10 + advantage cost. Even if the "Self Only" limitation were worth -80% (doubt it), it would only reduce it to 2+advantage cost, which is obviously more expensive than plain advantage.
Where it can get cheaper is if you're willing to stack on all sorts of limitations to bring it down to a net -80% to make an affliction only cost 2 points instead of the base 10. Multiplicative Modifiers would avoid that trick since you apply limitations to the increased value created by enhancements.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Anaraxes View Post
GURPS Powers, The Weird, has an example of "Accessibility, Self Only" at -20%. That's about where I'd put it for the beneficial Afflictions I'd expect to see it on. There is some loss of utility in that you can't buff your companions at need, but of course the Limitation is only going to show up where that's not an expected common use.
Given that you could take Melee Attack (C-range, cannot parry) for -35% to only be able to Afflict yourself or those in the same hex as you, it seems like Self Only ought to be worth more, unless you're applying that on top of Melee Attack.

"Contact Agent" also wouldn't impede hitting yourself with your own attack unless you were wearing armor and you had to target a smaller exposed area like a hand at -4.

If you had "Blood Agent" on an affliction you wanted to target yourself with, you'd have to touch yourself in the eye or in the mouth I think?

Last edited by Plane; 05-15-2019 at 02:06 PM.
Plane is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-13-2019, 06:07 PM   #8
Christopher R. Rice
 
Christopher R. Rice's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: Portsmouth, VA, USA
Default Re: [Sorcery] Self-buff Affliction

Quote:
Originally Posted by CarrionPeacock View Post
How do I build an Affliction that can only target the caster?
Asking because I don't know how to make a Sorcerer that can fly and throw missile spells at the same time but not can't make other fly using Sorcery. Affliction (Flight) can also affect others, plain Flight is appropriate but keeping it on prevents the character from casting other spells.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Gumby Bush View Post
I'd just buy Flight at full cost rather than as an Alternate Ability... Am I missing something that makes that not an option?
This is the way to do it. See Detect Magic p. 19 GURPS Thaumatology: Sorcery for an example of a "self-buff."

Personally, I'd probably still build this as a Buffing spell per normal to avoid things like "Self-Flight" vs. "Fly Other."
__________________
My Twitter
My w23 Stuff
My Blog

Latest GURPS Book: Dungeon Fantasy Denizens: Thieves
Latest TFT Book: The Sunken Library

Become a Patron!
Christopher R. Rice is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-14-2019, 12:43 AM   #9
rkbrown419
 
rkbrown419's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: Orem, Utah, USA
Default Re: [Sorcery] Self-buff Affliction

I'm also in the buy flight at full cost camp. However, you do need to add the Sorcery -15% modifier and it will cost 1 fatigue per minute to use. Alternatively you could use Magic -10% for no fatigue cost. That makes the advantage 34 or 36 points.
If the character can't fly while casting other spells he only needs to pay 1/5 of that or if he has another spell with a higher point cost and wants to use two at once pay full price for the most expensive spell and 1/5 for self flight and all other spells.
rkbrown419 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-14-2019, 06:37 AM   #10
CarrionPeacock
 
Join Date: May 2018
Default Re: [Sorcery] Self-buff Affliction

Quote:
Originally Posted by Gumby Bush View Post
If the setting is supposed to having flying missile-slinging sorcerers, then having Flight bought at full price may even be common.
It's not limited to Flight. In Skyrim you can have a character use Conjure Sword to get a magical sword and then use off-hand to throw fireballs. If I built Conjure Sword as Affliction, then this mage would also be able to grant magic swords to others, which isn't true in the game, and as a normal advantage it wouldn't allow you to throw a fireball with offhand.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Anaraxes View Post
GURPS Powers, The Weird, has an example of "Accessibility, Self Only" at -20%. That's about where I'd put it for the beneficial Afflictions I'd expect to see it on. There is some loss of utility in that you can't buff your companions at need, but of course the Limitation is only going to show up where that's not an expected common use.

Compare "Affects Others" at +50% -- which also includes the caster, so that's really two subjects instead of one.
-20% sounds about right, thanks for the reference.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Christopher R. Rice View Post
This is the way to do it. See Detect Magic p. 19 GURPS Thaumatology: Sorcery for an example of a "self-buff."

Personally, I'd probably still build this as a Buffing spell per normal to avoid things like "Self-Flight" vs. "Fly Other."
I agree that would be more straightforward, but it fails to meet some expectations like the Conjure Sword + Fireball I mentioned above.

Quote:
Originally Posted by rkbrown419 View Post
I'm also in the buy flight at full cost camp. However, you do need to add the Sorcery -15% modifier and it will cost 1 fatigue per minute to use. Alternatively you could use Magic -10% for no fatigue cost. That makes the advantage 34 or 36 points.
1 FP per minute is too costly while no FP at all is too cheap. I think Aflliction with Extended Duration to make it cost around 1FP per few minutes is better.

Quote:
Originally Posted by rkbrown419 View Post
if he has another spell with a higher point cost and wants to use two at once pay full price for the most expensive spell and 1/5 for self flight and all other spells.
This can be CP expensive (edge cases would almost double total investment), I think purchsing the wanted advantage at full cost is a better alternative.

Thanks all for helping me out. Currently I have two solutions for my problem: Affliction with Self Only (-20%) and purchasing the advantage as normal power. The second options is "cleaner" but I prefer the first, as it's more in line with the rest of the system and upgrading the spell to affect others is as simple as buying off the limitation.
CarrionPeacock is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Tags
sorcery

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Fnords are Off
[IMG] code is Off
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT -6. The time now is 06:00 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.9
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.