GURPS: Amber

[naloth]

Last time I worked on adapting Amber, it was before more of the GURPS line has come out. Needless to say after years of both play and releases I'd do a few things a bit differently.

Point totals (flexible, but right now what I have in mind):
Freshly discovered (uninitiated child): 300 points
Freshly initiated: 500 points
Adults and elders: 1000+ points

Blood of Amber (215 points)
[100] ST+10
[50] HT+5
[10] IT:DR: Slow Regrowth*
[30] Lifting ST+10
[10] Regeneration (Slow)
[15] Very Fit
[0] Blood of Amber**
[0] Blood Curse***
[0] Long Lived****
[0] Low Fertility*****
[0] Massless for half of HP. Any +1 to ST should also have a corresponding +1 to Lifting ST.

Notes: Basically this minimum for anyone that is born with the Amber bloodline. Many are considerably stronger. I deliberately left out DX and IQ, as those will depend greatly on the training and experience of the character. Eventually I'd like to have a few lenses for various backgrounds.

*Slow Regrowth takes x4 as long as regular regrowth. Regeneration does not speed this up.

** I treated Blood of Amber as a 0 point feature. In a campaign where you're dealing with mostly Amber characters the point cost won't matter. The ability to damage the pattern is offset by those that would oppose you if it came up. Amber won't have a reputation in most shadows, but where it does it's usually respected and despised in equal measure.

*** The Amber family talks up the blood curse, but honestly it's probably just something Oberon or Dworkin made up. What little evidence we have is provided by an unreliable narrator talking to a potential enemy. In any case, there's no real values to base it on. It's more or less a dying wish the player can make to the GM.

**** Aging. Aging either doesn't occur or occurs very, very slowly. Either way, no one in the campaign (mortal or otherwise) should be subjected to aging rolls.

***** Amberites seem to only have kids when it's inconvenient. It's almost a disadvantage (almost every character in the series was blindsided at some point with offspring) except that it works out well sometimes.

[naloth]

Blood of Chaos (200 points)
[ 60 ] ST+6
[ 40 ] HT+4
[ 5 ] Fit
[ 5 ] Healing (Self Only 0%; Takes Extra Time x2 -20%; AA:Metamorph)
[ 10 ] IT:DR: Slow Regrowth
[ 80 ] Shape-Shifter 20 (Modular Abilities: Cosmic 20: Cost 1 FP/4pts -25%; Extra Time: 1 sec/pt -40; Limited: Body Adaptations -20%; Physical +50%; Requires Concentration -15%; Uncontrollable -10%)*
[ 0 ] Blood of Chaos**
[ 0 ] Long Lived***
[ 0 ] Massless for half of HP.

Notes: Basically this minimum for any considered a Lord of Chaos. Many are considerably stronger (up to ST32). I deliberately left out DX and IQ, as those will depend greatly on the training and experience of the character. Eventually I'd like to have a few lenses for various backgrounds.

* This ability may be increased at a cost of 5/Cosmic Point either in character generation or with experience later. The number of levels of Costs Fatigue is calculated as (Total fatigue for shift 5 * (1+ Max Cosmic Pool)/2). Extra Time levels are calculated by figuring out the highest level where 2^(Extra Time Levels) < Max Pool Levels is still true. Essentially that the total time for the ability is just under the point value, such that taking 1 second per point of change is fair.

** Blood of Chaos may have important effects in some places, but mostly this is just a note.

*** Aging isn't normal in the setting.

Sample Body Parts (for Shape-Shifting)
Notes: Senses other than rearranging the location of existing senses aren't an added body part. I'd suggest more leniency toward environmental adaptations. Below are a few suggestions:

360-Degree Vision (Extra Eyes) [25]; Amphibious (Swimming membranes) [10]; Appearance: normal cost for a positive appearance, 1 point for any negative appearance; Claws: Blunt [3], Sharp [5], or Talons [8]; DR (CWA -40%) 3/pt; DR (CWA -40%, Tough Skin -40%) 1/pt; Doesn't Breathe (Gills) [10]; Doesn't Breathe (Storage x25) [10]; Elastic Skin [20]; Extra Arms 10/arm; Extra Mouth [5]; Filter Lungs [5]; Flight (Winged) [25]; Flight (Gliding) [20]; Flexibility [5] or [15]; Mimicry [10]; Peripheral Vision [15]; Perk: Fur [1]; Spines [1] or [3]; Striker (any); Teeth, Sharp [1], Fangs [2].

[naloth]

Power Modifiers
Logrus and Magic abilities do not work everywhere (such as undershadow or crystal caves) and can be countered by Static. Pattern abilities do not work well if at all in Amber (additional -5 to any shadow shifting ability) and do not work in certain locations. Fatigue may be spent to improve the chance of any ability. Each additional FP spent gives a +1 up to maximum of +4.

Pattern Initiate (212 points)
- Traverse Shadow (Jumper: Extra-Heavy Enc +50%; Limited Jump -10%; New Worlds +50%; Tunnel +40%; Nuisance: Trackable Path -10%; Special Movement -20%; Pattern -10%) [190]. Notes: Those that have walked that pattern gain the ability to travel to where ever they can imagine, at least in theory. Traveling shadow is often done the slow way, by changing one detail at a time (effectively no fatigue or rolls but the journey becomes very time consuming). Quick transitions may be done by a hellride where you focus on one detail and change the world around it, rolling and spending fatigue as you narrow down where you want to go as quickly as you can. Both slow and quick travel creates a path that others can follow for quite a time (use P:89 under Tracking for Warp). New shadows with new physical properties are effectively inventions taking time to find (create) as per B473 with no cost. Invention rolls are made against the highest relevant skill.

- Pattern Shield (Static: Logrus + Static: Magic; Area 2 yd radius +50%; Link: Nullify 10%; Requires Concentration -15%; Resistible -50%; Pattern -10%; AA: Traverse) [6 + 6]. Notes: Costs a total of 2 FP/sec to maintain this ability. Any initiate of the pattern may pull up an image of the pattern to repel tendrils of the Logrus and manifestations of chaos. Note this ability will dismiss any ability with the Logrus power modifier or any spell that touches the area provided the user can win a contest of Will. This may be activated as a Power Defense (Will/2 + 3).

Advanced Pattern Techniques
- Mindwalk (Jumper: New Worlds +50%; Pattern -10%; AA: Traverse) [28]. Notes: Allows direct travel to a shadow without movement. This may only be taken by those that have a higher level pattern imprint from the Jewel of Judgement.

- Peer into shadow (Clairsentience; Cost 1 fatigue/min -5%; World Spanning +50%; Only Vision -10%; Pattern -10%) [13]. Notes: Allows the user to view other known areas in known shadows. This may only be taken by those that have a higher level pattern imprint from the Jewel of Judgement.

- Perk: Known Shadow [1]. Notes: Creates a known, personalized (user chooses properties) shadow without an invention roll.

- Remote Shadow Manipulation. Notes: Allows an advanced pattern adept to put obstacles or storms in the way of someone passing through shadow. Adds World Spanning to either Affect Probability or Serendipity. Costs 2 FP per use. Visualization attempts are at -5 while Serendipity attempts require a successful IQ-5 roll. This can only be attempted by those that have a higher level pattern imprint from the Jewel of Judgement.

- Serendipity (Wishing +100%; Costs fatigue 1/use -5%; Pattern -10%). [28pts/lvl]. Notes: Allows one plausible coincidence per level per session to be chosen by the player.

- Shadow Fortune (Visualization; Blessing +100; Costs 1 FP/use -5%; Reduced Time 7 +140%; Pattern -10%; AA: Traverse) [7]. Notes: Allows the user to manipulate the pattern in small, plausible ways to help himself or others. Effectively this gives a bonus or penalty based on the margin of success for an IQ check. Where time (such as combat) is a factor this bonus is divided by 3 (round down).

- Shadow Curse (Visualization; Cursing +100; Costs 1 FP/use -5%; Reduced Time 7 +140%; Pattern -10%; AA: Traverse) [7]. Notes: As Improve Probability, but can be used to decrease the odds for a subject within sight.

Logrus Initiate (182 points)
- Logrus Conjuration (Snatcher: Creation +50%; Large Items +50%; More Weight: 10 lbs +10%; Permanent* 0%; Unpredictable -25%; Logrus -10%) [140]. Notes: Potentially any item weighing up to 10 lbs may be summoned by extending logrus tendrils to pull it from a distant shadow. Items do not disappear upon leaving the hands of the user. Since Logrus users do not need to worry about wealth, the ability to conjure mass amount of small wealth generating items is a 0% feature.

- Logrus Shield (DR 20; Costs 1 fatigue/sec -10%; Once Direction -20%; Logrus -10%; AA: Conjuration) [12]. Notes: The Logrus image may be used to form a physical barrier. This may be activated as a Power Defense.

- Logrus Sight (Detect: Supernatural; Analyzing +100%; Costs 1 fatigue/min -5%; Visual -20%; Logrus -10%; AA: Conjuration) [7]. Notes: Logrus initiates can pull up an internal version of the Logrus to view auras.

- Logrus Tendrils (Stretching 5; Arms Only -20%; Costs 1 fatigue/min -5%; Force Extensions +50%; Logrus -10%; AA: Conjuration) [8]. Notes: Allows the user to extend unbreakable tendril extensions.

- Logrus Travel (Jumper: Logrus -10%; AA: Conjuration) [18]. Notes: Allows the user to travel by being pulled to a destination shadow. Unlike the pattern method, this is direct travel from one location to another, but it can also only take the user to a place they know or have visited.

Advanced Logrus Techniques
- Perk: Known Shadow [1]. Notes: As above.

- Shadow Servant. Notes: Effectively just an ally, though many demons have Special Abilities (shadow tracking, being able to possess others, etc).

- Summon Primal Chaos (Ally base 5: 100% value, no roll x4; Costs Fatigue: Variable* 0%; Ranged +40%; Special Abilities +50%; Summoning +100%; Logrus -10%; AA: Conjuration) [12]. Notes: Unleashes primal chaos energy. This is treated as a mindless, berserk (always on), diffuse swarm, that starts with 2yd radius, grows at 4 yds/turn, has a 2d corrosive aura, and HP equal to FP spent at summoning. Such storms eventually devour everything in the local shadow unless stopped.

Broken Pattern/Logrus Initiate (90 points)
- Traverse Cracks between Worlds (Limited Jump -10%; New Worlds +50%; Portals: Dangerous -20%; Special Movement -20%; Pattern -10%) [90]. Notes: This functions in much the same ways as Traverse Shadow but instead of creating paths the user finds flaws that connect shadows. As a result travel requires passing through the worst and most dangerous parts of each world.

[naloth]

Magic
Ritual Path Magic (RPM, based on MH1) works as normal with the changes noted below. Most of these changes were done to streamline it for less rolling and a touch less flexibility.

- Charms aren't used.
- Energy becomes minutes to cast.
- No Magery.
- Ritual Path Adapt is replaced with Sorcery (below).
- Spells have to be known (invented, read from a grimoire, or adapted) before they can be cast.
- Will/2 (half Will, round down) replaces Magery for the cap.

Sorcerers may purchase the following advantages:
- Gizmo (Hung Spell) 5/Spell. Notes: Once per session you may attempt to cast spell as if you had hung it 1d-2 (min 0) days ago.
- Perk: Known Spell 1 point/spell. Notes: Commits the knowledge of how to do one spell effect to memory. Parameters such as intensity, range, duration, and weight can be adjusted with each casting.
- Sorcery 25 points. Notes: Eliminates all the Non-Adept penalties for Connection, Consecrated Space, and Magery. Time is the same as above. Sorcery also provides the ability to directly blast opponents with raw energy (below).

Hanging Spells
Spells may be hung by performing most of the casting in advance to the point where they can be finished with a single action. While this works nicely to give the caster a few spells that can be used in combat, hung spells degrade over time giving a penalty to cast. This penalty starts at -2 the day the spell is hung and increases by -2 per day.

Additional Casting Modifiers
- Spells cast in a higher TL suffer a -5 per TL above.
- Spells suffer a -1 for each full 20 energy used (ignore partial costs).

Counter Magic
TBD. Pattern and Logrus initiates can naturally bring up their respective shields.

Raw Energy
Sorcerers that do not have any ready spells can resort to flinging raw energy. This is treated as:
- Innate Attack: Burn 5d (Costs 2 FP/1d per use; Cone: 1 hex base 60%; Magic -10%)
and hits with the higher of DX or Innate Attack (Beam).

Inventing Spells
B473 with no material costs involved. Rolls are made against the lowest Path skill involved in the effect. Adjusting the parameters of a spell in a grimoire is Simple complexity. Different TLs require a new spell to be created for that TL.

[naloth]

Wealth and Shadow Possessions
Wealth is a taboo trait in this setting. The reasons for this are:
- World walkers can find unlimited wealth. A common tactic to quickly build shadow wealth is to take abundant, worthless things on one world to another where the same items are priceless. This mechanics of this trick will be covered later.
- World walkers can affect directly manipulate shadow. Basically if it's not paid for in points, it's subject to manipulation. (Any pattern initiate can try to make possessions perform poorly using Affect Probability. Advanced pattern adepts can force breakage or worse using Serendipity. Chaos wielders will get options shortly.)
- Shadow items (basically anything not paid for in points) won't necessarily work in other worlds. TL3 below equipment generally works. TL4+ generally does not so you can't count on wearing a pistol or using Kevlar. This is further complicated by divergent TLs, so just because there are working guns in a shadow it doesn't mean that a gun from a different shadow will work.

Trump
Only Logrus and Pattern Initates may create Trump. To be able to create Trump, you must have the advantage:
- Trump Artistry [50]. Notes: Allows the creation or duplication of trump. Creation takes 2d days to complete and a successful IQ roll (which may be made in secret). Failure from modifiers produces a Trump that leads to a different version of the subject. Modifiers: -2 if working from memory. -5 if working from an accurate description.

Trump use requires a full turn of concentration (staring at the Trump) before attempting a Will roll the next turn to establish contact with the subject. If the Will roll is successful, the subject may choose to accept or decline contact. If the subject accepts, what essentially amounts to a video chat (with background) exists between the subjects until concentration is ended or broken. At any point in the chat, either subject may voluntarily allow the other to travel to their location instantly (stepping through). Trumps do not provide caller ID. Trumps cannot be used where the user cannot see the Trump.

Trumps may be created for locations instead of living subjects. Instead of a Will roll establishing contact requires a IQ roll modified by the same travel penalties it would take to jump to that location. Success allows instant transportation.

Trump combat TBD
Trump Jamming TBD
Trump Spying TBD

Shadows
"there is Shadow and there is Substance, and this is the root of all things. Of Substance, there is only Amber, the real city, upon the real Earth, which contains everything. Of Shadow, there is an infinitude of things. Every possibility exists somewhere as a Shadow of the real. Amber, by its very existence, has cast such in all directions. And what may one say of it beyond? Shadow extends from Amber to Chaos, and all things are possible within it." - Page 77, The Chronicles of Amber

"You may call them parallel worlds if you wish, alternate universes if you would, the products of a deranged mind if you care to. I call them shadows, as do all who possess the power to walk among them. We select a possibility and we walk until we reach it. " - Page 123, The Chronicles of Amber

That is the view taught in Amber, the kingdom created after Dworkin reportedly stole the eye of the serpent and created the Pattern. Perhaps it's even true for all shadows on the Pattern's side of Ygg. On the Chaos side of Ygg shadows have existed for longer than the Pattern has been around.

Travelling Penalties
(to be reworked)
Shifting in Amber (near impossible): -10
Shifting a shadow around a detail (hellride): -5
Shifting a detail* (basic jumper use): -1
Shifting physical laws (frex, gravity):
Shifting the time differential:

*Details include a +/-1 TL shift, including divergent TL.
- TL Limits

Primal Planes

Personal Shadows

Shadows of the Realm

Realm of Amber

Courts of Chaos

Black Channels

[Fred Brackin]

Your notation of 'IT:DR:Slow Regrowth" is peculiar. Normlly "IT" is "Injury tolerance" and "DR" is probably "Damage Reduction" which is normally a form of IT. However, Regrowth is a Power in its' own right and the effects described seem to be nothing more than Regrowth (Takes Extra Time).

Perhaps there's some explanation you haven't gotten to yet?

Your stats are defintely lowballed for an actual child of Oberon but perhaps you mean for your PCs to be of a more distant generation.

You don't seem to have covered "just finding stuff" in Shadow by looking behind a convenient tree or other place.

[Crystalline_Entity]

I'm curious why you priced Permanent for Logrus Conjuration as +0%, that feels underpriced to me?

I'm looking forward to how you build Trumps too!

[naloth]

Originally Posted by Fred Brackin

Your notation of 'IT:DR:Slow Regrowth" is peculiar. Normlly "IT" is "Injury tolerance" and "DR" is probably "Damage Reduction" which is normally a form of IT. However, Regrowth is a Power in its' own right and the effects described seem to be nothing more than Regrowth (Takes Extra Time).

Yes, the DR part is a mistake. I listed it under IT because the cost is based on Unbreakable Bones and No Eyes with a few amount of limitations and a rounded off cost to bring the total up to 10. Effectively, yes it works like Regrowth with extra time. I just didn't base it off the 40 pts for Regrowth since 15 points of IT makes you immune to everything Regrowth lets you recover from.

Your stats are defintely lowballed for an actual child of Oberon but perhaps you mean for your PCs to be of a more distant generation.

Which stats? I intentionally left out DX/IQ to be covered later. Healing should come out about right (even a bit too fast). Fatigue starts at 50% more than a human plus Very Fit so it's going to take quite a bit to even get winded.

ST20 effectively sets "amber rank" while ST16 is "chaos rank". EDIT: Looking back at my notes, I had KYOS values of 20 (amber) for x10 as strong (normal humans maxed ~15), 16 for Chaos (x4 as strong, normally a ST20). I had it at ST25 (amber) and ST20 (chaos) for normal values. Right now I'm planning to move back to normal values which makes the "use half HP for determining ST" make more sense.

KYOS vs normal: I presume more people know and use "normal" ST values. KYOS does give more value per point of ST (+1 thr for every point, a lot more lifting capacity) with a lot less granularity. Using KYOS, even the strongest of Amber fall somewhere in the 20s.

KYOS / normal
ST 16 / 20 Thr 2d / 2d-1 BL 80
ST 20 / 31 Thr 3d / 3d+1 BL 200
ST 24 / 50 Thr 4d / 5d+2 BL 500

You don't seem to have covered "just finding stuff" in Shadow by looking behind a convenient tree or other place.

You mean in the template?

I intend to include a section about wealth with the short answer being that it's not important for shadow walkers.

I also plan to do a section on "found" possessions. Such items will be limited by scope, since they will be vulnerable to shadow manipulation and changes in physics outside where they are found. You can pick up a TL10 Blaster, but it's unlikely to work outside of the shadow you've found it and even in that shadow it would be subject to certain types of pattern/logrus manipulation.

Originally Posted by Crystalline_Entity

I'm curious why you priced Permanent for Logrus Conjuration as +0%, that feels underpriced to me?

The Permanent enhancement is priced to replace/undermine wealth based on its description. In this setting (and in most dimension hopping settings) Wealth doesn't come into play. It wouldn't be a necessary advantage (or legal disadvantage) for world hoppers and doesn't carry between worlds. Furthermore, wealth won't really be able to buy you anything that you can count on.

I'm looking forward to how you build Trumps too!

I've actually written up multiple ways to handle them:
1) Equipment. Trump creation turns into a form of Gadgeteering. There's would be no point totals for finding/losing trump as it's just a possession.
2) RPM. Trump would be a charm that uses path of the crossroads. Unfortunately RPM doesn't work anywhere else in the setting so this is probably a no-go.
3) Gadgets (super equipment). While this captures the value of Trump pretty well in points, it also makes it a pain to keep track of finding, losing, and creating new trump.

I'm leaning towards #1 since it can easily expanded for other types of shadow creation. Shadow gadgeteering would turn making shadow stuff into an invention roll that takes concept and time to create (farm) but no cost.

[Fred Brackin]

Originally Posted by naloth

Y


Which stats? I intentionally left out DX/IQ to be covered later. Healing should come out about right (even a bit too fast). Fatigue starts at 50% more than a human plus Very Fit so it's going to take quite a bit to even get winded.

ST20 effectively sets "amber rank" while ST16 is "chaos rank". Originally I had it at ST25 (amber) and ST20 (chaos), but I figured players could buy it up easily. In either case, it's still intended to just be a starting values with the expectation that someone like Corwin would be around ST30 and Gerald closer to 40.

Corwin could sprint for hours while holdin a 200 lb man in his arms while he may have been a weakened condition. Cowin and Random once fenced for 24 hours straight. That's beyond even HT15 and Very Fit.

I also once googled for 1960s Mercedes jsut to see how strong Corwin and Random needed to be for that car lifting stunt in the first book. Unless their sister had a sporty little coupe I got answers more like 35+ than 30. Benedict could also lift and throw a large man across a room one-handed. That's about ST 35 too.

Later generations don't appear to be so tough. Merlin and Luke joined a college track team and sincerely competed againt normal humans for example.

[whswhs]

A +10 to ST gives average ST 20, and thus average Basic Lift 80 lbs. Extra-heavy encumbrance would be 800 lbs.

My recollection is that in Nine Princes in Amber, Corwin and Random are travelling through shadow—not walking, but driving. And at one point they have some sort of problem, and they pick up the car and carry it somewhere. Checking online, I see that an average car weighs 4000 lbs., and even a subcompact weights 2400 lbs. So for Corwin and Random to be able to carry a car, they would need to be a lot stronger, especially since I don't remember the scene as one of their strugglng with an agonizingly heavy load.

So say the car weighs 3000 lbs.—light, but not a subcompact. Each of them needs to lift 1500 lbs. If that's a heavy load, then their Basic Lift needs to be 250 lbs. If they have ST 35, their Basic Lift is 245 lbs., which is probably close enough. So giving them ST +25 would get them somewhere near to the right range.