04-18-2021, 03:46 PM | #1 |
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Rio de Janeiro, Brasil
|
Really High Skills as Magic
Does anyone uses really high skills and their increased critical possibility as a way to simulate "magic"?
Combined with wildcard skills that could be a better way to replicate some great effects without the need of Mana. A "mage" with high Diplomacy, Fast Talk and Intimidation could pass for a mind controller. High Animal Handling and Naturalist skills can give the impression of Nature Powers. Do you think it can work?
__________________
Former MIB #0238 (MIA in Brazil and currently in hiding) Please, send lawyers, guns and money |
04-18-2021, 04:04 PM | #2 |
Join Date: Jan 2015
|
Re: Really High Skills as Magic
I never used it but I liked the concept since I've ever seem the Talent as Magic section of Thaumatology.
I believe you could make it work by considering the more questionably realistic parts of the rule as magic. For example, Very Fine modifiers for weapons is no more mundane, but a magical property of a sword created by very talented/blessed smiths. The Combat Medic power-up for Clerics sets a precedent for using skills in magic-like fashion. Fast-Talk used near-instantly could be a not!jedi mind trick, while Lockpicking could be not!alohomora. |
04-18-2021, 04:38 PM | #3 |
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: Dreamland
|
Re: Really High Skills as Magic
I've definitely used Bang as Magic with the rules for Impulse Buys being 'MP'. It's a pseudo-subtle form of magic and is a lot of fun.
As for basic skills, I'm not sure it would really come across as 'magic' and it would undermine 'being skilled'. But another form of magic I love is 'Perks as Magic' where you take perks and mostly tool perks to let you do skills 'hands free' to simulate subtle magic. |
04-18-2021, 05:14 PM | #4 | |
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Ronkonkoma, NY
|
Re: Really High Skills as Magic
Quote:
To do this in GURPS, you'd have to define a maximum human level, and you'd need the right racial template to grant you higher skill levels. Then you'd have to decide exactly what super-human ability accomplishes for each skill. |
|
04-18-2021, 05:32 PM | #5 | |
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: Dreamland
|
Re: Really High Skills as Magic
Quote:
|
|
04-18-2021, 06:10 PM | #6 | |
Join Date: Apr 2019
|
Re: Really High Skills as Magic
Quote:
I think he put it in GURPS Russia (3E). |
|
04-18-2021, 06:29 PM | #7 | |
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Ronkonkoma, NY
|
Re: Really High Skills as Magic
Quote:
|
|
04-18-2021, 07:31 PM | #8 |
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: Dreamland
|
Re: Really High Skills as Magic
Oh, nice. Yeah, I actually like the -10 a lot. If that doesn't seem limiting enough, Power Blow has it being an option only at 20+ skill, meaning it's not even a choice without heavy dedication into the skill (or crazy attributes).
I kind of like combining that with accessory perks, meaning at skill 20 you can do it hands-free and do it more magically at -10. Or maybe once you have skill 20 you can buy an appropriate perk that also gives you a -10 option. |
04-18-2021, 08:17 PM | #9 |
Join Date: Jan 2015
|
Re: Really High Skills as Magic
That's for combat purpose, Power Blow can be useful outside combat at lower skill levels. In fact, even in combat it can be useful in some situations (eg if the character can't beat enemy DR with a normal or all-out attack, concentrating for a turn or two to increase the damage output is worth it).
Last edited by Sorenant; 04-18-2021 at 08:21 PM. |
04-18-2021, 08:17 PM | #10 | |
On Notice
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Sumter, SC
|
Re: Really High Skills as Magic
Quote:
"Various professions have a reputation for magical knowledge."[3] The easiest way to emulate this is with a variant Ritual Magic where a relevant mundane skill replaces the Ritual Magic or Thaumaturgy skill. A IQ/Very Hard (Profession) Magic skill replaces College but everything else is per the Ritual Magic system with Magery 0 (or Power Investiture) required to cast spells in low- or normal-mana regions. So someone with Physician-16 would have Physician Magic-10 as their default and have Minor Healing-8. Important Note: "In a high- or very-high-mana setting, any professional can cast any spell based on his profession, if only at default." make no mention of Magery requirements imply other then needing Magery 0 for low or normal area the magery requirement is waved. This is very similar to S. John Ross' Hedge Magic but it involves understanding of the magic within mundane skills. But one example in the piece expressly uses the term "mage" meaning that Magery was effectively part of the Hedge Magic advantage.
__________________
Help make a digital reference for GURPS by coming to the GURPS wiki and provide some information and links (such as to various Fanmade 4e Bestiaries) . Please, provide more then just a title and a page number. |
|
Thread Tools | |
Display Modes | |
|
|