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Old 10-01-2020, 02:36 PM   #1
johndallman
Night Watchman
 
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Cambridge, UK
Default [Basic] Disadvantage of the Week: Twisted Mana Generator

Twisted Mana Generator [-15] is the disadvantageous form of a trait which can also be advantageous. Your aura is strange, and magic has peculiar and unpleasant effects on you, and when cast by you. This disadvantage appeared in Thaumatology for GURPS 4e, and is not mentioned in any other GURPS supplements that I have.

Your aura is twisted, and those who can perceive it usually react to you at -3. Any spellcasting you do is at -2, but others casing spells on you suffer no penalty. The effects on spells you cast, or that are cast on you, are unpredictable, but always unpleasant. Failed castings always count as critical failures, and the GM should improvise painful and unpleasant results, but stop short of killing you. Successful casting is possible, but energy cost is always increased by 1 point, and the effects are twisted to inconvenience you. Healing is painful and leaves terrible scars; attack spells may backlash for a point or two of damage; created matter will be foul and repulsive. On a critical success, the spell may actually work, but things will always be odd enough to create fear that something has gone wrong.

This disadvantage may not be Switchable. It seems mostly useful for creating NPCs with vast magical talent that they don’t dare use. That’s a legitimate feature of a magical setting, but I’d be surprised if it’s ever been used on a player character.
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Old 10-01-2020, 08:37 PM   #2
Overheat
 
Join Date: Nov 2014
Default Re: [Basic] Disadvantage of the Week: Twisted Mana Generator

It seems to not give enough points back to be worth it for almost any PC. It seems close to Unluckiness- except instead of once per session, it is any time a spell is cast on you, or you cast a spell. Except it also gives -3 to reactions from people who can read auras and penalizes your spellcasting on top of that.

I imagine if it were in the Basic Set that it would be explicitly only recommended for NPCs normally.

However, it looks like an interesting curse to inflict on a player temporarily, similar to Unluckiness.
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Old 10-01-2020, 08:44 PM   #3
Imbicatus
 
Join Date: Sep 2016
Default Re: [Basic] Disadvantage of the Week: Twisted Mana Generator

On the other hand, it’s mostly harmless to someone who never learns or casts spells. If you took it on a character who was otherwise mundane it’s only really giving you a -3 reaction from a very small group of people.
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Old 10-01-2020, 10:10 PM   #4
Plane
 
Join Date: Aug 2018
Default Re: [Basic] Disadvantage of the Week: Twisted Mana Generator

T61 is actually a really strange choice of name, I would think "Mana Twister" is a better term given that you don't exactly "generate" twisted mana in a place with no mana at all: there must be mana around to twist!

Quote:
Originally Posted by johndallman View Post
Any spellcasting you do is at -2, but others casing spells on you suffer no penalty
This causes me to take a fresh glance at Mana Damper...

B67
a wizard could throw a fireball at you unhindered, but he would find it difficult to use magic to turn you to stone or read your mind.
This presumably is referring to lowering Normal Mana to Low Mana and "difficult" being the -5 penalty...

B235's "all spells perform at -5, for all purposes" sounds like it wouldn't just be during casting (if mage is in Low Mana) but also for wherever it's targeting?

If Mana Damper is able to create penalties for spellcasters if the Damperer is the target then how come Twisted doesn't create them?
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Old 10-01-2020, 11:19 PM   #5
David Johnston2
 
Join Date: Dec 2007
Default Re: [Basic] Disadvantage of the Week: Twisted Mana Generator

Quote:
Originally Posted by Imbicatus View Post
On the other hand, it’s mostly harmless to someone who never learns or casts spells. If you took it on a character who was otherwise mundane it’s only really giving you a -3 reaction from a very small group of people.
I don't think it should be a Disadvantage. i think it should be a limitation on Magery. Although I suppose if it's mostly useful as an Afllictable curse that wouldn't fit.

Last edited by David Johnston2; 10-01-2020 at 11:33 PM.
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Old 10-02-2020, 06:22 AM   #6
Rupert
 
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Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Wellington, NZ
Default Re: [Basic] Disadvantage of the Week: Twisted Mana Generator

It also means that magic cast on you by others (who are not penalised by the aura) is twisted and can do extra nasty things to you, so it's clearly not just as limitation on your own Magery. Also, it doesn't get worse as you get more powerful, so again, not something that should make each level of Magery cheaper.
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Old 10-02-2020, 07:14 AM   #7
Plane
 
Join Date: Aug 2018
Default Re: [Basic] Disadvantage of the Week: Twisted Mana Generator

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Originally Posted by Rupert View Post
it doesn't get worse as you get more powerful, so again, not something that should make each level of Magery cheaper.
One point of comparison here (twisted magery giving you a skill penalty to your own spells) would be T24 "Easily Resisted Magery".

That arguably also does not get worse with higher power.
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Old 10-02-2020, 07:16 AM   #8
Not another shrubbery
 
Join Date: Aug 2004
Default Re: [Basic] Disadvantage of the Week: Twisted Mana Generator

I've never used it, although I have toyed around with the concept a bit (in my old Manakinesis thread). The split between the Disadvantage and Advantage forms was not a good idea IMO. Even the Advantage TMG still looks like an overall disadvantage to me. I would just keep that version, and only call it an Advantage if combined with Switchable.
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Old 10-02-2020, 07:54 AM   #9
RogerBW
 
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Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: near London, UK
Default Re: [Basic] Disadvantage of the Week: Twisted Mana Generator

Quote:
Originally Posted by johndallman View Post
Twisted Mana Generator [-15] is the disadvantageous form of a trait which can also be advantageous. Your aura is strange, and magic has peculiar and unpleasant effects on you, and when cast by you. This disadvantage appeared in Thaumatology for GURPS 4e, and is not mentioned in any other GURPS supplements that I have.
Even "twisted mana" only shows up in a couple of other places (City Stats, Age of Gold). It's a shame. (Though I now realise that I should be using it for certain situations in a game I'm running…)
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