[Thaumatology] Alternate Spell/Ritual Categories: Colours of Magic

[KarlKost]

Sorry for bringing another game here, but Im a player of "Mage Ascension" from D10 system (which I only play adapted to Gurps with Realm Magic from Thaumatology), because it's my favourite scenario (and Gurps my favourite RPG), and it it there are 9 Spheres (or "Realms"):

- Life
- Matter
- Forces ("Energy")

- Prime (sort of "meta magic", deals with the manipulation of "Quintessence" or "fifith essence", the "essence" beyound Earth, Air, Fire and Water, you can understand that as "Mana")
- Spirit
- Mind

- Time
- Correspondence (Space)
- Entropy (Destiny, Probability, Fortune, Chaos, Order, Decay)

In the game, each one of those "Spheres" of magic have a specific "color", which you can see (if you use Prime 1), and thus identify the type of magic used from the "residual ressonance" left, even after the effects are over (depending on your sucess with your Prime 1 effect and the potency of the magic used), I just dont remember what were those colors, I think that Prime was White, Entropy Black, Life was green, Forces Red, Time Blue but I dont know the others (that was an optional rule by the way).

Also, since you could mix Spheres depending on the effects (for example, Life 3 and Matter 3 in order to grow silver fangs to fight a werewolf), EXACTLY like Realm Magic, I imagine you would have different hues of colors for such effects, perhaps with a bigger prevalence depending on which "Sphere" had a bigger rank - for example, an effect with Prime 5, Entropy 1 would be a light grey, while an effect with Entropy 5 and Prime 1 would be a Dark Grey. Or using Life 5 Forces 3 to turn your body into full living electricity would be a heavy green with some degrees of red, etc

[KarlKost]

Originally Posted by Fred Brackin

No RPM in the main Thaumatology book. RPM is too recent for that.

Qlippothic is a general concept. It was first introduced to Gurps in the 3e Cabal book. That puts in a simialr area to the "Decanic" moidifiers in Thaumatology but thsoe can be used with more than standard Magic.

Thanks for the correction

[dataweaver]

Originally Posted by KarlKost

I like this, White magic is "meta magic".
I dont like "Black Magic" being "no magic" thou.
I think Black Magic would be better for qlippothic magic (I hope I wrote that right), the "anti-existance" magic described in Thaumatology for.. RPM if Im not mistaken? Im taking from memory, but I guess it is that

You're thinking of the Path of Non-existence: GURPS Thaumatology: Ritual Path Magic p.37.

[dataweaver]

Originally Posted by KarlKost

Sorry for bringing another game here, but Im a player of "Mage Ascension" from D10 system (which I only play adapted to Gurps with Realm Magic from Thaumatology), because it's my favourite scenario (and Gurps my favourite RPG), and it it there are 9 Spheres (or "Realms"):

- Life
- Matter
- Forces ("Energy")

- Prime (sort of "meta magic", deals with the manipulation of "Quintessence" or "fifith essence", the "essence" beyound Earth, Air, Fire and Water, you can understand that as "Mana")
- Spirit
- Mind

- Time
- Correspondence (Space)
- Entropy (Destiny, Probability, Fortune, Chaos, Order, Decay)

In the game, each one of those "Spheres" of magic have a specific "color", which you can see (if you use Prime 1), and thus identify the type of magic used from the "residual ressonance" left, even after the effects are over (depending on your sucess with your Prime 1 effect and the potency of the magic used), I just dont remember what were those colors, I think that Prime was White, Entropy Black, Life was green, Forces Red, Time Blue but I dont know the others (that was an optional rule by the way).

Also, since you could mix Spheres depending on the effects (for example, Life 3 and Matter 3 in order to grow silver fangs to fight a werewolf), EXACTLY like Realm Magic, I imagine you would have different hues of colors for such effects, perhaps with a bigger prevalence depending on which "Sphere" had a bigger rank - for example, an effect with Prime 5, Entropy 1 would be a light grey, while an effect with Entropy 5 and Prime 1 would be a Dark Grey. Or using Life 5 Forces 3 to turn your body into full living electricity would be a heavy green with some degrees of red, etc

Were you aware that GURPS Thaumatology's Realm Magic is a 4e update of the magic system from 3e's GURPS Mage: the Ascension, but with the names changed to protect the innocent? That's why it's such a good fit.

[KarlKost]

Originally Posted by dataweaver

Were you aware that GURPS Thaumatology's Realm Magic is a 4e update of the magic system from 3e's GURPS Mage: the Ascension, but with the names changed to protect the innocent? That's why it's such a good fit.

Yes, Im aware of that, except that Realm Magic has perfected that which I already considered the pinnacle of magic evolution for RPG's. Now, not only I still get my elegant system of magic that is versatile, instead of the boring and rigid endless lists of seemingly random spells a la D&D, but now I can adapt the system to suit my needs. No longer the boring 9 Spheres to describe reality, now I can categorize reality according to my mage's personal worldviews. It's simply brilliant.

In my personal opinion, thaumatology is the best supplement of the best RPG and Realm Magic is the best part of it, which obviously means that it has being written using Divine Magic. It's the only rational explanation