Create Powerstone for Sorcery, Please Help

[Kesendeja]

During my switch to Sorcery one spell seems to have been left out. Create Powerstone is one of the ones that my player’s have used several times in the past, and the site I’ve gotten most of my spells predone doesn’t have it, so I decided to take a stab at it.

For those of you who do use Sorcery, or Spells as Power’s I’d like to ask if I’m building it right.

I've heavily revised the spell based on feedback from here and GURPS Reddit. I've doubled up on some of the modifiers for both parts, if that isn't proper please let me know. Here's what I've come up with:

Create Powerstone
Keyword: Enchantment
Full Cost: Base 36 + 4 per level, Round up
Casting Roll: Thaumatology
Range: Touch
Duration: Permanent

Caveats
• Gemstone equal to 3% of starting wealth per point of energy to be stored.
• Stone may only be enchanted once.
• Limit of Magic governing attribute + talent in levels.
• Stone is created empty and must charge on it’s own.
• Must spend energy points equal to the level of spell used.
• Each level past the first applies a -1 to the skill check, it may be offset by spending extra energy on a 1 to 1 basis but it cannot give a bonus.
• Recharges at a rate of 1 per hour (or 1 per day if you prefer)

Statistics:
• Affliction (Advantage, Powerstone* +39%; Permanent Duration, Cannot be Dispelled +300%; Requires Skill Check -10%; Sorcery -15%; Touch Only -10%; Requires Valuable Gem -40%) [66.4]
• Powerstone: Magic Energy Reserve (Affects Others +50%, Slow Recharge: Hourly -20%) [3.9]
(Additional levels add one to the energy reserve)

[naloth]

Perhaps you could describe exactly what game effect you're going for. It doesn't look like you are going for classic G:Magic Powerstones? IIRC, G:Magic Powerstones replenish daily, not minutely.

Regeneration isn't necessary for an ER unless you want it to charge at 1/min. Normal ER recovery per 10 min, and you can take limitations to lower that to hourly or daily.

Costs fatigue on regeneration makes it look like you were going for the ability to store fatigue? I'd use Afflicted Leech instead. It makes kind of an interesting toy if it literally sucks fatigue (or HP) from you while that spell is active.

[Varyon]

So, reviewing the Enchantment rules for Sorcery, Enchanted Powerstones are a nonstarter, as enchanted items either a) grant the user the ability to cast the spell or b) grant the user the ability the spell normally grants outright, but require 1 FP per hour that it's on. Seeing as powerstones regenerate FP at a rater of 1 per day, obviously that doesn't work (also, someone would need to carry the stone around).

If what you want instead is an instant spell that can turn any item into an Energy Reserve for anyone who picks it up, I think your build just about does it - but the ER probably needs Affects Others or something similar so that those who pick it up can use it (otherwise, you're looking at something that can be cast on a magic item so that it can power itself). I think Cosmic: No Resistance is a forbidden trait (the target is always due at least one of an Active Defense or a Resistance Roll), however.

Do note, however, that this ability makes a mockery of any sort of FP cost - any sorcerer who has it might as well just find some easy-to-carry object (a ring, amulet, etc), hit it with the spell a few dozen times (if using Alternative Rituals, the character can readily cast the spell once every second; if using the basic Costs Fatigue 1, the character can cast once per minute after one success, twice after two successes, etc; in either case, you can build up a heavy ER in short order... then do it again for a few other easy-to-carry objects), and away you go. You lose it if someone succeeds at Dispel Magic on it, of course, but you can quickly replace the enchantment.

You may also want to double check your numbers. You have Permanent as +50%, when it's typically +150% (+300% if it's immune to Dispel Magic or other means of terminating it).

[Kesendeja]

Originally Posted by naloth

Perhaps you could describe exactly what game effect you're going for. It doesn't look like you are going for classic G:Magic Powerstones? IIRC, G:Magic Powerstones replenish daily, not minutely.

Regeneration isn't necessary for an ER unless you want it to charge at 1/min. Normal ER recovery per 10 min, and you can take limitations to lower that to hourly or daily.

Costs fatigue on regeneration makes it look like you were going for the ability to store fatigue? I'd use Afflicted Leech instead. It makes kind of an interesting toy if it literally sucks fatigue (or HP) from you while that spell is active.

So I can get rid of regeration totally? and the cost fatique was supposed to be representitive of them using their own fatigue to create the stone. So if the sorcerer had it at level 5, they could cast the spell and the stone would have 5 points to use for spells, and it would regerate on its own. I also wanted it to be stackable, to make more powerful stones.

[Kesendeja]

Originally Posted by Varyon

So, reviewing the Enchantment rules for Sorcery, Enchanted Powerstones are a nonstarter, as enchanted items either a) grant the user the ability to cast the spell or b) grant the user the ability the spell normally grants outright, but require 1 FP per hour that it's on. Seeing as powerstones regenerate FP at a rater of 1 per day, obviously that doesn't work (also, someone would need to carry the stone around).

If what you want instead is an instant spell that can turn any item into an Energy Reserve for anyone who picks it up, I think your build just about does it - but the ER probably needs Affects Others or something similar so that those who pick it up can use it (otherwise, you're looking at something that can be cast on a magic item so that it can power itself). I think Cosmic: No Resistance is a forbidden trait (the target is always due at least one of an Active Defense or a Resistance Roll), however.

Do note, however, that this ability makes a mockery of any sort of FP cost - any sorcerer who has it might as well just find some easy-to-carry object (a ring, amulet, etc), hit it with the spell a few dozen times (if using Alternative Rituals, the character can readily cast the spell once every second; if using the basic Costs Fatigue 1, the character can cast once per minute after one success, twice after two successes, etc; in either case, you can build up a heavy ER in short order... then do it again for a few other easy-to-carry objects), and away you go. You lose it if someone succeeds at Dispel Magic on it, of course, but you can quickly replace the enchantment.

You may also want to double check your numbers. You have Permanent as +50%, when it's typically +150% (+300% if it's immune to Dispel Magic or other means of terminating it).

If you don't mind how much would affects other's be and what part do I put it on? and I ment to use the +300% but copied the wrong section when I was writing it out, I'll recalculate the cost.
How would you model the stone having to be of a certain value?

[naloth]

Originally Posted by Varyon

Do note, however, that this ability makes a mockery of any sort of FP cost - any sorcerer who has it might as well just find some easy-to-carry object (a ring, amulet, etc), hit it with the spell a few dozen times

Yes, ER reserve affliction doesn't really make for a good spell. Aside from the potential abuse, I wouldn't like the "using magic to generate magic" notion.

I'd build it as a gadget: Powerstone (ER pool; Breakable: item*; Can be Stolen: item*; Slow Recharge: Daily -60%). The interaction with PMs and ER is just a bit odd. You normally don't want the PM as part of the ER limitations.

The above ability can be treated as a normal spell, it's just not worth having unless you can keep it active all the time (which requires taking it at full value anyway). Losing it could be "fixed" by enchanting another item for which you could use the normal enchanting times.

Originally Posted by Kesendeja

How would you model the stone having to be of a certain value?

Sorcery p30 has a value table.

[Varyon]

Originally Posted by Kesendeja

If you don't mind how much would affects other's be and what part do I put it on?

Affects Others is +50%, and you'd put it on the Energy Reserve itself (boosting its cost to [4.5]/level, absent other modifiers).

Originally Posted by Kesendeja

How would you model the stone having to be of a certain value?

Accessibility, perhaps? Assume the default means it can affect a number of objects equal to the population of the campaign setting (so around 8 billion in the modern day if you go all over the world, around 300 million in the modern day if you stay in the United States, around 0.5 million in 1200 AD if you stay in Scotland, etc). If there are fewer stones of sufficient value available in the campaign than there are people, apply an appropriate Accessibility. If the campaign population is 1 million, and there are only half a million stones that can be so enchanted, that's a -20% Accessibility (for 50%). Alternatively, just come up with something that feels about right for you - maybe -5% for 50% of Average Starting Wealth, and a further -5% per +2 SSR (so at TL 3 - ASW of $1000 - it's -5% for $500, -10% for $1000, -15% for $2000, -20% for $5000, etc).

Or, just say "Requires Valuable Gem -5%," and then come up with a scheme that works for how much is the most a mage can charge into an item of a given value.

[Kesendeja]

Given the help here, and some from the GURPS Reddit, I've revised the spell. Please take a look and let me know how I should adjust it. Thanks.

[maximara]

Originally Posted by naloth

Yes, ER reserve affliction doesn't really make for a good spell. Aside from the potential abuse, I wouldn't like the "using magic to generate magic" notion.

Depends on what you mean by "generate magic" as at a fundamental level that is what the Mana Pool quirk, Mana Enhancer, Powerstone, and Paut (charm) all do. If fact, if you want powerful one shot pools of Fatigue every 1.42 days (~34 hours) in Normal mana then Paut (charm) is your go too.

[Varyon]

Originally Posted by Kesendeja

Given the help here, and some from the GURPS Reddit, I've revised the spell. Please take a look and let me know how I should adjust it. Thanks.

Costs Fatigue is part of the Sorcery Limitation, so probably shouldn't be taken again, unless the intent is that a level 1 powerstone requires you to do two of Gestures, Speaking, and spending 1 FP (as usual) and then calls for spending 1 FP (so either Gestures+Speaking+1 FP, or one of Gestures/Speaking and 2 FP). Later levels should have Costs Fatigue applied to the Affliction, however, on account of it costing +1 FP per +1 ER.

You still have Permanent Duration at +50%. It should be +300% if it's not possible to dispel, but you don't need to account for the two separately.

I'm still not convinced No Resistance is legal, but given this is going to be applied to an object, I'd give it a pass.

Duration/Dispellability, Resistance, Costs FP, Requires Skill Check, Sorcery, Touch Only, and Requires Valuable Gem should only be applied to the Affliction, not to the ER. Duration/Resistance doesn't make any sense on ER, Costs FP would render it useless (you have to spend FP to make use of the functional FP stored within), Requires Skill Check would mean you have a pass a skill check every time you want to make use of the ER, ER's are basically treated as having the appropriate Power Modifier at no additional discount anyway (so no Sorcery), Touch Only doesn't make sense (the user of the gem needs to be touching it to use it, sure, but that's part of Affects Others), and Requires Valuable Gem doesn't make sense (unless you want the powerstone to need to be in contact with another gem to make use of the ER).

EDIT: Also, if you want Slow Recharge on the ER, you'll want to apply an appropriate Limitation on it (see Powers). Normally, it recovers at a rate of 1 per 10 minutes.