What's the best GURPS thaumatology system for a minor godlike boss being?

[SolemnGolem]

Originally Posted by AlexanderHowl

It is double the level of the highest Realm required for the effect plus the sum of the other Realms.

Good to know, so if the spell only requires a level 1 in that realm, then it can be capped at 2 x 1, even if the caster knows up to level 4. (Otherwise if you had to multiply by caster's highest known level, you're basically increasing the cost of all spells just because he knows more levels...)

Regarding Realm vs. Verb/Noun, what are the benefits or drawbacks?

[AlexanderHowl]

Verb/Noun is syntactic magic without having to purchase Realms. Instead of having a number of VH skills equal to the number of Realms, you have a number equal to the number of Verbs and Nouns (ten default is 10 Verbs and 14 Nouns). With IQ 20, Magery 10, and ER (Magic) 300, the godling could do a lot with Verb/Noun Magic.

[David Johnston2]

I would just design a powerful god with advantages. When you have an unlimited budget it's the simplest way.

[Gnome]

I know you've ruled out Standard Magic due to lack of flexibility, but Standard Magic can be made flexible in a number of ways, and it's easier to implement and balance (in my opinion) than the other systems.

For greater flexibility:
-Use Ritual Magic (Magic p 200: turns every spell into a technique, defaulting off a College Path skill), or give the caster Wild Talent (maybe a few levels of this) to be able to cast any spell as needed
-Give the caster lots of energy and very high skill, allowing quick casting of spells of varying power level. A demi-god might have hundreds of energy, allowing it to cast spells that seem otherwise out-of-reach in combat time (for example, Mass Zombie at skill 50+ would allow it to raise groups of undead minions on a round-by-round basis)
-Use Adjustable Spells and Trading Energy for Speed and Skill (from Thaumatology p39)
-Write your own spells if you're looking for entirely new effects (Magic pp14-15 has guidelines, but I wouldn't stick to those too religiously--many existing spells don't follow them)

Obviously if you're looking to give the entity abilities that "just work" you should use powers or, better yet, GM fiat. But if you want some reasonable limitations on what it can do, while still making it very powerful, consider Standard Magic.

[AlexanderHowl]

The standard system was minimally updated for 4e, and it was not that great of a system for 3e, especially since a lot of people took the 'if you have a hammer' approach and tried to use it for every setting. For examlple, look at the silliness which was 3e's VtM Thaumaturgy system. It is never really a universal system, it was just a workable system that was built as a reaction to the pseudo-Vancian magic of AD&D. This was why Thaumatology was such a welcome book, as it presented a truly universal approach to magic.

[SolemnGolem]

Thanks to all for the responses. I feel like I want this godling to be a challenging boss battle (similar in power level to a large dragon), and for the magic to be pretty flexible so the godling could manipulate reality in certain realms to bypass or overcome PC actions.

But, the godling is fueled by a limited amount of ER, which is very slowly generated by worship of its cultists. So, once the godling's ER is used up, it becomes much less of a spell-slinging threat and "merely" becomes a physically daunting opponent. (The PCs are facing off against it in its secure containment vault, and the powerful lich who sealed it away there does not particularly care if the PCs do destroy it - so it's suitable for a "duel to the death" scenario.)

My current design thinking, which may be incorrect on some or all counts, is that Realm Magic is the most flexible for dealing with unforeseen circumstances which would allow the godling to channel quick (though ER expensive) solutions on the spot.

This more or less eliminates RPM/Incantation, which is very time consuming. It also eliminates Sorcery and Standard Spell-Skills Magic, since those are quite specifically defined in their effects. Path/Book just feels like a poor fit conceptually if the godling is supposed to be a primeval force in certain specific realms of magic.

So that leaves Realm Magic. I looked at Verb-Noun magic and thought it looked interesting, but then I was told that RPM was a worked example of that, so I stopped looking too closely at Verb-Noun.

[Prince Charon]

Originally Posted by SolemnGolem

So that leaves Realm Magic. I looked at Verb-Noun magic and thought it looked interesting, but then I was told that RPM was a worked example of that, so I stopped looking too closely at Verb-Noun.

RPM is a worked example of Path/Book Magic that uses significant elements of Verb-Noun, though, or you could say that it's a worked example of both, in much the same way that some versions of Realm Magic could also be considered (rather tweaked and energy-intensive) worked examples of Verb-Noun Magic. How fast Verb-Noun Magic is depends on how you the GM tweak the version you use. That said, Realm Magic is probably still more fitting for a godling.