Real Magic!

[Inky]

Sorry about the "umpteen". I wasn't meaning to get at you, I was more just expressing bemusement at how this conversation seemed to keep repeating itself almost identically and then starting again as if the previous conversation hadn't happened.

(I think possibly the repeating itself was because people were discussing it here, without grasping that you were holding out for someone to offer to collaborate on a book rather than to discuss it here).

I honestly don't think people were meaning it as negative criticism. It seems like, the magic system sounds good (and I think other people were saying so too), it's just that large important chunks of it are not there, and people were pointing out that you'd need them to make it playable and musing about what would be good ways of filling them in. (Maybe you have, in fact, got those parts but left them out because this was just a shortened pitch to ask for collaborators? In fact, there were more game mechanics last time you posted this, and they seem to have disappeared from this version.)

If you do change your mind and come back, you might have more luck finding collaborators if you gave some idea of which bits it is you want help with, e.g. do you want help with working out the mechanics or do you think you've got it done and just want help putting a book together.

[namada]

Originally Posted by Street

After receiving such negative criticism I don't think I even want to play gurps. I thought this game was designed to be changed anyway you wanted to play it!

Originally Posted by Street

I told you guys that I'm not interested in playing gurps anymore after your negative comments, or buying any gurps books. Lets just end this here.

Please don't do this to yourself.

GURPS is an amazing system & you absolutely deserve to have exactly what you want. I'm certain I know what you need to do. In minimal terms, it's going to be Magic-as-Advantages, which is briefly described in the Basic Set, but is elaborated on in Powers & Thaumatology.

So, if you still want to give this a try, please reply & I'll try to help out.

[dataweaver]

Originally Posted by Anaraxes

Use of the words "coincidental" and "vulgar" also make me think of Mage: the Ascension.

As a matter of fact, I'm pretty sure I saw a post identical to the one that started this thread over on Onyx Path's Mage: the Ascension forum.

[Donny Brook]

As an experiment, I fed a portion of the OP intro text and the titles of the twelve powers into ChatGPT with a request that it generate a brief descriptive paragraph for each of the twelve powers.

Here is the result:

Power of Prediction - Wisdom/ESP
The Power of Prediction grants insight into the future and hidden truths. It is a path of profound wisdom and extrasensory perception, allowing those who master it to unveil the secrets of time and the depths of the mind.

Power of Feeling - Empathy/Telepathy
With the Power of Feeling, practitioners tap into the interconnectedness of all beings. They possess the ability to sense and influence emotions, as well as communicate telepathically, creating a network of shared thoughts and emotions.

Power of Production - Attraction/Creation
The Power of Production empowers its wielders to shape reality through attraction and creation. They weave threads of synchronicity, drawing their desires to them and molding existence according to their vision.

Power of Influence - Charisma/Hypnotism
Those who follow the Power of Influence can bend minds to their will. Charisma and hypnotism are their tools, allowing them to possess and shape the thoughts and actions of others.

Power of Penetration - Escape/Intangibility
Practitioners of the Power of Penetration see the world as a realm of spirit. They can become intangible, passing through barriers and perceiving the hidden layers of existence through spiritualism.

Power of Control - Energy/Telekinesis
The Power of Control grants mastery over energy and matter through evocation. Its practitioners harness the forces of the spiritual realm, wielding energy and telekinesis as their instruments of change.

Power of Restoration - Renewal/Healing
Restoration is a path of healing and renewal, with the key to forgiveness. Those who walk this path can liberate themselves and others from suffering caused by transgressions, promoting spiritual and physical well-being.

Power of Vanishing - Stealth/Invisibility
The Power of Vanishing allows individuals to manipulate attention and perception, becoming invisible to the naked eye and diverting the focus of those around them through misdirection.

Power of Travel - Direction/Teleportation
Travelers of the Power of Travel dissolve the illusion of separation and can transcend distance through teleportation. They find unity in the world, effortlessly moving through space with a clear sense of direction.

Power of Transformation - Developing/Shapeshifting
Transformation is a path of personal evolution and shapeshifting. Those who embrace this power have the ability to develop and author their own identities, undergoing radical change at will.

Power of Destruction - Curses/Annihilation
Destruction is a pragmatic path that dissolves the constructs of right and wrong. Its wielders can unleash curses and bring about annihilation, reshaping the world with a ruthless and unforgiving hand.

Power of Revelation - Visions/Rapture
Those who harness the Power of Revelation are attuned to the symbiotic connection between gods, angels, and humanity. They experience visions and rapture, gaining divine insights that guide their actions and decisions.

[Street]

I've been working on this more, but for the WoD. if you guys still find this to still be interesting, here is my work:

https://www.v5homebrew.com/wiki/Alternate_Sphere_Magic

I would still rather be playing GURPS than the WoD

[namada]

Originally Posted by Street

I would still rather be playing GURPS than the WoD

Well, I honestly find this to be an encouraging sign. I've not looked at the link yet, but I'm just glad that you're expecting GURPS to be a better experience than WoD. I've felt the same way about that setting/system combination since my first encounter with WoD in the 90's, for whatever that's worth.

Off to explore your link & try to organize my thoughts on this...

[namada]

I'm trying to read way too many things simultaneously, so it took me forever to reply...lol

First off, it's been too long since I've played WoD or MtA to know what the difference between 'coincidental' and 'vulgar' magic is - I'm assuming that's something MTA specific. Are these effects meant to be the only thing you can do at that dot level, or just an example of what you could possibly do?

Just looking at the lists of dot level effects listed, it seems to simply be increasing levels of powerful effects - IDK. My first inclination is to represent these increasing dots as increasing penalty levels to skills (assuming each Sphere/Power is a separate skill, or possibly a specialization of an existing GURPS skill.) Without knowing the answer to the question about the dot levels, I really can't suggest anything more yet.

Alternatively, each Sphere/Power could be a rearranging of standard GURPS Magic Colleges & spells, simply because, looking at each of the "dot" levels, most of these effects have an existing spell in GURPS Magic that corresponds to the listed effect. The ones that might not already exist, you'd have to create, of course. It would be a severe culling of the number of spells available to players, but that's OK.

Another alternative, would be using one of the Flexible Magic systems from GURPS Thaumatology as an inspiration to start from, however, in the end I think you'd end up with something similar to my first paragraph of suggestions. IIRC, in fact, there's a generic version of the GURPS MtA conversion for 3E in Thaumatology. If using that as a base, it would likely feel at least somewhat similar to WoD - if that's something you want.

[Fred Brackin]

Originally Posted by namada

I'm trying to read way too many things simultaneously, so it took me forever to reply...lol

First off, it's been too long since I've played WoD or MtA to know what the difference between 'coincidental' and 'vulgar' magic is -

"Coincidental" magic is not obviously a violation of the laws of physics or at least is not cast in front of non-magical witnesses. "Vulgar" magic is probably both and Reality doesn't like that sort of thing and may inflict backlash on the user.

This is a big deal in original M:tA (i.e. 30 years ago for the Gurps version).

Also, while the game system could be fully flexible and improvisational some casters and some traditions depended on "rotes" which are pre-set magic "spells" with the actual mechanics embedded in the Sphere system..

It just came to me as I started to write this that the OP was producing a list of "rotes" (though he never used that word). He was trying to use some old G:WoD books he'd found but apparently no one here was sufficiently immersed in these 30 year old game mechanics to grasp what he was doing. I think "rotes" were virtually ignored in the M:tA port in Thaumatology.

My personal reasons for not recognizing this sooner were not only that it was half a lifetime ago (more for most of you whipper-snappers) but I hated subjective reality and Mage manipulation of it when i stumbled across it back in the 90s.

[dataweaver]

Don't confuse “reality warping” with “freeform magic”. They can go together; but they don't have to. As far as I know, Ritual Path Magic is freeform, but not reality-altering.

And speaking of RPM, it also features something like Vulgar/Coincidental.

[Fred Brackin]

Originally Posted by dataweaver

Don't confuse “reality warping” with “freeform magic”. T

Did I mention RPM? Even if I had I don't hate it. I just dislike its' paperwork.