Book/Path Magic

[Refplace]

I liked Book/Path magic from when I first saw it in GURPS Spirits and GURPS Voodoo.
It gives a certain flavor to spell casting that is good for certain settings. My main issues with it are its not universal enough and there is no spell design system. I have been playing in a modern campaign using Book/Path for about two years now and about a year ago I took some serious stabs at addressing these items.
Let me be clear this is not for a GURPS supplement I intend to pitch in the near future. The current demand is for less crunchy material, though should that change I would indeed like to pitch it.
But for my own creative project I have worked out a spell design system (actually 3 versions, giving the GM options that yield similar results but work it through in different ways) and a number of example traditions and new tweaks based largely on my Affinity Magic system work.
Regretfully, I cant share much here if I ever hope to get it published.

But with all those limitations aside, what kind of things would you like to see in such a thing?
So far I have examples for different core skills, variations on Ritual Adept to help support specialists, Effect and Energy Accumulation, and about a dozen traditions each aimed to showcase a different style.

If you like Book/Path your reasons for that would be helpful. Similarly if it doesn't appeal to you.
things you would like to see, even specific traditions also would be useful.
I may list my current set of traditions if there is interest.

Edited to Add
SJG does not like it when authors write a supplement before getting a contract as that process involves them working with the author to get an outline they feel works best for GURPS.
My first two supplements GURPS Powers: Totem and Nature Spirits and GURPS TT: Spirits (in editing) suffered from being written ahead of time as part of a much larger Shamanic Powers concept. Even breaking them down and rewriting there were artifacts left over that made those individual products harder to write and edit. So I try very hard not to do that anymore!
Lesson learned.
What I have here is a rough outline, examples, and a bunch of notes that I can adjust later. the purpose is to get things on paper as I think of them in enough detail that I wont forget and can come back to later.
Some field work is done like testing math but nothing is set in stone or complete enough to be published. this really is an outline and various ideas I think would be good to have but the editors or play testers may disagree and want cut. In particular most of the current example traditions will likely be cut if I ever submitted it - though they may be a designers note. They are just test beds to see if certain ideas work.

[whswhs]

Originally Posted by Refplace

I liked Book/Path magic from when I first saw it in GURPS Spirits and GURPS Voodoo.
It gives a certain flavor to spell casting that is good for certain settings. My main issues with it are its not universal enough and there is no spell design system. I have been playing in a modern campaign using Book/Path for about two years now and about a year ago I took some serious stabs at addressing these items.
Let me be clear this is not for a GURPS supplement I intend to pitch in the near future. The current demand is for less crunchy material, though should that change I would indeed like to pitch it.
But for my own creative project I have worked out a spell design system (actually 3 versions, giving the GM options that yield similar results but work it through in different ways) and a number of example traditions and new tweaks based largely on my Affinity Magic system work.
Regretfully, I cant share much here if I ever hope to get it published.

But with all those limitations aside, what kind of things would you like to see in such a thing?
So far I have examples for different core skills, variations on Ritual Adept to help support specialists, Effect and Energy Accumulation, and about a dozen traditions each aimed to showcase a different style.

If you would like to see it, I made use of Path/Book magic in my last GURPS Fantasy campaign, set in a bronze age world with multiple humanoid races and animistic supernatural powers. I could send you what I wrote up for it, as a possible source of inspiration. PM me if you'd be interested.

[Anders]

Originally Posted by Refplace

I liked Book/Path magic from when I first saw it in GURPS Spirits and GURPS Voodoo.
It gives a certain flavor to spell casting that is good for certain settings. My main issues with it are its not universal enough and there is no spell design system. I have been playing in a modern campaign using Book/Path for about two years now and about a year ago I took some serious stabs at addressing these items.
Let me be clear this is not for a GURPS supplement I intend to pitch in the near future. The current demand is for less crunchy material, though should that change I would indeed like to pitch it.
But for my own creative project I have worked out a spell design system (actually 3 versions, giving the GM options that yield similar results but work it through in different ways) and a number of example traditions and new tweaks based largely on my Affinity Magic system work.
Regretfully, I cant share much here if I ever hope to get it published.

But with all those limitations aside, what kind of things would you like to see in such a thing?
So far I have examples for different core skills, variations on Ritual Adept to help support specialists, Effect and Energy Accumulation, and about a dozen traditions each aimed to showcase a different style.

If you like Book/Path your reasons for that would be helpful. Similarly if it doesn't appeal to you.
things you would like to see, even specific traditions also would be useful.
I may list my current set of traditions if there is interest.

I would definitely want to see this.

[johndallman]

Originally Posted by Refplace

If you like Book/Path your reasons for that would be helpful.

I've been in games that used it, in two different contexts.

In Infinite Cabal, which mostly used the basic spell-as-skills system, we once hit a problem that the basic system could not solve: that of providing a lasting body for an astral spirit to let it serve as a diplomatic representative to a material kingdom. Path/Book has the Embody ritual, which does exactly that, and finding information on Path/Book in Cabal archives made sense.

In the occult WWII campaign, one of the original characters was a magician in the Golden Dawn tradition, and using Path/Book for that worked quite well. A skilled magician has access to a wide range of effects, and they're moderately flexible, far more so than the basic system. Many of them can seem like coincidences, which is very helpful in a secret history setting. I've been playing a character who uses the same tradition for a year or so: some thought is needed to get the best out of it, but I'm happy with that.

Both campaigns used the full array of decanic modifiers. This was very helpful, given that the Infinite Cabal magician was getting his skills from a Modular Ability that let him load skills from the Akashic records, and thus didn't have many points in them. The Golden Dawn magician, in contrast, was working at -5 to all rolls because of low mana, although that gradually increased over the course of the campaign.

things you would like to see, even specific traditions also would be useful. I may list my current set of traditions if there is interest.

Yes, please.

[Phantasm]

For spell design, I'd think using RPM as the base and applying the rules in ... whatever Pyramid the effect-shaping for RPM rules were in ... would get you in a ballpark.

Just my G$0.05 worth, tho.

[Tinman]

I would be interested in a book/path magic system book.

[Refplace]

Originally Posted by whswhs

If you would like to see it, I made use of Path/Book magic in my last GURPS Fantasy campaign, set in a bronze age world with multiple humanoid races and animistic supernatural powers. I could send you what I wrote up for it, as a possible source of inspiration. PM me if you'd be interested.

Off to a Halloween party, Ill do that tomorrow. Thank you.

Originally Posted by Phantasm

For spell design, I'd think using RPM as the base and applying the rules in ... whatever Pyramid the effect-shaping for RPM rules were in ... would get you in a ballpark.

Just my G$0.05 worth, tho.

What I am currently going with is rather than reinvent the wheel a conversion system. So Convert GURPS Magic and GURPS Powers to rituals. And another more freeform version that converts Realm Magic to rituals which shares something with RPM.
It could change but I built a decent number of spells that way and the numbers come out in the ballpark of each other so I like it. Also its pretty simple and lets the GM choose what they like best yet wind up with similar results.

[cupbearer]

Originally Posted by Refplace

Off to a Halloween party, Ill do that tomorrow. Thank you.


What I am currently going with is rather than reinvent the wheel a conversion system. So Convert GURPS Magic and GURPS Powers to rituals. And another more freeform version that converts Realm Magic to rituals which shares something with RPM.
It could change but I built a decent number of spells that way and the numbers come out in the ballpark of each other so I like it. Also its pretty simple and lets the GM choose what they like best yet wind up with similar results.

This is a decent idea. I would prefer a whole cloth design system but that is pretty hard

[Refplace]

Originally Posted by johndallman

Yes, please.

I really like the Cabal setting and its on my to do list if no one else gets to it first. But want to lay some ground work first, TT:Spirits can help with that setting for example. And I think Cabal works best with Book/Path but would have to allow for GURPS Magic and possibly RPM.

Ok, Ill post my tradition ideas tomorrow. They need some clean up to be readable here and I wont have time tonight.

[Kage2020]

I would be interested in seeing this, in part because Path/Book magic is being used in my interpretation of the Earthdawn and Shadowrun settings.

(Another way of putting my "thumbs up" for you to share these materials in general! :) )

I guess the main thing that I would love to see is the "design system".