College Ritual Book Magic

[luzbel]

Hi everyone.

I bought DFRPG two years ago as an easy way to go into gurps but soon I started to add gurps rules and books to the mix. With time I modified a lot of things but there is one thing I dont like and I dont have enough experience with gurps to touch that pandora box, magic. I dont like the way elemental spell are treated, soooo I started looking around and found "No School Grognard", Mark Langsdorf blog. I really like the changes to damaging spell.

Im talking about these rules:

https://westmarchsaga.fandom.com/wik...ual_Book_Magic

I cant understand the cost of explosive (element) ball, to be precise the part that turn the spell into the usual gurps usseless explosion spell. I understand that the explosion option must be cheaper but as written looks like you are going to pay more to change the fireball to worst (Maybe is because is not my mother language). This is the part that is killing me: "At the caster's option, the attack is also explosive for 1 energy, with double cost if the spell damage was enlarged."

I hope somebody around here have some experience with that system and can give me some friendly advice.

Best wishes to everybody.

[ericthered]

Gurps magic has this weird quirk where "fireball" refers to an orb of fire about the size of a baseball that a mage hurls at his foe. It doesn't have an area effect, and when it hits it does damage to a fairly small location.

The blog you refer to use this terminology as well.

An explosive fireball in gurps does damage to those around it, a regular fire ball does not, so the explosive modifier is an upgrade, though not as nice as having area effect on it (which I don't think is an option in gurps magic).

[luzbel]

I used the term fireball in broad d&d sense. My fault, sorry. I know the difference between fireball and explosive fireball. In the system I linked you can throw a full area damage elemental spell (100% damage in all area) and the ussual gurps explosive spell (damage reduced by distance). Is the cost of the second what Im trying to understand.

Thx for your answer anyway.

[mlangsdorf]

Originally Posted by luzbel

I started looking around and found "No School Grognard", Mark Langsdorf blog. I really like the changes to damaging spell.

Cool, glad you liked them.

Originally Posted by luzbel

Im talking about these rules:

https://westmarchsaga.fandom.com/wik...ual_Book_Magic

I cant understand the cost of explosive (element) ball, to be precise the part that turn the spell into the usual gurps usseless explosion spell. I understand that the explosion option must be cheaper but as written looks like you are going to pay more to change the fireball to worst (Maybe is because is not my mother language). This is the part that is killing me: "At the caster's option, the attack is also explosive for 1 energy, with double cost if the spell damage was enlarged."

Explosive Element Balls normally have Area Effect (B102). With the explosive option, they also have Explosion (B104). My intent was that you get the normal damage of the spell with the Area Effect, and then the damage falls off beyond that as per an explosion.

So a 2d Explosive Fireball spell with the Explosion rider and a 2 hex Area Effect would do 2d (2) bu on anyone in the target hex and all adjacent hexes, 2d/3 (2) bu to anyone adjacent but outside of the area of effect, and 2d/6 (2) bu to anyone adjacent to those hexes.

I agree that the effect is generally not very useful, but it's only 1 or 2 extra energy and it might be useful for killing minions or swarms.

[luzbel]

Thx a lot. I really apreciate your answer. Now I understand the cost. I hope that with this system somebody will play a wizard without asking to change the character the second or third day of play.

[Hide]

Mark/Luz, just curious, do you mean this article?

https://noschoolgrognard.blogspot.com/p/blog-page.html

[luzbel]

Originally Posted by Hide

Mark/Luz, just curious, do you mean this article?

https://noschoolgrognard.blogspot.com/p/blog-page.html

Yes but use this link:

https://westmarchsaga.fandom.com/wik...ual_Book_Magic

[mlangsdorf]

Originally Posted by Hide

Mark/Luz, just curious, do you mean this article?

https://noschoolgrognard.blogspot.com/p/blog-page.html

That's the old version; I'm currently running the Castle of Horrors game and the westmarchsaga wiki page is a little more up to date.

[Hide]

Thank you both!

[apoc527]

I do not fear the dreaded thread necromancy...for I am Light.

Actually, I'm just working on a fantasy campaign for the first time in years and Magic has been giving me troubles. I stumbled upon Mark's CBRM for the first time just today and I'm VERY intrigued.

I'm curious, have you evolved CBRM at all over the years? (I found the current version on the Westmarch wiki)?

If I wanted to out-and-out replace GURPS Magic with CBRM in Banestorm, do you have any particular advice?

Thanks!