Building a "Blue Mage"

[kirbwarrior]

If these are Final Fantasy blue mages, the Unusual Background "Can learn specific traits from monsters and immediately spend points on them whenever I feel like" is worth around 10 pts if I recall correctly. This closest is to what a Blue Mage is without the broken getting the spell for free.

[Raekai]

Originally Posted by Sunrunners_Fire

Wild Ability, +50% (GURPS Powers, pg 90) ... will allow you to purchase abilities, in addition to skills and spells.

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I'd suggest something like:

Wild Talent 1 (Accessibility (Only If Trait Recently Used By Monster), -10%; External (Monster), -20%; Focused (Blue Magic), -20%; Retention, +25%; Wild Ability, +50%) [25]

The biggest problem with Wild Talent for me is that it's limited to powers learned per SESSION. That kills me. How can Cosmic get me around this problem? My original idea of having a limit of powers I can hold at one time is nice. It's just that certain sessions take place over a day. Some over a week. Why could I randomly learn one power in a day, but then only one more in the next week? I'm very picky. Haha.

[vierasmarius]

In a setting where Magic spells can be bought in shops and used immediately, I'd be tempted to go with something like Ritual Magic - a core skill that can be used to cast any spell the character is familiar with, at a penalty based on its complexity and power. In the standard Final Fantasy model, you'd have White, Black and Blue Magic skills, and possibly Red (or have Red Mages learn both White and Black). Blue Magic would trade the usual requirement ("learn spell from rare and/or expensive book") with learning it from a wild monster. Of course, this depends on monsters using actual Spells, rather than just Innate Attacks, but that seems to be the closest fit for a Final Fantasy feel.

[roguebfl]

Originally Posted by Raekai

The biggest problem with Wild Talent for me is that it's limited to powers learned per SESSION. That kills me. How can Cosmic get me around this problem? My original idea of having a limit of powers I can hold at one time is nice. It's just that certain sessions take place over a day. Some over a week. Why could I randomly learn one power in a day, but then only one more in the next week? I'm very picky. Haha.

You can't use cosmic for that, because it's a function of the advantage's level. The best you can do is use Game Time +0% (GURPS Powers p.108) which turns level/session into level/game week. So you need Wild Talent 7 (Game Time +0%) to use the abilit once per game day.

[Raekai]

Originally Posted by roguebfl

You can't use cosmic for that, because it's a function of the advantage's level. The best you can do is use Game Time +0% (GURPS Powers p.108) which turns level/session into level/game week. So you need Wild Talent 7 (Game Time +0%) to use the abilit once per game day.

Brilliant. I had totally forgot about that one!

Wild Talent 1 (Accessibility (Only If Trait Recently Used By Enemy), -10%; External (Enemy), -20%; Focused (Blue Magic), -20%; Game Time, +0%; Retention, +25%; Wild Ability, +50%) [25]

That's what I have so far. Now... What if I cheated a little bit? Example:
That dragon's breath totally counts as Breathe Fire.
That kraken's tentacle totally counts as Partial Shapeshifting.

Also... An accessibility limitation for having to defeat the enemy would be worth how much?

[Dusqune]

Originally Posted by Raekai

Now, to add the permanent part to the Blue Mage, I would take extended duration on top of the Absorptive part of the DR. Does this sound right?

Originally Posted by LemmingLord

Take the perk: can absorb monster abilities.

When you get enough unused points, you can buy a monster ability with them.

Badaboom badabing.

Originally Posted by kirbwarrior

If these are Final Fantasy blue mages, the Unusual Background "Can learn specific traits from monsters and immediately spend points on them whenever I feel like" is worth around 10 pts if I recall correctly. This closest is to what a Blue Mage is without the broken getting the spell for free.

To get the authentic "They used an ability on me, now I can always use it" of the Blue Mages from the Final Fantasy series, this is how I would do it. Depending on how experienced your character is, I would buy a set of abilities that they have already learned in their travels, and I would leave about 25cp's unspent. That way, if you come across something you really want, you can dump 20 pts into it if you absolutely need.
Now if you're using spells instead of powers, you might not need as much to learn a handful of spells at proficient level, but keep in mind that from a certain interpretation, you would be unable to improve abilities you learn from enemies. You use it as is or you don't. So that spell you only spent one point in (because the enemy only had one point in it) isn't going to get any better unless someone else hits you with it that has 2 or more points in it. At least, that's what I'd rule if I was GM'ing something like this.

I would like to mention that I love the idea of gaining disadvantages because you don't have enough points. That dragon breath ability is 35 points? Well, you just spent 25 points, got the breathing fire ability and a -10pt Pyromania, because you just can't help but use your new ability. For everything.

Personally, I have always hated Wild Talent. Maybe someone will come to me someday who can explain why in the world it exists, but until then, I'm just going to avoid it. Still, if you find that it does what you want, go for it.

Also, keep in mind that sometimes a Blue Mage could 'teach' another Blue Mage by blasting them with the spell, which would alter your limitations if you allow it.

As for the 'cheating' the dragon's breath thing totally makes sense, and I wouldn't even think of it as cheating. On the other hand, unless the kraken had shapeshifting abilities itself, I don't think that example would count. Just because someone punched you wouldn't mean you could make your arm look like theirs--that seems to be against the spirit of the concept.
Now, I could see a munckinized argument about the kraken's (possible, depending on your kraken) ability to regenerate severed tentacles meaning you could buy Regrowth and a low level of Regenerate... But it ultimately all comes down to GM ruling. If your GM was lenient enough, you could make an argument that you can completely shapeshift into someone that punched you... but again, that's against the spirit of the ability, in my opinion.

[EDIT: Also, I would consider the different limitations (I'm not sure how to price them, to be honest) that Blue Mages operated under in different games. In some, you had to be hit by the magic. In one, you had to eat the monster to get their magic (squick, I hated that character). Defeating the enemy would also be a viable option, but again, I'm not sure how to price it.]

[kirbwarrior]

When I last made Blue Mages in roleplaying, I had a separate spell list for them using the standard system. They were spell in every way, but you could only learn them if you have been hit with them and only if you have the trait. You could put as many points you wanted into it as per normal spells.

[kdtipa]

Wasn't there a power in the 3rd edition supers book that allowed you specifically to copy an ability that you saw? I'm at work and can't look for it (my books are at home), but that might be something to at least look at for inspiration.