Tuesday 6 December 2016

Sorcery: Modifying Sorcery

Sorcery: Modifying Sorcery

The Sorcery system out of the box provides a way to make spellcasters that fling spells quickly and almost effortlessly, as if it was their second nature. It does provide an option for limiting spell access, but does not go beyond that. Many stories and settings feature many different magical traditions, and while you can represent them with different magical systems in GURPS, you could even make unique traditions or subsystems just by modifying the Sorcerous Empowerment advantage and/or spells, available to this traditions. Let's look at the appropriate enhancements and limitations that will help us accomplish this task!

Existing Enhancements:
Based on (Different Attribute), Own Roll (Power-Ups 4 - Enhancements, p. 12): This is a useful enhancements when you want to differentiate magical traditions. For example, you could switch all spells to DX, HT, Per, or even a calculated base, such as (DX+IQ)/2 or (Sorcery Talent+10). You should take a look at Magic Based on Other Attributes section in GURPS Thaumatology, pg. 29-31.
- Delay, Triggered (B105): Applying this enhancement to every spell in combination with Takes Extra Time or Immediate Preparation Required allows to make something akin to runic magic when you go through a lengthy process of casting a spell in advance and then trigger it with a wave of the hand or a magical word. Or both. While this does sound interesting, there are some potential problems. The sorcerer must be able to "hold" a limited number of spells prepared. Perhaps this number should be equal to the Talent level, or Sorcerous Empowerment level, or IQ, or something else. Requires Symbol Drawing Roll fits nicely, if you want to imitate symbol magic.
- Sense-Based (B109): Applying this enhancement (and sometimes limitation) to every appropriate spell can make the users of this magical tradition quite different from the others. They can be mesmerists that affect the minds by gazing into the eyes of their victims, or they could be bards that buff their allies and curse their foes with songs. Requires Singing Roll, Requires Musical Instrument, Nuisance Effect, Must stare into the victim's eyes, are appropriate limitations to go with this one.
Switchable (Powers, p. 109): While Sorcerous Empowerment does not seem to be an appropriate advantage for this enhancement, you could still apply it to be able to switch it on and off. Perhaps, this could let you avoid magical detection. And I think that you should not be able to cast spells when your Sorcerous Empowerment is "off", but I'm not sure.

Existing Limitations:
- Accessibility (B110): This is a catch-all limitation that can either add some minor flavor differences to the tradition, or limit it significantly. For example, if you apply Accessibility, Only in hypnotic trance to the Sorcerous Empowerment advantage, you will be able to improvise spells only in hypnotic trance, which will probably limit your combat capabilities to your known spells. Applying this limitation to all spells is appropriate too. For example, if you apply Accessibility, Only at night to all your spells, you won't be able to cast them during the day. This single limitation opens up a vast number of possible variations in magical traditions, including the usage of somatic, verbal, and material components. I suggest you to look at GURPS Power-Ups 8 - Limitations, page 5.
- Attracts Threats (Power-Ups 8 - Limitations, p. 11): Improvising or casting spells will attract threats! Maybe you stole the power from a deity, and each time you use it, you attract its attention. And a vengeful deity might send its agents to get rid of you.
- Backlash (Power-Ups 8 - Limitations, p. 11): If you apply this limitation to Sorcerous Empowerment, you will suffer an affliction each time you improvise a spell. If you apply this limitation to spells, spellcasting will become very dangerous!
- Cardiac Stress (Power-Ups 8 - Limitations, p. 12): You can only apply it to Sorcerous Empowerment if you also apply Switchable to it. Every time you switch it on, you will have a chance to have a heart attack.
- Cerebral Stress (Power-Ups 8 - Limitations, p. 12): Same as Cardiac Stress (see above), but with coma instead of a heart attack.
- Corrupting (Power-Ups 8 - Limitations, p. 12): Spellcasting will gradually corrupt your mind and soul, or, if you applied this limitation only to Sorcerous Empowerment, then only improvisation will corrupt you. See GURPS Horror, pg. 146-148 for the effects of Corruption.
- Costs Fatigue (B111): This limitation is included in every standard Sorcery spell. For simplicity, every spell costs 1 FP to use. But you can always make some spells more expensive. If you don't want the sorcerers to teleport around effortlessly, make the Teleport spell cost 4-5 FP or even more. If you add this limitation to the Sorcerous Empowerment advantage, the process of improvisation will cost FP to you. This is appropriate if you want to make sorcerers a bit less flexible. Take note that if you can spend FP only from your Energy Reserve, you should add an additional -5% to the power modifier.
- Costs Hit Points (Powers, p. 110): Same as Costs Fatigue (see above), but depletes HP instead of FP. Sound like an appropriate limitation for those who want to power their spells with their life force, or for harsh GMs that want magic to be injurious. Maybe only some powerful spells require you to spend HP, while the rest require only FP.
- Emergencies Only (B112): Applying this limitation to every spell will make the sorcerer powerless under "routine" conditions. If you apply it to the Sorcerous Empowerment advantage, the sorcerer will be limited to his known spells under "routine" conditions, but will be able to improvise under stress.
- Fickle (Powers, p. 110): If you apply this only to the Sorcerous Empowerment advantage, improvising spells will sometimes have surprising results. But if you apply it to spells, you will have to make a Reaction roll before casting a spell. This limitation might be appropriate for divine casters.
- Gadget (B116): You gain sorcerous powers from an item that can be stolen or destroyed. Perhaps you can't do anything without your magical staff? Or maybe you're just wielding the powers of a magical ring? In any case, you should apply this limitation to both Sorcerous Empowerment and spells.
- Granted by (Other) (Power-Ups 8 - Limitations, p. 14): This is a useful limitation for those who want to have familiars. Maybe you can only improvise spells when your familiar is present? Then apply it to Sorcerous Empowerment. And if you want to cast spells only in the presence of your familiar (or a swarm of magical wisps, or your ancestral spirit, etc.), apply this limitation to the spells.
- Immediate Preparation Required (Power-Ups 8 - Limitations, p. 14): Like Preparation Required (see below), but you have to use your ability (cast or improvise a spell) immediately after performing the preparation ritual.
- Limited Colleges (Thaumatology - Sorcery, p. 4): This limits available colleges for you, if magic in your setting is divided on colleges. This limitation can be used to make specialist sorcerers. Since the point cost per level becomes lower, you can spend the same amount of points to gain more levels of Sorcerous Empowerment, and thus improvise more powerful spells than the generalist sorcerers.
- Limited Scope (Thaumatology - Sorcery, p. 5): Pretty much the same as the above.
- Limited Use (B112): If you apply this limitation to every spell, you will be able to cast each spell only once (or twice, or more, depending on the chosen number of daily uses) per day. If you apply this limitation to the Sorcerous Empowerment advantage, you will be able to improvise spells only a limited number of times per day, which will limit your flexibility.
- Nuisance Effect (B112): This limitation is a broad one. Applying it to all spells will make you earn reaction penalties, attract threats, or somehow inconvenience yourself while casting the spells. If you apply it to the Sorcerous Empowerment advantage, the same nuisances will apply to your improvisation process.
- Pact (B113): If you want to make Sorcery an externally granted power, you can apply this limitation to every spell. Thus, you won't be able to cast any of them if you violate your strict moral code (imposed by your patron deity, a demon lord, a spirit). If you apply this limitation to the Sorcerous Empowerment advantage, you won't be able to improvise spells if you violate the code. But why would you need to improvise spells if you can't use them? So, applying in to the Sorcerous Empowerment advantage and to the spells does not seem reasonable.
- Periodic Recharge (Power-Ups 8 - Limitations, p. 16): Apply this limitation to your spells if you want to be able to cast them only after charging up from an external source. Or apply it to your Sorcerous Empowerment to be able to improvise only after charging up.
- Preparation Required (B114): You will have to meditate or perform some other ritual to be able to improvise a spell, if you apply this limitation to Sorcerous Empowerment. This limits the sorcerer's flexibility in combat.
- Requires (Attribute) Roll (Powers, p. 112): This limitation is neat. You will have to make an attribute roll each time you improvise a spell (if you apply this limitation to Sorcerous Empowerment) or cast a spell (if you apply it to spells), if the spell in question does not require a roll already. When using Skills for Everyone (Powers, p. 162), you could assign a skill to every spell to give magic a scholarly feel. This way also limit your flexibility - if you improvise a spell, but do not know its skill, you will have to roll at a default.
- Requires Disadvantage (Power-Ups 8 - Limitations, p. 16): You can apply this limitation to spells if you want to be able to cast them only if you satisfy one of your disadvantages. For example, if you have Increased Consumption, you will be unable to cast spells if you do not eat enough. Or, for example, you could apply this limitation to Sorcerous Empowerment, if you have Sleepy, and be able to improvise spells only if you have had enough sleep.
- Sense-Based (B115): See the Sense-Based enhancement above.
- Sense-Based, Reversed (Power-Ups 8 - Limitations, p. 17): Apply this limitations to your spells if you want to be able to affect only subjects that you can see, hear, touch, etc.
- Takes Extra Time (B115): If you apply one level of this limitation to Sorcerous Empowerment, you will have to take two Ready maneuvers to switch spells or improvise a spell. You can also apply this limitation to spells if you do not like the "every spell's casting time is 1 second" rule.
- Takes Recharge (B115): When applied to Sorcerous Empowerment, this limitation will prevent the sorcerer from rapidly improvising spells, he will have to wait between each two consecutive uses. When applied to spells, this limitation will prevent the sorcerer from repeatedly casting the same spell in a short time.
- Temporary Disadvantage (B115): If you apply this limitation in combination with Switchable to Sorcerous Empowerment, you will experience effects of a specific disadvantage whenever you switch on your Sorcerous Empowerment to be able to cast spells.
- Trigger (B115): When applied to Sorcerous Empowerment, it makes it so you can only improvise spells when you expose yourself to a specific substance or condition. As for the spells, I am not sure how to interpret the rules correctly. You either expose yourself to the trigger and become able to cast all spells that require this trigger for 1 minute, or you have to expose yourself to the trigger for each spell that requires the trigger. Consult your GM.
- Unconscious Only (B115): Can only be taken with Uncontrollable (see below). You cannot activate your ability (spell improvisation in the case of Sorcerous Empowerment, or spellcasting in the case of spells) at all. It only activates by itself during stressful situation.
- Uncontrollable (B116): Under stress your Sorcerous Empowerment will improvise your spell for you by itself. And spells with this limitation will cast themselves, and this is very inconvenient and maybe even dangerous.
- Unreliable (B116): Sometimes your ability to improvise spells (if you apply this limitation to Sorcerous Empowerment) fails, or your spells fizzle and dissipate harmlessly (if you apply this limitation to the spells). This limitation could be used to represent imperfect grasp of magical abilities.
- Untrainable (B116): This limitation can only be applied to abilities that require a skill roll to use. You cannot improve this skill above 10, and learn the skill as if the base attribute was 8. This, just like Unreliable (see above), can represent imperfect grasp of magical abilities or even flawed magical education.

Examples

I have already made 4 different sorcerous traditions - pact magic, shadow magic, truename magic, and blood magic. Let's first see what they are made of and then come up with some new examples.

1. Truename Magic
 - Feature: No Alternative Rituals.
 - Feature: Functions in any mana level as if the mana level was normal; functions in no-mana zones as if the mana level was low.
 - Requires Magic Words, -10% is applied to all spells.
 - Limited Scope, Cannot create, -10% is applied to Sorcerous Empowerment.

2. Pact Magic
 - Limited Scope, Vestiges, -30% is applied to Sorcerous Empowerment.
 - Preparation Required, 1 minute, -20% is applied to all spells.
 - Fickle (No abilities on a bad reaction roll), -15% is applied to all spells.
 - Requires Symbol Drawing Roll, -10% is applied to all spells.

3. Shadow Magic
 - Feature: No Alternative Rituals.
 - Feature: The caster's shadow performs different movements during the spellcasting process.
 - Requires Gestures, -10% is applied to all spells.
 - Based on (DX+IQ)/2, Own Roll, +20% is applied to all appropriate spells.
 - Limited Scope, Shadow Magic, -20% is applied to Sorcerous Empowerment.

4. Blood Magic
 - Nuisance Effect, Painful Casting, -10% is applied to all spells.
 - Costs 1 HP, -10% is applied to all spells.
 - Takes Extra Time 1, -10% is applied to all spells.
 - Lesser Mana Sensitivity, -5% is applied to all spells (the spells can be cast in manaless zones, but that the magic still can be suppressed with specialized antimagic abilities that suppress arcane magic).
 - Limited Scope, Blood Magic, -40% is applied to Sorcerous Empowerment.
 - Feature: Blood Sacrifice.

5. Wizardry
 - Requires IQ Roll, -10% is applied to all spells.
 - Requires Magic Words, -10% is applied to all spells.
 - Requires Gestures, -10% is applied to all spells.
 - Preparation Required, 10 minutes, -30% is applied to all spells. (For the purpose of this limitations, all spells count as a single advantage. This way a wizard can keep multiple spells in mind).
 - Accessibility, Grimoire, -40% is applied to Sorcerous Empowerment. (The limitation value is taken from the Spell Slots sidebar, GURPS Thaumatology, p. 56).
 - Immediate Preparation Required, 10 minutes, -45% is applied to Sorcerous Empowerment.

This is a way to simulate scholarly wizardry, such as the vanilla GURPS Magic or a Dungeons and Dragons wizardry. Every spell has a verbal and a somatic component, but may have any FP cost and casting time. Additionally, the wizard must prepare his spells by consulting his grimoire for 10 minutes per spell. At the first glance it seems that the caster cannot prepare multiple instances of the same spell, but consult your GM - I think it's reasonable to allow wizards to do so. Each spell has a Hard or Very Hard skill assigned to it (see Skill for Everyone, GURPS Powers, p. 162). This way the wizard not only must have a spell in his grimoire, but also must know the appropriate skill. Although, he can cast it at a default (IQ-6), but he still must have the spell in his grimoire to be able to cast or improvise the spell. To improvise a spell, the wizards must consult the grimoire for 10 minutes. Remember that you can always assign prerequisites to spells, so you can recreate the spell trees of GURPS Magic.
After all adjustments, the Sorcerous Empowerment (Wizardry) costs 4 points for level 1, and +2 points per additional level. And each spells gets a Wizardry, -70% power modifier, that does not include the Costs Fatigue limitation.

6. Psychic Magic
 - Mundane Countermeasures, -10% is applied to all spells (gets included in the power modifier) and to Sorcerous Empowerment.
 - Limited Scope, Psychic Magic, -10% is applied to Sorcerous Empowerment.
 - Alternative Rituals rule is not in effect.

This is psychic magic from Pathfinder RPG - Occult Adventures. It covers interaction between minds, souls, connections, spirits, and so on, and bears a distinct occult flavour. This is roughly equivalent to four colleges (Communication and Empathy, Knowledge, Mind Control, Necromancy). Casting psychic spells is a purely mental action, but you cannot cast spells if you cannot control your emotions or concentration. Thus, you can't cast spells if you are berserk, if somebody is controlling your emotions, if you are suffering from a shock penalty, 10 seconds after getting stunned or frightened by any means.

7. Clerical Magic
 - Pact, -10% is applied to all spells.
 - Limited Scope, Deity's Domain, -X% is applied to Sorcerous Empowerment. The value of this limitation depends on the patron deity's sphere of influence.
 - Sanctity replaces mana for the spells.

This is a simple way to give Sorcery a divine flavour. You will have to take a -10-points disadvantage that represents your deity's code of conduct, and will be limited by the spells appropriate to your deity. Thus, you won't be able to throw fireballs if your patron is a deity of storms. Clerical spells are based on Sanctity instead of mana. You can read about sanctity in GURPS Magic, GURPS Thaumatology, GURPS Fantasy, GURPS Dungeon Fantasy 1, and probably some other sources too.

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