Sorcery: Weapon Buffs

Sorcery: Weapon Buffs

And here we have 3 more imbuement-based spells. These were easy to make, as there are no levels.

Sorcery: Gunman Spells

Sorcery: Gunman Spells

Here we have 3 spells that would be useful not only for gunmen, but also for archers and crossbowmen. Arching Weapon lets the gunman shoot at targets hiding behind cover. Automatic Reloading speeds up reloading. Returning Weapon can make ammunition effectively unlimited.

Monsters: Imps

Monsters: Imps

Here we have several impish monsters. The D&D version of imp is a small shapeshifting devil with a poisonous sting. It's weak, but can be very annoying thanks to the invisibility. The imp from the classical installments of Doom is a weak monster that can scratch and throw fireballs. The nightmare imp from Doom 64 is the classical Doom imp on steroids and with chameleon skin. The imp from the modern installments of Doom can cling to walls and ceilings and jump very far.

Vehicle: Panlunar Consortium Scout Ship

Vehicle: Panlunar Consortium Scout Ship

I was never really content with how GURPS Spaceships handles spaceships, so I tried making one using GURPS Vehicles 3e, GURPS Ultra-Tech, and Pyramid 3-96. As the "x" for the hyperdrive I used "10".

Ultra-Tech: DR, HP, and KYOS ST of Weapons

Ultra-Tech: DR, HP, and KYOS ST of Weapons

Shooting at the enemy's weapon is a good way to disarm him in high TL games, but there is no information on the weapons' HT, DR, and HP values. This post on the Generic Universal Roleplaying Blog suggests setting DR and HT values as follows:

 - At TL9: DR6, HT stays at 10.

 - At TL10: DR9; HT 11.

 - At TL11: DR14; HT 11.

 - At TL12: DR20; HT 12. 

To determine HP we treat the weapon as a machine and devise the HP value from its weight. The formula can be seen in the Basic Set and in Pyramid 3-83 (the Knowing Your Own Strength article). The aforementioned article also has a formula that lets us calculate the ST value for a weapon when using the KYOS alternative ST rule.

Magic: Ice Spells

Magic: Ice Spells

And now some ice spells (they should belong to the College of Water) from D&D 3.5 Spell Compendium.

Magic: Air Spells II

Magic: Air Spells II

Some more Air spells, mostly converted from D&D 3.5 Spell Compendium.

Ultra-Tech: Armor and Weapons Adjustments, Version 2

Ultra-Tech: Armor and Weapons Adjustments, Version 2

I found out that ETC and LP are not compatible with each other, and found the following suggested "fixes" for the gauss guns (link). Here I will refer to gauss weapons with applied changes as "buffed gauss weapons". For the purpose of this analysis, I will consider Storm Rifle and Anti-Materiel Rifle to be LC 2, and the Payload Rifle to be LC 1.

Magic: Laser Spells

Magic: Laser Spells

In high-tech games missile spells usually are very ineffective compared to the available firearms. Let's expand the selection of Light & Darkness missile spells with lasers, taking inspiration from GURPS Ultra-Tech. Note that these spells should only be available in high TL games.

Monster: Beholder

Monster: Beholder

And now the proper beholder, with much more powerful eye rays.

Monster: Gauth

Monster: Gauth

The beholder is an iconic D&D monster with powerful magical abilities. Gauth, also known as the lesser beholder, is much weaker, but still formiddable. In GURPS, it seems, he's fall quickly to ranged combatants.

Sci-Fi Worldbuilding: Solar System

Sci-Fi Worldbuilding: Solar System

This is my anniversary post! I have posted daily on this blog for a year, and maybe it's time to slow down. In this post I have short write-ups on the factions and settlements of the Solar System.

Sci-Fi Worldbuilding: Brands

Sci-Fi Worldbuilding: Brands

High TL equipment always seemed very generic and impersonal to me, and TheRyujinLP on his blog in his Brand Loyalty post suggests a way to make equipment more fun. So, here's my take on the  human-made brands for my sci-fi settings.

Sci-Fi Worldbuilding: Faxaturian Prosperity and Advancement Foundation

Sci-Fi Worldbuilding: Faxaturian Prosperity and Advancement Foundation

GURPS Space says that chlorine-breathing aliens are common in science fiction works, but I only know the illensians from J. White's Sector General. I've tried to generate a chlorine-based species using the tables found in GURPS Space and ended up with intolerant, suspicious, and racist carnivores who just want to be left alone, but are forced to deal with the aliens because of overpopulation. I'm not sure if this makes any sense, but I can always say "We do not know much about them, because they do not welcome aliens". As a racial template, the faxaturians are quite expensive and exotic. Telescopic Vision 4 should make them good at ranged combat.

Sci-Fi Worldbuilding: Fessamid Realms

Sci-Fi Worldbuilding: Fessamid Realms

Fessamids are a weird psionic gasbag species that dwells on gas giants. They were difficult to stat up, and I had to read up on gas giant atmosphere structure, temperature, composition, and wind speed to make everything consistent. As a faction, they have advanced bio- and psi-tech, but all their devices are biological, so they might not fit everybody. As a racial template, they are quite expensive and very exotic.

Sci-Fi Worldbuilding: Altafaan High Empire

Sci-Fi Worldbuilding: Altafaan High Empire

And now we have all three TL 12 species done, finally. The altafaans are an advanced bioroid species created by a long gone precursor civilization. As a racial template, they provide the possibility of playing a flying character.

Sci-Fi Worldbuilding: Twiceborn World Network

Sci-Fi Worldbuilding: Twiceborn World Network

This civilization gives the players a chance to play a robot or a bioroid, using almost any appropriate racial template. In addition, the inclusion of this civilization can make VR a big part of the game, if needed.

Sci-Fi Worldbuilding: Domains of the Eternal King

Sci-Fi Worldbuilding: Domains of the Eternal King

Here we have the second of the three TL 12 civilizations. These small amphibians are a warlike species with their development heavily influenced by an swarm of nanomachines of unknown origins. As a racial template, the kabauns are nothing special, but so far they are the only species capable of living underwater. At such high TLs it shouldn't be a problem for other species, thanks to specialized equipment and genetic modifications.

Sci-Fi Worldbuilding: Zarib Theocracy

Sci-Fi Worldbuilding: Zarib Theocracy

Here we have another arthropod race, this time a flying religious one. As a racial template they are quite mundane, but the suggested mental disadvantages can make them more fun.

Monster Index

Monster Index

A couple of days ago I've noticed that I have 50+ monsters posted on this blog, so it would be useful to make an index for easy reference.

Sorcery: Utility Cantrips II

Sorcery: Utility Cantrips II

Some more Accessory-based cantrips. I was hungry when coming up with these spells, so half of them are related to food.

Sorcery: Utility Cantrips

Sorcery: Utility Cantrips

Accessory-based cantrips can be not only technology-related, but also tool-related. The following spells would fit nicely in the college of Making and Breaking, and maybe Food.

Sorcery: Technological Cantrips

Sorcery: Technological Cantrips

We're out of spells to convert, so now I can let me imagination wander and create some new ones. Accessory is a wonderful perk, and I decided to use it to create five new technological cantrips that can be very useful for a modern spellcaster.

Ultra-Tech: Hardlight Guns

Ultra-Tech: Hardlight Guns

Hardlight weapons use an array of exotic material lenses that when energized hardens light that passes through. The array can be readjusted with a Ready maneuver, allowing the weapon to deal crushing, large piercing, piercing, small piercing, or cutting damage. Hardlight weapons do not work where there is no light (darkness penalty of -10).

Sci-Fi Worldbuilding: FTL Travel

Sci-Fi Worldbuilding: FTL Travel

Space travel is a major part of most sci-fi settings, and to handle such a large scale, FTL travel must be fast. As I mentioned before, I want to make FTL radio rare, cumbersome, and slow, so fast messenger ships will be important.

Sci-Fi Worldbuilding: Basan Worlds

Sci-Fi Worldbuilding: Basan Worlds

And here we have another interstellar diverse faction of a relatively mundane species. The racial template is nothing special, but is relatively cheap.

Sci-Fi Worldbuilding: Sto Astrocracy

Sci-Fi Worldbuilding: Sto Astrocracy

And now we have another weird species. The plant-like sto worship the stars that give them light and life, look for their uplifters, and sometimes exterminate all non-plant sentient life. Their racial template is quite expensive and exotic and I do not see many players wanting to use it.

Sci-Fi Worldbuilding: MonoTech and MacroDynamics Tech Alliance

Sci-Fi Worldbuilding: MonoTech and MacroDynamics Tech Alliance

The post about United Solar Alliance mentioned two other human civilizations, unrelated to Earth. They are similar, and some parts of their descriptions are straight identical, so I present them in a single post.

Sci-Fi Worldbuilding: United Solar Alliance

Sci-Fi Worldbuilding: United Solar Alliance

But where are the humans in the setting? Time to answer this question, at least partially. I decided that the humans will have a loose alliance instead of one big empire to make them more diverse. Within the United Solar Alliance one can find worlds under a despotic militaristic rule, democratic federations, theocracies, eugenic cults, and many other types of government, culture, religion, etc. I left many of the details vague on purpose, so the players could make up their own culture.

Sci-Fi Worldbuilding: Macerid Territories

Sci-Fi Worldbuilding: Macerid Territories

And now we create a mostly antagonistic faction of insectile aliens. These aggressive arthropods do not have a hive mind, like many similar species in other sources, and are not a faceless menace, but tyranids from Warhammer 40,000 or, to some degree, zergs from Starcraft. They hostility and possession of a very rare resource can create opportunities for adventures or military campaigns, if we want to use GURPS Mass Combat. As a racial template, the macerids are cheap, but unremarkable. You probably have noticed that none of the racial templates so far have any adjustments to the primary or secondary attributes, and it is intentional, but will probably end soon.

Sci-Fi Worldbuilding: Belue Coalition

Sci-Fi Worldbuilding: Belue Coalition

Now we have two exotic silicon-based races, so it's time to make something more mundane. The Belue Coalition is a neighbor and an ally of the United Solar Alliance, a major human faction that is not yet described. Covering a vast swathe of space, its colonies often incorporate aliens into their caste system. The belari are curious and generally friendly, but they do practice slavery. This may create opportunities for activist adventurers. As a racial template, the belari do not have anything exotic. They have good hearing, night vision, and they move fast. The belari have short arms, so they are not good with melee weapons, but this is not a big drawback in high TL societies. The belari have 5 major ethnicities with their own languages, but they are not expanded upon, at least yet.