Sunday, 31 December 2017

NPCs/Templates: City Guards and Blue Guard

NPCs/Templates: City Guards and Blue Guard

The content of this post wasn't made by me, but by my friend who is GMing a 2+-year long play-by-post fantasy game set in a magical metropolis. Mundane city guard templates can be used in almost any fantasy setting, and the reflavored Blue Guard may represent any specialized antimagic police force.

Saturday, 30 December 2017

Sorcery: Sha'ir Spellcasting

Sorcery: Sha'ir Spellcasting

The sha'ir is an obscure base class for D&D 3.5 with unique mechanics and flavor. It is one of the two classes that can cast both arcane and divine spells natively. These arabic-flavored spellcasters rely on a gen familiar - a tiny genie - when casting spells. This gen fetches spells from the Elemental Planes, but the genie masters are fickle - the spells always have a chance of failure. Sorcery can be modified to represent sha’ir spellcasting.

Friday, 29 December 2017

Alchemy: Additional Elixirs III

Alchemy: Additional Elixirs III

The last three elixirs from Pyramid #3-28. Potion of Nightmares causes the subject to experience a nightmare next time he goes to sleep. Potion of Shadow Form transforms the subject into a two-dimensional shadow. Potion of Sleeplessness can make the subject sleepless for a week or so.

Thursday, 28 December 2017

Alchemy: Additional Elixirs II

Alchemy: Additional Elixirs II

More elixirs from Pyramid #3-28. Ointment of Dream Walking allows the subject to project his mind into another person's dreams. Ointment of Grooming makes hair fall off. Potion of Greater Healing is a stronger version of Potion of Healing.

Wednesday, 27 December 2017

Alchemy: Additional Elixirs

Alchemy: Additional Elixirs

GURPS Magic is not the only source of published elixirs. There are several more in Pyramid #3-28. Alchemical Ink makes ink resistant to removal. Potion of Animal Friendship makes the subject more appealing to animals. Potion of Celerity accelerates the subject. Potion of Combustion burns the subject from within.

Tuesday, 26 December 2017

Alchemy: Exotic Preparations

Alchemy: Exotic Preparations

In addition to elixirs, GURPS Magic present use three exotic preparations. Alkahest is an universal solvent that is hard to contain. For homunculi refer to the Construct Crafting rules. Philosophers' Stone is an alchemical catalyst. Ordinary acid was included too.

Monday, 25 December 2017

Alchemy: Skill Elixirs

Alchemy: Skill Elixirs

The last elixirs from GURPS Magic enhance various skills and senses.

Sunday, 24 December 2017

Alchemy: Mental Elixirs

Alchemy: Mental Elixirs

GURPS Magic provides only five mental elixirs. Potion of Charisma makes the subject more charismatic. Potion of Foresight causes prophetic visions. Potion of Hardheartedness dispels love. Potion of Memory enhances memory. Potion of Wisdom increases IQ.

Saturday, 23 December 2017

Alchemy: Mental Control Elixirs II

Alchemy: Mental Control Elixirs II

Last three mental control elixirs. Potion of Gullibility makes the subject gullible. Potion of Love makes the subject fall in love at first sight. Potion of Truth makes the subject unable to lie.

Friday, 22 December 2017

Alchemy: Mental Control Elixirs

Alchemy: Mental Control Elixirs

The first batch of the mental control elixirs from GURPS Magic. Pastille of Drunkenness makes the inhalers drunk. Potion of Forgetfulness causes amnesia. Powder of Friendship makes the consumer more friendly.

Thursday, 21 December 2017

Alchemy: Medical Elixirs III

Alchemy: Medical Elixirs III

The last four medical elixirs from GURPS Magic. Ointment of Resurrection can bring dead back to life. Potion of Tranquility prevents the subject's emotions from changing. Potion of Youth ages the subject backwards 1 year. Universal Antidote neutralizes poisons.

Wednesday, 20 December 2017

Alchemy: Medical Elixirs II

Alchemy: Medical Elixirs II

More medical elixirs from GURPS Magic converted to my metatronic alchemy system. Potion of Hybridization is the origin of owlbears, it seems. Potion of Health cures diseases. Potion of Long Slumber lets the subject enter suspended animation. Ointment of Reanimation can make a corpse talk.

Tuesday, 19 December 2017

Alchemy: Medical Elixirs I

Alchemy: Medical Elixirs I

GURPS Magic has many medical elixirs. While I have already converted the Potion of Healing and Ointment of Regeneration, there are quite a few of them left. Alchemical Antidote is a cheap alchemical countermeasure against alchemy. Ointment of Eternal Rest is a tool for embalmers. Potion of Awakening is a surprisingly expensive potion to wake a person up. Potion of Fertility is a potency enhancer. Potion of Lichdom is a way to achieve eternal unlife.

Monday, 18 December 2017

Alchemy: Magical Elixirs III

Alchemy: Magical Elixirs III

Last four magical elixirs from GURPS Magic. Potion of Transformation changes the subject to the form of an animal. Potion of True Sight allows to see through invisibility and illusions. Potion of Water Breathing allows to breathe water. Potion of Water-Walking makes the subject able to walk on water.

Sunday, 17 December 2017

Alchemy: Magical Elixirs II

Alchemy: Magical Elixirs II

Some more magical elixirs from GURPS Magic. Ointment of Pain Resistance hardens the subject against pain. Potion of Invisibility does not last long, but is still immensely useful. Potion of Luck is a great thing as well. Potion of Magic Resistance is a cheap protection against mages.

Saturday, 16 December 2017

Alchemy: Magical Elixirs I

Alchemy: Magical Elixirs I

Assorted magical elixirs from GURPS Magic. Ointment of Fire Resistance protects the user from fire. Potion of Attractiveness makes the user more attractive. Potion of Flight grants the ability to fly.  Using the Potion of Gambling is a good way to get a knife in the back.

Friday, 15 December 2017

Alchemy: Hostile Elixirs III

Alchemy: Hostile Elixirs III

Last of the hostile elixirs. Powder of Odium makes everyone perceive the subject as unattractive. Potion of Self-Love makes the subject content with himself. Potion of Unluckiness brings bad luck. Potion of Weakness reduces ST.

Thursday, 14 December 2017

Alchemy: Hostile Elixirs II

Alchemy: Hostile Elixirs II

More hostile elixirs. Potion of Madness is relatively easy to resist, but lasts a long time and messes up the imbiber's mind. Powder of Hatred/Jealousy/Lecherousness are often used to subtly alter someone's mind.

Wednesday, 13 December 2017

Alchemy: Hostile Elixirs I

Alchemy: Hostile Elixirs I

Here we have the first batch of hostile elixirs from GURPS Magic. Potion of Aging ages the imbiber 1 year. Powder of Death is a poison to spike food or drinks. Powder of Frustration makes the subject more likely to fail under stress. Terror Grenade is a very costly crowd control weapon.

Tuesday, 12 December 2017

Sorcery: Monster Spells

Sorcery: Monster Spells

Pyramid #3-109 has an interesting article - The Teramancers by David L. Pulver. It has a magical style with five secret spells that we will now have in the Sorcery format. Call Monster is a variant of Beast Summoning. Imprint Monster makes a newborn monster loyal to you. Monster Within causes the victim to fail self-control rolls for some violent disadvantages. Primordial Dissolution turns a monster into primordial protoplasm.

Monday, 11 December 2017

Alchemy: Combat Elixirs II

Alchemy: Combat Elixirs II

The second and last batch of combat elixirs from GURPS Magic.

Sunday, 10 December 2017

Alchemy: Combat Elixirs I

Alchemy: Combat Elixirs I

The first batch of combat elixirs from GURPS Magic. Most of them make more sense as potions, but I decided to make Powder of Fetching and Carrying a powder with a long duration.

Saturday, 9 December 2017

Monster: Belker

Monster: Belker

Belker is an elemental smoke monster from Monster Manual for D&D 3.5. I've never used this monster, and I think I'm not the only one to overlook this creature. Its signature ability is to transform into a smoke cloud and solidify the smoke inside creatures' lungs. While Respiratory Agents usually cannot be applied to cutting attacks, I thought that I can make an exception for this ability.

Friday, 8 December 2017

Alchemy: Animal Control Elixirs

Alchemy: Animal Control Elixirs

Let's start a new series of posts with ready-to-use-and-brew-and-buy elixirs for my Metatronic Alchemy. Here we have 3 out of 4 Animal Control elixirs from GURPS Magic adapted to my system, all available in alchemical and herbal forms.

Thursday, 7 December 2017

Alchemical Techniques

Alchemical Techniques

This is a short post with only two new techniques for the Alchemy skill. They may be used either with the standard alchemy system or with my Metatronic Alchemy system. I would also suggest taking a look at Pyramid #3-28 for the Batching, Identify Magical Item, and Identify Elixir techniques.

Wednesday, 6 December 2017

Sorcery: Banefire Spells

Sorcery: Banefire Spells

Here we have variants of the standard fire attack spells based on banefire - a special kind of decaying fire from the Dominions video game series.

Tuesday, 5 December 2017

Sorcery: Fate Spells

Sorcery: Fate Spells

Here we have three fate-related spells. Sever Fate Line makes the subject's life short and miserable. Shared Doom is a useful spell in hostage situations. Touch of Bad Luck forbids the subject from using Luck or Super Luck.

Monday, 4 December 2017

Sorcery: Psychic Spellcasting

Sorcery: Psychic Spellcasting

Sorcery can be modified to represent psychic spellcasting from Pathfinder. When Occult Adventures for Pathfinder have been released, at first, I was not very pleased with the system, but I have grown to like it.

Sunday, 3 December 2017

Metatronic Alchemy

Metatronic Alchemy

Standard alchemy rules from GURPS Magic look okay, but they seem to be inconsistent with the rest of the system. There are no guidelines on how to create new elixirs and how to price them, and the vanilla pricing seems to assume a TL 3 setting. I have tried sorcerous alchemy from GURPS Thaumatology – Sorcery, but the elixirs end up being unreasonably expensive for one-use items. Thus, I decided to work out a way to base alchemy around Metatronic Generators from Pyramid #3-46. A similar approach to scrolls is described in Metatronic Scrolls.

Saturday, 2 December 2017

Sorcery: Bardic Spellcasting

Sorcery: Bardic Spellcasting

Sorcery can be modified to represent bardic spellcasting. Let us see how it is done.

Friday, 1 December 2017

Sorcery: Druidic Spellcasting

Sorcery: Druidic Spellcasting

Sorcery can be modified to represent druidic spellcasting. Let us see how it is done.

Thursday, 30 November 2017

Sorcery: Construct Crafting

Sorcery: Construct Crafting

GURPS Magic has the Golem spell, but there are no rules that cover golem creation with Sorcery or similar systems. Let's fix that.

Wednesday, 29 November 2017

Sorcery: Clerical Spellcasting

Sorcery: Clerical Spellcasting

Sorcery can be modified to represent clerical spellcasting. Let us see how it is done.

Tuesday, 28 November 2017

NPCs: Bandits

NPCs: Bandits

One thing GURPS seems to be lacking is stock NPCs or monsters. Here's some crime-related NPCs I wrote up that could trouble your characters in the town or on the road at low TL.

Monday, 27 November 2017

Sorcery: Space Spells III

Sorcery: Space Spells III

More space-related spells. Abundant Step lets the caster step through the fourth dimension to another place. Extradimensional Shift and Project Limb are two other 4D spells, based on abilities from GURPS Powers - The Weird.

Sunday, 26 November 2017

Sorcery: Antimatter Spells

Sorcery: Antimatter Spells

We've had nuclear, space, and plasma spells, so now it's time for some antimatter spells. Antimatter Beam, Antimatter Blast, and Conversion are antimatter-based attacks. Stop Annihilation prevents matter from annihilating when coming into contact with antimatter. Q-Mirror returns incoming ranged attacks in the form of antimatter.

Saturday, 25 November 2017

Sorcery: Armor Buffs V

Sorcery: Armor Buffs V

And the last armor buffs. Nullifying Armor makes armor resistant to magic. Reinforced Armor makes armor Hardened. Resilient Armor negates ablation. Restorative Armor makes armor resistant to fatigue damage. Emperor's New Clothes makes armor or clothes invisible to stupid people.

Friday, 24 November 2017

Sorcery: Armor Buffs IV

Sorcery: Armor Buffs IV

Almost done with the armor buffs. Energizing Armor absorbs hits and heals the wearer. Solid Armor removes chinks. Vengeful Armor returns damage. Widen Shield provides cover in an area.

Thursday, 23 November 2017

Treasure: Magebane Shackles

Treasure: Magebane Shackles

Mages require magical countermeasures. Magebane shackles deprive the shackled mage of all of his magical abilities, making him much less dangerous.

Wednesday, 22 November 2017

Sorcery: Wizardry

Sorcery: Wizardry

Sorcery is my favorite magic system for GURPS, because it is based on the most customizable part of the system – advantages. While the barebones Sorcery is a fine system as is, it can be customized to get a different feel. In this post, I will expand on the scholarly variant of Sorcery that should emulate vanilla Magic and D&D wizards. Initially, I mentioned this variant in the Modifying Sorcery post.
This framework is an outdated version, it was revised here.

Tuesday, 21 November 2017

Martial Art: Guali Pianil

Martial Art: Guali Pianil

In my TL 4 fantasy setting, a heavily forested region is ravaged by plagues and monsters left after a magical equivalent of a biological war between the wood elves and the neogi - alien spiderlike slavemasters. While the open warfare is over, there are still covert operations to spread new diseases, release monsters, and free slaves. Some of the wood elven slaves did not need any help setting themselves free - they threw off physical and mental shackles of their neogi slavemasters through sheer willpower and the power of their unique martial art they have developed in the slave pits - Guali Pianil, or "chitin breaker" in Wood Elven. While the style is useful against the neogi, it is useless against the umber hulks - you can only run from them.

Monday, 20 November 2017

Sorcery: Armor Buffs III

Sorcery: Armor Buffs III

Some more armor buffs, based on the imbuement skills from Pyramid #3-4. Padded Armor makes armor resistant to blunt impacts. Impenetrable Armor makes armor strong against spears and bullets. Blunting Armor makes armor resistant to cutting damage. Rigid Armor makes flexible armor rigid.

Sunday, 19 November 2017

Sorcery: Stealth Spells II

Sorcery: Stealth Spells II

More spells useful for the rogue-type adventurers. Shadow Jump lets the caster teleport between shadows. Soft Step makes the subject move silently. Utterdark isn't a stealth spell, but technically covering the whole planet in darkness helps staying unnoticed. Wind Walk is a short burst of speed and invisibility.

Saturday, 18 November 2017

Sorcery: Nuclear Spells

Sorcery: Nuclear Spells

Here we have three spells, one of which was built just to look at big numbers. Nuclear Damper prevents nuclear fission in an area. Nuclear Fireball is a 0.1 kiloton nuke. Protection from Nuclear Explosions can potentially save the subject from a nuclear bomb.

Friday, 17 November 2017

Sorcery: Stealth Spells

Sorcery: Stealth Spells

Here are four spells that make the subject more stealthy. Chameleon Skin makes the subject's skin change color. No-Taste hides the subject from taste-based perception. Sonar Invisibility makes the subject invisible to sonar. Tremorsense Invisibility makes the subject undetectable to vibration sense.

Thursday, 16 November 2017

Sorcery: Plasma Spells

Sorcery: Plasma Spells

This is a series of plasma spells. They are basically copies of fire spells, but with the added (2) armor divisor.

Wednesday, 15 November 2017

Sorcery: Space Spells II

Sorcery: Space Spells II

More space spells. Distance Manipulation can make hexes further apart. Space Disruption is a brutal space-based attack. Spatial Instability makes the subject blink chaotically. Spactial Stability prevents that.

Tuesday, 14 November 2017

Sorcery: Space Spells

Sorcery: Space Spells

Bending the very fabric of space is an impressive feat, even for a mage. GURPS Powers suggests building space control abilities based on the godlike 30 points/level version of Control. In this post I have deliberately treid to create a complex space-based spell Portal Architecture, that allows to "stack" two rooms in the same space. Hypervision lets the subject perceive 4D beings. Spatial Awareness is good for space navigators. These two spells are inspired by GURPS Powers - The Weird. Hyperjump is a space travel spell based on the article from Pyramid #3-49. More to come!

Monday, 13 November 2017

Sorcery: Armor Buffs II

Sorcery: Armor Buffs II

Some more armor buffs, based on imbuements. Fireproof Armor makes armor resistant to fire. Healthful Armor makes armor resistant to poison. Insulated Armor makes armor resistant to electricity. Sovereign Armor makes armor resistant to acid.

Sunday, 12 November 2017

Sorcery: Armor Buffs

Sorcery: Armor Buffs

Imbuement are not limited to weapons, armor gets some fun stuff too in Pyramid #3-4. Blinding Armor blinds the attackers. Thunderous Armor deafens the attackes. Ghost Touch Armor protects against spirits. Invisible Armor makes armor difficult to spot.

Saturday, 11 November 2017

Treasure: Random Imbued Gear

Treasure: Random Imbued Gear

One of my friends is running a 2-year long fantasy game, and he came up with a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet that lets him randomly generate imbuement-based enchanted gear. You can download it here - link.



Friday, 10 November 2017

Sorcery: Weapon Buffs VII

Sorcery: Weapon Buffs VII

Probably the last imbuement-based spells for now. Dazzling Weapon penalizes vision around the weapon. Deafening Weapon penalizes hearing in the same way. Underwater Weapon makes it easier to wield the affected weapon underwater. Vine Arrow transforms a ranged attack into a Binding.

Thursday, 9 November 2017

Sorcery: Weapon Buffs VI

Sorcery: Weapon Buffs VI

We've been over the elemental transformation, so now it's time for more mundane transformations. Blunt/Duodimensional/Monodimensional/Piercing Weapon converts the damage type to crushing/cutting/impaling/piercing, respectively.

Wednesday, 8 November 2017

Sorcery: Weapon Buffs V

Sorcery: Weapon Buffs V

Even more imbuement-based spells. Knockback Suppression removes knockback from the weapon. Merciful Weapon removes injury from the weapon. Soft Weapon removes blunt trauma from the weapon. Reinforced Weapon protects the weapon from destruction.

Tuesday, 7 November 2017

Sorcery: Weapon Buffs IV

Sorcery: Weapon Buffs IV

Even more imbuement-based spells. Delay Damage allows the wielder to decide when the damage is dealt. Invisible Weapon makes the weapon harder to notice. Sorcerous Silencer makes the weapon harder to hear. Telescoping Weapon alters the weapon's reach.

Monday, 6 November 2017

Sorcery: Weapon Buffs III

Sorcery: Weapon Buffs III

More imbuement-based spells. Banefire Weapon is a ridiculously expensive spell that infuses a weapon with decaying flames. Mana Leech allows the weapon to heal the wielder's mana reserve. Vampiric Weapon drains life out of living creatures. Explosive Weapon makes the weapon produce a shockwave.

Sunday, 5 November 2017

Sorcery: Gunman Spells III

Sorcery: Gunman Spells III

More imbuement-based spells for ranged combatants. Guided Weapon lets the wielder guide the projectiles. Homing Weapon leaves this job to the projectiles themselves. Ricochet allows the projectiles to bounce around the corners. Shattershot transforms projectiles into deadly shrapnel that slows down the game significantly.

Saturday, 4 November 2017

Sorcery: Weapon Buffs II

Sorcery: Weapon Buffs II

Another batch of imbuement-based weapon buffs. Bladestorm effectively makes a high RoF melee weapon. Brilliant Energy Weapon is very dangerous to parry. Forceful Weapon doubles knockback. Traumatic Weapon doubles blunt trauma.

Friday, 3 November 2017

Sorcery: Gunman Spells II

Sorcery: Gunman Spells II

Yet another set of spells, based on imbuements. Conic Blast transforms the attack into a cone. Far Shot increases range. Multi-Shot increases the rate of fire. Recoil Compensation reduces recoil.

Thursday, 2 November 2017

Sorcery: Elemental Weapon Transformation Spells

Sorcery: Elemental Weapon Transformation Spells

And here are more spells based on transformational imbuements. Burning/Corrosive/Frost/Fulminating Weapon turn the target weapon to fire, acid, cold, or lightning, respectively.

Wednesday, 1 November 2017

Sorcery: Antimagic Spells

Sorcery: Antimagic Spells

Here we have some spells to counter other spellcasters. Dispelling Weapon enchants a weapon with dispelling qualities, but due to some trickiness with the imbuement skill it is based on, it is better used when the user can attack at least twice per round. Otherwise it can be used to debuff enemy warriors, because the weapon loses its ability to deal damage. Antimagic Field nullifies all magic in an area. Protection from Magic protects the subject from magical attacks, even those based on Malediction.

Tuesday, 31 October 2017

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.

Monday, 30 October 2017

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.

Sunday, 29 October 2017

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.

Saturday, 28 October 2017

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".

Friday, 27 October 2017

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.

Thursday, 26 October 2017

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.

Wednesday, 25 October 2017

Magic: Air Spells II

Magic: Air Spells II

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

Tuesday, 24 October 2017

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.

Monday, 23 October 2017

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.

Sunday, 22 October 2017

Monster: Beholder

Monster: Beholder

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

Saturday, 21 October 2017

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.

Friday, 20 October 2017

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.

Thursday, 19 October 2017

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.

Wednesday, 18 October 2017

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.

Tuesday, 17 October 2017

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.

Monday, 16 October 2017

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.

Sunday, 15 October 2017

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.

Saturday, 14 October 2017

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.

Friday, 13 October 2017

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.

Thursday, 12 October 2017

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.

Wednesday, 11 October 2017

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.

Tuesday, 10 October 2017

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.

Monday, 9 October 2017

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.

Sunday, 8 October 2017

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).

Saturday, 7 October 2017

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.

Friday, 6 October 2017

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.

Thursday, 5 October 2017

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.

Wednesday, 4 October 2017

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.

Tuesday, 3 October 2017

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.

Monday, 2 October 2017

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.

Sunday, 1 October 2017

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.

Saturday, 30 September 2017

Sci-Fi Worldbuilding: Shee Empire

Sci-Fi Worldbuilding: Shee Empire

The previous post mentioned another crystalline species - the shee, so it is a good idea to actually describe it. The Shee Empire is an active player on the galactic scene and should provide different opportunities for adventures. For example, the PCs may wish to stop the shee from playing gods for low-tech aliens, steal some of their psi-tech, or maybe even gain their trust by attaining "divine traits". As a racial template, the shee are not very expensive, but still have many exotic advantages and disadvantages. They are not as protected from the environment as the l'rimra, but are armed with vicious talons and stingers - useful when you are stranded on a hostile world with no equipment. Also, the shee are not humanoid, and this fact may appeal to some players.

Friday, 29 September 2017

Sci-Fi Worldbuilding: L'rimran Technocracy

Sci-Fi Worldbuilding: L'rimran Technocracy

We have established the principles of our setting, and now it's time to create a faction. I decided to start with one of the major alien powers - the L'rimran Technocracy. While the faction is very advanced technologically and has a powerful military presence, it rarely ever threatens the other factions. Less technologically advanced species should fear attracting the attention of the Technocracy with their military actions within the l'rimran space, but can do so freely in other regions. This should provide interesting interactions, both combat- and diplomacy-wise.
As a racial template, the l'rimra have many exotic advantages and disadvantages, but their point cost is low.

Thursday, 28 September 2017

Sci-Fi Worldbuilding: First Steps

Sci-Fi Worldbuilding: First Steps

Two of my favorite tabletop RPG genres are high-magic fantasy and soft sci-fi. I dislike using most of the published settings for my own games, so I have no choice but to create ones myself. And I like persistent settings to play many games in, so if I create one, I should make it enjoyable for myself to GM and, hopefully, for the players to play in too. While I have a setting for TL 4 fantasy ready, I do not have one for a high TL sci-fi game. In this post I will try to explain how I start creating one.

Wednesday, 27 September 2017

Monster: Behir

Monster: Behir

Behir is a serpentine draconic monster that is very intolerance of actual dragons. Dwelling in warm hills, this beast is intelligent, but not very bright. It is tough, strong, and possesses an electric breath attack that takes recharge.

Tuesday, 26 September 2017

Sorcery: Metal Spells VI

Sorcery: Metal Spells VI

Last metal spells. And not only that - these are the last unconverted vanilla Magic spells, including the ones from Pyramid, at least at the time I'm writing this post. The whol system conversion sure took me a while. Smelt Ore transmutes ore into an ingot of metal. Stone to Metal transmutes stone to metal. Transmute Metal converts one type of a metal into another. Walk Through Metal is a useful prison escape tool.

Monday, 25 September 2017

Sorcery: Metal Spells V

Sorcery: Metal Spells V

Three more metal spells. Rust makes an item more fragile, Restore Metal reverses the effects. Sharpen Blade is a limited version of Penetrating Weapon.

Sunday, 24 September 2017

Sorcery: Metal Spells IV

Sorcery: Metal Spells IV

Not done yet! Metal to Stone and Purify Metal are transmutative spells. Move Metal is a limited version of Apportation. Rain of Shards is yet another area attack.

Saturday, 23 September 2017

Sorcery: Metal Spells III

Sorcery: Metal Spells III

Even more metal spells. Essential Metal creates orichalcum. Flesh to Metal transforms a living creature into a metal statue, and Metal to Flesh reverses the effects.

Friday, 22 September 2017

Sorcery: Metal Spells II

Sorcery: Metal Spells II

More metal spells! Blunderbuss is a rapid fire missile spell. Celestial Shotgun is an area metal attack. Conjure Dart is a basic metal missile spell from GURPS Dungeon Fantasy 9. Conjure Shield is a very useful defensive spell. Create Metal creates metal, just like the name implies.

Thursday, 21 September 2017

Sorcery: Metal Spells

Sorcery: Metal Spells

The Thaumaturgy of Metal by Ted Brock is featured in Pyramid #3-91 and is one of my favorite articles. Metal spells need some love! Alloy Metal transforms simple metals into alloys. Anvil Strike drops an anvil on the target. Arrow is a basic missile spell. Bloody Iron extracts iron from someone's blood.

Wednesday, 20 September 2017

Sorcery: Book Spells III

Sorcery: Book Spells III

And the last book spells! Live Libram makes a book help the reader. Narrative Conveyance transports the reader to the place the book describes. Retro-Reading lets the caster learn who read the book last. Speed Reading increases the pace of reading tenfold (when using the normal Skills-to-Advantages approach, this requires Speed-Reading (A) IQ+80, which costs 320 points; I decided that it's ridiculous and went with the ETS approach). Writer's Block makes all Writing rolls fail.

Tuesday, 19 September 2017

Sorcery: Book Spells II

Sorcery: Book Spells II

Some more book spells. Compulsive Reader makes a book very addictive. Essential Paper transforms normal paper into magical paper. Illuminated Writing makes reading very immersive. Literary Hunger is a variant of the Hunger spell.

Monday, 18 September 2017

Sorcery: Book Spells

Sorcery: Book Spells

Pyramid #3-48 has a nice section of book-related spells (Bibliomancy by David L. Pulver). Absorb Book lets the caster read a book remotely. Bedtime Reading is useful for casters who do not want to waste time sleeping. Book Binding is useful for casters who keep personal diaries. Confuse Memory is a style spell from another article in that issue (The Way of the Keepers by Michele Armellini) and is a less powerful Permanent Forgetfulness.

Sunday, 17 September 2017

Sorcery: Secret Spells II

Sorcery: Secret Spells II

And the rest of the secret spells from Pyramid #3-76. Mass Coolness and Mass Shade are area versions of Coolness and Shade. Self-Repairing makes an object regenerate its HP. Transfigure Object is Transform Object with a longer duration.

Saturday, 16 September 2017

Sorcery: Secret Spells

Sorcery: Secret Spells

Pyramid #3-76 has an interesting Hidden Knowledge article about secret spells by Christopher R. Rice. The spell presented there are made based on existing spells, but have some unique features. Archmagi's Recuperation is a more powerful version of Recover Energy. Balor's Eye Fire is a variant of Breathe Fire. Dwarvish Reinforcement is a more powerful, but limited Fortify. Elvish Grace would be identical to Grace in Sorcery, so there's no need to convert it. Impart Skill enchants an item to provide a skill to its user.

Friday, 15 September 2017

Monster: Barghest

Monster: Barghest

A barghest is a lupine fiend that can take the shape of a wolf or a goblin. In its natural form, it resembles a goblin–wolf hybrid with terrible jaws and sharp claws. Barghests come into the world to feed on blood and souls and thus grow stronger.

Thursday, 14 September 2017

Monster: Soulspark

Monster: Soulspark

Soulspark is a mote of independent incarnum energy. A weak small monster that nonetheless may pose threat to some adventurers.

Wednesday, 13 September 2017

Sorcery: Pirate Spells

Sorcery: Pirate Spells

Pyramid #3-64 has a nice magical style called Scurvy-Dog Sorcery. Let's convert the unique spells! Identify Loot lets the caster determine the relative value of objects. Seek Navy lets the caster find his ship. Safe Boarding allows the subject to safely walk from one ship to another, or from a ship to a dock.

Tuesday, 12 September 2017

Sorcery: Stygian Spells

Sorcery: Stygian Spells

Last of the Essential Spells from Pyramid #3-25! Stygian Cold is a damaging and a debuffing spell. Stygian Ice Dagger is a nasty lingering impaling attack. Stygian Ice Sphere is a fragmentation missile. Stygian Touch is a hard-to-destroy binding spell.

Monday, 11 September 2017

Sorcery: Alkahest Spells

Sorcery: Alkahest Spells

Essential Acid spells! Alkahest Jet and Spit Alkahest are variant jet attacks. Alkahest Sphere is a missile spell. Rain of Alkahest is an area bombardment attack.

Sunday, 10 September 2017

Sorcery: Phlogiston Spells

Sorcery: Phlogiston Spells

And now it's time for Essential Air spells. Phlogiston Arc and Phlogiston Touch are paralysing melee attacks. Phlogiston Detonation and Phlogiston Discharge are missile spells. Phlogiston Stare is a jet attack. Phlogiston Sphere is a homing missile attack that passes through walls.

Saturday, 9 September 2017

Sorcery: Hellfire Spells

Sorcery: Hellfire Spells

More essential elemental spell, and this time we have Essential Fire spells. Explosive Hellfire Orb and Hellfire Orb are hellfire missile spells. Hellfire Jet and Hellfire Breath are variant jet attacks. Hellfire Rain is an area hellfire bombardment.

Friday, 8 September 2017

Eggplant Strategy Update v0.2

Eggplant Strategy Update v0.2

A long time has passed since the test game using my play-by-post strategy system (this post). The update was delayed, but I finally managed to pull myself together and make one.

Changelog
            v0.2
-          Turn resolution order changed – income rolls and maintenance subtraction are moved to the start of the turn.
-          Troops and characters being recruited and buildings being constructed may be given orders that are carried out immediately after they are recruited/built.
-          Wealth was reworked, now the income is static.
-          Increased resource costs of buildings and units.

Magic: Earth Spells

Magic: Earth Spells

Here's some earth spells from D&D 3.5 Spell Compendium. Earthen Grace makes the subject impervious to earth and stone attacks. Earthen Grasp turns the earth into a grappling arm. Easy Climb creates a path of handholds and footholds. Tremor creates a directed earthquake that knocks creatures down.

Thursday, 7 September 2017

Sorcery: Essential Earth Spells

Sorcery: Essential Earth Spells

Pyramid #3-25 has a set of interesting essential elemental spells. Adamant Hail rains adamant on the enemies. Adamant Missile throws a chunk of adamant. Flesh to Adamant is a hard to dispel version of Flesh to Stone. Orichalcum Edge increases the damage and hardness of a metal weapon.

Wednesday, 6 September 2017

Sorcery: Yellow Spells II

Sorcery: Yellow Spells II

And the second half of the yellow goblin magic spells from Pyramid #3-28. Spark of Eros makes the subject more sexually appealing. Sunburst is an explosive sunlight attack. True King makes the subject more proficient in administration and strategy. Trusted Fellow makes the subject more charismatic when talking to men.

Tuesday, 5 September 2017

Sorcery: Yellow Spells

Sorcery: Yellow Spells

Pyramid #3-28 introduces a new magical style - Yellow Goblin Magic. It has a quite interesting occult background.  Alter Gender temporarily alters the subject's gender. Androgyny makes his gender difficult to discern. Dye Yellow makes unliving materials yellow. Sense Goblin and Sense Man detects goblins or sapient male beings.

Monday, 4 September 2017

Sorcery: Ley Line Spells

Sorcery: Ley Line Spells

GURPS Thaumatology - Urban Magics presents several ley line-related spells. Many of them did not seem to be convertable to me, but some of them work well as Sorcery spells. Ley Float allows a vehicle of a structure to float above a ley line. Ley Running replenishes FP when running along a ley line. Ley Speech lets the caster talk to somebody else via a ley line. Seek Ley Line lets the caster find the closest ley line. In other news, I'm done with all non-Pyramid spells!

Sunday, 3 September 2017

Monster: Chain Devil (Kyton)

Monster: Chain Devil (Kyton)

The chain devil is one of the most interesting devil types in D&D, in my opinion. They fall out of the traditional tanar'ri hierarchy, and in Pathfinder they are a whole separate outsider type altogether. A kyton is physically strong, but not particulary bright. He's always covered in a layer of chains, which provide him unreliable DR in addition to his naturally resistant skin. Use of holy and/or silver weapons is advised. The chains effectively grant the chain devil a pair of kusaris - Reach 1-4 flail-like swinging attacks. They hit hard and are hard to parry. What makes things worse is the kyton's ability to animate other chains, allowing him to strike distant enemies. If the enemies wield chains, then it makes things even worse. In addition, making his face resemble the face of a loved one or the worst enemy can be very unsettling.

Saturday, 2 September 2017

Magic: City Spells

Magic: City Spells

The Cityscape supplement for D&D 3.5 has only a few spells, but they seem to be great for urban adventures. Here's my attempt at converting them. Detect Weaponry lets the caster see all hidden and obvious weapons. Impeding Stones turns city streets into difficult terrain. Secret Weapon lets an assassin evade weapon confiscation. Spacious Carriage creates means of transportation. Peacebond is a spell that would probably be widely used by city guard mages. False Peacebond is a treacherous form of the former spell. Zone of Peace is an area version of Peacebond.

Friday, 1 September 2017

Sorcery: Meta Spells VI

Sorcery: Meta Spells VI

Meta spells! Transference Bolt transfers mana to another spellcaster. Mana Vortex damages the subject with ambient mana. Void Bolt is an irresistible missile attack. Sovereign Countermagic and Sovereign Ward counter all spells cast on or by the subject.

Thursday, 31 August 2017

Sorcery: Assorted Spells

Sorcery: Assorted Spells

Four random spells that I could not group up with any other spells. Fount of Wine (Pyramid #3-43) is a useful spell at parties. Grasping Doom (GURPS Magical Styles - Dungeon Magic) is a highly situational necromantic binding spell. Mind over Matter (GURPS Magical Styles - Dungeon Magic) replaces the subject's DX with Per. Summon Divine Ghost (Pyramid #3-105) interrogates a spirit of a dead deity.

Wednesday, 30 August 2017

Monster: Devourer

Monster: Devourer

The devourer is a powerful undead monster spawned by the extraplanar githyanki (see Dragon Magazine #355). Placed in the middle of the CR spectrum, it should prove to be a challenge for a middle-level party. While converting it to GURPS I merged energy drain and essence steal into a single draining ability that powers the spellcasting, evading including an instant death attack. Giving the monster some Wrestling with high ST should make it easier for the devourer to grapple the victim and drain his life.

Tuesday, 29 August 2017

Sorcery: Plant Spells XVIII

Sorcery: Plant Spells XVIII

And at last - last three plant spells from Pyramid #3-68! Plant Zombie animates a dead plant. Poison Thorns covers a plant in poisonous thorns. Rain of Thorns rain poisonous thorns upon your enemies.

Monday, 28 August 2017

Sorcery: Plant Spells XVII

Sorcery: Plant Spells XVII

Almost done! Here we have variant elemental spells - Woodfall is an environmental plant attack. Undergrowth Ambush is yet another flavor of plant-based binding. Branch Fingers is a very minor buff.

Sunday, 27 August 2017

Sorcery: Plant Spells XVI

Sorcery: Plant Spells XVI

Not done yet! Slimy Skin makes the subject slippery and gross. Spying Blossom lets the caster spy through a flower. Toxic Plant enchants a plant with rudimentary intelligence and a toxic attack. Tree Bark Armor is a druidic equivalent of Armor.

Saturday, 26 August 2017

Sorcery: Plant Spells XV

Sorcery: Plant Spells XV

Okay, soon I am going to be done with plant spells. Run Across Treetops lets the subject runs on canopies. Searching Roots uses plant's roots to detect buried objects. See Plant Health lets the subject see sick or damaged plants. Shuriken Leaf is an environmental plant attack.

Friday, 25 August 2017

Sorcery: Plant Spells XIV

Sorcery: Plant Spells XIV

Even more plant spells. Process Plant is used to make drugs and other chemicals from plants. Razor Grass makes grass sharp. Resilient Vegetation makes plants more durable. Reverse Plant Growth turns a plant into a seed.

Thursday, 24 August 2017

Sorcery: Plant Spells XIII

Sorcery: Plant Spells XIII

Unending stream of plant spells! Invoke Fence creates a wall out of natural wood material. Join Plants fuses two plants together. Miniaturize Plant shrinks a plant. Plant to Object is a limited version of Transmogrification.

Wednesday, 23 August 2017

Ultra-Tech: Monodisk Guns

Ultra-Tech: Monodisk Guns

Monowire is a dangerous thing on high TLs, but it is rarely a danger at a distance. This is my first take on creating a new class of weapons, so it might be very messy.

Tuesday, 22 August 2017

Sorcery: Mass Protection Spells II

Sorcery: Mass Protection Spells II

And here we have the rest of the mass protection spells - Mass Resist Disease, Mass Resist Poison, Mass Resist Pressure, Mass Resist Sound, and Mass Resist Water.

Monday, 21 August 2017

Sorcery: Mass Protection Spells I

Sorcery: Mass Protection Spells I

GURPS Magical Styles - Dungeon Magic and Pyramid #3-4 have some mass protection spells. They are a staple in fantasy RPGs, but they are mostly absent from Sorcery. Let's fix that. Here we have Great Deflect Energy, Great Deflect Missile, Mass Resist Acid, Mass Resist Cold, Mass Resist Fire, Mass Resist Lightning.

Sunday, 20 August 2017

Sorcery: Plant Spells XII

Sorcery: Plant Spells XII

Some more plant spells. Green Telurgy is a highly limited communication spell. Harvest is useful for lazy farmer mages. Hypnotic Leaves is a druidic crowd control spell. Improved Firewood makes wood more flammable.

Saturday, 19 August 2017

Treasure: Special Materials VIII

Treasure: Special Materials VIII

And here are the last 5 special materials from Pathfinder RPG, at least for now. Serpentstone is a programmable durable stone. Viridium is poisonous obsidian. Voidglass is an extraterrestrial crystal that protects against mental influence. Whipwood is flexible wooden material. Wyroot is a wooden material that drains life force.

Friday, 18 August 2017

Treasure: Special Materials VII

Treasure: Special Materials VII

Four more materials from Pathfinder RPG. Living steel is a regenerating metal. Silversheen is rust-immune silver. Singing steel is resistant to sonic attacks. Sunsilver items can blind enemies.

Thursday, 17 August 2017

Sorcery: Plant Spells XI

Sorcery: Plant Spells XI

Even more spells from GURPS Magic - Plant Spells! Gather Moss is a complex spell that covers the subject in moss and suffocates him. Grasping Branch takes control of a tree's branch. Green Death kills the subject by causing plants to grow within him.

Wednesday, 16 August 2017

Psionics: Psychometabolism Abilities

Psionics: Psychometabolism Abilities

Psychometabolism is a variant power presented at the end of GURPS Psionic Powers. It borrows some abilities from Psychic Healing and provides a sample ability, but isn't expanded upon anywhere. Looking through Expanded Psionics Handbook for D&D 3.5 I've found many psychometabolism abilities that seemed to be easy to convert over to GURPS. Here's some of them.

Tuesday, 15 August 2017

Sorcery: Fluid Spells III

Sorcery: Fluid Spells III

And the last three spells for the Fluidists. Flow is a defensive spell that turns the caster into liquid. Infiltrate lets the caster pass through porous obstacles. Walk on Fluid lets the subject walk on air and water.

Monday, 14 August 2017

Sorcery: Fluid Spells II

Sorcery: Fluid Spells II

Continuing with the fluid spells. Fluid Vision lets the subject see through air and water. Purify Fluid can make air breathable or water drinkable. Seek Fluid seeks air or water. Shape Fluid shapes air or water.

Sunday, 13 August 2017

Sorcery: Fluid Spells I

Sorcery: Fluid Spells I

GURPS Magical Styles - Dungeon Magic has the Fluidism style that is focused on the fluids - water and air. The trademark spells combine similar spells from the College of Air and College of Water into a single multipurpose spell. Body of Fluid is a water/air polymorphic spell. Create Fluid can create water or air. Earth to Fluid transforms earth or metal to mud, air, or water. Fluid Jet is a spell that produces a stream of air or water (also, it has a very ugly point cost).

Saturday, 12 August 2017

Sorcery: Plant Spells X

Sorcery: Plant Spells X

And even more plant spells. Three of them are variants of some vanilla spells. Summon Dryad summons a dryad instead of an elemental. Vine to Snake transforms a vine into a snake. Wood Golem is a more specific version of Golem. Forest Defense makes the plants protect the subject from harm.

Friday, 11 August 2017

Sorcery: Plant Spells IX

Sorcery: Plant Spells IX

Some plant spells in GURPS Magic - Plant Spells are just variants of the more generic spells. Breakfall Plants is Slow Fall that only works when falling onto living plants. Exploding Vegetable is Explode that only works on vegetables and fruits. Fling Fruit is Poltergeist that only works on vegetables and fruits. Grant Plant Intelligence is Wisdom that only affects plants.

Thursday, 10 August 2017

Sorcery: Plant Spells VIII

Sorcery: Plant Spells VIII

Some of the plant spells are very difficult to build as Sorcery spells. Change Species temporarily transforms one plant into another. Create Paper is useful in an office. Create Book is a variation of the previous spell. Druid's Panacea is a multipurpose druidic healing spell. Fast Plant Growth enlarges plants.

Wednesday, 9 August 2017

Sorcery: Plant Spells VII

Sorcery: Plant Spells VII

GURPS Magic - Plant Spells is one of my favorite supplements. Too bad I haven't had a chance to use it in play. Blade of Grass transforms a blade of grass into a literal blade. Bloodsucking Branches turns branches into vampiric organisms. Buoyant Plant Life lets the caster hop between lily pads. Capturing Vines is a stronger, but more specialized version of Tangle Growth. Seaweed Clutch is its aquatic variant.

Tuesday, 8 August 2017

Treasure: Special Materials VI

Treasure: Special Materials VI

We're still not done with Pathfinder special materials. Here we have the rest of the skymetals. Glaucite is a quite boring alloy. Horacalcum is a time-bending metal. Inubrix is out of phase with iron and steel. Noqual is highly resistant to magic.

Monday, 7 August 2017

Magic: Spell Index

Magic: Spell Index

I already have created quite many spells for GURPS Magic, some original, some converted or adapted from other sources, and while I have them all in a single document, there must be a way to easily find them here, on the blog. So, I decided to make an index of all spells and links to the posts. I'll try to keep it updated. Since Blogger does not allow more than a single featured post, this post will be more difficult to find - either via a link in the Sorcery spell index post, or via the index tag.

Sunday, 6 August 2017

Sorcery: Death Spells III

Sorcery: Death Spells III

We're done with death spells now! Accursed Triangle is a deadly possession spell that can be dangerous to the caster. Murder Blossom produces a fatally allergic pollen cloud. Swamp Rot transforms the victim into slime. Telepathic Overload scrambles the victim's brain.

Saturday, 5 August 2017

Sorcery: Death Spells II

Sorcery: Death Spells II

And even more death spells. Assassin's Weapon turns any weapon into an instakill tool. Butcher slaughters and dresses out an animal or an unlucky human. Death's Banquet introduces a deadly poison into food. Dimensional Dissection sends parts of the victim to a different time, place, or plane of existence.

Friday, 4 August 2017

Sorcery: Death Spells I

Sorcery: Death Spells I

Here we have 4 spells from GURPS Magic - Death Spells that I could not append to any other unconverted spells. Abominable Alteration and Thousand-Legged Demise are transmutative death spells. Dissipate liquifies the victim. Drown is an expensive spell that drowns the victim.

Thursday, 3 August 2017

Sorcery: Earth Spells IV

Sorcery: Earth Spells IV

Here are two earth spells from GURPS Magic - Death Spells and three earth spells from GURPS Underground Adventures. Break Rock is useful when dismantling rock buildings and digging tunnels. Dust to Dust is an instant death spell. Heart of Stone literally transforms the victim's heart into stone. Seek Landform is a more generalized version of Seek Pass. Trace Labyrinth is useful to not lose your bearings underground.

Wednesday, 2 August 2017

Sorcery: Mind Control Spells X

Sorcery: Mind Control Spells X

More mind control spells from GURPS Magical Styles - Dungeon Magic! Discord is the opposite of Pacify from the previous post. Mass Charm and Mass Hallucination are area variants of the corresponding spells.

Tuesday, 1 August 2017

Sorcery: Mind Control Spells IX

Sorcery: Mind Control Spells IX

And here we have some stray mind control spells. Coma induces a coma. Mind-Killer is a very expensive spell that makes the subject give up on his life. Mind-Whip is a telepathic attack. Pacify is useful against berserkers or bullies.

Monday, 31 July 2017

Sorcery: Light and Darkness Spells V

Sorcery: Light and Darkness Spells V

Three more spells! Cleansing Light is a complex death spells that kills, blinds, and illuminates. Shadow-Slay is another transmutative death spell. Trapped Light is a complex spell from GURPS Magic - Plant Spells.

Sunday, 30 July 2017

Sorcery: Illusion and Creation Spells

Sorcery: Illusion and Creation Spells

And again, two death spells and a style spell. Create Foreign Body can cause a heart attack or a lesser effect. Mass Invisibility is useful for group stealth. Phantom Killer slays the victim with a tangible illusion.

Saturday, 29 July 2017

Sorcery: Sound Spells IV

Sorcery: Sound Spells IV

Continuing with the ongoing theme, we have two death spells and one style spell. Disrupt is a deadly version of Sound Jet. Fatal Frequency destroys the target with internal vibrations. Wail of the Banshee creates a scream that kills the target on the spot. This post is now obsolete due to the release of GURPS Sorcery: Sound Spells.

Friday, 28 July 2017

Sorcery: Lightning Spells III

Sorcery: Lightning Spells III

And again, three lightning spells from GURPS Magic - Death Spells and GURPS Magical Styles - Dungeon Magic. Grave Grounding turns the subject to electricity and grounds him out. Lethal Lightning can cause unconsciousness or a heart attack. Stroke of Lightning strikes everyone in a 50-yard line.

Thursday, 27 July 2017

Sorcery: Fire Spells II

Sorcery: Fire Spells II

Three more Fire spells, scattered around GURPS Magic - Death Spells and GURPS Magical Styles - Dungeon Magic. Blast Ball is an upgraded Explosive Fireball. Cremate incinerates the victim. Snuff Life's Flame kills the subject via a quick series of transmutations.

Wednesday, 26 July 2017

Sorcery: Technological Spells

Sorcery: Technological Spells

Despite having converted the whole college of Technology, I have never used this post title before. Here are 3 Technological spell found outside of GURPS Magic. Awaken Building grants a building awareness and sapience. Reckless Reconstitution kills a creature by enlarging dust, sand, and other inorganic particles found in or on its body. Stop Impulse makes a brain stop sending any impulses to the body.

Tuesday, 25 July 2017

Sorcery: Body Control Spells IV

Sorcery: Body Control Spells IV

I found 3 more Body Control spells outside of GURPS Magic. Breath Adaptation is useful for speleologists. Death causes a heart attack. Doomtouch can kill a living creature instantly.

Monday, 24 July 2017

Sorcery: Air Spells IV

Sorcery: Air Spells IV

Here are two Air spells from GURPS Magic - Death Spells and two spells from GURPS Underground Adventures. Embolism creates a bubble of air within the subject's bloodstream. Monitor Air lets the subject know if the air he is breathing is unsafe. Steal Breath makes the subject unable to breathe. Test Air determines if the air is safe to breathe.

Sunday, 23 July 2017

Magic: Incarnum Spells

Magic: Incarnum Spells

A quite long time ago I converted a set of soul-based powers from D&D 3.5 Magic of Incarnum. The power modifier mentioned the existence of spells and other abilities that counteract meldshaping, but they did not actually exist. Now I took a look at the spell section in Magic of Incarnum and decided to convert the spells to vanilla GURPS magic. This post will present a list of spells, some of which have the special Incarnum type. Spells with this special type can only be cast by characters with the new Incarnum Spellshaping perk (basically, a perk-level Unusual Background) and can only be cast by spending essentia or be enhanced by spending essentia. High skill does not reduce the essentia cost. Most of the spells can be assigned to the Meta college, and the spells Soul Blight, Steal Essentia, and Wrathful Doom may be assigned to the Necromancy college.

Saturday, 22 July 2017

Sorcery: Bio-Tech Spells IV

Sorcery: Bio-Tech Spells IV

Last three bio-tech spells. Spellgraft imbues an embryo with magical abilities. Warp Fetus deforms an embryo or fetus. Transfer Pregnancy is used to transfer embryos between wombs or growth tanks.

Friday, 21 July 2017

Sorcery: Bio-Tech Spells III

Sorcery: Bio-Tech Spells III

Even more bio-tech spells. Sense Disease is useful for mages obsessed with cleanliness. Sense Nano is probably only useful in high TL settings. Sequence DNA is a magical aid for genetic engineers.

Thursday, 20 July 2017

Sorcery: Bio-Tech Spells II

Sorcery: Bio-Tech Spells II

And here are some more bio-tech spells. Ease Labor makes childbirth trouble-free. Remove Fetus can also ease childbirth or be used to abort a child. Manipulate DNA allows the caster to perform genetic engineering with no tools.

Wednesday, 19 July 2017

Sorcery: Bio-Tech Spells I

Sorcery: Bio-Tech Spells I

GURPS Bio-Tech has a small section with several spells. Accelerate Pregnancy is useful when a king needs a heir very fast. Alter Nanovirus is useful when you find a lousy old nanovirus container in ancient ruins, but want to make it better. Analyze Heredity is useful when the father of a child is unknown. Create Chimera is perfect for mad wizards and druids.

Tuesday, 18 July 2017

Treasure: Special Materials V

Treasure: Special Materials V

More Pathfinder special materials! This time we have three similar materials - fire-forged steel, frost-forged steel, and siccatite.

Monday, 17 July 2017

Treasure: Special Materials IV

Treasure: Special Materials IV

Here are three more special materials from Pathfinder RPG - darkleaf cloth, greenwood, and Elysian bronze.

Sunday, 16 July 2017

Sorcery: Necromantic Spells VII

Sorcery: Necromantic Spells VII

There are some necromantic spells scattered outside of GURPS Magic. Soul Prison rips out the victim's soul. Suicide kills the caster instantly. Zombie Vehicle brings a disabled vehicle to unlife. Zombify infects the victim with a disease that turns him into a ravenous zombie.

Saturday, 15 July 2017

Sorcery: Hellish Spells

Sorcery: Hellish Spells

Here we have four hellish spells. Rift to Hell and Glimpse of Hell are based on spells from GURPS Thaumatology - Magical Styles. The first one sends the victim to hell, and the second one traumatizes the victim's mind with hellish visions. Underworld Imprisonment is a variant of Rift to Hell from GURPS Magic - Death Spells. Hellspawn is a spell from GURPS Bio-Tech that curses the mother to birth a demonic child.

Friday, 14 July 2017

Sorcery: Fungus Spells V

Sorcery: Fungus Spells V

At last, the last three fungal spells! Seek Fungus locates the nearest fungus. Shape Fungus reshapes the fungus at the caster's will. Spore Cloud is an annoying area debuff spell.

Thursday, 13 July 2017

Sorcery: Fungus Spells IV

Sorcery: Fungus Spells IV

Even more fungal spells. Instant Neutralize Fungal Poison is a spell with a very long name, but a very short duration. Neutralize Fungal Poison does the same thing, but slower. Fungal Pestilence infects the subject with a fungal disease. Fungal Ruin ruins organic materials.

Wednesday, 12 July 2017

Sorcery: Fungus Spells III

Sorcery: Fungus Spells III

More fungal spells! Fungus Growth makes a fungus grow quickly. Fungus Speech lets the caster converse with fungi. Heal Fungus lets the caster heal a fungus. Identify Fungus lets him identify what he just healed.

Tuesday, 11 July 2017

Sorcery: Fungus Spells II

Sorcery: Fungus Spells II

Some more Fungus spells. Cure Fungal Disease could be very useful in day-to-day life. Fungus Control could come in handy when raiding underground caverns. Fungus Form and Fungus Form Other let the caster transform himself or the others into fungi.

Monday, 10 July 2017

Ultra-Tech: Armor and Weapons Adjustments

Ultra-Tech: Armor and Weapons Adjustments

I've heard complaints about Ultra-Tech having some problems with weapons vastly overpowering armor. In my experience the problem is not as severe as people say, but nonetheless present, so I decided to run some number tests to see how different combinations of armor hold up against weapons of various TLs and LCs. I kept in mind things such as special ammo, armor chinks, armor layering, and gun variants suggested by Douglas Cole in his GunDay posts. I should mention that "proofed" means that armor can stop the average damage of the specified weapon.

Sunday, 9 July 2017

Sorcery: Fungus Spells I

Sorcery: Fungus Spells I

GURPS Magic - Plant Spells provides a variant college of Fungus. It should not be difficult to convert these spells, as most of them are almost identical to Plant spells. Animate Fungus turns a fungus into an ally. Bless Fungus should be useful for underground civilizations that grow fungi for food or other purposes. Body of Fungus is a transmutative buff spell. Create Fungus can be used to grow fungi where nothing grew before.

Saturday, 8 July 2017

Sorcery: Raw Magic Spells

Sorcery: Raw Magic Spells

GURPS Thaumatology has a neat magic option - collecting and using raw magic that may be useful for casting spells and enchanting items. Analyze Raw Magic identifies the quantity and flavor of raw magic. Detect Raw Magic detect such sources. Process Raw Magic allows the caster to manipulate raw magic.

Friday, 7 July 2017

Sorcery: Ethical Spells

Sorcery: Ethical Spells

GURPS Thaumatology adds several ethical spells for settings where magic interacts with ethical categories. Exclude (Ethical Category) works like a specialized Pentagram. Loyalty of (Ethical Category) charms the subject. Repel (Ethical Category) creates a zone of repulsion. Seek (Ethical Category) detect manifestations of ethics. I don't know why most of the tables look messed up when I paste them here, but I can't do anything about it, sorry.