Thursday 31 May 2018

Sorcery: Energy Spells

Sorcery: Energy Spells

More spells from Pyramid #3-115 converted to Sorcery. These ones I find very interesting. Body of Illusion turns the subject into a perfect illusion under his control. Body of Light transforms the subject into an image. Light Speech allows you to communicate via a coherent laser beam. Sense Light lets the subject feel the light with his skin.

Wednesday 30 May 2018

Sorcery: Technological Spells II

Sorcery: Technological Spells II

The newest Pyramid (issue #3-115) has quite a few new interesting spells that deal with energy and technology. Let's convert them to Sorcery. Jam Radio blocks one radio source. Interference blocks all radio sources in an area. Redline doubles the vehicle's cruising speed. Laser Eyes is a variant of Sunbolt.

Tuesday 29 May 2018

Monster: Couatl

Monster: Couatl

The last C-monster from Monster Manual. The couatl is a winged serpent that is typically benevolent and helpful. Possesses both magical and psionic abilities.

Monday 28 May 2018

Monster: Cockatrice

Monster: Cockatrice

This is a quite simple rooster monster with petrifying bite. Doesn't deal much damage, but if you are unarmored and/or fighting against multiple cockatrices, you should be very careful.

Sunday 27 May 2018

Treasure: Grafter's Axe

Treasure: Grafter's Axe

I'm running a short dungeon ported over to GURPS. The original is made for OSR and can be found here. The dungeon features an interesting piece of treasure - a grafter's axe that allows attaching severed limbs. I'm not sure if I ported this enchantment over to GURPS properly, but here's the result.

Saturday 26 May 2018

Sorcery: Forgotten Weapon Enchantments

Sorcery: Forgotten Weapon Enchantments

While rolling up some treasure using GURPS Dungeon Fantasy 8 - Treasure Tables, I have noticed three new weapon enchantments that are described, but not detailed as spells. Converting them to Sorcery spells should be possible.

Friday 25 May 2018

Monster: Cloaker

Monster: Cloaker

When resting or lying in wait, these creatures are almost impossible to distinguish from common black cloaks (the cloaker’s ivory claws look very much like bone clasps). Only when it unfurls does the horrific nature of the creature become apparent.

Thursday 24 May 2018

Treasure: Immovable Rod

Treasure: Immovable Rod

The immovable rod is an iconic D&D magic item. Here's my take on converting it.

Wednesday 23 May 2018

Treasure: Necklace of Fireballs

Treasure: Necklace of Fireballs

Necklace of Fireballs is a classic D&D wondrous item. To port it to GURPS correctly, I had to dissect it into the individual beads and then calculate how much all typical combinations cost.

Tuesday 22 May 2018

Treasure: Bags of Holding

Treasure: Bags of Holding

Bags of holding have been bothering me for a long while. The obvious advantage to use here is Payload, but it is based on the user's BL. GURPS Powers - The Weird gives us a way to base it on HP instead. Still, to emulate D&D bags of holding, you would need thousands of levels of Payload, because bags described in GURPS Low-Tech have around 3 HP. GURPS Psionic Powers has an enhancement for Warp to make its carrying capacity static. For BL/10 lbs (Payload's default load) it says to use 2 lbs. If you use this static capacity for Payload, then the point cost will be almost the same as when using HP+N (Only to determine Payload, -80%) in combination with HP-based Payload. Still, the inherent item cost for Sorcery items gets out of hand quickly, as you'd have to pay billions for a type III bag of holding at TL 3. This is why only metatronic generator costs are given for types III and IV.

Monday 21 May 2018

Treasure Index

Treasure Index

Here's a post with links to all magic items, special materials, and other similar stuff I've posted before.

Sunday 20 May 2018

Treasure/Vehicle: Apparatus of the Crab

Treasure/Vehicle: Apparatus of the Crab

My favorite D&D game was heavily reliant on one highly unusual wondrous item from the Dungeon Master's Guide - the Apparatus of the Crab (note that its name is a bit different in the actual book). I was playing loose with the rules and modified the thing heavily. Here's my attempt at bringing this thing to GURPS, using GURPS Vehicles 3e and converting the numbers to 4e.

Saturday 19 May 2018

Treasure: Amulet of Proof against Detection and Location

Treasure: Amulet of Proof against Detection and Location

This is probably the longest name for a magic item if not in the Dungeon Master's Guide, if not the whole system. Impressive. The item is expensive, but quite useful.

Friday 18 May 2018

Treasure: Amulet of the Planes

Treasure: Amulet of the Planes

This ridiculously expensive item allows the wearer to cross planar boundaries, opening up the whole multiverse for him.

Thursday 17 May 2018

Treasure: Amulet of Natural Armor

Treasure: Amulet of Natural Armor

Amulet of Natural armor toughens the wearer's skin, scales, carapace, or any other natural armor.

Wednesday 16 May 2018

Treasure: Amulet of Mighty Fists

Treasure: Amulet of Mighty Fists

Next amulet on the list is the Amulet of Might Fists. Punch harder, and much cheaper if using KYOS.

Tuesday 15 May 2018

Treasure: Amulet of Health

Treasure: Amulet of Health

Decided to convert amulets from Dungeon Master's Guide for D&D 3.5. Some of them are pretty simple items in terms of mechanics. The first one if the Amulet of Health.

Monday 14 May 2018

Powers: Words of Creation

Powers: Words of Creation

The last thing I want to convert from Book of Exalted Deeds is the Words of Creation. A good counterpart to the Dark Speech

Sunday 13 May 2018

Exalted Afflictions

Exalted Afflictions

Book of Exalted Deeds for D&D 3.5 presents a new category of supernatural diseases - the afflictions. They only affect evil creatures, whatever they are in your setting.

Saturday 12 May 2018

Alchemy: Ravages

Alchemy: Ravages

Poisons again. While Book of Vile Darkness gives us psychic poisons and normal poisons, Book of Exalted Deeds for D&D 3.5 gives us ravages and afflictions that work as supernatural poisons and diseases against evil creatures, respectively. I think this qualifies for a new Poisons specialty.

Friday 11 May 2018

Ultra-Tech: Brain Nanosymbionts

Ultra-Tech: Brain Nanosymbionts

Nanosymbionts are described in GURPS Bio-Tech (pg. 164-167). There are quite many examples, but I thought that there's a lack of nanosymbionts that reside in the brain. Here's three more that I came up with, finding inspiration in various sources.

Thursday 10 May 2018

Ultra-Tech: Broadcast Power Transmitters

Ultra-Tech: Broadcast Power Transmitters

When creating my multi-TL sci-fi setting, I had to read through GURPS Ultra-Tech, GURPS Bio-Tech, and GURPS Psi-Tech and forbid/allow items on a case-by-case basis. One superscience technology has caught my eye - broadcast power (GURPS Ultra-Tech, page 21). In the setting it relies on an exotic material - polymodular crystals that is mostly monopolized by a TL 11 megacorp MacroDynamic Tech Alliance. Until now I haven't actually read into the rules for power broadcasting too deep, and now I feel that it's a good time to create some broadcast power transmitters and see how they work.

Wednesday 9 May 2018

Alchemy: Vile Drugs

Alchemy: Vile Drugs

The last thing from Book of Vile Darkness for D&D 3.0 I want to touch for now is its drugs section. Just like there is a lack of fantasy diseases in GURPS, there is also a lack of fantasy drugs, so this is a good chance to convert some to fill the emptiness. As usual, all rules for Addiction (p. B122) and Drugs (p. B440) apply, including multiple doses, overdose, and withdrawal. Have to say that the drugs ended up being costly even when you reduce the usual HT-4 roll to resist to HT. I'd allow reducing daily consumption to weekly consumption in this case.

Tuesday 8 May 2018

Powers: Dark Speech

Powers: Dark Speech

Another peculiar thing in the Book of Vile Darkness for D&D 3.0 is the Dark Speech. Here's my attempt at recreating it in GURPS, changing some aspects in transition.

Monday 7 May 2018

Alchemy: Psychic Poisons

Alchemy: Psychic Poisons

Book of Vile Darkness for D&D 3.0 introduces a new poison type that probably has barely seen use in D&D (just like normal poisons, to be honest) - psychic poisons. They are applied to creatures, objects, or areas, but affect creatures that use mental and information abilities on these creatures, objects, or areas. Thus, they are mostly defensive in nature and are very useful when fighting spellcasters and psis. I feel like they differ so much from normal poisons that they deserve a new skill specialty.

Sunday 6 May 2018

Alchemy: Vile Alchemical and Quasi-Magical Items

Alchemy: Vile Alchemical and Quasi-Magical Items

Book of Vile Darkness for D&D 3.0 has five vile alchemical and quasi-magical items. Should not be difficult to port them over. I'd say that the violated horn is a proper magical item, not a quasi-magical item, as so book says.

Saturday 5 May 2018

Sorcery: Glass Spells IV

Sorcery: Glass Spells IV

Last three glass spells from Pyramid #3-114. Glasswraith makes the subject intangible to glass and obsidian. Mirror Duplicate and Mirror Trap are secret spells for the style described in the article.

Friday 4 May 2018

Sorcery: Glass Spells III

Sorcery: Glass Spells III

Even more glass spells. Almost done with them. Flesh to Glass vitrifies the victim. Glass Missile is a negative armor divisor cutting missile. Rain of Glass is an area variation of the former spell. Glass Vision lets the subject see through any glass.

Thursday 3 May 2018

Sorcery: Glass Spells II

Sorcery: Glass Spells II

More glass spells from Pyramid #3-114. Body of Glass turns the subject into a transparent glass statue. Glass Transparency, Repair Glass, Sharpen Glass and Shape Glass are variants of other spells.

Wednesday 2 May 2018

Sorcery: Glass Spells

Sorcery: Glass Spells

Pyramid #3-114 introduced us to the new Glass (sub)-college. Most of the spells are variations of some Earth spells, but I still find the addition very neat. Here we have converted spell variations - Create Sand, Earth to Glass, Essential Glass, Glass to Air, and Partial Vitrification.

Tuesday 1 May 2018

Sorcery: Divination Spells II

Sorcery: Divination Spells II

The newest Pyramid issue (#3-114) includes one new information spell - Identify True Name. I did my best converting it to Sorcery and added a couple of new spells - Detect Curse and Scrying.