Sorcery/Magic: D&D Magic Schools

Sorcery/Magic: D&D Magic Schools

If you've played D&D, you probably know that spells in that system are divided into several schools - abjuration, conjuration, divination, enchantment, evocation, illusion, necromancy, and transmutations. There's also several universal and double-school spells, but that's negligible. How would you represent this division in GURPS and, more importantly, how big of a discount should a D&D school specialization apply to your Sorcerous Empowerment/Magery?

Abjuration

Abjurations are protective spells. They create physical or magical barriers, negate magical or physical abilities, harm trespassers, or even banish the subject of the spell to another plane of existence.

In GURPS terms, this covers the entirety of the Protection and Warning college, plus Banish, Resist Fire/Cold (why aren't they Protection and Warning spells?) and all the anti-magic Meta-spells. P&W is a quite large college of magic, so I think that the additions make it closer to two colleges. So, I would count Abjuration as two colleges (-30% for Sorcerous Empowerment).

Conjuration

Each conjuration spell belongs to one of five subschools. Conjurations transport creatures from another plane of existence to your plane (calling); create objects or effects on the spot (creation); heal (healing); bring manifestations of objects, creatures, or forms of energy to you (summoning); or transport creatures or objects over great distances (teleportation).

This school is a mess. First, it's sometimes hard to differentiate between what is the difference between evocation and conjuration. Also, D&D 3e for some reason moved the healing spells from necromancy to conjuration.

But anyway, the summoning and calling spells are covered by Planar Summons and Create/Summon Elemental. Object creation (and also another form of summoning) is covered by the Creation part of the Illusion and Creation college.

Healing spells are the Healing college.

Transportation is the Teleportation and Plane Shift spells. It seems that this with the summoning spells pretty much encompasses the Gate college.

Matter creation is covered by such spells as Create Acid, Create Air, Create Earth, Create Ice, Create Steam, Create Water. Offensive creations would be Rain of Acid, Rain of Ice Daggers, Rain of Stones, Ice Dagger, Stone Missile, Ice Sphere.

Thus, this is three colleges (-20%). If you want to exclude healing spells, this will be equal to two colleges (-30%).

Divination

Divination spells enable you to learn secrets long forgotten, predict the future, find hidden things, and foil deceptive spells.

That's just the Knowledge college. So, -40%, as for a single college.

Enchantment

Enchantment spells affect the minds of others, influencing or controlling their behavior.

That's just the Mind Control college. So, -40%, as for a single college.

Evocation

Evocation spells manipulate magical energy or tap an unseen source of power to produce a desired end. In effect, an evocation draws upon magic to create something out of nothing. Many of these spells produce spectacular effects, and evocation spells can deal large amounts of damage.

This covers most Missile spells except for those that create something and then launch it (like Stone Missile, Ice Sphere, Ice Dagger, and most Rain of X spells). Again, sometimes it is difficult to understand whether a spell is conjuration or evocation.

So: Acid Ball, Acid Jet, Air Jet, Ball of Lightning, Breathe Fire, Breathe Radiation, Breathe Steam, Burning Death, Burning Touch, etc.

This covers most of the Fire college plus some spells from other colleges. I think it should be close to two colleges, so I would assign a -30% limitation to evokers.

Illusion

Illusion spells deceive the senses or minds of others. They cause people to see things that are not there, not see things that are there, hear phantom noises, or remember things that never happened.

Obviously, that's the Illusion part of the Illusion and Creation college. Also, some spells from the Communication and Empathy college will fit - Hide Thoughts, Insignificance, Presence; and some spells from the Light and Darkness college - Colors, Remove Shadow, Remove Reflection, See Invisible, Blur, Hide, Invisibility. I think that's enough to count as a single college, so -40%.

Necromancy

Necromancy spells manipulate the power of death, unlife, and the life force. Spells involving undead creatures make up a large part of this school.

That's the Necromantic college (-40%). On the other hand, if you want to capitalize on the life force aspect, like AD&D did, then it would be reasonable to also add the Healing college, which will decrease the limitation value to -30%.

Transmutation

Transmutation spells change the properties of some creature, thing, or condition.

This covers most of the Body Control college, a large part of the Making and Breaking college, plus a lot of matter transmutation spells from other colleges, such as Water and Earth. Honestly, this is so versatile that I would treat Transmutation as three colleges (-20%).