Sorcery: Wizardry Revised

Sorcery: Wizardry Revised

Lately, I have been receiving some feedback regarding my wizardry framework. People said that it's too convoluted and unappealing. I partially agree, so let's try another writeup that takes into account the suggestions I've received. If it works well, then I'll have to rework other subsystems that are based on wizardry and/or spells with skills.

I want the spells to require a skill rolls attached to them. Usually, this is done via Skill for Everyone (GURPS Powers, p. 162), but that box suggests us adding a discrete skill for each ability of the power, just like in GURPS Psionic Powers (or my previous version of wizardry). I was suggested replacing the spell skills with college skills, a la ritual magic or ritual path magic. To do that, we modify the spells as follows:

    1. The spell has no casting roll. We apply Requires IQ Roll, -10% to the spell.

    2. The spell has an IQ-based casting roll. No change.

    3. The spell has a non-IQ-based casting roll. We apply Based on IQ, Own Roll, +20% to the spell.

Spells should require somatic, verbal, and/or material components. This is accomplished by adding the Requires Magic Words, -10%, Required Gestures, -10%, and/or Requires Material Component, -10%  or Trigger, -X% limitations to the spells. The combinations of these limitations may vary from spell to spell. Casting times and FP costs can be adjusted as well. Alternative Rituals from GURPS Thaumatology: Sorcery, p. 7, are not in effect, because each spell has defined somatic and verbal components.

Improvisation should be limited to spells written in the caster’s grimoire or any other spellbook or scroll, and should take a while. This limits the caster’s combat flexibility, but still allows him to be flexible outside of combat. To accomplish this, we replace Sorcerous Empowerment with Wizardly Study.

When using hardcore improvisation, the wizard must read the reference work for seconds equal to the spell's full cost.

If Wizardly Study has no scope limitation, then Wizardry Talent costs 10 points/level. Any scope limitation brings it down to 5 points/level.

Spell scrolls that can only be used to transcribe a spell into your spellbook cost $2 per point of the spell’s full cost. Transcribing a spell requires identifying it first. Transcribing takes 8 hours per 20 points of the spells’ full cost.

Trading Fatigue for Skill (GURPS Powers, p. 161) is available.

When rolling a critical failure on a casting roll, use the Critical Spell Failure Table (p. B236).

SKILLS

Each spell requires a casting roll against a College Skill. Each College Skill is a (VH) IQ skill that defaults to Thaumatology-6. However, a defaulted College Skill cannot be higher than 12. In addition, no College Skill can ever exceed Thaumatology + Wizardry Talent level.

If a spell belongs to multiple colleges, then the caster rolls against the higher of those College Skills. The skills are:

College of Acid

College of Air

College of Animal*

College of Body Control

College of Communication and Empathy

College of Earth

College of Enchantment

College of Fire

College of Food

College of Force

College of Fungus*

College of Gate

College of Gravity

College of Healing*

College of Ice

College of Illusion and Creation

College of Knowledge

College of Light and Darkness

College of Lightning

College of Making and Breaking

College of Meta-spells

College of Metal

College of Mind Control

College of Movement

College of Necromancy

College of Plant*

College of Poison

College of Protection and Warning

College of Sound

College of Spirit

College of Technology

College of Time

College of Water

College of Weather*

* - this college is inappropriate for D&D-style arcane spellcasters, being reserved for divine or nature spellcasters

Improving individual spells as techniques is not allowed.