Advantage-Based Magic for GURPS

by Kevin J. Chase

There is a sidebar on p. B114 that shows how Innate Attacks and Afflictions can be combined to create effects ranging from a dragon's breath to a 9mm submachinegun. But GURPS advantages can do much more. By combining advantages and modifiers, a GM can replace the long prerequisite chains of the standard GURPS skill-based magic system with a few self-contained advantages.

These spells are not limited to attacks. With nothing more than a name change, Telekinesis 10 becomes "Garret's Invisible Hand" and Invisibility becomes, well, "Invisibility." Add the right modifiers, and you can reproduce most dungeon-crawling magic.

Problems Substituting Advantages for Spells

Advantages alone don't feel like spells -- they feel more like super-powers. (One of the GURPS Supers sample characters, Necron, is a perfect example.) For starters, most advantages are always on. The whole idea of casting a spell goes out the window when a mage's augmented strength and magic force field are never off to begin with.

More importantly, one doesn't learn advantages -- one is born with them. So not only does advantage-based magic replace your beared old wizard with a bearded old superhero, but the musty old tomes in his research lab are gone too, as are the lab itself and all his apprentices -- there's nothing to learn, nothing to teach, and nothing to research.

Finally, advantages are all-or-nothing. One wizard's fireball has exactly the same range as the next's, his invisibility is no better or worse than another's, and he won't be improving his healing magic until he somehow raises his IQ.

Solutions

To keep the old wizard and his magic library in the campaign, advantage-based spells must allow:

Learning: With proper training, an apprentice who can't cast a lightning bolt should learn to do so. That training could come from a master or from a book, but it's important that he is learning a spell, rather than somehow having power bestowed upon him.

Training: More training should result in better control of magic. A mage who's practiced chucking fireballs all his life should find them more reliable, easier to cast, and generally more powerful than someone who just learned how.

Evolving: Training and research should improve spells not just by increasing their damage or range, but by adding new capabilities and eliminating drawbacks. With enough experimentation, a wizard should go from healing humans only to healing any humanoid, and his improved lightning bolts should home in on his foes rather than flying in a straight line.

Learning Spells

Making advantages learnable is easy on the face of it: Simply allow your players to buy spell advantages during play.

While that solves the immediate problem, it reveals another. Now your wizard's player can look forward to learning that Mind Control spell in . . . 15 or 20 weeks. After all, 50 points is a huge expenditure, and many campaigns won't last long enough for him to save that much. What the spellcaster needs is a way to buy just part of an advantage at a time.

Some advantages can already be bought piece by piece. For instance, any spell based on a leveled advantage like Innate Attack lets you pay in installments -- just buy one level at a time. Most attacks cost only a few points per die of damage, so after a year's apprenticeship a novice will throw a lightning bolt that does one die of damage, while his master dishes out six or eight at a shot.

Likewise, Afflictions can be "leveled up" by increasing the HT check penalty, and a magic force field by increasing its DR. But this still doesn't help the non-leveled advantages that are the basis for most non-combat spells.

Adventure Seed: Seeking the Master

The party's patron wizard (or the PC mage himself) wants to take his force field, lightning bolt, or telekinesis to the next level. He's already the most skilled in the kingdom, so the PCs must convince a superior master from some other nation to tutor him. Or if they're the naturally-devious sort, a covert mission to steal that other master's notes might suffice . . .

Training Spells

Closely tied to the huge up-front cost of the big spells based on Invisibility, Mind Control, and Morph is another problem: There is no sense of development over time. Immediately after paying the points, the character can cast his magic just as well as an old master. By modifying the base advantage with some hefty drawbacks, a novice spellcaster can learn an affordable (if unreliable) version of his master's favorite magic.

Costs Fatigue, Extra Time, Nuisance Effect, and Unreliable all suit a novice spellcaster well, and they also reduce the cost to an affordable level. Likewise, a few perks like Accurate, Extra Range, or Cyclic let a master wizard show his stuff. That requires some fiddling around with percentages, but like most math in GURPS, it's all done before play.

Even better, groups of modifiers can be wrapped up in standard packages like "apprentice" and "master" to provide a one-word adjustment to each advantage. There is a table of suggested spells and their costs at each rating of mastery at the end of this article.

Adventure Seed: Open Season on Healers

There is only one master healer in the entire kingdom. There used to be five, but the rest have died under suspicious circumstances. Someone is systematically eliminating the nation's ability not only to heal its wounded, but to train new healers. Morale among the soldiers, accustomed to magical first aid on the battlefield, is dropping fast. The heroes have to figure out who is undermining their country while simultaneously keeping the last master healer alive.

Researching Spells

Just as advantage modifiers can represent different skill levels, they can also represent variations of the spell itself. Enough of these little additions can create a whole family of magic based on improving a single spell: If a standard-issue fireball is good, then surely a fireball with an explosive area effect is better, and one that lets you choose explosive or not as you throw it is better still.

This leads to a system where wizards will seek to learn from other wizards, not to get an extra +1 skill level, but to pick up new variants of spells they already know. If you learn a teleport spell that lets you warp to places you've never been (Warp + Blind) from Lucien the Lucky, and another version that lets a friend tag along with you (Warp + Extra Carrying Capacity) from Konrad the Conveyor, then you've just invented a spell that lets you warp other people to places you've never been (Warp + Blind + Extra Carrying Capacity). Expect the world to beat a path to your door . . . if they can find you.

That old wizard and his school of magic are not only back in your campaign, but other wizards are asking to borrow his notes.

Adventure Seed: No Place for Demons

The demon-spawn hordes of Evilopolis are about to overrun the peaceful nomads of Pastoria, and the PCs are there to save them. The nomad shamans have no trouble dealing with malevolent spirits, but they all learned their Bind and Banish spells with the limitation: "Spirits Only [-50%]". Their primitive cosmology has no place for demons, so their magic won't affect them.

While the PC knight is teaching their warriors how to fight an organized army and the rogue is learning the terrain from their scouts, the wizard should be instructing their shamans in demonology, so they can reduce their accessibility limitations to "Extra-Planar Beings". Cultural Familiarity might be the key to survival for everyone involved.

Example Spells

All spells require mana, which is a -10% Accessibility penalty simply called "Magic" below.

The other modifiers are negotiable; there's no reason a spellcaster's clothes have to turn invisible along with the rest of him, just as there's no reason a healer can't heal a golem. The player just has to find the character points to pay for it.

Disguise: Shapeshifting (Morph) [100] (Magic, -10%; Cosmetic, -50%; Retains Shape, -20%) [20].

Flight: Flight [40] (Magic, -10%) [36]. (See also the skills Aerobatics (p. B174) and Flight (p. B195).

Heal: Heal [30] (Magic, -10%; Xenohealing (All Earthly Life), +40%) [39].

Invisibility: Invisibility [40] (Magic, -10%; Can Carry Objects (No Encumbrance), +10%; Switchable, +10%) [40].

Mind Control: Mind Control [50] (Magic, -10%) [45].

Passwall: Permeation (Very Common Materials) [40] (Magic, -10%; Can Carry Objects (No Encumbrance), +10%) [40].

Probe Memories: Mind Probe [20] (Magic, -10%) [18].

Read Thoughts: Mind Reading [30] (Magic, -10%) [27].

Send Thoughts: Telecommunications (Telesend) [30] (Magic, -10%) [27].

True Sight: Hyperspectral Vision + See Invisible [25 + 15] (Magic, -10%; Link, +10%) [40].

Leveled Spells

Costs below are for a single level of each advantage. To figure the cost of a higher level, multiply the base cost of the advantage by the level you want, then add the modifiers.

Resist the temptation to multiply the final cost of a 1d Fireball by 8 to get an 8d Fireball. Due to the rounding involved, you'll usually be off by several points.

Banish: Affliction 1 [10] (Magic, -10%; Accessibility: Extra-Planar Beings, -40%; Based On Will, +20%; Disadvantage: Weakness: Natural World, 1d/minute, +60%; Malediction: -1/yd, +100%) [23].

Bind: Binding [2] (Magic, -10%; Accessibility: Extra-Planar Beings, -40%; Engulfing, +60%; Malediction: -1/yd, +100%) [5].

Evil Eye: Affliction 1 [10] (Magic, -10%; Heart Attack, Secondary, +60%; Malediction, +100%; Sense-Based, Vision, -20%) [23].

Fear Aura: Affliction 1 [10] (Magic, -10%; Disadvantage: Combat Paralysis and Cowardice (6 or less), +35%; Area Effect, 2 Yards, +50%; Emanation, -20%) [16].

Fireball: Burning Attack 1d [5] (Magic, -10%; Area Effect, 4 Yards, +100%; Variable, +5%; Dissipation, -50%) [8].

Frost Spray: Burning Attack 1d [5] (Magic, -10%; Cone, 3 Yard Width, +80%; Hazard, Freezing, +20%; Variable, +5%; Reduced Range, 1/5, -20%; No Incendiary Effect, -10%) [9].

Lightning Bolt: Burning Attack 1d [5] (Magic, -10%; Side Effect, Stunning, +50%; Surge, +20%; Variable, +5%) [9].

Movement: Telekinesis 1 [5] (Magic, -10%.) [5]

Paralyze: Affliction 1 [10] (Magic, -10%; Paralysis, +150%) [24].

Shield: Damage Resistance 8 [40] (Magic, -10%; Force Field, +20%; Physical Attacks Only, -20%) [36].

Stone Rain: Crushing Attack [5] (Magic, -10%; Area Effect, 2 Yards, +50%; Bombardment, Skill 14, -5%; Overhead, +30%; Persistent, 10 Seconds, +40%; Variable, +5%; Dissipation, -50%) [8].

Truthteller: Affliction 1 [10] (Magic, -10%; Disadvantage, Truthfulness (6 or less), +10%; Based On Will, +20%; Melee Attack, Range C, -30%) [9].

Example Skill Levels

These are collections of minor drawbacks that reduce a spell's utility for beginning casters. Journeymen and Masters more or less break even, and Grandmasters get bonuses.

Novice: Costs Fatigue (2/min), -10%; Nuisance Effect (Obvious), -5%; Takes Extra Time 2, -20%; Takes Recharge (5 sec), -10%; Unreliable (14 or less), -10%.

Apprentice: Costs Fatigue (2/min), -10%; Nuisance Effect (Obvious), -5%; Takes Extra Time 1, -10%.

Journeyman: Costs Fatigue (1/min), -5%.

Master: Costs Fatigue (1/min), -5%; Low Signature, +10%.

Grandmaster: Costs Fatigue (1/min), -5%; Delay (Variable), +10%; No Signature, +20%.

While none of these modifiers are required, think carefully before removing the fatigue requirement. Without it, magi will walk around with their Shield and True Sight spells on all the time. There's nothing wrong with that, but it makes them feel less like cast spells and more like innate powers.

To keep this list generic, modifiers that affect only missile spells are not included here. Feel free to give an old master's combat spells enhancements like Accuracy, Homing, Increased Range, and even Rapid Fire in addition to the above.

Keeping Track

Bookkeeping is easiest if a player saves character points to advance his spell advantage from one rating to the next, say from Journeyman to Master. It also makes for a more compact character sheet:

Fireball 3d (Master) [23]
Flight (Novice) [14]
Invisibility (Journeyman) [42]

But if a player is willing to keep track of all the modifiers individually, there's no reason he can't buy them one by one.

Table of Spells

Spells marked with an asterisk cost more than the math would indicate, due to the -80% limit on advantage modifiers.

Spell

    

Mods

    

Novice

    

Apprentice

    

Journeyman

    

Master

    

Grandmaster    

Disguise

    

-80%

    

*20

    

*20

    

*20

    

25

    

45

Flight

    

-10%

    

14

    

26

    

34

    

38

    

46

Heal

    

+30%

    

23

    

32

    

38

    

41

    

47

Invisibility

    

+10%

    

22

    

34

    

42

    

46

    

54

Mind Control

    

-10%

    

18

    

33

    

43

    

48

    

58

Passwall

    

+0%

    

18

    

30

    

38

    

42

    

50

Probe Memories

    

-10%

    

7

    

13

    

17

    

19

    

23

Read Thoughts

    

-10%

    

11

    

20

    

26

    

29

    

35

Send Thoughts

    

-10%

    

11

    

20

    

26

    

29

    

35

True Sight

    

+0%

    

18

    

30

    

38

    

42

    

50

Table of Leveled Spells

Spell

    

Mods

    

Novice

    

Apprentice

    

Journeyman

    

Master

    

Grandmaster     

Banish 1

    

+130%

    

18

    

21

    

23

    

24

    

26

Banish 2

    

+130%

    

35

    

41

    

45

    

47

    

51

Banish 3

    

+130%

    

53

    

62

    

68

    

71

    

77

Bind 3

    

+110%

    

10

    

12

    

13

    

13

    

15

Bind 6

    

+110%

    

19

    

23

    

25

    

26

    

29

Bind 9

    

+110%

    

28

    

34

    

37

    

39

    

43

Evil Eye 1

    

+130%

    

18

    

21

    

23

    

24

    

26

Evil Eye 2

    

+130%

    

35

    

41

    

45

    

47

    

51

Evil Eye 3

    

+130%

    

53

    

62

    

68

    

71

    

77

Fear Aura 1

    

+55%

    

10

    

13

    

15

    

16

    

18

Fear Aura 2

    

+55%

    

20

    

26

    

30

    

32

    

36

Fear Aura 3

    

+55%

    

30

    

39

    

45

    

48

    

54

Fireball 1

    

+45%

    

5

    

6

    

7

    

8

    

9

Fireball 2

    

+45%

    

9

    

12

    

14

    

15

    

17

Fireball 3

    

+45%

    

14

    

18

    

21

    

23

    

26

Frost Spray 1

    

+65%

    

6

    

7

    

8

    

9

    

10

Frost Spray 2

    

+65%

    

11

    

14

    

16

    

17

    

19

Frost Spray 3

    

+65%

    

17

    

21

    

24

    

26

    

29

Lightning Bolt 1

    

+65%

    

6

    

7

    

8

    

9

    

10

Lightning Bolt 2

    

+65%

    

11

    

14

    

16

    

17

    

19

Lightning Bolt 3

    

+65%

    

17

    

21

    

24

    

26

    

29

Movement 6

    

-10%

    

14

    

23

    

29

    

32

    

38

Movement 10

    

-10%

    

18

    

33

    

43

    

48

    

58

Movement 14

    

-10%

    

32

    

53

    

67

    

74

    

88

Paralyze 1

    

+140%

    

19

    

22

    

24

    

25

    

27

Paralyze 2

    

+140%

    

37

    

43

    

47

    

49

    

53

Paralyze 3

    

+140%

    

56

    

65

    

71

    

74

    

80

Shield 2

    

-10%

    

4

    

7

    

9

    

10

    

12

Shield 4

    

-10%

    

7

    

13

    

17

    

19

    

23

Shield 8

    

-10%

    

14

    

26

    

34

    

38

    

46

Stone Rain 1

    

+60%

    

6

    

7

    

8

    

9

    

10

Stone Rain 2

    

+60%

    

11

    

14

    

16

    

17

    

19

Stone Rain 3

    

+60%

    

16

    

21

    

24

    

25

    

28

Truthteller 1

    

-10%

    

4

    

7

    

9

    

10

    

12

Truthteller 2

    

-10%

    

7

    

13

    

17

    

19

    

23

Truthteller 3

    

-10%

    

11

    

20

    

26

    

29

    

35




Article publication date: March 17, 2006


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