Kevin Sullivan
$Id: attributes.tex,v 1.1 1997/05/07 20:01:03 ksulliva Exp $
Note: The rules in this section are will be used for any new characters added to the game; they will not, however, be applied to any existing characters.
It is obvious to any GURPS veteran that IQ and DX are much more ``useful'' than ST and HT. For this reason, ST and HT are priced lower in my world (specifically, at 80
| Attribute | DX and IQ | ST and HT |
| 6 | -30 | -24 |
| 7 | -20 | -16 |
| 8 | -15 | -12 |
| 9 | -10 | -8 |
| 10 | 0 | 0 |
| 11 | 10 | 8 |
| 12 | 20 | 16 |
| 13 | 30 | 24 |
| 14 | 45 | 36 |
| 15 | 60 | 48 |
| 16 | 80 | 64 |
| 17 | 100 | 80 |
| 18 | 125 | 100 |
In standard GURPS, your ``fatigue'' is equal to your ST score and your ``hit points'' are equal to your HT. In reality, your endurance (fatigue) is determined by your general health. The amount of physical punishment your body can take is based on many things; a large factor is your amount of body mass (which is partially determined by strength).
So, it seems reasonable to set your beginning fatigue equal to your HT score hit points equal to your ST score.
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Many of these rules are taken from RolePlayer 30, ``Building Better Battles; Five Optional Rules for Advanced Combat''.
A character may choose to Retreat as part of his active defense. The character must move one hex directly backwards. He gets a +3 versus one attack. This is standard GURPS; what follows is a variant which balances this maneuver somewhat.
The Retreat puts the character off balance; on his next turn, the character may not step forward to attack except as a wild swing. You may also Retreat when someone attempts to grapple or slam you; in this case, you are at +3 in the contest of DX.
When under fire, hit the dirt! This sensible maneuver is taught in Basic Training courses in armed forces the world over, but is not yet represented in GURPS.
This is easily fixed by adding the following rule: a character may drop to the ground while dodging, earning a +3 bonus to his Dodge roll.
This is similar to a Retreat - except that a Dodge and Drop may be used against a ranged attack. (You may not Retreat from a ranged attack.) It has the disadvantage of having the character end up on the ground, however - it takes him two turns to get back to his feet.
Any cover that the character drops behind does not count against the initial shot that inspired the Dodge and Drop, but is effective against any further shots at that character.
A character choosing the All-Out Defense maneuver may take a single defense at +2 against each attack. (This is in keeping with the All-Out Attack modifier of +4, since most defenses are one half of an offense.) This may be done instead of taking the All-Out Defense option in the Basic Set, which is still available, of course.
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Although Lorn as a whole is considered to have a ``normal'' mana level, individual areas can have different levels. In general, Druidic rituals work best in the north, and Acarian magic works best in the deep south. Druidic rituals performed in the north are at +1 to all rolls. This drops to -2 or lower as you travel south. Conversely, Acarian spells function at a +1 in the south, dropping as you travel north.
The land is crossed by magical lines of force known as ley lines. Ancient Acarian strongholds (and thus many mondern cities) are placed at the intersection of these lines, allowing Acarian spellcasters to draw strength from the lines. A skill roll is required to do this.
Every location has its own set of lesser spirits which can be drawn upon during rituals. Some places are especially conducive to spirits. In these places Druidic rituals will get bonuses.
Wherever spells cause a die of damage, you must roll a d4 instead of a d6. This rule has no game-terms justification, but weakens the damage potential of magic to be more in line with the weapons. Remember, this applies to your enemies too!
True invisibility does not exist. The Invisibility spell bends light around the subject imperfectly; the result is a ``shimmering'' effect much like the alien in the the movie ``Predator''. This has the following effects:
This is the magic of the Flan Acar. The Flan Acar have an innate ability to manipulate magic. Some few humans can use the Acarian magical rituals, though never as skillfully as a Flan Acar. Acarian magic uses the rules in the GURPS Magic and Grimoire books except as listed in this document.
Acarian spells are divided into several categories. These categories are not inherent in the spells themselves; rather, they describe how common knowledge of that spell is.
Player characters can easily learn Common spells. Rare spells are more difficult to find, Arcane spells are (almost) impossible. Of course many spells are misclassified; no-one knows what the Flan Acar really can do or what spells are hidden away in an ancient mage's tomb.
The list of Acarian spells is available on line.
Acarian spellcasters use a varient of the spell energy system described in the excellent article Unlimited Mana by S. John Ross. In this system, spellcasters do not use fatigue to cast spells. Instead they use some form of mystical energy. They can draw on large amounts of energy, but if they overdraw energy they risk a backlash.
A mage must keep a running total of the energy used to cast spells. Every time he casts or maintains a spell, he adds the cost of the spell to the total. Each night he subtracts a certain number (the recovery rate) from the total. If the total goes above a threshold (30 by default) then they must roll on a Calamity Table. Their roll is modified by +1 per full 5 points they are over their threshold, and by -5 if they are maintaining a spell (rather than casting a new spell).
Each night the mage's running total is decreased by his recovery rate (5 by default). Mages can purchase the Increased Threshold, Safer Threshold, and Faster Recovery advantages.
Acarian casters may choose how much time to put into a spell. The more time spent on a spell the better the chance of casting it.
Skilled mages can cast spells using less energy; the unskilled require more. Note that this table is applied after the previous one; a mage who casts a spell quickly will use more energy than one who carefully weaves the magic.
| Effective Skill | Effect |
| 10 or below | Spells cost +2 energy to cast and to maintain |
| 11-12 | Spells cost +1 energy to cast and to maintain |
| 13-16 | Spells cost normal energy to cast and to maintain |
| 17-21 | Spells cost -1 energy to cast and to maintain |
| 22 and above | Spells cost -2 energy to cast and to maintain |
Acarian spells pull together mana and force it into a particular form. A mage who loses concentration may find the mana unraveling in a dangerous way. Any wound can cause the caster to lose concentration, but iron is a mage's bane; iron piercing the body causes severe pain and disrupts the magical field.
Upon being wounded, a mage who is casting or maintaining a spell must make a roll vs their base HT. Spellcasters who are not using magic are not specially affected, though they will still feel pain from iron (no game effect). The advantage High Pain Threshold gives a +3 to this roll.
| Succeed | Spell is not affected |
| Fail | Spell is ruined. Maintained spells will not immediately end, but cannot be maintained any longer. |
| Fail by 5+ | Roll on critical failure table. If iron was used, caster is stunned. Maintained spells end immediately but do not critically fail. |
If the spellcaster is pierced by iron, the effects are much more spectacular. The caster takes additional "pain" damage from the iron, equal to the damage of the wound (minimum of 3 points of pain damage). The pain damage fades with time; once the iron is removed the caster may roll once per round vs basic health to remove one point of pain damage. Also, the HT roll to avoid losing the spell (described above) is minus the damage taken.
As stated in the basic set, any damage taken while concentrating on a spell is subtracted from your skill level with the spell. This will affect energy use. A caster may decide to extend the casting time to overcome some of these penalties, or to cancel the spellcasting and start over.
Acarian spellcasters use elaborate rituals to cast spells. They must speak the words in a loud voice and move their arms and bodies in certain patterns. Any sort of restriction to the voice or body will cause the caster penalties. These penalties are the same if they are voluntary (-5 if a mage casts a spell silently to avoid alerting guards, for example).
| Normal clothing | none |
| Heavy clothing | -1 |
| Soft leather armor | -1 |
| Heavy leather armor | -2 |
| One hand free | -1 |
| No hands free | -3 |
| Cannot move legs/body | -2 |
| Soft voice | -2 |
| No voice | -4 |
| Coughing/choking | -3 |
Druidic magic is based on the magic system from GURPS Voodoo.
``Initiation'' (from GURPS Voodoo) is a measure of a person's ability to perceive and affect the spirit world. Only about one person in a hundred is an Initiate. Initiation is generally an inborn ability though it may not manifest unless the person is trained by Druids. Druids search for young children with the potential for Initiation, and will take on promising ones as apprentices. As a person's dealings with the Otherworld grow, so does his level on Initiation.
Initiation is described in the ``New Advantages'' section.
Armor has no effect on Druidic spellcasters.
Healing magic is one of the most difficult, for it deals with the infinitely complex (and poorly understood) human body. A healing spell forces the body to heal itself far faster than normally possible. It may only be cast as a ritual.
In order to be used to full effect a Healer must also be a physician. As part of most healing rituals he must make a diagnosis roll (taking 1 minute). Failure will cause the ritual to be cast at -3, and cause ordinary failures with a healing ritual to be treated as critical failures.
Note that there are no physician or surgery skills; science has not progressed far enough for these skills to have developed. However, most healers take the herbalist skill which allows them to produce herbal remedies for many ailments.
There exists a special type of gem called ``emmilstone''. It is a marbled blue, and is very rarely found. Properly enchanted it acts as a powerstone for Acarian mages. They are otherwise identical to standard powerstones. Emmilstones are the only (known) type of powerstone, though it is rumored that the Flan Acar could mix powdered emmilstone with molten silver to make self-powered items.
Druids cannot use emmilstones; however, they can cast spells at a reduced cost when they are in certain holy areas.
A talisman is an object which has an affinity for certain sorts of spirits. Talismans make spells easier to cast by adding to skill, reducing cost, or both. Some talismans affect only a single spell; others affect a number of (related) spells; a few affect an entire college. Talismans are generally made of a material appropriate for the spells they affect.
Acarian mages have difficulty wearing armor. To get around this problem many mages wear special robes.. These Acarian Robes have been enchanted with the Deflect or Fortify spells and add to the wearer's PD or DR. A drawback is that these robes tend to lose their enchantment after they been heavily damaged.
Flan Acar reportedly use magical silks which allow stronger enchantments and which are more resistant (or immune) to tearing.
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Eidetic Memory -- Cost: 30 or 60 points
This variation on the the Eidetic Memory advantage was written by Walter Milliken and is available on line.
You remember everything you see or hear. This talent comes in two levels.
At the first level, you remember the general sense of everything you concentrate on. Thus, you gain a +2 bonus for all "regular" mental skills (including defaults). You have a +1 bonus to Acarian spells, and no bonus for psionic skills. ("Mental" skills based on HT, like Sex Appeal, are not affected by Eidetic Memory.) Also, whenever you need to remember a detail of something you have been told, the GM rolls against your IQ. A successful roll means he must give you the information! Cost: 30 points.
The second level is true "photographic memory." You remember everything that has ever happened to you! You gain a +4 to "regular" mental skills and defaults, and a +2 to magic spells; psionic skills are still unaffected. Furthermore, any time you (as the player) forget a detail your character has seen or heard, the GM or the other players must remind you - truthfully! Cost: 60 points.
Increased Threshold -- Cost: 5/level
You may draw more energy than others. Each level of this advantage raises your threshold by 5 points.
Increased Threshold may be bought or increased during play.
Initiation -- Cost: varies
You have the ability to sense spirits and perform magic rituals. Initiation is described in detail in GURPS Voodoo.
| Level | Points | Special abilities |
| 1 | 5 points | Rituals at -3, sense spirits |
| 2 | 15 points | Rituals at no penalty, +/-2 reaction |
| 3 | 40 points | command spirits, +/-3 reaction, Empathy |
| 4 | 70 points | Intuition |
| 5 | 100 points | Danger Sense, Charisma |
| 6 | 130 points | Charisma |
Language Talent -- Cost: 5 or 15 points
This replaces the Language Talent advantage in the book. Note that the entire language rules have substantially changed.
You have a knack for picking up languages. You learn foreign languages faster and easier than most, and will probably learn a large number of tongues. All points which you put into a language count double (or quadruple).
The literacy advantage represents the time required to learn the concepts behind reading. In order to learn to read you must also gain skill in a particular writing system. Each writing system is a separate skill.
Note that your effective skill reading a language cannot be higher than your skill with the particular writing system used.
Luck -- Cost: 15 or 30 points
Luck works as written in the Basic book (page 21) with the following clarification: Luck may retroactively affect die rolls. After a poor die roll you may roll twice more and take the best of the three.
Magical Aptitude -- Cost: 15/25/35; +10 per extra level
People with the Magical Aptitude advantage are sensitive to mana and its flow and tide. This advantage is necessary to use Acarian spells.
For every level of Magical Aptitude a spellcaster gets a +1 on all skill rolls to cast spells.
Rapid Recovery -- Cost: 5/level
You recover from magical spellcasting faster than most. For every level of Rapid Recovery, the spellcaster recovers 2 extra points per day.
This advantage may be bought or increased during play.
Safer Threshold -- Cost: 15 or 30
Due to long experience with spirits you suffer lesser effects than other mages when you exceed your threshold. You roll on the Calamity Table at -1 per 10 (or 20) points over your threshold, rather than the standard -1 per 5 over.
This advantage may be bought or increased during play.
The following advantages are generally not usable by player characters.
Acarian Lore (Mental/Very Hard) -- No default
Acarian lore is the magical lore of the Flan Acar. This is not knowledge of specific spells, but of the theory behind magic. Knowledge of the existence of certain magic items and spells is included in this skill, as is a general history of Acarian magical groups.
Acarian Runes (Mental/Hard) -- Defaults to Acarian Lore-2
This skill is required to read Acarian writing (both modern and ancient). A 12 in this skill is required to learn Acarian magic. Mages write their spells using these runes. However, each mage uses different notation, and sometimes the writings are encoded. Therefore reading ancient writing will often require a roll at -1 to -5 (or more). Comprehending a written spell may also require rolls against Acarian Lore.
Note that the Literacy advantage must also be taken.
History (Mental/Average) -- No default
There are several different History skills available. Each is a different skill. The standard ones are listed here.
Island Runes (Mental/Hard) -- No default
The language and writing on the Grey Isles is different than anything on the mainland.
Note that the Literacy advantage must also be taken.
Language (Special) -- No default
This is the skill to use when learning any language. Possible languages include Southland, Old Acarian, Brannic, Dwarvish, Druidic, and Islander. Languages do not follow the normal skill progression; the levels are listed below.
| Points | Skill | Language level |
| .5 | 6 | Simple sentences |
| 1 | 8 | Usable; thick accent |
| 2 | 10 | Fluency. Noticeable accent. |
| 4 | 12 | Professional fluency. Slight accent. |
| 6 | 14 | Complete fluency. Like a native. |
Everyone gets their native language at skill 14. A second native language costs 6 points of Unusual Background. Rarely a language will default to another (related) language; the default is for understanding the language, not for speaking it. Defaults are listed in the document describing the world.
Rules Changes
This document was generated using the LaTeX2HTML translator Version 96.1-h (September 30, 1996) Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, Nikos Drakos, Computer Based Learning Unit, University of Leeds.
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The translation was initiated by Kevin Sullivan on Fri Feb 18 19:56:14 EST 2000