/GURPSGen/

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So due to reasons, I'm building a setting where Ritual Path Magic, Energy Shaping style exists, and where spirits exist and can be asked for help with spells.

Which works perfectly fine for standard magic and for standard Ritual Path Magic, but I need suggestions for what it should do for an effect shaping mage. My current idea's just that it provides the same amount of "energy", lowering the penalty for the spell/basically providing a bonus, but I get the sinking feeling that'll break something. Is anyone familiar enough with the system to comment?

An interesting idea of how to do use the Undead Path with enchanting in RPM:

Could you perhaps make enchanted objects which function as bond versions of undead animating spells? This would then be implanted/inserted inside of a corpse and keep it undead so long as said object remains inside (possibly representing this as a constant dependency, as residual mystical animating energy remains long enough, after said object being destroyed or removed, for it to move around some more as it crumbles away). Making an undead army this way would be absurd for mortal's lifespan. A lich, however, has all the time it needs to make a bunch of these enchanted objects for later implantation (along with forming connections, making a few undead guards, and setting up traps along the way).

I could also see this idea being an example of an early phylactery, with the next stage essentially being the same thing that also holds a sapient being's soul. The final iteration, then, would be to fully enchant the body itself and only keep the "holding soul" function of said object intact while converting it into a D&D style phylactery. Each iteration would, understandably, require more time and effort; thus leading to a lich--after centuries of work--having a horde of mindless undead and a few fellow (kept weaker and non-mages) sapient undead for company. In like manner, you'd have at least three types of liches: One being a highly vulnerable one which can be destroyed by removing its implanted proto-phylactery, the normal GURPS one with its soul bound to it's enchanted body, and a D&D style one (along with a fourth possible one which then tends to improving the state of its undead form, such as being akin to the Dragon Priests in Skyrim).

I had an idea of having powerful spirits (such as the minor god stated out in GURPS: Fantasy) offer x amount of energy to casters in exchange for proportional things (i.e. complete a minor task or sacrifice some food to get a small amount of energy, etc.).

Effect Shaping doesn't need energy though, which is the issue. It's a straight skill check- the "energy" just determines the penalty.

In what book is that skill listed? I might use that in my own games.

Effect Shaping? It's a variation on Ritual Path Magic in Pyramid 3-66 The Laws of Magic, in the Alternate Ritual Path Magic article. Then it got adapted and reused in Dungeon Fantasy 19: Incantation Magic.

Hey /GURPSgen/
What you doing when such happens to you?
Like you write setting, some of its history, sketched some local region maps, naked magic system (if exists), enemies and big NPCs, accurately tie playr characters and after couple of session your find yourself unsatisfied and burn all thit shit down. And then after next weekend you repeat this, write new different setting and other shit to start new game with, just to find youself unsatisfied again

Drown in regret. Swear it won't happen again. Have it happen again a week later.

Does the variant still have rules for multiple mages working together? You could have the spirit assist the old fashioned way, albeit with an extreme level of skill and Magery that only comes from being an ancient spirit.

Alternatively, you could have the spirit grant useful advantages, either temporarily via beneficial affliction or permanently via buying an advantage with the Pact limitation. Either way, these blessings and gifts come in the form of extra Magery, skill bonuses, or even the advantages from the Realm-RPM crossover system. Physical gifts like magic-enhancing artifacts aren't out of the question either; you can use gear like grimoires or gadget-limited advantages.

Are disadvantage limits really necessary?

Not really, not if you vet character sheets.

But having them cuts down on the stupid gimped minmax bullshit you have to deal with.

Depends on the group. Some are asshats and absolutely need to be told "no, you can't have an cursed quadriplegic PTSD-riddled alcoholic" because otherwise they'd take every disadvantage to get more points. Others mean well but need a cap to avoid stealing the spotlight and having their character's flaws dominate playtime. Lastly, they can be a good idea if you're running a low-power game; if you're balancing the game for 125-point heroes, even a reasonable amount of flavorful disadvantages might end up with characters WELL over 125 points, and if they're specialized in one area, it can be hard to challenge them without leaving the rest of the party behind.

In general, though, it's there to give GMs a starting point and to ease vetting.

Disadvantage limits serve several important functions. Capping the maximum amount of points, setting expectations for your game, and curbing abuse of disadvantages. I find myself, given a high disadvantage limit (around -50), to pad it out with disadvantages not really relevant to the character because it feels like I need to meet the disadvantage limit in order to meet power level expectations.

There was a discussion on the GURPS discord about this, where one person was playing in a game that (for some dumb reason) allowed up to -100 in disadvantages. That player's natural inclination was to take as many disadvantages as possible for more points, and came out with a confused character that didn't have a strong identity.

If you're going to use points at all, you should give a smaller disadvantage limit and raise the point total by the same amount. You only need three to five disadvantages for most character concepts (exceptions exist), and somewhere around -15 to -35 is plenty to realize them. Most players are going to want to maximize their character's abilities. Giving a low disadvantage limit means that the character will still be a reasonably functional human being at the end of it.

Some players don't max out their disadvantage limit. Those players probably don't need point totals, either.

Disadvantage limits helpfully serve to limit the inclination of a player that has run out of points elsewhere to balance their budget by taking disadvantages that don't quite fit the character and they don't indent to play.

I'd note that higher disadvantage limits don't have to be bad. It's quite possible to fill up a 50 point limit with a collection of flaws that help define a person and their relationship to the world, making it easier for the GM to write them into the story and giving 'hooks' the player can riff off of.


For less experienced GURPS GMs and players though, I do think it's best to, rather then going 150 points -50 disadvantage limit to go with 175/-25.

Always assume a player will fill their disadvantage limits. Experienced players will use them to help suggest what kind of things they'd like in the game.

For my first time running a GURPS game I'm planning on 125/-25, possibly 150/-25 depending on how the the characters turn out once the players have made a first draft.

Is the politics skill relevant to settings without a proper government? Should a character from an influential merchant house in an ungoverned city-state have points in it?

Yes. Knowledge of politics can help you form a government, or at least identify and manipulate the movers and shakers in an ungoverned hierarchy.

Humans always form hierarchies, even if they're not official. Any GM claiming otherwise is either full of shit, or using some bioengineered helots or slave races.

Shit. That sums up my GMing experience all too well.
What do you do when that hits you 5 games in after finally getting a game off the ground?

Suffer through it for the sake of the group and game while prepping for a side-game to play when the one habitual flake doesn't show up.

politics isn't necessarily about government just most often is. The character from that merchant house would probably be familiar with the local politics of the merchants in that city state.

Are there any different takes on the "Flexible Armor and Blunt Trauma" rules? I am unsatisfied on how they function normally.

How do the current rules fall short for you, and what would you like to see changed?

The current rules have a weird effect in that having more flexible DR is actually worse than having less.

For example, if I have 50* DR and someone deals 50 crushing damage, I take 10 points of injury due to blunt trauma. But if I had 45* DR and someone deals 50 crushing damage, I only take 5 points of injury.

I want to avoid this weird outcome all together.

Are you running games where that's a common occurrance?

Seems like a simple fix to me, either way: "Take the higher of blunt trauma or penetrating damage as injury."

I'm not currently running a game where that is common, but I will be.

I gave an extreme example, but in a low-tech fantasy game where players can stack and enchant their armor this problem could crop up. So it's possible to end up with 15* DR, or even 20*.

I want to make a sentient killer robot race for my upcomming space adventure. I'm net to GURPS so I'm still unsure on how to craft enemy templates.

I want to give them the permanent benefits of a combat/battlesuit. Is there a good way to do this with advantages/skills, or should I just give them a battlesuit and flavour it so that its not actually a suit but their machine body?

>I'm new to GURPS
Is what I meant to say.

To clarify this race is NOT for players, but just a general template of a species that they can encounter.

You don't need to fully stat enemies, unless players will have access to template somehow.
Just write attributes, relevant skills and what they can do.

Yeah I guessed it was easier this way. Thanks

You can just write the stats of the battlesuit down for them and say that's how they roll, give them a set of skills and combat-needed stats, like speed, HP, ect.

Ultra-Tech has combat androids and battlesuits.

reminder

I'm trying to use the gcs to make a character with ritual path magic, but I can't find any of the stuff for it. For example, when I check in the advantages folder, none of the files have Ritual Adept.

Monster Hunters has it. In general, though, GCS doesn't have much RPM support.

What limitation would I put on Compartmentalized Mind to represent losing one level for each of your Extra Heads that gets crippled or knocked out?

Accessibility -10%? You aren't going to lose a head all that often.

360 vision has a limitation represented by eyes on stalks that can be targeted. Flight has Winged and Winged, small.
I don't have my books on me but those might be worth checking out for mechanical and pricing guidelines

That's just part of my creative process. I discard at least 90% of all my material, and 9% of what remains is usually refurbished to become the 1%

Why i mostly sees such grief about gamemastering from GURPS GMs...

GURPS appeal to GM:s is that they got a toolkit to make the setting they want.

So obviously the GURPS GM:s are a bunch of suffering artists.

How would you stat Doombringer's power in gurps?

For the unaware, so long as it's wielder doesn't directly attack anyone, anyone who attacks them, directly or indirectly, has the attack double back or backfire to hurt the attacker.

Damage Resistance (All-or-Nothing, ‑10%; Force Field, +20%; Magical, ‑10%; Reflection, +100%) [10/lvl]

You could likely make it cheaper by limiting it to not working if you've attacked that turn.

First session of the Shadowhunter. I thought GURPSGEN might want to hear how it went because you helped me out making my character.

>Setting is 10th century Germany and the crew consist of the exiled son of an armsman, a priest, a retired mercenary turned brewer and the chick that steals things.

We start out strangers to each other and guest at a house on the river south of Munich where travelers on the river and road stop for the night.
Mostly we have no idea monsters are a thing and believe that right up until we hear screams outside and go out to find 3 pilgrims being attacked by men with pure black eyes and a tendency to yell at us in Latin. One pilgrim is down and dead, one hurt and fighting with a staff and one young and holding a knife.

Fuck you bitch. You in Germany. Speak German. We roll on them and they fold like a cheap lawn chair in the face of 3 powerful and skilled combatants and the priest. At least he helps out by giving us some idea what they'd been saying. The master demands the youngest pilgrim. Everyone goes back inside but we don't get to talk much because 5 of those black eyed ones attack again, including the two we killed outside.

We end up holding out in the house all night while the monsters try to get in and the young pilgrim tells us to use salt on them. Dawn just in time to stop their latest attack and send them fleeing the rising sun, the priest even gets in a good hit with his sling and we ask the pilgrim for some real fucking answers. The session ends.

Axeguy Johann?

Glad to hear the game's going well so far.

Yes, thank you. I hope it keeps going. I do not know how well the priest player liked it. He tried very hard to make the sling work but given the situation it was poorly suited. I only had to throw my axe once.

See if you can talk him into getting some Staff skills. So-so damage and okay reach, but the bonus to parry is really good for those times you can't keep distance.

>playing GURPS
lol

A skill that is not hard, slow to reload and penalized for range would help. He can even learn Staff from the thief.

>not playing GURPS
lol

The reason I play GURPS is because I want to play in about 5 dozen completely different settings. On the one hand, the system allows me to do so with minimal effort. On the other hand, the system allows me to do so with minimal effort, and that effort barrier was the only thing stopping me from making those dozens of settings until I started playing GURPS.

>The reason I play GURPS is because I want to play in about 5 dozen completely different settings
>I play GURPS
>I want to play
But not GM them....

Ah, lingual issue, sorry. GM, yes. I'm usually stuck GMing. I'm very sad about this.

So does GURPs have a book/pdf on general GMing guidelines or should I look elsewhere? Working in a campaign for my friends but I have zero experience on this end. I have an idea for a story but I don't want to be too railroad-y, y'know? That's my main concern, but we also have quite a few passive players that don't always take initiative. It's not a bad speedbump but definitely something I want to try to manage.

How To Be A GURPS GM

In addition to , I still stand by Robin's Laws of Good Game Mastering. Basic Set: Campaigns can also help a bit, though you should be reading that one anyway as it's 80% how GURPS works.

Thanks guys, I'll be sure to read those. How about resources for things to avoid in storytelling? I've been trying to avoid using "um"s and "uh"s in regular speech,but I'm worried my word choice and descriptions will be lacking. Not sure if something even exists that addresses this, haha.

>I've been trying to avoid using "um"s and "uh"s in regular speech,but I'm worried my word choice and descriptions will be lacking.
More Experience

That's something that comes with time and confidence. Don't worry about being amazing in every aspect right at the start; it'll still be fun for everyone and you'll have plenty of chances to grow.

That's what I was afraid of. Thanks again, and here's hoping they have fun cause GMing seems like a lot of fun.

Well, actually you can check LARPshit troves or other places where TRUE ROLEPLAYERS [tips fedora] share ther tomes of knowledge for books about how speak smooth and nicely, but better get that experience on your own

As former forever GM, now recently after a long break from the hobby 2 players are running games and I cant stop mentally backseat GM'ing (strictly in my head not out loud, I'm not that guy). Cant relax into the role of a player easily, I know too well how the sausage is made so to speak. Life is pain I guess?

I agree. I've always felt like LARPing was way more dramatic and theatrical than necessary, right? Having a passion for the hobby is one thing, but man, they take it to the extreme sometimes. It seems like there's a thin line between an engaging story and "magical realm" fuckery (not referring exclusively to fetishy bs).

In general, one says they are "GMing" or "running" a game, for future reference. And, hey, you can try getting into a game on the discord. There's a few still actively recruiting, although timezones can be a bitch.

How to Be a GURPS GM and Robin's Laws of Good Game Mastering are both great reads, but I'd like to hammer home how essential Basic Set's Gamemastering chapter is. It covers everything, from point totals and realistically portraying enemies to reducing lethality, adventure creation, and how to deal with problems that come up in play. Roll and Shout gets a special mention for being a visually distinct, eye-catching bit of advice that everybody needs to know.