Magic House Rules

return to Lon's GURPS page

Librams

See Spellcasting by the Book (Roleplayer #25).
I use the basic concept presented in the referenced article combined with the table above. Assuming that you don't already know the spell (that's why you are using the Libram!), your base skill level is IQ-5 (MH) or IQ-6 (MVH).

Modifiers
-1 per spell Spell prerequisite not known (at least 1 point and 12+ skill. including all prerequisites for each spell...)
-3 Requisite Advantage not possessed (i.e. Animal Empathy for Beast-Soother)
-5 per level difference Requisite Magery Level not met

An Example

Joe the apprentice has a libram from his Master's library. He wants to cast Telepathy (MVH). He has IQ 14, Magery 1, and he knows Sense Foes, Sense Emotion and Truthsayer.
Time to cast: 4 minutes (base 4secs * 60)
Skill Level:
14 IQ
-6 MVH (IQ-6)
+1 Magery: 1
 
-1
-1
-0
-0
-0
Prerequisites:
Mind-Sending
Mind-Reading
Thruthsayer
Sense Emotion
Sense Foes
+4 extra time
(64 minutes)
11 :adj. Skill Level

Skills

Thaumaturgy

Mental Very Hard

(This option would really increase the power of a mage)
This skill lets you cast a spell from a Libram without the Libram. Make a skill roll for each spell that you don't know. Success let's you proceed as if you had the Libram, failure means you can't. Remembering each spell gets progressively harder, thus you must take a -1 modifier (cumulative) for each roll after the first.
Example: Using the example above, assume Joe's Thaumaturgy skill is 15. He'd have to make a roll at 15 (Mind-Reading), 14 (Mind-Sending), and 13 (Telepathy). If he succeeds on all rolls then he can start casting as above. (Note: if he had failed only the Telepathy roll, he could try casting Mind-Sending instead since he remembered that much).

Spells

College: Protection And Warning

the Anti-missle spells

My issue with Missle Shield (and Reverse Missiles, etc.) is that they are absolute. In general GURPS uses a sliding scale for everything; it may be very difficult to do something but almost never impossible. Then there is this group of anti-missle spells. So my response is to redefine these spells completely.

Missle Shield Regular
Like Shield, but increases your PD for missle attacks only. It is cumulative with the shield spell; e.g. +2 PD from Shield and +2 PD from Missle Shield yields a +4 PD against missles.
Duration: 1 minute
Cost: 1 per +1 PD, max +5 PD. same to maintain
Cost: 1 per +2 PD, max +10 PD. same to maintain (if using "no PD for armor")
Prerequisite: Apportation or Shield

Reverse Missiles Regular
As pM77, except use the caster's Spell Throwing: Reverse/Return Missle skill for the to hit on the original attacker.

Deflect Missle (pG91) Blocking
This spell counts as a "Parry" or "Block". Since I'm using the contest of skills for attacks, use the skill level of this spell as the active defense, i.e. the mage must make his skill roll by at least as much as the attacker made his skill roll. You only get the fatigue reduction for the amount beyond what was needed to succeed. E.g. if the attacker made his roll by 3, then the mage must make his roll by 7 to get a 1pt fatigue reduction (all that is needed). A mage can only deflect 2 missles per turn (1 "Block", 1 "Parry") and then he must Dodge the rest.

Catch Missle Blocking
(no change)

Return Missle Blocking
As pG92, except use the caster's Spell Throwing: Reverse/Return Missle skill for the to hit on the original attacker.

College: Animal
Familiar Will Blocking, Special
This is a blocking version of Strengthen Will (pG75) used to protect a familiar from a hostile beast control spell. Upon successful casting, the famailiar gains (cost / 2) IQ pts for purposes of resisting a spell. This mean that for 3 energy a typical familiar of IQ 5 will have an effective IQ 8, thus becoming immune to the animal control spell. There is no range modifier, but if the Familiar was bought with limited range, then this spell is likewise limited.
Duration: instant (one roll only)
Cost: 1 per IQ pt raised
Prerequisite: the mage must be able to see through the familiar eyes (the 'Rider Within' Advantage, pB115) or have Telepathy with the familiar.
(reference: Alaconius Lecture on the Animal College)

College: Music see Music Aspected Magery ...

College: Ley see Ley Lines


References: