GURPS Magic Notes 17: Spirits

Spirits are useful tools used by mages. The basic Spirit trait you see below can be slapped on a lot of various useful spirit lenses (also below) and is meant to be used with the Command Spirits spell found in GURPS Magic p. 153. The Command Spirit spell gives you a minimum of 50cp spirit, so you have a lot of lenses you can use.

I got the idea behind drones, but spirits as tools and aids has been a very old idea. Of course, it is in modern thinking of logistics and organization where we see methods and techniques to use spirits in a scale a mage would not have thought of prior to the advancements of logistics and economics.

I think of spirits as a much smarter drones, and a particularly unpredictable because they have their own personality and quirks. Mages see them as tools but they are much more than that. A simple and powerful use of spirits is "spying" and gathering information. Acting as agents for the Mages, they can be very powerful... but have their risks.

If you get the chance to read the template/trait, you will notice these are two spirits: light and darkness. The darker spirit being more useful because it tends to be used for more roles.

Here is the Gdocs which I update more frequently. 

Hidden Lore (Spirits) (IQ/A)

Defaults: Hidden Lore (Undead) -4, Thaumatology -6, Necromancy Path-4,

The ability inductively or deductively determine the abilities and qualities of a Spirit. Since spirits are not just the "dead", there are spirits can be those found in the worlds behind the veil of reality. Spirits is an optional specialty, and a broader expertise is possible looking all creatures beyond the "veil".

Command Spirit (Necromancy; prerequisite count 5; M153). This spell can be maintained by a mage with at least the spell skill of 25 (a gross skill ability of Thaumatology-36 or Necromancy-30)

Spirit Template

-14 points

Advantages [181]: Doesn't Breathe (B49) [20]; Doesn't Eat or Drink (B50) [10]; Doesn't Sleep (B50) [20]; Immune to Metabolic Hazards (B80) [30]; Insubstantial (B62; Always On -40%) [48]; Invisibility (B63; Substantial Only -10%; Visible in Mirrors -10%; Resistable, WIll-2, -20%) [24]; Night Vision 9 [9]; Unkillable 2 (Achilles Heel, Silver and Magical -50%; Hindrance, Silver and Magical -25%; Trigger, Simple Ritual, -5%) [20];

Disadvantages [-195]: Dependency (B130) (Very Common - Ambient Mana, -5 points;  Constantly x5 cost) [-25]; Dread (B132; Symbols of Protection) [-10]; Supernatural Features (B157; Pallor, No Body Heat) [-15]; Vulnerability (Rare - silver and magic; x4 damage) [-20]; Vulnerability (common - Energy Attacks; x2 damage) [-40];  Weakness (B161) (Sunlight 1d per minute) [-60] or Dependency (Very Common, Light -5 points; Constantly, x5 cost; 1d3 of damage per minute, +100%, Total -50), Vulnerability (Rare - Dark Magic, x2 damage; -10)  [-60]; Non-Legal Human Entity Meta Trait [-40].

• Dark Spirits are averse to daylight (1d burn per minute)
• Light Spirits are dependency on Light, taking 1 damage in complete darkness per second.
• They depend on mana, so can't be found in dead zones and dead zones "starve" them (1HP second).

Typical Packages and Features

• Mindlink (B70) with the mage (making even the smallest chance to communicate with the mage a success).  
• Detect (all Supernatural; use Observation skill) (B48) [30].

Small Spirits Templates

Lesser spirits tend to be small (SM-5 typically), because it makes it easier for them to hide and find safe places to wait out the day.

Watchers

31 points

these are small spirits that watch and report

SM-5; Move-5 (flight-5)

Social Background [5]: Cultural Familiarity (human) [2]; Language (Fluent) [3]

Template [-14]: Spirit Template [-14]

Advantages [45]: Detect (All Supernatural; B48) [30]; Talent Stalker 2 (Stealth, Observation, Navigation, Shadowing, Search, and Tracking) [10]; Mind Link (B70) [5]

Disadvantages [-25]: Curious (12) (B129) [-5]; Loner (12) (B142) [-5]; Workaholic (B162) [-5]; Cowardice (12) (B129) [-10]

Skills [20]: Observation (A) Per+1 [4]; Navigation (A) IQ+2 [8]; Stealth (A) DX [2]; Shadowing (A) Per [2]; Search (A) Per [2]; Tracking (A) Per [2].   

Harassers

31 points

Poltergeist comes to mind, these mean spirits can make someone's life miserable. Great for distracting and harassing people who don't have any defenses (even simple symbols of protection).

SM-5; Move-5 (flight-5)

Social Background [5]: Cultural Familiarity (human) [2]; Language (Fluent) [3]

Template [-14]: Spirit Template [-14]

Advantages [65]: Detect (All Supernatural; B48) [30]; Telekinesis  (ST4, BL 1.45kg or 3.2 lbs; source, magic; focus, magic) [20]; Talent Stalker 2 (Stealth, Observation, Navigation, Filch, Throwing, and Slight of Hand) [10]; Mindlink (B70) [5]

Disadvantages [-45]: Sadism (12) (B152) [-15]; Bully (12) [-10]; Trickster (12) (B159) [-15]; Callous (B125) [-5]; alternate disads:

Fanaticism [-15]; Pacifsm (Cannot Harm Innocence) [-10]; Code of Honor (soldier) [-10]; Workaholic [-5]; Hidebound [-5]

Skills [20]: Observation (A) Per [2]; Navigation (A) IQ [2]; Stealth (A) DX [2]; Throwing (A) DX+2 [8]; Slight of Hand (H) DX [4]; Filch (A) DX [2].   

Helpers

31 points

Such spirits summon and used to aid the mage in research and study.

SM-5; Move-5 (flight-5)

Social Background [5]: Cultural Familiarity (human) [2]; Language (Fluent) [3]

Template [-14]: Spirit Template [-14]

Advantages [65]: Detect (All Supernatural; B48) [30]; Telekinesis  (ST4, BL 1.45kg or 3.2 lbs; source, magic; focus, magic) [20]; Talent helper 2 (Hidden Lore, Theology, Expertise (Thaumatology), Art, Writing, Research ) [10]; Mindlink (B70) [5]

Disadvantages [-45]: Chummy (12) (B152) [-5]; Obsession (the project at hand) (12) [-5]; Code of Honor (Devoted Professional) [-10]; Truthfulness (6) [-10]; Pacifism (Self defense Only) [-10]; Workaholic [-5].

Skills [20]:  Hidden Lore (Mages, Undead, Spirits, or Magical Creatures) (A) IQ [2]; Hidden Lore (Mages, Undead, Spirits, or Magical Creatures) (A) IQ [2]; Theology (name a Tradition) (H) IQ [4]; Expertise (Thaumatology) (H) IQ [4]; Art (Symbol Drawing, Sculpting, Painting) (H) IQ [4]; Writing (A) IQ [2]; Research (A) IQ [2].   

Guardian

31 points

Such spirits summon and used to aid the mage in research and study.

SM-5; Move-5 (flight-5)

Social Background [5]: Cultural Familiarity (human) [2]; Language (Fluent) [3]

Template [-14]: Spirit Template [-14]

Advantages [70]: Detect (All Supernatural; B48) [30]; Magery (Limited Magery: Protection and Healing -20%; Accessibility -granted by ally -40%; Pact: Vow protect the Ally -15%; ) [35]; Mindlink (B70) [5]

Disadvantages [-50]: Bad Tempered (15) [-5]; Chummy (12) (B152) [-5]; Obsession (protect client) (12) [-5]; Code of Honor (Soldier) [-10]; Truthfulness (6) [-10]; Pacifism (Self defense Only) [-10]; Workaholic [-5].

Skills [20]: Observation (A) Per [4]; Protection (VH) IQ  [8]; Healing (VH) IQ [8] .   

Various Notes

Various Notes

Notes about Non-legal human Entity meta Trait [-40] - Social Stigma (Valuable Property) [-15*]; Dead Broke [-25];

*Social Stigma: Monster vs Valuable Property. This is the difference between a Pest and an Asset. Its the fine line between a Cockroach farmer in China and many other people. Everyone else can see the cockroaches as pests and destroy it, and even encouraged to destroy the "pest". As for "Protected Animals" these fall under Valuable Property.

Biological vs Alternate "Biology"

Doesnt Sleep, Eat & Drink, Breathe, Immune to Metabolic Hazards basically remove much of the basic "needs" that make up a basic biological being. What happens is that other things take the role of Food&Drink, Respiration, and Rest.

Respiration, Food&Drink, and Rest, can be modeled by Dependency (B130), Maintenance (B143), and other Disadvantages.

With the unusual biology, poisons and disease don't work on it, but there are things that work like poisons and diseases - which can be Weaknesses and Vulnerabilities.