GURPS Magic Notes 13: Using Magic Items

A review of magic Items and some notes about how it affects a setting.

Rules in Review

The rules for using Magic Items in B482 or M21.

• Hidden Lore or Expertise. In game knowledge of Magic Items may be useful. Since magic items have limitations on what form they can take and how they work, such a skill would help in a game of analysis and deduction (if the player likes to play that game or want to boil it down to a roll). 
• Power Rating (B481 or M17). under the title "Power of a magic Item". A powerful mage, who has high enchantment and prerequisite spell, transfers this level to the Magic Item. It needs to be at least 15 to work, and is affected by Low Mana zone, bringing it down by -5. So in a Low Magic Setting you need a PR of 20 or the user is a mana enhancer 1. 
• Two Specialists and a... Since Enchantment is a Ceremonial Magic process, you can rule that one specialist enchanter (with high enchantment) and the other specialist 
• Power Levels are important for the resistant rolls against the magic item. A spell that is Resist-HT/Will will roll against the Items Power (note rule of 16). 
• Inspired Creation (M115) makes fine and very fine equipment for 5fp. It says in any ONE craft work. it doesnt say if it has to be magical or mundane (which gets to be a really messy a distinction as magic becomes a science). Its big deal is that it adds +5 to the mage's effective skill in making the item if the skill matters. So that translates to +5 power rating. GMs call (my call is why not; if it doesnt give me an additional head ache, and it makes sure ALL magic items are made on Fine/Very Fine Items). 
• Using Magic Items (B482 or M21).  
• Magical Items are used by Will. But...
• ...You still have to Roll (using the PR) to activate a magic Item. Note that distance penalties apply, you would want to have a magic greater than 15 or else you will have to touch all that you wish to affect. 
• No ritual means no special activities or actions
• Which means you can make it as part of a ready action to activate. Ex. You can activate it while you reflexively drawing a weapon if the spell does not require you to target it on anyone but yourself.
• It also means that you cannot benefit from the meta-spells, since its really not casting of a spell.   
• It is as though you're casting a Spell (see describes the paragraph before the bullet points) but this is not "Spell casting".  So that means critical fail tables will come into play. So you might as well get a high power.
• Normalization. This means 1 out of 46,656 castings will result in a DEMON summoning. Here is your campaign Profession: Demon Hunters because of the wide spread use of magic items. Actually you can have an entire Campaign premise of a magical setting where characters all have to kill demons for a living that result in a botched roll. 
• Its really up to the GM what the Demons do. It can be they are amassing or plotting or they stir up a ruckus enough for the farmers to call the Demon Hunters. (i find it a great use if I 'Hoard up' the demons for some grand purpose later in the game). 
• Same Casting Time. As the spell, no modifiers from Power Rating. 
• Same FP cost as spell, The Item just takes FP from its user, if the user has no FP to grant it will not work. (So undead with no FP cannot use magic items that require FP). High Power does not discount the cost of FP, so in a way Magic Items are great for Non-mages to participate at great FP cost. Power Spell (M57 or B480) powers a magic item (note it provides half as much in low mana zones).
• Tons of FP! Its weird that if you have low upper body strength doing a push up takes more effort than running 200yrds. Ask the gm if he allows Aspected (Accessibility) FP that works related to the magic item. 
• If you want High Power makes it more expensive. If 15 is the minimum, so for every point greater square * 10%. (lets use a TL3 Shape Earth of $6600). 
• Power 15
• Power 16 +10% (example shape earth; $7260)
• Power 17 +40% (example shape earth; $9240)
• Power 18 +90% (example shape earth; $12,540)
• Power 19 +180%  (example shape earth; $17,160)
• Power 20 +250%  (example shape earth; $23,100) 
• * assuming $33 per 
• Which Items are always on? The easiest way to tell is just looking if its clothing or jewelry. Spells always one or maintained are the ones with out worry of critical spell failure. 
•  Innate Attack Skill (B201) will be needed for certain spells. Artist (Sculpt or Illusion) will also be needed for certain spells. 

Item Creation Notes

• Found in these pages. B481-482 or M16-18 
• Magic Item Power Rating (discussed above). 
• 483 or Price of per FP is calculated as Average Monthly Income divided by Number of Work Days per month. Note that this can be very different per setting, depending on what mages are in the Economic Order of things.   
• If they are sufficiently rare, like the Byzantine Empire's Pyromancers who supplied Greek Fire to the navy or Archimedes or the very valuable specialists that provided the best technology available at the time: Shipwrights, Engineers, and Masters. The cost of the items would reflect a station of such creators. In such cases, an Empire or Kingdom would have such a guild made up of very valuable specialists of incomes of Wealthy (x5 starting wealth) plus price modifiers (x2). So it wouldn't be a surprise if each work day would cost to create would reach  or x10 more than the prices in gurps magic or B483.  
• Price per FP is recommended at $1 and price of time is based on Income. In the end of the day the GM will just rule on the price and it tends to be on the inflated size because if there are a lot of magic items in the game, then the mages know how to milk profits. Encouraging more creative means to get magic items is an option. 
• The GM has to make up the cost and kind of materials. 
• $10 per FP plus $20 per prerequisite count in basic material like papers, inks, chalk, silver dust, salts, candles, etc..  Each attempt ideally costs something. 
• Quick and Dirty. 
• Drawback - risks. Do this if your skills are at 16, so you don't suffer critical spell as often. From 1:53 rolls to 1:216 rolls.
• Energy requirement. Unless you have the mages present then you cannot do it. Since Contributors who are not mages can only give up to 100fp then you need a lot of mages as you reach FP of over 100. Disposable magic Items using Temporary Magic Item will be possible with such limitations. To build a Cult Following you just get the playbook of real world cults.   
• If you are a undead able to burn HP at no penality with immune to pain or numb (numb should not allow you to tell how much HP you burn) you can draw on more power. 
• Benefit - speed. 
• Slow and Sure Method. 
• Note - Its more suited for Modern Settings or Normalized Magic in a setting. 
• Benefit - depending on your assumptions (mine are in here) this can allow for very powerful magical Items (over 100FP) . 
• Drawback - time consuming and man power intensive. 

Low Magic Games and Economics

• At $33 per energy point a Very Fine Balanced Sword is $15,000 vs $8,250. It kinda disrupts the economics of it but if the setting has a lot of magical items this may be the cost. Of course the GM rolls randomly what magical items are on the market.  
• Note that a Low population low tech world will find magical items showing up if these items are more indestructible than regular technological wonders of metal at the time.
• At x10 more expensive magic items, a Very Fine Balanced Penetrating Sword would (M43) be the same cost as a Mercenary Poor Medium Footman Squad (10 men; TS2.25) for a year of full time inclusive of overland logistics cost. 
• Warmachines that will allow Lords (Mage Lords) to more effective than squads or divisions of men would an example of what a Lord would spend for. The best example of such spending is when Mehmet spent for the creation of the Dardanelles Gun, or when the Romans used Greek Fire, or Siege engines by Archimedes. 
• Truthsayer, Persuasion, Sense Emotion, Mind Search or Mind Reading combined with various Mentalist Techniques can allow a mage to filter participants. A well paid mage can have a lot of apprentices and participants, pretty much similar to the household of a clergy in a Fief or Imperial Palace. He can probably have the population of a monastery with its attached Village holding as part of his 
• Such Spells can be Enchanted on Icons

Wizardry Tools

• Powerstones are very important. A casting of a powerstone spells by a very skilled enchanter would be worth while. Only high powered mana, magery, or powered games would allow more powerful power stones. Dedicating a powerstone
• Mana stones is going to be common in a low magic and low powered game. They may not be rechargeable but a mage with nothing better to do and has Manastone at 16 or better will be able to make use of his free time creating back up mana stones. A mge would be charging the stone 1 per hour. On an 8 hour day, where he does light duties he can cast the spell 19 times. 
• Scrolls. They are so hard to use that in most games that the opportunity cost is making one is reserved to games where magic is very rare but sufficiently low tech that technology would not out-class a spell. 
• Scrolls still require FP to cast, like magic items.  
• Powerfull spells take a lot of time to make, compared to making a magic item through ceremonial magic or quick and dirty method. Also unlike the scroll, these items are not consumed.  
• That economic conflict that the more powerful the scroll is made by a mage who has a very high skill, high skill that makes it a waste of his time to make a scroll compared to other pursuits.
• Scrolls would create artificial scarcity for magic, if the magic producers act like a cartel. Still since its DAYS instead of hours, its just too expensive. 
• Staff, its cheap enough that most mages can enchant and make them. Since spears are one of the most versatile weapon skills (with form mastery, grip mastery, default to staff at -2, great on horseback, a ranged weapon etc.) 
• Limiting enchantments are Expensive compared to making Staffs. 
• Staffs are limited to your imagination and GM permission. The Tesubo which is bascially an Iron-Staff can be made into a Staff, pole arms can be made into a staff, Bokken, Rattan sticks, cudgels, etc... its all up to the GM. Nothing like a powerful damage dealing touch spell on a staff-spear or staff-cudgel. 
• Usually at 1000+ points of power, especially in low tech periods these items get incredibly rare. The coordination and the specialization needed to have such is at an annoyingly high degree. Its better for high Mana settings. 

GURPS Spells that deal with Magic Items

• Many Meta Spells that affect spells cast with a magic item. 
• Countermeasure spells like: Counter-spell, Suspend Spell, Ward, Reflect, Seek Magic, Dispel Magic, Scryguard, Magic Resistance, Spell Shield/Wall, Steal Spell, (and all their variations) etc
• Charge Power Stone will come in very useful.  
• Typically cast a Ceremonial Spell for lower level mages (if they can meet the Skill-15) and non mage character can contribute energy (up to 100!). 
• Make and Break Spells. 

Mana Setting

• In a Normal Mana setting, specializations where mages and rulers control the production of magical items that increase the productivity of their holdings from this can allow for magical Items to proliferate. 

Mistaken Game, an Opportunity

There are so many new entrants to Games because of Roll20 they don't bother to read the fine print. My GURPS Modern Fantasy Game gets people who think it is DnD! Lolz

I should feel insulted, at least cautioned because these people didn't bother to think it through. If they didn't bother to even read the TITLE, that should be a red flag... but thats the thing. This hobby is not growing If I'm cautious and a filter out these new guys. Once they play DnD they are going to be playing that game there is a very low chance they play something else. The Game I'm running is MODERN FANTASY, with guns monsters and current events. Real or Fiction, it can find its way in the game. Intentionally a Kitchen Sink setting.

Sorry if it sounds bad to the DnD Guys but there are so many systems out there and not enough of the new guys are trying it IMO. I want others to try out GURPS, and eventually try out other systems like Mongoose Traveller (or Classic Traveller), Fate, Fading Suns, L5R, House of the Blooded, Song of Ice and Fire, etc. etc... (WH40k has ENOUGH people wanting to get into the RPG from the wargaming side).

People may complain about GURPS as they might, but we have the best Editing in the business. Check out our Errata and FAQ (no BALANCE ISSUES!!!). The system has not needed a new version since 2004, and prior to that it was in 89 was the previous versions. If Grognards want to talk value for money, editing, and comprehensive and well references books plus getting REAL WORLD EXPERTS GURPS is your game. Also the number of science geeks in GURPS is comparable to Traveller and Transhumanist Sci-fi fans.

So basically its all about Attitude. Turning this mistake into an opportunity, and using the opportunity to open people up to other RPGs.

Burden of problem solving

One of the things that take time is asking permission. It was in Happy Jacks where I heard of a GM that required players to take a lot of initiative, where his rule was: if you asked you can't do it and just do it. 

Getting more practice GMing, I realize that when players think they have to ask me permission to try something I'm not living up to my "Yes&/Yes-but" promisses. How can I be "Y&/YB" when there is no opportunity for the player to put more input. 

Experience with the 3rd Gen Game Systems basically gave me an Idea:
Go ahead and do what you plan to do, just roll. 

• Critical Success: Describe what happens, 
• Regular Success: Describe what Happens and the GM yes-ands you, 
• Failure: Describes how you failed, and the GM will yes-buts you, and 
• Critical Fail: Describe how you crit-failed. 

If this is too aggressive, try this one out. Consider it 3rd Gen Light. 

Players tell you what skill they will use to achieve a Feat. Instead of the GM asking what skills you have, in a given situation, the Player says how they are going to use what skill or resources at their disposal to solve that problem. 

In this situation, the GM does not list a bunch of options for the Players, instead the Players take initiative and tell the GM how they are going to solve a problem with their tools. This saves time for the GM, and gives a lot of power to the Players: but unlike what happens above, its just lets the player have ore free reign in their problem solving. 

As I get more practice GMing, I realize that when I'm having to present options I'm eating up more "Air Time" and I feel that robs opportunities for players to have spotlight. When players explain their plan, thats spotlight and the GM can be more reactive/cold-reading the players more than making up the story as they go along. 

Facilitation is how 3rd Gen RPGs are trending towards, with the motive of making the game run faster and allow for more things to happen in the shorter and rarer game and play opportunities for its aging gamer market. 

I've left this article to upload in the schedule, I'll be trying to implement this asap. Spending maybe 10 minutes  explaining to the newbies that they have these options and they can take more initiative if they want. 

GURPS Gladiator Arena Session 3, but my 2nd

Report of +Vaclav Tofl
The games were a "tribute" to a great general and a re-enactment of the war.

Parmenion by +Martin Davis
I'm playing Jia
2NPCs the General's Grandson, Albius, in Legionary fighting style, and Lucius also in the same style.

The battle began with us maintaining a cohesive phalanx for a while, at this point I was already seeing the merits of the formation. Even if they outnumbered us, if they moved in we could take them out easily, many of us striking one opponent.

Par moved to flank, leaving the formation. Jia was covering the gaps and evaluating using his 8 move in Hoplomancha mode. The enemy spearmen kept making safe attacks at reach-2, softening us up.  Lucius stepped infront of Jia, I took the opportunity: Free Action dropping held shield, Ready Action dropping helmet, free action readying Spear reach-2 2h grip.

Then a luck shot caught Lucius and he went down and prone, then I was on the defensive (using wait maneuvers to protect him from attacks by attacking the attacker). My attacks were all Anticipatory Strikes at the first threat within reach, attacking their Leg. My wait-&-attack maneuvers forced attacks to abort their step and attacks Or cut the enemy down at the leg.  

Par was in a melee, taking down the enemy in one on one. Jia was defending giving Albius a defensive retreating point, and Lucius time to recover. The most aggressive Jia was when he used after he survived a AoA Attack against 2-h axe wielder, then he tried to capitalize using Commited Attack: Determined + Mighty blow (1FP spent) and the German was still up. Albius tried to finish him, but the German was still standing.

When we were pushing the enemies back, Jia took the time to make an acrobatic performance.

Near the end my connection was terminated, and I had to leave instructions to attack an opponent I  made a successful feint again, I forgot feints are resolved in the next turn.

Before I could finish the last opponent, Albius called us back. As a soldier, Jia returned to formation. The gong sounded and the game entered a lul - Jia tries to recover some FP with breathing exercises. Albius tells us that there are beasts ready for the second round, and only Jia and he are still in full health (and Jia is a paper tiger). Par has only recovered 4 out of his 14 dmg and is at 1/2 move and dodge. Lucius is at the same condition. We really need to fight in formation now.

There was an opportunity to...

• striking an opponent that Par caused to turn his back to us by using Telegraphic attack
• forgot to use my Extra Effort FP
• forgot to switch grip defensive vs reverse vs standard. I did remember to change form this time. 
• next time I will shift to Staff mode, use acrobatics to move through the spaces combined with AoD: Improved Dodge for a maximum of +4 dodge bonus or a net +0 dodge and a +1 net to parry. If I fail my acrobatics I should use Feverish Defense if needed. 

I had a lot of technical difficulties

Interesting Notes:

• Low Fighter + Shield Wall and an Archer or Long Spearman at the back is awesome.
• AoD: Improve dodge has two strategic advantages: Movement and Dodge bonus, moving out of the way, and a better dodge. Can be combined with Step for another +3 bonus to dodge.  
• In the next fight I will reprise my Defensive role again.
• If my brother Jasper could have joined us we would have another spear fighter but a very interesting one, since he can fight with Two spears hehee - one in defensive Grip the other in Reverse grip (similar to Ni-Ten) since it was holiday but I wasnt able to contact him. Another Wei fighter, a Guardsman, is pretty formidable. 
• For the animals I will "wait" for an animal to attack and use CA:Determined a Stop Hit. 

You will notice the way I organize my thoughts, I try to keep data related near each other. because if it is not immediately visible I will forget it like regular people. I also spell out my tactics and my options. it also allows me remember strategies and tactics I've "crunched" for the future. 

My process dealing with young talent

I've talked to some artists and writers regarding work for my game system. I used to be in their shoes, and in their shoes no one ever taught us to price our work or how to analyze risks and protect against them. I use the skillset I was taught at work and applied it to art, skills I wish I learned when I was a young and starving artist.

Step 1 Measure Measure Measure 

(note there are rules of thumb that can be used to tell what is a good value)
Look at the Market Going Rate
Measure your performance per day, how many hours does it take for a Finished work
Measure all your distractions, risks, and failrate.
Measure your lifestyle

Step 2 Now compile, organize, and run the data.

Figure out your productivity in terms of a Month, Week, and Day.
Price according to your Cost of Living, not your ideal cost of living but what is sustainable but keep in mind market rate. You basically adjust your costs to be competitive but not far bellow market rate. Offer value not discount (as for value I would provide the skillset needed for customer service rep).
If your still not confident, you can offer a Discount but this is only temporarily and only IF you get enough business from them. IOW lets say you have if they give you 200 manhours worth of work, you can give them a bulk discount (which is only when you go below market rate). These costs have already been factored ahead of time.
Have a price per visit (i paid for the cab of the artists visiting me, when i get a chance), its like software design.

Step 3 Now organize your plan, and write down your assumptions. 

Have a business plan in the end, think through your profession, ideally aided by an experience professional who can help devils advocate all the contingencies and distractions.
Include the Marketing Plan AFTER you finish all these. By marketing I mean all the activities you do in order to keep visibility and relevant. Marketing is separate because it is the most disposable of strategies when times are hard. If they are hard for an artist, its time to consider part time work for a secure income. This is THE Ideal strategy fresh out of college, for most graduating filipinos who want to be an artist. Ideally they are in an industry that compliments or directly involved in their chosen career path.

Let them make up their mind

Of course I can only recommend and they have to make up their mind. Once they have their act and biz plan together, i'm more willing to do biz with them. I don't care much for the margins, thats the artist business, what I care about is value and what they offer compared to market norm. I am an unusual client as I am more like a patron, but I will prep them for harder clients and muddier business decisions. 

I just want to know that I'm getting good value for what I'm paying. Its not about what is cheaper, the value I can get is what I need at a given price I can afford. If I see crap, I need to know they will fix it. Its not their professors they are dealing with, its me and I need to know that they can take the criticism professionally. 

Building Up a Talent pool 

Right now Im running my hobby like a frugal businessman, only making expenses when I'm about to use the product with certainty and when there is a good ROI. Inspired by /r/frugal I've begun tracking my expenses more carefully and meticulously. But being frugal does mean being a cheap ass, you still spend well on other people, especially when you want them to know they matter. You can be cheap with yourself, but not with relationships.

IMTU: Updating the Ops Cost per Ship.

Just an update of ship expenses, all commercial shipping found in ISW.
Note that these are the costs per Dton, there is no margin and no Total-Cost-of-Ownership for Manpower. These all assume HT8 ships or what is IMTU default costs for regular ships.

Notice the Sharushid Ships have 50 years to pay and at the $1400 per dton make enormous profits. Their economies of scale are what private merchanters should not go head to head with. I've given a formula how to estimate the amount of shipping traffic a route has.

I've included HT8 microboats for every 250dton of cargo.

This should be enough of a play book for the adventures in ISW. We can just assume terra has the same ships as the Imperium for freighters, the difference is in the details... particularly operational costs. If Terrans use Androids for V.AI Crewman slots, thats 1/5 salary according to UT.

Brokers Do Speculative Trade; Spacers Move Freight

I've divorced speculative trade and shipping. It kinda defeates the Terran Free Traders wording but it makes sounder business sense. Speculative Trade is time consuming, requires a whole different set of skills and equipment, a different time line. 

Doing speculative trade while having to keep a ship is very difficult, as we can see with the costs and even with the cost adjustments cheapening the ship and reducing the $ to MW ratio a ship requires a lot of attention to manage.

Those who deal with speculative trade are Brokers. They are a diifferent sort of people from shipmen. Their trade is irregular and very very flexible. Their fortunes rise as quickly as they can fall, and they work with the least possible overhead as possible given how easily their luck can crap-out. 

Brokers
IMTU a broker is accompanied by a business partner, typically another broker, and their staff are mostly robots or very loyal and flexible personnel. Their trade is very risky and their staffing cannot guarantee a steady income to any of their own people, hence the robots.  

Brokers Professional Background 5cp
Merchant or Streetwise (A) IQ [2]
Area Knowledge: (Specialty Region) (E) IQ [1]
Savoir Faire: Business or Criminals (E) IQ [1]
Contact: Crime or Business Freq. of App. (9) (Somewhat Reliable) Skill-12 [1]

Brokers Professional Background 10cp (+5cp)
Merchant or Streetwise (A) IQ+1 [+2]
Merchant or Streetwise, the one the character doesn't have yet (A) IQ [2]
Contact: Crime or Business Freq. of App. (12) (Somewhat Reliable) Skill-12 [+1]

Broker Professional Background 20cp (+10cp)
Merchant or Streetwise (A) IQ+2 [+8cp]
Contact: Crime or Business Freq. of App. (12) (Usually Reliable) Skill-12 [+2]

There are two specialties for brokers: Streetwise and Merchant. Streetwise is to find out illicit leads,  opportunities to make a lot of money, and Merchant are for business leads, those open to the public or can be gleaned from market trends. 

The Merchant Skill come with the expertise of knowing how margins are made and a basic idea of how distribution and logistics work. The skill has all the basics: an idea how to present a business plan, how to make the margins, and all the indirect and direct costs involved. There are always opportunities in the leads merchant skill can dig up, the problem is the amount of work you have to make and the tight deadlines. 

The Streetwise Skill is where to get at underground and illegal markets. The skill provides idea of who are the gate keepers and the protocol for identifying and verifying intent, identities and capabilities. This is mostly a networking skill and understanding of protocol. There are always a lot of opportunities in streetwise... the problem is the amount of risk and the level of danger.

Brokers specialize in exploiting leads, exchanging goods and services, and moving to the next opportunity. They are very flexible and move very quickly; although sometimes they have to stay in one place for months and a year or two. Sometimes they need some prep time for a bidding. 

Brokers should be a separate business from the ship, because the ship is just too inflexible in terms of costs. They can make a whole lot of money because of their flexibility. Some brokers come onto opportunities that they can afford to pay 1-6 jumps of costs of a ship. This cost is figured into their expenses, and they can afford this... but there are risks. 

Many honest Brokers working their way up have crap for cashflow, they cannot get money upfront. They make use of X-deals and promises. You may have to rely on their word, and there is a chance for them to default... then there are those who are not so honest, they are those who willfully default (meaning they intentionally wanted to screw you over). 

In order for free trade to exist, some laws are regulations are loose. Gov't is not expected to take care of every infraction, there is an expectation that businesses do their own due diligence, Gov't helps a little but they mostly get out of the way. Even there are violations of the law and deals, there are many direct and indirect costs for justice. 

The Broker Campaign. 
The Broker's campaign is very similar to a Rogues campaign. It fits the default ISW campaign except that its in one location and the brokers is after this one big lead. In the center is some big prize to be one: bidding for a big project, courting a  potential powerful client, getting the funds to go after a "sure thing". The story can pretty much follow the Adventure Structure, except that there all this business language used in the telling.  

The pot of gold in the end of the broker's adventure is a big game change... BUT there are a lot of costs. A broker moves forward, sometimes realizing the cost is much greater than reward, they credit it to experience and move on. 

Brokers are an interesting bunch of characters for a spacer to deal with. Brokers live on the extreme and the risks and opportunities invite a lot of interesting characters. Spacers obviously grow to be very very careful of brokers, and consider them one of the risks that come with the job. Often enough brokers are the great pains and pleasures of a spacers businesses, some can make you very rich with their special deals others can get you into serious Imperial trouble.