In many game systems and novels, mages are presented as extremely powerful.
True, most of these mages are experts in their field and have been studying
for years. Even so, some magic settings just can't be converted to GURPS
. . . they are just too different.
Settings like "Thieves' World" introduce us to magicians who can
maintain over a hundred spells at a time. Such power is not impossible in
GURPS, but it is out of the reach of PCs built
on any reasonable number of points. This article presents suggestions for
the GM who wants to increase the potential power of magic-wielders.
Why would there be a need for magic which is so powerful? Mostly for variety.
It allows different settings to be re-created and it even allows magic in
non-fantasy settings. One of the main reasons behind this article is to
allow effective combat magic in a campaign for GURPS
Cyberpunk, or any other futuristic campaign where any
small pistol can outmatch the power of mages. Remember:
A soldier can empty his assault rifle in less then two combat rounds, before
a standard magic-user could get his fireball properly warmed up. For a mage
to match that performance, he should be able to concentrate for less than
a round and produce a 3-die fireball!
If more powerful magic is to be "point-balanced" with the rest
of the system as it stands, Magery would have to be made much more expensive.
However, the whole point of this article is to change the balance
. . . to make Magery far more valuable and devastating. So think twice before
you raise the price of Magery or require some incredible Unusual Background,
or you may defeat the whole purpose of introducing powerful magic.
There are three easy ways to make mages more powerful simply by juggling
numbers. You can lower the energy cost to cast spells, reduce time needed
to cast spells, and make energy do more for the spell user.
These are suggestions for customizing the Spell List for such a world. .
.
-5 to spells for iron in the same hex, down to -1 for iron 5 hexes away;The GM could even expand this to plastics or other man-made fabrics. Thus, a mage will have the full use of his powers only if he lives primitively . . . and he can't carry the fight to high-tech surroundings.
Spell-use forbidden if the mage is carrying iron -- even as much as a needle;
Spell use at -1 for each pound of iron carried by the target;
Illusions are automatically destroyed by the touch of iron;
Iron does double damage against any magical creature or creation.
This essay is dedicated to all the mages who wandered through my
campaigns, only to be killed in the middle of the night by a silent assassin
or in the middle of the day by an invisible swordsman. They didn't deserve
to die, but I hated them, so I killed them.
As a GURPS enthusiast often thrust into the
position of Game Master, I do constant battle with those players who always
play mages. A continual debate goes on (usually with me on one side and
everyone else on the other) regarding the power of mages. I believe that
even low-level mages are too powerful. Others in my group feel that a 100-point
fighter could easily defeat a 100-point mage. But with the right combination
of spells, a good player, and fair die rolls, the mage could, in my opinion,
beat just about anything within reason.
For this reason, I offer the following tips to fellow GMs. I do not want
to make playing a mage less fun. On the contrary, I hope to make mages more
challenging and to allow a better game for all involved. If I'd had all
these techniques at hand, I could have dealt with the problem without resorting
to mass slaughter.
Know your mages' grimoires. On several occasions, I have had to
curtail entire adventures because one mage had just the right spell for
the circumstances. Knowing your mages' potential can be very helpful for
coming up with challenging adventure possibilities. Mages should normally
be able to assist the party in its efforts, but they should not be able
to solve major problems by casting one spell. Very often, however, it is
difficult to know every spell a mage has. A 125-point mage could have three
pages of grimoire. But do your best to be aware of your mages' potential.
Limit starting spells. This is one of the easiest and most effective
ways of limiting the power of mages. In my campaign, I have a general rule
that mages can only take spells from the GURPS
Basic Set. Other spells need strict GM approval. Enforced
properly, this rule can help keep the mages balanced with the rest of the
party.
Limit the number of mages. With a finite number of points, one
mage can't know too many "annoying" spells (those that cause game
balance problems). However, two mages can know twice as many, and three
mages three times as many. Not long ago, I discovered that over half the
players in my group were playing mages. By the next week, all but three
were dead (the PCs, not the players). Now I am the first to admit that I
should have limited the number of mages before it got this bad, but I was
remiss in my duties and had to kill them during play instead of during creation.
In my world, one person in 100 has Magery. For every 100 people with Magery
1, one will have Magery 2, and of 100 of those, one will have Magery 3.
But 50 percent of my party had Magery 3. That statistical probability seemed
astronomical, so I felt justified in the purge. Mages are a rare thing;
they should be mysterious and feared, and they should be valuable members
of a party, a commodity worth protecting. Mages have a tendency to receive
the respect they deserve when they don't come cheap.
These tips can be helpful either if a new mage is entering the group or
if you are starting a new campaign. But if you already have powerful mages
in a campaign in progress, here are more ways to keep the game in balance.
Know the magic system and spells. In my group, the biggest problem
I run into is the overuse and abuse of certain spells. For example, at one
time all of the mages in my party had Apportation. They would cast it on
a foe and watch him float straight up at a speed of one hex per turn. When
the spell was finished (one minute later), the poor guy was 60 yards in
the air, at which point he would fall to the ground and usually die.
After reading the spell in GURPS
Magic, I discovered that Apportation is a regular spell,
which means that there is a -1 penalty for each hex between the subject
and the mage. Did you know that? I didn't. (Editor's note: Apportation
would also require constant concentration for constant movement. Mister
Pick-Them-Up-And-Drop-Them could only deal with one foe at a time this way.
Though lifting someone a mere 5 yards and leaving them parked there for
the next minute would be a good move, too!)
Knowing exactly how a troubling spell works can solve many game-balance
problems. If a spell is being used for the quick, foolproof removal of a
foe, it is probably being misused.
Change a spell. Being GM is a wonderful thing -- as long a you
have good reason and are consistent, you can do anything you want to your
world. This includes changing the way spells work. Adding a resistance roll
to Apportation helped make dropping a fighter from the sky less certain
and thus less enticing.
Create your own counterspells. This is a nice little trick I like
to play on mages every once in a while. One of our PCs had Teleport at a
high enough level so that he could teleport without a turn of concentration.
So I put him up against another powerful mage who had a spell I had invented:
Teleport Tracer. Much to the player's surprise, his opponent kept popping
up next to him. Creating counterspells keeps an element of uncertainty in
magical adventures. It's a good idea to document these counterspells because
the mages in your group will invariably want to search them out and have
them.
Take away the spell. I have never done this, and it is definitely
a last resort. But if the abuse goes too far and you can make your Will
roll to avoid killing your mages outright . . .
I must again stress that these tips are not designed to cripple mages. Your
mages, like all other members of the party, must feel like they are play
a meaningful role in the party's adventures. Otherwise, those who want to
play mages will become discouraged -- or they may just quit. Keep it balanced,
and it will be more fun for everyone.
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