Magic

ALL Magic in this setting is done via a variant of Verb/Noun Syntactic Magic (see GURPS Thaumatology). Other supernatural abilities exist however, in the form of Advantage-based Chi Powers and the Alchemy and Herblore Skills. Neither of these latter abilities are magical, however, although a skilled spellcaster may well be better at them than a layman. They shall also be described elsewhere. This Syntactic Magic Variant, and its rules, is described in detail below:

• Magery 0 is required to cast any spell, or to detect magic. No further levels of Magery are possible.
• Casting a spell is done by picking one or more Verbs or Nouns (each an SI/VH Skill) and rolling against both the Verb Skill and the Noun Skill (if more than two Verb/Noun Skills are used, you roll against the LOWEST Verb Skill and the LOWEST Noun Skill). These Verb/Noun Skills, and any casting roll(s) using them, are limited by the lowest of your Ritual Magic (Taoist) Skill, your SI, or 14 (but see Skill Modifiers, below). The Verbs, and their associated base casting times (in minutes), are:
  • Communicate 1
  • Control 2
  • Create 4
  • Heal 4
  • Move 1
  • Protect 2
  • Sense 1
  • Strengthen 2
  • Transform 4
  • Weaken 2

The Nouns, and their associated base casting times (in minutes), are:

• • Animal 6
  • Body 4
  • Chi 6
  • Earth 8
  • Fate 10
  • Fire 4
  • Illusion 3
  • Metal 8
  • Mind 4
  • Spirit 8
  • Water 4
  • Wood 6
• Some uses of Words are impossible to use; a successful Ritual Magic (Taoist) Roll indicates that you realize this before attempting it. Commonly-known restrictions include instantaneous movement across long distances and bringing back the dead.
• Particular Spells may require rolls against one or more mundane skills as well; these may include Gesture (Taoist), Herb Lore, Naturalist, Occultism, or others.
• All spellcasting (except for talisman casting, see below) requires intricate movements, spoken invocations, and the proper magical materials. A caster must be able to speak and move his arms, hands, and legs in order to work magic.
• Most Critical Failures use the Oriental Table (Thaumatology, p.259), but spells using the Fate Noun use the "Reality-Warping" Table (Thaumatology, p.259), and necromancy (anything more than speaking to spirits), as well as ANY demon-assisted spell, uses the Diabolic/Horrific Table (Thaumatology, p.258). Points (including Destiny Points) can only be spent to influence these rolls when rolling on the Oriental Table.
• Damaging effects with a RoF of 2+ divide damage by RoF.
• Enchantments and other permanent effects take AT LEAST 1,000 times the normal time to cast - enchantment is a process taking days or weeks.
• There is no such thing as Mana, per se. Magic functions as if the world were Normal Mana - but there ARE areas where magic won't work.
• A contract with a spirit is represented as a Perk for a one-time benefit of +5 to a casting, or as an Ally for anything more.
• Skill Modifiers are listed below. Unless otherwise stated, these apply to both rolls, and are cumulative, but bonuses cannot increase effective skill beyond 14. They may also be altered by the GM for a particularly powerful or weak working.
  • Taking Extra Time: +1 for double casting time. No further improvement is possible.
  • Going faster: -3 for halving casting time. No further improvement is possible.
  • Distractions: -1 to -5, depending on severity; see B, p.236.
  • Spending Energy: +1 for every 2 SP used in the casting. If you have the Blood Magic Perk, +1 for every 1 HP used in the casting.
  • Spell Mastery Perk: +1 for one well-defined casting (this CAN exceed the skill cap of 14).
  • Giving Life Force: +30 for each level of HT or SI PERMANENTLY sacrificed.
  • Using more than two words: -1 per word after the first two.
  • Range (regular and area workings): -1 per yard of distance to the target or to the nearest edge of the area of effect.
  • Affecting the spirit world while in the mortal one, or vice-versa: -10.
  • Range (information workings): -1 to -9 or worse for lacking familiarity.
  • Range in time: Long-Distance Modifiers (see B, p.241), substituting "days" for "miles".
  • Duration for non-permanent effects: -2 per Duration Interval (Instant->10 sec->30 sec->1 min->10 min->1 hr->12 hr->1 day->1 week->2 weeks->1 month->3 months->1 year->2 year->4 year, etc.)
  • Area of Effect: -1 per 2 yards of radius. A further -1 to -3 for unusual shapes.
  • Damage: -3/die after the first, multiplied by 0.5 for Small Piercing, 1.5 for cutting or large piercing, 2 for Corrosion, Fatigue, Huge Piercing, or Impaling, and 1.5 for explosive.
  • Healing: An unmodified roll heals 1d/2. Each 1d/2 after the first gives -3.
  • Personal Abilities: Each +/-5 points beyond +/-10 gives -1.
  • Weight Affected: Every step beyond 10 lbs. gives -1: 10 lbs.->30 lbs.->100 lbs.->300 lbs.->1,000 lbs.->3,000 lbs.->5 tons->15 tons->50 tons->150 tons, etc.
  • Multiple Targets: Every step beyond 1 gives -2: 1 -> 2-3 -> 4-5 -> 6-7 -> 8-10 -> 11-14 -> 15-20 -> 21-30 -> 31-50 -> 51-70 -> 71-100 -> 101-140 -> 141-200 -> 201-300 -> 301-500 -> 501-1,000 -> 1,001-2,000 -> 2,001-4,000 -> 4,001-8,000, etc.
  • Multiple Constituents: Every step beyond 1 gives -1: 1 -> 2 to 3 -> 4 to 5 -> 6 to 10 -> 11 to 15 -> 16 to 20, etc.
  • Casting Spells while maintaining other spells: -1 or -3/spell; See B, p.238.
  • Enchantment and other permanent workings: -10.
  • Chinese Astrological, Elemental, and Bagua Modifiers: See Thaumatology, p.86 and p.255. The GM will determine the skill bonuses or penalties for these.
  • Spiritual or Demonic Aid: +1 to +5 or more (this CAN exceed the skill cap of 14). This often has unforseen side effects.
• Spellcasting is a time-intensive process. However, there exists a way to "store" spells for later: by casting a spell normally and then rolling against Symbol Drawing (Taoist), a caster can inscribe the spell onto a talisman, to be read later. Reading a talisman takes seconds equal to (time in minutes to cast the original spell/2) and a successful Ritual Magic (Taoist) Roll (at -3 if you weren't the maker of the talisman). Success means the spell goes off exactly as performed in the original casting. By spending 2 SP to boost the spell with your chi and rolling against Speed-Reading, talisman casting time can be halved again. A mage can have a number of talismans "prepared" equal to his ([Ritual Magic (Taoist) + SI)/4], rounded down, with a minimum of 1 (jot this number down somewhere as your "Maximum Prepared Talismans"). Anyone can use a talisman on a successful Ritual Magic roll, but a talisman's power fades away after a number of days equal to its creator's SI.

Example Casting: Liao Ren is currently staying in a remote mountain village, whose inhabitants tell him that a group of demons come at midnight on the 12th of every other month to take away one of the village's children. Liao Ren thinks on the matter, as is his wont, and decides that the best option is to send the demons off the side of the mountain pass they cross to reach the village by causing a rockslide.