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< Kartazia
This is an alternate set of rules for Symbolic (Runic) magic using the GURPS system. It was created with the "Kartazia" setting in mind, so there are many references along the
text to Kartazia-specific aspects, although the basic mechanics could be altered to apply to any other setting.
Contents
[show]
Rune
Air / Lightning
Animal
Control
Communicate
Earth
Enchant
Fire / Destroy
Food
Heal
Create
Know
Light / Dark
Matter
Magic
Mind / Thought
Move
Death
Plant
Protect
Sound
Technology
Water / Ice
Runegod
Azraldur
Goichoron
Elusia
Tarfannas
Guldranok
Valzerya
Ferlanak
Gurick
Zerahn
Koltranas
Vassarion
Radranak
Vessana
Ouruz
Zerdon
Kalistra
Iulzanak
Teldrana
Rartanas
Skrujdrok
Zarmech
Guelizza
Magical School
Air / Weather
Animal
Body Controlling
Communication and Empathy
Earth
Enchantment
Fire
Food
Healing
Illusion and Creation
Knowledge
Light and Darkness
Making and Breaking
Meta
Mind Conatrol
Movement
Necromancy
Plant
Protection and Warning
Sound
Technological
Water
The character has to purchase his runic spells in addition to the runes themselves. Each spell is a "GURPS Magic" spell that cannot overcome the skill level of the rune which
represents its school of magic. Thus, a "Fireball" spell cannot be used in a level above the "Fire" rune.
A character buys runic spells directly, disregarding the prerequisite tree. A runecaster could purchase an "Explosive Fireball" with no need to learn a "Fireball" spell in advance.
Runic spells do not have their energy or time to cast modified by high skill.
It is not possible to perform a ceremonial runic spell. This effectively bars runic mages from using a tradeoff of energy for skill unless they have the "Independent Magic"
advantage.
All runic spells require gestures and no words.
Runic spells can only be taught or studied through a book. Mages cannot "develop" new spells. Each runic spell is a secret granted by the runegods directly to mankind.
Therefore, a mage has to learn from different masters if he is to diversify his knowledge of spells. Furthermore, there is nothing preventing a runecaster from knowing entirely
new spell effects or variations not covered by the Kartazian magical theory.
Time to Cast
Edit
The time to cast of a runic spell equals the time to cast of the "GURPS Magic" spell. This is the time that the runecaster has to spend inscribing runes on the
floor, the wall or any other hard surface. If he cannot inscribe them, for any reason, he cannot perform spells.
A runecaster can have a number of spells "prepared". He can carry stone tablets with runic spells inscribed on them. However, these tablets weight a lot and
there is a feasible limit to how much of them one person can carry and have ready at once.
Each rune tablet weights in pounds as much as its time to cast in turns. Spells that take minutes or hours to cast are too complex to carry around on a tablet.
Possession of one such tablet, however, lowers the spell's time to cast to a reaction, and allow it to be used at he character's initiative on a given turn of combat.
After a character has scribed a runic spell on the floor or the wall, or any hard surface, he could cast the spell again by touching the inscription with only 1 turn of
concentration.
Mind reading or influencing the minds of other intelligent beings in any way.
Flying
Edit
A runecaster can allow the spell's energy to run through his very bones and burn him up from within, causing him great agony. The psychological trauma of that
pain is used to fuel up the spell. If a mage wants to use this method, he has to allow the spell to actually cause him pain, so "High Pain Treshold" does him no
avail here. Likewise, if a character does not feel pain (due to a disease or physical handicap), he cannot use this method of casting.
The caster receives a penalty in his next turn's actions which equal the pain the spell caused him. Each -1 yields 2 energy points to power up the spell. On the
turn after that, the character can act normally again.
Pain spells are agonizing experiences and no matter how strong-willed a character is, no sane person would choose to undergo this ordeal if he could avoid it.
Pain Endurance
Edit
Characters must take note of a value called "Endurance", which equals their willpower minus 10. This is the number of Pain spells they can safely cast on the
same hour. If a character casts an additional Pain spell, he must roll a fright check with a penalty equaling the spell's energy cost. The spell, however, does
happen.
Also, Pain Endurance is the maximum number of pain penalty that a runecaser can safely withstand when using a Pain spell. If he attempts to cast a spell
whose penalty is greater than his endurance, he must roll a fright check with a penalty equaling the margin by which the spell's pain penalty overcame his
Endurance.
All of these fright checks suffer a cumulative -1 per roll made within the same hour.
The maximum pain penalty that a character can assume equals his HT. His body simply cannot withstand more pain than this.
Runic Enchantment
Runecasters can inscribe an item with runes and cause it to display permanent magical properties, enchanting it. To that end, they have to use "essence" like any other mage.
All other rules of a normal enchantment apply. However, these items have to be fully inscribed in magical runes, and any other runic mage that takes hold of the item will know
what it's supposed to do simply by reading it.
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