GURPS Magic Notes 22: Demonic Ally

I’ll leave it up to you what are demons in your setting.

Summoning such a demon costs only 11FP of course the Pentagram (M125) prepared costs 10FP as well for every 1 sqm. Typically a 19sqm pentagram, area 3, for 190FP or $47,500 for the penagram casting; easily $5 per sqm allowing with fine (x4) or very fine modifiers (x20) to casting per sqm of durable material for the pentagram. A silver inlaid pentagram of 19sqm at $950 of materials totals $48,500.

Material Component for Summoning a Demon.
I’m using the way to calculate Slaves found in Basic Set (annual income of profession x5 years). A demon should be worth as much as a Master (Mage who is Wealthy) at $780,000 worth of materials (human traffickers may be selling human life for such use) .

you can check the Google Doc which I update more frequently

Demonic Ally Template

-20 point template

Advantages [190]: Resistance to Mind Affecting Magic +8 [15]; Unaging [15]; Darkvision [25]; Magery 20 (Aspected Darkness -40%; Granted by Contracted Ally -40%) 20 [45]; Demonic Talents (Acting, Merchant, Law, Fast Talk, History, Disguise, Intimidation, Psychology, Stealth, Hold Out, Politics, Hidden Lore)+4 [60]; Unusual Background [10]; Unkillable 2 (B96) (Achilles’ Heel, Common-Burning, -50%; Hindrance, Common- Impaled weapons, -25%; Trigger, a Simple Ritual, -5% ) [20]

Disadvantages [-210]: Dependency (B131) (Very Common-Ambient Mana, Constantly x5) [-50]; Dependency (B131) (The Contract and the Other Party’s, Very Common, and Constantly x5; if the Contract is Violated) [-50]; Weaknesses (B161) (Sentimental or Significant Item) [-20]; Social Stigma (Valuable Property; Bound Demon) [-15]; Vulnerability (Magic Weapons Aspected , x4) [-20]; Dead Broke [-25]; Obsession (long term goals) (6) [-20]**; Code of Honor (Gentleman’s) [-10].

Skills: Apply an Adept Template (+112cp template)

Class: Divine, Supernatural

Notes about Demon Template.

Allow the Adept Template and Demon Template Magery to Stack! for a Magery of +30. Not that the PC will gain the full advantage of this, Demons will not grant their full power.
Code of Honor can be brought down in exchange for some Vow or strong psychological compulsion.

Demonic Motivations.

Obsession is a requirement for each demon (and supernatural creature), since we established that these were once human feel free to think about what Immortal Motivations a demon can have. You can have something like bram-strokers dracula and undying love, revenge, etc… Murderous/Sexual compulsions that need sating can be a good substitute.

Contract with Demons.

If the demon is not plot protected, make SECRET opposed legal roll with the demon. Contracts are Perks (B100) according to M156 under Demonic Contracts. So a demonic ally is at least work 1pt. The margin of success or failure determines the Demons loyalty score. Its important that this roll is secret. The GM can always ask the player to Roll but use that as a Red herring (its sounds mean but this is a demon not paid in points). Since contracts can be renewable and adjustable.

Sample Contract.

Since Demons are going to be part of a Player’s own Motivations, but cannot derail the GM’s story.

This is one of the most annoying because the Demon basically YES&/BUTS all the player’s wishes lolz. This is also pretty fun. The Demon is a machine for the GM to play out an obnoxious member of the party lolz.
The Demon is left to his own Devices, as an ally the time the demon is not found (he has a freq-12) he creates some kind of trouble. Trouble that makes the PCs own plans more interesting (or closes many avenues and options to the Party). As a fickle creature the GM never has to justify anything, lolz.
The PCs gain a secret enemy, gains the demon’s secret enemy (this is not part of the Demon Template, but the Demon Character).
The Demon is leaching some of the resources of the PCs, borrowing powerstones (which takes time to power up again) or damaging various devices (they are worn and damage, but still functional).
Demons F*cking with NPCs. Demons creating complicated relationships and giving the party some problems and some convenient NPCs in the Picture. (Basically the story with Tribonian Locke in the War Beneath Heaven Campaign, a head ache for his former master Dylan Baker which lead to some events). GMs fond of Soaps and messy relationships Go-to material! Worse, demons giving birth or fathering children lolz. Or Demons and their children lolz.

Notes on Contracts

These are CONTRACTS meaning there is an exchange of Consideration. You cannot enslave someone via contract. If you read the basics of contracts it requires voluntary actions and decision.
In the end of the day, what the contract really binds the mage and the demon is duty to each other and to help each other out. Its like a forced friendship. Even if you can conduct everything lawyer-like, Contracts require consideration for everything in exchange so the demon can make it as difficult as possible to the Mage or can make it very easy for the mage depending in how it feels towards the mage.
That is why a demon who has the same Aligned Motivations with its mage is what works best. The real magic is the ability to research the Demon’s motives and making a “match made in heaven” kind of deal. See the Sample Demon.

Typical Adept

93/112 points

Comfortable ($5600/month)

ST: 9 [-10] HP: 9 SPD: 4.5
DX: 10 Will: 14 [20] Move: 4
IQ: 10 Per: 10
HT: 9 [-10] FP: 9 SM:-0
Dodge: 8 Parry: – DR: –
Typical Age late 30s and early 40 (13-20 years of work)

Advantages [50]: Magery 15 (Ally Accessibility -40%; Half-Power unless casting at Night -20%; Pact: Sense of Duty to Coven -10%; Pact Code of Honor Soldier of the Faith -10%) [35]; Signature Gear: Powerstone 15pts [2]; Powerful Familiar [14];
Disadvantages [-20]: ST-1 [-10]; HT-1 [-10]; (you can add Enemies, Dependents, conflicting Duties, Inconvenient Compulsions, etc…)
Skills [43]: Thaumatology-31 [32] (-6 for other colleges – prereq count); Enchantment-25 [11]

A demon with the Adept Template can have Thaumatology-46 (skill 40 in any school/path)

Example

Theresa The Angel of Death

Sadism (12) [-15]; Discipline of Faith: Ritualism [-5]; Obsession (Cause all to Suffer to Purify themselves) [-10]; Fanaticism [-15]; Masochist [-10].

Theresa is a beautiful but simple woman by all appearances. She wears a nun’s habit, and has quiet and meditative lifestyle, but can be very charismatic and charming. She has one particularly nasty “overhead” to any Mage who contracts her, and that is her obsession with pain and suffering. In life her obsession was very well known and has brought controversy down on her and her order after she died, but despite this humanitarian atrocity she is pretty much a Saint to many.

As a demon, she likes to cultivate this and thus aids in attacks that bring about the increase of such pain and suffering. She would like to see any public good welfare activity, particularly medicine and health education cease. She wants increased “devotion” to her beliefs, and would further any “charitable” house who provides a place for people to suffer and die to expand their reach.

She will Aid in refugees (like in Haven’s open refuge policy) to would gladly shelter them, asking her

Who would Want her? If you are big pharma who want to abolish generic medicines and monopolize medicine, she will be aligned to most of your goals. She also helps in giving good press as she will also conduct and manage the charitable institutions that house these people dying in misery. Although the best combination would be a mega-slum lord Politician, reap the suffering for their votes and divert wellfare aid to his/her coffers, deny them basic medicines and pain relief to feed Teresa her obsession, and use the resources and press she grants to advance property and human acquisition. As a slum lord he can “breed” and grow his manpower reserves, to make it sustainable for Theresa.

She would be favoring Comm/Empathy, Mind Control (pain related magics), Body (particularly pain related), and healing spells (that increase the ability to endure, but not in any way relieving).

Game in the Brain