Game in the Brain

I was surprised by the applications of Earth Magic. What I love about it is that its really just the application of science and geometry and you’ve got a lot of kick ass things you can do with it. If you want to motivate yourself to study geometry and chemistry or earth sciences then this school of magic is for you. Also if your in the engineering (civil works) industry you can really appreciate this since a lot of the bits that is interesting from engineering finds some use in the such a game.

Non-mages. the productivity increase of many earth spells are so powerful its as if you threw in TL6-9 heavy machinery, although it didn’t need the infrastructure to support it. Still you will need a bit of a magical infrastructure to create enough to the satisfaction of the patron. Such magical items, like shape earth, will be so useful as a tool an weapon. You may have to rethink the “per energy” cost of $33 in M20 or $25 in basic set. Note that if an economy becomes more productive the values would inflate.

Some Definitions out of the Way

• Rock Densities

Balancing Ideas

• Limit the kinds of Stone with Earth to Stone and Shape Earth/Stone. Basically make it the stone version of the soil – typically sedimentary stone. 
• In the uses of Earth below, the GM can just assign a Task Difficulty Modifier to either Artist, Engineer, or the Spell. 

Sample Low Tech Earth Mage, Normal Magic

Sample Low Tech Earth Mage, Ritual Magic 

Techniques and Skills to be used with Earth Mages

Skills for Talent for Earth Mages

Basic Tactics, Basic Set Earth Magic Compatible

Seek Earth 

if the character has a Miner/Naturalist/Geology skill, he would know the value of the stones and sell them at an advantage. Merchant would also help very much in this.
Non-Mage notes. Very useful to non-mages. Its cheap value will make it a very necessary tool. This will change your setting economics, factor this in. Personally I dont like the aesthetics of a divining rod.

1. The ability to know the amount can be helpful, but it doesnt say. The GM can allow this since it is an information spell after all. The closest to doing the same job is Measurement spell in Knowledge. 
2. Nitrates and Fertilizes! definitly improve food productivity, to TL6-9 levels

Shape Earth, 

1. Earthen Bad Footing. Create Selective Bad Footing (B395, B.96, B547). The Mage can just leave the soil to ripple and wave beneath the feet of his opponents to cause them a -2 to hit and -1 to defend.  
2. Quicksand. Cause opponent’s feet to sink. Target can dodge. If the target is already in bad footing, this will be harder. 
1. This requires Innate Attack, this is a targeted attack at the feet of the target. There will be range and hit location penalties. Attacking both feet should have another -2 to spell casting. The mage rolls Innate Attack, but the opponent will have a penalty to defend (-2) because he can’t see where the attack is originating. Its like the soil or concrete he is stepping on swallows his feet. 
1. Targeted Attack Technique MA68.
2. You can have a Feint Technique B231 can apply to the Innate attack since its really difficult which angle the attack is coming from. 
3. Do not limit it to the Feet, head and hands are targets with Shape Earth but they are much harder to imprison unless you can follow up with an Earth to Stone. 
4. For the Duration of the Spell, 1 minute, you can control earth allowing you to grapple an opponent and allow the Earth to engulf him in key points. Sinking his feet while you have him in an arm lock. 
3. Simple Pit . Create a Pit the size to swallow up the Target, taking the floor right from under him. A big enough pit, 2 cu.m/yrd can only be defended with a retreat if its just 1 hex in size OR Dodge and Drop B377 if bigger than just one hex. 
4. Ready Maneuver to Shape – Shape Earth Shield/Cover. Since maintaining the spell has no concentration requirement, the character can probably use Shape Earth to block or Parry as though he had an unbalanced weapon readied. 
1. Simple Forms. You can make it that every simple form change can be reaction like a block or Parry. By simple its just an extrution of earth. 
2. Complex Form. if Earth or Stone becomes a complex form, particularly since it draws from a Skill like Artist or Engineering, it is definitely a concentrate maneuver. 
5. Shaping Stone. In GURPS Magic, M51, at 1/2 the amount shaped, the mage can Shape STONE. At 1/6 the amount manipulated the Mage can shape Worked Stone, like Reinforced Concrete. The same combos as Earth but with less material with much higher DRs and Strengths. 
1. DR for stone is 1-5 per cm. 
2. Shape “Stone” can manipulate 333 liters of worked stone or 11.7 cu.ft or 0.3 cu. m. Get a Spreadsheet and input all the various geometric combinations. Natural stone, which is not that common a terrain feature, 
1. 2.5m high cylinder covering 1sqm or 10sqf is about 1cm or DR4.
2. 2.5m high cylinder covering 13sqm DR3
3. Shape Stone of 2FP manipulates 0.33 cu.m/yrds thats about 333 L or 12 cu.ft. The human body is less dense than water, so 333Liters translates to 333 kilos. So you can basically mold stone 
6. Shape Stone Caltrops – Stone Caltrops or Pit Spikes. Combat Engineer or Traps allow you to make more elaborate traps with stone.
7. Earthen Cover. Shape Earth is more effective against Gunfire with its Diffuse Properties. Powerful in a Gun fight where attacks can create cover to move towards as they make an attack.  
8. Shaped Dummies. Stone or Earth and use Artistry. Other than art, Dust Clouds and Silhouettes can be used to distract. With magic as a powerful Recon spell,  
9. Shape Stone to Reinforce Structures and Engineering. A mage with Seek earth and Shape earth can possibly filter the necessary ingredients to make Roman Concrete. Combined with Earth to Stone, there are many combinations that can be done in both engineering, art, traps, and communication (milestones and stone signs). The creation of Industrial structures also helps. Glassware as earth becomes Obsidian and Glass-like stones. 
10. Terracotta or Armored Form. Shaping earth to be armor will require concentration (see B238) and Multi-Tasking see Casting Spells while Maintaining Other Spells (B238). So assume if you are concentrating to keep your Armored Form, which means -3 for all other tasks. 
1. As a Tradeoff Given Encumbrance Penalties for heavier and heavier Armor. See LT106 and B46 for ablative. Basically use Light, Medium, to Heavy Scale Stats but multiply by coverage. DR for Terra-cotta Armor is -1 compared to its Stone equivalent. So Light Scale Stone armor is DR3/2 but weighs 48lbs while the Earthen version is just DR2. Heavy Stone Armor is DR5 is 96lbs while the Earth version would be DR4. 
2. You can make this a Hard Technique that defaults the Mage’s Artist (Sculpting) Skill. After at least 200 hours of intensive training (2cp) to maintain the spell while doing other things it becomes less a distraction. 4cp allows the negative -3 to be removed. 
3. Use this to misdirect which is the leading mage. 
11. Terracotta Copies. Create a Terracotta Mirror Image. Create another copy for every -3 . Note that enemies can use a quick contest of Observation to tell which is real. 
1. Make it Compartmentalized Mind. Aspected (Artist – Sculpting, Shaping Earth, Puppet -40%). You can limit the duration and how often per day.  
2. You can make it with Ally Advantage but the GM will have more things to worry about – limiting the number, independence of an Ally, how this seems more appropriate for Earth Elementals etc…
3. As a Technique since Every additional Copy 
12. Shape Stone for Stone Armor! Taking it to another level is using Earth as Armor. Note that Shape Stone can grant a lot of DR to the mage. Of course this will require its own casting if the mage will want to do other stuff. It will also encumber the mage and the mage would probably not armor the Joints. 
13. Shape Stone WEAPONS. A huge stone fist, gauntlets, or an Obsidian Broadsword that keeps regenerating as the mage keeps reshaping it as it breaks (see Multi-Tasking see Casting Spells while Maintaining Other Spells (B238) ). 
14. Invisibility countermeasures. See Invisible foes by making the earth soft enough to leave tracks or throw a diffuse amount of earth 2m up.
15. Wrestling Aid. Wrestling while the spell is ongoing will allow you to grab various extremities or the torso. Worsen the enemies surrounding terrain and enclose him with earth while he wrestles you (then use Earth to stone when you break free). 
16. Very Easy Traps . from quicksand, to covered pits, hidden caltrops, ambush holes, 
17. Hidden Passages. Basically only Earth mages can get in because they will use shape earth to make passages. 
18. Rammed Earth Structures. very easy way to build very durable structures and all you do is use shape earth. You can give Rammed Earth a Shape Earth Task Difficulty modifier.
19. Soft Landing. Use Shape Earth to create a very soft landing cushion of earth. 
20. Food production. The ability to mix soil in particular mixures Nitrates and Fertilizes! Definitely improve food productivity, to TL6-9 levels
21. Earth Skate. Use Shape Earth to make earth like snow as you “skate” down hill. 
22. Sand with Sand. Use sand as an abrasive tool (typically used to clean mail).  
23. Running Earth Technique. Every time the caster steps the earth moves the footfalls an additional 2m. It should be a Running or  Technique, -3 since its multi-tasking.
24. Climbing Earth Technique. Every grasp and pull up, the earth aids the movement of the climber. It could be a climbing technique, -3 since its multi-tasking.  
25. Shape Earth KE use Collision Damage, Slam and Shove (B430; Slam B368; Shove B372) to Calculate Knock Back
• Rock Densities
• ( [ Mass(lbs)^(0.33) ] * 8 / 100 ) * yrds/s (2m/s for earth, 1m/s for stone)
• or ( [ Mass(lbs)^(0.33) ] * 8 ) * yrds/s (2m/s for earth, 1m/s for stone)
• Example Sand has a density of 1.5 tons per 1 cu.m/yrd. So 3 tons of sand flowing at 2m/s is a 3d-1 cr  or  6d Knock Back
• 3.4 cu. yrd = 1.7cu.m of Sand or 2.55 tons (71HP * 2 yrd/s) would deal 1d+2 cr or 3d shoving knock back only. 
• 0.56 cu. yrd  or 42 cu.m of Sandstone 0.935 tons (50HP * 1 yrd/s), will create 1d-2 cr or 1d of shoving/knockback only damage. granite would be a negligible density as compared to sandstone to deal more damage unless way more FP is used. 

Earth Vision

Flesh to Stone 

3 counts
can also be turned into a metalic statue. Subject to the Economic Impact barriers of Earth to Metal. The Risk vs Cost is very poor compared to Shape Earth.

Stone to Earth 

Partial Petrification 

Predict Earth Movement 

Rain of Stones 

Walk through Earth 

Earth to Water 

Entombment 

Sand Jet

Mud Jet 

Steelwraith 

Stone to Flesh 

Body of Stone 

Earthquake 

Essential Earth 

Purify Earth 

Sandstorm 

Alter Terrain 

Volcano 

Move Terrain 

Advanced Earth Techniques

Earth Bending

Dwarves with the Stable Footing Perk. They can fight in the bad footing created by their Earthen mage Allies.

Metal as an Expansions of Earth Spells

You can add Metal Spells (M182) to the Earth Spell spell lists.You can have Identify Metal come after Earth to Stone or Seek Earth.

Identify metal,
Seek Metal,
Shape Metal,

Ideas