GURPS Magic notes 25: Magic Item in Haven

Now that I’ve read it pretty thoroughly I learned I made a lot of mistakes in the interpretation. It really should be discussed, I won’t know how much I know about the magic system unless I’m in a discussion and hard questions are being asked by another person who is studying GURPS Magic.

Currently working on a Spreadsheet to compress all the data of GURPS Magic spell and allow me to put all my notes regarding them.

Key Concepts I recently had to Re-learn

Power Level (B481 or M17): Magical Items function like the Spell, also in the sense that it requires power and a “Skill rating”. This also determines how much of the cost to maintain an effect will cost. Low Mana settings impose a -5 penalty to the Power Level. So try to make an Item at 20 skill to offset the -5 penalty for a Power level of 15 (-5 from low mana), 20 if the wearer has mana-enhancer 1 or 25 if with mana enhancer 2!

Example. Reverse Missile Spell which is 600fp to create (M168). The wizard creating this ideally uses it along with Mana Enhancer 2 for 25 power level so the cost to maintain it is free.

Magical Effects: Constantly On or Activation?

This issue is cleared up if you read Power Enchantment Spell (M57). Power level can discount the cost, but you need the Power Enchantment to make it a continuous effect. If you read the description, you will learn it requires double the rating in Low Mana. This basically limits Magical Items available, some will be useless as they are meant for Higher Manalevels and would be too expensive to make. Items out of place in the magical economy may be left over artifacts from another age or world.

Quick and Dirty vs Slow and Sure. B481 and M17-18.

Quick and Dirty Hard Limit. You cannot pay the cost of an enchantment in installments via Quick and Dirty, That is why Powerstones are the most common of all other magic items in the setting. Its a magic item that can be paid at 20fp increments. This also means Slow and Sure Enchantment is the only way mages can make powerful Items, which has its complications because humans cannot work days straight without incredible risks of interruption.

Set the Cost of Mage Services. In GURPS Magic its set at TL3 Average wealth. This is setting specific.

Slow and Sure Enchantment is made on Commission. One mageday is equal to the pay of mage divided by 20 working days per month (even if the project requires days straight, expect interruption and long breaks for the mages to keep things in order; mages still are subject to labor limits). Mages in Haven are Wealth: Struggling, which is relatively comfortable for a 3rd world country. $1300/20 = $65 per day or per FP. In reality Mages (or any Project Based Worker) will have multipliers but since this is such a controlled market it would be ok to make prices ~4x for $250 (with brokers taking a 10-15% commission) while Mage Retainers can expect to have a full workload in return of patronage. For Magical Items can be made “Quick and Dirty”, expect to pay $100/fp for the work (like Powerstones and Staffs).
Slow and Sure magic; Swapping out Participants. If you read the description carefully, there is no mention of swapping out participants, one can conservatively assume you can’t BUT for the purposes of head-ache prevention, I think I will allow it. The Real Limit is the leading Mage, if the Leading mage can’t be there for the whole period then the enchantment fails.
I plan to use Slow and Sure for Ceremonial Casting Service Costs that are comparable to permanent magical Items.

Control the Supply of Magic Items.

There should be a list of spells the GM should keep careful eye on. The GM can preset how many magical Items (including Gadget Advantages) and Magical Advantages an be bundled into a PC. I should but I haven’t set any, but I only have two mage PCs so far.

Hindsight Tip: LIMIT THE COLLEGES!
yep, in any setting begin by limiting the colleges available.

Using Hangouts to Talk to Other GMs about GURPS Magic

GURPS Magic is complicated, its really not for everyone. The time cost to learn it in the Page count and heavy in concepts and heavy in logic. This is not a compliment, if you were a debate and philosophy nerd you know how TEDIOUS metaphysical rules can be, especially since there is no google to aribtrate on a fact, its all subject to interpretation.

Because its subject to interpretation its important to set up the Magical Doctrine, without Doctrine to clear things up Players cannot Assume and its really mostly a waste of time to assume UNLESS the GM is yes&/but (which means he can improve).

Cash to CP or CP to Cash

Summon Familiars is neither in GURPS Magic or the Basic Set. Don’t fear, this tiny problem should just be ruled by the GM without having to spend $8 for an article or $10 for a booklet or $24 on a new book. Throwing money at the problem is not something we can do in real life lolz (although most of us wish we can). So its really simple assign a Cash Value to the CP value. One that Exponentially increase as the CP value increase.

let me pull out CP value Squared * $1,000 (minimum of $1,000)

5cp magical gadget can be worth $25,000
a 15cp magical gadget can be worth $0.225M

Note. this is only when there is no spell equivalent. To get the FP equivalent divide by $250.

Scribe Scroll (M57)

Scroll is used to allow other mages to cast a spell the scroll maker is usually more proficient in. So in Ritual Magic, a Scroll is given to less adept underlings who cannot other wise cast the spell successfully. Since Success is rolled during the creation of the scroll, there is no rolling when it is used. Although given how time consuming it is, I’m considering making it 1 mage hour per FP cost and with an FP cost equal to twice casting cost of the spell (That cannot be paid by installment).

Scrolls are very useful because of the Power Level. GURPS Magic Notes will discuss this further. Because of this not all scrolls should be equal, and some spells are ideally cast via scrolls because of some loop holes.

Example

Reverse Missile Item (Slow and Sure).

600fp for Reverse Missile (M168)

4000 for Power (M57)

4600 Total Power = $1,150,000 for the ability to completely ignore missile attacks.

Notes:

The difference between the blocking version of this is that, you need to “activate” the blocking version. Since a non-mage can use it. The Blocking version is so much cheaper.
Quick and Dirty can be used to make one use versions of these magic items, at a discounted cost of 90fp, a single use an exclusive MANAstone 2 power would be needed to pay the 6FP. This means a mage coven can make 4-5 of these in ONE day. It costs about $10,000 in all for one and lasts for one minute.
Mages with Powerful Familiars (who grant them Mana-Enhancer 2) only need the 600fp version of this ring, at $150,000.

Effigy (M71)

1000fp
$250,000. It comes in various forms, include family portraits, busts, and many creative representations of the target. Of course, supply is tightly controlled.

Undead Burning Enchantment
Undead are common tools used by mages, so its common to have weapons meant to dispatch these as quickly as possible. Broadswords are mostly favored in such tasks, typically dismembering the undead to incapacitate them instead of just destroying them.

Very Fine Balanced shortword $3,600
Bane (M62) 100
Flaming Weapon (M75) 750/3
Dedicated Powerstone $840 (able to activate it 3x a day when fully charged; 1 week to charge in Low Mana). Can give 9fp for activating the Flaming Power.
350 Total Power
$91,940 total; 3FP to Activate when Powerstone is empty)!

Sw +2+2fire/ Thr +3+2fire (gurps low tech short sword has a +1 better in thrust imp than in basic set)

Minor Magery Artifact [GM ruling]

Magery 0 Gadget (Can by Stolen with a Quick Contest -30%; DR10 -10%; Size SM-9 -0%)
3points. $9,000

Feel free to make more powerful artifacts that might be possessed by non-mage Taipans that allow them to participate and protect themselves from magic.

Magery +15 (Quick Contest -30%; DR10 -10%; Size SM-9 -0%; Granted by Familiar -40%) [35]
It Comes with a Legendary Familiar/Companion at 40cp (Familiars is another post that will be followed up soon).
The total Value is at 75cp or $5.7M. Probably an artifact from a previous age.

Summon Familiars, Demon, and Companions
These can be a Create Mount (M99; 800/1600FP), Summon Demon (M155; 1FP for 10cps worth of demon; min 10FP/200cp demon), and Bind Spirit (M158; 1FP for 3cp worth spirit minimum is 30FP/90cp spirit). Unusually I can’t seem to find a “Summon Familiar Spell” but the GM can price the FP of the spell based on the Ally advantage point value ($20,000 per cp at the minimum).

Cash to CP, just rule that a minor familiar is $10,000 and a special familiar 8cp is worth $650,000 in the black market.

Magic Resistance for Mages
Mages and non-mages who have magery rings, who after getting special familiar that afflicts them with mana enhancer 2 and FP for spell casting (limitations: Granted by Familiar -40%; Only for Spellcasting -10%; On Emergencies -30%).

Magic Resistance +5 1500 power (M123) Power-20
Power 4 for 4000 power
Total 5500
$1.4M

Note that Haven is a Poor 3rd World Country, so these prices are even more unreachable and incredible for them. Salary differences from 1st vs 3rd world is at least 1/5 to 1/10. Only high TL skills and jobs is the gap narrowed, but only as much as 1/2-1/3.

Game in the Brain