GURPS - 4th Edition - Fantasy

Enchanting A holy man has an established rela- the priest worships. An ordinary wor-
tionship with a god. Often the god will shipper can’t do this, even if he knows
A mage can have One-College actually be his Patron, and his prayers Religious Ritual; it’s a prerogative of
Magery limited to the College of count as requests for a Patron’s aid. Clerical Investment. Temporarily con-
Enchanting (and the spell Recover Most divine Patrons practice Minimal secrating a place requires an hour of
Energy). If he learns spells in other Intervention and require adoption of a prayer and ceremonial purification
colleges, he cannot cast them, but he Pact in return for their aid. followed by a Religious Ritual roll.
can use them as prerequisites for the The resulting high sanctity lasts for a
spell Enchant. If he casts Enchant, he A priest is a specialist in making full day.
can place any of these spells in an requests for divine aid in the custom-
enchanted object and use that object ary form, using the skill of Religious For the benefits of high sanctity, see
to cast the spell. (In creating the Ritual. Whether the god actually does Prayer (above) and Miracles (p. 151).
object, he’s not casting the spell it con- anything is determined by a reaction
tains, but using his knowledge of the roll (see Man Proposes, God Disposes, Mana levels can’t be affected in the
spell as a resource while casting p. 148). Using Religious Ritual doesn’t same way. They depend on the flow of
Enchant.) Producing the enchanted count as an influence roll; it just gets supernatural energy through the natu-
object takes a minimum of one hour the god’s attention. Priests can make ral environment. Some characters
and counts as formulaic magic. sacrifices to improve the god’s reac- have the ability to affect mana levels as
tion to a request (see Sacrificial Magic, an advantage. Rituals such as “raising
The spell Temporary Enchantment p. 165). the cone of power,” which don’t require
(p. 23) provides a less expensive way special gifts to perform, should be
for a mage limited to enchantment to Any worshipper can appeal to a treated as part of the normal process of
cast spells. For example, a ring god for help. If he has the skill of ceremonial spellcasting; don’t make a
enchanted with Deflect Missile would Religious Ritual, or if he has True separate roll for them.
normally cost 200 energy points. A Faith, he can gain the god’s ear any-
ring that can cast Deflect Missile once where. But even without this, he can Shamanism
costs only 30 energy points. go to a high-sanctity place and make
his appeal. Shamans, like priests, enter into
Prayer relationships with supernatural
Sacred Places beings. However, a shaman’s relation-
Players may approach supernatu- ship is a contract or bargain between
ral entities as a worshipper. The result Some places naturally have high or equals, not a submission to a higher
of such an appeal depends on the sup- very high sanctity (see Sanctity, power. Typically, shamans deal more
plicant. Is he a holy man, a priest, or p. 101). A priest with the skill of with spirits than with gods. Spirits are
an ordinary worshipper? Religious Ritual can raise the sanctity more comparable to human beings in
level of a place, in relation to the god power, and safer bargaining partners.
A shaman negotiates either on his own
behalf or as an agent for someone
lacking shamanistic skills.

The simplest way for a shaman to
contact spirits is through the skill of
Religious Ritual. The shaman chants
and speaks requests, and the spirit
may choose to manifest itself.
However, shamans have more direct
ways to interact with spirits:

Detect (Spirits; Vague, -50%) [5]
lets a shaman know that spirits are
present.

Medium [10] lets him know that
they’re present and speaking with
him.

Detect (Spirits) [10] lets him know
that they’re present, in what numbers,
and in what directions. On an IQ roll,
he can analyze what kind of spirits
they are.

See Invisible (Spirits) [15] lets him
see them, if something opaque doesn’t
block his line of sight.

Detect (Spirits; Precise, +50%) [15]
gives him everything in Detect
(Spirits), plus the ability to judge the
distance to the spirits.

MAGICAL ARTS 149

Insubstantiality (Projection, -50%) then interprets it according to what the fortune-teller is doing is psycho-
[40] lets him step out of his body, spontaneously comes into his mind. logically manipulating the subject; use
physically interact with spirits, and The advantage Oracle represents this the same long-distance modifiers as
enter the spirit plane, if a path is avail- practice. Usually signs are natural for information spells (p. B241).
able. If he also has Invisibility (Only in events, but dreams can play the same Supernaturally gifted diviners can buy
Spirit Form, -10%; Substantial Only, role. Opening a Bible and picking out up to four levels of Skill Bonus to
-10%) [32], he’s invisible when in a verse at random is comparable. Fortune-Telling with Preparation
astral form. Required. At the GM’s option, specific
Omens are striking natural or acci- divinatory arts can come from skills
Shamans acquire these abilities as dental events that are signs of other other than Fortune-Telling, such as
Spirit Powers (p. 159); in some set- events: lightning striking a person or Esoteric Medicine, and can grant Skill
tings, shamans may be required to building, or the birth of deformed ani- Bonuses to those other skills.
have Spirit Powers. Such abilities may mals. In some cases, the gods send
require entering a trance (see Trance them as warnings; in others, they are GMs may allow the practice of a
Magic, p. 151). shadows cast by forthcoming events. divinatory art with simple or complex
No dice roll is needed to notice them; rituals that take shorter or longer. The
A shaman who has established they draw attention to themselves. diviner can gain different bonuses to
communication with spirits can Interpreting them still requires a dice skill depending on how long he pre-
attempt to gain benefits from them. roll. An oracle can do this with a roll pares for its use. For example, a med-
Treat these attempts as social interac- vs. IQ. In some settings, anyone can ical diviner might have Skill Bonus
tions, represented by reaction rolls (see attempt to interpret an omen with a (+2 Esoteric Medicine; Preparation
Man Proposes, God Disposes, p. 148). roll vs. IQ; at the GM’s option, this Required: 1 minute, -20%) [3], but (+3
However, a shaman may acquire a last- may have a penalty of -1 to -5, depend- Esoteric Medicine; Preparation
ing relationship with a spirit. If the ing on how unusual the omen is. Required, 1 hour, -50%) or (+4 Eso-
spirit is present in the material world, Temples or scholars may have kept teric Medicine; Preparation Required,
in a materialized or possessed body, archives of past omens and what they 8 hours, -60%) would have the same
treat it as an Ally; a failed frequency of meant. Finding a similar omen in point cost. If a quick divination
appearance roll often means its pow- such an archive requires a Research doesn’t work, the GM can allow a fur-
ers didn’t work. If the spirit will come roll. ther attempt – the skill bonus and the
to the shaman when called, treat it as a preparation time increasing on each
Summonable Ally, with a failed roll Divinatory arts are systematic tech- successive try.
meaning it didn’t manifest itself. niques for predicting the future or
Spirits that the shaman has to contact uncovering hidden truths. They use All things are filled full of signs, and
at a shrine or in the spirit world itself the Fortune-Telling skill, but in a fan- it is a wise man who can learn about
are Contacts; for defining Contact tasy setting, the skill can actually one thing from another.
Groups, each kind of spirits in each work. If so, don’t apply skill modifiers
particular region counts as one group. based on the assumption that what – Plotinus, Enneads
More powerful spirits who remain in
the spirit world are usually Patrons. Naming the Arts

Some shamans are also capable of Traditionally, magical arts have names derived from Greek or Latin.
Spirit Trapping (p. 130). This can To make up a name for a new magical art in this tradition, consult a list
grant them the use of spells, or access of Greek or Latin word roots, choose a root that describes some aspect
to arcane knowledge. of the art, and give it a suitable suffix.

Soothsaying A -mancy is usually a magical art that grants knowledge or percep-
tion: geomancy is divination by the shape of the earth, from gaia
Many cultures have magical proce- (earth).
dures for foretelling the future or
learning concealed truths, often prac- A -spicy or -scopy is more narrowly a magical art that grants per-
ticed by people who claim no other ception: extispicy is divination by entrails, from exta (entrails). Use
magical abilities. These fall into four -scopy with Greek roots, -spicy with Latin.
broad types.
An -urgy is usually a magical art that actively changes the world:
Prophecy is the ability to foretell theurgy is calling on divine powers to do magical, from theos (god).
the future or perceive distant or hid-
den events while in a trance. The Names of magical arts sometimes break these rules. For example,
prophets of the Old Testament and the necromancy was originally divination by calling on the spirits of the
Oracle of Delphi had such abilities. dead, as in Saul’s visit to the witch of Endor. It was equivalent to 19th-
The advantage Blessed or Very Blessed century spiritualism. However, over the centuries, the meaning expand-
represents this ability. See also ed to include active magic that affected the dead, or used them to affect
Psionics as Magic (p. 158). the living, or more generally any sort of evil or gruesome magic.

Spontaneous divination is com-
pletely unstructured; the soothsayer
looks about for a significant event and

150 MAGICAL ARTS

She lifted them out of their hiding place, the New Aquarius and
the ninety-first edition of the Speculum Astronomi, written in the
bastard Latin that had been the magi’s first language; then the
fussy, much-abused Star-Follower’s Handbook, and her copy
of the Hegemonic Navy’s Topoi. One was missing.

– Melissa Scott,
Five-Twelfths of Heaven

Trance Magic Normally, if a mage needs an elab- temporarily consecrated ground (see
orate procedure to prepare a spell for Sacred Places, p. 149), but the conse-
Supernatural abilities such as use, the spell needs Preparation cration ritual counts as formulaic
Channeling and Medium can have Required and counts as formulaic magic.
Preparation Required (p. B114). This magic. But if the procedure isn’t tied
represents the trance, through medita- to a specific spell, and is necessary to Meditative Magic
tion or ritual, required before using activate or maintain magical abilities
these abilities. Other supernatural in general, a mage may choose which In some traditions, mages or holy
abilities can have the same require- spell to cast on the spot. A spell chosen men go through regular spiritual exer-
ment. In particular, “psychic” super- this way can be high magic, and the cises such as yoga. By these exercises,
natural abilities (see Psionics as maintenance process does not need they accumulate spiritual power that
Magic, p. 158) often require entering a Preparation Required but Pact. they use to perform amazing feats.
trance. The design of Meditative Magic
Sorcerers may also buy spells as (p. 161) represents this process.
Some supernatural advantages, Modular Abilities. The advance prepa-
such as Blessed or Very Blessed, only ration is picking a set of spells to carry Thaumaturgy
work in a trance. Don’t apply the around during an adventure. Only and Sorcery
Preparation Required limitation to those spells are available, but they
such abilities. work normally. Mana-based magic, or thaumatur-
gy, based on applying the principles of
HIGH MAGIC Miracles thaumatology, is a form of high magic.
The same is true of sorcery, based on
High magic is the kind of spellcast- A god may grant his worshippers applying the principles of ritual
ing found in many roleplaying games. the power to work miracles in his magic. The impersonal magical
Spellcasters can use it quickly, like low name. Power Investiture can repre- forces, in one case, or the controlled
magic. But like formulaic magic, it sent this when coupled with a limited spirits, in the other, stand ready for the
can be learned through study, adding list of spells. Power Investiture perma- mage’s commands, which require only
new skills to the mage’s repertoire (or nently grants the worshipper the use a Concentrate maneuver and a spell
even inventing them), and can pro- of the god’s power. While subject to roll.
duce very potent results. This combi- the same kind of conditions a Pact
nation of speed, power, and versatility would represent, this doesn’t get the Historical Magic
makes mages very effective in combat. Pact limitation; the conditions are
inherent. Portrayals of magic in fantasy
Any spell cast with a Concentrate reflect actual beliefs about the super-
maneuver, whether based on Magery A god’s temple is a high-sanctity natural in past and present human
or on Power Investiture, counts as location for the god. On its grounds, cultures – though often the reflection
high magic. Casting spells ceremonial- any priest who has learned one of the is distorted. Knowing what real magi-
ly counts as high magic if done unas- god’s spells can cast that spell, if it cal practitioners thought they were
sisted; the ¥10 multiplier for casting serves the god’s purposes. Neither doing can help make fantasy magic
time is no more restrictive than the Magery nor Power Investiture is seem more authentic.
limitation Takes Extra Time. required for this. This also works on

MAGICAL ARTS 151

Tribal societies usually believe in a ideas about chi. The zodiacal signs in continents and ancestral human races
variety of spirits, and many have spe- Western astrology are grouped under or various 20th-century ideas based
cialists in dealing with them – earth, water, air, and fire, and the four on quantum mechanics. And attempts
shamans – even if they have no other suits of cards (both Tarot and stan- were made at scientific investigation
occupational specialists. Shamans dard playing cards) have elemental of the paranormal, such as cryptozool-
often have magical afflictions (p. 133). correspondences as well. ogy, parapsychology, and ufology. All
They practice a variety of arts, from these ingredients contributed to what
divination and healing to cursing their The full emergence of natural sci- is now called “New Age” thinking.
enemies, and are often associated with ence with heliocentric astronomy in
mythic trickster figures. Shamanistic the Renaissance undermined the Even more recently, some practi-
traditions could have influenced a appeal of magic by explaining natural tioners of magic have developed
number of religions, including Shinto events without appealing to supernat- approaches called “chaos magic” or
and Taoism. ural causes. But the communities of “postmodern magic.” Their details
scientists and magicians overlapped vary a great deal from magician to
Priests typically exist in somewhat for a long time; Isaac Newton did magician. If they have anything in
settled societies, such as Neolithic more work on alchemy than on common, it’s the individual magician’s
farmers. Their main role is leading physics, for example. And science freedom to develop an approach to
their communities in worship. Where itself became a source of new magical magic – to adopt any tradition, to bor-
a shaman might perform curing ritu- ideas. Theories such as animal mag- row from diverse traditions, or to try
als in private, a priest would lead a netism, physiognomy, and phrenolo- entirely new approaches. Where many
public prayer for the sick man’s recov- gy survived in the magical communi- older systems held that the magician’s
ery. In tribal societies, each village ty after scientists rejected them, side power came from the authority of a
may have its own cult, whereas civi- by side with older theories such as tradition, chaos magic suggests that
lized societies have central temples in astrology. New speculations arose on the tradition’s authority comes from
the cities or even multiple temples to the fringes of scientific theory, such the magician’s power.
the same god or gods across a wide as the 19th-century search for lost
area.

Another class of religious practi-
tioners is visionary religious poets
such as the bards of Celtic lands, the
vates of Rome, the prophets of Israel,
or the rishis of India. Often they oper-
ate outside the temple cults like
shamans.

The emergence of market eco-
nomies and occupational specializa-
tion leads to the development of
professional magic. Diviners, heal-
ers, and exorcists will perform their
special tasks for a fee. Systematic
methods emerge for divination (see
Soothsaying, p. 150).

The large-scale, multiethnic
empires of the Iron Age developed uni-
versalistic religions such as
Buddhism, Christianity, and Islam,
founded on philosophical or theologi-
cal ideas and aimed at widespread
conversions. Christianity and Islam
both tended to condemn any method
of gaining supernatural powers other
than prayer. This led to stories about
wicked magicians who served evil
powers.

During the same period, alchemi-
cal theorists produced lists of ele-
ments: earth, water, air, and fire in the
West, earth, water, fire, metal, and
wood in East Asia. Their speculations
influenced both magical thinking and
medicine, as in the Western theory of
the four humors (black bile, phlegm,
blood, and yellow bile) or Chinese

152 MAGICAL ARTS

THE STRUCTURE OF MAGIC

The standard GURPS magic sys- those are gone, it’s used up. In a very- college, instead of each spell, as a Very
tem is designed to make wizards inter- high-mana setting, where magical Hard skill (see Ritual Magic, p. B242).
esting, varied, and powerful . . . but energy recharges fully every turn, mag- Spells then default to the college skill
not too powerful. If magic couldn’t do ical capability is more like a generator, as Hard techniques. Instead of having
anything, it wouldn’t be interesting; with a certain sustainable power out- prerequisites, they are at -1 for each
but if it could do everything, that put. This provides a much higher level prerequisite the spell would normally
wouldn’t be interesting, either. The of power, because the magical energy have. The college skills themselves
standard system limits magic in spe- per turn is the same as the total magi- default to a core skill at -6, normally
cific ways, in several dimensions. cal energy in other environments. If either Ritual Magic (in traditions
Alternate magic systems may create you like the generator approach, but based on commanding spirits) or
different limits in different ways, don’t want that much power, you can Thaumatology (in traditions based on
but they need to address the same limit mages within the generator impersonal manipulation of supernat-
concerns. approach. A simple limit requires that ural forces). The result is a three-level
spells be maintained every turn, skill hierarchy: core skill, college or
LEVELS instead of every minute or longer. path skills, and spells as techniques.
OF POWER The same structure may help design
It’s also possible to change things other magic systems.
This limits the effects of magical in the other direction. Require a much
spells. Information spells answer a slower method of recharging the bat- In the standard spell-based magic
limited number of questions, attack tery than using FP to cast spells. See, system, the skill of Thaumatology still
spells do a measured amount of dam- for example, the rules for Meditative exists, but as a research and analysis
age, healing spells cure a measured Magic (pp. 161-162) and Blood Magic skill (see Theoretical Magic and Spell
amount of damage, and so on. Each (p. 167). A mage with slow or difficult Design, p. 167). This differentiates
result has an energy cost, and each recharge can have a battery with a scholar-mages who research spells
mage can only use so much energy. higher storage limit, or no limit at all. from adventurer-mages who cast them
Some spells can achieve greater or He’ll have to economize on spellcast- in the field, but may not represent
smaller effects, but achieving greater ing, so that one adventure’s worth of how the spells work.
effects has a higher energy cost, using spells doesn’t use more energy than he
up more of the mage’s resources. can regain in an entire campaign. This may not suit all campaigns or
worlds. RPG wizards often advance
These limits make it possible to LEVELS OF SKILL through experience gained on adven-
challenge mages. If a mage could sim- AND SKILL tures, which presumably represents
ply cast Omnipotence and change HIERARCHIES the hard, fast lessons of combat expe-
reality into exactly what he wanted, rience and do-or-die practice. In leg-
the result wouldn’t be a game, but a Using a magical spell requires a end and fiction, on the other hand,
private fantasy. There would never be skill roll. This means there’s a chance magic is often an intensely scholarly
any sense of risk or excitement. of a spell not working, which makes activity, power gained through hours
Drama comes from making choices. magic more dramatic. And since high- of study and laboratory work – or pos-
er skill levels (which mean more reli- sibly through similarly long hours of
Limits also make the game equal- able spellcasting) cost character meditation. If spells are techniques
ly interesting for PCs who aren’t points, there’s a tradeoff in character limited by Thaumatology or the Ritual
mages. A mage has access to spells design: learn a few spells really well, or Magic skill, effective mages must be
that help avoid almost any problem learn more spells somewhat less well. scholars. To produce even more schol-
that other characters deal with arly wizards, GMs may require that
through strength and skill. When the Most spells have other spells as points spent on spells, and on
number of spells cast is limited, prerequisites chosen from the same Thaumatology, Ritual Magic, and col-
mages need to rely on warriors, college. This encourages mage charac- lege skills, can only be acquired by
rogues, and technicians for ordinary ter concepts that emphasize one or study. Wizards can still profit from
tasks, saving their own abilities for two colleges in a coherent way. It also adventuring experience, but only with
the problems where they make the limits the range of viable character respect to the same nonmagical skills
biggest difference. In the meantime, concepts. A mage wanting to know and other abilities as any other adven-
the other adventurers can show their advanced spells spends points to learn turer. GMs should note that this rule
worth. all their prerequisites, which doesn’t will probably make many wizards
leave many points for other abilities. unwilling to venture out when they
Standard magic treats magical could be holed up at home with a
capability like a battery. It holds a cer- Other methods favor mages with good book.
tain number of charges, and when structured spell lists. One defines each

MAGICAL ARTS 153

Another possibility could allow mile would fit most battle situations DURATION
access to a restricted spell list and up to the year 1900. Wizards need not
waive prerequisites within the list. A carry ammunition, justifying their Most magical spells remain in
list of 12-20 spells is a good size; a appearance in battles. effect only for a limited time. In part,
shorter list wouldn’t provide room for this reflects the idea that magic is a
character growth or for different char- The dramatic point of range limita- departure from normal reality, mak-
acters in the same tradition, while a tions is to allow contests between ing it naturally unstable; time passes
longer one could cover enough differ- adventurers and their foes. Striking and the magic goes away. But it also
ent options to amount to general-pur- down an enemy who can’t hit back is provides a dramatic rationale. If mag-
pose magic. Restricted lists are stan- target practice for the attacker – and a ical changes can be permanent, then
dard for divinely granted magic (see horror story for the target. War movies any mage can magically make himself
Clerical Magic, p. B242). focus on fighter pilots and their one- stronger, faster, healthier, longer-lived,
on-one duels, or on infantry combat, immune to injury, and even handsome
SPEED even though artillery or bombs kill the – traits worth many character points –
majority of soldiers. Casting spells at a just by spending a few days casting
Ordinary magic can take as little as foe within line of sight gives the foe a permanent spells. Then mages domi-
one second per spell. This design sup- chance to hit back, preserving the nate the game, and the storyline goes
ports use in combat. sense of a duel. In particular, it gives from drama or adventure to wish ful-
nonmagical soldiers a chance to shoot fillment. To avoid short-circuiting the
Ceremonial magic is not fast back with ranged weapons, or sneak narrative, the benefits of any version
enough to use in a hand-to-hand close and go hand to hand, so that of magic need to be temporary.
fight. However, multiplying casting mages don’t entirely dominate the
time by 10, it’s roughly as fast as game.
using black powder firearms, and not
much slower than using heavy cross- How Much Detail?
bows. So ceremonial mages could be
useful in battle situations where the How much of the casting of a spell should be shown?
enemy couldn’t get at them immedi- In most fantasy campaigns, not very much. Ritual magic is a techni-
ately – behind a shield wall or a row cal process, just like developing a photograph or fencing, and the details
of pikemen, or in a fortress, or simply of any technical process are mostly dull. And magic has the added lia-
on a hilltop looking down on the bility of not really working; any elaborate discussion of the affinity of
enemy. If the ability to cast spells certain herbs for the human liver or the proper wording of a prayer to
were common, lines of mages might Jupiter just makes this more obvious. Better to ask what the goal of the
face off against each other in the style spell or enchantment is, note the circumstances, roll the dice to find out
of Napoleonic warfare, hurling fire- if it works, and move on.
balls and lightning bolts. But if the players are actually interested in the complexities of magi-
cal practice, such as finding the right way to apply the Three Laws of
Mages with short spellcasting Magic – go ahead and discuss the question with them. It’s fine to have
times will also play various support detail, so long as it’s interesting detail.
roles; they may supplement or replace Some GMs may use a purely improvisational approach. The player
the engineer, medical, and signal tells a story about what the mage is doing, or acts out his incantations;
corps. Mages with longer casting the GM privately decides how much of a skill bonus the player’s idea is
times, including specialist enchanters, worth, and takes that into account in deciding whether the spell worked.
will play purely support roles, as part Bonuses can range from +1 to +5.
of the technical staff of a fighting For a more systematic approach, pick one or more of the sets of mod-
force. ifiers listed under Magical Lenses (p. 163). If the mage can provide a suit-
able link to the target via the Three Laws of Magic, or use Symbol
RANGE Drawing to enhance his own concentration, his effective skill is higher.
The GM may have to rule on exactly how effective each skill booster
Of course, the range of a fireball really is.
spell (50 yards Max) is a bit short for To get more ceremonial magic into a campaign, without going into
Napoleonic or Age of Sail combat. Just the theoretical details, simply use the rules for taking extra time with a
going by Basic Move, an average man skill (p. B346), starting from the base time to cast spells ceremonially.
could cross the 50 yards in the 10 sec- For example, most ceremonial spells take 10 seconds to cast, so taking
onds a ceremonial mage would need to five minutes would be 30 times as long, giving a +5 multiplier. The GM
cast a 1d Fireball spell. This doesn’t and player can agree that the mage is spending those five minutes on
begin to compete with a musket. weird gestures, chants, invocations of forgotten gods, or whatever else
seems to fit.
A simple way to make magic useful
in post-gunpowder combat would be
to let ceremonial mages use the
system of long-distance modifiers
(p. B241) for all spells. A penalty of 0
within 200 yards and -1 within 1/2

154 MAGICAL ARTS

Usually, “temporary” works out to the 4 points. It also avoids bizarre aid the mage in focusing his mind and
“no longer than a single combat” or scenes such as a powerful Dispel will. As he gets more skilled, he
“no longer than a single session of Magic causing every magically healed becomes capable of purely mental
play.” This avoids requiring the play- wound a foe had ever suffered to reap- magic, just as a skilled reader doesn’t
ers to remember what spells they’ve pear, all at once, tearing his body need to read aloud or move his lips.
cast and when they’ll wear off, or take apart. Healing spells don’t grant a new Dramatically, mages perform visible
detailed notes during play. advantage, but return the subject to rituals partly for the same reason that
his normal physical condition. Other martial artists shout out the names of
However, some spells can have per- spells can have permanent effects if their techniques – it lets the audience
manent effects. Healing spells are a their benefits wouldn’t normally cost know that something interesting is
common example; once they’ve taken character points or substantial happening – and partly because it
away the damage from a wound, it amounts of wealth. gives the opposition a chance to con-
doesn’t come back when the spell front the mage and fight back. A cam-
wears off. This limits record-keeping; RITUALIZATION paign where magic is completely con-
rather than having to note that a war- cealable will involve less action and
rior has a 6-point leg wound of which Casting spells requires gestures more suspense.
4 points are magically suspended for and incantations. Theoretically, these
the next week, the player just erases

SYSTEMS OF MAGIC

Every novel, and every published CUSTOM-BUILT that mages contribute to a campaign
game setting, has a different vision of MAGIC without totally dominating it.
the supernatural and the magical arts.
GURPS offers a standard treatment of One way to get the right magic sys- Custom-building a magic system
magic that works for many adventure tem for a campaign is to build a new is not a trivial task. GMs who haven’t
campaigns. But GMs may want some- one, based on the source material or used GURPS before are better
thing different, either to re-create a the GM’s own imagination. Any sys- advised to start with one of the stan-
published setting or to express their tem needs to take into account the dard systems.
own vision of magic. Any level of mod- issues discussed in The Structure of
ification is possible, from minor Magic (pp. 153-155). A magic system ALTERNATIVE
adjustments of the standard system to needs limits and tradeoffs to ensure MAGIC SYSTEMS
building a new magic system from
scratch. In GURPS, “magic” normally
refers to the system of mana-based

magic in Chapter 5 of the Basic
Set. But other sources of special
abilities exist. Cyborgs, martial
artists, mutants, and psionic
adepts can all transcend normal
human limits. They just aren’t
called “magic.”

But nothing says they aren’t. If
mana-based magic doesn’t work
in a campaign setting, use the
rules for another set of special
abilities and call them “magic.”
Use them straight or modified to
make them more supernatural.
The existing enhancements and
limitations allow many such
adjustments.

The Third Edition of GURPS
included several concepts that
the Fourth Edition has not yet
explicitly covered. This section
does not provide rules for these
concepts, but offers short notes
for GMs attempting to adapt the
earlier rules, or work out new
treatments.

MAGICAL ARTS 155

Alchemy as Magic Behind the Curtain:
Making Gold
The skill of Alchemy does not have
Magery as a prerequisite. Anyone with The legendary goal of alchemy is making gold. GMs may choose
the proper training can use it. The whether this is actually possible in their campaign worlds, and if so, how
power that makes it work is the spe- well known the process is. As a guideline, the transmutation of metals
cial virtues of natural substances. The should require 12 weeks and a roll against Alchemy-6. Each “dose” is
alchemist learns what those virtues one pound of gold.
are and how to activate them in the
laboratory. The results are magical; a Any alchemical process also requires raw materials. How much
roll against IQ+Magery will sense that should those cost? That’s where it gets tricky. Normally fantasy stories
an alchemical elixir is magical. ignore economic cause and effect, but manufacturing precious metals
has an economic impact too big to ignore.
Alchemy grants the ability to make
alchemical elixirs and perform other Suppose that the knowledge of transmutation is closely guarded, but
alchemical processes (see Chapter 28 known to two competing alchemists or alchemical guilds. In a setting
of GURPS Magic). An alchemist can where precious metals are scarce, an alchemist making one pound of
recognize that a substance is an elixir gold can trade it for $20,000 worth of goods. In the 12 weeks of labor
by sight; make a Per-based Alchemy required for making gold, he can earn $3,600 at guild rates. So he has a
roll, modified by Acute Vision. If the surplus of $16,400, less the cost of raw materials. If they cost $400, he
elixir has been mixed with food or comes out $16,000 ahead!
drink, he can detect its presence by
smell; make a Per-based Alchemy roll, But remember that he has a competitor. The competitor can offer
modified by Acute Smell/Taste or double price for those same raw materials, and still come out a long way
Discriminatory Smell. He can identify ahead. The first alchemist can then offer triple price, and so on.
the specific elixir by laboratory analy- Eventually the price of the raw materials will rise to $16,400. At this
sis, which takes four hours. If the point, alchemists won’t earn any more than guild rates from transmuta-
elixir is not in his reference materials, tion; the people who produce or import the raw materials will have got-
an ordinary success will tell him that ten rich; and all the raw materials will be in the basement of the
it’s an unknown elixir, while a critical alchemists’ guild, while their natural sources will be depleted.
success will give him some idea of the
intended effect. He can get faster If the materials aren’t scarce and aren’t going to become scarce, the
results by tasting the elixir (Acute limit on gold production will be the supply of alchemical labor. So every
Smell/Taste or Discriminatory Taste alchemist will have an incentive to train his apprentices to make gold.
helps); this only takes 10 seconds, but But as more and more gold is made, and spent, prices will rise; that is,
on any failed roll he experiences the the value of a gold coin will fall. When a pound of gold is worth $3,600,
full effects of the elixir. alchemists will earn guild scale by making gold. If alchemists are skilled
enough to make multiple “doses” of gold, it can fall even farther, perhaps
Internal Alchemy as low as the $240 a pound implied by some fantasy settings (see
p. B515).
It may be possible to produce
alchemical effects by dosing a human One way to avoid this change in the value of gold is to have everyone
subject with several different ingredi- agree that “natural” gold is precious, but “artificial” gold is just a cheap
ents that combine within his body into imitation, suitable only for flashy decor. Mad wizards and pretentious
an elixir, which then takes effect on merchants might have alchemical gold trim on all their possessions. If
him. The subject’s body itself acts as there’s a reliable test (perhaps a magical one) for whether gold was
the reaction vessel. Since the alchemically made or not, merchants and moneychangers will routine-
alchemist cannot observe the reac- ly use it. If not, counterfeiters who make coins of alchemical gold may
tions directly, all rolls are at -4 to effec- face harsh penalties. Or alchemy itself may be strictly licensed, or pro-
tive skill, or -2 if the alchemist has hibited outright, to cut off the source.
Diagnosis, Physician, or Physiology at
15 or better. Only one dose can be pro- to Esoteric Medicine, without the have either version of the Gadgeteer
duced at a time, but the time required added penalty, since working within advantage. An alchemist can also
is measured in hours rather than the body is normal for this skill. apply the Gizmo advantage to alchem-
weeks. ical preparations.
Alchemic Inventions
Internal alchemy can be used on a Bardic Magic
corpse or a reassembled body, but at Alchemists can invent new process-
an additional -6 to skill, since the body es, using the standard rules for invent- Many fantasy stories portray poets
has no metabolism to aid the reac- ing (pp. B473-474), with a few adjust- as capable of working specialized
tions, and the time required is weeks. ments. See Chapter 28 of GURPS sorts of magic, based on singing.
Medical skills don’t help with this Magic for details. An alchemist may Several approaches to such magic are
process.

At the GM’s option, internal alche-
my can instead be treated as defaulting

156 MAGICAL ARTS

possible. In applying any of these, both physical and mental, that are not Leap, Immoveable Stance, Invisibility
emphasize effects that have a reason- otherwise available. Each allows the Art, Kiai, Light Walk, Mental
able association with music, language, performance of specific feats. Each Strength, Power Blow, Pressure
or influence. master should be capable of a few Points, Pressure Secrets, Push,
characteristic feats. Throwing Art, and Zen Archery. While
Bardic Advantages. A bard can have acquiring these skills, chi masters may
distinctive advantages that enhance Skills with Trained By A Master as also learn Breath Control, Erotic Art,
his abilities as a bard. Suitable choic- a prerequisite include Blind Fighting, Esoteric Medicine, and Meditation.
es are Charisma, Cultural Adaptabil- Body Control, Breaking Blow, Flying
ity, Eidetic Memory, Rapier Wit,
and Voice.

Bardic Skills. A bard can
have special skills for influenc-
ing others that go beyond nor-
mal influence rolls, as the skills
of advanced martial artists
may go beyond normal com-
bat (see Chi as Magic, below).
Suitable skills are the
Enthrallment skills and
Musical Influence.

Bardic Spells. A bard can
cast spells, buying Magery
with the Song limitation. See
also Mysteries of the Trade
(p. 162).

Invocation. In older leg-
ends, bards can call upon
divine aid, often from special-
ized deities such as the Muses
of Greek myth or the Hindu
goddess Sarasvati, asking
them to speak with the bard’s
voice. This is Channeling, with
a special advantage: Based on
Singing instead of Will, +20%.
(This is an advantage because
buying a skill costs less than
buying Will.) The deity can
grant the bard knowledge he
does not normally have, mak-
ing this comparable to sooth-
saying.

Chi as Magic Teachings of
the Kabbalah:
The force known as chi in
China or ki in Japan could be The Sephiroth, the divine
the same as mana. Literally, names.
“chi” means “breath,” just as
does the Latin-derived word From Manly P. Hall’s
“spirit” (see Spirits in the Secret Teachings of All
Material World, p. 30), so
there’s some plausibility in Ages (Philosophical
linking chi to spirit magic. Research Society, 1928),
which translated it from
The focused use of chi does
not involve spells or rituals. It Kircher’s Oedipus
depends on years of intensive Aegyptiacus, 1653.
meditative training, represent-
ed as the advantage Trained By
A Master (p. B93). This train-
ing develops esoteric skills,

MAGICAL ARTS 157

GMs offering a wider variety of philosophers’ stone, should not be special group of “witch-folk,” set apart
focused chi abilities may search mar- possible to herbalists. from everyone else, for better or worse
tial arts legends or Hong Kong films – as anything from targets of an inqui-
for other feats performed by masters Herbal inventions are possible sition to oligarchic rulers. They may
of chi. on the same basis as alchemical be marked by physical traits not seen
inventions. in ordinary folk.
Cyberspace as Magic
Psionics as Magic In a setting with trance magic, the
One of cyberpunk’s basic ideas, in skill of Psionics should not be avail-
such key works as William Gibson’s One possible variant magic system able. However, the skill of Philosophy
Neuromancer and Vernor Vinge’s True uses a modified treatment of psionics may represent a general theory of the
Names, is that cyberspace can be envi- to define magical abilities. In this mind and its powers, in Asian settings
sioned as a magical realm, with jack- form of trance magic (p. 151), buy all where enlightenment confers mystical
ing in as a variant on astral projection psi powers with Preparation powers (p. 161).
and programs taking the place of spir- Required. The user must concentrate
its. But it works just as well to apply for the required amount of time to The antipsi ability may not be
the metaphor in reverse, envisioning enter into a suitable trance state. The available in a “magical psionics” set-
the spirit world as a magical virtual trance mage must choose a specific ting. People whose presence blocks
reality. psi skill before starting preparations. mental powers may be rare or nonex-
If he is attempting related tasks, he istent in a world without scientific
Basic contact with the spirit world can use other skills within the same skepticism. If so, then the power mod-
occurs through shamanistic rituals power at -1 per added skill. ifiers for the other powers are reduced
(see Shamanism, p. 149). The spirit to -5%. Defenses against magical men-
world itself is a magical network com- One way to interpret trance magic tal powers may be available within the
parable to the computer nets of cyber- is to say that “magic” is a prescientific specific groups of powers; for exam-
space. Many magical traditions offer understanding of psionic abilities and ple, Mind Shield protects against hav-
suitable models, such as the Sephiroth a prescientific set of techniques for ing one’s mind read.
of the Jewish mystical school activating them. This approach is
Kabbalah. common in planetary romances, such At the GM’s discretion, trance
as Marion Zimmer Bradley’s Darkover magic powers may be mana-depend-
Spirits themselves compare to var- novels. However, it’s also possible to ent. This -10% limitation takes the
ious sorts of software. Free-willed say that the various abilities are super- place of the limitation for psionic
spirits are comparable to artificial natural, vestiges of the godlike state powers.
intelligences; other spirits are compa- from which humanity has fallen, and
rable to computer programs or robots. just happen to work as defined for Ritual Magic Systems
Slave Mentality defines this lack of psionics. The terminology of “psi”
free will. Spirits may also be may be a scientific age’s way of As an alternative to standard
Reprogrammable; see True Names describing magic, a last hint at the magic, GMs may define spells as tech-
(p. 164). supernatural within a mechanistic niques based on the core skill Ritual
worldview. In either approach, talent Magic instead of Thaumatology. In
Herbal Magic for trance magic may be hereditary, this approach, wizards still cast spells
and people who have it may be a from the standard list. However, that
The Herb Lore skill can replace list doesn’t fit some approaches to
Alchemy. There are only a few differ-
ences. First, Herb Lore can’t identify
or analyze elixirs. Second, the ingredi-
ents are cheaper; divide their cost by
5. Third, an herbalist can locate suit-
able ingredients in the wild at no cost
by making Naturalist rolls. He may
attempt two searches per day, and
needs to attain three successes or one
critical success.

An analog of internal alchemy can
be based on Herb Lore. However,
instead of using a -6 modifier, reani-
mating a corpse is flatly impossible for
herbalists. Herb Lore is more specifi-
cally life-aspected than Alchemy is.

Not every elixir has an herbal
equivalent; which ones have such
equivalents is the GM’s decision.
Most other alchemical processes,
such as transmutation of metals and
preparation of the alkahest or the

158 MAGICAL ARTS

magic, either in real-world occult dhis, or superhuman powers gained in the Plant Mastery power. Its use is
beliefs or in the fantasy genre. GMs the pursuit of spiritual enlightenment, mana-sensitive, but it can benefit
may consider working up alternate is an example of this approach to mag- from Plant Mastery Talent. -10%.
lists of paths and techniques, especial- ical powers; the Roma Arcana setting
ly for fantasy campaigns set in the offers another example, Dionysian Spirit Powers
modern world. magic (pp. 205-206). But it’s also pos-
sible to have “high magic” versions of This is the power to perceive, com-
For an approach where ritual such powers that require no more municate with, and control spirits.
magic is primary, assume the than a Concentrate maneuver.
following: Spirit Powers Talent: 5 points/level.
In terms of game mechanics, each You have a natural talent for Spirit
Subtle effects. Most magic doesn’t power has three components: Powers. You get +1 per level to use any
have flashy, obvious effects such as Spirit Powers ability. You can use
fireballs or turning stones into bread. 1. A set of advantages that repre- earned points to acquire new Spirit
Most techniques produce outcomes sent different ways the power can Powers abilities, even if you did not
that are improbable instead of impos- manifest. These are known as the start with them. The following advan-
sible, and thus can be classified as power’s abilities. tages can be Spirit Powers abilities:
“coincidence” by skeptics. Blessed, Channeling, Detect (Super-
2. A special modifier – most often a natural Beings), Insubstantiality
Longer duration. Magic doesn’t limitation – called a power modifier. (Projection), Invisibility (Only in
have to be maintained once a minute. This turns any advantage to which it is Spirit Form, Substantial Only,
Once the ritual is complete, the effect applied into an ability within the asso- Switchable), Medium, Mindlink (with
remains in place until used up or mag- ciated power. spirits), See Invisible (Spirits), and
ically countered; at a minimum, its Spirit Empathy. The corresponding
duration will be comparable to that of 3. A Talent that makes it easier to talent would cost 5 points/level. Power
an entire combat. use all of the power’s abilities. If the Modifier: The advantage is a supernat-
abilities are treated as trance magic, ural ability within the Spirit Powers
Slower activation. The base time for the special modifier does not include power. Its use requires observance of
most techniques is measured in min- the Preparation Required, because an elaborate system of rituals,
utes, or even hours. Faster or slower some advantages within a power may amounting to a Pact based on
casting can lower or raise effective already include an equivalent require- Discipline of Faith (Ritualism), but it
skill, just as for most technical skills. ment (for example, Blessed, included can benefit from Spirit Powers Talent.
in Spirit Powers, automatically takes -5%.
Shapeshifting as Magic an hour). List the Preparation
Required separately for the powers to Magic Powers
A morph who has Magery 0 can which it applies.
assume the templates of living crea- In a superhero campaign, magic
tures with innate magic. Without Here are some illustrations of this itself might be a power:
Magery 0, the morph cannot sense concept:
the presence of mana organs and Magical Powers Talent: 5
thus cannot duplicate them, though Plant Mastery points/level. You have a natural talent
he could duplicate all other features for Magical Powers. You get +1 per
of the template. For example, he At the GM’s option, this talent level to use any Magical Powers abili-
could have a panther’s claws and includes the power to perceive, com- ty. You can use earned points to
night vision but not its magical municate with, and control plants by acquire new Magical Powers abilities,
breath (p. 49). A morph with Magery magical attunement to them. even if you did not start with them.
0 and the Intermediate Forms advan- The following advantages can be
tage can form mana organs within Plant Mastery Talent: 5 points/level. Magical Powers abilities: Affliction,
his human body and use the magical You have a natural talent for Plant Damage Resistance (Magic), Detect
powers of any creatures he has mem- Mastery. You get +1 per level to use (Magic or Supernatural Phenomena),
orized. A morph who studies many any Plant Mastery ability. You can use Neutralize (Magic), and Telekinesis.
magical creatures might have earned points to acquire new Plant The corresponding talent would cost 5
access to numerous magical powers; Mastery abilities, even if you did not points/level. Power Modifier: Magical
this might become a goal for a start with them. The following advan- Powers. The advantage is a magical
morph-mage. tages can be Plant Mastery abilities: ability within the Magical Powers
Binding (based on plants, and with power. Its use is mana-sensitive, but it
Superpowers as Magic the Environmental modifier), can benefit from Magical Powers
Brachiator, Chameleon (Only in Talent. -10%.
The structure of psionic abilities Vegetation, -20%), Detect (plants,
(see pp. B254-257) can be applied to considered Common), Healing A more potent version might
other sorts of powers, including magi- (Plants Only, -20%), Plant Empathy, include any advantage that could be
cal powers. One way to give such pow- Possession (of plants only, with suit- rationalized as “the effect of a magical
ers a more magical flavor is to treat able modifiers), Speak with Plants, spell.” The corresponding talent
them as trance magic (p. 151), with Talent (Green Thumb), and Terrain would cost 10 points/level, the same as
Preparation Required in the form of Adaptation (plant-related terrain such standard Magery, to which it would be
meditation. The Hindu belief in sid- as tree branches). Power Modifier: The roughly equivalent.
advantage is a magical ability within

MAGICAL ARTS 159

Talents as Magic Using these systems instead of stan- (plant spells applied to living or dead
dard magic has no point cost (see wood; see p. 171), earth, metal (based
Superior ability to use a nonmagi- Behind the Curtain: Point Costs on on stone spells, but with doubled
cal skill can itself be an expression of p. 18). cost), and water. Air in this system is
magic. One straightforward portrayal not an element, but a subtle substance
of this is as a Talent with Preparation Alternate Colleges that moves within matter as breath or
Required. By blessing the work area or spirit (chi); spells from the College of
having it prayed over, invoking suitable A GM can restructure the system of Air can be reassigned to the other ele-
gods or saints, or using arcane trade colleges according to any logical mental colleges or the colleges of
secrets, the craftsman achieves better rationale. If this changes the number Healing and Necromancy.
results. For a task that takes many of colleges, the costs of certain forms
days, the preparation must be repeated of Magery will also change (p. 130). Some spells have prerequisites in
at the start of each day’s work. Some examples of alternate college the form “one spell from at least 10
systems are as follows: different colleges.” If colleges divide
Craft magic can enchant objects. into a smaller number, this may not be
The enchantments are limited to those Ethical: Classify every spell as possible. For systems with 15 or more
that enhance the nonmagical func- either good (white) or evil (black). colleges, keep this requirement
tions of the object. A sword could This requires a setting where ethical unchanged. For systems with fewer
become sharper or better balanced, beliefs are objectively true, such as a colleges, allow multiple spells per col-
but could not gain the ability to fire Zoroastrian cosmos (see Knowing lege. In a system with 7-14 colleges,
lightning bolts. Use slow and sure Good and Evil, p. 21). In some set- require two spells per college instead
enchantment, unless the craftsman tings, mages will almost all specialize of one (for example, “two spells in
has Quick Gadgeteering as well as in one category or the other. In moral- each of five different colleges”). In a
Talent. Roll against the skill that ly ambiguous settings, mages who system with three to six colleges,
would be used to make the object at specialize in one college may have to divide the required number between
-5, modified by the level of Talent learn spells from the other college as two colleges (for example, “five spells
applied; the craftsman must have at prerequisites for some of its advanced in each of two different colleges”). In a
least +1 to skill from the Talent to spells – though they may choose or system with only two colleges, all the
attempt this. Assistants may con- even take a Vow to never cast them. spells can be in one college (for exam-
tribute energy for enchantment if they ple, “at least 10 black magic spells”).
have the same skill and have taken Elemental: Every spell belongs to
part in the same ritual; they need not one of the four elemental colleges. For Colleges can also be added to the
have any skill bonus from Talent. A example, spells that affect the body existing system; see, for example,
craftsman may gain energy from one are earth spells; spells of communica- Technomagic (p. 66).
assistant per level of his own Talent. tion and movement are air spells.
Correspondence Magic
In some fantasy settings, as in Planetary: Every spell is under the
many historical societies, starting a jurisdiction of one of the seven planets In a setting where magic is based
job out with this kind of ritual isn’t of geocentric astronomy (the Moon, on correspondences (p. 19, pp. 163-
something a few specialists do; it’s Mercury, Venus, the Sun, Mars, 164), spellcasters may not be able to
standard practice. For example, a Jupiter, and Saturn). power spells with their own FP.
group of builders might pray to the Instead, base spellcasting on the laws
Great Architect before starting each Trigram: Every spell links to one of of contagion, similarity, and names.
day’s work. In such a setting, the GM the eight trigrams of the I Ching. Apply the bonuses to the caster’s base
may choose to apply a -5 skill penalty skill. If the resulting skill level is high
to tasks undertaken without the cus- Color-based: Spells link to colors, enough to reduce the cost to cast to
tomary ritual, or -2 to tasks performed producing varying numbers of col- zero, then casting the spell is possible;
with a hasty or poorly focused ritual. leges. Ethical colleges, where spells otherwise, it’s not.
As a guideline, less than 5% of the are either black or white, could be a
required work time would count as form of color-based magic. Working correspondence magic
hasty ritual; less than 1% would be takes longer; multiply time required
entirely ineffective. Zodiacal: Assign every spell to one for any spell by 10. Magery 0 is still
of the 12 signs of the Zodiac. required in normal-mana settings. It
MODIFIED MAGIC doesn’t represent a general perception
Tree-based: Every spell links to one of “magical” forces or qualities, but an
GMs may create a divergent magic of the 18 trees of the ancient Celtic intuitive sense for what corresponds
system by starting with the standard tree alphabet. to the intended subject of a spell. Time
system and changing one of its and distance effects are as discussed
aspects. See The Structure of Magic Tarot-based: Categorize every spell under Correspondences (p. 19). GMs
(pp. 153-155) for major aspects that with one of the 22 major arcana of the wanting to make correspondence
can be changed. Most forms of modi- Tarot, or to one of the 78 Tarot cards. mages adventurers should let them
fied magic are features of a campaign have up to five levels of Magery, inter-
world, instead of an individual mage Hexagram: Every spell reflects one preted as superior insight into magical
or magical tradition within a world. of the 64 hexagrams of the I Ching. relationships. Standard and corre-
spondence Magery shouldn’t coexist.
Partial restructuring is also possi-
ble. For example, the elemental col-
leges (air, earth, fire, and water) reflect
European ideas about matter. A
Chinese campaign could have colleges
of the Chinese elements: fire, wood

160 MAGICAL ARTS

At the GM’s option, nonmages may The mystic builds up a store of power in
cast spells by correspondence magic, the supernatural realm, which he can use to
even in a normal-mana setting. perform magical feats.
Casters must research correspondenc-
es in vast magical libraries, requiring a chain Lend Health, Lend Energy; two HT+Magery: Magic is an overflow-
roll against Research or Thau- prerequisites cost 2 points. Lend ing of life energy. People in better
matology-2 at a penalty equal to the Energy requires Magery 1, which health can better withstand the bio-
bonus the correspondence will pro- costs 5 points for Magery 0 and 2 logical stress of casting spells. Any liv-
vide. Each attempt to find a corre- points for Magery 1 (One Spell Only, ing thing, even a tree, may be capable
spondence takes an hour. This form of -80%). With IQ + Magery equal to 12 of casting spells. Nonsapient life
correspondence magic can coexist he would pay 4 points to learn Minor forms will do so only by instinct, and
with standard magic, if the GM allows Healing-12. Total cost is 2 + 5 + 2 + 4 IQ 0 life forms only as their own phys-
the correspondence modifiers to apply = 13 points. This enables him to repair iological state dictates.
to standard magic. 1 to 3 points of injury at an energy cost
of 1 per point, just as if he had learned Per+Magery: Magic is the ability to
Fixed Magic the spell. He can’t use Lend Health or sense the flow of mana through the
Lend Energy, and he can’t improve his world. More perceptive people can
Fixed magic is the ability to cast a Minor Healing ability by further study. more easily sense mana. Nonsapient
spell without consciously knowing it. What he knows is a fixed pattern of life forms may be able to cast spells;
It represents, for example, the instinc- actions, the magical equivalent of a IQ 0 life forms such as most plants
tive magic of certain animals in some reflex. will not. This version works well with
fantasy worlds. Such abilities form a the assumption that magical energy
class of meta-traits. Each meta-trait This system can be used for more always comes from external sources.
has three components, as follows: than one spell. Buy the required level
of Magery once, with a reduced limita- Will+Magery: Magic is the ability to
First, choose the desired spell, and tion (p. 129); buy each spell separately impose one’s will on reality. Usually
list all of its prerequisites, and all of at the desired level. If one fixed spell is only sapient life forms can cast spells.
their prerequisites, back to a set of actually in another fixed spell’s prereq- Advantages such as Visualization or
spells without prerequisites. If more uisite chain, count only the additional Single-Minded may aid magic. This
than one list is possible, choose one – prerequisites for the second spell. But goes well with subjectivistic views of
normally the shortest, but this isn’t if neither spell is in the other’s prereq- magic.
obligatory. There is a cost of 1 point uisite chain, use the full cost for both,
per spell in the chain of prerequisites. even if their separate prerequisite 10+Magery: Magic is a unique
chains might include some of the entity or force in its own right. No
Second, identify the highest level of same spells. nonmagical attributes make any dif-
Magery required for the spell or any of ference to it. Effectively this makes
its prerequisites. Buy that level of Magic Based Magery a “fifth attribute.”
Magery, with the modifier One Spell on Other Attributes
Only (p. 129). In settings with normal Meditative Magic
or low mana, Magery 0 is the mini- Standard mana-based spells are
mum; in settings with high or very IQ-based skills, aided by Magery. But Certain mystical traditions, such as
high mana, it may not be required for magic could be based on a different yoga or the Jewish practice of
all spells. attribute. Here are some choices that Kabbalah, aim at acquiring supernatu-
reflect various fictional or mythic ral power through spiritual disciplines.
Third, determine the cost of learn- conceptions: The mystic builds up a store of power
ing the spell at the desired level, given in the supernatural realm, which he
the user’s IQ and Magery. A campaign can use to perform magical feats.
setting that uses fixed magic may have
a standard level of ability for all spells, To acquire supernatural power, the
at the GM’s discretion. mystic spends a full day in prayer or
contemplation. He must have the skill
For example, an army wound of Meditation to do this, but no skill
dresser with IQ 11 would find it useful roll is required. For each day spent
to be able to heal wounds. The spell meditating, he adds one energy point
Minor Healing has the prerequisite to a magical energy reserve. (This is
equivalent to gaining one character
point through 200 hours of study and
spending it on 25 points of magical
Signature Gear, as discussed on
p. 131.)

MAGICAL ARTS 161

Less intensive procedures add to Further meditation can cleanse the spell, he’ll need many slots to cast any
his energy reserve at a lower rate. practitioner’s soul of the taint, but it high-powered spell. Assume that he
Study of sacred books adds one ener- must be continuous and uninterrupt- effectively “knows” all the spells in his
gy point per two days (equivalent to ed, and for each -5-point disadvan- grimoire as prerequisites. If he
self-teaching). Simply leading a good tage, the practitioner will be left with acquires a new spell book, he can add
life of full commitment to a religion’s a quirk that can never be removed. its contents to his grimoire, but he’ll
ethical teachings adds one energy initially be unfamiliar with them and
point per four days (equivalent to on- The GM’s creativity determines the will use them at -2. He can gain famil-
the-job training). A major virtuous act form of the taint. Often it may be iarity with the new book in eight
as defined by the rules of his faith can emblematic of the kinds of magic that hours of study per spell, or memorize
“acquire merit,” adding 25 energy brought the practitioner to this condi- unfamiliar spells before going on an
points; minor virtuous acts count as tion. In some campaigns, it may take adventure. If he actually casts one of
part of “living a good life.” At the GM’s the form of Addiction to magic itself. the unfamiliar spells under conditions
option, an analog of intensive training of stress, assume that he’s now famil-
(p. B293) may also be available. The At the GM’s option, a practitioner iar with it.
mystic must completely isolate him- who lacks the Meditation skill may
self from his everyday life and spend also use point debt. This represents a For a more difficult situation, a
every waking moment in prayer. This mage who cannot recover from the new spell book may contain an
does require a daily roll against twisting of his soul and body by the advanced spell without its prerequi-
Meditation, and the mystic must have spells he casts; as he uses more magic sites; perhaps the writer assumed that
Will 12+ to undertake such a regimen. he becomes more warped. This pat- everyone knew how to cast them!
While he maintains it, he adds four tern works best for “evil sorcerer” Such spells are at -1 to skill per
energy points to his reserve per full adversaries in most campaigns, but in omitted prerequisite, and this can’t be
day spent. a dark fantasy campaign, all magic made up through familiarity.
might work this way. Consider giving
A spellcaster can use the resulting such practitioners a demonic Patron In a setting where magic summons
energy reserve to cast spells or work whom they have a Duty to serve. and commands spirits, it may take the
enchantments. Energy points can
accumulate without limit, but once Both magic and religion are based strictly
spent, they are gone. Followers of on mythological tradition, and they also both
such paths don’t normally expend exist in the atmosphere of the miraculous, in
their reserves casually. a constant revelation of their wonder-working
power. They both are surrounded by taboos
Most mystics are adherents of a and observances which mark off their acts
religion and practice a Discipline of from those of the profane world.
Faith. Neither Power Investiture nor
Magery is required. A student who – Bronislaw Malinowski
does not practice a Discipline of Faith
is limited to accumulating energy at Modular Magic form of Spirit Trapping (p. 130). This
half rate by studying sacred books. If can have its own version of a grimoire:
he is a member of the religion he stud- In some campaigns, mages never a book holding a sorcerer’s agree-
ies, he can gain energy at quarter learn spells permanently. Instead, they ments with a variety of spirits, one
speed when not studying by obeying impress a group of spells on their agreement per page, each spirit grant-
its commandments. Being a student of minds before going out on missions, ing access to one spell.
a religion’s spiritual practices without and can use only those spells until
belonging to the religion should be they study the next set. Buy this as Mysteries of the Trade
treated as an Unusual Background, Super-Memorization (Spells Only,
typically worth 10 points. -20%). This lets the mage cast each Various professions have a reputa-
spell of the current set as often as he tion for magical knowledge. Examples
Point Debt pleases. If each spell can only be cast include bards, courtesans, physicians,
one time, as in Jack Vance’s The Dying scribes, and smiths, in various soci-
As an extension of the meditative Earth, this can be represented as eties. To represent this, use a variant of
magic rules, GMs may let meditative Limited Uses (1 use), -40%. ritual magic (p. B242). Instead of bas-
practitioners spend energy points ing the system of skills on Ritual Magic
exceeding what they have accumu- This method of learning spells rais- or Thaumaturgy, base it on a relevant
lated, and then work off the points by es the question of prerequisites. If a occupational skill – singing for the
further meditation. Keep this deficit- mage must memorize all the prerequi- bard, Sex Appeal for the courtesan,
financing version of magic under site spells before he can use a given and so on. The professional can then
control by immediately converting
an accumulated point debt that
reaches 125 into a -5-point disadvan-
tage; this represents the twisting of
the practitioner’s soul by the per-
formance of high-powered magic.

162 MAGICAL ARTS

learn a single IQ/Very Hard (Profes- To cast a spell, the mage puts movements of the heavens, or consult
sion) Magic skill that defaults to this together a verb and one or more an ephemeris, if one is available. Then
core skill at -6. Spells in turn default to nouns. He can incorporate them into roll vs. Fortune-Telling (p. 135) to
the (Profession) Magic skill as tech- the design of a magical object (see determine whether any time in a
niques, at -1 per prerequisite spell. As Runic Enchantment, p. 25), write specified week is favorable. (Usually
usual for ritual magic, the professional them on parchment or another medi- this will be the week immediately to
doesn’t actually have to know the um, or trace them in the dirt or even in come, but future weeks can be exam-
prerequisites the air. ined instead – for example, to plan
ahead for the completion of a major
In a low- or normal-mana setting, Tracing runes in the air takes 2 sec- enchantment at a favorable time.) On
casting the spells requires Magery 0 onds for an Easy rune, 6 seconds for a critical success, a highly favorable
(or Power Investiture from a god or an Average rune, or 12 seconds for a configuration of the signs and planets
patron saint of the profession). In a Hard rune. Roll vs. the skill for each is found; treat the effective mana level
high- or very-high-mana setting, any rune, at -3. Runes can be traced in half as two levels higher than usual. On a
professional can cast any spell based the time for an additional -2, or slow- normal success, treat it as one level
on his profession, if only at default. ly and carefully, taking twice the time, higher. On a normal failure, no benefit
For example, a blacksmith with for +1. After tracing the runes, roll vs. is gained. On a critical failure, the cal-
Smith-16 would have Smith Magic-10 Symbol Drawing to activate the spell. culation is in error; the astrologer
by default from it, and Ignite Fire-10 finds a day and hour that appear to be
by default from Smith Magic-10 (since Rune magic doesn’t have memo- favorable, but are actually unfavor-
Ignite Fire has no prerequisites). rized spells; each spell must be assem- able, with mana one level lower than
bled on the spot at the time of its cast- normal.
Talent in a group of skills raises the ing. In normal- and low-mana set-
skills themselves, and therefore raises tings, activating a rune spell requires Each combination of spell and tar-
the default value of the associated Magery. get requires a different heavenly con-
magical skills, but it doesn’t enhance figuration, and thus a new horoscope.
magical skills purchased with charac- MAGICAL LENSES
ter points. On the other hand, Magery At the GM’s option, other divinato-
adds to the magical skill and thus to In contrast to modified magic, ry arts may identify either favorably or
the techniques that default to it. It’s which changes some rules of the stan- unfavorably aspected times, or favor-
possible to buy One-College Magery dard magic system, magical lenses ably or unfavorably aspected places,
for a single professional magical skill; keep the same structure and provide for a given spell. However, most arts
since there are more than 30 profes- ways of enhancing its use. Most pro- can’t look ahead to precisely calculat-
sional skills, this version of One- vide bonuses to skill in spellcasting. ed future times, as astrology can.
College Magery is bought at -60%. Think carefully about which ones to
allow. If all of them work, mages may Astrology works best with ceremo-
The specific spells for each form of be able to cast spells at +20 to skill or nial magic such as enchantment. In a
professional magic are determined by more – and players may spend hours battle, a mage can’t afford to wait for
the GM. Spells should be useful in per- trying to work out which ritual will the stars to be right before he casts his
forming professional tasks, or should give them another +2 to skill. It’s safer spells.
accomplish superhuman feats within either to pick out one or two modifiers
a professional domain, such as raising that suit the theme of a campaign, or Correspondences
the dead for a physician. to impose an upper limit to the total
skill bonus that modifiers can grant. A For a more detailed exploration of
Syntactic Magic limit of +5 will give a campaign a fla- magical thinking, the Three Laws of
vor of ceremonial magic; a limit of +10 Magic can provide bonuses to spells,
For a more detailed treatment of or higher will make it a major theme ranging from +1 to +4.
magic based on college skills, base of the campaign.
each spell on a combination of two or For contagion bonuses, include
more colleges instead of a single col- Astrological Magic things that have been in contact with
lege. The rules for rune magic (in the subject. A physical object that he
GURPS Magic) are the standard Just as some areas can have higher has used or handled gives +1. (It must
GURPS treatment of this approach. or lower mana than the surrounding be a complete physical object; you
landscape, some times can have high- can’t say, “I have some air here, and he
Rune magic uses a list of verbs er or lower mana than others. Times breathes the same air.”) The object
(magical actions that can be per- are usually aspected to particular must bear a strong imprint from his
formed) and a list of nouns (objects kinds of magic or even particular tar- actions, such as shoes he has worn
that can be acted on or created magi- gets. A mage skilled in astrology, or long enough to stretch them, or he
cally). Each noun and each verb has a advised by an astrologer, can select the must have formed a strong personal
specific symbol in a runic alphabet. proper hour for a given spell and gain attachment to the object by using it.
Mages learn the runes as separate improved odds of casting it. Any object he has personally made, or
skills; depending on the concept, each dead tissue from his body, such as cut
rune may be an Easy, Average, or Hard To benefit from astrological influ- hair or nails, gives +2. Living matter
skill. Skill with any rune is limited to ences in casting a spell, roll vs. from his body, such as his bodily flu-
the mage’s skill with Symbol Drawing Astronomy to predict the future ids, gives +3. So does having his
in the tradition the rune comes from. corpse, if he has died.

MAGICAL ARTS 163

For similarity bonuses, a likeness True Names
of the subject (such as a drawing), or a
natural object that shares one of his In correspondence magic, using the true name for the subject of a
attributes or one attribute of the spell is a source of power. However, what is the true name of a tree, or
desired effect (for example, an eagle a star, or a demon?
feather for a flight spell), gives +1. A
formal portrait or sculpture by a A name is a word that refers to a thing. But many different words can
skilled artist or an imitation by a refer to the same thing in different languages, or even in the same lan-
skilled mimic gives +2. A natural guage. For a word to be a true name, it has to have some kind of unique
object that strongly resembles the sub- bond to the thing it names.
ject, such as a heart-shaped leaf as a
magical treatment for heart disease, Sapient beings normally have true names as individuals. A sapient
also gives +2. An identical twin or a being’s true name is the name he thinks of as his real name: his legal
homunculus gives +3; someone close- name, or his baptismal name, or the name given by his tribal shaman
ly related by blood, such as a parent, based on a vision during his initiation into adulthood. It’s almost always
child, or sibling, gives +2. Having cus- in his native language. Anything he is called in another language, or any
tody of a vampire would give +2 for title or nickname he’s given in his native language, doesn’t count.
the vampire who infected him and any
vampires he had infected. Nonsapient beings don’t normally have true names. If an animal is
trained to come when its name is called, that name becomes its true
For naming bonuses, using the name. In a campaign that uses the rules for named objects (p. 26), the
subject’s true name (see True Names, name given to an object by those rules is its true name, even if it’s non-
right) gives +4. A standard form of his sentient.
name that is not his full name, such as
the name he uses as a signature, gives When true names are a source of magical power, people often con-
+3. A nickname, or “use name,” or the ceal their true names, as in Ursula Le Guin’s A Wizard of Earthsea or
name that he’s ordinarily called, gives Vernor Vinge’s cyberpunk story “True Names.” People introduce them-
+2. An identifier that is not a name, selves by saying, “Call me Ishmael,” or perhaps by elaborate riddling, if
such as his assigned number in a set of they want to make a point of the concealment.
official records, is +1.
If religious ceremonies grant names, this may not be necessary. After
It’s not possible to combine bonus- such a ceremony, the god knows the worshipper’s name, and presum-
es within the same category. Having a ably has power over him. But the god may be jealous of that power;
garment the subject used to wear (+1) using a religiously granted true name to cast harmful spells invites
and a small amount of his blood (+3) divine retribution. Or the god may simply shield his worshippers from
gives a combined contagion effect of attacks based on their true names. Adhering to a religion may protect
+3, not +4. against direct magical attack.

Using correspondences to aid spell- Spirits are more vulnerable than material beings to their true names
casting takes more time; multiply being used against them. A material being’s body doesn’t perfectly con-
required time by 10, as for ceremonial form to its archetype, and thus is somewhat resistant to name-based
magic. However, this is not ceremoni- magic. But a spirit, not being made of matter, is its true name and can
al magic. A mage can use it alone be totally bound by commands addressed to it. If true names exist, spir-
without the enhancement Solitary its have the Reprogrammable disadvantage, if anyone learns their true
Ceremonial Casting (p. 130). names, and the Secret disadvantage before then. This may affect even
very powerful beings. Jewish legend credits Lilith with magical powers
At the GM’s option, any spell cast gained by knowing the secret name of the Lord (see Lilith, p. 54). To a
with the aid of correspondences may mortal who knows the name, such a being may be an unwilling Ally or
use the long-distance modifiers off- Patron.
set by the correspondence bonuses.
A spell that normally wouldn’t use They’re too minor to give any bonus to If the GM allows casting with only
long-distance modifiers has a -1 spellcasting, but they can meet the +0 connections, the caster risks get-
penalty and must have a correspon- requirement for one connection of ting the wrong target.
dence bonus to skill in each of the each type.
three categories. But above and beyond there’s still
Any complete object a subject has one name left over,
See Correspondence Magic for an ever touched or handled is a +0 con-
alternative magic system based on nection by contagion. Anything And that is the name that you never
these rules. shaped like the subject, such as a wax can guess,
doll for a man, is a +0 connection by
Placeholders similarity. Any phrase that describes The name that no human research
the subject, such as “the man who can discover,
To ease spellcasting with long-dis- opposes my efforts,” is a +0 connec-
tance modifiers, a GM may allow the tion by naming. But the cat himself knows – and he
use of “placeholder” correspondences. won’t confess.
These magical connections based on
the Three Laws have a value of +0. – T.S. Eliot, “The Naming of Cats”

164 MAGICAL ARTS

Racial Magery example, the loa of Voudoun belief held for a later casting of the spell, but
often like rum and cigars. a single mage can only have a single
A racial template can include spell ready in this way.
Magery 0 or higher levels of Magery. If The basic currency of sacrifice is
the upper limit for a human mage is hit points. If the victim is sapient and Each 5 HP of sacrifice can be
Magery 3 (as in a classic fantasy set- consents to the sacrifice, use his full exchanged for two character points’
ting), and a race naturally has Magery HP. If he does not consent, divide his worth of a Talent. A Talent applies
3, it’s plausible that its magically tal- HP by 3. For nonsapient victims, only to a single task and to no more
ented members will be better than always divide HP by 3; they are pre- skill rolls than the number of skills the
that, better than the best human sumed not capable of consent. At the Talent includes. For long, complex
mages. GMs may choose to let mem- GM’s discretion, offerings of material tasks, more sacrifices may be needed.
bers of such races exceed the normal goods worth 20% of a campaign’s
Magery limit for a campaign. In effect, starting wealth count as 1 HP. Offered Sacrificial offerings may help gain
Magery works like an attribute: a wealth may be cast into the sea, economic success. Each 5 HP of sacri-
character of a magical race buys burned at a shrine, ritually consumed fice buys either +2 to a monthly job
Magery at the normal cost up to the by someone possessed by a god or success roll, or a 2% increase in the
normal human limit, and then adds spirit, or otherwise destroyed or made character’s Independent Income rate
any further bonus to that level, even if inaccessible. for one month. Assume that the
the result exceeds the limit. If elves monthly job success roll actually
have racial Magery 1, an elven charac- A god who cares about purity of includes a number of skill rolls that
ter might have Magery 3 [30], plus intent may expect 20% of the starting come up on the job. Each month
another level for racial Magery, for a wealth for a character’s wealth level, requires a new sacrifice.
total of Magery 4. instead of 20% of the average starting
wealth. With this interpretation, a The GM may make other advan-
GMs may limit racial Magery to Dead Broke character who makes tages available with the same rate of
the same number of levels as individ- any offering is credited with 1 HP of exchange with HP. Advantages
ual Magery. Even fewer could be justi- sacrifice. gained in this way are always tempo-
fied; racial Magery 1 would let a race’s rary versions of normally permanent
best mages exceed any human mages’ Sacrifices may create various bene- advantages.
capabilities. fits. Each HP of sacrifice could be
exchanged for two energy points of The GM’s may require anyone who
Sacrificial Magic magic. The spell to be cast must be calls on spirit agents to work magic to
specified before performing the sacri- provide them with regular small sacri-
Sacrifice is destroying or giving up fice; the energy points gained can be fices. Instead of accounting for HP of
something valuable in order to gain a sacrifice, treat this as a Pact.
benefit. Sacrifice generally implies
that someone is receiving the sacrifi-
cial offering. There’s an implied
exchange, the substance of the sacri-
fice for some supernatural favor. How
much benefit depends on how sub-
stantial an offering.

The oldest forms of sacrifice com-
monly involved killing something;
their altars were not just tables but
butchers’ blocks. In many societies,
killing any large animal required ritu-
als. This may relate to the custom in
some hunter-gatherer cultures of
thanking a slain animal for the gift of
its flesh, and apologizing for the need
to kill it, so that its spirit will return in
a new body. In some religious tradi-
tions, the priest offers prayers, but
someone else carries out the sacrifices
so priests do not shed blood in the
course of their duties. Religious prac-
titioners may be permanently
assigned to performing sacrifices. In
some traditions, they also act as
guards for sacred places.

Other forms of offering may be
acceptable in some settings. For

MAGICAL ARTS 165

Symbols and Magic O lord white as jasmine, if my head falls
from my shoulders
Many approaches to magic involve
writing, drawing, and similar activi- I shall think it your offering.
ties. Medieval magicians trace penta- – Mahadeviyakka
cles on the floor; Jewish kabbalists
write the Name of God on a strip of Enchant, and the specific spell being An alternative treatment of sym-
parchment and place it in a golem’s written. But once the spell has been bol-based magic is rune magic,
mouth; Haitian houngans draw vevers written, it remains effective indefinite- discussed briefly under Syntactic
on the floor before summoning the ly, instead of for a single casting (how- Magic (p. 163) and Runic Enchant-
loas. ever long maintained). Then the nor- ment (p. 25). See GURPS Magic for a
mal rules for enchanted objects apply full description.
In most fantasy settings, magical for casting.
power comes from the will of the Tattoos
mage. The symbols have no intrinsic A natural extension is that a mage
power, but are simply an aid to focus- in such a tradition can write or draw a In a setting where symbols are
ing the mind and will. To benefit from magical symbol and give it to another inherently magical (see Symbols and
this aid, roll against Symbol Drawing person. That person can later take out Magic, p. 166), they can be placed on a
before casting a spell. On a success, the symbol and evoke its power, human body, making the body inher-
add half your margin of success, destroying the symbol in the process. ently magical. The process of inscrip-
rounded down, to your effective skill When he does, roll against the lesser tion requires a roll against the lesser of
with the next spell you cast. of the mage’s skill with Symbol Symbol Drawing and either Body Art
Drawing or the spell to find out if the or Makeup. Makeup will only produce
In this approach, Symbol Drawing spell works. Mages can then send out temporary markings. Temporary
has a default from the core skill used adventurers armed with one-use mag- markings produce the desired effect
in magic; Thaumatology-4 for stan- ical items. Producing such items once; permanent markings work
dard mana-based magic, Ritual requires one hour per item. If symbols whenever they’re evoked, in the same
Magic-4 for animistic spirit-based are potent in themselves, Symbol way as standard enchanted objects.
magic, or Philosophy-4 for subjectivis- Drawing has no default. Each alpha- Cutting off the body part destroys the
tic magic. bet or system of signs is a separate enchantment!
specialization of Symbol Drawing (see
In many real-world occult beliefs p. B224). The effective and effectiveness of
and some fantasy worlds, the symbols the markings depend on where on the
themselves have magical power. (For In either version of symbol-based body they’re placed. Ideally, a marking
comparison, in a cyberpunk setting, magic, drawing symbols takes time. should go in a symbolically appropri-
cheat codes would have intrinsic Determine casting times as for cere- ate place. For example, a Breathe
“magical” power in cyberspace.) In monial magic. The other restrictions Water enchantment ought to go
effect, these “magical attribute” set- and advantages of ceremonial magic around the nostrils. If it’s placed some-
tings make each symbol produce spe- don’t have to apply, though symbol where else, its effect has to be directed
cific effects. Symbol Drawing in these drawing can combine with standard to the appropriate place. This acts as a
settings is a limit on magical skill; roll ceremonial magic if the mage wishes. skill modifier to the Makeup or Body
against the lower of Symbol Drawing Art roll, as follows:
and your skill with the spell being cast.

If symbols themselves have power,
then they can be used in making an
enchanted object. In fact, enchanting
the object is drawing or writing the
symbols on it. The enchanter’s skill
roll is the least of Symbol Drawing,

Placement Modifier
Exact place unmodified
Same hit location
Same facing* -2
Anywhere on body -4
-5

*“Facing” means front, rear, left,
right, top, or bottom.

Each design takes up space on the
body. A standard design takes up 1%
of the body surface. Effective skill
with Makeup or Body Art is raised for

166 MAGICAL ARTS

larger designs and lowered for smaller the spells that must be learned first, back bug-free, any successful recasting will
ones: -3 skill for ¥0.1, -2 for ¥0.2, -1 for to spells without other spells as prerequi- also be bug-free. Many researchers will
¥0.5, +1 for ¥2, +2 for ¥5, +3 for ¥10. sites. In place of the different TL modifi- accept small bugs rather than start
The torso is roughly 36% of body sur- er, apply a -5 penalty if the spell belongs over! But no amount of prototype test-
face, each leg is 18%, each arm is 9%, to an unknown college. Apply a -5 penal- ing can eliminate the chance of a criti-
the head is 9%, and the hands, feet, ty in a low-mana location. cal failure in some later casting, or
and groin are 1% each (the area of the affect the unpredictable results of such
hands and feet is included in the total The prototype roll for casting the a failure!
area of the arms and legs). spell is against skill with the spell. To
do this, someone (not necessarily the Theurgy
In a campaign that uses rune person who made the concept roll)
magic (see Runic Enchantment, p. 25), must invest at least 1 point in learning In a society where religion and
the tattoos or other designs are based the spell. The spell must be cast by cer- magic co-exist harmoniously, mages
on the runic symbols. Anyone who emonial magic methods, even if only a may pray before undertaking any
knows Symbol Drawing can attempt solitary mage is involved. A magical challenging magic, asking God or the
to read the intent of a body marking. workspace is required with the follow- gods to aid their spells. Treat this as
ing cost from The Price of levels of Magery with Preparation
Theoretical Magic Enchantment: (number of spell pre- Required. If the mages just cast the
and Spell Design requisites + 1) ¥ (400 energy points) ¥ spell, they do so with their normal
(cost per energy point). Use the stan- level of ability. If they pray first, they
Where do new spells come from? dard ceremonial magic rules for the gain an increased Magery bonus. This
In some worlds, they may be a special effect of having assistants. Otherwise, is equivalent to the rules for Talents as
gift of the gods, beyond mortal under- use the normal modifiers for proto- magic.
standing. In others, they’re improvised type rolls, but with the concept roll
by Wild Talent spellcasters. In some modifiers defined above for spell A GM enhancing the links between
worlds, critical failures by mages try- research. Treat a critical failure as a magic and religion may choose to
ing to cast other spells may lead to standard magical critical failure (see require prayer for effective magic: a
their discovery. This is especially likely p. B236). Each attempted casting spell cast without praying first, or with
for reversed effect spells and for spells takes one day, including setup time. only hasty prayer, has a penalty to
that create light, sound, or odor! effective skill. Instead of praying for a
Developing an enchantment uses fraction of a second before each spell,
But in many settings, mages deliber- the same procedure, but usually takes a mage can pray for half an hour at
ately invent and test new spells. This fol- longer. The researchers may use quick the start of the day and have normal
lows the same process as inventing new and dirty enchantment if they can skill for the rest of the day. If awak-
machines, with a few details changed. afford its energy point cost, but this is ened in the middle of the night, he can
at a skill penalty of -5. Otherwise, they pray for a minute and cast spells at -2
Developing a new spell involves a must use slow and sure enchantment for the next hour and a half.
concept roll and a prototype roll. at one mage-day per energy point. Any
Since spells are cast by individual enchantment has the spell Enchant- Full-length prayer may protect
mages or groups of ceremonial mages, ment as a prerequisite; take this into against demonic interventions. If
there is no production stage in the account in determining the workspace prayer is omitted, they can still hap-
development of spells. However, there cost. pen – a significant risk in its own right.
may be two prototype stages: one to
develop a ritual for casting the spell Poorly funded mages may reduce NONHUMAN
(this is waived if the spell is always the cost of their workspace by prepar- MAGIC
cast as an enchantment) and one to ing it themselves. They still pay 10% of
develop a procedure for enchanting the standard workspace cost for mate- A nonhuman race doesn’t have to
the spell into a physical object. rials; they pay the other 90% as magi- do things the same way as humans.
cal energy, at one mage-day per ener- GMs can define alternative systems
Spells do not have TL modifiers, gy point. In settings where mages or of magic, based on the distinctive
since magic is usually separate from enchantments are rare, this may qualities of each race. Here are some
technology. Nor do they have com- be the only way to create magical examples:
plexity ratings. prototypes.
Blood Magic
When a player defines the intended Major bugs in a prototype casting
effects of a spell, the GM writes up the are rolled on the critical failures table Some vampires become mages,
spell in the standard format – includ- for spells. Minor bugs can be treated as drawing on the power of their undead
ing type, energy cost, casting time, nuisance effects, which the GM is free condition to work spells. The more
and duration, defines prerequisites – to improvise, taking the spell’s intent potent vampiric abilities, such as turn-
and assigns the spell to a college. The into account. Any bug that occurs dur- ing into a different shape or control-
GM can assign prerequisites that the ing the prototype casting is inherent in ling a victim’s mind, are results of
research will have to learn or invent. that version of the spell and will recur blood magic. The advantages and
any time it is successfully cast. The restrictions of this form of magic are a
The concept roll is against only way to get rid of it is to develop a Feature of vampire mages (p. 112).
Thaumatology. In place of the complexi- new prototype. Once the prototype is
ty modifier, subtract the number of pre-
requisites for the spell; this includes all

MAGICAL ARTS 167

Vampires can’t use FP as a source transaction, and not under the vam- addition to being mana-dependent
of energy for their spells. Instead, they pire’s mental influence. and dispellable, faerie magic can be
cast spells by burning HP. Unlike ordi- banished by the touch of iron (see
nary vampires, a vampire mage can Devilfish Magic Cold Iron on p. 109).
use his Vampiric Bite to raise his HP
above normal, forming a blood pool. Because they communicate by Faerie spells last more or less indef-
He can store as much life energy as he change in skin color and pattern initely, but don’t truly change physical
can take before his victim dies, at the rather than by speech, devilfish can’t reality. An Ignite spell doesn’t actually
usual rate of 1 energy point per 3 HP cast spells by speaking. The magically make things burn, though the image of
inflicted, but he can only have energy effective patterns on a devilfish mage’s flames will appear above a com-
from one victim at a time in his blood skin work the same way as tattoos or bustible object, and those close to it
pool. When he wishes, he can use this makeup (see Tattoos, p. 166). Because will feel a sense of warmth. A Fireball
energy to cast spells. If he is injured, forming images in this way is natural spell doesn’t inflict actual physical
he can sacrifice his blood pool to heal to devilfish, they aren’t limited by their injury; determine its hits of damage as
himself, but this requires him to con- skill in Body Art or Makeup; they sim- usual, and roll vs. HT when the “dam-
centrate for 10 seconds per HP healed. ply roll against Symbol Drawing (see age” equals the target’s HP to see if he
Symbols and Magic, p. 166). loses consciousness from pain.
Vampire mages have a limited spell However, further damage will not
list, in the manner of clerics. Their For devilfish magic, ignore the result in death, only in more chances
spells have no prerequisites, but they usual effects of skill with a spell on the for loss of consciousness. (A victim
do require study, or spell research need to speak. Instead, use the rules who is reduced to -5 ¥ HP will become
based on Ritual Magic (Vampiric for adjusting Symbol Drawing skill for comatose, but can be restored by heal-
Blood Magic). Each spell is a separate the size of the symbols (p. 220). If the ing spells or by the touch of iron.)
skill. Suitable spells include those con- devilfish is maintaining a spell, note
nected with shapeshifting, mind con- what part of its skin the spell is occu- Spells that take away or restore
trol, weather control, and similar pying, and take that into account in Fatigue have full effects, since Fatigue
feats. determining the difficulty of casting is a temporary condition that mental
new spells, as discussed for tattoos. and emotional states affect.
At the GM’s option, willing offers of Impermanent healing spells can
blood may grant energy at a higher Devilfish magic has a second pecu- restore the seeming injury inflicted by
rate: one energy point per each HP liarity. Because they live beneath the faerie attacks, but only seem to take
drained. To count as willing, the offer sea, they almost never encounter fire away real physical injuries; the subject
must come from a person who is fully and don’t consider it one of the four feels better and can function normally,
conscious, aware of the nature of the elements. The system of elements in but may die of cumulative wounds.
devilfish science only includes earth, (However, real healing through natu-
water, air, and light. ral processes will eventually take
place.) Impermanent resurrection
Faerie Glamour does not actually restore the subject’s
soul to his remains, but animates
In most accounts, the fair folk are those remains with an illusion of life.
creatures of illusion (see Illusion The same principles apply to other
Disguise, p. 170, and the Faerie tem- spells.
plate, p. 108), and their magic has the
same quality. Faerie magic only This pattern applies to other sorts
works because it imposes belief on of glamour, such as the deceits and
those who witness it (see Glamour, manipulations of demons (dispelled
p. 20). Faeries thus have their own by True Faith or holy objects instead
special form of magic, based on of iron).
Impermanent Magery (p. 129). In

EXPANDED SPELL LISTS

The spells in the GURPS Basic Set book; including them here means that AIR SPELLS
meet the needs of a straightforward those templates are ready to use.
fantasy campaign with mage adven- Discussed under Agrarian Magic Rain
turers. However, in a world permeated (p. 95) and Magic and Warfare (p. 190),
with magic, many other sorts of spells their details are relevant to the effects Area
will be developed. GURPS Magic will of magic on the civilizations of a fan-
provide a full treatment of this sub- tasy world. Some spells in the second Creates or prevents one inch of
ject. Here is a small sample of addi- group have prerequisites that aren’t rain in an outdoor setting.
tional spells. Most are included defined here or in the Basic Set; those
because they’re listed in character prerequisites are marked with an Duration: One hour.
templates in Chapters 6 and 9 of this asterisk in this list. Base Cost: 1/10; same cost to main-
tain. Double cost to create rain in a

168 MAGICAL ARTS

When the first baby laughed for the first time, Purify Earth
the laugh broke into a thousand pieces and
they all went skipping about, and that was the Area
beginning of fairies.
Removes foreign objects and
– J.M. Barrie, Peter Pan harmful substances from the soil and
adds nutrients, making it fit to sup-
dry habitat such as a desert; double successful Architecture roll can cre- port growing plants. Small buried
cost to prevent rain in a humid habitat ate a stable wall, column, or other objects (coins) are dissipated, medi-
such as jungle or swamp. structure. um-sized ones (swords) rise to the sur-
face, and large objects (statues) cause
Time to cast: 1 minute. Stone moved with this spell travels the spell to fail; roll vs. IQ to sense
Prerequisite: Clouds*, four other at only Move 1. It can harm no one their location if so.
Air spells, and four Water spells. except by flowing over an immobile
person and burying him. If a mage Duration: Permanent.
COMMUNICATION moves a stone onto a person to bury Base Cost: 2 in average soil; 4 in
AND EMPATHY him – or from beneath him to create a sandy or rocky soil.
SPELLS hole – the person may move normally Time to cast: 30 seconds.
on his next turn to escape. He will only Prerequisites: Apportation and
Mind-Sending be trapped if he fails. Anyone trapped Shape Earth.
in this way will find it extremely diffi-
Regular cult to get out; if the GM allows a roll ENCHANTMENT
vs. ST, it should be at a substantial SPELLS
Sends the caster’s thoughts to the penalty, at least -10. Other results are
subject. Verbal communication is at as for Shape Earth. See pp. 23-25.
talking speed; images transfer at the
rate they could be copied onto parch- Duration: One minute. FOOD SPELLS
ment. Can be used to send messages at Cost: Four per cubic yard of stone
distance; use the Long-Distance shaped; half cost to maintain. Triple Test Food
Modifiers (p. B241), with an addition- cost if the stone has already been cut
al -4 if caster and subject don’t know or worked. Information
each other personally. Prerequisites: Shape Earth and
three other Earth spells. Determines whether a substance is
Duration: One minute. safe to eat or drink; reveals harmful
Cost: 4 to cast; 4 to maintain. Walk Through Earth decay, poisons, or foreign objects such
Time to cast: Four seconds. as ground glass, but not of magic.
Prerequisite: Mind-Reading. Regular Does not determine whether the sub-
stance is nutritious or tasty.
EARTH SPELLS The subject can pass through earth
or stone unimpeded. His movement Cost: 1 for a single meal or bottle of
Shape Stone does not open a passage behind him. wine, or 2 per cubic yard.
If he knows Earth to Air, he can
Regular breathe during his journey automati- HEALING SPELLS
cally; if not, he must hold his breath. If
Lets the caster move stone and the spell ends before he gets out into Stop Bleeding
shape it into any form. If the form is the air, he is not directly harmed, but
stable, it will remain permanently is trapped and will suffocate. Regular
changed after shaping. An unstable
form will last only while the spell Duration: One second. The subject stops bleeding immedi-
continues – no special concentration Cost: 4 to cast; 3 to maintain. ately, as if bandaged by someone with
is required – and then collapse. A Double cost to pass through stone. the First Aid skill (see p. B195). This
Prerequisite: Shape Stone. restores 1 HP, and prevents further HP
loss from bleeding if the optional
bleeding rules (p. B420) are in effect.
It can also stabilize a mortal wound, at
much greater cost. The subject of this
spell will not subsequently benefit
from bandaging of the same wounds.

Duration: Permanent, although
later injuries will bleed normally.

Cost: 1 to stop bleeding on a nor-
mal wound; 10 to stabilize a mortal
wound.

Time to cast: 10 seconds.
Prerequisite: Lend Vitality.

MAGICAL ARTS 169

Cure Disease Complex Illusion LIGHT AND
DARKNESS
Regular Area SPELLS

Removes disease-causing microor- Similar to Simple Illusion, but Hide
ganisms of one specified type from the audible as well as visible. It is not dis-
subject’s body. If the disease lacks pelled automatically by a spell or Regular
identification (usually by a Diagnosis touch; it has DR 0 and 1 HP and will
roll), cast the spell at -5. Does not cure vanish instantly if broken. Makes the subject harder to find. A
any damage the illness has already Vision roll requires a subject in plain
inflicted on the subject, but prevents Duration: One minute. sight; Sense rolls to see a subject
further damage. Only one attempt Base Cost: 2 to cast; half cost to already hidden in some way are at -1
may be made per subject. maintain. per level, up to 5 levels. The effects
Prerequisites: Simple Illusion and only apply while the subject remains
Duration: Permanent, but does not Sound. still, but if a subject moves and then
immunize against future infections. stops moving before the spell’s dura-
Illusion Shell tion ends, the effects resume.
Cost: 4 for creatures up to Size
Modifier 0; for larger creatures, 2 ¥ Regular Duration: One hour.
largest dimension in yards. Cost: 1/level.
Covers a physical object with a Time to cast: Five seconds.
Time to cast: 10 minutes. visual illusion (and an audible illusion Prerequisite: Blur or Forgetfulness.
Prerequisites: Major Healing, as well, if the caster knows Complex
Sterilize*, Decay*, and Test Food*. Illusion). The illusion may be disbe- Night Vision
lieved, but cannot be automatically
ILLUSION SPELLS dispelled otherwise. It will move only Regular
as the underlying object moves, and
Simple Illusion its effects as a weapon are unchanged. Cancels all penalties to Sense and
skill rolls for low light, but not for total
Area Duration: One minute. darkness.
Cost: 1 per cubic yard or less. Half
Creates a visual image seen by any- cost to maintain. Duration: One minute.
one in view of its occupied area. It Prerequisite: Simple Illusion. Cost: 3 to cast; 1 to maintain.
may move to a different area, or Prerequisites: Five Light/Darkness
change size or shape up to its maxi- Illusion Disguise spells.
mum area, but the caster must con-
centrate to achieve this. Any sapient Regular Invisibility
creature can dispel it by “disbeliev-
ing”; this requires spending one action Must be cast after one of the pre- Regular
on concentrating and making a Will ceding three spells; superimposes the
roll. Automatically dispeled by any illusion on the subject, so that it dis- The subject cannot be seen, reflect-
attack, any other spell, or the touch of guises him and moves with him. The ed in a mirror, or photographed. He
any sapient creature. disguise counts as only a single spell still makes sounds and can be tracked
“on.” The better the underlying spell, by scent or footprints. Anything he
Duration: One minute. the better the disguise. picks up becomes invisible, unless he
Base Cost: 1 to cast; half cost to wills it to remain visible.
maintain. Duration: Same as for the illusion.
Prerequisite: IQ 11 and ability to Cost: 3. Duration: One minute.
see. Prerequisite: Simple Illusion. Cost: 5 to cast; 3 to maintain.
Time to cast: Three seconds.
Prerequisites: Blur and five other
Light/Darkness spells.

META-SPELLS

Scryguard

Regular;
Resists Information spells

Any information spell cast on the
subject must win a quick contest of
spells with the Scryguard to “see” him.
Identify Magic will still detect that the
Scryguard is present.

170 MAGICAL ARTS

Duration: 10 hours. Duration: One minute. and can take only defensive actions.
Cost: 3 to cast; 1 to maintain. Cost: 1 per 80 pounds, minimum 2; He arrives in the same posture he was
Time to cast: Five seconds. half cost to maintain. in at the start, but can change facing;
Prerequisite: Magery 1. Time to cast: Two seconds. this imposes a penalty to Body Sense,
Prerequisite: Apportation. -2 to rotate horizontally, -5 to rotate
MIND CONTROL vertically.
SPELLS Flight (VH)
Cost depends on range, and
Fear Regular increased range also imposes a penal-
ty on skill in casting the spell:
Area; Resisted by Will Lets the subject fly through the air
under his own control, without wings, Time to cast: Two seconds.
Those in the affected area feel at Move 10. Flight speed reduces nor- Prerequisites: IQ 15+ and at least 10
fright. Those who are affected must mally because of encumbrance. spells from different colleges.
make a fright check at -3. If this suc- Subject can move and fight normally
ceeds, they will be angered instead of and has a combat advantage if above a PLANT SPELLS
frightened. foe.
Seek Plant
Duration: 10 minutes. Duration: One minute.
Base Cost: 1 to cast; cannot be Cost: 5 to cast; 3 to maintain. Information
maintained. Time to cast: Two seconds.
Prerequisite: Sense Emotion, or the Prerequisites: Magery 2 and Reveals the direction and approxi-
Empathy advantage. Levitation. mate distance of the nearest growth of
plants, or one specific plant type. Use
MOVEMENT Teleport (VH) the long-distance modifiers. Any
SPELLS known plants may be excluded if the
Special caster names them before casting the
Quick March spell.
Instantly moves the caster to a
Regular remote location. If he is not actually Cost: 2.
looking at the location, he must have
Doubles the subject’s long-distance been there before. Skill penalties may Identify Plant
travel speed. At the end of the day’s apply: -2 for a place not seen in the
travel, the subject loses 10 fatigue and past month (except the caster’s home); Information
must sleep. No effect on Basic Move in -1 to -3 for a place seen only briefly; -2
combat or on Basic Speed. for a place “seen” only indirectly, Determines the species of any one
through another’s mind, television, plant and provides basic information
Duration: One day’s march. magic, or the like. about it (edible, poisonous, etc.).
Cost: 4 to cast; 4 to maintain. Gives +3 to skills included in the
Time to cast: One minute. Caster can carry anything along up Green Thumb talent for that specific
Prerequisite: Magery 1 and Haste. to heavy encumbrance. Objects must plant.
be carried; another person can be
Lighten Burden taken along by holding hands. Cost: 2.
Prerequisite: Seek Plant.
Regular The spell is risky to use. A roll
failed by 1 inflicts 1d of damage and Heal Plant
Reduces the weight of any equip- physically stuns the caster on arrival.
ment the subject is carrying. A roll failed by more than 1 teleports Area
him to a random destination. A criti-
Duration: 10 minutes. cal failure can send him anywhere Heals plants within the area of
Cost: 3 for 25% reduction; 5 for that doesn’t kill him outright. Even a effect of disease, parasites, and dam-
50% reduction; half to maintain. successful roll requires follow-up roll age, if they are still alive. Trees larger
Time to cast: Three seconds. against Body Sense. On a critical fail- than saplings require a 3-yard radius
Prerequisite: Apportation. ure, the caster is stunned. On an ordi- or more.
nary failure, he suffers disorientation
Levitation
Teleport Table
Regular; Resisted by Will
Range Cost Penalty
Subject must be a living being. 0
Subject floats through the air, moving Within 10 yards 3 -1
as the caster wills. Maximum Move -2
for a levitated being is 3, horizontally 11 to 20 yards 4 -3
or vertically. A caster who levitates -4
himself uses DX-based skills normally; 21 to 100 yards 5 -5
other subjects use them at -3. -6
101 to 500 yards 6 -7
-1
501 yards to 1.99 miles 7

2 to 9.99 miles 8

10 to 99.99 miles 9

100 to 999.99 miles 10

¥10 range +1 additional

MAGICAL ARTS 171

Duration: Permanent. Base Cost: 1. Duration and Cost: 5 seconds for 1

Base Cost: 3. Time to cast: Five minutes. point; 1 minute for 2 points; 1 point

Time to cast: One minute. Prerequisite: Heal Plant. per minute to maintain.

Prerequisite: Identify Plant. SOUND SPELLS Silence

Bless Plants Area

Area Sound Creates an area of silence, within
when no one can hear anything or
Causes plants within its area of Regular make any noise. This will prevent spo-
effect to grow faster and stronger for
Produces any sort of meaningless ken spells from working.
the rest of the growing season. To be sound the caster wishes; does not pro-
duce understandable speech or music.
affected, a plant must be entirely with- Does not produce loud sounds. Does Duration: One minute.
in the area of effect. Doubles the crop not require concentration once cast. Base Cost: 2 to cast; 1 to maintain.
yield within the area of effect. Prerequisite: Sound.

Duration: One crop or growing

season.

MAGICAL PLURALISM:

HOW TO USE THIS CHAPTER

Many fantasy worlds have more Not too many styles. Psychologists same things, and better, and some
than one school of magic. And cer- talk about “the magical number seven, extra things as well. Don’t design mag-
tainly GURPS can support that kind plus or minus two” as the number of ical styles that make other magical
of a fantasy world, as the options in things a person can perceive at a styles useless. If the players adopt
this chapter illustrate. This pluralism glance and remember easily. Keeping them, they’ll be unhappy. If they don’t,
can add interest to a setting, with the number of styles in this range will the design work was wasted. If the set-
each system defining a different race, give players a manageable list of ting has a general-purpose magic sys-
culture, or tradition. Roma Arcana, options. tem, the cost of being a generalist
later in this book, offers a worked should be high enough so that a spe-
example of a pluralistic magic setting. Distinct functions. If all the magical cialist can outdo the generalist at cer-
But having a number of magic sys- styles use the same mechanics, they’ll tain things.
tems can mean extra work for the blur together. Players will bypass talk-
GM. And having multiple magic sys- ing about how their characters envi- This assumes that the GM designs
tems can also make things confusing sion magic and go right to “I hit it with the magical styles, which is generally a
for the players. a 3d fireball!” Expressing the stylistic good idea. But it’s possible to let play-
differences in different game mechan- ers make up their own traditions, with
Of course, having a single magic ics keeps them in better focus. the same kind of cautions as for letting
system makes things simpler for them create racial templates. This
everybody. But if the whole world uses Diverse power levels. One player freeform approach makes sense in a
the same magic system, magic looks may want a full-time mage; another postmodern setting with chaos magic
more like a technology and less like an may want a warrior, rogue, or sage (p. 152), or in a large multicultural or
aspect of culture. And everyone who who’s picked up a few tricks. Having multiracial empire. For this option to
plays a mage will be picking from the magic systems that fit both choices is work, make sure the players are expe-
same spell list; anything that individu- a good sort of diversity. rienced with the magic rules and with
alizes mages comes from the players character design, and the GM should
doing extra work. Minimizing overlap. Nothing is as review every character closely before
frustrating as designing a character to play starts.
For a basic fantasy campaign, with play a role – and then finding that
an emphasis on adventure, use the someone else’s character can do all the
standard magic system. For a cam-
paign based on a literary source, or fit-
ting a personal vision of how magic
works, pick options from this chapter
to produce a suitably adjusted system.
For a campaign where magic itself is a
major focus, design several styles and
let players pick one.

Following a few guidelines will
produce a pluralistic magic system
that’s easier for players to grasp:

172 MAGICAL ARTS

CHAPTER EIGHT

STORYLINES

Loki then, and Heimdall later had Now he was passing over the slop- steered his gryphon into a plunge like
praised his fearlessness – ha, he said ing earthworks that formed the outer that of a great bird of prey, to get with-
to himself, if they only knew! It was perimeter of al-Matine. Down below, in throwing range before the foe could
not true courage that animated him, the Saracens were crying out. regain its wits and burn him in its turn.
but a feeling that he was involved in a
kind of strange and desperate game, in Then the great portal in the fortress You’ve created a world filled with
which the only thing that mattered roof swung open, and a shape rose magic, and a band of adventurers to
was to play it as skillfully as possible. from it: a figure in the form of a man, explore it. What do you do next?
but greater than any man, and
– L. Sprague de Camp wreathed in fire. It gestured, and foun- You create a story.
and Fletcher Pratt, tains of flames shot up, carrying it Some roleplaying campaigns use
toward the height where he circled. It distinct episodes. Each episode has its
The Compleat Enchanter gestured again, and Oliver felt the heat own problems, its own challenges,
of a furnace against his face. His steed and its own adversaries. It’s possible
Oliver tugged at the reins, and his shrieked at the near miss. for every episode to be completely self-
gryphon banked to the right, toward contained, with nothing carrying for-
the Moorish fortress. He could already In desperation, Oliver hurled his ward to the next episode except the
look down and see its outworks, elemental fire against the demon. He PCs. However, an episodic campaign
where Saracen wizards waited to hurl expected little more than distraction, can also have a measure of continuity.
fire or lightning against Frankish but cried out in triumph as the crea- Adversaries from one episode can
knights. But two could play at that ture staggered in midair and fell back, come back in another; PCs can be
game. With his free hand, Oliver fum- an ugly mark upon the arm that had involved in subplots, often about their
bled the first vial of elemental fire caught the vessel. nonadventuring lives, that show up
loose from his belt. He could fly above every two or three sessions. The
the range of any spell, but from his So, he thought, the alchemist’s fire episodic campaigns that work best
vantage, whatever he let fly could only is fiercer even than the hellfire of that usually have some continuing themes.
go down. thing’s dwelling place. Let’s give it
another taste! Yanking at the reins, he

STORYLINES 173

Other roleplaying campaigns resolve. Or the campaign may not out of the continuing activities of the
make continuity most important. even been divided up into episodes. PCs.
Within a campaign or story arc, the One session may start at the instant
majority of episodes may be about a when the previous session ended, or This chapter evaluates both types
master villain whose varied schemes time may skip ahead in the middle of of storyline: the story of a single
the PCs have to thwart, or some other a single session. New discoveries, adventure and the tale of an overall
continuing problem they have to meetings, and problems may grow campaign.

ADVENTURES

Every session or two of play, char- will use all the different scenario fantasy, if the heroes have a high
acters need a problem that demands types. But understanding what makes mythic purpose for their venture.
solving, or a situation that needs them all work is a good start on keep-
addressing. That’s what drives GMs ing players happy. Elements
crazy, especially when the doorbell
will ring in an hour and the new sce- INTO THE A dungeon crawl requires a dun-
nario isn’t ready. LABYRINTH geon: a confined area in a definite
place, with entrances and exits, to pro-
This section is a scenario cook- Labyrinths, or dungeon crawls, are duce a sense of crossing a threshold.
book. Fantasy stories, whatever the a very common type of adventure in Once in the labyrinth, everything is
medium, confront their heroes with a fantasy gaming and one of the oldest, potentially dangerous.
few standard types of situations. Here going back to the “underworld adven-
are recipes for each of them. Each one ture” of Dungeons & Dragons. To enhance the sense of danger, the
starts with a basic formula: the essen- Heroes from Conan to Bilbo Baggins adventurers shouldn’t be able to per-
tial ingredients plus a few extra ventured into dark underground ceive the labyrinth clearly. Ideally, they
nuances that will make it memorable. realms, and before them, mythical won’t even know its size – which is one
If there are interesting variations, it adventurers such as Theseus and reason labyrinths are often under-
explores them. Finally, it considers the Gilgamesh did the same. ground. Darkness and other barriers
larger-scale implications: how to base to the senses enhance this uncertainty.
a campaign on that type of scenario, Visits to labyrinths are a classic Twisting, branching, and even hidden
whether as a recurring situation, a type of adventure in sword and sor- passages make it harder to form a
framing device, or a grand climax. cery. Increasing the sense of mystery clear mental map. Letting adventurers
and horror can easily turn them into carry lights or see in the dark, draw
Every fantasy campaign is differ- dark fantasy. They can also be high maps, and probe ahead with magical
ent. No scenario type will fit all possi- spells turns a dungeon crawl into a
ble campaigns, and few campaigns series of calculated risks. Preventing
such actions keeps it suspenseful and
raises the tension (see Player-Made
Maps, p. B491).

The original Labyrinth had the
Minotaur, and labyrinths in general
should have monsters. A good pat-
tern is one big monster and a large
number of small foes or creatures
whose numbers make them a threat.
This is standard in computer games,
where each level normally has a
“boss” monster, with the Big Boss on
the last level. Mechanical traps and
crawls through tight passages are
good optional additions.

Finally, a labyrinth should contain
a treasure, a reward to the adventurers
for surviving it. Wealth is good, but
unique, even magical objects are bet-
ter, symbolizing increased skill and
confidence. Of course, they can also
be a way of entangling the adventurers
in an even bigger plot, as their new
toys attract unwelcome attention.

174 STORYLINES

Variations Adventure Seeds

Most labyrinths are semi-aban- The Dolorous Tower
doned, inhabited by undead beings or
other monsters. But a fortress or In a land of wizardry, a master wizard has recruited a small band of
prison, still controlled by its builders, adventurers – not only warriors, but also apprentice mages and skilled
can force adventurers to rely on craftsmen – to perform an errand for him. His rival has been called
stealth instead of open combat. away to a gathering of wizards in another country. The rival’s tower
Missions for spies can involve such stands deserted, open to forcible intrusion. The wizard offers rich
settings. rewards for bringing back its secrets and treasures. But if the adven-
turers take the offer, they find that a wizard’s empty tower is not unde-
A natural cave complex can also be fended. Cunning mechanisms operate traps for the unwary, and spirits
a labyrinth. Caves are even more dan- bound to the site threaten them with magical attacks.
gerous than dungeons; they weren’t
made by intelligent beings and there’s The Mouth of Hell, Part 1
no guarantee that they can be navigat-
ed. Sudden drops, flooded areas, nar- Here and there across the land, something new and strange has hap-
row passages, and other hazards can pened: pits, caves, and tunnels open in the earth, giving access to under-
kill the overconfident. ground mazes. Many who venture in never come out, but a few do,
bearing wealth and amazing magical artifacts and stories of combat
Campaigns with creatures like devils wearing flesh. The rulers of the country are
nervous about all the self-styled “adventurers,” and the church finds the
It’s easy to run a campaign based hints of dark magic alarming. The local bishop has called on a few good
on labyrinth episodes. Just let the religious men to go into the nearest underground complex and find out
adventurers keep leaving and return- what’s going on – and advise him on whether the church should ban
ing, as they explore deeper and deeper. treasure-seeking in such places, and if so, whether there is any way for
Or if one labyrinth becomes boring, it to seal them off.
send them to a new one, in a “base and
mission” campaign structure. From this starting point, the adventurers can begin a classic dun-
geon crawl, but with adversaries and surroundings growing increasing-
A completely localized point cam- ly nightmarish as they penetrate deeper. See Part 2 (p. 182) for more
paign, where the entire story takes
place in one confined setting, is more information.
of a challenge. At a minimum, it needs
multiple threats and treasures, to give Elements There also should be perils along
each session a sense of fulfillment. the way. Even in flight from an enemy,
Clues pointing into the further depths Adventures need a reason to under- some should be random encounters,
are also essential. And if characters lit- take a perilous journey. Most reasons such as bandits, monsters, or natural
erally are never going to leave the dun- involve something to travel toward or hazards. In a quest with a goal, all the
geon, they had better have plenty of away from: a goal or a threat. The goal perils may be random. The journey
supplies and a safe place to sleep. is often a treasure, but others are pos- should pass through unsettled or law-
sible: a weapon, a source of knowl- less regions – more so, at least, than
PERILOUS edge, a friend in need of rescue, a mar- the travelers’ home.
JOURNEYS ketplace, or a teacher or protector, for
example. The threat is most often an The journey should be long; the
In a perilous journey, the danger enemy, but it may be a natural disas- country it passes through should be
isn’t hidden away in a dungeon; it’s out ter, famine, or plague. Other reasons too large for the travelers to see it all at
in the open. The heroes travel through are possible, from simple wanderlust once. It’s not darkness or hidden pas-
unsettled and lawless wilderness, or to scouting a path for someone else’s sages that conceal the space where the
visit foreign places filled with journey. adventure takes place, but sheer size.
unknown dangers. To maintain this lack of knowledge,
A journey needs a route for the maps should be old and incomplete
The common perilous journey is travelers to follow. On a journey with a and guides unreliable.
the quest: the fairy-tale prince seeking goal, there is often only one route,
his fortune, or the Knights of the whether it’s as clearly marked as the Variations
Round Table searching for the Grail. Yellow Brick Road or completely
But other reasons for journeying are unknown. But there may be alternate A quest may have unusual goals.
also possible: flight from enemies, routes. And when the party must turn Odysseus and Dorothy Gale just want-
returning home, looking for a new tail, the choice of which direction to ed to go home; Frodo Baggins wanted
home, or simple curiosity about flee is often wide open. to destroy a magical treasure; Moses
what’s over the next hill. was looking for a new home for his
people.
Perilous journeys work in any type
of fantasy. Quests are especially suited
to mythic fantasy.

STORYLINES 175

The wilderness can take some Finally, the hunt should take place than the hunters; if it fights them
unusual forms. In the natural world, in a wild area. The quarry needs room openly, the hunt will end. But having it
many journeys have taken place by to hide, move around, or even to keep eluding them will get dull. A
sea. Journeys can also pass through ambush its hunters. This may be an more useful structure is a series of
the supernatural world, as in Dante’s area even less settled than the site of a hunts for different but related targets,
tour of Hell, Purgatory, and Heaven. perilous journey, which typically con- whether they’re large, dangerous
tains at least old trails through the beasts or aristocratic vampires.
Campaigns woods or mountains.
WARFARE
Quests and perilous journeys are Variations
one of the easiest types of adventure to War can play a part in any genre of
turn into a campaign. Just make the In a less combat-oriented cam- fantasy, with differences in style. In
journey long and the goal distant and paign, hunters may be sent after an particular, warfare in sword and sor-
elusive. It’s worth recalling that per- animal that’s not dangerous, but just cery is primarily an expression of indi-
ilous journeys can also be brief; a sin- rare and elusive. They may even be vidual heroism, just as in epics such as
gle session of travel is an excellent asked to capture it alive as a specimen the Iliad.
interlude between two longer story- for someone’s menagerie.
lines. Elements
A hunt can also pursue a man or
One vital feature in a prolonged other intelligent being instead of a War needs opposing armies or
journey is resting places along the beast. A criminal, a defeated military fleets. The PCs will belong to one. In
way. Let the travelers come upon an leader, or an evil magician may be an low fantasy, the army will usually be
inn, a monastery, or a hidden valley especially dangerous quarry. A man- human and will rely mainly on realis-
inhabited by elves or halflings. This hunt can even take place in a large tic weapons. In high fantasy, magic
gives them a mark of progress and a city. If the quarry has a mask of legiti- will have more importance, and both
chance to recover their strength and macy, the hunt may be even more dan- sides may include wizards, demigods,
make new plans. If they hurry on as gerous, with the hunters considered or monsters. Dark fantasy may pit
quickly as possible, let them; if they fanatics or outlaws. human beings against terrifying
prolong their stay, entangle them in supernatural foes.
local activities and problems. Campaigns
War implies battlegrounds. Define
HUNTING It’s not practical to spend a pro- strategic factors such as fortifications
PARTIES longed campaign on a single hunt. and cover. These are especially
The quarry is probably less powerful
From Heracles to St. George, leg-
endary heroes have hunted dangerous Adventure Seeds
game. Many “wilderness adventures”
in fantasy roleplaying have the same Once Upon a Time, Part 1
main goal. This type of adventure is
similar to a quest, but not the same: The king has three sons, and the customs of his land permit him to
the goal is not acquiring treasure but leave the kingdom to any of them. So he’s decided to follow a very tra-
overcoming danger. ditional method of making the choice: sending them out on a quest.
Each of his sons has a year and a day to bring back an object of great
Hunting parties work in any fanta- worth and a potential wife who could fittingly reign with him. The
sy type, but especially sword and sor- youngest son has turned to a few of his friends, asking if they can help.
cery. In dark fantasy, the hunters may
not return from the hunt! Pilgrimage

The baby has known the dragon A band of worshippers travels to a shrine of their faith. They need
intimately ever since he had an imagi- guides, guards, and priests to travel with them – and offer a chance to
nation. What the fairy-tale provides for share in the sacred journey with all expenses paid, for whatever bless-
him is a St. George to kill the dragon. ings it may bring.

– G.K. Chesterton, Tourist Traps
Tremendous Trifles
In a world where the beginnings of modern technology and the rem-
Elements nants of ancient magic exist together, a touring company offers voyages
to picturesque magical lands. A group of young people from
A hunt needs a quarry, usually a respectable families decides to take the tour. The touring company does
monster. Killing it should test the offer professional guides, but it’s much cheaper to buy the guidebook
hunters’ skill and courage. and find your own way. Without the guide, there’s a much better chance
of finding interesting places that haven’t been spoiled by too many
If possible, the adventure should other tourists getting there first . . .
include supplicants, people threat-
ened by the quarry and seeking the
hunters’ protection.

176 STORYLINES

important in sieges or guerrilla war- Adventure Seeds
fare against superior invading forces.
The Fugitive
In a realistic treatment of war, sup-
ply lines are vital. Logistics often The zombie legions of Aonghais the Black have been defeated, and
makes the difference between victory his tower lies in ruins. But where is Aonghais? The queen, the church,
and defeat. Low fantasy solutions to and the Collegium Magicum all want to know. There’s a price on his
logistic problems involve backpacks head, well worth the interest of a group of adventurers – not to mention
or baggage trains. High fantasy may more altruistic motives such as preventing him from doing any more
involve miraculous sources of food or harm elsewhere. But even as an outlaw, Aonghais is a dangerous quarry.
water, as in the Old Testament. His spells of Body Control, Illusion, and Mind Control make him a seri-
ous threat to the unwary or overconfident. Many teams of bounty
Finally, a military force needs a hunters rival each other. Some would not be above letting another party
strategic objective: conquest, looting, capture the mage and then taking possession of him.
defense against invasion, or overthrow
of oppressive rulers. Bringing defend- Menagerie
ers into contact with the civilians they
defend can make the consequences of The king’s greatest diversion is his zoological gardens, filled with rare
defeat more real, a useful way to and magical beasts from across the globe. Now he has heard rumor of a
increase the emotional intensity. new wondrous beast: the manticore that stalks the jungles of Hindostan.
But a manticore is difficult and dangerous to hunt – and the king wants
Campaigns it brought back alive! No quest, he says, could as well prove the loyalty
of his knights and his court enchanters.
A full-scale war is a large enough
story to make up an entire campaign. onage often takes place in cities, Finally, the mission needs obsta-
War in Fantasy Settings (pp. 186- where spies find protection in the cles. There may be guards and patrols,
194) discusses how to plan such a anonymity of crowds. identity checks, and interrogation.
campaign. Animals can also serve as guards.
A mission needs an objective. Often Inanimate obstacles include alarms,
TREASONS, this is simply information that an traps, locks, and concealed paths
STRATAGEMS, enemy wants to keep secret. However, adventures must find. In fantasy, spies
AND SPOILS it can be to get a message to covert also need experience with spirit
allies, or propagandize for an upris- guardians and other magical defenses.
Scenarios of this type encourage ing; to kidnap or assassinate an
hidden conflict. From stolen glimpses enemy; or to rescue a prisoner.
of a foe’s private papers to a knife in
the back, covert operations are as old
as civilization . . . and so is the practice
of disavowing the agents who perform
them. This mission is perfect for
adventurers, especially those with no
official standing to confuse the issue.

Covert operations normally fit best
into low fantasy or dark fantasy.

Elements

Like a warfare scenario, an espi-
onage scenario needs two opposing
forces. These may be armies, but
could also be entire governments,
merchant houses, or criminal gangs.
In some settings, the differences
between sides may be vague.

The setting for an espionage sce-
nario is not usually a battlefield,
though given the usual treatment of
spies in wartime, battlefield missions
can be quite dramatic. But a great deal
of espionage takes place in peacetime,
as opposing forces maneuver for small
advantages. International espionage
may take place near ports or fortress-
es, or in capital cities. Private espi-

STORYLINES 177

people discover that they both want

Adventure Seeds the same thing – a lasting relation-
ship. The trouble is that the same
opening negotiations could lead to

Mines of the Mountain King either conclusion.
Diplomatic missions focus on the
Individual orcs are fierce fighters, but as a race, orcs are seldom
more than a nuisance. Better-organized human armies have driven attempt to gain benefits from some-
them into wilderness too desolate to be worth conquering. However, one, usually by offering benefits in
over the past generation, an unusually clever orc leader has come up return. This isn’t limited to making
with something new: organized slave raids. Human slaves grow food treaties with other nations; everything
and toil in the mines for their orc masters. from courtship to trade involves nego-
tiation. (Of course, in feudal societies,
Recently the king decided that he’s lost too much land and too many a treaty with another nation may
subjects to the orcs. Recruits in his army will take the war to the orcs’ involve courtship, trade, or both!)
dark tunnels, in small bands of fighters, each aided by an engineer and Advantages such as Charisma and
maybe a surgeon, scout, or mage. It’s the perfect job for a team of social skills help negotiations succeed.
adventurers looking for a bigger challenge. (This could be an early
encounter with the Red Orcs described on p. 62.) Diplomatic scenarios work well in
high fantasy, whose characters are

War in Heaven often noblemen or courtiers. With
suitably silly customs, they also work
The adventurers are among the world’s greatest heroes; they have in light fantasy. Try to avoid them in
battled armies, monsters, and evil wizards. But can they fight the gods? sword and sorcery; players who favor
Even in heaven, it seems, rivalries and battles rage, and one of the gods that genre usually don’t want to settle
wants the heroes to help him wage war against his dark sister. things by talking. In dark fantasy, it

may not be possible to negotiate with

the other side, or to trust them to carry

out their agreements.

Variations DIPLOMACY Elements

The most straightforward variation At one end, the spectrum of diplo- The most basic element of a diplo-
on espionage is theft. Simple theft, macy merges into covert operations; matic scenario is two parties who have
such as picking pockets or shoplifting, diplomats of a certain type trade in something to gain from each other.
isn’t much like espionage – and usual- lies and secrets. At the other end, it’s The adventurers may represent one of
ly doesn’t make for exciting adven- more like courtship, in which two the two parties, or one of them may
tures. However, glamorous thefts,

such as stealing a rare art object out of

a rich merchant’s house or a king’s

palace, have much more in common

with spycraft. The main difference is Adventure Seeds
that the thief seldom has any backup.

Bringing magic into the picture Among the Infidels
can make things even more exciting.

The thieves or spies may include In the Levant, Christian and Muslim have faced each other in mistrust

mages, or their target may be magical- for generations. Now a Christian order wants agents who speak Arabic.

ly guarded, or their goal may itself be Their mission: to pass for Muslims, operating a “safe house” in the

magical – a rare enchanted item, a Muslim capital, from which information can come back to the Christian

new spell, or an enemy’s true name. bishops and through which secret operations can be conducted.

Campaigns Espionage is a dangerous trade, and a captured spy cannot expect mercy.

A campaign can easily focus on the Inquisition

continuing exploits of a team of spies Reports from Dacia worry the bishops. Rumors claim that King Bela

going out on various missions. A small has turned to devil worship and gained uncanny powers, and that his

group of thieves learning about treas- subjects are paying the price. However, it’s not easy to investigate a king

ures and making off with them can in his own country. The Church has contrived a cover story for a diplo-

play a similar role. matic mission to visit Dacia. They want to send along a team of investi-

A single major theft or spy opera- gators to find out what the king is really doing. The last thing they need

tion can also provide the frame for a is a fool who would walk in and demand to search the royal dungeons in

whole series of lesser adventures. A the name of the Inquisition. That can wait until the first team brings

campaign based on such an operation back enough evidence to justify it – and to make excommunicating Dacia

will naturally end when the goal is a credible threat, if it’s needed.

won or lost and the survivors paid off.

178 STORYLINES

actually be one of the parties. The gain accept an alliance with their own land. the victim is normally an individual, a
may take various forms: cessation of This framework can embrace episodes family, or a business. If the suspect is
hostilities, mutual protection, cooper- of wilderness travel, warfare, and espi- a spy, saboteur, or assassin, the pri-
ative work, trade, or marriage, for onage; ultimately all these are just mary victim is the state, though indi-
example. ways to secure a better bargaining viduals may get hurt in the process.
position.
There must be a reason for the PCs The suspect has a scheme or plan.
not to simply take what they want. INVESTIGATIONS Two types of investigations diverge at
This may be that the other party can this point: those where the plan has
defend itself, or that willing coopera- Investigation scenarios provide been carried out and the goal is to cap-
tion may benefit both more. another low-violence option. But ture and punish the suspect, and those
investigation leads to confrontation where the plan is in progress and the
The parties must be at least partly when the adversaries and their pur- goal is to prevent its completion.
ignorant of each other’s motives and poses have been exposed – or earlier, if
interests. Without uncertainty there is they notice the investigators! This for- Something has to keep the plan
no negotiation and no drama. mula is more familiar in modern set- secret. In a world with functioning
tings, from private eye stories to magic, this can be difficult; one suc-
Finally, negotiations occur in a superhero adventures, but it can work cessful divination can ruin a sce-
neutral location. This can be a public in fantasy. nario. Either limit what magic can
place, or a private space belonging to reveal, perhaps to a few words, or
someone neutral. Or, in a society If any kind of fantasy works with give the suspects their own magical
with strict rules of hospitality, it can investigative scenarios, it’s dark fanta- concealments.
be the territory of one of the parties. sy, whose heroes face supernatural
The idea of “diplomatic immunity” threats. Detecting where evil or horror However, there should also be
represents the survival of such laws has infiltrated a human society and clues; that is, the suspects’ actions
about hospitality. determining how it can be counteract- should leave traces for the investigator
ed are central to this genre. to uncover. In coming up with clues,
Variations it’s dangerously tempting to work out
Elements a complete list and try to point the
The word “diplomacy” suggests the investigators toward finding it. This
higher levels of society. However, An investigation needs a suspect. approach can feel contrived and could
negotiation can take place at any level: Typical suspects are criminals, spies, provoke resistance. Be prepared to
shopkeepers haggling with customers saboteurs, and assassins. improvise new clues; often the investi-
or soldiers flirting with barmaids gators’ methods of learning the truth
engage in diplomacy. Some negotia- An investigation also needs a vic- provide useful ideas.
tions depend on Streetwise instead of tim. If the suspect is a criminal, then
Savoir-Faire. A party of disreputable
thieves and bravos need a good com- Adventure Seeds
mand of social skills to sell their loot
to a fence – and they may pay heavily Once Upon a Time, Part 2
for failing to use them correctly.
The prince has found a possible wife: a king with lands adjoining his
Similar persuasive skills help deter- father’s has a daughter who has reached marriageable age. But the
mine the outcome of a trial. In some daughter is a handful! Her father is fond of her and has indulged her
archaic societies, trials centered on enthusiasms, and she’s not sure she’s ready to settle down and become
negotiation between the parties. A someone’s wife. She enjoys the sense of her own attractiveness (she is
judge might gain authority from oaths genuinely attractive, too) and flirts with her father’s guests to perhaps
to accept his judgment. see if one of them will become seriously interested in her. Should the
visitors call the whole thing off? If not, can they persuade the girl to
Add interest to a diplomatic situa- marry the prince without falling in love with her themselves?
tion by involving more than two par-
ties. The adventurers will have to Key to the City
choose which alliance to accept, or
which merchant to patronize. They The royal army advances steadily into enemy territory – just a little
may worry that a rival will conclude faster than its supply train can move. The king doesn’t want to give the
the alliance or buy the coveted item. enemy time to regroup, but needs food and fodder. He chooses some of
his trusted advisors to travel ahead of the army, visit enemy towns, and
Campaigns make an offer: If they voluntarily surrender, instead of holding out
against a siege, his forces will pay for the supplies they need and take
An episodic campaign may present only what the towns can afford to give. Can the adventurers’ embassy
a series of diplomatic missions, cus- gain the cooperation of the suspicious locals, without revealing how
tomers, or other bargaining situa- urgently the king needs it?
tions. Characters may be traveling
merchants or bards looking for a place
to perform or any similar role.

A campaign may revolve around
one major negotiation. Perhaps the
adventurers travel to some remote
kingdom to persuade its ruler to

STORYLINES 179

Adventure Seeds possible. An adventure can even begin
with an open challenge.
The Giant Rat
Confrontations are mainly a dra-
Any harbor district has rats, more or less under control. But lately a matic device; sword and sorcery, with
very unusual rat prowls the docks and alleys. Reports describe it as near- its focus on action, is their most natu-
ly as large as a man and credit it with unnerving cunning. It mostly ral home.
avoids people, but it likes to steal, not just food but money and jewelry.
Jehan the Merchant caught it in his house, and it mauled him so badly “Cousin,” said Lessingham, “you did
he’s not expected to live. And no one has found its lair. throw a knife at me?”

In fact, the Giant Rat is an alchemist whose newest potion grants him The Vicar was ill at ease under
lycanthropic abilities, turning him into a huge rat. He’s terrified of being Lessingham’s secure and disturbing
found out, but he’s decided that a few more large thefts will give him the smile. “Tush,” he said, “ ’twas but in
funds to set up in another city. Can the adventurers track him to his lab- sport.”
oratory before he kills anyone else?
“You shall find it a dangerous sport,”
Police Procedural said Lessingham. “Be advised, cousin.
Leave that sport.”
In a provincial city, a young man of good family, Quintus Julius
Ahenobarbus, is found dead in the streets with a knife wound. Suspicion – E.R. Eddison,
naturally falls on members of a rival political faction, which includes the Mistress of Mistresses
town’s youngest magistrates. (Ideally, they should be player characters.)
Consulting oracles produces a typically ambiguous clue: “Julius was Elements
killed by Julius.” Does this point to suicide (the obvious answer) or to
another member of the family (perhaps the young man’s wealthy and A confrontation needs an adver-
powerful uncle), or to a freedman who took the family name (such as sary, or perhaps a group of adver-
the family doctor, Julius Sector)? Both physical evidence (such as the saries. The best adversaries are almost
lack of blood on the street where the young man lay) and the testimony as powerful as the adventurers; that
of slaves raise as many questions as they answer. (This fits in the Roma way, there’s a challenge, and even a
Arcana setting in Chapter 9.) real chance of defeat.

Variations Making a single investigation the A confrontation also needs a battle-
theme of an entire campaign is diffi- ground or arena. Ideally this should be
An important variant on investiga- cult. The players must accept that the fairly clear and open, to keep attention
tion is magical investigation: trying to completion of the investigation ends focused on the struggle and not on
identify the powers, or the origin, of a the campaign. It’s possible to set the such concerns as rescuing innocent
magical object, or trying to learn the investigators against a succession of bystanders. At the same time, it’s a
source of and how to counter a spell. agents working for the same master good thing to have objects scattered
criminal or spy, whom they may never about that a clever combatant might
In a high fantasy setting, where touch . . . unless, perhaps, that is the turn to use.
aristocratic bloodlines are impor- climax of the whole campaign!
tant, a search for the missing heir Participants need something to
to an ancient throne can require CONFRONTATIONS fight over. This could be the recogni-
investigation. tion of one’s fighting skills, a treasure,
Confrontations often occur at the or someone to rescue. It’s best to keep
Campaigns conclusions of larger scenarios. When the motivation simple; treat scenarios
an investigation finds the true evildo- that probe hidden motives as belong-
An episodic campaign of investiga- er, or a war reaches the point of final ing to another category.
tion is easy to create: invite the players victory or defeat, or a dungeon crawl
to take on the role of investigators and penetrates the inner sanctum . . . it’s Variations
then confront them with a series of time for a grand, climactic battle. In
mysteries. Professional detectives real- fact, one way to design a variety of In some settings, confrontation
ly only emerge at TL5, but earlier eras adventures is to work out the final and combat may be a game, per-
may include government officials confrontation and then arrange other formed before crowds of spectators.
charged with pursuing criminals or matters to lead up to it. But it’s also Fighters’ motivations may include
spies, examining magistrates with possible to cut the preliminaries short wealth, fame, or the chance to test
broad discretionary powers, and even and get to the fighting as quickly as their skills – though personal rivalries
religious inquisitors – whose adver- may emerge in such a setting.
saries may really be evil, monstrous, Gladiatorial contests and tourna-
supernatural, or all three! ments offer obvious examples.
Magical duels between wizards could
have the same appeal in a world of
commonplace magic. In a highly ritu-
alized or stratified society, duels of sin-
gle champions may take the place of
battles; the champions may be war-
riors, wizards, or even bards. (The
game Lace and Steel offers ingenious

180 STORYLINES

rules for contests between women’s of combat or magic. But at the same should awaken it and draw its atten-
gowns to determine which woman is time, it should be indifferent to their tion to the physical world, and that
the center of attention at a ball.) actions, or at least should not prima- attention should produce strange
rily focus on overcoming them. effects. Often these will be harmful
As discussed under Warfare or terrifying, but in any case, they
(p. 176), cinematic play may treat a To bring the adventurers into con- should attract investigators.
battle as a series of combats between tact with the ineffable, it needs to
single champions, with little attention have manifestations. Something
to tactics or mass formations.
Adventure Seeds
Campaigns
The Challenge
A campaign’s structure can form
around a series of confrontations. After a group of adventurers gains a reputation, they get an unex-
This formula is common in super- pected visit. As they relax between adventures, perhaps in their favorite
heroic campaigns, where each adven- tavern, a young warrior or wizard shows up and deliberately provokes
ture culminates in a battle against a them. If the adventurers show any sign of resenting his behavior, he will
new villain. The formula works for attempt to push them into challenging him to a duel – using his Savoir-
fantasy settings, especially in sword Faire for the purpose, to ensure that he gets to pick the weapons used.
and sorcery. In a chivalric setting, In an actual contest, he will fight fairly, and be a very close match to his
knights can ride out seeking oppo- adversary; it won’t be an easy fight. He’s deliberately taking a calculat-
nents to test their skill. If single com- ed risk, hoping to gain a reputation by beating one of the other up-and-
bat between champions actually set- coming people in his profession.
tles battles, adventurers may have to
fight off the champions of neighbor- Dragonslayer
ing lands, one after another.
A great beast is assailing the kingdom, ruining villages and eating
Or an entire campaign can lead up people and cattle. Half a dozen warriors have tried to kill it, and died.
to a single confrontation with a mas- The adversary is huge and even stronger than its size suggests, but also
ter adversary. Any number of other more cunning than any normal beast. But then the king hears of a
missions can help reach the point of mighty swordsman who is passing through his lands, and turns to him
that final battle – investigations, for help, inviting him to name his own reward.
quests, wars, even confrontations with
lieutenants of the master villain. This
structure usually means that when the
ultimate foe is defeated, the campaign
is over. But it’s always possible to
reveal that the ultimate foe was really
working for someone else even more
dangerous.

THROUGH A
GLASS, DARKLY

Another style of adventure con-
fronts the adventurers with mysteries
– not crimes to be unraveled, as in
investigative scenarios, but mysteries
in the original sense of strange and
supernatural events. Mysteries are the
archetype of dark fantasy adventures.
They work well in high fantasy, too,
though the mysterious forces proba-
bly won’t be malevolent.

Elements

The heart of this mystery scenario
is supernatural or otherwise exotic
power. Its real nature should be
unknown to the adventurers and
should remain unknown even at the
end of the scenario. Its power should
be too great to overcome by any form

STORYLINES 181

Provide ways of perceiving the a law or taboo or offends a powerful historical fantasy on the subject.
supernatural force more clearly. The being; as a result, both they and those Priests seeking out black magic have
adventurers may physically go where around them, and perhaps even their acquired a bad name, thanks to the
they can encounter it, or have the abil- descendants, suffer great harm. Spanish Inquisition, but in a world
ity to perceive the supernatural realm, Recall, for example, the legend of where magic is real, inquisitors
or gain information through divina- Oedipus, who brought plague on could have a legitimate role.
tion or other magic. In doing so, they Thebes by killing his father and mar- Evidence of holiness can also draw a
should never gain complete answers, rying his mother. church’s attention, with investigators
but only obscure hints. In dark fanta- trying to find out if the apparent mir-
sy, the risk of going mad after a failed It’s also possible for a priest or sor- acles are real.
Fright Check can limit information. cerer invoking a god or casting a spell
to disturb the order of nature deliber- Episodic treatments of mystery
Finally, some underlying violation ately. In this kind of story, the adven- unfortunately often turn into “the
of the order of nature must have turers may struggle with fanatical monster of the week.” It’s hard to keep
unleashed the supernatural force. The cultists or magical attacks before players in awe through one story after
adventurers should discover this viola- they can actually confront the central another of encounters with dark, hid-
tion and find a way to correct it, mystery. den forces. An entire campaign devot-
though doing so may cost them a ed to such inquiries can work, but it
great deal. By undoing the violation, Campaigns needs to walk a fine line between triv-
the adventurers should have restored ializing the mysteries and constantly
natural order to the world. The best-known recent fictional making them more incredible.
treatments of inquiries into the
Variations unknown have contemporary set- An entire campaign devoted to a
tings, as in the television series The single mystery, or to a small number
A classic form of a mystery sce- X-Files or the comic book Planetary. of mysteries, can work very well. The
nario uses the curse. Someone breaks But it’s perfectly possible to run a adventurers may not even know if
their strange encounters all involve
Adventure Seeds one hidden force or several conflicting
forces. They may even become agents
The Mouth of Hell, Part 2 of the hidden force, without knowl-
edge of its true nature or what it
As the church’s assigned representatives explore the nearby labyrinth, expects of them.
they make a series of disturbing discoveries. The underground realm
brims with creatures out of a madman’s nightmare of Hell, all ferocious LEARNING
and eager to attack. And each time a creature dies, the killer experiences EXPERIENCES
an enhancement of his abilities. Still more disturbing, each time one of
the party, or of another party, is slain by a monster, the underground Of course, every adventure can be a
realm seems to grow darker and deadlier. And something unseen and learning experience. But an adventure
malevolent seems to be watching. This hidden realm, and others like it can be set up deliberately to train the
across the land, were shaped by a demon, which feeds off human terror, characters. Adventurers might study
greed, and blood shed in its domain. It hopes to lure the entire human to improve their skills or gain new
population to throw away their lives while playing its dark game. ones, engage in field exercises, or even
undertake actual missions suited to
Snow Falls their abilities. This scenario suits light
fantasy particularly well, as it often
In an idyllic, dawn-age world (p. 79), something new has happened: involves lower risk levels and enter-
for the first time, snow has fallen and the weather has grown chill. taining mishaps. If treated as low fan-
People accustomed to a mild climate now face cold and hunger. They tasy, it can realistically appraise the
choose a band of their most respected people to journey to the shrines adventurers’ limited skills.
of the gods and ask for relief, or at least understanding. At the shrine of
the queen of the earth, they learn what has happened in a great vision. Elements
The queen of the underworld has taken away her beloved son, the god of
rain and vegetation, and in her grief, the earth goddess has cursed the A learning experience focuses on
world. The best she will offer the petitioners is the chance to be her del- performing a task – either real or sim-
egates and travel into the realm of the dead to ask for her son back. But ulated. Either type should fit the
the queen of darkness has her own wiles and may impose conditions on adventurers’ skills. Most of the previ-
the release – and the young god may actually not want to go back. Play ously discussed scenario types scale
this one as high fantasy – the gods are not merely combat monsters, but down to such a purpose. Don’t
incredibly strong personalities governed only by their own desires. remove all the risk, though; a little
real danger sharpens a student’s
attention wonderfully.

182 STORYLINES

An observer must monitor the stu- Adventure Seeds
dents’ performance, stepping in if they
get in too much trouble. Usually he’ll The Old School Spirit
keep out of sight, appearing out of
nowhere at the critical instant. The town of Oxbridge has long taken pride in its school for sorcerers,
Brockhouse. Now Brockhouse will defend its claim as the best school in
The scenario should include an Great Britain in the annual Magic Arts Competition (Jr. Div.). All the
evaluation of the students’ perform- player characters want to make the team in their respective arts – but
ance. Keep notes of skillful or clever will their rivals in the school get the coveted places instead? And if cho-
actions, but also of points where the sen, will their training and practice let them preserve the honor of
students can improve. If a scenario Brockhouse?
produces a spectacular blunder, dwell
on it. Remember that the evaluation The Prince
may not be entirely fair; teachers don’t
know everything. They may have The king has sent his oldest son to a border fortress, wanting him to
excessively high standards, and aren’t gain experience of military life and spend some time away from the
always unbiased. Base the evaluation intrigues of the palace. Prince Xiaolong is a decent young man who will
on the teacher’s personality as well as probably become a good king. He has polished manners, and knows
the facts. how to use a bow, spear, and shield, and drive a chariot. Unfortunately,
he’s also Overconfident (no one at the palace wants to press him really
Finally, the scenario should teach a hard in training) and Stubborn. The king hopes his military service will
specific skill or perhaps more than hammer out these faults. But the lucky officers and scribes stationed on
one. But not all the students should the frontier need to know how to deal with Xiaolong.
learn the same skill. For example,
group exercises may offer one student The protagonists may be the personnel of the fortress, or the prince
a chance to gain leadership skills, may have brought along a few companions.
another an opportunity to hone com-
bat abilities.

Variations the final evaluation by their teachers
. . . but the prospects for getting into
A training exercise may involve an serious trouble will be greater.
element of competition. Two groups of
students may try to outdo each other Campaigns
while performing the same assign-
ment, or even compete to perform a A training campaign naturally
task before the other group does. begins at a school where the adventur-
Training in combat skills may involve ers are students. Characters built on
duels or war games. If students 25 to 75 points work well in such cam-
become overzealous, competition may paigns, though advanced students
turn into actual combat, or students may require 100 points. The school
may begin sabotaging each other’s could reflect classical fencing acade-
efforts. Depending on the philosophy mies, dojos, fictional schools of wiz-
of their teachers, such actions may be ardry (p. 102), or even Professor
strictly against the rules and require Xavier’s school for “gifted” youngsters
secrecy . . . or they may be tolerated, in X-Men! GMs may intersperse actual
even actively encouraged. If the emergency missions and scenes from
adventurers face continuing rivalry the daily life of the school into the sce-
from another team, they will become nario.
more personally involved in their
training. For an entire campaign to be a
single story about training, it’s neces-
As an extension of this theme of sary for the adventurers to learn
rivalry, students may even face chal- something big. Perhaps advanced
lenges from another school’s students, students undertake a long-term
and have to defend the honor of their group project where they learn to use
own school and teachers. their skills on real tasks. Or perhaps
they strive to gain some form of mys-
Students may also find their own tical enlightenment – a theme that
learning experiences. Such player- could involve encounters with super-
initiated scenarios can run very much natural mysteries.
like training exercises, complete with

STORYLINES 183

THE a private individual or organization, Finally, a GM should provide
RESPONSIBILITY or a community. Of course, private resources for the various tasks – both
OF POWER organizations, especially powerful people and equipment. Anyone pow-
ones, often face demands from the erful should have control of both, and
Successful students go on to rest of their communities. A rich should be ready to delegate jobs as
become adventurers, but successful merchant or a ruling prince may lose necessary.
adventurers go on to become leaders, his wealth or power if he makes too
teachers, or rulers. Youthful hobbit many people unhappy. And any size- Variations
adventurers come home to set their able organization will develop an
country to rights, or a mighty-thewed internal community, whose demands Nothing says that “responsibility of
barbarian becomes a king. This is may affect it more than those of the power” scenarios have to focus only
often where a story ends, but the larger community; a mercenary cap- on the people in charge. A city watch
duties of such positions can create tain or the head of a monastery is in takes orders from somebody, but the
their own stories. this position. watchmen’s duties can generate inter-
esting challenges. A king’s courtiers
Sword and sorcery’s focus on Meeting these responsibilities may have more exciting duties than
action makes it poorly suited to this involves performing a system of rou- the king has.
type of scenario, except as a bridge to tine tasks. These tasks offer a frame-
another genre. Any of the other sub- work in which adventures fit. Simply Another potentially interesting
genres can include stories about keeping things going can create inter- type of responsibility is training new
responsibility: small responsibilities in esting scenarios, especially if supplies recruits. This is the training scenario,
low fantasy, great ones in high fantasy, are uncertain. And the daily routine but from the other side, as the old
harsh ones in dark fantasy, absurd should include information collecting. hands try to instill discipline and nec-
ones in light fantasy. essary skills in students.
Such information may point
Elements toward a variety of nonroutine tasks. Campaigns
Adventurers may seize opportunities,
Power requires responsibility to counter threats, or overcome obsta- Responsibility of power is poorly
someone. For characters, this may be cles so that the routine will continue. suited to episodic campaigns. It’s not
Failure to accomplish these tasks very likely that the same team of
should have consequences. adventurers, after working together
at one set of duties, will all go on to
Adventure Seeds work together at the next set of
duties. And moving frequently from
Heritage one set of responsibilities to another
often leads to not taking the job seri-
An adventurer receives a letter asking him home. It’s a sad occasion: ously. If adventurers are in charge of
his older brother has suffered an untimely death (perhaps in a war, per- something, they could control it for
haps in a hunting accident). When he arrives, his father asks him if he is one incident in an adventure – for
willing to be the heir, in his brother’s place. This won’t immediately mean example, setting up a base of opera-
giving up his life of adventure, but he needs to stay for a while and tions for a military expedition – or
acquaint himself with his prospective domains and their tenants. Of have a long-term job that defines the
course, his friends are welcome as well; perhaps they might one day entire campaign.
become members of his household.
Such a job should have a goal
The Worst Danger beyond just meeting the day’s obliga-
tions. Many goals fall into two broad
The town guards deal with a variety of problems: pickpockets, drunk- categories: building something, or
en mercenaries, noblemen’s brawling children, and even magic students’ defending something already built
pranks. Now, they have a bigger problem. Two weeks ago, a small group from those who want to seize it or
of warriors, wizards, and rogues came through, not saying where they destroy it.
were bound – but they headed for the ruined castle to the south, said to
be under a curse, and no one expected them to return. They did, with SHORE LEAVE
chests full of coins and several enchanted objects. Now their free spend-
ing is driving up prices, their brawling makes the taverns unsafe, and Every campaign can benefit from
everyone is worried about what might come to get its treasures back. occasional down time, when the
Can the guards keep these rowdies from causing too much harm, or get adventurers don’t explore dungeons or
them to leave before they kill someone? wildernesses, battle armies or mon-
sters, or seek treasure, but rest, spend
(This adventure could be combined with the storyline of The Mouth their treasure, and drink and flirt with
of Hell.) the help at the local inn. Grim war-
riors and secretive wizards can gain
unexpected life from a “shore leave”
scenario.

184 STORYLINES

This kind of scenario fits into any or pickpocket, can offer some novel Think of an episode as “a day in the
type of campaign. The grimmest challenges to its staff. life of X.” Then a campaign can simply
tragedy needs occasional comic relief. portray the ongoing life of a commu-
But its truest home is light fantasy, Campaigns nity, with adventures growing out of
where mishaps and misunderstand- various encounters; many episodes
ings that all come right in the end are An entire campaign of “shore may not have an actual “adventure.”
the standard plot. leave” scenarios is probably too much This kind of freeform approach works
of a good thing. The charm of such best if the players are enthusiastic
Elements episodes is their contrast with the about character portrayal more than
usual round of adventure and combat. action or combat.
A “shore leave” adventure needs a Character interaction and humorous
setting with a low danger level. This mishaps stand out better when they What high immortals do in mirth
can be as small as the common room reveal a new side of the people Is life and death on Middle-Earth.
of a single tavern, but it works better if involved. – W.H. Auden, “Under Which Lyre: A
it’s on the scale of a town. Rural set-
tings can work too, as Shakespeare However, something like shore Reactionary Tract for the Times”
showed in A Midsummer Night’s leave can make a campaign frame.
Dream and As You Like It.
Adventure Seeds
The adventurers need to interact
with a variety of people or creatures. If Crossing the Line
some are impressively powerful, don’t
make them foes for the adventurers to Legend spoke of the realms of the immortals across the western
defeat or sources of free benefits. Give seas. With advances in shipbuilding and navigation, daring sailors ven-
them their own agendas, from run- tured west – and discovered that it was true. On the many scattered
ning the Great Quinquennial Riddle islands, explorers discover magical creatures and the inhumanly beau-
Contest to finding husbands for their tiful lords of the Fair Folk.
seven daughters. And spend equal
effort on a few characters with no A band of curious travelers set out for the True West, for their own
power at all, such as the barmaid who diverse reasons, taking the next ship that sails. But sailors on that voy-
flirts with the quiet warrior, or the age have their own traditional ceremonies, held as they pass from the
sausage peddler by the city gates. seas of mortal lands to the seas of the undying. “Crossing the line” is
even more exciting when the real King Neptune presides, and when the
It’s also good to include a few com- unwary traveler gets a first taste of faerie wine.
munity events. Weddings, funerals,
and birthdays all work well. Contests Masque
let the adventurers show off their abil-
ities and win something without mor- In a high fantasy setting, the royal courts have taken up masques as
tal combat. an entertainment: social events where participants appear in disguise,
using other names or none, and playing roles, partly scripted and part-
Variations ly improvised. The use of magic enhances the possibilities of such
entertainments greatly, with hidden prompters, illusory disguise or
Instead of having a fixed location, a actual shape change, phantasmal scenery and music, and even materi-
change of pace scenario can take place alized props or extras. A group of adventurers accepts an invitation to
during a journey. A pilgrimage to a take part in the entertainment, finding their way among elaborate illu-
sacred shrine or a long sea voyage can sions. GMs may play the adventure straight, or complicate it by some
provide relaxation, entertainment, serious event, such as a murder, palace intrigue, or supernatural mani-
and a sense of transition. festation. Perhaps the players even have their memories of their real
identities temporarily suppressed!
Or devote the scenario to an event
or contest – but have the adventurers Once Upon a Time, Part 3
recruited to help run the event! A rid-
dle contest with obsessed loremasters The prince completes his quest and brings his – high-spirited –
coming in from half a continent, or a fiancée home to meet his father, who approves of her, or at least her
great mercantile fair filled with eager dowry and good health. Everything is ready for a wedding that will
buyers and sellers and the odd drunk strengthen the alliance. But a few complications remain: the prince’s
brothers, who lost the competition, are jealous; the petitioners who
know the king will grant almost any request on the happy day; the spite-
ful faerie or powerful witch who didn’t get invited; the troupe of enter-
tainers who all got excessively drunk the night before, in half a dozen
different taverns. Can the prince’s friends get all the problems worked
out so that the marriage isn’t marred?

STORYLINES 185

Recurring subplots can provide a SUBPLOTS grateful to his foes for succoring
serial or episodic campaign with him.
greater continuity. While the main returned, or distracted because it is?
characters deal with the problems and What if the Patron wants the adven- Even inanimate objects can have
crises of the day, they also have to turer to attend his dinner parties? such secondary relationships. A
spend time on less important issues. Taking advantage of established sup- headquarters building probably has
Small developments can advance porting casts can complicate a PC’s life some sort of staff; a vehicle has a
these subplots from episode to in interesting ways. crew, or at least a mechanic. A treas-
episode, without ever making them ure can have someone trying to
the main theme. It’s also possible to introduce reclaim it, sending dark agents to
NPCs who assume these roles in play. stalk the hero who tries to deal with
The most fruitful source of such An adversary who is defeated in one more immediate problems.
continuity is characters’ relationships. scenario may get away and plot
It’s easy to fall into thinking of these revenge, or a victim of mistreatment Some players can generate their
only in terms of their direct impact on may turn up and obviously need own subplots. What if two of them
an adventure: a Dependent needs res- help. To make things more compli- become lovers, drinking buddies, or
cuing, an Enemy poses a threat, an cated, these NPCs may attach to the mismatched partners? Encourage this
Ally or Patron provides help. But less predefined supporting cast. The PCs by giving the players time to roleplay
dramatic themes can be worth explor- may befriend a lost child only to dis- the relationship and granting an occa-
ing. What if the Ally falls in love and is cover that he’s an adversary’s son and sional character point for good role-
either terrified that his love isn’t needs to hide from his abusive par- playing.
ent – or that the adversary genuinely
cares for him and is reluctantly

WAR IN FANTASY SETTINGS
VARIETIES
War stories have something for every type of OF FORCES
audience.
In historical fantasy settings, mili-
To go beyond a series of separate or discuss those calculations with tary forces take three main forms:
adventures, a fantasy campaign needs players. In a real battle, all the ordi- tribal, feudal, and civilized armies.
a storyline with a continuing focus. nary soldiers know is the immediate The three types differ in size, organi-
War stories have something for every struggle to survive, and even their zation, combat style, and relationship
type of audience. Action/adventure commanders never have complete or to the societies for which they fight. In
fans get combat, physical danger, and up-to-date information – and no one some settings, all the important mili-
perilous journeys. People who focus ever has time to analyze the situation tary powers have the same kind of
on character get tests of courage and thoroughly before deciding what to forces; other settings may pit forces of
loyalty and a variety of dramatic do. Giving the players complete infor- different types against each other. For
scenes, from confrontations with ene- mation will distance them from their example, a fantasy civilization may
mies to unexpected acts of mercy. If characters. They can plan as much as defend against vast numbers of orcs
the world itself is the attraction, the they like before the action starts, but organized as tribal warriors.
characters may see a lot of it – and once it starts they have to act.
they’ll see it as a moving picture, not a Tribal Armies
static landscape. This chapter’s approach to fantasy
warfare focuses on the experience of Tribal societies don’t have much
A roleplaying campaign, like a war. The GM works out a quick sketch division of labor. Men and women
novel or a film, needs to emphasize of the general situation and deter- usually do different jobs, but every
the experience of war: how individual mines where the PCs are in that man has some skill in most male jobs,
soldiers or individual commanders sketch. Then he works out the details and every woman in most female jobs.
actually see a battle. It focuses on tests of the situation as they see it and asks War is a male job, so every man is a
of individual skill and courage. GMs what they do about it. Based on how warrior. But no one specializes in war
can analyze tactics ahead of time if their actions turn out, he adjusts the as a full-time occupation.
they like, but shouldn’t slow down overall result of the battle.
actual play for detailed calculations, In a way, this lack of specialization
is a strength. If a tribal society has to
fight, the entire adult male population
can go into battle. But their skill is
another question. Nomadic herders
are often warlike, thanks partly to
stealing and fighting over each other’s

186 STORYLINES

herds. Mounted nomads such as the Status comes, in turn, from hold- Professional Armies
Bedouin Arabs may be extremely ing land. The basic feudal contract is
skilled in combat and have the benefit that one man, a vassal, agrees to fight Professional armies train and pay
of mobility. Hunters also know how to for another man, his lord. The lord soldiers to fight in an organized way.
use weapons, but often rely more on doesn’t pay the vassal; instead, he They often spend all their time on
stealth or traps. Tribes that raise crops allows him to occupy some of the land training, fighting, and guard duty.
have less need for weapons and less that the lord controls. The land pro- Historical low-tech societies couldn’t
time for fighting. If patches of fertile duces enough to support the vassal, spare many men from their farms, so
soil are scarce, though, they may have including the expenses of his main- an army couldn’t be more than a
border clashes with neighboring tribes taining himself as a warrior. small fraction of the adult male pop-
who covet their land. When tribal peo- ulation. Other men had limited com-
ples do fight, they don’t have formal When feudal societies develop bat skills and little or no battle expe-
organization. Men fight alongside trade and larger cities, they can also rience; some cultures forbid them
their relatives or in-laws, or follow a support mercenary companies. About from learning fighting skills or own
respected elder or successful warrior. the same size as feudal companies, weapons.
Leaders depend on personal influence these depend on personal obligations.
or intimidation, not on a chain of But their soldiers are paid in cash, and Soldiers have assignments to spe-
command. Men fight individually, as their captains expect cash as well, not cific military forces and to units
warriors, rather than in disciplined land. Mercenaries in the Middle Ages within those forces. Each force has a
groups, as soldiers. were starting to function like profes- chain of command based on some
sional armies, with Military Rank and version of Military Rank. A common
Tribal populations are often small, chains of command, when nonmerce- historical pattern formed groups of
and so are tribal armies. A tribal com- nary forces were still mainly feudal. 10, 100, and 1,000 men, each com-
munity may have fewer than a hun- manded by an officer of a specific
dred people, or as many as a few thou- Feudal armies are comparable in rank. Names of units and ranks may
sand. Only 15% to 25% of the men are size to large tribal armies. A major war reflect this even if the numbers aren’t
combat age. Forces larger than a thou- may involve several thousand men on exact; for example, in the Roman
sand men require recruitment from each side. Supporting this many men Empire, a centurion commanded a
several related or allied tribes. Tribes is a strain on most feudal economies. century that was usually 80 rather
may choose to fight together for a Feudal infantry are often farmers than 100 men. Military Rank is dis-
variety of reasons: because they were called away from their fields, and tinct from Status, but officers may
all driven from their homelands by an must get back in time for the harvest. come mostly or exclusively from the
invasion or natural disaster, because a This may limit the campaigning sea- nobility.
weak civilized land offers a prospect of son to a few months out of each year.
looting, or because a strong civilized
land bribes them to fight on its side.
Fantasy races such as orcs or centaurs
may form tribal hordes of this sort.

Feudal Armies

Feudal armies depend on personal
influence to recruit soldiers even more
than tribal armies. Oaths hold togeth-
er the feudal societies that support
these armies. Great lords form the
armies because of sworn allegiance to
a king, or to each other, or to serve
their own ideals or ambitions. Each
lord brings with him the warriors who
have personally sworn to him.
Warriors obey the commands of their
own lords, but not of anyone else,
whatever his rank.

Military Rank doesn’t exist in feu-
dal armies. Status partly takes its
place, in that lords with higher Status
have more voice in what the army
does. The other part is simple anarchy,
with every lord doing as he likes, until
someone makes him stop. In extreme
cases, two men may fight a duel to set-
tle a debate over strategy.

STORYLINES 187

Soldiers should obey orders from political boundaries are all potential After storming all the cities and
officers, whether they have any per- battle lines. strongholds in an area, the military
sonal ties or not. These orders tell situation enters a third steady state:
them what maneuvers to perform at Large kingdoms or empires some- occupation. Any surviving opposition
what times. They fight in formations, times find small, nominally independ- forces keep themselves safe by hiding
so they can protect each other. As a ent kingdoms useful for separation – a from the new rulers, instead of waging
result, a civilized and well-organized peacetime form of neutral territory. open battle against them. They may
army might defeat a horde of tribal The rulers of these tiny kingdoms may have secret bases or camps in forests,
warriors several times its size. become clever at playing their bigger caves, or other secluded areas, or dis-
neighbors against each other. guise themselves as noncombatants
Standing armies are larger than and live among the general popula-
most feudal or tribal armies. A war When one side gains superiority tion. They support their rebellion by
between civilized peoples can have over the other, the battle line collapses, their own work, gifts from the com-
tens of thousands of soldiers on each and the superior side moves to occupy mon people, or robbing the invaders
side. The formal command structure the inferior side’s territory. This does- or people who collaborate with them.
means that the entire force ultimately n’t always involve actual fighting. The Often rebels are hard to distinguish
obeys a single general and pursues a weaker side may voluntarily pull back from bandits (see the Bandit template
single goal. to a defensible position, rather than on p. 116). Popular legend may turn
face an overwhelming attack and lose any bandit into a freedom fighter
This kind of organization occasion- most of their men. If it does come to against an unpopular ruler. Attacks on
ally also appears among nomadic peo- actual fighting, victory may come occupying forces are mostly ambush-
ples. For example, the Mongols had from brilliant maneuvering to hit the es and raids instead of open battles.
armies on this scale and a formal enemy’s weak points, or from pro- These methods attempt to weaken the
chain of command, with the khan at longed battle that wears him down occupying forces to the point where
the top. with superior numbers. Historically, local strongholds can rebel against
an attacker needs at least three-to-two them and win.
STRATEGIC odds to win by attrition; anything less
POSITIONS than three to one is still risky. An occupied country may eventual-
ly accept its occupation; if it does, it
The basic strategic position During a defeat, the losing forces becomes a province in an empire.
depends on the relative strength of the try to retreat to strong points: defensi-
opposing forces. There are three sta- ble ground, fortifications, or cities. BATTLES
ble “steady states” between enemy Ideally, this is a controlled retreat with
forces: boundaries, siege, and occupa- a rearguard, instead of a rout. If they In the historical periods that form
tion. Transitions between these states succeed, the war enters a second the basis for most fantasy worlds, sev-
often occur quickly, usually through steady state: siege. A besieging army eral different types of battles were
battles or wars. The steady state con- has enough strength to control most common.
ditions may be found at any level of of the ground, but not to break down
conflict, from peace to open battle. the other army’s defenses; as a result, Raids
it has to remain on guard against raids
If two states or peoples have rough- and counterattacks. A successful The commonest form of fantasy
ly equal forces, neither is likely to counterattack may even reestablish warfare is raiding the enemy country-
defeat the other. Usually each will territorial boundaries between the two side. The invader burns villages, car-
have secure possession of some terri- armies. ries off livestock and slaves, and plun-
tory. In between is contested ground. ders any poorly defended towns.
Either each side dominates some, This balance of forces also has a Towns shut their gates, and villagers
neutral territory exists in between, or peacetime equivalent. A stronghold gather up what they can, fleeing to
the two sides may face each other may become an enclave: a small terri- secure castles or walled towns.
without a gap. tory belonging to one side, surround-
ed by the other side’s territory. Defenders can simply choose to
In an actual battle, the combatants wait out the raid. However, this is bad
draw the lines. When one side loses Besieging armies concentrate their for their Reputations, and can make
the battle, the line moves or vanishes. forces around the enemy strongholds, them a target for future raids. It also
But war is more than battle. What though they also have to maintain takes away taxable wealth that could
keeps one army out of a territory may supply lines. They may passively trap support their military strength. So
be the potential threat from the the enemy and wait them out, but defenders may stand up to the
enemy soldiers who could attack more often, they try to reduce the raiders. The high-risk way to do this
them if they went into it. Invaders strongholds. Ancient military theorists is in pitched battle. The lower-risk
may slip through a gap between recognized five ways of doing this: method allows the attackers to
enemy forces, but if the enemy closes going over the walls, going through invade, and then counterattacks
the gap behind them, they can’t them, going under them, blockade when they spread out to pillage, or as
receive supplies, gather reinforce- (starving the defenders out, the slow they retreat, carrying their loot. Both
ments, or retreat. This same kind of way), or betrayal. Success at any of the Chinese and Roman Empires
potential threat can define a guarded these methods leads to fighting in the used versions of this strategy against
frontier in peacetime. In a sense, streets and buildings of a city, often their barbarian neighbors.
followed by looting.

188 STORYLINES

Sieges they may try an assault with scaling only guarded by a small (if valiant)
ladders and siege engines. Open shadow of its former host, as people
Some armies do more than raid. assault is risky; an army behind good have forgotten the enemy it was sup-
They may want to take back a coun- fortifications can have a fighting posed to protect against.
try’s greatest treasures, which are usu- chance against five or even 10 times
ally in defended places. Or they may its number. Breaking Sieges
want to become its rulers. Seizing a
significant fort, castle, port town, or A siege of a town might precede a Battles often take place as an army
commercial center – often with the brutal sack. Artifacts and relics can be tries to rescue a besieged defender.
threat that “if you don’t surrender, lost or stolen. If the conqueror is par- Sometimes the besieger will build his
we’ll storm the place and put everyone ticularly harsh, or the town has held own fortifications, and then end up
to the sword” – can change the bal- out for a long time, the inhabitants besieged himself. The defenders have
ance of power, especially if the attack- may be enslaved or massacred. PCs plenty of opportunity to heroically
er is ready to garrison the place, mak- can join in, lead it, or try to control sally out at the critical moment. An
ing it hard to take back. Either goal their troops or comrades. In realistic advance party can try to fight or sneak
requires a siege. treatments, noncombatant deaths are through the siege lines to tell the
likely and looting almost unavoidable; defenders not to surrender, because
A walled stronghold can hold out in mythic treatments, conquerors help is coming.
for months or years providing plenty may act nobly generous or inhumanly
of opportunity for dirty tricks, treach- brutal. Pitched Battles
ery, assassination, assaults down hid-
den sewers and secret passages, A standard fantasy trope is the Any of these actions may lead to a
magic, and similar methods. If the important border fortress or castle, pitched battle, where both sides stand
attackers outnumber the defenders, once strongly garrisoned, that is now up and fight. A typical battle starts
early in the day and is over before
noon. Armies almost never fight to the
last man; a battle ends when one side’s
troops no longer defend themselves as
a unit, but try to save their own lives.
If the losing side’s retreat is cut off – by
a river, swamp, mountain range, or
fortification – they may experience
enormous losses.

Given the relatively small size of
armies in most fantasy settings, it’s
not practical to have a line of soldiers
along an entire frontier. Armies meet
because their leaders choose to look
for battle. Typically both sides have
time to set up camp and arrange their
troops. A common pattern divides the
troops into left, center, and right
forces; cavalry usually go at the end of
the battle line, letting them ride
around the main battle to strike
where needed. Prudent commanders
keep at least a small force in reserve
behind the main battle, ready to aid
other troops in a crisis or finish off a
defeated foe.

Contested Passage

Mountain passes, fords, bridges,
and (for naval battles) narrow straits
give one force – even a smaller one –
the ability to block an invasion or
retreat. The defenders have the chance
to make heroic stands, as their ene-
mies have to come at them in small
numbers. In this way, a small force
can protect the main army from a
pitched battle against a more powerful
foe.

STORYLINES 189

Ambush Player Characters
in Battle
Missile troops can limit an
enemy’s mobility in a different way. Presenting a battle dramatically means showing it through the eyes
If the terrain limits an army’s choice of specific people. The role PCs serve in their army determines what
of routes, attackers can lie in wait they see of its battles, and therefore how the GM has to present battles.
along the likely routes and attack, by Three basic points of view are possible. Ordinary soldiers mainly see the
surprise, when the enemy comes into combat in their immediate area; they’ll be aware in general of how the
their range. Foot soldiers will usually troops near them are doing, but not of the details of combat. Leaders
strike from their hiding place and who command from the front (standard practice in tribal and feudal
then escape by preplanned routes. armies, but not necessarily in civilized armies) get a clear view of the
Light cavalry can ride forward from enemy as the battle starts, and occasionally can pause to look around
a camouflaged location to attack, and choose new objectives as it continues. If a king or general com-
and then escape faster than infantry mands from the rear, his staff can have a picture of the whole battle, but
or heavy cavalry can follow. An usually not a complete or current one, because they aren’t at the front
extremely successful ambush might lines. Historically this command style was rare until the late
stop an army’s advance, but the usual Renaissance, though in fantasy it’s very popular with evil overlords.
goal is to delay it while the advancing Magical methods of scrying and long-distance communication can sup-
troops defend themselves and send port this command style in a fantasy setting.
a force out to drive away the
assailants. If player characters are actually in combat, their actions are unlike-
ly to sway the outcome of the battle. Hand-to-hand fighters will affect
Diversion only what happens along a few yards of the front line. Missile troops will
be taking part in massed volleys that affect the battle only statistically.
One side may attempt to confuse But this isn’t much fun, or consistent with the heroic myths a lot of fan-
the other about its actual goals. If this tasy is based on. In epic fantasy, battles change based on single combats
works really well, the other side may between champions, as with David and Goliath or Homer’s heroes
commit all its forces to defending before the walls of Troy. When one side’s champions fall, their followers
against an attack that never comes. can only surrender or flee.
Most of the time, a successful diver-
sion simply means that the enemy For a more realistic style that still makes the PCs’ actions meaning-
doesn’t have a clear objective. When ful, treat them as a sample of their side’s forces. Set them up against a
the attack does come, it takes longer sample of the other side. If the enemy consists of bigger or smaller num-
than it should for him to arrange his bers, make their sample proportionately bigger or smaller. Then run
forces to meet it. through the small-scale fight and see who wins. If the PCs are average
soldiers, assume that their battle performance is the average for their
MAGIC AND side as a whole. If they’re a leader and his elite companions, either
WARFARE match them against the other side’s elite, or have them fight ordinary
soldiers and assume that the rest of their side doesn’t do quite as well.
In a fantasy setting, combatants On the other hand, an elite group that achieves a really stunning victo-
will try to find ways of gaining an ry may inspire their own troops to heroism, or break the enemy’s resist-
advantage in battle from magic. If ance. Soldiers leading the assault on an enemy stronghold can play a
magic is slow, they’ll use it in intelli- similar role.
gence, logistics, and siegecraft; if it’s
fast, they’ll turn it into an actual If player characters are behind the front lines, they may not see
weapon. much fighting. This approach calls for more roles against Strategy,
Tactics, Administration, Intelligence Analysis, and any spells that sup-
Magic in the Field port them. If the players want action as well as planning, they may lead
the reserve forces into battle at a critical moment, with victory or defeat
Treating mages as man-portable resting on their leadership. Or a campaign can have everyone play two
artillery may show a disregard for characters, a member of the command staff who plans for a battle, and
mystical philosophy, but it’s also an ordinary soldier who fights in it. Shifting between the two viewpoints
extremely useful! Any commander can build tension, as in many war movies, and having combat go better
offered the services of a battle wizard or worse depending on how good the officers’ plans were helps drama-
with Explosive Fireball would be seri- tize the results of their staff work. This also allows players a broader
ously tempted. Be careful to consider range of characterization, contrasting the heroic or sophisticated lead-
Fatigue, though. A mage with ers with the “common man” troops.
Explosive Fireball-15 and Recover
Energy-15 spends 5 energy for a 3d STORYLINES
attack and needs 25 minutes to recov-
er, roughly 2 shots per hour. If wizards
are rare and expensive, a catapult may
be a better choice.

190

Magic can make troops harder for in several ways. Small teams of magi- Norse god Heimdall watched every-
an enemy to spot. For example, Fog cal warriors can fly over walls to thing happening across the earth, and
can block the line of sight of enemy engage the defenders in hand-to-hand the Greek gods hurled thunderbolts
sentries, as can Darkness. Fog or combat, perhaps striking from above. or fired magical arrows at their earth-
Darkness can also prevent enemy Magical flying beasts can do the same, bound foes. In Gulliver’s Travels,
troops from keeping track of each or carry missile troops or spellcasters Jonathan Swift described a different
other and thus disrupt formations. to vantage points above a castle. Or form of assault – the flying city of
aerial forces can take stations high Laputa dropped onto opposing cities
Other weather spells can scatter above a castle and bombard it with to crush them with its adamant
troops, making it impossible for them anything from rocks to molten lead. undersurface.
to hold a battlefield. Powerful earth
spells can have similar effects. In a To counter such attacks, fortresses Attack Through the Walls
magical setting, close formations may must be roofed; men standing on
be an invitation to disaster; armies walls or towers will just be targets. Defending a fortress becomes even
may spread out sideways, as they have Defenders bar windows, or reduce harder if mages know Teleport or sim-
historically since the end of the them to slits, to prevent flying attack- ilar spells. Teleport requires seeing the
18th century. ers from entering. The bulk of a destination, so areas inside fortress
fortress may even be underground, walls will be off limits; parleys will
Mages can engage in psychological resembling a bunker more than a take place outside the gates.
warfare. Fear is an area spell; spend- medieval castle. Missile troops will be Alternatively, hosts may blindfold visi-
ing 6 points of Fatigue on Fear will vital; even better will be spellcasters, tors and lead them into special locked
generate fear in a 6-yard radius, which whose lightning bolts aren’t pulled rooms, or permanent Illusion
could create a useful hole in enemy down by gravity. Weather wizards enchantments may mask the fortress’
lines, especially with poorly disci- could make the sky unnavigable. true appearance. Scryguard, to pre-
plined troops. A mage with Recover vent anyone from looking in magical-
Strength-15 can do this every half Defenders may seize the high ly, will apply to essential sites, possibly
hour. ground themselves, enchanting an over an entire building. Earth to Air
entire fortress with Levitation. A and Walk through Earth do not
An extension of this effect, if the floating fortress provides an observa- depend on sight, but double walls
mage’s own side will tolerate it, is the tion station, with a horizon in miles make them less effective, especially if
use of Necromantic spells. Consider equal to the square root of its height the space between the walls is a pit or
the shock of troops seeing their own in feet (or, on a flat world, an unlimit- other trap or can be attacked easily.
companions (or, even worse, their ed horizon). It also serves as a firing Each of the two walls should have
leaders) rise from the dead and march platform. The gods of mythology were doors, preferably not directly facing
against them. One casting of Zombie well aware of such advantages; the each other.
uses 8 energy, which can be regained
in 40 minutes with Recover Strength; Vauban
a necromancer could send a dozen
slain enemies a day back into battle on Fortress
his own side. GMs should consider
this especially for evil armies in sword
and sorcery or dark fantasy settings.

Magic and
Fortifications

Fortifications are even more sus-
ceptible to magical disruption in a
fantasy setting. If magic is rare, wiz-
ards or holy men will occasionally
inflict miraculous defeat on a suppos-
edly impregnable city or fortress. If
magic is common, the concept of
impregnability will change; in effect,
fortifications and siegecraft will be at
a higher TL (p. 66).

Attack in the Air

Magical worlds may achieve flight
in a variety of ways: spells such as
Levitation or Flight, the correspon-
ding enchanted items, or harnessing
or training flying creatures such as
gryphons or dragons. Aerial forces can
bypass the usual sorts of fortifications

STORYLINES 191

Magical Defenses Magical Support Roles Darkness, or Plant). If the mage adds
to these spells a few sense-enhancing
A fortress in a fixed location is vul- The most familiar support role for Mind spells, he can act as a nearly
nerable to other magical attacks, mages is that of healing the wounded. undetectable scout as well.
from heavy-duty attack spells to hav- Magical healing is expensive enough
ing its walls taken down with Shape to be reserved for the worst wounds; a Finally, though the function isn’t
Earth. Fortresses important enough healer with Major Healing and glamorous, a mage can be a real asset
to justify the expense have a variety Recover Energy can spend 3 energy to to the quartermaster corps. Water and
of countermeasures. Some lower the heal 6 hits, rest 15 minutes, and repeat Food spells can find supplies, test or
mana level of the ground just outside the process, treating perhaps 40 improve their purity, or even create
the walls, to enclose the structure in a wounded soldiers in a day. This will them from nothing.
no-mana zone. (The mana level not prevent immediate death for those
inside the perimeter is usually unaf- suffering -HP or worse, but if it raises How Common
fected, but mages usually prefer to the wounded man above -HP, he can Are Mages?
leave a few normal-mana breaks in begin recovering.
the perimeter.) The influence of these changes
Mages can help with military con- depends on the amount of mages an
To resist physical attacks and spells struction, using Earth spells to dig army recruits.
such as Fireball, build fortresses out of ditches or build walls.
adamant or other magical materials. In some settings, individual mages
Or design like fortifications of the When a messenger is needed, a have about the same impact as special
post-gunpowder era, low to the mage specializing in Movement spells ops teams or a large artillery piece.
ground, with sloping earthworks in can be very useful, with Quick March, They can assassinate leaders, break
star-shaped (“Vauban”) layouts. When Flight, or Teleport. Other spells can let the occasional formation, facilitate
cannons or wizards can smash any him sense enemy patrols (Commu- entry into a stronghold, provide intel-
normal wall, castles become obsolete. nication and Empathy or Protection ligence, or counter the enemy mages
and Warning) or conceal himself from (or other supernatural forces). They
them (Illusion and Creation, Light and

192 STORYLINES

may positively affect morale in and the like integrate at the small unit mages are, one mage and apprentices
unsteady troops, but ultimately the level or mass in special units. Many might be assigned to protect a unit,
battle is man against man. people have minor magic; entire units another to damage enemy troops or
can cast spells collectively. The mages, a third to scrying/counterscry-
In some settings, powerful mages amount of magical firepower domi- ing, and so on.
are rare, but their effects are strong nates the battle. Mages/priests may
enough to wipe out or frighten off replace knights as the basis of a feudal MYTHICAL
entire battalions of ordinary troops system. Close formation troops can- BEASTS IN
(vast areas of fire or darkness, con- not survive against the firepower a COMBAT
jured monster hordes, windstorms, mage can generate unless ways exist
shields against arrows for entire of reliably neutralizing magic or Mages aren’t the only complication
units). Most of the time, soldiers fight shielding entire units; if not, light a fantasy world offers to the art of war.
in massed formations as usual. But infantry and cavalry forces, possibly Many fantasy worlds have races or
when suspicions circulate that the airborne, are dominant. creatures with unusual capabilities. In
enemy does have a mage, they often terms of effects on battle, these fall
disperse to survive. Units that dis- The predictability of magic also into three main groups.
perse are vulnerable to massed makes a difference. If magic is essen-
enemy conventional forces. It tially an art, than the advantage goes First, they may be unusually dead-
becomes vital, in this scenario, to to the offensive. Troops cannot predict ly in ordinary combat. An infantry
have your own supporting wizards to what will hit them; even if a mage is force of trolls or ogres can carry mas-
get the enemy to disperse as well! with them, he probably won’t have the sive weapons and wear the heaviest
Special, mobile forces experienced in right counterspell. The best tactic is to armor, making them nearly impossi-
working with wizards or priests, hope your mage kills his mage (or ble for ordinary men to defeat.
equipped with Magic Resistance or troops) first. If magic is more of a sci- Gigantic creatures may have enough
talismans to protect them, may train ence, mages can have set drills and HP to make them almost invincible, or
to target enemy mages or protect well-worked counterspells based on natural DR, or both. Elephants played
them. Such elite units will stay calm the most efficient area spells. Teams of this role on many real-world battle-
if things go magical. mages may be assigned to specific fields, but fantasy battlefields may
units with specific offensive/defensive have even greater behemoths. Manlike
In still other settings, magic is pow- roles. Depending on how common giants can serve as walking catapults,
erful and common. Wizards, demons, throwing boulders big enough to
smash down castle walls.

Second, they may improve mobili-
ty. If unicorns can be tamed, their
incredible speed makes them ideal
cavalry mounts . . . perhaps for an elite
warband of women pledged to virgini-
ty. Flying creatures carry this even fur-
ther, especially if they’re big enough
for humans to ride, or intelligent
enough to follow orders or make tacti-
cal decisions. A fantasy country might
have a gryphon-mounted air force.

Third, they may have magical
attacks. Fiery breath is traditional, but
far from the only choice. Any
Affliction or Innate Attack could either
kill the enemy, or break their will to
fight. Supernatural beings with Terror
can do the same.

The very dangerous magical races
and creatures can have all three
advantages. Dragons, for example, can
fly, breathe fire, and are big and well-
armored enough to kill a mounted
knight in straight physical combat. If a
fantasy world has races or beings that
are this dangerous, rulers will be eager
to form alliances with them. Or they
may be the rulers (see Teratocracy,
p. 69, and The Good Shepherds, p. 61).

STORYLINES 193

The Armies of Darkness

In some fantasy settings, the enemy has access to heroic forces may find themselves compelled to use
magic that the heroes can’t use. Perhaps they simply darker and darker methods against their foes, to the
don’t know about it, or they can’t use it without strong point where it’s hard to tell the two sides apart. Or the
temptation from the dark side, or it requires sacrifices good side may have to ally with the evil side when
that would kill the very people they have to protect. both are threatened by an even greater evil – for exam-
Dark supernatural allies may simply be too hard to ple, a monster slayer and a monster may team up
control and too dangerous. This can set up one of the against a demon that wants to destroy the world
classic situations of fantasy: the hero whose resolve rather than fight over it. Or there may not be clearly
and skill must stand against unnatural powers. defined good and evil at all . . . just people trying to get
by in a hard world.
High fantasy often involves this kind of battle. A
great struggle between good and evil is one of the clas- For a “fantasy in the real world” treatment of
sic mythic themes, all the way back to the war of Horus these themes, consider introducing magic and the
against Set in Egyptian mythology. It also works well in supernatural into World War II. Any of the various
dark fantasy, though the main emphasis is likely the low fantasy motifs could fit there, right next to the
adversary’s mysterious evil powers. The “good” forces Manhattan Project and the alliance between the
may only work together to stop a common threat – and United States and the Soviet Union. On the other
they probably won’t all survive. Classic sword and sor- hand, it’s hard to find a better modern example of a
cery often matched heroic warriors against villainous great mythic war against evil; a dark fantasy World
wizards; recent treatments may have special dark War II could have its own appeal, whether the fanta-
spells that only evildoers would use. sy was openly revealed (perhaps in the style of four-
color comics) or deeply hidden.
In a low fantasy campaign, good and evil may
intertwine more, as they often are in real history. The

194 STORYLINES

CHAPTER NINE

ROMA ARCANA

Then Julius Fabricius died, as even He could see the horned heads, and getting almost as many stares as the
prefects do, the bony shields that supported the dinosaurs; apparently East Asians did-
horns. n’t get to Rome very often.
And after certain centuries, Imperial
Rome died too. Beside him, he heard someone say The wagon rumbled down onto the
something about “megalogryphontes,” street and headed for the main cross
– Rudyard Kipling, “The Land” His linguistic training noted the word, street. Johannes saw the paintings on
and then dissected it: “big gryphons.” its side, exotic beasts and the word
Standing by the bank of the Well, they were quadrupeds with “BESTIARUM.” He supposed the
Garumna, Johannes Niger glimpsed beaks . . . but he had been a dinosaur satyrs and sphinxes were just for
the wagons coming up to the opposite enthusiast as a child; he knew them as advertising.
bank. “God DAMN!” he said – and triceratops. He remembered being dis-
realized he had said it in English, appointed when it sank in that no But if they were real, he definitely
despite all his training to speak only human had ever really seen a live wanted to know it. This was one show
Latin. He berated himself while he dinosaur. Apparently that wasn’t true he’d go to see.
raced to the bridge, and watched for here. One more weirdness to add to
what would come over. He wasn’t the the other weirdnesses of this alternate At the start of its second millenni-
only one standing there; boys, sailors Rome. um, Rome is in great danger. The gods
whose ships were in port, and a few grow angry at an empire that pays
slaves who thought they could get The wagon driver was a large mid- them little honor, and withdraw their
away with it had all gathered there as dle-aged man. Beside him was a slen- protection. The emperors squander
well. der woman with straight black hair the public trust. The rule of law fails,
and epicanthic folds. Well, she could in the city and its many provinces.
The bridge strained under the have gotten here by the Silk Road, as a Barbarians, monsters, and magic cults
weight; he could hear the creaking. traveler or as merchandise. She was threaten honest citizens and disrupt
Roman engineers built well, but not trade. If the empire will survive,
for what was pulling the lead wagons. wealthy and powerful men, in Rome’s
ancient tradition, need to step forward
as benefactors of their cities.

Times of trouble are unpleasant to
live through, but make exciting set-
tings for adventure stories. Citizens
and soldiers will work to hold back the
shadows; explorers from other time-
lines try to uncover the secrets of an
empire where pagan gods and magical
spells have real power.

Roma Arcana is a setting for a
sword and sorcery or dark fantasy
campaign. Use it on its own, or as a
timeline in the Infinite Worlds cam-
paign setting (see Chapter 20 of the
Basic Set). The year is 258 A.D., or in
the Roman calendar ab urbe condita
(AUC) 1011.

The Roma Arcana setting is TL2
and CR4. The mana level is normal,
except inside city limits, where it is
low. Casting spells in Roma Arcana
takes 10 times as long as defined in the
spell description; the caster must
attract the attention of a god or spirit
and make his wishes known.

ROMA ARCANA 195

Roma Arcana in the Multiverse

Roma Arcana is a Quantum-7 world. Aside from its off-limits status,
it’s hard to get to from Quantum-5, and not many Infinity Patrol agents
have gone there. So far as anyone can tell, Centrum hasn’t found it yet,
and the Infinity Patrol wants to keep it that way; if Diocletian and
Constantine turn up on schedule, their centralized rule would be just the
sort of thing Interworld would want to encourage.

At the GM’s discretion, an even stranger possibility may occur: Roma
Arcana may “echo” the mysterious homeworld of the Cabal! The sorcer-
ers and mystagogues of the Roman Empire could parallel the Cabal’s
past, developing comparable arts. The active gods are comparable to the
denizens of the Astral, Iconic, and Spiritual Realms. This opens up many
different possibilities. The Infinity Patrol could use Roma Arcana as a
testing ground for ways of coping with the Cabal’s powers, especially if
they figure out its “echo” status. It might also give them hints about the
Cabal’s origins or help them find its homeworld. On the other hand,
their actions in Roma Arcana might draw the Cabal’s attention. Or the
Cabal might already know about Roma Arcana and even have their
agents in place. They might even have shaped its history, whether by
magical “benevolent guidance” or as a subtle trap for paratemporal
explorers.

A TIME OF TROUBLES

Why have our two consuls and the FOES AND The Parthians practice magical
praetors come out MENACES arts as well. Reflecting their religious
beliefs, Parthians divide spells sharply
today in their red, embroidered Threats to Rome take many forms. into white and black magic. White
togas; Many are human, but some are not. magi seek divine aid for their spells.
Some human foes wield magic, and Very secretly, a few Parthians practice
why do they wear amethyst-studded some nonhuman foes are magic – black magic, though it’s officially ille-
bracelets, ghosts, spirits, or even gods. gal. Some black magi work, unofficial-
ly, as spies or assassins for the
and rings with brilliant glittering The Parthian Empire Parthian Empire, either within its
emeralds; boundaries or in foreign lands.
Rome’s great rival empire centers
why are they carrying costly canes in Persia. The Parthians boast of hav- The Germanic Tribes
today, ing been an empire since Rome was a
collection of mud huts on the bank of The Germans are not a civilized
superbly carved with silver and gold? the Tiber. They have organized armies people; they wage war as individuals,
of their own, based primarily on not as organized forces. Men join a
Because the barbarians are to arrive skilled horsemen. Parthian land isn’t warband out of obligation to its leader,
today, as fertile as Roman and can’t support or because they expect success and
as big a population, but the skill and want to share in the loot. There’s no
and such things dazzle the barbar- courage of Parthian cavalry keeps the formal command structure. However,
ians. Roman legions at bay and sometimes individual Germans are typically
defeats them. strong and skilled in battle. Roman
– C. P. Cavafy, soldiers entering the vast German
“Expecting the Barbarians” The Parthian Empire also has its forests often do not return.
own supernatural resources. Chaldea,
The Roman Empire controls the original home of astrology, lies Berserking is common among
Southern and Western Europe, Asia within its boundaries, and skilled Germans. A few are skin-turners, own-
Minor and the Near East, and north- astrologers advise imperial officials. ing magically empowered animal
ern Africa (see map, p. 199). Most of Priests of the ancient Zoroastrian reli- hides that let them change shape (see
its territory is within the limes, the gion call for aid from a hierarchy of Skin-Turners, p. 209). German poets
sacred frontier drawn by Augustus spiritual powers. sometimes know how to enthrall lis-
Caesar in his will. To defend the limes, teners with their voices. Other forms
and to keep order within them, the of magic are rare.
Empire relies on its armies and on the
help of the gods, against both natural
and supernatural threats. The two
used to work together, but the gods
seldom bless Rome’s armies now.

196 ROMA ARCANA

Germans worship a pantheon that Still other monsters occasionally embodied undead creatures grow
vaguely resembles the Roman gods, come from under the earth. Centuries more common.
but have no organized priesthood; ago, the Greek philosopher Emp-
wealthy men build shrines and offer edocles discovered a cavern filled with Under the protection of the gods,
sacrifices. huge beasts, far below the earth. (See Roman engineers create great public
Empedocles’ Quest, p. 212.) Some of works, such as roads, bridges, aque-
The most aggressive German tribes these beasts surface from time to time. ducts, and sewers, taming the forces
are the Franks, along the borders of of nature. But the spirits of the earth
Gaul; the Alamanni, in central Spirits always resent bondage. Now the
Europe; and the Goths, north of the gods have set them free to throw it
Balkan provinces of the empire. Roman funeral rites and ancestor off. Their magical powers over
German invasions are common and worship turn the spirits of the dead nature seldom destroy human works
destructive, often reaching far inside from threats into allies. But this does- outright, but by wearing them away,
the Empire. n’t always work. A dead person who they bring the world closer to
was greatly wronged, or wasn’t prop- untamed wilderness.
The Druids erly buried or burned, or whose living
kin don’t honor him, sometimes reap- IMPERIAL ASSETS
Rome put an end to the Druids pears as a ghost crying out for
centuries ago, both in Gaul and in vengeance. With the growing popu- Rome’s foundation is a threefold
Britain. The ancient Celtic gods were larity of sorcery, some people deliber- bond between gods, men, and the
mostly identified with Roman ones ately avoid having funeral rites, hop- land. This pattern influences all
and their worship moved into Roman- ing to exercise power from beyond of Roman civilization, from a single
style temples. But now, as Rome’s gods the grave, or even to return to the household to the empire as a whole.
weaken and withdraw, some Celtic world of the living. Both ghosts and Rome relies on this in times of
gods look for an older kind of worship. trouble.

Here and there, across the western
Empire, memories of past lives trou-
ble men of Celtic blood. Some discov-
er their previous incarnations as
druids. They start to recover their lost
arts, but also remember their struggle
against Rome. Some support a sepa-
rate empire in the West; others want
to reclaim entirely their old customs,
kill the Romans and Romanized Celts
in their lands . . . they even dream of
sacking Rome.

Druidic magical arts rest on knowl-
edge of the natural world, and are the
most potent in the wilderness. Druids
don’t write out spells, they memorize
them. Druid lore takes the form of
Bardic Lore (p. 99).

Monsters

Romans view unnatural births as a
sign from the gods. The number of
such signs has increased. And worse,
they’re often not just deformed but
dangerous. Unnaturally large, fierce
predators (see Lupus Magnus, p. 231)
appear throughout the empire. Travel
through the wilderness, or even on the
roads, involves risk.

Even larger creatures inhabit the
seas. Huge serpents occasionally
appear and crush ships in their coils.
Mariners fresh from adventures on
the Atlantic Ocean tell stories of the
kraken, a tentacled monstrosity that
pulls ships under if they sail above its
resting place.

ROMA ARCANA 197

Every area of land has spirits, and The Roman Empire has lost this occupies a fortress averaging about 50
the land can allows occupation with protection by offending the gods. Its acres. Detachments, called vexillations
their consent. These spirits expect the entire territory once had normal sanc- from the vexilla (banner) that each one
occupants of the land to make suit- tity, but now has low sanctity. carries, occupy smaller forts along the
able offerings. But occupants also However, many households, cities, length of the border, keeping watch for
make offerings to other spirits: to the and fortresses still keep faith and can invaders. Auxiliary forces of cavalry
spirit of their own family, to their ask for the gods’ aid. and light infantry occupy other forts.
ancestors, and to their gods. These Some 300,000 soldiers stand watch on
offerings create areas with height- Frontiers and the frontier.
ened sanctity levels. The gods and Fortifications
spirits may aid the protection of Fortifications aren’t just military
areas sanctified to them. The legions form the heart of bases; they’re also religious centers.
Rome’s military forces. Legionaries The principia (headquarters building)
Each inhabited place has a sacred primarily are armored infantrymen, at the center of each site houses a
perimeter called the pomoerium, often fighting with javelins and swords (see shrine, the sacellum, where the legion
marked by a ditch or a line of stones. Equipment, p. 223), and among the keeps its eagles, its images of the
The land it encloses has normal sancti- best in the world. But they are also imperial family, and the standards of
ty. The land outside it has low sanctity. combat engineers, able to build a its centuries. The shrine has high
Customarily communities bury the fortress, besiege a city, or assemble sanctity, and the entire camp has nor-
dead there, to keep them from trou- and fire a catapult. In a war, a legion mal sanctity, in relation to the legion’s
bling the living. Somewhere inside the can march all day and then build a gods. The standards themselves have
inhabited area is a holy place with high fortified camp before night falls. ritual significance; going into battle
sanctity, devoted to the protection of without them means losing the pro-
sacred things and of valuable posses- Legions number over 5,000 men, tection of the gods. Guarding them is
sions. The gods usually protect this divided into “centuries” averaging 80 a position of trust. The men who hold
location, either through their own pow- men. Nearly all the 33 legions are sta- it are also the treasurers for their
ers or by aid to its human defenders. tioned at the limes (see Order of Battle, legion, and shrines typically have cel-
p. 200). The main force of each legion lars that hold the legion’s treasury.

Plan of a Typical Legionary Fortress 3 PORTA PRINCIPALIS SINISTRA

1 4
VIA SAGULARIS

2 78

WORKSHOP
PORTA DECUMANA
CAVALRY BARRACKS5
VIA QUINTANA
VIA PRINCIPALIS4 VIA DECUMANAPRINCIPIAVIA PRAETORIA4
TRIBUNES
BATHS6
PORTA PRAETORIA
HOSPITAL

9

10 4 VIA SAGULARIS

The area inside the ditch is normal sanctity; the shrine in the principia is PORTA PRINCIPALIS DEXTRA 1. Watchtower
high sanctity. Important buildings are the principia or headquarters, with 2. Barracks
a large meeting hall at the front, armories along the sides, and a central 25 50 Yards 200 3. Oven
shrine flanked by offices at the back; the praetorium, or house of the com- 100 4. Gate
manding officer; and the hospital, with wards for the 60 centuries sur- 5. Prefect
rounding a central courtyard where medicinal herbs are grown. The long L- 6. Praetorium
and U-shaped buildings are barracks; the centurions had separate rooms at 7. Stables
the “base” of the L or U, and each “arm” is several yards thick. There were 8. Granaries
walkways between the barracks (or between the two “arms” of the U-shaped 9. Tribune
barracks). 10. First Cohort

Barracks

198 ROMA ARCANA