Mystic Powers Part 3 - Choosing Abilities

Today, we continue our journey by selecting abilities for our powers. I will be going step by step through Choosing Abilities (GURPS Powers, p. 9-14) for each power, so I can show why I’m picking the abilities I am and how they fit into the power as a whole. This also lets me consider how I might apply different rules we decided on last time to abilities, as the need arises.

Note: When I started this process, I originally intended to post all seven abilities, but after breaking 2,500 words, I thought it might be best to split this into two posts to lessen the Wall-o-Text effect this will inevitably have. So this week, we will address Body Master, Projection, and Perception powers, and next week, we’ll jump right into Dream Mastery, Fate Mastery, Telepathy, and Soul Mastery.

Another Note: I have created an Index Post for easy reference to this series. If the series sees enough popularity, it might get its own page, but as of now, there really just isn’t the demand.

Dark Vision, Infravision, and Night Vision

I recently got to thinking about the price of Dark Vision and Infravision in a Dungeon Fantasy context, and after a comment in the GURPS Discord on it, started questioning the cost of Night Vision, as well. Each of these have slightly different effects, so I want to see if their prices relative to each other feel right, and then consider their absolute prices.

Night Vision [1/level]. This trait offsets penalties to Vision for poor lighting. It only works if there is at least some light present, so it is possible to negate even a full 9 levels by dropping PCs in total darkness.

Dark Vision [25]. This trait lets you see in the total darkness, but you can only see black and white.

Infravision [10]. This trait gives you +3 to offset Vision penalties for poor lighting and lets you see in complete darkness if what you look at has a heat contrast with its background. In total darkness, you don’t see in color, but rather a false color that may as well be black and white for all mechanical purposes.

Immediately, we see that Dark Vision is just a cosmic version of Infravision or, from the opposite perspective, Infravision is a limited form of Dark Vision that gives three levels of Night Vision. That is to say, Infravision (No Night Vision, -3 points; Cosmic, Can see in darkness without heat contrast +250%) [25] = Dark Vision [25] and Dark Vision (Only with Heat Contrast, -75%) + Night Vision 3 [3] = Infravision. In both cases, I feel like the modifiers are way out of whack.

As a Cosmic modifier, +250% is nearly on par for Cosmic attacks and is more expensive than never having to roll for success. That is just too much. I’m much more comfortable with a +50% modifier, bringing it in line with most applications of “breaks a rule” instead of “is total unbalancing and godlike”. As a limitation, “Only with Heat Contrast” is hardly on par with “Lasts less than 30 seconds” or “only defends the hands from the front” or even “only defends the arms from the front”. Consider things that don’t have heat contrast: undead, constructs, and some elemental begins in their home environments. That’s not a huge swath of things; at most, I’d call it around 20% of monsters on average, so around -30% to -35% as an Accessibility limitation. Let’s take the friendlier of the two.

Considering our new options, we find that Dark Vision as Infravision (Cosmic, +50%) now costs [15] and Infravision as Dark Vision (Accessibility, -35%) + Night Vision 3 costs [19]. That doesn’t mean much like that, but let’s compare apples to apples: Taking Dark Vision to cost [15], as found based on Cosmic, and applying a -35% modifier, we get Infravision to cost [10] – not bad! Conversely, taking Infravision as Dark Vision with Accessibility minus Night Vision 3 to cost [16] and applying Cosmic (+50%), we get [24]. Again, this is pretty good and suggests we have two viable ways of attacking this issue that produce self-consistent results. In other words, either way might work!

Now the question becomes one of how much is seeing in the dark worth in DF? In my experience, people buy as much Night Vision as is allowed always. This suggests that it might be underpriced at my table. If I were to increase its cost to [2/level], this might help, but without testing, it’s hard to say. What I can say is that at this higher price, it brings it into line with an Infravision cost of [19] and Dark Vision cost of [25]. At its current cost, however, it is in line with Infravision [10] and Darkvision [15].

So which will I personally use? I’m not yet decided, but I lean toward Night Vision [2/level], Infravision [20] (I like round numbers), and Dark Vision [25]. If I find that no one will buy NV at this price, I’d adjust it down to Night Visino [1/level], Night Vision [10], and Dark Vision [15].

The Bottom Line

As they are currently priced, Dark Vision, Infravision, and Night Vision prices are neither self-consistent or congruent with the way they function in Dungeon Fantasy. There are two potentially acceptable pricing schemes based on how your gaming group values Night Vision:

• Dark Vision [25], Infravision [20], and Night Vision [2/level]
• Dark Vision [15], Infravision [10], and Night Vision [1/level]

Has anyone tried either of these setups? How does this look to your group?

Mystic Powers Index

Here is an index of posts on designing mystic powers for Starfall. This will get updated as new posts are released.

Background Posts

Cosmology of Starfall
Eschatology of Starfall
Why Mystical Powers

Some Thoughts on Campaign Building

Mechanics Posts

Mystical Powers - Groundwork
Mystical Powers - The Rule Set
Mystical Powers - Choosing Abilities Part 1
Mystical Powers - Choosing Abilities Part 2
Mystical Powers Recap
Mystical Powers - Stat Block for Abilities

Mystical Abilities List

Cat Step

Discorporating Blow

Eschew Food & Water
Eschew Sleep
Feet of Luck
Hare's Leap
Holy Diver
Iron Hide
Mystical Protection
Soul Shield
Veiled Perception
Water Strider
Wolverine's Vigor
Word of Command
You Gonna Eat That?
Pristine Balance

GURPS Books Used So Far

GURPS Basic Set

GURPS Powers

GURPS Dungeon Fantasy 1 - Adventurers
GURPS Dungeon Fantasy 9 - Summoners
GURPS Psionic Powers
GURPS Power-Ups 2 - Perks

Mystic Powers Part 2 – The Rule Set

Last time, we talked a little about the source of mystical powers, developed a power modifier to make abilities part of the various mystical powers, and finally talked a bit about power talents. Today, we will continue working through GURPS Powers to develop a framework within which our powers will sit. This framework will describe how the power works, what special tricks it allows for, and any special limitations it may have.

Powers in Action

Just like last time, I will be going through the entire chapter bit by bit looking for possible rules that might be worth including.

Some Thoughts on Campaign Building

I realized the other day while working on abilities for mystical powers that I haven’t really laid out my approach to developing Starfall into an old-school setting. I can’t claim that my method is particularly unique or that it originated with me, but it might explain what otherwise might appear to be a haphazard approach.

Campaign building is the intersection of two thigs: world building and adventure writing. That is to say, you need to create adventures for people to play, but you need a backdrop against which they are played, too. The world building creates the self-consistent framework within which the adventure takes place, and if done well, it also motivates the adventures.

Personally, I like to have an idea of the kind of adventure(s) I’d like to run when I start world building, but I actually tackle them afterward. This is because running blindly into world building, as fun as that is in its own right, can produce settings that fail to support the kinds of stories you want to tell. For lots of examples of this, check out the many build a setting threats at the GURPS forums. I’m willing to bet you won’t agree with where all of those went. So, I start out with an idea of what I want from the world I build, so I can make sure it meets the needs of the adventures I plan on running.

But even when it comes to world building, there are different approaches, too. Some laud the “outside-in” or “top-down” method and the “inside-out” or “bottom-up” method. Both have their virtues and pitfalls, and while I do enjoy one over the other, I usually use a mix of the two to accomplish my goals.

“Top-down” involves tackling the big questions of world building first: Is there magic? Where did the gods come from? Why are there different sapient races? etc. Once these are answered, the world builder moves from this high-level abstraction downward toward more worldly subjects like, “What countries are there?”, “What ethnicities are there?”, “What does trade look like?”, etc. Eventually, he gets all the way down to the bottom where he described individual localities and people. Conversely, “bottom-up” starts with the localities and people and slowly expands outward to describe countries and international relationships. Eventually, it works its way all the way to deities, cosmology, and other metaphysical topics.

“Top-down” really shines at creating a self-consistent framework to which other elements more readily adhere, but it takes forever to get down to any level of setting where players will operate. Quite often, world builders burn out before producing a usable setting, but those who make it have a level of detail consistency that is astounding. “Bottom-up” excels at producing enough setting to play in quickly. It might not be as deep as a top-down that made it to the locality level, but it works and you have it now. That’s a big plus for gaming. The down side is that it can lead to inconsistencies without extensive revision, and that can really shatter suspension of disbelief.

So which do I use? Both! First, I like to attack a few of the big questions. This might be as simple as saying, “It’s kitchen sink fantasy craziness like D&D” or it might take a few thousand words to describe an idea for a power source. It might say, “The world is relatively well-explored and covered in kingdoms,” or I might not address this at all. I just suss out enough to be able to build off of later on a local level, and if need be, make mechanics for. Then I flip perspectives to the local. This lets me start work on the adventure-side of things while making sure everything stays consistent to the Big Ideas.

Once I have enough world building to call a setting done, I start in on the adventure side of things. I have always played in and run sandbox-type games, so my adventure writing usually boils down to come up with a dozen or so plot hooks to help players find something to do and then writing larger world events to occur in the background of the adventure. I might decide that the nation of Oneia is going to invade Twodonia in four weeks because of famine. The players might influence this by averting the famine, bolstering Twodonia’s defenses, or whatever, and that will have rippling effects on the Big Events I have planned. But the players are also free to ignore everything and go spend eight hours talking to a druid shopkeeper. Both are legitimate and both can be fun.

So where is Starfall in all of this? I’m sure you can guess that I’m in the middle of the “top-down” portion of world building. I’ve sorted out what mystical powers are and how they behave. Now I’m making mechanics so players can make mystic PCs. When I’m done there, I’ll attack magic and miracles. Each of those have a few related Big Questions that need to be addressed, if not answered, but after that, I should be able to gloss over the national-level stuff real fast and get down to the local setting.

I’ll probably spend a bit of time on the local world building, since this is ultimately for a megadungeon game. That’ll mean players spend a lot of time in the area, so it should be relatively deep – or at least have that feeling. This will include creating and placing towns, geography, interesting NPCs, etc. It will also require some monster-making, which is always fun. And when all of that is finished, it’ll be time to switch gears to adventure writing.

That will take the form of creating the megadungeon itself. I will also probably scatter some side dungeons around to provide distractions and places where the players can take a break from the grind, but the main focus will always be the megadungeon. This, too, will result in new monsters, traps, spells, powers, mechanics, etc. So lots of fun to be had there, too.

Overall, I’m really looking forward to seeing this project progress. It’s nice not being under the stress of a deadline with it, but I’d still like to have something people can start playing within a year. Classes and work might interfere with this, but I’m hoping not. In the meantime, I’ll keep trying to post weekly progress. I hope you enjoy this and please be free with your feedback. The best ideas come from a diversity of input.

Mystic Powers Part 1 – Groundwork

Today we begin working toward modeling mystical powers in GURPS. I will begin by reviewing a few key things from the last time I discussed mysticism, then begin digging into how it should behave. I’ll go through GURPS Powers to find rules that seem fitting and then pare them down to those that add flavor without increasing complexity past that of standard GURPS magic. This will culminate in a block of rules, talents, and modifiers that work together to provide a relatively simple and cohesive framework for mysticism in Starfall.

A Mystical Review

Mystical powers fall into one of seven categories:

Body Mastery. Mystics are capable of exerting extreme amounts of control over their own bodies’ functions. They are often supernaturally fast, strong, and fit, and capable of actively altering involuntary bodily functions. By meditating on their physical form, mystics develop the skills required to open their senses to the unseen world. This is usually the first step in becoming a mystic.

Projection. As mystics delve into what exactly comprises a person, they learn that the body and soul are not rigidly attached. In fact, one’s soul can be ejected from one’s body, changing the person’s sensory perspective and leaving the body a mindless shell. This is usually the mystic’s first step into the greater world. Those with highly developed projection powers can even project their souls into the Veil, or even the astral plane.

Perception. By projecting his soul, a mystic learns to control his soul and discovers the first shadows of an enormously powerful soul deep within himself – although “within” is not quite the correct word. As he concentrates on his soul, he first experiences Ananta, the world spirit and the true interconnected nature of all spirits and souls. By developing this connection, a mystic learns to perceive the world not only from his own perspective, but from that of anything within the world – including Ananta herself.

Why Mystical Powers?

As we will get to, there are a few types of supernatural powers in Starfall. These are largely self-explanatory, but I’ll go over them briefly just to be thorough.

Magic. There are two types of magic in Starfall – natural magic and black magic. The former is your typical wizardly magic and the latter is a corrupting kind of magic that is powerful and easy to use.

Miracles. Sometimes spirits and deities perform miracles on behalf of the devout. This is not magic, although sometimes magical ability is gifted to mortals as a miracle.

Mysticism. This is a mix of typical chi powers and psi powers. They are blended together and all result from a person’s connection to Ananta. This is what I will discuss further today in preparation for developing mechanics for it.

With that summarized, I can hear you nodding along for the first two and then saying, “What?!” You might wonder why I don’t just use chi or psi or both. I have my reasons, and I’ll get to them presently.

Starfall: Eschatology

Soundtrack: [1], [2], [3], [4]

Eschatology is the study of the soul. Without delving into a study of different kinds of spirits, suffice it to say that a simplistic definition of a soul is that which persists after physical death. This is hardly a complete definition and doesn’t speak to the nuances of the relationship spirits have with souls. Another description of a soul might be the spirit of a mortal being. This draws much nearer to the mark.

Response: What I Look for in Players as a GM

Over at Ravens n’ Pennies, C.R. Rice wrote an interesting bit about what he looks for in players, and that got me to thinking about what I like to see in players. So blame him for this!

Where his list is a bit more general, mine tends to address issues I’ve personally seen. Some of these are symptomatic of things I did (and hopefully have learned not to do); others are inherent to the players. Either way, players who adhere to these and voice concerns as soon as they find themselves drifting from them are some of the most valuable commodities in gaming.

Dependable. Dependability in players is crucial. Nothing derails a game faster than not having everyone present. Peter Dell’Orto begins and ends his Felltower [https://dungeonfantastic.blogspot.com/p/my-df-campaign.html] sessions in Town to blunt the impact of this. David Ripton tries to do this, too. Others run missing PCs as NPCs or put them “in the barrel” where they just don’t do anything and tag along; both of these can be jarring.

Punctual. Players can show up every session, but if they are always late, they delay the fun for everyone at the table. While this isn’t always the end of the world, being late to a game definitely cuts into game time, and if your game has requirements like Felltower, you are cutting into the party’s ability to achieve gaming goals. It’s not cool, so please be nice to everyone in your group and be on time!

Attentive. Know what’s going on. Really, this is related to begin punctual. If you’re more interested in your phone, the TV, a video game, etc., you really aren’t playing, and at best, you are causing delays. Everything I said above applies.

Prepared. Be prepared for the session. Again, this has to do with causing undue delays including having your PC sheet ready, tending to any inventory and load-out needs between sessions, knowing your turn in combat, knowing what you want to do on your turn, etc. applies. Basically, don’t be that guy on whom everyone has to wait. Please. Nothing kills the immersion faster than having to wait.

Creative. Don’t just play in the game; add to it! I love players who get into the setting and expand it in interesting ways. This means being heedful of any established cannon and working with the GM to grow the setting. It might not always be important for more beer-and-pretzels games, but generally, I prefer some substantive background for games (as evidenced by my work on Starfall).

Collaborative. There are lots of “right” ways to play a roleplaying game. This means not getting hung up on Rules As Written, your particular take on what you think should happen, etc. Instead, work with everyone at the table to create a gaming experience that everyone can enjoy. If you dispute something, voice your opinion, but accept the GM’s or group’s ruling.

Proactive. If you see something – rules, characters, NPCs, adventures, style, anything – that looks like it might cause issues down the road, say something right away. This isn’t about being a lousy, no-good, loathsome, execrable rules lawyer; it’s about spotting issues that might arise and addressing them with the GM and the group at earliest convenient time. That time is probably not amidst play, but it also isn’t after things have come to a head.

Note that the first four are all interrelated. They can all be summarized as “Get the game moving and keep it moving.” The GM can only do so much to control the pacing. If the players introduce delays, this can really hamper parts where things are meant to move quickly and make difficult to distinguish between those and the slower parts. The latter characteristics definitely speak to players’ ability to elevate the game from what, hopefully, is good to something that might be called great. This means building on what the GM does, on what other players do, and trying to troubleshoot possible issues ahead of time.

There are more qualities I look for, but these are the ones that come immediately to mind. I’d love to hear what other players and GMs seek in gamers, so please share your opinions!

Starfall: Cosmology Revised

Soundtrack: [1], [2], [3]

“The world people see every day is a very small part of the universe indeed. It is little more than an echo or manifestation of much greater workings only a blessed few can perceive. These other mechanisms behind the Veil bespeak the truths of the Faith and the righteousness of those who oppose Chaos in its many forms. The learned often speak of these other layers of existence as planes, which are essentially other realities, separate but inseparable.”

– From “A Meditation on Existence” by Saint Bernhardt the Lesser

What follows are exerts from Saint Bernhardt the Lesser’s treatise on planar cosmology, “A Meditation on Existence”. While his faith definitely pervades his writings, much of what he recorded seems to agree with current knowledge of the planes of existence as described by modern mystics and shamans.

A Look at Cosmology

I begin my review of past material with the cosmology of Starfall. I figure of everything I’ve already written about the setting, that has the farthest reaching implications, and thus is the most foundational. Today, I’m mostly looking for things I like, don’t like, and think could be expanded upon or otherwise changed. I’ll also do this with an eye toward mechanics, so once the time comes to address things like spells, portals, and power-ups, I’ll have something of a roadmap to work with. This should give me enough material for a new cosmological primer I’ll post at a later date.

So without further ado…