Weaving - Gameplay rules for GURPS
Magic (in this world called weaving) works based on the GURPS Thaumatology Realm Magic principles.
Realms:
Matter - Solids, Liquids, Gasses
Control over any and all matter. The user’s aura affects the object’s aura, thus a protected object or an object without aura cannot be affected.
While all of Solids, Liquids, and Gasses technically fall within the same realm of Matter, there are clear differences in learning about them.
This realm cannot be used to transform matter between any of these stages - that falls down to taking away or adding Energy.
Energy
Control over energy within the universe. The user’s aura affects this energy, thus a protected object cannot be affected. Auras
Control over Val’s energy, the aura present everywhere in the world. The user’s aura affects any other aura, but only the aura.
In this way, Val’s energy can be manifested as a temporary force to protect or manipulate objects. The user’s aura can also block other manipulated auras from affecting an object, thus protecting it. Combined realms
Affecting living organisms requires Matter and Auras, occasionally also Energy (especially for fast-healing of wounds).
Moving different states of matter together requires including Matter for each type of matter affected. Levels of Realms:
(Each realm costs 20 pts/level, Attunement gives Level 0 for all realms, Attunement is required to purchase any further levels) Level 0 - Detection > 20 pts, universal from Attunement
Also known as Attunement, all auric beings are born with this ability, and thaumaturges gain it upon attuning to Aura. The user can feel the aura in and around them and through this feel the energies and matter as well.
This detection extends to anything within 5 meters of the user; on further distances they only marginally feel Val’s energy.
Requires Concentration, is not passive. Level 1 - Measurement and Control
The user can know precise amounts of anything within the realm in their surrounding.
They can also manipulate things within this realm, to an extent. For Matter, this means being able to move objects; for Energy, this means being able to move energy between objects; for Auras, this means being able to influence Val’s energy on its own level (i.e. it can’t manifest).
The reach of the user increases to 50 meters. Level 2 - Command
The user can manipulate the realm to a greater extent.
For Matter, they can influence the growth, shape, or some feature of an object; for Energy, they can easily move enough energy to change states of matter of an object; for Auras, Val’s energy can be manifested as an invisible force in the material world (at this level, telekinesis is possible).
The reach of the user increases to 100 meters. Level 3 - Authority
The user has a great control over the realm.
For Matter, the molecular structure can be changed, to an extent (usually of the user’s knowledge and skill). For Energy and Auras, efficiency and power in manipulation increases.
The reach of the user increases to 200 meters.
This is known as the effective ceiling of weaving. Level 4 - Complete Power (Hypothetical)
At this hypothetical level, the user would have complete control over the realm. They could change the very atomic structure of matter or conjure up energy from nothing. For Auras, the manipulation of living beings would be possible.
This is a level that extremely complex thaumic machinery is able to reach. Level 5 - Deification (Impossible)
At this level, the user could change any aspect of the world at their whim.
Weaving, or at least its active use, is a very physical thing for mortals. The threads of the world can only be grasped by one’s aura, but as it is closely tied to one’s body, it is easiest to interact with the weaver’s extremities. Most often, this means the hands, though some weaves can incorporate the feet or entire limbs.
As a sidenote, spirits do not have this limitation and can manipulate the very aura inside them. As such, all spirits have the Inner Aura Manipulation advantage. Because of this physicality, while all Weaving skills are IQ-based, DX can be substituted for casting if it is higher than one’s IQ. Furthermore, advantages such as High Manual Dexterity give a bonus to all Weaving skills. For weaving techniques that utilize more than just the hands, a weaver can roll their Dancing skill to get a bonus of +2 to their casting. Combat
These rules concern casting during combat. During combat, the effects cannot be very complicated and have to be straightforward and quick. One cannot rearrange matter in seconds, however they can grab, add energy, and so on. Complexity
The complexity of a spell simply equals the sum of realm levels used, and is a basis for many other features.
The complexity cannot be decreased in any way.
Due to the physicality of weaving, the maximum complexity weave which a mortal can perform in one second is 4.
Having Inner Aura Control bypasses this limitation. Energy
Every being has an inherent aura, which attuned weavers can use to manipulate the world.
Aura Points = FP + SM, regenerates at a rate of 1/second
Base energy cost - Complexity + the highest realm level used
Each spell also drains 1 FP
If casting takes more than one second, the cost is divided by time and that much is paid each second. Casting roll
(Realm skills - IQ/Very Hard)
Casting spells requires a single skill roll. The user rolls against their lowest skill from the realms used at a -1 for each realm used after the first.
The power and finesse of the spell are determined by the roll’s margin of success. Range and Area
Range and area of effect are determined by the margin of success.
See Thaumatology p181 for Range and Basic Set p550 for Area. Casting time
Base == Complexity
Can be increased for harder spells and manipulation finesse. For each additional second, add a +1 to the roll.
Margin of success can decrease the casting time at a 1:1 ratio (to a minimum of 1 second).
You are only required to roll once at the start of the casting. Duration
Most achievable effects are instantaneous and permanent. Some effects might need to be kept up - this can be done for any duration at the cost of 1 AP/round. Requires a Concentration maneuver. Damage and Healing
Realm level 3 is needed for any harmful effects.
Base damage is 1d and can be increased by multiplying base spell cost by number of damage dice. You can only add as many damage dice as the margin of success of the roll.
You can only heal damage up to the margin of success of the roll (minimum of 1). On top of the AP cost, this also drains FP equal to the amount of HP healed. Specific damage types require specific realms. Following is the list of damage types and what realms they require.
Burning - Energy
Corrosive - Energy && Matter
Crushing - Auras
Cutting - Matter
Fatigue - Auras && Energy
Impaling - Matter
Piercing - Matter Telekinesis
TK is an Auras-only special spell. Unless otherwise specified, treat as base GURPS TK.
Telekinesis ST = (Auras level + [margin of success // 2]ceiling) x 5
Like other spells, this needs to be kept up for 1 AP/second, however no concentration maneuvers are required. Non-Combat
Outside of combat, Weavers weave complex effects that deeply affect reality, such as changing flows of rivers, building structures, changing one substance to another, etc. Only use a Casting roll. Energy used this way is negligible, and time is up to the GM’s discretion depending on the complexity of the task. This sort of weaving can take anywhere from ten minutes to an hour, if not more.
Weavers can’t get bonuses for taking extra time (as it is implicit within weaving a complex effect).
Failure means the effect was not successful, but can be repeated in one hour. Critical failure means a permanent change to the world (depending on the effect, GM’s discretion) and the Weaver cannot attempt to repeat the task or fix the damage for another 24 hours. Multiple Weavers can work on the same task together. This requires a leading Weaver to coordinate the group with a Leadership roll.
While all Weavers have to succeed, they all get +1 to their roll per Weaver included. However, on a failed Leadership roll, no bonus is given.
Prerequisites:
All of Physics (Thermodynamics), Chemistry, Mathematics (Applied)
Its level can only be equal to the highest skill among its prerequisites.
No defaults Required to build Thaumaturgical machinery, work on Thaumic equations, figure out what a thaumaturgical machine does, etc.
Failure means you can’t figure it out right now, and can retry in 1d days. Critical failure by 10 or more means your knowledge is not enough to figure this out, and you must raise Thaumaturgy. Thaumaturgy specializations:
Engineering and Mechanic, prerequisite Thaumaturgy skill - required to design and build thaumaturgical machinery. Their level cannot exceed the Thaumaturgy skill.
Electronics Operation - required to operate thaumaturgical machinery; defaults to Thaumaturgy-2 Creating thaumaturgical machinery
Each machine requires blueprints or knowledge of its mechanism to be built. With available blueprints, roll against Mechanic (Thaumaturgy) to work on the machine. In the absence of blueprints, a thaumaturge can roll to create their own.
Each machine blueprint is a technique based off of Engineering (Thaumaturgy). For simpler machines (blueprint at most at -1), no blueprints are necessary if the roll is successful. For further invention and crafting rules see Base [TBD]. Thaumaturgy spells
Thaumaturgy is the perfect distillation of a specific effect. This makes it highly precise, but also costly.
For any given machine, first determine the spell effect, then the required realm levels, like usual. Treat any statistics that require margin of success with margin 10 (8 in Old Valessia).
Unlike weaved spells, if a thaumaturgy machine has an ongoing effect, it requires its full energy cost to be kept up. Thaumaturgy and Taint - Threshold rules
Using thaumaturgy has its drawbacks, specifically the draining of aura in the world. Every time a spell is cast, add the total AP used to the current Taint Threshold.
The Taint Threshold is the same for everyone, though if changes between areas depending on the amount of Thaumaturgy used there. It takes a bit for Taint Threshold to truly start causing trouble:
At 100 TT, creatures with Thaumic Weakness start experiencing taint fatigue.
At 1000 TT, weaves are halved in effectiveness.
At 10 000 TT, the area is considered without aura.
At 1 000 000 TT, the area can no longer regain any aura. Taint Threshold also lowers by a certain amount every second. The base amount is 100, though this is lowered by 1 for every 50 TT within the area, and further by 1 for every 100 TT in the surrounding areas.
Refer to the Taint Map for details. Thaumaturge Template - 45 points
Advantages:
Rank 2 [10], Status 1
Unusual Background [5]
Wealth (Comfortable) [10]
Attunement [20]
One Arm (Mitigator - Thaumaturge’s Hand -70%) [-6] Skills:
Physics (Thermodynamics) [1]
Chemistry [1]
Mathematics (Applied) [1]
Thaumaturgy [1]
Engineering (Thaumaturgy) [1]
Mechanic (Thaumaturgy)
Weaving (One chosen Realm skill) [1] Professional Skill (Glassblower) and Machinist also recommended for crafting machine parts.
Base for all Spirits.
The weaver does not need any physical movements to cast. Weaver Talent [5/level]
Each level gives +1 to the following skills:
Weaving (all), Naturalist, Meditation, Dancing
Other weavers also react to you at +1 per level. Thaumaturge Talent [5/level]
Each level gives +1 to the following skills:
Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics, Thaumaturgy, Engineering (Thaumaturgy)
Other thaumaturges also react to you at +1 per level. Thaumic Weakness [-34]
Susceptible 5 (Occasional, areas with low or no Aura) (adjusted as per text below) [-5]
Vulnerability (Occasional) (adjusted as per text below) [-25]
Magic Susceptibility 2 (Only Thaumic -20%) [-4] B143 Base for all Auric races and Spirits.
Thaumaturgy done on the character directly and immediately burns their HP, FP, and AP all equal to the AP spent on casting the spell.
While in an area without any aura, the character’s FP is halved and regenerates at the rate of 1/hour. Tainted [-5]
You have no aura. Magic can never be done directly to you and you can never use magic. Magic users react to you at -3 Differences between natural and thaumic magic
Thaumaturgical instruments have been perfected to simulate natural magic for the user; that is, there are functionally no differences between a natural caster and a thaumic caster.
Thaumic magic, however, has negative effects on the world’s aura. See Thaumaturgy and Taint above.
Using thaumic magic on natural creatures or spirits also has a negative effect on the target (see Thaumic Weakness).
Realms:
Matter - Solids, Liquids, Gasses
Control over any and all matter. The user’s aura affects the object’s aura, thus a protected object or an object without aura cannot be affected.
While all of Solids, Liquids, and Gasses technically fall within the same realm of Matter, there are clear differences in learning about them.
This realm cannot be used to transform matter between any of these stages - that falls down to taking away or adding Energy.
Energy
Control over energy within the universe. The user’s aura affects this energy, thus a protected object cannot be affected. Auras
Control over Val’s energy, the aura present everywhere in the world. The user’s aura affects any other aura, but only the aura.
In this way, Val’s energy can be manifested as a temporary force to protect or manipulate objects. The user’s aura can also block other manipulated auras from affecting an object, thus protecting it. Combined realms
Affecting living organisms requires Matter and Auras, occasionally also Energy (especially for fast-healing of wounds).
Moving different states of matter together requires including Matter for each type of matter affected. Levels of Realms:
(Each realm costs 20 pts/level, Attunement gives Level 0 for all realms, Attunement is required to purchase any further levels) Level 0 - Detection > 20 pts, universal from Attunement
Also known as Attunement, all auric beings are born with this ability, and thaumaturges gain it upon attuning to Aura. The user can feel the aura in and around them and through this feel the energies and matter as well.
This detection extends to anything within 5 meters of the user; on further distances they only marginally feel Val’s energy.
Requires Concentration, is not passive. Level 1 - Measurement and Control
The user can know precise amounts of anything within the realm in their surrounding.
They can also manipulate things within this realm, to an extent. For Matter, this means being able to move objects; for Energy, this means being able to move energy between objects; for Auras, this means being able to influence Val’s energy on its own level (i.e. it can’t manifest).
The reach of the user increases to 50 meters. Level 2 - Command
The user can manipulate the realm to a greater extent.
For Matter, they can influence the growth, shape, or some feature of an object; for Energy, they can easily move enough energy to change states of matter of an object; for Auras, Val’s energy can be manifested as an invisible force in the material world (at this level, telekinesis is possible).
The reach of the user increases to 100 meters. Level 3 - Authority
The user has a great control over the realm.
For Matter, the molecular structure can be changed, to an extent (usually of the user’s knowledge and skill). For Energy and Auras, efficiency and power in manipulation increases.
The reach of the user increases to 200 meters.
This is known as the effective ceiling of weaving. Level 4 - Complete Power (Hypothetical)
At this hypothetical level, the user would have complete control over the realm. They could change the very atomic structure of matter or conjure up energy from nothing. For Auras, the manipulation of living beings would be possible.
This is a level that extremely complex thaumic machinery is able to reach. Level 5 - Deification (Impossible)
At this level, the user could change any aspect of the world at their whim.
Casting:
Weaving and PhysicalityWeaving, or at least its active use, is a very physical thing for mortals. The threads of the world can only be grasped by one’s aura, but as it is closely tied to one’s body, it is easiest to interact with the weaver’s extremities. Most often, this means the hands, though some weaves can incorporate the feet or entire limbs.
As a sidenote, spirits do not have this limitation and can manipulate the very aura inside them. As such, all spirits have the Inner Aura Manipulation advantage. Because of this physicality, while all Weaving skills are IQ-based, DX can be substituted for casting if it is higher than one’s IQ. Furthermore, advantages such as High Manual Dexterity give a bonus to all Weaving skills. For weaving techniques that utilize more than just the hands, a weaver can roll their Dancing skill to get a bonus of +2 to their casting. Combat
These rules concern casting during combat. During combat, the effects cannot be very complicated and have to be straightforward and quick. One cannot rearrange matter in seconds, however they can grab, add energy, and so on. Complexity
The complexity of a spell simply equals the sum of realm levels used, and is a basis for many other features.
The complexity cannot be decreased in any way.
Due to the physicality of weaving, the maximum complexity weave which a mortal can perform in one second is 4.
Having Inner Aura Control bypasses this limitation. Energy
Every being has an inherent aura, which attuned weavers can use to manipulate the world.
Aura Points = FP + SM, regenerates at a rate of 1/second
Base energy cost - Complexity + the highest realm level used
Each spell also drains 1 FP
If casting takes more than one second, the cost is divided by time and that much is paid each second. Casting roll
(Realm skills - IQ/Very Hard)
Casting spells requires a single skill roll. The user rolls against their lowest skill from the realms used at a -1 for each realm used after the first.
The power and finesse of the spell are determined by the roll’s margin of success. Range and Area
Range and area of effect are determined by the margin of success.
See Thaumatology p181 for Range and Basic Set p550 for Area. Casting time
Base == Complexity
Can be increased for harder spells and manipulation finesse. For each additional second, add a +1 to the roll.
Margin of success can decrease the casting time at a 1:1 ratio (to a minimum of 1 second).
You are only required to roll once at the start of the casting. Duration
Most achievable effects are instantaneous and permanent. Some effects might need to be kept up - this can be done for any duration at the cost of 1 AP/round. Requires a Concentration maneuver. Damage and Healing
Realm level 3 is needed for any harmful effects.
Base damage is 1d and can be increased by multiplying base spell cost by number of damage dice. You can only add as many damage dice as the margin of success of the roll.
You can only heal damage up to the margin of success of the roll (minimum of 1). On top of the AP cost, this also drains FP equal to the amount of HP healed. Specific damage types require specific realms. Following is the list of damage types and what realms they require.
Burning - Energy
Corrosive - Energy && Matter
Crushing - Auras
Cutting - Matter
Fatigue - Auras && Energy
Impaling - Matter
Piercing - Matter Telekinesis
TK is an Auras-only special spell. Unless otherwise specified, treat as base GURPS TK.
Telekinesis ST = (Auras level + [margin of success // 2]ceiling) x 5
Like other spells, this needs to be kept up for 1 AP/second, however no concentration maneuvers are required. Non-Combat
Outside of combat, Weavers weave complex effects that deeply affect reality, such as changing flows of rivers, building structures, changing one substance to another, etc. Only use a Casting roll. Energy used this way is negligible, and time is up to the GM’s discretion depending on the complexity of the task. This sort of weaving can take anywhere from ten minutes to an hour, if not more.
Weavers can’t get bonuses for taking extra time (as it is implicit within weaving a complex effect).
Failure means the effect was not successful, but can be repeated in one hour. Critical failure means a permanent change to the world (depending on the effect, GM’s discretion) and the Weaver cannot attempt to repeat the task or fix the damage for another 24 hours. Multiple Weavers can work on the same task together. This requires a leading Weaver to coordinate the group with a Leadership roll.
While all Weavers have to succeed, they all get +1 to their roll per Weaver included. However, on a failed Leadership roll, no bonus is given.
Thaumaturgy:
Thaumaturgy IQ/VH skillPrerequisites:
All of Physics (Thermodynamics), Chemistry, Mathematics (Applied)
Its level can only be equal to the highest skill among its prerequisites.
No defaults Required to build Thaumaturgical machinery, work on Thaumic equations, figure out what a thaumaturgical machine does, etc.
Failure means you can’t figure it out right now, and can retry in 1d days. Critical failure by 10 or more means your knowledge is not enough to figure this out, and you must raise Thaumaturgy. Thaumaturgy specializations:
Engineering and Mechanic, prerequisite Thaumaturgy skill - required to design and build thaumaturgical machinery. Their level cannot exceed the Thaumaturgy skill.
Electronics Operation - required to operate thaumaturgical machinery; defaults to Thaumaturgy-2 Creating thaumaturgical machinery
Each machine requires blueprints or knowledge of its mechanism to be built. With available blueprints, roll against Mechanic (Thaumaturgy) to work on the machine. In the absence of blueprints, a thaumaturge can roll to create their own.
Each machine blueprint is a technique based off of Engineering (Thaumaturgy). For simpler machines (blueprint at most at -1), no blueprints are necessary if the roll is successful. For further invention and crafting rules see Base [TBD]. Thaumaturgy spells
Thaumaturgy is the perfect distillation of a specific effect. This makes it highly precise, but also costly.
For any given machine, first determine the spell effect, then the required realm levels, like usual. Treat any statistics that require margin of success with margin 10 (8 in Old Valessia).
Unlike weaved spells, if a thaumaturgy machine has an ongoing effect, it requires its full energy cost to be kept up. Thaumaturgy and Taint - Threshold rules
Using thaumaturgy has its drawbacks, specifically the draining of aura in the world. Every time a spell is cast, add the total AP used to the current Taint Threshold.
The Taint Threshold is the same for everyone, though if changes between areas depending on the amount of Thaumaturgy used there. It takes a bit for Taint Threshold to truly start causing trouble:
At 100 TT, creatures with Thaumic Weakness start experiencing taint fatigue.
At 1000 TT, weaves are halved in effectiveness.
At 10 000 TT, the area is considered without aura.
At 1 000 000 TT, the area can no longer regain any aura. Taint Threshold also lowers by a certain amount every second. The base amount is 100, though this is lowered by 1 for every 50 TT within the area, and further by 1 for every 100 TT in the surrounding areas.
Refer to the Taint Map for details. Thaumaturge Template - 45 points
Advantages:
Rank 2 [10], Status 1
Unusual Background [5]
Wealth (Comfortable) [10]
Attunement [20]
One Arm (Mitigator - Thaumaturge’s Hand -70%) [-6] Skills:
Physics (Thermodynamics) [1]
Chemistry [1]
Mathematics (Applied) [1]
Thaumaturgy [1]
Engineering (Thaumaturgy) [1]
Mechanic (Thaumaturgy)
Weaving (One chosen Realm skill) [1] Professional Skill (Glassblower) and Machinist also recommended for crafting machine parts.
Additional:
New Advantages and Disadvantages: Inner Aura Control [10]Base for all Spirits.
The weaver does not need any physical movements to cast. Weaver Talent [5/level]
Each level gives +1 to the following skills:
Weaving (all), Naturalist, Meditation, Dancing
Other weavers also react to you at +1 per level. Thaumaturge Talent [5/level]
Each level gives +1 to the following skills:
Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics, Thaumaturgy, Engineering (Thaumaturgy)
Other thaumaturges also react to you at +1 per level. Thaumic Weakness [-34]
Susceptible 5 (Occasional, areas with low or no Aura) (adjusted as per text below) [-5]
Vulnerability (Occasional) (adjusted as per text below) [-25]
Magic Susceptibility 2 (Only Thaumic -20%) [-4] B143 Base for all Auric races and Spirits.
Thaumaturgy done on the character directly and immediately burns their HP, FP, and AP all equal to the AP spent on casting the spell.
While in an area without any aura, the character’s FP is halved and regenerates at the rate of 1/hour. Tainted [-5]
You have no aura. Magic can never be done directly to you and you can never use magic. Magic users react to you at -3 Differences between natural and thaumic magic
Thaumaturgical instruments have been perfected to simulate natural magic for the user; that is, there are functionally no differences between a natural caster and a thaumic caster.
Thaumic magic, however, has negative effects on the world’s aura. See Thaumaturgy and Taint above.
Using thaumic magic on natural creatures or spirits also has a negative effect on the target (see Thaumic Weakness).
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