Re: Out of Character 9
In reply to Ardenas Barehand (msg # 627):
Most of the Cantrips I have were all rifled from D&D ... but here are some done for GURPS Sorcery-
I would not allow several of these, but over all, useful 1 point perks/spells/ abilities.
Sorcery: Cantrips
Sorcery allows the caster to improvise spells, but the ability is limited by the level of the Sorcerous Empowerment advantage, unless the caster is using hardcore improvisation. If the caster only has a single level of this advantage, he will be able to improvise only really weak 1-point spells. GURPS Thaumatology - Sorcery and GURPS Sorcery - Protection & Warning Spells give us only a couple of such spells, so let's make some more. Most of these spells are based on perks from GURPS Power-Ups 2 - Perks with some adjustments. Accessory works wonders!
Alarm
Keywords: None.
Full Cost: 1 point.
Casting Roll: Will
Range: Self.
Duration: Instantaneous.
Alerts the caster at a specified time in the future, awakening him if necessary. It will also remind him of one thing (in effect, delivering a message), provided he specified that thing at the time the Alarm spell was cast. Can be set to “go off” up to a week from time of casting.
Cancel Pregnancy
Keywords: None.
Full Cost: 1 point.
Casting Roll: Will ; resisted by patients will, if not willing.
Range: Touch or Self.
Duration: Instantaneous.
You can cause the absorption of an early fetus back into the womb.
Detect Plant Sapience
Keywords: Information.
Full Cost: 1 point.
Casting Roll: IQ
Range: Touch.
Duration: Instantaneous.
With a touch and an IQ roll, you can determine if a plant is sapient. This includes any tree that is currently the subject of Arboreal Immurement.
Fan
Keywords: Jet, Obvious.
Full Cost: 1 point.
Casting Roll: IQ
Range: 2 yards.
Duration: Instantaneous.
You can project a stream of air strong enough to scatter dust and extinguish candles at two yards. It has no combat effect.
Find Direction
Keywords: Information.
Full Cost: 1 point.
Casting Roll: Will
Range: Self.
Duration: Instantaneous.
Tells the caster which direction is North. Alternately, it can tell which way his home is. Note that no one can have more than one true home, and a wanderer may have none!.
Luminous Body
Keywords: Obvious.
Full Cost: 1 point.
Casting Roll: Will
Range: Self.
Duration: 1 hour.
Your body emits light for 1 hour. This is usually equivalent to a torch (lights a 2-yard radius).
Parthenogenesis
Keywords: None.
Full Cost: 1 point.
Casting Roll: Will ; resisted by patients will, if not willing.
Range: Touch or Self.
Duration: Instantaneous.
You can trigger a pregnancy by casting this spell. The fetus is effectively your clone.
Rinse
Keywords: None.
Full Cost: 1 point.
Casting Roll: Will
Range: Touch or Self.
Duration: 30 Seconds
You can moisten the exterior of your body, becoming damp enough to negate ongoing damage due to Cyclic (pp. B103-104) contact effects. You can extinguish flame if you’re on fire, flush away acid or poison, and so on. Each use costs 1 FP that you can only recover if you have access to water; see Dehydration (p. B426).
Silk Strand
Keywords: Obvious.
Full Cost: 1 point.
Casting Roll: IQ
Range: Self.
Duration: Instantaneous.
You can produce a 5-yard [meter] long strand of woven silk with a tensile strength of 350 Pounds [160 Kg]. You can cast this spell continuously without letting go of the strand, each time adding 5 yards [meters] to its length. This gives you improved climbing ability (p. B349) and can also be used with Swinging (GURPS Power-Ups 2 – Perks, p. 16). You cannot entangle foes with the strand. The strand disappears when you let go of it.
Tell Position
Keywords: Information.
Full Cost: 1 point.
Casting Roll: Will
Range: Self.
Duration: Instantaneous.
Tells the caster the subject’s exact distance, azimuth, and altitude relative to the caster. The caster must be able to see the subject. Error is around 5%; where relevant, the GM will secretly roll 2d-7 for the percentage, keeping negative numbers.
Tell Time
Keywords: Information.
Full Cost: 1 point.
Casting Roll: Will
Range: Self.
Duration: Instantaneous.
Tells the caster what time it is – as well as the day and year, should that be in doubt.
Touch
Keywords: None.
Full Cost: 1 point.
Casting Roll: IQ.
Range: 10 yards.
Duration: Instantaneous.
The subject feels a light touch at a spot of the caster’s choice. The touch is easily felt, even through armor, but has no effect other than to attract the subject’s attention; it cannot cause pain or discomfort, but it is very likely to distract him.
Body-Reading
Keywords:Resisted (IQ).
Full Cost: 1 point.
Casting Roll: IQ .
Range: Touch
Duration: Instantaneous.
Allows the caster to scan the subject’s body for internal damage – ruptured organs, internal bleedings, bone fractures, and even the sex of an unborn child. The GM will secretly roll against the caster’s IQ and that of the subject, which the caster must be able to touch. If the caster beats the subjects resistance or if the subject is willing, the caster learns what he asked for. If the caster is familiar with the illnesses in question, this will let them know about effects and treatment. Otherwise, the GM will use the margin of success to determine how much information to give the caster. The spell does not reveal the exact nature of any poisons or diseases that may be affecting the subject if unknown to the caster, but it gives a +2 to any subsequent Poisons or Diagnosis roll. Note that this spell is more difficult to cast on subjects of different species. It takes a -2 penalty if the subject is of a different species than the caster (an Elven wizard reading a human subject, for instance), -4 or worse if totally alien!
Stop Bleeding
Keywords: Resisted (HT).
Full Cost: 1 point.
Casting Roll: IQ
Range: Touch
Duration: Instantaneous.
The subject, who must be touched while casting, stops bleeding, as if his wounds were bandaged (B424). This also heals 1 HP. An unsuspecting or unwilling subject resists with HT. A willing target can (and usually will) waive his resistance. It takes a -2 penalty if the subject is of a different humanoid species than the caster and won’t work on Alien beings.
There is a similar version of Body-Reading and Stop Bleeding for Animals, but this must be learned by Biological Taxa (Horses, Canines, Cats, Scorpions etc.)
Sorcery: Utility Cantrips
Accessory-based cantrips can be not only technology-related, but also tool-related. The following spells would fit nicely in the college of Making and Breaking, and maybe Food.
Hammerhands
Keywords: None.
Full Cost: 1 point.
Casting Roll: Will
Range: Self.
Duration: 30 minutes
The caster can hammer nails in or straighten them out with his palm.
Knifehand
Keywords: None.
Full Cost: 1 point.
Casting Roll: Will
Range: Self.
Duration: 30 minutes
The caster can use his hand to slice bread, cakes, sausages, etc. This spell only works with relatively slow movements, so this spell cannot be used as an attack.
Scissorhand
Keywords: None.
Full Cost: 1 point.
Casting Roll: Will
Range: Self.
Duration: 30 minutes.
The caster can use two of his fingers to cut paper, cords, ropes, or other things, as if he was using scissors. His fingers are protected from paper cuts while he is doing it.
Sorcerous Screwdriver
Keywords: None.
Full Cost: 1 point.
Casting Roll:Will
Range: Self.
Duration: 30 minutes
The caster push his finger against a screw and screw it in, as if he was using a screwdriver.
Uncork
Keywords: None.
Full Cost: 1 point.
Casting Roll: Will
Range: Touch.
Duration: Instantaneous.
The caster touches a bottle an instantly uncorks it.
Grind Meat
Keywords: None.
Full Cost: 1 point.
Casting Roll: IQ
Range: Touch
Duration: 30 minutes
When the caster makes a ring with his fingers and pushes meat, vegetables, or other food through it, the food is ground, as if the caster was using a meat grinder.
Sawhand
Keywords: None.
Full Cost: 1 point.
Casting Roll: Will
Range: Self.
Duration: 30 minutes
The caster can use his hand to saw wood or metal. This spell only works with relatively slow movements, so this spell cannot be used as an attack. The hand is protected from splinters.
Slice Egg
Keywords: None.
Full Cost: 1 point.
Casting Roll: Will
Range: Touch.
Duration: Instantaneous.
The caster touches an egg and instantly slices it horizontally, vertically, or both, as if he was using an egg slicer.
Tell Weight
Keywords: Information.
Full Cost: 1 point.
Casting Roll: Will
Range: Touch.
Duration: Instantaneous.
Tells the caster weight of the touched subject.