Editing GURPS Magical Styles Fan Netbook (section)

=The Gentle Art    =

Cost:  17 points

Style Prerequisite: ST 10+, DX 12+, IQ  13+, HT 11+ Magery, (not One College Only).

The so called “Gentle Art” is designed to kill. It is a gruesome professional tool utilized by the assassin-magicians of the Red Lotus school. The Red Lotus is a criminal business operation, pure and simple, with no established religious, mystical or moral doctrine. The school doesn’t care who it does business with or what the job is, provided that the money is right. Individual mages trained at the school may or may not have greater scruples. The training is grueling for body and mind. Injuries are common and occasionally fatal. Despite this, being initiated into the Red Lotus remains a hotly-contested honor among ambitious young mages.

According to legend, the Red Lotus was founded by a pacifist philosopher-monk on pilgrimage to a nearby shrine. The monk suffered a series of misadventures on his journey. A farmer begged to borrow his donkey, then stole the donkey. Continuing on foot, the monk heard a cry for help from the forest, and upon leaving the path, was assaulted by thieves who took all his money. Passing through town, foot-sore, hurting and hungry, the monk spied an apple on the ground and picked it up. But across the street, he could see a skinny child begging and he could not help but cross the street and give her the apple. The town guard immediately arrested him for abetting public begging. Unable to pay the fine, the monk’s person was forfeit and he was sold into slavery. Years later, he returned, scarred from the lash. He tracked down the farmer, the thieves, and the captain of the guards, and politely thanked them for teaching him wisdom. Then he founded the Red Lotus and grew extremely rich.

Required Skills: Body Control, Broadsword, Camouflage, Climbing, Disguise, Forced Entry, Judo, Karate, Knife, Lockpicking, Poison, Stealth, Traps.

Required Spells: Climbing, Keen Hearing, Keen Vision.

Perks: Area Spell Mastery (Darkness), Blocking Spell Mastery (Any), Elixir Resistance, Flexible Ritual (Any), Frightening Side Effects (Any), Intuitive Cantrip (Eye of the Storm), Intuitive Cantrip (Filter), Intuitive Cantrip (Friendly Undergrowth), Intuitive Cantrip (Intuitive Illusionist), Kill Switch, Magical Weapon Bond, Melee Spell Mastery (Any), Mighty Spell (Any), No Gestures (Any), No Incantations (Any), Obscure True Name, Reduced Footprint 2, Secret Mage, Secret Spell (Offering No Resistance, Quiet Discipline, Standing Nowhere).

Optional Traits

Attributes: Improved ST, DX, IQ and HT.

Advantages: Acute Senses (Any), Catfall, Combat Reflexes, Double-Jointed, Night Vision

Disadvantages:  Enemies (Friends of Past Victims), Reputation (Ominously Mysterious), Secret (Professional Assassin).

Skills: Acrobatics, Axe/Mace, Garrote, Savoir-Faire, Staff, Streetwise, Symbol Drawing.

Apprentices are admitted at the level of Disciple of Wood, at which they are trained in basic assassination techniques and magical awareness. An apprentice has access to the following ten spells.

Disciple of Wood

Apportation, Climbing, Detect Magic, Haste, Keen Hearing, Levitation, Keen Vision, Magelock, Sense Danger, Sense Foes, Shield.

A Disciple of Wood is promoted to Disciple of Earth when they have learned 5 Disciple of Wood spells, including Climbing, Keen Hearing and Keen Vision.  This entitles them to learn any of the following twenty-eight spells.

Disciple of Earth

Daze, Deflect Missile, Flight, Foolishness, Forgetfulness, Grease, Great Haste, Hinder, Jump, Keen Taste and Smell, Lighten Burden, Lockmaster, Locksmith, Mage Sight, Mage Stealth, Might, Mystic Mist, Neutralize Poison, Permanent Forgetfulness, Quick March, Recover Energy, Sense Observation, Shade, Silence, Simple Illusion, Touch, Wall of Silence, Wallwalker.

A Disciple of Earth is promoted to Disciple of Metal when they have learned 8 Disciple of Earth spells.  This entitles them to learn any of the following twenty-three spells.

Disciple of Metal

Alertness, Blur, Boost Health, Boost Strength, Darkness, Flash, Gloom, Grace, Hawk Flight, Hide, Hold Breath, Hush, Illusion Disguise, Light Tread, Mass Daze, Resist Pain, Resist Poison, Return Missile, Rooted Feet, Slow, Strike Dumb, Stun, Vigor.

A Disciple of Metal is promoted to Disciple of Fire when they have learned 8 Disciple of Metal spells.  This entitles them to learn any of the following eleven spells.

Disciple of Fire

Ambidexterity, Balance, Boost Dexterity, Deathtouch, False Memory, Invisibility, Iron Arm, Paralyze Limb, Reflexes, Strengthen Will, Total Paralysis.

A Disciple of Fire is promoted to Disciple of Water when they have learned 6 Disciple of Fire spells.  This entitles them to learn any of the following 6 spells.

Disciple of Water

Insignificance, Offering No Resistance, Quiet Discipline, Sharpen, Standing Nowhere, Telecast.


Secret Spell:  Offering No Resistance (VH)  Regular

The Disciple of Water can walk through solid objects as if they were thin air.  The mage must touch the wall with the palm of the hand.  Upon a successful spell roll, they will determine how thick the wall is and can choose how much energy to devote to the spell (minimum 1).  If they do not expend enough energy, the wall will remain solid.  If the wall is too thick for them to run through in a second, they are expelled backwards the way they entered at whatever speed they were moving forwards.

Duration:  1 second.

Cost:  1 per foot

Time to Cast:  1 second


Secret Spell:  Quiet Discipline (VH)  Regular

The Disciple of Water gets the benefits of both Invisibility and Mage-Stealth, while only having one spell “on”.  The mage must know both Invisibility and Mage-Stealth to learn Quiet Discipline.

Duration:  1 minute

Cost:  7/4

Time to Cast:  4 seconds


Secret Spell:  Standing Nowhere (VH)  Regular

The Disciple of Water’s body and their worn possessions turns to black smoke of a vaguely humanoid shape.  The mage may not be harmed by normal physical means though Air spells will inflict double damage.  While Standing Nowhere, the mage may not exert physical force of any kind, including speaking and  making attacks, although they can move along the ground at twice ordinary Move and may pass through any opening large enough not to be airtight.  They cannot fly, but will fall no faster than a feather.  The mage may not rest to regain fatigue while in this form.

Duration:  10 minutes.

Cost:  4/2

Time to Cast:  1 second.