Editing GURPS Magical Styles Fan Netbook (section)

=The Sickness    =

Cost:  8 points

Style Prerequisite: Magery, (not One College Only).

The Sickness is black-magic for hurting people with, custom made for the cruel, the nihilistic, the vengeful, or the oh-so-self-righteous. The core text of the school is an anonymous long, meandering, surreal poem composed of bleak words jumbled together without any clear structure or meaning. Mages are free to read into the poem whatever they want and arrive at radically different interpretations. Some get by just by chanting the thing, subscribing to no particular philosophy and just riding a mood. Most mages who study the style are initially attracted by its dark imagery, which somehow resonates with their deeper feelings. However, no particular feelings are required for a mage to study or use the style and a mage may grow out of the emotions that brought them to The Sickness in the first place, without this impeding their magic. Most stylists die young, driven by black emotions to live dangerously. This may be just as well, since a learned mage of The Sickness style is in a position to do great harm to the people around them.

Required Skills:  Hazardous Materials (Magical), Thaumatology.

Required Spells: Counterspell, Debility, Detect Magic, Scroll, Scryguard.

Perks: Adjustable Spell (Spell Variation, Any attack spell), Afflicted Casting (Flagellant’s Blessing), Afflicted Casting (Mystic’s Stupor), Area Spell Mastery (Darkness), Blood Magic, Elixir Resistance, Frightening Side Effects (Any), Intimidating Curses, Intuitive Cantrip (Controlled Disadvantage, any bodily or negative mental disadvantage), Life Force Burn 1-5, Limited Energy Reserve 1-5, No Gestures (Any), No Incantations (Any), Obscure True Name, Sanctum 1-2, Secret Mage, Secret Spell (Carrier, Glance of Despair, or Scourge of Sickness), Spirit Contract.

Optional Traits

Attributes: Improved IQ or HT.

Advantages: Autotrance, Channeling, Medium, Night Vision

Disadvantages:  Appearance, Chronic Depression, Enemies (Victims and Their Families), Frightens Animals, Laziness, Lifebane, Reputation (Spreader of Woe), Social Disease.

Skills:  Climbing, Running, Stealth, Streetwise, Survival (Urban), Symbol Drawing.

Apprentices begin their studies at the level of Penitent.  They are required to learn the following 5 spells.

Penitent

Counterspell, Debility, Detect Magic, Scroll, Scryguard.

When apprentices have learned the 5 Penitent spells, they become a Walker in Twilight.  This entitles them to learn the following fifteen spells.

Walker in Twilight

Amulet, Decay, Frailty, Infravision, Mage Sight, Mage Stealth, Night Vision, Quick March, Recover Energy, Scrywall, Sense Observation, Sense Spirit, Summon Spirit (Ghost), Silence, Steal Might, Talisman.

When the mage has learned 8 Walker in Twilight spells, they become a Cold One.  This entitles them to learn the following fourteen spells.

Cold One

Blackout, Blur, Darkness, Dark Vision, Frost, Gloom, Hide, Hush, Icy Weapon, Scryfool, See Invisible, Shape Darkness, Steal Energy, Steal Vigor.

When the mage has learned 7 Cold One spells, they become a Walker in Night.  This entitles them to learn the following twenty-six spells.

Walker in Night

Body of Shadow, Cold, Control Zombie, Find Weakness, Freeze, Frostbite, Ice Dagger, Ice Slick, Ice Sphere, Icy Touch, Icy Missiles, Invisibility, Magic Resistance, Resist Cold, Shatter, Sickness, Pestilence, Skull-Spirit, Slow Healing, Spell Shield, Steal Vitality, Stop Healing, Strike Barren, Weaken, Weaken Blood, Zombie.

When the mage has learned 8 Walker in Night spells, they become a Gaunt One.  This entitles them to learn the following twelve spells.

Gaunt One

Animate Shadow, Banish, Delay, Dispel Magic, Enchant, Icy Breath, Mass Zombie, Pentagram, Rotting Death, Rune, Spell Wall, Summon Demon.

When the mage has learned 6 Gaunt One spells, they become an Ashen One.  This entitles them to learn the following 6 spells.

Ashen One

Carrier, Curse, Disintegrate, Glance of Despair, Link, Scourge of Sickness.


Secret Spell:  Carrier (VH)    Regular

When an Ashen One casts Carrier, they contract or cure themselves of any one disease that they have ever recovered from.

Duration:  Instant.

Cost:  1

Time to Cast:  2 seconds


Secret Spell:  Glance of Despair (VH)    Regular, Resisted by Will.

The Ashen One can bring despair to people just by making eye-contact.  No incantations or gestures are required.  The one who meets the Ashen One’s gaze must resist with their Will or make a Fright Check at a penalty equal to the margin by which they lost the contest of spell skill against Will.  The victim is being forced to contemplate their own life in the grimmest, most depressive light, a process that can cause life-long psychological damage.


Secret Spell:  Scourge of Sickness (VH)  Regular, Resisted by Will

If an Ashen One casts Scourge of Sickness in the presence of the victim while in possession of something the victim once owned, they can take magical control of any illness the victim already has, making it better or worse at will.  They retain this control for as long as they keep the item on their person or in their Sanctum, no matter how far distant they are from their victim.

Duration:  Permanent.

Cost:  10

Time to Cast:  3 seconds