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  • Oct 19, 2016

    Dragon's Dogma: The Magic Archer

    Copyright 2013 Capcom

    As promised, here is the first of the two entirely new templates related to Dragon’s Dogma. The Magic Archer is meant to combine the archery prowess of a Scout with the magic of the Wizard in a more balanced way than what is possible by using “multiclass” lenses.

    The Magic Archer (250 points)

    You blend two tricky disciplines into an elegant, pointy whole. You’re almost as good a shot as any Scout (DF 1, p. 10), but you chose to spend the rest of your time learning the secrets of magic rather than getting lost in the woods. You trade the Scout’s skill at wilderness survival for the ability to deliver magical explosions at greater distances than the Wizard (DF 1, p. 15).

    Attributes: ST 12 {20}; DX 13 {60}; IQ 13 {60}; HT 11 {10}.

    Secondary Characteristics: Damage 1d-1/1d+2; BL 29 lbs (14.4kg); HP 12 {0}; Will 13 {0}; Per 13 {0}; FP 11 {0}; Basic Speed 6.00 {0}; Basic Move 6 {0}.

    Advantages: Heroic Archer {20} and Magery 3 {35}. • A further 20 points chosen from among Archmagic abilities or ST +1 or +2 {10 or 20 points}, DX +1 {20}, IQ +1 {20}; HT +1 or +2 {10 or 20}, Will +1 to +4 {5/level}, Born War Leader 1-4 {5/level}, Combat Reflexes {15}, Eidetic Memory {5} or Photograpic Memory {10}, Fit {5}, Luck {15}, Magery 4 or 5 {10 or 20}, Night Vision 1-5 {1/level}, Rapid Healing {5}, Signature Gear {Varies}, Weapon Bond {1}, or Weapon Master (Bow) {20}.

    Disadvantages: -15 points chosen from among Curious {-51}, Pyromania {-51}, Callous {-5}, Code of Honor (Pirate’s or Soldiers) {-5 or -10}, Greed {-151}, Honesty {-101}, or Sense of Duty (Adventuring Companions or Nation) {-5 or -10}. • Another -35 points chosen from among the previous traits or Bad Temper {-101}, Frightens Animals {-10}, No Sense of Humor {-10}, Oblivious {-5}, Odious Personal Habits {-5 to -15}, Overconfidence {-51}, Social Stigma (Excommunicated) {-52}, Stubborness {-5}, Unnatural Features 1-5 {-1/level}, or Weirdness Magnet {-15}

    Primary Skills: Hidden Lore (Demons, Magic Items, Magical Writings, or Spirits) and Occultism, both (A) IQ {2}-13; Thaumathology (VH) IQ {1}3-13; • One of these two missile-weapon packages:

    • Bow (A) DX+3 {12}-16 and Fast-Draw (Arrow) (E) DX+2 {4}-15.
    • Bow (A) DX+4 {16}-17.

    Secondary Skills: Eight of Climbing or Stealth, both (A) DX {2}-13; Armoury (Missile Weapons), Research, Hazardous Materials (Magical), Hidden Lore (any) or Leadership; all (A) IQ {2}-13; Strategy or Tactics, both (H) IQ-1 {2}-12; or 2 points to raise one of the previous skills by 1. • Either Smallsword (A) DX+2 {4}-15 or Staff (A) DX+2 {4}-15.

    Background Skills: Seven of Brawling, Fast-Draw (any), Jumping or Knife, all (E) DX {1}-13; Boxing, Riding (Horse), or Wrestling, all (A) DX-1 {1} - 12; First Aid or Gesture, both (E) IQ {1}-13; Cartography or Fast-Talk, both (A) IQ-1 {1} - 12; Hiking or Running, both (A) HT-1 {1}-10; Intimidation (A) Will-1 {1} - 12; Scrounging (E) Per {1} - 13; Observation or Search, both (A) Per-1 {1} - 12.

    Spells: Spell-Archery (H) IQ+2 {2}3-15; 25 points in wizardly spells, which will be either (H) IQ+1 {1}-14 or (VH) IQ {1} - 13 with the +3 from Magery. Some of them may be spent in Archmagic abilities instead.

    Magic Archers in Gransys

    Magic Archers are relatively rare in Gransys, as it takes a lot of work to get this good with both a bow and magic. Noble scions are the ones most likely to have the necessary time on their hands, though anyone who makes a living fighting could also acquire the necessary training during their careers. This includes both knights and bandits!

    In campaigns where Status and social position matter, Magic Archers have access to Status 1 or 2, like knights. And since all magic in Gransys is wizardly in nature the Social Stigma (Excommunicated) advantage is worth only -5 points.

    Customization Notes

    The Magic Archer is about as specialized as the Scout, being built around the Spell-Archery spell and its prerequisites. A wide spell selection allows for plenty of diferentiation between characters, and several different avenues present themselves.

    Arcane Artillerists blanket the battlefield witht their magic from afar. They take extra Magery and/or a large Energy Reserve, go for Area spells, and make frequent use of the fact that attacking an area rather than a person gives +4 to skill.

    Sorcerous Snipers focus on eliminating high-value targets. They take Weapon Master (Bow) to improve their base damage and chose single-target damaging touch spells to increase it even further.

    Archer-Commanders go for Born War Leader and choose healing and support spells to use on allies through boffer arrows (see the Cleric-Scout lens on DF 3, p. 23 ). If using the template on a generic Dungeon Fantasy game, you could replace Magery 3 {35} with Clerical Investment {5} and Power Investiture 3 {30} on the template and add an apropriate required disadvantage to make it a Holy Archer.

    Magic Archer Power-Ups

    Magic Archers may spend earned points on extra spells and anything on their template, plus these options:

    • Magery up to 6 {10/level}.
    • Any Archmagic abilities.
    • Enhanced Tracking (Multiple Lock-Ons, +20%) {6/level}, with no upper limit.
    • Extra Attack 1 {25}.
    • Zen Archery without needing Meditation.
    • The Double-Shot (DF 11, p. 32), Quick-Shot (DF 11, p. 33) and Strongbow (DF 11, p. 33) power-ups.

    1. Multiplied by self-control number; see p. B120. ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6

    2. Or -10 in generic Dungeon Fantasy. ↩

    3. Includes +3 from Magery. ↩ ↩2

  • Oct 18, 2016

    Dragon's Dogma: Characters, Part 3

    Copyright 2013 Capcom

    Now that we have a solid grasp of magic in the world of Dragon’s Dogma, we can finish our tour of its vocations and how they relate to the templates in GURPS Dungeon Fantasy. The last big category we have yet to cover are Hybrid Vocations, which I think are one of the most distinctive aspects of the original game.

    Hybrid Vocations in Dragon’s Dogma

    Dragon’s Dogma has three hybrid vocations, each of which combines aspects from two of the color-coded categories we covered back in Part 1. They are covered here in a little more detail than the single-color vocations were, because I feel it’s important to examine how their concepts are executed.

    The Red/Yellow vocation is the Assassin. An Assassin can equip all basic “red” and “yellow” weapons in any combination, which allows them to have a large number of active special abilities accessible via the equipment menu. These abilities tend to have involve high mobility and precision damage, with some use of explosives. An Assassin is versatile and fights by choosing the best weapon for each opponent and trying to kill them quickly before they can fight back.

    The Yellow/Blue vocation is the Magic Archer. They can wear heavier armor than a pure spellcaster, and since their arrows are made of magic they use no ammunition. Their abilities add specific elemental and “trick” effects to their arrows (bouncing on walls, explosions, and so on). They fight mostly by remaining at range and hitting enemies on their elemental vulnerabilities.

    The Red/Blue vocation is the Mystic Knight. Mystic Knights wear heavy armor and wield one-handed swords or maces paired with large shields. Their abilities allow them to reflect blocked damage back to the attacker, add elemental damage to the whole party’s weapons at once, and place damaging mystical sigils on the ground. They fight by controlling the battlefield and making sure the enemy suffers for any decision they make.

    Missing Templates

    You might have been wondering how the two DF 1 templates we haven’t discussed yet fit into this. The short answer is they don’t.

    Martial Artists would seem like a good example of a Yellow/Blue template, as they rely on agility and have access to supernatural powers. However, the template as it stands is tied into the whole “kung-fu” aesthetic, which Dragon’s Dogma doesn’t really go for. The “exotic but supremely skilled foreign combatant” niche is better filled by a Swashbuckler wielding fencing weapons.

    Holy Warriors also seem like a good example of a Red/Blue template, but once again the Holy Might power implies a strong connection to the divine that doesn’t match the way magic works in this setting. Changing this template to match Dragon’s Dogma magic would be more work than it was for the Cleric, and so it’s better to drop it.

    Hybrid Templates

    How can we translate the feel of these vocations into Dungeon Fantasy templates? The obvious way would be to resort to the Mixed Profession lenses from GURPS Dungeon Fantasy 3: The Next Level. Aside from giving players the ability to combine powers from multiple templates, they also feel like an “advanced option” for characters with a some experience under their belts, just like their counterparts in the original game.

    The other option would be to create a character from the start using a template that draws on multiple concepts to inform their abilities. We will also look at those options here.

    A good way to get a versatile, “Assassin”-like character is to add a Scout lens to a character who started with either the Knight or Swashbuckler template. Alternatively, you can add the Swashbuckler lens to a Scout, choosing a melee weapon such as a broadsword. This will leave you with an agile character who is equally adept at ranged and melee combat. A small investment in the appropriate Fast-Draw specialties and the Quick-Sheathe perk can ensure you always have the right weapon on hand.

    For a “Magic Archer”-like character, adding the Scout lens to a spellcaster certainly helps, but the most important bit is the Spell-Archery spell found in both DF 3 and DF 11. Doing it the other way around (Adding a Wizard lens to a Scout) is somewhat less efficient but still possible.

    Similarly, a “Mystic Knight”-like character could be approximated by either a Knight with the Wizard lens or a Wizard with the Knight lens. A Cleric with the Knight or Swashbuckler lens would also work and give us a more balanced approach.

    In both cases, the choices available feel somewhat unsatisfactory, as the end result doesn’t strike a good enough balance between the physical and magical sides of the concept.

    As an aside, I’m aware that there’s a Mystic Knight template in Pyramid #3/13. Despite the rather fortuitous naming coincidence, I chose not to include it because it uses Imbuements. While I like the concept of Imbuements, I don’t like the amount of rolls their implementation adds to the average fight.

    New Templates!

    So it seems we have two vacancies in our template lineup with the removal of the Holy Warrior and Martial Artist. Given that the “Mixed Professions” route for creating a Magic Archer or a Mystic Knight leaves something to be desired, I feel compelled to bring the number of available templates back to 11 by creating two entirely new templates for those vocations. This will be the subject of my next couple of posts.

  • Oct 17, 2016

    Dragon's Dogma Characters, Part 2: Magic

    Copyright 2013 Capcom

    In the last post I described how most of the templates from GURPS Dungeon Fantasy 1: Adventurers would fit into the Dragon’s Dogma setting. This included saying something about its spellcasters, and while the treatment given to them there is minimally sufficient to help you create such a character I feel I need to expand a bit on the magic system used in the campaign.

    As said in the previous article, the magic system in the original game bears enough similarities to the Spell Magic system from GURPS Magic that we can use it in this campaign with some but not all of the modifications made to it by GURPS Dungeon Fantasy.

    In this article I describe that system in full. This will lay the necessary groundwork for us to fill in the missing detail for Part 1’s magic-using templates, and to discuss the hybrid templates in Part 3 in full.

    Spells and Magic in Gransys

    All spellcasters in this setting have Magery and use Wizardly spells. Like Wizards in DF 1, they do have to learn prerequisites and don’t have limited spell lists. Unlike default Wizards, they do have access to Healing, Animal, Plant and Weather spells, since there are no other sources of magic to provide them. Magery can be gained through study and ritual, so it can be acquired and improved with earned character points after character creation.

    Enchantment spells are still off-limits to PCs. Here, they are the province of NPC artisans and armorers, the best of which have very idiosyncratic personalities and are loathe to share their secrets with anyone.

    Teleportation and time manipulation spells also remain off-limits. There are some magic items that deal with that kind of stuff, however. We’ll get to them when we cover equipment.

    Spells to resurrect or reincarnate the dead are off-limits in this particular setting! This is still possible with the use of certain rare artifacts, but not even the most powerful magician can learn how to do it at will.

    All other Dungeon Fantasy changes to wizardly spells remain in effect.

    Arcane Powers and Power-Ups

    Something we didn’t specifically address in our discussion of Clerics and Druids in Part 1 was what to do with the 20 points each has allocated to “Divine” and “Druidic” abilities. In GURPS Dungeon Fantasy, those come from an explicit connection to nature or to a deity, and both the set of available abilities and their power modifiers reflect that. Since this isn’t true in the Dragon’s Dogma setting, we have to find an alternate use for those points.

    While spells should remain the main expression of magic, there is room for something more. Little things that are always active, or even consciously activated abilities that don’t quite follow spell mechanics. This description applies pretty well to the existing Power-Ups from DF 11, so our list of arcane powers will kinda blur into that. In effect, the following power/list of power-ups is available to all spellcasting characters in the setting.

    Archmagic

    Characters who advance their study of magic past a certain point discover a set of secrets of the profession that manifest differently from traditional spells. These are known as “Archmagics” (or “Archmagicks” in Gransys’ preferred spelling) and are represented by the following powers:

    • Energy Reserve (Magical) 1-20 {3/level}.
    • Magic Resistance (Improved, +150%) {5/level} with no upper limit.
    • The Inextinguishable Power and Magical Bolt power-ups from DF 11.
    • All the General Caster Power-Ups from DF 11, including Familiars (which are generally elemental beings and known as “Magic Agents”) and Perks.
    • The Storms from DF 11, p. 26-27, with the addition of the Selective Area (+20%) enhancement. This increases their cost to 42 points each.

    The Cleric and Druid templates have 20 points reserved for magical abilities that can be used for these or for additional spells. The Wizard template may use any of its 30 discretionary advantage points for them.

    More Magic?

    In Part 3 we will get into Hybrid Vocations (and thus, Hybrid Templates), which have some unique magic tricks in the original game. We’ll cover these there.

  • Oct 15, 2016

    Pathfinder Iconics in Dungeon Fantasy: Kyra

    Update: This is the GURPS Dungeon Fantasy version of the character. If you want to see a version for the Dungeon Fantasy RPG, click here.

    Welcome back to our series of conversions of Pathfinder’s Iconic Characters to GURPS Dungeon Fantasy! This is the third post in the series. Previous entries can be found here:

    Today’s template is the Cleric, which means today’s star is Kyra. Here she is:

    By Wayne Reynolds, Copyright 2008 Paizo Publishing

    You can find her full bio here, and her original Pathfinder stats here. From looking at them we can see the following:

    • Kyra is from Qadira, her world’s Persia/Arabia equivalent. She’s the sole survivor from a bandit raid on her farming village.

    • Kyra is a cleric of Sarenrae, the goddess of healing, redemption, honesty, and the sun. She teaches her devotees to always seek to redeem those who follow the path of evil, and to destroy them if that proves impossible.

    • She wields a scimitar, her deity’s favored weapon. Her cleric spells generally have a “light, fire and healing” theme, and she possesses the typical D&D cleric ability to turn undead.

    Given Sarenrae’s portfolio, we could represent Kyra with the just the base Cleric template from GURPS Dungeon Fantasy 1: Adventurers… but the Sun Priest lens from GURPS Dungeon Fantasy 7: Clerics fits her better, so let’s use that!

    Once again we managed to hit all the major points of the original character. Her mandatory disadvantage is the Vow, which about as inconvenient as Pacifism (Cannot Harm Innocents) and is priced accordingly. Kyra spends one point in extra starting cash in order to afford the scimitar (which has the same stats as a thrusting broadsword). Instead of a sling she uses a bow, because that’s how sun clerics roll in Dungeon Fantasy.

    Kyra, 249-point Human Cleric

    ST 13 {30}; DX 12 {40}; IQ 14 {80}; HT 12 {20}.

    Damage 1d/2d-1; BL 17kg; HP 13; Will 14; Per 14; FP 12; Basic Speed 6.00; Basic Move 6.

    Advantages

    • Clerical Investment {5}
    • Power Investiture 4 {40}
    • True Faith with Turning {24}
    • Psychic Guidance (Sunbolt) {1}

    Disadvantages

    • Charitable (12) {-15}
    • Fanaticism (Sarenrae) {-15}
    • Sense of Duty (Adventuring Companions) {-5}
    • Truthfulness (12) {-5}
    • Vow (Always attempt redemption before violence) {-10}

    Skills

    • Bow (A) DX+2 {4} - 14
    • Broadsword (A) DX+3 {12} - 15
    • Climbing (A) DX-1 {1} - 11
    • Diagnosis (H) IQ-2 {1} - 12
    • Diplomacy (H) IQ-2 {2} - 13
    • Esoteric Medicine (Holy) (H) Per {4} - 14
    • Exorcism (H) Will {4} - 14
    • First Aid (E) IQ {1} - 14
    • Hidden Lore (Undead) (A) IQ-1 {1} - 13
    • Meditation (H) Will-2 {1} - 12
    • Occultism (A) IQ-1 {1} - 13
    • Public Speaking (A) IQ-1 {1} - 13
    • Religious Ritual (H) IQ-2 {1} - 12
    • Riding (Horse) (A) DX-1 {1} - 11
    • Savoir-Faire (High Society) (E) IQ {1} - 14
    • Surgery (VH) IQ-2 {2} - 12
    • Teaching (A) IQ-1 {1} - 13
    • Theology (H) IQ-2 {1} - 12

    Spells

    All get +4 from Power Investiture.

    • Fire:
      • Fiery Weapon (H) IQ+2 {1} - 16
      • Ignite Fire (H) IQ+2 {1} - 16
      • Resist Fire (H) IQ+2 {1} - 16
    • Healing:
      • Cleansing (H) IQ+2 {1} - 16
      • Cure Disease (H) IQ+2 {1} - 16
      • Major Healing (VH) IQ+1 {1} - 15
      • Minor Healing (H) IQ+2 {1} - 16
      • Recover Energy (H) IQ+2 {1} - 16
      • Resist Disease (H) IQ+2 {1} - 16
      • Resist Poison (H) IQ+2 {1} - 16
    • Knowledge:
      • See Secrets (H) IQ+2 {1} - 16
    • Light and Darkness:
      • Continual Light (H) IQ+2 {1} - 16
      • Continual Sunlight (H) IQ+2 {1} - 16
      • Light (H) IQ+2 {1} - 16
      • Sunbolt (H) IQ+2 {1} - 16
      • Sunlight (H) IQ+2 {1} - 16
    • Meta-Spells:
      • Dispel Magic (H) IQ+2 {1} - 16
    • Protection and Warning:
      • Armor (H) IQ+2 {1} - 16
      • Shield (H) IQ+2 {1} - 16

    Equipment

    $1394.0, 26.13kg. Light Encumbrance.

    • Ordinary Clothes [Torso, Limbs]: Free, 1kg.
    • Chain Shirt [Torso]: DR 4/2*. $150, 8kg.
    • Pot-Helm [Head]: DR 4, $100, 2.5kg.
    • Heavy Leather Sleeves [Arms]: DR 2. $50, 1kg.
    • Heavy Leather Leggings [Legs]: DR 2. $60, 2kg.
    • Boots [Feet]: DR 2*. $80, 1.5kg.
    • Regular Bow [Torso]: Acc 2, damage thr+1 imp. $100, 1kg.
    • Hip Quiver [Torso]: Holds 20 arrows. $15, 0.5kg.
    • Arrows x20 [Quiver]: $40, 1kg.
    • Scimitar [Torso]: As thrusting broadsword. Damage sw+1 cut or thr+2 imp. $600, 1.5kg.
    • Holy Symbol [Torso]: $50, 0.5kg.
    • Backpack, Small [Torso]: Holds 20kg of gear. $60, 1.5kg.
    • First Aid Kit [Backpack]: $50, 1kg.
    • Blanket [Backpack]: $20, 2kg.
    • Rations x2 [Backpack]: $4, 0.5kg.
    • Personal Basics [Backpack]: $5, 0.5kg.
    • Waterskin [Backpack]: Holds 4L of liquid (4kg if water). $10, 0.13kg.
    • $106 remaining.
  • Oct 14, 2016

    Whoops!

    Unfortunately, there’s no post today, as the article on magic took me longer to write than I thought it would. We will still have our next Pathfinder Iconic out on the weekend, and continue the Dragon’s Dogma series starting on Monday.

    Next week will also bring us a Halloween surprise, so stay tuned!

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