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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.
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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:
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Kyra is from Qadira, her world’s Persia/Arabia equivalent. She’s the sole survivor from a bandit raid on her farming village.
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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.
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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.
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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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Dragon's Dogma: Characters, Part 1
Copyright 2013 Capcom While all those posts about the setting of Dragon’s Dogma were a blast to write and gave me an excellent excuse to exercise the GURPS City Stats rules, I have to be honest and admit that they were not the first thing I thought about when I decided to do a Dragon’s Dogma adaptation. No, the first thing I always think about converting in these cases are always the characters. Judging from other efforts I’ve seen elsewhere, and from the fact that my post about Amiri seems to be the most popular individual post in this blog, I’m not the only one. And now I get to do exactly that!
The process is quite similar to what Mailanka has done in his Psi Wars project, but a bit more accelerated since I’ve already settled on using Dungeon Fantasy as a base. In this article, I’ll look at the basic concepts behind the class system in Dragon’s Dogma, and then look at how the templates from Dungeon Fantasy relate to the broad categories defined by the original game. The focus is on the DF 1 templates and their direct derivatives when those exist. Future posts in this sub-series will deal with the more exotic templates and with racial options specific to the setting.
Dragon’s Dogma Vocations and Dungeon Fantasy’s Templates
In the original game, the player character belongs to one of nine different vocations, each with its own set of special moves. While a lot can be said to describe each of them and their abilities, most of it is actually irrelevant for our purposes!
Most of the particulars of how vocations work in Dragon’s Dogma are either too fiddly for a literal conversion (such as the numerous individual abilities), or make no sense when removed from its original context and medium (like the fact that you can switch vocations by going into an inn). Even most of the specific vocations themselves don’t merit a detailed treatment, as they simply implement traditional fantasy archetypes in the context of those mechanics we’re not using anyway.
A better approach is to roll this specific implementation back to its basic concepts, and look at it from the point of view of a character in the setting. Never mind how much HP a fighter has or what their list of abilities is. How would someone witnessing this character fight describe their style?
At its base, Dragon’s Dogma is a class-based game. And the way GURPS Dungeon Fantasy implements “classes” is through its templates. One thing from the original games that I’ll keep using in this article is the color-coding of vocations, because it’s more of a sylistic tool than a pure mechanic, and it will help organize our discussion of how the DF templates fit into the setting.
Red Templates
In the original game, red vocations are based on strength. Their practitioners are heavily armored and carry hefty weapons. Their abilities consist of creative ways of bringing those weapons into contact with enemy skulls in melee combat. Though they might achieve superhuman feats, these are the product of mundane skill and prowess.
The Knight template from Dungeon Fantasy fits this pretty much exactly, and requires basically no change to fit into Gransys. Most actual knights should use this template, and so Status 1 {5} or 2 {10} become discretionary advantages for it in campaigns where that matters. It can also be used to describe common-born soldiers trained in the fighting styles popular in Gransys.
Barbarians also fit into this category, though they would most often be wilderness-savvy melee combatants rather than enormous foreign savages. To play such a character, do the following: Remove the discount for ST and HP, and reduce discretionary advantage points to 22 to compensate. Reduce Basic Move to 6 and SM to 0. Disregard the list of disadvantages and instead choose 40 points in disadvantages from the Scout list. A Barbarian with these modifications and the more “nautical” outdoors skill picks could represent one of the toughest fishermen in Cassardis.
A simpler, less angry alternative might be to use the Knight template with the 15-point Wilderness Training lens from DF 16, and add Outdoorsman 1-4 {10/level} to its list of discretionary advantages.
A lot of what the original game models as special abilities are standard options for anyone skilled in melee combat in GURPS. All of the general and template-specific martial power-ups from DF 3 and DF 11 should be allowed, and liberal use of Extra Effort in Combat should be encouraged.
Yellow Templates
Yellow vocations are based on agility. They wear light armor, and carry weapons such as daggers and bows. Their abilities rely on acrobatic movement, high-precision strikes or shots, and sometimes on dirty tricks such as flash bombs or entangling snares. Fantastic though they may be, their feats are also the product of mundane skill and prowess.
Scouts are the best-fitting template in this category, as they play pretty much exactly like an archery-focused Dragon’s Dogma character, and their wilderness survival skills are a welcome addition. Such a character might be a scout for a military unit, a bandit (reformed or not), a solitary hunter, or even a rural lordling with the addition of some Status and basic social skills.
The description above applies to Swashbucklers as well. Fencing weapons do exist in this world, but they’re not popular in Gransys where combatants prefer heavy armor and weapons that can defeat it. Interesting alternatives to them include paired long knives or shortswords, which would play like a melee focused strider from the original game. Broadswords and longswords also suit a non-fencing duelist and provide a bit more damage in exchange for giving up fencing parries. And there’s always the option to play someone from a region where fencing weapons and styles are common, like Ser Mercedes. In all cases, add Status 1 {5} or 2 {10} to the list of discretionary advantages for the template, like for Knights.
If you have access to the Swords Against Evil article from Pyramid #3/64, then the Aristocrat, Duelist and Rogue templates are also appropriate for the setting, with the same observations on weapons as the base Swashbuckler. For the Aristocrat, replace Higher Purpose (Blood Will Tell) {5} with Status 1 {5} in campaigns where this matters, and add Status 2 {10} to the list of discretionary advantages. Swashbucklers and Aristocrats could be foreign dignitaries, or local nobility who spent time abroad and learned a foreign fighting style. And when trained in local weapons any of the four templates could represent anyone who relies more on skill and precision than raw strength when fighting.
Thieves certainly exist in Gransys, and though they’re not as adept in a fight as the other “yellow” templates their movement and, well, thief skills are still as valuable as ever. They would be particularly likely to make use of those dirty tricks mentioned earlier.
As is the case for the Red templates, all applicable power-ups from DF 3 and DF 11 are allowed, and the use of Extra Effort in Combat is encouraged.
Blue Templates
Blue vocations are based on magic. They wear robes or similar clothing, and wield staffs more as spell-casting implements than as weapons. Their special abilities are spells!
Normally, adapting the magic described in the original source would involve careful research in an attempt to match the source’s magic system with one of the many offered by GURPS. In the case of Dragon’s Dogma, though, most of the work has already been done for us by a helpful NPC in the game itself.
According to wannabe mage Steffen, to work magic one must draw ambient energy from their surroundings and channel it into the spell they wish to cast. This is a difficult task that places great strain on the caster, particularly on their cardiovascular and nervous systems. Therefore, despite the popular view of mages as frail sorts, they need as much vigor and stamina as any warrior.
Other facts that can be glimpsed from the original’s story and gameplay are that casting a spell takes a few seconds at most, and that a magician has potential access to several dozen spells, some of which are prerequisites for others. Also, magic is commonly learned from books.
This just happens to be a perfect summary of GURPS’ default Spell Magic system, as detailed on the Basic Set and expanded in GURPS Magic. So that’s what we’ll use!
Wizards fit the description in the first paragraph perfectly. In fact, they are the only type of spellcaster in the setting! This means that they have access to the Plant, Animal, and Healing colleges of magic. They still have to follow the prerequisite trees for those colleges.
The Druid template can still be used to represent a wizard trained in herbalism and wilderness survival. Replace Green Thumb 1 {5} and Power Investiture (Druidic) 3 {30} with Magery 3 {35}. Green Thumb may still be taken as a discretionary advantage, but switch the extra levels of Power Investiture from that list with extra levels of Magery.
The Cleric template can still represent a priest of the Faith who also trained in magic. Replace Power Investiture 3 {30} with Magery 3 {35}, and reduce the points dedicated to Divine abilities or spells from 25 to 20. Switch extra levels of Power Investiture in the discretionary advantages to extra levels of Magery.
We’ll take a more detailed look at the magic system in the next post in this series. Among other things, discuss what to do about those Druidic and Divine abilities.
A Note on Hybrid Templates
Hybrid vocations are those that combine the attributes of two of the previously listed categories. They’re one of the most distinctive aspects of the Dragon’s Dogma class system, so I’ll dedicate an article to them right after I’m done nailing down the last details of the magic system.
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Dragon's Dogma: The City of Gran Soren
Copyright 2012 Capcom In this article we finish our tour of Gransys by examining its capital of Gran Soren, which is also its only settlement worthy of the name “city”. As there is only one very specific place to deal with this time, you’ll get more details on its history and layout, as well as important NPCs and a GURPS City Stats writeup. This is the last post on the setting of Gransys. Next we’ll move on to characters!
A Tour of Gran Soren
Gran Soren became the capital of Gransys around the time Edmun Dragonsbane became Duke, fifty years ago. Since then the fledgling town has grown into the beating heart of all Gransys, as the pawns in the original game are fond of saying whenever you approach its walls.
The city was built at the mouth of a river near the site of an ancient castle that predates Gransys itself. Some of its walls still stand, and the roads in the surrounding countryside weave through them. The city’s own walls are much newer, and as sturdy as their builders could make them. The space inside them is further divided into quarters.
Craftsman’s Quarter
This is where most of the city’s many workshops and guild halls stand. Blacksmiths, builders, and other artisans work here. There’s even a small field worked by tenant farmers. This quarter is also where the Pawn Guild is located. Its leader is a pawn named Barnaby, who is more articulate than most of his alien brethren. In addition to hiring out as mercenaries, they also guard a secret in the guild’s basement: the entrance to a mysterious underground ruin known to them as the Everfall.
Most weapon and item stores likely to cater to adventurers are in the Urban Quarter (below), but this is where PCs would come to make large orders or to hire a large workforce to build a manor or a boat. The Pawn Guild would also be a frequent destination for groups that include Pawn PCs or that make use of NPC Pawns.
Urban Quarter
This is the city’s largest residential and commercial area. Many of the artisans who work in the Craftsman’s Quarter have homes in this one, and it also hosts a large permanent market that sees movement at all hours of the day.
This is where all the “adventurer-friendly” establishments are: inns, taverns, and stores with large and varied inventories. Any non-magical item that doesn’t need to be custom-made can be found on sale here, and the stuff that does can be ordered easily. Fine-quality equipment and even minor magic items are often found on display, too. Basic necessities such as food or clothes are considerably more expensive in Gran Soren than in smaller towns or villages, but their quality and variety is often higher than can be found in those smaller locations.
The Venery
This is technically part of the Urban Quarter, but you’ll definitely notice when you’ve wandered into it. It’s the bad part of town, comprised of shabbier houses and shadier businesses. It’s also where the river meets both the sea and the city’s sewers. A slum has grown on its margins, and the city’s poorest inhabitants dredge the mud looking for stray valuables.
There are few guards here, and those are the type that can be bribed to look the other way. This makes the Venery the perfect meeting spot for criminals and malcontents. Rumor has it that a skilled forger does business from here, and it’s also the best place to buy illegal tools.
Noble Quarter
This is where the other end of society lives. Somewhat smaller than the other quarters, its area is mostly occupied by large mansions, an ornate cathedral, the mint, and the Duke’s palace. Politically, the noble quarter is where all the real action is at. Duke Edmun’s centralizing efforts mean that to gain favor with him is to gain power, and the nobles and merchants who make their home here engage in constant intrigue to do just that.
Others take alternate routes, brokering illicit deals right under the nose of the Duke’s most loyal agents. Either way, the deals made here affect the entire duchy.
The Duke holds court from his palace, and is always surrounded by a rotating set of nobles and merchants. Aside from Edmun himself, other fixtures of the court are his nephew Fedel and his chamberlain Aldous. Fedel holds the title of Count of Aernst, but that is a mere formality, as Aernst Castle was attacked and razed decades ago. Though Fedel is wealthy, he lacks the resources (and, some say, the will) needed to retake and rebuild the castle. He currently lives in a mansion in the noble quarter, and makes a living from trade.
Aldous also holds an honorary title (Count of Windbluff), and also has no interest in claiming its associated land. He is the Duke’s Chamberlain, and the one who actually conducts most of the day-to-day work of running the duchy. Most who seek audience with Edmun will find themselves dealing with him instead.
The Noble Quarter is also where Fournival Frescobaldi, Gransys’ wealthiest merchant, makes his home. He owns a lot of real estate in Gransys and smaller towns, and his organization moves a lot of goods between these settlements. He also deals in goods imported from foreign lands, both legally and illegally.
Stats
Population: 11,000 (Search +1)
Physical and Magical Environment
Terrain: Plains; Appearance: Average (0); Hygiene: -1; Normal Mana (Common Enchantment)
Culture and Economy
Literacy: Accented; TL: 4; Wealth: Comfortable; Status: -2 to 7
Political Environment
Government: Dictatorship, Municipality; CR: 4 (Corruption -2); Military Resources: $1.1M; Defense Bonus: +8
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