Portal Realms TM

Written by
WILLIAM H. STODDARD
Edited by SEAN PUNCH
Illustrated by
ZACH HOWARD,
SHEA RYAN, and DAN SMITH
Additional Material by
ROGER BURTON WEST

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Stock #37-1691 Version 1.0 – December 2017 ®
 Contents
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Wealth and Possessions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Publication History . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Wealth-Based Method . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
About the Author . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Possessions-Based Method . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
About GURPS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Possessions? What Possessions? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Cool Advanced Weapons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
1. Between Two Worlds . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Transport . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Perilous Realms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Exploring the World . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Returnees . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Self-Discovery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Saving the World . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Thresholds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 The bear went over the
Journeys Long and Short . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Exile . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 mountain,
Long Stays . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Larger Conflicts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 The bear went over the
Many Doors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Brief Visits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
6
6
mountain,
Methods of Travel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 The bear went over the
Gates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Tunnels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 mountain,
Transitions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Going Off Course . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 To see what he could see.
Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Way Stations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 – Traditional song
Dreams and Trances . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Motives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Chance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Push . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Pull . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 3. Dangers and Opportunities . . . . . . . . 25
Realms and Campaigns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Wilderness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
The Barrens . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 The Lay of the Land . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Source Material . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Good and Bad Places . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Gerontomachia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 The Elements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Seihou . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Creatures and Monsters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Portal Realms as Timelines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Magic and the World . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
City Stats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
2. Travelers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Laws and Customs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
The Reference Society . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Languages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Zero-Point Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Licit and Illicit Magic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Meta-Traits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Cultures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Traits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Laws and Religions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Advantages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Combat Experience . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Secret Advantages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Monthly Training Rolls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Disadvantages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Learning Magic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Skills . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Mana-Based Magic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Templates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Path/Book Magic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Transmundane . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Invented Magic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Child . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Ritual Path Magic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Explorer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Magic as Powers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Mage-to-Be . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Interworld Trade . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Returnee . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Shopping List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Outcast . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Organizations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Savior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Trader . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

Contents 2
 Introduction
Alice climbing into a mirror . . . Randolph Carter finding case, their experiences change them, making them more capa-
the silver key to the gate of dreams . . . Howard Shea trans- ble and also revealing supernatural forces to them.
porting himself to the world of the Eddas . . . GURPS Fantasy: Portal Realms is your guide to this kind
These characters, and others like them, found their way of fantasy: to creating worlds, helping players create charac-
out of the everyday world into realms of fantasy and adven- ters, and running adventures.
ture. Such journeys are the subject of portal fantasy. Similar stories have appeared in other genres. John
In portal fantasy, people from our world are transported Carter’s journeys to Barsoom in A Princess of Mars and
into a magical realm where things are different. They may its sequels, Martin Padway’s time travel to the late Roman
be there permanently, or return eventually to Earth; in either Empire in Lest Darkness Fall, and Calvin Morrison’s trans-
portation to the Aryan-Transpacific Timeline in Lord Kalvan
of Otherwhen are science fiction, with no hint of magic, but
the settings of their heroes’ adventures are otherwise a lot
like portal realms. Much of the material in this supplement
“And may I ask, could be used for such a science-fictional campaign – just
leave out the magical parts.
O Lucy Daughter of Eve,”
said Mr. Tumnus, “how you Publication History
have come into Narnia?” This is the first edition of GURPS Fantasy: Portal Realms.
The concept of a portal realm is briefly discussed in GURPS
“Narnia? What’s that?” Fantasy – and Yrth, presented in GURPS Banestorm, is a
type of portal realm.
said Lucy.
– C.S. Lewis, About the Author
The Lion, the Witch William H. Stoddard is a professional copy editor, spe-
cializing in scientific and scholarly publications. He and his
and the Wardrobe wife live in Riverside, California, with their cat, Macavity, and
more than 100 shelf-feet of books. He has been a roleplay-
ing gamer since 1975, and has been writing for GURPS since
2000, when he wrote GURPS Steampunk.

About GURPS
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Introduction 3
 Chapter One

Between
Two Worlds
Whether in stories, dramas, or games, fantasists need to This makes suspension of disbelief easier, because the super-
obtain willing suspension of disbelief: to imagine beings and natural is just one part of the overall strangeness; and because
events outside the order of nature, and get other people to the travelers aren’t native to the portal realm, which is just as
play along. Impossible events are the strength of fantasy, new to them as to the players, it’s easier for players to create
appealing to the sense of wonder. They’re also its weakness! characters and identify with them. There’s usually only one
Their very conflict with the players’ knowledge of the real portal into the new world, which can be treated as a rare magi-
world means it takes extra work to account for their presence cal object or place that could plausibly have been kept hidden.
in the campaign setting. Two other tropes provide alternatives to portal fantasy for
One way to resolve this conflict is to set the “real world” fitting magic into present-day or recent Earth:
aside and create a separate world, such as Tolkien’s Middle-
Wainscots are magical or otherwise fantastic societies
Earth, Le Guin’s Earthsea, or Martin’s Westeros and Essos –
existing parallel to the mundane world. The name comes
one that has its own rules that allow supernatural events.
from stories about tiny people hiding behind the paneling of
But neither the different rules nor the world as a whole will
houses, as in Mary Norton’s The Borrowers. As a metaphor, it
be familiar to the players, making it harder for them to get
includes other physically separate spaces such as the London
their bearings. A different strategy is to say that the real world
Below of Neil Gaiman’s Neverwhere, and even alternative soci-
does contain magic, but it’s rare, or physically concealed, or
eties concealed by secrecy, such as the wizarding world of the
veiled by illusion – the approach of much urban fantasy. The
Harry Potter novels. A wainscot realm is accessible from many
challenge here is to explain why the magic remains hidden:
places on Earth, and frequent trips between it and Earth may
why the adventurers can’t make it public, or why other people
be possible for those who know its secret.
didn’t do so decades or centuries before.
Enclaves are locations where magic has leaked through from
Portal fantasy combines some of the advantages of both
another world, forming a fantastic domain on Earth. Their
approaches. Its starting point is the real world, often in the
magic isn’t concealed, and how the mundane world reacts to
present day – a setting that’s familiar to the players. However,
them is a big focus of stories such as John M. Ford’s The Last
at some point the characters find themselves in an entirely dif-
Hot Time, S. Andrew Swann’s Dragons of the Cuyahoga, and
ferent, unfamiliar world, one where fantastic things happen.
Terri Windling’s shared-world Borderland series.

Perilous Realms
Portal realms are natural settings for several types of
stories.
Returnees
Exploring the World It’s possible to treat a visit to a portal realm as the
backstory of an adventurer on Earth. His travels might
The simplest possible storyline is the travelogue, where
the heroes wander about an unfamiliar setting seeing the have allowed him to learn magic or esoteric martial arts,
sites, meeting the inhabitants, and coping with obstacles or even given him superhuman powers. He may have
and threats. This was a big part of the appeal of such clas- come back with some mysterious gadget that Earth’s
sic works as Baum’s Oz novels and Burroughs’ Barsoom technology can’t duplicate. This would usually count as
novels (technically planetary romance: a form of science an Unusual Background. Perhaps only one person in the
fiction, but one whose appeal is much like that of fantasy). world has it, or maybe it’s a family heritage, monastic
Exploration as a theme requires an inventive GM. In this tradition, or shamanic initiation that’s been passed down
kind of story, the sense of wonder is embodied in a series of through time.
specific wonders.

Between Two Worlds 4

Self-Discovery with the protagonists as vectors of their interchange. They
may act as explorers, missionaries, traders, or invaders, or
Other portal fantasies highlight the characters more than in more specialized roles such as tour guides or diplomats.
the setting. The focus is on how a visit to a different world This kind of portal fantasy can take on an organizational
changes the visitors, both through encountering its won- focus, with the portal becoming a specialized asset of a fam-
ders and through learning to cope with the journey. Such ily, corporation, or bureaucracy (Charles Stross explored this
themes are especially common in stories about children or idea in his Merchant Princes novels, though as science fiction
adolescents, providing an outward and visible symbol for more than fantasy). Characters’ personal encounters with the
the struggles of growing up. But older characters may also strange and terrifying can interweave with their careers and
be transformed by such journeys, in the style of Coleridge’s social positions, in the style of military stories about “seeing
ancient mariner. The encounter with an alternate reality the elephant.” Threshold stories may turn a portal into an
becomes a rite of passage. enclave (p. 4).

Saving the World

If a portal realm can change strangers who visit
it, they may change it in return. Portal fantasies Larger Conflicts
often show travelers who visit new worlds caught up The battles of portal fantasy needn’t be confined to a single
in desperate struggles, and becoming participants, portal realm. Heroes of portal fantasy may learn that their par-
even key figures, in those struggles. Such stories ticular struggles are only part of vast multi-universal wars. Three
might involve self-discovery as well: What the trav- Hearts and Three Lions hints that World War II and the clash of
elers learn about themselves may be that they have Law and Chaos in its portal realm are the same struggle in two
unguessed talents as mages, or warriors, or spiritual different guises. With the Christian underpinnings of The Lion,
figures, which are just what the newly encountered the Witch and the Wardrobe, its conflict seems to extend to every
world needs – a recurring theme in Lewis’ Narnia cosmos ever created.
series, for example. But heroes with fully developed There’s not much point to working out this kind of vast con-
abilities might also discover that those abilities flict if it isn’t going to come on stage! In some campaigns, it can
can save the day. In some stories, visitors to portal be mostly background: Allusions to “part of a larger struggle”
realms are called there by a Destiny as its saviors. In can help motivate the heroes (see Disadvantages, pp. 16-17), or
any case, the theme and the central conflict play a big the PCs can get occasional help from a secretive organizational
part in such tales. Patron (p. 15). A more foregrounded conflict can include overt
help, or enemies from further realms (see Many Doors, p. 6).
Heroes of portal fantasy may even transcend the limits of one
Thresholds portal realm and wage war in many different realities, on the
If a portal works in both directions, it can allow lines of Zelazny’s struggle between Amber and Chaos.
repeated or even frequent journeys. The story can
become one of contact between two different worlds,

Journeys Long and Short

How long do you plan to stay? Like any journey, a visit Passage through a one-way portal can be compared to
to a portal realm can be temporary or permanent. Different death – as Shakespeare called it, “The undiscovered coun-
durations result in different types of stories and campaigns. try from whose bourn/No traveler returns.” Other compari-
The portal’s controllability makes a big difference here. sons could include irreversible coma, dementia, or insanity.
Can you decide you’re going to go over, spend time train- Deliberate one-way journeys are for the rootless or the desper-
ing and gearing up, and transfer at a time of your choosing? ate; victims of unintentional ones are likely to grieve for their
Or do you “softly and silently vanish away,” in the middle of lost lives and loved ones.
a journey, off the street, or even from your own bed? (See In a campaign about exiles, the reference society (pp. 13-14)
Wealth and Possessions, pp. 22-24, for some particularly will necessarily be one of the societies of the portal realm.
important implications.)

Long Stays
Exile Other portal fantasies have their main characters go to
Some trips to portal realms are one-way: The traveler goes a portal realm and come back. Such visits are often pro-
and doesn’t come back. Such permanent departures occur longed, and may profoundly change the visitors. Expe-
at or near the start of fantasy series such as Andre Norton’s riences like these might be compared to a period of
Witch World stories. The heroes of these tales are exiles who unconsciousness or insanity followed by recovery; more
will never go home; they have to build new lives in their por- often, they’re like a journey far from home, such as going
tal realms. away to college or military service, or on a pilgrimage.

Between Two Worlds 5

Fantasy novels may provide a framing narrative, in a style instantly aged or de-aged according to the time passed on
going back to Coleridge’s “Rime of the Ancient Mariner,” Earth: Irish legend has Ossian coming back from the Land
where the story begins and ends with the traveler talking with of Youth, stepping onto the ground, and instantly aging 300
someone from his native land. years; the Pevensies mature to adulthood on their first visit to
Other literary examples of this style of portal fantasy include Narnia, but revert to childhood back on Earth.
Baum’s The Wonderful Wizard of Oz; Lewis’ Narnia Chronicles, Sometimes a story that starts out in this mode eventually
especially The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, where the turns into one of exile (p. 5). This eventually happens midway
four Pevensies stay in Narnia long enough to grow up before through the original Oz series, in The Emerald City of Oz, when
returning to England and childhood; Anderson’s Three Hearts Dorothy Gale goes to Oz to stay, taking her uncle and aunt
and Three Lions; Donaldson’s two series of Thomas Covenant with her.
novels; Allston’s pulp-inspired Doc Sidhe; and Dellamonica’s In this case, too, the reference society is usually one of
Child of a Hidden Sea. Long stays in portal realms are the sub- those in the portal realm.
ject of anime series such as Those Who Hunt Elves and The
Vision of Escaflowne, and of the film Spirited Away.
Time spent in a portal realm doesn’t have to be equal to Brief Visits
time passed on Earth. A traveler might experience a single day Not all visits to portal realms last that long! Carroll’s
or night on the other side, and return to find that weeks, years, Alice spends only the length of a dream in Wonderland or
or centuries have passed. Or it may go the other way, with Looking-Glass Land, and the film The Wizard of Oz makes
the traveler returning days or moments after leaving, despite Dorothy’s time in Oz a dream as well. The more recent film
living through many years. In some versions, the traveler is Labyrinth involves an actual quest, but one that lasts a mere
13 hours. Harold Shea’s visits to worlds of literary fan-
tasy in The Compleat Enchanter typically last just a
few days.
M any oors D As these examples suggest, brief visits to portal
If there’s one doorway to one realm, there might be many realms are likely to be repeatable. A single visit can
of each. At least three variants of this appear in fiction and represent a life-changing experience, akin to a Native
mythology: American vision quest (see Self-Discovery, p. 5);
someone who makes many such journeys can be a
• Earth has portals in different places that lead to different liminal figure (from Latin limen, “threshold”) such as
realms. a shaman. Such an individual might become a Patron
• Earth has a portal that leads to a higher-level realm filled (pp. B72-74) for first-time travelers – though, given
with portals to many realms. the eccentricities of many shamans, very likely one
• A portal from Earth leads to a realm that can also be with the Minimal Intervention limitation!
reached from a third realm (which may lead to conflicts with In a campaign about a brief visit or series of visits,
invaders from that realm; see Larger Conflicts, p. 5). it generally works best to have the visitors’ native soci-
ety (in the examples above, the one they hail from on
Earth) be the reference society.

Methods of Travel
The word “portal” suggests a door or gate. Portal realms person to pass through at a time. It may be larger; each portal
aren’t necessarily reached by literal doorways, however. Any can be given a Size Modifier (p. B19). In terms of advantages,
fantastic realm that is separated from the mundane world and this is like Jumper with the Tunnel enhancement (p. B64).
has its own laws, and that can be reached in one way or a This arrangement creates some puzzles: What does the
small number of ways, can be a setting for portal fantasy. portal look like when seen edge-on? (Maybe it can’t be seen
Access to a portal realm isn’t usually an advantage in por- that way.) What happens if you walk into it from the back?
tal fantasy: The portal is a feature of the setting rather than (It’s simplest if you end up in the same world but facing the
a trait of a character. But the portal’s effects are similar to opposite direction.) Players may get distracted by exploring
those of Jumper (pp. B64-65 and GURPS Powers, pp. 57-58). the paradoxes that result – or finding ways to exploit them! A
Moreover, there are different kinds of portals, and their pecu- portal embedded in a wall or other solid surface is less likely
liar features can often be compared with those resulting from to suggest such questions and is a common image in portal
Jumper’s enhancements and limitations. fantasy, whose authors have other themes in mind.
Some independently existing portals are open all the

Gates time, allowing a constant flow of air, water, objects, or crea-

tures between two worlds. But it’s more common for them
The most basic form for a portal amounts to a doorway – or to open when someone performs a ritual or says the correct
the Platonic ideal of a doorway: A two-dimensional surface, phrase, or when the right person comes along. The “perma-
one side of which faces our world and the other side, a differ- nence” in this case is the gate’s continuing existence rather
ent world. Its size is finite but large enough for at least one than its constant operation.

Between Two Worlds 6

Tunnels In terms of Jumper, this is akin to the Special Portal limitation
(GURPS Powers, p. 58). Robert Heinlein’s “The Unpleasant
Some connections between worlds are “tunnels” in a more Profession of Jonathan Hoag” offers an extreme version of
literal sense: elongated volumes of space, with one end open- this, where all mirrors can act as gateways into a different
ing on Earth and the other on the portal realm. Travelers world – which is closer to wainscot fantasy than to portal fan-
spend some time in neither one world nor the other. tasy. An effect that works with only one specific mirror better
In some campaigns, this is simply a preferred way of visu- fits the “portal” concept.
alizing the transition: Not as instantaneous, but as taking a Mirror portals obviously work only some of the time. One
finite amount of time. In others, the tunnel might be an actual way to envision this is in physical terms: the viewer must find
realm with its own peculiarities. The journey may be challeng- just the right angle of view. This can go with the fantasy that
ing or disorienting, with some of the qualities of a rite of pas- the mirror world beyond what the mirror shows is entirely
sage, including a first phase of separation from the familiar different from the observer’s world, as in Alice’s speculations
world, a middle period of transition, and a final stage of com- about Looking-Glass House in Lewis Carroll’s Through the
ing into a new world. Such liminal experiences can plausibly Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There. Perhaps a clever
give rise to Fright Checks. Rolls against Body Sense (p. B181), viewer could catch a glimpse of the true mirror realm, or go
to avoid physical disorientation on arrival at the other end, are through the mirror and see it all – or perhaps mirror beings
also a possibility. could come into the observer’s world (one possible origin
for doppelgangers). Another physical option, with reflect-

Transitions ing pools, is to suppose that the surface has to be perfectly

still and ripple-free – which can also be a way of portraying
Not all shifts between worlds involve an overt portal. In clairvoyance, as in H. Rider Haggard’s She or J.R.R. Tolkien’s
some stories, the travelers simply vanish from Earth and The Lord of the Rings.
appear in another world – or, from their viewpoint, Earth
fades from around them and the other world appears. This
may happen in an instant, or Earth may fade out and the
other world fade in.
This can still be the result of encountering some sort
Way Stations
of entity or force that continues to exist over time. But it If travel between realms isn’t a single step but a jour-
can also be the effect of a spell or power. The “portal” itself ney, it may take long enough to require stopping for rest.
is called into existence at the start of the transition and Some stories envision inns or caravanserais that accom-
vanishes at the end. Its creator may continue to exist, but modate travelers, such as the Old Phoenix in Poul Ander-
that doesn’t mean the travelers can communicate with that son’s A Midsummer Tempest, or the four “free houses” in
person or induce that individual to send them back. Neil Gaiman’s The Sandman. Commonly, travelers stum-
Such an effect may also come about spontaneously, ble into such a refuge after getting hopelessly lost, and per-
through a chance release of magical energy. Or it could be haps caught up in darkness or bad weather; an overnight
the result of an error in casting a spell. stay can let them recover from Fright Checks and fatigue.
Way stations need not be reachable from only two
realms; often they’re connected to many worlds, and they
Going Off Course may move about. They can be meeting places for people
Transitions can also take place over a span of time. The from different worlds. Such encounters rarely form part of
travelers leave a known location, get lost, wander about, the action, but can give rise to a “shore leave” episodes, or
and eventually arrive in a place they’ve never heard of, pass on a vital hint to some mystery.
where things are different. In GURPS Banestorm, for Some people may become regular visitors to a way sta-
example, new arrivals on Yrth sometimes get there after tion, but in most campaigns it’s better if the heroes have
such a journey. As with tunnels, the trip is often a liminal a single mysterious visit – otherwise, they may be tempted
experience that demands Fright Checks; physical disori- to turn it into a base of operations, creating an entirely
entation is less likely, as the journey’s start and end are different sort of campaign! On the other hand, the trav-
usually gradual. elers might become permanent residents, having all their
In older literary works, travelers such as Odysseus, encounters and adventures there, in effect turning the way
Gulliver, and Coleridge’s ancient mariner get lost at sea station itself into a portal realm of sorts.
and have fantastic adventures in exotic lands – places off
the edge of the map. In the modern world, where the entire
planet has been mapped, such voyages might be explained
as experiences in portal realms. The travelers lose their way
and wander in parts fantastic . . . but eventually find their Dreams and Trances
way back with unbelievable stories to tell. Clarity of vision can also be taken psychologically, as a
process of calming and focusing the mind, in which a reflect-
ing surface is used to help induce a trance state (+2 to trance
Mirrors rolls; see GURPS Low-Tech Companion 1: Philosophers and
Kings, p. 16). This could go with visiting other worlds in mind
Mirrors and other reflective surfaces (e.g., bodies of water)
can give the impression of looking into another world. Fiction only (as in the Projection limitation for Jumper; see GURPS
and legends sometimes treat such things as genuine portals. Powers, p. 58) – but it could also lead to physical translation.

Between Two Worlds 7

A powerful enchanted mirror or magical pool might ensure a it as disembodied spirits – though this last variant is challeng-
trance state suited to entering another world. ing to turn into an interesting campaign!
Other ways of inducing trances can also lead to arrival in a In some versions of this approach, the portal realm may
portal realm; so can dreaming, especially lucid dreaming (see not be entirely independent of the traveler. The condition of
Dreaming, p. B188). Travelers may physically vanish from body or mind may change the land, or be changed by it (see
Earth, or their unconscious bodies may remain and need to be Blessed, p. 14). Stephen R. Donaldson, for example, explored
cared for. And visitors may appear in the portal realm in their this premise in his Thomas Covenant novels.
own bodies, or possess inhabitants of the realm, or appear in

Motives
Whatever form it takes, a portal isn’t enough to ensure is instead on how they adapt to their new environment. Do
the heroes visit a portal realm. You have to get them to pass they set out to make lives for themselves there, or do they
through it! Certainly, reckless people might dive through strive to go home, like Dorothy in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz?
without hesitation – especially if they have disadvantages like
Curious, Impulsiveness, or Overconfidence. But others, with a
greater sense of self-preservation or stronger emotional ties, Push
would back away. What motivates adventurers to take the leap Some people leave their native world because they want
into the unknown? to. They may be fleeing from enemies, like Simon Tregarth
in Witch World, or they might desire to explore a
new realm, like Harold Shea in The Compleat
Enchanter. Whether Earth has become intolera-
ble and the new world is less bad, or whether they
long for something more than their mundane
lives, their own need is what gets them there. In
some cases, they may simply choose to take their
chances on a leap into the unknown; in others,
their desire or desperation may attune them to a
specific world.
In either case, the new world confronts the trav-
elers with hardships of its own. If they were driven
by fear, it gives them things to fear; if they were
seeking something better, it has its own problems
and flaws. Without this, there wouldn’t be a story
or a campaign! Once the heroes get to “happily
ever after,” the story is over. It’s the GM’s job to
give the protagonists new and different things to
be unhappy about. To satisfy the players, though,
the portal realm needs to grant them more free-
dom to do something about their unhappiness.
A variation on this plot is the rescue story,
whose hero is seeking a loved one stolen away
into a magical realm. The legend of Tam Lin tells
of a woman trying to save her lover from the fair
folk; the film Labyrinth has a girl seeking the baby
brother stolen by the Goblin King. Such stories
almost always end in a return home, commonly
after a brief visit (p. 6).

Chance Pull
Some journeys to other worlds happen by accident: The In other cases, the want – or the need – is that of the portal
traveler stumbles across a portal, gets caught up by natural or realm: Fallen into peril, it draws people to it who can save it.
supernatural forces, or is singled out as a victim by a prankish This often means the travelers have a Destiny (pp. 14-15). This
spirit or god. In GURPS Banestorm, for example, new arrivals works particularly well with “saving the world” as a campaign
on Yrth are brought there by a spell cast centuries in the past, theme (p. 5). It can be invoked when the visitors are children
which seemingly chooses its subjects at random. There’s no or adolescents, as in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe,
purpose for these particular people making the journey – nei- where Narnia needs “sons of Adam and daughters of Eve” to
ther their own nor someone else’s. The focus of the campaign be rightly ruled.

Between Two Worlds 8

 Or the need may be that of a particular society, organiza- Some portal fantasy offers a variation on this: The main
tion, family, or individual on the other side, who seeks out character is not wholly of earthly ancestry, but is a child or
assistance from the exotic realm of Earth. In this case, the pro- descendant of the portal realm, as in Child of a Hidden Sea or
tagonists are less likely to have a Destiny, but they might have Nine Princes in Amber (though Corwin’s fully recovered abil-
special talents that make their help useful, such as Hitomi ities take him beyond the usual limits of portal fantasy). The
Kanzaki’s psychic powers in The Vision of Escaflowne or Rudy protagonist is often a lost orphan, an amnesiac, or deliberately
Solis’ magical gifts in The Time of the Dark. Often these are kept in ignorance by protective parents or guardians. This
mystical or psychic capabilities that couldn’t fully develop on kind of story combines the pull of an otherworldly heritage
Earth (leading to a “self-discovery” theme; see p. 5), but they with the push of a desire to know one’s past.
may be mundane abilities the portal realm lacks.

Realms and Campaigns

Settings for portal fantasy are limited only by your imagi- from a defeated foe, may contain ancient magical creations.
nation. Here are three examples, which you can use either as Native inhabitants tell stories of the remote past when kings
starting points for campaigns or as inspiration for inventing and wizards walked the earth.
your own portal realms. There’s no longer any grand overarching threat to the
whole world; its magical resources have faded to a level that
can’t support such ambitions. But there are still conflicts on
a smaller scale: bandit raids, vendettas, and even minor wars
For we are strangers of conquest, relying partly on low-tech weapons and partly on
ritual magic. The magical arts of the Barrens are best repre-
before thee, and sojourners, sented by Path/Book magic (GURPS Thaumatology, pp. 121-
165): Paths for the arts still remembered from the ancients,
as were all our fathers: Books for compilations of obscure rituals by eccentric sorcer-
ers. The “Path of the People” (Thaumatology, p. 154) offers
Our days on the earth are many ordinary folk a measure of magical self-protection.
Another option – for players prepared to take a more impro-
as a shadow, and there is visational approach to the mystic arts – is to use GURPS
Thaumatology: Ritual Path Magic.
none abiding. The Outsiders
– 1 Chronicles 29:15 Travelers to the Barrens are at an age of transition, typi-
cally somewhere between their early teens and early twenties.
Whatever their age, their previous experience was limited in
some way – by childhood, restrictive marriages, adult respon-
sibilities, or even confinement in a prison or mental hospital.
The Barrens Their journey to the Barrens is a product of chance (p. 8): Vast
numbers of people are in similar positions, but these few are
The Barrens is designed for a single prolonged visit. The
the ones who find the way to an unknown world.
protagonists’ time there will test them, serving as a rite of
The protagonists should not have amazing gifts or skills at
passage that gives them new self-awareness. Conditions are
the outset. They can plausibly be a little above average, but
difficult, with few sources of help, but not mortally perilous,
they shouldn’t be career adventurers; 50 points is a reasonable
or not immediately so; the challenge is rather the need for
starting level. Disadvantages or quirks that would encourage
self-reliance.
them to go exploring are a good idea. Intraparty conflict is
appropriate for this kind of campaign, but it shouldn’t become
The Realm murderous or cruel; the main characters likely have Pacifism
The Barrens is a thinly inhabited world. Most of its land has (Reluctant Killer) and perhaps some level of Honesty (see
sparse vegetation; terrains with denser cover – jungle, swamp- Disadvantages, pp. 16-17). Any disadvantages the GM man-
land, and woodlands – occur in small patches. The soil’s fer- dates don’t count against the campaign limit (p. B11).
tility is low, except in river basins and some volcanic regions. If the adventure begins really suddenly, the travelers will
Settled areas are scattered and generally small; a large share have only what’s in their backpacks, purses, or pockets (see
of the population is nomadic foragers, fishers, hunters, and Possessions? What Possessions?, p. 23). However, delayed
herders. There are several humanoid races adapted to differ- departures are common in portal fantasy, allowing time
ent environments and behaving in different ways. to put together basic supplies and pack them conveniently.
However, there’s evidence that this has not always been Unless the travelers are actually on a camping trip, though,
true. Ruins dot the landscape, from single collapsing houses, they won’t have complete camping gear or easy access to it.
temples, or watchtowers to entire cities, variously empty, Let them take things they could plausibly have in their homes
squatted in, or haunted. An abandoned hoard, or one taken or dorm rooms.

Between Two Worlds 9

Arrival one of their possessions – perhaps something useful, possibly
something merely bright and shiny. The pursuit of the thief
Arrival in the Barrens involves travel through an overt
provides another opportunity for the travelers to get lost!
portal such as a door, a gate, or a narrow passage in a cave.
Once they realize they aren’t getting back immediately, they
Suddenly the explorers are in a different world. The experi-
need to find a place to make camp; they can attempt Survival
ence isn’t terrifying, but it has a dreamlike quality, requiring
rolls to find shelter, water, food, or fuel.
a roll vs. Dreaming or Will-6 to keep track of the path (though
As they continue to explore, they’ll come on a traveled path-
the first visitor of a party may find the way back and then
way, and further along it, an inn, where they can barter some
bring the others through).
of their possessions for food and shelter, and begin to learn the
On the other side, the visitors come under observation by
local language. During their stay, they’ll also discover some of
a member of a race of small scavengers. Once they let their
the varied races that inhabit the Barrens. This is a good time
guard down, the observer will sneak in and pick up or snatch
to give them hints about remnants of ancient lost magic.

Source Material
The GM seeking inspiration for portal fantasy may find the magical world of Narnia, witnessing events from its
it in literature, film, or television. For tips on adapting creation to its apocalyptic end.
these works to your campaign, see GURPS Adaptations. McGuire, Seanan. Every Heart a Doorway. Children
who have lived in portal realms and come back attend a
Books boarding school designed to meet their unusual needs.
Allston, Aaron. Doc Sidhe. Pastiche of Doc Savage, set Norton, Andre. Witch World. An earthman fleeing
in a portal realm inhabited by the fair folk. false charges is granted passage to a world of magic – and
Anderson, Poul. Three Hearts and Three Lions. An Amer- becomes a key figure in resisting invasion from a third
ican caught up in a battle of World War II stumbles into world.
the realm of Charlemagne as portrayed in French legend. O’Donohoe, Nick. The Magic and the Healing. A group
Baum, L. Frank. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. First of of student veterinarians get taken on journeys to a fantasy
a series of American fairy tales. Oz is a physical place, realm where they learn to treat magical creatures.
not a dream world. It isn’t actually in an alternate reality, Smith, Sherwood. Sasharia En Garde. A young woman
but Baum’s writing is the source of many tropes of portal from Earth, the daughter of a king in a magical world, is
fantasy. carried back to her father’s realm, now ruled by a usurper.
Boyett, Steven R. The Architect of Sleep. A spelunker Zelazny, Roger. Nine Princes in Amber. First of a series
takes a wrong turn and emerges in a world of sapient about a family of interworld travelers, in which the exiled
raccoons. The fantasy elements are minimal; in many Prince Corwin regains his memory and rediscovers his
ways this is nearer to science fiction, despite the low-tech heritage.
setting.
Carroll, Lewis. Alice in Wonderland and Through the Films
Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There. Another orig- Labyrinth (Jim Henson). A young child is kidnapped by
inal source for the portal realm trope, though Alice’s jour- the ruler of a magical realm, and his older sister goes on a
neys turn out to be dreams. quest to get him back.
Chant, Joy. Red Moon and Black Mountain. Novel from Spirited Away (Hayao Miyazaki). Anime classic in
the post-Tolkien fantasy upsurge of the 1970s, in which which a young girl enters the spirit world and struggles to
three children take part in the battles of a magical world. find a way home for herself and her parents.
de Camp, L. Sprague and Pratt, Fletcher. The Complete Wizard of Oz, The (Victor Fleming). Best-known film ver-
Compleat Enchanter. Harold Shea, the hero, creates his sion, and the source of the “Oz is a dream” interpretation.
own portals with the aid of symbolic logic – but where he
goes is humorously unpredictable. Television Shows
Dellamonica, A.M. Child of a Hidden Sea. First of a Those Who Hunt Elves (Kazuyoshi Katayama). Anime
series in which a young woman from Earth travels to a series about three young adults transported to a fantasy
magical realm of scattered islands – and discovers her world and trying to find their way home by capturing elves
heritage there. who carry magical markings.
Donaldson, Stephen R. Lord Foul’s Bane. First of a tril- Twelve Kingdoms, The (Tsuneo Kobayashi). An adoles-
ogy (followed by a second trilogy and further novels) that cent girl from Japan is carried into a fantasy world and
treats a portal realm in psychological terms. discovers herself to be the heir to one of its kingdoms.
Hambly, Barbara. The Time of the Dark. First of a tril- Vision of Escaflowne, The (Kazuki Akane). Anime
ogy in which a young man and woman from Earth are series in which an adolescent girl from Earth becomes
called into a world being overwhelmed by supernatural involved in another world’s wars, fought with spells and
monsters. giant robots.
Lewis, C.S. The Chronicles of Narnia. Series of novels
in which successive groups of British children travel to

Between Two Worlds 10

Variant Arrival adventurers may turn out to have a talent for Gerontomachia’s
mystical arts – a character with serious training in a martial
A campaign in the Barrens can also begin with a single
art might follow this path, for example. (On the other hand,
traveler from Earth. In this case, the other PCs will be natives
a chronic screw-up or a noncombatant may turn out to have
of the Barrens. They may be in need of help, which the visitor
unexpected gifts.)
can offer, or they might all meet at the inn and decide to travel
Gerontomachia’s chaos has created a lot of refugees from
together.
destroyed cities and empires; the heroes might not be iden-
tified as visitors from another world, especially if they make
Gerontomachia an effort to fit in. How much to reveal about themselves,
and to how many people, can be an important decision for
Gerontomachia is the destination of a one-way journey, the campaign.
a realm of permanent exile. Conditions there are harsh and
often perilous – but the émigrés must cope with them, lacking
the option of return. And they have their own part to play in Arrival
its conflicts, if they choose to. Arrival in Gerontomachia is the result of going off course.
In desperate retreat from an overwhelming military defeat,
The Realm the protagonists (and any Allies or Dependents) get lost and
stray down an unknown path. Eventually they discover that
Gerontomachia is a world of ancient, powerful supernatural they don’t know where they are, and their navigational aids
forces. Some of its human inhabitants have learned to shape don’t work: charts don’t match the landmarks or coastlines,
and direct these forces, and the most powerful of them have and GPS systems get no signals. At this point they should have
created pockets of stability where civilizations can emerge. to make Fright Checks, if they haven’t before.
But from time to time, the ancient powers break through the While searching for a place to ask questions, the exiles
surface of the natural world. Now those breakthroughs are encounter a battle. On one side are human beings like them-
becoming more frequent, and natural catastrophes, monsters, selves, though using pre-gunpowder technology. On the other
and mad wizards are overwhelming the peace of the realm, are a pair of huge monsters, resembling the Cyclopes of Greek
destroying its cities and turning the survivors into refugees. myth, standing 40’ tall and strong in proportion, and wielding
The remaining human communities are caught up in a des- potent ranged attacks – a gaze that hurls lightning and a roar
perate war and groping toward an uncertain alliance. that creates a massive shock wave. Standing between the two
Gerontomachia is home to three distinct forms of extraor- are human thaumaturges with some command of their own
dinary abilities. Mortal practitioners normally tap their own over the elements, but not on the scale of their foes. Will the
vital energy through mystic disciplines. Innately supernat- refugees enter the fray?
ural beings, and a few very potent humans, can wield
the raw energy of creation. In between these two are
ritualists, whose mediumistic arts let them petition for
transcendental aid. All of these capabilities can be rep- “That would be no good,” said
resented in terms of “magic as powers.” Suitable modi-
fiers are, respectively, Chi, Cosmic, and Spirit. GURPS the wizard, “not without a mighty
Thaumatology: Chinese Elemental Powers offers
examples of the first, and the cosmic abilities of GURPS Warrior, even a Hero. I tried to find
Powers: The Weird of the second. one; but warriors are busy fighting
The Outsiders one another in distant lands,
The journey to Gerontomachia is a result of push
rather than pull (see pp. 8-9): the adventurers are refu-
and in this neighbourhood heroes
gees from their native world. The most straightforward are scarce, or simply not to be
option is for them to be soldiers on the losing side in
a war; for example, they might be Jacobites after the found . . . That is why I settled
Glorious Revolution, southerners after the American Civil
War, Whites after the Russian Revolution, or troops of a
on burglary . . .”
nation destroyed in some future conflict. Other groups
with combat skills – such as police, criminal gangs, or the
– J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit
crew of a small military vehicle – could play a similar role.
Whatever the background, their peril should be sufficient to
make flight into the utterly unknown seem a lesser evil.
The protagonists can start out with technologically
Seihou
advanced equipment – but no way to resupply! A vehicle will Seihou is a setting inspired by anime and by the classic
likely be out of fuel in days; ammo and personal gear may Chinese novel Journey to the West (also known as Monkey,
last weeks, if husbanded, but not forever. And the threats they after its most vivid character). It’s designed for repeated short
face are hard targets, not to be wiped out with a few rounds visits. Most journeys there will help the visitors take a step
of ammunition. In the long run, their organizational skills and toward enlightenment, so there will be gaps between trips
unit cohesion will be more valuable. At the GM’s option, some while they discover new spiritual challenges in their lives.

Between Two Worlds 11

 One plausible basis for a continuing storyline is to have the Seihou is also a highly magical land; in GURPS terms, it
travelers meet a pilgrim: a monk or sage on a quest of some has high mana, allowing anyone to attempt to cast spells. The
kind. If they travel with him and offer their help, they can standard magic system (pp. B234-253 and GURPS Magic) is
learn useful lessons and perhaps even become his disciples. suited to a campaign set there. Knowledge of one or two spells
Aiding in his quest may even be their Destiny. is common, and even animals are likely to have instinctive
magical abilities. Most animals have IQ 6-8 and are able
to speak, though many species are Bestial. A few, such
as foxes and ravens, are more intelligent than that, and
Portal Realms may be able to learn magic through study.

as Timelines The Outsiders

The settings of portal fantasy aren’t necessarily “alternate Seihou is designed for a pull campaign (pp. 8-9):
worlds” in the science-fiction sense of locations on a dimen- those who visit it are brought there by their karma.
sion of time that runs sideways rather than forward and back- Treat this as a Destiny (p. B48). It may bring them back
ward. A portal realm is often reached by a leap of faith that repeatedly over the course of their lives; a campaign
transcends measurement. Still, including one in an Infinite might have installments set several years apart, starting
Worlds campaign – as a weird or myth parallel (pp. B527- with travelers in their teens and progressing from there.
528) – is an option. A portal realm might also be reached As part of their karma, the travelers are bound to
through a critical failure on Electronics Operation (Parach- one another. They might have traces of memory of each
ronic), in which case getting back may be a problem! other, which can be treated as Racial Memory (Passive)
• In some cases, it’s “simply” a question of figuring out (p. B78). They may also possess Reawakened (p. B80),
the parachronic coordinates that brought the adventurers to and the GM may grant them suitable skills that aren’t
the portal realm, and then setting up a reverse journey. After available – or aren’t commonly known – on Earth. At
accomplishing that, the travelers can return home – and the the GM’s discretion, a visitor might have Wild Talent
world will likely end up on the Closed list, due to the presence with Retention (p. B99) to represent sudden recollec-
of magic. tion of skills from past lives. A mutual Sense of Duty
• It might be difficult to get the parachronic conveyor to (p. B153) is possible but not mandatory: two individ-
work. Perhaps it was damaged by the anomalous transition, uals or subgroups could be linked by conflict in past
and the resources for repair are hard to come by – especially lives, which they were brought together to work off. A
if the operator is using Electronics Repair (Parachronic) at pair of voyagers may share a Special Rapport (p. B88),
default. Or maybe the presence of magic makes technology indicating a particularly close karmic bond.
unreliable (e.g., ‑5 to all skills above a certain TL).
• It may be completely impossible to get back by techno- Arrival
logical means! The portal realm could be a quantum sargasso A number of Japanese adolescents (age 14-15, and in
(p. B546) – or perhaps a world where electronics or advanced their last year of compulsory schooling) are in Kyoto,
technology in general don’t work. In that case, the campaign whether as natives or as visitors. They all notice a mys-
turns into something close to standard portal fantasy. terious, archaic-looking building that passersby seem
to be ignoring; when they approach it, they see one
another, and some of them have a sense of recognition,
though they’re strangers. Exploring the building (which is
The Realm open and seemingly unoccupied), they discover a pool inside,
Despite its being named for the legendary Western Paradise, with a bright reflective surface – one in which their images are
a sojourn in Seihou does not guarantee enlightenment in a surrounded by huge trees. Looking around, they find that the
single lifetime, nor is the realm free of sin (attachment) or city’s buildings and streets are nowhere to be seen.
suffering. However, it’s a benign land whose physical dangers Their initial encounter is with a fox who starts following
and moral evils are smaller than those of Earth, as in light them. This is a sapient animal, and an unusually clever one,
fantasy, children’s fantasy, and some anime. It can serve as the with DX 13, IQ 9, and Per 13; he also knows a few magic spells.
setting for a travelogue that encounters new creatures, races, He may play tricks on the visitors, or sneak in to steal food
and customs at every turn. Death is possible, but many threats or an attractive possession. Depending on how they react, he
are of captivity, mind control, or bodily transformation – and may find them entertaining and stay around to see what else
can be reversed without permanent harm. they’ll do. If cornered, though, he’ll speak to them – in fluent
Japanese – bargaining for his freedom.

A journey of a thousand li starts under one’s feet.

– Tao Te Ching, Chapter 64

Between Two Worlds 12

 Chapter Two

Travelers
Mighty-thewed warriors, cunning rogues, mysterious spell- lands they visit. Even if the visitors are skilled in combat or
casters – everyone knows what fantasy adventurers are like. crime, the portal realm’s inhabitants probably go about these
But heroes of portal fantasy are often none of these! Their activities in ways that are unfamiliar to them.
most important quality is that they aren’t native to the magical

The Reference Society

Some character traits reflect, not a person’s inherent quali- an entirely different society that has no knowledge of those
ties, but how that individual stands in a particular society. For socially defined categories, you won’t have the associated
example, an American in 1900 with TL6 technological skills traits there! Yet they may still be part of your life story, and
has neither High TL nor Low TL. In the world of Greek legend thus worth noting. To do this, write them on your character
at TL1, though, someone with exactly the same skills would sheet as usual, but with cost [0].
count as having High TL 5. Traits such as High TL and Low Traits that sometimes or always work this way in portal
TL define how an adventurer’s access to skills and equipment fantasy include:
compares to what’s normal where that character’s adventures
Claim to Hospitality: In most campaigns, the social group
take place.
is left behind.
The heroes of portal fantasies move between societies
Clerical Investment: Unless the same religion exists in the
in which their character traits would not be defined the same
portal realm, this won’t mean anything to its inhabitants. It
way. But it isn’t convenient to have multiple character sheets
might matter to other travelers, though; see Rank.
with different point totals. Instead, the GM should pick one
Contacts, Enemies, and Patrons: These inhabit a specific
society as the campaign’s reference society, and define char-
world and aren’t likely to appear in a new one (though a pow-
acter traits according to how that society sees them. This
erful Enemy or Patron might). This doesn’t apply to Allies or
ought to be the same society for all the PCs, so that the same
Dependents, who can perfectly well come along through a
entries on character sheets mean the same thing for every-
portal – and often should!
one. It would be awkward if a medieval knight had Low TL
Cultural Adaptability and Cultural Familiarity: These usu-
5 (relative to visitors from the 2010s) while his friend the
ally don’t apply to the cultures of a strange world. At the GM’s
computer programmer had High TL 5 (relative to the local
discretion, Xeno-Adaptability might allow an experienced
medieval village)!
interworld traveler to avoid cultural unfamiliarity penalties
For a campaign of permanent exile to a portal realm, or
in both (or all) of a campaign’s realms.
one about a prolonged stay, pick one of the societies of the
Debt and Independent Income: In a new world, you can nei-
portal realm as the reference society. This often works for a
ther pay nor collect an old world’s debts.
campaign about a series of shorter visits, too. But if a signif-
Duty: Nearly all such obligations are left behind when you
icant part of the action takes place in the adventurers’ home,
pass through a portal.
and especially if people from the portal realm can pay return
Fashion Sense: If your ability comes from deep familiarity
visits there, it may work better to treat the home society as the
with your native culture’s styles in clothing and grooming,
reference society.
you’ll lose it in a new society; treat it as a feature. If it’s innate
Yet it can be a challenge to figure out how a college student
genius that works in whatever culture you visit, it remains
from, say, present-day Boston or Tokyo would look to peo-
an advantage.
ple from a different and unfamiliar world. And providing the
Favor: If someone in your original world “owes you one,”
information needed to do so may spoil the surprise of encoun-
you’ll be unable to collect until you get back.
tering the new world, and take away the sense of discovery
Intolerance: If your prejudice is directed at a group that
that’s a payoff of the campaign.
doesn’t exist in the portal realm, you no longer have anyone to
There are two handy tricks for getting around this: zero-
dislike – unless a member of that group came with you!
point features and meta-traits.
Legal Enforcement Powers and Legal Immunity: These both
cease to exist in the new world.
Zero-Point Features Rank: This is defined within a particular organization. If a
significant part of that group comes with you and is cohesive
Some traits depend on how people in your native soci-
enough to keep functioning, Rank may still be meaningful.
ety see you, or on what they know about you. If you visit

Travelers 13
(Gamers with GURPS Social Engineering might want to use
its rules for repricing Rank, if most of the organization that M -T
eta raits
grants it is left behind.) Rank in a small or less cohesive group Anyone from Earth who enters a portal realm may have
is a feature. certain traits there simply by virtue of coming from Earth.
Reputation: All your established Reputations are forgotten These can be combined into a meta-trait. Players needn’t
in the new world. know what specific traits such a meta-trait includes when they
Secret: In many cases this won’t matter on the other side build their characters. The GM can take its point value into
of the portal. account when deciding how many points to allow for charac-
Security Clearance: Classified information gets left behind. ter creation.
Social Regard: Usually, whatever special social category The following traits are likely choices for a “person from
you belong to is unknown in the portal realm. Earth” meta-trait. For an example, see Transmundane (p. 18).
Social Stigma: Many stigmas cease to apply when you
Charisma: It’s common for travelers from Earth, even if
enter a new world. Criminal Record, Disowned, Minority
they were quite ordinary there, to become leaders or other-
Group, Subjugated, and Valuable Property don’t carry over,
wise influential in portal realms. One way to represent this
and Excommunicated, Ignorant, Minor, Second-Class Citizen,
is to allow them a level of Charisma. This may be simply a
or Uneducated may not. (Excommunicated might transfer if
narrative convention, or it might be a personal aura acquired
both realms have the same gods, if the gods are real and can
during the journey between worlds. Returnees from portal
make their feelings known to their worshippers.)
realms, such as Thomas the Rhymer or Coleridge’s ancient
Status: In most campaigns, this is lost in a new world, in
mariner, may have the same quality on Earth (see p. 20).
the same way as Reputation, making it a feature. However, the
High TL: Portal realms in fantasy are nearly always less
GM may rule that your air of confidence, your pride in your
advanced than Earth. Grant one level of High TL per tech level
possessions, and the attitudes of your companions make your
of difference.
Status visible in your new world; if so, treat it as an advantage
Mundane Background: This disadvantage is a central trope
or disadvantage as usual.
of portal fantasy! Nearly everyone on Earth has it, but it isn’t
Tenure: Your job may be waiting for you when you return,
worth any points .  .  . on Earth. In a realm of magic or the
but you don’t have it in the portal realm!
supernatural, it’s worth the full ‑10 points.
Wealth: Assets you leave behind
Oblivious: In a campaign that assumes
on Earth have no significance in
substantially different cultures, failure to
your new world. Assets you take
understand others’ motivations is a natu-
with you are subject to special Rules change in ral result of those differences.
rules; see Wealth and Possessions
(pp. 22-24). the Reaches. Zeroed: If the portal realm’s magi-
cal arts include divination, visitors from
Zeroed: Whatever the author-
ities of present-day Earth know
– Ursula Le Guin, other worlds may not be subject to it. The
advantage is worth the full 10 points in
about you is irrelevant once A Wizard of a magical society where soothsayers are
you’re through the portal. The
same reasoning applies to Alter- Earthsea common and commonly consulted; if true
prophets and seers are hardly ever met,
nate Identity and Secret Identity.
treat it as a perk.

Traits
Certain advantages, disadvantages, and skills merit fur- you rule, regardless of distance and without a dice roll. Any-
ther discussion when creating characters for portal-realm thing that injures the land injures you, and vice versa. This
campaigns. works by analogy and metaphor: if the king is crippled, the
army can’t fight; if the queen is barren, the crops will fail.

Advantages Magic or holy ritual that heals you can heal the land. You
are not specifically aware of any individuals within the land.
Several advantages are especially applicable to characters 10 points.
in portal fantasy, sometimes as variants of the usual versions.
Destiny
Blessed see p. B48
see pp. B40-41 A suitable Destiny is one way to account for characters get-
An additional form of Blessed may apply to some travel- ting to a portal realm (Pull, pp. 8-9). This is generally at the
ers to portal realms, particularly those who are brought there Minor Advantage level (“you are fated to play a small part in
because the realm needs them (Pull, pp. 8-9): a larger story”), but an individual traveler may have a higher
level. Indeed, one visitor may have Destiny at any level, even in
The King’s Two Bodies: Similar to Special Rapport (p. B88), a campaign where the party as a whole does not.
but with a country. You are aware of the condition of the land Some portal fantasies have a variant of this advantage.

Travelers 14
Destiny (Heritage) (pp. 18-19) – particularly prodigies in such fields as Hobby
You have a special background by virtue of your descent; (Chess), Mathematics, Musical Composition, or Tactics.
for example, you were born in a portal realm and exiled to
Earth in early childhood, or your ancestors fled to Earth and Weapon Adaptation
concealed their origins. There may be hints of your true iden- You’ve adapted the moves used with one group of weap-
tity in obscure records, family legends, or mysterious artifacts, ons to another class of weapons. This lets you wield the
but not enough to tell you the truth . . . not until you enter the weapons covered by one weapon skill using a different skill
portal realm! If these hints come from your own memories, and its techniques, with all the benefits and drawbacks of
take Racial Memory (p. 16) as well. If you have the potential that skill. Each adaptation is a separate perk; e.g., Weapon
for special abilities, that’s a secret advantage (below). Adaptation (Shortsword to Smallsword) lets you use the
Smallsword skill to fight when equipped with a Shortsword
weapon – complete with fencing parries, superior retreats,
Gizmos and encumbrance penalties.
see pp. B57-58 This perk, from GURPS Martial Arts, is useful in cam-
“Little gadgets from Earth” is a possible theme for an paigns that follow common portal-fantasy tropes about com-
adventurer in a portal realm. This is only suited to cinematic bat; see Combat Experience (pp. 29-30). While intended for
campaigns! Travelers in realistic campaigns must deal with melee weapons, visitors to portal realms may apply it to mis-
supplies running out, and lost or damaged equipment not sile weapons if the style of use is comparable; e.g., Weapon
being replaceable. Adaptation (Crossbow to Guns) permits using a pistol cross-
bow with Guns (Pistol).
No Mundane Background
10 points
Most Earth people who visit portal realms have Mun- Secret Advantages
dane Background (p. B144), and that’s included in the A portal realm is an excellent place to discover a secret
standard meta-trait (see Transmundane, p. 18). If for some advantage (p. B33), especially if the campaign theme
reason you don’t have this disadvantage, list its absence as includes self-discovery (p. 5). This fits easily into a “push”
a separate advantage. campaign (p. 8), with a character’s unfulfilled potentialities
being a source of chronic frustration. However, it can also
Patrons work in a “pull” campaign (pp. 8-9), where the adventurers
are sought out for gifts they didn’t know they had – or even
see pp. B72-74 a “chance” campaign (p. 8), where the point is that they
One way to get to a portal realm is to be sent or called might never have known what they were capable of.
there by a god or other powerful entity. This can be defined
as a Patron, typically with Minimal Intervention, Secret,
and Special Abilities. Being summoned or brought by a
native inhabitant, such as a mage, is also possible. The ability Possession
to do this counts as Special Abilities, but the summoner is
usually less powerful otherwise – whence the need for help! see pp. B75-76
Acquiring a native inhabitant’s help, instruction, and This advantage is normally under your control, allowing
protection in play is also possible. This normally requires you to choose your host and move from host to host. But if
a “Very Good” or “Excellent” reaction after at least a month you travel to a portal realm mentally (Dreams and Trances,
together – and a “Bad” or worse reaction gives ‑5 to future pp. 7-8), you might not have that much choice! You may be
rolls. For detailed rules, see Building Trust (GURPS Social drawn to one specific host (in a way analogous to Special
Engineering, pp. 40-41) and Finding a Master (Social Rapport; see p. 16) and be unable to change hosts. If you leave
Engineering, p. 41). The GM may choose to award the Patron that body, or are cast out (see Exorcism, p. 18), you return
without charging earned character points, if the relationship to your own body in your world of origin. This version of
has been roleplayed appropriately. Possession is a zero-point feature.
When you change bodies in this way, your host’s racial
template replaces your own. You retain your skills and mental
Perks attributes, but acquire your host’s physical attributes. If you’re
Two perks are especially appropriate for portal fantasy. going to remain in that host for the campaign’s duration, the
GM may allow you to choose those attributes and require you
Advanced Learning to pay for them out of your character-point budget; in that
You’ve managed to acquire one particular “book-learned” case, your original physical attributes and racial template are
skill despite having Social Stigma (Uneducated). If you later zero-point features!
buy off the Social Stigma, this perk loses its value. In com- If you repeatedly travel to the new world, the GM should
pensation, reduce the cost to remove the Social Stigma by one draw up a template for each host you occupy. This isn’t an
point per Advanced Learning perk, to a maximum of four points excuse for the GM to give you a damaged or defective body!
saved. Five perks automatically buy off the disadvantage. A fair guideline is for the GM to spend as many points on
This perk comes from GURPS Social Engineering: physical attributes and appearance as you spent on those
Back to School, and especially suits child characters traits for your original body.

Travelers 15
 In all cases, you won’t take any physical possessions with In a sense, all visitors to portal realms have “unusual
you – not even clothing. The GM may simply decide what your backgrounds”: they come from other worlds! But this isn’t
new body owns. worth points if it doesn’t grant tangible benefits, or if exist-
ing advantages already cover the benefits it gives. For exam-
Racial Memory ple, access to equipment and skills more advanced than
those of the portal realm is represented by High TL (see
see pp. B78-79 p. 14) – though taking High TL could require an Unusual
The Passive form of this advantage can represent fragmen- Background in a world where technological skills are as rare
tary knowledge of a portal realm, from childhood memories as Magery is on Earth.
or ancestral lore, to accompany Destiny (Heritage) (p. 15).
Wild Talent
Reawakened see pp. B99-100
see p. B80 This advantage can grant the use of skills native to the por-
If you’re a returnee (pp. 4, 20), you may come back to tal realm but uncommon or unheard of on Earth – spells, for
Earth long after you left (see Brief Visits, p. 6). The time before instance, making it one way for a mage-to-be (p. 20) to dis-
you entered the portal realm might be effectively a “past life,” cover a talent for magic! The Retention enhancement (+25%)
even though you didn’t actually die. If it was long enough ago, lets the user learn some of those skills permanently. If Wild
you may have skills for which teachers are no longer available. Talent works only for portal-realm skills unknown on Earth,
add Focused (‑20%).
Resistant
see pp. B80-81
People from present-day Earth could be Resistant to
Disadvantages
The following disadvantages are particularly likely to afflict
Propaganda (usually at the +3 level) due to having been
characters in portal fantasy.
exposed to it since infancy; this is an “Occasional” effect. A
broader version would be Resistant to Influence Skills, which
count as “Common” – Immunity to Influence Skills [15] is the Amnesia
same as Indomitable (p. B60). see p. B123
Partial Amnesia can come into a portal-fantasy campaign
Special Rapport in two characteristic ways:
see p. B88 • Exiled natives of a portal realm may have forgotten their
A traveler to a portal realm may discover this kind of true origins through immersion in Earthly life. This suits
unique bond with a native of the realm. This can provide an those who left as adults; those exiled as small children, or the
explanation for how the visitor got there in the first place – a descendants of exiles, should instead have Racial Memory
variant of Pull (pp. 8-9). (p. 16). Return to the portal realm might lead to the resto-
ration of memory. In a “push” campaign (p. 8), the first stir-
Unusual Background rings of memory could motivate an exile to seek out a portal.
• Earthly adventurers returned from a portal realm may
see p. B96 have a veil of forgetfulness drawn over their sojourn there.
In some cases, a visitor to a portal realm has capabilities This can help explain why the existence of portals and portal
that aren’t available to its natives. These can be represented as realms isn’t generally known.
an Unusual Background. That might mean being able to take
advantages or skills that are unknown in the portal realm,
if the GM thinks they’ll give the visitor a significant edge
Curious
there – though the usual examples (spells, cinematic skills, see p. B129
supernatural advantages, etc.) won’t apply to visitors from Some level of this disadvantage can help explain why
Earth. But it can also represent a special benefit that isn’t people would knowingly go into the mysterious land beyond
easily described using existing traits; see Trader (pp. 21-22) a portal.
for an example.

But I cannot help my strangeness. All my family are strange, for we

are all always – strangers. We are inconvenient nuisances, but it is not
our fault. We fall between two worlds, and neither can fit us in.
– Joy Chant, Red Moon and Black Mountain

Travelers 16
Delusions of education, which is expected; in their case, Social Stigma
(Uneducated) is worth 0 points. A child may take up to four
see p. B130 levels of the Advanced Learning perk (p. 15), or can gain full
Finding oneself in a portal realm sometimes gives rise to access to “book-learned” skills as an Unusual Background
the Delusion that its people and events aren’t real (“derealiza- worth 5 points, but will still have the legal disabilities of a
tion,” in psychological language). This can be anything from minor. (The GM may opt to disregard this for child PCs, espe-
a Minor Delusion, if it simply produces odd behavior, to a cially in a cinematic campaign.)
Severe one, if it results in suicidal risk-taking or horrendous Ordinarily, a child who reaches adult years but hasn’t been
crimes against inhabitants of the portal realm (as in Stephen educated trades Social Stigma (Minor) for Social Stigma
Donaldson’s Lord Foul’s Bane). (Uneducated), at no cost difference. One who gains a normal
adult education loses Social Stigma (Minor) and the Unusual
Destiny Background (it’s not unusual for adults), again at no net dif-
ference in cost.
see pp. B131-132
This works much like the advantageous form (pp. 14-15).
Weirdness Magnet
Honesty see p. B161
If portals to other worlds exist, anyone with this disadvan-
see pp. B138-139
tage is almost guaranteed to stumble over them!
Part of the appeal of portal realms as settings is greater
freedom of action – which often means “less law and order”!
For example, shortly after her arrival, Dorothy Gale is told that Xenophilia
Kansas is a civilized country, but Oz is not. Such differences see p. B162
create opportunities for this disadvantage to come into play. Being a xenophile doesn’t necessarily compel you to enter
a portal realm – but it can make the experience of being there
Pacifism fascinating. Conversely, if you’re visibly different from the
native inhabitants, any of them with Xenophilia will take a
see p. B148
friendly (perhaps too friendly!) interest in you . . .
In many campaigns, it’s quite plausible for visitors from
Earth to have the Reluctant Killer version of this disadvan-
tage. Combat in fantasy settings tends to be up close and per-
sonal. Realistically, many people who stray into such worlds I met a traveler from
won’t be accustomed to this; it would be particularly likely for an antique land.
children to feel this way, and perhaps disturbing for them not
to. On the other hand, some portal fantasies disregard this – Percy Bysshe Shelley,
issue, and the GM could choose to do so as well.
“Ozymandias”
Phobias
see pp. B148-150
A portal realm provides opportunities to experience such Skills
conditions as Hoplophobia, Manaphobia, or Teratophobia – or A number of skills are really useful for heroes of por-
in some cases, to acquire them! A sufferer from Xenophobia tal fantasy! Others have specialties that apply to portal
could be in constant and perhaps crippling terror there, and realms – including skills that specialize by planet type, terrain,
might never enter a portal realm voluntarily. In contrast, culture, or the like. And still others work differently.
Technophobia is reduced to a ‑5-point disadvantage in low-
tech portal realms. Administration
see p. B174
Secret Anyone who has attended college, performed military
see pp. B152-153 service, or worked for a large corporation or a government
Being a visitor from another world could certainly attract agency has experience in dealing with bureaucracies. Most
unwelcome attention – and possibly worse! Many travelers portal realms seem to be run far less bureaucratically! It’s
will want to keep it secret. plausible to allow people from Earth to have a modest level of
Administration skill just from getting through everyday life.
Social Stigma
see pp. B155-156
Cartography
For most people, Social Stigma (Uneducated) is worth ‑5 see p. B183
points and gives ‑1 to reactions. It’s normal for children to A roll against Cartography allows you to draw a map
lack education – but they also have Social Stigma (Minor), of unfamiliar terrain, which you can subsequently use
worth ‑5 points and giving ‑2 to reactions when trying to deal as a resource for finding your way (see The Lay of the
with others as an adult. They get no extra penalty for lack Land, pp. 25-26).

Travelers 17
Connoisseur Exorcism
see p. B185 see p. B193
Some additional specialties can be useful in a portal-fan- Travelers who arrive in portal realms in disembodied form,
tasy campaign – particularly for traders. Examples are Arms and either remain that way or possess local inhabitants, can
and Armor, Clothing, Cuisine, Horses, Jewelry, and Rare be forced to leave using this skill. In this case, the ritual’s
Books (not the same as Literature). A villainous NPC may spe- effectiveness depends not on the culture of the traveler, but on
cialize in Slaves (for beautiful or talented slaves, not common that of the god, spirit, or other power that granted the visitor
servants or field hands). the ability to enter the portal realm. At the GM’s discretion,
Skill defaults, at the usual ‑3, are: Armoury (Body Armor, Exorcism might also work on travelers who assume bodily
Melee Weapons, or Missile Weapons) for Arms and Armor; form on appearing in a portal realm.
Sewing for Clothing; Cooking for Cuisine; Animal Handling
(Equines) for Horses; Jeweler for Jewelry; Artist (Calligraphy, Hidden Lore
Graphic Design, or Illumination) or Leatherworking for
Rare Books; and Artist (Body Art or Sculpting) or Teaching see pp. B199-200
for Slaves. You can specialize in a particular portal realm whose exis-
tence isn’t generally known. This includes knowledge of settle-
ments and other important sites, and their general locations;
Current Affairs rulers and powerful entities; and the major ways in which the
see pp. B186-187 laws of nature are different.
In many fantasy settings, news travels slowly. Except for
the Regional specialty for a city, the penalty for being out Law
of touch is ‑1 per week instead of per day – but knowledge
obtained from a successful roll is much less current. The stan- see p. B204
dard news media are local gossip and visits from traveling A new specialty is useful in some portal realms, especially
bards; letters from informed people in faraway places are the for a savior (p. 21):
equivalent of subscribing to a news service. Comparative: Similarly to Theology (Comparative), this is
knowledge of the similarities and differences between legal
Dreaming systems. Use this specialty, in particular, to devise a legal code
see p. B188 or write a constitution for a people, polity, or society that lacks
one, or that has a badly flawed one that needs major reforms.
If portal realms are reached through dreams (Dreams and
The Law of any region and field routinely studied by scholars
Trances, pp. 7-8), a traveler who has visited such a realm may
in your game world defaults to this specialty at ‑5.
be able to return by making a Dreaming roll.

Templates
Several character types turn up repeatedly in portal fan- Most of the templates in this section include a meta-trait
tasy. These aren’t occupations in the normal sense – visiting based on typical assumptions of present-day portal fantasy.
portal realms is usually too far from normal experience to
become a job, career, or social role! Rather, they’re specific Transmundane
ways in which a character can fit into a portal realm.
Represent your occupation before you entered the por- 20 points
tal realm by adding further skills or other traits. To pay for Advantages: Charisma 1 [5]; High TL 5* [25].
these, the GM should allow some extra character points over Disadvantages: Mundane Background [‑10].
and above the point cost of the campaign’s usual template, * A typical level based on the difference between
and/or permit taking more Earth’s current TL8 and the TL3 of many fantasy
disadvantages than the worlds. Adjust this to fit the campaign premise.
template includes. The use
of templates isn’t manda- I wanted the feeling
tory. An ordinary college
student, office worker, or
of romance and C
hild
mechanic without special the sense of wonder 0 points
adventuring skills can You never completely stopped believing in
be built with knowledge, I had known as a kid. magic, and it turns out you were right! You’ve
crossed into a new world where legends and fairy
occupational, and recre- – Robert Heinlein, tales are real, and sometimes frightening. But it
ational skills that reflect
life before becoming an Glory Road also gives you more freedom and more responsi-
interworld castaway. bility than children have on Earth, forcing you and
your companions to grow.

Travelers 18
 Your adventures may have a goal such as rescuing a
younger sibling, or preventing a parent from dying (as
in C.S. Lewis’ The Magician’s Nephew or Edward Eager’s
Knight’s Castle). This can count as a Higher Purpose.
On this template, Native Language (Accented) isn’t
literally an accent, but reflects a smaller vocabulary,
simpler sentence structure, and difficult in reading and
pronouncing some words. Math-Shy is unfamiliarity
with advanced arithmetic: ‑1 to Mathematics and related
skills. Children in fantasy realms commonly have as
much freedom of action as adults, so they lack Social
Stigma (Minor) and instead have Social Stigma (Uned-
ucated), which makes most book-learned skills unavail-
able – though Advanced Learning (p. 15) can partially
compensate for this. No Mundane Background (p. 15)
cancels out the Mundane Background included in Trans-
mundane – children are not closed off to the possibility
of magic!
Attributes: ST 9 [‑10]; DX 9 [‑20]; IQ 9 [‑20]; HT 11 [10].
Secondary Characteristics: Damage 1d-2/1d-1; BL 16
lbs.; HP 9 [0]; Will 11 [10]; Per 9 [0]; FP 11 [0]; Basic
Speed 5.00 [0]; Basic Move 5 [0].
Advantages: No Mundane Background [10] and Transmun- Explorer
dane [20]. • 20 points chosen from among ST +1 [10], HT 100 points
+1 [10], Per +1 [5], Basic Move +1 [5], Advanced Learning
You have skills that let you make your way in a strange
1-4 [1/level], Animal Empathy [5], Appearance (Attractive
land. Exploring can be a profession, but you may also have
or Handsome/Beautiful) [4 or 12], Daredevil [15], Fit [5],
gained these skills while traveling for other reasons – from
Gizmos [5/gizmo], Higher Purpose [5], Magery 0 [5], True
personal curiosity to a holy pilgrimage.
Faith [15], Voice [10], or additional Charisma [5/level].
Disadvantages: Math-Shy [‑1]; Native Language (Accented) Attributes: ST 10 [0]; DX 11 [20]; IQ 11 [20]; HT 11 [10].
[‑2]; Pacifism (Reluctant Killer) [‑5]; and Social Stigma Secondary Characteristics: Damage 1d-2/1d; BL 20 lbs.; HP
(Uneducated) [‑5]. • ‑10 points chosen from among Bad 10 [0]; Will 11 [0]; Per 11 [0]; FP 11 [0]; Basic Speed 5.50
Sight [‑10], Gluttony [‑5*], Impulsiveness [‑10*], Oblivious [0]; Basic Move 5 [0].
[‑5], Overconfidence [‑5*], Post-Combat Shakes [‑5*], Short Advantages: Transmundane [20]. • 15 points chosen from
Attention Span [‑10*], Shyness (Mild or Severe) [‑5 or ‑10], among Per +1 to +3 [5/level], Absolute Direction [5], Dan-
Stubbornness [‑5], Truthfulness [‑5*], or Xenophilia [‑10*]. ger Sense [15], Fearlessness [2/level], Fit [5] or Very Fit
Skills: Three of Brawling, Hobby Skill (DX-based), Liquid [15], Gizmos [5/gizmo], Hard to Kill [2/level], Language
Projector (Squirt Gun), or Sewing, all (E) DX [1]‑9; Boat- Talent [10], or Sensitive [5] or Empathy [15].
ing (Sailboat or Unpowered), Climbing, Dancing, Riding Disadvantages: ‑10 points chosen from among Callous [‑5],
(Horse), Sports (any), Stealth, Throwing, or Wrestling, Code of Honor (Gentleman’s or Soldier’s) [‑10], Curious
all (A) DX-1 [1]‑8; Sleight of Hand (H) DX-2 [1]‑7; First [‑5*], Honesty [‑10*], Loner [‑5*], Overconfidence [‑5*],
Aid, Games (any), Gardening, Hobby Skill (IQ-based), or Pacifism (Cannot Harm Innocents) [‑10], Sense of Duty
Housekeeping, all (E) IQ [1]‑9; Animal Handling (any), (Fellow explorers) [‑5], Social Stigma (Minority Group)
Astronomy (Observational), Fast-Talk, or Navigation (Land [‑10], Stubbornness [‑5], or Xenophilia [‑10*].
or Sea), all (A) IQ-1 [1]‑8; Leadership or Public Speaking, Primary Skills: Gesture (E) IQ+1 [2]‑12; Observation (A)
both (A) IQ [1]‑9†; Artist (Drawing or Painting), Mimicry Per+1 [4]‑12; and Survival (any land terrain) (A) Per+2
(Animal Sounds or Bird Calls), Musical Instrument (any), [8]‑13.
or Naturalist, all (H) IQ-2 [1]‑7; Singing or Swimming, both Secondary Skills: Navigation (Land or Sea) (A) IQ [2]‑11.
(E) HT [1]‑11; Hiking or Running, both (A) HT-1 [1]‑10; • One of Anthropology, Diplomacy, Geography (Physical
Intimidation (A) Will-1 [1]‑10; or Fishing or Scrounging, or Political), Linguistics, Mathematics (Surveying), Natu-
both (E) Per [1]‑9. ralist, Psychology, Sociology, or Surgery (Field-Expedient),
all (H) IQ [4]‑11; or Body Language (A) Per+1 [4]‑12.
* Multiplied for self-control number; see p. B120.
Background Skills: First Aid (E) IQ [1]‑11 and Leadership (A)
† Includes +1 from Charisma (in Transmundane).
IQ [1]‑11†. • Either Cartography or Writing, both (A) IQ-1
[1]‑10. • One of Boating (Sailboat or Unpowered), Riding
Customization Notes
(any), or Stealth, all (A) DX-1 [1]‑10; or Hiking (A) HT-1
This template is designed for a boy or girl at the edge of [1]‑10. • One of Leatherworking or Sewing, both (E) DX
adolescence, perhaps age 12. For younger or older children, [1]‑11; or Carpentry or Masonry, both (E) IQ [1]‑11.
adjust attributes down or up (see p. B20). Much younger
children may have Innumerate [‑5] instead of Math-Shy, and * Multiplied for self-control number; see p. B120.
know only the spoken form of their native language. † Includes +1 from Charisma (in Transmundane).

Travelers 19
Mage-to-Be Weirdness Magnet, or Xenophilia, which you can buy off once
you start casting spells or performing rituals.
90 points Attributes: ST 10 [0]; DX 10 [0]; IQ 12 [40]; HT 10 [0].
At the start of the campaign, you’re unaware of your magical Secondary Characteristics: Damage 1d-2/1d; BL 20 lbs.; HP
capabilities – life on Earth hasn’t given them a chance to man- 10 [0]; Will 12 [0]; Per 12 [0]; FP 10 [0]; Basic Speed 5.00
ifest themselves. You must buy off the Mundane Background [0]; Basic Move 5 [0].
included in Transmundane before actually learning magic (see Advantages: Magery 0 [5] and Transmundane [20]. • 30
Learning Magic, pp. 30-32). However, your awakening magical points chosen from among IQ +1 [20], Eidetic Memory [5]
talent may subject you to Absent-Mindedness, Nightmares, or Photographic Memory [10], Language Talent [10], Mag-
ery 1+ [10/level], Single-Minded [5], Visualization [10], or
Wild Talent 1 [20].
Disadvantages: ‑15 points chosen from among
Returnee Absent-Mindedness [‑15], Clueless [‑10], Code of Honor
(Professional) [‑5], Nightmares [‑5*], Oblivious [‑5],
0 points Overconfidence [‑5*], Pacifism (Reluctant Killer) [‑5],
If it’s possible to travel to a portal realm, it may be pos- Post-Combat Shakes [‑5*], Weirdness Magnet [‑15],
sible to come back. Returnees are likely to have abilities Workaholic [‑5], or Xenophilia [‑10*].
gained during their sojourns. These could be entirely mun- Primary and Secondary Skills: Research (A) IQ+1 [4]‑13.
dane, similar to those a traveler or explorer might acquire • One of Anthropology, Archaeology, Computer Pro-
by living in another country. If time passes differently in gramming, Mathematics (Pure), Philosophy (any), or
the portal realm (see Brief Visits, p. 6), it may affect skill Theology (any), all (H) IQ [4]‑12.
options: an adult who entered a portal realm long ago and Background Skills: One of Sleight of Hand (H) DX-1 [2]‑9;
returned in the recent past might have skills now rare or Occultism or Poetry, both (A) IQ [2]‑12; Fortune-Tell-
entirely lost (see Reawakened, p. 16); a child who lived ing (A) IQ+1 [2]‑13†; Artist (any), Cryptography, or
through years in a portal realm may have skills children Religious Ritual (any), all (H) IQ-1 [2]‑11; Dreaming or
rarely learn. Being a returnee could also explain how a Meditation, both (H) Will-1 [2]‑11; or Esoteric Medicine
character learned magic or cinematic martial-arts skills, (H) Per-1 [2]‑11.
or gained superhuman powers.
Time in a portal realm can be simply backstory, * Multiplied for self-control number; see p. B120.
explaining the origins of an adventurer who now has † Includes +1 from Charisma (in Transmundane).
other concerns. But some returnees acquire a mission,
like Coleridge’s ancient mariner, compelled to travel about Customization Notes
teaching the necessity of love for all living creatures. This template assumes the use of standard (mana-based)
Because the possible effects are so varied, being a GURPS Magic, for which Magery 0 is usually a prerequi-
returnee is treated as a lens that can be applied to many site. It also works for other varieties of magic that require
different character types. or greatly benefit from Magery (Ritual Path magic, some
other forms of flexible magic, many versions of Path/Book
Advantages: Charisma 1 [5]. • 15 points chosen from magic). If spells can be cast without Magery (e.g., in a high-
among Fit [5], Higher Purpose [5], Reawakened [10], mana setting), the mandatory Magery 0 can be replaced
Unusual Background [Varies], Zeroed [10], or addi- with another 5 points of optional advantages.
tional Charisma [5/level]. In a “magic as powers” setting (p. 32, and see also
Disadvantages: Delusion (Minor) [‑5] or Secret (Serious GURPS Thaumatology), remove both Magery 0 and fur-
Embarrassment) [‑5]. • ‑15 points chosen from among ther levels of Magery from the template, and add another 5
Low TL [‑5/level], Nightmares [‑5*], Obsession (Return points of optional advantages. These advantages can include
to portal realm) [‑10*], Vow [‑5 to ‑15], Weirdness Mag- a suitable power Talent, such as Chinese Elemental Talent
net [‑15], or increasing Secret to (Utter Rejection or (GURPS Thaumatology: Chinese Elemental Powers) or
Imprisonment or Exile) [‑5 or ‑15]. Sorcery Talent (GURPS Thaumatology: Sorcery).
* Multiplied for self-control number; see p. B120. In a high-powered campaign, a mage-to-be may have
more expensive advantages: Gadgeteer (perhaps special-
Customization Notes ized to spells or rituals), multiple levels of Magery, one or
Higher Purpose should reflect a personal mission based more versions of Path/Book Adept, or Ritual Adept (for
on experience in the portal realm. Unusual Background is Ritual Path magic). To allow purchase of such impressive
appropriate if a returnee has abilities that are otherwise traits, raise the template cost by 50 points. Such a character
unavailable; it’s worth 5 points if it grants a child access could act as a magical equivalent of a savior (p. 21).
to adult skills that would normally be off limits (see Social
Stigma, p. 17) or 10 points if it’s equivalent to Reawakened
(p. 16). Higher-value Unusual Backgrounds for supers and Outcast
similar characters should usually be bought separately 100 points
from this lens, along with the associated exotic or super- You left Earth because you had to: powerful enemies
natural traits. were closing in on you, and flight to an unknown world was
less daunting than what they intended if they caught you.

Travelers 20
You have a variety of skills suited to hiding, fleeing, acquiring Higher Purpose [5], Language Talent [10], Patron [Varies],
resources, and protecting yourself inconspicuously. Reawakened [10], Resistant to Influence Skills (+3 or +8)
[5 or 7] or Indomitable [15], Sensitive [5] or Empathy [15],
Attributes: ST 10 [0]; DX 11 [20]; IQ 11 [20]; HT 10 [0].
True Faith [15], Voice [10], Weapon Master (One specific
Secondary Characteristics: Damage 1d-2/1d; BL 20 lbs.; HP
weapon) [20] , or additional Charisma [5/level] or a greater
10 [0]; Will 11 [0]; Per 11 [0]; FP 10 [0]; Basic Speed 5.25
Destiny [5 or 10].
[0]; Basic Move 5 [0].
Disadvantages: One of Charitable (12) [‑15], Fanaticism [‑15],
Advantages: Transmundane [20]. • One of Per +3 [15], Dan-
or Sense of Duty (Humanity) [‑15].  • ‑15 points chosen
ger Sense [15], or Empathy [15]. • A further 15 points cho-
from among Chronic Pain (Old Wound) [Varies], Code of
sen from among the previous traits or Absolute Direction
Honor (Professional, Gentleman’s, or Soldier’s) [‑5 or ‑10],
[5], Combat Reflexes [15], Fearlessness [2/level], Fit [5] or
Compulsive Generosity [‑5*], Overconfidence [‑5*], Paci-
Very Fit [15], Flexibility [5], Hard to Subdue [2/level], Lan-
fism (Cannot Harm Innocents or Self-Defense Only) [‑10 or
guage Talent [10], or Resistant to Influence Skills (+3 or +8)
‑15], Post-Combat Shakes [‑5*], or Workaholic [‑5].
[5 or 7] or Indomitable [15].
Primary Skills: Diplomacy (H) IQ+1 [8]‑13 and Leadership
Disadvantages: ‑15 points chosen from among Bloodlust
(A) IQ+2 [4]‑14†.  • Two of Administration, Politics, Pro-
[‑10*], Charitable [‑15*], Chronic Pain (Old Wound) [Var-
paganda, or Teaching, all (A) IQ+1 [4]‑13; or Law (Com-
ies], Code of Honor (Pirate’s, Gentleman’s, or Soldier’s) [‑5
parative), Religious Ritual (any), Shiphandling (Ship), or
or ‑10], Flashbacks [Varies], Nightmares [‑5*], One Eye
Strategy (any), all (H) IQ [4]‑12.
[‑15], or Pacifism (Cannot Harm Innocents or Self-Defense
Secondary Skills: Public Speaking (A) IQ [1]‑12†. • Two of
Only) [‑10 or ‑15].
Economics, Expert Skill (Military Science or Political Sci-
Primary Skills: Holdout (A) IQ+1 [4]‑12 and Stealth (A) DX+1
ence), Finance, Intelligence Analysis, Mathematics (Sur-
[4]‑12. • One of Brawling, Garrote, Guns (Pistol), Knife,
veying), Philosophy (any), Psychology, Tactics, or Theology
Liquid Projector (Sprayer), or Thrown Weapon (Knife,
(any), all (H) IQ [4]‑12; or Detect Lies (H) Per [4]‑12.
Shuriken, or Stick), all (E) DX+2 [4]‑13; Shortsword or
Background Skills: Savoir-Faire (High Society or Military)
Throwing, both (A) DX+1 [4]‑12; or Blowpipe or Sling,
(E) IQ [1]‑12. • Five of Riding (any) (A) DX-1 [1]‑11; First
both (H) DX [4]‑11.
Aid, Masonry, or Seamanship, all (E) IQ [1]‑12; Navigation
Secondary Skills: Acting (A) IQ [2]‑11; Observation (A) Per
(Sea) or Soldier, both (A) IQ-1 [1]‑11; Carousing (E) HT
[2]‑11; and Scrounging (E) Per [1]‑11. • Either Hiking
[1]‑12; Hiking (A) HT-1 [1]‑11; or 1 point in a weapon skill.
or Running, both (A) HT [2]‑10. • One of Fast-Talk, Sol-
dier, or Streetwise, all (A) IQ [2]‑11; Diplomacy, Forgery, * Multiplied for self-control number; see p. B120.
Intelligence Analysis, or Psychology, all (H) IQ-1 [2]‑10; or † Includes +1 from Charisma (in Transmundane).
Urban Survival (A) Per [2]‑11. • Another 2 points in one
additional combat skill from those above, or in one of Fast-
Draw (Knife, Pistol, or Sword) (DX/E), Wrestling (DX/A),
or Judo or Karate (DX/H). The kingdom of heaven is
Background Skills: Two of Escape (H) DX-2 [1]‑9; First
Aid (E) IQ [1]‑11; Administration, Disguise, Merchant, like unto a merchant man,
Research, or Traps, all (A) IQ-1 [1]‑10; Expert Skill (Con-
spiracy Theory, Military Science, or Political Science) (H) seeking goodly pearls; who,
IQ-2 [1]‑9; or Body Language or Survival (any), both (A)
Per-1 [1]‑10.
when he had found one pearl
* Multiplied for self-control number; see p. B120.
of great price, went and sold all
that he had, and bought it.
Savior – Matthew 13:45-46
175 points
Your journey brought you to a world in peril, which
you chose to help. More than just an adventurer, you’re a
leader, able to bring people together in a time of struggle. To
those you lead, it seems that you were sent to them by some
Trader
higher power. 125 points
You have access to a portal that lets you make repeated
Attributes: ST 10 [0]; DX 12 [40]; IQ 12 [40]; HT 12 [20]. journeys between Earth and a portal realm, and you exploit
Secondary Characteristics: Damage 1d-2/1d; BL 20 lbs.; HP this to carry goods back and forth to earn a profit. You’ve done
10 [0]; Will 12 [0]; Per 12 [0]; FP 12 [0]; Basic Speed 6.00 this often enough that you’re knowledgeable about the portal
[0]; Basic Move 6 [0]. realm: you know the geography, the culture, and a language
Advantages: Destiny (Minor Advantage) [5] and Transmun- of one of its societies, and you fully accept the supernatural
dane [20].  • One of ST +2 [20], DX +1 [20], IQ +1 [20], as real. Your ventures have earned you a measure of wealth,
Will +4 [20], or 20 points in a suitable Talent. • A further and you display enough of it to be treated with respect. You’ve
25 points chosen from among Blessed (The King’s Two invested 80% of your money in merchandise (see Interworld
Bodies) [10], Combat Reflexes [15], Fearlessness [2/level], Trade, pp. 32-33).

Travelers 21
 The Unusual Background this template offers represents Gluttony [‑5†], Greed [‑15†], Honesty [‑10†], Miserliness
the ability to buy goods that are readily available on Earth [‑10†], Obsession [‑5† or ‑10†], Overconfidence [‑5†], Paci-
but unavailable in the portal realm – except through you (see fism (any except Total Nonviolence) [Varies], Post-Combat
Shopping List, p. 33). This doesn’t represent higher-TL mer- Shakes [‑5†], Secret (Trade Route) [‑5], Selfish [‑5†], Sense
chandise (that’s covered by the High TL advantage, p. 14), of Duty (Employees) [‑5], or Workaholic [‑5].
but liquor, chocolate, spices, exotic flowers or pets, fine cloth, Primary Skills: Administration (A) IQ+1 [2]‑12‡ and Mer-
toys, and other luxuries. The advantage depends on your hav- chant (A) IQ+2 [4]‑13‡.
ing a monopoly; once other traders start competing with you, Secondary Skills: Diplomacy (H) IQ [4]‑11 and Finance (H)
your profits fall to normal levels, so your trade route can be IQ [2]‑11‡. • Either Freight Handling or Packing, both (A)
treated as a Secret. IQ [2]‑11. • One of Riding (any) (A) DX [2]‑10; Connoisseur
(category of merchandise), Fast-Talk, Holdout, Navigation
Attributes: ST 10 [0]; DX 10 [0]; IQ 11 [20]; HT 12 [20].
(Land or Sea), or Smuggling, all (A) IQ [2]‑11; Leadership
Secondary Characteristics: Damage 1d-2/1d; BL 20 lbs.; HP
or Public Speaking, both (A) IQ+1 [2]‑12¶; Propaganda (A)
10 [0]; Will 11 [0]; Per 11 [0]; FP 12 [0]; Basic Speed 5.50
IQ+1 [2]‑12‡; Law (Commercial) (H) IQ-1 [2]‑10; or Body
[0]; Basic Move 5 [0].
Language (A) Per [2]‑11.
Advantages: Business Acumen 1 [10]; Cultural Familiarity
Background Skills: Accounting (H) IQ-1 [1]‑10‡ and Area
(one society of portal realm) [1]; Language (one language of
Knowledge (trading area) (E) IQ [1]‑11. • Two of Current
portal realm; Accented) [4]; No Mundane Background [10];
Affairs (Business), First Aid, or Savoir-Faire (High Society
Status 1* [0]; Transmundane [20]; and Wealth (Wealthy)
or Servant), all (E) IQ [1]‑11; Cartography, Heraldry (Mak-
[20].  • 15 points chosen from among Absolute Direction
ers’ Marks), Speed-Reading, Teaching, Weather Sense, or
[5], Business Acumen 2 [10], Claim to Hospitality (Por-
Writing, all (A) IQ-1 [1]‑10; Psychology (H) IQ-2 [1]‑9; Eco-
tal-realm trade partners) [5], Fashion Sense [5], Gizmos [5/
nomics (H) IQ-1 [1]‑10‡; or Carousing (E) HT [1]‑12.
gizmo], Language Talent [10], Reputation (Pay your debts)
[Varies], Resistant to Influence Skills (+3 or +8) [5 or 7], * Includes +1 from Wealth.
Unusual Background (Exotic Goods) [5], Voice [10], or † Multiplied for self-control number; see p. B120.
additional Status [5/level] or Wealth (Very Wealthy) [10]. ‡ Includes +1 from Business Acumen.
Disadvantages: ‑15 points chosen from among Code of Honor ¶ Includes +1 from Charisma (in Transmundane).
(Professional) [‑5], Disciplines of Faith (Ritualism) [‑5],

And the night-fires going out, and the lack of shelters,

And the cities hostile and the towns unfriendly,
And the villages dirty and charging high prices:
A hard time we had of it.
– T.S. Eliot, “Journey of the Magi”

Wealth and Possessions

Portal fantasy has some special conditions that make wealth level (p. B25) in the reference society and buy equip-
accounting for possessions less than straightforward: ment with the resulting money.
• Earth and the portal realm probably have different TLs, There are two options for resolving this: A quick, approxi-
where any particular amount of starting wealth (p. B26) has mate method that focuses on Wealth, and a detailed method
different point costs. that focuses on possessions.
• Earth’s money isn’t legal tender in the starting realm.
• Travelers normally can’t take all their assets with them;
if the portal realm is the reference society, anything left on Wealth-Based Method
Earth is a zero-point feature. This approach makes several simplifying assumptions:
• Some possessions may be of a higher TL than the por-
tal realm’s; their cost is doubled for each level of difference • The assets travelers carry are worth up to half the value
(p. B27). of their movable possessions (p. B26).
• In most campaigns, players won’t know about the portal • The weight of movable possessions isn’t accounted for
realm ahead of time; they lack the information to choose a in detail.

Travelers 22
 • No TL multiplier applies to
high-tech equipment – both because
not all equipment is high-tech and
because high-tech equipment is no Possessions? What Possessions?
longer useful when ammunition, The Wealth-Based Method (pp. 22-23) and Possessions-Based Method (below)
fuel, or batteries run out. both assume that the travelers have some advance notice of the journey, and a
chance to plan. But that isn’t always true! The heroes of some tales are swept off
Each traveler starts with a given
to enchanted kingdoms without warning, carrying only what they happen to have
wealth level on Earth. This has no
with them. This can be played for harsh realism, as interworld castaways struggle
character point cost. Most visitors
to survive in an unfamiliar realm, or optimistically, with the new world’s inhabi-
take 10% of their starting wealth
tants ready to help their strange visitors.
with them; rootless adventurers
It’s possible to define such a lack of resources as a combination of two traits:
take 50%. In the portal realm, no
traveler has a settled lifestyle – the • You have a variant form of Dead Broke (p. B25). As with the standard ver-
movable possessions they bring sion, you have no job, no source of income, and no money, and own only the
along become their new starting clothes you’re wearing. These clothes can be whatever was appropriate to your
wealth. Since all of this wealth is Status in your original world; they don’t have to be cheaply made, ill-fitting, or
movable, it’s compared with 100% falling apart. You can also carry minor personal items: matches or a lighter, a
of starting wealth for the new TL. knife or multi-tool, makeup, a few snacks, or the like. If you routinely carry some-
If the amount falls between two thing more substantial, such as a pistol or laptop, you can pay its cost in the por-
wealth levels, use the point cost for tal realm (taking TL multipliers into account; see below) with Trading Points for
the next-higher level. Money (p. B26) – but you can’t have actual money.
It’s convenient to create a table • You have the ability to buy off this disadvantage after becoming familiar
of point costs for wealth levels on with the portal realm. This is Not Dead Broke treated as a potential advantage
Earth, based on the TL difference. (p. B33) worth 13 points. When you’ve paid the remaining 12 points, your wealth
The following table – for travelers level is Average; raising it higher than that has the normal point cost.
from TL8 Earth to a TL3 world – is
an example:
Wealth Level • Use the guidelines in the subsections that follow to deter-
on Earth Starting Wealth Point Cost mine values for these possessions in the portal realm.
Settled Wanderers Settled Wanderers • Find the wealth level that’s sufficient to pay for all the
Dead Broke      $0      $0 -25 -25 possessions at the portal realm’s TL, determine its point cost,
Poor    $400   $2,000 -10 10 and use this in designing the character.
Struggling   $1,000   $5,000 0 20 • If the resulting point cost is too high, go back and adjust
Average   $2,000 $10,000 10 30 the choice of possessions – and perhaps the initial wealth level
Comfortable   $4,000 $20,000 20 30 on Earth – until you’re satisfied with the result.
Wealthy $10,000 $50,000 30 50
Treat wealth levels higher than Wealthy on Earth as Clothing
Wealthy – there’s a limit to how much a traveler can carry! If The cost of starting clothing doesn’t come out of starting
you were Filthy Rich on Earth, you just leave a bigger share of wealth, so it doesn’t count toward the wearer’s wealth level
your assets behind. in the portal realm. However, its weight counts as part of the
Travelers can spend their movable funds on possessions encumbrance carried into that realm. See Clothing, p. B266.
and equipment that will go with them – see the next section The cost of items of apparel bought separately from
for guidelines. It isn’t necessarily to account for the weight in basic clothing for a fixed price – notably, rugged garments
detail, but the GM may rule out excessively heavy items such such as cloaks, trench coats, and boots – does come out of
as refrigerators and mainframe computers. Unspent funds starting wealth, and counts toward the owner’s wealth level
have no value in a portal realm (though paper money makes in the portal realm. Don’t apply a multiplier for TL differ-
good kindling!). ence, however.
Actual armor – and specialized protective gear such as

Possessions-Based Method
camouflage clothing and gas masks – also comes out of start-
ing wealth. It is subject to a multiplier for TL difference.
For greater accuracy at the cost of increased complexity, The GM can require a plausible background for its owners,
focus on actual possessions. Perform the following steps for whether as combat troops, firefighters, or reenactors. In some
each character: cases, a minor Unusual Background, worth perhaps 5 points,
may be appropriate.
• Define a wealth level and starting wealth on Earth.
• Spend the appropriate amount (20% or 100%) of starting
wealth on movable possessions. Muscle-Powered Weapons
• Choose which of these to take, and add up weights until Most kinds of muscle-powered weapons fall in the TL0-3
they reach a preferred maximum load (not more than 10¥BL range; cost multipliers for higher TLs are uncommon, and
in any case). disregarding them outright won’t create many problems.

Travelers 23
If the GM chooses to account for TL differences, note that carbine (p. B279), which costs $900 on Earth, is worth $28,800
fencing weapons such as sabers and smallswords are TL4. in a TL3 portal realm; carrying such a weapon would qualify
However, any weapon with a steel blade from a TL7+ world its owner as Filthy Rich.
(including Earth, in most portal fantasy) is considered to be of A firearm that’s out of ammunition is little more than an
fine quality; see p. B274. This doesn’t raise its cost on Earth, expensive club. Travelers may carry extra ammo, but this adds
but multiplies it in the portal realm: ¥4 for fencing- or sword- to their wealth. For example, the 31-round full load for that
class weapons, ¥3 for spears or arrows, or ¥10 for cutting assault carbine weighs 1 lb. and so costs $20 at TL8 – but that
weapons such as axes. becomes $640 at TL3, making each round worth over $20.
Weapons incorporating advanced technology – e.g., com- Strict fire discipline is recommended!
pound bows (GURPS High-Tech, p. 201) and chainsaws – do
receive multipliers for higher TL. Electronics
Electronic devices are always subject to cost multipliers for
Firearms TL differences; e.g., a TL8 handheld radio (GURPS High-Tech,
Always take differences in TL into account with fire- p. 38) is worth $8,000 in a TL3 portal realm. Battery-powered
arms – even a matchlock musket (TL4) is more advanced than devices remain useful only while their batteries last; for exam-
most portal realms allow. For example, a 5.56mm assault ple, the three XS batteries in that TL8 handheld radio weigh
0.3 lb., provide power for 10 hours of use, and are worth
$16 each. Travelers may have spare batteries, or carry
hand-cranked generators or solar-powered rechargers, if
Cool Advanced Weapons they had time to plan ahead.
This variation on Cool Ethnic Weapon (GURPS Low-Tech Many functions of electronic devices depend on hav-
Companion 2: Weapons and Warriors, p. 16) suits some ing a source of signals. A radio can talk with other radios,
portal fiction: and a Computer Operation roll can set up a local network
of portable computers, tablets, or smartphones. But GPS
Cool Advanced Weapon: The weapon you brought from is useless in a world without satellites, and there are no
Earth is simply better than one of that type from the portal cellular networks and no Internet.
realm: +1 to hit, +1 damage, +1 HT, and double HP relative
to its usual statistics. This is commonly applied, for example,
to fencing weapons.
Medical Supplies
Medical and surgical equipment undergoes huge
advances at higher TLs; cost multipliers for TL definitely
Transport apply. Medical skills use drugs and other consumables
Most belongings count as a load the traveler must carry; such as bandages, sutures, and syringes. Doctors at TL8
if they’re too heavy, they have to be left behind. But some also rely on a variety of gear that needs batteries, starting
possessions have a carrying capacity of their own: they can with digital watches and thermometers.
transport visitors and their equipment. This carrying capac- For detailed rules on consumables, see Chapter 7 of
ity replaces the traveler’s, making it possible to bring along GURPS High-Tech. For a simpler treatment, assume
heavier objects – though the riders’ weight may take up part that any portable medical kit contains enough supplies
of that capacity, if accounting for the weight of possessions for five patients. When they’re used up, the practitioner’s
in detail. medical skills function as TL5 for the purposes of Medical
If a source of transport will work indefinitely in the portal Care (pp. B424-425); this assumes the use of improvised
realm, count its value toward starting wealth in the Wealth- substitutes such as boiled cloth (for bandages) and herbal
Based Method (pp. 22-23), or count it as a movable posses- extracts. A first aid kit can be used once to treat a patient
sion in the Possessions-Based Method (p. 23). This applies without depleting the supplies in a medical kit.
to muscle-powered vehicles; to sailing craft; and to powered
vehicles, if their power supply can be restored with local Precious Metals
resources (say, using a still, solar recharger, or hand-cranked Paper money is just a curiosity in portal realms,
generator) and, in the case of land vehicles, if they can oper- but people in most worlds will accept gold and silver.
ate in the wilderness or on local roads. For powered vehi- Travelers who have time to prepare may convert their
cles, cost multipliers for TL apply in the possessions-based unspent funds into precious metals. At recent commod-
method. Riding or pack animals also fall under these rules, ity prices, a pound of silver costs roughly $200, and a
and don’t take cost multipliers for TL. pound of gold around $15,000. In a realistic TL3 setting,
A vehicle that won’t keep working in the portal realm can a pound of silver is worth $1,000, and a pound of gold
still carry equipment and supplies through the portal. Its $20,000 (see p. B264) – but the GM can change these val-
price comes out of the traveler’s wealth in the native realm, ues. If a world has vast hoards of precious metal, a pound
but it doesn’t count toward wealth in the portal realm. The of silver could be worth $12 and a pound of gold $240.
GM may allow voyagers to make Scrounging rolls to salvage Even travelers without coins might have some gold
useful parts or materials from such a vehicle. If they choose and silver jewelry. GURPS Low-Tech provides detailed
to stay with it after it stops working, it can provide an impro- rules for deciding how much this is worth. It’s also pos-
vised shelter from the elements: +1 to Survival. sible to disregard workmanship and judge value purely
by weight.

Travelers 24
 Chapter Three

Dangers and
Opportunities
Once you get the adventurers to the portal realm, they’ll or hostile inhabitants, or magic and the supernatural. They
need to learn to cope with it. A variety of challenges may con- may also master new skills or discover new sources
front them: the hazards of the natural environment, exotic of wealth.

Wilderness
Most portal realms have smaller, less dense populations • Navigation by the stars makes dead reckoning possible,
than Earth. Visitors will often spend much of their time if the portal realm has the same stars as Earth. It gives ‑1 to
in wilderness areas. Unsettled lands are natural places Navigation (‑2 if the pole star isn’t visible, or if there isn’t one).
for adventures. • A compass is basic equipment for dead reckoning. An
improvised compass, such as a floating magnetized needle,

T L
he ay of the and L gives no penalty to Navigation; a needle on a pivot gives +1.
This assumes the portal realm has a magnetic field – one with
A portal realm is an unfamiliar landscape: At the start of a a consistent orientation, without weird anomalies (which a
portal-fantasy campaign, nothing in the realm is home ground fantasy world might easily have!).
to the heroes. An important part of the campaign is simply • Navigational instruments – including a sextant for mea-
learning where things are. At the outset, travelers have to find suring the height of the sun above the horizon and a chronom-
their way around an unknown environment by making Nav- eter for identifying the time when it’s directly overhead – allow
igation rolls – typically Navigation (Land), as they won’t usu- determination of exact latitude and longitude by celestial nav-
ally have boats, and ships or aircraft are even less likely. igation, giving +3 to Navigation. This assumes the day is still
Navigation is the skill of 24 hours long. A character with Absolute
locating oneself in relation to Direction gets the same bonus.
an extended area, wider than And I awoke, and found • GPS equipment doesn’t work. There are
the visible horizon. It relies on no satellites sending directional signals!
me here
some sort of abstract coordi- • In a fantasy world, supernatural options
nates, not just on immediate On the cold hill side. may exist. Spells might provide benefits sim-
sensory cues. There are three – John Keats, “La Belle ilar to technology: pointing in a particular
different ways of doing this, direction (substituting for a compass); fixing
dependent on technology: Dame Sans Merci” an exact position (substituting for naviga-
tional instruments); or even pointing toward
Landmark recognition relies a desired goal of a particular kind (making a
on prominent features of the landscape and connects them Navigation roll unnecessary). Traits such as Blessed or Oracle
together in a narrative. It’s used at TL0-2. may do so as well – at a minimum, they might provide enough
Dead reckoning (from deduced reckoning) keeps track of signs for navigation by landmark recognition.
speeds and directions to describe a previously traveled course.
It comes into use at TL3. The major task Navigation is used for is planning a course
Celestial navigation uses precision instruments to identify from a starting point to a destination. Navigators who don’t
an exact location. The first steps toward it are taken at TL3, know their current location, or who don’t know the location of
with the measurement of latitude, but it doesn’t mature till a desirable destination, are at ‑4 to effective skill (reduce this
TL5, with the measurement of longitude. to ‑2 if there’s a road, river, or coastline to follow). The newly
arrived in a portal realm lack both sorts of knowledge; only one
Which of these is possible depends on equipment: ‑4 applies in that case. On land, they may also face penalties
• Unaided sensory perception allows only landmark recog- for terrain type, from no penalty for open plains with good
nition and gives ‑3 to Navigation. visibility to ‑4 for dense forest or branched, twisting gullies.

Dangers and Opportunities 25

 Under these conditions, if they make a successful Naviga- Either sort of knowledge allows lost travelers to try to iden-
tion roll, they figure out which way to go to reach someplace tify their current position, relative to their starting point or
desirable, such as a settlement or a source of water. Critical another known point, with a Navigation roll (at ‑3 for land-
success takes them to a really good destination. Failure leaves mark recognition). If they’ve done so – and if they also have a
them not knowing which way to turn; if they set out anyway, known destination – the ‑4 to Navigation doesn’t apply.
see Good and Bad Places (below). If they choose not to go any-

The Elements
where, they can make Survival rolls to find local resources.
Critical failure means they run into significant danger: hostile
wildlife, or robbers, or simply a natural hazard like a swamp. Portal fantasy often involves long journeys through unset-
tled country – meaning spending time out of doors.
Weather can have a big impact on such travel.
Each terrain type (see Survival, pp. B223-224)
G ood and ad laces B P has different typical weather, which creates dif-
ferent problems.
If travelers strike out at random, the GM may opt to roll 3d to
determine how favorable or unfavorable a place they end up in: Cold: The archetypal problem of Arctic ter-
rain. It’s also common in Mountain terrain, and
3-4 – Immediate threats to life and limb: treacherous weather, haz- Desert terrain can get bitterly cold after sundown.
ardous terrain, monsters or dangerous animals, hostile inhabi- The primary effect of cold is FP loss (see Cold,
tants, or magical curses. Requires Survival rolls, combat, or rolls p. B430). It can also produce snow or ice that lim-
to resist magic. its mobility (see Weather, p. B351). Dropping tem-
5-8 – Barren, uninhabited terrain. Unfavorable weather likely (see peratures can generate fog that limits visibility: ‑1
The Elements, below). Survival rolls to forage and find shelter are to ‑9 to Vision and ranged attack rolls, depending
at ‑2. on density. Conversely, on clear days, glare off
9-12 – If uninhabited, allows unmodified Survival rolls; if inhabited, snow or ice can require a HT roll to avoid snow
allows unmodified reaction rolls to deal with inhabitants. blindness, which gives ‑4 to Vision while expo-
13-16 – If uninhabited, Survival rolls are at +2; if inhabited, inhabi- sure continues and for minutes equal to margin
tants’ reaction rolls are at +2. of failure afterward; if exposure is prolonged,
17-18 – Very favorable place: a highly fertile wild area (Survival make a HT roll as for crippling injury (pp. B422-
rolls at +5), a welcoming community (+4 to reaction rolls), or the 423) to avoid lasting impairment.
domain of a benevolent magical being. Heat: An archetypal problem of Desert and
Jungle terrain, and sometimes also an issue in
tropical Plains or Swampland. As with cold, its
If they do travel, they’ll begin to learn the locations of primary effect is FP loss (see Heat, p. B434). In humid
things, systematically or casually. heat, as in Jungle or Swampland, rolls to resist FP loss are at
Mathematics (Surveying) or its defaults can be used to an extra ‑2. In dry or humid heat, heavy sweating can lead to
ascertain precise locations of geographic features in relation dehydration (p. B426).
to each other. The roll is at +2 with modern (TL5+) survey- Drought: Another archetypal problem of Desert ter-
ing equipment; unmodified with earlier equipment (TL2-4), rain. The main risk is cumulative fatigue from dehydration
which may be obtainable in a low-tech portal realm; or at (p. B426) and inability to recover if water runs out (p. B427).
‑2 with improvised poles, plumb bobs, and the like. Pacing Seasonal drought can produce large amounts of dry grass or
off distances without equipment gives ‑5. leaves, especially in Plains or Woodlands, creating a risk of
This information is necessary for drawing an accurate fires (pp. B433-434). Island/Beach terrain can also face travel-
map, which requires a roll vs. Cartography or its defaults. ers with lack of drinkable water, though not with exceptional
(Cartography defaults to Mathematics (Surveying)-2, and fire hazard.
Mathematics (Surveying) to Cartography-3 – and both skills Wetness: An issue in Jungle and Swampland terrain, and
default to Navigation-4.) Modern mapping software gives +2 may arise in other terrains (but rarely in Desert) during peri-
to Cartography; a flat drawing board, compass, straightedge, ods of heavy rain. A world whose land surface consists almost
and protractor are basic equipment; a pad of graph paper is entirely of island chains (and a lot of Island/Beach terrain)
improvised equipment, giving ‑2. The resulting map is suffi- may well have heavy rain and wet climates. The main problem
cient for dead reckoning. Creating it takes time; see Player- wetness creates is reduced mobility (see Terrain and Weather,
Made Maps (p. B491). p. B351), either permanent (Jungle and Swampland are Very
Travel at normal marching speed gives enough information Bad terrain) or temporary during rainfall. Heavy rain limits
for landmark recognition by the travelers’ leader (whoever is visibility as fog (‑1 to ‑9), and heavy clouds give ‑1 to Vision
deciding which way to go) or by any other traveler who’s con- during storms. Seasonal rainfall, especially in Desert or Plains
sciously paying attention. If the information is recorded in a where rain is less common, can produce floods that present a
sketch map (roll vs. Artist (Drawing), Cartography, or Navi- risk of drowning (pp. B354-355, B436-437).
gation (Land) to produce one), or compiled into a mnemonic Altitude: Creates problems of low atmospheric pressure
verse (roll vs. Poetry), this reduces the Navigation skill pen- (pp. B429-430) in Mountain terrain. Fantasy worlds may have
alty from ‑3 to ‑2; so does Eidetic Memory, and Photographic deep enough underground realms for high pressure to be an
Memory reduces it to ‑1. issue; treat the atmosphere as “dense” starting at one mile,
“very dense” starting at 2.2 miles.

Dangers and Opportunities 26

Creatures and Monsters
The plants and animals of portal realms are often part City Stats
of their strangeness. Familiar Earthly species may have In most worlds, visitors will eventually encounter a settle-
special qualities there. There might also be species that ment: an isolated farmstead or inn, a metropolis, or anything
don’t exist on Earth; these may even have capabilities in between. To describe such a location, use the system of
that are physically impossible for Earthly species, such statistics in GURPS City Stats, which focuses on the impres-
as the flight of griffins or rocs. (These might be explic- sion a settlement makes on travelers as a whole – its size,
itly magical, as discussed in Magic and the World, below.) situation, appearance, wealth, and defenses, for example.
Such beings may be unique monsters, existing as relics Despite the name, “city stats” can describe a village or an
of the past, begotten by gods, or created by magical arts. isolated estate as readily as a town or a city.
However fantastic they are, living beings can usually be
described using abbreviated creature statistics, as dis-
cussed on pp. B455-461.
Animals, plants, and even minerals in realms of fantasy
In some portal realms, living beings may have emblematic
may have magical effects and uses; see Material Magic (GURPS
traits: special qualities that mythology or folklore attributes to
Thaumatology, pp. 95-120) for a discussion of these. Animals,
them. In plants, these often take the form of healing benefits
in particular, may have overtly magical powers, such as the
or other forms of magic; the Herb Lore skill grants knowledge
legendary panther’s ability to lure people with its perfumed
of these properties. In animals, they’re likely to be mental or
breath. Represent these either as advantages with the Magical
moral: elephants might truly have Eidetic Memory, or ants
power modifier or as instinctive knowledge of spells. In worlds
(praised for hard work in the Bible) could have Workaholic or
where beasts can speak (see Creatures and Monsters, above),
Higher Purpose. Knowledge of these qualities may fall under
some of them – particularly species famed as tricksters, such
Naturalist or some variety of Hidden Lore.
as foxes in Japanese legend – may be able to learn magic.
In some portal realms, animals can talk. This may be
Fantasy realms also have inhabitants whose entire being
limited to particular species (such as the eagles, ravens, and
is magical or supernatural, such as spirits (see Spirit, p. B263,
wargs of Middle-Earth) or extraordinary specimens of many
for one possibility). It’s common for spirits to be tied to spe-
species (as with the talking beasts of Narnia, which exist
cific places: mountains, trees, bodies of water, etc. The pres-
alongside non-talking ones); it may even be all animals. Such
ence of such spirits can help give the realm as a whole a sense
beasts have IQ 6 or higher – but their behavior can be defined
of personality. Advantages that make it possible to deal with
as Bestial (p. B124) if they’re still creatures of the wild, and
these beings – Channeling, Medium, and Spirit Empathy in
they may have Social Stigma (Monster) (p. B155) if they’re
particular – are a plausible form for unsuspected magical
large and aggressive. On the other hand, animals may exhibit
talents. In some worlds, magic as such might involve calling
various forms of “civilized” behavior, making laws or even liv-
on the powers of spirits, and Magery may be another form
ing in cities. If they do, Influence skills will usually work on
of awareness of the spirit world. Hidden Lore (Spirits) is an
them without the need for Animal Empathy. Each species or
important skill in spirit-filled realms!
group of related species might have different customs, how-
It’s also possible for a fantasy realm to experience direct
ever, imposing penalties for lack of Cultural Familiarity on
manifestations of magical power, in the same way that a non-
most people who deal with them. Familiarity with the cultures
magical world might experience extreme weather or geolog-
of all animals in a portal realm would count as Xeno-Adapt-
ical events through the overflow of physical energy. Certain
ability (p. B46).
places – or certain times of the day or year – may be especially
subject to such outbreaks of magic. Perhaps midnight, or All
Magic and the World Hallows’ Eve, really is a time when spirits walk a portal realm,
or when people who don’t protect themselves risk being mag-
In many portal realms, magic isn’t just something a few ically transformed. Such a magical outbreak might even be
highly trained people do – it’s a power that pervades the responsible for the appearance of mysterious travelers from
world. Its effects can often be seen in things that exist apart another world!
from humans and have little to do with them.

Laws and Customs

Portal realms aren’t just lands and wildlife. They’re also like their visitors. This is especially common in children’s fan-
home to humans and often other sapient inhabitants. And tasy, but the Thomas Covenant novels, for example, make the
sapient beings have societies and cultures, which people from same assumption about the Land. Many anime series have
elsewhere must deal with. portal realms where everyone speaks Japanese. Campaigns set
in portal realms can make the same assumption.

Languages For a variant on this, the portal realm could use a dif-
ferent dialect of the Earth language, with a distinctive
Some portal fantasy hand-waves the whole issue of lan- accent and vocabulary, and even different sentence struc-
guage. The people of Oz and Narnia speak English, exactly ture (e.g., “It likes me not” rather than “I don’t like it”).

Dangers and Opportunities 27

The GM can roleplay this as much or as little as desired –  be making Gesture rolls, perhaps at the IQ-4 default. In most
but mechanically, it can be represented by treating the campaigns, a session or two of Gesture rolls is enough to make
language of visitors from Earth as, for instance, English the point. It’s perfectly fair to fast-forward a campaign a few
(Accented) or Japanese (Accented), with the consequent weeks, to the stage where everyone has Broken comprehen-
minor skill modifiers. sion of the new language.
If the portal realm has a different language, it may have
magical teaching devices that let the newcomers learn it. This
is a way to speed up the story; the GM can simply decree that Cultures
it’s happened and award earmarked character points to pay Travelers will also have to deal with cultural differences.
for it. The transition from Earth to the portal realm might Living in a different culture grants four hours a day toward
even imprint the new language on the visitors’ minds, as in the a new Cultural Familiarity by immersion, at the same time
journeys of Harold Shea in The Compleat Enchanter. as learning the new language – by the time the new arrivals
Lacking any of these shortcuts, travelers will find them- have Broken speech, they’ll be familiar with the culture and no
selves learning a new language by immersion. This is equiva- longer have penalties there. But in those first 50 days, Cultural
lent to four hours a day of training (p. B25), or one character Familiarity modifiers will apply! In a really exotic fantasy
point in the new language per 50 days, plus whatever extra world, Cultural Familiarity might cost two points and take
time is spent in study. See GURPS Social Engineering: Back twice as long to buy off, even if the inhabitants are human.
to School for detailed rules. In the meantime, the visitors will An IQ 10 traveler using Gesture at the default of IQ-4, and
with a Cultural Familiarity penalty of ‑3, has an effective
skill of 3 – just barely enough to attempt to communicate
at all! The outcome will be either a rare critical success
Licit and Illicit Magic (roll of 3 or 4) or a failure, often a critical failure. The GM
may want to disregard Cultural Familiarity penalties, or
Any society where magic is commonly practiced is likely allow generous bonuses for straightforward ideas such as
to have laws about it. Some forms of magic might be freely “I’m thirsty” or “We come in peace.”
permitted to everyone; others, only to licensed wizards. Yet Cultural Familiarity grants the ability to use a variety of
others may be illegal for everyone. These distinctions can skills with no penalty. Many of these – including all Influ-
be defined in terms of Control Ratings and Legality Classes ence skills – have to do with face-to-face social interac-
(pp. B506-507). tion. Most people who lack Cultural Familiarity will have
Control Ratings are generally similar to those for non- better luck relying on straight reaction rolls, which aren’t
magical societies, ranging from anarchy (CR0) to total subject to Cultural Familiarity modifiers. Bear in mind
control (CR6). However, a society may have a higher – or, that people of the portal realm probably won’t be familiar
rarely, lower – CR for magic than for other activities. with Earth cultures, either, and will have the same skill
Legality Classes often have the same rationale as for penalties! In particular, their Teaching skill will be at ‑3,
technological equipment, but special considerations may which among other things reduces the number of peo-
apply. If magic can inflict injury in a way difficult to ple they can teach at once (as discussed on pp. 17-18 of
trace, it might be allowed only to licensed practitioners, GURPS Social Engineering: Back to School). If Cultural
or banned entirely. And if there are supernatural beings, Familiarity is gained in parallel with Broken speech in a
magic that threatens them, offends them, or usurps their new language, skill penalties for its lack will rarely come
prerogatives may be restricted or proscribed. For example, into play – but if the new arrivals are conveniently granted
medieval law viewed knowing the future as a manifesta- knowledge of a local language, they’ll come up a lot.
tion of divine omniscience and forbade divination spells One of the skills affected by Cultural Familiarity is
that attempted to grant foreknowledge. Typical categories Connoisseur. Among its other uses, Connoisseur is used to
might be as follows: judge what style of art, music, or literature will appeal to
LC0 – Spells with large-area destructive effects; spells that an audience. After a failed roll (or if no roll is attempted),
kill or cripple secretly; spells that threaten or challenge a successful roll to create or perform a work of art requires
the gods; spells that call on supernatural enemies of the a reaction roll; an unfavorable reaction indicates the work
gods. was technically skilled but didn’t speak to the audience.
LC1 – Spells that inflict any harm secretly; spells of dis- This can be important to newcomers who try to become
guise or deception; spells that offend the gods. bards, craftsmen, dancers, or storytellers.
LC2 – Mind-control spells (if they actually take away free A function of the Anthropology skill is figuring out the
will); divination that reveals secrets; spells that openly behavior and customs of people in newly encountered cul-
inflict severe injury or life-threatening afflictions. tures. Roll vs. Anthropology to avoid penalties for lack of
LC3 – Spells that openly inflict lesser injury or incapacitat- Cultural Familiarity. Each success waives the penalty for
ing afflictions; spells that influence the emotions; spells the next skill roll. Critical success grants fuller insight:
that grant blessings if they risk side effects (e.g., weath- the next time the player has an unspent character point,
er-control spells). it can be used to buy Cultural Familiarity immediately.
LC4 – Healing and protective spells; divination that doesn’t Critical failure indicates serious misunderstanding: the
reveal secrets. next culture-dependent skill roll is an automatic failure!
If it’s an Influence roll, this means automatically losing
the Quick Contest.

Dangers and Opportunities 28

Laws and Religions (it doesn’t apply, for example, to shamanistic belief systems,
whose practitioners may not have Theology skill).
Any culture has depths beyond those reached by Cultural For Law (but not Theology), specialized knowledge of a
Familiarity. These are represented by skills that require spe- particular field, such as contract law or criminal law, allows a
cialization based on culture, including Law, Religious Ritual, roll at ‑4 for the same field in a different region, assuming that
and Theology. Such skills provide guidance in what a partic- field exists (a nomadic society won’t have real-estate law, for
ular culture and society expect of their members in terms of example) – but only in Earth cultures. In unfamiliar cultures,
formal rules that go beyond face-to-face interaction. Law and you don’t roll at ‑4; rather, you can’t attempt the roll at all. (The
Theology also have Comparative specialties (see Law, p. 18, GM may make an exception in a portal-realm culture that’s
and p. B226), which examine broad patterns of belief in dif- akin to an Earth culture, such as the
ferent cultures. human cultures of Yrth in GURPS
If you lack Cultural Familiarity with a Banestorm.) Cultural Familiarity or
society, you have ‑3 to Law (Comparative) Come with me if you skill rolls that substitute for it make
and Theology (Comparative) for answering such attempts possible.
questions about its beliefs. After you gain want to live. Law skill can be used directly in
it (see Cultures, p. 28), this penalty goes – The T-800, in trials, or to predict the likely outcome
away. You can also avoid the penalty for of a trial. Either Law or Theology can
one specific question by making a success- Terminator 2: be used as a complementary skill to
ful Anthropology roll first. Sociology can Judgment Day Administration in dealing with a
substitute in cultures that have formally suitable large organization.
organized court systems or priesthoods

Combat Experience
People who pass through a portal don’t necessarily have offers detailed rules for teaching, but in an average portal-fan-
any experience of battle or danger. But they usually find them- tasy campaign, it isn’t necessary to roll for this; just assume
selves in adventurous situations. Portal fantasy has a number the teacher’s success. This grants one character point in a sin-
of common tropes about combat readiness: gle skill, or perhaps one point in each of two or three skills,
with seven days of study. Normally, the quickly learned skill
• Children who enter a portal realm can fight deadly ene-
fades after the first battle – but the GM can allow students
mies or go into battle and win.
with unspent character points to buy skills permanently by
• Adults whose lives on Earth were peaceful turn out to
making a Will or Meditation roll for each skill.
have a natural talent for combat.
Secret Advantage: Consider giving some Earth people Com-
• Students of a combat sport such as fencing or judo can
bat Reflexes as a secret advantage (p. 15). The new arrival may
go up against foes with actual combat experience, and defeat
never have been in an actual fight – but faced with one, the
them.
hero defends unusually well and never freezes.
• Martial skills learned on Earth are better than those of the
Weapon Adaptation: Each traveler gets one free Weapon
portal realm; for example, fencing skills can defeat armored
Adaptation perk (p. 15); e.g., Shortsword to Smallsword or
foes such as Roman legionaries or medieval knights.
Crossbow to Guns (Rifle).
• A soldier or gang member from Earth, trained in fire-
Weapon Superiority: One of the traveler’s Earth weap-
arms, has no trouble adapting to dart guns, bows, or swords.
ons, such as a smallsword or saber, gets the bonuses in Cool
To sum up, portal fantasy isn’t usually a harshly realistic Advanced Weapons (p. 24).
genre (as discussed in GURPS Martial Arts). To capture its
In a realistic campaign, the visitors ought to be kept out
particular flavor, some special rules are worth considering:
of combat, or faced with easily defeated foes, until they’ve
Combat Sport Is Combat: An adventurer who has learned had time to study combat skills (see Monthly Training Rolls,
a Combat Sport skill can use it at no penalty in life-or-death p. 30). Or they should come from backgrounds on Earth that
fights. In a cinematic game, actors with Stage Combat might gave them such skills, and be able to bring along their accus-
gain a similar benefit. To avoid over-the-top fighting skills tomed weapons.
(unless that’s the point of the campaign!), allow players to Combatants who aren’t trained in a fighting skill can
default one Easy combat skill to Stage Combat+1, one Aver- use the Telegraphic Attack option (GURPS Martial Arts,
age skill to Stage Combat, or one Hard skill to Stage Com- p. 113), carefully lining up their attack in a way that reveals
bat-1 – or two combat skills to one level lower. (Be sure to tell their intentions: +4 to the attack roll, but also +2 to the tar-
them about this limit; they might not want the default for the get’s defense roll. The attack bonus can’t be combined with
first fighting skill they need to use.) bonuses from Evaluate (which untrained fighters don’t usually
Montages: A group of adventurers in a portal realm, espe- know how to do), and the enhanced skill doesn’t affect the
cially one in a pull campaign (pp. 8-9), may get lessons from chances of a critical hit. Telegraphic Attack can be combined
an extraordinary source: a legendary teacher similar to the with All-Out Attack (Determined), which gives another +4 to
centaur Chiron, or the supernatural power that summoned the attack roll (and which does affect the odds of a critical hit),
them there. GURPS Social Engineering: Back to School but sacrifices all active defenses until the attacker’s next turn.

Dangers and Opportunities 29

An untrained fighter may rely on All-Out Defense (usually Example: Armed with a spear, Kathryn is standing
Increased Defense (Dodge), as Parry is unlikely to be very between her younger sister and a huge wolf. Being faster than
good!) until a critical failure leaves the foe open, or until the she is, the wolf acts first, with an All-Out Attack calculated
hero – or player – gets tired of waiting. to slam her to the ground. Kathryn’s dodge barely avoids the
leap – and now the wolf is unable to defend!
On her turn, Kathryn makes a Telegraphic
All-Out Attack (Determined) against the
M T
onthly raining olls R wolf’s vitals. With DX 11, her default Spear
Just because visitors to portal realms lack combat skills doesn’t mean skill is 6; but at +4 for Telegraphic Attack,
they can’t learn them; see Improvement Through Study (pp. B292-294). But +4 for All-Out Attack (Determined), and ‑3
players may prefer an approach with simplified bookkeeping: monthly for the vitals, she’ll hit on 11 or less. She
study rolls. Instead of tracking hours of training day by day, roll vs. Will rolls a 9 and her spear passes between the
once per month to determine how much each character has learned. wolf’s ribs.

Modifiers: +1 for Attentive, or +3 for Single-Minded; +1 for each hour of Anyone who’s new to combat is likely to
Less Sleep, or +8 for Doesn’t Sleep; ‑5 for Laziness. find it a shock. Usually this means a Fright
Check (pp. B360-361) when the fighting
The basic monthly study rate is 150 hours; add or subtract 10% (15 starts, and another on first seeing someone
hours) per point of success or failure. Critical success indicates a break- killed or severely wounded. This may make
through that grants 400 hours of learning for that month, if that would be the frightened person useless in combat!
better. This assumes working with a teacher; studying from texts grants A combatant with Combat Reflexes as a
half as many hours. secret advantage gets +2 to Will – but in
On a critical failure, the student overworks and collapses, gaining addition, the hero won’t be incapacitated
no hours that month and suffering 3d fatigue, with negative FP causing by fear. Instead, treat the adventurer as
injury as usual (p. B426). Recovering these lost FP requires days of rest, having Post-Combat Shakes (p. B150) after
at 3 FP/day. the first fight is over. This is a good way for
a new arrival to discover a hidden talent!

Learning Magic
People from Earth who travel to magical worlds may dis- works depends on how magic functions in the portal realm!
cover that they have an unsuspected talent for magic, and Here are suggested approaches for roleplaying the learning
even become powerful mages. This trope goes back at least process in various magic systems.
to Baum’s later Oz books, where the Wizard becomes a per-

Mana-Based Magic
manent resident of Oz and Glinda the Good teaches him
real magic.
Most people from Earth who travel to a portal realm have The standard magic of the GURPS Basic Set and GURPS
Mundane Background (p. 14), often as part of the Transmun- Magic is learned spell by spell, with each spell counting as a
dane meta-trait (p. 18). This prevents their learning any form different skill. Study of a spell starts by memorizing it – essen-
of magic, even if they have Magery! However, they can buy it tially, gaining familiarity (p. B169) with it. This takes two days
off with character points earned in supernatural encounters, of regular practice, or one day of intense effort, with a Will
in effect gaining the trait No Mundane Background (p. 15). roll. At this point, the spell can be cast at IQ + Magery ‑ 6 if
The GM may also award earmarked points for this purpose, IQ/Hard, or IQ + Magery ‑ 7 if IQ/Very Hard; in effect, the stu-
crediting the adventurers with hours per day of learning at dent gains default use of the spell. An overconfident student,
rates that depend on the setting and adventures: or one faced with an emergency, may attempt a default cast-
ing; success makes it possible to spend one character point to
Magic is rare or subtle (there are only a few mages in a
buy the spell. Other students can practice under supervision,
nation – either small or large – or magic lacks obvious effects):
with favorable conditions that grant +4 to +6 to skill, until
Four hours/day; 500 days to gain No Mundane Background.
they have accumulated 200 hours of study.
Magic is common (every town, or perhaps every village,
In some worlds, this can be combined with Symbol Draw-
has a mage or two): Eight hours/day; 250 days to gain No
ing as an aid to casting. The student takes one extra second to
Mundane Background.
call up a suitable mental image, or to trace it in the air with
Magic is constantly present (ordinary people use magic in
gestures. Success at Symbol Drawing grants half the margin
their daily activities, or encounter it in their daily lives): 16
of success (rounded down) as a bonus to the roll to cast the
hours/day; 125 days to gain No Mundane Background.
spell. It isn’t possible to gain bonuses to spells by taking extra
Adventurer actively looks for the supernatural (also applies
time (p. B346), but Symbol Drawing (e.g., on a wax tablet,
if the adventurer is trying to disprove the existence of magic!):
with a stylus) can benefit from such bonuses. On the other
16 hours/day; 125 days to gain No Mundane Background.
hand, Magery bonuses apply only to the spell itself, not to
Once an Earthling has thoroughly internalized the exis- Symbol Drawing.
tence of magic, it’s possible to begin studying it. How that

Dangers and Opportunities 30

Path/Book Magic Don’t allow this in a campaign where magic is supposed to be
mysterious and otherworldly!
Path/Book magic (see GURPS Thaumatology) doesn’t
necessarily require Magery, though the GM may make an
exception in a particular game world. What prevents people
Inventing Spells in Mana-Based Magic
on Earth from using magic may be either that our natural Creating new spells can be represented with a variant of
laws are resistant to it, or that we haven’t learned the appro- the rules for new inventions (pp. B473-477). The governing
priate methods. skill is Thaumatology, which defaults to Anthropol-
In general, anyone who visits ogy-4, Mathematics (Pure)-5, or Computer Pro-
a portal realm where Path/Book gramming-6 in a setting that works this way. A
magic works has some chance to successful invention roll allows buying actual
learn it. The first step is usually Thaumatology skill; after this, either Mathe-
finding a teacher and studying matics (Pure) or Computer Programming can
the Ritual Magic skill, which is a be used as a complementary skill.
prerequisite for the various Paths The GM may allow the Gadgeteer advan-
and Books. A student who has tage to apply to creating new spells, or allow
one point in Ritual Magic gains a mage-to-be (p. 20) to purchase this trait
the use of all available Paths with Specialized, Magical, ‑50%. This could
at Ritual Magic-6; this in turn represent the special benefits of applying for-
grants the use of each Path’s rit- mal logic or anthropological insight to spell
uals, which default to it as tech- creation. Such a mage can perform analysis
niques. In practice, learners will to reverse-engineer another mage’s spell, or
want to limit their efforts to tech- modification to alter it – which includes cre-
niques with small or no penalties! ating a counterspell. See Gadgeteering During
A caster can improve the odds Adventures (p. B477).
by taking extra time, working in Spell creation has a baseline penalty of ‑6,
long-established ritual spaces, or unless the inventor is a Gadgeteer. Added pen-
using material or symbolic com- alties apply for many spells: ‑2 per prerequi-
ponents (all discussed in GURPS site spell, halved to ‑1 for a Gadgeteer. Only
Thaumatology). the Concept roll needs to be made; the equiva-
Character points earned on lent of the Prototype roll is the roll to actually
adventures that involve successful cast the spell, and the consequences of critical
castings can be spent on higher failure in casting take the place of the risk of
skill in Ritual Magic, a particu- bugs. The effective skill level for this roll is IQ
lar Path (which may not exceed + Magery, with the same penalties as for the
Ritual Magic), or a specific ritual Concept roll. A caster with an unspent char-
(which may not exceed its Path). acter point can attempt to learn the newly
Unless the GM decrees otherwise, invented spell, in the same fashion as for Wild
they cannot be spent to raise skill Talent (pp. B99-100) with Retention.
in a Book. Further study can also
improve Ritual Magic, a Path, Inventing Rituals
or a ritual, and is the only way to
acquire knowledge of a Book.
in Path/Book Magic
A person from Earth who has skill in Religious Ritual In Path/Book magic, you create rituals, which are con-
can attempt a default roll against Ritual Magic at Religious sidered techniques rather than skills. For Path magic, roll
Ritual-6 if the portal realm has the same religion or a similar vs. Path skill, at a baseline penalty of ‑6 unless the inventor
variant, and if the form of ritual magic is based on it. This is a Gadgeteer. There’s an added penalty equal to double the
grants no default to any Path or Book, or any ritual included penalty for the ritual’s Path default in the Effect Shaping
in one. However, a default roll is still useful for such purposes approach (use this for both the Effect Shaping and Energy
as preparing a ritual space or offering a sacrifice. Accumulating models); if the inventor is a Gadgeteer, don’t
double the added penalty. The GM assigns this penalty based
on a comparison of the ritual’s effects with those of other ritu-
Invented Magic als of the same Path. Once the ritual is created, you can always
cast it at the default penalty; if you have two unspent charac-
Some portal fantasies portray a different approach to
ter points, you’re free to invest them in the new ritual.
learning magic: Instead of being trained by a practitioner
It’s possible to create a ritual for a Path you haven’t stud-
native to the realm, the traveler observes that magic works,
ied, or even one that hasn’t been invented yet, at an added ‑6
determines its principles, and uses the knowledge to devise
for the Path skill’s default to Ritual Magic. If you do so, you
original spells. In the Compleat Enchanter stories, for example,
can cast the ritual once at IQ (or at IQ + Magery, if Magery
Harold Shea uses symbolic logic to come up with spells suited
gives bonuses to rituals). You must invest a point in the Path
to various worlds. More recent fiction often suggests that com-
skill if you wish to use the ritual again; this is done in the
puter programmers are naturally suited to becoming mages.
same fashion as for Wild Talent (p. B99-100) with Retention.

Dangers and Opportunities 31

If the attempt succeeds, you can always cast the ritual at After learning Thaumatology, the new spellcaster will proba-
the default penalty; if you have two more unspent charac- bly want to spend points on one or more Path skills, which can
ter points, you’re free to invest them in the new ritual. Once be used to improvise magical effects. Path skills can’t be raised
you’ve created and begun to learn a new Path, you can add above Thaumatology, so learning Thaumatology at higher lev-
rituals to it by the standard process. els always comes before learning Path skills at those levels.
Book magic works somewhat differently, as the logic of a Path skills also can’t be raised above (12 + Magery level).
Book is less obvious and more personal. If you invent a new A practitioner without at least Magery 0 makes all Path rolls
ritual, it’s treated as belong to a Book that hasn’t been invented at ‑5, which limits effective skill to 7. A mage-to-be (p. 20) or
yet (you’re creating it by inventing the ritual!). You roll against any other transmundane with Magery 0 is exempt from this
Ritual Magic at a baseline penalty of ‑6, or at no penalty if penalty. It isn’t common in portal fantasy for transmundanes
you’re a Gadgeteer. To make the ritual usable, you must invest to acquire Magery 0 after arrival – it’s much more common for
a point in the new Book skill, in the same fashion as for a a new arrival to discover an unsuspected gift for magic that
new Path skill; otherwise, the underlying concept isn’t solidi- was always there.
fied enough to be of any benefit. If the GM approves, you may At the GM’s option, a mage-to-be, or perhaps a child
add further new rituals to the same Book, once you’ve cre- (pp. 18-19), may have the advantage Ritual Adept [40] (GURPS
ated them – but you never get to base the invention roll on the Thaumatology: Ritual Path Magic, p. 6), which makes Ritual
Book skill. To add a new ritual to a Book, make the same roll Path magic much easier and more effective. To enhance the
as for Wild Talent with Retention, but you don’t need to invest role of transmundanes, this advantage might only be avail-
an additional point in the Book skill. With either the first or a able to them, letting them emerge as truly extraordinarily
subsequent ritual, you’re free to invest two unspent character powerful mages. It would be fair to charge an extra 10 points
points in it after making the roll to add it to the Book. for an Unusual Background in such a case.

In some mythic settings, Magic as Powers

In a “magic as powers” system, the ability to learn magic
supernatural forces regularly depends not on Magery, but on Talent for a particular power.
If you have at least one level of Talent for a power, you can
walk the earth. acquire new abilities of that power by study. Someone with no
abilities can have a level of Talent as a “placeholder” for the
– GURPS Powers potential to gain them, much as Magery indicates the potential
for learning spells in mana-based magic. At the GM’s option,
each 200 hours of study might earn one point toward the cost
Ritual Path Magic of the studied ability, or the student may put points earned
through adventuring toward a designated ability, with no set
As an alternative to using the invention rules, a cam- time requirement – or both. Each level of Talent reduces the
paign can use a magic system where the creation of new study-time requirement by 10%, to a minimum of 60% (120
spells or effects is built in. GURPS Thaumatology offers hours) for Talent 4. Talent doesn’t alter an ability’s point cost.
several options: symbol magic, verb-noun syntactic magic, If you have an ability but no Talent, you can’t gain new
and Realm-based syntactic magic. The most fully devel- abilities except through repetition of whatever accident,
oped verb‑noun variant has its own supplement: GURPS enchantment, or miracle gave you the first one. However, you
Thaumatology: Ritual Path Magic. can spend study time or earned points on acquiring the Tal-
In a realm where Ritual Path magic works, anyone – includ- ent, which will open the door to a wider range of abilities.
ing visitors from a world without magic – can attempt to learn Study time for a Talent does not benefit from whatever Talent
and use it. This requires buying No Mundane Background you already have!
(or losing it through exposure to magic; see p. 30), and then Supplements that provide worked systems of magic as
spending one point on Thaumatology to acquire it at IQ-3; powers include GURPS Powers: Divine Favor, GURPS
travelers from a nonmagical world won’t have had a chance to Thaumatology: Chinese Elemental Powers, and GURPS
learn it before arriving. Path skills default to Thaumatology-6. Thaumatology: Sorcery.

Interworld Trade
If a portal can be used in two directions, and repeatedly, a particular good, the society there can specialize in provid-
it creates opportunities for trade. On a small scale, trade can ing that good. For example, advances in metallurgy make fine
help travelers pay their way in a portal realm; on a larger scale, weapons inexpensive in high-TL worlds, and modern Earth
it can become an industry. Economic activity isn’t a major could export them. Other goods may be inexpensive in worlds
theme in novels or films – but it’s likely to occur to gamers, where magic works, and portal realms could export them – for
and a portal-fantasy campaign may have to address it. example, Plant spells or ritual invocation of spirits might allow
What governs trade is comparative advantage: If conditions high yields of wine or spices.
on one side of a portal are unusually favorable for producing

Dangers and Opportunities 32

 To conduct trade, a merchant needs:
1. Merchandise or exchangeable goods.
Shopping List
Interworld traders looking for suitable goods to ship to
2. Transportation. portal realms have a number of options. Many of these are
3. Supplies for the trip’s duration (for both the merchant also worth considering as valuables that one-way travelers
and any employees). might just happen to be carrying with them.
The second and third can be regarded as adventuring gear Alcohol: Distilled liquors appeared as commercial products
(p. B26), but it’s reasonable to treat merchandise as coming at late TL3 or early TL4; some portal realms won’t have them,
out of the 80% of starting wealth that goes into fixed assets. even if they have beer, wine, cider, or mead. Bringing them in
The merchant carries this along on journeys but isn’t free to may create a number of medical and legal problems.
consume or expend it – not if the plan is to continue being a Books: Guides to using technology just a little more
merchant! Transportation must be able to carry the weight advanced than the local TL might find a ready market.
of merchandise and supplies, and sometimes that of the mer- Cloth: Modern dyes have brighter colors and are slower to
chant and any employees (see Transport, p. 24), making car- fade than low-tech ones.
goes with a high value per pound – such as precious metals, Cosmetics and Perfumes: Substances that add to beauty
germs, spices, drugs, perfumes, works of art, and luxury goods or sex appeal are always in demand; if they’re rare and high-
of all kinds – most desirable. priced, they may have extra appeal as signals of wealth.
Earth and a portal realm aren’t likely to have the same Present-day Earth has both natural products from all over the
money, if the portal realm has money at all. In dealing with world and a variety of synthetic ones.
a TL1-4 realm, trade will involve taking Earth goods through Drugs: Never mind the
the portal, selling them for the portal realm’s illegal drugs – well into TL5,
money, and using that money to buy goods medicine was often ineffective
for export – and then reversing the process You can’t take it or toxic, and sometimes both!
on Earth. “Money” in portal realms often Consider the demand for aspi-
means some physical commodity, typically with you. rin (an effective treatment for
precious metal, exchanged by weight at
TL1 or coined at TL2-4 (see Precious Metals, – Traditional saying headache), antibiotics (among
other things, a cure for sexu-
p. 24). In most portal-fantasy campaigns, it’s ally transmitted diseases), or
convenient just to give portal realm prices in oral contraceptives.
“$,” while making it clear that this is some currency of the Spices: Historically these were the basis of many trade
portal realm that has nothing to do with Earth dollars; in a routes, some covering thousands of miles. Ancient Roman
trade campaign that alternates between settings, keeping por- records have pepper trading for one-eighth of its weight in
tal-realm accounts in “ounces of silver” or “denarii” might silver, and medieval European prices could be even higher.
achieve a sense of cultural distance. Steel: Good-quality steel becomes available at much lower
Most TL0 societies won’t actually have money. Trade cost at TL5. Weapons have an obvious appeal, but think of
involves barter; e.g., so many bottles of brandy for so many less dramatic products such as sewing needles. Stainless
strings of pearls. steel’s rust-resistant brightness could get objects made from it
For basic rules for trade, see pp. B559-562, especially the treated as presentation quality (¥5 cost or more).
passages about commercial transactions. GURPS Social Sugar: Refined sugar is an intense experience for people
Engineering expands on these, especially for trade in pre- who’ve never tasted it. When first imported into Europe, it was
viously unfamiliar goods. GURPS Low-Tech Companion 3: treated like a spice – and priced like one. Continuing trade
Daily Life and Economics offers advice on running a mer- could result in some inhabitants of the portal realm acquiring
cantile enterprise, and on currency. an Addiction.

Organizations
Traders frequently have to deal with organizations A typical Reaction-Time Modifier is +2, based on techno-
rather than individuals. The stats used to describe these logical limitations.
are defined in GURPS Boardroom and Curia. A trader who wants to set up a firm may have the
Type is most often Commercial – whether as trading benefit of comparatively high Wealth (see Wealth and
partners, providers of services, or sources of funding. Possessions, pp. 22-24). If the organization has High TL
However, a trader might turn to a Government organiza- as a trait, it can gain the benefits of functioning at TL7-8,
tion for enforcement of contracts or property rights, or particularly better reaction time (modifier 0 rather than
even an Aid organization when a venture fails. +2); this is easiest to achieve with the aid of high-tech
In typical TL1-4 portal realms, organizations tend equipment, but administrative methods such as dou-
to be small, usually with 5-20 members; one with 100 ble-entry bookkeeping and organized filing systems can
members would be unusually large. Those worth trading make a difference by themselves.
with commonly have a Wealth of Comfortable or better.

Dangers and Opportunities 33

Administration skill, 17.
Index
Example realms, 9-12. Mage-to-be template, 20.
Advanced Learning perk, 15. Exile, 5. Magery advantage, 20, 27, 30-32.
Advantages, 14-16; combat, 29. Exorcism skill, 18. Magic, character template, 20; invented,
Alcohol, as trade goods, 33. Exploration storyline, 4. 31-32; learning, 30-32; powers, 32;
Altitude, 26. Explorer template, 19. setting levels, 30; world and, 27.
Amnesia disadvantage, 16. Fashion Sense advantage, 13. Mana-based magic, inventing in, 31;
Anthropology skill, 28, 29; magic-skill Favor advantage, 13. learning, 30.
default, 31. Films, inspirational, 10. Mathematics (Surveying) skill, 26.
Barrens (example realm), 9. Firearms, 24. Medical supplies, 24; as trade goods, 33.
Blessed advantage, 14. Fright Checks, 7, 11, 30. Merchants, see Trade, Traders.
Books, as trade goods, 33; inspirational, 10. Gate portals, 6. Meta-traits, 14, 18.
Brief visits, 6. Gear, see Possessions, Trade, Weapons. Mirror portals, 7.
Campaign themes, 4-5. Gerontomachia, 11. Money, 22-23, 33; precious metals as, 24, 33;
Cartography skill, 17, 26. Gizmos advantage, 15. see also Possessions, Trade.
Celestial navigation, 25. Going off course (portal), 7. Motives to travel, 8-9.
Chance (travel motivation), 8. GURPS Adaptations, 10; Banestorm, 3, 7, Multi-realm storylines, 5.
Character creation, combat traits, 29; 8, 29; Basic Set, 30; Boardroom and Mundane Background disadvantage, 14.
important traits, 14-18; meta-traits, 14, Curia, 33; City Stats, 27; Fantasy, 3; Muscle-powered weapons, 23-24.
18; possessions, 22-24; reference society High-Tech, 24; Low-Tech, 24; Low- Myth parallels, 12.
and, 13; templates, 18-22; wealth, 22-24; Tech Companion 1: Philosophers and Navigation skill, 25-26.
zero-point features, 13. Kings, 7, 33; Low-Tech Companion 2: No Mundane Background advantage, 15.
Charisma advantage, 14. Weapons and Warriors, 24; Magic, 12, Oblivious disadvantage, 14.
Child template, 18-19. 20, 30; Martial Arts, 15, 29; Powers, 6, Organizations, mercantile, 33.
City stats, 27. 7; Powers: Divine Favor, 32; Powers: Outcast template, 20-21.
Claim to Hospitality advantage, 13. The Weird, 11; Social Engineering, Pacifism disadvantage, 17.
Clerical Investment advantage, 13. 14, 15, 33; Social Engineering: Back Path/Book magic, inventing in, 31-32;
Cloth, as trade goods, 33. to School, 28, 29; Thaumatology, learning, 31.
Clothing, 23. 9, 20, 27, 31, 32; Thaumatology: Patrons advantage, 13, 15.
Cold weather condition, 26. Chinese Elemental Powers, 11, 20, 32; Perilous Realms, 4.
Combat Sport skills, 29. Thaumatology: Ritual Path Magic, 9, Perks, 15.
Combat, capabilities, 29-30; Fright Checks, 32; Thaumatology: Sorcery, 20, 32. Phobia disadvantages, 17.
30; training, 30; see also Weapons. Heat weather condition, 26. Portals, multiple, 6.
Comparative skill specialty, 18, 29. Hidden Lore skill, 18, 27. Possession advantage, 15-16.
Connoisseur skill, 18, 28. High TL advantage, 14. Possessions, 22-24; none, 23; possessions-
Contacts advantage, 13. Honesty disadvantage, 17. based method, 23; suggested trade goods,
Control Rating (CR), spells, 28. Independent Income advantage, 13. 33; transport, 24; wealth-based method,
Cool Advanced Weapons equipment Infinite Worlds campaigns, 12. 22-23; see also Trade.
modifier, 24. Inspirational resources, 10. Powers, magic, 32.
Cosmetics, as trade goods, 33. Interworld trade, 32. Precious metals, 24.
Cultural Adaptability advantage, 13. Intolerance disadvantage, 113. Pull (travel motivation), 8-9.
Cultural Familiarity advantage, 13, 28, 29. Invented magic, 31-32. Push (travel motivation), 8.
Cultures, 28. Jumper advantage, 6, 7. Quantum sargassos, 12.
Curious disadvantage, 16. Landmark recognition, 25. Racial Memory advantage, 16.
Current Affairs skills, 18. Languages, 27-28. Rank advantage, 13-14.
Customs, 27-29. Law skill, 18, 29. Reawakened advantage, 16.
Dead reckoning, 25. Laws, 27-29. Reference society, 13.
Debt disadvantage, 13. Legal Enforcement Powers advantage, 13. Religions, 29.
Delusions disadvantage, 17. Legal Immunity advantage, 13. Reputation trait, 14.
Destiny trait, 14-15, 17. Legality Class (LC), spells, 28. Resistant advantage, 16.
Disadvantages, 16-17. Long stays, 5-6. Returnees, 4; template, 20.
Doorways, multiple, 6.
Dream portals, 7-8.
Dreaming, 18.
Drought, 26. Through the blue-tiled walls of the market
Drugs, as trade goods, 33.
Duration of visit, 5-6. stalls
Duty disadvantage, 13.
Electronic devices, 24. There’s a hidden door she leads you to.
Enclaves, 4.
Enemies disadvantage, 13. – Al Stewart, “The Year of the Cat”
Equipment, see Possessions, Trade, Weapons.

Index 34
Ritual Path magic, 32. Telegraphic Attack combat option, 30. Travelogue storyline, 4.
Saving the world storyline, 5. Television shows, inspirational, 10. Tunnel portals, 7.
Savior template, 21. Templates, 18-22. Unusual Background advantage, 16.
Secret advantages, 15, 29. Tenure advantage, 14. Vehicles, 24.
Secret disadvantage, 14, 17. Terrain types, weather and, 26. Visits, length of stay, 5-6.
Security Clearance advantage, 14. Thaumatology skill, 31. Wainscots, 4.
Seihou, 11. Threshold storylines, 5. Way stations, 7.
Self-discovery storyline, 5. Time, passage of, 6; spent in realm, 5-6. Wealth trait, 14, 22-23; see also Possessions.
Settings, levels of magic, 30. Timelines, realms as, 12. Weapon Adaptation perk, 15, 29.
Settlements, 27. Trade, interworld, 32; suggested goods, 33. Weapons, 23-24; as trade goods, 33;
Skills, 17-18. Traders, template, 21-22. modifier, 24; skills, 29; traits, 15, 29;
Social Regard advantage, 14. Trance portals, 7-8. see also Possessions.
Social Stigma disadvantage, 14, 17. Transition portals, 7. Weather conditions, 26.
Source material, 10. Transmundane meta-trait, 18. Weird parallels, 12.
Special Rapport advantage, 16. Transport, 24. Weirdness Magnet advantage, 17.
Spices, as trade goods, 33. Travel, creatures and monsters, 27; in Wetness, 26.
Status trait, 14. realms, 25-27; magical effects of world, Wild Talent advantage, 16.
Steel, as trade goods, 33. 27; motives to visit realms, 8-9; random Wilderness, 25-27; random favorability, 26;
Storylines, 4-5. location favorability, 26; settlements, 27; see also Travel.
Sugar, as trade goods, 33. through wilderness, 25-27; to realms, 6-8; Xenophilia disadvantage, 17.
Table, random location favorability, 26; weather and, 26; see also Time. Zero-point features, 13.
spell legality classes, 28. Zeroed advantage, 14.

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