Pyramid 3-78 - Unleash Your Soul

Stock #37-2678
In This
Issue
Contents We’ve got spirit; yes we do! We’ve got spirit . . . and powers,
too! This issue of Pyramid looks at the intersection of faith and
power, and those who use it for good or ill.
From the Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Sean Punch – all-knowing co-author of GURPS Basic Set –
helps inspire GMs with an in-depth examination of the Blessed
Blessed Be . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 advantage. After breaking down various forms of Blessed, the
by Sean Punch guidelines offer numerous building blocks, alternate options,
and premade examples to help the GM determine a fair cost
Clerics of Order and Chaos . . . . . . . . . 12 for new versions of Blessed. May Blessed Be your go-to divine
by Cole M.B. Jenkins advantage!
Eidetic Memory: Get your GURPS Dungeon Fantasy faith back to the
basics with Clerics of Order and Chaos. Learn about the bene-
The Voice of the Moon . . . . . . . . . . . 19 fits of being a priest or holy warrior of primal forces, plus get
by David L. Pulver two new lenses for divine servitors, two new divine elements,
and a new aura.
Cursed Thou Art . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 What if the Man in the Moon is real? Some witches, past
by Christopher R. Rice
and present, certainly think so, because they can hear The
Secrets of the Universe! . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 Voice of the Moon. In this month’s Eidetic Memory, David L.
by Steven Marsh Pulver – author of best-selling supplements such as GURPS
Spaceships 7: Divergent and Paranormal Tech – reveals the
Random Thought Table: secrets of a 17th-century cult and its modern reconstruction
Keeping the Faith . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 . . . which is also spookily suitable for PCs to be members of.
by Steven Marsh, Pyramid Editor What will you do to get to the moon?
Know, mere mortal, just what’s going to happen when
Odds and Ends . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 Cursed Thou Art. Long-time Pyramid contributor Christopher
featuring Murphy’s Rules R. Rice delves into the inner workings of curses with a meaty
mini-supplement that includes tips for pricing (with eight
About GURPS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 examples), suggestions for related disadvantages, using the
Mitigator limitation, cursing as an ability or as
magic, and more.
Open your mind and learn the Secrets of the
Article olors C Universe! With the religious organization detailed
herein (suitable for past, present, or future eras),
Each article is color-coded to help you find your favorite sections. you’ll discover how you can acquire GURPS
psionic abilities simply by attending a few retreats
Pale Blue: In This Issue . . . and donating all your money.
Brown: In Every Issue (humor, editorial, etc.) The latest Random Thought Table explores
Green: Columnist different options for explaining how certain fan-
Dark Blue: GURPS Features tastic divine abilities never seem to have an effect
Purple: Systemless Features on everyday life, while Odds and Ends has a new
tradition that lets you wear your faith on your
sleeve (or body!) and offers a Murphy’s Rule that’s
Cover Art Interior Art not for the weak. That palpitation in your chest
Abrar Ajmal Greg Hyland is your soul, eager to experience this month’s
Pyramid; unleash its power and sate your spirit!
Editor-in-Chief z STEVE JACKSON Managing Editor z MIRANDA HORNER Chief Executive Officer z PHILIP REED
GURPS Line Editor z SEAN PUNCH GURPS Project Manager z STEVEN MARSH Chief Operating Officer z SAMUEL MITSCHKE
Assistant GURPS Line Editor z Production Artist & Prepress Checker z Marketing Director z BRIAN ENGARD
JASON “PK” LEVINE NIKOLA VRTIS Director of Sales z ROSS JEPSON
Page Design z PHIL REED & JUSTIN DE WITT
Pyramid Magazine 2 April 2015

From the
Editor
You Gotta Have Faith – rabbit hole to fall down.) “The High Priest of the God of War
needs you to investigate a forgotten cathedral . . .” is certainly
There are two things I love about matters of faith and spir- a different hook than “the King sends you to a dungeon.”
ituality in roleplaying games. First off, it’s underutilized as a If you add divinely powered elements of faith to the mix –
plot element. Let’s say that you have a game with a bunch and it’s GURPS; why wouldn’t you?! – the possible plot and
of bounty hunters as quasi-recurring characters; they’re not gaming elements explode. “Devout Unitarian Universalist
interesting enough to get full write-ups, but you’d like to dif- Bounty Hunting Crusader of Light” (p. 10) is not only an awe-
ferentiate them in some way. “Devout Unitarian Universalist some character concept, but it’s also a phrase that has yet to
Bounty Hunter” is certainly different from “Atheistic Nihilist appear on Google. Err . . . until the preview of this issue is
Bounty Hunter” . . . and both can have an easy-to-remember uploaded. But I digress.
hook that differentiates them from “Agnostic Shoot-You-in- So if your campaign is feeling a bit generic and you’re look-
the-Kneecaps Bounty Hunter.” ing for something cool and nifty to add, please consider a faith
Second, it’s an interesting part of the human experience lift . . . courtesy of this issue.
that can be realistically inserted into just about any campaign
setting – past, present, or future. The Church was a significant
element in Renaissance Florence, religion continues to shape Write Here, Write Now
the modern geopolitical and social landscape, and matters Your comments are heavenly music to our ears. Were we
of faith will almost certainly influence us at least in the near touched by angels? Or touched by madness? Let us know
term as we work our way off this mudball. (There’s a “Religion via private feedback at [email protected], or join the
in Space” page on Wikipedia that’s in interesting – if brief public discussion online at forums.sjgames.com.
Pyramid, GURPS, Warehouse 23, the all-seeing pyramid, and the names of all products published by Steve Jackson Games Incorporated are trademarks or registered trademarks of
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Blessed Be by Sean Punch
The Blessed (pp. B40-41) advantage is a catchall for gifts 4. A reaction bonus from a deity’s followers, who can some-
conferred upon holy folk by The Powers That Be. It gives the how sense Blessed. That’s Social Regard [5/level] (pp. B86-87)
GM – in his role as the campaign’s highest Power – the option with the benefit that the faithful just know – it works despite
of declaring that some divine endowment just works, instead disguises, language barriers, etc. – and the drawback that
of building it as a complex GURPS Powers-style ability. Like only worshipers care, not all of society. The former doubles
Divine Curse (p. B132), it’s clearly meant to be defined by point value when applied to Social Stigma (Excommunicated)
fiat . . . but with so few examples, it’s tricky to price without (p. B155), which is the precise opposite of Social Regard,
exploring some “builds.” while the latter halves cost for a large class of people affected
when used on Reputation (p. B27). The effects cancel out. 5
Deconstructing Blessed points for +1 reactions; 10 points for +2.

The Divine Guidance form of Blessed therefore costs 1 + 3
The published examples provide the only available
+ 1 + 5 = 10 points, while Very Blessed comes to 1 + 8 + 1 +
insight into Blessed, so let’s take them apart and estimate
10 = 20 points.
the price of the components – even if that means a little
Powers-style math!
Heroic Feats
Divine Guidance The next example is Blessed (Heroic Feats) [10]. The player
can invoke this once per game session for +1d to his charac-
The first example is the generic divinatory version of
ter’s ST, DX, or HT, lasting 3d seconds. To see what’s going on,
Blessed [10] – improvable to Very Blessed [20] – from the
let’s first list the assumed limitations:
Basic Set. We’ll dub this trait Blessed (Divine Guidance). It
enables the user to receive wisdom from his deity by taking • One use per game session gets tricky. The Game Time mod-
an hour, spending 10 FP, and rolling against IQ. That is, it ifier from Powers and GURPS Power-Ups 4: Enhancements
allows him to cast a Divination spell (GURPS Magic, pp. 108- converts one use per game session to anywhere between a
109) without prerequisite spells, and sans Magery or Power use per week and a use per day, depending on the campaign’s
Investiture. This breaks down as: action level. Limited Use, 1/day, ‑40% is easy – but no price
exists for 1/week. However, Limited Use worsens by about
1. Dispensation to cast one specific spell without prereq-
‑10% per full halving in daily uses, so one use per two or three
uisites. GURPS Power-Ups 2: Perks calls this a “Charm”
days ought to be ‑50%, and one use per four to seven days
perk; GURPS Thaumatology: Magical Styles, a “Shortcut to
should be ‑60%. Blessed has the same price in all campaigns,
Power” perk. Spells enabled by these perks require Magery 0
so let’s split the difference: ‑50%.
except when associated with holy magic. Fortunately, Blessed
• One “use” normally lasts a minute. Here, duration is
is holy by definition! 1 point.
3d seconds, which averages 10.5 seconds – about 1/6 nor-
2. Divination at IQ or IQ+5. Divination (H) IQ-2 [1]
mal. GURPS Psionic Powers calls this Reduced Duration,
improved by +2 or +7 for just 1 point/level would cost less than
1/6, ‑15%.
Divination (H) IQ [4] or IQ+5 [24], if we could justify it – and
• “You will lose this advantage if you fail to act in accor-
we can. A bonus to a single spell is found by taking Magery or
dance with your deity’s rules and values” is what Powers calls
Power Investiture and adding One-Spell Magery, ‑80% (from
Divine (‑10%) – a fancy version of Pact (p. B113). As there’s
GURPS Thaumatology) to reduce cost from 10 points/level
nothing inherently sacred about an attribute bonus, we must
to 2 points/level. However, Blessed specifies no reduction in
make this explicit. (This drawback is left implicit in Divine
energy cost, casting time, or rituals for high skill, which is at
Guidance, as both holy magic and Licensed Exorcist come
least as limiting as Extravagant Rituals, ‑10%. This looks like a
with a built-in need to keep the faith, while the deity convey-
reasonable place to invoke divine fiat and call upon Below the
ing Social Regard can withdraw it as surely as it can inflict the
Minimum (GURPS Power-Ups 8: Limitations, p. 7) to allow
corresponding Social Stigma.)
‑90%, giving 1 point per +1. 3 points for IQ; 8 points for IQ+5.
That totals ‑75%, making the price of the modified traits 1/4
Blessed (Divine Guidance) has two further benefits hidden
normal, rounded up.
within:
Now let’s examine what’s being modified. An attribute
3. Holy support that allows Exorcism (p. B193) without ‑4 bonus rolled on 1d averages +3.5. For ST or HT, at 10 points/
to skill. GURPS Dungeon Fantasy 9: Summoners deems this level, that’s worth 35 points. For DX, at 20 points/level, it
a perk: “Licensed Exorcist.” 1 point. comes to 70 points. Thus, the “fair” cost is 1/4 as much: 9
points for ST or HT, or 18 points for DX.

Nothing in the Exorcism skill write-up suggests that contact. Divine is present to make the touch holy, and because
Heroic Feats won’t wipe the ‑4 to skill every bit as well as this attack fails if the gods disapprove. 8 points.
Divine Guidance, so we should add that. This brings the 3. Being able to transform water into holy water is simply
cost to 10 points for ST or HT, 19 points for DX. That last a “power perk” that fits the previous ability. Alternatively, it
point cost is a bit of a puzzle: the Basic Set doesn’t make could be regarded as an Accessory perk, since in many set-
Blessed more expensive when it grants DX. To finesse this, tings, holy water amounts to everyday gear. 1 point.
see Attribute Bonuses (pp. 6-7).
Final cost is 1 + 8 + 1 = 10 points.
Blessed Art Thou Chasing Ghosts

GURPS Powers: Divine Favor defines three further forms Ghost Weapon [15] grants the user’s weapons – perhaps
of Blessed: Last Rites, Font, and Ghost Weapon. Once again, even vehicular ones – the Affects Insubstantial (p. B102)
we’ll dissect. enhancement against malevolent, supernatural beings.
The breakdown:
Autopsy of Last Rites
1. The standard Licensed Exorcist perk implied by Blessed.
Last Rites [5] empowers the blessed person to pray for one
1 point.
minute over a dead body, making occasional contact, to pre-
2. The capacity to add the enhancement works much like an
vent the material remains from rising as undead and to immu-
imparted form of Static (Powers, p. 98): Static (Affects Others
nize the associated spirit against summoning. It can’t prevent
(Accessibility, Weapons, ‑30%), +35%; Cosmic, Evil supernat-
resurrection – and if the subject wants to return, possesses
ural powers, +100%; Divine, ‑10%; Not for Wielder, ‑100%;
resuscitating advantages, or has already turned, the blessing
One Ability, Insubstantiality, ‑80%) [14]. Affects Others,
likewise fails. The benefits of peaceful rest automatically apply
restricted to weapons, lets the user protect what he’s touching
to the ability’s user upon at his death. The elements are thus:
as long as it’s a weapon, while Not for Wielder subtracts away
1. The standard Licensed Exorcist perk implied by Blessed. all protection for his person (whence ‑100%). The new variety
1 point. of Cosmic doesn’t let Static ignore unrestricted powers – that
2. A second perk – Power-Ups 2: Perks calls it “Covenant of would be worth +300%, and encompass superscience tech and
Rest” – which ensures that the possessor won’t be reanimated, the gods’ own defenses – but does cover all evil, supernatu-
summoned, etc. 1 point. ral ones. One Ability, borrowed from Neutralize, restricts the
3. The ability to confer a limited version of Covenant of effect to one advantage. 14 points.
Rest upon the dead. In most settings, clergy can do this with
Final cost is 1 + 14 = 15 points.
a simple Religious Ritual roll. Thus, it could be thought of
as what Perks calls a One-Task Wonder perk
– here, OTW (Religious Ritual defaults to full
IQ for funerary rites) – with two varieties of
Cosmic: “Lingering effect, +100%” (only another The excellence of a gift lies in its
extraordinary ability can reverse it) and “No die
roll required, +100%” (no actual need to roll IQ appropriateness rather than in its value.
or Religious Ritual). That triples cost. 3 points.
– Charles Dudley Warner
Final cost is 1 + 1 + 3 = 5 points.
Font of Ideas
Font [10] makes the blessed one’s body the equivalent of
holy water, with exposure proportional to the extent of the Blessed Building Blocks
contact: a brief touch or a punch counts as a sprinkling; a This reduction has revealed several components to use
grapple, as immersion of the grappled body part. Moreover, it when building other forms of Blessed.
gives the user the ability to transmute up to a pint of water at
a time into actual holy water, which he can sprinkle onto or Perks
hurl at unholy enemies. Let’s examine the parts: Blessed might include the benefits of almost any perk.
1. The standard Licensed Exorcist perk implied by Blessed. These properties are built-in, and not subject to the cam-
1 point. paign’s limits on the number of perks allowed. Some fitting
2. The ability to count as holy water on touch is a pow- choices, at the standard 1 point apiece:
erful one that harms numerous supernatural entities. A rea- Accessory (p. B100 and Power-Ups 2: Perks, p. 10), if the
sonable construction would be Burning Attack 1 point (Aura, chosen one can count an ordinary article as one particular
+80%; Cosmic, Irresistible attack, +300%; Divine, ‑10%; Melee kind of commonplace holy item one while holding it. Exam-
Attack, Reach C, ‑30%; No Wounding, ‑50%) [8]. It’s burning ples include turning a pint of water into holy water, or a store-
because holy water sizzles. Damage is just 1 point with No bought holy symbol into a blessed one. By contrast with a
Wounding because it causes no injury in itself – all the harm standard Accessory, the perk doesn’t provide the object – only
comes from others’ disadvantages. Aura, Cosmic, and Melee the holiness. Each category of thing calls for a separate perk,
Attack conspire to ensure that a touch by either party, how- and no such artifact can gain extraordinary powers more in
ever brief and whatever armor might be in the way, counts as keeping with pricier Blessed abilities.

Charm (Perks, p. 19) to grant access to a holy magic spell. Cultural Familiarity (p. B23) with Universal truth. Regard-
The spell itself costs extra, and a wizardly spell still needs Mag- less of their temporal culture, the faithful recognize the holy
ery 0. person as “one of us.” No penalties for cultural unfamiliarity
Covenant of Rest (Perks, p. 19), if the blessed one has ever apply among them. 2 points.
insurance against becoming undead or having his spirit sum- Good with the Faithful (Perks, p. 13) with No die roll
moned unwillingly. required. This not only gives the blessed one the skill bonuses
Dramatic Death (Perks, p. 19) to ensure that if the holy of Sensitive (p. B51) when dealing with worshipers of his
person dies in the cause, he gets 1d+1 seconds of dying actions deity, but also lets him sense possession and impostors among
to lecture his executioners, smite his murderers, or whatever. them without rolling dice. 2 points.
Good with the Faithful (Perks, p. 13), granting all the Honest Face (p. B101 and Perks, p. 4) with Universal
benefits of Sensitive (p. B51) when dealing with people loyal truth. The holy person has a beatific aura that dispels others’
to the same deity. suspicions, even when he’s marching around in armor, lurk-
Licensed Exorcist (Dungeon Fantasy 9: Summoners, ing half-unseen in the dark, etc. 2 points.
p. 5) is customary for most varieties of Blessed. It’s the bare One-Task Wonder (Perks, p. 17) with No die roll required.
minimum “I count as a holy person” element, and in a sense The blessed one always succeeds at one specific, uncon-
the most trivial form of Blessed. tested noncombat task with one particular mundane skill
Pet (Perks, p. 18), for a small, unremarkable animal or that has broader uses. He needn’t know the skill! The skill
swarm – e.g., a white dove or a cloud of flies – that follows is most often Religious Ritual, but could also be something
the holy person, symbolizing his god. This isn’t a familiar or like Meditation for seeking enlightenment. If using it leaves
combatant (that’s an Ally). It serves as a herald or a creepy behind a persistent effect – like blessing a home or perform-
special effect: +1 to rolls be noticed or Intimidation, or per- ing last rites – add Lingering Effect, too. 2 points if ephemeral;
haps to spot foes. 3 points if lingering.
Rest in Pieces (Perks, p. 19) to keep enemies slain by a
blessed crusader from being resurrected, reanimated, or sum-
moned. This doesn’t negate innate abilities – it merely blocks
external influences, like Zombie spells.
Now you have the tools to create
Special Exercises or Unusual Training (Perks, p. 21), if your own Blessings!
Blessed acts as an Unusual Background permitting access to
skills or advantages that are otherwise off-limits; e.g., it might
make Enthrallment skills (pp. B191-192) available for preach- Attribute Bonuses
ing the word of one’s god. Each trait (or narrow category, like As Heroic Feats (pp. 4-5) illustrates, the ability to roll 1d
those Enthrallment skills) calls for its own perk, and the gift and add it to an attribute for 3d seconds, once per game
only works in service to the deity. session, is fairly priced at 1/4 of the point cost of the aver-
age bonus, rounded up. For ST or HT, that’s 9 points, and
Cosmic Perks the 10-point price tag of Blessed (Heroic Feats) comes from
Perks aren’t supposed to take enhancements, but the adding Licensed Exorcist. This fails for DX; adding 1d there
gods can break the rules – and so can the GM! The following should cost 18 points even before the perk. It’s fairest to rec-
Cosmic enhancements are worth +100% apiece; thus, each ognize this disparity and do something about it.
adds 1 point to perk cost:
Limited DX: DX +1 [20] grants Basic Speed +0.25 [5]. That
Lingering effect. The perk creates a holy effect that cannot leaves 15 points for all the rest, which amounts to a Talent
be reversed by mundane ritual or vulgar magic. Canceling it (pp. B89-91) with “everything else involving DX.” That’s cer-
calls for a deity to act directly or through an agent. tainly 13 or more skills, so it isn’t unfair. However, the usual
No die roll required. Whatever roll the perk requires is goal of a heroic DX boost is to aid combat skills, and it would
waived – the perk just works provided that effective skill would be logical to regard a bonus to those as a narrower, 10 point/
be at least 3. level Talent. Thus, DX affecting combat rolls but not Basic
Universal truth. The perk’s effect is apparent through barri- Speed or noncombat activities (such as Boating, Dancing,
ers, both social (language and culture) and physical (clothing, and Pickpocket) could be priced equal to ST or HT . . . and it
dirt, disguises, ordinary darkness, etc.). would be no less sensible for a nonviolent deity to bestow a
Examples include: DX bonus for noncombat skills only, with the same price. The
GM may assume that Heroic Feats in the Basic Set confers
Accessory (p. B100 and Power-Ups 2: Perks, p. 10) with one or the other.
Lingering effect. Lets the character sanctify and leave behind Limited IQ: For Blessed that bestows divine wisdom, sim-
one specific kind of commonplace holy item; e.g., he can cre- ply omit Will and Per when boosting IQ. As IQ costs 20 points/
ate a pint of holy water for a friend to use. He can only main- level, while Will and Per are 5 points/level apiece, IQ without
tain one blessed item at a time. 2 points. Will and Per bonuses weighs in at the same 10 points/level as
Brotherhood (Perks, p. 17) with Universal truth. A class ST and HT.
of potentially dangerous divine servitors (angels, demons,
Zombies of the Final Judgment, etc.) supernaturally senses This leads to the following cost schedule:
the chosen one’s presence – even if he’s hidden or disguised – Will, Per, or Basic Move: 3 points for +1 to +3*, 5 points for
and won’t harm him provided that he stays out of their way. +1d, 9 points for +2d†, 14 points for +3d†, or 18 points for
2 points. +4d†.

ST, DX (Combat Rolls Only), DX (Noncombat Rolls Only), Anti-Magic Weapon. The blessed one can penetrate mag-
IQ (No Will or Per), or HT: 5 points for +1 to +3*, 9 points ical defenses with mundane weapons. Spells cannot block
for +1d, 18 points for +2d†, 27 points for +3d†, or 35 points his armed attacks, permitting him to shoot through Missile
for +4d†. Shield, stab across the edges of Force Dome, ignore Shield and
DX, IQ, or Basic Speed: 10 points for +1 to +3*, 18 points for Armor spells, and so on. Using the approach of Holy Weapon
+1d, 35 points for +2d†, 53 points for +3d†, or 70 points gives: Static (Magic; Affects Others (Accessibility, Weapons,
for +4d†. ‑30%), +35%; Divine, ‑10%; Not for Wielder, ‑100%) [8] – or
Static (Magic; Divine, ‑10%; Partial, Means of attack only,
* Roll 1d and read 1-2 as +1, 3-4 as +2, or 5-6 as +3. Average
‑40%) [15], if it also covers unarmed strikes and grapples. 8
bonus is +2.
points if it calls for a weapon; 15 points if it doesn’t.
† While the Basic Set stops at +1d, the GM may allow
higher levels of Blessed that give bigger bonuses. The recom-
Advantageous Heroic Feats
mended ceiling is +2d.
Advantages might be granted for 3d seconds once per game
session, like the attribute bonuses for Heroic Feats. These
Other Major Gifts should be things that could make a difference on such a brief
There are many ways to add advantage-like elements. timescale, typically in combat. In all cases, divide point cost
We’ve already seen a few: by four and round up. Good examples are Combat Reflexes [4]
and High Pain Threshold [3], but more specific possibilities
Holy Regard. A reaction bonus from followers of the deity
exist; e.g., an arctic spirit conferring Terrain Adaptation (Ice)
(only), who can sense it unfailingly; in effect, it has Cosmic,
[2] for the duration of a battle in the frozen wastes.
Universal truth (see Cosmic Perks, p. 6). 5 points/level.
Not all Heroic Feats are physical. Unfazeable [4] is amaz-
Holy Touch. The chosen one’s slightest touch triggers
ingly useful when battling supernatural enemies who trigger
disadvantages in supernatural entities opposed to his patron
Fright Checks. For that matter, extreme deities whose pres-
deity, per Font of Ideas (p. 5). The least contact activates any
ence manifests through their servants’ actions might cause
of Dread, Revulsion, Susceptible, Vulnerability, and Weakness
Terror [8]!
that’s applicable in the situation. If the target creature has a
Traits that come in levels might be rolled randomly, just
weird Divine Curse such as Fragile, Hemophilia, or Unhealing
like attribute bonuses. For instance:
limited to holy attacks, the blessed person’s unarmed blows set
it off. The character’s skin acts as Lifebane (p. B142) against Hard to Kill, Hard to Subdue, or Magic Resistance: 1 point
minor unholy pests that no one would miss, like swarms of for 1-3 levels, 2 points for 1d levels, 4 points for 2d levels, 6
Satanic flies. Any one of these would be a mere perk – espe- points for 3d levels, or 7 points for 4d levels. More than 2d
cially if it depended on bare flesh touching bare flesh. The of these traits runs into diminishing returns.
whole collection is far more. 8 points. Lifting ST: 2 points for 1-3 levels, 3 points for 1d levels, 6
Holy Weapon. Any weapon the holy person wields can points for 2d levels, 8 points for 3d levels, or 11 points for
harm intangible malevolent entities, per Chasing Ghosts (p. 5). 4d levels. Huge levels (3d or more) are less of an issue here
A version that also works when unarmed – letting the user than for general attributes.
benefit from his gifts with or without weapons, and perhaps Striking ST: 3 points for 1-3 levels, 5 points for 1d levels, 9
even grapple ghosts – would be Static (Cosmic, Evil supernat- points for 2d levels, 14 points for 3d levels, or 18 points for
ural powers, +100%; Divine, ‑10%; One Ability, Insubstantial- 4d levels. As with attributes, 2d is a reasonable cap.
ity, ‑80%; Partial, Means of attack only, ‑40%) [21], and allow
Other leveled advantages may suit specific gods; e.g.,
both hands or any weapon carried to reach into the spirit
Silence granted by the Patron of Thieves, or Slippery bestowed
world to beat things up. 14 points if it calls for a weapon; 21
upon servants of the Demon Lord of Slime.
points if it doesn’t.
These suggest possible generalizations. For instance, Holy Full-Time Advantages
Regard follows the lead of the Brotherhood, Cultural Familiar- Permanent advantages could be part of Blessed, exactly
ity, Good with the Faithful, and Honest Face perks by applying as Divine Curse can take the form of a full-time disadvan-
Cosmic, Universal truth to social matters. Other examples of tage that happens to originate from a higher power. Though
this are: Divine, ‑10% was used in some of the complex builds above,
it’s best avoided here – if a gift only makes sense as a complex
Language of Faith. The blessed person and other follow-
Powers-style build with a power modifier, it’s better to make it
ers of the deity can converse fluently, regardless of their native
the ability of a holy power. A similar caution applies to overtly
tongue(s). This is Native-level spoken comprehension of a lan-
supernatural deeds: flying around, healing people, shooting
guage, enhanced with Cosmic, Universal truth. 6 points.
energy bolts, etc.
Sense of Faith. The holy one is aware of the status of
Some ideas for turning subtle advantages into blessings:
his deity’s flock. He can sense threats to the faith and to the
faithful as a collective (not as individuals!) at any distance, Claim to Hospitality. The faithful look after the saint’s
without rolling dice. The religious are similarly aware of him, temporal needs in return for him tending to their spiritual
and intuitively know how to assist him in times of need. This needs. This two-way street is innate to Claim to Hospitality –
is Special Rapport (p. B88) enhanced with Cosmic, Universal it isn’t the effect of a power modifier – and Cosmic, Universal
truth. 10 points. truth isn’t in force, as part of “tending to spiritual needs” is
openly ministering to a deity’s followers, even if that would
Holy Weapon can likewise be generalized as follows.
be risky. 5 points for a regional faith; 10 points for a global one.

Destiny. In settings where the gods guide fate (rather Serendipity. Some deities provide for their servants. The
than Fate being a force to which even the gods are answer- GM should account for the need to keep faith not by adding
able), any form of Blessed could incorporate a Destiny. 5 to Divine, ‑10%, but by balancing it against a god having more
15 points. leeway in defining “coincidences.” 15 points/level.
Divine Guidance Revisited. Enlightenment might arrive Talents. Favored mortals might excel at feats within the
via advantages instead of Divination spells. Rather than apply deity’s sphere. The payoff for pious behavior is a bonus with
Divine, ‑10%, handle these as holy variants whose upside (“I skills that aren’t connected by any plausible aptitude. For
sometimes receive extraordinary revelations . . .”) is balanced instance, Blessed for the Patron of Thieves might amount to
by a downside (“. . . but if I break faith, I’m cut off.”). Provided a 10 points/level bonus to Climbing, Escape, Fast-Talk, Filch,
that the holy one keeps the faith, critical successes take the Forced Entry, Holdout, Lockpicking, Pickpocket, Shadowing,
form of his god – voiced by the GM – giving clues, details, Sleight of Hand, Stealth, and Traps for no other reason than
or bonuses far beyond what’s usual for such outcomes. The “divine will”! Contrast this bonus – all rolls for certain skills,
trait’s attribute roll is for interpretation, not activation. 10 regardless of the tasks – with that for Higher Purpose, above.
points for Common Sense (Holy) or Visualization (Holy); 15 5, 10, or 15 points/level.
points for Danger Sense (Holy), Illuminated (Holy), Intuition True Faith. This needn’t be distinct from Blessed – both
(Holy), or Oracle (Holy). rely on pious behavior and flow from holy origins. It’s really
Higher Purpose. Use this to price a blanket +1 to a specific a matter of which advantage name the GM prefers. 15 points.
set of actions carried out in the name of a god; e.g., “Heal the
sick” or “Spread the word.” Higher bonuses (+2, +3, or more) Spells
aren’t out of the question. Contrast this bonus – to all rolls for
As Divine Guidance (p. 4) shows, one specific Hard spell
particular tasks, regardless of the skills used – with that for
costs 1 point at IQ-2 level, plus 1 point per +1 to the spell
Talents, below. 5 points per +1.
level – and then there’s another point for the Charm perk that
Mana Enhancer. Reimagined as Sanctity Enhancer, this
waives the spell’s standard prerequisites. Put another way,
trait raises sanctity levels instead of mana levels but otherwise
point cost is (IQ bonus + 4); e.g., IQ+10 level costs 10 + 4 = 14
works normally. 50 points/level.
points. For a Very Hard spell, point cost equals (IQ bonus + 5).
Blessed and Power Modifiers

As the Basic Set explains, Blessed assumes the pos- Dungeon Fantasy). This could be seen as double-count-
sessor is “attuned to a god, demon lord, great spirit, cos- ing Divine and as limiting limitations. If either bothers the
mic power, etc.,” and will lose its benefits if he fails to act GM, he can redo the math.
in accordance with his deity’s rules and values. Thus, it Alternatively, go with the flow instead of worrying
includes the drawbacks of a power modifier: Divine, ‑10%. about this, treating the price of Blessed as the fair cost
This isn’t always explicit: of the included abilities in their own right. If Blessed is
bought with Divine, this indicates that the individual buy-
• Components built Powers-style – Heroic Feats, Holy
ing it possesses a power that comes with a Talent, like
Touch, Holy Weapon, etc. – explicitly include Divine.
Power Investiture, which already allows Exorcism (mak-
• Advantages that derive extra oomph from divine fiat
ing Licensed Exorcist redundant), spellcasting (ditto
– e.g., Common Sense (Holy), Serendipity explained as
Charms), and so on. Divine Pentaphilia (p. 9) may have
divine intervention, or Talents indefensible as believable
inflated the cost, too. The 10% off for Divine often gives a
inborn aptitudes – impose the obligations of Divine, but in
fairer cost. If that seems overgenerous, then assume that
place of a discount they get to break the rules.
Blessed is subject to stricter adherence to faith, and that
• Some advantages always include behavior codes
transgressions cause it to stop working before the power’s
and thus cannot claim a discount for required piety; e.g.,
other abilities shut down.
Claim to Hospitality and Higher Purpose.
• Perks like Covenant of Rest and Licensed Exorcist
include Divine implicitly – they’re simply defined that way.
Other Powers
• Traits with Cosmic, Universal truth implicitly assume It’s valid to swap the implicit Divine limitation for
holy support. another power modifier; e.g., so that Blessed relies on
• Spells are divine magic, which only ever works for chi or minor spirits. For most components, this works
the very pious. best as a simple trade-off: replace whatever limitations
and personal codes are associated with the divine power
This causes some wrinkles, however. source with those of the new source. Elements that accept
Divine’s restrictions in return for breaking rules lose that
Doubly Divine extra oomph if the new power is less limiting. The GM
Some GURPS supplements treat Blessed as a unitary decides whether it’s worth redoing the math for aspects
trait – not a collection of parts – and modify it with the that explicitly include Divine, but a power modifier worth
Divine limitation (or its equivalent, like “Holy” in GURPS ‑10% is almost always a fair trade.

This is a questionable component for Blessed in worlds
where clerics routinely cast spells thanks to Power Investiture Pricing Blessed
. . . unless the spells it grants are otherwise off-limits to The price of the Blessed advantage is the sum of the costs
such people. The ability to work magic that’s beyond Power of its parts – all the perks, attribute bonuses, advantage-like
Investiture (and possibly difficult for wizards, too!) is attrac- abilities, spells, etc. Basic “holy status” is customary, in the
tive. However, it requires the GM to develop separate spell form of the Licensed Exorcist perk, but the GM may omit this
lists for Blessed and Power Investiture, and to make sure they aspect if it doesn’t suit the trait’s origins.
don’t overlap. Rather than treat each ability of Blessed as a distinct advan-
The cheap point costs for the spells Blessed empowers is tage – requiring those with multiple gifts to buy several forms
justified by the fact that the magic always requires full energy of Blessed – it’s fairest to lump all of an individual’s capabili-
cost, casting time, and rituals – high effective skill provides no ties into a single trait. This minimizes the odds that he’ll acci-
shortcut around prayer and personal sacrifice. Nevertheless, dentally pay for the same component more than once. If he
the GM must carefully weigh what spells are suitable, as gains new blessings in play, he simply invests more points in
potent magic at low point costs can get badly out of hand Blessed; in effect, he purchases a higher level.
even when hedged with the need to keep the faith. It’s best to
leave flashy healing and combat effects to casters with Power Divine Pentaphilia
Investiture, and to focus on spells that suggest divine guidance
All published forms of Blessed cost whole-numbered mul-
or support arrived at through lengthy rites (minutes to hours)
tiples of 5 points. This isn’t necessary, but many gamers prefer
– possibly further hedged with restrictions on allowed subjects
five-point chunks. As the first principle of Blessed is “The gods
or situations.
can break the rules,” the GM is welcome to round up all costs
Some suggestions:
to a multiple of 5 points and justify the difference as a built-in
Analyze Magic (1 hour, 8 FP), for gods of wisdom. Unusual Background. Even better, hit the mark by adding
Bless (10 minutes, 10 FP), if limited to the 1-point level on extra, minor capabilities.
faithful subjects (blessing random thugs is the realm of
flashy clerics with Power Investiture).
Bless Plants (5 minutes, 1 FP per yard radius), for agricul-
tural spirits.
Cure Disease (10 minutes, 4 FP), for gods of medicine. Slow- If any man obeys the gods,
to-cast Healing spells that don’t simply restore HP are fine,
especially if clerics can’t otherwise use them.
they listen to him also.
Dream Sending (1 minute, 3 FP) to communicate with other
faithful.
– Homer
Divination (1 hour, 10 FP) suited to the god’s sphere; e.g.,
Pyromancy for a fire god.
Final Rest (10 minutes, 20 FP) – a deluxe version of Blessed
(Last Rites) that works whether or not the subject likes it,
regardless of his abilities. Examples
Inspired Creation (VH) (5 FP/day) fits patrons of crafts, and Here are several examples of how Blessed might look.
allows the blessed one to create an item ritually over the Building blocks (advantages, perks, spells, etc.) are in bold-
course of days. face. In a particular campaign, effects might be called out with-
Oath (1 minute, 4 FP) to bind the faithful to promises made out reference to these components, much as on pp. B40-41.
willingly.
Planar Summons (5 minutes, 20+ FP) to call a powerful ser- Angel-Blooded
vitor that isn’t the blessed one’ personal Ally. 15 points
Remove Curse (1 hour, 20 FP), for almost any deity. Mortals with angelic forebears benefit from a loophole in
Resurrection (VH) (2 hours, 300 FP), for gods of the afterlife heavenly law compelling the gods to empower sacred blood.
or underworld. Though powerful, it usually affects only the This suggests a fetching ancestor, if not a faithful one!
faithful – and it’s hard to muster 300 FP unless the deity Angel-Blooded count as exceedingly holy, guaranteeing that
(that is, the GM) wants this outcome! the heavens will keep them when they die (Covenant of Rest),
Summon Spirit (5 minutes, 20 FP) – again, for gods of the and granting not merely the basic Licensed Exorcist ability
afterlife or underworld. but also full-fledged Holy Touch – their touch terrifies and
Volcano (1 hour, 15 FP), for volcano spirits. Making this do scorches unholy entities! By mixing bodily fluids with up to
anything gets quite costly and time-consuming, so it’s emi- a pint of ordinary water, they can convert it to holy water;
nently fitting. the power resides in the liquid, so this can be given to oth-
Will Lock (3 FP per yard radius) to confine the deity’s enemies ers: Accessory, with Lingering effect. Their flesh is equally
by having the mortal servant circle them while chanting extraordinary, and each Angel-Blooded has the option to buy a
ritual words. single angelic “racial” advantage (Special Exercises), chosen
Enchantments – such as Golem and Wish – might also when Blessed is bought and paid for separately when it man-
be appropriate, if the campaign supports PCs taking weeks ifests; this is usually Flight (Winged). Full angels know Angel-
away from adventuring to fast, pray, and manufacture Blooded from humans, and are bound not to harm those who
blessed artifacts. stay out of their way (Brotherhood, with Universal truth).

At first level, Blessed (Dark Disciple)
mainly serves the interests of Hell. Once the
Taking the Blessing Disciple dies, his diabolical patron gets to keep
him forever (Covenant of Rest). He also dese-
Out of Blessed crates the very ground he walks on: One-Task
Wonder (Religious Ritual), with Lingering
As Doubly Divine (p. 8) notes, many GURPS supplements treat
and No die roll required. He can conjure up
Blessed as unitary, not as an advantage that can be decomposed into
(more like “set free”) demons, too – treat this
parts. This sometimes obscures its nature, but that’s unimportant when
as Summon Demon at IQ level. Still, demons
the goal is simply to swap the implicit holy power for something else,
are required to leave the Disciple alone, pro-
as in Other Powers (p. 8). But what if the objective is to turn Blessed
vided that he doesn’t meddle (Brotherhood,
into something that isn’t associated with any power? Apply these steps
with Universal Truth).
in order:
The second level imbues the Disciple with
• If any component makes no sense except for holy folk, simply demonic character. He has the right to add
remove it, reducing cost. one demonic trait (Special Exercises) – e.g.,
• If an unremarkable component (ones that’s mundane and available horns as a Striker – chosen when Blessed is
to all, like Claim to Hospitality) makes sense, leave it alone. bought and paid for separately. He can also
• If a remarkable component makes sense and has had its cost use Heroic Feats to emanate Terror for 3d
increased for Cosmic, Universal truth (implicitly or explicitly), leave it seconds, once per session. And whenever he
be – it has already paid the surcharge to “just work.” wants, he can garner +1 to Intimidation by
• If a remarkable component makes sense and has the Divine power surrounding himself in creepy-crawlers (Pet).
modifier, rip out the modifier and redo the math. This will increase cost. Disciples never gain “holy” status – casting
• If a remarkable component makes sense but lacks Cosmic or out demons doesn’t serve their masters’ goals!
Divine, and is being turned into an exotic ability that works without And while those with Blessed normally reflect
the drawbacks of a power or a code of conduct, add whatever Unusual their deity’s rules and values via disadvan-
Background cost suits the campaign, increasing cost. A fair cost is usu- tages, a Disciple’s are particularly nasty.
ally close to the value of the element itself.
Divine Monarch
Example 1: For non-holy folk, both the “holy” status and reaction
bonus from the faithful inherent in Blessed (Divine Guidance) make 30 points
little sense. That leaves only the divination ability. The GM decides that In some kingdoms, Divine Right is fact:
if it works regardless of mana, sanctity, etc., then limited Magery or the gods crown the king, who rules his fellow
Power Investiture make no sense, either. He treats it as Charm (Divi- man with their blessing. A ruler with Blessed
nation) [1] and Divination (H) IQ [4], for 5 points, and adds a 5-point (Divine Monarch) counts as “holy” (Licensed
Unusual Background, for a total of 10 points. Exorcist) and may wield any state regalia –
Example 2: GURPS Fantasy presents Blessed (The King’s Two Bod- from the simplest wax seal to the crown jew-
ies). This is fundamentally Sense of Faith (p. 7) corresponding to a els – as a sanctified holy symbol (Accessory).
kingdom rather than a religion. As that’s Special Rapport with its cost However, his real power is his pull with his
doubled to 10 points for Cosmic, Universal truth, it remains at 10 points people: he enjoys their unfailing recognition,
– “holy status” and “political status” are considered equivalent. giving +2 on reactions (Holy Regard); he can
bind them to freely given vows by casting Oath
at IQ level; and he may learn Enthrallment
skills for influencing them (Unusual Training).
Crusader of Light Moreover, he’s always aware of the status of his lands and sub-
10 points/level jects, and those he leads can likewise sense when he’s in need
Fantasy holy warriors often exchange unwavering faith (Sense of Faith). Finally, blood will tell – he can invoke Heroic
for divine assistance with putting evil monsters to the sword. Feats for +1d levels of Hard to Kill (3d seconds per session)
Blessed (Crusader of Light) comes in six levels that allow to foil assassins, and if they do get him, he’s guaranteed a
Heroic Feats, each giving one of +1d to ST, DX (Combat Rolls Dramatic Death to issue final orders or skewer them.
Only), or HT – to a maximum of +2d per score – when acti-
vated. The first level also grants basic “holy status” (Licensed Inquisitor
Exorcist). At higher levels, the Crusader may choose one 10 or 20 points
benefit per level from among Accessory (Holy Symbol), Not all deities are comfortable with magic-using mortals.
Accessory (Holy Water), Covenant of Rest, Dramatic Some charge worldly agents to seek out unethical wizards,
Death, and Rest in Pieces, until he has six perks to accom- try them for “playing god,” and mete out punishment. This is
pany his six dice of bonuses. The order in which perks and Blessed (Inquisitor), which comes in two levels.
bonuses are acquired is his decision. At first level, the Inquisitor enjoys +1 on all rolls pertaining
to defeating evil wizards, as long as he keeps the faith (Higher
Dark Disciple Purpose). He can thwart magic through Heroic Feats that
10 or 20 points grant 2d levels of Magic Resistance (3d seconds per session).
Selling one’s soul to demonic forces is a tried-and-true road And enemies he slays stay that way (Rest in Pieces), which is
to power. This particular path comes in two levels. vital against powerful magic-using foes.

The second level lets him turn any weapon he wields into Higher levels are more predictable and hence more
one that can ignore magic: Anti-Magic Weapon. Moreover, respected. At the second level, the Speaker receives mes-
his Heroic Feats add another 1d levels of Magic Resistance sages from the heavens on a regular basis, thanks to Oracle
(total 3d). (Holy), and the faithful react to him at +2 (Holy Regard). At
Neither level lets him count as “holy.” This blessing is the third level (the maximum), even his casual decisions are
about defeating sorcerers, not evil spirits. wise – Intuition (Holy) – and the faithful react at +4 (more
Holy Regard).
Living Temple
20 points Village Mother
When the Evil Empire razed the ancient temples, the Old 10 or 20 points
Gods empowered devout mortals to serve as living, breathing There are remote villages where the eldest mother is a focal
places of worship. Anticipating trouble, they made sure these point for local spirits, who empower her to act wisely on behalf
folk could operate subtly. of her people. At its most basic level, she gets +1 with all deeds
Individuals with Blessed (Living Temple) count as “holy” performed for her village’s greater good (Higher Purpose).
(Licensed Exorcist), and their mere presence consecrates a While the locals may or may not like her, they look after her
building as suitable for worship: One-Task Wonder (Reli- needs in return for her services (Claim to Hospitality).
gious Ritual), with Lingering effect and No die roll Most Village Mothers gain genuine mystical powers as they
required. They can provide the necessities of worship, turn- age. This takes the form of a higher level of Blessed that lets her
ing a pint of ordinary water into holy water, or any crude holy sense the spirits directly, enabling her to conduct exorcisms as
symbol into a sanctified one, and then giving either to a fel- capably as any formally “holy” person (Licensed Exorcist),
low worshiper (two instances of Accessory, with Lingering cast Summon Spirit at IQ level, concoct potions with heal-
Effect). To remain hidden from enemies of the faith, they’re ing powers (Herb Lore enabled by Unusual Training), and aid
able to learn and use Invisibility Art and Light Walk (a couple her village’s harvest (Bless Plants at IQ level).
of Unusual Training perks). To further reduce their odds of
standing out, they can interact with the faithful as if they were Wilderness Guardian
“just locals” (Cultural Familiarity, with Universal truth and 15 or 30 points
Language of Faith), and are able to spot impostors such as Certain wild places beckon brave outdoorsmen to enter
agents of the Evil Empire (Good with the Faithful, with No and test their grit. Surviving the ordeal earns a blessing – from
die roll required). Nature Herself – as a protector of the wilderness.
In backgrounds with clerical magic, it would be reasonable At first level, the Guardian is aware of the state of the wild
for a higher level to add some version of Sanctity Enhancer. place where he dwells, and the creatures and even the trees
there are conscious of him and occasionally aid him. This
Purified One takes the form of Sense of Faith. He also enjoys +1 in combat
10 points when defending his home ground (Higher Purpose).
Not all deities are powerful residents of far-off planes! The second level puts the Guardian in touch with the spir-
There are inner gods – voices urging us away from excess its of his chosen home. They cannot harm him as long as he
and toward balance – and people who heed these sometimes respects them (Brotherhood, with Universal truth). He also
become paragons of tangible virtue. The Purified One always acquires a totem animal, which won’t fight as his Ally but will
knows the enlightened path: One-Task Wonder (Meditation), stay close and warn him of intruders (Pet). He can briefly
with No die roll required. He’s the epitome of self-control, (3d seconds per session) move much like a spirit himself,
capable of learning and using the Body Control and Mental using Heroic Feats to gain +2d to Basic Move and Terrain
Strength skills regardless of other skills or advantages (two Adaptation that allows him to completely ignore the effects
Unusual Training perks), and able to use Heroic Feats to of his native terrain. He may further learn and use the Light
face the worst terrors with rock-solid calm (Unfazeable for 3d Walk skill to pass without trace, cross thin ice, and so at will
seconds, once per session). His inner glow dispels suspicions (Unusual Training).
wherever he may go (Honest Face, with Universal truth). Blessed (Wilderness Guardian) is a primal gift – it has noth-
Blessed (Purified One) isn’t about “holiness” in the usual ing to do with exorcisms, temples, or sanctity.
sense. Its gifts swap the implicit Divine power modifier for
Chi, ‑10%.
About the Author
Speaker for the Gods Sean “Dr. Kromm” Punch set out to become a particle
25 points/level physicist in 1985, ended up the GURPS Line Editor in 1995,
Some deities prefer to address mortals through wise folk. and has engineered rules for almost every GURPS prod-
At the lowest level, this is haphazard. The Speaker for the uct since. He developed, edited, or wrote dozens of GURPS
Gods counts as “holy” (Licensed Exorcist) and can be under- Third Edition projects between 1995 and 2002. In 2004, he
stood by anyone who shares the faith (Language of Faith), produced the GURPS Basic Set, Fourth Edition with David
but the enlightenment he provides is uneven. He can perform Pulver. Since then, he has created GURPS Powers (with Phil
Heroic Feats to augment his own wisdom with that of the Masters), GURPS Martial Arts (with Peter Dell’Orto), GURPS
gods, gaining a burst of +2d to IQ (not including Will or Per, Zombies, and the GURPS Action, GURPS Dungeon Fantasy,
for 3d seconds per session), which he hopefully uses in service and GURPS Power-Ups series . . . among other things. Sean
to the faith. has been a gamer since 1979.

Clerics of
Order and
Chaos by Cole M.B. Jenkins
The primal forces of order and chaos may have existed in GURPS Dungeon Fantasy 7: Clerics, holy warriors and
since before the world began, but their gods still need follow- clerics of order or chaos can now join the party!
ers to work within the world. Using the same format found
Gods of Order
Gods of order may be primal deities concerned with order either Evil or Good as required. Peace is appropriate for Good
in a cosmic sense. They care mostly about ensuring that the gods of order, while Fear suits Nature and Evil.
stars move on their tracks. When such deities
intervene in the affairs of mortals, it may be only
so that civilizations rise and fall in an orderly Good order is the foundation of all things.
fashion. Other gods of order may be stern law-
givers that seek to regulate and organize the – Edmund Burke
day-to-day affairs of mortals. Either way, they
are concerned with preventing world-shaking
threats that wreak havoc on a global scale.
Civilization likes order, so elaborately constructed tem-
Special Powers
Order grants a special set of Holy Might abilities (GURPS
ples of order are typically welcome in most towns and cit-
Dungeon Fantasy 1: Adventurers, p. 22): Delete Spirit
ies. Order cults are more likely than most to rise to power,
Empathy. Change Detect for good and evil to order and chaos.
since the way everybody else does it is so disorderly. They
Add Dictum of Fate (see p. 14) [35; +5 per additional level];
may actually be the government.
Luck (Active, -40%; PM, -10%; Normalizing*, -30%; Wishing†,
+100%) [18] or with Extraordinary Luck [36] or with
Gods of Order and Morality Ridiculous Luck [72]; Resistant to Chaos Powers (+3) or (+8)
While some fantasy games treat order and chaos as its (PM, -10%) [5 or 7]; and Resistant to Transformation‡ (+3)
own moral axis, this isn’t necessarily the case. Primal gods or (+8) (PM, -10%) [5 or 7]. Replace True Faith (PM, -10%;
of order are aligned with Nature and typically see themselves Turning, +65%) [24] with True Faith (Cosmic, Affects Elder
as above conventional morality. Less cosmic gods of the law- Things, +50%; Turning, +65%; PM, -10%) [31].
giver archetype may be Good if they promote wise systems
* Take the roll that is closest to average, that is, number of
of justice and reward honorable behavior. Evil gods of order
dice ¥ 3.5, rounded up.
may promote brutal authoritarian regimes with byzantine
† See GURPS Powers, p. 59.
and draconian legal systems, which seek to enslave the world.
‡ Protects against Shapeshift Other, Flesh to Stone,
All gods of order are opposed to Insane forces in general and
a medusa’s petrification attack, and similar hostile
to Elder Things in particular.
transformations.
Elements The powers granted by Evil gods of order are still orderly,
and are the same as the Holy Might abilities above, except that
The obvious (and mandatory) element is Order. Servitors of
Resistant to Evil Supernatural Powers is replaced by Resistant
purely primal Nature-aligned gods should take the Elemental
to Good Supernatural Powers. The power modifier requires
lens (p. 13) and the Primal element (p. 13). Otherwise take
Excommunicated as usual.

Servitors of Order and Chaos
GURPS Dungeon Fantasy 5: Allies recommends that Skills: Brawling (E) DX+2 [4]-15; Intimidation (A) Will+1
all divine servitors take one of the Good, Evil, or Nature [4]-13; Mental Strength (E) Will+2 [4]-15.
elements. However, for primal Nature-aligned servitors,
* The servitor gets +3 to the Will Roll to deliberately
none of these seem especially appropriate. Good and Evil
go berserk.
are moral positions unsuited to the neutrality of Nature,
and the Nature element is primarily concerned with living
things as opposed to elemental natural forces.
Primal (Doubled)
As above, plus:
New Lenses for Divine Servitor Secondary Characteristics: HP+5 [10].
The following lenses are more suitable for divine ser- Advantages: DR 2 [10]; Patron (Primal deity; 6 or less;
vitors of Nature-aligned gods of order and chaos and for Highly Accessible, +50%; Minimum Intervention,
servitors of primal natural forces in general. -50%; Special Abilities, +100%) [30].
New Lens: Elemental (+0 points) Faerie

This servitor is an intelligent emanation of some Servitors with the Fae lens (above) may take this ele-
cosmic force or classical element. Unlike other element. It fleshes out the template for servitors of Nature
mentals, these are physical manifestations of a cosmic aligned faerie lords and ladies who are more associated
power rather than free-willed spirits. Reduce IQ to 8 with natural elements than other things. It can also be
[-80] and Will and Per to 8 [0]. Remove Blessed [-10], used alongside Good, Evil, or Nature. As creatures of
the Holy Might moral code [10], Dependency [25] and magic, Faerie servitors are empowered both with magic
the five quirks [5]. Add Doesn’t Breathe [20], Doesn’t and the power of their god. They may learn and cast wiz-
Eat or Drink [10], Doesn’t Sleep [20], Injury Tolerance ard spells as though they had Magery equal to their Power
(Homogenous) [40], Single-Minded [5], and Unfazeable Investiture as well as learn the spells of their religion.
[15]. Add Fragile (Unnatural) [-50] and Obsession (Pro- They cannot use clerical or druidic spells as prerequisites
mote my element above all else) (12) [-10]. Change the for wizardry spells. All of their spells are subject to both
Hidden Lore to (Elementals) and the Class to Elemental. Mana and Sanctity (or the druidic modifiers).
Attributes: IQ+2 [20].
New Lens: Fae (+0 points) Secondary Characteristics: Per -3 [-15].
This servitor is a powerful faerie summoned from Advantages: Power Investiture 3 (Faerie Servitor) [45].
some idyllic realm. It is most appropriate for servitors Disadvantages: Duty (To the faerie courts; 12 or less)*
of faerie deities. Regardless of deity served, these beings [-10] and either Lecherousness (12) [-15] or Trickster
may always take Beauty as an element. Reduce ST to 11 (12) [-15].
[-10]. Increase DX to 13 [20]. Remove Immunity to Met- Skills: Connoisseur (any) (A) IQ-1 [1]-13; Innate Attack
abolic Hazards [-30], the Holy Might moral code [10], (any) (E) DX [1]-13; Naturalist (H) IQ-2 [1]-12; Savoir-
and Wealth (Dead Broke) [25]. Change the Dependency Faire (Faerie Courts) (E) IQ [1]-14; Thaumatology
to (Mana; Very Common, Constantly). Add Magery 0 [5], (VH) IQ-3 [1]-11.
Callous [-5], and Sense of Duty (Nature) [-15]. Change the Spells: 20 wizard spells or the spells of the servitor’s
Hidden Lore to (Faeries) and Class to Faerie. patron, which will be either (H) IQ+1 [1]-15 or (VH) IQ
[1]-14 with the +3 for Power Investiture.
New Elements
Two new descriptive elements expand the potential * Roll whenever the servitor is summoned. If the duty
spheres of influence for deities. comes up, it means the servitor has been given some
other task in addition to aiding the summoner while it’s
Primal in the mortal realm.
This element, which has the Elemental lens (above) as
a prerequisite, is for the servitors of cosmic gods of natu-
Faerie (Doubled)
ral forces. Like Evil, Good, or Nature, this element fleshes As above, and:
out the servitor. It can be used independently or combined Advantages: Patron (Deity; 6 or less; Highly Accessible,
with any of those elements. +50%; Minimum Intervention, -50%; Special Abilities,
Attributes: ST+4 [40]. +100%) [30]; Wild Talent 1 (Focused; Magical, -20%)
Secondary Characteristics: HP+1 [2]; Will+4 [20]. [18].
Perks: Primal Rage*. [1] Skills: Increase two skills by 1 point or take two addi-
Disadvantages: Berserk (12) [-10]; Cannot Speak [-15]. tional spells.

Priests of Order Secondary Skills: Add “Elder Things” to the allowed special-
ties for Hidden Lore. • Delete Interrogation (A) IQ [2] and
Order’s priests use the standard cleric template from Intimidation (A) Will [2]. • Add Law (Civilized Lands) (H)
GURPS Dungeon Fantasy 1: Adventurers, p. 6, with the fol- IQ [4].
lowing modifications. Background Skills: Add Poisons (H) IQ-2 [1] to the list of
available skills.
Disadvantages: Change the required disadvantages to one
of Honesty (12) [-10], Sense of Duty (Coreligionists) or * Multiplied for self-control number; see p. B120.
Vow (Maintain order and prevent change) [-10]. • Delete
Weirdness Magnet [-15] and add Callous [-5], Intolerance
(Servants of Chaos*) [-5], No Sense of Humor [-10], and Order Spells
Odious Personal Habit (Relentlessly Logical) [-5] to the list Clerics of order have the following spells available.
of further disadvantages.
Secondary Skills: Add “Elder Things” to the allowed special- PI 1: Oath (Required), Armor, Cleansing, Detect Magic,
ties for Hidden Lore. • Add Law (Civilized Lands) (H) IQ-2 Final Rest, Lend Energy, Lend Vitality, Magic Resistance,
[1]-12. Recover Energy, Relieve Paralysis, Rooted Feet, Sense
Background Skills: Choose only four (instead of five) back- Chaos*, Sense Evil†, Shield, Silence, Soilproof, Vigor, and
ground skills. Watchdog.
PI 2: Relieve Madness (Required), Aura, Awaken, Bravery,
* Anarchists, criminals, cultists, divine servitors with the Clean, Command, Compel Truth, Detect Poison, Dispel
Chaos element, Elder Things, most Faeries and so on. Magic, Minor Healing, Peaceful Sleep, Protection from
Evil priests of order use the evil cleric template from Chaos, Protection from Evil†, Purify Air, Purify Food,
GURPS Dungeon Fantasy 3: The Next Level (p. 23) with the Purify Water, Remove Contagion, Resist Acid, Resist Cold,
following lens. Resist Disease, Resist Fire, Resist Lightning, Resist Pain,
Resist Poison, Resist Pressure, Restore Hearing, Restore
Disadvantages: Add Bully [-10*] to the first list of disadvan- Memory, Restore Sight, Restore Speech, Stone to Flesh,
tages. • Delete Weirdness Magnet [-15] and add Intoler- Stop Paralysis, Stop Spasm, Test Food, Truthsayer, Turn
ance (Servants of Chaos) [-5], No Sense of Humor [-10], Spirit, and Turn Zombie.
Odious Personal Habit (Relentlessly Logical) [-5], Sadism PI 3: Affect Spirits, Astral Vision, Bless, Body Reading, Cool-
[-15*], and Vow (Maintain order and prevent change) [-10] ness, Create Food, Cure Disease, Curse, Dispel Creation,
to the list of further disadvantages. Honesty [-10*] is also Dispel Illusion, Dispel Possession, Glow, Great Voice,
appropriate for Evil priests from oppressive kingdoms with Major Healing, Neutralize Poison, Relieve Sickness, Repel
draconian laws. Spirits, See Secrets, Sense Life, Sense Spirit, Stop Bleed-
Primary Skills: Replace Poisons (H) IQ [4] with Interrogation ing, Strengthen Will, Warmth, and Wisdom.
(A) IQ [2] and Intimidation (A) Will [2]. • Add Whip (A) PI 4: Astral Block, Banish, Breathe Water, Continual Light,
DX+2 [8] and Shield (E) DX+2 [4] as a fourth melee skills Create Water, Divination, Gift of Letters, Gift of Tongues,
package. Healing Slumber, Instant Neutralize Poison, Instant Res-
toration, Monk’s Banquet, Pentagram,
Repair, Remove Curse, Restoration,
Suspend Curse, Suspended Animation,
D ictum of ate F Umbrella, and Vigil.
PI 5: Command Spirit, Continual Sunlight,
35 points for level 1; plus 5 points Essential Food, Regeneration, Seeker,
for each additional level and Suspend Mana.
PI 6: Bind Spirit, Great Healing, Instant
Servants of order can use this aura to normalize the effects of random Regeneration, Planar Summons
chance in their immediate vicinity. Take a Concentrate maneuver and roll (Divine Servitor), and Suspend Time.
Will to activate Dictum of Fate. If you fail, you may Concentrate and try
again, but subsequent attempts cost 1 FP. Once activated, for the next min- * As the Sense Good/Evil and Protec-
ute, roll a Contest of Will with every foe who comes within two yards. If tion from Good/Evil spells in GURPS
you succeed, they may not use Luck (or similar abilities to force rerolls, like Dungeon Fantasy 11: Power-Ups (p. 15),
the curse ability of Chaos Monks from GURPS Dungeon Fantasy 14: Psis, but for chaos instead of good or evil.
p. 42) for a number of seconds equal to the margin of victory. If they try to † Unholy Clerics get the versions of
use their probability-altering ability during this period, it still counts as a these spells for good instead.
use and resets their “clock.” Each minute, the servitor may roll Will to keep
the aura up. On a failure, he may take a Concentrate and roll again for 1 FP.
Each additional level doubles the affected radius. H oly W arriors
Statistics: Affliction (Aura of Power, +175%; Based on Will, +20%; of Order
Negated Advantage, Ridiculous Luck, +60%; PM, -10%) [35]. Additional lev- Holy warriors of order may simply use
els add Area Effect, +50% [+5/level]. Aura of Power is from GURPS Power- the standard template (Dungeon Fantasy
Ups 4: Enhancements, p. 4. 1, p. 7) with the following alterations.

Advantages: Replace the mandatory Higher Purpose with Secondary Skills: Add Exorcism (H) Will-1 [2]-13, Hidden
Higher Purpose (Slay Elder Things) and replace Shtick Lore (Elder Things) (A) IQ-1 [1]-13, and Physiology (mon-
(Foes slain personally do not rise as undead) [1] with ster type) and Psychology (same monster type), both (H)
Binding Oaths [1] (see below). • Use order’s Holy abilities IQ-2 [1]-12. • Delete the section of secondary skills options
(p. 12). (you may take them as background skills instead).
Disadvantages: Choose the mandatory disadvantage from the Background Skills: Add Religious Ritual and Theology, both
same list as order’s clerics (see p. 14). (H) IQ-2 [1]-12; Meditation (H) Will-2 [1]-12; and Esoteric
Primary Skills: Add (Elder Things) to the options for Hidden Medicine (Holy) (H) Per-2 [1]-13.
Lore.
* Binding Oaths: The holy warrior can swear oaths that
Some holy warriors of order are religious police that hunt are supernaturally binding by performing a short ritual of
down lawbreakers and oppose disruptive forces in service oath-taking. All parties must consent to the ritual of their own
to a divine mandate, rather than mortal law. They are espe- free will (any form of coercion, whether magical or mundane,
cially dedicated to destroying Elder Things, as these chaotic will cause the ritual to fail). At least one oath-taker must have
beings from beyond reality pose an eternal threat to order. this perk (and can’t have lost his powers due to transgression).
For these types of warriors, use the template for the justicar See GURPS Fantasy, p. 147, for effects.
(Pyramid #3/10: Crime and Grime, p. 4) with the
following lens.
Advantages: Replace the mandatory Higher Pur-
pose with Higher Purpose (Slay Elder Things)
Wield the Sword of Order
and delete Intuition [-15]. • Add Holiness 2 [10] To take up the cause of order with another template, use the
and Binding Oaths* [1]. • 25 points in order’s appropriate lens and make the changes for the holy and unholy
Holy abilities (see p. 12); put leftovers into warrior templates.
advantages. • Take 15 points (instead of 35) in
the advantages available to justicars, Holiness 3
or 4 [5 or 10], or Intuition [15].
Disadvantages: Replace the mandatory Intolerance [-5] with U nholy W arriors of rder O
Intolerance (Servants of Chaos) [-5]. • Add Code of Honor Frequently employed as the secret police and spiky-
(Chivalry) [-15] and Odious Personal Habit (Relentlessly armored enforcers of evil theocracies, unholy warriors of
Logical) [-5] to the list of further disadvantages. • Change order use the same templates and lenses as recommended
Sense of Duty (Nation) to (Coreligionists) [-10]. • Delete above with Excommunicated [-10] in place of Honesty (12)
the option to worsen Honesty. [-10]. They may take Honesty (12) [-10] – or take it at (9) for
Primary Skills: Reduce Observation, Search, and Tracking, [-15] or 6 for [-20] – as one of their disadvantage options if they
all from (A) Per [2]-15 to (A) Per-1 [1]-14. serve an oppressive state with draconian justice.
Confusion is a word we have invented for an order which is

not understood.
– Henry Miller
Gods of Chaos
As with their orderly counterparts, primal gods of chaos illegal, but they are much more carefree than cults of elder
may exist to ensure that change and progress will always coun- gods. They are as likely to be hidden in palaces as in the slums.
teract stasis and stagnation on a cosmic scale. Chaos may be Gods of madness tend to attract only the insane or the des-
promoted by gods of discord who seek to destabilize civiliza- perate and can generally be found only in bedlams or under-
tion and punish the self-important. Whimsical gods, such as ground (usually literally).
those of the faerie folk, may act only according to their capri-
cious fancies in order to make the world more “fun.” Gods of Gods of Chaos and Morality
madness may be allied with (or are) Elder Things whose alien
Gods of primal chaos are Chaotic or aligned to Nature.
motives are entirely incomprehensible to mortals.
If they are aware of morality at all, they see it as an irrele-
Clerics of primal chaos are largely indistinguishable from
vant restriction. Most other gods of chaos are either aligned
particularly weird druids, and they are generally treated as
with Nature (if they seek ordinary disorder) or Insane (if they
such, even by other druids. Clerics of chaotic faerie lords and
oppose consistent reality). Whimsical gods of freedom may be
ladies are found in cosmopolitan communities where they
Good, while sowers of discord may be Evil, but most gods of
are warily accepted as whimsical but dangerous elements of
chaos are too random to define themselves in moral terms.
fae culture. Cults of discord tend to be secretive and typically

Deities of chaos generally are not organized enough to have Channeling (PM, -15%; Specialized, Chaos Spirits, -50%)
a moral position, so there really are no “holy” or “unholy” [4]; Detect (PM, -15%) for order [17], chaos [17], or super-
chaos priests. Good religions tend to have a negative reaction natural beings [17]; Injury Tolerance (Diffuse; Swarm,
to drunken cults of discord or elder madness. Members of Cannot affect the material world*, +80%; Costs 1 FP, -5%;
such proscribed faiths should take Excommunicated [-10] as PM, -15%) [160]; Intuition (PM, -15%) [13]; Luck (Active,
one of their disadvantages. -40%; Destabilizing†, -30%; PM, -15%; Wishing‡, +100%)
[17] or with Extraordinary Luck [35] or with Ridiculous
Elements Luck [69]; Medium (PM, -15%; Specialized, Chaos Spirits,
-50% [4]; Patron (Deity; 6 or less; Highly Accessible, +50%;
Chaos is, of course, mandatory. Deception and Fear are
Minimal Intervention, -50%; PM, -15%; Special Abilities,
always appropriate for spirits of confusion. Primal servants of
+100%) [28] or (9 or less) [56]; Resistant to Order Pow-
chaos should take the Elemental lens (p. 13) and the Primal
ers (+3) or (+8) (PM, -15%) [5 or 6]; Spirit Empathy (PM,
element (p. 13). Faerie lords and ladies of chaos prefer ser-
-15%) [9], and Wild Talent (Emergencies Only, -30%; PM,
vants with the Fae lens (p. 13) and the Faerie element (p. 13).
-15%) [11/level].
As discussed above, Chaos does not necessarily intersect
with morality (GURPS Dungeon Fantasy 7: Clerics, p. 5), * Swarm variation: See GURPS Powers, p. 53. The cleric
but if it does, servants of Good or Evil gods should take those turns into a flock of brightly colored butterflies, motes of puls-
respective elements. Neutral morality needs no special ele- ing light or similar swarm of harmless chaotic elements. If the
ment, though it suggests one of Faerie, Nature, or Primal. effect ends for any reason (including being unable to pay the
Chaotic or Insane gods may be covered adequately by Chaos FP cost) while you are scattered you will be unable to act (you
or could add Deception, Elder (Pyramid #3/43: Thaumatology must take Do Nothing maneuvers) until the entire swarm has
III, p. 10), Fear, or another appropriate element. contracted. As a separate 80-point power-up, you can gain the
For Servitors of Elder Things, see Elder Gods of Chaos ability to affect the material world with your ST and spells
(below). while in swarm form.
† Take the roll that is farthest from average, that is, number
Special Powers of dice ¥ 3.5; rounded up.

‡ See GURPS Powers, p. 59.
Service to chaos may be uninhibited, but it is not unde-
manding. The powers granted by chaos may use a holy power
Elder Gods of Chaos
modifier that requires Sense of Duty (Wild Nature) [-15] or
Some chaos gods are actually Elder Things. When this is
Trickster (12) [-15].
the case, their granted abilities always have the Chaos Druid
Alternatively, they may use the following variant druidic
PM (above) rather than the holy or unholy one. The mad eye
power modifier.
of the universe cares as much about mindwarpers as ants
or humans; it just spews chaos at anybody crazy enough to
Power Modifier: Chaos Druid use it! To build divine servitors of such gods, use the lenses
-15% and elements from p. 10 of Pyramid #3/43: Thaumatology III.
Chaos druids cast spells and use abilities that are influenced (And read the rest of that article for a different take on Elder
by entropy rather than nature. They are at full skill in a howl- Things, in which psi replaces cleric abilities.)
ing wilderness or at sea; -1 in somewhat orderly wild places
like old-growth forests and messy civilized areas like bustling
cities; -2 in rural areas demarked by farms and hedgerows; -3 Priests of Chaos
in orderly civilized areas like quiet villages; -5 in regimented Worshipers of chaos don’t sit around stuffy temples reading
environments like monasteries, barracks, and giant-ant hills; old books; they dance around eldritch glades screaming eerie
and -10 anywhere entropy has ceased, such as in a cursed cas- chants. Use the druid template (GURPS Dungeon Fantasy 1:
tle that’s frozen in time. Use these same modifiers for spells Adventurers, p. 7) with the following lens.
cast with this form of Power Investiture. Abilities that don’t Advantages: Replace Green Thumb [5] with Chaotic Mind*
require a success roll instead lose 10% of their potency, as the 1 [5] and change the Power Investiture to Holy or Chaos
druidic power modifier. Druid as appropriate. • Instead of Druidic abilities take
Chaos druids also attract chaotic beings with their pow- the Chaos Druid Holy abilities (see above). • Delete Animal
ers. Whenever a chaos druid uses a power or casts a spell, Friend 1-4 [5/level] and Green Thumb 2-4 [5/level] and add
and for one minute afterward, chaos spirits, faeries, and Elder Chaotic Mind 2-4 [5/level] and Serendipity 1 [15] to the list
Things get +3 to Per rolls to detect the druid. This increases of available advantages.
both the chance of attracting psionic threats when psi powers Disadvantages: One of Sense of Duty (Wild Nature) [-15]
are used within 10 yards, and random encounters in dungeons or Trickster (12) [-15]. • -30 points chosen from any of
and other areas strongly associated with chaos (such as faerie the disadvantages available to druids, Excommunicated
mounds or Elder Thing ruins). [-10], Frightens Animals [-10], or Intolerance (Servants of
Holy Abilities: Allies (Divine servant of equal points; 12 or Order†) [-5].
less; PM, -15%; Summonable, +100%) [19] or (15 or Primary Skills: Replace Herb Lore (VH) IQ [4]-14 with Exor-
less) [28]; Aura of Power: Chaos (GURPS Power-Ups 4: cism (H) Will [4]-14. • Reduce Naturalist (H) IQ [2]-14 to
Enhancements, p. 5) (PM, -15%) [32; +5/additional level]; IQ-1 [2]-13.

Secondary Skills: Add “Elder Things” as an optional special- Snow, Summon Elemental, Tangle Growth, Walk Through
ization of Hidden Lore. • Change “Druidic” to “Chaos Cult” Plants, Walk Through Wood, Waves, Weaken Will, Whirl-
for Religious Ritual and Theology. pool, and Wind.
Background Skills: Add Mind Block (A) Will [1]-14‡ and PI 4: Blight, Body of Fire, Body of Water, Body of Wind, Con-
Gambling (A) IQ-1 [1]-13 to the list of available back- trol Elemental, Control Person, Dispel Magic, Frostbite,
ground skills. Fumble, Hail, Hallucination, Healing Slumber, Lightning,
Spells: Choose from the clerical spells of chaos (see below) Madness, Mass Sleep, Roundabout, Permanent Forget-
instead of druidic spells. fulness, Possession, Sandstorm, Shapeshifting (Insect
Swarm†), Storm, Tide, Transform Body, and Wither Plant.
* Chaotic Mind: Adds to Hidden Lore (Faeries and Elder
PI 5: Alter Terrain, Bless, Curse, False Memory, Great Halluci-
Things), Mind Block, Psychology (Faeries and Elder Things),
nation, Partial Shapeshifting, Permanent Madness, Shape-
and Weather Sense. Reaction Bonus: faeries, Elder Things and
shifting (any), Shapeshift Others, and Transform Other.
the insane.
PI 6: Earthquake, Move Terrain, Transmogrification, and
† Guardsmen and other authority figures, followers of gods
Volcano.
of order, divine servitors with the Order element and so on.
‡ Includes +1 from Chaotic Mind. * As the Sense Good/Evil and Protection from Good/Evil
spells in GURPS Dungeon Fantasy 11: Power-Ups (p. 15),
but for order instead of good or evil.
† See GURPS Dungeon Fantasy 5: Allies, p. 9.
Thus you can see Chaos is
inevitable. We lurk not only beyond Chaos Warriors
their grasp and at their gates; Chaos often attracts people of a violent nature who leave
confusion and disorder in their wake. Apply this lens to the
we lurk within the darkness of standard holy warrior template.
their souls, on the tip of their Advantages: Remove Higher Purpose [-5] and Shtick [-1],
replacing them with Brotherhood of Chaos† [1] and Dare-
tongues, in their tortured dreams. devil [15]. • Take Holy abilities from the Chaos list (p. 16).
We are them, but freed from • In further advantages, replace Higher Purpose with Cha-
otic Mind 1-4 [5/level] (see above).
the shackles of ignorance. Disadvantages: Replace this entire section with: Trickster
– Diuman Cilious, (12) [-15). • Another -15 points chosen from among Bad
Temper [-10*], Berserk [-10*], Frightens Animals [-10],
in Dawn of War: Gluttony [-5*], Greed [-15*], Jealousy [-10], Laziness [-10],
Soulstorm Lecherousness [-15*], Selfish [-5*], Social Stigma (Excom-
municated) [-10], or Weirdness Magnet [-15]. • A fur-
ther -10 points chosen from among the previous traits or
Bloodlust [-10*], Bully [-10*], Callous [-5], Code of Honor
(Pirate’s) [-5], Compulsive Lying [-15*], Fanaticism [-15],
Chaos Spells Intolerance (“Good” religions) or (All other religions) [-5 or
Worshipers of chaos can learn the following spells. -10], Overconfidence [-5*], or Stubbornness [-5].
Skills: Delete Esoteric Medicine [-1], Physiology (monster)
PI 1: Beast-Rouser, Berserker, Bravery, Clumsiness, Daze, [-4], and Psychology (monster) [-4]. Available Hidden Lore
Detect Magic, Fear, Foolishness, Ignite Fire, Itch, No-Smell, specialties are Elder Things, Elementals, Faeries, or Nature
Quick March, Recover Energy, Seek Air, Seek Earth, Seek Spirits. Take four background skills instead of five [-1].
Fire, Seek Food, Seek Magic, Seek Water, Sense Emo-
tion, Sense Foes, Sense Life, Sense Order*, Umbrella, and * Multiplied for self-control number; see p. B120.
Vexation. † The Brotherhood perk (GURPS Power-ups 2: Perks,
PI 2: Drunkenness, Dullness, Emotion Control, Fog, For- p. 17) for hostile faeries, sapient Elder Things, chaos spirits
getfulness, Frost, Garble, Hair Growth, Hide Path, Light and other supernatural creatures of chaos.
Tread, Mass Daze, Mental Stun, Mindlessness, Minor
Healing, Mystic Mist, Nauseate, Panic, Pestilence, Pre-
dict Earth Movement, Predict Weather, Protection from About the Author
Order*, Repel Animal, Shape Air, Shape Earth, Shape Fire, Cole M.B. Jenkins uses his natural chaos in the service of
Shape Plant, Shape Water, Spasm, Spider Silk, Stun, Ter- order. He lives with his very orderly wife and cat in California.
ror, Tickle, Wall of Wind, Weather Dome, and Windstorm. Many surprising facts about him can be found in GURPS
PI 3: Agonize, Alter Body, Animate Plant, Clouds, Compel Thaumatology: Ritual Path Magic. He would like to thank
Lie, Compel Truth, Conceal, Control Limb, Disorient, the Pyramid Write Club, but the first rule of Write Club is “We
Ecstasy, Encrypt, False Tracks, Fascinate, Freeze, Glib do not talk about Write Club.” He can thank Kevin Hosford
Tongue, Melt Ice, Noise, Rain, Rain of Nuts, Resist Cold, (who demanded to play a holy warrior of order) and Todd
Resist Lightning, Resist Pressure, Retch, Sleep, Sickness, Glasspoole for playtesting and peer review.

Eidetic
Memory
The Voice of the Moon
by David L. Pulver
Religious beliefs can span centuries of time and gulfs of had been a cunning woman also, or as some people put it, a
space. This campaign frame describes a (fictional) witch cult Witch, and Ann had inherited what such folk name “the sight.”
reborn as a neo-pagan religion and a modern cult of space Whilst seeing to Godwin’s cows, Ann observed the door-
enthusiasts. Its useful for GURPS Horror, GURPS Monster stop and informed Master Goodwin it might be “elf shot” and
Hunters, modern-day settings, and, with only a little adjust- perchance the malady afflicting his cows. He protested that
ment, GURPS Fantasy and GURPS Banestorm campaigns. it was called the “Moorstone” and had come out of Africa or
Arabia. She touched it and, to their great alarm, let forth a
The Moorstone Witches sudden shriek Godwin later described as “Ve- Vlyetok – or
something foreign!” and fell to her knees in a swoon.
That Moorstone Witch has lost her skin Upon regaining her senses, she asked Master Godwin if she
Her cousin flayed her for her sin might take the stone in trade for the potions used to restore
Rose ate her guts with a serving spoon his cows. He gladly accepted, being now nervous of it, and
And now poor Ann’s flown up to the moon! indeed repentant (or so he claims now) of ever consorting
– Old children’s nonsense rhyme with a Witch.
Ann Turner and the stone were little seen outside the house
The evidence regarding an anomalous witch cult in she occupied (she was a widow) for some months, and when
17th-century England are a few bits of local folklore or nurs- seen again folk remarked on her unnatural pallor, but also
ery rhymes about the “Moorstone Witches” and a single letter unusual energy and magnetism. Hitherto, she had not sought
from a local vicar to his bishop in the archives of the Anglican followers; now she had a desire to gather others under her
Church. Locals know that a witch named Rose Miller was hung sway. Over some months, she recruited a number of women
in the village of Lower Threxton in the year 1622, accused of of the parish including Dorothy Potter, Alice Wainwright,
the ghastly murder of her cousin, who was another witch. and Rose Miller; as would later be learned, these formed the
nucleus of a Witches’ Coven.
The Vicar’s Letter to By all accounts, Rose, then 16 years of age, was a strange
the Bishop of Norwich and willful child, given to odd fancies and sayings. Ann
befriended her, telling her she recognized a “gift” akin to her
I write to you regarding your request for more details on own, and taught her the uses of herbs and diverse charms
the matter of the trial of Rose Miller, daughter of Nicholas and chants. After months of whispered secrets and prom-
Turner, a farmer. I regret that I cannot answer all your ises, she was taken in blindfold to a clearing in the woods,
questions. Indeed, I remain deeply perplexed by these trou- and swore obedience to the Coven before an altar. She drank
bling events. from a silver goblet a milky potion that tasted of honey, dust,
As near as can be determined, the matter began during the and rot. She was made to kiss the altar, on which stood the
Third Crusade. A soldier named Hugh Archer returned from Moorstone, and as the Witches danced and sang, she grew
the Holy Land with a curious trophy, an odd white stone. His dizzy and felt herself spirit rise like smoke. Her breath
motive for retrieving it is lost, but we know that until last sum- stopped, and she felt her heart cease to beat. And then she
mer, his distant descendant, the farmer Thomas Goodwin, choked out a Name: Vlyjehotok!
was using it as a doorstop. What did she see? Who can know what deviltry entered her
In the spring of 1621, Thomas Godwin’s cows became ill. young mind? When she confessed her sins, she tried to make
As was the custom in his village of Little Snoring, he opted us understand. There was a sense of becoming a part of a vast
to consult with a cunning woman, Ann Turner, who was said and ageless power. The Name. A vision of war in the heavens,
to know certain means of using herbs, charms, and powders to a fall but not as Lucifer did to Earth, but rather to the Moon.
work good or ill on man or beast. It was said her mother Isobel

In that terrible impact, a tiny speck was blasted forth; to Coven, that Dorothy plotted her demise with magic, that she
slowly drift through the heavens until it fell to Earth in ages would never touch Vlyjehotok through the Moorstone again.
past, gradually losing contact with its true self that lay trapped Desperate, she decided to enter Ann’s house by stealth, and
and frozen in a silver forest beneath a lake of dust. She felt appeal to her mistress in person. Rose recollects breaking into
tiny, longing to return to the vastness, on the Moon. Ann’s house, only to find the place dark and empty. She lit a
Her powers awakened through this unholy communion, candle, and its light illuminated a door, bound with chains,
Rose found her mind was open. From Ann and the other that led into the attic. She unlocked the chains and ascended
Witches, she testified to having learned to cast spells that let the stairway.
her enter the bodies of beasts that crawled or flew, and see Despite vigorous questioning, Rose Miller was unable to
through the eyes of such persons as she desired, even when recall what she found in the attic. She was instead seen early
engaged in shameful activities. She learned to perceive the the next morning in the village square, her clothes in unseemly
secret thoughts of men, and cast the Evil Eye upon those tatters, barefoot, spattered with red and black stains. She
who angered her. After rigorous questioning, she admitted clutched a white stone to her breast, which some later iden-
to using this power on her father when he scolded her, upon tified as farmer Godwin’s Moorstone. She repeated: “Agnes is
Hetty Fairfax for mocking her walk, and upon the Williams gone. She came out and flew away to the Moon. I don’t want to
boy after he stole a kiss unwanted. By such arts, the Witches be a Witch.” In her left hand was a bloody knife, and her eyes
prospered, as folk paid them to learn things that were secret, were wide and fearful.
or to keep their own secrets, all in the name of furthering their Over the next few days, Rose Miller gave a full confession,
power so they might help the “angel” they called Vlyjehotok, first to the Vicar and then to higher authorities he called in,
the Voice in the Moon. although she still could not say what she had seen or done in
the attic. The accouterments of Witchcraft found in the house-
holds of Agnes Fairborn, Dorothy Potter, Alice Wainwright,
The Moorstone provides and other accused members of the Coven collaborated her
testimony, as did others who came forth to say they had been
a limited array of spells . . . cursed or blackmailed by the Witches but had kept silent these
and some nasty side effects. months due to fears.
The strange and disturbing condition of the body found
in the attic of Ann Turner remains inexplicable. If that pale,
That Witches succumb to the Devil’s snares we cannot doubt, withered husk in the chalk circle was indeed the Witch
but the name Vlyjehotok is not found in the usual Demonolo- Agnes, the absence of its head and internal organs cannot
gies. Still, Cardinal Alfonso de Spina wrote that the legions of be explained. It is unclear what force shattered the attic win-
the fiends number 133,316,666, so surely many demons are dow from the inside – Rose perhaps – nor the nature of the
unrecorded. Or perhaps it was the Devil itself, for Rose con- curious blue-black smears left on the broken glass and upon
fessed to attending sabbat at least eight times, where at night her clothing.
they worshiped before the stone, drank wine, and capered in The other Witches of the Coven named by Rose – warned,
an unseemly fashion. The Witches’ ultimate goal was to reach so some would believe, by their powers or familiar spirits
the Moon, in body or spirit, so they could commune with their – attempted to flee the parish. Dorothy Potter, three other
Devil. To these ends, they consulted what books and lore they Witches, and two male family retainers were cornered by sol-
could acquire by their means or through influencing others, diers at Parker’s Mills. They all perished after a fire that broke
and made diverse powders and elixirs, including flying oint- out during an attempt to storm the house, choosing to remain
ments and potions to facilitate their commerce with spirits of within the burning building rather than give up. The fate of
the air, or to free themselves for a time from the shackles of the two other Witches, sisters Isobel and Martha Dashwood,
their bodies. Yet they could not reach the Moon. Once Ann both recent members of the Coven, remains unknown. They
broke down and cried, for she could not clearly understand may have fled by boat to Ireland.
their Devil’s desires or how best to fulfill them. Following these grim events, the parish has returned to its
Such melancholy may have weakened her, for not long customary doings, though some claim to have heard strange
after she fell ill with some Malady her craft could not heal. cries in the night, seeing a strange bird or moth silhouetted
Her pallor, already great, worsened to such an unnatural state against the moon, and people who must venture out do so
that she could not venture out in daylight, said Rose, watch- only in numbers.
ing over the Coven through borrowed eyes of beasts or men. Friar Baldric and I attempted to drive the Devil out of the
As she became reclusive, so did the leadership fall to other Moorstone, but it did not respond. An attempt to assail it with
Witches, both Dorothy Potter, who was next eldest, and Rose, a pick was similarly unsuccessful, for its substance is harder
who Ann had favored like a younger sister, which lately Dor- than it appears; a tiny chip and spurt of dust was produced,
othy had become increasingly jealous of. As Ann’s constitu- which I feared to inhale. I have sealed the stone in a safe place
tion weakened, it was Dorothy who turned the other Witches and await your instruction.
against Rose, claiming she had poisoned the Coven’s leader Rose Turner, then aged 18, last of the Moorstone Witches,
in an effort to usurp her place. Dorothy forbade Rose from was found guilty of Witchcraft and Murder. She was hanged
meeting with Ann, claiming that their mistress said she was on July 11. May God have mercy on her soul.
no longer welcome by her side, and that Vlyjehotok chose Dor-
Your obedient servant,
othy as their new leader.
Father Henry Swift
The events I now recount are less than certain. Rose recalls
August 1622
a growing and terrible fear that she would be exiled from the

Witch-Cults of from Norfolk on her mother’s side, Marian felt a strong desire
to ground her own Wiccan practice in “authentic” tradition
Rural Norfolk that matched her own heritage. As part of her research, Marian
read Lucy Griswell’s Witch-Cults of Rural Norfolk and became
Lucy Griswell was an eccentric English folklorist and fascinated with Griswell’s theories and discoveries regarding
author who became fascinated by the Moorstone Witch leg- the Moorstone Witches.
end. It was her research that turned up the so-called Vicar’s After failing to get her own high priestess interested in
Letter (in a private collection), reprinted in her (out of print) incorporating elements of the Moorstone Witch tradition
study of 17th-century hedge-magic and paganism, Witch-Cults into her existing coven, Marian broke away to form her own
of Rural Norfolk (Cambridge, 1952). circle. Based on Griswell’s anthropological theories and her
Griswell speculated that survivals of these cults might con- own feminist historical studies, she postulated a sleeping
tinue to exist. Due to its sensationalistic content, Griswell’s female moon goddess whose awakening – achieved through
work was savaged by several scholars in the early 1960s, the psychic energy of the followers – would usher in a new
who claimed she drew uncritically on Margaret Murray’s age of enlightenment.
discredited theories. In latter years, Griswell devoted herself In 1975, Marian traveled to England. She visited Griswell
to researching another legend of Norfolk, that of the “Moon but received a surprisingly frosty reception – the old woman
Moth,” who haunts the woods and hills over old deserted vil- was scared of something she had found, some odd connec-
lages, in the form of a man-sized headless moth or bird that tion between local legends and the old witch cults. She urged
appears in the full moon. Marin to stay away and offered dark hints of what would hap-
In 1975, she was traumatized when a burglar, identity pen if “power grows too fast for the human body to contain.”
unknown, broke into her house and stole a large quantity of Undeterred, Marian spent several weeks piecing together
her private papers. Griswell, now 92, is currently confined to clues in unpublished folklore papers, old newspaper morgues
an old-age home. and church archives. A newspaper article in a March, 1889
Norfolk Daily Standard mentioned a late-16th-century par-
Lost Truth of Diana (LTD) ish church in Lower Threxton, St. Michael on the Hill, that
was badly damaged by a fire. The old vicar perished and the
This is neo-pagan tradition founded by an Anglo-American church records were lost, but during the renovations, work-
academic, Marian (“Luna”) Hopkins. Marian had been initi- men discovered a sealed crypt with a vault housing a “curious
ated into a neo-pagan (Alexandrian) witch coven while attend- stone sphere, secured by chains” in a subbasement. It ended
ing the University of California. Having English ancestors up being donated to a local antiquities museum.
Moorstone Witch Power Investiture

The Moorstone is a milky white crystalline stone of Mind-Sending, Nauseate, Nightmare, Panic, Permanent
unknown composition. If the cult is “real” it is a severed Madness, Possession, Rider Within, See Invisible, Spasm,
chunk from the brain of an Elder Thing that has fallen Soul Rider, Terror, Transform Body, Transform Other.
to Earth. Originally landing in the Sahara desert, it was 4. An unfortunate side effect of Power Investiture is
uncovered and later worshiped by prehistoric mega- “Moorstone Syndrome,” a progressive condition that
lith builders, found its way into an Egyptian tomb, was strikes some initiates over time, possibly based on the
looted by Arab tomb robbers, and eventually ended up in amount of magic they use or the degree of Power Inves-
a Jerusalem mosque where it sat until the city was sacked titure. The affected persons gain Obsession (Reach the
during the First Crusade. moon) and Supernatural Features (Pallor). Over several
The stone’s powers, if any, are up to the GM, but the months, repeated exposure or possibly failed HT rolls can
following are suggested: lead to a slow decline of ST and HT, gaining Low Pain
Threshold, and finally getting Nocturnal and Numb.
1. It is hard to damage (DR 40+, HP 8+) but over time
sublimates a fine crystalline dust, which if gathered has A critical failure may result in the rapid sloughing
some alchemical utility. away of skin into a husk, and the crawling out of a skinny
2. It can grant Power Investiture (Worship of Vlyjeho- winged Elder Thing, possibly possessing traits such as
tok) in conjunction with a ritual, or to people with a level Appearance (Horrific), Claws, Doesn’t Breathe, Doesn’t
of Magery. Eat or Drink, Flight (Space Flight; Winged), Temperature
3. Power Investiture only provides a limited array of Tolerance, and Vacuum Support. Such an entity may be
spells, possibly because the god is still sleeping. A pos- compelled to fly into space to the moon (a rather slow pro-
sible mix of spells include: Astral Vision, Beast Posses- cess . . .), where, unable to reach Vlyjehotok (buried deep
sion, Blur, Borrow Language, Borrow Skill, Compel Lie, beneath the surface), it will flit about the Sea of Serenity,
Control Limb, Curse, Decapitation, Dream Projection, awaiting a Day of Resurrection.
Dream Sending, Dream Viewing, Fascinate, Fear, Gaunt- The GM may wish to model the effects of the Moorstone
ness, Great Hallucination, Hide Thoughts, Lengthen Limb, using Power Corrupts (GURPS Horror, p. 146) with Power
Madness, Mindlessness, Mind-Reading, Mind-Search, Investiture, resulting in the above disadvantages.

After tracking it down, Marian gave into temptation and colonists. She believed it would be possible to physically visit
brazenly stole the Moorstone from the museum and took it to the Moon and meet the Sleeping Goddess . . . in person.
her hotel room. There she and a circle of Wiccan friends per- This conflict came to a head in 1980, when Zim hinted to
formed a dangerous self-initiation ritual that opened her mind fellow priestesses that her Moorwitch coven had used psychic
to it and granted her power as its new high priestess. The magic to influence the minds of certain U.S. senators and lob-
result was more than she dreamed of: The entity Vlyjehotok byists into helping defeating the Moon Treaty (which many
was real, powerful, and she felt it up there, on the moon, call- space activists believed curtailed the possibility of lunar col-
ing to her. onization). With that victory, more would follow – the moon
Within six months, Marian had founded her own neo-pa- was in reach!
gan order, which she publicly dubbed Lost Truth of Diana, Zim’s views received mixed reception in the LTD. Many
but which her inner circle referred to as the New Moorstone members were committed to a more spiritual interpretation.
Coven, or the “Moorwitch” for short. With the power of the Some of them thought actual visit to the Moon would be akin
Moorstone, Marian initiated several other witches, and she to desecration, not to mention requiring a politically repellent
found her own powers growing. Eventually, other “daughter” alliance with vested patriarchal interests that controlled NASA
covens were also founded. and the U.S. government.
In neo-pagan circles, the Moorwitches of the LTD became Marian Hopkins and the rest of LTD’s California inner cir-
known for their psychic powers . . . and their sometimes ruth- cle’s refusal to support Zim’s direct involvement in the political
less willingness to use them in defense of the pagan community process got heated when Voice of the Moon further alienated
or their own coven. But Marian was also leery of warnings by LTD by advocating male initiates be allowed to undergo the
old Griswell, and she took care to moderate her use of magic. second and third degree initiations. This was anathema to
Superficially, the tradition has borrowed from mainstream many in the old inner circle, who still controlled the Moorstone
witchcraft, especially the Dianic Wicca “goddess worship” itself and thus who would be initiated.
tradition. For more advanced second- and third-degree ini- This dispute led to Zim breaking with the organization and
tiates, however, the veil is lifted on the cult’s true purpose. forming her own splinter group, Voice of the Moon, which
By the time initiates are taught the cult’s unique rituals, they was committed to using magic in the service of space advo-
have learned that the Lost Truth serves “the one who is Diana, cacy. It was also less focused on magic (lacking access to the
Selene, Artemis, the White Goddess – but whose secret name stone, it only had those initiates who had already undergone
is Vlyjehotok, the Sleeper in the Moon” and of their Moorstone the rituals). The result was either a lot of hot air, or an ongoing
Witches “the first to grasp these truths, until they were hunted series of psychic magical battles, depending on who you chose
down by the Patriarchal Church.” to believe. What did happen was that two of LTD’s five sis-
In magical workings, LTD has a focus that emphasizes the ter-covens joined with Zim in the schism, and another nearly
development of magical mental powers and attempts to con- self-destructed over the dispute. In 1995, a group of “rogue
tact trans-planar entities. Elements of LTD borrow from cer- witches” in Voice of the Moon – mostly younger would-be 2nd
emonial magic traditions. One of its successes has been using degrees – attempted to steal the Moorstone itself, briefly suc-
scrying to localize a position for the Sleeping Goddess, which ceeding in doing so (long enough to create several new initi-
they believe is a great “power spot” physically coexistent with ates in a “quick and dirty” rituals. In their quest to retrieve the
a certain small crater within the Sea of Serenity. stone, Marian Hopkins was forced to use a lot more power
than she liked; afterward, she appeared notably pallid and
shaken . . . Since 2000, she has not been seen in public at all,
What will you do to get to and the “loyalist” LTD has been mainly guided by her chosen
successor, high priestess Karen Thorn, who has taken an even
the moon? harder line against the Voice of the Moon.
On the political front, Debbie Zim’s hoped for era of mass
space colonization failed to materialize, Voice of the Moon
Voice of the Moon remained committed to a physical pilgrimage to the Moon. The
growing rise of the “techno-pagan” movement helped attract to
“For us, reaching for the moon isn’t just a goal – it’s the prom-
it aerospace engineers, astronomers, and the CEOs of a num-
ised land. The moon is not just barren rock – it’s the gateway to
ber of Silicon Valley companies. Among them was multi-mil-
all of space and beyond,” said Debbie Zim, a astrophysics stu-
lionaire web entrepreneur, gamer, and space enthusiast Peter
dent who is also a priestess in the coven of Voice of the Moon, a
“Zeoth the Magus” Silverman, who became high priest of the
neo-pagan religion (“don’t call us a cult”) that actively supports
group’s New Mexico coven in 1999. He would become its pri-
space development.
mary financial supporter in the early 21st century.
– “Techno-Pagans Support Space Program,”
Pasadena Star-News, 1996
Voice of the Moon’s roots go back to 1978. Debbie Zim, an The Thing in the Moon
LTD priestess of the Pasadena, California coven, was a sec- What is Vlyjehotok? The default assumption is some form
ond-degree initiate in LTD. She had touched the Moorstone of Thing Man Was Not Meant to Know (see GURPS Horror,
rock and felt the power of the vision of Vlyjehotok, but even p. 73) – a cosmic horror that sleeps on the moon, trapped for
before that, she had been a science-fiction fan and politically the moment beneath the dusty regolith, yet whose seed – the
active in the L5 Society. She was convinced a new era of mass Moorstone – has served as a psychic lure to bait unwary mages
space travel was about to blast off, in which space would to him. In the 17th century he was served by the Moorstone
not just be for a few astronauts, but for tens of thousands of witches; later two neo-pagan groups fell under his sway.

The interesting thing about the cults is that despite wor- perhaps it could manage to infiltrate some of its followers into
shiping a cosmic horror, none of them are evil – merely mis- a robust Chinese or American “return to the moon” manned
taken. This allows plenty of opportunity for duped innocence, space program. If so, the cult might have enough influence
and “face heel” turns as cultists learn the error of their ways (or to fake data and manipulate decisions so that their god’s site
small factions of rogues to join with the PC party to oppose – is selected as the location for a lunar base. They would also
and save – their still-deluded sisterhood). Moreover, the effort install an agent among the astronauts. This could set up a clas-
of Voice of the Moon to achieve a space program with magic sic “horror in space” adventure where most of the party are
is a laudable goal that adventurous PCs might wish to support. astronauts and scientists, but one (a PC or NPC) is a hidden
Voice of the Moon cultist whose real goal is to contact and free
Lunar Energy Group (LEG) their sleeping god.

This could be coupled with a murder scenario if one NPC
Two-term Republican congressman Daniel Galrave faced aboard discovers the cultist’s plans and is done away with by
awkward questions this news cycle after anonymous sources him. What seems at first like a “locked room in space” mur-
emailed his primary opponents and several socially conserva- der mystery will take a turn for the weird when mining drills
tive bloggers the tip that three of his campaign’s largest donors uncover an ancient alien thing that threatens to awaken.
included members of the Voice of the Moon covenant, a neo-pa- For added horror, besides the cultist, the mission’s prox-
gan “new religion” tradition whose beliefs include the practice imity to the sleeping Elder Thing may result in a wide variety
of witchcraft. of secondary effects or manifestations (horrific dreams and
Despite triggering unkind insinuations from his opponents’ hallucinations, electronics malfunctioning in lethal fashion,
camp, Galrave’s commitment to traditional values should not be dead things reanimating, etc.). Eventually, however, the PCs
questioned, given his strong record on social issues. It is likely the will come face to face (or at least camera to viewscreen) with
donations were triggered by Galrave’s strong support for dereg- the entity. Those whose sanity survives may want to do some-
ulation of the commercial space industry, a cause that Voice of thing about it. Given that there’s a reasonable chance that any
Moon’s “high priestess” Debbie Zim has long championed. spacecraft or lunar base facility might be nuclear powered or
Given the poor funding of Galrave’s primary opponents and at least have some volatile rocket fuel handy, “detonate some-
the disorganization of the district’s democratic party following thing dangerous to blow it up” is a reasonable outcome. There
the surprise decision not to run by his only credible challenger, may also be an option to crash a lunar shuttle into it, or carve
Eric Banes, he will likely sail to reelection this fall . . . it up with a giant laser drill.
– PolitiCowBlog: Hot Milk for the Body Politic
Lunar Energy Group are ostensibly a well-funded
organization of investors and space advocates that
want to build a commercial facility on the moon for
The Moorstone
future mining of Helium 3. However, while 90% of the
group are dedicated engineers and scientists funded by
Witches on Yrth
With trivial changes to dates and locations, the Moor-
over-optimistic venture capitalists and lunar enthusiasts, stone Witch legend can be moved to Yrth, with the reference
the leadership is covertly controlled by the Voice of the to something that lives in or on Yrth’s moon. The best loca-
Moon temple. LEG’s unprecedented success in lobbying tion for the witch cult would be the border region between
and raising venture capital is due to the cult. Spying with Caithness and Megalos, with the witches under suspicion not
mind-reading or dream-reading allows LEG to perform for using magic, but rather as suspected devil-worshipers.
industrial espionage and dig up blackmail on individu- The original incident could be recent, with investigators
als it wishes to influence. Where that fails, some of the (perhaps sent by the Thomasites) seeking to discover what
more radical members may attempt more directly use really went on, or it could be in the past, with investigators
of Moorwitch psychic magic to possess, confuse, or tor- sent to check out rumors of the resurfacing of the Moorstone
ment its targets to trigger scandals, which pave the way itself or its witch cult. Alternatively, a group of Moorstone
for a more pliable replacement. Witch cultists may be patrons attempting to acquire power or
In addition to lobbying, LEG’s inner circle is also magic that would let them magically journey to Yrth’s moon
researching other ways in which supernatural powers to find and free their god. An effort to do this may be cloaked
may aid the cause of space development. While the in a secular guise, with a circle of knowledge-seeking wizards
Moorwitches’ mental magic is not highly suited for this, and sages engaged in Yrth’s “space program” alongside the
that means they are even more likely to try and recruit secret pawns of fanatical Vlyjehotok cultists.
(or capture and coerce) any entities or mages who do
possess such abilities.
If LEG is successful, deployment of remotely operated
mining robots to the moon might be possible within a decade
or so. Moreover, if the thing in the moon is really a Thing The Mouth in the Moon
That Must Not Be Named, its possible that any sanity-blasting What if the Elder Thing is successfully awakened?
psychic contagion from uncovering him could pass through The Ancient One template (GURPS Horror, p. 75) is a
a camera link and infect whatever operators are watching in good place to start, if he really is a hideous cosmic hor-
Mission Control . . . ror. In this case, one option is the traditional “extrudes
A manned return to the moon would be well outside the tentacles to grab and eat anyone who can’t run to
scope of anything the cult could manage on its own, but their spaceship and get off the moon fast enough.”

Often the first victim is any of his own cultists still standing, or or GURPS Mysteries adventure focused on uncovering a com-
any scientists foolish enough to want to “peacefully commu- plex murder, blackmail, or investment-fraud scheme. Some
nicate” with the entity, possibly giving the PCs time to make cult leaders may be true believers, but others may be cyni-
a dash for it . . . cally exploiting their followers for monetary gain. Old rivalries
An interesting alternative to a lunar bloodbath is the idea between factions (the space movement vs. the mystics) could
that Voice of the Moon cult is right (at least to some degree), lead to flaring tempers and motivate a murder, with the cult
and Vlyjehotok, while a cosmic elder thing, is not evil as such. history and its political connections both a colorful backdrop
Instead, he is an “opener of the way” – a living machine that and a source of plentiful red herrings.
upon awakening is programmed or instinctively compelled to Various artifacts associated with the cult – notably the orig-
do something. inal papers of Griswell (the Vicar’s Letter) and the Moorstone
The protagonists have time to flee as vast columns and pil- itself (if it exists!) – might also be a MacGuffin that private
lars of alien machinery begins to pop up out of the lunar rego- detectives or cops could be hired to steal or recover (if stolen).
lith. Over the next several hours (before anything much can be If the cult’s own sense of persecution grows and its efforts
done on Earth), a huge structure starts to rise out of the moon, to fund its space program fail, it could also metastasize into
as mass converters or nanotechnology draw building material a toxic “apocalypse cult” akin to the Heaven’s Gate, Solar
and raw elements from the surrounding rock. The crater at Temple, or People’s Temple tragedies. Perhaps cult leaders
the heart of the structure begins to pulsate with strange ener- would attempt to reach the moon via mass astral-projection
gies; it is revealed that the proper translation of its name is experiment involving “out of body experiences” induced by
not “Voice of the Moon” but rather “Mouth of the Moon” or near death events. Such an attempt could easily go wrong if
perhaps “Gate of the Moon” – it has manufactured a stargate! the revival fails or the drug dosage is miscalculated (perhaps
Where does the gate lead? Perhaps to some ancient net- deliberately?) and instead result in a horrendous mass suicide.
work of linked wormholes, which (long abandoned by their For an action-filled resolution, the adventurers might be part
dead creators) now provide humanity access to the stars. of a SWAT team trying to battle past cult guards (maybe even
Or maybe a fleet of hostile aliens are just waiting to pour out some remote-control lunar prospecting robots!) in time to pre-
to attack Earth, giving the GM the excuse to transition the vent the ritual from taking place.
campaign into a post-apocalyptic invasion . . .
About the Columnist

Dangerous Lies David L. Pulver is a Canadian freelance author. An avid sci-
The cult of Vlyjehotok may have no mystical basis at all! It ence-fiction fan, he began roleplaying in junior high with the
could simply be a creation of a couple of 17th-century villagers newly released Basic Dungeons & Dragons. Upon graduat-
who thought they were witches, some overexcited witch hunting from university, he decided to become a game designer.
ers who forced confessions out of a disturbed young woman, Since then, David has written over 70 roleplaying game books,
and the later embellishments of folktales, pseudo-historians, and he has worked as a staff writer, editor, and line developer
and a group of credulous neo-pagan revivalists. for Steve Jackson Games and Guardians of Order. He is best
That doesn’t mean the cult is not a possible source of known for creating Transhuman Space, co-authoring the Big
adventure! In a GURPS High-Tech setting the Voice of the Eyes, Small Mouth anime RPG, and writing countless GURPS
Moon’s combination of backroom political connections and books, including the GURPS Basic Set, Fourth Edition,
cult backstory may make it a fertile subject for a GURPS Cops GURPS Ultra-Tech, and the GURPS Spaceships series.

Cursed
Thou Art
by Christopher R. Rice
The Divine Curse (p. B132) disadvantage encompasses exe- Defining game mechanics makes it clear how the curse
crations from deific sources, racial supernatural afflictions, affects the character, which can cool applicability argu-
strange destinies, geasa or supernatural oaths, and many more ments. For example, if your curse makes you “unsteady in
possibilities. It’s a blanket trait that the GM can use to cover combat,” you might use Combat Paralysis to decide what
everything from perpetual bad luck to being unable to enter the curse actually does. Game mechanics can also help clar-
homes unless invited. But this comprehensiveness and versa- ify Divine Curse so that those with it feel like they’re being
tility comes with a drawback: how to price new Divine Curses? ground under the heel of an angry, harsh, or vindictive higher
These guidelines suggest ways to price new Divine Curses and being (or mortal!).
offer several examples.
Constructing the Curse

Divine Curse typically comes in two flavors: descriptive Unlike the base traits they’re composed of, curses can be
curses, which allows the GM some room for adjudicating bought off with little more than GM permission, sufficient
effects, and prescriptive curses, which have hard-and- atonement, and character points.
fast rules.
Descriptive curses can be as simple as “Cannot eat meat”
or as complicated as “Cannot enter dwellings for the first time Types and Prices
of Divine Curses
unless invited.” Violating descriptive curses can have narrative
effects, game-mechanical effects, or both. If the only effects
are game-mechanical, the Divine Curse can usually be built as When designing descriptive Divine Curses, start by looking
the full disadvantage, lowered attribute or skill level, etc., with at other published examples to gauge price. Without exam-
a special Mitigator (p. 26) based on how easy the curse is to ples, base the price on the cost of the game-mechanical result
avoid. The GM may lessen the effect if he feels the adventurer of violating the curse or rely on common sense. For prescrip-
had no choice, or increase it if the victim willfully violated his tive curses, use the cost of the base trait.
curse! Negative effects are usually immediate, but the GM can
Commandment: Divine Curses that mandate or forbid
“save it up” until later. For example, violating “Divine Curse
certain behavior are extremely common in folklore, fiction,
(Cannot Eat Meat)” might result in Unluckiness for the game
or mythology. Defying the dictates of your curse has dire
session. However, if the hero was forced or tricked into eating
consequences.
squirrel stew, perhaps only one future successful roll fails.
Cosmic Law: The curse is a cosmic law underpinning the
Prescriptive curses are easier to create for the GM, as they
universe. Such curses have immediate effects for breaking
typically involve repurposed game mechanics.
them (“takes 1d damage every time a mortal is injured by
their hands”) or cause lasting, long-term problems
(“leaving the sacred grove ages you one month per
We are cursed men, Miss Turner. week gone”).
Compelled by greed, we were. But now, Destiny: The curse is part of a foretold prophecy.
Such things can be nebulous and descriptive (“Will
we are consumed by it. die by the hands of no man”) or prescriptive (“Takes
– Barbossa, in Pirates of quadruple damage from mistletoe weapons”).
Misfortune: A specific task the person performs
the Caribbean: Curse of or is involved in is always doomed to fail. Some
the Black Pearl might even be full-blown jinxes (pp. 28-29), like
Ulysses, whose bad luck with everything affected
his companions.

Self-Imposed: Your “curse” is all in your head. The effects Disadvantages by Theme
can imitate any nonsupernatural Divine Curse, but are com-
Here are some suggestions for matching disadvantages
pletely psychological and/or psychosomatic. Even some
with themes.
“exotic” or “supernatural” traits may qualify if the effects are
plausibly self-inflictable. Absent-Minded (p. B122), Confused (p. B129), and Delu-
Supernatural Affliction: This curse can have any themati- sions (p. B130) are all appropriate for curses that make the
cally suitable effect; it’s often individualized for a single char- bearer lose track of reality.
acter, family, or race of beings. Those under the effects of Amnesia (p. B123) can separate characters from their
Curse (GURPS Magic, p. 129) also fall into this category. worldly advantages – or torment lovers.
Weird Science: This curse could represent many things Bad Temper (p. B124), Berserk (p. B124), Bloodlust
with the right technobabble. For example, the science-fiction (p. B125), and Bully (p. B125) are mythological classics and
version of a Divine Curse that mimics Unluckiness might be suit tragic, god-cursed heroes.
“detrimental quantum entanglement.” See Technological Bane Bestial (p. B124) and Stress Atavism (p. B156) could rep-
(p. 29) for an appropriate “weird science” Divine Curse. resent those cursed with animal-like natures.
Cannot Speak (p. B125) typically accompanies
other disadvantages that occur once the character
speaks (see Mitigating Circumstances, above). For
M C
itigating ircumstances example, a young woman is forced to weave cloaks
made of nettles while taking a vow of silence so her
If the effect of a curse only affects the person if he performs brothers can return to their human forms.
some particular action, treat this as a mitigator (p. B112) with the Charitable (p. B125) and Selfless (p. B153)
following requirements: actions might be performed to prevent a curse from
Circumstance or action is difficult to avoid (e.g., not communi- activating, rather than out of real altruism.
cating with others or wearing clothing) or requires daily contact Chronic Depression (p. B126), Lunacy
with an object, place, or person. -60%. (p. B143), Manic-Depressive (p. B143), Split Per-
Circumstance or action is moderately difficult to avoid (e.g., not sonality (p. B156), and similar traits are common
getting angry or wearing shoes) or requires weekly contact with an in folklore about witches driving people mad.
object, place, or person. -65%. Chronic Pain (p. B126) or Neurological Disor-
Circumstance or action is easy to avoid (e.g., not speaking or der (p. B126) can describe anything from a price
wearing a hat) or requires monthly contact with an object, place, paid by a mermaid to walk on land, to the penalty
or person. -70%. for defying a commandment.
Combat Paralysis (p. B127), Fearfulness
If the mitigator requires special conditions, or an object with (p. B136), and Post-Combat Shakes (p. B150)
very expensive materials, add +5% to the values. If it requires could represent a fate to fail in battle, while Cow-
extremely specific circumstances or materials, add +10% to ardice (p. B129) can be a war-god’s curse. Being
the values. easier to dispatch can be Easy to Kill (p. B134),
Because the gods are cruel, such mitigated traits are often Hemophilia (p. B138), Low Pain Threshold
accompanied by an exaggeration of the very trait they’re sup- (p. B142), Susceptible (p. B158), or similar traits
posed to be suppressing. For example, Disadvantageous Alternate – often limited via Accessibility to a specific form
Form (Mitigator, Getting Angry, -65%) and Berserk (12) may be of injury (such as heel wounds or mistletoe) or
packaged into a single Divine Curse to represent the cursed one against a particular foe.
transforming into a monster whenever he gets angry. In such Compulsive Behavior (p. B128) and Vows
cases, add +40% to the above values. (p. B160) are extremely common as Divine Curses.
The easy interpretation is that characters cannot
defy the curse’s mandate. To permit some free will,
someone who violates his curse suffers from twice
B T
ase raits for
the Divine Curse’s value in other disadvantages until the char-
acter atones for his misdeeds. Methods of atonement vary,
D ivine urse C but will be as bad as the curse itself or difficult to discover or
satisfy. If atonement is easy, halve the value of the final cost. If
Divine Curses, at their most basic, give supernatural ori- it’s incredibly difficult or dangerous, double the cost.
gins to existing disadvantages. Obviously, the rules for New Curious (p. B129), Obsession (p. B146), and Xeno-
Disadvantages (p. B165) are perfect for designing “free-form” philia (p. B163) can characterize an unhealthy fixation
Divine Curses. with the unknown, in finding “the truth,” or being forced
Lowered attributes might also be possible. However, apply- to solve conundrums.
ing limitations directly to disadvantages rarely yields fair Cursed (p. B131), Destiny (p. B164), and Unluckiness
results. See GURPS Power-Ups 8: Limitations (p. 6) for one (p. B160) can represent many curses from folklore or mythol-
way to do this. ogy. If the GM runs out of bad luck ideas for Cursed, he can
The GM can include quirks in a Divine Curses to add minor use a jumped-up version of Unluckiness and “arbitrarily and
drawbacks or to bring the cost to a multiple of five. GURPS maliciously make something go wrong” at least eight times per
Power-Ups 6: Quirks will be invaluable in pricing such traits. game session for Cursed characters.

Dependency (p. B130), Draining (p. B132), Increased groups. Curses may ignore the usual restrictions on level! Of
Consumption (p. B139), Maintenance (p. B143), Restricted particular note are Criminal Record (you “stink” of criminal-
Diet (p. B151), and Uncontrollable Appetite (p. B159) can ity), Excommunicated (the gods hate you), Ignorant or Unedu-
describe a character’s need to have or partake of some partic- cated (even if you do know your society’s required skills you’re
ular item. treated otherwise), and Monster (you’re treated as a thing of
Disadvantageous Alternate Form (GURPS Horror, horror, no matter your appearance).
p. 18) is another common folklore theme – especially com- Supernatural Features (p. B157) and Unnatural Fea-
bined with a forbidden action like speaking aloud or going tures (p. B22) can be made to function only against a specific
to church on Sunday. This also includes the more specific group of people. Use the modifiers for People Affected for Rep-
Shadow Form (p. B153). utation (p. B27).
Dread (p. B132), Revulsion (p. B151), and Phobias Reprogrammable (p. B150) and Slave Mentality (p. B154)
(p. B148) can characterize a Divine Curse that forces the can be curses that force the bearer to do what others tell him.
afflicted away from specific persons, places, or things. If only specific people or groups can command the victim, use
Enemies (p. B135) can express a curse that forces a spe- the modifiers for Reputation, as above.
cific group to be antagonistic to the victim. Calculate Divine Weakness (p. B161) can be used for curses that inflict
Curse’s point value based on the campaign’s starting point damage. If the Divine Curse’s effects don’t take place imme-
value, compared to the Enemy group’s point total (p. B135). diately, multiply the final cost by half the final cost for delays
Anything two to three times the character’s starting point total up to twice as long as the underlying trait, one-third for delays
is worth -30 points as a Curse, while anything higher is worth up to three times as long, one-fourth for delays up to four
-40 points. Intent can modify this, but ignore Frequency of times as long, and one-fifth for delays up to five times long.
Appearance and instead use the modifiers from Reputation Longer durations are not possible. Curses causing damage to
(p. B22). For example, if all elves (a 40-point racial template) others will be some form of Innate Attack with Always On; see
in a 150-point campaign attack you on sight, and are a large Marked One (p. 29) for an example.
class of people in the setting, this would be worth -5 points Weirdness Magnet (p. B161) can be used as is or treated
(-10 ¥ 1/2). as more cinematic; the cost remains the same. This can rep-
Flashbacks (p. B136) and Phantom Voices (p. B148) resent “action movie” logic where the protagonist so often
become visions of past sins, or the ghosts of people the victim winds up in the “wrong place, right time.” It can also have
has slain. Aspected (-20%), to focus the weirdness. For example, those
Fragile (p. B136), Slow Healing (p. B155), Unhealing with Weirdness Magnet (Aspected, Romance, -20%) might
(p. B160), and Vulnerability (p. B161) can represent bizarre lead a fairly normal life . . . except vampires ask them out on
alterations to the body, physical curses, or enhanced proba- dates, werewolves claim them as their mates at first glance,
bilities of certain types of damage doing more harm. Achilles’ and mummies insist they’re reincarnated lovers.
legendary weakness would be Vulnerability (Attacks to the
heel ¥3) [-15].
Frightens Animals (p. B136) and Lifebane (p. B142) are
commonly associated with undead or demons, but might be
a cruel punishment for nature lovers.
Self-Control Numbers Based on Will
Gluttony (p. B137), Greed (p. B137), Impulsiveness When a Divine Curse includes a disadvantage with a
(p. B139), Lecherousness (p. B137), Jealousy (p. B140), self-control number, it usually makes more sense to turn
Kleptomania (p. B141), Selfish (p. B153) and similar this into a Will roll instead. The value of the disadvan-
“impulse control” disadvantages are common supernatural tage depends on the severity of the Will roll: 2.5¥ normal
punishments for thematically similar offenses. cost for Will-15, 2¥ cost for Will-10, 1.5¥ cost for Will-5,
Honesty (p. B138), Truthfulness (p. B159), Pacifism normal cost for Will, and half cost for Will+5.
(p. B148), and Sense of Duty (p. B153) can describe curses
making the bearer obey the law, be peaceful, care about a
specific group, or speak only the truth. For an example of the
last, see The Rhymer’s Tongue (p. 30).
Extra Sleep (p. B136), Light Sleeper (p. B142), Insom- Curses, Foiled Again!
niac (p. B140), Nightmares (p. B144), Slow Riser (p. B155), All the previous advice assumes that someone starts with
Sleepwalker (p. B154), and Sleepy (p. B154) are typical of Divine Curse, but what if it’s gained in play? That depends
vengeful gods of sleep, angry stepmothers, and witches. on the setting, GM, and players. Most players are okay with
Megalomania (p. B144), Overconfidence (p. B148), and losing HP or even a limb, but if you start flinging hexes from
On the Edge (p. B146) can characterize curses that urge the on high, they’ll get grouchy. The GM should warn players if
bearer into foolish actions that usually result in ugly death if Divine Curses could afflict their adventurers during the cam-
left unchecked. paign. By making it clear that angering the thunder god can
Nocturnal (p. B146) can represent someone being forced make someone a human lightning rod, players may be a little
into another (inanimate) form during a specific time; see Dis- more sensible.
advantageous Alternate Form (above) for a variation of this. Players should only take a Divine Curse if it suits their
Changing the time (e.g., night to day) is a feature, as long as character – not just for points. A Divine Curse usually means
it’s a 12-hour duration. a backstory with something so important, terrible, or great –
Reputation (p. B22) and Social Stigma (p. B155) can maybe all three – that a higher power took notice and made
be used to give reaction penalties against specific people or the hero pay. (Or maybe the gods did it for no reason at all.)

Examples
Some of these examples of Divine Curses contain advan- error and try to correct people. Reverse psychology or similar
tages, usually to help the sucker suffer more. Examples do not ploys will be taken in the most harmful way possible.
include Divine Curse as part of their heading, but when noting
Designer’s Notes: The underlying disadvantage here is
such traits on a sheet use the title in parenthesis – such as
priced like a Severe Delusion that affects only others.
Divine Curse (Calamitous Wyrd) [-5].
For explanations of each of the suggested types, see
pp. 25-26. Dionysus’ Torment
-14 points
Suggested Types: Commandment, Destiny, Misfortune, or
Those whom the gods wish Self-Imposed.
You love to party! But partying doesn’t love you back. In
to destroy, they first make mad. fact, you and partying should really break up, except partying
– Ancient Greek Proverb can’t quit you. Whenever given a chance to drink, get funky, or
boogie down, roll Will-5. Failure results in you giving in, while
success means you resist – for now. Despite vast experience,
you can never learn Carousing or Dancing, and make default
Calamitous Wyrd rolls at an additional -4. You suffer -2 to HT rolls to “hold your
liquor.” Finally, you experience legendary hangovers, having
-5, -10, or -15 points to stay in bed an hour longer than normal, suffering -5 on
Suggested Types: Destiny, Misfortune, Self-Imposed, or self-control rolls, -4 on IQ or IQ-based skills, and adding three
Weird Science. hours to a hangover’s duration (p. B440). The GM can further
Long ago, the Fates decreed you would do a specific thing. assess -3 on any roll he feels should be penalized due to your
This is usually described in a short in-character phrase (“Will prior evening’s excesses.
kill his father and marry his mother”), but can be game Trying to resist your baser instincts result in -1 to reaction
mechanical (“Fails Influence skill rolls”) or be totally unknown rolls (-3 versus party animals), as everyone you meet marks you
to the player. (An unknown Destiny alters the cost by an addi- as a “party pooper.” Additionally, you suffer all the ill effects
tional -5 points.) of Alcoholism (p. B122) whenever you go without partying for
Each level gives the Game Master one Destiny Point (GURPS a week, regardless of whether you have a drinking problem.
Power-Ups 5: Impulse Buys, p. 5) per game session to spend Designer’s Notes: Alcohol Intolerance [-1], Horrible Hang-
as a character point on Buying Success (p. B347). The points overs [-1], Incompetence (Carousing) [-1], Incompetence
must be spent in a thematic way for your curse. For example, (Dancing) [-1], Slow Riser (Accessibility, Only after partying
with “Fails Influence skill rolls,” these points might be spent or dancing, -40%) [-3], and Compulsive Carousing (Will-5; see
to cause your rolls to fail, increase the rolls of others to resist p. 27) [-7].
you, or retroactively reduce previously established reactions.
These points refill at a rate of 1 point per session. For partic-
ularly debilitating curses, double the value of the disadvantage Jinx
(do this before adding the Unknown modifier, if applicable) -2 points
and have all Destiny Points refresh every session. Additionally, Suggested Types: Destiny, Misfortune, Self-Imposed, Super-
if the GM wishes, he can save Destiny Points (up to twice the natural Affliction, or Weird Science.
base amount) for particularly disastrous results.
Bad things happen to you and those around you. This curse
Designer’s Notes: This is Destiny using the alternate version triggers about once per hour of game time, when the GM calls
from Impulse Buys, p. 5. Saving points from session to ses- for it – but only when something dangerous or important is
sion is a feature. happening! When this happens, you and everyone within four
yards of you must make a Will roll. Others (not you!) may add
Cassandra’s Dilemma a bonus to this roll equal to their average DR; wearing armor
correlates to planning ahead, which is an excellent way to
-15 points avoid the vagaries of Fate.
Suggested Types: Destiny, Misfortune, Self-Imposed, or Failure gives a penalty equal to the margin of failure on
Weird Science. your/their next important roll. Failure by 5 or more (or a crit-
Your advice is always ignored when it’s actually useful or ical failure) also results in an immediate bad break (as for
valid. This is regardless of the source of your information – Unluckiness, p. B160).
you could be an actual prognosticator, a particularly intuitive Because everyone subconsciously realizes that there’s
detective, or just an average person. The curse isn’t apparent something unlucky or “wrong” about you, they react to you
until you are asked for advice. Then, if your advice is sound, at -4.
it will be dismissed, second-guessed, or otherwise ignored. If As this curse can be “weaponized” with advanced planning,
your advice is bad, it will be taken, even if you realize your the GM may forbid it to PCs.

Designer’s Notes: Affliction (Will; Area Effect, 4 yards, ignores DR and cannot be avoided. If you accidentally cause
+100%; Attribute Penalty, Modified Package*, Margin-Based, damage, this only causes 1 FP loss. If you harm someone pre-
+54%; Backlash, Affected by own power†, -28%; Based on emptively without them showing any aggression to you, double
Will, +20%; Emanation, -20%; Emergencies Only, -30%; Game the loss.
Time, +0%; No Signature, +20%; Secondary Disadvantage, Ignore “damage” inflicted on small creatures as you instinc-
Unluckiness, +2%; Takes Recharge, One hour, -30%; Uncon- tively avoid hurting them. Total pacifists react at +2 to you
scious Only, -20%; Uncontrollable, -30%) [18] and Reputation when they realize your condition.
-4 (“Wrong”; Everyone; Always) [-20]. If this curse only activates when you hurt a sapient being
(e.g., another human), the trait cost becomes -24 points. If it
* Modified Package: This is -1 to ST, DX, IQ, and HT with
affects all living beings (e.g., plants, animals, etc.), the cost is
the limitation “Accessibility, only on rolls for skills, Quick
-76 points. If you take HP damage rather than FP, the curse is
Contests, etc., -40%.”
worth -106 points if it applies to all life, -70 points for sentient
† Backlash: See GURPS Power-Ups 8: Limitations, p. 11.
beings, or -34 points for only sapient ones.
The “Affected by own power” version is priced as half the cost
of this Affliction’s Attribute Penalty and Disadvantage values. Designer’s Notes: Shtick (Avoids stepping on small crea-
For other traits like Innate Attack, use the character point cost tures) [1], Trivial Reputation (Total Pacifists) [1], and Weak-
of the advantage as a percentage for this limitation. ness (Inflicting damage on sentient beings; 1d per hit; Fatigue
Only, -50%; Reduced Time 6, +120%; Variable, -40%) [-52].
Marked One Treat injury to all living beings as Very Common, to sentient
beings as Common, and to sapient beings as Occasional.
-14 points Remove Fatigue Only if this curse causes HP damage.
Suggested Types: Commandment, Cosmic Law, or Destiny.
You are cursed to endlessly wander the world, never settling Technological Bane
in one spot and in death being condemned to eternal punish- -15 points/level
ment. If your character tries to stay in one place, roll Will-10
Suggested Types: Cosmic Law, Misfortune, Self-Imposed, or
per day. Failure means you must travel at least (20-Will) miles
Weird Science.
from your current spot before you can try to “settle down” (at
which point you roll Will-10 again). If you stay in one spot for You and technology do not mix. It’s not that you can’t learn
more than seven days, you acquire Cursed (p. B129) until you technological skills; it’s just that you are a walking Pauli effect,
begin wandering again. emitting bogons according to Murphy’s Law. You take -1 per
Because you are marked by the divine, should anyone level on all rolls involving or operating technology. For exam-
other than the gods or their designated servants harm you, the ple, you could learn Research/TL8 and suffer no penalty if you
aggressors take damage. Attackers instantly suffer 7 points of rely on the card catalog, but if you used a laptop to search the
injury, regardless of distance, requiring no roll, allowing no Internet, you’d take the skill penalty.
active defense, and ignoring DR. This can happen multiple Each level gives -1 to reactions from tech geeks, previous
times if they harmed the marked one more than once. This victims of your curse, and similar people. Each level also
ability cannot be turned off. reduces the Malfunction number of any technological device
The mark (which cannot be concealed in any way) gives a you use. Gear without any listed Malf. start at 19; subtract
-7 to all reaction rolls, +7 to rolls to deduce what it and who your level only when you use it. You may have up to four levels
its bearer is, and gives -7 to attempts to use beneficial divine of this trait, unless the GM allows otherwise.
abilities on the bearer. If this affects others around you as well (in a radius
Because of the nature of this disadvantage, the GM may equal to your level squared, in yards), this cost becomes -20
forbid it to player characters. points/level.
Optionally, the bane might have a beneficial side effect,
Designer’s Notes: Compulsive Wandering (Will-10; see p. 27)
allowing you to direct your curse against any specific weapon
[-10], Crushing Attack 7 points (Accessibility, Only against
or piece of personal gear that you can see. Roll a Quick Contest:
those who have done at least one point of damage to you, -20%;
your Will (minus range penalties) vs. the target’s HT. Success
Always On, -50%; Aura*, +80%; Cosmic, Irresistible attack,
decreases its Malf. by your Technological Bane level for this
+300%; Cosmic, No active defense, +300%; Long-Range* 2,
turn only. Failure has no effect, but critical failure affects all
+100%) [81], Cursed (Mitigator, Moving weekly, -65%) [-49],
of your gear the same way! This offensive ability requires you
Damned [-1], and Supernatural Features (Marked One) [-35].
to have at least two levels of Technological Bane; it adds 25
* Coupling Aura with Long-Range (instead of Melee Attack) points to its value, totaling a net -5 points for level 2, -20 points
is not normally allowed and thus requires GM permission. for level 3, and -35 points for level 4.
Designer’s Notes: Each level is one level of Tech-Hex
Sower of the Wind Anti-Talent [-15/level]; see p. 30. If the GM allows the optional
-50 points beneficial side effect, add Affliction 1 (HT; Malediction 2,
Suggested Types: Cosmic Law, Destiny, or Misfortune. +150%; Malfunction 4, +40%; Nuisance Effect, Critical fail-
ures affect you instead, -5%; Reduced Duration, 1/60, -35%)
Whenever you inflict damage on another sentient being [25]. Limiting the level of the Malfunction enhancement
(e.g., animals or people, but not plants), you instantly lose 1d (p. 30) to the level of the Divine Curse is a special feature.
FP, to a maximum of the injury you inflicted. This damage

Under the Hood: Technological Bane
Technological Bane includes an Anti-Talent (GURPS though “Tock-Hex” or “Steam-Hex” may be a viable
Power-Ups 3: Talents, p. 20) covering technological skills Anti-Talent in a TL4 or TL5 campaign; the GM may reduce
and a new enhancement for Affliction. At the GM’s option, the value of this trait to -10 in such games, while increas-
these traits can be used on their own. ing it to -20 (or more!) in high-TL campaigns. Optionally,
the effects of the disadvantage may be applied to not just
Tech-Hex gear you use, but any such equipment nearby. The GM
can rule this effect “disperses” the further away you are.
-15 points/level Regardless, this adds -5 to the base cost of the Anti-Talent.
All rolls where you use commonplace technology,
including TL-based skills. You can still learn TL skills and
use them normally, but when you use your skill in conjunc-
Affliction
tion with technology, you suffer the penalty. This makes see pp. B35-36
learning some skills useless (e.g., Computer Operation)! The following new enhancement suits probability
However, you could learn Mathematics/TL8 (Applied) and manipulators, witches, technopaths, and gremlin-like
suffer no penalty if you used a slide rule and paper. creatures.
Reaction Penalty: Technophiles, computer geeks, peo-
New Special Enhancement
ple who have been victims of your “gift” (see below), and
Malfunction: You can temporarily increase or decrease
so on.
an item’s Malfunction value by one. If it doesn’t normally
Additional Drawbacks: +1/level to Malfunction num-
have Malf., treat it as 19. For firearms and other weapons,
ber of any technological device you use. Gear without any
this has the usual results; for equipment which normally
listed Malf. start at 19; subtract your level of this Anti-Tal-
lacks Malf., any roll indicating a malfunction means it
ent only when you use it. For example, if you have Tech-
breaks down and requires a minor repair (p. B484). A roll
Hex 3, you’d decrease the Malf. of devices you use by three
of three or more over its Malf. (or an 18) means it requires
and devices without Malf. (like most gear) will have some-
a major repair instead! At the GM’s option, you can affect
thing bad happen on a 16 or higher.
more than just personal gear; add Cosmic (+50%) to target
Notes: Given what adventurers do, this disadvantage
vehicles, cybernetic implants, etc.
needs no additional drawbacks. This trait does assume
This costs +10% per ±1 to Malf. (choose to either
that significantly older technology (at least two TLs) is
increase or decrease when selecting the disadvantage), or
unaffected. The disadvantage only makes sense at TL6+,
+20% per 1 point if you can do both.
The Rhymer’s Tongue inevitably find the money . . . but it’ll belong to the Mafia, be
stolen, etc. The GM may save up a couple of “dangerous coin-
-27 points cidences” for a single session that quickly goes pear-shaped.
Suggested Types: Commandment, Misfortune, or Supernat- Because you cannot lie, you’ve become adept at spotting
ural Affliction. other liars. Treat this as having Detect Lies at Per-2.
You are forbidden to speak untruths, though you can lie Designer’s Notes: Destiny (Major Disadvantage; Accessi-
by omission or rely on other’s assumptions. If you try to lie, bility, Only for player guidance, -50%; Faster Refresh*, Full
make a Will-15 roll. Success means you lie, but suffer 1 point replenishment per session, +100%) [-15], Detect Lies (H) Per-2
of injury as you bite your tongue; critical success avoids the [1], and Truthfulness (Will-15; see p. 27) (Successful resistance
injury as well. Failure means you verbalize the truth or aren’t costs 1 HP, +10%) [-13]. Destiny uses the alternate rules from
convincing with the lie. Furthermore, if you do manage to Impulse Buys, p. 5; saving points across sessions is a feature.
lie, the GM immediately gets a free use of Player Guidance
(p. B347) – to make your lies come true! Lies that benefit * Normally, the GM may only tap into the “player guid-
you, however, will backfire. For example, if a cursed adven- ance” effect once every other session. With “Faster Refresh,”
turer says he has money to pay for the arms shipment, he’ll the GM can get the effect every session.
Cursing for Fun and Profit

When the character is
doing the cursing rather Curse with an Cursing as an Ability
than being cursed, there are ability, spell, and Some folks may call down curses using supernatural
still plenty of possibilities. power or close association with the divine (or profane . . .).
more!

This is usually done via a suitably modified Affliction, though
particularly grisly curses with Symptoms (p. B109) could use Man Vexes –
Innate Attack. Those who can bestow any sort of curse are
better off using Variable Enhancement (GURPS Power-Ups 4:
the Devil Hexes
Enhancements, p. 5), with an Accessibility modifier, rather Depending on the campaign setting, anyone may be able
than buying Modular Abilities. The value of Accessibility will to curse another person. To do this, make a reaction roll, but
vary, but if it only inflicts Divine Curses on the subject, it’s use only the modifiers below. If the hexer has an appropriate
worth -50%; if the GM lets you make up Divine Curses on the Power Talent, add its level as a bonus. Entries marked with a
spot, this is worth -20%. If you can only bestow one specific * are incompatible – use only one of them.
form of Divine Curse, use the Disadvantage enhancement Modifiers: -10 if done without any reason or cause*. -5 if
for Affliction normally. Conversely, if it can remove Divine the reason was minor*. -2 if there was just cause, but no one
Curses, use the same method, but only for adding the proper was permanently hurt*. +0 if you were harmed, or a loved one
Negated Disadvantage enhancement (GURPS Powers, p. 41). was permanently hurt or killed*. +2 if you and a loved one
An example build: were harmed or multiple loved ones were permanently hurt
Execration: Affliction 1 (Lower of Will or HT; Based on or killed*. +3 if the curse “fits the crime” or is “just.” +5 if the
HT or Will, +40%; Cancellation, +10%; Duration, Permanent, curse layer is dying.
+150%; Malediction 2, +150%; Variable Enhancement (Acces- The GM may give an appropriate bonus or penalty if the
sibility, suitable Divine Curses only, -20%), +100%; Vision- curse is pronounced in a Bad Place (GURPS Horror, pp. 128-
Based, Reversed, -20%) [53]. Notes: Allows you to curse others. 130, an area of high sanctity or mana, (un)holy ground, etc.
You must be able to see the subject. Make a Will roll vs. the An Excellent reaction means the subject gains a Divine Curse
lower of the subject’s HT or Will; use normal range penalties of the caster’s choosing or appropriate to the situation (GM’s
(p. B550). Success means he suffers from a Divine Curse of call); if the roll was a natural 18, he instead gains Cursed or
your choosing worth up to -25 points, which must include an multiple Divine Curses. On an Very Good (or less) reaction,
“atonement” clause. This curse lasts until you cancel it or the nothing happens, but on a Disastrous reaction, the curser is
subject properly atones. 53 points. himself hexed! The GM may waive this
if the curse-layer’s cause is just, or make
Cursing as Magic So many
it worse for those who fling such impre-
cations capriciously! The GM who needs
There are multitudes of spells that can “curse” a point value for such curses should add
a subject. All page references are for GURPS interesting the modifiers used on the reaction roll
Magic. Suitable spells are: Alter Body (p. 41), and multiply them by two and use that as
Alter Visage (p. 41), Curse (p. 129), Enlarge ways to the value of the Divine Curse. For exam-
Other (p. 43), Flesh to Ice (p. 190), Flesh to
Stone (p. 51), Greater Geas (p. 141), Lesser
curse people! ple, if the total modifiers to the roll are +5
then the Divine Curse should be worth at
Geas (p. 139), Shapeshift Others (p. 33), least -10 points. This assumes that curses
Shrink Other (p. 41), and Strike Barren (p. 41). are rare in the setting, if they’re more
Optionally, casters who use the Curse (or Bless) spell can commonplace (as in many fairy tales), then a Good or better
use the rules from GURPS Power-Ups 5: Impulse Buys, with reaction will do to curse someone, while a Very Bad or worse
the spell providing 1 character point per level to spend in reaction will cause the curse-layer to be doomed himself!
some way that harms (or helps) the subject. Optionally, the GM might use the rules for Divine
Other magic systems often have obvious analogues. For Intervention (Impulse Buys, p. 9) and have a higher power do
example, GURPS Thaumatology: Ritual Path Magic could the cursing! If so, the curse’s value is worth -1 point per point
allow a spell like the following. by which the roll succeeded.
In either case, if it’s a “dying curse,” multiply the final value
Hex of the points for the Divine Curse by five. Optionally, if the
Spell Effects: Greater Transform Chance. hexer can use an ability to “fuel” a curse upon death, add a
Inherent Modifiers: Altered Traits, Divine Curse. +20% enhancement to it and count 1/5 of its points as a bonus
Greater Effects: 1 (¥3). on the roll. Do note this kills the person, even if he might have
otherwise lived!
Gives the subject a -15-point Divine Curse of the caster’s
choosing when cast, if the subject fails his roll to resist. This
lasts until dispelled, or the subject atones or meets some other About the Author
difficult condition. Christopher R. Rice isn’t cursed, but he does lead an “inter-
Additional energy is often added to make the spell difficult esting” life. From Portsmouth, Virginia, he dreams of being
to counter or cancel. able to write full time, or at least eke out a living doing it.
Typical Casting: Greater Transform Chance (8) + Altered When he’s not writing about GURPS, he’s blogging about it.
Traits, Divine Curse (3) + Duration, Atonement specified at Visit his site Ravens N’ Pennies (www.ravensnpennies.com)
time of casting* (24). 105 energy (35×3). for more GURPS goodies. He wishes to thank L.A., his own
personal muse, as well as the rest of his gaming group; Antoni
* Uses the rules for Conditional Termination (Ritual Path Ten Monrós; Beth “Archangel” McCoy, the “Sith Editrix”; and
Magic, p. 18) Douglas Cole, for being most excellent sounding boards.

Secrets of
the Universe!
by Steven Marsh
The Open Mind of the Universe – commonly abbreviated these disadvantages are used to purchase 50 points in psionic
to “the Open Mind,” with practitioners known as “Mindists” abilities (see the packages from Psis), or 25 points if they were
or “Open Minders” – is a relatively new religion, founded less Worlds who later decided to attain the next level.
than a human lifetime ago. It entices converts through the The above assumes an Open Minder of Average Wealth;
possibility of mind-expanding exercises, motivational talks, others should reduce their Wealth level enough to free
and nonjudgmental universalism. up the requisite points. For example, to reach the second
Because the Open Mind claims that it doesn’t consider itself tier a Struggling [-10] believer might become Dead Broke
to be in (outright) contradiction with most other faith tradi- [-25], while one who’s Very Wealthy [30] might become
tions, it has found a niche among those who strongly iden- Comfortable [10] – using the 5 leftover points to add mun-
tify with other religions but find themselves seeking deeper dane traits (not psi) reflecting his new enlightenment.
answers from without. (Other religions’ opinions range
from cautious apprehension to outright condemnation.)
However, the Open Mind has also positioned itself as
being an alternative for those who do not have any reli-
gious views, portraying itself as a more “modern” outlook
Secrets of
on the cosmos than those stodgy old faiths. the Open Mind
Although outsiders tend to view the pseudoscientific
Those who have reached the rank of Stars within the Open
dogma of Mindists as unconvincing, the most amazing
Mind have a -10-point Secret, worth -20 points if revealed.
aspect of the Open Mind is that its promises to expand
This represents general knowledge of the inner workings of
the minds of its practitioners are legitimate. Specifically,
the Open Mind; if a practitioner reveals these secrets, his life
those who adhere to its tenets are granted mental pow-
will be made much more difficult by the remainder of the
ers. In GURPS terms, Open Minders receive disadvan-
church. The extent of this harassment will depend on how
tages for becoming members, the points from which are
sinister (or not) the Open Mind of the Universe is, although
immediately used to gain psionic abilities. However, in
it will almost certainly manifest as some kind of Enemy.
some settings, outsiders might write off displays of these
If the Open Mind is basically harmless, then the Secret-re-
abilities as trickery.
vealing former member should gain Enemy (Open Mind of
Not counting the dabblers who partake of its free
the Universe; Rival; 9 or less) [-20]. The Open Mind will be a
self-help regimens and seminars, there are two pub-
powerful nuisance for the ex-member, but he shouldn’t be in
licly known tiers of Mindists. The first – most common
any life-destroying danger.
– are known as Worlds. Worlds have the following dis-
If the Open Mind is more bloodthirsty, then former
advantages: Disciplines of Faith (Ritualism) [-5], Sense
members should gain Enemy (Open Mind of the Universe;
of Duty (Open Minders) [-10], and Wealth (Struggling)
Hunter; 6 or less) [-20]. In this case, many options of ever-
[-10] (owing to a vow of poverty that gives surplus money
lasting harm are available to the Open Mind, including
to the organization). The character points gained from
denying him resources, destroying his reputation, or even
these disadvantages are turned around and used to pur-
arranging for a “disappearance.”
chase 25 points in psionic abilities; the psionic packages
In addition to the transformation of a Secret to an Enemy,
from GURPS Psis are ideal for this. Depending on the
former members will likely have a desire to buy off their vol-
GM’s vision of the organization, the list of abilities that a
untary disadvantages (Disciplines of Faith, Sense of Duty,
practitioner could gain access to may be limited.
etc.) or convert them to other disadvantages.
The second tier of the faithful are known as Stars. Such
Curiously, regardless of what secrets leak about the Open
practitioners gain the following disadvantages (replacing
Mind, there always seem to be more. Those who rise to the
the previous ones): Disciplines of Faith (Ritualism) [-5],
level of Star (or above?) will always know something that
Total Intolerance (Religious) [-10], Sense of Duty (Open
can make him an enemy of the Open Mind, even if some har-
Minders) [-10], Secret (Inner workings of the Open
ried former members have supposedly blabbed everything.
Mind) [-10], Wealth (Poor) [-15] (again, owing to a vow
of poverty). Just as for Worlds, the points gained from

In all cases, if a Mindist already has any of the listed disadvan- only discussed in vague terms: “Oh, he joined the Open Mind
tages or has such a low Wealth that he cannot lower it enough and seems to have gained new insight into others and became
to recoup the necessary points, then he must provide the miss- more perceptive.” In a more cinematic world, it’s entirely pos-
ing character points before he can experience his awakening sible for the core idea – “join and power up” – to be known.
and acquire psionic abilities. The nature of this secrecy will also determine which abilities
These powers manifest via a process that awakens adher- are available for members; it’s hard to maintain a world of
ents’ minds over the course of a seminar that lasts one week invisible psi if Carla went away on a retreat and can now set
(in the case of someone becoming a World) or two weeks (for fires with her mind. In a secret world, the most likely options
those becoming Stars). This is not a gradual process, and all available from the Psionic Packages section of Psis are Anti-
acquired powers also immediately come with the knowledge Psi, ESP, Probability Alteration, and Telepathy.
and skill required to use it effectively. Those who become • Evil or Benevolent: Although there’s the threat of retribu-
Stars do not need to be Worlds first; they can undergo their tion for higher-echelon members who fall away from the Open
awakening from uninitiated to Stars in one retreat (enabling Mind (see p. 33), it’s otherwise up to the GM to determine
them to acquire one 50-point Psis package all at once instead how sinister or not the organization is. Its foundation and
of acquiring two 25-point packages). dedication to secrecy means there could have all kinds of evil
lurking beneath the surface, but it’s also entirely possible that
the Open Minders are legitimate and benevolent, seeking to
unleash the potential of its members. (One intriguing option
If Not Now, Then When? for a sadistic GM is to have the Open Mind be entirely devoid
Canny readers may note that there is next-to-nothing of any sinister connotations, yet continue to encourage and
placing the Open Mind of the Universe at any particular emphasize its aura of secrecy and potential maliciousness;
tech level or social assumption. Indeed, it should work it’s so hard to conclusively prove an absence of evil . . .)
just as well as a low-tech secret society as it would as a
Victorian-era faith or a hard-science-fiction cult. Wher- Combining these concepts, there’s a lot of room for how
ever there are thoughts to awaken and souls to enlighten, deep and evil its secrets run. For example, many of the pack-
the Open Mind of the Universe could be welcome . . . ages from Psis are 100 points; maybe there’s a level above
Worlds and Stars that makes these powers available to pur-
chase. If so, “Voids” has a certain ring and sinister connota-
tion that may hint of the cosmic inky blackness lurking at the
upper echelons of its faith. Or perhaps the Open Mind could
Mind-Open Matters be an entirely mundane-yet-wicked human agency, financially
The core of the Open Mind of the Universe – “join church, building itself up at the expense of teaching its members some
get powers” – has a number of dials that can be adjusted based parlor tricks.
on the needs of the campaign setting.
• Secret or Known: The Open Mind works best if it’s the
only (or most likely) source of psionic abilities in the game
About the Author
Steven Marsh is a freelance writer and editor. He has con-
world. As described, it’s up to the GM to determine whether tributed to roleplaying game releases from Green Ronin, West
outsiders know of the abilities bestowed by the faith. In a End Games, White Wolf, Hogshead Publishing, and others.
world that resembles our own, it may be a complete secret, or He lives in Indiana with his wife, Nikola Vrtis, and their son.

Random
Thought Table
Keeping the Faith
by Steven Marsh, Pyramid Editor
I’ve always felt roleplaying games exist in an odd relation- Why? If he dies, we can just work some resurrection mojo and
ship with spiritual powers. On the one hand, they demand a he’ll be good as new. But, no . . . apparently it’s easier to help
certain level of precision in their competencies; most players a PC who was infected with mummy rot and then reduced to
would be unsatisfied with dumping a boatload of points into ash by a dragon than to help an NPC with Plot Point Sniffles.
abilities that can’t be relied on, or aren’t even provable in the However, it seems like there should be some middle ground
game world. On the other hand, in the real world, matters of between “trying to figure out the minute societal effects of
faith are generally subtle and often . . . well, taken on faith. realistic clerical magic” and “ignoring it and hoping it’s not
Few game worlds tackle the larger philosophical issues too silly.” Here, then, are a few ideas for how to approach spir-
behind most spiritual or clerical powers. Imagine if a resur- itual powers in ways that are true to the abilities and don’t
rection-type spell were possible and known in the real world result in the filthy rich juggling dynamite for giggles.
and wasn’t terribly limited; in other words, it could be uti-
lized on anyone regardless of state of grace, outlook, religion,
and so on. Even if the spell were phenomenally expensive, it The Matter Matters
would still radically alter almost every aspect of life and out- In most fantasy worlds – especially those of the dun-
look. For the plebeians on the street, explanations about how geon-fantasy sort – clerics are often the go-to source for heal-
the cosmos worked would almost certainly be more accessible ing abilities. However, the rest of the world doesn’t often seem
and accepted, in the same way that the Apollo missions led to to change much (unless you argue that healing magic is what
greater understanding of how the world looked in the “big pic- turns a realm from being an “everybody dies of plague” hell-
ture,” or how the Hubble Telescope expanded our perceptions hole to a Renaissance Faire-esque romp). One of the easiest
of the universe. For the wealthiest – presuming resurrection ways to modify such a setting is to say that healing magic
was costly or nontrivial – it would revolutionize interactions; is reserved for those who follow the tenets of adventurers
no longer would there be a fear of accidents, assassins, or other (including adventuring clerics); in other words, the only ones
malfeasance befalling the wealthy and powerful. (In such a with access to healing magic are those who venture into cob-
setting, I could easily see “resurrection rich” become slang for webbed crypts and abandoned towers in search of fame and
an astronomical sum of money: “Sure, I make a good living, fortune. This works especially well in settings where the mere
but I’m not resurrection rich or anything . . .”) Companies of act of adventuring is a Good deed, such as the presumption in
sufficient wealth wouldn’t worry that they’d lose a CEO’s lead- Earthdawn that dungeon-crawling fantasy is a noble calling
ership or a vital engineer’s secrets due to illness or misfortune. because it helps to rid the world of horrid terrors from beyond
Risk-taking would probably be a lot more common. Taking a our world. You can even extend this notion to the Bad Guys’
hot-air balloon to the Arctic Circle? Sure, why not? healing abilities by saying that their Impure and Evil deeds are
However, your standard dungeon-crawl setting doesn’t serving their gods . . . which means their clerics can heal them.
seem to notice or care about these effects. This is probably One side effect of such a world would likely be that those
smart, since – honestly – the resultant world would be pretty who are ill or dying would have a strong incentive to take up
darn weird and hard to relate to. (Besides, most standard fan- the adventuring life, to appease the gods whose servants could
tasy settings are about as realistic as a Renaissance Faire, so prolong their lives. It’s a matter of taste whether this is appro-
it’s easier to ignore the world-changing effects of resurrection priate or not; I personally like the idea of King Bedbownd
than to risk causing any more cognitive dissonance.) I play a donning armor and doddering around a dungeon trying to
fair number of computer RPGs, and I’m always astounded at appease some cosmic entities, but if that seems too disruptive
the number of quests in game worlds with resurrection pow- then it might be that heroes are somehow called to or destined
ers boil down to, “You must fetch the lone sprig of Foobar for adventuring life, and nobles-come-lately aren’t able to take
from yonder mountain to save our ailing King Bedbownd.” up arms and access that sweet sweet healing magic.

Ye Must Be Worthy forgettable – not in the sense that they’re boring, but rather
that perceiving them causes them to slip away. A good analogy
The forces that empower healing magic may reserve their
would be dreams; they seem vivid when experienced, retain a
most potent miracles for the heroes (and villains) who truly
certain flavor when we first awaken, and rapidly drain away
matter. In GURPS, “importance to the universe” is most
in wisps upon fully rejoining the waking world. Thus a mirac-
conveniently measured in character points, while “degree of
ulous healing is fully appreciated and perceived by witnesses,
miraculous power” can be thought of as the minimum Magery
but quickly becomes a vague sense of “Healer Bob helped me
level required to cast the spell. This leads to . . .
when I was stabbed.” In fact, this method could be used in
Minimum Character-Point our own world; I suspect many of us have experienced things
Magery Required Value of Subject that seemed vaguely beneficial and slightly miraculous in our
None 25 memories; maybe those are the remnants of a true miracle,
1 75 shunted from our minds like slivers of a dream.
2 150 A world like this would even permit true believers – those
3+ 300 who know the true nature of miracles – to retain their knowl-
edge. They may or may not be miracle workers themselves; I
Always look at the “path of least Magery” when using this find the idea of a miracle worker who understands he has direct
rule. For example, Lend Energy (and thus Lend Vitality and access to divine abilities but can never fully remember having
Minor Healing) require Magery 1 or Empathy, which means done them to be fascinating. These “rememberers” need not be
“no Magery required.” GURPS Magic: Spell Charts is a help- campaign wreckers with abilities that defy explanation; how
ful resource when using this rule – and it’s free! many people in our own world claim to have witnessed divine
The net result is a world in which common peasants (-25 intervention, written books about their experience with mira-
to 0 points) cannot be magically healed at all; typical citizens cles, etc.? Given the rising number of agnostics, such people
(25-50 points) can benefit from Final Rest and Minor Heal- are obviously easy for a determined society to dismiss.
ing; nobles and beginning heroes (75-125 points) qualify for
Cure Disease, Major Healing, and Restoration; and emperors
and skilled adventurers (150-250 points) can receive Instant
Neutralize Poison and Regeneration . . . but only the might-
How Low Will You Go?
As a final idea, perhaps the energies that power healing
iest heroes (300+ points) can rely on Great Healing, Instant magic are strongest below the earth. Such miracles rely on a
Regeneration, and Resurrection. The GM can and should play descent to the deepest (and, presumably, most evilly infested)
with the minimum character-point values to match the set- domains. In this case, healing magic would be accessible only
ting’s assumptions, of course. to those who are most likely to use such spells
in a standard fantasy dungeon-crawling world.
To combine the ideas, perhaps healing
magic also relies on accumulating the life-force
C onversion ates R energies of those antithetical to the forces of life
One idea that seems like it’d work would be to require the injured to (in other words, baddies); the death of the most
convert to the same faith or ideals as the miracle worker they wish to vile creatures is required to provide the divine
aid them. However, this is tricky to get right. If you allow for conver- spark needed for whole-body restorations
sions as needed, then it seems too straightforward a process. Perhaps or resurrection magic. In this case, sure, the
there is a limit that keeps people from treating faith as a revolving heroes can wait for the king to die and then try
door – say, a character can only switch between faiths (at most) once to resurrect him to wellness, but in that case,
every number of days equal to the number of character point they’re you’re just substituting one kind of quest (“go
built on. Thus low-point peasants could ping-pong between beliefs kill monsters to get the Healing Thingamajig”)
(and healing opportunities), while uber-competent heroes are more for another (“go kill monsters while dragging
set in themselves and less likely and able to switch their moral alle- around a dead body”). The GM will need to fig-
giances. (This might explain Han Solo’s lack of faith in the Force . . .) ure out how to keep players from milking such
a system – for example, hoarding monsters
chained up in a dungeon to kill when needed –
but that should be fairly straightforward. (“The
goddess relies only on energies gathered from enemies who
T F S
hick and orgetful kulls are active agents of entropy” or the like.)
Han Solo didn’t believe in all that Force mumbo jumbo.
It’s unclear how he could have clung to his disbelief; the Jedi
council was a vibrant organization when he was 10 years old, A bout the ditor E
and stories of their abilities and antics would have almost cer- Steven Marsh is a freelance writer and editor. He has con-
tainly reached him. (Heck, assuming the Jedi were as widely tributed to roleplaying game releases from Green Ronin, West
known as it seem they were, he would have heard about Jedi End Games, White Wolf, Hogshead Publishing, and others.
at an age where many people in our universe become lifelong He has been editing Pyramid for over 10 years; during that
Star Wars fans . . .) time, he has won four Origins awards. He lives in Indiana with
However, it’s an interesting thought exercise. Maybe his wife, Nikola Vrtis, and their son.
one aspect of clerical or spiritual powers are that they are Special thanks to Jason “PK” Levine for his suggestions.

Odds and Ends
Faith on impartial revelation of mental “flaws”
would actually be useful. Members
marks of Honesty or Truthfulness;
while those with Vows, Disciplines
Your Sleeve who are politicians and merchants
may be highly valued if they have the
of Faith, or Codes of Honor may be
respected universally.
Members of the Church of the
In-Visible believe in self-reflection
and assessment. However, there is
one aspect of their faith that is most
obvious: Members have their charac-
ter flaws literally visible upon their
flesh, in the form of fine lines and
curves. Their inner selves and lives
are thus visible for all to see. These
lines are generally on the face and
hands, although especially significant
flaws can extend all over the body.
The nature of these markings by Greg Hyland
depends on the campaign. In a world
with obvious transcendental under-
pinnings, these marks may appear
supernaturally. In less overt worlds,
they may be mundane tattoos, con-
ceived and chosen by self-reflection
or psychological examinations. In
either case, they can be hidden easily
with makeup, clothing, etc. (although
adherents are reluctant to do so with-
out good reason).
In GURPS terms, all mental dis-
advantages (and some physical, at
GM’s discretion) have a correspond-
ing line pattern and color, which are
generally known to the faithful. The
boldness or thickness of these lines
depends on the point value; Curi-
ous [-5] might be a faint yellow line
across the eyes, while someone with
Sadism [-15] may have a thick red
curve extending across his forehead
down to his chest. Those with Delu-
sions merely believe the markings
reflect their misbeliefs: “I have this
line because I can talk to squirrels,
and that is forbidden.”
If the In-Visible are widely known,
then a successful Body Language roll
can determine what lines represent;
otherwise, Theology (In-Visible) is
useful. (Adherents are encouraged
to reveal their own lines’ meanings,
especially if asked.)
Although there seems to be lit-
tle benefit from being a member of
the In-Visible, the existence of an

About GURPS
Steve Jackson Games is committed to full support To discuss GURPS with our staff and your fellow gamers,
of GURPS players. Our address is SJ Games, P.O. Box visit our forums at forums.sjgames.com. The Pyramid
18957, Austin, TX 78760. Please include a self-ad- web page is pyramid.sjgames.com.
dressed, stamped envelope (SASE) any time you write us! Bibliographies. Many of our books have extensive bib-
We can also be reached by email: [email protected]. liographies, and we’re putting them online – with links to
Resources include: let you buy the resources that interest you! Go to each
book’s web page and look for the “Bibliography” link.
New supplements and adventures. GURPS continues to
Errata. Everyone makes mistakes, including us – but
grow – see what’s new at gurps.sjgames.com.
we do our best to fix our errors. Up-to-date errata pages
Warehouse 23. Our online store offers GURPS adven-
for all GURPS releases, including this book, are available
tures, play aids, and support in PDF form . . . digital cop-
on our website – see above.
ies of our books, plus exclusive material available only on
Warehouse 23! Just head over to warehouse23.com. Rules and statistics in this book are specifically for the
Internet. Visit us on the World Wide Web at GURPS Basic Set, Fourth Edition. Page references that
sjgames.com for errata, updates, Q&A, and much more. begin with B refer to that book, not this one.
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Pyramid Magazine 2 April 2015

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Deconstructing Blessed points for +1 reactions; 10 points for +2.

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Blessed and Power Modifiers

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New Lens: Elemental (+0 points) Faerie

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Confusion is a word we have invented for an order which is

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Special Powers of dice ¥ 3.5; rounded up.

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Moorstone Witch Power Investiture

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Lunar Energy Group (LEG) their sleeping god.

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Constructing the Curse

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