Review: GURPS Magic, 2E

Summary

Over 400 spells, with approximately 100 from the 3rd edition basic set, 200 from Fantasy, and 100 new entries. Add to that details on the Plant spell college, an improvisational spellcasting method, and magical campaign building, as well as a teaser for the Grimoire. If you're into big lists of possibilities, this is the GURPS supplement for you. Even if you don't like GURPS, take a quick look to stimulate your own creativity.

Detail

There's a problem with a book packed with 400 options, some of which are dependent on their neighbors. Especially for wishy-washy players, like myself, there are far too many choices, too many possibilities. The easiest way to create characters in a system like this is to have a preconception of EXACTLY what you want to develop, and then find out how much you can reasonably manage with your starting point value. If you can't get it all, you map out a path to reach your ultimate objective.

And map it out you can! One of the most useful tools in this book, and possibly the best such tool I've seen for its type in an RPG or supplement, is the Spell Prerequisite Chart, which occupies the last six pages of the book. These charts provide a comprehensive, easily assimilated, flowcharted illustration of which spells are required to learn other spells, and whether you need lower or higher levels of magical aptitude (Magery) to learn them. If that's not enough, positioned roughly in the center of the book is a complete, alphabetized, tabular list of all the spells with their categories, casting specifics and prerequisites, and page numbers! Even ignoring the content of the spells themselves, this book manifests a truly masterful job of information organization that must be applauded.

Aside from the over 400 spells listed in this book, there are sections on different magic systems. The three of note are the improvised magic system, the inherent magic system, and the alchemy system. The improvised magic system is reminiscent of the Ars Magica framework of verbs and nouns to describe magic, and it includes both spontaneous and runecasting options. The inherent magic system permits environs such as described in the Xanth series by Piers Anthony, with people having limited access to magic that is uniquely theirs. The alchemy system facilitates the creation of one-shot elixirs, powders and potions, complete with laboratory experimentation results, both beneficial and baneful. A sidebar briefly covers cantrips, enabling poetry-based magic.

The spells in the book come in 21 different Colleges, which are divided by subject matter (Water, Air, Food, Movement, etc.), and 8 classes, which assign spells to different categories based on the type of effect they have (Regular, Area, Missile, Information, etc.). In case there was any doubt, magic items are covered in the book: over half the spells include a description of an item that can manifest the spell's effects, as well as the cost and effort to effect its creation. In addition, Chapter 2 is devoted entirely to the process of creating magic items.

One of the many enjoyments of this book was the relative lack of redundancy in spells. A far cry from the ADnD books, where the Light spell was, "refer to the spell under the other class" with some modifications, or the Rolemaster spellcasting which supported Light spells levels I, II, III and so on, very few spells refer to others for their spell effects. Although you do have Create Plant and Create Animal, each has its distinct definition. Some spells, however, are oddly categorized, and you do have to search a bit. Like typical glossaries, it helps to have a few different words in your head that describe the same thing so that you can look them up effectively. For example, the opposite of Drunkenness is not Sobriety, but Neutralize Poison (or Dispel Magic, if the Drunkenness was a state obtained through conventional means).

Some space is given to describing stereotypical magic users, advantages and disadvantages specific to magic-users, and modifications that can be placed on magic as a whole, resulting in varied magical environs. A section on magical creatures closes out the book, and includes brief sections on elementals, undead, familiars, and quasi-living magical constructions. Although these last two sections left me wanting quite a bit more, they were enough to get the ideas going.

The Verdict

You need look no further for a coherent, detailed, and easy-to-use magical catalog and idea resource. There's a bit of a learning curve for the mechanics behind the eight spell types, but once you're past those 4-6 pages, the rest of the book flows easily. The book is easily recommended for both beginning and advanced gamers.