Jeff Wilson's GURPS Spells Supplement

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This compendium of GURPS spells and optional magic rules follows the magic system found in GURPS Basic, GURPS Magic, and GURPS Grimoire. Many of these spells are adapted from TSR's Spelljammer™ game.

Colleges

This document contains spells from the Crystal subcollege. (With thanks to Winterchilde.) The Crystal college functions in the same way as the Acid, Electricity, Ice, and Weather subcolleges introduced in GURPS Grimoire. Crystal is a subcollege of Earth.

Existing Spells

Seek spells require materials that are linked to the object being sought. Seek Earth requires a sample of the earth being sought, Seek Water requires a sample of water (saliva will do), and so forth. In most cases the spell will not detect anything smaller than the sample being used.

Shape Air can be used to maintain a 1-hex radius sphere of air around a moving object for as long as the cast maintains the spell. Shape Air cannot be used to clear impurities from the air by itself, but can be used in combination with Purify Air or Create Air to clear and maintain an area of pure air.

New Spells

Raises the subject's Astral Projection power. This spell does not grant any psionic skills, but the subject may learn such skills separately.

Colleges: Clerical, Mind Control, Necromantic
Duration: 1 minute
Base Cost: 1 for every level of power (max. 10) if the subject is psionic, 2 for every level of power (max. 5) otherwise.
Prerequisites: 4 Mind Control spells, Magery/1, Sense Spirit
Item: (a) Any Item. Always on; wearer's power is raised while item is worn. Energy cost to create: 450 per point of increase (max. 5) (b) Staff or Wand. Usable only by mage or psionic with Astral Projection; must touch subject. Energy cost to create: 825.

This spell allows a mage to instantly find the answer to even the most complicated mathematical problems. However, the problems which a mage can solve are limited by his other skills, typically Mathematics, but Accounting or the like upon occasion. When this spell is cast the GM should roll against the lower of the spell or the skill. A false answer is only gained upon a critical failure of the spell.

College: Knowledge
Duration: Instant
Cost: 0
Time to Cast: 1 second
Prerequisites: None
Item: An abacus or a chain of numbered disks which displays the answer to the calculation. Usable only by a mage. Energy cost to create: 120?

This spell places a 9" radius transparent sphere around the head of the subject. It selectively removes all visual hazards including symbols, blinding light, gaze weapons, etc. If the subject has more that one head, the spell only affects a single head unless all heads will fit inside the 1.5' diameter sphere.

Colleges: Earth (Crystal)
Duration: 10 minutes
Cost: 2 to cast, same to maintain
Time to Cast: 1 second
Prerequisites: Create Crystal Ball

This spell creates an area which resists the flammable nature of the phlogiston. While the spell can be cast elsewhere, it has no effects outside the phlogiston or outside a body's air envelope. Fire missiles created in the phlogiston will still activate before being thrown, but the fire does no extra damage if it strikes while within the area of effect.

While this spell allows engines to function in the phlogiston, engines will quickly wear out or malfunction.

College: Fire
Duration: 1 minute
Cost: 1/2 to cast, same to maintain
Time to Cast: 1 second
Prerequisites: Slow Fire
Item: Staff, wand, or jewelry. Energy cost to create: 200

This spell creates a missile which, upon contact with a portal through a crystal sphere, causes that portal to instantly close. Vessels passing through such a portal require the Helmsman to make a Spelljamming skill roll. With a critical success, the Helmsman avoids contact with the sphere altogether. With a regular success the ship collides with the sphere taking ramming damage. Upon a normal failure, the ship crashes into the sphere. A critical failure results in the total destruction of the ship as the portal closes directly upon it.

Colleges: Earth (Crystal)
Duration: Instant
Cost: 10
Time to Cast: 1 minute
Prerequisites: Shape Earth
Item: Staff, or wand. Only usable by a mage. Energy cost to create: 600

This spell establishes a link between its caster and his god. This permits a priest's abilities to restore themselves as if the priest was in his home plane. This spell has no effect in a no-sanctity area, and may also be affected by the local reality and magical effects. The spell ends automatically upon passing through a crystal sphere or planeshifting.

College: Clerical
Duration: 1 hour
Cost: 1 to cast, 1/2 to maintain
Time to Cast: 1 minute
Prerequisites: none

This spell enables a necromancer to force a corporeal undead to obey him. For enslaved undead this is treated exactly the same as the Control Zombie spell. For restless or willful undead this is treated as a Charm (M68) spell. However, unlike the subject of a Charm spell, restless or willful undead may try to pervert the caster's orders as per the Summon Demon spell (M74).

College: Necromancy
Duration: 1 minute
Cost: 1/8 of undead's 4 attributes to cast, 1/2 that amount to maintain.
Time to Cast: 2 seconds
Prerequisites: Control Zombie

This spell creates a flawless, 2 inch crystal sphere for use with the Crystal Ball spell. A 3 inch ball requires 45 points and adds 50% to the casting time. A 4 inch ball cost 60 points and doubles the casting time. Every further inch adds 25 points to the cost, and 1 hour to the casting time.

Colleges: Earth (Crystal)
Duration: Perm.
Cost: 30
Time to Cast: 1 hour
Prerequisites: Crystal Growth

This spell transforms a normal chair or seat into a Spelljamming Helm with a movement rating of 4. On a critical success, the helm gives a +1 SR rating to anyone who sits in it.

College: Enchantment
Duration: 24 hours
Cost: 1 per 1.5 SJ tons of ship
Time to Cast: 30 seconds per ton of ship
Prerequisites: Create Minor Helm

This spell transforms a normal chair or seat into a Major Spelljamming Helm. On a critical success, the helm gives a +1 SR rating to anyone who sits in it.

College: Enchantment
Duration: 24 hours
Cost: 1 per 1.5 SJ tons of ship
Time to Cast: 30 seconds per ton of ship
Prerequisites: Create Minor Helm

This spell transforms a normal chair or seat into a Minor Spelljamming Helm. On a critical success, the helm gives a +1 SR rating to anyone who sits in it.

College: Enchantment
Duration: 1 week
Cost: 1 / SJ ton of ship
Time to Cast: 30 seconds
Prerequisites: Enchant

This spell creates a portal through a given Crystal Sphere, either from the phlogiston or from Wildspace. It cannot be maintained for more than one hour. Even if the vessel in question is smaller then 10 yards in diameter, a minimum of 1 point must be spent on the spell. It cannot be used to enlarge or add on to an existing portal.

This spell does not weaken a crystal shell, and people or objects in actual contact with the shell will be unaffected by the opened portal.

Colleges: Earth (Crystal)
Duration: 10 minutes
Base Cost: 1/5, half to maintain
Time to Cast: 15 seconds
Prerequisites: Crystal Growth, Shape Earth
Item: Staff or Wand. Energy Cost to Create: 450

Allows the caster to create up to one pound of crystal. This is of little value, generally being a form of milky quartz. If clear crystal is required, then the amount created is halved.

College: Earth (Crystal)
Duration: Permanent
Cost: 1
Prerequisites: Create Earth

This spell decreases the Spelljammer™ Rating (SR) of a person in a helm. SR is decreased by 1, 2 on a critical success.

College: Communication & Empathy
Duration: 2 minutes
Base Cost: 4 to cast, 2 to maintain
Time to Cast: 1 second
Prerequisites: Magery/1, Mind Sending

This spell grants a bonus to the use of psionics on the target. Ease Psionics can add from +1 to +3.

College: Enchantment
Cost: Depends on the bonus. +1: 200, +2: 800, +3: 3,200
Prerequisites: Enchant, and 4 spells from the Mind Control college
Item: (a) Any item. Affects wearer only. Usable by anyone. (b) A container or area may be enchanted at the above cost per hex. Both the container and everything within it at affected by the enchantment.

Raises the subject's Electrokinesis power. This spell does not grant any psionic skills, but the subject may learn such skills separately.

Colleges: Mind Control, Air (Electricity)
Duration: 1 minute
Base Cost: 1 for every level of power (max. 10) if the subject is psionic, 2 for every level of power (max. 5) otherwise.
Prerequisites: Magery/1, 4 Mind Control spells, Lightning
Item: (a) Any Item. Always on; wearer's power is raised while item is worn. Energy cost to create: 750 per point of increase (max. 5). (b) Staff or Wand. Usable only by mage or psionic with Electrokinesis; must touch subject. Energy cost to create: 1375.

This spell increases the maneuverability of a Spelljamming vessel. The Spelljammer™ MR is increased by 1, 2 on a critical success.

College: Movement
Duration: 10 minutes
Base Cost: 1/2 to cast, half of casting cost to maintain
Time to Cast: 5 seconds
Prerequisites: Magery/1, Lighten Burden

This spell increases the Spelljammer™ Rating (SR) of a person in a helm. SR is increased by 1, 2 on a critical success.

Colleges: Communication & Empathy
Duration: 2 minutes
Base Cost: 4 to cast, 2 to maintain
Time to Cast: 1 second
Prerequisites: Magery/1, Mind Sending

Raises the subject's ESP power. This spell does not grant any psionic skills, but the subject may learn such skills separately.

Colleges: Mind Control, Knowledge
Duration: 1 minute
Base Cost: 1 for every level of power (max. 10) if the subject is psionic, 2 for every level of power (max. 5) otherwise.
Prerequisites: Magery/1, 4 Mind Control spells, Mage Sense
Item: (a) Any Item. Always on; wearer's power is raised while item is worn. Energy cost to create: 450 per point of increase (max. 5). (b) Staff or Wand. Usable only by mage or psionic with ESP; must touch subject. Energy cost to create: 825.

Similar to the Spell Stone enchantment, this enchantment stores a spell or magical energy for later use. Every fetish must be created with a specific purpose in mind, either storing up to 5 fatigue (for magical purposes only) or producing a specific magical effect. Spells cast by a fetish may not be maintained by the user and are limited to the area and duration designated by the enchanter. The enchanter may dedicate energy to maintain the spell when the fetish is originally enchanted. The point where the spell takes effect is be determined by the user. Once created, a fetish may be charged and used multiple times (unlike a Spellstone), but can not hold more than three identical spells at one time. Though anyone can invoke the fetish, only the specific mage or group who originally prepared the fetish is able to recharge it.

College: Enchantment
Duration: Special
Cost: 50 plus twice the spell's casting cost (including maintenance cost) or stored fatigue for the basic enchantment, twice the spell's casting cost (including maintenance cost) or stored fatigue for each spell placed in the fetish.
Prerequisites: Scroll, Magery/2

This spell supplies the target with both DR and hardening to resist the effects of armor piercing attacks. Every point of hardening subtracts one from any extra penetration an attack possesses. This can not reduce effective penetration below 1.

College: Protection & Warning
Duration: 1 minute
Cost: 2 for every point of DR (max 5), plus 2 for every point of hardening.
Prerequisites: Armor (M76)
Item: None, but see the Hardened Fortify enchantment.

This spell does not actually supply any DR, it simply supplies hardening along the lines of the Hardened Armor spell. This enchantment can be added on top of Fortify (M46).

College: Enchantment
Cost: 25 for hardening 1, 100 for hardening 2, 400 for hardening 3, 1,500 for hardening 4, and 4,000 for each additional level of hardening. This enchantment can be recast to strengthen it, as per Accuracy (M44).
Prerequisites: Fortify (M46)
Item: Clothing or armor (but not a shield).

Raises the subject's psionic Healing power. This spell does not grant any psionic skills, but the subject may learn such skills separately.

Colleges: Mind Control, Healing
Duration: 1 minute
Base Cost: 1 for every level of power (max. 10) if the subject is psionic, 2 for every level of power (max. 5) otherwise.
Prerequisites: Magery/1, 4 Mind Control spells, Lend Health
Item: (a) Any Item. Always on; wearer's power is raised while item is worn. Energy cost to create: 450 per point of increase (max. 5) (b) Staff or Wand. Usable only by mage or psionic with Healing; must touch subject. Energy cost to create: 825.

This spell indicates to the caster the general direction of the nearest natural portal site into or out of of a given crystal sphere. If cast within 100 yards of a site the caster will get a general idea of how long before a portal will open. The caster may overlook known portal sites if he desires. Typically, a portal will be 3d6 days away, and open 4d6 hours after a ship arrives. On a critical failure, true portals will be overlooked, and false information should be given the caster. This spell is not modified for range.

Colleges: Knowledge
Duration: 1 hour
Cost: 2 to cast, 1 to maintain
Time to Cast: 1 minute
Prerequisites: Pathfinder
Item: a crystal or glass globe, engraved with longitude and latitude lines. minimum cost $2,000. Energy Cost to Create: 200

With this spell the caster calls down the effects of a fireball over an entire area. Everything in the designated space takes the appropriate damage.

College: Fire
Base Cost: 1 per die of damage (max. 3), minimum radius 2
Time to Cast: 1 second per energy point
Prerequisites: Explosive Fireball, Magery/2
Item: staff or wand -- 2,400 energy to create, must include a ruby worth $750. Usable only by a mage.

This variation of the Golem spell allows a golem to accept instructions from other people than the caster. Unfortunately, without the mystic link created by the caster, the golem's actions can be over literal and unpredictable. Most instructions to a programmable golem are given in a synthetic language known to both the caster and the person addressing the golem. Alternatively, Golem Operations may be taken as a M/E skill. However, the skill only applies to close direction of golems, more sophisticated used require the language skill.

This spell is slightly more difficult than the standard Golem spell, and is cast at -2 to the roll.

As a variant spell, this spell is available to anyone who knows both the Golem and Independence spells, and takes the needed time to research the variant or finds a teacher who already knows the variant. Except as described above, its identical to the Golem spell.

Raises the subject's Psychic Vampirism power. This spell does not grant any psionic skills, but the subject may learn such skills separately.

Colleges: Mind Control, Necromantic
Duration: 1 minute
Base Cost: 1 for every level of power (max. 10) if the subject is psionic, 2 for every level of power (max. 5) otherwise.
Prerequisites: Magery/1, 4 Mind Control spells, Steal Strength
Item: (a) Any Item. Always on; wearer's power is raised while item is worn. Energy cost to create: 450 per point of increase (max. 5). (b) Staff or Wand. Usable only by mage or psionic with Psychic Vampirism; must touch subject. Energy cost to create: 825.

Raises the subject's Psychokinesis power. This spell does not grant any psionic skills, but the subject may learn such skills separately.

College: Mind Control, Movement
Duration: 1 minute
Base Cost: 1 for every level of power (max. 10) if the subject is psionic, 2 for every level of power (max. 5) otherwise.
Prerequisites: Magery/1, 4 Mind Control spells, Apportation
Item: (a) Any Item. Always on; wearer's power is raised while item is worn. Energy cost to create: 750 per point of increase (max. 5). (b) Staff or Wand. Usable only by a mage or by a psionic with Psychokinesis; must touch subject. Energy cost to create: 1375.

For each point of energy put into this spell (up to 5), the subject's psionic resistance goes up by 2 if he is willing, or by 1 if he tries to resist. If the psionic possesses psionic abilities, he can still use them, but at a penalty equal to the psionic resistance. Psionics already affecting or in use by the subject continue unchanged.

College: Mind Control
Duration: 1 minute
Base Cost: 1 to 5 to cast, the same to maintain
Time to Cast: 4 seconds
Prerequisites: Magic Resistance and 4 spells from the Mind Control college
Item: (a) Wand, staff, weapon, or jewelry. Affects wearer only. Usable by anyone, but double fatigue cost unless the user has psionic powers. Energy cost to create: 300 per maximum point of magic resistance it can offer. (b) Any item. The item's ownpsionic resistance is increased by 1 to 10; the user's psionic resistance is unaffected. Energy cost to create: 200 per point of added psionic resistance.

The recipient of this spell immediately has his body surrounded by soft, spongy wood, similar to that of a rotting stump. The softwood is a living entity that inhabits the air envelope of the individual, sustaining that individual's life at a lover level than normal. The character is placed in suspended animation in a manner similar to that of individuals lost in the flow.

The softwood surrounding a body is extremely resistant to heat and cold, and while the form within is unconscious, it cannot be harmed. A character in a softwood cocoon could fall to earth and the heat and impact of the fall would be absorbed by the spell. However, Softwood dissolves in open air. If a character enters and stays in a new envelope of fresh air for longer than 30 minutes, the softwood will dissolve, letting the individual loose. A softwood spell cast in the open air will cocoon the target for 30 minutes and then dissipate in a single round.

College: Plant
Duration: Special, see above
Cost: 3
Time to Cast: 30 seconds
Prerequisites: Plant Growth

This enchantment was first mentioned in GURPS Magic Items (p62) and more information is available there. It enables an enchanter to give a knack to anyone. As part of the enchantment process, the subject will suffer damage, but I'm currently unsure how much. A single subject may get any number of Tattoos. If a character manages to purchase a Knack Tattoo, the GM may require that future experience go into paying it off.

Alien races with shells or chitin may get inlay instead of tattoos. In this case, the prerequisite (see below) is Jeweler instead of Tattooing.

College: Enchantment
Duration: Permanent until the enchantment is removed.
Cost and Time: Half the energy cost required to create a standard magic item with the same ability.
Prerequisites: Scroll, Spellgraft (TC20).

Raises the subject's Telepathy power. This spell does not grant any psionic skills, but the subject may learn such skills separately.

Colleges: Communication & Empathy, Mind Control
Duration: 1 minute
Base Cost: 1 for every level of power (max. 10) if the subject is psionic, 2 for every level of power (max. 5) otherwise.
Prerequisites: Magery/1, 4 Mind Control spells, Truthsayer
Item: (a) Any Item. Always on; wearer's power is raised while item is worn. Energy cost to create: 750 per point of increase (max. 5). (b) Staff or Wand. Usable only by a mage or by a psionic with Telepathy; must touch subject. Energy cost to create: 1375.

Raises the subject's Teleportation power. This spell does not grant any psionic skills, but the subject may learn such skills separately.

Colleges: Mind Control, Gate
Duration: 1 minute
Base Cost: 1 for every level of power (max. 10) if the subject is psionic, 2 for every level of power (max. 5) otherwise.
Prerequisites: Magery/1, 4 Mind Control spells, Spells from 6 colleges
Item: (a) Any Item. Always on; wearer's power is raised while item is worn. Energy cost to create: 750 per point of increase (max. 5). (b) Staff or Wand. Usable only by mage or psionic with Teleportation; must touch subject. Energy cost to create: 1375.

Optional Rules

Magical Gadgeteering

Gadgeteering is available for mages and alchemists. It is important to note that magical gadgeteering differs from standard gadgeteering, and characters should specialize. Potential specializations include: Alchemy, Enchantments, Rune Lore, Technomancy, and Weird Technology. Of course, a gadgeteer must still have the appropriate skills, regardless of his specialization.

Rune Lore

Historically and in fantasy, runic symbols are not the only means of focusing power. In addition to different runic scripts, runic-style magic can be focused through crystals, plants, animal bones, or anything else a GM might approve.

Whatever the nature of the focus, all the normal rules for Rune Lore apply, although a GM might permit a player to build her own set of nouns and verbs for a custom Rune Lore.

Example:

Rune Lore (Crystals)enables a mage to make use of the natural properties of crystals to focus magical effects.

Activate Crystalsis the same as Activate Runes, only it's used with the Rune Lore (Crystals) skill.

Verbs: Communicate M/A (Amethyst), Create/Control M/H (Citrine), Detect/Sense M/H (Alexandrite), Heal M/H (Agate), Move M/A (Zircon), Protect M/A (Salt), Strengthen M/A (Diamond), Transform M/H (Garnet), Weaken M/A (Quartz).

Nouns: Animal M/H (Jade), Body M/H (Sapphire), Dark M/E (Obsidian), Energy/Light M/A (Ruby), Gas M/A (Sulfur), Illusion M/A (Emerald), Liquid M/A (Aquamarine), Machine M/H (Magnetite), Magic M/H (Beryl), Mind M/H (Tourmaline), Plant M/A (Amber), Solid M/H (Hematite), Sound M/E (Topaz), Undead M/H (Jet).

Poor quality shards may be used to achieve temporary effects. Such shards may also be set into an object for later use (as Rune scrolls). Special crystals for spell casting purposes (similar to runestones) must be valuable crystals worth at least $200.

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