GURPS Dungeon Fantasy Warrior-Wizard Template

Warrior-Wizard

250 points

You have the magical power of a wizard, but you split your studies between spells and weapon training. You can use a variety of methods to either improve your attacks or hinder your enemies, but even without magic you are a deadly fighter. Unfortunately, studying the two disciplines leaves little time for anything else, but you’re confident that most problems can be solved with either magic or violence (or a combination of the two).

Attributes: ST 11 [10]; DX 13 [60]; IQ 14 [80]; HT 11 [10].

Secondary Characteristics: Damage 1d−1/1d+1; BL 24 lbs.; HP 11 [0]; Will 14 [0]; Per 14 [0]; FP 11 [0]; Basic Speed 6.00 [0]; Basic Move 6 [0].

Advantages: Magery 3 [35]. • 30 points chosen from among ST +1 to +3 [10/level], DX +1 [20], HT +1 to +3 [10/level], FP +1 to +10 [3/level], Ambidexterity [5], Combat Reflexes [15], Danger Sense [15], High Pain Threshold [10], Languages [2-6/language], Luck [15], or Magery 4, 5, or 6 [10, 20, or 30].

One of the following packages:

• Imbue 2 (Magical, −10%) [18]. • Five Imbuement Skills, all (VH) IQ+1 [2]-15†.

• Imbue 3 (Limited skill access, 2 skills, -60%; Magical, −10%) [12]. • Two Imbuement Skills, all (VH) IQ+3 [8]-17†.

• Weapon Master (One weapon) [20]. • One of Blind Fighting (VH) Per [8]-14, Immovable Stance (H) DX+1 [8]-14, Kiai (H) HT+1 [8]-12, Mental Strength (E) Will+3 [8]-17, Parry Missile Weapons (H) DX+1 [8]-14, Power Blow (H) Will+1 [8]-15, or Pressure Points (H) IQ+1 [8]-15.

Disadvantages: −15 points from Code of Honor (Soldier’s or Chivalry) [−10 or −15], Curious [−5*], Jealousy [−10*], Overconfidence [−5*], Sense of Duty (Adventuring Companions) [−5], or Stubbornness [−5]. • Another −15 points from Bloodlust [−10*], Callous [−5], One Eye [−15], Post-Combat Shakes [−5*], or Wounded [−5]. • Another −20 points from Bully [−10*], Clueless [−10], Disturbing Voice [−10], Loner [−5*], No Sense of Humor [−10], Oblivious [−5], or Social Stigma (Excommunicated) [−10].

Primary Skills: Thaumatology (VH) IQ [1]-14†. • One of Axe/Mace, Bow, Broadsword, Shortsword, Smallsword, Staff, or Two-Handed Sword, all (A) DX+5 [20]-18. • One of Fast-Draw (Arrow, Knife, Potion, or Two-Handed Sword), or Shield (Buckler), both (E) DX+1 [2]-14, Sling (H) DX−1 [2]-12, or Throwing (A) DX [2]-13.

Secondary Skills: Armoury (Body Armor, Melee Weapons, or Missile Weapons) (A) IQ−1 [1]. One of Brawling, Innate Attack (Any), or Knife, all (E) DX+2 [4]-15, Judo (H) DX [4]-13, or Wrestling (A) DX+1 [4]-14. One of Hidden Lore (Demons, Magic Items, Magical Writings, or Spirits) or Occultism, both (A) IQ-1 [1]-13.

Background Skills: Three of Climbing (A) DX [2]-13, First Aid (E) IQ+1 [2]-15, Forced Entry (E) DX+1 [2]-14, Intimidation (A) Will [2]-14, Stealth (A) DX [2]-13, Swimming (E) HT+1 [2]-12, or Tactics (H) IQ−1 [2]-13.

Spells: 10 wizardly spells, all either (H) IQ+1 [1]-15* or (VH) IQ [1]-14*.

* Multiplied for self-control number; see GURPS Basic Set, p. 120.

† includes +3 for Magery.

 

Customization Notes

There are numerous possible combinations of combat skills, imbuements, and spells, but a few archetypes are especially common:

Body Beater: You use the reach and leverage of a quarterstaff or long staff to deliver melee spells and powerful blows at the same time. The body control college offers Paralyze Limb, Wither Limb, and Deathtouch, as well as several regular spells which can extend their range a little with your staff. To defend against missile attacks, learn Deflect Missile or Missile Shield. Either demonstrate mastery of your own body with extra ST and Power Blow, or use your staff with imbuements like Crippling Blow, Fatiguing Strike, Telescoping Weapon, or Traumatic Blow.

Burning Blade: The fire college has many methods of dealing damage, but Flaming Armor and Flaming Weapons are the most appealing to swordsmen. If you take both, you won’t be able to learn any spells to defend against missiles, so you will want a shield, Parry Missile Weapons, or a range of defensive imbuements. Burning Strike, Fireproof Armor, and Incendiary Weapon are thematically appropriate.

Ice Archer: Ice Missiles is relatively easy to learn and makes your bow more effective. Use Ice Slick and Water Jet to keep melee fighters away from you. Binding Shot, Chilling Strike, Continuing Attack, Crushing Strike, Cutting Strike, and Shattershot all suit frosty arrows, while Fireproof Armor and Rigid Armor can represent a coating of magical ice.

Stone Striker: Body of Stone and Flesh to Stone are very powerful combat spells if you have enough time and FP to cast them. When you don’t, you can use imbuements like Bank Shot, Blunting Armor, Crushing Strike, Cutting Strike, Penetrating Strike, and Impenetrable Armor to boost your combat abilities. Immovable Stance suits the earth-theme for those who prefer Weapon Master.

Storm Shield: Lightning and Shocking Touch allow you to hurt enemies near and far, so you don’t need a full-size staff, allowing the use of a shield alongside a wand (baton, knobbed club, light club, or short staff). Play up the thunder-and-lightning theme with Thunderclap, Kiai, Deafening Display, Shockwave, or Thunderous Defense, add even more electricity with Electric Weapon, or use Arcing Shot, Guided Weapon, or Homing Weapon with Lightning to hit those who think they are safe at a distance or behind cover.

Warded Warrior: Stack good armor with protection and warning spells like Armor or Return Missile and defensive imbuements like Energizing Defense, Expand Armor, Nullifying Armor (Magic), Spiritual Defense, Vengeful Defense, or Widen Shield to achieve virtual invulnerability. If you feel that spells offer enough physical protection without imbuements, take Weapon Master and Mental Strength to protect from more subtle threats. There’s no need for a staff when you cast your spells on yourself, so take a bow or sword, which will help compensate for a lack of offensive magic.

 

Power-Ups for Warrior-Wizards

Warrior-Wizards can buy up to Imbue 3 (with no limited skill access) and any level of Weapon Master regardless of which options they started with, as well as Energy Reserve (Magical) 1-20 [3/level], Magic Resistance (Improved, +150%) 1-3 [5/level], or Wild Talent 1-2 [20/level].

They can also purchase the following abilities:

 

Armor Mastery

As for the knight ability of the same name.

 

Jack of All Trades

As for the innkeeper ability of the same name.

 

Inextinguishable Power

As for the wizard ability of the same name.

 

Warrior Wizard Perks

Warrior-wizards can take perks usually reserved for other professions, without the usual prerequisites.

 

Armor Familiarity

As for the martial artist ability of the same name. Counts as a Combat Perk.

 

Flagellant’s Blessing

As for the cleric perk of the same name. Counts as a Magic Perk.

 

Life-Force Burn

As for the demonologist perk of the same name. Counts as a Magic Perk.

 

Mixing Professions

 

Lenses for Warrior-Wizards

Warrior-wizards should use the lenses described for wizards, with the following exception:

 

Warrior-Wizard-Wizard

50 points

Attributes: +1 IQ [20].

Advantages: Magery +1 [10].

Skills: Alchemy (VH) IQ [8].

Spells: 12 wizardly spells, all either (H) IQ+2 [1] or (VH) IQ+1 [1], including +4 for Magery.

 

Becoming a Warrior-Wizard

Use the following lens for any character except a wizard:

 

Warrior-Wizard Lens

50 points

Advantages: Magery 1 [15].

One of the following packages:

• Imbue 2 (Limited skill access, 3 skills, −40%; Magical, −10%) [10]. • Three Imbuement Skills, all (VH) IQ [4], including +1 for Magery.

 • Weapon Master (One weapon) [20]. • One of Blind Fighting (VH) Per−2 [2], Immovable Stance (H) DX−1 [2], Kiai (H) HT−1 [2], Mental Strength (E) Will+1 [2], Parry Missile Weapons (H) DX−1 [2], Power Blow (H) Will−1 [2], or Pressure Points (H) IQ−1 [2].

Skills: Thaumatology (VH) IQ-3 [1]. One of Axe/Mace, Bow, Broadsword, Shortsword, Smallsword, Staff, or Two-Handed Sword, all (A) DX+1 [4].

Spells: 8 wizardly spells, all either (H) IQ−1 [1] or (VH) IQ−2 [1], including +1 for Magery.

Wizards already have Magery and spells, so they can concentrate on combat skills:

 

Wizard-Warrior-Wizard

50 points

Attributes: DX +1 [20].

Advantages: One of the following packages:

• Imbue 2 (Limited skill access, 3 skills, −40%; Magical, −10%) [10]. • Three Imbuement Skills, all (VH) IQ+2 [4], including +3 for Magery.

 • Weapon Master (One weapon) [20]. • One of Blind Fighting (VH) Per−2 [2], Immovable Stance (H) DX−1 [2], Kiai (H) HT−1 [2], Mental Strength (E) Will+1 [2], Parry Missile Weapons (H) DX−1 [2], Power Blow (H) Will−1 [2], or Pressure Points (H) IQ−1 [2].

Skills: One of Axe/Mace, Bow, Broadsword, Shortsword, Smallsword, Staff, or Two-Handed Sword, all (A) DX+2 [8].

Simplified Ballistic Formulas for GURPS

These don’t provide a perfect fit for published weapon stats, but they are fairly close in most cases and probably good enough for gaming. The damage is a better fit than the range, which is fortunate because in GURPS damage often matters more than range, with few engagements happening beyond half damage range.

You will need to know the projectile diameter (or ‘caliber’, which we will call c, measured in millimeters), the projectile mass (bullet weight, in kilograms, m), and muzzle velocity (in meters per second, v).

You will also need to know the kinetic energy (in Joules, k) of the projectile at its muzzle velocity, but you can calculate that from m and v:

k = m × (v^2) × 0.5

Damage (in dice, d) can then be calculated with:

d = ( (k^(1/2)) / (c^(1/3)) ) × 0.23

½ D Range (in yards, h) is:

h = (m^(1/2)) × (v^(3/2)) × 2.5 / c

Finally, Max Range (in yards, r) is:

r = ( (h^(1/2)) × 120 ) + h

To make things easier, here's a Google Docs spreadsheet which does all the calculating for you (including converting bullet mass from grains to kilograms).

Magical Style: Veneficium

For most of human history, it was impossible to distinguish between disease, poisoning, and supernatural threats. All of them were considered to be mysterious dangers which might affect anyone without an obvious cause. Naturally, this led to a great deal of paranoia (see Poisoning Phobias, GURPS Horror, p. 59).

The ancient Mesopotamians and Hebrews blamed illnesses on witches who put unclean material into food or water. From them, the belief seems to have spread to the Greeks and Romans, and hence throughout Europe by the medieval period.

 Veneficium

9 Points

Prerequisites: None.

Veneficium is a secret folk style which uses standard prerequisites. Most practitioners are simply malicious, using it to terrorize anyone who offends them, although some use it for more practical means, such as assassination or extortion. Either way, stylists often have to worry about being poisoned by each other, so they learn some methods to defend against such threats. As well as detecting poisons, they can use the mystical process of Mithridatism to build up universal resistance to them by repeated exposure, eventually becoming entirely immune to all toxins (as Mithridates VI of Pontus was said to be).

Once the basics of the style are mastered, there are several ways to develop more dangerous methods. The most common is to learn spells which make mundane poisoning easier. Seek Poison, Extract Poison, Slow Poison, and Increase Potency are all useful for this. Gathering ingredients is aided by Seek Plant (or Fungus) and Identify Plant (or Fungus), while growing them is assisted by Heal Plant (or Fungus) and Plant (or Fungus) Growth. Locating food to poison is obviously helped by Seek Food, while No-Smell and Obscure Poison make it harder to detect. A subtle casting of Hunger can encourage a target to be less cautious about eating suspicious food.

Those who want deadly poisoning of food and drink without having to acquire or carry poison need Death’s Banquet. This requires Magery 3 and learning Ignite Fire, Create Fire, Cook, Seek Food, Create Food, and Essential Food. Those spells are almost never studied by those who aren’t trying to learn Death’s Banquet eventually.

Malefice and Ensorcelment are highly desirable for venefici, since they allow long-term torture of a victim without having to stay close to them. Learning them requires IQ 12, Magery 2, and knowing at least one spell from ten different colleges; the style’s required spells give Food, Poison, and Water. Detect Poison adds Healing and Protection and Warning. Any three of Foolishness (Mind Control), Ignite Fire (Fire), Purify Air (Air), and either Debility or Itch (Body Control) bring the total to eight. Seek Plant (Plant) and Seeker (Knowledge) then finish the set of ten, allowing the mage to learn Enchant, followed by Malefice.

Although it isn’t a martial style, veneficium has many spells which are useful in a fight. Stench is an area-effect attack which only needs Purify Air to learn and leads to the faster-acting Poison Cloud for those with Magery 2. Spore Cloud offers a less-lethal alternative for anyone who has already learned Fungus Growth. Sting is the only missile spell taught by the style, but is made somewhat flexible by spell variation, allowing it to benefit from enhancements like Accurate, Armor Divisor, Guided, or Homing.

Deathtouch is a potent melee spell with a long chain of prerequisites, which requires Magery 1. The typical route to learning it starts with Itch, Spasm, Clumsiness, Debility, and Hunger, but the last two can be substituted with Perfume and Nauseate (if Purify Air, No-Smell, and Odor are known) or Drunkenness and Sickness (requiring Foolishness). From there Paralyze and Wither Limb lead to Deathtouch. Choke and Total Paralysis are often added to this. Poison Touch is a weaker but simpler alternative for those with Magery 2, requiring only one poison spell beyond the five required by the style (Detect or Seek Poison being the usual choice).

Required Skills: Herb Lore; Poisons.

Required Spells: Decay; Foul Water; Poison Food; Purify Food; Purify Water; Seek Water; Test Food.

Perks: Convenience Casting (Fungus Growth or Plant Growth); Elixir Resistance (Death); Gut of the Dragon; Improvised Magic (Veneficium); Secret Mage; Special Exercises (Immunity to Poison); Spell Enhancement (Low Signature); Spell Resistance (Poison Food); Spell Variation (Sting); Stabilizing Skill (Herb Lore for Plant or Poisons for Poison).

 

Optional Traits

Attributes and Secondary Characteristics: Increased HT.

Advantages: Resistant to Poison.

Disadvantages: Callous; Paranoia; Sadism; Secret (Witch).

Skills: Alchemy; Animal Handling (Amphibians or Snakes); Cooking; Gardening; Hazardous Materials (Magical); Holdout; Innate Attack (Projectile); Intimidation; Naturalist; Sleight of Hand.

 

Spell List

Alter Poison*; Analyze Poison*; Apply Poison*; Blight; Choke; Clumsiness; Cook; Create Fire; Create Food; Curse; Death’s Banquet†; Deathtouch; Debility; Decay; Detect Poison; Drunkenness; Enchant; Ensorcel; Essential Food; Extract Poison*; Foolishness; Foul Water; Fungus Growth‡; Heal Fungus‡; Heal Plant; Hunger; Identify Fungus‡; Identify Plant; Ignite Fire; Increase Potency*; Itch; Madness; Malefice; Nauseate; No-Smell; Obscure Poison*; Odor; Paralyze Limb; Perfume; Plant Growth; Poison Cloud; Poison Food; Poison Touch*; Poisoning*; Purify Air; Purify Food; Purify Water; Retch; Seek Food; Seek Fungus‡; Seek Plant; Seek Poison*; Seek Water; Seeker; Sickness; Slow Poison; Spasm; Spore Cloud‡; Stench; Sting*; Test Food; Total Paralysis; Weaken Blood; Wither Limb.

* from the Toxic Grimoire (Pyramid, Volume 4, Issue 1).

† from GURPS Magic: Death Spells.

‡ from GURPS Magic: Plant Spells.

Here's a chart showing the prerequisites for the style's spells. Spells with a thick outline are required. Those with rounded corners have no spell prerequisites and so act as starting points for prerequisite chains.