Realm Powders

Realm Powders are mystic substances that grants simple and concrete powers to those who consistently use a specific powder. Over time, these substances infuse the partaker with the ability to see and interact with the "Realm", a version of the world defined by energy rather than by matter. Each substance has a unique and localized organic source, as well as a very specific combination of powers it grants.

Realm Powders are from my game "Murder in the Court", an aborted campaign about a murder in a fantasy version of the imperial Chinese court. While that game had issues that led it to end early, realm powders were not one of them. They served as our mystical element, and a lot of successful game-play was driven by what individual powders could or couldn't do, both in PC and NPC hands. I share it with you now, as an example of a "Powers System I've Used"

What is a Realm Powder?

Realm Powders come from rare plants and animals that must be cultivated in specific locations, like on three mountains or in a specific length of river. Attempts have been made to transplant these species, but success is rare and only extends to a single additional location. While these are referred to as "powders", that is merely the most common way they are transported. Some are transported and ingested in whole form, or even as a liquid.

Taking a Realm Powder

Realm Powders are ingested with food, with about an ounce a day being required, depending on the powder. Its recommended that the powder be taken daily, though in truth, it is the absolute quantity over a week that matters: taking it all once a week will work just as well. It takes three months for a mystic substance to start taking effect, and a month  for it to fade from a partaker’s system (it has half power after the first two weeks).

Taking two powders at once causes a severe illness: loss of all realm, abilities, Bad Sight, -8FP, -2 HT for two weeks. This takes effect 15 minutes after consuming the second powder.

Powers of Realm Powders

Each powder grants the ability to see into the "realm" (realm sight), and grants some control over a combination motion, fire, light, life-force, and magic. Each has up to three “abilities”, which vary greatly in their range, power, duration, and precision of control. 

The most basic ability is to look into the realm. This allows the user to see the auras of others who have realm powers, the powders themselves, the organisms the powders come form, and the use and continuing effects of those powers. Each powder produces a distinct "appearance", allowing users of realm powders to identify which powder a given mage is using. The users of some powders, most notably realm walkers, can see more than this.

The Powders:

• Blood of the Dripping Circle
• Imperial Lotus
• Phoenix Scale
• Realm Walker
• Realm Breaker
• Realm Phantom
• Sixth Sense
• Phantom Painter
• Eunuch’s Grace

Powders I never wrote stats for:

• Elixir of youth (inferior anti-aging powder to imperial lotus that  can be bought on the market)
• Grand Levitation (lets you levitate slowly)
• Burning Serenity (grants less sleep, plus some ability with fire)
• Second Eyes (used as a backup for vision, inferior to realm walker but doesn't make you blind)
• Iron Belly (A general health aid, especially for disease. Grants some ability with illusion)
• Realm Ink (Shows up especially well in realm sight, minimal effects) 
• Realm Poison (A tasteless powder that does little but can count as a second powder in the system) 

Using Realm Powders

 Realm Powders have a tendency to shift power towards the wealthy. They create niche's of their own: a realm walker and a realm breaker with otherwise identical stats play very differently in both combat and investigations. They add a very simple question to character creation: which powder will you choose? 

Because of realm sight, that choice is visible to any NPC or PC with power of their own, and it really shapes social and investigative play. I really enjoyed playing the game, and I would love to use the powders again.

The Realm Powders

These powders where balanced by ear, rather than by points. There are many extremely inefficient builds. The reason for this is that the system was thought up outside of GURPS and then statted out. The Powders are not supposed to be true competitors with each other, nor are they finely balanced against each other. They are kept viable more by niche protection than power level, at least for the ones that were statted out. the 

The exception is Blood of the Dripping Circle, which was intentionally made the best option for warriors, as a plot point and hook to the Dripping Circle Brotherhood; and several powders that were not given statistics were intentionally left weaker than the others. 

Generally, each powder has one to three very specific abilities, plus realm sight.

Realm Sight

All substances grant sight “into the realm”:

• Detect (Magic[10], analyzing, reflexive, temporary Bad Sight -25%, 180 vision -45%) [17] 

This allows the user to see the auras of others who have realm powers, the powders themselves, the organisms the powders come form, and the use and continuing effects of those powers. This ability manifests as an overlay: users speak of looking into the realm. As such it interferes with normal sight. Each powder produces a distinct "appearance", allowing users of realm powders to identify which powder a given mage is using.

Custom Advantages

I ended up writing a custom control advantages for use with the powders. While it has the name of the control advantage it doesn't use most of its mechanics. It doesn't have levels, and it doesn't have effects beyond what is described.

Control (Magic) [15]

You can use Ritual Magic (Control)/2 +4 as a defense to block incoming magical attacks.

You can take a magic effect with a long duration made by anyone and change it. This requires no roll to do, but may require a skill roll to achieve an exact effect, like artist (illusion) to make an altered illusion convincing.

If you are in contact with someone, you can try to interfere with their magic, usually to stop them from using it, but occasionally to alter the effect (on a success the user rolls for the new effect at a -4), by rolling a quick contest of Ritual Magic.

All of these effects are done at the range of contact.

Stats for Abilities

Each substance entry lists where the powder comes from, how it can be obtained, and the abilities it grants, and then describes how the powder fit into the campaign I used them in.

Phoenix Scale (Fire Feather)

Origin: The feathers of a bird from an island far to the south. 

Distribution: Purchased from traders and commonly available. $800/month

•     Innate attack 2d burn (max range 20, full power -5%, 2 yard radius+50%) [15]
•     Control 1 (fluids) [30]
•     Realm Sight
  

Popular among those who expect to fight, Phoenix Scale allows fire to be both conjured and controlled. It is more commonly found among soldiers than body guards or thugs, as the indiscriminate use of fire in buildings can quickly get out of hand. Its also occasionally taken by those who wish to fight and control fire rather than to create it.

Realm Breaker (Powdered Strength)

Origin: Powdered Shrimp shells from an island far to the south

Distribution: Purchased from traders and commonly available. $1000/month

•     2d6 crushing ( 1/5th range -20%, x10 half range +15%, dbl knockback +20%, selective wounding +10%) [13]
•     Neutralize Magic(Interruption -50%, Accessibility: target subject -10%, Ranged +40%) [23]
•     Striking ST 4 + DR 2 (Maximum duration 30 seconds) [8]
•     Realm Sight
  

The second powder popular among various stripes of combatants, realm breaker is favored by those who anticipate fighting in urban environments and who may wish to leave their foes relatively uninjured. This especially includes body guards. Realm breakers are also useful against the magical creations of others: the second ability only targets magical effects, not the users themselves.

Realm Walker (Second Sight)

Origin: The Webs of a certain spider from an island far to the south. $1000/month

Distribution: Purchased from traders and commonly available. Often marketed as a cure for blindness

•     Control (Magic, occasional) [15]
•     Blind [-50]
•      2d6 (6 DR 1 HP Wall) Crushing (area effect 2 yards +50%, Ridgid Wall +60%, melee attack C -40%, permanent +150%, persistent+40%, -10% Power, takes extra time 2 (4 sec) -20%) [33]
•     Detect (life or magic [30], analyzing, reflexive, 180 vision -45% ) [47]

Realm walkers live in the realm more fully than other users of realm powders. The powder shifts their vision fully and permanently into the realm. They see realm effects and realm powders clearly, as well as different kinds of life. They can usually function in the world by looking at the thin film of life that seemingly clings to everything. This generally lets them see through walls, but deprives them of color vision. Additionally, dousing an object in boiling water can kill the life on it and so hide it from a realm walker. Realm walkers can only read writing if its been written with a substance that interacts with the realm: realm ink is a cheap and otherwise useless powder used for this purpose. Realm walkers can also construct walls of force, and they can change the shape of other's constructions in the realm. 

Realm walker is usually used either as a cure for blindness, or as precaution and countermeasure to other realm powder uses. No set of realm powder body guards is complete without a realm walker operating as the eyes. They are also occasionally used in construction: the ability to make walls of force and shape them can result in invisible stairways to difficult locations built in a few minutes.

Realm Phantom (Veil Snails)

Origin: invisible poisonous snails from an island far to the south

Distribution: Purchased from traders. $750/month with a license, double that on the black market.

•     Invisibility (switchable +10%) [44], 
•     Control 2 (light [20], power -10%) [36]
•     Control 1 (fluids) [30]
•     Realm sight
  

Realm Phantoms are known primarily for their invisibility, and their ability to manipulate light. They can also move fluids around, but no one thinks of using it that way. Realm Phantoms are most commonly licensed by authorities, who find... "legitimate"... uses for them. Invisibility is not useful at the highest levels of intrigue, because of the presence of Realm Walkers, who can see them plainly, and because Realm Sight from any realm powder will reveal them. Despite this limitation, realm phantom remains a highly sought after tool.

Sixth Sense (Lightmaker)

Origin: Fur of a monkey found in the western mountains

Distribution: Purchased from traders and commonly available. $700/month

•     Detect (Matter and Magic [30], analyzing +100%, reflexive+40%, Temporary Bad sight -25%, 180 degree vision -45%) [48],  
•     Acute Detect 6 [12]
•     Levitation: Binding 1 (Melee touch -40%, unbreakable +40%, maximum ST 10, power -10%) [2]   
•     Illusion (visual only -30%, static -30%, simple glowing shapes only -50%, permanent+150%, power -10%) [32]
  

Sixth Sense has a number of minor powers. Its named after its ability to "see" small details and true makeup of objects, but it can also fix objects in mid air after they have been lifted there, and create light. It is used by prospectors, artisans, and "light makers", who create permanent lights for others.

Phantom Painter (Illusionist)

Origin: eggs shells of a rat found beyond the southern isles

Distribution: Purchased from traders and commonly available. $700/month

•     Illusion (visual only -30%, static -30%, permanent+150%, anchored to object+0%, power -10%) [45]
•     Levitation: Binding 1 (Melee touch -40%, unbreakable +40%, maximum ST 10, power -10%) [2]   
•     Control (magic) [15]
  

Phantom Painter is mostly used by artists, who are employed to create impressive murals out of light, needing neither canvas nor paint. It can also be used to create still but convincing illusions, hiding doors and passages, or as a covering over an object to make it look like something else. With skill, it can even disguise a face. All of these will be apparent to someone with realm sight, but as most people don't have realm sight, Phantom Painters get used for deception as well as decoration. The military also uses a sprinkling of them for deceiving enemy troops.

Earthly Vigor (Realm Hand)

Origin: Dried termite larva from a mountain range in the southern part of the realm. 

Distribution: Purchased from traders and commonly available. $500/month

•     +1 ST [10], +1 HT [10]
•      2d6 (6 DR 1 HP Wall) Crushing (area effect 2 yards +50%, Ridgid Wall +60%, melee attack C -40%, permanent +150%, persistent+40%, -10% Power, takes extra time 2 (4 sec) -20%) [33]
•     Extra Arm (Force extension +50%) [15]
•     Realm Sight
  

Earthly Vigor is most commonly taken by those who feel they need the additional strength and health. It is also useful for construction, and artisans are very fond of the ability to manipulate objects without touching them or to have more ways to grip a complex object. Earthly Vigor is very popular, though as a health aid it is considered inferior to the Imperial Lotus.

Imperial Lotus (Serene Fire)

Origin:A Flower grown in the mountains near the palace.

 Distribution: It is given only as a gift from the emperor, usually to family members and the highest and most favored members of his court

•     Increased lifespan 1 [2], Less sleep 4 [8], +2 Per [10]
•     +5 FP [15]
•     Control (Magic, occasional) [15]
•     Realm Sight
  

A powerful aid to long life, and a tool to sleep less, the imperial lotus is used as a status symbol of the power, and as a tool for successful rulers and administrators. 

Blood of the Dripping Circle (Brass Blood)

Origin: A secret kept by the Dripping Circle Brotherhood

Distribution: Limited to members of the brotherhood who devote themselves to slaying plague beasts. 

• +4 ST [20]    
• Regeneration (regular) [25]  
  
• Metal Strengthening (+4 DR to metal worn [16]
  
• Damage divisor 2 on metal weapons held [5]

 Blood of the dripping circle is a mysterious liquid kept by the dripping circle brotherhood. Its users are exclusively members of the brotherhood expected to play a roll in combat. Dripping Circle Members are powerful warriors who excel in heavy combat and can recover from nasty wounds. They are sworn to slay plague beasts, but that doesn't mean they don't get drawn off on other jobs from time to time... with the order's permission, of course.

Good Luck

I don't know if I'll use this system exactly as it is again, but I really loved how different this magic system felt, and I thought it was worth sharing. I hope it inspires something in your games!