TEXT: An e23 Sourcebook for GURPS
  ®
  STEVE JACKSON GAMES
  Stock #37-0607
  Version 1.0 – October 2009
  ®
  Written by PHIL MASTERS
  Edited by JASON “PK” LEVINE and NIKOLA VRTIS
  Illustrated by GREG HYLAND
  Cartography by ALLYN BOWKER
  Alchemical Baroque
  TM
  
  CONTENTS
  2
  CONTENTS
  Playtesters: Fred Brackin, Scott Harris, Leonardo de Moraes Holschuh, and Emile Smirle
  GURPS, Warehouse 23, and the all-seeing pyramid are registered trademarks of Steve Jackson Games Incorporated. Thaumatology, Alchemical Baroque, Pyramid, e23, and the
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  INTRODUCTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
  Publication History . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
  About the Author. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
  About GURPS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
  1. THE WORLD. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
  OVERVIEW . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
  Technology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
  Medicine and Physician Skill. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
  The Supernatural . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
  Cosmology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
  Mundane Wildlife . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
  BRIEF HISTORY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
  GAZETTEER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
  The Green Archipelago. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
  Napoleonic Overlap . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
  The Solar Empire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
  The Cities of the Southern Plains . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
  The Golden Archipelago . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
  The Woodland Dukedoms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
  The White Archipelago . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
  The Gogian Wall. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
  Beyond the Known Lands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
  Swashbuckling? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
  2. MAGIC AND FAITH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
  FORMAL MAGIC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
  Ritual Magic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
  Magic Items . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
  Alchemy and Herb Lore . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
  Other Optional Alchemy Rules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
  Flying Vehicles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
  RELIGION. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
  The Power of Faith . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
  The Priesthood. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
  3. SPIRITS AND OTHER BEINGS. . . . . . . . . . 15
  GHOSTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
  FAIRIES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
  Example Intangible Fairies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
  Ogres. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
  Sapient Cats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
  Supernatural Animals. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
  ARCANE AND NATURE SPIRITS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
  DEVILS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
  4. CHARACTERS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
  ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
  Languages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
  Cultural Familiarities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
  COMMON CHARACTER TYPES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
  Aristocrat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
  Natural Philosopher or Master Warlock. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
  Peasant Lad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
  Peddler . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
  Sailor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
  Servant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
  Soldier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
  Student. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
  Witch or Cunning-Man. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
  WEAPONS AND EQUIPMENT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
  STATUS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
  5. CAMPAIGNING. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
  Campaign Types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
  Scenario Seeds. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
  Infinite Baroque . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
  INDEX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
  GURPS System Design T STEVE JACKSON
  GURPS Line Editor T SEAN PUNCH
  Managing Editor T PHILIP REED
  e23 Manager T STEVEN MARSH
  Page Design T PHIL REED and
  JUSTIN DE WITT
  Art Director T WILL SCHOONOVER
  Production Artist & Indexer T NIKOLA VRTIS
  Prepress Checker T WILL SCHOONOVER
  Marketing Director T PAUL CHAPMAN
  Director of Sales T ROSS JEPSON
  GURPS FAQ Maintainer T –––––––
  VICKY “MOLOKH” KOLENKO
  Fairy: . . . I do wander every
  where,
  Swifter than the moon’s sphere;
  And I serve the Fairy Queen,
  To dew her orbs upon the green.
  – William Shakespeare,
  A Midsummer
  Night’s Dream
  
  INTRODUCTION
  3
  Welcome to a fairy-tale world of muskets, ghosts, and
  strange magics. GURPS Thaumatology: Alchemical Baroque
  describes a fantasy setting with a difference. It avoids the
  medieval technology and orcs-and-elves stereotypes of most
  fantasy games in favor of something a little more technologi-
  cally advanced and yet driven by a sense of wonder. It’s alchem-
  ical because the magic of the setting has a formal,
  quasi-scientific flavor, and Baroque because stories set here
  should have a sense of style drawing from history’s Baroque
  period – a fever dream of the world as of the early 18th century.
  In addition to the GURPS Basic Set, GMs looking to run
  games in this setting will usually need GURPS Magic for its
  Alchemy rules (pp. 210-222 of that book), and GURPS
  Thaumatology, primarily for Path/Book magic (see pp. 121-
  165 of that volume). It’s possible to run quite a lot of
  Alchemical Baroque games without those systems coming
  into play, but they do define significant parts of the world.
  Some rules reference GURPS Powers, but most games should
  be able to get by without that supplement.
  PUBLICATION HISTORY
  Alchemical Baroque originally formed one chapter of
  GURPS All-Star Jam 2004, where it was presented in GURPS
  Third Edition terms. This treatment has been updated for
  Fourth Edition and slightly expanded in the process. Aside
  from the details of characters and technology, the magic has
  been brought into line with GURPS Thaumatology.
  ABOUT THE AUTHOR
  Phil
  Masters
  is
  the
  author-compiler
  of
  GURPS
  Thaumatology and admits responsibility for a certain amount
  of other GURPS stuff, such as GURPS Dragons and parts of
  GURPS Banestorm and GURPS Powers. He’s also worked on
  other roleplaying lines and products, including material for
  Atlas Games’ Ars Magica product line and a chapter in Dreaming
  Cities from Guardians of Order. He lives close to where two
  ancient roads cross and where a king once built a hunting lodge.
  INTRODUCTION
  Steve Jackson Games is committed to full support of
  GURPS players. Our address is SJ Games, P.O. Box 18957,
  Austin, TX 78760. Please include a self-addressed, stamped
  envelope (SASE) any time you write us! We can also be
  reached by e-mail: info@sjgames.com. Resources include:
  New supplements and adventures. GURPS continues to
  grow – see what’s new at www.sjgames.com/gurps.
  e23. Our e-publishing division offers GURPS adven-
  tures, play aids, and support in PDF form . . . digital copies
  of our books, plus exclusive material available only on e23!
  Just head over to e23.sjgames.com.
  Pyramid (www.sjgames.com/pyramid). Our monthly
  PDF magazine includes new rules and articles for GURPS,
  systemless locations, adventures, and much more. Look for
  each themed issue from e23!
  Internet.
  Visit
  us
  on
  the
  World
  Wide
  Web
  at
  www.sjgames.com for errata, updates, Q&A, and much
  more. To discuss GURPS with our staff and your fellow
  gamers, visit our forums at forums.sjgames.com. The
  GURPS Thaumatology: Alchemical Baroque web page
  is www.sjgames.com/gurps/books/alchemicalbaroque.
  Bibliographies. Many of our books have extensive bib-
  liographies, and we’re putting them online – with links to
  let you buy the resources that interest you! Go to each
  book’s web page and look for the “Bibliography” link.
  Errata. Everyone makes mistakes, including us – but we
  do our best to fix our errors. Up-to-date errata pages for all
  GURPS releases, including this book, are available on our
  website – see above.
  Rules and statistics in this book are specifically for the
  GURPS Basic Set, Fourth Edition. Page references that
  begin with B refer to that book, not this one.
  About GURPS
  When evil stalks upon the land
  I’ll nyther hold nor stay me hand
  But fight to win a better day
  Over the hills and far away!
  So fall in lads behind the drum
  With colors blazing like the sun
  Along the road to come-what-may
  Over the hills and far away!
  – John Tams/traditional,
  “Over the Hills
  and Far Away”
  
  This supplement concentrates on the Known Lands, about
  which PCs can be expected to know a reasonable amount.
  Plenty of other inhabited regions exist, and explorers from
  the Known Lands have visited many of them, but they remain
  rather mysterious. The Known Lands are divided into numer-
  ous states and one fairly substantial empire. Most, but not all,
  governments are monarchies, some of which are downright
  feudal (although those are considered rather backward).
  Aristocracies still wield considerable influence, but monarchs
  are claiming ever-more-absolute power, and revolutionary
  movements aren’t unknown.
  Most of the population lives in villages or small towns.
  Country dwellers are often free peasants, although they usually
  rent rather than own their land, and there are a few outright
  downtrodden serfs. Every village worthy of the name has a
  blacksmith (invariably a big, amiable fellow) and an inn.
  Towns are centers of trade, commerce, and small-scale
  manufacturing, governed by mayors
  or councils of burghers. Larger towns
  and cities center around palaces and
  other government buildings, or great
  universities. Most crafts are domi-
  nated by urban guilds; a poor lad who
  wants to make something of himself
  usually has to persuade a guild-mas-
  ter to take him on as a ’prentice.
  TECHNOLOGY
  This setting is very late TL4, teetering on the brink of TL5,
  with less-advanced communities on the fringes. As a conse-
  quence, heroes of most tales and campaigns will not be sword-
  brandishing barbarians but sturdy peasant lads; soldiers with
  muskets and bayonets; and the occasional younger son of the
  nobility with an old sword – or maybe village witch-girls, ’pren-
  tice warlocks, and venturesome students of philosophy.
  As technology develops, it’s very likely that the setting will
  actually go to TL(4+1) rather than “conventional” TL5. There’s
  a lot of alchemy around, it works very well, and it’s quite scien-
  tific, so it’s more than likely that technology will come to incor-
  porate a certain amount of arcane weirdness. Nonetheless,
  things haven’t got that far yet.
  Most nations have small standing armies, hastily enlarged in
  time of war. They consist of reasonably well-drilled infantry
  wielding musket and bayonet (plus a few
  grenadiers), dashing cavalry armed with sword
  or lance, and small artillery trains. Generals like
  to give the impression that tactics is a sophisti-
  cated and subtle art, but only a few talented com-
  manders go beyond rote methods.
  Civilian technology is very much at the
  handicrafts level; wealthier towns have large
  workshops, but no real mass production exists.
  Once upon a time, there was a troll. He spent most of his time
  sitting on a bridge that he considered his own, like a fat king sit-
  ting on his throne. He had been sitting there a long time, occa-
  sionally standing up to fight anyone who wanted to cross. Today,
  though, the fellow who appeared driving a cart did not seem to
  want to cross.
  “Oh ho ho” said the troll, “I think that I have seen you before!”
  “Yes,” said the farmer’s boy, “you saw me five years ago.” And
  he turned his cart around as if to go straight away again.
  “Oh ho ho” said the troll, “and what have you been a-doing in
  those five years?”
  “I went for a soldier,” said the farmer’s boy. He got down off
  the cart, unhitched the horse, and drew a deep breath through his
  pipe.
  “Oh ho ho” said the troll, “Did you take up the spear? Did you
  shoot the bow? Did you ride with the cavalry?”
  “I did none of those things” said the farmer’s boy, and he
  began to pull the canvas cover off the back of the cart.
  “Oh ho ho” said the troll, “then what sort of soldier were you?”
  “I was in the artillery” said the farmer’s boy, and he tapped a
  hot spark from his pipe into the touch-hole of the cannon that
  was loaded on the cart.
  The cannon gave a mighty roar, and the farmer’s boy smiled.
  The troll had nothing to say to any of that.
  Although this setting is conceived as an entire world, this
  treatment focuses on one region, based on Europe and its cul-
  ture, climate, and society. Other regions are described from
  that perspective; the more distant they are, the more vague the
  impression. Likewise, although the setting and this particular
  region have a substantial historical past, the description is kept
  loose in this text. “Common folk” know that a wider world
  exists, and that history goes back centuries, but they are vague
  about the details. Other parts of the world and its past could be
  developed, but that isn’t done here.
  Also, most PCs are assumed to originate from this region.
  Interesting characters certainly could come from elsewhere,
  and the game world has huge scope for expansion – it’s a world,
  after all – but for now, this supplement keeps a narrow focus.
  CHAPTER ONE
  THE WORLD
  OVERVIEW
  THE WORLD
  4
  
  THE WORLD
  5
  The best craftsmen do very fine work indeed; jewelers,
  watchmakers, and the most skilled artillerymen are the set-
  ting’s leading technologists. Every substantial town has at
  least one printing press, and most people can read a little.
  However, printing remains quite slow, and books are expen-
  sive. Still, many farmers have one or two around the house,
  for show, and villages of average size or larger may boast
  one-teacher schools.
  THE SUPERNATURAL
  Supernatural powers definitely exist in this setting, and
  everyone knows it. Most villages have a witch or cunning-
  man, although he usually has only weak, subtle powers,
  and sometimes is downright fraudulent. Religious belief –
  in a single, transcendent, vaguely imagined God – is uni-
  versal; every village has its church and its priest. However,
  priests don’t necessarily possess any sort of overt supernatu-
  ral powers. Some philosophers have such strange ideas that
  they’re considered atheists.
  Magical beings – ghosts, fairies, and devils – are regarded
  with extreme nervousness, as those that aren’t actively malev-
  olent are still extremely whimsical or simply disturbing. (This
  makes life hard for the significant minority of fairy folk who
  are compulsively benevolent.) One thing that makes people
  not only believe in the power of religion, but be devoutly
  grateful for it, is that these beings tend to avoid holy ground
  and religious symbols.
  Magic is, to some extent, a science. Natural philosophers,
  alchemists, and some physicians study these matters methodi-
  cally and analytically. The results they achieve are sometimes
  impressive, sometimes catastrophic. A few of them have even
  constructed magical clockwork devices.
  COSMOLOGY
  The world is round and revolves around the sun; every peas-
  ant knows and accepts this. Beyond that, however, ideas get
  fuzzy, even among scholars. Theologians speak of the universe
  as a giant clockwork or a great work of architecture, shaped by
  God – and these aren’t necessarily metaphors. Many philoso-
  phers also speak of “the crystal spheres of the heavens.” While
  they may not believe in literal physical spheres, they may imag-
  ine a system of magical forces and manifest symbols that come
  down to much the same thing. Mostly, all this is a matter of
  abstruse theory with no impact on people’s routine lives, but
  some hubristic visionaries are talking about going off to inves-
  tigate in person.
  Ghosts exist in a shadowy realm “overlaying” or “interpen-
  etrating” the material world. This isn’t really a parallel uni-
  verse, just an intangible overlay on physical reality. Ghosts can
  perceive physical reality without being perceived, except by
  those with appropriate advantages. Fairies are sometimes said
  to operate in a different “spirit world,” but this has no distinct
  characteristics of its own; for practical purposes, fairies in
  spirit form are in the material world, but invisible and intangi-
  ble. There are, however, numerous fairy realms and “hidden
  lands”; these appear to be completely separate realities with no
  direct relationship with the human world. Whether these are
  all linked or related, forming a single great fairyland, or
  whether each is a distinct “pocket dimension,” is unclear, but
  their inhabitants are mostly unable to move quickly from one
  fairy palace or glade to another. It’s generally easiest to regard
  them as one big parallel universe but with very strange geogra-
  phy and major internal barriers to movement. In some cases,
  the passage of time in fairy realms differs markedly from that
  in the human world; a night in fairyland may equate to a year,
  a decade, or even a century in human time.
  Likewise, there appear to be other separate spirit worlds
  where human souls go after death. The Heavens accessible to
  virtuous souls remain a high mystery, spoken of in metaphors by
  theologians; it’s impossible for magic to contact one who has
  gone there. However, there is certainly a Hell, a place of punish-
  ment for the wicked and the home of countless devils.
  MUNDANE WILDLIFE
  The flora and fauna of the Known Lands are much like
  those of Europe in the real world, except that large animals
  tend to be slightly more common and bolder. The most formi-
  dable natural creatures are wolves, wild boar, and some large
  wild cattle. However, because some fairies take the form of
  mundane animals, and ordinary creatures are occasionally
  possessed by minor spirits or “augmented” physically or men-
  tally by contact with supernatural forces, few people are too
  surprised to encounter magical or talking animals.
  Cats are sometimes particularly unusual; see p. 17.
  Medicine and
  Physician Skill
  While medicine in the Known Lands is literally painfully
  crude by the standards of higher-TL worlds, it is making
  significant progress, at least in theory. Physician skill does
  exist at TL4 in this setting. Still, anesthesia is limited to
  strong alcoholic drinks in most hospitals, and surgeons are
  trained to work fast. Also, many diseases are blamed on
  demons or evil spirits – but this is often correct! Fortu-
  nately, alchemy and herbalism can cure many problems,
  thanks to their magical aspect.
  BRIEF HISTORY
  The ages after God created the world were a time of myth and
  legend, when prophets and superhuman heroes were common-
  place, and God spoke directly to humanity. However, accounts
  of these eras are scarce and, it is observed by cynics, often
  contradictory. Actual history begins with the classical Golden
  Empires, which spread across much of the Known Lands and
  Sutherlands, fought great wars with each other, laid down the
  principles of philosophy, and built the Gogian Wall (p. 8).
  
  Weariness and decadence ultimately eroded even the great-
  est of the Golden Empires, which fell to civil wars and inva-
  sions over the Wall. After what are now known as the Centuries
  of Darkness, many feudal kingdoms arose. This was an age of
  knights and wizards, when swords and plate armor were the
  key to political power.
  Eventually, an unknown alchemist-philosopher developed
  gunpowder, which could bring down the proudest knight or
  the strongest castle. Other philosophers began propounding
  strange ideas about law and government, ultimately leading to
  the fall of kings in some lands. Meanwhile, cunning political
  theories from the cities and islands of the south enabled the
  creation of the Solar Empire, so named because it revolves
  around its emperor as the planets revolve around the sun.
  The Solar Empire expanded rapidly for a while, until it ran
  into determined resistance. It was forced to adopt more cau-
  tious policies when the nations on its borders entered into the
  Great Pact: Any invasion of one of their territories by the
  Empire would cause the others to launch raids and incursions
  on the Empire’s other borders. In truth, all these powers
  together are not strong enough to stop the Empire from con-
  quering any other land if it really wants to – but they can make
  such wars intolerably expensive. Furthermore, the Solar
  Emperor dare not strengthen his army as much as he’d like,
  as its commanders would then become dangerously power-
  ful – and while they’re in the field, they aren’t safely under
  his eye in the Palace of the Sun.
  Today, the Known Lands are in a delicate and unstable
  balance, with spies and agitators lurking everywhere, and a
  détente that occasionally flares into border wars. An age of
  global exploration is underway, and the wealth beginning to
  flow back from colonies and trading posts is causing
  upheaval. Life for the peasants in the fields is not much
  affected by this yet, in truth – but it may be, in time.
  THE WORLD
  6
  Napoleonic Overlap
  GURPS Age of Napoleon covers the very end of the
  real-world historical period that inspired this setting.
  Much of the general information it contains can be used
  for games set in the Known Lands. For that matter,
  decline followed by revolution in the Solar Empire could
  easily lead to an era of great wars, complete with (magi-
  cal) espionage and secret (alchemical) weapons . . .
  GAZETTEER
  The main regions of the Known Lands and what lies beyond
  them are described in this abridged gazetteer.
  THE GREEN ARCHIPELAGO
  The westernmost of the Known Lands, the Green
  Archipelago consists of a few large islands (up to 150 miles in
  length), dozens more that are smaller but still substantial
  enough, and hundreds of tiny rocks and outcrops. The largest
  islands lie nearest to the continent, and their inhabitants some-
  times don’t think of themselves as living on islands at all (after
  all, many of them can go for years without even seeing the sea).
  The term “Islanders” actually indicates the inhabitants of
  remote outlying parts, who are seen as rude, rather primitive,
  violent, rebellious, and unconventional in religion.
  The Green Archipelago produces the finest sailors and navi-
  gators of the Known Lands. It possesses a large and successful
  merchant fleet and a smaller but formidable military navy. Both
  merchantmen and military ships are used for global exploration.
  The government is known as the
  Domiciliary Republic. Once, the
  islands were ruled by a weak
  monarchy. The nobility, well able to
  defend their individual holdings
  against royal power, treated the king
  or queen as an equal, not a superior.
  Hence, the legal maxim grew up
  that “a lord’s house is always a cas-
  tle, and a castle is always a palace.”
  However, social unrest and the
  growth of a merchant class in
  the last two centuries left the old
  aristocracy weakened and facing many new “upstart houses.”
  The old lords mustered around the king, and a civil war ensued
  – which the upstarts won. They deposed the king and drew up
  new laws that seemed (intentionally) to bear a resemblance to
  the old laws, but that were actually quite different. Nowadays,
  anyone with the wealth to build a great house and muster fol-
  lowers (and servants) from the surrounding district can claim
  the status of a lord, becoming part of the loose confederation
  which rules the Archipelago from the disorganized Parliament
  in the old royal palace.
  “Domiciliaries” are proud of their “traditional” (decades-old)
  freedoms – even though most of them are firmly under the
  thumb of great-householders – and are happy to make war
  against any foreigners who criticize the system. One reason why
  “Islanders” are so despised by other Domiciliaries is that most of
  the smaller islands are too poor to support a great house, and
  hence have no representation in Parliament. Islanders, in turn,
  see themselves as free of “great lords,” giving loyalty instead to
  an incomprehensible system of clans and families (and in a few
  cases to powerful and proud local fairies). They also
  positively revel in fighting, making life difficult for
  Parliamentary tax-gathering ships.
  International Relations
  Although the Green Archipelago is threatened
  by the Solar Empire, which lusts for its trading
  wealth and despises its lack of a king, its fleet keeps
  it relatively safe. Hence, the Domiciliaries some-
  times seem smug. However, they are crucial to the
  pact that keeps the Empire in check; any time it
  goes to war, Domiciliary ships enthusiastically turn
  privateer, playing havoc with Imperial trade.
  
  THE SOLAR EMPIRE
  The Great Majestic Solar Empire is a nation with preten-
  sions to imperial status. It is ruled from the Palace of the Sun,
  an awe-inspiring building that, with its outbuildings and sta-
  bles, holds the population of a full-sized town. Although the
  Palace is the scene of seemingly unending balls, masques,
  and entertainments, the government that operates from the
  same location is far from frivolous. Courtiers compete for
  influence and the ear of the king, and cultivate subtlety, devi-
  ousness, and amorality.
  Most of the rest of the Empire consists of rich farmlands,
  dominated by lords whose power is only mitigated by the fact
  that most of them spend the majority of their time at the
  Palace. Unfortunately for their tenants, they traditionally leave
  their estates in the hands of mean-spirited, paranoid bailiffs,
  who excuse all sorts of ill treatment of the peasantry by saying
  that they’re “merely serving their lords.” There is also a degree
  of prejudice against conquered peoples, although the Empire
  imposes a uniform culture across its lands.
  The Empire’s infantrymen are the best-drilled in the Known
  Lands, and its cavalry are dashing and brave, if undisciplined.
  However, the Solar Emperor fears ambition among his generals
  and rotates command of every part of the army regularly –
  so, while the commanders know the standard tactical manuals
  from cover to cover, few of them have the experience or sense
  of independence to try anything innovative. The Solar Navy is
  poorly funded and lacks status in this status-obsessed society.
  International Relations
  The Empire desires power above all and reveres its tradi-
  tions of conquest and diplomacy. Rendered cautious by the
  Great Pact, it preserves a façade of politeness and sweet reason
  while running countless devious plots.
  THE WORLD
  7
  The Cities of the Southern Plains
  On the southern edge of the Empire, on the dusty
  plains facing the sea and the Golden Archipelago, a
  number of city-states preserve a precarious independ-
  ence, as much because they aren’t worth the effort of
  conquest as anything else. They’re old and run-down,
  full of large, shabby houses, but they preserve grand
  traditions of philosophy and scholarship dating back
  to the days of the Golden Empires.
  
  THE GOLDEN ARCHIPELAGO
  South of the mainland, sun-drenched islands lie scattered
  across a shallow sea. They are ruled by a number of old,
  slightly backward states, which dream of their Golden Era.
  Most of the people survive by fishing or agriculture; their
  farms get by, despite thin soils. A fair amount of local trade
  also occurs, conducted by small ships using a combination
  of sail and oars. Government, such as it is, is mostly the
  work of a large class of impoverished knights, fiercely pro-
  tective of their honor and given to dueling.
  The Solar Empire makes occasional attempts at con-
  quest, and it has absorbed a few islands. The more powerful
  Golden Dukes are now part of the Great Pact, and their
  ships, few and small as they may be, are a match for the
  Solar Navy, with pilots who know the tricky local reefs and
  currents. The Solar espionage service desperately wants bet-
  ter charts of this region.
  Golden Archipelago fairies seem especially curious and
  tricky to visitors. In fact, they are simply different, including
  a large number of chimeras, goat-legged “fauns,” fish-tailed
  mermaids, and so on. Many claim to have dwelled on the
  same spot for centuries. Some have friendly relationships
  with neighboring humans, while others are arrogant and
  dangerous.
  International Relations
  Recognizing the Solar threat, the wisest Golden Dukes
  try to cultivate Domiciliary allies and even friendships in
  the Sutherlands. However, many are complacent and
  introspective. They ought to ally with the cities of the
  Southern Plains (p. 7). Unfortunately, ancient rivalries and
  enmities make this difficult.
  THE WOODLAND DUKEDOMS
  The eastern edge of the Known Lands fades into sinister
  forests, broken only by high mountain ranges. The forests in
  the north and east suffer long, snowy winters; those in the
  south are simply dark and tangled.
  Human communities scratch out livings in clearings and
  valleys. Where great rivers carve through the lands, the narrow
  alluvial plains can be quite fertile. However, this terrain does
  not promote the growth of mighty kingdoms; the region is a
  patchwork of baronies and dukedoms. Each town, even each
  village, seems to be dominated by a glowering castle – and a
  significant proportion are in the hands of fairy folk, who either
  rule openly or manipulate matters from behind the scenes. The
  nobles whose castles stand on the great rivers are wealthier and
  more cosmopolitan, but, perhaps as a result, greedier. They
  charge heavy tolls and are often little more than river pirates.
  The forests and riverside rocks are also the haunts of dark-
  natured fairies, adding to the region’s bad reputation. Even the
  kinder fairy folk tend to be melancholy and melodramatic.
  International Relations
  Caught between the Solar Empire and the Transgogian
  nomads, thinking (anachronistically) that the seas to south and
  north are swarming with pirates, the Woodlanders are deeply
  suspicious of foreigners. It’s said that even those dukes who
  have signed the Great Pact have only done so for the excuse to
  raid Solar territory. Some petty statelets deep within the forests
  barely acknowledge that a wider world exists, let alone have
  dealings with it.
  THE WHITE ARCHIPELAGO
  The northernmost human-inhabited realms are a long
  chain of islands, stretching from the coast of the continent
  toward the pole. They are inhabited by hardy, dour folk, who
  farm the rocky land or go out in small boats to fish the danger-
  ous subarctic seas. In the small port towns, houses have triply
  thick wooden walls to keep out the cold.
  The archipelago is ruled by a monarch known as the White
  King. However, northern folk are independent by nature, and
  cannot afford much in the way of taxes – even the White King’s
  palace is simply an especially large wooden house. Most
  islands are governed by barons who are barely distinguishable
  from their subjects. Still, the poverty of this realm should not
  be overstated; hard work and careful building keep its people
  comfortable in their furs.
  Several smaller islands are ruled either by powerful,
  cold-natured fairies, or by witches or warlocks with great
  powers over the climate. Wise northerners avoid them.
  International Relations
  Northerners can seem introverted, although they aren’t
  actually xenophobic; they appreciate the benefits of trade and
  are friendly once a visitor gets to know them. All this is
  reflected in their diplomacy. The White King has signed the
  Great Pact, although whether he could raise much of a military
  force is doubtful – as is the question of whether the Solar
  Empire would even be interested in extending its conquests
  into this region.
  THE WORLD
  8
  The Gogian Wall
  To the east, the woodlands and hills of the dukedoms
  flatten out into the Transgogian Plains (see p. 9). The divi-
  sion between the two regions has a marker: the vast stone
  Gogian Wall, the greatest creation of the Golden Empires.
  Between 30’ and 50’ high and 40’ thick, the Wall runs for
  thousands of miles and is punctuated only by occasional
  gatehouses. The Wall is said to have been built when the
  Empires realized that they could never conquer the tumul-
  tuous Transgogians. It should have served to protect the set-
  tled lands forever.
  Unfortunately, the Golden Empires no longer exist to
  maintain it. The nomads still have difficulty crossing it, but
  in some places, powerful chiefs of local tribes have destroyed
  sections or thrown earthen ramps up and over it. The gate-
  houses are usually occupied by strong Woodlander nobles or
  tax-farming lordlings, who use them as customs posts and
  bar invasion forces as bad for business, but such lords are
  often corruptible. Sometimes the gatehouses have been cap-
  tured or left unoccupied until some Woodlander duke has
  seen the advantage to retaking and restoring them.
  
  BEYOND THE KNOWN LANDS
  While the people of the Known Lands are unclear about
  regions beyond their own, their ideas aren’t totally inaccurate . . .
  The Sutherlands
  South of the Golden Archipelago lies a land of deserts and
  oases, occupied by dusky-skinned people who mostly seem to
  be desert nomads or merchants. (In truth, the majority are
  peasants, much as elsewhere.) They are ruled by sultans and
  sheiks. The strongest states sometimes fight wars with the
  Known Lands; although their military technology is rather
  behind the times, determination, magic, and strategic skill
  make them formidable.
  Their religion is a wildly divergent form of Architecturalism
  (p. 14); rather than building spires towards Heaven, their tem-
  ples have great domes, in respectful emulation of the sky.
  However, they regard both Known Lands Architecturalists and
  Horologicalists (p. 14) as equally misguided (and do not recog-
  nize the authority of the Architecturalist Hierophant). The dom-
  inant magical creatures of the region are genies, akin to the fairy
  folk but almost all with great physical and magical power; if
  GM needs details for such a creature, give it the Intangible Fairy
  meta-trait (p. 16), high ST, respectable DX and HT, Flight, and
  whatever other magical abilities fit the needs of the game plot.
  (Many appear to have the Snatcher advantage, often with the
  Permanent enhancement, and quite a few have some kind of
  shapeshifting abilities.) However, genies are relatively rare com-
  pared to the fairies of the Known Lands. They seem especially
  prone to being magically trapped and controlled, which may be
  reflected by appropriate disadvantages.
  The Transgogian Plains
  Beyond the Gogian Wall are vast steppes, home to a race
  of nomads with green skins and sharply pointed ears. These
  people are fully human, however; the differences are literally
  only skin deep. They are horsemen and warriors, who like to
  raid their neighbors. The worst problems for the rest of
  humanity
  come
  when
  some
  great
  chief
  unites
  the
  Transgogian tribes, declares himself Emperor of the World,
  and sets out on a campaign of conquest. This hasn’t happened
  for a while, though, and the people of the Known Lands think
  that their new muskets and cannons would ward off such an
  invasion; the nomads can’t easily adopt modern technology.
  Transgogian folk should be very rare in the Known Lands;
  any who do appear in games set in that area should have
  Unnatural Features 3 (Green skin and pointed ears), Social
  Stigma (Minority Group), and, in most cases, a level of Low
  TL. Most Transgogians encountered in their homelands would
  have some level of Claustrophobia; they find buildings other
  than flimsy tents intolerable. They despise settled folk, calling
  them “burrowers” and “less-men.” However, those who travel
  abroad may well lack this phobia, or at least only have it at
  quirk level. Nomad characters should also have good levels of
  Riding (Horse) and combat and weapon skills.
  The Pole
  Beyond the White Archipelago lies a blasted land of ice,
  snow, and glassy black rocks – which was all that anybody
  needed to know for a long time. A few years ago, however, a
  party of explorers ventured into this territory and brought back
  a strange tale. Although they came nowhere near the pole, they
  came close enough to see what was located there: a great and
  perfectly regular tower, rising up around 200 miles. The tower
  had a dazzling light on the top, casting permanent illumina-
  tion, and possibly some warmth, on the regions nearby.
  Examination by telescope showed that the tower had the look
  of gray stone, but no more.
  The natural philosophers of the Known Lands have scores
  of competing theories as to how this tower came to be, and
  what purpose it serves for men or God. Some are arranging
  expeditions to investigate it more closely, while others fear that
  the very idea is blasphemous.
  Far Beyond the Seas
  Elsewhere on the globe, it is said, are some very strange
  lands. Many are apparently inhabited and ruled by fairy
  beings. Reports speak of kingdoms of giants, of tiny folk, and
  of talking animals; flying islands; empires ruled by insane
  immortals; jungles and deserts occupied by tribal peoples who
  worship strange gods and wield strange magics; and places
  where the very laws of nature seem to be different. If PCs go
  roving far, GMs should feel not only entitled, but duty-bound,
  to throw almost anything at them.
  THE WORLD
  9
  The Known Lands are in some senses a swashbuckling
  setting, and the “swashbuckling era” is often considered to
  run up to the 18th century. However, it’s not a particularly
  good idea to bring much swashbuckling detail – such as
  use of fencing combat rules out of GURPS Martial Arts –
  into an Alchemical Baroque game, unless you want to
  change the flavor significantly.
  A focus on intricate melee combat implies that the typi-
  cal hero of the campaign should be a master swordsman.
  The “default” hero of the Known Lands, meanwhile, is a
  lucky peasant lad, a quick-witted soldier with a musket, or a
  ritualistic magician. Much of the flavor of the setting comes
  from being based on a historical period when firearms were
  supplanting swords. Combat should be quick and simple,
  leaving more time for magical wonders or social climbing.
  Still, slender swords are part of the milieu; GMs who
  want to mix fencing with fairy stories can do so. For those
  using Martial Arts, the most appropriate style, especially
  for the Solar Empire, would be French Smallsword; old-
  fashioned fighters might use the Transitional French
  School. “Italian” or “Spanish” styles might be known in the
  Golden Archipelago; indeed, the knights of those islands
  might have a near-monopoly on advanced fencing tech-
  niques, or at least the cinematic versions.
  Swashbuckling?
  
  Once upon a time, a witch lived in a cottage in the woods,
  with only her cat for company. There was nothing unusual
  about any of that, you understand; witches often lived in such
  places, and cats liked to live with them, for the conversation.
  But this witch was different. She was neither terribly wicked
  nor terribly good, and she was neither especially beautiful nor
  hideously ugly. This suited her fine, as it meant that few of her
  neighbors thought that she was much of a witch, and so they
  rarely bothered her much.
  Once a week, though, a boy from the nearby village came past
  to deliver her letters, and to collect any that she wanted sent. She
  paid him with potions and lotions that helped heal the bruises
  and scrapes and colds that active boys tend to collect, and with
  the excuse to tell terrifying tales to his friends.
  One day, the boy brought another visitor – a tall, thin, scholarly
  fellow, with spectacles perched on his pointed nose. The witch and
  the newcomer fell into deep conversation, while the boy waited to
  guide the visitor back to the village. As he waited, the witch’s cat
  strolled up to him, sat down, and began to wash itself.
  “Do you know if they’ll be long?” asked the boy, who was
  growing a little bored.
  “Hard to say,” said the cat. “Do you know who this thin fel-
  low might be?”
  “Well, some say that he’s a priest in disguise” said the boy,
  “and he does talk like a priest, only with longer words.”
  “Ah,” said the cat, “in that case, you should have brought a
  book. When herself talks about religion, it takes forever. Why,
  sometimes, when she’s talking to the higher powers, she forgets to
  sleep and stays up all night.”
  The metaphysics of the Known Lands places significant
  supernatural power in the hands of certain mortals. How
  closely the different manifestations of this power are related is
  a matter of debate among philosophers, but not everyone
  cares; there is a lot to be said for just using whatever works.
  MAGIC AND FAITH
  10
  CHAPTER TWO
  MAGIC AND
  FAITH
  FORMAL MAGIC
  Magic, as worked by humans, is built around two aspects:
  matter and spirit. Matter magic is expressed in the form of
  herbal and alchemical concoctions (and the very occasional arti-
  fact), while spirit magic is worked through lengthy rituals.
  However, the two, while seemingly very distinct, are entwined in
  a way that puzzles even their practitioners; a person cannot
  advance in one without advancing in the other. It seems that
  effective magic demands a detailed and practiced insight into
  both things of the spirit and the subtleties of the physical uni-
  verse. This pattern is repeated in all schools and styles of magic.
  The two general types of magic-workers
  encountered in the Known Lands are, first,
  witches
  and
  cunning-men,
  who
  brew
  herbal potions and have dealings with
  minor
  nature
  spirits;
  second,
  natural
  philosophers and master warlocks, who
  study the high arts of alchemy and perform
  ritual magic to commune with arcane enti-
  ties. The difference between the two styles
  is substantial; the underlying principles are
  apparently identical.
  If uncanny foreign wizards appear in
  games, the GM should give them their own
  paired specializations of Ritual Magic and Alchemy or Herb
  Lore, setting limitations and prerequisites comparable to
  those applying to witches and natural philosophers.
  RITUAL MAGIC
  This uses the Path/Book magic system described in GURPS
  Thaumatology (pp. 121-165). Specifically, this is Effect
  Shaping magic, using Paths rather than Books. The following
  options and special conditions apply.
  Magical Advantages: Magery (Path/Book) is
  mandatory and adds to rituals, as discussed on
  p. 123 of Thaumatology. Hence, this is obvi-
  ously the key advantage for witches, magic-
  working natural philosophers, and the like.
  Path/Book Adept (Thaumatology, pp. 123-124)
  is also known, but it cannot take enhancements
  or limitations, and it has a special prerequisite:
  Ritual Magic skill at 18+ for one level, at 24+ for
  two levels, and at 30+ for three. It may, how-
  ever, be purchased with bonus character points
  after the requisite level is achieved.
  
  Ritual Magic Skill: This may never differ by more than two
  levels from the character’s “potion-making” skill – either
  Alchemy or Herb Lore, depending on the character’s magical
  tradition. Ritual Magic (Witchcraft) is used by witches,
  cunning-men, and some rustic warlocks; it must be within two
  levels of Herb Lore. Ritual Magic (Esoteric Philosophy) –
  employed by natural philosophers, a few physicians, and the
  more urbanized sort of warlock – cannot differ by more than
  two levels from Alchemy. It has Native-level written compre-
  hension of at least one language, Philosophy (Neoclassical)-12,
  and Theology (Known Lands)-12 as prerequisites. No Rule of
  20 applies in this setting; practioners can benefit from learning
  this skill up to very high levels, although most hedge-witches
  and dabbling philosophers have nothing like that much power.
  Elements: These are required, as described on pp. 127-128
  of Thaumatology. Ritual space mostly consists of locations
  consecrated by magic-users for their own use. A few covens of
  witches or warlocks have secret temples that grant +1 or +2 to
  rituals, but anything better is rare or nonexistent. (The same
  sacred spaces turn out to work equally well for both traditions,
  to the puzzlement of some practitioners.) Churches do not
  qualify as ritual space, cannot be consecrated for this purpose
  (unless first deconsecrated by a high-ranking priest), and
  impose a penalty of -8 on anyone foolish enough to attempt rit-
  uals within their confines.
  Ritual Parameters: These generate skill penalties, as usual.
  Also, many workings can and should use the Variant
  Durations: Conditional Termination rule (see Thaumatology,
  p. 242), which creates a distinctly fairy-tale effect. Multiple
  Simultaneous Effects (Thaumatology, p. 132) are usually pos-
  sible without penalty. However, each charm that a magician
  has created and that is still functional and not yet activated
  gives a cumulative -3 penalty to any rituals that create further
  charms.
  Known Paths
  Most of the Paths detailed in GURPS Thaumatology
  (pp. 140-162) are available, but a few are prohibited and some
  have special features or rules applying.
  • The Path of Cunning is available but has no default from
  Ritual Magic (Esoteric Philosophy). Characters with that spe-
  cialization can only use this Path if they specifically learn it.
  • The Path of Dreams works as listed, but the “Dream
  World” is not a spirit world. Characters who “enter others’
  dreams” simply make deep telepathic contact with those peo-
  ple’s dreaming minds, and the Dream Sanctum ritual merely
  protects against other Dream rituals.
  • The Path of the Elements is unavailable.
  • The Path of Form is available, but most users don’t know
  the Skinchange ritual; for them, the Path has only minor uses.
  However, a few wild cunning-men and mighty magicians not
  only have mastered this ritual, but use it to legendary effect.
  This requires a 10-point Unusual Background; the practitioner
  can then use and improve his skill in multiple versions of the
  ritual. Stories speak of magicians changing into every animal
  known in the Known Lands, including wolves, bears, horses,
  and many kinds of bird.
  • The Path of Gadgets is unavailable.
  • For characters using Ritual Magic (Esoteric Philosophy),
  skill with the Path of Health cannot exceed skill in
  Physician/TL4. Those using Ritual Magic (Witchcraft) can
  learn it freely.
  • The Path of Knowledge is available, but the Know Fault,
  Locate Spares, and Read the Manual rituals are unknown and
  excluded.
  • The Path of Luck is available, except for the Gremlins
  ritual.
  • For characters using Ritual Magic (Esoteric Philosophy),
  skill with the Path of Nature cannot exceed skill in Naturalist.
  • The Path of Protection is available.
  • The Path of Spirit is available. However, relatively few
  spirits are known by name or defined by type well enough to
  summon; the GM should treat any such name as a secret and
  a treasure. PCs might learn the names of spirits who they’ve
  bought as Patrons or possibly Allies. Additionally, if the GM
  permits them to start playing knowing any other names at all,
  each should be treated as a perk, and the summoning should
  be tricky and dangerous. (Note that most summonable spirits
  will in fact be devils – even if they pretend otherwise!) Witches
  and cunning-men only ever have dealings with minor local
  spirits; scholarly natural philosophers may find greater names
  in their books, but these come with accordingly greater risks
  attached.
  MAGIC AND FAITH
  11
  Magic Items
  Magic items can be found in the Known Lands,
  but few of them resemble those in conventional fan-
  tasy games. To begin with, aside from alchemical
  elixirs and levitation devices, a few items may be cre-
  ated by or related to path-based magic; see GURPS
  Thaumatology, p. 139 and p. 161. However, fetishes
  are actually rare; binding ghosts is widely classified
  as illegal necromancy, and is generally seen as
  immoral, while other spirits (such as fairies) tend to
  be too powerful to bind or to have vengeful allies who
  will seek to free them.
  On rare occasions, magic items are created more
  or less accidentally, through Enchantment Through
  Age or Enchantment Through Deeds; see GURPS
  Thaumatology, pp. 110-113. This process isn’t really
  well understood by anyone, and cannot generally be
  deliberately accomplished, by PCs or anyone else; such
  items are rare wonders, not routine technology! They
  should usually be detailed as advantages with gadget
  limitations, or very occasionally as characters (see
  GURPS Thaumatology, pp. 113-120; the Silver Harp
  from that book could easily exist in this setting, with
  Cultural Familiarities and Languages changed as appro-
  priate). Also, a few powerful fairies are occasionally able
  to create or acquire strange items with unnatural prop-
  erties, perhaps from other worlds, perhaps through
  their own version of Enchantment Through Deeds
  (which may even be more deliberate, and involve nam-
  ing the item). These are sometimes given to or otherwise
  acquired by mortals. However, fairy artifacts tend to be
  very strange, and they are often loaded down with pro-
  hibitions, bizarre conditions, and outright curses.
  
  ALCHEMY AND HERB LORE
  Alchemy and Herb Lore use the rules in GURPS Magic
  (pp. 210-222), including use of Herb Lore as an alternative
  elixir-making skill (albeit without the ability to analyze potions
  or magical items), with some special conditions and variations:
  Treat this setting as normal mana for Alchemy and Herb Lore
  purposes. Use the elixir costs listed for “common magic” cam-
  paigns. Ignore the mythological names for elixirs – Known
  Lands mythology is not that of the real world.
  Alchemy and herbalism operate at TL4; no one has yet inte-
  grated enough advanced philosophical concepts or techniques
  into these fields to raise them further. Likewise, Alchemy skill
  gives no default to Chemistry.
  Herb Lore may never differ by more than two levels from the
  character’s Ritual Magic (Witchcraft) skill. In addition, it can-
  not exceed the character’s Pharmacy (Herbal) skill (so it effec-
  tively has that other skill as a prerequisite). Alchemy cannot
  differ by more than two levels from Ritual Magic (Esoteric
  Philosophy), and it cannot exceed the average of the character’s
  Chemistry, Philosophy (Neoclassical), and Physics skills. (It’s
  perfectly possible for one or even two of those skills to be zero,
  but that will reduce the average severely!) Note that these rules
  usually mean that alchemists and potion-makers must have
  the Magery (Path/Book) advantage, as Ritual Magic skill is no
  use without it. It might just be possible to have such a charac-
  ter who has learned Ritual Magic skill as a theoretical system,
  to support his alchemical studies, but who can never get any
  actual rituals to work.
  Prices for potions made with Herb Lore use the rules on
  p. 104 of GURPS Thaumatology; reduce materials costs for
  elixirs by 50%, to a maximum reduction of $100. Reduce final
  prices by the same, or by slightly more at the GM’s option to rep-
  resent general ease of production. Likewise, again as per
  Thaumatology, a Herb Lore home laboratory costs just $500 to
  equip, although better labs have costs as for Alchemy. Likewise,
  per Thaumatology, alchemical formularies are no use to char-
  acters manufacturing elixirs using Herb Lore. The Herb Lore
  equivalent – herbals – are rare and can’t offset the penalties for
  working without a formulary. Characters who use Herb Lore
  mostly learn formulas from each other, rather than from books;
  indeed, some witches are illiterate. A PC advancing in Herb Lore
  skill and wanting to learn new formulas will usually have to seek
  out an NPC teacher.
  Formularies are sold openly, but good ones are scarce and
  expensive, despite the existence of the printing press; herbals
  are just as openly available and uncommon, being the work of
  eccentric scholars or even rarer herbalists with enough literary
  and technical skill to create them. The problem is that no stan-
  dard alchemical or herbalist notation exists, and many of the
  best alchemists seem to be crazy, or at least eccentric and will-
  fully obscure. Hence, there are a lot of poor formularies
  around, and all herbals are strange at best.
  Only a few booksellers know how to identify the good vol-
  umes – and they sell at a premium. The typical base cost for
  either type of book is $200 per formula, and the GM can be
  downright whimsical about availability, especially for herbals.
  Cheaper books exist, but for each -10% reduction in price (to a
  maximum of -70%), apply a -1 to any attempt to make an elixir
  using formulas from the book. An alchemist or herbalist may
  add such formulas to his personal list when advancing in
  Alchemy skill, but he takes the penalty whenever making that
  elixir until he can find and study a better text. However, there
  are no secret formulas and no central “Alchemist’s Guild”; any
  formula might show up in a formulary or herbal somewhere,
  although the chance of finding reliable formulas for some of
  the unusual and more powerful elixirs may be slim.
  Some university libraries hold formularies, but access tends
  to be limited to members of the institution in good standing or
  to high-Status visitors vouched for by a member. (“Donations to
  library funds” can help.) Herbals will only appear in slightly
  eccentric collections; most university libraries are far too intel-
  lectually snobbish to hold them. Also, libraries only permit
  study of books, not removal – certainly not removal for use dur-
  ing elixir creation in chemical-filled, dangerous laboratories!
  MAGIC AND FAITH
  12
  GURPS Thaumatology includes additional optional
  rules for alchemy (pp. 100-107). However, GMs should be
  cautious about using some of these in Alchemical
  Baroque games. Options such as alchemical Quick Gad-
  geteering (p. 103) or Alchemical Gizmos (p. 104) may make
  practioners more aggressive and combat-oriented, whereas
  Alchemical Baroque magic-wielders are supposed to be
  scholarly lab rats. Certainly, alchemist gadgeteering can
  explain who invents new potions, but such inventions
  should be rare.
  Nonetheless, some of the other rules in Thaumatology
  may be very appropriate. The rules for Alchemical Inventions
  (p. 103) can certainly be used in games where alchemists are
  conducting innovative research, including the creation of
  Binary Elixirs (p. 106), while GMs can apply whatever rules
  they wish in cases of Ad Hoc Mixing (p. 106). Also, alchemy
  is definitely related to medicine; the rules for Alchemical
  Cures (pp. 106-107) can apply. Lastly, the new TL4 Elixir
  Delivery Methods (p. 107) in that book – smoking and pills –
  can certainly fit with the style of this setting.
  Other Optional Alchemy Rules
  My husband is a proud man,
  who’s delighted to be associated with
  every brick and every tree of his
  property at every moment of his
  waking life – and no doubt in his
  dreams as well . . .
  – Mrs. Herbert, The
  Draughtsman’s Contract
  
  Gaining access to many libraries should be a minor adventure
  in itself, and the quality of their books can be determined at
  whim by the GM. Furthermore, most Known Lands library
  catalogs give penalties of -3 or worse to Research rolls.
  Specific Elixirs
  Most of the elixirs listed in GURPS Magic are available in
  the Known Lands, with costs determined and modified as
  described above. Some special notes apply.
  • Elixirs of Fire Resistance, Transformation, Flight, and
  Invisibility may be made up as unguents; indeed, this is the only
  form in which they can be made using Herb Lore. Furthermore,
  the unguent must be applied all over the user’s body.
  Thus, witches and cunning-men (and their customers) have to
  strip naked to use such powers. They can dress again afterward
  if they choose (unless they are transformed into a different
  shape . . . and note that clothes will not be rendered invisible
  or fire-resistant), but some consider this a waste of valuable
  effect duration.
  Also, when an Elixir of Flight is made using Herb Lore, it
  grants rather unstable abilities. The user makes any Flight or
  Aerobatics skill rolls (including those from default) at -3. When
  attempting to land, he must roll against Aerobatics (with that
  penalty) or suffer a fall of 1d yards. These problems may be
  negated if he uses a moderately bulky “prop,” selected when
  first learning the skill, to stabilize his flight; most witches favor
  broomsticks, but some prefer weirder options, such as giant
  pestles-and-mortars.
  • Herb Lore cannot be used to make elixirs of Magic
  Resistance or Hybridization.
  • Elixirs of Lichdom, Resurrection, Universal Antidote,
  Reanimation, or Foresight are completely unknown in the
  Known Lands.
  • An elixir of Dragonslaying can be made with a drop of
  blood from the heart of any man-sized or larger reptile or rep-
  tilian chimera – not necessarily a dragon. This ingredient
  costs around $200, if purchased on the open market (such
  large reptiles are quite rare); reduce the price for the elixir by
  $300 accordingly. It will affect a dragon even if ignited by a
  normal flame.
  • Elixirs of Regeneration and Youth are notoriously unreli-
  able. Anyone using one must make a HT roll at +2. On a nor-
  mal failure, the potion doesn’t work; on a critical failure, the
  user ages 1d years and takes 1d damage.
  • The secret of transforming lead into gold is very much a
  mystery still, although plenty of natural philosophers claim to
  be coming close.
  • Levitational Salts are an alchemical potion, requiring
  $1,000 in materials and 15 weeks, giving a market price of
  $3,700 per dose; the skill needed is Alchemy at -1 (Herb Lore
  cannot be used). Porous materials treated with this prepara-
  tion will rise when exposed to the air, provided that the sun is
  not in the sky (visible or otherwise!). Each dose can be used to
  treat 25 square feet, and the substance provides 5 lbs. of lift per
  square foot. If the material is folded over on itself, the effect is
  seriously diminished; the outer hull of a vehicle is all that can
  be usefully treated. This permits the creation of very flimsy fly-
  ing devices for nighttime use, usually propelled by sails or
  drawn by harnessed birds.
  MAGIC AND FAITH
  13
  Levitational Salts (see below) permit the creation of
  expensive, flimsy, unreliable, very limited flying vehicles.
  These have seen occasional use by messengers and for mil-
  itary reconnaissance, but they are mostly seen as “philoso-
  phers’ toys,” and they are accordingly rare – a person might
  be able to locate one somewhere in a large university town
  or royal palace. Operating one requires Piloting/TL4
  (Lighter-Than-Air) skill, very few people have that, and very
  few have more than a point in it.
  More dramatically, one new type of exceptionally pow-
  erful “magic item” has recently been invented in the
  Known Lands. An alchemist in the Green Archipelago has
  created a machine that can fly by day or night, albeit bet-
  ter after dark. The clockwork at the heart of this “Spherical
  Chariot” (so named because its creator’s declared intention
  is to use it to investigate the functioning of the celestial
  spheres at first hand) is made of strange alloys, and can
  direct energies through its metal structure to lift and move
  the vehicle; it appears to slide along shafts of moonlight.
  Operated by an expert, the mechanism can also, somehow,
  interfere with the operation of similar devices nearby. The
  Domiciliary Republic is struggling to keep the Chariot’s
  design closely secret, but rumors suggest that either spies
  have obtained the crucial information, or alchemists else-
  where are recreating the invention from first principles.
  Anyone who gets such a craft working will also need to
  master Piloting/TL(4+1) (Contragravity) skill to operate it.
  Flying Vehicles
  
  In the past, all of the Known Lands shared a common (if
  vague and abstruse) faith. However, over the centuries, this has
  divided into sects, and today, a religious undercurrent adds to
  international conflicts.
  The most important sects – more or less completely distinct
  faiths
  these
  days
  –
  are
  the
  Architecturalists
  and
  the
  Horologicalists. The former, strongest in the Solar Empire and
  the south, hold that the universe was created by God the
  Architect, and that humanity has a duty to embellish its fabric
  and to emulate the deity by build-
  ing many magnificent buildings.
  Architecturalists
  are
  fond
  of
  churches and cathedrals with
  great spires, which they see as
  reflecting
  and
  emulating
  the
  Creator’s most impressive handi-
  work. The faith also assumes that
  God, like any architect, may occa-
  sionally return and adjust his
  handiwork, allowing the rare mir-
  acle.
  The
  favorite
  portable
  Architecturalist
  symbol
  is
  a
  detailed miniature painting – a
  map
  or
  landscape
  image.
  Dedicated Architecturalists sus-
  pect any clockwork device of rep-
  resenting the Horological Heresy,
  although most permit the cre-
  ation of such mechanisms for
  purely secular purposes.
  Conversely, the Horologicalists of the north and west see the
  universe as a mechanism, a great clock that God created,
  wound up, and left running. Because the mechanism is perfect,
  He doesn’t need to manifest his power to sustain it – although
  attempted damage is blasphemous nonetheless. Very respect-
  ful study of the clockwork is a lawful way to understand God
  better. Horological churches tend to be plain and unembell-
  ished, to emphasize their difference from Architecturalist con-
  structions, although some have striking clocks of great
  precision, seen as holy symbols. (However, a small subsect, the
  Humble Horologicalists, see any clock as a blasphemous imi-
  tation of perfection.) Devout Horologicalists regard painted art
  as symbolic of Architecturalist vanity.
  One specialty of Theology skill, Theology (Known Lands),
  actually covers both these sects; they share many underlying
  ideas, although believers may differ violently about interpreta-
  tion, and any competent scholar will know about both sides of
  the argument, if only to be able to debate with “heretics.”
  However, the radically divergent Architecturalist beliefs of the
  south have their own specialty, Theology (Sutherlander).
  Doubtless the strange believers of distant lands also have their
  own unusual theologies.
  THE POWER OF FAITH
  While priests hold that the power of religious artifacts and
  prayers over the spirit world is a divine mystery, some philoso-
  phers have analyzed the matter objectively. They conclude that
  saying that this power comes from God is as good a theory as
  any, but God seems much more
  impartial between various sects
  than the sects themselves would
  suggest. Some downright atheistic
  scholars wonder if the power of
  mortal belief is effective by itself.
  Certainly, anything that clearly
  and specifically symbolizes religion
  to a group of worshipers – a
  church, the sound of its bells, a reli-
  gious service, or a holy symbol –
  causes difficulties to many spirits,
  and severe pain to devils. A very few
  humans
  (with
  the
  True
  Faith
  advantage, in GURPS terms) mani-
  fest this power directly, by virtue of
  personal
  holiness.
  Burial
  with
  proper religious ceremonies some-
  times prevents a dead soul from
  returning as a ghost, although this
  is unreliable.
  All this is slightly more useful than it sounds. For example,
  some diseases in this setting (about one in six) actually involve
  the presence of malevolent spirits. In such cases, religious cer-
  emonies, holy symbols, etc., may give the patient from +1 to +4
  on HT rolls to shake off the disease, and attending doctors the
  same bonus to Physician skill.
  THE PRIESTHOOD
  Both Architecturalist and the Horologicalist churches
  employ full-time priests with Clerical Investment. The hierar-
  chy of the Architecturalist faith runs from Rank 0 brothers,
  through priests, high priests, monsignors, deans, bishops, arch-
  bishops, and cardinals, to the Rank 8 Hierophant, who exer-
  cises supreme authority. In the Horologicalist faith, the
  hierarchy runs from brothers, through preachers, vicars,
  canons, deans, and bishops, to archbishops at Rank 6, but there
  is no Rank 7 or 8, and no one supreme authority. Horologicalist
  archbishops try to settle details of doctrine among themselves
  in council, but they often disagree over fine details.
  MAGIC AND FAITH
  14
  RELIGION
  People not only believe in the power of religion, but they are devoutly grateful for
  it because malevolent beings tend to avoid holy ground and religious symbols.
  
  Once upon a time, all the devils in Hell fell to arguing over
  which of them was the worst. While they were quarreling and
  shouting at each other, they forget to guard the gates of Hell,
  and a score of the worst damned souls sneaked their way out
  and returned to the world. There, they proceeded to haunt the
  places they knew best, making trouble for living folk every way
  that they could.
  Of course, this threw the living people of the world into terri-
  ble confusion, and they didn’t know what to do. So it was left to
  the cats to solve the problem . . .
  With the exception of domestic cats, all nonhuman sapient
  beings in this setting are explicitly supernatural – spirits, either
  intangible or permanently garbed in flesh.
  SPIRITS AND OTHER BEINGS
  15
  CHAPTER THREE
  SPIRITS AND
  OTHER BEINGS
  GHOSTS
  If a person dies with some great mission unfulfilled or a
  pressing need for vengeance, or in especially bizarre circum-
  stances, he may become a ghost – or at least leave a residue of
  psychic energy. Determining whether this happens if an adven-
  turer dies in play is left to the GM; even if a PC becomes a
  ghost, it should usually then be played as an NPC. If the GM
  really wants to roll dice at such times, a Will roll at -5 might
  enable the individual’s spirit to stay around. GMs can impose
  further modifiers for proper burial rites or lack thereof, press-
  ing Vows, an overwhelming need for revenge, and so on.
  Ghosts are spirits with access to their own “spirit world”
  (see p. 5) and a wide range of “spirit powers” (represented by
  assorted supernatural advantages in game terms). Typically, a
  ghost has the Spirit or Astral Entity meta-trait (see p. B263),
  plus an Obsession disadvantage or possibly a peculiar
  Compulsive Behavior – often accompanied by other disad-
  vantages such as Hidebound, Killjoy, or No Sense of Humor,
  as death quickly or slowly strips away all the being’s person-
  ality, leaving just its single obsession. A ghost also has suscep-
  tibility to Exorcism, True Faith, etc. as a feature, although an
  individual spirit may be able to disregard or work round such
  things in pursuit of its compulsions. However, ghosts are very
  diverse; many can affect the material world in some limited
  ways, even if they can’t actually materialize, with advantages
  such as Mind Control (perhaps with the No Memory
  enhancement or the Puppet limitation), Telekinesis, or Terror.
  Conversely, not all ghosts are Unaging, and some have Short
  Lifespan, fading over the years or months – particularly once
  their great purpose is accomplished. GMs should be both cre-
  ative and traditional when defining ghosts; anything that
  shows up in folklore or horror stories may be possible.
  In fact, although ghosts are the only actual undead in this
  setting, the sheer range of their abilities can bring them close
  to other fantasy undead. For example, a ghost with Telekinesis
  with a very limited version of the Animation enhancement
  from (GURPS Powers, p. 83) might be able to animate its old
  body, in effect functioning as a zombie or skeleton. Likewise, a
  "vampire" might be a ghost with little trouble becoming sub-
  stantial for fairly long periods (i.e., no limitations on its
  Insubstantiality), very likely Vampiric Bite, and a substantial
  list of Dreads, Uncontrollable Appetite, Vulnerabilities, or
  Weaknesses; its Obsession could be with remaining on the
  material world at any cost.
  FAIRIES
  Enigmatic, whimsical, often powerful, fairies exist on the
  border between flesh and spirit. Some grant wishes; others steal
  babies. Their physical forms are to some extent malleable pro-
  jections, but many lesser fairies are fixed to one shape; some-
  times, the effort of manifesting physically drains their powers so
  much that they can’t change back. There are even reports from
  far-off lands of whole races of permanently manifested fairies,
  whose current generations have never been anything other than
  physical beings. Fairies who take physical form, permanently or
  temporarily, often seek to imitate human forms, but they do so
  imperfectly. Quite a few have a serious problem with size; hence,
  some become giants, and others become “little people.”
  
  The reasons why minor fairies adopt physical forms vary;
  mostly, it’s because weak spirits can’t accomplish very much or
  experience much sensation. A physical body may be vulnera-
  ble, but it can also have lots of fun. Also, oddly, while spirit-
  fairies are physically repelled by iron and utterly terrified by
  the symbols of human religion, those who adopt permanent
  physical forms often lose such constraints.
  Some fairies have access to “spirit realms” or fairyland;
  see p. 5. Many who retain the ability to become intangible
  can travel to at least one such realm. Even those who are
  locked into a physical shape sometimes know of hidden gates
  or paths. The most powerful fairies rule such realms as
  absolute monarchs. A few, usually the darkest and most
  twisted, can seemingly also enter the shadowy world of
  ghosts and phantoms (see pp. 5 and 15). Some might be able
  to travel to Hell, but all absolutely refuse to do so; devils enjoy
  pulling off their delicate wings far too much.
  Although they are often whimsical, fairies may fixate on one
  particular issue or individual. Sometimes, powerful fairies
  assign lesser “subjects” to specific tasks, which they must
  accomplish. A fairy may follow a human object of its attention
  around in invisible spirit form, using magical abilities such as
  Telekinesis or Illusion (GURPS Powers, p. 94) to help, hinder,
  or confuse the mortal. The victims of “fairy curses” (or “fairy
  blessings”) may sometimes be driven mad.
  New Meta-Trait: Intangible Fairy
  252 points
  All fairies who haven’t lost their basic magical power have a
  number of features in common. They are all whimsical but
  rather uncreative spirits with the power to clothe themselves in
  flesh and an aversion to both iron and the power of human faith.
  Intangible Fairy includes Doesn’t Breathe [20]; Doesn’t Eat
  or
  Drink
  [10];
  Immunity
  to
  Metabolic
  Hazards
  [30];
  Insubstantiality (Affect Substantial, +100%; Can Carry Objects,
  Light Encumbrance, +20%) [176]; Invisibility (Substantial
  Only, -10%) [36]; Unaging [15]; Dread (Iron; 6 yards) [-30];
  Hidebound [-5]; and Feature (Susceptible to True Faith).
  Note that, unlike many spirits, fairies do need to sleep. Some
  may eat or drink, sometimes choosing strange foods such as
  flower petals, but this is purely for amusement; they don’t need
  food to survive. Almost all of them also display further mental
  disadvantages such as Absent-Mindedness, Callous, Clueless,
  Compulsive Behavior, Curious, Distractible, Impulsiveness,
  Indecisive, Jealousy, Kleptomania, Laziness, Low Empathy,
  Manic-Depressive, Short Attention Span, Trickster, or Truthful-
  ness, sometimes progressing as far as Split Personality with sev-
  eral personalities – but individuals vary considerably. Some can
  enter fairy realms by a simple mental impulse – the Jumper
  (World) advantage, usually limited to the one destination-realm.
  Others merely know the location of local “fairy gates.” A few lose
  track of how to return to the fairy lands, which they see as a ter-
  rifying and tragic fate – although their ensuing misery doesn’t
  stop them from being whimsical and unpredictable.
  EXAMPLE
  INTANGIBLE FAIRIES
  A vast variety of fairies lives in the world; the following are
  just a couple of well-known types. Note that fairies of any type
  often have many more mental disadvantages in addition to
  those listed.
  Flower Fairies
  241 points
  Flower Fairies manifest as tiny, glowing humans with gauzy
  wings and colorful costumes. The following is a typical version,
  but fairies do vary quite a bit from place to place. Their wealth
  represents odds and ends accumulated over the years; they
  don’t really have much interest in material possessions, except
  when they feel like stealing something.
  ST 3 [-70]; DX 13 [60]; IQ 10 [0]; HT 11 [10]
  Damage 1d-5/1d-4; BL 1.8 lbs.; HP 6 [6]; Will 10 [0]; Per 10 [0];
  FP 20 [27].
  Basic Speed 6.00 [0]; Basic Move 1 [-25]; Dodge 9; Parry 9
  (unarmed).
  16”; 5 lbs.; SM -4.
  Social Background
  TL: 4 [0].
  CF: Known Lands (Native) [0].
  Languages: Local human language (Native/Broken) [-2].
  Advantages
  Appearance (Beautiful) [12]; Flight (Small Wings, -10%;
  Flying Move 12) [36]; Intangible Fairy [252].
  Perk: Can emit light equal to a lantern. [1]
  Disadvantages
  Absent-Mindedness [-15]; Dread (Devout prayers, holy
  ground, the sound of church bells, humans with True Faith, etc.;
  6 yards; Common) [-30]; Innumerate [-5]; Wealth (Poor) [-15].
  Quirks: Distractible. [-1]
  Fairy Queens
  460 points
  The dominant figures in most fairy realms are coldly beau-
  tiful beings, with the power to use supernatural abilities dra-
  matically if they wish. Indeed, they often display a range of
  additional magics. This represents a fairly typical local “fairy
  queen,” albeit without such extra abilities; many also have
  local Reputations of various sorts.
  ST 9 [-10]; DX 13 [60]; IQ 10 [0]; HT 12 [20]
  Damage 1d-2/1d-1; BL 16 lbs.; HP 9 [0]; Will 10 [0]; Per 10 [0];
  FP 35 [69].
  Basic Speed 6.25 [0]; Basic Move 5 [-5]; Dodge 9; Parry 9
  (unarmed).
  5’9”; 110 lbs.
  Social Background
  TL: 4 [0].
  CF: Known Lands (Native) [0].
  Languages: Local human language (Native) [0].
  SPIRITS AND OTHER BEINGS
  16
  Fairies exist on the border
  between flesh and spirit.
  
  Advantages
  Appearance (Very Beautiful) [16]; Intangible Fairy [252];
  Status 5* [20]; Walk on Air [20]; Wealth (Very Wealthy) [30].
  Disadvantages
  Callous [-5]; Dread (Devout prayers, holy ground, the sound
  of church bells, humans with True Faith, etc.; 6 yards;
  Common) [-30]; Jealousy [-10]; Selfish (12) [-5].
  Quirks: Distractible. [-1]
  Skills
  Connoisseur (Poetry) (A) IQ+2 [8]-12; Dancing (A) DX
  [2]-13; Erotic Art (A) DX [2]-13; Garrote (E) DX+2 [4]-15;
  Interrogation (A) IQ [2]-10; Intimidation (A) Will+2 [8]-12;
  Knife (E) DX [1]-13; Naturalist (Earthlike) (H) IQ-1 [2]-9;
  Riding (Horse) (A) DX [2]-13; Savoir-Faire (High Society) (E)
  IQ+2 [4]-12; Sex Appeal (A) HT+6 [2]-18†; Singing (E) HT [1]-
  12; Stealth (A) DX-1 [1]-12.
  * Includes +1 from Wealth.
  †Includes +6 from Appearance.
  OGRES
  63 points
  Ogres are technically fairies, but they’ve burned out their
  spirit powers taking a large physical form, reducing their
  minds to a parody of intelligence in the process. Hence, they
  don’t have the fairy meta-trait; treat them as a normal mate-
  rial race. They could even be used as PCs, although they’re
  invariably stupid and dull, and wouldn’t usually be very inter-
  esting to play. They do represent an example of a permanently
  manifested fairy type, as well as making good opponents for
  adventurers.
  These stats represents a typical ogre.
  ST 20 (Size, -10%) [90]; DX 9 [-20]; IQ 7 [-60]; HT 13 [30]
  Damage 2d-1/3d+2; BL 80 lbs.; HP 20 [0]; Will 8 [5]; Per 7 [0];
  FP 13 [0].
  Basic Speed 5.50 [0]; Basic Move 5 [0]; Dodge 9; Parry 9
  (Axe/Mace).
  8’; 450 lbs.; SM +1).
  Social Background
  TL: 4 [0].
  CF: Known Lands (Native) [0].
  Languages: Local human language (Native/Illiterate) [-3].
  Advantages
  Acute Hearing 5 [10]; Acute Taste and Smell 7 [14];
  Combat Reflexes [15]; Damage Resistance 4 (Tough Skin,
  -40%) [12]; Discriminatory Smell [15]; High Pain Threshold
  [10]; Medium [10].
  SPIRITS AND OTHER BEINGS
  17
  Known Lands domestic cats appear much like those in
  the real world, but some of them are rather different. This
  is not actually supernatural, in local terms; these aren’t
  spirits, fairy beings, or possessed creatures, just an unusual
  natural species – although this setting can stretch the defi-
  nition of “natural.” Smarter cats often associate with
  witches, leading to talk of “familiars,” but in fact this is
  simply a way for them to get interesting conversations
  from people who don’t mind talking to nonhuman beings,
  in exchange for use of their exceptional senses.
  Typical cats in the Known Lands are, in fact, very much
  like those of the real world, apart from being maybe a lit-
  tle more intelligent and slightly longer-lived on the average.
  Many, perhaps most, also possess a certain innate sense for
  supernatural phenomena. Some are far more intelligent or
  otherwise exceptional. To reflect this, truly exceptional
  “sapient cats” may be treated as characters, with the fol-
  lowing racial template.
  Sapient cats behave much like ordinary cats in most
  ways, although they may be slightly lazier and more cau-
  tious. They don’t have a full-scale culture of their own, pre-
  ferring to attach themselves to human society; when two of
  them meet, they tend to interact with ironic looks and sar-
  castic body language. They regard territorial marking and
  suchlike ordinary cat behavior as the height of vulgarity.
  Cats can make interesting Allies or PCs. Although many
  are selfish, even solipsistic, they aren’t usually actively evil.
  Even so, a truly villainous cat can be dangerous, ruthless,
  and sadistic.
  Known-Lands Sapient Cat
  -33 points
  Attributes Modifiers: ST -6 [-60]; DX +4 (No Fine Manip-
  ulators, -40%) [48]; IQ -4 [-80]
  Secondary Characteristics Modifiers: SM -3; Will +5 [25];
  Per +6 [30].
  Advantages: Acute Hearing 2 [4]; Acute Taste and Smell 2
  [4]; Catfall [10]; Claws (Sharp) [5]; Combat Reflexes
  [15]; Discriminatory Hearing [15]; Enhanced Move 1/2
  (Ground) [10]; Flexibility [5]; Medium [10]; Night
  Vision 5 [5]; Perfect Balance [15]; Teeth (Sharp) [1];
  Ultrahearing [5]; Vibration Sense [10].
  Perks: Fur [1].
  Disadvantages: Cannot Speak [-15]; Dead Broke [-25];
  Quadruped [-35]; Short Lifespan 2 [-20]; Sleepy (1/2 the
  time) [-8]; Social Stigma (Valuable Property) [-10];
  Stubbornness [-5]; Quirk (Dislikes Getting Soaked) [-1].
  Racial Skills: Acrobatics (H) DX [2]-14*; Brawling (E)
  DX+2 [4]-16; Stealth (A) DX [2]-14.
  * Includes +1 for Perfect Balance.
  Some cat characters buy their IQ up significantly or
  have
  fortune-related
  advantages
  such
  as
  Luck
  or
  Serendipity. A few buy off Cannot Speak, sometimes
  replacing it with Disturbing Voice, and some can elimi-
  nate at least one level of Short Lifespan. Some have up to
  eight levels of Extra Life.
  Sapient Cats
  
  Some “wild” spirits transcend the capricious nature of
  fairies. They are typically closely associated with natural phe-
  nomena or locations. In addition, natural philosophers some-
  times make contact with spiritual beings associated with
  “higher realms” and even abstract concepts.
  Encounters with such beings should be rare and unnerving;
  most have great power and regard themselves as beyond mor-
  tal concerns. However, some are sympathetic, few are actually
  malicious, and they are a key to higher levels of magic. Each
  should be defined as an individual, with lots of interesting abil-
  ities and advantages.
  SPIRITS AND OTHER BEINGS
  18
  DEVILS
  While the “higher metaphysics” of the Known Lands
  remains obscure, Hell (p. 5) and its devils are demonstrably
  real. These beings are malicious and dangerous, although less
  formidable individually than their counterparts in many fan-
  tasy settings.
  They are spirits who can sometimes travel to the mortal
  world (or the realm of ghosts). When they manifest physically,
  they can only manage one shape: bright red humanoid figures,
  somewhere between six inches and two feet tall, with wings,
  short horns, and chittering voices. In this guise, they scurry
  around, often seeming comical, even pathetic. However, they
  have an infinite capacity for petty malice.
  Dealings with devils are a major taboo everywhere.
  Nonetheless, they are competent tempters, and cautionary tales
  may dwell a little too much on the short-term benefits that mask
  the danger; this taboo is all too frequently broken. Hubristic
  warlocks and philosophers adopt overly subtle metaphysical
  ideas or think they can outwit Hell, and talk themselves into dis-
  aster. Other people are simply stupid or just plain evil.
  Such devils are ST 2-8, DX 12, IQ 10, and HT 12, with HP
  and FP often increased by 50-100% over the primary statistic,
  Damage Resistance 5-10, and a Move of 8 on the ground or 16
  when flying. They have powers of Insubstantiality and
  Invisibility and sometimes other powers, such as the ability to
  breathe fire or cause Unluckiness (via Affliction). They also
  have a powerful Dread of anything holy or sacred (including
  humans with True Faith), with a five-yard radius; even their
  powers cannot penetrate this protected zone.
  ARCANE AND NATURE SPIRITS
  Disadvantages
  Appearance (Monstrous) [-20]; Bad Temper (12) [-10];
  Ham-Fisted 1 [-5]; Impulsiveness (9) [-15]; Low Empathy
  [-20];
  Social
  Stigma
  (Minority
  Group)
  [-10];
  Wealth
  (Struggling) [-10].
  Quirks: Alcohol Intolerance; Attentive; Dull. [-3]
  Skills
  Axe/Mace (A) DX+2 [8]-11; Brawling (E) DX+3 [8]-12;
  Intimidation (A) Will+4 [4]-12*; Two-Handed Axe/Mace (A)
  DX+2 [8]-11.
  * Includes +3 for Monstrous Appearance. Note also that
  most ogres using Intimidation get bonuses for displays of bru-
  tal violence!
  Trolls and Giants
  Creatures referred to as trolls are usually similar to ogres, if
  even uglier and a bit tougher-skinned. Fairies with more power
  who adopt similar permanent forms may become giants, similar
  to ogres but bigger, with vast ST and increased DR. Some even
  preserve a little more intelligence through the transformation.
  SUPERNATURAL ANIMALS
  Some fairies assume animal form, either temporarily for fun,
  or permanently, becoming irreversibly changed, like an ogre. In
  either case, they may accidentally reduce themselves to animal
  intellect; they also often have trouble with consistency. Thus, they
  may become oversized or oddly colored animals, or chimeras,
  merging body parts and characteristics from several different
  species. Also, occasionally, spirits of various types possess natural
  animals and then become permanently bonded to the creature.
  Hence, all sorts of strange animals infest the woods and wilder-
  nesses of the Known Lands, displaying unnatural size, coloration,
  powers, intelligence, or numbers of legs or heads. A GM can take
  the details for any natural species and adjust them at whim; he
  can even permit adventurous players to take such animals as PCs,
  if they really wish.
  Dragons
  Dragons are a rare, dangerous type of chimera – a huge rep-
  tile with the wings of a bat or bird. Contrary to legend, dragons
  cannot breathe fire, but they do often possess acidic or poison-
  ous venom. A typical monster with acidic venom has a Melee
  Attack doing 1d to 3d of corrosion damage with the Cyclic
  enhancement with 10-second intervals and two to five cycles.
  A creature with poisonous venom has a Follow-Up to its bite
  attack, doing similar amounts of toxic damage, again Cyclic,
  with one-minute intervals and three to six cycles. Some drag-
  ons may also be able to spit venom; this makes the acidic ver-
  sion a ranged attack, while the poisonous type becomes a
  Contact Agent instead of a Follow-Up. Either ranged type will
  probably do a bit less damage than the version used in melee.
  A typical dragon has ST 25-40, DX 11, IQ 7, HT 13, Basic
  Speed 7.00, DR 5, Fangs, Talons, and Flight (Winged).
  However, there is a lot of variation.
  
  Once upon a time, there were three brothers who set out to
  make their fortune. One was clever, one was handsome, and one
  was lucky. Sadly, the clever one was shy, the handsome one was
  greedy, and the lucky one was forgetful. So, on the advice of their
  friends and relations, they set out together. For as everyone said,
  there was a chance that each of them could make up for the oth-
  ers’ manifest deficiencies.
  As they walked down the road, they fell to talking, then to argu-
  ing, and then to not talking to each other at all. So it was that at
  the next town, they each sought out a different inn, and each went
  to sleep and dreamed about making his fortune alone . . .
  Most Alchemical Baroque PCs should be human. While
  members of various other species are technically playable,
  the default style of plot in this setting should owe most to tra-
  ditional fairy stories, which assume that humanity is their
  central focus.
  Point Values
  A 100-point base is perfectly reasonable for games in this
  setting. Indeed, lower starting points may be appropriate for
  fairy-tale “peasant lads making good.” More heroic adventures
  and those centered on higher levels of society can have PCs of
  150 points or more. Any campaigns set among the great courts
  of the Known Lands might have more again, with a lot of those
  extra points going into Status and Wealth.
  CHARACTERS
  19
  CHAPTER FOUR
  CHARACTERS
  ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES
  Humans should mostly come across as quite straightforward
  in the Alchemical Baroque world. Occult or paranormal advan-
  tages related to spell-based magic are unavailable to human
  characters, as is Magic Resistance. Likewise, most “paranormal
  religious” advantages, such as Blessed and Faith Healing, are
  banned, although True Faith is permitted. Channeling and
  Medium are available, but not only are they not mandatory for
  witches or natural philosophers, they actually seem quite rare in
  those professions – which is why some natural philosophers hire
  talented mediums as assistants, tolerating their frequent eccen-
  tricities. Spirit Empathy is available, often taking the Specialized
  limitation, and it is useful for those who have dealings with the
  fairies. Destiny seems downright common.
  See p. 10 for discussion of Magery (Path/Book) and
  Path/Book Adept – the advantages appropriate to a ritual
  magician.
  GMs can feel free to set fairly tight limits on total disadvan-
  tage values for PCs; most are supposed to be ordinary-seeming
  human characters, at least at the start of play. However, fairy-tale
  heroes do sometimes have interesting and colorful peculiarities!
  LANGUAGES
  Major languages spoken in the Known Lands are
  Greenspeech in the Green Archipelago, La Langue in the Solar
  Empire, Norderwerten in the Woodland Dukedoms and White
  Archipelago, and Modern Golden in the Golden Archipelago
  and the Southern Plains. Other languages and dialects may
  be found in minor kingdoms and remote provinces. Scholars
  frequently study Old Gold (also known as the Classical
  Tongue), as used in the Golden Empires, although it has no
  native speakers today. Merchants and explorers sometimes
  have a smattering of Sutherlander or various Transgogian
  tribal dialects. The remote corners of the world have dozens
  more languages, of course.
  Reducing a characters’ literacy level with his native lan-
  guage doesn’t count against disadvantage limits, although illit-
  eracy is rare among characters with Status 1 or higher.
  CULTURAL FAMILIARITIES
  One Cultural Familiarity covers all of the Known Lands.
  East of the Wall, Transgogian culture has its own Cultural
  Familiarity – a set of barbaric, nomadic traditions – while to
  the south, Sutherlander culture holds sway. Beyond the oceans,
  countless lands follow countless strange customs; the total
  number of Cultural Familiarities available in this world is
  impossible to estimate. Many apply only on a single small
  island, or in a single city deep in the jungle.
  Having been condemned by Nature and Fortune to an active and restless life, in two months
  after my return I again left my native country . . .
  – Jonathan Swift, Gulliver’s Travels
  
  The following are some plausible “adventurer” character
  types.
  ARISTOCRAT
  Younger sons of the nobility routinely set out to make their
  own way in the world, for instance by pursuing a military
  career or making a good marriage. Even oldest or only sons
  may have to pursue quests, petition at court on behalf of their
  families, or fight for their country or their family name.
  An aristocrat always has Status and usually Wealth. In most
  cases, they may have been trained to run an estate or to fight
  as a cavalryman. Code of Honor (Gentleman’s) is common,
  though not universal.
  NATURAL PHILOSOPHER
  OR MASTER WARLOCK
  Students of higher and arcane powers, natural philosophers
  may be drawn into adventures that demand their specialized
  knowledge and skills, or the need for funds may lead them to
  the mercenary life of the freelance warlock.
  In addition to the advantages and skills appropriate to their
  profession, scholars have enough standing in society to qualify
  for a level or two of Status. Most also have a range of scholarly
  mental skills, and they are often Curious.
  PEASANT LAD
  An archetypal fairy-tale hero, the sturdy young peasant may
  be boldly seeking fortune, or he may be a “holy fool” with a
  strange Destiny. Average to low Status, negligible Wealth, and
  a lack of sophisticated knowledge leave PCs with plenty of
  points to spend on attributes or advantages such as Fit.
  PEDDLER
  Wandering between villages, with one eye out for profit and
  the other scanning for danger, peddlers often have adventures
  even if they aren’t looking for trouble. A good IQ, Area
  Knowledge, Fast-Talk, and Merchant skill can go a surprisingly
  long way.
  SAILOR
  Bold to the point of recklessness, sailors are adventurers
  by default. They need Seamanship and Boating skills, of
  course; many possess Gunner (Cannon) and multiple levels of
  Fearlessness. Merchant seamen may learn Merchant skill;
  military sailors may acquire Axe/Mace, Guns (Pistol or
  Shotgun), or Shortsword. Either may have learned some spe-
  cialization of Survival. Carousing and Brawling fill the time
  between voyages, sometimes leading to Alcoholism. Officers
  may know Leadership, Navigation, Shiphandling, Tactics,
  social skills, or a fencing weapon to go with their Rank and
  Status, while ships’ surgeons and carpenters have their own
  professional requirements.
  SERVANT
  Some servant PCs are faithful companions to higher-Status
  characters; others may be downtrodden kitchen skivvies. The
  luckiest of those latter have fairy godmother Patrons. Again,
  low Status and Wealth leave plenty of points for assorted abil-
  ities, including perhaps some job-related skills.
  SOLDIER
  While the serving soldier has little time out of barracks and
  away from the drill square – even in peacetime – the veteran
  bound for home, the straggler cut off from the army, the hero
  given leave as a reward, or the deserter all make fine PCs (espe-
  cially if they somehow keep hold of their weapons).
  Military training implies fair physical attributes, advantages
  such as Combat Reflexes and Fit, and skill in Savoir-Faire (Mil-
  itary) and Soldier as well as in weapons. An ordinary foot sol-
  dier has Guns (Musket) and Spear, while a grenadier has good
  strength, perhaps strictly average intelligence (or at least little
  imagination) combined with improved Will or Fearlessness,
  and Throwing and Shortsword skills. Cavalrymen having Rid-
  ing (Horse), Broadsword, and maybe Guns (Pistol) or Lance.
  Artillerymen have Gunner (Cannon) and probably some com-
  bination of Animal Handling, Armoury, and Teamster.
  NCOs and Officers
  Along with appropriate Rank (if they are still with the col-
  ors), sergeants add Intimidation, Leadership, and possibly
  Teaching,
  while
  commissioned
  officers
  have
  Status,
  Broadsword (or a fencing skill), Riding, Savoir-Faire, and
  maybe Leadership, Strategy, and Tactics.
  CHARACTERS
  20
  COMMON CHARACTER TYPES
  
  STUDENT
  While the natural philosopher has mastered powerful arts,
  the student still has the freshness and vitality of youth. His
  mental skills may be patchy, but his IQ may suggest some
  promise, and his physical attributes can be respectable. Good
  Carousing skill is mandatory. Most students have some Status,
  and either a little Wealth or a wealthy Patron (usually family),
  but poor, determined scholars also exist.
  WITCH OR CUNNING-MAN
  Although most pragmatic rural magic-workers are too
  busy looking after their villages or their own interests, some
  go adventuring to fight evil, aid friends, seek new materials
  for their workings, or acquire magical secrets.
  In addition to Magery, Path/Book Adept, and appropriate
  specializations of Herb Lore and Ritual Magic, a witch prob-
  ably has medical knowledge. Good witches (with a Sense of
  Duty to their neighbors) usually have social skills, a little
  Psychology, and perhaps Meteorology or Naturalist. Evil ones
  (typically with Bully, Lecherousness, or Megalomania) favor
  Intimidation, Poisons, and Stealth. Aerobatics and Flight skill
  are also quite popular; note that the flying witch needs to
  choose a “prop,” such as a broomstick. “Cunning-men” tradi-
  tionally have similar skills with less power and more subtlety,
  while minor warlocks usually share the same powers but with
  less subtlety.
  CHARACTERS
  21
  WEAPONS AND EQUIPMENT
  This setting is very late TL4; the GM may allow some charac-
  ters to raise their personal tech level to 5 (or 4+1), or to take
  perks that permit them to take one or two skills at the higher TL.
  Available equipment is similar to that in the real world around
  1720. Base starting wealth is $3,000, possibly described in a
  bewildering variety of local currencies. Many characters, espe-
  cially the wealthiest sorts, must put at least 80% of starting funds
  in a home, land, furniture, etc., as per p. B26. For example, a set-
  tled peasant, renting his farmland, may have Average Wealth,
  but with most of it tied up in the form of a cottage and tools.
  However, some poorer wandering adventurers can have entirely
  portable resources; in such cases, though, if the wanderer should
  lose much of his gear, he will be reduced to penury.
  Flintlock firearms are the standard military weapons. Use
  the statistics for the flintlock pistol (p. B278) and flintlock mus-
  ket (p. B279). Blunderbusses (p. B279) are mostly limited to
  use in shipboard boarding actions, although some stagecoach
  guards also carry them, especially if escorting mail, and some-
  thing similar may also be used for hunting.
  Crude grenades are used as a specialist weapon by armies
  of the Known Lands; reference the TL5 grenade details on
  p. B277. Grenadiers are troops selected to wield such things.
  They are typically big, strong fellows, chosen for the ability to
  throw a grenade a good long way, and they are generally very
  brave, if sometimes in an unimaginative way. They make excel-
  lent PCs, although they may need someone with more mental
  agility to point them in the right direction.
  An infantryman’s socket bayonet costs $2, weighs 1 lb., and
  takes four seconds to fix or detach. When it is fixed to a mus-
  ket or blunderbuss, the combination can be used as a two-
  handed spear at -1 to skill (limited to Reach 1 with a
  blunderbuss). A detached bayonet can be used as a large knife,
  but at -1 to skill due to the clumsy grip, and it can only be used
  to thrust, not to cut. If a bayonet is fitted, loading a firearm
  takes 10% longer, and shots are at -1 to hit due to poor balance.
  Melee weapon types widely available in this setting include
  hatchets and axes (essentially tools), broadswords (the stan-
  dard cavalry arm), smallswords (a gentleman’s weapon, mostly
  for lightness, convenience, and show), knives and daggers,
  lances (among a few cavalry), and shortswords (among
  artillerymen and grenadiers). Some infantry sergeants carry
  polearms as a badge of rank, but most lack the relevant skill to
  use them very effectively. Wood-cutters always wield two-
  handed axes.
  Anything described in other GURPS historical technology
  sources as appearing by 1730 should usually be available in the
  Known Lands. Items specifically from early TL4 or before are
  likely to be rare and rusty, though. Armor and shields are gen-
  erally considered to be out of date; anyone seeking to acquire
  such a thing in the course of a game may have to place a spe-
  cial order with a craftsman, with a marked-up price and ensu-
  ing delivery delay at the GM’s whim. The GM might go so far
  as to double or triple the standard prices, particularly for metal
  armor, or require adventurers to have an Unusual Background
  to have routine access to a supplier. However, a Status 3 or
  higher character might have some archaic items among his
  starting equipment, salvaged from the junk room or trophy
  gallery at home. Some fairies also wear willfully archaic plate
  armor, made of strange metals.
  Luxury items – especially formal clothing, carriages, and
  banquets – have virtually no upper limit to cost. Wealth should
  be dazzlingly visible!
  STATUS
  Known Lands society is structured and formalized,
  although the old systems are failing a little these days. There
  are impoverished knights and aristocrats, and some peasants
  and merchants have wealth far above the norm for their class.
  Use the Cost of Living Table on p. B265 for this setting.
  Status 8 is limited to the Solar Emperor, 7 is for a king, 6 is
  for a prince or duke, 5 is for an earl or bishop, 4 is for a vis-
  count or baron, 3 is for a knight, 2 is for a priest or lawyer, 1
  is for a comfortable farmer or craftsman, 0 is for a typical
  small farmer or journeyman, -1 is for an “understairs” ser-
  vant or poor peasant, and -2 fits beggars, vagrants, and
  “street scum.”
  
  Once upon a time, there was a soldier who didn’t want to be
  a soldier any more. So he took off his uniform, and he said his
  polite goodbyes to his comrades and officers, and he sat down in
  an inn for one drink of beer, for the road. “I’m done with cam-
  paigning” he said as he nursed his beer. “I’ve fought my wars and
  suffered my wounds and now I want to go home to my old vil-
  lage and remain a farmer for the rest of my life.”
  “That’s all very well” said his friend the merchant, who was
  sitting next to him, “but it’s a long road we have to walk to get
  there, and doubtless there will be many distractions on the way.
  And you may be in for some surprises when you arrive. That’s
  always the way of things.”
  “That’s the truth” said their friend the witch. “And along the
  way, we’ll have to persuade the Fairy Queen to let us pass.”
  That was news to the soldier and the merchant. But they didn’t
  argue with the witch, because they knew that she knew things
  which they didn’t. So they drank a toast to meetings on the road,
  and set out on their way . . .
  This setting is partway between “standard fantasy” and the
  modern world, and campaigns and scenarios should reflect
  this fact. Characters may battle monsters and discover magical
  treasures; they may also engage in international espionage and
  explore strange new lands. Kings and princes rule most areas,
  but they do so through bureaucracies. Witches and warlocks
  have significant power, but it is to some extent the power of sci-
  ence; they must research and prepare, and they operate best
  out of well-stocked workrooms.
  CAMPAIGN TYPES
  The following are some campaign patterns that can work
  well in this setting.
  Seeking Destiny: Peasant youths and soldiers home from the
  wars go out on picaresque quests for fortune, often aided by
  witches and friendly fairies. Wandering the countryside or the
  great cities, they encounter human villains, fairy ogres, or mag-
  ical wonders.
  Spy vs. Spy: With the threat of war hanging over the Known
  Lands, black-cloaked agents jostle and plot. Alchemical secrets,
  military plans, and the names of traitors and secret friends are
  the treasures in such games, sought by agents, warlock-intelli-
  gencers, and the smarter class of aristocrat.
  College Life: In great universities, students and philosophers
  carouse, debate, and occasionally study. Alchemical powers or
  ancient lore attract the interest of some; prospects of noble
  patronage are the immediate concern for others.
  Gone for a Soldier: When war does break out, life may be
  harsh for the common soldier, but a clever lad can prosper, if
  he’s prepared to bend a few regulations.
  Away With the Fairies: Dealings with supernatural creatures
  are rarely safe, but sometimes, the rewards almost justify the
  risk. Just be careful about visiting fairyland.
  The Age of Exploration: Take to the high seas! If the magic
  and mysteries of the Known Lands aren’t enough, who knows
  what strangeness lies beyond the horizon?
  SCENARIO SEEDS
  Country House Mystery: PCs traveling in the Green
  Archipelago visit one of its great houses. Shortly after they
  arrive, the Householder turns up dead in a ditch. Suspected of
  murder themselves, the heroes must disentangle a web of
  greed, jealousy, inheritance, old lawsuits, and secret correspon-
  dence.
  The Haunting: Crossing a windswept moor, the PCs are con-
  fronted by a ghost, which desires to resolve unfinished busi-
  ness from its life. But what rewards (or threats) can a ghost
  offer? How long ago did it die? Can a ghost’s word be trusted?
  Hall of Mirrors: Fate takes the PCs to the Palace of the Sun.
  Once there, they must thread the maze of the Solar bureau-
  cracy, acquire patrons and allies, identify duplicitous enemies,
  and perhaps gain the favor of the Emperor himself – or foil his
  grandiose schemes of conquest.
  Playing Godmother: The PCs encounter a fairy who serves
  as guardian to some innocent young NPC in a nearby town.
  Unfortunately, enemies have cast spells of warding that pre-
  vent her from entering the place. In return for the promise
  of fairy favor, can the PCs provide mundane substitutes for
  magical aid?
  CAMPAIGNING
  22
  CHAPTER FIVE
  CAMPAIGNING
  Infinite Baroque
  In the GURPS Infinite Worlds setting, “Marchen-1” (a
  Quantum-3 world) is a puzzling place, with magical rules,
  beings, and geography that don't correspond directly to the
  supernatural laws of any other known parallel. It may have
  been as heavily disrupted by reality quakes as Madland, if
  not to quite such terrifying effect. As there is no worry of a
  Centrum incursion, Infinity has adopted a cautious, grad-
  ual study of the world, starting from a small “village” front
  established in the Woodland Dukedoms.
  Some Homeline corporations would like to run tourist
  trips to Marchen-1, but Infinity thinks that would be a
  Bad Thing – any world with magic is automatically
  restricted, and besides, Paralabs is still trying to “fix” the
  last Scout group who encountered a fairy with an odd
  sense of humor. Between that and the errant crewman
  who brought a cat back with him (triggering a very dis-
  creet yet intense hunt), Infinity is handling this parallel
  with kid gloves.
  
  Advantages, 19.
  Alchemy, rules, 12-13; skill, 11-13.
  Animals, 5, 18.
  Arcane spirits, 18.
  Architecturalism, 9, 14.
  Aristocrat character type, 20.
  Armor, 21.
  Bayonets, 21.
  Campaign types, 22.
  Cats, 17.
  Channeling advantage, 13.
  Character types, 20-21.
  Charms, 11.
  Chimeras, 17.
  Clerical Investment advantage, 14.
  Cosmology, 5.
  Cultural Familiarities, 19.
  Cunning-man character type, 21.
  Devils, 5, 11, 14, 18.
  Disadvantage limits, 19.
  Domiciliary Republic, 6.
  Dragons, 18.
  Dragonslaying elixir, 13.
  Elements of rituals, 11.
  Elixirs, 13.
  Equipment, 21.
  Fairies, 15-18, 22; armor, 21; in regions, 6, 8,
  9; magic items, 11; realms, 5, 16.
  Fairy Queens, 16-17.
  Faith, power of, 5, 14.
  Fetishes, 11.
  Fire Resistance elixir, 13.
  Firearms, 21.
  Flight elixir, 13.
  Flower Fairies, 16.
  Flying vehicles, 13.
  Foresight elixir, 13.
  Formularies, 12.
  Gazetteer, 6-9.
  Genies, 9.
  Ghosts, 5, 11, 14, 15, 22; realm, 5, 16, 18.
  Giants, 18.
  Gogian Wall, 5, 8.
  Golden Archipelago, 8, 19.
  Golden Dukes, 8.
  Golden Empires, 5-8, 19.
  Great Pact, 7, 8.
  Green Archipelago, 6, 19.
  Grenades, 21.
  GURPS, 14, 21; Age of Napoleon, 6; All-Star
  Jam 2004, 3; Basic Set, 3; Infinite
  Worlds, 22; Magic, 3, 12, 13; Martial
  Arts, 9; Powers, 3, 15, 16;
  Thaumatology, 3, 10-12.
  Herb Lore skill, 11-13.
  Herbals, 12.
  Hierarchy, religious, 14.
  History, 5-6.
  Horologicalism, 14.
  Hybridization elixir, 13.
  Intangible Fairy meta-trait, 16.
  Invisibility elixir, 13.
  Islanders, 6.
  Known Lands, 4-5; beyond, 9; cultures, 19;
  gazetteer, 6-8; history, 5-6; languages, 19.
  Known Paths, 11.
  Known-Lands Sapient-Cat racial template,
  17.
  Lands beyond the seas, 9.
  Languages, 19.
  Lead into gold, 13.
  Levitational Salts elixir, 13.
  Libraries, 12-13.
  Lichdom elixir, 13.
  Luxury items, 21.
  Magery (Path/Book) advantage, 10.
  Magic items, 11.
  Magic Resistance elixir, 13.
  Magic rules, 5, 10-13.
  Map of the Known Lands, 7.
  Master warlock character type, 20.
  Medicine and Physician skill, 5.
  Medium advantage, 13.
  Melee weapons, 21.
  Names of spirits, 11.
  Napoleonic overlap, 6.
  Natural philosopher character type, 20.
  Nature spirits, 18.
  NCO character type, 20.
  Officer character type, 20.
  Ogres, 17-18.
  Optional alchemy rules, 12.
  Overview of setting, 4-5.
  Pact, Great, 7, 8.
  Path/Book Adept advantage, 10.
  Path/Book magic, 10-11.
  Path of, Cunning, 11; Dreams, 11; Elements,
  11; Form, 11; Gadgets, 11; Health, 11;
  Knowledge, 11; Luck, 11; Nature, 11;
  Protection, 11; Spirit, 11.
  Peasant lad character type, 20.
  Peddler character type, 20.
  Physician skill, 5, 14.
  Point values of characters, 19.
  Pole, northern, 9.
  Priests, 5, 14, 21.
  Publication history, 3.
  Racial template, 17.
  Rank advantage, 14.
  Reanimation elixir, 13.
  Regeneration elixir, 13.
  Religion, 5, 9, 14.
  Resurrection elixir, 13.
  Ritual magic, 10-11; skill, 11.
  Ritual parameters, 11.
  Ritual spaces, 11.
  Sacred spaces, 11.
  Sailor character type, 20.
  Sapient cats, 17.
  Scenario seeds, 22.
  Servant character type, 20.
  Shields, 21.
  Solar Empire, 7, 14, 19.
  Soldier character type, 20.
  Southern Plains, 7, 19.
  Spherical Chariot, 13.
  Spirit Empathy advantage, 13.
  Spirits, 5, 11, 15-18; malevolent, 5, 14;
  names, 11; religious symbols and, 5, 14.
  Status, 21.
  Student character type, 21.
  Supernatural entities, see Spirits.
  Sutherlands, 9, 19.
  Swashbuckling, 9.
  Technology, 4-5, level, 4.
  Theology, see Religion.
  Towns, 4.
  Transformation elixir, 13.
  Transgogian Plains, 9, 19; characters from, 9.
  Trolls, 17.
  Undead, see Ghosts.
  Universal Antidote elixir, 13.
  Wealth, starting, 21.
  Weapons, 21.
  White Archipelago, 8, 19.
  White King, 8.
  Wildlife, 5, 18.
  Witch character type, 21.
  Woodland Dukedoms, 8, 19.
  Youth elixir, 13.
  INDEX
  23
  INDEX
  The elfin maidens were already dancing on the elf
  hill, and they danced in shawls woven from moonshine
  and mist, which look very pretty to those who like such
  things. The large hall within the elf hill was splendidly
  decorated; the floor had been washed with moonshine,
  and the walls had been rubbed with magic ointment,
  so that they glowed like tulip-leaves in the light.
  – Hans Christian Andersen, “The Elfin Hill”
  
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  STEVE JACKSON GAMES
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SOURCE: textdata/thevault/GURPS [multi]/4th edition/GURPS 4e - Thaumatology - Alchemical Baroque.pdf