GURPS101: Final Fantasy-Style Summoning

So, I’m a pretty simple guy. I like having a routine. I like having the same breakfast every morning (red wheat, one slice of toast with strawberry jam, half a banana, and one cup of coffee with 2 packets of splenda and creme). The reason I bring this up is that my girlfriend and best friend conspired for my birthday and got me Final Fantasy 6 for Android…needless to say, I’ve been played it like crazy because it is hands down the BEST Final Fantasy there is (don’t try to convert me – it ain’t gonna work! Locke rules). So that got me thinking about how Espers would work in GURPS and in general Final Fantasy-style summons.

The Basics
Each Esper could be represented as a Patron with the following modifiers: Highly Accessible (+50%), Magical (-10%), Minimal Intervention (-50%), and Special Abilities, Grants Powers (+100%). The character then calls on his Patron and then it decides what aid is rendered. A better way to represent Final Fantasy summons is probably to base it on a specific advantages or advantages and then use a meta-enhancement:

Esper Summons (+140%): Accessibility, Once Per Scene, -20%; Area Effect, 8 yards, +150%; Magical, -10%; Selective Area, +20%.

Additionally, each Esper can teach a set number of spells. Represent this as “Unusual Background (Magic Teacher)” worth 5 points for the first Esper and a mere perk per Esper after the first. additionally, each Esper Summons power is an alternative ability of the most expensive ability, while all others are 1/5 cost.

Example: Ramuh Summons
When Ramuh is summoned he performs his “Judgement Bolt” attack.

Judgement Bolt: Burning 5d (Armor Divisor 2, +50%; Cosmic, Metal Armor offers no protection, +50%; Environmental, Air, -5%; Esper Summons, +140%; Overhead, +30%; Side Effect, Stunning, +50%; Surge, Arcing, +100%) + Unusual Background (Magic Teacher) [5]. Causes lightning to strike all enemies in a 8-yard area. Metal armor provides no DR, the ability can only be used in
environments with a atmosphere, it has the Surge modifier (p. B105), and requires a HT roll at -1 per 2 HP taken or be stunned. He may roll vs. HT+1 once per second to recover. He can teach any electricity-related spell which requires 200 hours of meditation communing with him or the expenditure of unspent character points. 134 points.

Picking Over the Bones
Translating my favorite video-game of all time over to GURPS might be a fun worthy experiment in my spare time (what’s that again?), so you might be seeing more such posts. Overall, it’s a pretty straightforward, if time-consuming process. If the damage is too much, you can easily adjust it down. You could even base it on the point value of the summoner, say, 1d per 25 or 50 points. So “higher level” characters can do more devastating attacks (which fits with Final Fantasy in general).

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