Thread: How Many Skill Points for a Character to Start with a Cthulhu Mythos Spell?

I will be starting a brp/Call of Cthulhu fantasy game, and plan to allow the characters the option of starting with Call of Cthulhu spells, in exchange for less skill points. How many skill points would you say a Cthulhu Mythos spell is worth? I am thinking 20 or 25.

Sounds good. In Elric!, at character generation, the player can choose to take three spells or add 20 extra skill points to three skills.

Using Call of Cthulhu spells is excellent if you want to give your fantasy setting a really dark sword'n'sorcery feel. I'ld also recommend also using the BRP Magic spells for anything not covered by CoC spells, but you would need to give them more flavour, and also a SAN rating accordingly.

I'ld say about 20% -25% per MP level of spell would be fair, depending on your setting. Perhaps you could go 15% per MP level if you wanted to be nice, it depends on how much you want magic to be in the setting.

Another idea I had was to give all characters access to magic by giving them an additional number of background points equal to their POW or 1/2 POW (depending upon setting). Every 1 MP worth of spell cost 1 background point, and the character had to throw skill points into each particular spell. Characters who wouldn't want to have magic could always gain 15% skill points for each unused POW background point or something like that. You'ld probably have to make them have some Knowledge or Craft prerequisite skills for magic first, otherwise it would end up more like high fantasy rather than a sword 'n' sorcery fantasy. Anyway, just an idea.

But you're onto a good thing having the Mythos style magic in a fantasy setting, it really feels more dark and mystical if that's the kind of feel you're after.

Originally Posted by Mankcam

Perhaps you could go 15% per MP level if you wanted to be nice, it depends on how much you want magic to be in the setting.

I dig this. Hell, I might even drop it down to 10% per mp. Also the suggestion of looking to sorcery spells with added San rolls to fill in any magic gaps.

Are the skill % cost the only limiting factor to starting spell selection?

This variant system allows you to introduce an element of dark horror into your d20 game. In campaigns using these rules, characters gain a new attribute called Sanity. This statistic functions like an ability score in some ways

Originally Posted by Arcturus

I will be starting a brp/Call of Cthulhu fantasy game, and plan to allow the characters the option of starting with Call of Cthulhu spells, in exchange for less skill points. How many skill points would you say a Cthulhu Mythos spell is worth? I am thinking 20 or 25.

Considering how useful Cthulhu spells are, maybe you should -give- them Skill Points...