Magic Style: House Rolo Elixir Grenadier

One of my favorite Magic books in GURPS is Magic: Magical Styles. I often play around with it, in a beautiful dance of flavor, world building and mechanics. Here is one of them (it also touches on Martial Arts stuff), although this martial/experimental magic style is built around Alchemy and not spells. I have a vague setting in mind for this style, but I kept it generic enough to easily adapt it.

House Rolo Elixir Grenadier

5 points

The House Rolo Elixir Grenadier magic style is a True Lineage, taught from master to apprentice in an unbroken chain going back to the founder of the Lodge. Rolo the Founder was a scholar of alchemy who got bootstrapped to a semi-rear-echelon combat engineer position when war broke out, and surprised everyone by proving himself talented at hostile elixirs and their use in violence. He studied the technology of grenades and the skill of throwing them on the battlefield, eventually adapting such things to alchemical dangers and weapons. His “sapper” combat style today is usually adapted to assassinations or “aggressive” security measures, now that the war is over.

Unlike many alchemy-focused styles, the House Rolo style is not a “guild” or “merchant” one but rather for warriors. Specifically, warriors who throw elixir grenades as their primary weapon. The elixirs used are strictly hostile, often damaging or at least debuffing. Their basic training in the style covers the mystical science of alchemy, proper combat throwing, quick readying of weapons, and a little bit of arson, bombing or poisoning to taste. Some stylists use the sling (or perhaps an actual grenade launcher if TL is high enough) to aid in catapulting their elixir grenades. Some use Movement spells to do it. Their style perks cover not only alchemical matters and combat tricks but also their social prestige, magical tools and bodily defences.

The signature combat trick of the style is to ready an elixir grenade in each hand and simultaneously toss them into the fray from afar in one smooth motion. Typically, this attack is not a Rapid Strike but a Dual-Weapon Attack, one thrown grenade per hand. Outside of that, it is very much a martial style emphasising surprise, sneaking, sabotage and a hasty retreat once the strike is made. Pastille elixirs do see use, when the stylist can set up a good trap in advance.

This style does not have in-style spells (although plenty of practitioners know useful spells), but Elixir Techniques instead (learning the style only requires knowing the Required Skills, not any Techniques or Spells). Count points invested in Alchemy skill and the Elixir Techniques are effectively in-style spells for the purposes of magic Perks and the Style Familiarity benefits. The GM may also treat points in Enhancement Techniques of the in-style Elixirs (see Pyramid 3/28 page 5) as counting for in-style spells, too.

See Pyramid 3/28 pages 4-10 for alchemy options and rules touched upon in this style write-up. One relevant rule (Pyramid 3/28 page 7); grenade Elixirs can be made from potions, cost 1.5 times normal and no production time increase.

Also see Pyramid 3/91 pages 19-21 for more relevant Elixirs.

You may feel like introducing new Alchemical Perks from https://enragedeggplant.blogspot.com/2018/12/alchemy-alchemical-styles.html into this style, as well. Alchemical Form Mastery, for example, is a good choice.

Required Skills: Alchemy; Throwing; Fast-Draw (Ammo/Potion); Explosives (Fireworks or Demolitions) or Poisons.

Elixir Techniques: Alkahest; Combustion; Death; Dragonslaying; Drunkenness; Fear; Foolishness; Forgetfulness; Frustration; Ghost Repellent; Long Slumber; Madness; Nightmares; Sleep; Unluckiness; Weakness; Zombification.

Perks: Better Elixirs; Blood Magic*; Dual Ready**; Guild Rank; Elixir Enhancement; Elixir Resistance (any); Elixir Variation (in-style Elixirs); Enhanced Elixir (in-style Elixirs); Filter; Frightening Side Effects (any damaging Elixir); Gut of the Dragon; Kindle; Huge Subjects (Elixir); License; Magical Weapon Bond; Mystic’s Stupor; Off-Hand Weapon Training (Throwing, Fast-Draw (Ammo/Potion))**; Permit (dangerous or illegal Elixir); Quick-Sheathe (Ammo/Potion)**; Reinforce; Rinse; Rule of 17 (hostile Elixir); Secret Material (any the GM allows, paut and Raw Mana are probably the default); Special Exercises (IQ); Spell Hardiness (any, can also be Elixir); Spell Resistance (any, can also be Elixir); Stabilising Skill (Alchemy for brewing elixirs); SOP (Paraphernalia Pro); Super-Sympathy (alchemy lab); Thaumatological Doublespeak; Wizardly Garb.

* = modified for this style; human blood is used as an ingredient in Elixirs, giving +1 to brewing rolls per 20% of HP shed.

**= can count as a martial style perk or magic style perk, either by investing in fighting Skills or style Elixir Techniques.

OPTIONAL TRAITS

Cinematic Skills: Body Control; Pressure Points; Throwing Art.

Cinematic Techniques: Dual-Weapon Attack (Throwing); Pressure Point Strike.

Attributes: Improved IQ and HT.

Advantages: Acute Taste and Smell; Ambidexterity; Gadgeteer (alchemy only); Gizmo (elixirs only); Magery; Magical Resistance; Signature Gear (alchemy lab); Wealth.

Disadvantages: Addiction or Alcoholism; Bad Reputation (sinister assassin); Bloodlust; Callous; Greed; Obsession (Pursue alchemical knowledge).

Skills: Chemistry; Diagnosis; First Aid; Guns (GL); Hazardous Materials (Magical); Herb Lore; Holdout; Naturalist; Pharmacy; Research; Running; Stealth; Sling; Soldier; Smuggling; Tactics; Thaumatology; Traps.

Techniques: Alchemy (Batching); Alchemy Enhancements; Alchemy (Extra Dose); Alchemy (Identify Elixir); Off-Hand Weapon Training (Throwing).

Perks: Quick-Swap.

Spells: Apportation; Bless Plants; Create Fire; Create Water; Cook; Detect Magic; Distill; Essential Fire; Essential Water; Extinguish Fire; Fireproof; Identify Plant; Ignite Fire; Mature; Measurement; Plant Growth; Poltergeist; Purify Water; Seek Food; Seek Fuel; Seek Plant; Test Food; Test Fuel; Winged Knife.