GURPS: New Animakinesis Ability, Bind Spirit

Some psis deal with spirit beings on a regular basis. Today’s post contains an Animakinesis ability for binding insubstantial beings.

Bind Spirit

4.5/level; 3.18/level with Multiplicative Modifiers

Skill: Bind Spirit (Will/Hard)

You can bind insubstantial beings - rooting them in place. Make a Quick Contest of your skill (at -1/yard of distance to your target) vs your target’s Will or Mental Strength. If you win, your target is “grappled,” at -4 to DX and cannot move or change posture until free. The victim can free himself by winning a Quick Contest of Will vs this ability’s level. This attempt takes one second. If he fails, he loses 1 FP but may try again.

The binding can also be damaged by attacks that can affect insubstantial targets. The Binding has a DR of the Bind Spirit level/3. Each point of penetrating damage reduces the binding’s effective level by 1. Once it the binding’s level is reduced to 0, the victim is freed. Innate Attacks from the victim hit automatically; other attacks are at -4. The binding itself is normally invisible, but it can be detected by supernatural means. External attacks on the Binding are at -10 to hit unless they can be perceived and risk hitting the victim on a miss (see Striking Into a Close Combat, B392).

You may add another “layer” to your binding by using this ability on an already bound target. Each “layer” adds +1 to the binding’s effective level.

This ability can only be used against insubstantial targets (including naturally substantial creatures made insubstantial though some supernatural ability) or normally insubstantial creatures that are manifest.

The Rule of 16 applies to the initial Quick Contest of Will but not to the contest to break free of this ability.

Statistics: Binding (Based on Will, +20%; Insubstantial Only, -30%; Malediction 1, +100%; Materialized spirits are valid targets, +5%; Necrokinesis, -10%; No Signature, +20%; Only Damaged by Affects Insubstantial, +20%) [4.5/level]. Replace Escape with Mental Strength for the victim to break free as a feature of Based on Will.

Expansion

Hard

Default: Bind Spirit-5; cannot exceed Bind Spirit.

You can bind all insubstantial beings in a two yard area. For every 5 points by which you make the (modified) roll, double the affected area.

Extended Range

Hard

Default: Bind Spirit-5; cannot exceed Bind Spirit.

Your binding uses the normal range penalties (B550) instead of -1/yard. For an additional -5 penalty (which can be bought off), it uses the long-range modifiers (B241) instead.

Immobilize Spirit

Hard

Default: Bind Spirit-6; cannot exceed Bind Spirit.

Your target is “pinned” instead of merely “grappled.” He can only attempt purely mental abilities, attack the binding or try to break free. He is only able reattempts to free himself once every 10 seconds. If he rolls 17 or 18, the victim becomes so entangled that he is unable to free himself and must be freed by someone else.

Spiritual Constriction

Hard

Default: Bind Spirit-8; cannot exceed Bind Spirit.

Each turn your target is bound, the binding attacks him with a Constriction Attack with a ST equal to Spirit Binding’s level. Your target resists with Will instead of HT.

Spirit Trap

Hard

Default: Bind Spirit-2; cannot exceed Bind Spirit.

Any insubstantial being that touches the bound target must win a Quick Contest as if he were the original victim or become bound as well. This lasts for a minute or until the bonds are broken, whichever comes first.

Surging Bind

Hard

Default: Bind Spirit-4; cannot exceed Bind Spirit.

If you have the Spectral Surge (Pyramid #3/99, p. 5) ability, you can use it in conjunction with Bind Spirit. Use the worse range penalties and smaller area for both abilities when used this way, and make a single roll against this technique for both abilities.

Spectral Surge does not become “sticky” when this technique is used with Spirit Trap.

Unbreakable Bonds

Hard

Default: Bind Spirit-2; cannot exceed Bind Spirit.

The binding cannot be damaged with attacks. It must be escaped by winning the Quick Contest to break free.

The GM may wish to make this technique and Immobilize Spirit mutually exclusive.

Designer Notes

This ability is fairly simple. The main ability is simply a modified binding. The Techniques are all obvious.

The material presented here is my original creation, intended for use with the GURPS system from Steve Jackson Games. This material is not official and is not endorsed by Steve Jackson Games.