GURPSよろず

　Charms resemble Unusual Training (p. 21) but bestow supernatural, intuitive (not learned) knowledge. E
ach Charm waives the spell and Magery prerequisites for one particular spell.
You must pay points for the spell like any other IQ/H or IQ/VH skill, and Magery gives its usual bonus. You can’t cast the spell unless you have at least Magery 0 or are in an area with high or better mana.

　For divine magic, a Charm waives the need for Power Investiture ―― such spells don’t have spell prerequisites ―― and does let you cast the spell. However, you can only choose spells offered by your god.

Shortcut to Power†

　The raison d’être of many magical styles is to unlock occult secrets quickly by cutting corners or ignoring anything that distracts from the goal. A Shortcut to Power represents such a secret: It waives the spell prerequisites (only) for a particular spell. The wizard replaces the usual requirements with an investment in his style’s spells – that is, he pays 10 points for spells learned as usual, buys this Magic Perk, and can immediately spend points on an advanced spell that wouldn’t otherwise be in reach.

　A style might have several Shortcuts to Power that are learned in a prescribed order, effectively making them prerequisites for one another. Otherwise, spells learned via such perks can’t count as prerequisites until the wizard actually learns their prerequisites – the previously circumvented theory is required to build on the secret! If the magician learns prerequisites that render his Shortcut to Power redundant, he may use the point for a new Shortcut to Power or for any spell in the prerequisite chain that obviated his old perk.

　Example: The Onyx Path (pp. 34-36) includes Shortcut to Power (Soul Jar) and Shortcut to Power (Lich), always learned in that order. Ruinas the Usurper puts 10 points into low-level spells of the Onyx Path, qualifies for a Magic Perk, selects Shortcut to Power (Soul Jar), and puts a point in Soul Jar. This saves him from having to spend many points on spells that he might not find useful in his present circumstances. Years later, Ruinas knows the proper prerequisites for Soul Jar. He could delete Shortcut to Power (Soul Jar) and invest the point in one of those prerequisites, but opts instead for Shortcut to Power (Lich). Ruinas can thus learn Lich immediately . . .

　Most Magic Perks are balanced even for non-stylists, and fairly “safe” for players to customize, but Shortcut to Power is easily abused in a game world where most wizards must buy prerequisites. The GM is advised to restrict it to styles of his design.