Source: M. A. Lloyd
The Path of Passions manipulates the affections and humors - primarily the emotions, but also some aspects of behavior and thought. There is overlap with Dreams, but Dreams deals more with the subconscious origins of emotion while Passions is concerned with actual manifestations of them.
Creates a constant state of sexual desire in the target. This acts as the Lecherousness disadvantage, and may relax his standards enough to allow seduction attempts he would not usually consider - overcoming shyness, mild intolerance or vows, or issues of sexual orientation. If the target is already Lecherousness the effect is to subtract 5 from any rolls to resist it, or any other sexual temptations.
Anything the target says is more convincing that it otherwise would be. Add half the success margin (round up) to his Diplomacy, Fast Talk, Rhetoric or other persuasive skills.
The effect will also work on a document, add the modifier to the persuasiveness of the text, and subtract it from the chances anyone will bother to check up on it. Eloquence only influences people, so while the inspector is less likely to select your passport for a routine check, if he is running all of them through the planetary computer net....
If a skill augmented by this ritual is a critical success it entirely bypasses rational analysis and the victim will believe the most blatant nonsense. The drawback of course is you have to utter the nonsense before you roll, and if you don't score a critical....
Creates a charm radiating a particular emotion. The canonical form projects the love and approval of the token creator for a particular person, to whom it is normally given. Since GURPS lacks a system of personality rolls this is mostly left to role-playing, but it can modify die rolls the GM thinks might be influenced by half the success margin. There are forms which can be useful in GURPS. A charm of courage could add to fright checks, or one of endurance to pain resistance, and Will rolls to resist disadvantages can often be modified up or down by appropriate emotional states.
The target will try to avoid contact with a designated individual, object, place or event, avoiding even thinking about it as much as possible. Exactly how he goes about this depends on his personality; most people will not leave the country to avoid a neighbor. With proper timing this can avert fights, get legal actions dropped or break up love affairs.
Every tradition includes a charm for sexual fidelity. There are two basic forms:
The target is sexually attracted someone specified. The GM may modify the resistance roll from -4 (the target already likes the specified person) to +4 (despises them, or prefers another sex or species). If not resisted, the target will act on the emotion as dictated by his personality. Persistent seduction attempts, a proposal of marriage or an attempted rape are the most likely outcomes. But spending everything he owns to send 4 tons of roses, or killing himself on her doorstep as a gesture of devotion are not out of the question.
The induced emotion ends with the duration, but the hope is it will be replaced by a natural emotion by then. Should the ritual backlash the magician suddenly desires someone he ordinarily wouldn't even consider approaching....
The target becomes extremely sexually attractive. Reaction rolls from the opposite sex, or others with the right orientations to be interested, improve by half the success margin. Will rolls to resist Lecherousness toward him or seduction attempts by him are reduced by the same amount.
The target radiates an aura of unimportance. Subtract half the success margin from rolls for him to be noticed or taken seriously. This adds to Stealth or Shadowing, subtracts from Alertness, and shifts all reaction rolls toward neutral (10). The effect normally works only on direct perception, but at an additional -3 it will work through but not on technology. That is those watching through a security camera or listening on the telephone treat the target as insignificant, but software or security alarms do not. On a critical failure the target irritatingly blatant, it will be more easily noticed, but reactions always become more negative.
The target radiates an aura that modifies reactions by one per two points of success margin.
Limiting the effect to a smaller group provides a bonus - +1 for a large group (all children), +3 for a small group (the royal court) , up to +6 for a very small group (my fiancée's relatives).
The traditional use is to give the magician an aura of subtle power, but other flavors are allowed - kindliness, competence, viciousness etc. - and will alter reactions differently.
On a critical failure the target radiates an aura with the opposite of the intended flavor.
This ritual may target individuals (use number of target modifiers) or an area (targets anyone who spends the 3d minute induction time in it). Targets who fail to resist drop into deep natural sleep within 3d minutes. Small disturbances do not wake them, though major ones will. Otherwise, they sleep for the duration (maximum 24 hours), plus any further time they need to awaken fully rested. As a targeted ritual it can backlash and put the magician to sleep. It is safe as an area effect.
Allows the magician to ask one question per two points of success margin, which the target must answer truthfully and in reasonable detail. The traditional form is a jewel or other talisman placed against some personal part of the anatomy of a sleeping woman to be asked about adultery, but this reflects the interests of grimoire compilers rather than a limitation on the ritual. A backlash forces the magician to answer the next however many questions directed toward him by anybody else.
The magician speaks a command. If the target fails to resist he must do his best to obey it. The command must be understood, so language matters and commands too complex to be easily remembered or digested will not work very well. The GM may modify resistance to commands the target would want to obey or find exceptionally objectionable. The default casting time is the time to speak the command and the default duration is only 10 minutes. Longer casting times (to reduce the penalty) usually mean the phrasing is more seduction than forceful order. A backlash leaves the magician vulnerable to the next forceful command given him.
Transforms the target into a willing slave of the magician. Remove any advantages or disadvantages that cause the thrall to resist his new lot, and add Re-programmable Duty (to the caster until he orders you to obey someone else). As a willing slave, the target obeys the spirit of his orders as well as the letter. This is the most useful variant, since it allows the thrall to use his skills and initiative in the magician's service. Variants that transform the victim into an obedient idiot or automaton may be easier; Raise Zombie (VO p80) can be considered one. In some traditions the effect ends when their master dies, but in others the thralls continue to obey standing orders, or become slaves of the master's slayer, or of the first person to give a forceful command, or, particularly in automaton variants, stand still and starve to death. This is a resisted hostile ritual. If it backlashes the magician acquires Slave Mentality.
The GM may require PCs who use this a lot to spend points to buy the resulting Ally Group.
Amplify sexual pleasure, cause arguments, morale/warbanner