Houserule - Blood Gifts Overview

The various and sundry special abilities that characters can manifest due to their adopted heritage.

I am still working my way through the GURPS rules in enough detail to design powers. Some advantages are good enough to use as-is but a lot of the more supernatural effects will require using spells or tinkering with enhancements and limitations.

Not 100% on the in-game terminology here, either. Blood ability vs Blood power - are they interchangeable or different? Does one describe an always-on effect while another is activated? What about simple physical changes like a giantkin growing to SM +1 or a dragonborn with a tail? No one would say that was an ability or power, just a manifestation of the Blood. My initial thought is Blood gifts is the overarching term, with manifestations being always-on stuff and abilities/powers being things that you have to activate to use. I may need to further delineate that powers are based on spells while abilities are based on advantages (somewhat confusingly called powers in GURPS).

Regardless, Blood gifts. All giantkin and dragonborn have an innate sense of who is of the Blood and who is not. It is unheard of for a lesser race to bluff being of the Blood in any situation they might encounter an actual Scion as the ruse would fall apart instantly with the most cursory interaction. This is modeled by all Scions receiving Blooded 0 (essentially Magery 0 for blood) for free.

Blooded 0 (5 points)

This is basic "blood awareness." It has three effects:

• You can use your blood gifts!
• You can sense Blooded individuals and bloodstone.
• Includes whether the Blood is Giant or Dragon.
  
• (Unlike Magery, success is automatic on touch.)
• You can sense the boundaries of the Borderlands and the Blood Wastes. They feel familiar yet twisted and violated, like seeing your house after it has been burgled.
  

Blooded 1+ (10 points/level)

Rare. Adds to base attribute when learning Blood powers and to Perception when trying to sense Scions or bloodstone. Usually possessed by bloodline Scions who know they will likely develop certain powers and train to use them more effectively.

Blood powers modeled by spells are purchased using the rules for racial spells in Basic Campaigns. You learn the spell as a Hard or Very Hard skill, though the base ability may change from IQ to another appropriate attribute. Manifesting the ability (i.e. casting) works as normal for spells, including FP costs. Energy Reserve (Blooded) can be purchased up to level 3 (subject to change based on play).

See some sample Blood Gifts packages here.