Magical Null — house rules

Game: Orion Corridor — 2277 · Setting: Khesret system · Rules: GURPS 4e

Companion: Khesret Magic System · Enchantment Gadgeteer · Life-Cells

Summary

Magical Null is a bundled house trait (see GURPS Magic Resistance + Mana Damper). Nulls never cast. Higher levels suppress magic by touch and dead-mana bubbles.

Pick one level (includes all lower):

Level	Name	Effect
I	Insulated	Magic does not affect you
II	Grounding	Touch suppresses active magic
III	Wither	3-foot radius no mana (always on)
IV	Anchor	3-yard radius no mana (always on)

House point guide: 20 / 35 / 55 / 80 — or equivalent custom build.

Incompatible: Magery, spells, Power Investiture (same character).

Ivan (canon PC): Grounding Null (II) — touch suppresses magic; no dead-mana bubble. ~3 m plant fade near his bunk = Null bleed (sleep adjacency), not Level III–IV.

Rarity (setting): Most people have never heard of Nulls. Background human rate < 0.0001%. Nearly all known Nulls descend from the sealed Harrowdeep Claim in Torchless Reach (TR-4419) — an ungated dead lane (no Concord jump, no CHC route). GM cards: Torchless Reach · Harrowdeep Claim.

Level I — Insulated

Targeted magic: caster −10 or resist +10 (GM picks one, stay consistent).
Area magic: caster −4 to affect you.
Beneficial magic requires touch + consent.
Assensing: blank / static / void.

Level II — Grounding

Touch → Quick Contest null Will+10 vs spell/item skill:

Target	Result
Active spell on person	Ends if null wins
Active magic item	Dormant 1d×10 min
Life-Cell	−1d MP; dormant 1 hr
Ritual / Q&D in progress	Disrupted
Mage Strain	Clear Strain (1 FP to null, 1×/scene)

Turn off vs. burn out

Intent	Burn 3d?
Shut off (default touch)	Fast-Bound only
Ground hard (burn it out)	Always

3d total — after item is off / dormant:

3d	Fast-Bound	Proper enchant
3–10	Returns when dormant ends	Returns when dormant ends
11–14	Burned out (mundane)	Fractured — repair needed
15–17	Burned out	Fractured + 24 h offline
18+	Burned out (+ 1 FP to null if deliberate)	Burned out

Life-Cells: −1d MP only — stone survives. One-shots: charge spent, no 3d.

Null bleed (Level II only)

Long-term presence (especially sleep within ~3 m of plants) stresses life-mana — not a no-mana zone. Mages can cast nearby until the null touches something.

Greenhouse d100 +5 if null bunks adjacent to dome that week.
Ivan (Verdigris): corridor stays plant-free from bleed, not Wither/Anchor.

Levels III & IV — Dead mana bubble (not Ivan II)

	III	IV
Radius	3 ft	3 yd
Local mana	None	None
Edge	Maintained spells −4 or drop	−6 or drop

No casting or recharge inside.
Plants suffer inside III–IV bubble — don’t sleep in the mana-garden.
Null bleed (II only): adjacent bunk +5 on greenhouse d100 — Ivan, not a bubble.
IV replaces III radius (not stacked).

Magic items

	In bubble	Touched
Dormant item	Won’t activate	—
Active item	Off inside	Dormant — Burn-Out Roll if Fast-Bound or ground hard
Life-Cell	No draw/recharge	MP loss + dormant
Mundane / Lattice	Normal	Normal

Suppress ≠ destroy — use Burn-Out Roll (3d) per intent + item type.

Astral

Nulls do not project.
Assense: void sphere (size = bubble if III–IV); II reads as void / static only.
Projector’s body in III–IV bubble: Strain +2/round, Will or snap-back.
Null II (Ivan): No bubble — projection unaffected by proximity; touch on body still dispel + Strain +3.
Not Lattice — null doesn’t kill net personas.

Law

I: Astral disclosure note common.
III–IV: Ship Anchor manifest; greenhouse liability; enchant weeks need berth separation.

Crew etiquette (Verdigris)

Enchant week: null not in greenhouse annex.
Null-touch to clear Strain = ask first — it hurts like grounding a live wire.
Ivan (Null II): no bubble — but Null bleed and accidental touch still matter.
Bubble (III–IV only) is always on — not polite to “turn off.”

Source canon: WCP_Website/campaign-authoring/palimpsest/KHESRET-MAGICAL-NULL.md