Spell Advice

[Guest Worldmaker]

Okay, so here's what the spell in question looks like: when its cast, eight silver-mirrors balls about the size of a softball start orbiting the wizard at a distance of about five inches. They don't have any physical presence and don't do/take damage if they hit anything. They're purely a cool SFX.

 

What the spell actually does is this: when an attack spell is cast at the wizard while these little silver grapefruits are orbiting, the incoming spell is null-and-voided and one of the silver balls pops out of existence. The spell ends when all the balls are gone.

 

Now, is this best built as a Dispel with a trigger and charges, or as armor, or somesuch other way?

[mayapuppies]

Re: Spell Advice

 

Well, it could be built as either armor or dispel, but I'd go with a dispel of sufficient power.

 

Add on the charges and trigger, voila!

[Doc Democracy]

Re: Spell Advice

 

so the spell has to be targetted at the caster?

 

You might also want to think about making it an absolute miss effect. Have the caster buy the levels in DCV such that any person in the campaign world casting a spell would need to roll a 3 to hit. All spells cast can then be considered to have missed.

 

This removes concerns about the active points of incoming spells but it comes into conflict with automatic hit spells like magic missile...

 

 

Doc

[mayapuppies]

Re: Spell Advice

 

Would the sphere's block an AOE type spell like a Fire Ball? If not, then the Doc has the better build IMHO, much more elegant.

[Guest Worldmaker]

Re: Spell Advice

 

No, the spell doesn't work at all against AoE attacks, so a Fireball explosion strikes the wizard full force. Of course, it also doesn't cause the silver-softball spell (which I am still trying to name) to use up any charges, either.

 

I like the DCV combat levels vs. targeted spells idea. I built the magic missile equivalent as an AEO (one hex, accurate) attack, so technically, enough DCV levels would even nullify that.

 

Thanks for the advice.

[Guest Worldmaker]

Re: Spell Advice

 

Okay, this time I need advice for a spell that's a bit more complicated.

 

Basically, the person on whom the spell is cast stores some of his or her life force in a candle. These stored BODY points can be regained normally. Anyway, when he hits 0 Body, the candle can be lit and the BODY points stored in it return to the character.

 

 

How do I build that? I've thought about BODY only Healing, but it somehow doesn't feel right. Neither does just having it be a static amount of +BODY.

 

Anybody have any ideas?

[Doc Democracy]

Re: Spell Advice

 

So just to get this straight, George gets the spell (BODY 10) cast upon him. When it is cast he drops to BODY 7 (it hurts!) which he regains at natural rates. He has however a candle which, when lit, will provide him with 3 BODY. The candle cannot be lit until George is at 0 BODY.

 

That cover it?

 

I am thinking that it is healing that you have to look at. A 3D6 healing (standard effect) with a 1D6K side effect (standard effect), effect delayed until the recipient is at 0 BODY and the candle is lit.

 

Doc

[JohnTaber]

Re: Spell Advice

 

Triggered Body Aid or Healing sounds right to me.

[Guest Worldmaker]

Re: Spell Advice

 

So just to get this straight, George gets the spell (BODY 10) cast upon him. When it is cast he drops to BODY 7 (it hurts!) which he regains at natural rates. He has however a candle which, when lit, will provide him with 3 BODY. The candle cannot be lit until George is at 0 BODY.

 

That cover it?

 

I am thinking that it is healing that you have to look at. A 3D6 healing (standard effect) with a 1D6K side effect (standard effect), effect delayed until the recipient is at 0 BODY and the candle is lit.

 

Okay, cool. Thanks. I knew I'd have to end up using Healing... I was just wondering about the rest of it.

 

 

My next one is tricky...

 

The magic system I use in my campaign requires wizards to have a Spell VPP. All spells taken in the VPP must be from the wizard's spellbook (the list of spells he knows). Once the spells are "memorized" (that is, prepped in the VPP), he can use them as often as he likes, but if he wants to change spells, he has to go back and meditate and study for hours to change his VPP.

 

So... the idea for the spell is this: the wizard casts the Tricky Spell, which "exchanges" one of his prepared spells for an unprepared spell the wizard has in his spellbook, and casts the unprepared spell instead. The change isn't permanent... it just counts for that casting.

 

Would Transform work for this effect? Or is it just something that can't be modeled by Hero System?

[Blue Jogger]

Re: Spell Advice

 

My next one is tricky...

 

The magic system I use in my campaign requires wizards to have a Spell VPP. All spells taken in the VPP must be from the wizard's spellbook (the list of spells he knows). Once the spells are "memorized" (that is, prepped in the VPP), he can use them as often as he likes, but if he wants to change spells, he has to go back and meditate and study for hours to change his VPP.

 

So... the idea for the spell is this: the wizard casts the Tricky Spell, which "exchanges" one of his prepared spells for an unprepared spell the wizard has in his spellbook, and casts the unprepared spell instead. The change isn't permanent... it just counts for that casting.

 

Would Transform work for this effect? Or is it just something that can't be modeled by Hero System?

 

 

Transform would work for that effect. Usually the changing of one spell to another is considered a Major effect. For ease, we will go with Standard Effect so that's 3 points of Transform for 15 points.

 

Next is figuring out the BODY of spell that's the hard part, if you make spells have a low BODY than they can be easily altered, but give it too much and it's hard to ever change a spell.

 

Let's make 1 BODY per 5 active points. This makes a 30 active point spell have 6 BODY and need 12 Transform points. Which costs 60 active points for the "Tricky Spell" to transform a 30 active point spell to some other 30 active point spell (or less). I think that's about right. You can put a limitation on it to "Only spells from my memorized list", which depending on the size of the list would be anywhere from a -1/2 to -2.

 

It would be a half-phase to "swap" out spells and then another half-phase to cast the transformed spell.

 

I think the cost is about right, since you're spending the cost to make that spell into a VPP, but you get to put limitations on the "Tricky Spell" to essentially make it into a very limited VPP.

[Doc Democracy]

Re: Spell Advice

 

So... the idea for the spell is this: the wizard casts the Tricky Spell, which "exchanges" one of his prepared spells for an unprepared spell the wizard has in his spellbook, and casts the unprepared spell instead. The change isn't permanent... it just counts for that casting.

 

Would Transform work for this effect? Or is it just something that can't be modeled by Hero System?

 

Hmmm. Now, if you look at the VPP and the restrictions you have, why would the wizard not cast the tricky spell? He can cast it as often as he likes and allows the use of any spell in the spellbook. As long as he can do that then his whole spellbook is available all the time??

 

What is the disadvatnage of casting the Tricky Spell? Longer Time (two spells rather than one)? More Tiring? Trickier to cast - spellcasting roll trickier 1/5 pts rather than 1/10??

 

If this was so, I might allow the same limitation on the VPP control cost even although it increases the flexibility, it does this in a limited way.

 

So the availability of the Tricky Spell would change how flexible the use of the spell book is, not actually change anything else. Obviously that is all mechanical - in game, the wizard would cast the tricky spell and get the results he was looking for.

 

 

Doc

[Vondy]

Re: Spell Advice

 

Well, it could be built as either armor or dispel, but I'd go with a dispel of sufficient power.

 

Add on the charges and trigger, voila!

 

Ditto!

[Guest Worldmaker]

Re: Spell Advice

 

Hmmm. Now, if you look at the VPP and the restrictions you have, why would the wizard not cast the tricky spell? He can cast it as often as he likes and allows the use of any spell in the spellbook. As long as he can do that then his whole spellbook is available all the time??

 

What is the disadvatnage of casting the Tricky Spell? Longer Time (two spells rather than one)? More Tiring? Trickier to cast - spellcasting roll trickier 1/5 pts rather than 1/10??

 

If this was so, I might allow the same limitation on the VPP control cost even although it increases the flexibility, it does this in a limited way.

 

So the availability of the Tricky Spell would change how flexible the use of the spell book is, not actually change anything else. Obviously that is all mechanical - in game, the wizard would cast the tricky spell and get the results he was looking for.

 

 

That's a good point... I'm going to have to think about an appropriate limit or combination or limits to keep the wizard from using this spell and nothing more.

[Markdoc]

Re: Spell Advice

 

That's a good point... I'm going to have to think about an appropriate limit or combination or limits to keep the wizard from using this spell and nothing more.

 

Here's two suggestions: put the "tricky spell" in the VPP as a "spell" the PC knows but specify that it must always come with a single charge. That's a -2 limit plus whatever other limitations the spells have, so it shouldn't soak up too much of the pool. That allows the mage (when learning his spells) to set aside some of the pool to spontaneously utilise for a spell. Unlike his other spells, however, which he can use all day long, the tricky spell is gone until he can rest his brain for a day. You could flavour this by letting him set aside as many charges as he wants, using up more of the pool for spontaneous (but limited use) casting.

 

Alternatively use Aid - to the pool itself. That way, the caster can use the tricky spell to enlarge the pool to the point where he has enough oomph to add in an extra spell to his "daily ration". That might take several phases, but he might even get a couple of uses out it before the pool collapses back to the point where he can't use it, which seems balanced: the requirement to use one or more phases pumping up your pool to the point where you can access a spell should prevent mages doing this routinely: it's mostly be useful for out of combat situations. (The caveat would be that mages would mostly load up with combat spells and save the rest for use via the tricky spell).

 

cheers, Mark

[Sean Waters]

Re: Spell Advice

 

So the tricky spell allows you to change your spells in the VPP? Sounds to me that you have a VPP that you can use to case prepared spells BUT the 'only prepared spells' can be exchanged for increased casting time (i.e. you have to case the tricky spell before the 'new' spell). That looks like a variable limtiation on the VPP: Spells From List or Increased Cast Time.

[Doc Democracy]

Re: Spell Advice

 

So the tricky spell allows you to change your spells in the VPP? Sounds to me that you have a VPP that you can use to case prepared spells BUT the 'only prepared spells' can be exchanged for increased casting time (i.e. you have to case the tricky spell before the 'new' spell). That looks like a variable limtiation on the VPP: Spells From List or Increased Cast Time.

 

 

Look. If all you're going to do is repeat me...

 

 

Doc

[Guest Worldmaker]

Re: Spell Advice

 

For my next puzzler:

 

 

Wizard casts the spell and everyone in the area of effect (it's a radius spell) goes into suspended animation. The spell has a duration measured in centuries, and until it is dispelled or the duration ends naturally, no one inside the AoE ages, moves, thinks, or whatever. As far as they know, its the very next moment after the casting until someone informs them they've been "asleep" for hundreds of years. While "asleep", the person in question cannot move, is unaware of their surroundings, cannot be telepathically contacted... basically they're an inanimate shell for as long as the spell lasts.

 

If you walk into the AoE after the spell has been cast and everyone inside is "asleep", you're fine. If you're "asleep" and someone from the outside picks you up and moves you out of the AoE, you wake up. If you are killed while you're "asleep" (from someone attacking your inanimate body, from a wandering predator realizing you were a free meal, or even from the roof over your head collapsing), your body is released from the spell and you instantly decay at an amazing rate until your body resembles its true age (meaning that if you've been "asleep" for centuries, you go from full-formed corpse to bones in seconds.

 

My first thought was maybe an area effect Extra-D Travel through time... but how do you simulate the fact that outside forces can still affect you? Anyone have any other ideas?

[Doc Democracy]

Re: Spell Advice

 

Hmmm. What about some kind of duplication attack MPA with EDM where one duplicate is sent in to the future and the other is left in place. The one left in place is different in that it is an automaton with no SPD stat. With the damge being transferred between the duplicates you get the desired effect of killing both by killing one.

 

The duplication is reversed by moving the automaton from the area of the spell....

 

 

Doc

[jtelson]

Re: Spell Advice

 

The spell seems to have 2 effects, renders the target unconscious and protects them from the effects of time. I'd start be building it as an Uncontrolled, Continuous, Persistant NND attack (Constantly Rendering Targets Unconscious), linked to Life Support UAA (Preserving them from Age, Starvation and Disease). If they were frozen in position as well I'd add a small Mental Entangle.

[Guest Worldmaker]

Re: Spell Advice

 

Hmmm. What about some kind of duplication attack MPA with EDM where one duplicate is sent in to the future and the other is left in place. The one left in place is different in that it is an automaton with no SPD stat. With the damge being transferred between the duplicates you get the desired effect of killing both by killing one.

 

The duplication is reversed by moving the automaton from the area of the spell....

 

 

That seems real overcomplicated. I might have to think about this one for a while.

 

 

In the meantime, I've had an idea and want someone to vett it dor me. When creating a "Tower of Babble" language-confusing spell, what do you think of using Darkness vs. Hearing Group to simulate suddenly no one understanding anyone's speech in the Area of Effect?

[Markdoc]

Re: Spell Advice

 

Keep it simple.

 

X-DM movement to the future with side effect "Body remains vulnerable throughout". Anybody mess with the body and you arrive in the future already long dead. The side effect in this case would be a huge RKA limited "damage of side effect limited to damage inflicted"

 

Cheers, Mark

[jtelson]

Re: Spell Advice

 

Keep it simple.

 

X-DM movement to the future with side effect "Body remains vulnerable throughout". Anybody mess with the body and you arrive in the future already long dead. The side effect in this case would be a huge RKA limited "damage of side effect limited to damage inflicted"

 

Cheers, Mark

 

Secondary Power (Making this an MPA) rather than Side Effect, Side Effect would make the power cost less when it's very much an advantage to be able to kill anyone under the spell's influence.

 

I still think I'd go with the NND/LS attack.

[Markdoc]

Re: Spell Advice

 

Secondary Power (Making this an MPA) rather than Side Effect, Side Effect would make the power cost less when it's very much an advantage to be able to kill anyone under the spell's influence.

 

I still think I'd go with the NND/LS attack.

 

Well, yes, but as described it's a radius around the caster, so he's affected too...

 

In addition, if you are going to be able to use EDM on other people, you could just as easily send them somewhere lethal anyway, so a further attack to have to kill them is a bit redundant.

 

cheers, Mark

[Guest Worldmaker]

Re: Spell Advice

 

Yeah, the intention of this spell is not to make other people easy to kill, but to put them and the caster in suspended animation for a long duration.

[jtelson]

Re: Spell Advice

 

If you have to be willing to be affected by the EDM then it cold be side effects; If it just affects anyone in the radius then it's a very powerful offensive ability (Everyone around me falls asleep and won't wake up without being carried somewhere)

 

Think about it this way; The mage puts himself and everyone within 20 feet of him asleep for a week, his buddies stand 21 feet away and once everyone's asleep it's they kill their opponents and them move the mage outside of the area.