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Dumpshock Forums _ Shadowrun _ Area Effect Spells

Posted by: Thanos007 Nov 5 2003, 10:06 PM

The above says it all. How do you do it?

Posted by: Dun Fe'Ran Nov 5 2003, 10:10 PM

Magic Attribute in meters is the radius. thus a stunball cast by a mage with 6 magic would have a 6 meter radius.

Posted by: Sphynx Nov 5 2003, 10:20 PM

Also....

Every die you withhold from the roll can increase the area by 1 meter.

Every 2 dice you withhold can decrease the area by 1 meter.

Force*Magic in meters for Detection Spells.

Sphynx

Posted by: OurTeam Nov 5 2003, 11:34 PM

After careful reading of the rules, the players on our team decided that the center of the spell can be placed anywhere within sight, it doesn't have to be centered on one of the potential targets.

If you learn a Spell from a formula providing an "extended" affect, you get 10 times the radius. This is available for Illusion, Manipulation, and Detection spells only. Such a Spell has Drain 1 level higher.

Posted by: Zazen Nov 6 2003, 06:51 AM

QUOTE (OurTeam)

After careful reading of the rules, the players on our team decided that the center of the spell can be placed anywhere within sight, it doesn't have to be centered on one of the potential targets.

Which spell? Spells which are limited in target, like stunball, do require that you center it on someone.

Posted by: OurTeam Nov 6 2003, 07:17 AM

Zazen, we used to play the way you describe it, but the wording below from MitS makes it sound like we can center an Area Effect spell on any given location within LOS. Upon careful reading of virtually all the other rules for spellcasting we found no wording which contradicted our simple interpretation of the following:

QUOTE (Area Effect @ MitS p. 51)

The base area of effect can be centered anywhere within line of sight...

If you can find any wording that applies to Area Effect spells with Multiple Targets that contradicts our simple interpretation of the above, please let me know.

Posted by: BitBasher Nov 6 2003, 07:57 AM

Actually you cannot "see" a point in space, as it is invisible, you see through it to whatever is behind it. The spell has to be cast at somehting in LOS, hence the range of "LOS"... a point in empty space is not a "point in LOS" because you cannot see nothing.

I offer a direct quote from the book:

QUOTE

BBB pg 181, Spell Targeting First sentence:
When spellcasting the spellcaster must be able to see the target and must be present on the same plane (physcial or astral) as the target.

QUOTE

Next paragraph down from there, first sentence:
A Physical Spellcaster can cast a spell at any physical thing he can see unaided by imaging technology.

You cannot see a point in space. you can see through it, and past it, but you cannot see it as there is nothing tangible there to see. Knowing where it is and seeing it are two different things.

Posted by: Artemis Nov 6 2003, 08:04 AM

Interesting point of view. Instead of a point, I've more or less imagined it as if my character pictured a sphere of effect where her spell would be cast. Spacial relationships become second nature after enough practice. The sphere she imagines does come to a central point of some kind, but to herit's whether or not she can see all of the targets to be affected within the spell's sphere at the time of casting.

One could be a hard-nose about it and require their players to do target a specific person or object, but it feels like an over-interpretation of the rules in a field that is vague enough. One book clearly says one thing, another makes you question it... in the end it's up to the GM and player group I suppose.

Posted by: Sphynx Nov 6 2003, 09:11 AM

Actually BitBasher, although I agree with you in that you need a target, you're not giving a valid arguement against the quote in the MitS. 'anywhere within line of sight' means anywhere 'within' or inside of, that area.

Although an interpretation could be made as OurTeam has done, I agree with the rest of the group because you don't make rules based on part of the rules, but on the rules as a whole. The core book states you need a target, MitS states anywhere within LOS. Combined, you get any target located within LOS.

Sphynx

Posted by: BitBasher Nov 6 2003, 04:31 PM

That's pretty much exactly what I was shooting for Sphynx.