Manabolt, Does it stage up like a gun? Options

[Halabis]

Do non-elemental damage spells stage up like guns or is it an all or nothing effect?

Does every 2 suxx beond D up the power by 2?

[mfb]

all damaging spells stage up with net successes. if the target gets more successes on his resistance test than the caster got on the sorcery test, the target shrugs off the spell completely, unless the spell is an elemental manip. extra successes beyond D do not raise the power of the damage; they simply make it harder to resist the spell.

[Halabis]

so the target doesnt stage the damage down?

Its either the damage the caster set it at, staged up, or completely negated?

[Moon-Hawk]

Right.

Kinda odd, isn't it?

[mfb]

i like it because it keeps mages from casting all their damaging spells at force 2, and relying on lots of successes to take out the target.

[lorthazar]

Actually the manabolt damage still stages up as normal if you have more net successes, but if the target has more net successes the manabolt has no effect. So it is not out of line if you have a lot of sorcery and spell pool dice as well as a focus to cast a 2L manabolt. After all if you can generate 6 more successes than him he is toast anyway

[mfb]

yes, but with the TN 2 resist, you're much less likely to generate those 6 extra successes, especially against targets with decent willpower. joe schmuck, with 3 will? okay. force 5 free spirit with 3 spirit energy? not so much.

[RedmondLarry]

mfb and lorthazar are almost right on the target's resistance test. All the target needs to shrug off a Combat Spell entirely is successes equal (or more) than the spellcaster. They do not need to exceed the spellcaster's successes.

Spellcasting and Firearms calculate staging AFTER the target has rolled its resistance rolls and only net successes are compared.

Melee combat calculates staging BEFORE any resistance rolls, as staging calculations might change the TN needed for the resistance rolls.

[mfb]

er, yeah. dammit, why don't all resistance tests use the same mechanic?

[Dashifen]

Because that would be too easy. :wobble:

[lorthazar]

Besides no mage worth his salt cast a force 2 manabolt becuase it is the same drain number as a force 4 manabolt. A force 2 powerbolt on the other hand.....

[Fortune]

[Moon-Hawk]

True. If you're casting a spell at an even force you either need to:
1) Learn the spell at a higher force
2) Have your head examined
UNLESS...the force you're casting it at is your current magic rating, in which case even numbers are acceptable.

[Dashifen]

mmmmm .... Force 9 Exclusive for Drain Stunbolts :) .... :drool:

[lorthazar]

.....Or be playing with a bunch of guys known for rolling mostly odds on dice. Sorry, I like to hedge my bets

[DocMortand]

wait wait wait. I think I may have been doing this wrong then. Say some casts a manabolt at a creature with willpower 3. So target number is 3 for the spell, and the creature resists with his willpower. Now he fails to resist - is all damage done, or does he do a body resistance to damage? or is the willpower spell resist the only roll he gets?

[lorthazar]

Actually in that case it's just the Willpower. That is why Combat Spells are so deadly.

[DocMortand]

*phew* good, I'm doing it right then...altho my pour ghoul waves got absolutely massacred by two mages with stun ball and bolt respectively...willpower 3 does jack against force 6 spells.

Edit: however, I did do things wrong when I rolled to stage down DAMAGE rather than against the successes of the initial cast...

[GrinderTheTroll]

EDIT:oops!

This post has been edited by GrinderTheTroll: Nov 1 2004, 09:17 PM

[Large Mike]

I don't mean to hijack at all, so don't reply to this, but:

Grinder? Heh. Can Boltie post too now?

(Grinder, if you're confized, PM me about it. Or better yet, PM Cazmonster.)

[Ol' Scratch]

[LinaInverse]

[Ol' Scratch]

[Kanada Ten]

Doctor is reffering to his house rule. The only time one can use Combat Pool for spells is Elemental Manipulaitons for the Dodge and Staging, but so can the caster...

One can only use Spell Pool from the allotted Spell Defense.

[DocMortand]

Hmm...seems like a pretty good house rule to use if you have no magical skill (mages would use spell pool anyways - probably have more in it than in their combat pool)