Sustaining spells and "other tests", What "other tests", esp. what is not included. Options Track this topic Email this topic Print this topic Download this topic Subscribe to this forum Display Modes Outline Switch to: Standard Switch to: Linear+

[Surukai]

Sustaining a spell adds a stacking -2 penalty to "all other tests" in spellcasting on SR4A p. 182.

Drain resistance is a named exception for this.

But, damage resistance is a test too, right? and "Other tests" does that mean spellcasting is not included? I.e. it debuffs things like shooting and hacking and speaking to people but not spellcasting?

How about defending against attacks in combat?

I didn't really think much about it before and just assumed it was everything but damage/drain resistance since I thought mages were powerful enough anyway but it makes a LOT of spells obsolete unless you can max out them at ludicrous force (Who want +3 reaction when you only net 1 defense severely debuffs everything else)

I guess that is why most mages in my game have just spammed stunbolt/ball and maybe a heal but completely ignored everything you can't put in a sustaining focus... or?

[Neko Asakami]

Personally, I rule that it's anything the character has to do consciously, so things like damage tests and disease resistance don't get the penalty. However, I offer this in support of Umaro, from SR4A pg. 240, under the heading of "Threading," emphasis mine.

Threaded complex forms must be sustained (similar to how magicians sustain spells). Sustaining requires effort on the technomancer’s part, so he suffers a –2 dice pool modifier to all tests for each sustained complex form. This modifier does not apply to use of the threaded complex form, but it does apply to all other actions the technomancer makes.

Since there is no clarification here that says it applies only to Matrix/Sprite-related tests, I would indeed think that (in a rare display of consistency!) the sustaining penalty applies to everything outside of the threading/spell itself.