Clarify Spells., Direct Combat. Options

[AFCErik]

Glyph,

Page 195: "Direct Combat Spells: Handle these as an Opposed Test. the caster's Magic + Spellcasting is resisted by the target's Body or Willpower, plus Counterspelling. The caster needs at least one net hit for the spell to take effect."

Page 196: "Indirect Combat spells are treated like ranged combat attacks; the caster makes a Magic + Spellcasting Success Test versus the target's Reaction..."

The entry for Direct spells does NOT explicitly state that it is treated like ranged combat, as Indirect spells does.

Do Direct Spells merely use Body or Willpower instead of Reaction? And then if that works the target ALSO gets to make a Body roll to resist damage? If so, the rules are very poorly worded.

Or, Is this how Direct spells work?

Direct Spell
1. Magician casts Manabolt Force 5 at target.
2. Magician rolls Magic 5 + Spellcasting 5 (10 dice) against the target's Willpower 5.
3. If the Magician gets ZERO net hits, no damage.
4. If the magician gets 1+ net hits, the manabolt does 5 damage with no additions due to extra hits, and no resisting with Body.

Is step 4 correct?

[Glyph]

No, Aaron had the correct sequence in his earlier post. You add the net hits, although remember that your initial hits are limited to the spell's force (step 7 on Aaron's list). In other words, if you get 7 hits casting a force: 5 spell, your hits are reduced to 5, before the target's resistance roll.

[Big D]

While I was playing around with min/max chars, I came up with this:

Magic 6
Spellcasting 7 (Aptitude)
Combat spec (+2)
Dragonslayer (+2)
Power Focus (+2)

Starting 19 dice for combat spells, 10 dice for soak drain. You can start with 20 dice if you get a spellcasting focus instead.

It's a lot nastier if you go Manipulation Spec, Firebringer (or Raven for a Shammie, ISTR), Power Focus, though.

After all, why drop a powerball on the opfor when you can make them all kill each other? You don't need nearly as much force on the spell, or nearly as many hits.

[Shrike30]

One of the mages in my group mind-controlled a goon mage and had him blow his buddy away with a maxed out overcast lightning ball.

After that session, one of the other players got together with this mage, and they approached me, saying "we should probably take this spell out of the game before you hit us with it."

I was amused.

Manipulation spells (especially the mind control/puppet ones) can be very, very sick things to use in combat, but we've found they rapidly strip the fun out of the game when they're used against PCs... and anything the PCs are using is fair game (for me, at least) to toss back. Just be careful of that one.

[hobgoblin]

dont they get a free resistance roll if they are made to do stuff they dont "like"?

[Shrike30]

Yes, but it only takes one combat turn to have a mind-controlled PC do something like detonate a grenade inside of the team's van. It's pretty harsh.

[hobgoblin]

and when do you roll the resistance roll? on their turn? i would guess it kicked in the moment you declared the action, before its actualy done, no matter who's turn it is.

[Shrike30]

*shrug* I'm not saying you can't resist your way out of it. But if the first command you give the guy is "pull the pin on that grenade on your chest," that's his second Willpower roll... he's essentially rolled Will + Will versus the other guy's Magic + Spellcasting. Even if your NPCs don't initiate, most magicians that will put up any kind of a threat to a PC group throw more than enough dice for that to be a pretty unreliable defense. The odds are not in favor of whoever's on the receiving end.

Counterspelling is your friend...