Direct Damage Spell Successes = Increased DV Question |
Direct Damage Spell Successes = Increased DV Question |
Jan 17 2010, 12:14 PM
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#1
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Target Group: Members Posts: 9 Joined: 29-September 09 Member No.: 17,688 |
Would somebody please direct me to where the stupid rule increasing the DV for Direct Damage Spells with successes was made optional?
Thanks |
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Jan 17 2010, 12:33 PM
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#2
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Shooting Target Group: Members Posts: 1,911 Joined: 26-February 02 From: near Stuttgart Member No.: 1,749 |
Can´t remember such a rule. I only know about the rule that raises the drain with every success used for increasing the DV.
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Jan 17 2010, 02:00 PM
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#3
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Great Dragon Group: Members Posts: 5,679 Joined: 19-September 09 Member No.: 17,652 |
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Jan 17 2010, 02:16 PM
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#4
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Hoppelhäschen 5000 Group: Members Posts: 5,807 Joined: 3-January 04 Member No.: 5,951 |
SR4A, p. 204
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Jan 17 2010, 04:33 PM
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#5
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Prime Runner Ascendant Group: Members Posts: 17,568 Joined: 26-March 09 From: Aurora, Colorado Member No.: 17,022 |
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Jan 18 2010, 06:08 AM
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#6
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Target Group: Members Posts: 1 Joined: 18-January 10 Member No.: 18,049 |
On pg 204 the third paragraph does say that: "After the Spellcasting is resisted the caster chooses whether or not to apply any net hits to increase the damage value of the spell as normal".
I have to say it will be a very rare time for me to not apply the extra damage. Visigoth |
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Jan 18 2010, 06:36 AM
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#7
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 150 Joined: 5-April 04 Member No.: 6,219 |
Visigoth - the point being, if you choose to accept the increased damage, it comes at the cost of increased drain.
...assuming of course your gaming group doesn't laugh, snort, and throw SR4A in the trash as a bucket of bad rules changes wrapped in a pretty new package. |
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Jan 18 2010, 06:43 AM
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#8
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Moving Target Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 583 Joined: 1-October 09 From: France Member No.: 17,693 |
Visigoth - the point being, if you choose to accept the increased damage, it comes at the cost of increased drain. It is suggested to do so, but it is not the standard rule. QUOTE "As an optionnal rule, every net hit applied also increase the Drain DV of the spell by +1." |
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Jan 18 2010, 05:58 PM
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#9
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Target Group: Members Posts: 9 Joined: 29-September 09 Member No.: 17,688 |
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Jan 18 2010, 06:27 PM
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#10
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Immortal Elf Group: Members Posts: 10,289 Joined: 2-October 08 Member No.: 16,392 |
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Jan 19 2010, 12:54 AM
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#11
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Mr. Johnson Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 2,587 Joined: 25-January 05 From: Berkeley, CA Member No.: 7,014 |
Listed in the SR4A Changes document here:
http://shadowrun4.com/resources/sr4a/sr4a_changes.pdf "Direct combat spells have a new optional mechanic: for each Net Hit applied to damage, the Drain Value increases by +1. For Area of Effect spells, use only the highest Net Hits applied to damage." Also: http://www.shadowrun4.com/wordpress/2009/0...anges-document/ Listing the Changes Document as Anniversary Edition errata. |
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Jan 19 2010, 03:17 AM
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#12
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Prime Runner Ascendant Group: Members Posts: 17,568 Joined: 26-March 09 From: Aurora, Colorado Member No.: 17,022 |
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Jan 19 2010, 03:36 AM
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#13
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 150 Joined: 5-April 04 Member No.: 6,219 |
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Jan 19 2010, 03:44 AM
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#14
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Mr. Johnson Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 2,587 Joined: 25-January 05 From: Berkeley, CA Member No.: 7,014 |
Yah, but the two go together. You use both, or neither, because if you aren't using the Hits = Drain, then you use as many hits as you can get. Which is the way it was done in 4th edition and all previous editions of Shadowrun. You can use as many hits as you can get, without penalty. To comic effect, in some cases (Mana "Darts" that deal L damage but stages up to Deadly every time, for example).You roll Magic + Spellcasting at a target. The target either has an Object Resistance threshold or rolls the appropriate resistance attribute. Net hits over threshold or the Opposed test deals Force of Spell in Damage + Net Hits in DV. Drain is based on Force (typically Force/2 +/- some numbers, rounding down). You get additional Drain equal to the net hits if and only if you are using the optional rule to pump drain based on the number of hits used. It has always been Net Hits increased damage of the spell. Read "Damage Value" on page 204 for details. You can find arguments on this forum as to why the increased drain from the net hits is counterintuitive, but hey, whatever rules you want to use in your games. "Damage Value: The base Damage Value for Combat spells is based on Force, which is chosen by the magician at the time of casting. Any net hits scored on the Spellcasting Test increase the DV by 1 per net hit. Each spell description notes whether damage is Stun (S) or Physical (P)." |
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Jan 19 2010, 03:46 AM
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#15
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Prime Runner Ascendant Group: Members Posts: 17,568 Joined: 26-March 09 From: Aurora, Colorado Member No.: 17,022 |
Yah, but the two go together. You use both, or neither, because if you aren't using the Hits = Drain, then you use as many hits as you can get. Nothing wrong with that... You choose the force of the spell based upon a reasonable estimate of the damage output in comparison to the drain... if I have enough dice to count on always obtaining 5 successes then I can cast a spell at Force 5 to reasonably expect a baseline of 10DV (more probably around DV7 after typical resistance) and resist less drain... However, if you are like one of the players in our group... to obtain that same DV you would need to start at Force 9 for the same expectation (and even then, it would probably not affect the target because they usually resist the miniscule hits he generally obtains anyway) I rambled a bit didn't I... Never Mind Keep the Faith |
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Jan 19 2010, 10:06 PM
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#16
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Running Target Group: Members Posts: 1,408 Joined: 31-January 04 From: Reston VA, USA Member No.: 6,046 |
It's also conceivable that the mage might choose to 'pull their punches' and deliver less damage than they're capable of. If I want to intimidate some mafia thug but not kill him I'd cast a stun spell. If I didn't have a stun spell I might cast a low force spell to just wound him. If I cast a force 1 mana bolt, but roll unexpectedly well and get 12 successes, I have to be able to withhold those successes or I'll end up in a war with the mafia boss for waxing his guy.
Granted it's a niche case... |
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Jan 19 2010, 10:40 PM
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#17
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Immortal Elf Group: Members Posts: 10,289 Joined: 2-October 08 Member No.: 16,392 |
If I cast a force 1 mana bolt, but roll unexpectedly well and get 12 successes You're limited to 1 success on a F1 spell anyway. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif) |
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Jan 19 2010, 11:21 PM
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#18
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Running Target Group: Members Posts: 1,408 Joined: 31-January 04 From: Reston VA, USA Member No.: 6,046 |
good point. Maybe there's no use for it, then.
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Jan 19 2010, 11:38 PM
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#19
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 112 Joined: 22-October 05 Member No.: 7,876 |
Would changing the optional rule formula to add the net hits to the force of the spell before the rest of the drain formula make it more reasonable?
Take Mana Bolt with DV = (F / 2) with the optional rule of DV = (F / 2) + Net Hits that boost damage. and change the optional rule to DV = ((F + Net Hits that boost damage) / 2) Now there are no more rewards for overcasting. |
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Jan 20 2010, 12:29 AM
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#20
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Immortal Elf Group: Members Posts: 10,289 Joined: 2-October 08 Member No.: 16,392 |
Take Mana Bolt with DV = (F / 2) and change it to DV = ((F + Net Hits that boost damage) / 2) Assuming magic 7 (need an extreme example, I think) Force 14 stunbolt + 0 hits-for-damage = 14DV Force 7 stunbolt + 7 hits-for-damage = 14 DV Force 14 stunbolt + 0 hits= (7-1) = 6P drain Force 7 stunbolt + 7 hits = (7-1) = 6S drain (compared to 4S in SR4 and 11S in SR4A) Hm...for the same damage you have the same drain, only P instead of S, so it pushes things back towards using standard casting, but overcasting isn't particularly penalized. |
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Jan 20 2010, 12:46 AM
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#21
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Prime Runner Ascendant Group: Members Posts: 17,568 Joined: 26-March 09 From: Aurora, Colorado Member No.: 17,022 |
good point. Maybe there's no use for it, then. You can choose to cast a force 5 spell, and only apply 2 of the 5 net hits you achieved if that is all that you KNOW it will take to drop the opposition without actually killing them (via hacked acces to their biomonitor for instance, said information provided by your team's hacker) because you want to capture them but not overflow them into physical damage or death... contrived maybe, but there you go... Keep the Faith |
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