Quick Qu: Spell Drain +Net Hits?, Can't see for looking... Options

[TheOOB]

If the threshold is 0 or less, than by definition anyone who can make the check would succeed the check(because you always gets 0 or greater, or -1 or greater successes). I thought it was obvious, if you can roll dice on the check, you'll succeed. If you have no dice to roll, you can't even make a check, so we can figure out who can succeed a threshold 0 or lower check by applying modifiers and seeing if they have any dice left, even one die means success.

[hobgoblin]

How much of the air around the caster is it? within 1 mm or 1 km or what?
It irks me even more that with this rule change mana becomes mundanely detectable. This has never been the case in SR. It also raises the question why you can see the mana during casting, but not while the spell is affecting the target?

Mundanes could always notice when strong mojo was worked, especially if done so by a shaman. Now the mundane had no idea what the outcome was (unless someone else dropped dead at the same moment), but they knew the person was likely a magician and had just pulled off something big.

As for how far away from the caster the effect reaches, use the aura reach as a guide i guess. The caster is after all pumping massive amounts of mana thru his astral self, so to speak.

[Mäx]

If the threshold is 0 or less, than by definition anyone who can make the check would succeed the check(because you always gets 0 or greater, or -1 or greater successes). I thought it was obvious, if you can roll dice on the check, you'll succeed. If you have no dice to roll, you can't even make a check, so we can figure out who can succeed a threshold 0 or lower check by applying modifiers and seeing if they have any dice left, even one die means success.

But they need to still roll those dice, after all with that one die they have 1 in 6 change of critically glithching that test.

[Dakka Dakka]

Just out of curtiousity, then, How do you determine what is obvious? The BBB explicitly calls for perception rolls to perceive anything, and yet, there is a caveat that the obvious needs no rolls. So how do you reconcile that?

Even at a negative threshold the magic is not supposed to be obvious, according to the introductory description. From a rules point of view it isn't supposed to be either, since noticing it requires a roll no matter how easy this roll is. Obvious things as you said do not require a roll.

Mundanes could always notice when strong mojo was worked, especially if done so by a shaman. Now the mundane had no idea what the outcome was (unless someone else dropped dead at the same moment), but they knew the person was likely a magician and had just pulled off something big.

The thing is the shamanic mask has less impact on the roll than increasing the Force by one.

[Tymeaus Jalynsfe...]

Even at a negative threshold the magic is not supposed to be obvious, according to the introductory description. From a rules point of view it isn't supposed to be either, since noticing it requires a roll no matter how easy this roll is. Obvious things as you said do not require a roll.

And if you keep the Spell Force below 6, I would agree with you. Once you hit 6+, it is now obvious as far as I am concerned.

[Neraph]

First, the book specifically says a GM shouldn't allow players to buy successes on rolls like that, only on very simple rolls.

Second of all, while I understand that Autofire doesn't change the base DV, it does change the amount the target has to resist. And a Body+Willpower[3] check is not trivial. You need 9 nice before you will succeed that check 50% of the time, and once again, 17 dice before you have a statistically insignificant change of failure. Even if you succeed, the -3 penalty for 3 rounds is devastating.

Third, intentionally misquoting peoples posts to try and prove a point just makes you an asshole, and waters down whatever argument you're making even worse than the fact that you're wrong.

1) Depends on your definitions of "large dicepool," non-threatening...non-stressful," and "bad consequences" are.

2) Yes and no. It does change DV to resist, but it does not factor into Physical or Stun (which is important). Also, the Body + Willpower (3) check is trivial, especially when you add 1/2 Impact and Nonconductivity like the Test says to. I've never seen a player fail it, and only had one NPC fail his. And it's a -2 penalty, not a -3, neither of which is "devastating" (depending, as #1, on your definition of "large dicepool").

3) I don't know where you're getting the idea that quoting what you typed is misquoting, and I'm not wrong. This is the internet, don't take it so seriously.