[X] My Assistant

[Ol' Scratch]

By taking a spell limitation (Fetish or Exclusive) for the cost of the spell, you can reduce the cost for a Force 1 or Force 2 spell to 0 respectively.

So if you want to learn Improved Initiative 3D6 at Force 1, you can learn it with a Fetish and it'll cost 0 Spell Points/Karma to learn. It's canon but most of the people around here get their panties in a twist about it. :) Me, I allow magicians to take a handfull of "free cantrips" during character creation (usually using their Essence score as the limit of cantrips they can take).

Sure, technically, you could learn every spell in the book for free that way. But realistically, I don't think any magician would have the time or patience to do so. The reduction is only to the Spell Points/Karma cost, not the cost for the formula, libraries, or time it takes to learn each one.

[LinaInverse]

My GM Docmortand uses a house rule on creation that says that any spell costs a minimum of 1, which is a good way to put a stop to the "unlimited" spell business. I'm actually easy either way; most spells at Force 1 (especially resisted ones) aren't going to be really going to be game breakers at that lvl.

[DocMortand]

Actually the nasty variant that I use my house rule for is to prevent people from learning a lot of force 3 spells by doing both fetish AND exclusive reducing them to 0. I got the house rule from my old DM, and it made a little sense to me.

Frankly, as long as I keep the same rules for my NPCs my players don't complain. :)

[Ol' Scratch]

You can't do that, Doc. You can only take a limitation once for either the cost of the spell or the Force of the spell for purposes of Drain. The only way to have a fetish and an exclusive limitation on a single spell is to put one on the cost and the other on the Drain.

[DocMortand]

[Ol' Scratch]

I don't have my book handy, but it's in the Magic chapter in the section under Sorcery that talks about learning spells (ie, Spell Limitations). Out of curiosity, what does being a "true roleplayer" have to do with learning spells with limitations? If anything, it adds to the character's style of magic.

[DocMortand]

Well, Lina for example learned all her spells without fetishes - I believe she didn't want things jangling in the thief profession. Or somebody might learn all but one spell exclusively because they only cast while meditating...that sort of thing. I'm not saying that roleplayers don't use fetish or exclusive - just that this is the way it turned out in my group's case.

[LinaInverse]

One, I couldn't afford fetishes. Two, I (and this is a personal bias) dislike having specific "limits" to my chars magic, even if it does cost me slightly in other areas. And yes, as a thief, I envisioned my char more as someone who can operate with minimal distractions and motions.

Also, as it turns out, my shaman has sort of evolved into our group's "support" mage, which wouldn't have been possible if I had taken Exclusive on my spells. By herself, she isn't worth diddly in combat, but she helps the rest of the party function a little better and heals their wounds afterwards.

[Lantzer]

One thing which doesn't really limit the character in question, but is something to keep in mind is the use of sustaining foci on spells that require control to use.

One interpretation: If the spell doesn't require active control (like armor) then a sustaining focus handles it just fine. If the spell does require active control (like levitate) you can't control it if you aren't sustaining it. The spell would retain whatever settings you included when you cast it into the focus. So you could hover a foot above the ground, if you wanted, but your freinds will have to tow you around like a balloon. (It's still a nice way to drag an unconcious troll out of a run gone bad - It's not like he'll be hurt too much when he bangs off of walls and things. Just remember he still has mass.)

Another interpretation: Focus sustained spells are controlled by the caster actively, even though he isn't taking any distraction modifiers.

Another interpretation: Focus sustained spells are controlled by the wearer actively. (Subtle difference from the previous.)

My favorite is option one. It cuts down on folks who think they are superman, without quite so much screaming and bloodshed. It also makes more sense to me. The last one is the least common variety - there's a reason Dunkie put up a reward for the first magic item controllable by a mundane - they don't exist yet.

Focus junkies are luckily rare in my games - but when I see them, I always miss the 'grounding' rules from 2nd Ed.

[Cain]

[Eyeless Blond]

Yeah, it's too bad you can't use other Geasea like Incantation to lower the costs of learning/casting a spell. That would rule. :)

[Ol' Scratch]

Enter house rules...

Replace the Fetish limitation with a Geas limitation and transform Fetishes into Expendable Fetishes (-2 modifier, just like Exclusive) with costs just as they're listed in SR3 and MitS, albeit they come in bundles of 10 like ammo. Now you have a ton of options and game balance is preserved just fine (especially since we've been using it in our games for years).

Note that Resuable Fetishes are replaced with the Talisman geas. We also introduced a new Geas called the Grimoire geas which requires you to read from the spell formula (for spells) or a hermetic library (for magical abilities not linked to a formula, and even if a non-hermetic) in order to work your magic. If you belong to a school of magic, they have to be from that school.

[Clyde]

Cool idea, Funkenstein. I don't think I'll let my current crop of players anywhere near it, though. . . They tend to try to create the hardest character possible. I'm in the process of trying to put a stop to it through the use of automatic firearms, however.

And you forgot one: sacrifice :grinbig:

[Fortune]

He didn't forget it ... Sacrifice is a Metamagic. :)