Spirit Services list 'Continual use of a specific power counts as only one service"

Spirit of Man
Option Power: Innate Spell (any one spell known by summoner)

Could the summoner request the spirit to cast and sustain a spells as a 'single service'

If this is allowed it seems like it greatly undervalues the bound spirit ability to sustain spells for you, yet 'by the rules' should be allowed.

What are peoples opinions and thoughts.


Thanks in advance and peace

Well, you're limited in duration (till sunrise or sunset) and successes (most people will have more spellcasting dice than the spirits they summon), so there's still a place for bound spirits to sustain spells.

Mostly the service where a Bound Spirit takes control of your spells and maintains them for a few rounds before giving up is 10 pounds of shit in a five pound bag.

The fact that other methods of getting spells to last are better than that is hardly surprising. A force four spirit can't even maintain a spell long enough for a magician to explain to the other characters what the spirit is doing, that service lasts 12 seconds, which is an insult.

The designers worried way too much about Bound Spirits being overpowered, and not nearly enough about Unbound Spirits being overpowered.

-Frank

Frank:

1) If the current sustaining is not to your liking do you have a suggestion for house rules?


2) 'by the rules' (and by your opinions) what is your take on actually having a bound OR unbound spirit of man for a service use continual use of a power to cast a sustained innate spell...

NOTE: NOTHING prohibits a BOUND spirit for doing this service. A bound spirit could be command to use 'Innate Spell (Make Me GOD)" until the cows came home... and it would be a single continual use of the power (lasting far more then 12 hours).

Spirit of Man and 'Innate spell' is NOT just for unbound spirits.... if it counts as a continual use of a power.... then it works for both types

A spirit of man can sustain any spell they cast indefinitely so long as they don't return to the metaplanes (either through being an unbound spirit who Cinderellas at midnight, voluntary dismissal, or disruption). Of course, while doing so they are not "resting" and don't heal any physical or stun wounds - which means that any drain they take in casting the spell will stick around inperpetuity. Also they'll be at a -2 penalty on all actions for the duration. And yes, they can do that as a single service, though there are few spells they could possibly get that would be as cool as the Movement power that an Earth spirit can sustain for free without even using up an optional power.

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I really think that the basic Sustain Spell service for bound spirits should last 1 hour/Force. At 3 seconds/Force it doesn't last long enough to ever make a difference.

-Frank

One small correction:

They are effectively casting and sustaining a Spell as a magician would complete with potential Counterspelling and using the Spellcasting Skill, therefore it seems fairly straightforward to assign a -2 die.

Innate Spell is not a "sustained power", it is a power with the duration of "per spell" - which means that it follows the duration rules for the spell in question. And the duration rules for the spell is that sustaining it gives a -2 dice pool penalty. The rules on page 286 don't even apply in this case.

-Frank

Hmm first guess sorry for missing the other thread on this. This was a secondary question from my shapechange thread, which I could NOT find any other threads on.

Forgot to search for this one, which i see is well debated already.

Please consider this thread closed.

Thanks