Question:
Can a mage cast indirect combat spells on themselves (i.e. fireball, ball lightning) with the intent of injuring other targets that would fall within the area effect of the spell? If the answer is yes, can said mage use his own counterspelling to attempt to avoid damage? Could a mage make this work even while blindfolded? (I.E, I close my eyes and can see my eyelids, which are part of me.)
Full Version: Casting Indirect Combat Spells on Oneself...
Yes, but it isn't very smart. Centering the spell on himself means that he doesn't get to dodge (he might if the GM is extremely permissive, but attempting to both shoot yourself and dodge the bullet is a cowing offense in my book), so he'll take the full brunt of the attack with all of its successes. He'll be able to stage down the damage with counterspelling, body, and 1/2 impact armor, but he will certainly be hurt.
It is a last-ditch tactic.
It is a last-ditch tactic.
That being said, such a person could also design their own area-of-effect spell that centers an elemental effect around the caster but doesn't hit the caster.
| QUOTE (Dashifen) |
| That being said, such a person could also design their own area-of-effect spell that centers an elemental effect around the caster but doesn't hit the caster. |
Yeah, but in that case, the caster wouldn't really be the target of the spell. At least I don't think that there's any way to design a spell that does that. Therefore you couldn't pull that trick while blindfolded.
| QUOTE (Dashifen) |
| That being said, such a person could also design their own area-of-effect spell that centers an elemental effect around the caster but doesn't hit the caster. |
Geez, that sounds like it'd have more drain than offensive mana barrier.
Call it, "slaughter everyone but me".
Call it "Elemental Aura".
*runs*
*runs*
| QUOTE (hyzmarca) |
| Yes, but it isn't very smart. Centering the spell on himself means that he doesn't get to dodge (he might if the GM is extremely permissive, but attempting to both shoot yourself and dodge the bullet is a cowing offense in my book), so he'll take the full brunt of the attack with all of its successes. He'll be able to stage down the damage with counterspelling, body, and 1/2 impact armor, but he will certainly be hurt. It is a last-ditch tactic. |
...actually had a mage PC do that once (SRII) when several sec guards surrounded her at a train station. She cast a ground zero Force 5 Stunball at Serious effect using her Spell Defence, high wisdom, and Karma pool (to to reroll failures) in order to stage it down to Serious & managed to avoid any additional stun form drain. All the guards went down, and so did all of the norms in the radius of the spell, some of whom were less fortunate as the damage for them rolled over into Physical.
That was the first and last time I ever played a mage.
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