So friend of mine wants to design a beneficial spell that would somehow add to the movement of a PC w/o having to sustain it like Increased Quickness and to avoid a killer Drain.

The idea is to design something that acts similar to Pain Resistance, in that you would cast the spell, it would become permanent, but the effects would disappear as they were used.

We've initially modelled it after Pain Resistance so the question is, what to do with the successes? Just add to Quickness (but for movement not Reaction)? Have it create a Movement Point pool that would allow the Target to get X (where X = successes) addition Movement Points for the Combat Phase? Etc.

Any suggestions or ideas?

Thanks.

Look at ritual sorcery. It has an option to sustain a spell for a number of hours as a result of the ritual. It lets you get the continuing effect without a sustaining focus, quickening, or the +2 to TNs.

See guidelines in MITS p. 30 for designing Permanent Spells. As a general rule, the only permanent spells that provide a game bonus should be ones that restore a person or item to a previous condition. E.g. repairing an item, healing wounds. Cosmetic changes, such as appearance of items, makeup, cleanliness, are also good candidates.

Your friend is showing munchkin tendencies because he's asking for a spell which does something already available in the game as a spell, but wants it with less penalties and less drain. Tell him he has to buy a sustaining focus or use quickening, and must use Increased Quickness. That's what's already designed into the game.

Repent. Tell him you've learned the error of your ways and won't help him be a munchkin. When you learn to tell him NO the first time, you will have increased your GM SKILL by 1.

LOL.

Honestly, he's not trying to abuse the system, but looking for other way to increase his movement. The idea was to get a speed-boost instead of a more traditional sustained effect.

Actually your comment about Health spells "only permanent spells that provide a game bonus should be ones that restore a person or item to a previous condition" explains alot.

Thanks again.

It shouldn't be a permanent spell, and especially not one that works like you proposed. Nothing would prevent the PC to always cast the spell during downtime and have constant access to a 'movement pool' to be used when necessary. Broken.

If he wants a spell to increase movement, model it after Increased Reflexes, but add to movement multiplier instead. Drain code should reduce by 1 level (I think) and use Quickness as base for the TN.

Or you could have it be permanent in the same way that Healthy Glow is permanent. Of course, killer drain is exactly what that'd have to have (just off the top of my head I'd give it +2S or +1D at minimum).

~J

What about an instant spell that only increases his speed for the phase or turn its cast? I think that sounds a little more reasonable.

How about recreating it as some kind of spell version of "attribute boost": Make it "instant" (in terms of duration) with a but have it wear off after a determined amount of time (similar to the "Mist" spell) that is calculated from the spell's successes (e.g. 1 successes = 1 combat turn with a max of the spell's force or force * 2). Quick goes up by the spell's force. TN for casting would be Quickness.
After the spell wear's off the subject person suffers Force M Stun (no armor applicable) from exessive abuse of his muscles ...

IIRC, Pain Resistance is cast prior to taking the wounds, once you score more wound boxes than successes, you feel all the effects of the wounds.

Pain Resistance is doing the opposite: It's not restoring anything, but maintaining the prevention of penalties. The "permanent" effects are lasting until you get wonded enough and "the effects" wear off.

Having just looked it up there's nothing in the spell description for Resist Pain that indicates it can be cast in advance, on the contrary is says that if the damage condition monitor increases, the spell dissipates. It says it eliminates the wound effects from pain by boosting endorphins, and those endorphin levels stay raised until more damage is take or the damage is healed. That's it. If you cast it when you have no damage, as soon as you take a box the spell vanishes, which is pointless.

Let him design the spell. Take a look at it. If you don't like it, deny it. It's your right as the GM.

I could see it like the following, maybe. Increased Movement, increases running modifier by 1 for every two success, with the TN being your Quickness. Sure, it means the "average" Human Mage of Qui 2 will get pretty fast, but, again, he's only Qui 2, so he may only be able to keep up with the Human of Qui 5. (Under above example, he'd need 8 success to do so, though.)

Damnit BitBasher you are a buzzkill.

Couldn't you argue that Adrenaline is present in your blood steam? Couldn't you Magically stimulate production of Adrenaline or something? Sounds like a health thingy, I'd need to read Oxygenate again.

I'm good at being a buzzkill, I'm an Evil GM™.

I dont have a book here at work but IIRC Oxygenate may work that way, but then again it may be sustained, I can't remember which.

No book here either, anyone got the stats on Oxygenate handy? Now that I think of it, I think it might be Manipulation.

Oxygenate is a Health Spell. Of course it is sustained.

Every magician should spend 1 Karma Point to learn a spell that will make him never drown while conscious. Wouldn't you? I've known a Shark Shaman who even took it as "Oxygenate Self". He also had "Treat Self".