Play just started a new character, a mage. Took transform as one of his spells. Now how does this work? Lets say for example the target is an ork with a natural body of 8. The mage wants to change said ork in to a tiger also body of 8. What's the target number? The way I read it my target number is 8 and the threshold is 4. So the mage would have to roll 4, eights. Right?

Thanks for the help.

Thanos

You're right. The target number is 8, the threshold is 4, and he can use a spell of any force to do it (since the difference between the target's Body and the critter that he's being turned into is 0, thus requiring a Force 0 or higher spell). The mage needs to score at least four net 8's on his Spellcasting Test. If the target's Spell Resistance Test drops the total below four successes, the spell fails.

God, they fragged up on the Threshold rules.

Eh, I don't mind them all that much.

The only problem is that it creates a double-whammy effect. Characters not only get to resist the spell using the targeted attribute, but you have to get more successes based upon the target's attribute in the first place. If you only required one or the other (such as a TN based upon the target's Attribute, and a Threshold equal to the difference between the Force of the spell and the critter's Body), it wouldn't be so bad... especially if it was a semi-universal consistancy throughout the entire magic system.

Ok. So let's say I want to change the same ork in to a rat with a body of 1. My target number stays 8 but now the threshold is 11. Right? (8/2=4) +(8-1=7)=11

Thanos

But now it needs to be at least a force 7 spell.

Actually, reading the rules says otherwise. It's Critter's Body - Target's Body. So that's 1 - 8 = -7, rounded up to 0. The Threshold is 0 as well, so you only need one success.

Why do you think I always turn into small animals when I use it? It's great for that. It sucks for turning into a combat-monster like an elephant or a shark or something.

I don't read it that way, but hey, 'tis cool. Personally, I go with the absolute difference.

That's probably the best way to handle it. I tend to do that with Transform (since it can be used offensively), but not Shapechange (voluntary targets only).

Wait.... I'm confused and I don't have my book to double check.

Are you saying turning big burly orks into tiny a mouse is somewhere on the absurdly easy side compared to turning a frail human into a tiger of comporable size?

Yep.

I just found me a new favorite spell.

Now to make some aura masked disposable anchoring foci. Human zoo here I come!

Note that this only lowers the requirements for the spell's Threshold and Force. The target number will still be high when targeting some big, burly ork, and they still get to resist the spell.

It's a word problem from basic math.

"The Threshold is equal to half the target's Body plus the difference between the critter's and the target's unaugmented Body Attributes."

Translates directly to...

Threshold = [ Target's Body + ( Critter's Body - Target's Body ) ]

Thus changing into any small creature with a Body of 1 or less will always be a Threshold of 1, and changing into anything with a Body lower than the target's Body will always be easier than turning into something bigger and badder. As well it should.

I do admit that I missed up with my math earlier because I forgot about the first part of the formula.

I understand where you are getting your inerpretation. I agree that is what it literally says. However, if they used an example with a critter smaller than the human, I think it would be the absolute value. Or, subtracting the smaller number from the larger number. If they changed the critter in the example to a rat, and did it my way, then you would probably say every critter bigger than the human has a default TN of 2.

It doesn't make sense to me that shrinking a mass (Body 6 human to body 1 rat)should be simpler than expanding it (Body 6 human to Body 8 tiger.) Further, that shrinking a mass to different degrees (Body 6 person to body 5 critter compared to body 1 critter) should be the same difficulty (default TN2.)

I don't mind it for Shapechange at all. While it does offer up some useful options, you are still transforming into a horribly vulnerable creature. A harsh sneeze could kill most Body 1 creatures without even trying, for instance.

The only real problem comes with Transform because it makes it relatively easy to dispatch powerful foes with a single not-too-hefty-in-the-Drain-department spell. 'Course with thier Body still being the target number, it's not that big of a deal except in the middle to lower-upper Body scores.

hey all, figured I'd point out a question I just got from earlier statements...

if the book says "the difference between the critter's body and the target's body" isn't that saying the steps, not math? I can understand reading it like this in math:

critter - target = number

but if it's purely in logic over math, then it can be

crittier - target = number

OR

target - critter = number

When I read it, I see it as whatever result makes a positive number (a difference between them). So if it's a critter of 8 and a target of 8, then it doesn't matter, but if it's a critter of 4 and a target of 8, then the formula is forced to use the smaller number last so you get a positive real difference (technically a negative difference doesn't exist unless you can force numbers to stay in one place).

so in that case, the formula is forced into:

8(target) - 4(critter) = 4 (number).

I would think going from giant burly orc to a rat should be as hard as vice versa (that's a lot of mass and muscle and such to make vanish or appear).

Sure, that may very well be the intent if not the wording.

Personally, I just have a problem with seeing why it's so relatively easy to turn a really buff human into a bear (both having Body 9) than a tiny little fox (Body 2), but if you have a slightly below-average human (Body 2), it's pathetically easy to turn him into that tiny little fox, but turning him into a bear is nigh impossible.

In fact, even with a Force 6 spell, you can't turn the former into a fox or the latter into a bear at all. Yet the same Force 1 spell can perform the other transformations without a problem whatsoever.

The whole "change in mass" sillyness of an excuse has no impact on anything, either. The change in mass between the human and the fox regardless of Body is immense.

maybe the idea of the body difference is suppose to represent just getting a 'new boddy' over all? Your mind might be use to you being night and burly (or small and frail) going from one to the other would probably confuse the average person a bit. Or some confusing jumbo about science or not.


My guess is they wanted control factors to help keep from having giant elephants stomping supermarkets and so on. (or turning tanks over).

That's the thing. (My interpretation of) the rules make it a bitch to try and turn into an elephant or a rhino, but not into a mouse or bluejay. It's just that the tougher you are to begin with, the easier it to turn into those combat monsters without increasing the difficulty of turning into a harmless little critter.

Because to get as complex as you are wanting to justify it Doc, then it would require more than a Body Attribute to justify Arnold's size from PeeWee. Or 6'5" from 4'2". The higher the body represents typically more than just pure size, but muscle density which would be more resiliant to change than fatty tissue. Don't get me wrong, you can have a really fat guy with body 9, but that isn't the only possibility that the rating covers. In your example, reducing mass should be just as difficult as gaining mass. Otherwise you would be a fox with a 9 body compacted into a typically small 1 or 2 body. That would be a pretty brawn fox. To justify it you would have to say the body disappeared into nothing and blame it on the calorie hungary manasphere.

I agree the wording is exact, but I will stick to my earlier opinion. The wording implies the difference between the two, not a set one minus two and all negatives are free theory.

I don't want it any more complex. I'm happy with the straight Threshold = [ Target's Body + ( Critter's Body - Target's Body ) ] formula. Mostly because I don't have some weird need to apply physics to magic since the former has frag-all to do with the latter.

But then again, I'm not the one who thinks its munchkiny to turn into a defenseless little creature that will die as easily as a Body 0 drone. I also have a bigger problem with a spell that can turn someone into a tiger, but has no change to turn that same person into a cat... yet the exact same spell can turn someone else into a cat and have no chance in hell of turning them into a tiger. I'd rather see a spell that could turn either into a cat, but only has a chance of turning one into a tiger... at least that's more consistant and less "WTF?" invoking.