From: Steve Maurer (vsi1!steve@ames.arc.nasa.gov)
Date: Wed 12 Apr 1989 - 09:56:33 EEST
> >... one very important point about battle magic (all magic I think) is
> >that it's visible (at least) when cast.
>
> I don't remember spell casting being particularly obvious; this may be a
> local variant, but I don't believe it's standard.
One of the things which I hoped to be cleared up from RQ2, going into
RQ3, was which spells *exactly* were visible, and which ones weren't.
(In fact, I specifically asked them to make this clear, but they didn't.)
>From the narration of various stories, it appears that the vast majority
of spells are visible, but there are some spells which in their description
appear to be invisible.
Here is a list of the following rules by which I determine if a Battle/spirit - magic spell is visible:
I do not play RQ3. It's not as good as RQ2. However, the original Silence spell description in RQ2 was redefined slightly to be:
Adds 100% to your Move Silent
This was to prevent Giants from using the spell. Also, as Aldrya had a rune spell like this, we needed to make it somehow more powerful. The rune spell "Silence" adds 500% to your Move Silent (you always "Special" your Move Silent roll -- only critical Listens will hear you).
Steve Maurer ames!vsi1!steve
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>Subject: Re: Spell Crit/Fumble rolls
>
>From: Steven A. Schrader (SAS@PSUARCH.BITNET)
Soldifying/Weakening Life Force
Damage Resistance
Fumbles
21 - 50 Spell is reversed at half strength
Jeff:
What's half of one point of Armoring Enchantment? Or the reverse of
a Damage Resistance?
Andrew:
Reversed damage resistance might boost the damage coming in by a factor
of 1/2 on a successful roll - nasty! But these are supposed to be
*fumbles*... 1/2 a point of something is what somebody of another race
can heal with healing 1! :-)
Jeff again:
Then let me cast a 1-point Damage Resistance on you and fumble.
Subere's Attack Soul spell can be found in the supplement Gods of Glorantha.
Moving/Slowing something with Life Force
Binding Enchantment
Glue
Hinder
Summon Species
Teleport
Fumble
01 - 25 Move the wrong object
Jeff:
What does a Binding Ench or Summon have to do with moving?
Steven:
Binding keeps something from moving to the point that it can not move.
Jeff again:
A binding enchantment enables you to hold a "spirit" in an object.
If the enchantment moves, the held being moves. So, if I cast a
Binding Enchantment and roll this fumble, what happens?
Steven on Summoning:
Well, summon has a lot to do with something moving! How do you think
the summoned creature gets there if not being moved by the caster's
magic?
Andrew:
Think of it as Summon the wrong object.
Jeff again:
Then what did I "move"? Do you have a table for me?
26 - 50 Lose control of the object until another successful spell
is made(Dir 8 sided die)
Jeff:
What do I lose control of when Gluing?
Steven:
I would say that you lost control of stopping the gluing at one spot
so the gluing continues for a path. I originally thought of the idea
that new spells could be "found" by a mistake. A rather interesting
idea that science uses an awful lot! %)
Jeff again:
Glue gives you a 10cm by 10cm patch of glue. Does this mean I actually
get more Glue to use? Can I deliberately fumble this one?
76 - 00 The wrong object moved, but out of control
Jeff:
Again, what does moving have to do with Binding or Summoning?
Steven again:
Well, that seems apparent to me! You either summoned the wrong thing or
bound the wrong thing(your apprentice??) and bound/summoned to the wrong
place.
Jeff again:
Then how is a Binding Enchantment "out of control"?
Using Life Force as a recepticle
Homing Circle
Magic Point Matrix Enchancement
Spell Matrix Enchancement
Fumble
21 - 80 Object has 1 point of damage for every point of POW used
Jeff:
Eh? Would you like to explain that? Does that mean when I touch it,
it damages me? Not a bad weapon to use in combat....
Steven:
No! No! Silly! The object has 1 point of damage! you know like the sword
you were trying to enchant onto, now has 1 less AP!
Jeff again:
Then why not say exactly that? But, I never put enchantments on weapons
because they're too easy to break. Also, what if I make the enchantment
on a tatoo? Does my arm lose one HP?
81 - 00 Object "Eats" POW. Acts like spell combat. Objects POW vs
defender's POW. Is resistance fails, then 1 POW is
"Eaten" by the object and added to its total. This
Will continue until the place is sealed with another
succesful spell of this type.
Jeff:
"This will continue" how often? Once a minute? Once a day? Can I
give it to someone else and have it eat their souls too?
Steven:
It is more like spirit combat. Sure you can give it to someone, if you
are alive that is.
Jeff again:
Sorry, but spirit combat affects MP only. POW is not lost, nor is
the statistic even used. Make it MP, and I could see it.
Using Life Force to Stop/Start Reactions
Ignite
Immortality*
Fumble
01 - 20 Opposite effects are done
Jeff:
Does this mean an Ignite will put out the fire I was trying to start?
Steven:
I would read it as you have made the object unignitable (until perhaps
two ignite spells overcome it.) Be a little imaginative.
Andrew:
Another case where a fumble might be good...I can just see the munckins
casting ignite on their character until they fumble and become immune to
fireballs.
Jeff again:
Yes.
Using Life Force to Affect another's mind
Dominate Species
Shimmer
Fumble
21 - 40 Half opposite effects
Jeff:
How am I half Dominated?
Steven:
Easy, the suggestions that are done to you, you have a chance to reject.
Andrew:
Might just freeze the character in place; you can't move yourself,
but neither can the sorceror. Or it could be a POW vs. POW struggle
to try to do what you want versus what the sorceror wants...
Jeff again:
Actually, I blew it here. If I fumble a Dominate, does the target
get a chance to dominate me? What if it has no sentience?
Transfer of Information from One Source to Another
Apprentice Bonding
Visibility
Fumble
01 - 20 Wrong Information given
Jeff:
What information do I gain from an Apprentice Bonding?
Steven:
Silly, silly! If you are on the opposite end of the spell you get the
vitals to a spell, if you cast it then your translation of the vitals
of the spell are muffed by the spell. I mean the spell IS needed to
teach another a sorcery spell.
Jeff again:
Then what about Visibility? Does it give you false info about where
the spirit is? So that if I try to target a spell on it, it misses?
NEAT! Let me fumble it on a magic spirit. Then I'll sit back and
watch while it blasts you and you can't do a thing about it....
21 - 40 Wrong Sense used
Jeff:
What sense is a Visibility spell?
Steven:
Why, sight of course. Perhaps you now, can smell the thing really well.
Not much help to you, huh?
Jeff again:
What sense do you use to bond an apprentice?
Critical Success
01 - 70 more Detailed information given than is usual
Jeff:
What information do I gain from an Apprentice Bonding?
Steven:
This is getting tiring. Spell Vitals. Say double the intial D6 roll
for percentile.
Jeff again:
To put it extremely bluntly, if you're going to post something like
this, you need to be prepared for these kind of questions....
>> 71 - 90 Double effects
>> 91 - 00 Treble effects
>>
Jeff:
I don't want to be too harsh, but I think that not enough thought was
given in thinking about the effects for each spell for the fumble and
critical effects.
Steven:
I resent the thought that I would lend out my system to anyone if I
thought that I had not put enough time into them. I have put an awful
lot of thought into them. I think you should open your mind and use
a little bit of imagination in employing the rules.
Jeff again:
I'm all for imagination. But even more, I insist on consistency and
logical effects. I dislike having to think "what does this fumble
really mean?" Just look at the questions I had. I saw fumble and
critical results that were either not immediately obvious or, if
interpreted incorrectly, would turn a good effect into a bad one,
or vice versa.
>Add some spark to the boring, predictable magic system. The fact that
>a spell can fail really turned me on to RQ and off of AD&D, but if
>there is a failure, why can there not be a fumble. If there are fumbles then why not
>crits? I am weakest on the Crits, cause really you want to have the
>spell work as it was supposed to w/o any alteration, so what IS a crit?
>I imagined it as the caster manipulated the energy so deftly that the
>results were ultra-normal. Maybe not what you wanted, but you did do
>the spell great--too good.
Jeff:
I think that the current rules for fumbles and criticals are fine.
There is no need to add insult to injury or hand out Monty Haul effects
just because of a single die roll.
Andrew:
Perhaps, but a bit of a problem with RQ magic is that it is so mundane
and mechanical. While I propose making sorcery spells a bit more
colorful in their effects, Steve has proposed adding some color via
fumbles.
Jeff:
If you think spells like Erotocomatose Lucidity is mundane....
Steven:
Again, Andy is right. I do not beleive anyone has EVER accused my
campaigns of being Monty Haulish!!! Perhaps a bit deadly, if you did
not think carefully your actions, and sometimes too realistic (whatever
that is! %) ), but never monty haulish!
Jeff:
My apologies. I did not mean to say "Monty Haul". I meant to say
"power game".
Steven:
I do not believe that my system IS monty haulish. What is wrong with
5/100 spells being cast with double the effect?
Jeff:
I don't think it's wrong, just that your rules not only don't cover
certain situations, but can inadvertenly juxtapose good and bad effects.
Steven:
My closing comments. The system that you use, does not have the color
of mine.
Jeff:
Granted.
Steven:
Also, in game testing, one person received a crit. He was doing
a mindlink. I secretly rolled and found that he received/gave more info
rmation than just verbal, emotions were received also. The character
did not realize the difference. That was one that could have been ex-
ploited really well, but he missed it. I use the system, and I have ^^^^^^^^^^ only used the tables once. It did not overbalance the play at all. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Jeff again:
If you've only used the tables once, can you HONESTLY claim that it's
been extensively playtested?
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