Revised Element Bolt

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From: bell@cs.unc.edu
Date: Thu 15 Jun 1989 - 09:56:33 EEST


An interesting difference in criticisms: one protested the damage abilities, one protested substance creation. Bruce mentions form/set, Jeff commented that not many people know about form/set.

(Jeff and I have been discussing this via e-mail, so much of my reply is based on this interaction)

Looking a little more closely at other spells, there are two changes that should be made to make it a reasonable spell.

  1. The damage is reduced by armor. Any side effects are based solely on the intensity that gets through.
  2. The substance doesn't stay around, although its effects will. Thus if a fire bolt ignites something, that thing will burn normally thereafter. Water frozen by a Darkness bolt will gradually melt.

BLM:>Element Bolt. Surely this spell is just form/set under another name?

Not quite. It's more a combination of Form/Set and illusion spells, in that it temporarily creates the substance. Remember, the substance created by an illusion is real.

BLM:> The spell is horrendously unbalanced.

Let me know if eliminating the duration corrects this flaw. No more turning the world to Chaos, at least.

BLM:> Really can't see any reason to include this in a campaign when form/set BLM:> already exists and provides for much more interesting magic.

The two have substantially different effects, and I would give the bolt spell a substantially better range. Since form/set is a "throw", it should be fairly short range.

If it is balanced, I think it's a reasonable spell. The existence of neutralize damage doesn't make treat wounds useless.

BLM:>Apologise for the rather intemperate sound of this mailer.

Hey, at least you didn't use capital letters... :-)

J?O:>Major question: is this spell REALLY necessary?

Yes, I think an elemental attack spell is "necessary." To paraphrase what somebody else once said to me: "They just have to have fireballs! They just HAVE to!" Unless one wishes RuneQuest to be inextricably tied to Glorantha, the system should be able to simulate spells commonly mentioned in fantasy literature. I know of no other FRP system where a magician cannot cast some analogue of fireball.

Even if it's not "necessary", if the spell isn't horrendously powerful it doesn't hurt. Let me know if you find it reasonable with the changes.

J?O;>A hot-spit sorcerer can be hell on wheels at times. I know, I've J?O:>played a couple.

The sorcerors I've played have been most effective in casting long duration spells before the adventure, and then they might as well go home. Then again, one is a Chalana Arroy worshipper, so really I need more sorcery experience... 

J?O:>Why give them an even more powerful spell,one that doesn't need
J?O:>to overcome magic points?  Every other offensive spell requires
J?O:>this, except this one.

Read form/set. Much of it is very similar to (Element) bolt, and it does not require an overcoming roll.

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