| From: | "Jason Carter, Nightstalker" <CARTER@***.EDU> |
|---|---|
| Subject: | Gather Magic and AT |
| Date: | Thu, 12 Aug 1993 12:28:24 -0700 |
>>Addendum: CometStrike should be catergorized as a Manipulation spell. Also,
>>the AnaTargeter should add two dice to the persons roll, not +2 to Force as I
>>had written previously.
On the AT, are those +2 dice to hit for all targets, or do they count for
Metahumans only? If they are for Metahumans only, can you buy programs for
use with other Critter types? And did you plan on increasing the program size
or requiring a display link? I have a better idea. Could you rewrite the
entire thing incorporating the changes you wanted to make so we could see them?
>>Gathering Magic - A Higher Mystery
[ A lot of pretty good Meta Mombo Jombo ]
Dave, your mechanics are kinda sketchy, hard to understand, and appear to be
missing things that you use in the example. I'm going to try to rephrase what
you said more clearly. Tell me if that's what you meant.
>>The Power (Game Mechanics): Once a mage (Initiation Level 1) has decided to
>>cast a spell, and specified a Force Level, he may try to "Gather Magic"
in
>>order to make it more potent. To do this he must relax and go into Astral
>>Space. For every Complex Action he spends in astral space (up to a maximum
>>equal to his Magic Attribute) he may try to "Gather MagiC". Every action
he
>>may roll a number of dice equal to his Magic Attribute - this represents him
>>using his "sensitivity" to the threads and currents of Astral Energy- to
>>Gather Magical Force. Target Number is the Declared Force of the spell. For
>>every success he gathers one point of magical force. At the end, he MUST cast
>>the spell at the declared force or loose the spell and the Gathered Magic.
>>Benifits: For every point the mage gathers his Drain Target number goes down
>>1, thus possibly reducing a spell that would have caused physical damage to
>>stun damage.
To use Gather Magic the magician must using Astral Perception. When the
magician begins to gather magic he must delare the force of the spell. He may
then use complex actions, no more than his Magic Attribute Rating, to gather
magic energy for the Spell Success Test. On each action, the magician rolls
dice equal to his Magic Attribute Rating against a Target Number equal to the
force of the spell. When the magician cast the spell, reduce it's force by
the total number of successes gained in all the gather magic test for purposes
of determining Drain. The adjusted force is used to determine both the target
number of the spell and whether the drain is physical or mental.
Is this what you meant? If it is, I find the power to be extremely useful for
spells with high drain codes (Hellblast anyone?), but practually useless for
any low drain spells (like sleep and most detection spells). It is also more
useful for spells cast at high force, but next to useless for low force spells
(unless your casting Hellblast). Lastly, you can't cast the spell at a force,
even effective force, higher than you learned it at.
>>Or maybe more people will like this approach to Gathering Magic better.
>>The mage declares the force of the spell. Then has a max number of complex
>>actions in Astral space equal to the Force of the spell. He roles his Magic
>>att. each complex action. TN#6. For every success he gets a extra point of
>>Force, that he doesn't have to role drain for.
>> EX: Mage declares Fireball at Force 6, then spends a few rounds
>>Gathering - gets 2 successes. He roles drain against the spell as normal,
>>but the victims of his spell role against TN#8 (6 + 2)
This idea has more merit since it increases the effective force of the spell.
It also takes the force of the spell out of the equation. However I think that
the drain code of the spell should be increased by the increase in force.
How about giving a drain target modifier of +1 per two points of force gained,
but allowing this target modifier to be reduced or elminated by centering?
Thus to use the power to its fullest advantage, you need use centering in
conjuction to it. This could lead to an explanation as to why this metapower
becomes available at Grade 1 instead of 0. Gather Magic uses techniques
developed in centering (extra manipulation of etheric energies) and quickening
(holding spell energy at bay for special uses).
See Ya in Shadows,
Jason J Carter
The Nightstalker
