From:	David Woods david@*******.freeserve.co.uk
Subject:	Spell Defense (was SR3... SpellCasting (and Game Balance))
Date:	Thu, 04 Mar 1999 23:28:07 +0000

Mark A Shieh wrote:
>
> David Woods <david@*******.freeserve.co.uk> writes:
> > Keldon Mor wrote:
> > > Now you're saying UNLIKE any
> > > other skill, Sorcery now depletes itself as it's used?
> >
> > The fact is that Sorcery is
> > one of the few (only?) skills that have more than one action associated
> > with it in a single phase. If you use Pistols you shot a pistol, there
> > is no reason to split your Pistol skill dice.
> >
> > Imo FASA have not 'dropped the ball'. Imo this is completely consistant
> > with their overall design philosophy.
> >
> > If you could do two things at once with a pistol you would (imo) split
> > your Pistols dice.
>
> [as explanation for my confusion]
> I thought you got to use both at full skill, splitting combat
> pool between the two. You would take a +2 penalty, listed under
> "Using a second firearm".

Imo you calulate one success test with the 'second firearm' modifiers.
Then the Target may try to dodge using Combat Pool. The net successes
are applied to both weapons damage codes and then the Target must resist
both weapons damage.

Example: Sammy fires at Geek with a heavy pistol (9M) and a light (6L).
Sammy rolls his Pistol + Combat Pool and scores 4 successes. Geek rolls
2 successes on his Dodge giving Sammy 2 net successes. Geek must now
resist a 9S and a 6M wound.

However, this is my personal take. The canon is not clear (afaik) on how
two weapon use is resolved.

> Same thing with melee... If you get attacked by two opponents
> on the same phase, it would appear that you get to conterattack at
> full skill on both attempts.

I agree.

> The penalty for this would be the
> "friends in melee bonus" that they get and the corresponding penalty,
> as well as splitting combat pool.
> As a result, I had assumed that the same thing applied to
> Sorcery.

Imo it does in Astral Combat, but not Spell Casting or Defense.

As I imagine it, Spells and Spell Defense are manipulation the external
Mana. When a magician enters Astral Combat, this is not the same 'type'
of use as casting a Spell or Defending against one.

Imo Sorcery indicates the magician's control over his Astral Form. It
should be treated exactly like Armed/Unarmed Combat on the physical
plane.

If Sorcery Dice were expended in Astral Combat this would be very
strange.

> > > Also, by your thinking, I could say that I can cast a spell in 19, then
> > > allocate dice in 18. It's a new phase and I have a free action.
> >
> > No your next Free action is on 9 in the next phase, not 18. This is
> > basic to the SR3 Phase and Turn system.
>
> Here, I have to take issue. It seems that you can take a Free
> action any and every phase after your first action. (p. 104, section
> 3A) The only apparent restriction on free actions is the inability to
> take any action until your first active phase comes up.

Opps. Your right of course.

However, imo you still can't allocate dice from your Sorcery that you
had used in your last action; although you could redistrubute SD dice
you had remaining.

> If you only get a free action on phases where you get a
> complex/2 simple actions (active phases), then the rest of your
> reasoning holds and I have to agree.

The Free Action in everyones phase is (imo) a way slow characters can do
*something* while the WRIII sammies hit the fast-forward button. It's
not there to have a huge combat effect, as SD dice refreshing would.

I'm player of a Magician with no Cyber and no Inc. Reflex spell. Being
able to at least look round shout things at my fellows releaves *some*
of the boredom.

Regards

- David Woods