| From: | loneeagle@********.co.uk (Lone Eagle) |
|---|---|
| Subject: | Lightning Ball vs Vehicle. Uber Spell or How Does It Work? |
| Date: | Mon, 01 Aug 2005 09:05:25 +0100 |
>That's combat spells, which work differently, and so they don't concern us
>ATM :)
I know, I was paraphrasing the whole thing to avoid confusion.
>>It then goes on to say that elemental manipulations are impeded by "glass
>>and other barriers" and that firing through barriers rules apply
>
>I think that applies to hitting your target with a single-target EM spell,
>like Flamethrower. This would have to go through a barrier in order to
>reach a target standing behind, say, a glass window, and so the normal
>barrier rules apply.
If a Flamethrower has to pass through then so does a Fireball. Otherwise
you simply take the theory which allows you to create the Fireball at the
target and apply it to the lower drain spell - creating your flamethrower
at your target and avoiding intervening barriers.
> > - as we've already determined the vehicle itself is unharmed so
> > everything inside it is likewise protected.
>
>And that's where I beg to differ :) Since we're quoting rules, those on
>page 182 of SR3 specifically say: "Targets hidden behind a wall within the
>radius of a Fireball spell will still get cooked, even if the caster
>cannot see them." To me, this means a vehicle's passengers will still be
>hit even if the vehicle itself is unharmed and they have the opacity (?)
>of the windows turned up to 11.
But that's the difference between the target hiding behind a wall and the
target hiding in a box. The barrier effect of a garden wall or a corner of
a corridor is of little use when the flames...etc. wash around the corners
while a wall which is larger than the spell's radius in all directions from
the spell's centre or an enclosed box will be effective by my reading.
If you like it's the difference between cover and a barrier.
>>It's also worth noting that the rules state that they effect an area in
>>the same way as a physical explosion (centre out presumably)
>
>True, and I find this a bit unfortunate. I think what it's supposed to
>mean is "They hit everyone within the blast radius, like a grenade", and
>not "They explode from the center outward, like a grenade".
I would assume both - doesn't it make sense that if you cast a fireball
into an open safe you'll get (among other things) a spray of the safe's
contents coming out when it blossoms?
Your players may thank you heartily when the their cars stop getting
fireballed - but imagine their faces when they realise that - by extension
- if they leave a window open slightly it might be enough for the spell to
get inside their vehicle... and that then you get to use the chunky salsa
effect.
To my mind the elemental manipulation spells, because they create a
physical effect, are more analogous to the corresponding mundane physical
effect than to corresponding magical effects - a fireball for example is
nearer to a blasting cap in a can of acetone than powerball for example, a
Flamethrower spell more like a real flamethrower than a powerbolt, a Nova
more like blasting a very high powered laser into a mass of rotating prisms
and mirrors...etc.
--
Lone Eagle
"Hold up lads, I got an idea."
www.wyrmtalk.co.uk - Please be patient, this site is under construction
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