Anyone picked up True Sorcery?

[Nebulous]

Here is Deadly Force Hammer from page 60 (non-errata pdf)

Deadly Force Hammer
Spellcraft: DC 49; Component: V; Range: 50 ft.; Effect: Create a force hammer; Duration: Instantaneous; Saving Throw:None; Spell Resistance:Yes.
As force hammer, but targets struck take 4d4 points of damage.
Math: DC 10 base, +40 ft. (+4), nonlethal to lethal (+20), +3d4 (+15)

and the basic Force Hammer

Force Hammer
Spellcraft: DC 14; Component: V; Range: 50 ft.; Effect:
Creates a force hammer; Duration: Instantaneous; Saving
Throw:None; Spell Resistance:Yes.
You create a hammer of force. It can be used as a ranged
weapon with a base range of 10 feet. You must succeed on a
ranged touch attack to hit the target. If you succeed, you deal
1d4 points of nonlethal damage.
MathC 10 base, +40 ft. (+4).

Using the same spellcaster from above, my Spellcraft for the spell is +14 (no synergy bonus this time). Let's assume though that i use a material component, a small hammer, and get a +2 bonus so it's still +16. The casting time is now 1 minute, unless i have prepared the spell ahead of time (using the non-errata chart from Table 2-3). Now, to improve the spellcasting check, i can spend more time casting, which ups the casting time 1 degree to a 10 minute interval for a +2 bonus. So i'm up to +18 + 1d20 to hit DC 49 for a ranged touch attack at +1 to inflict 4d4 damage and suffer 1d8 + 7 subdual damage . I could have prepared this spell ahead of time and cast it in 1 standard action however, which would be a very good plan. If, for any reason though you lose consciousness, all prepared spells are lost.

If i REALLY wanted to get the spell off (assuming a non-prepared spell again) i can burn those 2 spell points and get a +20 bonus. So that's +36 +1d20 to hit DC 49 and suffer 3d8 +9 points subdual damage. Hit or miss. There is an optional rule that if you roll a natural 20 you can roll again and add that as well.

It IS hard trying to recreate basic spells, and maybe later on the combat abilities get better, but at least at this level i think they're going to want to shy away from any fighting.

 

[iwatt]

Well, you could include the vocal and somatic components, for an extra +10 bonus to your spellcraft check. Add in material components if you want and you can increase your Spellcraft bonus even more.


I do have a question though: when adding components to a spell, does the bonus spellcraft aid in decreasing the casting time? Because it says:

EDIT:

Also, it's easier using Create(Energy). The sample energy ray (pg 43) has a DC of 33. It is a spell of the First magnitude though.

 

[Michael Tree]

I'm curious about the True20 conversion, but am trying to hold off until the print book comes out.

Does it have a new role for True Sorcery spellcasters, or the adept role from the core book?

How does damage work? Is it +5 spell DC / +1 damage DC, or something like that?

 

[Nebulous]

Well, you could include the vocal and somatic components, for an extra +10 bonus to your spellcraft check. Add in material components if you want and you can increase your Spellcraft bonus even more.

Yes, that would help a lot. I hadn't been including that, but i'd think it's pretty mandatory for hitting some of these DC's.

I do have a question though: when adding components to a spell, does the bonus spellcraft aid in decreasing the casting time? Because it says:

I think so. Umm...let me look that up. There was also something about expendable components offering a bonus on page 22.

 

[Nebulous]

How does damage work? Is it +5 spell DC / +1 damage DC, or something like that?

You can increase the damage die and the number of dice rolled by increasing the spellcraft DC. There's a chart for it.

 

[Nebulous]

Well, you could include the vocal and somatic components, for an extra +10 bonus to your spellcraft check. Add in material components if you want and you can increase your Spellcraft bonus even more.

Actually, reading this section over again, i don't see why you wouldn't have a Focus (+10) for ALL of your spells, and frequently a pocket full of material components and expendable stuff. This would greatly, greatly help reach some of those harder DC's. I wasn't taking those into consideration previously.

 

[Henry]

It IS hard trying to recreate basic spells, and maybe later on the combat abilities get better, but at least at this level i think they're going to want to shy away from any fighting.

As a comparison, from Black Company a Force Hammer hitting multiple targets would be about a DC 38 (40 ft range, fort save half, 20 ft, radius, 6d4 nonlethal dmg, drain 1d8+7). If Student of Magic worked the same as BCCS student of wizardry, that would be about 2 spell energy points just by itself. (well, for my BCCS wizards, more like 4 spell energy points, because I always make sure the wizard has a high CON for this system).

This according to an excellent spell calculator from from one of the Mythic Vistas forum regulars. I wouldn't mind seeing it updated for True Sorcery in the future.

Actually, reading this section over again, i don't see why you wouldn't have a Focus (+10) for ALL of your spells, and frequently a pocket full of material components and expendable stuff. This would greatly, greatly help reach some of those harder DC's. I wasn't taking those into consideration previously.

This is one thing I realized with this system early. You only want to cast with no verbal, somatic, or material components when you want to be VERY flashy; other wizards seeing you pull this off on all spells will immediately know you are a wizard of GREAT power and not to be trifled with. It's a marvelous hallmark of this system, kind of like real life, that the most impressive display is no display at all.

Also, the GM can do marvelous things with material components. I don't know about True Sorcery yet, but on other games GMs have come up with spell components that gave bonuses of varying size to the skill check based on its affinity to certain talents. Dried Zombie Claws give a +6 to fear spells, for instance, or a snoe eel's egg gives a +8 to all cold-energy spells, or powdered stone giant femur gives either a +4 to telekinesis spells, or a +4 to any Earth spells, etc.

 

[Michael Tree]

You can increase the damage die and the number of dice rolled by increasing the spellcraft DC. There's a chart for it.

True20 doesn't have damage dice. All damage is a DC for the target's toughness save. I'm just wondering how you calculate the toughness save DC for true sorcery spells.

 

[ValhallaGH]

Damage: A damage effect starts out at +0 damage bonus and each +1 damage bonus is a +5 Difficulty modifier on the Spellcraft check.

That's from the appendix about using True Sorcery with True 20 games. I hope it helps you decide on whether or not this product is for you.

Instead of the non-lethal damage system called drain, it suggests the following:

True20 Sorcery uses the casting buffer variant, wherein spellcasters have a pool of points measuring their spellcasting resources. The casting buffer starts out equal to your Constitution score and each level of adept adds 4 points to it. It is otherwise as described in Chapter Four.

 

[Nebulous]

This is one thing I realized with this system early. You only want to cast with no verbal, somatic, or material components when you want to be VERY flashy; other wizards seeing you pull this off on all spells will immediately know you are a wizard of GREAT power and not to be trifled with. It's a marvelous hallmark of this system, kind of like real life, that the most impressive display is no display at all.

A subtle touch not noticeable at first. I like that too.

Also, the GM can do marvelous things with material components. I don't know about True Sorcery yet, but on other games GMs have come up with spell components that gave bonuses of varying size to the skill check based on its affinity to certain talents. Dried Zombie Claws give a +6 to fear spells, for instance, or a snoe eel's egg gives a +8 to all cold-energy spells, or powdered stone giant femur gives either a +4 to telekinesis spells, or a +4 to any Earth spells, etc.

we've been using this already for a little while, but it is much more pervasive and actually USEFUL in a system like this.