The Elements of Magic - Teaser and Sampler (now with Illusion and Transform)

[Verequus]

Are Black Elements still stronger than White Elements?

Every type of element does the same amount of damage for the same amount of MPs - only side effects differ in their effect and their cost. BTW, there are no Black or White elements - quoting the text should explain it:



"

• The Cardinal Elements: Air, Death, Earth, Fire, Life, and Water. These are the primary elements on the equator and the axis of the sphere of elements.
• The Paraelements: Ice, Lava, Lightning, and Ooze. These elements are derived from the cardinal elements on the equator.
• The Negative Elements: Acid, Metal, Shadow, and Void. These elements are the combination of Death and one of the equatorial elements.
• The Positive Elements: Crystal, Light, Mist, and Sound. These elements are the combination of Life and one of the equatorial elements.
• The Unifying Elements: Force, Nature, Space, and Time. Nature is within the sphere of elements and is a balanced mixture of all the elements. Space, force, and time are all outside the sphere and represent the normally intangible concepts of space, forces, and time."

 

[RangerWickett]

The final teaser will be coming out before the week is up. We'll announce it on the main page when it's ready, but in the meanwhile, any last minute questions?

 

[Verequus]

Yes, I have one question.

"Casting a spell takes one full round." "You cannot ready an action to cast a normal spell, because you can only ready standard actions." Magical skills are like spells and need also one full round. But: "To counterspell, you must ready an action and declare an opponent whose spellcasting you want to try to counter." This is a contradiction, because counterspelling is a only a special use of Dispel Magic (regarding the time of use and the +20 bonus).
There are four possible solutions (next to the one, that I'm simply wrong).
a) Counterspelling uses only standard actions, while normal dispelling uses full-round actions - but there is no logic behind that solution besides saving the full round-casting system.

b) To say, that counterspelling needs to be a signature spell - but then you have to use counterspelling in one of the precious signature spells (so one extra only for counterspelling?) and then the parameters are already fixed, but counterspelling has to be flexible.

c) To say, that dispel magic uses are always standard actions - but that breaks the default assumption of a full-round action.

d) To say, that Simple Spells (combining only enhancements from one list and the general enhancements) can be casted as standard actions.

I would prefer solution d), but looking through the document I find the boon:

"Improved Signature Spell: The Mage chooses one spell list she knows. She can cast any spell from that list as a standard action as if it were a signature spell."

Has one to be able to counterspell to choose this boon?

BTW, have such spells of such lists to be Simple Spells or only combined with each other to qualify for standard actions, or can someone simply use 0 MPs for a qualifying component and get this benefit?

 

[RangerWickett]

We changed dispel around a bit to simplify the math involved in countering a spell, and in the process we made it so, yes, you do have to have a Dispel Magic signature spell if you want to counter anything. Otherwise, counterspelling was becoming abusive.