Anyone picked up True Sorcery?

[Fenris]

Sure. The book is printed and has shipped to distributors. It should be in some stores this weekend and in wide release next week. You an also order it from our online store.

Very cool. Thanks for the update!

 

[Banshee16]

I just picked up the hardcopy of the book earlier today, and am starting to read through it. Looking at spell durations, is there any way to render a spell permanent like in 3E? At least from what I can see, it appears possible to get a spell to have a duration in days....but I haven't seen anything about permanency....though I haven't finished reading yet..

Banshee

 

[ValhallaGH]

I just picked up the hardcopy of the book earlier today, and am starting to read through it. Looking at spell durations, is there any way to render a spell permanent like in 3E? At least from what I can see, it appears possible to get a spell to have a duration in days....but I haven't seen anything about permanency....though I haven't finished reading yet..

Banshee

Nope. Certain spells include the clause to make them "instantaneous" which is better than permanency, since it can no longer be dispelled, but those are specific options within specific spells. There is no general option available to make spells permanent.
However, the 3.X permanency was of questionable balance, since I often see it in the "how to make an immortal caster" builds. Also, an Ogre Mage's or Rakshasa's eye lash should never be a negligible component.

 

[Pbartender]

I just picked up the hardcopy of the book earlier today, and am starting to read through it. Looking at spell durations, is there any way to render a spell permanent like in 3E? At least from what I can see, it appears possible to get a spell to have a duration in days....but I haven't seen anything about permanency....though I haven't finished reading yet..

Well, sort of...

Look at page 26, "Refreshing Existing Spells":

If you successfully cast an effect with a duration of 1 day or more, you can spend an additional point of spell energy before the effect runs our to extend the duration for one additional increment (e.g., a spell with 1-day duration could be extended by 1 pay per point of spell energy spent, while one with a 1-week duration could be extended by one week per point of spell energy). This allows you to maintain several spell effects at once, although you're reduced in power.

That gives you a means to keep spell effects going on a very long-term basis, assuming you are willing to continually deplete your spell energy to keep the magic running.

I'm sure it wouldn't be difficult to add a "Change from day to permanent" category to the Duration Augmentation table... It'd certainly require a huge DC modifer and spell energy cost.

 

[Banshee16]

Nope. Certain spells include the clause to make them "instantaneous" which is better than permanency, since it can no longer be dispelled, but those are specific options within specific spells. There is no general option available to make spells permanent.
However, the 3.X permanency was of questionable balance, since I often see it in the "how to make an immortal caster" builds. Also, an Ogre Mage's or Rakshasa's eye lash should never be a negligible component.

I wasn't thinking that....I was thinking more along the lines of a mending spell....being able to chant, and the pieces of a broken pot swirl in the air and stick back together, and it's permanently fixed....or you want to turn the prince into a frog for the rest of his life.....doesn't sound like either of those are possible in this system..

Banshee

 

[rjs]

Sure it can. See the sample spell Repair on page 52. Permanently fixing broken objects is a feature of the Enhance Object spell.

 

[Banshee16]

Sure it can. See the sample spell Repair on page 52. Permanently fixing broken objects is a feature of the Enhance Object spell.

Haven't finished reading it yet

But permanently polymorphing someone into a cow won't fly? Or would I then need to simply create a new "level" of duration for the spell, and associated cost? Or maybe take a page from Elements of Magic, and make "Permanent Spell" a feat, and require a caster to use up a certain number of XP?

I'm trying to think of what other spell types aren't instantaneous, but need to be permanent..

Banshee

 

[ValhallaGH]

But permanently polymorphing someone into a cow won't fly?

Nope.
The only way to polymorph them into a cow, at all, is if they are willing. You can't change another's shape against their will in True Sorcery. Mostly to avoid the balance problems of casters who run around 'sheeping' all their enemies, I suspect.

 

[Pbartender]

Nope.
The only way to polymorph them into a cow, at all, is if they are willing. You can't change another's shape against their will in True Sorcery. Mostly to avoid the balance problems of casters who run around 'sheeping' all their enemies, I suspect.

I just had a thought...

If you really want to turn an unwilling target into a newt, or a frog, or some other completely harmless creature, just use the Slay spell and describe the effects a little differently. Instead of killing the person, they are, instead, permanently turned into a small inoffensive creature... If they succeed at the Fortitude save, then they take the secondary damage from the body-altering changes that almost take place.

Really, baleful polymorph is, in essence, an instant death spell. So why not treat it that way?

 

[ValhallaGH]

I just had a thought...

If you really want to turn an unwilling target into a newt, or a frog, or some other completely harmless creature, just use the Slay spell and describe the effects a little differently. Instead of killing the person, they are, instead, permanently turned into a small inoffensive creature... If they succeed at the Fortitude save, then they take the secondary damage from the body-altering changes that almost take place.

Really, baleful polymorph is, in essence, an instant death spell. So why not treat it that way?

........



You, Sir, are a freaking genius. That's a version of Slay that I could actually see myself using in a game, especially as an adventure hook.
Mmm, so many themantic and genre-approriate fun things can be done with this idea.

[Bow]