D&D vs WHFRP

[Jürgen Hubert]

OK re-reading the casting section, I apparently misread the section on casting a spell being an extended action; I see that if you can't cast it, it's shot and you have to start again from scratch next round. Sounds to me like 2 dice is the optimum to use, because your chance of rolling all "1"s is 1 in a 100, and your chance of doubles is pretty low, only causing a minor effect if it happens (or if you're really unlucky, you blow the local area to hell).

Of course, this (a) means that your odds of casting the more powerful spells are fairly low and (b) your chances of gaining insanity points are non-insignificant - especially considering all the re-rolls you have to do to cast your spells!

Smart WFRP wizards should be like Discworld wizards - it's not the knowledge how to cast a spell, but when not to cast a spell that is the important part.

 

[mhensley]

About six months ago I ran a wfrp game and the wizard pc gained enough insanity points to pick up a mental illness in just one session.

 

[Rel]

About six months ago I ran a wfrp game and the wizard pc gained enough insanity points to pick up a mental illness in just one session.

It's noteworthy to mention that you can avoid picking up the Insanity Point by making a Willpower Test. Wizards should, in general, have a pretty good Willpower. And SMART Wizards keep a Fortune Point or two in their pocket for such occasions as well.

Kinda like my current character who will NOT fire his Repeater Pistol without a Fortune Point on hand to hopefully prevent it exploding and possibly killing him.

 

[kengar]

It's noteworthy to mention that you can avoid picking up the Insanity Point by making a Willpower Test. Wizards should, in general, have a pretty good Willpower. And SMART Wizards keep a Fortune Point or two in their pocket for such occasions as well.

Kinda like my current character who will NOT fire his Repeater Pistol without a Fortune Point on hand to hopefully prevent it exploding and possibly killing him.

Wise fellow.

Of course, the beauty of Tzeentch's Curse is that -RAW- Casting Rolls are not Attribute Rolls so you can't use a Fortune Point to re-roll. Likewise the Chaos Manifestation rolls.

(Now, a lot of GMs allow a Fortune Point to be spent on Casting Rolls, but that's not official.)

 

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

Of course, this (a) means that your odds of casting the more powerful spells are fairly low and (b) your chances of gaining insanity points are non-insignificant - especially considering all the re-rolls you have to do to cast your spells!

Smart WFRP wizards should be like Discworld wizards - it's not the knowledge how to cast a spell, but when not to cast a spell that is the important part.

Yes, this certainly fits. Though it also applies to fighter-type characters - you should be careful when picking fights.

 

[Hand of Evil]

Insanity is one of those things that I always enjoy seeing run by the players, always fun.

Player in one of my games, pyromanic, wanted for arson and questioning for a number of crimes and murders. The other players watching him all the time, he was a doctor, always wanted to cauterize wounds. His line at the end...Oh, yes burn me!

 

[Rel]

Wise fellow.

Of course, the beauty of Tzeentch's Curse is that -RAW- Casting Rolls are not Attribute Rolls so you can't use a Fortune Point to re-roll. Likewise the Chaos Manifestation rolls.

(Now, a lot of GMs allow a Fortune Point to be spent on Casting Rolls, but that's not official.)

Absolutely correct and we wouldn't have it any other way. No fun in being able to avoid the bad stuff all the time. You don't get to avoid the Casting Roll or Curse with Fortune Points. However you can spend a Fate Point to avoid it if you feel that it would irreparably screw up your character (or the party, or the town, or the tri-county area...).

Likewise Good Luck Charms won't help you either. Though perhaps that "luck spell" (the name of which escapes me at the moment) from the Divine Lore of Ranald might help. I can't remember if it specifies a Skill Test or not.

And that reminds me, in a funny coincidence, I randomly rolled the name "Ranald" for my current character and also randomly rolled the Lucky Talent for him! May his Repeater Pistol never blow up in his hands doing a Str 8 hit on him!

 

[mhensley]

It's noteworthy to mention that you can avoid picking up the Insanity Point by making a Willpower Test. Wizards should, in general, have a pretty good Willpower. And SMART Wizards keep a Fortune Point or two in their pocket for such occasions as well.

Kinda like my current character who will NOT fire his Repeater Pistol without a Fortune Point on hand to hopefully prevent it exploding and possibly killing him.

In the six or so games that I've run, none of the players ever remembered to spend a fortune point on anything. I suppose that they were so set in their D&D ways that such a concept was too foreign to them.

 

[Henry]

In the six or so games that I've run, none of the players ever remembered to spend a fortune point on anything. I suppose that they were so set in their D&D ways that such a concept was too foreign to them.

After Eberron, all my players are slightly bummed out if they're in a system without some sort of "Action Points."

 

[kengar]

In the six or so games that I've run, none of the players ever remembered to spend a fortune point on anything. I suppose that they were so set in their D&D ways that such a concept was too foreign to them.

It was the opposite situation for me. We were coming from Savage Worlds and the bennies system, so Fortune Points made the transition that much easier.