Do you cats customize your spell descriptions?

[Destan]

I've been pounding out a couple updates for my fledgling story hour, and I noticed that I like to describe the spells as they happen and - if at all possible - avoid using the common names or catch phrases.

It ain't easy.

I was wondering if many folks out there - players or DM's - give a unique flavor, in terms of describing effects, to the spells they cast.

It's so easy to say, "A fireball lands here. Ok, 20' radius. Those three guys need to make Reflex saves."

But isn't it much cooler to say: "An ember, no larger than a marble, streaks outward from the mage's fingers, pausing in your midst, and explodes into a fiery inferno."

Granted, that's an over-the-top, melodramatic example. And I suppose it'd get quite old, quite fast, if the party wizard constantly gave a paragraph story for every Magic Missile he shot downrange.

Still...there's something to be said for making magic seem a little more ambiguous, a little more mysterious.

I know Piratecat uses both in his story hour - spell names to the help the readers know what's going on, but also great descriptions. Does that hold true around the table?

In a story hour, I imagine it's much easier (at least, it is for me). But around the table - especially after a couple hours and a handful of bad beers - I find myself falling back on the tried-and-true common names.

This isn't a poll, per se, just a little fishing to see if people regularly use custom descriptions. And, if so, I'd like to know if it adds to the enjoyment of gaming.

Cheers,
Destan

 

[hong]

I usually only use lurid spell descriptions in exceptional circumstances. Generally speaking, that means failing to penetrate SR, or a magic missile hitting a shield.

My players tend not to like it when I use lurid descriptions.

 

[alsih2o]

you can ease the repetitiveness of it by having the party mages nickname their spells accordingly.

then it becomes "i put a sting on him" or such

 

[The Sigil]

What I like to refer to as "newspaper convention" works well too.

The first time a spell effect is described, do the "whole paragraph" description, noting which spell it is.

On subsequent uses, refer to the spell name.

About every 3rd or 4th subsequent use, refer back to a single line or something from the original paragraph.

E.g.:

The first time the mage throws a fireball...
An ember, no larger than a marble, streaks outward from the mage's fingers, pausing in your midst, and explodes into a fiery inferno. The fireball engulfs you, choking your lungs with heat and you smell the awful smell of singed human hair as the flame vaporizes the small hairs on your arms and legs."

The second time:

The mage hurls another fireball.

The third time:

The mage winds up and another marble-sized ember comes streaking towards you as you find yourselves besieged by another fireball.

another fireball rocks the party

The mage grins and launches another fireball.

you grit your teeth against the heat as another fiery inferno conjured by the mage bursts about you.

You get the idea.

--The Sigil

Edit: Closed italics tag

 

[MarauderX]

I like to keep the spell descriptions right next to me as a DM, and often ask the players to print out all the spells they have available to them so that game play can move that much quicker. This gives me a good understanding of which ones the player may decide to use and when they do I have it nice and fresh in my memory what the effects and limitations are as well.

If there are changes I usually scribble something on the spell sheet so the player is aware of it before hand and isn't surprised by a newly revised web spell.

 

[ergeheilalt]

I play on line, and keeping it very story-book like, I tend to emote the spell discription. It acts as a good way to incorporated those visual, somantic and material components into the spell too. I do exactly what the Sigil does, but I customize each spell to a caster (ie, each mage casts it slightly differently).

Erge

 

[Nifft]

1) Penguins aren't cats.

2) Yes, lurid, especially if something interesting happens. However, I typically have the players roll their Reflex (or whatever) saves before describing the effect, so I can describe what happens to them as part of the effect. Sometimes, I don't even tell the players what spell is occuring -- that's part of the fun of finding the evil Wizard's spellbook!

-- Nifft