Duck and cover, the mage left his GPS at home

[Thirsty]

In the game I am currently playing our DM has instituted a house rule for dropping area effect spells near our party, such as when trying to clear the back ranks in melee. When such a spell is cast, the mage needs to make an intelligence check with a DC of 13. If successful, the spell goes off as planned, if not the centre of the spell scatters like a grenade like weapon.

While this works well for mages, as generally with experience a mage's intelligence goes up, however, it's not so good for sorcerers. Clerics can substitute wisdom but a sorcerer substituting charisma just doesn't seem right.

Any suggestions to overcome this hurdle would be appreciated as it adds a certain "spice" to magical combat.

 

[Teflon Billy]

Make it a spellcraft check instead of a Stat check.

I'm not sure what the DC should be though. Certainly not 13.

I think this is a good idea, so as to avoid the surgically precise placement of stuff like fireball.

I may adopt this myself.

 

[Tiefling]

I like that rule (although I might alter it such that the DC varies with distance), but I'm not sure what the problem is for sorcerors using charisma. If you rationalize the rule by saying that the spellcaster has to work to channel the spell correctly, and that if he fails then it goes slightly wonky, it would make perfect sense that the sorceror has to focus his willpower or what not.

 

[Piratecat]

I'm with Teflon Billy; we use spellcraft checks when someone tries for exact spell placement.

 

[hong]

As long as the wiz/sorc's player doesn't take ages to figure out exactly where to place the spell, I don't generally have a problem with it.

 

[jensun]

Or you could just have them make a ranged touch attack roll, with associated penalties for firing into combat...

 

[Shallown]

We have had this arguement of exact spell pl;acement in our group and more or less decided. where the caster "wants" it to go. He doesn't know the exact measurements and doesn't know exact distances. He pictures it and it goes boom. Makes the game easier and is as reasonable as a fireball or glitterdust in the first place.

PLus the caster knows stuff and is trained in ways the player isn't so the player has to simulate these through figures and precise measurements... Yeah that's the ticket...

later

 

[nsruf]

As long as the wiz/sorc's player doesn't take ages to figure out exactly where to place the spell, I don't generally have a problem with it.

Same here. I require a quick decision where the center of the spell goes and if this is off, well, bad luck...

But as long as I allow melee fighters to figure out exact distance before starting a charge, I don't see why I should penalize spell casters if they count squares.

 

[Pbartender]

Make it a spellcraft check instead of a Stat check.

I'm not sure what the DC should be though. Certainly not 13.

Use 15 + Spell level. That puts it on par with identifying a spell as it is being cast.

 

[Skarp Hedin]

What sort of DCs do you use for that, Piratecat? I had a problem with this recently, with someone counting and recounting and recounting again (took at least 2 minutes of him counting) squares to make sure none of the party would get hit in the entangle spell he was casting.. it was pretty irritating, and this is a pretty good use for spellcraft, an underused skill in my campaign thus far.

Oh, and he messed up and entangled the party anyhow.