GMMichael
Guide of Modos
In Modos RPG, a character casting a spell uses one or more actions to do so. So I'm tackling the question: during which action does the spell take place?
Characters get three actions per round, which can be used during their turn, or in response to other characters' actions. A spell requires one action per spell level.
Spells higher than level 3:[sblock]Higher level spells can be cast by raising ability scores, which grant an extra action for every 5 points above 10. Also, the Haste spell grants an additional action in the following round.[/sblock]
Spell damage:[sblock] is kept comparable to weapon damage by allowing only one die of damage per action. Swing a sword, deal one die of damage. Cast a three-action spell, deal three dice of damage. Spells can deal damage to multiple targets by increasing the ease in which the damage is avoided. For example, a three-action, three-damage dice spell can affect all nearby targets (dealing 3 dice of damage to each) by taking a 4 point casting penalty, making it about 20% easier for each target to avoid.[/sblock]
The original spell list had two types of spells:
1) Continuous damage. As a fire spell is cast, it does damage during each action that the caster spends casting it (allowing the defender to defend during each casting action as well).
2) Non-damage effect. These spells still require one defense action for each casting action, but the first successful defense action halves the effect, and the (half) effect does not end until one defense has been successful per casting action. For example, a charm spell might have two actions, and cause its target to become a thrall. When the target defends successfully once, the effect changes to making the target generally nice. When the target defends successfully again, the effect ends.
Now, it seems normal for a caster to cast a multiple-damage-dice spell like fire3, and instead of oozing fire for five actions, the caster spends five actions casting, and a fireball destroys everything after the casting is done (after the last casting action). The problem with this is that defenders can use only one response action per opponent action, so as the last action creates the spell, a defender would get only one action to defend against the spell, and thus be able to prevent only one die of damage.
So the ultimate question: how, in this by-the-action system, should a spell deal multiple dice of damage to a target, while still giving the target a chance to fully defend (in the same way a defender would attempt to block multiple attacks from a weapon-wielding opponent)?
Characters get three actions per round, which can be used during their turn, or in response to other characters' actions. A spell requires one action per spell level.
Spells higher than level 3:[sblock]Higher level spells can be cast by raising ability scores, which grant an extra action for every 5 points above 10. Also, the Haste spell grants an additional action in the following round.[/sblock]
Spell damage:[sblock] is kept comparable to weapon damage by allowing only one die of damage per action. Swing a sword, deal one die of damage. Cast a three-action spell, deal three dice of damage. Spells can deal damage to multiple targets by increasing the ease in which the damage is avoided. For example, a three-action, three-damage dice spell can affect all nearby targets (dealing 3 dice of damage to each) by taking a 4 point casting penalty, making it about 20% easier for each target to avoid.[/sblock]
The original spell list had two types of spells:
1) Continuous damage. As a fire spell is cast, it does damage during each action that the caster spends casting it (allowing the defender to defend during each casting action as well).
2) Non-damage effect. These spells still require one defense action for each casting action, but the first successful defense action halves the effect, and the (half) effect does not end until one defense has been successful per casting action. For example, a charm spell might have two actions, and cause its target to become a thrall. When the target defends successfully once, the effect changes to making the target generally nice. When the target defends successfully again, the effect ends.
Now, it seems normal for a caster to cast a multiple-damage-dice spell like fire3, and instead of oozing fire for five actions, the caster spends five actions casting, and a fireball destroys everything after the casting is done (after the last casting action). The problem with this is that defenders can use only one response action per opponent action, so as the last action creates the spell, a defender would get only one action to defend against the spell, and thus be able to prevent only one die of damage.
So the ultimate question: how, in this by-the-action system, should a spell deal multiple dice of damage to a target, while still giving the target a chance to fully defend (in the same way a defender would attempt to block multiple attacks from a weapon-wielding opponent)?
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