Slow (Arcane) Hand: Increasing Casting Times

[starwed]

Good point!

I think that with Slow Magic, the only way to be fair about targeted spells is to make the caster determine his target only AFTER the casting has been completed

This is actually RAW. Parameters of a spell are chosen at the completion of the spell, not when you start it.

You make all pertinent decisions about a spell (range, target, area, effect, version, and so forth) when the spell comes into effect.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

True, to an extent, but most targeted spells can't be held.

In this system, the spell could be resolved- ready to fire- and might not have a target since everyone scattered when he started waving his hands and spouting mumbo-jumbo. Instead, to be fair, the slow caster could choose to hold the spell until he had a viable target, like a loaded crossbow. That's the key change.

Otherwise, defeating the caster's intent could be as simple as moving out of range just as the spell resolves. This at least lets him hold the spell until he can find someone to point at and speak the magic word of release...

 

[Theo R Cwithin]

... And likewise for standard-action area-of-effect spells. It's exactly this scattering of foes that sometimes causes a problem for standard-action area spells: by the time casting is finished, opponents have often shifted around quite a bit, and even mixed with allies. In such a case, "holding the charge" isn't necessarily advantageous, though, because then the caster isn't waiting for a single viable target, but rather a viable configuration of targets - which might well never happen in the course of an encounter!

Net effect is that certain area spells can require a bit more advance planning if multiple opponents are involved. Not necessarily a bad thing, but it somewhat changes how (or even whether!) staple combat spells like fireball are used. It changes "nuke 'em!" to "nuke 'em carefully!"