Theandric Saga OOC

[Nzld]

Ahh, not so. The spell specifically states the tower is made from one block of stone. The spell creates ONE stone, albeit formed in a fancy and elaborate shape, and is hence an Individual. Our spell creates many different stones, and hence requires a Group target.

Okay, I now see your logic more clearly. You are approaching from the consideration that we are creating the individual bricks. I was envisioning it like the tower, as simply creating a single mass of stone in the desired shape of the structure. In that light, Group does make sense.

Mmm, with this logic there is no sense to the Room or Structure or even Boundary targets. Why target a Boundary to affect, say, a field - when what I want to do is affect the Individual field? Mythically, it makes perfect sense for it to be an Individual.
I prefer to be more strict about it. If it makes sense to treat the target as a Boundary/Strucutre/Room, it should be treated that way instead of being treated as an Individual.

Ah, but you are looking at it only from the perspective that the "structure" or "room" targeted is the actual thing to be affected. The Room, Structure, and Boundary Targets are not specifically intended to affect the target, but what is within the target. For 'End of the Mighty Castle' to PeTe a castle, Individual or Structure could both work... but what if you instead wanted to cast a PeCo 'Slaying the Inhabitants of the Castle' spell... at Individual, you can only affect one person... at Group, you can only affect a select group which you would have to be aware of.... but with Structure, you can kill everyone inside the castle without having to see them or even know they are there. Just touch the castle and BAM!

I am not sure how to categorize a field. Logically, yes, it could be considered Individual, but then, logically, I can see where a mountain could be considered Individual. The rules are specific enough in that regard to say it is not Individual because it is not discrete. I would say a field falls in the same category and is not discrete enough from the ground to be Individual.

 

[Yair]

Ah, but you are looking at it only from the perspective that the "structure" or "room" targeted is the actual thing to be affected. [snip] Just touch the castle and BAM!

Yes, there are still uses for the larger Targets, but still I think it is best to err on the side of caution.

I've asked about the two versions of the spell, with Individual or Group targets, at the Ars Magica mailing list. We'll see what (if any) response it will have there.

 

[MummyKitty]

Wow, there's a spell where you touch the castle and everyone inside dies? Is that a new spell in ArM 5e? Seems a lot more powerful than spells in the old edition.

If those knights give us trouble, could come in handy... assuming they live in a castle....

 

[MummyKitty]

In brief, how does Vis work in ArM 5e? Does it just give bonuses for casting? Given the small amount that we have, it seems like it would be more useful for research or rituals?

EDIT: Found Nzld's previous post on this... Is +2 to cast a big deal? I think I'd rather use the vis for rituals, experiments or enchanting items....

 

[Nzld]

Wow, there's a spell where you touch the castle and everyone inside dies? Is that a new spell in ArM 5e? Seems a lot more powerful than spells in the old edition.

If those knights give us trouble, could come in handy... assuming they live in a castle....

It is not an existent spell, but possible under 5th Edition rules:

Slaying the Inhabitants of the Castle : PeCo 50 : Ritual
R: Touch D: Momentary T: Structure

Kills everyone person within a single structure, such as a castle, keep, or manor house. The spell must penetrate Magic Resistance to kill an individual.

[Base 30 (kill a person), +1 Touch, +3 Structure]

 

[Nzld]

In brief, how does Vis work in ArM 5e? Does it just give bonuses for casting? Given the small amount that we have, it seems like it would be more useful for research or rituals?

EDIT: Found Nzld's previous post on this... Is +2 to cast a big deal? I think I'd rather use the vis for rituals, experiments or enchanting items....

Yes, purely for casting, the bonus is only +2 (a significant decrease from the +5 of ArM4), and, in general, I agree, it is more economical to use it for enchanted items, rituals, etc. But, there are times when a +2 can make a world of difference: to get an extra point or two in penetration, to help get off a spontaneous spell, etc. Better to have the option available, and not be used, then to need it, and not have it.

Also, certain Virtues allow you to use vis to boost Range, Duration, or Target, similar to how it was done in ArM4.

 

[Yair]

Titus's Mercurian Magic virtue will come to bear as he casts the Aegis of the Hearth. I am going to improve upon the core ArM5 virtue slightly, as the virtue is balanced with thought of a supportive Mercurian society and rules for reading from books in mind.

I'm gonna edit this post with the new virtue's description tonight. Basically, it allows him to cast it with less raw vis and adds a few other cherrys.

 

[Yair]

Poor Gasparius

I've just been informed that Olive, Gasparius's player, will not be joining us. That leaves us with the following options, as far as I can tell:
1) We retrofit history to never include Gasparius in the first place. Not much happened yet regarding him, so that's not too bad, but it does leave the covenant somewhat smaller and the politics weirder.
2) I continue to play Gasparius as an NPC. That means he won't be the star at any point, but he could still go out to missions that would either be resolved on the background or with other main characters (perhaps just companions and grogs). If one of you would like to pick up an adventure or two, Gasparius could join in as a real character with me at the helm.
3) We make Gasparius a shared character, much like a grog. Anyone can play him.
4) Someone else takes up playing Gasparius in addition to his main character.
5) I continue to play Gasparius as an NPC but arrange for him to leave the covenant as soon as possible - to death, twilight, arcadia, another covenant, or wherever.

I'd like to hear everyone's vote on this matter.

 

[Nzld]

Poor Gasparius

My instinct is to kill him off... and then begin the search for another player.

There were several responses to your posting on the Delphi forums... did any of those guys ever make contact with you?

 

[Strahd_Von_Zarovich]

Let him be cought by the church and burned on the stake ...
or let the redcap murder him at night and eat him like a ghoul, then mighty
Gorgamesh will slain the redcap and gain a level.

And afterward seek a new player.