True Sorcery question

[Banshee16]

Given that spells that are Instantaneous either seem to cause damage in a burst, which remains onto subsequent rounds (unless the character is healed), and cure spells with instantaneous directions have a single effect, which is permanent, and can't be dispelled, and other spells like Mending have permanent effects that can't be dispelled, and are also instantaneous duration, could one create something similar to the Baleful Polymorph spell by blending it with "Destroy"?

Destroy has a higher DC, so Shapeshift would be the lesser effect blended into Destroy. Given that the rules say that the duration of spell effects (when two talents are blended for a spell) is determined by the duration of the base spell (in this case Destroy), could you do something that has a touch range, instantaneous duration, that lets you turn that big hulking warrior into a little kobold, and drains him of 1 or 1d6+1 points of INT? Since it's instantaneous duration, would you end up with:

1-A transformation to a kobold that lasts 1 second, but leaves the victim with 1d6+1 (or 1 or 1d10+1, or whatever) points of INT drain until he is healed by magic?

2-A transformation to a kobold that is effectively permanent, with the INT drain that could be healed by magic? The transformation could be reversed with the application of a new spell.

Which of the scenarios makes the most sense?

Banshee

 

[Banshee16]

Another True 20 question.

This is regarding the Intuition bonuses to the Spellcraft check that spellcasters get, based on what Magnitude they are...ie. +2, +4, +8, +16, +32. These are based on the bonuses the Black Company wizards get on their Magic Use check.

In the Black Company, based on reviewing the stats of wizard NPCs in the book, it appears that those numbers stack. So a Dabbler gets +2, a First Magnitude gets +6 (+2 +4), a Second Magnitude gets +14 (+2 plus +4 plus +8), etc.

However, in True 20, it appears to indicate that the bonus at each Magnitude *overlaps* the bonus from the previous Magnitude.

Was this because the rules in Black Company were errata'd on that matter, did the rules change when it went to True 20, or is it an error in True 20?

Banshee

 

[Roger]

You might get more helpful responses from the True20 forums:

http://true20.com/forum/



Cheers,
Roger

 

[igavskoga]

Its really primarily a d20 3.5 product with some conversion notes for other alternate systems (including T20). You'd have better luck going to the Green Ronin general forums and asking about it there. From what I've seen not many people really discuss True Sorcery over at the T20 forums, and I remember a distinct lack of enthusiasm (and disappointment) for the product over there when it first came out - True Sorcery is very number-crunchy and True20 is decidedly not.

 

[Pbartender]

Its really primarily a d20 3.5 product with some conversion notes for other alternate systems (including T20). You'd have better luck going to the Green Ronin general forums and asking about it there. From what I've seen not many people really discuss True Sorcery over at the T20 forums, and I remember a distinct lack of enthusiasm (and disappointment) for the product over there when it first came out - True Sorcery is very number-crunchy and True20 is decidedly not.

I've posted about True Sorcery over on the Green Ronin boards... From what I've seen not many people really discuss True Sorcery over there, either. :\

 

[igavskoga]

Yeah its a shame. =/

 

[Relique du Madde]

Part of the Problem is that since True Sorcery is a d20 3.5 Product, instead of a true T20 magic suppliment. Personally, I think Green Ronin should have did a better job in their placement of that book within a more diserving line since giving it the false-impression of being a "True 20" product kind of killed that book.

 

[igavskoga]

Part of the Problem is that since True Sorcery is a d20 3.5 Product, instead of a true T20 magic suppliment. Personally, I think Green Ronin should have did a better job in their placement of that book within a more diserving line since giving it the false-impression of being a "True 20" product kind of killed that book.

Originally, if I remember right, it was going to be an Advanced book (Advanced Sorcery or something) but for whatever reason underwent a name change. While I do enjoy the True Sorcery name better, it does give false connotations as to where the book should belong. I think you're right and that's part of the reason why it is kind of off in its own limbo right now.

There are dedicated people who love the system, you've just got to dig around to find them.

Banshee, as to your questions, I haven't messed around with TS or BCCS in a little while (busy and all that) but your description of baleful polymorph as blending shapeshifting and destroy seems creative to me and I don't see why you couldn't make it work.

Alternately, you could forgo doing damage with Destroy and have the Destroy aspect alter stats to those of whatever you are polymorphing the target to since Shapeshift allows you to retain your own ability scores regardless of form. Essentially using Destroy to break down the target's own physical consistancy so that it becomes, entirely, that of the desired creature.

I personally would be tempted to add an extra DC cost to make it permanent and/or non-dispellable - Or have a certain damage threshold you needed to hit with Destroy in order to make it permanent, otherwise it is a timelimit in rounds/hours/days/whatever - there is a lot you could do with it. This falls into the realm of creative tinkering, definitely. A lot would entirely depend upon what kind of DC you're looking at to begin with. Blending tends to skyrocket DC's, so it may be sufficiently high just by virtue of that alone.

As far as the overlapping of magnitude bonus - I remember that being asked somewhere, but I honestly can't remember the answer to it.

I don't have time at the moment to figure out DC's to your first question, nor to sift about looking for the answer to the second. I'll mull it over while I'm out and about today and, if nobody else has stepped up by then, I'll add more thoughts later tonight.

 

[Tarek]

Another True 20 question.

This is regarding the Intuition bonuses to the Spellcraft check that spellcasters get, based on what Magnitude they are...ie. +2, +4, +8, +16, +32. These are based on the bonuses the Black Company wizards get on their Magic Use check.

In the Black Company, based on reviewing the stats of wizard NPCs in the book, it appears that those numbers stack. So a Dabbler gets +2, a First Magnitude gets +6 (+2 +4), a Second Magnitude gets +14 (+2 plus +4 plus +8), etc.

Banshee

Even in the Black Company rules, the insight bonus for Magnitude does not stack. A Second Magnitude wizard has an Insight bonus to Magic Use of +8. A Third Magnitude wizard has an Insight bonus to Magic Use of +16 (not +14, that was a typo).

If you're seeing anything else, you're looking at an error. It seems that the Black Company Campaign Sourcebook was developed in a bit of a rush, and the rules apparently were changing even as the book was being laid out, so there are many errors. In addition, the stat blocks appear to have been hastily produced, since, for example, Lady should only have three attacks when she makes a Full Attack, and most of the Taken should only have two... Base Attack Bonus stops at 20th level. Epic attack bonus does not add additional attacks.

 

[Banshee16]

Even in the Black Company rules, the insight bonus for Magnitude does not stack. A Second Magnitude wizard has an Insight bonus to Magic Use of +8. A Third Magnitude wizard has an Insight bonus to Magic Use of +16 (not +14, that was a typo).

If you're seeing anything else, you're looking at an error. It seems that the Black Company Campaign Sourcebook was developed in a bit of a rush, and the rules apparently were changing even as the book was being laid out, so there are many errors. In addition, the stat blocks appear to have been hastily produced, since, for example, Lady should only have three attacks when she makes a Full Attack, and most of the Taken should only have two... Base Attack Bonus stops at 20th level. Epic attack bonus does not add additional attacks.

This is what I was confused by....the rules in BCCS didn't clearly state that the Insight bonus overlapped. And when you look at the wizard NPCs, all of them had Magic Use skills that were unattainable unless those bonuses at each level *did* stack. I calculated them for 4 characters, I think....Arkhana (Sp?), Goblin, One-Eye, and Raven.

Banshee