Blocking Spells and distance

[Jeminai]

Blink Other is a spell I can use to help another person defend and incoming attack. Is there a penalty to this based on the distance between the caster and the recipient of the Blink?

[Dolarre]

Yes, -1 per yard distance as if it were a regular spell.

[Edges]

Can all blocking spells be used in this way (with the range penalty)?

[GWJ]

I think no. If it would, why there is separete "fot others" version of this one Blink? ;)

[Anthony]

The rules do not actually seem to specify in a general way what range penalties blocking spells get, though some blocking spells have specific rules for range. In general if a blocking spell says it protects a subject it works on others, if it says caster it is self only, there are spells in the book that work both ways. It also appears that the claim that blocking spells are cast as a defense does not have to be true, as at least one blocking spell (divert teleport) is usable under conditions that are not defensive, and others plausibly could be (e.g. casting a ward to block someone's healing spell).

[Anaraxes]

Originally Posted by Edges

Can all blocking spells be used in this way (with the range penalty)?

Depends on what you mean by "used this way".

Any Blocking spell can be cast as a Regular spell*, including the one second of Concentration, as well as the range penalty . That would often prevent them from being used to defend someone else, though. Whether or not you can think of something useful to do with a blocking spell cast in such a way is another question! The Reflex spell (which makes other spells into Blocking spells) notes that a Reflexed spell can be cast as a regular 1-second action.

Note several spells specifically note that they're "Regular or Blocking".

Blink Other specifically notes that it's "usable on others". Deflect Energy is another example that specifically allows defending others. ("If the caster is not the subject, apply distance modifiers as for a Regular spell.") Fumble, Divert Teleport and Reflect Gaze explicitly take range penalties.

Ward explicitly says it can protect others (at a higher FP cost), but doesn't mention range penalties. Fumble is a bit vague, since the "subject" here is the creature taking an action that you want to spoil. The spell description explicitly allows interrupting actions that aren't just attacks (enemy dodge, Move, Ready, etc). Since the spell can be used apparently at any point in any enemy turn, presumably you could use this for someone else's benefit in the case of an attack as well, but the text doesn't specifically say so.

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* See this Krommquote. It may be worth noting that Kromm's posted more recently, taking a harder line, at least for the DFRPG, making it clear that optionally treating any Blocking spell as Regular (as opposed to those "Regular or Blocking" spells) is a house rule, not intended by RAW.