Steve Jackson Games - Site Navigation
Home General Info Follow Us Search Illuminator Store Forums What's New Other Games Ogre GURPS Munchkin Our Games: Home

Go Back   Steve Jackson Games Forums > Roleplaying > The Fantasy Trip

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 10-08-2020, 04:54 AM   #1
hcobb
 
hcobb's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Pacheco, California
Default Bug in Analyze Magic

Peter LaNore has pointed out that Analyze Magic at ITL 23 gives false results if the spell fails, but that a wizard can tell if the spell failed unless she rolls exactly 17 because of this logic:

Success costs her 4 fatigue.
Most failures cost her only 1 fatigue.
A roll of 18 knocks her over.
Only a roll of 17 fails silently and costs her 4 fatigue.

The same problem applies to Detect Life, Duplicate Writing, and Trance, but Pathfinder and Spellsniffer have their own failure rules.

A similar issue applies to Long-Distance Teleport.
__________________
-HJC

Last edited by hcobb; 10-08-2020 at 05:07 AM.
hcobb is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-08-2020, 09:51 AM   #2
JimmyPlenty
 
Join Date: Dec 2017
Default Re: Bug in Analyze Magic

Sounds like for those spells, the critical fail should simple be the wrong information and forgo the ST penalties.

Good catch. Good thing is, simple fix.
JimmyPlenty is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-08-2020, 10:05 AM   #3
hcobb
 
hcobb's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Pacheco, California
Default Re: Bug in Analyze Magic

Well I'm off to use a goblin witch to send a dozen dwaves to nowhere for 1 mana each by casting Long Distance Teleport from a mile away.
__________________
-HJC
hcobb is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-08-2020, 10:21 AM   #4
JimmyPlenty
 
Join Date: Dec 2017
Default Re: Bug in Analyze Magic

Quote:
Originally Posted by hcobb View Post
Well I'm off to use a goblin witch to send a dozen dwaves to nowhere for 1 mana each by casting Long Distance Teleport from a mile away.
and the wizard cannot deliberately cast the spell clumsily to try to kill the
subject.
JimmyPlenty is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-08-2020, 10:32 AM   #5
hcobb
 
hcobb's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Pacheco, California
Default Re: Bug in Analyze Magic

Quote:
Originally Posted by JimmyPlenty View Post
and the wizard cannot deliberately cast the spell clumsily to try to kill the
subject.
She's making her very best effort against the -1320 range penalty, honest.
__________________
-HJC
hcobb is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-08-2020, 11:43 AM   #6
Axly Suregrip
 
Join Date: Jun 2018
Location: Durham, NC
Default Re: Bug in Analyze Magic

so the solution is to always charge the full cost of these spells?
Axly Suregrip is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-08-2020, 12:07 PM   #7
hcobb
 
hcobb's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Pacheco, California
Default Re: Bug in Analyze Magic

The main related item in all of these cases is accomplishing predictable things with ordinary spell failures. Note how this is excluded from the Wizard boardgame.
__________________
-HJC
hcobb is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-08-2020, 01:44 PM   #8
Axly Suregrip
 
Join Date: Jun 2018
Location: Durham, NC
Default Re: Bug in Analyze Magic

Quote:
Originally Posted by hcobb View Post
The main related item in all of these cases is accomplishing predictable things with ordinary spell failures. Note how this is excluded from the Wizard boardgame.
It is not in Wizard because Wizard does not have roll playing spells. Wizard is limited to arena combat spells... for the most part.

So, Analyze Magic will have to cost 4 regardless of success or failure. etc
Axly Suregrip is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-08-2020, 06:25 PM   #9
Terquem
 
Join Date: Apr 2018
Location: Idaho Falls
Default Re: Bug in Analyze Magic

Maybe there is a time and a place for this to be handed over to the GM? The GM could track "fatigue" in specifics, telling the player that they feel tired, worn out, pushing the limit of their mind, right up until the moment that fatigue does them in.
Terquem is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-08-2020, 06:51 PM   #10
hcobb
 
hcobb's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Pacheco, California
Default Re: Bug in Analyze Magic

Quote:
Originally Posted by Terquem View Post
Maybe there is a time and a place for this to be handed over to the GM? The GM could track "fatigue" in specifics, telling the player that they feel tired, worn out, pushing the limit of their mind, right up until the moment that fatigue does them in.
Wizards have been allowed to track their own fatigue from the start, but if you want to force them to all play ST 6 goblin witches where each point of fatigue moves them down a category...
__________________
-HJC
hcobb is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Fnords are Off
[IMG] code is Off
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT -6. The time now is 05:45 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.9
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.