09-08-2020, 06:34 AM | #1 |
Join Date: Jan 2018
Location: Sydney, Australia
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Strength Rolls to Cast Spells
Suppose as well as or instead of a wizard using up their strength when casting spells, they had to make a roll n/ST where n is the ST cost of the spell (plus the maintenance cost of any spells being maintained) or something related to that. The dice could be plain D6s or somehow modified. This would be in addition to any DX roll required.
Example: Egareva the Typical has ST 11, DX 11, IQ 11. She tries to cast Reverse Missiles on her meat shield, which requires a 2/ST roll and a 3/DX, she makes both. Next turn she tries to summon a Myrmidon (ST 2), she has to roll 2+1=3/ST and 3/DX, where the +1 is the maintenance cost of the spell. There's lots of editing could be done around the edges of this to make it as easy/difficult as you like - I tend to think wizards are too powerful so I'm comfortable with this making them weaker. Making two dice rolls is maybe a little unfortunate but I think I can live with that, after all attacks do it. Maybe we don't want spells lasting forever, we could figure something out for that. Some spells have very large ST costs and something would have to be done about those. We could have talents that e.g. replace 1+0 dice with 1-1 dice, that would be more valuable to some wizards than others. As I see it this has some significant advantages:
Opinions solicited, of the broad concept. We'd need to |
09-08-2020, 07:13 AM | #2 |
Join Date: Dec 2017
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Re: Strength Rolls to Cast Spells
You would have to alter the cost of a lot of spells to avoid the very thing you are trying to fix.
If you have a wiz with a 14 ST / 14 DX, now they hardly miss and never deplete. Even a starting 12/12 is pretty scary. I do appreciate the concept though. With work, that could be a cool alternative. |
09-08-2020, 10:02 AM | #3 | |
Join Date: Jan 2018
Location: Sydney, Australia
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Re: Strength Rolls to Cast Spells
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The cost of a most of the lower IQ spells is only 2 so an ST of 10 would suffice to make you pretty reliable at those. When you get up to 4-Hex Illusion or Summon Bear it becomes a bit more difficult. ST 9 DX 11 IQ 11 would let you cast Illusion with 52% reliability. ST 14 DX 14 IQ 14 could cast 4-Hex Illusion or 3-die lightning bolts with 82% reliability but we are talking about a 42-point character. A wizard could spin up spells before busting a door down, just in case they are needed. That's a pretty substantial advantage. Maybe wizards get tired gradually by spellcasting, to put some kind of limit on it. Say, lose a fatigue every time they roll an autofail, or even every time they roll a 1 on any die of a ST roll. I suppose this could be a different character class. |
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09-08-2020, 07:35 PM | #4 |
Join Date: Dec 2017
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Re: Strength Rolls to Cast Spells
That is true, totally did not think about IQ (doh!)
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09-08-2020, 09:35 PM | #5 |
Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: New England
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Re: Strength Rolls to Cast Spells
What if instead of a ST check, the standard DX roll to cast a spell suffered a penalty equal to the amount (if any) the caster's ST is lower than the Spell's IQ level? That keeps all three stats important, and casting to a single roll.
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09-09-2020, 03:32 AM | #6 |
Join Date: Jan 2018
Location: Sydney, Australia
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Re: Strength Rolls to Cast Spells
If we're asking, "How much power does it take to make this spell?" I'd rather use the ST cost than the IQ level.
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09-11-2020, 07:30 PM | #7 |
Join Date: Jun 2018
Location: Durham, NC
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Re: Strength Rolls to Cast Spells
Hi David,
What an intriguing idea. I like that you are trying to make ST relevant for wizards and without the fatigue (which quickly spends a wizard leaving them as delicate baggage). A problem with it being a die per ST cost, is quickly costly spells become uncastable. All spells costing 5+ ST (and 4 ST plus 1 ST maintenance, etc) become out of reach. This does not break your plan, but does require more work to handle it. Here is an idea. It's is okay if you don't like it: I have often felt that casting spells in TFT to trivial. And for a game based on simplicity, that is fine. But what if harder to cast spells (high ST cost) took longer to cast than just one turn? For every turn spent focusing (much like the aiming rules) you get to reduce the ST saving roll by 1 die. So a wizard that wants to summon a dragon (ST 5 + 2 for maintenance) is looking at a 7/ST save in addition to 3/DX. Even a high ST wizard is going to miss this. But if he focused for 4 turns before trying to cast on the fifth turn, then it becomes 3/ST and 3/DX. His fighters will need to protect him for 5 turns while he prepares and finally casts. Also, MAYBE, there should be a minimum number of dice. Say 2/ST is the lowest it can go. Maybe. In addition, I still think there is some value to fatigue. Just not as much as the game has. And it should be a penalty for failed castings, instead of for success. This prevents wizards from just trying long shots constantly. So, if you fail your ST or DX roll, then 1 ST fatigue. If you succeed, then no cost. Like I said, I really like your idea. Let us know what you finally settle on. |
09-12-2020, 03:59 AM | #8 |
Join Date: Dec 2017
Location: London Uk, but originally from Scotland
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Re: Strength Rolls to Cast Spells
I just give Wizards a reservoir of Magic Power or Mana equal to their starting STR score. They can use this without it affecting their STR in any way. Once they run out of this Magic Power they can dip into their actual STR reserves if they choose to but the STR loss is as for wounds.
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09-12-2020, 07:27 AM | #9 | |
Join Date: Jun 2018
Location: Durham, NC
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Re: Strength Rolls to Cast Spells
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Long before TFT made its come back that is nearly exactly what we used to do. We played that each Wizard had a reservoir of ST equal to his ST in his staff (twice that if it was a Staff of Power). Same net result. We still did fatigue after the staff ST was used up. Oh and missile spells could not draw on staff ST. |
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09-17-2020, 07:32 AM | #10 | ||
Join Date: Jan 2018
Location: Sydney, Australia
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Re: Strength Rolls to Cast Spells
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I was thinking of having some method of reducing the cost of spells, maybe talents. So Megahex Sleep (raw fatigue cost 8) might be de facto uncastable at 8x(1+0). But with appropriate talents or use of a staff or some kind of gadget maybe you can get that cost down to 8x(1-2) and it becomes practical. The talent would be very expensive in some way or other, it wouldn't be hugely useful to a starting character casting 2- and 3-point spells but it would be a big deal to a great mage so it gets picked up somewhere in the character's career. |
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