[Magic] Area Spells and Large Subjects

[Edges]

Does a large creature need to be completely within the area of an area spell to be affected? If yes, a long-tailed dragon can escape a Panic spell by managing to sneak the tip of her tail out of the assumed area. If no, a enormous dragon can be affected by Panic by only casting a single hex on the tip of the tail.

Does size modifier influence the spell cost as it would a regular spell? If no, are there instances in which it is cheaper to cast a "mass" version of a spell on a subject than a "non-mass" version?

[sir_pudding]

Tails and limbs aren't actually part of the hexes that include the creature's body, if they were they would always have Reach C, which is not the case.

[Nereidalbel]

For damaging spells, any limb in an affected hex is affected. For mental effects, my quick ruling would say you just need their head in the spell's area.

[sir_pudding]

Originally Posted by Nereidalbel

For damaging spells, any limb in an affected hex is affected.

Since the game doesn't actually track where limbs are except when making attacks, how do you know?

[Bruno]

Originally Posted by sir_pudding

Since the game doesn't actually track where limbs are except when making attacks, how do you know?

If you have a mini, it's reasonably obvious-ish. At least for head vs rest of the thing.

FWIW I'm fairly sure a damaging spell doesn't do its damage per hex of the creature in the AOE. We tried that ruling in an early game we played and the results were a bit goofy.

[sir_pudding]

Originally Posted by Bruno

If you have a mini, it's reasonably obvious-ish. At least for head vs rest of the thing.

The mini's limbs don't represent where the creature's are located. The limbs can be anywhere in Reach, which is outside the hexes covered by the mini's base or whatever (unless they are all Reach C).

[Edges]

Surely in the decades that this magic system has been in play, this has come up many times, no? Is there really no official answer to these questions? They seem to me to be some of the most basic applications of area spells.

The more I think about it, the more I think it must be that you can't get away with casting area spells on only part of a subject. If you could you would run into this sort of thing:

Player: "I cast Daze on the dragon."
GM: "OK. But it is Size Modifier +5 so it will cost 18 energy."
Player: "Oh, in that case I just cast Mass Daze on its head for 4 energy."

But this still brings up issues like, how to affect subjects that are over 4 yards tall with area spells. Subject footprint starts becoming more important as well. A SM +5 giant isn't going to occupy a footprint 17 hexes across. So it would still be much cheaper to cast Mass Daze than Daze. Isn't the idea behind area spells to be able to affect more subjects rather than have much cheaper ways of affecting a single subject?

The entry for area spells does say, "Otherwise, area spells work like regular spells." Does that mean that we are to use SM multiples for energy cost for area spells as well? And if so, how does that work? Multiply by the radius and by the SM plus one of the largest subject? Or maybe you can cast area spells on just a part of a subject as long as you also use the cost multiplier for the SM of the whole subject.

It would be nice to have something official rather than one person's house rule. But I'd settle for something that doesn't look contrary to the spirit of the rules.

Thanks.

[Anthony]

Unless the pyramid article on size covers it (I don't have), there aren't rules for any sort of area effects that only hit part of a target. I'd probably either require the target to be entirely within the area, or give reduced effect/resistance bonus based on the portion covered.

[Edges]

Originally Posted by Anthony

Unless the pyramid article on size covers it (I don't have), there aren't rules for any sort of area effects that only hit part of a target. I'd probably either require the target to be entirely within the area, or give reduced effect/resistance bonus based on the portion covered.

The bold above would mean that giants of SM +2 and larger are immune to all area spells while standing.

[Anthony]

Originally Posted by Edges

The bold above would mean that giants of SM +2 and larger are immune to all area spells while standing.

Nah, just pay extra to increase the height (to be honest, the rules for the height of area spells are dumb at best, and totally nonsensical in cases such as weather spells).