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09-12-2017, 03:50 PM | #1 |
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Phoenix, Arizona, USA, Earth, Sol, Milky Way, Infinity.
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Jet Spell cost question
THIS HAS BEEN RESOLVED. PLEASE SEE MY POST BELOW.
I searched to see if this had been discussed before, but "jet" is too common and I didn't find anything. Magic combat is already costly and less efficient than mundane combat, but it seems like jet spells penalize the wizard unduly. For example: Turn 1: Cast Flame Jet - Spend 2 FP Turn 2: Maintain Flame Jet - Spend 2 FP Turn 2: Attack with Flame Jet. So before you can USE the jet spell, you have to pay for it twice? Am I missing something? Last edited by MIB.6361; 09-14-2017 at 01:47 PM. Reason: wee lil boots |
09-12-2017, 04:02 PM | #2 |
Join Date: Sep 2017
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Re: Jet Spell cost question
I don't use vanilla magic that often, but if my memory serves right it is meant that you attack as you would with regular missile spell. The choice to maintain it skips the roll you would have to take to recast it. So you just pay the cost again without any roll
Edit for clarity: Turn 1 cast jet Turn 2 attack Turn 3 maintain jet for same cost (as a free action), so you can chose to attack again. The way I imagine it is basically a short beam you can keep going as long as you jeep pumping energy into it. Last edited by JaJacob; 09-12-2017 at 04:05 PM. |
09-12-2017, 04:09 PM | #3 |
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Saskatoon, SK, Canada
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Re: Jet Spell cost question
Yes, I think you're misreading how casting a jet spell generally goes. Jets are Regular spells. That means, you cast it, and you can immediately attack with it. There's no business of "Turn 1, cast and put in energy, Turn 2, either throw it or charge it further" the way there is with Missile spells. So jet spells are actually faster to cast than missiles, with comparable prices damage-wise. Their drawbacks are that a) they're expensive to maintain and hold "at the ready", and b) they're more limited in range than missiles.
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09-12-2017, 04:37 PM | #4 | |
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Phoenix, Arizona, USA, Earth, Sol, Milky Way, Infinity.
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Re: Jet Spell cost question
Quote:
However, Regular spells, unless otherwise specified, take 1 second to cast. That's your entire turn spend concentrating to make it happen. During that 1 second you can't also attack. Under time to cast it specifically says "your turn ends as soon as you roll the dice" in relation to casting time. Doing it this way means you get the spell for free on turn 2. That's something I've considered doing but it isn't consistent with how the rest of magic and maintenance cost works. Last edited by MIB.6361; 09-12-2017 at 04:40 PM. Reason: how |
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09-13-2017, 04:21 PM | #5 | |
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: GMT-5
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Re: Jet Spell cost question
Quote:
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09-14-2017, 11:18 AM | #6 |
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Saskatoon, SK, Canada
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Re: Jet Spell cost question
While I still think it's more balanced to let Jets attack on the same turn they're cast (otherwise, their price compared to missile spells is pretty poor), after re-reading the rules, I do think malloyd's interpretation is the correct one. Personally, though, I think I'll houserule it so that Jet spells, as a special case, effectively allow attacking as part of the spellcasting process. That would technically give them two turns of attacks (one on the first turn when the spell is cast, and another next turn) before the maintenance cost comes due, but I think that's actually reasonable given their limited range.
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09-14-2017, 11:33 AM | #7 |
Wielder of Smart Pants
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Ventura CA
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Re: Jet Spell cost question
The issue you would have with this is you'll need to specify which is now a Free Action: Concentrate or Attack? Can you take other manuevers on that turn besides Attack?
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09-14-2017, 11:44 AM | #8 |
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Saskatoon, SK, Canada
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Re: Jet Spell cost question
I would simply declare that in the specific case of the Jet spells, the Concentrate maneuver allows an attack as part of it. There isn't a tremendous amount of precedent for this, I'll admit, but I don't think it's unreasonable, either.
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09-12-2017, 04:46 PM | #9 | |
Join Date: Jun 2006
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Re: Jet Spell cost question
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Turn 1, Cast spell, turn ends Turn 2, Roll for spell skill, Pay 2 FP, jet forms, attack, turn ends. Turn 3, Pay 2 FP to keep the spell going if you want.... 4e: Turn 1: Cast spell, Roll for spell skill, Spend 2 FP, jet forms, turn ends. Turn 2: Attack something, pay 2 FP to keep the spell going if you want, turn ends. Same sequence, differs only in where you insert the two "turn ends" dividers. I suppose if you could parry with the jet and only paid the cost for 1 turn, the interval you could do that would have shifted from after your 2nd turn to after your first turn going from 3e to 4e (i.e. from after you could attack to before), but most jets can't parry anyway.
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09-12-2017, 04:56 PM | #10 |
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Poland
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Re: Jet Spell cost question
I'm with malloyd here: you cast the spell (Concentrate) and pay for it, then Attack with it (or All-Out-Attack, or Move-and-Attack) on turn 2 and choose if you want to maintain it for turn 3.
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Tags |
gurps, innate attack, jet, magic |
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