[Sorcery] Special Lightning Spell

Anders · 09-09-2015, 08:26 AM

I'm trying to recreate the spells from one of my childhood RPGS, Drakar och Demoner. One of the spells was a lightning spell that hit the closest target in front of you (if two targets were equally close it hit the one with the most metal on it.) How much is this limitation worth? -20%

Phantasm · 09-09-2015, 08:53 AM

I believe it's Psionic Powers that has Surge: Arcing for +100% for electrical attacks that more properly obey the laws of physics and reduce metal armor to DR 1 regardless.

It seems, based on what you give, that's what I'd use.

Anders · 09-09-2015, 09:14 AM

Sounds reasonable, but doesn't affect the targeting question.

GodBeastX · 09-09-2015, 09:46 AM

-20%

I go by the fact most other Limitations that seem to take away choice go with a value around that.

Anders · 09-09-2015, 09:58 AM

-20% is my "default" value for Limitations, yes. Thank you.

lvalero · 09-09-2015, 12:15 PM

Please. I am very interested in sorcery spells. Can you post your custom spell once you have built it?

Thanks

Anders · 09-09-2015, 12:57 PM

I'm converting the entire damn supplement, so that will take some time. I can mail them to you school by school as PDFs if you want. Note that I use some house rules so you may have to convert your spells to 'vanilla' GURPS. And don't be surprised if I quite half-way - I'm not good at following through (which is one reason I don't write for SJG).

Sam Baughn · 09-09-2015, 01:06 PM

I'd say that 20% isn't quite enough.

Here's my reasoning: a -20% accessibility limitation is what you get for an ability which is useful about half the time. In an average fight at least half the people involved are likely to be friendly targets, possibly more if you are fighting somewhere with friendly non-combatants. The chances that the closest person in front of you is someone you don't want to fry seems very likely to be more than 50%. You can tilt the odds in your favour by positioning yourself, but accessibility limitations already assume that you do something like that. So -20% would be a bare minimum for the limitation value. Then you need to account for the fact that the closest enemy is unlikely to be the best target, so that adds a nuisance effect, which is surely worth another -5% at the very least.

So I'd say around -30% would be closer to my estimate of what only being able to hit the closest target would be worth.

Anders · 09-09-2015, 01:20 PM

Interesting. Well I have a lot of time to make up my mind.

starslayer · 09-09-2015, 01:55 PM

This is an interesting one;

I was asking myself 'what does this limitation actually mean'.

1. Useless from the 'back row'- you can't ever use this while one of your allies is covering for you, since they are the easiest target.

2. Useless for targeting the enemy 'back row'- anyone who is doing blocking for the enemy is going to be able to block your spell by being the closest target.

However even with that in mind- will this spell fail to deliver effect in >50% of situations; I would have to say 'not really', its going to have reduced effect in many situations, perhaps even over 80%, but it will reliably deliver 'I can do damage to the bad guys' more than 50% of the time, so 20% seems right.

Now if it ALSO would hit cover, statues, and anything vaguely 'man-shaped' then it would be a MUCH more potent limitation, but it would also be far harder to use unless you fight on featureless planes.

09-09-2015, 08:26 AM	#1
Anders Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Gothenburg, Sweden	[Sorcery] Special Lightning Spell I'm trying to recreate the spells from one of my childhood RPGS, Drakar och Demoner. One of the spells was a lightning spell that hit the closest target in front of you (if two targets were equally close it hit the one with the most metal on it.) How much is this limitation worth? -20% __________________ “When you arise in the morning think of what a privilege it is to be alive, to think, to enjoy, to love ...” Marcus Aurelius

09-09-2015, 08:53 AM	#2
Phantasm Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: On the road again...	Re: [Sorcery] Special Lightning Spell I believe it's *Psionic Powers* that has Surge: Arcing for +100% for electrical attacks that more properly obey the laws of physics and reduce metal armor to DR 1 regardless. It seems, based on what you give, that's what I'd use. __________________ "Life ... is an Oreo cookie." - J'onn J'onzz, 1991 "But mom, I don't wanna go back in the dungeon!" The GURPS Marvel Universe Reboot Project A-G, H-R, and S-Z, and its not-a-wiki-really web adaptation. Ranoc, a Muskets-and-Magery Renaissance Fantasy Setting

09-09-2015, 09:14 AM	#3
Anders Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Gothenburg, Sweden	Re: [Sorcery] Special Lightning Spell Sounds reasonable, but doesn't affect the targeting question. __________________ “When you arise in the morning think of what a privilege it is to be alive, to think, to enjoy, to love ...” Marcus Aurelius

09-09-2015, 09:46 AM	#4
GodBeastX Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Behind You	Re: [Sorcery] Special Lightning Spell -20% I go by the fact most other Limitations that seem to take away choice go with a value around that.

09-09-2015, 09:58 AM	#5
Anders Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Gothenburg, Sweden	Re: [Sorcery] Special Lightning Spell -20% is my "default" value for Limitations, yes. Thank you. __________________ “When you arise in the morning think of what a privilege it is to be alive, to think, to enjoy, to love ...” Marcus Aurelius

09-09-2015, 12:15 PM	#6
lvalero Join Date: Jan 2015 Location: Madrid, Spain	Re: [Sorcery] Special Lightning Spell Please. I am very interested in sorcery spells. Can you post your custom spell once you have built it? Thanks __________________ "Imagination is more important than knowledge" Albert Einstein

09-09-2015, 12:57 PM	#7
Anders Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Gothenburg, Sweden	Re: [Sorcery] Special Lightning Spell I'm converting the entire damn supplement, so that will take some time. I can mail them to you school by school as PDFs if you want. Note that I use some house rules so you may have to convert your spells to 'vanilla' *GURPS. And don't be surprised if I quite half-way - I'm not good at following through (which is one reason I don't write for SJG). __________________ “When you arise in the morning think of what a privilege it is to be alive, to think, to enjoy, to love ...” Marcus Aurelius*

09-09-2015, 01:06 PM	#8
Sam Baughn Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: United Kingdom of Great Britain and some other bits.	Re: [Sorcery] Special Lightning Spell I'd say that 20% isn't quite enough. Here's my reasoning: a -20% accessibility limitation is what you get for an ability which is useful about half the time. In an average fight at least half the people involved are likely to be friendly targets, possibly more if you are fighting somewhere with friendly non-combatants. The chances that the closest person in front of you is someone you don't want to fry seems very likely to be more than 50%. You can tilt the odds in your favour by positioning yourself, but accessibility limitations already assume that you do something like that. So -20% would be a bare minimum for the limitation value. Then you need to account for the fact that the closest enemy is unlikely to be the best target, so that adds a nuisance effect, which is surely worth another -5% at the very least. So I'd say around -30% would be closer to my estimate of what only being able to hit the closest target would be worth.

09-09-2015, 01:20 PM	#9
Anders Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Gothenburg, Sweden	Re: [Sorcery] Special Lightning Spell Interesting. Well I have a lot of time to make up my mind. __________________ “When you arise in the morning think of what a privilege it is to be alive, to think, to enjoy, to love ...” Marcus Aurelius

09-09-2015, 01:55 PM	#10
starslayer Join Date: Dec 2006	Re: [Sorcery] Special Lightning Spell This is an interesting one; I was asking myself 'what does this limitation actually mean'. 1. Useless from the 'back row'- you can't ever use this while one of your allies is covering for you, since they are the easiest target. 2. Useless for targeting the enemy 'back row'- anyone who is doing blocking for the enemy is going to be able to block your spell by being the closest target. However even with that in mind- will this spell fail to deliver effect in >50% of situations; I would have to say 'not really', its going to have reduced effect in many situations, perhaps even over 80%, but it will reliably deliver 'I can do damage to the bad guys' more than 50% of the time, so 20% seems right. Now if it ALSO would hit cover, statues, and anything vaguely 'man-shaped' then it would be a MUCH more potent limitation, but it would also be far harder to use unless you fight on featureless planes.