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Old 10-08-2018, 11:17 AM   #31
hcobb
 
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Default Re: Why bother with powerstones?

Quote:
ITL page 148: An exploit is clearly possible here using the Drain ST spell and a lot of prisoners. It will at least encourage evil rulers to keep their prisoners alive so their evil wizards can farm ST. Maybe good rulers would do it too, at least as part of some punishments.)
May a Drain Strength recipient be a staff or powerstone or must the wizard put at 5:1 into the storage device then recharge herself at 5:1 from the beefy barbarian captives for an overall ratio of 25:1?
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Old 10-08-2018, 11:24 AM   #32
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Default Re: Why bother with powerstones?

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Originally Posted by hcobb View Post
May a Drain Strength recipient be a staff or powerstone or must the wizard put at 5:1 into the storage device then recharge herself at 5:1 from the beefy barbarian captives for an overall ratio of 25:1?
I would allow it. I don't recall anything in the rules forbidding it. You can do it with a staff, so why not?
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Old 10-08-2018, 11:31 AM   #33
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Default Re: Why bother with powerstones?

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I wonder if there is some confusion here (mine or others) about charging a powerstone. A powerstone charges itself 1 point per day. Not sure why a wizard would ever charge one from his own ST.
Because he wants it charged faster than that, and his own fatigue recovers at 1 per 15 minutes rest. So he charges his powerstone at 1 per 75 minutes if he's willing and has the opportunity to risk draining himself 5 at a time and resting. That lets him have the most ST available as soon as possible for the next crisis (unless he gets interrupted while resting).


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Originally Posted by platimus View Post
Upgrading or increasing the maximum charge of a powerstone is another story and would require a wizard to put some of his own ST into it, IIRC.
It requires an enchantment, lab, ingredients, and considerable time. Adding actual ST at the end is the least of it.
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Old 10-08-2018, 11:45 AM   #34
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Default Re: Why bother with powerstones?

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Originally Posted by Skarg View Post
Because he wants it charged faster than that, and his own fatigue recovers at 1 per 15 minutes rest. So he charges his powerstone at 1 per 75 minutes if he's willing and has the opportunity to risk draining himself 5 at a time and resting. That lets him have the most ST available as soon as possible for the next crisis (unless he gets interrupted while resting).
Oh. I thought I remembered reading that it took a half day to recover 1 fatigue. Maybe that was the time it took to put 1 ST back into a staff?

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It requires an enchantment, lab, ingredients, and considerable time. Adding actual ST at the end is the least of it.
Yes, that was my point. Upgrading is far more expensive than charging. That is what I was trying to point out. I see that I really didn't get that across very well.

Last edited by platimus; 10-08-2018 at 11:58 AM.
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Old 10-08-2018, 12:33 PM   #35
Chris Goodwin
 
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Default Re: Why bother with powerstones?

I'm thinking the Wizards' Guilds have what they call a "mana bank". Wizards who know the Aid spell can come in and "deposit" ST via assistance to other wizards. Their total gets tallied, and an amount equal to 80% of whatever they output goes into their "account".

You'd have to go in to make use of it, and your ability to draw is based on whoever's come in to make deposits, combined with whatever they've got on hand via Powerstones.

But.. why bother with Powerstones, indeed?
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Old 10-08-2018, 12:35 PM   #36
Skarg
 
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Default Re: Why bother with powerstones?

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Oh. I thought I remembered reading that it took a half day to recover 1 fatigue. Maybe that was the time it took to put 1 ST back into a staff?
Yes ITL 148 says "a half-day in contemplation" per 1 ST to a staff, or a 5:1 ST deposit. Still no clear explanation of what "a half-day in contemplation" means or allows while contemplating, if anything.
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Old 10-08-2018, 02:58 PM   #37
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Default Re: Why bother with powerstones?

I suppose one could build a kind of extractor that handles draining the ST of prisoners and uses it to recharge the stones automatically. One need only load the prisoners in and out of the cages, and pull the lever or what-have-you.

A well-fed prisoner with access to outdoor exercise who gets his Strength drawn a couple times a day might have very little to complain of in his treatment, in comparison to the darker fates available to felons.
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Old 10-08-2018, 03:35 PM   #38
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Default Re: Why bother with powerstones?

Is everybody on agreement with these two hypothesis?

A: Drain Strength will draw five fatigue from the subject for every one point of capacity recharged in a powerstone or mana staff.

and

B: A wizard can recharge no more than her own ST in powerstone and mana staff capacity each day, even with access to unlimited power sources.
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Old 10-08-2018, 04:06 PM   #39
Skarg
 
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Default Re: Why bother with powerstones?

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Originally Posted by hcobb View Post
Is everybody on agreement with these two hypothesis?

A: Drain Strength will draw five fatigue from the subject for every one point of capacity recharged in a powerstone or mana staff.
I don't particularly object to it as a house rule, but I don't think the way Drain Strength is written supports it. The spell lets you heal your own fatigue, or an adjacent figure's, and I don't think a powerstone or staff is a "figure".


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Originally Posted by hcobb View Post
B: A wizard can recharge no more than her own ST in powerstone and mana staff capacity each day, even with access to unlimited power sources.
I'm not sure exactly what that means, as worded.

I don't see any limit on ST per day put into the wizard's staff.

I like reading the Powerstone line as being the maximum amount they can put into powerstones each day, but I don't think the line is clear whether it intends it as a limit per stone or per wizard. i.e. I'm left with two questions about RAW:

1) If Nancy has several powerstones, can she charge each of them up to her base ST per day, or is the total ST she can put into all of them limited to her base ST per day?

2) If a large powerstone is passed around between several wizards, can they each charge it up to their base ST per day, or it only be recharged per day up to the base ST of each person recharging it? (Actually I'm certain this isn't what SJ means because it's a complex reading, but I think limiting them that way could be something I'd personally like.)
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Old 10-11-2018, 01:24 PM   #40
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Default Re: Why bother with powerstones?

Found something else that powerstones can do and manastaffs can't.

ITL page 163: "replace ST lost through spell-casting or other fatigue."

I can find no mention of staff mana doing this.

The only mention of using mana for anything is here:

ITL 148: "Each point of mana can be spent like a point of ST to power spells."

This page also mentions "The wizard must be holding or wearing the staff for it to be useful." So pay $70 to the Wizard's Guild to put five conceal spells on your fine silver dagger and then just keep it in your pocket.
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Last edited by hcobb; 10-11-2018 at 01:28 PM.
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