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Old 12-20-2019, 10:23 AM   #1
Anders
 
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Default [Magic] Casting spells quickly

I've been thinking about spell's casting time. The current rules give you automatic casting time reductions as you increase your skill. I'm thinking of making it voluntary instead, and use the rules for Haste given on p. B346. So hurrying a spell gives a penalty of -1 per 10% less time taken. Maximum time reduction is 90 of time, for a -9 penalty. Ceremonial magic cannot be hastened in this way.

What do you think?
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Old 12-20-2019, 11:07 AM   #2
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Default Re: [Magic] Casting spells quickly

It is probably fair. How would you model casting a firewall and throwing it in the same turn? -50% time in order to have half a second to throw it?


EDIT: not a "firewall", but a fireball.
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Old 12-20-2019, 11:17 AM   #3
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Default Re: [Magic] Casting spells quickly

Do you mean fireball? Yeah, probably. If I find that grotesquely unbalancing I may have to change that, but I'd start out this way.
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Old 12-20-2019, 11:20 PM   #4
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Default Re: [Magic] Casting spells quickly

Oh I dunno ... a throwable firewall has all sorts of potential. Heh-heh.

To keep on topic, isn't there an optional rule that allows extra ritual or casting time to build up bonuses for spells?
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Old 12-21-2019, 01:33 AM   #5
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Default Re: [Magic] Casting spells quickly

There may be... there are so many alternate rules that no one can keep track of them all. There's Alternate Magic Rituals which gives a +1 for doubling the casting time.
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Old 12-21-2019, 08:28 AM   #6
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Default Re: [Magic] Casting spells quickly

Quote:
Originally Posted by Anders View Post
I've been thinking about spell's casting time. The current rules give you automatic casting time reductions as you increase your skill. I'm thinking of making it voluntary instead, and use the rules for Haste given on p. B346. So hurrying a spell gives a penalty of -1 per 10% less time taken. Maximum time reduction is 90 of time, for a -9 penalty. Ceremonial magic cannot be hastened in this way.

What do you think?
I'd even keep the possibility of taking -10 to reduce casting time to 1 second, no matter how long it normally takes. Similar to how treating wounds "instantanously" in DF takes one second. In fact, I have introduced this same rule in my games. Coulnd't share any experience though, my players weren't interested in using or abusing it.
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Old 12-21-2019, 12:51 PM   #7
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Default Re: [Magic] Casting spells quickly

Quote:
Originally Posted by Mysterious Dark Lord v3.2 View Post
To keep on topic, isn't there an optional rule that allows extra ritual or casting time to build up bonuses for spells?
Yes, however that does rather the opposite of what the OP is asking, as that slows done casting times.


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Originally Posted by Gnomasz View Post
I'd even keep the possibility of taking -10 to reduce casting time to 1 second, no matter how long it normally takes. Similar to how treating wounds "instantanously" in DF takes one second. In fact, I have introduced this same rule in my games. Coulnd't share any experience though, my players weren't interested in using or abusing it.
I allow All-Out Attack (Cast and Attack) as well as Rapid Concentrate/Strike. My Players who play Wizards occasionally make use of it, but as they also tend to have to worry about defenses, they really only use the option when either it's 'safe' or it's last ditch.

AOA(C&A): Basically just like AOA (Double). Rapid Conc/Strike allows a Cast and Attack as part of any Attack Maneuver it applies a -6 to both the casting level* and the attack skill. I do not allow Flurry of Blows to impact the casting level though it can effect the penalty to the attack skill (it also only costs 1 FP).

* This applies also to Base Skill for Casting Cost effects.
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Old 12-21-2019, 03:09 PM   #8
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Default Re: [Magic] Casting spells quickly

Quote:
Originally Posted by evileeyore View Post
I allow All-Out Attack (Cast and Attack) as well as Rapid Concentrate/Strike. My Players who play Wizards occasionally make use of it, but as they also tend to have to worry about defenses, they really only use the option when either it's 'safe' or it's last ditch.
All Out Attack (n and Attack) should arguably be available for a lot of situations - Concentrate and Attack (for casting/enlarging missile spells and throwing them in one turn, casting a spell and making a melee attack, TK grabbing someone and stabbing them, whatever), Ready and Attack (for if you fail your Fast-Draw - or lack it to start with - but really want to attack the same round you Ready your weapon), etc. Aim and Attack probably requires some thought, but I don't think it's too broken (and gives ranged characters a reason to use All Out Attack, without bringing in the "You must AOA to benefit from Aim bonus" from TS). Allowing Rapid Strike versions is similarly appropriate, and indeed has something of a precedent in the Quick Shooting Bows rules (which is the Rapid Strike version of All Out Attack (Ready and Attack)).
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Old 12-21-2019, 07:19 PM   #9
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Default Re: [Magic] Casting spells quickly

We've been using a similar houserule, providing a 50% reduction in casting time at -3 to spell skill. It doesn't seem to have broken anything.
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Old 12-22-2019, 07:28 PM   #10
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Default Re: [Magic] Casting spells quickly

Quote:
Originally Posted by Anders View Post
I've been thinking about spell's casting time. The current rules give you automatic casting time reductions as you increase your skill. I'm thinking of making it voluntary instead, and use the rules for Haste given on p. B346. So hurrying a spell gives a penalty of -1 per 10% less time taken. Maximum time reduction is 90 of time, for a -9 penalty. Ceremonial magic cannot be hastened in this way.

What do you think?
Thaumatology 39 has a "Faster Casting" option under the "Trading Energy for Speed and Skill" box.

I do like the idea of having a skill-penalty option for time reduction as an alternative (or maybe even in combination with) pumping more energy in.

The weird thing about this is that "Trading Energy for Enhancements" on same page (under "Adjustible Spells") gives this warning...
Extended Duration, Reduced Fatigue Cost, and Reduced Time are completely prohibited – always use the standard magic rules to adjust duration, energy cost, and casting time.
The thing is, if you did want to buy "Reduced Time" as an enhancement, it would be +20% per level, which would cost 4 extra energy and be -4 to skill... and to offset that -4 to skill would take 100% more energy, so it doesn't really seem that broken to allow it...

I don't see why you would ban it for ceremonial magic though... even though "Faster Casting" on T39 is also off limits for ceremonial. If someone wanted to pay 45 energy to reduce a 10 second casting time to 1 second, is that going to break anything? Seems like more of a conceptual block because they don't want fast ritualy-rituals, yet Path/Book magic has that option for adepts.
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