Blocking Spells

[Bruno]

Originally Posted by Not another shrubbery

If you mean 'Can they be cast on others', only the ones that specifically mention being able to target others besides the caster.

And of course, when this happens they take the usual -1/yard range penalty for Regular spells.

[munin]

Originally Posted by Bruno

And of course, when this happens they take the usual -1/yard range penalty for Regular spells.

Is this a general rule for Blocking spells? The description of Blocking spells (pp. B241, M12-13) doesn't mention range penalties (as the descriptions for Regular, Area, and Information spells do). Some Blocking spells mention range penalties and others do not.

Fascinate and Master can only be used as Blocking spells at Close range. Catch Missile and Catch Spell can only be used at arm's reach.

Deflect Energy, Deflect Missile, Divert Teleport, Fumble, Reflect Gaze, Return Missile, and Turn Blade state that they use regular range penalties.

Blink Other, Boost (Attribute), Command, Great Ward, Hardiness, Hold Fast, Phase Other, Reflect, Shield, Timeslip Other, and Ward don't mention any range penalties.

[gmillerd]

The book Thaumatolgoy Magic Styles has some related perks ...

The Blocking Spell Mastery perk allows for chaining Blocking spells during a turn and to do a All out Defense for Blocking spells.

The Sacrificial Blocking Spell perk allows for using a blocking spell on others.

[Captain-Captain]

Originally Posted by malloyd

Though this might only apply to spells that take more than a turn to cast. For the most part this will almost never happen with shorter spells even if you interpret the rule as applying to them. It isn't *impossible*, somebody could use Wait to interrupt your turn before you start your spell and you could cast a blocking spell in response, but it's difficult. If you're worried about it make the first thing you do on your turn cast 1 turn spell that doesn't have a casting ritual, and hence has nothing for a Wait to trigger on.

My read on the text is that casting a Blocking Spell ends your spell casting for the turn. It disrupts a longer than 1 turn spell being cast and makes you wait until the following turn before you can start another spell. On turn 65 you have to block against an attack before the sequence comes to you? you can cast Flame jet on turn 66 and no sooner.

[Captain-Captain]

Originally Posted by munin

Is this a general rule for Blocking spells? The description of Blocking spells (pp. B241, M12-13) doesn't mention range penalties (as the descriptions for Regular, Area, and Information spells do). Some Blocking spells mention range penalties and others do not.

Fascinate and Master can only be used as Blocking spells at Close range. Catch Missile and Catch Spell can only be used at arm's reach.

Deflect Energy, Deflect Missile, Divert Teleport, Fumble, Reflect Gaze, Return Missile, and Turn Blade state that they use regular range penalties.

Blink Other, Boost (Attribute), Command, Great Ward, Hardiness, Hold Fast, Phase Other, Reflect, Shield, Timeslip Other, and Ward don't mention any range penalties.

The rules specify long range spells, missile spells and touch spells use different range rules. ALL other spells follow the -1 per hex rule.

Unless the text specifies a different range, it's is -1 per hex of distance.

[malloyd]

Originally Posted by Captain-Captain

My read on the text is that casting a Blocking Spell ends your spell casting for the turn. It disrupts a longer than 1 turn spell being cast and makes you wait until the following turn before you can start another spell. On turn 65 you have to block against an attack before the sequence comes to you? you can cast Flame jet on turn 66 and no sooner.

That sounds like you are assuming a universal turn with durations. GURPS doesn't actually have those. Since blocking spells are cast in response to somebody else's actions, they pretty much never happen on your turn, but on somebody else's. If after your turn 65 you cast a blocking spell, the next time you can act at all (well barring having Waited on turn 65) is your turn 66, so...

[malloyd]

Originally Posted by benz72

My impression of TURN is that they overlap (my turn does not END before your turn BEGINS, my turn ENDS when my next turn BEGINS)

No. Spells with 1 turn casting times used to work like that in 3e (they were defined as taking effect at the start of your next turn) but changed for 4e.

In general, no. GURPS turns are personal and in some senses durationless. Admittedly this can occasionally lead to nonsensical situations (this is why the rules even need a Wait maneuver, its a patch on some of those), but the overlapping turns do too - for example you cast a spell, the other guy counters it with a blocking spell, somebody else hits him with another spell (he's already used his blocking spell) then a fourth person does something that causes you to use a blocking spell, notionally interrupting your spell casting, so the second guy no longer needed to counter your spell and would've had his block available for that second one.... It's an unavoidable problem with attempting to divide a continuum of time into discrete rotating turns.

[Dinadon]

Originally Posted by malloyd

That sounds like you are assuming a universal turn with durations. GURPS doesn't actually have those. Since blocking spells are cast in response to somebody else's actions, they pretty much never happen on your turn, but on somebody else's. If after your turn 65 you cast a blocking spell, the next time you can act at all (well barring having Waited on turn 65) is your turn 66, so...

If during your turn 65 you trigger someone else's Wait and have to cast a Blocking spell in response, the spell you were trying to cast will be affected just the same way as casting a Blocking spell between turns in a multi-turn spell. Indeed, the only way to try and disrupt spells with a 1 second casting time as they are being cast is to Wait to attack the caster as they are casting it.

[munin]

Originally Posted by Captain-Captain

The rules specify long range spells, missile spells and touch spells use different range rules. ALL other spells follow the -1 per hex rule.

Unless the text specifies a different range, it's is -1 per hex of distance.

Do you have a citation for this?

I am unable to find such a general rule. The only place I find general rules for range penalties is under each Spell Class description (Regular, Area, etc. -- pp. B239-242, M11-14) and the rules for Blocking spells do not mention range penalties. Instead, some individual Blocking spell descriptions note that range penalties apply and some spell descriptions do not.

[Not another shrubbery]

Originally Posted by munin

Do you have a citation for this?

I am unable to find such a general rule. The only place I find general rules for range penalties is under each Spell Class description (Regular, Area, etc. -- pp. B239-242, M11-14) and the rules for Blocking spells do not mention range penalties. Instead, some individual Blocking spell descriptions note that range penalties apply and some spell descriptions do not.

That they do not mention it should be taken to mean that they follow the general rule of -1 per yard of distance. Only Information spells (as a class) use a different range modifier [Area spells use the same penalty, but figure distance to the edge of the AoE; Melee, Missile, and Blocking spells used on oneself, are cast on the mage or a weapon in hand, so range mods do not apply]. You might need to get Kromm or RPK to confirm it for you... I could not find an affirming cite with a brief search of the Forums and FAQ.