Powerstones

[Agramer]

If you want endurance(repetitive casting of small cost spells) you need high skill 15/20/25 for -1/-2/-3 to fatigue cost / spell.

If you want to emulate bigger area effects you need Powerstones.

If youre Combat Mage in some Army...Powerstones are a must.

As PC Powerstones are interesting..:
-have 1 big Powerstone(Staff is good place and make it dedicated...for spells cast through staff = 2* power).
-have few 1 point Pwstones....to aid your regular spellcasting

If you have enough points take some of enchantment college and make Manastones.
again 1+ big ones for big are spells(or vs high SM creatures)
few small ones 1-3 strength to boost normal spellcasting

When making Mage I have often found that taking Wealth(and spending all,stating Im "travelling" and have no home) is very useful(from starting magical items to powerstones/manastones).

Originally Posted by Witchking

That all being said it is far from gamebreaking and to a certain extent I bought it because as a "traveling" mage I could buy the raw gems...enchant up Powerstones while on adventure (1 hr Q+D casting before bedtime) and then sell the finished products later to keep a steady income. Like a job but more flexible.

As he said,this is brilliant idea.Since most worlds are rare magic/magic items your stones will fetch higher price and youll never have to warry about money.

Nice trick is also to get one big Manastone and take Enchantment sopells that you can pull off quick˛Dirty with your fatigue pool and that Manastone.

There is a lot of those and youll be selling Magic items in no time.

Manastone st 20 takes 100 fatigues to fill back up.
100 fatigues * 2 minutes(Recover energy at skill 20) = 200 minutes = 3h20min

Working 8 hours / day...with lunch break you can pull 2 spells off.

Example:
All +1 dmg,+1 acc,+1penetration on arrows,crossbow bolts
Carnocupia with 15 arrows(they respawn so youll never run out of arrows)
Small spell arrow( for 1 fatigue cost spells...example light spell...)
+1/+2 DR on pieces of armour,+1 DB on some pieces of armour
.....

If you have bigger manastone and/or another enchanter helps things quickly become interesting.

You can cast(with 20 point manastone/powerstone +10 fatigues from yourself):

-15 yard radius Create Fire (30 yards across)
-30 yard radius Smoke (60 across)
-30 yard radius Rain of fire (60 across) for 1d-1 dmg burn/sec
*for double cost dmg is 2d-2



Situation:
Lets say your skill is 15 with all spells
Youre defending Castle....main door is about to fall ...cracking from Ram hits.
Door is 5 yards wide = Area 3(if centered in middle)....
Not all defenders will be able to retreat to keep in time ,before overrun by invaders.
You stand next to wall by the door,covered by few shieldguards/PCs...
You lets 10-15 enemies enter inside and than cast :
Area 3 Glue spell = cost 9-1(skill 15) fatigues ,duration 10 minutes
Than cast Rain of fire area 3,double cost = 6(-1 skill 15) fatigues(2d-2/sec dmg)...
burning all to crisp inside doors...if few manage to pull out Guards easily dispatch them due enemy being already badly burned.

so youre safe for 1 minute:
Fatigue spent 8+5=13

9 minutes to go on glue....

Enemy backed off from entrance with smell of burned crisp bodies in air....

You cast Simple Illusion(1 to cast /half to maintain)..area 3 = cost 3(-1 skill 15)/1,5 to maintain(-1 skill 15 = 0,5 ftg/turn)...

you have spent total of 13+2 = 15 fatigues....
...9 minutes of maintaining Simple illusion(rain of fire)...0,5*9=4,5(round up)=5 fatigue....

...Youre running back inside Keep while maintaining spell...
Total fatigue spent = 15+5=20 BUT you have Recover Energy skill 20.
So during those 10 minutes -2 minutes(running into keep) = 8 minutes/2 minutes = 4 fatigues recovered.

So you have spent 20-4= 16 fatigues +1(for sprinting into Keep) =17

Assuming you have taken Fatigues from body first(to base of 4 fatigues..on 3 fatigues youre at half move/half dodge) and rest from Manastone...
::>You have spent approximately 6 fatigues from Manastone)

So with 6 manastone fatigues and your 6 fatigues(you have recovered 4) you have saved 100 defenders and gaved enough time to regroup in Keep.

Keep is tough nut..Siege continues....

12 minutes later you have recovered your bodily fatigue back to full...
Manastones 6 fatigues spent will cost 30 fatigues to fill up :> 60 minutes of work for you....

1 hour and 12 minutes later your Manastone is full and your Body is full....
:>>>> Lets see what mayhem can your Mage do now ;))

[Kalzazz]

The thing with powerstones is

A - they recharge slowly
B - they dont play well with others

If you have a big house and mostly stay around your house, you can swap powerstones in and out easily. If you spend most of your time on the road, then, less useful at times

War mages definitely need lots of powerstones. I compare war mages to knights, a knight needs warhorse, heavy plate armor, weapons etc

A war mage needs powerstones. Lots of powerstones

[Witchking]

Originally Posted by Kalzazz

The thing with powerstones is

A - they recharge slowly
B - they dont play well with others

A is certainly true.

B unless you are playing Munchkin...5 other PCs so 6 powerstones should charge fairly well on the road. If anyone has a squire or a servant or a DNPC that adds to the total. After all for personal space reasons we are usually that far apart, and if you are riding....

As to "big" house. An "average" room is probably more than 6' x 6' so that is 4 stones there (one each corner) how high is the ceiling (if you have to make some holes do it) put some 6' 2" above floor, now you are at 8 stones. My mage has a good 3 room apartment...it will be a while before he has 24 powerstones.

[Captain-Captain]

Originally Posted by Witchking

A is certainly true.

B unless you are playing Munchkin...5 other PCs so 6 powerstones should charge fairly well on the road. If anyone has a squire or a servant or a DNPC that adds to the total. After all for personal space reasons we are usually that far apart, and if you are riding....

DNPC? You're game history is showing witchking. ;)

[roguebfl]

you party wakes at least 6 feet away from each other? Oh I know so many rogues that would love you 8)

[jeff_wilson]

Originally Posted by Witchking

As to "big" house. An "average" room is probably more than 6' x 6' so that is 4 stones there (one each corner) how high is the ceiling (if you have to make some holes do it) put some 6' 2" above floor, now you are at 8 stones. My mage has a good 3 room apartment...it will be a while before he has 24 powerstones.

The densest practical way to store recharging power stones is to choose one of the hexagonal lattices for packing spheres that best matches a conventionally furnished area with long walkways, like many college chem labs, greenhouses, or parts bins and mount the powerstones on rings or loops that hang on hooks in the appropriate places in the dual-use space.

Hung on sturdy cords strung down 1"-wide wells bored with Earth magic beneath a triangular matrix is probably more secure and just a bit more expensive, but I don't think I'd be able to talk anyone into letting them stay "out of sight" that way.

[Witchking]

Originally Posted by jeff_wilson

The densest practical way...

I am aware my solution is less than optimal. However it is cheap and requires no prep time, therefore to my mind it illustrated my point well.

I never really expect to have 24 stones. I just plan to "trade" my way up. Selling the smaller ones in the collection upon completion of the larger ones; rinse and repeat.

[Witchking]

Originally Posted by roguebfl

you party wakes at least 6 feet away from each other? Oh I know so many rogues that would love you 8)

I don't really see a great problem to having about a 1 hex spacing in order of march...and in the wilderness we are almost always mounted while travelling.

Now if your party is "dense packing" itself...makes a serious explosive fireball very, very cost effective for the other side (and painful for you).


IMHO and YMMV of course.

[Witchking]

Originally Posted by Captain-Captain

DNPC? You're game history is showing witchking. ;)

I never said I was anything but a mean old man....

[roguebfl]

Originally Posted by Witchking

I don't really see a great problem to having about a 1 hex spacing in order of march...and in the wilderness we are almost always mounted while travelling.

Now if your party is "dense packing" itself...makes a serious explosive fireball very, very cost effective for the other side (and painful for you).


IMHO and YMMV of course.

if you you only keep 1 hex separate it will length you recharge time a fraction, because you only on average keeping the the minimum distance means a got potion of the time you will being the near portion of the hexes.

Also if you walk with me and stay 6 feet away mee I would consdier you anti social.

And as a said 6 feet is moth than enough too for a rogue/commando to pick of you rare guard with out being noticed.