Spells IQ question

[smartjack]

I have two different Character Builder programs. I was transferring a character from to another and I noticed my spell skill level changed. One program was giving me IQ-1 or IQ-2 and the other was giving me IQ+1 or IQ+2. Which one would be correct? I have Magery at 4 and IQ of 16.


Thanks

[Varyon]

With Magery 4, IQ-1 and IQ-2 shouldn't be possible (unless you have Dabbler in those spells). [1] in a Hard spell would get you IQ-2, [1] in a Very Hard spell would get you IQ-3, so with Magery 4 those would become IQ+2 and IQ+1.

[Anaraxes]

The second. Magery acts as a Talent that adds to IQ for calculating the skill level of a spell. IQ 16 + Magery 4 = an effective attribute of 20 for skill purposes.

Originally Posted by B66

Higher levels of Magery make it much easier to learn and use magic. Add your Magery to IQ when you learn spells.

See the skill cost chart on B170. 1 point in an IQ/H skill gives you a skill of (Attribute - 2) = 18, while 1 point into an IQ/VH skill would be (Attribute - 3) = 17.

[smartjack]

Thank you so much for the quick reply, now if I can just figure out why the program is messing up.

[Turhan's Bey Company]

Originally Posted by smartjack

I have two different Character Builder programs. I was transferring a character from to another and I noticed my spell skill level changed. One program was giving me IQ-1 or IQ-2 and the other was giving me IQ+1 or IQ+2. Which one would be correct?

Both.

Say you put a point into a spell. Assuming it's a H rather than VH spell, you've put the points into it to have it at IQ-2. If you put another point into it, it goes up to IQ-1 and so on. That's the basis on which you improve the skill, so it's useful to know that as you play the character and buy up spells.

However, because you have Magery, that gives you a bonus when it comes to casting the spell. What you roll against is your base IQ-2, +4 for Magery, or a total of IQ+2.

So they're both correct, but correct in different contexts.

[Peter Knutsen]

Does the final output of each program state spell skill levels? If yes, then look at those and compare then. They should be identical. If they're not, then something is wrong.

If the final output does not state spell skill levels, then something is very wrong, because it's not reasonable to expect players to sit and perform that kind of mental arithmetic during play.

[Anaraxes]

GCS and GCA have columns both for skill level (the final number, like "18"), as well as the relative skill level in the form "IQ+2" or "IQ-2" -- though GCA only seems to do that for skills and not spells. GCS does seem to reflect Magery in the "relative" column.

[Bruno]

Strictly speaking, I think the IQ-1 and IQ-2 notation is more correct. There's two ways you can read the order of operations occurring, and they both end up with IQ-1 and IQ-2 being more correct.

Either:
You have an effective IQ of 20 for the purpose of learning spells (and therefore your relative skill level is effective IQ-1 or -2 when you get your net 19 or 18 skill). This version is most directly supported by the wording in the Basic Set.

Originally Posted by Basic Set page 66

Add your Magery to IQ when
you learn spells. For instance, if you
have IQ 14, Magery 3 lets you learn
spells as if you had IQ 17.

OR
You have bought your skill at a "real" level of 15 or 14 (IQ-1, or -2) but then you get a +4 bonus, and get to roll against a 19 or an 18.
This is a more house-rule-y interpretation but it tends to be cosmetic.

Either way, if your magery falls off because of, I dunno, some sort of exotic mana-poison or a curse or something, you lose your +4 and roll at 15 or 14 - your real relative skill level.