missle spells and reduced casting cost due to high skill

[Naryt]

Just musing out loud here about why this misconception keeps occurring:

Missile spells are cast and then power is pumped into them to "charge" them up. This is where the idea that cost should be reduced based on each second because each second is seen as a separate "charging" action. This concept is actually incorrect.

Missile spells come in three flavors:

Small, the spell takes one second to cast.
Medium, the spell takes two seconds to cast.
Large, the spell takes three seconds to cast.
Reduced casting cost is once per casting regardless of the time it takes to cast the spell.

[Philomath]

Originally Posted by Naryt

Missile spells come in three flavors:

And the cost reduction (if any) occurs entirely, and only, on the first second since the decision to fire or continue priming happens turn by turn.

[Not another shrubbery]

The way we have played it, the discount applies on the last turn the missile is enlarged (which is almost always the turn before the missile is hurled). It's never been a problem for us... I doubt that it would be for anyone else that cared to try it that way *shrug*

[Gedrin]

We always apply the "savings" to the first turn.

[DungeonCrawler]

Originally Posted by Naryt

Just musing out loud here about why this misconception keeps occurring:

Missile spells are cast and then power is pumped into them to "charge" them up. This is where the idea that cost should be reduced based on each second because each second is seen as a separate "charging" action. This concept is actually incorrect.

Missile spells come in three flavors:

Small, the spell takes one second to cast.
Medium, the spell takes two seconds to cast.
Large, the spell takes three seconds to cast.
Reduced casting cost is once per casting regardless of the time it takes to cast the spell.

Exactly.

I think the major confusion comes from the fact the missile is being held and a lot of folk are assuming that skill reductions for energy cost to hold should be applied.

However, the Basic Characters manual states that three things can happen. Launch the missile, hold it, or enlarge it. I think most people don't realize that enlarging is seperate from holding...and from casting, for that matter. Although it is closer to casting than to holding.

The idea that the energy cost to hold should be applied while enlarging a missile spell is a logical and reasonable POV, it's just incorrect.

As a further note, the rules on blocking spells really seem to support the official view that enlarging is part of casting, not part of holding. Specifically that casting a blocking spell interrupts enlarging a spell, but doesn't affect holding it. However, the caster can't go back to enlarging the missile spell after casting a blocking spell. It might help persuade reluctant players so that a GM doesn't have to rule by fiat...or "I read it in a forum".

I always apply the savings on the first turn of casting, else the caster might not have enough to actually enlarge the missile as much as he wants. But then, I charge the energy for each turn. Casting is one, enlarging is done per turn, and holding is done each turn also.

That makes it possible, under rare conditions, for a player to become unconscious because of holding a missile.

To be honest, it doesn't seem to be logical to wait until the caster has finished to charge the whole cost at once, since the actual casting was complete at the end of the first turn and not when the missile is launched. It would be like waiting till a player got tired of holding a spell before charging the energy costs.

There is a purely game logic argument for the official view, it does cost more to cast a spell and enlarge it than to make several castings. The reason is that the enlarged spell only has to overcome DR (or other resistances) once, rather than with each casting. (That's a general rule and may have exceptions.)

Also, from a rules lawyering view, the rules address high skill energy cost reductions for casting and holding, but not for enlarging.