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Old 06-05-2016, 09:04 PM   #1
arnej
 
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Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Ft Collins, CO
Default Confused about Delay spell

This came up in our game this evening.

In the second paragraph of the Delay spell, it says

Quote:
The spells are cast one after the other, with no delays between spells.
In the fourth paragraph, it says

Quote:
The caster rolls for Delay when it is first cast; the roll for the linked spell is not made until the triggering event occurs.
Hence our confusion.

We ruled that this meant that the spells are cast one after the other, but the roll for the Delayed spell does not take place until later. Thus, the full cost is paid, even if later you roll a critical success (or a failure, etc.)

Any other takes on this?

arnej
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Old 06-06-2016, 06:17 AM   #2
evileeyore
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Default Re: Confused about Delay spell

That's exactly how I've always read it as well.
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Old 06-06-2016, 07:57 AM   #3
Anaraxes
 
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Default Re: Confused about Delay spell

The third sentence of the second paragraph seems clear enough. "Full cost for the linked spell and for the Delay must be paid at the time of casting." You might take "full" cost here to include the known discounts for skill, yet skip the random free spell for a crit success. (Perhaps that just doesn't happen for such deliberate magical constructs.)

The reason for the later roll isn't so much casting success (for most mages, that's extremely likely), but to take into account situational modifiers like range, target type, etc, as well as provide a basis for resistance rolls. (Which you might as well determine when you need it, rather than predetermine it and have to write it down. Also, avoids the problem of mages re-casting until they get a powerful MoS stored up, when that's not really something they're Meant To Know.)
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Old 06-06-2016, 01:03 PM   #4
cbower
 
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Default Re: Confused about Delay spell

The way I handle it is the caster makes a roll against both spells immediately, and then we keep track of the effective skill of the subject spell and roll against that at the time the Delay goes off, with a critical success both being free and giving the spell +2d to its effective skill. I prefer that to ignoring the free casting you get from a crit.
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