Skill-Based Energy Cost for Spells

[Diomedes]

Has anyone used the Skill-Based Energy Cost Rules from Pyramid, or a similar MoS-based system? Anyone have any thoughts about it?

[the_matrix_walker]

Originally Posted by Diomedes

Has anyone used the Skill-Based Energy Cost Rules from Pyramid, or a similar MoS-based system? Anyone have any thoughts about it?

I have not, but thank you for bringing it to my attention! I'm going to ponder this one!

[Ze'Manel Cunha]

Originally Posted by Diomedes

Has anyone used the Skill-Based Energy Cost Rules from Pyramid, or a similar MoS-based system? Anyone have any thoughts about it?

That type of variability, especially in spell maintenance, doesn't work in all settings, but I do use something similar in regards to aspected magical effects when the setting doesn't use mana in its magic.

[mlangsdorf]

I've used a different but similar system in two campaigns now: 1 point of energy reduction per 5 points of MoS. It's simple, but depowers mages somewhat. The biggest problem is that a wizard can't guarantee that he'll be able to cast or maintain a spell for free.

I'm okay with it, but some people are very used to playing mages under the stock rules and don't like the mental effort necessary.

[Refplace]

Nefer used it though have used flexible discounts and no probelm.

[Kazander]

No, but I have a house rule that is very similar in effect.

Instead of the reduced cost to cast and casting time that comes with skills 15, 20, 25, etc., I allow spell casters to optionally take -2 to their effective skill for every point of fatigue they want to reduce the casting cost by, and -3 for every halving of casting time.

This has the bonus effect of making the Rule of 16 almost irrelevant...casters will almost always reduce their effective skill to the 12-14 range in an effect to economize on energy. In fact, sometimes they stubbornly stick to it even though their Resisted spell is obviously having no effect at this skill range. They can be a little thick-headed.

I've been using this for about 5 years now and I am happy with the overall effect.

[Kallatari]

I have something similar, but, fair warning, I use a Powers-based magic system instead of the normal skill-based system found in GURPS Magic.

First, I have a variation of Cost Fatigue which is Cost-Fatigue (Skill-Based), which is worth 2 levels less then the equivalent normal Cost-Fatigue... so if normal Cost Fatigue is -5% x level, then Cost-Fatigue (Skill-Based) levels 1 and 2 are -0%, level 3 is -5%, etc. My magical framework defines what levels of the limitation are required for any given spell (which is based on the specific trait and base point value before any modifiers are applied). However, the Cost-Fatigue (Skill-Based) means that, for every 2 points in which you succeed your casting/activation skill roll, you can reduce the cost to cast by 1 (and maintenance proportionately).

Since this trait is based on a limitation and therefore affects the underlying cost for purchasing the spell (magical ability) in the first place, I have no issues with respect to power/balance of it only needing a success by 2 for each -1 energy, as
- I think it's fairly costed compared to normal Cost Fatigue (without going into the issues of that in this thread); and,
- since mages have to pay large amounts of points to get the underlying ability, I don't see a need for them to spend as much on the skill as well.

Got a few other tweaks that come into effect as well (e.g., a variation to Reduced Fatigue Cost that, instead of lowering the mandatory FP cost, replaces it with a skill-based fatigue that can be eliminated with a good skill roll).

It's worked rather well so far in my games, and I've been using it for about 5 or 6 years, I think. Not too long after Powers came out, anyway.

And yes, I've had spellcasters recast a spell until they got 0 maintenance. I didn't mind, because:
- A maintained spell is still a spell on, so penalized other spells, and, if they didn't get it the first time, then they also spent the energy to cast it, so they're penalized already until they regained it (combine this with long-term fatigue from Last Gasp, and they'll hesitate on that one),
- as GM, I design the adventures to be an appropriate challenge and I take into account the spells they can maintain for free when designing that challenge;
-and a wise GM always makes sure some scenarios have a time limit so they can't afford to wait for the mage to rest and try again. ;)

[benz72]

Originally Posted by Kazander

No, but I have a house rule that is very similar in effect.

Instead of the reduced cost to cast and casting time that comes with skills 15, 20, 25, etc., I allow spell casters to optionally take -2 to their effective skill for every point of fatigue they want to reduce the casting cost by, and -3 for every halving of casting time.

This has the bonus effect of making the Rule of 16 almost irrelevant...casters will almost always reduce their effective skill to the 12-14 range in an effect to economize on energy. In fact, sometimes they stubbornly stick to it even though their Resisted spell is obviously having no effect at this skill range. They can be a little thick-headed.

I've been using this for about 5 years now and I am happy with the overall effect.

Do you have a writeup of the full details?

[Pagan]

I use it as an alternative method of casting in some of my traditions of magic. It will reduce casting cost but maintenance cost remain the same. It works out pretty well.

[Kazander]

Originally Posted by benz72

Do you have a writeup of the full details?

Not much to it, really.

1. Skill does not automatically reduce energy cost and time required to cast spells. Instead, a mage may choose to reduce energy cost, at a -2 skill penalty for each -1 to cost (both initial and maintenance). Or he may reduce casting time, at a -3 skill penalty for each halving of time. This reduction in skill is a reduction in effective skill, and thus it affects any contests of skills for resisted spells. The mage may also choose to take extra time to cast a spell. For each quadrupling of uninterrupted casting time, the caster either gets +1 to effective skill or -1 to energy cost. The helps to reduce the significance of specific basic skill levels: 15, 20, et cetera. The increase in effective skill does not affect the skill level of enchantment. This is a variation on an optional rule presented on M109.
2. Energy may also be traded for faster casting times, or improved skills, as detailed in "Trading Energy for Speed and Skill", Thaum. p39.