3/DX check to cast any spell?
 

I just played my first game of Wizard, using the "Two Complete Games in One Box" rules. I just want to check one thing - should the player roll against DX for all spells, including Creation spells? It seems logical to roll for missile spells / thrown spells with an unwilling target, but I just wanted to check if a 3/DX roll is necessary to cast other spells too?

Re: 3/DX check to cast any spell?
 

Yes, it is 3d against adjDX to successfully cast a spell.

Re: 3/DX check to cast any spell?
 

In pure Wizard a non-critical failure to hit the first target with a missile spell still casts the spell which continues on from that spot.
In The Labyrinth adds several special spells that roll against IQ to activate.

Re: 3/DX check to cast any spell?
 

In ITL, too, you can hit the wrong target with a non-critical miss on a missile spell.

Re: 3/DX check to cast any spell?
 

When playing TFT, it is important not to think of the stats in traditional binary terms.

DX is not only used to represent dexterity, it is also an abstraction for general skill prowess (like a level-based bonus in some other FRPGs).

Re: 3/DX check to cast any spell?
 

In Wizard all spells have the same "difficulty" level which is only adjusted for range to and visibility of the target. ITL adds spells that add additional dice to the roll, but these are almost entirely IQ rolls. Hence a typical experienced ITL wizard will have ST 6, DX 14 and IQ 20 or higher.

Re: 3/DX check to cast any spell?
 

I hope players new to TFT looking for guidance on these forums understand how incorrect statements like this are.

Re: 3/DX check to cast any spell?
 

Exactly; it would be nice to keep the extremist, tongue in cheek arguments about exotic 'builds' out of threads that are clearly aimed at answering basic questions about the game.

To the OP's question: rolling vs. DX is the default norm for spell casting, but note once you step up to campaign play with the spell list in In The Labyrinth you will encounter a couple of spells that are exceptions - usually rituals (slowly cast spells) that involve divination or other purely cerebral acts.

As to 'why?', there is no simple, correct answer because the author has not provided a guide to his thoughts about all of these sorts of issues. But I view it in purely 'game-ist' terms: Characters possess only 3 stats but all stats are useful for all major character types, so you are forced to make choices that involve significant trade offs. A fighter can treat ST or DX (or IQ) as a 'god stat', but doing so will come with substantial costs. The same is true of wizards. It is extremely common for people new to the game to immediately think of house rules that remove one or more of these constraints because they see a path to a preferred character type that will become stronger as a result. E.g., if all spell casting is based on IQ rather than DX, you will immediately steer into high IQ wizards who get the 'quadratic' benefit of stronger spells at higher chances of success. Everyone enjoys the idea of getting something for nothing, so why not? The only problem (of course) is that paving a path to a powerful extreme character will weaken every other character type, in a relative sense, and make your game exclusively about that special 'build'. This is a cheap thrill that quickly wears off.

Re: 3/DX check to cast any spell?
 

One should also note, that since you roll for all spells, almost all spells benefit from "critical hits". Roll a 3, and you get the effect tripled: 3 wolves for the price of one! (For instance).

Re: 3/DX check to cast any spell?
 

I had been wondering about what DX actually refers to, and "prowess" makes a lot of sense, thank you!

Re: 3/DX check to cast any spell?
 

That's really cool, thanks for pointing that one out!

Re: 3/DX check to cast any spell?
 

Thank you for the clear and concise answer :-)

Re: 3/DX check to cast any spell?
 

The 3/DX roll mechanic represents the Wizard being able to properly speak the words, make the correct gestures at the right time, and not trip and fall down while doing these mental and physical gymnastics. You will notice that some spells do not have range modifiers and some do, this represents the ability of the mage to guess distances on the fly.

Re: 3/DX check to cast any spell?
 

Note that an iron sword that is also a Lightning Rod is:

• -4 DX for the holder to cast the Lightning spell
• -4 DX for the heroine holding it who doesn't know the Lightning spell to use it as a Lighting Rod
• No DX adjustment for a hero who knows the Lightning spell or any wizard to use it as a Lightning Rod

Re: 3/DX check to cast any spell?
 

Although the "3 summoned wolves appear, instead of 1 sounds incredibly entertaining for a campaign surprise, be careful with such interpretations of a critical success roll. I would probably extend spell duration by 50% or something, if...anything.

And take note of Cobbs silly statement, how many characters can even START with a ST of 6 ? and then.... how many would live past their first wolf bite?

wizards with a high DX in leather armore tend to live longer in the early days... jus' sayin' not everybody needs fireball on day one.

Re: 3/DX check to cast any spell?
 

Why are half of the great wizards of fiction scrawny old men?

Because they needed those aging losses to pull their ST down to 6.

Re: 3/DX check to cast any spell?
 

For some spells, it may be wise to consider and limit what can be done with a triple or double, though the RAW does say three wolves would be the typical result for a 3 when summoning a wolf. It only happens once in every 216 castings.


Or any attack by anything, especially if they'd used some ST to cast a spell themselves first.