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Old 04-25-2017, 12:27 AM   #10
Christopher R. Rice
 
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Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: Portsmouth, VA, USA
Default Re: [RPM] Some questions about Path of Magic ?

Quote:
Originally Posted by PK View Post
As written, a ward vs. magic stops "hostile spells" from being "cast on the subject or into the area," where a hostile spell is defined as one which the subject attempts to resist. Unfortunately, the rules in neither GT:RPM nor DF19 explicitly discuss missile spells, which are (by definition) neither resisted nor cast directly onto a subject.
I dropped the ball here too. I probably should have voiced more concern on this when I was finalizing the ward rules (because I altered them some) for DF19. And I'm kind of the other authority on RPM other than yourself so it's possible I should have brought this straight to you without further comment. The problem is I didn't consider because I figured you were leaving the assumption of GURPS Magic missile spells vs. Magic Resistance and similiar spells in play, that is, once conjured it ceases to be magical.

Quote:
Originally Posted by PK View Post
So this needs to be a FAQ, which means it needs a bit of consideration.
Agreed.

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Originally Posted by PK View Post
It's tempting to say that a missile spell is certainly "a hostile spell," definition on p. 24 be damned. But that opens up a slippery slope -- sure, an impossible-in-nature ball of flame being thrown across the street feels like something a ward should affect, but what about a conjured rock? Or a summoned sword? Wards vs magic aren't supposed to be force-fields that block physical attacks; they're protection against being mind controlled, turned into a toad, having your liver turned to ice, and so on.
The latter part of the last sentence is honestly how I've always seen this working. It's what makes a ward + a magic shield or the like so synergistically awesome. The ward protects vs. hostile direct attacks the shield blocks hostile indirect attacks.

Quote:
Originally Posted by PK View Post
My instinct is to say that an area effect ward vs. magic will resist missile spells (and other external attacks which are 100% created by a ritual) that cross its threshold. After all, the hostile mage can just walk through the ward to get around that problem. But I think it's cheating to say that a subject protected by a personal ward is now potentially immune to stone missiles, lightning, etc.
I think that could work, but perhaps since all ward spells are Lesser effects maybe blocking external effects as well makes them Greater. Using that logic you can just say a ward as a Lesser effect either stops direct attacks or indirect attack. So "this ward stops direct attacks, watch out for fireballs" or "this ward stops only indirect attacks, I hope the witch didn't get any of your blood because she can stop you heart if she did." If it does both, then it's a Greater effect.
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Last edited by Christopher R. Rice; 04-25-2017 at 12:45 AM. Reason: Clarity
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