[DF] Some ideas to make damage dealing casters more effective in DF games

[Refplace]

Originally Posted by starslayer

There are actually quite a few exceptions to that in GURPS magic though.

No one gets to avoid the penalties from being caught int a field of mist.
No one gets to avoid the damage from being in a sparkstorm, rain of fire, rain of icy death, etc.
No one fails to suffer from having the ground underneath them turned slick though ice slick (They can make a check to avoid being knocked over, but still suffer penalties to all actions until they leave the area)
No one resists having there clothes or hair set on fire with ignite fire.
I don't believe anyone gets to resist having there clothes/armour undone by the undo spell.

You can also get EFFECTIVE exceptions to that with innate attacks- if an attack has a large enough area that it is effectively impossible to get outside of that area with a dodge then it cannot be dodged, or parried, and blocking only puts additional DR between you and the effect.

Give an effect overhead and no signature and it is always a surprise attack (no one without combat reflexes/ETS can attempt ANY active defence).

Those are pretty much all area effects though and can still be avoided. Dive for cover or some power dodges like Blink/teleport for example.
And the rain of spells can be blocked with a shield, partially or wholly.