Concentrate vs. Concentrate Maneuver

[evileeyore]

Originally Posted by Tom H.

But yeah, it necessarily happens a lot that plain words are overloaded with GURPS significance. Don't get me started on power or ability. It may help if a term is italicized every time it is used when it refers to a specific game definition.

Yeah, I've gotten in the habit online of capitalizing words when being used as game terminology.

[corwyn]

Originally Posted by Tom H.

Good topic.

I would agree with the conclusions here.

Also on p. 11 of Spells the following section should be the rules evidence to clear this up:

Concentration and Maintenance

"You can maintain a spell without concentration unless it requires constant manipulation and change; e.g., to maneuver a levitating object. Spells like that require you to take the Concentrate maneuver only. . . ."


But yeah, it necessarily happens a lot that plain words are overloaded with GURPS significance. Don't get me started on power or ability. It may help if a term is italicized every time it is used when it refers to a specific game definition.

I'm not sure but I'm starting to think I've been doing this wrong for 30 years.

[Captain Joy]

Originally Posted by Dragondog

On page 11 of Spells, under the Casting Spells While Maintaining Other Spells heading, you get a -3 penalty per spell you are concentrating on and a -1 per other spell you have on.

That's where I'm getting the "lesser" concentrate from, to call it something to explicitly differentiate it from the Concentrate maneuver.

The initial casting of a spell requires a Concentrate Maneuver (Blocking Spells are an exception); and, some spells require concentration - NOT full blown Concentrate Maneuvers – to keep going.

EDIT: My above statement is wrong. Spells that require concentration to keep going do require full blown Concentrate Maneuvers each turn to fully utilize them. It's just that you can also cast a new spell while maintaining these spells, albeit at -3 penalty, if you want. You're still taking a single Concentrate Maneuver on your turn – you're just concentrating on more than a single spell.

You can not, however, maintain a spell that requires concentration and swing a sword at something – that would be two different maneuvers: Concentration and Attack for example, and that is not allowed.