Strength production for enchanting

[Skarg]

Originally Posted by Scintillant

The only note I see that really addresses this is that apprentices can each provide only 25 ST/day via Aid spells (ITL, pg 155). That seems low considering that a ST 8 DX 10 apprentice could generate at least 32 on average over an 8-hour workday (assume total of 9 spells cast with 50% failure rate so waste 5 points per 8-hour shift).

One thing that isn't specified is exactly when the ST will be required during each day's shift, and in what increments it is needed.

* If the ST is only needed some time after the day has begun, and before that, they need to be helping doing other tasks, then you can't count all of the 8 hours as resting time.

* If the Aid ST is needed in small 1-ST aid spells at various times throughout the day's work enchanting an item, then it also reduces the efficiency down to the rate at which they make their spell rolls.

So even if you have a generic ST 10 DX 10 IQ 10 apprentice, and even if he starts casting Aid spells right at the start of work, and the work schedule accommodates him resting at an even rate (which I don't think it does, especially because I think they are needed for other tasks besides casting Aid, and the schedule probably varies), then I get 9 ST + 32 ST = 41 ST potential, but casting it 1 point at a time would give an average yield of 20.5 ST per day, well under the allowance.

Maybe in such cases those apprentices do end up doing overtime, or maybe it's somewhere in-between.

Originally Posted by Scintillant

It also presumes all apprentices have the Aid spell, when many full-fledged Wizards don't. Maybe they choose to forget it when they graduate...This also seems to assume there are plenty of apprentices about...

The Aid spell is one of the most useful spells there is, especially for organized groups of wizards (high-IQ wizards casting powerful spells with Aided ST and DX) and therefore for apprentices, for whom it is a job requirement (see the Job table).

Even for very capable wizards who often operate alone, it's a very useful spell to have. In original TFT (or people using some house rules) some might choose to forget it, but in the new (somewhat problematic in some ways) TFT there would be no incentive to intentionally forget a spell.