Can a wizard end his own spells prematurely?

[Axly Suregrip]

I always played that a wizard could end his own spells at will. Looking through the rules (ITL & Wizard) I have not found anything to back this up. Does anyone know where this is documented for or against? If not, what is your opinion?

Consider some examples:

- Creations spells: fire & wall. These last 12 turns. Sometimes you've pinned yourself in for good reasons at the time, but now you want to go.

- Freeze & Sleep spells: you've gained your advantage now is time to ask your hostage some questions

- Creation spell: Shadow, fire, wall. Once it was in a place that gained you a tactical advantage but the battle has shifted and it is now a problem.

- Aid spell: You thought I was helping you and now that you engaged your foe, I take it back. Hahamuahahaha cough ha cough.

- Your summoned bear was holding off the foes and now your team's ballista/gun/hv crossbow/lightning is ready, but you do not want to risk blocking the shot. Can you dissolve the summoned mid-turn when it suits you best?

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Some answers that have been given in this thread are:

Thank you Henry and Skarg. The rules sited cover these situation:
- lasting effects are not magic, thus cannot be ended (eg. sleep)
- summoned spells (ITL 137) can be ended at any time
- spells with a maintenance cost (ITL 102) should be able to be ended at will as the get ended when the wizard dies/uncon.


But what about Fire, Wall, Shadow, Freeze, Aid, Rope... any spell that has a set number of turns? (Freeze is a randomly decided set number of turns.) Are you stuck with a Fire for 12 turns? Does the fire remain after the wizard dies? (I could not find this either. Only maintenance spells and the zombie spell ends when the wizard passes.)

To me it just makes sense the wizard should be able to end anything he started, whenever he wishes. I just cannot find the rules to back that up.

[hcobb]

Sleep is an instant spell. The creature is now naturally asleep without any magical compulsion.

Can you turn on/off magical items mid turn? "I attack the wizard." "I activate my blur ring!"

ITL 137 "at any time their master wants them to vanish"

[Skarg]

Originally Posted by Axly Suregrip

I always played that a wizard could end his own spells at will. Looking through the rules (ITL & Wizard) I have not found anything to back this up. Does anyone know where this is documented for or against? If not, what is your opinion?

Consider some examples:

- Creations spells: fire & wall. These last 12 turns. Sometimes you've pinned yourself in for good reasons at the time, but now you want to go.

- Freeze & Sleep spells: you've gained your advantage now is time to ask your hostage some questions

- Creation spell: Shadow, fire, wall. Once it was in a place that gained you a tactical advantage but the battle has shifted and it is now a problem.

- Aid spell: You thought I was helping you and now that you engaged your foe, I take it back. Hahamuahahaha cough ha cough.

- Your summoned bear was holding off the foes and now your team's ballista/gun/hv crossbow/lightning is ready, but you do not want to risk blocking the shot. Can you dissolve the summoned mid-turn when it suits you best?

Some spells have cause things to happen that aren't maintained by the spell. If someone's asleep, they'll keep sleeping (or wake up) as they usually would - the spell doesn't keep them asleep.

Other spells must be maintained to continue their effects. And these spells end when the wizard dies or falls unconscious (Wizard p. 16, ITL p. 102) or stops renewing them, so I would say that the wizard must be doing something to keep them running, and so yes, they could discontinue a spell that requires renewal, at any time.

Summoned creatures also explicitly say the wizard can make them vanish at any time (ITL p. 137).

[Axly Suregrip]

Originally Posted by Skarg

Some spells have cause things to happen that aren't maintained by the spell. If someone's asleep, they'll keep sleeping (or wake up) as they usually would - the spell doesn't keep them asleep.

Other spells must be maintained to continue their effects. And these spells end when the wizard dies or falls unconscious (Wizard p. 16, ITL p. 102) or stops renewing them, so I would say that the wizard must be doing something to keep them running, and so yes, they could discontinue a spell that requires renewal, at any time.

Summoned creatures also explicitly say the wizard can make them vanish at any time (ITL p. 137).

Thank you Henry and Skarg. The rules sited cover these situation:
- lasting effects (sleep)
- summoned spells (ITL 137)
- spells with a maintenance cost (ITL 102)

But what about Fire, Wall, Shadow, Freeze, Aid, Rope... any spell that has a set number of turns? (Freeze is a randomly decided set number of turns.) Are you stuck with a Fire for 12 turns? Does the fire remain after the wizard dies? (I could not find this either. Only maintenance spells and the zombie spell ends when the wizard passes.)

To me it just makes sense the wizard should be able to end anything he started, whenever he wishes. I just cannot find the rules to back that up.

[phiwum]

Originally Posted by Skarg

Some spells have cause things to happen that aren't maintained by the spell. If someone's asleep, they'll keep sleeping (or wake up) as they usually would - the spell doesn't keep them asleep.

Other spells must be maintained to continue their effects. And these spells end when the wizard dies or falls unconscious (Wizard p. 16, ITL p. 102) or stops renewing them, so I would say that the wizard must be doing something to keep them running, and so yes, they could discontinue a spell that requires renewal, at any time.

Summoned creatures also explicitly say the wizard can make them vanish at any time (ITL p. 137).

"Any time" means at literally any time? I kinda thought spells that cost renewal points could be discontinued only at the beginning of the turn, when ST is spent.

But that quote about summoned critters (which Henry also mentioned) does suggest that any time, the critter can be dispelled.

[Axly Suregrip]

Yes it is a great quote to answer my question about Summoned beings.

I updated the o.p. with some of the answers and remaining questions.

[Peter von Kleinsmid]

Originally Posted by Axly Suregrip

But what about Fire, Wall, Shadow, Freeze, Aid, Rope... any spell that has a set number of turns? (Freeze is a randomly decided set number of turns.) Are you stuck with a Fire for 12 turns? Does the fire remain after the wizard dies? (I could not find this either. Only maintenance spells and the zombie spell ends when the wizard passes.)

To me it just makes sense the wizard should be able to end anything he started, whenever he wishes. I just cannot find the rules to back that up.

Mostly yes.

Generally, spells that have a time limit and can be Renewed (e.g. Wall, Shadow, and Rope) end as soon as the wizard stops Renewing them, OR when they die or fall unconscious (ITL p. 102), so they can also choose to end those spells before the next relevant Renew Spells phase.

Full hexes of Fire are like that too, but of course they may start things burning that will keep burning by themselves.

Freeze causes an effect for 2 to 12 turns and can't be renewed, so it also can't be simply released by the wizard before that.

(Summoned real creatures are an explicit exception, as they get to complete their action for the turn, if their wizard dies or falls unconscious.)

Originally Posted by phiwum

"Any time" means at literally any time? I kinda thought spells that cost renewal points could be discontinued only at the beginning of the turn, when ST is spent.

But that quote about summoned critters (which Henry also mentioned) does suggest that any time, the critter can be dispelled.

Yes.

Though, as usual, a GM who sees a reason they would prefer to play these details differently should feel free to (let players of wizards know and) adjust them.

[Axly Suregrip]

Thanks Peter and everyone else.

I see now, "renew" spells are not just spells with a maintenance cost but any spell that after x turns (often 12) that you are allowed to pay again for extending that duration.

So, yea wizards have a lot of control to end spells at their will.

[phiwum]

Originally Posted by Axly Suregrip

Thanks Peter and everyone else.

I see now, "renew" spells are not just spells with a maintenance cost but any spell that after x turns (often 12) that you are allowed to pay again for extending that duration.

So, yea wizards have a lot of control to end spells at their will.

The entry for Illusions and Images says they last 12 turns "unless renewed by a new casting of the spell" (ITL 139). The entry for Fire, Walls and Shadow says "lasts 12 turns unless renewed". Other uses of the term "renewed" don't mention new castings.

So, am I right in thinking that Illusions and Images don't have the same rules as other spells that can be renewed? They actually require an action (and a die roll) to renew, while others can be renewed at stage (2) of the turn just by paying the ST cost?

[hcobb]

ITL 18 "The wizard can make the light go out at any time"

But it is unclear if this is a special rule for only this spell.