Death Spell question

[hcobb]

Can a wizard use her staff Mana to power (but not resist) a Death Spell?

If so does the spell stop at her ST 6 or does it continue until all of her 34 Mana is drained in addition to her own ST?

Also can one or more powerstones be used for this?

[Shostak]

I think the reasonable approach is is to use staff or powerstone mana to buff your ST to the desired level with Aid and then cast Death Spell.

[Peter von Kleinsmid]

No, the Death Spell, as its description says, results in comparing the current ST of the caster and the subject, which determines its results.

Staff mana and powerstones have nothing to do with the Death Spell.

However, Anthony is correct that if you want to use your staff mana or powerstones with the Death Spell, one could cast Aid ST before the Death Spell is cast, using staff mana or a powerstone. One could also use staff mana or a powerstone to recover fatigue, but one would also need to do that before the Death Spell is cast.

[larsdangly]

I consider the rules book to be ambiguous; yes, the book states that you compare ST scores, but the book is also very loose in its precise use of language on many points, particularly where there are major implications of a change from classic to Legacy editions. So, barring a clear, explicit statement from the author (something we don't usually get), i think every group needs to make up their own minds as to how this spell works. Personally, i prefer to permit the caster to draw on sources of mana, and i think if it ever comes up I'll let the target draw on mana to resist as well. I don't have any arguments as to why this is the 'right' answer - there is no right answer. But i think it makes the spell more powerful, useful and interesting. i'd rather run a game where the death spell is a powerful option than one where it exists in principle but no one would really bother casting it. And I'm unconcerned by the fact that it becomes an effective way to kill someone you don't like. There are lots of effective ways to kill someone in TFT.

[hcobb]

Which other spells is staff Mana incapable of powering?

[Axly Suregrip]

Henry,
The loss of ST to the casting Wizard from the deathspell is not the price of casting (thus is not being powered by such), but the result.

If you wish to live, you will want to make sure you have enough ST. Mana is not relevant.

[hcobb]

Please add a note in the errata that the term "loses ST" from casting means an entirely different thing at ITL 30 than it does at ITL 9, 24, 27 and 29.

[larsdangly]

This is a good topic for discussing preferences but not for arguing best answers. If you think a couple of words held over from 4 decades ago resolves a complicated issue raised by new rules, then you haven't been following many of the debates here. The rule book was written to emphasize conformance to original rules and text wherever possible, and no 'mission creep' on the overall page count. And that was mostly accomplished. But it leaves us with a bunch of nitty gritty rulings that have to be made to resolve inconsistencies and incomplete explanations, both left over from the original and created by new rules. There won't be another major revision that fixes them all, so we just have to each do whatever we prefer.

[Desmondaceri]

I just have one question about this walk of death thing. If one of the guys lose a wound or two, then HE does not regain this one/these for later battles?

[hcobb]

One special effect of the Death Spell might be that it erases the "Golden Hour" and produces a cold unwounded corpse. No immediate action is possible and you need to revive the corpse to lose five attributes.