How many spells can an Octapus Mage cast per second?

[PBarone714]

How many spells can an Octapus Mage cast per second?

[hcobb]

One fifth of a spell per second. Same as a human wizard or any non-wizard spellcaster.

[phiwum]

That's how I'd play it.

[hcobb]

The biggest difference is that high complexity (WRT caster's IQ) spells can be cast by an octopus with one arm holding her staff, one arm holding a silver small shield, and a third arm free to assist in the spellcasting.

Compare to dragons who can't cast spells at all because they are never wizards and so unable to use the ritual reduction of high IQ and they don't have hands to make the required gestures. (Being four footed while the octopus has eight arms and can be a wizard.)

[Shostak]

Originally Posted by hcobb

Compare to dragons who can't cast spells at all because they are never wizards and so unable to use the ritual reduction of high IQ and they don't have hands to make the required gestures. (Being four footed while the octopus has eight arms and can be a wizard.)

There is nothing in RAW that says dragons can't cast spells; it merely says that dragons are never wizards. In TFT, that has a particular meaning about the cost to learn spells.

[Steve Plambeck]

Just my own conceit, but I like to think of dragons (being magical in nature themselves) as born knowing and understanding all the spells, including a few the rest of us have lost, forgotten, or never heard of.

Thus they aren't fooled or surprised by any spell, and understand the limits (costs and duration). But they never cast any, because, well, they're dragons and feel "above all that". It would hurt a dragon's pride too much to ever need to use one.

Someday I'll exploit the plot point inferred by this: a dragon could teach a wizard a spell, perhaps one they couldn't learn from anyone else, but what on earth could a wizard offer a dragon in return? After all, they (usually) don't need anything from us, and what they do want they just take.

I think of demons the same way, knowing all spells but using none. Here of course the RAW speak to the matter, saying demons never use spells, but that doesn't rule out that they could understand everything about them.

And it all amounts to no more than background flavor, but one I find savory.

[Shostak]

Originally Posted by Steve Plambeck

Just my own conceit, but I like to think of dragons (being magical in nature themselves) as born knowing and understanding all the spells, including a few the rest of us have lost, forgotten, or never heard of.

Thus they aren't fooled or surprised by any spell, and understand the limits (costs and duration). But they never cast any, because, well, they're dragons and feel "above all that". It would hurt a dragon's pride too much to ever need to use one.
Someday I'll exploit the plot point inferred by this: a dragon could teach a wizard a spell, perhaps one they couldn't learn from anyone else, but what on earth could a wizard offer a dragon in return? After all, they (usually) don't need anything from us, and what they do want they just take.

That sounds cool. What a great idea for an adventure!

I think of demons the same way, knowing all spells but using none. Here of course the RAW speak to the matter, saying demons never use spells, but that doesn't rule out that they could understand everything about them.

I've never grokked that part of the demon description. It seems to me that they are a whole lot more interesting if they do use spells. Otherwise, they are pretty easy to take advantage of, especially the nerfed LE versions.

[RobW]

Originally Posted by Shostak

Otherwise, they [demons] are pretty easy to take advantage of, especially the nerfed LE versions.

Maybe I’m doing it wrong, because I find their teleport movement makes demons impossible to beat. If you lose initiative, the demon makes you go first, and then teleports to the rear hex of its next victim for an undefendable attack of 4d6 damage at adjDX 18. That will normally do the trick. But if you win initiative and make the demon go first, it just teleports to a safe spot and dodges. (Or it could just leave the combat entirely, but with ST 100, why not wait a few seconds and try to win initiative next turn.)

[hcobb]

Turn one: Wizard loses the wish battle and is dusted.
Turns two to twelve: The demon goes around and commits acts that bring maximum disadvantage to the wizard's cause. That king who approved setting up a wizard's guild and his entire family? All gone.

[Shostak]

Originally Posted by RobW

Maybe I’m doing it wrong, because I find their teleport movement makes demons impossible to beat.

That's what Pentagram is for.