"Thrown" Clarification

[Kieddicus]

Unlike Missile spells Thrown spells do not work like their physical counterpart. As where Missile spells suffer from all the same modifiers and rules as Missile weapons (Range, Cover, Missile, hitting something other than your target, etc.) Thrown spells only share the DX penalty for range in common with Thrown weapons. Thrown spell can fly past their target and strike someone else, nor do they care about cover, or the Thrown Weapons talent.

I have noticed this can cause confusion for newer players, and can even cause people who have played since the game came out to slip up.

I believe this can be easily fixed by calling them "Target Spells" rather than "Thrown Spells". This also helps clarify that the wizard is casting a spell on someone rather than throwing a ball of magic at them.

[Steve Plambeck]

Plagiarizing my own recent post in the Thrown Weapons & Facing thread:

Another way I recently thought to describe it for someone: a Thrown Spell is something you form in the air over the target's head, and if it's successful it falls/descends on them. I'd call them "Dropped Spells", but that would surely confuse people into thinking that meant a failed spell, so no. I recall another closely related system liked to call them "Direct Spells". But referring to spells as "thrown" has such a long literary tradition, I just can't see changing it.

Perhaps instead, change the name of "Thrown Weapons" to "Throwable Weapons". That's still a bit awkward though.

[Chris Rice]

I never had a problem with this, either as a GM or as a player, although I recognise your reasoning is sound.

Because there is a clear division in TFT between Heroes and Wizards, I find it easy to accept that a thrown spell for a Wizard doesn’t work in exactly the same way as a thrown weapon for a hero.

[hcobb]

Difference is that you can't throw a weapon behind you.

Hence the Staff I spell had to spell out the front hexes only limitation.

[Kieddicus]

Originally Posted by Steve Plambeck

But referring to spells as "thrown" has such a long literary tradition, I just can't see changing it.

Oh interesting I was actually never aware that was a traditional phrase (other than being in the original ITL book). It does make some sense then as other traditional phrases are used like physicker rather than physician.

P.S. Another reason I chose the word Target was so it still started with a "T" that way it seems close to the original and you still have the letters [M,T,C,S] for the different types of spells.

[Steve Plambeck]

Originally Posted by Chris Rice

I never had a problem with this, either as a GM or as a player, although I recognise your reasoning is sound.

I've never seen it come up either -- outside this forum :)

Originally Posted by Kieddicus

P.S. Another reason I chose the word Target was so it still started with a "T" that way it seems close to the original and you still have the letters [M,T,C,S] for the different types of spells.

I kind of like it, although "target" does sorta still imply shooting at something as in a missile attack.

Another idea inspired by pop song lyrics: call them type (P) for Put spells. As in "I put a spell on you baby, because you're mine" or "she's tryin' to put a spell on me".

[phiwum]

Originally Posted by hcobb

Difference is that you can't throw a weapon behind you.

Hence the Staff I spell had to spell out the front hexes only limitation.

That is a difference, but only for adjacent figures. I'd never noticed the difference before and the way you described it, I thought you meant facing never matters for thrown spells.

From ITL 136, Thrown Spells (emphasis mine):

A thrown spell may be cast at another figure, at the wizard
himself, or at some object, depending upon the spell and the
desired effect. A thrown spell can be cast on the wizard’s own
hex, on any adjacent hex, or on any hex in front of the wizard
at the time he casts it.

[hcobb]

And the DX adjustment for sleeping the guard standing at your rear hex is -1.

[Rolando]

Maybe that is why when maturing the system to make GURPS those spells are called "Regular" spell. Basically the most common type of spell, anything that have some special feature or capability like better ranged modifiers (long range spells, missile sells), or other capabilities or limitations are not Regular spells.

Calling them "Typical" spells retain the T and means any spell that is not of the other more specialized categories like Missile spells.