Steve Jackson Games - Site Navigation
Home General Info Follow Us Search Illuminator Store Forums What's New Other Games Ogre GURPS Munchkin Our Games: Home

Go Back   Steve Jackson Games Forums > Roleplaying > GURPS

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 04-27-2020, 02:01 PM   #1
Magic_Octopus
 
Join Date: Jul 2009
Default [Spell] Protect Animal

This spell looks powerful, but is nearly impossible to use. Time to cast is 1 minute and the spell only lasts another minute.

The only time I can think this is useful is when you can accurately determine the time and place where someone is coming, down to the minute and hex. So meticulous, successful planning is required to set an ambush, and you have to estimate the foes' arrival time accurately.

Can anyone give me examples of when they have used this spell effectively?
What would it do, if the Time to Cast were to be changed to e.g. 10 seconds?
Magic_Octopus is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-27-2020, 02:55 PM   #2
Celjabba
 
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Luxembourg
Default Re: [Spell] Protect Animal

I cannot remember that spell being ever used in my games.

It can be maintened, so duration is not limited to 1 minute !

If you can maintain it for free, I guess it can see various use, for guard animals mostly.
Another possibility is a delayed casting, for example on a guard dog, keyed to the door opening or something.

If the prerequisites were less, I could see it being a common spells for hedge wizard.

It could be an interesting trap if cast on a hex of wasp or hornets ...

Last edited by Celjabba; 04-27-2020 at 03:58 PM.
Celjabba is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-27-2020, 04:55 PM   #3
Anthony
 
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Berkeley, CA
Default Re: [Spell] Protect Animal

The main use would be offensive, not defensive: cast it on animals you have a way of convincing to attack, the use them to overrun a position. You can fit an awful lot of animals in a 10 hex radius.
__________________
My GURPS site and Blog.
Anthony is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-27-2020, 11:30 PM   #4
Magic_Octopus
 
Join Date: Jul 2009
Default Re: [Spell] Protect Animal

Quote:
Originally Posted by Anthony View Post
The main use would be offensive, not defensive: cast it on animals you have a way of convincing to attack, the use them to overrun a position. You can fit an awful lot of animals in a 10 hex radius.
But if the animals leave the area, do the bonuses still affect them? If yes, then I agree, the spell is good.
Magic_Octopus is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-28-2020, 06:49 AM   #5
Not another shrubbery
 
Join Date: Aug 2004
Default Re: [Spell] Protect Animal

Quote:
Originally Posted by Magic_Octopus View Post
But if the animals leave the area, do the bonuses still affect them? If yes, then I agree, the spell is good.
Not by my understanding of the text of the spell. Protection area-effect spells generally apply their effects only within the original area. It seems like a ward, more than an affliction.
Not another shrubbery is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-28-2020, 10:25 AM   #6
Anthony
 
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Berkeley, CA
Default Re: [Spell] Protect Animal

Quote:
Originally Posted by Magic_Octopus View Post
But if the animals leave the area, do the bonuses still affect them? If yes, then I agree, the spell is good.
Both area-persistant and object-persistent area spells exist in GURPS, but in general area-persistent spells specify what happens when you enter or stay in the area.
__________________
My GURPS site and Blog.
Anthony is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-28-2020, 10:59 AM   #7
Plane
 
Join Date: Aug 2018
Default Re: [Spell] Protect Animal

Quote:
Originally Posted by Anthony View Post
The main use would be offensive, not defensive:
I would think "leave this on my henhouse to protect my poultry from roving wolves" would be pretty useful defensively, with DR 5 it'd be pretty hard for a wolf to eat your chickens.

M128's "Maintain Spell" would be useful for this if you didn't want to take the -1 penalty to other spells by having it count as on. If it costs 0 energy to maintain, you need to invest 1 energy per 5 minutes (12 per hour) so it's pretty costly... it might be that using Delay / Hang Spell / Link could somehow cost lest for long durations of chicken coop protection.

This might be important if you went to sleep, I can't remember if you're able to maintain spells while asleep... *checks M9* nope...

"Lend Spell" (M126) could be useful here, as a mage could just hand off maintenance of the spell to the ranch hand... but I'm not certain he'd be able to do a 0-energy/minute maintenance cost like a skill 15 mage could, I guess it depends on whether maintenance cost is calculated via the skill of the original caster or the lendee. Anyone know if there's an FAQ on that?

Another option if you don't know lend spell is to cast this via Ceremonial Magic (M32's usual 1 minute becomes 10 to cast). M12 allows ceremony participants to pay energy to maintain...

That's another thing on the rules I'm unsure of. When it says unskilled participants can lend a max of 1 energy, is that just for the initial casting or does the cap also include subsequent energy spent on maintenance? IE if there's a maximum 100 energy from all non-mage spectators then at best they could maintain this spell for 100 minutes?

Plus if the composition of Ceremonial Magic changes, does this mean you don't even need a mage at all to continue a spell, much like Lend Spell? Below High Mana is magery only needed to initiate magic but not to maintain it?

So many Qs, might be worth new threads if we can't find an answer...

Quote:
Originally Posted by Anthony View Post
cast it on animals you have a way of convincing to attack, the use them to overrun a position. You can fit an awful lot of animals in a 10 hex radius.
That makes me realize I need to review how area/radius works. Like would the animals need to remain within the radius you enchanted to retain protection (losing it when they left) and animals who entered a protected radius later on post-casting get protected? Or does it just stay with animals after they leave even if they sail on a boat miles away?

M32 probably follows standard "area" rules... M11 sounds like it's fixed, but M124 "Displace Spell" could be used to relocate it with a moving attack horde.

Since that requires constant concentration there ought to be some kind of meta-way to "release the hounds" and have them enjoy the DR without your constant supervision of moving the AE whichever direction they head (you'd need high Magery to move it fast enough to keep up with sprinting hounds...)

Maintain Spell / Delay could similarly be useful here, though M128's recommendation of 96/97's Independence/Initiative to program it to move on its own (a little uncertain of specifics here) to have the spell control it's own displacement ("follow the lead dog!") could be a tactic.

Or you could program a spell to "follow the caravan" and then just train the dogs (or enchant them) to follow the caravan, so that if the lead dog died or was mind-controlled, the rest of the dogs wouldn't be unprotected.
Plane is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Tags
animal, magic, spell

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Fnords are Off
[IMG] code is Off
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT -6. The time now is 06:03 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.9
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.