[PnP] Ando Spell

[Scott Adams]

At 09:23 AM 4/4/10, you wrote:
>The main problem with a booster spell is that it makes magic users, already very powerful when compared to their non-magic using companions even more so.  In my game, which is using the perilous lands but an alternate, home-built system, spells that have been converted have in many cases been DOWNGRADED in power simply to reign in some of the abuse.

I agree.  But of course I believe in Balance.  So 1 powerful good guy = 1 powerful bad guy.  But to reign in sucha boost spell (and I'm only vaguely thought of it recently) would be high BMC like 7/10+  Limits on mana use or per use per day like EL something or another uses per day.  Its mainly for non damage stuff like how could it would be to detect that one silver coin with the clue to life eternal in a field of grass 3 feet high and 100 square yards without having to do grid searches for years.  Thsoe sort of mundane things.  For power spells like fireball then it would be severely limited with some factoring to EL.  

>(I WILL put up that Null spell at some point, in standard P&P, sometime soon. :})

Cool.  The main thing I have allowed is at some high point in EL say EL10 for some and for brainy / supernatural types EL12+ based on some old formula i did...is that they can modify the spell ins oem regards.  Go beyond the basic mundane outlines.  I need to type p this rule for my players but its in my head.  For example for Invisible you could modify it so it never leaves marks in sand or such.  You're an expert now you don't need that.  Or for Insub it could be tha tyou no longer need levitate to move about or such beyond spell mechanics of the predefined spell.  I figure if you spend thousands of EP getting to that point then your good enough to be great in it.  Teleport EL11 is huge in EP but say you wanted to avoid the mistake factor.  Thsoe sort of logical reasonable things.  Not "oh my fireball now fires 3 fireballs1"
I do need to write up that rule...

>The one change that I have used in my system that should be easily transferable is the ability to alter some of the spell parameters.  Not every spell will benefit from it, but some do. The GM has to be careful as to what is allowed to be swapped in the parameter tweaking.
>
>For example, the "Calm Sea" spell.  For most wizards, probably maxing out at EL7 or so, this gives a calm bubble (EL+1)x20 feet in diameter.    For the range parameter, since it has three dimensions, I allow the caster to "tweak" the dimensions by EL steps in order to increase others.  For example, an EL3 wizard would like to protect the ship he is on.  With an 80' bubble (40' above the water surface) the ends of his 120' warship are still exposed.  He can opt to tweak in the width of the bubble by 2 ELs (reducing it by 40') and the height of the bubble by 1 EL (reducing it by 10'), and add those 3 EL's to the length.  So now the area of calm is 140' long (EL6 value), 40' wide (EL1 value) and 30' high (EL2 value, the other half calms the currents under the ship).  For most warships hight might still be a problem, so the masts might have to be stepped down, but at least this way a lower level wizard can have some effect. 
That's how I don't mind do ing it for the EL 10+ folks as a reward.  So they can tweak teh bubble rather than be restricted by the formula.  



>For the few spells with multiple ranges (i.e. range to target and an effect area at that range), dimensions may be tweaked between them.
Yeah this is where the booster would be in hand.  Doa  boost spell to boost one dimension or increase area for 2 ships.  That sort of thing.  OR for a EL max person then could make the bubble away from teh caster and around another area say to save a person in the ocean. 


>The mana cost for this finer control is 1 mana per dimension altered.
Makes sense. 


>When mixing spell parameters, it gets a bit trickier.  For the "Speed" spell, a wizard at EL3 could opt to knock off 3 ELs from duration and add them to the PMR.  His result at that casting is a spell that lasts only 3 turns, but has a PMR increase of 7. When exchanging power between different parameters, it should be at least 1 extra mana per EL swapped.  This "Burst Speed" casting would cost an extra 3 mana.
Mixing is the idea behind the topic here.  Why I got thinking on th ebooster spell.  So mix Detection with Sight so you increase your senses and pinpoint detection range a slight bit.  But it all goes down to what the GM figures logical and good.

Good stuff...

nice thing about pnp is like Richard's matra.  It is up to the GM to decide and play with.  Even though I did try to ask "what do you mean by this spell?" it is up to us.  Which is why pnp is so great.  Certain other spell systems are cut and dry.  Do this and not that.  No compromise.