(TFT) TFT: Fireball Illusions

["Dave Seagraves" <dseagraves@austin.rr.com>]

srydzews writes . . .

>Hm...I can't think of anything to prevent it.
>
>Well, okay, maybe this: illusion is a creation spell.
>Created things don't act on the round they appear.
>So you'd have to create the fireball one round, and
>then "launch" it the next.  Since that's not the way
>missile spells work, no one would believe it.

   I respectfully disagree here.  A strict reading of the rules (see AW4)
does not disallow a fireball from being thrown on the same turn that it is
created:

   "On the next turn, a created being can move away --
   or the wizard can move away from his creation."

   The above text specifically mentions created /beings/, e.g. myrmidons,
gargoyles, etc.  Is a fireball a being?  Probably not.
   So can that illusion of a fireball do damage on the same turn that it's
created?  Certainly.  Supporting precedents: An illusionary wall blocks
things as soon as it's created.  An illusion of a fire hex does damage right
away to anyone standing there.  An illusionary shadow hex interferes with
vision immediately.  In all three cases there is no 1-turn delay, so I would
allow fireball damage on the same turn.
   But I still don't think a wizard can throw the fireball on the same turn
. . .  because he just cast a spell that turn!  This plan would take /two/
turns -- one to cast a creation spell and another to throw something in
hand.
   If a wizard takes the trouble anyway, he would (a) take normal fire
damage from the fireball for /two/ turns (at 4 points per turn) while he
creates it, holds it, and prepares to throw it, and (b) when he does throw
he is /throwing/ it, and must use the range modifier for thrown weapons.  (I
would allow Thrown Weapons talent to allow casting and throwing in the same
turn, since creating an illusionary fireball could be considered as readying
a thrown weapon.)

   As far as believability goes, I imagine most of the beings on Cidri have
never ever seen a fireball cast, and most of the rest have only seen one
cast by an Entertainer wizard (see ITL's job table), and even then very few
times.  Only genuine wizards (maybe 1 person in 500) or anyone with the
Fireball spell (1 person in ?) would suspect it's not a real fireball, so
I'd make them only roll 2 dice vs. IQ if they chose to disbelieve it.


Rick writes . . .

>>Isn't there some rule regarding the ST of illusions of
>>elementals?  (Sorry, no rulebook handy.)
>
>No standard rule.

   Actually there is a standard rule for this (see ITL58).  A wizard cannot
make an illusionary elemental with a ST greater than 14.
   Given that, what should be the size limit for an illusionary fireball?  I
guesstimate an average fireball is about three dice, so three dice sounds
like a reasonable limit.

   Based on above rule interpretations, it seems like there isn't any game
balance problem with illusionary fireballs.  I would allow them in my own
campaigns /if/ the PCs think up the idea themselves.
   Illusions of other missile spells?  Can one hold a magic fist or a
lightning bolt?  With a fireball it could be imagined that a ball of
/something/ is burning (sulfur or whatever).  But there's no physicality to
the other two, so no way.  I would disallow it unless the player came up
with a good rationale.

Pfc. Dave Seagraves, Scout/Sniper, 101st Airborne
Division, attached to HQ Company, 36th Infantry Div.
Texas Military Historical Society (WWII reenactors)
1 (512) 835-7527   http://members.aol.com/txmhs

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