At 10:31 AM 5/4/2018, Jack wrote:
Rick -I agree that some thrown spells can "automatically mess up" a foe. But only if successfully cast!So if the two Thrown spell resolution mechanics are "nicely balanced" as you say, Peter, why replace caster DX with target "resistance"? Why lose the tactical calculations behind getting your glass canon in close enough to have an effect without him shattering? Why convert player guile to a die roll?(Full disclosure: I hate saving throws. Too abstract. Too nebulous. Too anti-Appendix N. Robert E Howard never wrote about Conan's "resistance" to some spell. I don't recall a single Tarzan story where "resistance" played a role. HPL would have had to throw out the Mythos if he'd have had to contend with "resistance": "And Great Cthulhu rose from the waves, casting sanity-blasting shadows in the gibbous moon. But Bob just laughed, his resistance to fear holding...")Meh, just thinking out loud. What a wonderful game! - Jack
Well, saving throws are an option, and I don't think they're necessary or objectively better than TFT's lack of them. TFT magic has always been my reference magic system, and one of my favorites, and the knockout thrown spells have a charm to them that I also like.
And I totally get wanting a magic system with absolute and reliable effects. It's really a preference, though I tend to prefer less reliable magic, and for non-wizards to have more chances not to get taken out by spells regardless of their abilities.
What I meant was that I think Rick's combination of adding something that extends the range of Thrown spells, with something that makes thrown spells less reliable, seems (not having playtested it, though I do like the resistance rolls in GURPS Magic, which use a somewhat similar mechanic) a nice balance compared to just increasing the range of Thrown spells for some casters. That is, it would be a major balance shift to have some casters have several more hexes' range than would be expected (by people who understand the risk of standing near a wizard with Thrown spells). It changes the power dynamics of what wizards are likely to be able to do in what circumstances. But by adding another roll that adds an independent chance that the spell might fail even if the caster makes their roll, it shifts the balance in the other direction.
I like that the resistance roll is a separate independent roll from the caster's roll, because it means that while caster skill adds range, a lot of skill can't overpower than chance of resistance, so it shifts those near-certain knockout spells to a less certain outcome.
And, I also mainly like the reduced reliability of spells that have little recourse and take almost anyone out of action. And I like that it's a gradually increasing chance that takes the target's attributes into account, because I tend to like taking game stats into account and I like having it matter what the target is.
Seems interesting. There could also be charms, spells, and/or talents that affect how likely that resistance roll is.
(As for Conan and Tarzan, maybe they didn't resist, but I imagine they didn't have people casting Freeze on them and then cutting their throats, or Stop and then filling them full of spears & arrows, eh?) (As for Cthulu, he can do fine in systems with resistance, as he has an abundance of power and patience.)
PvK