(TFT) My thoughts on the Fog spell

[Pasha and or Rick Smith <pnrsmith@istar.ca>]

Hi Everyone, Dan.
	I have not had time to comment on the Fog spell
until now so here goes.  By the way fST is short hand for
the phrase 'fatigue Strength'.

	First the fST cost of the 3 versions of the spell are
unclear to me.  The first number is the casting cost I assume 
but what is the second number?  The cost to maintain the 
spell?

	Second I do not understand the cummulative
maintenance costs. 

	For Example:  I cast the Light Fog version.  The 
spell lasts for 1 hour.  I then maintain the spell. Assuming 
the number after the slash is the mainenance cost, I spend
1 fST to keep it for another hour.  Another hour passes,
I am starting hour 3 (or hour 2 of maintaining it), do I 
spend 1 fST or 3 fST?  

	Are you intending that the cost increase by 1
each additional hour or along an arithmetic series?

	I am not sure that this spell needs such 
complicated rules for maintaining it.  Your intention was
to prevent a single wizard from being able to maintain it
perminantly?  Unless the wizard was going to stay close
to be able to recharge the spell, and planned to be woken
up every hour on the hour, I don't see this being a big
problem.  (Especially since this spell is not a game 
breaker.)  I would just say that it costs 1 fST (or 
whatever) per hour to maintain.

	Does the casting wizard have to be within the
fog (or with in creation spell range) to maintain the spell?
After an hour he or she might be a long way away.

	It seems to me that you could have the different 
versions of the spell requiring different IQ's to cast.  So
the IQ 10 version would be Light Fog, an IQ 13 version
being the Medium Fog, and the IQ 16 version being the
Heavy Fog.  The spells are prerequisites of each other so
someone who knows the Heavy Fog spell automatically
knows the other two versions for no extra memory cost.

	I am uneasy about this being a creation spell.
Creation spells have a large number of 'built in' rules,
and this spell breaks many of them.  (For example,  it 
takes 15 minutes to come into being, it has a vastly 
longer duration than a creation spell, etc.)  I would 
suggest that this spell is placed in its own class (a 'W' 
for weather spells, or at least it is made a Special spell).  
In some ways this seems like an enviromental magic, 
would this fog spell be stopped by a rune line?

	Rules need to be made for what happens to
the fog in a breeze.

	In your discussion with John, you mentioned
you thought of this as a battle magic.  (That is, a spell
for battle fields so you can hide troops.)  If that is the 
case, I think it should be larger (especially since people 
can see in a fair distance into the fog).

	As for Mage Sight, I would rather keep things
simple.  Either the Mage Sight allows you to see thru the
fog with out penalty or it does not help at all. I would 
lean towards saying it does not help at all.

	If I were to put this spell in to my campaigns
I would likely make it significantly higher IQ (any spell
with durations that long requires more than an IQ 10  I 
would think).  To make up for higher IQ,  I would 
increase the area of affect (have it cover a hectare in 
area in aproximately a circle).

*****************************************

	After thinking about what I wrote above for
a while, I reversed my thinking on a few points...


	I see two ways to handle the spell.  Version
1 says it is a magical obstical, i.e. a creation spell.  It
appears at once and the physical location does not
matter.  Thus it will stay for its duration in high winds,
hot desert, etc.  It will keep its shape.  Mage sight 
could see thru it.  The Destroy Creation spell and the 
Advanced Destroy Creation spell will toast it.  Generally 
it acts 'magical'.  

	The advantage to this version is that it is very 
easy to describe and to Game Master.  All TFT spells 
work this way.  (I think,  can anyone think of an 
exception?)


	In the second version this spell subtely affects 
the enviroment by slowly making the spell's area of effect 
cooler and more moist. (Perhaps stilling slight breezes.)
Thus the chance of a fog forming naturally would be 
greater but it would not work in high winds or in a 
dry desert.  Its area is approximate and it would look
natural.  It would logically take a long time to form.
It is not a creation spell, so the Destroy Creation spells
would not work.  The Mage Sight spell would not help 
at all.  Basically it forms a natural, and in all ways real, 
fog.

	The problem with this version is that it is
unlike any other spell in the normal TFT rules, and is
much more difficult to describe in the spell description
and for an inexperienced GM to handle.  If you would
like the 2nd version,  discuss the background theory
so the GM knows that this is a horse of a different 
color.
	

	Dan, please don't take amiss my comments, 
I am very glad to see people creating new stuff for 
TFT.  I hope that you will take another kick at the can.

	Rick


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