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Ritual Magic question

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FoxBoy

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« Reply #15 on: <09-28-10/2000:29> »
I would wonder If you had a spotter that an indirect spell would launch from the spotter's position to hit the target. That sounds like it would make more sense to me.

Qemuel

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« Reply #16 on: <09-28-10/2242:32> »
I would think it would originate from the group doing the Ritual Spellcasting, personally.  Still, I might rule that the Firebolt/ball (or other indirect combat effect) goes up in the sky before reigning destruction down upon the target, rather than go in a straight line, otherwise it may be pointless to cast indirect spells.

Besides, it would be pretty cool to see a massive electrical bolt come down out of a clear sky!

FastJack

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« Reply #17 on: <09-28-10/2307:01> »
I don't think it works that way at all. Otherwise, all you would have to do to avoid Ritual Spellcasting is to stay indoors. If the spell manifests in the physical before it reaches the target, then it has to deal with physical barriers in the way.

It may be old school, but I'm still of the opinion that when you cast the spell ritually, it links to the astral signature of the target and manifests on them directly.

Qemuel

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« Reply #18 on: <09-29-10/0139:35> »
True, and it does say under "noticing Ritual Spellcasting" (p. 185 SRA4) that the target may notice the mana building up around him.  (which implies that the mana and spell materializes directly on the target)

Still, a wicked bolt of lightning from the sky would be damn cool... and scary!

FastJack

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« Reply #19 on: <09-29-10/0223:02> »
True, and it does say under "noticing Ritual Spellcasting" (p. 185 SRA4) that the target may notice the mana building up around him.  (which implies that the mana and spell materializes directly on the target)

Still, a wicked bolt of lightning from the sky would be damn cool... and scary!
Yeah, but you gotta think outside of the box. Or inside the building, as it were...

You ritually cast Lightning Bolt on the target as they are hiding out in the safehouse. Not being outside, there's no bolt from the blue. Instead, they're sitting their watching trideo and they smell ozone and the hair on their arms stands up. Suddenly the trideo picture warps and a huge jolt of electricity pours out of their entertainment system, frying them on their couch.

The_Gun_Nut

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« Reply #20 on: <09-29-10/1345:10> »
Old editions had fireballs bursting in from ritual magic on several occasions.  It was a somewhat unpleasant experience.
There is no overkill.

Only "Open fire" and "I need to reload."

inca1980

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« Reply #21 on: <09-29-10/1354:34> »
Ok, so then the question now is, how does the target resist an Indirect Combat spell cast through ritual spell casting.  Normally it's just a dodge test against a ranged attack.....if it stayed this way in Ritual Spellcasting, then it would make sense that the spell shoots at him from a distance....i.e. the sky, some random nearby source determined by GM, the spotter.  The huge dice-pool that the casting group gets might just be a reflection that instead of having a fireball launched at you from a caster, it comes as a total surprise from some random direction....i.e. the bathroom mirror while you're brushing you teeth...etc.  
Thoughts?

The_Gun_Nut

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« Reply #22 on: <09-29-10/1403:28> »
As I understand it, and I could be wrong, the spell doesn't shoot out from anywhere, but manifests from the mana made available from the ritual participants.  They send the energy down the connection they create and manipulate it to create the effect at the target site.  Thus, the target still gets all the defenses available to them, but unless the target see's the attack coming, he's likely caught off-guard with no defensive options.
There is no overkill.

Only "Open fire" and "I need to reload."

Dead Monky

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« Reply #23 on: <09-29-10/1451:18> »
Lightning shooting from electrical outlets, fire shooting from gas lines, I like.

FastJack

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« Reply #24 on: <09-29-10/1539:26> »
Exactly, Monky. It's all in the descriptive text.

If a ritual sends a lightning bolt after the PC, when he dodges it, tell him he got a scent of ozone, or the lights flickered or his clothes felt really static-y right before it hit.

Dead Monky

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« Reply #25 on: <09-29-10/1544:07> »
I haven't really had any opportunities for ritual magic against the PCs yet.  I may have to work it in though.  I'm liking the idea of the paranoia and pressure it could put on them.  Especially if they notice it and have to work out how to stop it before the ritual is finished.  And, of course, the freakout factor of having a lightning bolt shoot them in the ass from out of their microwave.  Maybe I'll start haunting them next time they get out of line.

Darkeus

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« Reply #26 on: <09-29-10/1704:24> »
    I miss grounding a spell right into a damn focus and calling it a day.  :)

Yeah, you should be able to cast an area effect spell through a ritual link.
I thought what I'd do is; I would pretend I was one of those deaf-mutes.

The_Gun_Nut

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« Reply #27 on: <09-29-10/2341:22> »
You can still ground a spell through an active focus, as far as I can tell.
There is no overkill.

Only "Open fire" and "I need to reload."

Shadowwalker

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« Reply #28 on: <09-29-10/2342:53> »
You can still ground a spell through an active focus, as far as I can tell.
You can? I could not find anything on it in ether SM or SR4A

FastJack

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« Reply #29 on: <09-30-10/0013:21> »
Quote from: SR4A, p. 193
Astral Tracking
Nearly all magical things (spirits, spells, foci, and magical lodges) have an astral link to something. Active spells are linked to their casters, spirits are linked to their masters, astrally projecting magicians are linked to their physical bodies, and foci and magical lodges are linked to the magicians who activated them. Awakened entities who are aware of these links can follow them and track them through the astral plane back to their sources.

And a few pages earlier:

Quote from: SR4A, p. 183
Spells cast on astral objects like mana barriers or active foci are resisted with Force.

So you can target an active foci on the magic-user, grounding the area affect on the foci. The foci then resists the spell as well as everyone else in the area of effect. It doesn't make it easier to hit the mage, and he might still survive, but with the right spell, you could take out a focus as well as the mage.