NEWS

Sustained spell preps?

  • 25 Replies
  • 4635 Views

Kiirnodel

  • *
  • Catalyst Demo Team
  • Ace Runner
  • ***
  • Posts: 1471
« Reply #15 on: <01-18-19/1825:03> »
Point of order. Preparations are resisted by Force, not twice the Force.

So a Force 7 preparation is resisted by 7 dice.

The trick is the higher drain caused by the preparation, and the [Force] Limit when you are making them, which means without spending reagents or having some other way to alter the limit, you can't have a preparation with a Potency higher than its Force.

Stainless Steel Devil Rat

  • *
  • Errata Coordinator
  • Prime Runner
  • *****
  • Posts: 4572
« Reply #16 on: <01-18-19/1833:10> »
I was sure I read Force x 2, but I'm happy to be shown to be wrong on that.

Much more reasonable for using Alchemy.
RPG mechanics exist to give structure and consistency to the game world, true, but at the end of the day, you’re fighting dragons with algebra and random number generators.

Marcus

  • *
  • Prime Runner
  • *****
  • Posts: 2802
  • Success always demands a greater effort.
« Reply #17 on: <01-18-19/2049:25> »
With introduction of Vault of ages, so long as your operating in game with down time. The drain question isn't a huge deal, for the really big spells. In the other direction for common buff spells, a duration that lasts even a single minute in SR Combat might as well be permanent. No SR combat is going last even single minute let alone multiple minutes.

Or Alchemy done by a contact also doesn't care about the drain, so long as it won't kill the caster, the risk is going to be minimal.

Keep in mind we have had something 3-4 MAJOR revisions to alchemy over the course of 5e. It's not what it was when released.
*Play-by-Post color guide*
Thinking
com
speaking

Shinobi Killfist

  • *
  • Prime Runner
  • *****
  • Posts: 2703
« Reply #18 on: <01-19-19/2047:59> »
I'm not sure I'd call what I've seen revisions, there are some additional qualities and metamagics and if you use them you get alchemy into the almost as good as spellcasting range at least after 4-5 initiations. Has there been any actual revisions? In my mind a revision would be getting rid of the really stupid test in the first place and have the type of trigger determine the dice pool penalty for your test when the spell goes off.

Marcus

  • *
  • Prime Runner
  • *****
  • Posts: 2802
  • Success always demands a greater effort.
« Reply #19 on: <01-20-19/0438:39> »
Yes full revisions. We have gone from very limited and hindering trigger options, to advanced and modified trigger options, we have gone from no magic bullets to a alchemy spell specifically for enchanting a bullet. We have gone from no way to store preps to the long term storage of preps with the vault of ages. We have gained the ability to not trigger touch based preps, and carry around such trigger prep without triggering them. We went from potions are impossible to potions are totally functional, and can even be loaded into capsule rounds.

So yes over the course of 5e Alchemy went from utterly useless waste of character points to very effective tool for any character. To me a Full Revolution.
« Last Edit: <01-20-19/0929:50> by Marcus »
*Play-by-Post color guide*
Thinking
com
speaking

Chalkarts

  • *
  • Omae
  • ***
  • Posts: 366
  • I'm a Street Painter in South Georgia.
« Reply #20 on: <01-21-19/1056:33> »
I forgot all about Reagents.
Will definitely have to invest in a pile of those.

I was hoping to give the character a go in SRM, I was trying to do the proper action math to get 20 dice on a prep because of the purchased successes thing.

Its a concept I'm dedicated to even though I see the ways in which Alchemy is underpowered.
I know its not the most powerful or flashy character but im pretty sure I can make him extremely useful.
I mostly just want to see a Street Sam rampage with several buffs at once.

As for the revisions to Alchemy, thats all new to me.  I only own the core book.

I'm still trying to brain crunch how exactly making one of these would work.

Tell me if I'm right(I've gone over the stuff in the core but need confirmation):
Say I want to make a good Increase Intuition do-rag(thanks for the tip on that one, much more useful than BOD)

I have Charisma 5, Magic 6, Alchemy 6.
I want to make it force 6 to match or exceed the targets intuition value(could probably go 5).
I use a bunch of reagents to boost my limit.
I then roll 12 dice(Force+Alchemy) resisted by 6 dice(force)
(Actually rolled) 7hits-3resisted for 4net hits making it a Potency 4 preparation
I then resist a drain of 3(F-3)+2 for command trigger. 
I put the prep into my vault and sleep off the hangover.

Our Wired Reflexes high Chrome street sam wears it into the fight.
In the battle I look out from cover and use the command word,
The spell goes off and I use Potency+Force for the dice pool, 10Dice.
(Rolled) 2 net successes,
The Street Sams Intuition is increased by 2 for 2 minutes(Plenty of time to murder the Wage slave security guards)

Is that correct a correct example?

Did I do that right?



I paint the pavement.  It's what I do.  Check it out on Instagram, @Chalkarts

Beta

  • *
  • Ace Runner
  • ****
  • Posts: 1946
  • SR1 player, SR5 GM@FtF & player@PbP
« Reply #21 on: <01-21-19/1132:55> »
looks pretty good to me, Chalkarts -- just one thing, for the drain, drain of F-3, +2 for the command trigger, is 5 drain to soak, not 3.

I don't remember the status of Forbidden Arcana for missions, but there are a few things in there that would help you.  First is the vault of ages (expensive, but lets you store a small amount of preps indefinitely), and second are a couple of qualities that make your preparations last longer before losing potency.


Shinobi Killfist

  • *
  • Prime Runner
  • *****
  • Posts: 2703
« Reply #22 on: <01-21-19/1204:51> »
Practiced alchemist is the big one IMO. Its 5 Karma and doubles the duration of your preparations and gives a dice pool bonus for when your prep is triggered = to 1+initiation grade.  Somewhere around grade 4 you are probably in the ballpark of balanced with spell casting, less dice than a spell caster but not stupid less dice. Its a master quality so it does not cost double to pick up after char gen, so a lot of people suggest waiting till after char gen for it on a min/max level. You can use it in missions though.There is another 5 point quality durable preparations that turns the duration of prep into x3 hours instead of x2, I have no idea how the two interact if they do x6 hours? But it does not have any additional perks so practices alchemist is clearly better. There is a lot in there that needs an errata though so I'm not sure what things will look like if that ever happens.

Chalkarts

  • *
  • Omae
  • ***
  • Posts: 366
  • I'm a Street Painter in South Georgia.
« Reply #23 on: <01-21-19/1214:06> »
looks pretty good to me, Chalkarts -- just one thing, for the drain, drain of F-3, +2 for the command trigger, is 5 drain to soak, not 3.

I don't remember the status of Forbidden Arcana for missions, but there are a few things in there that would help you.  First is the vault of ages (expensive, but lets you store a small amount of preps indefinitely), and second are a couple of qualities that make your preparations last longer before losing potency.

Ah, ok, Action math isn't my strong suit, lol.

As for Forbidden Aracana, I hope its cool for SRM, the Vault of the Ages is kind of the Lynchpin for the whole build.
I want him to be superversatile, especially after getting some Karma and increasing his spell list.
A few vaults filled with buffs for every occasion doled out as needed before each run is essential to him working the way my brain envisions.  I am going resources B so I can afford His Vehicle, Lifestyle, Lodge, foci, and several vaults.  Between his home and Food Truck I'm hoping to have a sizable hoard of stored preps.

Since I don't actually own that book(yet) I don't know much about the qualities.

I'd heard of Practiced Alchemist but didn't know exactly what it did.  I like it.
I was also hoping to drop some Karma on Initiation for Centering so I could handle the drain better and a couple foci as well.
I paint the pavement.  It's what I do.  Check it out on Instagram, @Chalkarts

Chalkarts

  • *
  • Omae
  • ***
  • Posts: 366
  • I'm a Street Painter in South Georgia.
« Reply #24 on: <01-23-19/1517:03> »
I also noticed that there were rules for what happens when you glitch at creating a preparation, but I didn't see anything about when you activate them(I probably just missed it)?
What if I glitch the Potency+Force roll at activation?

Does the Prep fail?  And if so, can I try activating it again or is the magic expended?
I paint the pavement.  It's what I do.  Check it out on Instagram, @Chalkarts

Stainless Steel Devil Rat

  • *
  • Errata Coordinator
  • Prime Runner
  • *****
  • Posts: 4572
« Reply #25 on: <01-23-19/1533:41> »
I also noticed that there were rules for what happens when you glitch at creating a preparation, but I didn't see anything about when you activate them(I probably just missed it)?
What if I glitch the Potency+Force roll at activation?

Does the Prep fail?  And if so, can I try activating it again or is the magic expended?

You mean rolling a glitch upon triggering the preparation?

A critical glitch by definition is already a failure.  Spell tries to happen and not only fails, something BAD happens.

A regular glitch by definition is a success. No reason the prep should fail to work. There's no need to attempt (or even be allowed to attempt) a 2nd "casting".  Just per the glitch rules, something fun happens.  Even if it's only fun for the GM and/or observers.
« Last Edit: <01-23-19/1535:15> by Stainless Steel Devil Rat »
RPG mechanics exist to give structure and consistency to the game world, true, but at the end of the day, you’re fighting dragons with algebra and random number generators.