The Dresden Files > DFRPG

Evocation, Shifts, and Persistence

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blackheart:
As I read the rules, you can extend the effect of an Evocation for a second exchange for one shift of power.

Wouldn't this allow you to do a full spell worth of damage for two exchanges for only one extra shift?

Ex: A Weapon: 4 attack spell extended for one exchange gives you 8 functional shifts of damage over two exchanges for one discipline roll and one stress point?

LCDarkwood:
I don't think the logic quite tracks there - an attack is, by nature, an instant effect. You call the power up and you let it fly. So it can't really have duration by default. Even the thaumaturgy "firebomb" trap wards don't really have an effect duration, per se - they just have an amount of time that they store the energy in the trap. When they go off, though, the attack is instant just like with an evocation.

However, if you wanted to allow it anyway, my only suggestion would be to stipulate that having the energy available to make an attack doesn't mean you automatically hit with it. So if you have a Weapon:4 evocation that you're holding for an extra exchange, you still have to make an attack roll with Discipline to see if you can put it on target.

But by default, yeah, no extending duration on attacks.

iago:
I'll let Lenny talk about things here in detail, but I want to talk about prolonging. To quote the book,


--- Quote ---Alternately, you can actively funnel more
energy into an evocation to maintain it, but this
takes up your standard action for the round.
This is functionally equivalent to rolling another
spell. Summon one shift of power per additional
exchange you want the spell to last, and make
another Discipline roll to control it. This takes
up your action and deals mental stress as per the
usual rules for a normal evocation; the advantage
is that you don’t have to sacrifice the efficacy
of the original spell—it keeps the rating of the
original roll. If successful, the spell effect stays
active for that length of time.
--- End quote ---

Your prolonging effort is a separate evocation, summoning up power, controlling it, and giving it to the previous spell effect. So that's a second point of mental stress, another round of backlash/fallout risk, etc.

Lenny can swing in here and speak to the matter of whether or not attacks are prolong-able. I'm not sure I'd allow it, but I want a read from him as the point man on the spell rules.

LCDarkwood:

--- Quote from: iago on April 13, 2010, 02:25:43 PM ---Lenny can swing in here and speak to the matter of whether or not attacks are prolong-able. I'm not sure I'd allow it, but I want a read from him as the point man on the spell rules.

--- End quote ---

I think the OP was talking about doing it in a single roll, like with a shield spell.

As in, I want a Weapon:4 evocation, that's 4 shifts of power, but I want to extend the duration one additional exchange, so that's 5 shifts of power.

The net effect would be, I have Weapon:4 for two exchanges.

Like I said above, I don't think the logic tracks for attacks. But, you know how it is - not my everything, and I could see it working for a custom hack in a different setting, yadda yadda ad nauseum.

iago:
Oh, good point. But yeah, things which are an "instant effect" don't get duration. There's a reason we list the duration option specifically in the block section and not as a general option in Evo, right? (Assuming I remember that correctly.)

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