Author Topic: Enchanting on the Fly  (Read 3435 times)

Offline bitterpill

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Enchanting on the Fly
« on: January 30, 2011, 07:36:54 PM »
Can a wizard put say a fire spell on say an arrow and would that just mean trading his to hit roll from discipline to weapons or guns.
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Offline Drachasor

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Re: Enchanting on the Fly
« Reply #1 on: January 30, 2011, 07:50:34 PM »
This would be a maneuver, adding a "fire arrow" aspect.  The person with the arrow can then Tag the aspect for a +2 bonus on the roll.  By RAW, you can't add multiple aspects to tag to an arrow, but I suppose a GM might let you do that, or to spread them out among different arrows (so a more powerful wizard could make a "Fire Arrow" that was "Extremely Hot").  Thaumaturgy can do multiple aspects, but it looks like evocation can't as I read things (it could make it so that you can spend fate points to invoke the aspect after it has been tagged though).

Offline UmbraLux

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Re: Enchanting on the Fly
« Reply #2 on: January 30, 2011, 09:22:52 PM »
Can a wizard put say a fire spell on say an arrow and would that just mean trading his to hit roll from discipline to weapons or guns.
Maneuvers are one option as Drachasor points out.  Another is using it as a 'potion'.  That gives you more flexibility in creating spells though it also limits the number you can have at any given point. 
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Offline sinker

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Re: Enchanting on the Fly
« Reply #3 on: January 30, 2011, 10:13:01 PM »
In addition, potions can be declared with lore. So if you bump into that situation, you could always say "Thank goodness I prepared this fire arrow this morning."

Offline Drachasor

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Re: Enchanting on the Fly
« Reply #4 on: January 31, 2011, 01:12:46 AM »
Just remember that with potions, they take some time to prepare, so you can't whip up a new one mid-combat.  Handy if you know you will face something later in the day or so.

Offline sinker

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Re: Enchanting on the Fly
« Reply #5 on: January 31, 2011, 01:32:20 AM »
Just remember that with potions, they take some time to prepare, so you can't whip up a new one mid-combat.  Handy if you know you will face something later in the day or so.

Actually, while potions do take some time to prepare, you don't actually have to play that time. As long as the wizard has had a bit of downtime in the last few days (I.E. this session or just before it) then they can make a lore declaration to say that they made it earlier. YS280:

Quote
At the beginning of each session, you may
declare what potions you have on hand to fill
those slots, or otherwise leave them open. If you
have an open slot and a successful Lore roll or a
fate point to spend, you may later declare that
you coincidentally have an appropriate potion.

So again, "Thank goodness I made this Fire Arrow this morning."
« Last Edit: January 31, 2011, 01:37:09 AM by sinker »

Offline Drachasor

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Re: Enchanting on the Fly
« Reply #6 on: January 31, 2011, 01:43:33 AM »
Actually, while potions do take some time to prepare, you don't actually have to play that time. As long as the wizard has had a bit of downtime in the last few days (I.E. this session or just before it) then they can make a lore declaration to say that they made it earlier. YS280:

So again, "Thank goodness I made this Fire Arrow this morning."

Good point.  Still, for things a bit too convenient, such a declaration might not be allowed.  If you've been dealing with evil wizards for months and suddenly you are fighting a vampire, the GM might not say "ok" to having a sunlight-generating "potion."

Offline Sanctaphrax

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Re: Enchanting on the Fly
« Reply #7 on: January 31, 2011, 01:47:16 AM »
I think the way to deal with that is to make the difficulty of the declaration really high.
« Last Edit: January 31, 2011, 02:10:46 AM by Sanctaphrax »

Offline sinker

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Re: Enchanting on the Fly
« Reply #8 on: January 31, 2011, 01:53:28 AM »
For lore based declarations this is true, however for fate point declarations they're spending a fate point.

Offline Drachasor

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Re: Enchanting on the Fly
« Reply #9 on: January 31, 2011, 04:02:20 AM »
For lore based declarations this is true, however for fate point declarations they're spending a fate point.

Looking over the rules, you don't make Declarations with Fate Points.  You can guess Aspects that exist with Fate Points, but even if you want to spend a Fate Point, the GM can still inform you that a particular aspect doesn't exist (you get your fate point back if it didn't give you any significant benefit to know that, but if it did give you a benefit, that's not something you can tag, according to the rules).  Given that if a GM says "no, that's waaay too coincidental to have on hand" you get no benefit, you should get to keep your fate point.  Then again, if you have the aspect "Lucky" or something, I think the GM should be a bit more lenient about that.  Hmm, if you have the aspect "Never have the right potion on me", then that would make such things a lot more interesting.

Offline sinker

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Re: Enchanting on the Fly
« Reply #10 on: January 31, 2011, 06:27:34 AM »
You were looking in the wrong place. YS20 under what fate points can do.

Quote
Make a Declaration: Declarations are usually
handled with a skill roll (page 116), but in some
cases you may simply lay down a fate point and
declare something. If the GM accepts the fate
point, it will be true. This gives you the ability
to create things in a story that would usually be
under the GM’s purview. Typically, these things
can’t be used to drastically change the plot or
win a scene.

Offline Drachasor

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Re: Enchanting on the Fly
« Reply #11 on: January 31, 2011, 06:34:14 AM »
You were looking in the wrong place. YS20 under what fate points can do.

Odd that they don't have it under the main text for declarations.  In any case, my original point stands, the GM can overrule a declaration if he so wishes.  I'm not saying you can come up with a potion off the top of your head, just that if you make it too convenient, then the GM will deny you.

Offline sinker

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Re: Enchanting on the Fly
« Reply #12 on: January 31, 2011, 06:42:45 AM »
Personally I don't think I would deny it on the basis of convenience (they are spending a fate point after all, it's kinda supposed to be convenient), but you are right, the GM has the right to deny it for any reason.

Offline Drachasor

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Re: Enchanting on the Fly
« Reply #13 on: January 31, 2011, 06:47:08 AM »
Personally I don't think I would deny it on the basis of convenience (they are spending a fate point after all, it's kinda supposed to be convenient), but you are right, the GM has the right to deny it for any reason.

I tend to consider outliers to test the limits of things.  There's regular convenience, and way too convenient.  Perhaps if a suprise Loup Garou shows up that they had no way of knowing would be around, then, I think you'd agree a potion involving inherited silver would be a bit much to pull out of one's pocket.