Goblinworks Blog: I Put a Spell on You


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Discussion thread for new blog entry Goblinworks Blog: I Put a Spell on You.

Scarab Sages Goblin Squad Member

2 people marked this as a favorite.

I love this post. Spells seem to be really useful, but are balanced by item slots and refresh abilities. I wish there was more information on non-combat spells and buffs, but I like that Mage Armor is a defense slot item instead of a spell.

Still digesting, will post more later.

Goblin Squad Member

2 people marked this as a favorite.

This (spells) makes up for any minor delays, in my book! ..

I like the main idea: Basic attack "cantrips" are always available. But some "real magic/spells" comes with a power vs frequency cost (and likely a heavy threading cost also?). I think this is solid distinction for magic from normal weapons, as is the "mid-level" magic-user power curve mentioned at the end. (Keywords and books is just awesome).

The image of burning down a wizard's library went through my head: Is that something that will/could happen, if perhaps a settlement was invaded?

Scarab Sages Goblin Squad Member

Is "the spell's level × 20" a form of shorthand that we've seen before? If so, could someone refresh my memory?

Lessee, time to dredge up the algebra memories. If 3A - 20 = 60, then 3A = 80, and that means A = 26.6666666...

On the other hand, if 3(A-20) = 60, then 3A-60=60, then 3A=120, and A=40.

On the gripping hand, it could be a typo, and the algebra exercise could be silly.

Edit: I agree with the posters below, it's probably a typo.

Goblin Squad Member

1 person marked this as a favorite.
Quote:
Unlike cantrips, which read the keywords on the wand or staff, a spell reads the keywords on the caster. Your class feature slot (school for wizards, bloodline for sorcerers) provides more and more basic keywords as you improve it, and those keywords are ones that support that specialty's spells.

This is awesome. I'm especially pleased.

Quote:
All spells expect an increasing number of metamagic keywords as their levels increase, until 8th and 9th level spells expect four at a time.

Does this mean we can't cast those spells unless we have that many metamagic keywords? Or does it mean that the spell can gain effects from up to that many metamagic keywords?

Quote:
To use spells that require components, you'll have to dedicate your belt slot to a spell component pouch. Only components in the pouch will be accessed by your spells (which should also keep you from accidentally casting a fireball with the haul you were taking to the alchemist).

Awesome! It will also keep you from unwittingly running yourself completely out of components, because you'll be able to carry spares in a separate container.

Quote:
Note that spells never appear anywhere on a wizard's character record, nor do they cost XP to purchase. If you find a really cool spell, you'll be able to use it immediately (if you can cast spells of that level; see below). But if you lose a spellbook and don't have backups in your storage, you'll have to track those spells down again via the markets or other sources.

While I really like the idea of eventually memorizing a spell well enough to never need to "prepare" it again, I think this is a really interesting mechanic and I don't have any problems with it. I can see this mechanic being what differentiates Wizards and Sorcerers, in some way.

Quote:
A wizard's library is a significant thing...

Yes. Yes, it is.

Quote:

When you use your wizard's "Spellbook" Refresh feat, your weapon attacks are replaced by the spells from the spellbook.

...

Wizards may eventually get a second spellbook feat, allowing both wondrous item slots to be filled with a spellbook and providing the wizard with up to 12 spells per Refresh.

I'm a little confused. Previously, Spellbooks were to occupy Refresh Slots directly. Could you give us a little more detail on what Wondrous Item slots are? Are they hotbar slots like Refresh Slots and Utility Slots? Is the "Spellbook" Refresh feat simply a spellbook that we've placed in a Refresh Slot?

Quote:

o be a fully competent wizard you'll need to use up one or both wondrous item slots, your belt slot, and most of your Refresh-ability slots, and have wizard-specific feats equipped in several of your passive slots. That may seem like a heavy commitment for just six or twelve spells per Refresh—after all, it's certainly less than the number of spells a high-level caster can turn out in the tabletop game. There are several reasons for this change.

The first is that spells are going to be better than most other Refresh feats, potentially by a large margin. As a result, they come with an opportunity cost in equipment and feat slots to justify their power (and to prevent spells from being a no-brainer cross-role slotting choice for all lightly armored characters.)

I am 100% in favor of this approach. We've all been wondering for a very long time how the game would be balanced in such a way as to avoid "no-brainer" cross-class options, and this seems like a great solution in the case of Wizards.

Another excellent blog. I'll need to re-read it a few times I think... starting now :)

Scarab Sages Goblin Squad Member

KarlBob wrote:
Is "the spell's level × 20" a form of shorthand that we've seen before? If so, could someone refresh my memory?

No, but based on the contex of the post, I think it's a typo:

Quote:
Quality matters: You need to have a minimum Quality equal to the spell's level × 20 to cast the spell. If you're casting a level 3 fireball, you need at least Quality 60 on the component.

I think it should have read the Quality of the component will need to be at least the Spell Level * 20. Fireball is a level 3 spell, so 3 * 20 = 60.

That also means you will need a SKILLED crafter to make components for 9th level spells with a minimum quality of 180.

Goblin Squad Member

KarlBob wrote:
Is "the spell's level × 20" a form of shorthand that we've seen before? If so, could someone refresh my memory?

I believe it's an artifact of converting a Word document to HTML, or something similar. I'm fairly certain it should read "the spell's level * 20", as in "the spells level times twenty".

Goblin Squad Member

Great blog, feel like you're really capturing some important parts of wizards and spell casters. Hope you do the same for clerics!

Goblin Squad Member

An interesting read, but now I'm wondering how something like a Magus or a combat-oriented Cleric will work.

Can something like this work at all, considering the gear and feat requirement to be good at spell casting?

Goblin Squad Member

As a non caster, I liked this blog and particularly its approach to balancing magic vs melee. Outside of that I dont see any problems that jump out at me but as I am a ptofessed non caster, I dont have a dog in this fight.

A couple of questions for clarification though:
How does UMD play in or does it? For instance will there be a way for me as a non caster to use a wand of destruction or healing that has been prepared by someone else? Or are they all tied to training in cantrips, and therefore in order to use them youd always need some training as a wiz or sor?

Goblin Squad Member

Quote:
The main thing the level of the spell indicates is how many keywords it supports, and thus its potential base damage. Unlike cantrips, which read the keywords on the wand or staff, a spell reads the keywords on the caster.

To clarify this means that certain spells, especially higher level ones, will require the character to possess certain keywords in order for them to be cast?

For example: A high level diviner may not have the "Archmaster Transmuter" keyword, preventing them from casting Transmute Blood to Acid.

Would an arcane caster, with enough dedication, be able to obtain every possible keyword?

Are certain keywords exclusive based on school/bloodline choices?

Concerning divine magic, in my experience the thing that sets divine casters apart is the flexibility of their spell list from day to day. Essentially they neither rely on an object nor a fixed set of learned spells.

During Prayer/Refresh periods, maybe a good approach would be to allow access to a menu from which a divine caster can choose their spells?

For domains, maybe the keyword for each domain is attributed to the character at a certain point in the archetype/class progression? Once you get to a certain point in divine spellcasting (depending on the flavor of your choices) you are required to make a mostly permanent choice for domains.

Scarab Sages Goblin Squad Member

Harrison wrote:

An interesting read, but now I'm wondering how something like a Magus or a combat-oriented Cleric will work.

Can something like this work at all, considering the gear and feat requirement to be good at spell casting?

Based on the blog, a magus sounds like a "jack of all trades, master of none" compromise, rather than a stand-alone class. Clerics will apparently have different mechanics, so their spell-casting may not take up as many slots.

Scarab Sages Goblin Squad Member

Further thoughts on cross classing: I'm also wondering how feasible it would be for a melee focused character to use cantrips to augment regular attacks. From the blog, It seems like to use a cantrip, you would need a staff or a wand, but could you combine them with a normal attack?

For example, could a monk use shocking grasp to enhance unarmed damage? Or could a fighter using a staff hit someone with it physically and at the same time deliver a touch spell like chill touch through it? A staff normally isn't a great weapon, but if you can combine fighter attacks with spell damage, it gets a lot nicer.

Goblin Squad Member

KarlBob wrote:
Harrison wrote:

An interesting read, but now I'm wondering how something like a Magus or a combat-oriented Cleric will work.

Can something like this work at all, considering the gear and feat requirement to be good at spell casting?

Based on the blog, a magus sounds like a "jack of all trades, master of none" compromise, rather than a stand-alone class. Clerics will apparently have different mechanics, so their spell-casting may not take up as many slots.

Hopefully Magi are more "Jack of all Trades" and less "Master of None".

Goblin Squad Member

Interesting blog, looks decent at first blush, though I'm definitely going to need to re-read it a few more times. I like the metamagic, spellbook, and spell-slot approach, as well as tying the spells into the 'Refresh'. Here are a few things that come to mind:

Some more information on non-combat and utility spells would be good, especially utility spells like Invisibility or Ability Enhancers that can have combat and non-combat applications. Would they require a spell slot, or a defensive slot like Mage Armor?

Spell duration (and other level-dependent benefits) I would assume to be based on the spellbook feat, similar to how spell levels are determined.

If you have a book prepared, and then swap it out for a different book, would you need to Refresh to have those slots available for use? I am assuming yes.

If you use a component of a higher quality than necessary, would that spell receive any benefits?

Goblin Squad Member

Harrison wrote:
Can something like this work at all, considering the gear and feat requirement to be good at spell casting?

It's important to note that the gear and feat requirements were to be a "fully competent wizard". Other spellcasters will likely have different requirements that make sense for their classes.

Scarab Sages Goblin Squad Member

Nihimon wrote:
Harrison wrote:
Can something like this work at all, considering the gear and feat requirement to be good at spell casting?
It's important to note that the gear and feat requirements were to be a "fully competent wizard". Other spellcasters will likely have different requirements that make sense for their classes.

This. Wizards have always had the most flexibility in what spells they can use at the cost of being dependent on spellbooks. The blog specifically mentioned that Sorcs will use a different system, and I think the same could be applied to Clerics/Druids/Bards and the non-core classes when and if they are implemented.

Goblin Squad Member

Sintaqx wrote:
Some more information on non-combat and utility spells would be good, especially utility spells like Invisibility or Ability Enhancers that can have combat and non-combat applications. Would they require a spell slot, or a defensive slot like Mage Armor?

I'm very interested about this, too. I hope that we'll be able to combine our "buff" type spells in much the same way that we craft spellbooks, so that as we get more powerful, we can combine multiple buffs into a single object which occupies a single Passive Slot. If Wizards have to use an entire Passive Slot for any buff, it seems like there will be lots of buffs that only get used rarely, if ever.

Sintaqx wrote:
If you have a book prepared, and then swap it out for a different book, would you need to Refresh to have those slots available for use? I am assuming yes.

Good question. The blog almost makes it sound like you'll need to use a Refresh just to swap spellbooks.

Goblin Squad Member

My first thought was that it would be wonderful were there such things as alchemical supply shops that would buy and sell such delicate treasures as foraged bat guano, refined bat guano, pure bat guano, and essense of bat guano rather than a rude auction house filled with drunken yokels and fly-by-nights.

Goblin Squad Member

There are a large number of buffs that can/should be used on a non-self target. Would those take up a defensive/passive slot? Could multiple casters buff the hell out of the fighter? Or could a bunch of spellcasters under the effects of invisibility buff the hell out of the kobold that the other group is fighting, turning it into a killing machine the likes of which would make a stone giant cry?

Another set of questions that came to mind concern the enchanter and illusionist casters. How will illusions and be handled? Could an illusion of a humanoid be placed on a road? Or an illusionary fireball exploded over a wagon? Would things like Charm Person or (heaven forbid) Dominate Person be usable on players?

Arcane Eye, Scrying and Clairvoyance/Clairaudience, has any thought been given to how these may work if included? Will the Diviners have a use?

How would counterspells be handled? Can a spell being cast by someone else be identified before the spell goes off? Can spellcasting be interrupted by damage or another spell?

Goblin Squad Member

Sintaqx wrote:
There are a large number of buffs that can/should be used on a non-self target.

My sincere hope is that those function like an aura, and are automatically applied to "Party", "Allies", etc. as appropriate for the spell.

And of course I still want to be able to mix and match buffs into a single Passive Slot :)

Sintaqx wrote:
Will the Diviners have a use?

I sincerely hope so.

Goblin Squad Member

yay!

-keywords attached to caster skills and refresh abilities = brilliant! That could be extended to martial classes as well: sneak attack and critical feats should be persistent keywords rather than special attacks.

-paper, ink, thread and exotic/alchemical spell components are presumably crafted by players. Every wizard wants several spellbooks and backups = big addition to the economy. Great design!

-i see potential for unique wizards outnumbering cookie cutters! Caster keywords, spellbook composition, metamagic choices and defensive slots = so many options!

:-)


I do love the idea of being able to buff monsters, honestly.

Scarab Sages Goblin Squad Member

Kobold Cleaver wrote:
I do love the idea of being able to buff monsters, honestly.

As long as you are appropriately flagged for doing so, sure. Casting stoneskin and enlarge person on goblins who are fighing low level PCs seems like griefing to me even if you aren't directly killing anyone.

Goblin Squad Member

This sounds very interesting.

Sounds like there be many business opportunities supplying spell casters with materials. Not only components but material to craft spell books as well.
My gnome alchemist is looking forward to setting up shop with all the material any well traveled wizard is dying to buy.

Goblin Squad Member

So no thoughts on UMD? Or use of magic wands without wiz or sorc training?

Goblin Squad Member

For pre-charged wands and the like, I'd say UMD would be a boon to a non-spellcasting class. For a wand or staff that more or less serves as a cantrip focus, UMD would be useless.

Dark Archive Goblin Squad Member

Some possible uses to divination spells that I thought of.

1. Scry person: Find a target for assassination/bounty, check the status of buddy/enemy, or to find out the plans of a poorly-prepared enemy commander.
2. Scry object: Find your magic sword that got stolen, or to find that particular bit of stuff needed to build that super magic thingy.
3. Scry Location: Scouting, mostly. Check how big a particular goblin village is, see what an opposing army is doing, or look at your own place to check on it.
4. Augury (and the like): get hints on what you need to do for a particular quest.
5. Speak with Dead: Find out why your npc workers are dead, or for those times when you accidentally killed someone you need to question.

Spells like find traps, see invisibility, true sight, and other ones like that are probably going to be useful almost anywhere, as long as there's a trapmaker/guy with ring of invisibility/illusionist around.

Speaking of illusions, I can really see the use of casting an illusion of your army going one way, while your army actually goes somewhere else under the cover of another illusion.

Goblin Squad Member

Quote:
Once you have individual spells, you can copy them... A wizard's library is a significant thing...

It seems likely to me that we'll be able to store individual spells in our Settlement Vaults, and copy them as needed if, for example, we lose a spellbook or two.

Will there be spells that we can effectively monopolize for a time as long as we don't lose a spellbook with it, or have someone steal a copy from us?

Goblin Squad Member

As in the case for weapons, I think the keywords are added/earned independant of learning the spell. Thus a wizard remains flexible (he can eventually have access to a lot of spells) but can also specialize by adding keywords. Damage orientated keywords might be applicable between, say, evocation and conjuration but not necromancy, as mentioned in the blog.

Scarab Sages Goblin Squad Member

Nihimon wrote:
Quote:
Once you have individual spells, you can copy them... A wizard's library is a significant thing...

It seems likely to me that we'll be able to store individual spells in our Settlement Vaults, and copy them as needed if, for example, we lose a spellbook or two.

Will there be spells that we can effectively monopolize for a time as long as we don't lose a spellbook with it, or have someone steal a copy from us?

Along similar lines, approximately how many threads will a spellbook require to bind? We have examples for weapons and armor, but it seems like a Wizard my be better off keeping their spellbooks safe and ignoring weapons and armor depending on the rarity of spells contained in it.

Dark Archive Goblin Squad Member

Nihimon wrote:
Quote:
Once you have individual spells, you can copy them... A wizard's library is a significant thing...

It seems likely to me that we'll be able to store individual spells in our Settlement Vaults, and copy them as needed if, for example, we lose a spellbook or two.

Will there be spells that we can effectively monopolize for a time as long as we don't lose a spellbook with it, or have someone steal a copy from us?

I would assume that spell books can be randomly dropped from monsters, and the research option would probably just allow you to pay X money to get Y spell after Z time. As such, obtaining a monopoly would probably require very aggressive assassination of people who get said spell in order to keep it.

Scarab Sages Goblin Squad Member

Golnor wrote:


I would assume that spell books can be randomly dropped from monsters

I highly doubt this. It has been repeatedly stated that monsters will drop crafting components, not finished goods. It would make no sense for this to not apply for spell books.

I think new spells creation will be done via the crafting system, with the new spells slowly being added to the game over time by GW as players begin to be able to cast them.

Goblin Squad Member

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Golnor wrote:
... obtaining a monopoly would probably require very aggressive assassination of people who get said spell...

Hrm...

"Tony, I am so distraught that I'm no longer the only Wizard who can cast Meteor Swarm..."

Goblin Squad Member

Imbicatus wrote:
Golnor wrote:
I would assume that spell books can be randomly dropped from monsters
I highly doubt this.

I expect Golnor's correct.

Quote:
New spells may enter the game as loot, or through spell research.


1 person marked this as a favorite.

I expect the new spells will be introduced as loot the same way rare swords are "obtained" as loot--you get the scraps needed to craft the full spells.

Imbicatus wrote:
Kobold Cleaver wrote:
I do love the idea of being able to buff monsters, honestly.
As long as you are appropriately flagged for doing so, sure. Casting stoneskin and enlarge person on goblins who are fighing low level PCs seems like griefing to me even if you aren't directly killing anyone.

I 100% agree.

Dark Archive Goblin Squad Member

What could happen is that monsters drop individual spells, which you will need to assemble into a spellbook in order to use them. Kind of like the scrolls from PnP games, where you had a chance at copying a spell from a scroll into a spellbook.

But I can't see someone getting 5 "Spell Scraps" and successfully combining them into a working spell. (Working defined as not turning you inside out when cast.)

Goblin Squad Member

Kobold Cleaver wrote:

I expect the new spells will be introduced as loot the same way rare swords are "obtained" as loot--you get the scraps needed to craft the full spells.

Imbicatus wrote:
Kobold Cleaver wrote:
I do love the idea of being able to buff monsters, honestly.
As long as you are appropriately flagged for doing so, sure. Casting stoneskin and enlarge person on goblins who are fighing low level PCs seems like griefing to me even if you aren't directly killing anyone.
I 100% agree.

Would this be more of a druidic pracice: Influencing living things? /Not too familiar with pathfinder.

.
Considering spell components may drip-feed into the game, I wonder how many spells and keywords for spells are we talking? Sounds like a huge amount is planned?

Goblin Squad Member

There's a part of this I would like to understand more before I solidify my opinion.

Quote:
"Remember that you can generally take several Refreshes per server day, so you're actually being limited to six or twelve spells per combat, not per play session, which is more in line with how spells are used in tabletop. "

How long is a server day? If I blow through some heavy combats in 15 or 20 minutes, am I waiting 15 or 20 mninutes for spells? An hour? Just curious!

Goblin Squad Member

They haven't talk about the universalist wizard. I wonder...

Goblinworks Game Designer

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AvenaOats wrote:
The image of burning down a wizard's library went through my head: Is that something that will/could happen, if perhaps a settlement was invaded?

Your personal vault within a settlement is absolutely in danger if the settlement is attacked.

KarlBob wrote:
Is "the spell's level × 20" a form of shorthand that we've seen before? If so, could someone refresh my memory?

Should just "the spell's level x 20". Weird pasting error.

Nihimon wrote:
Does this mean we can't cast those spells unless we have that many metamagic keywords? Or does it mean that the spell can gain effects from up to that many metamagic keywords?

The latter. In general, most things that look for keywords treat them as optional. You could absolutely cast a spell with no metamagic or even no regular keywords, it would just do its base effect (relative to simple/magical/exotic core values). That might be fine against a low-level target, but isn't going to be that exciting against someone with high resistances.

Quote:
I'm a little confused. Previously, Spellbooks were to occupy Refresh Slots directly. Could you give us a little more detail on what Wondrous Item slots are? Are they hotbar slots like Refresh Slots and Utility Slots? Is the "Spellbook" Refresh feat simply a spellbook that we've placed in a Refresh Slot?

Hmm, could've sworn we'd mentioned that previously. Wondrous Item slots are gear slots that you use for items that don't otherwise have a body location. There might ultimately be a big array of things to go in there, but initially it will at least include Bags of Holding and Spellbooks. You only get two, so effectively equipping a Spellbook means you're not increasing your encumbrance with a Bag of Holding or doing something else cool.

The Spellbook Refresh feat will look for an equipped Spellbook when you use it, and won't do anything if you don't have a book or if there's one just sitting in general inventory.

Harrison wrote:
An interesting read, but now I'm wondering how something like a Magus or a combat-oriented Cleric will work.

Differently :) .

Seriously, though, as noted, we're still getting Cleric nailed down and will be ready to talk about it later. Magus isn't within our launch goals, so we don't have any defined systems for it at this time.

Greedalox wrote:
How does UMD play in or does it? For instance will there be a way for me as a non caster to use a wand of destruction or healing that has been prepared by someone else? Or are they all tied to training in cantrips, and therefore in order to use them youd always need some training as a wiz or sor?

There will almost certainly be a way for non-casters to make use of Consumable Item-based spell effects like scrolls (and consumable wands if we make them); you'd be equipping that instead of a potion, alchemists fire, etc. Arcane weapons are a significant enough departure from how wands work in tabletop that it wouldn't really make sense to have a Rogue use one directly without knowing any cantrips to put on it.

Skwiziks wrote:

To clarify this means that certain spells, especially higher level ones, will require the character to possess certain keywords in order for them to be cast?

For example: A high level diviner may not have the "Archmaster Transmuter" keyword, preventing them from casting Transmute Blood to Acid.

Would an arcane caster, with enough dedication, be able to obtain every possible keyword?

In your example, the spell would do less damage for the Diviner, but he potentially has a few basic keywords that fit the spell, so it's not as bad for him as it would be for a total newbie. As noted above, keywords are an optional bonus for a spell (but an important bonus to become competitive at the expected level you're using the spell), and won't prevent you from using the spell entirely if you're missing a keyword.

An arcane caster could eventually get all of them by progressing down multiple class feature paths, but you can only have one Class Feature Passive feat slotted at a time, so you'd have to switch to a different build to most effectively use drastically different spells. That is, you might have the highest level of both Evoker and Necromancer, but you still have to pick one or the other for a given encounter.

Sintaqx wrote:
Some more information on non-combat and utility spells would be good, especially utility spells like Invisibility or Ability Enhancers that can have combat and non-combat applications. Would they require a spell slot, or a defensive slot like Mage Armor?

Too early to say.

Quote:
Spell duration (and other level-dependent benefits) I would assume to be based on the spellbook feat, similar to how spell levels are determined.

Any element of a spell that is variable will generally reference how many keywords you've fulfilled. Too early to tell which elements other than damage will usually be variable in this way.

Quote:
If you have a book prepared, and then swap it out for a different book, would you need to Refresh to have those slots available for use? I am assuming yes.

We need to test out which method of doing this is the most fun and the least confusing, and make sure there aren't any corner cases where hotswapping books creates an unfair advantage. In general, we're not overly worried about Wizards having a backpack full of differently built spellbooks, as you can only thread the ones you're using.

Quote:
If you use a component of a higher quality than necessary, would that spell receive any benefits?

We'd like for it to, but it remains to be seen whether we can do so in a way that's easy enough to predict and manage in actual use. A rule of "consume the lowest Quality component that meets your minimum requirement, and don't worry about its exact value" is much easier to rely on than situations where sometimes you want to use a higher-Quality component than is required and need to somehow tell that to the system on the fly.

Quote:
Another set of questions that came to mind concern the enchanter and illusionist casters. How will illusions and be handled? Could an illusion of a humanoid be placed on a road? Or an illusionary fireball exploded over a wagon?

Illusions are potentially Art-intensive spells, and giving you detailed control over them like tabletop offers is a systems-intensive process, so it's too early to tell how much variety we can have with them.

Quote:
Would things like Charm Person or (heaven forbid) Dominate Person be usable on players?

Potentially. We're looking into ways to do things like "Charm" and "Confusion" that feel inspired by the tabletop rules but which are more in line with other crowd control effects (e.g., you hopefully won't hate them any worse than you hate getting stunned). Those two, and a few others, are why there is a "Mind Blank" crowd-control-diminishing-returns buff along with the "Freedom" you get from too many immobilizes, stuns, etc.

Quote:
Arcane Eye, Scrying and Clairvoyance/Clairaudience, has any thought been given to how these may work if included? Will the Diviners have a use?

It's very tech dependent, so it's too early to tell, but we are giving it serious thought and trying to set up a variety of other useful Divination effects as well.

Quote:
How would counterspells be handled? Can a spell being cast by someone else be identified before the spell goes off?

Potentially. If nothing else, there will hopefully be sufficiently different animations that you could eventually get a clue as to what's being cast after you've personally seen it several times (no Spellcraft check required!).

Quote:
Can spellcasting be interrupted by damage or another spell?

Absolutely. An "Interrupt" is a special type of crowd control attack (and stuns will also automatically interrupt). Some spells and other attacks might also have an "easily interruptible" property where any damage taken during the animation has a chance to interrupt (to balance being powerful in other ways).

Imbicatus wrote:
Along similar lines, approximately how many threads will a spellbook require to bind?

Right now, about a third to half as much as a weapon set depending on level (which is similar in amount to most body-slot items).

Golnor wrote:
I would assume that spell books can be randomly dropped from monsters

We're going to be looking very carefully at where spells should fall on the possibility space between "everything but the most basic components of things should be player-crafted" and "capturing enemy spellbooks is historically a big thing in tabletop."

Goblin Squad Member

Grott Kraktoof wrote:
...How long is a server day?...

I think I recall it would be four real hours to a day in game.

Goblin Squad Member

Being wrote:
Grott Kraktoof wrote:
...How long is a server day?...
I think I recall it would be four real hours to a day in game.

Far as I can tell that's correct.

GW Blog wrote:
We're also creating a Refresh system. Characters can use particular abilities a certain number of times per four-hour in-game day, or until the player uses a Refresh—a special action characters take to refocus, rest, and regain abilities.

-----------

Stephen Cheney wrote:

...keywords are an optional bonus for a spell (but an important bonus to become competitive at the expected level you're using the spell), and won't prevent you from using the spell entirely if you're missing a keyword.

An arcane caster could eventually get all of them by progressing down multiple class feature paths, but you can only have one Class Feature Passive feat slotted at a time, so you'd have to switch to a different build to most effectively use drastically different spells. That is, you might have the highest level of both Evoker and Necromancer, but you still have to pick one or the other for a given encounter.

That sounds like a reasonable balance between power and flexibility.


Sintaqx wrote:

There are a large number of buffs that can/should be used on a non-self target. Would those take up a defensive/passive slot? Could multiple casters buff the hell out of the fighter? Or could a bunch of spellcasters under the effects of invisibility buff the hell out of the kobold that the other group is fighting, turning it into a killing machine the likes of which would make a stone giant cry?

Well depending on the number of casters, the quantity of spells cast and the time which they are cast, they might fall within the "magical turbulence" mechanic that's being discussed in the "ring of fire" blog thread.

We need more info to fully understand that mechanic and how it will play out though.

Scarab Sages Goblin Squad Member

Thanks for the clarification. It sounds like playing a wizard will have its advantages and challenges, and require more planning than "Skeletons ahead, better switch to the mace;" and that sounds just about right to me.

Goblin Squad Member

@ Stephen, I love the lengthy reply to all the questions, thank you for the clarifying. I love that you are keeping near to the TT with the mages having spell books like fighters have weapons. Being able to loot/destroy a mage's spell collection to leave him "naked" is awesome, the exact same to destroying a fighter's weapon.

A suggestion to the idea about "mastering" spells to not require spell books, I know in TT there is a feat for that, gaining like 2 or 3 spells permanently, but not sure how to balance that in PFO, but I would be in support of something like that, requiring a feat or some other limited "slot" that is permanent would be ok. Not sure but it is a decent idea.

This blog makes me reconsider my alt. Or maybe I have to find a way to play 3.....LOL GG

Goblin Squad Member

Grott Kraktoof wrote:
How long is a server day?

About 6 hours. See the blog Time is the Fire in which We Burn.

Although it appears the quote Skwiziks provided is more recent. Perhaps the devs could clarify?

Stephen Cheney wrote:
Hmm, could've sworn we'd mentioned that previously. Wondrous Item slots are gear slots that you use for items that don't otherwise have a body location.

I didn't search the forums, but they only mention in the blog was very much a passing mention.

Stephen Cheney wrote:
In general, we're not overly worried about Wizards having a backpack full of differently built spellbooks, as you can only thread the ones you're using.

Hrm... Does that apply to all threaded gear? Does something always have to be equipped in order to be threaded?

Goblin Squad Member

Nihimon wrote:
Hrm... Does that apply to all threaded gear? Does something always have to be equipped in order to be threaded?

This is what I always thought thought threading was for. Threading equipped gear and binding to a deathstone/waypoint/whatever they are called.

Goblin Squad Member

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Thanks for the response, Stephen.

Another thought crossed my mind while working a bit of my own wizardry on a particularly obstinate server. Has there been any consideration on ritual spells, circle magic, or coven magic? Could a group of casters collaborate to rain fire and brimstone (fireball heightened by the combined keywords, etc) down on a group of targets? Something that would be more effective than each casting their own spell and increasing the magical turbulence?

Goblin Squad Member

1 person marked this as a favorite.
Sintaqx wrote:

Thanks for the response, Stephen.

Another thought crossed my mind while working a bit of my own wizardry on a particularly obstinate server. Has there been any consideration on ritual spells, circle magic, or coven magic? Could a group of casters collaborate to rain fire and brimstone (fireball heightened by the combined keywords, etc) down on a group of targets? Something that would be more effective than each casting their own spell and increasing the magical turbulence?

I dunno about a combat thing, but I'd like to see this being something done to supplement siege warfare against settlements. Have a circle of X mages get together to rain meteors down on the town walls like a living trebuchet.

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