FASA Games, Inc.

In spells like Recovery it says "the target makes an Effect Test in place of one of his own Recovery Tests."

The effect test for the spell is "WIL + 15" but whose WIL do you use, the targets or the casters? Also what if the caster uses Willforce?

Makes a considerable difference as if the target is a fighter might be step 5+15 but if it is the casters WIL it could perhaps be 7+Willforce+15.

How do people normally play it...?

Caster's, unless otherwise specified.

*casts Recovery on thread*

Can I get a second opinion here?
I was assuming that "target makes effect test" *was* the phrasing used to "otherwise specify".

(Mind you, this assumption/reading of mine sucks, buffing others instead of building trololocombatmage should not be disincentivised imo because teamwork is awesome. As such I for one would welcome an affirmative second opinion.)

This goes back to the metaphysics of ED spells and magic. Once cast, a spell is a "living-equivalent astral presence" (with a very short lifespan unless Named, etc), sort-of seperate from the caster as a Pattern. The spell's statistics are "hardcoded" when it is successfully cast. Thus, the caster's Willforce (if used) gets hard-coded into the spell (that's what the Strain represents, investing the life energy), then the spell goes off and does what it does with the buffed Effect Test.

Ok, thanks.

So basically, "target makes effect test" doesn't really carry mechanical weight, it is just me handing the buffee the dice so he can pretend that it's him that is responsible for the damage output of that Fireweave, Lightning Shield, Blade Fury, etc? Which is fine, not hogging the credit is the whole point of playing buffer instead of blaster style.

(Also thanks for the bonus confirmation of Willforce use once affecting the whole spell which I would have re-asked next by necroing some other thread. My reading again would have been "pay per effect test as you make them".)

There was some back and forth on that on the old forums, but I believe that got clarified recenty (checks the new and handy dandy "Forum Q&A Vol. 1" by Tableau Infractus):

Spellcasting | When using Shield Mist willforce is only have to be used once: when casting the spell, right? (not every time when using it to deflect blows) (Q by Earcaraxe)

Willforce is used once during casting. See Effect p.141. The example uses Doom Missile. If he decides to use Doom Missile with Willforce, he takes
1 strain, then the spell's Effect Test is raised by the magician's Willforce Rank for its duration. --> Slayride []


Dang, that Q&A pdf is handy.

*mutters about 4shared requiring registration*
Don't want to register for dubious site just to grab a file, regardless how useful. >.<
At least it allowed a crappy preview of the file. Not sure if that was complete tho. But yeah, handy.

Same feelings about 4shared though thought this question of paying once was raised again in the new forums? (I thought I asked it to make sure it was recorded on an online resource since the old forum was gone)

Then again I imagine all sorts of things..

Ooh, thinking more about it, I found a relevant mechanical difference between "I make effect test" and "target makes effect test (but with spell stats based on me, established when spell was cast)":
I (as spellcaster) can spend karma on effect tests (paid and rolled as i make them) mid-Journeyman. My warrior target can't.
Satisfied now that the wording isn't just cosmetic.

So just to clear things .

A warrior (WIL 5) got Blade Fury (WIL+10)on his weapon. It was cast by mage (WIL 7 + 10rank Willforce).

So the warrior makes Efect Test:
1. Step 27 [mage WIL+mageWilforce+spell(+10) ]
2. Step 25 [warr WIL+mage Wilforce+spell(+10) ]
3. Step 15 [warr WIL+spell(+10) ]