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FASA Games, Inc. • Ice Shackles - need some clarification
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Ice Shackles - need some clarification

Posted: Tue Dec 13, 2011 8:36 pm
by galafrone
Ice Shackles
Step Number: Rank + WIL
Action: Standard Type: Magical
Water—Cold. The creature makes an Ice Shackles Test against the Spell Defense of any single target within its line of sight.
If the test succeeds, the target is wrapped in bands of magical frost. Ice Shackles melt after a number of rounds equal to the creature’s
Ice Shackles Rank. To break free of the shackles, the target must succeed at a Strength Test against the creature’s Ice Shackles Test
result, which shatters the shackles into hundreds of shards. Unless completely destroyed in this way, the shackles automatically repair
any cracks or breaks, leaving the character trapped.

What exactly means "wrapped/trapped" ?

1) he cant move away (seems reasonable)
2) he drops anything he has in hand
3) he cant attack ? If yes, there are obvious penalties
4) his defenses are lowered ? how much ?
5) he can defend actively (parry, riposte, avoid blow) if yes, wich penalty it can be applied ?

i ruled this evening that
1) target were immobilized
2) target were overhelmed (-3 to defenses, - 3 to any action)
3) they could have attacked adjacent targets
4) they retained the "grasp" on items (weapons) they had in their hands

but i can be much worse than this
any idea or clarification anywhere ?

Re: Ice Shackles - need some clarification

Posted: Wed Dec 14, 2011 5:15 am
by Telarus_KSC

Re: Ice Shackles - need some clarification

Posted: Wed Dec 14, 2011 7:06 am
by arma
You could use entangling (p. 229, w/o weapons etc. helping), seems to fit the threat level of the ice flyers on a quick glance.
It's been ambiguous like that since ED1, though. Can't really say why it stayed that way.
From pure context, you'd usually take it as "can't do anything", which seems to tough.

Re: Ice Shackles - need some clarification

Posted: Wed Dec 14, 2011 7:17 am
by galafrone
i was tempted to say "you are totally immobilized" so the mechanics will be
1) cant move
2) cant attack
3) cant defend (no free defensive actions)

but the problem remains on

1) how is PhiDef ? the same ? dont think so, since is dex based and in that context Dex is irrilevant. A "basic" value based on size ? Defined by a penalty like -3 ? like - 6 ?
2) Social Def should be more or less the same, but the "trapped/wrapped" can lower it
3) Spell Def ?

Re: Ice Shackles - need some clarification

Posted: Wed Dec 14, 2011 7:23 am
by galafrone
i have read the 229 section and just applying a harried penalty + the "no movement allowed" is working out as i did last night (i used an overhelmed penalty in place of the harried, acting on the ice and mace chains spell, that is more or less similar: harried + damage > overhelmed + no damage)

Re: Ice Shackles - need some clarification

Posted: Wed Dec 14, 2011 9:00 am
by arma
Some other effects cause Harried from immobilization, so 2xHarried (once for immobilization, once for being entangled) leading to an Overwhelmed at -3 might work out.

Note, in any case: Overwhelmed is not its own modifier and not an alternative to Harried, Overwhelmed is the way Harried modifiers stack: -2 for the first Harried, an additional -1 for each Harried thereafter. If you are Harried from 3 sources, you are at Overwhelmed -4. If you are Harried from 4 sources, you are Overwhelmed at -5, and so on.

Re: Ice Shackles - need some clarification

Posted: Wed Dec 14, 2011 10:03 am
by galafrone
thanks arma :) that was a thing i wasnt sure of.