Helping Out and Sorcery

[NiallNai]

Ok, for some reason this idea is giving me a sense of deja vu, so I don't know if I have actually read it or it has just occurred to me.

Can Sorcerers that know the same spell Help each other in casting? Similar to the prayer and Faith rules. The extra dice would be added to the Sorcery roll and to roll to resist fatigue. Perhaps fatigue could be spread out amongst the sorcerers with the casting "circle."

Has this ever been considered within the intent of the game mechanics?

[Kublai]

It seems like a reasonable idea. There are certainly literary and fictional precedents for more than one sorcerer gathering together to cast a spell. Helping Rules to cast would work quite well.

The only thing I don't know is how to handle the tax. Maybe helping dice for that too?

[luke]

nah, one guy should just have to suck it up.

personally, i don't think Sorcerers should be able to help each other with spell casting/incantations. I think the precedents that Kublai is talking about refer to Summoning, which I definitely think should be able to use the helping rules.

I just see spell-casting as naturally a singular art and too powerful as it is.

but that's just my 2¢

[sirjaguar]

Gee, I just finished a Fritz Leiber Fafhrd/Grey Mouser story (can't remember the name of it) where two rival princes of an underground kingdom both employed a dozen or so sorcerers. One prince had his sorcers working to attack his brother with harmful enchantments. The other prince used his wizards to keep up a sort of magical shield that protected him from his brother's sorcerous attacks. One or two of the sorcers could go to sleep as long as the rest were concentrating on the shield.

I'd say there's a literary precendent for sorcerous helping out.

[Kublai]

I am not refering to Summoning (though there is precedent for this, too).

Think about the three witches in Hamlet. Aren't they helping each other in their divinations?

[eruditus]

I agree that Sorcerers should be able to help one another, but maybe a rule where thay are doing it without Tax (deliberate and cautious). I like the idea og helping dice but any tax affects all invoved equally. :twisted: Also, i would put on a significant penalty to not doing this deliberately - helping combat spells would be exceedingly difficult trying to get one's words perfectly in sync.

I would impose cultural limitations - can only do this within the same cutlural traditions. In my word the spells may be similar in time and difficulty but they use different words and gestures.

[Durgil]

I was thinking that as far as Taxing goes, each sorcerer could be taxed the same as if they casted the spell by themselves. Combining their efferts only allowed them to achieve a result that they couldn't have done by themselves. This way it wouldn't be resorted to except in extreme circumstances when it was absolutely necessary.

[eruditus]

I like that idea A LOT!

[NiallNai]

I would impose cultural limitations - can only do this within the same cutlural traditions. In my word the spells may be similar in time and difficulty but they use different words and gestures.

Or even sorcerers of the same magical tradition or school. And I wasn't really thinking of it for those spells that are quick combat spells, more along the lines of those ritual length spells with a might effect.

[luke]

try casting some Abstractions using these helping/tax rules and tell me how it goes. I think for Incantations, it would be too easy, but Abstractions are just what the doctor ordered.

Lemme know how it goes!