Lightning bolt (not the AD&D spell, much more fun...)

[Thomas Thomas]

Hi all, this was my first try at an abstraction and I don't have a wizard character in front of me so I don't know the time it would take to create it but every else should be accurate.

Concept: Greatly enhance the electrical conductivity of the air in a thin column all the way to the sky directly above the targets head.

Element: Air
Impetus: Enhance
Origin: Sight
Duration: Instantaneous
A.O.E. Single Target

Formalized this was: ob. 11. 42 syllables. and 20 rps.
1st Distillation: ob 9. 37 syllables.
2nd Distillation: ob 6. 23 syllables.
Finalized: ob 3. 12 syllables.

I wasn't sure how to do the damage on this spell. Obviously it would only work outside and be based on will and extra success. But also on the weather, given a clear sky the voltage jump may only be enough to knock your target to the ground. However even wispy clouds and things would get much more interesting :twisted:. Metal armor would conduct the electricity away from the body but wouldn't help when molten metal dripped onto the skull, or burned onto the body, or welded together. I think it would be rather devastating, maybe power = (will + 1 per extra success)*weather modifier. I don't know what the modifiers should be, maybe .5 for clear. 1.0 for wispy clouds. 1.5 for mild wind or rain. 2 for wind and rain. etc. Basically this spell would guarantee that the target is hit directly by lightning, given any significant weather they become an incandescent light bulb. :twisted:

[luke]

were I your GM, I would point out that your facets don't reflect your concept.

If you want to enhance the air to conduct electricity, you need both air and electricity facets -- the white and air elements.

If you want "all the electricity that would be around in the air" you need the Natural Effect AOE, which governs the AOE "as it would happen in nature" which seems to be what you are saying. Plus the Single Target AOE, which represents where the energy is going.

But that's just my interpretation. I am sure there are many others.

-L

[Thomas Thomas]

Yea your right, I didn't spend enough time with the magic burner apparently, I failed to realize that multiple facets of the same type was possible.

I agree with the Natural Effect AOE, but I'm not sure about electricity. I meant for it to simply enhance a property of the air, in this case its conductivity. Unless to enhance the brightness of a flame you would need both facets; fire and heaven.

A question though with haveing more than five facets. If you only have five facets one distills the spell twice then finalizes it. With seven do you distill three times? What about an even number? Or do the obstacles add up fast after five facets? Thanks.

[luke]

We have been playing that multi-element/impetus/aoe spells are distilled the same as any other abstraction. so yes, the obstacle starts jumping up when you start piling on the facets.

-L

[Kublai]

A question though with haveing more than five facets. If you only have five facets one distills the spell twice then finalizes it. With seven do you distill three times? What about an even number? Or do the obstacles add up fast after five facets? Thanks.

It always will be distill twice, finalize the remaining. So if you had 7 facets, you'd combine two the first distill, two the second distill, which leaves 5 facets to be averaged during the last step.

[eruditus]

bring on the White Fire