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Spellcasting and AP


gribble

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If I cast a spell with a Magia that normally costs 2AP, and apply  an Immuto that adds +1AP, does that mean I need to spend 3 AP in my current activation to cast it, or that I can cast it over multiple activations?

If the latter, can I "interrupt" the casting by taking other actions? E.g. spend 2AP on first activation to start casting, then on my next activation spend 1AP to Walk, then 1AP to finish casting the spell.

For some reason I can't find anything in the TTB 2e core which directly addresses it, but it's possible (some would say likely) that I just missed it.

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1 hour ago, gribble said:

If I cast a spell with a Magia that normally costs 2AP, and apply  an Immuto that adds +1AP, does that mean I need to spend 3 AP in my current activation to cast it, or that I can cast it over multiple activations?

You can't, unless you're following the Oxfordian magic theory.

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Ok, thanks. So if a spell requires more AP to cast than you have available in your current activation, you can't cast it at all?

Do you have a page reference in the book? I'd like to be able to read up on it myself to be sure I understand how it's supposed to work.

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1 hour ago, gribble said:

Ok, thanks. So if a spell requires more AP to cast than you have available in your current activation, you can't cast it at all?

Do you have a page reference in the book? I'd like to be able to read up on it myself to be sure I understand how it's supposed to work.

Characters generate all of their AP at the start of their turn.

Most characters generate 2 AP. If a character with 2 AP tries to cast a spell requiring 3 AP, they can't do so (as they don't have 3 AP to pay the cost of the action).

It's just like if a character had 1 AP left and wanted to take the 2 AP Charge action; they simply would not be able to declare that action, as they don't have the AP to pay for it. They wouldn't be able to carry their AP from the current round over to the next round to pay for it on the following round.

 

The Oxford Method lets characters "carry over" the AP of their Spells into the next round, but that's very much a "breaking the standard rules" sort of ability.

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The reference about not being able to carry over spell is on page 274 under the Increase AP immuto as no spell normally costs 3 AP *with out the immuto or the Oxford Method which explains just how it works*.  It says "this Immuto may be added to a spell multiple times but the character must still finish casting the spell on her turn; if she does not, the spell fails."

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  • 7 months later...

So my question is, if you cant cast a ability ot spell if it requires more ap than you have, and characters have 2 ap

-why does increase ap allowed to be purchased multiple times.  

Right now there is nothing in the book the gives players a 3rd generic ap.  And  all spells require 1ap to cast base, so except for the one school that adds 1 ap for casting  no character could add it more the once. Snd even that specific school can only ad it twice. Wouldn't removing the this may be taken more than once and just adding to that schools info "this school may take increase ap immuto twice" make more sense than  implying that its possible to get more ap.

Because the only way to get a zero ap is with the reduce ap immuto, witch candles out the increase ap immuto and would bassicly require a grimoire to use up all its immuto on 2 that zero out. Meaning they just waste each other and dont actually do anything.  Or more specifically the increase ap more than 1 time becomes pointless.

Either this needs to be errated ot we need a this character generates additional ap general talent. And even than it seems pointless since your watering a talent just to make something easier cast, when you could just optimize the ability to  cast each turn for a higher damage per attack average.

Because the cost to benefit for requiring more AP would only up your damage or effectiveness by m as the 2 points but use up your entire action and an entire non existing talent, when instead you could add the same damage bonus with additional suit as your tn reducer, and take the talent to gain a suit to sell skill checks and do the extra 2 damage up to 3x and get a free trigger effect.

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5 hours ago, Frostey said:

So my question is, if you cant cast a ability ot spell if it requires more ap than you have, and characters have 2 ap

-why does increase ap allowed to be purchased multiple times.  

Right now there is nothing in the book the gives players a 3rd generic ap.  And  all spells require 1ap to cast base, so except for the one school that adds 1 ap for casting  no character could add it more the once. Snd even that specific school can only ad it twice. Wouldn't removing the this may be taken more than once and just adding to that schools info "this school may take increase ap immuto twice" make more sense than  implying that its possible to get more ap.

Because the only way to get a zero ap is with the reduce ap immuto, witch candles out the increase ap immuto and would bassicly require a grimoire to use up all its immuto on 2 that zero out. Meaning they just waste each other and dont actually do anything.  Or more specifically the increase ap more than 1 time becomes pointless.

Either this needs to be errated ot we need a this character generates additional ap general talent. And even than it seems pointless since your watering a talent just to make something easier cast, when you could just optimize the ability to  cast each turn for a higher damage per attack average.

Because the cost to benefit for requiring more AP would only up your damage or effectiveness by m as the 2 points but use up your entire action and an entire non existing talent, when instead you could add the same damage bonus with additional suit as your tn reducer, and take the talent to gain a suit to sell skill checks and do the extra 2 damage up to 3x and get a free trigger effect.

Any character with the Fast condition gains an additional AP, any character with the Casting Expert Talent gains an extra AP which can only go towards spell casting actions. With both of those, you can get 4 AP to cast with, so it is certainly possible.

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On 6/6/2018 at 6:19 AM, Steamtastic Vagabond said:

Any character with the Fast condition gains an additional AP, any character with the Casting Expert Talent gains an extra AP which can only go towards spell casting actions. With both of those, you can get 4 AP to cast with, so it is certainly possible.

I can't find an ability that gives the fast condition. 

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There are several ways to gain fast depending on the Pursuit Talent.  The Mercenary can get fast from the Talent Borrowed Time at the cost of either 2 Wds or 5 Scrip.  The Pioneer can gain an extra general AP *It is not Fast so it can Stack with Fast* from its Step ten Talent, Manifest Destiny.  Ghouls from Under Quarantine can gain fast from their Calorie Burn Talent.  The Advance Pursuit Abettor of Obliteration can give itself Fast with the Adrift in Time Talent.  In Into the Steam the Augmented can get it from the Specialized Technology if they took the Path of Sinew.  In Into the Bayou the Boozer can eventually get a Talent called Ethanol Powered that gives the model an additional General AP at the cost of a flask of alcohol.

The Necromancer pursuit can help another character get fast if they are Undead with their Rigor Mortis spell.  Also the Drudge's tenth step talent can potentially give you up to 3 Additional AP if the character is beat up enough.  The Pugilist pursuit can also give a way to get fast though it is only at the start of Dramatic time and only on a RJ so no very likely.

So while there are ways to get extra AP, they tend to be late in a Pursuit, often the tenth step, and generally with strings of some sort.  After all getting even 1 extra AP is pretty huge for a character.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Another reason for adding increase AP more than once is if your character takes the tradition (Is it even called the traditional magic theory) that gives you an automatic Immuto and you choose reduce AP as that always on Immuto.

Combining that with increase AP, means you can cast 1x 0 AP spell plus either
- a 2 AP spell (with minus 4 TN)
or
- 2x 1AP (at -2TN each) spells.

I found this combo with utility spells (invisibility & teleport) to be pretty powerful!

You can also get an addition AP for spells with rank 10 dabbler I think.

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  • 2 weeks later...
On 6/21/2018 at 5:04 PM, Le gob said:

Don't you think you shouldn't be allowed to combine reduce & increase AP ?

The thing I love about TTB is the way you can combine immuto. I think using reduce AP with tradition magic is about the only time this combo would make any sense - otherwise you would just be raising the TN for no bonus. I don't think there is anything in the rules suggesting you can't use this combo though.

It's a powerful combo for spells that don't need many alteration Immuto's, but very expensive otherwise. I think most offensive spells are generally best with lots of alteration - increase range/damage etc. Which I think balances the combo a bit.

Sorry for slow response.

 

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I think you see the most use of these immutos is in the creation of spell manifested powers.  On my current character for one of his Mage manifested powers, I used reduce AP cost to make it a (0) action with a final TN equal to my casting stat, so it goes off even with a Black Joker.  The magia is Telekinetic Move.  Pretty much it is used to allow me to use my Intellect for combat, but requires that action to activate.

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