Topic: 50% acivity rounds and spell casting

[Jengada]

There are several ways a character can get limited to 50% of normal activity in a round, one of the simplest being the Rapid Ways Speed spells, which require rounds of 50% activity after the acceleration rounds. It happened in my game when an NPC caster used Transferal to take over a PC's body.
I can't find anything in RM2, RMC, or a scan of RMSS, where it says anything about casting spells when limited to 50% activity. Based on the movement limitations for anyone casting (10% when prepping, 25% when casting) these both take more than 50% activity. I could see allowing preparation but requiring twice as many rounds for the given spell class, but I'm more challenged to justify the spell actually being cast in 1 round, if that normally takes 75% action.
Has anyone run into this? Whether you have or haven't, would you allow a character limited this way to cast?

[jdale]

In RMSS, casting a spell is a 75% action (spell preparation is 90%). If you don't have 75% activity available, you wouldn't be able to cast the spell. Instant spells are only 10%, though, so you would still be able to cast an instant spell if you knew one. Generally I would stick to that, but maybe try with a penalty if the character is stuck at 50% for a long time and there's nothing going on (i.e., outside of combat), on the principle that they could do it very slowly if nothing is interrupting them. Depends why they are at half activity I guess.

In RMU, casting a spell is 2-4 AP, out of a normal 4 AP per round, which means you would still be able to cast if you only have half the round (2 AP) but it would be at -50.

[Jengada]

Thanks for adding the RMU context, that helps.

[Hurin]

Note too (though it sounds like you are already aware of this) that Instants still cost 75% activity to cast in RM2, so you can't even cast an instant with only 50% activity.

You might take a look though at some of the alternative initiative/action systems offered from Companion I on, as they somewhat change the way actions work.