Topic: Ruling on background option and sleep spell

[alloowishus]

A PC is a mage and has the background option of doubling the number of targets when casting a spell. How does this work with sleep since this level based? Does it have any effect? Thanks.

[jdale]

It would be up to the GM, but I think it would be reasonable to interpret it as doubling the number of levels that can be affected.

[alloowishus]

I was thinking about that, but it makes that background very powerful. I might say 1.5 x the levels to compromise.

[katastrophe]

I believe the talent requires that the effect be target. If I recall correctly sleep and other similar spells say varies or something similar. Since it already affects multiple targets I’m not sure it directly applies. If you wanted to apply it however I’d treat it as two casting of 5 or 7 levels total rather than simply doubling the levels. The increase in total levels would make the effect far more powerful and similar to the next sleep spell on the list.

[MisterK]

You can also double the number of levels, but limit the level of the target to the effect of the original unmodified spell. It mitigates the effect of the talent and is closer to the perceived intent of the talent.

[jdale]

That would be a good limitation to include.

[chook]

The wording from Sleep V is:

Causes target(s) to fall into a natural sleep...

I would interpret that to mean that ( in this case), the target of the spell is a total of five levels and thus doubling the targets doubles the levels.  Yes this is pwoerful but in a RAW sense that is what it says.  The only way to understand the intent of the written words is to ask the original author.

[jdale]

>The only way to understand the intent of the written words is to ask the original author.

But likely the original author of the spell is not the same person as the original author of the background option, which means some collisions are going to happen. The spell, which has worked that way since the original Spell Law, is obviously modeled on the D&D version; it's an unusual mechanic that occurs in few places (Repel Undead is vaguely similar, but not quite). The background option is written based on how spells normally work.

[Hurin]

I've always found effects that double the number of targets to be borderline overpowered, so I like the idea of the limitations that have been suggested here.

[Majyk]

Halving the double effect is a good compromise or just keep it restricted to actual target spells vs Variable level effect ones.

“Sorry, your B.O Munchkinism(if picked vs randomly rolled) won’t work on those spells, but will for Break Limb, Touch of Disruption, etc.”