Topic: Monster spell-like abilities - calculating OBs

[mda]

(Warning: I am recently re-coming back to the rules after a 30year hiatus (as a player only) so please excuse me if I have the rules and terms wrong here.  There is quite a bit to take in...)

How do you determine the OBs for spell-using monsters spell attacks? 

E.g. Fire Giants cast spells from the 'Fire Law' base list, so when they cast Fire Bolt, what OB (I think this is their Directed Spells bonus?) do they use?  This is not clear to me from the Monster stat chart in RMFRP (C&M p155).  What is the maximum spell level (rank) they can cast?  Is this the monsters level?  Can anyone point me to where all this is stated in the rulebooks?

Same question for area spells and non-elemental spells - I think the OB is based on the attackers skill rank.  What is this for monsters, and where do the rules tell me this?

Thanks in advance.

[rdanhenry]

Yes, for simplicity assume no overcasting by creatures, unless you want to fully develop some member of the "races" as an NPC, in which case follow normal rules. I would assume 1 rank per level for most creatures, although 2 ranks/level may be appropriate for some extremely magically-oriented creatures or for those whose power is innate rather than spell-cast.

It is unclear to you because the rules are pretty incomplete when it comes to creatures. There's also no guidelines for creature stealth (is it harder to detect a tiger or a Greater Spider stalking you?) or a lot of other areas. Instead, RMSS/FRP throws in redundant stat blocks and bland flavor text to pad its enormous C&M page count. The coming revision of Rolemaster may not give an immediate answer to every question about a creature, but it will provide tools to let you figure it out in a sensible way rather than winging it all.

[mda]

Thanks very much, I appreciate your reply.

[mda]

(PS - it's harder to detect a giant spider, obviously.  I have sometimes heard a tiger moving about at the zoo, but ain't never heard a spider closing up.)