Topic: What spells do you have the most trouble with in SL?

[markc]

What spells do you have the most trouble with in Spell Law?
 
Thanks
MDC

[Elton Robb]

Invisibility.

[Ecthelion]

Invisibility, Teleport. And generally speaking all the spells where we have created house rules (see on my homepage) for.

[Kristen Mork]

#3) Voice of Reason: What does it mean that the victim finds the caster's words to be reasonable?
#2) Fly: Why learn to climb, swim, balance, or jump?
#1) Sleep: Watch the 7th level mage drop 3 1st level opponents every round!

In fact, I find Sleep (as written) to be completely overpowered.  I also know that I'm the only one who has a problem with the spell.

[rdanhenry]

3) He thinks he must be at a Jon Stewart rally. Actually, checking the spell, it stats that "For as long as the caster speaks, the target will beleve [sic] that the reasoning and ideas that the caster expresses are correct and valid." So the target will act as if it believes what the caster is saying is true. That a role-playing issue, but it seems pretty clear to me. The caster can get past the guards by convincing them he is from the Empire of Evil's Health and Sanitation Department and needs to perform an inspection of the lava-containment procedures in the Tower of Deadly Doom. Afterward, the chance of realizing he's been had will depend on the guard's intelligence and knowledge, whether the Empire of Evil actually has a Health and Sanitation Department, and other details (Caster is an elf, which the Empire does not employ, would be a big bonus for the guard. Presentation of a suitable badge of authority would be a negative.)
2) Because Flying is ostentatious. Because it marks you out as a target. Because not everyone can cast Fly. Because using skills costs no PP. Because defensive spells are likely to be keyed to people Flying into high secure places. Because it's hard to cast your Fly spell while drowning.
1) And then what? If there's a combat going on, they'll have to make a Routine (or easier) Awareness roll to wake up again (okay, you get two round magical sleep first, but unless you have Silent Kill, the screams from stabbing the sleepers will be waking the others unless you've been very quick, in which case the situation probably favored you heavily anyway). 7th level group against 1st level group is going to be pretty lopsided anyway. Not if it's first level Dwarves/Halflings. Foes with Situational Awareness (Combat) may notice and feign sleep in order to surprise you when you come to finish them. It only works on foes that sleep. It is a good spell, to be sure, and Sleep V is one of the best first level spells for an adventurer, but it is far from all-powerful.

[yammahoper]

False Documents: its killed more PC's than melee.

Over ambitious fools.

[Elton Robb]

False Documents: its killed more PC's than melee.

Over ambitious fools.

What?

[yammahoper]

The spell crates false credentials/documents, like ship yard passes, invitations to parties, quarter master orders, gate passes, important letters to be delivered, etc.

Over ambitious use of this spell has directly lead to and resulted in PC death.

[ToM]

1) Teleport/Long Door/Leaving
2) Invisibility
3) Haste/Speed
3) Fly
4) Shadow (more powerful than Invisibility in almost every poor-lit situation)

[Elton Robb]

The spell crates false credentials/documents, like ship yard passes, invitations to parties, quarter master orders, gate passes, important letters to be delivered, etc.

Over ambitious use of this spell has directly lead to and resulted in PC death.

What's the level of False Documents?  Creating false everything might make it a little overpowered. :p

[providence13]

It was Fly stacked with Invisibility. It took a while to convince them that I was going to treat wind resistance as one of those scenarios that might cancel Invisibility. Faster you Fly, the more likely you turn visible.

Now it is Master Elemental Servant. You can Master up to 3! No duration makes the spell ridiculously overpowered.

[pastaav]

What's the level of False Documents?  Creating false everything might make it a little overpowered. :p

I view it as this is a purely mental spell ("these droids are not the ones you are looking for"). The spell does not create any document that can be reused, but the target of the spells will believe he see any kind of documentation that he asks for.

[yammahoper]

What's the level of False Documents?  Creating false everything might make it a little overpowered. :p

I view it as this is a purely mental spell ("these droids are not the ones you are looking for"). The spell does not create any document that can be reused, but the target of the spells will believe he see any kind of documentation that he asks for.

Exactly.  I go one step further though: in the movie Prophecy, Gabriel makes a purchase in a mini mart.  For cash, he hands the clerk a tissue, but the clerk sees a $20. 

So I demand a piece of something be used.  Of course, when the target makes the rr, and someone eventually does, what you have is a guard/official looking at a circus flyer and some smug punk who just tried to run game on him.  Open bag of ye old infinite city guard, cue music annnnnd...ACTION.

This assumes a large city were officials would have some knowledge of magent/dabbler/mystic type of magic. 

[Elton Robb]

What's the level of False Documents?  Creating false everything might make it a little overpowered. :p

I view it as this is a purely mental spell ("these droids are not the ones you are looking for"). The spell does not create any document that can be reused, but the target of the spells will believe he see any kind of documentation that he asks for.

Oh good. I thought it was an essence spell (lol, whut?)

[Sinfullyvannila]

I have a problem with most of the Death's"..." spells, the ones that give an image of a victim's killer. Is the image that of the murderer when the crime took place? What if the character had an illusion cast on him?

[yammahoper]

it helps to be a bit sympolic when describing the vision.  Always give it a dream like quality.  Also use imagery and symbolism.  If the killer is a evil merchant illusionist, you can details that fit his description (tall, dark hair, balding, brite eyes, etc) while providing a description that makes them guess. 

For eample, if the killer is a local noble or rich merchant who is evil, heartless, cruel, tall, middle aged and raises falcons, this might do: GM, "you see the victem standing by the bath, a dark shadow of death hovers him, causing primal fear to fill you heart and bring yur mind to the brink of madness.  The cloaked shadow of death looms over poor Mister Butterbur, its long scyth causing an adible shrik as it slashes through the air...just as the blad pieces his side, a tall drk man that is more black hearted bird, all sharp angles and hatred, steps from the shadows death and plunges the murder weapon into Butterbur, whose dying scream is drowned out by the rising roar of deaths vengful howl...all fades to black, and you pull yourself from the trance before following the reaper into the realms of the dead, a place of madness for all mortals..."

information delivered, now the players will drill the vision holder (uh, thats actually you Mr. GM lol) with questions.  In time, when one of the PC's is visiting their erstwhile advocate and supporter of their investigation, be sure to walk them through his avery.  Don't point out there are only falcons in it, though feel free to make the players curious enough to ask when you note the foot thick layer of feathers and remains that litter the floor under the eaves of the trees...

additionally, assume the places and powers were the information is drawn are VERY REAL.  Planes of dead, demons, elemental hells, etc: all posibly tapped into by the divination.  Our diviner listens to the voices and echos of voices, but to get to near those with those voices...there in lies story hook after story hook.  I assume your cleric would feel awful if possessed, or if his mond was stolen and used for evil, or just help prisoner, or if the clerics mind was swapped with a demons and his...well, you get the point.

The best tool to resolve these sorts of battles when the occur is the will contest table in the channeling companion.

never let a spell stand in the way of a good story.  incorperate it!

[Marc R]

I tend to play death's tale as a vision from the perspective of being in the room when it happened. . .so as mild a disguise as a mask works. . .you see what the killer looked like. . .if they may no effort to conceal, you see their face. . . which before computers could be "random guy you've never seen before with a long face and brown hair."

Death's tale true is OTOH a plot killer. . .and it should be. . ."Yo.. . .yo god!. . .yeah, me here. . .tell me who did it, why, and who was ultimately responsible for it!. . . .ok, it was the wife, she hired the random long faced brown haired guy. . .and she did it because the baron said he'd marry her if she was a widow. . .got it. . .thanks, yeah, the wife is OK, kids are fine. . .talk to you later."

If you're a killer, know that mega high level spells will unravel any level of tradecraft.

[yammahoper]

If you're a killer, know that mega high level spells will unravel any level of tradecraft.

Unless the killer wore the tail of a blood demons hag around his neck.  EVERYBODY know that stuff blocks vision spells.

[Marc R]

Or if you cross your fingers behind your back, that's like serious mojo.

[rdanhenry]

No, but there are powerful anti-divination spells that will not only block information-gathering magic, but even feed it wrong information. Cheap thugs and crime-of-passion types won't have it, but professional criminals and spies will have access and use it when prudent. If they can't cast themselves, they'll purchase Runes or more powerful items. And a good lawyer can always make a case that his client was framed by such magic.