Spell for Critique: Stone Bridge

[devonapple]

This one came up in a recent game: how to make a bridge to easily get from two points of high elevation without the risk of falling.

Not sure how this should work, but here was how I ruled it as the GM:

Stone Bridge
Type: Earth evocation
Power: varies; usually 6 shifts (4 for the Athletics check, 2 for duration), but could be more depending on the zone border the caster is attempting to cross.
Target: One zone border up to 4.
Duration: Three exchanges.
Effect: This spell summons nearby rocks to build a temporary bridge across a zone border of at most 4 ranks. This substitutes for the Athletics check of anyone crossing the bridge, allowing them to safely pass. At the end of the spell duration, the rocks lose cohesion and fall.

[sinker]

I like the concept, but Thaumaturgy is probably more appropriate from a thematic standpoint. Evocation is usually quick, messy and barely controlled. But I could see a controlled earth caster doing this kind of thing anyway, so I guess it might depend on the caster.

The only (possible) mechanical issue I see is that it's built off of replacing someone's roll, however it has no shifts representing the ability for multiple people to use it. I don't know if that's an actual issue though.

[devonapple]

The only (possible) mechanical issue I see is that it's built off of replacing someone's roll, however it has no shifts representing the ability for multiple people to use it. I don't know if that's an actual issue though.

You are right. I'd be happy to include that somehow.

On the one hand, you want it to just work for anybody crossing it, but on the other hand, one could justify that the caster can only put in so much binding energy, so he'd have to account for the number of people able to cross before it collapses.

I got it! Adding 2 shifts to make it the equivalent of a Zone-wide power would mean *anyone* in the Zone of origin (or ZOO) can easily get to the next Zone of destination (or ZOD) using the bridge.

Now, would they be required to Kneel before the got to the ZOD?

[sinker]

I got it! Adding 2 shifts to make it the equivalent of a Zone-wide power would mean *anyone* in the Zone of origin (or ZOO) can easily get to the next Zone of destination (or ZOD) using the bridge.

Seems good to me. Are there any rules to extending a spell to multiple zones? I don't think it applies here, but this got me thinking...

[Moriden]

And your only using this particular rule, in the Evocation sections, because you are casting thaumaturgy at the speed of evocation, correct?

i think the easiest way would be to instead of useing two shifts to extend it to the whole zone, use two shifts to have it affect all of your allies.

[Drachasor]

I think you'd set the difficulty for the bridge at the same strength as the zone border (which has to be a hole of some sort).  What you are doing is essentially making are horizontal "zone border" that goes over the existing one.  If the pit is an entire zone in itself, then it has to be a zone-wide bridge.

So a long chasm might be a +3 (good) border, so you'd need 3 shifts to make a bridge across it.

Fire can be used to make ice bridges over water or to stifle a fire border so there's a passage.  Water can bore a hole through a wall or the like (but the difficult of this might be higher than the actual border, since you have to break whatever the wall is made of).  Earth or Spirit can go over pits, chasms, and the like.

This all seems pretty quick and dirty to me, and I think it is ok for Evocation, imho.

[Shadow lion]

you could probably have a player use build skill to help add to the bridge for an extra points and trig would be better then an evoc, since evoc would be better used to throw the player over the gap

[Kommisar]

Definately something  I will want to think upon here.

Normally, I would also agree that this would do better as Thaum.  BUT, the fact that those crossing have to make an athletics check, IMHO, is a fair trade off for an evocation spell.  I see that as meaning that the rocks being used are just thrown up using Earth Magic and are not lined up nicely.  I don't know about the Wardens... but OSHA is going to be coming after your wizard big time!

No hand railing at least 48" high.  No flagging or signage for a temporary structure.  No PE stamp signing off that the temporary structure is a safe, engineered structure.  You party, I'm sure, has not taken the 30-hour OSHA certification class....

 

[Drachasor]

Definately something  I will want to think upon here.

Normally, I would also agree that this would do better as Thaum.  BUT, the fact that those crossing have to make an athletics check, IMHO, is a fair trade off for an evocation spell.  I see that as meaning that the rocks being used are just thrown up using Earth Magic and are not lined up nicely.  I don't know about the Wardens... but OSHA is going to be coming after your wizard big time!

No hand railing at least 48" high.  No flagging or signage for a temporary structure.  No PE stamp signing off that the temporary structure is a safe, engineered structure.  You party, I'm sure, has not taken the 30-hour OSHA certification class....

 

Hmm, I'd say you devote X shifts to the effect, the net difficulty of crossing is Former Border Strength - X or 0, whichever is more.  This is only going to last 1 exchange, plus 1 per shift you place in it, so this seems pretty fair.

[devonapple]

The thought was:

Take the value of the zone border you want to cross (in this case, it was a border 4 between a boat and a harbor - don't worry about Water Thresholds, because that's another headache).
Add those shifts to the spell to effectively 'cancel out' the zone border. In the game I made the players make Athletics checks, but only required them to get a net 0 to cross the
Add in shifts for duration.

If folks that this is enough power to let 10 NPC prisoners evacuate a slave ship over a couple of exchanges, excellent.
Otherwise, I would accept a 2-shift premium to allow all allies in a zone to be able to take advantage of it (effectively making the bridge its own zone that people can sprint across with an Athletics check).

[Drachasor]

Makes sense to me, it's in one of the short stories (the Wedding one), and it seems up Evocation's ally.  As long as the element you are using could logically breach the Zone Border, I see no reason why it wouldn't work.  Not quite RAW, I admit, but looks good to me.

[devonapple]

As long as the element you are using could logically breach the Zone Border, I see no reason why it wouldn't work.  Not quite RAW, I admit, but looks good to me.

A yacht (Yacht Zone) was tied up at harbor next to a wall of loose rocks. There was a gangplank, blocked by guards, so jumping off the yacht was the next easiest route to the Dock Zone. I ruled it would have been an Athletics 4 check to jump across and scrabble up the rocks without falling into the water. So the Earth Evoker scooped up a bunch of those rocks and made a little bridge for 4 shifts and 2 exchanges of duration. All the dudes needed to make an Athletics check and at least get 1 to leave the yacht.

Thank you all for your feedback!

[infusco]

Perhaps, this could even be a Maneuver evocation that could create an aspect of Stone Bridge that could be tagged and/or invoked for effect? It's shift cost would be that of the zone border +1 to make it last an extra exchange (and to make the Aspect sticky so it could used by several people and not just by one).

[devonapple]

Perhaps, this could even be a Maneuver evocation that could create an aspect of Stone Bridge that could be tagged and/or invoked for effect? It's shift cost would be that of the zone border +1 to make it last an extra exchange (and to make the Aspect sticky so it could used by several people and not just by one).

That would be the easiest, of course - a great suggestion - but I should have mentioned early on why I didn't opt for that at the time: it is a Fate Point sink for most involved, and all the players in this game are Wizard Apprentices with 1 Refresh. Plus a failed Athletics check, even with that Aspect to tag, would still have been bad. The Evoker was willing to take on whatever Stress and Consequences were needed to get folks out of there.

[My Dark Sunshine]

Upon reading this my first thought was to run it as a Block of some-kind. I'm not exactly sure what it'd be against, or it its even a mechanically viable solution. However it could fit thematically. The biggest difficulty with running it as a Block is what would challenge it? The border value doesn't seem likely, and unless someone actively makes a roll against you to make you fall, it would seem a 'get out of jail free' type card.

But just something to add, as other people seem to have covered most suggestions.