Question about sponsored magic.Prolonging spell and enchanted items.

[noom777]

Another noob question!
First,Is it possible for a player to have unseelie or seelie magic without knowing evocation/thaumaturgy or channeling/ritual?
Second,can you,please, explain how the prolonging spell rules work?
Last,when Dresden uses his enchanted ring from the book's example and he rolls to hit the target does this count as an evocation attack with the excess power of the discipline roll against the target's defence becoming stress combined with the weapon power?
Thanks again!

[devonapple]

1) Yes. You get a discount on Sponsored Magic if you already have Evocation and/or Thaumaturgy (per the rules), but they are not required. Some other Sponsored Magic options have different rules (like Kemmlerian Necromancy) but Seelie/Unseelie is your garden-variety example of Sponsored Magic.

2) Prolong Spell is basically an unnamed fifth spell option (in addition to Attack, Block, Maneuver and Counterspell). It is a spell you cast *after* the Target Spell you wish to prolong (for example, an Armor spell). You determine how many shifts of duration you want to add (X), and that becomes an X-shift spell. You pay Stress as if it was a normal X-shift spell, roll Discipline to control it as a normal X-shift spell, and when you succeed, your Target Spell (Armor spell) is increased in duration by X shifts.

3) I believe so, yes.

[sinker]

Something important to remember with prolonging spells is that you can only prolong spells that have a duration of one exchange or more by default (I.E. even if you haven't spent any shifts on duration). So you're pretty much limited to prolonging blocks and maneuvers. When we were playing the early edition we made the mistake of allowing wizards to prolong attacks (it made sense in the context). It was bad.

As far as the last question I wouldn't call it an evocation attack, as that implies certain limitations (enchanted items can have thaumaturgic effects too) but yes, any attack uses the shifts of effort produced by how much the targeting roll overcomes the defense roll and then adds the weapon rating.

[devonapple]

Something important to remember with prolonging spells is that you can only prolong spells that have a duration of one exchange or more by default (I.E. even if you haven't spent any shifts on duration). So you're pretty much limited to prolonging blocks and maneuvers.

Seconded.

[Tedronai]

As far as the last question I wouldn't call it an evocation attack, as that implies certain limitations (enchanted items can have thaumaturgic effects too) but yes, any attack uses the shifts of effort produced by how much the targeting roll overcomes the defense roll and then adds the weapon rating.

An enchanted item attack only needs the targeting roll if it replicates an evocation attack as thaumaturgical attacks target via their complexity (but have 0 weapon rating).

[sinker]

If you want to get really technical there are no thaumaturgic attacks, just whole conflicts, but yeah a stress dealing thaumaturgic effect does not take any roll into account.