On Evocation Blocks with the Grapple effect

[infusco]

I figured it was possible to do a grapple with an evocation block, and the Orbius spell on YS294 confirmed it.

A regular block involves the attacker actively spending his actions each turn to keep his target grappled. But it doesn't say so on the Orbius spell.

Would you rule that a wizard needs to actively concentrate on his target to maintain the grapple, or do you feel the extra shifts spend for duration on the spell covers it and allows the wizard to do some other actions on his following turns? On one end, it seems overpowered that a wizard can completely incapacitate a target for several rounds while acting. On the other end, the amount of shifts put into this long term grapple, especially given the chance he victim can break free anytime, could cost you a great deal of mental stress.

Also, could you duplicate a similarly incapacitating, but maybe not damaging, version of this with a maneuver evocation instead with an Invoke for Effect? After all, someone also needs to roll each turn to break free of the effects of a maneuver's aspect.

[newtinmpls]

Interesting on the Orbius spell; in the book it looked terrifying (to me - suffocation being an icky way to die), but in the spell description, anyone with the brains to play a PC also has the brains to throw a point or two into some equivalent of constitution (it's late, I don't have my book here, and I'm reverting to DnD which was my first game lo these many decades ago). Anyway, I think most PC's could fight off the book version.

Now as to the question, an evocation spell with a grapple effect, well, think Doc Strange and the Crimson bands of cytorrak (spelling? not sure), anyway it would be a spirit/force thing, and you've got "names of power" built into the spell (maybe requiring a FATE point to effectively cast that version).

Dian

[Howl]

I would say that the extra shifts cover the spell duration and that the wizard doesn't need to concentrate on the spell to keep it going. And it isnt really overpowered since it would require a lot of shifts to put up a strong block and make it last for a couple more exchanges. A Great(+4) block that lasts 2 additional exchanges would require 6-shifts, and the target can still escape if he gets lucky and rolls good!

[BumblingBear]

I would say that the extra shifts cover the spell duration and that the wizard doesn't need to concentrate on the spell to keep it going. And it isnt really overpowered since it would require a lot of shifts to put up a strong block and make it last for a couple more exchanges. A Great(+4) block that lasts 2 additional exchanges would require 6-shifts, and the target can still escape if he gets lucky and rolls good!

I've actually been thinking of putting together an evocation block that holds a target to the ground by way of vertigo.

It would be directly attacking the mind to knock the person out, and the defending roll would be either discipline or conviction.  This would also be the roll to try getting out of it every round.

The spell would be 8 shifts or so, probably 5 for strength and 3 for duration - possibly 4 for strength and 4 for duration.  Every round that the target is held down would take a point of mental stress, not physical.

I've also thought of a variation of this spell that would be a maneuver on an area.  3 (or more) shifts for the maneuver and then 2 for the area.  5 shifts.  The maneuver would be "lights out".

The spell would be resisted by conviction, and upon a subsequent hit, I could invoke for effect to unconsciousness.

The first spell would be more of an anti-wizard spell.  The second spell would be for large groups of vanilla mortals since magic slingers could probably roll to defend anything lower than a 4 or 5 attack.. and I doubt most GMs would allow you to knock one out that way anyway.  Then it would just end up transferring to a +2 tag on my next attack (if it hits).