Rote spells

[Tush Hog]

How do they work? I saw one on Victor Sells statblock and I saw where Fred put Harry's rote spells up and wasn't sure how they get handled.

[iago]

How do they work? I saw one on Victor Sells statblock and I saw where Fred put Harry's rote spells up and wasn't sure how they get handled.

As I recall, they basically let the caster take a "gimme" on the control part of an evocation -- because the spell's been practiced so much, the caster gets to automatically an average (i.e., unmodified skill rating) result, making it easier to throw around without accidentally frying his face off or what-have-you.

[ClarkValentine]

If you're familiar with D&D/D20, it's like "taking 10" on a roll to control an evocation spell. You get average results, in exchange for certainty of outcome.

[Tush Hog]

OK, gotcha. Is there a limit to how many rotes you can have?

[iago]

OK, gotcha. Is there a limit to how many rotes you can have?

Yep, it's limited by your Lore.

[Bosh]

That sounds cool, makes high lore wizards feel mechanically different than high conviction wizards. Puts what the books say into the game in a simple way.

It also fixes a problem that you see in a lot of games that to be a good wizard you've just got to min-max your best to raise your wizardy stat/skill (for example just push everything into raising your DC in 3.5ed D&D) but with it seeming like three stats mattering for wizardy stuff (conviction, discipline and lore) it'll be harder to do that and we'll get more diversity. I'm very excited about the nuts and bolts of the magic system, it'll make or break the game...

[iago]

Yep, a number of things in the game are structured (perhaps not as obviously) around small sets of 3-ish skills.  Lore, Conviction, and Discipline are all useful to play a spellcaster -- and while you could twink out all three, you'd be making some serious sacrifices in other departments to do it. How much of a sacrifice would depend on the number of skill points supplied in your particular campaign.

[Bosh]

Ah, that plus the standard Fate skill pyramid seems like a very interesting combination, I'm looking forward to reading through it.

[Lanodantheon]

Could you make a stunt to increase the number of rotes you can do?

Would it get you you like 1 more?

[KnightFerrous]

Yep, a number of things in the game are structured (perhaps not as obviously) around small sets of 3-ish skills.  Lore, Conviction, and Discipline are all useful to play a spellcaster

... Dear and Fluffy lord... things come in threes *facepalms for not seeing it earlier*

[iago]

... Dear and Fluffy lord... things come in threes *facepalms for not seeing it earlier*

HAHAHAAAA you saw it! I'm super pleased. That's one of the things I've loved about the design.

[iago]

Could you make a stunt to increase the number of rotes you can do?

Would it get you you like 1 more?

I could see a Refinement option that let you take 2 more rotes (i.e., as if your Lore was 2 higher -- pretty standard stunt benefit, which Refinement tracks to as a -1 refresh ability)

[Vash the white]

So..if you have suberb lore, you would have more spells?, this make that lore character even more powerful then i thought..grear scott he..he..he has better evocation skills then the warden of the group? *shivers*

[iago]

He has more *rotes*. Not the ability to cast more spells -- that's still a Conviction thing, in terms of how it affects the mental consequences track.

[Vash the white]

i knew that, but he also has suberb conviction, and great disicpline. in a way he has more power then the warden right?, buuut i think i might swap disipline with conviction so i dont get ont his mojo or anything