Thaumatury Preparation

[bestial warlust]

So a question on prep. According to the rules if the complexity of a spell exceeds the characters Lore then it's assumed he doesn't have materials on hand and he needs to spend time getting them. With new spells I have no issue with this. But what if the character has the thaumaturgy spell as a rote or he's going to cast that spell more often?
Does the players character still have to spend time gathering materials? or could it be assumed he has them on hand? It would seem to me that if it's a rote or the player is going to use that again that the initial time he has to gather materials he would gather and store more so the next time it's cast he would have them on hand.

[Rel Fexive]

It's not just about the materials, it's about taking the time, setting out the ritual space, putting yourself in the right frame of mind, checking your books to see you've aligned the forces right, establishing the symbolic link, that kind of thing.  Also, only evocation uses rotes.

Even if you've done the spell before, you still need to check that you are laying everything out right the next time you do it.  After all, if you knew enough to do it perfectly without that, your (effective) Lore would be high enough that such preparation would not be necessary.

Just exchange "acquire special materials: +2" for "check special materials are still fresh: +2" and you'll be fine.

[Deadmanwalking]

What he said. Look at Harry, he puts at least a bit of prep time into even his Tracking spell, which he's used so often it's second nature.

[KOFFEYKID]

Look at it like making toast, you cant just create toast from nothingness (because our breakfast lore is too low), but you can spend the time to undo the twisty tie, unwrap the bag, remove the bread, and then you can make toast (if you spent the resources to buy a toaster).

[Rel Fexive]

Gotta love the toast metaphor.  How much of a bonus for butter over margarine?  Is Marmite a benefit or bad juju?

[GoldenH]

It makes no difference if you have to go buy the materials or have them in storage. You still have to take them out, put them in the proper positions, etc. You can't cast a thaumaturgy spell with all the ingredients in a box and pure force of will. Well, I guess you could But I wouldn't give full points for it.

I would definitely allow people to do prep work for a spell ahead of time, though. The same as having a library or anything else.

[Wordmaker]

Also, having done a certain spell once doesn't mean you are able to, or think to, keep a stock of the materials needed. Some things are so awkward or expensive that you'd only gather what you need as you need it. Like, you might keep some nails around to repair your fence, but if your wall gets damaged and you need to buy new bricks, you're probably not going to have bricks lying around, even if it happens a second time.

[JustinS]

Also, having done a certain spell once doesn't mean you are able to, or think to, keep a stock of the materials needed. Some things are so awkward or expensive that you'd only gather what you need as you need it. Like, you might keep some nails around to repair your fence, but if your wall gets damaged and you need to buy new bricks, you're probably not going to have bricks lying around, even if it happens a second time.

Not to mention having to adapt it to the specific situation: phase of moon, time of day, state of the stock market, etc.

[GoldenH]

Yeah - the whole 'rules of magic constantly change' aspect of the dresdenverse is an interesting one.

[Biff Dyskolos]

But what if the character has the thaumaturgy spell as a rote or he's going to cast that spell more often?

A thaumaturgy rote? Is there such a thing?

[KOFFEYKID]

Sort of, if you have a sponsored magic that lets you do thaumaturgy with the speed and methods of evocation, thats eligible for rote status. Its more of a hybrid between the two though.