Newbie Question

[Neepling]

Hi all.
Newbie GM here with a question I'm sure has been answered before but the search function is not being my friend.
How do you work out the base damage for an evocation attack? I understand that the more channel you power the more damage/stress done, but from what I can see all the examples in YS add this power shift to the base attack (annoyingly they always seem to use a base 4 in the examples! :-)

Cheers

John

[Sanctaphrax]

The weapon rating of an evocation attack is equal to its power. So if you draw 6 shifts of power, you get a weapon 6 spell.

At least, that's how it is when you have one target. If you're hitting zones you subtract 2 from the weapon rating for each zone. And if you're making a spray attack, you've gotta split up your shifts.

[Haru]

http://www.jimbutcheronline.com/bb/index.php/topic,43833.0.html

[Neepling]

Thanks both. That was kind of what I thought but an example in YS states 8 shifts of power hits for 12 stress stating 4 for the attack and 8 for the weapon value (p251). It had me baffled!
Unless I'm missing something the answers from both of you make more sense 

[Cadd]

That's because any attack (evocation, fist, gun, whatever) deals the difference between the attack roll and the defence roll as stress. Weapon rating is added on top of that.

So a power 6 evocation attack is thus Weapon:6
The caster rolls a total of 7 to control and aim (they're one roll). The target rolls a total of 4 to defend. The difference is 3 (7-4=3)
The target takes 3+6=9 stress. 3 from the attack roll itself, and 6 from the weapon rating.

[Neepling]

Cool. I've gone back to the basic conflict section and re-read. I'm guessing the point is, evocation attacks are meant to be scary. An angry wizard is something to be feared and all.

[Cadd]

Oh yes, Evocation tends to hit like a truck. It's theoretically balanced against the limited number of attacks available in a scene before it starts costing consequences, but a fair few feel a need to further reign in the combat power available to wizards and other magic types. There's discussion about it cropping up regularly in the forum.