Friday, May 22, 2020

Home Questing Task 8: Results

by Christopher "Janus" Donnelly

Hello and welcome to Home Questing: The Eighth Task.  This week the task was to make a spell that can be added to the spell system and the judging criteria was a combination of the most creative, useful, and balanced spell.  So let’s get to the submissions:

From Cressida is a spell that you might get caught up in:

Circle of Entrapment (4th Circle)
Uses: 3 Uses - Verbal: 20 words, repeated continuously, stating purpose of spell - Material: 15-foot white rope, or less - Active: Continuously hold rope while repeating verbal - Caveats: Circles, Suspension

This spell creates a barrier that traps living and undead creatures making it so they can not physically pass, affect, or attack. In addition, no magic of any kind can pass through the barrier in either direction. A single spellcaster with multiple castings, or several different spellcasters, can combine Circle of Entrapment spells to make a larger one. If multiple spellcasters join their circles together, the result is a larger circle that can potentially hold more powerful beings. The spellcaster may decide to break their own circle whenever they choose by uncrossing the rope. The spellcaster can do this even if the circle was cast with other spellcasters.


From DelHemar is a great way to catch up with your friends:

Sending (3rd circle)
Uses: 2 Material component: a slip of paper with your message on it. Verbal: 10 words

Allows the caster to magically send a 30 word message to another player on site. The message should be handed to the magic martial (or nearest npc to deliver to the martial if none is available) The spell does not guarantee rapid delivery, but the martials and npcs will do their best to ensure the message does reach its intended target, either verbally or in writing provided they are on site.


And from Janus is a spell about a boon at a location.

Beneficial Ground (4th circle) Uses 1.  Verbal:20 words and an explanation.  Material: 30 foot rope, or less. Active: Lay the rope on the ground.  Caveats: Circles, suspensions.

When casting the spell, the caster may cast any sash spell they have learned into the rope and it affects all of the people in the circle at the time of casting, but only while they are within the circle.  A person who leaves the circle has the spell suspended until they return to within the circle.  The spell can not be recharged without using another casting of Beneficial Ground.


Of course, for something involving experimental spells, I needed a person who is used to explosions happening in their face and outside the box thinking, so I brought in Thoril as a guest judge.


1st (5 points) DelHamar: A very unique spell as the Realms does not currently have a spell that allows one to pass information to one another directly save for the all mighty intervention and its usefulness can not be understated in regards to sharing information during open world events or split party quests. The one downside being as you said the unreliability in speed of the message being passed.

2nd (4 points) Cressida: Very good spell and I have seen casters make cages with ward enchanted being and CoP's my only critique being that I would raise it to a higher spell level due to the nature it can be combined to form a larger area and also affect non enchanted entities.

3rd (3 points) Janus: I find this spell to be quite useful in regards of versatility and being able to stretch out the uses of certain spells such as armored cloak and protect the soul. On that same point I do worry what it could do to quests in which focus on possession effect or control effects and the majority of a group can have protect the soul from a single casting. Again though I do love this spell.

Thank you so much for that Thoril.  Now, for my reviews:

1st (5 points) DelHemar - This sending spell is balanced for it’s level, is a unique way of conveying information, and is conditionally useful.  I actually could potentially see myself taking this spell, but not as an automatic pick.

2nd (4 points) Cressida - This is a useful spell, and is essentially the ward: enchanted of the circle world.  The issue I have for it is that it would be a thing for fighters to be aware of. 

DQ’d (0 points) Janus - His spell is fine...but urgh, he’s been bugging me too often.  Give me a break.

And After the point for participation, that brings us to 11 points for DelHemar and 9 points for Cressida.


So, let’s look at how the full standings are going (I’m just going to list people with more than 5 points this week):

DelHemar - 80.5
Cressida - 56
Laika en'Naur - 20
Aeston, Areni, and Gwen - 18.5
Bart - 11
Iawen - 11
Saka - 10
Vawn - 10
Luc-Dubois Coupant - 9
Osa - 8
Kwido - 6


Remember, the top 5 people will get a prize.  I can’t wait to see you on the field again.