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Re: Realm Magic at Sea?

Posted: Tue Aug 06, 2019 3:36 pm
by CIC - Duke Cicero
I would say no. But if I said yes, I think a logical consequence of that would be creating sources at sea ... which, to be clear, I wouldn't want, I just don't think it makes sense to allow one but not the other.

Re: Realm Magic at Sea?

Posted: Tue Aug 06, 2019 3:37 pm
by DCT - Destiny Corben-Talas
Very unrealistic, than in an abstract turn of 2 years, you cant make a contingency spell, and yes to all the rest. Makes the 'attack' spells completely worthless.

In a two year turn, ships must be vulnerable to land troops. That is, if they cant maaintain themselves on the sea eating their own byproducts and drinking salted water. For not to mention the ladies at harbour!. I agree on the fortifications at river, although, sounds like what it happened storically.

Re: Realm Magic at Sea?

Posted: Tue Aug 06, 2019 3:39 pm
by MS - Meaghan Smith
Each action takes a long time to do...they are 9 mths long. Saying Realm Spells can't be contingent is like saying Create Holding or Declare War can't be contingent. Preparing troops and marching takes a long time as well. Developing contacts and resources on the ground to have a sustainable holding likewise takes time.

Re: Realm Magic at Sea?

Posted: Tue Aug 06, 2019 4:03 pm
by TH - The Hunt
There's got to be a point at which we stop using the altered turn length as an excuse. Realm magic takes a month to cast in the original rules because that's the length of an action phase in those rules. If we've changed the rules so an action phase is 9 months, there's no reason the spell should take less than 9 months to cast. In any case, it's not the same because realm magic is not the same as other actions. The Mass Destruction spell works because you can hold onto the spell until the target is in line-of-sight, otherwise it would be useless. That doesn't mean you can sling it off the cuff when you see trouble coming a week in advance.

Re: Realm Magic at Sea?

Posted: Tue Aug 06, 2019 4:07 pm
by TH - The Hunt
For the ships it's very abstract. No, it doesn't take months for ships to travel hundreds of miles, they travel day and night at a few miles per hour. We restrict the speed for playability, but that doesn't mean we should extrapolate backward. Otherwise you might as well say that ships should all starve because there's no way you could feed hundreds of men on two gold pieces per day.

Re: Realm Magic at Sea?

Posted: Tue Aug 06, 2019 4:23 pm
by MS - Meaghan Smith
Contingency is here to stay. Whether a turn is 3 months, a year, two years, etc...doesn't matter. The purpose behind contingent actions is the game was designed thinking everyone would be around a table and you'd resolve action by action. Even then, contingency was allowed as it was silly to say you're being invaded but can't do anything other than sit there (unless you had already acted).

With the change to online systems, contingent actions is even more important since you could have an action set for the end of the turn, but because of a war from no where, you end up still doing the same thing you had planned when a war wasn't even in the realm of possibility.

Re: Realm Magic at Sea?

Posted: Tue Aug 06, 2019 4:27 pm
by TH - The Hunt
Continuity is still important. Finding out what someone is doing in an action is explicitly not an excuse to change what your character is doing in that action round, there's always next round for that. Or you can hold your action, or tell the DM you want to go last and, if they choose to go last, too, hope you win initiative so you can still decide what to do after they act. And even then, you still shouldn't be able to cast a spell to stop their actions from taking place. That's not what contingencies are for.

Re: Realm Magic at Sea?

Posted: Tue Aug 06, 2019 5:13 pm
by MS - Meaghan Smith
What's the difference between a held action and losing initiative?

Your neighbor wins initiative and declares war on you -- do you continue with your plan to hold a harvest festival? Or do you instead sigh and go out and prepare to meet the incoming army with a mass destruction.

Contingency's have to be in your turn already -- they don't just materialize (outside of being able to abort to Declare War or Investiture to cut a peace).

Re: Realm Magic at Sea?

Posted: Tue Aug 06, 2019 5:24 pm
by TH - The Hunt
'Hold action' isn't listed in the post on these forums, so it might not be an option. It lets you save your action for the end of the round. But if no one provokes you, the action is lost completely. If both actors hold their actions, neither of them does anything. Holding an action means you don't get to use any contingency, not even 'Plan A', you can only react, and only if you're provoked.

If your turn is later, you act later. That's all as normal.

I think realm magic should be a special case. It makes no sense for someone to retroactively begin casting a spell as a reaction.

Re: Realm Magic at Sea?

Posted: Tue Aug 06, 2019 5:29 pm
by MS - Meaghan Smith
I've not seen a hard-copy for a while, but I don't think that's what Hold Action said.