Spell Failure

[miltonyorkcastle]

Will there any measure of spell failure due to armor or some other source?

[Dorganath]

Yes there will.

[scifibarbie]

Will there be skills that negate this failure? Like the spellsword feat (ignore spell failure) we have now?

[Dorganath]

Potentially. I don't believe any have been defined at this time, and so there may not be any at release, but it could well be fodder for expansions. I'll say though that there is mechanical support for such, but we have to balance that with other concerns.

[Eight-Bit]

Will all spellcasting skills be subject to Spell Failure due to armor?

[Frances]

On the subject of spell failure, will spell failure simply cause the spell to be lost, with no effect other than the lost spell (or mana, or whatever we'll be using), or will we get something similar to wild magic (i.e. wrong spell cast, wrong target, etc)?

[Dorganath]

Originally Posted by Eight-Bit

Will all spellcasting skills be subject to Spell Failure due to armor?

This is subject to balancing and play-testing, but it will likely depend on which spell casting skill is being used.

Originally Posted by Frances

On the subject of spell failure, will spell failure simply cause the spell to be lost, with no effect other than the lost spell (or mana, or whatever we'll be using), or will we get something similar to wild magic (i.e. wrong spell cast, wrong target, etc)?

At this time, the spell and the energy required to cast it are lost.

[Eight-Bit]

Originally Posted by Dorganath

This is subject to balancing and play-testing, but it will likely depend on which spell casting skill is being used.

Thanks! I was hoping the days of the paladin and cleric weren't over just yet, but at the same time it would make the equivalent of clerics something to defend rather than hide behind.

[miltonyorkcastle]

To be honest, and I know this probably has to do with balancing, but spell failure from armor just never made sense to me. From not being able to say the trigger word, sure, or if your arms are held down, then yeah, no casting ( at least in the semi-ritualistic casting of DnD). I suppose the question is, are our characters "summoning" the magic by performing rituals, or does the magic actually channel through the user. If the latter, then spell failure really doesn't make sense. If the former, then you could botch the ritual... but a chain shirt getting in the way of some arm motions? seriously? Full plate, sure, that limits mobility. But even a breastplate by itself barely gets in the way of arm motion.

I suppose the point is moot since y'all have already decided to implement spell failure, but I would urge you to reconsider, or at least clearly define why the spell failure exists (IC, not because it adds to OOC balance).

[Dorganath]

Well for D&D mechanics, armor of any kind restricts movement, some more than others. When a spell has a somatic component, then it requires a precise movement or gesture, which is just as important as proper pronunciation of the verbal component or using the correct material component as needed. Anything that affects one's ability to make that precise gesture runs the risk of causing the spell to fail. Put on a heavy leather jacket or a winter-weight coat and you'll see what I mean about restricted movement.

Mechanically speaking, regardless of the system, stuff like this is typically a balance thing, though one that makes sense. Left to their own devices, plenty of mages would put on the full plate armor for the protection. If spell casting were just a matter of words or thoughts even, then I'd agree...it doesn't make any sense. Again, in D&D, clerics can cast in full plate because they don't "cast" so much as "pray".

By the way, none of this should imply anything about our thinking in how we apply the concept of spell failure. I stuck to D&D mechanics in my answer for a reason.

[ycleption]

Originally Posted by Eight-Bit

Thanks! I was hoping the days of the paladin and cleric weren't over just yet, but at the same time it would make the equivalent of clerics something to defend rather than hide behind.

Well, this has been touched on in other threads, but I think that the MMO version of a cleric would be flexible enough that a Voraxian could spellpray while charging into battle in full-plate and protecting the party, while a Ilsarean cleric-equivalent loosing blessed arrows would definitely be something to defend...

Perhaps this raises the question of whether spell failure will affect the different skills lines in the same way, or whether there will be some variability given different paths, or even individual skills having differing measures of spell failure?
I know it has been said that in order for certain skills to work at all, it may require items to be equipped, or certain items to not be equipped, is that how spell failure will work as well?

[Dorganath]

Originally Posted by ycleption

I know it has been said that in order for certain skills to work at all, it may require items to be equipped, or certain items to not be equipped, is that how spell failure will work as well?

Yes and no...heh.

Well, if we completely exclude a spell casting skill from being used while wearing heavy armor for example, then yes, in a sense, that is how it will likely work. In such a case, one will simply not be able to make the attempt. But there is also a chance for gaining a temporary (or permanent) spell failure percent, which would kick in after the attempt is made. This might be the result of a spell effect from another, getting hit over the head or some other type of thing that would interfere with spell casting.

[miltonyorkcastle]

so, at this point, I'm getting that you aren't able/willing to answer the question of "will casting be ritualistic (like DnD, requiring motions) or innate?"

[Dorganath]

Without debating the semantics of "ritualistic" and "innate", I'll say "Yes, I'm unable/unwilling to answer further." Except to say that whatever "form" our casting takes, armor-based spell failure will still fit within that context.