- In HeroQuest-rules_at_yahoogroups.com, "Roderick and Ellen
Robertson" <rjremr_at_s...> wrote:
>
> > In the Stacking Magic paragraph (page 101) it says that you can
normally
> augment with upto 3 magical abilities and that it takes "at least
one to
> five minutes each, as the narrator judges. The narrator may also
judge a
> penalty of -3 for each additional ability stacked beyond the
first." Also
> that augmenting with more than 3 magical abilities takes even
longer.
>
> This rule is intended for magic stacking before a contest begins -
"If he
> has warning of a contest..." Normally you can only claim
your "First Magic"
> at the start of a contest. Note that the Stacking magic section is
a
> subsection of First Magic.
>
> Maybe not the clearest wording, but...
>
> The SWAT Team are augmenting *during* a contest, so can throw as
much magic
> as they want on their guy (with the proviso that each magical
ability
> (Affinity, etc) is only used once). Basically, they are trading
their chance
> to hit the opponent for the possibly useless action of augmenting
their
> buddy. Meanwhile, they are getting whittled down by Big Bad.
>
> > The SWAT Team encounter seems fairly typical and so as a GM, in
a similar
> encounter, I'd be inclined to use the stacking magic rule. I'm
raising this
> as in my last game one Hero ended up with a +31 augment (10 due to
> equipment), which really through my encounter out a fair bit.
They knew
> that they where going to have the encounter and had plenty of
time, but I
> was pretty shocked when he told me his target number was 15WW!
>
...
>
> RR
> It is by my order and for the good of the state that the bearer of
this has
> done what he has done.
> - Richelieu
I dont have my rule book with me, but I raised this issue of
stacking a few weeks back and nobody really answered it. As I
recall the rules imply what the original post says, 5 mins for each
extra augment... whether in melee or before melee... if the SWAT
team is casting augments during melee then they are breaking the
stacking rules (as I recall, shoot me down please)...
Why would being in melee cause magic to behave differently, or
casting on another in melee change things...
I have encountered the same issue of stacking throwing out a set
encounter, the answer to your problem is not to set the NPC skill
level untill you know your players skill level... just change them
on the fly...(before they start the contest)... or counter augment...