> 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)...
Neeeooooowww Daka-daka-daka.
The only mention of 5 minutes is in the "Stacking Magic" paragraph on 101, which is a subsection of First Magic on 100. There is no mention of "in melee". (I did mention "not the best wording...").
The whole stacking Magic paragraph was written because of the uncertainty of how much magic a person could layer on *before* a contest started, assuming he had foreknowledge that the contest was coming. Three was decided on as a good round number (plus, it would basically "use up" a theist character's magic). In HeroWars each feat (not affinity) could be used as an augmentor, which meant that a Humakti could pile on something like 15 combat augments before combat started (a bit much, even for me...).
Augments layered on before a contest begins are probably going to come into play on the first round - if I know that the contest is going to happen and powered up, then I'm probably going to be the one to "throw the first punch" and get to choose my ability with no inappropriateness penalty. Plus, all those augments are adding AP in addition to the bonuses, which "in-contest" augments don't do.
Augments done during a contest are not counted as part of the "First Magic" or "pre-contest" phase. Don't apply the "stacking magic" rules once the contest begins. Why? because the hero casting the magic is giving up his chance to injure the opponent on his phase. It's an Unrelated action, with no immediate danger to the opponent (down the road there could be danger from the augmented character, but not right now). And the opponent can change tactics to negate the bonuses already granted - bonuses on "Sword and Shield" are useless if it the opponent uses "Madness" magic on you.
> Why would being in melee cause magic to behave differently, or
> casting on another in melee change things...
Think of it as "getting fired up" for a fight - if you sit too long you cool down. Plus magic simply wears out - the duration is for "the length of the contest", but if you're not *in* a contest, how long does it last?
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
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