Re: Move through

[Steve Ames <steve@ns1.cioe.com>]

> I still highly disagree with any sort of moving, short of hawksoar,
> while spell casting.  We already know that Spell casting takes
> the entire round(as shown by Speed and Quicken not giving
> extra moves/attacks to spell casting).  So that means 4 full sec(or however

Speed and Quicken should give the extra movement just not the
actions. I don't have a book in front of me so I don't know the
exact wording. I'd wager they already do work this way.

> Someone suggested that walking and talking about some subject was like
> spell casting.  I disagree.  Spell casting is focusing energies that
> are not inherently available to everyone.  It takes something more to
> bring up these inner reserves, it takes full and complete concentration.

Ummm... pick an activity that you believe takes full concentration
and I'll do it while walking. Or attempt to. I can always be swayed
by proof :) I'll carry a notebook about and attempt to code in Java
(which I don't know so will have to reference help pages at the same
time). That would take a bit of concentration. Of course staring at
a monitor would cause me to trip around a bit so it'd have to be a
flat surface without obstacles. But spell casting I have my eyes wide
open and could handle these things.

Also I do not believe that things are so neetly broken into 4 second
increments. A spell is slightly more complex and suddenly takes 8
seconds instead of 4. Not 5, not 7... eight. It would seem there might
be some float area here to allow for a bit of movement. This is a
fantasy campaign so our references should be pulled from fantasy novels
and movies. How many of these have the mage standing stock still while
casting and how many are more dynamic?

> Kinda like when the martial arts guys take the dramatic pause to summon
> and focus their energies before doing something big.

You had it right. Dramatic. And no way is a 4 second pause dramatic,
its 1-2 seconds.

> It will also complicate issues highly.  Since spell casting takes the
> entire round to complete(spell effects _ALWAYS_ go off at the end of
> the round after everyone has done everything else), do you calculate
> range from their original position? or final one?  Also do you have

How would you do it? It would be from whatever range they were at
when they finished casting.

> to have line of sight at the beginning of casting or the end to
> zorch someone?

I'd vote end. Summon up those energies you talk about, prep the
spell and then target its effects.

						-Steve