Cast detect vis by smell on the rache: Base 1, +1 Touch, +1 Concentration, +2 Smell (InVi 5).
0 Fatigue: Sta 2 + In 5 + Vi 15 + Aura 7 = 29 > 5 x 5.
Concentration: Sta 2 + Concentration 2+2+1 = 7 v. 6.
7+6=13.
Cast detect the strength of Magic Auras by smell on the rache: Base 2, +1 Touch, +1 Concentration, +2 Smell (InVi 10).
1 Fatigue: Sta 2 + In 5 + Vi 15 + Aura 7 = 29 (no LLSM).
29+8=37.
Concentration: Sta 2 + Concentration 2+2+1 = 7 v. 6.
7+4=11.
Rest for the remainder of 15 minutes.
Cast detect the strength of Faerie Auras by smell on the rache: Base 2, +1 Touch, +1 Concentration, +2 Smell (InVi 10).
1 Fatigue: Sta 2 + In 5 + Vi 15 + Aura 7 = 29 (no LLSM).
29+6=35.
Concentration: Sta 2 + Concentration 2+2+1 = 7 v. 6.
7+2=9.
Rest for the remainder of 15 minutes.
Cast detect the strength of Divine Auras by smell on the rache: Base 2, +1 Touch, +1 Concentration, +2 Smell (InVi 10).
1 Fatigue: Sta 2 + In 5 + Vi 15 + Aura 7 = 29 (no LLSM).
29+6=35.
Concentration: Sta 2 + Concentration 2+2+1 = 7 v. 6.
7+9=16.
Rest for the remainder of 15 minutes.
Cast detect the strength of Infernal Auras by smell on the rache: Base 2, +1 Touch, +1 Concentration, +2 Smell (InVi 10).
1 Fatigue: Sta 2 + In 5 + Vi 15 + Aura 7 = 29 (no LLSM).
29+3=32.
Concentration: Sta 2 + Concentration 2+2+1 = 7 v. 6.
7+0=botch!
So, she didn't botch the spell, but Alice botched the Concentration roll to concentrate on that last InVi 10 spell while casting her spell to sustain it.
I have the opposite opinion based on the same data. I feel the classic ArM wizard is really stupid despite having Int +3ish. They'll create lasting traps using Circle spells around their labs, perhaps, but that's it. If you're at Int +3ish and know about Circle spell traps, why not be as clever as that Int +3ish indicates and actually be prepared? Why in the world do all these Int +3ish wizards go out adventuring without being prepared? Soldiers know to take care of their gear and be ready. Survivalists know to be prepared for their environments. But these really intelligent wizards just walk out of their homes to face really scary stuff without any preparation?
I could also point out that I put 120 levels of starting spells and about half my points of Virtues into facilitating this. Even without that focus, I take this same approach with every magus. It's just in this case I've got a maga who is noticeably better at it.
Sure, preparations when going on a potentially dangerous adventure make sense. If you are hunting a dragon, you better have the capability to defend yourself and kill it. Have a plan A, a plan B and perhaps a plan C if everything does to hell.
Not having plans D to ZZ for every single thing that could happen.
This is a game. It is easy to go overboard, because the time and efforts our character spend on something is abstract. It is also easy for us to build spreasheets and list of dozens or even hundred of active spells, creatures and objects. The tedium of maintaining all of this is abstract. We can just say "I cast those 74 spells every month."
In real life, people who do that are those who suffer from a severe case of obsessive-compulsive behaviour.
Again, this is a game. And in a game I don't want to have to track a long list of active effects for potentially each of the magi. Or even one, as it means that is less time I can spend telling stories for all. And on the other hand, I don't feel comfortable giving a player carte blanche to have every single effect he can think of without at least validating it.
I put forward this saga as character-driven and using only minimal sourcebooks because I wanted things simple and focused on stories. I want to have a good time, and make sure every player has a good time. I'm sure you want the same. But right now, this isn't fun for me.
I don't want to track endless lists. I want to be able to handwave things. For example, when your magi go out searching for vis sources and auras, I want to be able to just say "Ok, after a week looking around you find this." Or even better, just ask you "Sure, what do you think would make sense for the saga? Hmmm... amongst your proposals you find that and that, in those amounts."
Of course, the tedium of maintaining all this is far less than brushing your teeth each day. It's more roughly the equivalent to cutting your nails. So far she needs something like a minute total every two weeks. If she adds one more level of Mastery, she can have three times as much for the same maintenance.
And this is where a problem shows up. I don't want this not to be fun for you. Meanwhile, this is the entire concept behind the maga I made. The house rule to warp with non-active magic was fine; it just left me focusing on the other 67% of what I was going to be doing, dropping 33% to avoid warping. But if this preparation is out, my maga's concept has been entirely flushed.
I know, and this is where my dilemna is. How can we find a way so that both of us enjoy this saga? Do you have suggestions?
One possibility is that, instead of going at it in a mechnical fashion (e.g. Spell to create dog, spell to maintain dog, spell to give dop X ability, spell to control dog, etc.) you just tell me the concept of a series of spells (e.g. create a dog with magical senses to discover auras and vis sources). Then list the spells this includes. Once I understand and approve the list, then you handle the rolls and let me know if any botches happened and the time neede to achieve this. The result would be something like this:
Rache: A magical dog to sense auras and vis
The Wizard's Mount (CrAn 25) to create a Size 0 dog (initial D:Conc, sustained to Moon)
Mastering the Unruly Beast (ReAn 25) to control the dog (initial D:Conc, sustained to Moon)
A Nose for Vis (InVi 10) to give it the ability to smell raw vis (Base 1, R:Touch +1, D:Conc +1, T:Smell +2) sustained to Moon
etc.
I would check the spells and making comments, but giving you the go ahead. You would make all the rolls (spontaneous castings and concentration) and say "No botches, took 2 hours to cast" or "Single botch on A Nose for Vis".
How does that look? Any suggestion to make it lighter to me?
That's closer to how I was starting out, until you asked for the torture. I can certainly do that. It would take me less effort in typing everything out, too. And, if it helps speed things up and simplify them, I can just blow an hour on every botched Concentration roll.
That could work. Unless a spell is particularly dangerous, the worst consequences of a botched Concentration roll would lost time and having to start again.
But let's still do it one sequence at a time. And rolls only after I can validate the parameters of the spells.
The Wizard's Mount (CrAn 25) to create a Size 0 dog (initial D:Conc, sustained to Moon)
Mastering the Unruly Beast (ReAn 25) to control the dog (initial D:Conc, sustained to Moon)
A Nose for Vis (InVi 5) to give it the ability to smell raw vis (Base 1, R:Touch +1, D:Conc +1, T:Smell +2) sustained to Moon
A Nose for Magic (InVi 10) to give it the ability to detect the strength of Magic Auras by smell (Base 2, +1 Touch, +1 Concentration, +2 Smell) sustained to Moon.
Ditto for Faerie Auras.
Ditto for Divine Auras.
Ditto for Infernal Auras.
The Unimpeded Traveler (ReAn 20) written up on page 60 of RoP:M (Base 10, +1 Touch, +1 Concentration) sustained to Moon.
Opening the Intangible Tunnel (InVi 25) sustained to Moon and suppressed.
Sense of the Animal Companion (InAn 25) to interrogate all of its senses (base 15 based on the InMe analysis on page 33 of A&A and the comment in the core book about using InMe for InAn guidelines (Base 15, +1 Touch, +1 Concentration) sustained to Moon and suppressed.
This is the only one I have a problem with. I don't have A&A, but the base seems low to me. The familiar section of the core book (p.105, "Shared Senses") says that sharing a single sense is Base 15, so giving access to all the senses should not be at the same base. Use Base 20 instead.
Ya, I think they were trying to fix things some because that Familiar effect doesn't quite match up with the core InMe guidelines. Meanwhile, the InAn guidelines from the core book are a magnitude lower than the InMe guidelines, too, so there is at least one published spell using the core guidelines that shows the mismatch between the Familiar effect and the core guidelines. But, no worry. I'm fine with that. Just wanted the sense of smell anyway, so one sense with Base 15.
I can certainly do that. It would take me less effort in typing everything out, too. And, if it helps speed things up and simplify them, I can just blow an hour on every botched Concentration roll.