The Concentration target number to cast another spell while concentrating on another is 15.
Has anyone seen a magus who can do that (semi-)reliably?
My current Tytalus can just about do that...but he started in a covenant with a Summa level 6 on concentration, and is self-confident so can make the roll if he spends confidence. Most magi need "Maintain the demanding spell" to keep the first spell going, and THEN cast another concentration spell.
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Neat!
I keep overlooking Confidence to boost rolls.
The only other Virtue that is likely to help in any way is probably Puissant ability in Concentration.
Though I guess you could try to convince your troupe that it is possible to have a Lesser Immunity to "Distraction", in that you never need to roll to maintain Concentration. Won't help you with the roll to cast the second spell though.
On second thoughts perhaps that shouldn't be allowed, at least not "Lesser". The automatic ability to keep Concentrating while starving and being tortured seems excessive.
Aw, that would be problematic at the least. I don't like people picking a virtue to basically ignore one rule they don't like. If someone comes with that, how can you give that a pass without opening the gate for things like Immunity to Aging or Immunity to Wounds?
Sorry, I should not post when tired and rambling. Mind you, I was arguing against it by the end once I envisioned serious hazards.
The rules do address Immunity to Aging., or was that appropriate sarcasm?
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Isn't that the nature of some virtues? I don't like getting a penalty on all social interactions. Gentle Gift. I don't like that I can't fast cast all my formulaic spells. There's a virtue that has all your formulaic spells mastered. I don't like botch dice, there's an app, I means a virtue, for that.
I honestly don't see immunity to distraction as too big an issue. When you see post about min-maxing so hard they can get a magi to 400 years old, we can min-max a mage just out of gauntlet shooting off 3 balls of abysmal fire with 25 penetration, using a virtue to be able to ignore a certain aspect is not too big a deal in comparison.
You'd clearly need to distinguish it from puissant and affinity with concentration, as if it affected all concentration rolls, it makes those virtues obsolete. It wouldn't help maintain a spell, it would just remove the roll when a magi is hit, maintaining another spell, etc.
It's not that Immunity to distraction is fundamentally broken, it's that immunities cover hazards that may provoke injury, but do not cover behaviors, aptitudes and choices. You can't be immune to distractions anymore than you can be immune to bad decisions. So if you want to avoid injuring yourself while on a bicycle but not paying attention to the road, you don't take the virtue immune to distractions, you take the virtue immune to falling damage. If you really want to work the forge unprotected, you don't take immunity to unsafe working environment, you take immunity to fire. Achilles was immune to bronze weapons, he wasn't immune to failing to block a sword. Failing a concentration check isn't a source of injury, therefore it's not something you can be immune to, even if there are instances when failing a concentration check can kill you (e.g. maintaining that flight/ward spell). If you want to be better at concentration, there's Puissant for that.
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I will concede that explanation makes more sense. I can see the problem of it being an immunity. There is maybe a way it could work under immunity.
The virtue "immunity to pain." It is a real world condition which is terribly dangerous.
The character feels no pain. While there are some benefits, there are costs. Benefits such as continuing to soldier on with a few arrows sticking out of you, or not losing a spell when hit.
All penalties for wounds or fatigue are considered 2 levels lower.
One never need to make rolls related to damage or pain, such as concentration.
The character must also take the flaw immunity to pain.
flaw "immunity to pain"
The costs. Falling unconscious from blood loss before realising you were stabbed in the back; Not realising a wound is infected; not realising the pain is an indicator if you push harder it could result in a compound fracture. So many things can go wrong, those are just some examples.
Every season roll a die. If a 0 is rolled, roll 5 botch dice.
For 1 botch, the character received an injury which means any seasonal XP is halved, and any project is not ruined, however, there is no progress.
For 2 botches, the injury was severe enough there is no XP and any project is ruined.
For 3 botches or more the character will die without intervention.
I was musing on this the other day after noticing that a hypothetical PC I made had two concentration spells that would work really well together. That PC wouldn't have the concentration sufficient to cast while concentrating (without an exploding roll) but I did consider putting a maintaining the demanding spell effect into his talisman with concentration duration, and the talisman maintaining concentration. Doesn't need to be a talisman either, any item would work I think. This would give you the flexibility of a concentration effect (i.e. drop it whenever you want), with the benefits of Maintain the demanding spell.
I never saw the wound penalty as derived from the pain, but from the wound itself. You get them when you get a broken bone or a muscle or a tendon is cut and stuff like that. Not that pain is holding you, but that your body is, because it just can't work properly because of the wound.
Think also that trying to perform as usual while injuried can worsen the wound.
Unless of course you make the virtue Supernatural and then it is what it is because, well, supernatural!
that doesn’t really jibe with Enduring Constitution virtue:
You can withstand pain and fatigue. Decrease the penalties for reduced Fatigue lev-els by one point, and reduce your total penalty from wounds by one point (but not below zero).
Also, the flaw Painful Magic, and the spell Endurance of the Berserkers (ReCo 15) both strongly imply that it is mainly pain which cause penalties when wounded.
Ok, let me elaborate a bit more: I never saw the wound penalty as derived exclusively from the pain, but mostly from the wound itself.
Enduring Constitution would imply that the part of the penalty derived right from pain is about one point.
Regarding magic flaws and spells, well, they are magic, so I'd keep common sense away from them.
Enduring Constitution reduces the penalty, it does not make you unable to feel pain. There is no reason to think that because that is all the reduction Enduring Const provides that that is the whole of the penalty provided by pain. In my reading Light wounds are bruises, shallow cuts, and the like where the primary effect on your body’s ability to work is the pain and soreness created by them. And you can have a whole lot of light wounds and Enduring Const still only reduces the penalty by 1.