Spell Duration Question

[Cuchulainshound]

@ulf

As far as I can understand, making non-standard durations isn't quite that easy. Most spells with a non-standard dur are based upon non-hermetic magics, and the others tend to relate to some mystery.
If you want to make your own non-standard duration, that is actually a minor breakthrough!

As Fruny pointed out, no, not actually, not so much.

This is specifically addressed on page 114, Col ii, bottom paragraph -

"Formulaic spells...can be invented with ranges, durations or targets that are not listed here*. This is usually slightly more difficult than if the closest category were used, but is largely left to storyguide interpretation."

(* i.e., the standard ones.)

So the only issue, then, for every storyguide, is - how big is "slightly more difficult"?

@RARodger

I think non-standard Durations/Range/Targets might be the most overlooked aspect of formulaic spell design.

I wish there were more examples of them in the books (and not Mystery stuff, standard Hermetic magic using the non-standard rules, if that makes sense). I hope that some of the submissions in the Open Call includes some.

And that's exactly why we probably won't see them! Again and again, the writers of AM seem to avoid nailing down anything if they don't have to. If a "non-standard" range were included for a spell (let's say "1 hour"), and a Level-increase were listed (let's say "= Diameter +4 Levels"), then that tends to become canon, and successive writers and spells point to that as a standard - and the writers don't seem to want to go there.

And I wouldn't want them to either! I have a feel for balance in my sagas, and they aren't what others think are balances in their's.

I had a mage with a spell that I wanted to last longer than a single Sun, but only 1 more ("Dur = 2 Sun") - essentially, there was no worry of it failing at the first sunrise/down (it was a long-range flying spell), but it could be cast around mid-day/midnight, and just keep going on thru. Is that 1 Level? 1 magnitude? I've had both answers, and both are "right" in that saga (tho' I certainly liked one answer better!)

So- yes, you can get a Duration of 1 hour without any breakthroughs or rules bending (it's only 30 diameters, after all.) But it's up to each StoryGuide exactly how "slightly more difficult" that will be, and that's probably how it will stay.