Thu 29 Dec 2022, 09:42
The Banish spell does not list any effects for higher power levels - as written it simply holds undead or demons at bay for a stretch (or forces them to move away if too close), irrespective of how powerful the undead or demon is, at PL1. There is no point casting it at a higher PL.
My first thought was that this meant to be a resisted effect (at least after the first round - ie. monsters could try and push their way through) like Ensnaring Roots or Engulfing Forests where the power level affects how easy it is to resist, i.e. with a Boon at PL1 and a Bane at PL3, but if that is the case then undead and demons need some method to overcome it as they can’t engage in opposed rolls without skills or attributes. Perhaps a modification of the Dodging and Parrying rules is appropriate i.e. it defaults to 15 unless specified otherwise (although that is likely to be too strong for things like skeletons, so maybe 15 for Monsters or 10 for those treated like normal combatants).
If this isn’t able to be resisted then this spell seems overpowered as it effectively makes it impossible for any demon or undead (irrespective of the monster’s power) to approach within 10m of the Animist for 15 minutes and can be cast over and over again (or at least until the Animist runs out of Willpower). Even the Demon, Ghost and Wight Monsters effects with range are generally “within 10m” so would be of limited use as they can’t approach within 10m (although anyone not the caster is potentially a viable target even if within the area of effect). It is also unclear whether the Animist can move the area of effect by moving their focus (I.e. can they move through a room carrying their focus?), or is it stationary? I presume the later but would be good to clarify.
Basically as written this makes the animist pretty much immune to demons and ghosts. I would suggest either providing a resistance roll modified by the PL for the Monster or limiting the area of the effect by Power Level (e.g. PL1 is a 5m radius sphere (so protects from physical attacks but not necessarily other effects) PL2 is a 10m sphere (so protects the caster from most effects and others from physical effects), and PL3 is a 15m sphere (so provides a buffer to protect more people).
Last edited by
zcthu3 on Thu 29 Dec 2022, 10:34, edited 6 times in total.