OOB

[Flamewing]

As I understand it, OOB spells and effects are just that: they cannot be used in combat. Well and good. Obviously we don't want floating discs to be used to bowl people over or cut them in half or something like that. However (and again this is only how I understand it) in general, (with only one or two exceptions to my knowledge) any OOB spell, effect or enchantment that is active when combat begins is cancelled by the commencement of hostilities. Assuming that I have correctly understood this, it provides something of a barrier to certain RP avenues. For instance, say a dastardly assassin uses change self and similar spells to conceal their identity before going after a target, if blows are exchanged, the magical costume will dissolve and their cover will be blown. Or on a quest, if someone is using any number of RP enhancing effects from light to detect magic to truth hear or the like, the moment a goblin gets all stabby, they have to wait for the combat to cease before re-casting those spells. Examples abound, but for the sake of space I will leave it at those for the moment.

My suggestion? Continue to make OOB spells be unable to be cast in battle, absolutely. They are spells in general designed to have no harmful effect and many of them are more complex then simply hurling a fireball. I propose that we consider making any OOB spell, effect or enchantment that is in effect at the time that combat begins continue unless cancelled, expired, dispelled or countered as a way to enhance role-play and increase the options for how enchantments and spells can be used. Or even specify that OOB spells can be used in battle if you really want to waste a round, but cannot affect an opponent, for example, using a message spell to communicate to a team-mate, casting clean to get monstrous slime out of your eyes, or even casting the aforementioned floating disc to use as a magical stretcher to rush an injured comrade out of harm's way.

In short, can we continue to say that OOB spells can't be cast in combat but say that OOB spells that were in effect before combat continue? Please?

[miyuka]

Spells that stop working once combat is initiated is the whole point. Spells that are oob and can carry on into combat are in the category of anywhere spells. Using your example a simple spell like change self is a very simple spell in the common sphere (known as cantrips in other games I'd imagine). This i not to provide a barrier to RP, if anything it forces a character who's performing this particular act to have to come up with a Plan B, or find a more mundane method to keep their identity hidden, or to make sure they do a good job on that assassination without anyone else seeing them (poisons or taking them out from a longer range).

Furthermore it leaves room for more robust versions of these spells to exist on things like Special items or during quest or even be created via the research system.

Lastly, and prolly the more to the point reasoning, Belariath uses a rather simplistic system for how dev is done as well as combat.