Gem Use for Fatigue/Boosting Skill

[Mysterio]

Originally Posted by Shadrach

My test showed an E3 mage using four gems to cast Earthquake after using Summon Earthpower, so boosting with spells definitely lets you cast things you couldn't cast otherwise, and also use more gems than you could otherwise.

Actually, you didn't prove that. As an E3 mage, he's allowed to use 3 gems max total for boosting his path + paying the cost to cast the spell. Since Earthquake (an E4 spell) costs 3 earth gems, he can not boost his path by +1 with a gem (he'd need 4 earth gems total when he's only allowed to use 3). But casting Summon Earthpower boosts his path to E4 for the entire battle, so he no longer needs to use a gem to +1 boost. At E4, he's now at the level required to cast it and uses the 3 earth gems to pay the spell's cost.

[Illuminated One]

Originally Posted by Psycho

In my experience so far it is true. Give more details about your case.

Iirc e1 mage with summon earthpower + 2 gems for rain of stones.

[thejeff]

Originally Posted by Illuminated One

Iirc e1 mage with summon earthpower + 2 gems for rain of stones.

I am unsure what happened in your case, but I tested it. Vandrott with 3A1E and 6 gems, scripted to Summon Earthpower, Rain of Stones.
Used 1 gem to cast Summon Earthpower.
Used 2 gem to cast Rain of Stones.

(The barbarians mostly died or ran, except for 1 of the leaders who went berserk, ran up and ran the poor unconscious Vandrott through. The price we pay for science)

[Shadrach]

thejeff beat me to to it, but

Originally Posted by Illuminated One

Iirc e1 mage with summon earthpower + 2 gems for rain of stones.

Summon Earthpower is E2, so casting it would use up a gem. Rain of Stones is E3 and requires one gem, so casting it requires two more gems, making a total of three for this combo. I ran a test, and an E1 mage will do this given three gems to work with. So an E1 mage can use two gems to cast an E3 spell with the help of Summon Earthpower, even though none of them were used for fatigue reduction.

Now an observant person will note that this still doesn't prove that both gems could be used to cast an X2 spell that requires two gems. As it happens there is no such earth spell, but an S1 mage can cast Power of the Spheres and then use two gems to cast Returning, so that seems to work also.

[Shadrach]

Originally Posted by Mysterio

At E4, he's now at the level required to cast it and uses the 3 earth gems to pay the spell's cost.

Which is why I mentioned that the fourth gem was used for fatigue reduction. Showing definitively that those gems could all be used for raising a level and paying required costs would take additional tests.