Massive fatigue spells

[llamabeast]

I'm pretty sure the "can't use more gems than your path level" restriction does include gems that are part of the casting cost. Hence a level 3 mage couldn't cast a level 4 spell with 400 fatigue cost, since he'd need to use 5 gems total.

[Lazy_Perfectionist]

I'm certain the gem use restriction does include gems that are part of the casting cost.

While attempting to punish R'lyeh, I scripted two Oracles of the Ancients to cast Earthquake, Earthquake as their first two actions. I outfitted them with Earthboots so they had the four path minimum for the spell. I also equipped them each with 15 earth gems. They fell unconscious after the first cast, after using three or four gems. I really regret not scripting earthpower as well.

If the gems in casting cost did not count, I would have quaked R'lyeh to death.
If I'd cast Earthpower, I would have had at least a 5 in the path. I'm not sure how the math falls out after that point (whether one gem would be used to boost my level by one, cutting the cost by 150, or whether that gem would be used to reduce fatigue by 100, or both), but I'm pretty certain I could have covered the entire fatigue.

[thejeff]

As I understand gem use, 1 gem can boost your level to cast the spell, others continue to boost your level but only for the purposes of reducing fatigue.
So, Earthquake is 3 gems?, E4. 300 fatigue.
So at 4th level they used 4 gems, 3 to cast, 1 to boost level, taking 150 fatigue.
With Earthpower, they'd be at fifth level to start with, thus could use 5 gems, boosting them to 7th (for fatigue only) taking 300/4 75 fatigue, allowing them to cast again.


That's without considering encumbrance or magic/drain scales. I've never really figured out how those figure in.

(Hopefully I didn't make any more stupid mistakes in that)

[Meglobob]

llamabeast said:
I'm pretty sure the "can't use more gems than your path level" restriction does include gems that are part of the casting cost. Hence a level 3 mage couldn't cast a level 4 spell with 400 fatigue cost, since he'd need to use 5 gems total.

This is wrong I believe. An example:-

I have a lvl 4 Air mage who wants to cast Fog Warriors lvl 5 air.

I give that mage 4 air gems, casts it no problem. Fatigue is capped at 200. Even thou fatigue for spell is 300.

3 air gems casting cost for Fog Warriors, 1 air gem to raise his lvl to 4.

The reason for the higher fatigue than 200 is to stop you spamming the more powerful spells. Any mage casting a spell using more than 200 fatigue will cast it and be capped at 200 fatigue.

[thejeff]

Right, 3 gems for the spell and 1 to raise his level. 4 total, which is his level.

If it had been a 400 fatigue/4 gem spell, he couldn't have cast it.

One reason for the higher fatigue is that fatigue is gem cost. Not only will you fall unconscious and stop casting, you'll burn through gems.

[Meglobob]

thejeff said:
If it had been a 400 fatigue/4 gem spell, he couldn't have cast it.

Yes, 100% agreed.

[Kristoffer O]

You are on track. Max nbr of gems are mage lvl. This includes casting cost and increase lvl cost.

thejeffs example is correct.

Furthermore:
A mage can only use one gem to empower himself during a casting. This is the only way for him to reduce fatigue. He will not use more gems then one to reduce fatigue, and fatigue is only reduced as a side effect of him being temporarily more powerful.

[thejeff]

So the most gems that can be spent is the lower of mage level and (gem cost of spell + 1)?

I was sure I'd seen cases of spending more, but maybe not...

[Lazy_Perfectionist]

Huh... so no reason to carry more than cost+1 gems per spell?

[llamabeast]

The manual is outright incorrect in that case I think.