Understanding spells (from Grimoire)

[Gandalf970]

I am looking at the cost of spells in the Grimoire 6th edition and I understand that, but specifically I don't understand some options.  On page 182 Create Skeleton it costs 9 xp to buy this spell which Creates one Skeleton, but only costs 20 to Create a Skeleton Army?  What am I missing?  Do they need to be controlled with a spell?  I seen there is a spell called Control Undead, but that was a Mind Control.

 

Any help would be appreciated.  

[Lee]

I think they used the 5-point adder under the Summon power to double the number of skeletons summoned. With all the limitations attached to the spell, even 10 levels of the adder, resulting in 1024 skeletons (reduced to 1000 by fiat) would not be too cost prohibitive.

[massey]

I don't have that book, but think of it like this. 

 

Summon lets you bring forth a creature that has 5 character points for every 1 point you invest in the Summon power.  So a 9 point Summon (with no limitations on it) would allow you to use the power and create a 45 character point creature.  At its base level, the creature just appears, it doesn't have to obey you automatically (you can make an opposed Ego roll to force them to obey, but at its base level they only obey for a few phases).  A 20 point Summon would allow you to bring forth a creature with 100 character points, which is significantly more powerful.

 

If you add the Limitations gestures (-1/4) and incantations (another -1/4), then your 9 point summon would actually give you 14 active points of power (reduced to 9 points real cost).  Thus you are Summoning a 70 point creature.  Of course, your 20 point Summon would then create a 150 point creature, which is again far more powerful.

 

You can use Summon every phase.  If you are a 4 Speed character and have "Summon Skeleton" as a power (requiring gestures and incantations, and creating a 70 point skeleton), then you can use the power on Segment 3, again on Segment 6, then again on Segment 9, and finally on Segment 12.  You can keep doing it every phase, getting 4 Skeletons each Turn, as long as you have the necessary Endurance (and presumably some way to get them to do what you want).  There is a 5 point Adder that you can slap on the Summon power that doubles the number of creatures created, and you can buy it multiple times.  So for +5 points, you get 2 Skeletons.  For +10 points, you get 4 Skeletons.  For +15 points, you get 8 Skeletons, and so on.  But you're spending more points that could have instead been spent on more powerful creatures.

 

Wizard A and Wizard B both buy the Summon power.  Wizard A starts with Summon Skeleton, 14 active points with gestures and incantations, which reduces the cost to 9 points.  This lets him call forth a single 70 point Skeleton every phase.  He then upgrades it to Summon Skeleton Army, with three 5 point doublings.  Now he Summons 8 skeletons every phase.  This power has 29 active points, reduced to 19 points real cost with the limitations.  Every time Wizard A uses his power, he brings forth 8 skeleton warriors who each cost 70 points.  That can quickly become a sizable horde.  His advantage over someone without the 5 point doublings is that he can summon his army faster.  There was no upper limit to the number of skeletons he could have created, even before the doublings.  It just would have taken 8 times as long.

 

Wizard B doesn't bother with Summon Skeleton Army.  Instead he spends the same 19 points on Summon Vampire.  With gestures and incantations, he can Summon a single 145 point creature.  So which is better to have, a group of 8 kinda dangerous skeletons, or one badass vampire?  Because that's the choice you're making.  Increasing the size of your summoned horde doesn't really cost all that much, but there's still a trade-off.  You're giving up the ability to take more powerful creatures.

[Gandalf970]

Thank you Lee and Massey, big help in understanding!

[Ninja-Bear]

Speaking of skeleton and other monsters bought as automations. By default Mental Power don’t affect them however the classic work around is that skeleton have a complication that Mental powers do affect them.