Wizard Casting Spells While Engaged

[stormberg]

Howdy All,


I am heading up to Gary Con here in the next few days and I wanted to get your opinions on this.

Last year I had a grognard state that as soon as a wizard was engaged (touched by another figure) they could not cast spells. That pretty much dooms the wizard if he is contacted with even the lightest formations, let alone a hero.

Am I missing something in the rules that would lend credence to the argument for a wizard being able to cast while in contact with an enemy figure?


Futures Bright,

Paul

[cooper]

"in order to cast and maintain any spell, a wizard must be both stationary and undisturbed by attack upon his person." pg. 32

The optional rule on spell complexity could be used in lieu of the above rule so that spells could be delayed or ruined. To be honest, there isn't any spell worth casting in individual combat. There is no need to cast lightning bolt of fireball at close quarters, when the FCT is 1 hit 1 kill anyway.

Remember also that spells are 1 per turn, but individual combat rounds are multiple per turn. If the wizard is facing a figure (1:20) of normal men, because of the initiative rules, he is automatically going to get his sleep, slow, or cloudkill off before the troops get into melee range, if there are still normal men left over then the wizard fights as two armored foot. If the wizard is facing a fantasy figure, he can use fireball or lightning bolt until the fantasy figure gets into melee range, then combat goes to the FCT.

[Matthew]

It is as Bargle outlines above, moreover in Swords & Spells magicians are similarly unable to cast spells if engaged in combat.

[blackpuddin5x5]

So, they can't cast if being attacked, but what if they win initiative, while adjacent to an enemy? Does just being adjacent count as being under attack?

[Matthew]

In CM, that would not usually be possible. Within a turn rounds are fought until one side breaks contact and a new turn begins.

[Porphyre]

Question is, do you count the (at will) Lightening and Fire ball ability as spells per se in CM, as they are in D&D, or rather as a form of missile fire ?

[derv]

Jan 5, 2014 9:20:12 GMT -6 Porphyre said:

Question is, do you count the (at will) Lightening and Fire ball ability as spells per se in CM, as they are in D&D, or rather as a form of missile fire ?

I'm not sure specifically what you are asking. If your question is in the context of whether a wizard can cast a spell vs. throw a missile when engaged in melee, the answer is that neither is possible according to the rules. On page 32 it says, "In order to cast and maintain any spell, a Wizard must be both stationary and undisturbed by attack upon his person."

In general, missile fire takes effect before melee in the sequence of a turn. Melee may involve multiple rounds until resolved before another turn begins. Once you are in melee (which is determined by contact within 1"), you will not be able to fire missiles (as stated on page 16, "missiles cannot be fired into melee").

You may be suggesting that Lightning Bolts and Fire Balls are missile weapons, instead of spells, based on the language used to describe them in CM. I would suggest that they are both. They are actually treated like catapults and cannons for targeting and hit areas. It can be assumed that they would take effect during the missile phase of the turn. But the effect of the Fire Ball or Lightning Bolt allows certain figures a "Saving Throw" much like D&D. Either way, they would not be useable once in melee and Wizards are not specifically given the ability to do split-moves when mounted.