Hi, my name is David and I recently started a BW campaign with my group, truly loving it.
In our campaign we use the Art Magic variant, following the steps with each Effect telling us what to roll. Our main issue comes when we apply Breadth Ob modifiers with versus tests like Illusion and Evoke (both making a versus test).
Taking the example in page 284 of the Codex: “If you wanted to affect the Faith and Will of an entire city it would be Two Abilities +3 Ob of a City + 8 Ob = 11 Ob”:
What number of dice do we roll for the Will of the entire city?
The base obstacle versus multiple targets its 1 + the Breadth modifier?
It seems like the versus + Ob modifier does not apply in the same way when trying to affect more than one opponent, is it?
I’d treat it sort of like the Oratory skill and use the most common exponent for the group being affected- after all, the sorcerer is already getting a big penalty for breadth. If casting an illusion over a normal city, maybe 3 or 4 dice get rolled; if over a council of mages, maybe 5.
The base Ob for Illusion and Evoke is 0. Add successes the target rolls to the Ob modifiers from breadth and duration, and that’s the total Ob that the sorcerer needs to hit to succeed.
For instance, let’s say the sorcerer is running at the edge of a forest from a small group of rangers, and wants to call up brambles to hold them back long enough to escape. That’s an Evoke to Immobilize for 1 test, which will test Sorcery vs a physical stat or martial skill with a +3 Ob modifier for breadth and no modifier for duration. Since brambles can be cut down, let’s have the rangers test a weapon skill at B4 instead of their B3 Speed.
They roll 3 successes, and the breadth modifier takes that up to Ob 6. The sorcerer will need to get 6 successes on his B5 Sorcery skill to get a chance to shake his pursuers. Hopefully he’s incanted the spell for a bonus die, or the fates favor his open-ended skill with plenty of 6s!
