== Interpretations == by John Eure and Meg Harrelson There're a few questions that have come up that need interpretations to settle them. Here are the questions, from simple to complicated. Our job is to debate the answers until we achieve consensus. If we don't get consensus on one, then I'll call for a vote on it. I've also added pair of interpretations at the end. These are taken directly from Meg's sapping proposal, since I feel that they should be made regardless of whether her proposal passes or fails. These are a bit different than the questions, since there's an answer already there. But the principle is the same. 1) Strong Grip and arrows Say you've got Strong Grip, and are holding a weapon, and an arrow hits that weapon. Do you drop the weapon (as in the archery rules)? 2) Multiple casting This is slightly complicated. If I cast 2 different spells within the same spell hold, that's just a convenience to prevent "red-light- green-light", and the first spell takes effect before I begin casting the second spell, just as if they were cast by different people. Now, say I'm casting the same spell multiple times - for example, "I cast the spell of Stun Grasp 10 times!". Do these spells happen one after the other, or at exactly the same time? This matters, because if the "first" Stun Grasp is reflected and stuns the caster, we still need to figure out what happens to the other 9 - do they go through (as if they were all cast at the same time), or do they never get cast at all (as if they would have been cast after the reflected one)? 3) Layering of defenses This is more complicated. Right now, all our protective spells say that they work against the "next blow received", the "next spell cast on you", etc. This raises the question of which one applies first. For some spells and abilities, this question is answered by the rules in the section on "protection" (meaning armor, Barkskin/Stoneskin, and Toughness): "Various forms of protection (and protective spells) may be used at the same time; these include Magic Absorption, Spell Immunity, Iron Will, armor, natural protection, and magical protection (such as Barkskin and Stoneskin). It is completely up to individual players to choose which will absorb any blow or spell aimed at them." The practical effect of this, is that players can choose which defense to use against an attack. So for example, if you had Stoneskin and a Spell Immunity to Lightning Bolts, and somebody cast Lightning Bolt on you, you could choose to absorb it with the Spell Immunity (which won't go away when used), as opposed to the Stoneskin (which will go away when used). However, that list does not specifically include abilities (although it mentions "natural protection", which comes from Toughness). So the question is, are Will, Immunity to Poison, and Exceptional Strength considered to be included in that list, or do they only apply when all the listed forms of defense are used up? That sounds complicated, so here are some practical examples: Say I have Will 6 and an Iron Will, and someone casts a TOW spell on me with Will 3. Is my Iron Will used up, or do I still have it? Say I have Immunity to Poison and a Magic Absorption, and someone casts Poisoned Grasp on me. Is my Magic Absorption used up, or do I still have it? Say I have Exceptional Strength and a Magic Absorption, and someone casts Fling Item on me. Is my Magic Absorption used up, or do I still have it? 4) Subdual courtesy strike "A subdual strike can be combined with a Courtesy Strike to disable someone who is unaware of your presence. To do this, strike your opponent lightly on the back (as with a regular Courtesy Strike), and say, 'subdual courtesy strike.' If you wish to strike them more than one time (in case they have magical protection, for example), you need only say 'strike' on subsequent hits." 5) Verbal Cues "Verbal cues that must be spoken to show the in-game status of something are themselves out-of-game. Characters in a Safe spell are not saying the word 'safe' in-game, even though the players must repeat it to make it clear that they are safe. The assassin sneaking up behind the Baron and stabbing him in the back is not saying 'courtesy strike' in-game; you only hear the assassin if they make some other sound."