Direct Damage spells and evasion. Why not? (in General)

I want to know how direct damage spells work. Not in a 'GentlemanLoser give me numbers and I'll work out the formula' sort of way but in a 'Johnnywas mages exist in the real world so how would that happen?' sort of way.

1. Are the DD spells a physical missile? Imagine the mage. Standing there in his shiny leathers and his pointy hat. Does he point his finger at you and a fiery sphere/icy spike/magic missile shoot out of the end and speed through the air at you? Does he launch them like a baseball at you, in much the same way the Human Torch did with fireballs in the old Fantastic Four comics (or Iceman in the old X-Men with snowballs)?

2. Or does he point at you and suddenly you're enveloped in flame/ice/magic? Burnt to a crisp before you have a chance to react?

If it's the second scenario then how do you manage to deflect damage with a shield? A shield is no good if it's down at your side. If you want to defend yourself with your shield while you are attacking you need to be able to react to an attack. There are some cases where you will just be behind it and attacking, without the need to react but mostly in a RL situation that shield moves to block attacks.

Shields can block magical damage. This is a fact of the game. And if we are talking a moving missile being launched at you, then why can't we evade it? How fast are they moving? I mean with the right evasion a minion can dodge arrows, crossbow bolts and sword thrusts all in super smooth bullet time.

I need some clarification here. Why can't evasion work against magical attacks?

It's just so unfair! Somebody tell me before I break down and cry....

;)

Spells don't have a PTH, so evasion just don't work :P.

It's THAT simple!

I understand the game mechanics involved here. But PTH is an enchantment on your weapon right? So evasion, a physical 'skill' is already working against a magical element. So why not against DD spells?

And to turn it around a little, why don't dd spells ever miss?

I had this argument with Jon back in the first months of CB1, and the answer is, because it's targeted by MAGIC. 'Magic,' incidentally, was in capital letters in our original verbal discussion.

So that would make it option 2, and your armor's enchantments act to disrupt the magical spell's eruption. Evasion, helping you get out of the way, doesn't disrupt anything at all.

I kind of expected that particular conversation to have taken place somewhere in the history of cb. And I had imagined that would be Jon's response!

go ahead and give me PTH on my CoC .. i want to have multiple hits per round :) .. on all yer minions :)

:P

"Ha ha this-a-way, ha ha that-a-way, ha ha this-a-way, my oh my
Ha ha this-a-way, ha ha that-a-way, ha ha this-a-way, my oh my

Ostagazuzulum, that was the magic word
Ostagazuzulum, my oh my

He can do magic, magic, magic!
Magic a rabbit, eight feet high

Ha ha this-a-way, ha ha that-a-way, ha ha this-a-way, my oh my
Ha ha this-a-way, ha ha that-a-way, ha ha this-a-way, my oh my"


I' sure I remember a second verse that went something like;

Once he was a little bit, little bit,little bit, little bit of magic in his daddy's eye. Then Wiz Bit grew a bit, grew a bit, grew a bit, Wiz Bit grew about four feet high!

;)

Thinking of the MgS as a magical item itself, think of it putting an aura of AmF/DM around you, so you take less incoming magic damage, the shield absorbs it. It isn't a phyiscal shield. That's why it doesn't add to your AC. :)

Come on guys! Wiz Bit! A real four foot tall Corn! What more do you want! ;)

wouldn't you bring back the chance to hit of spells then in a way?

Only shields with an enchantment on it can protect from magic. Duh.