Sorcery enchantment questions

[Deleriad]

There's a few things I'm looking for answers to.

1. What is the 'casting time' for a spell in a sorcery enchantment for: Common Magic spells? Sorcery spells?

2. If the spell in an enchantment can be resisted, what does the resisting character oppose the resistance roll to?

3. If the recharge time for a sorcery spell in an enchantment is shorter than its Duration (quite possible for Duration of 2-3 hours) is it possible to recast the spell even though it hasn't yet finished?

Armouring Enchantment. Are the APs "always on" or do they have to be activated?

Binding Enchantment: I'm not entirely sure I follow the process. Is at as follows.
1) create an enchantment. (could be done a long time in advance)
2) find an entity to bind (or summon one).
3) reduce victim to zero MPs somehow.
4) Cast Holdfast on the spirit.
5) win a contest of "Grimoire" vs Spectral Combat.

If so, what grimoire? (i.e. the one that holds the Enchantment spell). Does the step 5) cost MPs to cast? Does it need range? Is it done as a Combat Action? If it fails can the sorcerer try again?

Can otherworld entities with SIZ be bound (elementals I'm looking at you).

What does accessing skills of a bound spirit mean? E.g. If my sorcerer binds an entity with Athletics 130% does that mean that my sorcerer can use its Athletics skill rather his own?

Can a bound spirit regenerate Magic Points?

So many questions, so little time...

 

[SSWarlock]

There's a few things I'm looking for answers to.

Well, I don't work for Mongoose but I've been GMing RQ in most of its interations for quite a few years now so I'll give it a shot in the hopes of getting others to chime in as well. Just take it all with a grain of salt and go with what works for your player group. Let's see now...

1. What is the 'casting time' for a spell in a sorcery enchantment for: Common Magic spells? Sorcery spells?

I've experienced two schools of thought. The first is if the player isn't Manipulating the spell beyond the basic capabilities provided by the enchantment then the spell goes off on the player's SR and requires one Combat Action. Basically, such an enchantment allows the spellcaster to perform as if he/she had rolled a criticial success for the casting (see p.129 of the RQII Core Book). This makes the expense of creating a permanent spell enchantment worth the cost, depending on the spell and its potential usefulness.

Now if the caster wants to further Manipulate the spell over and above the base capabilities provided by the enchantment then casting time increases per additional Manipulation, as stated in the Core Book.

The other school of thought is the spell takes the same casting time it would take for the player to cast the spell without the aid of the enchantment. I personally don't like this because it greatly reduces the usefulness of such spell enchantments for sorcerers.

2. If the spell in an enchantment can be resisted, what does the resisting character oppose the resistance roll to?

The Magnitude of the spell as it was set when the enchantment was created, unless the spell description in the RAW states something other than Magnitude is used for the spell resistance roll.

3. If the recharge time for a sorcery spell in an enchantment is shorter than its Duration (quite possible for Duration of 2-3 hours) is it possible to recast the spell even though it hasn't yet finished?

On a different target, yes. On the same target, only if the new casting is somehow Manipulated to be more powerful than the spell currently in effect. If not, then the recast can't overpower the existing spell.

Armouring Enchantment. Are the APs "always on" or do they have to be activated?

Always on.

Binding Enchantment: I'm not entirely sure I follow the process. Is at as follows.
1) create an enchantment. (could be done a long time in advance)
2) find an entity to bind (or summon one).
3) reduce victim to zero MPs somehow.
4) Cast Holdfast on the spirit.
5) win a contest of "Grimoire" vs Spectral Combat.

This is pretty much how I see it as well.

If so, what grimoire? (i.e. the one that holds the Enchantment spell).

Yes, the one containing the Enchantment spell.

Does the step 5) cost MPs to cast?

No but step 4 does.

Does it need range?

No.

Is it done as a Combat Action?

If the caster/binder is in a combat situation from a third party, yes. If not, then no; time during a non-combat binding is irrelevant since it's essentially a die roll.

If it fails can the sorcerer try again?

No. It's a one-shot event. If the roll is blown, the spirit is able to escape back to the Spirit Plane and the spellcaster must start over again at step 2).

Can otherworld entities with SIZ be bound (elementals I'm looking at you).

Yes, but to release it from its binding enchantment, the person releasing it must ensure there is enough of its elemental material at hand for the elemental to re-embody itself at its normal SIZ.

What does accessing skills of a bound spirit mean? E.g. If my sorcerer binds an entity with Athletics 130% does that mean that my sorcerer can use its Athletics skill rather his own?

It means the person wanting to use the spirit's skill(s) must allow the spirit to possess his own body in order for the skill to be performed. Keep in mind that most spirits forced into a binding can be a bit vindictive.

Can a bound spirit regenerate Magic Points?

Yes, at the same rate as everyone else.

So many questions, so little time...

Yeah, no kidding.

 

[Deleriad]

2. If the spell in an enchantment can be resisted, what does the resisting character oppose the resistance roll to?

The Magnitude of the spell as it was set when the enchantment was created, unless the spell description in the RAW states something other than Magnitude is used for the spell resistance roll.

On the whole I tend to agree with most of your interpretations. With a couple of exceptions. The answer above doesn't conform to RQII. I'm thinking of spells like Wrack which have the Resist trait. If I have a "Wracking Ring" and I cast Wrack on an opponent, then the opponent's Resist has to be opposed by something. Divine Enchantments allow the enchantment's user to choose Pact or Persistence. Nothing similar is stated for sorcery enchantments. My inclination would be to say that the enchantment user can use either Persistence or, if they have a skill with the same Grimoire used to create the enchantment, they can use that Grimoire skill.

As for spirits being able to possess embodied creatures, I think they need the possession trait for that which most spirits dont' seem to have.