Currently, with arc light in it's current form, emapths receive shock for casting it at a target. I found this out the hard way by telling an empath that it isn't an offensive spell (which I whole heartedly believed), but apparently it is as we discovered after she used a runestone.

I can't see how this spell is offensive as it doesn't cause any physical harm to the target. It simply disorientates the target and gives them a loss to balance and position.

When consulting GM Averiss about this in an assist he said that it's an attack on balance, but I argued that so are shove and tackle in the brawling system, which empaths are allowed to use (not trying to get this trimmed, just trying to expland on what empaths should be able to do, combat wise, without physically causing harm)

He claimed that arc light also stuns the target and as such was an attack on intelligence. I had to take his word on this, but I've never seen arc light stun a target in my career of using it as a warrior mage primary.

I think it's wrong to classify this spell as offensive for empaths because not only if the mental attack, if present, so minute that it shouldn't count towards causing empathic shock. It was my understanding that empaths can't attack to cause physical harm, i.e., wound people, but I can't see any wounds being caused by this spell.

Yeah, that GM was mistaken.

Arc Light causes shock because it can be used to ignite naphtha as Arwinia said.

There was some talk I think of making Arc Light flag for naphtha so it would only shock when the target was naphtha'd, but I haven't heard anything about that lately.

I would love to be able to use this spell, even if it wasn't to set people on fire.

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Skills Needed for Kaith Partani
Need 294 (500) Empathy.
Have at least 200 in #1 Armor (Light Chain).
Have at least 240 Evasion.
Have at least 160 Shield Usage.

I wasn't actually aware that there was a rewrite happening.

My preferred solution would be to just use FS for setting people on fire, taking that utility out of arc light entirely (it's so rarely used anyway ) and letting Empaths use Arc Light. But you know, that's an Empath-centric solution coming from an Empath, so I'm not sure how well received it would be among WMs.

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Skills Needed for Kaith Partani
Need 294 (500) Empathy.
Have at least 200 in #1 Armor (Light Chain).
Have at least 240 Evasion.
Have at least 160 Shield Usage.

>>I can't see how this spell is offensive as it doesn't cause any physical harm to the target. It simply disorientates the target and gives them a loss to balance and position.

It's important to clear up some basic concepts, first.

Any spell that is detrimental to the recipient is (or should be -- there's still some exceptions we have not fixed yet) offensive. We do this because it drastically changes how the spell is handled and contested. A spell that is not flagged offensive ignores many checks that are vital for properly handling contesting a result between two characters or the caster and a creature.

That part is non-negotiable. Any spell that meets the criteria I laid out is, or will be turned into, an offensive spell. Without the Empath context, the GM you spoke to was completely correct: it's an offensive spell because it screws with the target.

>>I think it's wrong to classify this spell as offensive for empaths because not only if the mental attack, if present, so minute that it shouldn't count towards causing empathic shock. It was my understanding that empaths can't attack to cause physical harm, i.e., wound people, but I can't see any wounds being caused by this spell.

Earlier this year I made some additions to the magic system to, more or less, divorce Empathic Shock and the offensive flag. This is why you can cast Hypnotize (that's an offensive spell too) without frying yourself. Spells can now be set to avoid or deliver Empathic Shock regardless of that setting.

Unfortunately, that setting is binary at the moment, and cannot take into account all the permutations I'd like. For example, I currently cannot set a TM spell to "Shock only if it hits." This comes up in Arc Light because, as people have pointed out, it can be used to light people on fire.

If that feature is removed from Arc Light, or I get the time to make the Shock check more refined (unlikely in the near future), I have no problem with seeing it flipped into an Empath friendly spell. For now, though? No, you do not get to personally set people on fire and keep your powers.

-Armifer
"...everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms-- to choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one's own way."
-Viktor Frankl

>I really don't want to set people on fire (heh, really) it would just be nice for the stunning aspect alone.

I didn't know Arc Light could stun.