Is Spell-Shattering Palm out-of-genre or too powerful?
…
I have to admit, I find the genre argument bizarre.
The power scale argument interests me. The idea that SSP is too powerful- I'm listening. In the end, all I can really do is say, "Geoff, I think this should be errata'd like so" or "Geoff, I think this is fine." But it seems like there's meat there.
The idea that Solar Circle Sorcery should be unbreakable, in genre, by non-Solars, seems to me actively against the principles of the setting. I'm pondering this from a Lunar Circle perspective, near the end of a multi-year game …
"So, we've taken down Mask of Winters."
"Yah. His blood was tasty."
"Oh, geez, Adric, we TOLD you not to DRINK it."
"It was *tasty*."
"… and the Fair Folk won't be bothering us again for a while."
"Yup. Except for Lisseut."
"… Except for Lisseut?"
"She's hot, okay?"
"… right. But at least we've pretty permanently dealt with the Yozi problem."
"Yup."
"Yup?"
"Yup."
"You didn't, like, secretly keep She Who Lives in Her Name around because you like fire?"
"Hey, what am I, a moron?"
"… right. Okay, what's left?"
"Arianna."
"What about her?"
"She's a Twilight. She's carrying out some vengeance thing against one of the tribe."
"Well, gut her."
"I can't. She used a Solar spell."
"To do what?"
"Make it so we can't gut her."
"Damn."
This isn't that kind of world. Like I said, if you say that the Charm is too powerful, I'm listening. But if you say that it's out of genre in a kung fu movie to be able to kung fu a spell- that it's okay to beat up the infinite beings that made the world, that you could probably shatter the Omphalos with a punch if you got good enough (which is arguably well beyond even First Age Solar limits, but, you know, notionally it's probably *possible*), but that all Solar Circle spells should automatically go in the box with Lunar tattoos as the rare, carefully chosen effects that are mathematically perfect and therefore unassailable … I'd feel weird about it.
You might also want to look one Charm down the page, 'cause a Solar can learn Astrology Interruption Method, and that says something about carefully tended preserves. :)
Personally, I have no objection to the house rule someone suggested that made Spell-Shattering Palm require (caster's Essence x spell Circle) successes rather than(caster's Essence + spell Circle).
Alternately, require (Circle)xp to shatter ongoing effects. Or 12 motes + motes equal to the spell cost.
Or take armor-ignoring damage equal to the caster's Essence (bashing for Terrestrial, lethal for Celestial, unsoakable agg for Solar.)
Or rule that the Sidereal, who did not actually use one of the countermagic spells, does *not* get the free immunity to the aftereffects of spell-breaking that they include. This one is highly recommended; this *is* the MA equivalent to a Brawler parrying a napalm meteor, after all.
Is it necessary?
Hm. I'll let you know when I remember why I *didn't* require motes equal to the spell. I know I thought about this, but it was in *January*. :)
Yah, I agree with people, if countermagic of the same circle can't undo it, then SSP can't either.