This went off-boards for some reason but a synopsis of various emails - correct any edits as required chaps...
Brandon quoth:
Suggestions:
1. Components: 3 GB per season [duration determined at the time of casting, max 1 year]
2. Regency: (1 RP + special) per season [duration determined at the time of casting, max 1 year]
3. Replace "Any Construction, Commission, or Fortify action within the progress at 6 GB + 1 GB per 3 casting temple level" with "Any standard Construction or Fortify action within the province may progress as rapidly as 3 GB + 1 GB per 3 caster levels; any standard Commission Ship action within the province may progress as rapidly as 3 GB + 1/2 GB (rounded up) per 3 caster levels".
4. Maybe increase the spell level (+1 for each type {arcane/divine/primordial})?
Regarding Commission Ship:
Is there some thing along the lines of Muster Army in Commission Ship (at least in part)? If so, perhaps the spell could apply to Commission Ship at a lesser rate (for example, as suggested in #3, above)?
Harvey quoth:
Building something fast, comes at the expense of something which those resources could have been allocated towards. In some cases, it is a neccessity, hence why I thought of this spell (building pyramids came to mind for some reason).
With these particular changes, the spell has lost any tangible benefit -- if you need to case this spell and pay 8 GB to add 5 GB to a particular project (even knowing that you still need succeed at the action check), I don't think this spell is remotely useful anymore.
Divine Purpose
Components: 3 GB
Range: Medium
Taget: One Province
Regency: (1 RP + special) per season
Description: Any standard Construction, Commission or Fortify action within the province may progress as rapidly as 6 GB + 1 GB per 3 caster levels per season (to a maximum of 10 GB/season). This spell only allows a domain to expend additional GB towards a projects completion.
Brandon quoth:
1. The spell is intended to allow magical accelerated construction without the +20% GB cost associated with mundane accelerated construction, no? So, for every 1 GB spent on actual construction, there is a savings of 0.2 GB, no? (This might not apply to failures, as failed accelerated construction may only cost 1 GB, not 1.2 GB: but perhaps failed accelerated construction does cost 1.2 GB?) . . . Assuming the answer to the first two questions to be affirmative and assuming 5 GB worth of construction in a given season, the total savings would be 1 GB per project (and this could last for up to four seasons), no?
2. Furthermore, the spell is intended to allow magical accelerated construction without the +5 DDC penalty associated with mundane accelerated construction, no? Assuming the answer to that question to be affirmative, how much is that worth in GB? Employing 5 points of influence could cost 5 GB; and this would necessarily force a die roll, no? So, could this benefit of the spell (which does not necessarily force a die roll) not be considered *potentially* to be worth more than 5 GB per season per project (for up to four seasons)?
I quoth:
My view.
Benefits:
1.1. Rapid construction.
1.2. More efficient construction (no +20%).
1.3. No +5 DDC in the first turn through hasty construction - my understanding is that you only check once for a building, then it is automatic. So the benefit is far less (agitate&bless before you start, bribe guild advantage, chuck in an AA, good description, and get a +10 bonus in the first round - +5 DDC is not a problem)
1.4. Reduced number of court actions necessary for the building (a biggie going forward).
Drawbacks:
2.1. Cost of spell in GB to memorise.
2.2. Cost of spell in GB to cast.
2.3. Cost of spell in RP.
2.4. Cost of spell: action to memorise/cast (unless also casting/memorising another realm spell anyway).
2.5. Spell benefit may be usurped through use by non-friendly domains.
How about.
3.1. Any regent in good standing can spend additional court actions on the building works.
3.2. Maximum of 1 extra action applied to any construction project by any regent in the province per 3 levels of the caster - up to 3 extra actions spent.
3.3. No 1 GB increase in the cost for each action. (+20% cost if you build+hurry each turn means 6 GB spend gives 5 GB construction, i.e. 1 GB cost of the standard hurry action).
3.4. L2 - i.e. 2 GB cost to memorise.
3.5. Casting cost 2 GB.
3.6. RP cost 2 per action. (so more actions used means more need for the priest to exert influence)
3.7. Duration 1 season. This makes it easier to balance costs, is no hardship to a temple on the BTHL grind every season, although it does cut the scope for betrayal of the temple.
This would seem to keep the court action cost the same, keep the base cost of the project the same, and simply:
a) substitute the spell for the hurry action i.e. swap the spell cost in GB for the hurry cost of 1 GB [cost evening out at 4 extra actions which is unlikely to be reached, so an increase overall in the cost] and
b) let large constructions be built over a 2-3 year span not a 5-10 year span.
The latter presumably being a benefit to the player (I can build it before my wife/etc says its the game or her) but less so to the realm (since the benefits are balanced by the build/maint cost not by the delay).
Even quoth:
1.2 At an additional cost of 4GB + RP per season, this seems to
account for a lot more than the +20% of hurried construction. Even
assuming 4 bonus actions with this spell, this amount (in GB) to the
same increase of 1GB extra spent per action.
1.3 No, a action check is required for each turn/action. So increasing
the number of actions per turn could increase the chance of failure.
1.4 This seems to be the only benefit. A reduced DDC, in exchange for
a large increase in action checks. THis could work assuming one gets
the DDC down to a level where on can Take 10.
3.2 How do you determine who gets the extra actions?
3.7 For spending a regent action to cast the spell each season, there
should surely be a more tangible benefit. Even a simple spell that
gives +5 on a construction action (to counter hurried construction)
would be of greater benefit.
