We have had some debate about the duration of Shroud of Invisibility (Recharge 6) during non-combat Encounter mode.

During combat mode the recharge is clear. No problem!

But our Grey Wizard likes to use the spell in non-combat encounter or when the chapter is open-ended (as in Chapter 2 in An Eye for An Eye). For instance, is the duration of the spell long enough to (1) walk pass some guards at a gatehouse to a small fortress; (2) walk around unseen to locate a specific item; (3) steal the item; (4) walk to the gatehouse unseen; and (5) pass the guards again. The act can be split into five rounds, which is within the recharge value of the spell, but the duration of the spell is then so very much longer than during combat mode. The player likes to known how often he potentially should cast the spell before he starts casting it.

What are your experiences with similar situations?

Perhaps you could le him jut ast it once and then let him do a spellcraft check every once in a while (once each act?) to see if he can maintain it.

a second way would be to say it costs him his free maneuvre to maintain the spell, that way fatigue will restrict the time limit of the spell as the distance he tries to cover can reasonably be estimated.

Allavandrel said:

In Story mode I focus on complete tasks and intentions, and have characters roll based on that. Let me explain a bit further.

In an Encounter we break things down to their basic elements: maneuvers, actions, turns, etc... We're dealing with the building blocks individually and using them to construct the narrative effect we want (defeat the bad guys, convince the Lord to finance an expedition, win the support of the people, etc...).

So for me in Story mode, going to that level of detail is unnecessary. There's no need to focus on the individual actions at that level, activating them individually and rolling for each bit, if there was we'd break into Encounter mode.

So, I'd focus on each task individually and base the difficulty around the intention and circumstances. If the player is trying to walk past some guards at the gatehouse, I'd take into account how many guards there are, and how long it would take the player to traverse the fortress and change the default difficulty based on that. A fortress on high alert, with many guards and long winded corridors might be a challenging or dauting task. I'd even add misfortune dice if the wizard lacks Stealth or doesn't know the location of the item he's looking for.

Depending on how crucial this part is to the story I might break it into three rolls, one roll to get into the fortress. Another roll to get the specific item, and a final roll to escape unseen.

I'd base the roll around the first two rolls around the Shroud of Invisibility as that's the main element allowing him to do the task. For the roll on locating the item some other skill or action might be used. Perhaps he convinces some unwitting guard to take him to the room where the item is stored "The Evil Lord wants the item, and he'll have our heads if we don't take it to him now!"

That for me does away with having to worry about duration charges and the like in Story Mode. Like the rulebook says, if such details are important you should be in Encounter mode, not Story mode.

Lexicanum said:

I am actually not sure that this is Story Mode. As I understand ToA it will still be Encounter Mode but with rounds lasting 10 - 60 minutes.

The thing is that if the act with passing the guards at the gatehouse is played in Combat Encounter Mode, then the duration of Shroud of Invisibility is too short to let the PC remain invisible, but if we play the act in Non-combat Encounter Mode the duration of the spell will last several hours. My main concern here is consistency in my rulings as a GM. We will hopefully play for many years, so what I rule now will set a precedent for the future.

But what about Recharge Rating? Should that simply be ignored??

For me it really boils down to what you're trying to achieve and if you're worrying about the timing of events then you should really be in Encounter mode.

Just a question though, how big is this area/fortress that the players are exploring? From looking at the numbers I can't quite realize why Encounter mode won't work? Shroud of Invisibility lasts for 6 rounds. Using free maneuvers the player will be able to go from close to extreme range before the spell runs out at the end of turn phase. With some well spent fatigue points I believe they should be able to accomplish the task.

I don't see why it won't work, and I think it will add tension as they'll have to find a place to hide if they haven't managed to clear the guards. Just add closets, trees, stables or other nooks and crannies to the area that the PC can use as possible cover if he needs to gain power or take a breather.

However, it definitely won't be an "I'm invisible and I'll just sneak around as if I was the invisible man!!" type of scenario. So it might be the case that you have to adjust expectations. "This is Warhammer, you'll have to scale it down a notch."

I think sticking to the RAW will add tension and keep the player focused on the task at hand. Just add a Rally Step between each of the 5 waypoints/acts, to allow the wizard to remove some fatigue/stress points ("You safely pass the gatehouse guards, you take a few minutes to catch your breath and prepare yourself mentally for the next task"). I'm thinking he'll have to invoke the Shroud of Invisibility at least 5 times and hopefully his dice pool is good.

To make it a bit easier for the player you might want to convert any remaining recharge tokens to fortune dice during the Rally Step. So if the player makes it past the gatehouse in 3 rounds, he gets 3 [W] to his next roll. Hopefully, if Sigmar smiles upon him he'll have extra time for finding the item.

If you want to keep the 3-Act structure I'd break it down as: Act 1: Get into the fortress (pass the gatehouse, get in the fortress), Act 2: Locate and steal the item, Act 3: Make a run for it!

Alternatively, you could do a 5 Act structure to give the player more Rally Steps. So he could go past the gate house, and hide behind a stable, take a deep breath and then continue sneaking to the fortress. Etc...