Hi folks, i found a few more mechanics I could use a little clarification on:

1) Horror checks happen before any spell casting, correct?

2) When casting a spell before a combat roll: If you fail, can you continue to try to cast it before your combat check without repercussions? (as long as you have the sanity to spare, that is)

3) Are spells that increase your combat rolls considered to be magical damage and therefore affected by Magical Resistance/Immunity? Or does that only affect magical weapons?

Thanks in advance for all your help!

1) Yes.

2) If you fail a spell check, usually the spell is exhausted, so can't be cast until being refreshed (usually during upkeep). Hands used for casting that spell can't be used for anything else during that round of fight. Yep, sounds like you're in trouble

3) Yes. Bonus from spell are magical bonus. Magical Resistance and Immunity have some effect against those bonus, except if something said the contrary .

I've also played (and other too have house-ruled) that if you miss the check, you don't sacrifuce the Sanity…of course, you can't use the hand that round, but hey, you're sanity is still intact…sort of…

I've also played (and other too have house-ruled) that if you miss the check, you don't sacrifice the Sanity…of course, you can't use the hand that round, but hey, you're sanity is still intact…sort of…

midashand said:

That's generally when it happens, but it's not an absolute rule. Once "combat" begins, any combat spell can be cast, even before the Horror Check. Two examples:

You want to cast the Red Sign of Shudde M'ell to remove "Nightmarish" before the Horror Check in order to survive passing the Horror Check.

Now this is much more elaborate, but I've seen this happen: Player is low on Sanity, high on Stamina. The only way to pass a Horror Check would require Clues. If he gets to the Combat Check, the only way he has a chance at winning is by casting Shriveling (and maybe Wither too). If he fails that Spell Check, he will end up in the Hospital, and any Clues he may have used for a passed Horror Check would have been wasted. So he chooses to cast Shriveling BEFORE the Horror Check; that way if he fails the Spell Check, he can just forfeit the Horror Check, and go to the Asylum, losing only a bit of Sanity instead of a lot of Stamina. (And I believe that's what happened: he chose not to use any Clues on either the failed Spell Check or the Horror Check.)