Thank you, Atama! Honestly, I keep wanting to argue the speed of lightning vs bullets, because it
is significant, but it's also basically irrelevant. It kind of helps establish why I think at least the spells (as always, also meaning miracles and psionic abilities) that we have make sense in working differently, but it's not actually why I thought they did, or think they should.
Kuildeous wrote:True, but there are plenty of opportunities for perks to be muted. Many perks provide no benefits when disconnected in most of the world.
Also true for the attacking spells, which are all (except for Bullet, which, as I've said, I think would be the exception here for its own reasons) very high Axiom - Fireball, Lightning, and Pyrokinesis are Contradictory in half the realms, while Hellfire and Lightning Strike are good in 5/8 because Spirit axioms tend to run high.
And they uniquely risk Backlash when you miss, which is more likely to happen with those spells than any others for a number of reasons -- defenses tend to be the higher DNs, you're more likely to push the limits on combat spells, and they're the ones that get affected by, rather than causing, Concentration penalties.
One of the great benefits of miracles/spells/psionics is that they usually can't be taken away. There are defenses against them, but they can't be confiscated by the bouncer like a gun would be. And you're using a skill that's likely already going to be increased since it can be used by other spells. In general, fire combat, missile weapons, and energy weapons skills will only see one use. Faith can be used for other miracles than just hellfire.
The first is technically true, but that actually comes up in games
so rarely - scenes where you can't bring your gear are specially set up plot devices, and it's frankly just as easy to make an area a null-magic zone. It's not a mechanical counterbalance. I actually disagree with you on the skill-versatility part. It's true for Faith, but then Faith has your choices choked back (eg., "Ward Enemy, and
then you can choose.") Magic has four Skills to build up if you want the versatility, where you only ever need Fire Combat, Missile Weapons,
or Energy Weapons, and that `one use' they see is the cornerstone of almost every Scene in every Act.
In that split-second of electricity arcing through the air, your buddy may get in the way.
...OK, I know, but seriously, the `split second' for a bullet is about a tenth of a second. That `split second' for lightning is literally
a millisecond to jump the full 100 meter range. Yes, I can actually move a perceptible amount in a tenth of a second, especially if I'm already moving. In a millisecond? I can just about get a nerve impulse to the muscle. I want to say they're not comparable, but they totally are: the lightning is about a hundred times faster, and that is rounding
down. Unless your buddy is The Flash, they're not going anywhere.
I also play with equipment being fleeting. Unless the item is part of a perk, it could get lost or stolen and be gone forever. But items and abilities tied to perks make their way to the PC eventually. A new wolf, a new gun, etc.
That's also relatively rare and in no way built into the system like this is. It's valid, but it's not reliable. RAW, I can still do everything with tech that I can do with magic, but without hurting myself every time I miss. But that does bring up another good point: if I stick with the tech side of things, I can use those freed-up Perks to buff that with things like Sniper, Trademarked Weapon, etc, getting added benefits as well as, even under your view, tying the item to me reliably. I AM really hoping Aysle comes with some comparable options to buff spellcasting, but that's just me dreaming, and even if it happens would only equalize that piece.
Between the Perk cost and the Backlash risk, I really do think it's, well,
fair for spells to be a little bit better, and more than just, "Ah, but you can bring them to the bar!"