Hide Life sorcery spell

[Antalon]

I’m trying to understand the spell’s effects of Hide Life. The spell states “It takes the body a period of one month divided by the Intensity of the spell to fully reform and heal. Conversely, if the recipient ventures further away from its soul jar than the Range of the spell, it begins to degenerate, suffering damage in reverse”.

I do not understand the meaning of “damage in reverse”.  How much, how often?

Help appreciated!

[Baron Wulfraed]

I'd interpret it to mean the same period/intensity as in healing, but instead causing that amount of damage.

[Bilharzia]

I had an additional question, does the damage apply to the Soul Jar or to the sorcerer? (I assume it is to the Soul Jar but the wording is slightly ambiguous).

[Antalon]

It makes more sense if ‘it’ refers to soul jar rather than the sorcerer.  For example, if an Intensity 7 Hide Life spell is in place, the recipient would reform in 4 days, fully healed (assume 28 days divide by 7 intensity).  But, if travelling more than Range distance from the soul jar, the jar deteriorates within 4 days (losing 25% of its HPs a day perhaps?).

in this case, more powerful intensity spells cause quicker damage?  Sort of makes sense if the magical energy is greater (Intensity 12 reforms in 2 days, 8 hours; the soul jar takes 56 hours to crumble?).

[Antalon]

Reading this again, the word ‘it’, does seem to refer to the recipient.  But ‘suffering damage in reverse’ still throws me!

[lawrence.whitaker]

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Reading this again, the word ‘it’, does seem to refer to the recipient.  But ‘suffering damage in reverse’ still throws me!

It does refer to the recipient, and the circumstances are specific to whether the recipient is injured or not.

While within range of the soul jar, the recipient heals at the rate described in the spell. But if, while injured, the recipient moves further away, then instead of regenerating from damage, they lose hit points instead, at the same rate. It's therefore an incentive for the recipient of the spell to keep the jar within a reasonable distance at all times - especially if injured. If the injured recipient and jar are separated beyond the spell's effectiveness, it's going to be pretty much curtains for the recipient - or at least an exacerbation for the injury that otherwise regenerates. 

The spell description could do with a little more clarity. We'll look at that for future errata.

[Antalon]

Thanks Loz,

a reasonable interest on this from the Discord server.  If the ‘it’ is the recipient, that helps.  I don’t see anything in the spell description that links degeneration to the condition that the target must be injured first however? Just degeneration to the point of permanent death once out of range.  The description didn’t suggest to me that the spell heals someone either, just returns them to life, fully healed, when dead.

An errata would be great.  Until then, I am tempted to interpret the spell that degeneration sets in once out of range, reflected by an erosion of HPs. So my example of a 7 intensity spell (taking 4 days to reform and heal if dying in Range of the soul jar), would mean that 25% of HPs are lost from each location per day if out of range.  And higher intensity spell causes more rapid degeneration.

[lawrence.whitaker]

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a reasonable interest on this from the Discord server.  If the ‘it’ is the recipient, that helps.  I don’t see anything in the spell description that links degeneration to the condition that the target must be injured first however? Just degeneration to the point of permanent death once out of range.  The description didn’t suggest to me that the spell heals someone either, just returns them to life, fully healed, when dead.

Yes, I can see how you'd infer this interpretation too. And having a recipient of the spell risk certain degeneration to the point of death if removed from the soul jar's sphere of influence makes for a nasty twist on the benefits of potential eternal life.