Resolved Enhanced Blade Clarification

[Aedo-sama]

I am looking to clarify application of some of the wording in a given spell. I was directed here for specific answers by one of the rules people in the Alliance Utah chapter.

Page 117 of the Alliance Rulebook (V. 1.3) describes Elemental Blade’s effect as:

This spell allows the recipient to transform a weapon into a temporary elemental-enchanted blade.
The recipient chooses which element and when to use the Elemental Blade, and announces the total damage of the swing while saying “<element>” instead of “normal” or “silver.”
Available choices are ice, flame, lightning, or stone. It may be used on any weapon, even bows and crossbows.
This spell lasts until dispelled or ten minutes pass, whichever is first.​

Page 120 of the same rules describes Magic Blade as:

This spell allows the recipient to transform a weapon into a temporary magic-enchanted blade, allowing damage against certain creatures which can only be harmed by magic. It may be used on any weapon, even bows and crossbows.
The recipient announces the total damage of the swing while saying “magic” instead of “normal” or “silver.”​

And of course, the V. 2.0 Rules update says on Page 10:

Enhanced Blade: This allows the recipient to choose any of the following carriers: Magic, Flame, Ice, Lightning, or Stone. It effectively combines the old Magic Blade and Elemental Blade effects together.​

With all this in mind, I have some questions about the effects of the Enhanced Blade spell.

Let us presume that there are three people in our example: Caster A, Target B, and Bystander C. How do these examples work out/ are they rules legal?

1. Caster A casts Enhanced Blade on Target B. Target B immediately decides their sword is a fire-enchanted weapon. Therefore for 10 minutes, while swinging their sword they call the damage of “2 Fire” for each swing. (Presumably this is the basic intended situation of how this spell is supposed to function.)
   
2. While enchanted with Enhanced Blade, Target B is using their fire-enchanted sword. For one strike, they call damage of “2 Fire”. Then, for a second swing they call “2 Normal”, and then a third reverts to “2 fire.”
   
3. Caster A casts Enhanced Blade on Target B. After 5 minutes, Target B decides their sword is fire-enchanted and begins swinging for “2 Fire.”
   
4. In the example above, does Target B’s fire-enchantment expire after 5 minutes (10 minutes from casting time) or after 10 minutes of enchantment (with a total of 15 minutes from casting time)?
   
5. Caster A casts Enhanced Blade on Target B. Target B fire-enchants their sword and then hands it to Bystander C. Bystander C swings for “2 Fire” with their new sword.
   
6. Caster A casts Enhanced Blade on Target B. Target B hands their sword to Bystander C and then declares the sword to be fire-enchanted.
   
7. Caster A casts Enhanced Blade on Target B. Target B turns to their friend, Bystander C (about 10 feet away) and declares Bystander C’s axe to be fire enchanted.
   
8. Caster A casts Enhanced Blade by throwing a spell packet to their ally, Target B. Bystander C steps in the way of the packet at the last minute and is struck by it. Bystander C declares their axe to be ice-enchanted.
   
9. With an Enhanced Blade enchanted weapon, Target B swings for “2 Fire” and then makes their next swing while calling “2 Ice”.

As another question which has occurred to me since the original writing of this: When the target/recipient of the spell activates the spell effects is their weapon actually transformed into a blade? That is to say, does it now follow the rules for blade weapons as opposed to blunt weapons for the spell’s duration?

 

[Polare]

The biggest thing to remember with Blade spells is that - unlike the (similar) Imbuement Rituals - they are on a *person* and affect all weapons that person wields during the spell's duration. The final text for the new spell (which will be available as soon as the full 2.0 rulebook is released) is, as you might guess from the packet, pretty much the same as the old 1.3 Elemental Blade:

This spell allows the recipient to transform a weapon into a temporary Evocation-enchanted blade.
The recipient chooses a single type of blade when the spell is cast on them and announces the total damage of their weapon swings while saying "<effect>" as their weapon carrier instead of "normal", "silver", or whatever they might otherwise call. They are not required to use the temporary carrier on every weapon swing.
Available choices are limited to: Magic, Ice, Flame, Lightning, or Stone. It may be used on any weapon, even bows or crossbows.
The spell lasts until dispelled or ten minutes pass, whichever comes first.

To answer your questions in order:

Caster A casts Enhanced Blade on Target B. Target B immediately decides their sword is a fire-enchanted weapon. Therefore for 10 minutes, while swinging their sword they call the damage of “2 Fire” for each swing. (Presumably this is the basic intended situation of how this spell is supposed to function.)

Yep, this works; other than the correct call being "Flame" not "Fire".

While enchanted with Enhanced Blade, Target B is using their fire-enchanted sword. For one strike, they call damage of “2 Fire”. Then, for a second swing they call “2 Normal”, and then a third reverts to “2 fire.”

This is correct. Generally speaking, when a character has the choice of multiple effects they can swing, they can pick any available for each swing.

Caster A casts Enhanced Blade on Target B. After 5 minutes, Target B decides their sword is fire-enchanted and begins swinging for “2 Fire.”
In the example above, does Target B’s fire-enchantment expire after 5 minutes (10 minutes from casting time) or after 10 minutes of enchantment (with a total of 15 minutes from casting time)?

The target should choose the element right when they receive the spell, not partway through its duration. They don't have to swing it right away - they can swing at any point during the 10 minute duration - but the choice and the timer both start right when the target receives the spell.

Caster A casts Enhanced Blade on Target B. Target B fire-enchants their sword and then hands it to Bystander C. Bystander C swings for “2 Fire” with their new sword.
Caster A casts Enhanced Blade on Target B. Target B hands their sword to Bystander C and then declares the sword to be fire-enchanted.
Caster A casts Enhanced Blade on Target B. Target B turns to their friend, Bystander C (about 10 feet away) and declares Bystander C’s axe to be fire enchanted.

Nope - Blade spells affect a person, not an individual weapon. If their weapon is handed off to someone else, it's just its normal self outside of the original target's hands.

Caster A casts Enhanced Blade by throwing a spell packet to their ally, Target B. Bystander C steps in the way of the packet at the last minute and is struck by it. Bystander C declares their axe to be ice-enchanted.

Sure, this is fine. C is now the target of the spell, not B, and gets to make all choices associated with that status.

With an Enhanced Blade enchanted weapon, Target B swings for “2 Fire” and then makes their next swing while calling “2 Ice”.

Nope, gotta pick one and only one element when you get the spell cast on you.

As another question which has occurred to me since the original writing of this: When the target/recipient of the spell activates the spell effects is their weapon actually transformed into a blade? That is to say, does it now follow the rules for blade weapons as opposed to blunt weapons for the spell’s duration?

Nope, the name of the spell is just for flavor. Effect names should never be read as rules text; that's what the rule descriptions in the book are for.

As a side note, in the future, please post questions first to the Marshal Forum (https://alliancelarp.com/forum/forums/marshal-questions.215/) before posting them here.

Thanks,
Bryan Gregory
ARC