Verb:CHANNEL
Channel is an alternate method of casting various prepared spells, generally warding attack spells. Once the spell has been prepared, use the verb "CHANNEL {target}" instead of the verb "CAST {target}".
Warding attacks
Most channel-enabled warding spells behave similarly.
- Smite/Bane (302)
- Fervent Reproach (312)
- Divine Fury (317)
- Mana Disruption (702)
- Bone Shatter (1106)
- Wither (1115)
For these spells:
- Channeling incurs 3 seconds of hard roundtime, which runs concurrent with the 3 second cast roundtime.
- Channeling gives a benefit if at least one hand is open, but extra benefit is garnered by having both open.
- Channeling garners additional benefit when used from an aggressive stance. The more aggressive the stance, the bigger the benefit.
Channeling provides additional damage by boosting the effective warding margin of a spell. Thus a channeled spell with bonuses of 25 and a warding roll of 101 would do the same damage as a cast spell with a warding roll of 126. Stance gives a bonus of 5 at guarded and 20 at offensive which is multiplied by the number of open hands.
Some spells gain additional benefit when the target is incapacitated (stunned, bound, prone etc.). The bonus is 15 for a target bound with 301. Not all spells have this property. Spells known to have this benefit include 302, 312, 317, and 1106. Channeling is not required to receive the incapacitation bonus, but adds on top of it if used.
Channeling can be used in conjunction with the INCANT verb, provided the necessary settings are changed. Using SET CHANNELINCANT ON will let you automatically channel every time you incant on spells that allow it. SET CHANNELINCANT OFF will turn this feature off. INCANT will work normally on other spells.
EXTRA NOTE: Currently CHANNELING does not work correctly from the StormFront Combat Panel. When clicking the cast button for a channeled spell with the CHANNELINCANT setting at ON, the hard rt is applied but the spell is NOT actually channeled. Therefore no channeling benefits are applied to the cast spell. The issue is known to GM Estild.
Special cases
Channeling increases the number of targets but makes the spell non-player friendly unless the player is converted to the same pantheon as the caster.
Only factors in stance, not open-handedness.
Other uses
Certain non-attack spells also have a Channel option, which usually exists to differentiate between varying modes of the spell.
Channel at a container to attempt to grab a random item from inside.
Channel to permanently ensorcell an item.
Channel to break the weapon bond.