Divine Intervention and Gear Up

[Biblofilter]

Warlord vs Priestess

Warlord cast Gear Up

Free Spell action
#1 Mage Wand (+Rune of Power)
#2 Dancing Scimitar
#3 Eagleclaw Boots

Text from Gear Up:
"Only a Mage may cast this spell. As free actions, cast up to three Equipment spells from your spellbook, targeting your Mage, paying the total mana cost for each one"

When and to what effect can the Priestess reveal Divine Intervention?

[keejchen]

Gonna jump in and clarify the issue a little bit.

I believe the only free action spells we currently have are in Gear Up and the Strategist's Helm.

To me the question boils down to how these free actions are treated. Are they treated A) as normal spells, with steps that can be interrupted, or B) as instantaneous effects, i.e. inside Gear Up's "Resolve Spell" step, in case of the Helm: Instantaneous in priority like Hand of Bim.

In our game we resolved it as in option A, which is probably right, but on the other hand the rule is that you can't interrupt an initiated step, and I feel like we are interrupting Gear Up's "Resolve Spell" step, since that shouldn't be over before the free actions are resolved.

If B, then you would have to reveal DI to break Gear Up and the whole process stops with just 2 mana and Gear Up lost. Much simpler!

Going further with option A: If possible to interrupt free action #1, what happens to free actions #2 and #3.
- Are they lost too?
- Does it just stop Gear Up (meaning the other spells stay in book), or
- does it allow free action #2 and #3 to be cast after #1 is broken?

[Kaarin]

You may reveal DI before Gear Up's resolve step and simply break it. If You don't do that then the opponent has up to 3 free actions. Each of those actions follow normal steps for casting spell. You can reveal DI after opponent pays for Mage Wand and break that single action, but it won't have any effect on other two because opponent didn't even start them. Then opponent can cast another Mage Wand if he had 2 copies of it.

[Kelanen]

You may reveal DI before Gear Up's resolve step and simply break it. If You don't do that then the opponent has up to 3 free actions. Each of those actions follow normal steps for casting spell. You can reveal DI after opponent pays for Mage Wand and break that single action, but it won't have any effect on other two because opponent didn't even start them. Then opponent can cast another Mage Wand if he had 2 copies of it.

This is my inclination also, although it's a good question.

I *think* Gear Up has fully resolved on granting you those 3 free actions; they take place outside of the Gear-Up sequence. The free actions are essentially use on priority abilities (implied, but not stated that they have to be used at once before passing priority).

[RomeoXero]

I don't believe you'd be allowed to continue to cast any further equipment once DI is revealed. The mage moved, the spell is countered. I don't know if you can even wait for the equipment to show up, you must use it on the cast in order to counter gear up

[Kaarin]

In case of normal spell You wouldn't be able to reveal DI during resolve spell step, so You would have to reveal it before the step to break spell. Gear Up grants its target 3 free actions. Those actions follow normal steps for casting spell. You can reveal DI to cancel one of those actions after opponent pays for piece of equipment, but it won't affect other actions because You can't alter past effects. Actions were granted when Gear Up resolved and trying to counter resolved spell is like rerolling dice with Akiro's Favor once damage is applied.

[jacksmack]

There is no rule to when you cannot reveal.

It’s when you can reveal. Between steps... there is no steps inside the resolve of gear up. Just like there is steps inside the upkeep when pillar of flame is in play.

added a 'no' too many.

[Arkdeniz]

You cannot reveal an enchantment during a Step.

The 3 free actions to put out the equipment occur *during* the Resolve Spell step (they are the effect of the Gear Up spell).

So my reading is that you could reveal DI after the Cast Spell step. Or after the Counter Spell step, but once the Resolve Spell step has started, you have lost your chance. All three pieces of equipment get cast. Then the Gear Up spell concludes.


(To my mind the Gear Up equipment casts stand outside of the normal time stream of the game. I don't know if there are any old Dungeons and Dragons players here, but if there are they may remember the old Timestop spell. This gave the wizard 3 rounds of free actions that could not be interfered with by any external source. Gear Up is a bit like that.)

[Biblofilter]

Gear Up text:

Epic - Warlord Only

Only a Mage may cast this spell. As free actions, cast up to three Equipment Spells from your spellbook, targeting your Mage, paying the total mana cost for each one.

---------------------------

If the Warlord cast all tree equipment spells would the not each follow the spell steps?

CAST SPELL ACTION
1. Declare Spell
2. Pay Cost
3. Counter Spell
4. Resolve

If that's the case you could reveal and stop/cancel one of the equipment spells.

[wtcannonjr]

I'm with Bibliofilter and Kaarin on this one.

I think Gear Up needs to resolve FIRST in order for the effect of the 3 Free Actions begins. Then each Free Action starts with a new Cast Spell action with appropriate steps. This creates more opportunities for enchantments to be revealed before returning to the regular Action Phase sequence of play.

This works similar to how an Attack Spell works. i.e. The Cast a Spell action steps are completed through Resolve and then the Attack Action steps are followed as an effect of the Attack spell resolution. Enchantments are then able to be revealed during any step of the Cast a Spell action or the following Attack Action.

[Biblofilter]

bump!