Spell Successfully Cast

[P5ychoDuck]

Hello! First time poster, but long time lurker.

When casting a spell, you select a target and apply the effect after it has been successfully cast.

Quote

If successfully cast, pick an enemy unit within 18" of the caster and which is visible to them. [...]

What is considered to be a Successful Cast of a spell? Is it before or after the unbind roll? Or is a successful cast the initial roll by the wizard? If the wizard roll higher than the casting value, is it considered a successful casting? and then an opposing wizard would get to try to unbind it if it was actually successful? Or is a successful cast of a spell when the actual spell goes off and deals damage, gives a buff, etc. ?

Actually my question is: when does the opponent gets to choose to unbind or not? Before or after I announce the target of my spell? I have seen a lot of debate on this. 

Thanks.

[BaldoBeardo]

Opponent gets to declare unbind before effects are applied - so by strict reading, they can let you pick target first (for example) before declaring unbind.

[P5ychoDuck]

But i'm trying to understand why my opponent can wait for me to announce the target before deciding to unbind or not. 

Because it is not "Roll two dice and pick a target. If the spell is successful, then [something happens]."

It's: "Roll two dice. If he spell is successful, then [something happens]."

From how I read it, here is how (i think) it works:

1. I call that my wizard will cast a spell (let's say Arcane Bolt)
2. I roll two dice, trying to beat the casting value of the spell
3. If I fail, then the spell is unsuccessful
4. If I succeed, the spell would be successful, unless my opponent unbinds it (there is still a possibility of the spell being unsuccessful, so I don't see why I would have to call my target at this point)
5. If the enemy rolls higher on his unbind roll. The spell is unsuccessful
6. If the enemy rolls lower on his roll, then the spell is successful
7. If the spell is successful, I select a target in range and it suffers D3 mortal wound.

I'm an old Fantasy Battle player, and I know that in that version of the game, you had to call your target before rolling the spell. In my AOS begining, I was reverting to that old WFB knowledge when I was unsure of something, but that is a bad habit that I am trying to get rid of.

It's as much or a gamble/strategy for my opponent to try to read me/my play and guess the target of my spell than it is for the caster to try and hide/bluff the target.

I'm just trying to get the sequencing right.

[yarrickson]

From reading the section in the 4 pages of rules I think the issues with your sequence are that unbinding only gets to happen if a spell is successfully cast and the rules explicitly state that "successfully cast" is the state reached by meeting the casting roll. Also that checking range and selecting a unit is not an 'effect' of a spell, but a stipulation as to its legitimate use.  

So stages using Arcane Bolt as example. 

1. Declare wizard is casting. 

2.Check for complicating factors to cast (buffs/debuffs) 

3. Roll to cast

4a: roll unsuccessful, spell fails (apply any re-roll/modifiers)

4b: roll successful, spell is successfully cast 

5. Check range and select target per spell. 

6. Enemy may elect to unbind

7. If not unbound apply 'spell effects'  (in this case the d3 mortal wounds).

 

[RuneBrush]

Just read the exact wording and my interpretation is that the unbind can happen at any point between a spell being successfully cast and it's effects applied.  So an opponent may elect to unbind after the dice are rolled and before you select a target, or after you select a target.  I'm guessing it's written this way as not all spells require a target.

To clarify the "Successfully Cast" bit is the result of the 2D6 roll.