disrupting spell casting

[saskganesh]

And... If you think a spell caster should not be affected by a failed melee attack, I challenge you to recite poetry while a large, angry fellow swings a long blade at you.

It's a good thing I am not an adventurer. I'd be running.

Now what if it's a wounded goblin shaking a rusty shortsword at Great Grandulf the Greyed?

Just a gnat really. Grandulf just gracefully sidesteps him and casts.

***
I run things differently. I use d10 initiative for more granularity, and allowing INIT bonuses for Dex. HIgh roll goes first. We reroll INIT every round. INIT is usually by side, but sometimes (small combats) it's by participant. If a magic user is hit for damage (Magical or Physical) before the spell is cast, the spell is lost, that's it. If there's a special (magic) case, I make a ruling.

[chiisu81]

Okay, thought it over. The rule for disrupting a spellcaster should be:

In order to disrupt (and spoil) the casting of a spell, the spellcaster must be attacked just as he or she casts the spell. In general, disrupting a spell requires an attack delivered by a character or creature having a higher Initiative number; the attack must be delayed (i.e. the attacker's action must be held) until the same Initiative number as the caster. Attackers having the same or lower Initiative number as the caster cannot interrupt the spell casting, though if the attacker acts normally on the same Initiative number as the caster, each may affect the other just as with two normal combatants acting on the same Initiative. Any melee attack, even a failed attack, will disrupt spell casting, but only a successful missile weapon attack may do so.

I like this; to be included in R78 (on p. 15) to replace current text?

[Solomoriah]

Probably.