My Charlatan Can't Cast Spells
 

I have a level 7 Charlatan, and I have a bunch of spells in the 'quick' bar at the bottom of the screen, but they are always dark. I'm just wondering what the problem is, because I think Charlatans can cast spells, but for some strange reason it just isn't working. The manual is pretty much worthless in answering my questions. Has anybody else had a Charlatan that was able to cast spells, and any advice on how to get my character to get to the point where spells can be used?

Your charlatan is wearing metal armour.

Score another one for the lack of clarity in the manual!!

Now now Mr Corwin ;) let's be realistic and truthful.
What would be the pleasure and fun of finding every answer in a manual. The very essence is that the gamer must must use his/her own spatial imaginative reasoning within the allowed tolerances of the game, *that* is what the game is for. A gamers initiative is essential in such applied logic situations…..surely?

But having a character just 'FAIL' isn't realistic either … there needs to be better in-game communication … or the manual … or a note in the character page.

I just never equipped metal armor on spellcasters out of D&D habit …

As TDE is not well known outside of Germany, one would expect a manual to give you the basics of the system!!

Thx, Gorath.

Does the console show a malus when trying magic while wearing metal?

Cloth robes and leather armor solved the problem. I should have though of that.

I wouldn't have knows it, if I hadn't read it on the official forum before.

It also happened to my mage character, i removed just one pair of metal gloves and all spell-casting returned to normal. This situation happens within other rpg's and is perfectly feasible and has been around for years.
To have a fully metal armoured mage kitted out with breastplate, greaves, gauntlets, gloves, helmet, etc and be able to cast all manner of spells is treading the boundaries of character attribute limits (eg: why bother having separate mages and tanks) - these built-in handicaps prevent distortion of the rule set.

We all agree, the problem in this case is that there is no message telling you anything. You could go buying stuff, juggle things around, swap pieces here and there to one char and the next, and half an hour later you go to a fight and suddenly your caster can't cast spells. Is it a bug? Are you cursed? Did you upset the gods and they removed your powers?
All that's really needed is a message box saying "metal armor impedes the casting of this spell".

And that, to veteran gamers would be hand-holding, i guess another inevitable help option tag might be even worse!

I'm a veteran gamer, and there are a whole bunch of CRPG's out there that allow metal armor on spell casters; it's not 'hand holding' to expect the game's manual to explain the rules.

My point exactly!! Some games permit it, some don't and others have penalties. It would have been nice for the manual to tell us which is the case for a rules system most of us are not familiar with!!

I have often picked skills & spells in (A)D&D games of which I didn't know that the characters wouldn't be able to use them.

I agree, Corwin. I remember when we would get 'bound' manuals, cloths maps etc. without buying the 'special edition' of a game. The last really good manual I remember was for Wizardry 8.