House Rule: Magic and Perception, Or, spells are made of neon! Options

[Tanegar]

Springing from the Imbuing thread, an idea for Perception and magic:

Magic, any kind of magic, is immediately obvious (Perception threshold 0). Magicians may learn a metamagic technique called Shrouding to make their art more subtle.

Shrouding
Prerequisite: Masking
The initiate learns to make his or her workings less noticeable. The threshold for Perception tests to notice spellcasting and summoning by the initiate becomes [magician's initiate grade - spell's or spirit's Force].

The effect of this, I hope, is that you need to be a pretty deep initiate to throw major mojo around without everyone in a five-block radius being aware of it.

[Makki]

1. The threshold is not 0. It's 6 minus Force.
2. What you actually mean is [6 - Force + IG]
3. This has already been proposed twice in this forum within a year or so.

[Aerospider]

1. The threshold is not 0. It's 6 minus Force.
2. What you actually mean is [6 - Force + IG]
3. This has already been proposed twice in this forum within a year or so.

I believe he is suggesting a houserule in conjunction with a new metamagic, such that even Alter Memory lights up the night sky and threatens any kind of covert operation.

[Elfenlied]

One of the new splatbooks has a metamagic technique that makes it an opposed test (Int+Perception vs Magic+Initiate grade). I believe it was Spy Games.

[Tanegar]

1. The threshold is not 0. It's 6 minus Force.

Under RAW, yes. Hence my labeling this a HOUSE RULE. Or weren't you paying attention?

2. What you actually mean is [6 - Force + IG]

No, I'm pretty sure that what I actually wrote is what I actually mean.

3. This has already been proposed twice in this forum within a year or so.

Apparently not, since you comprehensively misunderstood what I'm actually proposing. Also, I originally proposed the rule you're describing.

[Makki]

Under RAW, yes. Hence my labeling this a HOUSE RULE. Or weren't you paying attention?

I was under the impression, the house rule is the new metamagic. Not the new way to percieve magic (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)
In my defense, I was just trying to be helpful -.-

[Dolanar]

How would this apply to Adepts who do not generally create effects, but have many of their powers permanently active? I could see this making adepts who like to sneak pointless since by your houserule they will be permanently glowing & obviously magical at all times.

[Lionhearted]

Immediately obvious is a bit harsh dont you think? It would mean that every time you told a cop that he was looking for the wrong drones he would instantly get the mage mask out... However lowering the initial threshold to like 5 or 4-F makes noticing the hand wave a bit more feasible...
Besides Mages already light up like christmas trees on the astral don't they? attracting "their" attention...

Edit: and oh every adept would look like Dr manhattan or Human torch, I approve of that (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

[Dolanar]

well, I dunno if they'd light up, but every mundane around them would be instantly aware that they specifically were using magic in some way shape or form & then might likely distrust them for it, just means every adept will have to invest as a face to bluff their way out of most situations.

[Miri]

This sounds like a good excuse to rabble rouse in a low magic setting Seattle.. pitchforks and torches hang the mages!

[Lionhearted]

This sounds like a good excuse to rabble rouse in a low magic setting Seattle.. pitchforks and torches hang the mages!

Until a poor hunted magi cracks and commit suicide... by summoning a F12 Spirit

[Dolanar]

or that lone 10 Magic Mage says screw Seattle & sets off a F20 Fireball in the middle of downtown

[Halinn]

Until a poor hunted magi cracks and commit suicide... by summoning a F12 Spirit

Manage one net hit, barely hang on to consciousness. Give the order "kill all metahumans who are not me."

[Dolanar]

nah... "Kill all unawakened" since a spirit can still make a perception roll of 0 he can easily determine who is & is not awakened

[phlapjack77]

Springing from the Imbuing thread, an idea for Perception and magic:

Magic, any kind of magic, is immediately obvious (Perception threshold 0). Magicians may learn a metamagic technique called Shrouding to make their art more subtle.

Shrouding
Prerequisite: Masking
The initiate learns to make his or her workings less noticeable. The threshold for Perception tests to notice spellcasting and summoning by the initiate becomes [magician's initiate grade - spell's or spirit's Force].

The effect of this, I hope, is that you need to be a pretty deep initiate to throw major mojo around without everyone in a five-block radius being aware of it.

I'm not sure I like this house rule, because I like the idea of low-force spells being subtle and hard to notice. This new way, you need 2 metamagics to even be able to start hiding magic use.

That said, I like the idea of Shrouding (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

[Elfenlied]

Isn't Magic already retardedly easy to notice, anyway? I always thought it was too easy, tbh. The above rule would basically force any mage to take the metamagic from Spy Games. Because quite frankly, even Shrouding sucks.

[DMiller]

Isn't Magic already retardedly easy to notice, anyway? I always thought it was too easy, tbh. The above rule would basically force any mage to take the metamagic from Spy Games. Because quite frankly, even Shrouding sucks.

I agree with you, magic is already way too easy to notice. Our group uses a house rule for the threshold to notice spellcasting. Our threshold is Magic - Force. This makes a powerful mage using low force spells very hard to detect.

Of course YMMV.

-D

[phlapjack77]

I agree with you, magic is already way too easy to notice. Our group uses a house rule for the threshold to notice spellcasting. Our threshold is Magic - Force. This makes a powerful mage using low force spells very hard to detect.

How is this appreciably different than the 6-F that is in the books? Other than that it screws low-magic mages...

[Dolanar]

its not appreciably different until higher in the game as I can tell, when some mages could have upwards of 8-10 Magic which would give a F1 spell a Threshold of 7-9

[NiL_FisK_Urd]

The above rule would basically force any mage to take the metamagic from Spy Games.

Which metamagic are you referring to? Spell Masking just makes the spell harder to detect with assensing or "Detect Magic"

[Elfenlied]

Which metamagic are you referring to? Spell Masking just makes the spell harder to detect with assensing or "Detect Magic"

Just re-read the metamagic, and it does indeed only apply to sustained spells.

[_Pax._]

How is this appreciably different than the 6-F that is in the books? Other than that it screws low-magic mages...

A Grade 5 Initiate with Magic 11, would be able to sling F5 spells pretty much unnoticeably.

[Tymeaus Jalynsfe...]

A Grade 5 Initiate with Magic 11, would be able to sling F5 spells pretty much unnoticeably.

Which I find distrubing...
Of course, I LIKE the spell noticing rules. A Threshold of 6-F is perfect, in my opinion. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

[Halinn]

Which I find distrubing...
Of course, I LIKE the spell noticing rules. A Threshold of 6-F is perfect, in my opinion. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

You should find grade 5 initiate magic 11 mages disturbing.

[Tymeaus Jalynsfe...]

You should find grade 5 initiate magic 11 mages disturbing.

That does not disturb me all that much, even if rare. What disturbs me is the concept that they should be able to cast magic more clandestinely. I disagree with that thought.