Detect Enemies Options

[WeaverMount]

Assume that a someone intends to attack a large group with and AoE effect. Does Detect Enemies trigger if
A)The attacker intends to attack everyone in the group with the specific knowledge that the mage is in the group
B)The attacker intends to attack everyone in the group without the specific knowledge that the mage is in the group
C) case but hopes to hit the mage

[Muspellsheimr]

A) Yes. The attacker intends harm to everyone in the group, & will trigger Detect Enemies by everyone in the group. You do not need to know who someone is to wish them harm.

B) See A.

C) ? Your question isn't exactly clear.

[WeaverMount]

Let me try again. Remind me never to post before coffee
B) The attacker intends to target a a group, but doesn't know that a mage is in that group or not, and never focuses on them. Say you wanted to nuke a city. Would that set off every DE in the city?
C) same as case b but hopes to hit the mage.

[Fortune]

A: Yes

B: No

C: Yes

Random acts against an unknown target or targets would not set off Detect Enemies. There has to be malicious intent on the part of the aggressor against the spellcaster (or the subject of the spell) himself.

[hyzmarca]

D) Lets say that a mob boss was trying to kill the team's Face/Disguise specialist but was killed. The Face has the magician put a Physical Mask and Detect Enemies so that he can pretend to be the dead mob boss and hopefully diffuse the situation before more blood is shed. The minigun-wielding street samurai doesn't know that the mob boss is already dead and was not informed of the plan, thus when he sees a dude who looks like the dude who is trying to kill his friend he decides to solves their problems right there by taking him out, not knowing that the dude he's trying to kill is really his friend in disguise. Does he register as an enemy?

I'm leaning towards no, because he's really just trying to help the face.

[pbangarth]

hyzmarca, I don't think the reasoning behind the ill will matters. Detect Enemy says,"That guy wants to kill you." Why, or whether he is in error, or whether a nested desire to help is in there doesn't matter.

Peter

[Fortune]

D: Yes

It makes no difference who the aggressor thinks the subject is. Only that he actually knowingly intends to do harm to the subject of the spell.

[masterofm]

How about

E) A demo expert sets a trap that has a motion detector and walks away from the trap to get a good view point to watch a group of runners fall into the trap. The DE spell is in his range (because the range can be stupidly huge) now he does not actively want to hurt them with any weapon he is holding but he had intent to hurt the party when he first set up the bomb does the DE still ping?

F) What if that same person sends the commands to remote detonate the bomb when group is in range of the detonation via a drone. He is not directly intending to put a hurt on the target, but to have his drone do the hurting. Would that count?

[Fortune]

E: No

F: Yes

In the first case, the bomber's prior mind-set while he set the trap is immaterial. It is his current intent and ability to do harm that matters. The difference in the second case is that he is using a remote detonator for the trap, and actually intending to activate it himself. If he sent a prior command to the drone to set off the trap however, and did not actively intend to personally act against the target at the time of the trap's detonation, then the answer would be No.