Astral Perception, How much do you see or allow to be seen Options

[grid.samurai]

Assensing is the true manner in which one is allowed to glean information off of a magical or living subject, but Astral Perception is where it begins. One must first "see" something before they can examine it in further detail. Non-living matter appears gray, intangible, and/or lacking in distinguishing traits. Living and magical things have an aura that can be studied in further detail. This is the way of perceiving and assensing astrally.

I'm curious how GMs (from either perspective - the GM or the Player's) have handled describing the astral in game. How much detail is given? Is it a muddy mass of gray with flecks of light here and there where flora and fauna exist? Does metahumanity look like blobs of rainbow-infused colors, garish colors beckoning to be delved into? How do you guys describe it or have it described to you?

Also, in searching for someone, how do you handle situations like that? Say, someone wanted to find an old contact in his old stomping grounds, but doesn't know exactly where he is at? How easy would that be without remembering his aura?

[Dolanar]

I portray it as a green aura backdrop, since the world is alive & would give off some sort of Aura, same goes with areas with lots of plant life. but walk into a city & you'll see lots of grey & muted colors with auras moving about as people move about their lives, the less essence a person has the more muted they become, melding into the background of the city & its lifelessness, as such, finding people in a major city is easier in astral because of how the aura's contrast to the muted backdrop.

[toturi]

Assensing is the true manner in which one is allowed to glean information off of a magical or living subject, but Astral Perception is where it begins. One must first "see" something before they can examine it in further detail. Non-living matter appears gray, intangible, and/or lacking in distinguishing traits. Living and magical things have an aura that can be studied in further detail. This is the way of perceiving and assensing astrally.

Not much detail at all, or as much detail as someone would get on the physical plane through Perception without any rolls.

[grid.samurai]

Not much detail at all, or as much detail as someone would get on the physical plane through Perception without any rolls.

If everything was grayed out, I've always thought of the astral as being rather devoid of detail when it comes to things like distinguishing one person from another, physically speaking. Color of hair? Freckles? Skin tone? Designs on clothing? It all seems like it would be a big mish-mash of nothing discernible.

[SpellBinder]

Hair color, skin tone, designs on clothing that aren't textured, not really things you'll get from the astral.

But you can still distinguish one person from another by their aura, even if they're not awakened.

And don't forget, all objects in the real world have astral shadows that cannot be seen through, even glass. Of course, if you're projecting you can always stick your head through a wall.

[grid.samurai]

Right, so assume someone needs to find a particular person and hasn't seen or know their aura. Is it possible, say if they were in a crowd? I've always thought this would be a very hard way to find someone, or worse, some un-magical/non-living thing.

[Dolanar]

can you find someone if not told what they are wearing or what they look like? same principle.

[SpellBinder]

Yeah, it would be very hard. Maybe even flat out impossible.

[grid.samurai]

can you find someone if not told what they are wearing or what they look like? same principle.

Visual perception would be different:

"Find the blonde-haired stranger with freckles wearing the anarchy shirt and brown pants. He'll be in that crowd."

The above can be given a difficulty level based on how many people are there and if the person searching can identify the visual identifiers. If someone is searching for someone astrally, using the exact same identifiers, it would be very difficult given that these kinds of details are lost in the astral.

[grid.samurai]

Whereas, someone might be able to identify visually things that can be seen on the astral. Sickness/Overall Health. Cyberware. Mood. It's possible. Hard, yes. But not as near nigh-impossible as the other way. Or so it has always seemed to me. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

[Rubic]

You'd have an advantage if the description was "they're magically active, and have recently been stressed enormously at work." You'd look for the potent aura that has the appearance of stress about it.

[CanRay]

"Dude, I can smell the colours!"

"For the last time, you are not a magician, you're just stoned!"

[SpellBinder]

I can see why hyper intelligent shades of blue avoid our neck of the woods.

[Rubic]

"Dude, I can smell the colours!"

"For the last time, you are not a magician, you're just stoned!"

"Is this what light tastes like?" *om nom nom... stare* "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!"

[Voran]

Would there be....50 shades of grey?


/apologizes.


Seriously tho, I'd actually say its similar to 'actual' aura sight, like just before I get migraines at times. Or a combination of those older nightvision models that would flare up and lose ability with sudden light. You see the world in a different tint, and then in further glowy detail depending on environment and object of perception.

[Dolanar]

when I think of Aura's I kinda always shift back to WhiteWolf & Auspex power in vampire, where there is a multishaded aura with several emotions, Magical beings have a more Vibrant Aura & low essence people have a more dull Aura, the higher the magic score the brighter the colors in the Aura. But I would also allow a possibility for a mage to be able to hide their magic in the Astral with the right set of skills.

[Sendaz]

The metamagic skill Masking can hide your talent on the astral, letting you appear to be mundane.

[Shemhazai]

What would a gamemaster tell an astrally perceiving character to roll to notice something when they are neither assensing an aura nor trying to observe in detail?

Other than for general knowledge, the reason I ask is because the Eagle mentor spirit gives +2 to all Perception tests. Are there cases where an astrally perceiving character would roll Perception rather than Assensing?

[forgarn]

Visual perception would be different:

"Find the blonde-haired stranger with freckles wearing the anarchy shirt and brown pants. He'll be in that crowd."

The above can be given a difficulty level based on how many people are there and if the person searching can identify the visual identifiers. If someone is searching for someone astrally, using the exact same identifiers, it would be very difficult given that these kinds of details are lost in the astral.

Yes instead of "Find the blonde-haired stranger with freckles wearing the anarchy shirt and brown pants. He'll be in that crowd," it would be "Find the human with a blueish-yellow aura, a cyber left arm who is awakened"

The physical descriptions would have to be different, but with a description it could be done. I think the question posed though was could you find the blond haired stranger in the crowd without the description of her. Makes it much more difficult to do.

[Dolanar]

Assensing is used for all forms of Astral perception as far as I am aware (note: in 4a enhanced perception adept power even boosted the assensing skill so it is still a perception skill)

[Chrome Head]

Whereas, someone might be able to identify visually things that can be seen on the astral. Sickness/Overall Health. Cyberware. Mood. It's possible. Hard, yes. But not as near nigh-impossible as the other way. Or so it has always seemed to me. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

I agree it seems that it is easier to find what you want physically. Good thing though, because astral perception lets you see a bunch of things that cannot be seen at all in the physical world, like astral projections, spirits, active spells, magical barriers, where the earth is. Also, when astrally projecting, there is a huge freedom of movement that make searching easier in that respect.

I'm wondering how easy it is to hide in the astral (say for a spirit or while astrally projecting), by being surrounded in 3D by dead grey objects.

[quentra]

I always fluff Astral Perception as washing everything into scents of octarine.

[SpellBinder]

Assensing is used for all forms of Astral perception as far as I am aware (note: in 4a enhanced perception adept power even boosted the assensing skill so it is still a perception skill)

Assensing is used for interpreting auras, being able to tell how powerful an awakened is or what kind of spell is on them.

Perception is still used to tell if there's an astral entity trying to hide behind the shadow of something in the real world.

They're related, but used for different things, like the Hardware & Software skills.

[Voran]

Dunno how accurate vs pretty fluff it is, but pg 193 SR4A has in-book art that seems to indicate what an astral view of a bar might look like.

[grid.samurai]

I agree it seems that it is easier to find what you want physically. Good thing though, because astral perception lets you see a bunch of things that cannot be seen at all in the physical world, like astral projections, spirits, active spells, magical barriers, where the earth is. Also, when astrally projecting, there is a huge freedom of movement that make searching easier in that respect.

Right. In general, being nigh-limitless in movement would be better for searching for something, unless that something's details were next-to-impossible to see in the astral. That was really the point of my question.