[X] My Assistant

[Axl]

What happens if the viewpoint of a Clairvoyance spell attempts to move through an astral ward?

(If it's relevant, I am running an SR4 game.)

[blaze2050]

It's not in the description of the Clairvoyance spell, but there is the Mana Window spell in Street Magic (page 168), that gives us this:

These advanced versions of Clairvoyance (p. 198, SR4) and Astral Clairvoyance (p. 166) allow the subject to see or assense past mana barriers (which normally stop Clairvoyance and are opaque on the astral)

[Axl]

Thank you, that is helpful.

Can the viewer try to move the viewpoint through the barrier?

[blaze2050]

I would think not.
Else it would be just a matter of a few actions to try out several viewpoints outside to get inside.

It's one of those cases, where the original thing from the rulebook is nearly totally useless if compared to its pimped counterpart from an expansion book.
Yes, the drain of clairvoyance is one lower than Mana Window, but is a low drain anyway.
Every player who began building a character and choosing spells in the rulebook asks if he can take Mana Window instead of Clairvoyance after reading the spell section of Street Magic.

[Tymeaus Jalynsfe...]

I would think not.
Else it would be just a matter of a few actions to try out several viewpoints outside to get inside.

It's one of those cases, where the original thing from the rulebook is nearly totally useless if compared to its pimped counterpart from an expansion book.
Yes, the drain of clairvoyance is one lower than Mana Window, but is a low drain anyway.
Every player who began building a character and choosing spells in the rulebook asks if he can take Mana Window instead of Clairvoyance after reading the spell section of Street Magic.

I take Clairvoyance (I prefer the Extended Range Veriosn, actually)... Generally Useful... And one can always pick up Mana Window if they need it at a later time. Not everything is going to be protected by a Ward. *shrug*

[Axl]

Okay, thank you.

I was wondering if maybe the spell's Force would diminish as it passed through the barrier, potentially putting it "out of range", or maybe it might alert the barrier's caster. Perhaps I'm overthinking it.

[blaze2050]

Don't worry about overthinking.
When I hadn't seen the Mana Window yet, I also thought about, how hits by a resistance roll from the barrier, will diminish my spells hits and what that meant.
Then I saw in the Mana Window spell and that they did exactly that.
I think (overthinking again) that when I have 5 hits with Mana Window and for example a Ward steals 2 with its roll, than I just cannot see as good as I could at the places, where there was no barrier.
Because the general description of a passive detection spell (and Clairvoyance and Mana Window are passive) says (page 206 SR4):

The Spellcasting Test serves as a magical Perception test, against an appropriate threshold determined by the gamemaster. Other effects are noted in the spell descriptions. The Detection Spell Results table provides guidelines for how thoroughly the sense works, based on net hits scored

So your net hits in Mana Window are your Perception (that might be good or bad, depending how good your Perception skill is).
The barrier's resistance roll hits will not put the target out of range, but they will "dull" the picture. The range of Detection spells is not dependent on hits, but always Force * Magic.

What you see will be less clear if you loose hits to the barrier. That's how I would interpret the quote above.

[Axl]

Thank you. That is a sensible interpretation.

[Voran]

I take Clairvoyance (I prefer the Extended Range Veriosn, actually)... Generally Useful... And one can always pick up Mana Window if they need it at a later time. Not everything is going to be protected by a Ward. *shrug*

So thaaaats where all the restraining orders on your SIN records come from.

[Tymeaus Jalynsfe...]

So thaaaats where all the restraining orders on your SIN records come from.

Yep... That would be why. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/eek.gif)