I am a little confused about masking(SR4) and Extended Masking(SM). My only question is, does either apply to spells that can/are being casted? I really dont know if I am even phrasing that Question right.

If I'm understanding you right, you're wondering if the Masking/Extended masking that you can use to hide being awakened can be used to keep others from noticing that a spell is being cast by you, right?

I guess it's a matter of perspective, in a lot of ways. I don't have my rulebooks with me, but it would seem that Masking and Extended masking is a lot like a stealth skill. You're sneaky until you do something obvious like turn on the lights, use an unsilenced weapon, etc. So you'd be hidden from others noticing you're awakened until you cast a spell, at which point there's no room for doubt.

No, you can't hide the act of casting a spell with Masking or Extended Masking, but with Extended Masking you can hide on-going spells (i.e. sustained or quickened spells).

Yes, that is what I am asking.



Thats where I am confused... if a spell can be sustained, then cant extended mask apply to cover its magical aura? But when you cast something, you have a magical aura, but thats covered by masking, like if you were making yourself look like a mundane. So then, the only magical aura that would be around, would be the target of your spell, like control actions for example. However, with extended mask, that magical aura would not show because it is a sustainable spell?

I view it this way. When you're casting a spell, you're drawing in the mana you need to get the magic to manifest. That's so overt that it's nigh impossible to hide. Once the spell is cast, it takes a very specific and lower level amount of mana to maintain it, and thus you can compensate with masking. Casting is so taxing (hence drain) that you can't focus on keeping it hidden and cast it at the same time.

A better idea of what's going on is that your Masking holds, but to people hanging around you it looks like a mundane is casting a spell-a dead giveaway. It's like sneaking around under an invisibility spell and then sneezing; your disguise might be perfect but your actions give you away.

Darnit, I like his analogy better.

I understand that casting a lighting bolt, whether with masking or extended masking will be obvious no matter what I do. I do not care what mundanes see, I am more concerned about what someone astrally percieving would see. I suppose it would be a better question to ask, would anyone astraly percieving see anything if a magic user with masking and/or extended masking casting a spell that is not obvious, like a mana spell? Well, as long as its a sustaining spell.

Yes, they would see the spell bloom to life. And then they would see it disappear under your Masking.

Ah ok, just making sure I had that right. Thank you guys for clearing that up for me!