I got this from the mystic adept thread


The consensus on DS seems to be that if you have gobs of magical effects on you that you stand out on the astral and attract tons of attention. Are there actual rules for this that I missed? People also seem to think that astral infiltration requires that you simply stay out of LoS. Would it matter how bright your aura is if you can't afford to be in LoS at all anyway?

Aura brightness/activity wouldn't affect your ability to hide astrally.

I think the point is more that anyone capable of astral perception would see that you have your aura, your spirits aura, and many spells/foci/etc affecting you, and make a reasonable assumption that you are ready to kick ass.

When you cast spells, you leave behind an astral signature. Therefore, the focal point of the magic your describing probably lights you up like a Christmas Tree. Now, can you be spotted from a mile away? Thats a different story.

...and then point you out to his Sammy friend on the rooftop who has the APDS loaded Barrett.

no rules as far as i know . .

Ok, so I did what I likely should have done in the first place and gave the BBB another close read...


You are instantly aware of all spells in you field of vision.


You are instantly aware of all spells on people in you field of vision, as you can see both auras. You are not aware of the type or force, as that requires 2 hits on an actual assensing. So the question becomes how common is it to have a spell or two sustained on someone?

Spotting foci actually requires 3 hits on accessing, very doable, but hardly automatic. Even a force 4 spirit wouldn't be expected to pick this up.

So my current thinking that loads of spells (and spirit powers?) doesn't make you easier to see, but will instantly flag you as someone to check out. So if you are already in a situation where you are "running hot" there really is no penalty, as the auras only hurt your ability to blend.

Does this seem about right?

plus minus some more or less yes *g*

Actually, multiple auras don't hurt your ability to blend, but how well you do at blending will affect how many you can bring through a ward with you.

Sorry I wasn't thinking about the game term blending, but the word blending. If you are at an AAA gala your improved reflexes might not stand out in the sea of health spells on a good chunk of the party, and you could blend fairly easily. If you were in a neighborhood where magic is just that stuff on the trids ... not so much

Right. Astral perception modifiers (such as being in a crowd) would of course, apply.