[pnpgm] Game Update #5

[J Hooten]

<I personally rate the two differently based on how active they are? 
Mana Sensing should always be on and tell you there is magic inside its 
reach. It is a passive scanner that does not tell you much. In effect it 
is a literal sense. Mana Reading is much more active and thus should 
need concentration to use, its a minor issue but one that does make it 
harder to Read and cast spells or do other actions. Normally both were 
free of cost but I think our GM has some Enl costs and other limits on 
Reading because it is quite powerful... One thing I missed many times 
before is it never says it tells you WHERE the magic is? Not even a 
direction is mentioned, so all you know is its in range. Now that does 
not fit the letter of the description in many ways but it does not 
contradict it either. So technically its a GM's call as to functionality 
of its use. Mechanics can make the abilities quite useful or next to 
useless due to 'Noise'. Think about the quantity of magic items the 
party may have and how that could flood senses. Think about the more 
powerful items masking the weaker ones etc... It is here I would treat 
the innate user differently from the spell user. The innate user is more 
likely to have used it enough to deal with the noise and understand how 
to determine which items are which. But someone with high intelligence, 
empathy or other 'sense' abilities, should work it out well enough. Soul 
Sight is quite powerful and its cousin Insight as well, as the divine 
tell you more than the Arcane magics do. Defenses are basically Immunity 
items that lower effective El which reduce ranges or if powerful enough 
can shut it off. Detecting a person could use MDV but some aspects 
should not as magic should radiate outside the person. Any active power 
or spell should be easily detected, unused ones could be protected. Once 
more its an area that is not detailed and thus up to the GM to decide. 
The rules as written imply no MDV applies to detections but never say 
for sure... The Bad Part is defenses have to be greater than the 
detector as equal leave El0 which still works if close enough! So its 
unlikely to be safe unless its a high powered defense, El5+? Economics 
again, better detectors cost more and when prices are in Gold and you 
wish quantity its more likely they will use the weaker ones. Thus the 
common detectors are likely low El and thus can be blocked, but the more 
critical areas will have better ones as will special units. Fortunately 
Divine ones should be rare, more likely limited to a rare few people 
like Inquisitors. Just guess work, but should be fairly close ;)

<Raban has Insight to test on people. It has not quite come up in RP yet.
<Arawn or Frema should know a lot about everyone, their magic items and 
innates. At some point they should have scanned everyone with Mana 
Reading. They would know they have them though not necessarily what they 
are?

john haight wrote:
>    Hearing of Z'leyra's intent to possibly spend time within the 
> Citadel during the party's sea voyage Arawn spoke up, adding his own 
> desires during that period.
>  
>    "If Z'leyra desires to remain behind working on items for the group 
> then I will keep her company. I have research that I feel would best 
> be done within the relative safety of the Citadel.
>    As for sensing a being's ability to cast magic, Soul Sight is one 
> way but it is not exclusive. Though the ability to sense mana (Mana 
> Sensing) does not detect potential, only active magic, the ability to 
> read such power (Mana Reading) does enable one to detect a being's 
> potential to cast magic. I think it would be good to determine exactly 
> what the majority of sensors are attuned to, to Sense or to Read."
>  
> OOC: Aside from this, if it is Mana Sensing, unless Scott has a house 
> rule on this, solid barriers block the sensing of mana if using the 
> spell (in the description). There is no mention of this when it is a 
> racial or supernatural attribute ability. Not sure how Scott is 
> running it but if it's the Mana Sensing spell, as written, we should 
> be able to smuggle items in sealed off containers. If not, or if it's 
> innate or an alternate spell, then barriers/containers might not 
> afford any ability to resist magic detection
>    Outside of this, under the descriptions for both abilities it 
> states that - ["When in the presence of mana, or those capable of 
> casting mana, the Character is able to determine its Alignment, 
> Relative Power and, if a spell, basic purpose."]. With this in mind I 
> wonder, other than a shorter range, it seems to indicate that Mana 
> Reading will give the information, even if one doesn't know that there 
> is magic nearby, as long as the person is close. This seems a bit 
> powerful and almost makes Mana Sensing negligible if not for the 
> latter's range. Is this how Mana Reading really should work? I'm 
> thinking that the person should either have to either know magic is 
> present and where or at least be able to target an object or person 
> for detection. 
>    Just something I thought I'd throw out to the group and GM for 
> answers. As for Arawn, he's still more than happy to leave equipment 
> behind for now and pick them up when the adventure gets 'hot'.
>  
>    Scott, I have two IBT's depending on whether Arawn spends most of 
> his time in the Citadel or at sea. Once this situation is resolved I 
> can send the appropriate one.