Colgrevance
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How do Sense Magic and Obscure Magic work?

Fri 07 Aug 2020, 00:00

As I understand the current rules printing, Obscure Magic is not actually cast as other spells but only requires the caster to spend one additional Willpower Point when casting another spell (the obscured spell).

1) Do I understand Obscure Magic correctly?
2) What are the Ingredients listed for Obscure Magic good for, then?
3) To detect an obscured spell, Sense Magic is needed and has to at least match the "Power Level of the Obscure Magic spell" (p. 121) - shouldn't this be the obscured spell's power, if Obscure Magic is not actively cast at all?
 
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Fenhorn
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Re: How do Sense Magic and Obscure Magic work?

Fri 07 Aug 2020, 00:15

Obscure Magic is still a spell, even though it is cast together with another spell and doesn't cost extra time to cast.

So if you want to cast Telepathy - Power Level 1 with Obscure Magic - Power Level 1, it will cast you two WP to cast. Telepathy will be cast with a strength of PL1 and it will be "hidden" with a strength of PL1. This means that during the Duration of Telepathy (15 minutes), spellcasters can't automatically detect this spell by which they normally can, they need to cast Sense Magic with at least PL1 to do that.

If you have an item that belong to the target of Telepathy (the ingredient for it), Telepathy will have a strength of PL2. If you have a piece of cloth (the ingredient for Obscure Magic), This spell will be "hidden" with a strength of PL2 which means that any spellcaster that wants to detect it must cast Sense Magic to at least PL2.
“Thanks for noticin' me.” - Eeyore
 
Colgrevance
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Re: How do Sense Magic and Obscure Magic work?

Fri 07 Aug 2020, 09:05

Thanks, your explanation makes sense.

What still confuses me is that according to the spell's description, Obscure Magic "requires 1 extra Willpower Point". But if I cast it normally, I would be allowed to spend more than 1 WP on it (thereby increasing its power) - shouldn't the requirement be at least 1 extra WP? The way it is written suggests that only and exactly 1 WP can be spent to obscure another spell, which would contradict the usual spellcasting procedure.
 
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Fenhorn
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Re: How do Sense Magic and Obscure Magic work?

Fri 07 Aug 2020, 10:45

Some spells may be described as if it being cast with as a Power Level 1 spell and some spell doesn't even list what extra effect, increased Power Leven has (in that case the PC/GM has to come up with something on their own), but regardless, you can always cast a spell at variable Power Level.
“Thanks for noticin' me.” - Eeyore
 
Colgrevance
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Re: How do Sense Magic and Obscure Magic work?

Fri 07 Aug 2020, 11:32

Yeah, I guess it's just a case of slightly wobbly wording that confused me as to the intention of the rule. I got it now, thank you!

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