shadow/light - message

[Fantômas]

Haven't fully formed it as yet. Thoughts

Low level
write a message onto an object (limit the number of words/characters used?)
Can be viewed by someone else if they say the trigger word or do the trigger action.
Writing appears as glowing shadowy words or glowing bright words
Can be viewed without triggering if able to see magic

[logan9a]

It would be an interesting way for the PC's to pass messages using 'the ole message wall/rock/flat surface'.

Possibly even a good one for the metal/earth/wood tree.

[Scott]

Name: Scribe Stone/Metal/Wood
Casting time: 1 minute
Range: 2m
Duration: Instant
MP cost: 2

You trace magical writing onto a stone/metal/wood surface. The inscription cannot exceed 100 total words nor extend beyond a 1mX1m square area. At your option, the inscription may become invisible once finished. It becomes visible again for 1 minute if anyone says the magic word nearby (pick a word when casting). If you can "see magic" you will be able to view the inscription anyway.


Name: Light/Shadow Scribe
Casting time: 1 minute
Range: 2m
Duration: Instant
MP cost: 2

You trace magical glowing writing onto a surface in full daylight/darkness. The inscription cannot exceed 100 total words nor extend beyond a 1mX1m square area. At your option, the inscription may become invisible once finished. It becomes visible again for 1 minute if exposed to full daylight/darkness or if anyone says the magic word nearby (pick a word when casting). If you can "see magic" you will be able to view the inscription anyway.

[logan9a]

If the duration is 'instant' that means the spell is finished (hence no words) as soon as the casting is complete.

The duration is the problem with this. It would be until sunrise/sunset at best. While that doesn't make this spell alone useful, eventually when we get to 'how to make shit last longer' spells then it will become useful.

[Scott]

Instant would be a permanent change that doesn't require magic to sustain it anymore. So yeah, that doesn't make sense given the glowing and the invisibility.

We should be able to do a week or a month though. Maybe a week with invisibility and a month without.

[logan9a]

If the duration was permanent, we would list it as 'permanent' rather than 'instant'.

Thinking there aren't any spells that go beyond sunrise/sunset out there thus far are there?

[Scott]

Aug 14, 2018 16:09:40 GMT logan9a said:

If the duration was permanent, we would list it as 'permanent' rather than 'instant'.

"Permanent" is not actually permanent, because it can be disrupted/dispelled and such. Magic items are "permanent" but they go bye bye.
"Instantaneous" is actually permanent, because it can't be disrupted/dispelled, the magic had it's effect and is gone now leaving the change behind. When you blast someone with pyrokinesis, the damage doesn't go away on its own at sundown.

When I wrote "instant" for this spell, I had in mind an actual etching that wouldn't be dispel-able, but that's not the direction that I ended up going when I wrote the actual text. That's why I agreed with you that "instant" didn't make sense.

Aug 14, 2018 16:09:40 GMT logan9a said:

Thinking there aren't any spells that go beyond sunrise/sunset out there thus far are there?

Preservation 1-5?

[logan9a]

I would argue that under the terms we've been using, 'permanent' means 'permanent unless something acts upon it to destroy/alter it'.

Instantaneous has always meant a brief flash.

I am unwilling to start changing around terms this late in the game.

+++

Preservation does. Hum. Thinking.

[Fantômas]

Rank one pocket spells are until item is retrieved now as well.


Other thought for spell is if the surface the spell is cast on takes damage, the spell is disrupted and the text fades away.

[logan9a]

Name: Scribe Stone/Metal/Wood
Casting time: 1 minute
Range: 2m
Duration: Instant
MP cost: 2

You trace magical writing onto a stone/metal/wood surface. The inscription cannot exceed 100 total words nor extend beyond a 1mX1m square area. At your option, the inscription may become invisible once finished. It becomes visible again for 1 minute if anyone says the magic word nearby (pick a word when casting). If you can "see magic" you will be able to view the inscription anyway.


Name: Light/Shadow Scribe
Casting time: 1 minute
Range: 2m
Duration: Instant
MP cost: 2

You trace magical glowing writing onto a surface in full daylight/darkness. The inscription cannot exceed 100 total words nor extend beyond a 1mX1m square area. At your option, the inscription may become invisible once finished. It becomes visible again for 1 minute if exposed to full daylight/darkness or if anyone says the magic word nearby (pick a word when casting). If you can "see magic" you will be able to view the inscription anyway.



To use something both Pete and Scott said:

What if we were to make both of these a one off message? Whether 'cracked' by someone else (most spells should have a counter or exposer - something for us to maybe work on next) or viewed by one/more of the recipients - when the thing which is done to 'press play' (could be whatever is specified by the writer - speak a word, press a gold coin to where the inscription is, etc - or we could make it something standard which would be both good and bad for the players and NPC's) then the words print out (as from an old computer) and fade after one minute of being there. They are then gone forever.

Note that personally, I don't consider this a great idea for 'passing information between the different groups'. Dead letter drops would be much more secure (magic can be detected even if dormant and NPC's already have spells to crack it even if they've not been developed by the PC's yet) and it is damned hard to find out that a discarded Pepsi can actually has a sheath of paper hidden within it.

[Scott]

Didn't I try to make a Detect Magic spell for the Meta tree?

---
Anyway, here's a more divergent take on the spells:

Name: Scribe Stone/Metal/Wood
Casting time: 5 minutes
Range: 2m
Duration: Instant
MP cost: 2

You magically carve writing onto a stone/metal/wood surface. The inscription cannot exceed 100 total words nor extend beyond a 1mX1m square area. This is a permanent non-magical etching, though if you can "see magic" you will be able to view the lingering aura of the scribe spell on the surface until the next sunrise/sunset.

Comment: Why put paper in a Pepsi can, when you can just write on the inside of the can?



Name: Light/Shadow Scribe
Casting time: 1 minute
Range: 2m
Duration: Until activation plus 1 minute OR 1 week, whichever comes first
MP cost: 2

You trace magical glowing writing onto a surface in full daylight/darkness. The inscription cannot exceed 100 total words nor extend beyond a 1mX1m square area. The inscription becomes invisible once finished. It becomes visible again for 1 minute if anyone says the magic word nearby (pick a word when casting) to activate it and then fades away and is gone forever. If you can "see magic" you will be able to view the inscription without activating it. If the inscription is not activated within 1 week or is exposed to full darkness/daylight (opposite element) then the spell ends and the inscription is not recoverable.

[logan9a]

Not sure on the detect magic. Different thread?


Interesting rewrite. Anyone else have any thoughts on those?