Post by Hematite on Jun 26, 2014 11:35:34 GMT
Scrying Effects
Scrying refers to a specific subschool of rituals (and a small number of Path effects) across all magical paradigms that share certain hallmarks. Scrying always comes from some form of magic. There are non-magical effects that can see things from afar, but these do not count as Scrying. These hallmarks are described below:
Undetectable: No scry effect can be detected by the subject.
Present Time: Scrying effects only see the present. They give no information on the future or the past.
Coterminous with Current Plane: Scrying effects can only find a target on the same plane as the caster.
Identification: Scrying effects require some connection to a specific target. This can vary widely by ritual. If a person this can be anything from having met them to knowing their name to having a personal object or body part. If a location, this can require the caster has visited the location or sometimes merely seen it before.
Limited Information: Additional powers such as Auspex cannot be used through a Scrying effect to gain further information.
Not stopped by wards: Scrying effects do not pass through intervening space and thus do not come up against warding rituals.
The above traits both help to define the Scrying subschool, as well as provide a general ruling for all such effects. These traits can be overruled by the specifics of a given ritual, but in general they are not.
Scrying Powers
The specific effects that fall under the Scrying paradigm are as follows:
Scry (Hermetic Thaumaturgy 4th Level Ritual)
Pool of Secrets (Koldunic Sorcery 4th Level Ritual)
Seeing with the Sky’s Eye (Dur-An-Ki 5th Level Ritual)
Beacon of the Self (Hermetic Thaumaturgy 3rd Level Ritual)
Ripples on the Sea of Stars (Dur-An-Ki 5th Level of the Whispers of the Heavens Path)
Glyph of Scrying (Hermetic Thaumaturgy 2nd Level of the Path of Warding)
This list is not exhaustive. The Storyteller will always be the final arbiter on what does or does not constitute a Scrying effect.
To help better define the difference, here is a list of things that are not Scrying effects but may be mistaken for such:
Clairvoyance (Auspex 6): Not magic. Other Auspex powers may be used through it.
Way of Spirit (Koldunic Sorcery): Too pervasive. No connection needed. Blocked by Spirit Wards.
Reflections of Hollow Revelation (Abyss Mysticism Ritual): Easily Detectable. Limited Range. More like looking through a 10 mile periscope than true scrying.
Now It’s Sight is Ours (Hermetic Ritual): Detectable. No target.
Eyes of the Past (Hermetic Ritual): Looks into the Past.
Reflections (Koldunic Ritual): Shows the room as it was, looking into the past.
Ori Sight (Wanga Ritual): Shares the senses of another. No target.
Mitigating Scrying Effects
There are several ways to mitigate scrying effects. In addition to the anti-scry rituals present in nearly every paradigm of magic, there are several other things that can either block the effect or prevent the scryer getting any useful information.
Mundane Darkness: This is probably the easiest method. Scry gives no ability to see through darkness, and other powers such as Protean 1 cannot be used through the effect. So if the target is in total darkness, the scryer will see nothing.
Obfuscate and Chimerstry: Scrying effects do not pierce Obfuscate or Chimerstry of any level. Auspex cannot be used through Scrying effects. If the scryer attempts to scry on a target under Obfuscate, he will see an empty room.
Donning the Mask of Shadows: Much as Obfuscate, other invisibility effects similarly prevent the scryer from getting any useful information, leaving them looking at an empty location.
Earth Meld: This will block scry effects outright, as an earth melded individual is technically in the Penumbra. On the off chance a scry is being attempted from the Umbra, the scry will show the patch of dirt beneath which the individual can be found.
Din of the Damned: Scrying effects that grant audio counts as listening in for the purposes of this ritual. However this ritual does nothing to block visual transmission.