Going back to RuneQuest 3 (Avalon Hill) there was a question about how visible spell effects were.
Strangers in Prax when covering Arlaten's arrival (page 70) stated that the Sorcery he used had no visible effects (other than the actual result) unlike the flashy lights etc. of the spirit magic used by the locals. Specifically:
Conversely other products (I thought it was Shadows on the Borderland, but on re-reading it isn't the Tien shrine in there as I assumed) have had spirits attacking adventurers with spells, with the side comment that because there is nothing to see (the spirits are bound into something) it may take the party some time to work out what is happening and where the Disrupt spells are coming from.
Now, the discrepancy can be explained by the fact that the spirits casting the spells in the second case (I really wish I could remember the reference) are spirits, but I really dislike that as an explanation - it is too pat, too grasping to justify itself.
To my memory the original rules in RQ3 (and RQ2?) never specify what bystanders can see during spellcasting (indeed, most would expect it to be fairly obvious, but Arlaten spends over a minute preparing a spell while walking without anyone observing realising he is doing so).
So, is there a clear intent on what people see during spellcasting - spirit, divine or sorcery, and is this being clarified in the new upcoming RuneQuest?