BRP Vision Spell page 101

[Sunwolfe]

Hey all!

It seems like in almost every game we have use of the Vision spell bring everything to a skretching halt. Now, we like talking 'bout things such as, how much, how far, how long, how powerful, but this one is beginning to bug me.

Have a look at the spell description and, if you would, give me a paraphrase on what is supposed to happen when using this spell: how many magic points, how long, how far, familiar areas and unfamiliar areas. I need to put this to rest with a satisfactory explanation on how it works.

For me, one of my gripes is it seems way too powerful. I feel it should be broken up into smaller spells, but I don't want to do this until I understand how it's supposed to work properly.

Thanks in advance for your comments :happy:

Now...back to my game :thumb:

Sunwolfe

[frogspawner]

"Clairvoyance + Clairaudience up to 10m or up to 100m for familiar areas; or limited Psychometry (like the Psychic ability), up to 1 day into the past per level; or Identify properties of magical objects, 10% chance per level."

Yes, you may well think this is too powerful - especially since the Psychometry psychic ability has a Big, Fat "you might want to ban this as too powerful" disclaimer on it, and this spell does even more!

To limit it's power, I'd make the following interpretations:

1) "Familiar" means very carefully studied areas (closely examined to the exclusion of any other activity for several days, or lived in for a month or more);

2) A hazy image of the caster appears at the place being viewed (warning/scaring anybody there);

3) Visions into the past don't last an additional day per level, they're only projected back 1 additional day per level (i.e. they still only show 10 rounds, so the chance to see something significant is minimal).

4) Any psychometry the GM thinks isn't "psychically significant" just shows a blank haze (but this is also the effect if anyone involved is/was wearing cheap protective charms to ward off the 'evil eye'...)

That should do for starters...

Edited April 19, 2009 by frogspawner
4

[NickMiddleton]

It doesn't seem that powerful to me. To get 1KM of range requires 10 power points, and only allows viewing at real time rates... Plus the familiarity clause - so you CAN"T spy on the Sheriff's secret meeting with the Abbot unless you can get within ten meters (which sounds like an adventure possibility to me), or are familiar with the venue of the meeting...

As for the psychometry, each level gives "a vision of a previous use of owner" - which sounds like carte blanche for the GM to drop cryptic hints, clues and otherwise mess with the characters heads - lets see, the last person to hold this, the last person it killed, the last person to curse the wielder, the creators reflection, the creators dearest love: and none of these are CSI-like perfect images, but smoky, tantalising visions from magic...

It should carry a health warning - ALL Clairaudience / Clairvoyance powers should, as they need careful handling. But it's not badly out of whack IMO.

Nick

[frogspawner]

To get 1KM of range requires 10 power points...

Nope, the max range is 100m tops, no matter how many pp spent. So that aspect's not too powerful at all.

[NickMiddleton]

Nope, the max range is 100m tops, no matter how many pp spent. So that aspect's not too powerful at all.

Good point - I was going from memory and assuming you could either boost the range OR go one day in to the past for each level... That's really not very useful as a clairvoyance spell at all then - it'll allow peering round corners but that's about it...

The psychometry is more useful, but still not game breaking.

Nick

[frogspawner]

That's really not very useful as a clairvoyance spell at all then - it'll allow peering round corners but that's about it...

Indeed. And a GM could also get strict over the requirement to be "physically next to" the target area, even within the 10m range. "Sorry, your witch-sight can't reach into the Abbot's chamber 3m away, because you're outside the monastery's perimeter fence."

The psychometry is more useful, but still not game breaking.

... assuming suitably mean GM interpretations. A pretty safe bet, I trust!

[Jason D]

I'll walk you through it using a ridiculous example of a husband who thinks his wife is cheating on him, based on suspicious behavior.

The spell has a max range of 100 meters for a familiar area, and the area of effect is a 10 meter area. So that means you can look at any 10-meter area within a range of 100 meters. You cannot modify these ranges, no matter how many power points you spend.

For example, the husband might pull up outside his house and use this power to see if his wife is cheating on him by peering into their bedroom. It costs 1 power point, and he can look for up to 10 rounds. He looks... she's not there.

The shorter range is for unfamiliar areas.

For example, he thinks she's in a motel near their home. This is unfamiliar territory, so he wanders around until he sees her car outside a room. Hiding behind a soda machine within the 10-meter range, he uses the Vision spell to check in the hotel room and sees that she's putting a small parcel into her handbag, but is otherwise fully dressed and alone. He ducks when she leaves the area.

By spending 1 power point, you get that effect for 10 rounds (120 seconds). You can choose to continue the spell beyond that, but it'll cost you each round (my apologies that it isn't explicitly clear in the rules).

For example, at home her cell-phone rings and she takes the call and leaves the room, stepping outside. He doesn't want to follow her, so he uses the spell to listen to her from afar, hearing 10 rounds of her conversation where she speaks to someone (he can't determine who - the Vision is only focused on her side of the conversation). The conversation goes on for more than 10 rounds, so he spends another power point to continue for another 10 rounds until the conversation ends. He learns that she's making plans for a clandestine meeting at a fancy restaurant the next evening.

If you want to look at another place in the past, you need to spend 1 additional power point per use of the spell per day in the past. So, for example, to look at a scene 2 days in the past for 1 combat round would require you to spend 3 power points per round you're using the spell (1 for the spell + 2 per day). It gets really expensive fast.

For example, the time comes the next day for her meeting. He waits outside their home, and sees her drive off, looking both ways suspiciously as she leaves the driveway. She's wearing a red wig and has done her makeup differently, so much so that he almost doesn't recognize her. He takes note of the time. He goes in and finds that dinner is in the fridge. There's a note from his wife saying she was called in to work for an evening shift, and will be home late. He uses the Vision power once more to look into the past (just a few minutes based on the time he saw her leave, but it costs an extra power point all the same). This costs the default 1 power point, plus another for the fraction of a day. He sees that she left the house dressed in an elegant and sexy evening gown. He looks in her dresser and finds the mysterious package from the hotel room, but it's empty now.

To use the Vision spell on an item, one needs to touch it and spend a desired number of points for the number of mental images one desires. The nature of these images is entirely up to the gamemaster.

For example, he grabs the parcel and decides to spend an additional two points on the power to see what can be learned. He gets three flashes of insight: one of a handsome man with an accent handing her the parcel in the hotel room, one of her hiding it in her dresser, and then her opening it and tucking it into her purse. At the third vision, he sees that the parcel's content was, lo and behold, a small pistol. He's convinced she's having an affair and will be out to kill him! He's obsessed with the sight of gun.

Finally, he goes to the restaurant and sits at the bar, spying on her. He sees her sitting with a man he doesn't recognize. She's flirting, and is clearly involved with the stranger. Crushed, the husband drives around for a half hour, making plans, and then he goes home.

While packing a small bag to take with him while he sorts things out, he turns the television on. The headline story is "Breaking News: Mystery Redhead Shoots Diplomat in Restaurant!" and the scenes are of the restaurant he has just left.

It can be a powerful spell, but the lack of ability to control or move the window of view (when you're seeing) makes it somewhat limited. You can specify "look into my boss' office" if you were within range, but if your boss left the room while you were watching, you'd be out of luck. You can specify that you want to see "what happened here at 4:30pm", but if the even happened at 10 minutes before or after, you're out of luck unless you want to keep casting it over and over again or pouring a bunch of points into extending the duration.

Edited April 19, 2009 by Jason Durall

[Sunwolfe]

Frog, Nick and Jason!

Thanks for the replies...I appreciate it :thumb:.

We managed last night just fine. The priest figured out who was the cause of the rotten canned tomatoes that had given everyone the "Galloping Trots" War Hammer style :-) Roll to save verses soiling your armor! Who said all encounters had to be a beastie-mob? >:->

Thanks for the excellent answer, Jason. We played it almost dead-bang that way!

Cheers all,

Sunwolfe