How visible is spell casting? Can it be masked?

[Godlearner]

The RBM states that: 

"Casting a Rune spell literally channels part of the power of a god into the world" ,  "As a result, there are almost always sensory manifestations with Rune magic." and "Spirit magic is the work of spirits and usually has a lesser sensory effect than Rune magic. Even so, it is noticeable when spirit magic has been cast"

But there are spells the casting of which the caster may not want to be perceived by the target or others near by. Is there are way to mask spell casting? Lets say a bystander may know a spell was cast, but not who cast it?

Does the target of a spell "know" that a spell has been cast at him? Even if it fails?

[Lordabdul]

2 hours ago, Godlearner said:

But there are spells the casting of which the caster may not want to be perceived by the target or others near by. Is there are way to mask spell casting? Lets say a bystander may know a spell was cast, but not who cast it?

AFAIK there is no way to mask spell casting, but some spells have a mention in their description that they can be cast in secret (for example, "Lie"). Other spells, such as Charisma, have been the subject of endless debates about whether they're visible or invisible, including these forums... so you can look up and post in the relevant threads, like this one for instance, to avoid redundancy (IIRC: the designers said Charisma was visible in their Glorantha). Ultimately, it's up to you to decide how you want magic to look/feel/sound like in your Glorantha. Per RAW, and according to some things posted online by the designers, it looks to me like the intent is indeed for the vast majority of magic to be visible, and for it to be a natural part of daily life.

Quote

Does the target of a spell "know" that a spell has been cast at him? Even if it fails?

I'm not sure about this one, I can't recall any official word from the designers. Personally, unless it's an explicitly invisible spell, the target would indeed know that something was cast on them. They wouldn't necessarily know what, though, and in the case of things like Befuddle, it doesn't help them to know since they're confused either way.

Edited December 26, 2020 by lordabdul

[HreshtIronBorne]

I thought Sorcery in general was regarded as 'Creepy Foreign Magic' among the Orlanthi because it is usually invisible/not readily apparent. 

 

As far as we have played almost all Rune and Spirit Magic have some sort of visual component.

[David Scott]

4 hours ago, Godlearner said:

But there are spells the casting of which the caster may not want to be perceived by the target or others near by. Is there are way to mask spell casting?

I don't believe that masking is possible, although different cults will manifest different magics differently. A Lanbril initiate casting Conceal Item is likely not going to be noticeable to most people or given that it works by misdirection, it could be very noticeable, just not noticed. Thiefly magics by their nature will be less flashy, although initiates of the cult will likely notice (and see the godly manifestations). Look at the manifestations of Annilla and Eurmal on page 8. Also look at the art in the book, page 73 has Remove Eye, Eurmal is manifest, but the caster did it behind a wall.

4 hours ago, Godlearner said:

Lets say a bystander may know a spell was cast, but not who cast it?

Depends if the caster was visible. See above

4 hours ago, Godlearner said:

Does the target of a spell "know" that a spell has been cast at him? Even if it fails?

If it failed to go off, no. If resisted, yes. 

Bear in mind that the effect of the spell's manifestation may not reveal what it is. If someone casts Ignite on you and you fail to resist, you are very likely to see the flame and feel the heat. If Madness was cast on a target and succeeded, the spell effects take over and you're not able to understand what's happened as you are dealing with the spell effects. In practice use a common sense approach to interpreting his.

The overall premise of Rune magic is it's something you are. By using it you are the manifestation of your god. That's why it's usually visible. 

[Diana Probst]

As I recall, the Chaosium interpretation of this was that it's appropriate to wear Charisma as a spell when communicating.  Don't worry about whether that sort of thing can be masked, so much as what happens if you don't wear it.  It would be like not wearing a suit to an interview.

Things like Bladesharp, that you might want to cast when in ambush positions, also have to be spoken out loud.  (Spell-casting gets through the Silence spirit magic.)

Rune Magic might be castable by an internal call to the god or goddess in question, but it's also got a visual component.  I'd use that component to add to an attempt to Intimidate, for example - it's you demonstrating that you are willing to commit a lot of power to what you want to do.

[Kloster]

15 hours ago, Godlearner said:

Does the target of a spell "know" that a spell has been cast at him? Even if it fails?

If your the target of a spell and you don't accept it voluntarily, there is a POW vs POW roll, so you automatically know you are 'under magical attack' because your soul is resisting. If it fails to be cast, logically, you don't know, but if it is cast successfully but don't manage to overcome your magical defenses or your POW, yes, you should know.

15 hours ago, Godlearner said:

Is there are way to mask spell casting?

Yes, being out of sight and out of hearing range.

15 hours ago, Godlearner said:

Lets say a bystander may know a spell was cast, but not who cast it?

For me, and as we play it, the target of a spell automatically knows a spell is cast and by whom. Witnesses may know a spell is cast, depending on situation (see above), but would not know who is the target, unless it is obvious, like a sword bursting in flames, somebody dropping dead or the like.