Does a human hair or previously owned object still apply as an aracne connection, if the person has died and now is a revenant?
Maybe. These things do have a time limit after all. Assuming you got it in time, yes.
Assuming that the Arcane Connection has not expired, it should still be an Arcane Connection. Whether it is an Arcane Connection to the body, or the spirit is debatable. I think that I would rule that it is an Arcane Connection to both.
I agree with Richard.
Connection to the body/person is connection to the body/person, regardless of what form that body/person is now taking. Would work for a ghost or a zombie equally well (assuming, as mentioned, that the duration is still active).
Noble's Parma, but isn't an Arcane Connection always connected to one thing only?
Tricky. Taking a ludicrous example, what about a severed hand? Is it an arcane connection to the person's body or their spirit and mind. How about a finger from said hand? Does it connect to both hand and body and spirit? Could a magus, possessing the amputee's corpse, find the hand because of the connection between the two? Is a magus' favourite hat a connection to him, or to his hatstand?
In general, I tend to rule that once together, always together, but that some connections are weaker than others and it's usually only the stronger ones a magus can use. Thank hank of hair is still an arcane connection to the roman woman to whom it belonged, but the connection is so weakened by time that no magus can use it without incredible effort.
A SG could certainly rule that, but not as described (p 84).
The only requirement is that the AC was "very closely associated with the target".
So, a noble's child has a fine and favorite doll, one that always sits in the child's room on a specific shelf when not being played with - the doll could be an AC to the child, to the shelf (a location), or to the artisan who created the doll.
A headsman's axe could be an AC to the long-time executioner, the weaponsmith who forged it, or the chopping block it was always paired with, and the wall on the dungeon where it hangs when not used. (Perhaps even some victims.)
But all of these are subject to fading, and some (admittedly) may be long past before others become active.
And in part, that gets back to the OP - a strand of hair is an AC to "a person" - does that "person" become something significantly other once they die? I'd say "no", but other SG's might rule diff.
Also, to me, it certainly makes sense that once permanently "fixed" in the lab that a single connection be chosen as the "target".
I'm a bit unsure about that. For example, consider an Arcane Connection that was a piece of stone from a tower, I think that I would be fine with that being a fixed Arcane Connection to:
the mason who laid that stone
the room in the tower, that the piece of stone came from
the tower
the town that the tower is built in
Of course, all those Arcane Connections would have to be active at the time of fixing.
Basically, I think that if the character has gone to the bother of fixing the Arcane Connection, I would be fine with him having it as useful as is possible.
Yeah, that's a good arguement - fixing an AC is a pain in the ass, no doubt. The pawn is bad enough in some cases, but a full season is a hefty investment.
For that matter, might even have unknown connections, things that one only thinks to try years later.
I agree. Fixing should fix the Arcane Connection. It doesn't matter whether or not the magus knows what the Arcane Connection connects to.
Like Andrew, I too agree with Richard.
Thank you for all the good comments, but I think that the fixed arcane connection to multiple targets creates a bigger problem. Spells with range arcane connection mean that you cast the spell on the arcane connection and it effected the target connected. If that is the case and the doll has a connection to the maker and the child owner, then a PeCo spell cast via arcane connection would effect both.
Leap of Homecoming based on a piece of flagstone if using Richard's examples could take the mage back to the mason who laid that stone, the room in the tower that the piece of stone came from, the tower, the town that the tower is built in, and even the quarry where the stone was cut. I just see a slippery slope.
If one fixes the object with unknown connections then the are unknown targets.
Now it may depend on the size of target, i.e. individual, group, room, structure etc. If that is the case, then does the spell cast against all and only take affect as created against the specified target size? Or does the spell fail because it cannot affect all of the targets?
I think as SG, I would rule only one arcane connection may be fixed and that the time spent fixing the connection reveals the target's identity. Removing the risk of unknown connections.
No it will only affect one of them. Whichever one is targeted by the spell.
A Sight Range spell doesn't affect everyone that the magus can see. The magus targets one of the people that he can see (assuming an Individual target spell).
Similarly, a object can be used as an Arcane Connection to several things. But this does not mean that a spell with Arcane Connection range affects all those things. The magus, when he is casting the spell, decides which thing will be targeted.
The problem with this, is that there are spells to detect what is at the other end of an Arcane Connection, and you need to Penetrate the magic resistance of what is at the other end to use them. I don't think that fixing the Arcane Connection should supersede these spells.
The limit to arcane connections is that a magus cannot affect an unsensed target without an arcane connection. If you cast Open the intangible tunnel using an arcane connection, you cannot see the target without another spell. Your connection to the target is the arcane connection, which permits you to affect the target where ever and whoever it is. In that case, how does the mage target the spell? Just knowing the target is not enough when an arcane connection is needed.
If we use the example of a spell targeting an unknown thief who left behind some hairs at the scene of a crime then the spell travels to the thief via the arcane connection. If the thief left behind an arcane connection to another, would the spell affect the innocent target or the thief? If it were something like hair, I would say the innocent target is zapped, even if the magus intends the thief to be the target. If the connection were to two unknown targets (the connection is the sword of king given to the prince) left at the scene of the crime, then the arcane connection would go to the king and/or the prince.
However, considering the type of spell cast could limit the affects on multiple targets through a single arcane connection. For instance a PeCo spell could injure the mason but not the stone wall from which the arcane connected brick comes from. Similarly, a PeTe spell would spare the mason. This might be a better means to distinguish targets, i.e. the spell affects all connections if they are subject to the spell. Therefore, two individuals would be affected but not an individual and a place.
On the other hand, I would have to agree with your point about fixing the connection conflicting with spells to identify the targets.