Hi, I'm back! Sorry for the long spell away.
Thanks for clearing up my mistatement around Second Sight needing to penetrate. Coming back to the different ways of discerning spirits, I'm now leaning toward giving the character Second Sight, since it's the more flexible approach. To confirm though, would the ease factor just be 9, corresponding to naturally invisible things, regardless of the Might of the spirit?
I did come up with a scheme though, that fleshes out the Area Lore approach that the character could still use as a fallback.
Step 1: SG determines Notoriety of the spirit through the following scoring approach
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Visibility of effects (0–2): Does the spirit do anything people would notice and talk about? 0 = subtle/no manifestation, 1 = occasional odd occurrences locals attribute to it, 2 = regular, dramatic, or seasonal manifestations
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Site traffic (0–2): How many people pass through or visit? 0 = remote, nobody goes there, 1 = local traffic only (farmers, fisherfolk), 2 = pilgrims, fairs, major roads, or trade routes cross it
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Folklore embedding (0–2): Is it part of stories people tell? 0 = no lore attached, 1 = a local tale or two, 2 = tied to a named legendary figure, saint's story, or widely retold myth
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Age/continuity (0–2): 0 = arrived recently or intermittently present, 1 = generations, 2 = "it's always been there," ancient and stable enough that it's part of the landscape's identity
Convert total to Notoriety tier:
- 0 → Concealed (spirit is actively hidden, new to an area, or dangerous enough that even inquiring draws a suppressive response)
- 1–2 → Guarded/taboo (spirit is known by locals, but they avoid discussing it with outsiders, out of fear or superstition)
- 3–4 → Town/Village-known
- 5 → County/District-known
- 6–7 → Province/Region-known
- 8 → Tribunal/Kingdom-known
Step 2: determine ease factor based on Notoriety and scope of Area Lore used.
| Spirit Notoriety | EF for Area Lore: Tribunal/Kingdom | EF for Area Lore: Province/Region | EF for Area Lore: County/District | EF for Area Lore: Town/Village |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tribunal/Kingdom-known | 6 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Province/Region-known | 9 | 6 | 3 | 3 |
| County/District-known | 12 | 9 | 6 | 3 |
| Town/Village-known | 15 | 12 | 9 | 6 |
| Guarded/Taboo | 18 | 15 | 12 | 9 |
| Concealed | 21 | 18 | 15 | 12 |
Values are based on EF = 6 for matching Notoriety and Area Lore scopes, since that's what's stated in the Sihr section of HoH:S (pg 135, I think), but we can adjust numbers if something else makes more sense.
The Area Lore used must cover an area that includes the habitat of the spirit, for the above numbers to apply. Area Lores that cover areas directly adjacent to that of the habitat can also be used, but this situation increases each ease factor in the table by 3 (or 6?).
Last question for today: the Longmist Corrguineach magi in Through the Aegis have Minor Magical Focus: Elemental spirits as the minor Hermetic virtue of the tradition, which I feel is redundant with the summoning/bargaining aspects of the Sihr/Gairm Ability. Is it ok to deviate from that precedent, and go instead with Minor Magical Focus: warding against spirits?