Inspired by the content that some of the members of this community have created in November, I would like to publish a series of discussion proposals about how a specialized magus can solve a particular type of problems. The general question would be:
How does a X specialist solve: a) a social encounter b) a combat encounter c) a physical barrier d) an investigation e) whatever you like ?
“X” can be any Art or Focus, but for easiness and convenience, I will start with Techniques.
I am not interested in the trivial combinations (for example, how does an Intellego specialist solve an investigation? Or how does an Ignem specialist solve a combat encounter?). Also, some combinations seem very difficult, like how does an Intellego specialist solve a combat encounter or how does an Animal specialist solve a social encounter. But others have the right degree of interest (How does a Creo/Muto/Intellego/Rego specialist solve a social encounter) for comparative purposes, or on its own (how does a Terram specialist solve a social encounter – I am guessing that he is going to buy his way out).
I will try to publish several articles, but I don’t know when or with what frequency.
Feel free to add to the question with other spell proposals for the situation or even to start your own thread with your favorite combination.
Let’s begin:
How does a Perdo specialist solve a social encounter?
For example, ReMe 5 guideline “Quell an emotion in a person” comes handy. When the local busybody tries to ask the Perdo specialist an uncomfortable question, or a guard wants to know what is he doing, the Perdo specialist just destroys that inquisitive intention:
Kill curiosity (PeMe 15)
R: Voice, D: Momentary, T: Individual.
This spell destroys whatever curiosity the target is feeling at the moment of the casting. He or she will show uninterested even about hearing the answer to a question just formulated. Note that the duration of this spell is momentary, so it does not destroy the ability to feel curiosity. The target can feel again the curiosity about the same question, should the conditions arise again.
(Base 5 +2 Voice)
[Note: “Calm the emotion of the heart (PeMe15)” does the same thing but I feel that this guideline should be applied to a single type of emotion. There should be one spell to calm the angry person, other to stop the curiosity of somebody, other different one to calm fear…. I don’t understand why you need a different spell for each animal form you want to adopt with MuCo(An) but you have the swiss knife of all problems with this spell. Just personal preference. You can consider also that narrowing the focus I have allowed a more powerful effect with the statement: “He or she will show uninterested even about hearing the answer to a question just formulated”].
But, sometimes, the interaction has already gone too far and it is necessary to erase all memories of the conversation. Usually “Loss of but a moment’s memory (PeMe15)” is enough to solve that interaction and erase any memory of magic used during the conversation. But for those situations in which you need a more nuclear option
The day lost (PeMe 20)
R: Eye, D: Momentary, T: Individual.
This spell destroys the memories of the target from the last sunset or sunrise, whichever happened last, to the present moment.
(Base 15 +1 Eye)
But a Perdo specialist normally thinks that the best social interaction is the one that didn’t happen, so they are not above using “Veil of Invisibility (PeIm20)” or “Silence of the Smothered Sound (PeIm20)” to avoid the encounter altogether.
Nevertheless, there are moments in which not even a Perdo specialist can avoid the interaction. Those are the moments to tell the biggest lie available and make their interlopers believe. With simpler people, “Trust of Childlike Faith (PeMe10)” may be enough. But the Perdo specialist has bigger guns:
Blind Trust of the Believer (PeMe20)
R: Eye, D: Diam, T: Ind
The target loses judgment and believes almost any lie for the duration of the spell. An Intelligence stress roll of 12+ is allowed to resist. Truly incredible lies allow easier resistance rolls.
(Base 4, +1 Eye, +1 Diam +2 increased effect, from 6+ to 12+)
If the Perdo specialist faces an aggressive audience, he can consider either using “Enchantment of Detachment (PeMe15)” or a bigger spell to smooth things out:
The detachment of the audience (PeMe25)
R: Eye, D: Sun, T: Ind
Calms and greatly lowers the intensity of the target group’s current emotions.
(Base 4, +1 Eye, +2 Sun, +2 Group)
I hope that you like the idea. How would your Perdo specialist solve a social encounter?