Hi!
what Form is necessary to perceive Ghosts?
InMe as in earlier Editions
InVi - and if so, which base Level is it?
thanks in Advance
P
Well, there are no spells or Guidelines specifically listed for detectin Ghosts (tho' there were in 4th.)
It used to be Mentem for Ghosts, Vim for Demons (tho' demons are not necessarily "detectable" per se.)
I'd say (one opinion) that there is no difference btr apparently re living minds and "spiritual" ones, so just use the Guidelines as written.
I concur with using InMe to detect ghosts - but I'd also say that since most ghosts would probably have some kind of mythical Might and thus the right kind of InVi spell would also pick them up. Not any random InVi effect though but ones directed at detecting Might of a certain realms - arguably there could be ghosts alligned with different realms of power.
so different Spells for Ghosts of Magic, Infernal, the Dominion, Faerie and InVim? At which base level?
thanks
Check out the Intellego Vim Guidelines on pg 158 of the ArM5 book. Magical creatures can be detected as if their Might was a level of effect.
For example a 50 Might ghost is detectable by a base level of 1 spell.
A Might 15 ghost can be detected by a base 4 spell.
InMe Guidelines:
Level 4: Sense the state of consciousness of one intelligent being (for example... dead...)
I would suggest that "ghost/spirit" would be of that same ilk, tho' it would take an area effect to "detect" a ghost, rather than just analyze its state of mind.
A lot cheaper, tho' requires Mentem, not Vim.
One of my favorite Spont' spells for a Mentem mage is simply to detect the extistance of a human mind, to see who is nearby- handy, and easy enough, especially if it can be argued that the effect is less than the base level for detecting a "state of consciousness".
And I wonder if they wouldnt need to penetrate the Might, as a resistance, since this is actually what is being detected?
If that holds true it would follow that a InMe spell to detect ghosts would have to penetrate and is thusly most effecient at "picking" up ghosts with low Might, whereas the InVi spell (focused on the right type of might naturally) would be good at "picking" up ghosts with high Might, since the higher the easier it is to detect.... Interesting notion. Any comments on this?
Quite frankly, I could see it either way. The InVi guidelines do not mention that such penetration is necessary, and if it is, they probally should.
On one hand, a powerful dragon could radiate powerful magic, perhaps outside the range of its Might's protection. Perhaps InVi are the one way to sense such a creature. There are precident, as I believe Imaginem spells can create and decect species without penetrating Magic Might in certain circumstances (not to turn a Mages eyes blue, but to make an illusion of a sheep the mage could see reguardless of Parma).
On the other, a creature's Might would protect it from other scrying methods (such as the Inexorable Search).
I prefer the first, if this is a vote 
Having given this some thought, second thought perhaps?, I do think that the InVi to detect a creature of Might still would have to penetrate. Not as interesting as given above, but more in lines with the simplicity of the rules, that any effect have to penetrate anything affected - including Intellego spells. The creature, in this instance a ghost, of a high might would still be easier to detect with InVi then with InMe bc the higner the might the lower the base lvl would also be - and this would still push them a bit toward being easier to detect.