My Merinita is asking a couple of questions
-
what happens if I make the visible ring invisible?
-
can I draw an Imagonem ring and would that count?
I think Ring and Circle both require the caster to trace out the ring. The ring is usually drawn at the time of casting. If there's already a ring drawn on the ground, that just makes the tracing easier, it's not necessary.
If you make the ring invisible, you're making the tracing harder again, unless you can still see it. If it's an Imaginem ring, that's fine.
I would not allow a purely illusionary ring to be used.
More importantly: even if the circle is invisible or illusory, anything that breaks the circle still ends the Ring duration. Someone walks over the invisible circle? Ring ends. Something falls onto the illusory circle? Ring ends. Not really gaining anything.
And while you have to "draw" the circle I don't think you actually need to visibly mark the circle -- just trace a circle out with a finger or pace out a circle or something and even if there's no line left behind the spell should still work. Columbae warders need to mark their wardings but that's specifically called out for them.
Yeah, I should have said something about that.
- Making a ring of a D: Ring spell invisible once traced should not affect the spell defined by that ring.
- An Imaginem ring for a D: Ring spell is not really defined. See ArMDE p.304:
A ring must actually be drawn while the spell is being cast. The magus may use magic to do so, but that magic must not have a range greater than Touch, and the magus must physically trace out the ring.
An illusion caused by R: Touch magic while tracing out the ring only affects species sent out from the touched places. (ArMDE p.209) That should not affect the D: Ring spell cast - but may perhaps look magical and even ease drawing the ring. The ring drawn to define the D: Ring spell should not be affected, though: neither should the means to physically break that ring be affected. (ArMDE p. 304)
My Merinita player was also probing as to how faint the drawn ring could be.
When he suggested licking a finger and drawing a circle, and arguing it should remain even after it dried. To which I ruled that when the wet spittle dried, the dry spittle remnant was effectively a different circle than the one drawn and cast upon.
But he pointed out the circle instead was the washed bit of surface surrounded by slightly more dirt/dust. I suspect such a circle is not well enough defined to work, but I don't have anything to back that up.
I think it's still the same circle after it dries, but by gum that's a fragile circle. It could blow away in a gentle breeze, or if a rat licked it.
As always, you can rule what makes sense for you and your own personal version of Mythic Europe; the important part is to make it consistent of course. Let me give you some of my logic, because I've gotten into extensive discussions with my troupe about circles.
Defining your circle:
In our saga, the circle has to be clearly and well defined, because the magic needs a clear 'inside-outside' reference. The clearest versions: A circular tower, traced on the inside or outside wall; An inset silver ring on the stone floor. Less clear, you could use chalk or paint to draw a circle on a clean surface; You could etch a clean circle into clay or earth. You could carve it into a wooden floor. You could draw it in a thick layer of dust. Maybe a thin layer of dust? But I would rule that the dust needs to be heavy/pervasive enough to have a VERY CLEAR line for the circle's border.
I would absolutely allow a magus to use Imaginem to hide or disguise an existing circle, but a muto spell would transform things and probably break the existing circle.
A line of spittle, assuming the magus drools heavily enough (probably excited by his own cleverness) would still need to be a defined circle: Perhaps something faint enough that an unexpecting person would smack into a ward, but if he looks around I would need him to be able to reasonably find the edge and visually know where it is if he knows where to look. When the spittle, again assuming it is thick and prodigious enough to be a clear circle, and not spread or ooze into something that is no longer a circle, when it dries I would say the 'residue' is no longer a defined circle. If I did allow a defined circle, for some reason, I would probably still rule that it likely did not all dry out at the same time which would break the circle.
Regarding faint circles...
Regarding faint circles... the fainter the circle the more likely it is to break. Thread or wire could form a good 'faint' circle, but it would be pretty easy to break or deform. Tracing in dust would be likely to break the circle with a breeze or even the gust from opening a door. The most secure 'stealth circle' I can think off off the top of my head would be a big and perfect circle of thread enchanted with the Rigid Rope effect.
Broken circles my troupe has agreed on:
A plank flooring with the circle inscribed or drawn on it, it would probably break if the planks were not perfectly fitted. A stone floor inscribed with a circle, the circle is not effective if the circle has a rug thrown over it (we never decided if the circle was broken or if it only existed between the floor and the rug and not above the rug). A circle of wax would break if the wax heated enough that it ran and was no longer a clear circle (drips of wax oozing into the circle such that there is a smear or line inside). And generally, anything clearly laying across the circle to 'breach' the barrier: such as a stick falling directly across the edge, a plank laid over a circular moat, a body falling across it (Notably has to touch the circle, someone stepping over it or an arched bridge would be fine)
Wow I rambled on quite a bit. TLDR, the circle needs to be defined and clear, and the fainter it is the easier it would be to break.
How would we feel about something like this?
Segundus' Splendid Secundus
Cr(Re)Ig 20This elegant brass finger cap, when activated, creates a point of light that hovers in the air at the end of the "fingernail." As the finger moves, its motion is traced in this light and hovers there, allowing the wearer to form pleasant designs for the delight of others, create diagrams in lieu of a chalkboard, or even trace a circle for a circle/ring spell.
Base 3 +1 Touch +1 Concentration +1 Requisite; +5 Item Maintains Concentration, +5 for 24 uses/day
Such a circle would certainly be easily disturbed, and perhaps could be easily dispelled by a brighter light moving too near it. But while I think purely Imagonem rings oughtn't be real enough to count, a ring of light should?
I think this would work but be even more fragile than the finger-licking plan: a shadow would be enough to break it. And I don't think it could just float in mid-air, there needs to be an actual surface it's scribed on.
I don't think there's a ruling that backs these opinions up, it's just my ideas about how they ought to work. We are well into the realm of "people are making weird suggestions and the GM has to make a decision, this is too marginal for an official ruling" territory by now.