Initiation of Sensory Magic

[Berengar]

@Rich

Our group is having a discussion and can't come to an agreement of what exactly it means to enchant an object with the ability to see, hear, taste, touch and smell.

On the one hand this could be a standard invested item with multiple effects like this:

Let the Stick See InIm5
R: Per D: Mom T: Vision
Gives an object the ability to see.
Base 1, +4 Vision

Let the Stick Hear InIm4
R: Per D: Mom T: Hearing
Gives an object the ability to hear.
Base 1, +3 Hearing

and so forth. This method would take at least two seasons and up to six depending on the lab total.

Alternately we talked about combining the effects like this

Let the Stick Sense InIm25
R: Per D: Mom T: Vision
Gives an object the ability to see, hear, taste, touch and smell.
Base 1, +4 Vision, +4 extra effects

This has the advantage that it can be put in a lesser enchantment thus taking only one season. The target was put at the highest of the targets affecting all the senses, however some of us thought that was weird as the other senses would be coming through the vision sense. An extra magnitude for complexity was discussed but not decided on (we like to argue about this stuff).

Given that Magical Senses need to be bestowed upon persons (ArM5 p.113f), as also recently discussed on this forum (see Healing Walls ), I wouldn't expect much guidance in the rules, how to apply them to enchanted items. AFAICS you will either have to invent the way to do that IYC yourself, and maybe make up the breakthrough and the magus who made it as well. Or you use other kinds of Intellego effects for enchanted items, of which there are many examples in the books.
Sensory Magic (HoH:MC p.27f) uses special Targets, just like Magical Senses do, but for a completely different purpose. It is always R: Per, and "cannot be invested into magical items" (HoH:MC p.28).
In case you wish to discuss Automata (HoH:MC p.128ff): there is no special provisions for their senses. They (HoH:MC p.129) "may not be a magus's talisman", so using tricks like with (MoH p.114f) Staff of Ranulf, which uses Ranulf's senses, are not possible. MoH examples for enchanted items with senses otherwise apply: in particular InIm Read the Words of Dico Calculus (p.31f) provides a simple, easily extendable example for an enchanted item sensing species.

Cheers