MASKING THE ODOR OF MAGIC doesn't appear make an active spell undetectable. You could make it appear as a different spell but there is no way to get rid of the presence of the magical magnitude.
Is this correct or is there a way to mask an active spell so it cannot be detected?
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I think I see where you are getting at
However, to the best of my knowledge, any spell that hides another spell leaves its own trace.
Also, nobody ever casts a perfect spell, there is always the imperfection of a Casting Sigil in every casting, along with the "magnitude" presence.
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Spells to help hide active magic and traces or to hide sigils really need the Mercurian mastery ability to change or hide the sigil to be very effective. With that for some of those spells it becomes effective in hiding the sigil for any spell you cast and that mastery ability is almost completely effective in that there seems to be no way to actually see through that mastery though a Quaesitor with the acute sense mastery can know that it was altered they can never determine the real sigil.
The Shroud Magic spell is quite sufficient for hiding or faking your sigil.
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But the sigil on the shroud magic spell itself is your own.
I'm not sure I get you. In my reading, Masking the Odor of Magic does make an active spell undetectable as long as MOM lasts. Are you perhaps conflating the effects of Shroud Magic (which disguises the sigil), Shell of False Determinations (which gives false information) and MOM (which prevents detection of the spell)?
I don't recall where I'm getting this from, but I remember seeing that the sigil in Shroud Magic is also the fake sigil (which makes sense, or there would be no use for this spell).
By the same token, I assume MOM also masks it's own odor. Of course, when the spell expires it will still leave magical traces, that then could be detected.
Don't think so. The traces of Shroud Magic at least also shows the fake sigil, and I assume that is true while it is active as well.
Found it. HoH:TL p.72
The use of Shroud Magic can be known by the presence of an accompanying Muto Vim trace or by the Acute Sense ability. Unfortunately the trace of the Shroud Magic also shows the false sigil. Therefore in well-planned crimes, spell trace detection can discover what spells were used, but not the sigil of the casters.
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and @RafaelB yes, I had forgotten that part. Which is mentioned in the expansion of Shroud Magic in the Quaesitorial magics rules. You will still want access to that Mastery Ability for other methods of hiding the traces such as the PeVi used to destroy them.
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The mastery ability (Disguised casting) doesn't really do anything that you can't do with Shroud Magic
No matter what you do, any use of magic will leave some trace behind that can be detected, though you can hide or fake your sigil.
Mask the Odor of Magic can prevent detection of an active spell, unless the spell used for detection is of high enough level.
Best way to hide the sigil in traces is just destroy the traces with repeated casting of the PeVi spell but then you need to be able to mask that PeVi spell but it's low level and Momentary so the traces of that will be gone in "moments" after 10 months have passed, IIRC. And I say this as murder spells are often momentary. Other sorts of things require other solutions, such as active magic where you can't return to the scene after the spell has ended.
It literally "prevents the detection" of the effect. How is that not making it undetectable? Now, there is the question of whether Masking the Odor of Magic itself is detectable, which is why other suggested it might behave like Shroud Magic. Even if it doesn't, you might manage a variant using Group that would hide itself as well.
Actually, it does, and in a way that could be of immense importance to thwart an investigation. If you use Shroud Magic, then there will be traces for both the MuVi effect and the other effect. Quaesitores are aware of Shroud Magic, so this will suggest that the sigil may well have been altered. But if you do it with the Mastery ability, then it's just the single spell, leaving no MuVi traces to suggest the deceit.
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"Prevents the detection of a magic spell, or of a magic power in an item or being, by InVi
magic, unless the level of the InVi spell exceedstwice the level of this spell – 5 (for example,
exceeds 20 for a level 15 version)."
I interpreted this to mean spells or powers inside items or beings... not traces of a spell that has been cast. I would vey much like to be wrong!
Upon further research ...
"Guardians of the Forest" p. 73
Clear Breath of the Consummate Liar,
"...Casting without words or gestures is obviously advisable, and casting under Masking the Odor of Magic is also advantageous."
By GotF it looks like MASKING THE ODOR OF MAGIC does work on active spells not just magic inside items or beings.
If you're concerned mainly about Magic Realm detection, then an infernal Familus could help.
As long as it chooses not to be detected that is, no guarantees it won't get you in trouble for some reason.
So if I cast Opening the Intangible Tunnel.
Then cast Level 30 Masking the Odors of Magic on the tunnel.
Can the tunnel be detected without a ritual and with Hermetic Magic?
I would not allow masking on an active tunnel.
That is definitely not what is says. Note the location of the comma and the location of "in an item or being." That structure specifically attaches "in an item or being" to "a magic power" and not to "a magic spell." If the comma were not there, then it would be vague and it could be attached to both. But it is there.
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Generally speaking with a lvl 30 grade effect of Masking the Odors of Magic, you can't defeat it without a spell high enough level that it now must be a ritual. This makes detecting the magic with standard hermetic effects prohibitive, barring effects invested into items.
This would indeed conceal an Intangible Tunnel and make it rather difficult to respond effectively for most people. At that point you would be better off trying to dispel using something like Wind of Mundane Silence (area affect) rather than trying to overcome the power of the concealment effect.
This is useful in a variety of scenarios but isn't infallible. You can still, as previously indicated, target something that is concealed by it being in a designated area or falling in a designated group. Also for instance the base Individual of Vim also allows for affecting spells/effects that are on a target that you hit with a spell rather than only casting them on the spell itself as the target. So again ... even if the Intangible Tunnel is concealed you could cast a PeVi spell on the person the Tunnel linked to in order to attempt to dispel it.
It would I think generally prevent attempts to send spells back through the Tunnel the "wrong" way, as that requires being able to perceive it.
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Would you explain you reasoning for this statement?
Thanks