My troupe is having some difficulties with Mutantum Magics (HoH: TL, p. 97ff).
We'd really like some feed-back from mr. Dahl, but if you feel you have something to contribute, feel free to join in.
Now, especially with Tethering we see this as a way of helping mundanes (more specifially non-Gifted Redcaps) - this would make sense. Suddently making house Mercere the Super Über masters of metamagics within the Order makes little to no sense (though atleast one at our table see Mutantum Magics as doing just this). Is this what was intended?
Now, some more simple questions.
Situation: Rodus is a magus Mercere and a user of Mutantum Magics. Quintus is his shield grog.
A spell has both the Harnessed and Tethered characteristics. Rodus casts this spell on Quintus and Tethers it to him. Who can end the spell (using the Harnessed ability)? Quintus has become the 'owner' of the spell, but has no virtues allowing him to use the Harnessed aspect of the spell - can he end the spell because it was designed with Harnessing? Is that attribute simply lost?
1a) Quintus is now the owner (effective caster) of the spell in the example above - could he use it's Tethered characteristic to pass it on to someone else, despite having no virtues to allow him to do so?
Rodus now places a spell on a piece of rock - the spell heats a room to a nice indoor temperature, even if there's snow and cold winds outside. The spell has R: Touch, D: Moon, T: Room.
It appears that the stone then casts it's spell as soon as an appropriate target comes within range, ie a tent is errected and the stone taken into the tent, or otherwise touched to the tent (HoH: TL, p. 97).
2) How does this work with duration? From the Hunter's Lethal Arrow (HoH: TL, p. 102) duration appears to function as a sort of "maximum delay" before the spell can be activated by the object (here: the tent can be heated by the enchanted stone). Is this correct? What about the duration of the effect when it is actually activated?
2a) If Rodus' spell had been only D: Sun, could he have cast it during the day "storing" it with the stone and Quintus could have enjoyed the effects all night, having activated it only after sun-down?
The shield grog is now the considered the caster of the spell so he may end it with some concentration. HOH:TL pg 101. Quintus is not the owner but is considered the caster. The caster can then end the Harnessed spell with some concentration.
good question. I would say yes but YMMV.
IMHO, the duration of the spell starts when the spell is cast upon entering the tent/room.
2a) yes. As per above, the spell is "cast" when the target comes in range. In this case it means enters the room/tent.
You're asking if I intended House Mercere to be masters of metamagic? Well, Mercere himself likely brought the Wizard's Communion to the Order, and his second apprentice Hermes the Mutant was reputedly very good at metamagic. Their followers start with Puissant Muto for that reason. Most of the common spells with unusual durations are described as examples of the Mutant's discoveries. So I would say there is a strong tradition of metamagic (mutamagic?) in the House. But I'm not sure what you mean by "suddenly making House Mercere super masters of metamagic." There's so few of them in 1220, it's probably only one magus in any given saga carrying on the lineage.
Quintus can end the spell. I believe there's a shapechanging spell example in True Lineages specifically to demonstrate this.
1a) No, granting control of the spell does not allow the subject to pass it to someone else. If the spell was designed to affect a target that is not the tether, like Hunter's Lethal Arrow for example, Quintus could trigger the spell within its Harnessed duration, but that's not the same as passing it on to another tether. I don't even think the caster could tether it again once it's been tethered already. The reins are handed off, so to speak.
That's right, but it's also the maximum duration of the effect. The time that the spell is harnessed subtracts from the duration of the actual effect.
2a) No, the spell would end at sundown. Likewise, Hunter's Lethal Arrow ceases to be deadly once a diameter has passed, if the magus doesn't get a shot off until then.
