If every magical person had a shadow with a spirit... interesting .
Hmm.
The Shadow Given Purpose
Adapted from the spirit summoners that Tremere brought to the Order, this spell is rare in the Order. The Maga touches her own shadow, giving it the semblance of life and ability to move anything it touches. The shadow can follow basic instructions and pass messages; it is somewhat self willed and intelligent, being in fact a part of the casters personality. The Shadow travels across the ground as it wills, but is limited; it can neither travel through complete darkness nor through complete light, it must travel on the outskirts of light sources. The shadow has some of the personality of the caster, and counts as an Arcane Connection to the caster if it is caught. The spirit has basic physical statistics (0 in all).
MuMe(Im) 25 (Give a 'Spirit' a form) +1 Part +2 Sun, +1 Complexity
Made with soot from a fire of cinnamon, fir, lemon and orange woods with a pinch of sulphur burned in a silver bowl and flakes of the magus' own skin, these small pellets are a powerful aid to a skotomancer's (name?) magic. By crushing the pellet and scattering the resultant dust on an animated shadow, the magus establishes a sensory link and arcane connection to the shadow. The magus traditionally smudges the soot left on his fingers under his right eye, on his right earlobe and on his lips as part of the process. Laboratory texts of this effect are a common possession among shadow magi and rumours hint at the existence of more enduring versions (with the same beneficial side effects) using stronger base arcane connections.
Effect - InIm 38(Base 5 (use all senses at a distance), +4 Arc, +2 Sun, +3 levels (user limit : maker only))
Notes - This charged item has been the subject of lab experimentation over the years. As a result, the sulphur has given the side effect of fixing the AC until the pellet is crushed, after which it lasts the Hours duration normal of skin flakes/the (Sun) duration of the effect; However, early termination of the effect destroys the AC immediately. The inclusion of the fir helps the enchantment "stick" to the immaterial shadow via sympathy. Skotomancy derived from skótos (Ancient Greek : darkness, gloom (Wiktionary)).
The caster creates an animated shadow (a volume of cold and darkness) out of his own that may move at his direction (requires concentration) within Sight range (If this shadow is augmented by a Nyxian Bond, the shadow may travel farther.). The shadow may attack by touch (Treated as the PeIg 10 spell Winter's Icy Touch).
(Base 20 (?) (Create and control chill darkness in an unnatural fashion - PeIg 3 & 4 + ReIg 10), +1 Touch, +2 Sun, +1 Requisite)
"Summon Shadow 2" ReIm(Me) 40(?)
The caster animates part of an existing shadow (often a shape made with his hands via shadowgraphy or using a preshaped silhouette) that moves at the caster's direction (requires concentration) within Sight range (If this shadow is augmented by a Nyxian Bond, the shadow may travel farther.). The shadow may cause fear by touch (Treated as Brave personality check vs a target of 9).
(Base 4 (?) (Control an image that affects 4 senses - adapted from Creo guideline) +1 Touch, +2 Sun, +1 Part, +1 Intricacy, +3 Mentem requisite, for touch power) (Would probably be better as a CrIm(Me) using a modified Panic of the Trembling Heart effect for the touch, but let's give Rego a try)
Notes - If using a Nyxian Bond, could Arc range spells be cast to work through the shadows as Touch range effects?
I'm interested in knowing what you and your troupe decide as ways to handle shadow going forward. Might re-posting in the main thread once you guy know?
You could take this a step further and say that each person's shadow is the manifestation of their own spirit; the part that gets left behind as a ghost, etc.
This leads to another thought: shadows could well be handled by the form of the object casting the shadow. It strikes me as a possibly modern conceit to think of a shadow as being akin to a footprint; would a medieval thinker consider a shadow the same way? Or would they see it as being more integral?
It looks like we are going the way of considering Shadows as its own form, link to a part of the Magic Realm between the Great Void and the land of Dream and Nightmare. It probably does not have any historical meaning in the Aristotelian vision of the world nor the XII century understanding of what is a shadow, but none of us is a specialist nor see that as a problem since it can lead to a whole set of stories.
We are just starting to define Shadows as a form but it is okay since my magus is slowly building knowledge about this sub-Realm. It seems to be inhabited by independant spirits, as well as lowly shadows, which can only leave as a projection of something/somebody. Because of this link and need for most shadows to exist, somebody will wonder at some stage if the primordial, the very first Faerie are not the shadows of Titans.
Other points we agreed is that all Shadows are connected if the source of the shadow (the light in this case) is the same, which allow to see/move through similar shadows. At a higher base effect, shadows are connected through the Realm of Shadows, allowing perception/move through shadows on much longer distance, but requiring a AC to either the source of the shadow or the item/person casting the shadow (in the first case, the source of shadow is the same, so is implicitly the AC).
Finally, it is possible to invoke Spirit from the Shadow realm - aka Shadows, following the rules of magical creature and such. But I did not try to proceed so far, it still remains a mystery how it works and what I will get.
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