Sniffer dogs looking for Vis

[Erik_Tyrrell]

I did something like this in the Aedelbert thread

@Erik_Tyrrell

Sight Hounds of the Order
Mu(In)An(Vi) 35
R: Touch, D: Hours, T: Vision+Group +1 size
Creatures under the effects of Sight Hounds of the Order perceive vis very much as if as if it were burning, but rather than emanating typical flames and smoke, the vis burns with brightly glowing indigo flames that take the shape of human eyes (and naturally the vis emits no smoke).
(base 1, +1 touch, +2 hours, +2 group, +4 vision, +1 size)

I had the dogs see the flames rather than smell them, not sure what I was thinking.
Aedelbert was delving into lots of Animal magic at the time and, IIRC, had enough Animal formulaic spells that he wasn't worried about disobedience from the dogs or communicating effectively with them.

[Spoons (Dan)]

Makes for a good story. I’d suggest specifically using truffle hounds. Probably mostly Creo & Herbam vis. As for why not put a similar effect on a Grog, well that doesn’t sound as fun from a player standpoint. Maybe if the dogs can be trained to retrieve, you can turn a pack loose to search a whole forest.

Actually, if you can breed your own (purposely warp mundane truffle hounds?) you don’t need your magi spending time researching the spell or Vis on the enchantment.

For breeding, Holmseian perspective, maybe vis smelling isn’t a dominant trait, or it also requires a dog with the personality to train. If you buy a Lambaird hound and breed it, you get a mundane dog. You need a large breeding colony, specialist grogs to do the training, specially enchanted objects for “training dummies”, and other infrastructure. It is just easier to pay Lambaird than to set up your own kennel.

[Jotnebane]

@Spoons

Makes for a good story. I’d suggest specifically using truffle hounds. Probably mostly Creo & Herbam vis. As for why not put a similar effect on a Grog, well that doesn’t sound as fun from a player standpoint. Maybe if the dogs can be trained to retrieve, you can turn a pack loose to search a whole forest.

Also dogs do have a better sense of smell than humans so the should be able to do a better job than grogs if going by smell. Tame birds and vision would probably be even better, but dogs are more thematic as dog breeding and kennels were a know thing in the medieval times.

Also I've got a player who liked the idea of a master of the hounds as a companion and a verditius to make magical collars to grant the magical senses.

[Tellus]

@Jotnebane

Tame birds and vision would probably be even better,

We've had magi able to fly and using spells or devices to search for Vis. It works decently, but you miss a lot of stuff that's somehow under cover.
How much that is, depends on your troupe obviously.

but dogs are more thematic as dog breeding and kennels were a know thing in the medieval times.

As were falcons for hunting.