I have a few seasons of enchanting ahead of me, and in nearly every case, I have a dozen or more points of Lab Total left over, and plenty of vis to serve our needs. So, these are attempts to come up effects that use up those last few points of Lab Total. How does my spell design look?
"In Unity Comes Strength"
CrMe Base 3 +1 touch, +3 envir trigger, +3 6 uses/day - CrMe10
Familiar Enchantment. Notifies one when the other receives damage or passes out (environmental trigger)
(The book suggested "Mental Communication Link" left me with 20 LT left)
"The Falling Swan"
MuAn(ReTe)Base 3, +1 Touch, +1 diameter, +1 2 uses/day = Total 6
Mirroring the primary enchantment made this season (giving a horse wings and armor-like soak), this effect will be enchanted into her Talisman using the remaining 12 points of LabTotal from that season. The MuAn turns her spidersilk dress/toga into wings, the Te requisite adds metal boning to the wings, and the Rego requisite to slow a descent to survivable levels.
"Perceive The Mystic Aura"
Base CrIg2 : candlelight / InVi2 : Determine Power of a Mystic Aura, +1 Conc, Ind, +2 InVi requisites +5lvl Item Concs, +3 environmental trigger, +10 unlimited = CrIg(InVi) 23
This spell is triggered by shifts in the aura. It causes one of the multifaceted gems built into the talisman to glow in a manner that expresses the strength of the magic aura. It can be turned on or off by command. There are four versions of this lab text, to detect each known aura type.
I can't tell from your wording whether you know this already: such an effect would allow only one-way communication (although two similar effects could be instilled that together allowed it to work both ways).
Unfortunately I don't think these qualify as environmental triggers (the description on ArM5 page 99 is pretty narrow). It would be interesting to argue whether "passing out" was a valid triggering action for an enchantment effect already!
As for receiving damage, I think you'd need an InCo / InAn spell constantly going, detecting damage, and this CrMe spell triggered by that other spell. Which of course defeats the purpose of the present exercise.
AKA Mythic Tricorder?
This one seems close to me, but a little strange. First, I'm not sure what I think about an environmental trigger on a Duration: Concentration effect ... even if the item maintains concentration, it seems like some agent's concentration is required to get the ball rolling. How about just change it to Duration: Sun, and let each subsequent triggering just override the previous one (as spells of the same power normally would, I think)? Second, to me this is a straight InVi effect - an enchanted device that detected stuff will typically have some cosmetic way of communicating the results. A straight CrIg spell could detect changes in the aura, though I see what you're thinking that you want more information than just "it changed".
In TOME (rise and fall) there is a spell that activates when the magus drops unconscious or wounded. Can't recall, since we that has not happened in a while, but there is certainly precedent for that kind of triggers.
I am not so sure about the aura detection ones. Wouldn't you need a scanning mechanism to detect that there is an aura before setting off the other spell? This is how we have always played it IMS. Might be that we play it wrong, though. it would be quite a chuckle, since we have used similar spells for more than 15 years of real world play now
IMO, though, both the concentration and the unlimited triggers are redondant.
How I'd probably do it:
Invi2, touch range, unlimited uses: The effect is cast each round, to determine the aura's strength. Final level 13
CrIg 2, +1 mag for variable light or color, momentary duration, unlimited uses, linked trigger to the previous effect: This is cast each round to display the results of the first spell. Final 16
But since most exemples allow Concentration to vary the effect of a spell, this could probably also go as:
Invi2, touch range, Sun duration, constant effect, to determine the aura's strength. Final level 9.
CrIg 2, +1 mag to allow for variable light or color, Concentration duration, maintains concentration, 2 uses, linked trigger to the previous effect: This is cast 2 per day, the concentration allowing to vary the effect (yes, this doubles with the magnitude on the spell). Final level 13
t looks like you want to invest powers into both your talisman and your familiar in the same season, is that correct?
Because I'm fairly sure you can't do that.
I have a few problems with this one. First, to be in a familiar enchantment, the spell must be under the control of the magus (to act on the familiar) or the familiar (to act on the magus). The bond can maintain concentration, but it's not supposed to be able to control the spell, which to mean includes turning it on or off. The lack of constant effects in familiar bonds back this up. Then, if the message is to go to the magus, it needs to be under the familiar's control. But I don't think you want the situation to be that the victim passes out and then tries to send a message. I would go with a longer (maybe Moon) duration, R:Touch InCo/InAn effect, allowing you to essentially constantly monitor each other's health.
I see a parachute.
Sounds fine, though I'd rate it as InVi with CrIg requisites. You probably also only need +1 for the requisites. They don't do that much more than the base effect.
Serf's Parma, but I thought effects in familiar bonds don't warp the target.
So an InCo / InAn effect (as callen suggests), but with duration sun, 2 uses/day and environmental trigger to make it permanently on would probably do the job. Each effect makes one of the pair constantly aware of the health of the other, lasting until the bond is severed or one of the pair dies. The final effect will likely be InCo10 / InAn10 or less.
You could also moniter the mental state of the other instead of their health with InMe. The advantage here is you could potentially invest directions in one season of lab work, since both are InMe and squidged in lab-work requires the same TeFo.
No, these three effects are attempts to use "leftover" Lab Total from three different seasons.
For the Familiar enchantment, I spend the season enchanting the Mental Communication spell (CrMe 15), with a Cr Me Lab Total of 50, leaving 20 points. What do you suggest I do with the extra 20 points? Since I can't use anyone else's lab text, this will be a CrMe 10 (or less) effect.
Tangent: This is actually the second time I'm enchanting that effect, as I had previously enchanted the Familiar->Magi Mental Communication, and now am enchanting the 2nd half. Should my previous Lab Text be applicable in this situation?
In another season, I enchant a saddle with a MuAn(ReTe) 30 effect that I call "Pegasaurus Rex," transforming the horse into metal, giving it wings, and allowing it to fly. (Why? Because ReTe is my specialty, and there were enchantment spaces left in that saddle.) I have 12 points of Lab Total leftover. I came up with "The Falling Swan." What do you suggest I do with the remaining points? What do you suppose are the chances of finding a MuAn(ReTe) 10 lab text? What would it do?
In yet another season (we're currently playing 5 years more or less simultaneously), I enchant several CrIg effects into a silver wand. I have 26 points of Lab Total left, and my InVi Lab Total is higher than CrIg, so it should be safe to create a CrIg(InVi) effect. But that season is a CrIg lab total. Lab Texts should be easy enough to find.
The point is not to determine the best way to model the effects I suggest. The point is to determine "useful" effects to use up the remaining Lab Total.
I'm basing this spell design entirely off that particular wording. Since the trigger is the shift in modifier, the environmental trigger appears to be all that I need.
Could I do it as two separate effects? Yes, perhaps. Why would I, when I can make it one enchantment with requisites? Could I do it as an InVi(CrIg)? Sure, but this season, I started working with CrIg effects, and this is just what I'm doing with the remnants of my lab total.
While I concede your point, I also note that the limitations of familiar enchantments say "must affect the familiar, the magus, or both." I have yet to see an example of an enchantment that affects both. Would I need to make that Target Group? Tangential in this discussion.
While the discussion about an InCo/InAn effect is interesting, I'm asking about options for CrMe.
Sounds fine, though I'd rate it as InVi with CrIg requisites. You probably also only need +1 for the requisites. They don't do that much more than the base effect.
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Sure, but I'm not doing InVi that season. I'm doing CrIg.
Ironically, as designed, dropping the requisites to +1 only reduces the spell to CrIg(InVi) 22.
As an alternative to the damage thing (crMe base 3) you can go with the CrMe base 5 "create a memory". It can work great for your familiar to send IMAGES and other impressions to you directly. You can see the face of the murderer or who is where much better than if he narrates it. Sometimes an image is worth a thousand Diameters of mental talking.
One use per day only (base 5 +1 touch), but it might be worth it.
I really like versions of By His Works, or something like that in the Guernicas section of HoH:TL.
Yes, but the main effect is really InVi. The CrIg is just how it lets you know the result.
Depending on what your talisman is, perhaps something to keep it warm (and you if you wear it) to handle exposure? Or maybe a couple simple light or fire spells to give you options like a torch of you hold it?
I'm pretty sure this would not be valid. As I mentioned above, if the effect is on the familiar, it must be controlled by the magus. A permanent effect is not controlled by the magus. Thus the reason the Speech example needs to use D: Concentration and be maintained by the magus at sunup and sundown.
That is my understanding of it, yes. It is exactly the same effect in the same bond, it's just aimed at a new target. I believe this is why such lab texts are "rarely" useful instead of "never." Though I suppose there is a possibility that an effect gets disenchanted and you want the text to create it anew.
Don't remember if there's a rule for this, but I see it like this, too:
If the level from the guidelines differ, you use the higher base.
If the 2 levels from the guidelines are similar, you use the primary effect.
Yes, use the higher base, and then typically add to it if the requisites extend its utility.
Additionally, I would say watch out to make sure it's not really two linked effects. I'm fine with a light indicating the type and strength of an aura. But let's say detecting an infernal aura results in a protective spell like Wizard's Sidestep. In that case I would not allow In(Re)Vi(Im) nor Re(In)Im(Vi). To me that's ReIm linked to InVi.
Come to think of it, I didn't realize it, but this is probably due to this frame of thought that I tended to suggest 2 different, linked effects above, although, as you say, for this specific case...
Amul! Why don't you do it as a sensory spell? It'd be easier! Of course, there's the risk of warping, but you don't have to have it on all the time.
For exemple, it could make a sweet taste for magic, all the more sweet or strong as the aura grows. Infernal could be bitter, faerie bittersweet, Divine... taste like the host
Agreed! That is a clear (Sensor) Triggers (Effect) situation, quite different from what I'm thinking about here, which is....how did he put it? Mythic Tricorder. A device which detects information and then displays in ways that even mundanes can understand it. It might be more of a grey area if I was creating, say, a sword that glowed brighter in the presence of infernal energy, but I'm staying well away from that issue.
CrIg season, Fixer. Creo Ignem.
It probably would be simpler to just make it a basic light or warmth spell, and save the InVi for an InVi season. But creating the spell as CrIg(InVi) sets an interesting precedent, which might allow me to shoehorn in the other 3 auras with spare Lab Toal during other seasons.
Hrm. By that token, my Season for that lab total shifts considerably.....Total 56 with texts. 15 for the Mental Communication effect, leaves 41.
The transfer of memories idea is very intriguing. Base 5, +1 Touch +1 Conc +5 for 24 uses/day = 20
I still want to see some examples of "Fourth, powers are limited to effects which targer the maga, the familiar, or both."
(I'll call it Al Parma, for Alzheimer's Parma* 8) )
