Tethering magic and demons

Games Discussion Ars Magica
1

Tethering Magic allows to attach magic to an object until a target is in range.

"If I make a ReVi "lock demon inside" circle ward and tether it, shouldn't it activate once a demon enters it?"

My first reaction to this is that the Limit of the Infernal would prevent a spell from detecting the presence of a demon.

But I thought it worth checking, do you think that's the correct interpretation?

2

There are situations in which demons do not hide themselves, so presumably even if the nature of the infernal keeps this from working when they are hidden it should presumably work when they do not hide.

Also wondering whether that limit applies to Holy Magic.

2 Likes
3

I am fairly certain that the limit does not apply to Holy Magic as the Dominion is explicitly able to see through the deceptions of demons.

2 Likes
4

So, I'm not fully sure why we're talking about tethering here. A few points:

  1. Rego wards don't need to detect. A circle ward against demons will affect demons even if the demon is pretending to be something else. The limit of the infernal applies to Intellego - not Rego, and not Perdo either. You could tether a touch range DEO on an arrow and have it trigger on a hit. Tethering doesn't require an intellego requisite, therefore the spell tethered isn't affected by tue limit of the infernal.
  2. "You may also tether a spell to an object, which can then transfer the spell to an appropriate target when it comes into range." The appropriate target here is not the demon, but a circle. So you could draw a circle, tether your spell to an arrow, and trigger the ward from a distance. Then comes troupe arguments about whether the arrow needs to trace the outline of the circle or whether this is done through handwavium. Similiarly, if you did a DEO, the appropriate target is an individual - bearing in mind that tether doesn't detect, and that it will trigger on a demon just as well as on a mundane - the later with no effect.
  3. If you're trying to find a convoluted way to trap a demon you don't know exists in a circle, your best luck is probably a constant DEO auto trigger on everyone, then either a watching ward or an enchantment with intellego to detect a reaction to DEO (e.g. the demon is burning or steaming) with a linked trigger to the circle. If your game rules demon can pretend not to be harmed by DEO even as it penetrates - you're out of luck because while you can detect burning smoke, you can't detect the demon itself.
1 Like
5

I mean, you might not be able to detect as said demon loses might, but you can definitely detect when they cease to be, when they have had all their might stripped from them. Which is what will inevitably happen if they stay in the area of a repeating DEO effect, and "People, things, and animals that immediately run away the instant they get within range of the effect" is a remarkably reliable indicator for what you want to stay in said area of effect. And if they do so for unrelated reason, hey! No harm no foul, and if they aren't demons, DEO should be harmless (barring warping from too potent versions).

6

Yes, it's a lot easier to just obliterate the demon than find a convoluted way to trap a subtle one.

2 Likes