Abstraction Question: Observation/Understanding

[Ulfendar]

Within the abstraction system what impetus would you use for a spell designed to observe, understand, or interpret an element? Let me give you some examples of what I'm thinking:

A spell that allows you to read the mind of someone near you (Anima, ?, Presence, Sustained, Single Target).

A spell that allows you to determine if water is pure (Water, ?, Presence, Instantanous, Single Target).

A spell that predicts (within some margin of error) the weather (Air, ? Personal, Instantanous, Natural Effect).

A spell to help find veins of ore within a mine (Earth, ?, Personal, Sustained, Natural Effect).

The only published spell I could think of that matched what I was looking for was The Sight. The Sight is Anima, Enhance, Personal, Sustained, 10 paces. So from that we can interpret that the spell enhances the casters senses, allowing him to precieve other worldly things. From that you could figure that all of the above effects could be created with the same formula (Anima, enhance). Essentially you'd be enhancing the casters sense to different purposes. Does that sound right? It seems to me that a spell that tells the caster more about something should be of the element of the target, not of the element of the caster.

-Drew Clowery

[Fifth]

I can't think of the impetus you would need for any of the spells you mention, so I think a good fix would be to make a spell like the sight which uses enhance to increase your ability to "read" other things, like the quality of water or a persons mind.

Read water:

Water + Anima + Enhance + Personal + Sustained + Single Target

This spell enhances your sense by tuning the fluid within your body to resonate with other bodies of water. The effect it creates is a lot like putting your ear to the ground to listen to the movement of people you wouldn't be able to hear normally. Your spirit is enhanced to resonate with the spirits' which inhabit bodies of water.

Read Mind

Anima + Enhance + Personal + Sustained + Single Target

Same basic idea with the water spell. You're enhancing your ability to sense the mind of other creatures.


I don't really picture sorcerers looking for pure water and veins of ore, this seems like something that would be the job of an summoner. If you're trying to find stuff out about inanimate objects I would make the spell with both the anima facet and the facet of the element you're trying to read.

If you want to find out about the next day's weather so much, learn to read the sky like sailors, or learn some good old fashioned astrology.

"The stars predict that it will be sunny for the rest of the week with highs in the mid 80's and lows around 70 degrees. That's perfect weather for picnicing or adventuring, espellialy with such a low humidity index. Back to you Bob!"

[luke]

Damn, this guy is good!

Fifth is dead on. Technically The Sense should be a double element spell: Anima/Arcana. That's really an oversight on my part. But the interpretation of the spell is just what you guessed, enhancing the caster's senses to bring him more information.

This is a design philosophy of this system. If you want to know water is pure, what are you doing? There are three ways of looking at it: First, if you are asking for a direct shot of knowledge regarding the water, that would be a Faith test for Revelation or something similar. The knowledge of the water comes from without.

If you are asking, can the caster tell the water is pure? Then what criteria are we judging by? The only criteria creatures have for such an assessment is their own senses. Hence, enhancing those senses sorcerously allows you to discern things you otherwise would not.

If you are asking the water if it is pure, you are involved in nameless calling--a very minor summoning, in which you will ask for revelation.

Beyond any other rules calls and preferences on the part of players/gms of burning wheel, what i have detailed above is the core design philosophy for BW magic. I am sure that you folks all see many different facets that I never dreamt of, but this is how the system is intended to be used.

-abzu

[Ulfendar]

Thank you, I think that answers my question.

-Drew Clowery