Spell Clarifications

[Henchman99942]

Will Trace and/or Seeker work on someone who has been shapeshifted into an animal or who has either been possessed or has possessed someone or something else? Which would it point to, if either body?

The person casting the Trace or Seeker would be unaware that of the shapeshift or possession.

How exactly does 'History' work? How is the knowledge perceived by the mage? What area around the object would count as part of that object's environment? Would it work on hair? Does it work on corpses? It says, "When cast on any inanimate object..." So this means it will not work on living things at all?

[Anaraxes]

Originally Posted by Henchman99942

Will Trace and/or Seeker work on someone who has been shapeshifted into an animal or who has either been possessed or has possessed someone or something else? Which would it point to, if either body?

Talk to your GM. (Always good advice...) This could go either way, depending on the doubletalk the setting uses to justify magic. You could argue that the mage is seeking the body, like any physical object. Shapeshift might or might not disrupt the Seeking. If you picture it as tracing a holistic summary of the target, the better to discriminate it from others, Shapeshift might make an interesting defense. Or if you're thinking of the kind of connection given by nail clippings and hair, via the principle of contagion, Shapeshift might be too coarse of a change to affect the spell. Or you could say that it's attuning to their aura or spirit or soul, and would ignore the shapeshifts as irrelevant to the true nature or true name of the target.

What are the metaphysics of magic in the setting? What makes for a fun game? These questions are more likely to point you in the right direction for your game than legalistic parsing of the text, which wasn't written for that sort of analysis anyway.

Trace cast in the presence of the target could be considered as embedded an arcane mark that survives shapeshifting. Establishing a distant Trace would require Seeker to work before you could mark the target.

How exactly does 'History' work? How is the knowledge perceived by the mage?

I'd flavor it according to concept. Some mages might get mental visions. Others stare into a fire and see images dancing in the flames. Others commune with local spirits, who narrate the details for the mage.

What area around the object would count as part of that object's environment?

Again, something of a matter of taste, but I'd limit it to events and objects directly affecting the target of the spell. You might discover that a sword was used in a battle, say, and while you'd learn about the individuals on whom the weapon was used, you wouldn't get to see the battle as a whole, or know what happened to other famous people in that battle. Heavier on the emotional and symbolic impressions from the POV of the object, less on a roving drone overview of the area where the object happens to be. Compare with the Psychometry Advantage.

Would it work on hair? Does it work on corpses? It says, "When cast on any inanimate object..." So this means it will not work on living things at all?

Yes, yes, and yes. Hair is not a living thing. (I'd snicker at attempts to cast the spell on just the hair of a living person, and move on with the game.) Corpses are not living things. Zombies will be another one of those GM calls, but I'd lean toward "not".