[RPM] Detecting a ritual

[Christopher R. Rice]

Originally Posted by Varyon

That's an interesting option - if I'm understanding you correctly, you're saying that Range (when combined with Duration) can potentially function as a sort of "poor man's Area Effect" - it detects the nearest subject, then can detect the next one, so long as you succeed again at the initial casting roll (and the target fails their resistance). Is this outlined in a book or Pyramid article? If not (or if the published source doesn't delve into the nuances), if you fail or the target resists does the spell move on to the next target or just fizzle out prematurely? Or is it more something that just detects the nearest subject, then if something else becomes "nearest" you wind up with the Path vs Resistance rolls, and if that succeeds it switches to detecting that target only?

Yes. With Range and Duration you can roll at every interval as long as your spell lasts to detect another subject. With Area effect you detect all subjects in the area who fail to resist. You almost always want to use Area of Effect instead of Range and Duration though because a) less rolls and b) less time. But you CAN do it. And no, it's not in a book anywhere, I am simply explaining how it works. If you fail to detect your subject you get no information that it failed. You just move on.