Information/Detection Spells - Page 2

Chris Rice · 08-05-2018, 03:21 AM

Information gathering spells

Detect Magic, Detect Enemies, Reveal/Conceal etc. All Fantasy systems have them in one form or another so they seem to be an accepted part of the cannon; but are they actually good for the game?

A lot of the enjoyment in RPGs, as a player, comes from the unknown - from surprise. At the same time, its human nature that players will want to have as much control as they can get, whether that be by increased attributes, talents, spells or magic items.

As a Wizard it's very tempting to have some of these spells; after all, knowledge is power or at least safety.

From a GMs point of view the spells can be problematic. I can't just have an enemy, no matter how well disguised or plausible, inveigle themselves into the party. I can't magically conceal a chest or door in the Dungeon as given enough time a Wizard with the right spell can always find it. In the RAW, the only way to try to get around them is by magical escalation: a ring that foils detect enemies or conceal spells on the chest. I'm not happy with that solution as I don't like magical escalation - it was one of the major reasons I ditched D&D for TFT.

The existence of these spells also makes scenario design more fraught as I may have to design with these spells in mind.

I remember many years ago reading an article by Greg Stafford of RuneQuest fame. He was generally happy with the rules (which he didn't write) but, although they existed, he did not allow these sort of spells in his game. His reasoning was that these spells could penetrate the most hidden councils and make known secrets which he did not wish to have revealed.

Of course, the GM can just fudge things but that's not entirely satisfying either.

I've been fortunate that these spells weren't often chosen by my players but I'd like to know from those of you that used them:

*As a player, did you feel they improved your experience of the game?

*As a GM, did they make your life more difficult or did you feel they somehow improved the game?

08-05-2018, 03:21 AM	#1
Chris Rice Join Date: Dec 2017 Location: London Uk, but originally from Scotland	Information/Detection Spells Information gathering spells Detect Magic, Detect Enemies, Reveal/Conceal etc. All Fantasy systems have them in one form or another so they seem to be an accepted part of the cannon; but are they actually good for the game? A lot of the enjoyment in RPGs, as a player, comes from the unknown - from surprise. At the same time, its human nature that players will want to have as much control as they can get, whether that be by increased attributes, talents, spells or magic items. As a Wizard it's very tempting to have some of these spells; after all, knowledge is power or at least safety. From a GMs point of view the spells can be problematic. I can't just have an enemy, no matter how well disguised or plausible, inveigle themselves into the party. I can't magically conceal a chest or door in the Dungeon as given enough time a Wizard with the right spell can always find it. In the RAW, the only way to try to get around them is by magical escalation: a ring that foils detect enemies or conceal spells on the chest. I'm not happy with that solution as I don't like magical escalation - it was one of the major reasons I ditched D&D for TFT. The existence of these spells also makes scenario design more fraught as I may have to design with these spells in mind. I remember many years ago reading an article by Greg Stafford of RuneQuest fame. He was generally happy with the rules (which he didn't write) but, although they existed, he did not allow these sort of spells in his game. His reasoning was that these spells could penetrate the most hidden councils and make known secrets which he did not wish to have revealed. Of course, the GM can just fudge things but that's not entirely satisfying either. I've been fortunate that these spells weren't often chosen by my players but I'd like to know from those of you that used them: As a player, did you feel they improved your experience of the game? As a GM, did they make your life more difficult or did you feel they somehow improved the game?