WtHQM:Scrying
Part of Welcome to Holy Question Mark, a game of the Amber Diceless RPG run by Rook Seidhr.
Scrying is the art of looking into a specially prepared magical object (called a Medium) and using it to view other places, even potentially across Shadow. The rules for it are based on the power of the same name from the game Lords of Gossamer and Shadow.
Cost
Basic Scrying costs 20 points and may be broken down as usual.
The Medium
Each Scryer has their own preferred Medium. The most common objects used are reflective, translucent or luminescent substances such as crystals, mirrors, glass, water, fire or smoke. The Medium could be small and portable like a hand mirror, or stationary or even permanent like a hearth or reflecting pool. The Scryer can only look out of objects similar in nature to their Medium: a Scryer using a magic mirror, for example, can only look through other mirrors. However, any size or design of mirror will do: a wall mirror, a compact makeup mirror, a car's rear-view mirror. Someone who uses a magical flame as a Medium can look through a torch, a bonfire, or a burning building.
Activating Scrying is a personal process, and might require the Scryer to go into a trance, perform a ritual or otherwise spend time and effort to establish vision.
There is no magical advantage to using a smaller or larger object as your Medium; rather, it functions much like the screen size of a monitor or TV. If your Medium is a small hand mirror, looking out of a wall mirror will compress and distort the view in much the same way as viewing a wide-screen movie on a cell phone screen. Some Scryers therefore prefer large, non-portable Media. A stationary Medium can also be stored in a well-defended location.
Attribute Tips
Psyche is key for range, clarity and penetrating defenses. Endurance helps in using Scrying for long periods.
Drawbacks of Scrying
- The Medium has a permanent magical link to the Scryer; a stolen Medium can be used to initiate psychic conflict or target other powers. Scryers often invest their Media with other defenses (using the Artifacts and Creatures rules) to reduce this risk.
- While the Medium is linked to another object for viewing, destroying the other object may damage or destroy the Medium as well.
- Scrying offers a fixed viewpoint: looking out of a mirror, for example, shows what is reflected in that mirror. The Scryer cannot change the origin or direction of their field of view.
- Obscuring a scrying target (keeping a mirror in a darkened room or draping a cloth over it) blocks Scrying. Without light, contact is impossible.
- The maximum distance between Medium and target is limited by the Scryer's Psyche. The greater the distance, the more time and effort it takes to establish the viewing link.
Abilities
Create Media
Before using a Medium, the Scryer must enchant and personalize it, a process which takes roughly two days of uninterrupted labor and concentration. A Scryer may have more than one Medium, but all must be of the same kind: all mirrors, all fires, all crystals, etc.
Divination
A Scryer may concentrate on their Medium and command it to show a brief vision of another time. The Scryer has no direct control over what they see; it may be a vision of the past or of a possible future. It usually will come in the form of fragments and symbols rather than clear images. Sometimes a Medium will display such visions without being commanded; these are generally portents of great weal or woe that may soon come to pass or have just happened.
Spying
The Scryer may link their Medium to a related item or substance. They must have a target location or person in mind, and there must be an appropriate item or substance in the presence of that target at the time. The greater the knowledge and familiarity the Scryer has with the target, the easier and quicker it will be to establish the connection; first-hand contact is preferable, but a good picture or detailed description is usually sufficient. A rough sketch will make the process effortful and unreliable, as it may result in linking to the wrong target.
If successful, the Scryer can see what is reflected or in view of the linked object or substance, and hear any sounds as if present at that location. Characters with high Psyches and creatures or artifacts with Danger Sensitivity or Extraordinary Psychic Sense may detect that they are being spied upon; various sensory powers may also reveal an active Scrying connection, or even detect that an object has been used as a Scrying link in the past.
Initially linking to a new target device takes about an hour for a target in the same shadow, several hours for a nearby shadow, or up to a day for a far-distant shadow. Linking to another target in the same general area takes half as long once the first link is established. Reconnecting to a previously used target takes five minutes for a target in the same shadow, or an hour or two for a target in another shadow.
If the target device is moved from its location (or from the vicinity of the desired person) while the link is in use, the Scryer's vision will follow the device. If the device is moved while the link is not in use, re-establishing the link may provide a vision of the new location, or may require a new attempt from scratch, depending on circumstances and the Psyche and Stuff of the Scryer. If the device is damaged or magically altered, the Scryer must re-establish the connection as if it were a new device.
Passive Spying
A Scryer may choose to create a dedicated Medium for spying on a single target person or location. Once the link is created, it stays operational unless actively disrupted; if the target is a person, the link will jump from device to device to track them, as long as they remain in the presence of any appropriate target device. This form of Scrying does not require a Psyche connection and cannot be detected without a large Psyche advantage, a specialized magical defense, or the skills of an Advanced or Exalted Scryer.
If the target being or location undergoes magical purification or disenchantment, or is changed by the effects of Pattern or Logrus, the link will be broken; to resume passive spying, the Scryer must re-enchant the Medium and re-establish the link.
Recognizing Media and Devices
A Scryer will instinctively recognize another Scryer's Medium on sight or touch, and sense the identity of the being to whom it is linked. A Scryer who is actively searching will recognize whether an object is being or has been used as a Scrying target device if they have a Psyche advantage over the Scryer who used or is using it.
Blocking and Disabling the Medium
A Scryer can sense when contact is being attempted through their own personal Medium, and can use their Psyche to block such attempts from other Scryers. Overcoming the block requires defeating the Scryer in a Psyche battle. Blocking is an active task requiring the Scryer's full psychic attention; they cannot undertake any other task involving Psyche (such as using Power Words, casting spells, making Trump contact, etc.) without the block failing.
A Scryer may choose, as a last resort, to disable their own Medium, as long as it is in their presence. Once the Medium is disabled, it must be re-enchanted before it can be used again.
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