Aura (spell)

Aura is an Information spell that lets you see a subject's general magical status. It can tell you the subject's magic resistance, spellcasting talent/magery, if they're possessed or controlled, or in the grip of violent emotions (such as guilt or rage).Dungeon Fantasy RPG: Spells, p.42 Critical success can detect "secret" traits like lycanthropy and vampirism. All living beings have auras. Most undead have obvious "death-haunted" ones, but vampires have the ones they would have in life.
Inanimate objects and magical constructs have no aura. Neither do illusions, making this spell useful for spotting them!
* Duration: Instantaneous
* Cost: 3 (for any size subject)
* Prerequisites:
** Clerical: Power Investiture 1
** Wizardly: Detect Magic spell
== Uses ==
This spell is particularly useful for scouting and information, although it's a vision-based ability on the user, not an effect that reveals the aura to everyone.
== Versions of the Aura Spell ==
It effectively introduces a benefit/drawback to Magery 0: the ability to be detected as a "mage". Initially the description was vague:
:shows whether the subject is a mage (and about how powerful)
This was amended to:
:shows whether the subject has Magery, Magic Resistance, or Magic Susceptibility (and what level)
"What level" likely is meant to apply to all 3 traits. It would be easier to view the aura of a susceptible and harder to view one of a resistant, as even though Aura is not a resisted spell, those add penalties/bonuses to all spells cast on the target.'
== Mentions ==
* Basic Set, p.249
* Magic, p.101
== References ==
category:spells