Topic: Getting unstudied.

[buddha]

Lets say that a character has been memorized by Mr High Evil Priest by use of the spell Study Target. Mr. High Evil Priest can now use certain other spells that rely upon Study Target to find our hero even when he has gone into hiding. The expression "You can run, but you can't hide" has never been more true than in a situation like this. It's like being tagged with a tracking device and the badguys can use it to find you no matter how high you roll on your Stalk / Hide check.

So how does our unfortunate hero go about to remove this tracking device?? How much must he change himself before he is sufficiently different from his original self that the memorizing from study target will no longer apply to him? Is there an underground market for shamans who preform a powerful magical ritual to clean the target from unwanted studying? Could a magical item or a talisman work like a jammer and obscure him from the tracker?

Any thoughts on this??

[Fidoric]

The spell in itself seems to imply that the study is permanent, ie the caster won't forget you except if he empties one of his memory slots using the same spell scaled up.
This spell memorizes its target in great detail, enough to have him identified with no chance of confusion without someone else. Maybe you can go around it by changing your anatomy (loosing a member), changing profession or level, everything that can make you be defined as significantly different. If the spell record a mystical configuration of its target, it may be impossible to fool it.
Don't know what rules are behind this, but I think it can easily be tweaked according to the setting.

[Fidoric]

Thinking a little harder, it seems that even changing you  body is enough to evade that spell.
After all, it's a prerequisite of "Speak with the deads". It must be cast when the target is alive and becomes useful when the soul as departed the body... If dying is not enough of a change to get "unstudied", I can't see what is needed. I am afraid there's no way out of it. Maybe some specific ritual can help ?

[buddha]

Nope, dying is not enough to hide from someone trying to find you with the help of some spells relying on study target.

So apparently it must be by magical means you cancel it out.

[Arioch]

Wouldn't a Dispel Magic (either on the target or on the caster) do the job?

[Fidoric]

I don't think so. After all, the spell lasts only 1 round. During that round, details are committed to caster's memory and the target is merely studied, not enchanted in any way (gets no RR). So I can't see how a dispel magic could affect either one.
A memory-erasing spell could do it, assuming it can be targeted at a specific memory.
In last resort, maybe a good old club stike on the head could imped the memorization process ? 
Otherwise, no more idea for now. Keep thinking about it.

[jurasketu]

It would seem that a magic item with a continuous Cloud Scrying or other divination breaker would be required.

Of course, the simplest way would be to relieve Mr Evil High Priest of his worldly worries...

[Rasyr-Mjolnir]

Couple of points....

1) Study Target -- in order for a target to have been studied, he must be in the presence of the caster of the spell. The caster has to be able to see him with his own eyes. And personally, I would rule that the caster can only Study a target within 20'-30' of himself (depending on how crowded, and other circumstances - possibly even less distance), otherwise he won't get enough detail to have the character properly studied. The spell targets the caster, and basically only works to allow the caster actually memorize physical form and mannerisms.

2) A spell like "Finding" requires a Mind Store spell be cast on the target (and it is a Utility spell, so cannot be cast on an unwilling target (the range is touch, not self like Study Target, so the target of Mind Store MUST be willing - though there is an option for use against unwilling targets, but that is VERY expensive).

3) Spells like "Scrying" have a specific range in which they will work, and thus are only effective within that range.

4) Scrying and similar spells do NOT give the location. The caster might recognize a location seen in the spell, but it does not give his location. When scrying a person, he will only know for sure that the target is within the range of the spell, not which direction, not anything else, unless visual clues in the vision can be used to pinpoint the location based on actual knowledge.

5) These spells have options that makes the "studying" be not required. All in all, a target being "Studied" via the "Study Target" spell isn't that big of a deal because if the foe is powerful enough, then the target doesn't need to be studied anyways.....

[munchy]

I really hate this 4) bit, although it is not that big an offset for a scryer in his own city if he belongs to a thieves guild for example as he might be able to recognize almost any place, or show the scrying to other members who will know. Still, quite a cursed offset to an otherwise already pretty powerful spell - especially if you have scaled it enough to do it without a Study Target cast prior to the scrying attempt.

[mocking bird]

I don't think so. After all, the spell lasts only 1 round. During that round, details are committed to caster's memory and the target is merely studied, not enchanted in any way (gets no RR). So I can't see how a dispel magic could affect either one.

True.  It would be like having a photographic memory memorizing a book.  Buring it later won't have any affect upon your recalling of the information.

[Fidoric]

I must respectfully disagree with the comparison. Burning the book will not affect the memory of the caster, whereas burning the caster is entirely another matter... 

[Fornitus]

 A Misfeel should do a long way to dodging a Finding/Locate Spell.

 Of course, that means you need to keep it going until you can sneek up on the pesky Official.....(Uh, I mean Mage, yea, thats the ticket....)

[Hawkwind]

The spell in itself seems to imply that the study is permanent, ie the caster won't forget you except if he empties one of his memory slots using the same spell scaled up.
This spell memorizes its target in great detail, enough to have him identified with no chance of confusion without someone else. Maybe you can go around it by changing your anatomy (loosing a member), changing profession or level, everything that can make you be defined as significantly different. If the

I certainly wouldn't allow a change in profession or level to be enough change, as they are really just game mechanics. That would be the same as saying that getting a promotion from captain to commodore would radically alter a person.

Hawk

[Fornitus]

 Isint there a Misfeel in Harp like Misfeel Kind in RM?
 
 Changes the Race of the target specificaly for Magical or Mental Detections.
Dose not change anything for people looking at the target, just affects the Spells that would alow the target to be "found".

 Changing your race is certinaly a significant alteration as far as what the spell is looking for.

 Still only keeps you hid as long as you can keep it running.

[Witchking20k]

Sounds like a quest from an NPC to me......"Friend I see the eye evil upon you, and I can help, but all things come with a price.....you see there is this relic....."

[mocking bird]

Isint there a Misfeel in Harp like Misfeel Kind in RM?
 
 Changes the Race of the target specificaly for Magical or Mental Detections.
Dose not change anything for people looking at the target, just affects the Spells that would alow the target to be "found".

I don't think these wouls work after the fact as the template has already been taken.  However if you were under such things when the study was cast it could certainly screw things up a little.  For example if you studied a target that was covered by an illusion (or other similar magic) or even a simlpe disguise the study would be off as well.

[Fidoric]

I am not sure of that. This spell recognizes you even after death and dying is certainly going through a complete transformation. I feel more and more that there is nothing to do against this spell. It seems to register a mystical configuration (a kind of magical DNA) and is able to retrieve you whatever the changes you have undergone.

But if you cannot avoid being studied, the best solution is to have the spell caster forget you using magic or herb or brutal strength to alter his memory. You can also provide him with enough interesting targets to study that he will prefer deleting you from his memory.

[Marc R]

Any equivalent HARP magic to the spell "Forget" in RM? "Forget the 5 min you spent studying me!" cast on the target would seem to delete the information gathered by the RM "Study" spells, so I wonder if there's an equivalent HARP magic?

[mocking bird]

I am not sure of that. This spell recognizes you even after death and dying is certainly going through a complete transformation. I feel more and more that there is nothing to do against this spell. It seems to register a mystical configuration (a kind of magical DNA) and is able to retrieve you whatever the changes you have undergone.

What spell does the latter part refer to?   The forms, disguise and changing ways spells from the base book don't imply this.  If it kept current with target changes, for example a hair cut, then this would mean it is an active spell and some permanent connection between caster and target.  I see it more of a magical 'snapshot' rather than full DNA scan.

However animal forms seems to imply the latter as you can incorporate physical attacks and senses (even though it states it is an illusion which seems contradictory but that might be best for a different thread).  But even so it does not imply the connection is maintained.

[mocking bird]

Any equivalent HARP magic to the spell "Forget" in RM? "Forget the 5 min you spent studying me!" cast on the target would seem to delete the information gathered by the RM "Study" spells, so I wonder if there's an equivalent HARP magic?

Rereading the spell description I am not so sure this would work as well since it takes a casting of the spell to open up a study slot implying some magical storage facility beyond simple memory.  Which would seem to lead toward a dispelling option but it really isn't a constant spell that you would be able to detect therefore target for a dispelling.