Topic: Nature's Awareness: What does it reveal?

[providence13]

Caster monitors animate activity in the AOE; aware of subtle movements as long as they don't move.

What info does this spell give the caster? Is it a RADAR ping of all people, animals, zombies, in the AOE?

If Nature's Eye is 15th lvl (Assuming Animist Base List, Nature's Lore, for example) and it allows caster to visualize and sense activity, it sounds like Nature's Awareness is non-visual.. Like a bonus to Situational Awareness: Combat. Or a bonus to spot those pesky elves hiding in the woods.

How do you use it?

[Marc R]

IMO it makes the caster aware of and able to distinguish all movement in the radius.

i.e.

without the spell, standing in the woods, you hear all sorts of rustling in the ground cover and leaves fluttering in the breeze.

With the spell, you feel every leaf and twig moving in the breeze, feel the small fieldmouse searching in the ground cover for bugs, feel all the bugs moving around, but also feel the goblin slowly stalking up through the brush toward you, and your friend joe stalking the goblin. . .

I play it makes you aware of all motion in the radius, and the shape of what's moving. . .I wouldn't allow you to distinguish the goblin from your friend joe, unless it's obvious like the goblin is 4' tall and joe is 6' tall, but you'd definitely know where the two moving humanoids are regardless.

[providence13]

IMO it makes the caster aware of and able to distinguish all movement in the radius.
I play it makes you aware of all motion in the radius, and the shape of what's moving. . .I wouldn't allow you to distinguish the goblin from your friend joe, unless it's obvious like the goblin is 4' tall and joe is 6' tall, but you'd definitely know where the two moving humanoids are regardless.

Can you get speed and direction?
Can you tell something is more animate, than something else?

The Ranger casts this in an open area courtyard, behind a door. 6 orcs and 2 whispling elementals are on the other side.

Can the Ranger determine when they stop, stand still and just breathe (they were quiet and tracking the party)?

One of the orcs summoned the elementals. Do they register differently?

[Marc R]

I think you can perceive all motion at all inside the entire radius.

I wouldn't allow it to work indoors, or in a kept courtyard, it's meant to be used in the woods, on a prairie, perhaps maybe in crops.

I dunno why the caster orc would look different, unless it was "There are 5 large beefy orcs about 6' tall, and one fat short one around 5'5"" or something like that.

Elementals might show up weird, like "There are two vortexes of wind that don't move right"

I wouldn't consider standing still breathing to be motion.

[providence13]

I think you can perceive all motion at all inside the entire radius.

I wouldn't consider standing still breathing to be motion.

Gotcha. Didn't know how sensitive the 2nd lvl spell was. 

[Marc R]

It'd be a wicked hide check to avoid it. Perhaps if you were really really still standing on rocks so none of the nature has a feel on you, and already motionless before the caster "looked". . .moving into the radius you'd be pegged before you got to where you stopped, and IMO you wouldn't "Disappear" when you stopped.

I always took it to mean something like the ranger stops, and focuses, and becomes so attuned to the nature that they feel every leaf, every blade of grass.

[VladD]

heh, just a RR would do to avoid the spell, as per RAW spell law of channeling, p 98.

Also I'd never allow the spell in any civilized setting, or even planned gardens and forests. There is a big chance of abuse by the spell user if it is not kept in check.

Game on

[Marc R]

Is I spell, you can fail or block, not RR, or am I mistaken?

[markc]

  I need to look at the spell closer but remember that the round length is 10s in the 10s you are acquiring the info. So IMHO you do not get movement but a picture in time of what is happening around you. Sort of like a full screen refresh every 10s but that refresh is going on as long as you are concentrating.
 MDC

[providence13]

markc, I hear what you mean, but I don't believe the spell works like that. I feel that animate activity implies movement. It's not an old 8meg memory machine trying to display a 10meg color gif file.

Vlad, it's an "I" spell, so no RR.

Taking up 50%Act with concentration is a good limiting factor. And the caster can't move. For these reasons I don't want to limit the use of the spell. An open air area in a natural (forest) setting is ok by me, even if it is a stone construction with a wooden door. There isn't a roof.

I do appreciate the feedback everyone. It's always educational to know how other GMs rule certain spells.

[VladD]

Its an information spell, right? Read p 98 of Spell Law, of Channeling. It explains it there plain and simple. "The basic attack roll of the spell is made by the GM" and although it doesn't state it there specifically: I assume that the target then makes a secret RR since that is the result of a base attack roll: a RR modification.
I use this for all I-class spells: such as detects or even presence spells. Of course when trying to find a non magical, non sentient water source you just get the location, if any, in range. On the other hand, I have a special rule where really powerful sources of magic, such as an ancient curse made by Sauron, or the wards on a city; I give them special "power radiation" penalties on the RR for getting detected.

[VladD]

Mmm the edit feature will not allow me to edit:

although the explanation of I type spells says: "do not normally allow RR",
I divide them in to 2 kinds of spells: there is an I type that is self and imparts simple info; such as the various lore spells, etc and the other kind has a magical sensor that "sniffs out" the thing you want to detect and I rule, based on Spell Law, p 98; that you do have to make an attack and that the target gets a RR.
I know there is even a rule: on page 99 that says: no RR's in a radius of effect spell; but by checking quickly I saw 2 spells that DO allow a RR in a radius: paladin base, p 43: words of friendship and shout of panic, p 61...I think THAT rule is meant for Elemental spells...

[Cormac Doyle]

In "Nature's Awareness", the target of the spell is not a person or group of people - it is nature4 itself.

As such, the ranger becomes aware of everying in the area (slugs, squirels, birds, leaves, trees, plants.

As such, there is no way an individual within the radius can "resist" ... because all the brids/trees/bees/flowers/wind/soil can still "see" the individual.

The Ranger is seriously underopowered as it is ... in his own environment - he's supposed to be able to use nature's awareness to detect people/things.

Nerf it in some circumstances - indoors is out; cities would be limited or out; areas tainted with radiation or the unlife may be out; etc ...

Remember - the difference between a 50th level Nature's awareness and a 2nd level nature's awareness is NOT the accuracy - it is merely the range. A 50th level Ranger should be able to be aware of massive areas of *wilderness*; making yourself invisible is not going to help! and there is no RR

[yammahoper]

In "Nature's Awareness", the target of the spell is not a person or group of people - it is nature4 itself.

As such, the ranger becomes aware of everying in the area (slugs, squirels, birds, leaves, trees, plants.

As such, there is no way an individual within the radius can "resist" ... because all the brids/trees/bees/flowers/wind/soil can still "see" the individual.

The Ranger is seriously underopowered as it is ... in his own environment - he's supposed to be able to use nature's awareness to detect people/things.

Nerf it in some circumstances - indoors is out; cities would be limited or out; areas tainted with radiation or the unlife may be out; etc ...

Remember - the difference between a 50th level Nature's awareness and a 2nd level nature's awareness is NOT the accuracy - it is merely the range. A 50th level Ranger should be able to be aware of massive areas of *wilderness*; making yourself invisible is not going to help! and there is no RR

Agree.

[providence13]

I suppose the only way to "hide" would be a Change type spell.
If you take on the form of a small woodland creature, the Ranger might think you're part of the background noise.

[Cormac Doyle]

Yep

Plus - merging organic would be good too ...