OK, back again guys. Apologies for the untimely cut-off on my last post - internet time ran out. (Yeah, I don't have home access -what a dinosaur, eh?).
Right, just to clarify a few points here. This post is really to confront the theory part for roleplaying purposes rather than the actual game mechanics/rules bit (although such evaluation on logic and theory can lead to rule revisions).
@ Chaemera: I should have been clearer in my wording there because, as you so correctly point out, a spell's energies show up on the astral plane to anyone capable of assensing (and within LOS of) the target. Sure, the target is Invisible on the mundane plane, but his arua is shrouded by the active spell on the astral and thus a dead giveaway.
What I actually meant to convey, is that successfully casting a spell requires the caster to create an astral circuit/link between themselves and the target through which the astral energies of the spell can flow and "ground out" in the spell effect. This is referred to as "aural targeting" as the auras of the caster and target must be aligned for the spell's circuit to be completed. Hence the rules for mundane to mundane plane / astral to astral plane / mundane to astral plane targeting. In my example i'm sticking to the general mundane to mundane plane effects where the aura is the representation of the target rather than meaning the target is actually astrally active.
The other main point, that I'm trying to debate, is what the Invisibility / Improved Invisibility spell actually affects. If it only affected a single target being, then by rights all their equipment would be visible and as you suggest a separate spell would be required for each individual item. This is, of course, a little impractical in game terms. So surely the spell should cover everything that the target is wearing/holding?
Otherwise, theoretically, if a gun were the target of the spell it wouldn't affect the bullets in it's clip as they aren't really part of the weapon. The same might apply to casting it upon a vehicle like a motorcycle. It would become invisible, but the rider would not as be seen zooming about on thin air. Or a car, which would then become invisible, but not affect its contents/occupant.
This is where the question of actually how the spell affects the target, (such as by cloaking it in a shroud), becomes important, as it can have direct impact on the players/characters actions and plans in the game. The incident i brought up was to illustrate that if a single casting affected whatever the target was holding/wearing, then as game mechanics for Encumbrance allow, a troll carrying a lightweight human is certainly possible. Thus,because the spell is not listed as being restricted by the mass of its target, it would cover both in a single casting.
It is not dependant on affecting only the physical or mana attributes of its target either, otherwise surely it would target the subject's Body, Willpower, or Object Resistance Rating instead. (3rd Edition gave its casting Target Number as a flat 4). So really how much could this spell affect. Example that came to mind recently are:
The subject is riding a motorcycle, or even a living mount. Is this also affected? What if the vehicle is the target, could it also affect a passenger riding pillion too? Or, for that matter, if cast upon a car/van/truck/plane, would all passengers and things inside be cloaked by the same single casting of the spell? How about if the target were a building, say a wall or a gate/door. How about the local Corp HQ skyraker or the Golden Gate Bridge?
In quering these situations its led me to deeply ponder the mechanics coupled with the "spirit" of the rules. So sure, if my players can come up with a logical explanation and reasonable creative use of such spells, then why shouldn't they be able to get away with them?
So far, I've concluded that the spell's Force should have some determination upon how much area/mass the spell can effectively shroud with a single casting. It's still limited to a single target, but a larger mass requires more power/man to conceal. plus it also limits the abuse of a simplistic one target casting making landmarks disappear (unless they're using ritual sorcery of course).
OK, any further comments people?
