Hi Mollari
Astral Signatures only show up in astral space. It is sort of the unique fingerprint of active spells and active foci and projecting magicians and summoned spirits etc (really anything magic that have a tangible
form in astral space and not just an
aura).
Astral Signatures does not show up on the physical plane at all.
What do high force spells/spirits look like on astral?
You don't really look at all when using astral perception. It is a psychic sense, separate from your physical senses. Some magicians describe the astral as seeing while others describe auras and astral forms as tasting differently or that they experience the astral as sound. The book simply use "seeing" as an analog because it work most of the time.
SR5 p. 312 Astral Perception
Many Awakened characters can perceive the astral plane from the physical world. This ability is called astral perception. It is a primary sense used in the astral plane that allows you to “see” auras and other things in the astral world overlaid on the material plane. Astral perception is available only to some; for metahumans you can only use astral perception if you’re a magician, or an adept with the Astral Perception power. Technically, astral perception isn’t vision—you don’t need working eyes to see in the astral plane—but vision is the easiest metaphor to use.SG p. 28 Astral Topography
When discussing the nature of magic, it’s also important to consider the nature of the astral plane. The astral is a confusing place to the untrained. Life illuminates and emotions color a grey and shadowy mirror of the physical world. When astral projecting, you do not hear the din of the physical world, nor can you read written words. Technological displays and holographic images don’t exist even as shadows on the astral plane. All the lifeless objects in the physical world appear as dull and intangible shadows to astral forms, allowing them to easily pass through. Details on these objects (color, texture, smell) are almost impossible to understand; a book’s words are impossible to read, as is the context of the writing unless it’s tied to some emotion that the character can perceive. All life has intangible auras that illuminate the astral world, while emotions can color them. Emotions can also color non-living objects if they have some significance to metahumanity (individually or as a whole). Within the silence, the magician can hear the crackle and hiss of mana being drawn into a spell or the subtle harmonies or cacophony of aspected mana as it flows through the astral plane.
At least, that is how it seems to me. Astral perception is a psychic sense, so where I see and hear light and sound, others may interact more through taste or texture. Your experience in the astral very much depends on who you are.Having said that; all active spells and active foci and projecting magicians and summoned spirits etc (really anything magic that have a tangible
form in astral space and not just an
aura) are
obvious. You don't require a test to sense them. You basically only need to pick up some dice if you want to analyze a specific aura or if you want to sense an astral form that is trying to hide.
SR5 p. 313 Astral Perception
Like physical perception, you don’t need to make a test to see things that are immediately obvious (and since astral forms are bright and vibrant, this means that most astral forms are easy to spot). You only need to roll the dice when your target is trying to hide or when you’re trying to observe in detail—then you make an Assensing Test to see what you can see.We've always had a soft sort of GM intervention where if you use magic at a significantly high force it draws attention. Kinda like jedi going "I sense a disturbance in the force"
Any active magic will be obvious. It doesn't require a test to sense an active spell while you are using astral perception. However, game mechanic wise it is actually pretty hard to tell just how powerful the magic source is.
First of all you need to actually focus a split second assensing the subject (so you don't automatically sense if the source of magic is powerful or not).
Second you need at 3 hits just to tell if the force or magic rating of the subject his lower, equal or higher than your magic rating. This is also as many hits you need to sense any astral signatures on the subject (which you can use for astral tracking back to its owner). You need 4 hits if you want to know the exact force or magic rating of the source.
It is actually not entirely clear if this also applies to active spells or if high force active spells are "more" obvious to sense than spells with lower force as you describe it, but I have not seen anything to indicate that active spells (that have actual astral forms) would behave differently than say an active focus (that also have actual astral forms) in this regard.
Unless anyone find anything different I will continue to assume that to find out the force of a spell you need to use the Assensing table on p. 313.
let's say mr mage blows someone up with a force 12 direct spell (or if you think it's low sub a higher number).
1) would mages immediately be aware as if the magic equivalent of a cannon went off?
Spirits can always only use astral perception. They can never use physical perception, not even if they materialize.
Magicians (and Adepts with astral perception power) cannot (ever) use astral perception and physical perception at the same time. They have to pick one. EITHER they use their astral perception (which is a psychic sense) OR they use their normal physical senses (seeing, hearing, touching, smelling and feeling).
The only exception to this is critters with the Dual Natured Critter Power (they get to use both physical perception and astral perception at the same time).
SR5 p. 395 Dual Natured
They can perceive and interact with the astral plane like characters using astral perception (see Astral Perception, p. 312). Being dual natured, though, is different from astral perception in that a dual-natured critter always senses both the physical and astral worlds; they don’t have to shift back and forth (and, in fact, cannot do so). Their minds are accustomed to processing both astral and physical sensations, so dual-natured critters don’t suffer the –2 dice pool modifier for interacting with the physical world while astrally perceiving.While using your normal physical perception (magician or not) you have a chance to "see" that the magician is casting a spell (twitchy finger or whatnot). To do this you need line of sight. You take a regular physical perception test (visual specialization apply) with a threshold equal to (the magicians magic rating - force of the spell) with a minimum threshold of 1. You don't know what type of spell is being cast, just that the the guy over there might or might not be casting a spell. If you are the subject of a subtle manipulation spell you may also take a regular perception test (numinous specialization apply, this is a specialization to perception that mundanes can take) to verify if you "sense" the feeling of chills, dread, or other unnatural sensations you can’t quite put your finger on.
SR5 p. 292 Manipulation Spells
A victim of mental manipulation spell may roll to notice the magical effect according to the usual rules for Perceiving Magic (p. 280). Some of the less subtle mental spells (Control Actions) are pretty obvious, but more subtle spells (like Control Thoughts) can be pretty insidious.SR5 p. 314 Astral Detection
This specialization of Perception is called Numinous Perception, which includes both the chilly tingle of astral forms and the “bad vibes” of noticing magic (p. 280).While using astral perception active spells are obvious and you don't even need to take a test to notice them.
2) would people be able to see it as if a bomb went off on the astral or would they need to be in range to assense the person/location?
In the astral the active spell will be obvious and does not even require a test to sense, but I can't find anything indicating that it would be "more" obvious than a lower force spell
3) let's say the mage cast this in a building. Astral vision doesn't go through inanimate objects. Does casting things inside a building, regardless of force, remain invisible to people outside?
Yes.
Suppose there were a mage on the opposite side of the harbour from our mr mage. Mr mage casts a significant distance away from our observer and he is within a building.
The observer need to either use astral perception OR physical perception. He cannot use both at the same time unless he is a natural Dual Natured Critter.
1) not get a chance to notice because mr mage is within a building and astral vision doesn't pass through solid inanimate objects?
2) not get a change to notice because he is facing the wrong way or a significant distance away?
3) get a change to notice because a ripple on the astral emanates from our mr mage?
He doesn't get a chance to notice because there is a mundane wall between the active spell and the observer using astral perception. The observer would automatically notice the spell if he used astral projection and "poked" his head through the mundane wall.
Note that astral perception is a physic sense. It is not limited to the field of view of your physical eyes. In fact you don't even need working eyes at all to use astral perception. There is actually nothing indicating that you only may assensing auras that are
in front of your physical body (except maybe that they often use the metaphor of "seeing" when talking about astral perception).
I guess the issue here is that whilst there are rules for noticing the magic...
Noticing Magic only apply for physical perception. You
cannot take this test while using astral perception. However, while using astral perception most magic is obvious and you normally don't require a test at all to sense it.
In a similar circumstance, there isn't necessarily a distance dictated for noticing gunfire, and it doesn't have a table increasing the threshold as distance increases.
Actually, distance for hearing gunfire act as a negative dice pool modifier (table can be found at SR5 p. 135)
As for visual based perception tests (such as noticing a magician casting a spell) you use environmental factors (table found at SR5 p. 175).
How do you treat it in your games? If someone nukes their target with a force 12 stunbolt do all the magic sensitive people in the city for a 1km radius suddenly perk up their ears? Do you let the affect of the spell travel and do you allow objects to obstruct it?
To sense all astral signatures on the subject or on the location from where it was cast an astral investigator need 3 hits or more on his astral perception test (this can be used to track the original magician with astral tracking, see SR5 p. 315). With 4 hits he would sense that the signature came from a combat spell.
People in the vicinity would probably notice that the magician was putting a lot of effort into casting a power spell. It would basically be as obvious as noticing a neon sign. They might also see the victim as he is cooked from the inside out and falls screaming to the floor. People 1km away would notice nothing.
Astral perceiving or astral projecting magicians in the vicinity would automatically sense the spell as it was cast. They might also sense the victim as his aura become super colorful of emotions right before the light fade away. Astral magicians 1km away would notice nothing.