[markelphoenix]

Spirit Mindlink
A conjured spirit is linked to its conjurer so that
they do not need to speak to communicate. They
share a mental communication that can cross any
physical distance but cannot cross from one metaplane
to another. The communication is conceptual
in nature, which means it cannot share actual
audio, video, or pictures. This link means that if a
conjured spirit is disrupted or banished, the conjurer
knows immediately.

What does 'conceptual in nature' work out to? Can a spirit Astraly assense an area and send the concept of "multiple ghouls and vampire" or "Person with many holes in the aura"?

Someone suggested using spirits as effectively conjurer drones, using them to scout and assense for me via mind link. Trying to wrap my mind around that, given it specifically saying it's not as if visual or audio link is shared.

[Stainless Steel Devil Rat]

"conceptual in nature" is the transmission of ideas.

I'm being attacked!

There's noone in here.

Ugh, there's a strong barrier blocking my way.

those are the kinds of communications you can get from a scouting spirit.  you don't get a direct data feed that lets you see what it sees, hear what it hears, etc.  You don't get to tap its sensory input like a magic drone.

[markelphoenix]

"conceptual in nature" is the transmission of ideas.

I'm being attacked!

There's noone in here.

Ugh, there's a strong barrier blocking my way.

those are the kinds of communications you can get from a scouting spirit.  you don't get a direct data feed that lets you see what it sees, hear what it hears, etc.  You don't get to tap its sensory input like a magic drone.

Gotcha, but if it was scouting for me into a room full of drones, it could communicate 10 ghouls and 1 vamp based off its Astral roll, assuming it rolled well?

[Hobbes]

3 second combat turns, so if the Spirit is getting mobbed by a room full of dual natured critters you won't get much.  If time isn't a consideration, then the Spirit can Assense and chat and answer questions.

[Xenon]

...but if it was scouting for me into a room full of drones, it could communicate 10 ghouls and 1 vamp based off its Astral roll, assuming it rolled well?

Drones are mundane and might perhaps blend in with the mundane background which can perhaps be a bit confusing for a Spirit, but both Ghouls and Vampires are dual natured which mean they have well known tangible astral forms on the astral plane (they are immediately obvious to an astral observer and you typically don't even require a test to notice them).

I hardly think your spirit will confuse a room full of drones for 10 Ghouls and a Vampire

[Stainless Steel Devil Rat]

Since drones don't even have auras, it's either possible or probable (depending on how you view the 'reality' of Astral space) that an astral entity would fail to notice them outright.  Even less likely that a spirit would even know what a drone is.   Unless it's maybe a spirit of kin,  it could have been the animist spirit of a vehicle in of itself...

[Shinobi Killfist]

In 6e, based on how the astral chapter is written I doubt they could tell you about anything other than number of living things, magical effects in the area. apparently you have a hard time telling you are in a hallway in 6e. most previous editions, they would see the drones but maybe not know what they are so would have no reason to communicate it to you. I hope when the magic book comes out they retcon the magic chapters astral section. It was at best a vast exaggeration of all the lore before, it sets up terrible game play, and is boring and unevocative. Which isn't a word but should be. Go back to the astral plane is a mirror world where you see and hear as normal but can assense at the same time, lit by life including the planet where, you can't read stop on a stop sign but you can tell its a stop sign.(AKA 1e-3e) It would still remain the least powerful form of remote scouting, but wouldn't be boring and lame. I was fine when it switched to a greyscale world lit by life/magic, but now when its all indistinct nothing its just not fun.

[Stainless Steel Devil Rat]

Opinions vary.

I consider it an improvement that Astral space is no longer a black & white version of reality where colors are based on emotions, rather than the properties of electromagnetic energy (i.e. infrared and visible light...).

Your spirit can tell you that there's some object here, which is superficially like several others here, but THIS one is imprinted with affection by someone.  It's been painstakingly calibrated to a uniquely personal preference, and this object is brighter than the others because someone prefers it to all the rest.

Is it someone's favorite computer?  favorite desk chair?  one drone among many that happens to be the favorite of the security rigger?  I'm 100% fine with these sorts of "real world" details being irrelevant in astral space, and requires physical (and/or matrix) investigation to differentiate.  Frag MagicRun.  Let mundane methodology be useful (or even necessary) in surveillance/recon.  Two thumbs up for another nerf to MagicRun:  not being able to eavesdrop on two mundanes talking to each other from astral space.  It's absolutely better for game balance to make you have to materialize to eavesdrop.  If you want to see/hear real world details, then materialize or manifest (as appropriate).   It's only fair.

[Shinobi Killfist]

Opinions vary.

I consider it an improvement that Astral space is no longer a black & white version of reality where colors are based on emotions, rather than the properties of electromagnetic energy (i.e. infrared and visible light...).

Your spirit can tell you that there's some object here, which is superficially like several others here, but THIS one is imprinted with affection by someone.  It's been painstakingly calibrated to a uniquely personal preference, and this object is brighter than the others because someone prefers it to all the rest.

Is it someone's favorite computer?  favorite desk chair?  one drone among many that happens to be the favorite of the security rigger?  I'm 100% fine with these sorts of "real world" details being irrelevant in astral space, and requires physical (and/or matrix) investigation to differentiate.  Frag MagicRun.  Let mundane methodology be useful (or even necessary) in surveillance/recon.  Two thumbs up for another nerf to MagicRun:  not being able to eavesdrop on two mundanes talking to each other from astral space.  It's absolutely better for game balance to make you have to materialize to eavesdrop.  If you want to see/hear real world details, then materialize or manifest (as appropriate).   It's only fair.

But real world methods already were better and massively so. This just made it boring and borderline useless.

Seriously whats better scouting out a area coming back and verbally relaying that information to people. Or scouting that area, relaying video and audio of the area and keeping a live tab on those areas as you move into it. It's not even close. The mundane methods of remote scouting were already orders of magnitude better, now the magic method is virtually worthless. That's not how you get rid of magic run. Its just unfun.