Given the recent discussions on the visibility of spellcasting, I have written the following into my house rules.
A new task for Spellcraft is Suppress a Spell’s Perceivable Aura. A DC 10 Spellcraft check lets you dampen the aura briefly perceivable during spellcasting, unless an observer is watching you closely.
When you use this skill under close observation, your skill check is opposed by the observer's Perception check. The observer's success doesn't prevent you from performing the action, just from doing it unnoticed.
A spell’s level influences this check: 0-level +16, 1st-level +12, 2nd-level +8, 3rd-level +4, 4th-level +0, 5th-level -4, 6th-level -8, 7th-level -12, 8th- or 9th-level -16.
Detect magic automatically reveals a spell’s aura, completely foiling this task.
This thread is not for debating whether the spellcasting process creates perceivable effects, but rather a means to facilitate both sides of that argument. Please keep that in mind.
I would have no problems with this being 'poached' by developers to solve the debate :D
And yes, I stole blatantly from the Stealth and Sleight of Hand descriptions for this. It seemed appropriate.
Seems like a good idea, however it might make feats like silent or still spell redundant since they are made specifically for casting spells without anyone noticing.
Also you've made the level of the spell affect how easy it is to notice which makes alot of sense but the pluses and minus might be a bit excessive even + or - 4 makes a huge impact on any skill check so you might consider lowering the differences between spell levels.
As I see it, Silent and Still Spell aren't at all made for casting spells surreptitiously. Silent Spell let's you cast without verbal components, useful for casting underwater or in other situations where you can't speak. Still Spell lets you cast without somatic components, useful for casting while bound or in other situations where your motions are restricted.
Neither feat disguises the aura generated by the act of spellcasting, which is briefly perceivable until the casting is complete. This perceivable aura is not the spell's effect, nor is its perceivability tied whatsoever to the spell's components or lack thereof.
Interesting idea, I like it. You basically set the DCs to auto-succeed though...
Maybe bump the base DC to 15?
Also you've made the level of the spell affect how easy it is to notice which makes alot of sense but the pluses and minus might be a bit excessive even + or - 4 makes a huge impact on any skill check so you might consider lowering the differences between spell levels.
The modifiers may seem excessive, but I believe keeping them in line with the modifiers for Stealth will be good for ease of use.
Consider a spellcaster (let's say a Bard) attempting to dampen the aura generated by his Stilled, Silent charm person. Let's say he's 7th level (the minimum for a Bard to use a 3rd level spell slot), and has of course put 7 points into Spellcraft. Let's further say that he's got a 14 Intelligence. That gives a base Spellcraft modifier of +12, adjusted to +16 for dampening an effective 3rd-level spell (This FAQ makes it clear to use the more disadvantageous number). Not too out of line. If he wanted to avoid using the feats, he could get a +24, but then it would be obvious that he's doing some sort of casting (however, the spell could not be identified unless the observer makes his Perception check!)
The base DC was swiped from the base DC for a Sleight of Hand check. I could certainly see bumping it up to a 15 or even a 20 so that cantrips don't automatically succeed with even a novice's attempt... But I'm not sure it's necessary, like how not falling off a horse only requires a DC 5 Ride check. After all, manipulating the fabric of the universe is sort of what spellcasters DO, so they should be competent at it. At any rate, the base DC won't see use if anyone is actually suspicious or watching closely.
Let's look at an extreme example. A 10th-level Enchanter wants to use charm person to make an example out of an unruly bard. He's got an Intelligence of 24, maxed ranks in Spellcraft, and Skill Focus (spellcraft). He's already hidden in a noisy crowd, so the bard isn't paying particular attention to him; therefore, he doesn't bother using metamagic feats on the spell. His Spellcraft check to dampen the aura created by casting a 1st-level spell is at a +35 modifier.
In comparison, a 10th-level halfling Rogue is sneaking up behind the Enchanter. She's got a Dexterity of 24, and Skill Focus (Stealth). She's also invisible, so her Stealth check is at a +47.
I don't think my modifiers are out of line.
Interesting idea, I like it. You basically set the DCs to auto-succeed though...
Maybe bump the base DC to 15?
Also, having the base DC being 10 would allow for a spellcaster who is untrained in Spellcraft (such as a rogue making use of a spell-like ability) to attempt to dampen their spell's aura anyway. I guess being able to try DC 10 and lower tasks untrained is not a universal quality of trained-only Skills, so I'll add a caveat:
Untrained: You can attempt to dampen a spell's aura, but your result is limited to 10 or less.