Looking into making a Halfling Enchanter character, and thinking about Halfling Jinx. As an SU, is using this ability obvious?
Halfling Jinx Halflings with this racial trait gain the ability to curse another creature with bad luck at will as a standard action. This curse has a range of 30 feet, and you must be able to see the target and have line of effect to it. The target gets a Will saving throw to resist this jinx (DC = 10 + 1/2 your level + your Charisma modifier). If your target makes this saving throw, it is immune to your jinx ability for 24 hours. A jinxed creature takes a –1 penalty on all saving throws. This jinx lasts for 24 hours or until you attempt to use your jinx again. A jinx is a supernatural ability, is not mind-affecting, does not allow spell resistance, and can affect any kind of creature not immune to luck effects. This replaces halfling luck.
Basically, can I be standing right beside the target of this curse and Jinx him without his knowledge? The ability doesn't specify any movement or incantations, and Su's doesn't provoke so there can't be any large movements.
What if he makes his save? I think I recall an obscure rule that a target doesn't know you've cast a spell on them if they fail a will save. Not sure if that translates to an Su ability, though.
Bueller?
Not sure where that obscure rule is from, there is something similar to that in regards to illusions if you fail the save against them. If anything the target is aware of being targeted because they have to make a save, as they are being attacked (as per the magic section). The game doesn't really allow for 'covert' attacks in general, if you attack the target knows it is under attack, unless there are some specific rules to say otherwise.
Well, supernatural abilities don't have a vocal or somatic component. When I played my witch in PFS I was always told that meant no one knew what was going on, not sure about an official ruling though. I'd imagine someone might get a "Woah what just happened?" moment out of any sort of magic though. In the least.
I think the target of the Jinx (or Hex, or other SU ability) would know they had been targeted by something, but not know the source of the attack since the attack is non-visual in nature (it isn't a blast of fire coming from you) and you don't have to do anything to make it happen except concentrate a little bit (but not so much that it draws an AoO, so it can't be that obvious).
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Can you make a spellcraft role against SU's? There is you answer... if not, it is NOT obvious. (or perhaps a better phrasing is "It does not have to be obvious" - obviously a SU fireball is still obvious. But SUs don't require anything other than thought to activate in 99% of the instances I know of. So unless you know what the other person is thinking, there is no obvious method of detecting them, even if they are an attack you need to roll a save on).
Activating your typical SU ability requires you to still target and has a cost of a standard action (and thus a decent amount of concentration and limit you to a movement & swift action). Also as an 'attack' you would be unable to maintain stealth and break invisibility.
That is probably the most 'telling' aspect of the problem. You are unable to 'hide' your attack.