Sense Minds

Required	Mind Sphere 2
Range	100 yard radius
Area	Centered on caster
Duration	Concentration / 1 Hour
Casting	Mental
Action	Standard
Cost	1 Mana
Effect	This spell allows the caster to sense the relative direction, distance, and intelligence of active minds in the area. Targets make a Mental Magic Resistance roll vs. the spell's Casting roll to avoid detection. This resistance is passive and does not confer an awareness of the spell to the target, even if they resist successfully. A mind must be active (awake), and be capable of verbal or mental communication. Animal level intelligence is not detected. While the caster cannot identify specific targets by name, they can recognize familiar minds, and when the spell is active and the targets are visible associate those minds with the target. This allows casters to identify specific minds in the future even when they are not visible. While Sense Minds is active, the caster may also choose to link to a specific target's mind for 1 Hour or until released as a Standard Action. Doing so against the target's will requires a cast roll vs. the target's Magic Resistance. Successful creation of this link disrupts the concentration required for the Sense Minds spell, however the linked target's mind is still able to be felt (general direction and distance), regardless of distance. If successful, the linked mind is considered accessible for Mind Sphere spells which normally require sight (e.g. Suggestion, Telepathy, Mind Flay) as long as the target is within range. These spells otherwise function normally, such as requiring resistance rolls. At Rank 4, the caster may link to two minds simultaneously. This improves to a maximum of three linked minds at Rank 5. Example: Calla, a Rank 4 Mind Mage, uses Sense Minds to keep an eye out for trouble on the road to Syr. As the party treks onward, she is able to sense five active minds grouped together up ahead, two of which seem more intelligent than the others. As they get close, she is able to distinguish that the two more intelligent minds appear to be on either side of the path. Concerned about being ambushed, Calla decides to attempt to link to these two more intelligent minds so that she can target them for spellcasting. Rolling 8 successes against the first's Magic Resistance and 2 successes against the second's, she is only able to establish a link to the first as the Sense Minds spell is disrupted. When she feels the linked mind close in, Calla shouts a warning and slips out of the driver's seat to crouch inside the cart for cover. Calla can see three scruffy-looking bandits and also track the mind that she's linked to on the other side of the road, out of sight. When she is able to make her move, Calla casts Mind Flay, targeting the mind that she is linked to as well as one of the bandits in her line of sight. The linked mind successfully resists the spell, only taking 1 non-lethal damage, but the bandit within sight fails to do so and clutches his forehead as he takes 4 lethal psychic damage. Blood trickles from his ears.