I've been checking both editions and can't seem to find the answer. Within RL law, and within certain stories on magic, breaking can constitute crossing the plane that extends above or from the boundry (so just sticking your hand through an open window of a house consitutes a breaking for burglary cases, or waving your arm over the circumfrence of a circle of a spell might consitute breaking the circle). I am leaning toward the interpretation that breaking the circle or ring of an ArM spell requires either causing a break, or at least smearing someting on the top of an inset circle such that the smear creates a break. However, I am assuming there is a canon answer and would like to know it.

Thank you in advance.

I think that you need to cause a break in the actual thing that makes up you circle. If it is drawn in the dirt, someone would have to disrupt the drawning, either by scufing their shoe across it, or otherwise damaging the drawn itself.

Ring duration seems to be broken if any affected object crosses the boundary of the ring. (tough to do these descriptions without using the words boundary, ring, or circle)

Oops, I didn't make my thinking clear all the way, so a followup questions.

If a ring duration is cast on a CIRCLE target, what consitutes breaking for the ring duration? I did understand that the ring ended if the target left, but with a circle target things get interesting. The target is named circle, yet anything in the circle is affected by the spell (if the spell affects that thing). So if any one of the affected things leaves or crosses the boundary a little, is the ring duration ended? Or is the circle itself the only target for that determination, thus making a breaking of the circle as you describe it the only way to end the spell?

Yup it is a puzzle. I think it still comes down to keeping the circle/ring intact. I am planning on making an outdoor lab, in the forrest. I am going to form several trees into a continuous ring (using ReHe).

Following creation of that ring, I was considering using a ReAq effect to prevent water from entering the ring. R: touch, D:ring, T:circle

Still working out the details....might have to make a second spell to keep out snow.

Could you not simply use a Rego Aurum spell to keep the weather out, instead? Spend a little time in the lab, and come up with a "Ring of Spring Breezes" to provide your HVAC, and you're set...

Steve

Thanks for the input. That's pretty much my thinkning, but I wanted to see if I was off on that or not.

As to your proposed lab, make sure it's well above the surrounding ground or else you'll have to have a ReAu effect as well, for when the snow melts.

Hmmm, the tree thing sounds a little off for current hermetic magic, I always pictured the circle not only being complete, but clearly defined (though I've considered a major discovery to change it someone, to allow a cricle of trees that is not complete...hrmm).

<<Within RL law, and within certain stories on magic, breaking can constitute crossing the plane that extends above or from the boundry (so just sticking your hand through an open window of a house consitutes a breaking for burglary cases>>

I don't know what you mean by "RL law", but under common law sticking your hand into an open window would not be considered "breaking" that would be considered "entering." Breaking would be opening a closed door (locked or unlocked). Breaking would also include opening a partially opened window to allow yourself entry.

Entering can include sticking your hand or any object into the opened entry point.

>>I don't know what you mean by "RL law", but under common law sticking your hand into an open window would not be considered "breaking" that would be considered "entering." Breaking would be opening a closed door (locked or unlocked). Breaking would also include opening a partially opened window to allow yourself entry.

Entering can include sticking your hand or any object into the opened entry point.<<

By RL law, I meant law in real life, perhaps attributing too generally. More specifically, Common Law in historical England and its course in America.

I had to double check and you are absolutely right about CL burglary. The breaking was in addition to the entry, and your describe it correctly, though there also could have been breaking by fraud or even unusual means, such as down a chimney. THe basic idea being that the courts/crown expected a body to make an effort to keep people out I guess.

The legal breaking by entering does however exist in CL trespass law, which requires a "breaking of the close" or "breach of the close", small excerpt on that here http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/torts3y/readings/update-b-01.html. Black's Law dictionary also recognizes this meaning (though modern and American, Black's Law does give the archaic and historical meanings).

You could always have the roots of the tree form the ring , as long as it was one tree with a number of runner shoots growing up through to the surface.
I think the Wollemi Pine is like this.So basically , you start with one tree , you can use ReHe to have it grow roots in a ring/circle.
You can use CrHe to fast grow the shoots at various points to the same height as the original tree.

http://www.infobluemountains.net.au/green/wollemi-pine.htm