Let us suppose it is a Parma MR.

A snake Statuette made of Rock is enchanted to take animal form & attack any who enter it's room (Major item).

The snake manages to attack the defending magus who is allowed a MR.

The magic that animates the Statuette is a MuTe(An).

Spell option 1: The spell gives the ability of acting like a mundane snake to the snake statuette for the duration of the spell. The statuette is still rock statuette but can move & act as a mundane snake.

Spell option 2: The spell transforms the Statuette into a mundane like snake for the duration of the spell.

For each of these spells, is the MR made gainst the Te form of the magus parma, the An form of the Magus, Best of both or worst of both?

Thanks for your imput :)

Given that you didn't define a level, which in part would define the complexity and nature of the spell, I think this depends on how you define your spell.

Option 1: If you decide it's a rock statue that moves around like a snake but is still made of rock. I would defend with Terram. It could bite, but I don't see any poisons coming out of it.

Option 2: If you decide it *was* a rock statue that has been transformed into a magically created snake (which I think is different than a 'mundane' snake), then it could bite with poison and I would defend with Animal.

If you don't like the above answers being the 'rules monger' that I am, I would remind you that never in any of the books has Ars ever suggested that when using two Forms one should use the best of the two. In fact Ars has specifically detailed that in a situation where there is a requsite the Spell casts at the total determined using the lowest Form. From this point I would answer your last possiblity by saying, "worst of both".

Chuck

Your answer sounds good.

What about dispelling? Would you use the same logic?

PeVi(Te) in case 1 & PeVi(An) in case 2

I'm talking about the PeVi guiline to dispell is specific form of level or less than the level of the dispelling spell.

Thanks for your input :)

When transforming the rock into statuette, it should be a Terram spell, because you are affecting a rock.

As I understand the rules, the requisite (here Animal) should not be considered as a "form" at all in regard to matters of MR or dispelling.

So the mage should dispel and resist with his Terram form.

The requisite of a spell is a requisite, not a form of the spell.
It is not written like that, but the rules don't contradicts me in this either. So, I assume all spells have ONE technique and ONE form.

I assume that all requisites are just that, requisite, whice are usefull to know of when calculating the casting total and the lab total to create such spell/item effect.

This way of seeing things have also the merit of simplify things. =)

Using this interpretation give a lot of power to the Muto technique.

Let us take a silver representation of a constrictor snake enchanted by a MuTe(An) to take the form of a mundane 'like' snake.

The defending Magus will try his array of An spell's which would have no effects. In the meantime, the snake constricks the vimtim to death. The magus can needs an InVi spell of high level to see the form or guess it is a hermetic contruct make of terram(metal) and hope he has a terram spell that can affect Metal!

Muto would gain +1(sucks not as much as it used to) point in my book :P

If the magus witness the spell being cast, a simple Mg Theory roll will drop the difficulty of determining the correct form to use. But yes your right, if you don't see the spell being cast, he'll be thrown for a moment as his spell fails.

Chuck

Using this interpretation give a lot of power to the Muto technique.

That's not a lot. Consider that your serpent would probably have some details on him, telling that he was made from a metal.

Also, I take into account that most mages will enquire onto the nature of any threat they are facing before casting spell on it.

A InVi spell will hint that the serpent was made from some stone or metal, as it is a MuTe spell.

"Let us take a silver representation of a constrictor snake enchanted by a MuTe(An) to take the form of a mundane 'like' snake.

The defending Magus will try his array of An spell's which would have no effects. In the meantime, the snake constricks the vimtim to death. The magus can needs an InVi spell of high level to see the form or guess it is a hermetic contruct make of terram(metal) and hope he has a terram spell that can affect Metal!"

Perhaps not, the spell that changed the silver into the critter has a terram form and terram is the form used to see if the critter can pierce a parma to attack a magus.

But you could argue that the transformed snake is now a snake even if it used to be a silver statuette and is now subject to animal spells.

A counterargument is that this allows all magi (not just Bjoernaer) to escape from rego corpus spells by changing into animals. This may not be supported by the rules.

"A counterargument is that this allows all magi (not just Bjoernaer) to escape from rego corpus spells by changing into animals. This may not be supported by the rules."

No, because your "nature" is Human...even if your body is warped to look like a beast.
Bjornare have both Human and Animal nature and that's why THEY can use such a trick.

When they morph into animals, they ARE animals.
When you morph into an animal, you are a Mage morphed into an animal ;)

Still...the silver snake MAY be affected by Animal spells, because it is "something" that moves/acts/looks/thinks as an animal...be it a silver serpent, flame serpent or whatever.
Instead...a silver serpent will be affected by more forms than a normal serpent, as it IS a serpent, but it also IS metal :P

That's because you used MuTe(AN)...if you had used a ReTe you could have ended up with the terram equivalent of a non-poisonous serpent, but unaffected by Animal Form :)