Finding Magical Creatures

Magical creatures need magical auras, but they are not specifically bound to particular areas, nor do they need to spend their entire lives in them. Hunting for populated auras and regiones is a good start, but often the trail begins in rumors,

hearsay, and legend. Some creatures have a Reputation score to aid the seeker, but these are usually local reputations that don't spread far. Nor does a Reputation automatically include details of a creature's lair, although it might. In the many wild patches of Mythic Europe, any clue is a good beginning.

Bestiaries sometimes include a description of an animal's location, but even these are general and encompass a great expanse of territory. Methods of narrowing down larger areas into smaller ones are preferred, allowing the seeking maga to continually narrow her search until it proves fruitful.

Different types of terrain allow for different types of searches.

Flying is always useful. The flying magus can cover ground quickly, and has a better vantage point to view likely quarry. Flying works particularly well over meadows and open grasslands, but is less successful over dense forests and overgrown marshes. Swimming and breathing underwater is almost required for any aquatic livestock the maga wishes to find. Despite the advantages of magic, many searches boil down to a group of trackers and beaters combing an area, searching for spoor, tracks, and possibly finished kills.

Having the creature come to the magus is another preferred method, and baiting an animal with its favorite food can draw it out of its hiding place. During mating season, tethering a fertile female to an area might attract a rutting male. Capturing an aroused male is another story. Clever magi can also create scents and sounds to attract magical animals.

Some creatures are readily recognized as magical, such as griffins, manticores, and rocs. Others are not, especially from a distance, and a magic hawk might look like a mundane hawk. Hermetic magic can detect magical animals. Intellego Vim spells can be designed to indicate that a target creature is magic. Such a spell must Penetrate the target to reveal any information. However, a spell failing to Penetrate a targeted creature usually means that the creature has some sort of Magic Resistance, as every creature with a Magic Might has. Creatures of other Hermetic Projects