Veiling effects conceal the phe-
nomena encompassed by a given
Arcanum, or use such phenomena
to grant camoufl age or concealment. At this level, the
mage’s scope of effect is small and/or otherwise limited
(for instance, a willworker using Forces 2 can render an
inanimate object invisible, but needs Forces 3 to cast the
same effect on herself, and Forces 4 to bestow it upon
another). In general, the larger or more complex the
creature, place or thing to be affected, the more dots the
mage needs in the appropriate Arcanum. In other words,
it’s usually harder to cast Veiling spells on a moving car
than on a stationary chair, and easier to cast them on a
houseplant than on a human being.
Some magics from the Practice of Veiling are vulgar
in Aspect, but this is uncommon, as the very purpose
of Veiling is secrecy. Only the more blatant effects (such
as vanishing from sight) are vulgar, while the majority of
the rest are covert. This twofold subtlety serves to make
Veiling effects especially popular among spies, thieves
and even assassins. Such subtlety also makes the Practice
of Veiling a fantastic toolkit for performing otherwise
dangerously blatant magic in the vicinity of Sleepers
without (as much) fear of Paradoxes or Disbelief. A
cunning willworker with time to prepare can, in theory,
disguise even the most obvious acts of mystic prowess
from Sleeping eyes by using Veiling spells.
Important to note for the purposes of spell design is
the fact that any magical effect intended primarily for
concealment of any sort properly belongs to the Practice of
Veiling. While a number of spells stray out of the second
dot of their respective Arcana, the fundamental nature
of the Practice does not change. So long as a clouding of
perception or manifestation of some falsehood doesn’t
directly fall under the purview of another Practice (such
as the Mind Arcanum’s ability to alter memories, or
certain advanced forms of Prime Arcanum phantasms,
for example), then the spell is a Veiling spell.