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Well, I was wondering what the pigeon sounds like when it speaks a message. Does it speak in the voice of the spell caster? Is it like a voice recorder that will mimic the exact words? Thus it would speak in the same language and voice as someone. Does that someone have to be the caster? How many chances does the caster (or someone else) have to record the message? Could someone use Imitate Voices skill to sound like someone else? This seems like an excellent way to try to trick someone. It also seems like most organizations who use the pigeons would need to send messages with a code as well.

Another thing I wonder is if the spell makes "a mystic facsimile of a pigeon", are they all the same? Do they have different markings or colors? Does it depend on the spell caster? As in every magic pigeon by Kiralon looks one way but the ones by Hot Rod look different? Can the caster make them look different? That would be another layer of coding messages - the appearance of the bird.

-Vek
"Maybe I'm just birdbrained."

Speaks a recorded message, one go to record it, yes i has to be the caster, yes you could use imitate voices, code would be better for secret messages, rotating codewords would be common for important things. I play them that they look the same through the same line, eg if vek the mage taught me and hotrod the spell it would look the same, but if prysus learnt it from somewhere else it would look slightly different so a magic guilds pigeons would look the same, but another magic guilds would look different

Speaks a recorded message, one go to record it, yes i has to be the caster, yes you could use imitate voices, code would be better for secret messages, rotating codewords would be common for important things. I play them that they look the same through the same line, eg if vek the mage taught me and hotrod the spell it would look the same, but if prysus learnt it from somewhere else it would look slightly different so a magic guilds pigeons would look the same, but another magic guilds would look different

I would say that yes, they could change the look, size, and color.

I like the Victoria crown, fantail, and crested ones.

No it doesn't have to be the voice of the caster.
It will say the exact words the mage intended.
It would use the language the mage intended.
Yes, the caster has to be a magic user with the ability to make the magic Pigeon spell.
If intended to sound like someone else, if intended have the message delivered not sound like the caster.
The message will be the one intended when the magic is cast.
No code needed. the magic only talks to the right person. Though if they are really paranoid they could have the message in coded. but they would have to code the message before casting the spell, then intend to have the code blocks the message.
Without player input, then the Pigeon is just the common type that the character thinks of as a normal Pigeon.
With player input the mage's Pigeons can look like a specific breed.
if the breed of the Pigeon is a sign of which cypher to be used to decode the message,...then yes, it could be a part of the code. or to say the decoding.

Most of these answers depend on the intent of the magic user....but w/o the input of the player...go with lowest common denominator.

I would GM it that when cast, whoever casts it can either write the message and the pigeon then transforms into the scroll and disappear once read...or...the caster speaks his message and it is then delivered as a recording, your choice. 1 time try for recording it and then one time use upon delivery.

I have it sound like a voicemail.

I guess the birds could look different - or maybe their are variations of the spell depenadent on who taught you. So all yours look the same but someone else's might look slightly different maybe(?)...

The Dark Elf wrote:I have it sound like a voicemail.

I guess the birds could look different - or maybe their are variations of the spell depenadent on who taught you. So all yours look the same but someone else's might look slightly different maybe(?)...

That's my usual take; MY spell looks like a certain version. Your spell might look like a different version; different color, maybe even a different bird (MINE is clearly a RAVEN!), but it has identical stats (unless I want them different)