How do I create an aura visible only to the GM?

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Rumble
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How do I create an aura visible only to the GM?

Post by Rumble »

MapTool supports the creation of a light source called an aura, which is a light source centered on a token and extending a certain distance. This light source interacts normally with the Vision Blocking Layer, but does not cast any visible light - that is, it will not illuminate an area the same way a torch or lantern or similar light source would.

Auras are normally visible to all players at all times. However, it is possible, starting with Maptool 1.3 Release (1.3.b64), to designate an aura as visible only to the GM. This helps in situations where the players shouldn't know that they've wandered into the spy camera's sensor range, or when they're too close to the Frost Witch and are going to freeze, and so forth. To designate a GM-only aura, use the following method (adapted from a post by jfrazierjr, the developer of the GM-only aura functionality):

Code: Select all

Auras
----
Aura 5 : aura square GM 1.5#ff0000 
Aura blue 10 : aura square GM 2.5#0000ff 
Aura 10 : aura square GM 2.5#ff0000 
Aura Player Also 10 : aura square 2.5#ffccdd
The word "Auras," above the dashed line, is the name of the Light Group. Each line below it names four Aura light sources of different types. The first three are GM-only (as indicated by the "GM" tag in each).

Notes:
1. If the "GM" tag is placed in a light type that is NOT an Aura, it will be ignored and not written back out when the panel is reopened.

2. For each Light GROUP, if the group has NO sub items that are player viewable, the group will NOT be shown to players as an option in the Light Sources context menu.

3. Likewise, if a group is visible to the player, but some of the lights in that group are GM only, those light types marked as GM will not be shown to the player.

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Ramius613
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Re: How do I create an aura visible only to the GM?

Post by Ramius613 »

Just to be clear, if I add those lines of code to the Auras section, I should get the option to use the GM only auras on a token? I am kind of a novice at MT, and figure things out mainly by trial and error.

BTW, I love your 4e framework, Rumble. I took the auras section from Veggie's framework (what I used previously) and put it in yours, and it works great.

Ramius

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Rumble
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Re: How do I create an aura visible only to the GM?

Post by Rumble »

Yes - if you add those lines to the Light section, in the Campaign Properties window, you'll be setting up some GM-only auras.

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mfrizzell
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Re: How do I create an aura visible only to the GM?

Post by mfrizzell »

I'm not able to get this to work in either B66 or B69. I don't remember if I tried it in B63.
I may be missing something.

Code: Select all

Auras
----
Aura 5 : aura square GM 1.5#ff0000
Aura blue 10 : aura square GM 2.5#0000ff
Aura 10 : aura square GM 2.5#ff0000
Aura Player Also 10 : aura square 2.5#ffccdd
pasted this into the campaign properties light sources save it and drop a pc token on the map. make sure they have vision normal in this case, then turn vision day on. No glow. Is there some other set of settings I'm missing. I could have sworn I had this working once before in B63 because i had saved the whole post as word doc to refer back to.

Edit: Nope it doesn't work in B63, I get a illegal light distance "GM" error.
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Azhrei
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Re: How do I create an aura visible only to the GM?

Post by Azhrei »

Nope. The first build I produced that was stable (and hence the "release" build) is b66. It should be in that one.

And the b70 I built today has a much better help description at the bottom of that tab of the dialog to help with configuring lights. :)

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