IN> Question about Seraphic Resonance

[theheretik]

On this I'll disagree.  For one thing it's something I'm exploiting hopelessly in Mile Higher Club--the lie of omission.

Corat the Ofanite has a nasty habit of leaving out certain material facts.  He'll tell you the truth as far as it goes, but on a need-to-know basis.  He told our Seraph PC that he knew Ryuki--fact is they're very old friends, he's shared some very risky secrets with the guy, and (spoiler spoiler spoiler).  "I know that guy" was a whopping understatement but it was true, not intent to deceive so much as to simply not open up heart and soul to a Seraph he didn't trust yet.
Corat finds inquisitive Seraphim most annoying and for (spoiler) reasons has developed this absentmindedness as a defense.  He uses it unconsciously, with everyone.

I see the seraphic resonance as more akin to a really well tuned polygraph.  You can't "lawyer" the words because it's intent they're picking up.  A second before you say the words the Seraph hears a screech and knows "This guy is about to lie to me."  A polygraph picks up on minuscule physical tells;  a Seraph hears small celestial tells.

Reading minds suggest he can hear what it is the subject is hiding--he can't.  If someone is hiding something and keeps his mouth shut, the Seraph's resonance won't tell him that (but his ordinary perceptions might).  If someone lies to hide something, the Seraph will know he's lying, can assume he's hiding something, but has no special power to know *what* he is hiding.  Not even limited thought-reading via resonance.  Otherwise IMHO Seraphim are overpowered.



>Conclusion: the seraphic resonance must convey some limited ability to 
read minds.  That is, to grasp the truth of a statement, you must know 
what the speaker intended the statement to mean.

Barbara Fuentes

What did Eli say?
A lot of it didn't make any sense.
Yeah, that sounds like him.