Arcane magic and clerical magic are very different. Without metamagic feats, arcane magic is easily recognizable by the handgestures, the uttering of words in a strange tongue, the very foreign way of casting.
For someone who knows the difference - yes. A Barovian is to ignorant for that. Or are you telling me that Barovians spend enough time around arcane casters to get to learn the difference? I mean, does he magically gain the insight because the cleric prays in a tounge he knows? It seems very far fetched to me. Compare to RL if you will. I can't tell the difference between a chinese prayer and a japanese rap lyrics. Why? Because I don't know either language, and both are very different from eachother. But not in -my- ears since I don't have a reference to either.
Barovian native number five watches the outlander cleric cast on barovian native number one. Sparkles start rising from Barovian native number one's head. Barovian native number five's eyes bug out, "In the name of all that's sacred! That witch it making his soul leak from his very body! LOOK!" he runs off screaming witch.
Flawed and useless example since I spoke about effects that didn't show.
Hell, maybe the barovian (being already suspicious of those clerical fanatics) notices that when the cleric casts, no wounds close up....
You mean like when Zachea casts cure disease on an uninjured character?
Because again. A priest (Or bard performing) Is going to be "Praying" openly to their god while laying their hands on the wounded.
In a foreign language. Which the Barovian has zero chance of differing from arcane words unless he 1) has heard arcane words a lot and 2) understand the language which commoners speak.
Not to mention. Wizards/Sorcerers cant cast healing spells... and it was stated that while Religions aren't loved, they are tolerated when it comes down to healing. Anything else and they get the same warding gestures from locals.. or should.
I see no warding gestures when clerics cast greater restoration or cure disease. Spells with zero visible effects. I take it Zachea then utters hus prayers in Barovian since he's still alive and kicking. Because if he utters it in common, he's close to 100% same as an arcane caster buffing his intelligence. Odd gestures, even odder words, and nothing happens. Witchery!
A wizard/sorceror/bard has to do a bunch of funny hand gestures, speak a bunch of funny words, and possibly use some sort of esoteric material (e.g. sprinkling themselves with diamond dust or whatnot).
Unless using a still spell, which was included in my example, at which point the arcanist rolls his thumbs while casting. Right?
I'm still not convinced. I just see a lot of constructed explenations basing itself on the notion that Barovians have the faintest clue about the difference between arcane and divine. You state that Barovians very rarley go to clerics - and in the same breath you're trying to convinve me that they at least go there often enough to be able to differ arcane from divine gestures.
How is that possible if the exposure they have to magic is so low that you claim?
Do they, or do they not hang around clerics a lot? If they do, then I can buy the notion about them knowing the difference. But if the general Barovian only visits a cleric in times of extreme need, then how would they know the difference? With no exposion, they have no frame of referance.
How's it gonna be.
Do they, or do they not hang around clerics casting magic a lot?
So far, it all just sounds like trying to validate an invalid conduct from Barovian players.