You have the reputations backwards- with an artistic reputation under 4 there is no reputation requirement of a sponsor. When the artists reputation equals 4 the sponsor has to have a reputation of 2 or higher...
you also have an additional 2 points in reputation from adventures
So on swapping out those child virtues: I had a thought Second Sight (Dominion) and Unaging (Dominion), although Unaging would be "Inherited" until adulthood. Unaging is the Dominion's way of saying "If you misbehave [strike]we'll break your kneecaps[/strike], you'll become old and ugly." Second Sight equips her to actually strike at demons, and the Order just happens to claim demons as its enemy. Then nature can take its course without any more overt involvement. Thoughts?
That sounds good- lets say those virtues are bestowed on her confirmation...
Sorry, when talking about the reputations, I was thinking about the mentor reward, not a sponsor (benefactor/patron). In order to earn additional ARxp, the mentor needs to have an AR 2 higher than the student. A&A, pg 126, 8th bullet point:
Andros has no more adventures for 1106, I have advanced him.
Aging roll: 5 Age -1 Magi Living standards -2 Healthy feature -6 LR + _: 1D10 = [3] = 3 = -1 No change
Seems reasonable. Well something like that, skimming wiki seems to make it seem like confirmation happens really early in life. I will swap them to "inherited" virtues in the meantime.
From what I have read confirmation can happen as early as 7, but often happens around 11 or 12.
Gabriele is taking the Correspondence (Music) reward from "The Taxman Cometh" adventure. Apparently, the tax man put him in contact with another musical acquaintance, and the two will trade letters for a while.
Hope this is the right place for this, for Troupe consideration and approval:
Danaë of Mercere
Born 1087, currently age 20
Reputation: 3 Apprentice and accomplice of Bartolomeo of Miletos, that damned rogue (among Magi)
Str. -2 Dex +3 Sta +3 Quik 0 Int 0 Per. +1 Comm. +3 Pre +3
Confidence Score 2(5)
Brave +5, Restless +3, Indifferent to Magi +3, Optimistic +6, Curious +3
Virtues:
•Blood of Heroes (free)
•Redcap (3)
•Sihr (3)
•Warding (3)
•Affinity: Warding (1)
•Affinity: Sihr (1)
•Ritual Power (3) Grant Improved Characteristics virtue
•Variable Power (1) Improves Ritual Power based on Sihr score, theme is Heroic attributes/stature, 1 levels to reduce cost to 4/Willpower per activation, 8 levels for Grant: Great Characteristics X, 1 for Grant: Mythic Characteristic Presence, 1 to Grant: Heroes' Birthright, 1 to Grant: Unaging
•Independent Study (1)
•Gift of Tongues (1)
•Alluring to Magical Beings (1)
•Second Sight (1)
•Well-Traveled (free from Redcap)
•Magic Blood (free from Blood of Heroes)- Magical Thing (Hermes’s winged sandals)- Flight 1 Fatigue level, Init equal to (Qik – 3), appropriate FormR: Per, D: Sun, T: IndThe character can through the air in any direction, simply by concentrating. If distracted, this control is lost but the power .ReFo 15 (base 4, +2 Sun, constant): Personal Power (15 levels + 2 Mastery points: Mastery Tethered/Harnessed). She becomes somewhat translucent and wisps of cloud hover around her form.
•Magic Items (1) Has only 5 levels left, will hope quests, service and the yearly accumulation from Redcap and this Virtue allows her to eventually request something
Flaws:
•Optimistic (-3)(personality)
•Supernatural Nuisance (-3)(Story) Hedge magi aligned with the magic realm are attracted to her, either to beg her aid on some quest or another, to compel her cooperation, or even to make her their bride.
•Heroic personality (-1)
•Restricted Power (-1) Ritual Power can only be used on someone who goes on an adventure with Danaë (or on herself), at its conclusion.
•Infamous Master (-1)(Hermetic) Bartolomeo of Mercere, Goliard
•Busybody (-1)(personality)
Skills
Sihr 12, Warding 12, Bargain (Jinn) 4, Living Language: Castilian (Poetry) 2, Living Language: Italian (Regio Calabria) 2, Awareness(Alertness) 2, Intrigue (Alliances) 2, Second Sight (Jinn) 2, Charm (first impressions) 2, Folk Ken (Nobles)2, Guile (lying to authority) 2, Living Language: Arabic (storytelling) 5, Dead Language: Latin (Hermetic) 1(3), Artes Liberales (Grammar) 1, Athletics (Flying) 1, Brawl (Dodging) 1, Code of Hermes (Political Intrigue) 1, Civil and Canon Law (Italian courts)1, Magic Lore (Creatures) 1, Penetration (Sihr) 2, Survival (arid places) 1, Bow (Longbow) 1, Order Of hermes Lore (Personalities) 1, Order of Suleiman Lore (History) 1, Area Lore : Mediterranean Coast (Mystic places) 2, Area Lore: Iberia (Mystic places) 1, Area Lore: Valencia Lore (hidey holes) 1, Etiquette (Nobility) 1, Carouse (Staying sober) 1, Swim (long distances) 1
Process: Stats: Initial Str. -3 Dex +3 Sta +3 Quik -3 Int -3 Per. +1 Comm. +3 Pre +3
Get rid of 70 levels of magic items for +1 to negative stats/10 points lost, from Blood of Heroes (Redcap gives 50 points, magic items gives 25 points)
Skills
Early childhood: Charm 2, Folk Ken 2, Guile 2, Living Language: Arabic 5
Well-Traveled: Bargain (Jinn) 2, Area Lore : Mediterranean Coast (Mystic places) 2, Area Lore: Iberia (Mystic places) 1, Area Lore: Valencia Lore (hidey holes) 1, Living Language: Castilian 1, Etiquette (Nobility) 1
Redcap: Sihr 12, Warding 12, Bargain (Jinn) 4, Living Language: Castilian (Poetry) 2
Living Language: Italian (Regio Calabria) 2, Awareness(Alertness) 2, Intrigue (Alliances) 2, Second Sight (Jinn) 2, Dead Language: Latin (Hermetic) 1(3), Artes Liberales (Grammar) 1, Athletics (Flying) 1, Brawl (Dodging) 1, Code of Hermes (Political Intrigue) 1, Civil and Canon Law (Italian courts)1, Magic Lore (Creatures) 1, Penetration (Sihr) 2, Survival (arid places) 1, Bow (Longbow) 1, Order Of hermes Lore (Personalities) 1, Order of Suleiman Lore (History) 1,
Carouse (Staying sober) 1, Swim (long distances) 1
*Note that she has few language skills, as she can fluently speak with people regardless of dialect. She will try and remedy that, as it impedes her from eavesdropping in to other conversations, and in reading. This was not fixed by House Mercere. as having a Redcap who cannot read the letters he/she carries is actually somewhat useful. And they already tried to cram a lot of training in just 2 years.
Danaë, called Blackhands (as a child she often used soot in Warding) is the daughter of an outcast witch and seer of the Red Sea, Kazerabet, and a most infamous and lecherous roving Redcap, Bartolomeo of Miletos, who everybody is quick to point out is a Goliard, what can you expect? Who seduced who is unclear, but the father did not stick around, and the mother apparently did not want him to, either. A more sickly, lethargic and dull child could not be imagined, a severe blow to Kazerabet, who had divined a Gifted child of great ability. Still, little Fatima survived, and in fact started to show signs of some latent magical ability as she grew older. Although very simple of mind, the infant could speak to anyone with little difficulty, and she learned the basics of her mother’s magic (Warding). Not that Fatima had the opportunity to speak with many people, her mother was Blatantly Gifted and a pariah among her people, and her only visitors were equally sinister or truly desperate.
Meanwhile, Bartolomeo, deeply involved in the politics of Iberia, and brazenly flouting the Code of Hermes in his support of Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar (El Cid) in Castilla for many years, now got wind through his network of informants of Fatima’s talents. He swooped in unannounced, kidnapped the child and fled, deftly avoiding Kazerabet’s spirit and animal minions, and maneuvering her into a fight with rival local sorcerers which ended in a protracted Warping incident for both sides involved.
Fatima seemed delighted to be away from her mother, on an adventure with the amoral but fascinating Bartolomeo. He quickly ascertained she had no Gift, but many talents, and suspected she was of Heroic Blood (which certainly spoke to his ego, a descendant of Hermes himself!), and immediately claimed her as his apprentice. He returned to Iberia with the child in tow, and presented her as his apprentice to his allies (and confided to very few her bastard nature). Never someone to be abashed by his own ruthlessness and amorality, and desiring to keep the girl near him at all possible times, Bartolomeo took her to the siege of Valencia, where she actually used her budding ability of Warding, and Gift of Tongues to help coordinate attacks and ambushes, particularly on a coterie of Sahir holed up in the city. She could also speak Arabic perfectly, and had a Mediterranean look that often was interpreted to her advantage so she was often sent ahead to spy. Even Bartolomeo’s inner coterie were amazed at the risks he was putting the young girl through, but he was heedless and proud, eager to see what further gifts manifested in her.
Young Fatima was in awe of El Cid and her flamboyant father/parens, and with a sunny and indefatigable disposition she attempted many very risky and Hermetically indefensible missions. But the ongoing conflict was rife with such violations, and the Quaesitores could hardly investigate but a fraction of the alleged malfeasances.
But somebody else was observing. In 1097 a powerful sahir and Goetic sorcerer ambushed and captured the young girl intending for her to become his apprentice, mistakenly believing her Gently Gifted. He spirited her away on a journey into the Magic Realm, where a mighty Jinn opened her to Sihr. And unlocked more.
Pilfering vis gathered in the journey, Fatima managed to bind momentarily a lesser djinn that the sahir was attempting to bind into himself. A dagger in his ribs and a botched ritual later, the girl took to the skies for the first time, just ahead of said sorcerer’s minions and managed to return a few days later to Valencia to a very relieved Bartolomeo. This was the first but not the last case of non-Hermetic magicians being powerfully attracted to and seeking Fatima’s company for their own mystical purposes.
By 1099, the city of Valencia was itself besieged by the Almoravids. Even with her powers, Fatima was unable to exit the city except for a few desperate times; sahirs with attendant jinns were ever present. Famine and disease were rampant, and even El Cid eventually succumbed. This was a heavy blow to all, and Bartolomeo seemed to age visibly overnight. They eventually fled the city with El Cid’s wife Ximena and retinue, carrying the hero’s body to Burgos. Bartolomeo’s star was waning, and he was clearly dispirited. Fearing his many foes, both Christian and Muslim, in Iberia, Bartolomeo and Fatima (now calling herself Danaë, to honor and humor her parens) engaged in a grand tour of the Mediterranean coasts and islands. This lasted for 3 years, until a party of Quaesitores caught up to them in Sicily in 1105. Both were arrested. Because she was Bartolomeo’s apprentice, all her prosecutable acts were laid at his doorstep. She was turned over to Harco, where House Mercere immediately saw her great talents and assigned a kindly retired Redcap associated with the Cult of Heroes, Maltuso, to “correct and complete her training”. Bartolomeo managed to escape his captors in some novel way, and was cast out of the House, although very quietly, as the whole incident was highly embarrassing. They search for him still.
Danaë completed her training in 1107, and was assigned to a Mercere House in southern Italy, in Locri, and they will watch her carefully, mindful of Bartolomeo’s possible reappearance and the great restlessness that roils inside of her. She will probably petition the covenant of Praesidium Orae for membership, as she considers herself a full member of the Order (and she is), and battle-tested, to boot.
Danaë seeks other Heroes. She does not see herself as particularly heroic, but perhaps her destiny lies in finding and uniting such specimens for a great purpose. She will gather vis where she may find it, and once she has enough, she will travel to where jinn may be found to bind one. She sees the value of intelligence gathering, and will use her unique position and great charms to construct/control such a network. She is forever seeking, and will drop her responsibilities to go on adventure, trying to recapture those years of her infancy and early youth. She misses her parens like one misses a storm; life was interesting and messy and dangerous with him around.
The concept is a weak, stunted child who keeps on gaining Heroic stature until she becomes a Hero of old, perhaps even a new constellation in the sky. She is irrepressible, and hero worships El Cid Campeador. The terrible things that have happened to her have in no way dampened her nature. Will want eventually to adventure into the Magic Realm, and if at all possible, gain other sahir powers (from Cradle and Crescent), although this involves lots of vis, a friendly jinn, and another sahir, most probably.
*edited to include some skill specialties did not initially add
Can characters without Might gain Ritual powers? I thought they were restricted to those with Might, and cost Might to restrain the ritual powers from being used too much.
I've only ever seen Warding as a virtue for the Ex Miscellanea Columbae, so I don't know if ungifted characters can have it as a supernatural virtue - that's up to silveroak. (If this was my saga, I wouldn't let any non-Columbae have warding)
Is the version of Sihr being used the one from HoH:Societas (the hermetic sahir one) or the Cradle & the Crescent one? Mechanically they are virtually identical, but the Hermetic one would lead to Hermetic-style warping if you botch whereas the Cradle & Crescent one leads you down the Fatra Beyna path of warping so it could be important.
Can alluring to magical beings be taking by ungifted people? Under the merinita section of HoH:MC, I got the impression the virtues and flaws listed there were modifications of The Gift, principally for mystery cult use.
I like the backstory and think she will make an interesting addition to the covenant.
Hi!
In order:
Yes, characters without Might can have magic powers, including Rituals, they spend fatigue (unless they can reduce the cost to 0), and in the case of Rituals, Confidence also. And of course, have to take the right Virtues. I made the character wholly aligned with the Magic Realm (no Faerie/Divine/Infernal powers). For characters with Might, it is indeed a reduction that takes time to return, however, they may also use Confidence/Vis to pay some or all of the costs associated if they have the Vis Mastery Major Quality, which makes it almost trivial.
From a gaming standpoint, yes, the character will eventually have 5 in every stat and many minor powers, she will be Heroic in stature (and hopefully in deed). But, even if in canon it says in HoH:TL that Mythic heroes are the equal of Magi, or even stronger, that's patently absurd when you consider Parma/spells/everything else. And Magi have their own stat boosting/low-cost engine activated, Evandrus (who has Mercurian Magic) already created "Circle of Stamina".
Warding is indeed a Columbae- related Virtue, but in that same section of HoH:S, "This may be learned by characters with The Gift or taken during character creation as a Major Supernatural Virtue. While there might be hedge wizards elsewhere in the world who practice a similar sort of magic (that is, they have the same Ability and use it the same way), the Columbae do not acknowledge foreigners as being part of their tradition."... "The Columbae practice a form of ward-magic that predates the Order, but which was later integrated into Hermetic magic theory. It bears many similarities to the powers of the spirit masters and sorcerers of the ancient world."
So it is what the Columbae are known for, but there are others who may have it, and it is simply a Supernatural ability that Ungifted people may take at character creation, like Strong Faerie Blood and such. it seemed to combine with Sihr well. There are many Ungifted members of different groups, be they folk witches, gruagachan, etc..., a Mythic hero is just more magical than most!
The books permitted at character creation were limited, so this is Sihr from HoH:S. As for warping, Danaë is Ungifted, so I think she would merely warp and get Minor Flaws and Major Flaws eventually, rather than, for example, suffer Fatra Bayna or Twilight. silveroak might rule otherwise. I mentioned "Cradle & Crescent" more as long-term wish fulfillment, as that book is not included in the list silveroak provided.
Alluring to (beings) is a general virtue. It does not say anything about the Gift, except to prohibit choosing the Virtue it if you don't have some Gift/offensive air -ameliorating virtue, like Gentle Gift or "inoffensive to (being)" in question. It will make her ridiculously attractive and magnetic to anyone in the covenant with Magic aligned powers, except Parma protected people. It just seems to go with her Flaw, Supernatural Nuisance, and makes Sihr more effective, of course.
I need to go over this more later, but would note that as written to used the ritual power of grant improved characteristic the person would have to already have a 3 or 4 in that characteristic, plus you would need to choose which characteristic you have the ability to grant, as each is a separate virtue.
You are right, which is why I chose "Variable power" with "Ritual Power". p.47, RoP:M
Tied to Warping, age, or an ability, the power increases. In this case, Sihr.
"One of the character’s magic powers (Greater, Lesser, or Ritual) becomes more powerful over time, based on either (age / 10), (Might Score / 5), Warping Score, or his score in an appropriate Ability... Generally speaking, a single power can have its effect level increased by or include another effect of the same level that is similar the original, for each level of variance." There is more under the Virtue, I am not sure how much we are allowed to copy/paste, I will edit if need be.
Sihr is at 12, so the original "Grant Improved Characteristics Virtue" power has improved/included other similar effects 12 times like such:
theme is Heroic attributes/stature, 1 level to reduce cost to 4/Willpower per activation, 8 levels for Grant: Great Characteristics X(1 level for Pre, 1 for Sta, etc... ), 1 for Grant: Mythic Characteristic Presence, 1 to Grant: Heroes' Birthright, 1 to Grant: Unaging
At age 20 your skills are limited to 5, at least in general- I am not familiar with the Sahir trait, so I need to review this...
- the Sihir ability grants no exceptions to the level limits in the basic rules for abilities. Affinity can push this by +2, to allow for a 7, but not a 12.
- Variable power requires it be associated with a special ability (subject to the same ability limitations) not attached to an existing ability- so you might create a special "grant" ability to tie the power to, but you cannot simply declare it attached to your best ability already in existence.
Also the character should be placed in the wiki so it can be discussed without having to reference past pages or multiple editions.
Ahh, I thought the wiki was for final characters. Will look to place it there for easy referral sometime tonight.
1)As for Sihr, it's an Accelerated Ability, which works like an Art in many things, but if you wish it, I can limit it to 7, as for other abilities. The same goes for Warding. I would have to change the story thoroughly, as a score of 7 in any of those skills is actually worse than 7 in an Art (which gets combined in TeFo), so her having aided anyone with mystical powers in her background would not have been that plausible.
2)Then I have misread that Virtue thoroughly, so I would really have to rethink the character.
Thanks for the input!
Okay, revised for being accelerated with affinity, by my calculations you have 13 xp left, you could put these into your granting ability, which would at least give you that ability at 2(3).
Ok, the Mythic companion Redcap is up in the wiki, http://praesidiumorae.wikidot.com/wiki:danae-of-mercere, lowered Sihr and Warding to 7 (spent 20 xp each, for 30 with affinity, instead of 52 each, 78 with affinity, which netted 64 points, lowered Penetration to 1, 10 more points, and took 3 extra points from Latin, moved to the special associated ability to 5(2).
Do Sihr, Warding, and the Special Grant Minor Heroic Virtues have specialties? 
Anyway, will change her history somewhat to reflect her less capable self. Tomorrow, tonight it's so very late.
Warding and Sihir are fine at 12 as accelerated abilities.
Keep in mind that right now she can only raise 5 attributes (which you need to specify) from 3 to 4 or from 4 to 5 at a cost of 5 fatigue and 5 confidence point for each such raising (if permenant), and that this ability will not affect yourself...
After rereading everything, I'd rather have that ability as high as possible from the start (5), as it will be very difficult to raise in play, I can only see being able to raise it through Practice (at 4 xp a season, or 6 because of Independent Study). Doubt there's a teacher/tome/adventure that can provide Advancement. Even exposure seems out of the question. Steep!
Sihr and Warding can be raised through actual play: adventures/Practice/Teachers/Books, so she'll be naturally talented but unskilled at the start.
The restriction is Ritual Power can only be used on someone who goes on an adventure with Danaë (or on herself), at its conclusion, and the power is Touch, so she can certainly use it on herself (otherwise what would be the point!). I can see her becoming the object of other people's quests, to gain her favor. She drags them on some adventure/s to find out if they are worthy, which actually sounds fun.
Currently the extra levels are divided in this way, 5 total levels: 2 to reduce cost to 3 Confidence/use (note that Fatigue is 1/5 Might point Cost, which would be a modified 3, so currently, 3 Confidence/1 Fatigue), 1 to Grant: Heroes' Birthright, 1 to Grant: Great Characteristic Presence, 1 to Grant: Great Characteristic Stamina.
I'm guessing Granting would always be permanent, she wouldn't get Confidence or Fatigue back if she took back the Granted Virtue, would she? It's not like Might. I can imagine if she is feeling particularly irritated by and suspicious of someone she might do so, a probationary period so to speak. But if she took it back, it would just mean that she's still out her 3 Confidence.
The power described in the magic book is "grant virtue" which has no Hermetic equivalent. The language is that you may impose a virtue, and bestow it, which implies that it is bestowed to a third party rather than yourself. I believe this is generally borne out by the pricing as well, in that the ability to grant a minor virtue has the cost of a major virtue, and if you could bestow it upon yourself it would be expected to start the game having done so.
I will point out that house Mercere has access to spells which may convert the vis you earn (2 pawns per year plus potentially extra from the covenant or adventures) to boost your stats without taking a virtue at all, and these spells have more flexibility than the workaround you have been using here.
I also note that you have 22 points in characteristics, and not one virtue of improved characteristics...