1222-1227 OOC

[amul]

If Isen's making the coolers, then that frees up V for a season (subject to the goods we collect from Confluensis). I was thinking that would be a good time to give Theraphosa a human form.

The math gets tricky, to do it in a season. The MuAn(Co) version in the book is 25 + uses/day, but V's lab total for that is only 27. I could make it into a ring, but then I have to overcome Theraphosa's might, jacking it up to 33+uses/day vs a Lab Total of 63, so again I miss doing it in a season by a hair's breadth.

Theraphosa was bound using CrTe, and so enchantments to her using those arts would get bonuses. CrIm, maybe? Only, changing her species should be MuIm, and the spells there suggest it would be even more difficult to make a spider's species seem feminine (say that 5 times in a row!), er, human, I mean.

Any other suggestions?

Could Fiona make an item for Theraphosa that'd do it, in a season?

[Peregrine_Bjornaer]

An item that allows Theraphosa to assume human form at will? Do you want me to do it with my eyes closed, one arm behind my back, or both?

Fiona already has a spell that does that (The Beast Remade...no offence, Thera, lass). Muto Animal(Corpus) level 25.

Let's see. Base 10 ("Change an animal into a human"), with a free requisite. The spell is R: Touch, D: Sun, T: Individual. Let's change that to D: Concentration and let the item maintain concentration for you, give you a little more flexibility as to when you can change forms. So that gives us a final Spell Level of 20.

Let's go ahead and give it 6 uses a day (+3) in case Thera gets bored. Her Magic Might is 15, so we need to dump 8 points into the effect to give it +16 Penetration. Concentration is +5. That gives us a final Effect Level of 20 + 3 + 8 + 5 = 36. Let's go ahead and make it so only Thera can use it (+3) and raise the uses a day to 12 (for an additional +1), making it a nice even 40 on the effect level.

Fiona's Lab Total is Int 1 + Magic Theory 6 + Mu 17 + An/Co 7 + 7 + Aura 5 + Inventive Genius 3 + Thera's Int 1 + Thera's MT (Enchanting) 6 + Paul's help 4 + Sheelagh's Int 0 + Sheelagh's Magic Theory 2 + Sheelagh's Inventive Genius 3 + Lab Bonuses 3 + Similar Spell Bonus 5 = 70, so we need to come up with another 15 points for the lab total. If we make the item jewelry or clothing, that's +4...I'm thinking a ring, bracelet, or a necklace/choker of some kind. Magnetite adds +3 for Animal, but she only gets a max of +6 because of her Magic Theory, soo...jewelry made of magnetite gives us a +6 Shape & Material bonus, which brings us to 76, 4 points to go. If she Experiments, that adds + 3 + 3 for Sheelagh + simple die = at least 7, so 83 plus.

She can take one more lab assistants, if we'd rather not Experiment.

Or, we can (blech) keep it Sun duration, making the Spell Level 25. Drop the Effect Frequency back down to twice a day, lowering the Effect Level by 3, add Environmental Trigger (Sunrise/Sunset) and remove the Maintains Concentration, for a net reduction of -2. That lowers the Effect Level to 35, and allows us to make the item in one season without experimenting. Which is boring, but whatevs.

[amul]

See, this is why Alchemy sucks. You can't experiment in the same season you auto-extract vis, which makes it like a 3/6 pawn cost for me to experiment.

You know, Animal Hide gives a +7 bonus to turn into the appropriate animal. If human skin gave the same bonus....

[amul]

Just some bits that are still dangling:

@amul

Some other things that happen:

• As a gift to the covenant and its magi, for inviting her to become covenant signatory, Viscaria instructs the various Specialists in-covenant (and commissions foriegners, if necessary) to construct various ceremonial ritual props, as per the guidelines in HoH:S, pg 59:

• A room in Mons Electi filled with large props that are not easily moved, providing a +5 bonus to ceremonial casting, for everyone's use

• A backpack's worth of specialized ceremonial gear for each magi, which would provide a +2 bonus

JL, can you please OK this and tell us how long before it becomes available? She commissions the work in 1223.2, her first Princeps season.

1 Theraphosa reaches out to Andru and offers to work with/for him, in an effort to get involved in some worthwhile Intrigue'ing.

2 Theraphosa gives birth to a horde of giant spiders (non-magical), and the covenant sets up a small cottage industry in the regio making spidersilk and finding uses for it (ideally, I'd like this to be Daffyd and Catrin and a few others, just to establish that they've become part of Viscaria's Crewe).

3 As mentioned in the Training Sheelagh thread, when Fiona goes to Durenmar, she carries an "employment contract" from Viscaria to semi-permanently retain a mundane researcher for an ongoing project (figuring out who her mother is). This would involve exploring public records, which are freely available, so I'm not sure how much this would reasonably cost. Com +2 + Bargain 4 + specialty applies +1 = 7 + die 4=11.

No 1 (Thera looking for Intrigue opportunities) can get as simple or complex as you'd like.

No 2 (spidersilk farming) is really just a background event, since JL let me add the Spidersilk Weaver:6 to my party from Phoenix. Peregrine, do you want Daffyd and Catrin involved in this, or do they stick to the mundane side and sheep? Folks can decide to start wearing spidersilk garments, or have other objects made out of spidersilk (backpacks?) Might also count as resonance material for book crafting. Remember that the flaw "difficult underlings" says that other people have no trouble keeping the spider-children in line. "It's not them, it you."

No 3 (researcher) is a seemingly simple request that actually asks a lot of questions about the setting. Are there mundane researchers hoping to stay funded and working at Durenmar? Or does Viscaria need to find someone to do this for her?

@amul

@Jonathan.Link

Viscaria will have to excavate a basement and include supports, there isn't a cave.
Botches would be bad for Fiona. And I realize why it is being done, but it's mainly for Moire and family while Sheelagh sleeps where her maid servant is...

Okay, so the spell itself is trivial to cast (CT 28+die). Base Ease Factor is 9. Say it takes a month for +3, to be a 12. She'll spend Confidence if she needs to. Her Finesse roll is Per 0 + Finesse 1 + 3 familiarity + Precise Casting 1 + die 1 * die 6 = 6*2 + 5 = 17
Exploder die! Does this mean she can achieve the effect of a 17/19 (with Confidence) on the basement, or is she restricted to the target number she was seeking?

She then sponts the ReTe effect to shape the stairs. Finesse roll, as above 5 + die roll 7 = 12.

Most of this is self-adjudicating, but there's a Rego Craft rules question here: When she targets a 12 and gets a 17, does the work look better than she had hoped? Or does she merely succeed at the level she was shooting for? It's just color right now, but it's a systems question that I'm not certain on. IMS, she'd get the 17/19 result, because dice should be fickle gods that sometimes reward.

[Jonathan.Link]

@amul

Just some bits that are still dangling:

@amul

Some other things that happen:

• As a gift to the covenant and its magi, for inviting her to become covenant signatory, Viscaria instructs the various Specialists in-covenant (and commissions foriegners, if necessary) to construct various ceremonial ritual props, as per the guidelines in HoH:S, pg 59:

• A room in Mons Electi filled with large props that are not easily moved, providing a +5 bonus to ceremonial casting, for everyone's use

• A backpack's worth of specialized ceremonial gear for each magi, which would provide a +2 bonus

JL, can you please OK this and tell us how long before it becomes available? She commissions the work in 1223.2, her first Princeps season.

Nothing for me to OK. You guys run the covenant, I don't. If the specialists are free, do it, do it. How much do you think it's going to cost? I don't see that it's going to be much more than a blip in the finances.

@amul

1 Theraphosa reaches out to Andru and offers to work with/for him, in an effort to get involved in some worthwhile Intrigue'ing.

How did she reach out? I don't recall a letter being written.

@amul

2 Theraphosa gives birth to a horde of giant spiders (non-magical), and the covenant sets up a small cottage industry in the regio making spidersilk and finding uses for it (ideally, I'd like this to be Daffyd and Catrin and a few others, just to establish that they've become part of Viscaria's Crewe).

This is a player decision (Peregrine's), the volume of silk created will be minuscule and won't affect finances or be of sufficient quantity to be useful in trade.

@amul

3 As mentioned in the Training Sheelagh thread, when Fiona goes to Durenmar, she carries an "employment contract" from Viscaria to semi-permanently retain a mundane researcher for an ongoing project (figuring out who her mother is). This would involve exploring public records, which are freely available, so I'm not sure how much this would reasonably cost. Com +2 + Bargain 4 + specialty applies +1 = 7 + die 4=11.

[/quote]
Durenmar doesn't really have mundane "researchers." What kind of researcher are you interested in? The good ones are Arabic, the best ones are Jewish.

@amul

No 1 (Thera looking for Intrigue opportunities) can get as simple or complex as you'd like.

This is more a function of your ability to commit time to the endeavor than mine. Intrigue is a dance. Your posting frequency is bursty, and I have trouble judging and pacing stories for that. Everyone else is relatively predictable, but you'll post 8 things in a day and then be gone for two weeks. It's not a complaint, it's just a fact, and I have trouble pacing stories with that in mind.

@amul

No 2 (spidersilk farming) is really just a background event, since JL let me add the Spidersilk Weaver:6 to my party from Phoenix. Peregrine, do you want Daffyd and Catrin involved in this, or do they stick to the mundane side and sheep? Folks can decide to start wearing spidersilk garments, or have other objects made out of spidersilk (backpacks?) Might also count as resonance material for book crafting. Remember that the flaw "difficult underlings" says that other people have no trouble keeping the spider-children in line. "It's not them, it you."

Agreed. Although, if they (Daffyd and Catrin) are Theraposa's underlings, they become difficult for her.

@amul

No 3 (researcher) is a seemingly simple request that actually asks a lot of questions about the setting. Are there mundane researchers hoping to stay funded and working at Durenmar? Or does Viscaria need to find someone to do this for her?

Again, I'm not exactly sure what you're hunting for here...

@amul

@amul

@Jonathan.Link

Viscaria will have to excavate a basement and include supports, there isn't a cave.
Botches would be bad for Fiona. And I realize why it is being done, but it's mainly for Moire and family while Sheelagh sleeps where her maid servant is...

Okay, so the spell itself is trivial to cast (CT 28+die). Base Ease Factor is 9. Say it takes a month for +3, to be a 12. She'll spend Confidence if she needs to. Her Finesse roll is Per 0 + Finesse 1 + 3 familiarity + Precise Casting 1 + die 1 * die 6 = 6*2 + 5 = 17
Exploder die! Does this mean she can achieve the effect of a 17/19 (with Confidence) on the basement, or is she restricted to the target number she was seeking?

Confidence isn't spent, and she accomplishes the task. I dislike the idea of retroactively deciding what effect is achieved based on the die roll. The only place that can happen is with spontaneous spells and the effect needs to be properly designed to account for it.

@amul

She then sponts the ReTe effect to shape the stairs. Finesse roll, as above 5 + die roll 7 = 12.

Most of this is self-adjudicating, but there's a Rego Craft rules question here: When she targets a 12 and gets a 17, does the work look better than she had hoped? Or does she merely succeed at the level she was shooting for? It's just color right now, but it's a systems question that I'm not certain on. IMS, she'd get the 17/19 result, because dice should be fickle gods that sometimes reward.

It looks a bit better, but basically she gets what she was shooting for. Again, restating it from above, I really dislike the idea of adjudicating results based on the die roll and luck. It could very well be my prejudice that I'm the unlucky one at the table, when things are almost always assured (failing only on one number) I'll roll that number and fail more often than not.

[Peregrine_Bjornaer]

@amul

See, this is why Alchemy sucks. You can't experiment in the same season you auto-extract vis, which makes it like a 3/6 pawn cost for me to experiment.

If we go the Sun Duration, twice-a-day route, we can get by without experimenting.

@amul

You know, Animal Hide gives a +7 bonus to turn into the appropriate animal. If human skin gave the same bonus....

I thought about that. And, it's not like we don't have some human hide lying around somewhere...right, Thera?

[Peregrine_Bjornaer]

@amul

@amul

Some other things that happen:
2 Theraphosa gives birth to a horde of giant spiders (non-magical), and the covenant sets up a small cottage industry in the regio making spidersilk and finding uses for it (ideally, I'd like this to be Daffyd and Catrin and a few others, just to establish that they've become part of Viscaria's Crewe).

No 2 (spidersilk farming) is really just a background event, since JL let me add the Spidersilk Weaver:6 to my party from Phoenix. Peregrine, do you want Daffyd and Catrin involved in this, or do they stick to the mundane side and sheep? Folks can decide to start wearing spidersilk garments, or have other objects made out of spidersilk (backpacks?) Might also count as resonance material for book crafting. Remember that the flaw "difficult underlings" says that other people have no trouble keeping the spider-children in line. "It's not them, it you."

I have no problem with that.

[amul]

@Peregrine_Bjornaer

@amul

See, this is why Alchemy sucks. You can't experiment in the same season you auto-extract vis, which makes it like a 3/6 pawn cost for me to experiment.

If we go the Sun Duration, twice-a-day route, we can get by without experimenting.

Nothing stopping you from experimenting.

I suppose that I'm still holding out for some option that gives her 8 limbs even in human form.

@amul

You know, Animal Hide gives a +7 bonus to turn into the appropriate animal. If human skin gave the same bonus....

I thought about that. And, it's not like we don't have some human hide lying around somewhere...right, Thera?

I suppose that depends on how long its been and whether or not she's dried it properly.

~shudder~

[Peregrine_Bjornaer]

@amul

Nothing stopping you from experimenting.
I suppose that I'm still holding out for some option that gives her 8 limbs even in human form.

If we do it in the same spell, i would probably add a magnitude (or possibly two) for the added effect (giving her eight limbs in all instead of just the four).

The base 3 for MuCo is "Utterly change the appearance...of a person (though they must still remain human in form)." The question would be whether Durga is human in form. I would be inclined to say that yes, she is.

If it's a separate spell, which would require a separate enchantment from above, then it would be Base 3, R: Touch (+1), D: Sun (+2), T: Individual, for a final Spell Level of 10. Usable twice a day (+1), +16 Penetration to get past Thera's Might (+8), Environmental Trigger (+3, when the wearer is transformed from spider to human), for a final Effect Level of 22. If we have it so that it must be manually activated (e.g. drop the Environmental Trigger), that drops the Effect Level to 19 and reduced the Vis Cost by one pawn.

[amul]

@Jonathan.Link

@amul

@amul

as per the guidelines in HoH:S, pg 59:

JL, can you please OK this and tell us how long before it becomes available? She commissions the work in 1223.2, her first Princeps season.

Nothing for me to OK. You guys run the covenant, I don't. If the specialists are free, do it, do it. How much do you think it's going to cost? I don't see that it's going to be much more than a blip in the finances.

Well, I needed you to confirm that you're aware of the effort and agree that the non-MRB rule exists in our game.

Given our wealth level and specialists, it makes sense that we could afford it. But questions of whether we can produce it all in-house, and how long it takes to make, are SG decisions in my book.

I've added this info to the wiki.

@amul

1 Theraphosa reaches out to Andru and offers to work with/for him, in an effort to get involved in some worthwhile Intrigue'ing.

How did she reach out? I don't recall a letter being written.

@amul

No 1 (Thera looking for Intrigue opportunities) can get as simple or complex as you'd like.

This is more a function of your ability to commit time to the endeavor than mine. Intrigue is a dance. Your posting frequency is bursty, and I have trouble judging and pacing stories for that. Everyone else is relatively predictable, but you'll post 8 things in a day and then be gone for two weeks. It's not a complaint, it's just a fact, and I have trouble pacing stories with that in mind.

I haven't yet. Given my sporadic posting rates, I wanted to see if you were amenable to this on some level before throwing a letter out there.

@amul

3 As mentioned in the Training Sheelagh thread, when Fiona goes to Durenmar, she carries an "employment contract" from Viscaria to semi-permanently retain a mundane researcher for an ongoing project (figuring out who her mother is). This would involve exploring public records, which are freely available, so I'm not sure how much this would reasonably cost. Com +2 + Bargain 4 + specialty applies +1 = 7 + die 4=11.

@amul

No 3 (researcher) is a seemingly simple request that actually asks a lot of questions about the setting. Are there mundane researchers hoping to stay funded and working at Durenmar? Or does Viscaria need to find someone to do this for her?

Again, I'm not exactly sure what you're hunting for here...
Durenmar doesn't really have mundane "researchers." What kind of researcher are you interested in? The good ones are Arabic, the best ones are Jewish.

I'm trying to figure out ways to keep the Driven:Discover Mother flaw active throughout the period where V is heavily focused on the Tribunal project. One thought I had was that she'd hire somebody to look into this stuff for her who would make regular reports to this end. I wasn't sure if this was an accurate view of the world, though, and it sounds like it isn't. I imagined Durenmar would have a small body of mundanes who were eager to get access to the library to work on some pet project or other, much akin to the modern day horde of scientists hoping to get research grants. On a different level, the idea of setting up a small scribal staff at Durenmar that sends us crates of mundane information for our own library seems like something a summer covenant would do.

Viscaria wouldn't care, but I suppose I'd rather have her find an Arabic one, so that he can write her reports in that beautiful script, all the better to provoke suspicion among those who figure out what she's doing.

@amul

No 2 (spidersilk farming) is really just a background event, since JL let me add the Spidersilk Weaver:6 to my party from Phoenix. Peregrine, do you want Daffyd and Catrin involved in this, or do they stick to the mundane side and sheep? Folks can decide to start wearing spidersilk garments, or have other objects made out of spidersilk (backpacks?) Might also count as resonance material for book crafting. Remember that the flaw "difficult underlings" says that other people have no trouble keeping the spider-children in line. "It's not them, it you."

Agreed. Although, if they (Daffyd and Catrin) are Theraposa's underlings, they become difficult for her.

This is a player decision (Peregrine's), the volume of silk created will be minuscule and won't affect finances or be of sufficient quantity to be useful in trade.

That's totally fine. I'm just setting up another summer-esque oddball resource for the covenant.

[Jonathan.Link]

@amul

@Jonathan.Link

@amul

@amul

as per the guidelines in HoH:S, pg 59:

JL, can you please OK this and tell us how long before it becomes available? She commissions the work in 1223.2, her first Princeps season.

Nothing for me to OK. You guys run the covenant, I don't. If the specialists are free, do it, do it. How much do you think it's going to cost? I don't see that it's going to be much more than a blip in the finances.

Well, I needed you to confirm that you're aware of the effort and agree that the non-MRB rule exists in our game.

Given our wealth level and specialists, it makes sense that we could afford it. But questions of whether we can produce it all in-house, and how long it takes to make, are SG decisions in my book.

I've added this info to the wiki.

If it's in a book, it's pretty much allowed. As far as how long it would take? For one person, with general oversight from a magus? probably a year. You want less, get more specific and throw out some examples of how long it will take to source things...

@amul

@amul

1 Theraphosa reaches out to Andru and offers to work with/for him, in an effort to get involved in some worthwhile Intrigue'ing.

How did she reach out? I don't recall a letter being written.

@amul

No 1 (Thera looking for Intrigue opportunities) can get as simple or complex as you'd like.

This is more a function of your ability to commit time to the endeavor than mine. Intrigue is a dance. Your posting frequency is bursty, and I have trouble judging and pacing stories for that. Everyone else is relatively predictable, but you'll post 8 things in a day and then be gone for two weeks. It's not a complaint, it's just a fact, and I have trouble pacing stories with that in mind.

I haven't yet. Given my sporadic posting rates, I wanted to see if you were amenable to this on some level before throwing a letter out there.

Sure, again, your posting is the primary impediment to this developing into a strong focus... My lack of response as Proctor was by design as I see the character. Others may be more open to discussion. Keep in mind that Andru is a primus and he is busy.

@amul

@amul

3 As mentioned in the Training Sheelagh thread, when Fiona goes to Durenmar, she carries an "employment contract" from Viscaria to semi-permanently retain a mundane researcher for an ongoing project (figuring out who her mother is). This would involve exploring public records, which are freely available, so I'm not sure how much this would reasonably cost. Com +2 + Bargain 4 + specialty applies +1 = 7 + die 4=11.

@amul

No 3 (researcher) is a seemingly simple request that actually asks a lot of questions about the setting. Are there mundane researchers hoping to stay funded and working at Durenmar? Or does Viscaria need to find someone to do this for her?

Again, I'm not exactly sure what you're hunting for here...
Durenmar doesn't really have mundane "researchers." What kind of researcher are you interested in? The good ones are Arabic, the best ones are Jewish.

I'm trying to figure out ways to keep the Driven:Discover Mother flaw active throughout the period where V is heavily focused on the Tribunal project. One thought I had was that she'd hire somebody to look into this stuff for her who would make regular reports to this end. I wasn't sure if this was an accurate view of the world, though, and it sounds like it isn't. I imagined Durenmar would have a small body of mundanes who were eager to get access to the library to work on some pet project or other, much akin to the modern day horde of scientists hoping to get research grants. On a different level, the idea of setting up a small scribal staff at Durenmar that sends us crates of mundane information for our own library seems like something a summer covenant would do.

Oh, wouldn't you say that's what the current story is relating to? Again, those mundanes you're describing exist in other places, Valnastium is one place, and there are a few others...

@amul

Viscaria wouldn't care, but I suppose I'd rather have her find an Arabic one, so that he can write her reports in that beautiful script, all the better to provoke suspicion among those who figure out what she's doing.

Jews of the period frequently spoke, read and wrote in Arabic. Their work as scholars is unsurpassed for the period.

[amul]

If it's only one extra magnitude, you could experiment radically for the extra +3 bonus, raising you to 86+die versus a target number of 90. I should totally ask you to do this instead of your ride season. Again. ~ducks~

Magnetite probably counts as a base metal, so a pendant would only be able to hold 5 pawns even if I opened it. A longpig leather belt studded with magnetite could be opened as a compound device for 14 pawns, which V should be able to do at some point.

What would Fiona ask for in exchange? Or should I do this in character?

[amul]

@Jonathan.Link

If it's in a book, it's pretty much allowed. As far as how long it would take? For one person, with general oversight from a magus? probably a year. You want less, get more specific and throw out some examples of how long it will take to source things...

A year is fine, but I was assuming multiple craftsmen. Just from our own pile of craftsmen:

5 Carpenter(cooper)
5 Weaver
4 Specialist : Candlemaker 4
Chastity: 8 Silversmith
6: Glassblower (Specialist)
6: Toolsmith (Specialst)
6: Spidersilk Weaver

(plus Viscaria, architecture, etc.)

I'll leave it to the players to specify what their gear looks like.

@amul

Sure, again, your posting is the primary impediment to this developing into a strong focus... My lack of response as Proctor was by design as I see the character. Others may be more open to discussion. Keep in mind that Andru is a primus and he is busy.

~nodnod~ I've got a thought or three on the subject now. Will write up a letter and send it out.

Oh, wouldn't you say that's what the current story is relating to? Again, those mundanes you're describing exist in other places, Valnastium is one place, and there are a few others...

@amul

Viscaria wouldn't care, but I suppose I'd rather have her find an Arabic one, so that he can write her reports in that beautiful script, all the better to provoke suspicion among those who figure out what she's doing.

Jews of the period frequently spoke, read and wrote in Arabic. Their work as scholars is unsurpassed for the period.

Well, yes, of course the current story is relating to that, but Fiona's going to Durenmar in 1222.4, so the request happens before Mother's Footsteps. However, I think that Driven should show up more than just during specific stories. There should be an underlying sense that Viscaria is always just a step away from thinking about her mother. Plus, I like the idea of the contents of the library being shaped by the passions and drives of the magi. But I should really find time to do it herself.

Anyway, it's all founded on the assumption that Durenmar feels like a university setting, and has a fair number of mundane scholars, which seems to be inaccurate.

[Jonathan.Link]

@amul

@Jonathan.Link

If it's in a book, it's pretty much allowed. As far as how long it would take? For one person, with general oversight from a magus? probably a year. You want less, get more specific and throw out some examples of how long it will take to source things...

A year is fine, but I was assuming multiple craftsmen. Just from our own pile of craftsmen:

5 Carpenter(cooper)
5 Weaver
4 Specialist : Candlemaker 4
Chastity: 8 Silversmith
6: Glassblower (Specialist)
6: Toolsmith (Specialst)
6: Spidersilk Weaver

(plus Viscaria, architecture, etc.)

I'll leave it to the players to specify what their gear looks like.

So, basically, they spend half a season on their part of the project...

@amul

@amul

Sure, again, your posting is the primary impediment to this developing into a strong focus... My lack of response as Proctor was by design as I see the character. Others may be more open to discussion. Keep in mind that Andru is a primus and he is busy.

~nodnod~ I've got a thought or three on the subject now. Will write up a letter and send it out.

Oh, wouldn't you say that's what the current story is relating to? Again, those mundanes you're describing exist in other places, Valnastium is one place, and there are a few others...

@amul

Viscaria wouldn't care, but I suppose I'd rather have her find an Arabic one, so that he can write her reports in that beautiful script, all the better to provoke suspicion among those who figure out what she's doing.

Jews of the period frequently spoke, read and wrote in Arabic. Their work as scholars is unsurpassed for the period.

Well, yes, of course the current story is relating to that, but Fiona's going to Durenmar in 1222.4, so the request happens before Mother's Footsteps. However, I think that Driven should show up more than just during specific stories. There should be an underlying sense that Viscaria is always just a step away from thinking about her mother. Plus, I like the idea of the contents of the library being shaped by the passions and drives of the magi. But I should really find time to do it herself.

Anyway, it's all founded on the assumption that Durenmar feels like a university setting, and has a fair number of mundane scholars, which seems to be inaccurate.

To go all meta... Story flaws are for the SG to pull characters into stories. I mean, you can take it and run with it, but again, that's your choice, but when I throw down on a story flaw, it's basically your agreement with me that you won't say no to the story.

[Peregrine_Bjornaer]

My first thought was "an exchange." We have the Ogmios’ Saddle (which came with Fieltarn), which I had assumed made a normal-sized courser (+2), but it never says definitively. The spell itself adds a magnitude for size, which could be up to Size +4 (the aurochs, which seems to have been up to six feet at the shoulders, and could weight up to 3,300 pounds). That's about the size of the horse that Fiona would want. And a linked spell to create the tack and harness, since I'm not sure the Wizard's Mount includes that.

[amul]

@Peregrine_Bjornaer

My first thought was "an exchange." We have the Ogmios’ Saddle (which came with Fieltarn), which I had assumed made a normal-sized courser (+2), but it never says definitively. The spell itself adds a magnitude for size, which could be up to Size +4 (the aurochs, which seems to have been up to six feet at the shoulders, and could weight up to 3,300 pounds). That's about the size of the horse that Fiona would want. And a linked spell to create the tack and harness, since I'm not sure the Wizard's Mount includes that.

Base Animal Individual is Size 1. Size 4 would require 3 additional magnitudes, which means that, of the published horses, Wizard's Mount has to be a courser. Ogmios' Saddle was cleverly designed AS tack and harness, so that the horse was conjured into it.

Base 15, +1 Touch, +1 Conc, +5lvl Item Concentrates, +3 size +1lvl 2 uses/day = 46 . My lab total for CrAn enchantments is 65, so I'd have to either make this a 7-year expiry, or make it an invested item and spend 3 seasons doing it.

This critter isn't really taking advantage of Viscaria's strengths or character color though -- In, Re, Te, or Vi. If we added TeVi requisites instead of size bonuses, we'd get a magical horse with bones of steel for the same level and Lab Total. Or a Rego requisite to make it a flying horse. It'd probably be well within Viscaria's capacity to make you a flying statue in the shape of a horse that you could ride....

Another option would be to adjust Ogmios' Saddle. It's an invested device with 4 spaces left.
MuAn, Base 4 (as per Beast of Outlandish Size), +1 Size +2 Sun (+2lvl 3uses/day + 3lvl linked trigger) = 20

(+1 Vim requisite + 1 Terram Requisite) = MuAn(Te, Vi) 30 to make it a Courset of Virtue with bones of steel. Just cuz I can. Or I could add a Rego component so it flies. That'd be a season for me.

[Jonathan.Link]

@amul

ase Animal Individual is Size 1. Size 4 would require 3 additional magnitudes, which means that, of the published horses, Wizard's Mount has to be a courser. Ogmios' Saddle was cleverly designed AS tack and harness, so that the horse was conjured into it

This isn't correct.
+1 magnitude for size allows for an increased mass of 10 times the base size for the form (corpus or Animal). +1 magnitude spell allows the spell to go from +1 to +4.

[amul]

@Jonathan.Link

@amul

ase Animal Individual is Size 1. Size 4 would require 3 additional magnitudes, which means that, of the published horses, Wizard's Mount has to be a courser. Ogmios' Saddle was cleverly designed AS tack and harness, so that the horse was conjured into it

This isn't correct.
+1 magnitude for size allows for an increased mass of 10 times the base size for the form (corpus or Animal). +1 magnitude spell allows the spell to go from +1 to +4.

I hate their naming conventions.

So, it'd be the same CrAn 40 enchantment as Ogmios (36 minumum) versus a lab total of 65. Excess of 25/29. I could do it in a season with a 70 year expiry, or do it in 2 seasons as an invested device.

@amul

Another option would be to adjust Ogmios' Saddle. It's an invested device with 4 spaces left.
MuAn, Base 4 (as per Beast of Outlandish Size), +1 Size +2 Sun (+2lvl 3uses/day + 3lvl linked trigger) = 20

(+1 Vim requisite + 1 Terram Requisite) = MuAn(Te, Vi) 30 to make it a Courser of Virtue with bones of steel. Just cuz I can. Or I could add a Rego component so it flies. That'd be a season for me.

This version still sounds like more fun to me. Lab Total 63.

[The_Fixer]

@amul

The math gets tricky, to do it in a season. The MuAn(Co) version in the book is 25 + uses/day, but V's lab total for that is only 27. I could make it into a ring, but then I have to overcome Theraphosa's might, jacking it up to 33+uses/day vs a Lab Total of 63, so again I miss doing it in a season by a hair's breadth.

Enchant it into the bond! +5 to the lab total!

@Peregrine_Bjornaer

@amul

Nothing stopping you from experimenting.
I suppose that I'm still holding out for some option that gives her 8 limbs even in human form.

If we do it in the same spell, i would probably add a magnitude (or possibly two) for the added effect (giving her eight limbs in all instead of just the four).

The base 3 for MuCo is "Utterly change the appearance...of a person (though they must still remain human in form)." The question would be whether Durga is human in form. I would be inclined to say that yes, she is.

IIRC, there's a guideline for adding limbs. Base 5, I believe.

Yes. MoH p49. Base 5: Add or remove human body parts from the target in such a way that he no longer looks human. These parts are normally functional, although a spell may be deliberately designed so that they are not. The Target is Part, not Individual (although Groups and higher Targets work as normal).

@amul

I hate their naming conventions.

Me too.
Not a great fan of the +1 mag = *10 size, too.
Yet, JL is correct, here.

[Peregrine_Bjornaer]

Basically, Fiona's looking for something she can use in the Joust without embarrassing herself. Buffing Ogmios's Saddle to make the horse bigger looks like a good option. (Question: do created animals have any MR that the spell would have to penetrate to have any effect on? I'm thinking no, but...)

On the other hand, having Fiona flying around on a winged stallion of steel just sounds so incredibly awesome.

Also, don't forget Fiona and Sheelagh. Both have Inventive Genius (+6 combined, or +12 if you experiment), Fiona adds +7, and Sheelagh adds (I believe) +2, so that's +15 or +21 right there.

(Oh, and if we make it from the right precious metal, then the command word to activate it would be "Hi yo, Silver, away!")

(edit - I'm assuming that there are rules in place to prevent magic that keeps you in the saddle - maybe a simple ReCo - but it doesn't specifically say so in the section on Tourney Events on p. 32. It just says you can only use magic that affects yourself, your mount, or your weapon. So, some wiggle room, there.)