1222.2a The Lost Boys

Retired Play by Post Campaigns Ars Magica 5th Edition: In the Ruins of Bibracte
81

Looks about. Where did i say 4 botch dice? I said it needs to be a stress roll.

Convince me why it isn't stressful. You're going into an unknown situation. Your CS is sufficiently low that you often end up fatigued when casting the spell. You just saw Apollodorus transport all the magi in that circle without asking any of them to lower their parma. You can presume they did, but it's odd. No, I think a stress die is reasonable. I did not say that there are 4 botch dice. There is only one botch die.

82

Because I have -3 botch dice, which can bring it down to zero. So there is never any need to roll unless there is 4 or more botch dice. The spell should be no more stressful right now than it ever is, and if you're establishing a precedent that the aura at a destination affects spellcasting at the origin, handwaving freakoutery will ensue.

83

Bzzt. Wrong. It's a stress die, why? Because you have the spell friggin mastered.
I threw out the 1 botch die thing as a red herring.
You roll a stress die. Period. Understand? A zero is a 0, but you have no botch dice, because it is 1 botch die situation and you have it mastered, or you are relaxed and can't botch. Shall we keep going round and round? The reason why you are rolling is so that I know what fatigue level you are at. Thanks.

84

(This is the first notation of Warping on Viscaria's sheet, which seems a bit lucky. Should we give her some pre-campaign Warping?)

Viscaria looks out amid the fields and is briefly shocked. Though she's faced legions of undead before, it has always been from safely behind a wall guarded by an innumerable host of supernatural guardians. This is different. It is amid the thick of it, and she is suddenly grateful for the all-too-infrequent exercises that Vin has insisted on throughout the years.

She slides silver sticks out of her combat belts (like modern ammo belts), and is about to cast a few sponts, recalling her duties amid any combat group (ie, logistics and support), but then hesitates, unwilling to betray her group to any magical noses that might be sniffing the air.

She carefully slides the wands back into their holstered pouches, and awaits orders.

(When she is given the order, she'll determine the aura, unless someone can do that without fatiguing themselves. InVi 2 + 1 Touch = 3, Mom, Ind, she can do this without fatigue. Then she's cast an InTe spont version of "Eyes of the Treacherous Terrain," MRB 153, Per, Conc,Vision, CT 29+Aura+die/2 (fatigue)) and watch out for traps, bushmen hidden beneath the ground, etc.)

Arya, you are presuming that he has your sheet memorized, and then making assumptions about the environment based on that assumption. Before you start suggesting that he's making rules interpretations, just remind him of your Gold chord 2, and Flawless Spells virtue to provide the reduction in botch dice.

85

The only warping I imposed at chargen was from the longevity ritual. I don't believe Viscaria has started one, yet.

86

I don't uderstand. You're saying I can botch because I have it mastered? As though not mastering it makes me LESS likely to botch?

The bizarre arbitrary on-the-fly rulings are getting quite frustrating.

87

He is saying it is a stress die and you need to roll for it. You are the one who is bringing up the botch dice. No one else has said anything about botch dice.

A stress die is a stress die. Even if you have reduced your botch dice pool to zero, the stress die remains a stress die. If you roll a zero on your stress die, then you will have to roll zero botch dice. If you roll a 1, the die explodes.

All you need to do is note the reduction you have to botch dice for this spell (2 from Gold Cord, 1 from mastery), and then roll the stress die.

You do not need to discuss botches at this time.

(That comes across as very curt over text. It is not meant to, but given the misinterpretation I wanted to be very clear and direct.)

88

Please review page 86 in the MRB on Spell Mastery.
Please review my very first post about mentioning rolling a stress die. You will see that I did not indicate any botch dice. You assumed I meant botch dice. I did not. In your case, your CS for the spell is low enough that you can arrive fatigued. I noted you have the spell mastered. Further, the rules for mastery indicate it is always a stress die, but if it is relaxed, you don't botch. Which means you have a chance at extraordinary success without a chance of extraordinary failure in non stressed situations.

89

In short?
Arya, he just wants to know if you arrive fatigued.

Fire. Great. Hopefully, these beasts aren't invulnerable to Ice.
At some point, Isen envisioned learning Pilum of Fire. He now regrets not having done so.

Seeing viscaria, he'll stay close to her, to reasssure and protect her if need be

90

Derp. I forgot the alternate-reality Laetitia can barely cast Leap. >.<

91

Apollodorus and Carmine arrive at nearly the same time [I'm imposing a slight delay on Laetitia of one round. We'll say she's gathering her wits as the enormity of what she just witnessed Apollodorus do hits her. Casting a 45th level spell (Leap is 35 +1 for touch and +1 for group makes it 45) and he didn't ask any of the Magi to drop their Parma Magica.]

Apollodorus looks around slowly after he arrives. It doesn't appear that he's looking for danger, more like drinking in the surroundings. The moon is full and bright. Carmine stands between him and the group he'd transported earlier, in an apparent attempt at guarding his privacy.

He shakes his head and then turns to everyone who's here when Laetitia arrives, "I'll answer any questions you have later. I'm sure you have many. And if you don't know what I'm talking about you'll realize it soon enough." Apollodorus produces a map, "Laetitia I need you to try locating Marcus. Aeolus boat is in that direction." He points to the south. "If I fall, you must abandon the mission and make your way to the boat as quickly as you can. This isn't a discussion, and I absolutely insist that you don't do anything to rescue me. If I fall, Carmine will be leaving and will destroy Marcus from Valnastium. Andru and Carmine will inform you of certain things later. Maris can provide more details, as well." His tone is authoritative and commanding, without being imperious. Alexei immediately recognizes a note of someone who is handling command, something he's never seen from Apollodorus before.

With a matter of fact tone, he dispenses some background information about what brought he and Andru here, and where exactly here is. "We are on the island of Thera. The local authority is the Duke of Naxos, which is a Venetian puppet. We are in the southern Aegean sea, the nearest large Island is Crete, where Aeolus will be taking you to a Jerbiton enclave established there, if that becomes necessary. We are standing at our base for monitoring an excavation at a site below the crest of this hill. It's an ancient city, Andru called it Akrotini, and it is believed to have been buried under a volcanic explosion many years ago. When Andru first came here after his gauntlet he managed to discover many promising magical artifacts of significant power as well as many works of truly magnificent art, also with magical qualities. Shortly after his discovery he was driven off the island by the vampires and their servants. Our objective was to recover more of these artifacts, which we did. We had shipped off the workers, stored the artifacts with Aeolus aboard his ship, and were preparing to depart ourselves when we were attacked. If we face any resistance, it will be humans, first as cannon fodder. As we progress deeper into the caves that will change. I don't mean to root out the vampire nest, but if it is necessary to resuce or recover Marcus, that's what we'll do, understood?"

Apollodorus looks pained before continuing, "The sights within can be gruesome, truly horrific. Vampires consume the blood of their victims. Then their human servants feast on the remains of the victims. You may see people dismembered, bones that look as if they are gnawed upon, or even, if we are stealthy come upon a grizzly feast in progress. It is why I asked for men of a stout heart, very few have witnessed such horrors. Fewer still can remain unaffected by it."

92

Korvin casts Eyes of the cat on himself and Claude. Casts wizards sidestep on himself.

93

Alexei had been silently preparing before they left. Absorbing the details that Apollodorus had been revealing shortly before they left. Alexei understood his methodology for the timing of the revelations. Too much time to consider such a powerful supernatural threat tended to sap the will and enthusiasm. Understanding it would be difficult and preparing for that was important. Now that the preparations were ready, getting the remaining details would sharpen the will rather than take from it.

As soon as they arrived Alexei was scanning their surroundings and looking for entrance and egress as he raised his staff and brought to mind the variety of spells and enchantments he might use. That these 'Vampires' had human bodies kept his options wide. Even if they weren't human, but took on its shape, his spells would affect them, and so would his spear and weapons.

At the mention of the gore they'd seen Alexei was happy he brought Brionne and not Michelle. Michelle was a prodigious warrior, but such sights tended to make his temperment even more deadly to be around.

"I am ready Apollodorus." he says as he adjusts the spear tip to make sure it is firmly fixed.

94

Laetitia first enacts Bitter Taste of Betrayal out of her talisman. She then makes sure she's within the covenant's +5 aura before she casts Leap, and thus barely manages to cast it without incurring fatigue loss (12Re+12Co+1Sta+1Ma+5Aura+5roll=36).

Once there, she nods at Apollodorus. "Carmine, if I may borrow that arcane connection to Marcus? Oh, and speaking of which--" she pulls a lace handkerchief out of her bodice and hands it to Alexei, and takes a jewelled comb from her hair and hands it to Apollodorus, "These should last for days."

She then concentrates on the map and casts The Inexorable Search. (I need to know the type of AC (p.84) in order to determine how that affects her Penetration; for purposes of bookkeeping, since I'm actually at my books I will leave stuff for JL to complete in curly braces.)
23In+12Co+1Sta+1Ma+{AURA}+5roll=32+{AURA}
Penetration: 12+{AURA}+(5Pen*(1+{ACBONUS})
(Note that the Penetration above is 3+1+1=5 due to Intellego specialty and the Penetration Mastery ability.)
If the AC is weeks/months, then the Penetration will be 27+Aura; I figured this is most likely. If years/decades, it's 32+Aura; if hours/days then it's 22+Aura.

[size=85]LotH and tIS: 5, 5[/size]

95

Apollodorus interjects on Laetitia's request. "Carmine's keeping hers, I have another for Marcus, for you to use Laetitia." he hands her a delicately carved representation

There is no aura, the Arcane connection is fixed, and Laetitia can sense it immediately. "And here's his natal horascope. Oh and a carving of him." Apollodorus lays out the map and the horoscope on a rock that appears to have been cut flat and had been used as a table during their excavation.

((I get a total bonus of penetration to be +4 for the fixed AC and +2 for the natal horoscope and another +2 for the carving for a +8, so a 57 total.))

Laetitia encounters a level of initial resistance (that's the best she can come up with, it's not quite resistance, something is different at the border of the cave) as her hand moves over the map, close to the border of the cave, but easily brushes past it as soon as she does so a horn is sounded from the direction of the caves. Please make a Int + Concentration roll of 6 or better to continue searching for Marcus.

96

9. (5+2int+1conc+1specialty)

97

Almost as soon as the horn is sounded, a great flame erupts near a cave entrance and the horn is silenced prematurely. "That would be Marcus's familiar."

Laetitia continues her work for a few more rounds, and finds Marcus, brushing easily past his Parma Magica. Her thumb rests on the last section of the caves. And then it occurs to her, Apollodorus has a map of a cave system infested with vampires that appears remarkably complete. The unanswered questions keep piling up.

98

Isen notices.
And don't like this AT ALL. Are we sure Apollodorus didn't use an item?

If the situation didn't warrant it, he'd ask for an explanation right now.
But now ain't the time for this. Rescuing this Marcus and protecting his sodales comes first. There will be time, later.

Aye

Isen clenches his fist and teeth.
If this is true, and he has no reasons to doubt Apollodorus, such abominations should be cleansed from the face of the Earth. If we don't do it today, he'll have to return here to finish the job, hopefully with alexei and other valorous magi.

99

You saw no sign of a device, and Isen's magic theory score is sufficiently high that he could tell Apollodorus was working magic.

100

Deykin follows the conversation blankly. He can tell from the tones of the magi's voices and the looks on their faces (especially Lord Apollodorus) that, whatever they're talking about, it's grave business indeed.

At a lull in the conversation (when Laetitia is casting The Inexorable Search), he will nudge one of his comrades that he thinks might understand Latin, and ask him what they're talking about, in French (3).