1228 Bartomeus ex Bonisagus

For discussion of creation and advancement of the aforementioned character

The character at gauntlet is ready for your review:

Bartomeus At Gauntlet

This appears to have 75 xp too many
285 points in abilities, 150 points in arts
it's also unclear what age you began apprenticeship- your age (21) suggests you began at age 6 but your abilities descriptions indicate abilities "up to age 8" which would mean you soul be 23 and are only 45 points over on xp.
You have listed 105 xp in the "up to age 8" category, which should be 45xp up to age 5 and 15xp/yr thereafter-so you have enough xp here to go to age 11, which would mean you finished gauntlet at age 26, but would resolve the point discrepancies.

You are also 1 level short on spells.

I need to fix the age. Should be age 23 at end of Gauntlet.

Let me review the assumptions I used:
45 XP for Early Childhood (1-5)
45 XP for Next 3 years (Aged 5 - 8)

Apprenticeship started at age 8.
240 XP for Apprenticeship
60 XP for Skilled Parens

Total XP to Gauntlet: 390 (45 + 45 + 240 + 60)

The question that jumps out to me is about Age 8. I think I may be calculating 15 XP too much on review since age 8 can't be both a year to gain 15 XP and a year of the apprenticeship. Right?

And if I'm right on the age 8 question, it might be easier to modify and say he started apprenticeship at age 9 and is now currently 24.

45+45+240+60 would be correct, allowing you 390. You have 435.

I think I may have uncovered the issue and solution: better accuracy between my spreadsheet and the wikidot. :blush:

Fixes:
Current Age: 24 (up 1 from 23)
Guile 1 (Fixed)
Craft: Sculptor 1 (added)
Music 1 (fixed)
Enchanting Music 1 (fixed, level 1 free from virtue,)
Figurine Magic (fixed, level 1 free from virtue,)

I think that adds to: 390 points.

Am I calculating the Intellego cost wrong? Given the affinity?

Okay, I was copying the xp you have on your spreadsheet, but apparently... well we have different methodologies... this is now approved at gauntlet
now we handle steps of up to 5 years.

Thank you. Before I move forward and given the discussion on discord, are you ok with this adjustment:

Remove Enchanting Music from Virtues and from Abilities.
Add Good Teacher to Virtues

If you're good there, I'll work on the next 5 years. My plan is to go "slow."

That would be fine. Obviously the ability of enchanted music is gone as well.

Two things before I move forward:

  1. I read through the "Art of Memory" section of TMRE. Did not know about this book! This ability is exactly in the sweet spot of Barto's area of research focus: memory. To minimize re-doing much from the Gauntlet work, I propose dropping Music 1 and adding Art of Memory 1.

  2. Before you review the next 5 years, I'd like your thoughts on the background narrative of what is happening. Here is the bones of the narrative (I'll likely write this up as a journal entry at some point to flesh out Barto's story.)

Basic Narrative: Following what was effectively a double-gauntlet in House Bonisagus (traveling alone to a covenant and successfully completing the magic theory examination), Bartomeus is given an opportunity to remain in Durenmar to continue his studies. While initially reluctant to support this idea, Occultes (the parens) sees this as something of an extension of the acclaim he gains for training such a promising apprentice but also an investment in what he sees as a potential future bargaining chip.

Thoughts?

I think in order to get an invitation to Durenmar you would need to have more reputation and probably membership in the appropriate Gild.

OK.

I thought given the background of apprenticing under Occultes, magus in Durenmar who leads The Lindengilde, it might be acceptable to extend an offer of study for a few years post gauntlet. I was using the reference in HOH: TL p 19 about "working together" as a basis for that idea.

My plan is to work in a couple of seasons of "Assist a magus of higher rank in the lab" (HoH: TL p 21). That serves as justification for hanging around Durenmar as well as the Driven flaw and Barto's goals to rise in Acclaim.

Barto comes to realize after these first years two things: Occultes is still setting him up to be a political pawn, and he is limited in growing his acclaim while in the shadow of the magi of Durenmar. This will prompt his departure to another Covenant. Eventually the desire to focus on research and be apart from Bonisagi politics drives Bartomeus to Gardenia to pursue his research under less prying eyes... or so he thinks.

It that background takes too many liberties, let's just assume a more standard departure after Gauntlet. If we go down that route, how do you want me to determine where he lands during the years before arriving at Gardenia?

Okay, if he does go that route then he is at Duerenmar, but not as a member of the covenant, simply as an assistant as described and guest of the Magus he is working under. Keep in mind that the Bonisagus of Duernemar are described as being very conservative and work on projects expanding on existing theory instead of trying to integrate new things..

Sounds good.

I'll do another update this evening to the 5 years of seasons and let you know here that it's ready for review.

The next three sets of 5 years will take him up to 1228.

My thinking is that Bartomeus moves to a more stable covenant experience. I was thinking about him moving to a covenant in either in northern Italy (Roman Tribunal) or Greater Alps for the next 15 years, but I'm not fixed on that yet.

I would really like your guidance and thoughts on location for this 15 year period to set up the shift to Gardenia. Do we need to identify a published covenant? Does it matter which Tribunal?

My thought is to move him from Rhine into Greater Alps so that it's a more natural move depending on how you would want him to enter the saga.

Thanks!

I've added these 5 years to the Roll of Seasons. I have not updated a character sheet for these years yet. I'll do that once you review and approve these 5 years.

Thanks!

These all look good- the only detail is to try and keep your formats the same- especially details like adding "xp" to the end or effects for the season. I process these in excel and use things like field length to process the text portions.

Ok.

Any thoughts or recommendations on covenant in the Greater Alps for this next phase?

Why, prior to the Gardenian covenant, did he choose to go to the Greater Alps? It has, historically, been a tribunal all about preserving tradition, which seems contrary to the idea of research...

Good point. I'm pretty light on Tribunal understanding. Bartomeus wants to get out from under the political machinations of his parens, yet remain capable of pursuing his research and increasing his acclaim, establishing himself on his own.

Perhaps the Roman Tribunal would fit better. Bartomeus returns to the land of his childhood and per HoH:TL Roman Tribunal is a favored Tribunal of the Bonisagi.