It comes under the prohibition against scrying on your fellow mages- hanging out invisibly in an area to watch them is considered scrying, but if music were announcing your presence that would mitigate.
Ahh, I see. That's actually interesting.
If you're ok with it, I'll not do the reinvention. I think Bartomeus would see this less as a flaw and more as an innovation and likely seek to share the innovation at some point through a lab text.
Here's the next experimentation. Another side effect (becoming a pattern? :)) This one will need your creative juices to define the side effect.
Spell Invention with Experimentation +3 Risk Factor
Memory of the Distant Dream (CrMe 30 p148 ArM5e) Modified
Modifications: +1 to Moon, +1 Touch
Spell Name: Memory of the Distant Dream
Concept: Bartomeus continues his research into memory and magics.
Experimentation Lab Total: 66
CrMe 32
Int 3
Aura 3
MT 10
Familiar 2 Int + 4 MT
Inventive Genius 6
Risk Factor 3
Simple Die Roll: 3
Experimentation Stress Die 4 - 3 Golden Cord = 1
Stress Die Roll for Experimentation:6 Side Effect
Side Effect Roll: 4 "The spell has a minor side effect. For example, a spell that controls an animal causes grass to grow under its feet."
Advancing: Magic Theory
Time to Invent Spell:
66 - 30=36
Spell invented in 1 season
Resulting Spell:
Modified MEMORY OF THE DISTANT DREAM (CrMe 30)
R: Eye or Touch; D: Moon, T: Ind Inserts a full and complete memory into a person’s mind. If the target gives the memory some thought and concentration, and makes an Intelligence roll of 9+, the memory is revealed as false. When the duration expires, the memory vanishes, although the subject may remember remembering it. (Base 5, +1 Eye, +1 Touch, +3 Moon)
Minor Side Effect:
Spell Mastery: Penetration
House Bonisagus Acclaim: 12 points
The person targeted by the spell randomly acquires a personality trait from the caster at +/- 1 for the duration.
This season is a multi activity season of experimentation into wo modest ReMe spells:
Spell Invention with Experimentation +3 Risk Factor
Two spells invented in season
Spell #1
The Spell: The Call to Slumber (ReMe 10 p151 ArM5e) Duplication
Concept: Bartomeus begins to consider the influence of dreams and sleep.
Spell #2
The Spell: Aura of Rightful Authority (ReMe 20 p 151 ArM5e)
Concept: Bartomeus explores the ability to influence the waking mind and its perceptions of other people.
Experimentation Lab Total: 68
ReMe 32
Int 3
Aura 3
MT 10
Familiar 2 Int + 4 MT
Inventive Genius 6
Risk Factor 3
Simple Die Roll: 9
Experimentation Stress Die 4 - 3 Golden Cord = 1
Stress Die Roll for Experimentation: 11 Modified effect
Modified Effect Roll: 10 "The actual effect of your experiment is modified. For example, a spell like Curse of Circe (page 131) turns the target into a goat instead of a pig. "
Advancing: Rego 2xp
Time to Invent Spells:
68 - 30=38
Spells invented in 1 season
Resulting Spells:
THE CALL TO SLUMBER (ReMe 10)
R: Voice D: Mom, T: Ind The target becomes sleepy and falls asleep within a few seconds.
(Base 4, +2 Voice)
Modified Effect:
Spell Mastery: Penetration
AURA OF RIGHTFUL AUTHORITY (ReMe 20)
R: Eye, D: Sun, T: Ind The target of the spell is strongly inclined to obey you, as if you were his natural superior.
(Base 5, +1 Eye, +2 Sun)
Modified Effect:
Spell Mastery: Penetration
House Bonisagus Acclaim: 12 points
All these spells you have been experimenting with- are you just inventing spells or have you been trying to do original research into something? If the later that has not been communicated...
That's a great question. I wasn't entirely sure how Original Research works. I've read the section in HoH:TL a couple of times (26 - 34) and was left scratching my head a bit about how it actually enters play. I focused on chargen and didn't return to it.
It seems to be a "big game world" thing to me, relying really heavily on the SG (you) to guide how it plays out.
Re-reading it again, I can see better now how it might play out, but I think I need your guidance on this system.
Bartomeus's original research goals are all around memory, understanding memory, it's limits and possibilities. He is particularly interested in pushing the boundary of memory and the learning of or transference of hermetic magical theory and knowledge. Is the limitation on transferring magical knowledge be enhanced, augmented, supplemented through magical means? Could one build on the Art of Memory to transfer a room in a locus to another magus?
That's the focus of Bartomeus's research, so that would be his "original research" field. I have focused all of his experimental spell invention around this idea, though I didn't realize to call it out as "original research." Re-reading that section again, I actually like that even more. It's gives more structure to his lab work.
That said, I realize now he did have a discovery when experimentally inventing Past of Another. Would you be open to me investing the season required to "stabilize" that discovery?
If so I will roll again the experimentation rolls using the same lab totals. It also looks like I would also need to roll a simple die, subtract it from 7 (magnitude of the spell) to determine the warping points. If those points are over 2, then off we go to the Wizard's Twilight process.
All of that sounds super interesting and character background and story developing to me, but it's entirely your call. I'll definitely need some guidance as I work through that process.
I'm also OK if you don't want to deal with it and only go through it should a future discovery happen.
Thoughts?
If you look through the section, how you roll your labs for original research fundamentally changes- we have not actually applied any of the last 5 years to your character yet, if you want to do original research I would suggest you start over and approach each lab according to the rules of original research.
Okay, I was expecting to see something on your roll of seasons or something that this all referred to - at this point I have no idea what your question(s) actually are. You mentioned a year of experimentation- I'm assuming you are talking about 4 seasons here, so lets take this a season at a time- what are you researching both in terms of research objectives (please use your words, not referencing virtues or book entries) and what effect are you designing to accomplish that research?
Bartomeus is fascinated with memory, how it is evoked, recalled, stored, transferred, modified, destroyed, etc. He believes that with application of Hermetic magic the current limitations of memory could be pushed back, expanded.
Having apprenticed in Durenmar, Bartomeus felt the value of the Great Library but also the limitation: one had to be there, to study the books to gain knowledge. This bounty and limitation influenced his thinking and questions: could Hermetic magic be used to transfer Hermetic knowledge? Could one transfer the memory of a spell to another more efficiently than the writing of a tractatus or lab text? Could one transfer the memories of a season of study of magic theory and advance the knowledge of another? Could one study or peruse the memories of another to accomplish the same much as one would study a summa or tractatus? How would the experience be more than or less than studying an arcane text?
Bartomeus recognized that to undertake this life's work, he would need to build an appropriate foundation of understanding in the arts and magic theory. His initial years and seasons of study (1208 - Winter 1221) had been very much focused building this foundation. In the spring of 1222, Bartomeus undertook the first season of experimental research when he attempted to experimentally explore extending the duration of a spell like The Good Witness. This initial effort explored the ideas of enhancing memory recall and extending its duration, and Bartomeus was successful in his effort.
Following that successful season, Bartomeus continued to deepen his foundational understanding of the arts and areas of study to expand his knowledge.
Bartomeus would then return to dedicated original research efforts in the spring of 1224. (That's the season where the current plan had him experimenting to invent Past of Another.)
Let's start at that season and see how the research progresses, and how Bartomeus reacts to the events and learning of each season.
The questions Bartomeus is exploring are along these lines: How are memories manipulated? Where are the limitations in that manipulation? How are the memories restructured? What lessons can be learned through manipulation of the memories?
The point was to pose the questions narratively, not the entire experience- when you say he was successful, have you rerolled the lab using the experimentation rules from true lineage and if so what was the outcome?
I was keying off your guidance above about looking at the last 5 years which haven't been applied yet and didn't want to re-open the previous five years. The details above were trying to flesh out the narrative connecting the lead up to the point in this last five years section where Bartomeus begins his original research. (Also just pointing out that I've been trying hard during character generation to have each season motivated by the over-arching character concept goals.)
So the successful outcome I wrote above is in reference to the experimental spell invention from the previous five year period (the modified The Good Witness) which happened in Spring 1222.
I'm thinking that the original research starts in Spring 1224.
To the narrative point above, Bartomeus spends the spring of 1224 investigating these questions as he experiments to invent a modified version (shorten duration to month) of the spell "Past of Another" (MuMe 30 p 149 ArM5e): How are memories manipulated? Where are the limitations in that manipulation? How are the memories restructured? What lessons can be learned through manipulation of the memories?
I'll re-roll the lab work using the experimentation original research rules from True Lineage. If I'm understanding it correctly, the first big change is around the risk modifier.
For Bartomeus with an MT 10, the highest risk factor he can use is +2 (+1 risk point per 5 points of MT or fraction, up to +3).
The lab total no longer includes the +2 risk factor.
With your approval, I'll go ahead and make the experimentation roles per the TL guidelines:
+2 Risk Factor
Simple Die Roll added to Lab to determine lab total.
Stress Die Roll on the Extraordinary Results Table, choosing to use anywhere from +2 to -2 added (or subtracted) from the stress die roll to determine the outcome.
Determine the results from that roll.
Depending on the outcome, I'll quite likely continue the original research for the next few seasons apply the same rolls but increasing the lab total by a second MT score (10).
Am I getting close to your guidance?
Yes- the first thing is redoing any labs that are going to be about investigating new effects in terms of the true lineage research rules instead of trying to simply add narrative to the traditional methods which only provide single season effects, not insights (beyond rolling discovery for one time gains). Then we can deal with questions about where the research can lead as you actually start getting breakthrough points.
Sounds good. Given that he's still relatively early in this journey, I can see Bartomeus dedicating two or three seasons to his research and then returning to building his foundational knowledge again before diving back into seasons of dedication.
I think what I'll do is post to the wiki season by season updates and build to the full five years. Then if you happen by, you can offer guidance if you see something heading the wrong direction.
I'll do the rolls shortly and post here the results of the next few seasons.
Do not base a discussion on "if you happen by". Make sure I am updated after each potential discover in the original research,
I will for sure. I'll post here each season of original research. Then if we need to discuss outcomes, we can do that before I move the seasons forward.
That works, though seasons of failed or unproductive research won't need much in the way of exploration.
Right. I'll add the seasons of failed and unproductive research to the Roll of Seasons after an update here so you can see the progression. Or seasons of study.
Spring 1224
Original Research Questions:
How are memories manipulated? Where are the limitations in that manipulation? How are the memories restructured? What lessons can be learned through manipulation of the memories?
Original Research through Experimental Spell Invention
Modification of Past of Another (MuMe 35 p149 ArM5e)
Reduce duration to month, becomes MuMe 30
Spell Name: Past of Another
Concept: Bartomeus begins his original research in earnest, exploring the manipulation of memory.
Experimentation Lab Total: 64
MuMe 32
Int 3
Aura 3
MT 10
Familiar 2 Int + 4 MT
Inventive Genius 6
Risk Factor
Simple Die Roll: 4
Experimentation Stress Die 3 - 3 Golden Cord = 1
Stress Die Roll for Experimentation : 6
Risk Factor Decision: +1
Result: 7 No Benefit
Time to Invent Spell:
64- 30 = 34
Spell invented in 1 season
Resulting Spell:
LEVEL 30 PAST OF ANOTHER
R: Eye, D: Month, T: Ind, Ritual
The target’s memories are completely rewritten, and he is unable to remember his actual life until the effect is dispelled or expires. (Base 10, +1 Eye, +3 Month)
Spell Mastery: Penetration
House Bonisagus Acclaim: 12 points
understand by choosing a result of 7 you have a lab total of 60 (losing the simple die roll) where you have the option to choose -2 to get a 4- no extraordinary effects, and keep the 4 you rolled on the die.
Either way you gained no insights from developing this spell.