In looking back at the character sheet, I see that Bartomeus's specialization for Magic Theory is "inventing spells." From page 62 ArM5e it states, "When you are using an Ability in a way that incorporates your specialization, you act as if your score were one level higher than it actually is." I've not taken this into account in the past spell inventions but none of them would have been materially changed by having the lab total increased by 1.
But then I remembered that Risk Modifier in Original Research is determined by diving MT by 5 or a fraction thereof (p. 27 HoH: TL).
So if the specialization is applied, Bartomeus's MT is 11 which bumps the Risk Modifier to +3.
I don't want to re-do anything we've already done, but I'd like your guidance on if I have understood this right, and if I can apply it in future original research through spell invention.
I'd like to discuss a possible real original spell I'd like to invent as part of the original research into memory. Here's the nuts and bolts of what I've been thinking about:
InMe 25
Snare of Recollection
R. Eye. D. Conc. T: Ind
Base 10 +1 Touch +1 Concentration +1 Sun
You touch the head of the individual as you ask them to remember a person, a location, or an incident/series of incidents in their lives. As they recall the memory, you are able to understand the memory, to isolate it, and to hold it temporarily in your mind. Once the memory is snared, you are then able to cast additional mentem spells on it (MuMe or PeMe for example) until the next sunrise or sundown. (If you have the Art of Memory ability and have an available locus then that duration extends to a month on a successful Art of Memory stress roll--stress die + Int+Art of Memory vs. Ease Factor of 9.)
I'm struggling a bit trying to figure out the base when reading the Mentem section (p. 146 - 150 ArM5e).
When I look at the guidelines for Muto Mentem spells, a complete re-write of a person's memory is a Level 10.
When I look at the Perdo Mentem guidelines, you can remove a minor memory at Level 10, a major memory at level 15.
Intellego Mentem guidelines seem inconsistent with those other guidelines. Reading the last day's memory is a Level 20 spell. Intellego Animal places this at Level 15.
The intention behind this spell is to identify a memory as a distinct thing that could then have magic worked on it.
I've even considered a variation of this that has a Muto requirement that turns the memory into a shape (or possibly another requisite). But wanted to build off the Art of Memory focus.
All that said, the intention here isn't an entire mapping of all memories or a creation of new memory, destruction, or change. It's really trying to invent a spell that uses intellego to map out a memory in a way that could have further hermetical work or study done to it.
Such a guideline would itself be a minor breakthrough, if I am understanding what you are trying to do correctly...
you should probably start with a base 15 spell to extract a single answer, perhaps in a form that doesn't fit within simply interrogation... or if you are asking them to think about it you can base your initial exploration spell off reading surface thoughts. With a creo requisite you might be able to store the memory in your own memory palace.. this would add +1 magnitude.
I'm not sure I'm following you on the guideline piece, but would something like this work?
InMe 30
Snare of Recollection
R. Eye. D. Conc. T: Ind
Base 15 +1 Touch +1 Concentration +1 Sun
(Creo Requisite for storing in memory palace)
You touch the head of the individual as you ask them to remember something significant. As they recall the memory, you are able to understand their surface thoughts around that memory, to isolate it, and to extract it. Once extracted, you are then able to cast additional mentem spells on it (MuMe or PeMe for example) until the next sunrise or sundown.
(If you have the Art of Memory ability and have an available locus then that duration extends to a month on a successful Art of Memory stress roll--stress die + Int+Art of Memory vs. Ease Factor of 9. Requisite: Creo)
Is that closer?
ps. I have the Roll of Seasons updated through Winter of 1227. The "plan" for 1228 is a season or two of study and then back to original research then "The Departure" (which will likely be an outcome of that research. ) This spell would be the one I would be researching during that period.
No, you would not be able to do that- there is no guideline for isolating a memory or learning it's "location" (to some degree even the concept of this is a bit too modern) Copying a memory into your memory palace is possible, or casting an effect (forgetting, changing, etc.) a memory can be done, but adding a tag to a memory or mapping its location is not in the guidelines and would require a breakthrough.
Now I'm tracking with you. It just seemed odd to me that a magus could Remove a memory, create a memory, change a memory, or probe the contents of the mind of a target (per Peering into the Mortal Mind). I like this idea this track as the direction of Bartomeus's original research.
I'll use invention of Peering into the Mortal Mind as the spell around which the next phase of original research continues.
Please let me know when you want me to move forward on 1228 and the first half of 1229.
I've got 1228 and the Spring of 1229 ready to go. Rolls are done.
The Original Research season in Winter 1228 could include a Story or Special Event. (I rolled a 6 on the stress die and with +3) that would be Story Event. My preference is to go that route and use that, if you're game, as the precipitating event which encourages (forces?) Bartomeus to leave his current covenant.
I get Muto at 16 with 140 points and Intelligo with 19 at what you would score at 205.5 points, 187 points in Mentem, and magic theory at 196 instead of 190.
I would honestly like to discuss the differences in what we come up with so we can check for errors on both sides, if you still have enough memory of how you arrived at your figures to be able to do so after rushing ahead and then dialing back, which is exactly why I ask that people not do that.
First, I backed out 4 seasons because I thought you meant 1226. The next 5 year chunk ends at the end of 1227. I think we were talking about the same thing: the next 5 years.
When I add those 4 seasons back, then Intellego matches. Let me audit the others.
Intellego: our numbers are in sync at 205.5 calculated with affinity when I add the 11 xp.
Muto: I was missing the 3 xp from Spring 1213. We're now in sync at Muto 16 140 xp.
Mentem: I spotted a typo in the "Spent on" field in Spring 1214. The roll was 16. 17 xp in the Spent On field was a typo (I've corrected it). But my total is still only getting to 182. My sequence of advancement from Mentem roll is this:
15 (at Gauntlet)
13
16
16
15
18
15
14
11
20
17
12
Total: 182
Can you spot where the difference might be?
Magic Theory: I'm in sync with you now. I was missing the 2 + 2 xp from the lab set up seasons (1213 Summer and Fall). I was also missing the 2 xp from the Empower Familiar season. So we're now in sync at 196 for Magic Theory.
My "memory" is a set of excel files for each five year period. I've got a running SUM of Xp based on Seasons, but it's hand built, not calculated from the Seasons table. I don't have the Excel smarts to do that. So I audited the SUM calculations against a filter on the seasons to spot the issues.
I genuinely wasn't trying to rush ahead. Based on your guidance, I've broken my spreadsheets up into 5 year chunks to keep track of the advancements more closely. I have done some planning and thinking based on how I think Bartomeus is reacting to the outcome of the seasons, but am not including any of those rolls or information until you've approved the chunk we're on.
At this point we're in sync except for the Mentem 5 point difference. I'll check it again in the morning to see if I'm just missing something.
Okay, I was saying 126 because in your roll of seasons which I copied to excell you put the last two years as being labeled 1226 instead of having 1227. an error in 12124 should have been caught when we covered those years. I have you starting these 5 years with 133 points in mentem, ang gaining 54, 20 of those in spring of 1223. It looks like your last line has changed from when I copied it as well from mentem:17 to mentem 12.
We're in sync on the 133 points in mentem at the start of these 5 years.
The change from 17 to 12 came up when I audited the numbers again. I think when I copied and pasted into the Wiki I didn't update from the previous season 17. My excel file has the roll at 12. At the 17, then we're in sync at 54. When you drop to 12, it goes to 49. Then 49 + 133 = 182.
My apologies for the errors. This is partly why I married an accountant.
Question: I've done a season of Intellego Study and rolled an 18. With that 18 added on and the affinity benefit, that puts the total at 232.5 up from 205.5. That would put the score at 21 which is above the limit from books.
So does that just cap the xp total at 210? Does cap the score at 20 and only let the score go up on future study?
If you are studying from Summae the cap is at 20. If you expect to go above 20 you can choose to use the alternative method of generating a score asif you were already at the cap.
Breaking this down, you seem to have rolled an 8 with +7 based on rules and +3 for your book learner, if you take the same roll and apply it to post 20 rules, that would be a base of 13+6 for the affinity would not get you over 20, so you will be better off simply taking the 20 cap on this, the same as if your character had found a L:20 SQ:15 summae somewhere and had a choice between studying that or a SQ:10 tractatus.
) This spell would be the one I would be researching during that period.