1228 Bartomeus ex Bonisagus

Retired Play by Post Campaigns Ars Magica 5th Edition: Fight or Flight
161

Here is how I'm seeing the next seasons:

1228
Spring: Study Intellego (the above discussion)
Summer: Study Mentem (12 xp)
Fall: Study Penetration (17 xp)
Winter: Original Research (Result: Story/Special Event)

1229
Spring Original Research (Result: No extraordinary results)
Summer: Current timeline, tribunal. Adventure season traveling toward covenant?
Fall:
Winter:

When I did the original research rolls, the 1st set of rolls returned a Story/Special Event result. The 2nd set of rolls was a No Extraordinary Results result. (I'll post those write-ups about the original research once you give me guidance on how these these seasons should roll. The write-ups and notes were done before I did the rolls.)

Proposal:
Swap the two original results:
Winter 1228 = no extraordinary results.
Spring 1229 = Story/Special Event

Then depending on demonic mood ( :slight_smile: ) this could be the catalyst event that gets Bartomeus on the move. Or we could also not do the 2nd season (Spring 1229) at all and have that be an adventuring season as Bartomeus gets out of town.

I also need guidance on how timing for Summer and Fall of 1229. You said earlier Bartomeus would need to write a letter of application to the covenant. How are you thinking about the timing? Is this a Summer adventure season traveling toward the covenant and then the letter is sent in Fall 1229?

Trying to determine which is the last season of character generation advancement vs. likely season to enter the narrative.

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  1. give me the write up for the two seasons of research and I'll decide on swapping the extraordinary results rolls.
  2. I'll start a thread for you to send your letter, we can run that parallel to the tribunal. I'm assuming the letter arrives in the summer, can't be sure when/if that will get you admission to the covenant.
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163

You should probably also get started on your companion character...

164

The first original research season.

Winter 1228

Original Research Questions:
How does the mind store memory? How is it recalled and brought forth? How does memory interact with motives, strengths and weaknesses and the native intellect of a person? What lessons can be learned about memory when probing a mind?

Original Research through Experimental Spell Invention
Duplication of Peering into the Mortal Mind (InMe 30 ArM5e p 149)

Concept: Bartomeus returns to his research on memory by studying and probing into the mind itself. Where is memory located? How does it impact short and long-term motivation? Strengths and weaknesses?

Experimentation Lab Total:68
InMe 39
Int 3
Aura 3
MT 10
Familiar 2 Int + 4 MT
Inventive Genius 6
Risk Factor +3
Simple Die Roll: 1

Experimentation Stress Die 3 - 3 Golden Cord = 1
Stress Die Roll for Experimentation :

Result: 6 +3 = 9 Story/Special Event

Time to Invent Spell: (Removed simple die roll from Lab total.)
68 - 30 = 38

Spell invented in 1 season

Resulting Spell:
PEERING INTO THE MORTAL MIND
R: Eye, D: Mom, T: Ind
You can thoroughly probe and understand the contents of the mind of the target, including his or her immediate and long-term motives, personal strengths and weaknesses, and other pertinent information.
(Base 25, +1 Eye)

Spell Mastery: Penetration

House Bonisagus Acclaim:12 Points

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The second season of original research:

Spring 1229

Original Research Questions:
How does the mind store memory? How is it recalled and brought forth? How does memory interact with motives, strengths and weaknesses and the native intellect of a person? What lessons can be learned about memory when probing a mind?

Original Research through Experimental Spell Invention
Modification of Peering into the Mortal Mind (InMe 30 ArM5e p 149)
Range from Eye to Touch

Concept: Bartomeus returns to his research on memory by studying and probing into the mind itself. Where is memory located? How does it impact short and long-term motivation? Strengths and weaknesses?

Experimentation Lab Total:73
InMe 39
Int 3
Aura 3
MT 10
Familiar 2 Int + 4 MT
Inventive Genius 6
Risk Factor +3
Simple Die Roll: 6

Experimentation Stress Die 3 - 3 Golden Cord = 1
Stress Die Roll for Experimentation :

Result: 1 No extraordinary effects
Time to Invent Spell: (Removed simple die roll from Lab total.)
67 - 30 = 37

Spell invented in 1 season

Resulting Spell:
PEERING INTO THE MORTAL MIND
R: Eye, D: Mom, T: Ind
You can thoroughly probe and understand the contents of the mind of the target, including his or her immediate and long-term motives, personal strengths and weaknesses, and other pertinent information.
(Base 25, +1 Touch)

Spell Mastery: Penetration

House Bonisagus Acclaim:12 Points

166

We will reverse it so it happens right at the end-
As you are working on the spell one night you fell asleep and dreamed you were a ghost, wandering the covenant, trying to get people to help you get back to life, or to your body- it wasn't clear exactly what you were trying to accomplish when you woke up. You were struck by the fact that you had been inside the sanctums of mages whose sanctums you had never been in before, and could describe them, apparently accurately. Additionally everybody you touched as a ghost, even though your touch was not noticed and went through them, was flooded with your personal memories and all other information this spell would have revealed had you cast it on someone else.
Needless to say this caused issues.

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167

Now that Bartomeus is in sync with the timeline, I'll go ahead and update the various wiki entries. Please let me know if this plan works:

Update main character sheet the primary source.
Update Roll of Seasons through 1229 Spring.
Update Aging Record.
Update Aurelius to include the new power (Shared Senses)

I'll likely practice some writing by adding a few prose entries to the Journal. Most of this will be adding flesh to the advancement narrative.

I'll also start fleshing out a companion in earnest. I'm leaning toward a former crusader of some sort and would like your thoughts/guidance/opinion on that as a general concept. Anything to avoid? Or to include to make sure it's a viable companion in the saga?

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For a former crusader there are two issues- 1) his current relationship with the faith, since as you can tell that is an issue in the campaign world, and 2) his relationship with the knights templar, since a few of their strongholds are flambeau chapters.

169

Circling back to House Bonisagus Acclaim and Acclaim Score.

Question: I made the assumption that only 1 point CAN accumulate per season. The question is this: Is that the intention? A cap of 1 point per season regardless of the number of acclaim creating actions? Or can you gain more than 1 point per season depending on the Acclaim gaining events.

For example: in 1224 Bartomeus conducts 3 season of original research through experimental spell invention (12, 10, and 12 were the acclaim values gained for each).

Without a 1 point per season total cap, then Bartomeus would be accumulating 3 points a season in Winter 1224 and it would take 12 seasons (3 years) at that rate of accumulation for word to spread. In Winter 1226 another point would start accumulating--4 points a season--until Winter 1227. Then it would be back to 1 point a season until winter 1228 and then spring 1229 when accumulation would hit 2 points a season until Spring 1232 unless another acclaim earning event happens.

If each Acclaim event accrues on its own schedule, then the accumulated points at this point would be 66 point which would put Bartomeus at Acclaim Score 3, Cannophori. (HoH: TL p 22 has Score 3 at 30, so doubled the threshold is 60).

Capped at 1 point a season regardless of the number of Acclaim events, then Accumulated Points is 33 (through Summer 1229).

By my calculation Bartomeus is at 33 points of accumulated House Bonisagus Acclaim which by the house rules would have him with an Acclaim Score of 2, Daduchos. (HoH: TL p 22 has Score 2 at 15, so doubled the threshold is 30).

I realize this likely doesn't matter to anyone at Gardenia, but thought to keep tabs on it.

From HoH: TL p 21 "Magi of other Houses have differing opinions. Some find it overly pedantic, an arrogant practice by an already pretentious lineage, while others think it a practical device that encourages original research, from which the entire Order benefits. Outside the House it has little relevance..."

I'll keep track of this just to see how the system + house rule plays out. The goal here isn't to figure out how to become primus or anything like that. I'm honestly as much curious about the system as I am about how it affects the narrative.

170

I'm going to put it as a hard cap of 1 point per season.

171

Sounds good.

So Barto is at 33 points, Score 2, Daduchos.

Thx!

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score is 3, the required scores are doubled, so score 2 or three acts as score 1 in the book excepting that it does designate a difference in "rank" (essentially like having a score of 1.5 in book terms). You get +3 for finding a apprentice, for example, but are only strongly encouraged to attend the grand tribunal, as opposed to required.

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173

Summer 1229: Adventure 7 xp Area Lore - Alps
Fall 1229: Exposure (Laboratory Texts) 2 xp Magic Theory

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(Edited per Temp's recommendations)

Silver: here is a draft of what Bartomeus is planning for Winter 1229. It's a first draft, but I think it incorporates what I've learned from the discord discussion. Before I roll the Stress Die (drum roll please), I want to make sure you've signed off on the spell, the plan, and the activity.

Winter 1229

Season's Work:
Serving the covenant by inventing a protective ward against creatures of the Magic realm. Bartomeus connects this work to his previous work and original research and invents using experimentation.

Original Research Questions:
In the effort to understand the structure of the mind and of memory, what do we learn from building a ward to protect the mind and its memories? What lessons can be learned when protecting the mind?

Protective Ward Against Magical Spirits (ReMe 20)
R: Touch, D: Sun, T: Ind
Provides a protective ward against Spirits and creatures of a Magic realm with a Might less than or equal to level 20.
(General with changed duration and target)

Experimentation Lab Total:74
ReMe 30
Inventive Genius 6
Aura 16 (Mentem aligned)
Magic Theory 11 (10 + 1 spell invention)
Int 3
Familiar 6 (2 Int + 4 MT)
Simple Die Roll: 1

Stress Die Roll for Experimentation :

Result:

With a lab total of 74, Bartomeus will invent two flavors of this spell: the version outlined above and a version with duration "diameter" which would put it at a ReMe 15 level. I believe the lab total is high enough to accommodate both spells.

175

First of all, no aspect of this spell specifically addresses memory, as such it does not qualify as original research towards that goal.
Second you need to mention that it protects specifically against mentem based spirts of up to might 20 of the magic realm, not just spirits of the magic realm.
The lab total will support inventing both spells.

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Topic: Familiar Advancement

This was a miss on my part, not realizing that Familiars should also advance. As I've reviewed the idea of advancement for the familiar, I've tried to focus first on "significant" seasons where Aurelius would have been more involved.

Recognizing the SG's point from discord about creating a super familiar, I've looked down through the seasons for Bartomeus's advancement (51 seasons with the familiar active) and would like to propose the following which are aligned to the seasonal activities of Bartomeus:

Magic Theory: 13 seasons of exposure xp. 9 seasons from intense lab work (LR, OR, and spell invention), 3 seasons from Study Magic Theory, and 1 season from Study Parma Magica. Total: 26xp. This would advance MT from 4 to 5. Note: the final 2 xp of exposure would have occurred in Spring 1229 during the last OR event which is when the familiar's MT score would move from 4 to 5, so no retcon impact on any previous lab work, etc.)

That leaves 38 seasons unaccounted for. I recommend that only 1/3rd of those had any additional exposure level activity or (rounded down) 12 seasons of exposure XP. I recommend those be evenly distributed across the following abilities which seem more likely to be active during the Brescia years. That would mean 2 seasons (4 xp) added to each of these abilities:

Charm
Dowsing
Hunt
Premonitions
Second Sight
Survival

That would not change any of those scores.

Thoughts?

177

The familiar does not gain exposure experience when you study something. Seasons of labwork make sense for exposure to magic theory, the others do not. I would also expect seasons to be spent learning area lore for the covenant they are in at the time, intermixed with the other non magical abilities, and potentially brawl as well.

178

That makes sense.

I do think in this case there is an argument to be made for some degree of exposure, particularly for MT, given the familiar's intelligence, the Gift of Speech, and strength of the Golden Cord. The concept has been that he's actively involved in discussions, debate, and conversation with Bartomeus about his work, research, studies, etc. But I get it if study seasons don't give familiars exposure xp.

What if we go with this proposal:

MT: 18 xp from 9 seasons of lab work.
Area Lore Northern Italy: 5 seasons (10 xp)
Athletics: 3 seasons (6 xp)
Brawl: 3 seasons (6 xp)
Charm: 3 Seasons (6xp)
Hunt: 3 seasons (6xp)
Survival: 3 seasons (6xp)
Stealth: 3 seasons (6 xp)

23 seasons of advancement of the 42 remaining after the lab seasons.

For the "in game" 3 seasons, I propose these three:
Summer 1229: Area Lore: Alps 2 xp
Fall: Area Lore Gardenia 2xp
Winter: MT 2 xp

How does that sound?

179

You should double the xp for everything but magic theory, except for summer he would get the same SQ as Bartomeus for exploring the alps.

180

Fair enough. Any bribe I can give to get 7 more MT xp? That 1 additional point could come in handy for this season's work. LOL

Here's the revised advancement for Aurelius:

MT: 18 xp from 9 seasons of lab work.
Area Lore Northern Italy: 10 seasons (20 xp)
Athletics: 6 seasons (12 xp)
Brawl: 6 seasons (12 xp)
Charm: 6 seasons (12 xp)
Hunt:6 seasons (12 xp)
Survival: 6 seasons (12 xp)
Stealth: 6 seasons (12 xp)

For the "in game" 3 seasons, I propose these three:
Summer 1229: Area Lore: Alps 7 xp
Fall: Area Lore Gardenia 2xp
Winter: MT 2 xp