Handasiya
Key Facts
- Favored Tribunals: Levant Tribunal
- Major Non-Hermetic Virtue: Lesser Automata
- Minor Hermetic Virtue: Capable Constructor
- Major Hermetic Flaw: Weak Spontaneous Magic
- Required Virtue: Craft Automata
History
Of all the lineages Icilius the Traitor taught the secret behind the Automata perhaps the one which could do the most damage to House Verditius’ monopoly is handasiya. These eastern magicians could already create mimics of the Houses mechanized creations, though these were very unstable and limited compared to what the House could produce.
The minor magical tradition was founded by Arabic artisan and thinkers during the Golden Age of Islam, building on the discoveries made during this time in engineering, relics from Alexandria and knowledge from Solomon. Combining these varied and different secret arts into their own, the tradition grew to some significance in Baghdad. Selling their machines to the caliph in return for protection.
The secrets behind truly lasting automata were for long something that eluded the tradition, so when rumour reached Baghdad of a western magician teaching anyone the secret behind crafting greater Automates, al-Jazari – an already proficient crafter – would travel far and wide to seek this wizard out. Initially Icilius refused Al-Jazari since he wasn’t a member of the Order. Al-Jazari would return the same year having barely learnt the Parma. Icilius would teach the secret behind the construction to Al-Jazari, who would spend a few years back in Baghdad combining the knowledge with that of his own tradition. In the meanwhile, Icilius was slain, but the damage was done.
al-Jazari would train two apprentices and see to it that they were taught hermetic magic as well, before passing in 1206, and with that a new tradition in House Ex Miscellanea was born.
Culture
The tradition is almost exclusively interested in crafting automata and only study the hermetic arts to improve at this. They are entirely located within the Levant Tribunal and have already begun to experience some hostility from House Verditius. The tradition is very young and has essentially broken all contact with the practitioners before Al-Jazari.
Al-Jazari wrote books on Craft Automata and Craft Mechanism which are priced highly within the tradition and apprentices are often encouraged to study them repeatedly.
Characters
Due to Al-Jazari imperfect understanding of the Parma Magicae the Weak Magic Resistance Flaw is common, but the exact circumstance differs from magi to magi. The story flaw Enemies (Verditius) is suitable. Inventive Genius and Educated has also been common among the early members of this still young tradition. A Minor Magical Focus in Automata is also common. Handasiya magi often invent spell to use paired with their lesser automata, further upping their usefulness. Imaginem, Terram and Herbam are all common specialization.
Major Supernatural Virtue: Lesser Automata
The character knows how to make lesser automata, mechanical tools, men and beasts. He has a score of 1 in Craft Automata.
Lesser Automatas are weaker inexpensive constructions whose destruction is inevitable, another difference between them and House Verditius' greater creations is that they never possess Magical Might and thus Magic Resistance. What they can do is also more limited.
Constructing a Lesser Automata takes several hours and to construct one a character must have material and specialized tools, but not necessarily be inside a laboratory or workshop. He must then make an Intelligence + Craft Automata + Aura roll compared to the Ease Factor of effect he wants to instil in the mechanism, its shape must be appropriate. Multiple effects are not possible. The roll is further modified by its shape. The automata breaks by itself within a number of hours equal to the constructor's Craft Automata score.
Effect | Ease Factor |
---|---|
Whistle, Move in place | 6 |
Play music, Move by itself | 9 |
Speaks words, Follow a person | 12 |
Follow simple commands | 15 |
Appears like a real animal or human, Fly | 18 |
Shape | Modifier to roll |
---|---|
Tool | +1 |
Small animal (size < -4) | +0 |
Bird | -1 |
Larger animal | -3 |
Human | -5 |
Minor Hermetic Virtue: Capable Constructor
A character with the Capable Constructor Virtue can put his understanding of mechanism and engineering into use when constructing Hermetic Automatas. The magi may reduce the vis cost of a creating and instilling effect in an automata by his score in Craft Automata but it always cost at least one pawn.