30 Days of Josephine, Merinita

raccoonmask · October 28, 2022, 1:01am

This opening post is for my 2022 '30 days of November' content for Ars Magica. I'm getting started a bit early, in part because I'll be on vacation for part of November, and part because I'm impatient.

I will be spending November building and advancing a Maga in 7-year increments, with a goal to be able to drop her right in to a saga as an NPC. I chose 7 year increments because that is the passage of a standard Tribunal, so that is how often a regular saga will expect to see her, unless they particularly fond of Jospehine. (Which they will be fond of her, because she is amazing, and beautiful, and might have some tasks for them.) This decision was solidified at the poll-taken advice of the Forum.

I would request any comments or critiques be put in this other thread, to preserve the ease of reading this one.

Table of Contents:

raccoonmask · October 28, 2022, 7:08pm

Here's my released-early spoiler of my Maga of choice: Josephine at Gauntlet. I'm getting started early in part because I'm trying to figure out what my best way to advance things is.

Josephine: History

A young girl growing up in a small village near a faerie forest in Normandy, Emma was born to a Chandler and his lovely wife. The Chandler's wife was quite pretty, and was often pursued by a particular Faerie Prince, until finally the Chandler bested him in three contests, athleticism, wit, and singing - the poor prince had no idea the Chandler had a good singing voice. Even when she was freed, however, the Faerie Price threatened he would return to marry her daughter instead. When Emma was born she was a charming little thing, and only grew more lovely as she grew older. However, she also grew quieter and quieter. When she was thirteen, suddenly she collapsed into a beautifully carved wooden doll, as if she never was real.
Emma was raised amidst the spleandor of fey royalty, taught and told she would one day be a princess. The beautiful girl was fascinated by the wonder and majesty of the faerie court, and she became quite obsessed with finding new, wonderful dresses and clothing to wear. Her Merinita mentor found her by following the story of the little doll-girl, and he promised the queen (her princely betrothed's mother) to teach the girl magic and make her a great enchantress, this beginning her apprenticeship. The clever Merinita was a wonderful teacher - but it turns out young Emma was a terrible student, who always loved being complimented and courted by the fey and mortal visitors alike who stumbled into the fey court.
As part of her apprenticeship, her master would regularly take her out of the fey Queen's court to get her used to the presence and habits of normal people, and introduced her to a number of other Magi. Emma naturally got into some trouble, being a beautiful and very impulsive young apprentice, often getting into trouble with other apprentices or tradesmen, or nobles' sons. When she finally finished her apprenticeship, her master gave her a final task for her Gauntlet: Free herself from the faerie bindings her betrothed set upon her.

The way the young apprentice finally got free of her betrothal was a bit wild and rauccous, but the Prince broke the betrothal, telling Emma, 'If you would spurn me for the weak-blooded mortals and commonfolk, then you are clearly meant for them. They will all pursue you.' Freeing herself from the Faerie's story, she earned her place among the Merinita as Josephine, the Star.

Josephine of Merinita

House: Merinita

Characteristics: Int +1, Per 0, Pre +3, Com +1, Str -2, Sta +1, Dex +1, Qik 0
Size 0
Age 28
Warping 0
Confidence 1 (3)

Virtues: The Gift, Hermetic Magus, Faerie Magic; Affinity for Muto, Faerie Raised Magic, Faerie Sympathy (Beautiful), Lesser Benediction(Enchanting Beauty), Minor Magical Focus (Clothing), Puissant Finesse
Flaws: Ambitious(minor), Curse of Venus, Deleterious Circumstances(being ugly), Faerie Upbringing, Poor Student, Weird Magic

Personality Traits: Ambitious +3, Hedonistic +2, Wild +3
Reputation: Mysterious Beauty 1 (local)
Faerie Sympathy: Beautiful +1

Abilities: Artes Liberales 1, Bargain 2, Charm 3, Code of Hermes 1, Etiquette 3, Faerie Lore 2, Finesse 2+2, French 5, Folk Ken 1, Guile 2, Intrigue 2, Latin 4, Legerdemain 1, Magic Theory 3, Order of Hermes Lore 1, Parma Magica 1, Penetration 1, Stealth 3, Survival 1

Arts (Casting sigil: glittering stars)
Creo 0, Intellego 0, Muto 12, Perdo 0, Rego 6,
Animal 6, Aquam 0, Auram 0, Corpus 0, Herbam 5,
Ignem 0, Imaginem 0, Mentem 0, Terram 0, Vim 6

Spells:
Doublet of Impenetrable Silk (MuAn 15)
Transformation of the Ravenous Beast to the Torpid Toad (MuAn 25)
Decay of Fur and Hide (PeAn 10)
Sooth the Ferocious Bear(ReAn 10)

Disguise of the New Visage(MuCo 10) Removed due to math error
Rise of the Feathery Body(ReCo 10)
Piercing Shaft of Wood(MuHe 10)
Strike of the Angered Branch(ReHe 15)
Aura of Ennobled Presence(MuIm 10)
Notes of a Delightful Sound(MuIm 10)
Wizard's Sidestep(ReIm 10)
Supple Iron and Rigid Rope (MuTe 10) - Added due to math error
Wizards Communion(MuVi 15)

Virtue: Lesser Benediction - Enchanting Beauty

Everyone who sees her knows Josephine is the most beautiful around. Those who would find her enticing (usually males, but a surprising number of women) treat her as having +3 presence. This benediction is pretty much a faerie version of Venus' Blessing, though in Josephine's case it doesn't work on those with magic resistance. The upside, though, those affected view her as an absolute beauty. This benediction can often be concealed by magic, but it will begin to shine through over time, based on the story's need.

Design Notes:

This is the starting point for Josephine - in the saga where this character was originally concieved as an NPC, they met her 14-20 years down the line.
Magical Focus in clothing seemed like a fun choice. I thought it would be quirky to have a magical focus in a kind of object and not have her be a crafter.
I also plan to use her Faerie Raised Magic on occasion to learn spells, though technically it requires an 'adventure', and is not allowed to be used during seasonal advancement.

raccoonmask · November 1, 2022, 1:07am

Getting on this early again. Patience is a virtue, but I'm gonna try to overachieve instead.

Josephine is completely taken in by her freedom and wants to explore her magic and enjoy her life. She moves away from dealing with faeries at first, and due to her beauty and abilities as a maga, she manages to thrive at first despite her faerie upbringing. The young maga spends a lot of her time interacting with non-magical folk, and tends to forget that magi are immune to her stunning beauty.

Plot Seeds and Adventures

New Courtier - Josephine manages to attach herself as a courtier and paramour for an older noble, and uses his status to get herself invited to all of the noble parties and events. Who is this mysterious and beautiful woman the Count is bringing to the parties? Is she angling for the currently open position of Countess? Will the Covenant find out she is actually from the Order of Hermes, and decide to leverage this fact with threats of Interference?
New Romances - The Covenant's local noble (or Companion, or contact) has met an enchanting young lady, and is smitten. This inevitably causes trouble, which makes Josephine delighted. She knows the Code of Hermes, but is young enough she is careless with her actions, and she might accidentally get her hands on Vis that is nominally the Covenant's, or other such trouble.
New Problems - Josephine, in her first attempts at intrigues, has accidentally ended up betrothed to four different people, all none the wiser. She's still young enough that she doesn't have all the tools to fix her problems, and she needs help getting these mundanes married off, or at the very least to fake her own death or kidnapping a few times. Since at least one of the nobles is in the Covenant's sphere of influence, she goes to them for help.
New Toys -Now Josephine is still young, and doesn't have all the resources she needs. She might want to trade and barter with the Covenant for magical items that will help her, to charm some lab texts out of them to make her research easier, or even to pay someone for a powerful longevity ritual while she is still young and beautiful (She's forgetting that she's going to be beautiful forever, if her blessing has anything to do with it.)

raccoonmask · November 2, 2022, 12:49am

Betrayed by the Price of Fashion (ReAn 15)

R: Voice, D: Conc, T: Ind
To defend oneself from assailants is important, but not nearly as much so as embarrassing a snobbish nobleman. This spell causes an article of clothing to become tighter and constricting, which causes the wearer to have trouble breathing. If the spell is sustained for long enough, the wearer can even pass out. While Josephine tries to use the spell subtly, she has aggressively used this spell to have an assailant strangled by their own cloak. An Intelligence + Finesse against ease factor 6 will cause the clothing to constrict in a fashion which seems natural, and the constriction usually makes it hard to loosen or relieve the strain without cutting the fabric. If subtlety is not wanted, a Perception + Finesse roll against the target's Strength + Brawl can have them grappled and strangled by their own clothing.
(Base 3, +2 Voice, +1 Concentration, +1 enhanced control)

Design notes

Josephine needs a way to defend herself. Base 1 ReAn, Manipulate items made of animal products seemed not quite right. I didn't see a real good baseline for Rego Animal to manipulate clothing like that, the best I had was Rego Herbam 3 to control an amount of wood, or Rego Terram 2 or 4, control dirt in an unnatural/very unnatural fashion (The baseline for Unseen Arm or Invisible Sling). I settled on the Herbam requisite, as the spell is similar to Dance of the Staves (AeM5 p 138), and added a magnitude for subtler or more active control options.

raccoonmask · November 3, 2022, 4:50am

Shine Like the Stars Above (Muto Imaginem 10)

R: Touch, D: Sun, T: Ind
Similar to Aura of Ennobled Presence (ArM5 p145), Shine Like the Stars Above makes a number of subtle but noticible changes to the target's appearance. Their skin appears smoother, hair glossier, the posture more perfect. As well, their voice is more melodic and sweet, and their scent more subtle and intriguing (this last part is usually based on the caster's interests.) The overall effect, the target of the spell is regarded as more beautiful, charming, enticing - and they definitely stand out more in a crowd, likely to be noticed. This character gets a +3 to any attempts to charm, seduce, and sway targets, when the character's supernatural beauty can be leveraged to advantage. This often also causes problems when attempting to hide in a crowd - though Josephine has used this on others as a distraction from her, and on homely women to embaress drunk noblement who irritated her. Josephine's version of the spell causes the target's eyes to glimmer like stars.
(Base 3, +1 Touch, +2 Sun)

Design Notes

I don't think I actually explain much for this one. It's an Aura of Ennobled Presence, only designed for flash, glimmer, and seduction.

raccoonmask · November 4, 2022, 12:39am

A New Dress From Old Fabric (Muto Imaginem 15)

Josephine always dresses to impress. Sometimes, this means showing up to a party in one dress and leaving in another. This otherwise simple spell is perfect for a disguise as well. The group target of the spell allows it to change an entire ensemble to appear and feel like another outfit, adjusting the sensation and look of the fabric as well as the color and pattern. Josephine's sigil manifests as jewel-like glittering hidden in the fabric of the weave.
base 2, +1 Touch, +2 Sun, +2 Group

Design Notes

Again, this seems at first quite a simple spell. Actually, it is quite a simple spell.
It's a basic disguise, but by having the spell specifically target clothing, Josephine can add her magical focus to her lab total and her casting total. It won't disguise her, unless the clothing includes covering her face and hair. I'm kind of using this as an example of how making a spell MORE limited than it needs to be can have some advantages.

raccoonmask · November 4, 2022, 12:59am

I'm posting a second today, since I may not be able to tomorrow due to travel. This spell isn't actually working as written anyway.

Flickering Candle of Wonderous Beauty (Muto Imaginem 15)

R: Touch, D: Fire, T: Ind
Jonaquil, playing the role of a Faerie Wish-bringer, uses this spell to grant magical beauty to others in a more storybook style than Shine Like the Stars Above. "Your beauty will outshine this candle's light, for as long as the candle stays lit." The target's form is noticeably more beautiful and elegant, their voice pure and perfect, their body a perfect shape accented by their chosen clothing. Unlike the subtler effect of Shine like the Stars Above, this spell definitely gives the target an air of mystery, mysticism, and otherworldliness - which could be discounted in a great ball, or a noble's court, but might be noticed in more mundane situations (a Perception + Awareness against ease factor 9 will notice the strangeness of the target's beauty.) The target will gain a +3 bonus to impress, seduce, and tempt others, and likely any attempts to convince someone else they are something mystical.
(Base 3, +1 Touch, +3 Fire)

Design Notes

Josephine already can make others beautiful like her, but when she begins to think of the potential of her Faerie Magic, the options become intriguing!
This is a great choice to pick up through Faerie-Raised Magic, because she already has a similar spell, and it feels very Fairy Godmother-y.

I'm going to say this right now - I actually know this spell doesn't work, because Fire duration spells are also supposed to target Fires. If anyone has a good idea to make this spell work, please mention it in the discussion thread.

raccoonmask · November 5, 2022, 11:21am

Phantom Maids and Attendants for a Perfect Lady (ReAn 5)

R: Touch, D: Conc, T: Group
Though Josephine has not admitted to why she decided to create this spell - oft claiming self-sufficiency in an irate tone - the Phantom Maids spell allows the caster to garb and dress themselves (or another) without any assistance from others. With Josephine's casting, twinkling, ethereal stars seem to swirl around the clothes, sliding the garments into place, adjusting snaps and ties and ribbons and laces, settling everything into perfect order. Not only does this help the caster dress more quickly as well as without help, but it also can very quickly undress someone as well. Josephine actually finally learned this spell after she had to cast it spontaneously one too many times during an ill-fated liason.
(Base 1, +1 Touch, +2 Group, +1 Concentration

Design Notes

My first thought was that Josephine might want to change her outfits quickly and easily - my second thought was with her Curse of Venus, she might need to get dressed in a hurry. This version of this spell less focused on clothing could be used to get armored up, as well.
I'm noticing a lot of clothing spells target Group.

raccoonmask · November 6, 2022, 6:41pm

Glimpse of the Seamstress's Knowledge (Intellego Animal 10)

R: Sight, D: Mom, T: Ind
Despite her magical specialty in clothing, Josephine actually has little real knowledge of fashion and fabric. This spell lets her, at a glimpse, determine the quality of an outfit. Alternatively, she can quickly figure out how a particular article of clothing is put together. This spell requires an Herbam requisite when targeting linen, or other fabrics made of plant products.
(Base 3, +3 Sight)

Design Notes

This is likely going to turn into a stepping stone spell for a more complex version which lets her disassemble clothing ensembles with her eyes... once she has the skill for such a spell. She can easily carry on conversations about the quality and make of a dress, which helps her social acumen.

raccoonmask · November 7, 2022, 2:28am

This is Josephine at her first Tribunal!
She has a false reputation among nobles as a beautiful daughter of a fabric merchant.
I had a math error in my previous build regarding her known spells and fixed it.
At Tribunal, Josephine is eagerly looking for a Longevity Ritual.

Josephine the Starlight, of Merinita
House: Merinita

Characteristics: Int +1, Per 0, Pre +3, Com +1, Str -2, Sta +1, Dex +1, Qik 0
Size 0
Age 35
Warping 1 (9)
Confidence 1 (3)

Virtues: The Gift, Hermetic Magus, Faerie Magic; Affinity for Muto, Faerie Raised Magic, Faerie Sympathy (Beautiful), Lesser Benediction(Enchanting Beauty), Minor Magical Focus (Clothing), Puissant Finesse

Flaws: Ambitious(minor), Curse of Venus, Deleterious Circumstances(being ugly), Faerie Upbringing, Poor Student, Weird Magic

Personality Traits: Ambitious +3, Hedonistic +2, Wild +3
Reputation: Mysterious Beauty 2 (local), Beautiful Fabric Merchant's Daughter 1(nobles, false)
Faerie Sympathy: Beautiful +1

Abilities: Artes Liberales 1 (Ceremonial Casting), Bargain 2 (Faeries), Brawl 1 (dodge), Charm 3(seduction), Code of Hermes 1 (faeries), Concentration 1 (spells), Etiquette 4 (nobles), Faerie Lore 2 (court faeries), Finesse 2+2 (fine control), French 5 (flirting), Folk Ken 2 (males), Guile 2 (playing innocent), Intrigue 2 (starting rumors), Latin 4 (Hermetic slang), Legerdemain 1 (hiding objects), Magic Theory 4 (Animal), Order of Hermes Lore 2 (Merinita), Parma Magica 2 (Corpus), Penetration 1 (Animal), Stealth 3 (hiding in crowds), Survival 1 (forests)

Arts (Casting sigil: glittering stars)

Creo 0, Intellego 5, Muto 14(+3xp), Perdo 0, Rego 8,
Animal 8, Aquam 0, Auram 0, Corpus 0, Herbam 5,
Ignem 0, Imaginem 5, Mentem 0, Terram 0, Vim 6

Spells:
Glimpse of the Seamstress's Knowledge (InAn 10)
Doublet of Impenetrable Silk (MuAn 15)
Transformation of the Ravenous beast to the Torpid Toad (MuAn 25)
Decay of Fur and Hide (PeAn 10)
Circle of Beast Warding (ReAn 5)
Phantom Maids and Attendants for a Perfect Lady (ReAn 5)
Sooth the Ferocious Bear(ReAn 10)
Betrayed by the Price of Fashion (ReAn 15)
Eyes of the Cat (MuCo 5)
Disguise of the New Visage(MuCo 15)
Rise of the Feathery Body(ReCo 10)
Pass the Unyielding Portal (MuHe 5)
Piercing Shaft of Wood(Mu[Re]He 10)
Rope of Bronze (MuHe[Te] 15)
Strike of the Angered Branch(ReHe 15)
Aura of Ennobled Presence(MuIm 10)
Notes of a Delightful Sound(MuIm 10)
Shine Like the Stars Above (MuIm 10)
A New Dress From Old Fabric (MuIm 15)
Wizard's Sidestep(ReIm 10)
Confusion of the Numbed Will (ReMe 15)
Supple Iron and Rigid Rope(MuTe 10)
Wizards Communion(MuVi 15)

Summary

Advancement (5 years, 150 xp):
20 xp into Magic Theory 3-4
15 xp for Imaginem 0-5
15 xp for Rego 7, 8
15 xp for Animal 7, 8
15 xp for Intellego 0-5
10 xp for Parma Magica 2
20 xp (30xp) for Muto 13, 14 (+3 xp)
10 xp for Order of Hermes Lore 2
5 xp for Concentration 1
20 xp for Etiquette 4
10 xp for Folk Ken 2
5 xp for Brawl 1

Study (2 years, 8 seasons)

Shine Like the Stars Above (MuIm 10, Lab Total 27)
Betrayed by the Price of Fashion (ReAn 15, Lab Total 33[24+8 focus])
A New Dress From Old Fabric (MuIm 15, Lab Total 32[27+5 focus])
Phantom Maids and Attendants for a Perfect Lady (ReAn 5, LT 25) - no focus, since she also invents Circle of Beast Warding (ReAn 5)
Glimpse of the Seamstress's Knowledge (InAn 10, LT27 [22+5 focus])
Eyes of the Cat and Disguise of the New Visage (MuCo 5+15, from lab text LT 22)
Pass the Unyielding Portal and Rope of Bronze (MuHe 5 + 15, from lab texts LT 22 (Terram req)
Confusion of the Numbed Will (ReMe 15, LT 16)

raccoonmask · November 8, 2022, 1:58am

Now a bit less of a new Maga, Josephine has stepped away from reveling in her power over the mundane folk with her beauty, and seeks to have more goals in mind. She'll begin to play more with her Faerie Magic, seeking to borrow their power and get more for herself.
In addition, she's starting to play around with Hermetic politics - nothing on a significant scale where the Tribunal is concerned, but Josephine wants more advantage in her own covenant, and she wants to get allies from other Covenants whose strengths will complement her own.

Plot Seeds and Adventures

Ugh! It is of the utmost importance for Josephine to get a Longevity Ritual with the greatest of strength. If one of the Magi in your Saga is an expert in that sort of thing, Josephine will ply her wiles against them in an attempt to get herself a good deal on the exchange.
If none of your saga's magi are good at Corpus, she'll approach the most handsome magus to help her on a quest - likely to get something that she believes she can trade to the Tribunal's longevity expert: A faerie-magic 'potion of youth'. Of course, she will try to sell it as her just wanting his company, or believing there's something that he could use in this adventure.
Now that she's a more skilled Merinita, Josephine should seek out a familiar. She hear rumors of a spider that can spin moonlight into thread - that's something she can make use of! One of the magi in the saga can surely help her capture it.
Josephine has begin to get more and more scrutiny placed upon her by the nobles whose parties and feasts she has been crashing... Every dinner party seems to end in a proposal of marriage to some fat, unsightly old man. Of course, she wants help from a skilled spymaster and manipulator (Possibly among the Companions, especially if she's met them before). Without help, she'll never find out that one of the Tytalus in the Tribunal has been deliberately making her life harder.
With how much she interacts with mortals, Josephine's Mentem skills are absolutely below par. The Magi in your saga might be able to get her a good collection of Memtem Lab Texts so she can expand her repetoire. If they won't help her out of friendship (so callous, the beasts!) then she can give them information regarding the entrance to a Faerie Noble's court in their land. Josephine has married that noble four times now for the Vis she gets as gifts, but every time she marries him, he seems to get uglier and more brutish. She's worried he's secretly a hideous giant.

raccoonmask · November 9, 2022, 3:10am

A Forgotten Invitation (MuMe 5)

Josephine has always gotten access to parties and events by her beauty, but sometimes it takes a bit of work, and sometimes a bit of magic. Well, it's much more fun to crash a party, and for that you need an invitation. This spell makes the target's memory conform to a statement that the caster has just said.
"May I see your invitation?"
"Again? I just showed it to you."
(Base 2, +1 Eye, +2 Sun)

Design Notes

The purpose of this is obvious, as it just lets her get away with things, as long as people aren't in big groups. It helps the beautiful maga deal with things despite the fact she's not Gently Gifted, and she does need to start working on her Mentem magic to get her goals accomplished.
I selected 'major change' instead of 'minor change' because I think whether or not the guard allowed you past him into the party is a major change, not a minor change.
"Thanks for letting me through so easily."

raccoonmask · November 10, 2022, 1:31am

Dance With Me (Creo Mentem 15)

R: Touch, D: Conc, T: Ind
Josephine stole this spell from a Satyr during a wine-induced revel. While the spell is active, the target of the spell is able to move in elegant synchronicity with the caster. Josephine uses this spell so she and her partner look better on the dance floor - it can even let Jospehine guide a partner who doesn't know the dance being performed. Since the spell was planned to be cast on a busy dance floor, Josephine designed it with no gestures in mind, and as long as you're focused on moving in pair with your partner, you will not need to make concentration rolls. Talking, however, is very distracting.
(Base 4, +1 Touch, +1 Concentration, +1 No Gestures)

Design Notes

I really like this one. This spell is designed, of course, for dancing, so your hands might be otherwise occupied - taking a cue from Kiss of Death (PeCo35, core book) I pre-included the penalty for casting with no gestures by raising the magnitude by one. I can see other uses for it, but they're very limited in scope.

raccoonmask · November 11, 2022, 6:32am

The Queen Clad in Diamonds and Silk (Muto Animal [Terram] 15)

R: Touch, D: Sun, T: Ind
Josephine has decided that she prefers to stand out as the most glamorous creature in the room, especially after running into the Faerie Queen of Cats. This spell transforms an article of clothing - be it robe, cloak or dress - into something glittering and magical. Threads of gold, silver, and diamond run through the fabric, causing the wearer to look like a brilliant example of glorious wasteful nobility. When closely examined, the threads of the fabric actually transform into silver and gold threading, and even threads of gem-like texture. In Josephine's version of the spell, diamonds sparkle like stars in the darker fabric.
(Base 4, +1 Touch, +2 Sun)

Design Notes

Josephine is going to be going rapidly, dangerously fast towards drawing too much attention. And the best way to do that is to just... stand out too much. And she's going to get into a lot of trouble with her Curse of Venus. I wanted to see what I thought of with the MuAn base 5(Change something made of animal products in a major unnatural way) but all the ideas I had made it not a very good article of clothing. So I went back down to base 4.

raccoonmask · November 12, 2022, 2:11am

Clad as an Empress (Perdo Imaginem 15)

R: Touch, D: Conc, T: Ind
A spell designed for comedy and spite, and to embaress a rival, Josephine's Clad as an Empress causes the touched clothing to become invisible, fading away like dying starlight over the course of a few seconds. Since the spell is an individual target, it doesn't remove ALL their clothing, only the article touched, so one needs be clever in its use. That said, Josephine's too-haughty rival found herself dancing with a paramour wearing only her linen underthings, after a casting of Sorcerer's Fork and Clad as an Empress from an invisible Josephine.
(Base 4, +1 Concentration, +1 Changing Image, +1 Touch)

raccoonmask · November 12, 2022, 4:35pm

Phantom Dancers (Rego Animal 25)

R: Touch, D: Moon, T: Ind
This spell animates a dress (or other article of clothing) to cavort and dance about, though the dress can perform other actions as well. The spell animates the outfit for an extended duration, though it only moves around when the caster is actively directing it. Josephine learned this spell during a rather awkward trip through faerie to deal with a mischievous pixie princess that she was in a mystical competition with, where her clothing kept running away without of her. Nowadays, Josephine usually keeps three animated long-sleeved robes in her quarters to help clean things up - one with its sleeves tied to a broom, one to carry things around her lab, and one in her personal quarters.
(Base 4, +1 Touch, +3 Moon)

Design Notes

Surprisingly, animated clothing doesn't make good servants. I wanted this as an example of something she can learn with Faerie-Raised Magic. Base 4 was taken from the Rego Herbam bases.

raccoonmask · November 13, 2022, 4:29pm

An Other Doll is a faerie who lives in the business and anonymity of the parties thrown by nobles and merchants in busy areas. Their natural appearance is that of a large puppet or doll, the size of a small woman, usually intricately sewn or carved. Their exact construction varies between region to region, as does the name they're called by - some places they are carved wooden dolls, others they are sewn and wool-stuffed cloth dolls. However, it is rare to see an Other Doll in that form, as they will always be mimicking a servant or partygoer to revel in the vitality of the event. Despite the Other Doll's construction out of animate matter, the Doll can be easily targeted by Corpus magic, especially if she is in a guise.

This particular Other Doll is a side-effect of Josephine's Curse of Venus. Josie is an other doll who has fallen in love with Josephine after seeing her at a party where the hedonistic maga allowed herself to be seduced by the wife of the party's host. The Other Doll gave itself a name as it began to stalk after Josephine, attempting to gain the Merinita's love by mimicking her and acting out her part as a temptress with young noblemen. By the time Josephine noticed her little seductress doppelganger, Josephine had gotten into quite a lot of trouble with Josie's actions. By the time Josephine finally figured out what was going on and dealt with the fallout of the faerie minx, she was pretty much done with lascivious men.

If you were adjusting this Other Doll to be more generic(and cared about balance), getting rid of the Obsession flaw and the Pretentious virtue would balance, though you'd also need to get rid of some of the experience - probably lower etiquette and get rid of Organization Lore Nobility and Profession: Noble. Josie's obsessive love for Josephine is what caused her to become so interested in noble society, granting her the Pretentious virtue. Using a wooden doll instead of a cloth one would make their form Herbam - though they would still be targetable with Corpus as well if in a guise.

An Other Doll - Josie
Faerie Might 5+10 (Animal)

Characteristics: Int 0, Per 0, Pre +3, Com +2, Str -2, Sta -2, Dex +2, Qik +1
Size -1

Virtues and Flaws: Faerie Sight, Faerie Speech, Gossip, Humanoid Faerie, Lesser Power, Perfect Balance, Place of Power (Parties), Pretentious; Narrowly Cognizant; Fear of Fire, Lecherous(major), Noncombatant, Obsession(Josephine), Small Frame, Traditional Ward (Candles)

Personality Traits: Afraid of Fire +3, Brave -2, Sultry +5

Combat:
Dodge: init +1, Atk - , Dfn +1, Dmg -
Soak -2

Pretenses: Area Lore: Local 1 (parties), Athletics 3 (grace), Awareness 2 (her chosen guise), Bargain 1 (faerie bargains), Carouse 2 (fitting in), Charm 4 (seduction), Etiquette 4 (nobility), Faerie Speech 5(entendres), Folk Ken 1(drunk men), Guile 4 (playing her guise), Intrigue 2 (gossip), Organization Lore: Nobility 2 (Personalities), Profession: Servant 3 (staying unobtrusive), Profession: Noble 3 (small talk), Stealth 3 (staying unobtrusive)

Powers:

Stolen Guise (2 points, init -3, Corpus)
This power allows the faerie to steal the appearance and look of another person. The Doll usually will sneak into a manor home or castle and steal the guise of a servant before a party, and then during the party try and steal the image of someone who leaves the main party area. While technically able to do this at will, the Doll traditionally tries to steal an article of clothing from the person they imitate. Due to Faerie glamour, their clothing usually changes to match.
(Base 3, +2 Sun, +1 Specific Person)

Allure 1 point, Init -3, Mentem (ROP:F p57)

Traditional Ward: Candles - the other doll cannot harm anyone who carries a candle or is near them. The reason varies by story, either because they are so flammable, or the candles can show their true appearance with their shadow. Their fear of fire only matters if the fire is either uncontrolled or brandished - they won't avoid lit lanterns, but they will likely not stand near a fireplace.

Vis: 1 pawn of vis, a broken doll

Design Notes

Inspiration from the Caricatures in Irencillia (Guardians of the Forest) and Pinocchio.

Honestly, I don't actually know if Place of Power (Parties) works, but I'm going with it anyway. They can use the vitality of being surrounded by mortals in revelry to protect themselves. I kind of like exploring options for Place of Power. If you don't think it should be allowed, they would have Increased Faerie Might instead. I wanted her to be a little harder to affect with magic in her element, and since parties are ephemeral, unless it's lasting a few days straight, the Other Doll wouldn't have a full compliment of might points to spend, so it's mostly for MR.

Having them being form Herbam or Animal disguised as Corpus is another design choice, and they've got a Pinocchio inspiration for that.

I'll probably add an advanced/changed Josie next Tribunal. I'm planning on having Josephine resolve this plot point next Tribunal as well.

Having a faerie villain who's low-powered and a spy-style noncombatant sounds kind of weak for a +14 year magus, but this character isn't supposed to be fought. This is more a murder-mystery (without a murder) and you can easily have a companion or important noble be mimicked and have them get into a lot of trouble - the Faerie doesn't care about keeping the guise long term, just on generating story and vitality, and might risk exposing a noble's Dark Secret. The Doll would happily be seduced by a tipsy nobleman and cause trouble, even if the person being mimicked would not. The fact that the Doll (usually) doesn't mimic the same person over and over means that you wouldn't have her as a Mistaken Identity flaw, and it makes it much harder to hunt down the culprit if you're looking for that instead of the truth - a crime of passion and moment.

raccoonmask · November 15, 2022, 2:54am

Josephine has arrived at her second Tribunal, and is now eagerly seeking allies and compatriots from the other Magi.
Her primary goal at Tribunal will be to acquire lab texts and Tractati, unless in your Saga the Covenant she's from has an exceptional library. Of particular interest (Either way) is books tied to the Arthurian mythos.
By the time she's reached this Tribunal, she's actually losing a lot of her flirtatious ways, and is getting more and more frustrated by how all the men (and more than a few women) view her - her beauty combined with her mostly free-spirited ways frequently make pretty much anyone without magic resistance interested in her as a romantic partner. She is starting to get... very frustated at being viewed as an object to be pursued.
Unless the magi have already established relationships with her, she tends to view every approach by a male as an unwanted attraction. This might make Josie, the Other Doll, come after the player magi if they approach her too eagerly.

Josephine the Starlight, of Merinita
House: Merinita

Characteristics: Int +1, Per 0, Pre +3, Com +1, Str -2, Sta +1, Dex +1, Qik 0
Size 0
Age 35 (42)
Warping 3 (5)
Confidence 1 (3)

Virtues: The Gift, Hermetic Magus, Faerie Magic; Affinity for Muto, Faerie Raised Magic, Faerie Sympathy (Beautiful), Lesser Benediction(Enchanting Beauty), Minor Magical Focus (Clothing), Puissant Finesse
Flaws: Ambitious(minor), Curse of Venus, Deleterious Circumstances(being ugly), Faerie Upbringing, Poor Student, Weird Magic

Personality Traits: Ambitious +3, Hedonistic +3, Wild +4
Reputation: Mysterious Beauty 3 (nobles), Flirtatious troublemaker 1 (Magi)
Faerie Sympathy: Beautiful +2

Abilities: Artes Liberales 1 (Ceremonial Casting), Bargain 2 (Faeries), Brawl 1 (dodge), Charm 4(seduction), Code of Hermes 1 (faeries), Concentration 1 (spells), Etiquette 4 (nobles), Faerie Lore 2 (court faeries), Finesse 2+2 (fine control), French 5 (flirting), Folk Ken 2 (males), Guile 2 (playing innocent), Intrigue 2 (starting rumors), Latin 4 (Hermetic slang), Legerdemain 1 (hiding objects), Magic Theory 5 (Animal), Order of Hermes Lore 2 (Merinita), Parma Magica 2 (Corpus), Penetration 1 (Animal), Stealth 3 (hiding in crowds), Survival 1 (forests)

Arts (Casting sigil: glittering stars)
Creo 4, Intellego 5, Muto 15, Perdo 5, Rego 8,
Animal 9, Aquam 0, Auram 0, Corpus 0, Herbam 5,
Ignem 0, Imaginem 8, Mentem 5, Terram 4, Vim 7

Spells:

Glimpse of the Seamstress's Knowledge (InAn 10)
Doublet of Impenetrable Silk (MuAn 15)
The Queen Clad in Diamonds and Silk (MuAn [Te] 15)
Transformation of the Ravenous beast to the Torpid Toad (MuAn 25)
Decay of Fur and Hide (PeAn 10)
Circle of Beast Warding (ReAn 5)
Phantom Maids and Attendants for a Perfect Lady (ReAn 5)
Sooth the Ferocious Bear(ReAn 10)
Betrayed by the Price of Fashion (ReAn 15)
Phantom Dancers (ReAn 25)
Eyes of the Cat (MuCo 5)
Disguise of the New Visage(MuCo 15)
Rise of the Feathery Body(ReCo 10)
Pass the Unyielding Portal (MuHe 5)
Piercing Shaft of Wood(Mu[Re]He 10)
Rope of Bronze (MuHe[Te] 15)
Strike of the Angered Branch(ReHe 15)
Veil of Invisibility (PeIm20)
Aura of Ennobled Presence(MuIm 10)
Notes of a Delightful Sound(MuIm 10)
Shine Like the Stars Above (MuIm 10)
A New Dress From Old Fabric (MuIm 15)
Clad as an Empress (PeIm 15)
Wizard's Sidestep(ReIm 10)
Dance With Me (CrMe 15)
A Forgotten Invitation (MuMe 5)
Loss of But a Moment's Memory (PeMe 15)
Confusion of the Numbed Will (ReMe 15)
Supple Iron and Rigid Rope(MuTe 10)
Piercing the Faerie Veil (InVi 20)
Wizards Communion(MuVi 15)
Sorcerer's Fork (MuVi25)
Faerie's Eternal Oblivion (PeVi 20)

Summary

Advancement (5 years, 150 xp): [Assumed LR of 35+]

10xp Terram 0-4
15xp Perdo 0-5
21xp Imaginem 6-8
25xp Magic Theory 5
15xp Mentem 0-5
10xp Faerie Sympathy beautiful +2
20xp Charm 4
9xp Animal 9
8xp(12xp) Muto 15
10xp Creo 0-4
7xp Dance with Me from Faerie Raised Magic

Study (2 years, 8 seasons)

Veil of Invisibility from lab text(PeIm 20, Lab total 22)
Sorcerors Fork from lab text (MuVi 25, LT 29)
A Forgotten Invitation (MuMe 5, LT 29) [ She has a lot of leftover here ]
Queen Clad in Diamonds and Silk (MuAn[Te] 15, LT28+4 focus)
Clad as an Empress (PeIm 15, LT 22 +4 focus +4 simiar spell)
Loss of But a Moment's Memory from lab text(PeMe 15, LT 19)
Piercing the Faerie Veil (InVi 20, LT 21)
Faerie Eternal Oblivion (PeVi 20, LT 21)

raccoonmask · November 16, 2022, 1:32am

Josephine has stopped seeking out her own entertainment and fun, and over the next few years is going to burn out of her hedonistic habits. She views her advancement as a maga to be weak, and is going to focus on learning more about her power and her potential. She's stopped viewing her Curse of Venus / Enchanting Beauty as an exciting part of her life, and now decided it is absolutely frustrating to get anything done around men.
Josie, the faerie mimic, is taking this opportunity to thrive on the rumors and stories of Josephine.

Plot Seeds and Adventures

Josephine has been plagued by more and more "romantic" problems. Sometimes people want to marry her. Sometimes people want to woo her despite the fact they're married. At this point, Josephine is just... Done with these stupid, lustful, obnoxious men, and is seeking help from former allies to get rid of some of them in a way that won't cause even MORE trouble.
Josie, the Other Doll, is becoming more and more powerful by feeding off of the romantic chaos left in the wake of Josephine's partygoing. Josie may even begin targetting Companions, tamed noblemen, or other people who have 'fallen' for Josephine, and the players might end up very mad if they think it's actually the Merinita maga.
Josephine wants asssitance investigating the Faerie Regio that she was once kidnapped in long ago, but the last two times she tried to investigate herself, she had to have one of her more militant allies come rescue her. Maybe one of the more martially-minded magi of the saga are asked to go rescue her. Perhaps, instead, she approaches the players to investigate themselves.
It turns out that Josephine was originally kidnapped by Faeries because they believe she's the descendent of Queen Guinevere. Josephine is now looking for books on Arthurian mythos and she wants her friends' help in getting it - either from their library, from the library of a rival covenant that currently doesn't like her, or possibly from a nobleman's collections in the saga's region.
If the players are able to cast spells to increase stats, Josephine would love to pay the players so she can have a higher Intelligence, Perception, or Communication. Do they want vis? Something else in trade?

raccoonmask · November 17, 2022, 1:40am

The Hedgehog's Armor (MuAn 15)

R: Voice, D: Mom,
A defensive measure, and an offensive measure, The Hedgehog's Armor causes a targeted piece of clothing to spring short, sharp spikes of bone and horn from it's surfaces. Anyone grappling with the target takes up +5 damage from the sharp spikes. The caster can choose instead to have the spikes stabbing inwards, doing up to +5 damage. If the article of clothing has a smaller contact surface, such as a girdle or a pair of riding boots, the damage will likely be reduced to +3 or less. As an added bonus, if the spikes are facing outwards, the wearer of the spikey clothing can deal an additional +2 damage with appropriate brawling attacks.
(Base 5, +2 Voice)