A swarm spell

Games Discussion Ars Magica
1

First thank you all who ocasionaly look at my posts and respond. Second, my question.

I am considering how and if it is posible to turn a magus into a swarm of insects or vermin. I've had an aguement with one of my players that it would require a maguse to split his mind in to many directions. I was thinking along the line of a single group mind.

So posibly

Locusts Swarm
MuCo (An) 30
Range Personl
Target Individual
Duration Sun

Turns the caster into a swarm of Locusts. Damage delt to the locusts will become wounds equivilant to the amount of the swarm killed determined by the Storyteller
Base 10, Sun +2, Unusual effect +2

Please give me any critisim or help you can. Thank you all might forem gods :wink:

2

Unusual effect is right!

It's a cool idea, but perhaps a bit harder than you expect.

I guess that changing a person into a bug is harder than changing it into a bird, though it's not listed. I'd guess at least 25.

Splitting your mind between dozens of insects certainly sounds Mentem-ish, probally around Magnitude 3, so that's only a +1 Magnitude bump.

+2 for an Unusual effect, is probally close to right, this is the sort of thing you'd have to wrangle with your Storyguide.

+2 for Sun makes the final effect scrapes under the Ritual requirement at 50.

Of course, that's just my opinion, I could be wrong.

3

I would allow a spell in this direction, but I would require the swarm to stay a swarm and not send individual critters here and there. As such I do not think it would be a problem concerning mentem. I think the Cloak of Mist and Transform to Water spells might give you some inspiraton.

4

I don't know how it would be for locusts, but remember that in Mythic Europes, bees have actual societies with actual kings actually ruling over them. That can be a problem for "swarm" spells.

Otherwise, I'm with Furion. I'd allow the spell so long as you are treating the swarm as an individual, with a magnitude bump or two over just turning into a single insect.

5

Sorry it too so long to get back, I was traveling. Thanks for the advice. So Lets try this again.

Lets for now make Changing into an insect it's own effect. I don't see it being much harder than a bird so lets leave it at 20 for now.

+2 for sun
+2 for unusual effect.
No Req as it is required for the spell.
Treat it all as one entity like liquid so no Mentum.
I appologize I don't have a book in front of me I'm at a net cafe.

The Locust Swarm
MuCo (An) 40
Target: Ind
Range: Personal
Dur: Sun

Turns the Magus into a swarm of Locusts the operate as a single entity. If a number of locusts are seperated or destroyed from the body of the swarm will not reform when the spell ends and be treated as damage acording to the storytellers discression.

Does that sound a bit more apropriate? Critisim welcome.

6

This is a fantastic spell and one that any animal strong magus should invest in. I love the imagery of just bursting apart into hundreds of insects and flying off. Very nice.

Add a perdo requisite and a +1 magnitude bump and make it wasps, with stings. really ruin some guys day.

7

If I was your Storyguide, you could talk me out of the Mentem req, if you keep the swarm together like suggested, however I would insist a bug is much harder to turn into than a bird, and require at least a +1 Mag bump.

8

I would not discern it from other beasts - if it is a swarm of flying things I would set the base equally to birds. If it was a school of fish or tadpoles I'd set the base equal to fish. And this not neccesarily contrary to the setting. If you feel like adding a Magnitude you could simply argue that it is out of the ordinary to change into several things rather than one, and that that requires a bump.