Are you sure? I seem to remember that the goal of that mystery is to emulate a beast of virtue -something you become when you reach final twilight-, not that you are one.
I will have to check (or forget to do so).
Anyway, it's an old supplement, and it shows: "mundane" inner beasts are OK for the Epitome and the Chimera, but become strange (and powerful) with the Anima: You can have a fire form that (IIRC) doesn't need to penetrate.
IMO, really, the book works fine as it is, and one should avoid trying to mesh it too much with later rules: that way lies madness
So, I was remembering slightly wrong at work. Here is what HoH:MC pg 30 says:
So it calls the Epitome heartbeast "supernatural" not "magic". However, it specifically does call it a "Beast of Virtue". And RoP:M explicitly names "Beasts of Virtue" as magical animals. So this issue may be that HoH: MC was written before RoP:M, but it seems that if you take both books together, then the Inner Heartbeast is a magical animal.
It seems we understand this bit differently: I've always understood it as "you try to perfect your heartbeast so that it becomes a closer reflection of the ideal, which is a beast of virtue, which is a supernatural version of a mundane beast", while you seem to understand it like "you try to perfect your heartbeast, which is a beast of virtue, which is a supernatural version of a mundane beast, so that it becomes a closer reflection of the ideal".
I've also found what I said about Great Beasts having might, and contrary to what I was thinking, it is in HoH: MC
P 24, it says, for a magus reaching Final Twilight: if he has only the outer mystery, he becomes a mundane beast, but "if he has achieved any of the Inner Mysteries of the House, he converts into his inner heartbeast and acquires a Magic Might equal to (5 x Heartbeast Ability). Note that it says "he acquires a MM", not "His MM is increased to"
This is also the only moment where it speaks of Magic Might with heartbeasts. But the mention of magic might is there nonetheless, meaning the idea was there and not a later addition. I doubt very much that, if non-twilight heartbeasts where supposed to have one, such a mention wouldn't appear in another place, if only with a "How to gain more MM" refinement. Yet there is none whatsoever.
There’s also the refinement to gain powers: It is said these are created as items, including penetration. If the IHB had a might, it seems strange that this isn’t used for it, especially as penetration of creatures powers is based on their might since the corebook.
As a final note, having inner heartbeasts as magical creatures with MM 0 opens the same can of worms as thalassa:
For magi who stay in HB form, you see the same problems as with Thalassa: No aging. Meaning a Bjornaer who spends half his time in HB form ages at half the normal rate AND gains warping form LR only when in human form. I can easily see all seasons spend reading as a HB, even if one must use ReAn base 01 to turn a book's pages.
Why would a bjornaer work to refine his HB, wasting a season, using vis and possibly gaining flaws, where he can just spend XP to gain qualities?
Having bought the “no fatigue” quality, why wouldn’t a bjornaer who spends 2 season reading in HB form not use a third “free” season to read more during the night?
You know, I never read it that way, but now it makes absolute sense to me 8)
So the Mystery of the Inner Heartbeast is about becoming as close to the Platonic ideal of a "beast of virtue" as possible while still being mundane (or at least not a creature of the realm of magic). So making the equivalent "inner human" mystery would do the same. I like it.
(Not so) Quick and dirty: Develop a mystery that gives appropriate virtues to enhance human form. This could culminate in a transformation to a magical human, or not. Despite requiring the development of your own Mystery Lore, this is way faster, but gives more flaws than
The slow and clean approach: Engage in original research to apply heartbeasts refinement rules to your human form. I like the symmetry (You "adopt" your inner human form, instead of being permanently enhanced), and this seems both closer to the idea of a "Inner Human" and truer to your vision. Problem is, it has the drawback that it yields nothing until you've managed your breakthrough. Good thing is, this yields less flaws than the mystery route. When you reach final twilight, this could transform you in a "great human" instead of a "great beast", depending on the form that's more refined*.
Although... Once could combine the 2 . Develop your mystery, and experiment with initiation scripts so that these give Insight that'll serve in your breakthrough. And you could try out the initiations on apprentices
*Hey, maybe some giants are from magical traditions that took a similar path. I'm sure there are tales of human heroes that became giants.
Acutus' quarters exist in a regio 1,200 feet underwater along the Baetic Cordillera about 5 miles southwest of Sa Dragonera. The regio was formed before the birth of Christ when a magical ship of the Roman Cult of Mercury sailing to Sa Dragonera was besieged by enemies of the cult and was sunk by powerful magics. The crew was all killed but ship survived intact and the confluence of magical energy created a regio where the ship now rests.
The regio itself is a cavern devoid of water with soft, moist sand on the ground. The ship itself rests in the center of the cavern, filling much of the space. The massive wooden ship was clearly designed with magical aid and is an awe-inspiring sight. Acutus uses the ship as his sanctum, having taken up residence in the stateroom, and has setup a lab in one of the rooms below deck. The ship appears to have been on a mission of trade or to possibly form a covenant on Sa Dragonera, as there is great wealth and numerous trinkets still onboard. In addition, numerous lab tools already onboard have enable Acutus to setup his lab without having to transport too many items from the surface.
Outside the regio, Acutus has exerted his will as apex predator of the area, and has local sharks and other undersea predators that warn him of dangers or curious sailors near the area.
Status
+0 Journeyman
Aura
+3 Strong Aura
+1 Controlled Regio – Cave which constitutes his entire quarters
Location
+1 Difficult Access - Underwater
+0 Healthy Feature –Cave is cool with surprisingly fresh air
+1 Secluded – Underwater in a regio
Construction
+1 Important Building – The ship that serves as his sanctum was built by the Cult of Mercury
+1 Superior Engineering – The ship was clearly designed/built with magical aid
-1 Wooden – The ship is wooden
Resources
+1 Private Income – The ship’s cargo is full of great wealth; In an effort not to flood markets or bring too much attention to himself, Acutus is limiting his “allowance” to 15£ a year
+1 Single Resource – This (plus qp’s spent in Mustering Out) represent the lab supplies he is going to build his lab out of
Inhabitants
-3 No Staff
Relations
+1 Informants/Agents – Shark and dolphin undersea intelligence network
excellent and cool 8)
The sunken treasure sounds more like Hidden Resources. If anyone is eligible for Uncontrolled Regio it is you, but I do not mind that. The magic ship is cool, but keep its origins mysterious. Maybe it is Phonecian
Well, treasure isn’t really sunken, it’s all in the cargo hold of the ship, which he lives on, so it’s not hidden to him.
As for Uncontrolled Regio, I definitely considered it, and am still open to the idea, since I already came up with one way to access the region in the previous writeup. I’m more concerned with people getting to it from the Sa Dragonera side, than from the water.
I’m cool with keeping the magic ship’s origin mysterious, as long as it was made of magic, and could have had supplies onboard that would work in a hermetic lab, I’m good.
I’m not necessarily looking to fund the lab, unless it becomes necessary of course. The Single Resource, along with stuff from Mustering Out, will be to buy some lab Virtues like flawless tools and equipment, maybe a feature. I like the idea that his lab will be using ancient, yet still serviceable, equipment. That’s why I originally had taken Personal Resources to really fit the place out, but you changed the rules on us and I can’t have two major Boons…and I really want the Aura 3 from Strong Aura.
That would have been an old change, and I don't remember it. I mainly remember saying you cannot spend ore that 3 points on any one thing.
That limit seems arbitray. Feel free to petition the troupe to disregard or change anything that conflicts with your design. You might get told no, or you might get approved. All depends on if it makes sense and if it is balanced.
Well, what really changed was the previous version said the thaking Regio made the top level an Aura 3, so you didn't have to take Strong Aura. Regardless, it's not important. I'll post something in the [strike]Table Talk thread[/strike] Mallorca thread since not everyone may be reading this character thread.
Oh, I get what you are saying. I suppose what i meant was that the center of the regio has the highest Aura (3, 2, or 1), and the outer layer or layers have lower scores or no aura. I shall edit that. I was also thinking of a middle gradation of Regio. +1 for Controlled, -1 for Uncontrolled, and +0 for Partial Control.
The way you have regio written now says that, it was the previous version in the before time (pre Marko internet collapse, or MIC) that was wrong. And if you added the Partial Control, that would be cool, and what I will likely change to.
Okay, updated quarters again, using the newly update rules. As always, comments are welcomed.
Acutus' quarters exist in a regio 1,200 feet underwater along the Baetic Cordillera about 5 miles southwest of Sa Dragonera. The regio was formed before the birth of Christ when a magical ship of an ancient mgic-using cult sailing to Sa Dragonera was besieged by enemies of the cult and was sunk by powerful magics. The crew was all killed but the ship survived intact and the confluence of magical energy created a regio where the ship now rests. Scattered ancient coins from the ship now lie at the bottom of the ocean, and those who follow their somewhat circuitous path into the side of an underwater mountain can enter the regio.
The regio itself is a cavern devoid of water with soft, moist sand on the ground. The ship itself rests in the center of the cavern, filling much of the space. The massive wooden ship was clearly designed with magical aid and is an awe-inspiring sight. Acutus uses the ship as his sanctum, having taken up residence in the stateroom, and has setup a lab in one of the rooms below deck. The ship appears to have been on a mission of trade or to possibly form a covenant on Sa Dragonera, as there is great wealth and numerous trinkets still onboard. In addition, numerous lab tools already onboard have enabled Acutus to setup his lab without having to transport too many items from the surface.
Outside the regio, Acutus has exerted his will as apex predator of the area, and has local sharks and other undersea predators that warn him of dangers or curious sailors near the area.
Status
+0 Journeyman
Aura
+3 Strong Aura
+0 Partially Controlled Regio – Cave which constitutes his entire quarters
Location
+1 Difficult Access - Underwater
-1 Unhealthy Feature – The fact that the regio is in a cave with no access to sunlight and is constantly damp makes it less healthy than other quarters in the area (negates the “free” healthy feature)
+1 Secluded – Underwater in a regio
Construction
+1 Important Building – The ship that serves as his sanctum was built by ancient magi
+1 Superior Engineering – The ship was clearly designed/built with magical aid
-1 Wooden – The ship is wooden
Resources
+1 Private Income – The ship’s cargo is full of great wealth; In an effort not to flood markets or bring too much attention to himself, Acutus is limiting his “allowance” to 15£ a year
+3 Personal Resources (Greater) - This (plus qp’s spent in Mustering Out) represent the lab supplies he is going to build his lab out of as well as potential ancient texts to form a small library
Inhabitants
-3 No Staff
Relations
+1 Informants/Agents – Shark and dolphin undersea intelligence network
I looked at it too.
. Develop your mystery, and experiment with initiation scripts so that these give Insight that'll serve in your breakthrough. And you could try out the initiations on apprentices 
