Alexios Chalkeus, a naffatun

Retired Play by Post Campaigns Ars Magica 5th Edition: Bad Apples
2

Alexios Chalkeus, an alchemist from Byzantium

Characteristics: Int +5, Per 0, Pre 0, Com 0, Str +2, Sta 0, Dex +1, Qik 0
Size:0
Age:28
Decrepitude:0
Warping Score:0(0)
Confidence: 1(3)
Virtues: Craftsman; Affinity with Philosophiae, Cautious with Philosophiae, Cautious with Profession: Naffatun, Educated, Great Intelligence x2, Improved Characteristics, Puissant Philosophiae;
Flaws: Ambitious (major), Black Sheep , Higher Purpose (reclaim latin empire for the greeks), Infamous

Personality Traits: Ambitious +6, Proud of the glory of Greece +3, brave +3
Reputations: Rebellious naffatun (Byzantium) 4, Abandoned family business (friends of his family) 2

Childhood: Romaic Greek 5 (expansive vocabulary)
Area Lore:Byzantium 2 (merchants)
Awareness 2 (sounds)
Athletics 2 (running)

Later life: (23 yearsx15 + 50xp for educated)
Bargain 3 (alchemical ingredients) 30
Brawl 2 (dodging) 15
Classic Greek 4 (writing) 50
Artes Liberales 2 (arithmetic) 15
Leadership 2 (workshop) 15
Organisation Lore: Byzantine Guilds 2 (greek fire makers) 15
Philosophiae 6+2 (natural philosophy) 70xp, up to 105 with affinity
Profession: Naffatun 5 (hand-held siphon) 75
Riding 2 (rough ground) 15
Single Weapon 2 (axe) 15
Swim 1 (diving) 5
30 xp on 6 philosophiae formulae: Cement, refrigerant salt, fire damp, smoke oil(all taken from A&A) ship's greek fire and naffatun greek fire (subdividing the two types as per The Sundered Eagle)

Equipment: fine clothing when outside the workshop or fortifications, or thick,stained workman's clothing with heavy gauntlets when working.

Combat: Dodging Init +0, attack n/a, defence +3, damage n/a
Naffatun Init -2, attack +11, defence +6, damage +10, range 5 paces
(using stats from The Sundered Eagle)

EDIT: dropping philosophiae by 1 level, using the 25 xp to buy single weapon 2 (weapon skill as requested by SG) and increasing ride to 2 to use the other 10 xp.

3

<history, virtues & flaws>
Alexios was raised to join the family business making Greek Fire to defend Byzantium. He gained a real interest in the fire-siphons, and being strong as well as clever he wanted to learn the skills of the naffatun. Sadly, in 1204 his city suffered greatly and the young alchemist was forced to alternate his time between helping mix up ingredients and drilling with the fire-siphon. He has picked up excellent books where he can and learned a variety of formulae useful to warfare and rebuilding burnt cities. He has learned caution the hard way – he has been splashed with Greek Fire himself and his burns healed poorly, leaving him with horrific scars. His desire to restore the Greek Empire and kick the Latin empire out has caused a rift with his family, who consider him a dangerous rebel who will get the family in trouble and their workshops seized. They banished him to the despotate of Epirus, hoping he will quietly settle down or get himself into trouble there.

Virtues/Flaws:
Greek Fire is a fiendishly complicated recipe, so those who would master its manufacture in their prime are not just those with an Affinity with Philosophiae but those of truly Great Intelligence and Puissant Philosophiae. His family would make sure he was Educated to read the Greek texts, as there are no universities in the east. Given the dangers of handling Greek fire, only those Cautious with Philosophiae survive making it and those Cautious with Profession: Naffatun survive the battlefield without horrific burns. His Improved Characteristics give him the strength to wield the fire siphon.
His Ambition to achieve a mighty position by the side of the true emperors and his Higher Purpose to reclaim the Latin empire means he is a dangerous man to know, causing him to be a Black Sheep from his family.

Notes: sensibly, you really ought to have two separate characters - one alchemist who can make substances useful to siege engineers and naffatun, and one naffatun running around with a fire siphon. As we are to avoid companions who sit around barely adventuring, I tried to combine the two even though it may push believability.
Greek fire is a level 15 formula, so to understand from a text needs Int + Philosophiae (natural philosophy) 15. Unless you have a lab bonus, this requires Int 5 and effective Philosophiae of 10, which is barely achievable unless you want a very aged character. If you want less min/max characters, then I could rebuild this character as a pure warrior/siege engineer who has a limited supply of special substances, and we have adventures so the scholastically inclined can find philosophical formulae and texts on philosophiae.
Possible drawback - realistically making formulae should cost a moderate amount, so he may be too expensive for a covenant struggling to supply magi labs let alone companions.

4

Alexios' future plans are to survive long enough to train an apprentice. Given the possible hazards if he goes into combat or his family background comes back to haunt him, this may be tricky.

5

[tab][/tab] This is a solid concept that requires some minor tweaks. Here is my input. By my calculations (going from A&A pg 74-76) you have a lab total of 15 without a specialty lab, barely enough to make greek fire. Here are two things: a) I am not comfortable with a philosophiae of 7 at 28 age. Drop it to 6? b) from what I see from tTT pg 47, Greek fire used by Naffatun is a separate recipe from the actual one used on ships. My solution is this; you drop your Phil to 6 or 5(meaning you will need a specialty lab to produce Greek Fire), buy both recipes for Ship and Naffatun fire. Naffatun fire will have a Reagent level of 12, which you will be able to produce. What do you think?
[tab][/tab] He probably needs a tiny bit more martial abilities if he had fighting experience as a Naffatun (I would suggest a weapon skill at 1-2 would suffice)

6

OK, edited to reduce philophiae and add a weapon skill at level 2. I'm using the leftover xp to increase riding slightly.

(ST EDIT) Roger. Transcabing him to Annoucements. Please recheck balance of Virtues/Flaws, I think you are over 1 by my count?
(ST EDIT 2) I 'think' you also took Infamous which you did not wrote down, for that 4 rep. Black Sheep adds a rep of 2, please add that.

7

any chance of taking "Alchemical Steel" (Arts & Academe page 76) as one of your Philosophic Formulae? It would really work well with my characters Minor Magical Focus in armour. It is level 20 but by my calculations you can make a 21 lab total so would make 5 batches per season.

(ST EDIT) Wait what? I count 14 points how did you come up with 21?

8

Ah, that is where I got the reputation of 4 from. I'll add another one at level 2 for black sheep.

John, I deliberately took recipes of level 15 as that was the most the original character design would allow. Our SG asked me to reduce the philosophiae by 1 so my total is 14, but if I studied in a lab with a +1 bonus in Byzantium I could still have learnt Greek fire. Learning a level 20 requires a +6 lab bonus, which would require the SG being generous in character creation.

9

Is the lab total not Int+Philosophae+form and effect bonus limited by Philosophae = 5+(6+2)+8 max = 21.

It was just a wish list maybe so no issue not taking it.

(ST EDIT) Form? I read Int+ Phil+ Phil bonuses (Shape&Material, Risk modifier, Laboratory Bonuses) Limited by Philosophae (in this instance 6, I dont think puissant adds to that)

OK, if the Puissant does not count for the Phil bonus we are down to 19, just too little.

(ST EDIT 2) Again where do you get that +5 from? I count 14

10

Any mention of what this character is going to do during the seasons?

11

So I get INT +5, + Philosophae +8 + Bonus from S&M, Risk and Lab (limited by Philosophae with no Puissant) +6 = +19. Can't get your +14 number at all.

(ST EDIT) Int+5, + Philosophiae +9 (Specialty) =14. The bonuses cannot exceed the Philosophiae (+6 in this instance). They come from three sources. Shapes and Material (non stated), Risk (experimentation), and Lab (+0 at this point) for a total of 0 and a potential of +6

(ST EDIT 2) Rereading the specialty I think you are right. He needs experimental philosophy to get the bonus. So its +13