Anulus Connectens: Andreva of Jerbiton

[Tellus]

@Erik Tyrrell

Blink of Excavation
Re(In)Te 40
R: Touch, D: Mom., T: Part (+3 size)
By use of this spell the caster teleports up to 100 cubic paces of stone or sand/soil/etc. to a new location up to 500 paces away typically creating one or more new subterranean chambers. The shape of the opening left by removal of the excavated rock can be any that the caster desires however the caster is aware of whether or not the created chamber will be structurally sound. The the teleported rock will appear (neatly) at a location chosen by the caster. this location must be one naturally tenable for the rock (not 30 paces above the ground). As a result of Andreva's sigil the interior surfaces of the new chambers are carved with a repeating sword motif.
(base 10, +1 stone, +1 touch, +1 part, +3 size, +1 intellego requisite)

Is this really two spells an intellego one, and a rego one?

I would tend to think so.

Is de-weaponizing the spell to prevent the bombing of locations with hundreds of tones of rocks at all justified?

Not sure I understand the question?

[Christian_Andersen (Christian Rosenkjaer Andersen)]

@Tellus

@Erik Tyrrell

Blink of Excavation
Re(In)Te 40
R: Touch, D: Mom., T: Part (+3 size)
By use of this spell the caster teleports up to 100 cubic paces of stone or sand/soil/etc. to a new location up to 500 paces away typically creating one or more new subterranean chambers. The shape of the opening left by removal of the excavated rock can be any that the caster desires however the caster is aware of whether or not the created chamber will be structurally sound. The the teleported rock will appear (neatly) at a location chosen by the caster. this location must be one naturally tenable for the rock (not 30 paces above the ground). As a result of Andreva's sigil the interior surfaces of the new chambers are carved with a repeating sword motif.
(base 10, +1 stone, +1 touch, +1 part, +3 size, +1 intellego requisite)

Is this really two spells an intellego one, and a rego one?

I would tend to think so.

I'm also left with this feeling. Are there any canon examples of spells or device effects with this add-on? I know a skilled mundane craftsman has knowledge of whether the thing he is making is physically and practically sound covered by the same ability he uses to physicaly craft the thing. This need not apply for magic, and I can see a craft-magus using an Intellego spells in advance in order to learn the properties of the material he is about to work with.

Is de-weaponizing the spell to prevent the bombing of locations with hundreds of tones of rocks at all justified?

Not sure I understand the question?

I think maybe Erik is asking whether the limit he voluntarily put on the spell - to have it only be able to deposit the rock and dirt as one naturally would, on a stable surface - is called for.
I mean, nothing in any teleportation guidelines prevent you from having the matter moved appear in an unnatural place. If allowing 100 cubic paces of rock to appear over the heads of enemies, it can be used as a weapon. It will deal huge amounts of damage and gets a massive Targeting bonus due to the vast size.
So this spell can be dangerous but the "feel" of the spell to me is one of crafting and not fighting. So I actually like the voluntary limits set into the spell.

[Ezechiel3571]

Are there any canon examples of spells or device effects with this add-on?

Quite the opposite in fact:
The Mystical Carpenter (ReHe25) and The Carpenter's Keen Eye (InHe15) both in Covenant, p 51.
The first one allow to shape any wood to the magus's whim, however it does not give him any information if the selected wood is suitable for the application "If the magus choose inapppropriate wood, the spell still acts ... but the resultings goods will undoubtedly split and warp later".
It even adds "The magus's choice of wood can be improved by the Carpenter's Keen Eye".

And the Carpenter's Keen Eye not only the magus to know if targeted wood is suitable for carpentry, but also an indication of what kind of treatment would be needed - which is borderline infringing with the limit of creating knowledge.

I believe you would need to invent an InTe spell which will allow you to assess the quality of the ground you are about to dig in, and bump it by a couple of magnitude to allow it to tell you "if I dig such room/hole, would the ground still remains solid ?". Or based on the same parameter as the Carpenter's Keen Eye: the magus digs his room, then use "The Digger's Keen Eye" which will also indicate him where are the weak spots and what he would need to do (strengthen this part, remove this hanging stone...).

[Erik_Tyrrell]

Ok the intellego requisite can't work as I want it to. If I remove the intellego requisite her lab total increases by 7 to 88 she could squeeze out level 45 with a bit of effort but I don't think that she'll bother.

Way back in 1-15 she invented the following spell:

Sounding the Bones of Atlas
InTe 20
R Touch, D: Inst., T: Part (+2 size)
The caster gains a detailed understanding of what removing each part of a mass of stone and earth will do to the stability. For a moment the caster understands all of the rock strengths and forces in a volume of stone that he or she touches. This insight is sufficient to answer any questions that the caster may have regarding how they can trigger a collapse, where they can mine without triggering one,and what places in the targeted volume are most in need of reinforcement to prevent collapse. However the caster does not retain all of the value of this insight indefinitely. If they later wish to know more about the stability of the area they will typically need to re-cast the spell rather than rely on their memory. Andreva's sigil expresses itself in this spell by giving special emphasis on the ways to remove stone to provide the best surfaces for detailed engraving.
(base 4, +1 touch, +1 part, +2 size)

That spell would work for her, but it has too small of a target. She'd need to cast it 10 times. The cool solution would be have her learn Wizard's Expansion (Terram) at level 30 or so. That might have to wait until next period though.

[Ezechiel3571]

That spell would work for her, but it has too small of a target. She'd need to cast it 10 times.

Could she not reinvent it with an additional size modifier ? Considering the bonus she will get for familiarity, she might squeeze another spell research within the same season of work - as long as it is another InTe.

[Christian_Andersen (Christian Rosenkjaer Andersen)]

I like the idea of not inventing a new version but instead using Muto Vim to alter the original spell to fir the new need. However it is very likely not an efficient solution, I think it'll be easier to just invent a new version. If the original had lots of Spell Mastery maybe, but that's what Adaptive Casting is for.

[Erik_Tyrrell]

@Christian Andersen

I like the idea of not inventing a new version but instead using Muto Vim to alter the original spell to fir the new need. However it is very likely not an efficient solution, I think it'll be easier to just invent a new version. If the original had lots of Spell Mastery maybe, but that's what Adaptive Casting is for.

On the other hand she has more than one terram spell, in fact she has 75 years of mostly terram spells.
edit: and adaptive casting is restricted

[Tellus]

@Erik Tyrrell

On the other hand she has more than one terram spell, in fact she has 75 years of mostly terram spells.

A very excellent point.

[Erik_Tyrrell]

Blink of Excavation
ReTe 40
R: Touch, D: Mom., T: Part (+2 size)
By use of this spell the caster teleports up to 100 cubic paces of stone or sand/soil/etc. to a new location up to 500 paces away typically creating one or more new subterranean chambers. The shape of the opening left by removal of the excavated rock can be any that the caster desires. The the teleported rock will appear as a group of neatly stacked blocks at a location chosen by the caster (perhaps as a wall). As a result of Andreva's sigil the interior surfaces of the new chambers are carved with a repeating sword motif.
(base 10, +1 stone, +2 voice, +1 part, +2 size)

For me, the worst part of Through the Aegis was the ReCo death by teleportation spell. It was legal but I found it very much not to my tastes. I read it and proceeded to sulk that someone had gone down that particular line of reasoning in one of the actual books. I didn't get back to the rest of the book for weeks. Moving 100 cubic paces of rock 500 paces away (say 300 paces in the air) is pretty much as monstrous a combat spell as one is ever likely to need. It destroys anything smaller than a good sized town while bypassing magic resistance. I don't like it but I don't see an in character reason for Andreva to avoid it. To say that she wouldn't create a spell that could be used to kill lots of things is simply not true. She's Ok with violence.

She spends a season learning Wizard's Expansion (Te) 35 from lab notes. She has the lab score to learn it at a higher level but not the casting total for it. She'll master it for fast casting so that she can use it on another fast cast spell in a single round.

This leaves three seasons for her apprentice.

Andreva has volunteered a season to assist in the creation of someone else's longevity ritual. Grace also has several seasons free to help. I figure that she's known the other magi for around 45 years she probably is attached enough to them to want to lend a (hoof, magically transformed into a) hand in keeping them around and healthy for another 45. What other characters need more cooperation in the lab bonuses for their longevity rituals?

[Erik_Tyrrell]

It had always been clear to Andreva that her detractors among the confraternity of Roland were most worried about her passing on "their" secret and when she took an apprentice it would mean that she would get a wizard's war or two. Perhaps that was a reason that she didn't take an apprentice until she was more than 70 years past her gauntlet, if so it wasn't a conscious one. But it certainly meant that once she decided to look for an apprentice she decided to ready for the inevitable conflict to follow. In addition to the spells and devices above,She took to casting this spell or the moon equivalent whenever out of the covenant.

Cleanliness of the Breathing Veteran
ReCo 5
R: Personal, D: Sun, T: Ind.
For the duration of this spell no portion of the caster's body, apart from sweat and waste, separate from the rest of the caster's body without being manually removed. this means that the caster will not leave hair or fragments of skin or fingernails anyplace. If the caster is cut the blood from the wound will stay on his body until it is forcibly removed or the spell expires. This spell is cast to prevent the loss of arcane connections that could be collected by others.
base 3 +2 Sun

Once Andreva took an apprentice she did have two wizard's wars declared upon her in the first two years. Andreva survived one by hiding and another by use of her charged device tattoo.

[Erik_Tyrrell]

How many times would Bausas of cast his quikness ritual this period?

[Tellus]

@Erik Tyrrell

How many times would Bausas of cast his quikness ritual this period?

5, according to my notes.

[Erik_Tyrrell]

That's certainly enough.

This makes her very adept at fast casting (her quickness + finesse will be at worst 15) she also with flawless magic has many of her spells mastered for fast casting. Do any of you see any particularly clever ways for her to leverage this?

I was thinking that fast casting a muto vim on a fast cast target of the muto vim spell was pretty nice but in order to pull this off she'd need to be casting the target spell as a reaction to something.

[Erik_Tyrrell]

She also has 50 xp in spell mastery to spend

Here are the spells she knows with their masteries (I didn't yet update the casting totals)

Doublet of Impenetrable Silk (MuAn 15/+24) mastery 1 quiet casting
A Chamber from a Cistern (ReAq 30/23) mastery 1 imperturbable casting
A Room with no Leaks (ReAq 30/23) mastery 1 imperturbable casting
Divine the Cthonic Breezes (InAu(Te) 20/15)[sup]T[/sup] mastery 1 imperturbable casting
Cavern of the Sun (CrIg 15/21) mastery 1 multi casting
Chamber of Temperate Comfort CrIg 25/21 mastery 1 fast casting
Major Ward Against Heat and Flames (ReIg 35/23) mastery 1 fast casting
Test the Mood of a Crowd (InMe 20/23) T mastery 1 quiet casting
Curse of Unwilling Obedience (ReMe 30/) mastery 1 penetration
Sword from the invisible scabbard (CrTe 15/+60)[sup]T[/sup] mastery 1 penetration
Pilgrim's Palace (CrTe 25/+48)[sup]T[/sup] mastery 1 penetration
Maze of Swords (CrTe 45/+61)[sup]T[/sup] mastery 2 penetration, fast casting
Miner's Keen Eye (InTe 20/42)[sup]T[/sup] mastery 1 quiet casting
Sounding the Bones of Atlas (InTe 20/42)[sup]T[/sup] mastery 1 fast casting
Disrobing the Vestments of the Earth (InTe 30/42)[sup]T[/sup]mastery 1 fast casting
Sense the Feet that Tread the Earth (InTe 30/42)[sup]T[/sup] mastery 1 fast casting
Edge of the Razor (MuTe 20/+46)[sup]T[/sup] mastery 1 multi casting
Hardness of Adamantine (MuTe 25/+46)[sup]T[/sup] mastery 1 fast casting
Hauberk of Unnatural lightness (MuTe 25/+46)[sup]T[/sup] mastery 1 multi casting
Perversion of the Wall's Function (MuTe(He) 25/) mastery 1 fast casting
Sword of Goliath (MuTe 35/56)[sup]T[/sup]mastery 1 fast casting
Production of Alchemical Cement (ReTe(He)(An) 4/31)[sup]T[/sup] mastery 1 precise casting
Production of Alchemical Preservative (ReTe(He)(An) 4/31)[sup]T[/sup] mastery 1 precise casting
Production of Alchemical Tinderdry (ReTe(He)(An) 4/31)[sup]T[/sup] mastery 1 precise casting
Jet of Soil and Sand (ReTe 10/+50)[sup]T[/sup] mastery 1 multiple casting
Mystical Quarry Workers (ReTe 10/+50)[sup]T[/sup] mastery 1 precise casting
Unseen Porter (ReTe 10/+50)[sup]T[/sup] mastery 1 precise casting
Spell of Wrought Iron (ReTe 10/+50)[sup]T[/sup] mastery 1 precise casting
Phantom Blacksmith (ReTe 10/+50)[sup]T[/sup] mastery 2 precise casting x2
Stones of Formic Discipline (ReTe 20/+50)[sup]T[/sup] mastery 1 quiet casting
Sedate Butterfly Sword (ReTe 20/+64)[sup]T[/sup] mastery 1 precise casting
Indolent Duelist of Vilano (ReTe 25/65)[sup]T[/sup] mastery 2 precise casting x2
One Dozen Frenzied Squires (ReTe 25/50)[sup]T[/sup] mastery 1 fast casting
Sword Immobile (ReTe 25/64)[sup]T[/sup] mastery 1 fast casting
Squad of Achilles (ReTe 30/50)[sup]T[/sup] mastery 1 penetration
Insubstantial Duelist (ReTe 35/64)[sup]T[/sup]mastery 1 multiple casting
Insubstantial Shield Grog (ReTe 35/64)[sup]T[/sup] mastery 1 precise casting
Packing for a Trip (ReTe 40/50)[sup]T[/sup] mastery 1 imperturbable casting
Preemption of Hostilities (ReTe 35/50)[sup]T[/sup] mastery 1 fast casting
Thwart the Rope of Theseus (ReTe 35/) mastery 1 imperturbable casting
Blink of Excavation (ReTe 40) mastery 1 muticasting
Shifting Labyrinth of Blades (ReTe 45/64)[sup]T[/sup] mastery 1 imperturbable casting
Turb of Insubstantial Duelists (ReTe 50/65)[sup]T[/sup] mastery 2 multiple casting, penetration
Turb of Insubstantial Shield Grogs (ReTe 50/64)*[sup]T[/sup] mastery 1 finesse
Circle of Arcane Preservation (CrVi 25/)mastery 1 imperturbable casting
Wizard's Day of Communion (MuVi 25/22) mastery 1 imperturbable casting
Aegis of the Hearth (ReVi 30/27) mastery 2 magic resistance, penetration
The Minute of Reckoning (ReVi 40/26) mastery 1 magic resistance
Piercing the Magical Veil (InVi 20/18) mastery 1 fast casting
The Numbness of the Gift(InVi 20/18) mastery 1 fast casting
Sight of the Molting Magus (InVi 25/) mastery 1 quiet casting
Wizard's Expansion Terram (MuVi 35/)mastery 1 fast casting

I think that curse of unwilling obedience could use a few levels of mastery (to increase penetration if nothing else)
I think that maze of shifting blades could use penetration mastery as could edge of the razor.
She should master one of her sword control spells for magic resistance.

Any other ideas of what would be good?

[Christian_Andersen (Christian Rosenkjaer Andersen)]

@Erik Tyrrell

Andreva's Chest of Laboratory Equipment
CrTe 32 (penetration 0, 3 uses per day)
R: Touch, D: Moon, T: Ind.

This item appears as a very large wooden chest with exceptionally solid bronze hardware and intricate carvings of hermetic laboratories on every surface. Inside the chest is a collection of laboratory equipment of flawless quality each piece wrapped up in layers of embroidered silk to protect it. The chest is activated by sorting through the equipment describing how each piece is they user looks at isn't exactly what they need ("the neck is too long", "if this only had five feet rather than three", "this one's a little too small for what I need"). The chest then creates a single piece of laboratory equipment of perfect quality that exactly matches the desires of the user. The user unwraps the equipment and takes it to their laboratory where it lasts until both the full moon and new moon have crossed the sky before disappearing. Due to Andreva's sigil all of the created pieces are ornately decorated.
(base 5, +1 touch, +3 moon, +1 complexity, +2 levels three uses per day)

Is it because this device uses Creo rather than Rego (and hence not "craft magic") that it does not require a Finesse roll by the user?
I guess the trade-off is that the Creo effects need higher levels to account for Duration, plus this can't ever (well, non-Ritually...) be more than Moon. And Rego effects need raw materials plús Finesse rolls sometimes bordering the insane numbers.

Sorry Erik, my own design process with Janus did not allow me time to notice and appreciate all of the other magi's projects (or replace with similar poor excuse at will) so I've only noticed this now.
Nice device, I think Janus may want to copy this.

[Christian_Andersen (Christian Rosenkjaer Andersen)]

@Erik Tyrrell

That's certainly enough.

This makes her very adept at fast casting (her quickness + finesse will be at worst 15) she also with flawless magic has many of her spells mastered for fast casting. Do any of you see any particularly clever ways for her to leverage this?

I was thinking that fast casting a muto vim on a fast cast target of the muto vim spell was pretty nice but in order to pull this off she'd need to be casting the target spell as a reaction to something.

In the group Tellus and I game in we have decided that Fast Casting is excately only a reaction to something. So such spells are useful as defenses, good for duelling and in fights and action scenes. We don't allow the fast-cast mechanics to be abused to allow additional actions in a round.
So spells to block attacks or divert or stop charging foes in their tracks. Protection of both oneself or one's Grogs. Terram is a relaly nice Form for this.
Andreva could be quite good in Dimicatio.

[Erik_Tyrrell]

With with no longevity ritual obligation for her two remaining seasons she'll learn Wizard's Boost, Terram at level 35 and Wizard's Expansion Terram also at level 35 from notes.

With regard to the Wizard's war heat she's experiencing she'd be better served by more wards but I can justify the Muto Vim as happening earlier in the 15 year period. They seem more in character for her.

For ageing she still has -11 from her ritual, -2 from her bronze cord -2 from her living conditions and -1 from her lab

so 3 rolls at -8
10 rolls at -7 and
2 rolls at -6

I'll stick that into excel and ...2 years of apparent age increases. Now she looks 43 while being 101.

[Erik_Tyrrell]

looking over the period I see that Grace has at least seven seasons free when she wasn't in the lab and Andreva was. During this period I'll raise her Medicine to 4 for 35 xp. That's less xp than normal but she's a horse.

[Erik_Tyrrell]

I was thinking of a personality trait of protective of her apprentice.

A change in her reputation among the confraternity of Roland she's got an apprentice so she might now be disseminating their secrets, she'd also made it through two wizard's wars.

I'm also going to add the personal vis source virtue. she's been using the prospecting fish to search out subterranean vis for a very long time, certainly she must have something to show for her efforts.

[Christian_Andersen (Christian Rosenkjaer Andersen)]

@Erik Tyrrell

I was thinking of a personality trait of protective of her apprentice.

A change in her reputation among the confraternity of Roland she's got an apprentice so she might now be disseminating their secrets, she'd also made it through two wizard's wars.

I'm also going to add the personal vis source virtue. she's been using the prospecting fish to search out subterranean vis for a very long time, certainly she must have something to show for her efforts.

Sounds reasonable - all of it.