Anulus Connectens: Janus of Mercere

Games Discussion Ars Magica
121

Great idea.
Any good ideas as to which effects would be useful after Janus' time?
More or less effects similar to most of Janus spells to help Redcaps, if his descendants don't have Mutantum magic, Enduring Magic or even the Gift? I mean, a non-Gifted Redcap family member could take over the Mercer House; most of the boosts to the physical site regarding comfort and economy is done with devices. Sure, the Bas-reliefs of the Manor have effect expiry but I think Janus can re-invent them without this boost. And in any case there are lab texts so another magus can remake them, provided his lab totals just exceed the levels by 1, so the hardest is the ReAu44 weather ward.

How does it work with durations of effects from devices and if the recipient leaves the vicinity of the device? Can one use D:Conc + 'Device maintains concentration' or the 'Constant Effect' (D:Sun, Environmental Trigger: Sunrise/-set, 2 charges/day) for long running effects? Or is D:Moon the longest the travel-boosting spells would last?

122

Oh and another thing: Platinum, what should that be rated for regarding ArM5 page 97 Size & Material Table?
It's a noble and valuable metal so definitively not base metal, but should it be rated as silver (6) or gold (10)? Or something inbetween? I think as silver since it is known to be valuable but not as wide spread and symbolical as gold.

I'm thinking Janus wants to re-invent the same effects are he previosuly put in the two Bas-Reliefs of the Manor but to only make one device. With his increased Magic Theory score he can handle (including device speciality and Puissance) 24 pawns per season, so this is what he is aiming for. Especially since the effects sum up to 21 pawns.
So he is going for a compound device investing the sum of all components: Perhaps a medium sized marble block (3x4) with insert magnet (tiny 1 x base metal 5) and platinum (tiny 1 x something between silver 6 and gold 10) for a minimum of 23 pawns.
Why spend two seasons preparing two devices and then not filling the second one?

123

Just a wikipedia quote, can anyone confirm this?

124

Maybe this is another "Hickory" deal on the S&M table? A thing that should not have been there if one is true to medieval history?

125

The website: http://www.rsc.org/periodic-table/element/78/platinum says:

So...

126

Looks like another Hickory to me :frowning:

127

Agree.

On a related note - Agate. 5e Core book lists +3 Air in S/M for agate. LoH in the Thomae section on page 125 says +3 Auram. Is this a change, addition or error?

128

Well, unless LoH has a specific correction to make, an insert box mentioning changing what has already been defined in core rules or perhaps HoH Verditius chapter my guess is an error or a very generous interpretation if the item's S&M is listed as 'Air' but used for 'Auram'

But seeing as Platinum doesn't seem viable for Janus' re-invention of his Bas-Relief of the Manor he'll have to use Agate in stead. But this only works for the Manor of Clean Air effect but it won't cut if for the Weather Ward.
Perhaps Janus doesn't need that much S&M?
Perhaps Janus may even be so good in the lab that he can build all those effects as lesser devices? The original idea of making it as Invested Device was because of Effect Expiry, or the option of enchanting over the course of two seasons.

129

The Auram bonus for agate was part of a list of its S/M bonuses, so I'm not sure if it was meant to replace or not.

As to the weather ward - Marble +5 wards, Fan +4 banish weather phenomena, Agate +3 air and +5 protection from storms, shield +5 protection, any lightning struck wood +2 Auram.

Also, what about the heartwood of an enriched Oak of Virtue (RoP:M, page 129) and its ability to impart lesser immunity to Lightning to a structure its a part of?

130

After doing some quick calculation on scratch paper I came to the conclusison that Janus can make all the effects from the original Bas-Reliefs of the Manor as lesser devices. He uses some combinations of S&M boni but none fully exploit his maximum limited by his Magic Theory score. Sure, the heating and cooling effects lack a few points but with his modest Ignem score of 10 he can easily achieve this with some quick study.

So this means all effects as originally but without Effect Expiry (seeing as it's not invested device effects), and without spending the time and vis to prepare for enchantment.. Plus he'll leave behind a lasting legacy, so the Mercer House he has helped to build up can last and be run by a non-Gifted Redcap using the devices for safety and comfort of the buildings plus to run the economy and practical chores of the covenant.
This means Janus' Talisman is likely to be filled with effects to assist and boost the Redcaps as they leave Anulus Connectens.

131

I'm starting Janus' year +61-75 slowly up, and I'll try to do things in a different way, more interactively and like Erik is doing. Previously I've just sat for an hour with Metacreator and rolled ahead on full steam, and later posted wall-of-text character sheet and list of devices.

This time around I'll do the device designs on scratch paper and post my write ups here early on. I did this before with only a few of the devices, and mostly just threw around ideas for people to comment or post additional ideas to.

So, this magically boosted ship!
In the Anulus Connectens Covenant thread we brainstormed some ideas and I got into the design phase for Janus' devices, which should really be going on here.

First design is a device to repair damage on the hull and other wooden constructions, inspired by an effect in Ranulf of Flambeau's Talisman in MoH

Base individual for Herbam is ' a plant roughly a pace in each direction' but since this includes both twigs, leaves etc in addition to the tree trunk I think a volume of ½ a cubic pace of solid wood seems fair for T:Ind.

Would it be desirable to have the device be D:Conc and 'device maintains concentration''? It would save a magnitude, but is the flickering at dawn and dusk detrimental to the effect? I don't know, but 5th or 6th magnitude cost the same vis and Janus can easily achieve the necessary lab total. Plus he has been known to employ overkill parameters in devices.

132

The design is elegant, however I wonder if a Healing spell (it looks like such) can really regrowth thing from a dead plant ?

My understanding is that if you grow something without virtus, it needs to be alive. Magic will speed up the process (instant blooming of plant, livestock reaching maturity within a day and such). However, to create inert matter, you need virtus. Stone, wood, dead body, furs all require virtus to be permanent.

So the challenge is to create a ship made of living wood if you want to be able to fix damage using such spell.

133

It's based off of the effect "Shadow of Spring Times Departed" in MoH, page 115, I believe.

134

That is correct. So this might be one of the things from MoH which is not universally agreed on event though it has been playtested and published.

135

For the next device Janus may look at a weather ward against heavy weather. He already knows spells like this for Similar Spell bonus to lab total.

However this can be a tricky idea, because warding a ship against weather may defy the purpose óf sailing. Of course, one could simply magically create the wind needed to sail with, and if the ward only covers mundane weather effects then Robert is your father's brother.
Right now I can't understand why I had Janus invent a weather ward spell ReAu of Base 20 when the guidelines don't go above base 10 for "very severe".
Warding the ship I think I'll do with T:Ind with sufficient size modifiers - but how many? For a ward the target is the object or person protected, so it makes no sense to look at the definitions for Auram Individual...?
Using T:Structure seems silly since it shouldn't cover the mast, sail and rigging since Structure to me sounds like the entire hull and superstructure...unless the mast etc. is merely viewed as 'outside stuff on a building' like spire on a tower may???

My other ideas include:
*Cr(Re)Au to create and control wind, allowing change of force and direction. Base 2 sounds like enough since I don't want the 'gale force wind' for base 3 (or do I? is a gale good for sailing?) and add magnitudes for the ability to control direction and force, +2 mags total I think. Plus R:Sight for another +3 and D:Conc for +1 and +5 levels for Device keeps concentration, +uses per day...Probably no more than level 30 then.

*Ward against water, something like Cloak of Duck's feathers for the entire ship, so rain won't trickle down into the hold and leaks won't be a problem. Definitively not constant effect, I want the crew to be able to carry on board barrels of fresh water.

*Some way of turning salt water into fresh water...didn't we (relatively) recently have this discussion? How can this cat be skinned?

*Break the oncoming wave ReAq Base 5 according to ArM5 page 124. A device to activate when needed, to avoid large and dangerous waves.

*Clodless Sky Returned ArM5 page 128 PeAu30 or something like that. To use if a nasty weather phenomenon looms.

*Unravel the Fabric of Auram to remove magically created, nasty weather phenomena...or is Janus becoming paranoid? R:Sight and large enough to dispel magically created 'very severe weather'. Barring ritual spells these are at a maximum of level 50. A basic Unravelling at R:Sight stops spells of [level]+5+stress die. To be sure and not count on the die roll this needs to be a level 45 effect...I'll have to see if that is even possible...well, as lesser device, as invested it should be doable.

...I think maybe Janus needs to study a little Aquam, to get just a bit ahead of being merely grounded.

136

The function of the spell is to have the dead wood grow at the same speed as living wood. It isn't really a healing spell as such so the requirement for the target to be living doesn't really fit with the spells rationale, in fact it is completely contrary to the thought behind the spell.

Now this thinking may be problematic, but there are many examples of non-ritual spells making objects act in ways normally reserved for living creatures (dead things can move, they can speak).

The thought is not that the spell produces matter but the spell grants the wood the ability to once again grow as if it were living. The replacement material is then produced by the wood, not directly by the magic.

137

I have assumed that the mast and rigging is "inside" the Structure. Otherwise Keeping the Insides In, the Outsides Out makes it very hard for sailors to work the rigging/sails during travels.
I'm sorry I've failed being very explicit about that.

138

That would merely seem to be a but of a flexible interpretation for a Structure to allow practical use for ships as well as houses.
Never mind the sail being warded against heavy weather. Janus will build a device for wind to sail by anyway.

139

It was not so explicit in the initial spell design, but it is a creative, elegant and plausible mechanism. I like this spell. Maybe, as a indication that the spell is active, some tiny leaves sprout to decay as soon as the spell ends.

140

Seeing as 'change' is Janus' sigil then this seems a likely side effect of effects brought on by this effect. Great idea, thanks.