Andreva is developing spells to make a rock quarry. Does that work with everyone else? Does anyone want to contribute? Can we use the redcap network to find buyers or will it involve hiring covenfolk?
That certainly works for Bausas - as long as he doesn't have to work there (Clumsy Magic).
Are there other people involved? (Workers, etc). At the moment, I don't think Bausas will involve himself, unless asked.
In terms of finding buyers - my character will be building a small fleet, so will hire people to crew a ship and start trading so I should have that covered.
In terms of money - I'm torn between developing wine-based Aquam (as Aquam works well for a nautical character) or also doing a bit of Terram.
I just looked that up and saw that at least wikipedia talks about a period trade in wine being shipped long distances as all christian 's needed it for communion but not all places grew grapes. I was initially skeptical because I had previously understood that medieval wine was a much more transient thing than modern wine that typically wasn't bottled and allowed to rest for years but instead consumed when "ready" from casks.
Terram is of course exceedingly useful for making a profit. Please look at Andreva's spells, although it could make sense either to do something quite different so the characters aren't repeating effort or do something very similar so that they can exchange lab texts, finesse tractatus and the like, if you are looking at developing things post apprenticeship it doesn't make as much sense to develop the characters without reference to one another.
I'll push ahead with the quarry spells. It strikes me as unlikely that you'd want to fill ships full of stone, I could be wrong but I imagine that the amount of stone required to reach a profit might be larger than the amount required to sink the ship. Three minutes of Google haven't enlightened me on the answer. Are river boats are an option?
Janus made 3 devices - as the first actions post Gauntlet - related to this, to use in constructing the covenant buildings: Stonecutting Knife from Covenants to cut out blocks of stone. Glove of Lifting which can move the blocks around. Plus Chisel of Mallaeble Stone which can meld together the blocks once they are in place. All with unlimited uses per day. I assume one or more workers trained in Finesse helps proper stonemasons with the project.
Is this any help?
I see a great synergy with the Redcaps being used to help selling the goods. I think a device temporarily lessening the weight of the stone blocks as useful for easier transport by wagons...But if Janus needs to do this it won't be within the first 15 years since he is about done here.
I remember being caught out by the Finesse in The Stonecutting knife, as Finesse is an arcane ability. I think that knife is the only example of an item using finesse. I'll try and find the post where someone pointed this out to me...
Bob
[Edit] It was here:
[url]https://forum.atlas-games.com/t/finesse-rolls/9218/8], on a general discussion on finesse. i'm still not sure if a grog ussing the knife could get exposure XP in finesse without having some teaching to 'kick-start' the process.
Bob
The Stonecutting Knife may very well be the only example of a device using Finesse, however the process it employs is essentially Craft Magic of which Covenants has several examples of spells using.
I agree that initial training in Finesse is not only a good idea maybe even necessary. After the initial annoyance one may have because of the 3 higher EF needed for Craft magic when compared to mundane work one needs to remember that said grog trained in Finesse can now use many different devices in order to magically do mundane work in less time.
I have plans for Janus to shift some of his focus towards Craft magic with animal products...More to come as Janus is advanced to +30 years!
Oh wow, yes it is helpful. Did you see the spells that Andreva made at the end of page 2 and beginning of page 3? https://forum.atlas-games.com/t/the-break-room/102/1
They do similar things. With your tools and some trained masons he whole operation becomes much more believable than Andreva coming down to the quarry one saturday every month and casting a few hundred spells and then....something magically turns the stones into money. This way we have a staff and they can work, in fact even work with supernatural efficiency, even in her absence.
Andreva could craft a lesser enchanted device for transport. She has some un-dedicated seasons left in her first 15 year period.
I looked at creating a device to shrink the stone blocks but that turned out to be just a bit much for a lesser device. Andreva could pull it off but not with enough uses per day to be worthwhile, (Ok she could go triple overtime plus experimentation or some such scheme and get exactly what I imagine the merchants would desire but that hardly qualifies as living a beautiful life - living beautiful life being a part of the Jerbiton philosophy that she buys in to.)
She will however make a device that takes large loads of stone and gives them the density of wood so they'll be easier to move and, if necessary, they'll float. I think that that would be sufficient to give our stone industry life.
Since it's a non-violent purpose (as far as he cn tell anyway), Bausas might be persuadable to assist her in the lab, if +8 makes a difference.
We'll see how the rest of the 15 year period shakes out. At the moment I'm thinking that I've already written up the item that lightens the rocks so I'll keep it. I don't think that we'll need them both. I've left four seasons for Andreva only tentatively scheduled so it might be something possible, but Andrevea is going to put her primary lobbying effort behind some sort of an arrangement where Bausas makes her a longevity ritual. She wants to secure that first even if it takes several seasons of her time.
Also I haven't really seen what the other characters are up to I want her to have a few seasons open to support their work. Andreva is already making use of Janus' masonry items and covenant environment magics and very possibly Darkwing's character's ships. Granted, creating money for the covenant is a goal for all of the characters, but at the moment I see more of the benefit flowing to Andreva than from her.
We haven't seen Darkwing's character yet but it occurs to me that as of yet no one knows Aegis of the Hearth. I can imagine getting by with a casting tablet for now but I'd rather see someone learn it. Andreva is strong with Rego but week with vim during the first 15 year period. I could set her towards being a formidable caster of the spell during the next 15 years or is rego vim more of some one else's thing?
I was thinking about that a few days ago as well.
Bausas will be decent at Vim and not horrible at Rego, but is really more Cr/Co focussed.
Janus finds Rego useful and may study it more. Vim is unlikely to progress much more.
My character will have Rego as it is essential to a lot of the spells he wants to cast. Vim is of minimal importance. I can take it as a starting spell, so maybe I do it for the first 15 years and someone takes over later?
My character should be ready tomorrow, I am now free over Christmas.
Doable. After the first 15 years, Bausas should have penetration around 8-9 + dice roll I think. Sufficient for everyone?
Or do I need to focus more or Vim first?
I'm willing to have Andreva pick it at some point in years 16-30 as well.
I'm thinking of 12 rego, 7 vim, 2 penetration, artes liberales 2, philosophae 4 (with specialization), and 2 levels of spell mastery including penetration mastery would be doable by year 30 without too much trouble. How does that compare to your plan?
Tellus and I have a tendency to emphasize the point 'Aegis must Penetrate' so we often use the MuVi "Day of Communion" (a D:Sun Wizard's Communion") to cast the Aegis together.
Janus has not bothered inventing the 'communion but in year 16-30 he could easily do so.
How big Communion and Aegis are we talking about?
I was planning on getting the ReVi scores anyway, no lower than 9 (each) after the first 15 years. With penetration (Vim) 3 and AL & Philosophiae of 2 each (no relevant specialties), that gives me a penetration of 9 before the diceroll around year 13. It will go higher, but more slowly after that I suspect. I don't see a problem with more of us having it as a known spell.
Beautiful. Mind if I ask what the other mastery is? I've always had trouble finding interesting masteries for Rituals.
I was thinking of multi casting or fast casting... but only for humor. I was planning on adaptive casting, it is for general level spells where you can use your spell masteries for one version of the spell with any version. But now looking it up I see that it is cult of mercury only I don't know if I can justify it. Perhaps imperturbable.