Blast!
Why then, did my maga waste her time pushing for 10 in Herbam! Definitions of score vs. totals! Well, the good answer is that she was actually glad she did do it, because she made quite a few herbam based smallish enchantments on her wooden staff talisman.
So, in essence, having a Deficient Art yourself, has no effect on your apprentice. Unless - which happens whether or not you have a Deficiency - your Score is lower than 5, when opening the Arts. Hmmm.
Isn't cannon ical anymore that Bjornaer's apprentices tended to be deficient in ignem because Bjornaer herself was? That would seem to imply that is not that easy to get rid of deficiencies....
Xavi
Nope, this isn't canonical any more. The idea sprang, in my belief, from a concept of House Bjornaer as primitive savages and half-animals who hadn't yet mastered fire. This doesn't seem to fit with an individual who receives more education than the average university postgraduate!
Mark
There is no such rule in the corebook Bjornaers' must have any deficiency.
WorstLudditeEver:
I think nobody spend time to teach more but let the apprentice to read books.
Yan:
Teach him knowledge first. Does he know Latin? Read and write? Etiquette?
During this time his future parens can learn the Arts needed.
I think the requirements are not so hard to skip the rule.
But remember, your Apprentice isn't officially yours until you Open the Arts. And then you must teach him 1 season per year in 15 years. I think it is only natural to start out teaching the kid latin, rading/writing and other important but non-magical abilities. Or having some other teacher do it. This time can be used to get to know the kid, and find out how and what to teach him/her. But remember that any other magus might come round and snatch him for his own. Once you start the clock in those 15 years of training, only Bonisagi can do this.
Somebody snatching a kid that you are training in or near your covenant. You were teaching him latin, magic theory and more of those things he doesn't need to be opened for. (or let somebody else teach him that)
This case is technically legal, but surely not socially accepted. IMO many magi would not like to see such behaviour become common practice. So I think you'll at least have a good ground to duel the 'kid snatcher' in Certamen. If you're confident you can even push for wizards war.
So it is a risk, but unless you have enemies this snatching behaviour wont be common.
Serf's parma: I believe the dislike for this behaviour is even mentioned in the book somewhere.
Getting all my arts to 5 (including a deficient Mentem) was a nice drive for my Magus. It also shows that Magi with apprentices are somewhat accomplished, that's why it's a status symbol (at least among Bonisagi).
Paris Sophia:
I would wonder if this would be the general attitude. I accept your parma.
I could just snatch an apprentice that was already opened, so it will not be deficient (Trianoma, I am deficient in all the elements), but that would just be unfair now wouldn't it?
Makes perfect sense to me that quite a few Bonisagi would prefer to always snatch apprentices rather than go looking for them and spend time away from their labs...
As for Trianoma, hey, more important plots to weave and politics to make than go around looking for weird kids right?
You can snatch any apprentice. The magus will be angry surely but he cannot do anything officially. You can also buy or get apprentices as a gift from sodales.
If your magus has 5 in the elements your apprentice will not get deficiencies. Btw nobody would notice or investigate the deficiancy was picked because of the master or the apprentice or simply the fact having a deficiency. But a Bonisagus magus should be proud enough to form a flawless gift.
I would never train a flawed magus, that is beneath me, the question is, will I take someone elses opened apprentice to start sooner and weaken the other houses' grip on my tribunal, or will I go through the hassle of training myself to better be able to train apprentices first? I think the latter, but if I run into a magus I do not like, I might just take their apprentice, as a sort of de facto punishment for them giving me grief. (this is my train of thought, you might wish to jump off before it crashes into its final destination) I am no Quasitor, and as such have no official power, but if I do not like them, they are not fit to further their line and should therefore be stopped. I am, after all, the way the magi of the future should become, and have every right to make the future as bright as possible.
(can anyone spot my personality flaw?)
Overly modest?
Insecure?
OOOHH, oooohhh, pick me, pick me!
Your flaw is compassionate (major), for surely you have an undying compassion with those poor misplaced apprentices.
You're secretly a member of House Tremere who has used Mentem magic to make everyone think you're of Bonisagus to mold the Order into a form fit for the glory it rightfully deserves?
You are a diedne in disguise. Rather obvious, actually. Weird way of thought bound on crashing course. Yes, a diedne for sure.
Or a newt.
Cheers,
Xavi
Finding an apprentice can take a while - if played by the rules, which is of course not as good as a real story - but helpful if you try to create a senior magus.
The average mage has perception +0, so getting a result of 12+ (as in ArM5, p. 106) is difficult. Even if you devote 7 seasons to your search, there is a 47,8% chance that no apprentice is found. And it takes ages to find an apprentice with Int+2 and St+2.
So it is only natural to think of using MAGIC. Now, the Quaesitores don't like scrying, so I suggest a spell that only looks for gifted children. Tough to cast in a big city (with many children), but better than spending ages looking.
See the gifted Child InCo(Vi)25
B4, +1Conc, +3 Sight, +1 Requisite effect
Allows a maga to concentrate and then intuitively know if anyone she sees is a gifted child. Usually cast from a point that overlooks a market place or a busy bridge.
Is that spell fair?