ArM5: Frozen Castle of Cold Hearts (5-8)

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61

So, seeing all the overlap I keep having (yes, some may be OK), I thought a list of plans so far might help. Please, correct any errors or omissions.

Bitter - Tytalus (Titanoi) focusing in airy spirits
Callen -
Cannonball - Ex Miscellanea scholar and ceremonial caster, focusing in Terram
Jebrick - Merinita follower of Pedule
Kareruren - Verditius tailor with mostly Mentem
Ovarwa -
Pralix - Focusing in cold and having a cold heart
Wits - Intellego expert, speaking with anything

Oh, check it out. Interest from 8!

62

You're right.

I wouldn't say airy spirit is my focus, nor ghosts in that I don't see them as my goal (that would be Daimons but each requires a specific spells to be summoned and an adventure to get AC so that's really saga dependent... ) but as a young magus these are much easier to summon and get the things done with so that I'm at least a bit useful in adventures.

So if we look at the arts, we :
Bitter - Tytalus (Titanoi) focusing in airy spirits (Re Vi)
Callen -
Cannonball - Ex Miscellanea scholar and ceremonial caster, focusing in Terram (Cr; Re; Te; Vi looking at actual character sheet)
Jebrick - Merinita follower of Pedule (Im maybe Cr and Muto considering glamour mystery work with those 2 techniques)
Kareruren - Verditius tailor with mostly Mentem (Me)
Ovarwa -
Pralix - Focusing in cold and having a cold heart (Pe, Ig)
Wits - Intellego expert, speaking with anything (In + elemental forms ? (Aq,Ig,Au,He) considering the minor focus I'm making speculation here...)

So If I'm right there's not a lot of love for Co and An (not surprising for the later) otherwise every art is represented at least once.

Re2 Cr2 Vi2 Te2 ? Mu1 Pe1 In1 Im1 Me1 He1? Ig2? Au1? Aq1? Co0? An*0?

63

Mu5
In1
Re2
Pe5

Men 8(11)
Im. 5
Co 5

Ill throw up a full sheet in a bit

64

Pretty much, yeah. I'm trying to make a conscious split between Frederika's natural, magical heritage (some sort of earth spirit connection?). And how her training shaped the maga she became: her focus on attaining, sharing, and leveraging knowledge.

65

Canonball, I looked at what you posted. I'm away from my books, but a couple things look like they need comments:

  1. You wrote Terram 20, which is unclear. We usually write "#+3" when there is Puissant Art. Is that 17+3 or 20+3, i.e. does the 20 include the +3 or not. It is important to distinguish between them when it comes to instruction and learning.

  2. Partly unclear due to the above, but it looks like either way you spent some experience on apprenticeship stuff from non-apprenticeship points.

  3. I'm not so sure about your Major Virtue for Ex Miscellanea. First, you'd have to run the non-normal Virtue by the SG. Normally you'd have a Major non-Hermetic Supernatural Virtue. Second, I don't know how you'd pull that all off by age 25. I'm pretty sure being a doctor requires time. Apprenticeship is usually considered after everything you've dealt with to get there. So I would expect a minimum age of 15 more than the amount being a doctor requires. Third, as Jonathan Link mentioned, how would you keep your doctor position while going through apprenticeship, when you really have no time to determine yourself. This last one could be handled by becoming a doctor after apprenticeship, but we're supposedly right out of gauntlet so that won't work as a bypass.

66

I'll make a note to improve the layout when I post up the character properly: including an XP breakdown. I have the character made up in Chaomancer's Excel generator(http://www.chaomancer.net/blog/?p=304) so that won't be much of a hassle.

I'll probably end up dropping the Doctor down to Magister in Arbitus because it suits the concept better (drop the third knowledge, put the spare points into teaching - it'd make for a leaner build). The Ex Misc tradition I'm trying to build up is very scholarship focused; seeking to understand the world. If I'm honest, I'm taking the virtue (either Doctor or Magister) for the XP because I don't see another good way to make a very educated character mechanically. In setting, it's not critical that Frederika attends an establishment of higher education - only that she's learned. Which could be done by personal tutor at her previous covenant for example. That would necessitate dropping the Academic Reputation, but I don't mind doing that, and it would probably make sense to do so (I was just wary of dropping it straight up as doing that would technically be a houserule).

67

Yes, that sounds right. I'm debating what I can do around Corpus or Animal. I was thinking about trying to work the Flambeau concept around Animal (Schools of Sebastian). The necromancer hit Corpus pretty well and would be good at healing, as long as there wouldn't be too much overlap with your maga. But I'm also worried I may overlap some other characters of my own too much and am trying to avoid that. I'm going to definitely keep the Corpus/Animal stuff in mind though. Something will click soon.

68

Bjornaer is a nice fit If you're into it, I also had a character based on self transformation that used Co and An quite a lot, just from the top of my mind.

69

Or a Tytalus Leper Magus. They are generally Corpus monsters.

70

Tentative character sheet

Magus: Shirin Bint Tabestan
Birthname: Vashti Bint Amr

Sta: 2
Int: 3
Pre: 1
Qui: -2

Meticulous: +2
Stubborn: +1
Independant:+1

Virtues

Pussiant Craft (minor)
Inventive Genius (minor)
Personal Vis Source-Vim (Minor) [Gathered from her sweat]

Puissant Magic Theory (Minor)
Book Learner (minor)
Cyclic Magic- Fall/Winter (minor)

Pussiant Mentem (minor)

Strong Faerie Blood-Dwarf (Major) [I will switch it to a proper jinn fae when i have a proper title for it]

Verditus Magic *

Flaws

Diabolic Past (Major)
Driven-Become Primus (Major)
Deficient Technique-Intelligo (Major)
Primogeniture Lineage- (minor)

Social childhood

Charm 2 [Being Witty]
Folk ken 2 [Opposite Sex]
Guile 3 [Authority Figures]
Parsi 5 [Formal Speech]
Awareness 2 [Alterness]
Stealth 2 [Sneak]

Later Life (2 years)

15xp Awareness
15xp Stealth

magi life

Artres liberales 1 [Astronomy]
latin 4 [Hermetic Use]
magic theory 3 (5)[Crafting]
parma magica 1 [Ignem]
Craft Tailor 4 (7)[Embroidery]
Philosophae 3 [Metaphysics]
Order Lore 1 [Politics]
Verditus Lore 1 [Initiations]
Art of Memory 1 [Mind Palace]
Finesse 1 [Precison]
Secondary Sight 1 [Fae]
Fairie Lore 1 [Jinn]
Infernal Lore 1 [Demons]

Skilled Parens 60

35 craft
15 Philosophae
5 Order Lore
5 Code of hermes
5 Faerie Lore
5 Infernal Lore
5 Art of Memory
5 Finesse

Creo 0
Muto 5
Intelligo 1
Rego 2
Perdo 5

Mentem 8 (11)
Imaginem 5
Corpus 5

Spells 150 (tech/form+11)

Memory of a Distant Dream CrMe 15 Eye, Sun, Ind
Recollection of Memories Never quite lives MuMe 4 Eye, Sun, Ind
Trust of Child Like Faith PeMe 10 Eye, Diam, Ind
Loss of but a moments memory PeMe 15 Eye, Mom, Ind
Calm the Motion of the Heart Peme 15 Voice, Mom, Ind
Blessing of Childlike Bliss PeMe 25 Eye, Sun, Ind
The call to Slumber ReMe 10 Voice, Mom, Ind
Aura of Rightful Authority ReMe 20 Eye, Sun, Ind

Tastes of the Spices and Herbs MuIm 5 Touch, Sun, Ind
Aura of Enobled Presence MuIm 10 Touch, Sun, Ind
Wizards Sidestep ReIm 10 Per, Sun, Ind
Dispel the Phantom Image PeIm 1 Voice, Mom, Ind

The Wound That Weeps PeCo 15 Voice, Mom, Ind

71

Ice is Aq

72

Is creating, say, a sword of ice CreoAq, CreoAq / a Rego requisite or RegoAq with a Creo requisite? The core book didn't feel entirely clear on that front. I mean, I would assume CreoAq but I'm not sure.

73

ice is an odd tenuous spot, its able to be done both with aquam and with perdo ignem. Its a wierd medieval thing, and how bonisagus sorta half assed weathery type magic.

74

You can make not cold ice with ReAq. I am guessing that you would need a CrAq(Re) to just make it

75

Ah, so that leaves Ignem more open, too.

So, I'm working on a few ideas in addition to the older ones (haven't thrown anything out yet), not sure which will work out best. I ran into a couple questions/issues I should run by people:

  1. Keeping with Flambeau with Ignem open. Would "magical fire" (not natural fire, nor Faerie/Infernal/Divine fire) be tight enough for a Minor Magical Focus? Ignem does have the issue of covering so little compared to the other elements that things get too broad so much more quickly than with Terram, for example. Second question to go with the first: how are elementals as familiars? I know plants are mentioned (in HoH:MC), though rare, and I've heard others (not in the books) mention elementals. Would that require research or be possible generally?

  2. Bjornaer. There is the issue that had some good background worked out that was somewhat independent of House, though it might not work as well with Bjornaer. Still, that had me heading toward the Madres and Matrones. I'm not sure about a Bjornaer who still does Bjornaer stuff being active in another Mystery Cult.

76

I personally wouldn't allow fire for a minor focus, because its not like you cn magically create non magical fire for instance...and fire is more than 2/3rds of ignem...but that's me.

77

Concerning Arts speculation: Because my concept is fairly flexible with respect to Arts, I'm looking at what you guys take and taking at least something in what you don't seem to be getting. But yeah, Intellego is a given, probably Auram as well; other than that, I'm not sure yet.

Edit: Magical fire seems to me to be too broad, as well. Would have to be more like a specific way of manipulating fire or somesuch.

78

That's what I figured with "magical fire." That's what I like with the others. I can do things like choose "iron" or "silver" or "gold" etc. for Terram. For Ignem the minors seem to be only "cold" or "shadow/darkness," and even those aren't quite comparable.

79

Ignem is also light isn't it? So Muto Ignem may be able to do some weird, and fanciful stuff with a minor focus in transforming light.

80

Yes, light, too. But you get into the same thing, as you can see from your post. You didn't just write "light," but "transforming light." With Terram you could select "silver," with Animal you could select "canines," with Mentem you could select "fear," etc. In all these cases you could create, destroy, move, transform, etc. your chosen thing. There is really nothing in Ignem because the scope of Ignem is so small that it skews the relative sizes when you compare them to the size of the Form.