Do the Goetic Arts (Command, Ablation, Summoning, Binding) provide any bonuses to Magic Resistance against similar effects ie. "Form bonuses"?
Thanks,
Jarkman
Serf's parma, but I don't believe that they do
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Nope, though you can use Ablation, Binding, or Commanding to boost your Magic Resistance, by forcing the spirit to protect you or stealing some of its Might.
Doesn't that violate the principle that only Hermetic Magic is able to grant universal magic resistance or is it considered sufficiently limited (spirit in attendance, Might-derived resistance).
Hermetic magic is the only magic that can grant Magic Resistance. Faeries can't do it either. But the Infernal and the Divine both have the power to do that, and this is one of the reasons Ablating, Binding, and Commanding are always infernal powers. Some magical or faerie spirits might have the power to protect a person, and could perhaps be convinced to do so by summoning them and striking a bargain, but this would probably be closer to a ward against a particular material or Form rather than granting Magic Resistance.
There's also the Invisible to Magic virtue which is largely Magic Resistance by another name.
Perhaps a more accurate definition is that Hermetic magic, in the form of the Parma Magica or the Aegis of the Hearth, is the only magic aligned to the Magic (or Faerie in the case ) Realm that can grant "universal" Magic Resistance ie. MR vs any magical effect from any of the four Realms.
Hermetic wards, Form bonuses and other spells can grant MR vs specific Forms or vs magic from specific Realms.
Although as it stands, you can create a "Spirit Master", "Summoner" or sahir style character with Summoning as a Magic (or Faerie) Realm Power and Commanding as an Infernal Power. The character may even think that their Commanding ability is derived from the Realm their Summoning power is aligned to, but canon now implies that this style of coercion of any spirit to grant MR (outside of Hermetic magic or Divine Adjuration) is essentially an Infernally tainted act.
Sort of fits with the whole Harut and Marut origin of Summoning magic.
I like it.
In some ways I think I'm going to enjoy RoP:tI more than TMRE!
Jarkman
I'd overlooked this. It seems almost an exception to the "universal" MR rule or "(Unstated) Law of Universal Magic Resistance" that defines the Hermetic glass ceiling. I suspect this can be adapted to support various hedge traditions aligned with the Magic or Faerie Realms without being overpowering.
Whether it was intended as this I'm not sure - Erik?
I made an impassionate plea to the Line Editor last year to allow hedge traditions (non-Infernal, non-Divine) some form of "universal" MR which seemed largely ineffective - although to be fair David did provide extensive explanation and justification for the rulings.
I can see that at the price of True Faith, a little Infernal tainting (eg Commanding/Binding), a weaker "Hedgies Parma" (ie Invisible to Magic) or sacrifice to become a being Divine immortal with difficulty learning (eg Nephilim from RoP:tD) - hedge magicians with workable MR are achievable.
They'll still get themselves wiped by Hermetics though - even with a decent Penetration Ability, hedge mages have much less potential to achieve the high Penetration totals Hermetics are capable of and Hermetic magi have a much faster MR progression with their Parma plus Form bonus.
Seems fair.
Jarkman