Ars Magica 5th Edition: Stealing the Future 4-8 players

Would you allow someone to have both a teacher and a student character?

Yes. That's the plan for everyone. Sorry if that wasn't clear.

Maybe coming up with some roles, core curricula for example for the teaching magus, as well as certain minimums on Arts, Abilities and even Attributes (having a positive Communication for example).

Some roles and/or Classes:
Hermetic Theory (teaches Magic Theory and eventually the Parma)
The Ars Hermetica (opens and advances the Arts)
Arts Application (spells)
Enchantment (lab work, specifically to enchant items)
Combat application (an elective? Or maybe not as the Tremere are heavily involved)
Certamen (elective probably)
Hermetic Society (Lore and Law, elective)
Tertiary Arts (Concentration, Finesse, Penetration, Parma, not an elective, but perhaps secondary?)

Things like that maybe.

Don't forget Latin and Artes Liberales for first years. I'd be willing to throw in a companion for that... the other question is do we model the classrooms as public labs that are elementary with a minor focus for a +3 teaching bonus?

The question is if the school teach more then the default number of Spells at all because at best you can teach is probably only Magnitude 1 or 2 spells as with group class you won't focus in deep on a single art pair.
Edit: And this formulaic spell teaching will probably only be in the last few years.

All I can say is it is best to reset preconceptions of how you think things are going to or should work.

I am seriously considering a House [strike]Slytherin[/strike] Tytalus teacher specializing in Defense Against the Dark Arts.

If a player didn't step up to do it it would be an NPC. :smiley:

Let's just consider it a done deal then. I have an idea but I need to fiddle around with the mechanics. I am also thinking he will be one of the Venatores, the demon hunters from RoP:I.

For a swan would this work as base Characteristics before I adjust them for the Heartbeast?
I used the rules in HoH:MC 39 Swan = Size -1; Mental = Bird Physical = Predatory Bird (Size -3) adjusted do to size
Size -1
Cun -1 Bird
Per +2 Bird
Pre -1 Bird
Com -2 Bird
Str -2 Predatory Bird -6 +4 from different size
Sta 0 Predatory Bird
Dex +1 Predatory Bird
Qik +4 Predatory Bird +6 -2 from different size

If anyone have official numbers on a swan then I happy use them instead.

Most if not all Mystery Houses introduce mysteries AFTER gauntlet so I do not see it as a problem. A House like Verditius would have a section in the school for teaching craft skills as it is important for their apprentices.

Mystery Houses are going to to be introduced in either the 4th or 5th year, with the exception of Bjornaer.
There is a Gathering of 12 years in 1275, but for future continuity and if the saga were to progress for many years, there will be students who are interested in becoming a Bjornaer that would graduate before being a Bjornaer. If the prospective Bjornaer candidate fails to initiate a heartbeast... Well, it's not something I have to worry about for a while.

We regret to inform you that the position of Professor for Defense Against the Dark Arts has been filled. We have a position as Potions Master, however.

Sincerely,
Elizabeth filia Ra'am scholae Bonisagi ab Héviz

:smiley:

I'm in. Or, at least, I'd like to be. Just reading through the...um...three pages of threads with my thoughts and ideas all dumped into this little stew pot of a post.

First thought was: can I 'port Fiona over? Maybe tweak her a little bit or maybe advance her so she's of an age with the other teachers? I'll try to leave the [strike]younger[/strike] students alone. :stuck_out_tongue:

This feels very Hogwarts-ish. Ironically, I'm rereading the Harry Potter series (Pottermore had the Kindle editions on sale a couple of weeks ago, so it was kinda like my birthday present to myself). Not that that's a bad thing mind, I'll just have to try to keep reminding myself that it's not the Potterverse.

Will you be having a House structure, or no?

The opening the Arts individually: if I remember correctly, that's how it was done in 4th edition.

Would I be correct in assuming that you'll be using Apprentices (including the bits about Turbulence)?

Can Fiona be the Potions Mistress?

I've not been paying a lot of attention to Hevitz for some reason. But if this is a "new" saga - how about Prometheus as a patron spirit/deity/whatever it is that they have to have?

Oh. And how many faculty and students total (pc & npc) do you expect to have at the school?

With silveroak and now Peregrine_Bjornaer posting, I'm taking that as interest in playing in this saga and have requested a forum be created.

Yeah, there's a lot to read here, and I haven't even put up everything since it's a recruitment thread.

Certainly!

It's not exactly planned, but I wasn't trying too hard to make it notHogwarts, either. I think, though, I'll have a bit more rigor in the names of classes, or at least that's the hope.

Like Gryffindor, Slytherin, etc? Wasn't thinking that way, but I'll be keeping the traditional Houses of the Order, yes, and apprentices will be able to choose the house as they progress through the school, if they/the player aren't decided at the beginning.

Yes, I will. Although, I am going to give Turbulent Prone magi a chance of having a positive experience, and it won't be always negative...

Héviz is in Transylvania, not Thebes, so as a covenant, it doesn't require a patron. However, if someone were to design a Tytanoi Tytalus and put her here, one wouldn't be surprised to see Prometheus put in an appearance.

Sorry, yes, I meant like Hogwarts. I don't think Durmstrang or Beauxbatons have a House system like Hogwarts (which, I think, is loosely based on systems in British public schools).

The main things I changed with Fiona was dropping Mentor, Secretive, Driven, and Difficult Longevity Ritual; and giving her Difficult Underlings and Lecherousness (as a Major Personality Flaw). I might do some minor shuffling of her points to make her a better teacher.

Any chance she can keep the Pegasaurus?

And will there be a wiki?

I thought I'd tease what the first year (really the second, when the first one teaches Latin and Artes Liberales, and a few other abilities) looks like and show how students will allocate the xp from their courses.

[tableborder][tr][td]Course[/td][td]Est XP[/td][td]Ability or Art[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Magia Theoria[/td][td]5[/td][td]Magic Theory, Compulsory[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]De Architectura[/td][td]5[/td][td]Corpus and Mentem[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Elementa[/td][td]5[/td][td]The four elemental forms[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Flora et Fauna[/td][td]5[/td][td]Animal and Herbam[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]History of the Order of Hermes[/td][td]5[/td][td]OoH, CoH, Magic, Faerie Lore[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Artes[/td][td]5[/td][td]Techniques[/td][/tr][/tableborder]

So, any student can drop a single class and add an advanced course on a preferred topic. In the first year, they can drop only one course and pick up one advanced course. In year and two and later this goes a bit further where there will be electives and two courses can be dropped. These are estimated XP, and these may be higher depending on what the instructors look like. I can be fairly certain that Magic Theory will be higher, based on the NPC instructor I have selected. Notably Vim is not taught in the first year, nor is Imaginem, but see below. It is possible that a vastly superior instructor in say Elementa teaches more than 5 xp over the term, and so several students decide to drop Flora et Fauna and double down on the extra XP, leaving only those dedicated to the Arts of Animal and Herbam interested. Students can also allocate any of the XP for classes as they wish. For example, the wannabe ignem specialist can double down on Elemental and put 5 xp from the basic and 5 xp from the advanced course into Ignem, for a total of 10xp or a score of 4.

There are also Extra Curricular activities, which will grant 15 XP. It may be that part of this is the creation of a Bellum intramural "sport" and this is where Imaginem is learned. Also, we'll do other abilities, combat abilities for magi interested in combat, a dueling club for finesse and concentration and the like. This is also where apprentices will pull their lab time for special projects, such as making polyjuice potion and the like, but it will come at the expense of some of those 15 experience points (probably 10).

Thinking of some concepts. Not sure on a teacher just yet, but I'm a bit partial to a Verditius maybe.

For an apprentice I'd like the idea of a Bjornaer with a Bird Heartbeast, and then strive down the road for an Inner Heartbeast that takes on a Phoenix like form (so Fire Anima).

The Mystery Houses do pose a unique challenge. Their membership in the endeavor probably comes with strict control over applicants to their Houses, the teaching to these students at the school is probably very limited to ensure that the secrets are not shared. I may even have orders from the Mystery Houses for teachers doing things that would be contrary to the school and/or the covenant they make when agreeing to teach at the school. Lots of room for interesting stories, here. The True Lineage houses are going to have some stringent tests for students wishing to be considered members of the House... And the Societates will also have requirements appropriate to their house, but we are getting ahead of ourselves a bit..

On the subject of "Houses" like Gryffendor and so on, one option would be "Nations." This is how students at real medieval universities divided themselves. So you might have the North (everyone from the north of England and Scotland) and the South (everyone from the south of England, Wales and Cornwall). Oxford only had two such Nations, but even two would provide opportunities for rival behavior on the sporting field, in taverns, and in class.

Jonathan, where should I brainstorm my background, Virtues, Flaws and so on. Here?

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