Ars Magica 5th Edition: The Black Sheep [3-6 players] (FULL)

Trogdor · February 22, 2016, 6:09pm

Or maybe he really did commit it.

Arthur · February 22, 2016, 6:24pm

Preposterous! A proud descendant of Apromor would never do such a thing!

(Of course, it depends on what the crime was. He might have gotten trapped into doing it to avoid an even worse situation for the Order, his lineage or his apprentice.)

Koschei · February 22, 2016, 6:56pm

I don't think most Flambeau find it too difficult to anger the order, perhaps you had a little perdo accident?

But you are more than welcome. Really glad at the level of interest that has been shown in this.

I will go over the spells posted when I have a moment, I am sure they are all fine but I ought to check.

Arthur · February 22, 2016, 7:20pm

Will work on detailing the character.

Koschei, what is your [strike]few[/strike] view of an Affinity with Spell Mastery? Is this something that you would allow to cover the mastery of all spells?

Koschei · February 22, 2016, 7:31pm

That is an interesting question, I think I am okay with that, but I will get back to you with a confirmation. I'd say that you can't combine it with flawless magic (I know you did not ask to do so).

Trogdor · February 22, 2016, 7:37pm

What is your interpretation on Puissant Craft? Does it apply to a single Craft skill or does it apply to all Craft skills. I've seen different sagas interpret that VIrtue differently and wanted to see where this one fell.

Koschei · February 22, 2016, 7:51pm

Judging by the sample Verditius character it is for individual crafts. However I think that is a little harsh, judging for the versatility of other minor virtues I am going to say it applies to all craft. It is hardly game breaking that you might get a +3 to glass blowing and scrimshaw! Yep, it applies to all craft.

Arthur · February 22, 2016, 8:40pm

Indeed, this is more as a minor version of Flawless Magic than anything intended to stack over it.

After all, if you decompose Flawless Magic, it is essentially a double-strength Affinity (giving +100% instead of +50%), with a slightly boosted version of Mastered Spells (providing 5 xp for free on each spell learned instead of a one-time 50 xp allotment).

ironboundtome · February 22, 2016, 8:44pm

I like the interpretation of Puissant to say it applies to all similar groupings of crafts or related crafts. Eg all Smithing

Pralix · February 23, 2016, 3:10pm

Personal problems have jumped me out of nowhere, so I won't be able to play in this after all, which is extremely frustrating.
I'm only "glad" this happened before the start of the game. I apologize.

Trogdor · February 23, 2016, 3:53pm

Sorry to hear that Pralix.

I'm looking at an apprentice who was groomed to be a tool by his parens, possibly even controlled by Mentem magic through his apprenticeship. The ideas I've had are:

A Gentle-Gifted mentem specialist trained to infiltrate and spy
A magus with a teleportation focus groomed to be the perfect thief
A lab magus used simply to assist in the lab and perform useful lab activities.

Arthur · February 23, 2016, 7:20pm

Koschei, if you decide that an affinity for spell mastery that applies to all spells is too strong, a possible compromise might be to have it apply only to some spells. In the case of this character, applying it only to Perdo spells would certainly be enough for me.

Though over the short term (which is often what applies the most to most of the PbP sagas I've seen), the virtue Mastered Spells would probably provide higher benefits to the character. So I may end up going with that.

Koschei · February 23, 2016, 7:52pm

Oh that is a shame, I am really sorry to hear that. It was you that lit the spark of inspiration for me to do this. I hope you are okay, thanks for letting me know, and if circumstances improve then let me know okay. Take care.

Koschei · February 23, 2016, 7:56pm

I like all those ideas, I have always been intrigued by the idea of badly treated apprentice who is treated as a tool, and not a true student or an heir.

Koschei · February 23, 2016, 7:59pm

Sorry for my indecision, I am prepared to accept that. Affinity for Spell mastery applies to a single art. I think that is reasonable.

JonathanD · February 23, 2016, 9:28pm

I am interested if the game is still open. No idea as to character just yet.

Koschei · February 24, 2016, 7:54am

We are still open, welcome to the game.

(UPDATE: With the loss of Pralix and the addition of Jonathan we are at 4 players).

ironboundtome · February 24, 2016, 10:39am

the random companion switching idea has me enchanted and perplexed. I'm pondering a few concepts.

Are the players allowed to organise what flavour our companions are, to avoid overlap, or do you wish it hidden until they are introduced and randomly switched?

Koschei · February 24, 2016, 2:51pm

If it is more perplexed than enchanted, and the others agree, I'd be happy to change my mind. But I thought it was an amusing idea, essentially each companion is essentially a friend/loyal servant of the Magus they are assigned to, and that yes they are made it secret and switched. I thought it would be nice idea and might generate a rich and amusing bunch of miscreants. Each player having license to play a bit of a joke on each other through weird flaws and backgrounds, but also presumably creating companions that were interesting to play.

I'd reserve the right to tweak the characters slightly, so for instance it would need to be the case that Magus and companion had a shared language at least.

To me it suited the overall theme of the saga. But I am willing to be flexible.

Arthur · February 24, 2016, 2:59pm

I must admit that I often less than enthusiastic when it comes to companions, so the idea of playing a character created by someone else isn't adding much appeal to it. I'd rather work for another player at building a companion that works well with for his magus, but I am willing to give it a shot if you insist on it. 8)

Worked on a short background for my magus:

Rainaut was born in a village near the town of Turenne in Aquitaine. His father was the village’s carpenter, but Rainaut inherited the golden skin and lustrous dark hair of his Spanish mother Elvira, whom his father had met during a pilgrimage to Santiago in his youth. He had two younger brothers and a sister.

Rainaut’s childhood came to a crashing end when he was still only eleven. That winter, sickness came to him, sending him into a delirious fever. Soon after, others in the village became sick, including his parents and siblings. When the lord of Turenne’s men came to investigate two weeks later, they found everyone dead but Rainaut. They looked at him with suspicion, thinking that perhaps the boy had been touched by the devil.

Word of the tragedy and its lone survivor came to a magus of the Order, who soon established that the boy had the Gift. Thus did he become the apprentice of Traianus of House Flambeau in Provence. In addition to being in the school of Apromor, Traianus was a believer in leadership, loyalty and discipline, instilling those precepts to the young Rainaut.

Unfortunately, those teachings could not prepare the forthright Rainaut for treachery. Shortly before Rainaut’s Gauntlet, the young man was implicated in a plot that proved to be the downfall of his master. The plot resulted in the death of a Mercere magus by Rainaut’s hand, but since he was still an apprentice it was Traianus who suffered the consequences and was Marched. Seeing this result coming, the Flambeau master gave his apprentice to a fellow member before being brought before the Tribunal.

After succeeding at his Gauntlet, Rainaut took the name Hadrianus. However, the stain of his involvement in the death of two magi still follows him.