Here's a first draft of my character, along with a revised history:
Arion ex Bonisagus, Filia Occultes
Characteristics: Int +3, Per +1, Pre 2, Com 0, Str 0, Sta +2, Dex 0, Qik 0 Size: 0 Age: 25 (25) Height: 5'10" Weight: 164 lbs Gender: Male Decrepitude: 0 Warping Score: 0 (0) Confidence: 1 (3)
Virtues and Flaws: Affinity with Rego, Book Learner (Book Quality: +3), Flexible Formulaic Magic, The Gift, Hermetic Magus, Minor Magical Focus (teleportation), Personal Vis Source (Rego) [Location], Puissant Magic Theory, Puissant Rego, Quiet Magic (Spellcasting Penalty: None for soft voice, 5 if not speaking), Skilled Parens, Ability Block (Martial), Diabolic Past, Hermetic Infamy, Driven (to prove himself worthy of House Bonisagus), Flawed Parma Magica (Mentem), Seeker, Uncertain Faith
Abilities: Artes Liberales 1 (ritual magic), Athletics 2 (contortions), Awareness 3 (alertness), Brawl 2 (Dodge), Charm 1 (magi), Code of Hermes 1 (wizards' marches), Concentration 2 (spell concentration), Low German 5 (expansive vocabulary), Finesse 2 (precision), Folk Ken 1 (magi), Profession: Scribe 1 (copying), Profession: Thief 1 (second story jobs), Latin 4 (hermetic usage), Magic Lore 1 (creatures), Leadership 1 (laboratory work), Intrigue 1 (gossip), Magic Theory 3+2 (inventing spells), Parma Magica 1 (Mentem), Philosophiae 1 (ritual magic), Stealth 2 (sneak)
Arts: Cr 3, In 0, Mu 2, Pe 7, Re 12+3, An 6, Aq 0, Au 0, Co 8, He 2, Ig 0, Im 5, Me 0, Te 5, Vi 1
Spells Known:
Candle Without Flame (CrIg 4) +5
Close Silence of the Smothered Sound (PeIm 15) +14
Eyes of the Cat (MuCo(An) 5) +10
Key of Theodorus (ReTe 5) +22
The Leap of Homecoming (ReCo 35) +33
Personal Unravelling the Fabric of Imaginem (PeVi 1) +10
Personal Veil of Invisibility (PeIm 15) +14
Prying Eyes (InIm 5) +7
Touch of Midas (CrTe 20) +14
Unseen Arm (ReTe 5) +22
Wings of Daedalus (ReCo 25) +25
Wizard's Leap (ReCo(An) 15) +29
Candle Without Flame: same as Lamp Without Flame only for candlelight
Key of Theodorus: from City & Guild (opens locks)
Close Silence of the Smothered Sound: a Touch version of Silence of the Smothered Sound
Personal Unravelling the Fabric of Imaginem: a Personal version of the Unravelling the Fabric of Imaginem
Personal Veil of Invisibility: a Personal version of Veil of Invisibility
Wizard's Leap: from HoH:S (50-pace teleportation spell)
Wings of Daedalus ReCo 25
R: Per, D: Sun, T: Ind
This spell allows the caster to fly in any direction at a fast speed (that of a running horse). Fancy maneuvers require a Finesse check.
(Base 15, +2 Sun)
I might swap the Rego source for a Corpus source for reasons given by Arthur. But I'd like to wait until I hear back on my question about vis sources.
Ironboundtime Zharkune/Zhar, excellent name, great background!
As was pointed out parma blocks the negative effects of the gift, so other Magi ordinarily treat you the same.
I can see why it might seem like a grey area, but I am happy to say that creo corpus to create a corpse is within the bounds of necromancy and so therefore your magical focus.
Also I think it reasonable for the magical focus to add to starting spell total.
Jonathan is right, and the penny should have dropped earlier, a red cap is awkward to justify. You don't have a covenant yet, and likely the only redcap willing to join you would be a disgraced one, and probably unable to perform his duties given how much trust it requires. By all means take the same ideas and create someone useful as a spy/information gatherer/messenger etc etc.
Arthur raises a good point, in the past people I have played with have treated a personal vis source as producing 4 pawns a year, irrespective of whether or not it is a form or technique. I will increase the flow for a form, so yes a corpus source would produce more than a rego.
Jonathan I am cool with the idea that your new ex-misc parens was able to alter your magical nature. It does conflict with what is implied in the apprentice book, but I've always considered that to be harsh. The idea that your great, great, great, great whatever was a fae, and your new master found the tiniest drop of fae blood in you and ripped it to the service is actually quite a neat idea in my opinion.
Liking the look of the character will look over it in more detail in a bit though.
i thought the PeVi effect to cancel illusions needs to be at least touch to affect your own active spells? Touch for yours or voice for others, or is that only Muto Vim?
Magic Theory seems a bit on the low side for a Bonisagus.
Warning, the guidelines for Unravelling the Fabric of [Form] tend to break down when you reduce the range to Personal. The guidelines don't specifically forbid it, but... You end up with a lvl 1 spell that can dispell a spell which level is (21 + stress die). First, it is worth questionning whether you can affect a spell (cast on you) at R:Pers, as ironboundtome mentions. Second, lowering the Base effect to level 1 may be questionable considering the large bonus that the guideline adds to it. This is certainly worth a close look by the storyguide. I'm not saying it's not valid, just that it should be looked at because it is pushing the guidelines to an extreme.
Touch of Midas is a ritual. It might be worth mentioning it.
Wings of Daedalus may need a decision by the storyguide as to whether he allows fast flight by way of ReCo alone. The 'traditional' flight spell, Wings of the Soaring Winds, is much more constraining. The Base 15 ReCo guideline says "quickly" but doesn't define how fast that is. So the storyguide gets to decide whether this means that the spedd is "that of a running horse" (which is about 40 km/h), faster or slower.
It doesn't specifically say anything for PerVi spells. But it's clear about MuVi spells. I guess the trick is that you're not casting the spell on the target of the spell (i.e., you), you're casting it on the spell itself. In that case, it seems as if you would be right and I'd have to have at least Touch range to cancel a spell on myself. I'll adjust the spells accordingly.
I'll have to up it to at least level 5 Touch, which doesn't seem quite as broken. It allows a level 15+SD spell on only yourself to be dispelled, as compared to a 5+SD on anyone.
I understand that. We'll need to get some vis to cast it. But it seemed like just the spell that a greedy pater might force his apprentice to learn.
I based the spell on Rise of the Feathery Body, which is base 4 (Move a target slowly straight up, or in one direction over surfaces that cannot support it), and simply upped it up three magnitudes to base 15 (Move a target quickly in any direction you please). For those three magnitudes you get to move quickly in any direction. Seems straightforward to me. (I acknowledge that "quickly" is an inherently indefinite term. But the rules seem to equate that with a fast horse. Obviously if the SG wants to make it slower, I understand.)
The fact that there is another spell that results in moving in the air seems largely irrelevant to me. One is a ReCo spell, the other is a Cr(Re)Au spell. They use different spell guidelines. There are plenty of spells that accomplish the same thing using different Forms. (Consider all the spells that do damage.) Using ReCo you are directly moving a body, while using Cr(Re)Au you are using winds to move the body. Maybe the ReCo spell is more efficient, but tell that to an Auram magus with a high Au and no Co to speak of. An alternate to the flight spell might be a ReHe spell that moves a wooden coracle (or a broom) that you sit on to fly, or a ReTe spell to move a piece of earth that you stand on. Each Form must use its own guidelines, and some may not be as efficient as others. But that's totally beside the point. There are effects you can achieve better with one Form than with another. That's just the way of things.
As I see it, when interpreting a spell you want to look at what the guidelines for that TeFo say, not what the guidelines for another TeFo say.
Base 4: Move a target slowly straight up, or in one direction over surfaces that cannot support it.
RISE OF THE FEATHERY BODY ReCo 10
R: Touch, D: Conc, T: Ind
Allows the target to float vertically to any height, carrying up to 50 pounds, and rising as fast as smoke rises, slower if carrying a heavy load. The target cannot move horizontally through this spell.
(Base 4, +1 Touch, +1 Conc)
[hr][/hr] Base 5: Move a target slowly in any direction you please, even if the target is unsupported.
MOVEMENT OF THE FEATHERY BODY ReCo 15
R: Touch, D: Conc, T: Ind
Allows the target to float to any height, carrying up to 50 pounds, and moving as fast as smoke rises, slower if carrying a heavy load.
(Base 5, +1 Touch, +1 Conc)
[hr][/hr] Base 10: Nothing is given, but it's reasonable to assume something like "Move a target at a moderate speed in any direction you please, even if the target is unsupported."
FLIGHT OF THE LAZY BIRD ReCo 20
R: Touch, D: Conc, T: Ind
Allows the target to fly to any height, carrying up to 50 pounds, and moving as as fast as a person can run, slower if carrying a heavy load.
(Base 10, +1 Touch, +1 Conc)
[hr][/hr] Base 15: Move a target quickly in any direction you please.
WINGS OF DAEDALUS ReCo 25
R: Touch, D: Conc, T: Ind
Allows the target to fly to any height, carrying up to 50 pounds, and moving as fast as a horse can run, slower if carrying a heavy load.
(Base 5, +1 Touch, +1 Conc)
Agree with Trogdor on the flight ReCo spell. It's the same base design as Mercury's Winged Sandals from a cannon book changed for preferences.
The CrAu flight spell is actually a poor way to fly for a wizard (questionable control, high level), and it also requires that the caster defeat their own Parma Magica to use it because the wind is magical.
It'll also come in handy. Without it, we'd have a hard time coming up with the capitol to get started. Related question: Anyone plan on taking Aegis of the Hearth? Not really an option for me just right now, but I can try to rework if it's needed.
I've seen the arguments on the ReCo flight spells discussed many times on these boards. I'm not against the spell you propose, but rather saying that this is one of those things that different storyguides treat differently. So I was basically flagging it as something Koschei needed to look at and decide on. :mrgreen:
Certainly won't be my magus. He's got no score in either Re or Vi. And with Deficient Muto, he won't even be able to help through Wizard's Communion (or rather the D:Sun variant that can be used on rituals).
I'm happy to learn Aegis and the communion spells when we can. Like you've said - it wouldn't have been a priority for my wizard until play begins and we're on our own. A few of us might learn it just in case given time.
We should be able to get Arion or Zarkune to learn a low level version without too much trouble. Of course, then we need to find some vis to cast it ...
I'll switch from Rego to Corpus too for PVS. Probably wiser, good advice.
On the Redcap companion - point taken. Shame, I'll keep the metacreator file for another time. Instead what about:
A survivalist nature/ slightly crazy guy,...
And/or with woodcraft type skills?
A companion with practical construction skills, (wood based?) will be handy, I'll come up with a way to make him a little "black sheep-ish".
That's vague however I want to put it out there in case we have cross-over
I was thinking of a Minstrel with Enchanting Music as an information-gatherer/recruiter. But that concept is made very difficult by the fact that we don't know where we're starting. I can't be certain that the companion will be able to speak the local language without spending a whole lot of points. And the whole concept is designed around speaking (er, and singing).
I agree that many companion concepts work better when they are based on the locale.
That being said, I want to select a concept that will work well with the other magi, but would be at odds with my own magus. So probably a shady character -- a smuggler or something like that might be useful. The exact form (ship-based or land-based) and the kind of goods he smuggles would certainly depend on the setting. The whole concept might not even be viable if we are set in the wilderness.
If we are somewhat close to a mundane center but for some reason the smuggler isn't appropriate, a fence that disposes of stolen things might be an alternative. Would either of those be suitable for close association with one or more of your magi?
Well, it depends on how much we may want to turn to a life of crime to make money. My character was designed to be a thief, and he'd be very good at it. I'd figured that he was turning away from that life now that he was out from under the thumb of his former parens. But maybe need will force him back into the business. Hard to tell at this point not knowing our situation in more detail.
Teleportation magus would make for an intimidatingly good thief too. Zip those wagons and riches away from the travellers without a drop of blood spilt. Heck you could steal from targets and they'd not even notice. Do it far enough from home and we'll not be suspected.
Not that we should be criminals per se, just saying.
