Salvete Sodales!
The new Hedge Magic sourcebook inspired me to create a learned magician for the 5th ed. setting. They differ significantly from their 4th ed. predecessors, but I think they can be interesting, too. The guy below might be part of a P&P saga I plan to start here in Bielefeld, so anybody likely to sit at my table should just skip this post.
character class: Gifted Companion (learned magician)
character concept: copycat mage
Name: (Frater) Petrellus
born as: Peter Steinhauer
Age: 33
Decreptitude: 0
Warping:???
Confidence 1(3)
Attributes:
Int +3 Per +1 Str -2 Sta +1 Pre +1 Com +3 Dex -3 Qik +1
Virtues:
The Gift, Mathematicus of Bologna, The Gentle Gift, Strong Amulet Magic, Strong Verbal Charms, Arcane Lore
Flaws:
Failed Monk, Major character flaw: Curious, Dark Secret (spying on the Order of Hermes), Rigid Magic
Personality traits:
Curious +3 Pious +1
Abilities:
Artes Liberales (astronomy) 4, Athletics (running) 1, Awareness (searching) 1, Bargain (charms) 2, Brawl (dodging) 1, Carouse (games of chance) 1, Charm (first impressions) 3, Christian Theology (biblical knowledge) 3, Civil and Canon Law (treatment of magic) 1, Concenration (spellcasting) 1, Dominion Lore (Names of Power) 3, Etiquette (the Church) 1, Folk Ken (clergy) 2, Guile (elaborate lies) 3, Intrigue (gossip) 2, Latin (academic usage) 5, Local Area Lore(personalities) 1, Magical Lore (magical traditions) 1, Mathematici of Bologna Lore (personalities) 1, Medicine (apothecary) 1, Native Language (extensive vocabulary) 5, Penetration (Succurro) 3, Philosophiae (Natural Philosophy) 3, Profession Scribe (copying) 2, Stealth (urban areas) 3, Survival (Swampland) 1, Swim (long distances) 1, Teaching (adolescent students) 1
Carmina:
(I posted my home baked spells in the following thread for discussion:[url]https://forum.atlas-games.com/t/carmina-for-an-learned-magician-for-evaluation/3455/1])
- Incorporation of Bestial Forms (SuMa 25/+16)
- Incorporation of Further Bestial Forms (SuMa 15/+16)
- Strengthening the Versatility of the Body (SuMa 15/+16)
- Gift of the Bard (SuMa 15/+16)
- Gift of Bardic Mastery (SuMa 15/+16)
- Invocation of the Muses of Music (SuMa 15/+16)
- Deafness to the Siren Song (TuMa 15/+16)
- Acquiring the Powers of the Entrancer (SuMa 25/+16)
- Gift of the Master Entrancer (SuMa 15/+16)
- Strengthening the Will of the Entrancer (SuMa 15/+16)
- Raising the Walls of the Mind (TuMa 15/+16)
- Gift of the Seer (SuMa 15/+16)
- Gift of Enhanced Clairvoyance (SuMa 15/+16)
- Strengthening of the Mystical Eye (SuMa 15/+16)
- Invocation of the Protection of St. Florian (TuSa 15/+16)
- Mystical Mastery of artes liberales (SuFa 15/+16)
- Luck of the Gambler (SuFa 10/+16)
- Invoking the Gift of St. Francis (SuMa 15/+16)
- Magician's Second Wind (duration) (SuMa 15/+16)
- Magician's Second Wind (duration) (SuMa 25/+16)
- Curse of Coughing Fits (VuSa 10/+16)
Background story:
Due to his Gentle nature young Peter had a rather normal and unddisturbed childhood, until his mother died in childbed when he was six. From then onward he accompanied his father, who worked as a stonemason. When Peter turned 14, his father was working at the buildingsite of a monastery, there was an accident, and his father lost his life. The monks took the boy in, first out of charity, but then the abbot, a learned man who had studied in Bologna and been introduced into the magic arts there, realized that the boy was Gifted, too. He offered him a place among the monks, but instead of keeping him to the usual schedule of work and prayers, he opend his Gift to learned magic and used him as assistant in his studies of magic.
The pair worked on various projects, mainly trying to investigate some 'primitive' magic traditions and to produce charms that allowed them to duplicate their powers. Actually they were quite successful, until this spring the abbot suddenly died. His successor had a completely different attitude to magic, and he made it clear for Brother Petrulus that from now onward he would have to abstain completely from the 'dark arts' and to live strictly after the monastic rule. Petrulus didn't agree and came to a important decision - he ran away.
Now he is out of the monastery, out on his own, looking for a place to live at, an occupation to live from - and for new magical secrets to investigate. His late mentor had once told him about a tradition of powerful mages who own an estate in the vicinity. Perhaps that's the place to go.
The character is constructed as a NPC for a saga. He could join the covenant as scribe or teacher and be pretty helpful for a while. In the end this will turn out into a story about somebody who tries to steal the secret of the Parma Magica, probably the end to the character - but who knows? He might as well end as member of the Order.
Technicalities. 5 years of early childhood, 9 years normal development, from then onward study time. - I know that is rather much, but I think that for a magus equivalent character this still is fair.
So, what do you think of him?
Vale,
Alexios ex Miscellanea
Edits:
a) just correcting spelling errors etc.
b) correcting casting totals, replaced 'inventive genius' with 'arcane lore', otherwise he would not have had access to Dominion Lore. Spent the additional XP on appropriate abilities.