Beatrix ex Mercere (development)

[size=150]Redcap Beatrix ex Mercere, Filia August[/size] at campaign start

Being the child of a Redcap, Beatrix was checked for the Gift just after she was born to a kitchen servant at Fengheld, in the Rhine Tribunal. Her father insisted she be baptized with a name suitable for a Hermetic maga. "Beatrix" was chosen because for its mixed meaning of "traveler" and "blessed," apt for a Gifted Mercere and in use among mundanes in the region. She was raised at the covenant, everyone knowing full well she would become an apprentice in the House Mercere in due time. This lessened the impact of her Gift on her childhood slightly, as she got some preferential treatment and so other covenant children wanted to be her friend to reap some benefits, even if they did find her odd.

At 10 she was taken as the apprentice to August ex Mercere, filius ***, the senior-most Gifted Mercere at the time. ***

When she was a little older and still in her apprenticeship her parens did little to discourage her from spending time with the boys. Rather, it was more encouraged than discouraged, especially when the boys were of good breeding. The encouragement even included making sure she was under the effects of Mercury's Blessing each time she conceived a child. She gave birth to her first child, Lili, when she was still 18. Lili's father, Hagen, was the librarian's son at Fengheld. He and Bea had an on-again-off-again relationship through Bea's late teens. She still thinks fondly of him, but they were really not meant for each other. Only a year and a half later she gave birth to Rein. Rein's father, Gerhard, was an apprentice Redcap at the time and is now a Redcap in the Rhine Tribunal, though not the Redcap training Rein. Bea's relationship with him was fiery and quite short-lived. It was only passion between them, and there is no awkwardness now as they both accepted it as such. Since he and Rein are now in the same Tribunal, Bea has asked Gerhard to keep an additional eye on Rein. Having two little children while finishing her apprenticeship left Beatrix too little time to have another child. She raised them as best she could, hopefully preparing them for apprenticeships as Redcaps or at least to be valued members of covenants. Her parens made sure she had a nursemaid at hand to take care of the children while Bea was working directly with him. Since then Regina has remained close to Beatrix and her children and has now accompanied them to this distant covenant.

Only a year and a half before Bea was to take her gauntlet her parens passed into Final Twilight. A mutantes, *** ex Mercere, filius ***, from the Rhine Tribunal agreed to complete Bea's training at Durenmar. Part of his agreement stemmed from her strong interest in the Eschengilde and part stemmed from her desire to strengthen the Redcaps in new ways. Of course he wanted to make sure a maga of Mercere's blood became a Mercere, as did the other Mercere, but he also saw an opportunity to promote his own agenda within the Eschengilde with an apprentice clearly devoted to the House. Not wanting to make this so obvious publicly, he 'graciously' had Beatrix keep her original parens' name when she passed her gauntlet in late 1212. Since then he has spent a little bit of time training her to make better uses of her talents with the Redcaps, and his guidance is a big part of why she has moved to the northern reaches of the Order. She is to keep an eye out for threats from the Order of Odin, acting as a northwestern lookout for the Eschengilde.

For the first few years after passing her gauntlet, Bea focused heavily on developing her talisman. ***

After developing her talisman to her minimum satisfaction, Beatrix got out of the lab to do some exploring. During that time she found a relatively small dragon corpse, a dragon that had died through acclimation. She found the dragon's spirit yet remained with the body and so force-fed the corpse Vis while keeping the spirit present in the hopes that it would recover. She figured a favorable dragon could be a good ally. The result was unexpected, though not undesired. As the dragon was actually dead but was able to gain some Might back, it became a draconic revenant instead of a living dragon. Through death the dragon's spirit lost most of what it had known, as do most ghosts. What returned retained some of his vengefulness from his former life along with a new thirst for life. Beatrix fit into a sort of mother and caretaker role for it. Soon they cemented their relationship with a familiar bond, and though they certainly spend some time apart, they have been companions since.

Since passing her gauntlet Bea has acted as a Redcap more often than typical for a Gifted Mercere. This has somewhat balanced the reputation she was earning as a Vis Monkey. She enjoyed her seasons moving about as a Redcap and looks forward to more of them, though trying to find the balance between that and family can be tough. With her skills at magic and her interest in gathering great amounts of Vis to feed Günther, she found herself quickly becoming a pawnbroker, and she takes on this role often even when she is not spending a whole season as a Redcap. Her personal choice of containers are iron coins with the house symbol on one side and a value and the Art symbol listed on the other side. To fit in better, she avoided taking Günther on her trips as a Redcap, so word of the giant familiar she bonded shortly after apprenticeship has been slow to spread. Thus she is known most widely as a Redcap and a pawnbroker more than anything else.


Characteristics: Int +3, Per +1, Str -2, Sta +1, Pre +1, Com +1, Dex 0, Qui 0
Size: 0
Age: 32 (apparent age 22, no longevity ritual)
Decrepitude: 0 (0)
Warping Score: 0 (4)
Confidence Score: 1 (3)
Virtues: Affinity with Rego, Affinity with Vim, Cautious Sorceress, Cautious with Concentration, The Gift, Gild Trained: The Eschengilde, Hermetic Maga, Minor Magical Focus: Corpses, Personal Vis Source, Puissant Magic Theory, Puissant Animal[sup]Ta[/sup], Puissant Corpus[sup]Ta[/sup], Puissant Creo, Puissant Muto[sup]Ta[/sup], Puissant Perdo[sup]Ta[/sup], Puissant Rego[sup]Ta[/sup], Skilled Parens, True Friend[sup]Fa[/sup], Unaging
Flaws: Ability Block: Martial, Ambitious (minor), Covenant Upbringing, Deleterious Circumstances: Spells at Voice Range, Dependents, Hermetic Patron, Magic Addiction
Personality Traits: Determined +3, Loyal (Günther) +3, Organized +2, Sweet +2
Reputations: None yet
Combat:
Dodging +2
Soak: +5 + Form bonuses
Fatigue Levels: OK, 0, -1, -3, -5, Unconscious
Wound Penalties: -1 (1-5), -3 (6-10), -5 (11-15), Incapacitated (16-20), Dead (21+)

Abilities:
[table][tr][th]Ability (Specialty)[/th][th]Scr.[/th][th]Exp.[/th][th]Notes[/th][/tr]
[tr][td]Area Lore: Europe (Hermetic Locations)[/td][td]1[/td][td]5[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Artes Liberales (Ceremonial Casting)[/td][td]1[/td][td]5[/td][td]Latin[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Athletics (Dancing)[/td][td]1[/td][td]5[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Awareness (Alertness)[/td][td]1[/td][td]5[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Bargain (Hermetic Goods)[/td][td]1[/td][td]5[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Brawl (Dodging)[/td][td]1[/td][td]5[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Charm (Flirting)[/td][td]1[/td][td]5[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Code of Hermes (Mundane Relations)[/td][td]1[/td][td]5[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Concentration (Magic Addiction)[/td][td]2[/td][td]15[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Craft: Blacksmith (Craft Magic)[/td][td]1[/td][td]5[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Craft: Glassblower (Craft Magic)[/td][td]1[/td][td]5[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Dead Language: Latin (Hermetic)[/td][td]4[/td][td]50[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Dominion Lore (Auras)[/td][td]1[/td][td]5[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Etiquette (Hermetic)[/td][td]1[/td][td]5[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Finesse (Speed)[/td][td]1[/td][td]5[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Folk Ken (Men)[/td][td]1[/td][td]5[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Guile (Feigning Innocence)[/td][td]1[/td][td]5[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Infernal Lore (Demons)[/td][td]1[/td][td]5[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Intrigue (Hermetic)[/td][td]2[/td][td]15[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Living Language: Low German (Saxon)[/td][td]5[/td][td]75[/td][td]Native Language[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Magic Lore (Things of Virtue)[/td][td]2[/td][td]15[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Magic Theory (Spells)[/td][td]5+2[/td][td]75[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Organization Lore: Order of Hermes (House Mercere)[/td][td]2[/td][td]15[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Parma Magica (Certamen)[/td][td]1[/td][td]5[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Penetration (Vim)[/td][td]1[/td][td]5[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Philosophiae (Ceremonial Casting)[/td][td]1[/td][td]5[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Profession: Scribe (Latin)[/td][td]1[/td][td]5[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Ride (Corpses)[/td][td]1[/td][td]5[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Spell Mastery: Sustaining the Demanding Spell[/td][td]3[/td][td]30[/td][td]Adaptive Casting, Harnessed Casting, Tethered Casting[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Stealth (Natural Settings)[/td][td]1[/td][td]5[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Swim (Not Drowning)[/td][td]1[/td][td]5[/td][/tr][/table]
Arts:
[table][tr][th]Technique[/th][th]Scr.[/th][th]Exp.[/th][th]Form[/th][th]Scr.[/th][th]Exp.[/th][/tr]
[tr][td]Creo[/td][td]3+3[/td][td]6[/td][td]Animal[/td][td]1+3[/td][td]1[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Intellego[/td][td]4[/td][td]10[/td][td]Aquam[/td][td]0[/td][td]0[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Muto[/td][td]5+3[/td][td]15[/td][td]Auram[/td][td]0[/td][td]0[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Perdo[/td][td]0+3[/td][td]0[/td][td]Corpus[/td][td]1+3[/td][td]1[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Rego[/td][td]18+3[/td][td]175[/td][td]Herbam[/td][td]0[/td][td]0[/td][/tr]
[tr][td][/td][td][/td][td][/td][td]Ignem[/td][td]0[/td][td]0[/td][/tr]
[tr][td][/td][td][/td][td][/td][td]Imaginem[/td][td]0[/td][td]0[/td][/tr]
[tr][td][/td][td][/td][td][/td][td]Mentem[/td][td]0[/td][td]0[/td][/tr]
[tr][td][/td][td][/td][td][/td][td]Terram[/td][td]2[/td][td]3[/td][/tr]
[tr][td][/td][td][/td][td][/td][td]Vim[/td][td]18[/td][td]171[/td][/tr][/table]
Wizard's Sigil: Being magically associated with corpses, her magic is eerie or spooky.
Certamen School: Laquerius (which she likes to combine with fighting in the style of velitus)
Twilight Scars: None yet
Spells:
The Well-Preserved Grave Beast [CrAn4, +15]
[tab][/tab]R: Touch, D: Concentration, T: Individual
[tab][/tab]Preserves an animal corpse (up to Size +1).
[tab][/tab](Base 2, +1 Touch, +1 Concentration)
[tab][/tab]Sigil: The corpse has its typical spookiness, just a little enhanced.
Conjuring the Grave Beast [CrAn20, +15]
[tab][/tab]R: Touch, D: Concentration, T: Individual
[tab][/tab]Creates an animal corpse (up to Size +1). The caster may choose the type of animal at casting.
[tab][/tab](Base 10, +1 Touch, +1 Concentration)
[tab][/tab]Sigil: The corpse has its typical spookiness, just a little enhanced.
Waking the Grave Beast [ReAn(Me)25, +24]
[tab][/tab]R: Touch, D: Concentration, T: Individual
[tab][/tab]Animate the Slumbering Corpse (HP p.97) for animals (up to Size +1) at R: Touch and D: Concentration.
[tab][/tab](Base 10, +1 Touch, +1 Concentration, +1 Mentem requisite)
[tab][/tab]Sigil: The animated corpse has its typical spookiness (eyes, breath), just a little enhanced.
Sight of Heat’s Light [InIg15, +7]
[tab][/tab]R: Personal, D: Concentration, T: Vision
[tab][/tab]Vision of Heat’s Light (ArM5 p.141) at D: Concentration.
[tab][/tab](Base 2, +1 Concentration, +4 Vision)
[tab][/tab]Sigil: A chill draft blows over the caster's face as the spell is cast.
Suppressing the Wizard's Handiwork [ReVi40, +42]
[tab][/tab]R: Touch, D: Concentration, T: Individual
[tab][/tab]Suppresses a level-25 or lower spell she has cast. See ArM5 p.162.
[tab][/tab](Base 25, +1 Touch, +1 Concentration)
[tab][/tab]Sigil: An chill draft seems to blow away the spell, and likewise when concentration ends.
Sustaining the Demanding Spell [ReVi50, +45]
[tab][/tab]R: Touch, D: Moon, T: Individual
[tab][/tab]Maintaining the Demanding Spell at D: Moon for spells up to level 40.
[tab][/tab](Base 30, +1 Touch, +3 Moon)
[tab][/tab]Sigil: The sigil of the sustained spell is amplified a little.
[tab][/tab]Mastery 3: Adaptive Casting, Harnessed Casting, Tethered Casting

Vis: ***
Items:
Tears of the Ancient - This human skull had been the locus of a powerful ghost for a very long time. The ghost is no more, but the skull cries every two months. The tears may be collected for 3 Corpus and 3 Mentem Vis per year.

Talisman:
Her talisman is a long, silver-chain necklace with a slender, platinum wand on its end. The other end has a loop through which the wand passes to close the necklace, and there is a large section of the chain placed so the smallest it can close won't strangle her. Hanging normally with the chain making a large loop, the wand hangs about waist level. This allows enough chain that Bea can just hold the wand in an outstretched arm at the limits of how tight the chain can get. That platinum wand itself is an Item of Quality, commissioned from *** ex Verditius in 1214. There is a drop of enriched mercury of virtue in a tiny, sealed chamber inside the wand. The pommel, over the seal for the inner chamber, is made of a spherical piece of enriched amber of virtue, surrounded by three polished oblong pieces, one each of enriched basalt of virtue, enriched magnetite of virtue, and enriched magnet of virtue. The silver seal for the inner chamber extends out and around the amber as mounting for the three polished pieces, which themselves extend from the base of the wand with the appearance of talons holding the amber. From the tips of the talons' mountings the three lines of silver meet at the far end of the amber, where a loop is formed to start the silver chain.

[tab][/tab]Item of Quality: Finesse +4
[tab][/tab]Things of Virtue: Puissant Animal, Puissant Corpus, Puissant Muto, Puissant Perdo, Puissant Rego
[tab][/tab]Attunements: Intellego +2, Muto +5, Perdo +3, Rego +2
[tab][/tab]Opened Spaces: 39 pawns (3 pawns used)
[tab][/tab]Invested Effects:
[tab][/tab]The Unbreakable Talisman [MuTe24, constant]
[tab][/tab][tab][/tab]R: Personal, S: Sun, T: Individual
[tab][/tab][tab][/tab]An invested effect equivalent to Hardness of Adamantine (HoH:S p.37).
[tab][/tab][tab][/tab](Base, +2 Sun; +3 environmental trigger, +1 2 uses/day)

[size=150]Familiar - Günther[/size]

Gold Cord: 2 (15), Silver Cord: 1 (5), Bronze Cord: 4 (50)
Bond Powers:
[tab][/tab]Location of the Master [InCo14, unlimited uses]
[tab][/tab][tab][/tab]R: Touch, S: Momentary, T: Individual
[tab][/tab][tab][/tab]See ArM5 p.105.
[tab][/tab][tab][/tab](Base3, +1 Touch; +10 unlimited uses/day)

Magic Might: 8
Characteristics: Int -2, Per -2, Str +2 -> +16, Sta +3, Pre 0, Com -2, Dex +1, Qui +2 -> -5
Size: +7
Confidence Score: ***
Virtues: Magic Animal, Magical Covenfolk, Second Sight*, See in Darkness*, Tough*, True Friend[sup]Fa[/sup]
Flaws: -
Qualities: Gift of Speech, Greater Power x2, No Fatigue, Improved Soak x7, Minor Virtue x3
Inferiorities: Baneful Circumstances (in daylight), Monstrous Appearance
Personality Traits: Loyal (Beatrix) +3, Thirsty for Life +3, Vengeful +3
Soak: +20
Fatigue Levels: n/a
Wound Penalties: -1 (1-12), -3 (13-24), -5 (25-36), -5 (37-48), *** (49+)

OK, let's take a stab at this. I'll include some design notes here that I'll erase later.

MM15 to start. Size +7 Magic Animal resets that to MM8. The revenant in RoP:M has MM9, so I'll work off of that. Also, I'll go with Spring as that seems appropriate. Considering the loss of Qualities and fewer experience to distribute, I really don't think I'm being abusive. Beatrix is going to make a concerted effort to improve her familiar, though.

Back story sketch: Beatrix found a relatively small dragon corpse, a dragon that had died through acclimation. She found the dragon's spirit yet remained with it and so force-fed the corpse Vis in the hopes that it would recover. A favorable dragon could be a good ally. The result was unexpected. As it was actually dead but was able to gain some Might back, it became a draconic revenant instead of a living dragon. Through death the dragon's spirit lost most of what it had known. What returned retains some of its vengefulness from its former life along with a new thirst for life.

Descriptive sketch: Physically it is a dragon, with four legs and working wings. It is a bit shriveled compared to its former glory, but not overly so. Its eyes are the typical glossy of the dead. Like most dragons, it has very large and sharp teeth and claws.

Draconic Revenant
Magic Might: 8 (Animal)
Characteristics: Int -2, Per -2, Pre 0, Com -2, Str +2 -> +16, Sta +3, Dex +1, Qui +2-> -5
Size: +7
Confidence Score: 1 (3)
Virtues & Flaws: Magic Animal, Magical Covenfolk, Second Sight*, See in Darkness*, Tough*
Magic Qualities & Inferiorities: Gift of Speech, Greater Power x2, No Fatigue, Improved Soak x7, Minor Virtue x3, Baneful Circumstances (in daylight), Monstrous Appearance
Personality Traits: Thirsty for Life +3, Vengeful +3

Athletics (Flight) 3 [30]
Awareness (Alertness) 1 [5]
Brawl (Claws) 4 [50]
Magical Meditation (Recovering Might Points) 1 [5]
Penetration (Breath) 2 [15]
Second Sight (Invisible Things) 2 [15-5=10]
Swim (Underwater) 1 [5]

The (one) greater power will be basically the same as the revenant's main one: breath that causes wounds. (Note: This and advancement past bonding are specified on the wiki.)

Elisabeth

Lili, the eldest of Bea's children, is now 14 years old and has taken on a sort of apprentice-type position while also helping run the household. So far in life she has been very down-to-business, having seen little place for boys or frivolities. She has spent a lot of time looking after her younger siblings; she is not the servant hired for that purpose, doing so out of family love. On her own she has worked to create her own little niche in the Hermetic world, finding ways to be valued by magi other than as a Redcap since she really isn't suited for that sort of lifestyle despite her mother's hopes that she would have been. Still, among her siblings, she is closest to her mother and understands her mother best.

Int +3, Per 0, Str -2, Sta 0, Pre 0, Com +3, Dex -1, Qui -1

V&F: Custos, Good Teacher, Magic Sensitivity, Covenant Upbringing, No Sense of Direction, Temperate

Abilities: Athletics (Dancing) 1, Awareness (Children) 1, Bargain (Laboratory Work) 1, Charm (Magi) 1, Dead Language: Latin (Hermetic) 4, Folk Ken (Magi) 2, Guile (Feigning Innocence) 1, Intrigue (Hermetic) 1, Living Language: Low German (Saxon) 5, Magic Sensitivity (Vis) 2, Magic Theory (Building Labs) 4, Organization Lore: Order of Hermes (House Mercere) 1, Profession: Scribe (Latin) 1, Stealth (Indoors) 1, Swim (Not Drowning) 1, Teaching (Apprentices) 1

Reinhard

Rein, Bea's second child, is now 13 years old, a little more than a year younger than Lili. Being close in age, Rein and Lili grew up a lot together. But Rein was the more adventurous of the two and had a much better sense of direction, though he just cannot comprehend how magic works at all. He appreciates it, but he really doesn't get it. Being otherwise quite suited to the duties of a Redcap and having access through his mother, Rein became an apprentice Redcap four years ago in the Rhine Tribunal. He still has a long way to go, but he is progressing perfectly well. Due to his training and duties he is not seen with his family much these days.

V&F: Apprentice, Intuition, Wilderness Sense, Ability Block: Arcane, Covenant Upbringing, Wanderlust

Wolfgang (Wolf) 6

Marcella (Zella) 3

Characteristics: Int +3, Per +1, Str -2, Sta +1, Pre +1, Com +1, Dex 0, Qui 0
Size: 0
Age: 25 (apparent age 22, no longevity ritual)
Decrepitude: 0 (0)
Warping Score: 0 (0)
Confidence Score: 1 (3)
Virtues: Affinity with Rego, Affinity with Vim, Cautious Sorceress, Cautious with Concentration,The Gift, Gild Trained: The Eschengilde, Hermetic Maga, Minor Magical Focus: Corpses, Personal Vis Source, Puissant Magic Theory, Puissant Creo[sup]Me[/sup], Skilled Parens, Unaging
Flaws: Ability Block: Martial, Ambitious (minor), Covenant Upbringing, Deleterious Circumstances: Spells at Voice Range, Dependents, Hermetic Patron, Magic Addiction
Personality Traits: Determined +3, Organized +2, Sweet +2
Reputations: None yet
Combat:
Dodging +2
Soak: +1 + Form bonuses
Fatigue Levels: OK, 0, -1, -3, -5, Unconscious
Wound Penalties: -1 (1-5), -3 (6-10), -5 (11-15), Incapacitated (16-20), Dead (21+)

Abilities:
[table][tr][th]Ability (Specialty)[/th][th]Scr.[/th][th]Exp.[/th][th]Notes[/th][/tr]
[tr][td]Area Lore: Europe (Hermetic Locations)[/td][td]1[/td][td]5[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Artes Liberales (Ceremonial Casting)[/td][td]1[/td][td]5[/td][td]Latin[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Athletics (Dancing)[/td][td]1[/td][td]5[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Awareness (Alertness)[/td][td]1[/td][td]5[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Bargain (Hermetic Goods)[/td][td]1[/td][td]5[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Brawl (Dodging)[/td][td]1[/td][td]5[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Charm (Flirting)[/td][td]1[/td][td]5[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Concentration (Magic Addiction)[/td][td]2[/td][td]15[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Dead Language: Latin (Hermetic)[/td][td]4[/td][td]50[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Etiquette (Hermetic)[/td][td]1[/td][td]5[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Finesse (Speed)[/td][td]1[/td][td]5[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Folk Ken (Men)[/td][td]1[/td][td]5[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Guile (Feigning Innocence)[/td][td]1[/td][td]5[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Intrigue (Hermetic)[/td][td]2[/td][td]15[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Living Language: Low German (Saxon)[/td][td]5[/td][td]75[/td][td]Native Language[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Magic Theory (Spells)[/td][td]5+2[/td][td]75[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Organization Lore: Order of Hermes (House Mercere)[/td][td]2[/td][td]15[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Parma Magica (Certamen)[/td][td]1[/td][td]5[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Penetration (Vim)[/td][td]1[/td][td]5[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Philosophiae (Ceremonial Casting)[/td][td]1[/td][td]5[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Profession: Scribe (Latin)[/td][td]1[/td][td]5[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Stealth (Natural Settings)[/td][td]1[/td][td]5[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Swim (Not Drowning)[/td][td]1[/td][td]5[/td][/tr][/table]
Arts:
[table][tr][th]Technique[/th][th]Scr.[/th][th]Exp.[/th][th]Form[/th][th]Scr.[/th][th]Exp.[/th][/tr]
[tr][td]Creo[/td][td]3+3[/td][td]6[/td][td]Animal[/td][td]0[/td][td]0[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Intellego[/td][td]3[/td][td]6[/td][td]Aquam[/td][td]0[/td][td]0[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Muto[/td][td]5[/td][td]15[/td][td]Auram[/td][td]0[/td][td]0[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Perdo[/td][td]0[/td][td]0[/td][td]Corpus[/td][td]0[/td][td]0[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Rego[/td][td]18[/td][td]171[/td][td]Herbam[/td][td]0[/td][td]0[/td][/tr]
[tr][td][/td][td][/td][td][/td][td]Ignem[/td][td]0[/td][td]0[/td][/tr]
[tr][td][/td][td][/td][td][/td][td]Imaginem[/td][td]0[/td][td]0[/td][/tr]
[tr][td][/td][td][/td][td][/td][td]Mentem[/td][td]0[/td][td]0[/td][/tr]
[tr][td][/td][td][/td][td][/td][td]Terram[/td][td]0[/td][td]0[/td][/tr]
[tr][td][/td][td][/td][td][/td][td]Vim[/td][td]18[/td][td]171[/td][/tr][/table]
Wizard's Sigil: Being magically associated with corpses, her magic is eerie or spooky.
Certamen School: Laquerius (which she likes to combine with fighting in the style of velitus)
Twilight Scars: None yet
Spells:
Conjuring the Grave Beast [CrAn20]
[tab][/tab]R: Touch, D: Concentration, T: Individual
[tab][/tab]Creates an animal corpse (up to Size +1). The caster may choose the type of animal at casting.
[tab][/tab](Base 10, +1 Touch, +1 Concentration)
[tab][/tab]Sigil: The corpse has its typical spookiness, just a little enhanced.
Waking the Grave Beast [ReAn(Me)25]
[tab][/tab]R: Touch, D: Concentration, T: Individual
[tab][/tab]Animate the Slumbering Corpse (HP p.97) for animals (up to Size +1) at R: Touch and D: Concentration.
[tab][/tab](Base 10, +1 Touch, +1 Concentration, +1 Mentem requisite)
[tab][/tab]Sigil: The animated corpse has its typical spookiness (eyes, breath), just a little enhanced.
Sight of Heat’s Light [InIg15]
[tab][/tab]R: Personal, D: Concentration, T: Vision
[tab][/tab]Vision of Heat’s Light (ArM5 p.141) at D: Concentration.
[tab][/tab](Base 2, +1 Concentration, +4 Vision)
[tab][/tab]Sigil: A chill draft blows over the caster's face as the spell is cast.
Suppressing the Wizard's Handiwork [ReVi40, +42]
[tab][/tab]R: Touch, D: Concentration, T: Individual
[tab][/tab]Suppresses a level-25 or lower spell she has cast. See ArM5 p.162.
[tab][/tab](Base 25, +1 Touch, +1 Concentration)
[tab][/tab]Sigil: An chill draft seems to blow away the spell, and likewise to return it when concentration ends.
Sustaining the Demanding Spell [ReVi50]
[tab][/tab]R: Touch, D: Moon, T: Individual
[tab][/tab]Maintaining the Demanding Spell (ArM5 p.162) at D: Moon for spells up to level 40.
[tab][/tab](Base 30, +1 Touch, +3 Moon)
[tab][/tab]Sigil: The sigil of the sustained spell is amplified a little.

[size=150]Before Game Start:[/size]

1213
30 Experience: Craft: Blacksmith +5, Craft: Glassblower +5, Magic Lore +15, Rego +2, The Well-Preserved Grave Beast [CrAn4].

1214
Spring: Enriched amber of virtue.
Summer: Enriched basalt of virtue.
Autumn: Enriched magnetite of virtue.
Winter: Enriched magnet of virtue.

1215
Spring: Enriched Mercury of Virtue.
Summer: Opened jewelry with 12 pawns.
Autumn: Found her familiar.
Winter: Forged the Familiar bond [ReVi70 – Gold: 2 (15), Silver: 1 (5), Bronze: 4 (50)].

1216
Spring: Forged the Talisman bond with the jewelry.
Summer: Worked as a Redcap in the Rhine Tribunal.
Autumn: Continued opening her Talisman with 14 pawns (Attunement: Muto +5).
Winter: Continued opening her Talisman with 13 pawns (Attunement: Rego +2).

1217
30 Experience: Spell Mastery: Sustaining the Demanding Spell +30.

1218
30 Experience: Code of Hermes +5, Dominion Lore +5, Infernal Lore +5, Ride +5, Intellego +4, Rego +2, Animal +1, Corpus +1, Terram +3

1219
Spring: Invested Location of the Master [InCo14] in the familiar bond with assistance from Günther (trait: Günther's eyes aren't as glassy, Beatrix's eyes are somewhat glassy).
Summer: Worked as a Redcap in the Rhine Tribunal.
Autumn: Started investing The Unbreakable Talisman [MuTe24] in her Talisman with assistance from Günther (Attunement: Intellego +2).
Winter: Finished investing The Unbreakable Talisman [MuTe24] in her Talisman (Attunement: Perdo +3).

[size=150]After Game Start:[/size]

1220
Spring:
Summer:
Autumn:
Winter:

Are we allowed to start with Arts as high as 18? I thought the limit was 10 at gauntlet (maybe 12 with an Affinity.)

That's a soft house rule from Andorra. The RAW only limits ability scores by age.

I guess technically the rules say it is "unwise" to put more than 55 points in an Art to begin with, not "forbidden."

Is there a limit on levels of Abilities? I'm planning to buy a score at 10 for my companion.

Yes. See ArM5, page 31. Affinity does increase this by 2, though.

Yes, and not even fully "unwise," but "probably unwise." Beatrix also has an Affinity in each of them, so it was closer to buying them both at 15.

Design question: She has a Minor Magical Focus in Corpses; why does she have null scores in Animal and Corpus?

If Tytalus's Prison is a renamed Ward Against the Curious Scullion, it's been erratad to Level 30 (Base 15 instead of 3).

I'm getting you at 69 points over, and that's not including the missing seasons for finding/binding your Familiar (2), opening and attuning your Talisman (2), and however many seasons it took to invest The Unbreakable Talisman on it.

With three Forms needed (Mentem, too) it worked out better this way.

Yes, both names are given in the same spot. But I missed the errata, so I'll have to swap that out.

I just checked again. I don't see those extra points. As for the seasons, they're all listed above. It's easier if you look at her at-gauntlet post and her pre-game-advancement post.

I just plugged the current (as of last night) version of Beatrix into my MetaCreator. It has, for age 32 and apprenticeship age of 10, 870 points to spend on abilities, arts, and spells: 45 early life, (5x15) 75 points for later life, 240 apprenticeship, (7x30) 210 post-Gauntlet, 90 for Gild Training, 90 for Skilled Parens...which, by my math, gets me to 750, not sure how MC got to 870. But let's go with MC's math, since that actually works in your favour.

It has 330 points in Abilities, 256 in Arts, and 353 Spell Levels, for a total of 939, and that's without accounting for the 10 points a season or 30 points a year for lab activities/seasons lost for Familiar finding and binding. 20 of that is Tytalus's Prison.

Okay. I think I see what's going on. You did season-by-season advancement and invented spells, instead of doing the 30-points-a-year. Basically, going at it as if it were "in-play" advancement. You need to do 30 points a year, just like in the book.

End of apprenticeship (noting Rego and Vim each have 114 in them):

Experience available: 45+5x15+240+60+90=510
Arts: 6+6+15+114+114=255
Abilities: 5+5+5+5+5+5+5+15+50+5+5+5+5+15+0+75+15+5+5+5+5+5+5=255
Total used: 255+255=510

Spell levels available: 120+30=150
Spells taken: 20+25+5+15+35+50=150

Looks good so far...

7 years later:

Experience available: 2x30-4(put into a spell)=56
Arts: 1
Abilities: 5+15+5+30=55
Total used: 56

Seasons in the lab: 5x4=20
Seasons spent in the lab: 5 (enriching) + 3 (opening) + 1 (talisman bond) + 2 (familiar) + 5 (spells) + 2 (Redcap) + 2 (invested effect) = 20

Outside of having to fix Tytalus's Prison, it all still looks perfect to me.

Huh??? I did it exactly as in the book. Two years I had her gain 30 experience. The other years she lost 10 experience from the 30 for each season in the lab, to a minimum of zero. That's exactly what it says in the second full paragraph and the first sentence of the penultimate full paragraph on page 32 of ArM5. And the rest of the paragraph suggests to do it exactly as I did, with full years of study and full years of lab work. I didn't do normal in-play advancement at all. She would have far more experience if I had done it that way, specifically 40 more experience, some of it multiplied by Affinity.

What caught my eye, specifically, was:

  • 1216: inventing Suppressing the Wizard's Handiwork [ReVi25] and Divide the Gathered Essence [ReVi25] in the Summer, and Aegis of the Hearth [ReVi 50] in the Autumn.
  • 1218: inventing Tytalus's Prison [ReCo 10], Stance of the Firm-Buttocked Rider [ReCo 15] in Autumn, and The Invisible Glassworker [ReTe4], The Phantom Blacksmith [ReTe20], and The Spell of Wrought Iron [ReTe15] in Winter.

That's 100 points of spells in 1216, and 64 in 1218. You only get 30 points per year to spend on spells. Yes, technically, she could invent those spells in play, but the char-gen rules specify other lab activities from studying abilities, arts, and spells. You lost 40 points for those seasons, but you gained 164.

In a nutshell, 30 xp for abilities, arts, and spells. Lab activities for other things: familiars, enchanting items, etc.

I'm OK with that. But they do allow for spells, too, which is why I had counted differently than you had. Anyway, I'll go back and change those seasons. I'll probably adjust a spell in apprenticeship, too. That may well change books she's bringing as well. It shouldn't take too long to make the changes, though.

Oh, I forgot to mention your math error is from apprenticeship. If you're just adding spell levels and experience together, apprenticeship is worth 360, not 240.

Should be all fixed up now. I still have to finish writing history, familiar, and family.

headdesk I knew it had to be something painfully obvious like that. Thank you.