Best L10 spell

OK, so my mage has a 5 in each technique, a magic theory of 5, an intelligence of 2, inventive genius, and lives in magic aura of 5. Thus he can learn any L10 spell in one season. He has affinity with Magic Theory and is three points away from Magic Theory 6, so I am looking at inventing a Level 10 spell and putting the two exposure experience into Magic Theory, it becoming 3 experience and leveling Magic Theory.

Inventing a L10 spell is not the only choice. He could refine vis, or build a charged item, but since he is incapable of casting spontaneous spells, invented spells are extra useful. Inventing two L5 spells might also be useful

He already knows the following L5 spells
Clear Sight of the Naied:
Sense the Nature of Vis:

And the following L10 spells
Sight of the True Form
Lamp without Flame:
Aura of Enobled Presence:
The Call to Slumber:
The Crystal Dart:

So what other low level spells jump out at you as being especially useful.
Note, for General Level Vim Spells, once Magic Theory is up to 6, and with a Vim of 9, he can invent L15 spells in one season. So, while there still is a point in inventing a L10 Demons Eternal Oblivion, inventing a L10 Opening the Intangible Tunnel is a waste.

Bind Wounds is a good level 10 spell. It means that wounds won't get worse with activity after the battle until you are safe and sound at home, especially getting your incapacitated folks to safety.

I think lungs of the fish is level 10 and is good if you need to go to water.

Level 5
cloak of duck's feathers is good comfort spell
Circle of beast warding is good for travel if you have to camp outside.
chamber of spring breezes works okay as well.

In any case, knowing the concept of the magus would help a great deal. It is not the same suggesting spells for a wannabe demon hunter than for a magus that wants to go to bed with the daughter of the king of France or be the top writer of the University of Bologna. :slight_smile:

For general spells I always have found use for....

Rise of the feathery body is a useful utility spell. To reach high places and to prevent the mob of murderous peasants from hanging you.... I suggest inventing it at D:Concentration, so you can do something while you hang up there.

I was about to suggest InVi spells to detect vis, detect auras and regio boundaries and to check if someone or something is magical, buit I would wait until you can mass-produce them (level 5 spells) faster. Same for unravelling the fabric of learned 15 times at level 1; really useful for turning off your own spells up to level 15, and act as a counter to low level (but high penetration!!!) spells coming your way. Make it level 5 for the most deadly forms (Co, Ig...) and you can walk around quite confidently :slight_smile:

You always have the paradigmatic ReIm and PeIm spells to pass unnoticed.

Call to slumber is one of my fav spells ever, but you already have it, as is trust of childlike faith to pass over pesky mundane interrogators and slip away quietly.

Unseen porter is also useful to open doors and stuff as is a R:Personal version of Aura of Ennobled Presence coupled with Prying Eyes, the best spell since PoF (because you need to perceive something to affect it with magic). Prying Eyes (diameter version) also works well with a Touch version of Ear for distant voices (B1, +1 touch, +1 Diam, +2 room) in order to spy a room from the outside.

For a secondary attack/utility spell, I love the Acorns for Fun (ReHe5) spell in the Severin character. Level 5, so you max out penetration with that one. It gives impetus to something made of wood. That can be an arrow, a mug, a stool or the shield of your enemy as well as a bar door (remember most doors were locked by bar doors, not locks). Again, a useful spell to combine with Prying Eyes. It is not precision casting, but it is useful to simply be able to push something violently

Cheers,
Xavi

More level 5
Spasm of the uncontrolled hand is great. I have a mage that has that mastered for multi cast (invented for diameter rather than concentration) and you can make targets unable to do anything to you.

Then again, she took it to level 15 for group. So now she can make 40 limbs of people unusuable at a time (mastered to level 3 for fast cast, multi cast and quick cast).

Level 10 unraveling the form of is great since it dispels level 20+stress die spells, master it fast cast and you can counter most hermetic spells cast at you.

Disguise of the new body (MuCo10)
like ArM5 131, but without part

You or your pals can look like anybody (both sexes).
Great for social interaction (curvy body), spying (Anna Chatman), surprise attack (look like your nemesis' mum), disguise (old woman), punishment (make so look like shit), reward (make your grog Mr. Studd for a night), scaring sb, changing your sex, finding out secrets ("I put the key under the bed, my love") etc. etc.

There are lots of ideas on this thread: https://forum.atlas-games.com/t/level-10-15-spells/245/170 I make no claims about the quality of the ideas only the quantity, there is at least one fairly low level spell for each technique and form combination.

Why is lvl 10 Intangible Tunnel a waste?

Given the previous selection of spells, and the lack of spontaneous magic, I would consider a pair of MuIm 5 spells (remember that multiple spells researched in a season must have the same TeFo combination):

a) Wizard's Disguise (R:Touch, D:Sun, T:Individual): Change the appearance and sound of the target to anything you desire (Base 2, Range+1, Duration+2) - this is extremely useful as a disguise (for yourself or someone else) and also as a minor, but powerful curse (change a young maiden's appearance and voice to that of a 90-year-old crone, or that of a stingy merchant into that of a donkey)
b) Wizard's Latrine (R:Touch, D:Diameter, T:Room): Change the appearance and smell of the room the wizard is in - or touching - to anything the wizard desires. Useful as a mildly incapacitating attack to make a room look and smell as the foulest latrine (or, conversely, make the foulest latrine look clean smell of sweet roses), or to buy the wizard some time during an escape by making it appear filled with mist or smoke, or with the exits in the wrong positions.

The problem with low level im spells is that they can't change and move with the person as easily at low levels. (see the +2 magnitudes for the illusion of the horse in the main book.) It is only good for static type senses..

This depends enormously on the magus in question.
The unseen porter is an wonderful spell in your everyday life.
The call to slumber is a great spell to have learned - and should be mastered for magic resistance. (few low level spells can do as much damage in a wizards war).
And the are few better defensive spells than the wizards sidestep.
Demon's eternal oblivion (and the related spells) at level 10 is also very useful in a clinch.

The very next season, Zaccheaus is planning on inventing a L15 version of Opening the Intangible Tunnel. He will precisely have a ReVi lab score of 30.

With Demons Eternal Oblivion, a lower lever version would have better penetration, so just because Zaccheaus has a L15 version doesn't mean there is not value in a L10 version. But if I know a L15 version of Opening The Intangible Tunnel, I can pull in another person to help cast with Wizards Communion and penetration is the same. Most of the General Vis spells are the same, if I want the spell, why not wait another season and invent it at L15 rather than L10. Or wait one season, invent it at both L5 and L10.

Since people are saying it depends on the mage and his personality, here is a link to the character

obsidianportal.com/campaigns ... -verditius

Lungs of the Fish is level 20. If I could get a lab text, I would learn this in a second, since Aquam is one of vis sources the covenant has, and nobody really uses it. Crafting items including Lungs of the Fish effects would be valuable.
I am pretty sure there are only 10 Hermetic Unraveling the Fabric of (Form) spells, since there are only 10 Hermetic Forms. I don’t have the proper background to learn Unraveling the Fabric for non hermetic arts. As I understand it, a level 1 spell would dispel a L11+stress dice(no botch) which sometimes dispels L15 spells, but sometimes not. Inventing one L5 Unraveling the Fabric and 9 L1 Unraveling the Fabric could be interesting if that is how spell creation works. My understanding, however, is that there is a minimum starting level and then you add magnitudes for range, duration and target. Since the range is voice, I would think the minmum level for Unraveling the Fabric of (Form) would be L3.

As a Verditius, being able to add the magnitude of the spell to enchanted items is probably worth mentioning as an advantage to spells. Including shape and material bonuses/philosophae (limited by Magic Theory) and craft scores, Zaccheaus can get in the high thirties with many lab totals. I tend to look at multiples of 20 as lab scores to aim for with lab scores, since it works out to an even amount of vis. Every little bit helps.

I think the "+10 levels" in general perdo vim guidelines must be read "+2 magnitude" to avoid the abuses of level 1 spells.

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I agree. I believe there was something semi-official at some point saying just that, wasn't there?

Edit: Oh, now I remember! It's in ArM5 itself. I believe the text switches between levels and magnitudes as though they are linearly related, even though they are not.

Chris

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It's not a general rule. The one you are mentioning is +2 magnitudes if an illusion is supposed to move at your mental command, and it only applies to illusion created through CrIm spells. Check out the MuIm guidelines: "the image ... adapts itself appropriately to the medium", and see the "Aura of Ennobled Presence" example.

Yes, but Gills of the Fish (R:Touch, D:Sun, T:Ind - gives the target gills allowing him to breath underwater) is MuCo 5. Base 2 "Change someone to give them a minor ability - see Eyes of the Cat), +1 Touch, +2 Sun.

A good MuCo spell to pair this with, particularly given your magus' background, is "Stature of the Giant" (R:Touch, D:Diam, T:Ind - briefly changes the target into a giant, see RoP:M). Base 3 "Utterly change the appearance or size of a person", +1 Touch, +1 Diameter. Alternatively "Stature of the Pixie" (same parameters) can change the target to minuscule size - useful for infiltration or perhaps, with Eye range, for offense.

If you are happy with that solution for Intangible Tunnel why aren't you happy with the same for Demon's Eternal Oblivion? Penetration is equally important for both spells. A lower level Intangible Tunnel has better penetration.

I plan to cast The Intangible Tunnel in my covenant, while I am prepared and my target hopefully is not. I can gather all my friends and plan to use Wizards Communion. If I need to cast Demons Eternal Obilivion, I doubt I will have that advantage.

Fair enough.