I have an idea of what I want it to be, but I am willing to co-design it with someone. I am also willing to give it a little stretch as long as it still balances
I'd like to choose the overall hooks, after I've had time to think up some adventures.
groovy 8)
Can someone sum up what Marko posted above about boons and the covenant and all for me please? I'm reading it but feeling lost.
Scarecrow: Spend 5 boons on +Aura and you can have a basic, no-frills sanctum and laboratory.
Ok, and that means...? Are there rules somewhere for creating our labs? And wasn't it 6 boons?
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I forgot all about you when I conjured up my custom space idea. I am so sorry about that.
I will set it up for you. You live in a lighthouse by a stone pier, on the coast of Mallorca facing Sa Dragonera. You have a Magic Aura of 3, and the air is so sweet and clean that you have an additional +3 bonus to Aging and Recovery Rolls. You have the standard basic lab until you choose to look into the rules for customization in Covenants (don't bother for now, if you are later interested, we can just teach you to mimic what we do).
+0 Journeyman
+3 Aura
+0 Island
+2 Healthy Feature
+0 Small Tower
+1 Special Feature (Stone Pier)
Here's mine. (I still have to update Thalassa, but work is hectic at the moment. Should calm down by next week.)
Thalassa's sanctum is an underwater cavern under the island. The cave entrance is inside the cove on the southeastern side of Sa Dragonera. The location is not particularly secret, nor is it that difficult to get to (pretty much anyone who knows how to swim can dive ten feet).
+4 Aura
+1 Favorable Aura: Aquam
+1 Hostile Environment: ...It's an underwater sanctum for a maga who is a great swimmer and has no need to either breathe or sleep 
-1 Unhealthy Feature: Negating the default +1 health bonus, because living underwater is not particularly healthy living conditions.
+1 Secondary Income: Thalassa scavenges shipwrecks, bringing in an average of £15/yr.
I has a typo, and wrote "is" instead of "if", so it is my mistake.
But...
(I edited to correct the typo)
You spent 5 (Aura Strength x4 & Attunement). You need to either drop two or take two points of aura related Hooks. Also keep in mind that your Aura is tiny, and encompasses only your lab and not the entire cavern.
Suggested Terminology Ideas
I am the one that sets bad precedents and thinks of better ideas latter and trys to correct people using what I wrote earlier 
. But keep in mind that this thing is a rough draft and not set in stone.
Anyway, I am proposing to use the terms Lab, Sanctum, and Quarter.[list]
- Lab: Your Lab is your basic workspace you all know so very well
- Sanctum: The entirety of your personal Residence is your Sanctum. This includes the lab and space outside your lab, like your bedroom, kitchen, toilet, storage, etcetera; yet still within your main building.
- Quarter: The entirety of your space, the physical property and everything upon it.
And Ryu, since you still need to take two points of aura related Hooks, you thus have two points freed up for boons. I recommend one point spent on Edifice/Important Building/Special Feature for your underwater bunker (your lab space and features of your building are designed to accommodate underwater inhabitants)
And if you can think of ways to adapt other Boons & Hooks from Covenants, run the idea past everyone 
And I just realized there isn't much in the way of Aura related Hooks. I shall fix that...
[strike]I thought we were getting 6 personal Boons, plus up to 6 personal Hooks. Has that changed since I asked last night? [/strike]
Edited after reading the fine print...
So is it not possible to have an aura large enough to cover the entire sanctum and still have it at strength 4? 
The character needs to live in a 4 Aura...
There's no building, it's just a submerged cave, big enough for a lab and a little hole for sleeping in. If you have any suggestions for a "special feature" I'm all ears.
- A whirlpool in the middle of the lab (rego, aquam)
- A shaft of light coming down a hole in the ceiling that causes shadows and lights to dance in different patterns depending on the sea and the hour of the day (ignem, imaginem, muto, creo, vim)
- Coral growing in the walls and floor of the lab. Albino corals form strange patterns (enigmatic wisdom, intellego, divination)
- An anchor stands prominently in the middle of the lab (rego, terram, aquam)
- A current passes through the lab (muto, rego, aquam)
- The Sharksignal (imaginem)
I've got a question about my sanctum, and a question about laboratories. Please bear with me as I'm still new at designing this stuff, so I may foul this up immensely.
On the topic of my own sanctum
If I am to understand things right, one of us is allowed to take the Hook for Haunted (-1), signifying that the sanctum is in the Sa Dragonera graveyard. Only one of us can take this. Being dedicated to healing, it isn't a stretch to assume that my character might also be slanted towards death and dying. In fact, one could say that studying the deceased is part of understanding how to heal the living.
If I take a Hook, I am also to understand that this gives me a +1 Boon I can take, much like Virtues and Flaws. And I was thinking about the overall aesthetic design of a sanctum that is contained within a graveyard, and I looked at what Marko drew up for me, and I notice this simple little 0 next to Small Tower. Well, that won't do. What type of Magus lives without a tower?
So, assuming I got this right, I'd like to modify what Marko drew up and change it to the following:
+0 Journeyman
+3 Aura
+0 Island
+2 Healthy Feature
-1 Haunted
+1 Small Tower
+1 Special Feature (Stone Pier)
Assuming I got this right, this would put my sanctum in the Roman Graveyard at Sa Dragonera; it also establishes that, due to the presence of the Stone Pier, the graveyard is sea-side. Or that my sanctum is just really close to the graveyard.
Did I get this right? Is this acceptable?
On the topic of laboratories
Marko posted that if I wanted to learn, he'd show me how to do it the way you guys do it. Well, I want to learn. I don't want to be left out in the cold here; if you guys have customized labs, I'd like to have one as well. At the very least, it's good practice. Yes?
Other related topics
I saw something about Familiars, and that everybody gets one. Can someone point me to the exact rules we're using to create a Familiar? I know there's some stuff in the core book, but I want to make sure that if there are any house rules related to this that I take those into account.
My Thanks and Gratitude
Thanks to everyone for helping me out as I get knee-deep in this campaign. I just can't wait to get started playing!
You have a level 8 aura versus acclimation, as it is aligned with Aquam as is your might.
And I am not following you either. The Acclimation rules start out with an aura of 5.
you are all jumping ahead of me. These are not rules ready to use. They are rules ready for discussion and development. The whole thing will be revised and posted up top when ready.
Scarecrow, I appreciate that you are eager. But I suggest to keep back from the graveyard for now.
In fact, everyone should keep back from it. Ryu put a storyguide character in a watery cave underneath the island and is close at hand to keep an eye on it. My other idea was to create a strong but warped aura and place a single lab there and have us each do regular shifts of a season each.
You can take haunted with or without the graveyard. I was just trying to point out an obvious link. An individual house or several in the city of Palma on Mallorca may be haunted, as well as several other places.
I have a new rough draft of the suggested pick list that I will roll out later. I dug up some more ideas, expanded the options for Aura related hooks, and tried t pick out bugs. Keep testing out examples and coming up with suggestions and reporting bugs
I have a revised aura system too
Here is my revised draft
Boons & Hooks
Unknown: -3
-3 Unknown Hook:
[tab][/tab]Possible ideas include Monster, Contested Resource, Dwindling Resource, Flawed Resources, Natural Disaster, Regio, etcetera.
-3 Unknown Hook:
[tab][/tab]The Variable McGuffin
-3 Unknown Hook: [tab][/tab]Room for stories by other players
+6 Unknown Boons:
[tab][/tab]Each player gets six points of personal Boons that affect only them. They may take up to six points of personal Hooks for additional Boon points.
Site: -1
+1 Healthy Feature:
[tab][/tab]The clean island air, ambient temperature, and sheer beauty of these islands promotes vitality and longevity. This grants a +1 bonus to all aging and recovery rolls.
+1 Vivid Environment:
[tab][/tab]The word "Magnificent" doesn't even begin to describe it.
-3 Scattered Location:
[tab][/tab]Various important elements of the chapterhouse are scattered throughout the islands.
Fortifications: -1
-1 Outbuildings:
Resources: +0
[tab][/tab]Who knows what we may find or will be uncovered?
Residents: +2
+0 Sailors:
[tab][/tab]Just about anyone that we recruit from the local area is going to be experienced with sailing and life by the sea.
+1 Chapterhouse:
[tab][/tab]Viewed in reverse, being a Chapterhouse is a boon to us, since it includes many benefits. Our expenses are paid, what we make above that is ours to keep, our motherhouse (Andorra) and cosponsor (Barcelona) are considered allies, and more.
+1 Criminals:
[tab][/tab]A lot of the grogs we recruit will wind up being former pirates, some still are, and they will be skilled fighters and seamen. They will require little in terms of wages, save for food, wine, and a bit of booty.
+1 Veteran Fighters:
[tab][/tab]In addition to sailors and pirates, the chapterhouse is staffed with a contingent of almogavars and a few marines.
-1 Superiors:
[tab][/tab]Sa Dragonera is a Chapterhouse, dependent on the Covenant of Andorra and partially subsidized by the Covenant of Barcelona. Our that our superiors cannot tell individuals what to do, only mandate decisions upon the conditions of the chapter (save for bits taken as personal boons/hooks).
External Relations: -2
-1 Outside Influences:
[tab][/tab]The Covenant of Barcelona has an invested interest in the affairs of Sa Dragonera. This may lead to conflicts of interest down the road, but not yet.
-1 Public Vis Source:
[tab][/tab]The legal deal between Andorra and Barcelona concerning Sa Dragonera is stamped and filed in triplicate at Harco, Duresca, and Andorra (because that vault is where the Mercere have stored the backup copies of records for decades now).
Surroundings +3
+3 Mystical Allies:
[tab][/tab]Tritons
+1 Hidden Ways:
[tab][/tab]There are different paths and shortcuts and ways to get between points on the islands, some better than others.
-1 Minority:
[tab][/tab]Player characters will be mostly a minority, and the bulk of the mundane population is Moorish. There has been some displacement and resettlement forced by the powers that be (Count Peter), but it is a sad and slow process.
Suggested Personal Boons & Hooks
[tab][/tab]Each member magus residing here has their own individual location, and six points of Personal Boons to further customize their locations. They may further take up to 6 points of Personal Hooks for additional points of Personal Boons. No more than three points may be spent on any one Boon or Hook, nor may more than one Boon or Hook may be major.
[tab][/tab]The array of options for Personal Boons & Hooks is somewhat different that the one in Covenants, as it is approached from the point of view of building your own personal space in the covenant, personally and physically.
Terminology
[tab][/tab]I will try to be consistent in using the following Terminology...
- Lab: Your Laboratory space, which is only a portion of your whole Sanctum.
- Sanctum: Includes your Lab and the space around it (bedroom, kitchen, storage, etcetera); up to and including the entirety of your main building.
- Quarter: The entirety of your personal space, the property and the buildings upon it.
Status
[tab][/tab]Representing your rank and status in the Covenant, and thus in the Chapterhouse. Rank is not an optional choice, it is a mandatory pick based on the actual character. Masters have greater personal benefits (and may come and go as they please), but Journeymen have more room for individual flexibility.
+0 Journeyman:
[tab][/tab]As a Journeyman participating in the Sa Dragonera Chapter, the covenant owes you the Basic Rights and Rights of Membership. This means that you have your basic expenses paid for, are provided with a laboratory and a staff, and are eligible to earn annual Wages of 3 pawns of vis and 6£ silver presuming you perform at least a season of service in that year.
[tab][/tab]The covenant also owes you a decent aura and the protection of an Aegis. However, there has not yet been found a Magic Aura in these islands that is strong and large enough to accommodate everyone this way. Instead, there are several weak auras of small or tiny size. It is also not cost effective to pay for a separate Aegis for everyone, even a weak one. Thus participation in this mission is voluntary, and the covenant compensates you for sacrifice by offering you status as a Deputy Officer. You are given an additional 6£ of silver every year for your expenses just for being here, and a three year tour here counts as a service towards earning Master Status.
+3 Master
[tab][/tab]A Master at Sa Dragonera is also due the Privileges of a Master. This means an annual 3 pawns of vis and 6£ of silver as just due, the same again for every year with a season of service, and again if serving as an Officer (as compensation for looking over the juniors and the chapter). If serving a regular post with an established sanctum, the covenant offers 12£ silver as additional compensation for the lack of an Aegis or strong aura. Masters have more freedom and access to greater resources. They are the Superiors that the Journeymen have to be mindful of. Masters often come and go as they please and use the islands as a vacation retreat or pop in for observation to make sure their money is well spent.
Aura
[tab][/tab]The base that everyone starts with is a Tiny Aura with a strength of 3, large enough to only include their Lab. You may spend personal Boon points to increase the Size or Strength and/or to include other aspects. However, you cannot spend points on Aura related Boons without taking an equal number of Hooks. Save your free points for other things. This part must balance.
[tab][/tab]Because their existence will surly be tied to the Aura, other supernatural features are listed in this category, giving you the option of several such Hooks.
+1 Aura Strength
[tab][/tab]This increases the strength of the Aura by one point, and may be taken up to three times for a maximum Aura of 6. But maybe you really shouldn't and ought to be happy I started you out at 3.
+1 Aura Size
[tab][/tab]This increases the size and scope of the Aura from +0 Tiny (your Lab) to +1 Small (your whole Sanctum), +2 Medium (your whole Quarter), or +3 Large (a larger estate). You should probably skip that third one and limit the second. The concept here is that there isn't an aura both large enough and strong enough to accommodate a single location.
+1 Favorable Aura:
[tab][/tab]RoP-Magic, page 16
+1 Regio
[tab][/tab]Your Lab is at the heart of a Regio (this is a requirement if you want the Lab Virtue of Regio). The Top layer is your Lab and has an Aura equal to the highest you paid for. There may be as many Outer Layers as there are points of Aura, and may spread out in size one step for each step down. For example, if you chose an Aura of three, then at the top of the regio (your Lab) the aura is 3. For Outer Layers, your whole Sanctum could have an aura as high as 2, and as high as 1 on your whole Quarter.
[tab][/tab]The downside to this regio is that it can be entered in many known ways and access cannot be controlled or limited. At the very least it can be navigated with Second Sight or other appropriate magic. There are also one or two uncontrollable methods (one easy or two hard); such as a short time every day or a longer time once per year, by any one of a certain description or engaged in a certain activity, or by walking a certain path or accessing a certain landmark. Whatever it may be, everyone in the chapter knows it, and those who study the magical folklore of your area may know it (say, an appropriate Lore roll of 6+).
-1 Haunted
[tab][/tab]For whatever reason, bad luck or choice, you picked a haunted location.
-1 Cursed
[tab][/tab]Think of something as befits a Minor Hook.
-1 Flickering Aura
[tab][/tab]The Aura declines one point every year unless some relatively simple task is performed. This should be something easy, like a ceremony every spring or a feast every Christmas, but it is mandatory.
-1 Minor Mystical Pests
[tab][/tab]You have gremlins in your lab, or smurfs in your sanctum, or woozles tearing up your garden.. These creatures are mystical and tied to the nature of the aura.
-1/-3 Monster
[tab][/tab]There is some sort of monster of undefined supernatural nature that resides in or roams around an area nearby your Quarter. It is noy yet a direct threat or problem to you, and you nor the others are not yet capable of defeating it. If taken as a Major Hook, then it is a direct threat and/or immediate problem, yet the covenant united is still yet unable to defeat it at first. If that's really what you want to do, then have as much rope as you want and I will go get you a stool.
-1 Mutable:
[tab][/tab]The fabric of reality within the aura is mutable, altered subtly by means easy for most anyone to achieve.
-1 Regio with Unexpected Entries
[tab][/tab]As Regio, described above, but there are numerous means of entry that you cannot control and some you are unaware of. you know of two or three of them, but there just as many that you do not know about (and others may).
-1 Troublesome Aura:
[tab][/tab]RoP-Magic, page 16
-1 Uncontrolled Regio
[tab][/tab]There is a regio on your Quarter that you do not control and have only partially or have not yet explored (or even discovered). Who knows what lies hidden inside?
-1 Weak Aura
[tab][/tab]This lowers the strength of the Aura by one point, and may be taken up to three times for an Aura of 0 (a Lacunae or simply a mundane location with no aura).
Location
[tab][/tab]These are items concerned only with the physical property.
+0 Island:
[tab][/tab]This is the default choice, either being on the coast of one of the larger islands or somewhere upon one of the smaller ones.
-0 Inland
[tab][/tab]You may choose to instead reside inland on one of the larger islands, either Mallorca or Minorca (Ibiza and Formetera are too small).
+1 Difficult Access:
[tab][/tab]Your sanctum and lab is located in a difficult to access location, such as an underwater cave or secret room.
+1 Healthy Feature:
[tab][/tab]Everyone already has this once by default, but may take it again up to twice more, for a total bonus of +3 to Aging and Recovery rolls.
+1 Hostile Environment:
[tab][/tab]This represents an environment that is hostile and inhospitable to others, not yourself. A good example would be an underwater sanctum for a magus that can live and breath underwater easily and naturally.
+1 Secluded
[tab][/tab]The sanctum is in a hidden spot, known only to the other magi of the chapter and a few others you might tell. Examples include underground, a sea cavern, in a regio, a secret chamber in an unknown building, and etcetera.
-1 Unhealthy Feature:
[tab][/tab]There are a few locations that may be unhealthy or unsanitary, such as in the city of Palma or a graveyard. Taking this hook once negates the general +1 bonus. Taken a second time results in a -1 penalty to Aging and Recovery rolls. That is about as bad as it gets though.
-1 Urban
[tab][/tab]Your sanctum is nestled within a small coastal settlement
-3 Urban/-3 City
[tab][/tab]Your sanctum is located in a major city (the only obvious choice being Palma on Mallorca), or on the edge of it.
Construction
[tab][/tab]These are items concerned only with buildings upon the property.
+0 Manor House
[tab][/tab]The property includes a modest stone manor house. If combined with Urban or City, this may be a townhouse. It may have mild fortifications, but nothing serious.
+0 Small Tower
[tab][/tab]The property is a small stone tower, such as a lighthouse or an old watch tower. It may have mild fortifications, but nothing serious.
+1 Edifice/Important Building/Special Feature
[tab][/tab]This could mean a really fancy building, a fountain and stature in front of your manor, a stone pier, an underground/underwater bunker, and etcetera. This may be taken as many times as you want, no restrictions.
+1 Superior Engineering
[tab][/tab]Due to exceptional skill (&/or magical craftsmanship), the construction and engineering of buildings are of incredible quality. It inspires awe, envy, and maybe even fear (it is best if you keep your buildings few and small).
-1 Crumbling
[tab][/tab]Whatever type of building you have and whatever it is made out of, it is in disrepair and falling apart
-1 Wooden
[tab][/tab]Your building is made out of wood instead of stone. This may be nice and of excellent construction, but it is vulnerable.
Resources
+3 Personal Resource
[tab][/tab]You have access to a resource that is rightfully yours alone, a gift from a friend or mentor, or given to you for a specific task by the covenant. This resource is worth about 20 covenant build points and must all be of one single type. Suitable examples include: a Treasure Horde worth 200£, fifty levels of Magic Items, a Queen of Vis, a Vis Source worth 4 pawns per year, a Grimoire of 100 levels of Lab Texts, a Foundation Art Summa (L5/Q15), etcetera.
+1 Private Income
[tab][/tab]You have a private source of income that brings in 15£ a year. This boon is free if this is an Indiscrete Resource, a source of illicit income such as piracy. This may be taken up to three times, but only once for free.
+1 Hidden Resource
[tab][/tab]There is some undiscovered resource located on your property. You do not know of its existence at first, but you will soon become aware of it. At that point, if you decide to share it with the covenant & chapter or to horde it for yourself, those ramifications are dealt with at that time. The value is the same as for Personal Resource.
-0 Indiscrete Resource
[tab][/tab]You have a resource obtained by illicit or improper means. Something you stole/are stealing from someone, something you are supposed to share, or otherwise by some means or condition that could cause trouble if discovered by concerned authorities (such as your chapterhouse associates/covenant mates). The value is the same as for Personal Resource.
Relations
+1 Informants/Agents
[tab][/tab]You have a network of informants and other agents in the area that gather information for you and perform other (non-violent) tasks of intrigue. They are not on your staff, they have their own lives. They just cooperate with you seeking favor. It is wise to throw them a bone once in a while. Use the rules from Societas to design your agency.
+1 Local Ally:
[tab][/tab]You personally have made friends with influential mundane authorities
+1 Promised Favors:
[tab][/tab]Someone, Hermetic or mundane, owes you a favor pertaining to your residence here at Sa Dragonera
-1 Hangout:
[tab][/tab]On or near your quarter, there is a popular hangout (such as a tavern or church) that others are always congregating about. This is a draw on your staff and a potential start point for endless random stories.
-1 Owed Favors:
[tab][/tab]You owe a favor to someone in the area, or one that concerns your residence here.
-1 Politics:
[tab][/tab]You slightly entangles in mundane politics of the area (always a bad idea), or you have a heavy involvement in Hermetic politics that will affect your life here in Sa Dragonera
Individual Expenditures
Average Annual Expenses
- Magus: 15£ (5£ Inhabitant, 1£ Writing Materials, 3£ Lab and Arcane Supplies, 6£ Compensation)
- Companion/Familiar: 3£
- Soldier/Specialist/Craftsman/Professional: 2£
-
Servant/Rabble/Covenfolk/Flunky/Pirate/Other: 1£
[tab][/tab]The typical Journeyman is afforded the lifestyle that befits a magus, and may have a Lab Upkeep as high as +2. It is further presumed that each magus will have a Companion, a Familiar, two soldier grogs, three servants, and a Specialist at their disposal.
[tab][/tab]This totals up to an average expense of 30£ per magus; including their entourage, buildings & properties, and laboratories. This is what the covenant has budgeted, and supplies each magus with each year. This includes 6£ that they can save aside, or use to live a more lavish lifestyle. Wages that they earn for services would be money owed no matter if the resided here or at the main covenant, so this is not a budget concern.
[tab][/tab]At the rate of 30£ per magus, it costs the covenant 180£ per year to maintain the Chapterhouse. The vis yeild from Sa Dragonera is a Queen per year, and we make a 60/40 split with Barcelona. So it takes us 180£ to make 60 pawns of vis, using a vis exchange rate of 12£ per pawn, Andorra profits 45 pawns of vis per year. That is 5 pawns more than Barcelona, but we can consider that a wash with cost overruns and miscellaneous expenses.
Upgrading your Lifestyle
[tab][/tab]If you want a more lavish lifestyle, the cost is up to you. You have 6£ to play with, and there are other ways to obtain income. The expense of expanding your entourage is as indicated above, Other additional expenses are as follows.
- Lab Upkeep: Pyramid value of Upkeep score minus 3£
- Lab Size: 1£ per point of Size
- Buildings: 1£ per point of Boon