To discuss the creation of all of Julia's characters (magus, companion, grogs, familiar, apprentices). This includes the concept, drafts, background, advancement, lab work, etc.
Final versions of the characters will have their own topic.
Eikona ex Jerbiton (at gauntlet)
Characteristics: Int +2, Per +1, Pre +3, Com +2, Str -2, Sta +2, Dex +1, Qik -1
Size: -1
Age: 22(20)
Decreptitude: 0
Warping Score: 0(0)
Confidence Score: 1(3)
Virtues and Flaws: The Gentle Gift; Hermetic Maga; Cautious with Finesse, *Free Expression, Improved Characteristics, Minor Fairie Blood (Sidhe), Personal Vis Source (hair: Imaginem), Puissant Finesse, Skilled Parens, Venus Blessing; Driven (Major: the art of catching species), Unnatural magic; Harmless Magic, Lecherous (minor), Mentor (parens), Small Frame
Personality Traits: Enthusiastic about the art of catching species +3, Lecherous +2, Carefree +1
Reputations: none yet
Combat: Dodging: Init -1, Attack n/a, Defense +1, Damage n/a
Soak: +2
Fatigue Levels: OK, 0, -1, -3, -5, Unconscious
Wound Penalties: -1 (1-4), -3 (5-8), -5 (9-12), Incapacitated (13-16)
Abilities: Early Childhood:
Area Lore Swiss Jura (geography) 1,
Artes Liberales 1 (music), Athletics 1 (dancing), Awareness 1 (art), Bargain 1 (silverware), Brawl 1 (dodge), Charm 2 (townspeople), Concentration 1 (Spells), Etiquette 1 (townspeople),
Fairie Lore 1 (Summer Fairies), Finesse 3+2 (Imaginem), Folk Ken 2 (townspeople), Guile 1 (about herself), Latin 4 (Hermetic Usage), Living Language: Burgundian 5 (rhymes), Magic Theory 3 (spells), Music 1 (singing), Order of Hermes Lore 1 (Alps), Parma Magica 1 (Corpus) , Ride 2 (long time in the saddle), Survival 1 (orientation)
Arts: Cr 5, In 5, Pe 5, Re 5, Im 11, Me 6, Te 3
Twilight scars: none
Equipment: Wizardly robes, a silver pocket mirror, her horse "Unicorn" with several more silver pocket mirrors in his saddle bags
Encumbrance: 0(0)
Wizard's Sigil: Her hair becomes shinier when she casts spells, she sometimes uses flourishes when catching species to include these reflections of the light in her art
Spells Known:
Bind Wounds CrCo10 +7
The Succubus Trick MuCo5 +2
Eikona wanted to experience about the intimate aspects of being male, so she secretly taught herself this spell as an apprentice. Now that she’s tried both, she prefers the female experience and mostly uses this spell to escape menstrual pains. She uses illusions to determine her apparent sex. Source: Houses of Hermes: Societates, page 97
The Eternal Mirror Image Cr(In)Im 10 +18
This spell allows Eikona to make a mirror constantly display the moment when the spell was cast (a few seconds, like an animated gif used in a meme). She has to hold the mirror towards the motif she wants to record, so a Perception + Finesse roll of 9+ is needed to make sure the picture is okay (no heads cut off in the picture because a wrong angle was chosen). Higher finesse rolls mean that the result is more satisfying (open eyes, good light, smiles, perfect background, etc). Free expression can be applied to the roll. The spell was originally invented by the Daughters of Echo, a League she is eager to join.
(Base 1, +1 Touch, +2 Ring, Circle, +1 moving image, +1 Intellego requisite)
Don’t worry, father! CrIm25 +18
This spell is a farewell gift from her parens. It allows her to stay in contact with him and her father while traveling outside the Alps. It is an Arcane Connection distance version of Phantasm of the talking head. She often combines it with summoning the distant image to talk to her father at Valnastium. She uses it at least once a month to talk to either of them.
Summoning the Distant image InIm25 +18
Aura of Beguiling Appearance MuIm10 +13
She loves that one, because she's lecherous.
PeIm20 Veil of Invisibility, PeIm20 +18
Eikona likes observing quietly and sometimes takes her pictures without being seen because she doesn’t like the way people posture when they are aware of having their portrait taken)
Disguise of the transformed Image ReIm15 +16
Very useful spell in the class-ridden sexist world of the 12th century
Posing the Silent Question InMe20 +13
Eikona often uses this spell for seductive purposes
Crafting the silver mirror, ReTe15 +10
This spell allows Eikona to shape silver into the form of a mirror. She usually creates mirrors that have a round shape with a ring inscribed along the edge, so she can use them to capture species. Since this is Rego Craft Magic, it requires a Perception + Finesse roll of 12+ to create a mirror.
(Base 2, +2 metal, +1 Touch, +1 complexity)
Preview:
Plans post gauntlet: Join the daughters of Echo, take pictures, exhibit her work, travel to Constantinople shortly before it falls, attend tribunals
Development directions post gauntlet: round out her skills, especially the social ones (Etiquette, Intrigue,...), read a primer for each art and learn a few spells
lab: make a talisman (maybe), get a white wolf familiar
Florence diary, first entry:
Easter Sunday 1181
Lyrus, my Master, has gifted me with a book. When I opened it the pages were blank. He told me that I was expected to write my life into it truthfully. He counseled me against those embellishments magi often add to their tales and said, if I ever became a Maga of importance, posteriority would want to learn about me and my thoughts. So let me start:I am Florence, mage apprentice to Lyrus the Bard of the House of Jerbiton. I live with my father in a hidden valley in the Alps that is called Valnastium. He's a silversmith. When I was seven years old, Master Lyrus found me. Before that I lived in the town of Pontarlier, on the border between Burgundy and Switzerland. I have a talent for magic that is called the Gift. I think this is because my mother was related to the summer fae, but I cannot be sure, because my father doesn't speak of her and I have never met her. I also have magic hair that reflects the first light of summer - it is because of my hair that my master found me.
I like the idea of becoming a mage. It means I am taught to read and write and that I can even cast a spell that allows me to catch an image in a mirror. I spend hours wandering through the valley to find the perfect image. I am allowed to keep the best images, and I already have a collection of 12 mirrors: My favorite one shows Master Andru cradling his cat. One day, I will travel the world in search of beauty and share that beauty with all those unfortunate mages who have no time because they spend all their time in their labs.
EDITED: layout and spelling improved, spells adjusted as suggested by Arthur
A post was merged into an existing topic: Covenant Discussions (OOC)
Eikona ex Jerbiton (with all seasons that have been done)
Characteristics : Int +2, Per +1, Pre +3, Com +2, Str -2, Sta +2, Dex +1, Qik -1
Size: -1
Age : 32(30)
Decreptitude: 0
Warping Score: 1(2)
Confidence Score: 1(3)
Virtues and Flaws: The Gentle Gift; Hermetic Maga; Cautious with Finesse, *Free Expression, Improved Characteristics, Minor Fairie Blood (Sidhe), Personal Vis Source (hair: Imaginem), Puissant Finesse, Skilled Parens, Venus Blessing; Driven (Major: the art of catching species), Unnatural magic; Harmless Magic, Lecherous (minor), Mentor (parens), Small Frame
Personality Traits: Enthusiastic about the art of catching species +3, Lecherous +2, Carefree +1
**Reputations:*artistic talent: magi 1(5)
Combat: Dodging: Init -1, Attack n/a, Defense +1, Damage n/a
Soak: +2
Fatigue Levels: OK, 0, -1, -3, -5, Unconscious
Wound Penalties: -1 (1-4), -3 (5-8), -5 (9-12), Incapacitated (13-16)
Abilities : Area Lore Constantinople 1 (Hagia Sophia quarter), Area Lore Swiss Jura (geography) 1, Animal Handling 1 (horses), Artes Liberales 2 (ceremonial casting), Athletics 1 (dancing), Awareness 1 (art), Bargain 1 (silverware), Brawl 1 (dodge), Carouse 1 (knowing your limits), Charm 2 (townspeople), Classical Greek 3 (reading), Code of Hermes 1 (intertribunal politics), Concentration 2 (Spells), Etiquette 2 (magi), Fairie Lore 1 (Summer Fairies), Finesse 3+2 (Imaginem), Folk Ken 2 (townspeople), Guile 1 (about herself), Inferal Lore 1 (spotting), Intrigue 2 (magi), Latin 4 (Hermetic Usage), Leadership 1 (grogs), Living Language: Burgundian 5 (rhymes), Magic Lore 1 (creatures), Magic Theory 4 (spells), Music 1 (singing), Order of Hermes Lore 1 (Alps), Parma Magica 1 (Corpus) , Philosophiae 1 (natural philosophy), Profession: Scribe 1 (carefully), Ride 2 (long time in the saddle), Survival 1 (orientation), Stealth 1 (invisible), Swim 1 (with clothes), Teach (single student) 1
Arts : Cr 5, In 7, Mu 6, Pe 5, Re 5, An 6, Au 6, Aq 6, Co 6, Herbam 6, Im 11, Ig 6, Me 6, Te 6, Vi 6
Twilight scars: none
Equipment: Wizardly robes, a silver pocket mirror, her horse "Kisser" with several more silver pocket mirrors in his saddle bags,
At Valnastium: about 40 Mirrors with Images, Light reflected in Mirrors [Tractatus Finesse Q8], a warped mirror [Tratatus Q13 Enigmatic Wisdom, worth 3p of vis]
Encumbrance: 0(0)
Wizard's Sigil: Her hair becomes shinier when she casts spells, she sometimes uses flourishes when catching species to include these reflections of the light in her art
Spells Known:
The Beauty and the Beast ReAn10 +7
This spell allows Eikona to move among mundane animals and to collect their species without disturbing them. It is a day length variety of Disguise of the Putrid Aroma (p. 120). Of course, this spell doesn’t cause any putrid aroma: She’s a Jerbiton, not a Bjornaer.
Bind Wounds CrCo10 +13
The Succubus Trick MuCo5 +14
Eikona wanted to experience about the intimate aspects of being male, so she secretly taught herself this spell as an apprentice. Now that she’s tried both, she prefers the female experience and mostly uses this spell to escape menstrual pains. She uses illusions to determine her apparent sex. Source: Houses of Hermes: Societates, page 97
Torch without flame CrIg10 +13
like lamp without flame, but torchlight and sun duration
The Eternal Mirror Image Cr(In)Im 10 +18 +1 Mastery (quiet)
This spell allows Eikona to make a mirror constantly display the moment when the spell was cast (a few seconds, like an animated gif used in a meme). She has to hold the mirror towards the motif she wants to record, so a Perception + Finesse roll of 9+ is needed to make sure the picture is okay (no heads cut off in the picture because a wrong angle was chosen). Higher finesse rolls mean that the result is more satisfying (open eyes, good light, smiles, perfect background, etc). Free expression can be applied to the roll. The spell was originally invented by the Daughters of Echo, a League she is eager to join.
(Base 1, +1 Touch, +2 Ring, Circle, +1 moving image, +1 Intellego requisite)
Don’t worry, father! CrIm25 +18
This spell is a farewell gift from her parens. It allows her to stay in contact with him and her father while traveling outside the Alps. It is an Arcane Connection distance version of Phantasm of the talking head. She often combines it with summoning the distant image to talk to her father at Valnastium. She uses it at least once a month to talk to either of them.
Summoning the Distant image InIm25 +20
Aura of Beguiling Appearance MuIm10 +19
She loves that one, because she's lecherous. And the next two spells guarantee variety...
Aura of Childlike Innocence, MuIm10 +19
Aura of Ennobled Presence, MuIm10 +19
PeIm20 Veil of Invisibility, PeIm20 +18
Eikona likes observing quietly and sometimes takes her pictures without being seen because she doesn’t like the way people posture when they are aware of having their portrait taken)
Disguise of the transformed Image ReIm15 +18
Very useful spell in the class-ridden sexist world of the 12th century
Posing the Silent Question InMe20 +15
Eikona often uses this spell for seductive purposes
The invisible Sling of Vilano ReTe10 +13
Crafting the silver mirror, ReTe15 +13
This spell allows Eikona to shape silver into the form of a mirror. She usually creates mirrors that have a round shape with a ring inscribed along the edge, so she can use them to capture species. Since this is Rego Craft Magic, it requires a Perception + Finesse roll of 12+ to create a mirror.
(Base 2, +2 metal, +1 Touch, +1 complexity)
Scales of the magical weight InVi5 +15
Sense the nature of Vis InVi5 +15
Season by season xp expenditure
1195, season 1: rash winter excursion, serving a swineherd 5xp leadership, 5xp animal handling
1195, season 2: Grand Tribunal 5xp Code Of Hermes, 5xp Intrigue
1195, season 3: Aimless wandering, sees a fox, lots of mirror magic, 5xp spell mastery in The Eternal Mirror Image
1195, season 4: Reading 21xp Animal
1196, season 1: Reading, 13xp Intellego
1196, season 2: Befriending a fox,* 5xp Magic Lore*
1196, season 3: familiar ceremony: 2xp Magic theory.
1196, season 4: Imaginem tractatus written/Service Profession: Scribe 2xp
1197, season 1: Imaginem tractatus copied Profession: Scribe: 2xp
1197, season 2: Adventure/Service: carouse 5xp, Infernal Lore 5xp
1197, season 3: Gastronomer's Dinner 1xp scribe, 5xp etiquette, reputation gained: artistic talent 1
1197, season 4: Muto primer read, 21 xp Mu
1198, season 1: almost twilight episode, Vim primer read, 21xp Vi, warped mirror gained
1198, season 2: teaching the giant's daughter, 5xp teaching
1198, season 3: learning Artes Liberales from Horst, 10xp
1198, season 4: learns Greek from fat teacher, 15xp
1199, season 1: reads an ignem primer 21xp
1199, season 2: travels to Valnastium 5xp concentration, 5 xp reputation artistic talent
1199, season 3: shipwrecked on the way to Constantinople 5xp swim
1199, season 4: arriving in the city 8xp practice
1200, season 1: Demosthenes asks for her hand, 7xp language
1200, season 2: boring Thebes tribunal, she becomes a member 5xp intrigue, 5xp concentration
1200, season 3: labwork, spell The beauty and the beast ReAn10, 2xp exposure magic theory
1200, season 4: baby lost, Corpus primer read 21xp
1201, season 1: depressed reading: 21xp Aquam primer
1201, season 2: preparing for the wedding: 5xp intrigue, 5xp etiquette
1201, season 3: finding the kidnapped apprentice, 5xp area lore, 5xp philosophiae
1201, season 4: spells research, Aura of Ennobled Presence, ura of Childlike Innocence, 2xp magic theory
1202, season 1: Purification of the festering wounds learned, 2xp Magic theory
1202, season 2: childbirth Guiscard: Call to slumber, 2xp Magic Theory
1202, season 3: reads Terram primer, 15xp
1202, season 4: reads Auram primer, 21xp
1203, season 1: reads Herbam primer, 21xp
1203, season 2: baby proofing lab, 6xp Magic Theory
1203, season 3: invents spell, Torch without flame, 2xp Magic theory
1203, season 3: invents spells: Scales of the Magic Weight, Sense the nature of Vis, 2xp magix theory
1204, season 1: preparing for the siege, 10xp parma
1204, season 2: the siege, Demosthenes dies, 5xp parma, 5xp stealth
1204, season 3: Valnastium 10xp parma
1204, season 4: spell, invisible sling of vilano, 2xp Magic theory
1205, Jan-March: collecting for Constantinople, repuation gain?
Vis (gained/spent)
Personal Imaginem Vis 40/16
Other Vis 12/7
Covenant
seasons of membership: 30
seasons of service: 6
Warping points gained
8
Items:
Ring of the True Image
To activate the ring, you need to point the finger wearing the ring at the Imaginem effect (level 25 + stress die (no botch) to be dispelled and tap the ring three times in a quick succession. When the Imaginem effect is dispelled, it gradually dissolves away much like sea foam washing away on a beach, as per Serene of Verditius' wizard sigil.
Base 5+1 Touch, +10 unlimited uses
Baby Giscard, born on the 16th of June, 1202 (Bloomsday 
)
I notice that you have a lot of custom spells. I usually ask players to limit themselves to no more than 2 of those at Gauntlet, unless a strong rationale can be established that the master had the same specialty than the apprentice.
I haven't checked the total for Abilities and Arts.
I chose most of those spells because they seemed to fit. It's four custom spells, the rest are standard spells that I gave an explanation for.
The character has skilled parens: If those those extra spells can be custom spells, I am doing fine.
I can replace "Beauty and the Beast" (level10). She's going to read a primer on Animal anyway at some point, and can then invent it in a season. This one is easy to explain away and easily replaced by that core book MuIm spell that makes magi nobler.
I could ditch her signature spell "The Eternal Mirror Image" and invent it in the first season after gauntlet because it's a level 5 spell, but that makes the flair weaker without making the mechanics stronger. On the contrary, it would then be hard to justify why she doesn't make a version that includes sound (which would kind of ruin the photography theme).
So may I ask to keep 3 of her custom spells?
As for the ability math - I hope I got it right (but numbers are tricky little devils).
The low-level custom spells are fine. I would note that Don’t worry, father! will not work well for its stated purpose, since it will be blocked both by your pater's Parma Magica and by his covenant's Aegis of the Hearth.
Well, I assume they'd use set times for that. If her parens wouldn't do that her father would.
Up to you. 
Spell saved for later learning.
Replaced with Aura of Beguiling Appearance MuIm10. That one is in sync with her lecherous flaw
Can I write the first 4 seasons?
Start with the first one, so we can see if anything needs to be readjusted before going too far.
THIS POST IS OBSOLETE
Post Gauntlet skills:
Concentration 1(3) (spells)
Profession: Scribe 1 (copying carefully)
XP development:
1995, Season 1: Profession: 5xp Scribe (copying carefully) , 3xp concentration
OBSOLETE POST
Aquarius 1195
Eikona and her father were sitting in his workshop that no longer felt spacious. It was the warmest room in his house. Outside the now covered the mountains, turning the lands surrounding Valnastium into magnificent, yet deadly white land of wonder. She was still waiting for an opportunity to capture Valnastium in winter for her collection of mirror images.
She remembered the Grand Tour, the glories of Rome and Constantinople, carelessly frolicking through sun-bathed Roman ruins with Mirabelle and Demosthenes. She’d see them again at the Grand Tribunal in Spring. She was curious about Durenmar, not so much about the library that Demosthenes kept talking about with his exotic Greek accent, but about the magi there, about seeing Murion, the most powerful witch of her age.
She loved Valnastium, loved her father, and yet, the world here had become too small for her. Still, she didn’t regret spending one last winter in his company, writing a small spellbook for Lyrus, who was no longer her parens, and spending hours bent over the chessboard, losing game after game to her father.
Things she made:
a book containing the spells: The Succubus Gift, and The Eternal Mirror Image, written in Latin. It was gifted to her parens as a Thank-You-Gift at the end of her apprenticeship (she has: skilled parens virtue, mentor flaw, the book won't play any further role in her life)
Things she owns:
a collection of 15 silver pocket mirrors showing magi from Valnastium, and sights from Rome, Venice and Constantinople.
her horse Unicorn
Friends and family:
her father - a silversmith living at Valnastium.
her mother - unknown, related to the fae of summer (dead? or maybe not? story hook potential!)
Demosthenes - Jerbiton Magus from the Theban tribunal, studious, earnest, and very good-looking, they met on the apprentice tour. Will be dead by the time the game starts.
Mirabelle - French Jerbiton maga, a singer, lecherous, crazy and adventurous, always in trouble (the kind of daring friend that can be used as a story hook).
Lyrus, her parens, who still is her mentor, a mage interested in being an Aquitaine-style troubadour and who is trying to spread music in the house and the nobility.
What happens if she gets pregnant?
Can I simply take an extra dependents flaw? Can it be a minor flaw, if her daughter grows up with at Valnastium?
Should I balance such a flaw by taking extra virtues?
Do I then have to write Eikona's father out of the story at some point so she doesn't have a second story flaw?
Because of the narrative, I went back and carefully reread some of her spells. I have a few comments.
First, it seems like there is a small mistake in the level, as D:Ring is +2 (same level as D:Sun), not +1. The Ease Factor to get a good picture also seems to be on the low side, I would suggest raising it to 9.
What does she do when the image it not to her liking? The effect only ends if the ring is broken, so casting the spell another time on the same mirror would not end the previous spell. So would she put that mirror aside (to be recrafted) and use another one to recast the spell?
Just trying to understand how she performs her magic, and for the troupe's understanding as well.
How does her Wizard's Sigil manifest itself in those images? It might be nice to write that down in the spell's description.
As stated in Covenants p.49 (end of the boxed insert, "Extending the duration of a Rego craft spell makes the spell perform the same action over and over on the same starting materials — it is almost always inappropriate." So this should be D:Mom (thus level 10).
Note that she will be limited to using a single piece of silver (such as an ingot) to create her mirrors, as this spell is T:Ind. This will limit their size to the dimension of the initial piece of silver she uses. If she wants to combine multiple pieces of silver (such as coins) to create a mirror, then the spell would need to use T:Group (thus level 20).
The Ease Factor again seems too low. Making a silver mirror in a day from a lump of silver is the worked of a skilled craftsman and probably requires more than a day. So I think an Ease Factor of 12 or even 15 would be more appropriate. And again, I'd be interested to know how her Wizard's Sigil manifests itself for that spell.
What does she know about her mother?
Depends on what her relationship is with the child. If she is close to her child and you want stories involving the child, you could certainly add a minor version of the Dependent flaw, or the Close Family Ties flaw, but that wouldn't come with additional virtues. It could replace an existing Story flaw, such as Mentor. We don't get free virtues for story events!
This didn't sound like a season of training, just exposure while scribing lab texts. So what justifies something above standard exposure 2 xp?
Thanks for all the feedback!
I'll adjust the spell levels then (+5 lvls to the one spell and -5 to the other balances out nicely).
I'll need a spell to end the "photo" effect indeed. So far I assumed she could just cast a spell on top of the old one to replace it, but that doesn't work now I'm actually thinking this through. Breaking the ring mechanically and reforging the mirror would be possible, but it is gauche.
The old picture can be deleted using a PeVi spell not unlike Unravel the Fabric of Imaginem:
Reset the mirror PeVi Lvl2 (base 1, +1 Touch)
Dispels an Imaginem effect of lvl10 + stress die (no botch). She can pull that off as a non-fatiguing spontaneous spell, if she casts it with wild gestures and a loud voice (and will look less foolish once she has read a beginner's book on vim).
I think I'll need a second spell that turns coins into ingots eventually, although that is not a priority, because it can be done by underlings (melting silver into ingot shape is easy enough). Would such a spell also be ReTe craft magic, or is there an easier way to do it?
I think her sigil (light reflected by hair) will make the hair of people in those pictures or mirrors look shiny. I'm not sure if that is too positive, but I think it gives her a chance to manipulate pictures to create interesting flourishes (light reflected by water, silverware etc).
Finesse: A level of 6 only means that the picture shows the person or thing intended. Maybe the lighting is bad, and the face is cast in shadow, etc. Using a smartphone to take a picture with people on it can be done by a low IQ- first grader, which means it it easy. I can raise that to 9, but I'm not really seeing what's so difficult about basic photography. She's after good pictures anyway, so she is unlikely to keep any pictures that are not really good
Finesse 3+2 + Per 1 + free expression 3 + stress die = 9 + stress die (minimum quality of her pics is 9)
If she has one attempt to take a picture (famous person), the quality will usually range from 9 to 18
If she has a few minutes (sunset with Roman temple), she can beat that easily, and is unlikely to end up with a quality below 15.
For pictures of things that she can try to capture for hours (snow-covered mountain), she might end up with qualities of at least 24+
A finesse roll of 24+ may sound scary, but this is a purely aestethic consideration anyway (it's pictures, not cruise missiles).
As for the mirror: A working mirror is a polished silver disk with a diameter of about 12-14 cm with a circle hammered in around the edge, allowing for pictures that are about 10-12 cm in diameter. It doesn't have a handle at that level. If she rolls well, +3 could add a handle at 12+, or +6 a handle that has decorative elements at 15+ (and might allow for free expression to be added). A diameter of 30 cm would add +3, and a diameter of 100cm would probably add +6 or +9. I assume most of her pictures are 10-12cm in diameter. Maybe she has one, depicting her father, that is 30cm in diameter. Big mirrors are probably too expensive and carry anyway (unless silver can be mixed with other metals, I'm not sure on the purity of silver used in silver mirrors).
In the end, the limiting factor for this spell is the cost of the silver, not the finesse (so far she has made 1 mirror per year, which may increase to 2 or 3 per year now she is a maga). Maybe it would make sense to talk about her personal vis source at this point. I needed it so she could be found by her parens easily despite being gently gifted, but I assume, she can convert a pawn or two into silver - not sure what she needs all that vis for anyway, maybe a Verditius shopping spree?
She can always have someone melt in mirrors that don't please her (mirror making doesn't happen in battle, but at a safe place), so again, if my new finesse suggestion is still too low, raising it won't change a thing anyway. How would you change them?
her mother: Eikona she only knows that she has fairie heritage, and it's on her mother's side. Her father doesn't give her more information. I'm leaving that obscure, so it can be made into a story hook. Fleshing this out would ruin the fun of writing a story about meeting her mother or grandmother or finding her mother's tomb or ....
To be honest, the xp system doesn't work for me at all as it is. If I wanted to get maximum xp, I had to tell stories about her that are no fun at all: Ideally, she'd spend four seasons a year reading books. I want a character who travels and takes pictures, with a maximum of 1 season per year with her head in books (less would be great) and maybe a total of 5-10 seasons in those 10 years spent in the lab. So I looked at the other character and figured that they were getting around 40xp per year with 1 season of labwork and said to myself that I needed an average of 10-12xp per season to get to a fair level of power.
This first season is a good example for that: Technically, she spends some time scribing and gets 15 lvls of spells, plus 2xp of exposure. But she never really gets those two spells (her ex-parens gets them without her expecting to get any form of compensation): I just needed a rationale for her doing something indoorsy because it was January, so I thought the mentor story flaw could be used for that. I probably could have written that her father teaches her how to copy texts, and would have ended up with more than 8xp, but then the number of xp gained would have ruined a good tale.
Could you assign to me:
- an average number of xp per season in which she gets nothing for herself and nothing she trades into anything useful (e.g. 10-12xp)
- a number of xp for seasons in which she gets something for herself (lab work, gaining vis, a familiar, texts, other non-trivial stuff), probably 2xp exposure
That would free me from having to come up with implausible reasons why she reads books on intrigue and etiquette (soooo exciting) rather than living a life of intrigue and etiquette. Then, I can focus on telling fun stories that make an interesting character.
I think I like the idea of her having an (ungifted) child at some point, because this might create stories. I don't see how a child could generate a virtue anyway. The child would be a minor flaw, because she'd hand her to some underling and only look after her if she was kidnapped or mortally ill (not a good mother, I guess). Not having a child at all is a story opportunity missed.
Man, I can't even say how much I like the character concept. XD
A few comments:
Just curious, what are you going to answer when every other mage ask her why doesn't she invent a new version now?
(Better yet, don't answer here. This is likely the first thing my magus is going to ask, for professional reasons.)
I believe that since the range is touch, not voice, it should be "Dispels an Imaginem effect of lvl15 + stress die (no botch)".
Should the spell have a +1 for intricacy? If not, I'm afraid your whatdoyoucallit will have low pixel resolution. =9
Why not go around tanking pictures then? I mean, that 40xp per year is a general guideline. If I'm not mistaken the current iteration of the guidelines is this one: Character Creation Guidelines
Thinking about your first season: writing spells from your lab texts is done at 20 x Latin, meaning 80 levels. A distraction of 2 months from your writing means you could still write about 50 levels of spells (2/3), so why not take a few photos? Sure, you copied books for your parens, but you also made one 1 month trip to the nearest city to photograph the landscape, and learned etiquette from a minor noble (10 xp). If the problem is the snow, you could spend the boring winter season gossiping with the other Jerbiton and unravel some kind of minor plot against a friend, or against yourself. Nothing serious, just a practical joke... but still worth 10 xp in intrigue.
On the other side, winters would be the natural choice to prepare for further trips (inventing a spell to protect her from the cold so that next year she can go take pictures of the frozen lakes), so maybe those are the seasons you want to spend inside the lab.