Character Creation: Format and Rules

[tab][/tab][tab][/tab]How to start a Thread about your Character

[tab][/tab]Make a thread with the name of the character as a title. Reserve the first four (4) posts, then fill them out in the format explained below. The first two posts should be a character sheet with information that's easily accessible. The third should be history and the fourth extras. A fifth should be reserved by the ST, and after that comments and conversations from everyone.

[tab][/tab]Second post should contain information of the character at the beginning of the campaign, just past gauntlet for Magi, character sheet style. You should put basic stuff, stats, personality traits, virtues and flaws, abilities with scores and specializations, and for Magi Art scores and Spells. If you can do these in tables, charts or at least orderly, so much the better. For virtues, flaws, abilities and spells that are not in the main rulebook, please add a reference with page. At the end of the sheet, explain the Xp progression of your abilities (0-5 Early childhood, 5-x Later life, Extra points from virtues, Apprenticeship for Magi). Add a small (one or two sentences) description.

[tab][/tab]First post, copy the second post and paste it. Add combat values for any weapons you have (including dodge, punch, kick) for easy reference. Add equipment currently on character (not a detailed description). Have space for abilities to denote Xp placed on them, same for Arts. Spells should have the Tech+Form combo denoted, Masteries, and any plus or minus due to virtues/flaws on the particular spell. At the end of the sheet, you will be recording the Xp gains and expenditures by year/season (delete the earlier life ones from second post-copying). Magi that have extra post-Gauntlet time should add the Xp gains here. Once you are approved I will copy this on another thread in announcements, and we will be both tracking them separately.

[tab][/tab]Third post, you will detail the character's history. This can be as long or short as you want, in any format you want. Some people like writing detailed stories in various styles, others are laconic and view this as a chore. I would like the history for three reasons: a) To give the rest of us a sense of how the character behaves and what she looks like in detail, b) to remind you of important things that happened in her past, and c) for all the people years later reading the forums, who are entertained by reading creative stories.
After the history, describe your Virtues and Flaws in detail, explaining them and how you view them. You can do them in a list as short as you want (ie 'Puisant Ignem: He likes fire'), or you can associate them in detail (ie 'Gentle gift and Compassionate: She was always a child with a soft heart, helping everyone in need. Maybe that is why her magic is channeled in a gentler way and does not scare people off. One time she...')

[tab][/tab]Fourth post is reserved for stuff that you want to add to your character. You should probably first add hopes, dreams, motivations and objectives if any, of the character. New spells and equipment should be described here.

[tab][/tab][tab][/tab]Character Creation

-[tab][/tab]Each player will have one Magus/Maga and one Companion. These two must be unrelated. They must also be function-able ( a blatant gifted Bonisagus with presence and communication at -3 is not of any use outside a laboratory and no fun).

-[tab][/tab]State what your characters' religion is and how devout or not they are. Any religion is fine. Some flaws based solely on religion are not allowed (like unbaptized or pagan) while others that also deal with race are (like outcast, outsider for jews, muslims etc)

-[tab][/tab]No Infernalists, Holy men, miracle workers, Mythic companions or gifted casters of non-hermetic practices. Your Magus must be Hermetic, your companion may be an ungifted practitioner within reason. (Note there are some Hermetics who dabble or have skills from those domains, ask before you make one of those). No familiar companions. If you take Animal companion or Magical Animal companion or such and then make them your familiar, you will have to compensate for the flaw by taking another one.

-[tab][/tab]If you want a flaw but you have some problem with an aspect of it, you can make a greater/lesser malediction of it. Note the flaw and what you want changed. You must also note who/what gave you the malediction, including which realm it originated from. This will present further complications along the way. You should also consider vulnerability to that realm.

-[tab][/tab]Do not pile up flaws of the same kind (Like Vow(pacifism) and Ability block (Martial) and non-combatant)

-[tab][/tab]Major personality flaws will be enforced and cannot be overcome (to the point of dictating what the character would do). Minor personality flaws can be temporarily overcome with a confidence point.

-[tab][/tab]Find a reason for your characters why they joined an obscure covenant in the middle of nowhere, then make the character. Too many times we make an interesting character and try to shoe-horn him into a campaign...
Also, a good idea is not to finalize your characters until you have seen the pre-made Covenant. Some characters simply wont fit in.

-[tab][/tab]Work with me. I do not like saying no to players, but sometimes what the player envisions and how it turns out or how it fits in a campaign is different, and he gets disillusioned. Just work with me and be patient.

[tab][/tab][tab][/tab]Magi

-[tab][/tab]Magi should be made by following normal creation rules. You should focus on the main rulebook and the three House of Hermes books. When listing virtues/flaws add a book and page reference. Do the same for spells. The ST reserves approving or disallowing certain virtues/flaws, but all spells from those three books (and probably other books) are allowed for newly Gauntled magi. If you want a slightly modified spell from those, ask. Please do not take spells from outside those books or that you found on the net.

-[tab][/tab]Your Magi should be human. No weird hybrids, magical creatures, fae lords or embodiments of nature. This means that major supernatural virtues and flaws that make you non human or part human are out for magi(you can be a skinchanger but not a shapeshifter), Including Giant's blood etc. There are exceptions:
[tab][/tab]-[tab][/tab]Merinita have the whole gamut of fae virtues and flaws, major and minor. Please do not go overboard, I would prefer a human leaning Merinita to a magus trying to become fae who cannot function in society.
[tab][/tab]-[tab][/tab]Ex Miscellanea are allowed to take such virtues and flaws, as long as they are central to their character. The virtue must be taken as the free virtue if major (This means no shapeshifter pharmacopoeians, even if its canon).
[tab][/tab]-[tab][/tab]Mythic Blood will be restricted to this: Descendant of a notable human magus or sorcerer is available to all houses. Descendant of a fae or a supernatural being of power is restricted to Merinita and Ex Miscellanea respectively. Descendant of a beast of legend or Great beast is restricted to Bjornae.

-[tab][/tab]You can have one (1) minor mystery virtue at the beginning of the campaign. This includes the free virtue from the four mystery houses. No major mystery virtues or more than one minor. You must also buy at least Cult lore1. If you want something more substantial, discuss it with me, I am open to discussion on this.

-[tab][/tab]One of the major choices for your magi character will be whether or not she/he will be from outside the Theban Tribunal. Anastaj targets non-natives for his recruitment campaign, but Christoforos has also made some inquires inside the Tribunal itself. Depending on what you choose, follow one of the below:

[tab][/tab]-[tab][/tab] Non Theban Magi

[tab][/tab]You do not need to have read the Theban Tribunal book. Lucky you.
[tab][/tab]You start with a Native Language 5 in your native language and an Area lore 2 of your native city/village (cannot be more than a province in size). These are free. At the end of your apprenticeship add either living language 2 in Romaic Greek, Vlach or Slav, or Dead Language 1 Classical Greek. This is free too (Assume that Anastaj spends some time teaching you or that your Parens did).
[tab][/tab]During your apprenticeship your were taught Latin 4 as per normal creation rules. Your spells are in Latin.
[tab][/tab]You start as a metoikos, meaning you are a 'guest' of the Tribunal and do not have full political rights until you pass a citizenship decree six years from now at the next Tribunal. You are clueless of how things work. If you are of the house of Guernicus you are in for a (pleasant?) surprise...

-[tab][/tab]Theban Magi

[tab][/tab]You must have read the Theban Tribunal Book. You should start with order of Hermes lore 1 and Code of Hermes:(Theban Tribunal) 1, this is highly recommended.
[tab][/tab]You start with Native Language 5. This can be Romaic Greek. You can have a rank of 6 and be able to read Classical Greek this way (but not write books), allowing you to cast spells in Classical Greek. You will sound like a hick to other Theban Magi though...
[tab][/tab]Official spellcasting language for the Tribunal is Classical Greek. You will be taught Classical Greek 4 during apprenticeship, unless you already know sufficient Romaic Greek to read classical texts or you come from one of those Tremere covenants that are proponents of the Latin Language. Most Parens will teach their apprentices some Latin.
[tab][/tab]You start as a politis, a full citizen. You know how the Tribunal is governed and about the token system (again Code of Hermes:(Theban Tribunal) 1 is highly recommended)
[tab][/tab]You have heard disturbing rumors about this covenant. Your Parens likely warned you against your decision to join, and an arche or a servant of one has probably approached you with a cautionary tale or two. Visiting Redcaps will want to make sure you doing are allright.

A further note on Magi: Anastaj is a bit reluctant accepting non-combative magi, people who have Vow(pacifist), non-combatant or Ability block (martial), even though Criamon are known for precisely these tendencies. This is not a restriction, just a weird observation.

[tab][/tab][tab][/tab]Companions

-[tab][/tab] The Companion must not linked to your magus. However you can have a companion linked to another magus, provided you get permission from his player. This is mainly for logistics purposes, cause I do not want players having more than one character per quest/storyline (off storyline events, like meetings, are fine).

-[tab][/tab] Your companion can be a half-human or non-human, but ask first before you make one. He/she must be playable though, meaning not having whole villages come after him/her with pitchforks. You can have an ungifted practitioner, you can have a physician or university professor and you can have a non-mythic artist...ask before you do one. You cannot have a mythic companion or a familiar as a companion. Avoid infernal/holy characters please.

  • [tab][/tab]There seem to be two trends when people make characters: Either a magus so specialized as to be socially/combat inept and his spokesperson companion with huge social/combat stats or a sensible, low key researcher and a larger than life, exotic companion. To me, a veteran swordmaster with two kids in tow and a dark secret trying to disappear into the back mountains of Pindos is fine; the unaging, shapeshifting and fabulously wealthy Dutchess of Moravia is not.

-[tab][/tab] Make the companion function-able and interesting, apart from magi. I want the companions for themselves, not as appendages to the main characters

As we are nearing the end of the Character creation, I am giving all six Magi some BP (build points, AM5 71) and some other stuff.

-[tab][/tab] All magi may start with 0-2 Grogs under their service. You do not need to flesh them out. These would be loyal to your magus at this point.
-[tab][/tab] Assume that you have a small caravan made to travel to Meru Mudi. This is already payed for, mules packs and everything.
-[tab][/tab] In your possessions are the materials and equipment to fully furnish a new lab (the whole cost of a +0 lab). This is most probably a gift to you from your parens or former covenant, though some might have just worked for them or even stole them. On Winter of 1215, you will be given a freebie of starting a lab in any available space you want (or start construction of a lab outside the main building), so that you start with a lab -3 on Spring. This is optional.
-[tab][/tab] All 6 Magi start with some build points, representing books, lab texts and vis that they bring to the Covenant. These are meant to be gifts for your new covenant, but the Magus can keep any or all for himself. Your Sodales will just think of you as cheap, or just an @$$hole. Any expenditure in vis from extra years of advancement comes from this amount of BP. You got 20 BP for your Magus spent as follows (see AM5 pg71-72):
[tab][/tab]-[tab][/tab] 1 point per 5 vis of any kind. No more than 20 vis total.
[tab][/tab]-[tab][/tab] Suma as per rules on pg 71. Nothing on Parma or Mystery Cult lore and such. Please note Author and language written. Both Art and Abilities are appropriate.
[tab][/tab]-[tab][/tab] Tractatus as per rules on pg 71. Again nothing on Parma or Mystery Cults. Again note writer and language.
[tab][/tab]-[tab][/tab] If you want a specific Suma or Tractatus from published book, I might oblige. If you want your companion to have a specific something, it will be payed for from these points though your magus will not carry the penalty for some reason.
[tab][/tab]-[tab][/tab] Lab texts of spells, in the form of Grimoires are allowed for book published spells only, with the ST's approval. You can have Mystery Cult and Virtue spells, presumably to research from, but I need a convincing reason and story.
[tab][/tab]-[tab][/tab] You may have one (1) Casting Tablet (costing 2 BP per 5 lvls). You may have not have Invested Items, but you can have up to 3 Lesser Enchanted devices (costing 2 BP pet 5 levels, max 25) and/or up to 3 Charged items (costing 1 BP per 5 lvls, no limits). These devices will go to the Covenant. No Talismans.
[tab][/tab]-[tab][/tab] If you want something other please ask. Note that Familiars are allowed, just discuss this with me.

[tab][/tab][tab][/tab][tab][/tab]Cautionary Talk

[tab][/tab]Below are rumors and whispers that circulated last year, since the Tribunal meeting at Delos. These are for Theban Tribunal Magi only, not for outsiders or companion characters.

[tab][/tab]All of you are familiar with the 'fosterage' procedures of the Tribunal, having left apprenticeship not so long ago. Some of you just recently completed your gauntlets, others had passed it time enough to maybe been present at the last Tribunal meeting. The usual strong bickering from the Northern covenants against the Rite of Propitiation was matched by the heated debate of House Jerbiton in favor of the Empire of Nicaea's crusade against the 'invaders'. Tensions were high between House Tremer and some of the southern covenants, most notably Hedyosmos, while lesser events played into the background, like the attacks in Anatolia or the complaints and disappointment of the Bjornaer about apprentices. Near the end of the Hermetic Assembly a tall, stern follower of Criamon petitioned for a new Covenant creation. Christoforos of Meteora looked more like a Hagiography of his namesake Hierarch than a Magus, even though he wore no cassock. Standing straight, with a salt-n-pepper beard and a tonsured head (due to baldness than sartorial style), this man in his late fifties made his right known and asked firmly for a vote. It passed narrowly, and the almost reluctant yay votes of some Magi meant a lot of Tokens changed hands.
[tab][/tab]You met with Christoforos once or twice more, maybe when he came to your parens' covenant. He toured the width and breadth of the Tribunal, never staying more that a week in each covenant he visited and he visited all of them. Solemn and serious, he had a dignity to him when he talked to other magi, hands clasped in front of him in repose. He was looking for rare books on structures, news about political affiliations, mundane affairs, league positions and yes, new magi to join the Covenant he and Anastaj the Vlach just started. There were discussions behind closed doors with elder magi, Token exchanged for unknown purposes. He also made time to talk to you, describing the scenic gorge his Covenant was situated, the power of the local auras, the uniqueness of the vis in Epirus.
[tab][/tab]You decided that it was an intriguing offer. Your parens had a different opinion, they cautioned against such a move. You should just wait for some years, other Covenants would want new magi, this was not the right one for you. There might have been even arche coming to speak to you too, adding their warnings to that of your parens. When pressed about more information, everyone pursed their lips and said about the weirdness of Criamon (though they were all quick to say that both of those magi were upstanding citizens with no faults in their past), the remote location of the Covenant and the warlike nature of the Despotate. Some were worried about the proximity to the Transylvanian Tribunal, others to Erebus and the witches of Thessaly, and still others whispered dark tales about Arta, the capital of the Despotate. They said that not one but three covenants have perished in that area: an illegal Frankish Covenant briefly appeared in the western part of the kingdom of Thessaloniki and was destroyed by the mundane invading forces of Epirus (and good riddance to them); an ex-miscellanae covenant of water witches disappeared from Preveza (where old Nicopolis used to be); as for the last...your parens just shook their heads and changed the subject; the arche stated that these matters were still under investigation and not your concern. They all invariably fell back to their prejudice over the scandalous choice of the founding pair to reach outside the Tribunal for members. They were bringing droves of people who were not familiar with the proper way things were done!

(Note: Theban Tribunal Magi will start with a number of Tokens, depending on their back story and the whim of the ST)