Character Creation

Retired Play by Post Campaigns Ars Magica 5th Edition: Fire in the North
61

...and you'd be exactly right. My apologies. I'm probably not inspiring a lot of confidence as a GM at the moment, huh?

62

Don't worry. A good storyguide is not just a rules shark.

63

Name: Paracleus ex Mercere Birth Name: Giovani Rimberti
Nationality/Race: Italian/Mantua Place of Origin: Venice Religion: Catholic
Title/Profession: Magus
Gender: Male Height: 5' 9” Weight: 260 Hair: Black Eyes: Green Handedness: Right
Size: 0

Attributes
Intelligence +3
Perception +1
Strength 0
Stamina -2
Presence +2
Communication 0
Dexterity +2
Quickness -2

Personality Traits
Lecherous +3
Illegitimate (Mercere) +2

Reputation

Virtues
The Gift
Hermetic Magus
Puissant Cro
3 Flawless Magic
1 Affinity with Corpus
1 Affinity with Animal
1 Minor Magical Focus: Self-Transformation
1 Inventive Genius
1 Puissant Corpus
1 Inoffensive to Animals
1 Educated

Flaws
1 Disjointed Magic
1 Illegitimate Lineage
1 Lecherous, minor
1 Obese
3 Weak Magic Resistance (If Bleeding)
3 Favors (various magi and mundane interests)

Abilities

Exp Ability Specialty Score
75 Italian Merchants and Traders 5
75 Latin Hermetic Usage 5
15 French Merchants and Traders 2
5 Venice Lore Merchant Houses 1
5 France Lore Merchants 1
5 Survival Mountains 1
15 Folk Ken Merchants 2
50 Artes Liberales Ceremonial Magic 4
50 Philosophiae Ceremonial Magic 4
5 Athletics Grace 1
5 Etiquette Merchants 1
5 Leadership Inspiration 1
5 Charm Witty 1
50 Magic Theory Corpus 4
5 Parma magica Corpus 1
30 Finesse Corpus 3
5 Penetration Corpus 1
5 Code of Hermes Tribunal politics 1
5 Order Hermes Lore Magic Item sales 1
15 Magic Lore Necromancy 2
5 Bargain Magic Items 1

Magical Arts

Exp. Art Score
36 Creo 8+2
1 Intellego 1
10 Muto 4
1 Perdo 1
1 Rego 1
24=36 Animal 8
52=78 Corpus 12+2

The Chirurgeon's Healing Touch
CrCo 20 Ritual
R: Touch D: Momentary T: Individual
Mastery : 1, Penetration

The Wound that Weeps
PeCo 15
R: Voice D: Momentary T: Individual
Mastery: 1, Magic Resistance

The Wizard's Leap
ReCo 10
R: Personal D: Momentary T: Individual
Instantly teleports the caster up to 5 paces.
Mastery: 1, Fastcasting
(Base 10)

The Silent Conversation
CrMe 15
R: Sight D: Concentration T: Individual
Allows the caster to form words in the mind of the target. The words sound as if they were spoken by the caster, and the recipiant recognizes that message is of supernatural origin.
Mastery: 1, Silent casting
(Baes 3, +3 Sight, +1 Concentration)

Cheating the Reaper
CrCo 30, Ritual
R: Touch D: Momentary T: Individual
Mastery: 1, Penetration

Shape of the Woodland Prowler
MuCo(An) 25
R: Touch D: Sun T: Individual
Mastery: 1, Quiet Casting

Demon's Eternal Oblivion
PeVi 5
R: Voice D: Momentary T: Individual
Mastery: 1, Multicasting

64

As a companion, i'm currently thinking (yeah, inspiration seem to have made a come-back :smiley:) at an elementalist from HMRE.
For now, it would have the virtue : (philosophical) summoning, (theurgical) summoning, (theurgical) controlling, (philosophical) controlling, and either 2 Elemental arts (earth/water, water/air, air/earth... i'm not, for now, going on fire but...) or 1 element art and affinity in summoning or controlling.

The idea is a companion valuable to magi (able to summon elemental... which can be killed for vis if needed or be good supernatural guards) in exchange for ... longevity potion, of course (the biggest thing magi can offer to companion IMO) and quietness in his "works".

I have never played such companion, but i think it would be rather fun.

SG, what do you think about this kind of concept?

Edit after some starting draft:

1 philosophical summoning
3 theurgical summoning
3 philosophical controlling
1 theurgical controlling
1 elementalist air
1 elementalist water
-3 optimistic
-3 weak elemental resistance
-3 enemies
-1 overconfident

Com 0, Prs 3 (2), Int 2, Per 1, Str -2 (1), Dex -2 (1), qck -2, Sta 3 (2)

Age 45 (45)

Personality traits : sanguine +2, melancholic +2, optimistic +3, overconfident +1
Warping Score 1 (7)
Decrepitude Score 1 (6)

Animal handling (hawks) 1 (5)
Bargain (with magi) 2 (15)
Brawl (dagger) 1 (5)
Faerie lore (elementals) 1 (5)
Folk ken (peasants) 2 (15)
Gaellic (discussion) 5 (75)
Gaellic lore (covenant surrounding) 1 (5)
Guile (elaborated lies) 1 (5)
Leadership (intimidation) 1 (5)
Magic lore (elementals) 1 (5)
Penetration (controlling) 4 (50)
Survival (forest) 1 (5)
Swim (long distance) 1 (5)

Difficult arts : air 4 (50), water 4 (50)
Arts : controlling 20 (210), summoning 20 (210)

Vance, the elementalist, lived for long on little island using his talents to deflect away mundanes from attention. But one day, due to a botche, rather than repulsing a ship, he knocked the mundane ship down, with all his cargo, causing the mundane merchants and the local noble to be angry and sending to the little islands patrols to find the responsible... then Vance quit his little hideout and joined the island of Alisa Craig where some scholars were living. He knocked, introduced himself. The magi find him rather useful: he had an innate control over water and air, and this helped their project of piracy, plus, he demonstrated his ability to summon elemental wielding vis which the magi could kill if needed. Vance bargained with them: if they accepted to give him some longevity ritual, he would stay here and help Alerock when need.

invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/2502842/ for the one, rejecting a 8 who killed the character on creation (which has... no interest :smiley:)

Too bad those elemental technique are so expensive... it's very hard to optimize the build ^^.

65

0-5 Years Post Gauntlet

After passing the Gauntlet, Paracleus is not embraced by his Mercere House Covenant due to his lineage. He seeks shelter at a covenant in northern Italy, composed of a diverse mix of young magi. It is a late spring covenant that benefits greatly from having Paracleus as a healer in residence. In his first year, he devours the covenants two tractatus on his favored art, and then spends time setting up his laboratory. He is planning on manufacturing some items for his redcap brothers to try and improve his reputation.

1 Continues his study of Corpus (Corpus +8 xp)
2 Continues study of Corpus (Corpus +8xp)
3 Set's up a basic lab (+2XP MT)
4 Complete lab (+2 XP MT) apparent age 31

After his lab is set up, he considers that healing items would be his forte. He plans a small stone that will allow an injured redcap to survive until he can reach good treatment. In time, this takes shape as the Bloodstone Periapt, a tear shaped bloodstone suspended from a leather cord. During the year, Paracleus is contacted by another magus who he promised a favor to in exchange for use of several tractatus on Corpus. He and the magus trek into the Alps, only to be stuck in a frigid regio for the season before locating the magic spring that was their goal. Returning home, Paracleus spent time studying Muto magics and preparing more Periapts for a few redcaps that heard how a fellow redcap had survived being mauled by an angry bear while wearing his first periapt.

1 Prepare Bloodstone Periapt for a redcap. (2 XP Co, 1XP Reputation)
2 Contacted by a House member, agrees to assist in exchange for books. Travels into the Alps to locate a magical spring. The travel to a regio where it is always winter, and they endure the cold before locating the spring an reaching a deal with the fairy living there.
Adventure XP (+5 XP Survival, +3 XP Ignem)
3 Study Muto (+8 XP)
4 Prepare two more Bloodstone Periapts for redcaps (2XP Co, 1 XP Reputation) apparent age 32

While working in the lab on those periapts, Paracleus noticed the lovely daughter of a wealthy merchant. He wooed her and seduced her (with some small help from magic!). Unfortunately, her father caught them in flagrante delicto. Chased by the merchant's men, Paracleus only escaped by conjuring a false body, which he threw from the roof, while he hid behind a quick cast disguise spell (as a portly servant of the house!). Ever since then, Paracleus remains out of town, and spends a lot of time in his lab. Later, he gets the two books he was promised and reads them. He then tests his skill with a set of boots for a redcap to allow the redcap a greatly enhanced freedom of movement.

1 Caught seducing the daughter of a wealthy merchant. He creates a false corpse after faking a fall and escapes in wolf form. Thereafter spends much less time in town.
Adventure XP (+5 guile, +3 Muto)
2 Study Corpus +8 XP
3 Study Corpus +8 XP
5 Create Ghost-Touch Boots for Redcap (+2 XP Re, 1XP Rep) apparent age 33

Wishing to master more self-transformation, including a flying form, Paracleus delves into the Animal section of the library. After too long cooped up in the covenant, he heads to Venice to "blow of some steam." He ends up meeting, courting, and bedding a minor noble, and not in that order. She suggests marriage and Paracleus agrees. However, he can't resist prowling around in a false skin. When he is posing as a mere maidservant, he overhears his bride-to-be's father plotting to use his magic to advance the family once he is ensnared in the family. It broke her heart when Paracleus called off the wedding. It hurt him too,but he buried his pain the arms and charms of a series of lasses. He doesn't know it yet, but these dalliances will leave him with two bastard children.

1 Study Animal +8 XP
2 Study Animal +8 XP
3 Spend a season seducing a minor noble woman. She wishes to marry him, but during the preparations in becomes clear it was a plot to get him to act as a court wizard for her father. Disappointed, he calls the wedding off. The nobleman swears revenge.
Adventure: Charm +5 XP, Mentem +3 XP
4 Invent Spells from text MuCo(An) 30 (22 TeFo +3 Int +5 MT/Corpus +3 aura)
Cloak of Black Feathers +2 XP MT apparent age 34

This year, he contacts his parens and reaches an agreement to serve him in the lab for two seasons, in exchange for a longevity ritual. His parens is no specialist, but with Paracleus's help, they cast a significant ritual that will last him for several decades.

1 Invent Spells from texts InCo 30 (19 TeFo +3Int +5 MT/Corpus +3 aura)
Revealed Flaws of Mortal Flesh
The Inexorable Search
+2 XP Corpus
2 Assist parens in lab +2 XP Vim
3 Assist parent in lab +2 XP vim
4 Parens creates Longevity Ritual (CrCo Lab 55 with him assisting) apparent age 35
__________________________-
Lab Texts:

Bloodstone Periapt (Lesser enchanted Device)
Material: Bloodstone (+4 wounds)
Shape: Amulet
CrCo 20
R: Touch Duration: Constant Target: Individual
Trigger: When worn.
Penetration: 12
Effect: As [i]Bind Wound[\i] the subject's wounds do not worsen regardless of activity performed. However, the wounds do not heal while the periapt is worn.
(Base Effect 3 +1 Touch +2 Sun +4L constant +6 Penetration)

Ghost-Step Boots (Lesser enchanted Device)
Material: Leather
Shape: Boots
ReCo 17
R: Touch Duration: Momentary T: Individual
Trigger: Tapping the left foot three times and then stepping toward the destination.
Uses: 3/day
Effect: These boots make the wearer disappear and reappear 5 paces away in the direction chose by the wearer. The wearer does not cross the intervening space, but can be seen in transit as a diffuse shadow.
(Base Effect 10 +1 Touch, +2L Uses per day)

66

I like this guy so far. I'm particularly interested to hear why he ended up so far away from his former home.

I should point out, though, that at the moment he has no way of communicating with the companions or grogs of the saga. A few ranks in English and/or Gaelic would be helpful, though by no means necessary.

67

I'm not gone, just still moving. Internet at my new home should be up on Sunday, so maybe an update early next week.

He'll probably be recently arrived to Scotland at the start of the saga, and will pick up a few points in the local grunting.

68

Exar, what do you think of these as stats for Jarek (I've created him using the rules from ROP:M - let me know if you want a full list of his magical qualities and inferiorities)?

Jarek, King of the Crows

Magic Might: 15 (Animal)

Characteristics: Int +2, Per +2, Pre -2, Com +1, Str -5, Sta 0, Dex +1, Qik +4

Virtues: Essential Virtue (understands portents), Keen Vision, Premonitions, Second Sight, Unaffected by the Gift

Flaws: Compulsion (steal shiny objects), Corpus Monstrosity

Personality: Crow +3*, Understands Portents +3*, Morbid +3 Nurturing +2

Size: -3

Combat:
Dodge - Init +5, Attack N/A, Defence +12, Damage N/A
Beak - Init +5, Attack +7, Defence +11, Damage -4

Soak: 0

Cord Scores: Gold +3, Silver +1, Bronze +2

Abilities: Athletics 3 (flying); Awareness 3 (shiny objects); Brawl 3 (dodging); Guile 4 (lying to magi); Hunt 1 (small mammals); Intrigue 4 (treachery); Leadership 4 (crows); Magic Theory 2 (Vim) (20); Premonitions 4 (murder); Second Sight 4 (ghosts); Stealth 1 (hiding in trees); Survival 3 (fields)

Powers:
Mental Communication (as per ArM5, p.105)
Shared Senses (Keythleen -> Jarek, as per ArM5, p.105)

Jarek claims to be King of the Crows, but this is a lie. There is no King fo the Crows, and never has there been - Jarek is one of several feuding Grand Dukes of the Crows, forever striving to be the one that prevails over their brothers and sisters to win the Crown. Despite occasionally becoming preocupied by corvan politics, Jarek has been a close friend to Keythleen over the years - and a valuable ally, given his ability to help her maneuver through House Bonisagus' labyrynthine politics.

69

He's really good. What are the 15+inferiories qualities? I can't guess them by looking at the numbers :slight_smile:. Does he not have magical powers ?

Edit: is really "Understands Portents +3*," a personality traits? i'd say maybe "weird speaker" (as a Prophet, speaking maybe in riddle or enigma's) or something?

Edit2 : it seems sharing sense is for both. I don't recall the rules saying you have to put 2 effects for it.

70

Useless questions:
[size=85]For the purpose of character creation:

  • is finesse a stressful ability when using it in battle? i assumed yes. Outside battle? (EG for doing weapons with craft magic)? i assumed yes also but unsure

  • magic is based on quickness alone (+ fastcaster) for the purpose of init. Fastcasting is always first, and for purpose to determine between 2 fastercaster, quickness + finesse (+fastcaster) is useful.

  • mythic blood gives a power. Is this power acceptable:
    "the unmatching warrior" : ReTe 15 (without gesture and gests) (base 3, +2 metal, +1 touch, +1 conc) : this allows to move a weapon up to a greater sword very unnaturaly, (that means: flying or battling) using finesse ability + perception (or dexterity? your choice. Normally it's perception, but some spells use dexterity...) + die.

  • does the bonus from keen vision add to finesse when used in "moving"/"crafting" ways (and not in depth or detailing purpose)?

  • is it possible to use magic (as the "unmatching warrior" power) in a weapon fight?
    if yes, i assumed init is given by quick+finesse, atk and def by finesse + perc (or dext cf previous question), and damage is weapon damage only + as in vilano explanation

  • is "crafting" (with Rego for crafting magic only and any form (that is Terram, herbam, animal... i don't see any other crafting possible ^^) a major magical focus admissible?

  • when in animal form, is the fatigue the animal form's or the magus' form's one?

  • does "crafting weapon and armors" qualify for a minor magical focus (it's mainly Rego + herbam/terram/animal for crafting purpose)[/size]

Edit: all the above questions are now useless because I seem to have a good idea of what i want :slight_smile:. The 2 below questions are still a little useful, but perhaps not for character creation purpose. See all above, the idea of character:

  • I have some idea of a magus, for which Chtonic magic can be very thematic (even if not very useful in fact seen how i consider him to be a rather weak magus...). Is this virtue in the "normal" accessible pack of virtues, or not?

  • what are your rules for twilight experiences and mysteries? With Keythleen i used almost only the main core rulebook, but for the young gauntleted magus, i could use others to vary experience of playing.

Idea of character:

Of course (for me ^^) I have all the data ready : the character is finished :stuck_out_tongue: if you do accept it.

Here the maths:

and here the final sheet:

71

Okay, I've got to say I'm not wild about Razal. For starters, he's named after a Batman villain, and that's never a great way to keep people's heads in the game. :stuck_out_tongue:

Despite saying that you understand what I'm after, you clearly haven't: I wanted someone who wouldn't be powerful enough, except possibly in a very narrow field, to overshadow the original 3 magi. What you've created here is a combat monster who's 30 years older than the eldest magus currently in residence, with abilities to match. Granted, he's magically not all that, but it'll still be a struggle to make him second fiddle to the others. I like the idea you've started with - if he were a companion, I'd say 'hell yeah!' and he'd be in like a shot.

I think it's really my fault for not being clear enough on what I was willing to accept, so let me try to correct that:

  1. I want a character who's at least 10-15 years younger than the rest of the covenant (i.e. aged about 35-40); and
  2. I want somebody who I can easily slot into the ongoing saga.

As for #2, let me give you a hand: I've been mulling over a story seed where one of Alerock's pirate crews accidentally waylays a ship carrying magical supplies (books, magical items, vis, whatever) ultimately bound for another covenant... and the magus accompanying them as part of their travels. The covenant in question would have some interest in the Order of Odin, explaining what they were doing messing about in the waters patrolled by Alerock's ships (mostly the North and Irish Seas). The story involves making amends to the traveller's covenant, and the traveller helps them do so. Ta-daa! Story!

If you feel like doing something along these lines, your character would need to be plausibly capturable (or have a reason to surrender themselves). A list of appropriate covenants would include:

  • Montverte (Normandy Tribunal - home covenant of the Odin-Mystery-Cult-Whose-Name-Escapes-Me-At-Present from Lion and the Lilly)
  • Sinus Wodinus (formerly of the Novgorod Tribunal, now more or less independent since Novgorod was overrun by the Mongols. Also violently isolationist.)
  • Occulus Septentrionalis (Rhine Tribunal, from Guardians of the Forests)
  • Heorot (also from the Rhine Tribunal, based in Denmark).

Hopefully this will help a bit. I actually liked where you were going with your 'useless' questions - a Flambeau magus who fights with a telekinetically-directed sword? Interesting. :slight_smile:

Also:

Qualities:
Gigantic
Improved Abilities x5
Improved Defence x2
Minor Virtue: Premonitions
Minor virtue: Second Sight

Inferiorities:
Susceptible to deprivation.

He doesn't have any magical powers (besides what's gone into the bond - the shared senses is one-way by default, unless you've figured two seasons to make it two-way into Keythleen's accumulated xp) because I was able to model all the mythic properties of crows with the two virtues and a decent Intrigue score. It's less book keeping this way - no need to track Might scores. Change the name of his personality trait if you like. I just called it that because it's what I'll use (added to his Int) to tell whether he can foretell something accurately.

72

Lol, I'm not a fan of US comics so apart from the last movie (The Dark Knight), I really don't know about Batman vilains :smiley:.

Too bad for Razal but you are in charge so i'm not bothered. Then, i'll keep him in my list of "I will find a day a way to play them" magi :smiley:.
Or as companion, as you pointed out.

Okay, that's really good. I like the way you didn't had powers to keep notes easy :smiley:

I'll work again with your last comments on the "younger" magi.

73

On basis of what you said, I checked the covenant of Montverte and the Children of Odin mystery cult, finding it really suited. So, after some reflection, with regards to your comment that telekinetic magus was a good idea, I found this background idea :

I figured out what character that would do, according his ideas.
Here are the mathematics during chargen (and below the "final sheet")

here i used experimentation...

And here, the final sheet...

For crafting magic, here what i found as rules: Steps :
A. Guidelines: Covenants p50-51 and HOHS p61. (Note that for stone, the first states base 2 +1 = 3 and the last 4. I didn't check the other materials, using only covenants)
B. Which work?

  1. Crafting work with magic: it's 3+ the mundane level.
  2. Artistic work: Modifiers from the time needed : HOHSp60
    C. Bonuses and penalties for finesse in HOHS p62

Some examples of crafting for Johan

  • a long sword with "the phantom blacksmith": 3+15 (if superior) = ease factor of 18. Basis is : 3 (perception) + 12 (finesse) +3 (keen vision) +2 (precise casting)+3 (? familiarity) = 20 (or 23) + a die. The bonus to attack and damage is equal of 1/3 (round down) of what exceed the ease factor, limited to (finesse /3, that means) 4.
  • a chain mail: 18
  • some daggers: 18 (18 is the ... "superior" ease factor, which don't really vary ^^).

With those dies, that means good items I wrote above.

Points of attention, to sum up:

  • keen vision, are you okay that it add to finesse roll relatively to precision (as in crafting or controlling the moves of an effect)? if not, i'll use another virtue (no idea for now)
  • an experimentation to decide the result
  • how is initiative ruled when you use a concentrated spell in battle (as a "telekineticly moved sword")
  • the flaws driven (crafting best weapons) and ambitious : i looked for a flaw related to "discovers things about history of vikings" but except ambitious, i was unsatisfed. Perhaps changing their intensity and use a major ambitious?
  • dependant story flaw could be transformed to tormenting master or another story flaw you find more suited?
  • i'm really happy with short ranged magic but it appears that the sword spell is at sight, which is problematic. either i change the spell, either the flaw (for rigid magic, which could be another reason of his love of crafting magic using the Rego art and not the Creo art).
74

Okay, I like Johan a lot more. I particularly like the emphasis on craft magic - it rounds him out quite a bit. I'll give you some extra background I'd like you to include by PM when I get the time. Thanks, Exar.

Not really, unless there's some reason that vision would be extra-super important. I see Keen Vision as being able to spot details that other people miss, and yeah, I can see why that would be applicable to craft magic, but it doesn't really help you shape your magic any more precisely. On the other hand, I do like the suggestion that was kicked around in the general ArM forum that 'penetration' (i.e. points in the magus' casting score over and above what is needed to get the spell off) adds to your finesse roll. So perhaps I can save you a virtue!

Meh - I assume this provoked a story which has since been resolved.

I only roll initiative once per combat, unless something special happens that shakes the initiative order up. I assume Johan would act at the point in the round at which he cast the spell.

Driven 'discover viking lore' and ambitious 'be recognised as the Order's best weaponsmith' works pretty well, I think. One has a goal, the other's open-ended.

Tormenting Master definitely works better for me, in that it provides an immediate hook for him to defect from Montverte to Alerock.

The only other comment I have is that I'll consider 'Danish' to be 'West Norse' - it's more or less the same language from Denmark, through Sweden and Gotland, to Livonia. Also, Normand is basically a dialect of French at this point, as far as I'm aware. Given that you actually live pretty close to that part of the world, you may have a better idea than I do. You may also like to change Area Lore (Scotland) to Area Lore (England) - it's more reflective of being a Norman, it's where the Danes went aviking and it means that he'll know about parts of the world that none of the other magi do.

75

Cool! I'm happy you like Johan Ralf concept :slight_smile:.

about the "the casting score which exceed level is bonus to finesse", i must say i think it's a bad idea for 2 reasons:

  1. normally, the great strength of finesse based spells is that they aren't very high in level but requires a good finesse score. So in general, you could be very bad at magic and do good things. The aura is less important and even in a negative aura you can do as wel if you are a little skilled in magic.;
  2. finesse spells are really powerful but requires really high score in finesse so it's balanced. If you allow magus with "bad finesse" but really good magic (so in fact, the magi who are already powerful by magic itself!) to do the same thing as a magus overspecializing in finesse, you reduce the power of the latter and improves the first. So "magical" magi become better and "finesse" magi (already less powerful in magic) are at best not impacted, at least negatively impacted.

Besides, i think "magic power" has nothing to do with finesse (which, for that comparison, is very different from penetration).

About keen vision : okay. IRL our Alpha SG has created a jerbiton magus, finesse specialist, and he stated unilateraly that keen vision was a bonus to finesse "precision" (and I must admit i think it's accepteable, but Saga Variation).
No problem with your decision.

I'll check virtues from the mystery book or other non core rulebook; maybe i could find a minor virtue suitable :slight_smile:.

For initiative: ok.
BTW, do we agree that this spell ("control the sword") can be used at any distance, and that the magus is not forced to have the sword in his hands, but may have it in his hands.

I'll adapt flaws ambitious and driven thanks for your suggestions.

For languages : no problem with Danish being West Norse. On wikipedia (french), i read that there was already different languages, but i'm not a great specialist.

For normand, i'm really not a specialist on history, but wikipedia (french again) seemed to say that since William the Conqueror, Normand had modified the English language, and that this was the "Middle English", a combination of english and continental normand. So IMO, i thought Normand was really close to English.

Ah yes! In Lion&Lily, page 143, we have this remark: French (Norman) vs Anglo-Norman (=Middle English) => -1 penalty to both speaker. So, as i thought, the languages are close.

I'll change the area lore.

If you don't mind, i'll create a page on the wiki, it's easier to track change than in forum posts. At worst, the character could become a NPC all made (as could be Razal Ghul if you want in this saga ^^, i don't mind you reusing it :slight_smile: ).

76

The casting score/finesse thing was basically just an idea being kicked around to make craft magic easier. I'm pretty sure nobody was seriously suggesting applying it to other situations. That said, if you don't like the idea, then I've got no problem nixing it, seeing as you'd be its major beneficiary.

Control the Sword has Sight range, so you definitely wouldn't need to have it in your hands. You could cast it on a sword across a crowded battlefield, as far as I'm concerned, as long as you could keep it in sight somehow.

As for Anglo-Norman, French, etc., the Normans definitely did change the English language, but Anglo-Norman =/= English (of any sort). The nobility of England (and southern Scotland, and eastern Ireland) spoke some form of French right up until the Tudor period (early 16th century). The commoners carried on speaking a more germanic form of English than exists today (I've read some Chaucer in the original middle English, and a lot of it is a dead ringer for German). There are definitely some French-derived words in English ('beef' for cow-meat, to pick a random example), but at this point the snobs need translators to talk to the slobs.

I encourage any and all player involvement in the wiki. :smiley:

77

Prima, as my colleagues say.

I'll think about Keythleen lab until the next adventure.

Edit: i have decided the 10th virtue for Johan, it will be fast caster, as i find it very thematic. I hesitated with "inoffensive to animals" but found no real use to it.

78

A stab at a magical cormorant, for JeanMichelle:

Might: 15 (Animal)

Characteristics: Int +2, Per +2, Pre +2, Com +1, Str -8, Sta 0, Dex +2, Qik +4

Size: -4

Virtues: Homing Instinct, Keen Vision, Lightning Reflexes

Flaws: None

Qualities: Greater Power: Call the School, Lesser Power: Foretaste of the Morrow, Lesser Power: Lungs of the Fish, Improved Abilities x3, Improved Characteristics x2, Improved Powers, Personal Power: Sea as Clear Sky

Inferiorities: Susceptible to Deprivation

Abilities: Athletics 5 (flying), Awareness 5 (alertness), Brawl 2 (dodging), Concentration 4 (underwater), Music 3 (birdsong), Survival 3 (sea coast), Swim 5 (diving)

Powers: Call the School - 1 pt, Initiative 0, Animal - summons 10 fish per round to the cormorant's location for the next Diameter. The fish are not controlled (but are tasty).

Foretaste of the Morrow - 0 pts, Initiative +1, Auram - flawlessly predicts the weather for the next day, and gives an approximate indication of the weather for the next week.

Lungs of the Fish - 0 pts, Initiative 0, Aquam - changes water into air as the cormorant breathes it in (Concentration duration)

Sea as Clear Sky - 0 pts, Constant, Aquam - the cormorant seas as easily through water as through air.

79

Is the lung of the fish with concentration really a good idea? that means the familiar must concentrate when diving... it's not easy^^.

80

Yeah, but a concentration score of 4 (5 underwater) means that it's not such a problem. It also means the power can be cancelled when the cormorant heads back up to the surface and feels like a drink. It's not a fighter, so any serious threat probably sends it barreling up into the sky as quickly as it can, so concentration in combat isn't really an issue.

On a different note, I finally got around to checking all the numbers for Johan, and he's nearly 150 xp above where he should be. Dropping his Finesse skill would save a few points, but given that it's the core of the character, I doubt you'll want to do that. Getting rid of his carpentry/stonemasonry spells saves 75, but you can't cut any more without putting him under the minimum allowable spell levels. I'd suggest doing this and dropping some of his spell masteries, but I'll leave the details to you.

Also, no longbows outside of Wales. Even the English aren't really using them at this point. I'll give him a standard bow or crossbow, depending on what you'd prefer.