Hi guys! I'm working on a Tremere maga who's just recently left Gigas and is looking to join a new covenant. Amphora filia Boustaphanis doctrinae Tremendi Exploratrix (aka Amphora Exploratrix) is a scout who specializes in locating supplies of fresh water. Due to an angry water nymph's curse, Ianthe was born with the gift of prophecy but without the words to tell others what she saw (in game terms, Visions and Greater Maladiction [mute]). Her mother was the one who angered the nymph in the first place, and she has always been loving to her strange daughter despite her Gift, and the two are still close (she may well be a Dependant).
Ianthe's master Boustaphan found the girl and noted her affinity with Mentem magics (somehow her mother always knew if her young daughter was in trouble), and she has learned several spells to help her communicate, though Ianthe herself excels at pantomime and is an elegant writer. As a Tremere, her four primary arts are Creo, Rego, Aquam and Mentem, though she also has some skill in both Intellego and Corpus. Now named Amphora (after the Roman clay urns used to store water), the young maga is an exceptional scout, duelist and warrior, having served with her parens and fellow filli on several Marches over the years.
I'm still tweaking her sheet and have to get my hands on Sundered Eagle for at least a quick glance to fill in a few blanks, but that's where I'm starting off. What do people think of the basic concept?
Most importantly, you do not need to take Latin if you do not want to. Hermetic magic in this tribunal is done with Classical Greek which is only -1 from the current form of greek so a Greek Native language is good enough (native greek 5 means your classical greek is effectively 4).
I am Adjusting Kalliste for this (well I have already done it). I am thinking of changing one of her virtues as well and I have 1 season to account for still.
I should probably hold off on any major work on the character until I've flipped through TSE; someone mentioned in another thread that Gigas, the Tremere covenant, is Latin-based and actively trying to 'Westernize' the tribunal, so I assumed Amphora was taught it during her apprenticeship. I may not even want to have her be from Gigas once I've read more about it, so we'll see.
So here I am. I thought that I had a somewhere a doc with a character I had in mind, but alas,I can't find it anymore...anyway, the basic idea was this:
a Tytalus (following the calliclean path) whose mater is one of the Titanoi. He would have spent most of his training in Italy (the covenant between Pavia and Milan that is described in the roman tribunal) to learn the intrigue game. The rest of his time I figure would be spent rather on the move, as he would be trained as a summoner (both the hermetic way and with ars goetia) and nobody would like much to have to do with a rather unpleasant necromancer and potential infernalist. Nonetheless, his intention would be to delve more and more into the business. He would be in Greece exactly to do that, possibly also getting in touch with other less recommendable summoners such as the witches of Thessaly. This just in a nutshell, to hear what are the general impressions. After a few of them I'll get into way more detail.
I like the concept! Course I'm biased for a number of reasons... Chief among them is the fact that a friend of mine plays the exact same thing in another game.
Only thing that I worry about ( and it's relatively minor mind you ) is that I'm playing a Ghost Focused Necromancer, so perhaps have him 'focus' more in other types of Airy Spirit to avoid overlap? Not that you can't have ghosts or anything! Having another spirit guy in the game might force me to get off my butt and write up the stats for all of Romolo's Ghosts, so it's probably a good thing. That and eventually Romolo will want to get involved in Corporeal Necromancy, so that should help me feel like a little unique snowflake.
oh, that will not be a problem, he's mainly interested in spirit-summoning sorcery, as is the Titanoi fashion. He's going more for the higher sorts of magical spirits (aye, basically the Titans, and also I was thinking about Hecate because of an idea I had for his background story) rather than the deceased. They are all for ye.
just a question before I set in motion the char sheet. Since it would be 7 years out of apprenticeship, could some of those 7 years be spent on initiation into a mystery cult (yepp, Titanoi, basically meaning Hermetic Theurgy)? I was thinking on giving him "Hermetic Sorcery" among his starting virtues, the only question would be to give him also "summoning" as a start, or he could pick it up later as part of his initiation into the Titanoi (it is suggested in HoH: Societates P.96 that with ST permission they might be tricks acquired from the Titanoi), and of course the trademark "Major Magic Focus: Spirits". just trying to decide how to pick those starting virtues...
Most of Hermetic Theurgy is crap when compared to Goetia + Hermetic Sorc. Now there are a few gems like Spirit Familiar, but still... Max has already said ok to folks getting an initiation or two, just don't go overboard He didn't want to have set in stone rules if I remember correctly.
I admit I like Ars Goetia better myself, but it tends to be rather rough around the edges, theurgy seems more apt to the diplomatical side of dealing with spirits and forging pacts...and when you go up the hierarchy a bit of diplomacy might be a better idea than trying to command a spirit.
I will not go too far, I just needed to have some rough ideas on how to spend the beginning virtues and what to leave for some development in those 7 years after the Gauntlet...
Guess at this point the details about this char will come up quite soon
Personally I like Sihr better than Theurgy when it comes to diplomacy. Personally I think all of the 'Summoning' traditions feel rough around the edges. And don't get me started on my Sahir rants, cause... I will just kvetch for hours!
Edit: But yes, I'm not a fan of the way the summoning rules are worded. It seems like you have one extreme or another, either you make bargains etc with the spirits or you just flat out command them. While that's not an absolute rule, there's very little that allows for a Magus to do both well.
uh...slight inconvenient...char creation says: nomorethan 1 story flaw... Beloved rivals suited the background, butthen I had the character being trained into a Mystery Cult, which otherhas the Cabal legacy flaw, or the Dark secret (in case nobody really knows about it)
...the onl wayI can respectthe rule seems to crush half of the background I imagined...
...some virtues are available even outside the Titanoi - Student of (Realm) and Summoning (Ars Goetia), could we a) just forget the Cabal Legacy thingie, or b) make an exception and take 2 story flaws or c) should I come up with some other idea for the char?
I managed to squeeze only one in the char just after the Gauntlet, two more come up in the next 7 years...the sheet should be ready to go...I'm quite in the middle of exams so I don't really have much time to write down the backgrond in a decent way. As I said, I also can't get hold of some stuff at the moment, so I am not sure if I'd like to change some things depending on what is in RoP:Magic and the sourcebook about the Theban tribunal (don't think it will change much unless there are really mind-blowing virtues/flaws, but possibly spells - I've seen there area few things on spirit magic in The Sundered Eagle - and part of the background story). I'll hopefully manage to buy them while on holiday home, but that will not happen before the middle of December...
...I wouldn't want to slow thing down too much for everyone, in case I'd wait until I get the two books to finish everything off...
I am still waiting on my edition of fifth ed, so I am jumping the gun a little here. I was wondering is there a particular art/form/ability that is underepresented in the group? Also the group is pretty large, is there actually still room for one more? Are all your Magi still active.
I tend to go for houses that I deem to be 'properly wizardly' . As in Tytalus, Flambeau, Tremere and Bonisagus. I have a few ideas for each floating around.
Course I'm biased for a number of reasons... Chief among them is the fact that a friend of mine plays the exact same thing in another game.