Oooh, sounds interesting, the Maga Gloriana of Merinita likes this line of research! At some point she's looking to port over Fertility Magic to Animal, so she'll be eagerly looking to Osias's research publications!
I've updated the Wiki for Osias, my parens, and Antonio, my 5 year old character.
Osias is 44 years past Gauntlet. She's spent 39 years developing Abilities & Arts (900 XP on Arts, 270 XP on Abilities).
Of the remaining five years were spent making her talisman; her familiar: finding, binding, and two enchantments; two longevity rituals, and learning spells. I assumed that I could get a lab text for spells in the main book.
Osias is a tiny woman, still looking middle-aged, with black hair pulled tightly into a bun. She wears workman's clothing, frequently dirty. Her familiar, Stripes, a squirrel, generally sits on her shoulder.
stats don't generally have parenthetical values, because they cannot be advanced with experience in the game. You should either drop negative values or take a 0 point attribute to 1 instead. or take an additional -1 and raise one of the 2's to a 3.
Also discussion of characters should be addressed in character design and development... please make a post there introducing any new characters. I believe several have been proposed recently while skipping that step and without getting them checked and approved.
How should I represent aging points? She had two bad rolls during development.
Osias is a tiny woman, still looking middle-aged, with black hair pulled tightly into a bun. She wears workman's clothing, frequently dirty. Her familiar, Stripes, a squirrel, generally sits on her shoulder. She has a staff.
With her is Antonio, a small boy of 5. He looks excited at everything, although he strains to look at things.
ah, misread that then...
it would be better to walk through the steps of development from the apprenticeship onwards- at least to hit the following points- character at apprenticeship, at each major lab activity (Longevity rituals, crafting a talisman, etc.) and outcome of aging rolls. A familiar should be created as a companion level character.
Antonio looks good- Osias I want more documentation on, as noted. However the Mythic blood connecting to an animal spirit doesn't really seem to fit the description of the virtue, nor do the abilities given seem to me to fit that choice of an ancestor.
Finally I will need to know why Osias has decided to relocate to Praesidium Orae this late in his career as a magus, and of course in character the magi of the covenant will need to discuss the terms of his being admitted as a member...
Ok, will post Gauntlet versions, plus development. On my phone now.
Hi thompsja to perhaps add a bit to Osias's reason to relocate, the Magi I run have Correspondence in multiple fields, there might have been some contact previously:
•Andros Flambeau- Concentration, Magic Lore, Magic Theory, Order of Hermes Lore, Parma Magica, Teaching, In, Vim
•Gloriana Merinita- Magic Theory, Philosophae, Cr, Re, Co, Me, Vim
Also, thompsja, the Praesidium has excellent books, including the basics, as well as Lab Texts. Maybe you can make Antonio somewhat younger (be 4), and have extra seasons to create more unique stuff with Osias? (you can read the primers at 1/season). Just a suggestion!
I've read the history of play for the last 40-odd game years and the two actual years of play. I assume that most of it is public knowledge - that Praesidium Orae has developed the Fertility Ritual and has investigated Hyperborean magic, that it has a rapidly growing library and buys every book that is available. I would assume that my covenant is closer to Winter, and Osias would like to be away from her former sodales and go to a very prosperous Summer covenant. It does strong research, and shows an excellent path forward.
I had a Bonisagus I wanted to play, but the rules of this campaign is that your character goes through apprenticeship, with your development during that time under the control of another player. So I need to build a mentor, and this is what I developed. I chose Mythic Blood as the Major Hermetic Virtue, and borrowed from HoH:MC p.37, and rather than having a phoenix, I chose a tortoise, who would have Gift of Bear's Endurance (to simulate the shell), a minor magical focus in Aging, and Humble as the personality flaw.
Osias grew up in a family with some wealth, and was sent to learn to scribe and to make parchment, before being discovered by her parens.
At Gauntlet:
Characteristics: Int +2, Per 0, Pre +1, Com +2, Str -1, Sta -1, Dex 0, Qik 0
Size: -2
Age: 25 (25)
Decrepitude: 0 (0)
Warping Score: 0 (0)
Confidence: 1 (3)
Virtues and Flaws: The Gift, Hermetic Magus, Mythic Blood, Affinity with Magic Theory, Educated, Good Teacher, Inventive Genius, Puissant Magic Theory, Deficient Intellego, Dwarf, Flawed Parma (Terram).
(Osias’ Mythic Blood is a spirit animal, the tortoise. This gives her the ability to cast a Gift of the Bear’s Endurance with but a word, a minor magical focus in aging, and a personality trait of Humble)
Personality Traits: Humble +3
Reputations: None
Abilities: Artes Liberales 2, Awareness 2, Bargain 1, Charm 1, Code of Hermes 1, Concentration 1, Craft Percamenarius 3, Folk Ken 2, Italian 5, Latin 4, Magic Theory 3+2 (15), Medicine 1, Parma Magica 1, Penetration 1, Philosophae 1 (5), Profession Scribe 3, Stealth 3
Arts: Cr 5, In 2, Mu 5, Pe 4, Re 9, An 5, Aq 0, Au 0, Co 5, He 8, Ig 0, Im 0, Me 0, Te 0, Vi 1
Spells:
Doublet of Impenetrable Silk (MuAn 15)
Watchful Sentry No More* (ReAn 20)
Purification of Festering Wounds (CrCo 20)
Wound that Weeps (PeCo 15)
Wizard's Leap (ReCo 20)
Healthy Vine (CrHe 5) (From TtA, p. 40)
Well-Tended Plant (CrHe 5) (From TtA, p. 40)
Curse of Rotted Wood (PeHe 5)
Coils of the Entangling Plants (ReHe 20)
*Watchful Sentry no More makes an animal very sleepy and relaxed. (Base 4, +1 Eye, +2 Sun)
This was useful - I hadn't been as detailed as I needed to be during earlier development. I thought that my sleeping dog spell was in the book, but it wasn't. Details of future development coming up. Note that Osias has 50 extra XP from Educated, and spent only 30 for Magic Theory, because of her Affinity.
Well, one of silveroak’s caveats for this Saga is that the discoveries are not widespread; something always happens that prevents breakthroughs from being disseminated to the rest of the Order, at least in this long-term advancement period. So we are probably not known for any discoveries, and more by our bad reputation (countered by many adventures in which we have raised it) as bullies and hoarders of vis sources. I guess people might know we are strong in Creo and Rego, as well as fabulously rich and with a gigantic library (seriously growing quickly!)
The covenant would not be known for its discoveries, after all they have never been published, but it would be known that the research was being done, which might be just as good for a Bonisagus. The assumption that the only thing which has come of the research is the death of Evandrus isn't going to have a lot of people poking their noses in too closely...
Following her Gauntlet, Osias spend the next 9 years in study:
Cr 75
Co 60
MT 20 *1.5 = 30
Parma 10
An 30
Me 15
In 15
He 15
Latin 25
Medicine 5
= 270 XP.
Her MT is now 5+2.
Arts are now Cr 12, In 5, Mu 5, Pe 4, Re 9, An 9, Aq 0, Au 0, Co 11, He 9, Im 0, Me 5, Te 0, Vi 1
During her 10th year, she invents
Assuming a Magic Aura of 3, Her Longevity Ritual is 2+7+3+12+22 (11x2) = 46, giving her a +10 Longevity Ritual. For Aging rolls, I assumed +2 Living conditions, so that she subtracts 12 from the roll. She makes a spell to improve growth in a larger area Plant the Field CrHe 15 (Base 1, +1 touch, +3 Moon, +2 larger area). Her CrHe lab total is 2+8(spell specialty in MT)+3+1(similar spell)+12+9 = 35, enough to do in a single season. I had wanted to learn Curse of Circe now, but my lab total isn't up to it, even with a lab text. Guess I'll get Arm of the Infant instead. For her last season, she pens a tractatus on Creo (Q8, no improvements for scribe or illumination - it's just a manuscript)
Spells:
Doublet of Impenetrable Silk (MuAn 15)
Watchful Sentry No More* (ReAn 20)
Purification of Festering Wounds (CrCo 20)
Arm of the Infant (MuCo 20)
Wound that Weeps (PeCo 15)
Wizard's Leap (ReCo 20)
Healthy Vine (CrHe 5) (From TtA, p. 40)
Well-Tended Plant (CrHe 5) (From TtA, p. 40)
Plant the Field (CrHe 15)
Curse of Rotted Wood (PeHe 5)
Coils of the Entangling Plants (ReHe 20)
Osias spends the next 16 years in studies, and the 17th learning spells.
Artes Liberales 40
Code of Hermes 10
Finesse 15
Magic Theory 60 x1.5 = 90
Philosophae 25
Cr 60
Mu 30
Pe 30
Re 60
An 30
Aq 15
Au 15
He 30
Ig 15
Im 15
Te 15
Vi 15
total 480 XP
Magic Theory is now 7+2 (specialty in spells)
Arts: Cr 16, In 5, Mu 9, Pe 8, Re 14, An 11, Aq 5, Au 5, Co 11, He 12, Ig 5, Im 5, Me 5, Te 5, Vi 5
She learns four spells via lab text:
The Bountiful Feast (CrHe 35) Lab Total 2+10+3+16+12= 43
Leap of Homecoming (ReCo 35) LT 2+10+3+14+11 = 40
Curse of Circe (MuCo(An) 30) LT 2+10+3+9+11 = 35
Cloak of Black Feathers (MuCo(An) 30) (same lab total)
During these 17 years, Ages 36 to 52, she got an Aging point at 38, and visibly aged in her 51st year. I used a d10 on my desk to roll numbers. She's running a -8 to -6 on the aging rolls.
I'm trying to find where you get "spirit animal" from in Ars Magica... there are references to animals of virtue, but not spirit animals. It is also strongly suggested that someone with an animal of virtue mythic blood would be inducted into house bjorner...
Are the choices I've made with the Mythic Blood poor? When you choose it for your Major Hermetic Virtue, you get the fatigue bonus, a power, a minor magical focus and a personality flaw. I've done that. It did strike me, looking at Hugh of Flambeau from Magi of Hermes that you choose a Mythic Blood that supports your character concept. I tried to pick something long-lived, small, and resilent. What would you suggest instead?
Florae and Fauni (p103 RoP:M) Airy spirits that attend living beings.
They seem to be the basic Animism spirits.
Bjornare could want him to join all they want, but if they didn't find him in the first place they are at the mercy of his current parens to hand him over. That magus could, but doesn't have to, take the apprentice's wishes into account when making that decision.
The primary issue is that in Ars Magica things are not just about the mechanics of the rules, and I needed to see where this virtue was coming from and how it made sense.
If the ancestor were an airy spirit of a tortoise this would be less attractive to Bjorner than the descendant of a tortoise of virtue.
Certainly I could expect variations in bloodline effects for differing tortoise spirits, now that I have reviewed this it does seem okay.
Going further, we're now at the end of development for Osias.
We spend the next 14 years studying:
Magic Theory 60 (x 1.5) = 90
Teaching 30
Cr 60
An 60
Co 60
He 90
Me 60.
Magic theory is 9+2, with a specialization in spells
Arts: Cr 20, In 5, Mu 9, Pe 8, Re 14, An 15, Aq 5, Au 5, Co 15, He 18, Ig 5, Me 11, Te 5, Vi 5
This is all of her studying before going to Praesidium Orae.
During this development period, she picks up a second aging point, and visibly ages to 39.
She spends 3 seasons creating her talisman, a cedar staff with Amber and Magnetite. She opens it with 11 pawns, and spends additonal two season enchanting it
Her first effect is the Hunt the Wild Herb (ArM5, p. 136), with 24 uses a day InHe 10(Base 2, +1 Conc +2 smell +5 lvls/24 uses/day)
LT 26 (Int 2 + MT 11+ Aura 3 + In 5 + He 18 + IG 3 +Talisman 5 + Cedar 5)/2, because of her Deficiency. IG is her Inventive Genius virtue.
Second effect Paralyze ReCo 30 (Base 10, +2 Voice, +1 Diam, +5 Lvls/24 uses/day)
LT 64 (Int 2 + MT 11 + Aura 3 + Re 14 + Co 15 + IG 3 +Talisman 5 + Staff 4 + Amber 3 + Similar Spell 4) I'm counting Wizard's Leap as controlling movement.
In the 4th season, she remakes her longevity ritual. LT (2+11+3+20+15X2 +3 ) = 69, or 14th magnitude
Next year she develops spells:
A Spell to Kill Weeds PeHe 20 (from Covenants, p. 51) LT 46 (2+12+3+8+18+3). She also does:
Immediate Harvest CrHe 30 LT 65 (2+12+3+20+18+3+7) (+7 Similar spell bonus for The Bountiful Feast)
R: Touch, D: Sun, T: Ind.
Matures a single tree during casting.
(Base 15, +1 Touch, +2 Sun)
Provide the Feast CrAn 30 LT 61 (2+12+3+20+15+3+6) (+6 Similar Spell for Immediate Harvest)
R: Touch, D: Sun, T: Ind.
Matures a single animal over duration.
(Base 15, +1 Touch, +2 Sun)
A Blossom Tonight ReHe 20 LT 52 (2+12+3+14+18+3)
R: Touch, D: Mom, T: Ind.
Forces a tree to blossom immediately.
(Base 15, +1 Touch)
The following year, she begins with:
She then spends a season seeking her familiar, Stripes, the Squirrel. In the next season,she binds it with a CrHe ritual LT 57 (2+11+3+20+18 +3). This rounds down to 55, spending 11 vis on the ritual. She partitions the levels with Golden Cord +2, Silver Cord +1, Bronze Cord +3. (with 5 extra points on BC)
She spends two seasons seeking an apprentice before heading off to Praesidium Orae. After quite some time travelling from town to town, she literally ran into Antonio.
The completed, updated character sheet is on the wiki.
Edit: forgot my Inventive Genius for lab totals. Changed verbiage somewhat.
Hi, raccoonmask!
In 1143 Winter, Andros teaches Neleos spells:
Andros has a MuCo 65 when teaching self-transformation spells + 3 Int + 11 MT (Creo) + 12 Simian Rex + 15 lab (+1 Re/+ 1 Creo/ +4GQ/+9 Spells) + 7 Aura = 113,
•Bind Wounds CrCo 5
•Assume the Stature of the Giants of Eld MuCo 10
•The Wound that Weeps PeCo 15
•Piercing the Magical Veil InVi 20
•Opening the Intangible Tunnel ReVi 15
•Circular Ward Against Faeries ReVi 20
•Aura of Rightful Authority ReMe 20
•Sense the Nature of Vis InVi 5
All of these spells individually are within Neleos's Lab Totals,
Warping shenanigans, none! [url=http://roll.coyotecode.net/lookup.php?rollid=225699]_: 1D10 = [4] = 4