Character Development

Retired Play by Post Campaigns Ars Magica 5th Edition: Shores of Albion
189

Somebody else suggested Deft Mentem, but having put those two words together and watched Sophronia do it, I wonder why anyone would play without it :slight_smile:

This character is experiencing concept drift. The original idea was "a non-Bonisagus magus who wants to make a breakthrough on illustration resonances for books." I like where it has gone, but as I work on a Mac, and therefore do not have access to MetaCreator, I am pretty tired of crunching numbers. Plus, you seem to be suggesting that I am STILL not specializing enough, which makes my generalist-brain throw a gasket. :smiley:

If you'd like to tweak the math to specialize even further, then please feel free to make such suggestions, particularly to make sure I'm not stepping on your character's toes -- I somehow missed her character sheet. I'm pretty spent. Like you, JL, I'm in the middle of home reconstruction and other impending deadlines that have me very frustrated.

190

My commentary wasn't about stepping on Sophronia's toes. There's sufficient room here for everyone. And Deft Mentem is awesome for a Gently Gifted magus. They won't dislike Sophronia like they will Luminus. However, she can do something that Sophronia can't even comprehend. Create memories. Have you noticed that Sophronia has a Deficient Creo? It's a truly brutal flaw. I'm thinking Difficult Longevity ritual is a nicer one. Halving all Creo total is just awful.

No, I was thinking about the fact that if he's a specialist in creating memories, you should doubel down, as it were and go deep into that focus. A focus isn't valuable if it isn't being exploited. So Affinities and puissance in one or both of the arts are important. I'm not seeing how Good Teacher or Free Expression help in those areas. Tonight is my off night. My hands hurt from tearing stuff up. Demo is almost done (we're doing this piecemeal, which is a huge PItA). So far our flooring has been delayed until at least 2/21. Who knows when the cabinets will show up. Once those arrive, I'll be REALLY busy. I'm actually about to run out of stuff for me to do. I've hired a plumber and will be hiring an electrictian.

And for those Mac users, let me suggest VMWare Fusion. It's da bomb (former Mac user, who mostly booted into Bootcamp, but had VMware Fusion for a couple of other reasons.)

191

Free expression is valuable cuz he's a Merinita, so his Craft:Painting totals are used to create charms, which give bonuses to Penetration and are used in the Mysteries (it's the skill he uses to Arcadian Travel or use Folk Magics).

As for Good Teacher, I admit it is mundane way of creating memories, but its still in theme. I agree that it isn't very number-crunchy.

I do wish that I could have figured out a mMF that covers both Imaginem and Mentem, and has a painting theme.

Deft Mentem + Art of Memory is an amazing tool for spies! Especially with Prying eyes! No one notices me making an exact magical replica of your secret conversation, which I can then transcribe later at my leisure.

Wow, man. My friends in Michigan rebuilt their entire house pretty much in 6 weeks. Of course, Thomas is a mastermind when it comes to getting secondhand building material.

192

@amul: Gotta go, so a quick glance, but with it, I love him!!! :smiley:
A priori, don't change anything!

So, if he's reckless and stupid, he gets punished either way: Without it, his character dies. With it, he's bed-ridden.

This does not protect you from your own stupidity, not unless you consider having a few Incapaciting wounds is something to be shrugged at.
This is a virtue for those who fear random twist of fate, like a botch killing their characters. Those willing to be stupid will rather invest in a greater immunity to Iron.

Also, as Arya wrote, the prophecy may actually accomplish himself in an unknown way. So maybe this little text of no consequence he just wrote become well-known as a universal masterpiece after his death.

Knew a guy like that.
Thing is, he was also a poor writer, with a lot of psychological issues. And it showed in his games (such as every male character being eventually castrated...)

193

Luminus de Libris fillius Caprican ex Merinitae ab Oleran

Voting Sigil - A golden paintbrush
Casting Sigil - vivid saturation

Virtues
The Gift, Hermetic Magus. Faerie Magic
3 Faerie-Raised Magic, hermetic
1 Alluring to Faeries
1 Good Teacher, general
1 mMF- creating memories
1 Free Expression, general
1 Intuition, general
1 Deft Form - Mentem
1 Affinity with Creo
Arcadian Travel

Flaws
1 Faerie Upbringing, personality
3 Favors (brother of the 9 muses, Like Close Family Ties, only supernatural), story
3 Vulnerable Magic, hermetic - Dispelled when the “Act” ends (uncommon circumstance)
1 Higher Purpose, personality: Books can hold more knowledge!
1 Obsession: see life as a heroic tales, minor personality
1 Deficient Form: Terram, hermetic
???? - gained for Arcadian Travel

Art of Memory
Luminus’s Memory Palace is a parody of Oleran, the covenant/faerie regio of his upbringing. It appears to be a painting that you are walking through. The “rooms” are:
(The Road to) Apple Mile Orchard
Five distinctive yet unimportant travelers met along the way
(The Road to) The Stone Couches
The stories of five sleepers
The Harbor
Information on how to get to five covenants
Town (events only)
Five events that I’m currently painting/drawing
Castle (magical additions only)
empty

Personality Traits : Illustrative +2, Brave +3, Inquisitive +2, Trusts Tytalus magi -1
Characteristics: (invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3335248/)
Int +4 Per +3 Age: 31
Pre +3 Com +4 Size: 0
Str +0 Sta +2 Confidence: 1
Dex -3 Qik -2 Afflictions: None

Abilities 0-point skills are ones I mean to pick up post-apprenticeship
AL Greece 2 (vistas)
AL Oleran 2 (sleepers)
Athletics 1 (climb)
Awareness 1 (search)
Charm 1 (children)
Craft: Painting 3 (illumination)

N Lang: Greek 5 (stories)
Latin 4 (written)
Norman French 4 (stories)
Langue d’oil 1.(14) (directions)

Artes Liberales 2 (ceremony)
Art of Memory 3 (events)
Philosophae 0
Prof:Scribe 0

CoH 0.1
Faerie Magic 3 (spells)
Finesse 3 (imaginem)
Merinita Lore 2 (members)
Magic Theory 3 (spells)
Parma Magica 4 (mentem)
Penetration 3 (mentem)
Arthurian Lore 3 (locations)

Arts
Creo** 15
Intellego 12.(85)
Muto
Perdo
Rego 5

Animal Auram Aquam Corpus Herbam
Ignem
Imaginem 5
Mentem 12
Terram-- Vim

Spells:
Dagger of Ice +7
Cr(Re)Aq 10 Voice, Mom, Ind
+5 Dmg, 20 paces

Fae Phantasm of the Talking Head (mod) +22
CrIm 10 ROAD, Diam, Ind

Prying Eyes +19
InIm 5 Touch, Conc, Room

Wizard’s Sidestep +12
ReIm 10 Per, Sun, Ind

Fae Illusion of the Shifted Image + 12
ReIm 10 ROAD, Sun, Ind

Heart of the Lion +29
CrMe 15, Eye Sun Ind (HoH:S 37)
Makes target Brave+3

Memory of the Distant Dream +41
CrMe 20 Eye, Sun, Ind

Enhance the Memory Palace +41
CrMe 20, R: Per, D: Moon, T: Ind (TMRE 26)
...magically constructs an extremely detailed locus in the
caster’s memory palace.(base 5, +3 Moon)

Weight of the Broken Bargain +41
CrMe 40, R Touch, D Bargain/Moon, Ind
As “Weight of a Thousand Hells,” MRB 148, only with Bargain duration.

Posing the Silent Question +26
InMe 20 Eye, Mom, Ind

Luminus de Libris is the son of Mnemosyne, mother of the 9 muses, and a wandering Greek warrior-poet named Alexander. The sell-sword was struck by the view from atop a mountain, and composed a poem about it on the spot. Mnemosyne was nearby, and favored the poem so much that when he wrote it down, the words leapt from the page and turned into the treasure he had always wanted -- a son he named Vellum.

Alexander and his son Vellum traveled the world for but a few short years together before Alexander started running out of money -- for there are fewer jobs for a sell-sword holding a babe in his arms than one might think. Desperate for food, they left the main road to cross the forest more directly, hoping to hunt down something to fill their meager cooking pot.

Deep in the heart of the woods, Vellum had his first encounter with one of his sisters, Terpsichore, muse of the dance. Terpsichore introduce herself and requested his help -- an infant Siren in a nearby fishing village was about to be drowned by the terrified villagers. Vellum convinced his father to aid the child, when the babe had been saved, Terpischore brought the pair to a local Faerie Court and sought their assistance to aid the family.

It so happened that Caprican was there, and noticed the boy’s potential. He intervened from the faerie queen’s well-meaning mischief -- for she had invited them to sup at her table. It was too late for his father -- the man had been so hungry that he had dived into the feast. Vellum, however, had been too busy drawing shapes with the juices and skins of the fruit they’d been served.

Caprican brought the boy and his father back to Oleran, where his father now serves in the turb (growing ever more fantastical), and took the child as an apprentice. Vellum grew up ami romanticized stories and spent much of his time painting them. He loves stories, like a father loves his children: watching them grow in capacity and wishing to teach them more.

Lysette, Caprican’s wife, taught him the trick of holding fast an image with the Art of Memory, the better that he could paint it. Lysette knows many tricks that involve treating the mind as a house you can dance through, and Vellum discovered that he could mimic one of these tricks as if they were hermetic spells. He soon grew fascinated with memories as well as paintings, and loves to blend the two together.

After that, his magical family started showing up far too frequently for anyone's comfort, always with some errand for the apprentice which happened to coincide with his pater's plans. The fair folk, both at home and abroad, greet the boy with a warm welcome. His knowledge of stories and fairy tales proves an unusually useful boon to his ability to navigate unfamiliar social waters. And yet, in some ways his love of a good tale is a hindrance, for his magic is so in tune with his sense of narrative that his magic can be dispelled by a dramatic plot twist, or the end of one of the Three Acts.

His interest in pushing the boundaries of modern book-making techniques, particularly in terms of illuminations and illustrations, does little to dispel the rumors among the covenfolk of Oleran that he is destined to become the Muse of Books.

Shortly after his Gauntlet, his other sisters began visiting him more often, sometimes asking him for favors, and at other times merely causing chaos by their simple presence. Though he was dearly beloved by the people of Oleran, he began to think of his home as the repository of stories, and grew hungry to see such stories born. Most recently, his pater Caprican suggested he travel to Gallus Florensis, a Merinita covenant that had recently returned to Spring.

Post Gauntlet

1
Winter - Finesse L3Q10
Spring - Finesse L3q10
Summer - Finesse L3q10 = Total L3
Fall - Penetration L3 q10
2
Winter Penetration L3 q10
Spring Penetration L3 q10 = Total L3
Summer - Cr L15q14 (x1.5 = q21)
Fall - Adventure! 2 exposure in Cr
3
Winter Cr L15q14 (x1.5 = q21)
Spring Cr L15q14 (x1.5 = q21)
Summer Me L12Q12
Fall Me L12Q12
4
Winter Me L12Q12
Spring Me L12Q12
Summer Me L12Q12
Fall - Adventure! 1 exposure in Cr (Total = L15), 1 xp in Me
5
Winter In L15q14
Spring In L15q14
Summer In L15q14
Fall In L15q14
6
Winter Arthurian Lore L4q15
Spring Arthurian Lore L4q15
Summer Parma Magica L4 Q15
Fall - Adventure! 2 exposure Me, Total = L12
7
Winter Parma Magica L4 Q15
Spring Parma Magica L4 Q15, TOTAL = L4
Summer - Faerie Magic: L5 Q12
Fall - Faerie Magic: L5 Q12
8
Winter - Learn Arcadian Travel
Spring - Merinita Lore L4Q15
Summer - Spells! Weight of the Broken Bargain
Fall - Adventure! 1xp in Faerie Magic, TOTAL = L3, 1xp in CoH

8 years * 4 seasons * 2xp exposure to language
50 XP in Norman French
14 XP in Langue d’oil

75bps
20 - Crown of Hermes (Covenants, pg __CrMe 50)
12 - Inkpot of the Noblest Metals (Covenants, pg 97) Converts any metal added to it to ink, MuTe 20, + 10 Unlimited Uses

(some kind of cloak or outfit with various spells for comfort, cleanliness, etc. To be determined later -- Any spell suggestions?)
(Possibly, Boots of Seven League Stride)

194

Amul: don't know if you saw this on the main Ars boards, but the thread about Magical Comic books (don't laugh) reminded me of your character concept...might be worth checking out for ideas.

195

Let me guess...It's an Abe thread right?

196

um...actually it is. How'd you guess? (don't spend a whole lot of time on the main boards so I don't recognize a lot of names that I don't see here or on Bibracte)

197

Abe is a phenomena to the Ars main board, asking crazy questions about Ars, often asking/inviting critiques for utterly absurd pop culture references or phenomena injected into Ars Magica's setting.

Such as a spell that mimics the Pokemon...stuff. Or inventing braille in the dark ages, or how would the Order respond to someone with Aupsberger's Syndrome (forgive the spelling) which Abe claims he has.

Annoying, but nothing too serious. I'm mainly surprised now by how long he's stuck around.

198

Have you seen Big Bang Theory? Sheldon.

199

Same thing here.

He has some knowledge of Ars (4th edition only), but just just some.

He's... strange.

200

Saw it in passing, I think. Thanks for reminding me.

So, other than the 43-some buildpoints I still need to spend and don't have a clue what to do with, is there anything else that I need to start playing? (he says in the middle of a heavy travel week).

201

Hey there folks,

After a brutal reminder of what my coming summer is going to be like, I think it would be best to step out of this game before I fully step in. I am having a hard enough time keeping up with the three games I already have characters in play for, and am seriously considering that I am may need to step out of one or more of those games as well.

202

I understand, believe me :-/

Better not to step into a new game then, although it's too bad, since your character seemed very much awesome. Keep it somewhere, maybe you'll get to play it one day! :smiley:

203

Oh, I'm holding on to him. And as soon as I get a chance, I'm gonna spend his build points, too, dammit :slight_smile:

204

Tektonius
Characteristics: Int +5, Per +2, Pre +1, Com +3, Str -4, Sta -3, Dex 0, Qik +2
Size: 0
Age: 40 (37), Height: 5'6'', Weight: 158 lbs, Gender: Male
Decrepitude: 0
Warping Score: 0 (2¼)
Confidence: 1 (3)
Virtues and Flaws: The Gift, Hermetic Magus, Puissant Magic Theory*, Magister in Artibus (240/240), Affinity with Finesse, Affinity with Magic Theory, Inventive Genius (Invent Lab Totals: +3), Affinity with Terram, Great Intelligence × 2, Minor Magical Focus (moving earth and stone), Unstructured Caster, Judged Unfairly, Generous, Rigid Magic, Hermetic Patron, Poor Strength × 1
Personality Traits: Studious +3, Status-Seeking +1, Unpretentious +2
Combat:
Dodge: Init: +2, Attack --, Defense +2, Damage --
Fist: Init: +2, Attack +0, Defense +2, Damage -4
Kick: Init: +1, Attack +0, Defense +1, Damage -1
Soak: -3
Fatigue levels: OK, 0, -1, -3, -5, Unconscious
Wound Penalties: -1 (1-5), -3 (6-10), -5 (11-15), Incapacitated (16-20), Dead (21+)
Abilities: English 5 (academic usage), Artes Liberales 5 (cermonial magic), Philosophiae 5 (ceremonial magic), Teaching 2 (Artes Liberales), Magic Theory 6+2 (extracting vis), Architecture 2 [Category: Buildings], Concentration 1 (spells), Parma Magica 2 (Ignem), Finesse 4 (Terram), Guile 1 (lying to students), Folk Ken 1 (magi), Scribe 1 (academic texts), Order of Hermes Lore 1 (stonehenge covenants), Code of Hermes 1 (tribunal procedures), Charm 1 (covenfolk), Awareness 3 (determining effect), Latin 5 (hermetic usage)
Arts: Cr 9, In 2, Mu 13, Pe 4, Re 13, An 4, Aq 5, Au 4, Co 12, He 4, Ig 3, Im 1, Me 2, Te 16, Vi 7
Equipment: Wizardly Robes; Beech Wand (Creator: Tektonius; Created: Spring 1217; Vis Capacity: 15; Talisman; Attunement Bonus: Wand: +4 control things at a distance; Wand: +3 project bolt or other missile; Total Pawns Invested: 5; Total Effect Level: 45; Effect Name: Invisible Sling of Vilano; Effect Level: 25; Effect Details: R: Touch, D: Mom, T: Ind, Fast Trigger: +3 Initiative, Unlimited use; Arts: ReTe 10; Design: Base 5, +1 Touch; Effect Name: The Unseen Porter; Effect Level: 20; Effect Details: R: Voice, D: Conc, T: Ind, Unlimited use; Arts: ReTe 10; Design: Base 3, +1 Conc, +2 Voice)
Encumbrance: 0 (0)
Spells Known:
Bind Wound (CrCo 10) +18
Invisible Sling of Vilano (ReTe 10) +39
Air's Ghostly Form (CrAu 5) +10
Blade of the Virulent Flame (CrIg 15) +9
The Call to Slumber (ReMe 10) +12
Curse of the Unruly Tongue (ReCo 5) +22
Dance of the Staves (ReHe 5) +14

So here's what I've been playing around with. He's a researcher, with some other tricks up his sleeve, and some unfortunate flaws. In consultation with Arya, she allowed me to take fewer XP in spells than the required 120 xp. He's 5 years PG, tooling around somewhere, probably close to Oxford or Cambridge or something.

Still working on some back story elements.

205

Though I didn't see it said anywhere, I'm guessing Bonisagus, based on the fact he's a researcher with an asterisk next to Puissant Magic Theory.

206

Indeed he is.
I'm still trying to decide if I'm crazy for making a magus who can't cast formulaic spells.

207

Yes. Yes you are :slight_smile:

I could see it working with Diedne Magic, but otherwise it seems really horribly prohibitive.

208

I thought about that, I really did. I also put this out on the Ars forum for discussion to generate some ideas. He's not bad at certamen. He's no Tremere, but he does OK. And he'll research stuff. He's not awful at Longevity Rituals. Sure there are better. And if he relies on ReTe magics he's got some interesting possibilities.