Indeed, aside from Salutor's critiques, he looks fine. Note though that that particular Death Prophesy is an especially easy one for the SG to invoke in a perverse way.
Scott
Good; I'm looking forward to it.
I have not given up on Sulayman Criamonis. i just had a short deadline dropped on me which took up all of my concentration. But now advance him another 5 years ( after making the corrects suggested )
I will post the invented spells ( that are non-standard in my next post)
After 5 years:(for reference)
Abilities:
Arabic(poetry) 5
Folk Ken(Peasants) 2
Greek(books) 4
Survival (Desert) 1
Theology: Islam(Quran) 3(38)
Artes Liberales(Astronomy) 2
Latin(conversation) 4
Islamic Law( 1
Bargain (haggling) 1(10)
Chirugry(diagnosis) 1
Teaching(Arts) 2
Concentration(spells) 1
Profession(scribe)( 1
Awareness( 1
Parma Magica (creo) 2
Magic Theory (inventing spells) 3(36)
Enigmatic Wisdom(Twilight) 2+2
Magic lore 1 (Order of Suleiman) 1
House Criamon Lore(Paths) 3
Arts:
Cr 16+3(143) In 5(17) Mu 3 Pe 1 Re 6(21)
An 5 Aq 0 Au 4(13) Co 8(38) He 5
Ig 3 Im 11(67) Me 4 Te 2 Vi 4(13)
Spells:
Bind Wound CrCo10 (27)
Airs Ghostly Form CrAu5 (23)
Jupiter’s Resounding Blow CrAu10 (23)
Stench of the twenty Corpes CrAu10 (23)
Trap of entwinging Vines CrHe15 (24)
Call to Slumber ReMe10 (10)
Revealed Flaws of Moral Flesh InCo10 (13)
Sense the nature of Vis InVi5 (9)
Lamp without Flame CrIg10 (21)
Wall of Living Wood CrHe25 (24)
Gentle touch of the Purified Body CrCo20 (27)
Wizard’s SideStep ReIm10 (17)
Discerning Own Illusions InIm15 (16)
The next 5:
Year6:
s1: Invent Illusion of stench CrIm10(Group) Invent Illusion of a wall CrIm 10, Exposure MT (38) - Lab total = 41
s2: Phantasmal Animal CrIm20 Exposure MT (40)
s3: Study Summa Finness 14xp Finness 1(14)
s4: Adventure Constantinople xp5 Finness2(21), xp5 Scribe(10)
Year7
s1: Study Summa Corpus 10xp 1+1xp Creo(145), 1xp In5(18)
s2:Study Tractatus Magic Theory 10xp Magic Theory 4
s3: Assist Matthias of Criamon in research Exposure MT2xp(52) payment 3 Cr vis
s4:Develop +8 Longevity ritual LT=40
Year8:
s1: Invent Aura of Ennobled Presence MuIm10 MT 2xp (54)
s2: Invent Panic of the Trembling Heart CrMe 15 MT 2xp (56)
s3: Invent Circle of Undisturbed Rest ReIm5 MT 2xp (58)
s4: Read Summa of Terram +14 xp Te5(15) 1+1xp Creo(147) 1xp Re(22)
Year 9:
s1:Explore Regio in search of familar Awarness1 5xp Magic Lore1 5xp
s2: Invent Foras Vim ReTe15 2xp MT(60) From Lab notes
s3: Study Summa Animal 10xp An6(25) 1+1xp Creo (149) +1 Mu3(7)
s4: Study Summa Intelligo 10xp In7(28) 1+1 Im11(69), +1 xp An6(26),+1 xp Te5(16), +1xpVi4(14)
Year 10
s1:Assist Matthias of Criamon in research Exposure MT2xp(62) payment 3 Cr vis
s2: Study Summa Parma Magica +14xp Parma2(29)
s3: Study Tractatus Regio 10xp Re7(32) 1xp Vi5(15) 1xp An6(27), 1+1xp Im(71), Au4(14)
s4: Befriend familiar (Nubbins) 5xp Awarness2(15) , 5xp Enigmatic Wisdom2(20)
==============================
Abilities:
Arabic(poetry) 5
Folk Ken(Peasants) 2
Greek(books) 4
Survival (Desert) 1
Theology: Islam(Quran) 3(38)
Artes Liberales(Astronomy) 2
Latin(conversation) 4
Islamic Law( 1
Bargain (haggling) 1(10)
Chirugry(diagnosis) 1
Teaching(Arts) 2
Concentration(spells) 1
Profession(scribe)( 1(10)
Awareness( 2
Parma Magica (creo) 2(29)
Magic Theory (inventing spells) 4(62)
Enigmatic Wisdom(Twilight) 2+2(20)
Magic lore 1 (Order of Suleiman) 1(10)
House Criamon Lore(Paths) 3
Finness 2(21)
Arts:
Cr 16+3(149) In 7(28) Mu 3 Pe 1 Re 7(32)
An 6(27) Aq 0 Au 4(14) Co 8(38) He 5
Ig 3 Im 11(71) Me 4 Te 5(16) Vi 5(15)
Spells:
Bind Wound CrCo10 (27)
Airs Ghostly Form CrAu5 (23)
Jupiter’s Resounding Blow CrAu10 (23)
Stench of the twenty Corpes CrAu10 (23)
Trap of entwinging Vines CrHe15 (24)
Call to Slumber ReMe10 (10)
Revealed Flaws of Moral Flesh InCo10 (13)
Sense the nature of Vis InVi5 (9)
Lamp without Flame CrIg10 (21)
Wall of Living Wood CrHe25 (24)
Gentle touch of the Purified Body CrCo20 (27)
Wizard’s SideStep ReIm10 (17)
Discerning Own Illusions InIm15 (16)
Illusion of stench CrIm10
Illusion of a wall CrIm 10
Phantasmal Animal CrIm20
Aura of Ennobled Presence MuIm10
Panic of the Trembling Heart CrMe15
Circle of Undisturbed Rest ReIm5
Foras Vim ReTe15
Edit: Stat'd him out to age 25. Now I've grown kinda attached to him and sort of want to upgrade him to a Companion.
Leon,
Hunter/Linguist Grog for Patrick the Unrepentant (Based on The Hunter Grog template in MRB, pg 21)
Personality: Brave +3, Loyal +1, Socialable -2
Virtues: Wanderer, Warrior, Linguist, Well-traveled
Flaws: Delusion (thinks he used to be a catfish), Social Handicap (keeps bringing it up), Ability Block (logic)
Characteristics:
Int 0 Per +3 Age: 25
Pre -2 Com -2 Size: 0
Str 0 Sta +1 Confidence: GROG
Dex +2 Qik +2 Warping: 0
Abilities
AreaLore Germany(game trails) 2
Athletics (climbing) 3
Awareness (woodlands) 5
Bows (from cover) 4
Craft: wood (weapons) 2
Hunt (deer) 5
Stealth (hunting) 4
Survival (woodlands) 4
NLanguage, Low German (fish) 5
Language, Latin (orders) 2
Lang Gaelic (orders) 2
Lang, Castillian (directions) 2
Lang Greek (directions) 2
Lang [b](campaign local - Rus?) /b 0 (2.5xp)
Combat
Short bow
Init -1, Attack +9, Defense +6, Damage +6
Soak +3 (partial leather, Stamina)
Wound Penalties -1 (1-5) -3 (6-10) -5 (11-15) Incap (16-20)
Equipment , Encumbrance 2 (2)
Partial heavy leather armor, short bow, arrows, survival kit
Five years ago, Leon was the subject of a badly botched Mentem spell. As a result, all knowledge of his actual life was replaced by the memory of a catfish he had recently eaten -- including the memory of that fish's capture and gutting. Waking up surrounded by a cadre of wizards in the middle of a fight with a demonic beast, he fervently hopes that one of the wizards transformed him into a warrior in order to fight the demon (otherwise, he reasons, the demon conjured him, which means he's a Bad Guy).
The German-based covenant to whom he originally belonged briefly tried to repair his memory, and then gave up on him. Patrick took pity on him, and claimed him as his shield grog ("Mo' like he's mah backup," Patrick insists). Patrick never seems to tire of trying to prove to Leon through disputatio that he is a man.
Now that I seem to have all the numbers worked out functionally, I'm taking one last look at him for concept coherence.
Changes:
Concentration specialty changed from "ignoring sounds" to "ignoring magic addiction." He didn't start studying Concentration until he turned 31, so making this skill his effort to "get on the wagon" seems sensible.
Changing flaw "Oversensitive - Slurring the Irish" to "Compassionate." Both are minor Personality flaws. I realized that with the apathy that comes with Lost Love, the character needs a motivational force to keep him active beyond the Visions.
Now that he no longer has the Discreet flaw, the personality trait by the same name gets replaced with Compassionate +3
I'm considering changing "Restriction - Keep Hands/Feet Uncovered" to "Weak Magic Resistance (Urban Environments)." This major flaw should come from the same supernatural source which gave him Animal Ken, Inoffensive to Animals, Warrior, Independent Study, and Weird Magic at birth. My original thought was that he was born to be a forest guardian type, except that the neighborhood we're in is apparently quite low on trees. Still, I want him to be favored by some kind of semi-sentient magical force of nature, so tying his power to nature seems okay, but it still doesn't feel like a perfect fit. Any suggestions for a major flaw that would work?
I've also finally found time to finish reading the Tytalus section, and made some adjustments to his backstory to fit into canon better. Patrick has made a poor showing among the Tytalii, unable to rise to meet the challenge of his Lost Love, and will have an additional negative "Reputation: Wolf-puppy" among his house. I'll be writing up his full backstory after I post this.
Connor O’Dunningham, who would become Patrick Tytalii fillius Peremis, was born in Ireland during a wicked snowstorm. His mother found shelter in a regio of caves inhabited by Grey Herons of Virtue. The herons took pity on the mother, and gave her succor through the childbirth, and thus Connor was born touched by magic (The Gift, Animal Ken, Independent Study, Warrior, Inoffensive to Animals, Weird Magic, and Servant of the River Delta).
When the storm passed days later, his mother brought him back to Dunningham, and they rejoined his merchant father, Michael Dunningham, as he traded among the local villages. His Gift was evident to all, and he was quickly noticed and collected by the magae of Five Trees Covenant.
Five Trees Covenant was founded by five maga, as part of some Byzantine political backlash, and now only three maga remained in heated stalemate. By some trick of the gods, that year the covenant was blessed to discover four Gifted children, ripe for apprenticeship. One child each for the Tytalus, the Flambeau, and the Merinta, and one to passed on to others. But which for whom?
When the dust settled, Connor was in thrall to Peremis Tytalii, but his mater seemed nigh-crazed with the conflict within the covenant. She was obsessed with warding spells, ever pushing him to experiment. When he failed to live up to the rigors of the Book of Instruction, she often punished him with work among the livestock and guard beasts. Somehow, he endured his hellish years and came out the stronger -- just as she had hoped. (Self-Confident, Inventive Genius, Flexible Formulaic Magic, Minor Focus Wards, Affinity with Rego).
Seeing his hated brother, Salamandrus Flambeau, and sister, Saffron ex Merinita, pass their Gauntlet, he pressed for his own quickly, and surprised his mater by defeating her in physical combat, despite never having touched a weapon to her knowledge.
Surviving his Gauntlet, he returned to Dunningham, found his childhood sweetheart, and quickly wooed her. Maeve had grown up to be one of the most cunning huntresses in all of Ireland. By age 21, Patrick had a wife and a lovely daughter, and though he kept in contact with his mater and other magi, he otherwise eschewed Hermetic society. Such egotism cost him dearly, as his daughter Leah was repeatedly kidnapped by magical beasts which took an inexplicable interest in this babe who grew up outside any Aegis.
On one adventure recovering his beloved, Gifted daughter, Patrick met Edward Longshanks IV, an English Magister in Arbitus with questionable ties to the Order of Hermes. Patrick eventually joined the mathematically-focused cult, though he was more enamored of their philosophical underpinnings than their mysterious agenda. He was an able player in their game, and contented himself with the large family he was raising and his place among his secret brotherhood, never counting the enemies he was making as he did the bidding of the cult.
It would prove to be his undoing. At age 28, he returned from a hunting trip to find his covenant, Laguna Sententia, a burning ruin. His wife and family dead, he fell into a deep despair, and fled into the woods, speaking only to the animals around him. He was plagued by visions of his eldest daughter and wife, begging him to come back into the world, but he only fell deeper into grief. The only joy he could find was in the power of magic, and he quickly became addicted to the rush of power. (Reputation (Ireland) 3: Suspiciously Sole Survivor)
However, Peremis was not content to lose her apprentice to such a sorry state. She tracked him down and dragged him beyond the island and into the wider world. Near Hamburg, they joined with Metapontium Covenant and the Fraternity of Samos in their efforts to uncover a diabolist. The fight left one grog, Leon, addle-minded. Leon would have otherwise been left to his fate by the other magi of his own house. Patrick took sympathy on the man, guided by the visions of his daughter. (He did not realize it at first, but this was precisely why the other Tytalus magi acted as if they would abandon the grog.)
In showing compassion for the addle-brained Leon, Patrick rediscovered compassion for the world, and rediscovered a purpose for his own life. He began once more to hunt exotic monsters, whose parts were valuable to the labwork of other magi. He needed resources and social contacts, if he is to restore Leon’s mind. He might even find some clue as to the villans who had destroyed his family. (Reputation (OoH) 3: Beast Hunter)
In his quest for such knowledge, he ran afoul of Salamandrus Flambeau and Saffron Merinita, whom he had bullied when they were all apprentices at Five Trees Covenant. Still harboring much resentment over their youth together, the two acted in concert to up-end Patrick’s plans. The result was two certamen challenges, both of which Patrick lost. (Reputation (Tytalus) 3 : Born Loser/ “Wolf-pup”)
In defeat by Salamandrus, Patrick must forever identify himself as “The Unrepentant” when using his name (note that this probably would not stand up in court, were it ever brought to a trial).
By Saffron’s will, he was to journey to the edge of civilization and aid Viola Merinita in the task of establishing the new covenant there, for no less than three years. (Saffron’s relationship to Viola is left to that player’s discretion, and could easily be no more than a casual acquaintanceship. Saffron chose the Base Camp saga project as Patrick’s punishment simply because it was as far from Ireland as she could think of.)
There is a substantial forest reasonably nearby, if you still want to do that. Are you looking for a Story Flaw here?
Scott
While I can think of plenty of Story flaws that might suit, I've already got Visions, which apparently counts as both minor Supernatural and minor Story.
An etenral injunction seems overly harsh for Certamen--plus, what is he unrepretant for?
I'm not clear on where Five Trees Covenant is--knowing that would help me answer this question.
I can't find a draft character sheet for Patrick, but could you take Enemies for Salamandrus and Saffron?
Scott
For being a bully to them when they were kids. According to HoH:S, Tytalus apprentices often take out their frustrations on the other apprentices in the covenant. Once he grew up, he understood the value of his own harsh discipline, and wouldn't have apologized for what happened.
I doubt the certamen would stand up in court, anyway. The irony is that he may have intentionally lost the certamen, as a form of repentance. The world will never know.
Sorry, thought I made that clear in the bio. It is meant to be in Ireland. Given that someone burned his 1st post-apprentice covenant to the ground (I ought to name that place, too), and his work with the cult, Enemies would make sense, even if they're not Salamandrus and Saffron. I thought I could only take one Story flaw, though.
Draft sheet of Patrick is in his own thread, but I'm posting the (current) final version to the Magi Char Sheet thread now.
Edited my backstory by highlighting the bits that could use names. I'm a big fan of weaving histories together, so if any players want to make suggestions for how to integrate his backstory into their own, I'm all for it.
The current version of my character sheet has been posted to the Magi Char Sheet thread. I will add the backstory to the entry when it's been picked over.
May I post Leon the Hunter/Linguist/Fish to the Covenant Char thread? I don't really think of Leon as likely to have his own Stories, so he isn't properly a Companion per the rules, but Patrick will probably want him to be treated as a Consortes (or whatever the term may be), with the associated costs to covenant finances.
And not to be too pushy about this subject, but I would really, really like Patrick to enter play sometime soon. I will light-heartedly threaten to make even more tongue-in-cheek grogs until he does.
I figured it was Ireland, but wanted to be clear. Viola was raised in nearby Stonehenge (Mercia, to be precise), but that was before Patrick's time. I don't know that I'd want to make Saffron a member of Viola's mystery cult, but perhaps Saffron simply wanted to send him as far away as possible, and given her mater's origins in Thebes Tribunal, she had connections who made her aware of the new covenant here.
Trying to find a non-Story Major Flaw that isn't crippling is difficult, but the limit on the number of Minor Flaws makes it literally impossible to get 10 points without coming up with one (since you need two Major Flaws)--which is a serious hole in the ArM5 system. For any other Tytalus, the Major version of Overconfident or Proud would be a good choice, but I don't think either would work for Patrick; Driven might, but it would involve a change to his story (the end of it, anyway), perhaps based on some need to redeem himself. What happened to Lost Love? That and Magic Addiction were the original Majors, right?
Have you got a copy of the master V/F index (it's a bit out of date, but still includes a lot of the supplements).
Oh...and I will work on the mystery cult soon. Sorry to be out of it, but my wife's advancing pregnancy, though not always taking up a lot of my time, seems to have had the more subtle effect of making it difficult for me to concentrate lately.
Scott
If she has a high enough OoH Lore, that's all it really takes. I suppose it is a question of how Machiavellian the meta-plot is going to be. If there will be a lot of interaction with our benefactors in Thebes, then Saffron could be embroiled in any number of machinations involving Theban wizards.
Lost Love is only a Minor Personality Flaw. I originally had Indiscreet as a Major Story, but Salutor said there is a "only one story flaw" rule for this saga. Now that I've developed the backstory more fully, it doesn't really fit anymore.
In some other groups I'm playing with here on the forums, they note the difference between "may not," "cannot," and "should not" in the sidebar discussing Flaw limits. It only says you should not take more than one Story Flaw, and given that Visions is both Story and Supernatural, I would argue that this leaves some wiggle room. My ideal choice would be "Servant of the (Land)," major story flaw from RoP:M pg 50, and picking some natural feature which Ireland and the saga terrain have in common. Forest, being the typical choice in such matters.
Meep! While I wish you and your wife well with the childbirth, I basically ended up running the Phoenix campaign here on the forums because JeanMichelle became a father.
I suppose the simplest solution to the cult would be to make it The Fraternity of Samos, only more secretive than the version in the books. Maybe my direct superiors in the Samos cult have a more martial bent than most of the architects. Maybe the whole "martial application of Numerology" thing is an experiment by my cult contacts. Patrick is sort of disillusioned with them anyway, since his family died.
As far as gameplay goes, right now all we need is the general outline ("Euclidean Warriors!"), a name for the cult, and the names of my contacts in the cult. Any interaction with them for the foreseeable future is going to be about bringing Patrick back into the fold of the cult. Given PbP timelines, I'll be surprised if the game lasts long enough to get beyond that point, anyway.
I mean, when you gave my experimental spell the cosmetic effect of "involves mathematically regular shapes," you were working on his cult involvement, as far as I was concerned.
Oooh! Maybe Saffron or Salamandrus are part of his secret cult and Patrick doesn't know it!
While I could bend things for really good ideas, I think in this case that Compassionate will be far more interesting.
Actually, the baby will give my wife something to do, which may give me more time she doesn't want my attention. 
In any case, as a professor I'm (sort of) off for the summer.
I think I'll come up with something new--how big do you think it should be, though?
I mean, when you gave my experimental spell the cosmetic effect of "involves mathematically regular shapes," you were working on his cult involvement, as far as I was concerned.
[/quote]
Exactly.
If they were, I wouldn't tell you.
Scott
Okay, so I probably ought to disclose that I've been tinkering with my character overly much for the last week as an escape from Relationship Drama, and therefore have tweaked it quite a bit. I may very well have gone off the deep end, as some of the character changes I've made struck me as Profoundly Meaningful Metaphors(tm). It seems that I've not been properly documenting all the changes, and even if I had, you probably would have found it all dizzying to keep track of.
Patrick's current Flaw list is as follows:
I already decided to swap "Oversensitive vs Slurs Against the Irish" with "Compassionate" after reading HoH:S (which, incidentally, also Resonated With Profound Implications About My Life(tm) in ways that most assuredly have nothing to do with all the whiskey I've been drinking).
I'm now suggesting that I replace the Restriction - Hands and Feet Uncovered with Servant of the (Land), entirely for the coolness factor of it.
~giggles~ So, this would be your first child, then?
~ducks~
Seriously, though. My work season is heaviest during the summer. I have net-access through my phone, but my messages will be shorter while I'm on the road.
From what I can tell looking at the various HoH books, there are about 100 members of each house, roughly twice that for Mercere and Ex Misc. So, that means the entire Hermetic Order is about 1400 people. So....let's say that Patrick has been in contact with 7-12 other members of the cult, and there are maybe 30-50 members total. Anything bigger than that, and they could arguably form their own House. Anything smaller, and they're not a Cult, they're a book club.
Oh! Or, alternately, there are maybe 20-40 magi who are members, but there is also a much larger mundane component. In which case, some initiation level is going to involve casting stat-increasing Numerological Creo Corpus rituals on worthy followers. And maybe some questions about what they need all these Magical Beast Parts for, anyway...
It'd be cool if we somehow arrange a dichotomy between his Nature-blessed birth (whether or not he takes Servant of the Land) with the mathematically-derived "perfection" of the cult. ~mad scientist voice~ A dichotomy that might, if the dice are willing, eventually lead to a schism in the cult when he discovers the existence of the fractal math! Oh, yes! They all laughed at him at the university, but he'll show them! He'll show them a recursive mathematical formula which would bring Tytalus himself to his very knees! Mu-hahahaha!
~ahem~
If we go with any of that, we could call the cult The Golden Mean or something.
(And while I'm pretty sure that we've already established that I'm the only Reign:The Conqueror fan on this forum, I'll still point out that this all leads right back to the Euclidean Ninja Assassins and their quest to save The Plato-hedron from Alexander, Destroyer of Worlds.)
File this one under "sleep deprivation breeds strange thoughts."
Out of curiosity, how big of an enchantment would it be to turn a wagon into a chest?
The material and size table lists "boat, wagon, human body, small room" as size "huge."
The next size down, "large," includes shields.
"Medium" is about the size of a pair of boots.
A covered wagon is going to be made out of wood and leather, so that's base 2, x5 for size = 10 (eg, MT of 5 required).
According to Beast of Miniscule Proportions, it is a MuAn, base 4, effect to reduce the size of a beast by 2. +1 Concentration, +5 item maintains concentration....
So, by this logic, could I enchant a wagon with a MuAn(He) 10 effect to shrink to a box the size of a pair of boots?
Would that include all the stuff inside it?
Cuz, if so, I may ditch my small gold pendant for a mobile sanctum.
Edit: Nevermind. I realized that the target would have to be Structure, not Individual. Still. It's a goal for the future 
Well, I suppose I could go for that--the Restriction is kind of boring.
Yes...but you'd really have to know my wife. Seriously, you have no idea. She gets upset any time I'm alone in my office, partly out of jealously, partly because she has trouble entertaining herself.
Most cults are probably smaller than that--otherwise there wouldn't be very many of them--but a few could be that big. I think we can manage it even without the fractals, though.
Scott
Suggestions on which type of land? I am not at all familiar with the geography of the setting.
This is the very relationship drama that I'm dealing with right now. Is your wife an only child?
Out of curiosity, how big do you think the average cult is in this game?
While it's not in the standard list, "river delta" would work very well--think river banks, streams, and marshes.
No...it's a different kind of issue.
Probably a dozen to two dozen at most. Viola's for example has 6 or 7 members at last count.
Scott