Character Development

OK, let me suggest this as a compromise on the apprentices issue:

Thebes Tribunal has a communal system of locating and allocating apprentices. However, it's voluntary. What makes magi give up perfectly good apprentices? In this version, the reward for giving up an apprentice is not only a token, but a claim to a future apprentice. Not only would the future apprentice be more suitable, but an added sweetener is that he or she would already be partially trained. We'd still need to work out how the Tribunal determines who gets which apprentice. My first thought is that priority in choice goes to whoever has been waiting longest, but we could also incorporate some modification of the bidding system.

How does that sound?

Scott

That works for me! I think if some social pressure/expectation/tradition were added to that, perhaps formalized via "Reputation" and/or other unspoken political markers, that would fit in too. And any gritty details can be resolved at a later time. (Altho' I think it should involve seeding magi by height for a double-elimination ro-sham-bo tournament.)

Meanwhile, I don't know about anyone else, but the holidaze are kicking my ass. Plus, as an added bonus, Santa snuck in early and gave me a big, shiny new PeMe head-cold! So I'm working (if slowly) on the final first-draft (if that makes sense), and with any luck will have it up in a few days. But I'm guessing that, as a group, we're not expecting to make much progress before New Years?

Probably not, I'm also working slowly through my presentable draft, a rather different character idea than originally though.

The Alpha SG is still catching up from a particularly bad semester at work, and so we've got a little bit of slack time, but the players who've been here longest have been waiting to move on, so let's get going as soon as we can.

Scott

[size=140]Phasma, Maga Bonisagi, filia Parvulus[/size]

[table][tr][td]Personality:
Despite her grim area of expertise, Phasma is generally a chipper individual
with perhaps a bit too much enthusiasm when it comes to experimentation.

Appearance:
Phasma is wafer thin, spending most of her time buried in books and other
hermetic paraphernalia leaves little for concern for her physical appearance.
Despite her small physical presence, when she really gets talking, Phasma is
the kind of person who can fill an entire room, metaphysically speaking, more
than making up for her stature in vivacity.

Reputation:
Phasma has yet to make something interesting of herself, having just recently
been gauntleted. As such, she remains without any real reputation.[/td]

[td]Background:
Having grown up in Durenmar as a child of one of the servant-folk, meant that
Phasma's gift was discovered at a very early age, prompting early training
in the hermetic studies, before she was taken as an apprentice at the age of
reasoning. During her apprenticeship, she inherited her parens' enthusiasm for
the undead, and have been trying to figure out a way in which to apply this
knowledge to the ultimate act of magi. To properly resurrect a dead body.
In the dusty library of Durenmar, she found a book loosely mentioning Canaanite
Necromancy, believing it to be the first step towards her journey, she set out
towards the supposed place as soon as she was gauntleted. Nova Castra as one
of the few remaining hermetic covenants on the way to the holy lands, seemed a
logical place for her to assemble her expedition.[/td][/tr][/table]

[table][tr][td]Baptismal Name: Helena
Race/Nationality: Roman
Place of Origin: Durenmar
Religion: Christian
Wizard's Sigil: makes small living material,
such as plants and carcases, wither and rot faster for a short period.[/td]
[td]Year Born: 1205
Year Apprenticed: 1212
Year Gauntleted: 1227
Size: -1
Height: 5' 5"
Weight: 95 lb[/td][/tr][/table]

[table][tr][td]Decrepitude:[/td]
[td]Warping:[/td][/table]

[table][tr][td]Characteristics:
Intelligence: +3
Perception: +2
Strength: -3
Stamina: -1
Presence: +2
Communication: +2
Dexterity:
Quickness: -1

Personality Traits
Curious +2
Driven +6 (Major Flaw)
Eccentric +3[/td][/tr][/table]

[table][tr][td]Virtues:
The Gift (Special)
Hermetic Magus (Free/Social)
Puissant Magic Theory (House/General)
Major Magical Focus: Necromancy (Major/Hermetic)
Spirit Summoning (Major/Supernatural [Magical]/Tainted)
Affinity with Mentem (Minor/Hermetic)
Affinity with Rego (Minor/Hermetic)
Second Sight (Minor/General)
Skilled Parens (Minor/Hermetic)

Flaws:
Driven: Discover the breakthrough of resurrection. (Major/Personality)
Magic Addiction (Major/Hermetic)
Covenant Upbringing (Minor/Personality)
Small Frame: (Minor/General)
Palsied Hands: (Minor/General)
Weird Magic (Minor/Hermetic)[/td]
[td]Abilities:
Durenmar Cant (Expansive Vocabulary): 5 (75)
Artes Liberalis (Geometry): 2 (15)
Bargain (Hard Sell): 2 (15)
Charm (First Impressions): 2 (15)
Concentration (Maintaining Spells): 1 (5)
Folk Ken (Magi): 2 (15)
Guile (Elaborate Lies): 2 (15)
Latin (Hermetic Usage): 4 (50)
Leadership (Magical Creatures): 2 (15)
Magic Lore (Ghosts): 1 (5)
Magic Theory (Traditionalist): 4+2 (50)
Parma Magica (Ignem): 1 (5)
Penetration (Rego): 1 (5)
Scribe (Copying Summae): 1 (5)
Second Sight (Ghosts) 3 (30)
Teaching (Apprentices): 2 (15)[/td][/tr][/table]
[table][tr][td]Arts
Creo:
Intellego:
Muto:
Perdo:
Rego: 13 (61/91)[/td]
[td]Animal:
Aquam:
Auram:
Corpus:
Herbam:[/td]
[td]Ignem:
Imaginem:
Mentem: 11 (44/66)
Terram:
Vim: 5 (15)[/td]
[td]Summoning:[/td][/tr]
[tr][/tr][/table]
[table][tr][td]Spells
Aegis of the Hearth ReVi 30 (+19)
R: Touch, D: Year, T: Bound, Ritual
See Am 161.

Circular Ward Against Magical Creatures ReVi 30 (+17/+22)
R: Touch, D: Ring, T: Circle
See AM 162.

Coerce the Spirits of the Night ReMe 20 (+34)
R: Voice, D: Conc. T: Ind
See AM 152.

Regal Resonance ReMe 35 (+23)
R: Voice, D: Sun, T: Group
As Aura of Rightful Authority (AM 151), but Voice Range and Group.

The Call to Slumber ReMe 10 (+23)
R: Voice, D: Mom T: Ind
See AM 151.

Thoughts Within Babble InMe 25 (+11)
R: Per, D: Conc T: Hearing
See AM 149.[/td][/tr][/table]
[table][tr][td]Year[/td]
[td]Season[/td]
[td]Activity[/td]
[td]Notes[/td][/tr][/table]

So, here's the basics for my character. Phasma, Maga Bonisagi. If there are any mistakes that need rectifying, please let me know.

Looks largely fine. A few points and questions:

  • How did she get her Summoning Art? Also, I assume it's (Spirit) Summoning, and therefore infernally tainted even though it's a magical power?
  • Your Rego and Mentem xp aren't the minimums needed for their levels, which threw me slightly although isn't inherently problematic. I note that by switching 1xp from Mentem to Rego, however, you could keep Mentem 11 and gain Rego 13.
  • Your character doesn't currently have any method of perceiving invisible spirits - she doesn't have Second Sight, and hasn't learnt any relevant spells. The base level for a spell to locate a spirit is 5 (pg 99/100 of HoH:S), although if you're using spells you'll also need to penetrate magic resistance.
  • You've got 155 levels of spells, when your cap is 150.
  • I think you're 1 xp over spent (unlike ability granting virtues, Summoning doesn't give you a free xp).
  • It's noted as aligned with the magical realm, so yes, it'd be Spirt. I haven't elaborated much on her background, as this is just a draft, but off the top of my head, I'd think that either her parens taught her (a little boring) or she coerced a spirit into teaching her (in which case I'm going to need to redo my spells).
  • Good point, I just have a habit of throwing numbers in increments of 5 at arts during character generation.
  • That's a good point, I originally wanted her to be a little bit older, and initiated into the Disciples of the Worm, and so therefore didn't need it bought in the basics. Guess I forgot to remedy that when I scaled her back.
  • Damnit, I had it right before I added Curse of the Unruly Tongue. Wait, why is it even there? It's not on the sheet... hmmm.
  • I am, Summoning is one of the few Virtues that don't give the 1st rank for free >.>'

Magical Summoning doesn't necessarily mean Spirit - for example, Tasia has (Elemental - Terram) Summoning, which is purely magical, instead of magical with an infernal taint as Spirit Summonning is. Elemental Summoning wasn't that likely to be what you were looking for with your character though, as it only allows summoning of Terram-aligned creatures.

Just to (probably unnecessarily, for which I apologise) stress the point though, Spirit Summoning is always infernally tainted, even if it's magic aligned, and will show up as an infernal power to characters with divine based detection abilities such as Sense Holiness and Unholiness, although not to magical detection.

Edited the Summoning Virtue to make it more clear that it's Spirit, and added in the tainted tag.

Looking over the revised character sheet, I see you've swapped out the Affinity with Magic Theory for Second Sight, but you haven't included Second Sight in your abilities (or put any xp into it, which it'll probably need to be useful, especially with a Perception of 0).

There we go, another round of changes, reducing Presence to up Perception, and fidgeting around to get some ranks in Second Sight.

So, I can't seem to find a concept that fits well into the saga that I want to play. If there weren't two other Bonisagus coming over here, I'd suggest bringing Ra'am from Phoenix over here. So, I'm going to gracefully bow out.

No, no. Don't do that!

If you're feeling like it'll flood the group with too many Bonisagi, I've also got a Flambeau of the School of Vilano that I want to try out.

I shouldn't have thought having multiple members of the same house should be a problem - there are a enough different character concepts within any house, and Bonisagus is one of the houses more likely to be out here. That said, I would have thought Ra'am would need a fair amount of re-working to have a reason to be out on the edge of nowhere, particularly given his family?

I'll be sorry to see you go, although obviously there's no point playing a character you won't enjoy. What was the issue with the Jerbiton?

The Jerbiton, I just couldn't get happy with him. Went back to the Flambeau, ditto. And then you hit the nail on the head with Ra'am. It is also perhaps a matter of being overwhelmed, as I was invited into another saga around the same time, and my saga keeps me quite busy. Like I said, if the stars align where I find the right concept that I can develop without hating, there's space available, and I have the time to add another game, I'll jump in with both feet. It's not good-bye, but more like, until we meet again.

Looks fine now. Probably a good idea to wait until MTKnife's had a look at it before considering it finalised, though.

You remembered to take Second Sight 1 for free, right?

Scott

Well, we're sad to see you go. :frowning: And yes, I don't think another Bonisagus would be a problem. The only time I get antsy about multiple members of a house is when the house's members ten to be disruptive (I also sometimes get concerned about having too many Gentle Gifts).

Scott

Arcane Snowman,

The issues I see with Phasma are pretty minor.

The most serious is Speak Latin: a 4 in this Ability is a little iffy even for a newly gauntleted Bonisagus (perhaps less so for a maga Trianomae), but a Bonisagus lab rat 15 years out of gauntlet should have spent some time writing (if only Correspondences), and gotten Exposure XP's at the very least.

My munchkin side feels a duty to tell you that Skilled Parens is usually considered a bad deal as a Virtue, especially for a character well past Gauntlet; you might want to consider one of the Minor Virtues that gives extra XP's during play, such as Book Learner.

Her background says she grew up in Durenmar, but you list her place of origin as Poland. My first assmption was that she was born in Poland but her parents moved to Durenmar when she was young. However, despite being described as a Slav, she doesn't speak any sort of Slavic, and so I'm wondering if this is an editing error, or if what you mean to say is that her parents are Slavs from the Kingdom Poland.

This may be a problem of translation from metric to English units (you seem to be a non-native speaker of English--I'm guessing Polish, considering her place of origin :slight_smile: ), but a weight of 80 lbs. for someone who's 5'5" would be anoerexic--unless she has faerie blood or something like that, anything below 115 lbs. is difficult to believe.

Scott

Except she's a newly Gauntleted Maga.

Skilled Parens trumps all other direct XP virtues, maybe it isn't ideal when compared to an XP improvement Virtue, but it does give her a good start regardless.

Another editing error from her prior incarnation.

You are correct in that English is my second language, and that I have trouble with Imperial Measurements. However I have lived in Australia for the past couple of years, and my place of origin is not Poland. Also, the weight is, I believe, accurate for what I'm going for, she has Slight Build and a negative Stamina, so one plausible flavor interpretation is that she is sickly thin (in her appearance, I do believe I likened her to a wafer), and as a consequence her body has suffered from the effects. I blame all that studying and forgetting to eat.

A nitpick of my own: as I understand the Roleplaying terms, a muchkin is a cheater. The term you should be using in this context would be optimizer, or min-maxer for a similarly negative connotation.