Character Development

Play by Post Campaigns Ars Magica 5th Edition: Base Camp
981

Thanks for the look-over Salutor. You're right in that incongruity is a significant part of the concept. He's almost as much Flambeau as Jerbitonis. He sees himself as somehow tainted by the fall of Constantinople, as made manifest in his blatant gift and affinity for perdo. He nonetheless greatly values art, beauty and scholarship, and wants to help others achieve them.

Yes, I'm still toying with just what the 'enemies' looks like. I think it's more of a mutual feud. He has been investigating them and working against their agents for some time, and it seems likely that this info would have worked its way back to various powerful members of the crusaders. As you'll notice, he's just now ready to take an apprentice, and he longs to return to teaching. In particular, he seeks to find the Gifted child of a crusader, who he would train and induct into the more aesthetically pleasing elements of Jerbiton, ultimately by way of revenge.

982

Why would his parens have adopted such a...seemingly unsuitable apprentice?

Scott

983

Very good question. I suspect Longinus's parens saw within him the potential for great violence, something that would be needed in the future as the House began to move out of its more isolationist tendencies. In fact, it might be interesting for the parens to already have an apprentice, a much more traditional Jerbiton. I am open to thoughts on both of these matters.

Alternatively, Longinus could easily be a member of House Flambeau. Carmine, wife of Andru, might have been visiting Constantinople, and she could easily have become his parens. Either way, there is a strong connection to both houses, and either way there is some playing against type, a scholarly Flambeau or a destructive Jerbiton, either way ultimately tracing his bloodline back to Apromor. Since I took Puissant Perdo as a virtue, mechanically the switch would be invisible. I will reflect on which I prefer, but again, I am interested in the thoughts of others.

984

I really like the idea of a hermetic sibling. You might also consider whether there were other apprentices in your parens' covenant as you were being trained, and what your relationship to them is like.

Perhaps you were apprenticed out of a love for beautiful destruction? Or terribly destructive beauty? Consider swapping Venus Blessing with Muse?

985

Apologies that it's been a little while, I've been moving. I am still interested in being involved, however. Just working on a couple of ideas.

986

Great!

Scott

987

Hi again,

I've been thinking about what sort of magus would be drawn (or sent) to Nova Castra. Here are a couple of character ideas I've been kicking around:

  • Bonisagus "seeker" type - looking for signs of ancient civilizations in the area; hoping for Breakthrough-type artifacts.
  • Verditius, bounced from covenant to covenant, smoking wrecks of multiple laboratories in his wake.
  • Jerbiton, safari guide, attracted to the frontier and the prospect of "bigger game" - possibly from the Roman Tribunal - Venice in particular.

I've got the Bonisagus semi-statted, and am starting on the Jerbiton. With the Verditius, I feel a bit hindered without the HoH:M book.

Any thoughts?

:slight_smile:, V

988

On the Verditius, we've already had a quite similar character concept - Portia of Verditius, a Venetian glassblower with a tendency towards reckless experimentation and some big explosions in her history was going to be the original leader of the covenant. That said, she left before any big explosions happened at this covenant, so are magi are probably insufficiently wary about such magi so far.

Bonisagus or Jerbiton could work, although you may well want to co-ordinate with Ironboundtome (Bonisagus Muto specialist, not a seeker so probably not that much overlap) or amul (ward specialist and hunter of magical beasts on commission, so probably a bit more overlap).

989

I'm still having trouble settling on a character. Here's what I have so far:

Jerbiton "Merchant Princeling" - Gentle Gift, Elementalist (or maybe just Aq-specialized?), also skilled in Re, Co, Me - doing advance scouting for his trading concerns

Jerbiton/Flambeau "Safari Guide" - skilled in Re, In, and An; Venetian; in the Euxine for ~10-20 years (I haven't settled on an age yet) - has contacts in the Theban and Roman tribunals (maybe enemies as well?); hired out as a guide by more "indoor" magi. Possibly affiliated with Venetian trading post colonies in the Crimean area? Or maybe even did some work for the previous covenant?

Bonisagus "Seeker-type" pushing Hermetic boundaries - somewhat of a cautious lab rat, skilled in In and Vi, looking for hints of ancient magical traditions.

Verditius "Experimentalist" - bounced from covenant to covenant due to lab disasters "Really! It's not my fault!" - haven't settled on much of a focus with this concept yet, beyond why he would be in the boonies.

After looking over the other active magi, the Safari Guide role seems to be partially covered, but not completely. The other concepts I have here would seem to fit decently as well, perhaps with the Jerbiton merchant leading the pack (and not necessarily needing a supplement to create).

Depending on the magus, I have some Companion ideas floating around as well.

I'm also open to suggestions for different characters - any gaps need filling?

:slight_smile:, V

990

Ooh! Just had another idea - my magus could be one of the Seekers in the original covenant, just emerging from an extended Twilight, or Faerie regio. Of course, he wouldn't know what happened, as he was already gone by the time stuff blew up.

Funny what pops into your head at 1:00 in the morning. :wink:

Night all,
:slight_smile:, V

991

The only concern that I have with this idea is that it suggests knowledge of the previous covenant layout, and other minor details, all of which are currently Mysterious Mysteries of Strange Mystery.

Ha! Unless he Twilighted out before they had even got there.

I have questions about the utility of the Elementalist virtue, and after a long period of playing generalist characters, I'm currently on a "focus and specialize, dammit!" kick. So the Jerbiton looking for trading opportunities sounds like a great idea, but I'd select a narrower focus on his spellcraft.

Of the various ideas you present, this concept is the most novel suggestion for this saga that I've seen.

Probably overlaps too much with my character. I generally don't mind if two characters overlap in skills, concept or background, but when 2 of those overlap, then the remaining difference really needs to be central to play in order for us to not feel like we're stepping on each others' toes.

If you were deeply committed to this concept, I wouldn't object, but since you seem to be waffling, I suggest we drop this one in the name of adding diversity.

Both of these ideas are workable concepts for the saga. I think they're natural enough concepts for the setting that you'll be able to have a lot of fun etching out a specific personality for them.

I agree with your assessment - the Merchant Explorer is the most interesting to me.

992

Thanks for the input!

I had (another) brainstorm over the weekend, and am toying with the concept of a Cyclops-blooded Verditius. A gentle one-eyed giant, unable to venture into the mundane world, shunned even by most magi due to nasty scarring from a lab explosion and his Blatant Gift. His Strong Faerie heritage gives him a natural crafting ability (+1 to Crafts), and a Large size, but saddles him with a single eye in the middle of his face.

What do you think?

993

It certainly limits his capacity for mundane interactions, though I doubt our cured-leper-covenfolk would be all that hostile. If you decide to put him together, I may ask permission to repost him in Bibracte, where one of the other characters (Fiona) is trying to put together a Giant Magi Union or something.

I'm curious as to the sort of parens who would take on such a Gifted Child, and the covenant that he grows up in. I think the choice to move to the edge of the world would suggest a certain sense of defeatism that goes against the natural Hubris of the House.

So, its definitely a strong character concept to my mind. Though, Fray and Patrick both came to this covenant after losing their spouses, if such a Verditus came here, then I imagine we'd start earning a reputation for being a place of misfits and outcasts. The Jerbiton Merchant, by contrast, actually has positive reasons for coming here.

Good RP choices either way.

994

I had a question on learning languages via exposure. In the case of a season spent among people who regularly speak a language you do not know, are you allowing "extra" Exposure XP's? Exempli gratia: if my character is spending a season (or longer) in the Levant, would he be able to take 2xp's in Language: Arabic, if he is primarily in the company of Arabic-speakers?

995

This is probably a moot question. I joined the game in April 2011, and I think we've had maybe one season of advancement. I'm actually still using the stats from char gen, since it is unclear to me when exactly we're playing.

996

OK - I'm going with the Jerbiton merchant princeling.

Marco scholæ Jerbiton filius Zordan

10 years (or so) out of Gauntlet, Marco has been travelling with his mundane family's trading caravans into the Euxine, as well as a side trip or two to the Levant. In this time, he has developed many Social Contacts - both among mundanes and magi. Through judicious and subtle application of magic, Marco has managed to discreetly increase his family's wealth and prestige - which has earned him both renown in his family, and the enmity of a rival Genoese trading house and their Byzantine allies - including some anti-Roman magi in the Theban tribunal.

Marco and his pater, along with a few other (rather ancient) magi currently occupy a Winter covenant in the Venetian island of San Servolo, in a regio above a Benedictine monastary. Conditions in the covenant are deteriorating, so Marco has spent a great deal of time travelling with his family's merchant ships in the Euxine and eastern Mediterranean, stopping at covenants near port areas to trade mundane (and exotic) wares - as well as vis - in return for seasons of study time. This has earned him reputations of Fair +2 and Trader (of magical goods) +2.

However, due to Venus' Blessing (and his Lecherous ways) many a maid fell victim to his considerable charms. Judicious application of Mentem smoothed over many difficulties, but a growing number of "immaculate conceptions" caused Marco to rein in his wild ways.

Shortly after Marco's Gauntlet, a serving maid at Marco's home covenant bore him an odd little girl, who was given the name Marcella. The maid died in childbirth, and Marcella was raised within the walls of the covenant. It was not a difficult childhood, but far from normal - which was a good description of Marcella herself. She was doted on by the older magi, but when the headstrong girl started stepping through the regio boundaries into the abbey's gardens, they decided that Marco needed to find his daughter a new home (Lecherous personality trait replaced by Dependant).

Virtues:
The Gift (Su-free)
Hermetic Magus (S-free)
Venus' Blessing (G-free)
Gentle Gift (H-M)
Affinity with Aquam (H-m)
Book Learner (G-m)
Improved Characteristics (G-m)
Intuition (H-m)
Bound Magic (H-m)
Subtle Magic (G-m)
Well-Travelled (S-m)
Social Contacts (gained through play)

Flaws:
Feud (St-M) - with Genoese merchant family and their Byzantine allies, including some magi
Dependent (St-M)
Optimistic (P-m)
Close Family Ties (St-m) - to Venetian merchant family
Soft-Hearted (P-m)
Warped Magic (H-m) - nearby objects become damp/wet

Reputations:
Successful merchant +2 (Genoese & Venetian traders)
Fair +2 (Theban & Levant magi)
Trader (of magical goods) +2

(More to come...)

997

The rules only support one sort of Exposure at a time. However, if you're in an area with a language you don't know, you get more than two XP's--it's either five or eight (I can't recall for certain because the book's not in front of me right now).

Scott

998

On looking at Marco, I don't see anything remotely munchkiny, but Salutor is the fine-tooth-comb specialist.

What I'm curious about, though, is the exact nature of Marcella. Is she gifted, or does she just have Supernatural Abilities, or is it up to the SG to decide?

Scott

999

I haven't statted Marcella out yet, so I guess that can be Up to the SG™ :slight_smile:

I was thinking about giving her The Gift, and/or other fun abilities (second sight, maybe some other supernatural abilities). Marco isn't quite ready to take an apprentice, but if she has the Gift, he would consider training her. Either way, she's definitely an odd child.

I'll post Arts, Skills, and Spells - at gauntlet, 5, and 10 years - in a little while.

1000

Oh, if she's Gifted, I know someone who needs an apprentice. :stuck_out_tongue: I'd be happy to stat her out if you give me general guidelines.

Scott