What is the troupes/SGs take on Consequences of blindness for a magus.
Especially on questions like if/how a blind magus can learn from books and how blindness and second sight would interact. I personally like what cunningrat1 has ofered.
The tighter link was what I was meaning - it's a bit more plausible if there are skipped generations between apprentices rather than direct parent to child, as that's starting to get closer to what the Mercere do (albeit from a pool of a single common ancestor rather than in a single line of descent) - but by the same token, it's treading on the toes of a Mercere "thing". I'd drop it.
I think that, in general, Second Sight is problematic here, since there's an implication that it relies on natural sight. Hermetic magic absolutely can substitute for natural sight for ordinary things, but Second Sight is explicitly a non-Hermetic Ability, and therefore wouldn't benefit from Hermetic magic. I do think that, say, Second Touch would be viable, but I think that the Ability is going to have to rely on at least one of the five senses (having the magical equivalent of radar doesn't seem to fit the Mythic Europe paradigm), though a Sixth Sense that just provided a vague tingle could be workable (if less useful than a sense-based Ability).
Also, a character who started Hermetic life blind might have the equivalent of Weak Parens, since his or her education couldn't follow the normal course before learning at least a little Hermetic magic.
Scott
Not sure if this implication is true though, besides in the name. Salutor references RoP:M p. 100
Alternatives provided are "Second Hearing", the argument is quite similar, that we just switch the sense being used.
Is that could or should have Weak Parens?
Two questions:
- Is the decision final that blindness excludes second sight?
- Is Second hearing equivalent to second sight, just a different sense?
I'd prefer second sight, but an equivalent second hearing would probably be ok.
Unless someone presents a new argument, I think Second Sight is right out. Second Hearing could work, though--but maybe at a shorter range.
As for Weak Parens, I'm not sure I'd require, but OTOH it's pretty "cheap" (in terms of long-term impact) as Flaws go.
Scott
Besides the references to Second Sight not being tightly coupled to a specific sense, no. Here is another mention of the weak link {or no link at all) of second sight to visual species.
RoP:M p. 105
True. Though the cheapness depends on the pace of a saga.
If Second Sight mentions auditory species in that context, that would imply that other instances involve non-auditory species--but I'm willing to buy that a blind person with Second Sight will lean more on hearing than a sighted person would. For most purposes, the end result is the same--but he's not going to "see" a regio boundary on a hilltop a mile away.
Scott
How are people getting on with their character concepts now? Is there anything you need from me / MTKnife?
I am still working on the blind Seeker of House Bonisagus. Might take a bit - should I try to hurry up?
I am still investigating options for mythic blood (including minor focus, effect and personality flaw) that make sense. Bonisagus is one option, still looking into greek mythology for others. Was thinking about Orpheus, Odysseus, Jason and others...
Minor foki I am considering are "raw vis", "arcane connections" or "containers and tunnels", but there is no full picture yet where all pieces are fitting together...
I'd suggest trying to settle on a character concept in the next week?
What is it you're wanting from Mythic Blood? That might help you decide.
I'd suggest against Orpheus unless a strong musical bent and interactions with the Cult of Orpheus are what you want (and note there's one NPC around who's already music-focussed).
On the foci: none of the greek figures seem to have much relation to the foci you're suggesting - I might suggest Music for Orpheus, Travel for Odysseus (although one could argue he wasn't very good at it) and maybe Leadership for Jason (that one's a bit tougher)? In general, though, greek heroes don't seem a good source of the type of vim based focus you seem to be looking for, nor in general for a Bonisagus - they feel more Flambeau-y to me.
I think arcane connections would be rather limited and uninteresting as a focus - note that it wouldn't apply to all spells with arcane connection range, just those actually relating to the connection itself in some way. Given that, you're gathering them, slowing and speeding up their degradation...anything else I'm missing? Similarly, raw vis would help you find vis, but the spells for that are rarely that high level, or in need of that much penetration. Containers and Tunnels is probably more actively useful, and might be good for a spont specialist who can then cast a lot of stuff at short range down their tunnels (along with some nastier high penetration formulaics).
Yeah, I noticed those problems as well... Background and Story are my main reasons for mythic blood. Travel would actually be a great Fokus, but that's not a minor one I suppose...
I started a little writeup on story and motivation/goals to be merged in the published WIP character document here
I think Travel would work as a minor focus so long as it was tightly defined. It's not about just moving anything anywhere; rather it's about journeys, and getting people from A to B.
So things that might come under it:
- Leap of Homecoming
- Wind at the Back
- A non-Mutantum version of The Tireless Flight (pg 102 HoH:TL)
- A non-Mutantum version of Sense the True Path (pg 102 HoH: TL)
Things that wouldn't come under it:
- Short range teleports
- Rise of the Feathery Body
- Shapeshifting into a horse
On the background: did your family really all have Unaffected by the Gift? That seems unlikely - I'd suggest having his Gift develop late instead (or for him not having realised in his blindness that they weren't exactly what they seemed...)
What about the "Detect regio boundaries." guideline? It allows traveling regio boundaries...
I have to think about the others, some at least will be in very different arts...
Too indirect.
In a culture where blind people were expected to have special powers, the effects of the Gift might not seem odd for a blind boy.
Scott
Maybe if you decided first what sort of focus you wanted, we could suggest an appropriate mythic figure?
Scott
Maybe... Let me write down my thought process.
Caecus is interested in "practical basic research" in magic. That is, not so much theoretical work but investigation, based on the idea that knowledge was lost and can be gathered back by studying remnants of more knowledgeable sorcerers. Add to that studying and experimentation in areas with a huge amount of fluid Vis.
I thought that Vim is probably the most appropriate form to learn, together with Intellego as technique. Having high scores in Vim anyway was the main reason to look for a minor focus there. "Containers and tunnels" was intriguing because it could compensate the lack of vision based ranges available to Caecus. E.g. having a tunnel to a shield grog or companion and thus being able to cast spells on them. In general collecting quite a few arcane connections (which is why that focus sounded interesting as well).
On the other hand, a focus enabling or supporting travel to and/or through regiones would be interesting as well. Partly "Sure Traveller" should already help here.
More general I was searching for a focus (and effect; I thought effect and focus should somehow fit together as well) that would - not compensate but supplement the blindness.
There is a bunch of Virtues supplementing blindness already.
Can't see but has sharp ears.
Can't see mundane things but supernatural (although limited by ruling Second Sight will only work with hearing)
Can't see but will choose the right path/direction/... by intuition
Can't see but always reaches his destination as a sure traveler
Maybe there is enough compensation already and a focus in discovering/analysing/understanding foreign magic would be good to support the actual goals? Would that be exotic magic?
Mmh, just re-read the comprehend magic major virtue... Made me think again... That's not available to a Bonisagus, or is it?
Yes, that sounds like a minor focus in Exotic Magic to me.
It's not explicitly forbidden for other people to take it, but generally, I'd leave it to Pralicians, as it's their "thing". That said... if you took take Mythic Blood: Pralix, it would make sense for the character to have it as well. Or you could just play a Pralician rather than a Bonisagus - that would come with the expectation you were planning to investigate these Amazons there have been reports about...
Would comprehend magic have a requirement for the visual sense? Otherwise, it would be a good replacement for what I wanted to have second sight for. Even with a sense requirement I suppose the same would apply and hearing would substitute sight.