cheating at wizards war.. would this item work?

Games Discussion Ars Magica
1

Apologies if this is a newbie question..

I'm about to provoke a fellow magus into declaring wizards war on me, and obviously I don't want a fair fight.

But there may be witnesses and i don't want my sodalis to be seen helping me.

So..

I have an item I want to design, and i don't know if it's actually possible, or if I've overlooked any obvious flaws, so i'd welcome opinions..

The item will be a silver cup, with a shaving taken from it which i'll wear from my necklace and will act as an arcane connection to the cup.

I'll enchant the cup with a version of "View the distant scene" so that the cup will display an image around itself (hologram style) of the surroundings of the necklace.

What I also want to do is enchant the cup with a version of "opening the intangible tunnel", so that spells can be cast through the cup > necklace link.

The plan is then that we sit an arcane connection to the enemy magus in the cup, my sodalis hang around in our covenant watching events unfold via the cup. I launch my attack, and my sodalis cast offensive spells on the enemy magus via the arcane connection to him, using the cup > necklace link as the intangible tunnel.

So to any witnesses, the spells hitting the enemy magus will appear to come from the item I'm wearing, rather than from just out of nowhere (which would probably lead them to look for intangible tunnels).

Does this seem like a workable idea?

Have I missed anything obvious?

Would my own parma protect the necklace and inadvertently prevent my sodalis's spells from coming through it? Or as the spells are 'outgoing' would they not have to worry about my parma?

Any opinions welcome..

2

Some advice:
1st - Scrying another member of the order is against the code, to get all your sodalis to watch another magus in an image brings them all up to potential charges. Not a problem unless anyone finds out, which gossip included they probably will.
2nd - As previous point, people gossip. Sooner or later those magi would reveal they were involved thus opening up to punishment. It depends how harsh your storyteller is, but just because you don't mention in character while playing doesn't make the secret safe.
3rd - The easiest way to legally arrange the death of another magi is to befriend him and invite him into your lab. Then fair game. Is it too late to get a sodalis to cozy up to your enemy and then offer him "sanctuary"?
4th - next favourite method is to set up a servant bomb, every magi, no matter how paranoid needs to eat and drink. They either leave their lab to get this thus being vulnerable, or they get someone trusted to come in with it. So trap the food or the servant. As simple as a mind controlled compulsion to stab the enemy, or poison in the food.

3

i may be totally off here but i didn't think parma covered items other than talismins.

on another note...a little scrying shouldn't put you off from breaking the rules of wizards war, and directly attacking another magus.

4

:slight_smile:

Yeah, if you are going so far as to attack another magus involved in a wizards war, I don't think you need worry about something like scrying on them...

Yes. If you made the item, I don't see any reason why the item would not be able to project those spells from it. Your Parma wont protect the item either...
You could make an arguement that it wouldn't work on the basis of being on you...but then you would never ba able to use someone elses items...

BUT....

Opening the Intangible Tunnel
Reads as follows:
"You can open a magical channel from yourself to some target, allowing you to cast any spell with a range of greater than Personal on THAT target."
Of course you have the arcane connection to the cup..but I dont think you want to cast spells on the cup.

I haven't looked up the scrying rules...but it seems to say you CAN"T do what you are planning.
:cry:

5

I'd suggest seeing if you can get your hands on an AC to the target and leave that at home with your buddies. Then have them scry on you and when you start casting they can start nuking with AC-ranged spells.

If your spells are showy enough, people shouldn't notice the pyrotechnics from your soldalis going off and with an obvious explanation to the target's splatterage (IE, you) people shouldn't be poking around to see if anybody else was involved.

6

Interesting item, consider the diea stolen...

But consider this: you and your enemy meet on a great open field and start hurling fireballs of doomy, red death from the swamp at each other, and all of a sudden your necklace starts to spray forth poisonous ichor, icy shards, sprays of watter and what have you... Wll, unless you're KNOWN as a rather unpredictable and chaotic generalist (or a verditius) this'll seem odd to everyone else. So instead of putting yourself and your sodales in such position, why not have them help with penetration? (please note; I'm a bit unsure of the practicallity of this idea) You and your Sodales use Wizard's Communion through the cup, so that only you are seen to go for your enemy.

An example:

Your casting total for Abysmal Ball of Flame: (Stamina 2 + Aura 3 + Creo 17 + Ignem 12 + Mastery 2) 36 and add a Stress Die one can say you get about a penetration total of five. Not a whole lot. But if four of your Sodales are doing the Communion with you, suddenly the level of the Abysmal Ball is 7 (35/5) and your penetration total increases to 29+ Stress Die. A whole lot better, add in some vis, and you're almost certain to fry the bugger on the first pass.

Incidentally, would the Mastery abilities Fast Casting and Multiple Casting be applicable here?

7

You can have the aid of your friends without cheating.

There is no limit on the number of wizard wars that can be declared on a single wizard.
Helvennia of house bonisagus was killed after receiving 7 declarations of wizard war in A.D. 1172 (True Lineages p. 54)

So if you want the aid of your friends have them declare wizard war also.

8

Exept if there is apparent real power politics that makes them unable to lend their hand openly....

9

Hmm. Standard Wizard's Communion has range: voice. Wizard's Arcane Communion would add at least +2 magnitudes, if the troupe deems it possible at all. So with, say, four sodales helping you, you'd need a level 24 "arcane communion" each in order to cast a BoAF. ( 70/5 + 10). Quite workable.

I'd at least judge you would need an arcane connection to each of your sodales (and vice versa). So if you fall, and your enemy understands your trick, they all are in deep trouble.

WAC might just as well be ruled out, since it is bending a mercurian ritual strangely. Original research, here we come...

10

As ASG in this Saga i'm constantly amused/frustrating/bewildered/impressed with Ryces sneakiness. I like this item but i'll have to hit the books before i can judge it.

I would not allow the arcane range wizards communion. In my mind its not a spell. Its a mercurian ritual. However, since all three off the player characters have apprentices, they could all cast wizards communion to boost a arcane connection range attack spell to hep out Ryce.

Sadly the other two mages can't declare wizards war due to political reasons. Even Ryce dare not do it, hence he has been winding up this other magi in an effort to get wizards war declared on himself.

Arcane connection range attack spells (especially for the elementalist mage) or intangible tunnels would seem to be the best way to go.

11

wacks head repeatedly with a wooden board

My thought becomes moot, as I had conveniently forgotten the law 'gainst using MuVi effects in magical items. Never you mind me... :blush: