Clarifications Saught on the Divination & Augury Mystery

Games Discussion Ars Magica
1

I'm looking to create a Hermetic Augury and Divination expert but I'm finding the Mysteries Revised chapter a little difficult to fathom.

I'm happy with the divination mechanics once the magus has Divination & Augury but I'm not clear on what the magus needs in terms of virtues.

The Major Supernatural Virtue Divination & Augury suggests to me that my magus gains access to all the ceremonial augury phenomenon, as listed on the table of the same name, except Dream Interpretation, Astrology, and Numerology as they're covered by other virtues.

As for specialities, I'm guessing that the phenomenon count as specialities.

Can anyone give me some clarity around this?

Mark

2

First paragraph under the Method and additional methods heading on page 59 say "You choose your character's method of divination when the virtue is acquired." You get one method for free with the virtue and only one method.

The third paragraph below this heading states"If he later initiates additional methods as minor virtues..."

3

So that "method" is a single instance from the Ceremonial Augury Phenomena table?

And Each of those can be initiated as a separate minor virtue?

Right. I'm with you.

I had thought that only the highlighted ones needed to be initiated separately as they required other virtues to support them.

And to clarify, the "Important Uses" are not restrictive but are, exactly as it says, "important" and you get the bonus on the listed uses.

Thanks for the explanation.

4

the idea is that a character has a favoured way of divining, so for example "Ceroscopy" - divining from patterns of wax dropped in water.

So your magus Initiates (or takes as a starting character) Divination (Ceroscopy). They use wax dropped into water as a prop, and can ask any question (phrased as a hermetic InXX momentary spell) with a bonus of +1 to questions on marriage, or +3 for happiness, or +0 for other subject matter.

Once they have the Major Virtue Divination, they can acquire any other method permitted, as a Minor Virtue (rather than as multiple Major Virtues) - so they could add Pyromancy (observing flames). Now when they have 2 sets of props (casters choice), with 2 sets of bonus according to method used. (* and yes, in the absence of molten wax+water, or if fires, he's a bit stuck for divining...)

In practice many Hermetic Magi will want to take one of the special virtues Planetary Magic or Hermetic Numerology allowing them to chose Astrology or Numerology as their method, and get a whopping "+5" bonus to all questions posed via their method.
(You can use Planetary Magic or Hermetic Numerology without Divination, in their own ways, but to Divine with them, you need Divination too)

Dream Interpreter is special, as it is an alternative to Divination, either as a base Major method, or as an additional Minor method. (Either way, Dream Interpreter has some quirks of its own).