Are any of our 75 BPs available during advancement after gauntlet, or do they materialize just before game start? In other words, is anything we might gain from the 75 BP available for use during advancement?
Yes, they are, so long as they're still available when the game starts.
I'm not entirely sure what "still available" means. I was thinking, in particular, as to whether Things of Virtue obtained with the 75 BP could be enriched and incorporated into a talisman during the advancement period or if that would have to wait until after game start.
My impression would be that you cannot pay lots of BP for lots of Vis and say it has already been spent on rituals so you have all Characteristics at +5 already, for instance. But from what PG says, they're available for use prior to game start. So you could use a laboratory notebook when taking a season to invent a spell, for instance. You could pay for an item and then further enchant it yourself, or you could enrich a Thing of Virtue, or something else. As long as you still have the item at game start.
How many BP for a Verditius Item of Quality? They're not technically enchantments, but they're commonly better than a 1st magnitude enchantment. At the same time, they only cost as much Vis and effort as a 1st magnitude enchantment to build them (maybe a little more effort, but a season is needed for each).
I've adjusted Beatrix's 75 BP a little. This is what I'm looking at now, the 10 unknown Vis being planned for someone to cast a spell to build a lab, some of it for the spell and some for payment. Do we have a Creo expert? I've forgotten. If so, would our Creo expert like to pick up Conjuring the Mystic Tower (or PG's Herbam version)? All of the lab texts for spells will be donated to the covenant library immediately. Beatrix will know all of the spells in these books prior to game start, meaning we have someone who can cast a level-50 Aegis.
10: 5x Objects of Virtue (Amber, Basalt, Magnet, Magnetite, Mercury)
2: Item of Quality (Wand)
[strike]27[/strike] 25: 15x each Technique and 5x each Form Vis [strike]+ 10 ?[/strike]
8: Lab Text (Lesser Enchanted Device) – The Tireless Servant [ReCo40]
2: Lab Text (Spell) - Tytalus's Prison [ReCo10]
1: Lab Text (Spell) – The Invisible Glass-Worker [ReTe4]
3: Lab Text (Spell) – The Spell of Wrought Iron [ReTe15]
4: Lab Text (Spell) – The Phantom Blacksmith [ReTe20]
5: Lab Text (Spell) – Suppressing the Wizard’s Handiwork [ReVi25]
5: Lab Text (Spell) – Divide the Gathered Essence [ReVi25]
10: Lab Text (Spell) – Aegis of the Hearth [ReVi50]
I've also adjusted Beatrix's 200 BP. I had to finish spending a few of the points from earlier. Plus there was the duplicate Magic Theory summa I didn't want there. I've made sure we have lots of Vis stores, picked up some good books, and tried to find a bunch of generally useful spells that a lot of the magi might like to pick up. I've seen that some others have purchased a lot of books. Hopefully someone will pick up some Vis sources for us.
34: L7, Q13 Concentration summa
[strike]35: L7, Q14 Finesse summa[/strike] (Edit: Oops. I see we have a better Finesse summa. I'll choose a different summa.)
26: L4, Q14 Spell Mastery: Aegis of the Hearth 50 summa
[strike]11: Q11 Creo tractatus[/strike]
[strike]20[/strike] 30: [strike]2x[/strike] 3x Q10 Rego tractatus
[strike]20[/strike] 30: [strike]2x[/strike] 3x Q10 Vim tractatus
3: Lab Text (Spell) - Wizard's Leap [ReCo15]
6: Lab Text (Spell) - Seven-League Stride [ReCo30]
7: Lab Text (Spell) - The Leap of Homecoming [ReCo35]
5: Lab Text (Spell) - Thoughts Within Babble [InMe25]
4: Lab Text (Spell) - Piercing the Divine Veil [InVi20]
4: Lab Text (Spell) - Piercing the Faerie Veil [InVi20]
4: Lab Text (Spell) - Piercing the Infernal Veil [InVi20]
4: Lab Text (Spell) - Piercing the Magical Veil [InVi20]
8: Lab Text (Spell) - Sight of the Active Magics [InVi40]
4: Lab Text (Spell) - Opening the Intangible Tunnel [ReVi20]
8: Lab Text (Spell) - Suppressing the Wizard's Handiwork [ReVi40]
15: 5 Pawns of Vis of each Art
4: another 20 Pawns of Corpus Vis
4: another 20 Pawns of Vim Vis
Given the location and a winter covenant, I was thinking a combination of haunted (minor site hook) and hidden resources would be a good addition...
It's also been mentioned we should make sure we have an income source or multiple sources, especially considering the number of covenfolk we'll need to support such a large number of magi.
I can see Haunted. We already have Hidden Resources once, but it can be taken multiple times.
I came up with these vis sources for 150 BP. I tried to go for forms that we didn't yet have or that Senji didn't mention in his plans.
The Mushrooms of the Visionary Herbalist
A short journey from the covenant, by the shore of the Loch, a patch of mushrooms with bright orange caps grows. Most avoid the mushrooms as poisonous and bitter, but the magi know better: The mushrooms’ caps contain Intellego and the stalks Herbam vis. When eaten raw, the mushrooms give true visions of strange plants (+1 source quality for learning Herbam from vis).
5 Intellego vis / year = 25 BP
5 Herbam vis / year = 25 BP
The Icy Bath
A tiny baylet at the end of the Loch strangely freezes over each midwinter regardless of temperature. The locals believe the icy water has curative properties (+2 to recovery rolls for the season), and often bathe in it just before it freezes. As they do this, some parts of the ice take a reddish tint. If the ice is collected after, the red parts contains Corpus and the blue parts Ignem vis. As long as the vis is present, the ice does not melt.
4 corpus vis / year = 20 BP
4 ignem vis / year = 20 BP
The Disappearing Shore
On the Loch’s western side, a steady current pelts the rocky shore. It slowly grinds the rock into smooth pebbles and sharp slivers. These are picked up by the current and they constantly chafe against the shoreline. If collected, the slivers contain Perdo and the stones Terram vis.
6 Terram vis / year = 30 BP
6 Perdo vis / year = 30 BP
I think having a secondary income would probably be better than a second set of hidden resources, lets go ahead and add fishing as a second typical income on top of the shepherding.
Much the same way as parts of an item, except that the vis that's in it would be part of the vis used to open it, if it's Vim; otherwise, the vis that's in the item sits there, twiddling its thumb, until it's used for something appropriate for the enchantment. For example, if you were to have an Amber gemstone that holds 2 pawns of Terram as part of a ring that will become your talisman, then you would still need to come up with the 10 or 12 pawns of Vim to open the ring for enchantment. If you were to enchant the amber with a Terram effect, corresponding to the theoretical Terram vis, then you would use the two pawns already there, and any other Vis that may be needed (effective reducing the Vis cost by 2).
This would seem to match up with what's written about enriching. Enriching uses the vis that's in the item, making it unavailable for other uses.
Okay, I'm finally stepping up to the game in covenant building. Here are some of my thoughts on Virtues and Flaws. These are all just suggestions, mind you. I'm only tossing some ideas around to see what people like.
VIRTUES and FLAWS
Primary Income (0): Being on the loch, the covenant has many fishing boats and derives a decent income from fishing.
Secondary Income (1): Since the early days of the covenant, it has always had very fine herds of sheep.
Wealth (1): Through selective breeding and a little magical tweaking across the years, the covenant's herds have been made into some of the finest sheep in Scotland. Their wool is of very good quality and is much sought after.
Vis Grant (1): It has long been the rule at the covenant that the magi receive vis as a matter of right.
Suffrage (-1): Thoughout most of its history, the covenant has given its womenfolk equal rights and an equal say. This puts them at odds with all of the surrounding countryside.
Local Ally (1): The Chief of Clan Glengarry has long been favorable toward the covenant.
Favors (-1): The covenant owes favors to the Chief of Clan Glengarry.
Fosterage (-1): The covenant educates the sons and daughters of the Chief of Clan Glengarry. As a result, there is usually at least one member of the lord's family in residence.
Dark Secret (-1): There's something bad in the covenant's past that we don't know about yet.
Seclusion (1): The covenant is located in a remote part of Scotland where there is little chance of interference by large numbers of mundanes.
Monster (-1): With the loss of much of the covenant's magical protection when its magi disappeared, a monster of some sort has recently taken up residence near the covenant.
[hr][/hr]
And here are my 200 build points spent.
BOOKS
Creo Su L[strike]16[/strike]17 Q12, Ex Nihilo
[strike]Creo Tr Q11, On the Creation of Stone[/strike]
Rego Su L18 Q13, The Magic of Motion
Auram Su L10 Q12, Magical Manipulations of the Air
Corpus Su L15 Q13, On the Humours
Ignem Su L10 Q16, Liber de Limine
LAB TEXTS
4 - Phantom Image [MuIm 20]
6 - Cloak of Black Feathers [MuCo(An) 30]
4 - Wizard's Communion [MuVi 20]
VIS SOURCES
The Blueberries of Epona
The covenant has a blueberry bush that is reputed to have been blessed by Epona, the Celtic goddess of fertility. Every year, a handful of blueberries grow on the bush that are large and perfect, each containing a pawn of Corpus vis. The branches that bear these berries can also be harvested for a pawn of Creo vis each. The locals believe that eating the other berries off the bush fresh increases a woman's chance of having a child. And it is reputed that a tonic made of older, fermented berries from the bush can prevent pregnancy.
5 Corpus vis/year = 25 BP
5 Creo vis/year = 25 BP
I'm getting 210: 146 points for books, 14 for the lab texts, and 50 for the vis source.
I checked and double checked that. But I only used pad and paper. Don't tell my children I got that wrong! I'm always telling them how important it is to check their work.
Fixed.
Yes, but it also says (pp. 124-125) that the Enriched Item only confers the Puissant Ability (or, in this case, Art) if the character has no Magic Resistance. The exception is if the item is made into a Talisman (insert, p. 125), in which case it bypasses the magus's Parma.
I updated Beatrix's BPs a little bit. It should be clear in the post on the previous page as I struck things and used color to highlight the additions.
Trogdor, you know that Wizards' Communion doesn't work on rituals, right? If that's the intent, there is a D: Sun version - I think it's in Through the Aegis.
You know, I'd never pieced together that that MuVi guideline errata broke Wizards' Communion. That also rather breaks the Mercurian Magic "Virtue"....