Covenant resources

I was looking things over and realized that the Muto Summae is listed in one place as L12Q15 and in one place as L15Q12. I am pretty sure the chooser meant L15Q12, like the Intellego.

I reviewed the posts, and you are correct. I'll edit the "things to be done" post

Jebrick- you can't create the spell without the insight.
You could have the lab text, but without the insight- either from the object itself or the lab text, you cannot actually create the spell.
The value of the insight is based on the number of breakthrough points needed to develop the new magic component, not on the level of the spell which it grants insight for. So a "level 60" lab text can be insight for a single spell (not necessarily level 60 itself) which develops towards Unlimited as a range.

Here are a fews magic items I gathered and/or designed.

CrHe 20 Gift of the Illusory Forest (Base 2, +1 touch, + 3 moon, Ind, +10 unilimited uses per day)
Item: An Oak staff adorned with beautifuly carved acorns and leaves.
Effect: Creates a seasonned oak log.
Savings: 4 pounds on consumables split between blacksmithing, cooking and heating.
Cost: 8 BP

ReHe 15 The Overzealous Woodcuter (Base 1, +1 touch, Mom, +3 size, +10 unlimited uses per day)
Item: An handaxe with a haft made out of ebony, and the head made out of iron.
Effect: Cut a seasonned timber into firewood. A sing swing transform up to a large tree worth of timber into firewood. Requires a Finesse roll of 3+. Affectionately
nicknamed 'Wood eater' by the grog assigned to the firewood chore.
Savings: Replaces 1 laborer and 2 teamsters.
Cost: 6 BP

MuAu 25 Memories of the Pleasant Spring Breeze (Base 2, +1 touch, +1 conc, +3 structure, +5 item maintain concentration, +3 environmental trigger, +2 3 uses per day)
This lesser enchantment by was designed a magus after a exceptionnaly hot and humid summer resulting in many sleepless nights. It adjust the humidity of the air in a structure so that it is comfortable. This lesser enchantement is especially popular in the Levant and Theban tribunals, as well as in librairies consisting of multiple rooms.
Benefit: Gives the Controlled Humidity Virtue for all laboratories in the structure (+1 Health, +1 Aesthetic, +1 Auram)

Note: Base 3 -1 magnitude due to changing only one property of the air.
Note: Replace Superior Heating, as it always warm in Malta.
Cost: 10 BP

MuTe 25 Insurance against the Dropped Vial (Base 1, +1 touch, +1 conc, +2 metal, +2 room, +5 device maintain concentration, +3 environmental trigger, +2 3 uses per
day)
Item: A small silver vial

This lesser enchantment change the hardness of glassware in the laboratory so is becomes as hard as iron. This lesser enchantment was designed by Prudencia of
Bonisagus after her laboratory exploded after a vial she dropped broke, and its content mixed with Ignem vis.
Benefit: Give the Protected Glassware virtue to the laboratory (-2 upkeep (if used in conjunction with Superior Equipment only), +1 safety)
Cost: 10 BP

Yes. I removed 1 Defixio insight (6 bp) and used the points to bring the other up to 12bp so now I have a Defixio insight of 12bp which I used to take the lvl 30 spell using the Unlimited range.

Okay, as long as that is clear- it looked like you were taking the lab text for the spell without the insight...

JeanPatrick- I think we may have a confusion as to what seasoned wood means. If you go to http://www.aboutcivil.org/Seasoning%20of%20Wood.html you will see that seasoned wood is basically for construction, also (though not described there) for woodworking. The idea of using seasoned wood for firewood is a modern one, and has marginal benefit as long as you are not comparing it to wet wood. Obviously wood which lasts for a month is not really useful for construction.

Also if you look at the categories of craftsmen utilized in reducing consumables costs these are not lumberjacks or woodsmen- cobblers, blacksmiths, and carpenters are very different from simply chopping wood, which is more of a servant task- which in this case might actually be better given the low population of grogs which is causing a servant deficiency... using craft magic as a guideline the axe should be able to do in one blow what a woodcutter can accomplish in a month, assuming a single combat round per swing (6 seconds) this item can accomplish 10 man-months of work in a minute, as such its limitation is in the utility of cutting wood- on the other hand cutting firewood would not need a finesse roll: converting a tree into furniture would, if this is within the scope of the item.

I am not able to find any Controlled Air Humidity virtues for labs. Nor a protected glassware virtue

Hi Silveroak,

-About the wood creating spell Gift of the Illusory Forest, i will revise it bo base 1. Thanks for the link, I learned something new today!
-I based the spell on Craft magic, the finesse roll of 3 was based on the table on p.61 of HoG:Societas, but I agree a task as cutting wood should really require one.

For the cost reduction, it was base on the text under the 'Magic' section on page 67 of Covenants. Basically, the axe replaces 3 potentials grogs (1 grog/magnitude) by making the task easier and the staff creating fuel reduce the cost of consumables by 1 pound/magnitude, by virtue of not having to buy wood.

As for the two lab virtues, it is basically the virtue 'Magical Item', with a different name and their mechanical effect will be subject to your approval. The effects I listed are suggestions I tought were reasonable.

Regards,

JP

One other thing to consider - not a whole lot of wood on Malta. More than modern day, but any convenient forests are likely to be controlled by local nobility. Given these limits, a non-wood heating device might be in order, such as the Magical Oven from Covenants, pg 51/52

This item really ameliorates a hostile environment (I could certainly see it being used on the ship) than actually giving benefits directly. Benefits would be dependant on where the covenant is set up.

This should really be base 1 (change 1 property) +1 for glass, duration +2 sun, remove device maintains concentration, and drop to +1 2 uses per day which changes this to a MuTe 20 effect. The effects on upkeep and safety seem appropriate.

Preserver of magical ingredients

CrAn(He,Aq,Te) 25 (Base 2, +1 touch, +1 conc, +2 room, +1 Aq and Terram requisite, +5 device maintain concentration, +3 environmental trigger, +2 3 uses per day.

This lesser enchantment is usually placed stores of hermetics laboratories and is quite comment. Its magic prevents the animals part, herbs, as well as various oils,
conconctions, mixtures and powders from decaying.
Item: A sculpture of an hourglass laying on its side, made out of bronze (it is about 1x2x1 feet).

Benefit: Give the Preserved virtue to the laboratory (-1 upkeep, +2 health, +1 aesthetic, +1 warping, +1 Cr)
Cost: 10 BP

In(Re)Aq(Te) 30 Decanter of the Undiluted Essence (Base 4, +1 touch, +1 conc, +1 part, +1 rego requisite, +10 unlimited uses per day)
This lesser enchantment is use to extract a fluid from a mixture and remove the impurities it may contains, as long as the user concentrate.
Item: A gold vase with one handle, engraved with scenes of Hercules fighting and ultimately slaying the Lernean Hydra. The neck of the vase separates in two, and each extremity is adorned with an hydra head. The purified fluid flows from the rightmost one, while the rest of the mixture flows from the leftmost one.

Benefit: +1 General Quality, +1 Vim

Note: Based on the common laboratories items on page 121 of Covenants.

Cost: 12 BP

Edit comment: I still kept the Decanter of the Undiluted Essence lab text, because I think it is a cool magic item, but if you more something more practical I won't mind.

So my 50 build points will be :

Ancient Magic:
[strike]10[/strike]12 BP related to Grigori Magic, at the gamemaster discretion.

Lesser Enchantment:
-Preserver of magical ingredients lab text (5BP)
-Insurance against the Dropped Vial lab text (4BP)
-The Tirelesss Servant lab text (8BP)
Total: 17BP

Invested Device:
-Decanter of the Undiluted Essence lab text strike/strike
Total: 8BP

Vis:
-[strike]85[/strike]65 pawns of vis (20 Creo, 10 Muto, 15 Intellego, [strike]30[/strike]20 Rego, [strike]10 Vim[/strike]) (13BP)
Total: [strike]17BP/strike

I also want to make sure you are aware that magic items are for covenant usage, and that if only one mage can benefit from them at a time they will be assigned by vote, not by who spent their points on them. So your Insurance against the dropped vial, for example, will probably go to a senior member or as an award for some service.
I am also uncertain of the source or properties of these:Preserver of magical ingredients(10BP), Decanter of the Undiluted Essence (12BP)

That was a question I was about to ask after re-reading the original thread in the GM looking for players. In this case, it will probably be the lab text for all these enchantment and anybodys who will want to make one will be able to, provided they can reach the lab total required. This also have the advantage of freeing a substantial ammout of BP for other uses in the covenant.

For the Decanter of the Undiluted Essence, I designed it based on a possible magica item given as an example in the section 'Magical Items for Laboratories', subsection 'Common laboratories item' (covenants p.131). 100 % original content and its effect needs to be approved by you.

For the Preserver of magical ingredients, it is based on the Vitalizer of provisions (covenants p.52), adapted to magical ingredients instead of food.

Like everything in setting up a covenant, it's a trade of immediate benefit versus long term results. Part of my deal with Silveroak is that I will bring my Verditius in at "a later date", and he will easily be able to do any of these enchantment (lab totals will range from 50-80), but that means you will have to wait for an unknown amount of time for that.

I'm not sure what version of covenants you have, but in mine p. 131 is the covenant record sheet p 3 of 4

I could see the vitalizer of provisions saving 4 lbs a year in provisions expenses, a preserver of magical ingredients if it is simply the same enchantment used differently would probably be +1GQ and -1 upkeep.

I hat to be the devil's advocate, but what is the justification for extra GQ? I see the -upkeep and +warping easily.

On another note, are you of the camp that a PeVi item could be used in a lab to decrease warping (lab warping that is) or increase safety?

Sorry, it was a typo. The right page is p.121

the item is too small, IMO to be warping the entire lab. the +1GQ is based on the idea that extra-fresh ingredients will affect most usage of the lab, similar to precious ingredients but without the extra benefits.

Pe Vi or Re Vi could be used for either of those, depending on the application, though that is far from the universal result of those arts. Also keep in mind that lab warping is more akin to it developing a personality than normal magical warping: it might be easier to let the warping score go high and just work to ensure the lab's personality resonates with your own.

The +1 general quality could be by always using fresh indredients, and the -1 upkeep would be by never having ingredients spoiling before being used. I think it will also cause warping, as it is a permanent effect.

Where are you finding the base 4 effect of extracting a liquid from a mixture?