David the Redcap (ex Mercurian, companion)

Retired Play by Post Campaigns Ars Magica 5th Edition: Ad Astera per Aspera
1

David - current

Characteristics: Int +1, Per +2, Pre -2, Com +3, Str +1, Sta +1, Dex +1, Qik -2
Size: -1
Age: 25 (25), Height: 5' 9", Weight: 180 lbs, Gender: Male
Decrepitude: 0
Warping Score: 0
Confidence: 1 (3+2)
Virtues: Redcap, puissant living language, unaging, educated, unaffected by the gift, second sight
Flaws: Favors, busybody, Optimist (major), small frame

Reputations: Healer (1)
Combat:
Dodge: Init: -4, Attack ‑‑, Defense 0, Damage ‑‑
Fist: Init: -4, Attack +2, Defense -1, Damage +1
Kick: Init: -5, Attack +2, Defense ‑2, Damage +4
Dagger: Init: -4, Attack +5, Defense 0, Damage +4
Soak: +2
Fatigue levels: OK, 0, ‑1, ‑3, ‑5, Unconscious
Wound Penalties: ‑1 (1‑4), ‑3 (5‑8), ‑5 (9-12), Incapacitated (13-16), Dead (17+)
Encumberance: -2

[table][tr][td]Ability[/td] [td]Score[/td] [td]specialty[/td] [td](xp pending)[/td] [td]Allocated xp[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Living language (Italian)[/td] [td]5[/td] [td]Prose[/td] td[/td] [td]0[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Awaresness[/td] [td]2[/td] [td]Alertness[/td] td[/td] [td]15[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Brawl[/td] [td]1[/td] [td]Dodging[/td] td[/td] [td]5[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Charm[/td] [td]2[/td] [td]Talking about books[/td] td[/td] [td]15[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Folk Ken[/td] [td]2[/td] [td]Book folks[/td] td[/td] [td]15[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Guile[/td] [td]2[/td] [td]Saying nothing while talking[/td] td[/td] [td]15[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Second Sight[/td] [td]1[/td] [td]illusory disguises[/td] td[/td] [td]0[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Magic Theory[/td] [td]1[/td] [td]determining text quality[/td] td[/td] [td]5[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Classical Latin[/td] [td]4[/td] [td]Judging text quality[/td] td[/td] [td]50[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Artes Liberale[/td] [td]5[/td] [td]Rheetoric[/td] td[/td] [td]75[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Philosophae[/td] [td]1[/td] [td]natural[/td] td[/td] [td]5[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Finesse[/td] [td]2[/td] [td]Devices[/td] td[/td] [td]15[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Code of Hermes[/td] [td]1[/td] [td]Mundane Relations[/td] td[/td] [td]5[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Order of Hermes Lore[/td] [td]1[/td] [td]History[/td] td[/td] [td]5[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Mercurian Lore[/td] [td]1[/td] [td]Personalities[/td] td[/td] [td]5[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Etiquette[/td] [td]1[/td] [td]Bibliophiles[/td] td[/td] [td]5[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Profession: Scribe[/td] [td]1[/td] [td]copying[/td] td[/td] [td]5[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Living language (Arabic)[/td] [td]2+2[/td] [td]Prose[/td] td[/td] [td]15[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Living language (Greek)[/td] [td]2+2[/td] [td]Prose[/td] td[/td] [td]15[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Living language (French)[/td] [td]2+2[/td] [td]Prose[/td] td[/td] [td]15[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Profession: Merchant[/td] [td]2[/td] [td]partnerships[/td] td[/td] [td]15[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Bargain[/td] [td]4[/td] [td]Books[/td] td[/td] [td]50[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Carouse[/td] [td]1[/td] [td]games of chance[/td] td[/td] [td]5[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Single Weapon[/td] [td]3[/td] [td]Mace[/td] td[/td] [td]30[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Animal Handling[/td] [td]2[/td] [td]Teamster[/td] td[/td] [td]15[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Intrigue[/td] [td]2[/td] [td]Gossip[/td] td[/td] [td]15[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Merchant Lore: Venice[/td] [td]2[/td] [td]Books[/td] td[/td] [td]15[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Merchant Lore: Athens[/td] [td]2[/td] [td]Books[/td] td[/td] [td]15[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Merchant Lore: Genoa[/td] [td]2[/td] [td]Books[/td] td[/td] [td]15[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Athletics[/td] [td]1[/td] [td]Running[/td] td[/td] [td]5[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Hunt[/td] [td]1[/td] [td]Tracking[/td] td[/td] [td]5[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Survival[/td] [td]1[/td] [td]Coastal[/td] td[/td] [td]5[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Teaching[/td] [td]1[/td] [td]Redcaps[/td] td[/td] [td]5[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Profession: Sailor[/td] [td]1[/td] [td]Seamanship[/td] td[/td] [td]5[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Leadership[/td] [td]1[/td] [td]Inspiration[/td] td[/td] [td]5[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Craft:Woodcarving[/td] [td]3[/td] [td]For printing[/td] td[/td] [td]30[/td][/tr][/table]

first 6 skills are from early childhood

Equipment: Dagger, Clothes,Mace, Metal Reinforced Leather
boots of unyeidling earth- create firm ground as the wearer steps, upon command:
ReTe base 2, +1 touch, +1 diameter, +1 part, and +10 for unlimited uses. For a net of ReTe 15
Ring of magic weight: base 5, +4 for 12 uses per day (InVi 9)
Ring of vis nature: base 5, +4 for 12 uses per day (InVi 9)
Ring of Moving Vis: (Gathering the Essence of the Beast) base 15, +2 for 3 uses per day (ReVi 17)
Encumbrance: -2

Background:
David was born to a family of bookbinders in Rome (his mother helped his father with the work). ...

History
Spring 1220 5xp spent on carouse, 2xp on etiquette, and 2 confidence points (Mdina)
Spring 1220 5xp spent on etiquette (Skorba II)

2

Before I post the character, some questions that have occurred to me

  1. If he travels around pretending to be a merchant, he probably needs profession: Merchant? How much for credibility?
    And as one of negotiates Vis exchanges and also buys (and I suppose sells, but rarely) books, he should have a decent Bargain skill? (The relationship between thos skills, when one has both, keeps getting me confused.)
  2. If he was trained with a focus on the Mediterranean, what would be the likely ports he would have been exposed to? Venice, Genoa, Barcelona? Athens? (And does Barcelona speak French or Spanish at this point?
3

To act as a trader you only need bargain, though there may be circumstances where profession:trader would be useful... It seems to have been added in city and guild for the sole purpose of having a professional skill instead of bargain to calculate labor points, which to me is silly, but if you are doing something a bit more in depth like trying to figure out trade relationships or determine the appropriateness of an investment I could see its use.

4

David - at game start

Characteristics: Int +1, Per +2, Pre -2, Com +3, Str +1, Sta +1, Dex +1, Qik -2
Size: -1
Age: 25 (25), Height: 5' 9", Weight: 180 lbs, Gender: Male
Decrepitude: 0
Warping Score: 0
Confidence: 1 (3)
Virtues: Redcap, puissant living language, unaging, educated, unaffected by the gift, second sight
Flaws: Favors, busybody, Optimist (major), small frame

Reputations: Healer (1)
Combat:
Dodge: Init: -4, Attack ‑‑, Defense 0, Damage ‑‑
Fist: Init: -4, Attack +2, Defense -1, Damage +1
Kick: Init: -5, Attack +2, Defense ‑2, Damage +4
Dagger: Init: -4, Attack +5, Defense 0, Damage +4
Soak: +2
Fatigue levels: OK, 0, ‑1, ‑3, ‑5, Unconscious
Wound Penalties: ‑1 (1‑4), ‑3 (5‑8), ‑5 (9-12), Incapacitated (13-16), Dead (17+)
Encumberance: -2

[table][tr][td]Ability[/td] [td]Score[/td] [td]specialty[/td] [td](xp pending)[/td] [td]Allocated xp[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Living language (Italian)[/td] [td]5[/td] [td]Prose[/td] td[/td] [td]0[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Awaresness[/td] [td]2[/td] [td]Alertness[/td] td[/td] [td]15[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Brawl[/td] [td]1[/td] [td]Dodging[/td] td[/td] [td]5[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Charm[/td] [td]2[/td] [td]Talking about books[/td] td[/td] [td]15[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Folk Ken[/td] [td]2[/td] [td]Book folks[/td] td[/td] [td]15[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Guile[/td] [td]2[/td] [td]Saying nothing while talking[/td] td[/td] [td]15[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Second Sight[/td] [td]1[/td] [td]illusory disguises[/td] td[/td] [td]0[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Magic Theory[/td] [td]1[/td] [td]determining text quality[/td] td[/td] [td]5[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Classical Latin[/td] [td]4[/td] [td]Judging text quality[/td] td[/td] [td]50[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Artes Liberale[/td] [td]5[/td] [td]Rheetoric[/td] td[/td] [td]75[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Philosophae[/td] [td]1[/td] [td]natural[/td] td[/td] [td]5[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Finesse[/td] [td]2[/td] [td]Devices[/td] td[/td] [td]15[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Code of Hermes[/td] [td]1[/td] [td]Mundane Relations[/td] td[/td] [td]5[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Order of Hermes Lore[/td] [td]1[/td] [td]History[/td] td[/td] [td]5[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Mercurian Lore[/td] [td]1[/td] [td]Personalities[/td] td[/td] [td]5[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Etiquette[/td] [td]1[/td] [td]Bibliophiles[/td] td[/td] [td]5[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Profession: Scribe[/td] [td]1[/td] [td]copying[/td] td[/td] [td]5[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Living language (Arabic)[/td] [td]2+2[/td] [td]Prose[/td] td[/td] [td]15[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Living language (Greek)[/td] [td]2+2[/td] [td]Prose[/td] td[/td] [td]15[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Living language (French)[/td] [td]2+2[/td] [td]Prose[/td] td[/td] [td]15[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Profession: Merchant[/td] [td]2[/td] [td]partnerships[/td] td[/td] [td]15[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Bargain[/td] [td]4[/td] [td]Books[/td] td[/td] [td]50[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Carouse[/td] [td]1[/td] [td]games of chance[/td] td[/td] [td]5[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Single Weapon[/td] [td]3[/td] [td]Mace[/td] td[/td] [td]30[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Animal Handling[/td] [td]2[/td] [td]Teamster[/td] td[/td] [td]15[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Intrigue[/td] [td]2[/td] [td]Gossip[/td] td[/td] [td]15[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Merchant Lore: Venice[/td] [td]2[/td] [td]Books[/td] td[/td] [td]15[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Merchant Lore: Athens[/td] [td]2[/td] [td]Books[/td] td[/td] [td]15[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Merchant Lore: Genoa[/td] [td]2[/td] [td]Books[/td] td[/td] [td]15[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Athletics[/td] [td]1[/td] [td]Running[/td] td[/td] [td]5[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Hunt[/td] [td]1[/td] [td]Tracking[/td] td[/td] [td]5[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Survival[/td] [td]1[/td] [td]Coastal[/td] td[/td] [td]5[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Teaching[/td] [td]1[/td] [td]Redcaps[/td] td[/td] [td]5[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Profession: Sailor[/td] [td]1[/td] [td]Seamanship[/td] td[/td] [td]5[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Leadership[/td] [td]1[/td] [td]Inspiration[/td] td[/td] [td]5[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Craft:Woodcarving[/td] [td]3[/td] [td]For printing[/td] td[/td] [td]30[/td][/tr][/table]

first 6 skills are from early childhood

Equipment: Dagger, Clothes,Mace, Metal Reinforced Leather
boots of unyeidling earth- create firm ground as the wearer steps, upon command:
ReTe base 2, +1 touch, +1 diameter, +1 part, and +10 for unlimited uses. For a net of ReTe 15
Ring of magic weight: base 5, +4 for 12 uses per day (InVi 9)
Ring of vis nature: base 5, +4 for 12 uses per day (InVi 9)
Ring of Moving Vis: (Gathering the Essence of the Beast) base 15, +2 for 3 uses per day (ReVi 17)
Encumbrance: -2

Background:
David was born to a family of bookbinders in Rome (his mother helped his father with the work). ...

5

I still need to spend some points.
And I need to fill in his background better. For the "Favors" he owes, I am thinking that he owes the Mercurian Magus who recruited him into the Redcaps, since that is unusual?

6

getting recruited into the redcaps by a mercurian magus is unusual- usually it is another redcap, and it follows lineage, so not everyone can be recruited. I don't see that so much as a favors territory, though redcaps have lots of opportunities to trade in favors depending on their roles, since they largely wind up living on their wits.

7

I have no problem changing it so that he was recruited by another redcap, due to familial association. Not sure what the Favors he should owe that would rise to a Major ought to be. Any suggestions?

8

Remember that favors don't have to be within the order- some government official might have saved him from certain execution because he couldn't explain why he was where he was due to the confidential nature of the messages he was carrying...

9

Okay. I'll come up with a proposal for that. And spend the other xp.

10

Still working on the Favors backstory. I am working on the idea of something that happened during his apprenticeship, when he got separated from his "parens" (an experienced redcap).

I am thinking he should be a pawnbroker. For that I should have a craft skill that he uses to make thing he puts vis into. I considered crafting: leather as something that he was originally taught for bookbinding. But leather is a bad storage element, since it is quite physically vulnerable, and also does not really demonstrate craft well. Any other suggestions?

Rlated to that, what would the design of a magic item that could detect / pull towards nearby vis sources be? Intellego/Vim clearly. Can it be a simple enchantment, or does it have to be a two-part enchantment, one part for intellego, and a second part based on Rego (and a suitable form) to cause it to pull properly?

11

Right now I have him at age 20 (don't forget the 300 from redcap over 15 years plus 50 from well traveled), so there are a lot of possible craft abilities. Paper, leather and vellum are poor choices, but woodcarvings are frequently used to make quick pictures in books...
Intelligo is all that is factually required- just keep in mind it will affect the wielders senses when it is on. If you want something that can sit around and notify you of the presence of vis, that would require further enchantment.

12

I added the Craft: Woodworking. And then found the missing xp. I wanted him to have some knowledge of the primary merchant communities of the european mediterranean. Not sure what the right skill is, so I listed it as Merchant Lore. I will work out the 50 levels of magic devices (probably some as personal vis) for him shortly.

13

Okay, are you wanting to progress beyond apprenticeship or leave things here?

14

I was planning to leave this here. I probably should add in the background that he interacted with the caravan several times during his apprenticeship, and is interested in what the magi are planning to do.

15

I am trying to work out the enchanted items he has.
Given that he is a pawnbroker, something that can measure vis seems the most necessary. That would seem to need two enchantments, one to detect the amount (for which I need to be holding a pawn of vis in my other hand), and one to detect the kind. Both are book level 5 spells. Presumably, I can have the object cast the spell on me? Which then lets me measure the vis I am touching? I will want to be able to do each one more than once a day. I will determine count when I get the set figured.

I was going to do something that could detect the presence of nearby vis, but I realized it would get much more complicated in order for it to exclude vis I already know about, like the vis I am carrying.

The other spell I was considering was an enchantment on my boots to convert the ground under my feet into solid ground. Thinking about that one, if I want it to work each step, that has to be a separate effect? So ReTe I would need base 2, +1 touch, +1 diameter (momentary would fade too fast), +1 part, and then +10 levels for unlimited uses? For a net of 15? (based on Unyielding Earth).

16

The boots seem to come out right...
and yes, the magic item can cast the spell on you.

17

Added some virtues so at least the virtues and flaws balance (still room for two more of each). Also filled in the enchanted objects he carries. It is tempting to make the vis measurer a scale, but that would have to be large and fragile.

18

You could make it a simple balance scale, a lever that balances on any relatively pointy surface. Kind of a primitive version of the ubiquitous scales of justice we see everywhere.

19

This is complete.