Hello, this is the first time I have been on the forums and I would like to get an opinion about the Pharmacopoeian tradition.
On page: 123 of the House of Hermes: Societates, it mentions that part of the Pharmacopoeian in the Miscellaneous sections, that the pharmacopoeians have the minor virtue: Minor Magical Focus (Healing) and gain a personality flaw of either: Soft-hearted, Vow (Pacifism) or Noncombatant. In addition to this on page: 125 it quotes.
"The intensive training that the Pharmacopoeians undergo provides them with a Minor Magical Focus (Healing)."
So my question is if one was to become a Pharmacopoeian during character creations. Does that mean the Pharmacopoeians gain their tradition virtues as well as the Minor Magical Focus (Healing) and a personality flaw in addition or do the Pharmacopoeian have to spend virtue points on gaining the Minor Magical Focus?
I don't have a copy of the book in front of me, but if I recall correctly Pharmacopoeians are a sub-school in House Ex Miscellanea.
Unless you are an Orbi from another House, all Ex Miscellanea should get for free, from character generation:
a Minor Hermetic Virtue
a Major non-Hermetic Virtue
a Major Hermetic Flaw.
The minor magical focus in Healing is almost certainly the free Minor Hermetic Virtue this Ex Miscellanea character gets.
The personality flaw is not Free, you get it from one of the 10 flaws you can take at character creation. Thus you can balance it with a minor Virtue of your choice.
The minor hermetic virtue they get is root-cutter. Under "Miscellaneous" in the summary it says "All Root-Cutters have the Virtue Minor Magical Focus (Healing) and one of the following Flaws: Soft-Hearted, Noncombatant or Vow (Pacifism)"
I believe this means that all Pharmacopeians get the package of Mythic Herbalism, Root-Cutter, Deficient Technique (Perdo), Minor Magical Focus (Healing) and one of the three minor flaws listed, leaving them with room for nine further points of virtues & flaws.
I now have the HoH:Societas book in front of me, and that is the only school of Ex Miscellanea that has that Miscellaneous requirement.
It could be interpreted either way, but since there are no other examples of Miscellaneous, I personally would rule that Minor Magical Focus (Healing) with the balancing minor personality flaw must come from the Virtues and Flaws you choose, thus as darkwing says, your character can only choose up to nine further points of virtues & flaws.