Eve ex Verditius

Retired Play by Post Campaigns Ars Magica 5th Edition: Oppidum of Héviz
38

I wasn't the one who brought up complex character generation. You've brought it up several times. Again, because jebrick uses MC, the correspondence is probably really with 180 xp, not 240. But 120 seasons, is your entire post gauntlet career, which suggests you started with a Lore Ability score of 6, which suggests that you probably should have a cabal legacy flaw.

I'd just get the Lore to six, get initiated, spend some more experience points in the lore get it up to 8 or 9, and then start the saga with some books in your bps, and be looking to form your own congregation in the Tribunal. Try and recruit PCs, whether magi or not (I'd exclude your companion and any grogs you intend to run for the obvious conflict of interest).

I'm not trying to screw you over. But you're not picking a cult that will be a good fit in a Tremere controlled Tribunal, either. So, that choice suggests you do want to focus on that difficulty, whether it is made explicitly or not. I would just be prepared for it to all turn south on you when the Tremere/Tribunal officers come knocking. Depending on whether jebrick's vision of her is close to my vision of her, I could see a certain Merceris Maga being very interested in the cult...

39

I'll probably end it at 9 or 10 and have some books. My companion can't be initiated because well... Fae. Any grogs... not sure what I would give them that would help. And they would be last in line for initiations regardless. Plus they can't actually ascend and initiating non-Gifted would be the antithesis of the cult.

40

It is not the antithesis of the cult.

You need worshippers, both magical and mundane to bring you back.

41

Hmm... guess not. Well grogs still get last spot on the initiation train.

42

Rijjered the characters starting build, and ripped out a lot of the now pointless stuff in her after gauntlet experience. Actually what seems like a good choice to get contracted for is writing of books, and researching in the library. With her fancy essential characteristic she can make tracti of Q15, plus she has some cool Verdi abilities. Point is I think the thing she will be payed most highly for is writing books and her reason for being in a research covenant is because she can look stuff up in them really well.

43

Here is my proposed familiar.

Appearance: The Clockwork Cat, Jane, might look with a brief glance to be a normal cat, if perhaps a bit large, but normal. But any more than a moment and one will see the differences.
Her fur is threaded silver, metallic, in nature. Her eyes are glass, the iris thin sheets of overlaid gold. Her claws are a crystal of some sort. Her ears are metalic beneath the thin silver fur.
Perhaps the most disturbing is the ticking she makes. Like a dozen clocks all ticking at different rates.

Nature: One of the less sane, or more arrogent Verdi made her. He took a normal cat, a ideal cat sure but normal, and replaced organs with intricate machines and enchantments. The heart, the muscles, parts of the brain, and much more was replaced with artiface. The result? An intelligent, magic animal. This was not Jane though. The Verdi repeated this process in countless variations. Then he started a zoo, and breeding program and many of the creatures escaped, released or were given away. The upshot, other than the merry played with the local ecosystem, was that magi could get themselves a new cool form of familiar. Jane was one of the animals who escape, after setting out on a quest to find a magus to bond with. Jane found Eve, and claimed Eve demanding a bond to be made with great haste!

Stats: Base Might 15, Base Size-3, Base Nature: Cat, Season: Summer
Magic Might 15, Size-3
Traits: Cat (Essential)+3, Precise+4, Cuddly+1
Int+3 DX+3, Sta+1, Per-3, Com+3, Pre+2, Str-6 Qu+3
Magical Inferiorities: Decreased Might3, Minor Flaw2
Note: While she lacks monstrous appearance, many people may react to a talking cat, or a cat composed of metal, glass, crystal and flesh poorly regardless.
Magical Qualities: Extra experience4, Improved Char3, Personal Power4, Gift of Speech, Improved Soak, No Fatigue, Improved Soak, Lesser Power2, Personal Power
Virtues: Puissant Craft: Metal, Affinity Craft: Metal, Magic Animal, Unaffected by the Gift,
Flaws: Lecherous (major), Greedy (minor), Magic Friend

Total Experience at Character Creation: 560
Brawl 6 (claws) [105 xp]
Hunt 4 (mice) [50 xp]
English 4 (nobility) [50 xp]
Charm 5 (???) [75xp]
Bargain 4 (Enchanted Items) [50xp]
Craft Metal 10 [150->225xp]
Athletics 2 [15xp]
Stealth 2 [15xp]
Awareness 1 [5xp]
Profession: Cat (Being Cute) 1 [5xp]
In addition Jane has learned:
Artes Liberales 0 (writing systems) 1xp, Magic Theory 6, Teaching 3, Philosopher of Rome Lore 2 (20xp)

Powers:
Form of the Human, Cost 0
Jane takes human form until the sun rises or sets as per Felianthrope. She can chose her gender, although otherwise the two forms look like siblings. Twins even. Jane's human form has a size of -1.
Cost: Base 10+2 sun+1 complexity 10 levels for reduced might=35 levels of personal power

Flight of the Humming Bird: As per RoP: Magic pg 38
25 levels of personal power

Aegis Against the Earth, Cost 0 constant
Dirt, stone and metal cannot touch Jane unless she wills it. It will stop an inch from her body leaving her unharmed. She can walk slightly above the ground and lay no tracks. However she can still intentionally touch such objects and this ward will not interfere with such use. This affect is constant. Also Jane herself is immune to the effects of this power.
Base 5+2 metal, +2 sun +1 controllable +1 constant-35 levels (20 levels for might reduction.)

These were taken from the list of normal cat powers on pg 71 of RoP: Magic
Puffed Up and Hissing 10 levels, cost 1
Circular Ward Against Demons 10 levels, cost 0 (10 levels for cost reduction)
Humans are Easily Misplaced 20 levels, cost 2 (10 levels for cost reduction.

Is this base okay? The powers will be a spiffy human form, flight a personal ward, and something for greater powers I haven't figured out yet. Its an excellent smith, and a quite good laboratory assistant.

44

Your description says the cat looks okay at a brief glance, yet you gave it the Monstrous Appearance Major Inferiority: it should not at all look okay, even at a brief glance.

Also it needs either the Magic Animal or Magic Thing free virtue, so we know what it is (you seem to have designed it as a Magic Animal, fair enough), and it needs a social virtue or flaw (Magical Friend would seem appropriate, but there are other options).

Finally, the flaws you chose, are you sure ? It does not need to eat, it's not quite clear that it even can, yet is greedy ? And Lecherous ? It has a clockwork brain ! Are you sure you don't want to go with Magical Air, or even Blatant Magical Air (okay, on top of Monstrous Appearance that will really frighten people and cats) ? It's not that your Flaws don't work, but they bring to mind a normal cat, not a clockwork monstrosity...

45

Why Magic theory of 7? Familiars do not start with Magic theory and have to be taught it.

46

Can they be taught it? We haven't really hammered out the advancement of familiars. Right now we have two conflicting sets of rules for familiars. The ones in the core, and the ones in RoP: Magic. If we are using the core rules, sure make it so the familiars get taught everything about MT, but with the RoP: Magic rules familiars should start with everything they should be able to accomplish, IMO.

And if we do use the core rules we need to figure out how we are advancing them pregame.

47

Actually I think that makes it pretty cool. "How the heck did you get a cat made of brass to act so like a cat?" It would beg the question certainly of the Mystery of automata and the essence of creatures.

48

Its not just made of brass. That wouldn't be creepy enough. Its also made of cat. You have metal hairs coming out of flesh. But yeah, that was kind of the point, its supposed to act like a cat. The other notes though are good.

49

You can take the brass out of the cat but not the cat out of the brass 'twould seem.

Cats...not to be trusted. We're all just talking furniture to them anyway, that also provides food at their command.

50

My thoughts exactly. Even in implied Jane's description. Also I've taken out the MT from Jane and replaced it with more communication and good teacher.

On that note my thoughts about the philosophers of Rome.

  1. There are some inconsistencies. In one spot it says that True Names and Hermetic Evocation are the first thing one learns. In another it says Hermetic Sythemata is first. Also note Hermetic Evocation does not exist. I'm guessing they meant Hermetic Theurgy? My idea is that those virtues tend to be first.
  2. They have a weird mix of scholarship and mortal pleasures. Plus the Mystogogues will always want payment. Hence all scripts should have a sacrifice of wealth, and time. (Pleasure and scholarship, possibly enriching the mystogogue who taught you.) Also quests should be focused in someway on learning. Either finding insights, or finding texts.

With that in mind I present some scripts:
Sythemata: the one in Mysteries (Revised Edition).

True Naming: Write a book for the mystogogue, (+1) sacrifice to those daimons and gods whose names are known by way of a spectacular feast,(+3) discover the true name, previously unknown (at least to you and the mystogogue). Preferably not a demon's (+3), travel to a destroyed Gnostic building and swear to ascend to honor those who were slain for their dedication to the truth (+3)

Hermetic Theurgy: Write a book (+1), vicariously indulge in the name of slain gnostics (+1), travel to the sacred grove of a nameless Daimon upon the day that its congregation was murdered in the name of the demithurge (a.k.a. God) (+3)

51

If you really want to live forever, see Zoltan. They've had methods for immortality since Quendalon...

52

I think you mean if I want to burn away my Gift and replace it with a poor Fae fake, and become a mere shadow of what I could ascend too I should see Zoltan. Certainly not bad especially when compared to becoming a Living Ghost, or completing the "Great Work". Let's call that plan B. [/IC]

53

Powers I have thought up for Jane:
Ten Thousand Human Shapes, Cost 0
Jane takes human form until the sun rises or sets. She can freely pick most features within the human norm including gender. Furthermore she can chose unnatural hair, or eye colours and take a size as small as -1.
Cost: Base 10+2 sun+1 complexity 10 levels for reduced might=35 levels of personal power

Flight of the Humming Bird: As per RoP: Magic pg 38
25 levels of personal power

Aegis Against the Earth, Cost 3 constant
Dirt, stone and metal cannot touch Jane unless she wills it. It will stop an inch from her body leaving her unharmed. She can walk slightly above the ground and lay no tracks. However she can still intentionally touch such objects and this ward will not interfere with such use. This affect is constant. Also Jane herself is immune to the effects of this power.
Base 5+2 metal, +2 sun +1 controllable +1 constant-35 levels (5 levels for might reduction.)

Total: 100 levels of personal power. These okay? Flight of the Humming bird is straight out of the book, but the other two are more questionable...

Also since I can't think of what greater power to give her, mind if I give her the Gift instead? Initiate her into the mystery cult?

54

  • Ten Thousand Human Shapes: Will that take away Jane's monstrous appearance ? or does she just become a very creepy human ?

  • Aegis Against the Earth: Seems fine to me, but you might want to take Improved Powers and reduce the Might Cost, because otherwise you'll be paying 6 Might a day (three at sunset, three at sunrise) just to keep it going...

I'm a bit leery about giving the Gift to a familiar, frankly. That pulls the familiar into the Gifted Companion league, on top of already being a Magic Being, and that's potentially a lot of power.

55

Hmm... not sure if it will take away Jane's Monstrous appearance or not. I suppose it probably does by RAW, but that blatantly becomes unbalanced. I'm gonna say no for balance sake...

Aegis: True it does eat up 6 of her might points per day. OTOH, she can't actually use might for anything else.

Gift: She can't really learn any supernatural abilities due to the might penalty. And I don't have the score to open her to the Arts. That said, it does allow for initiation into mystery cults, with less hassle. That change your mind? Or was that what you were worried about? I can shuffle the points into something else if it still does, so don't worry about being honest. :slight_smile:
Edit: Now that I think about it, would it make sense to get rid of the Gift and monstrous appearance? This wouldn't change the natural appearance, but allow Jane to take a natural human form with her shapeshifting?

56

Jane has been updated. Her powers have been added to her sheet, she has only personal powers. She has lost her greater power, the lesser power was replaced with more soak, she has lost her monstrous appearance, although fluff wise this has not changed.

57

Unless I'm mistaken, she has six points of virtues (not counting Good Teacher) but only five of flaws.