Expedition Charter

I have introduced a Tremere who was recruiting magi to investigate the area in Brittany where the Diedre lived. There was at least a little interest from one of the magi, so as the next step, I want to put forth a charter for the expedition. In the charter, what magi are expected to contribute and what they can receive as a reward would be explained. Right now, I would want the following put forth in the charter

  1. What mundane resources are to be brought to the expedition and who shall be responsible for providing them
  2. What spells each magi needs to have (Wizards Communion, at least L15)
  3. How the vis and vis sources will be distributed (as they are investigating in the Normandy Tribunal, this is worth being careful about)
  4. What will be done with discovered books
  5. What will be done with discovered magical items
  6. What will be done with discovered mundane items

What other things should a good charter specify? My concern is that if the charter doesn’t say how to handle a situation, then disagreements might devolve into a series of certamen duels. With a NPC Tremere who is much older than the player character magi, that would get pretty old pretty fast.

But the trick is what you leave out. What should be done with any initiation scripts that you might find? What if you find texts that aren't in text form? What if you find a living practitioner of ancient magic?

Maybe the trick is putting situations that aren't covered by the charter. What if the last secrets of the Diedne are trapped in the mind of an immortal simpleton? That's a moral discussion and a half. How can you be sure they really are the secrets of the Diedne, and just what are you prepared to do to get them out? Or is it simpler and safer just to remove temptation..?

It doesn't all have to come down to Certamen. I don't buy the notion of House Tremere just walking around threatening people with Certamen when they don't get their way. I think it's way overplayed. And if it really is that prevalent in your saga, just give the other characters confidence by placing a no-certamen clause in the charter. Or something. It's like a highly-trained knight forcing a peasant to do everything for him; at some point, someone has to point out just how bad that looks. People are people and there's shame in being identified as a bully.

How long will the expedition last? Who will make the decisions on when and where to go? What will happen to raw vis found? What would be done with Infernal or Corrupted books or items? Will they be expected to travel into an Infernal regio, should the search lead there? What about the Magic Realm? To just what extent are they expected to risk their lives, anyway?

Lots of questions. I'm not sure all need to be answered, but at least the length, decision-making procedures, and broad expectations for loyalty need to be laid down.

Of course, reading that back... It's not too far away from what medieval society was like for some. But you know what I mean.

No-one has any Dark Secrets involving The Diedne then?
Or could be accused of having one?

What Story Hooks do you have to involve the players?
Will they willingly go on an expedition that they find over-regulated?
Is the charter legally enforcable at Tribunal?
Are they in competition with another group in the area?

It obviously wont be fun if you have to have an npc force the players into line.
Do they have characters that regularly disagree?
Is there a common enemy that some of the group has?
Or a secret enemy to be revealed later?

A good charter might specify what aid can be expected if difficulties arise.
Insert a "No blame" clause if valuable items are accidentally destroyed.
Vis cheerfully refunded if not completely satisfied with the outcome.
What intangible rewards might be had?
Favour from a senior magus , for example.

What happens in case of lengthy Twilight episodes.

BT-clanstyle bidding can be useful.

Any loot, give items a rough value by letting all involved give an evaluation, use the average or the median, or the average of both those, then start bidding, whoever bids the lowest gets to pick up to the value of their bid first.

This is pretty much just a simple adaption of their system for bidding who gets to fight an opponent. But it works well most times for gaming, both in AND out of character.

Here is what I came up with for a contract. There are a number of issues explicitly left in, (Whether those in the Normandy Tribunal collude regarding how many of their shares they put into the vis pool, Whether agreeing in this contract that ordering magi around is depriving them of their magical power really makes them guilty of depriving them of their magical power as far as the Normandy Tribunal would actually rule, what exactly does treating each other with respect require?) If the players want to negotiate something else, they still have two seasons to do so.

[i]We , the undersigned, in support of the Order of Hermes, pledge ourselves to an expedition to Brittany, to attempt to breach the regio that is at Mount Dol and investigate what, if anything, remains of the Diedre. We pledge to meet in the Spring of 1222, and that each of us will have learned a version of The Wizards Communion of at least the third magnitude. We pledge to be available for at least the Spring season. We shall attempt to use the talisman of the Diedre Verbantium as an Arcane Connection to the body of Verbantium and cast Opening the Intangible Tunnel from us to where his body is currently residing. Using this as a focal point, we shall explore the regio and attempt to force access. We pledge to treat each other with respect.

Decisions of the expedition shall be made by vote, or in a time sensitive emergency, the expedition leader may insist. Each magus shall have as many votes as measures their contribution to the expedition. These contributions will be measured as shares.

The following is the distribution of shares

Each magus shall have two shares by reason of signing this charter, having learned The Wizards Communion and participating in this expedition.

Each magus may earn an additional share by bringing at least six mundane participants to help, at least half of which are fighting men, along with enough supplies for the season. If a magus does not bring such support, he can ask another magus to provide it, in which case, that other magus has an additional share.

Each magus may earn an additional share by bringing 10 pawns of Creo or Corpus Vis to be available for emergency healing. It will be returned if not used, and if used, it will be replaced by whatever vis is found on this expedition on a one for one basis. If not enough vis is found to replace all the vis which is used, every two pawns that are used and not replaced shall count as additional share in distributing plunder.

Quaesitor Tisatis shall receive 5 additional shares for having tracked down the talisman of the Diedre Verbantium. Without this, this expedition could never have occurred.

As a reward for the seasons spent recruiting magus for this expedition, Apollyon shall receive one additional share.

As recompense for providing copies to all members of the expedition of all books discovered, that Quaesitor Tisatis determines do not contain Infernal information, Apollyon shall receive one additional share.

(Additional space for whatever shares the players want to negotiate)

The expedition leader shall be chosen by vote at the beginning of the expedition. Every Saturday night, an election for a new leader may be called for by any magus who is a member of the expedition.

The expedition leader requiring an action where it is in fact, not time critical shall be considered to be depriving another of his magical power and a case for such may be brought at the next tribunal.

Spoils.

Any book or items that Quaesitor Tisatis determines are of an Infernal nature shall be destroyed. Any books that are incomprehensible to all of the magi shall be given to Quaesitor Tisatis to research.

Any non infernal books that are discovered will have copies made for each magi who wishes one. This expense shall be borne by Apollyon, for which he will receive an additional share.

At the end of the expedition, each magical item other than vis and any mundane plunder shall be bundled together into rewards. How much is in each reward shall be settled by vote. This shall form the non vis reward pool.

Any vis discovered, beyond what is needed to repay vis used in healing, shall be bundled into rewards. Also, each vis source shall be considered a prize. This shall form the vis reward pool

Every magus who is part of the Normandy Tribunal may put his share into either the vis prize pool or the non vis prize pool. Those that are not from the Normandy Tribunal may only put their shares in the non vis prize pool. The shares shall be drawn by lot. The person chosen by lot may choose a reward from the pool at that time. Those shares shall not be replaced into the pool until all shares have been drawn, at which time all shares shall be returned to start the drawing again.[/i]

This may be a typo, but since you have used it throughout your post, I'm not sure. The house destroyed in the Schism War was House Diedne, not House Diedre. Or have you changed the name in your saga?

Mark

Thanks! No, I just am not as careful as I should be. Diedne