Experimentation and multiple activities

Games Discussion Ars Magica
1

Hi guys,
what if I am making several low-level CrMe effects in a season and I experiment - is it one roll for all, or a roll each?

I am thinking of doing some Original Research and want to use low-level effects to reduce the chance of warping. If my arts are high enough I could do a few level 15 effects hoping to get a discovery on each.

What do you think?

2

By ArM5 p. 107 The Experimental Premise experiments are per season, affect the Lab Total once, and cause one roll on the Extraordinary Results Chart per season. So you can only get one Discovery result on that roll per season, too.

If you did work on several effects during a season resulting in a Discovery, AFAICS it is not clear whether the Magnitude of your Discovery is that of one effect only (and who does pick it), or the combined magnitudes of all the effects worked on in that season.
Best discuss and decide within the troupe before a magus tries this.

Cheers

3

I ruled that the total level was what mattered because if not, you just have to only do one of your projects, and give it extra parameters to artificially increase its level, which is counterintuitive and not fun.

(My CrMe 50+ CrMe 10 is not good? then i will experiment a CrMe 60. It does what my CrMe 50 did, but includ two extra magnitude for finesses bonuses. Yes I only need to roll a 6 and a botch is not very detrimental to the effect. Whatever, you refused the CrMe 10+50 combination, I have a labtotal of 120 before experimental rolls, I need to use it!)

4

Well ... stabilizing a Magnitude 12 Discovery will most likely result in Twilight and substantial Warping. So there may be magi who, while they want to use their big Lab Totals, are still content to make and stabilize a lesser Discovery.

Cheers

5

Right. There are several options:

  1. Combine levels of the projects. The experiment is all of them. The discovery lab text must include all of them. I don't like this because well, it basically punishes more powerful magi when it comes to researching. You can either waste a lot of your lab total, or face massive warping.
  2. Pick one. You get to stabilize one of the discoveries next season. The other ones are lost.
  3. Its multiple lab projects and just like any other project you get the benefits of all of them. You stabilize all the spell you worked on, roll for multiple warpings, and get all the discovery points. I don't like because it really distorts the research process.
6

True researches ensure themselves to have might before starting :smiley:.

7

Also, ArM5 p.107 excludes this.

Cheers

8

Not sure which line you are referring too...

9

Look at the second post in this thread, and then read on ArM5 p.107 The Experimental Premise: "At the beginning of each season, consider the project you're working on and decide whether you want to experiment on it. ... However, you must also roll a stress die on the Extraordinary Results chart for each season that the project involves." (Underscores mine.) So, one decision and one roll on the Extraordinary Results chart per season. And one chance of a Discovery per roll.

Cheers

10

Option 1 is what works for me.

With option 1 there's no effective difference between doing one big spell or a dozen small ones; you still get the same number of breakthrough points and face the same warping risk.

The trade-off is fairly clear: either go for fast breakthrough points and risk lots of warping, or take your time and get less warping. That's the decision the experimentation system is placing before the player, option 1 preserves that decision and prevents side-stepping.