Extraordinary Magic Ideas Requested

Games Discussion Ars Magica
1

One of my PC's plays a Quaesitor, and we were running an investigation story last session. He discovered one of his suspects/witnesses, who was an apprentice, had some MuMe effects on him. So the PC decides to cast a spontaneous Unraveling the Fabric of Mentem with fatigue to restore the kid's memory. He rolls a 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 9 = 1152 :open_mouth:

Did I mention the PC has the Chaotic Magic Flaw?

Luckily for the apprentice, our house rules that he doesn't get warping for a spell like this. But I want the spell to have a lasting effect of the poor kid. I already ruled that all Mentem effects and spell traces were wiped clean from the apprentice. My question now is, what else happened to him? I don't want something that would ruin the game, as in getting the PC marched for a crazy roll, but I would not mind a slap on the wrist for not being careful. I was thinking of some sort of virtue or flaw to reflect what happened, but I haven't been able to come up with anything I really liked. So I am asking here for suggestions, please.

2

Magical Memory virtue?

3

The kid acquires Deficient Mentem or some similar Flaw, as his Mentem magic has been severely damaged. Incompatible Arts? He can do InMe, but thats it, No CrMe or PeMe, no MuMe or ReMe.

4

IMO, it was a PeVi, targetting the mentem.
So, i would say, no further consequence... the spell was good, powerful, but that's all.
If you really want a consequence : as it was PeVi... destroy his gift.

Too bad, you lost your apprentice. :smiley:

5

(Good call, Ex! It is indeed not a PeVi(Me) spell - by the spell description, it's a PeVi that affects only Mentem Spells, not the Form of Mentem. If possible, something affecting Mentem magic would be more appropriate, rather than a "mental/psychological flaw" or effect on the apprentices "mind" - but with a roll like that, such "technicalities" can be ignored.)

Okay, so the apprentice has MuMe effects on him, and the PC hammers a PeVi spell to an notorious degree.

Chaotic Magic reads "...If you... exceed (the declared level of effect of a spont spell) by more than one level, the spell still works, but its effects are beyond your control - the storyguide decides the results..."

Which makes tracking those spells harder for the Quaesitor - good call for improving the story!

KB - first - was the apprentice an NPC's, or a PC's? (The Quaesitores???) And the apprentice themself is an NPC, right? If all NPC's, you can be much harsher without risking ruining the game for anyone.

Hrmmm... PeVi that is "beyond his control"...

It could harm the Gift of the apprentice, giving him a weak Art in Mentem. That might not be enough for a march, but certainly earn the PC an enemy (two if you count the Parens), and the real threat from the apprentice won't show up for some time (long after the PC has forgotten him?) A Flaw like Hatred or Driven...

It might be a ~permanent~ PeVi(Me) effect on the apprentice - no Mentem spell will work on them (or no MuMe) ever again. This is mostly a good thing, tho' the Parens may not think so. (And it could make further investigation more difficult, and possibly create a real Hermetic headache for later Quaesitores!)

The apprentice might now have a magical Side Effect, of PeVi(Me) or something, destroying Mentem magic. This won't be evident for some time, until the apprentice casts a large enough spell near a Mentem spell effect.

(Or destroying any memories, whenever he casts a spell. Maybe not permanent destruction - just for a day or so?)

His own Mentem spells might be extremely vulnerable to dispelling (meh - bad for him, fairly minor in the overall story, unless he's a PC.)

Mmm - without knowing exactly who this apprentice is in the group/story, it's hard to get a feel for any balance - you want something significant - if an NPC, the effect would have to be much larger - if the apprentice of a PC, it could be more subtle.

6

How about you change the apprentice's sigil to something related - say the sigil becomes unobtrusiveness - whenever he casts a spell, people forget about him for a bit or tend to ignore the spell, letting him fade to the background. Not really enough for a system-effect, and certainly no use in combat where there are plenty of cues to remind you, but fun from a role-playing perspective, especially if he had a distinctive sigil before that.

7

Damage to the mentem is good but maybe his mentem resistance. Weak Magic Resistance Mentem or something along that like which means anyone that want sto mess with his head easily can.

8

The kid is an NPC, apprenticed to an NPC who had a book stolen, hence the Queasitor investigation. I don't want him to loose his gift (which was my first thought) because that could result in the PC getting marched.

I'm leaning towards something along the lines of the apprentice looses his ability to use Mentem. At most, I believe the PC will get a slap on the wrist for damaging an NPC's apprentice at a tribunal. Perhaps the Quaesitor gets put on probation? But then I can take Hound's idea and make the apprentice into an enemy or something down the road. Unknown enemies are fun.

9

If it can smoothly feed into the larger story, it seems like it was planned that way.

Chaotic Magic is not, by default, "bad", but it is a flaw, and the spont spell was PeVi. I'd go with some flaw in the Mentem side of the magic, or some creative permanent or uncontrollable PeVi effect on Mentem magics.

Myself, I wouldn't even tell the PC's unless they have some means of finding out independently. The Parens might not know, or want to complain until they know for sure. The Quaesitore might think he's dodged the SG's bullet until he gets a summons to the next Tribunal to defend himself against the charges of the crimes. (That gives you more time to think, and more time to work the flaw(s) into the larger story, or story to come.)

10

For my taste, we're thinking too small. That number isn't just very large, it's the most outrageous roll I've ever heard of. To my way of thinking, an event like that should result in something that, if researched, could reveal some fundamental aspect of magic or reality that was unknown up until that time.

It's too bad that it was fundamentally a Vi effect and not a Me effect. I was thinking of going almost completely orthogonal. If it was a Me effect, I would have had the apprentice, over the next several years, come to realize he remembers his time through the last allam cycle. He would eventually come to the attention of the Criamon who might elevate him to some kind of Dali-Lama. The conflict would be between the attention from the Criamon, the boy and Pater's desire to continue his education normally, and the potential insights he could bring to the Criamon's understanding (which he may or may not even care about).

11

Heh, you're right - instead of (or as well as) "on the apprentice", it could permanently hammer all Mentem Effects within Boundary, a big Mentem void where no Mentem magic operates at all.

That would be worthy of some Research.

12

Hm. There was MuMe magic on the apprentice.

Perhaps the effect went a bit beyond the pale reversing that... so now, in a Boundary or Structure area, emotions don't change naturally anymore, but remain static. Emotion felt on entry to the area stays. (Gah, I don't explain it very well.)

Edit: hm, the spell was memory-altering, not emotion-altering. Amnesia about everything happening in the area? Could get tiresome, but very convenient for the villain if it's a reusable area.

13

What if it destroyed all MuMe magic on him forever? He can never use MuMe, but he can never bbe affected by it either. It is a net balance, an advantage and a disadvantage.

14
15

If it dispels Mentem, it should affect the whole form. So, a crippled art (ouch), and a problem for future Quaesitors.

16

[quote="Kerry Blue"]
The kid is an NPC, apprenticed to an NPC who had a book stolen, hence the Queasitor investigation. I don't want him to loose his gift (which was my first thought) because that could result in the PC getting marched.
quote]

Unless the PC has a lot of serious enemies, even death of an apprentice shouldn't result in march but heavy fine, perhaps even force to help the person whose apprentice he damaged for remainder of normal apprenticeship period.

17

Too bad i haven't done this roll when studying in vis.

THat was my first thought when reading here :smiley:

Let's say 1152.... Oh my god.
Can't even imagine...
OOOoohr.

Oohh...

Oooh..

Exar, dreaming about a 49 art.

18

Not that it really makes it better but that 1152 is really only 576 + 1/2 of arts+stamina+aura.

Still a 576-600 casting level is still a 116th-120th magnitutide and should reach into the legendary and mythic results.

19

Salvete Sodales!

Well, considering this result I'd go for various effects, probably mor than one of them:

  1. Clearly cancel the Me effects on the apprentice
  2. give him at least 2 Warping points, probably more - let Twilight decide whether being victim to so much magic leads to appropriate flaws or virtues.
  3. Parties are more interesting if there are more guests: The Quaesitor himself might be in for some warping and Twilight (he channeled that amount of energy), as well as the guy who originally used that Me-spell on the apprentice (a still functioning spell should be some kind of Arcane connection, perhaps too weak for standard hermetic magic, but we are beyond this limit).
  4. Of course a PeVi effect of this magnitude might decrease the local aura, hurt any creature with Might within 10 miles, make every ongoing lab-activity in that covenant botch, disenchant all magical devices at voice range... - All of this would probably not lead to a WM, but your Quaesitor might probably have to work a decade or two to pay of the fines imposed on him, and some people (or other beings) will probably eternally consider him as an enemy.
  5. The results should probably give raise to a new reputation: "powerful beyond anything but crazy and dangerous on a similar level" 5

Vale,
Alexios ex Miscellanea

20

Nice. How about giving the apprentice the uncontrolled ability to dispel Mentem effects on touch? Or maybe he gets a Purifying Touch for mental trouble?

You know, the kind of things that would make him popular to the population at large, make him harder to handle as an apprentice and interesting for Bonisagi magi...

Or maybe simply make Mentem magic impossible in the area for the next century.