Favored abilities and starting virtues

Games Discussion Ars Magica
1

I suspect this is answered in the books and / or on this forum, but I couldn't find it.

If I am creating a gifted character who is assumed to be starting as a newly trained memeber of a tradition (hermetic or hedge), and I select from among my starting 10 virtues a supernatural ability, does that ability count as a favored ability along with the other favored abilities of my tradition since I started with it? Or is it reated the same as if I learned it after I started play?

2

Not favoured AFAIK.

3

Read HMRE p.9f Favored Abilities.

It doesn't.

4

Dang.
Thanks to both of you for your surprisingly fast replies.

5

Well, we are both just starting a Triamore campaign based in a hedgie horder of Hermes, so we have been reading quite amlot about hedge traditions :stuck_out_tongue:

6

Double dang. I just posted another question I coudl probably have just asked on this thread.

7

For the most part, does it really matter? Once you have that Virtue, you've got the Supernatural Ability. Who cares if it's Favored? Favored Abilities are all about learning a Supernatural Ability, not improving one you already have. That's why the Magic ones have no meaning for the unGifted, because you need the Gift to just learn a Magic Supernatural Ability. Meanwhile, all of them, whether Favored or not, subtract from learning other non-Favored Supernatural Abilities. The only way I see it mattering is when you train an apprentice.

8

For a Hermetic Magus it probably doesn't. Whatever type of power he wants he can likely duplicate with the proper arts. I was thinking more in terms of the more basic hedge magicians, who even with the gift just get 4 favored abilities and may want to get more versitile ablities.

9

I think that callen is refering to the fact that the hedgie can get those at character creation. Nothing prevents him/her from buying those at that development stage.

10

Exactly. The OP says this Supernatural Ability is being acquired via an initial one of the ten points of Virtues. Thus there are no penalties at all to this Supernatural Ability, regardless of whether or not it's a Favored Ability for the Tradition.