[size=150]Welcome![/size]
I'm looking to try out the fifth edition of Ars Magica for an epic, adventure-rich saga. I'm looking for players and you're invited!
I'm hoping for an informal, light-hearted and fast-paced game, driven by player choices and their consequences. I will explain everything you need to know as we go - you will not need a history degree or an encyclopedic knowledge of rules and source books. The game is intended to be welcoming to those who have never played before, but also filled with richness and opportunities for new and experienced players alike. I have limited experience with Ars Magica 5 myself, but I look forward to learning alongside the players.
[size=150]Background story:[/size]
[i]On the eve of your graduation, under the cover of night, your parens ushers you onto a boat to Thetford, England. Your orders succinct: Find a defensible location, establish a covenant, and do what you can to avoid drawing attention yourselves. And under no circumstance are you to set foot on Mainland Europe until the end of the year. As dawn breaks, one of the crew discovers a note that reads: “Mount the keg where the Tuatha king lays his crown and chase from dusk the goddess of Roman dawn down.”
The note is not signed, but is dated March 12th - two weeks from now.
[/i]
[size=150]House Rules:[/size]
- As long as your character has personality and depth, all the published books are available to you. Don’t abuse my trust by minmaxing.
- Player Magi are 20-25 years old, have recently finished their apprenticeship and will not have Lab time before the game starts.
- You only need to stat out your Primary character (Magus or Mythic Companion). All others are optional, and can be added later.
- On any simple or quality die roll, rather than rolling, you may choose to "Take 6." You must make this decision before you roll.
- Every player gets 1 free re-roll per season, no questions asked.
- Gain one Confidence Point per season until the number of Confidence Points equals the Confidence Score.
- You may swap Specializations any time you increase the relevant score.
- Any significant character who drops from healthy to Dead in one attack, instead drops to Incapacitated and sustains five Heavy Wounds.
- Magi: Choose a Characteristic (except Intelligence) to use in all your mage’s Casting Scores. This Characteristic cannot exceed +5 for purposes of Casting Scores unless it permanently alters your Essential Nature. You always use the value in your Essential Nature, so changing shapes with spells or Virtues does not change your Casting Totals. The exception is Bjornaer, for whom the Heartbeast truly is their natural shape. For them, the characteristic is the higher of their Heartbeast or human form. Note that this means a Bjornaer gets to use the characteristic he would have had in Heartbeast form for casting totals, even while in human form, if that would give him a better score, but they’re still limited to a maximum of +5, just like everyone else.
- Gentle Gift does not count as your only Major Hermetic Virtue, though it still has to be balanced with Flaws.
- House Virtues may be substituted, as long as they are thematically appropriate and similar in power.
- Enchanting Items: Item Expiry does NOT give an Excess multiplier, it merely ensures that wayward magic items eventually lose their potency. Penetration can be increased by 1 point (not 2) for each level increase spent on it.
- Dual wielding: You get an extra attack, but all your attacks (including the first one) suffer a cumulative -3 penalty to Attack and Damage.
- Shields have double their normal Defense bonus.
- You may reflexively allow any spell through your Parma Magica / Magic Resistance, but you must be aware of it.
- XP earned by creatures with Might cannot be reduced to negative numbers.
- Secondary Insight is now a Minor Hermetic Virtue. You get slightly more points than from other such Virtues, but in return, you can only invest 1 point per season, which is a limitation they do not have.
- Magic Might characters wondering how much xp to begin with: Consider yourself as a Spring creature (120xp) if the character replaces a Companion or a Summer (360xp) if it replaces your Magus.
- Adventure XP is roughly doubled. You’ll get roughly the same from a season of adventuring as a season of lab work. Lab work is still safer, but if you want to play a magus who travels, you won’t be penalized for it.
[size=150]New Virtues:[/size]
Potent Whisper.
Hermetic. Minor.
When casting a Range: Voice spell silently, the effect carries as far as if it were spoken aloud. This has no effect on spells cast at normal
volume, or when using a Booming Voice.
Flexible Technique.
Hermetic. Minor.
Choose a second Characteristic to use for casting scores. Always use the better of the two. All other limits still apply.
[size=150]Advice:[/size]
- I’m very open to tweaking characters over time, for example if you didn’t understand some mechanic of the game initially.
- Anything you put on your sheet WILL come into play. There are no “free” Flaws or “wasted” Virtues.
- Online combat slows down the game, so if you’ve ever wanted to play a non-combatant, this would be a good opportunity.
- I will post roughly every 24 hours. If I have to step away for a few days, I’ll let you know in advance. Feel free to leave conditional instructions for me in private to post in your absence.
- I’d prefer posts be short and frequent rather than a monthly novel.
- In the event that too many players apply, I will choose the first 6 players who contacted me, and add any others to a waiting list (if they wish).
Change Log:
Jan 20 2019: Removed Adventurous Virtue, since it's mechanically too similar to Independent Study (HoH: MC 85).
Jan 22 2019: Added rules about Secondary Insight, Might XP penalty and starting XP for Might characters.