Not quite. he reads it like an experienced technical author reads the "bible" - that is the list of technical terms and definitions used in the text he is going to contribute to. 
A OOH Magus is a sub-set of people who have The Gift, and who have had The Gift opened.
All you are doing is arguing that since 'Being open to the Hermetic Arts' is sufficient, that it also means that 'Being open to the Hermetic Arts' is necessary. They are not equivalent.
Sure, but then you can read through each of the rulesets for hedge magic to see which ones may fixate arcane connections.
1 Like
I might have added, that "opening the Arts" is so far the only way mentioned to enable somebody to "use Hermetic magic" (as it is used in ArMDE 01-Introduction). Buying an Hermetic magic device and wielding it as instructed is clearly too far removed to qualify.
I personally would favor a generalization that if there is a lab activity that both unGifted folk witches and unGifted sahir can do, then the "mystic" requisite should be possessing either the Gift or any Supernatural Ability aligned to Magic.
(That happens to be the very same qualification that applies to not taking warping from living in a powerful Magic aura, and will also allow the character to benefit as a magus from a Longevity Ritual.)
Those activities, by my look at the rules, would be vis extraction, vis transfer, and fixing Arcane Connections.
There could then be another Ability requirement for actually knowing enough to do the activity, if the Supernatural Ability doesn't directly lend itself to the activity (which most don't). Magic Theory would let you do them under the rules for Hermetic magi, Folk Witch Magic Theory would let you do them like a folk witch, the appropriate Solomonic Art lets you do them as a sahir, Mythic Alchemy would let you do vis extraction or transfer as a learned magician, etc.
This, again, is just a generalization I'd favor, not something established in RAW.
2 Likes
Das ist eine richtig vernünftige Hausregel! Am besten am Anfang einer Saga einzuführen - obwohl der vis transfer vielleicht nochmal überdacht werden sollte.
The consequence of this would be that any moderately munchkin player would introduce a lowly grog with just enough supernatural ability to cover all their needs for vis extration and AC fixation. (Vis transfer is a day's work, and hence effectively free.) It would effectively make vis extraction and AC fixation free activities.
1 Like
Hedge Magic already allows for grog-level hedge magicians (p.11), and most traditions can already do vis extraction. What's already stopping a "moderately munchkin player" from introducing an unGifted folk witch grog to extract/transfer vis and extend the life of (if not permanently fix) Arcane Connections?
Well, that book already has some discussions on how to "account" for hedge wizards as covenant Boons or personal Virtues on p.7. And there's always the RoP:M guidelines on having vis extraction degrade magic auras. But the real limit has always been the Storyguide's sense of proportion and willingness to either say "no", or use such attempted exploits as an excuse to cause stories.
2 Likes
Doesn't that amount to just the same thing?
Particularly since the Bible is not a technical text, but a cascade of texts, each written in a different context, with words whose historical meaning is not always applicable in later contexts.
A TTRPG is, however, generally written like a technical text. And for a technical text "bible" is itself a technical term, denoting "the list of technical terms and definitions to be used in the text" and provided to its authors.
Generally, maybe, but the joy (not ironically) Ars Magica is riddled with ambiguity. To understand what magus and grog means, one has to look at usage throughout the line. In particular, they have different meanings in and out of character. The laboratory rules were written in a context where a character is either magus, or unGifted and untrained in magic (although a few narrow-scope abilities are possible). One cannot expect the wording there to withstand the introduction of hedge magic rules.
3 Likes
Hey so not that I'm...considering doing this BUT IF I WAS
is there a good list of all canon non-hermetic groups? I know there's Rival Magic and Hedge Magic but I don't want to miss anyone (like the weather dudes in Transylvania, etc). I feel like that must be at thing but my Research (Google) roll botched.
I believe there has been some post here on the forums listing most magical traditions, but I don't know if it caught all of them.
Well, I know of Non Hermetic Traditions: a compilation , and Tradition - Project: Redcap . They're at least starting points, though in both cases I rather wish they'd included page numbers (and for the latter, named the appropriate books).
2 Likes