Games from Folktales 81 - Anosognosia

Games Discussion Ars Magica
1

Timothy Ferguson's GfF 81 - http://gamesfromfolktales.libsyn.com/081-anosognosia - is all about destroying a skillset.

Nasty.

Question: Using the PeMe guidelines, this seems to imply that a spell can obliterate an Ability or an Art. A series of these could be just devastating. Eliminate the Parma Magica skill, then a target's Techniques, and finally their Hermetic Code (I tend to think all magi have at least a 1 in Code, which may not be so), and you have a husk of a mage not even able to identify their acquired shortcomings, never mind object. A little further, and the target magus may be so addled they don't realize they're a wizard anymore.

This is obviously a gross violation of the Code. A wizard using these spells is likely to find themselves dead in short order, if discovered.

What to do about the affected wizard?

2

It occurs to me the ability or art would be damaged proportionate to penetration, and the simplest way to deal with it is to deduct experience points as indicated by that ratio.

This seems a bit D&D to me, but it works.

The idea of a mad magus rampaging across the Order, leaving a trail of, effectively, Alzheimer's victims is rather horrifying.

3

HoH:S has a couple of spells on page 69 and 70 that you might want to look at.

Also, memory palaces and the ability to learn Fortification of the Memory Palace may become more important to magi if more permanent damage is able to be done.