Simplest system I can think about is making such acquisitions during character creation follow the ability steps. 5 15 30 50 75 XP
If you want to be especially Draconian you can make each characteristic Una sword have a specific "skill" so you can have a +0 +2 +2,+1 sword costing 35 XP (0+15+15+5)
Iām unsure how the rules are for this. I couldnāt seem to find it under house rules.
Iām afraid I just hand waved a superior spear and the vis needed to enchant it. I believed it if little significance for a powerful covenant.
Could you point me to the rules, so I can retcon the Woad?
That spear need not be anything extraordinarily super at all, as long as the Woad believes it.
But seeing as it is invested with vis and enchanted as a talisman it is going to be around for a long time, it would be nice if it was good.
Further Advancement
Mustering Out
I am looking at The Woad, and it appears he only advanced a few years and not a whole cycle. I also see no indication of chronology. Not that this is required, but it is useful.
How old was he when he was Gauntleted? How many years of development? He earned 3 pawns per year on average.
I am not worried about proper ratios of advancement versus lab, since this is such a short period of time. The Cycles system was created to prevent certain abuses that are possible even with strict RAW. I had one pllayer spend 20 years building up just two arts, then at the end spent a year or two making a super talisman and mega familiar. Then, with only two art scores above 0, he thought he could make a challenge for archmagus.
Andorra may be a powerful covenant, but not unlimited power. And The Woad is not from Andorra. Plus, this saga is not at the top power level. It is second from top (Low, Medium, High, Legendary).
In my pov, there are mainly two things that mark this saga as high powered. Mainly it is the advancement HRs, granting 33% more xp and letting characters achieve mysteries and such before play. The other part, probably more significant than we realize, is that I don't dk pllayers over with artificial limits and HRs to stymie you. That seems to be the trend for most others (from what I read in forum discussions).
Looking at this spear though, it does seem very minor. Opened with 4 pawns, invested with 2 pawns. That is only two years salary. Making it a superior spear costs only a half pawn (economics). Though technically you receive your salary at the end of a cycle (or the few years), this is a very small amount and I am willing to hand-wave at it. No Retcon is needed.
I do not want to be draconian. Not my style. I just want my players to collectively feel that things are balanced and fair.
The rule as is uses 2 x pyramid scale for each bonus. I was thinking of increasing it to 4x pyramid. Your suggestion of 5x pyramid seems reasonable.
By "pyramid scale", i refer to the advancemet used for Arts (1 = 1, 2 = 1+2, 3 = 1+2+3, etc) Arts uses 1x pyramid, and abilities use 5x pyramid.
Ok.
I did notice the mustering our rules. Although I have not played Traveller, I know it.
The Woad was developed only 1 year post gauntlet, in order to invest the spear, attune as talisman, and add one minor enchantment for durability. It would be a shame for it to break too easily.
I assumed that minor, common weapon enchantment was available on lab text and that he spent his fourth season in service as payment.
If vis is only handed out at the end of a cycle, only the lab projects which donāt require vis can be performed.
Maybe he got a loan or advance payment then? He was trained at one of the most powerful covenants in Hibernia after all. But I didnāt exploit this fact further, the Woad doesnāt even have a suit of armour.
I am suggesting 5x because other methods tend to leave characters with "spare" xp. Only magi use Arts, while companions and grogs use only the Ability scale. It is not a big problem, since you can use the extra XP to just put experience into an ability, but that is at the root of my suggestion: simplicity.
I looked at both the Advancement and Mustering Out pages but couldnāt seem to find the rules for value of superior or excellent items?
I can't find them either, but I know I have read them. They are above, in Marko's message without changes. Ora Fidelium, Mateu's, sword, is an exceptional sword that costed me 12 PX. The cost table:
There is a link to the Hermetic Economics rules on the wiki.
But you do raise an excellent point. The HRs are in serious need of revision. They are full of patches and tiny glitches. This is something I woud like to work on, with the blessing of the Troupe.
I just noticed some flaws in the design. You have to open the item before you can attune it as a Talisman. For a spear, that takes 8 pawns of vis.
And Lab Texts are no good for Talismans. Or rather, your lab texts from working on this Talisman can be used by you (and only you) and only for anotherTalisman (in case you loose this one).
Now that I see this, I am afraid you need to revise some things. The Woad needs to be three years older. Then, with a total of 4years post gauntlet development, I will let you have 12 pawns, and you can have it up front if it is all devoted to this Talisman. 8 pawns to open, 2 more to enchant.
And now I notice your MuHe lab total is only 11, and the effect level is 14. You can't even use a Lab Text if it applied. And your Art scores are min-maxed. But leave that aside. With the three additional years, devote justtwo of them to study and take an extra 80xp. Spend 30 of them to improve Muto and Herbam to scores of 5 each. Then, with a LT of 21, you can perform the enchantment in just two seasons.
Also, do note that this spear is subject to magic resistance. Aside from being a Talisman, it has a continual magic effect upon it. Without a Penetration score, the spear is automatically deflected by Parma and Might. You may want to reconsider the thing entirely.
I took the idea in Magi of Hermes for Ranulf of Flambeau, where only the haft of the axe is enchanted, so the head is not magic not affected by magic resistance. But youāre right that is 4x2 for just the shaft.
If that doesnāt fly in this saga, Iāll scrap it. Itās not that important - a talisman is just nice for a young magus in order to have something adding to casting total.
Itād be much easier to just grind Arts.
And itās a lot more efficient to drop both Warrior and the exp in Single to focus on magic.
He could keep the spear, with the ambition of learning to fight with it and enchanting it in time. Just as flavour
I forgot about the head of the spear. That works for me. The metal would greatly increase the expense. The Ranulf idea sounds great. Keep the spear and keep Warrior. Or not. Up to you.
As I understand Talisman procedure, you first open the item for enchantment with pawns of vis appropriate for the item - a single part or as compound device.
A spear shaft is wood (x2) and large (x4), thatās 8 pawns - possible with Magic Theory 4
Second season you attune as Talisman, for no real other benefit.
After that, each time you enchant effects you can attune a bonus.
The Woad would need to have worked 3 years to even begin, to have the vis at hand.
He could have studied Muto and Herbam during some of this time.
Arts are min-maxed? It difficult to do otherwise, when you need a bunch of abilities as well, if you want some moderately strong speciality magic. Spreading out to be grounded in most Arts only allows for low magnitude spells to be known. Thatās also a concept Iāve had fun with before, but not the one if looking for here
Iāll keep it then. Itās a nice gag and also a way of not being too efficient.
The Woad just needs to have spent a little more time in Hibernia before setting off with Roberto.
The spear can easily be superior or even better since this costs little compared to the rest
Iāll look into that tonight, right now I need to assemble IKEA furniture and rearrange some kitchen cabinets. And no magic can do that for me, thatās pure Grog work.
Ouch. Be strong, my friend.
No worries, my wife is an expert. She wonāt allow me to but I do electrics, plumbing, and use the power tools.
Also, that cabinet system is really well designed, almost idiot proof.
We did the kitchen a few years ago so this is just a small modification.
Weāre also doing the bathrooms although only the cabinets. One down one still to go.
Okay, so the Woad has been slightly revised (see his thread).
He has 4 years post-gauntlet before coming to Andorra. This way, he has earned the vis needed to pay for his special spear, and enchant it as a talisman with a single effect in. And he studied some Muto and Herbam first, in order to have earned some vis. Minor changes only, but now his Parma Magica is slightly above 1, which is nice.
I like the character. He is as subtle as an avalanche and looks the part. Irish Hero Cycle seal of approval.
One issue. I spotted it before but it did not register. The pairing of Chaotic Magic and Weak Spontaneous Magic. Without a die roll affecting your Casting Total, the effects of Chaotic Magic will never get triggered.
With Weak Spontaneous Magic, you roll a Stress Die only in stressful situations and only to see if you might Botch. But the die roll does not add to your Casting Total. ArM5, p. 61
With Chaotic Magic, this affects specifically and only Spontaneous spells. You must specify a desired level, which may include any assigned to penetration. If your Casting Total exceeds or falls short of the level by more than one point, the spell succeeds but the effects are out of your control. ArM5, p. 52.
Without a die roll, your Casting Total is predetermined even before you decide to cast Spontaneously and decide upon a desired level. The only way it could ever be triggered is if you purposefully attempted a Spontaneous spell beyond (or below) the level you already know your total will mismatch.
Can you see what I am seeing?
Also, I think Faerie Magic as an Ability got errated and should be Faerie Cult Lore or Merinita Cult Lore or something. I need to read up on that.
I see what you mean. I actualy got Weak Spontaneous Magic and Difficult Spontaneous Magic switched in my head.
Unfortunately the former i Major and the latter Minor, so I can't just switch, because them I'm lacking -2 Flaws.
I could simply take Deficient Intellego instead?
Or I could take Difficult Spontaneous Magic plus 2 more. The Woad is already Ambitious (minor), and it may be double-dipping to also be Driven. He wants to become a magus famous for powerful, destructive magic. That could be either Ambitious or Driven.
Or I could change Ambitious from minor to major? That, plus Difficult Spontaneous Magic adds up to -10.
As for Faerie Magic, HoH:MC p88 lists Faerie Magic as an Ability, used as substitute for Magic Theory sometimes and governs how much faerie vis you can use.
(Organization) Cult Lore is a further addition, all mystery cult members needs it as they go further along initiations. But the Woad left the House even before gauntlet, so I skipped that one.
Talk about a point sink otherwise! Actually I once felt each House should have an Organization Lore used for internal stuff, to not punish Mystery Cult Houses in point budget more than others, but there is a kind of overlap with Order of Hermes Lore.