Helena ex Bonsiagus

Retired Play by Post Campaigns Ars Magica 5th Edition: Phoenix - Rise from the A
1

This is a draft and can be changed. I'm not precious about the character concept :slight_smile:

Version 4:
Changed German specialty
Still to do: Characteristic specialties.

Summary:
Helena ex Bonisagus; stands with a straight back, her blond hair plated and hanging down her back and green eyes She wears a simple blue maroon coate with a travelling cloak. She tends to walk slowly and seems slightly distracted. Around her waist is a belt designed to hold a book and writing implements.
When she speaks it is with a clear confident voice, and a sharp tongue for anyone not doing their duties,her sigl is of golden lilies

Helena

Characteristics:
Int +4,
Per 0,
Pre 0,
Com +2,
Str -2,
Sta +1,
Dex 0,
Qik 0
Size: -1
Age: 25 (25), Height: 160 cm, Weight: 50 kg, Gender: Female
Decrepitude: 0
Warping Score: 0 (0)
Confidence: 1 (3)

Virtues and Flaws:
The Gift,
Skilled Parens,
Inventive Genius (Invent Lab Totals: +3),
Book Learner (Book Quality: +3),
Good Teacher,
Great Intelligence,
Hermetic Magus,
Puissant Magic Theory,
Covenant Upbringing,
Ability Block (Martial),
Continence,
Weak Enchanter,
Oversensitive (Slovenliness)

Personality Traits: Ambitious +1, Argumentative +1, Boisterous -2, Brave +0

Abilities:
Artes Liberales 2 (ritual magic), Awareness 3 (determining effect), Code of Hermes 2 (political intrigue), Folk Ken 1 (magi), Occitian 5 (expansive vocabulary), German 1 (ordering grogs), Guile 1 (Not showing reaction), Intrigue 2 (alliances), Latin 4 (hermetic usage), Magic Theory 3 (learning spells), Order of Hermes Lore 2 (politics), Parma Magica 1 (Mentem), Penetration 2 (Auram), Scribe 2 (copy lab text), Teaching 1 (Magic Theory), Finesse 1 (Auram)

Arts: Cr 10, In 5, Mu 5, Pe 5, Re 7, An 0, Aq 0, Au 7, Co 3, He 0, Ig 0, Im 0, Me 0, Te 0, Vi 7

Spells Known:
Chamber of Spring Breezes (CrAu 5) +18
Circling Winds of Protection (Cr(Re)Au 20) +15
Bind Wound (CrCo 10) +14
Moonbeam (CrIg 3) +11
The Invisible Eye Revealed (InVi 15) +13
Demon's Eternal Oblivion (PeVi 20) +13
Aegis of the Hearth (ReVi 20) +18
Prying Eyes (InIm 5) +6
Touch of the Pearls (InAq 5) +6
Whispering Winds (InAu 15) +13
Scales of the Magical Weight (InVi 5) +13
Sense of Magical Power (InVi 2) +13
Sense the Nature of Vis (InVi 5) +13
Comfort of the Drenched Traveler (PeAq 5) +6
Gather the Essence of the Beast (ReVi 15) +15

Rough Background
Odette was born as her mother died, and for that she was forever cursed in her family's eye's. To add to this she was always a strange child, quiet, but strong willed, animals stayed away from her.
At 9 her father was convinced to sell her, something she has been grateful to him ever since. it was fate which brought Aven ex Mecere to her village that summer on his final stop before heading back to Duramar. At tribunal she was claimed under the code by Antiona ex Bonisagus, a Trianomist and elementalist looking for her first apprentice.
The first two years of her life as an apprentice she blossomed. Not only studying under Antiona but spending all the time should could in the great library and talking to those mages who would.
Much of her time until she was 20 was spent travelling around the Rhine & Provence tribunal Next came almost 5 years of travel, as Antonia was charged with liaising with the Thebian tribunal. Although Odette disliked travel, Thebes presented her to study Vis as never before and it became one of her specialities.
At 25 she was gauntleted and posted to Provence as her Parens eye's and ears.
In truth Odette, now Helena is a disappointment to her Parens, although without doubt a good student ,and from her minor essays will one day be an excellent master, her insistence on mastering one Element rather than all, while she accepts it is a worthy cause, she would rather be in the library, or hunting for lost knowledge rather than holding the order together.

2

Blatant gift will seriouly impair the troupe's ability to deal with mortals/affected beings. Since characters usually travel ingroups taking this flaw is only possible if everyone consents to you having it.

Warning: I have seen games where this flaw was conveniently ignored. This is not one of them.

3

I really don't mind. I'm well aware of the restrictions of blatant gift, however depending on Amul's feelings I may rewrite the character anyway.

I have played it before, however I did have a companion or grog I could use so it might not work here

4

It's not the small-statured woman part that I mind, but I do question how much versatility we can find between 2 homebody Terram magi. Heck, maybe all three of us can take the Dwarf-sized flaw, and we can create our own little sub-burrow to hide in during our monthlies. ~ducks~

In terms of creating a functional troupe, we need to fill the archetypical roles between the three of us. Viscaria can deal with mundanes, but the chances of her leaving the covenant is pretty small. That's one reason why I also gave her fae-related abilities and background, trying to make her a general-purpose homebody so the pair of you can go off adventuring.

I don't know the game well enough to say what prevents troupe-functionality and what doesn't. If we can keep our Terram explorations thematically different enough (Viscaria is interested in building-related Terram magics), then that part is fine by me, but I really don't know the system well enough to be sure. I do know gaming enough to say that with 3 players, having 2 of them uninterested in leaving their lab seems to contradict the GM's plot concept.

Also, I find it weird that you'd take Good Teacher, without maxing out your Communication.

Oh, and unless you're really intent on casting Chamber of Spring Breezes yourself, I'm pretty sure that Viscaria can churn out 3 or 4 Spring Breeze items a season after the first one. Feel free to keep it (and give me a lab text for it ~blinks prettily~) or swap it out.

5

LOL, Helena wasn't supposed to be a dwarf, short yes but more frail.

I think considering there is only three of us we probably need all hands to the pumps. I have a rework of my character and take out the blatant gift, but I would say you shouldn't keep youself locked in the covenant!

I'll take out the terram aspect and re-stat, however I think Jean (or is it Jean Michelle) has sort of factors lots of lab time inbetween so we can go out of our labs...however Jean do you have a view on this.
I could always swap to my Mecere concept..then I'd NEVER be in the lab. :smiley:

My understanding of the virtue is I get a bonus to any books I write and anyone studying with me so I saw it as my training being better than my actual personality. However you do make a good point and I can reduce my strength.

We're only just going to have met, so I sort of pictured this as one of the first formulas she's learnt to improve her rooms as she's been dragged round all sorts of horrible places with her Parens and all she really wanted to do is sit down and read a book in her nice room. However I'd happily give you a text for it. :slight_smile:

6

Oh, to be sure, Viscaria doesn't keep her head stuck in the sand, but she's very focused on "Will we still have a defensible position to retreat to when this is over?"

This is absolutely one of those "Players Whining Cuz They Don't Know As Much As The GM" sorta complaints, but I really wish we had some kind of opening cut sequence to give us more direction. I know, I know, JM, the whole point is that we don't.....~whines some more~

It was entirely the min-max'er in me speaking about max'ing out your Teaching if you're going to take the Virtue. As I prefer players who use numbers to mimic conceptual frameworks, you should feel free to ignore that advice :smiley:

~cackles~Oh, gods, that is a great image. Maybe you should dump some Mastery points in it so that you can do it silent and without gestures. Just wrinkle your nose, close your eyes for a second, and relax.

(That was not meant as a serious suggestion. Far too many points for the joke.)

7

New sheet up. Feedback welcome :smiley: (and thank god for meta creator)

8

I don't know what Continence is, but other than that, I like the changes. Our characters feel almost complimentary now, and that seems both nice for RP and an opportunity for possible integration.

Maybe our Parens are from the same covenant? Dunno if that would help or hinder JM's plans. Possibly, we could even have the third player's magus come from the same covenant.

I find the idea that we've been in the same covenant for at least the last 15 years, but never really interacted until now.....really full of possibilities. What do you guys think?

9

Essentially I abstain from sexual relations. Not because of a vow of celibacy just because I have no interest.

10

No more than 5 minor flaws are allowed, p. 37
Small frame might be more like 140cm - still human, but small. Dwarf means that you are so small that you might earn money from it by traveling with a show.

Add brave (because it is sometimes needed for fear rolls). It can be +0, of course.

Area Lore where and which specialty?
German seems weird with covenant upbringing? Or Occitan, given her background?
Skills 320xp
Arts: 247xp
Available xp: 60 from skilles parens + 45 child + 240 apprentice = 305 + 15/per year before apprenticeship
263/15 => 17 years needed before apprenticeship, apprentices at age 22. current age>35, aging rolls required ( or did I get the math wrong?)

153 spell levels (I thought you had 120+30 lvls?)
Casting rituals without mastery is dangerous (botch die)

The character concept is okay - but not as homogeneous as amul's dwarf.
Orphaned lab rat? Plausible.
A weak enchanter? Tough choice, but why not. So she spends her lab time inventing new spells? Doing original research on what? If she likes new spells so much, why are all her spells standard spells (less work for me, but)?
Interested in Auram? Strange lab rat choice, but okay.
A skinchanger? Why!? Where did she get that feather coat? Found it in the lab?

11

Numbers:
I can honestly say I don't know. I use meta creator to do all my character sheets and set an age of 25 as you wanted us just guantletted. So I'll do it by hand over the weekend.

Virtues and flaws:
Again meta creator said it was all good, but if that's the case I loose good teacher and small frame.

Skills:
Area lore was Rhine. In my background I was brought into Germany, and as to why; my parens is actually a Trianomist so travels alot.

Spell Choices:
Mainly because I had about 2 hours to put her together so went for the easiest option for everyone.
Auram: I disagree. I'm a magical researcher, I love all aspects of magic..and who says my lab has to be a dingly cave...I'm aiming for a towers and lightning rods :smiley:
Also In her ideal world she'd be a lab rat, however, she is used to travel from her apprenticeship.

Why Skinchanger?:
Because I don't have to be a one trick pony, although I have avoided story backgrounds as per the house rules, unplanned things happen and in my head I can have a little story :slight_smile: (Perhaps it was actually a magi from the tribunal catching a rival or obsessed with the Swan Mae, or a Verditious wanting to experiment with the cloak, and I may have been instrumental in his downfall while still an apprentice)
Swan Mae's are a great legend and I liked the way it fitted with my continence. As to how again it's in my rough background; she found a trapped swan and tried to rescue it. The sight of the creature trapped made her weep and her tears corroded the metal of the trap (made sense when I had Terram no so much now :smiley:) it but it was too late to save the maga, however she passed the cloak on.
It's also both incredibly useful and dangerous at the same time which is always fun

12

You can be older than 25. But it is 15xp per year before gauntlet (and obviously, no Latin or the like can be taken then without proper virtues).

Auram - it was just a question. It ties in nicely with her skinchanging.

There is nothing unbalanced about skinchanger. Take it if you want. But DO find an explanation for her as she is now (maybe it is a gift from her parens - It could have been her gauntlet to find out the magical powers of the cloak? Or is it a family heirloom?

13

OK I've worked through the numbers on Meta Creator and figured out how it came to that number.

45 Child
240 Apprentice
60 Skilled Parens
225 15yrs of Later life at 15

570 TOTAL

However it didn't have an apprenticed age. When I put in this the numbers dropped to 420....SO I'm re writing this now (ARRRGHGHGH)

One thing where I would like to break the rules on is two personality flaws. I really like the continence and intolerance of slovenliness. Would that be OK?

New sheet up again!

14

So if you are 25:
years 0-5 (early childhood): language+45xp
years 6-10: 5*15xp=75xp
years 11- 25: apprenticeship with skilled parens: 240xp+60xp=300xp

Total: 420xp - that's what I get, too.
230xp skills
arts: 190xp
total: 420xp
the numbers are right!

your personality flaws are fine! I still recommend raising her height and weight to 135cm, 40 kg, at least (because it is less dwarfish - you only took the minor flaw after all) - but of course you can be smaller (but people will treat you correspondingly).

Suggestions for the swan issue (offering to change your character again is VERY generous):

  • take another animal
  • take good teacher instead (making her a coveted author of high quality tractatus)
15

New version up again!

16

She's not as diverse as she used to be - but she is a true boon for the covenant.

As a little reward for your patience and for twice adapting your concept so others can keep theirs, she may start with an Auram tractatus, written by herself, which she can lend or trade as she likes.

17

Oooh thank you :slight_smile:

18

Amul: Re being from the same covenant, I'm absulutly fine with that. Nominally I've said Duremar, but I'm flexible. I just need to change my area lore as appropriate. I would have spent alot of time on the road.

19

You've changed your character concept enough for others, I think. Duremar gives you a fitting background for your skills. Plus, we're now both women with Pater Issues, which is going to be plenty of connection enough.