I have introduced a plot point of an NPC maga needing a Longevity Ritual.
I made a mistake in my notes by saying that the NPC has Incompatible Arts in Creo Corpus. I now realise that is a not allowed combination.
Thus I need a new reason why the NPC can't design her own LR, or at least act as lab assistant for another mage making her LR.
The NPC has several slots for Flaws, and potentially some Twilight scars.
The simplest reason for her not designing her own LR would be that she has low scores in Creo and/or Corpus. Perhaps due to a Deficient Art.
Most experienced mages consider it somewhat demeaning to act as a mere lab assistant to another mage, so she would probably be reluctant to act as a lab assistant.
Besides, perhaps the mage creating her LR already has an apprentice acting as lab assistant and doesn't have a high enough Ledership score to make use of another assistant.
I was also thinking mainly of Deficient Arts. She might also have insufficient Magic Theory to use enough Vis. If she is a Waster of Vis, that may even becomes more likely.
unnatural magic- their creo spells do not have a lasting effect
Is the longevity ritual a spell?
I think deficient art is the most likely answer for why a magus would turn to someone else for help. That being said, if you're looking for a reason why the magus wouldn't even attempt to help, maybe the Prohibition flaw could be an answer. That would be an odd prohibition, but it would work.
A lot of excellent suggestions here.
I'd just like to this one:
Congratulations, your NPC is cursed. Not literally (maybe not, anyway?). But she could easily be the one person unlucky enough to have exactly that set of Incompatible Arts. Which should hopefully show the players why they'd never want that flaw!
Major Supernatural Virtue: Death Prophecy
You cannot die (for any reason) if protected by someone else's Longevity Ritual.
Major Hermetic Flaw: Restriction
Any Longevity Ritual you make (or contribute to) absorbs all your magic for as long as it remains active.
Minor Personality Flaw: Delusion
"You have the Virtue and/or Flaw above."
"You are the only Hermetic magus cursed with Creo and Corpus as Incompatible Arts!"
"You have glimpsed a Dark Ancient Secret: you can LifeDrain(TM) anyone whom you can trick into making you a Longevity RItual..."
"You will find True Love (only) in the first person to make you a Longevity Ritual out of his good heart!"
One more option for you.
GREATER MALEDICTION(Major, Supernatural) ArM5 54
With this flaw you can have an effect that is comparable
to those of other Major Flaws. An effect has Incompatible Arts with Creo and Corpus I believe it could be fitted here. Not to mention that you could take advantage of the person who cursed the NPC to win another hook for the Saga.
DIFFICULT LONGEVITY RITUAL
Major, Hermetic
Something in your magical nature makes
it difficult to create an effective Longevity
Ritual for you. Anyone (including yourself) cre-
ating a Longevity Ritual for you must halve
their Lab Total. You may create Longevity
Rituals for others without penalty.
Maybe? Core p.53
You could also hand out lesser versions of this, making it that only the subject is hindered by the flaw.
Love this! May have to steal it!
There are many, many reasons to make a maga look for a sodalis to prepare her LR. I would think this is the rule, not the exception.
This is simple and reasonable. Perhaps that mage is also just secretive, or a professional insisting on sticking to his routine: "Let me, my familiar plus my long-time assistants do this - you just keep your fingers out of the way."
No Virtues, Flaws and Curses needed at all.
That's actually a great flaw, especially for a Creo Corpus specialist.
Thanks for all the useful suggestions. I think I can see a path that fits the story now.
I would really love to use the following:
but it doesn't fit the story.
Of course, in-game the Death Prophecy would probably be defined gnostically something like:
ie somewhen between one LR failing and before another is brewed.
Would a negative faerie sympathy affecting the making of longevity rituals work?
An obvious possibility is if they have a low magic theory and cannot use the vis in the lab required to make a longevity ritual for someone of their age.
Also slipping into Final Twilight is not "death" which would make it an ending which a Death Prophecy provides no protection from.