help with a Verditius "ship"/"artifact"

Games Discussion Ars Magica
1

I want to introduce a Verditius artifact that is an entire ship.
The idea is the Magi Ester of the Levanant Tribunal is interested in giving the PC-Magi a "gift" to sell/trade for her in the Roman Tribunal... So that she can establish her trade through the PCs with Venice and Rome. The gift is a big one. I need help determining ideas for STATISTICS in Ars Magica rules and in general HOW she would have created it (what went into it and any problems that might arise).

The idea for the artifact/ship:

How would you make this item for Statistics?
What magics would it require?
What resources would it require?
How would you make/describe this in Magi/Verditius terms for in-game role-play?

The Egyptian symbol of the buckle on the girdle of Isis, representing protection.

2

Woah. So, first thing you'll need is vis. So much vis.

The ship needs to be opened for enchantment. That's either 16 or 18 vis for just the wood. You may decide to add smaller, metal objects to hold more areas of effect.

Next let's take the effects one at a time.

"Move very fast."

There's a few ways to do this. The easiest is actually not to enchant the ship itself, but two enchanted items, one a ReAu that deflects incoming wind, the other a CrAu that creates a wind behind the sail. These are relatively low level effects, and a mediocre Verditius master ought to be able to manage them.

The alternative is ReHe: Base 5 (move plant product anyway you want)_+1 touch, + 5-7 structure/size, + 2 extra unnatural speed (overcoming water resistence) + 1 concentration + 1 concentrates for caster + 1 level (2 uses day-sunrise and set) - total somewhere around... 55-80, all in, depending, again on the size and how fast you need the thing to go.

And you still will want the simple ReAu effect to block oncoming storms and ReAq effects to block massive waves. I'd insist on these. (you'll want penetration in case you enter an aegis/ to counteract counterspells)

"change configuration of the bottom of the boat"

If its gear like structures you want, you'll need to make it an Automata or Mechanica, and that's a whole other can of worms.

Otherwise, KISS principle and make it, maybe, a cosmetic effect. Its a MuHe effect, Base 3, + 5-7 for size, + 1 touch, + 1 concentration, + 1 concentrates for caster, + 1 (2 uses/day)...that's minimum a MuHe 40-50, all in. (you'll want penetration in case you enter an Aegis)

"Substantial Bonus for Finding, entering, regios"

Easy. InVi 20 "Piercing the Faerie Viel" x 4, one for each realm. Add levels for uses to taste.

All in all, you're looking at no more than.... oh.... 46 pawns of vis to make the whole thing work. If its enchanted by Verditius magi, it has a theoretical sale price of 150 pawns of vis.

Nice gift. Don't lose it.

3

An option for construction is to use the MuHe trick of making the wood not quite fluid, allowing the boat to be made in a single piece of wood without anything needed to hold it together. This makes for a very strong hull and also allows better streamlining.

Many options here. Simplest is probably an item attached somewhere on the boat with a ReHe effect that moves the boat.
Other potentials might be a ReAq effect that makes a constant wave pushing the boat, or a MuAq effect to make the water "extra slippery" and smooth waterflow, a device similar to what ezzelino came up with that causes "weight" directed in other directions than down...

Mmm, multiple items with the same Cr?? effect spread out over the ship? Difficult one.

The ability to see Regios and Regio boundaries with the help of some InVi devices should be a good start.
Some sort of ReVi effect to make it easier crossing boundaries maybe?

4

These questions are for anyone to answer , just using the quote from the Fiannic DW. :slight_smile:

What about repairs? Unless you use a version of Vulcan's Favour.
Can you use Artes Liberales to design a more streamlined vessel?
What sort of bonus would this give?
Can you make the ship an Item of Quality? (page 124 , HoH: MC)

5

Use the same spell as was used when making the boat. Make wood soft and not quite liquid, apply it to where needed and let it stay there until the spell expires.
Also, with no joints or nails or anything needed, the hull will be MUCH stronger, so even if permanent repairs will be more troublesome(unless you make an item for it stored on the ship), its well worth it.

I would say totally NOT. Anyone who is good enough at building ships however, will be well aware of how it is the limitation of the material that is the big hurdle against building better ships. This is one reason why shipbuilders occasionally experimented with radical design changes, hoping to come up with another way to "bend" the limits just enough to push a bit more speed out of a hullshape.

With nothing else added, it will add a little bit of speed and a LOT of strength so the risk of damage is much reduced.
Not sure what other bonus, but essentially anything that uses the ship could get some bonus...

Of course, it could also allow really "screwy" ships, designs that historically didnt happen until recently due to material limits, lika trimarans, much BIGGER ships or a hydrofoil ship... Sure it needs someone to come up with the idea, but ideas were far more plentiful than the ability to realise them and with the material limit so much reduced, lots of things becomes possible.

You can probably answer that better than me.

And yet another propulsion idea, items using a CrAq effect to work as waterjets, used above the waterline such would also be highly effective for putting out fires and decently effective used as weapons, a´la water cannons.

6

If you can get your hands on The Sundered Eagle, the covenant of Favonius consists of a flotilla of ships made in the workshop of Memnos of Verditius. At the core of the flotilla are four magical ships made by Memnos personally. We did have these fully statted out in an earlier draft, but space became an issue and they had to be cut. Perhaps I should try to get these redone for Sub Rosa. Nevertheless, what remains might provide some inspiration.

Mark

7

If you want to enchant a whole ship, you will probably have to construct a temporary laboratory around the ship where it is built, or a more permanent one in a shipyard. There is a Verditius in the Rhine Tribunal (See Guardians of the Forest) who has done just that. The Mystery of Hermetic Architecure is a viable alternative.

You are looking at at least 16 points of vis (TMRE p. 97, the structure guideline is not quite big enough) to open the ship, and of course it is very easy to have a greater capacity if you have the MT by adding a component or two.

Then for a ship, I would expect a combination of ReAq, CrAu, ReAu and/or ReHe to make the ship faster and protect it from storm (pick and choose among the following):

Push of the Gentle Wave, ReAq 30
Base 4 (control a liquid in a forceful but calm way), +1 Touch, +1 Conc, Ind, +1 Size, +5l maintain concentration, +10l unlimited
Creates a low but forceful wave around the ship, slowly propelling it and protecting it from other waves.
Variations: Base 5 to move faster, base 10 to move really fast, limited to a lesser number of uses per day to lower the level (you need one use for every time you will want to stop during a 24 hours period, changes of direction are included in the Concentration guideline).

Fill the Sails, CrAu 19
Base 2 (create a wind), +1 Touch, +1 Conc, Ind, +5l maintain concentration, +10l unlimited
Creates a steady wind to fill the ship's sails, coming from the most favorable direction. This spell is useless if there is already a stronger wind blowing on the ship.
Variations: Base 3 for gale force wind (assuming the ship can survive it), limited to a lesser number of uses per day to lower the level (you need one use for every time you will want to stop during a 24 hours period, changes of direction are included in the Concentration guideline).

Control the Winds, ReAu 19
Base 4 (control a severe weather phenomenon), +1 Touch, +1 Conc, Ind, +5l maintain concentration, +1l 2/day, +3l environmental trigger
Protects the ship from up to gale force winds, changing them into either a total calm around the ship or a steady wind suitable for sailing. This spell cannot create a wind if none is blowing.
Variations: Base 5 to protect the ship from hurricanes, no environmental trigger to lower the level (someone will have to reactivate the spell at each Sunrise/Sunset). Voice Range and Group Target to protect from all weather phenomena (wind, rain, hail, lightning,...)

Self-Moving Ship, ReHe 35 or 54
Base 3 (Control an amount of wood), Per, +1 Conc, Ind, +4 Size, +5l maintain concentration, +10l unlimited
or
Base 10 (Make a thing made of plant products move with purpose and intelligence), Per, +2 Sun, +4 Size, +1l 2/day, +3l environmental trigger
Move the ship (not particularly fast). In the second version the ship can actually guide itself to its goal with no need for a crew.
Variations: extra magnitudes for extra speed.

Shapechanging would be Mu(Re)He, or possibly ReHe in combination with a clever design.

Shapechanging Ship, Mu(Re)He 40
Base 3 (Change an item made of plant product, Control an amount of wood), Per, +1 Conc, Ind, +4 Size, +1 Rego requisite, +5l maintain concentration, +10l unlimited
Change the shape of the ship and have the ship maintains the new shape. A Finesse roll is required for the new shape to have decent nautical qualities. The Rego requisite insures that the ship remains watertight during the transformation. As a bonus, this can be used to make temporary repairs in the ship.
Variations: if only one alternate shape is required, it can be built right into the spell, in which case the Rego requisite can be removed and there will be no Finesse roll. If a small number of alternate shapes are required, the Rego requisite (and the need for Finesse rolls) can be replaced by one or more extra magnitudes. If the ship is not one single piece of wood, then a Structure Target (+1 Size still) is required.

Finding/entering regios is InVi.

Into the Magic Regio, InVi 29
Base 3, +1 Touch, +1 Conc, +4 Vision, +4l 12 uses per day
Grants the helmsman the ability to see throught the boundaries of magic regiones and divine the path to the next level. The helmsman must concentrate.
Variations: similar spells can do the same for Faerie, Divine and Infernal regiones. Or the spell could be modified to see through several types of regiones at once with extra magnitudes, but that would put it at 30+ level and cause warping. Likewise, the ship could maintain concentration or more uses could be enchanted, but that too would cause warping.

Now working back through your requirement:

  • Finding/entering three types of regio: 3 level 29 enchantments
  • Shift from flat bottom to V-bottom and shift decks: 1 level 40 enchantment
  • Move very fast: Push of the Gentle Wave with extra magnitude, level 35 (two extra magnitudes would definitely require an additional enchantment to keep the ship together).
    Require 17 enchantment spaces. I strongly recommend some more protective spells, either a weather control one or a spell to make the ship stronger. Assuming a Verditius creates it, the ship can be "fused" into one single piece of wood, or a MuHe spell could do it during construction.
8

If your covenant can find a Columba maga, you can get her to cast irregular circle wards around your ship, so even if you don't have Aegis, you can have Wards v. Sea Monsters, demons and faeries.

No vis cost, and can be very handy.

Also consider not enchanting the ship at all.

A series of enchanted items give you the same powers, and let you use them for most any ship of similar dimensions or qualities. Then you don't need to put all that vis into a big, easy-to-smash, needs-its-own-lab, boat.

Versatility. Its how Verditus spells Winning.