So I just wanted to discuss the idea of letting Hermetic magi in-game create auras and regios. What sort of themes would occur, breakthroughs be needed, and mechanics created. I am not looking for a sort of random chance ability but rather an actual ritual working that could allow the safe, efficient, and 'easy' (as in repeatable) creation of magic auras and magical regios. Also what would be some of the ramifications (both positive and negative, but lets not just make it negative lets look at the positive fun side of things as well) for such an ability to exist in the Hermetic Order.
Maybe even what sort of Integration ideas could allow for the process of getting points to allow such a thing.
A good place I think to start is the Hermetic Architecture mystery cult from Mysteries Revised Edition as well as the Aura rules in Realm of Power Magic, and maybe even the Regio Power of spirits (such as listed in 103 of Realm of Magic).
So yeah anybody else have similar interests or thoughts on this? Cause if so I am looking forward to hearing about it.
That would be very game dependant. I have a character in one game who can call upon a daimon whose avatar will reside in an area and imbue it with an aura as an anchor. Some games that would not be acceptable. Even the die-rolling for expanded auras could simply be modified (perhaps a ReVi to adjust the die roll, or just a high magnitude spell for a larger bonus to the roll will make it fairly repeatable)...
And of course you could haul magical creatures (or their bodies) to an area to establish anchors... the real question is how easy is it?
Under the given rules, creating a Magical Aura is already relatively trivial. It's just the strong ones that are hard to make.
Silveroak points out the easiest route to making a strong magical aura - convince a powerful spirit to use its Presence power to make you a good one. But even your garden variety familiar can do this. Any magical creature living in an area for a year makes a Preternatural Tether equal to 1/10th its Magic Might (rounded down). Low end auras are trivial to produce in this fashion. These tethers generally aren't strong enough to enhance an existing aura unless there are no other Preternatural tethers already present. They also tend to get swamped by other auras (Divine, Faerie) if they're present.
RoP:Magic says that hermetic magi haven't figured out how to make Magical Monuments yet. This certainly seems like something that Hermetic Architecture would cover. One could easily argue that anything made with Hermetic Architecture is a magical monument by any definition.
I had always thought of something like 'Bag of Holding' or chest of spaces and whatever to be a sort of enlarged space, but in Ars Magica terms its probably better to use it as a doorway to a regio which can store stuff.
I was looking at it recently and I cannot help but notice sooo many things that Vim magics can do, heck I think a master of Vim magic is a pretty potent researcher within the Hermetic Order.
Silveroak
I can totally see how this would be dependent on games. Some games having mobile regios or aura and regio creation would be easy and not that bad while others it would be game breaking.
Though it makes sense that using magical creatures or spirits as a basis for aura and regio creation I think that in time the magi should be able to do it without such external aid. I can totally see studying such creatures and creations during the whole research and breakthrough phases. It would be interesting campaign elements - the research - as it is based on negotiating with spirits and creatures and studying their magical workings while also working with them to increase the Might after they use their regio creation powers.
John Prins
The creation of magical monuments is an interesting idea, as well as using Hermetic Architecture to use it. It kind of makes me interested in the whole magical pyramid or obelisk or magic emitting architecture. I don't know if you know Exalted, but its like Manse's in how in that game they can have powers and stuff over the surrounding area - I always wanted Ars Magica to have a similar ability.
I think that's the crux of it. Making an Aura of strength 1 or 2 is not difficult at all. It's getting it to 5 or 6 (or higher) ... that's going to be the real issue.