Hermetic research - New breakthrough

Has i stated in another topic i like hermetic research, so here is a topic to list every breakthrough we can think about and i begin with a list of those i thought :

Symbolic compound
The spell needs an item to work, that item must be linked to the effect (shape and material) and not be to easy to replace (-1 Magnitude).
Type : minor

Limited spells
By limiting the area of the Form the spell can target you make it simpler (-1 or -2 Magnitudes).
If the remaing targets amount for around 25-50 % of the form : -1 Magnitude, if they amount for less than 25 % : -2 Magnitudes.
Ex : A spell of animal contol that only target wolves : -2 magnitudes, if it only target fishes : -1 magnitude.
Type : Minor

Quick spell
Get an initiative bonus to the spell (+3 initiative = +1 Magnitude).
Type : Minor

Items with Finesse
Allow items to contain Finesse (1 niveau = 2 en finesse, no roll it's the Finesse total of the effect).
Type : Minor/Major

Fast spells
Allow the spell to be used as fast cast without mastering it (+1 magnitude).
Type : Minor

Better Arts learning
Arts can be taught as abilities (more than one student).
Type : Major

Mundane opening
The magus can create Initiation texts to teach Hermetic Arts to mundanes, each Technique is a Major virtue and each Form a minor one. Mundanes still can't learn Parma Magica, Bind familiars or have Talisman.
Techniques advance as Abilities and Forms as Arts.
Type : Hermetic

Distant call
New base Re/Co :
30 - Instantly transport someone you have an Arcane connection to to you.
Type : Minor

Fixer le lien mystique
Nouvelle base Cr/Vi :
20 - Fix an Arcane connection (Ritual)
Type : Minor

IMO, this one is a Hermetic virtue, since it applies specifically to the Arts being unable to be taught, which are an integral portion of Hermetic Magic Theory.

This changes the cost equation between Vis and time for fixing an AC. Such a breakthrough would be much more powerful in vis rich sagas.

Yes, but i was thinking that 60 points is a little too much to ask for something that is not so powerful, that's why I made it major.

Sur, well it could be adjusted to a higher base for balance reasons, in our saga we are strained on vis so for us it's right i think :slight_smile:

Yes, but it is a revolutionary breakthrough that will change the Order drastically in a generation or two, there is now the possibility to teach apprentices in schools, rather than by masters. What will it do to the master/apprentice relationship?

Yes, that's why it could be so much of a good saga theme ^^

Sure it is. But as a Major or Hermetic Breakthrough, it's going to take a long time to achieve. Such a breakthrough is more on par with Parma Magica.

In any case, there is a difference between the stories of someone figuring out how to teach Arts to more than one student at a time, and the stories where it actually starts happening. It's going to have to be a fairly fast running saga to get to the point where a magus can do both, and he's going to have to be extraordinarily motivated, even if it is only a Major Breakthrough. If I wanted a saga about running a school, I'd start with the break through fait accompli and move on from there...

Here's the thing, how would a magus even begin to develop a breakthrough to teach more than one apprentice arts in a season?

The original research rules call for inventing spells, enchanting items and the like to get breakthrough points. That does not at all seem appropriate for the type of breakthrough.

My only thought is to have a wizard teach two or more apprentices, and make a roll on the experimental discovery chart. The results would have to be a discovery for a successful season of teaching two or more, but it's unclear why it worked until enough points are accrued.

Intellego Mentem and/or Intellego Vim effects to see how information on magic is stored and processed?

If you look at Aurulentus of Jerbiton in Magi of Hermes[1] he experimented on many things related to Creo Corpus magic to invent longevity rituals that do not cause sterility. He studied the Bronze cord of his familiar which gave him breakthrough points, the spell Bane of the Decrepit Body also provided research points, in addition to others, including experimenting with some Longevity Rituals, too. The bronze Cord and Bane of the Decrepit Body don't really have anything to do with fertility. The idea behind Original Research is to experiment and find useful research lines to conduct your inquiry and accumulate research points. At some point, as the SG, I'm going to ask the player who is going down the same path to put his research on the line, such as making him experiment on Longevity Rituals, as was mentioned for this character.

So, eventually, yes, there will be some experimentation going along with teaching...

[1] Aurulentus is one of the better, IMO, examples of Magi in Magi of Hermes. He does things that don't flat out break rules. T:Structure creating items, and using Perdo Terram to make sea water potable[2].
[2] Within the paradigm I like to stick with Perdo makes things worse, there are some outside cases where this isn't necessarily the case, but the effect level for making sea water potable with PeTe is lower than with Aquam which I have a bit of a problem with.

Longevity Enchantments
This breakthrough allows an enchanted item for form a longevity ritual, which must then stay at touch range with the magi. The longevity ritual gains all the advantages for being enchanted. This follows all rules for an effect being enchanted, and gains all the normal benefits. If the magi is out of touch range with the item for part of the year they lose a proportional fraction from their aging bonus. Needless to say this can't happen if the Longevity Enchantment is placed into a talisman or bond, unless the talisman or bond is destroyed outright. This can be enchanted into a familiar bond. As with all powers in a familiar bond it does not cause warping.

Except when enchanting into a talisman or familiar bond another maga can still make the item for you. The maga it is intended for need not be present, although in that case an arcane connection is required. The Longevity Enchantment need not penetrate.
Type: Major/Hermetic, Virtue - arguably it doesn't push any Hermetic Limits, however it is quite revolutionary in effect.

Hermetic Second Sight
This is a supernatural ability with all the benefits of Second Sight. Learning it not penalized if the student has been opened to Hermetic Magic. Furthermore the character need not roll for second sight if they are using intellego magic that would also reveal the information through one of their senses except the penetration total was too low. Essentially when the Second Sight and Intellego magic are duplicating each other, the character need not roll Hermetic Second Sight nor penetrate.
Type: Major, Virtue

Hermetic Secondary Insight
This functions as the Secondary Insight Virtue. In addition if the Maga has Secondary Insight they gain an experience point in two techniques and 4 forms whenever they study an art or form.
Type: Major, Virtue

Controlled Botch Muto
This essentially introduces a controlled yet still unstable magical energies to a muto spell. If the maga's casting total is equal to the level of the spell they "botch", but the effect of the botch is always the same: The muto spell cannot be undone. This adds rego and vim requisites to the spell and requires it to be a ritual. (The requisites DO increase the magnitude) This does warp the maga by one point.
Should the maga's casting total falls short of the ritual level, instead of being cast double the number of botches she rolled (if any) and add one botch. Then the storyguide decides the normal effects for the botch. This also reduces the maga's casting total to 0.
Type: Hermetic - New Guideline

Inverted Parma
This is a second mystical defense inspired by Perdo Vim. Whenever a spell or power from any mystical source would be affected by magic resistance it is dispelled if its magnitude does not exceed the Inverted Parma ability. When the magus is suppressing his Parma he may suppress this as well. Any spells that affect him during this time will not be dispelled when the Parma comes back up, unless the magus chooses otherwise. This can be used in concert with Parma.
Type: Hermetic - Arcane Ability

Bloody Parma
This works in concert with a maga's existing Parma to harm the attacker. It only works on Hermetic Spells if they are directly targeted at the maga. If such a Hermetic spell fails to penetrate the maga's magic resistance AND its magnitude does not exceed the Bloody Parma's level AND the spell's magnitude is more than half the Bloody Parma's level, then the spell has its ranged reduced to personal, and the target is changed to individual or part if the new target is larger than the base individual. Furthermore the power and duration will be changed so as to not effect the spells level.
If the Hermetic spell's magnitude fails to exceed half the Bloody Parma's level AND fails to penetrate the incoming spell is completely transformed. The range is changed to personal, and the effect is changed to be horribly destructive to the caster. The result is generally spectacularly lethal. Even a level 2 spell can result in sand filling a casters lungs. The exception to this is intellego spells. They generally cause hallucinations, usually frightening, but rarely lethal.

The Bloody Parma can cause cosmetic changes to non-Hermetic Magic or other mystical abilities, but that appears to be the extent of it.
Type: Hermetic - Arcane Ability

Target: Book
This results in a spell that only affects books. It can be combined with any other target, and reduces the magnitude by two levels (but not below level 1). Furthermore books are NOT warped when using this spell. The books must have writing in them, and it can't be gibberish. You can however create a giant book, or make a book out of strange materials.
Type: Minor - Target'

We have a couple major virtues which are blatantly stolen from existing virtues. A cool new target based off that Hedgie Tool target. A major/Hermetic virtue to make House Bjornaer jealous. Then a couple virtues to make Wizard War's even more difficult to wage.

Not sure if it's a Mystery or Breakthrough, but:

Hermetic Genesis
Major Breakthrough
Can use any Art combination to create Magical creatures, as a Ritual spell. The creatures' total Might created must not exceed the ritual's magnitude. If the ritual has a Momentary duration, the creature is created permanently, as a Magical creature; it therefore doesn't make much sense to use longer durations.

Examples: summon a spirit of fear through MuMe, making someone's fears manifest; condense a huge fire into a fire elemental, using ReIg; create a spirit of icy death through PeIg; create a dragon through CrAn; summon the spirit of the lake through InAq.

I must point out something we all tend to forget. Mages can work together on breakthroughs. If you want to change how you train apprentices, so you can set up a "Hogwarts", then just get the faculty first, and set up a Covenant, for the express purpose of researching your breakthrough and becoming a school once you have done so. Eighty years or more for a mage to work on a breathrough? Gosh, that's a hard sell. Ten years (Because you have seven other mages working on it.)? For the fame and power that you would get? Sure!