[u][size=150]House Rules[/u][/size]
Setting
This saga is using the rules and mechanics of ArM5. However, for Hermetic history and culture, I am drawing heavilly from earlier editions. If you are familiar with old cannon, then pretty much presume that the old trups the new. If you are new to the game with ArM5, there is no need to worry. Simply inform others of your experience and we will help you along.
Development
Magi
For magi, when developing season by season, presume that the average source quality is 10. It isn’t always 10. Sometimes it is 12, 8, 5, 15, and so on. This means that the average is 40 experience points per year. If you have special Virtues and/or Flaws that affect study, for the sake of balance, try not to use they same type of source more than twice a year (on average). Your magus has enough vis to accomplish any lab activities the spend time on (familiar, talisman, etc). The amount of vis they have in hand at the start of play equals 5 + (20 – years of post gauntlet development).
Companions & Grogs
For companions and grogs, the Average Source 10 rule still applies. This means that for average characters, they advance by 20xps per year. The Poor only have 15 xp’s per year and the Wealthy have 25.
However, this does not kick in until you develop the character after initial creation. In other words, the 15xp/year limit still applies for initial development, up until age 20 (for a total of 225xps). This revises my earlier ad-hoc ruling, because I don’t want to disrupt the entire initial generation system.
Wards
Unless otherwise stated, all Wards must match the Subjects Realm and Form. This eliminates blanket Vim Wards except against demons. The Target is the one protected, not the subject being warded against. Also, Wards are a one way barrier. You cannot trap a being inside a Ward. A separate sort of spell (a trap, binding, whatever you want to call it) is required to do this.
Circular Wards
Circular Wards have a Strength equal to their Level. You may loose Fatigue if your casting total is low, but you never have to worry about Penetration. The Circular Ward is simply good against subject beings with a Might score equal to or less than the level of the Ward spell.
Personal Wards
You can create Personal Wards or enchant Amulets (or other devices) with Personal Wards, designed to either protect against a category of supernatural beings or to protect the Target from a specific sort of harm. Using a Personal Ward to protect against beings with a Might score does require Penetration; but presuming the Ward spell matches both Realm and Form, you do not have to subtract the Level from the Casting Total.
A completely different sort of personal protective spell, also called a Ward, is designed to protect the Target from a specific sort of Harm (e.g. Ward against Heat and Flames). These sorts of spells add to the Target’s Soak against the specified form of damage. This is just the mechanical effect though, as what is actually happening is that the damage from the specified source is being reduced. Using the example of . Ward against Heat and Flames, the flames are actually kept at bay, and only the damage above a certain amount affects the target. A similar spell against metal weapons would cause all blows under a certain amount of damage to simply miss. The perfectly rolled Attack will strike something invisible but solid a mere inch away from the targets skin. Damage above that amount will affect the target, the sword was slowed but the force was enough to carry some impact through, or the Attack was so perfect it managed to concentrate enough force on a sinle point to at least poke or tap you. The base Protection of such wards is +5 Soak at a base level of 4, plus an additional +5 per additional magnitude of protection.
Blanket WardsThe Columbae have exceptional Warding powers. They can create a Blanket Ward that affects a subject beings Might or Form, as long as the Subject is specific enough. They don’t always have to match both. For example, they can create an Animal Ward that protects against Dragons and Serpents of the Magic and Faerie and other Realms, or they can create Vim Wards against all Faerie beings. However, the drawback is that such spells must operate according to normal Penetration rules. Other magi may have this advantage when dealing with specific categories of beings. For example; Merinita magi may create Blanket Wards against various types of Faeries, Theurgists can create Wards using Vim to affect all spirits of s specific realm, or they may use Mentem against Spirits of any realm.
Virtues and Flaws
I have created some new Virtues and Flaws, and I am open to players creative ideas as well. I prefer New ones instead of Modified ones (taking an existing Virtue, altering it, and slapping a new name on it counts as New, because the old Virtue is still available to others in an unmodified form). I also hold true to the distinction between “Cannot†and “Should Notâ€, especially where they pertain to the sorts of Virtues and Flaws you may choose. This means you can have more than one Story Flaw and more than two Personality Flaws. However, keep in mind that these should all still work together logically. For example, Black Sheep and Close Family Ties makes for an interesting combination if carefully considered. Your family shuns you, but your cousin still loves you and you will move Heaven and Earth to protect her.
[b]Goetic Arts[b]
Both Commanding and Binding can be aligned to realms other than the Infernal, but still carry the same "taint" when investigated with powers such as Sense Holiness and Unholiness, just like Summoning is in the RAW. Ablation is still an Infernal only aligned power.