House Rules

[Eclecticon]

First up, I've used a colour-coded system for languages in the past that has been pretty successful. I'd like to transplant it over here. The languages I expect to come up a lot are:

Latin: an imperial colour for the imperial language. (color=#9300C4)

Gaelic: the tongue from the Emerald Isle. (color=#090)

French: blue, like the field of the Capetian arms. (color=#0000FF)

English: likewise, the field of the Plantagenets. (color=#FF0000)

Norse: the colour of... um... the sea in winter? Mist in Fjords? Dirty snow? (color=#6D7B8D)

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On another note, I've always loved the lab customisation rules in Covenants, and I want to encourage their use a little. Accordingly:

1. It takes one season to set up a Basic lab (i.e. -3 General Quality) with any Free virtues or flaws you can convince me are reasonable, and another season to turn this into a lab with a Refinement equal to the owner's Magic Theory -3, with the usual chance of becoming Spotless or Highly Organised, or gaining a Hidden Defect.

2. Any number of Minor virtues (or flaws!) can be added with a single season of work, and this can happen simultaneously with the second season of setup - I assume the magus in question is building the relevant virtues in as the lab takes shape around them.

3. Major virtues take a single season of work to install.

4. If you're doing lab setup during character creation, assume the resources needed for the installation of any features are available. There may not be money available to support them during play, however.

5. A lab can be moved holus-bolus to a new (suitable) location within the same covenant with a single season of work. The available virtues and flaws may change as a result of this.

Questions? Comments? I'm thinking I'll probably do up the covenant's finances, but I don't propose to make it a major story element unless you guys decide to make it one in the Covenant thread.

[ExarKun]

Some questions:

• touching someone/something : gives or not a penetration modifier against it or not? (because in the corebook the +4 modifier is for familiar, talisman or fixed... but i assume that someone is a permanent connexion... to himself)?
• can we lower our parma at will against a predetermined source (my staff, my happy mate...)?
• must wards penetrate (core rules)? i'd like yes (because it makes sense to me)
• teleportation on somebody carryes the man and his stuff (and we don't only teleport the man naked... )?
• arcane range is unilimited ?
• does the regios boundaries "cut" the arcane links? (EG: we can't teleport in a regio from outside with an AC from inside the regio?)
• adventures XP can be set in any abilities used? (and MT is the ability always used when thinking about using a spell)
• no limit in the XP which can be set after a session in one ability/art? (EG if i receive 10xp, can i spend 10 in Brawl ?)
• parma has no limit (which is the average parma in the saga 4, 5?)?
• does the MuVi (boost, reach, duration etc etc) need to penetrate the spell ?
• When a spell is MuVi'ed (booost and so on) is the penetration of the intial spell the only one to enters in play? (EG, i cast a pilum of fire with 70 penetration. I MuVI it to go on sight rather than voice, with a MuVI with say 10 penetration. My ennemy has a 15 parma magica in Ignem : pilum hit or not? In the rules, i'd say yes, but my ASG IRL say no, so i prefer asking)
• can we use adventure XP in Mastery for spells?

I think these are my first questions

[Eclecticon]

touching someone/something : gives or not a penetration modifier against it or not?

Only in that you don't have to roll as high to generate a good penetration total. Honestly, having had a read through the relevant sections of the book, I'm not sure where you found this idea.

can we lower our parma at will against a predetermined source (my staff, my happy mate...)?

Yeah, I've always played it this way. It's not strictly RAW, but it's just such a pain in the arse having to figure out penetration to have a Touch range spell affect yourself that I've never bothered. Items I'm less sure about. My position at the moment is that if an effect in an item is designed specifically for you (i.e. so as not to cause warping), it doesn't need to penetrate your parma. What do you think?

must wards penetrate (core rules)? i'd like yes (because it makes sense to me)

Then let it be so! Hopefully that's not a deal breaker to anybody.

teleportation on somebody carryes the man and his stuff (and we don't only teleport the man naked... )?

Yeah, more fun that way. The sole exception being when you're trying to teleport more than you could carry without effort. Your clothes, purse, staff etc. would be no problem, but if you were trying to carry a suit of armour (without wearing it) and teleported, you'd need a Terram requisite and an extra magnitude.

arcane range is unilimited?

Damn right it is!

does the regios boundaries "cut" the arcane links?

Yes, but it's a one-way deal. You can use an arcane connection from inside a high level regio to reach something outside it, but not vice-versa. So, a magus in Rupes Vitri can affect things in the mundane world with an arcane connection, but someone who's stolen his talisman can't use the connection to target him.

adventures XP can be set in any abilities used?

My reading of the RAW is that you can use story XP in any abilities, period. It's better if you put them in abilities you actually use, but I'm not likely to quibble. It's hard enough to advance abilities as it is.

no limit in the XP which can be set after a session in one ability/art?

...apart from Story XP, of which you can put a maximum of 5 into anything. Stories give you a broad spread of XP, private study doesn't.

parma has no limit (which is the average parma in the saga 4, 5?)?

Nope, no limit. 4-5 would be the average for experienced magi. Anything much higher than that implies that you consider fighting other magicians to be one of your primary occupations, which tends to make other magi nervous.

does the MuVi (boost, reach, duration etc etc) need to penetrate the spell ?

Nah, I don't think this is warranted. There's already limits on how powerful a spell you can affect based on the extent of the change you're trying to make. (Have fun with this!)

When a spell is MuVi'ed (booost and so on) is the penetration of the intial spell the only one to enters in play?

This seems like the way to go. At the risk of opening a can of Rage Worms, the MuVi spell is only affecting the spell, not the target of the original spell.

can we use adventure XP in Mastery for spells?

Absolutely!

[ExarKun]

touching someone/something : gives or not a penetration modifier against it or not?

Only in that you don't have to roll as high to generate a good penetration total. Honestly, having had a read through the relevant sections of the book, I'm not sure where you found this idea.

Because if you look at arcane connection: the more the connection is "durable to you" (hair < blood < arm), to more penetration modifier you got. Since you are permanent to yourself, it does make sense (it's a IRL house rule also).
Otherwise: i can cut your arm to got penetration modifier, but if i touch your head, i haven't, that's unrealistic.

Edit: i'll edit this after coming to work because no time now ^^

can we lower our parma at will against a predetermined source (my staff, my happy mate...)?

Yeah, I've always played it this way. It's not strictly RAW, but it's just such a pain in the arse having to figure out penetration to have a Touch range spell affect yourself that I've never bothered. Items I'm less sure about. My position at the moment is that if an effect in an item is designed specifically for you (i.e. so as not to cause warping), it doesn't need to penetrate your parma. What do you think?

IMO i was thinking about the "PeVi aligned Mentem" in my staff. You have certainly guessed that's an anti "read my mind, you, enemies of [the order, myself]" that i activate when i go to dangerous place.
But with my staff, i could do 3 times the same thing in a day, so protect 2 other amici... i haven't the labtotal to put penetration in one season, so i was thinking if i asked, they would lower their parma "for my staff" (and myself could use the PeVi Unravelling the fabric of mentem to protect their mind for as long as needed). Do you see?

[ExarKun]

Ah i think i have another question:
IRL we rule that ALL aura add botche dies (which is contra legem...).

Do you apply the rules, saying that "aligned" aura don't give botche dies when the botch check concern a "aligned" spell?
EG: in an aura 9 magic, no +9 dies at botche check?

[JeanMichelle]

Do you apply the rules, saying that "aligned" aura don't give botche dies when the botch check concern a "aligned" spell?
EG: in an aura 9 magic, no +9 dies at botche check?

Using the special rules would make hedgie powers stronger.

btw: Is the shapeshifter virtue divine (as a clan guardian)? or magic? Or fairie? I don't want it to be infernal.

[ExarKun]

Well in fact, the "aligned" work for all powers... in core rules, "magic" aligned power (or magic) has no +die botche from magic aura...

For Shapeshifting, seen Morphiste background, i'd say magical.

[ExarKun]

Text mean thinking. I don't think you stated how to write it.

[Eclecticon]

Thought as much, but it's good to have it made explicit.

[Eclecticon]

I posted that about finesse combat spells :

normally combat use attack advantage, but sling of Vilano spell use a +damage spell. i'm unsure: if we have an attack advantage with an aimed spell, do we use:

• attack advantage + base damage only (as in mundane combat rules)
• damage (base + roll) (using only spell damage rules)
• attack advantage + damage (base + roll) (combining both aiming is an attack total + spell damage

From what I read, you used the 2d option. (Indeed, you rolled a die (even if I did it but you didn't see it ) and added the damage, not taking the attack advantage in consideration).

If this is your choice, or if your choice is another (and I'd misread too), can you insert it in the "house rules" first thread ?

Exar's wish is my command, so for reference purposes, I'm going with option 2. I think the humungous amounts of damage Johan can pull off with his aimed spells more than compensates for the loss of any attack advantage.

[Arya]

I don't think that should be houseruled, though, since unless I'm mistaken Option 2 is how it's supposed to work in the RAW.

[ExarKun]

I have to say that IMO, RAW would be option 1:

1. finesse spells generates an attack total, because the target can make a defense roll (ArM5 p86) "treat the (aiming roll) total as an attack total."
   For me it implies you have an attack advantage which mesures your good/bad aiming. (EG, aiming the eye (good aiming roll and attack advantage) is not the same as aiming the foot)
2. projectile has a damage total by himself (that means, only by the speed/strength he is thrown with (it's an arrow but faster and stronger, basically!). Finesse means the projectil has no magic in it when it hits: the magic is only used for the aiming, not for the damage. We can so compare it with arrows ; they use a damage modifier.

Eclecticon chose 2, I can live with it .

IMO, it basically transfers the matter on the projectile hurled and the magic (a great stone or an arrow, plus the magic used) and not on the "place" you aimed (eye, mouth, etc.).