Hi,
I am working on one Ex Miscelanea Tradition; they are centered on Essential Virtue (Major) [Their Non-Hermetic Major Virtue], I was pondering about which Minor Hermetic Virtue and what Major Hermetic Flaw.
The Minor, I am not sure... Minor Focus on one thing related to their Essential Virtue or On Self-Improvment (CrCo or CrMe at R: Personal, and other spells to get natural or very human or self related modifications), Special Cirunstances (related to their Essential Virtue too), Cyclic Magic - their Horoscope Sign, Study Bonus (after all they are more magical and human than many others) and so on.
Major Flaw: Twilight Prone (the initial Ritual to bring on them theiur true nature , it makes more Magicals too), one Necessary Condition or Restriction related to their Essential Virtues, Study Requeriment, maybe Enviromental Magic Condition, or Weak Magic Resistance.
The Essential Virtue would be taken after one ritual made likely to the Bjornaer Heartbeast with the Ritual of the Twelve Years. During that Ritual, the True Nature of the magi becomes more prone to be seen; the searched to be part of this Mystery Cult are prone to have mystical nature: Mystic sage (Intelligence), Summoner (Presence), Strong Sorcerous (Stamina); but other are possible like Almost Inmortal (Stamina), Expert Swordman (Dextrety) or Beast Master (Presence). The ritual is very private and unique, maybe one initiation that is celebrated on one sacred and hidden place like one subterranean temple or seaside cavern, where the Magic Realm and the Mundane are nearest and so on...
What do you think?
Canonically, this kind of magic is very rare outside the Hero-cult, and mechanically, it's very high-level magic. Why is this tradition specializing in something this deep?
In general, before I gave you advice, I'd want to know what this tradition is supposed to be fluffwise. What were the origins of this tradition of Magic Realm manipulators before they were absorbed into the Order of Hermes?
(I wonder if we should make a post for Ex Miscellanea traditions players have come up with?)
I made one, but I couldn't find it.
I thougth than they were more related to some Platonic or Neo-platonist groups, mixing Mystical and Phylosophical issues, looking for the Ideas or Forms. They see their ritual to bring their Essential natures like reshaping themselves more nearer to their first Ideas or Forms, and so on, they could be one Theurgic cult on the Inner side, or more related to the Magical Realm, with Virtules like Transfomed Being with the final Mystery.
self improvement could easily take any of good student, book learner, free study or independent study.
One of my own ExMisc concepts was essentially that, except that she was a monistic mystic Holy Maga instead of focusing on the Magic Realm.
Anyway, study virtues are not the kind of self-improvement Mario is talking about, but a Focus on that kind of magic would be extreme, and I can't quite see that Magical Focus as an Ex Miscellanea tradition's thing; any tradition that can consistently develop high-Magnitude Hermetic rituals is either Hermetic in origin, or at least Mercurian.
So. Non-divine Platonist mystery cult remnant in Ex Miscellanea, with a weird hedge-magic Initiation to invoke Greater Essential Virtue. (They probably don't have a full-fledged Mystery Cult anymore, because Ex Miscellanea traditions generally Hermeticize quickly and abandon most of their Mysteries, if they had any.)
Minor Virtue: If they were a theurgic cult, it's possible that this tradition has Hermetic Theurgy; ask your SG before going for a Mystery Virtue as an Ex Miscellanea virtue (there's precedent for this but it does provide something that's normally held out as a story hook; on the other hand, this overlaps considerably with the Neo-Mercurians). Alternately, Affinity with Creo, to represent the tendency of Creo to move toward the Form and to bring the Forms into the world.
Major Flaw: I'd go with Twilight-Prone, here.
Ok, I like your suggestion Ramidel. Other Virtues could be likely a persona-persona thing or/and a common to most of the members of the Tradition. I will make that, i wll publish the link to the article where I will write up this Ex Misc.
http://mariojpcsimon.blogspot.com/2014/11/tradiciones-ex-miscellanea-para-ars.html
New entry with te Idea, sorry but on Spanish. One thing, I am thinking about one Theurgic or Theurgic flavoured Ex Miscellanea... so I am between Synthemata Magia (the ability to intuit one Synthemata from one creature with Might) and Spiritual Pact.
What do you think?
Spiritual Pact doesn't work unless the tradition in question are all servants of a particular spirit, something which usually doesn't fit magi (holders of the virtue are rarely Gifted, for one thing, and for another they are servants of the spirit in question rather than dealing with them as equals). It is not the same as theurgy.
Synthemata Magia is possible, though I'd say the Hermetic version is generally superior. Summoning is also an option, of course.
Ok thanks. But there are one Farie Version, more common on the Theban Tribunal, tahn I think was developed by Hermetic Magi or at least assumed, that is not so impossible, if the being that pacted was for example the Daimonic magi founder of the cult for example. I admit than that scenary it's not common on Hermetic magi, outside Pagan "strongholds" like Thebas or Novgorod, but i think than one ascended great magister is a good one, at least like NPC group.
I would like not take Summoning, not becau I don't like, but because it's very easy option. Yes I thought about one Tradition with Summoning (I like too much, but I prefer it with ).
Maybe I can do both options...
Ah, I after a while I did one Tradition of good necromancers, I did it with the Hermetic Minor Vritue of Extractor of Vis Mentem (they know how extract Vis Mentem from Haunted or funeral places), Major Hermetic Flaw - Weak Magic resistance (ghosts - they are vessels to ghosts) and Major Virtue Ghostly Warder. Changign the Major and Minor Virtue and Flaw, with the typical Necromancy Metntem = Ghost focus and Waster of Vis the thing could be pretty similar, giving to the death "toll" or sacrifices by the extra Vis. For example.