Incognito Ex Verditius

Incognito Ex Verditius

Int Per Pre Com
Str Sta Dex Qui

Age: ? (?) – 0 years of off apprenticeship
Warping: 0

Virtues

Flaws

[tableborder][tr][th]Abilitiy[/th]
[th]Score[/th]
[th]Xp[/th]
[th]Speciality[/th][/tr]
[tr][td]Area lore: ? tribunal[/td]
[td]0[/td]
[td]0[/td]
[td]Covenants[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Artes liberates[/td]
[td]0[/td]
[td]0[/td]
[td]Ceremonial magic[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Awareness[/td]
[td]0[/td]
[td]0[/td]
[td]Lab accidents[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Bargain[/td]
[td]0[/td]
[td]0[/td]
[td]Magical items[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Brawl[/td]
[td]0[/td]
[td]0[/td]
[td]Dagger[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Charm[/td]
[td]0[/td]
[td]0[/td]
[td]First impression[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Code of hermes[/td]
[td]0[/td]
[td]0[/td]
[td]Rihne tribunal[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Concentration[/td]
[td]0[/td]
[td]0[/td]
[td]Spell casting[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Craft: ?[/td]
[td]0[/td]
[td]0[/td]
[td]?[/td][/tr]

[tr][td]Etiquette[/td]
[td]0[/td]
[td]0[/td]
[td]Magi[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Finesse[/td]
[td]0[/td]
[td]0[/td]
[td]Craft magic[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Folk ken[/td]
[td]0[/td]
[td]0[/td]
[td]Magi[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Guile[/td]
[td]0[/td]
[td]0[/td]
[td]Lying to authorities[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Intrigue[/td]
[td]0[/td]
[td]0[/td]
[td]Figure out motives[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Latin[/td]
[td]0[/td]
[td]0[/td]
[td]Hermetic use[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Living language[/td]
[td]5[/td]
[td]0[/td]
[td]Storytelling[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Magic lore[/td]
[td]0[/td]
[td]0[/td]
[td]Pagan traditions[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Magic theory[/td]
[td]0[/td]
[td]0[/td]
[td]Inventing magical items[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Order of Hermes lore[/td]
[td]0[/td]
[td]0[/td]
[td]History[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Parma magica[/td]
[td]0[/td]
[td]0[/td]
[td]Mentem[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Pentration[/td]
[td]0[/td]
[td]0[/td]
[td]Ignem[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Philosophiae[/td]
[td]0[/td]
[td]0[/td]
[td]Verditius runes[/td][/tr]][/tableborder]

Arts
[tablewithborder][tr][th]Art[/th]
[th]Score (xp)[/th]
[th]Art[/th]
[th]Score (xp)[/th]
[th]Art[/th]
[th]Score (xp)[/th][/tr]
[tr][td]Cr[/td]
[td]0 (0)[/td]
[td]An[/td]
[td]0 (0)[/td]
[td]Ig[/td]
[td]0 (0)[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]In[/td]
[td]0 (0)[/td]
[td]Aq[/td]
[td]0 (0)[/td]
[td]Im[/td]
[td]0 (0)[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Mu[/td]
[td]0 (0)[/td]
[td]Au[/td]
[td]0 (0)[/td]
[td]Me[/td]
[td]0 (0)[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Pe[/td]
[td]0 (0)[/td]
[td]Co[/td]
[td]0 (0)[/td]
[td]Te[/td]
[td]0 (0)[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Re[/td]
[td]0 (0)[/td]
[td]He[/td]
[td]0 (0)[/td]
[td]Vi[/td]
[td]0 (0)[/td][/tr][/tablewithborder]

[tablewithborder][tr][th]Spell[/th]
[th]TeFo[/th]
[th]Level[/th]
[th]Casting total (Te+Fo+Sta)[/th]
[th]Mastery score[/th]
[th]Mastery[/th]
[th]Page reference[/th][/tr]
[tr][td]A spell[/td]
[td]TeFo(Req)[/td]
[td]00[/td]
[td]+0[/td]
[td]0[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[td]Somewhere[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]A spell[/td]
[td]TeFo(Req)[/td]
[td]00[/td]
[td]+0[/td]
[td]0[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[td]Somewhere[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]A spell[/td]
[td]TeFo(Req)[/td]
[td]00[/td]
[td]+0[/td]
[td]0[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[td]Somewhere[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]A spell[/td]
[td]TeFo(Req)[/td]
[td]00[/td]
[td]+0[/td]
[td]0[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[td]Somewhere[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]A spell[/td]
[td]TeFo(Req)[/td]
[td]00[/td]
[td]+0[/td]
[td]0[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[td]Somewhere[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]A spell[/td]
[td]TeFo(Req)[/td]
[td]00[/td]
[td]+0[/td]
[td]0[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[td]Somewhere[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]A spell[/td]
[td]TeFo(Req)[/td]
[td]00[/td]
[td]+0[/td]
[td]0[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[td]Somewhere[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]A spell[/td]
[td]TeFo(Req)[/td]
[td]00[/td]
[td]+0[/td]
[td]0[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[td]Somewhere[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]A spell[/td]
[td]TeFo(Req)[/td]
[td]00[/td]
[td]+0[/td]
[td]0[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[td]Somewhere[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]A spell[/td]
[td]TeFo(Req)[/td]
[td]00[/td]
[td]+0[/td]
[td]0[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[td]Somewhere[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]A spell[/td]
[td]TeFo(Req)[/td]
[td]00[/td]
[td]+0[/td]
[td]0[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[td]Somewhere[/td][/tr][/tablewithborder]

Equipment

Personality traits

Background

Not much of a start but something to work with. I someone wish please write a suggestion for a cool concept.

Cool concept? Move away from the eternal verditius weaponsmith/armorer and go for something weird. A goldsmith specialized in miniature items, or a carver of statues. Jeweler, earring specialization, carver... stuff that does not require a massive forge.

Or make him unable to build anything smaller than a cart. :slight_smile:

Yeah, quite a few of those can be limiting to your magic, but it will also make for a bombastic character. IUf ytou have to thing GRAND in item size you can have a GRAND personality as well and plan :mrgreen: Verditius praecoship is not enough (leave that to the house sissies, you are GOING BIG!); maybe turn your covenant into a magic item.

Or the other way around: create magic items the size of a palm, then a nut, then a cockroach, then an ant.... and end up with nanotech and items that are 2 elements combined at molecular level. With a rune, of course.

Or go and enchant supple items. Like water. Static items are for losers, you will create something much more adaptable and infinitely more durable to physical damage in the end.

Xavi

I conccur with Andrew, but I'd go even further, and say to move entirely away from Verditius. Incognoto is a pretty cool name, and it'd be a shame to waste it on yet another item crafter. You know veriditius in an out, try something else!

What about a Merinita muto specialist, with a lot of low-level spells Imaginem (like the ones I have with Arachné) to change his form? Or go Muto Corpus, and change everything, even being able to become a chair or another inconspicuous item! With a few PeVi spells to decrease your magical traces, you might be utterly undetectable!
Or a Titalus master of intrigue, with a Persona, Affinity and Puissance in it, and a huge network of agents? Who, by the way, has entirely forgotten what his true identity once were (lesser malediction)? That would be awesome!!!
Or a Tremere specialized in intrusion, with a host of mentem spells so that people forget him and what he's asked of them?
And that's just the first 3 ideas that popped through my head, I'm sure you can do better!

Go out of your boundaries! You've got an awesome name here, don't waste it!

Incognito is just a work in progress name. I prefer magi who have a project to work on such as verditius or bonisagus magi. But sure I have made a few verditius magi over the years... Must think more. Perhaps a verditius who makes lab equipment and works of art but perhaps something else will do.

What about an artist? A Jerbiton who should have been a Verditius, or the other way around?

Or perhaps a Bjornaer who's trying to replicate Thousand Caves in more "civilized" settings?

a Verditius tailor that specializes in magical cloaks and other wearable items?
a Flambeau magus obsessed with the Lumina myths and the secret history of his House?
a Tytalus magus who has obtained the secret of Runemagic and has no intention of sharing?
a Basque Ex-Miscellanea Sorginak, seeking to integrate his exotic magic into standard Hermetic Theory?
a Basque Jerbiton magus from Pampalona, related to the Latinized Basque aristocrats?
a Mercere magus, who was a Redcap for many years before mysteriously developing the Gentle Gift?
a Flambeau magus who is developing a systematic methodology to rival Tremere docterine?
a Bonisagus magus working on a breakthrough concerning the magic of King Solomon and his powers over the jinn?
an Ex-Miscellanea Sahir?

Narrowed down to a few concepts...

  1. A verditius magus who crafts items of beauty and/or lab improvement.
  2. A guernicus advocate with a ambition to spread knowledge of the law through the order and building a large library on hermetic law.
  3. A magical mercere who taken over from the last one.

I like number 3 the best.
When we first started up the renewed saga, a lot of concepts were originally based around a magical Mercere and a bunch of redcaps. The player of that magus (and a Redcap companion) disappeared and left us hanging. So that concept will fit in perfectly and help us out a lot :slight_smile:

Wonder who did such horrible things to you... :slight_smile: I go with a magical mercere then. I have a few ideas...

EDIT: I was replying to Marko, not to Max's reply to Marko.

Oooooh yes! Great idea!

Whatever the idea, if I understand you correctly, you need an "unfinished" concept, with bits and pieces missing that you may complete in game instead of a finished concept that has you sitting and saying "I'm done".

=> This may be a lack of all the spells you want (for exemple, "incognito" might lack, but then develop a lot of different spells to pass as various people/animal/things), the need to increase you social skills (for a gently gifted maga), or the desire to develop a huge spy network.

For exemple, the previous Mercere, who was supposed to join andorra, has mysteriously disapeared.
Your character, a younger Mercere, was supposed to assist him, but now finds himself alone, in charge of a Mercere House that's in danger of being closed. His house thinks andorra should be left behind, but Incognito thinks otherwise, and that this is his change to shine.
He'll need to prove himself up to the task, in whatever form pleases you more: As a merchant (vis trade), as a negociator (social character and spymaster), or as a magus (develop a host of spells and enchantment that'll help him to do his work), while trying to discover what happened to the senior Mercere and resisting pressure from his house.

Here is the concept. A man grows up, follow his fathers footstep as a redcap. Travels through a fae forest and return somewhat stranger. Gentle gifted and some strange fae "gifts?" He is trained to become a mutanum magus and is assigned at some time to take over the mercerer house at Andorra. He devotes his magical power to help his fellow redcaps and conduct original research looking for single use magical items.

While I like the idea of a magical Mercere, they are very rare, the last one disappeared under mysterious circumstances, and their house has been talking about pulling out of Andorra entirely. We'd need exposition to explain why Max's character would get assigned to Andorra.

Rationale for Gifted return to andorra:

  • Strategic crossroads. Very useful
  • Being paid A LOT of vis by the magi of Andorra in order to keep the Redcaps around. On favourable terms, of course.
  • Some kind of aura that the Redcaps are interested in. Need magical abilities to do so, and they do not trust other magi enough.
  • Some kind of person they are interested in. Marcellus Glacius and his transformation from mundane to giant-like creature come to mind as an interesting event from a Mutantes point of view.
  • Some area the redcaps want to supervise personally. Need magical abilities to do so, and they do not trust other magi enough.
  • Max's character is powerful enough to chose his own place, and he has chosen Andorra because he fancies it. Can be because he has a personal objective to track down the previous Gifted Mercere and discover what happened to him, for example. Can be combined with any of the above (or all of them) easily enough.

Mercere magi are rare indeed. And afaik, this would be only the third I have seen in a game I have run (the first being Rodrigo who was an NPV way back in the day, the second being Mercuria who never made it into this game, and Max would be the third).
And there are several reasons why a magical Mercere would come here, and several more reasons why it is in the best interest of House Mercere to maintain a Redcap post here.

  • The secrets of Rodrigo, the former Mercere pontifex (How did he develop the Gift so late in life? What did he know concerning Wilderness Lore of the Pyrenees? Why did he have a Mecere Vault built around the original Vault of Valdarius, and why did he keep the Valdarian vault a secret? What did he hide in there? What of his conflicts whith the efreet?)
  • the Mercere investment (I have never revealed how much vis House Mercere stores at Andorra, but it is a staggering amount. This investment needs to be protected or safely withdrawn. Wherever the Redcap base is, a magus will certainly be needed to protect and assist them. And House Mercere is keeping secrets that they do not wish to share so redilly)
  • Mercuria never made it into the game, but in case Erik ever decides to return I will say she is an NPC and stationed in the Provencal Tribunal at Doisettep (or the name of whatever covenant replaces it in 5th edition cannon, should that ever happen and if a Provencal tribunal book ever is written). It seems logical to me that the Cult of Mercury would want at least one of there few Mercere members stationed there. Max wants to be of the Mutantes lineage I think. That does not preclude CoM involvment.
    This is an interesting consideration. Say that there is an average of a dozen magical mercere in any given era (post schism). The actual number may flustuate between 9 and 15. All Mecere magi have either Puissant Creo or Puissant Muto. Those with Creo thend to be CoM and those with Muto tend to be Mutantes. But this is not absolute. Throught history, there are those who had both and a few that had neither.
    At the most basic level, the Hermetic Cult of Mercere is not a cult at all. Mostly it is a collection of spell mastery abilities and odd ceremonies most magi dispense with. No mysteries. The Mutantes are a splinter lineage who have developed some spell mastery abilities that duplicate some of the special Hermetic Virtues the developed.
    This is all coming from a fresh reading of True Lineages, a quick scan at best.
    This is my thinking.
    All Mercere can learn Mercurian and Mutantes spell mastery abilities. However, those of a CoM lineage take Mercerian Magic or Flawless Magic. Those of the Cult but not the lineage may optionally be eligible for some inner mysteries of a CoM offshoot (such as the Neo-Mercurians or the upper Cult of Mercery (if such a thing exists).
    Those of the Mutantes lineage may take one of the special Mutantes Virtues such as Tamed Magic or Mutantum magic. Any magus may take Harnessed magic, but only Mutantes can take the others. Mutantes magi can also join in with the CoM, which serves no real purpose unless they also progress up the hierarchy of the CoM or the Neo Mercurian offshoot.

These are random ideas. A Brainstorm. Don't hold me to any of this or allow it to spark debate.
Just discussion :smiley:

Thanks for all the imput :smiley:

Name: Amulius Marcius Osterianus Ex Mercere

Virtues
Hermetic magus
Gentle gift
Mutantum magic
Puissant Muto
Social contacts Neo-Mercurians
Minor magical focus Self transformation
Puissant Charm
Enduring magic
Improved characteristics
Affinity with muto

Flaws
Fragile constitution
Plagued by fairies
Missing eye
Nocturnal
Susceptibility to faerie powers
Twilight prone

Abilities / score/ specialty
Travelling childhood 0-5 years
Living language Occitan / 5 / Storytelling
Area lore Home covenant in Provencal tribunal / 2 / Library
Area lore Provencal tribunal / 1 / Covenants
Area lore Iberian tribunal / 1 / Covenants
Living language Castilian / 1 / Travelling
Folk ken / 2 / Magi
Survival / 2 / Provencal tribunal

Background
Born into a red cap family, both parents red caps.
Grew up at a covenant
Followed in parents footsteps
Followed his father once into a fae forest, got some side effect from the travel
Age 14. At the covenant he where at the wrong place at the wrong time. From a magical accident some scars and a latent gift blooming.
Apprenticeship as a mutantum magus
Gauntlet
28 years as a magus, drawn into the neo mercurians. Likes the powers and the company.

Before apprenticeship 6-14 years 180xp + childhood abilities

Abilities / score/ specialty
Animal handling / 1 / Mule
Area lore Greater Alps tribunal / 1 / Covenants
Area lore Home covenant in Provencal tribunal / 2 / Library
Area lore Iberian tribunal / 1 / Covenants
Area lore Normandy tribunal / 1 / Covenants
Area lore Provencal tribunal / 2 / Covenants
Area lore Roman tribunal / 1 / Covenants
Athletics / 3 / Hiking
Awareness / 1 / Lab accidents
Bargain / 1 / Hermetic books
Brawl / 2 / Dodge
Carouse / 1 / Games of chance
Charm / 3+2 / Magi
Etiquette/ 2 / Order of Hermes
Folk ken / 2 / Covenfolk
Guile / 1 / Fast talk
Hunt / 1 / Small game
Intrigue / 1 / Gossip
Leadership / 1 / Red caps
Living language Castilian / 1 / Travelling
Living language Occitan / 5 / Storytelling
Living language: French / 1 / Travelling
Order of Hermes lore / 1 / Living magi
Ride / 1 / Mule
Stealth / 1 / Moving silent
Swim / 1 / Long distances

Apprenticeship Age: 15-30

Abilities / score/ specialty
Latin / 4 / Hermetic use
Artes liberates / 1 / Ceremonial magic
Magic theory / 4 / Enchanting magical items
Parma magica / 1 / Ignem
Magic lore / 1 / Spirits
Profession scribe / 1 / Fast copying
Philosophiae / 1 / Ceremonial magic
Faerie lore / 1 / Fae magic
Code of Hermes / 1 / Molesting the fae
Penetration / 1 / Corpus
Finesse / 1 / Fast casting
Neo mercurian lore / 1 / Ceremonials
Arts
Cr 5 An 5 Ig 0
In 5 Aq 5 Im 0
Mu 9+3 Au 0 Me 0
Pe 5 Co 5 Te 0
Re 5 He 0 Vi 5

Stats
Int 3 Str -1
Per 0 Sta -1
Pre 2 Dex 0
Com 2 Qui 0

Great Idea! I like it! :smiley:
Maybe look at the Faerie Wizardry powers in RoP: F? And Spell Improvisation? Make him strange. Maybe an homonculous wizard? With these strange methods and powers, he has access to new ranges and durations, no? I can't recall. Anyway, this lets him do bizarre things, which is perfect! :smiley:

I'd maybe drop the Mutantum part if going Fae, due to virtues limits, but that's all.

Yes...

Ok, so here's the thing.
As max says, the guy goes into a fae forest, and comes back, say, a century later, not aged a day, but changed, with some Faerie powers, and a so-called faerie "friend" who watches over him. After a while, he gets up do date with all the breakthroughs that have occured since his disparition (new guidelines, new S&M bonuses, the ability to combines various penetration multipliers, whatever).
So, in a way, he is precious. He's from the Blood, and one of the few magical mercere out there. Yet, the house don't trust him. She thinks he might be a Quendallon, either a faerie impersonificator, or a thrall, with his "friend" either controlling him or reporting to their common Mistress in Faerie. They'd like to dispatch the friend and investigate Incognito, but if they're right, this'd be a big case of endangering Faeries.

So they won’t have him leave the House for Merinita or else, yet they won’t put him in a sensible place. So they assign him to Andorra. Here, they’ll see what he does, and he can’t do much damage to the House, since they were gonna pull back anyway. If he’s OK, he’ll safeguard their interest, and might bring something to the House. If he ain’t, well, the place was lost anyway. How to put it? He's in quarantine! :laughing: And he must investigate what happened to the senior mercere, put everything to work... like I said above. And he may have goals to develop his powers, integrate them and form a lineage in House Mercere, whatever :smiley:

Just my 2 cents.

Thanks for the suggestion but I think I will go with the mutantum/neo-mercurian above.
A few spells
Mutantum (total 50 levels)
Invisibility of the traversing wizard PeIm lv. 10 (tethered & harnessed)
The gift of flight ReCo lv. 20 (tethered)
Mighty torrent of water CrAq lv. 20 (tethered & boosted)

Non-Mutantum (total 100 levels)
The wizards leap ReCo lv. 15
Trivia’s unraveling of the wizards craft PeVi lv. 10
Gift of the bear´s fortitude MuCo lv. 25
Piercing the faerie veil InVi lv. 20
Scales of magical weight InVi lv. 5
Sense the nature of vis InVi lv. 5
Opening the intangible tunnel ReVi lv. 5
Gather the essence of the beast ReVi lv. 15