JeanMichelle's character discussion

Retired Play by Post Campaigns Ars Magica 5th Edition: Canaries Are Dying
1

Currently playing somewhere elsewhere who can PeVI anything up to Might 40 to smithereens. So I am pro limiting.
On the other hand, I didn't understand the rules Fixer was suggesting.
I don't have to: I'll just create a character who's not good a PeVi-ing (so not Nestor)

a) either a Verditius who cannot do formulaic magic at all (having to create items for everything he can't spont)
or
b) a craft magus fletcher or baker
or
c) a character that sends wooden statues to fight for him
or
d) a longevity ritual prodigy

EDIT:
A simple rule suggestion for might strippers. They affect might points rather than might score. A dragon at zero might points is unable to breathe fire, but there are still his terrible teeth in his terrible jaws.

2

I've collapsed my ideas into two concepts
a) a Verditius who cannot do formulaic magic at all (having to create items for everything he can't spont), who uses wooden items/statues to fight/do stuff for him
b) a craft magus baker who is a longevity ritual prodigy.

3

draft 1:

Int 3 Str 0 Per 1 Qik 0 Sta 2 Pre -2

Virtues:
1-3 flexible spontaneous magic
4 Inventive genius
5 minor focus: statues and statuettes
6 cautious with finesse
7 strong p
8 Puissant MT
9+10 Quiet Magic (2x)

Flaws:
1 Primogeniture lineage (story)
2-4 Mute
5-7 Rigid Magic
8-10 Unstructured caster (together with Rigid magic it makes formulaic spellcasting impossible)
11 humble (!) (pers)

A promising young Verditius who in his last year as an apprentice interfered when the covenant's blacksmith severely beat his toddler boy. He was hit on the head when he interfered – this permanently damaged his speech center in the brain and erased his ability to do formulaic magic (he can still learn spells normally – but not cast them – at all; it cannot be healed because the damage is psychological and not physical).

Signature Items (I may need help with those):
a knife that carves wood into statues
an item that animates statues (via arcane connection)
an item that changes a statue's appearance (so it looks, feels etc human)
an item that allows a statue to speak for him (this is how he talks)
an item to project his senses onto the statue
an item to fell a tree
an item that shrinks a statue so it fits into a pouch (until it's taken out again)

  • of course – all „other“ formulaic spells have to be „translated“ into items, too.

The 10 years pg would be spent in binding a familiar and then creating items (I'd spent some xp on the necessary Arts - if the focus is insufficient)

4

The necessary stuff can be built in 10 years

The mystical carpenter
a knife that carves wood into statues
ReHe25 (The mystical carpenter, Cov p. 51), +10 unlimited uses

an item that animates statues (via arcane connection)
Order the wooden Puppet
(Based on Carved Assassin TOME p. 55, R: arc, ReHe25)
+10 Unlimited uses

an item that changes a statue's appearance (so it looks, feels etc human)
MuIm 25 (Base 5, +1 conc, +3 arc)
I want this to include touch, contrary to RAW (sight, smell, sound, touch, taste). Otherwise it would be Base 4 – the spell guidelines are flawed.
+10 unlimited uses, +5 item maintains conc

an item that allows a statue to speak for him (this is how he talks)
(based on Talking head Arm5, p. 144, audio+visual for lip movement, range arc, D: conc)
Cr(Mu)Im20
+10 unlimited uses

an item to project his senses onto the statue
InIm25 (summoning the distant image)
+10 unlimited uses

Bring a plant to maturity in a short time
CrHe as high as possible, a few times a day (final lvl about 40-50)
To create wood by carrying acorns

an item that shrinks a statue so it fits into a pouch (until it's taken out again)
R: touch, D: day, ind
+10 unlimited uses, +3 trigger
MuHe10
(no clear guidelines – inferred from MuCo Guideline Base 3)

Needed arts
Cr
In
Mu
Re
He
Im
9 each = 6* 45xp = 270xp
(costs about four years pg + rest during apprenticeship)

lab total: Te9+Fo9+focus 9+inv gen 3 + int 3 + MT 5 + aura 3 + similar spell 5 + 5 Verditius runes/shape bonus + 4 craft = 55 lab total (more if talisman)
a lvl 35 item in 2 seasons (total: about 4 years)
other spells: 1 year
30xp on Parma and stuff (1 year)

The cool thing is: He can create flying wooden horses for everyone and then they fly around on their horses

5

JeanMichelle, you posted into my character thread rather than your own.

6

That was probably me...I've spent the last half hour splitting off the various character-building discussions into their own threads, and probably shunted one of his posts into yours by mistake. I'll fix it.

edit: and fixed. I was wondering where his duplicate post went off to :laughing:

7

Do you mean Flexible Fomulaic Magic? I'm not finding the Spontaneous version anywhere.

I got nothin.

I'd say that is probably the most unusual combination I've seen so far. Makes for a very unorthodox magus. Can't speak, can't cast formulaic spells, presumably does something funky with his spontaneous spells, and basically all his magic is done through his enchanted items. Basically a gadgeteer.

Already have a couple of ideas, including at least one long-term scenario.

Anything that makes, or works through, a statue or statuette should qualify for the Focus.

The Mystical Carpenter would work as long as it can only carve statues/statuettes.
The effect that brings a plant to maturity in a short time would not.

8

strong p = skilled parens (to gain xp, and because it goes well with the story flaw. I'm not sure I need the 30 extra formulaic spell levels, but I'll see.
Life linked spontaneous magi is the name of the other virtue

I know that not all spells qualify for the focus. I still have to do the exact maths.

How exactly does "Finding a familiar work?"

9

[strike]I'm thinking as build points out of your character's personal bp. 2 points for every 5 levels of the Bonding lab total, and likewise for any powers that the familiar has (2 per 5). Sound reasonable?[/strike]
A season of lab work for the initial bonding, and a season (or more) of work for any additional bond powers.

10

I would count finding a familiar and perhaps befriending it as a season or two of lab work.

Technically you could have met or heard of teh animal at any time and then spend the season to befriend.

I would not count it as covenant build points.

11

I suggest asking for an Animal handling + fitting characteristic roll minus the Gift (no self-confidence) per season
fitting characteristic: Sta if patience is needed, perception if the animal can disguise itself, int if it's a particularly intelligent kind of creature (e.g. owl), quickness if the creature has to be physically caught and is quick etc

9+ for a non-magical animal with 0 intelligence after binding
12+ for a magical animal with 0 intelligence but potentially higher

+3 for each season invested in search (includes seasons with failed rolls, but not the first season of searching)
+1 for every 10 levels of formulaic spells or items usable to attract the creature (e.g. animal speech, create animal food, assume the shape of an animal, intuition of the forest, a water-breathing spell for a fish etc).
+x affinity bonus chosen by storyguide (if the creature and the magus concept harmonize: a carver + a woodpecker, an Aquam magus + a water creature etc)
-x for creatures that are unusually strong (e.g. Might 20+)

If the result of the roll beats or equals 12 for a MAGICAL familiar:
+1 intelligence for each 3 points that the roll result beats 12 (max +5) - so (result: 15-->+1, 18-->+2 etc)

example:
Florian wants a chameleon familiar. The storyguide decides that perception is needed to spot it.
Florian has animal handling (lizards) 2, Per +1, is normally gifted -3, his magus has a muto affinity and a focus on colour +4. He has an animal healing spell lvl 25 giving +3 (rounded up).
Total: 2+1-3+4 + 3= 7 (he has a 50% chance of finding a creature in one season, 80% in 2 seasons, 110% in three seasons).
In the first season he rolls a 1. No familiar
In the second season he rolls an 8, and gains +3 for 1 additional season. His total is 18. He finds a magical chameleon with an intelligence of +2.
He spends his third season binding the chameleon, using his MuIm lab total.
If we add the two seasons needed for learning animal handling and the two seasons for learning the spell, it took him 7 seasons to find and bind a high quality familar.

The other idea is fine with me, but this method means that familiars are more than cheap lab boni.

12

I don't like the idea you need to spend seasons and get animal handling to perhaps get familiar. The fact that the familiar has intelligence means it can be reasoned with. You can find it with area lore or magic lore (tales of strange owl in the forest, the powerful wolf pack leader in the woods, etc....). Once found, then you have to convince it to trust you but the acclimation protection is a good arguement. Similiar personality traits/forms is another source of common ground. Gifts of food, nesting materials or such could go long way as well.

Animal handling is just one way.

13

Wait...are we talking about finding a familiar after the saga starts, or having a familiar already when you start play? For some reason, I had assumed the latter.

14

This is already the case: They first destroy might pool, then might score.

And I'm reluctant to disallow them as a means to destroy a creature. They're a good idea, sometimes the only way to beat some creatures (spirits, ghosts...), they're just way too efficient.

Oh thank you...

I very much HATE the shool of "I take a wooden wands minor focus, and voila! I've got a focus in every Te/fo combo, so long as it's a wooden wand".

You'll notice, though, that, aside from his imaginem effects, all his spells are legit as per the normal focus rules. For these, as they target a statue (and only a statue!), they seem okay to me too (although I could be wrong). So it seems we're all on the same page here :smiley:

15

@peregrine/ladyP:
I agree that a relevant lore might be substituted for animal handling. I was thinking about familiars that influence character creation by providing bonuses even before the game starts.

@Fixer: I agree that foci have to be dealt with carefully. I've avoided wood (although it's RAW), because it is such a lame excuse. My WOODEN bracelet of mind control benefits from my wood focus :unamused: . We've all been there.

16

:laughing: exactly.

Although a focus in wood is fine IMO, so long as you treat it like what it is supposed to be, a focus in Cr/Re/Mu/Im/Pe wood, and not as a focus to any TeFo invested in any wooden item.
=> Animating wooden statues would be fine (ReHe), casting intellego spells on them too (InHe). Having them breathe fire? Not so much :laughing:

17

I've just realized that my character would never go on an adventure in person, but sit at home and send a few statues instead (beautiful NPC concept, but kind of stupid for a PC).

It also seems that we are low on Creo people and the year of botox is drawing near for characters at 10pg.

I think I'll try to find a character who can make decent longevity rituals without becoming a full-fledged CrCo aging specialist.

18

Somtimes it takes time for a concept to develop, and sometimes it helps to go back to what you want and consider that there are usually multiple ways to get from one place to another.

For example, I want a female singing pirate. I don't know why, I just do! Initially she was going to have mMF:Wind, but I've changed it to wood. She was also going to have singing as a Necessary Condition, but now I'm thinking Method Caster. She's changed about a dozen times, but I keep exploring variations on the theme.

It could be, with some tweaks you can make the character less of a homebody (that's what a Story flaw is for anyway).

19

Oh, God, please don't start sending Weeping Angels after y'all's enemies.

20

Yes!
I like this idea!