I have a question about about the Covenant book. Yes I am in a game, no this isn't about that game. His rules are his rules. I want to understand and learn the 5th ed better.
Covenant Book p.71, 2nd Col, 3rd par: Hermetic Items: Standard Lab 5 lbs.
I now apply the Quality modifier on the same page and purchase an excellent quality lab x5, so I have spent 25 lbs on a Excellent Quality Lab.
What is the effect of buying the higher quality lab? Does this apply as the matching Virtue? There is a Superior and a Flawless but no Excellent so that doesn't make sense if so.
Does this apply before "personalizing a lab"?
If you are purchasing a Flawless Lab, I can't see it being a Supernatural Purchase. Someone would have had to Creo Ritual them or Nailed an incredible Rego Finesse roll and thus it would be Hermatic not Supernatural.
I would only apply quality modifiers if you are doing away with all the laboratory stuff in Covenants, replacing it with a simpler thing. If you're using Covenants laboratory upgrades, look at how to add virtues to the lab to see how to improve beyond the base laboratory. You really don't want to mix the two methods.
Callin, are you saying there are 2 different styles. Simple and Complex.
Simple is apply what's on that chart? What are the values? The chart shows mix matching Quality and Size. So you could have a x100 from the 2 highest.
Complex is all the Personalizing? And Upkeep is the purchase and maintainece cost?
Tug,
So you are saying the quality and size modifier applies to everything on the same table, except that. I read the footnotes and don't see that "exception" ruling anywhere.
But what does an Excellent "Outfitting a standard laboratory from scratch" mean? It doesn't change the General Quality per se. And "outfitting" is not "buying".
EDIT: and finding someone to craft your Excellent oufit is not easy.
No, I'm saying there is one method but if your troupe chooses to simplify it that could work. That's why I said you should only use your described method if you do away with (get rid of) the normal rules. I.e. that could be a nice house rule if you want to simplify things.
Simply put, there are 2 different systems in place, a generic one for misc purchases/expenditures and a specific one for labs (Chapter Nine), separate from these values. More, I don't think those quality/cost multipliers are meant to be applied to everything on that list - what does "an excellent year of labor" or "a superior bough of rare wood" mean? Or "a flawless pound of gold"?
Take a look at page 113, col 2, 1st full paragraph, starting "Virtues are not simply chosen..." I would suggest that page 71 can be used as a starting point for determining costs that can be figured in pounds of silver (as opposed to vis/etc.).
