Library of an abandoned covenant

Games Discussion Ars Magica
1

I'm getting ready for my game on Wednesday. Last game my players finished clearing out the obvious dangers in an abandoned covenant that they were investigating. They've now decided to make the covenant their temporary home.

They've asked for a list of the library. Herre are the lab texts from the library list. I've got quite a few new spells and items in here. I thought that I'd throw them out for some feedback before I gave them to my players.

Casting tablet: Aegis of the Hearth, rego vim, level 30

Lab notes; spell,
Bone Carver of Atlas,
Perdo Terram 15
Range touch, Duration momentary, Target part (+1 size)
This spell destroys a mass of stone (up to 10 cubic paces in size) in the shape desired by the caster. The precision with which the shape of the destroyed section of rock is controlled is determined by a finesse roll.
(base 3 +1 stone, +1 range, +1 target, +1 size)

Lab notes; spell,
Hidden Pillars
Intellego Terram 20
Range touch, Duration momentary, Target part (+2 size)
The caster senses how a particular section of earth and stone (up to 1000 cubic paces of earth or 100 cubic paces of stone) could be quarried or excavated in manners which would produce stable spaces or unstable spaces.
(base 4, +1 range, +1 target, +2 size)

Lab notes; invested device,
Cliff Heart’s Sheild, a moderate sized block of limestone opened with six pawns of vis is enchanted with 2 effects.

The Feeling of Safety
Intellego Vim 19
Range personal, Duration sun, Target touch
This effect detects weather the item is within the effect of an Aegis of the Hearth spell.
(base 4, +2 duration sun, +1 target touch, +3 levels environmental trigger, +1 level 2 uses per day)

The Castle as Tortoise
Creo Terram 34
Range touch, Duration Sun, Target Individual (+4 size)
When the item detects that it is not inside an Aegis of the Hearth spell, it surrounds the building that it is in with a three foot thick covering of stone. (If the item is not inside of a building then the enchantment has no effect)
(base 3, +1 touch, +2 duration, +4 target size, +3 levels linked trigger, +1 level 2 uses per day)

Lab notes; spell, circular ward against demons level 25

Lab notes; spell, ring of warding against spirits level 25

Lab notes; spell
Opening negotiations
Rego Menetem 20
Range voice, Duration concentration, Target individual
The target spirit is compelled to reveal two facts about itself (the spell will not work on a living being) the two facts that the spirit is forced to reveal are: what the spirit believes that it holds most dear and what the spirit believes that it fears the most.
(base 5 +2 voice, +1 concentration)

Lab notes; spell, Coerce Spirits of the night

Lab notes; spell, Wings of the Soaring Wind Re Au 30

Lab notes; spell, Circling Winds of Protection Re Au 20

Lab notes; spell, Talons of the Wind Mu Au 20

Lab notes; spell, Cripple the Howling Wolf Pe An 25

Lab notes; spell,
Circle of warriors
Rego Terram 30
Range touch, Duration sun, Target group
Up to one half dozen swords animate themselves and take positions surrounding the caster. These swords will defend and attack as if they were wielded by a trained group of soldiers each with all attributes of 0 and weapon skills equal to the higher of the caster’s finesse -4 or the caster’s single weapon score -1. If a sword is taken more than three paces from the caster, the enchantment on that particular sword is broken.
(base 2 +2 metal, +1 range, +2 duration, +2 target, +1 complex effect)

Lab notes; spell
Absent Squire
Rego Terram (animal, herbam) 40
Range arcane connection, Duration momentary, Target group
A collection of equipment and clothing /armor is teleported on to the caster with buckles fastened/weapons drawn or not depending upon the desire of the caster. The caster must have an arcane connection to the equipment in order to cast this spell.
(base 3 +2 metal. +4 range, +2 target, +2 requisites)

Lab notes; invested device
Cross of purification, an ivory cross decorated with red coral opened with 12 pawns of vis, it has one invested power

Cleansing fire of Vim
Perdo Vim 58
Range touch, Duration momentary, Target structure
If this effect penetrates a demon’s magic resistance it reduces the demon’s might by 5. This effect triggers automatically every two minutes and can also be triggered by use of a command word.
(base 3, +1 range, +3 target, +10 levels unlimited uses, +30 levels penetration, +3 levels environmental trigger.)

Lab notes; spell, Awakening the Dryad. A muto herbam spell that is indecipherable due to (presumably) non-hermetic elements.

Lab notes; spell
The Oak as a Mayfly
Creo Herbam 30
Range touch, Duration sun, Target individual
Target plant is brought to maturity over the course of a single day. This spell must be cast just after sunrise to bring a plant to the prime of its life with a single casting.
(base 15, +1 touch, +2 sun)

Lab notes; spell
One Hundred Shears Gathering Rust
Perdo Animal 20
Range touch, Duration momentary, Target group (+2 size)
This spell shaves the fur from a heard of animals leaving a short stubble of hair as if the animal had been shorn by hand.
(base 3, +1 range, +2 target, +2 size)

Lab notes; spell
Mist of Claws and Feathers
Creo (Rego) Animal 35
Range touch, Duration diameter, Target Group
This spell creates a swarm of hundreds of angry birds of different types. The birds will attack one target specified in the casting of the spell. The birds do +5 damage per round (soaked as normal). The target of the spell will also suffer a -3 to all actions and three extra botch dice do to the distracting effects of being torn apart by a swarm of avians.
(base 10 +1 range, +1 duration, +2 target, +1 requisite)

Lab notes; spell,
Growling Chirping Sniffing and Enlightenment
Intellego Animal 25
Range voice, Duration concentration, Target Individual
The caster may converse with the target animal
(base 10, + 2 range, +1 duration)

Lab notes; spell,
Cleanse the Verminous Infestation
PeAn Level 20
Range: touch, Duration: momentary, Target: room
This spell causes all insects and creatures up to the size of a mouse to be killed within the area of effect.
(Base 30, +1 touch, +2 room, size restriction -5)

(I stole this one from the spells wiki, it's one of Badger101's, I kicked it up a magnitude in order to make it less controvercial)

1 Like
2

Won't you need a third effect to determine whether the item is in a building? Hmm... Oh, well, the lab text for it might simply be missing (or still in shorthand). :smiling_imp:

Shouldn't the spell require concentration from the caster to control the swords? I perceive the multitasking as problematic. And it somewhat devalues automata.

Casting requisites maybe sufficient here, no?

chuckle :smiley:

grumble grumble If they ask, you can always say it is the result of an experiment. :stuck_out_tongue:

Are the spells and devices supposed to have been invented by the magi of the covenant? How many magi? What were their specialties? I see at least one heavy-duty Terram magus and a Vim expert. No wimps allowed.

Edit: Magical foci help, I guess.

3

Very neat spells, bravo! I love the names!!

4

I figure that if the item isn't in a building then the spell doesn'thave a valid target. I really wanted to make this a target structure spell bu tthe reuleson Creo spells prevent that.

how does this work?
Circle of Warriors
Rego Terram 30
Range touch, Duration sun, Target group
Up to one half dozen swords animate themselves and take positions surrounding the caster. When the caster concenrates on the spell these swords will defend and attack as if they were wielded by a trained group of soldiers each with all attributes of 0 and weapon skills equal to the higher of the caster’s finesse -4 or the caster’s single weapon score -1. If a sword is taken more than three paces from the caster, the enchantment on that particular sword is broken.
(base 2 +2 metal, +1 range, +2 duration, +2 target, +1 complex effect)

Good idea

There were six magi at the old covenant. Most of the spells and devices came from them. The exceptions to this are the aegis tablet and the rock quarrying spells which were traded for when the covenant was built. (The covenant is dug into the side of a cliff)

5

Not if the Creo spell is intended to target an existing stone structure and make it "grow" some additional stone. :slight_smile: Possibly with a Muto requisite to cleanly fuse it. Or the other way round, Muto with a Creo requisite. You just need to limit the spell and say that the item must be within the structure rather than merely touch it.

I'm OK with it if you are. Having the spell control multiple swords (a complex effect indeed) simultaneously makes me cringe a bit, but you've put in significant limitations so it's probably fair. Up to 6 fighters with a simple -1 to your (weapon) skill is a very good deal for a martial mage. It becomes terrifying in the hands of one with Tethered Magic and a few grogs. But then again, Hermetic magic in general can be pretty fearsome.

Given the levels, it should take them some time to really be able to use those texts anyway. You know, for kicks, you should add side effects to at least a couple of the spells. And don't forget the caster's sigil on the Aegis tablet. :smiling_imp:

6

I see no reason for this to be "concentration". Diameter is ample time for such a narrowly defined response, and it absolves any burden on the caster to think about it while it's occurring.

Terrem spells- nifty combo; but does such such establish precedent to remove the need for any Engineering skill in similar situations? Build a house, build a castle, build an X, just Intellego what to do?