Lignarius ex bonisagus
Character at gauntlet:
John grew upon the banks of the river Wear just outside Durham. His family scraped a living from the river and the nearby woods and selling anything they could in town. He would climb and swim with no regard to his safety, trying to get things others couldn't. As he grew older, trees and bushes started twitching oddly in reaction to his Gift. Silvicultrix, a Bonisagus who had come to Durham to persuade the cathedral to trade copies of books with him, found the boy and took him as an apprentice, paying John's family off with some silver.
After a few years of study, his parens proceeded to foster him with another Bonisagus, as that house often does. John was apprenticed to a Seeker, who proceeded to teach him a little bit about all the supernatural realms to give him a taste of all the wonderful things the world held. Both magi had a strong effect on John, one encouraging a focus on Herbam, the other encouraging Rego and studying books. Sadly his Gift is a little erratic and he risks disappearing into Twilight easily, and trying to practice his spells to reduce the risk won't help much (loose magic).
On his Gauntlet, he took the name Lignarius, meaning carpenter, as he enjoys working with wood and trees. He wants to develop lots of spells involving the manipulation of wood and wooden objects, and seeks a covenant somewhere near forests which also has a chance of finding ancient ruins or strange mysteries.
Characteristics: Int +3, Per 0, Pre 0, Com 0, Str 0, Sta +1, Dex 0, Qik 0
Size:0
Age: 25
Decrepitude:0
Warping Score:0(0)
Confidence Score 1(3)
Virtues : The Gift; Hermetic Magus; Puissant Magic Theory (free) ; Book Learner, Flexible Formulaic Magic, Minor Magical Focus (wood), Puissant Herbam, Puissant Rego, Skilled Parens, Study Bonus;
Flaws Fostered Apprentice, Overconfident (major), Loose Magic, Seeker, Twilight Prone
Personality Traits: Overconfident +6, Curious about ancient magic +3, Brave +2
Reputations: None
Age 0-5:
Living Language English 5(extensive vocabulary)
Area Lore: durham 2 (surroundings)
Awareness 2 (forests)
Swim 2 (rivers)
Age 5-10:
Athletics 2 (climbing)
Brawl 2 (dodging)
Folk Ken 2 (spotting lies)
Stealth 2 (moving quietly)
Survival 2 (forests)
Apprenticeship - with skilled Parens, 150xp into abilities and 150xp into arts
Artes Liberales 1 (ceremonial magic)
Code of Hermes 1 (depriving of magical power)
Concentration 1 (maintaining spells)
Dominion lore 1 (saints)
Faerie Lore 1 (forest fae)
Finesse 2 (rego craft)
Infernal Lore 1 (diabolists)
Latin 4 (writing)
Magic Lore 1 (plants)
Magic Theory 3+2 (herbam)
Organisation Lore: Order of Hermes 1 (covenants)
Parma Magica 1 (ignem)
Philosophiae 1 (ceremonial magic)
Profession: Scribe 1 (copyist)
Arts:
Cr 4
In 4
Mu 4
Pe 4
Re 10+3
He 10+3
Spells:
Gift of the Frog’s legs ReCo 15
Trap of the Entwining Vines CrHe 15
Wall of Thorns CrHe 20
Intuition of the Forest InHe 10
Shriek of Impending Shafts InHe 15
Piercing Shaft of Wood Mu(Re)He 10
The Great Rot PeHe 25
Freeing the Striding Tree ReHe 30
Wizard’s Sidestep ReIm 10
Equipment: a wooden staff for walking, a small bundle of wooden branches, a warm cloak and clothing in dull green.
Character at start of play:
I intend to spend
1 season on Parma Magica (taking it to 2)
1 season on Co (taking it to 4)
1 season on Vi (taking it to 4)
1 season learning the level 20 version of Aegis of the Hearth from a lab text (if he joins a new covenant they will need someone who can cast it) - 10xp in seasons not advanced
1 season Profession: scribe (taking it to 2)
1 season on Code of Hermes (taking it to 2)
1 season on Penetration (taking it to 1(5), I completely forgot this when designing the character...oops)
Final season - if I have access to a lab and can invent new spells, I'd like to create The timbers obey ReHe base 10 make a thing made of plant products move with purpose and intelligence, without requiring your constant control, +1 touch range, +2 sun duration for total ReHe 25. Lab total Re 13 + He 13x2 (focus in wood applies) +Int 3 + Magic theory 6 (herbam) + aura 3 (average lab) =51, so I can do it in one season. This spell allows a touched wooden object to move around as instructed by Lignarius, much like a mop in the Sorcerer's Apprentice or a small barrel that can roll around. Using flexible formulaic magic he should be able to affect a larger object, up to the size of a small cart.
If I don't have access to the lab, I'll learn some Mentem instead.
Looks good.
Although are you sure you only want 9 pts of Virtues and Flaws?
Also, regarding the comment after the invented spell (for which Lignarius will indeed have access to a lab), about being able to affect larger objects using Flexible Formulaic Magic, would that be by bumping the target up to Part? Or should we house-rule that FFM can be used to adjust the size of the base individual?
9 points of Virtues and flaws is enough - if I take another virtue, I'll be scratching around looking for a flaw to try and fit into the background. As it is, I've got as many virtues as I need for this character and not too many flaws.
I always thought FFM can be used to adjust the size - The "Targets and Sizes" box on p113 of the main rules which discusses adding size factors makes it look like size is part of the Target parameter. Therefore FFM should be able to increase size by 1 magnitude. If you firmly believe it doesn't, then flexible formulaic magic may not be the best major hermetic virtue for me and I might be better off with flawless magic. I took FFM because trees and wooden objects vary in size so much that being able to vary my spells would be valuable, rather than having to research spells that cover the largest item I might need to affect.
Let me know what you think.
I agree this would be a very sensible interpretation of flexible formulaic Magic so would support
Ok, I'm fine with this.