Hi,
A npc I'm designing has a major magical focus in the sign (per TMRE) "aquarius", which stands the areas of "manipulation, teaching, inspiration, convincing others, repression" .
Concerning the "teaching" aspect, I'm wondering what happens when that magus is teaching an apprentice (or other magus since it makes no difference in the rules) spells. That generates a labtotal: the master must use his highest labtotal for the total levels of spells.
The spells are all under the focus since they are taught.
But I'm wondering if it really applies to this, since it's the only activity which uses a Labtotal and is a teaching mechanism.
Up until now, for the 4 first apprentices of that magus I didn't think about it but if I used the manipulation, inspiration, convincing others and repression themes, that one I didn't and when realizing this, I had the current question pop in mind.
If it doesn't, I'm quite wondering what that word implies for spells, since teaching is either this, or abilites, and I remember that hermetic magic cannot affect abilities in anyway. (From HOH S or A&A but serf's parma on that.)
I don't think this would work. The spells aren't under the focus even though the activity sort-of is.
Likewise, I wouldn't allow a Major Magical Focus in "doing lab work".
If at least one of the spells being taught comes under the Focus anyway (I would think Calm the Motion of the Heart comes under "repression", for example), then you've pushed your lab total up a lot*.
If I were designing an NPC like this, I'd probably give them Good Teacher to add to the concept.
I find the rules for teaching spells a little odd. For example, adding an L5 spell in your best TeFo combination, or even better in your Focus, can increase the number of other spells you can teach. Probably hard to improve on, and not important.
that NPC has already good teacher (and started with com +4, raised it to +5 due to political influence and favors due).
the focus on aquarius themes are definied by RAW so I didn't specifically try to put a "lab activity" in it. It was there, and I'm trying to understand what is supposed to apply to.
I remember many focuses apply to labwork. Especially the focus in familiar (I remember one magus having it) but more generally and unequivocally the focuses in animal (a type of beast, which would always apply to your familiar if he is that type of beast) or in a matieral (as "metal"/"gem" in Terram, which would always apply to items and is quite a popular choice for a Verditius)
Yet in the end, I felt the same way as you do (hence my question here).
But then the question is: what would the word "teaching" in that focus mean in relation to spells. Because I don't know any spell/guideline being able to fall under it.
For the teaching spells rule, I only use them doing NPCs apprenticeships period, because it helps a lot to make powerful apprentices [which the 240xp never quite correctly grasps] in less than 15 years.
Well, the list of associations for a zodiacal sign will come from the real world, and in general there's no guarantee that there are any spells falling under an association. (Daft example: you could have a focus in Time, but there's very little you can do with it without a major breakthrough.)
But in this case there are a few effects it would cover: spells to help students pay attention in class, or motivate them with a wish to learn. I think I would even let it cover CrMe ritual spells to increase Com, given how much Com is used for teaching.
But there is a gap here: Hermetic magic doesn't have spells like "Grant Puissant Teaching", which would be great for you (and possibly overpowered). Unless you went into Mysteries to learn how to summon a spirit that could do that...?
Since i'm simulating House Tremere at the founding (our saga is set at the founding time and we are now in the Ex-miscellanea/sundering era so Tremere house is becoming very important), "mysteries" are not very appliable. My idea was that Tremere is not a genius like many other founders but is organized, has a clear goal, and is inspirational/good teacher, so building a dynasty of mages (a bit like what you may do in the video game Crusader King III if you know it). He is also building a dynasty where each young magus has a morale obligation to take an apprentice under his first 5 years as magus, because it ensures growth of the house.
The focus in certamen is not yet there (and honestly if I invent it by breakthrough as it should at some point, I'll just say that it's not exclusive another focus, because otherwise Tremere house is weak and it shouldn't) and the house free virtue is still on the "take what you can from your master" side.
Your ideas for spells on focusing apprentices' attention on the cursus are quite interesting. I'm thinking about putting magical items in labs for that purpose with a +teaching focus per example.
Also your suggestion for ritual on com is quite good. I didn't even considerate it.
Yeah some magi have already that, but going from a costing 3-space palatial to a 0-space magical items may help them to get a better lab.
Also I'm considering building "teaching lab" free of use in the covenant. That's a common thing players do, and I do not see any reason why the house Tremere,as organized as it is, would not, and in that case, put the magical item in it. The items are not hard to do, but if one season can make a lot, it's always better.
Not related to teaching at all, but what those Tremere should be doing is brigading Breakthroughs. Especially Integrations. Since you can share Breakthrough Points a dozen magi doing research should be able to knock out a Minor Breakthrough every few years.
If they choose their research wisely it'll provide an edge to all those quick-trained apprentices. And Minor Breakthroughs don't need initiation into a Virtue; they can be disseminated quickly with tractatuses.
Really, it's the sort of thing that House Tremere should be doing in canon, too: every few years you get a tractatus with a new Spell Mastery ability, or a new spell guideline, or even a lab text to a particularly useful not-quite-Hermetic spell developed during research.
It's what I'm trying to attain but in this "early order" saga, there is currently only ... (I'm checkin my dynasty picture), 16 Tremere members in 810. (7 being apprentices still) Going for realistic times and "looking with some simulated rolls" apprentices is not easy.
But yeah. One breakthrough that I know have to happen is something related to hasting vis studying process because it's one of the main reason the Tremere house is opposing the PCs on Great Brittain Island: to take the vis from the local wizards and boost their knowledge acquiring process, which helps them imposing their will on the order.
(A common magical focus in those Tremere magi, while randomly selected appears to be related to mentem and many of them are skilled intriguers... It didn't help that Trianoma was absent for 25 years because of the saga we played when the PCs fought Damhan Allaidh and then tried to become allies. At that time, he needed a volunteer, Trianoma raised her hand, and of course he warned that the volunteer could die. She "died". The PCs believed. Only for him to emprison her with the purpose of weakening their unity on the mainland. Well it was a fun time in the saga )
I'm thinking it will be a Major breakthrough because it doesn't break the rules, only make 2 seasons in one, but at the cost of more vis than 2 seasons and with 2x the vis risk if a botch occurs. But still undecided on the real breakthrough mechanism at this time. If I'm deciding it's too strong, I could go with a spell to attune an aura to an art as in the magic rules iirc. And if that doesn't work out, a magic to create a portal to have access to the magic realm, to look for a time modifying regio where they could spend 2 times the real time. I already used a x4 regio for an infernal NPC (one PC used it before knowing that man was a diabolist) and except the cost in aging and warping, it was rule okay.
Ah, you don't need a Breakthrough for that: Free Study is a Hermetic Virtue. Just develop a mystery cult initiation script for it; you really only need one of the Tremere magi to have it. And they can develop a Mystery Cult Lore from 0 by Practice (see AMDE p168-169). Initiate all of 'em in it (it's otherwise a fairly unappealing Virtue). Add Study Bonus for extra (which could tie in to trying to attune an aura to an Art).
And if you're going to brigade Breakthroughs with that few magi, next thing you want to game that system is an initiation script for Inventive Genius which is also a Hermetic Virtue.
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