Tytalus himself named his dog Tremere.....So riding the symbol of Tremere seems a very similar thing imho.
I updated the first post, starting at "PHASE 2".
The concept is slowly evolving. Still, no magical focus, or not much about it.
EDIT: reposting the info here, in case people do not want to go to the first post again
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PHASE 2
After thinking a little bit about this character and having received substantial criticisms about rhe concept, I will try to streamline what I have so far.
CONCEPT
- Flambeau magical beast hunter
WHY?
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Those present a good challenge (I hear you yell “tytalus!†to me. Wait a little bit
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The maga is practical, and hunting magical beasts makes for a good way to get magical resources. They sport a good prize in the magical stuff market as well, so the maga can make quite a hermetic living out of it.
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Quite a few times the creatures are dangerous to the human population (typical evil dragon or troll). Then the maga comes down and slays it for the betterment of the human village that was living in terror. Classy and knightly legendary stuff.
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The maga can brag no end about having beating the Dangerous Beast of the Mountain with some ale in his tankard and the cheers of fellow flambeau around during a house meeting.
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The maga is a beast hunter, but also a warrior: when it comes to challenges and enemies to keep you on edge for when your abilities are needed in a crisis, few things are as good as powerful beasts. Beating humans is easy. Beating non hermetic humans is fairly easy as well (powerful infernalists are not that common, generally,… or not that the maga knows about) and even non supernaturally-aided armies are not a match for a trained magus. If the army is supernaturally aided it tends to be divine help. Better not to mkess with the Big Guy. He holds your soul in jail, you know
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Killing humans is sinful. Pride is sinful as well, but not like doing something as heinous as killing human beings. The maga is averse to that course of action, at least done by herself.
HOW?
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Here is where I have the most problems.
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The hunting goes along the way of both a pure brute force challenge and a wits challenge. If the foe is noble, the maga might even tell the minions of the target that she intends to slay or beat him and strike a deal along the lines of “if I beat the crap out of you, you will not molest the village anymore and will give me one of your teethâ€. No need to kill everything if the beast is noble enough to strike a deal and keeps his word.
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The actual hunting would be a series of magical and mundane skills to track the beast down along with diverse animal shapes to track down the enemy and sneak into his resting place and short range teleport (along wizard’s leap), transformations into animal and MR-avoiding spells to beat her.
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The maga prefers crushing damage, since blood is prized as an ingredient. A mace would be the weapon of choice over the archetypical sword or lance.
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I have not really decided on a particular focus for her magic. It might end up being a generalist. With Rego, Muto and Perdo as the main techniques and Terram, Herbam, Corporem and Animal as the main forms. Sounds like a follower of Vilano to me.
So far we have in V&F the following list:
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Shapeshifter: Probably at level 4 or 5 with the forms of adder, hawk, cat. Maybe a wolf. What do all those animals have in common you say?
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Piercing Gaze. All the above have quite striking eyes (in legend, not necessarily in the real world) or disquiet the opposition by their eyes. I have always found this ability to be useless in a non political magus (probably not having thought much about it) but found the idea really appealing. This seems like the perfect character to put it up.
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Magical Animal Companion: the first image I had of this maga was riding a large wolf (size +1 wolf). This wolf would be a companion. Not a pet but an ally, free to do whatever the wolf fancies 99% of the time; not a servant but a friend. Probably will be an ex-foe that did beat the maga or the other way around but that ended up in a relationship of respect and even friendship. The wolf would be along the lines of the wolves described in HoH: TL Tremere chapter. Those wolves must be relatively common in the Pyrenees as well as in Transylvania: legends of large wolves are quite common in any areas where wolves dwell in numbers.
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Small frame: by the same concept, I need to be small to use the wolf as a mount, even if the wolf is large. The animals I am choosing tend to be small as well, so small frame seems appropriate.
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Dutybound: as said, the maga dislikes killing people. I am sure that even if the maga has this attitude he has killed at least a few times, so I will integrate this into his backstory by forcing her to have done a pilgrimage already, but that is background. The general attitude is that Thou Shall Not Kill (humans) is a pillar of her understanding of proper behaviour in Earth.
Other potential virtues & flaws include
- Animal Ken: I would like to be able to TALK to the creatures the maga hunts. The fairly “standard†conversation between “hero†and foe
- Good characteristics. I tend to take this one in most of my characters. No need for much justification in any case
I have to get hold of my ArM5 book to keep on developing V&F.
Xavi
Cheers,
Xavi
Just to note that the species of wolves tend to be larger over time in less populated areas. Areas like the one covered by the Transylvanian Tribunal were sparsely populated late into the 15th, 16th century. WIth fewer people, one can conclude there were greater expanses of wilderness so the animal had mroe to hunt and did not have to fear or even interact with men as much.
On the other hand, places like Italy that had a larger concentration of people cut down the areas of wilderness. Smaller habitats would mean slimmer pickings or having to feed on lifestock. Not to mention many wooded areas were private hunting grounds for nobles thus one could imagine large wolves would certainly draw their attention.
However, it is a MAGICAL companion so it's very possible the wolf simply grew from the effects of a magical aura.
It looks like it will be the two of us. Although my character is very specialized in "eye" magics.
It is also implied that he could do it because he was a Founder and feared for his power. Had it been a lesser magus the person would have had to deal with a couple of wizard wars.
The philosophy of House Tytalus is more about growth through conflict. As such they seek conflict for conflict's sake. Desiring a good challenge to test oneself shouldn't be exclusive to them.
Prestige is a notworthy goal. May I suggest maybe taking the Famous virtue with a sobriquet like: "X the Dragonslayer?" (Doesn't have to be a dragon but you get the picture).
Let's go through the chronology of a hunt. First, the hunter would have to pick his prey or the area his hunt will cover, or both. Way of the Land and lores that cover fauna or magical lore would certainly be an asset. Furthermore, in the case of magical or legendary beasts, the character would have to learn about his prey's existence. So social skills (or a grog or consortes) with an ear to the ground to local gossip and folklore would be useful.
After establishing where or what the hunter will hunt, he or she must prepare. Knowing what to expect is vital. If you expect to face small game, you don't need the same kind of firepower or precautions than if you expect to be mauled by a bear. Again, lore skills would be helpful.
Next the hunter needs to track his prey down. There are ways to accomplish this:
- Using bait to draw it into an ambush.
- Lining the area with traps.
- Tracking it down.
- Searching for its lair and attacking it there (particularly used when it is difficult to spot stealthy creatures, not to mention the prey is mor elikely to let its guard down in the safety of its den.)
- Scoping out an area until your prey stumbles upon you.
- Cornering the beast as a group.
- etc...
From the looks of your concept, it seems #3 or #4 are the most likely. As a magus, the character has more options available to him/her in finding prey; namely magic. Does the character prefer relying solely on his mundane skills? If so, are these skills better than others like say keen vision or good hearing, etc? If not, does he use magic to enhance his senses? Or does he use more direct divination magic and if so you would most likely need an arcane connection to the beast or be able to identify one (so a decent score in Vim might be useful).
Lastly, comes the killing part. Here is where you have the most options. Assuming you don't exclusively rely on mundane skills.
As a flambeau you get either puissant ignem or puissant perdo as House Virtues. I don't think your character is keen on doing a lot of collateral damage so I'd say Creo - ignem is probably not his focus. This leaves you with either dealing with the cold aspect of ignem, or purely perdo. Perdo Animà l first comes to mind. A good score in Animà l also covers requisites for many muto corpus spells that could enhance your character's own physical abilities.
Magical animals will have Might Scores so penetration skill will definetly be useful in overcoming their defenses.
Summarizing the V&F I have suggested or think appropriate:
Affinity with Hunt or Survival, Deft Form (as a shapeshifter could definetly prove useful), Famous, Gentle Gift (to avoid spooking animals by your presence), Innofensive to animals (same as Gentle Gift), Keen vision, Puissant Hunt of Survival, Sharp Ears, Skinchanger (which could add a reason behind wanting to hunt... to collect more pelts to be used for the ability), Ways of the Land.
Feral Upbringing, Low Self-Esteem (you mentionned previously the character felt the need to prove his/her superiority over others so the root cause might be low self-esteem), Missing ear, eye or hand (Makes for a good hunting story!), No Sense of Direction (a silly flaw but one that could be amusing), Nocturnal, Study Requirement, Weak willed (see low self-esteem).
Hunters... First 3 commonly hunting rats and similar pests.
rodent hunting is not as mythic as sharp eyes, though 
Not that pest-hunting is not a bad theme. Simply not one for me in this saga 
I have played a rat bjornaer for a while and enjoyed the Baldrik role there
Cheers,
Xavi
Step 3. Posted in both this post and the first post of the thread.
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STEP 3
Hi again.
After some more thought I have narrowed the concept of beast hunter to be related to a winter theme. Winter is a time of harsh weather and it is the season of the wolf. Predators are something to be reckoned in this period of scarcity and a pair of yellow eyes in the middle of the forest can easily spell doom on the creature being observed.
I am not going to be a beast (wolf) magus. I have a wolf magus in another saga so that would be kind of repetitive. I still like wolves, though, so the character will be able to shapeshift into a wolf.
So I am set into a shapeshifting beast hunter centred on ice, snow and cold. A Winter Mage
Why cold? Apart from the supreme aesthetics of a winter predator, cold has the advantage of being able to affect both humans and beasts alike with a single spell. It is quite broad ranging as well, and it can include cold ice (I have always despised the nation of “warm magical ice unless otherwise stated†appearing in Ars Magica as pure bullsh*t), being able to fatigue people, give them a cold, slow down their reflexes, turns surfaces into slippery areas, trapping the enemy in ice cases….
So here we go with the magical focus: ice. It is a neat little focus in my opinion. So I will rank it as a Minor Magical Focus: Ice
As things are, the character has the following assigned virtues and flaws:
[b]Virtues/b]: +8 pts
- Shapeshifter (MAJOR). Winter-associated disquieting predators with penetrating eyes (wolf, lynx, raven, owl)
- Animal Ken . Able to talk with animals, even if not gentle gifted.
- Piercing Gaze . Disquieting yellow eyes
- Puissant Perdo or Puissant Aquam (minor hermetic). Line of Apromor or Sebastian fits the concept better than line of Elaine.
- Minor Magical Focus: Ice
- Good characteristics general
Flaws: 8 pts
- Magical Animal Companion . A large winter wolf (size +1). A friend, not a pet.
- Deleterious circumstances: hot places and weather. Ice and heat do not mix well.
- Incompatible arts (creo herbam). Growth does not suit winter
- Nocturnal (wolves, lynxes and owls operate better at night)
- Weak Magic Resistance (Whyen near a large fire, including being hit by Creo Ignem spells doing +15 damage and above.
- Known weakness: weak magic resistance
DISCARDED FLAWS
- Dutybound: Do not kill humans. --> I am seriously considering droping this one given that it does not seem to fit the concept very well anymore.
- Small frame (general)
The new incorporations are related to the focus in ice and winter, the true strength of the character. It is also its weakness since fire is anathema to ice and winter (and to predators at large). The Nocturnal personality flaw was incorporated due to the selection of animals chosen: more nocturnal than diurnal ones.
With the changes, and being a shapeshifter, small frame does not seem to suit him as well as I first thought, and it can be dropped without affecting the concept badly. It could be kept, though.
The morale dilemma that first made the character into taking the dutybound “thou shall not kill humans†to become a hunter of animals instead seems to be rather superfluous given the choice of a shapeshifting animals: they are winter predators so the impulse to hunt is already there.
So there we are. The character keeps evolving and it seems to be taking a definite shape around a certain winter theme.
Aquam, Rego and Perdo ignem are bound to be quite the areas of expettise of this character, I would say.
Cheers,
Xavi
Xavi
Mmm my thought was to extend the idea of "pest-hunting"...
Definetly!
Good one, can have lots of fun with that.
Good combinations.
Ouch?
With the commonality of fires in this era, isnt that bad enough?
Perhaps add Affinity Aquam as well?
Or change the focus to Major and make it Cold and Ice? That would also help more with using any spells including poorly developed requisites.
Also the possible option of adding Cyclic Magic positive and/or negative with winter/summer(or maybe based on temperature or something else less predictable) as the good and bad times.
Hmm, anything else suitable in case you want to max out v/f...
Keen vision, Long-Winded, Perfect Balance, Tough, Sharp Ears, Self Confident and if you were to get one of the already stated through a house bonus, Ways of the Winter(yeah a little shifted from RAW, but might be fun), Greater immunity(Cold)...
And... Warped Magic(chill draft or ice forming around you...), Proud(about hunting skills), Overconfident(doesnt sound quite like Reckless is proper but seems very selfassured), Obsessed/Compulsion(Hunting, obvious possibility, question is just how far the hunting interest goes), Fear(of fire, another obvious possibility)...
You just made a list of all the V&F I have been considering as well as those posted above 
The problem is that it starts to be too focused. A focus ios really good, but I prefer to roleplay some of those V&F as quirks, not fuill fledged flaws.
I was going to make his sigil the sensation of cold, for example without it achieving the level of warped magic.
Fear of fire in the middle of a flambeau gathering can be quite dangerous, don't you think?
About the commonality of fire, I was thinking of making her stay in the coldest corner of the inn and stuff like that most of the time. Those are roleplaying experiences to me. The thingy with Ignem spells is that it sounds stupid that she can be harmed easily by staying by the side of a fireplace but a BOAF would not affect her in the moiddle of the mountain. To me, being engulfed in a ball of fire is being "near a source of strong fire", don't you think? So, to make things clear, I made that statement.
My problem os that I can't list 20-25 levels of V&F even if they all suit the character!! I will keep taking a look at some of those possibilities to see how it ends up. I like the sound of ways of the Winter.
Cheers,
Xavi
Lol...
Have you decided on a he or she yet? You keep using him/her interchangeably...
Anyway, just possibilities since you still had room for a bit more.
Ways of the Winter or changing to a Major Focus on both Cold and Ice and Affinity:Aquam was probably the ones i liked best.
Might have to use the first two myself...
Funny, I see somewhat of a theme emerging in the group which strangely enough seems to play into backstory concepts that I have been toying with for my character.
In a way, I see our characters fitting into a seasonal theme (Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter). Dragan and Buttercup (if that's the character Andrew has decided to play) representing Spring; Our Flambeau and perhaps Tremere, Anotonio and the Knights representing Summer, Marie and perhaps our Verditius representing Autumn (since Marie is a seeming tragic figure with no hands and rife for challenges to come, and our Verdi since his Theurgic aspect and the importance of the Autumnal Equinox are complimentary and our Ice Wizard for Winter.
I like very much this subtext! 
You, sir, are a genious. More to come later, but maybe we should start thinking if the Lumina thingy... they do not want to BREED one, those pesky andorrans.... * Or the Senecans being something like a wheel of time ....
Is it me or everybody has taken a FEMALE character? 
Now that I was thinking about moving back to a male one....
Xavi
*And here we are, giving wicked ideas to a wicked storyguide....
That's the thing. Did Flambeau have a kid or it it just a lot of false hope?
And are you an effeminate male or a masculine woman?
I'm a guy, boxer is too. Well, with a name like this, that's a given
I like to think myself clever and insightful from time to time, thanks! 
Funnily enough, the Lumina (once my character learns of it) will also correspond to an aspect of my character's purpose (oh its all all seeming to fit together perfectfully! muahahahaha). Also funny that you should mention the concept of the wheel of time, since my character is all about cycles
Im sure The Fixer will have a good idea where my mind is going on this!!!
Well, if I still have a say about that having been mentioned abou being the huntress et al already) I am leading towards male. When I write the story it will be clarified though
Xavi
3 compiled small updates
VIRTUES AND FLAWS
My list of V&F is something like this right now. I think I am set on them
VIRTUES (+7 pts)
+3 Mythic Blood (effect to be fully defined, but including cold resistance)
+0 Minor Focus (ice)
+0 Puissant Aquam
+1 special circumstances (cold places and weather)
+1 skinchanger (lynx)
+1 piercing gaze
+1 Animal Ken
FLAWS (-7 pts)
-3 Weak Magic Resistance (near large sources of heat, including +15 damage or above ifire spells spells)
-1 Deleterious Circumstances (very hot places and weather)
-1 Known Weakness (of course, known by the most inappropriate persons at a given time according to our SG)
-1 Incompatible Creo Herbam
-1 Magical Animal Companion (Large Winter Wolf of size +1, as per the tremere book. A friend, not a pet)
-0 Reckless (minor)
I think this defines the character quite well, in the end. Time to move to other aspects of it.
MYTHIC BLOOD:
You can see a discussion on the potential mythic blood here:
https://forum.atlas-games.com/t/mythic-blood-winter/2888/1
I think I will end up with the ability to withstand massively low temperatures with ease. Seems fitting, specially since I would like to walk around in short sleves in winter and say something like “Nice cool weather we have today, sodales!†when entering the covenant
Yimir's Kin (ReIg30)
R: Personal, D: Sun, T: Ind
You are perfectly happy in the middle of a blizzard or wintry phenomena. Its temperature simply does not affect you. The cold there feels (at most) like a welcome chill . This spell provides a +20 soak bonus versus any kind of cold. Cold sources doing +20 damage or less simply do not affect you at all. This renders the maga effectively immune to cold damage unless hit by extremely powerful magic. By using this spell you do not even need to use hot clothes in winter.
Base4. +2 sun, +4 for 20 damage
As per Ward vs heat and flames (base 4), dropping the range to Personal and boosting the soak for cold based spells to +20 (no fancy +5 extra soak "just because" as with other fire effects as per the guidelines)
The spell does not allow me to walk in the middle of the blizzard (ReCo4), nor to see/hear through it (CrAu15). However, Molten iron does +12 damage according to the RAW, so I might be able to drop the damage magnitude somewhat if you think a secondary effect could be fit in and still make the spell worthwile. After all, my ignem score will help me withstand cold damage as well, so such ahigh resistance might not be needed. I have no idea what kind of effect would be fitting alongside this spell without raking as an unrelated secondary effect that should be an other spell.
FLAMBEAU PLEASE; NOT WANNABE WINTER FAERIE
I was having breakfast when it hit me in the forehead that the concept is looking more along the lines of the archtypical bright winter faerie than a proper flambeau. Cool, detached, aloof and crytalline. No mud & dirt, no bloood, no laughs, no suffering and self sacrifice, no thrill. No real guts, basically. To me a flambeau ends a combat soaked in dirt and blood (usually his and huis enemies), not looking like a perfume advertisement supermodel.
I think Mark Faulkner will enter a rampage if we all continue to follow this line for the Andorra saga
As a consequence, I am changing the PERSONALITY of the magus, even if not the ice focus. being an ice expert doesn't make you a frigid block of frozen stuff. You can also be a cool guy! (yeah, extremely lame joke, I know. You can stone me now ).
I will be boosting the hunter, thrilling and bombastic aspect of the magus and move away from the detached nature of it. After all, ice giants (magical) have quite a temper in a lot of stories.
Cheers,
Xavi
Isnt the Minor Magical Focus for free thanks to your Mythic Blood? And of course the free minor personality flaw?
Quoted for truth.
Updating above.
Cheers,
Xavi