As said I start over and this time I take True Faith and Holy Magic together as starting virtues (To gain Holy Magic one already need a similar devotion that true faith need so its just a small step to get both).
1 Minor General Affinity with Holy Magic (ArM 40)
1 Minor Hermetic Cautious Sorcerer (ArM 40)
1 Minor Hermetic Quite Magic (ArM 48)
1 Minor Hermetic Subtle Magic (ArM 49)
3 Major General True Faith (ArM 50)
3 Major Hermetic Holy Magic (RoP:D )
are the starting virtues so far. Although I'm up to some reading what this combination now exactly means and if I'm willing to play this way.
I just want to make sure I understand True Faith properly. According to p. 47 of ROP:D, "Just as characters with The Gift may learn Magical Supernatural Abilities, characters with True Faith may learn Supernatural Abilities associated with the Divine realm. And, if they study one of their tradition’s favored Abilities, they do not have to subtract the total of their Supernatural Ability scores from their Advancement Total (as described in Ars Magica 5th Edition, page 166)." Does this mean that during pre-game someone with True Faith can simply apply their 10 xp/season to any of the Supernatural Abilities in their tradition (effectively getting multiple virtues for free)?
For example, if someone with True Faith was in the Sufi tradition, could they apply xp to learn Ceremony, Meditation, Transcendence, and Understanding just like any other ability? If so, that (combined with our potential for long pre-game advancement) could lead to very high values of these abilities, far more than would be usual if they had to be learned the traditional way. I'm not saying that's against the rules or anything. But we should be aware of what that's likely to mean for the saga. It's not unthinkable for our hypothetical Sufi to manage at least a 6 or 7 in each of those abilities.
Yes, I believe you have read it correctly, Trogdor. The only thing restraining them is that Hermetic longevity magic is the most powerful, they simply don't get as many seasons as magi do.
I just picked a random example that happened to be Muslim. A Christian Holy Magus could join, say, the Ascetics and have full access to a longevity ritual and Aduration, Cursing, Purity, and Second Sight, basically getting two major virtues and two minor virtues as an ancillary benefit of the major virtue True Faith.
Man, I need to reconsider whether to have True Faith.
They need several Abilities at very high levels. This takes a lot of time. Failing to make the roll for a miracle means that they lose a season in some sort of penance, at a minimum. Holy characters must maintain the highest standards of behavior. It's potent, but has liabilities, just like everything else in Ars Magica.
lol I not even considered that I could take them pre game because it means just select the right holy society and Holy Magic also don't cost a major feat.
Edit: but the not belong to a holy tradition part of the Eremit and Non-Tradition Flaws (both RoP:D 36) actual only make sense if you automatic gain the benefit of the favored Virtues of one tradition once you take True Faith (although you start with 0 in this abilities).
I'm now down to 2 Holy Traditions that I consider for my Magus The Cantores and The Zoroastrians. Because I need some more knowledge about rule mechanics for the Cantores and need more info on the Zorostrians in general I made a new posting in the main ArM forum. https://forum.atlas-games.com/t/rop-d-meditation-holy-music-warping-questions/11672/1
@silveroak I just remembered that SubRosa 14 have a Verditus minor house mystery for Longevity called Hermetic Phylactery. Because I think you have no special mod for you longevity ritual so far, so this could be interesting to you if the rest of our group allows it (and you want it).
