Nature Mysteries, does anyone have some new ones?

Games Discussion Ars Magica
1

Backstory: In my old Saga, House Merinita experienced a political movement from both sides, to split the house into a faerie and a non-faerie. My new, upcoming Saga builds on from this.

Since HoH:Mystery Cults, Merinita Chapter only list a few Nature Mysteries, I wonder if anyone else have invented some good ones? Perhaps Bjoenar have something I could adapt. And I have yet to red the Ex Miscellanea chapter in HoH:Societas, that might include some inspiration or usefull nature oriented magic.

Anything else? Would "The Mysteries" have something? I don't have that book yet, but if someone does, perhaps they could tell me whether it does.

Thank you

2

Hi,

There are no specific 'nature-oriented' Mysteries in House Bjornaer, House Ex Miscellanea or The Mysteries, I'm afraid. The Huntress in the Wood (from House Bjornaer) describes a cult of Bjornaer and Merinita who rejected Quendalon's ways, but they are more interested in the theurgical possibilities of worshipping the old gods.

There is a Major Virtue called Control Fertility in the Ex Misc chapter, which might do for nature orientated magic. There are also some ideas for fertility and love magic in Ancient Magic.

###Minor spoiler alert for Guardians of the Forests, highlight with your cursor to read###
[color=white]Another group to draw your attention to is the Exules, the descendents of wizards who decided to leave the Order rather than accept Quendalon's ways; they can be found in Guardians of the Forests, in the saga chapter.
###Spoilers end###

GotF also has some Forest Paths, which are proto-mysteries, but they do not have that much of a nature theme.

Cheers,

Mark

3

Either way, you can still have a good nature-oriented mystery cult with just initiations of "way of the (land)" virtues, Immortality of the Forest (from GotF, but repeated in HoH: MC, IIRC), Minor or Major magical focuses and potencies, Affinities with herbam or animal... (non-exhaustive list)

4

Nature Magus
Major, Hermetic Virtue
You are attuned to the nature based magic which involves an affinity to the Auram, Aquam, Herbam and Animal Arts. Whenever you successfully study one of these Arts (that is, gain at least one experience point from study), you gain an additional experience point in each of the other three.
Your nature magics are also more flexible than those of other magi - there is no nature Form requisites to any nature spell. If an Auram, Aquam, Herbam or Animal spell has another nature as a requisite, you may ignore that requisite. You must use the primary Art, even if the requisite is higher.

5

hmm, nice suggestion Birbin. I would probably substitute Te in place of Au as one of the four "nature" Arts, though. Can't have much nature without the earth lol.

6

Yup, good one, and good suggestion boxer, I agree.

OTOH, you can maybe make it more specialized, like working with only He and An, but with 3 XPs.

7

But Auram pretty much covers all of weather, which is a big part of the natural cycle.

8

Yes. I think manipulating earth, metals and gemstones is not nature magic.

This virtue is the analogy of Elemental magic, as you could realize.
With my houserule I would give 2xps instead of one because it is a major virtue or would count it as a minor virtue.

9

PotAYto, potAHto.

The Virtue is a good one that maps well onto the Elementalist Virtue. Personally, I will drop Aquam for Terram and keep Auram in the mix, but I can see the other points of view. Another option would be to compel the player to choose two of the three elements (or four -- sunlight being important to Nature as well) and let them go with it.

Again, great virtue idea. Now, can anyone come up with a new nature-related Flaw?

-K!

10

Nature related but what style you want?
Similar things like nature magi are uncomfortable in cities or what else?

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Perhaps something opposite of Ways of the Town. Instead of a +3 to all rolls, what about a -3 (including combat). Call it Disturbances of the Town. Yeah, yeah. I know. Not very creative, but I never pretended to have the Free Expression Virtue :slight_smile:

Another might be some sort of aversion to mundane crafted items or structures. Say Deliterius Circumstances (inside a building) or Deliterius Circumstances (wearing treated clothing), the latter I would say tanned leather and dyed cloth would be bad, but undyed and unbleached wool would be OK.

Thoughts?

-K!

12

Call it Uncivilized Mannerisms (how's that for "Free Expression"? lol.) -3 for villages/small rural communities, -6 when in cities. Make it Major Flaw since it essentially defines the wildling nature of such magi.

Seems to me that Social Outcast flaw should also be appropriate for such individuals.

Perhaps a good story flaw could be Hunted or Bounty of some kind, local to one village or city for a minor, more akin to Infamous if taken as a Major flaw.

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Education block: cannot spend more xps to academic abilities. Loses 1 xp /year from the current abilities.
Social block: cannot spend anymore xps to social abilities. Loses 1 xp /year from the current abilities.
Deficiency in Me, Im or Ig (like Bjornaer).
Only can eat raw things.
Deleterious circumstances - casting in cities.
Leaves grow from his body instead of hair.
Became incredible hairy.
Animals like him/her too much - similar like St. Francis.

14

Back on the Virtue side of things, one could add a similar virtue to Animal Ken, except that the magus is somehow able to commune with plants.

Another Mystery Virtue might be an Nature-based Empowerment mystery where the magus is able to use the life force of a plant to empower a spell or device (maybe that would be two different Virtues) in such a fashion that as long as the plant lives the spell/effect continues. The size of the plant (or collection of plants) being governing the magnitude of the effect.

So, for example, such a magus could use a particular circle oak tree to empower a Creo Herbam effect that created a small bridge. If the oak is ever cut down/stuck by lightning/whatever the bridge falls apart and disappears. Similarly, there could be a meadow where the magus has a Creo Mentem effect in place that creates a peaceful and friendly feeling (Poppies!) while the flowers are alive. In either caase, no vis would be needed.

Regular or long-term enchantment could eventually create a Magic aura.

-K!

15

Nice idea. It strikes me as a twist on the Verditius Mystery of Binding Animals to devices or to one's Gift. I suggest you have a look at that mystery in HOH:MC and perhaps simply change it from magical creatures to magical plants.

Instead of binding into devices (per se) your new mystery could, as you say above, be matter of drawing out the life force of the plant/tree/etc to power a spell. As with the Verditius mystery, the magus could alternatively bind some power or aspect of the plant to his/her Gift (bark skin on command anyone?) lol.

Call the Mystery The Rite of Harvesting (or some such).

Just don't let any fairies see you doing this :wink:

16

The Pagan flaw might be appropriate.
You might consider necessary condition: animal sacrifice. The bigger the animal, the larger the effect.

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:question:

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Thank you all, some very nice suggestions (but keep 'em coming anyway, one can hardly ever get enough of inspiration).
I'll be sure to write back here once I write things down.

Nature Magus
yes, it is simply another version of Elementalist, but which 4 Forms to include...Animal and Herbam are no brainers, but the other two have several good pros and cons. Auram is one I like, because the weather is IMHO an important part of Nature. The sunlight is not controlled by controlling the light itself, rather than making sure there are no clouds. Terram or Aquam...Nature is not truly metals and gems, but earth and stone, again this it not living. Aquam covers the lakes and streams of nature, but not anything else, like the poisons and all other unnatural , produced or refined liquids. I might go for just An, Au and He - and then jazz it up to 2 exp instead of just 1.

Special Durations etc
I also like the idea of making some new Durations, like some of the special R/D/T for Faerie magic. Something tied to natural occurences, the life of trees and animals, migration of birds, hibernation of a bear, untill the hottest or coldest day...something like that. It needs some serious work though.

Versions of Verditius Mysteries
I'll make sure I look into Verditius again, so see if I can bodge a Nature Myster based on some of this. At this time, I can't recall that specific Verditius Mysteri mentioned.

There were also some good ideas for Flaws, to use as ordeals for initiation into various Mysteries, sacrificing some city-skills or very academic stuff. I might add some minor mystery to initiate Cyclic Magic (Positive), it seems very appropriate for Nature Magi, perhaps with some additio to the regular version.

I just had an idea, to a Nature Mystery, where the magus gains the abiloity to use Natural rather than Astrological resonance for use in Ceremonial casting, using Nature Lore rather than Artes Liberales/Philosophiae.

19

ROFLMAO!

The Magus "It"ianus? lol

hmm, how about the following special Durations:

Moon/Season/Climate:

Season: The spell lasts until the end of the last day of the season (obviously) Spells with this duration must be rituals.

Climate: spells with this Duration may only be cast on climatic conditions of a given target area. Most often associated with Muto or Rego effects.

I'm also thinking that your wilding magic might require some form of totem (spell focus) in order to effect Target areas larger than individual. A sort of representative type (plant from a particular field, tree limb or stick from a forest glade, animal part/piece of fur from a particular local species or herd) etc.

The specific Verditius Mystery was the Greater House Mystery: Bind Magical Creatures (pg 134, HoH:MC).

Nice idea. Another reason why I personally see Te as part of nature. You could base such resonance off the concept of Ley Lines (magnetic currents under the soil) and call it "Gaia's Veins"

20

Nature Lore sounds academic, too. I suggest use rather Survival or Wilderness sense.

Another virtue/flaw pair:

1st step
Study bonus and -3 from learning books.

2nd step
Learning from the world.
Look at the study bonus table and take the circumstances as being summas with quality 10.
Its flaw part is he gets -6 from learnig books.

That's Vim.