A use of the search function seems to indicate that there is no post collecting Ex Miscellanea Traditions that have been created by various groups. So go ahead and share your interesting, unworkable, and outright cheesy traditions!
Here's one to start things off:
Major Virtue: Synthemata Magia (TM:RE)
Minor Hermetic Virtue Minor Magical Focus- Harming Spirits
Major Hermetic Flaw: Weak Spontaneous Magic
This tradition suits a magus descended from Latin exorcists, using their non hermetic Synthemata Magia to gain an edge over demons, and then destroy them with the magical focus. I couldn't think up a flaw that really clicked with the virtues.
For a group of Ex Miscellenea Magi that are associated with a specific location (guardians of Stonehenge, Atlantis, desccendents of Hermann in the Teutoberger Forest, etc).
Minor Hermetic Virtue: Study Bonus
Major Hermetic Flaw: Study Requirement
Major Non-Hermetic Virtue: Ways of the Land
The benefits are all inter-related. They are generic as such, but they can be customized to be a very specific group (see above).
A group of warrior mages descended from alpine giants. They specialize in making themselves better, faster, stronger.
Minor Hermetic Virtue: Minor Magical focus self improvement (buffing)
Major Hermetic Flaw: Short Ranged Magic
Major Non-Hermetic Giant Blood
A small tradition of gifted scholars that operate within a secret magic regio near one of Europe’s major universities.
Minor Hermetic Virtue: Planetary Magic/Or Vulgar Alchemy characters are expected to have both but only one is free. Mercurian casting is also common with these guys.
Major Hermetic Flaw: Weak Spontaneous Magic
Major Non-Hermetic Magister in Artibus
Orthodox (Oriental Orthodox), Coptic tradition to be exact. This tradition has significant ancient-egyptian influence on that brand of Christianity. At this point in time, Egyptian Muslims are now in the Muslim majority. Second class citizen-status (Dhimmi) has been in place for 6 centuries and whole scale persecution occurs dependent on the current sultan/governor, which is a great reason for Christian Egyptian Mages to look to practice elsewhere, especially due to the Cult Isis connection to the order (a weak yet proud connection nonetheless). The culture/tradition is a very proud one.
As a side note, the culture itself remains steadfastly religious against the encroachment of Islam and remains (to this day) the largest Christian group in the middle east.
Minor Hermetic Virtue: Life-Boost
Major Non-Hermetic Virtue: Greater Immunity (Warping) - the way my player reasons this is as a side effect of his faith and the suffering he endures (to a lesser degree in the west) for his dogmatic beliefs (being Orthodox Christian). This plays into his massive Proud-flaw and can be played in many different ways.
Major Hermetic Flaw: Blatant Gift, generating even more disdain and persecution (depending on the area of the world), Coptic Mages tend to stick out so very very obviously...
Err... Neresi, are you aware that your player just got an effectively immortal character,. don't you? Warping is the only thing that stops hermetic magi from living (almost) forever.... If tyhat is OK for your trope, OK, but Warping is not something you can be immune to IMS...
I think this was something we discussed on these boards a year ago or so regarding the validity of Greater Immunity to Warping being valid or not. It would even be minor were the character not a Mage... and maybe even minor over all. Is it Common? Certainly not as common as Fire, Iron, etc... Fatal? technically it takes you out of play after a massive amount of time passed... but again, not as out of play as immediately as a blade or a ball of abysmal flame.
As a few people have stated here before, sometimes warping plays a very minor effect in your game ( cautious sorceror, Flawless magic, more masteries...) and sometimes it plays a major role... In my honest opinion, not as much of an issue as Greater Immunity to Iron for example (as in, arrows, blades, axes, a dagger from mind-controlled grog or something, all manner of crazy intrigue).
The fact that Decrepitude still increases regardless of warping, means while you may get a few extra years (even as much as 50 or so) you're eventually gonna hit Decrepitude 5 (aka death regardless of Longevity Ritual). Anyone really craving immortality would have been seeking out ghost-hood, lichdomwhatnot, transformed being, etc...
After all, That amazing -12 mod to your age roll is great when your 35 or even 55, but when your aging roll is stress die + 12 (like Philipus Niger for example), one bad roll and you're done.
I guess we should get someone with more time than I to figure out the rate of gain between warping till Warping Score 10 vs Decrepitude 5 for example.
Actually, Holy Magic might be a better choice, for Nehesi's Tradition. The character wouldn't actually be Immune to Warping, but wouldn't suffer Wizard's Twilight, experiencing Divine Ascent (which is much less detrimental and has no equivalent of Final Twilight) instead. Not to mention all the other cool stuff that Virtue allows...
Thanks Gremi, I'll look into that... I considered earlier but since we were discussing with my player how "Proud" can be a major flaw, I wasn't sure how to incorporate such a major sin into someone with Holy Magic
"Characters who possess both
Hermetic arts (or hedge magic) and
Miraculous Abilities (such as Purity or
Holy Magic) suffer only one form of
unique Warping in their lifetime, which is
decided in negotiation between sto-
ryguide and players as to what form is most
appropriate."
More on topic, I think an Ex Misc tradition with Ars Notarie as their major non-hermetic virtue, Inventive Genius as their hermetic, and Weak Elemental Resistance as the major hermetic flaw could be interesting. I imagine them as academics who admire God for what he has created, and want to understand him by studying his work, but are still nowhere near True Faith. The reasoning behind the Weak Elemental Resistance is that it is described as a flaw for magi who see their magic as purely academic, and that kinda works. As Ars Notarie (seemingly) is magic aligned (except for aura interaction), I am pretty sure these guys would experience regular twilight warping though.
Theriomancers:
Major Non-Hermetic Virtue: Shapechanger
Minor Hermetic Virtue: Inoffensive to Animals
Major Hermetic Flaw: Chaotic Magic
Associated with the prehistoric Beast Cults, this tradition of shapeshifting wizards has suffered heavy attrition to House Bjornaer since joining the OoH, but has thus far managed to maintain its own identity in the face of such adversity. Some magi believe the Theriomancers to be related to the line of Pomeranian Witches that Birna defected from and single them out for persecution while others try to uncover their secrets... perhaps they're right.
Sea Hags:
Major Non-Hermetic Virtue: Greater Immunity (Drowning)
Minor Hermetic Virtue: Atlantean Magic (RoP: M)
Major Hermetic Flaw: Necessary Condition (Touching Water)
This ancient line of sea witches originated in the coastal areas of Britain where they are frequently mistaken for Faeries or other supernatural beings. All known members of this tradition are female, but also appears to be passed along maternal bloodlines prompting some Hermetic scholars to question just what becomes of any male children born to these reclusive witches. Could their Gift follow an established maternal line or is something more sinister afoot?
Spirit Masters:
Major Non-Hermetic Virtue: Ghostly Warder
Minor Hermetic Virtue: Imbued with the Spirit of (Mentem) (RoP: M)
Major Hermetic Flaw: Twilight Prone
This unusual tradition of Slavic sorcerers once used their magic to commune with their the spirits of their ancestors for the benefit of their tribe. Despite the tradition's secularization under the OoH, the growth of the Dominion has weakened them greatly in recent years and many members of the tradition have adopted aggressive stances towards the Church. In addition to upsetting quaesitors, this policy has also attracted Infernal attention...
Guardians of the Stone:
Major Non-Hermetic Virtue: Mythic Alchemy (HMRE)
Minor Hermetic Virtue: Inventive Genius
Major Hermetic Flaw: Weak Spontaneous Magic
This secretive group of Iberian alchemists are primarily focused on using using magic to enhance their talent for Natural Philosophy, believing such powers to be the purest forms of magic (as evidenced by the fact that such abilities are unopposed by the Dominion and bypass Magic Resistance). In addition, it is widely believed that members of this tradition possess knowledge of many Mysteries (See "The Mysteries Revised Edition")
Sorry - I'm confused by the above quote and require a bit of clarification.
So if I was to redesign this mage with my player (holy magic is kinda out because of how Pride kind of interferes with it, not to mention the significant changes to actual hermetic magic), but lets say he was to take Invocation instead, this character would suffer, as mentioned above, "only one form of unique warping in their lifetime"...
Whats that mean exactly? They're not continuously collecting warping points? Sorry.. just a bit confused.
It refers to tradition-specific reactions to Warping (Twilight, Divine Ascent, Vituperation, Illumination, Elemental Warping, Witch's Moon, Transformation, Intervention, Natt-Thel or Faerie Calling). A character can only experience one such special reaction (usually that associated with the first supernatural tradition he was trained in)
Necromancers
Major No Hermetic Virtue: Major Sympathy Trait - Necromancy to elect Walking dead or Ghosts before they take more relationship.
Minor Hermetic Virtue: Magical Focus Ghosts or Walking dead - Like Normaly said Corpus or Mentem
Major Hermetic Flaw: Twighlight Prone - The Other side call them very strong.
Maybe the last rest of the cults of the dead and the otherworld, this cult guard myths and initiations to relations with the dead, and other knowledges. They worship the ancients gods of the deads and they don't confront the integrated others necromancers in anothers Houses, especially the Tremere. They search many "Gates to the Hells" no Infernal, but Faeric.
One suggestion, a Tradition with a package of Minor virtue: The virtu taht grant a Supernatural Ability, Afinity and Puissant in that Ability... soon a idea.
Natural Philosopher Guild: ("Casa Golo", "The Golden/Los Dorados")
Major No Hermetic Virtue: Mythic Alchemy
Minor Hermetic Virtue: Vulgar Alchemy
Major Hermetic Flaw: Necessary Condition (Alchemy Ingredients)
A newly tradition iniciated by a Spanish Bonisagi and a Crusader became Alchemist (See Hedge Magic) that see the Philosophy like a camp to investigate new and olds Ideas from natural Philosophy, greatly interested in Alchemy and another disciplines that can reunite Magic, Natural and intelectual works. (Under Storyteller/troupe Permission, a member of this tradition can add the Score on Mythic Alchemy in Vis straction, or "Alchemic" process like Charged items or Longevity Rituals and or substitue to research new Material and Shapes Bonus). They are begining to atract anothers alchemists from Mythic Europe. They are specialist invoking the natural ressonances of mattter, many of them have the Virtue "Natural Magician" and problems with Spontaneus Magic (Weak Spontaneus Magic or Difficult Spontaneus Magic, or both). They are supposed a Societate, but really they are a Mystery Cult, very opened, but it still bieng. Many common Flaws taht are beetwen them are really part from Initations and Ordallys. Like the Necessary Condition to use, that is for Mythic Alchemy, Alchemycal Ingredients, taht sometimes are reagents reals and others some product created in the lab but without any really use to another, that cost a Int + Philosphiae (Alchemy) die roll, common in the lab and stress die in other conditions, needing a bit of improvisation, against 9.
They are growing inside Ex Myscellanea and are taking part of formers Bonisagi.
(Edited to include other Flaw and corrections)
The Tricksters
Major No Hermetic Virtue: Enchantment (Faery Method)
Minor Hermetic Virtue: Performance Magic - Bargain
Major Hermetic Flaw: Restriction (Themselves)
This tradition comes from many places, they tells many tings; and nobody are sure about the true. They are a strange group of magicians (somebody says that Sorcerors) that take part from the Faeries and the capacity to take advantage with theirs words. The origin is mysterious and some claim that Ulisses himself founded their traditions, others Lug or others similars Mythical Figures. They use the capacity to use conversations and mundane words to enchant their victims. The only problem is that can't target themselves with his magic, and need make arrangement and Oaths with others magi, faeric hedge wizards and supernatural beings, using their abilities and magic to take better arrangement. They aren´t only Gifted Magi, some are Gifted Companions that have been toughts in many Magical and Faeric Abilities and Virtues, and of course Un-Gifted Faeric Hege Wizards, the other Three Favored Abilities from the Tradition are the Powers to: Beguile, Conjure and Grant.
