New Flaws

Games Discussion Ars Magica
1

Hiya all,
I am planning a new companion character from a city, and I was limited by the fact that there were few non-supernatural flaws for a character. Blind, lame, one hand etc. were inappropriat for this character, so I came up with these two flaws.

Barren (minor, story)
You are unable to conceive a child. This could be the result of a curse, some supernatural entity or a magical spell. Depeding on the exact cause of the disability it may be cureable.

Town Dweller (minor, general)
You have been raised in a town and have never ventured outside of it. If you have left the town, it was in a wagon or a boat. At character creation you cannot take wilderness skills, and outside of a town you have no-sense of direction.

2

This is a poor story flaw, for the simple reason that it doesn't generate any stories... Being fertile does (you have to deal with the children), but being barren simply removes story potensial...
(btw - if you still haven't taken your story flaw, you might consider taking enemies or favors perhaps...)

Hmm - this might work, but if the character simply is to be clueless in the wilds, then ability block: outdoors might be better.

3

I would say that would be too restrictive and not a good alternative to ulf's suggested new flaw. Reason being that Ability Block would prevent the character from ever learning nature related skills (Hunting, Survival, possibly even Swim...) rather than simply beginning with a total lack of familiarity with them.

Ulf, for the Barren Flaw, I would call that minor, personality rather than story. Firstly there are already too many story flaws to choose from (even though some fit together nicely, if the RAW allowed for more than one) and secondly, it strikes me more as a personality shaping flaw than a story one. If not personality then it would work just as well (and perhaps more in keeping with your original criticism) as a minor general Flaw.

4

I came up with this flaw for a companion because in ME, if a woman does not bear children there is something wrong with her. Especially if she knows that this was done to her by someone/something. The story is to undo the damage, so that she can have children etc.

If you look at some of the virtues such as Educated, you gain a certain amount of XP to use on certain abilities. It is a virtue that only applies at character creation.

I chose this as a small flaw, along a similar line of reasoning - it blocks cetain abilities at character generation, and has a minor lasting effect on the character development. The character is not blocked from learning the outdoor abilities, but their senses are attuned to living in an urban area. I was considering having it s that they would always get lost until they gained area lore 3.

5

Town Dweller is no worse than Covenant Upbringing or Faerie Upbringing in terms of background. In what you propose you don't know anything about the countryside which is basically a weakened restriction version of Covenant Upbringing. However you aren't asking for any academic lores in return for this so it would be fair.

Make Town Dweller a Personality flaw and I would say it is fine.

6

Not THAT'S a story flaw, and should be written down as one. The flaw isn't that she is barren, it is that someone/something cursed her, and the story will be about resolving that.

I like the Town Dweller flaw, very nice.

7

That would be an excellent motivation to quest for supernatural ways to restore one's fertility: saints' relics, faerie lords' blessings, fertility magical spirits, mages who have rediscovered the secrets of Fertility Magic. Taking the Flaw would entail a RP commitment from the player to be bothered about one's barreness (differently from the average Hermetic mage under a Longevity Ritual), so it should be a story and a personality flaw. That granted, it seems a decent minor flaw to me.

8

I would agree that Barren would be an interesting Story flaw, but that it should be disallowed for mages, due to the assumption that a mage would undergo a sterilizing Longevity Ritual.

I would echo the RP commitment that the character would actively be interested in their inability to conceive.

The other Flaw looks fine.

9

Yes, Barren is definitely a flaw for a companion.

There is also the one for maga's, Plagued By Supernatural Entity (Major, Story)
Cursed to be bedridden during mensus
Every month for a 5 or 6 day period you are bedridden with a high fever. You cannot conduct lab work, socialize or undertake any activities. You have a large negative to any spellcasting you attempt.

This would mean a loss of 15 days from every seasonal activity. Any maga would be driven to find a way to "cure" herself of this affliction which not only interferes with her research, but leaves her almost defenceless for a part of every month. She would have to conceal her disability from her enemies.

10

LOL> so now Aunt Flo is considered an Entity, and a Supernatural one at that? Wow. So much for the natural cycle theory :wink:.

Simple cure for that, hoever, is to undergo the longevity ritual. Voila, permanently sterile, no more mensus. End of story flaw. :wink:

11

A companion in our troupe has a similar problem. She promised her father to keep the family business running (trade). As a women she would have faced severe problems doing so. Thus, she took the place of her twin brother who died together with her father far away from the home town. She took the story flaw "dark secret" as dicovering her gender will result in loosing her business at least (including several virtues...)
By now she is looking for an heir. The options are:
Becoming pregnant in some port town away from home, concealing the pregnancy and introducing the child as a bastard of hers whose mother has died.
Adopting some distant relative and introducing him into the business.
However right now she has the problem that due to her dealing with the magi she made a small fortune and several colleagues of her are offering their daughters to be married... :wink:

12

Not automatically.

It is possible to menstruate without being fertile.

13

Need to hire one of those magi for a sex change spell.

14

Well there are just three problems:
1.) The magi belive her to be a male trader....
2.) She does not yet know how well magic might work as the magi are rather secretive. (Another, powerful convent is just waiting for any violation of the code to bring on charges...)
3.) A constant item will give warping! Well she will probably find out the hard way...

By the way: Can a woman turned into a man via a MuCo (let`s say moon duration) impregnate another woman???? I do not think so as this would violate with the hermetic limit of the true nature, does it not?

15

Yup. Yopu cannot fertilize a woman if you are a woman regardless of your shape: your true nature is still woman.

Cool story, BTW: IIRC it was mentioned in the RAW as an option for a noble NPC, but it seems to be working well for your character!

Xavi

16

Some more Flaws & Virtues that I am debating

New flaws

Poor Communicator (minor, general)
In a specific area, such as speech or writing, you are unable to communicate properly - you gain a -3 penalty to all activities. You must be able to undertake the activity in question e.g. You must be literate to be a poor communicator with writing.

Easily Distracted (minor, personality)
Whenever you are undertaking any task you are easily persuaded to leave it. You need to succeed an opposed personality roll to remain focused. You have a -3 penalty to all concentration rolls involving multiple activites or overcoming interruption.

Owe resources (minor, story)
You have a debt to someone, for magi it is resources, for companions it is money. This is a large amount, and if you cannot pay it at once you need to make regular payments. If you leave the area, or stop paying you will be hunted down. Examples are 25 pawns of vis fine to a tribunal, 2 pounds of silver to a moneylender.

Dishonest (minor, personality)
Whenever the opportunity presents itself you will do a dishonest deed. You may rob people you meet, lie at every opportunity, or betray secrets. You don't have to be any good at the deeds, but you will attempt them.

Honest (minor, personality flaw)
You cannot lie or mislead someone. You expect everyone you meet to be the same. Experience may lead to to distrust certain people, but you will always trust first. If something causes you to break your word you will be overcome with guilt and attempt to make amends. This may mean paying extra, donations to the church, or acts of charity. You will also lose a confidence point.

Poor teacher (minor, general)
(Removed)

Delicate humours (minor, general)
Your 4 humours are more delicate than most people. You receive a -5 to all rolls to resist ilness, and a -3 to wound recovery rolls.

Religious minority (minor, story)
You belong to one of the minor heretical religions. You are devout in your worship, and will attempt to convert anyone you meet. During the religious crackdowns (Cathar heresy etc.) You will be probably be targetted.

Searching for (Lost/Stolen thing) (major, story)
You are travelling the lands searching for something which has been stolen from you. This could be a family heirloom, or a beloved snatched by the fey. You cannot settle down to lead a normal life until you have regained what was lost. You may occasionally be driven to despair by your daunting task, but you quickly resume the trail. Your journey will often lead you into danger, and could take most of your life.

Careless (minor, general)
You never quite take the time to make sure that things are as they should be. You leave important things lying around, doors unlocked and windows open. You are always mislaying things that you need. Whenever you have had a crisis of some type you become careful for a few weeks, but quickly fall back to your old ways.

Runaway (minor, story)
You ran away from home at a young age and was forced to make your way in the world. You often think of your brothers and sisters, languishing at home, and you are overcome with the desire to find them. However, you aren't quite sure where your family live.

Wanderlust (minor, personality)
You find it hard to live in one place for any length of time, you are always itching to be on the road. If you are forced to remain in the same place for more than a season you gain the personality trait irritable. Each passing month adds 1 experience point to it. When you set off on a journey again, each day of travel gives 1 exp towards reducing the trait.

Barren, minor , story
You are unable to conceive a child. This could be the result of a curse, some supernatural entity, or a magical spell. Depnding on the exact cause of the disability it may be cureable.

Town dweller (minor, general)
You have been raised in a town and have never ventured outside its walls. If you have left the town, it was in a wagon or on a boat. At character creation you cannot take wilderness skills, and outside of towns you have no sense of direction.

Virtues

Shaolin Monk (major, general)
You were raised in a Shaolin monastery and are a dedicated budhist - thus forbidden to take any life. However you were trained in how to defend yourself. You start with a score of 1 in the ability Kung-Fu. You are recognizably different, and your strange religious beliefs cause mockery and distrust in those you meet.

Mistress (minor, social class)
You are the mistress of a fairly prosperous man. You can occasionally influence him in his area of expertise. You have a house in town and a small income as well as the "gifts" he lavishes upon you.

Mistress (major, story)
As with the minor social class, but your provider is a powerful and influential person. You may have a larger house and servants, income and more influence over him. However, the more care the man lavishes on you and the more influence you have over him, the more chance his in-laws will find out. You must take the Dark Secret (Mistress) flaw, and if discovered it may turn into Enemies (in-laws).

Arranged Marriage (minor, general)
Your future has been assured with a prosperous family. When your betrothed comes of age the ceremony will take place. For now, the family treat you as one of their own, giving you what assistance they can. Depending on what you troupe decide you may have to settle down in one place after you wed.

Night vision (minor, supernatural)
You can see perfectly in almost pitch black. As long as there is some type of light (outdoors, open window etc.) you can see as normal. However, your eyes turn an unnatural colour in darkness. It takes your eyes a moment or two to adjust between states.

Bewitching beauty (minor, supernatural)
You are more than beautiful, men will give up anything for you - wealth, power, it is all yours. All women are put in your shadow, and they know it. This virtue confers the ability Bewitching Beauty with a starting score of 1. Use this score to coerce men into doing things for you. The score acts as a negative when dealing with women. (See Entrancement for some guidelines)

Dedicated upbringing (minor, general)
You were raised for a specific profession, and a lot of expense was invested in your education. For ages 6 - 20 you undergo strict training and you gain an extra 10XP per year for use in abilities relevant to your trade. Due to the intense training, you have few skills outside of your area. At the end of your training you have a good career ahead of you, and a +3 reputation in your trade. However, you incur a debt of half a pound of silver for each year of training. You must take the "Owe resources" flaw, though there will often be little hurry for the debt to be repaid. During your training the Poor and Wealthy virtues do not effect you.

Interfering arts (minor, hermetic)
Due to the way you were trained, two of your arts interfere with each other. They both have to be of the same type i.e both form or both technique, but when you use one, the other effects it. The dominant art (highest score) is lowered by half the weaker art (rounded down), where's the lower art is raised by half of the stronger (rounded down). E.g. Ignem & Aquam, Creo & Perdo. These modifications effect the art itself, and so take place before other modifiers.

Income (minor, general)
You receive a regular income from a reliable source. It could be a regular payment from your family or a business that you own but do not manage. Your income does not amount to more than 2 pounds of silver a year.

Well known (minor, general)
(Removed)

17

This is a weaker versjon of the flaw incomprehensible, and I'd suggest you just use that flaw.

I'd make this a personality, minor/major.

You get a score in brawl (of 1!) and 2 flaws (social status outsider (major), and personality flaw "may not kill"). Why exactly is this a major virtue?

Shouldn't this be a minor story flaw?

I'd take a look at the virtues in the Jerbiton section of HoH:Socities. There are several good variants of this one there..

This should be a major virtue - seeing as it gives 140 xp, as well as a good reputation. Also note that a typical craftsman will make 10 pounds of silver as surplus each year... Thus such a debt would last less than a year...

Before affinities and puisant art?
Does it affect your ability to teach an apprentice?

18

After re-reading the section in the book, I realized that some of these Virtues/Flaws actually re-tread the same ground as in the book. There are some V/F which I will remove from the list.
Poor Teacher - (Incomprehensible)
Well Known - (Famous)

I had considered making this minor/major, but I couldn't really imagine how it could increase. But if you can imagine ways to make this flaw more powerful, by all means, allow it as a major flaw.

I was going to have the kung-fu ability cover Brawl, single-weapon, great weapon and thrown weapon. I could also add in 50XP towards it i.e. lvl 4. instead of 1. As the fighting style covers more than one area, I thought it would be more of a major virtue than a minor one. Though the flaws may balance it out to be a minor.

I had considered making this a story flaw, but I wanted it to be more flavour than story. They are there and help you out, there is a long-term commitment involved, but you aren't really involved with them - yet.
Though it could quite easily be a story flaw.

Unfortunately I've not read Societates yet. I'll have to try and get it.

I noticed this silver shortfall myself when I was generating my companion character - she would have paid off her debts too soon. I think that it should be upped to 2 lb for the first 5yrs, then 3lb for the next 5yrs, then 2lb for the last 5 years. First 5 you are learning the basics, being taught more than you are using tools and using few resources. Middle 5 you are starting to do more things, consuming more resources, better quality tools etc. Final 5 years you are able to undertake some paid work, this reduces your upkeep costs. Total is a debt of 35 pounds of silver for a 15year training period. I've not read C&G recently - is that 10lb profit after house/workshop upkeep/family costs etc? And how good do your skills need to be to earn that?

This affects your base arts, therefore it would apply to everything inc puissant. Affinities not really, as it just makes it easier to learn an art. The affinity is already factored in when you increase your arts.

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Yes it would effect your ability to teach your apprentice, as you would have effective arts which are different to your stats.
e.g.
Need at least 5's in everything to train an apprentice.
Interfering arts are Ignem & Aquam
therefore to have an effective lvl 5 in both, you would need Ig 6, Aq 2
6/2 = 3. Therefore Aq 2 + 3 = 5
2/2 = 2. Therefore Ig 6 - 1 = 5.

19

I would ask you to consider entering your original virtues & flaws to the wiki, once you've decided how best to change the list.

arsmagica.pbwiki.com/Virtues

20

Uh-Oh...

This means that, so long as you only increase one art, you gain free raises in the other.
Say, Ig 20, Aq 0 => Ig 20, Aq 10.

The fact that raising Aq lowers your Ig score does not stop this from being powerfull IMO.

Comparing this to other arts-raising virtues, I'm not sure that this is so minor.