Hey everyone I'm new here and to Ars Magica in general but I'm really enjoying the whole mythic europe setting and want to try roleplaying as a maga of whom has just finished her apprentinceship and has decided to venture out into the world to explore its many regions, uncover ancient secrets, learn of other cultures, improve upon her magical abilties and to expand her overall knowledge of both the mundane and the magical.
She's a cheerful, optimistic woman of whom finds both the mundane and the magical equally fascinating. She's adventurous by nature, always wanting to explore and experience new wonders.
Now with that how should I go about her Magus background. I.e suitable house, relationships with other magus, how the order views her explorative life style choice, for or against it etc.
I'm not that well versed in the overall background yet so I'm not sure how well this character concept will fit in.
Ultimately, the answers to most of your questions hinges a lot on the character's relationship with her covenant (if she belongs to one) since that will, in many ways, determine her relationship with rival covenants, her home tribunal, and the OoH at large.
Anyway, if you've any other questions, please do ask...
Some guidelines...
Gentle Gift, to make mixing with the cultures easier.
Linguist[1], to make learning languages easier
Wanderer, to give you more experience points for buying languages and Area Lores.
Now, that's just a kinda sorta guideline. Some of the supplements have other virtues, like Gift of Tongues, which allows one to communicate without considering the language barrier, but you're unable to read it. Further, many troupes restrict that virtue to Redcaps and/or Magical Mercere.
I think that one of the things that new players tend to not focus on is that a magus, even a new one, has servants (grogs and covenfolk) and these people can be used to extend the magus's capability. So you might have a magus who doesn't have the Gentle Gift, and likes to do the exploration, but always stands a little bit back and apart from the action, due to the social penalties of the Gift. Or you are truly interested in other cultures, have the Gentle Gift, but can't spare the XP for all the languages, so you make a wizened old translator one of your grogs, and he translates on your behalf. You then have problems when he's not around and/or need to plan for his eventual passing.
I realize that you didn't ask about magic for your maga but I'm going to pop in and talk about it anyway. thanks for indulging me.
I think that the specific direction you take for your maga's magic doesn't have to be determined by your character's goals. Magi of Hermes has two character's that are basically explorers. Alexander who searches the desserts of north Africa for the relics of an ancient civilization and Marcus who tests himself against the frozen north. But despite the fact that they both spend their efforts going to new places their magic is completely different; Alexander solves all of his problems with animals and Marcus is a bit of a generalist who does more with weather than anything else.
You can do your exploration with any sort of magic, the choice is about how you want to accomplish your goals not what direction is the most advantageous. Style not power.
As to the question that you actually asked:
See if someone else in your troupe would want to make a companion who has similar interests to you maga that would be a great way to go if you have two players interested in the same stories.
There are several social groups in the setting that might be of interest to you.
There is a group of bonisagi who are interested in foreign magic
There are the seekers who try and uncover magic of the ancient world.
There are merinita who try and learn as much as possible about the faerie realm.
There are folks who care about the far east particularly Jerbiton who have ties to Constatinople and a group of Zorasteran holy magi
There are the the Mercere who's job is map mythic Europe and alert the rest of the order to things of interest.
I would learn plenty of Intellego magic if you want to explore.
If you wish to travel to places where people don't speak your language, Thoughts within Babble is an Intellego Mentem spell to let you understand them. InMe spells also help you interrogate both living people and ghosts for information. Intuition of the forest is an Intellego Herbam spell that is very easy to cast and gives a big bonus in forests. Intellego Terram helps if you want to go looking for buried things or find secret passages. Intellego Vim lets you find your way in and out of regiones and tell things about foreign magics.
In short, Intellego is the enquiring mage's friend.
And for quick problems, i recomend you Rego thing too. Very usefull on any situation, all others Techniques can be learned on a few spells of 5, but the Spontaneus Rego Form combinations are usefull when are young. Intellego and Rego your first choices, all other better go with Forms.
And of course, some great point to Spontaneus Magic (Not only Diedne Magic but not bat at all, Life Linked Spontaneus Magic can suit too), and maybe problems with Vis use for Rigid Magic -so you can handle it in exchange for Ritual Magic. At same time - the Flaw Wanderlust from RoP:M suit very well to your character.
Our troop has a similarly oriented Maga and a couple of words about the character might be welcomed.
When we started to draw the character the idea was not to suffer seriously in terms of long term advancement while also provide not only the curiosity as background why she is out there exploring.
As an exploring Maga you need to select a theme. Will she travel in a group, small group or even alone? Is she interested in people, foreign cultures, magical traditions, magical wonders... unfortunately you won't have time (and virtue points) to focus on every aspect of exploration. And one important small detail to keep in mind, it is quite easy to mistake an exploration focused Maga to a spy... you will have all the necessary tools/experience and magic in your disposal.
We have selected a more loner and sole survivor archetype, capable to defend but more inclined to avoiding danger with focusing on Intelego, Imaginem, Rego and Mentem along with Animal and Herbam... Vim is missing so far, making the Art she wants to advance first.
She became a Raven Bjornaer, resonating the raven's natural curiosity quite nicely with the character concept. She can keep her pace with her Sodales thanks to Secondary Insight and Free Study Virtues and became strong supporter of keeping all natural wonders intact, no small wonder due to her Study requirement flaw. Secondary Insight will make a character more of a generalist, but as an explorer you will become one eventually.
Subtle Magic and Unbound Voice helps to cast spell on the fly (pun intended) and can be quite a game changer be it any kind of a conflict.
My advice would be to select some great cinematic event you think you Maga would be proud of and work backwards and build your character accordingly: what knowledge/virtues helps her in this situation, most suitable magic for these kind of situation and for the prelude(!) and finally which house / mysteries would be most proud to welcome you as a member (even the Disciples of the Worm are kind of a explorers).
Like in the original Indiana Jones movie: first 10 minute is a tiny adventure in an exotic place full with spiders and traps to get the treasure, than run from the rolling rock... than the real saga begins.
One interesting option would be to be a descendant of Mercere who showed more of his bloodline than most. (Having the Legacy story flaw, from Houses of Hermes True Lineages, which may mean you're be given tasks suited to a great explorer magus)
Mercere wandered the world finding mages and exploring for much of his life, before wandering the world passing messages for the Order for the rest of it.
Good virtues for such a path could include: Gift of Tongues (which makes language barriers mostly, but not entirely, irrelevant)
Gentle Gift (Mercere was known to have this)
Gossip (you tend to hear interesting and useful news due to your constant travels)
Well Traveled
