Kinda like combining Holy Water with Ex Lax, that sort of thing? 
Yes, you can.
I imagine so. It just occured to me that I had no idea how to deal with that type of a situation... and I don't like not knowing. 
Perhaps there is more on this in the realm books, yet I don't have them. Until recently my ArM5 collection was merely the core rules and true lineages. However I've just bough 'HoH: Mystery Cults', 'Mysteries Revised', and 'Covenants'. All of which I'm well satisfied with so far. Waiting for a copy of 'Societas'.
I'm not familiar with these rules. Could someone expand on this a bit and perhaps tell me where they are located?
They're in Societas; a ceremonial area can reduce the time from 15m/magnitude down to as far as 1m/mag for a chamber solely dedicated to Ceremonial Magic. There's also a virtue that helps with this.
Very interesting considering Scipio's inclinations. Do these rules draw distinctions between ceremonial and/or ritual magic?
Hi,
Yes, this is about ceremonial magic only. Still, since Scipio doesn't get to spont any other way, and wants to boost LA and Philo anyway, it might behoove him to set aside a ceremonial chamber in his lab.... Or initiate the virtue that gives him the full 1m/mag in any vaguely prepared space.
There's also a mastery ability that allows formulaics to be cast ceremonially.
Anyway,
Ken
Is this virtue major/minor? I wish I'd had that book available when making my character. Hmm.
Hi,
It's a minor virtue.
grin I too might have done a few things differently if I had all the supplements.
A variation on Iohannes might have Nature Lore for Water, with a Puissant and maybe even an Affinity look extremely attractive, especially instead of Area Lore. Some of those powers are awesome. Scary awesome.
The Criamon Path of Strife would have been another fun avenue for creating Iohannes, the closest thing I've seen in Ars Magica to a wuxia martial artist. Enigmatic Wisdom to a weapon? Being able to repel a flight of arrows or fly through the air by attracting a tree branch or run across water? Swashbuckling awesomeness, perfect aboard a ship. (Alas, 4x Atk doesn't help much with improvised weapons or none at all.) lol But maybe another character.
Some of the new spell guidelines provide interesting ideas too.
And probably a lot I'm missing off the top of my head.
That said, I also like how the character is working out in play. But I suspect that if I were to design him today, I'd succumb to the lure of Nature Lore--it's just too awesome--and make a few other changes that still keep him who he is, a man of the sea, with a ship, but further emphasize the supernatural and magical over the mundane.
There are so many supplements, most of the material is at least good; a lot of it is excellent.
Scipio's just showed up; maybe exchange a virtue for this one, if you really want it? (Mastered Spells might be a good one to exchange; just pull 50xp from anywhere.)
Anyway,
Ken
I'll wait until I can get a chance to sit down and read over it all. But all the same I'm rather fond of how Scipio is turning out the more I work on him. The mercurian magic, mastered spells, and lack of sponting really define what he is supposed to be good at in a flavorful way IMO. Perhaps that is a goal for him to head towards in initiation as you say. And yes I am aware of, and like, the ceremonial casting mastery ability. It just seems to take a rather large ammount of time to get a spell decently mastered. Or perhaps I simply have large goals for Scipio. (Who doesn't for their mage?)
Is it possible to cast a voice range spell without giving away that you are casting to the target?
I've been reviewing mentem spells and many of them have a range of voice. They also are things you usually don't want people to know you are doing.
How does this reconcile?
My assumption is that the words you use in casting are some manner of arcane jibberish that is clearly, well, arcane. Is this incorrect for these purposes? i.e. if you are casting a voice range 'suggestion' spell, your spoken suggestion is the speaking part of the spell? Or is the spoken part of the spell something you say first, then say the suggestion?
It seems to make voice range something you would want to seriously avoid with mentem spells you intend to be subtle in their usage?
Correct use sight or eye, but not voice. One can imagine a magus shouting a mind control spell to subtly control a mundane nobleman in his own courtroom. I imagine that you need to at least have some knowledge of hermetic magic and knowledge in Latin to understand whatââŹâ˘s going on.
Well, the voice is needed only to establish range. So Voice Range and subtle mind control work with any of the following:
Performance Magic Virtue--attached to an appropriate skill, the words needed to cast the spell are subsumed into the performance. The song or story counts as the words. If the target is in range of the voice, he hears the song but will not realize that a spell comes with it.
Silent Magic--no words are needed to cast, so any words or other vocalization can be used to establish range.
Deft Form--same as Silent Magic.
Anyway,
Ken
RAW, "Quiet Magic", taken twice (= "silent" magic), does not work with spells requiring "Voice" range. The Virtue clearly states "The Range of Voice Range spells is determined normally, based on how loud your voice is." From that, you get no "free pass" on Voice range just by taking the virtue.
Usually with Loss of But a Moment's Memory, I'd say.
You're right, tho'. If a spell is of "Voice" range, you need to speak loud enough for your voice to reach the target, and that has some awkward potential. Many of the Mentem spells, as presented, are quite flawed in that respect. But not fatally so.
If you cast in a crowd or noisy area, or during a combat, the words may well go unnoticed, or perhaps only remembered as "someone over there was shouting, then everything went dark..."
As to whether someone who heard the words would positively ID them as "magic", that depends. I'd say that, if they heard it clearly, they'd most likely recognize it as "unusual", and something other than just "Latin". I believe that "spells" require a bit more than just words spoken in a conversational tone - a specific intonation, or a chant or cadence, or something. The learned, the superstitious or just the paranoid might well believe it's spellcasting (right or wrong!). Otoh, it might simply be confusing - nothing says it has to be clear, just audible.
I take great care in choosing (ie, altering) standard spells for what a given mage character is all about. If you want to be sneaky, "Voice" is ~not~ the way to go. Otoh, "Sight" may create spells far too large to cast reliably while using a subtle (or no) voice, and Eye Range may be the only practical alternative.
Hey, if it was easy, everyone would do it. 8)
Hi,
The caster needs to utter something, but what he utters does not necessarily have to be the words used to cast the spell!
Anyway,
Ken
At best, that would require a Concentration check, to make some unrelated sound while casting a spell. (If it was related, we'd be back to it "sounding" like magic.)
At worst, it would be flat disallowed, since the utterance has nothing to do with the spell itself or the magical forces therein.
Me, I would say that if you're using Voice range, then that is related to the spell casting, not "any noise that comes out of your mouth". A loud belch would not qualify, any more than coherent, non-magical words. If it's not related to the casting, it wouldn't count. (But that's me.)
Why am I strangely reminded of: "Confirm our range to target, Vassili, one ping only, please". 
What is holding back the game. There havenââŹâ˘t been any new game related posts in a few day. Are there any player actions that need to be posted? Just checking I am a bit eager to get on with the story. 
Hi,
There haven't! We have two threads, in the following states, insofar as I can tell:
Plague: Vispilius is off to learn stuff; subthread waiting on interaction between GM and player. Other magi backed off from confrontation, waiting for result of Vispilius' investigation.
Visby: Iohannes resting while observing; other PCs have time to act; waiting on events (and time). Scipio just cast a spell which had some effect, but extent unclear, waiting on GM. GM waiting on Vispilius' next action. Titius asked about ceremonial area; Iohannes indicated circle on deck.
Anyway,
Ken
TF told me the other day he was having some trouble with his keyboard. Perhaps this is related to his posting delays. ( I'd imagine so. )