Plasmatoris of Jerbiton

Retired Play by Post Campaigns Ars Magica 5th Edition: A Sudden Spring
1

Plasmatoris of Jerbiton
updated through winter 1289-1290

Characteristics

Int 2 Per 2
Pre -2 Com 1
Str -1 Sta -1
Dex 3 Quick -1

Flaws: weak spontaneous magic, supernatural nuisence, driven, exciting expirimentation

Virtues: educated, affinity with craft, puissant craft, inventive genius, free expression, life linked art, light touch, side effect, personal vis source

Abilities

Ability Specialization score points invested
Language: Venato 5 0
Language: Arabic Egyptian 2 17
Language: Franco-Provençal Lyonnaise 2 26
Area Lore: Venice Markets 1 5
Awareness Fine Details 2 15
Bargain Art 2 15
Brawl Dodge 1 5
Charm Apologizing 2 15
Concentration While creating art 1 5
Etiquette Magi 2 15
Folk Ken Magi 1 5
Swim Calm water 1 5
Artes Liberales Geometry 2 15
Latin Hermetic Terms 4 50
Philosophiae Moral Philosophy 1 5
Craft Painting Religious Imagery 7 50
Craft Sculpting Atheltic Forms 5 30
Magic Theory Spell Design 3 32
Parma Corpus 1 5
Code of Hermes Political Intrigue 1 5
Org Lore: Order of Hermes Jerbiton 1 5

Arts

Creo 0 Animal 0 Ignem 0
Muto 7 Aquum 0 Imaginem 9
Intelligo 0 Aurum 0 mentem 0
Rego 0 Corpus 0 Terram 6
Perdo 0 Herbem 6 Vim 5

Spells

Doublet of Impenetrable silk MuAn 15
Eyes of the Cat MuCo 5
Piercing Shaft of Wood ReHe 10
Taste of the Spices and Herbs MuIm 5
Aura of Ennobled Presence MuIm 10
Notes of a Delightful Sound MuIm 10
Prying Eyes InIm 5
Eyes of the Eons InTe 10
The Crystal Dart ReTe 10
Supple Iron and Rigid Rope ReTe 10
Rock of Viscid Clay MuTe 15
The Unseen Porter ReTe 10
Sense the Nature of Vis InVi 5
Wizard's vigil MuVi 25
2

an Artist in the Societates of Jerbiton, incredibly bad at spontaneous magic

and how does this develop?

3

I envision a young apprentice who is taken in for his Gift and insight, and his artistic mind and talent. This will, of course, rapidly a trouble when his frequent distractions cause little problems in the lab. Still, he was a brilliant artist and a decent magus, and his Master was of a mind to have more artists in the House. Young Plasmatoris, who like his Parens, believed that artistic endeavors were expressions of the Soul that God gave us, planned to set out from his home Covenant to seek out legendary sites of great artistic work, to seek out mystical representations of art in the Theban and Roman tribunals, and discover a way to use magic to enhance art (not merely to replace it, like so many Finesse-based artists would.)

Of course, now he's woken up here, with evidence that he completed much of his journey over the years.

4

That sounds good, let's go ahead and start putting the sheet together- any particular type of art he would have focused on? Also, what year would he have completed his guantlet (between 1170 and 1210)?

5

His specialty is almost certainly going to go towards Muto. Major Personality Flaw Driven to push the boundaries of his art (and his Arts).

I would think on his current planned 'Story Arc' he would be heading towards Hermetic Architecture to express his art. I don't

As far as story flaws, I was thinking either Mistaken Identity - for his art, rather than his person, people interpreting his artwork as coming from some other contemporary. That idea really tickled me, but it might be a little too interpretive. The other potential was Plagued By Faeries, if his constant pushing the artistic mediums inspires people, creates stories, draws faeries, and they come home to him. Despite having Free Expression, he will not be interested in faeries due to his Jerbiton training.

Gauntleted.. I don't know... 1182? Arbitrarily? That gives him a lot of time to have gone off the deep end with his mad-artist ideals.

6

mistaken identity for artwork would not fit, plagued by faeries certainly would- especially if he gets a good artistic reputation (what do you mean a faerie muse!?)
Keep in mind that by A&A definition if it is useful, it is not artwork, meaning architecture may contain artwork, but by itself it is not art, at least not generally- a monolith or church can certainly be an exception to this.

7

I definitely see his pre-reset story plan heading towards a mixture of art and function. Grand Mercurian temples with

I'll gladly mark down Plagued by Faeries who spawn from his artistic madness. I'll begin screwing together a rough plan of V&F for tomorrow.

8

sounds good

9

My Current flaws look like: Difficult Spontaneous Magic (major Hermetic), Plagued by Faeries (major story), Driven - Expanding the potential of art and magic (major personality), Exciting Experimentation (minor Hermetic).
Virtues, Free Expression, Affinity and Puissant Craft, Inventive Genius.

Edit: I don't remember which is which for Difficult and Weak Spontaneous Magic, and I had planned to take both, but I ran out of Flaws because of Plagued by Faeries.

10

Difficult spontaneous magic is a minor flaw such that you cannot cast non-fatiguing improvised spells.
weak spontaneous magic is a major flaw where you cannot use fatigue to cast spontaneous spells.

11

Thanks - I don't have access to my books when at work.

12

Now that I'm back at home:

Virtues (Free): Hermetic Magus, The Gift, Educated (from House)
Virtues(9): Affinity with Craft, Puissant Craft, Inventive Genius, Free Expression, Life-Linked Art, Light Touch, Side Effect, Personal Vis Source
Flaws(10): Weak Spontaneous Magic, Supernatural Nuisance (Faeries spawned by art), Driven (major), Exciting Experimentation

Characteristics:
Int +2, Per +2, Prs -2, Com +1,
Str-1 , Sta -1, Dex +3, Qik -1

Apprenticed at age 9

Area Lore: Venice 1 (5xp)
Awareness 2 (15xp)
Bargain 2 (15xp)
Brawl 1 (5xp)
Charm 2 (15xp)
Craft: Painting 3+2 (30xp x1.5 = 45)
Concentration 1 (5xp)
Etiquette 1 (5xp)
Folk Ken 1 (5xp)
Swim 1 (5xp)
Language: Venato 5 (75xp)

EDUCATED 50
Artes Liberales 2 (15xp)
Latin 3 (30xp)
Philosophiae 1 (5xp)

APPRENTICE (125xp spent on abilities)
Latin 4 (+20xp)
Craft Painting 5+2 (+20xp x1.5 = 75)
Craft Sculpting 3 (30xp x1.5)
Etiquette 2 (+10xp = 15xp)
Magic Theory 3 = 30xp
Parma 1 = 5xp)
Code of Hermes 1 (5xp)
Org Lore: Order of Hermes1 (5xp)

Arts: (115xp on Arts)
Muto 7 (28xp)
Terram 6 (21xp)
Herbam 6 (21xp)
Imaginem 9 (45xp)

Spells: 120 levels
15 MuAn Doublet of Impenetrable silk
5 Eyes of the Cat
10 Piercing Shaft of Wood
5 Taste of the Spices and Herbs
10 Aura of Ennobled Presnce
10 Notes of a Delightful Sound
5 Prying Eyes
10 Eyes of the Eons
10 The Crystal Dart
10 Supple Iron and Rigid Rope
15 Rock of Viscid Clay
10 The Unseen Porter
5 Sense the Nature of Vis
Final age 24

EDIT: I'm not very bound to Light Touch and Personal Vis Source. I decided on light touch because I've literally never seen it used in play, and my thought is it would reduce botch dice during artistic experimentation for his painting and sculpting. Theoretically 'cautious with Ability' would do that too.. But I haven't really felt strongly towards anything. part of the point of this character is that he's actually really weak at magic.
His wizard's Sigil is 'vibrant colors and sharp focus', which helps significantly in his art, so... Side Effect.

EDIT2: Updated after reminder of Affinity, added spells

13

Born Marino, the third son of a successful (but not extravagent) Venetian merchant, was a natural artist. Though he grew up learning some of the trades of his family, his father preferred keeping him out of the shop (for some reason nobody liked having him around - only his brother Mafeo seemed friendly with him). When he showed not only an interest in painting, but a true skill, his father began hiring tutors to school him, and teach him to paint. Unfortunately, he was never a good student (the tutors always hated him, which father understood - he was a frustrating child), but enough coin made sure there was always some skilled teacher coming by.
A redcap in Venice found out about the child's story, and confirmed he was gifted. This information was sold to a Jerbiton magus, who offered private tutorship to the boy Marino to his father, and thus began his apprenticeship - though at first under the guise of a formal education, his family was eventually informed that he was taken in by a scholarly magus who was interested in the arts. Marino was treasured by his Master, despite his lack of Gentle Gift, for his unique artistic insight. His mentor rapidly gave up on teaching him beyond the most basic of social graces, since the rather wild-minded child was ever a disheveled heap, but the artistic insights he produced gave the master great hopes for his future.
The Jerbiton worried about his apprentice's tendencies towards wild ideas, and had trouble reigning in his creative impulses to have him focus on more respectable magical pursuits. Marino's experimental tendencies left him as reckless with painting as he was with his magical studies - but he proved to still be a great boon in the lab for his master. Marino began to study sculpting as well as magic, and was taught spells that would assist in his artistic endeavors, and when he was finally Gauntleted as a full magus, Plasmatoris felt finally free of his Parens guiding hand, and could stop holding himself back. He could seek out that blurred line between art and life and magic and find new ways to seek out God's truth through his work.

1 Like
14

I need to see how you are calculating the XP you are putting into your craft abilities, especially painting. is the +20 supposed to be after or before the affinity? I either get that you have spent 54 points and would actually have a 5+2 in painting or you have spent 47 points in painting.
expressing xp spent is generally helpful. I'm also coming up with you being 11 points shy of age 24.

15

Ah, the answer is I forgot I had Affinity entirely. I will recalculate during lunchtime.

16

Added XP values and spells!

17

Not sure if I should have put it on the Meta thread or here. I'm going to be away from my computer all weekend. Camping.

18

I was thinking his personal vis source could be a side effect of his driven eclectic painting is a strong magic aura , creating imaginem vis, or a mystical prism that solidified colors into liquid vis.

I like the idea of creating his own vis, bit different people have different views of what works for personal vis source.

19

The issue I see with the painting is that it sounds more like a seasonal activity than a periodic opportunity taking trivial time.
The prism works if it is on certain times and dates- sunrise of winter solstice would be a good one, or perhaps noon on the autumn equinox...

20

Temporary bout of wifi access. I am thinking a prism that needs to be kept in the sunlight for X days a season/year, just because I like having little things like that.

Back online tonight.