Possible mistakes in 'Hedge Magic (revised edition)

Salvete, Sodales!

Even after repeated proof-reading and playtesting it seems to be inavoidable that mistakes creep up in a first edition of any printed set of roleplay rules. But we as players will probably find them collectively over time, and if we post them to David, those mistakes can be errataed (and potentially corrected in a future reprint). I started this thread, so that we can collect potential mistakes in HM(re) here – seems just more effective than to send them piecemeal to Atlas.

In previous posts there were already two things mentioned which I will just repeat for completeness' sake:

  • p. 100: 'Marco the student' has the flaw 'Incompatible Hedge Arts (VuSa)' but as he is not initiated into the Vulnero Technique this flaw is not open to him and should be replaced by something else.
  • p. 94: The stats for both amulets on page 94 need to be reformulated. The effect level of the 'Amulet For An Ample Harvest' really is 20, but as it needs at least two charges, the amulet has to have level 26 at least. The 'Amulet Of Longevity' has an effect of level 5, but as it needs 4 charges the final level is 21.

I think I just found another minor inconsistency:

  • On the one hand on page 83, at the bottom of the last column, 'Adept Laboratory Student' and 'Unimaginative Learner' are recommended as suitable virtues/flaws for Learned Magicians. On the other hand those Unfortunately deal with the ability to learn from vis, and that is something learned magicians are not capable of (cf. p.85, last column). I don't know which information is the mistake, but one should be changed.

Did anybody among you find inconstencies in the parts about their favoured hedge traditions. Please post them.

Vale,
Alexios ex Miscellanea

You are right about the Laboratory Student' and 'Unimaginative Learner'. Prior versions of Learned Magician could learn from vis.

As far as the Incompatible Hedge Arts, I think that is an acceptable Flaw because Marco is planning to Initiate all of the Arts and is only in the early stages of learning. If someone was clearly not going to Initiate any more Arts, I would agree that it's an inappropriate Flaw because it doesn't really limit the character.

For the amulets on 94, I've been meaning to send an e-mail to David, which is his preferred method of highlighting errata. I think that there should be two entries for each device: one for the level of the effect and one for the level of the device. That would clear up the confusion. Maybe they should have been written as devices rather than spells? By the way, there is another erratum on that page, see if you can find it . . . :wink:.

PS. The author really dropped the ball on this one and should be flogged.

(Afaik, that is his standard format for "items")

Salve Sodales!

John Post wrote:

Got it: The 'Charm of Warding Against Unwanted Pests' protects an Individual, but the guidelines mention that TuSa wards can only be cast on Structure and Boundary targets.

Actually I had missed that error before, but it leads me to a related problem: Those valid targets are beyond the capacity of verbal charms (only individual or group target) but need chartae or amulets. This just cuases a minor problem for the guideline comment of wards affecting a Hermetic Wizard (or anybody else with Magic Resistance but without a Might Score). The wards have to penetrate, but unfortunately chartae and amulets can't penetrate (cf. p.). Actually that is the single most annoying limitation on the learned magicians' magic - they can't protect houses etc. from the faeries (VuMa, but always needs penetration, so only applicable to verbal charms and thereby limited to Sun duration and Individual/Group targets). Was that intended?

Vale,
Alexios ex Miscellanea

No, that's just an unfortunately worded sentence. It means that large inanimate objects must be warded by Structure or Boundary Target spells. Pretty self-evident and obvious, no real need to mention it. But many of the playtest comments had questions about the application of terms from Hermetic magic in the Hedge Magic traditions. So that's why it's there.

I would allow any excess Lab Points to be put into Penetration, just like Hermetic Magic items. Chartae protecting against demons and devils is clearly in the period literature.

I blame this error on my incorrect (but morally superior) belief that wards don't need to Penetrate.

Salvete Sodales!

So those mistakes found up to now have already been errataed (see: http://www.atlas-games.com/arm5/arm5errata.php#AG0289), nice fast work.

Ok, John, I would probably never have found that part about plants.

In order to make up for my blindness I think I should start to look for possible mistakes in other chapters. This might last a while, but I think that the clarification of the SuMa guidelines

should also be applied to the gruagachan GiveBlessing guidlines for comparable effects (p. 66).

That's it - for now.
Vale,

Alexios ex Miscellanea

One thing, i fell uncleared the Elementalists summoning container, don't should be limited in the shape and material table and the Might's magnitud by those creature?

No; only specially prepared containers or circles can be used (the power is not possible unless those specific shapes are used).

Yes, but i mean if that container should be thought how if the power of the being summoned is restricted by the container, like do you say is "only specially prepared containers or circles can be used (the power is not possible unless those specific shapes are used)." But how is the container built? Shape and Size material system equivalent to the Might magnitud?