Qcipher's Companion

Retired Play by Post Campaigns Ars Magica 5th Edition: Canaries Are Dying
1

Started putting some numbers down and going through virtues and flaws and I came up with a minor Scottish lord that has some serious supernatural gifts as well as baggage.

The concept is a Scottish family that has made a deal with a tradition of (non-Hermetic) witches that have given the scions of the family some supernatural abilities (Shapeshifting and Second Sight). Using these skills they managed to gain some prominence among the clans. Which brings us to Nevin who has recently become the head of the family and has broken off from the witches that gave them power but was also controlling them with a Talisman that he stole. Now he is on the run from them and is looking for additional supernatural sponsorship and aid as he is very ambitious and has a decent sized clan to feed. Among some of the locals the family is thought to have literally eaten their rivals, a rumour that has only recently started, by the mortal agents of the witches that the clan betrayed.

Name: Nevin Mac-an-Toisich Age: 32 Social Status/Profession: Lord Warping: -/-
Decrepitude: -/- Confidence: 1/3 Religion: Christian
Place of Birth: Loch Ness

Str +1 Int +1 Pre +2 Quick 0
Sta +2 Per +2 Com +1 Dex +1

Virtues:
Wealthy (Major)
Gentleman (Minor)
Shapeshifter (Major)
Improved Characteristics x2
Second Sight

Flaws:
Enemies (Major) (Non-Hermetic tradition, possibly the enemies of Bjornaer)
Greater Malediction (Major) (Talisman, if in the hands of someone else they can force him to change shape)
Ambitious (Minor)
Infamous (Minor) (Family is a bunch of Cannibals)
Nocturnal (Minor)
Close Family Ties (Minor) (Mac-an-Toisich clan)

Abilities:
Area Lore 2 (Lochness)
Charm 2 (Landowners)
Folk Ken 2 (Clans)
Second Sight 3 (Invisible things)
Shapeshifting 3 (At night)
Magic Lore 2 (Magical traditions)
Animal Handling 2 (Cattle)
Brawl 3 (While shapeshifted)
Single Weapon 3 (Sword)
Profession 2 (Landowner)
Intrigue 3 (Landowners)
Etiquette 2 (Landowners)
Guile 3 (Magic using beings)
Hunt 3 (While shapeshifted)
Survival 3 (While shapeshifted)
Swim 3 (While shapeshifted)
Climb 3 (While shapeshifted)
Stealth 3 (While shapeshifted)
Athletics 3 (While shapeshifted)
Ride 3 (Tricks)
Carouse 3 (Landowners)
Leadership 2 (Family)
Bargain 2 (Land)
Awareness 3 (While shapeshifted)

Personality Traits:
Ambitious +2
Nocturnal +2
Brave +2
Conniving +1

Reputation:
Cannibals 4 (Lochness)

Gear:
Fine travelling clothes
Sword
Knife
Horse
3 Clan members (bodyguards and servants)
Talisman

2

Okay, getting the petty rules stuff out of the way first:

  • You have two Story Flaws there (Enemies and Close Family Ties).
  • Some of the abilities Nevin has, he doesn't have the requisite Virtue or Flaw allowing him to take them. Specifically, he needs one to take an Arcane Ability (Magic Lore) or Martial Ability (Single Weapon).
  • You kinda have Athletics on there twice – Climb is a Specialty of Athletics.
  • What three forms can Nevin change into?
  • Physical Abilities don't really translate from human form to animal, whether through Shapeshifter or Heartbeast, so "While Shapeshifted" isn't a valid Specialty for the Abilities that have taken it. His animal form takes the physical abilities of its form, while any mental Abilities he has in Human form transfer across. So, he could use his Folk Ken or Magic Lore without any problem, as well as understanding any languages he speaks.
  • I'm assuming Scots Gaelicis his native tongue?
  • Oh, and you're probably going to find more sheep than cows in these parts.

Okay, so looking at the backstory. It looks like the head of Clan Mac-an-Toisich has been given supernatural powers by these hedgies, but they've had a talisman to coerce him into doing what they want or be turned into their other form against their will. Makes me wonder what they were blackmailing them into doing, and how they'd benefit from it.

Also, it looks like he might have grown up around the Loch Ness area? If so, I'm guessing his family's had interaction with Insula Canaria for generations. Which makes me wonder how far he thinks he's going to get from the hedgies. Or, alternately, his family's from another part of the Highlands and he's found himself here in the last couple of years...maybe hoping that Insula Canaria can help him if the hedgies track him down?

If he is from the area, is his stronghold in the covenant area, or down the road in Cill Chuimein (which is about a 20-30 minute walk)?

Also: ambitious. I'm going to go in to Morden mode: What do you want?

I'm sure I have more questions, but it's dinner time.

3

Thanks for the questions/comments, I'll answer these where possible. I was in a bit of a rush at the end when I was posting it so I knew there were some issues

Yes, I was hoping for a little leeway here as his concept pretty much requires the enemies flaw (the wizards chasing him) and to reflect that he's the head of a clan. We can always say he's the head of a clan and not give him the flaw, but that means then that the clan never really gets involved, and I figured there'd be some rich storytelling for it. Not to mention the chance to have an origin for grogs and companions maybe.

With the Single Weapon I figured due to his Social Status that would allow him to take it. He is both Wealthy and a gentleman. Wouldn't that open up some Martial Abilities? Regarding Magic Lore...that one I thought might be a problem, his main tie would of course be his own exposure to a magical group and his own abilities. If that doesn't give him access, then I'll drop it.

Woops! I'm involved in too many games, i thought they were separate. I'll get that changed.

I knew I missed something! An owl, an otter, and a dog (an ideal dog for hunting and sherpherding).

OK, that will make things a bit cheaper then. I wanted o reflect that he was pretty physically capable...in his animal form. I'll re-arrange those a bit then.

You know what happens when you asume, right? You're often correct.

That works just as well. I'll adjust any specialties.

I was thinking that they used the clan for the same reason a covenant might; a supply of grogs, food and craftsman. Frees them up for their witchy business. The Talisman allows the holder to turn the head of the clan (maybe others in the clan also) into a toad (or other harmless and helpless animal).

Not far from Loch Ness i figure. As a shepherding clan, there is some mobility. I'm thinking his family only more recently arrived? Shepherding needs plenty of land from what i know. Maybe the hedgies were closer to the covenant than any magus would have realized (due to how distracted they were). His arrival might herald an unrealized threat.

He wants to bring his family into even greater prosperity, with possibly an eye for the throne in the near future for some of his line. Right now he needs to safeguard the family against the hedgies and slanderous rumours though.

4

Just because something isn't reflected in a Flaw doesn't mean it can't be played out. Halie's parens will still be a jerk, even though she doesn't have the Tormenting Master flaw, and there are plenty of people who can call in Favours with her, even though she doesn't have that flaw. The limit of one Story Flaw is for game balance purposes, not to limit storytelling.

Nope, the social statuses that open up ability classes all explicitly state so. E.g. Outlaw: "You have been outlawed, and must live by your wits outside society. You may take Martial Abilities at character generation, and have a Reputation at level 2 for whatever got you outlawed." Gentleman/woman only gives you the right to be addressed as Lord or Lady. You could swap Gentleman for Knight, though; that gives you the right to be addressed as "Sir," still reflects some standing among the nobility without the requisite time spent waiting upon higher-ranking family members, and opens up Martial abilities. AND gives you good gear.

5

Regarding the story flaw i understand and agree, except it is likely that the clan concept might be used for story elements anyway, and now he/we don't get the benefits of the flaw but are still using it like the flaw. It's for game balance certainly, and I wouldn't advocate that every companion or magus gets the option of having two story flaws, but in some cases it's not necessarily a bad thing to have 2 story flaws. But if it's got to be, I'll remove the close family ties and not the enemies flaw.

But I'm of the opinion we can use the 'no 2 story flaws' as a guideline rather than a rule and get both decent mileage and stories out of it. In the example of your master tormenting you anyway...why not get the flaw for it?

Either way, I await judgment.

Regarding the weapon use and needing a virtue, I'm again of two minds on it. On the one hand, yes, no doubt you need a virture/flaw to explain why you have certain Abilities. Some virtues explicitly state yes/no to an ability (I wouldn't say that either Educated or Magister in Artibus in any way implies the ability to use weapons). But someone that is a Lord/Lady, while not explicitely stating they could learn weapons use, IMO it makes logical implications that they could:

  1. They are the law. In most cases someone is not allowed to use a weapon or learn its use, but nobles are the law and should be exempt from that.
  2. They have the spare time, this is reflected in the extra XP they have per year.
  3. They have the money to buy weapons and train in them.
  4. They have the inclination to learn it (protecting their lands/families). This last reason is not IMO as strong a reason as the others though.

If these do not apply and/or we're looking for an explicitly stated virtue/flaw that gives it, I'll either drop the single weapon or take the Warrior Virtue.

6

What the heck happened to my post that I posted right before Arya's!? Dangit. Okay...I might rewrite it and post it again in a few.

Long story short: Two story flaws is approved for this character - I was just concerned that either Nevin would overshadow some of the other characters due to having two Story Flaws or that his Story Flaws would get short shrift.

Gentleman doesn't give Martial Abilities. But have you considered Knight instead (Basically, I said almost exactly what Arya did, hence my smartassery over in Table Talk).

And a thought that, if Nevin stole the talisman that the hedgies are using to control him, doesn't that effectively negate the Major Malediction?

7

OK, thanks for the consideration with the flaws. If he needs another virtue or flaw to use a weapon I'll redo something. it might not that important overall, i'll check it out when i have my books.

Regarding the malediction...it would become a minor weakness if he possesses it wouldn't it. It's better if he either has lost it and thus anyone can find it and gain power over him, or it's still with the hedgies. Or I reformulate the flaw. I like the idea of him having some lack of control over his shapeshifting, but don't want him to be a lycanthrope. Any ideas?

8
  • The hedgies still have it. Possibly he tried to steal it but wasn't successful, and the hedgies either know or don't know that he tried. Or he might have gotten caught and escaped before they could use it against him.
  • He stole the talisman. Or thinks he did. Boy, won't he be in for a surprise with the leader of the hedgies shows up, holds the talisman up to invoke its power, Nevin tries to laugh but it comes out "ribbit"?
  • He did steal it. But then, someone else stole it from him.

Just off the top of my head. I should still be able to make it work as a Major Malediction, but it might not be pretty. Then again, with the possible exception of Curse of Venus, what Major Flaw is?

9

I like the idea of him stealing a Talisman, but not the Talisman. Or something to the effect of he stole it, but all that really did was cost the Hedgies a season of work and they have a workable substitute again. So he thinks he's in the clear but the Hedgies have him right where they want him. Right now they might be biding their time or, when he's in the Aegis they can't affect him, and since he knows zip about any of that, he thinks he's safer than he really is.

I'm reminded of Pirates of the Caribean 2 when Jack Sparrow is singing on his ship. "I've got a jar of dirt, I've got a jar of dirt!"

I'll redo the Abilities in a bit. That's actually a good thing as he can get some respectable scores in a few. I might redo his Virtues so he can swing a sword (take the Warrior Virtue maybe).

10

Here's the re-do:

Name: Nevin Mac-an-Toisich Age: 32 Social Status/Profession: Lord Warping: -/-
Decrepitude: -/- Confidence: 1/3 Religion: Christian
Place of Birth: Loch Ness

Str +1 Int +1 Pre +2 Quick 0
Sta +2 Per +2 Com +1 Dex +1

Virtues:
Wealthy (Major)
Gentleman (Minor)
Shapeshifter (Major)
Improved Characteristics x2
Warrior

Flaws:
Enemies (Major) (Non-Hermetic tradition, possibly the enemies of Bjornaer)
Greater Malediction (Major) (Talisman, if in the hands of someone else they can force him to change shape)
Ambitious (Minor)
Infamous (Minor) (Family is a bunch of Cannibals)
Nocturnal (Minor)
Close Family Ties (Minor) (Mac-an-Toisich clan)

Abilities:
Area Lore 2 (Lochness)
Charm 3 (Landowners)
Folk Ken 2 (Clans)
Shapeshifting 5 (At night; hound, otter, owl, horse, ram)
Animal Handling 2 (Sheep)
Brawl 3 (Punch)
Profession 3 (Landowner)
Intrigue 3 (Landowners)
Etiquette 3 (Landowners)
Guile 3 (Magic using beings)
Hunt 3 (Deer)
Survival 3 (Highlands)
Swim 3 (Rivers)
Stealth 3 (At night)
Athletics 3 (Running)
Ride 3 (Tricks)
Carouse 3 (Landowners)
Leadership 3 (Family)
Bargain 3 (Land)
Awareness 3 (Keen eyes)
Single Weapon 4 (Sword)

Personality Traits:
Ambitious +2
Nocturnal +2
Brave +2
Conniving +1

Reputation:
Cannibals 4 (Lochness)

Gear:
Fine travelling clothes
Sword
Knife
Horse
3 Clan members (bodyguards and servants)
Talisman (Fake)

I removed some of the superfluous Abilities and dropped Second Sight and took Warrior instead. The xp from Second Sight I moved directly into Shapeshift and added some new animal forms. WIth the skills that I dropped I took the Xp and beefed up some of the social Abilities, so he's IMO a very solid Companion, he can fight, is better at social situations, and has some strong mystical abilities.

11

Go ahead and copy him to the Character Sheets thread.

12

I made a couple of assumptions on some of these, namely the horse and the owl. The horse, I used the courser and not the destrier (both from the Book of Mundane Beasts download). And the owl, I used the Screech Owl (The Medieval Bestiary also has the Little Horned Owl, the Little Owl, and the Eagle Owl).

The Hound and the Horse, I got from The Book of Mundane Beasts. The Otter, the Owl, and the Ram I got from the 4th edition supplement, The Medieval Bestiary, but I haven't gone through and figured out the Qualities, Virtues, and/or Flaws yet.

Hound
Str +1 Sta +2 Int +1 Per +2 Pre -2 Com +1 Dex +1 Quick +2
Size: 0
Soak: +2
Virtues/Flaws/Qualities: Long-Winded, Sharp Ears, Keen Sense of Smell, Pursuit Predator, Vocal
Abilities: Athletics 3 (distance running), Awareness 3 (keeping watch), Brawl 3 (bite), Hunt 4 (track by scent)
Natural Weapons: The weapon statistics for a dog's bite are Init 0, Atk +3, Def +1, Dam +2.

Otter
Str -4 Sta 0 Int +1 Per +2 Pre +2 Com +1 Dex +1 Quick +1
Abilities: Athletics 3, Awareness 3, Hunt 1, Swim (Diving) 3.
Size: -3
Soak: -3
Natural Weapons: The weapon statistics for an otter's bite are Init +3, Atk +2, Def +5, Dam -7.

Horse
Str +4 Sta +3 Int +1 Per +2 Pre +2 Com -3 Dex -1 Quick +2
Virtues/Flaws/Qualities: Long-Winded,Fast Runner, Good Jumper, Tireless
Size: +2
Soak: +3
Abilities: Athletics 4 (long-distance running), Awareness 3 (noises)
Natural Weapons: The weapon statistics for a horse's kick are Init +2, Atk +3, Def +2, Dam +1.

Owl
Str -3 Sta +2 Int +1 Per -1 Pre +2 Com +1 Dex +2 Quick 0
Abilities: Athletics (flying) 3, Awareness 3, Hunt 2, Stealth 4.
Size: -4
Powers: Night Vision, Keen Vision
Natural Weapons: The weapon statistics for an owl's beak or talon are Init +4, Atk +6, Def +7, Dam -3.

Ram
Str +4 Sta +2 Int +1 Per +2 Pre +2 Com +1 Dex 0 Quick +1
Abilities: Athletics (charging) 3, Awareness 3
Size:-1
Soak: +3
Natural Weapons: The weapon statistics for the ram's Head-Butt are Init +5, Atk +4, Def +3, Dam +6; for his Bite or Kick are Init +2, Atk 0, Def -1, Dam +6