Questions about Virgilian Magic

Games Discussion Ars Magica
1

Hello! I'm creating a resume of non-hermetic traditions for my players (we are spanish speakers and being so many options in so many books make it difficult for us).

In this reading and exploration I'm now in Rival Magic and I have a lot of misunderstanding about Virgilian Magic, with a special focus in Vigilo (page 54 to 56). My problems are:

  • If I understand correctly: The magnitude of the rite is determined by the score in the School and not by the Ease factor? That means, a School of Boreas 8 wizard could do Ease Factor 9 and Ease Factor 15 rites and both can be dispelled with Level 40 Perdo Vim?

  • I don't understand the Range. It says is the Range between the warded area and the initiator, not the wizard that could be in the other part of the world. But then throw this: "Normally this will be Touch, as the initiator must attempt to breach the ward, or be within it, to trigger it. The wizard must, however, be at Touch range to cast the Vigilo rite in the first place." The wizard need or not being at the Range at the time of casting?

  • Virgilia magic can't use Personal Range [is a limit of their theory, I'm ok with that], can't use Voice because ward don't have voice, but you can have Range Sight? Arcane Connection? Some examples of how this would work with the "activation by initiator" part?

  • The example on page 56 is making my crazy with the experience points: How Frederick gain 14 experience points in ONE season of work? How THEN he only gain 15 by practicing for THREE seasons? (and the later still weird because practice give you 4 experience points, so he would have 12 not 15)

If anyone can help me to explain this in simple to my players, thank you very much!

2

¡Hola!

  1. rite magnitude should be 1 for every “3” in the rite, a 21 Ease factor would be equivalent to 35th level, 7th magnitude? Muspelli and the Soqotrans use the +3 change in magnitude.

  2. The Augustan who initially casts the Vigilo rite must be in Touch Range of the area being warded. But the spell itself may sport some other Virgilian range, and that has to do exclusively with the triggering conditions for the Vigilo ward.

  3. Range:Sight example: Tempestuous weather summoned as soon as an enemy fleet is spotted.
    Arcane Range: this seems very tricky, and looks to me it triggers from anywhere when the condition is met. Might allow the Virgilian to trigger a spell by his own actions (or somebody he knows and instructs, as long as he incorporates the Arcane Connection into the spell). For example, the Augustans warn some Frederick-wannabe that unless he heeds their commands, his backers will suffer. They have cast city-destroying rites (summon hurricanes, plagues, whatever) on X cities, and the specific trigger is Frederick’s right hand military man continuing to plan an attack against whomever the Augustans said “don’t “. They incorporated Arcane Connections to this general (probably easier to get than to F. himself) and so, if the general and F. discuss new plans of attack after the warning, this would trigger the calamity on their allies. Does that make sense? Seems to me the Virgilian could also incorporate actions that he himself takes, from wherever he may be, to trigger Wards that harm others.

  4. I am unclear on this very important point. There may be simply flawed arithmetic or just insufficient information provided. Perhaps Tomas learned from a kicking Q14 Tractatus? Or somebody taught him? Virgilians can experiment with their Rites, earning xp , perhaps the author meant experiment 15 xp/Season on subsequent seasons? After Practicing for 14 (how does that work?) xps on the “invention” season, and that is the usual way the Virgilians invent rites? Do not know if the author, Chris Jensen Romer, is around to clarify, now I realize I myself do not know how these rites are invented, initially, when doing so from scratch (no teacher, no book). Practice for 4 xp first Season, as usual?

1 Like
3

For 4), it’s right there:
“ A completely new rite may be learned this way in any School in which the wizard has a score of at least 1.” So this is the way the Virgilians invent spells, by Experimenting, which is in no way similar to Hermetic Experimenting.
High Int + High Virgilian Theory a must for a Wizard who concentrates on Vigilo. Probably not going to find a high, uncontested Magic Aura.

4

Thanks for the replies!

A quick two additional questions with Animo:

  1. Animation can have pentagram wards inscribe in them? Or if I want to put the "ward againts swords" I need to increase the EF by +3 and put it in Group?

  2. The rite above, I can make it with a Solar Duration and Twice a Day to it for work perpetually or I need a Unlimited uses and momentary to stop every sword strike?

5

1 is true, as long as they are warding themselves only.

2 you can have the ward for Sun duration and two uses a day - it won't be perpetual, because at sunrise or sunset the effect fades, but the animation has the ability to activate its own powers so they will come back on. What happens if someone waits until the exact moment of dawn to attack? I think there is a gap of a few seconds, but it may be almost seamless.