Robes of weapon immunity

Having re-read the description of the robes, I have to agree with you. OTOH, if you follow my guideline, you only have to order a custom-made two-piece cloth set from the covenant tailor, put in a 35-45 lvl Personal enchantment, and you have the ultimate armor, fully safe from most or all but one Form mundane hazards, using vanilla Re ward effects. You only have to give up the loose robe clothing style and go for something more tight-fitting. The perfect complement to the Parma.

Here comes SuperMagus :laughing: (sorry, couldn't resist, I pictured this, and... :laughing: )

Faster than a speeding crossbow bolt, More powerful than an Ancient Dragon, Able to leap tall church spires in a single bound...

Look, up the sky...is it a bird? is it a griffon? NO! It's..............................

MAGUSMAN!!!!! :wink:

Well, tight-fitting pantyhose-like pants were in-period, and sewing a hood, gloves, and cloth mask to a long-sleeved shirt is not that complex, even for a Middle Ages tailor. It's nowhere like wearing robes is part of the Code, actually. :stuck_out_tongue:

Something like this maybe? :laughing:

(Not that this ain't a viable idea, but I'm still stuck on the magus-in-spandex picture :wink:)

Looks like Bonisagus on acid!! LOL

I love it!! :smiley:

i hope my players will never find this thread...I really hope... :wink:

the obvious solution is to have your magus wear a hoop dress and use a ring duration ward :stuck_out_tongue:

:laughing: :laughing: :laughing:

Well, something like it, indeed, adding a face mask of course. Note that while actual spandex material is way-beyond ArM technology, a cloth that covers the whole body is quite manageable, and can be developed by adapting clothing styles for the most cold climates, and working to simplyfing it down to a two-pieces suit, to spare on time and vis to enchant it. Also note that you can wear the enchanted cloth armor suit under robes, if you are really stuck on Latin style.

Which is stuck in one place, while a personal ward on clothing is movable.

In this thread, we've devised the all-purpose hermetic armored vest. Woot 8)

How so? the ring would move with the magus

No. The ring is tied to the circle traced in the ground when the spell was cast.

I had made a Heromachine visual representation of the enchanted cloth, but apparently screen-capture doesn't work on my laptop. :cry:

You have-- at the low, low price of 4ish pawns of vis and your magus' dignity... :wink:

You won't even look like the goofballs on cover of TMRE, but the Mythic son of Rorschach. I think I like the idea of the franciscan robe, if only because it will blend better. Making your way inconspicuously across a crowded fair--really anywhere but the covenant-- in the two piece suit just begs some sort of terrible encounter with a priest or a crusader. The fae might not mind it, I guess, but I could see even magi at Tribunal being uncomfortable with it. ("Why does he hide his face? What is he concealing? Are you sure it's him?") Socially, I'd anticipate a SG using it as (even more) carte blanche to make life difficult.

I think I'll suffer from the Achilles' Face given the option of that or looking like a walking tailor's dummy. :slight_smile:

-Ben.

Dignity, what loss of dignity ? Tight-fitting leggings were quite in-period and personally I find them more dignified than a robe. :wink:

Really, hateful as I am of Middle Age Church zealots, I deem that even they would have something more pressing to do with their time than harassing someone that wears all-concealing clothing. Haven't they religious minorities to slaughter anymore ? :stuck_out_tongue: Morever, if they come, let them come. Cleansing Mythic Europe of inquisitor scum is one of the merriest pasttimes of my characters. The only good inquisitor is a IoL one.

This is quite easily to solve. Tribunals are tightly-knit meetings. Just raise your mask to show your face when you first meet them, to check your ID. Hermetic mages have all kinds of bizarre behavioral patterns, anyway, wearing a mask is far from bizarre in comparison to certain Twilight scars.

Tight fitting hose, yes, not tight fitting body suits. Men wore loose-fitting knee length tunics or gowns over the hose.

What you propose would shock the sensibilities of the 13th century public.

Nobody would stop the magus from wearing some loose-fitting clothing (such as a tunic or robe) above the tight-fitting enchanted protective suit.

Just like its mundane equivalent, the Hermetic armored vest can be worn under the other clothing. Differently from the mundane thing, it isn't heavier and bulkier than normal clothing, so it fits nicely under a loose tunic. Even if the magical clothing is likely decorated with precious metals and gemstones to boost its enchantment space. The enchantment is level 45 plus modifiers.

I wish to propose to you another kind of reasonning to solve this sort of "rule problem". Sorry for the rather long post, I wish it is of some interest to you. =)
*

Instead of thinking from the rules to what is possible to do, I propose to reason backward: First ask yourself: How do you picture what is it possible for 'that' magic to do?, and then, how should the rule apply to that particular circumstance.

Here: enchanting a magical 'robe/ninja-suit' of protection. Such a robe is powerfull, because it protect you while it doesn't warp and is active 100% of the time. Would not most magi want one ? Then, do you picture many mages wearing them?

If you were to create Mythic Europe, would you design it that way? If yes, then there is no further problem.
If not, then you just have to "clearify" the rules, since you were in a case where there was something unclear about a rule.

With rules alone, I can bring 'proof' of one opinion and it's opposite.

In this case:
1-'A magical robe could not protect all surfaces/skin of the wearer'
a)Because the target of the magical effect is "personnal", it only protect the robe itself.
b) You could solve this by enchanting a 'tight suit' instead of a robe.

2-'A magical robe could protect all surfaces/skin of the wearer'
a)Because there is the exemple of the Ward spell (AM5 p.124) "Break the Oncoming Wave" where is ward off water at "10 pace from you". Instilling an effect similar into a magical amulet, range personnal, would certainly protect 100% of the surface of the wearer of such an amulet. In the case of the robe, you only need to say it ward off weapons at some distance. [b) Some other suggested to add +1 mag, considering this an added effect.]


What I only want to say, is that either solutions to the 'rule problem' (here the problem is how to apply the rules to a particular case) ARE GOOD.
They are all coherent with the rules.
What I want to propose is that one Troupe should choose one over the other based on how they pricture their gaming world.

Quite good points, Iudicium.

I would only add that whatever choice of yours one adopts, one end result won't change: by whichever interpretation of the rules, it is clear that Hermetic magic can easily allow all mages that can enchant/buy a level 45 item complete protection from almost all mundane attacks and hazards in one easily portable magic item without warping. Such an item would be almost as precious to mages as the Parma and Longevity Ritual, so it should be assumed that all experienced mages would own it and be invulnerable to mundane weapons and attacks. Moreover, such an item would be easy to transfer from master to apprentice and stockpiles of such items would eventually accumulate, maybe becoming avialable for young mages and apprwentices also. It means that grogs would be useful support, but not indispensable protection. Any mage with some decent combat spells and such an item can afford to travel alone, if need be.

Would it be a good thing ? I think so. The power of such a protection item scales in effectiveness with MR and hermatic mages aren't really supposed to be fearful of any lowlife thug with a torch and pitchfork.

Of course, given my own apparently ... radical opinions about the proper power level for Hermetic magi, such an opinion might be biased. :wink:

sorry, double post

Thanks. But I see more good points in this forum than I can formulate myself, that's why I keep silent most of the time. ^^

I do think people in this forum should talk more about the consequences of such opinions upon the gaming experience. At least I can say I would prefer it that way.
In the end, rule interpretations are, either a matter of reading skills in english (reading correctly Ars Mag. 5), either biased upon an individual experience.
And such individual experiences would be more usefull to readers from a perspective of how it impact the gaming experience than as an indirect, often 'clouded', influence on what interpretation of the rule one makes.

Applying this to myself, I would say about this topic that as a SG, I would prefer to allow for mages to make magical standard robes that protect 100% of them from metal.

The alternative, --- asking to choose between having a robe with partial protection or making thight-suit with full protection--- is not as I picture my - own - hermetic mages. In a word, I don't like the look of MagusMan (no offence intended)

I would simply say, based on spell like "Break the incoming wave" that the ward is effective at a certain distance. Thus allowing complete protection for the wearer, no warping. I agree that an Hermetic mage should be able to do such magic items. But I disagree on the fact that all masters would make one for their apprentice - the best protection is to not make ennemy against yourself, simply ^^

Because ArsM is a highly magical game, it helps to create spells and magic items that define your gaming world, to bring it to life. Hense the Troupe should not encourage players to create 'magics' that veer from a central conception of your Mythic Europe.
The more leeway one have, the less there is place for imagination !