Yes, that's correct. The actual spot is the paragraph on the right on p.58.
I think you're a little off on the reasoning used there:
- Create natural stone.
- The natural stone is to be given an unnatural property as well.
- Giving natural stone this unnatural properly uses Muto.
If cast at D:Mom, that would "permanently" create a natural stone, and give it momentarily an unnatural property - so that it would immediately return to being a natural stone.
This ... may be useful if you want to create a stone block that "melds perfectly" and right from the start with an existing stone block. But it does not do what TME seems to suggest it does.
Let me also say that I dislike this aesthetically, because it combines in the same D:Mom spell two D:Mom effects where D:Mom in practice "means" two subtly different things.
Not sure if this was brought up here or the other errata/hard to find threads. I did not find anything using the forum search. Whether casting a mastered ritual is stressful or not is not clear.
In the Ritual section we see "The magnitude of Ritual spells, and the need to incorporate many elements, mean that they are always cast using a stress die." In the Spell Mastery section we see "Mastered spells are always cast with a stress die, but if the maga is relaxed there are no botch dice," Assuming one can indeed master a ritual, does casting a mastered ritual require a stress die or not?
Rich
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My reading, which I believe is the RAW or RAI idea, is that you are never relaxed when casting a ritual. Depending on virtues, mastery botch die reduction, and things such as the Familiar cords you can reduce the number of botch dice to zero but it is not automatically zero like it will be for a mastered non-ritual spell “when relaxed.” This could possibly be worded more clearly but I am not sure what those words are.
We have on the forum:
Interesting. I don’t read ritual magic as ”casual, everyday stuff.”
That's apparently not "RAI", though.
With the errata clarifying that renewing an LR can be done by a Magi if he has access to the lab text, there is a small issue in Rigid Magic that needs to be cleared.
The Virtue forbids one from spending Vis on spells, and from casting Rituals. Does this mean that someone with Rigid Magic must always have someone else do their Longevity Ritual for them? It should be clarified.
It's unfortunate that the Longevity Ritual uses the same keyword as Ritual spells.
But they are clearly not the same: you do not "cast" a Longevity Ritual, you never risk botching it etc.
While that's true, you are still forbidden from using Vis except for lab activities, and a LR is NOT a lab activity.
Incorrect. It does not say that you are forbidden from using Vis except for lab activities. It says that "you can not use Vis when you cast spells".
This is the actual text:
You cannot use vis when you cast spells. Thus, you cannot increase your spell rolls or cast Ritual magic. You can use vis in the laboratory.
That last bit implies that you cannot use vis unless it's a lab activity. That is why I think it needs to be clarified, so there is no dispute about whether someone with this Flaw can or cannot renew a LR.
I know what it says and I believe you are mischaracterizing it.
EDIT: I was half asleep when I first wrote this and could not be more clear at the time.
The first sentence provides the restriction, with the following sentences provide clarifications of that restriction. There are other non-spell actions that are not lab activities in which Vis might be spent (i.e. Certamen, Study from Vis). These are not covered by the restriction or mentioned in a clarification, so they may be performed.
Mechanically a longevity ritual does seem like a ritual spell- there are vis limits based on your scores, it does not require a season of work once invented, the only difference is that the vis required is based on your age rather than the effect level (and it has an incredibly long duration). I mean it isn't a straight up clearly a spell effect, but it is certainly more of a gray area than say studying from vis which is almost a lab activity that doesn't need to be done in the lab.
The following Social Statuses are notably over- or underpowered, and deserve serious consideration for nerfs or buffs as indicated below:
Overpowered Minor, should be nerfed
- Marshal (LoM p61), remove access to Martial Abilities to bring in line with Falconer
- Master of Kennels (LoM p61), remove access to Martial Abilities to bring in line with Falconer
Underpowered Minor, should be buffed or demoted to Free
- Domestic Animal (Grogs p74) demote to Free
- Guild Apprentice/Journeyman (C&G p44-45) demote to Free
- Jurist (A&A p.91) retain as Minor and grant 50-60XP in the four specific Academic Abilities to which it gives access.
- Lupus (A&A p91) either demote to Free and require Latin 4+, or retain as Minor and grant 50-60XP in Latin and Artes Liberales.
- Rabbi (RoPD p135) either demote to Free, or retain as Minor and add Academic Ability access.
- Sufi (RoPD p115) exceptionally bad; demote past Free all the way to Minor Story Flaw.
- University Grammar Teacher (A&A p92) grant 50-60XP in Latin and Artes Liberales.
Overpowered Free, should be promoted to Minor
- Almogavar (Grogs p74)
- Amazon (RM p18) (with a note that it can remain Free in all-Amazon sagas)
- Court Wizard (RM p67) exceptionally strong; promote to Major (compare Wealthy)
- Folk Witch (HMRE p34) somewhat problematic: acceptable as-is for companions, but amazing for grogs. Even promoted to Minor it will still be one of the strongest Virtues for grogs, but not unacceptably so imo, and I enjoy Folk Witch grogs being allowed to exist in terms of setting and story. As Free, however, it is egregiously overpowered.
Overpowered Minor Flaw, should be promoted to Free or otherwise changed
- Branded Criminal (ArM5 p52), promote to Free? Varies widely with how much the saga cares about grog-level social interactions
- Failed Monk/Nun (RoPD p93), promote to Free
My thanks to @ezzelino for their work compiling and initially rating the minor and free social statuses here.
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No, it does not imply that. That last bit is just a clarification that even if you can't use vis for casting spells, you can still use it in the lab.
As regards non-spell casting, non-lab activities that happen to require vis, the flaw is silent so the assumption must be that no special restriction applies to such activities.
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What makes these so overpowered (in your opinion/saga)?
They give 50 XPs and access to an ability category - similar to Educated, which is often adviced against. Yes, they also contain a social status, but those can be free. While these virtues even come with a list of skills you should take (that is, spend XPs on).
Also, taking Martial abilities away from the Marshal seems ... silly.
I kinda agree with these, mostly. Most of them do give a status element as well though. Less quantified but potentially relevant.
Most of these are ... fairly problematic. Several of these, I'd just as happily just remove, or restrict to companions at the very least.
Very true. But you are literally branded - that social penalty is almost as persistent as that of the Gift
I actually like this one as it is. But then, social penalties matter in most of our sagas, and this one comes with a huge social hit against you.
The only thing I am not 100% sure is really the Folk Witch one.
I love Folk Witch grogs. And they just get three minor Virtues, so if you upgrade their social status they have very little left. My suggestion would be to either keep it as is or to say that grogs (and perhaps companions?) created as folk witches do not get any extra experience for their apprenticeship - they are created with the standard 15xp/year - and have "extra" access not to any category of abilities, but only to those used in any Folk Witch magical activity: as far as I can tell, these are Folk Witch Magic Theory, Penetration, and Magic Lore (to enrich items of Virtue).
They give you:
a) high status within a noble household (almost comparable to the "least" nobility)
b) access to martial abilities (which by itself is worth a low-end minor social status)
c) underlings
d) 50xp to spend on a number of useful abilities including Latin.
That's significantly more than the typical minor Virtue.
Sort of; it can be hidden, and it's something in your past that you can explain away. Compare it with a Social Handicap, and note that you are getting Martial Abilities for free - which by itself is worth a low-end Minor Virtue.