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.
This I will give you right away - access to martial abilities is nice. But then, I tend to be of the opinion that virtues that give you nothing but access to abilities are probably underpowered. Again, compare to Educated or Warrior - both of which I see noted as "sub optimal virtues" often enough to remember them as such.
Compare to craft/guild training and status:craftsman for a craft such as goldsmith, and this is not that far out of line- a craftsman can have journeymen and apprentices, additional training and be well respected non-nobles. Marshal and master of kennels gives a relatively high position as a servant within a noble household, which is a far cry from having actual social status.
Even if they are slightly overpowered, they also tend to be very rare. In general you will not have more than one grog who is a member of the Covenant or noble household with each and only if them have the matching facilities.
The underlings they each have are fairly common. Huntsmen and Grooms are roughly on par with Laborers. They are not combat capable or craftsmen. While the Marshal has the potential to oversea some craftsmen, they would have to be running a fairly large stables for it to have a dedicated full time smith and leather worker. Most stables will not have these dedicated craftsmen, but instead make up a small portion of the work they perform.
Marshal is not, per LoM, a military title*; it's the guy in charge of running your stables: buying horses, overseeing the breeding of horses, hiring and managing the grooms, treating the animals (Profession (Marshal) functions as Medicine for veterinary purposes), and managing the purchase and maintenance of tack, harness, horseshoes, saddles, etc (either by purchase or by craftsmen employed under his authority).
*The noted exception is the Marshal of England, who is in charge of the king's cavalry.
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"This person is called a marshal, and the title holds considerable honor. The Marshal of England
is the king’s official in charge of his cavalry, but even the marshal of a baron is an important personage"
A master craftsman can indeed have journeymen and apprentices, but it's a Minor Virtue yielding access to Academic abilities and nothing else. A Marshal at least equals him in status, has a greater number and variety of underlings, access to a similarly restricted class of abilities (martial rather than academic) and 50xp on top of that. That's a bit too much.
A Marshal has higher status than a Mercenary captain, equal access to martial abilities, a similar number and variety of underlings, and and 50xp on top of that.
Etc. Really, I suggest you look at the whole lot of Minor V&Fs that was left up for discussion for a couple of days as a whole. That provides a much better sense of the comparative worth of Social Status Minor & Free V&Fs.