Hello everybody!
We have made a decision about the covenant that we are going to introduce in the Ars Magica Guide to Serenissima Obscura.
It will be set in Murano, just a short boat ride away from Venice. This vantage point outside the reach of the Stupor, gives the magi the opportunity to observe from outside, but also to participate in the Serenissima's fate, whenever they see fit.
The characters will be tasked with building a townhouse in Venice and finding out, if it is safe to come out as hermetic magi in this Magical Renaissance. An excellent job for a troupe of "fresh" magi and companions. What do you think?
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It's a great idea.
I preferthe Fondaco dei Turchi because there are floor plans to steal, but Murano is a great choice.
Ah yes. But the Fondaco del Turchi is already used in our campaign as the guesthouse of the Serenissima – which it was at that time. (At least occasionally.)
Depending on how the characters start, this is where they will meet a lot of important NPCs.
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A quick typo check: in your Ars section of the Backerkit it says "80 stats for creatures and characters, as well as the magical items,", then in the text and and in the art with the purple background it says "Confront 60+ monsters and villains". I thought I'd flag it in case it's a typo
Thanks, but this is no typo:
There are 80 stats for NPCS and creatures, but only 60 of them are "enemies". The rest are potentially friendly npcs. I know it is a bit confusing. I should change it...
Oh, no, that make sense...
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I added a short explanation in both paragraphs though. Thanks for pointing this out. 
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This looks super cool, thank you so much for posting this. 
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Hi everybody. Just a short update: The Ars Magica community goal of our project is at 108 of 200 copies ordered.
It would be great if we could reach it be fore the end of the campaign.
If you want to help us, please share the campaign.
Here is the link to the community goal:
Also, Ars Magica seems to represent nearly half the backers, (and is winning the race against the other 5e to get our special book printed better).
Congrats to all of us !
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Hey everybody!
There is good news for the Ars Magica add-on: Despite the fact, that we are still far from reaching our true financial goal, Ben and Michel have agreed to finance a few additional illustrations for the covenant in Murano. I am very much looking forward to fleshing out the inhabitants and details of this place.
So, if you have not yet backed us: now would be a great moment.
And, if you have: please recommend our project to a friend.
We have got a bit more than a week to make this a success!
Thank you for your support!
Dear friends of Ars Magica!
We’re just 22 orders away from unlocking the offset print edition of the Ars Magica Guide to Serenissima Obscura! If you’ve been thinking about backing (or upgrading your pledge), now’s the moment – the gates are closing soon, and we’d love to get this beautiful book into your hands in high-quality offset print. It will only be available during the crowdfunding campaign!
What’s in the Ars Magica Guide to Serenissima Obscura?
This 100-page supplement is your key to bringing Serenissima Obscura into the world of Ars Magica – fully tailored to match its rules, tone, and magical depth! It includes:
- A ready-to-use covenant in Murano, just across the lagoon from Venice – caught between secrecy and a world where magic is rising
- A history of the Order of Hermes up to 1507, transitioning Mythic Europe seamlessly into the Magical Renaissance
- 80 stat blocks for key figures and creatures
- Ideas for adapting our Renaissance character options into Ars Magica companions
If you’ve enjoyed exploring Mythic Europe, this book offers a chance to journey into a later, transitional era where Hermetic magic might soon step into the spotlight.
Back now, and help bring the Magical Renaissance to life!
Only 2 days left:
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Salve sodales!
Finally, I get to write here again. The last days of our campaign and the subsequent weeks were just crazy.
I am so grateful for the support of the Ars Magica community. You make 49% of the backers of our campaign and we of course reached the community goal!
Work on the Ars Magica content for Serenissima Obscura has officially begun! I am getting great help from the ArM community, in particular from Ben McFarland and Sobek who have taken over specific "official" tasks in this project. I will write about this soon more.
In the last week, I’ve adapted the setting’s metaphysics and supernatural elements to fit within the Ars Magica framework, while also offering new perspectives for storyguides to explore.
In our Magical Renaissance, the Realms of Power are reinterpreted through the dual forces of Permanence and Possibility — representing the laws of nature and magic. While Ars Magica treats the realms as four distinct forces, our model sees them as varying blends of these two principles. For example, Faerie is raw Possibility unbound by structure and the Infernal Realm is locked in lifeless Permanence. These concepts are fully compatible with canon, but offer deeper philosophical hooks for in-character debates and new magical theories.
Another of the key metaphysical innovations in our setting is the portrayal of the fae – or at least some of them – as kosmokrators: primordial beings who have shaped the world and maintain balance between the realms. While Hermetic theory typically sees faeries as story echoes, our model allows for the possibility that the oldest fae are agents of cosmic order whose stories are merely masks for deeper functions.
I’ve also begun defining how magical tides flow through Venice, how auras shift over the course of a day, and how the Shadow Side World affects magi and mortals alike through a mechanic called Deprivation. (Which was actually much easier to do than in D&D.)
More updates soon — including adapted character creation and news about the covenant in Murano.
Also: If you want one of the print copies of the Ars Magica Guide to Serenissima Obscura, you will have to pre-order it before the time runs out. The book will later be available in our shop and on DTRPG - but only in its digital form.
Here is the link: Preorder Serenissima Obscura – Setting Guide & Modular Adventure on BackerKit
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Update on Serenissima Obscura and the Magical Renaissance:
We are proud to announce that the main book is laid out and the Ars Magica Guide to the Magical Renaissance is completed and in the hands of our designer. We are super happy with the result and looking forward to the Order of Hermes in 1507! Thank you so much for supporting us in the development of this new era. Also: We are now opening the pledge manager for all backers. It will close before printing in April. This is also the date for the closing of the pre-order store. Please note that the print version of our Ars Magica supplement as well as the wonderful Street Maps of Venice will not be available in retail – unless a retailer has bought them during the campaign.
So… check it out now: https://serenissima-obscura.backerkit.com/hosted_preorders
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