Storm Witch Template

Games Discussion Ars Magica
1

I'm trying to write up a new template for House Bonisagus, drawing on the canon background: a storm-witch that's built to conduct Integration of her heritage's exotic magic into Hermetic magic. I've draw up the following, but would appreciate any feedback and improvement suggestions. Especially wanting is the (non-existant) notes on how to use supplements with this build.

Storm Witch: This maga's ancestry stretches back to an ancient tradition of Germanic storm witches, and she is working on rediscovering its secrets and integrating them into Hermetic magic. It is a variant of the core-book Bonisagus template, tailored to better fit the House background presented in True Lineages. It works best with alternatives offered in supplements.

Statblock:
Storm Witch
Characteristics: Int +5, Per 0, Pre 0, Com +2, Str ﷓2, Sta +1, Dex 0, Qik 0
Size: ﷓1
Age: 25 (25), Height: 3'10'', Weight: 80 lbs, Gender: Female
Decrepitude: 0
Warping Score: 0 (0)
Confidence: 1 (3)
Virtues and Flaws: The Gift, Hermetic Magus, Puissant Magic Theory*, Puissant Auram, Major Magical Focus (weather), Special Circumstances (During Storms: +3), Inventive Genius (Invent Lab Totals: +3), Great Intelligence, Driven (integrate her tradition), Unpredictable Magic, Small Frame, Necessary Condition (whistling)
Personality Traits: Driven +3, Curious +1, Optimistic +1
Combat:
Dodge: Init: +0, Attack ﷓﷓, Defense +3, Damage ﷓﷓
Fist: Init: +0, Attack +2, Defense +2, Damage ﷓2
Kick: Init: ﷓1, Attack +2, Defense +1, Damage +1
Soak: +1
Fatigue levels: OK, 0, ﷓1, ﷓3, ﷓5, Unconscious
Wound Penalties: ﷓1 (1﷓4), ﷓3 (5﷓8), ﷓5 (9﷓12), Incapacitated (13﷓16)
Abilities: German 5, Stealth 1 (shadowing), Survival 2, Area Lore: Aachen 2 (geography), Athletics 1 (running), Awareness 2 (searching), Brawl 2 (Dodge), Charm 3 (first impressions), Folk Ken 2 (townsfolk), Order of Hermes Lore 1 (hedge traditions), Latin 4 (hermetic usage), Artes Liberales 1 (astronomy), Magic Theory 4 (integrating exotic/ancient magic), Parma Magica 1 (Vim), Magic Lore 1 (magical traditions), Concentration 1 (spell concentration)
Arts: Cr 8, In 0, Mu 0, Pe 0, Re 8, An 0, Aq 0, Au 8+3, Co 1, He 0, Ig 0, Im 0, Me 1, Te 4, Vi 0
Equipment:
Encumbrance: 0 (0)
Spells Known:
Wings of the Soaring Wind (Cr(Re)Au 30) +20
Clouds of Thunderous Might (ReAu 30) +28
True Sight of the Air (InAu 15) +12
Ward Against Rain (ReAu 10) +28
Circling Winds of Protection (Cr(Re)Au 20) +20
Wielding the Invisible Sling (ReTe 10) +13
Sense the Nature of Vis (InVi 5) +1

Notes:The Storm Witch had an Exploring Childhood, followed by 10 more years of Later Life gaining mostly city﷓related skills but also learning a little Order of Hermes Lore before beginning her apprenticeship.

Customization Notes: The Storm Witch can easily loose her Unpredicatable Magic flaw for some other. Replacing the Small Frame with another flaw would likewise require only a small change to her Wound level numbers. Her Special Circumstances virtue can also be exchanged easily. The Storm Witch has 8 virtue points, leaving room for 2 more points if more Flaws are taken. Suitable flaws can include a negative Cyclic Magic during the summer (where there are no storms), or a Story or Minor Personality flaw.

The character's virtues and flaws were largely chosen to represent her lineage. The Necessary Condition hails from her ancestor's use of the Whistle Up the Wind ability, and is a serious handicap (that may be replaced with other Flaws, if desired). Her Puissance with Auram, the Magical Focus with weather, and the Special Circumstances likewise represent her mystic attunement to storms. Her Great Intelligence and Inventive Genius should be significant in her efforts to integrate her lineage's magic into Hermetic Magic, while her personality is dominated by the Driven Major Personality Flaw to represent this quest mechanically.

Her Small Frame and Unpredictable Magic were largely chosen to balance her Flaws, but can be given thematic explanations as well - her magic is as wild as the storm-power she draws on, and her build is tall but lithe and light-weighted, reflected the airy qualities of the wind.

As a starting character, the Storm Witch's offensive powers are still lacking. She is already able, however, to fly in a protective whirlwind and use powerful spouts of air to strike her opponents with debris and any available objects (using her Wielding the Invisible Sling spell). In time, she should probably develop her storm-raising powers further, and perhaps add use of lightning to her repertoire.

Supplemental Customization: Lineages descended from the same Germanic storm witches may still reside within House Ex Miscellanea is Houses of Hermes: Societates is used. Using the guidelines from Hedge Magic, something of their power may be transferrable to Hermetic magic. Alternatively or in addition, the discovery of their Ancient Magic may lead to the use of the guidelines for integrating ancient magic.

2

Looks fine.

Hmm, where are there no storms during summer? And IIRC the Flaw would have to affect two seasons rather than one. But i think just about any setup of which seasons to be affected can be argued and justified.

3

Storm magi are a very common build in Ars Magica, for obvious reasons.

Funnily enough, the most powerful are Verditius storm magi, who can attain the powerful storm effect without needing a ritual each time, and who can have their items concentrate for them for the ever-useful Charge of the Angry Winds, and the like.

You might also want to check out HoH: Societas for the Supernatural. Ability: Whistle Up the Wind (Accelerated Ability), which seems like an obvious place to take this if you don't want to go Verditius.

You might also consider Study bonus/Study Requirement as the maga could wish to study her arts in the midst of the storms which define her or his magic.

Seems like she's built to be a front-line adventure maga, too, from the way you built her. Not a lot of economic applications to wind magic, except at sea or in enchantments, and it has great combat and adventure applications. You might want to tone-down the super-Lab-nerd aspect of the build, and make a more balanced character:

Ditch Inventive Genius and Great Intelligence, and plop in, say, Strong Willed and Life Boost.

Incidentally, I'm not sure I'd buy a flaw of "Driven-integrate magic" for someone whose magic is already purely Hermetic. If you wanted to take this flaw, IMS, I'd insist on an Ex-Miscellania maga. I notice you've taken Puissant Magic Theory as a free virtue, which says to be you're going Bonisagus.

No good. Bonisagus is a True Lineage. You can't be part of the most purely Hermetic Lineage and have an obession to integrate your non-hermetic tradition. It's either/or, I'm afraid. Ex Miscellania (Affinity Auram; Whistle up the Wind), Verditius (Verditius magic to make powerful Weather-focused staves) or even Flambeau (Free Puissant Auram) all fit your build far better, I think.

4

Why not?

You are apprentice 14 years to a whistle up the wind maga ex miscellanea.

Then, a bonisagus come, and say to your parens: "I'm of house bonisagus, i take this boy as apprentice".
And you are now bonisagus, but with the knowledge of an ex miscellanea.

IMO as long as you don't have 14V 13F but 11V (with the mandatory non hermetic major virtue)/ 10F (with a mandatory major hermetic flaw) it's okay during chargen. (Not 14/13 because I keep that only for ex misc, otherwise they all end up being PCs of house bonisagus ^^)

5

Erm... not sure I agree that a kid in Ex Miscellania for 14 years would never have been taught the Supernatural Virtue of his/her tradition. Either s/he's part of a fringe tradition or s/he's not. I'd actually be more OK with a Bonisagus with a Supernatural virtue after adoption, though many of the fringe traditions, like Mystery Cults, are jealous of their special secrets and would NOT be so quick to let an apprentice go and reveal their Supernatural special abilities to the Order at large.

Apprentices, after all, may be covered by the Oath, but their lives are not protected....

I'm also questioning whether the Lab-rat route is the way to go for a non-Verditius magus/maga interested in kicking ass with weather magic (the ultimate combat school, in my opinion. I'm just saying.)

If you want to make maximum use of Weather magic and explore its many wonderful applications for fun, profit and pain, you definately want to go Verditius, Ex-Miscellania or Flambeau (School of Sebastian), all of whom are quite capable of research (I consider Puissant Magic Theory to be a must for any Uber Verditius, as it multiplies its benefits many times over when enchanting devices,) and all of whom can be motivated to find a new path for their Tradition:

The Ex Miscellania version could be among the first Hermetics of her tradition, with most still only having the Supernatural Ability, and be focused on bringing the rest on board, maybe even switching whistle up the wind for Comprehend Magic, becoming the Pralacian charged with shepperding this tradition into the Order, much to the disapproval of traditionalists within both this tradition (we're sacrificing the ways of the elders!) and House Bonisagus (What! Another Hedge tradition of "magi"? This is getting absurd...) (See HoH: Societas: Lineage of Pralix for the Magi dedicated to integrating new traditions into the Order...

The Verditius version could be very similar, but cognisant of the very special advantages that Hermetic and Verditius enchantment have for Weather Magi. He struggles against the Pralacian who is trying to get the tradition to join ex-Miscellania and wants to introduce the tradition as the greatest Confraternity of House Verditius, capable of creating powerful devises to bend the force of hurricanes to their will, and dominate the seas with ships who dominate the sky. But will this tradition, so long enraptured with the freedom of life under the skies, embrace a life as mage-smiths and crafters, settling into the workshops of Verditius, increasingly detached from their wild and free heritage? As for the Cult, some drool at the power these initiates will bring to the House, while others cringe at the admission of mere Hedge Wizards to the most noble House (it is, just ask them...) and others who are jealous of the power of these newcomers. Any fool could see the Vendettas brewing on the horizon....

The Flambeau is taken with the notion of an Order where this tradition can finally find shelter from the storm of persecution and constant war... and finally gain a leg up over their traditional enemies. Recently, they have driven the Storm magi nearly to extinction. The Parma and Hermetic spellcasting offer hope to best numbers with a few great wizard-warriors. The magus wants to prove the power of their tradition and secure its place as a mighty part of the Order before its enemies (another hedge tradition) do. The magus joins Flambeau to perfect this tradition as the ultimate martial magical school. But the stakes are high. Will the house accept the new magus with such a ferocious crusade against a tradition that, after all, a beloved Qaesitor is trying so hard to bring into the Order? Can the magus balance the need to demonstrate the unflinching loyalty to the Order demanded by Flambeau while keeping the trust of his tradition, who wonder at the obsessive ferocity stirred within their former brother? And will the newly minted Hopolite (if he is one) be ready in time to face down his clan's ancient, and of late so much more powerful, enemies in the coming final battle?

The concept can easily be adapted to keep the Drive to integrate the tradition, while making better use of the weather magic and giving a more satisfying explaination of where this character sits on the divide between hedge tradition and hermetic magic.

6

In Israel. Where I live. :smiley: Yeah, you're right, a little extra language is perhaps needed there.

For some reason I was certain Trianoma was descended from storm-witches, and the idea was to reflect this tradition in this build. Re-reading HoH:TL, I see she hailed from the Witches of Thessaly, which is a quite different tradition. With that in mind, I think the storm-witch definitely needs to change Houses. While I do agree with ExarKun that a Bonisagus could have taken a storm-witch as an apprentice from an Ex Misc, or apprenticed a child born to a pair of storm-witches and sharing their magic strongly, this doesn't make for a good template. It is not stereotypical enough of the House, which was what I was looking for.

It appears to me the best fit for a House would be Ex Misc. The character lacks the offensive capabilities of an effective Flambeau, and bringing her Arts and spells to match this focus would overly super-specialize her. She needs a few more decades before she can apply for House Flambeau. This would also remove the reason to focus on integrating her magic, however, so the character should be altered substantially. I'll start a new thread about this new storm-witch eventually. She will not be using Whistle Up the Wind as I'm keeping to core ArM5 mechanics, but the virtue (and tradition) would certainly be mentioned in the customization notes.

I don't think the concept would work terribly well for a Flambeau template. The character lacks the offensive capabilities of an effective Flambeau, and bringing her Arts and spells to match this focus would overly super-specialize her. She needs a few more decades before she can apply for House Flambeau. Likewise, while it can make for an interesting and effective Verditius, I don't think it's stereotypical enough for a Verditius template.

7

No, Trianoma is a witch of Tessaly. There was ANOTHER Trianomae that she recruited that is a weather witch. (Rhine tribunal sourcebook). IIRC she was called Yrmiele or something like that. That bonisagus lineage is composed of weather magi, but right now they are 100% hermetic.

I agree that it fits better with ExMisc, though. ExMisc weather witches have been around since LotN, at least.

Cheers,
Xavi

8

A, yes! Well, I prefer to keep her Bonisagus then. She then serves as a fine and canon-fitting example of an integration-oriented Bonisagus. So, here she is again, with slightly changed notes:

Storm Witch
Characteristics: Int +5, Per 0, Pre 0, Com +2, Str ﷓2, Sta +1, Dex 0, Qik 0
Size: ﷓1
Age: 25 (25), Height: 3'10'', Weight: 80 lbs, Gender: Female
Decrepitude: 0
Warping Score: 0 (0)
Confidence: 1 (3)
Virtues and Flaws: The Gift, Hermetic Magus, Puissant Magic Theory*, Puissant Auram, Major Magical Focus (weather), Special Circumstances (During Storms: +3), Inventive Genius (Invent Lab Totals: +3), Great Intelligence, Driven (integrate her tradition), Unpredictable Magic, Small Frame, Necessary Condition (whistling)
Personality Traits: Driven +3, Curious +1, Optimistic +1
Combat:
Dodge: Init: +0, Attack ﷓﷓, Defense +3, Damage ﷓﷓
Fist: Init: +0, Attack +2, Defense +2, Damage ﷓2
Kick: Init: ﷓1, Attack +2, Defense +1, Damage +1
Soak: +1
Fatigue levels: OK, 0, ﷓1, ﷓3, ﷓5, Unconscious
Wound Penalties: ﷓1 (1﷓4), ﷓3 (5﷓8), ﷓5 (9﷓12), Incapacitated (13﷓16)
Abilities: German 5, Stealth 1 (shadowing), Survival 2, Area Lore: Aachen 2 (geography), Athletics 1 (running), Awareness 2 (searching), Brawl 2 (Dodge), Charm 3 (first impressions), Folk Ken 2 (townsfolk), Order of Hermes Lore 1 (hedge traditions), Latin 4 (hermetic usage), Artes Liberales 1 (astronomy), Magic Theory 4 (integrating exotic/ancient magic), Parma Magica 1 (Vim), Magic Lore 1 (magical traditions), Concentration 1 (spell concentration)
Arts: Cr 8, In 0, Mu 0, Pe 0, Re 8, An 0, Aq 0, Au 8+3, Co 1, He 0, Ig 0, Im 0, Me 1, Te 4, Vi 0
Equipment:
Encumbrance: 0 (0)
Spells Known:
Wings of the Soaring Wind (Cr(Re)Au 30) +20
Clouds of Thunderous Might (ReAu 30) +28
True Sight of the Air (InAu 15) +12
Ward Against Rain (ReAu 10) +28
Circling Winds of Protection (Cr(Re)Au 20) +20
Wielding the Invisible Sling (ReTe 10) +13
Sense the Nature of Vis (InVi 5) +1

The Storm Witch had an Exploring Childhood, followed by 10 more years of Later Life gaining mostly city﷓related skills but also learning a little Order of Hermes Lore before beginning her apprenticeship.

Storm Witch (Template): This maga's ancestry stretches back to an ancient tradition of Germanic storm witches, and she is working on rediscovering its secrets and integrating them into Hermetic magic. It is a variant of the core﷓book Bonisagus template, tailored to better fit the House background presented in canon. It works best with materials offered in supplements.

Customization Notes: The Storm Witch can easily loose her Unpredicatable Magic flaw for some other. Replacing the Small Frame with another flaw would likewise require only a small change to her Wound level numbers. Her Special Circumstances virtue can also be exchanged easily.

The Storm Witch has 8 virtue points, leaving room for 2 more points if more Flaws are taken. Suitable flaws can include Cyclic Magic (positive in summer months and/or negative in winter), or a Story or Minor Personality flaw.

The character's virtues and flaws were largely chosen to represent her lineage. The Necessary Condition hails from her ancestor's use of the Whistle Up the Wind ability, and is a serious handicap (that may be replaced with other Flaws, if desired). Her Puissance with Auram, the Magical Focus with weather, and the Special Circumstances likewise represent her mystic attunement to storms. Her Great Intelligence and Inventive Genius should be significant in her efforts to integrate her lineage's magic into Hermetic Magic, while her personality is dominated by the Driven Major Personality Flaw to represent this quest mechanically.

Her Small Frame and Unpredictable Magic were largely chosen to balance her Flaws, but can be given thematic explanations as well ﷓ her magic is as wild as the storm﷓power she draws on, and her build is tall but lithe and light﷓weighted, reflected the airy qualities of the wind.

Roleplaying Notes: Her ancient lineage's magic was more apparent in her than in others in her Hermetic lineage, and dominates her magic and mental life. She is almost obsessed with deepening this connection, and should spend much of her time trying to find other lineages and hedge wiards from the same tradition, or their remains and relics, or trying to improve her own weather magic.

When planning her future, remember that the Storm Witch's offensive combat powers are still lacking. She is already able, however, to fly in a protective whirlwind and use powerful spouts of air to strike her opponents with debris and any available objects (using her Wielding the Invisible Sling spell). In time, she should probably develop her storm﷓raising powers further, and perhaps add use of lightning to her repertoire. Arguably, she should be able to pull down lightning from natural storms (including one gathered with Clouds of Thunderous Might), allowing her to make aimed attacks with it (using Finesse) instead of needing to penetrate Magic Resistance as with the Incantation of Lightning. Enchanting an item (a talisman?) to maintain concentration on several effects (such as controlling storms or flying) should also prove useful.

Supplemental Customization: This character is based on the Trianoma lineage of Irmele (GotF p. 22), but represents a member of that lineage that switched over to the magical research (Bonisagus) side of the House. An Hermetic lineage originating in the same hedge tradition is found in House Ex Miscellaneau (HoH:S p. 109), based on the Whistle Up the Wind ability; note that their Necessary Condition is different, however ﷓ you may choose to preserve their original necessary condition instead if you wish (the templates's necessary condition was chosen to reflect their supernatural ability instead).

This character is geared up to integrate her traiditons magic into Hermetic magic. This may occur in sveral ways. If using Ancient Magic, she could uncover lost relics of her witch ancestors and work to integrate this ancient magic. If non﷓Hermetic weather witches are still extant, she could also attempt to integrate their magic directly, using the guidelines from Hedge Magic. Aquintance with the Ex Miscellanea lineage may provide her with Insight towards these goals. Finally, she can engage in Original Research to fill in the missing pieces (following the rules in HoH:TL).