I think QPaC has the right idea. I seem t recal Vocis aso did it s a traight shoot.
Do note that you d not have to accunt for each season. Some do and I have before. But I have also done it the simple way and encourage others to do so now. The Simple Way
Account for each Cycle
Take your vis and aging and warping as normal
Count the years, mutiply by 4 and subtract one.
Cull aside how much is for advancement, multiply by 10, and spend the xp. Do not worry about the vagarities of precision or details of what you read or who you studies under or what was earned from adventure. Feel free to write about adventures, but do not worry about exact length or gain.
Spend your seasons in the Lab using normal rules. Take 2xp per Lab Season as exposure. If you didn't always use your full Lab Total, just say that many were pre spent on Magic Theory and assign the exposure xp at the end of the cycle any way desired.
Next Cycle, Rinse and Repeat
Versitius Items of Quality and Excellent Quality Items have a cost written in the Hermetic Economics section. The HR's link to it. I think it is qp equal to four times the bonus. Not sure.
Question to those in the know: are there any spells that animate or summon a substance/thing (e.g. weaponry) so it can protect the caster (as a trained/untrained group)?
It's not a weapon, but take a look at Circular Wall of Shields (Pg 50, Magi of Hermes). Not sure if it's exactly what you're looking for, but it's a good start.
Thanks (had to get Magi of Hermes before looking that up)! It's roughly about the sort of magnitude I figured the spell for, though trying to comb through the books for other summoning spells and whatnot...I think the guidelines seem to be "make up everything!".
Apropos of nothing, does anyone have any XP/season time spending advice? I'm kind of flailing around at the moment; not really sure if there are any basic bases I should be trying to cover, etc.
Are using the "individual season/year" method or the "whole cycle at once" method?
I used the individual season/year method, and basically did two things.
Decided what her next goal would be (whether a new spell, or improving/gaining a particular Ability), and spent seasons on that goal. In the case of a new spell I wanted her to learn, I spent seasons improving her Arts (and Magic Theory) to the point she could learn or invent the spell.
Decided that she needed either to enchant an item or buy her Longevity Ritual. Those take Vis, so I set aside a season a year to earn extra Vis Wages (3 p.f. per season). Once she had enough Vis, I had her buy her LR or enchant an item.
It's not as hard as it sounds. Marko even has a a recipe to follow. (I say that, but it took longer than it should have for me because of all the "ooh shiny" I had going on.)
One season at a time - just being trying to figure out what I want to do with Frederika's development going forwards. I was more asking for advice for things to develop towards. I think, for example, now that I've produced an example of my ability to write, I should maybe look into getting a Talisman. Because that's a potentially significant bonus for a (comparatively) small amount of effort (I think). But I'm really just stumbling around and picking things that I think sound good, without actually knowing if they are good.
Talismans are fantastic, if you don't have anything else to do, they're always a suggestion of mine. Again, what are you aiming to do long term? If you can provide a rough idea, we might be able to guide you a little better. Even something as simple as 'get better at hitting things' or 'get better at Terram Magic'.
Talismans can be great, but they can also be vis sinks. And alas, the journeymen at the covenant tend to be vis poor.
I love the casting bonuses you get from talismans. But the need to open them up one-by-one is a real limitation. Usually that's offset by the fact that your talisman is getting better by being enchanted. But if you can't afford to enchant it, then you lose that benefit.
I'm not saying that talismans are a bad idea. But they're less of an advantage when you're vis poor.
I don't disagree, but for one pawn and one season of time, getting +3 or 4 to your area of focus isn't a bad investment. Enchanting effects into it can come later.
Although I'm not entirely certain that you can just open it up with 1 pawn of vis. My understanding is that you have to first prepare the device for enchantment during one season using the most expensive item that makes up your talisman, then you attune it as a talisman.
So if you have a ruby ring as your talisman, say, you would have to first prepare the ring for enchantment using 15 pawns of vis, and only then can you attune it as a talisman.
I don't disagree that it can still be worth it. But it actually takes two seasons, and I don't believe that it can be done for just one pawn of vis.
I'll look it up when I get home, but I'm fairly certain one of the advantages of a talisman is that you can open it as you go. As memory serves, it even mentions going a pawn a season if you so desired.
It does say: "Unlike other items, the capacity of a talisman may be opened a bit at a time. A magus could open one pawn’s worth every season if he wished, although that is inefficient." But the rules also provide that you must first prepare an item for enchantment, then you can do one of two things with it: (1) attune it as your talisman; or (2) instill powers in it. The way I've always understood the rules, that means when you are first preparing for enchantment the item that will one day be your talisman, it's not yet a talisman, and doesn't get all the nifty talisman bonuses. It's only after that second season of attunement that it becomes a talisman and becomes eligible for having its capacity opened bit-by-bit.
That's when I see the one pawn per season language coming in. Unlike another item in which you have to put all the vis in at once at the beginning, you can add points to your talisman even after it's been prepared for enchantment.
In any case, that's always been my interpretation of how the enchantment/talisman rules go.
That's my interpretation too, aye: two season affair, need to open the item up for enchantment (paying in full) before you can attune it and turn it into a talisman.
When I do get around to it, it'll probably be a glove. Manipulating things at a distance (which interpret to mean most Mu/Pe/Re spells) will cover a lot of Frederika's magic. At a later date, I can enchant it a bit and open the touch range bonus too. I would like to sew a gem of red coral into the back of it for reasons. But coral is a semi-precious gem at best...and during the 13th century, probably more precious than that. So it will balloon the cost something fierce; from 1-4 pawns for the glove to at least 12 pawns, and possibly 15.
It's one of those nebulous grey areas I s'pose, but I'll gladly go with whatever the group feels. Good thing my character isn't done yet, can make that tweak to him!
That is my interpretation, as well: one season to open the item for enchantment, one season to attune it (which can be done with an item that already has effects in it, as long as you did it yourself). Attuning only takes one season and no vis, near as I can tell.
That seems to be a rather broad interpretation of "manipulating things at a distance." Would you interpret that as any spell that has a Range of Voice, Sight, or AC?
No clue, really. "Manipulate at a distance" is just a very broad phrase - compared to the much more restrictive words used by some of the other bonuses (control, destroy, transform, create, etc). So I'm not really sure how else I can interpret it. The other bonus seems to apply to everything at touch range; perhaps the glove is just strangely over broad?
I would interpret "manipulate things at a distance" as moving or lifting things without actually touching them. Unseen Porter, Lift the Dangling Puppet, etc. I wouldn't include changing things from one to another (e.g. turning a cat into a tree or water into poison).