I always found strange that while legends are quite crowded with magic items, Ars Magica, being a game that crawls on myth, have quite a few of them, if any. The term "magic item" is pretty much a synonymous of an hermetic enchantment, to the point that a browse of these two words through the forum or the books will just reveal enchantments, talismans and so on. But legends can be previous to the formation of the Order, and from the time when Verditius came up to teach everyone how to make a decent talisman. What about these non-hermetic magic items? Where are they, and what are they?
When reading RoP:M, the index suggested a solution to me: these legendary items could be magic things. But the Magic Things chapter is quite odd, talks a lot about vis and objects of virtue, a bit about Awakened Tress (hello, Ents, welcome to Ars Magica), and magic items get to find their room in these 19 words on page 130...
...and they still get related to Hermetic Magic by that lab-experiment-gone-wrong part.
That section is followed by an example that back them I found quite disappointing: Amiculum, a Magical Cloak. Not a magic ring, not a mythic sword, no: a cloak. But after some thought, I got to the conclusion that the example was not disappointing but inspiring. It is not that you get to resort to pieces of cloth when you think of magic items: it is that you can get to pretty much anything. Including the mythic swords. Like Caledfwlch:
Caledfwlch, Mythic Sword
Magic Might: 5 (Terram) (goes up to 15 when wielded by what the sword considers a rightful owner of Size 0)
Vis: 1 pawn of Terram pawn in the blade
Characteristics: Int 0, Per 0, Pre +3, Com -5, Sta +2, Str -9, Dex 0, Qik +2
Size: -5
Season: Summer
Virtues & Flaws: Affinity with Penetration, Arcane Lore, Magic Thing, Magical Champion, Puissant Penetration; Blind (Inferiority), Deaf (Inferiority), Enemies, Higher Purpose (Inferiority), Mute (Inferiority), No Hands (Inferiority), No Sense of Direction (Inferiority), Proud (major) (Inferiority), Slow Power, Weak Characteristics (x6) (Inferiority)
Magical Qualities & Inferiorities: Greater Power (x4), Improved Attack: Long Sword (x2), Improved Damage: Long Sword, Improved Defense: Long Sword (x2), Improved Powers (x4), No Fatigue (Free), Personal Power (x5), Ritual Power (x2); Major Flaw: Blind, Major Flaw: Deaf, Major Flaw: Mute, Major Flaw: No Hands, Major Flaw: Proud (major), Minor Flaw: Higher Purpose (to find a rightful owner and make him king of England), Minor Flaw: No Sense of Direction, Minor Flaw: Weak Characteristics (x6), Reduced Abilities (x4), Temporary Might (Free)
Personality Traits: Proud +6, Chivalrous +3, Fearless +3
Reputations: King Arthur's sword (Stonehenge) +5
Combat stats as a weapon*:
Long Sword: Init +2, Attack +8, Defense +5, Damage +11
(With a further +3 to Atk and Def is Ways of the Battlefield** is granted to its owner)
- I took some liberties here; an item attacking on its own seemed strange to me, and weapons of good quality gets bonuses to their combat stats, so what I did was to assume that its Improved Attack, Damage & Defense qualities modify its basic stats as a long sword, resulting in a very high quality weapon due not to its craft (or not only to it) but to its magical nature.
** More about this virtue later.
Soak: +22
Wound Penalties: 3 (1), -5 (2), Incapacitated (3), Dead (4+)
*** Being an item it doesn't follow the damage rules, but the item breaking rules.
Abilities: Penetration (Wielder) 8 + 2, Concentration (powers) 2, Folk Ken (owner) 2, Profession: Weapon (being ready for combat) 3, Faerie Lore (Lady of the Lake's Court) 2, Magic Lore (Magic Swords) 2
Powers:
—Grant Ways of the Battlefield: 5 points, Init -18 Penetration -10, Corpus.
R: Touch, D: Mom., T: Ind.
Imposes the Major Virtue Ways of the Battlefield upon a target: The wielder gains a deep understanding of battlefields, feeling more natural and at home there than anywhere else. He gets a +3 bonus to all rolls, including combat, that directly involve that area and its inhabitants; mundane, magical, or faerie. In addition, he rolls one fewer botch die than normal (which may mean he rolls no botch dice) in rolls in the battlefield. He is not normally molested by animals of the terrain (may they be horses, vultures or any other), and though particularly vicious creatures may still attack him, at least they’ll accord you proper respect. The sword can decide to bestow the Virtue permanently or temporarily. If permanent, the power is a ritual-like power and costs points from the sword’s Might score as well as Might pool. If temporary, the Might points spent on this power are only recovered when its effects are withdrawn. No Hermetic equivalent (Slow Power)
CrCo 50: Ritual Power (-5 Might cost)
Note: time ago I thought about if Ways of the (Land) could apply to Battlefields. Opinions were mixed and I finally left the concept aside, until I designed this sword. Being what it is, and being the consequence of a Ritual Power, I felt more free to use it on this context.
—Gift of the Bear’s Fortitude: 0 point, Init -2 Penetration 15, Corpus.
R: Touch, D: Sun, T: Ind.
The wielder flesh becomes resistant to physical damage as long as he holds the sword unleashed. He gets +3 to his Soak. Any rolls that involve a sensitive touch (such as for picking a lock) are at –1. (Base 15, +1 Touch, +2 Sun)
MuCo 35: Greater Power (-4 Might cost, Constant)
—Bright of a Thousand Suns: 2 points, Init -1 Penetration 5, Ignem.
R: Per., D: Mom., T: Special
When unleashed, the sword can produce a light so bright that everyone looking at it needs a Stamina stress roll of 9+ to avoid temporary blindness. A botch means being permanently blinded. Temporarily blinded targets can try to make a simple Stamina roll of 9+ each minute to recover. The flash is equivalent to looking straight at the sun.
CrIg 25: Personal Power (-1 Might cost)
—Ward against the Dragon's Breath: 0 point, Init -4 Penetration 15, Ignem.
R: Touch, D: Sun, T: Ind.
Keeps heat and fire at bay, unable to approach within 1 pace of the sword or the wielder (if the effect penetrates, of course). This renders the sword and the wielder immune to damage from flames or heat of intensity less than a powerful dragon's fire. The target gets a +40 Soak against all fire-related damage. Any fire doing less than +40 damage per round doesn’t penetrate the ward. Such fires simply dim at the protected person’s passing and flare back up after he or she is gone. (Base 4, +7 for up to +40 damage, +1 Touch, +2 Sun)
ReIg 55: Greater Power (-6 Might cost, Constant)
—Aura of Ennobled Presence: 0 point, Init +1 Penetration 15, Imaginem.
R: Touch, D: Sun, T: Ind.
The sword wielder appears more forceful, authoritative, and believable. The character gets a +3 on rolls to influence, lead, or convince others. This bonus only applies when he is touching the sword. (Base 3, +1 Touch, +2 Sun)
MuIm 15: Greater Power (-2 Might cost, Constant)
—Winter’s Icy Touch: 1 point, Init +1 Penetration 10, Ignem.
R: Touch, D: Conc., T: Ind.
Causes the target to feel a chill and lose body heat. The target loses a Fatigue level each round while the Sword concentrates. The sword uses this power to get rid of undesired owners. (Base 4, +1 Touch, +1 Concentration)
PeIg 10: Greater Power
—Peering into the Mortal Mind: 0 point, Init -3 Penetration 15, Mentem.
R: Touch, D: Sun, T: Ind.
The sword can thoroughly probe and understand the contents of the mind of anyone wielding it, including his or her immediate and long-term motives, personal strengths and weaknesses, and other pertinent information. It can also use this power to perceive the world through its wielder's senses. The sword uses this power when it's handle is gripped, to determine if it thinks the wielder to be worthy of using it. (Base 25, +1 Touch, +2 Sun)
InMe 45: Personal Power (-5 Might cost, Constant)
—Memories of Kamelot: 1 point, Init +1 Penetration 10, Mentem.
R: Touch, D: Conc., T: Ind.
Inserts a full and complete memory into a person’s mind. If the target gives the memory some thought and concentration, and makes an Intelligence roll of 9+, the memory is revealed as false. When the duration expires, the memory vanishes, although the subject may remember remembering it. The sword uses this power to communicate with his owner, faking dreams and visions, but due to its extremely low communication these visions doesn't tend to be very clear. (Base 5, +1 Touch, +1 Conc)
CrMe 15: Greater Power (-1 Might cost)
—Edge of the Razor: 0 point, Init 0 Penetration 15, Terram.
R: Per., D: Sun, T: Ind.
Sharpens its metal edge to a degree unequaled by manual methods, granting a +2 bonus to Damage. (Base 3, +2 Sun, +2 metal)
MuTe 20: Personal Power (-2 Might cost, Constant)
—Sword in the Stone: 1 point, Init 0 Penetration 10, Terram.
R: Per., D: Sun, T: Ind.
The sword can become at will almost immovable, and if moved will seek to return to the spot where it was initially placed. The sword can use this power even placed floating in mid air, but prefers to do so when pierced into stones. The spell ends prematurely if the sword is moved more than a pace from the position it is placed. The sword could in theory be slowing shifted by many people or creatures (combined strength of greater that +500), or a stronger magical force (higher than Base 4) can move the object very very slowly. The force of resistance is equivalent to ten horse power. (Base 3, +2 for increased strenght, +2 Sun)
ReTe 20: Personal Power (-1 Might cost, Constant)
Note: this power is taken straight from the Iron Bound Tome grimoire, from its immovable items spells.
—Cut steel: 0 point, Init -1 Penetration 15, Terram.
R: Touch, D: Sun, T: Ind.
The sword name in french, Excalibur, means that the sword slices through iron as through wood. Its blade halves soak protection from metal (or wood) armors soak total. (Base 5, +1 Herbam Requisite, +1 Touch, +2 Sun)
PeTe(He) 30: Greater Power (-3 Might cost, Constant)
Notes: When it adquires a owner and becomes an arcane connection to it from familarity, its might goes up to 15, increasing Might Points and Penetration of all powers by +10 each. When researching its power I found not so much: it was supposed to bright, it was supposed to cut through steel, and it was obviously able to rest stuck into a stone waiting for someone worthy of its ownership. I added these powers and spiced them up with some others helpful to the wielder to become a king of men. The name given is the Welsh one; it have quite a few. In Latin, its named Caliburnus; in English, Caliburn or, well, Excalibur.