Tomas ex Bonisagus

Retired Play by Post Campaigns Ars Magica 5th Edition: Ad Astera per Aspera
1

Tomas - ongoing

Characteristics: Int +3, Per +1, Pre 0, Com +2, Str -2, Sta +2, Dex 0, Qik -2
Size: 0
Age: 44 (44), Height: 5' 6", Weight: 140 lbs, Gender: Male
Decrepitude: 0
Warping Score: 0
Confidence: 1 (3)
Virtues: Affinity for Corpus, Puissant Corpus, Affinity for Creo, Puissant Creo, Affinity for Magic Theory, Puissant Magic Theory, Skilled Parens, Inventive Genius, Personal Vis Source (Creo), Book learner
Minor Magical Focus: Creo Corpus Rituals
Flaws: Deficient Technique (Perdo), Driven to improve Longevity potions, Covenant Raised, Lame, minor Compassionate
Magical Animal Companion: Barbary Macaque based - named Cheech (which is a noise he likes to make), now a familiar

Reputations: Healer (1)
Combat:
Dodge: Init: -2, Attack ‑‑, Defense 0, Damage ‑‑
Fist: Init: -2, Attack +1, Defense -1, Damage -2
Kick: Init: -3, Attack +1, Defense ‑2, Damage +1
Knife: Init: -2, Attack +2, Defense -1, Damage 0
Soak: +2
Fatigue levels: OK, 0, ‑1, ‑3, ‑5, Unconscious
Wound Penalties: ‑1 (1‑5), ‑3 (6‑10), ‑5 (11‑15), Incapacitated (16‑20), Dead (21+)

[table][tr][td]Ability[/td] [td]Score[/td] [td]specialty[/td] [td](xp pending)[/td] [td]Allocated xp[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Living language (Romany)[/td] [td]5[/td] [td]Prose[/td] td[/td] [td]0[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Awaresness[/td] [td]2[/td] [td]Alertness[/td] td[/td] [td]15[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Brawl[/td] [td]1[/td] [td]Dodging[/td] td[/td] [td]5[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Charm[/td] [td]2[/td] [td]Bedside Manner[/td] td[/td] [td]15[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Folk Ken[/td] [td]1[/td] [td]Magi[/td] td[/td] [td]5[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Guile[/td] [td]1[/td] [td]Bad News[/td] td[/td] [td]5[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Magic Theory[/td] [td]8+2[/td] [td]Creo[/td] td[/td] [td]120[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Classical Latin[/td] [td]4[/td] [td]Hermetic Usage[/td] td[/td] [td]50[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Artes Liberale[/td] [td]1[/td] [td]Ritual Magic[/td] td[/td] [td]5[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Philosophae[/td] [td]1[/td] [td]Ritual Magic[/td] td[/td] [td]5[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Finesse[/td] [td]2[/td] [td]Terram[/td] td[/td] [td]15[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Penetration[/td] [td]1[/td] [td]Rego[/td] td[/td] [td]5[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Parma Magica[/td] [td]1[/td] [td]Corpus[/td] td[/td] [td]5[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Code of Hermes[/td] [td]1[/td] [td]Mundane Relations[/td] td[/td] [td]5[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Order of Hermes Lore[/td] [td]1[/td] [td]History[/td] td[/td] [td]5[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]House Bonisagus Lore[/td] [td]1[/td] [td]History[/td] td[/td] [td]5[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Etiquette[/td] [td]1[/td] [td]Magi[/td] td[/td] [td]5[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Profession: Scribe[/td] [td]1[/td] [td]copying[/td] td[/td] [td]5[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Concentration[/td] [td]1[/td] [td]circles[/td] td[/td] [td]5[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Medicine[/td] [td]3[/td] [td]Diagnosis[/td] td[/td] [td]30[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Chiurgy[/td] [td]2[/td] [td]Binding Wounds[/td] td[/td] [td]15[/td][/tr][/table]

first 6 skills are from early childhood

Arts:
[table][tr][td]Art[/td] [td]Level[/td] [td](pending xp)[/td] [td]Allocated XP[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Creo[/td] [td]22+3[/td] td[/td] [td]170[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Intellego[/td] [td]5[/td] td[/td] [td]15[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Muto[/td] [td]0[/td] td[/td] [td]0[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Perdo[/td] [td]0[/td] td[/td] [td]0[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Rego[/td] [td]14[/td] td[/td] [td]105[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Animal[/td] [td]5[/td] td[/td] [td]15[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Aquam[/td] [td]0[/td] td[/td] [td]0[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Aurum[/td] [td]0[/td] td[/td] [td]0[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Corpus[/td] [td]22+3[/td] td[/td] [td]170[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Herbam[/td] [td]5[/td] td[/td] [td]15[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Ignem[/td] [td]0[/td] td[/td] [td]0[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Imagem[/td] [td]0[/td] td[/td] [td]0[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Mentem[/td] [td]0[/td] td[/td] [td]0[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Terram[/td] [td]5[/td] td[/td] [td]15[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Vim[/td] [td]5[/td] td[/td][ [td]15[/td]/tr][/table]

Equipment:
Knife, Clothes, Occasional Food, PVS
Personal Silver: 0.7 lbs
Cane / staff (Bronze footing, Oak staff, lead wrapping, opal side-decoration, silver top fitting holding an Amber.)
Longevity Potion: +22
personal Vis supply: 38 Creo Vis
Encumbrance: 0 (0)

Spells Known: (to be completed to 150 levels)
[table][tr][td]Spell[/td] [td]Tech/Form[/td] [td]Casting[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Seven_league Stride[/td] [td]ReCo 30[/td] [td]+11 (less requisites)[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]The Leap of Homecoming[/td] [td]ReCo 35[/td] [td]+6 (less requisites)[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Conjuring the Mystic Tower[/td] [td]CrTe 35[/td] [td]-3[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Lift the Dangling Puppet[/td] [td]ReCo 15[/td] [td]+26[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Enhance Purification of the Festering Wound[/td] [td]CrCo 35[/td] [td]+17[/td][td]Range: Touch, Target: Ind, Dur: Moon, effect: +18 to recovery[/td][/tr][/table]

Familiar: Cheech, Magical might 10, cords = +3 Gold, +2 Silver, +2 Bronze

Background:
Tomas was born to the doctor who was hired by the caravan to take care of the grogs and othen mundane workers needed for the searching and excavation. He was born about a year after the caravan started. He was raised as one of the few children with the caravan. Eventually folks realized this was because of his gift, and when he was old enough, he was sent to ? where he was apprenticed, and studied for a few years after Gauntlet. He remembered the caravan fondly, and so rejoined it even though his parents have since retired to ? where old age is rapidly catching up with them.

After he returned to the caravan, Tomas came upon a monkey that had climbed into an excavation, and then been injured when something fell on him. Tomas took him back to his laboratory, and managed to keep him still long enough to do figure out what sort of healing spell would work on him. After recovering, the monkey stayed. He usually follows Tomas around (which patients find a bit odd), and sometimes wanders off on his own.

History:
Spring 1220(Skorba) - 7xp; 5 in Corpus, 2 in Concentration; 2 confidence
Spring 1220 (Tarxian) - 5xp Etiquette, 3xp Intellego
Summer 1220: Study Medical Summa (Q9 + 3 book learner)
Fall 1220: Study Medical Summa (Q9 + 3 Book Learner)

2

Tomas - at gauntlet

Characteristics: Int +3, Per +1, Pre 0, Com +2, Str -2, Sta +2, Dex 0, Qik -2
Size: 0
Age: 25 (25), Height: 5' 6", Weight: 140 lbs, Gender: Male
Decrepitude: 0
Warping Score: 0
Confidence: 1 (3)
Virtues: Affinity for Corpus, Puissant Corpus, Affinity for Creo, Puissant Creo, Affinity for Magic Theory, Puissant Magic Theory, Skilled Parens, Inventive Genius, Personal Vis Source (Creo), Book learner
Minor Magical Focus: Creo Corpus Rituals
Flaws: Deficient Technique (Perdo), Driven to improve Longevity potions, Covenant Raised, Lame, minor Compassionate
Magical Animal Companion (details TBD)

Reputations: Healer (1)
Combat:
Dodge: Init: -2, Attack ‑‑, Defense 0, Damage ‑‑
Fist: Init: -2, Attack +1, Defense -1, Damage -2
Kick: Init: -3, Attack +1, Defense ‑2, Damage +1
Knife: Init: -2, Attack +2, Defense -1, Damage 0
Soak: +2
Fatigue levels: OK, 0, ‑1, ‑3, ‑5, Unconscious
Wound Penalties: ‑1 (1‑5), ‑3 (6‑10), ‑5 (11‑15), Incapacitated (16‑20), Dead (21+)

[table][tr][td]Ability[/td] [td]Score[/td] [td]specialty[/td] [td](xp pending)[/td] [td]Allocated xp[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Living language (Romany)[/td] [td]5[/td] [td]Prose[/td] td[/td] [td]0[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Awaresness[/td] [td]2[/td] [td]Alertness[/td] td[/td] [td]15[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Brawl[/td] [td]1[/td] [td]Dodging[/td] td[/td] [td]5[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Charm[/td] [td]2[/td] [td]Bedside Manner[/td] td[/td] [td]15[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Folk Ken[/td] [td]1[/td] [td]Magi[/td] td[/td] [td]5[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Guile[/td] [td]1[/td] [td]Bad News[/td] td[/td] [td]5[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Magic Theory[/td] [td]7+2[/td] [td]Creo[/td] td[/td] [td]94[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Classical Latin[/td] [td]4[/td] [td]Hermetic Usage[/td] td[/td] [td]50[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Artes Liberale[/td] [td]1[/td] [td]Ritual Magic[/td] td[/td] [td]5[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Philosophae[/td] [td]1[/td] [td]Ritual Magic[/td] td[/td] [td]5[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Finesse[/td] [td]2[/td] [td]Terram[/td] td[/td] [td]15[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Penetration[/td] [td]1[/td] [td]Rego[/td] td[/td] [td]5[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Parma Magica[/td] [td]1[/td] [td]Corpus[/td] td[/td] [td]5[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Code of Hermes[/td] [td]1[/td] [td]Mundane Relations[/td] td[/td] [td]5[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Order of Hermes Lore[/td] [td]1[/td] [td]History[/td] td[/td] [td]5[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]House Bonisagus Lore[/td] [td]1[/td] [td]History[/td] td[/td] [td]5[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Etiquette[/td] [td]1[/td] [td]Magi[/td] td[/td] [td]5[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Profession: Scribe[/td] [td]1[/td] [td]copying[/td] td[/td] [td]5[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Concentration[/td] [td]1[/td] [td]circles[/td] td[/td] [td]5[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Medicine[/td] [td]2[/td] [td]Diagnosis[/td] td[/td] [td]15[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Chiurgy[/td] [td]2[/td] [td]Binding Wounds[/td] td[/td] [td]15[/td][/tr][/table]

first 6 skills are from early childhood

Arts:
[table][tr][td]Art[/td] [td]Level[/td] [td](pending xp)[/td] [td]Allocated XP[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Creo[/td] [td]12+3[/td] td[/td] [td]52[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Intellego[/td] [td]1[/td] td[/td] [td]1[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Muto[/td] [td]0[/td] td[/td] [td]0[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Perdo[/td] [td]0[/td] td[/td] [td]0[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Rego[/td] [td]5[/td] td[/td] [td]15[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Animal[/td] [td]0[/td] td[/td] [td]0[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Aquam[/td] [td]0[/td] td[/td] [td]0[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Aurum[/td] [td]0[/td] td[/td] [td]0[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Corpus[/td] [td]12+3[/td] td[/td] [td]52[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Herbam[/td] [td]0[/td] td[/td] [td]0[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Ignem[/td] [td]0[/td] td[/td] [td]0[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Imagem[/td] [td]0[/td] td[/td] [td]0[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Mentem[/td] [td]0[/td] td[/td] [td]0[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Terram[/td] [td]5[/td] td[/td] [td]15[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Vim[/td] [td]1[/td] td[/td][ [td]1[/td]/tr][/table]

Equipment: Knife, Clothes, Occasional Food, PVS
Encumbrance: 0 (0)

Spells Known: (to be completed to 150 levels)
[table][tr][td]Spell[/td] [td]Tech/Form[/td] [td]Casting[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Seven_league Stride[/td] [td]ReCo 30[/td] [td]-8 (and requisites)[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]The Leap of Homecoming[/td] [td]ReCo 35[/td] [td]-13 (and requisites)[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Conjuring the Mystic Tower[/td] [td]CrTe 35[/td] [td]-13[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Lift the Dangling Puppet[/td] [td]ReCo 15[/td] [td]+7[/td][/tr][/table]

Background:
Tomas was born to the doctor who was hired by the caravan to take care of the grogs and othen mundane workers needed for the searching and excavation. He was born about a year after the caravan started. He was raised as one of the few children with the caravan. Eventually folks realized this was because of his gift, and when he was old enough, he was sent to ? where he was apprenticed, and studied for a few years after Gauntlet. He remembered the caravan fondly, and so rejoined it even though his parents have since retired to ? where old age is rapidly catching up with them.

3

In the next 9 years, at 30 xp per year, spend 118 each on Creo and Corpus, bringing them to level 22, with 2 xp left over.
Also spend 26 xp to raise Magic Theory to 8+2.
Spend 3 xp on Intellego and 5 xp on Vim.

Then make my own longevity potion. Use 21 or 22 Creo Vis from my supply.
The Potion will be 75 from Creo, Corpus and minor focus, plus 3 Int, 3 Inventive, 11 Magic Theory, and Aura, netting 92 Aura + Vis beyond 7. If the Aura is 5, then use 14 vis. Should net a 111 Longevity Potion for a +23.

After that, with the remainder of that year for 20 xp, and 4 more years at 30 xp use
11 xp to bring Intellego to 5, 15 xp each for Herbam and Animal to 5, 9 xp for Vim to 5 and 90 xp for Rego to 14.

Assuming the above numbers are right, that should leave me with 34 or 35 pawns of Creo vis.
And purchase a staff suitable for making into a talisman. Proposed:
Bronze footing, Oak staff, lead wrapping, opal side-decoration, silver top fitting holding an Amber.
Cost to be subtracted from initial silver allowance.

4

Questions:
What creature is suitable for a magical companion, who might become a familiar. I had originally thought of a snake after Appolo's healing aspects. But the book seems to suggest that Snakes are normally associated with destruction / Perdo. Given the African journeys, I suppose it could be a Monkey of some sort (leading both to obvious advantages and more story potential as a companion?)

For my minor affinity, it seems that it should be slightly broader than just longevity potions. My preference would be a focus on improving people, with logevity potions being considered a form of improvement. The other alternative would be a focus on healing, with longevity potion being considered a form of healing, but that seems more of a stretch.

5

a monkey would be corpus for this character, but a fun choice... especially depending on type

for focus might I suggest creo corpus rituals? There are aspects of an aging specialization that would be excluded (helping to resolve an aging crisis, for example, or causing aging with perdo corpus) but some extra areas (improving physical stats, possibly fertility magic if discovered) which would be included, and the overall change seems balanced to me...

unless I missed something on the math, I'm showing you have 28 points left to spend at gauntlet...

6

Sounds like I should do some research on north African monkeys to pick a basis type for the magical variant. I will have to leave it to you from there, as I do not have RoP:M. Having done a quick search, the obvious choice would seem the Barbary Macaque as the basis.

I have put in the points spend in the character sheet. It comes to 420 at gauntlet by my addition, which is what it ought to be.

I have marked it as Creo Corpus Rituals (that covers a nice set of ground, and the exclusions seem appropriate for a minor focus). You are considering a longevity potion to be a "ritual" for this purpose, even if it invented more like a magic object, and does not count Artes Liberale and Philosophae?

For my remaining spell, may I have the level 35 variant on Purification of the festering wound (my limit for CrCo at Gauntlet is 46) which would give someone a +18 bonus for a month to healing from injury or disease? (The Sun variant would have to be cast twice a day to maintain coverage.)

7

A longevity potion and a fertility ritual are really somewhere beyond a ritual in complexity, though neither gain those benefits they both require an entire season, and have a vis cost to create for more or less a single application, so yes, I would include them.

8

I havew been thinking about the magical monkey. Is it reasonable to declare that I found him, injured, among some areas where we had been working? Brought him back, and after some failures managed to bandage him and apply a CreoAnimal healing spell to help him recover. Once he was able to move around on his own, I gave allowed him to leave, and he chose to stay. He now scampers around in my vicinity, and has a living space (very large cage) that I can lock if I will be away for an extended time to someplace I don't think I can bring him. (Whether he can actually unlock it himself is yet to be determined.)
?

9

You don't lock up animal companions, magical or otherwise. The rest is good, but animal companion are friends, companions, not pets or chattel.
After all it is a story flaw.

10

No problem losing the cage. I was not sure what the model was. If you approve the healing spell, I think this guy is done?

11

The spell is fine, and I found my math errors (I had my sheet calculating rego as if it had an affinity and I had missed chirurgy)
I haven't reviewed the post gauntlet material yet, will do that here soon.

12

pre-caravan the aura should be 3, not 5, as per standard assumptions

the staff could fluctuate greatly in cost depending on the size of the opal. Aside from the Opal we're looking at about half a pound. Which will be 1/2 of a years actual income, meaning you lose 1/10 pound from your total silver plus the cost of the opal. Your current total at the end of your pre-caravan years is .8 lbs of silver accumulated (minus the opal)

13

For the Longevity, that means I use 7+11 pawns of vis, for a +22 potion.

For the opal, as far as I can tell I don't need something very large, and Tomas is not ostentatious. How much is a moderate one? For appearances sake by mild preference is for a blue-highlighted opal, but Tomas would not have specified when seeking it, so I don't know what he got.

14

we'll go with .1 lbs

15

I put the net result in the front posting. He does need 10 aging rolls, 5 at 18 bonus, 5 at 17 bonus. Should I take those, or will you make them. (These could cause complications, and probably reduce his apparent age. (I am assuming that conditions at the caravan granted neither bonus nor penalty to aging.)

16

You can only use 20 vis in a season for your longevity potion. Abilities get +2 from puissant ability, not +3, which I get a lab total of 107.
which results in a +22 longevity potion, and you being in possession of 36 vis

17

Since the specialty for Magic Theory would apply, I assumed that meant I could count 1 more MT, for up to two more Vis. But, in fact, I only used 18 pawns:
25 Creo + 25 Corpus + 25 minor focus + 3 Int + 3 Inventive + 3 Aura + 11 MT + 11 Pawns = 106, for +22. While I could use 4 more pawns, I would get no value from doing so as far as I can tell.

18

[strike]Your MT is 8+1, which is 10, not 11, so to get 106 you would need to use 19 pawns of vis.
In any case I did the aging rolls nd you have not even appeared to age a day since 35.[/strike]
Okay, I see what you are saying now, I was focused on the focus and missed the specialty. Yes, you can use the extra vis.

19

I was wondering, how much would you charge to make me a longevity potion ? I can trade creo vis for rego vis and I can compensate the lost season by helping you in the laboratory (+11, or +12 if vim) or teaching you something for one season. Or I could have helped you in the lab for your longevity potion. It would give you the same level, without the additionnal vis expense.

What do you say ? I would be interested in a level 106 as well. If I help you in the lab, it will only cost 7 pawns for you and I can give you 36(29+7 pawns for the creo) pawns for it. If you choose to have received my help for your potion, it will net you 40 pawns in total.

20

The vis payment you are proposing, with your help in preparing the longevity potion for you, sounds like a very acceptable deal to me. As soon as we have a lab where I can do this, I am happy to do so. (If you want to have had this done within the last 5 years, I will have to find 10 xp I am willing to reduce, which is a bit harder.)

If you want it within the last 5 years, given the duration of the caravan is just a bit longer than I thought, SilverOak may be willing to let me insert a year of caravan advancement. I had planned not to have any of those, but I have been at the caravan for the last several years.