Viscaria Verditii

Retired Play by Post Campaigns Ars Magica 5th Edition: In the Ruins of Bibracte
1

Viscaria fillia Norbert Gunthar ex Verditus
Note: In European courts, the presentation of a flowering viscaria stem is an invitation to dance.

Voting Sigil - A flowering viscaria stem made of glass, with several captured flies in it
Casting Sigil - viscaria / sticky catchfly symbolic affects

Virtues
The Gift, Hermetic Magus. Verditus Magic (Casting Tools - carved stones)
Affinity with Craft/Silver, Terram
Pussiant Craft/Silver Terram
Hermetic Alchemy,
Major Philosophic Alchemy
Strong Fae Blood - Dwarf
Imbued With Spirit of Terram,

Flaws
Dwarf, general-3 (Size -2, Str -1, Sta -1)
Driven - Discover her Merinita mother and learn Merinita Mysteries, personality -1
Faerie Upbringing, personality-1
Susceptible to Divine Power, hermetic -1
Difficult Longevity Ritual, hermetic -3
Spontaneous Casting Tools, hermetic -1
True Friend: Theraphosa
Hubris

Personality Traits : Cynical +3, Hedonistic +1, Altruistic +2 Brave -2, Hubris 1.1

Characteristics:
Int +3, Per 0, Age: 45 (apparent age, 30)
Pre +1, Com +2, Size: -2
Str -1, Sta 0, Confidence: 1
Dex -1, Qik -2, Afflictions: None

Abilities
Bargain 4 (esoteric)
Carouse 1 (gambling)
Charm 2 (Faeries)
Concentration 2 (spell)
Craft / Stone 3 +1 (fae style)
Craft / Silver** 5 +3 (fae style) (+2 pussiant, +1 dwarf)
Folk Ken 1.5 (body language)
Guile 2 (blame displacement)
Leadership 1 (labwork)
Teaching 1 (Latin)

Language, Castill 5 (poetry)
Language, Latin 4 (written)
Language, Arabic 3.6 (commands)

Artes Liberales 1 (ceremonial)
Philosophiae 4 (Verditius)
Prof: Architect 2 (BPH Designs)
Prof: Scribe 2 (lab texts)
Verditus Cult Lore 3 (members)

Magic Theory 5.25 (enchantment)
Faerie Lore 2 (beasties)
Finesse 1 (Rego)
Parma Magica 3 (terram)
Penetration 2 (terram)
Magic Lore 1 (critters)

Invisible Sling Mstry 1 (fast-cast)
Baroque Hut Mastery 1 (precise)
Second Sight 2 (faeries)

Arts
Creo 7
Intellego 14
Muto 5
Perdo 5
Rego 5

Animal 5
Auram 2
Aquam 5
Corpus 5
Herbam 5
Ignem 3.(9)
Imaginem 5
Mentem 6
Terram** 15 (+3)
Vim 15

Spells:
Invisible Sling of Vilano
ReTe 10 Touch, Mom, Ind
Finesse to hit, +5 Damage Mastery 1: fast cast

Hands of the Grasping Earth
ReTe 15 (Muto) Voice, Diam, Part
Strength stress 15 to escape

Burrowfingers (Based on Pit of the Grasping Earth)
PeTe 20Voice, Mom, Part
Creates a 700(?) cubic foot space in earth or stone, starting at a point of origin that can be sensed by the caster within voice range. Default opening is a cube, but this can be modified with finesse rolls.
It does not affect noble metals or gems. Base 3, +2 Voice, +1 Part, +1 Size, +1 Stone

The Baroque Peasant Hut
Rego Terram 25, Mastery 1 : precise
The ReTe answer to Conjure The Wizards Tower, this spell shifts and shapes the ground into a building made of hard-packed earth. The resultant structure is partially underground and very unstable unless cast by a magus with an understanding of Architecture (or a very high Finesse -- this counts as Rego Craft Magic). The same spell can be used to return the building back to its original shape (approximately)
Base 3, +1 Touch, +3 Structure, +2 size

Command the Living Stone (as Living Fire, RoPMagic 133)
ReTe 20 Voice, Conc, Ind
Penetration > Might to control earth spirits
Base 5, +2 Voice, +1 Conc,

Sense the Nature of Vis - InVi 5, Touch, Mom, Ind

Watching Ward- ReVim 10, Touch, Special, Ind/Ritual (30 minutes, 2 vis)

Store The Essence
ReVim 15 (Terram) Touch, Mom, Ind
As the Gather The Essence of the Beast spell, only transferring the vis to a suitably prepared receptacle, and applies to all types of vis, not just corpses. Really, I just want a Terram-req bit of color

Doublet of Impenetrable Silk
MuAn 15 Touch, Sun, Ind (adds +3 soak to cloth, +6 to leather)

Equipment - Built
Gunthar’s Broom PeTe25 (Gleam of the Freshly Polished Glass), unlimited uses - Spotless, +1 Health, +1 Aesthetics, +1 Cr

Tentacular Trunk of Many Uses (68/140)

  • The Bookstand of Hespera ReHe 20 (+2 texts)

  • “Toolchest of Hespera” ReHe 20 (+2 items)

  • Break the Oncoming Wave (Sun, linked, 3/day) ReAq 20 (keeps interior contents dry)

  • Shadow Box of Summer Breezes CrAu 8, Base 1, + 2 Sun, +1 unnatural, 2/uses day+1, Environmental Trigger +3 (As Magical Heating, +1 Health, +1 Aeshetics, +1 Au)

A Perfectly Ordinary Silver Mirror (36/240)

  • Mirror of Eternal Repetition in a Bottomless Pool, CrIm36, 2/day (36)

Equipment - 75 bps
8 Magical Furnace Creo Ignem 20 (+2 items) = 4*2 = 8

8 LT: The Tireless Wooden Servant ReHe 40
6 LT: Rarefy The Crude Stone CrTe 30 (RoP:M 133, Base 25, +1 Touch, Creates an elemental from any naturally occurring concentration of suitable size, max Might 15, Size 0)
35 Terram Summae, Lvl 25, Q 10 “The Slumbering Giant,” by Fenicil filius Guernicus scholae Guernicus, in Latin.

8 Silversmith Forge Companion (Chastity)
6 Second Sight Specialist (ghosts) (Vin Diesel)

4 - 5 Rego vis, 10 Herbam, 5 Ignem

Total Traveling Party:

  1. Chastity, Silversmith 8 Forge Companion
  2. Vin Diesel, Shield Grog with Second Sight 6 (ghosts) (stats coming)
  3. Patience, apprentice silversmith (stats coming)
  4. Theraphosa, Familiar (stats available)

History
Year 1 - 1208: Penetration 15xp, Concentration 15xp
Year 2 - 1209: 5xp to Bargain, Creo, Intellego, Muto, Perdo, Rego
Year 3 - 1210: Verditus Lore 15xp, Samos Lore 15 xp
Year 4 - 1211: Parma 25xp, Finesse 5xp
Year 5 - 1212: Bargain 30xp

1213
Spring - Enchants Gunthar’s Broom (x2) using Lab Text, LT 50, MT 2xp (1 sold)
Summer - Reads “On Stone”, Terram Summa L15Q15 = 22.5XP
Fall - The Beginning of Life, the Universe, and Everything, Creo Q10 L20;
Winter - Adventure! 10xp - 5XP to Animal, 5 XP to Magic Lore. Enchant - Opens lg wooden trunk, Philo Alchemy - 4 vis + Verditus Craft 9 (14)

1214
Spring - Enchant trunk - Break the Oncoming Wave Re Aq 20 Base 5 +2,Sun +3linked + 2 3/day, LT 42 , 2xp to MT
Summer - Learns Arabic from Abdul Fati, XP 18
Fall - Learns Arabic from Abdul Fati, XP 18
Winter - Adventure! 10XP to Guile and MT. Enchants trunk with The Bookstand of Hespera (Enchanted Item) (from text) ReHe 20, LT 40, sells another copy

1215
Spring - Reads “On Stone”, Terram Summa L15Q15 = 22.5XP
Summer - Reads “On Stone”, Terram Summa L15Q15 = 22.5XP
Fall - Adventure! 10xp, 5 Vim, 5 Guile.
Winter - Reads “On Stone”, Terram Summa L15Q15 = 22.5XP
1216
Spring - Bind Familiar CeTe 35, Gold 2, Silver 1, Bronze 2 , MT 2xp
Summer -Enchant Familiar - Mental Communication (CrMe 15) LT 37 (experimented, no add’l effects). MT 2xp
Fall - Adventure! 10xp in Aquam, MT.
Winter - "How to Ward against Spirits"; Vim Q 15, L 15
1217
Spring "How to Ward against Spirits"; Vim Q 15, L 15
Summer "How to Ward against Spirits"; Vim Q 15, L 15
Fall - "How to Ward against Spirits"; Vim Q 15, L 15
Winter - Adventure! 10xp Corpus, MT
1218
Spring - "How to Ward against Spirits"; Vim Q 15, L 15
Summer - "How to Ward against Spirits"; Vim Q 15, L 15
Fall - "How to Ward against Spirits"; Vim Q 15, L 15
Winter - Adventure! 10xp Herbam, Imaginem.
1219
Spring -"Information Acquisition: Sources and Methods"; Intellego Q 15, L 15
Summer - "Info Acquisition: Sources and Methods"; Intellego Q 15, L 15
Fall - "Mens, Animus, Anima" Mentem Summa: L 20, Q 11; in Latin
Winter - Adventure! 10xp- 4 Animal, 4 Ignem, 2 Imaginem. Learns AmbulatorEnchants trunk with “Toolchest of Hespera” ReHe 20, LT 44 (like Bookstand, only for items),
1220
Spring - "Info Acquisition: Sources and Methods"; Intellego Q 15, L 15
Summer - "Info Acquisition: Sources and Methods"; Intellego Q 15, L 15
Fall - Learns Major Philosophic Alchemy (gains Hubris)
Winter - Adventure! 10xp- 4 Ignem, 4 Herbam, 2 Auram. Enchants Eternal Repetition in a Bottomless Pool, CrIm36, LT 43 (from text)

1221
Spring - Adventure! 10xp MT, Folk Ken. Enchants Shadow Box of Summer Breezes CrAu 8, Base 1, + 2 Sun, +1 unnatural, 2/uses day+1, Environmental Trigger +3 (sells several, enchants trunk), Lt 46
Summer - "Info Acquisition: Sources and Methods"; Intellego Q 15, L 15
Fall - "Info Acquisition: Sources and Methods"; Intellego Q 15, L 15
Winter - Learns Enchant Casting Tools, Gains Limited Magic Resistance to Vim, 2 XP to Cr, MT, 1xp to Hubris

1222 - Moves to Bibracte

Note: I went with Intellego rather than Rego cuz that's the better book in the Phoenix library, and I do want to color her evolution based on her covenant of origin. If we switched the Intellego and Rego books, then she'd be able to learn Ambulatory Lab from a Text. I'd rather she just pay someone to cast the spell, though. With Major Philosophic Alchemy, she's currently pulling 6 Vim vis a season out of the ether.

Note the 2nd: for her Hubris effect, I've decided that Viscaria is of the "Vocally Humble" persuasion. As it gets more pronounced, she'll start saying things like, "Do you know what's the most awesome thing about me? How humble I am. I mean, did you see the way I did that thing and then totally didn't even try to take credit for it? You gotta admit, that was cool of me. Philanthropic, even."

2

This is my first time playing with this part of the system.

Concept : A subterranean analog to the many mythic sea creatures that lure sailors and such to their death, this giant spider lures would-be spelunkers into her webs*, and from there a certain death, unless you can appeal to her meddlesome and politicking nature.

After the bonding, she delights in learning of human politics, and meddles in the lives of the covenant's children as a side hobby. Also, I really like the image of a bookworm spider wearing glasses and playing 4 violins.
Oh, and she's fertile and spawns (typically) non-magical giant spiders. Which, handled properly, could generate an entire new revenue stream, I suppose. Phoenix Covenant felt like they had enough on their hands already, I guess.

Mythology (or “Why Enchanting Music?”): Sirens lure sailors to the rocky shores with lust because they've been on a boat without women for far too long. When you're underground....

Men dig under the earth for sport and for greed. A mythic creature which lured such men to their dooms wouldn't pull on their loins, she would pull on their pocketbooks and their sense of adventure. Theraphosa’s song is, "Don't let them see you slip down this other path! You don't want to share the spoils to be found here."

With her Enchanting Music, the sound of her chittinous shivers amid skulls can make men curious, can make them greedy. But the description also talks about instilling general urges without lyrics, and this made me picture a couple of miners, lost in the Silent Dark, wondering if that sound in the distance is water dripping on ore. Oh, they should go back, but....they can hear something up ahead, and they tell themselves, "Just one more tunnel down. Then I'll go back."

Theraphosa,
Giant Spider Familiar, based on Clawed Beast
Characteristics: Magic Might 15
Int +1, Per +1, Age: Irrelevant
Pre -6 (+3), Com +3, Size: (spiders are -15), giganticized to -2
Str -4, Sta +1, Confidence: ?
Dex +3, Qik +2, Afflictions: none

Virtues and Flaws:
Magic Animal
True Friend: Viscaria
Essential: Perfect Balance
3 Improved Characteristics x3
1 Enchanting Music
1 Free Expression
1 Unaffected by Gift
1 Supernatural Lore (as Arcane Lore, except for supernatural)

Essential: Meddler
Inherited: Nocturnal
-3 Difficult Underlings (spawn)
-1 Magical Friend
-3 Favors

Inherited, and VF Skills:
3 Brawl (bite or claw),
3 Survival (home terrain),
3 Awareness (food),
3 Athletics (running)
4 Stealth (stalking prey)
4 Hunt (prey)
1 Magical Meditation (avoiding acclimization)
4.5 Enchanting Music (incite curiousity)

120 XP - Spring Character
50 Craft: Spidersilk (webs) 4
30 Intrigue (plotting) 3
15 Guile (appear non-threatening) 2
15 Music (singing) 2
5 Folk Ken (predators) 1
5 Ettiquette (predators) 1

From 1216-1222
CrTe 35, Gold 2, Silver 1, Bronze 2
Mental Communication (CrMe 15) Spider sends complex emotions, images, thoughts, etc to Viscaria

Language, Castill 5 (poetry)
Language, Latin 4 (written)
Language, Arabic 3.6 (written)

Artes Liberales (mathematics) 2
Magic Theory (enchanting) 5
Philosophiae (natural) 4
Order of Hermes Lore (history) 5
Prof: Scribe (careful) 2
Code of Hermes (precedents) 3
Magic Lore (Greek) 2
Music (violin) 2-> 3

Mundane Qualities

Ambush Predator: The beast lies in wait for its prey and catches it by surprise.Grants Stealth 4 (stalking prey) and Hunt4 (prey). The beast’s specialization for Brawl changes to one of the beast’s natural weapons. If it has successfully crept up on its prey, it automatically wins Initiative in the first round of combat and gains a +3 to its Attack Total for the first round only.
Camouflage: Add +3 to all rolls to hide, whenever the creature is not moving.
Crafty: Raise Cunning to 0 (if currently negative), or add 1. This Quality may be taken more than once for exceptionally cunning animals.
Grapple: The creature may make a grapple attack instead of a normal attack. This attack may only be employed against an opponent that is less than or equal to the creature’s (Size + 1). See Non-Lethal Combat (ArM5, page 174) for rules ongrappling. If the creature has another natural weapon (such as a bite), it may add its current Grapple Strength to its Attack Total in subsequent rounds, until the opponent breaks free. The creature must defend against any opponent outside the grapple with its Grapple Defense (see Natural Weapons Table, below).
Loathsome Appearance: The creature is so repulsive that its Presence drops to –6. However, this should be treated as a Presence of +3 if the animal makes any attempt to scare or intimidate an opponent.
Shell: The creature is encased in a protective shell. Grants a +4 to Protection, but the creature suffers a –3 to all rolls involving fast or nimble movement.
Skilled Climber: Add +3 to all rolls involving climbing.
Thick Fur/Thick Scales: Add 1 to Protection; this Quality stacks with the Tough Virtue and the Tough Hide Quality.
Tough Hide: Add 2 to Protection; this Quality stacks with the Tough Virtue and the Thick Fur Quality.
Venomous: One of the creature’s attacks (usually the bite) also delivers venom into the wounds it causes. Compare the creature’s Attack Advantage to the victim’s Protection (not Soak). If the creature’s Advantage is higher, then the victim suffers the effect of the venom, regardless of whether the bite infl icts an actual wound. The Ease Factor to avoid damage from venom varies from 3 to 15 (see ArM5, page 180).
Web-Weaver: Not listed in book, but a logical space to put it in.

Magical Qualities/Inferiorities 15
3x3=9 Gigantic x 3, Str -30 (+ 26), Quick 17 (-14)
3 Magical Meditation
1 Gift of Speech
1x2=2 Lesser Power x2 = 50lvls (burrowing, web weaving, and venom effects)
This is the area where I'm completely stumped. I really don't understand the different power options. Focus Power, Lesser Power, etc.
1 Virtue: Unaffected by the Gift
-1 Limited Gestures

History
1216
Spring - Learns Artes Liberales from School. XP 15
Summer - "Prospero's Treatise on the Nature of Magic" Q 10; L 5; Topic: Magic Theory
Fall "Prospero's Treatise on the Nature of Magic" Q 10; L 5; Topic: Magic Theory
Winter"Prospero's Treatise on the Nature of Magic" Q 10; L 5; Topic: Magic Theory

1217
spring "Prospero's Treatise on the Nature of Magic" Q 10; L 5; Topic: Magic Theory
summer "Prospero's Treatise on the Nature of Magic" Q 10; L 5; Topic: Magic Theory
Fall "Prospero's Treatise on the Nature of Magic" Q 10; L 5; Topic: Magic Theory
winter"Prospero's Treatise on the Nature of Magic" Q 10; L 5; Topic: Magic Theory

1218
Spring "Prospero's Treatise on the Nature of Magic" Q 10; L 5; Topic: Magic Theory
Summer Codex Hermeticus Hispaniae (Q10, L8) by multiple writers; Latin: A complete collection of case reviews from the tribunal; summa for CoH
Fall - Codex Hermeticus Hispaniae (Q10, L8); summa for CoH
Winter -Codex Hermeticus Hispaniae (Q10, L8); summa for CoH

1219
Spring "Naturalis Historia" by Plinius; ; Philosophy(natural) L4Q15 ;in Latin
Summer "Naturalis Historia" by Plinius; ; Philosophy(natural) L4Q15 ;in Latin
Fall "Naturalis Historia" by Plinius; ; Philosophy(natural) L4Q15 ;in Latin
Winter "Naturalis Historia" by Plinius; Philosophy(natural) L4Q15 ;in Latin

1220
Spring Learns Prof:Scribe from School Q15
Summer "De Ordo (L5, Q15) by Horst ex Mercere; Latin; a summa on order history (Lore: OoH)
Fall "De Ordo (L5, Q15) by Horst ex Mercere; Latin; a summa on order history (Lore: OoH)
WinterDe Ordo (L5, Q15) by Horst ex Mercere; Latin; a summa on order history (Lore: OoH)

1221
Spring De Ordo (L5, Q15) by Horst ex Mercere; Latin; a summa on order history (Lore: OoH)
SummerDe Ordo (L5, Q15) by Horst ex Mercere; Latin; a summa on order history (Lore: OoH)
Fall "Naturalis Historia" by Plinius; Magic Lore L5; Q15
Winter Learns Music from School Q15

1222 - Moves to Bibracte

3

Don't you need Artes Liberales of at least 2 to read/write both the Latin and the Arabic script?

4

Yes, which means she never got around to actually learning to write in Arabic. Of course, she never got around to reading the Qu'ran either (the only Arabic text left in Phoenix Covenant), so it's a moot point. I suppose this means that her familiar learned to read Arabic before she did.

5

What's your problem?
What do you want to do?

Working from memory (serf's parma):

  • Focus Power: Similar to spontaneous magic in a TeFo combo
  • Personnal Power: Well, it's personnal :wink:
  • Lesser and Greater: The differences are in the initiative and might cost. Otherwise, it acts like a formulaic
  • Ritual Power: Decreases your might score, but, then, you can cast a ritual at will!!! With no time constraints!!!

It's not that complicated once you read it, I can do it again if need be.

6

Well....she should have spider like powers. Are her webs mundane or magical? How should I represent them? I could see her having some kind spit-web-to-grab power, but wouldn't that be Animal instead of Terram. How should the binding forms be related to her powers?

7

I'd love to see her have an improved "Doublet of Impenetrable Silk" which involves squirting goo out of her spinnerets at the target. :slight_smile:

8

Well, 2 things:

  • The "natural" web of a spider, which'd take quite some time and be useless in battle, and easily cut through. YOu can neglect this.
  • The fun stuff, spiderman-like :wink: For exemple, she could have a "Trap of the Entwining Vines" power, in which the cosmetic effect is that she throws web to paralyse people. It'd use her might, even if she's not aligned to herbam. For 15 levels of spells, this'd cost 3 might and have an init of Quick -6 as a lesser power. You could use the 10 leftover points to make these better (For exemple, Might 1 and Quick -6, or Might 3 and Quick -4)

But yeah, of she's a giant spider with these kind of powers, she'd be Animal IMO. This pauses no problem, though.
You might want to drop 1 level of Meditation, and take Greater Power instead of your 2 lesser powers: You wouldn't get 25 extra spell levels, but her powers would cost less, and be faster to use.

Yup, this is a good exemple of a lesser power :slight_smile:

9

Thanks for the ideas and suggestions. I'll look into them again.

I also need to figure out Thera's venom. Maybe that's another idea for a power, or does she get anything impressive for being a gigantic*3 spider that might be valuable as a mundane attack?

Hrm....maybe I should take a Specialist in brewing poisons....

Also, I just did the math and Viscaria, with the aid of her Familiar, can learn Bonisagus's Lab! I should swap around the BPs I spent on vis and maybe adjust my history. Unless there's a copy of the Lab Text here?

10

I don't understand. YOu've got it listed, already, no?

11

I have "venomous" as one of her mundane traits. I need to figure out what the mechanics of that are for her mundane spawn/ilk and for herself. See the post for the exact quote from the text, which basically says, "SG fiat." The target number is somewhere between 3 and 15.

12

Ah, ok, you're asking for the exact ease factor

13

So, barring further input, I'm going to give Theraphosa a paralytic venom with Ease Factor 15, since she's ginmorous. Her much smaller offspring will have probably Ease Factor 9 venom.

I'm going to take the wise suggestion of replacing Magical Meditation with Greater Power, and then I'm going to cheat and give her the Gift of Speech without Viscaria having to enchant it into her. After all, Sirens should be able to speak, even creepy insectoid subterranean ones.

In other news, I finally wrote out my formulae, and have discovered that Viscaria's Mirror of Endless Repetition is a Medium Sized Silver mirror, that has been alchemically enhanced (Magic Theory (enchantment)6 x2 maximum vis, plus Craft:Silver(fae style) 6 + 3 virtues due to Verdtius = 21. Silver is base factor 6, so the biggest it could be is Medium (boots, tunic, sword or skull) x3 = 18. Alchemy adds 6 spaces, so it is an invested item that can hold up to 240 spell levels in it. Woof!

It turns out that the Forge Companion lab bonus doesn't work out the way I do (explicitly quoted, "+1 per 5 levels of Craft"), so I'm assuming that is +1/craftsman, even if they do have 6s. Anyway, I swapped out my Spidersilk Weaver for another Forge Companion silversmith. Since we've got so much wool, I figure Viscaria can go looking for someone to weave the cloth in-saga.

14

Somehow, the version I copy-pasta'd here of Viscaria still listed her as having Crystal Dart instead of Vilano's Sling. Though, once I changed it, I re-thought the option. Mu(Re)Te 10 with a CT of 23+Aura+die seems....wise, for the damage.

Figured out the Magic Powers section finally for the Familiar. It turns out that the "Focus Power" is really a generic ability to spont a limited range of effects. So I shifted the numbers a bit and added the "Susceptible to Deprivation" Inferiority, to give her a Greater Power of the Weaver’s Trap of Webs, CrAn 35, and the Focus Power of spont'ing any web related effect up to an effective spell level of 15. The extra levels went to mastery of those effects. Here's her sorted and blanks-filled version (except for combat damages, which I have a question on, see below)

Theraphosa, Giant Spider Familiar (Clawed Beast), Might 15

Virtues
Magic Animal
True Friend: Viscaria
Essential: Perfect Balance
3 Improved Characteristics x3
1 Enchanting Music
1 Free Expression
1 Unaffected by Gift
1 Supernatural Lore (as Arcane Lore)

FLAWS
Essential: Meddler
Inherited: Nocturnal
-3 Difficult Underlings (spawn)
-1 Magical Friend
-3 Favors

Magical Qualities/Inferiorities 15
3x3=9 Gigantic x 3, Str -30 (+ 26), Quick 17 (-14)
3 Greater Power (50lvls)
1 Gift of Speech
1 Virtue: Unaffected by the Gift
-1 Limited Gestures
-1 Susceptible to Deprivation
3 Focus Power

Characteristics: Loyal(Viscaria) +3, Spider +3, Brave +1 Int +1 Per +1 BOND: CrTe35 Age: ?? Pre -6(+3)Com +3 Gold 2 Size: -2 (base -15) Str -4 Sta +1 Silver 1 Confidence: Dex +3 Qik +2 Bronze 2 Afflictions:

3 Athletics (climbing) (+3 climb)
3 Awareness (food),
3 Brawl (grapple),
4 Craft: Spidersilk (webs)
4.5 Enchanting Music (curiosity)
1 Ettiquette (predators)
1 Folk Ken (predators)
2 Guile (appear non-threatening)
4 Hunt (ambush)
3 Intrigue (plotting)
3 Music (singing)
4 Stealth (hide) +3 to hide
3 Survival (home terrain),

5 Lang, Castill (poetry)
4 Language, Latin (written)
3.6 Lang, Arabic(written)

2 Artes Liberales (mathematics)
3 Code of Hermes (precedents)
5 OoH Lore (history)
4 Philosophiae (natural)
2 Prof: Scribe (careful)

2 Magic Lore (Greek)
5 Magic Theory (enchanting)

Powers
*(Enchanted) Mental Communication (CrMe 15) Spider sends complex emotions, images, thoughts, etc

*Weaver’s Trap of Webs, CrAn 40 Mastery 2 (quick, quick) Sight, Sun, Group
Might Cost Mag/2=4
Init: Qik-Mag +mastery 2 = -4

*Webs/Traps 15, Mastery 2 (penetration, magic resistance)
Might CostMag 1-3
Init: Qik-(mag) +1 to -1

Combat: init atk dfn DMG
Grapple +2 +7 +7 n/a
Dodge +2 n/a +6 n/a
Bite +2 +9 +7 -3 Venom Ease Factor 15
Claw +1 +8 +9 -2

Prot: 3 (Thick n Tough) Soak +4

	[b][u]Qualities[/u][/b]

Ambush Predator: If it has successfully crept up on its prey, it automatically wins Initiative in the first round of combat and gains a +3 to its Attack Total for the first round only.

Camouflage: Add +3 to all rolls to hide, whenever the creature is not moving.

Crafty

Grapple: The creature may make a grapple attack instead of a normal attack. This attack may only be employed against an opponent that is less than or equal to the creature’s (Size + 1). See Non-Lethal Combat (ArM5, page 174) for rules ongrappling. If the creature has another natural weapon (such as a bite), it may add its current Grapple Strength to its Attack Total in subsequent rounds, until the opponent breaks free. The creature must defend against any opponent outside the grapple with its Grapple Defense (see Natural Weapons Table, below).

Loathsome Appearance: Presence drops to –6 or +3 when attempting to scare or intimidate an opponent.

Skilled Climber: Add +3 to all rolls involving climbing.

Thick Fur/Thick Scales: Add 1 to Protection; this Quality stacks with the Tough Virtue and the Tough Hide Quality.

Tough Hide: Add 2 to Protection; this Quality stacks with the Tough Virtue and the Thick Fur Quality.

Venomous: Compare the creature bite’s Attack Advantage to the victim’s Protection (not Soak). If the creature’s Advantage is higher, then the victim suffers the effect of the venom, regardless of whether the bite inflicts an actual wound. The Ease Factor to avoid damage is 15 (see ArM5, page 180).

Web-Weaver: Not listed in book.

DoIS is MuAn 15, and thus falls under her Focus Power :slight_smile:

15

Awesome idea with the focus power. This is great.

I'm not so sure for the Weaver’s Trap of Webs.
If casting without making a sound, Voice range is useless, so you'd need sight range...
OTOH (but Serf's Parma, so I advise you to check), I don't think that creatures need voices and gestures to use their powers, so you could use the saved magnitudes to lower the Might cost of the power.
+> If I'm right, this could give you something like CrAn 40 (Sight, Sun, Group), Mastery 2 (Cost*2), with Might Cost = (8/2)-2 = 2, and Init = -6. Or Cost 3, Init -6, and Penetration Mastery. Or whatever you want.

I'm not so sold on the "Shell" quality: Not only are spiders quite different from scarabs (which is, IMO, what shell is about), but they're usually quite nimble and fast creatures, which the shell impedes: This is a quality for tanks, not subtle predators. Moreso, it seems it doesn't stack with Thick Fur and Tough Hide (which seems quite logical).

Also, you've forgotten to write her MM and size.

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I added the MM to her bio line, and then used the CODE tag to try to make her stats section look more like the tab-delineated columns that I have on my Pages doc.

I wasn't sure how a voice range power would work. I toyed with the making it Sight as you suggested, but left this version in for a 1st draft. I like the notion of Sight range, but it feels a bit long range. "Supernatural spitting distance" isn't really in the book, though.

I also wasn't sure if Fast Casting or some other initiative-enhancing mastery option was available or how it would work.

The more time I spend with them, the more I find the rules for Mastery just don't apply to typical in-game usage. For example, the wisest thing to master is a ritual, and yet there are no canon Mastery abilities which apply to rituals intelligently.

When you point out the speed penalties for Shell, I see your point. I just grabbed it thinking she was exoskeletal.

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Weapons normally have a minimum Strength to be able to use. If your Str is lower than the Str listed for a weapon, you aren't able to wield it.
Natural weaponry has no minimum Str like that.

So, no, you do add your Str to the damage as normal.

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Mastery is useful in any situation where a botch is really bad. Ritual spells and combat are the two keys. In PbP's combat is deemphasized.

Give Marcus a once over, and the Dimicatio. Keep in mind I crafted him to be very capable for that event, but he's also incredibly capable as a combat Magus, pushing a 40 penetration on PoF and is likely to get it off first and be able to fast cast/respond to incoming spells. Also, keep in mind you can only fast cast a spell as a spontaneous spell (with all the reductions that a spontaneous spell entails) or a formulaic that has been mastered as fast casting. So, for defensive purposes it is very wise to master them for fast casting.

Adaptive casting is probably the one that best canonnical one that applies to some rituals. And I'm open to some different mastery abilities catering to rituals, but would take care to not nerf Mercurian Magic. Paul Briscoe's De Domo Tremeris has a Ritual Mastery ability which I think is like the bonus of vis reduction of Mercurian Magic, without the downside... I'd need to find something to add to Mercurian Magic to mitigate this mastery ability. The Mastery ability subtracts 1 per level of the spell mastery score, to a minimum of one half the normal amount.

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Good point, although, for practical purposes, this changes little.

Or she could have voice range, but produce a spitting sound? This'd allow you to save 1 mastery point.

I like her. Fast, stealthy, and deadly.
Gotta work on Isen's own familiar, I have the concept, but I need to take the time to stat it. Funnily enough,; with only might 10, it shoudl be weaker than Theraphosa :laughing:

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I can't really take credit for Theraphosa. She's really Chico's idea. You remember the Stone Quarry vis sources for Phoenix, guarded by Giant Spiders? She's one of them.