What are your top 5 favorite virtues and flaws?

Games Discussion Ars Magica
21

I should have gone with Dog instead of Wolf (and Ferret instead of Serpent).

Our read at that time was that Puissant adds 2 to an Ability, and that the number of shapes are is the score of the Ability. The current version is more of a +2 bonus when using the Ability. That was 15+ years ago.

I’d take it now, but put more points into the Ability.

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22

I heavily favor any virtues who give unique character options in play style, and I like flaws that limit my character’s problem solving options forcing creativity.

  1. Magical Focus - It leads you to solving problems in interesting ways in order to utilize your focus.
  2. Any Major Hermetic Virtue - Basically, these help define your character and become an important part of it. (Possibly more useful: Flawless Magic and Flexible Formulaic produce interesting options, in specific)
  3. Animal ken - I really like this one whe it isn't taken by a BUNCH of characters. It can make a character who you normally wouldn't take go on an adventure. What I dislike is when people just throw it on a Grog who otherwise has no purpose than being a free virtue.
  4. Second Sight, kind of the same thing- it can be a fun thing to toss in on a character, but sometimes everyone has it, and other times it's rammed onto a mindless grog to cover your bases.
  5. Command Animals. This is mostly because it was a key part of one of my favorite companions. Ruining those Venetians…

Favorite Flaws:

  1. Mentor/Patron - Creates story, lets the characters have someone they can turn to for guidance
  2. Short Ranged Magic: A common theme - this flaw really pushes you to look into more interesting solutions to spell casting problems.
  3. Twilight Prone - I cannot tell you why my saga loves getting sent into twilight, but they do! They really enjoy this flaw.
  4. Weak Spontaneous Magic - I really like how this makes you not just improv-spell problems away, and specifically, I really like having my character design a bunch of spells that other people would use spontaneous for.
  5. No Sense of Direction - I see this taken often as a throwaway free Flaw, but sometimes you also get to play the game of 'where is the Verditius?' and have
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23

I’ll need to start with Bee King. The dude is a king of bees! How else am I going to write this Jupiter Ascending crossover fanfic?

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24

Two virtues that have been little touched:

Inventive Genius: This has been on my sheet so many times I stopped counting. Ars Magicka is a game about doing unique magic, and this virtue helps you make your magic even more unique. Bonus points for Exciting Experimentation or Weak Scholar.

Sense Holiness and Unholiness: Because getting fooled by infernal plots bypassing your Intellego magic is a pain. Although I take this more often on a companion than a magi.

Study Bonus / Requirement: Because being forced to do things beyond picking up a book to learn can be a good thing.

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25

The only character I have played for a while is my favorite character, and I have recreated him more than once due to changes in addition or for other reasons. These are what I use for him that matter most to me (he is an Owl Bjornaer).

Virtues

Flawless Magic - we all know why. I really like priortizing the learning of spells for my character.

Life Boost - it works great with the above.

Second Sight - the single most consistantly useful magical ability, IMO.

Unaging - the perfect addition to a longevity potion.

Affinity and / or Puissant art - I am always going to put more effort into learning some arts than others, so I can make this work well.

Flaws

Weak Spontaneous Magic - Definately a flaw that one feels, but it balances Flawless well.

Blatant Gift - I enjoy playing a magus that has to work outside of society, and this flaw ensures that I will do just that. Also, owls disturb people, so it is appropriate.

Deficient form(s) - balances my affinities. There are always some arts that my character isn’t going to concentrate on. And he usually doesn’t concentrate on them because he is really bad at them. It is important to get along well with your fellows in the covenant, because this flaw is always waiting to bite you in the butt.

Visions - it works well with my character, and it works well to let my character be a vector for stories.

Nocturnal - Owl

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26

Yikes! Both Pliny and Ovid were pretty hard on owls. Definitely a lot of story potential there.