What does your magus use the Elementalist virtue for?

Games Discussion Ars Magica
1

Hello everyone

I humbly asks if anyone here has figured out a good use for the elementalist virtue? Personally I have only found out the combination of Au+Ig that allows you to warm the air of a chamber. Thus giving a magus heat without in his lab without warming everything that my magus Aelianus in novus Mane put to use. This is however such a weak magic that you do ot need the virtue to be able to pull the spell of.

2

I'm rather partial to an "instant water hole" spell, MuTe(Aq), duration Concentration

The magus turns a volume of earth into water right below the feet of his enemy, who promptly sink, then ends the concentration, leaving the enemy buried alive. While the water, being magical, won't hurt someone with MR, that person will still sink, and the when the earth comes back it is non-magical and bypasses MR.

I like the spell because it is quite versatile: by adjusting the placement and the timing you can imprison someone (bury them up to their neck), block their way, or kill them.

3

Something I'm rather partial too is to combine 'Creeping Oil' with say 'Pilum of Fire' and you've got a Hermetic Version of Napalm!

4

The violent applications are quite easy to hink about but they can be done with just one of the forms. Any ideas on peaceful applications after all a magus or maga only need that many damage causing spells.

5

Well it opens up a lot of options for creatures with a might score associated with one of the four Elements. Create an Intellego or Rego Spell + Your Highest of the Four Elemental Arts, then you can affect creatures associated with any of the four elements using your highest art. And with one spell to boot! You could also make some pretty spiffy wards.

Just some of the first non combative spells that pop into my head.

6

There are a LOT of enchantments that can help around a Covenant - heat and light, "windows" that allow flying in/out of but are barriers against wind and rain, all kinds of defenses against danger and safety additions to a lab, library improvements/safety, etc. Hot and cold water plumbing, saunas, 5-star guest quarters. Terram weapons/armour improvements for grogs, and improved morale for them.

Wind and water make a mage a master of sailing travel, and the others make him a fire-and-stone threat in naval combat.

However, in many ways, you're right - it's not the "best" leverage to become large and in charge. But it can lead to an extremely colorful character, a high-concept virtue (vs. a pure power-gaming one) that provides both constant inspiration and interesting challenge to go outside the predictable lines for some "roles" and goals.

7

I agree it is very colourful and interesting but it is always good to have some inspiration. Perhaps we could make a list of possible enchantments or spells that use one or more forms.

Au+Ig
• Warm air
• Bright air(?) A very weak light effect would make a room full of light but perhaps uncomfortable to be in.
• Cool air (with a pe requisite)

Au+Aq
• Speed while sailing.

Aq+Ig
• Warm or cool water

For the window enchantment would not a ReAu enchantment work without any requisite or perhaps a aq requisite if it rains really much.

Please everyone give me more cool ideas for peaceful effects for pure violence I think that the forms work good as they are without any requisites.

8

Aq requisite to keep rain, fog and any other dampness out, Ig requisite to keep heat or cold from getting in.

9

Really one or the other - either the boat is pushed by the wind, or the water - having "both" seems unnecessary, tho' there are always exceptions.

Rain, in fact any weather, in any amount, is always Aurum. A flash flood caused by rain is Aquam.

A ReAu opening thus protects against warm or cold wind, rain, snow, fog, anything like that. (Depending on the level of the Ward, and the severity of the weather.) Handy if you have a Bjornaer with a flying form, a "bird" mage, flying familiars, or any magi (or covenfolk) who fly as a mode of transportation - or if you just want a nice wide-open view of the sky.

10

Nice wind at the back AND having calm water around the ship helps a lot more than only having one of them. You can push the ship with aquam, but it much more obvious that you are using magic if you do that (the calm water can be disguissed better).

Non combat spells:

  • all the covenant improvement ones. Watter supply, hot/cold, plumbing, protection from the elements, fuel-less kitchen, refrigeration, lighting, cremation of residues (if you do not need them to improve your fields)... basically you can have a XXIst century covenant in the middle ages using just the elements.

(I will check the spells of Presteris and see what does he have. He is only 40-ish now, though, so not much fancy spells yet)

11

I thought that the Aq+Au to speed up a boat where for those time when you want speed and much of it but yes one or the other will do most times. Regarding the window enchantment the aq requisite where more of a joke, if you haven’t placed your covenant under a waterfall reau would protect against most weather. But a ig requisite could be nice with perhaps a mu as well so that you can control how much light and heat that enters from your window. Imagine a covenants main hall without a roof but instead an enchantment that blocks out bad weather and allow the magi to regulate how much light and heat or cold that will enter or leave.

Any more idea? The combinations we have are:

• Au+Aq
• Au+Ig
• Au+Te
• Aq+Ig
• Aq+Te
• Ig+Te

12

We are only talking non-combat, right?

Obviously we have the balancing of humors issue, using Cr, Pe & Re in combination with the elements and Corpus. But that is adding an extra magnitude to the equation. Addijng corpus reallyh improves the elementalist's powers, though, so do not disregard it easily :slight_smile:

Cheers,
Xavi

13

I am more interested in peaceful applications as I think that the most violence a magus needs to handle could be very well taken care of with a single form (Ignem). So therefore I am more interested in combinations of multiple elemental forms that are peaceful, but does anyone have any interesting multi form elemental combat spells then bring them up. Does not corpus alone with a minor breakthrough take care of the humours so that they affect the mind as well? Integration of the hedge elemental magic might allow tampering with others minds.

14

Not mentem AFAIK. And being the Alpha SG IMS it is quite definitive that it does not afrfect the mind. At least until a breakthrough is achieved.

Some other spells:

  • turn water into air in order to breath underwater.
  • turn water into air AND make the water surrounding the tunnel "solid", so you can RUN underwater. All kinds of fancy stuff can be achieved here as well, like building sliding slopes and steps in order to move in several directions.
  • turn water into air at range personal (several size magnitudes, like +3 or so) all around you (cast rise of the feathery body first) so the nasty mermaids around you plummet some 50 paces or you sink a ship. Works great against whales, sharks and other denizens of the deep as well.
  • Turn water into fire. idem, but less effective against MR creatures.
  • Turn water into Light (ignem) to see in the depths of the ocean.

Yes, Presteris is a sea elementalist, tending towards combat seeker. He has a minor focus in salt water. Most of those are still projects, but he plans to go that way.

Those are the notes I have around here.

15

Sea water is a Major Focus.

16

we did not consider it top be so.

Cheers,
Xavi

17

Really? Ithought taht i saw t the sea water like major focus aquam example...

18

Yes, it is there as a major focus example. We simply considered it to be minor. House rule territory. It is totally irrelevant in this topic anyway :slight_smile:

Xavi

19

Sorry, he. Of all amnners a good Elementalist application to me it's relatd to the Elemental aligned supernatural beings, to me a Jinn or Elementals ward should work more easily with taht Virtue, but again it is my house rule.

20

Ah - you're right. I was only thinking of the canon effect of "pushing" a boat, not making the way easier - stupid tunnel vision.