[Ars Magica 5] OOC: It's PeIm for darkness, not PeCo

[Laertes]

I'd like to be something of a generalist, but Creo/Muto Mentem/Imagem is the spell pairing I lean to because I like the illusionist sthick.

Imaginem is great fun, as is Mentem. The great strength of Imaginem is that it's both sensory magic and illusory magic, and as such gives you tremendous flexibility in controlling an encounter as well as general dicking around.

Mentem is more direct and more mind rape-y, but includes the possibility of using it on yourself to boost your own mind, which is awesome. It also makes you able to summon, dismiss, buff and destroy ghosts, which is a thing if you're into that.

I still don't know the system very well so what would a combat mage involve? Rego Terram to drop stuff on people and Perdo Corpus/Creo Ignam to do more traditional blasting?

The most powerful damage-causing spells generally fall under one of:
Rego Terram
Creo Auram
Creo Aquam
Creo Ignem
Perdo Ignem
Perdo Corpus

Therefore, if you have access to Creo in significant quantities, you'll be pretty scary and also be diverse enough to be unpredictable. The Elemental Forms are pretty deadly things, with Ignem probably being the best but also the most predictable.

Magus versus magus fights are all about Perdo Vim.

I'll probably be Ex Miscellanea and work as liaison between the Fae, the hedge wizards and whoever else. You can be an effective social character without mindfucking right?

You can be a very effective social character with just mundane Abilities. People in Mythic Europe are generally pretty good at recognising mind-controlling magic for what it is, and aren't any more enthusiastic about getting mind controlled than you or I would be, even if they can't defend themselves against it. As such - especially if you're dealing with hedge magi or faeries - being able to be diplomatic might really help.

That said, Intellego Mentem is a horrendously powerful thing. Posing the Silent Question, for example, is a terrifying spell if used to back up a good line of mundane patter.

[Laertes]

So. Because I would like to get this moving, I'd like to set a deadline for chargen of Friday. Does that work for everyone?

If you'd like to discuss it or have any questions, I'll be available and I imagine that the rest of the players will also be happy to talk things through with you.

[Laertes]

And because I was bored and had access to the intarwebs, the site of the covenant using three different mapping tools.

This is the great advantage to running a game set in earth's actual history: you can totally use the real world as a cheap and easy campaign cartography tool.

Crusader Kings II gives us the large view. Please note the large, scary "Cumans" label nearby.

Google Maps gives us a nice abstracted terrain view, including the nearby villages. For reference, this is about 30km southwest of the modern Ukrainian city of Sumy, which dates from 1652 and so would not have been there at the time.

Google Earth gives us a satellite image of the same area as above. Please note that patchwork of fields which cover the black soil would not be there in 1220 - the area would very much have been empty steppe at the time. On the other hand, the pattern of hills, streams and woods is probably as old as time itself.

[momothefiddler]

Original char:

Here's what I have so far, for reference. Just a few things left to tie up (EDIT: Including specialties and masteries - that's important(EDIT2: got those)).

House: Ex Miscellenia (Rusticani)
------------------------
Virtues:
-The Gift +0
-Hermetic Magus +0
-Craft Magic +0
-Spell Foci +0

-Minor Magical Focus (Making Metal Things) +1
-Flawless Magic +3
-Quiet Magic 2 +2
-Still Magic +1
-Affinity with Rego +1
-Affinity with Terram +1
-Puissant Finesse +1
-----------------------------
Flaws:
-Weak Spontaneous Magic -0

-Continence (Personality) -1
-Deficient Auram (Hermetic) -1
-Deficient Imaginem (Hermetic) -1
-Magical Animal Companion (Story) -1
-Maternal/Paternal (Personality) -3
-Study Requirement (Hermetic) -3
-----------------------------
Intelligence: 2
Perception: 1
Strength: 1
Stamina: 1
Presence: -1
Communication: 2
Dexterity: -1
Quickness: 0
----------------------------
Native Language 5
Athletics 1 [5]
Awareness 2 [15]
Stealth 1 [5]
Survival 2 [15]
Swim 1 [5]
--------------------------
Creo 3 [6]
Muto 6 [21]
Rego 11 [44]
Terram 11 [44]

Artes Liberales(Ceremonial casting) 1 [5]
Craft:Metal(Iron) 2 [15]
Finesse(Terram) 4 [15]
Latin(Hermetic Usage) 4 [50]
Magic Theory(Terram) 3 [30]
Parma Magica(Terram) 1 [5]
Profession:Scribe(Copying Summae) 1 [5]
----------------------------
120 levels of spells (Te+Fo+8) (ReTe 30, MuTe 25, CrTe 22, Re*/*Te 19, Mu* 14, Cr* 11, ** 8)

Stand Still Somewhere Else(Mastery 1: Multiple Casting): ReCo 10 Per/Mom/Ind instantly move up to 5 paces (Base 10)
The Crystal Dart(Mastery 1: Multiple Casting): MuTe(Re) 10 Voice/Mom/Ind +10 damage Core 154 (I don't know how this is calculated)
Augment the Faltering Mine(Mastery 1: Imperturbable Casting): CrTe 20 Touch/Mom/IndRit A block of iron appears under the caster's outstretched hand, ready to be worked into a useful form. (Base 5, Touch +1, Size (100 ft^3) +2)
The Phantom Blacksmith(Mastery 1: Precise Casting): ReTe 20 Touch/Mom/Group Covenants 51 (Base 2, Up to Metals +2, Touch +1, Group +2, Flexibility +1) Finesse as usual.
The Changeable Tower(Mastery 1:Precise Casting): ReTe(Mu) 25 Touch/Mom/Part This spell allows the caster to touch either the ground or a building made of the same continuous piece of stone as the stone foundation and create or modify a stone building by drawing it up from the foundation. A Finesse+Perception roll with an Ease Factor of 18 (21 for a particularly nice result) is necessary to shape the rooms as desired, and a Profession(Architect) roll is probably advised too, though the Ease Factor on this is significantly decreased by the fact that the building is a single piece of stone (Base 2, Up To Stone +1, Touch +1, Part +1, Size (1000 m^3) +3, Flexibility +1)
Reading Light(Mastery 1: Imperturbable Casting): CrIg 5 Touch/Sun/Ind The object touched emits a gentle light. (Base 1, Touch +1, Sun +3)
Impromptu Interment(Mastery 1: Fast Casting): ReTe 15 Voice/Mom/Part A chunk of earth about three paces on a side and about ten paces deep relocates suddenly to about four paces above ground. This spell is generally aimed at the ground underneath an enemy, in which case an Aiming Roll is required (though the Size gives +6 to this roll). (Base 3 (Very Unnatural Fashion), Voice +2, Part +1, Size +1)
Maintain the Demanding Spell(Mastery 1: Imperturbable Casting): ReVi 15 Touch/Diam/Ind (Base, Touch +1, Diam +1)
------------------------
Personality:
Loyal +2
Tenacious +3
Adventurous -1
------------------------
Reputation:
N/A
-----------------------
Confidence Score: 1
Confidence Points: 3
----------------------
Equipment/Companions/Etc.
1x Q10 Terram tractatus
1x L10 Q10 Auram summa
4x Terram vis
1x Creo vis
1x Carpenter
1x Stonemason
2x Servant
1x Carter
1x Laboratory and living quarters

Suggested Boons: Ungoverned, Writ of Crenellation, Right, Cavalry*, Local Ally: Faerie Queen
Balanced By: Hedge Tradition, Monster, Itinerants, Poverty, Contested Resources*

*if five isn't too many

After reworking:

House: Jerbiton
------------------------
Virtues:
-The Gift +0
-Hermetic Magus +0
-Cautious with Finesse +0

-Flawless Magic +3
-Minor Magical Focus (Moving Earth and Stone) +1
-Still Magic +1
-Affinity with Rego +1
-Affinity with Terram +1
-Puissant Finesse +1
-Affinity with Finesse +1
-Enduring Magic +1
-----------------------------
Flaws:

-Continence (Personality) -1
-Deficient Auram (Hermetic) -1
-Deficient Imaginem (Hermetic) -1
-Magical Animal Companion (Story) -1
-Maternal/Paternal (Personality) -3
-Study Requirement (Hermetic) -3
-----------------------------
Intelligence: 2
Perception: 1
Strength: 1
Stamina: 1
Presence: -1
Communication: 2
Dexterity: -1
Quickness: 0
----------------------------
Native Language 5
Athletics 1 [5]
Awareness 2 [15]
Stealth 1 [5]
Survival 2 [15]
Swim 1 [5]
--------------------------
Arts(107xp)
Rego 7 [35] (23xp)
Terram 12 [84] (56xp)
Muto 7 [28]

Abilities(133xp)
Artes Liberales(Ceremonial casting) 1 [5]
Finesse(Terram) 6 [50] (33xp)
Latin(Hermetic Usage) 4 [50]
Magic Theory(Terram) 3 [30]
Parma Magica(Terram) 1 [5]
Profession:Scribe(Copying Summae) 1 [5]

Mastery:Stand Still Somewhere Else 2 [15] (5xp)
----------------------------
120 levels of spells (Te+Fo+8) (ReTe/MuTe 27, Re*/Mu* 15, *Te 20, ** 8)

Stand Still Somewhere Else(Mastery 2: Quiet Casting*2): ReCo 10 Per/Mom/Ind instantly move up to 5 paces (Base 10)
The Crystal Dart(Mastery 1: Multiple Casting): MuTe(Re) 10 Voice/Mom/Ind +10 damage Core 154 (I don't know how this is calculated)
The Phantom Blacksmith(Mastery 1: Precise Casting): ReTe 20 Touch/Mom/Group Covenants 51 (Base 2, Up to Metals +2, Touch +1, Group +2, Flexibility +1) Finesse as usual.
The Changeable Tower(Mastery 1:Precise Casting): ReTe(Mu) 30 Touch/Mom/Part This spell allows the caster to touch either the ground or a building made of the same continuous piece of stone as the stone foundation and create or modify a stone building by drawing it up from the foundation. A Finesse+Perception roll with an Ease Factor of 18 (21 for a particularly nice result) is necessary to shape the rooms as desired, and a Profession(Architect) roll is probably advised too, though the Ease Factor on this is significantly decreased by the fact that the building is a single piece of stone (Base 2, Up To Stone +1, Touch +1, Part +1, Size (10,000 m^3) +4, Flexibility +1)
Reading Light(Mastery 1: Imperturbable Casting): CrIg 5 Touch/Sun/Ind The object touched emits a gentle light. (Base 1, Touch +1, Sun +3)
Impromptu Interment(Mastery 1: Multiple Casting): ReTe 15 Voice/Mom/Part A chunk of earth about three paces on a side and about ten paces deep relocates suddenly to about four paces above ground. This spell is generally aimed at the ground underneath an enemy, in which case an Aiming Roll is required (though the Size gives +6 to this roll). (Base 3 (Very Unnatural Fashion), Voice +2, Part +1, Size +1)
Augment the Faltering Mine(Mastery 1: Imperturbable Casting): CrTe 20 Touch/Mom/IndRit A block of iron appears under the caster's outstretched hand, ready to be worked into a useful form. (Base 5, Touch +1, Size (100 ft^3) +2)
Quick Excavation(Mastery 1: Multiple Casting): ReTe 10 Make a block of earth no bigger than 1000 m^3 quickly move out to the sides of the newly generated pit. Any stone is left at the bottom of the hole. (Base 2, Voice +2, Size +2)

------------------------
Personality:
Loyal +2
Tenacious +3
Adventurous -1
------------------------
Reputation:
N/A
-----------------------
Confidence Score: 1
Confidence Points: 3
----------------------
Equipment/Companions/Etc.
1x Q10 Terram tractatus
1x L10 Q10 Creo summa
4x Terram vis
1x Creo vis
1x Carpenter
1x Mason
2x Servant
1x Carter
1x Laboratory and living quarters

---

XP Log

Winter 1219. Adventure at Orsha Portage. 6XP
-1XP in Rego: 7[35]->8[37]
-1XP in Terram: 12[84]->12[86]
-1XP in Finesse: 6[50]->6[52]
-3XP in Muto: 7[28]->7[31]

Current char:

House: Jerbiton
------------------------
Virtues:
-The Gift +0
-Hermetic Magus +0
-Cautious with Finesse +0

-Flawless Magic +3
-Minor Magical Focus (Moving Earth and Stone) +1
-Still Magic +1
-Affinity with Rego +1
-Affinity with Terram +1
-Puissant Finesse +1
-Affinity with Finesse +1
-Enduring Magic +1
-----------------------------
Flaws:

-Continence (Personality) -1
-Deficient Auram (Hermetic) -1
-Deficient Imaginem (Hermetic) -1
-Magical Animal Companion (Story) -1
-Maternal/Paternal (Personality) -3
-Study Requirement (Hermetic) -3
-----------------------------
Intelligence: 2
Perception: 1
Strength: 1
Stamina: 1
Presence: -1
Communication: 2
Dexterity: -1
Quickness: 0
----------------------------
Native Language 5
Athletics 1 [5]
Awareness 2 [15]
Stealth 1 [5]
Survival 2 [15]
Swim 1 [5]
--------------------------
Arts
Rego 8 [37]
Terram 12 [86]
Muto 7 [31]

Abilities
Artes Liberales(Ceremonial casting) 1 [5]
Finesse(Terram) 6 [52]
Latin(Hermetic Usage) 4 [50]
Magic Theory(Terram) 3 [30]
Parma Magica(Terram) 1 [5]
Profession:Scribe(Copying Summae) 1 [5]

Mastery:Stand Still Somewhere Else 2 [15]
----------------------------
Spells:

Stand Still Somewhere Else(Mastery 2: Quiet Casting*2): ReCo 10 Per/Mom/Ind instantly move up to 5 paces (Base 10)
The Crystal Dart(Mastery 1: Multiple Casting): MuTe(Re) 10 Voice/Mom/Ind +10 damage Core 154 (I don't know how this is calculated)
The Phantom Blacksmith(Mastery 1: Precise Casting): ReTe 20 Touch/Mom/Group Covenants 51 (Base 2, Up to Metals +2, Touch +1, Group +2, Flexibility +1) Finesse as usual.
The Changeable Tower(Mastery 1:Precise Casting): ReTe(Mu) 30 Touch/Mom/Part This spell allows the caster to touch either the ground or a building made of the same continuous piece of stone as the stone foundation and create or modify a stone building by drawing it up from the foundation. A Finesse+Perception roll with an Ease Factor of 18 (21 for a particularly nice result) is necessary to shape the rooms as desired, and a Profession(Architect) roll is probably advised too, though the Ease Factor on this is significantly decreased by the fact that the building is a single piece of stone (Base 2, Up To Stone +1, Touch +1, Part +1, Size (10,000 m^3) +4, Flexibility +1)
Reading Light(Mastery 1: Imperturbable Casting): CrIg 5 Touch/Sun/Ind The object touched emits a gentle light. (Base 1, Touch +1, Sun +3)
Impromptu Interment(Mastery 1: Multiple Casting): ReTe 15 Voice/Mom/Part A chunk of earth about three paces on a side and about ten paces deep relocates suddenly to about four paces above ground. This spell is generally aimed at the ground underneath an enemy, in which case an Aiming Roll is required (though the Size gives +6 to this roll). (Base 3 (Very Unnatural Fashion), Voice +2, Part +1, Size +1)
Augment the Faltering Mine(Mastery 1: Imperturbable Casting): CrTe 20 Touch/Mom/IndRit A block of iron appears under the caster's outstretched hand, ready to be worked into a useful form. (Base 5, Touch +1, Size (100 ft^3) +2)
Quick Excavation(Mastery 1: Multiple Casting): ReTe 10 Make a block of earth no bigger than 1000 m^3 quickly move out to the sides of the newly generated pit. Any stone is left at the bottom of the hole. (Base 2, Voice +2, Size +2)

------------------------
Personality:
Loyal +2
Tenacious +3
Adventurous -1
------------------------
Reputation:
N/A
-----------------------
Confidence Score: 1
Confidence Points: 3
----------------------
Equipment/Companions/Etc.
1x Q10 Terram tractatus
1x L10 Q10 Creo summa
4x Terram vis
1x Creo vis
1x Carpenter
1x Mason
2x Servant
1x Carter
1x Laboratory and living quarters

[Laertes]

Looks good. A few more questions:

- Where is he from? I know because you've told me on skype, but the others might be interested.
- What's his (baptismal) name? Does he have a named planned out for when he passes his Gauntlet?

[momothefiddler]

Ah, yes. The name.

I was meaning to ask you about this before I chose that, but I keep forgetting.

How does sexism work out in Mythic Europe, in your games, and in the intersection of the two? I enjoy playing female (or enby) characters, and if it comes up here or there that's only fair, but I don't want it to be this big thing that I have to deal with all the time for the whole game. Obviously it would be realistic for it to do so, in which case I will just play a male character.

Yes, I recognize that my ability to choose when and where to deal with that is part of my male-passing privilege, and I'm exercising it anyway.

---

I'm from somewhere in the Rhine tribunal. Probably. I don't actually remember exactly when or where I was born (and neither does my paren), because I was five when a band of masons passed through the town and a Rusticani in the group bought me from my lord. Since then I've traveled far more than I'd like (though I've learned many good things) and I jumped at the chance to settle down and build a sett of my own.

[Laertes]

So you asked a third wave feminist about sexism, and now you'll get a pretty long answer. I hope this gives you the information you need to make your gender choice.

In Mythic Europe:

Sexism in Mythic Europe is sadly pretty common, both the ugly direct brutal sort and the insidious but just as bad "separate gender roles" sort. Slavery is also rife, as is murder, antisemitism, forced marriage, starvation, necromancy, faerie abduction of children and the entire feudal system. I'm not going to sugar coat the ugly parts of a world unless someone gets especially triggered by a particular sort of prejudice, in which case of course I shall.

However, all of that falls away when you're dealing with magi directly. Since The Gift is rare and the combination of The Gift with other things that Hermetic magi look for in apprentices is even rarer, the Order is remarkably free of prejudice among its Gifted members. Women, pagans, muslims, blacks, trans* folk, Jews, atheists, whatever: if they have the Parma and they can cast magic, they're treated as equals. The fact that longevity rituals make you sterile only add to this, since all of a sudden women lose their looking-after-the-children role.

This does lead to moments of confusion whereby magi forget that the rest of the world works on different rules. For example, they might send one of their number as an emissary to deal with the local abbot, and since this emissary happens to be a woman, the abbot refuses to deal with her and much offence is taken on both sides. It's one of the many things that lead to magi being as reclusive as they are, and to covenants being the oases of sanity that they are.

That said, few powerful people are deliberately stupid, and few people who are stupid remain powerful for long. Therefore, if word gets around that the local magi are led by a woman, then people will quickly learn to cope with it.

In My Games:

In my games, I try to portray a realistic but hopeful world. I don't want to whitewash over real, historical oppression in the name of entertainment: being a serf fucking sucked and it would be a massively privileged act of me to simply write off all that suckage and go "nope, the feudal system is awesome." However, I try to portray a world in which most people are generally pretty nice to the people they actually get to know and trust, because that's what people are like in my experience.

Therefore: I try to run a game in which the historical mistreatment of women is acknowledged, because to do otherwise would be to write off the lived experiences of half the population. However, I also try to run a game in which treating women as equals is something that the sympathetic characters do, because I myself would like to live in such a world; and I try to keep overt, malicious discrimination to a minimum because I don't actually enjoy roleplaying NPCs like that.

That said, I would rather deemphasise setting elements than make it difficult for people to play the characters they'd like to play.

In My Ars Magica Games:

The funny thing about women in Mythic Europe (and other oppressed groups like Jews or pagans) is that if you're not as prejudiced as the rest of the population, you can get a really good deal on your grogs. For example, in Ars Magica many people are born with Puissant Single Weapon. It's just a thing they happen to have, and many of them will go their entire lives without realising that they have this talent. This will be distributed equally amongst both genders and amongst all population groups. However, since most military commanders will turn up their nose at hiring women, this leaves an enormous untapped pool of talent.

Since the Order of Hermes tends not to turn up its nose at gender or religion or skin colour, they'll jump at the chance to hire them, and will get fairly loyal service in return. This means that covenants are often refuges for marginalised people, which contributes to their odd reputations and also makes them vastly more interesting places to set stories.

This is cool because it makes being the good guys both an easy thing, a strategically optimal thing and a less dull thing than the alternative. It's rare when all three of those coincide in a game so I enjoy it.

[momothefiddler]

Well... cool. That sounds entirely reasonable and also well within my current willingness to include in my character.

So for name we'll go with Adelheidis. What is the whole thing with post-gauntlet names? I didn't notice anything related to that other than the Penetration modifiers, and those don't work with baptismal names anyway, so don't you have more protection if you go by your baptismal name?

[Laertes]

So for name we'll go with Adelheidis. What is the whole thing with post-gauntlet names? I didn't notice anything related to that other than the Penetration modifiers, and those don't work with baptismal names anyway, so don't you have more protection if you go by your baptismal name?

When you go through your ceremonial Gauntlet (which I would like to do at the beginning of play, as a way of introducing everyone) you choose the name you would like to be known as. It's a becoming-an-adult ceremony, one in which you symbolically cast off your past as a non-magician and then as an apprentice, and assume a new identity as a magus amongst your equals. Plus, it's a lot easier to communicate when everyone has a Latin or Greek name rather than something in whatever weird local dialect their parents named them in.

That said, some Ex Misc groups do use vernacular names, which causes irritation among the sort of people who disapprove of Ex Misc being here in the first place.

Hermetic names and other assumed names don't work for Penetration either; you need their birth name (that is, the name their parents called them by before they were baptised) or nickname. If you combine that with other information your parents would know, like your time and place of birth, you can see why most magi go out of their way to hide their origins.

Until that scene, however, we need a name to refer to the character as; and as such we can use her baptismal name.

[momothefiddler]

Makes sense.

Camille seems like a reasonable post-gauntlet name, then.

[Leetkeis]

Baptismal Name: Alfbern
Post-Gauntlet Name: Orsen
House: Bjornaer
Birth Location: Novgorod Tribunal

Arts:
Intellego 11
Animal 11
Rego 6
Herbam 6
Mentem 4
-----------------------------------------------
120 levels of spells (InAm 35, InHe 27, InMe 25, ReAn 30, ReHe 22, ReMe 20, In* 21, Re* 16, *An 24, *He 16, *Me 14, ** 10)

Raiment of the Hermit: CrHe 15 Creates a set of clothing on the touched target. (Base 1, Treated/Processed +2, Touch +1, Moon +3)
Pack Mentality: InAn 35 A group of animals can communicate telepathically. (Base 10, Touch +1, Sun +2, Group +2)
Doublet of Impenetrable Cotton: MuHe 15 Makes a cotton outfit as hard as armor (no Load, +3 Soak). (Base 3, Unnatural +1, Touch +1, Sun +2)
Add to the Pack: ReAn 30 Makes an animal a pack animal, with the caster seen as the alpha. (Base 5, Touch +1, Moon +3, Size +1)
Form of the Great Bear: MuAn 20 For the duration of the spell, the caster can switch at will between his normal size and his size +1, with all standard results (Damage +2, Defense -1, Wound range +1). (Base 4, +2 Sun, +1 Size, +1 Control)
Moonlit Clearing: CrIg 5 Moonlight filters down to illuminate a large area until sunrise. (Base 1, Touch +1, Sun +2, Size +1)
------------------------------------------------
Abilities:
Awareness (Alertness) 2
Stealth (Natural Areas) 2
Survival (Forest) 2

Magic Theory (Inventing Spells) 3
Latin (Hermetic Usage) 4
Artes Liberales (Ceremonial Magic) 1
Parma Magica (Animal) 1
Magic Lore (Creatures) 1
Faerie Lore (Faerie Forests) 1
-------------------------
Characteristics:
Intelligence: 3
Perception: 1
Strength: 0
Stamina: 1
Presence: 1
Communication: -2
Dexterity: 0
Quickness: 1
-------------------------
Virtues:
Inoffensive to Animals +1
Affinity with Intellego +1
Affinity with Animal +1
Minor Magical Focus (Bears) +1
Cyclic Magic (Spring/Summer) +1
Quiet Magic 2 +2
Still Magic +1
Study Bonus +1
Puissant Animal +1

Flaws:
Faerie Friend (Story) -1
Faerie Upbringing (Personality) -1
Motion Sickness (General) -1
Generous (Personality) -3
Cyclic Magic (Winter/Spring) (Hermetic) -1
Deficient Perdo (Hermetic) -3
---------------------------
Personality:
Decisive -2
Altruistic +2
Methodical -1
--------------------
Confidence Score: 1
Confidence Points: 3
--------------------
Equipment/Companions/Etc.
1x Q10 Animal tractatus
1x L10 Q10 Muto summa
4x Animal vis
1x Creo vis
1x Steward
2x Cavalry
2x Servant
1x Carter
1x Laboratory and living quarters

Suggested Boons: Ungoverned, Right, Local Ally: Faerie Queen
Hooks: Hedge Tradition, Itinerants, Poverty

[Laertes]

That's a nice character, Leetkeis. He's going to be absolutely terrifying with Animal magic.

I notice you don't have a Native Language. Everyone gains one of these for free unless they take Feral Upbringing. It would probably be the local language spoken in the place where Alfbern was raised by faeries.

I get the sense that you don't like to be rushed in your decision making, so I'll write some stuff that may help you, and then you can decide on your own time.

Speaking Ruthenian is a possible choice. He might be from Ruthenia proper - that is, around here - but he's more likely to be from the northern dependencies of Ruthenia, since there are no covenants down here and there are up there. They still speak the same language but with a strong regional dialect, and since it's colder and more forested there's far more wilderness than down here on the steppe.

He might also be a Cuman, if you want to throw that twist in. The Cumans are mostly pagan which means that their tribal deities are faerie creatures. This might tie in with his Faerie Upbringing. As mentioned, there are no covenants within Cumania, which means that if you want to do that, he might well have been trained at a covenant a long way from Cumania and now be "coming home."

Alternatively, Poland or Lithuania or Volga Bulgaria are all places which have nearby covenants, inasmuch as a single covenant in a place the size of Poland can be said to be "nearby." Historically all three of those peoples had reputations as being badass cavalrymen, which plays into your soldier grogs being cavalry. The Poles were Christian and their cavalry fought like western armoured knights; the Lithuanians were pagan and their cavalry were a mix of traditional steppe types and modern western types; and the Volga Bulgars were a mixture of Muslims and pagans and fought like full-on steppe nomad horsemen, with little bows and everything.

There's also a covenant in Ingria, if you want to be from there. Ingria is really cold and has really dense forests, which makes it a lousy place for cavalry but an excellent place for bears. The people are pagan and it's got a strong Viking cultural influence.

Finally, although there are no covenants there, Finland and Scandinavia are both technically within the Novgorod Tribunal. Scandinavia is retreating from its proud Viking past and entering a modern Christian age which is far less violent and far less glorious. Finland, on the other hand, is still pagan; and if you want to come from somewhere filled with brooding impenetrable forests then there might be no finer choice.

[Laertes]

Also, here are your calculated stats as a bear. The characteristics are a combination of your human ones and those of the average bear. You can improve the Abilities of your bear form exactly like you would your normal human ones. It's worth noting that you have two extra Fatigue levels whilst in Bear form, which means you're very good at spontaneous magic in that form.

Characteristics
Intelligence: +3
Perception: +1
Strength: +6
Stamina: +4
Presence: +2
Communication: -5
Dexterity: +2
Quickness: +1

Abilities
Athletics 3 (running)
Awareness 3 (food)
Brawl 5 (claws)
Survival 5 (forests)
Hunt 4 (deer)

Virtues and Qualities
Tough (grants you +3 to soak)
Aggressive (grants you Brawl 5)
Extra Natural Weaponry (lets you bite with bear teeth whilst grappling)
Grapple (lets you grapple fools smaller than yourself)
Hardy (grants you Survival 5 and an extra fatigue level)
Imposing Appearance (grants you +1 Presence)
Large Claws (do more damage with bearha - sorry, barehanded attacks)
Pursuit Predator (grants you Hunt 4 and an extra fatigue level)
Tough Hide (grants you +2 to soak)

[Mask_De_H]

I need help coming up with spells, but I've got the character done.

Baptismal Name: Percival
Post-Gauntlet Name: Vergil

House Ex Miscellanea

Characteristics:
Int 2 Per 1 Str -1 Sta 1 Pre 2 Com 2 Dex -2 Qui 0

Virtues
The Gift [-0]
Hermetic Magus [-0]

Still Magic 1
Quiet Magic x2 2
Puissant Creo 1 [Freebie]
Gentle Gift 3
Entrancement 3 [Freebie]
Minor Magical Focus (Illusory Images) 1
Affinity with Creo 1
Privileged Upbringing 1

Flaws:
Deficient Corpus 1
Faerie Friend 1
Overconfident 3
Weak Magic Resistance (when drunk) 3
Vow (of Chivalry) 1
Deficient Longevity Ritual [Freebie] 3

Abilities:
Charm 3
Folk Ken 2
Guile 3
Native Language 5
Artes Liberales 2
Latin 4
Magic Theory 3
Parma Magica 1
Awareness 2
Carouse 1
Etiquette 2
Intrigue 2
Entrancement 2

Arts:
Creo 12
Imaginem 5
Mentem 5
Intellego 5

Spells: 120/120

Pilum of Fire, Creo Ignem level 20, ArM p140
Phantasmal Animal, Creo Imaginem level 20, ArM p144
Prying Eyes, Intellego Imaginem level 5, ArM p144
Aura of Ennobled Presence, Muto Imaginem level 10, ArM p145
Wizard's Sidestep, Rego Imaginem level 10, ArM p147
Words of the Unbroken Silence, Creo Mentem level 10, ArM p148
Memory of the Distant Dream, Creo Mentem level 20, ArM p148
Perception of the Conflicting Motives, Intellego Mentem level 15, ArM p149
The Call to Slumber, Rego Mentem level 10, ArM p151

Personality:
Charming +3
Chivalrous +2
Cheeky +2

Confidence 1
3 CP

[Laertes]

Mask:
That character looks good. I like the thematic nature of it. A few things need to be amended (everyone's first character is difficult):

- Magi can't have social status virtues except Hermetic Magus (exception: they can have Magister in Artibus, by the errata) so the Landed Noble can't be taken with Ex Miscellanea.
- You can only have one Major Hermetic Virtue, so you can't take both Flawless and Gentle Gift.
- Deficient Perdo is a Major Flaw, not a Minor.

As for spells, let me recommend a few for you. Give me a moment.

[Prak]

I've been kind of taking a break from worrying about AM, since there's so much I need to figure out, but I should have a character up by tonight.

I do know, however, based on on the sexism post above, that I definitely want my grogs to be female berserkers with Puissant (Ability)

[Laertes]

A pair of female berserkers with Puissant Great Weapon would be a terrifying thing. As for taking a break, that's fine - as long as we have enough to work with initially, that works well for me.

[momothefiddler]

Prak has agreed to trade me a craftsman for two soldiers (as you mentioned to me earlier), so that's four berserkers, I believe.

[Laertes]

A squad of frothing, psychotic Norse warrior maidens* sounds truly terrifying, especially if you have some Corpus magic to buff them (and they trust you enough to let you cast spells on them while they're seeing red.) It'll certainly give you something to write sagas about.

What's your second craftsman going to be?

---

Mask, here's a first draft of a spell list you might like:

Pilum of Fire, Creo Ignem level 20, ArM p140
Phantasmal Animal, Creo Imaginem level 20, ArM p144
Prying Eyes, Intellego Imaginem level 5, ArM p144
Aura of Ennobled Presence, Muto Imaginem level 10, ArM p145
Wizard's Sidestep, Rego Imaginem level 10, ArM p147
Words of the Unbroken Silence, Creo Mentem level 10, ArM p148
Memory of the Distant Dream, Creo Mentem level 20, ArM p148
Perception of the Conflicting Motives, Intellego Mentem level 15, ArM p149
The Call to Slumber, Rego Mentem level 10, ArM p151

These are a mixture of spells that together should give you some excellent adventuring and social capabilities.

Pilum of Fire and Wizard's Sidestep are both absolutely amazing spells and are dependable mainstays of the Hermetic war machine. Being able to cast Pilum of Fire is almost the measure of "are you a combat mage." You don't have much penetration on this, so fighting supernatural creatures might be hard, but it's a terrifying spell against mundane foes. Wizard's Sidestep will keep you alive if you're under fire.

Phantasmal Animal, Prying Eyes, Words of the Unbroken Silence and The Call to Slumber are good situational spells that can get you out of a lot of scrapes.

Aura of Ennobled Presence and Memory of the Distant Dream are social powerhouse spells. +3 on all rolls relating to being the boss and the ability to wave your hand and make people suddenly remember that you gave them the password and that these aren't the droids they're looking for? Yes please.

Perception of the Conflicting Motives is an interesting one; it's a good basis for later castings of MuMe and ReMe, but can also be used on its own to understand someone's motivations and then tear them apart using entirely mundane social skills. A negotiator who understands what his opponent's motivations are is a terrifying thing.

Spells I left out that you might want to have instead include Broom of the Winds (CrAu) because you could get Pilum of Fire instead; The Phantom Gift (CrVi) because while it's amazing, it's also fairly dickish; Discern Own Illusions (InIm) because you only have one actual illusion spell; and Panic of the Trembling Heart (CrMe) because you already have plenty of battle magic. By all means take these spells if you prefer.

---

* Based on the early English "maiden" meaning "has no children." Based on my experience of what female soldiers are like, I would not like to suggest anything about these fine young ladies' other activities that might be suggested by the word "maiden." Especially since they have larger axes than I do.

[Leetkeis]

I notice you don't have a Native Language. Everyone gains one of these for free unless they take Feral Upbringing. It would probably be the local language spoken in the place where Alfbern was raised by faeries.

I very much like the Volga Bulgaria idea. I would likely be raised North of there in a Faerie populated forest, before I was taken to the covenant.

[momothefiddler]

What's your second craftsman going to be?

A mason, I believe. I've updated my sheet accordingly.

[Laertes]

I very much like the Volga Bulgaria idea. I would likely be raised North of there in a Faerie populated forest, before I was taken to the covenant.

Cool. The covenant near there is called The Great East. It's a winter covenant with three aged Ex Miscellanea members who hate each other, but stay here because they're part of a much larger Hedge tradition called the Ongunar, who're herbalists and summoners for the most part.

You would probably either have been trained by a Bjornaer who was living there at the time but has since departed, or else you would have been sent elsewhere in the Novgorod (or other) Tribunal to do your apprenticeship. Traditionally Novgorod is a pretty Wilderist place for Bjornaer: clans Midusulf and Maruhs dominate the Novgorod Tribunal, with a single Ilfetu in residence. If you're a Harmonist then you're probably either playing against your Clan stereotype, or you're a member of another clan who's moved here.

Since you're Bjornaer, you would have met Prak's character at the Gathering of Twelve Years, the last one of which was in 1215, two thirds of the way through your apprenticeships. There are only 79 Bjornaer (81 when the two of you join) and all Bjornaer attend the Gathering if at all able), meaning that you would probably know them all at least by face, and possibly by name too.

A mason, I believe. I've updated my sheet accordingly.

How appropriate. They're probably also the covenant specialist in Finesse too, since the background you're coming from means that stonemasons with Rego Terram wands is a real possibility.

[momothefiddler]

Should I build my craftsmen, then? What about servants/carter?

[Korgan0]

So, I was going to put together and run an Ars Magica PbP, but then a combination of graduation and vacation came together and put things on hold for a little while. Now that I'm back, and given my total lack of experience with AM, it seems like it might be a good idea for us to combine the two games, somehow. Laertes, would you be okay with that?

[Laertes]

Should I build my craftsmen, then? What about servants/carter?

You can build them if you like. However, it's probably only necessary at this stage to be able to say "this character has Craft: Stonemason and Finesse", and the details can be filled in later if it becomes relevant.

The general idea with grogs is that every one of them should be a colourful character with their own motivation, rather than simply being an automaton that just obeys commands and nothing else. We do this by giving each one a Minor Personality Flaw and some personality traits, and then hamming it up to Raoul Julia levels.

They can be of any age (although realistically at this stage in the game most of them will be young adults, so probably 15-35) and gain xp on a yearly basis, rather than by training. This means that there is no mechanical difference between building the grog now and then adding 15xp every year, or waiting for several years and building them then.

Regarding servants and carters, if you want to build them or characterise them, go ahead. They tend not to turn up in stories much in my experience, but that's just my experience and it might be different this time. It's definitely more fun to know what sort of person your manservant/valet is and who the cook is, but then they don't need stats for that.

So, I was going to put together and run an Ars Magica PbP, but then a combination of graduation and vacation came together and put things on hold for a little while. Now that I'm back, and given my total lack of experience with AM, it seems like it might be a good idea for us to combine the two games, somehow. Laertes, would you be okay with that?

If you'd like to play, then unless any of my other players has a problem with you I'd be happy to have you. I said I would run for up to five, and we currently have four, so that works out.

If you'd like to have two concurrent games with interplay between them, then I will give you a cautious fuck yes. Two cooperating/competing covenants would be awesome. However, it does make timekeeping a much more difficult thing, since the two games need to go through seasons at the same speed; and we'd need to coordinate to make sure both games have similar levels of resources.

Still, going up to another covenant and saying "we'll give you these fifteen pawns of vis if you let us copy out your Bigge Booke of Mentem" gets a lot more fun if the others are PCs rather than NPCs.