House Rules
Awaiting resolution:
- Minimum range, duration for spells:
Minimum duration for */Moon is Conc. For */Perm, it's Sun.
- Book copying rules. Proposal #1: You can only make 1 copy of anything
(esp liber and tractatus) in 1 season. Proposal #2: You can copy (Scribe x
5) Quality levels in a season.
Soak from Arts
You get your full Arts score, unmodified by affinities or defiencies,
against the primary source of damage (Te vs swords, He vs arrows, Co vs
brawling, etc). No stacking of Arts.
N.B.: many Troupe members are wondering if this should instead be
1/5 of your Arts score.
Arts and Looks
As your Arts develop, your personality and/or looks changes to match it.
Potions
Potions are not bombs. They are applied. You can try and make a potion
bomb, but be forewarned: the SG will try to hose you for it.
On Magic Resistance
As per the Wizard's Grimoire, Magic Resistance protects against any magic
used directly against you or that affects you through a magically created
medium.
Direct effects include: All techniques that target an individual with
resistance.
Magically created media include: All items created with Creo with duration
less than Instant or Permanent; Any object moved with Rego; Penetrative
attacks with weapons with Muto effects of duration of Concentration.
On the Heart Beast
A Bjornaer transforming into his Heart-Beast transforms with his clothes
and non-magical possessions of no more than light encumbrance. No being
has more than one Heart-Beast or -Shape. Walruses are combat worthy
Heart-Beasts.
On Other Transformations of Form
Hermetic transformations do not also transform clothes and possessions.
They follow the shape-shifting rules as hidden on page 252 of AM4.
On Transforming Pure Elements
All matter is made up of a combination of the four elements: water, air,
earth and fire. There are times, however that these elements exist
independently of any other. Since there is a law of magic that it cannot
affect something's essential nature it is not possible for magic to
transform one "pure" element into another "pure" element. Thus, air can not
be transformed into rock or fire or water. (That incidentally would be
creating the element from "thin air," as well.)
Air could be transformed into a substance that is made up in part by air.
Thus while air can't be turned into water, it can be turned into fog or a
cloud, which is an airy-water. Fog could be turned into water (likely
rain). But if the air had been magically transformed into fog, it could not
be again transformed from fog into water without the expenditure of vis.
Likewise, fire could be transformed into a ruby or ruby-quartz (which are
natural substances made of both Earth and Fire) but not into water or air
despite the description in spell guidelines (removing _Flames of Sculpted
Ice_) from the game.
So here is Bonisagus's other huge breakthrough: his theory demonstrated a
way to study bodies, plants and animals on their own and not as complex
functions of all four elements. Thus, a spell that changes a body isn't
MuTeIgAuAq, but MuCo. But since plants, animals and bodies are made up of
all four elements you do not change their essential nature by transforming
them into "purer" forms.
The SG of the current story is the final arbiter of what elements an object
consists of.
On Moving Items with Rego
The Medieval Paradigm holds to Aristotelian philosophy of moment. In
short, all objects seek their natural level? down for earth and water, up
for fire. This is why things fall when you let them go and is considered an
object's Natural Motion. Violent Motion accounts for things going forward
when thrown or projected. A spell that moves an object is contributing the
Violent Motion which is maintained until the object stops or is obstructed.
Therefore, an attacked propelled by a Rego spell (or component in a spell,
see The Crystal Dart) triggers Magical Defense.
On Starting Spells
New character can not have spells outside of AM4 without Story Guide
approval. That approval will be based on if the spell is a similar and
reasonable derivative of an existing spell. These spells are representative
of what the Order commonly has access to.
Excluded Spells
The following spells from Ars Magica 4th Edition rules are excluded from
the game. (Occasional notes are included.)
Flames of Sculpted Ice (ArM4, 137). See "On Transforming Pure Elements."
On Combat
I would like to use a consistent set of combat rules between all S.G.s.
Specifically, I would like to use the 4th Edition rules, combined with
improvements from Ordo Nobilis. Specific rules to keep in mind are:
- Armor uses the new protection and load on page 82-83 of O.N.
- Fatigue (check on attack or defense rolls of natural 0.)
- Group Initiative is available to soldiers who have trained with one
another. (At this point, assume all grogs have sufficiently trained
together.)
- Two-Weapon skill works differently for characters depending on whether
they have ambidexterity.
On Magic Intuition
Since there is no "magic theory" Knowledge for non-Hermetic magic, SGs
should consider a roll of Int + 1/5 Vim as a substitute.
On the Nature of Ice
Ice, Hermetically speaking, is Aquam with a Terram requisite.
Rego Vim protection
A general Rego Vim spell will block spells up to half the level of the ReVi
effect. An art-specific (any Hermetic art, or Shamanic magic, etc) will
block spells up to the level of the ReVi effect. You must have some
understanding of the specific art; all Hermetic magi have such an
understanding with all Hermetics arts.
On Parma
Non-hermetic magic only triggers Form bonus if they clearly line up. No
bonus for kinda-similar Forms or from Vim.
Investigations
Investigation seasons also yield 1 XP in MT.
Talisman Rules
Creation Process
- The dominant form of the talisman must be opened for enchantment (1
season).
- The dominant form must then be bonded as a talisman (1 season), during
which the magus may also attune the talisman according to its form and
material. (See below).
- At the time of creation, the magus may leave "slots" in the talisman
up to and limited by the size multiplier on page 83. These slots must
physically exist in the talisman at the time of its physical and magical
creation, and may never be increased over time.
Slots
- A slot may be filled by an item which reasonably fits within the
dominant form (such as a gem within a socket, a tooth within a skull, a
string on an instrument, etc).
- The serviant form must first be opened for enchantment (1 season).
- The serviant form must then be bonded to the talisman (1 season),
during which the magus may also attune the talisman according to its form
and material.
- Should the contents of the slot ever be separated from the talisman,
any enchantments using Form/Effect bonuses of the combined items are
destroyed. In addition, the slot must remain vacant.
- Should the dominant form ever be destroyed, the serviant forms are
rendered useless.
Form and Material Attunements
- A magus may spend 1 season attuning a talisman to a magical effect.
- The attunement adds to all casting rolls including certamen (!), but no
laboratory rolls, or Magic resistance.
- The attunement only adds when the magus is touching the talisman.
- A magus may receive the bonus from multiple attunements, but only 1
form attunement and 1 material attunement at a time.
Miscellaneous:
- A talisman is an extension of touch.
- A talisman is an arcane connection of the highest magnitude.
- A talisman is protected from Magic resistance.
- For enchanting purposes, treat a talisman as a greater enchanted device
(See Instilling the Effect, pg 87).
On Muto
Size Changes: the more something changes size from its origin, the greater
the magnitude of the spell. For every point along the following chart
difference, increase the magnitude of an affect by one.
- Tiny
- Handheld (F&E small)
- Small
- Armful** (F&E medium)
- Child*** (F&E large)
- Person (Size 0)
- Large (Size +2)
- Giant (Size +4)
For each +2 increase in size after Giant add another magnitude of affect.
For instance, to turn a one man canoe (size +2) into a small boat (size +6)
would require two additional magnitudes.
On Rego
Rego is guided by finesse. (And not lesser{mundane,finesse}, etc.)
On Grog Training
Grogs should receive 2 xp each year; if they participate in a story and
receive xp, then this 2 xp is reduced by however much xp they receive.
On Reputations
Reputations are now built and lost pyramidially.
On Languages
For languages, every point under a skill of 5 gives a -2 penalty to social
skills involving speakers of the language. (This is where Well-Traveled
kicks in; it ameliorates that penalties.)
Every point over 5 gives a +1 bonus to social skills involving speakers of
the language. (This is where great orators come from; not only do they
have natural communication skills, they have a better understanding of
meter, pace, and speaking to their crowd then others.)
Remember specialties.
On Investigating the Gift
A magus must use InVi for a season to determine the presence and nature of
the Gift. Non-hermetic means may be able to do this process in a span of
time shorter than a season.
| 20 | Presence of the Gift |
| 40 | As much as you are going to learn. |
