This page lists both the alterations to ArM4 that I plan to use and some extra stuff that I have written.
Social Background additional virtues.
Perdo Imaginem [p142] - The base duration is Mom. [Otherwise Invisibility is ridiculously easy.] A fuller discussion of this issue is available at the La Roche Caribet site (SG Neil Taylor).
Aging and Longevity Potions [p180] - A character with a longevity potion rolls a stress die (as opposed to a simple die) for aging. However, if the character does receive an affliction the potion does not fail. The potion only fails on a botch. If a botch does occur the roll is treated as 0 (zero) for that year. Normally only one botch die is rolled, but one botch die is added for each Decrepitude Point the character has. Other botch dice may be added for unusual circumstance (eg lives in an Infernal aura), at SG discretion.
Learning Arts from vis [p190] - The study total is reduced by half the current Art score. [This is to keep the rate of Art increase, for senior magi, down to near ArM3 levels.] [Alternatively (not used in this saga but still a good method) You only get xp's in the Art if your Study Total exceeds your present Art score.]
Learning Arts from Books [p188-190] - Int + Concentration total is capped by the Quality of the book (Summa, LQ, or Tractatus).
Scribe and Disputatio - For any written or spoken task like writing a book or disputing a known subject at Tribunal, if the character takes several days to prepare his argument, he may add one third of his Artes Liberales skill to his Scribe or Disputatio skill.
Lectio - There is no Lectio skill. Instead Disputatio is used for teaching large numbers of students. However the teacher must have a skill level higher than any of the students, and must have studied the text being used. Note: Any saga that has a co-operative scholastic bent, particularly one set in or near a university, should not use this revision.
Armour - The Load of Armour should be calculated as Protection/4, rather than Protection/2.
Vis extraction - does not exist in this saga. The saga was started under ArM3 which had no rules for vis extraction. During the course of play the rarity of Vim vis came to play a part in the saga and introducing vis extraction at this stage would change the existing atmosphere.
You cannot use both Alchemy and Herbalism, but must choose which to use if both are applicable.
Confidence - With the exception of lab-work 3rd edition rules are retained, otherwise it may change the atmosphere of the saga. In the lab the following rules apply. For each botch die beyond the first a Confidence point may be invested to negate that botch die before it is rolled. For each botch that occurs, a Confidence point is lost, up to the number of Confidence points invested.
The following paragraphs explain the various healing and wound recovery skills. Note - Medicine does not replace Chirurgy as per the ArM4 rulebook
Chirugy - Used for treating wounds, broken bones and pulling teeth. It can be used to stabilise wounds, aid incapacitated folk and is used for recovery rolls
Medicine - Used for treating disease and other bad humours. Can replace Chirurgy for recovery rolls and _must_ be used if complex surgery is required. Used for scientific knowledge of anatomy.
Healer - Can help the afflicted resist poison and may reduce things like disfiguration whilst recovering from disease or burns. Also used to heal mental suffering, including grief, and any other pain. A third of the skill level is added to any relevant Chirurgy or Medicine rolls including recovery.
[Note] These rules draw heavily on the Hermetic Numerology section in Kabbalah (p144-5).
Enigmatic Books are not books directly on the Enigma, but books on other subjects, which have written with added, Enigmatic, insights. These are usually contained within the normal text but may be contained within bizarre illustrations, or even sounds, if the book is enchanted.
When writing a summa the author may choose to include enigmas within the work. The maximum level of Enigmas is equal to the Enigmatic Wisdom of the author. This is the Enigmatic Quality (EQ) of the work.
When studying an Enigmatic Book the reader may choose one of three options. The second and third options are only available to readers with Enigmatic Wisdom.
Firstly, he may attempt to ignore the Enigmatic parts of the work. In this instance, the Enigmatic Quality acts as a negative modifier to the works’ quality. Thus a work with a normal Quality of 10 and an Enigmatic Quality of 4 would have an effective Quality of 6.
Secondly, he may study the normal subject of the work, attempting to gain from the Enigmatic insights of the author. Refer to the Enigmatic Study table below, adding the relevant Study bonus to the readers’ Study Total.
Thirdly, if he can no longer benefit from the book, he may study the work for the Enigmatic Wisdom within it. The work acts as a Tractatus on Enigmatic Wisdom, with Quality equal to the Enigmatic Quality. Create a Study Total as normal.
Roll Stress + Int. + Enigmatic Wisdom – Enigmatic Quality (EQ).
Roll Result
Botch = Confusion (see below).
<3 = Lose season’s work.
3-5 = Reader subtracts the EQ from his Study Total.
6-8 = Learn nothing extra. I.e. gain experience from a normally created Study Total.
9-11 = Reader adds +1 to his Study Total.
12-14 = Reader adds +2 to his Study Total.
15-17 = Reader adds +3 to his Study Total.
18-20 = Reader adds +5 to his Study Total.
21+ = Reader adds +8 to his Study Total.
All fractions are rounded down.
If the reader rolls a potential Botch, the number of Botch dice equals the Enigmatic Quality of the book. Each Botch results in one level of utter befuddlement in the subject of the text (whether he studied it for that subject or Enigmatic Wisdom). Before the reader can gain any more experience from any source in the subject of the text, he must spend one season in reorientation per level of utter befuddlement. Additionally, all botch dice when using the subject of the text are doubled until the befuddlement is cleared.
Reorientation does not require the use of a specific text, just some deep thoughts and re-calculations. For each season of reorientation, the reader gains one experience point in Enigmatic Wisdom.
At the story-guides discression, a botch may also result in the reader gaining a twilight point.
These Social background rules were constructed by Luke Silburn.
+2 Baccalaurius
This is a social background virtue. You have completed your initial studies at a university and been awarded the title Baccalaurius, entitling you to read at public lectures within your university. You have the abilities Read Latin 4, Scribe Latin 3 and Artes Liberales 3 without paying any xp for them and may use further xp to take other academic abilities if you wish. Your character is at least 22 - Int years old.
+1 'Prenticed
You have been taken on as an apprentice to a guilded trade, although you haven't completed your training as yet. You may take one Craft skill of your choice at level 3 and Guild Lore at level 1. Your character is at least 15 - Int years old.
+2 Journeyman
This is a social background virtue. You have completed an apprenticeship in a guilded trade (this virtue supercedes 'Prenticed) and have the right to practice this trade in a specific area as an employee of a master in your guild. You may take a Craft skill of your choice at level 4, Bargain at level 1 and Guild Lore at level 2. Your character is at least 22 - Int years old.
Note for SGs: It would be extremely unlikely for a character to qualify as guild journeyman unless their total die modifier (skill + speciality + relevant stat) equals 5 or better in their main craft skill and 2 or better in Bargain. Any character taking this virtue who can not muster these totals after they allocated all experience should have a strong background justification for their lack of competance.
+3 Master Craftsman
This is a social background virtue. You are a self-employed craftsman within a guilded trade (this virtue supercedes 'Prenticed and Journeyman). You must abide by guild regulations regarding quality and prices, but in return have the right to practise this trade within a specific area, employ guild colleagues and train apprentices. You are likely to be active in guild (and possibly town) politics. As long as you continue to practise your trade (devoting three or more seasons per year to your business) you may have the benefits of the +3 virtue Wealth. You may take a Craft skill of your choice at level 5, Bargain at level 2 and Guild Lore at level 2. Your character is at least 29 - Int years old.
[Note. The correct terminology should be Mercurial Magic, but its called Mercurian in all the supplements.]
These rules owe something to the Natural Magicians in Hedge Magic and parts of Kabbalah. Parts of it do not totally agree with what is stated in The Tempest.
Mercurian Rituals were usually performed in groups, and duplicate the effects of Wizards Communion to some extent. Mercurian magi generally require two skills when casting spells; Ritual Magic, a new skill used when performing their magic; and Leadership used to determine how many magi can be involved in the ritual.
Mercurian traditions did not divide magic into separate Arts but rather thought of it as part of Natural Science. Thus Mercurian magi also require Philosophiae, for designing spell effects.
Mercurian magi may design any spell that a Hermetic magus can with the following alterations.
When designing a spell the designer may have a number of helpers equal to his Leadership score.
The designer totals his Int + Ritual Magic + Philosophiae + Philosophiae of each helper, to get a lab total. This lab total is treated in the same manner as a Hermetic magus' lab total when inventing spells.
Mercurian magi cast all spells as if they were rituals when calculating for time of casting and fatigue loss, but use vis in the same manner as Hermetic magi. A text of the spell to be cast is always required, by the lead magus, during the ritual. If the magi use apt paraphernalia they may add a Form and Effect bonus to the casting total.
Mercurian magi usually cast spells in groups of one lead magus and several helpers. A lead magus may have a number of helpers equal to Prs + Leadership. Each helper must roll stress + Sta + Ritual Magic 6+ to be included in the ritual. For each helper that botches, three must succeed or the ritual fails, although the magi take the time and fatigue penalties normally required to cast the spell.
The lead magus rolls stress + Sta + Ritual Magic + The Ritual Magic of each helper + Aura + Any Form and Effect bonus. The result is the spell-casting total.
As mentioned above, if a General level spell is being cast, the lead magus may decide what level to cast it at. The lead magus requires a Ritual Magic of 5+ to cast this type of spell.
Weather witches are Hedge Magicians of the same ilk as Cunning-folk. Their speciality is obviously Weather effects.
All Weather witch mystic companions have the following abilities:
Folk Magic 4
Weather Sense 3
Craft Weather Charms 2
Weather Magic 4
Animal Ken (Birds only) 3
Herbalism 3
Weather Witches have a minimum age of 20. They have age + 10 starting experience points to spend on abilities in addition to Speak own Language 5, and the above abilities.
Weather Witches may use both Wild and Standard vis. They may use a number of pawns equal to their Folk Magic score for any one act.
Weather Witches can craft Weather spells whose effect and level are equivalent to the Hermetic Art of Auram. To craft a spell the weather witch must first determine the level of the desired effect in the manner described on p103 of ArM4. The spells are bound by the same limits as Hermetic magic.
Once the level is known the weather witch must try to successfully cast it. To do this the weather witch must equal or exceed the level of effect on a stress die + Int + Folk Magic + Weather Magic + Aura + any appropriate bonuses for spell foci and her Talisman (see below). Weather witches may use Vis to increase the spell casting in the same way that Hermetic magi do.
When casting the spell, the weather witch must spend 15 minutes uninterrupted for every 5 levels of the spell. The caster loses one fatigue if the spell fails, but two if it succeeds.
Weather witches may perform several lab-like activities.
They may make Potions and Minor Potions in the same way that Cunning-Folk do, using Int + Herbalism + Herbalism bonuses + Folk Magic + Aura.
They may make Longevity Potions using the same formula.
They may Craft Enchanted Devices in a similar fashion to Hermetic magi except that the enchantment must be an Auram effect. The weather witch's lab total for this purpose is Int + Craft Weather Charms + Folk Magic + Form and Effects bonus + Aura.
Weather Witches may create Talismans in the same way that Hermetic magi do, using the same formula as they do for other Enchanted Devices.
Weather witches may magically bond any bird as a familiar.
The process is similar to Hermetic magi bonding a familiar with the following alterations.
The weather witch requires an Animal Ken score of 5+ to open the enchantment, and requires a number of pawns equal to (12 + creatures size). [Note. For this purpose only the maximum pawns of vis the weather witch can use is equal to Folk Magic + Animal Ken].
Cord Strength - The weather witch totals his ((Folk Magic + Animal Ken) * 3) - the bird's magic resistance and size to gain the strength of the bond.
All other processes are similar to those found on p95-100 in ArM4.
Weather witches have a Magic Resistance equal to their Folk Magic + Weather Magic + Animal Ken.
Ars Magica and many related terms are Copyright Trident Inc. Order of Hermes and Tremere are Copyright White Wolf Inc. Unless otherwise indicated all other material is property of Eric Grove-Stephensen, Richard Slattery, Dean Scothern and Robin Leah. Permission is given to copy it for non-profit purposes as long as due credit is given.