17/4/2016

Hide Whispers

Endrite:     Mystical greetings.

Prinny D. (GM):     greets

did you figure out spells and stuff yet

Endrite:     No, I'm gonna do that now.

Architecture counts as a Craft even though you don't do it all yourself, right?

Prinny D. (GM):     I don't know, is there a separate skill for Architecture other than the regular Craft ability?

Endrite:     Have we figured out what our good book is?

Prinny D. (GM):     imo the good book should be something everyone can get mileage out of, so not a specific art. maybe magic theory

johns (GM): i would say Architecture (designing & blueprints) is an Art, leading an architectural project is Leadership, the work involved is a mix of Craft Masonry, Craft Woodworking, etc

Endrite:     You mean an art.

Wait is there an ability called Art?

johns (GM):     oh you're right it's craft

so it's just Craft: Architecture as opposed to craft Masonry

Endrite:     Aight.

So with requisites, you use the lower of the requisite and form/technique to determine your casting bonus, right?

Prinny D. (GM):     yes

Endrite:     Ok.

Oh, your starting language is 10, not 5 with the new system, right?

Prinny D. (GM):     I think so ye

Endrite:     I didn't specify a language because I don't know what they spoke in Italy.

Prinny D. (GM):     just use Italian (dialect)

Endrite:     Basically I did that.

Prinny D. (GM):     ive got Italian (Neapolitan)

Endrite:     How do Talismans work?

Prinny D. (GM):     i dont know

Endrite:     What kind of equipment should I start with?

Prinny D. (GM):     whatever you want

Endrite:     Like what?

A bread?

An enchanted item?

A gun?

Prinny D. (GM):     nothing that requires labwork

Endrite:     Ok.

Can't wait to make my own copy of Euclid's Elements.

Should I make a note of what type of virtue each virtue is on my character sheet?

Prinny D. (GM):     if you want to, I generally do it and add a description of the virtue so i can remember what it is

Endrite:     What should my Finesse and Penetration be at?

Prinny D. (GM):     finesse rarely comes up for most wizards, but penetration is very important

Endrite's Magus:     Can you take a look at my sheet?

Prinny D. (GM):     seems fine

Endrite's Magus:     Ok.

Are my Arts too broad?

Prinny D. (GM):     nah

look at some spells and adjust your arts if need be

Endrite's Magus:     You can only learn spells that are Form + Technique + Intelligence + Aura, right?

Prinny D. (GM):     no starting spells can be form+tech+int+magic theory+3

Endrite's Magus:     Oh ok.

Magic Theory or Magic Theory/2?

Prinny D. (GM):     who knows

Endrite's Magus:     I'll ask Johns.

OH HE MYSTERIOUSLY DISAPPEARED!!!

Prinny D. (GM): remember if you pick spells meant to be cast in combat or quickly then you should make sure you can actually cast them too

i can pick a bunch of spells i cant actually cast because i can use them to make enchanted items easier

Endrite's Magus:     Where are the actual rules for casting a spell?

Maybe I should just stick to Rotes, since I know the rules for those.

Prinny D. (GM):     uhh i think its form+tech+aura+stamina(?)

and spells are much more powerful than rotes so youll want to use them

Endrite's Magus:     Yeah, Rotes are basically 5 times harder to learn.

johns (GM): finesse is used for: aiming indirect spells (like throwing a rock), certamen, craft magic (like making a building out of a pile of raw stone)

just assume your Magic Theory is halved for all formula, only time it's "Normal" is for determining the limit of vis usage per season

Boy R. (GM):     finesse is also important for fast-casting speed fwiw

Endrite's Magus:     Ok.

Boy R. (GM): i put up some rough combat rules but i'm not going to insist we use them. the best course is usually to avoid fighting at all.

johns (GM):     first session is going to be a combat oriented dungeon crawl

Boy R. (GM):     if i wanted my magus to learn a supernatural ability, how hard would it be to find someone with that power?

johns (GM):     which ability

Boy R. (GM):     animal ken maybe?

actually tbqh I was thinking of downgrading my entrancement to animal ken and then seeing if i could find an entrancer in play, saving 2 virtue points

johns (GM): are you starting with it or trying to pick it up from scratch? i thought it was really hard for hermetic magi to learn new supernatural abilities cause they had to subtract their arts scores

Boy R. (GM):     hard but not impossible if you have crap arts

actually looking at it it's probably impossible

Prinny D. (GM):     it is impossible

unless you join a mystery cult and get that virtue initiated

Boy R. (GM):     yawn

johns (GM):     the roll20 random name generator is a work of mad genius

Prinny D. (GM):     Bumpo Trumpus

Lodewig of Tytalus:     hello ladies

johns (GM):     #swag

its hard finding a labeled roman city map that isnt a cluttered mess

Boy R.:     making some last minute adjustments btw. dropping entrancement for animal ken

actually no fuck it, I don't want to learn mentem

Endrite's Magus:     Ok I'm back.

Oh you better BELIEVE I'm taking Perfection of the Well-Designed Chamber.

Prinny D.:     default starting age is 20?

johns (GM):     yeah

Boy R.:     I thought I was young at 22

aren't some of you magisters in artibus?

Endrite's Magus:     Not I.

Bonfilia ex Verditius:     I have a husband and a child, which is perfectly suitable at an age of 20.

johns (GM):     i am but augustans have only 12 years of apprenticeship

Endrite's Magus:     Too bad Child Protective Services won't exist for another 700 years.

johns (GM):     i also am changing my dark secret to be a literal secret that a future GM can decide on

Boy R.:     good shit

where'd you find the time for a family if you've been an apprentice since 5?

Bonfilia ex Verditius: I use my kid to advertise my bakery by having him run up and down the street shouting "Bread for sale! Come get yer breads!" while tooting a horn.

Endrite's Magus:     This is your right.

Bonfilia ex Verditius:     I married my master's grandson, who was ungifted.

Boy R.:     that's very proper

Endrite's Magus:     Uh I think the math on this is wrong.

It says I have a +57 Ceremonial Casting Bonus.

Oh, it's taking my Artes Liberales and Philosophy Spent XP instead of level.

johns (GM):     oops

Bonfilia ex Verditius:     Seems you're good at Ceremonial. Hey, did you know that I can be the focus of Ceremony Spells?

Boy R. thinks wistfully of inflated ceremonial casting bonuses

Bonfilia ex Verditius:     said while a satan looms over my shoulders menacingly

cthinker:     cthinker here

johns (GM):     yo yo

Endrite's Magus:     I'd love to cast a spell on you that, for example, makes you symmetrical by removing your heart.

Boy R.:. o O (hi)

johns (GM):     I've created a Character for you to edit in the Journal

Bonfilia ex Verditius:     regoing my heart into a locked box is an S-tier wizard move

johns (GM):     does Endrite's Magus have a name?

Boy R.:     ceremonial casting is different from infernal ceremony techniques anyway

Endrite's Magus:     No, I don't know any good period names.

Cumthinker's Magus:     Cumthinker's Magus here

Bonfilia ex Verditius:     just look up some italiano names

and pick one

Boy R.:     magi often take pretentious latin names anyway

Bonfilia ex Verditius:     oh yeah a geometer would use a very pretentious name

like some greek scholar maybe

johns (GM):     Jimbo

Cumthinker's Magus:     jimbo magnus

Boy R.:     My tailor grog is called Giacopo Cappelletti but I didn't get around to statting him yet

johns (GM):     i dont have Darvin on steam so i don't know his deal for today

do you all want to spend time finalizing characters, background, covenant details etc. or hop into some thrilling gameplay

that ill be making up on the fly

Proclus:     I need to spend about 70 more points on spells.

Boy R.:     btw I've found this site useful for period names: https://www.s-gabriel.org/names/

Bonfilia ex Verditius:     I have my spells ready

Proclus:     Nice.

Bonfilia ex Verditius: I have a really good one that turns any piece of wood into a weapon, which is useful since I am always carrying some sort of bread-related wooden baking tool.

cthinker:     my spells are extremely not ready but i could be an anonymous grog, or something

Lodewig of Tytalus:     while grogs are cool and fun, you can pick spells later or even in play as you need them

Bonfilia ex Verditius:     all my casting tools are various hardened breads that I carry in a basket with me

Proclus:     Ok I have all the important spells.

A spell that draws a circle, triangle, or square, a spell that counts people, and a spell that trims quills.

Lodewig of Tytalus:     you should learn at least one ritual

well you probably thought of that

Proclus:     I have one.

It makes a room geometrically perfect.

Bonfilia ex Verditius:     good spells

Proclus:     Making all corners right angles, straightening the walls, and so on.

Here's my character sheet.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1-wgGXGTzvEv1rAdHzH0n9InFqqPrweIS32oAkXD2v-0/edit?usp=sharing

johns (GM):     let's set up a bit of background.. what regions is everyone's magus from?

Bonfilia ex Verditius:     this is one of my favorite spells

Probe Nature's Hidden Lore

InHe 4

R: Touch, D: Mom, T: Ind

Tells you what kind of plant you are touching. You also get an image of it in its natural habitat. Works with plant products as well as with plants themselves.

(Base 3, +1 Touch)

Lodewig of Tytalus:     it's a good one

well, I'm from Ulm

Proclus:     That seems really cheap if it also covers plants you don't know about.

Bonfilia ex Verditius:     it's good value

it wont tell you its properties though

Proclus:     I think I should probably take an enemy.

Lodewig of Tytalus: I've been drawn to Rome by Venator's open invitation to new magi, hoping to distance myself from my overbearing master

Proclus:     Either my pater or whoever destroyed the rest of the Geometer Cult.

Lodewig of Tytalus:     the league of tormenting masters stirs...

Bonfilia ex Verditius:     Bonfilia is from Amalfi, Naples. Not very far from Rome actually.

johns (GM):     naples crew ftw

Proclus:     Hmm, I think Enemies of Geometry would be a good Story Enemy.

Bonfilia ex Verditius: She came to Rome to amass an endless fortune of both wealth and magical knowledge, there really is no better place for it.

Lodewig of Tytalus:     who would be an enemy of geometry

Proclus:     Faeries.

Oh should I take two Confidence tokens?

johns (GM):     there you go

Proclus:     I mean I get two extra from what everyone else gets.

Lodewig of Tytalus:     are you ruling we start with one?

default is 3, +2 for those with self-confident

johns (GM):     I thought that was normal

oh

Lodewig of Tytalus:     I don't mind either way, as long as I get my house advantage

cthinker:     i'm gonna switch out Driven for Deficient Imaginem

Lodewig of Tytalus:     deficient imagination

johns (GM):     im arbitrarily keeping it low

we'll see how it works in action. feels like people don't make enough die rolls in a session to warrant such a glut atm

Proclus:     Well whatever I get two more than everyone who is plagued by the demon of doubt.

johns (GM):     oh wait

Bonfilia ex Verditius:     I am always plagued by the demon... of doubt.

johns (GM):     is RAW that everyone starts with 3 but a conf score of 1?

Lodewig of Tytalus:     yes

johns (GM):     durr ok.

Lodewig of Tytalus: I think for this campaign though, it's important to treat confidence points as a character rather than player resource

well, whatever

johns (GM):     OK

Also cthinker if you don't have tokentool you can send me a pic and I'll tokenize it for you

cthinker:     i think i do have it somewhere actually

Proclus:     Oh can you make all my bars visible?

And my name?

Lodewig of Tytalus:     So who is cumthinker's magus?

A trianoma, I gather

johns (GM): So it's January, 1314 A.D. A few months ago, while near the end of your apprenticeship but not yet gauntleted, you all received a letter from Venator Ex Misc, inviting you to join the established covenant of Vardian's tomb in Rome.

Who has any OoH Lore?

Lodewig of Tytalus:     nope

Proclus of Rome:     Not me.

Bonfilia ex Verditius:     I don't know shit

johns (GM):     Excellent

Lodewig of Tytalus:     I'm not surprised that he's heard of me though. I'm definitely one of the Order's most promising apprentices.

johns (GM): The basic knowledge everyone has is that Vardian's Tomb is a Tribunal in Rome's catacombs. You don't know much about Venator but he proclaims to be old and thus wise and powerful

Proclus of Rome:     That's how it works.

cthinker: i started with the premise of a guy who wants to travel the sublunary spheres in search of unexploited vis, and ended up at "trianoma seeker"

Proclus of Rome:     It's certainly possible.

Lodewig of Tytalus:     those aren't by any means exclusive

Proclus of Rome:     You just need to spend about 3 weeks in transit.

Bonfilia ex Verditius: My ego is bloated by this invitation, and I of course graciously accept and journey to the medieval city of possibilities.

Proclus of Rome:     Also you need something that will help you not fall back down to Earth when you get there.

It's highly possible.

It isn't like there are many powerful magi in Rome.

Lodewig of Tytalus:     I spend the last months of my apprenticeship learning to speak Italian like a native and almost failing my gauntlet

johns (GM): Vardian has arranged ship passage for all of you to the port city of Ostia, just outside Rome. Lodewig & cthinker are coming from Venice, Bonfilia from Naples, and Proclus is going to meet you all there since he doesn't know the location of the covenant yet

and feel free to laugh at me every time I mix up vardian & venator, it's bound to happen a lot

Proclus of Rome:     I assume they're the same person.

Lodewig of Tytalus:     Venator could have always adopted a more distinctive hermetic name in his old age

Bonfilia ex Verditius: Bonfilia also assumes they are the same person, as names in the medieval ages were often written differently in one text compared to the other.

Lodewig of Tytalus:     i don't know the lore of vardian's tomb so who knows if that guy was important in life

Sea travel does NOT agree with me, and I'm forced to warn the crew about my non-contagious but dire illness that requires me to seclude myself in a cabin for three days a month and make noises like a wolf

Bonfilia ex Verditius:     I assume that Venator is a lich that rose from his own tome, a powerful and mystical magi not to be trifled with.

johns (GM): Lore: Vardian was a Saint buried in the catacombs. Some Hedge wizards took refuge in there to hide from the founder Flambeau's murderous crusade. Flambeau tracked them down and the wizards attempted to defend themselves using the magical power of Vardian's skull.

Bonfilia ex Verditius:     I do not travel by sea, as I have the seasick flaw.

johns (GM):     Flambeau laughed at them, blew up the skull, and slaughtered the magi.

Lodewig of Tytalus:     good old flambeau

Bonfilia ex Verditius:     Instead I go by cart, living so close to Rome makes it a nonissue.

johns (GM):     Sure

Proclus of Rome:     I travel by foot.

johns (GM):     So it's Lodewig & cthinker in Ostia

Your letter from Venator says you will meet up with Marco the Redcap at the Port of Ostia, who will escort you to the covenant in Rome

Bonfilia ex Verditius:     I'll show up in Ostia too if the letter said to come here.

johns (GM):     No prob

Proclus of Rome:     Hmm.

Lodewig of Tytalus: I assumed I was the only person invited by Vardian, so I never registered that cumthinker was another magus and neglected to ask his name on the trip

johns (GM): In ancient days Ostia was an impressive manmade port. Years of neglect and strife have left a small modern settlement among a strew of ruins.

Proclus of Rome:     Which one is Ostia?

3?

johns (GM): Your ship's captain is glad to have you off his boat. You find yourself standing portside with a heavy trunk containing all your worldly possessions. Now what?

Yeah

Lodewig of Tytalus:     "hrm"

"pardon sir, do you know where travellers seek lodging in this city?"

addressing cthinker's magus

Bonfilia of Verditius:     I roll up on a hay cart and puke from motion sickness all over the paved stones.

Lodewig of Tytalus:     "madam, are you a native of these parts?"

johns (GM):     you are treated to a pleasant first impression of Italy

Proclus of Rome:     That's what you get for having the GURPS disadvantage flaw.

Cumthinker's Magus:     hm

Bonfilia of Verditius:     I speak in a heavy country Neapolitan accent. "That'd be so, that'd be. Travelers? Merchants?"

Lodewig of Tytalus:     Bonfilia finds me handsome and fascinating, which I assume exactly counteracts the revulsion inspired by my gift

cthinker:     is it all right if i do actually know that, having been to rome on my gauntlet

Lodewig of Tytalus: "A travelling scholar. The man who was to meet me is nowhere in evidence. Is there a place here where travellers commonly meet?"

johns (GM):     Sure

cthinker:     sorry for not contributing much, i'm kinda multitasking here and my table top roleplaying experience is close to nil

johns (GM):     Welcome to the trial by fire

Bonfilia of Verditius: "Mayhaps so." I walk up to a rugged sailor/vagrant and start arguing in heated italiano fashion until he tells me where the closest tavern is.

Lodewig of Tytalus:     I'm wearing clothes which are exactly appropriate for a university student, albeit in germany

Bonfilia of Verditius:     I assume that Lodewig is French, by that outfit.

johns (GM):     The local townsfolk give you the evil eye as you approach. "What are you talking to me for?"

Lodewig of Tytalus:     if I have any coin on me, I hire some dockhand to be a porter

johns (GM):     You each start with half a pound, let's say

which is 120 pennies

Proclus of Rome:     Don't you mean, 120 denarius?

Lodewig of Tytalus:     wow! 10 shillings

Bonfilia of Verditius:     damn, I only have insidious conversational skills

johns (GM):     Alright Lodewig.. roll bargain!

Lodewig of Tytalus:     +comm?

johns (GM):     Aye

Lodewig of Tytalus:

rolling d10!+1-4

(

2

)

+1-4

=

-1

augh! rebuffed!

johns (GM):     You find a man willing to take your things for 80 pennies

Lodewig of Tytalus:     "By Saint Peter man, it's a fair offer."

Bonfilia of Verditius:     I order my husband and my six-year old child to carry my belongings. They were hiding in the hay.

Lodewig of Tytalus:     and that's ridiculous. he would surely want some common multiple of 6 or 12

Bonfilia of Verditius:     Actually, let's make that 4-year old.

johns (GM):     Your child hates you

But OK

Lodewig of Tytalus:     wait a second, are we operating on burning wheels rules now

Cumthinker's Magus:     important question: does this thing do bold text

johns (GM):     test

Cumthinker's Magus:     a

a

oh hell yes.

Bonfilia of Verditius:     you don't need rolls for things like telling a grog to do something ordinary

Lodewig of Tytalus:     I feel like if I attempt to bargain and secure only a patently ridiculous offer, I should be able to refuse it

test

johns (GM):     You are welcome to

Lodewig of Tytalus:     how do you do bold btw?

cool. i retain my pence

Cumthinker's Magus:     double asterisks

johns (GM):     test

badass

Alright, everyone's loaded into Bonfilia's cart?

Lodewig of Tytalus:     I note how the locals react to Bonfilia and casually drop some Latin

wow! we're looking for hte same guy? but of course I can use your cart

Bonfilia of Verditius:     "Woah, woah there. You don't expect to ride this cart for free, do you?"

"I saw you fondling those coins back there."

Lodewig of Tytalus: "Not at all! But in times of need, sodales must surely share their burdens. For the small price of carrying my luggage on your cart, I will walk behind and ensure none of these ruffians attempt to rob your goods."

Bonfilia of Verditius:     Let's do a contested communication roll. I'll use Guile to try and trick you out of your precious coins.

Lodewig of Tytalus: I'll use Charm to convince you you should let me ride for free. However, I won't accede to ridiculous demands even if I lose.

johns (GM):     Sounds like it's time for Certamen

or even better, Disputatio

Bonfilia of Verditius:     lol

Cumthinker's Magus: cumthinker's magus, being an experienced traveler (for a freshly-gauntleted magus), is just going to try to get a porter for a reasonable price

Lodewig of Tytalus:     the tytalus debate rules are pretty good on this, they let you switch up abilities on the fly

but I don't know them, so let's play it straight

rolling d10!+2+5+5

(

2

)

+2+5+5

=

14

Bonfilia of Verditius:

rolling d10!+2+5

(

3

)

+2+5

=

10

Lodewig of Tytalus:     Nice roll, but you weren't counting on how handsome I am

Bonfilia of Verditius:     It's true.

Lodewig of Tytalus:     there's just something about the way I don't reflexively shudder when you talk to me like your husband does

Bonfilia of Verditius:     "Fine then, saves me the cost of hiring bodyguards."

johns (GM):     Neat

Cthinker finds a porter with a wagon for a reasonable price

No one around here seems to be wearing a red cap though. Looks like you're on your own to figure out where the go next

Lodewig of Tytalus:     Well, if he's here to look for us he won't have left without us

we'll need some lodgings in the town, and then to start making inquiries

johns (GM):     You want to find a place in Ostia?

cthinker:     this is it. my moment to shine

Lodewig of Tytalus: well my thinking is that, if he's not here, we need to post up somewhere, and if he is in the town then some kind of traveller's hostelry is the place to find a redcap

johns (GM):     kk

Right off the docks is a somewhat familiar looking tavern, built up against the remains of an ancient brick building

Lodewig of Tytalus:     I admire the modern decor

johns (GM):

rolling 5+1d5

5+

(

2

)

=

7

Lodewig of Tytalus:     Is there a proprietor who is a woman present?

johns (GM):     There's 7 patrons in here. They all shift in their seats to put their backs to you as you step in.

The barkeep looks like a surly italian man.

Lodewig of Tytalus:     it will have to do

Proclus of Rome:     He looks more like a drunk italian man.

Lodewig of Tytalus:     Perhaps Signor Bonfilius could ask about a red-capped man

okand:     im a gay queer and i have bad grades

Bonfilia of Verditius:     same

johns (GM):     welcome friend

you're in good company

Lodewig of Tytalus:     same, except i don't have grades

johns (GM): Cthinker, Lodewig, and Bonfilia notice a couple of folks seated off in a corner by themselves. No one is sitting near them, choosing to crowd into the other part of the tavern instead.

Bonfilia of Verditius: I send my husband whos name is Emilio the Baker to deal with the barkeep, and also to acquire some beer for myself and my child Emilio the Younger.

Lodewig of Tytalus:     I go and bid salvete to the men who are obviously magi

Proclus of Rome:     I wave my arms a little bit and cast The Significance of the Group.

rolling 1d10! + 13

(

1

)

+13

=

14

johns (GM):     Good shit

Lodewig of Tytalus:     mm

Proclus of Rome:     Whoops.

johns (GM):     Roll two botch die please

Proclus of Rome:

rolling 2d10

(

6

+

9

)

=

15

johns (GM):     Aura effect is -2, is that enough for the spell to work?

Bonfilia of Verditius:     it would have been perfect if you twilighted here

Proclus of Rome:     Yes.

Lodewig of Tytalus:     "have a care sodalis, this mob would be glad of any reason to throw out a witch"

johns (GM):     Excellent. Well a few things occur at once

The barkeep keeps his eyes on all of you while chatting with Bonfilia's husband

A bunch of customers turn to stare as the man in the corner waves his hands and intones something weird. Conversation everywhere stops.

Endrite, what's the effect of your spell?

Proclus of Rome:     I count how many people in the room there are with a certain quality.

In this case I want to count Magi.

johns (GM):     excellent

Proclus of Rome:     Magieses.

johns (GM):     You've just committed a high crime

Proclus of Rome:     Well, technically.

johns (GM):     BR uhh remind me what the penetration rules are for this effect

Lodewig of Tytalus:     "In nomine patris, filius, et sanctus spiritus, amen." in Italian "Well spoken, fratello. Beer of this quality must indeed have a saint's hand in it"

Bonfilia of Verditius:     I'm going to use this attempt at scrying to blackmail you forever.

Lodewig of Tytalus:     well, what's the spell level

Proclus of Rome:     10

johns (GM):     Aura is Inf 2, so his casting total was 11

Proclus of Rome:     Right.

Lodewig of Tytalus:     right, so no modifier

your penetration total is just a stress die + your penetration ability score

Proclus of Rome:     Ok.

Lodewig of Tytalus:     the form I assume is corpus?

Proclus of Rome:

rolling 1d10! + 4

(

4

)

+4

=

8

Yes.

johns (GM):     Anyone with more than 8 Corpus Magic Resistance feels an effect reflect off their Parma.

Lodewig of Tytalus:     everyone's MR is equal to Corpus + 2(parma magica), which for me is 12

Bonfilia of Verditius:     7 for me

Proclus of Rome:     Oh you know what I should have done?

Counted everyone without The Gift.

That would have been a much better idea.

Bonfilia of Verditius:     do we get MR modifiers from auras now

Lodewig of Tytalus:     I'm actually not sure whether being a magus or having hte gift is a quality that an InCo spell can detect either

Bonfilia of Verditius:     or did we not do that

Lodewig of Tytalus:     oh good point

in that case I guess I have MR 10

Proclus of Rome:     Hmm that might be the case, I don't know.

Bonfilia of Verditius:     then I have MR 9

Proclus of Rome:     Wait let me check.

johns (GM):     ars ftw

Bonfilia of Verditius:     I think detecting gift is InVi

Lodewig of Tytalus:     it seems unlikely to me

yeah, and it might not be possible

johns (GM):     im ok with saying Aura bonuses to MR only effect creatures with might

Lodewig of Tytalus:     being a magus is a social status

johns (GM):     so that we're not having to recalculate MR every dang scene

Bonfilia of Verditius:     InMe might work too

Proclus of Rome:     Hmm, I could develop a new version of the spell that includes a Vim requisite to enhance the effect.

But looking at it, I'm forced to agree.

Lodewig of Tytalus:     fair enough, though I sort of like becoming more vulnerable when we walk around in christian auras

johns (GM):     Good, good.

Proclus of Rome:     What happens when you cast a spell with an impossible effect?

johns (GM): When we encounter an issue like this we can make a ruling that lasts for one session only, then put it up for debate in the thread if someone wants to have it discussed

Lodewig of Tytalus:     I would say in this case you cast your spell but it returns no valid information

Bonfilia of Verditius:     basically playing ars is like being part of the supreme court

Lodewig of Tytalus:     it's some good shit

Proclus of Rome:     Ok.

johns (GM):     Excellent. So the spell reflects off everyone's MR. Everyone is now staring at you.

Lodewig roll, m, Com +Guile if you want to bluff it was a prayer

Lodewig of Tytalus:

rolling d10!+1-5

(

4

)

+1-5

=

0

dead silence

Proclus of Rome:     What are you talking about?

I ask in Latin.

Lodewig of Tytalus:     continuing in Italian "forgive me, I am new in these parts"

johns (GM): The innkeeper moves to whisper a conversation with one of the patrons, a bulky man with the attire and complexion of a sailor.

Lodewig of Tytalus:     in Latin "Surely there's no need to draw attention with such displays"

Proclus of Rome:     Ah, a learned man. Just who I was hoping to meet today.

I assume you have also received an invitation?

There is a pressing need of scholars in Rome these days.

Lodewig of Tytalus: "Although, I must say, I can't but admire such brazen flaunting of convention. Nonetheless I must ask you not afflict me with further spells, unless I allow it"

nodding "A man named Venator sought me out. It is somewhat flattering, though not entirely unexpected"

Bonfilia of Verditius:     I count my breads.

johns (GM):     The innkeep and the patron walk up to you all.

Lodewig of Tytalus smiles disarmingly

Guy:     "I'll have no trouble here. You all best be moving on, now."

Proclus of Rome:     I pay no attention to Guy.

Have you ever read Euclid's Elements in the original Greek?

I must say, I'm excited to acquire a copy myself.

Lodewig of Tytalus:     I try to make eye contact with the innkeeper

Burly Patron clasps a meaty hand on Proclus' shoulder.

Proclus of Rome:     What do you want?

I continue in Latin.

Lodewig of Tytalus:     "We have committed no offense. You will let us use your house in peace"

(From Guy): casting a spell?

Lodewig of Tytalus:

rolling d10!+2+9 entrancement

(

6

)

+2+9

=

17

Bonfilia of Verditius:     I clutch a bread in my hand.

Lodewig of Tytalus: he may resist with a stamina stress, with a bonus based on the nature of my command/request, which I think should be +5 for innocuous

Guy:

rolling 1d10!+0+5

(

3

)

+0+5

=

8

The innkeeper waves a dismissive hand at his bouncer. He lets go of Proclus' shoulder.

Proclus of Rome:     I take no notice and continue to ramble about Greek books.

Lodewig of Tytalus: "My Greek is maybe not what it should be. It took some work to prepare my Italian for this journey. But I would hate to be taken for some sort of... pleasure-traveller"

Proclus of Rome:     I have heard that there is an excellent Arabic translation available, though my Arabic is weak.

Guy: "It's 10 shilling apiece for dinner and lodging. No bartering, and I'll brook no fuss. You're out of here when the cock crows in the morning."

Lodewig of Tytalus:     of course, of course

Proclus of Rome:     I reach into my pocket and place the coins on the table.

Lodewig of Tytalus:     10 shillings is like a labourer's wage for a year right

Guy:     it's definitely a rip off

Proclus of Rome:     Of course, to really understand the work you need an original volume.

Or plenty of time spent with a straight edge!

Ha ha ha.

Bonfilia of Verditius:     I'll haggle with this man.

Lodewig of Tytalus:     I attempt to make introductions, hoping to pick up somebody's name

Cumthinker's Magus:     cumthinker's magus sighs and pays up

Proclus of Rome:     If you want to do an emote, use /me

Proclus of Rome like this.

Bonfilia of Verditius:     "Surely me and my family need not pay 30 shillings altogether, do we?"

Cumthinker's Magus:     oh, nice

Guy:     "This aint a charity. I'd toss you on the streets if you didn't have a child with you."

Bonfilia of Verditius: "Me and my husband are accomplished bakers and chefs, how about a deal? Half the price and we will cook for you for as long as we stay."

cthinker:     what happened to the other magi

Guy:     Okand's magi is hard to percieve. It may very well be an illusion.

Lodewig of Tytalus:     is it meant to be okand#s dude?

Guy:     (okand is just spectating for today)

Lodewig of Tytalus:     he probably set up an illusion to nod and smile while he got geometer'd at

Bonfilia of Verditius:

rolling d10!+2+2

(

3

)

+2+2

=

7

I'll conf that if it succeeds then

Proclus of Rome:     Actually it's numerology, which is a separate discipline from Geometry.

Guy:     It'd say it's Hard EF to bargain here so it'd fall short

Proclus of Rome:     While I find that numerology has its uses, the use of numbers is much more distracting than the purity of geometry.

Lodewig of Tytalus:

rolling d10+0+4 artes liberales

(

5

)

+0+4

=

9

No, I think you're mistaken

Guy:     ah wait conf is +5 so you can use it if you like

Bonfilia of Verditius:     yeah ill conf it

Guy:     Excellent.

Bonfilia of Verditius:     Bonfilia is very confident in her cooking.

Lodewig of Tytalus:     (though it doesn't have to be if we feel that that devalues characteristics)

Proclus of Rome:     In fact, I am of the opinion that the calculation of the area of a circle is in many cases a distraction.

Guy:     One thing you can say for Ostia, at least the seafood is decent.

Bonfilia of Verditius:     After securing a deal, I turn to introduce myself to the magi as Bonfilia of Verditius

Proclus of Rome:     After all, the similarity does not change no matter how large or small a circle is.

Lodewig of Tytalus:     I will not purchase food and lodging under these terms. I can make my own arrangements

Proclus of Rome:     What do you think about the problem of squaring the circle?

Lodewig of Tytalus: "Very good. Not perhaps as select a group as I envisioned, but it is reassuring to know I was delivered to the right spot.

"I am more immediately concerned with the problem of finding the redcap"

Proclus of Rome:     While it is most vexatious, I appreciate that has plagued generations of scholars.

Guy: Your dinner is decent, though you cannot shake the hostile glares of everyone around you. Your "quarters" are a bunch of pallets crammed side by side in a single large room along with various other patrons.

Lodewig of Tytalus:     Before Guy leaves I ask him if he's seen a man in a red cap

Proclus of Rome:     Well, of course you'd think the dinner is decent, you sold it to us.

Guy:     lol

"Red cap? Maybe, you be more specific?"

Lodewig of Tytalus:     "A messenger wearing a red hat. His name is Marco, he probably would have been travelling with a burden"

Guy:     "Oh sure. He left a letter here, said some foreigners might be coming by to pick it up."

Lodewig of Tytalus:     "Good, I will take it."

Guy: He departs and returns in a bit with a sealed letter. "He said you all would be paying for the delivery cost, of course."

(From Guy): Does Lode have any folk ken

Lodewig of Tytalus:

(To GM)               rolling d10!+5 folk ken

(

1

)

+5

=

6

Proclus of Rome:     What do you think about the significance of the number of platonic solids?

Guy:

rolling 17

17

=

17

Seems legit

Lodewig of Tytalus:     "Of course, of course". I brush him off with tuppence

Marco of Mercere: A simple map is enclosed. "Dear Sodales, my apologies I could not be there in presence, but I had to make an important delivery to Literatus that took precedent. The enclosed map shows the way to Vardian's Tomb. Cheers, Marco"

Proclus of Rome:     What does the map look like?

Lodewig of Tytalus:     "Well that's refreshingly straightforward"

Marco of Mercere:     good attention to detail

Proclus of Rome:     Well, I can see the problem straight away.

Vardian's Tomb isn't marked on the map.

Marco of Mercere:     it''s the red dot

Proclus of Rome:     Oh, thank you Marco.

Marco of Mercere:     You're welcome

Well there's not much more obstacle to getting there, so you can show up just fine, if a bit poorer and annoyed.

Proclus of Rome:     What a well drawn map.

Lodewig of Tytalus:     Alright. Let's follow it! to Rome.

instead of sleeping in the inn for ten shillings I turn into a dog and sleep in the street

johns (GM):     Gain 2XP Reputation in Shameless (Ostia)

Lodewig of Tytalus:     Strictly, that's the dog's reputation

johns (GM):     Ah you're a skinchanger? Fantastic then

Lodewig of Tytalus:     In fact it reinforces my persona, as a stray dog of Ostia

Proclus of Rome:     Instead of sleeping, I doze fitfully.

johns (GM):     okay skipping ahead a bit

Proclus of Rome:     But of course the price is the same.

johns (GM):     It's another day's journey getting to Rome, riding in the back of Bonfilia's hay wagon

Proclus of Rome: I've always felt that travel would be much quicker if these roads were in straight lines, instead of living under the tyranny of geography.

johns (GM): You find your way to a cul-de-sac of shops and homes, including the inn marked on your map. The innkeeper recognizes you wierdos as Magi immediately and can direct you to the passage in his root cellar into the catacombs

Proclus of Rome:     Ah, perfect.

Lodewig of Tytalus:     nice, looks like we're on a major thoroughfare

Proclus of Rome:     It could be much better.

For example, this cul-de-sac doesn't form the center of any circle NOR a vertex of triangle.

johns (GM):     maps of your location in due time hopefully

Lodewig of Tytalus:     now this is mystical

Proclus of Rome:     It's a dump.

Bonfilia of Verditius:     What kind of aura are we tolkien about here.

Proclus of Rome: Look at that, the walls are crumbling, the tile has been shattered, and the arches are, frankly, primitive, compared to what French architects are capable of.

johns (GM): You immediately feel a more receptive aura as you pass into halls of ancient crumbling masonry. Some of the passages are so narrow you cannot walk side by side

Magic 3

Proclus of Rome:     Not to mention the obvious brush strokes on the walls.

johns (GM):     You arrive at the edifice of what must be the covenant proper since no one else would put something nice down here

You are greeted by a chill down your spine and a sorrowful voice. "Who goes there!" hisses someone you can't see in Latin.

Lodewig of Tytalus looks about for sanctum markers or anything like that

Proclus of Rome:     Hello, I am Proclus of Rome.

No relation to the famous Proclus, unfortunately.

Lodewig of Tytalus:     "Lodewig of Tytalus, in accordance with Venator ex Miscellanea's invitation"

"and these others..."

Proclus of Rome:     Have you thought about having this tomb repaired?

Bonfilia of Verditius:     "Bonfilia of Verditius."

Proclus of Rome:     It is in a most sorry state.

Ghost:     "I don't go into your home and insult the decor"

"You've got some nerve for a mortal"

Proclus of Rome:     I would assume that you could if you liked, since you're both dead.

Of course, I don't know much about ghosts.

Ghost:     The ghost walks through a wall. A moment later an old bearded guy comes out.

Venator ex Misc:     "Salvate, omnes. Welcome to your new home."

Proclus of Rome:     Then it would seem that I am free to insult the decor, after all.

Hello, have I told you my name yet?

Venator ex Misc:     introductions made all around

Lodewig of Tytalus nods in recognition of his due

Lodewig of Tytalus:     "It's a generous offer. What made you make it?"

Venator ex Misc: "This is my home as well, and until today I was the last Magus to live here. The powers of Rome are greedy and eye the tomb covetously, wishing to take it for their own."

"You all are welcome to enjoy the resources of the tomb, but your purpose must be to ensure its independence."

(From Venator ex Misc): folk ken

Lodewig of Tytalus:

(To GM)               rolling d10!+5

(

1

)

+5

=

6

Lodewig of Tytalus:     lol

(To johns): I'll conf that if it gets me anywhere

(To johns): to 16

Proclus of Rome:

(To GM)               rolling 1d10! + 1 + 4

(

4

)

+1+4

=

9

(From Venator ex Misc): Dual confing!!!! go for it

Bonfilia of Verditius:

rolling d10!+2+4

(

6

)

+2+4

=

12

Lodewig of Tytalus scrutinizes Venator's expression intensely

(From Venator ex Misc): He is telling the truth but not the whole truth. You get a definite sense he has rehearsed that answer to appear more gloomy and sorrowful than he truly is.

Lodewig of Tytalus shrugs

Lodewig of Tytalus: "Well they can hardly just take it while you make sanctum here. Still, I am glad to help if it lets me work in a fine, strong air like this"

Bonfilia of Verditius:     I turn to my sodales and make an incredulous face.

Proclus of Rome:     If it is so important to you, I can do what I can.

Venator ex Misc:     "The Roman tribunal is defined by the schemes of its great powers. Take that to heart."

"Now as for the covenant.. Magi have come and go, so you will find plenty of spaces perfectly suited for setting up your lab. We have some vis stockpiled. Our regular sources are few, though I have  not made a dedicated effort to locate any new ones."

Bonfilia of Verditius:     "There's an upper level to this, right? You don't expect us to live and work in this tomb, do you?"

Proclus of Rome:     Why not?

Venator ex Misc: "The spaces and shops above are yours to use as well, I trust you to use your best judgment and not draw undue attention to our magical nature."

Bonfilia of Verditius:     "Mm. Sure."

Venator ex Misc: To Proclus, "I do little enchanting these days so I have had no use for vis. I prefer to stay in and stick my studies than to venture out hunting for magics."

Lodewig of Tytalus:     "I trust there are other ways to come and go than through that tavern's back room"

Proclus of Rome:     Why haven't you fixed this crumbling ruin?

Venator ex Misc: "The catacombs spread throughout the city, though plenty are blocked up. Your magic can make whatever entryways you deem necessary."

"This ruin suits my needs just fine as is."

Lodewig of Tytalus:     can you do that, just fix crumbling ruins? it doesn't seem to be the italian way

Proclus of Rome:     That's what magic is for.

The magic of architecture.

Lodewig of Tytalus:     perhaps it's time to take inventory

Venator ex Misc:     Sure.

Proclus of Rome:     I have a ruler and a protractor.

And the clothes I'm wearing.

Lodewig of Tytalus:     have you fixed anything for vis supplies and sources?

I have 118 shillings and a wolf-skin cloak

Venator ex Misc:     No, I made a rough schedule of how to allot BP but the final decision is entirely yours

(though Lavinia may weigh in)

Lodewig of Tytalus:     sorry, 118 pence

Venator ex Misc:     1 moment

Lodewig of Tytalus:     I would expect no less

Proclus of Rome:     Are there any maps of the catacombs?

Venator ex Misc: So by my count, we have 5 Magi here, + Bonghits, +Okand/Dys (assuming one leaves as the other joins), +Rope Kid, +Darvin = 9 to account for. did I leave anyone out?

Lodewig of Tytalus:     is bonghits in? i haven't seen him since he sat in a few weeks ago

Proclus of Rome:     He's been mentioning it.

Venator ex Misc:     I talked to him, he said he wouldn't be here today but he'd be around next week

johns (GM):     This is a schedule that assumes 300 BP, but if we have that many Magi I'd toss in another 150 BP

Lodewig of Tytalus:     a lab text of aegis would be a much better investment than a tablet, since we have a mercurian

johns (GM):     Abluere Magica is an enchanted item. It's a washing machine.

Proclus of Rome:     Finally.

Lodewig of Tytalus:     excellent

johns (GM):     alright feel free to write or doodle on this space.

Lodewig of Tytalus:     oh right, and didn't we decide on a famous book

Cumthinker's Magus:     i'm back

i guess i didn't announce that i left. but i'm back.

johns (GM):     lol

Lodewig of Tytalus:     ok!

johns (GM):     welcome

Bonfilia of Verditius:     our book should be on magic theory imo

Proclus of Rome:     What kind of things does the Abluere Magica wash?

johns (GM):     Clothes

Lodewig of Tytalus:     oh i guess that's the level 20 one

Cumthinker's Magus:     what's the 3-5-5 teacher

Proclus of Rome:     What does the Aegis Tablet teach?

johns (GM):     That'd be a teacher with 3 Communication, 5 Teaching Skill, and 5 in their relevant specialty

Cumthinker's Magus:     oh

johns (GM): A Casting Tablet is a special item that lets you cast a spell from it even if you don't know the spell, but the level is fixed

Lodewig of Tytalus:     it's a casting tablet that lets you cast, but not learn, aegis of the hearth

johns (GM):     and you wouldn't get your Mercurian Bonus to save vis if you used it

Lodewig of Tytalus:     making a level 20 casting tablet seems like an insane waste

johns (GM):     fair nuff

Cumthinker's Magus:     do we have to customize our labs

Proclus of Rome:     What should I expect as regards a map of the Covenant?

johns (GM): I am not good at drawing maps that don't look like notebook doodles. Ideally we'd make Ropekid do it because he makes nice maps

Lodewig of Tytalus:     if yo uwant to make one, that's cool

johns (GM): You don't have to customize your labs. It's something interesting you might want to deal with later but the rules are too much to worry about now

Lodewig of Tytalus:     customizing labs is permitted but not required

Proclus of Rome:     I wouldn't know what it should look like.

Lodewig of Tytalus:     i guess if we use the existing labs we have space restrictions anyway

Proclus of Rome:     Where are the lab construction rules?

Lodewig of Tytalus:     in Covenants

johns (GM):     I figure it's got 2 common areas, 1 library, and a bunch of labs branching off from those common areas

Since you're underground you can easily Perdo to carve out new space

Lodewig of Tytalus:     so, these labs are ready to go? or should we take a standard setup season

johns (GM):     Take a standard setup season. The rooms are sized for labs but there's no equipment or anything left there.

Lodewig of Tytalus:     reckless tunnelling in an urban area seems like a bad idea

johns (GM):     worst that could happen is you open a channel to a sewer, or the tiber

Lodewig of Tytalus:     if only any of us knew anything about architecture!

Proclus of Rome:     It's fine.

I am an architect.

Cumthinker's Magus:     how nasty is the tiber

johns (GM):     Really fucking nasty

Proclus of Rome:     It's the worst.

Wait.

Lodewig of Tytalus:     oh shit

Proclus of Rome:

rolling 1d10! + 1

(

5

)

+1

=

6

It's the worst.

johns (GM):     Rome is a city of hills. All the waste of it's ~35,000 residents slopes downhill. Guess where it winds up

Cumthinker's Magus:     hmm

Lodewig of Tytalus:     since we banned most teleportation magic i can't just make a ring of fresh water any more

Cumthinker's Magus:     probably don't want to tunnel into that then.

Proclus of Rome:     What are the Level 15 enchanted items?

johns (GM):     The effects are up to you

A ring effect could purify water if it was Perdo Terram to remove dirt

Proclus of Rome:     Well, we could always get clean water the old fashioned way.

With a viaduct.

Lodewig of Tytalus:     seems like a strategic weakness

Cumthinker's Magus:     actually, what year is it

johns (GM):     1314 AD

The covenant's water.. Probably a common well on the topside, shared by a lot of people in a couple block radius. Unless one of the enchanted items is a water purifier and its drawing from the river?

Bonfilia of Verditius:     I need a lot of water.

Lodewig of Tytalus:     I feel like PeAq by itself should purify water

Bonfilia of Verditius:     CrAq should

Lodewig of Tytalus:     effectively you're destroying more complex expressions of water

Bonfilia of Verditius:     since Creo also covers improving upon something

like creo corpus

Cumthinker's Magus:     you're making it more perfect, though

Lodewig of Tytalus:     creo makes mud into perfect mud

Proclus of Rome:     Obviously you'd want ReTe because you're removing objects from water.

And Terram is a catch-all for objects.

Lodewig of Tytalus:     i don't believe adulterated water counts as objects within water

Proclus of Rome:     Have you SEEN the Tiber in summer?

Lodewig of Tytalus:     aquam is all liquids

I have not

johns (GM):     idk why you'd classify adulterated water as something different from regular water with extra crap in it

Unless people are pouring other liquids in like beer and stuff

Proclus of Rome:     One obvious method would be to take water, place it in a line, and then remove all foreign elements.

Lodewig of Tytalus:     well, to make the form as broad as possible of course

Proclus of Rome:     And then purify the water by removing the contaminants.

Lodewig of Tytalus:     terram already has plenty to govern

Bonfilia of Verditius:     imo its CrAq to improve water

johns (GM):     I showed Endrite an example spell in Covenants that uses PeTe to clean up all the dirt and filth in a lab to keep it spotless, even though naturally some dirt would be human/plant matter

Lodewig of Tytalus:     ye, because terram covers solid matter

Proclus of Rome:     Wait is the 3-5-5 teacher actually a 6-10-10 teacher?

johns (GM):     3 Communication, 10 Teaching (which is halved effectively), 10 in whatever their specialty is

Proclus of Rome:     Alright.

Well, we could always just Creo some Aquam.

By we, I mean someone else.

Bonfilia of Verditius:     it would require vis

to create new water

Lodewig of Tytalus:     yeah that's seriously wasteful for most purposes

johns (GM):     Prinny you suggested our High Quality book be on Magic Theory?

Bonfilia of Verditius:     yes

Lodewig of Tytalus:     although temporarily creating water to wash with might actually be cunningly efficient

none of this has mechanical effects at all but it's the sort of problem i like to think about

johns (GM):     Ok, a L20 Q11 book on MT would indeed be a powerful Summa

Lodewig of Tytalus:     I would prefer an Art personally but at least MT is something anyone can use

Proclus of Rome:     What kind of Ease Factor would I be looking at if I wanted to Perfect the buildings in the Covenant?

johns (GM):     Is that a Hermetic Architecture spell

Proclus of Rome:     It's a Hermetic Architecture spell.

johns (GM): It's based on size and material right? You can break it down room by room, and the building material is Stone & Dirt

Proclus of Rome:     You can use Hermetic Architecture to turn it into an Enchanted Building.

johns (GM):     A L20 Q11 MT Summa will cost 93 Build Points

formula is 3 x (Level + Quality)

Proclus of Rome:     The difficulty of perfecting a structure is actually based on how scruffily made the building is.

johns (GM):     Scruffiness: Hella Scruffy

Proclus of Rome:     So a Castle Keep might not require a roll but a thatched cottage would be impossibe.

I mean impossible.

Lodewig of Tytalus:     it should be Level+Quality

one convenience of arts and abilities being the same now

johns (GM):     I figuered Ability summae were more expensive because they're more useful but I'm cool rolling with that

Lodewig of Tytalus:     well even by RAW they don't cost as much as that

Proclus of Rome:     Woah wait a minute.

johns (GM):     Ability Summae: 3 x Level + Quality (Level limit: 8; Quality limit: 11 + 3 x (8 – level), or 22, whichever is lower)

oh oops

order of operations

Proclus of Rome: I just realized we only need to cast Aegis of the Hearth once if I make the buildings an Enchanted Object with Hermetic Architecture.

johns (GM):     I don't follow

Lodewig of Tytalus:     Aegis isn't a spell you can modify, unfortunately

can you put rituals into an enchanted building? most enchantments can't do that

Proclus of Rome:     There's a spell that allows you to Enchant buildings like you can ordinary items.

johns (GM): this current allotment leaves 50 Build Points remaining. I could fill it out with 5 Q10 Tracts leaving us a nice library.

Proclus of Rome:     It's Bind the Mystical Structure, a mystery of the Hermetic Architects.

Well it's a spell.

It's a General spell.

Lodewig of Tytalus:     ok, but does it allow the building to break any usual rules of enchanted objects?

Proclus of Rome:     Hmm, doesn't look like it, unfortunately.

johns (GM):     actualy I think 400 BP is plenty so let's cap it here

Lodewig of Tytalus:     yeah this is good shit

johns (GM):     Excellent.

Proclus of Rome:     You don't need to double the level of the library books, right?

Lodewig of Tytalus:     you're planning to count vis sources that we need to discover into the budget?

johns (GM):     Books should be the same as they always are I think

err I mean

not changing the level/quality

Lodewig of Tytalus:     I really think ability books should be bought like art books

Proclus of Rome:     Oh by the way, you should turn off the grid if you want to move text around.

johns (GM):     These numbers here all assume they work like art books

Lodewig of Tytalus:     ok great

johns (GM):     BP cost of an Art Book is Q + L

Lodewig of Tytalus:     this does actually appreciably simplify matters

johns (GM): As for Vis: I figure any vis we allocate here, some will be stuff we need to track down next session cause that's always an early session hook. As time goes on we may unlock future sources through natural story progressions

Lodewig of Tytalus:     fair enough

johns (GM):     If people research Lore it should spark stories of tracking down old mythic sites or mythic beasts to slay etc.

Proclus of Rome: Step 1 of my plan is to map all the magical regios in Rome, which I think is also going to be a good way to find vis.

johns (GM):     brb

Lodewig of Tytalus:     what's our 5-pawn source? maybe ghost residue for mentem or catacomb fungus for herbam>

johns (GM):     "5 Vis Income" can be 5 different income sources

i just put it there to add all the cost on one line item

Proclus of Rome:     Is Exploded Magical Skull Dust a vis source?

I think it probably is.

Bonfilia of Verditius:     I have rome lore 5, magic lore 3 and infernal lore 5

if that would aid in knowing about vis sources

Lodewig of Tytalus:     it gives you some places to start

but they'll be the one everyone already knows about

Proclus of Rome:     Licking Your Finger And Sticking It In An Electrical Socket Lore 5.

johns (GM):     using lore to find vis sources will be a story and not an automatic thing

it costs endrite 2 Vim Vis to cast an L20 aegis each year?

Proclus of Rome:     I guess?

Lodewig of Tytalus:     yes

Proclus of Rome:     I should probably learn that spell.

Lodewig of Tytalus:     if he can of course

johns (GM):     Congrats as our Mercurian you're officially the guy who has to learn all the rituals now

Proclus of Rome:     Ok.

Lodewig of Tytalus:     to be effective you want to be able to hit a penetration total at least equal to the spell's level

if you write out a copy of wizard's communion then I'll try to learn it eventually, it helps a good deal with penetration

johns (GM): Vim is useful for the Aegis and any enchanted items you want to make, so I'd suggest at least 2 Vis income annually & some in the stockpile

Lodewig of Tytalus:     I'm going to claim a couple of books

Proclus of Rome:     I guess I can write a copy of Wizard's Communion, since I get it for free.

Hmm.

johns (GM):     I selfishly declare that my copy of the Aenied doesn't count towards the Build Point total

Lodewig of Tytalus:     outrageous

that's a valuable tract on Rome Lore

Proclus of Rome:     Curse you.

Hmm.

Lodewig of Tytalus:     If you're going to be like that I'm not letting anyone else read my copy of the Analects of Tytalus

johns (GM):     it's a summae on Sortes Virgilianae that no one else can use anyway

Proclus of Rome:     I should get a copy of Elements for you guys to read.

Lodewig of Tytalus:     I think we should allocate the 5 vis/year we have separately from the 4 we have yet to find

Proclus of Rome:     You'd love it.

Lodewig of Tytalus:     do these look acceptable?

johns (GM):     I have no objections

Proclus of Rome:     Looks good to me.

Bonfilia of Verditius:     I want a perdo book

Proclus of Rome:     We should probably have a long term plan to deal with the wretchedly unhealthy conditions.

Bonfilia of Verditius:     and a herbam book

Lodewig of Tytalus:     Herbam is plenty fine with me

johns (GM): about that Endrite: A&A has rules to let me as Doctor create therapeutic regiments that increase living conditions

Proclus of Rome:     If no one has a lot of Auram, we should get a book.

johns (GM):     the catch:  you have to trust my maga with samples of your precious bodily fluids

Proclus of Rome:     I know one of the things we can do is enchant the buildings with pleasant smells to ward off the miasma.

Lodewig of Tytalus: ok, I hereby declare that our first vis source is a 3/year font of corpus, found by letting ghosts talk to the grogs that develop second sight until they go into the catacombs and recover vis-charged bone fragments

is that good? we're likely to need it

Bonfilia of Verditius:     I absolutely require herbam vis

Proclus of Rome:     That's a lot.

Lodewig of Tytalus:     fair enough, make it 2/year

Bonfilia of Verditius:     1/year is enough of herbam for me tho

Proclus of Rome:     I need Rego vis.

If you want enchanted buildings.

Lodewig of Tytalus:     2/year of rego and 1 of herbam?

Proclus of Rome:     FOR EXAMPLE, an enchantment that increases the Magical aura.

Lodewig of Tytalus:     it seems like a lot of different sources to have in one place

johns (GM):     best to figure out the art first and the nature of the source later

as the catacomb is sprawling you could reasonably have sources from anywhere in rome

Bonfilia of Verditius:     herbam is everywhere

Lodewig of Tytalus: i think the various catacombs of rome are distinct and unconnected crypts, but perhaps in mythic europe it is otherwise

vim of course is always useful

i'd rather go looking for that one though

Proclus of Rome:     We should probably have a Mentem book if you want to eventually learn that spell that gives you +1 Intelligence.

johns (GM):     cthinker pointed this out, that vardian's tomb is actually briefly written up in ancient magic

Cumthinker's Magus:     seems like a corpus book would be good too

Lodewig of Tytalus:     we're a long way off that

of COURSE it's in ancient magic

johns (GM):     it's a place where people can research Defixios

and if you insult the amenities the resident magi send a gang of catacomb dwelling bandits after you

Lodewig of Tytalus:     i need to get back to reading through the ars corpus

johns (GM):     what level do you want that corpus book to be, cthinker

Lodewig of Tytalus:     i'm coasting on the trivia i learned 2 years ago

Cumthinker's Magus:     there's also a bit about how the resident magi collect curse tablets from the catacombs and grind them up for vis

johns (GM):     also a necromancer's covenant would definitely have a Mentem book

Proclus of Rome:     Oh I'm going to say that, as the Ritual Magus you all need to have your buildings geometrically perfected.

johns (GM):     destroying ancient artifacts for vis is ftw

Lodewig of Tytalus:     I'm fine with all that

Bonfilia of Verditius:     huh turns out defixio magic comes from chthonic cults

johns (GM):     good shit, good shit

Bonfilia of Verditius:     what a coincidence

johns (GM):     Which is more important to yall, Corpus or Mentem

Proclus of Rome:     At this stage, Corpus.

johns (GM):     Okay we'll make a high level Summa Corpus and a low level summa Mentem

Proclus of Rome:     We should have a Code of Hermes book.

johns (GM):     I suggest we devote some tracts to Concentration, Finesse, and Penetration as standard useful skills

Proclus of Rome:     Agreed.

What about Lores?

Should we have any Lore books?

johns (GM):     2 Tracts and 4 Summa Remaining

Arts we haven't covered: Intelligo Perdo Rego Animal Aquam Auram Herbam Ignem Terram

Proclus of Rome:     I think an Ignam summa would be good.

Rome is quite flammable, after all.

Lodewig of Tytalus:     those level 5 summae look like the roots of the arts

devote them to ignem and aquam or something similar and practical

maybe take a tract in Magic Lore

Bonfilia of Verditius:     we should have a l10 perdo summa

perdo is Very Useful

Lodewig of Tytalus:     sounds good

johns (GM):     I feel that we should knock the Parma down to a tract or lower level summa

Proclus of Rome:     I think being in Rome and not having any intellectual ammo on the Catholic Church is a mistake.

Cumthinker's Magus:     albigensian lore

johns (GM):     lol

Lodewig of Tytalus:     perhaps, though I could also believe these magi of yesteryear don't give a shit about their church lore

Proclus of Rome:     It's a catacomb so there's all sorts of old relics down here.

Lodewig of Tytalus:     well if you like

Proclus of Rome:     Could be good, could be good.

johns (GM):     The Teacher can be someone who teaches a mundane subject

More books will show up over the course of time natch

Lodewig of Tytalus:     1 level 10 summa remaining...

Proclus of Rome:     Right.

Well, we could always get the teacher to teach some kind of interaction skill.

Lodewig of Tytalus:     Intrigue?

he could also manage our agents

johns (GM):     both  Lodewig & Darvin's char start with it

Lodewig of Tytalus:     I don't, which is why I suggested it

johns (GM):     ah

then that'd be fine by me

this library seems a lot less mighty once you start realizing how much cool shit you want to study

expanding it will definitely be an early priority

Cumthinker's Magus:     i also get some intrigue

Lodewig of Tytalus:     2x trianoma

johns (GM):     cthinker have you read the chapter in Societas about employing agents? I hope to make use of that mechanic

Lodewig of Tytalus:     maybe an etiquette tutor is more likely

johns (GM):     Lavinia can teach Etiquette to y'all

Cumthinker's Magus:     i kind of glanced past it

i'll check it out though

Lodewig of Tytalus:     I was hoping to use it myself, but I'm only persuasive with ladies

still, once I get a few personas established it'll all fall into place

johns (GM):     is our elementalist okay with this selection of arts, it's light on the fundamentals

man im spoiled by mont-mercure's giant accumulated library

Bonfilia of Verditius:     it doesnt have herbam either, but I can make money and trade for my books

Cumthinker's Magus:     there is one tractatus left

Lodewig of Tytalus:     how's that? anything you'd rather trade out for Terram?

Proclus of Rome:     Oh you know what the teacher could teach?

Area Lore: Rome.

Lodewig of Tytalus:     works for me

Proclus of Rome:     Area Lore: Rome, please.

johns (GM):     Neat

They're a Loremaster

Proclus of Rome:     Obviously Neo-Mercurians are the Rome Lore guys.

johns (GM):     vis income sources, 4 allocated, 5 to go

Cumthinker's Magus:     the library looks good to me

Lodewig of Tytalus:     i think we should double up on a few arts for vis sources

it's more likely to come in awkward chunks than steady streams of exactly what you need

Cumthinker's Magus:     how about some terram vis

we're underground

easy.

Proclus of Rome:     I like it.

Oh there's ghosts, we could always have Mentem vis.

I don't have any idea what we'd do with it, though.

johns (GM):     Ghost poop

Lodewig of Tytalus:     maybe we don't have mentem vis, because venator is fiercely protective of his ghosts

Proclus of Rome:     Man, who knows with that weirdo?

Cumthinker's Magus:     just pile the mentem vis up in a corner until it starts causing spontaneous spells

Proclus of Rome:     Oh, thanks for reminding me.

What about the stored pawns?

johns (GM):     we got a lot more flexibility on those

and we don't have to allocate them all right now

in fact they could be the legendary Untyped Vis!!

Lodewig of Tytalus:     yeah

we could just say, take whatever as you need it

Cumthinker's Magus:     25 pawns untyped vis (infernal)

johns (GM):     mwaha

Lodewig of Tytalus:     it'll be gone quickly

same for those 60 (lmao pathetic) spell levels

johns (GM):     lol

hey we had unallocated spell levels at mont mercure 2 years in

Proclus of Rome:     How much vis do you expend on Rituals?

1 for every ten levels?

Lodewig of Tytalus:     for you, yes

1 per 5 for the rest of us

Bonfilia of Verditius:     I can put so much vis into my breads

12 whole pawns

get ready

Cumthinker's Magus:     ring duration is houseruled, right

Lodewig of Tytalus:     it's not really altered, just clarified

Proclus of Rome:     What's the clarification?

johns (GM): let me put another income source as Creo since you use that for Longevity Rituals & creating shit through rituals

Lodewig of Tytalus:     specifically you can't move a ring spell once cast

or it breaks

Proclus of Rome:     Oh.

Duh.

I'm a little confused about the Arcane Circle spell range.

Lodewig of Tytalus: you'd think so but there are sample spells that exploit this to for instance, keep a ghost stored in a ring cast around the lip of a jar

johns (GM): the augustan pentagrams specify that any attempt to destroy the ring (by erasing or whatever) is enough to set it off, should regular rings do that too

Lodewig of Tytalus:     I think that's an advantage of augustan magic, breaking hermetic circles just dispels the spell

Proclus of Rome: It says that I can make a circle and then use that to effect any other identical circle (that is to say, any other perfect circle.)

johns (GM):     what magnitude is Arcane Circle?

Lodewig of Tytalus:     though if a circle is warding you out you can't touch it to erase it

johns (GM):     at bare minimum your target has to be a circle that you have sensed at least once in your lifetime

Cumthinker's Magus:     did anyone abuse ring in the previous game

Proclus of Rome:     Arcane Circle is equivalent to Part.

Cumthinker's Magus:     it seemed insanely strong when i read about it in the book

Lodewig of Tytalus:     i think it was the basis of a bunch of grerr's shit but idr to well

it is the go-to way to make a spell last

johns (GM):     I will reread the section on hermetic architecture and see if the official ars forum has any clarification

Lodewig of Tytalus: for instance, with basic ignem you can make permanent magical heating and lighting for no vis, which is a major boon to lab quality

Proclus of Rome:     It's actually the Hermetic Geometry section ACTUALLY.

Oh yeah I gotta make my Numerology book this year.

Lodewig of Tytalus:     does it actually say that any perfect circle is identical to another?

I would think they'd need to be identical in size and material and so on

Proclus of Rome:     Yes, that's one of the core axioms of geometry.

Lodewig of Tytalus:     I don't know much about geometry

johns (GM):     math ftw

Cumthinker's Magus:     is hermetic geometry in one of the books

Proclus of Rome:     Wow I guess I know what book I'm writing before I write a Wizard's Communion summae.

johns (GM):     oh but with arcane circles i'm 99% certain both circles need to be the same Size

Proclus of Rome:     Yeah, they do.

Hermetic Geometry is part of the Arithmetic Cult from the Mysteries book.

You can't use it unless you've been initiated in the cult.

Which may or may not be possible.

However I think you can still learn Geometry spells.

I'm not sure though.

Proclus of Rome:     Ok we should definitely have a source of Muto vim.

Bonfilia of Verditius:     muto vis is generally bad

Lodewig of Tytalus:     why?

Bonfilia of Verditius:     because very few rituals use muto

Lodewig of Tytalus:     technique vis can at least be exchanged 1:1 for form vis with the redcaps

Proclus of Rome:     Here's a ritual that uses Muto as a Requisite: the one that makes magical buildings.

Bonfilia of Verditius:     if its a requisite i dont think you need to use it as vis

Proclus of Rome:     When you add a Muto requisite you can hide the reagents in the walls of the structure.

Lodewig of Tytalus:     no, your vis only needs to match one of the arts used in the spell

Proclus of Rome:     Oh.

Well then.

(From Proclus of Rome): I also want Muto so I can do a ritual that collapses Prinny's house.

(From Proclus of Rome): If and as needed.

(To Endrite): i once cast a ritual that would collapse a house on him when he entered it, but alas he sent his goons in first

(From Proclus of Rome): Tricky.

johns (GM):     should we pick vis that covers the arts we don't have summae on, so people can study from it?

Proclus of Rome:     That's a good idea.

Lodewig of Tytalus:     well we have 3 pawns unallocated, go with whatever

the functions of vis we can't do without are rego vim and creo corpus, so it looks like we're covered

johns (GM):     looks like Animal is the only thing not covered yet

Lodewig of Tytalus:     oh man i love animals

Proclus of Rome:     Oh animal is good.

johns (GM):     oh and auram

Proclus of Rome:     We could enchant the catacombs to kill rats.

johns (GM):     an ez augustan rite

Bonfilia of Verditius:     i could curse a cheese

Lodewig of Tytalus:     I have to object, I might want to be a rat

johns (GM):     Intelligo only has a tract instead of Summa, so we could add vis there and trade whatever we don't use

Proclus of Rome:     Do Augustan rites conflict with Hermetic enchantments?

I suppose we could try that.

johns (GM):     they're basically just weird forms of Watching Wards

Lodewig of Tytalus:     9 individual sources stretches my suspension of disbelief, but if this is how it must be

Proclus of Rome:     That's Rome for you.

johns (GM):     Well, I'll post this in the thread and see if the people who didn't show up have any suggestions

Proclus of Rome:     Ok.

Amazingly awful.

I think that people who didn't show up should have 1/3 of a vote.

johns (GM):     Awesome!

Lodewig of Tytalus:     cool

johns (GM):     Thank you all who came

Lodewig of Tytalus:     thanks for running dude

johns (GM):     Next week: Hunting vis, first impressions of the city

Lodewig of Tytalus:     how about that adventure xp?

johns (GM):     9 Adventure XP!

Lodewig of Tytalus:     wow!

Proclus of Rome:     Do I get the Confidence Point I spent back?

johns (GM):     The people who didn't show up get: 0

Sure, I think everyone is supposed to get 1 minimum Conf per session. Idk if there should be a cap

there you go

Lodewig of Tytalus:     cool

Proclus of Rome:     I think that, in the interest of balance, everyone who didn't show up should be capped at 8.

Lodewig of Tytalus:     also the people who did show up, and to all future sessions

Proclus of Rome:     How does reading books work?

Lodewig of Tytalus:     you gain experience equal to the book's quality for the season you read it

Proclus of Rome:     Woah.

Woah that's sick.

Lodewig of Tytalus:     a tract can be read once, a summa can be read until your score equals the books level

Proclus of Rome:     So for General spells, how do you improve them>

?

Lodewig of Tytalus:     remember you can only gain experience from one source in a season, so adventure xp is best spent on lab seasons

you have to invent a higher level version of the spell, sad to say

Proclus of Rome:     Hmm.

Except for Wizard's Communion, natch.

johns (GM):     You get a bonus to your lab score for inventing spells similar to what you already know

Proclus of Rome:     Ok.

So Adventure XP can be spent in any way you want?

Lodewig of Tytalus:     i think on any ability, or only on arts that you used in the game

johns (GM):     And capped at 5 XP on any one single art or ability

Proclus of Rome:     Good thing I botched that spell.

johns (GM):     botching ftw

Lodewig of Tytalus:     alright, goodnight

Proclus of Rome:     See ya.