TEXT: Issue #10
  Hermes’ Portal
  
  Hermes’ Portal
  Issue n° 10
  November 2003
  � � �
  Who’s who . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3
  Publisher’s corner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3
  Three Faerie Herbs  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4
  by Mark Shirley
  Soulflower, The Temptation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16
  by Tyler Larson
  Towards a New Learning Model  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17
  by Sean Michael Winslow
  Ars Mathematica: Mathematics  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22
  by Adam Bank and Jeremiah Genest
  The gift, Silence  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30
  by Tyler Larson
  A New Character Sheet: Innate and Learned Attributes  . . . . . . . . .31
  by Jérémy Provost
  Omnibus Grimoire: Herbam  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .36
  by Andrew Gronosky
  Stories in the Chinese Style . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .39
  by Timothy Ferguson
  Mythic Cathay: Popular beliefs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .41
  by Timothy Ferguson
  Hermes’ portal
  Publisher: Hermes’ Portal
  Contributors: Adam Bank, Timothy Ferguson, Jeremiah Genest, Andrew Gronosky, Eric Kouris, Tyler Larson, Jérémy Provost, Mark
  Shirley, Sean Michael Winslow
  Editorial and proofreading help: Sheila Thomas
  Illustrations: Angela Taylor (cover, border & p. 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, 12, 13, 14), Alexander White (p. 21, 22, 28, 29), Radja Sauperamaniane (back,
  page numbering & p. 3, 38, 40, 42, 43)
  Layout: Eric Kouris
  Thanks: All the people who submitted ideas, texts, illustrations or helped in the production of this issue.
  Hermes’ Portal is an independent publication dedicated to Ars Magica players. Hermes’ Portal is available through email only.
  Hermes’ Portal is not affiliated with Atlas Games or White Wolf Gaming Studio. References to trademarks of those companies are not
  intended to infringe upon the rights of those parties. Ars Magica was created by Jonathan Tweet and Mark Rhein Hagen.
  Hermes’ Portal # 10, Copyright ©2003, Hermes’ Portal. All rights reserved. Reproduction of this work is allowed for personal use only.
  Contacting Hermes’ Portal
  Email: Hermes.Portal@wanadoo.fr
  Web site: www.hermesportal.fr.st
  
  Who’s who
  Jérémy Provost
  Jérémy is 28, a software developer living in Paris,
  France. He started roleplaying in 1989 with The Dark
  Eye, and created a website as soon as he discovered
  Ars Magica (he doesn’t know if he spends more time
  on the website or playing). He contributed to Ars
  Mag recently, but needed the help of Michaël de Ver-
  teuil to translate his awful English here. He usually
  loses his time on the French RPG site www.sden.org,
  were he is an active member.
  Sean Michael Winslow
  A native of the Silicon Valley, Sean now does
  graduate work at the University of Toronto, where
  he is taking his degree in Medieval Studies, Book His-
  tory, and Print Culture. He became interested in Ars
  Magica in 1997 and has been a playtester for Land of
  Fire and Ice and several as-yet unreleased supplements.
  While waiting to get his next Ars Magica Troupe
  together, Sean currently plays in a Classic Traveller
  campaign, and pretends to work on his Latin.
  Publisher’s corner
  Hermes’ Portal has reached issue #10!
  I won’t say HP is going well; the sales are still low
  with less than 100 copies sold per issue. But at the
  same time, more readers are taking out a long-term
  subscription. I’ve been thinking about a special issue
  for long-time subscribers, some kind of special gift.
  I’ll give you more info when this project takes shape.
  This issue, following the pattern of previous
  ones, is offering you food for your saga: ready-to-
  play plot ideas in Mark Shirley’s Three Faerie Herbs,
  another lost chapter from The Mysteries giving a new
  dimension to the +4 Virtue Sacred Architecture, new
  points of view on the mechanics of the game.
  I hope you will enjoy it, and then I hope you will
  let other Ars Magica players know about it, bringing
  new readers to Hermes’ Portal.
  Eric
  3
  Appolonios of Jerbiton
  � � �
  Familiar Business
  Familiar Business is now available on high quality vellum. You can order it from any Redcap!
  You've been waiting for it for two years!
  Medea of Flambeau and Talos of Merinita are back!!!
  As are their enemies, the abominable Archmagus Aiétès of Tremere, the depraved Tytalus Apsyrtos and the
  evil-smelling Quaesitor Phryxos. We’ll be in Twilight Tonight closed with the complete exposure of the dia-
  bolical plans of these three and their renunciation.
  A new threat, a new hero, a new story and new discoveries!
  The Order is now enjoying peace, but like the scourge that strikes when you think you’re safe, these three
  evil-doers recall their ancient ties with the glorious Legion of Mithras to pervert it from within, while at the
  same time teaming up with magic workers from overseas to launch an all-out attack on a defenceless Order.
  Medea and Talos would have appreciated the help of Mopsos, but the wise Criamon has passed into Final
  Twilight. Putting their faith in the last pure House, they team up with Caineus of Bjornaer to fight against the
  rampant evil at work in the Order and the enemies striking at its borders.
  But what will happen when they take part in the oldest and best preserved ritual of House Bjornaer, the
  Gathering of Twelve Years?
  What they say
  ‘A marvellous, magical novel, as profound and thought-provoking as it is richly entertaining.’
  Harco’s Tribune
  ‘Appolonios is a wise and subtle artist. He manages things in Familiar Business with consummate skill that
  other writers are well advised not to attempt.’
  Valnastium Book Review
  ‘A brilliant new vision of a future Order, stark and provocative. A twisting thrill-ride that sweeps across the
  page with all the force of a monster storm.’
  Library Journal of Durenmar
  ‘Very well informed! Discover the Gathering of Twelve Years from within!’
  Tharbaud of Bjornaer
  
  Three Faerie Herbs
  by Mark Shirley
  T
  his article deals with three Herbs of
  Virtue (see Hedge Magic) which are
  strongly associated with the fae. Note
  that when I refer to the herb by its com-
  mon English name (mistletoe, mandrake) I refer to
  the common herb (ergot does not have a mundane
  form), whereas the Magical name (Viscum, Man-
  dragora, Ergot) refers solely to the Herb of Virtue.
  Each herb has a number of powers attested by folk-
  lore, story seeds, and major plotlines involving a
  character, an enchanted item, a type of Hermetic
  wizard, or a faerie court.
  Note that some of the information in this article
  is derived from a number of Ars Magica sources; in
  particular, all three herbs were mentioned in Faeries
  2nd Edition, and the basic mandrake virtues can be
  found there and reprinted in the Wizard’s Grimoire
  Revised Edition.
  istletoe (Viscum),
  a Herb of Virtue
  These 
  dark 
  green,
  glossy plants spring myste-
  riously from the highest
  branches of trees, and are
  thought to have been
  brought to earth when lightning strikes the tree.
  Mistletoe can be found on a number of different
  trees — particularly apple and other fruit trees — but
  Viscum, Mistletoe of Virtue, is only found in oak
  trees.
  The waxy white berries of Viscum are worth 1
  pawn of Herbam vis each, and can be plucked with-
  out affecting the plant. Cuttings of the Viscum itself
  are worth 2 pawns of Intellego vis. Unless the cutter
  has been given permission by the faeries, however,
  cutting Viscum arouses their anger — the cutting can
  root itself in the body of anyone who touches the
  cut end, or any preparation made with the cutting
  may turn out to be a deadly poison.
  There is an elaborate ritual for the taking of
  mistletoe which is still remembered in a few places.
  The ritual must be performed at night, when the
  moon is full. The mistletoe must not touch the earth
  or any base substance — usually utensils and con-
  tainers of precious metals are used. If the ritual is
  correctly performed, the faeries are pacified and the
  mistletoe becomes Viscum, mistletoe of Virtue. If
  treated well, the faerie which inhabits the herb may
  answer questions and give faerie knowledge, but if
  the Viscum ever touches the earth or any base sub-
  stance, the faerie disappears and its power is lost. Vis-
  cum is well known for its power over bird life.
  4
  Mistletoe Faeries
  These faeries reside permanently within bushes
  of Viscum — the plant is their home, and they can-
  not leave it. They are secretive and loathe to part
  with their knowledge; however, they are insufferable
  know-it-alls, and when asked a question cannot help
  revealing the answer in the unconscious twitching of
  their branches, which skilled persons can interpret
  (see main text). They are also very touchy, and must
  be treated correctly and with reverence, else they will
  depart their home, leaving mundane mistletoe in
  their place. To those that can see them (see below),
  mistletoe faeries appear as small men and women
  with wizened green skin, leaves instead of hair, and
  huge glistening eyes with no iris.
  Faerie Might: 10
  Personality Traits: Touchy +2, Secretive +3,
  Self-Important +3
  Powers:
  Lore: Mistletoe faeries have remarkable knowl-
  edge about faeries and fae things, especially
  matters pertaining to the local area. This
  knowledge is brought to them by the birds.
  Assume that they know everything about the
  faeries within the region, and have a Faerie
  Lore of 10 regarding faeries outside this limit.
  They may be unwilling to pass on this knowl-
  edge, however. (No Hermetic equivalent)
  Insubstantial Form: Mistletoe faeries reside
  inside Mistletoe of Virtue, and occupy no real
  space. Those with Second Sight may be able
  to see their faces within the leaves of a mistle-
  toe bush, or reflected in the berries. (No Her-
  metic equivalent)
  Control Birds: Mistletoe faeries have a long-
  standing compact with the King of Birds, and
  his subjects will do anything for the faeries in
  an effort to repay a boon granted long ago.
  (ReAn 30)
  
  Frequency: Uncommon
  Wild Vis: 10 pawns (whole plant)
  Standard Vis: 1 Herbam in each berry, 2 Intel-
  lego in a cutting
  The Viscum communicates its knowledge to the
  bearer through subtle movements of the twigs, and
  reflections in the glossy berries. It requires an Intelli-
  gence roll to interpret the Viscum, modified by
  Faerie Lore or Enigmatic Wisdom. The herb can be
  treated as potentially knowing everything about
  faerie matters, but the answers to complex questions
  are difficult to interpret. As the Viscum is loathe to
  intrude on the affairs of powerful faeries, the inter-
  pretation roll suffers a penalty equal to the Might/5
  of the faerie asked about, or the level of the aura, if
  a faerie place is enquired after. The storyguide may
  impose other penalties for other situations. The ease
  factor is 3 for simple questions (“Do goblins favour
  the courts of Light or Dark?”), 6 for more difficult
  questions (“what is the name of the Goblin-King
  who haunts yonder wood?”) and 12 for extremely
  difficult or complex questions (“How do I make
  myself immune to the powers of the Goblin-
  King?”).
  If a branch of mistletoe is hung in an oak tree
  with the wing of a bird, then all birds of that type in
  the area will make all haste to the tree containing the
  Viscum, and remain there until the next sunrise.
  Jervais
  There’s a man who can occasionally be seen at
  fairs, particularly the spring fairs. It is said that he
  used to be a soldier, although none would believe it
  now. He walks with stooped shoulders and halting
  gait, his arms cradling his grossly swollen belly as if
  it constantly pains him. People who have met him
  before avoid him, for he has the unnerving habit of
  gripping an arm and staring intently into people’s
  faces, his watery grey eyes flickering over their fea-
  tures. No-one knows where he lives, but he is
  assumed to be indigent as he has been seen at sever-
  al fairs during the spring and summer.
  As he shuffles through the milling crowds in his
  rags, he mumbles to himself, eyes casting left and
  right, as if searching for someone. Sometimes he will
  find them. He’ll latch on to somebody, and speak to
  them in hushed tones, hurried and urgent. Usually, at
  first, they will try to shake him off, but he must be
  saying something that interests them, for soon they
  will be huddled with him, listening intently to his
  mutterings. They will then part company, and the
  stranger will leave the fair. The person with whom he
  has conversed will then generally do something com-
  pletely out of character. A cautious merchant might
  take a chance on a risky venture. A peasant might
  burn his crops and move away, never to be seen
  again. A priest might miss Mass for the first time in
  his career. Every time this happens, it will be for the
  best — they will undergo a life-changing experience
  because of their actions, and their lot in life will dra-
  matically improve.
  Some are aware of this, and have tried to engage
  the stranger in conversation. He rebuffs any attempt
  to speak with him, refusing even to make eye-con-
  tact. Once, a lord tried to imprison him so that he
  would work his magic, threatening him with being
  burnt for witchcraft. The stranger didn’t even
  acknowledge the lord’s existence, but the next day the
  keep’s foundations gave way and the place was razed
  to the ground. The only structure left unaffected was
  the donjon, and the prisoner walked free.
  Background
  Jervais was once the turb captain of a nearby cov-
  enant. He accompanied the magi on a vis-collecting
  expedition, and passed their instructions onto his
  men — at no point should the mistletoe that they
  were cutting from the tree be allowed to touch the
  ground, or its magic will be lost. As a loyal grog,
  when he saw the tiny sprig about to fall, he dived for
  it, trying to save it for the magi. He managed to catch
  it, but the cut end touched his belly — and took root.
  The magi tried everything they could to remove
  it, but it wouldn’t budge. They were surprised when
  it started to grow, sending out shoots until the tiny
  sprig became a bush. They were delighted when the
  plant growing out of their captain produced berries.
  No more would they have to trek into the forest —
  they had their own vis source here within the coven-
  ant. When they tried to pluck one of the waxy berry
  however, Jervais screamed, and blood poured from
  the broken end of the branch. With this they decid-
  ed to hold off their plan to implant some more
  grogs.
  Form and Effect bonuses for mistletoe
  +3
  Fertility
  +3
  Repelling evil
  +1
  Promote peace
  +4
  Prophecy
  5
  
  Jervais’ behaviour changed. He became more
  introspective, and the bush growing on his stomach
  made it difficult for him to fight effectively. He start-
  ed to have powerful visions — disturbing visions —
  about horrible things happening to people he didn’t
  know. The morale of the turb took a nose-dive from
  the obvious suffering and general weirdness that had
  affected their captain, and they started to question
  why the magi hadn’t done anything about it.
  Then, one night, Jervais disappeared. He left in
  search of the people in his vision, and soon found
  out that he could ease the hallucinations by finding
  the people concerned and telling them what he’d
  seen regarding their lives. He keeps the Viscum hid-
  den under a shapeless robe.
  Story seeds
  There are any number of possible stories, revolv-
  ing around what Jervais might tell a character, or
  resulting from an NPC important to the player char-
  acters undergoing a total life change after talking to
  him.
  1. Jervais’s prophesies are often cryptic in the
  extreme. If he tells a character not to talk to
  the woman wearing men’s clothing, that char-
  acter might be consumed with the desire to
  know what would happen if they did so —
  and there is only one way to find out…
  2. Someone with Second Sight may work out that
  Jervais is possessed by a mistletoe faerie – and
  a particularly powerful one at that. Once the
  PCs discover this, will they try to help Jervais?
  Does Jervais want to be helped? And what
  exactly is the grand plan of the faerie — why
  is he causing all these people to dramatically
  change their lives? The storyguide should
  decide upon what other powers this faerie has
  in addition to those listed above.
  The Mistleteinn
  The Mistleteinn is a magical item, which appears
  to be a twisted shaft of black wood, 3’ long. One end
  has a wickedly barbed point. Close inspection reveals
  embossed images of leaves and berries all along the
  shaft. To those in the know, these are mistletoe
  leaves. The Mistelteinn appears to be proportioned
  to be used as a short spear, or thrown as a javelin.
  History
  Norsemen recount the tale of the Goddess Frig-
  ga, who, wanting to protect her beloved son Balder
  from all harm, made every living thing promise not
  to harm him. The god Loki, despising Balder, tricked
  Frigga into revealing that she had not asked the
  mistletoe to swear such an oath because it was too
  young. Loki picked the mistletoe and enchanted it
  with his hatred for the sun-god Balder, then slipped
  it into the quiver of the blind god Hoder. Loki sug-
  gested a game of throwing weapons at Balder, who
  accepted, believing himself to be safe from all harm.
  When Hoder’s turn came about, Balder was killed.
  What happened to the mistletoe dart after
  Balder’s death is unknown, but the Mistleteinn has
  surfaced now and again in history, always figuring
  prominently in the slaying of powerful faeries. How-
  ever, there is a distinct danger in using it due to its
  purported god-slaying ability. The Mistleteinn does
  not merely slay the faerie, it wipes out their very exis-
  tence. This has little effect when the faerie is minor
  in nature, but when faerie lords reach a certain level
  of power, they become living embodiments of a par-
  ticular concept. Obliterating that concept can have
  profound effects. For example, when Balder was
  slain, a fearful winter came about that lasted for sev-
  en years, during which time the sun wasn’t seen in
  Norse lands, and evil prospered.
  Powers
  Talisman: If held, the Mistleteinn will add its
  Form and Effect bonuses to all spellcasting
  totals as if it were a talisman. This power
  works even if the magus using it already has a
  talisman of their own. Form and Effect
  bonuses are all those belonging to wands and
  mistletoe (see insert), +10 for killing faeries.
  These bonuses will stack! (non-Hermetic, rat-
  ed at 20th level for investigation purposes)
  Absorb vis: If left in a magical aura, the
  Mistleteinn will accumulate a pawn of Vim vis
  each season for each point of the aura. The
  weapon has the capacity to absorb 10 pawns of
  Vim vis. If it is buried with a fresh corpse in
  an unconsecrated grave, it will absorb 2 pawns
  of Perdo vis each season, and it has the capac-
  ity to absorb 10 pawns of Perdo vis. This vis
  can only be used to power the Kill Faeries
  enchantment of the Mistleteinn, but this fact
  will not be revealed by any level of investiga-
  tion. (Absorb Vim vis: Non-Hermetic, rated at
  30th level for investigation purposes. Absorb
  Perdo vis: non-Hermetic, rated at 40th level
  for investigation purposes only)
  Fae Bane: The Mistleteinn was invented for the
  sole purpose of killing powerful faeries. When
  wielded in combat against a faerie (whether as
  a short spear or a javelin), it gains a bonus to
  hit equal to one fifth of the faerie’s Might. This
  means that the more powerful faeries are, the
  easier it is to hit them. When a hit is success-
  ful, the wielder must make a penetration roll
  against the faerie’s Magic Resistance, and they
  may use any or all of the Perdo or Vim vis
  stored within the weapon. A magus may
  choose how many pawns of vis to use, a non-
  magus may use all or none (in which case the
  penetration total is +0). If the penetration is
  successful, the weapon deals damage to the
  faerie equal to its own Permanent Might. A
  pixie with a Faerie Might of 5 will take +5
  damage, a Forest Lord with a Faerie Might of
  50 will take +50 damage! If the penetration
  roll fails, then normal damage is taken by the
  faerie. (non-Hermetic, rated at 50th level for
  investigation purposes)
  6
  
  Story seeds
  1. When doing some excavation work (perhaps
  doing repairs at their covenant?), the charac-
  ters find the Mistleteinn in an unmarked grave.
  It may have been buried there many years ago,
  or it might be a recent interment. It the grave
  happens to be in a magical aura, it is possible
  that the Mistleteinn is fully topped up with
  Vim and Perdo vis. What will the characters do
  it once they discover what it does? If it is a
  recent burial, whoever buried it there may be a
  little annoyed that it has been taken.
  2. The Mistleteinn could be particularly danger-
  ous if it falls into the hands of a faerie lord
  who might use it to obliterate his rivals. Trees
  within woodland where forest faeries used to
  live will sicken and die, and pools once inhab-
  ited by naiads will become dank and stagnant.
  Vis sources may dry up as a result. Within a
  short space of time, the only fae left in the area
  are those who swear loyalty to the owner of
  the Mistleteinn. Perhaps faerie allies of the
  covenant are victims of the depredations.
  Eventually, a faerie of power will be killed, and
  his passing will be marked by the removal of
  his correspondences in the mortal realm. The
  death of the Prince of Wolves would mean the
  disappearance of all wolves from the area;
  whereas the loss of a patron of wisdom might
  result in the failure of all oracles and foresight
  in the region (apart from those of a divine ori-
  gin, of course). The storyguide must deter-
  mine what happens when the particular faeries
  in his saga get obliterated, but the conse-
  quences should be far-reaching. For an added
  (and perhaps more humorous) twist, the faerie
  who gets his hands on the Mistleteinn could be
  the lowliest of brownies or goblins who can
  make even the mightiest lords tremble in fear.
  3. If destroyed (and bear in mind, this artefact
  was made by a god), the Mistleteinn reverts to
  its previous form — a herb that was consid-
  ered too innocent by Frigga to swear an oath.
  The spear literally unfurls into the small bush
  which was compressed by Loki’s magic into a
  spear. Where this bush takes root may be
  important, for it is likely that this personifica-
  tion of innocence will be of great importance
  to the player characters. Precisely what it can
  accomplish is up to the storyguide, but it
  should be a force for peace and fertility. For a
  start, its berries might, if planted, give rebirth
  to the fae that have been slain in the past.
  Eventually one of those planted seeds will give
  rise to a powerful faerie — perhaps Balder
  himself.
  andrake (Man-
  dragora), a Herb
  of Virtue
  This herb grows be-
  sides the gallows-tree or at
  the crossroads on the gra-
  ves of witches and sui-
  cides. Particularly potent Mandragora grows from
  the tears of an innocent man who was executed on
  the gallows. It is a low fleshy herb with scented blos-
  soms and yellow fruit, rarely found anywhere on
  ground trodden by living feet. It is the root which has
  the potent virtue; and Mandragora can always be dis-
  tinguished from common mandrake by the anthro-
  pomorphic form of the root — it has a deeply
  forked form making two ‘legs’, two side roots form-
  ing ‘arms’, and sometimes another root forming a
  ‘tail’. The ‘head’ of the Mandragora is a small knot at
  the base of the leaves and stalks. The male root is
  white, the female black and more widely forked.
  Its virtue is great, but more so is the danger in
  collecting it. Few sources agree as to how the Man-
  dragora should be harvested. One source says that
  the plant should be marked by iron as soon as it is
  seen to prevent the virtuous properties escaping.
  Some insist it should be harvested in the hour of
  Mars on the day of Venus. Seeing an eagle while
  approaching or excavating the Mandragora will signi-
  fy the death of the hunter within the year. Three cir-
  cles should be drawn around the plant with an
  enchanted blade, and prayers should be said to the
  east. Erotica should be whispered to the plant at all
  times to distract it, while the earth around it is dug up
  with an ivory staff and as soon as the limbs are visi-
  ble, they should be tied up, without actually touching
  the root. Then a dog should be tied to the plant and
  caused to run away. The shriek of the plant as it
  leaves the ground will kill the dog, but the plant will
  be free from the ground.
  Note that only the Mandragora needs to be treat-
  ed with such care, for only it has the deadly scream.
  The common mandrake is harmless; however, distin-
  guishing the two is not a simple matter from above
  ground, and one can never be sure which you have
  found.
  7
  
  Frequency: Rare
  Wild Vis: 4 pawns per shaving / 8 pawns per
  fragment
  Standard Vis: 2 pawns of Corpus vis per shav-
  ing / 4 pawns per fragment
  The storyguide must determine which of the pre-
  cautions mentioned above is absolutely necessary;
  however, the Mandragora will always scream when
  pulled from the ground, and all who hear the
  unearthly shriek will die. Traditionally, deaf people
  and dogs are the ones who pick mandrake. Parmae
  Magicae can also protect — treat the scream as a lev-
  el 45 Perdo Corpus / Animal spell. The scream’s
  range is 15 paces in every direction.
  There is a chance that the root will break as it is
  pulled from the ground. This chance may be lessened
  by the various precautions, or may be down to pure
  luck. A broken root has 4 pawns of Corpus vis or 8
  pawns of wild vis, depending upon how the collector
  sees these things.
  The reason why so much care is taken to obtain a
  whole Mandragora root is because of the remarkable
  8
  Mandrake Homunculus
  Faerie Might: 45 (initially)
  Characteristics: Int (either one less than blood
  donor or +1, whichever is highest), Per (equal to
  Int), Pre (that of blood donor -4), Com +1, Str -5,
  Sta -5, Dex +1, Qik +2
  Size: -5
  Personality Traits: Any 3 chosen by the sto-
  ryguide. Homunculi usually have extreme personali-
  ty traits.
  Virtues and Flaws: The storyguide should pick
  up to 15 virtue points of Exceptional Talents or
  Virtues that grant Magical Powers. Two points may
  be traded in for two Hermetic Forms, or one Her-
  metic Technique. Mandragora can have any Excep-
  tional talent in Ars Magica 4th Edition, Wizard’s Gri-
  moire Revised Edition or Faeries Revised Edition.
  They can also know any of the exceptional talents of
  Cunning Folk, Spirit Masters or Natural Magicians
  (from Hedge Magic).
  Soak: -5
  Abilities: Assign 20 experience points to Talents
  and Skills. They cannot learn Hermetic Talents.
  Assign a further 20 experience points to Knowl-
  edges, and there is no restrictions as to which
  Knowledges they can have (and it is recommended
  that at least 6 experience points are put into Magic
  Theory). They also gain a score of 5 in all Excep-
  tional Talents that they possess, a 15 in any Hermet-
  ic Art they possess, and both Herbalism and Faerie
  Sight scores of 5, and gain the ability to speak the
  same language as the blood donor at the same level.
  Powers:
  Poisonous Flesh: if mouthed or licked by a per-
  son or animal, the victim must make a Stm roll
  of 12+ or be paralysed. If bitten into, the
  penalty for failure is death. If the roll is made,
  2 body levels are still lost, and the attacker is
  crippled with pain.
  Wealth of the Greedy Merchant: The homunculus
  can double the amount of coins that are left in
  contact with it overnight. Because of its small
  size, this amounts to no more than 100 coins.
  Neither the original coins or their duplicates
  (and they are exact duplicates) may be dupli-
  cated again by the homunculus — new coins
  are needed to repeat the feat. Remember that
  the silver shilling (or its local equivalent) is by
  and large an accounting currency — there are
  very few in circulation.
  A finished homunculus resembles the blood
  donor closely and is the size of the original man-
  drake root. It can speak, move and do anything else
  a human being its size could do. The Faerie Might of
  a newly made homunculus is 45. However, as
  homunculi get older, they become weaker. Their
  Permanent Might drops by 1 point every 2 years, and
  when it reaches zero, they die, becoming just a stan-
  dard Mandragora root, which may be harvested for
  vis, as stated above. Their vegetable nature makes
  them immune to Mentem spells, and their Faerie
  Sight can render them unaffected by deception
  through Imaginem spells.
  Homunculi have knowledge of magic, but can-
  not cast spells or use magical abilities themselves.
  They will teach magic or give advice; but they are
  free-willed, and their advice is only as good as they
  want it to be. All homunculi have individual person-
  alities; they want to be paid for their advice and assis-
  tance, and must be treated well. Payment takes the
  form of information, additional privileges, services
  in return, or fresh blood.
  
  powers granted to whoever possesses one. All Man-
  dragora can move — they writhe and contort, and
  can even drag themselves along — at a very slow rate
  (about one pace an hour). They have at least a rudi-
  mentary intelligence, they will attempt to overcome
  any barrier to wreak horrible vengeance on anyone
  who has mistreated them (which includes taking
  excessive quantities of vis from them).
  A whole root can be used as a source of Corpus
  (or wild) vis. Shavings of the root may be taken, each
  one containing 2 pawns of Corpus vis (or 4 pawns of
  wild vis). Alternatively, larger fragments may be tak-
  en, each one containing 4 pawns of Corpus vis (or 8
  pawns of wild vis).
  An average sized root has about 10 shavings, or 5
  fragments. Those making an Int + Herbalism roll of
  12+ will know that the damage caused to a root by
  taking vis can be healed using Vim vis or the blood
  of a magically-active creature or person. The damage
  caused by removing a shaving can be healed with 1
  pawn of vis or one pint of blood, but the root must
  be left for a season before taking another shaving.
  The damage caused by taking a fragment takes 2
  pawns of vis or three pints of blood, and a whole six
  months. Theoretically, if the root is healed for every
  shaving or fragment taken, a whole mandrake can
  supply an infinite amount of vis. If the damage is not
  healed, the root will die, but still contains the total vis
  it had in life — 20 pawns of Corpus vis, or 40 pawns
  of wild vis!
  A skilled Herbalist can manufacture a love potion
  from a root fragment (or two shavings) of the Man-
  dragora. The male root must be used to make a
  woman fall in love with a man, and vice versa. Such
  a potion requires a few days of work and an Intelli-
  gence + Herbalism (+Folk Magic, if a cunning-man)
  roll against an Ease Factor of 12. Anyone who drinks
  the potion will be affected by a powerful, all-con-
  suming lust for the next person of the opposite sex
  that they see. Note that this infatuation is clearly
  unnatural and disturbing to all who witness it. A
  cunning-man can make a charm from the Mandrago-
  ra that has similar effects using the vis inherent in the
  root-fragment. It is said that the lust can only be
  cured by having the other partner consume a similar
  potion, at which point the effect can be overcome, or
  converted into genuine mutual attraction. Mandrago-
  ra fragments can also be used to make Minor potions
  (Hedge Magic p35) of Dousing or Visions, but the
  effects last 1 day per pawn of wild vis (i.e. usually 8
  days).
  Alternatively, a whole root can be made into a
  homunculus, but only if it has not been used for any
  other purpose. Once made into a homunculus, it can
  no longer be harvested for vis.
  Making a homunculus
  Making a homunculus requires a person with the
  Herbalism skill. A pint of blood from the person
  who will own the homunculus is needed, in addition
  to 4 pawns of Vim vis (or eight pawns of wild vis).
  Many other ingredients are also needed, and the
  process takes 9 months, during which time the Man-
  dragora is sealed into a vessel which must be kept
  warm for the whole incubation period. It is believed
  that the Mandragora becomes the home of some
  spirit which animates it, as opposed to it becoming
  truly sentient on its own. After all, the homunculus
  shows true intelligence, not animal cunning. This
  spirit is closely allied to the Faerie Realm rather than
  the Magic Realm.
  New Virtues and Flaws
  Owner of a Mandragora +3: You own a whole
  Mandragora root, and know how to gather vis from
  it. You obtained the root through luck, or your own
  skill. By carefully shaving the mandrake and healing
  it using the blood of a Gifted person, you can obtain
  two pawns of Corpus vis per season (or 4 pawns of
  wild vis). You can also sacrifice the whole root in one
  go by cutting 20 shavings from it, each worth 2
  pawns of standard vis. You have learnt the trick of
  divination using mandrake root as well: by watching
  Form and Effect bonuses for mandrake
  +3
  Inciting lust
  +2
  Causing or curing sleeplessness
  +7
  Turning men into pigs (this was the herb
  used by Circe)
  9
  
  the writhing of the root after asking it a simple ques-
  tion, you may be able to divine the answer. Make an
  Int + Faerie Lore roll of at least 9+. The answer
  takes the form of a single word.
  Owner of a Homunculus +4 (magi) / +5
  (companions): You are the owner, or perhaps the
  servant, of a mandrake homunculus. It has all the
  abilities described above, and is reasonably well-dis-
  posed towards you, as long as you treat it well. You
  can be trained by the homunculus if it has non-Her-
  metic magics which you already have some skill in,
  and it can teach you any Knowledges it has (see
  below for details). If you are a magus, you may still
  learn any Hermetic Arts from the homunculus (as
  described below), but cannot learn any of its non-
  Hermetic Exceptional Talents from it unless you also
  possess the appropriate Virtue.
  Mandrake Magus +1 / -4: You are a gifted indi-
  vidual who was taught magic by a Mandragora
  homunculus. You are a member of House Ex Mis-
  cellanea, and have the Hedge Wizard Flaw. Because
  the training you received was from an animated plant
  rather than a magus of the Order, you have the great-
  ly reduced starting template given below, and you
  may not place any starting experience into Certámen,
  Hermetic Law, Order of Hermes Lore or Scribe
  Latin. It is quite possible that there will be some Her-
  metic Arts that you will have no knowledge of; but
  you can learn any Exceptional Ability possessed by
  your homunculus as if you had the appropriate
  Virtue. You are likely to be afraid of normal Her-
  metic magi. This virtue is a +1 Virtue if your homun-
  culus is still alive and able to give you advice and
  training, or a -4 Flaw if the homunculus is dead or
  permanently missing. Life as a mandrake magus is
  not easy. See below for details.
  The Mandrake Magus
  Template for a Mandrake Magus
  Starting Abilities: Magic Theory 3, Parma Mag-
  ica 1, Speak Own Language 4, Herbalism 1
  Starting Experience Points: 15 + age
  Note that unless a mandrake magus takes the
  Educated Virtue, he cannot have access to any Aca-
  demic abilities at character creation, including Speak
  Latin and Scribe Latin.
  Required Virtues and Flaws:
  Mandrake Magus +1 / -4: described above
  Herbalism +1: all Mandragora homunculi teach
  how to prepare herbal compounds. The char-
  acter may only increase Herbalism using his
  starting experience points, not points gained
  through magical training described below).
  Hedge Wizard -1: other magi distrust the source
  of your magic, and more importantly, grant
  you no respect.
  Special Rule: As mentioned above, homunculi
  rarely have purely Hermetic abilities, and they often
  do not know all the Arts. Therefore, starting man-
  drake magi may not have access to all of the Her-
  metic Arts, and may have access to non-Hermetic
  powers. The storyguide, perhaps with input from the
  player, will decide upon the powers of which a
  homunculus has knowledge, following the guidelines
  given in the insert. For every Hermetic Art pos-
  sessed, they have 10 points with which to buy levels.
  For every Exceptional Ability taught by the homun-
  culus, the character has 6 points with which to buy
  levels. The character need not buy the virtues that
  accompany the Exceptional Ability, and cannot put
  any of his starting experience points into these
  Exceptional Abilities, as this count as magical train-
  ing. The character has 10 levels of spells for every
  Hermetic Art they know. When calculating whether a
  spell is allowed to a starting magus, a ‘missing art’ is
  treated as a zero. However, when a ‘missing art’ is
  used in any total during play — a spell-casting total
  or lab total, for example —the total is halved.
  Exempli gratia: A homunculus knows the non-
  Hermetic abilities of Blessing and Enchanting Music
  (5 Virtue Points). It also knows the Hermetic Tech-
  niques of Creo and Rego (4 Virtue Points) and the
  Forms of Herbam, Animal, Terram, Auram, Aquam
  and Vim (6 Virtue Points). The player therefore has
  12 experience points to buy levels in the talents of
  Blessing and Enchanting Music; and 80 experience
  points to divide between the 8 Arts allowed to him,
  and 80 levels of spells.
  Learning from a homunculus
  Assuming that a magus can appease the homun-
  culus, it can learn from it. It can teach any of its
  Knowledges through Training (ArM 4th ed, p187). All
  magical training takes place through Disputatio (even
  abilities such as Hex, which strictly speaking are tal-
  ents). Hermetic Arts not known by the homunculus
  cannot be taught by it; instead the magus must be
  opened in that Art by another magus as if they were
  an apprentice (this takes one season per Art), at
  which point they may increase it in the normal way.
  Most mandrake magi cannot face the humiliation of
  this process, even if they can find a magus willing to
  teach them. In addition, their homunculus may get
  jealous.
  Life of a Mandrake Magus
  Within House Ex Miscellanea there are several
  lineages of mandrake magi. These were started by a
  homunculus who escaped from a non-Hermetic wiz-
  ard who was mistreating it, and met up with a mem-
  ber of House Ex Miscellanea. The homunculus and
  the magus became friends, and the homunculus
  taught the magus the secret of making more of his
  kind. The magus in turn instructed his apprentice,
  who created the first homunculus with Hermetic
  powers. Since then, other homunculi have found
  refuge with the lineage, and their magical powers
  have diversified.
  The current practice in the lineage is for a magus
  not to take an apprentice until they get quite old, per-
  haps sixty or so years from apprenticeship. They then
  instruct the youngster in the basics of their magic,
  and teach them how to make a homunculus. This
  brief period of contact — at most three years — is
  10
  
  all the connection that a mandrake magus will have
  with their human master. The newly-formed homun-
  culus will then take over the training of the appren-
  tice. Following orders from the old master, when the
  homunculus considers that the apprentice has learnt
  enough magic, he will be instructed to present him-
  self at a tribunal and declare himself a member of
  the Order of Hermes. The new magus will know vir-
  tually nothing about the Order, but will be able to
  prove himself worthy to join by knowledge of Mag-
  ic Theory and the Parma Magica, and the fact that his
  master was a member. It is almost certain that he will
  be ridiculed and derided, but no-one can deny that he
  has the right to join the Order of Hermes.
  Mandrake magi tend to know the least about Her-
  metic magic out of all of the Magi Ex Miscellanea.
  They often have non-Hermetic magical powers, and
  are usually skilled herbalists. They live on the fringes
  of society, usually in seclusion from other magi who
  treat them badly. They have no parens who can lend
  them any political clout, and they find it very hard to
  be taken seriously by any properly-trained magus.
  Members of the Order look very dimly on those who
  take orders from a creature, and they may be perma-
  nently excluded from tribunals on the flimsiest of
  grounds. More than one mandrake magus has been
  Marched for suspected diabolism — magi can be just
  as superstitious as the common man. Ruthless magi
  may take advantage of the fact that they know next-
  to-nothing of Hermetic Law to screw them over at
  every opportunity; and, as they rarely have the Certá-
  men skill (mainly due to lack of finding anyone who
  will teach it to them), they have difficulties in defend-
  ing their rights should they ever find out what they
  are.
  However, mandrake magi will on occasion join a
  covenant, usually when they have learnt all the mag-
  ic they can from their homunculus, or wish to learn
  magic that their homunculus does not know. Most of
  them will not bother however, as book-learning first
  requires that they learn to speak and read Latin, and
  it can be slow-going for the novice. As the homun-
  culus is incapable of learning how to read, and finds
  it pointless to learn a new language, they actively dis-
  courage their magi from taking up such pursuits,
  becoming easily bored during the long seasons that
  the magus spends struggling with bookish skills.
  The benefits of owning a homunculus are many,
  not least the training it can provide; but the down-
  sides are manifold. Apart from problems with the
  Order of Hermes mentioned above, life with a
  homunculus can be quite demanding.
  Homunculi require that they are planted into
  fresh soil every night to recover from the day’s exer-
  tions, although many have nocturnal habits and need
  to be in the soil during the day (in which case the
  magus may benefit from the Versatile Sleeper
  Virtue). When visiting towns, a mandrake magus can-
  not just carry around a bucket of soil — it needs to
  be ‘living soil’, in contact with the earth. Homunculi
  require feeding regularly. Often a few drops of blood
  is enough, but occasionally they will demand more
  esoteric food, claiming that they will die without it.
  Examples of such demands might be the tears of a
  maiden, or the urine of a three-legged horse. Often
  they are just pushing at the relationship they have
  with the magus, seeing how far they can go. They
  tend to have the power in the relationship, however,
  threatening to withhold advice or training.
  Homunculi require regular payment for the sea-
  sons they spend teaching, once the apprenticeship
  period is over (the apprenticeship is payment for
  their very existence). This payment may take many
  forms. They most often ask for vis, nearly always in
  liquid form that they can absorb easily. They might
  also ask for bizarre types of food that require many
  weeks (“soil from the top of Mount Blanc”) or con-
  siderable danger (“a gill of viper venom taken from
  living snakes”) to collect. They are usually hungry for
  knowledge, and might desire the answer to a particu-
  larly obscure question. They are totally whimsical
  when it comes to demanding payment, possibly ask-
  ing for an impossible task on one occasion, and a sin-
  gle pawn of vis the next. They will usually accept vis
  as a default, however. The frequency of these
  demands also varies. They certainly won’t demand
  payment for every season — this would be too crip-
  pling to the magus — but will see what they can get
  away with. A particularly firm and strong-willed
  magus who is prepared to call the bluff of the
  homunculus might get away with having to make a
  major payment once in three years (with minor pay-
  ments in between), but a less self-confident magus
  might lose a season for every three spent learning
  from the little tyrant.
  A bored or jealous homunculus is a dangerous
  thing. If a magus spends too much time doing things
  that it cannot take part in (for example, learning from
  tomes, creating spells or magical items in the labora-
  tory, etc.) it will become peevish at best, mischievous
  at worst. A peevish homunculus might refuse to
  teach a magus further, requiring him to spend a sea-
  son with it for every season that he ignored it. Dur-
  ing these seasons the homunculus might make outra-
  geous demands, seeing how far he can push his
  magus into appeasing it. This can be a very humiliat-
  ing experience. A mischievous homunculus can be
  even worse. Although they only have minor magical
  abilities of their own, their small size will allow them
  to get into all sorts of places, and steal all sorts of
  objects. They can frighten mundanes with their
  appearance, or make pacts with local faeries. The
  possibilities are endless.
  This might all seem as if it is not worth having a
  homunculus. However, if they are treated well, they
  can be a great asset. Many mandrake magi, once the
  apprentice period is over, have trouble adjusting to
  the new arrangement for a few years, but soon settle
  down into a friendly arrangement that can last many
  decades.
  11
  
  Homunculi can often outlive their magi. In this
  case they might seek out a new apprentice and start
  again, or enter a relationship with a mundane.
  rgot (Jack-in-
  the-rye), Herb of
  Virtue
  Also known as jack-
  in-the-rye, ergot is both
  a faerie and a faerie
  plant. There is no non-
  virtuous version of this herb, all ergot is equally pow-
  erful and equally dangerous. Few people have ever
  seen its faerie shape, a tiny man with grass flowers
  for hair who hides in the heads of growing grain.
  Not many have seen its other form, strange purple
  seeds in the place of kernels in the ripe grain head,
  but many have felt its effects. Those who eat the
  faerie flesh in flour, bread or porridge are seized with
  faerie madness — visions, sudden paralysis, terror
  and / or death. Millers careless enough to allow ergot
  into their flour have been put to death and farmers
  whose blighted crops show his touch have been ban-
  ished from their villages. Those few who survive the
  taste of this bread are usually marked with the faerie
  touch — a dead and useless limb, madness, night-
  mares or occasionally Faerie Sight.
  A good herbalist or alchemist can distil ergot.
  The ergot must come straight from the grain head,
  not from flour or cooked food. One ounce of ergot
  seed, distilled (make an Int + Alchemy or Herbalism
  roll of 14+), yields a clear liquid containing 3 pawns
  of Imaginem vis and a black powder containing 3
  pawns of Perdo vis. This distillation process takes a
  few weeks, and is very dangerous — a failed roll can
  release a cloud of poisonous smoke; a botched roll
  provides enough of this smoke to cover a village.
  Frequency: Common
  Wild Vis: 12 pawns per ounce, when distilled 
  Standard Vis: 3 pawns of Imaginem and 3
  pawns of Perdo per ounce, when distilled
  Half an acre of infected grain will yield an ounce
  of ergotized seed, but cultivation of or traffic in
  ergot in any grain-growing area is a serious crime.
  Cunning-folk can brew a minor potion of Visions of
  unusual strength with a half-ounce of distilled ergot.
  Anyone drinking this potion gains the Cunning-
  folk’s full Herbalism total +3 to their Visions score,
  if any. The visions will last a whole day, and severely
  impair the abilities of the drinker while they persist
  — they will need help even to walk. However, the
  visions are unusually clear; and to those whose
  Visions Talent is temporarily raised above 10, they
  grant true prophetic power.
  Anyone eating ergotized food suffer the effects
  of being elf-shot by a jack-in-the-rye (see insert), but
  any pain or visions that result last for as long as it
  takes to purge the food from the body — usually a
  12
  Jack-in-the-rye
  Faerie Might: 5
  Characteristics: Int 0, Per 0, Pre -2 (unearthly),
  Com -4 (tiny voice), Str -5 (minute), Sta 0, Dex +3
  (acrobatic), Qik +5 (swift)
  Size: -5
  Personality Traits: Capricious +3, Mischie-
  vous +3
  Virtues and Flaws: Carefree +1, Short Atten-
  tion Span -1
  Description: A tiny, tiny man with purple grass
  flowers for hair and greenish skin, who can some-
  times be seen leaping from stalk to stalk in a corn-
  field. They are about the size of a harvest mouse,
  have huge eyes, mindless grins and a very fickle tem-
  perament. As they caress the heads of grain-stalks
  with their very long fingers, the seeds turn purple-
  black. When using this ability on humans, their
  touch can cause madness, paralysis or worse.
  Abilities: Athletics (jumping) 8, Brawl (dodging) 5
  Attack
  Init
  Atk
  Dfn
  Dam
  Touch
  +10
  +8
  +15
  none
  Soak: -5
  Body Levels: 0, Inc.
  Vis: 1 pawn of either Imaginem or Perdo, in
  body.
  Powers:
  Control Fertility: The jack-in-the-rye can limit or
  enhance the fertility of 3 acres of land. This
  includes plants, animals, humans, and encom-
  passes the faerie’s ability to ergotize grain
  (CrHe 30 or PeHe 30)
  Travel: The jack-in-the-rye can appear instant-
  ly anywhere they have been before
  Vulnerability to Iron: cold iron will instantly kill
  a jack-in-the-rye. They are understandably
  hostile to those who carry it.
  Elfshot: When the faerie manages to touch
  someone, roll a stress die and subtract the vic-
  tim’s Stamina. Consult the table below:
  Roll
  Effect
  Botch
  No effect to the victim, and the jack-in-
  the-rye is destroyed.
  0
  No effect to the victim
  1-3
  Causes excruciating pain for one round,
  and must make a Stamina roll of 12+ to
  act in subsequent rounds. Once the Sta-
  mina roll succeeds, the pain ebbs away
  4-7
  Causes intense, frightening visions, and
  the subject can perform no actions until
  they end. Roll a simple die every round;
  on a 8+, the visions cease. While affect-
  ed, the victim can see faerie things as
  easily as normal things, but cannot dis-
  tinguish the two.
  8-10
  Causes permanent paralysis in affected
  part of the body
  11-15
  Causes permanent madness — a raving
  lunatic at first, which later becomes a
  major Flaw such as Terrors
  16+
  Causes instant death (PeCo or PeMe 30)
  
  couple of days. Anyone with even the merest hint of
  faerie blood — assuming that they survive exposure
  to the ergot — may gain the Faerie Sight virtue.
  Ergot has no Form and Effect bonuses — its
  innate powers are too strong to be used in Hermetic
  magic except when distilled as vis.
  Rye Bread
  The story begins with a strange event at the cov-
  enant, some time in the late summer. Unless explicit-
  ly stated beforehand, it is assumed that the magi are
  fed better than the common covenfolk. If this is not
  the case, the PCs could be in trouble, for the por-
  ridge made for the covenfolk has been made with a
  batch of ergot-infected rye. Anyone that so much as
  tastes the gruel must roll a stress die and compare it
  to the Elfshot power of the jack-in-the-rye. It is
  probably best that the storyguide assumes that this
  gruel is served only to non-player covenfolk and
  grogs.
  The characters are likely to first become involved
  when they notice that some of the serving folk of
  the covenant are affected by ergotism. A serving girl
  may collapse right in front of a PC, suddenly unable
  to use her legs. Nearby they may hear a howl of ter-
  ror from the stablehand, finishing with a mad throaty
  chuckle. Some of the grogs who were on an early
  shift might start fighting invisible opponents, while
  the blacksmith knocks himself cold when he collaps-
  es in pain onto his anvil. Everyone will be infected
  differently. When the PCs take control, they may be
  perplexed at the pattern of those affected. They
  might look around for invisible foes such as the fae,
  as the symptoms are almost identical to those
  attacked with Elfshot (Int+Faerie Lore, 8+). Howev-
  er, by examining who has been infected, it will
  become clear that only the serving folk are suffering,
  plus the grogs who were on guard during the night.
  Poisoning might be diagnosed by a chirurgeon or
  physician, which will then lead back to the porridge.
  Careful inspection of the corn it was made from will
  reveal the root of the problem. A few grains in the
  sack are swollen, with a purple bloom to them. This
  amounts to only a dozen or so grains in the whole
  sack — this is very potent poison.
  Anyone from a farming background will know of
  ergot, as may those with a good Herbam score,
  Herbalism or Faerie Lore (Intelligence roll, modified
  by Herbam/5, Herbalism or Faerie Lore, 10+ need-
  ed). The seeds have a residual magical scent, but
  there is less than a pawn of vis here. Those that
  detect this may be interested in investigating the
  source of the corn; and there is also the issue of the
  danger of a farmer selling ergotized rye.
  The autocrat will tell them that all their corn is
  bought from a grain merchant in a nearby village.
  This merchant will be curious as to why the PCs want
  to know which farmer sold him the grain — if they
  decide to buy direct from the farmer, he loses his
  profit. If they mention ergot, he will go pale — sell-
  ing ergotized corn carries the death penalty, as does
  growing it. He will try and make a run for it, thinking
  that the PCs are agents of the local lord. Chasing him
  down the streets could cause added complications,
  but there is no other way to find out where the rye
  came from — the merchant doesn’t keep written
  records. Given the right coercion or assurances, how-
  ever, he may reveal that it was a farmer by the name
  of Tomas who holds a farm a few miles up the val-
  ley.
  The farm consists of a few acres of land with a
  few small buildings at the end of a rough track. Half
  of the corn has been harvested, but the stubble not
  burnt, and it can be seen that volunteer weeds are
  starting to grow through. The farm buildings seem
  quiet. The farmhouse kitchen is a scene of tragedy
  — the farmer, his wife and three children lie dead
  near the table. One of the children has no visible
  signs of death, the others have all been stabbed.
  Food lies on the table, now covered with green
  mould, and tiny toadstools grow from the bread.
  There is one living habitant of the farm — the
  farmer’s eldest son, Peter. He hides in the loft, tor-
  mented by the visions he saw when he partook in the
  poisoned meal. He grips a baling knife tightly, and
  will probably try to attack anyone who approaches,
  probably with the element of surprise. However, his
  left leg is completely paralysed due to ergot poison-
  ing, which inhibits his fighting somewhat. The ergot
  also caused him to acquire the Virtue of Visions —
  it was vivid hallucinations caused by his emerging tal-
  ent that led to him attack his own family. Now he is
  overcome with remorse, and throws himself at any
  warriors in the hope that they will kill him. Peter
  might make a good grog or companion, if he can get
  over his suicidal tendencies.
  Of the corn that has been harvested, there is
  about 2 oz of ergotized rye, which, if distilled cor-
  rectly, becomes 6 pawns of Perdo and 6 pawns of
  Imaginem vis. If the PCs go into the unharvested
  rye, the more perceptive (Per+Awareness, 7+) may
  notice a jack-in-the-rye leaping between the heads of
  rye, occasionally pausing to caress a head with its
  long fingers, causing them to turn purplish black. If
  spotted by the PCs it will turn to grin at them, then
  13
  
  disappear off into the corn. If pursued, it is difficult
  to catch, but this may be possible with magic. Alter-
  natively it might be followed — in this case, the PCs
  might follow it into a copse in the middle of the field
  and find themselves in the court of a powerful faerie
  called Robigus (see below). If it is killed, Robigus will
  show up to see who has killed one of his favoured
  servants. This would be a Bad Thing™ for the PCs
  involved.
  The Court of Mushrooms
  Robigus’s court is, naturally enough, located with-
  in a ring of mushrooms. Within the ring is a small
  hillock, upon which sits the throne of Robigus, con-
  structed of many types of living fungus. Here the
  king is most often to be found, brooding, while
  around him sit (or grow) his subjects, the faeries of
  mushrooms.
  Corn dollies are scattered around the court — the
  remnants of past sacrifices to him. Robigus would be
  favourably inclined to any who brought him such a
  gift, and indebted to those that restarted the tradition
  of offering them to him. However, after a while, he
  would remember that once he was offered more than
  just dolls of woven straw, and will start to resent the
  meagreness of the gifts.
  The inhabitants of the Court of Mushrooms rep-
  resent the many types of fungi that are to be found.
  They fall into two categories — those that are bene-
  ficial to man and those that are poisonous. The poi-
  sonous mushrooms are represented by malicious,
  man-hating fae, whereas the edible mushrooms are
  more kindly inclined. Several of these mushrooms
  have been described in the Faeries supplements for
  Ars Magica, however, the sections below concentrate
  on the faeries that represent the different faerie
  plants.
  Edible Servitors
  Stinkhorns (Faeries II, p 124) Ugly but benev-
  olent faeries, appearing as small gnarled men
  covered with warts. They smell truly foul, just
  like their mushrooms, and have enormous
  phalluses and an appetite to match.
  Truffles (Faeries II, p 125) Truffle-gnomes
  look like truffles — strong, squat and black,
  with incredibly wrinkled horny skin. They are
  roughly human in shape, though not always
  quite symmetrical. Their eyes are tiny and deep
  set, and their sense of smell is uncannily accu-
  rate. They live under oak trees, blessing them
  with truffles beneath their roots. Tiny truffles
  mean a gnome no more than a couple of feet
  tall, but they can grow to taller than a human.
  They keep diminutive black swine which they
  are inordinately fond of; however, they are
  afraid of dogs.
  Earthstars (Faeries II, p 86) These faeries
  appear as short women dressed in brown.
  These women are always podgy and plump,
  and perpetually pregnant — they never seem
  to give birth. They bear their children by
  transforming themselves into earthstar fungi.
  This metamorphosis is irreversible, and the
  fungi are often eaten by a human woman who
  then gives birth to a fey child. Alternatively, the
  earthstar may ripen and open to reveal a faerie
  child, who usually grows up to be an earthstar.
  Puffballs: Rotund (almost spherical) faeries
  that often appear as animal-human hybrids,
  particularly favouring the shapes of dormice,
  voles, hares and pigs. They are always a
  creamy-white in colour; and most grow no big-
  ger than a 3-4”, but they can reach more than
  a foot tall / across. These comical creatures are
  very kindly, but can be very annoying, as they
  seem to have a compulsive habit of meddling
  in the lives of others. What’s more, their feel-
  ings are very easily hurt — one cross word to
  them will result in them bursting into tears,
  closely followed by them exploding into a
  shower of spores. Each spore can potentially
  form another puffball — let this be a warning
  to those who take malicious delight in making
  puffball faeries explode…
  Poisonous Servitors
  Jack-in-the-rye: While being the least of
  Robigus’s servitors, these diminutive fae are his
  favourites. See insert for details.
  Destroying Angel (Faeries II, p 122) Sexless
  naked beings, about 1’ tall, a chalk white in
  colour. They have red hair, and often wear red
  hats. They have a pair of gossamer wings
  which fold up under their arms. Their touch is
  death, some can kill with a mere look.
  14
  
  Inky Caps (Faeries II, p 87). These faeries are
  kin to stinkhorns, but are wholly malign. They
  are straighter and less ugly (though still quite
  unpleasant to the eye) than their benevolent
  cousins, but have faces that are screwed up
  with malice.
  Dodder (Faeries, p 87). The faerie of dodder
  appears as a being taller than the average
  human, but hideously thin. It is sexless, and
  has skin as translucent as damp parchment.
  Their hair consists of many fine tendrils that
  coil and writhe of their own accord; these,
  when plucked, form the deadly strangling dod-
  der threads. Dodder fae are physically very
  strong despite their emaciated physique, and
  have long fingers, which they wrap around the
  necks of their victims. The touch of these
  hands draws the breath out of animals and the
  life out of plants.
  Rust is a pernicious faerie, much hated by
  farmers because of its ability to infect any liv-
  ing plant with a rust-coloured mould. This
  mould causes the plants to die, and imparts a
  foul flavour to any stored food. The rust faerie
  is very hard to see — if you know where one
  is, and you are looking directly at it, it cannot
  escape from your sight, but as soon as no-one
  is watching, it can become invisible. They
  appear to be naked men or women with rust-
  coloured hair and skin, but with empty black
  pits where their eyes should be. They can
  destroy anything made of plant material, such
  as linen clothes, the wooden hafts of weapons,
  ropes, laces and food.
  Story seeds
  1. Characters may decide to grow their own corn
  and purposely infect it with ergot to gain the
  vis. This would be a profitable exercise — half
  15
  Robigus, the Rye King
  Robigus is a very old fae lord. He was wor-
  shipped by the first inhabitants of the land as a fer-
  tility god, and the ancients offered their Mound God
  human sacrifice to ensure the fertility of their fields.
  The Romans gave him his first name — Robigus,
  who was an aspect of their corn-god Mars, and he
  guarded the grain against rust in return for their
  worship.
  With the coming of the Christian God, his faith
  was put aside. He no longer received their worship,
  so he no longer protected their crops. As his power
  declined, he became embittered with the fickle
  humans. Since the Christianisation of the region, he
  has spread his three weapons of rust, dodder and
  ergot through the crops of mankind. He rules over
  a Court of Mushrooms, some horribly malignant,
  some beneficial to man. Robigus, as mad as the ergot
  he spreads, vacillates between these two sides; some-
  times (most often in the spring and autumn) he is
  the gentile god of fertility, sometimes (usually in
  summer and winter) he is the man-hating sudden
  destroyer. He is teetering on the brink of becoming
  the Lord of Rot and Mould, a thoroughly unseelie
  fae. In days of yore, Robigus received propitiation
  through human sacrifice. Later on, he was happy
  with the last harvested sheath of corn being left for
  him. Corn dollies were made in his honour, and
  these pleased him greatly — the artifice of human
  hands is prized by the fae. Now the Church has for-
  bidden even that practise in many areas, and the Rye
  King thus receives no homage from those that har-
  vest his bounty. Rust, dodder and particularly ergot
  have become more and more prevalent since then…
  Robigus appears as a healthy man, broad of
  shoulder and tall of build. He has pale skin, though,
  and dark hair. He usually dresses in rust coloured
  clothing in the style of ancient Rome. He is accom-
  panied by a woodpecker and often by a white horse.
  His clothes are often decorated with ears of corn.
  Robigus is dangerously mad, and his Personality
  Traits vary with the season:
  Spring
  Playful +3, Energetic +2, Competitive +1
  Summer
  Vengeful +3, Angry +2, Murderous +1
  Autumn
  Generous +3, Calm +2, Slothful +1
  Winter
  Brooding +3, Apathetic +2, Malicious +1
  Despite these general personality traits, he
  switches Personality Traits frequently — these are
  just the general trends for each season.
  Faerie Might: 45
  Size: 0
  Personality Traits: See above
  Powers:
  Control Fertility: Robigus can limit or enhance
  the fertility of up to 20 acres of agricultural
  land at a time. This power affects all repro-
  duction in the area: plant, animal and human
  alike (CrCo, CrAn, CrHe 45)
  Control Plants: Robigus can duplicate the
  effects of any Rego Herbam spell of up to
  45th level, at a cost of 1 Might per magnitude
  of the spell (ReHe varies)
  Elfshot: Like the power of the Jack-in-the-rye,
  but Robigus can afflict people at a distance up
  to Near range. If he is able to touch someone,
  he gains a +9 to the stress die (PeCo 45).
  Travel: Robigus can appear in any field con-
  taining a cereal crop, even if the crop has been
  harvested (but not if the stubble has been
  cleared through ploughing or burning). This
  costs him 4 Might points per journey, and he
  can take up to seven people with him (ReCo
  45)
  Vulnerability to Iron: Robigus does not share a
  faerie’s usual vulnerability to iron, unless the
  weapon used against him has been forged
  from an iron ploughshare, or is an implement
  of harvesting such as a scythe or sickle. Such
  weapons strip him of 5 Might points per blow.
  Robigus should be given other powers as the sto-
  ryguide sees fit.
  
  an acre would give an ounce of ergotized seed,
  assuming that Robigus sends a jack-in-the-rye,
  however, there are more complications here.
  Firstly, land cannot be bought, only leased,
  with the rent being usually paid in grain. The
  risk of giving a lord potentially ergotized corn
  is great — the offence is punishable by death,
  and a covenant purposely growing infected
  grain would be all put to the death. Plus, Robi-
  gus is needed to ergotize the grain — it won’t
  just happen naturally — and so his goodwill
  must be sought. Dealing with this mad fae lord
  is dangerous indeed…
  2. An occasional visitor to Robigus’s court is a
  demon, who has made it his pet project to cor-
  rupt the mad Rye King. He is already danger-
  ously insane, but the efforts of the demon
  have been pushing him closer and closer to the
  edge in recent years. Should the demon’s plans
  go unchecked, Robigus will undergo a com-
  plete transformation into the King of Rot and
  Mould. The beneficial faeries will abandon his
  court and it will become a place inimical to
  man. This Robigus would have much darker
  powers, and instead of idly sitting by and
  watching his domain crumble, he will go out
  into the countryside and spread blight and rot
  wherever he can. If the characters have an
  ongoing relationship with Robigus, they may
  only discover this change when it is already too
  late.
  16
  Soulflower
  Divine breath, an epiphany
  As words flow and worlds grow
  I’m peering into infinity,
  Formless in the void,
  Spewing forth creation
  From deep within;
  A higher self of the self.
  A melody wells from the birth of emotion,
  From the seat of the soul,
  Inspiring wonder in the beholding of beauty,
  Awakening the spirit of an unfolding destiny.
  Now I’m set to go on the wyld,
  Perched on the edge of the cliffs of forever
  With poetry as my might.
  I head off into twilight
  Rebirth in bliss,
  My eyes reflecting
  The eternal golden dawn
  Cauldron of Poesy
  Honey tongued lips
  Cause to spring forth
  Images torn from fantasy:
  Sweet caresses,
  Skalding burns,
  Illumination,
  Manipulation,
  Conduit to the truth,
  Catalyst of reality,
  Symbols poured pure.
  The Temptation
  The pure, singing, girl without care,
  Gradually, casually, completely unaware,
  Slipped ever deeper into the regio.
  Piercing the barriers,
  Passing through the twisted mirror,
  Entering into my realm.
  Oh, fair maiden step not any further,
  For the heart of my realm
  Awaits in the inner ring
  Of stones and mushrooms,
  Past this grove of ash and rowan.
  Beware! for the saytyr’s lust roams.
  Fear also, the blood craving kia sidhe,
  And most of all, awake not the forest lords,
  Slumbering in their ancient trees.
  Many are the dangers in my woods;
  Soon beautiful lady, night will arrive
  Within the grand dreaming,
  Influencing my nature, childe,
  Shifting light into shadow,
  Filling me with a growing need.
  As the gloaming deepens,
  With a titanic effort,
  My human half screams,
  Leave now! or forever stay,
  For my nature can be held
  Long enough for you to go
  And pass beyond my golden bough.
  Tyler Larson
  
  Towards a New
  Learning Model
  by Sean Michael Winslow
  W
  hen Virtues became learnable with
  the publishing of The Mysteries, the
  learning model improved somewhat,
  but it is still notable that Ars Magica,
  a game about magical scholars, does not do a very
  good job of modeling what scholars would presum-
  ably be most interested in: learning. In fourth edition
  Ars Magica, there is no way of modeling learning
  outside the categories of Skills, Arts, and Virtues.
  This raises a series of interesting problems for both
  player and storyguide as to exactly where certain
  classes of learning and information belong-there is
  no real distinction between a trick and an xp source,
  or a powerful breakthrough and a Virtue. The basic
  system is inherently conservative in its model, which
  is to say that knowledge may only be learned if
  someone else knows it and can teach it. While
  appropriate to the mediaeval paradigm of the game,
  this process is complicated by the addition of the
  optional rules for breakthroughs in The Wizard’s Gri-
  moire, Revised Edition, which introduce ways to gener-
  ate original knowledge and techniques. The WGRE
  also allows for another type of learning: a break-
  through effect may be learned by reading a report
  written by its originator. This introduces further
  complexity to the system, and it is the intent of this
  article to take a look at where the system fails and
  address those issues with a new way to model certain
  classes of learning that will add ‘granularity’ to the
  ArM4 learning model.
  Currently, there is no level of learning between
  reading the report of a breakthrough and a full-
  blown +1 Virtue initiated through a Mystery group.
  This is inherently problematic given the potential
  overlap between the two systems: it is perfectly rea-
  sonable for a player, reading through the Break-
  through rules in the WGRE, to decide, based upon
  those rules, to research a new methodology which
  involves giving astrologically-aspected bonuses to
  Hermetic magic. However, if the storyguide of said
  player were to introduce The Mysteries into his cam-
  paign, then there is a problem, as the new break-
  through may well end up duplicating the effects of
  Hermetic Astrology, as outlined in that book. If the
  player has their character research the new ability,
  there is little game-balance concern for the player, as
  they will have spent perhaps decades for the benefit
  of a +1 Virtue. The problem is introduced later: in
  this scenario, there are two different ways to get this
  same Virtue, one of which requires mystae initiation,
  the other of which requires three seasons and no
  total, service, or ceremony. In fact, any mage who
  knows the non-mystae version of Hermetic Astrolo-
  gy bestows it upon their apprentice for free, totally
  circumventing the mystae mechanic. The simple
  solution is to prohibit effects that duplicate Virtues,
  but this is undesirable, as Virtues come and go with
  each new book published, and this would create not
  only a storyguiding headache, but a diminishing sup-
  ply of fields that can benefit from original research.
  Though this may not be a huge issue in a majority of
  sagas, it does highlight a fundamental issue in 4th
  Edition Ars: a proliferation of incompatible learning
  systems. A quick scan brings me to more than a
  dozen discrete types of modeling things that a char-
  acter ‘knows how to do:’
  While it is outside the scope of this article to
  clean up the whole of the Ars Magica, 4th Edition
  canon as regards learning models, I do intend to
  introduce what I hope might be a more organic sys-
  tem for modeling things that are currently not cov-
  ered as well as they might be under the present rules
  set. Specifically, learning things that fall short of a
  full Virtue in value, but are nevertheless valuable
  enough that a storyguide doesn’t wish characters to
  simply acquire them for free. In the course, this arti-
  cle will also tackle:
  - Exceptional Abilities & Otherwise Limited
  Abilities
  Enigmatic Wisdom, Herbalism, Alchemy,
  Astrology, etc (Parma would also fit)
  - ‘Toggles’ that change one learned Ability to
  another (‘upgrades’)
  Greater Herbalism, Hermetic Alchemy, Her-
  metic Astrology
  - Abilities intended to be initiated as part of
  Mystery groups
  Hermetic Alchemy, Hermetic Astrology, etc.
  - The results of research, as outlined in WGRE
  Parma (a Breakthrough discovery)
  - Bonuses/methods that have no inherent
  downside
  Verditius Runes, Certamen Maneuvers
  - Different/Special methods of study
  A method for studying Vim from auras, for
  example
  - Non-hermetic methods that might be learned
  by Hermetics
  Vitkir Rumes [Will be discussed in a future
  segment.]
  Due to ‘real-world’ considerations, the system
  here has not been extensively playtested. Rather, it is
  presented in order to provoke discussion about
  learning models, and how the game might better
  address learning in the future. As such, the system
  here includes examples, but I have not aggressively
  converted current abilities, as such would take more
  pages of text than are available here. I suggest that
  storyguides work this out on a case-by-case basis.
  Also, the system as written explicitly does not model
  learning before character generation, but is intended
  to serve to model learning after character generation.
  Learning during character generation is currently
  modeled by the system of Virtues and Flaws.
  Though this system could ultimately be adapted to
  17
  
  completely replace Virtues and Flaws, such work is
  not part of this introductory article.
  The System
  The core of the new system is simple, and based
  upon a unit unimaginatively called the ‘Meta-ability’.
  Meta-abilities are presented in the following format:
  [Name]
  [Flavour Text]
  Prerequisites:
  Time: [x]/[x] seasons
  Ability:
  Effect:
  Special Notes:
  Source:
  Name and Flavour Text are self-explanatory.
  Prerequisites are just that, and are covered below, in
  their own section.
  Time: the time to learn meta-abilities is seasonally-
  based, in order to keep with Ars Magica tradition.
  Where two numbers are indicated, the first is time to
  learn from a master, the second from a book or oth-
  er source. This is intended to represent a world-view
  where transmission from a master is the standard of
  measuring authenticity of knowledge, as well as to
  make learning from a group known for that ability
  more cost-effective than simply reading about it in a
  book. It takes twice as long to learn a meta-ability
  from a book or other source as from a master; cer-
  tain more complex abilities will require extra time
  without the benefit of a master — this will be repre-
  sented by the number after the slash (the first num-
  ber representing base time with a master).
  Ability: If there is an ability attached to the meta-
  ability, or if it somehow modifies an ability, it will be
  noted here.
  Effect: What the meta-ability or ability does.
  Special Notes: anything not covered above, this
  includes requirements for initiation (for certain Mys-
  tae Virtues) and whether it is requisite for a further
  ability.
  Source: Is this a mystae Virtue jealously guarded by
  a Mystery group? Is there a book that teaches the
  proper use of Verditius Runes? Is the secret of
  Chaos Magic taught to anyone who can answer the
  527 lesser riddles of Criamon? (Enigmatic Wisdom
  > 7) This doesn’t preclude it being found elsewhere,
  but this is the proper place to find it. Such groups
  might take extreme exception to there being another
  way to acquire their secret, or they may lay gessae
  down on all who learn it. Or, it may just be lost.
  N.B. Availability and whether or not it is a guard-
  ed secret are the two most important balancing fac-
  tors with such abilities, just as is true of mystae and
  of research discoveries.
  Example: Enigmatic Wisdom
  As described in Ars Magica, 4th Edition, and
  Houses of Hermes.
  Time: 2/4 seasons
  Ability: Grants the Ability Enigmatic Wisdom
  at Level 1
  Prerequisites: none
  Effect: as per ArM4
  Special Notes: all members of House Criamon
  receive this for free at character creation, as
  part of their instruction.
  Source: The characteristic Ability of House
  Criamon, they are willing to teach it to mem-
  bers of other Houses. The others just so rarely
  ask…
  Prerequisites
  Meta-abilities may require prerequisites in order
  to model sequential learning. Once all prerequisites
  are met, the character may learn the meta-ability nor-
  mally. Prerequisites allow storyguides to control the
  progress of learning advanced abilities, and replace
  increased Virtue costs as the balancing mechanism
  for learning more advanced abilities, and are thus
  integral to the system as presented here.
  The intent of the prerequisites is to model a more
  gradual process of learning an advanced ability (see
  the examples of pre-requisite trees, below).
  Example: The Secrets of Pendule
  The model here only replaces the Virtues for
  mystae; it does not replace the initiation-point
  mechanic or the need to attain a certain status in the
  mystae group before a new meta-ability will be
  taught. In converting to this system, the storyguide
  will need to make decisions relating to how the
  Virtues break down into the new system. The first
  two secrets of a new mystery are presented here as
  an example of prerequisites and to show how the
  mechanic may subsume the current mystae mechan-
  ic.
  First Secret of Pendule
  Pendule was a wizard whose magic involved eso-
  teric concepts of colour. Though he refused to join
  the order, he kept contacts with a few Hermetic Magi
  and taught them something of his magics. (Pendule
  is mentioned in Order of Hermes, p. 34)
  Prerequisites: Philosophiae > 2, Magic Theory
  > 3
  Time: 2/4 seasons
  Ability:
  Grants the Exceptional Arcane
  Knowledge Pendulian Magic (First Secret:
  Colour) at level 1
  Effect: Allows the caster to add his Pendulian
  Magic Score to all Casting totals involving a
  certain colour. That is to say, if the caster
  chooses purple [Pendulian Magic (First Secret:
  Purple)], they gain a bonus to making a purple
  phantasm, to creating purple flowers, or chang-
  ing the colour of a person’s skin to purple.
  Examples of possible pre-requisite trees
  Herbalism
  �
  > 3
  �
  Greater Herbalism
  Certamen
  �
  > 3
  �
  Telerion’s Gambit [maneuver]
  MT > 5
  �
  First Secret of Pendule
  � Second Secret of Pendule
  
  They also get this bonus when affecting an all-
  purple item.
  Special Notes: Requisite for the further secrets
  of Pendule
  Source: Followers of Pendule are very rare,
  and this secret is hard to learn. There are
  rumours of lost books containing Pendule’s
  secrets, but these have most likely been hidden
  by his followers.
  Second Secret of Pendule
  Having mastered application of magics based
  upon physical colour correspondences, the initiate
  into the second Secret of Pendule extends their mas-
  tery of their chosen colour by use of allegory into
  the realm of affecting abstract ideas.
  Prerequisites: Pendulian Magic > 2
  Time: 2/4 seasons
  Ability: Changes Pendulian Magic (First Secret:
  Colour) to Pendulian Magic (Second Secret:
  Colour)
  Effect: Caster may now add his Pendulian
  Magic score to all rolls involving a specific set
  of concepts that are embodied by his colour
  (storyguide’s decision). In the above example
  of purple, this means that, in addition to the
  uses above, the caster gets a bonus to all rolls
  involving rulership (Crown of Rightful Au-
  thority) or affecting rulers and aristocrats (note
  that, while this is powerful, kings and the like
  have Divine Mights that resist magic).
  Special Notes: Almost certainly requisite for
  future Secrets of Pendule, should they exist…
  Source: as above
  Exceptional Abilities
  The current system for Exceptional Abilities
  denies characters the chance to take up such knowl-
  edge later in life. The core of this proposed system,
  however, is to open the category of learnable abili-
  ties, and so, the system incorporates them into the
  same basic format. This makes sense on a rational
  level, as the ability to differentiate herbs and list their
  potential uses, for example, is eminently learnable
  Thus, Herbalism may now be acquired (though with
  some difficulty) during play.
  Herbalism
  As per ArM4.
  Prerequisites: none
  Time: 1/4 seasons
  Ability: Grants the Exceptional Knowledge
  ‘Herbalism’ at level 1
  Effect: As per ArM4
  Special Notes: This ability requires extra time
  due to the difficulty and error factor of learn-
  ing the differences between herbs without a
  proper teacher. It is prerequisite for Greater
  Herbalism.
  Source: Traditionally taught by Cunning-
  women and some nature-based traditions of
  House Ex Miscellanea
  ‘Toggles’ or ‘Upgrades’
  Certain abilities are very closely related, one being
  a more powerful, useful, or expansive version of the
  other. The meta-ability model both allows and
  encourages characters to eventually advance to the
  next level of ability in their chosen field of study. As
  such, certain meta-abilities serve as ‘toggles’ to
  upgrade an ability to a greater ability. The ability in
  question remains at the same level, but changes name
  to represent the added utility.
  Greater Herbalism
  As per WGRE p65 and Hedge Magic, pp. 34-36
  Prerequisites: Herbalism > 3
  Time: 2/4 seasons
  Ability: Upgrades ‘Herbalism’ to the Excep-
  tional Knowledge ‘Greater Herbalism’
  Effect: As per Hedge Magic, pp. 34-36
  Special Notes:
  Source: Traditionally taught by Cunning-
  women and some nature-based traditions of
  House Ex Miscellanea, it is unlikely that any
  texts provide instruction in this largely appren-
  ticeship-based ability.
  Non-ability Meta-abilities
  The purpose of meta-abilities is to create one
  learning model that is more inclusive than other, pre-
  vious, Ars Magica models. As such, meta-abilities
  encompass non-ability forms of learning as well.
  There is no fundamental difference between such
  forms of learning and ability-based forms of learn-
  ing, and they are modeled and presented the same
  way.
  Verditius Runes
  As per HoH, pp. 123-125
  Time: 2 runes per season (1 from a book)
  Ability: n/a
  Prerequisites: Magic Theory > 3
  Effect: Scribing the runes corresponding to
  the Form/Techniques used in an enchantment
  will grant a +1 Virtue for one rune, +3 for all
  associated Forms and Techniques (as per HoH,
  p. 123)
  Special Notes: All members of House Verdi-
  tius can choose to know a number of runes
  equal to their Int + MT + Verditius Magic at
  Character Creation.
  Source: Once jealously guarded by House
  Verditius, the secrets of these runes has long-
  since passed into more general circulation, and
  several of the more valuable books on Magic
  Theory or magic item creation include a sec-
  tion on their use. Also, books on a certain
  Form sometimes include the secret of that
  Form’s rune, if the author was a master of the
  rune, and saw fit to include it.
  The Lore of Verdi
  This is one of the less well-kept secrets of the Ver-
  di covenant, and has leaked out through instructional
  19
  
  books to Verditii that have since been copied and dis-
  tributed.
  Time: 1 season on Verdi, 2 not on Verdi (from
  a book)
  Ability: n/a
  Prerequisites: none
  Effect: allows the use of all of the Form and
  Effect bonuses from Verdi, p 88 of ToH: Rome
  Special Notes: The one season on Verdi is tra-
  ditionally spent meditating on the natural
  bounties of the island, and becoming familiar
  with the properties of its resources.
  Source: Time on Verdi or several books on the
  art of enchantment.
  Aura Study
  Laurentius of Bonisagus was a noted, if notably
  odd, Vim researcher in the Provencal Tribunal. He
  developed a method for generating study totals from
  auras, eventually packing up and leading an itinerant
  lifestyle, moving from aura to aura in order to study
  each for a season before moving on. Due to limita-
  tions of his theory, only Vim and Aura Theory may
  be learned by his method, though he indicated before
  his disappearance that he was very near to expanding
  this to any Form that might aspect that aura. The rar-
  ity of aspected auras of any one particular Form
  would have made this of only limited use in any
  event.
  Time: 1 season (no benefit from a teacher) +
  must learn 12 InVi5 spells
  Ability: n/a
  Prerequisites: Magic Theory > 5
  Effect: User may spend one season to generate
  a study total from an aura of INT + (2 ×
  Aura) in either Vim or Aura Theory.
  Source: A book written by Laurentius of Bon-
  isagus called ‘Dixitque Vulpes’ (And the Fox
  Said…) contains an extremely well-written, if
  rather bizaare, conversation between a fox and
  a magpie, in which the magpie explains the
  methodology to the fox, who ends the book by
  eating the magpie, apparently representing the
  digestion of the knowledge, as well as the bird.
  Laurentius was noted for being a Bonisagus
  with Enigmatic Wisdom, which may explain
  the strange nature of the allegory. Appended
  to the book is a set of 12 InVi 5 spells which
  are necessary for the use of the study tech-
  nique. (Three of said spells are Sense the Nature
  of Vis and a variant of Scales of Power and Feel-
  ing the Font of Power for the appropriate realm.
  The proper realm variants must be known to
  the caster, so there are actually 18 spells in the
  book, 12 needed for any one season of study.)
  Certamen Maneuvers
  Note: By making a Per + Certamen stress roll of
  greater than the opponent’s Guile + Certamen, a cer-
  tamen participant may deduce what maneuver is
  being made, if they have seen it before, and switch to
  another maneuver on a Int + Certamen stress roll of
  9+.
  Telerion’s Gambit
  Made famous by the mage Telerion in his certa-
  men for his sigil-rights, this is an all-or-nothing risk
  to win against an otherwise superior opponent. Many
  a young mage has used the gambit to good effect
  once or twice to gain a reputation, then shrewdly
  switched to Telerion’s Feint, to keep their opponent
  on the offensive, and from employing any of the
  defensive techniques.
  Time: 1/2 seasons
  Ability: n/a
  Prerequisites: Certamen > 3
  Effect: Upon a successful contest, the magus
  may DOUBLE his next round’s total, but will
  leave himself totally open to any techniques
  that attack him directly-such attempts auto-
  matically succeed. Telerion’s Gambit bypasses
  any technique that does not specifically say
  otherwise.
  Special Notes: Must succeed at a Presence +
  Certamen Stress Roll of 9+, as the gambit
  musters the personality of its user to over-
  whelm the defences of their opponent.
  Source: This is almost never taught outside of
  House Tremere, but copies of Telerion’s book
  on certamen techniques may be found in the
  libraries of most Archmagi, as well as some
  (rare) covenant libraries, but such are guarded
  jealously.
  Telerion’s Feint
  The sister-maneuver to Telerion’s Gambit, this
  simulates the effects of the former maneuver, while
  actually maintaining a defensive posture, trying to
  lure the opponent into switching to an offensive
  maneuver. The feinter may choose to lower the diffi-
  culty for their opponent to deduce their maneuver by
  broadcasting what they are doing, but the maneuver
  will appear to be indistinguishable from Telerion’s
  Gambit, leaving the opponent guessing…
  Time: 1/2 seasons
  Ability: n/a
  Prerequisites: Certamen > 3
  Effect: The feinting magus may nullify the
  effects of any attacking maneuver their oppo-
  nent makes in that round. If the opponent
  attacks, the magus adds three to their certamen
  total from the round. If the opponent does
  not use an attacking maneuver, the magus may
  not carry over any positive difference from
  that round (although they will still carry over a
  negative difference.)
  Special Notes: Telerion’s Feint and Telerion’s
  Gambit are indistinguishable.
  A magus
  employing the feint may voluntarily subtract
  points from their opponent’s difficulty target
  to guess the maneuver.
  Source: As Telerion’s Gambit
  20
  
  Teaching the Hedgies…
  If a character wishes to play a member of a hedge
  tradition that joins the order, the character will have
  to learn the Parma Magica, among other things. Par-
  ma, as the result of a research breakthrough, is an
  Exceptional Arcane Ability, and modeled just as any
  other.
  Parma Magica
  The great invention of Bonisagus which allowed
  for the creation of the Order of Hermes.
  Time: 2 seasons (while a book could theoreti-
  cally be written with this knowledge, it would
  not be, due to the sensitivity of the subject
  matter, and the desire that it might not be dis-
  tributed outside of Hermetically-controlled
  channels)
  Ability: Grants the Exceptional Arcane Ability
  Parma Magica at level 1
  Prerequisites: The Gift
  Effect: Allows use of the Parma Magica, as per
  the rules in ArM4
  Source: Any Hermetic Magus qualified to
  teach an apprentice
  Conclusion
  It has been the intent of this article to illustrate
  the concept through examples rather than lengthy
  analysis; the core mechanic is simple, and, as I hope
  I have demonstrated here, may be used to model a
  wide variety of situations. That said, I must re-
  emphasize that the mechanic is not a replacement for
  the character creation rules, Arts, or Abilities, but
  rather an addendum to add functionality to the
  advancement system in play, and hopefully to help
  bring together many divergent types of knowledge.
  Most of all, I hope to introduce discussion into new
  and better ways to model advancement.
  21
  
  Ars Mathematica:
  Mathematics
  by Adam Bank and Jeremiah Genest
  Secret Societies
  Society of Pythagoreans
  Symbol: Tetraktis (“the fourness,” a sacred
  pyramidal symbol made of ten dots)
  Motto: “Number moves itself.”
  Patrons: Pythagoras, Apollonius of Tyana
  House Affiliations: Any, although members
  from Houses Flambeau, Tytalus, and Tremere are
  extremely rare
  Flaw Requirements: Noncombatant -2, Vow
  (not to use any animal products in any way) -2
  Origin Myth: The members of the Society
  believe themselves to be the reincarnations of the
  original, massacred Pythagorean cultists. The original
  cultists knew that servants of the evil Demiurge
  planned to destroy them, but their pacifism left them
  no defense. Instead, the doomed cultists performed
  a ritual that guaranteed their souls would be reincar-
  nated at a time when the world needed their wisdom
  most.
  Levels of Initiation: The Society’s outer circle
  of members, the akousmatic, is spread throughout
  the Order, and only gathers together on nights with
  astrological or numerological importance. The
  akousmatics live according to the principles of
  Pythagoreanism, and are occasionally called upon by
  the Society’s inner disciples, the mathematikoi. The
  Society’s inner circle members divest themselves of
  all personal possessions and never leave the Society’s
  headquarters, the Covenant of the Semicircle. Hid-
  den somewhere on the Ionian Islands, the mathe-
  matikoi of Semicircle purportedly elect a leader who
  guides their esoteric studies.
  Goals and practices: The Society recruits rarely.
  The Society must always have at least 36 members, a
  sacred number known as the Great Tetraktis; the
  sum of the first four odd numbers plus the sum of
  the first four even numbers ((1+3+5+7) +
  (2+4+6+8)). Whenever a member dies, the akous-
  matic outer-initiates are ordered to search the world
  for his or her reincarnation. Usually the reincarnation
  is found in a Gifted child. Once, however, the Soci-
  ety granted a seagull full membership rights as the
  reincarnation of a former member. Outsiders can
  pursue membership, but they must each somehow
  prove themselves a reincarnation of an ancient
  Pythagorean.
  The Society furthers the ideals of the ancient
  Pythagoreans by researching mathematics and magic.
  They freely publish their newfound spells and knowl-
  edge, circulating copies by Redcap, each text suppos-
  edly authored by “Pythagoras of Samos,” as if
  Pythagoras himself has returned to Semicircle. Only
  inner disciples know the exact location of Semicircle,
  as it is protected by many powerful spells, and no
  outsider knows their full agenda.
  Virtues Taught: Affinity with Music (+1), Arith-
  mancy (+1), Magical Imagination (+1), Enchanting
  Music (+2), Monadic Magic (+2), Onomancy (+3),
  Inscription Upon the Soul (+4), Affinity with Intél-
  lego (+4)
  Cult of Pythagoras
  “Pythagoras met two different people, in two
  distant cities, in one single hour. Pythagoras’ left
  thigh consisted of solid gold. When asked about it,
  he admitted to being the reincarnation of King
  Midas. He tamed eagles in an instant, converted
  wild bears into vegetarians. When he walked on a
  shore, rivers would cry ‘Hail, Pythagoras!’ He could
  see beyond the horizon of the sea.
  “Once, he bit a poisonous snake to death.
  “Pythagoras stands as the first archmage, the
  first hermetist to truly awaken his Gift.”
  – Alcmaeon filius Diodorus, follower of Bonis-
  agus, a 10th Century Society member
  Quick Glossary of Important In-Character
  Terms
  Bibliomancy: Applying numerology to written
  words for working magic.
  Golden Number: A magical ratio used in art
  and architecture.
  Primary Numbers: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9.
  Sacred Architecture: Buildings constructed
  according to Sacred Geometry.
  Sacred Geometry: Geometrical shapes and fig-
  ures that possess symbolic, religious and magical
  power.
  22
  
  A native of the Ionian island of Samos, Pythago-
  ras (circa 560-480 BC) trained in Egypt and became
  a master mystic/theoretician in Babylon, famous
  home of magical secrets. When the politics of con-
  quest permitted, Pythagoras returned to Samos to
  found a school, the Semicircle. He lived in a cave out-
  side the main city, where he delved into the mysteries
  and researched the conundrums of mathematics.
  Gaining few followers in his native country, he
  moved to Croton, established a renowned school of
  philosophy and religion, and began his cult, the Soci-
  ety. The Society was comprised equally of women
  and men who dedicated themselves to numerology,
  purification, friendship, honesty, loyalty, and secrecy.
  Pythagoras reputedly lived well over 100 years,
  and branches of the Society grew all over Italy. Not
  many years after his death, however, the Society was
  struck down. Meeting houses everywhere were
  sacked and burned. In Croton, the heart of the Soci-
  ety, historians say some sixty Pythagoreans were mas-
  sacred in “the house of Milo.”
  Apollonius of Tyana
  Several tales speak of the strange, ascetic, wan-
  dering teacher Apollonius of Tyana (1st century
  AD). Born in Cappadocia, he traveled the civilized
  world and beyond, helping spark a revival of
  Pythagoreanism.
  What we know of Apollonius’ teaching coincides
  with traditional Pythagorean doctrine. Animals have
  a divine soul, just like human beings. To kill an ani-
  mal, therefore, is a grave sin, and one must abstain
  from eating meat, sacrificing animals to the gods, or
  wearing fur or animal skin for clothing. Apollonius
  also believed in the transmigration of the soul and
  claimed to remember his own previous existences. It
  is said that he descended into the underworld and
  that he could raise the dead.
  He authored On Sacrifices, a treatise on how to
  properly worship the gods without committing sin.
  Purportedly written by Apollonius himself, The
  Golden Flowers discusses summoning and dealing
  with spirits. Around the end of the 12th century,
  Hugo of Santalla translated the Secrets of Creation
  from Arabic into Latin. This strange text contained a
  long allegorical story about Apollonius. Guided
  through a passageway by a magical lamp, Apollonius
  arrives at a chamber where he finds an old man seat-
  ed on a golden throne. In one hand the old man
  holds the book on the Secret of Creation, in the oth-
  er an emerald tablet inscribed with obscure symbols
  and the caption, “the art of reproducing nature.”
  While any philosopher could read from the Secret of
  Creation, only the initiates of magic could glimpse
  the art of reproducing nature.
  Initiation Seed
  Eat no beans: Pythagoras often told his followers
  to “abstain from beans,” which they interpreted as
  avoiding politics. When searching for new incarna-
  tions, the Pythagoreans pay closest attention to magi
  who remain neutral in Tribunal politics or refuse to
  play along with Tremere plans or Tytalus schemes. A
  player magus who continually refuses to get swept up
  in political machinations will be approached as a
  potential candidate.
  Esoteric Lineages
  Line of Petrus, House Quaesitor
  Petrus was a sage, diviner, and close friend of
  Guernicus the Founder. His magical abilities were
  insufficient to warrant his invitation to the first Tri-
  bunal, but Guernicus welcomed him into the Order
  as his assistant. When Guernicus took the title of
  Quaesitor, he found Petrus’ powers to be invaluable.
  Petrus was a master numerologist and bib-
  liomancer. His interpretations of Hermetic texts and
  letters were instrumental in many of Guernicus’
  investigations. In the 13th century, his descendants
  continue Petrus’ duties as numerologists and
  archivists of House Quaesitor.
  Starting Abilities: Arithmancy 1, Hermetic
  Law 2, Hermes Lore 3, Magic Theory 4, Parma Mag-
  ica 2, Scribe Latin 3, Speak Latin 4, Speak Own Lan-
  guage 4
  Starting Experience Points: 5 + Age
  Required Virtues and Flaws: Quaesitor +1,
  Arithmancy +1, Bibliomancy +3, Obligation (write
  one tractatus on Hermes Lore every year) -2*
  * Your lineage requires you to spend one season
  a year studying the writings of the Order and
  reporting on your findings to the chief Quae-
  sitor of your Tribunal. You spend this season
  writing a tractatus on Hermes Lore. You gain
  no direct study from your duties, however,
  since you search for patterns behind the
  words, not the knowledge contained in the
  words themselves.
  The Mind of the Numerologist
  Mathematics contains the plans of
  the
  Divine: Numerologists study the mathematic arts of
  the quadrivium (arithmetic, geometry, astronomy,
  and music) to reveal the mind of God. When
  Pythagoras discovered what we call the “Pythagore-
  an Theorem” of right triangles, he proved the exis-
  tence of God. Only an all-knowing, omnipotent
  divinity could make mathematics and geometry so
  utterly perfect. Each new theorem discovered, each
  formula tabulated, reaffirms divine supremacy and
  reveals part of the invisible world beyond.
  Numbers are the true reality: The invisible
  world is composed of numbers. Numbers and math-
  ematical formulae are more formal than physical
  My own system of
  wisdom comes from
  Pythagoras who taught me to worship the gods in
  the way you see. The very fashion of letting my hair
  grow long I have learned from Pythagoras as part
  of his discipline, and as a result of his wisdom I
  keep myself pure from the meat of animals. There-
  fore, I cannot accompany you or anyone else in
  drinking wine or idleness and luxury.
  – Apollonius describing his lifestyle
  23
  
  phenomena (two plus two always equals four, where-
  as the physical world can be much less reliable).
  Numerologists conclude that numbers have greater
  actuality, or are “more real” and important, than the
  observable world. Pythagoreans, for example,
  believed human souls and divine spirits were com-
  posed of musical harmonies.
  Numbers are the source of magic: Numerolo-
  gy finds meaning in mathematical patterns and their
  occurrences in nature. Belief in numerology is wide-
  spread among the philosophers of antiquity, Jewish
  and Arabic scholars, the Church Fathers, and Christ-
  ian philosophers of the 13th century. Most numerol-
  ogy springs from the central concepts of Pythagore-
  anism, the belief that divine numbers maintain the
  structure of the cosmos.
  Important Numbers
  Pythagorean numerology begins with the primary
  numbers: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9. Each primary
  number has its own name, shape, personality, and sig-
  nificance when found in nature or in formulae.
  - The Monad (1), also called Unity, symbolizes
  Divinity, the oneness of divine purpose, the
  beginning of all things, the singularity and
  infinity of God. The shape of the monad is
  the dimensionless point, impossible to truly
  conceive. The Monad signifies the unity of
  complete opposites, such as even and odd,
  male and female.
  - The Duad (2) represents diversity and equali-
  ty. “Two” embodies polarity, opposition, and
  division. The Duad, as sexuality, can signify
  dynamism and change. Another aspect of the
  Duad, the hermaphrodite, represents ambiva-
  lence.
  - The Triad (3, or Ternary), the first uneven
  number, is also the first number that can be
  visualized, in planar geometry as the triangle.
  The Triad signifies heaven and the spirit,
  humanity’s ability to approach the understand-
  ing and power of the Monad, and the influ-
  ence of the Divine visible on Earth. Multiply-
  ing a sum by three gives great power. The Tri-
  ad is the perfect number, echoing Plato’s three
  great principles (Matter, Idea and God) the
  three dimensions of space (length, height, and
  breadth) and the three stages of time (past,
  present and future).
  - The Tetrad (4, or Quaternary), symbolizes
  truth, reason, observable (as opposed to infi-
  nite) unity, and perfect rhythm. As the number
  of Jupiter, the Tetrad signifies law, protection,
  and organization. Four is the number of order,
  representing the solstices and equinoxes, the
  seasons, the elements, the cardinal points, the
  phases of the moon, the winds in the skies,
  and the rivers of paradise.
  - The Quincunx (5, or Pentad) represents health
  and love. The Quincunx is the number of
  humanity and the human body. The head con-
  trols the four limbs (a total of 5 extremities),
  the mind has five senses, and each hand has
  five fingers. The Quincunx’s symbols are the
  pentagon and pentagram.
  - The Hexad (6, or Hexagon) is the number of
  perfection, beauty, stability, and balance in the
  terrestrial realm. God created the Cosmos in
  six days. There are six colors (blue, yellow, red,
  green, orange, and purple). Six is the number
  of the Seal of Solomon, the great Hebrew
  king who built the Temple on six steps and
  elevated his throne by six steps.
  - The Heptad (7, the Septenary) captures the
  mystic imagination more than any other pri-
  mary number. The Heptad symbolizes cosmic
  organization and pervades the universe. Seven
  is the solar number since there are seven heav-
  ens, seven planets, and seven days of the week.
  The summer solstice occurs when the Sun
  enters the seventh sign of the Zodiac; the win-
  ter solstice occurs after the Sun passes through
  the next seven signs. Seven symbolizes abun-
  dance, sin, and revenge.
  - The Ogdoad (8, the Octahedron) represents
  the eight souls saved from the Flood in Noah’s
  ark. As an even, female, passive number, and
  the first cubic number (2 × 2 × 2 = 8), eight
  embodies the volume of the earth. The Tetrad
  symbolizes the Earth, but the Ogdoad sym-
  bolizes an intermediary realm between Heaven
  and Earth.
  - The Ennead (9, Nonagon) represents con-
  cord. Nine is an uneven, male, active number
  and the first squared uneven number. The
  Earth plus the seven planets plus the sphere of
  fixed stars make nine concentric spheres. Nine
  is the number of hierarchy and the crowd.
  There are nine muses, nine choirs of angels.
  The Ennead is the number of the Virgin Mary.
  Due to its many arithmetical peculiarities, nine
  is called the unbound and the number of
  reflection.
  - As a composite number 10, the Decad, com-
  bines the meanings of the Duad and the Quin-
  cunx, and represents rational, orderly love, or
  marriage. The five fingers on the two hands
  add up to 10, and so Decad is the number of
  totality. The Decad signals change through the
  death of an old life and the beginning of a
  new.
  Sacred Geometry
  The constructs and theorems of geometry also
  contain great magic. The Egyptians believed that
  geometrical theorems were miracles produced by the
  god Osiris. The ancient Greeks assigned various
  magical attributes to the geometrical shapes and
  ratios, investing them with meaning.
  Geometry is the science of relationships. To the
  geometrician, the universe is God regarding himself.
  Creation cannot exist without perception and per-
  ception reduces to relationship. The archetypal pat-
  terns of relationship can be contemplated through
  24
  
  the laws of proportion contained in pure number
  and geometric form.
  Platonic Solids
  The five Platonic solids are: the tetrahedron
  (pyramid), the hexahedron (cube), the octahedron (8-
  sided figure), the icosahedron (20-sided figure), and
  the dodecahedron (12-sided figure). These five
  shapes, however, were revered as symbols of divine
  power long before Plato’s time.
  The Platonic solids are the only possible regular
  polyhedra, straight-sided figures with equal sides and
  equal angles. Because you can geometrically prove
  that only five regular polyhedra exist, the ancients
  gave them great cosmological significance. Early
  Greek physicists, including Plato, concluded that the
  solids were the shapes of elemental atoms, although
  Aristotelian physics rejects the theory of atomism.
  Heavenly Curves
  Golden Section: A line, divided into two unequal
  parts where the ratio of the larger section to the
  smaller section is the same ratio as the larger section
  to the entire line. This ratio is called the “divine pro-
  portion.” The ancients considered the golden section
  to be a great source of beauty and perfection. It is
  the fundamental principle of classical and medieval
  art and architecture in the form of the golden rec-
  tangle. All architecture is governed by the relation-
  ships between sides and diagonals of a series of
  squares. The golden section is a powerful sacred geo-
  metrical symbol of learning and knowledge, as it rep-
  resents the process of generational change.
  Spiral: The logarithmic spiral, constructed
  through a series of nested golden rectangles, has
  long been recognized as one of the great recurring
  patterns in nature. The spiral symbolizes generational
  growth.
  Pi: The sphere is the shape of the divine, the sim-
  plest and purest symbol of perfection. A circle, the
  flat shadow of a sphere, represents the divine at
  work within the natural world.
  Vesica Piscis: When two identical circles are
  drawn intersecting one another so that the overlap
  equals their radii, the intersection forms a vesica pis-
  cis, the shape of the human eye, the portal to the
  human spirit and a joining of minds.
  Opposition
  Opposition is a source of great power. An oppos-
  ing pair, such as fire and water, contains the power of
  the Duad. Opposites cannot unite in the terrestrial
  world; opposites never attract. The joining of oppos-
  ing pairs can only occur in the invisible world of
  magic and number. The joining of an opposing pair
  unleashes the power of the Monad and transcendent
  unity.
  The Pythagoreans believed ten great oppositions
  ruled the universe. Aristotle listed them, but even he
  did not know why the Pythagoreans gave them such
  importance, or how they functioned in the greater
  world.
  Harmony of the Spheres
  The modes of music represent the structure of
  reality. According to Pythagoras, each celestial sphere
  sings a single note of perfect pitch. People ordinari-
  ly cannot hear the harmony of the spheres because
  they have lived with it all their lives. Originally
  defined by Pythagoras, the eight musical modes have
  been expanded over the years to include other phe-
  nomena. Pope Gregory codified the system used in
  the 13th century from Roman and Greek sources.
  Outer Mystery: Arithmancy
  Arithmancy is the science of the effect of math-
  ematics on magic. Specifically, arithmancers study the
  power of the three lower arts of the Quadrivium:
  arithmetic, geometry, and music. Astrology, the most
  The Great Oppositions
  Limited
  Unlimited
  Odd
  Even
  Unity
  Plurality
  Right
  Left
  Male
  Female
  At Rest
  In Motion
  Straight
  Curved
  Light
  Darkness
  Good
  Evil
  Square
  Oblong
  25
  Ancient Atomic Theory
  Shape
  Element Hermetic Form & Effect
  Tetrahedron
  Fire
  +4 Ignem, +2 Intéllego
  Hexahedron
  Earth
  +4 Terram, +3 leadership
  Octahedron
  Air
  +4 Auram, +2 Mentem
  Icosahedron
  Water
  +4 Aquam, +3 metals
  Dodecahedron Cosmos* +4 Vim, +3 divination
  * The entire universe itself, comprised of the four
  elements, took the shape of the dodecahedron.
  The Modes of Music
  Mode
  Element
  Humor
  Change
  Effect
  Planet
  Note
  Harmonia
  Dorian
  Water
  Phlegm
  more
  awake
  Sun
  D
  Phrygisti
  Hypodorian
  Water
  Phlegm
  less
  asleep
  Moon
  A
  Hypodôristi
  Phrygian
  Fire
  Choler
  more
  anger
  Mars
  E
  Dôristi
  Hypophrygian
  Fire
  Choler
  less
  flattery
  Mercury
  B
  Mixolydisti
  Lydian
  Air
  Blood
  more
  happy
  Jupiter
  F
  Hypolydisti
  Hypolydian
  Air
  Blood
  less
  sad
  Venus
  C
  Lydisti
  Mixolydian
  Earth
  Melancholy
  more
  melancholic
  Saturn
  G
  Hypophrygisti
  Hypermixolydian
  Earth
  Melancholy
  less
  beauty
  Stars
  A
  
  challenging mathematical discipline, requires its own
  school of magic. (See The Mysteries).
  In addition to allowing you to purchase the inner
  mysteries of mathematics, Arithmancy functions as a
  Magical Affinity in sacred geometry, explained in the
  next section.
  Sacred Geometry Spells
  All spells with the target of Circle or duration of
  Ring are sacred geometry spells. Arithmancy is not
  required to cast sacred geometry spells, but functions
  as a Magical Affinity for each spell listed below.
  Wizard’s Duad (MuVi Gen)
  R: Near, D: Ring (spec.) T: Spec, Ritual
  Requisite: Mentem
  This originally pre-Hermetic ritual allows two
  magi to combine their power. The ritual spell
  requires two casters. Both casters must know a ver-
  sion of the spell, and both must successfully cast it
  (each with vis) for the ritual to be effective.
  The two casters stand, facing each other, at the
  centers of a vesica piscis. Once the ritual is complete,
  and as long as the two casters remain inside their cir-
  cles, both cast magic as one magus. When casting
  formulaic or ritual spells, the magi make a single
  stress + Sta + Sta + Technique + Technique + Form
  + Form + aura roll. Individual Affinities are also
  added. Any roll involving magic (including Magic
  Resistance) is similarly doubled. Spontaneous magic
  may be attempted this way, but adds an Intéllego req-
  uisite to the ritual.
  If any roll exceeds the combined levels of the
  dual rituals, the roll automatically fails. If combined
  Magic Resistance fails, each caster can resist individ-
  ually. For example, two magi each know a 30th level
  version of a Wizard’s Duad, for a combined level of
  60. They both cast Wizard’s Duad to engage in a long-
  range duel with a powerful foe. Their enemy sends a
  Ball of Abysmal Flame their way via an Intangible Tun-
  nel. They add their Magic Resistance totals to a
  (unfortunately high) single roll resulting in a 76.
  Because 76 is greater than 60, their combined Magic
  Resistance fails, and both must resist separately.
  Botching Muto Vim spells always results in a
  spectacle. When ensconced in a Wizard’s Duad, both
  magi make separate botch rolls, but share each oth-
  er’s botch results.
  Enchanted Castle (ReVi 30)
  R: Touch D: Inst. T: Structure, Ritual
  Spell focus: target itself built according to sacred
  geometrical principles (+1)
  Allows an entire building or like structure, built
  according to sacred geometrical principles, to be
  opened for enchantment, ordinarily not possible as a
  lab activity. The structure must still be opened for
  enchantment separately. Treat any such structure as
  “gigantic,” with a vis multiplier of × 6 (ArM4 page
  83). Any Vim vis used in the ritual is counted toward
  the Vim vis needed to open the building for enchant-
  ment.
  Radian Glyph (ReVi Gen)
  R: Touch D: Moon/Perm T: Structure, Ritual
  Spell Focus: target itself was built in accord with
  pi (+3)
  Infuses a man-made structure with a magical
  effect. During the ritual, the caster must carve a geo-
  metrical representation of pi no smaller than one
  pace in diameter into a surface of the structure.
  Once the ritual is complete, the magus casts a spell at
  the glyph. The spell cast at the glyph effects the
  entire structure for the duration of the ritual spell, or
  until the glyph is destroyed, regardless of the dura-
  tion or target of the spell cast. The glyph can hold
  any one spell of a level less than or equal to the ritu-
  al’s level - 20. Aimed spells cannot be held by this
  spell.
  Golden Glyph (ReVi Gen)
  R: Touch D: Moon/Perm T: Room, Ritual
  Spell Focus: target itself was built according to
  the golden ratio (+3)
  Infuses a room with a magical effect, affecting
  everything therein. During the ritual, the caster must
  carve a geometrical representation of the golden
  ratio (such as a spiral) into the wall, ceiling, or floor
  of the room. Once the ritual is complete, the magus
  casts a spell at the glyph. The spell can have any dura-
  tion including Momentary, but cannot be an aimed
  spell. For the duration of the ritual spell or until the
  glyph is destroyed, anyone or anything that enters the
  room will have that spell cast upon it as if cast by the
  performer of the ritual himself, each time it enters.
  Circles and Signs
  Magic circles and inscriptions descend from the
  wisdom of King Solomon. More than protective
  devices, perfect circles have inherent power as sym-
  bols of celestial power. In Hermetic terms, circles
  draw upon the power of the celestial spheres
  through the law of sympathy. This power can be
  directed outwards, to protect those inside, or
  inwards, to work great magic within. Other signs
  partaking in sympathy include pentagrams and
  astrological symbols.
  Theurgical circles vary from central designs:
  The theurgist constructs a square platform of fine
  and finished stone. On top of the square the theur-
  gist places a circular platform, seven feet across and
  three feet high. After purifying this site, the theur-
  gist carves two concentric circles into the top plat-
  form, using a new and unblemished knife, writing
  names of power in the band between the circles.
  Another ritual carves four concentric circles, from
  nine feet to twelve feet across, and the Seal of
  Solomon in the center, all inscribed in concentric
  squares whose corners point to the cardinal direc-
  tions, with names of power between the squares.
  Lighted censers sit within two small concentric cir-
  cles at each of the four corners of the outermost
  square. Such circles have Form and Effect bonuses
  of Rego +7 and Theurgy +7.
  26
  
  The spell trapped in the glyph must have a sufficient
  target and requisites (a spell with a target of Small
  cannot affect a person, for example). Penetration of
  the glyph’s spell is equal to the level of the ritual. The
  glyph can hold any one spell of a level less than or
  equal to the ritual’s level - 15.
  The glyph will not cast the spell trapped in it on
  the caster of the ritual itself if the caster adds requi-
  sites of Intéllego and Corpus.
  Inner Mysteries
  The +4 Inner Mystery, Sacred Architecture is on
  page 168 of The Mysteries.
  Monadic Magic (+2 Virtue)
  Monadic magic draws on the inherit power of
  sequences and opposites.
  Opposition
  With Monadic Magic, your Arithmancy score
  functions as a Magical Affinity with opposing forces.
  Examples include: using Creo in a spell to cancel the
  effect of Perdo magic, using a Creo Aquam to put
  out a fire, or using Muto magic to turn a target into
  its exact opposite.
  Monadic Spell Casting
  A numerologist can enhance spells by entering a
  trance and chanting long sequences of numerological
  formulae. Using additional numerological formulae
  in spell casting, however, possesses dangers, as the
  numerological power of a spell cannot be known
  until actually cast. Any ritual, spontaneous, or for-
  mulaic spell can be enhanced with monadic magic.
  Monadic spell casting uses incantations of num-
  ber sequences and rhythmic gestures first developed
  by the Pythagoreans. Monadic spell casting cannot be
  performed silently or without gestures (see “Words
  and Gestures,” ArM4 page 76).
  Roll to cast your spell as normal, adding your
  Arithmancy score to the casting total. If you botch,
  the opportunity for monadic magic is wasted, and
  you must resolve the botch normally. If you succeed,
  the spell is prepared but not cast, and numerological
  incantation to enhance and control the spell begins.
  Reduce your spell casting total (without Penetra-
  tion) to its primary number by adding its digits
  together. If the result is not a primary number, add
  the digits together again until you reach the primary
  number. For example, if your total is 37, the spell’s
  primary number is 1, because 3 + 7 = 10, and 1 + 0
  = 1. You may choose to cast the spell immediately,
  looking up your casting roll’s primary number on the
  “Monadic Effects” chart to determine the result of
  your spell, or continue incantation in the hopes of
  improving the outcome.
  If you choose to continue incantation, you must
  spend 1 minute per 5 levels of the spell cast chanti-
  ng and gesturing. If you are interrupted (follow the
  normal rules for disrupting concentration), the spell
  fails and you must roll a number of botch dice equal
  to the aura, minimum of 1. Once the requisite time
  has passed, roll stress die + Sta + Concentration +
  previous primary number, and reduce the new total
  to find your spell’s new primary number. You may
  choose to cast the spell along with the new primary
  number’s effects, or continue the incantation, per-
  forming the same procedure again.
  If you botch your incantation roll, the spell is out
  of your control and takes effect according to the
  27
  Monadic Effects
  1 the Monad: Divine Unity. Your spell operates
  normally, but also briefly links you to the
  invisible world of Truth and pure Number.
  Roll to check for Twilight, adding Arithmancy
  to any roll modified by Enigmatic Wisdom.
  2 the Duad: Opposition and ambivalence. Your
  spell is cast as if Mirror of Opposition (ArM4
  page 157) were successfully cast upon it. You
  cannot stop its effects.
  3 the Triad: Power. The effect of any vis used is
  doubled. If you did not use vis during the
  spell casting, you gain no benefit. If you are
  performing a ritual spell or boosting the dura-
  tion or range of a formulaic spell, only half of
  the vis usually required is consumed. If you
  are using vis to increase your formulaic or
  spontaneous spell casting total, double the
  bonus to your roll.
  4 the Tetrad: Order and control. Add your
  Arithmancy spell to any Finesse or Concen-
  tration roll made in conjunction with the spell
  cast.
  5 the Quincunx: The number of humanity. The
  spell gains Corpus and Mentem requisites. If
  your casting total is reduced so that you would
  have failed to cast the spell, you still succeed,
  but roll 5 botch dice. If your spell is unaffect-
  ed by the requisites, you lose no Fatigue due to
  the casting of the spell if casting a sponta-
  neous or formulaic spell from memory. If you
  are casting a ritual spell or a spell from a text,
  you only lose half the usual fatigue.
  6 the Hexad: Balance. Your spell is cast as if The
  Sorcerer’s Fork (ArM4 page 157) were success-
  fully cast upon it. Your spell is divided in two,
  one spell affecting your intended target, the
  other affecting yourself (you may still Magi-
  cally Resist if possible).
  7 the Heptad: The solar number. Your spell’s
  range changes to Sight. If the original spell
  had a range of Personal or Arcane Connec-
  tion, you must now cast the spell at an appro-
  priate target in Sight range or roll 7 botch dice.
  8 the Ogdoad: The intermediary. Your spell is
  cast as if Wizard’s Boost (ArM4 page 157) were
  successfully cast upon it.
  9 the Ennead: The unbound. Your spell is cast
  simultaneously on every target to which you
  possess (on your person) an Arcane Connec-
  tion, including yourself, without extra vis.
  
  previous primary number, in addition to any other
  botch effects.
  The actual casting total of the spell when eventu-
  ally cast is equal to the original casting total. Sponta-
  neous spells are still divided.
  Bibliomancy (+3 Virtue)
  The inner mystery of bibliomancy teaches the
  secret meaning of the written word. Bibliomancy
  reveals the hidden connections between the contents
  of a text and the Hermetic and liberal arts. The let-
  ters in words are substituted with numbers. Corre-
  spondences are found through a large repertoire of
  mathematical methods. (For more on numerology,
  see Kabbalah page 77.)
  There are three techniques of bibliomancy.
  Divination
  Similar to ceremonial augury (see The Mysteries,
  page 107), careful examination of a text for mathe-
  matical omens can reveal many secrets. Bibliomancy
  can replicate any Hermetic spontaneous or formula-
  ic spell effect combining the Technique Intéllego
  with any other Form; no spell using a Technique
  beside Intéllego can be replicated with divination
  through bibliomancy. You cannot use vis when divin-
  ing with bibliomancy.
  In addition, the target of the spell must be asso-
  ciated with the subject of the book examined. You
  cannot use bibliomancy to cast Intéllego spells tar-
  geted at the text’s author. The target itself or a simi-
  lar object must be discussed within the text.
  Texts on Academic, Arcane, and Casual Knowl-
  edges are the best books to use with bibliomancy. For
  example, a text on Philosophiae can be used to cast a
  spell on a herb or a strange metallic alloy. A text on a
  particular (Area) Lore can be used to cast Intéllego
  spells on a geographical location.
  A text on a Hermetic Technique (such as Corpus)
  can be used to perform any Intéllego spell of that
  form (such as any Intéllego Corpus), but is less effec-
  tive. Texts on Hermetic Forms cannot be used to
  divine with bibliomancy.
  Once you choose the Technique and level of
  effect of the spell you wish to attempt, you must
  examine the text. You must spend 15 minutes per
  magnitude of the spell performing numerological
  computations on random passages of the text. Roll a
  28
  
  stress die + Int + Arithmancy + Intéllego + appro-
  priate Hermetic Form + aura. If you are using a text
  on a Hermetic Form, divide the total by two. Other-
  wise, if your roll is greater than or equal to the level
  of the effect of the intended spell, the divination is
  successful. Divining with bibliomancy costs 2 Fatigue
  levels.
  Improving Spell Casting
  You can improve a spell by spending time in bib-
  liomantic computation before casting. You can
  improve any formulaic, ritual, or spontaneous spell
  of any Form or Technique combination with bib-
  liomancy. First, you must spend 5 minutes per mag-
  nitude of your intended spell in numerological study
  of a text. The text’s subject must be an Academic,
  Arcane, or Casual Knowledge related to the target.
  Once your study is complete, you may add the Qual-
  ity of a text to your spell casting total. You can only
  use a particular text to improve spell casting a num-
  ber of times equal to your Arithmancy score.
  Improving Study
  When spending a season studying a text, you can
  attempt to improve your study by searching for
  numerological correspondences. After spending the
  season, roll a stress die + Perception + Arithmancy
  with an Ease Factor of 12+. If you succeed, you add
  your Arithmancy score to your Study Total. If you
  fail, the season is wasted and no experience points
  are gained. If you botch, you become so confused
  that you can never study that particular text again.
  Tapestry
  Mandarcius filius Duecius, Follower of Guer-
  nicus
  Mandarcius, a Line of Petrus bibliomancer, is
  never without a stylus and tablet or scroll to record
  observations. When away from the covenant library,
  he has a grog accompany him with a wheelbarrow
  full of books. A native of Venice, plotting, scheming,
  and spying are Mandarcius’ birthright. He turns
  almost every conversation into an interview. Every-
  thing he hears and says will wind up in his yearly trac-
  tatus on Hermes Lore, one way or another, which
  accounts for his reputation as a meddler.
  29
  Mandarcius the Bibliomancer*
  Characteristics: Int +1, Per +2, Com +3,Pre -2,
  Str 0, Sta +1, Dex 0, Qik -1
  Age: 28
  Size: 0
  Confidence: 3
  Virtues and Flaws: Arithmancy +1, Book
  Learner +1, Quaesitor +1, Secret Vis Source (Intél-
  lego) +1, Strong Writer +1, Gossip +2, Biblioman-
  cy +3, Blatant Gift -1, Meddler -1, Poor Eyesight -1,
  Clumsy -2 Obligations -2, Major Magical Deficiency
  (without a text or parchment to consult) -3
  Personality Traits: Meddlesome +3, Ambi-
  tious +3, Awkward +1,Devious +1
  Reputations: Meddler 1, within the Order; Up-
  and-coming Quaesitor 3, within the Order
  Weapon/Attack
  Init
  Atk
  Dfn
  Dam
  Fat
  Brawling (dagger)
  +2
  +2
  +2
  +3
  2
  Soak: +1
  Fatigue levels: OK, 0, -1, -3, -5, Incapacitated
  Body levels: OK, 0, -1, -3, -5, Incapacitated
  Abilities: Arithmancy 3, Awareness 2, Brawl 1,
  Certámen 2, Concentration 3, Enigmatic Wisdom 1,
  Etiquette 2, Finesse 2, Guile 1, Hermes Lore 3, Her-
  metic Law 2, Intrigue 3, Magic Theory 4, Occult
  Lore 1, Parma Magica 2, Scribe Latin 3, Speak Ital-
  ian 4, Speak Latin 4
  Arts:
  Cr 3
  In 10
  Mu 3
  Pe 3
  Re 2
  An 5
  Aq 5
  Au 2
  Co 2
  He 5
  Ig 5
  Im 0
  Me 3
  Te 2
  Vi 0
  Wizard’s Sigil: Convolution. His spell effects
  are achieved in the most complex way possible.
  Spells:
  Frosty Breath of the Spoken Lie (InMe 20/ +14
  Posing the Silent Question (InMe 20/ +14
  Mighty Torrent of Water (CrAq 15/ +9
  Disguise of the New Visage (MuCo 15/ +6)
  Whispers Through the Black Gate (InCo 15/ +13)
  Intuition of the Forest (InHe 10/ +15
  Trust of Childlike Faith (PeMe 10 /+6
  Circling Winds of Protection (ReAu 15/ +5)
  Growth of the Creeping Things (MuAn 15/ +6)
  Agony of the Beast (PeAn 5/ +9)
  
  His secret vis source is a gift from his pater Due-
  cius. Duecius, a master of natural philosophy,
  searched many years for powerful stones of virtue:
  male and female gemstones. According to Aristotle
  and other naturalists, gems possess gender, and give
  birth to smaller gems if left alone (resulting in the
  occasional great deposit of precious gems found in
  rocky areas). Duecius gave his apprentice a mated
  pair of sapphires that each year (if left undisturbed)
  produces a handful of smaller sapphires worth 4
  pawns of Intéllego vis.
  Mandarcius is suitable for a beginning player
  character.
  Iphigenia of Samos
  Iphigenia lived almost a century of seclusion at
  the Semicircle Covenant, heart of the Society of
  Pythagoreans, but she now walks the earth. On the
  very edge of Final Twilight, Iphigenia is on a quest to
  find a woman pregnant with the child that will be her
  reincarnation. She takes the guise of a wizened
  soothsayer traveling from town market to town mar-
  ket, selling charms, telling fortunes, and practicing
  medicine.
  30
  Iphigenia of Samos, Mathematekoi of the
  Society
  Characteristics: Int +3, Per +2, Com +1, Pre 0,
  Str 0, Sta +1, Dex 0, Qik 0
  Age: 163
  Afflictions: Hunched Over 3, Cataracts 2,
  Incontinent 1
  Size: 0
  Confidence: 6
  Virtues and Flaws: Arithmancy +1, Magical
  Imagination +1 (initiated), Onomancy +2, Sense for
  the Gift +1, Affinity with Intéllego +4, Inscription
  Upon the Soul (initiated) +4, Noncombatant -2,
  Vow (No animal products) -2, Personal Magic -6
  Personality Traits: Patient 2, Quixotic 1
  Reputations: none; Iphigenia dropped out of
  sight when she joined the Semicircle
  Weapon/Attack
  Init
  Atk
  Dfn
  Dam
  Fat
  Brawl (fist)
  -2
  -3
  -3
  0
  1
  Soak: +1
  Fatigue levels: OK, 0, -1, -3, -5, Incapacitated
  Body levels: OK, 0, -1, -3, -5, Incapacitated
  Important Abilities: Arithmancy 9, Awareness
  5, Certámen 1, Charm 4, Concentration 6, Enigmat-
  ic Wisdom 8, Etiquette 2, Finesse 4, Folk Ken 6,
  Guile 2, Hermes Lore 3, Intrigue 7, Magic Theory 9,
  Magical Imagination 6, Occult Lore 4, Parma Magi-
  ca 5, Scribe Greek 5, Scribe Latin 6, Speak Greek 4,
  Speak Italian 4, Speak Latin 4
  Arts:
  Cr 22
  In 26
  Mu 3
  Pe 7
  Re 16
  An 15
  Aq 13
  Au 13
  Co 12
  He 9
  Ig 7
  Im 17
  Me 17 Te 14
  Vi 19
  Twilight Points: 23
  Decrepitude: 3
  Wizard’s Sigil: Complex patterns
  Spells: Iphigenia knows all of the healing and
  beneficial Creo spells in ArM4, and most Intéllego
  spells.
  Inscriptions Upon Her Soul:
  Cloak of Mist (ReCo 40)
  Greater Ward Against Heat and Flames (ReIg 45):
  increases Soak to +30 versus fire.
  Seven League Stride (ReCo 45)
  Silent Vigil (ReCo 45)
  The gift
  Ah, the awen comes arushin’
  Casting me adrift
  Upon the ship of poetry,
  Seizing my mind
  With the instant, all encompassing
  Might of the divine inspiration.
  I’m awash in a sea of music
  As notes riding the wave echo
  Emotion’s tide
  Which ebbs and flows
  Overwhelmingly,
  Drowning me in creation’s ecstasy.
  Silence
  Upon Ireland’s castles
  Ravens alight,
  Dark and unnumbered
  Like little deaths
  As they dreamt
  On the battlefield
  Above the vacant stares
  Of glimpsed divinity
  And the fading of memory.
  Tyler Larson
  
  A New Character Sheet:
  Innate and Learned
  Attributes
  by Jérémy Provost
  Introduction
  L
  et’s begin with an explanation of the title of
  this article. I was not inspired to write this
  because of any incoherence in the ArM4 rules,
  or because of a sense that some rule had to be
  revised. My point of departure was the ArM3 char-
  acter sheet, which did not strike me as very usable.
  The character sheet highlighted for me some of the
  underlying key features of the rules and game sys-
  tem: notably the definition of characters in terms of
  Characteristics, Abilities, Virtues and Flaws, and Her-
  metic Arts.
  Why did the ArM3 character sheet strike me as
  unusable? Because the Virtues and Flaws were listed
  on the back of the first page, combat stats were
  included on the front, and magic was at the very end.
  I found it more useful to have Virtues and Flaws
  right next to Characteristics, just like Abilities (an
  approach later adopted for the ArM4 character
  sheets, but unfortunately in a style I find too modern
  for my taste). A few other points bothered me, such
  as having to list Exceptional Abilities twice, under
  Virtues and Flaws and under Abilities, or the fact that
  combat stats were still presented before magic.
  Redesigning the character sheet helped me exam-
  ine a number of key assumptions, and I found that I
  needed a powerful tool to question these and justify
  a new approach. This is the basis for the sub-title to
  this article: “Innate and Learned Abilities”.
  This tool proved to be the following principle:
  [innate potential] + [learned Ability] against an ease
  factor to determine success or failure. This is the
  principle behind ArM Ability checks (using Charac-
  teristic + Ability). As we will see shortly, I found this
  to be a very powerful tool for redesigning the char-
  acter sheet.
  I found I was able to do the following:
  - Merge Characteristics and Virtues & Flaws,
  - Eliminate Talents and Exceptional Skills, and
  - Greatly reduce the required maths in the game
  in general.
  Characteristics and Virtues &
  Flaws (V&Fs) merged
  Example
  This idea came from something I saw in the 4th
  edition rules, a tweak that managed to find its way
  onto many of my players’ characters sheets. It’s the
  overlap between Characteristics and Virtues & Flaws.
  Let’s begin with an example, the hapless companion
  Contrario, a mercenary (+2):
  Str -2 / Reserves of Strength (+2)
  Sta -2 / Giant Blood (+3)
  Int +3 / Simple-minded (-1)
  Per +2 / Missing Eye (-1)
  Pre -2 / Inspirational (+1)
  Com -2 / Gossip (+2)
  Dex +3 / Arthritis (-3)
  Qui +3 / Enfeebled (-5)
  He could be a truly interesting character, with a
  lot of background to explain these scores, but for
  each Characteristic, there is a Virtue or Flaw at odds
  with the assigned score. For some of the Character-
  istics the contradiction only applies narrowly, as in
  Reserves of Strength, but others are more problem-
  atic: Arthritis, for example, seems to have a broader
  application than as just a modifier to Dexterity.
  Explaining the overlap
  In essence, Characteristics and Virtues & Flaws
  can be complementary, but they can also conflict and
  overlap: Characteristics are defined as ‘a given char-
  acter’s inborn attributes’ while Virtues and Flaws are
  portrayed as ‘unusual strengths or weaknesses’. The
  problem, however, is that Characteristics with scores
  other than 0 score are also effectively ‘unusual
  strengths or weaknesses’!
  In fact, I see Characteristics and Virtues & Flaws
  currently as two often-overlapping approaches to
  defining a character:
  Characteristics describe the underlying attributes
  of the character in a comparative context, as if a
  major survey had been taken of a given population
  and the results in individual cases expressed in terms
  of divergences from the mean, not as features that
  defined the character’s capabilities in a given situa-
  tion. I get the impression, however, that a +1 or -1
  should be far too fine a distinction for any survey-
  taker to notice.
  Virtues & Flaws, on the other hand, describe a
  character’s features in terms of a story — what you
  need to know to distinguish him from his brother on
  a human level (if you know them both), not
  expressed in terms of divergence from a mean.
  Virtues and Flaws may lack the broad scope over a
  given area of competence covered by a Characteris-
  tic, but are more specific and usable in role-play.
  The problem I want to call your attention to aris-
  es when Virtues & Flaws describe something already
  covered by a Characteristic: the score seems inade-
  quate and abstract compared to a human-level
  description (compare, for example, “Jehan has a +2
  Perception”, and “Jehan has Keen Vision”). In this
  sense, it seems right that the Characteristics should
  be inferred from Virtues & Flaws where possible.
  V&Fs from a Characteristics perspective
  If we look at Virtues & Flaws as a whole, a
  majority of them seem to relate only to a given Char-
  acteristic. It would seem logical then to classify
  Virtues & Flaws by Characteristic. However, Virtues
  & Flaws cover more ground than just Characteristics,
  31
  
  so I have devised two other categories: Personal His-
  tory, and Powers.
  Personal History deals with Virtues & Flaws that
  are not linked to a specific Characteristic, like Secret
  Hiding Place or Obligation, or those that bestow
  additional experience points, for example Fast Learn-
  er.
  Powers deal with all that is supernatural, and not
  linked to a specific Characteristic: most of Hermetic
  Virtues & Flaws, and Virtues that bestow Exception-
  al Talents (which are innate attributes) and Knowl-
  edges.
  Let’s take a closer look at what Virtues & Flaws
  affect, setting aside Personal History and Powers for
  the time being.
  Modifiers to whole attributes
  There are actually three different cases: Virtues or
  Flaws like Sidhe Blood (directly affecting Character-
  istics), those affecting Size, Soak, and combat stats
  (like Dwarf), and the exceptional Characteristics
  (Mythic, Pathetic…).
  Virtues & Flaws directly affecting Soak or Size
  help define Stamina, but the idea behind Mythic
  Characteristics is that the Characteristic is so phe-
  nomenal than it affects all the character does using
  this Characteristic, no matter what Skills, Knowl-
  edges, or situational specifics apply. This implies that
  such Virtues or Flaws not granting phenomenal
  Characteristics should not affect all that the character
  does with the affected Characteristic: V&Fs general-
  ly give a +3 bonus in specific situations, +1 or +2 not
  normally being seen as significant enough to warrant
  a whole Virtue point. This also begs the question of
  why Characteristic scores of +1 or +2 should be
  seen as significant, whereas V&Fs granting such
  minor bonuses are not.
  Modifiers to Characteristics in special cir-
  cumstances
  Some examples are Sharp Ears, Piercing Gaze,
  Missing Hand, even Arthritis. The relevant bonuses
  or penalties are described on a human level, not just
  as modifiers to a Characteristic.
  Which leads to an uncomfortable thought: the
  Ars Magica system is founded on [innate potential] +
  [learned ability] versus a level of difficulty. Under
  current 4th edition rules, a test for hearing, for exam-
  ple, would be Perception + modifier for Sharp Ears
  + Awareness versus Ease Factor. This translates to
  [innate Perception] + [innate Sharp Ears] + [learned
  Awareness]. Well, [innate Sharp Ears] should be suf-
  ficient for the “innate potential” part of the formu-
  la.
  Modifiers to Abilities
  These include Knacks, Cautious, or those Virtues
  granting access to specific Abilities. Because each
  Ability description mentions the Characteristics most
  often used with it, it is then easy to classify Abilities
  by Characteristic, and thus the V&Fs that grant mod-
  ifiers to these Abilities as well.
  Conclusion: Reasons to classify V&Fs by
  Characteristic
  It’s simpler than current 4th edition rules classifi-
  cation.
  We should avoid adding two types of innate
  attributes (Characteristic + modifier from V&F) to
  the formula. One is sufficient.
  Only Mythic Characteristics should modify all
  checks within their range of significance.
  Modifiers of less than +/- 3 are not significant to
  a die roll.
  Non Mythic Characteristics can be described by
  V&Fs applying a significant modifier (± 3) in
  restricted circumstances.
  Most V&Fs would each relate to one Characteris-
  tic only.
  V&Fs classified
  Now let’s classify the Virtues & Flaws from the
  4th edition core rules:
  Abilities-related: Knacks, Cautious with Ability,
  Learn from Mistakes.
  Affecting whole Characteristics:
  Mythic,
  Incredible, Great, Pathetic, Feeble, Poor.
  Intelligence:
  - (Related Abilities: Concentration, Academic
  Skills, Knowledges)
  - Virtues: Method Caster, Adept Student, Free
  Study, Inventive Genius, Cautious Sorcerer,
  Book Learner, Carefree, Clear Thinker, Com-
  mon Sense, Educated, Further Education,
  Strong-Willed, Well-Traveled, Intuition, Fast
  Learner, Visual Eidetic Memory
  - Flaws: Creative Block, Poor Reader, Poor Stu-
  dent, Unimaginative Learner, Compulsion,
  Delusion, Hatred, Obsessed, Poor Memory,
  Short 
  Attention 
  Span,
  Simple-Minded,
  Uncommon Fear, Weakness, Weak-Willed,
  Common Fear, Terrors, Fury, Sense of Doom
  Perception:
  - (Related Abilities: Awareness, Bows, Cross-
  bows, Thrown Weapon, Hunt, Survival)
  - Virtues: Keen Vision, Light Sleeper, Sharp
  Ears
  - Flaws: Deep Sleeper, Missing Ear, Missing
  Eye, Poor Eyesight, Poor Hearing, Blind
  Strength:
  - Virtues: Reserves of Strength
  Stamina:
  - (Related Abilities: Athletics, Climb, Combat
  Skills)
  - Virtues: Immunities, Berserk, Enduring Con-
  stitution, Large, Long-Winded, Rapid Conva-
  lescence, Tough, Versatile Sleeper, Giant
  Blood
  - Flaws: Fragile Constitution, Decrepit, Small
  Frame, Dwarf, Enfeebled
  Presence:
  - Virtues: Hermetic Prestige, Quaesitor, all
  Social 
  Class 
  Virtues,
  Social 
  Contacts,
  32
  
  Well-Known, Famous, Temporal Influence,
  Protection
  - Flaws: Hedge Wizard, Infamous Master, Dis-
  credited Lineage, all Social Class Flaws, Out-
  sider, Bad Reputation, Black Sheep, Infamous
  Communication:
  - (Related Abilities: Charm, Folk Ken, Guile,
  Sing, Storytelling, Social Skills, Animal Han-
  dling)
  - Virtues:
  Gentle Gift,
  Busybody,
  Faerie
  Upbringing, Free Expression, Inspirational,
  Reckless, Self-Confident, Strong Personality,
  Venus’ Blessing, Enchanting Music, Gossip,
  Piercing Gaze
  - Flaws: Blatant Gift, Incomprehensible, Disfig-
  ured, Evil Eye, Hunchback, Judged Unfairly,
  Low Self-Esteem, Magical Air, Meddler, Off-
  ensive to Animals, Oversensitive, Reclusive,
  Social Handicap, Soft-Hearted, Tainted With
  Evil, Curse of Venus, Overconfident, Shel-
  tered Upbringing, Feral Upbringing, Mute
  Dexterity:
  - (Related Abilities: Jongleur, Play (Instrument),
  Ride, Swim, Work Skills)
  - Virtues: Strong Writer, Ambidextrous, Perfect
  Balance, Jack-of-All-Trades, Light Touch
  - Flaws: Weak Writer, Clumsy, Lame, Missing
  Hand, Arthritis
  Quickness:
  - Virtues: Fast Caster, Lightning Reflexes
  - Flaws: Slow Caster, Obese
  Personal History:
  - Virtues: Secret Vis Source, Magic Item, Ani-
  mal Companion, Beginning Vis, Close Family
  Ties, Good Armaments, Heir, Higher Purpose,
  Indentured Servant, Prestigious Family, Secret
  Hiding Place,
  Troupe Upbringing,
  True
  Friend, Veteran, Blackmail, Faerie Friend,
  Indulgences, Training, Magical Animal Com-
  panion, Mentor, Patron, Superior Armaments,
  True Love, Highly Trained, Relic, Wealth, Des-
  tiny, Quality Armaments, Ways of the Land
  - Flaws: No Sigil, Tormenting Master, Vis
  Obligation, Old, Cursed, Enemies, Vow, Dark
  Secret, Dependent, Driving Goal, Dutybound,
  Expenses, Favors, Infamous Family, Lost
  Love, Oath of Fealty, Obligation, Poor Arma-
  ments, Diabolic Upbringing, Noncombatant,
  Poor
  Powers:
  - Virtues: Cyclic Magic (positive), Follower of
  Bjornaer, Magical Affinity, Deft Art, Extra
  Arts, Extra Spells, Faerie Magic, Mastered
  Spells, Special Circumstances, Quiet Magic,
  Side Effect, Student of Faerie, Subtle Magic,
  Enduring Magic, Life-Linked Spontaneous
  Magic, Elementalist, Silent Magic, Purifying
  Touch, Alchemy, Animal Ken, Contortions,
  Direction Sense, Dousing, Empathy, Healer,
  Herbalism, Magic Sensitivity, Mimicry, Premo-
  nitions, Read Lips, Second Sight, Sense
  Holiness and Unholiness, Weather Sense, Hex,
  Latent Magic Ability, Luck, Skinchanger,
  Visions, Withstand Magic, Charmed Life,
  Guardian Angel, True Faith, Divination,
  Entrancement, Ghostly Warder, Magic Resis-
  tance
  - Flaws: Cyclic Magic (negative), Deleterious
  Circumstances, Magical Deficiency, Poor For-
  mulaic Magic, Disjointed Magic, Flawed Parma
  Magica, Follower of Verditius, Incompatible
  Arts, Loose Magic, Necessary Condition, No
  Familiar, Twilight Points, Warped Magic,
  Clumsy Magic, Lack of Concentration, Lack
  of Control, Limited Magic Resistance, Rigid
  Magic, Short-Lived Magic, Stingy Master,
  Weak Magic, Magic Addiction, Painful Magic,
  Study Requirements, Weak Parma Magica,
  Chaotic Magic, Susceptibility to (Supernatural
  Power), Unpredictable Magic, Non-Spontane-
  ity, Personal Magic, Unstructured Caster,
  Faerie Enmity, Magic Susceptibility, Haunted,
  Lycanthrope, Plagued by (Supernatural Enti-
  ty), Age Quickly
  Remarks about the classification
  The Presence / Communication overlap
  I have grouped all social-related V&Fs under
  Presence (Reputations should be as well), and innate
  attributes under Communication (as Personality
  Traits should be), as Presence describes a character
  broadly whereas Communication is for one-to-one
  interactions.
  Characteristics without many V&Fs
  Very few V&Fs relate to Quickness and Strength.
  This is understandable for Quickness as it is a rarely
  used Characteristic in day-to-day life, applying nor-
  mally only in stress situations. This is even more true
  for Strength, as day-to-day work relies more on Sta-
  mina, and rarely on Strength alone (Basque stonema-
  sons, for example, could be an exception).
  Conclusion: Character Creation revised
  In fact, I don’t have a whole new system to pro-
  pose here. One could use the ArM4 rules and my
  new Character Sheet with minimal change by, for
  example, listing the character’s V&Fs by Characteris-
  tic.
  But this would involve ignoring some of the rea-
  sons outlined for this new classification: such as not
  having to add two components to determine “Innate
  Ability” in the formula, or the idea that Characteris-
  tics should be defined in terms of Virtues and Flaws.
  The most irritating feature of the current system
  appears most obvious in our sample character for
  whom the score in a Characteristic can be negated by
  a Virtue or Flaw applying specifically to that Charac-
  teristic.
  A Radical Approach: eliminating Character-
  istics
  The most radical solution would be to dispense
  with Characteristic scores, leaving Characteristics as
  33
  
  categories for Virtues and Flaws. These Virtues and
  Flaws already supply enough modifiers to describe
  the innate aspects of a character.
  According to this radical approach, an important
  character (such as a player mage) would only have to
  choose Virtues and Flaws and would not have to
  determine Characteristic scores.
  There is no requirement to eliminate all Charac-
  teristics, however, and other approaches are possible.
  Modular Characteristics
  Characteristics do have the advantage of permit-
  ting a quick overall view of a character, whereas a list
  of Virtues and Flaws might be too detailed for this
  purpose. Furthermore, it would take longer to create
  a character from Virtues and Flaws alone than it
  would using Characteristics by themselves without
  Virtues and Flaws.
  If, for example, I simply wanted to create a group
  of grogs from a given covenant for combat purpos-
  es, why take the time to focus on Virtues and Flaws?
  Only the Characteristic scores need be used. Similar-
  ly, quick character design only requires Characteristic
  scores and can ignore Virtues and Flaws.
  For example, the standard Val Negra grog could
  be Int 0, Per 0, Str +1, Sta +1, Pre 0, Com -2, Dex 0,
  Qui 0.
  Some grogs could then be described with a bit
  more detail. All this would involve would be the
  replacement of one or more Characteristic score
  with Virtues and Flaws classified as relating to those
  Characteristics.
  For example:
  One grog could be more curious than the others:
  Int 0, Per 0, Str +1, Sta +1, Pre 0, Com: Magical Air,
  Sheltered Upbringing, Personality Trait: Curious,
  Dex 0, Qui 0.
  The Characteristic score has been replaced by
  Virtues and Flaws offering more detailed modifiers
  to Communication.
  Alternative Approach: determining scores
  from V&Fs
  This would require a new approach to the Virtue
  and Flaw descriptions. For example, the costs of the
  Virtues and Flaws for a given Characteristic could be
  added up to determine the relevant score, either
  directly or according to the pyramidal function.
  Replacing Characteristic point allocation
  I think this is a Munchkin issue. In previous edi-
  tions, Munchkins could chose high Characteristic
  scores where they wanted them, and then use Virtues
  and Flaws to reinforce those aspects of their charac-
  ters. With this approach, this kind of abuse is no
  longer possible.
  Here are a few suggestions (I don’t know if they
  belong as “core” Ars features as some fans will prob-
  ably howl in protest when reading them. Let’s just
  consider them useful “house” rules, something to
  think about):
  Under the current system, magi don’t spend
  Virtue points for being magi (as a Social Class). They
  can enhance their status with Hermetic Prestige or
  hamper it with Hedge Wizard, for example, but it
  only affects their status with respect to other magi,
  not commoners. Then, they all have the Educated
  and Arcane Lore Virtues for free, and the Magical
  Air Flaw as well (plus their powers).
  On the other hand, simply being a merchant or a
  knight, for a Companion, requires Virtue points. If
  we compare two Companions, this implies that the
  higher one is on the social ladder, the fewer other
  Virtues one can have, unless more Flaws are taken on
  to equilibrate.
  Mythically speaking, it should be the contrary. If
  you are a knight, you are “better” than a merchant,
  who is “better” than a slave. One could also argue
  that all humans are equal, and that Social Class
  should not make one better or lesser.
  This is why I do not think Social Class should be
  bought with Virtue or Flaw points. Agone RPG
  grants free points for the Social Class, for example.
  Another little tweak, from the Amber RPG: play-
  ers should not feel obliged to balance the costs of
  Virtues and Flaws, but would get Good or Bad Kar-
  ma depending on their choices… For example, I
  have a mage in my saga who is clearly superior to the
  others, but he always suffers the brunt of each
  adventure, and is always being disturbed in the lab
  for one reason or another.
  Doing away with Talents and
  Exceptional Skills
  Exceptional Abilities: too much like super-
  natural skills
  Under current ArM4 rules, some Virtues grant
  access to specific Exceptional Abilities with an initial
  score of 1 that can then be improved using story
  points or practice as per other Abilities.
  But most Exceptional Abilities are simply super-
  natural. According to some folk beliefs, children
  could see faeries when adults could not; or a witch
  could cast a Hex more effectively during a full moon.
  In Brittany, Second Sight is possessed by those who
  have accidentally not been christened as well as by
  those that have found a four-leaf clover, an ear of
  grain with 7 seeds, or a grain which has passed
  through the mill without grinding or that has escaped
  from a pot uncooked.
  In addition, to a medieval peasant, the not-so-
  supernatural Exceptional Abilities might just as well
  be supernatural, even if not so for modern players.
  In fact, an inventive Storyguide could make great use
  of this different approach in his saga.
  The Concept of “Powers”
  Let’s look at a few definitions from ArM4:
  - Talents are ‘untrained but intuitive capabili-
  ties’. In other words, they are innate attributes
  of a character. As Talents are Abilities, a Char-
  acteristic modifier is added to the Talent score
  when making a roll, for example Pre +
  Entrancement + d10 to influence someone.
  34
  
  This follows the standard formula (innate
  potential) + (learned Ability) + d10 vs. ease
  factor. But if Talents are innate attributes, the
  formula becomes (innate potential) + (innate
  power) + d10 vs. ease factor. As with V&Fs,
  Characteristics and Talents overlap, as they are
  both a way of describing innate attributes of a
  character.
  - Knowledges are ‘Abilities that require applica-
  tion of the mind rather than the body, so they
  almost always use Intelligence as a modifier.’
  - Magical Arts ‘represent your aptitude for
  working with the various types of magic. But
  Arts are not merely Knowledges; your Arts are
  ultimately ways your very being expresses mag-
  ical energy’.
  Exceptional Talents could be better described as
  representing ‘your aptitude for working with [the var-
  ious types of] magic’ rather than as ‘untrained but
  intuitive capabilities’.
  Exceptional Knowledges, also, are
  better described with this than ‘Abilities
  that require application of the mind’.
  Moreover, according to our classifica-
  tion of V&Fs by Characteristic, all the
  V&Fs that grant access to Exceptional
  Abilities could be described as “Powers”.
  Let’s classify the Hermetic Arts and
  Exceptional Abilities as ‘Powers’, i.e. in
  one category instead of two. And as we
  already have V&Fs listed in the ‘Powers’
  section, why bother to list them again
  under Abilities?
  Doing away with Talents
  If supernatural Abilities are dealt with
  under Powers, only Arcane Talents and
  General Talents are left. Arcane Talents,
  as innate attributes, should also be treated
  as Powers. But what about General Tal-
  ents? Athletics and Climb are purely phys-
  ical, and are not innate: they should be
  Skills. But Awareness, Charm, Folk Ken,
  Guile and Concentration, are not consid-
  ered Skills that can be improved easily. In
  fact, these are more or less innate attrib-
  utes which could be seen as supernatural
  by a medieval peasant. Therefore, they
  would be better as Powers. No more Tal-
  ents!
  Conclusion: Rules for Powers
  Now there are Abilities on one side,
  and Powers (former supernatural abilities,
  and Magical Arts) on the other side. Abil-
  ities can grow using the 4th edition expe-
  rience rules (Story Experience, Training,
  Practice, Exposure, and the various stud-
  ies of texts for Knowledges), but what
  about Powers?
  As I said before, Powers are more elu-
  sive than Abilities, so I think we should
  use the system described in The Mysteries, Initiation
  Points and Ordeals, instead of Experience Points.
  Initiation Points can be gained in many ways: using
  Story Points, gaining Flaws, working under someone,
  losing Confidence, etc.
  Magical Arts are a special case amongst the Pow-
  ers: a magus can study Hermetic texts, or study vis,
  under the 4th edition rules. As Powers, the Arts
  should grow using Initiation Points, but these Her-
  metic teaching techniques should be preserved: oth-
  er Powers should not use them, as they are not so
  well understood and developed as Hermetic Magic.
  Conclusion: the new Character
  Sheet (example)
  You can download an blank character sheet on
  Hermes Portal’s web site.
  Ars Magica
  Name
  Aidan the Traveller
  Year Born
  1193
  Size
  0
  Player
  Loriel
  Current Year
  1220
  Decrepitude
  0
  Covenant
  Gavrinis
  Age
  27
  Confidence
  3
  Saga
  Brittany’s edge
  Gender
  Male
  Current Score
  3
  Virtues & Flaws
  Intelligence
  – Educated (+1) & Arcane Lore (+1) (0 as magi)
  – Well-Traveled (+1)
  – Obsession (-1) –  Pax Magica
  Perception
  –
  –
  Strength / Stamina
  – Small Frame (-3)
  –
  Presence
  – Redcap (+1)
  – Cabal Legacy – Pillar of Hiram (-1)
  –
  Communication
  – Piercing Gaze (+2), Inspirational (+1)
  – Personality Traits : calm, imperious
  – Social Handicap (0 as magi) – view all as equals
  – Magical Air (-1) (0 as magi)
  Dexterity / Vivacity
  – Jack-of-All-Trades (+2)
  –
  Personal History
  – Secret Hiding Place (+1)
  – Secret Vis Source (+1)
  – Obligation (-2) – Mercere duties
  Skills & Knowledges
  Name
  Specialty
  Score
  Exp.
  Magic Theory
  potions
  4
  Hermes Lore
  geography
  3
  Parma Magica
  Ignem
  2
  Scribe Latin
  copying
  3
  Language: Latin
  hermetic
  5
  Language: Oc
  grogs
  4
  Pillar of Hiram Lore
  history
  2
  Legend Lore
  mountains
  3
  Awareness
  alertness
  3
  Brawling
  knives
  2
  Certamen
  1
  Leadership
  grogs
  2
  Survival
  mountains
  3
  Powers
  – Hermetic Astrology (+1): 2
  – Finesse (0): 2 (specialty: Ignem)
  – Study Requirement (-3)
  –
  –
  –
  Magical Arts
  Creo
  5
  Animal
  5
  Ignem
  0
  Intellego
  7
  Aquam
  0
  Imaginem
  0
  Muto
  1
  Auram
  7
  Mentem
  5
  Perdo
  2
  Corpus
  5
  Terram
  0
  Rego
  5
  Herbam
  5
  Vim
  0
  
  Omnibus Grimoire
  Scroll V: Herbam
  by Andrew Gronosky
  Esteemed Colleagues of the Order,
  O
  nce again, I am pleased to present to you
  this, the fifth scroll in my omnibus collec-
  tion of lesser-known spells from the
  libraries and grimoires of the Order. As
  is, I hope, now well-known, I am in the process of
  assembling a grimoire in ten scrolls, one for each
  Form of magic. It is my humble aspiration that this
  Grimoire will help to preserve certain obscure or
  unpopular spells from being forgotten, and perhaps
  even stimulate renewed interest in exchanging spells
  among covenants and magi.
  This scroll is concerned with the Form of
  Herbam, an Art which is doubly useful. It can affect
  both living plants and trees, which are found every-
  where out of doors, and items made of dead wood,
  which are equally common indoors and out. I have
  endeavoured to provide a balance of spells relating
  to living plants and spells relating to wooden objects,
  since both are likely to be of wide interest.
  Several highly effective Herbam spells are rated at
  the third magnitude or below, making Herbam a ben-
  eficial art even for the non-specialist. In a slight
  departure from my usual emphasis on low-magni-
  tude spells, this scroll makes a point of including
  three spells of sixth magnitude and higher. I believe
  these higher-magnitude spells illustrate that the pow-
  er of Herbam is not limited to simple spells affecting
  single objects or plants.
  May these spells reach you in good health, and
  prove useful to you in your studies and travels.
  Your colleague and servant,
  Jarius of House Mercere
  Creo Herbam
  Conjure the Mystic Staff (CrHe 4)
  R: Touch, D: Sun/Inst, T: Small
  Spell Focus: A twig (+1)
  Create an unshod wooden staff. The type of
  wood, and any carvings or shaping of the staff, are
  determined by your Wizard’s Sigil. The staff is suit-
  able for use as a weapon, as a spell focus, or as a pro-
  jectile for spells such as Tangle of the Wood and Thorns
  (ArM4 p. 133) or Piercing Shaft of Wood (ArM4 p. 132).
  If using the spell focus, the twig grows into the staff
  and the staff reverts back to twig form when the
  spell ends.
  This spell was more popular in bygone days than
  it is today, for at one time a wizard’s staff command-
  ed awe and respect from mundanes. Alas, it is often
  more advisable these days to keep a low profile rather
  than to cut an imposing figure.
  Design: Create wood, Level 15. Reduce Range
  from Near to Touch (-2 magnitudes) and reduce Tar-
  get from Individual to Small (-1 magnitude).
  Ladder of the Climbing Vines (CrHe 15)
  R: Near, D: Sun/Perm, T: Group
  Spell Focus: A sprig of ivy from the wall of a
  building (+2)
  A group of climbing vines sprout from the
  ground and quickly grow up the side of any wall,
  cliff, tree, or other large object. The vines attach
  themselves to the surface and are firmly anchored.
  They do no damage to trees or structures, but are
  quite easy to climb (requiring a Str + Climb + Enc
  roll of 6+) — hence the name of this spell. The
  vines are strong enough to bear the weight of four
  men climbing at once.
  Design: Similar to Conjure the Sturdy Vine but with
  Target increased to Group (+1 magnitude).
  Conjure the Sturdy Planks (CrHe 20)
  R: Reach, D: Sun/Inst, T: Group
  Spell Focus: A carpenter’s saw (+1)
  Create a stack of about a dozen broad, sturdy
  hardwood planks, each somewhat longer than a man.
  Adventuring magi can find many uses for these
  planks, provided their grogs are industrious: barri-
  cading doors, bridging narrow gaps, building small
  lean-tos, and even burning as firewood.
  This spell originated among magi who emigrated
  to Iceland and the Orkney Islands, where timber is
  scarce.
  Design: Create wood, Level 15. Increase Target to
  Group (+1 magnitude).
  Intellego Herbam
  Carpenter’s Keen Eye (InHe 5)
  R: Touch/Sight, D: Momentary, T: Individual
  Spell Focus: A carpenter’s ruler (+1)
  Learn the mundane properties of a piece of non-
  living wood you examine: its suppleness, the fineness
  of its grain, any hidden knots or weak spots, etc. This
  knowledge can give you a +3 bonus to certain Craft
  rolls, such as when you are making a bow stave or a
  musical instrument. It can also help you evaluate the
  quality of wooden items.
  Design: Learn all the mundane properties of
  wood, Level 10. Reduce Duration from Concentra-
  tion to Momentary (-1 magnitude).
  Eyes of the Peerless Stalker (InHe 35)
  R: Personal, D: Concentration, T: Sight
  Spell Focus: The eye of an eagle (+3)
  Make your eyesight unhindered by foliage and
  undergrowth. Nothing can hide from you by taking
  cover in leaves or bushes, but this spell does not
  enable you to see through the trunks of grown trees.
  This spell is popular among magi of House Bjor-
  naer, particularly those whose heart-beasts are pred-
  ators that hunt by sight.
  Design: No guideline exists for making one’s
  senses unhindered by plants, but there is an Intellego
  Terram guideline of Level 20 to make your senses
  unhindered by earth. Reduce Range to Personal (-1
  magnitude) and increase Target to Sight (+4 magni-
  tudes).
  36
  
  Whispers of the Trees (InHe 50)
  R: Special, D: Concentration, T: Group
  Spell Focus: A lock of hair from a dryad (+5)
  You can eavesdrop on the conversations of trees
  within earshot, understanding the speech within
  what ordinarily sounds like the wind rustling their
  leaves. Trees usually discuss the weather and
  announce the presence of fires or lumberjacks. They
  care little for the day-to-day affairs of animals or
  humans, but they might also take an interest in events
  of mystical importance. Trees in magical or faerie
  areas are more perceptive than those in mundane
  areas, while those in Dominion areas are sleepy and
  converse much less. This spell only allows you to
  understand the whispers of the trees, not to reply to
  them.
  Design: Speak with a plant, Level 25. Range is
  equivalent to Sight (+4 magnitudes). Increase Target
  to Group (+1 magnitude).
  Muto Herbam
  Tool of Infinite Convenience (MuHe 15)
  R: Reach, D: Sun, T: Individual
  Spell Focus: A whittling knife (+1)
  Transform one wooden object into another of
  the same size or smaller. Thus, a door could be
  reshaped into a table, a staff into a bow stave, or a
  wand into a wooden spoon. Magical items trans-
  formed in this way still function but they may be dif-
  ficult to activate while in their new forms. With a
  Terram casting requite, one can also transform items
  that have metal parts: a hoe could be made into a
  short spear, or a pickaxe into a shovel. Since the spell
  works at Reach range, one could also transform an
  opponent’s wooden weapon into something harm-
  less, like a paddle. Int + Finesse rolls are required to
  make complicated new shapes.
  This spell was invented by Clementis of House
  Verditius, who was awarded a special prize by his
  Primus for ingenuity.
  Design: Change a wooden item, Level 5. Increase
  Range to Reach (+1 magnitude) and Target to Indi-
  vidual (+1 magnitude).
  Growth of the Impenetrable Thicket (MuHe 25)
  R: Near, D: Sun/Perm, T: Special
  Spell Focus: A willow twig (+1)
  Cause an existing area of undergrowth to grow
  into an incredibly dense, tangled thicket. A human
  can push his or her way through with a Strength roll
  of 6+, but that allows progress at the rate of only
  one pace per round. Hacking one’s way through with
  an axe or large knife is not any faster, but it allows
  one to move without making a Strength roll. This
  spell is useful both to trap opponents and to escape
  from them by placing a dense barrier in their path.
  The spell focus, a willow twig, is from a fast-
  growing plant.
  Design: Change a plant, Level 5. Increase Range
  to Near (+2 magnitudes). Target is equivalent to
  Room (+2 magnitudes).
  Perdo Herbam
  Smite the Faeries of the Wood (PeHe General)
  R: Near, D: Instant, T: Individual
  Spell Focus: An iron dagger (+5)
  Weaken and possibly destroy a faerie of the
  wood. Roll a quality die + this spell’s level - 10. For
  every point by which you exceed the target’s Might, it
  loses one point of Might. Should the spell reduce the
  target’s Might to zero or below, the faerie vanishes.
  Whether it is forever destroyed, or eventually re-
  forms from Nature after a long period of time, is not
  known.
  This spell was once fairly well-known, but has
  been almost lost in recent years through the efforts
  of certain magi of House Merinita and sympathetic
  Quaesitores. These magi have taken it upon them-
  selves to suppress copying and dissemination of this
  spell on the grounds that molesting the fae is forbid-
  den by the Code.
  Although this humble archivist is not an expert
  on Hermetic law, it is evident to me that many spells
  could be abused to violate the Code, but this alone
  does not make the spells illegal. The strongest
  protest I can make against this kind of censorship is
  to disseminate this spell as part of my Grimoire. I
  pray the reader to forgive my presumptuousness in
  making a political statement through this Grimoire,
  and remind him to uphold the Code and its stricture
  against molesting faeries. This spell is to be used only
  for scholarly study (or perhaps in self-defense).
  Design: Similar to Demon’s Eternal Oblivion with a
  +1 magnitude adjustment because the base Target of
  Perdo Herbam is smaller than the base Target of Per-
  do Vim.
  Shiver the Arrows in Flight (PeHe 20)
  R: Near, D: Instant, T: Group
  Destroy a group of arrows as they fly within Near
  range of you, fragmenting them to harmless splin-
  ters. The arrows must all belong to a cohesive group,
  such as a single volley fired by a formation of
  archers. If the arrows come from multiple, uncon-
  nected sources, only a few of them will be destroyed
  (determine randomly). You may cast this spell ahead
  of time and hold it ready (by concentrating) until
  someone fires arrows in your direction.
  This spell is the brainchild of an unknown Flam-
  beau magus, who used it to protect his Spanish allies
  from Moorish arrows while fighting in the Recon-
  quista.
  Design: Destroy an amount of wood, Level 5.
  Increase Range to Near (+1 magnitudes) and
  increase Target to Group (+2 magnitudes). No mag-
  nitude adjustment was applied for allowing this spell
  to be held until needed, because the base Duration
  for Perdo Herbam is already much longer than Con-
  centration.
  Weed the Wizard’s Garden (PeHe 30)
  R: Reach, D: Instant, T: Boundary
  Spell Focus: A sickle (+2)
  37
  
  Requisite: Intellego
  Destroy certain plants within the target Bound-
  ary. When you cast this spell, you may choose to
  destroy all plants of a single variety, all of several
  varieties, or all except for certain varieties. Thus, you
  could cast this spell on a garden and kill all the plants
  except for those you had planted there. This spell is
  powerful enough to kill grown trees, so can be used
  for clearing land as well as merely weeding a garden.
  Design: Destroy a plant, Level 10. Increase Target
  to Boundary (+4 magnitudes). Add Intellego requi-
  site to kill only varieties of plants the caster wishes.
  Rego Herbam
  Protection of the Invisible Shield-Bearer (ReHe 5)
  R: Reach, D: Concentration, T: Small
  Animate a shield to defend you. The shield gives
  you a Defense score equal to your Quickness +
  Finesse + the shield’s Dfn bonus. You must maintain
  concentration on the shield for it to protect you. This
  spell is usually better than simply strapping the shield
  to your arm because magi often have low Combat
  Abilities, but respectable Finesse scores. This spell
  works on bucklers, round shields, and kite shields,
  but not on tower shields (the latter are too large).
  Improvised wooden objects — platters, shutters, and
  so forth — may be used with Dfn bonuses assigned
  by the storyguide.
  Design: Control an amount of wood, Level 5.
  Cloak of Concealing Greenery (ReHe 15)
  R: Reach, D: Concentration/Sun, T: Group
  Spell Focus: A green cloak (+1)
  Cause plants and trees nearby to quietly gather
  around you, covering you with their leaves so you
  remain hidden. The concealment gives a +6 bonus to
  Hide rolls. This spell only works where there is suffi-
  cient foliage in which to hide, and it is ineffective
  against Eyes of the Peerless Stalker, above.
  Design: Control an amount of wood, Level 5.
  Increase Target to Group (+2 magnitudes).
  Passage Through the Green Tunnel (ReHe 20)
  R: Reach, D: Concentration/Sun, T: Group
  Spell Focus: A hatchet (+2)
  Cause plants to bend out of your way, allowing
  you easy passage through normal thickets and bram-
  bles. This spell does not work on magical barriers
  such as Growth of the Impenetrable Thicket or Wall of
  Thorns. You still leave footprints on the ground, but
  you do not leave such traces as broken branches. This
  may make you more difficult to track, at the sto-
  ryguide’s discretion. You may bring one other person
  with you if he or she follows immediately behind
  you.
  Design: Control an amount of wood, Level 5.
  Increase Target to Group (+2 magnitudes). Add
  additional +1 magnitude because the Target of the
  spell moves with you — new plants fall under the
  influence of the spell as you walk.
  38
  
  Stories in the
  Chinese Style
  by Timothy Ferguson
  A note from the author: I’d like to thank my co-
  authors in the Mythic Cathay project, Steve Saunders
  and Michael Schloss, for their support. I’d also like to
  thank Erik Dahl and Alexander White for prodding
  me until I tidied this up for publication. Oh, and
  Adam and Jeremiah, for comments and advice.
  C
  hinese stories contain common elements,
  which, if included in your stories, will give
  your saga a different flavour to traditional
  Ars Magica games.
  Constructing stories for the cun-
  ning
  Evangelical Buddhists wrote many Chinese sto-
  ries, which alters the role of the hero from that
  which players may expect. It is wrong for a Buddhist
  to kill; even if the creature they are annihilating is
  absolutely evil. Further, it’s wrong for Buddhists to
  fight evil, since that is striving and is therefore itself
  mistaken. Buddhist heroes often trick, capture or
  convert their opponents.
  In Journey to the West, for example, Sun the
  Monkey Spirit makes war on Heaven and creates
  such disharmony that the Buddha imprisons him.
  After a thousand years he is released to serve the
  monk Tripitaka. Tripitaka’s companions rarely kill
  their enemies, always preferring to fight them to
  exhaustion, and then convert them to Buddhism.
  Monkey eventually finds enlightenment, becoming
  the Buddha Victorious in Strife.
  Heaven did try to kill Monkey, but success would
  have done little good. His spirit would simply have
  been reborn, possibly embodied as powerfully as
  before, but even more degenerate. The Buddha
  demonstrated wisdom, by imprisoning the Equal of
  Heaven until he was ready to find enlightenment and
  add to Harmony.
  Enemies you should talk to
  One of the most important features of Monkey’s
  story is that his enemies are evil, not simply danger-
  ous animals. To be evil requires the ability to make
  immoral decisions. Evil characters can be reasoned
  with. Generally, player characters will be aligned to
  the Civilised aura, and will tame their enemies by
  demonstrating that were they too to become
  civilised, then solutions could be found to their prob-
  lems. A recurring theme in Monkey’s story is that evil
  is unnecessary, but sometimes a wise man is needed
  to demonstrate why.
  Solutions that don’t involve murder
  The enemies of evangelical Buddhists often rep-
  resent the danger of obsession. They are made evil
  by a vice they dare not surrender. The non-violent
  way of dealing with these enemies is demonstrating
  to them the futility of their vices. “Journey to the
  West” emphasises this idea. The hog-spirit, Pigsy, is
  bothering a family for food and a wife, but is shown
  that if he gives away these things and leads a spiritu-
  al life, he can rise above his bestial nature and re-
  enter Heaven. A king who is oppressing Buddhists
  ceases to when shown he need not fear the power of
  three despotic Taoist magicians. The pilgrims reveal
  that the persecutors are only animal spirits with
  minor powers, by tricking them into committing sui-
  cide.
  Trickery and deception
  Monkey is charming because he’s deceptive. His
  quick tongue lets him get away with many kinds of
  mischief. His illusions allow him to surprise his ene-
  mies. His habit of turning up at the palace of the
  Goddess of Mercy, then complaining bitterly until
  she makes his task easier, strikes a chord with many
  readers. Player characters should follow Sun’s exam-
  ple. Many Chinese Spirits resist magic, but few are as
  nimble-minded as a party of Hermetic magi.
  Inconclusive Combat
  Monkey is one of the finest fighters in the world.
  Superhumanly strong, magically armed, impervious
  to damage and able to conjure armies of monkeys,
  he drives all before him. Such is his skill, and desire
  for combat, that it draws him away from the true
  path. Kuan Yin places an ensorcelled helmet upon
  him, so that if Tripitaka chants a certain sutra, he
  must stop fighting because of headaches. Player
  characters lack his advantages, but often face similar
  situations, in that they have inconclusive combat with
  their enemies.
  Interconnectedness
  The Chinese don’t divide their supernatural fig-
  ures into discrete realms in the way Mythic Euro-
  peans do. Humans, even animals, can become gods,
  joining those deities which pre-existed creation.
  Foreign gods can be given roles in the Celestial
  Bureaucracy, so that they become attuned to Chi-
  nese civilisation. The lords of the Chinese Hells are
  also attuned to the Celestial Bureaucracy, so they
  aren’t evil, or opposed to Harmony, although some
  are cruel.
  Hermetic magi are likely to want to cast spells
  on these creatures which classify them within west-
  ern Realms. Their Might scores are marked in both
  Chinese and European form.
  Where are all the monsters?
  Many of the supernatural enemies characters
  will fight in China are spirits, definable as being of
  a certain class, but beyond that, completely individ-
  ual. The bestiary for Mythic Cathay (HP, issue #11)
  describes classes of creature, but the storyguide
  should ensure that each member of that class is
  clearly distinct from its fellows, except in the few
  cases where creatures are interchangeable, for
  example minor warrior spirits.
  39
  
  In confrontations like these, a few minor demons
  and a handful of grogs die, and the main parties
  taunt each other. They clarify the reason behind the
  villain’s opposition to the characters, and provide
  hints toward the story’s true resolution. Even on
  those rare occasions when the solution is simply to
  keep fighting the enemy until he falls over, inconclu-
  sive initial clashes often demonstrate the need for a
  special weapon or stratagem, to exploit a weakness
  that has been accidentally revealed.
  Yearning for love
  Many Chinese stories relate the impossible
  romances between scholars and ghosts, fox spirits or
  goddesses. The studious youth is the usual beau of
  one of these creatures, so Hermetic magi, who have
  a cultural disinterest in marriage and children, or
  Hermetic apprentices, on the cusp of choosing the
  cerebral lifestyle of their masters, are perfect targets
  for star-crossed love. It’s notable that the authors of
  these sorts of stories were often themselves scholars,
  rebelling against social conventions, such as arranged
  marriage, which they found stifling.
  Rebellion
  Although Chinese writers valued order, they
  understood the dramatic necessity of conflict. Their
  stories often contain heroes who rebel against their
  society, but do so to end corrupt or oppressive prac-
  tices. They are rebels who favour harmony, casting
  down despotic emperors so that Heaven’s will can be
  served.
  Self-sacrifice
  Chinese heroes die a lot more often than their
  counterparts in modern fantasy literature. The genre
  makes some allowance for this, in that many heroes
  have sons or brothers who can take up their task.
  Chinese heroes are expected to persevere, sacrificing
  comfort and status to overcome their enemy by attri-
  tion.
  The moral
  Chinese stories are designed to teach the reader
  how to live correctly. They have a far stronger moral
  emphasis than many Ars Magica sagas, which reflect
  the conventions familiar to those who read modern
  fantasy literature for pleasure. One way of enforcing
  this convention is to grant experience points only
  after the players describe what their characters have
  learned during the story. A pithy aphorism is the best
  way of expressing this newfound-wisdom.
  Story design checklist
  Storyguides writing stories for characters in Chi-
  na should remember these key points.
  - Enemies should be redeemable; a method of
  converting or capturing them should exist.
  - Characters should be given the opportunity of
  making their tasks easier using deception and
  trickery.
  - Characters should usually be able to retreat
  before the enemy to rework plans, usually
  because spirits are bound to certain geograph-
  ical features.
  - Chinese villains are generally not suicidal, but
  their tie to the landscape sometimes makes
  retreat impossible. This makes converting
  them simpler.
  - Violent confrontation should occur in phases,
  with characters able to discern information as
  a result of inconclusive, early encounters.
  - Pining for women beyond one’s reach is tradi-
  tional.
  - Even rebellion serves Harmony.
  - Characters, especially grogs, will die more
  often than usual, but will have similar brothers
  and sons who continue their quests.
  - The story must have a moral. Wise old men,
  arriving just in time to narrate the moral
  before the story ends, appear even in Taoist
  holy texts.
  Fighting to a standstill
  Many of the local gods magi fight in China have
  excellent magic resistance and high Soak scores, but
  weak offensive powers. This is why so many spirits
  carry magical weapons. Such creatures understand
  the importance of massed attacks, distraction and
  fatigue when fighting spell casters. This is one of
  the reasons why those represented in Chinese cine-
  ma have so many underlings. Why the underlings
  only attack one at a time is not absolutely clear,
  since it is probably a holdover from acrobatic the-
  atrical performances. From the storyguide’s per-
  spective it has the advantages of: making the com-
  bat easy to describe and quantify; extending the
  combat to burn fatigue; allowing the characters to
  exchange information in the form of taunts and
  allowing the player characters to describe the sorts
  of weird moves their martial artists are performing.
  40
  
  Mythic Cathay:
  Popular beliefs
  by Timothy Ferguson
  Religion
  C
  hinese religion is usually practised as a con-
  glomeration of the three great faiths, Con-
  fucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism, with
  added lashings of animist, regional folk-
  lore. This theological mélange is called folk or popu-
  lar religion. In popular religion, the divinities of all
  three faiths co-operate, and a worshipper can flit
  between pantheons, as the need or desire arises.
  Popular religion is directly functional, and is
  observed as a duty. Minor gods who don’t help sup-
  plicants are rapidly replaced by those who will. Major
  gods whose worship is neglected are expected to
  punish, much as a nobleman would if defrauded of
  taxes. The idea that each supplicant is personally
  beloved of the Supreme Being is entirely absent, as is
  the idea that those who are contrite will automatical-
  ly be forgiven. Shen are useful in a way similar to the
  saints of the West. They might be able to arrange a
  favour for you, if the smooth running of the Celes-
  tial Clockwork provides sufficient leeway.
  Most sagas told in China will assume that, in some
  sense, popular religion reflects the truth. In part, this
  is because sorcerous powers gained from secret ritu-
  als are a popular superstition, while strict Buddhists
  and Taoists practice magic through asceticism. It’s
  easiest to understand popular belief and daily ritual
  after examining the four components, Confucianism,
  Taoism, Buddhism and animism.
  Popular religion characters
  The popular religious practices of China include
  several types of magician. These are suitable for
  Companion characters.
  Spirit mediums
  Spirit mediums allow a god to possess their body
  for a brief time, so that questions can be asked and
  answered. Questions are usually those which divina-
  tionary blocks, that answer yes or no, cannot satis-
  factorily resolve. Buddhist clergy, orthodox Taoists
  and Confucians regard spirit mediums as vulgar.
  Their practices are forbidden in all nominally-Confu-
  cian temples and ancestral shrines.
  Mediums come in two types, those who have
  been trained from childhood to control their abilities
  and those who enter trances unwittingly. The latter
  type have, at best, a less useful version of the
  “Visions” virtue, costing 1 point. They cannot
  request visions, or add experience points to their tal-
  ent. With remedial training they can develop control
  over their ability.
  Mediums trained from childhood have a divine
  patron, who inhabits their body when invited and
  answers questions put by others. This is a +3 Virtue,
  but, since the medium has no control over the
  process, it has no skill score. Although practices vary
  widely by region, mediums can be divided into those
  who write on a sand table (literate mediums) and
  those who write charms on paper (soldier mediums).
  This later group often injure themselves as part of
  the meditational process, and some use their blood to
  write replies. Some media find a middle ground by
  writing on paper in red ink. A very few mediums
  speak with the divine voice. Written responses are
  usually interpreted by an elderly aide, often a retired
  medium.
  The responses of the god are often quite practi-
  cal, making the seance a roundabout way of allowing
  the questioner to access the Common Sense virtue.
  It’s not unusual for a god consulted on legal or med-
  ical matters to say that they will guide a professional
  that the querent is ordered to consult. Sometimes the
  ashes of a written response are taken as medicine,
  more rarely, the blood shed by a soldier medium is
  mixed into a tonic that is taken by the querent.
  Seances take about fifteen minutes, although the god
  might stay longer if they wished. The medium does
  not recall the seance, since the god’s presence shunts
  part of their soul — the bit Hermetic magi would
  call a ghost after death — from their body. Li-Na-
  Cha is the most common possessor, but there are
  many others. Select one from the list of shen (see
  issue #11).
  There are many charlatans acting as mediums,
  since it allows them to have the Wise One virtue, bal-
  anced by a Dark Secret. Other false mediums are
  Delusional. Involuntary mediumhood is a source of
  Words with baggage
  The way many people in the modern West con-
  ceive of the idea of religion has been influenced by
  the Christian hegemony. When playing Chinese
  characters, it’s important to remember that
  although we translate many terms from Chinese
  into more familiar ones from the Christian legacy,
  the meanings of those terms are not the same. A
  Chinese character considering religion doesn’t usu-
  ally think within the Western tradition. In some
  sagas it is useful to use Chinese religious terms,
  instead of the English translations, so that players
  can leave behind their preconceptions of how they
  should respond to saints (shen) gods (also shen),
  demons (guei) and the undead (kuei).
  Magic and prayer
  The Chinese often perform magic and prayer
  together, using similar rituals, so that the line
  between them blurs. For game purposes, magic and
  prayer are divided by coercion. Magicians force out-
  comes, by controlling magical forces or compelling
  spirits. Prayer is a non-binding request for a favour
  from spirits. Although later sections provide game
  mechanics for prayer and magic, which may appear
  similar and contain random elements, attitudinally,
  characters approach prayer and magic differently.
  41
  
  flaws such as Plagued by Supernatural Entity and
  Epilepsy (-4), which may be counterbalanced by
  virtues representing divine gifts, such as Immunity to
  Pain (+2, removes 1 from all wound modifiers).
  Geomancers
  Geomancers are a sort of magical architect or
  interior designer. Their practices derive from early
  Chinese attempts to avoid ill-luck by making houses
  comfortable for both their living and ghostly inhabi-
  tants. Geomancers have a limited ability to craft
  charms, in this case by making houses into amulets.
  Rules for crafting fu, Chinese charms, are given in
  issue #11.
  Geomancers can create fu, but only those which
  target buildings, or those inside buildings. Their
  range of effects is usually extremely limited. It often
  includes creating barriers against demonic entry,
  calming ghosts and bringing good fortune to a
  household.
  Geomancy is an exceptional talent with a begin-
  ning score of 1, and is a +1 virtue. It substitutes for
  Ching knowledge in the fu crafting formula given in
  the Taoist article (issue #11). The finest geomancers
  have an ability to feel lines of geomantic force, which
  is similar to the ability of those with Faerie Sight to
  detect ley lines.
  Exorcists
  In the strictest sense exorcists are Taoists, and use
  the rules for crafting fu (see issue #11) to banish
  demons. They do this by asking the Landlord God
  the name of the demon, so that they can scribe a writ
  commanding it to leave. There is, however, an alter-
  native group of folk sorcerers who cast out demons
  using traditional gestures, whip-cracking and inherit-
  ed chants. Some of these have the right to use the
  ching they know, while others are effectively threat-
  ening demons with fu that they have no right to, and
  that the shen are therefore not bound by. This last
  sort of exorcist has the Wise One virtue, a Dark
  Secret and a Knack with either Guile or Leadership
  (intimidation).
  Other minor magicians
  Other minor magicians can be developed using
  weaker versions of the Virtues given for Taoists, in a
  following article. Characters with a few simple
  charms, or a handful of formulae, can be enjoyable
  companions, forced to live by their wits instead of
  their might.
  Confucianism
  Many authors mistake popular religion for Con-
  fucianism. In its pure form, however, Confucianism
  is the least mystical of the Chinese religions. Confu-
  cius’s purpose was to create a set of rules that would
  allow for the harmonious governance of states. He
  had no particular knowledge of life after death, so
  didn’t discuss it beyond suggesting that one had a
  duty to venerate the memory of one’s ancestors, in
  case they really were present. Similarly, he believed in
  Heaven, also called the Shang-ti, a disembodied Cre-
  ator spirit, self-aware, but not concerned with things
  as trivial as human lives. The purpose of Confucian
  ritual was to strengthen the state by bringing it into
  accord with Natural Law.
  Confucian worship is arguably not a religious
  practice at all, but an expression of the virtue of fil-
  ial piety. Although it follows many of the ritual forms
  of the Taoist veneration of deified sages, Confucian
  worshippers don’t expect the Disciples of Confucius
  to grant them favours in exchange for their incense.
  The works of many of the disciples represented in
  Confucian shrines are still circulated, and several of
  them spent their entire lives wandering the country-
  side preaching against the foolishness of superstition
  and idolatry. For similar reasons, divination is never
  permitted in Confucian shrines.
  Confucius espoused eight virtues, and these are
  prominently displayed in most Confucian shrines.
  These are brotherly reverence, loyalty, honesty, pro-
  priety or politeness, righteousness, integrity and
  chastity. Followers don’t expect a blessed afterlife if
  they cultivate these traits, or to suffer Purgatory if
  they do not. They believe that if everyone cultivates
  these virtues, then the state will be able to cope with
  political and natural disasters. Some of the more
  mystical also consider a correct lifestyle to bring
  good luck.
  Confucianism fulfilled the need for a social reli-
  gion, which defined how people should interact with-
  in their society, but it offered little save stoicism in
  the face of death and pragmatism in the face of dif-
  ficulty. These omissions are filled in the lives of most
  42
  
  Chinese by debased versions of Taoism and Bud-
  dhism. It is these absences which allowed the gov-
  erning religion to be permeated by the other tradi-
  tions.
  Playing a religious Confucian
  Religious Confucians are almost always of the
  scholarly class. They don’t, for the most part, sepa-
  rate their religious and secular practices, so their spir-
  ituality isn’t a mystical thing, but an everyday one.
  Confucianism is difficult to describe in a role-
  playing context because there’s little mechanical
  advantage to being a follower, beyond doing that
  which is right, and helping others. There’s no bribe
  which players can be tempted with, like True Faith,
  which allows their characters to do things which oth-
  ers cannot. A Confucian who lives according to the
  style outlined in the Analects doesn’t expect super-
  natural help in return for his activities, but he does
  expect to suffer if he wrongs Heaven by harming the
  state. This translates, in the view of a Westerner, to
  Confucians being slightly luckier than other people.
  Confucian characters, then, are likely to be com-
  mon because social factors make religion all but
  compulsory for those wishing to take other virtues.
  Since the Court system is based strongly on the
  philosophies of Confucius, it is difficult to rise with-
  in the bureaucracy if one does not follow the forms
  of Confucian worship. Since membership of the
  scholastic class is the only Chinese source for many
  virtues, and is one of the few sources for others,
  some PCs will be Confucians, even though it seems
  to limit characters more than empower them.
  A Western character who embraces Confucian-
  ism and immerses themself in the Analects develops
  the following Virtues. Chinese Confucians common-
  ly also have others, but these derive from their train-
  ing and social position rather than the religion itself.
  The following attributes are lost if the character
  ceases to live as a Confucian should, including dab-
  bling in popular religion, but are regained immedi-
  ately upon return to the correct state of mind. Many
  distraught Confucians, for example, gain the assis-
  tance of Taoists and Buddhists for funereal rituals,
  then return to strict Confucianism afterward.
  Confucian Philosopher (+2 Virtue, +3 once
  the Mandate is revived)
  Chinese Philosophy Score and Virtue or Flaw
  Table
  As your Chinese Philosophy score increases, you
  become more dedicated to the Confucian life. If you
  choose not to follow the Analects, the following
  Virtues and Flaws disappear, although they reappear
  immediately if you begin to follow the Analects
  again. There is no concept of penance for these
  transgressions.
  1
  A variant of Dutybound (-1), you embrace
  the Confucian virtues, although your under-
  standing of them is, as yet, poor. You might
  study Confucianism out of social need,
  rather than true devotion
  3
  Higher Purpose (to live the virtuous life), if
  you wish. There are corrupt men who can
  quote the Analects, but they lack Higher
  Purpose.
  5
  Common Sense
  9
  Luck, only while within the Civilised Aura,
  only if you’ve selected Higher Purpose.
  12
  Charmed Life, in very limited circumstances.
  The character must be acting as a Confucian
  should and be within the Civilised Aura,
  while the Emperor has the Mandate of
  Heaven. Unfortunately, this isn’t the case in
  1220. The Mandate is fading away.
  43
  
  Coming in Issue #11 of
  Hermes’ Portal
  Mythic Cathay: part II
  Chinese External Alchemy,
  Buddhism, Taoism,
  & The Meta-Bestiary
  by Timothy Ferguson
  The Art of History
  by Alexander White
  Advancing Hermetic Theory
  without unbalancing your game
  by Tyler Larson
  and all your regular columns
  …
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Hermes' Portal/Hermes' Portal 10.pdf