Sym is an NPC created for an Ars Magica game which stopped a little while ago. The output is from Meta-Creator so is a little idiosyncratic at times, but far better than writing the entire stat blocks by hand.
Sym’s stats could be used for any Bjornaer recently out of apprenticeship, with a focus on dangerously good mundane melee combat. Continue reading
Its no secret that I’m a huge fan of Ars Magica and also of computer games, and now an agreement between Atlas Games and Black Chicken Studios is seeking to combine those two wonderful hobbies.
Black Chicken Studios, working under license from Atlas Games, is delighted to present a new simulation role-playing game for the PC. After 25 years and 5 editions, Ars Magica will at long last be paid tribute in a single-player, turn-based video game.
Authentic to the original, this is a faithful, beautiful, and accurate depiction of covenant gameplay and the RPG’s legendary magic system during a dangerous century in the Stonehenge Tribunal. With your help, we’ll bring Ars Magica: Years of Conquest and its tapestry of wars, intrigue, invasion and, above all, magic to life!
The Ars Magica – Years of Conquest game is seeking backing via a kickstarter campaign.
I can only rave about how passionate Atlas Games are about Ars magica, and really hope this concept gets through to reality.
If you are a fan of either, spread the word.
Rather than looking at stenographic illusions or encryption techniques to protect highly valuable books, transformation of the physical texts is a solutions which offers protection against mishap and also very effective security. The approach also has the advantage of being based firmly within the existing spell guidelines.
Transforming the Tome
Muto Animal 25 / Terram. R: Touch, D: Sun, T: Individual
This spell temporarily transforms a book into a small very hard object, such as a gem or piece of metal. The form of the object is chosen by the caster. This facilitates concealing and carrying the text in a more convenient manner.
(Base 5 major unnatural change, +1 complexity of affecting a book, +1 Touch, +2 Sun, requisite is free)
The idea is to transform the book into something else with non-permanent magic, and suspend or remove the transformation when it needs to be used. For example an effect could transform a valuable magical text into a small steel rod (or stone crystal, a stone marble, or anything which is highly resilient, etc), and switch it back when needed. Continue reading
The next issue of the Ars Magica magazine Sub Rosa was released on June 6, and like last issues there is a lot worth considering for Ars Magica players.
This issue has a heavy focus on the mystery of ships with new ways to incorporate maritime elements and themes into games.
“A mild winter has left us busy but issue #10 is now here, full of stormy skies and unfamiliar magic, with a dash of mystery and a ship to sail it by.
Accented with lavish art, you’ll find pieces from Ars Magica veterans like Jeff Menges and Angela Taylor alongside Sub Rosa regulars like Vincent Belmont, Alexandra Dopp, Barrie James and Jason Tseng.
Weighing in at 60 pages, the Storyguide’s handbook considers the Dramatic Journey, Mark Lawford gives you the blueprints for a Hermetic Shipwright, and there are mystery cults and twilight scars to go around.
Vulcanis Argens returns and there’s a thundering scenario sure to keep your saga engaged, no matter what Tribunal your troupe calls home.” (cont)
Quick Review - Another excellent issue. My first impression was that it contains material which I can use in any Ars Magica game, but also some great new ideas for odd encounters and scenarios.
I have a love for boats and ships in roleplaying games as I think they were a fundamental part of the world, but are largely ignored in most settings. This issue provides magical backdrops and ideas, complete with stats, and a small scenario.This builds from material already published in the Hermetic projects book, but is provided stand alone for use as well.
One part of a story reminds me of a SpellJammer touch – which is all I needed to see to know I’d be reading the article a few times at least. Continue reading
Mages can be a secretive and sometimes paranoid group of people. Their knowledge is the key to their influence and power, and it makes sense that Magi would be concerned with protecting their secrets. Encryption is often thought to be a modern concept, but basic forms of encryption were present and effective in ancient times – so much so that it became a common form of sending secure messages.
An excellent historic example of this is the Caesar Shift Decoder (or Caesar Cipher) which is a known substitution cipher, meaning replaces one letter with another, and the scytale which is a physical tool to apply consistent reorganisation of characters. These types of ciphers were simple and effective, as they required a very little knowledge to implement, and made messages very difficult to read. A succinct description is (by blogger Dhaivat Pandya):
Basically, you shift over the alphabet over the message by a certain amount (that certain amount is called the key) to get the encrypted message, and, the person who wants to decrypt it shifts back the message by that certain key.
If simple substitution worked for military messages for the Romans, then it could very reasonably be used by medieval scholars to encrypt and decrypt texts and books. It also makes sense then within the Ars Magica mythic setting that encryption could be used, and also improved with magic.
The potential effects could based upon Rego or Muto magic, with the tasks that a scholar might do in cyphering a text manually but with the added benefit of magical speed and efficiency.
In a previous blog post there was a new spell called Disguise the Words as Written (Muto Imagonem level 5) which temporarily scrambled information in a document for a short time. This scrambling was not intended to be a real form of encryption, rather it modified the text into gibberish, a picture, or almost anything else (which is actually closer to stenography than cryptology). This was intended to provide a degree of security for messages while they were in transit. As an illusion it had the advantage of being a spell effect that ends gracefully, restoring the text to normal automatically. There was no risk of corruption in the process as the text itself was not changed, just the appearance of the text.
The challenge for magical encryption is how to implement that security in a permanent, controllable, and reliable manner. The Muto Imagonem spell above could still be used but it is not ideal, as getting long durations so that the material is protected for a long time becomes a difficult task. Instead a set of specialised spells are needed to act as the encryption and decryption mechanisms. This removes the limitation of time, but introduces a risk of corruption and quality loss when the books are re-written. Magic is not generally reliable.
Rego “craft” magic might be suitable for the actual permanent re-writing of messages, to emulate the work that a person could perform. When Rego is used in this manner it apples to the text itself, and will need casting requirements suitable to the materials involved. Temporary effects are also possible which affect only the image of the text, relying on Muto Imagonem. Intellego should also be a core art for spells which must interpret and translate, which is fundamental to understand hidden meanings.
Aside: I am not sure if the idea of highly complex encryption fits well within a medieval paradigm, but as simple encryption in ancient and medieval times was historically accurate, a hermetic expansion on that capacity seems very plausible within the setting.
The arts and methods of spell design are open to a very wide interpretation, and as with everything produced for Ars Magica YSMV. My assumptions of Muto Imagonem for obfuscation/presentation and non-permanent translation, Rego for materials based work and repetitive work, and Intellego for understanding are core to this interpretation of how to handle encryption with magic.
A surprisingly good idea came from the Atlas official forums by user: Humboldtscott for Ars Magica stress dice rolls, which is worth promoting. As said in the forum there are some quirks in ArM for dice rolls which might be confusing to new players. Continue reading
Here are a few random spell guidelines from Ars Magica worked up into spells. First is an effect to communicate with animals, and the second makes alcoholic drinks safer for a short time. Continue reading
A little while ago I proposed a set of spell guidelines for Imagonem magic involving sound, and participated in a robust debate on the Ars Magica forums. This post is a follow-up as sample spells using those guidelines. This is perhaps to demonstrate the leverage from Imagonem as more than just visual images, and also to demonstrate the relative power levels to other spell effects.
Shatter the Bon Vivant’s Glass
Creo Imagonem 10, R: Voice, D: Momentary, T: Individual
The caster creates a short high pitched burst of sound next to a glass item, which is shattered by the sound. The caster must succeed a Finesse check vs base 6 to correctly target the sound. The sound created is very loud.
(Base 3 to break glass with Finesse check 6+, range to Voice +3)
This is a simple spell to shatter an item made from glass, without targeting the glass itself with magic. The Finesse should be modified by other conditions, however the base has been chosen as the area of effect of noise is large enough so that the spell should be easy to target in non-complicated situations. Continue reading
Fire magic is present in almost all rpgs, and as I’m an Ars Magica magic system fan, here are some run-ups of the spell guidelines for Ignem (fire) spells (a part I really like is the naming of the spells).
Some effects might not be perfectly in-line with the core spell guidelines, and often Ars Magica spells cause debate due to many interpretations or variations. YSMV.
Ignite the Incriminating Writ
Creo Ignem 5 / Herbam, R: Voice, D: Mom, T: Individual
This effect ignites a targeted item item quickly providing a fire which will likely destroying it and leaving only ash. The spell was invented for use on writs and other paper documents which could be either incriminating or hold Magi to agreements which they would prefer to avoid.
(Base 3 as ignite parchment, +2 Voice, +0 He Requisite)
A second version of the spell was invested which could be used at great range using an arcane connection, for those documents that the caster wishes to remove after signing them, and handing them to another.
Ignite the Promiscuous Memoir
Creo Ignem 25 / Requisite, R: Arc, D: Mom, T: Individual
This effect ignites an item connected via an arcane connection, thereby providing a fire which will likely destroying it. The item may be in almost any anything slightly flammable such leather, damp wool.
The spell was invented for use on writs and books, but can also be used to ignite almost any material.
(Base 5 as ignite something slightly flammable, +4 Arc)
Melt the Vanguard’s Arms
Creo Ignem 25 / Terram, R: Voice, D: Mom, T: Part
Up to ten metal items carried by or on the target are heated to melting point. Thus a soldiers sword, helm, and segments of armor will all instantly be burning hot, and melt. This has a side effect of inflicting +5 damage per round while metal items targeted are carried or worn.
(Base 10 heat an object to melting point, +2 Voice, +1 to increase number of parts targeted, +0 Te Requisite)
Conceal the Fire within the Arrow
Muto Ignem 25 / Herbam, R: Touch, D: Diameter, T: Individual
This spell changes a fire up to the size of a small campfire (+5 damage) into an arrow or bolt suitable for use by an archer. The size and form of the projectile is chosen by the caster. The arrow can be used and fired normally until the duration of the spell expires, when it will revert back into a fire.
(Base 10 to change into an unnatural element of another form, +1 Herbam requisite, +1 Touch, +1 Diameter)
Part of the Blogging A to Z initiative, is to create an A-Z list of some sort, and I’m posting what ever random thoughts pop into my head for each letter of the alphabet.
C is for Companion.
Companions are the boon and bane of Ars Magica games; mainly boon. They provided a needed and valuable anchor into the mundane world for the Magi, and can have stories as interesting and developed as Magi stories. Unfortunately they can be mild by comparison to the lethality of a mage, which places them within a difficult space when Magi and Companions are encountering a challenge. What challenges the wizard will often outright slay the companion, and likewise any grogs.
Superficially this is ok, as is it both by design, and also marks the strong division between the two story characters. A story where many combative magi blast their way across Mythic Europe will end badly for a magus eventually. There is a similar but smaller gulf between a Companion character and a Grog character, where again the threats need to be smaller, expected skills lower, and the overall challenge subdued.
All three character types are no less challenging in scenarios where mechanical resolution is sidetracked by role playing. So what is a GM to do? Well starting stories which cannot be brute forced closed with magic or a skill roll is the way to go. Let the character resolve the story within their own skill set, regardless of their core type: Magus, Companion, Grog.
Well then, what remains for Companions?
Well themselves as hooks via flaws and virtues for stories is a fair call. Make the companions the story, and let the players choice of virtues and flaws tell the story that the GM never intended.
In that spirit, here are some Companions to consider, sans mechanics.
Craic the Woodsman.
Craic is the third born child of a gentle and prosperous family. He started life just like all his siblings, but soon demonstrated an propensity for getting into trouble, and unfortunately no real skill in getting out again. Time and time again Craic was rescued from trouble by either his father or his eldest brother, and soon began to rely on the extended family to resolve his dilemmas.
Craic makes a modest living as a woodsman and guide for the lean forests that surround his district, and despite his well know reputation, he consistently finds his skills needed by travellers and the wider townsfolk. To his credit Craic is not afraid of a challenge and has found infrequent praise for rising above where other men would have given up or failed.
As the true black sheep, his knack for trouble follows him. His stories maybe previous bargains found to be hollow promises which impact his new employer. Or perhaps it is covenant land that Craic journeys into, finding and sharing secrets and rumours of the Magi with the common folk. In any case Craic will prove he has some worth, but still require assistance or generosity to escape unscathed from the story; which up till now he has been able to do.
Ashai the Regulator
Ashai was never bothered by her lack of the gift when compared with other Magi. As a member of House Mercere she understood her role intimately – to provide the networks and connections which facilitate the commerce of the order. From this and a keen interest in mathematics and commerce, she excelled as a Redcap. Brokering trades, advising Magi, conducting research, and many other activities over her tenure with the tribunal.
Over time the role became more specalised, to the present day where her daily activities concentrate on regulating and monitoring the transactions which occur through Harco. It is Ashai’s calculation which help form the baselines for fees and penalties as used by the Quaesitory, her protocols which protected each side of a transaction, and her hand which guides the ongoing commerce of the order.
Personally she is reserved, polite, and uncomfortable with direct confrontation. Preferring instead to communicate by letter and messenger. She is highly organised and structured in her life and her thinking.
Some seeds might be:
Part of the Blogging A to Z initiative, is to create an A-Z list of some sort, and I’m posting what ever random thoughts pop into my head for each letter of the alphabet.
Still so far behind.
